Posts by ShemSeger
Most of the "untouched" places left in North America are that way for a reason, no one wants to touch them. There are loads of barren desserts in Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona that people do...
In an answer given to this question: Micro-Fractures in Climbing Equipments, it's stated that dropping gear causing micro fractures is a persistent myth, quoting Black Diamond's statement: Q. I...
TL;DR: Look for manufacturer standards associations (UIAA, CE, ISO): Climbing Gear Strength Rating and Testing Standards The general rule of thumb about gear in Rock Climbing is when you have a...
I ask this question based on the fact that tensile strength tests show that putting a double fisherman's knot in kernmantle rope makes it more likely for the rope to snap than a rope tied with a si...
No It is not ok to use that type of descending ring for fixed anchors. SMC Descending Rings are a one-piece aluminum ring which are intended to be placed at the top of a pull down rappel in place...
Rolled aluminum descending rings like the SMC Descending ring are light (11g) and cheap ($3) which makes them great for carrying and leaving behind on long descents, but in my mind they are disposa...
Either will work, but Dyneema and Nylon have different properties that can make them more or less advantageous in certain situations. Dyneema is obviously a lot lighter than nylon, which gives it...
High and Dry Find a flat area. Make sure that flat area won't pool with water if it rains. There's really not much else you need to be concerned about in a well forested area except for critte...
So I was watching this video, and got to the part where this guy and girl are discussing and demonstrating whose method of peeing off the portaledge is scariest. Then I of course thought to myself,...
Survival Float. A survival float-also know as a deadman float or jellyfish float–is when you relax your body, over-inflate your lungs, and try to stay afloat using natural buoyancy by either layin...
TL;DR - First try to identify if the wire is supposed to carry electricity (insulators on posts/wire goes to an electrical box/posted warning signs/ect...). There's really not much you can do to ch...
I don't know what the rules are where you climb, but those kinds of situations–where you find a bomber belay point (comfy ledge), but no suitable anchor points–are where I'm temped to bolt an ancho...
Don't fill the container You can't win in a battle against the laws of physics. Water expands when it freezes, so you need to leave some room in your bottle for it to expand into. What I find work...
If you end up with a snake on your chest while sleeping, you can rest assured that the snake is not in an aggressive mood. It's on top of you because it thinks you're cozy and warm, if it's cozy th...
The correct answer is to put your avalung mouthpiece in your mouth and inflate your airbag. If you don't have either of those things, then you are NOT properly equipped to be in avalanche terrain. ...
This Interactive Map Tool pinpoints all locks and dams, as well as paddling access and amenities, including boat launches on the Ohio River: There are at least two tenting campgrounds by the wat...
The variety used by pipe fitters working the oil fields in the Great White North: You sound like you're working on the oil rigs, which explains why the pointer finger on your gloves keeps blowin...
After spending quite some time researching what you can do to avoid tiger encounters, the best advise I can give you is–don't put yourself in a position where you might encounter a tiger. Tigers ar...
You should get a lapstick. I don't imagine that you're going to be able to find anything more convenient or compact than this thing is. The best way to ensure your guitar stays in good shape on o...
If you think about it, lighting a kerosene lamp with a flint and steel is essentially the same as lighting a Zippo Lighter. The classic of classic lighters has a flammable-fluid soaked wick that is...
Where would I look if I was in a survival situation and wanted to find some rocks for fire starting? Where does flint occur naturally? What environments could you expect to find some in? I've creat...
You can anchor your belayer, this is especially important to do when multi-pitching (if you're belaying from your harness), but if you're belayer is always going to be on the ground then she should...
As you stated in your question, there are many different Tyvek fabrics, some are only water resistant, whereas others are completely waterproof (such as is used for express mail envelopes and print...
It's about -30°C this morning, and a couple random thoughts popped into my head while enjoying a nice hot shower. The first was how terrible would it be to get out of a shower at -30°C in a tent. T...
I'm a +5 in the ape index, (6'2" tall, with almost a 6'7" wingspan) Buying nice fitting jackets has never been a luxury I could enjoy. My solution for a while was to buy jackets made for ice climbi...
