Posts by Russell Steen
I saw a new product for rain protection the other day. Frogg Toggs makes a line of rain gear out of a polypropylene material that I have not previously seen used for rain gear. Does anyone know h...
http://www.gore-tex.com.au/faq/w1/i1085252/ How should I dispose of a GORE-TEX® product in an environmentally safe way? Garments or footwear made from Gore laminates can be safely disposed ...
I recommend reflective lines for at night, and standard flagging tape for during the day. Both are lightweight and the triptease line really jumps out at night when hit with a light.
I'm finally going to take the plunge and trim all the excess cordage and belting off of my pack. How much strap material should I leave to allow for adjustments in gear (adding layers for cold, ...
Yes, if you are camping in rocks and snow, you will want a footprint. Since there don't appear to be any specifically made for this tent, I suggest making one out of Tyvek. It is readily availabl...
Yes, it is possible. In my experience, the best attractant is food. You want to put the attractant out well in advance, and preferably over a number of days. Anything blood based will work for ...
Tenting with two people always comes down to a few items. How easy is it to get in/out? Is there enough room to fit both people and gear? How much does this thing weigh? Can we afford it? You'v...
In the States, we have a Ranger structure, whereby you can call a ranger district that can answer questions about that district. Similarly, you can call higher up the food chain for questions affe...
It depends on what you have access to. If you have plenty of cooling, then gut, bleed, and ice immediately. However only do this if you can keep it cold. This requires a LOT of ice because you h...
Why I use a tent in three easy-to-understand bullets Mosquitoes Ticks Mosquitoes Yes, I could carry netting, but at that point the tarp + netting would be both more hassle and more weight than ...
It would depend on the shoe. A full leather shoe would "Breathe" less because the air has more difficulty circulating all the way down to the toe and back. However, on a good "breathable" shoe, i...
I caution against storing the food in your car. Bears have been known to do serious damage to a car trying to get in. Hence Don't eat in the car - ever Do not store food or other items that "sm...
In one of the trail journals I read, the author mentions packing her boots with newspaper to dry them out. On the one hand I can see perhaps some wicking action, but this would greatly reduce airf...
Gym training, especially body building, weight training, and strength training do not translate well to hiking, so don't count on that to carry you and get you through. If you are new to hiking/ba...
Leaves under your tent will offer almost no value as you will crush them when you lay in your tent. The primary benefit from leaves comes from dead air space. However they will provide a more smo...
It depends in part on how you got the blisters, but from the question I think we can take it to mean that they're from friction. In order of what you can expect They will get worse and larger. ...
Under the assumption that I'm far enough out that I need to hike out on my own, and that I have someone who can help... what is the best way to immobilize a dislocated shoulder for a long hike out ...
Avoid bee hives Avoid bee hives See 1 & 2 Once you've pissed the bees off there is little to nothing you can do. Getting out of the area is the obvious answer, but that is difficult mid-cli...
I was climbing with someone recently and they complained that there was too much slack any time the line wasn't completely taut. By the same token when they were belaying me it was almost hard to ...
You should never plan to not purify. Levels of contamination will depend on the location. A stream running by a pasture 50 miles upstream will possibly contain more contaminants than ocean, even ...
Use the removable sticky stuff that teachers use to hang stuff on walls.
Talked to my doc today during a visit for something else. It's Iliotibial Band Syndrome. The band of connective tissue that runs along the outside of the knee becomes irritated and inflamed. It'...
My hiking shoes starting having problems with the insoles, so I got replacements. However the replacements I have are "Trim to fit." How do I get the proper shape so that I don't end up with any ...
Let's say you are camping with a large group, and someone starts a camp fire. You're away for a bit and come back to find everyone panicking and the fire to be much larger than actually planned (i...
I have a bag liner that claims to add 15 degrees to the "range" of a sleeping bag. Is it reasonable to assume that it would work the same for all bags? For instance, would it extend a 40 degree b...
