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Posts by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Why do hydration bladders top out at 3 liters?

Many, many companies offer 3 liter bladders. Only the dromedary units go above that and the reviews say they're hard to clean and in general are negative about using them as hydration bladders rat...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A What are the simplest 5000 m mountains to hike?

The first thing that comes to mind to me is Kilimanjaro. It's almost 6,000m and my evaluation of it would be class 2 (I haven't seen any proper rating of it) and that only on the final ascent, get...

posted 6y ago by Loren Pechtel‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by System‭

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Q&A Who gets the bill if you activate a PLB to help someone else?

Locally Search and Rescue doesn't charge but what happens if you're in an area where they do? They obviously have your name and address but it doesn't seem fair to bill the person who was prepared...

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by Loren Pechtel‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do you wave off a search and rescue helicopter?

We were out on a night hike. A helicopter showed up, by behavior it was search and rescue, looking not too far away from our group. It might have simply been doing training, but if it was a real ...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Loren Pechtel‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by System‭

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Q&A Google Map Hiking Trail

My color vision isn't perfect so I'm not completely sure what you're talking about on that map. I see two things on there that you might be talking about: 1) I see several paths with names that ...

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A How dangerous are wild horses?

I have had multiple encounters with wild horses in an environment where they are used to the presence of hikers. There was an obvious pattern where approaching within a certain distance (which isn...

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Where can I get little durable cases you can hang on your climbing harness?

Pelican makes small cases for electronics. There is likely something of a size to do what you want.

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Is sleeping on the ground in cold weather better than on an air mattress?

Some more factors here: 1) Even if the air in the air mattress was the same temperature as the outside air it has much less thermal capacity and thus will take your heat away slower. 2) An air ...

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Is it practical to get a satellite phone for communication from remote areas?

You're almost certainly going at this the wrong way. For something like this you want a Garmin inReach unit--the costs are a lot lower. They only give you text messaging, no voice communications....

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Topo map server out there somewhere?

I'm not sure if it covers Canada or not but have you checked out the GaiaGPS app? It's phone rather than desktop but it can serve up topos at a variable scale, I just don't know how much of the wo...

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A What do I call this hat(?) with sun protection on the sides?

It looks like a typical hat but also has fabric hanging down around the sides/back of your head for sun protection. I saw one on the trail that was labeled North Face but I can't find anything lik...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Gear storage: what gear that can be safely stocked outside?

Much of the damage could be averted by placing the stuff in airtight containers with a desiccant of sufficient size in there. Silica gel in suitable containers can be regenerated, there are other ...

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Male swimming attire that can be worn under clothing

(Use case: A hike to heated waters--hiking with only swimwear for lower attire is not an option.) I find most swimwear is not exactly suitable for wearing under clothing, speedos would work but I...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A As of 2019, why do mountaineering courses still teach how to use a paper map?

I have a very practical example of the value of paper maps: I found a waterproof, tear resistant map of my usual mountain hiking grounds that lives in my pack. When I put it there I figured it wo...

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A The best solution for carrying a D-SLR when hiking

I have never taken mine into the temperatures you are talking about but for hiking in general I clip it to my shoulder strap with a Peak Design Capture Clip. This is the best solution I have yet t...

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Clothing for cold weather hiking

For my few forays into such weather I have worn: Heavy merino wool socks over silk liner socks. Merino wool under my pants. For my upper body I go with layers on the outside rather than anything...

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Transition to "Starvation Mode" in Survival Situations

Another factor here: Depending on where you are you very well might find that attempting to obtain food costs you more energy than whatever you find provides. I'm thinking of my usual hiking terr...

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Is there an app: remind me when I get back here

The basics of what I'm after is very, very simple: Push a button, it notes your location. When you reach that point again it tells you. I've looked around and I don't find anything that seems to...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Does an ice chest packed full of frozen food need ice?

Another factor to keep in mind: Heat rises--the warmest part of the ice chest is on top. Thus you have ice there and food underneath it so it's ice that melts rather than food. That being said, ...

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A What overnight backpacking trails are clear of deep snow now (or likely to be in the next two weeks) in northwest Washington?

This forum is worldwide, you're not going to get a good localized answer. I do have two suggestions, though: 1) Look at local hiking groups. I suspect you have Meetup groups, there might be oth...

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Is there a handgun or rifle target practice set-up for the home?

I recently ran into a mention of the Coolfire system: https://coolfiretrainer.com/ My understanding of it is that it attaches to a real gun and simulates recoil. I have no experience with it. T...

posted 5y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Can I theoritcally climb The Mount Erciyes in the summer?

Categorically, no. 1) As ab2 said, you need experience. You need to learn how much you can do (note that hiking endurance isn't very related to how one performs in sports--my nephew is 10 year...

posted 6y ago by Loren Pechtel‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do you take field notes at below 0 °C, without freezing fingers?

Fisher Space Pen. Writes down to -30F and won't leak no matter what (say, from altitude changes going up a mountain.) https://www.spacepen.com/about-us.aspx (And I have no connection to them othe...

posted 6y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Is a hole in a cold place warmer?

(Note: Doesn't this belong on Worldbuilding??) Your question is inherently unanswerable as you are missing a key factor: The season. Look at that chart in wanderweeer's answer--note how the tem...

posted 6y ago by Loren Pechtel‭

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Q&A Fittings to connect together two hydration bladders

I hike in an area where packing in all your water is the only option. For longer hikes when it's warmer one bladder won't hold enough. Does anyone make a practical way to connect two together so ...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Loren Pechtel‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by System‭