Posts by Russell Steen
Using some sort of leather conditioner, work the boots with your hands. Flex the toe bend and ankle areas. Using your thumbs apply very firm pressure to the toebox in circles. Flex it back and f...
Paracord Better strength*/diameter ratio. 550lb paracord is 5/32" (4mm) in diameter generally. Twisted poly of a comparable strength is around 3/16" (4.75mm). So the paracord will pack smaller...
Most likely a Caddisfly. They make homes of twigs and stones. CADDISFLY: The caddisfly lives only a short time as an adult but may spend several years as a larva. Many larvae can do someth...
Upsides It "looks cool" (to some) Cordage (but arguably useless as you have noted) Downsides Poor grip (compared to leather and manufactured alternatives) More likely to cause blisters Less ...
For practical purposes, rarity is beyond difficult to answer. Sure there may be a biological survey buried somewhere in some journal, but specific topics like that don't get much traction outside ...
When you find large trash items left by others in less accessible places, what should be done? The exact scenario: We were hiking a ten mile trail on US Forestry Service land with river crossings ...
In addition to "longest walk possible" are there any good guidelines for finding trails/areas in the southeast that are typically less crowded on holidays such as the 4th of July? State parks here...
I went camping last trip and my nice inflated pad... deflated. I always carry a patch kit but I discovered another issue: I couldn't find the leak. The leak was small. It took quite a while of me l...
DEET is an effective mosquito deterrent, but there are many reasons it cannot be used. Per the CDC, cuts, eczema, and being a kid are all problems if you want to use DEET. What proven alternative...
I recommend highly reflective line. Many manufacturers make this. I have had excellent results with Kelty Triptease. One 50' line cuts down to easily make 4 guylines for a tent. It is highly re...
It's much easier to know what's not protected than to try to know what is protected. In most of the United States there are only a handful of birds you can legally hunt, and only during "season". ...
I've been reading a lot of product reviews, and filter/pump solutions seem to be very high maintenance, very heavy, or both. Are there any lightweight filters which can be relied on for many liter...
When I bought my pack, we were told to always pack the tent and sleeping bag in the pack. Since then I have seen a lot of articles and hikers doing the outside. What are the benefits on packing t...
Note on boiling and stove weights, obviously there are dozens of stoves out there for every fuel. I'm just estimating based on commonly used stoves. Petroleum, Gas, White Gas, other liquid petrol...
When trimming weight there are a lot of options. Lighter gear, less gear, etc. One of those options is to take an existing pack and trim off "unnecessary" extras. For instance, I have (no kiddin...
Assuming I am not allergic, or showing signs of allergic reaction, what's the best way to treat multiple yellow jacket (a type of wasp) stings in the outdoors while hiking/backpacking? My key conc...
In my ongoing effort to cut tent weight we have replaced stakes, changed ground pads, and we're looking at replacing the guylines (no really, it's amazing how much cordage weighs!). At what diamet...
Your body just doesn't have a reaction on skin contact right now. However most people will develop a reaction after enough repeated exposure. While poison ivy doesn't bother me either, I do take ...
If you're going for sealing, just stitch some silnylon over it with a sewing machine and seam seal it. I would recommend sewing two rows as they did, one in the middle of their two, and one an equ...
Warmth -- This is after all why you are buying the bag. Not all bags rated for the same temperature will provide the same warmth. Fit -- A bag that fits you closely, but not tightly, will prov...
I recently started indoor rock climbing at a local spot. I got to the top and (after appropriate communication) my partner started to belay me down. I instantly starting swinging and spinning pre...
We went out this weekend to try and catch a frozen waterfall such as the one. We had a great trip but it was clearly a misguided venture at our current tempuratures. At what temperature would we ...
Actually they can probably be fixed. For the cap there are two options with JB Weld that I have used. The first is described here, but basically consists of coating the original cap with JB We...
Reading around forums and in products, I see descriptions and weights for a "fast pack" setup for tents. What does this mean and what is it used for?
I can hike uphill practically all day. However as very soon after I start a descent, pain builds on the outside of my knee. What is causing this and can I do anything to prevent/mitigate it (othe...
