Posts by themirror
I am a first-time knife buyer. What should I look for in an all-purpose, lightweight backpacking knife? I aim to use it for cutting trail plants and fish. My top priority is a knife that doesn't ...
Nemo has some tents that don't use any poles. Instead they let you inflate some air chambers that hold up the tent with their pressure. Are there other manufacturers doing this?
I know the USGS and many others offer free downloadable raster topo maps for almost anywhere. But what if I want vector maps using GPS coords? I'm new to GIS but I would assume there is a de fac...
There's many different kinds of "down" filling: "100% down" must legally be only down, while "down" can be any mixture containing down. Then there's "fill power" ranging from about 400 to 1200, wh...
I'm about to purchase a full 4.2oz/yd Spectra/Dyneema woven groundsheet (with no coatings) to use under an inflated raft with a 150lb person sleeping on top of it. Question: Is woven full spectra/...
These days, almost every sleeping bag sold is given a thermal insulation numeric "rating", either the USA version or the more accurate European version. But vintage bags did not have this industry...
If I use two identical 20-degree-rated bags, one inside the other, what would likely be the effective temperature rating? 10-degree? 0-degree? negative-10-degree?
Supposedly Down (and most other sleeping bag insulations) lose a lot of their thermal insulating properties when they are compressed. When I'm inside a sleeping bag, obviously whichever side is on...
I'm obviously not a fisherman... If I like the flavors, is there any problem with cooking and eating a fish that hasn't been gutted? Any particular species? In other words, what are all the reas...
I hear that because down feathers are so delicate, a down sleeping bag that has gotten a ton of use or rough use has significantly less insulating performance -- the feathers are broken down into b...
Pack-Buying Priorities: Comfort Comfort Comfort Workmanship quality Everything else Best Materials: Dyneema (which is the same thing as Spectra): Ultra high-end fiber stronger than Kevlar. P...
Is there something that works like epoxy or natural tar that I can apply to the most delicate impact points of my feet (balls and heel) that will form a very durable bond, and let me backpack (i.e....
From a beginning fisher: Can I, say, float a raft out into the middle of a lake, with several fishing lines/hooks/bait hanging into the lake, with the whole thing tethered to the shore by a long r...
My white full Dyneema backpack is old and dirty and stained. How do I clean it? Can I wash it in chlorine bleach or some other fabric bleaching chemical? If so, how? Even if the bleaching agent d...
Can anyone point to any commercial or DIY trekking poles whose end-piece can be swapped -- i.e. regular pole point, sharp spear, raft paddle, camera screw, etc?
Sometimes I hike with people for whom bare chest or even bare legs would be uncomfortable. But I get overheated MUCH more easily than most people; anything about 70 degrees is too to wear clothes ...
