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With fog, the only thing you're losing is extended visibility. This shouldn't throw off your plan too much, unless you were navigating by watching far away landmarks. If you were on a trail, stay ...
When sailing I may anchor in a different bay each evening and take a dinghy in to land to sleep in a tent overnight. I always worry that when I wake up in the morning the boat may no longer be th...
We quite often cook on a small gas stove in the porch (vestibule) of the tent - as long as you are careful and don't leave it unattended, just be sensible. I have seen a tent go up in flames, and ...
If I find a tick on myself or a friend, what is the best way of removing it? I've heard some people say that singeing the tick with a match makes the tick detach and fall off. However I've also h...
One possible advantage not yet mentioned for external frame pack is that most are adjustable to fit a wide range of people. This is useful if you know that the pack is going to be used by several ...
There are two important keys to keeping warm in sub-zero temperatures, keeping dry and dressing in layers. Getting wet by any means, including sweat will make you miserably uncomfortable. It is a...
While camping with some friends in Anywhere National Forest, I found a deer tick on a friend. After removing it with tweezers, is there anything else I should do? Should we abandon our trip immedia...
This depends of course on the tools you have and what your overall situation is. For example, if you know that you are on a certain path and you have a compass, and if you are on a slope, you can ...
If I know my route will take x days, over terrain y, with a change in height of z, in temperatures of p, is there a simple rule of thumb which will let me calculate food requirements? Water is rel...
I really like to go snowshoeing during the winter. I'm going up to 3500 meters and when I'm doing long tours I would really enjoy to try out winter camping in very remote areas. Is it a good idea t...
In addition to Mosquitos, many of us northwoods campers have been made victim to the vast swarms of biting flies. Despite slathering myself with DEET, they don't seem deterred, and they especially...
Try and distribute your weight as much as possible. If you are wearing a backpack, take it off and lay it in front you and use it to gain as much leverage as you can. Use sticks, plants, anything ...
They sell fiberglass repair kits at most boating stores which are made for this exact sort of repair. It includes a fiber glass cloth which you put over the damaged area, as well as a resin / harde...
Every summer I have a strong desire to go camping on a beach. However, I've discovered that the places near me (Long Island, New York, northern New Jersey) often either: Have a limited number of...
The answers regarding flammability (and the ensuing death trap) and carbon monoxide poisoning are correct. Even in foul weather, cook outside your tent. If you do lots of camping in bad weather (Ne...
In addition to the fire hazard, cooking food in your tent in bear country is a good recipe for waking up to find a bear trashing your campsite, and/or you.
As long as you are washing with a front-loader, then putting in your water-proofs and washing on a low temperature with reproofer (instructions should be on the bottle) will get your get clean and ...
Most tents these days claim to have a "fireproof" coating - but I'd never really want to put this to the test! I have heard one horror story in particular (admittedly with a much older tent) that's...
Absolutely not! Fire is the obvious risk, but carbon monoxide poisoning should be taken seriously as well. If the weather is bad, at the very least cook under the vestibule with maximum ventilation...
I usually throw a tarp above my tent. (an additional tarp, not the one that comes with most modern tents). I find that it usually muffles the sound of the rain. You will definitely still hear but...
I would get a ceramic filter that is rated to remove metals like arsenic (this is a particular issue in the UK where most surface water in the wild country can harbour arsenic - but I'd rather assu...
For hiking with a backpack I would recommend the following considerations: Weight I would go as light as possible. Generally the lighter you go the more expensive you go, but on those long treks i...
When camping in bad weather I'm always asking myself if it is a good idea to cook in my tent with a gas cooker. Obviously there is the danger of fire. But how dangerous is this really? Can you easi...
I have a very bad reaction to poison ivy. I take extraordinary measures to avoid any and all contact with it. I wear long socks and full pants in the middle of summer but I still end up getting i...
When wearing my Vibrams, I tend to travel much more carefully than when wearing my trail runners, so I find that I need less protection than I would in more traditional footwear. I would say it dep...
