Posts by rumtscho
Sheep's wool, especially the comercially sold hiking variants like Icebreaker*, is the least warm options out of all standard wools. If it has to be sheep's wool, take homeknit, from feltable wool....
This question is prompted by a real accident, in which a young, healthy and experienced hiker I knew was found dead from hypothermia ridiculously close to civilization. The assumptions behind it:...
A look through the veterinary literature can show you some further reasons not to just go out and eat grass. Specifically, parasites like liver fluke, different species of tapeworm, and some nemat...
I am considering getting a new air mattress for situations where I want to save weight. I already have a large comfortable one for when I drive to camping with a car. So I saw a system which cost...
I have been doing whitewater kayaking for some time now, and still have a great deal to learn. For difficult places, it is normal for me to stand outside and talk about which lines are good and whi...
The most ancient form of simmering is to use a piece of supple tanned leather and some stones. It works with a plastic bag too. You have to make a fire and heat 3-4 fist-sized stones in it. You a...
On my next vacation, I will be camping in a tent on a designated campsite. I saw somebody use a hammock for lounging during the day last time, so quickly got a cheap hammock from eBay, with a "let'...
I need clothing for kayaking in the summer. I already have the "heavyweight" equipment - thick neoprene longjohn and a whitewater cag. But for places where I need less protection from cold and inju...
cfi's answer describes the classic situation, but if you have a skegg, you can have the front person steer (it can be wired to the front). I've been regularly paddling in a touring K2 regularly f...
I'm reading a very good novel, called "Smilla's sense of snow". A minor figure tells this story from the time he was a frogman with the marines: Going down, I glide through a cold belt [...] I...
When I go on hiking trips, I wear proper boots. However, when I lace them tight, my ankles swell terribly after a few hours and start feeling funny (bending the joint feels like touching a balloon)...