Activity for Systemâ€
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answer | — |
A: How to store a knife If your putting it away for a long period of time I like to coat the blade in oil. The oil will repel any moisture and stop it rusting. Overtime the oil will evaporate, if you use quite a thick oil (or grease) it will last longer. You'll still likely want to give it a quick sharpen (as well as a poli... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Repair broken plastic buckle in the middle of hiking or alternative way to fix it The only knot that's I'm aware of that's any good at securing straps like that is a water knot. though I'm not convinced it's going to work in your case. You don't have a lot of slack, it tends to slip and it's not very adjustable. A better solution to your problem I think might be to change how ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Does Life Paint effect waterproofing? The answer to this will depend on the material your applying it to. Waterproofs typically fall into one of three categories: Physical waterproof barriers These are the old style "boil in the bag" type systems where your coated in plastic. This plastic will neither let water in or out. These are rar... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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Is there any practical use for a grappling hook? A friend was asking about grappling hooks the other day, apparently they'd seen a mountaineering program where the guy carried a grappling hook. We couldn't quite figure out why, I've never seen anyone use one (outside of a comic book). Are they mountaineering equipment? When (if ever) would you us... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Why was Fred Bear shooting left-handed? Having done a bit of googling it appears he appears he shot left-handed due to an accident where he had part of one of his fingers amputated: ...Fred Bear shot the bow left handed, but he was right eye dominant. He had a partial amputation of one of the fingers on his right hand, so it was eith... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Is listening to music on earphones while hiking solo safe enough? Safety is not absolute and there is no such thing as "safe", there is only safer or less safe. There is no doubt wearing head phones is less safe than not wearing them. The question you are really asking is "Is wearing headphone safe enough" Its a long time since humans had to worry about saber too... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Will it damage my rain gear to store it in a compression sack? Does it wear out more quickly if rain gear is stored in a stuff sack Pretty much everything wears out more quickly in a stuff sack. They put additional pressures onto the fibres, etc. So yes it will. How much quicker is open to debate and will vary considerably depending on how compressed, for h... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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What is the English word for this type of run/race? Imagine a place with no defined path/trail to run for example in a jungle. Only the source and destination are given. The runners/participants should reach the destination from the source. Time is not a metric to select the winner, instead there are some pre-defined intermediary points in the jungle ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Is the keeper wire loop on a tubular belay device necessary? So what does the keeper wire do? Makes it easier to attach the device to your harness when not using. Prevents the belay device working its way up the rope when giving slack. Keeps the delay device in the optimal position for use. one could simply cut it off and carry the device using the larg... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Does keeping the crossbow cocked for long periods of time, (i.e. while hunting), harm the crossbow in any way? Refer A Beginner's Guide to Hunting with a Crossbow You cock before you load an arrow.... You can leave your bow cocked all day (provided that you remove the arrow before walking or exiting a tree stand, of course), but you should uncock the bow at the end of the hunt. Clearly, you sho... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How to react to cattle charging towards you? In the UK (we don't have many dangerous animals) cows are the most dangerous animals you're likely to come across. They kill about a dozen people every year. Typically most deaths are caused by herds trampling people/farmers. A lot of people are wary of bulls. In my experience a herd of mother cows ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Where to report bird with leg ring id? It depends what kind of ring it was. If the bird was part of a scientific study then often it will have a phone number/web address to contact (depending on size of the bird). If it is a racing bird (like a racing pigeon) then it will be a club specific ring. The type of ring alters depending on wha... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: What are other alternatives to Sleeping pads? Piles of clothes (though not that comfortable) they do help insulate you when it's cold (one of the main things a sleeping mat does is insulate you from the ground to keep you warm, not just make it more comfortable). (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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Twisting board technique when turning a snowboard? I'm going snowboarding in a couple of months and I'm hideously out of practice/not very good. I remember when I last had lesson the instructor talked about how I should twist the board with my feet as I turn but TBH I never really got what he was trying to explain. Can anyone explain this? It'd be n... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Effective way to carry a sleeping mattress with rucksack? I switched to using a self inflating mattress years ago, mostly because of the problem of the bulk of foam mats, and having them outside the pack while working though dense bush. Inside as shown is really not useful. The mat does not conform to the contours of the pack pack, leaving very little sp... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Toprope webbing anchor with figure 8 knots A Knot is a knot and its usually not something to get tied up in knots about. An simple overhand is a better knot in tape, purely because a Fig8 is impossible to lie neatly. As far as the question goes, Fig 8 is good. With any knot if its the only one you know, its far safer than any other knot you ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: What are other possible make-shift alternatives for chalk powder? In some parts of France (Particularly the Fontainebleau forest) they use a substance called POF. POF is basically tree sap, they harvest it and carry it around in bags, dabbing it onto holds, etc. to make them sticky. Any tree that produces a lot of sap can be used. Though be careful not to overly ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Criterions in multi-pitch climbing to be considered a free ascent It is not the sling that is the issue, its using the sling to form a hanging belay. Using a hanging belay allows the climber to sit down and have a rest at any location on the wall (i.e. its no different to loading a piece of Pro to take a rest when on the climb), as opposed to having to position t... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Is there a mesh mini-tent on the market that covers head, shoulders and arms, allowing you read comfortably in buggy terrain? Yes, your talking about a bivvy bag (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Why are backpacks mostly not made of waterproof material? Like a lot of decision made by a manufacturer it's a case of profit! At some level they've made a commercial decision. Waterproof fabrics are expensive, so if you make a bag using them then you have pass this onto the customer or take a hit on your profits. I would imagine that they've researched thi... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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Is there a practical "Measurement of warmth"? I'm after a new pair of gloves for the winter. I've found plenty of gloves online but I'm wary of buying them as I want some really warm winter gloves (for use in -10C or less). In a shop I can try them on, etc. but online I can't. this is particularly difficult for some place like Sportspursuit wher... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Case example on Altitude Mountain Sickness: How to detect and react properly? My guess - you were not suffering AMS symptom, but you were in potentially big trouble. Normally AMS symptoms take time - up to 24 or even 48 hours to develop. When I was climbing Alpamayo (6000m), a guy got carried off after he came up from sea level and attempted the peak in a day. His aim was bag... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: What is "Isolation" and "Prominence" in mountain terms? Prominence Is it's height above the surrounding ground (so the ground level is x height above sea level, the mounting is y height above sea level, it's Prominence = y -x) Isolation Is the distance between it and the nearest point at the same height. This is all based on the "footprint" on a map o... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Questions about specifics of black bear encounter with mother and yearling cub Is this interpretation plausible, or are we just anthropomorphizing? The bear cub was likely scared and its reaction was to put on an aggressive act. TBH I think you were lucky as a threatened mother bear corned with its cub in the dark like that could have easily charged you. The mother was li... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How to re-store an inflatable sleeping pad? Typically...when putting an inflatable matt back into it's packaging I: Make sure all the vents are fully open Fold it (width wise) to the size of the bag you want to put it into Slowly roll the matt towards the vents, squeezing as much air as you can out. I'll normally roll it one roll then put m... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Similar knots to be avoided I believe the better way is a list of easy to tie, easy to inspect, reliable must know knots. My advise to beginners is master just one way to tie each knot, and only a few knots (3 or 4 is all you need to climb safely). Ignore alternate ways to tie the same knot and ignore people who tell you the... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Is there a connection between stress and difficulty in acclimatizing? Is there a connection between stress and difficulty in acclimatizing? No, no known connection has been made between stress and acclimatizing at altitude. Does this mean that stress couldn't make acclimatizing worse? Probably not. It's simply not known what affect this has (It would also be dif... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: What kind of leaf should I NOT use for tissue or toilet paper? I watched a program about this the other day. My vote for by far the worst is the Australian Gympie Gympie plant One of the world’s most venomous plants, the Gympie-Gympie stinging tree can cause months of excruciating pain.... Even protective particle masks and welding gloves could no... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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Can you identify flying bats? I've noticed a lot of bats around my house recently. I'd love to know what type of bat they are but all I see is a silhouetted glimpse as they dart past. Is there anyway to identify what types of bat(s) they are? (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: What easy 6,500m peaks would serve as easy qualifiers for Everest? If I was a guide and my choice would be Cordillera Blanca(Peru) or something similar. Its highest peak is technically an easy climb, very easy access to the range, good support infrastructure (transport etc) and major town very close by and very cost effective. Its a comfortable days bus trip from an... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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What should I feed ravens/crows? There are some big raven's I've noticed visit our housing estate in the early am. They're big majestic birds and I quite like them. What food would you put out to encourage these into your garden? Will they be noisy? They seems fine now, but having lived by a rookery in the past I know the noise the... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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What type of bird seed attracts the most amount of birds? When looking for bird seed (particularly this time of year, Autumn) what kind of bird seed should I be using to attract the most amount of birds into the garden? Is the seed even important or will any type do? (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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Is clipping directly onto a dyneema sling safe? I was recently doing a scramble route in North Wales. We needed to get past a large rock spike, though easy climbing, it was quite exposed and not a good place to take a fall. As a safety backup I attached a long dyneema sling over a large spike and clipped this directly onto my harness. This was mor... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How to humanely kill an injured rabbit? When I used to go hunting with my brother he used to kill injured rabbits using a pulling motion, I asked him about it today, it's called chinning! I Googled it and found this (http://www.how-to-hunt-rabbit.com/killing-rabbit.html) Simply hold the rabbits back legs (in your strong hand) and plac... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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How to humanely kill an injured rabbit? My girlfriend was walking the dogs this am when she came across what she thought was a road kill rabbit. One of the dogs ran over to the "dead" rabbit and tried to take a bite out of the stomach. The rabbit screamed and hobbled off! So the rabbit wasn't dead just critically injured. I wasn't there, ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Are DEET-based insect repellents effective against fleas? Yes...though we're not sure why?! DEET will prevent pretty much all bugs from biting you. No one's really sure the mechanism of how or why this is the case though. DEET was actually developed by accident, the US government was working with new chemicals for use in warfare when they noticed that DEET... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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How do you get into a prone position without catching your crampons? With autumn starting to appear in the UK I find myself thinking about winter technique once again. I've practiced self arrest technique, but always avoided doing it while wearing crampons. Obviously in an actual emergency I'd likely be wearing crampons in these situations. I'm unclear how you per... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How do you tie your shoes one handed? First, I'm sorry to hear about your arm. Tying a shoelace with one hand may almost be impossible but you could follow these simple steps: (Source of above diagrams) If all else fails use velcro shoes: (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: BMC Discount on Climbing Walls You can see a list of the mebership discounts currently at: https://www.thebmc.co.uk/membership-discounts It covers a wide variety of things. TBH, if your looking to join the BMC for a discount it's likely not worth it. Often I get better discounts from memberships to walls, etc. (hold on a s... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How to introduce individuals to the concept of Leave No Trace Don't talk about "The Rules" rules are made to control people, they create resentment and tend to be broken.... Don't try to teach 'rules', teach the concepts behind the rules. Get the person to buy into the concept and need for leaving no trace, then introduce them to things gradually. Don't give t... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Transporting Large Amounts of Fish Ask around, like your mates at work and neighbors and see if you can borrow some coolers. You may also be able to rent a decent sized one from a commercial catering company. You will need to decide if you want dry ice or normal ice for keeping the fish cold on the way home. Another possibility is t... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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Is there a Polish mountain rescue organisation? I was talking to a friend on my lunch today about visiting the Tatra mountains in Poland and he said that an issue was the lack of mountain rescue if you get into trouble. Is this true, there is no Mountain Rescue organisation in Poland/Tatra mountains. What would you do in an Emergency instead? (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: UV Protection while trekking at 5000m for myopic vision There are several options Goggles that fit over you prescription glasses (Commonly referred to as "Over the glasses" or just 'OTG'.) - probably the cheapest solution, used successfully by many people. Contact lenses are available for all sorts of prescriptions now days and could be worth conside... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Recommended ascents for the improving mountaineer I'm still a little unclear what your asking but here goes. This tally's reasonably well with my own experience. I've spent a lot of time in the mountains of the UK (Mainly Snowdonia in North Wales where I live). My long term ambition is to move into more alpinism type route in France, Germany, etc. ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: What are some techniques to avoid touching a wet tent wall? I think my slightly tongue in cheek comment is relevant. Maybe you need a bigger tent: Or to follow the fast and light principles and just take less stuff. Baring that If you tent has something inside it to suspend a clothes line then maybe you could rig up some kind of netting (suspended form th... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Rappelling from tree You do not say what size tree, but to me big means something like 1/2 meter or more diameter trunk. Presuming a living tree with no obvious movement of the roots the tree was infinitely stronger than your quick draw or chains or bolts holding them to the rocks. "Was it safe" is not the right question... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Can rock climbers easily transition to canyoning? TL;DR Yes there are lots of rock climbing techniques that are transferable to canyoning (or gorge/gill scrambling as it is often called in the UK) but there are other specific skills required also Transferable skills Belaying Anchors (these tend to be in a similar vein to one's you'd use when scr... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: Dealing with rashes between thighs and around the groin Others have good advice: none-cotton, tight underwear; balm or talcum powder; dry clothes. However, I have one more option: when I'm on the move and start feeling chaffing in my bum, I'll do the moonwalk. The moonwalk is a technique for drying out one's nether regions while staying on the move (not ... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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How do you eat nettles? In my other question Can you eat dock leaves? How can they be prepared? @ThatIdiot says: ... the stinging nettles are one of the best forage foods out there. So how do you prepare these? What do they taste of? Any recipes or prefared ways of eating nettles? (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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Can you eat dock leaves? How can they be prepared? Are dock leaves/rumex edible? They're on of the most common plants we see in the UK (that and stinging nettles) and I find myself wondering how if I could eat them. I've been told before that you should chew them before applying them to a stinging nettle, so they're not poisonous. Are they tasty? Ho... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |