Posts by Sherwood Botsford
The advice on Kamik etc is good. A: I buy them 2 sizes larger than my normal size. This allows me to wear 2 thick pairs of socks inside the already thick felt liners. B: Verify that you can r...
A comment on recent answer suggests that kernmantle ropes are more easily damaged than a conventional twisted rope. This is contrary to what I learned very long ago. So far I've been unable to f...
There's a tradeoff: Sealed leather doesn't let water in, but doesn't let water vapour out either. This results in liners getting soaked sooner. You can reduce this somewhat: Apply your choice of...
As a reference, see Patterson's "The Dangerous River, Adventures on the Nahanni" book. He would prospect for gold, and had a camp a good ways up the river. His boat was in effect a 30 foot long 5...
There are two approaches you can take: Wear heavier shoes that wear longer, or wear lighter/cheaper shoes and replace as needed. I'm interested that you wear shoes out. I typically get about 500...
I'm on holiday near Sechelt right now, and have been hiking the trails and powerline right of ways. On several occasions I've come to the end of one trail, and can see the start again on the other...
For horses I've seen various numbers but 125 to 250 seems to be the range. This depends on the breed, the difficulty of the terrain, and the length of the trip. Horses need a lot of time to graze...
Towing doesn't work well. The trailing canoe will tend to swing wildly from side to side. This is a chronic problem when towing a swamped canoe to shore. This may be affected by how the trailing...
I'm taking inventory on my tree farm. The temperature today is -7 °C with a light breeze. Windchill of -10 °C. I figure that there are lots of people who have this problem. Writing a journal, desc...
Sorry, but this is a 'how long is a piece of string' question. Variables: Size and shape of the canopy. (Yes, sides will require greater weights) Nature of the site (exposed, sheltered) Speed o...
Don't worry about padding anything. I worked as the outdoor equipment manager for St. John's Cathedral Boys' School. We had 120 kids in the school with a 3 week canoe trip at the end of each sc...
It's not that bad. First of all, distinguish between hypothermia and frostbite. The latter is when your flesh actually freezes. Water crystals do a lot of damage. It is extremely painful when ...
If you aren't drifting, then one item that would be useful is a log. This is as simple as a chunk of wood and a line. Time how long it takes for the log to reach the end of the line. This gives ...
Slightly diferent problem: Oh hiking trips I figure that the chance of losing the key in the back country is probably more serious than a key being found at/near the car. I have: Placed the key...
It's a stupid system, even without looking at it. I don't see it as having any advantages. I don't take my phone with me in the back country. There's no reception. How do I find out the code I'...
For climbers it may be of use. Igneous or strongly metamorphic rocks are much preferred for climbing to sedimentary rocks. Knowing the rock outcroppings may make a difference in new country. If ...
It's winter. I daydream of trips in various areas. Using Google/Apple/Bing maps is frustrating. Openstreet has trails if you are near civilization, but names are weak. None of them have coordin...
In the Canadian NTS series of maps at latitudes below about 60 the maximum difference between grid north and true north is just over 2 degrees. The grid is a 100,000 meter grid: blocks 100 km x 1...
Wind blocking is important in cold weather. A very small breeze on skin whisks away your warm air. On the flip side, keeping a thin layer of air stationary next to you works very well. I have an o...
Can't speak to deer. I've kept fish on canoe trips from noon one day to breakfast the next morning without a problem. I've also steamed fish, and carried the cooked fish for 36 hours without a pr...
Much depends on the region you are going to. Check with the local wildlife conservation authorities, park personnel. Jasper Park provides bear proof storage at all their sites, I think. Willmore...
One possibility: Check out the home improvement store. Check the tool section. You can get all sorts of attachments for tool belts, including ones to carry things like a cell phone. They aren't...
PFDs come in various flavours: The best ones have sufficient floatation around the neck, and enough more flotation on the front compared to the back, than an unconscious victim is naturally rotate...
Ok. If you aren't going to wear it dirty, then risking its waterproofing doesn't matter. Things to try: First one sounds crazy: You have a stain. Stain the rest of the poncho to match. You ...
Some times local disposal isn't unreasonable. Here's my thinking: Animals crap in the woods. Assuming wilderness use, the crap load from people is small compared to that of animals. (Animals us...
