Activity for whatsisname
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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A: Learning to find north using moon phases I don't believe such an easy method exists you can keep in your head and calculate. The position of the moon relative to you depends on accurate knowledge of the phase of the moon, time of day, and latitude and longitude of where you are, and those interact in a nonlinear manner. Your original clai... (more) |
— | about 11 years ago |
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A: Can you tell if a plant is edible by watching what animals eat it? No. For one, you may not be capable of gathering any worthwhile nutrition. You could eat grass all day and still be hungry. Secondly, many animals are immune to toxins that are nasty to us. Best example I know of is that goats and many other new world animals can eat poison ivy. But if you try eati... (more) |
— | about 11 years ago |
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A: Dealing with rashes between thighs and around the groin You may be fighting an uphill battle, and may have a fungal infection. That was the case for me, which made it very hard to keep from getting rashes when backpacking/camping, or really, going anywhere without being able to shower daily. I went to the doctor and had them prescribe me an anti-fungal ... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
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A: Where to keep valuables when separated from them Since your question is tagged with backpacking and wild-camping, I am assuming you are out in the wilderness. In that case, just hide your valuables prior to arrival at the beach. Just head 15+ feet off of the trail, and you should be trivially able to find a spot to hide a handful of stuff. From... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
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A: Is there a difference in performance between a fishing kayak and touring kayak? I would recommend checking out something like Hobie's Mirage pedal driven kayaks. With their spiffy pedal drive, you can trivially outrun(outpedal?) just about anyone while hardly breaking a sweat. Additionally, because you power yourself with your feet, your hands are free for fishing. The mirage dr... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
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A: How would you evaluate sailing lessons for adults? From the sounds of it, to develop all the skills you are interested in, you are not going to learn them all with a single class. Additionally, it will likely take several years to hone your skills to a point that you can depend on them. For learning how to harness the wind, it is better to learn on ... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
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A: What kind of mementos, if any, am I allowed to collect from State and National parks in small quantities? Generally speaking in the US, you can collect as much as you want from the gift shops. Otherwise, everything else is strictly forbidden. (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Safe way to mark a carabiner gate? Nail polish is the way to go. Everyone I know, including myself, uses it to identify whose gear is whose. (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Is a national forest always a forest? A good portion of it is usually forest, but not always. Case in point, I visited the Cloud Peak Wilderness in Wyoming this summer, contained in the Bighorn National Forest. While much of it was forested and wooded: not all of it was: Furthermore, in the US, land being a state/national park vs a... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: What are the key factors when choosing a sleeping bag for backpacking? The key factors are going to vary from person to person. You'll ultimately have to decide for yourself what's more important. As far as warmth goes, that's going to depend on where you are going, and how well your body handles the cold. Just like you noticed, sleeping bags fall into one of those cla... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: What is the true risk of suffocation from different combustion sources in a tent? (CO2, CO) I'll answer a question in the comments: I will be curious to know what is the average amount of Co2 produced by a stove vs the average amount of co2 generated by human breathing. My guess would be that stove will win but I heard of people suffocate in closed cars while sleeping To make thi... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Is department store merino wool less effective than branded (i.e. SmartWool) merino wool in staying warm and wicking moisture? Smart Wool main claim to fame is that their treated wool doesn't itch as bad or shrink as much in washing machines. Otherwise, its all the same stuff as far as its insulating capabilities go. (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: How to heal "blown tips" faster after a climb? Not really. Not the answer you want, but your body is telling you something, you need to listen to it. It's a lot of fun, but you need to take it slow to ease your body into it. Otherwise the fun is going to come to an end. I've heard a lot of stories from people that buy things like these: http:/... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Energy bars for outdoors activities: what are the important criteria? Honestly, I think taste is most important. There have been times before where eating hardly anything but energy bars for a few days makes starving to death seem appealing. Jerky is pretty good, as DavidR mentioned, just don't ever bring that unless you have access to virtually unlimited water. Jerky... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Is buying an expensive sleeping bag better? How cold are you talking about? When you woke up, was there ice on your tent? Or was it 50F outside? Anyways, to sum it up, sleeping bags generally boil down to this tradeoff: Pick Two: Warmth, Small Size, Low Cost If you are car camping, you should be able to find sleeping bags that will go down ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Can I replace Dish soap? Use Campsuds or something similar, don't bring household soap into the wilderness. The surfactants and phosphates in household soaps will cause more damage to the water supply than the biodegradable soaps like Campsuds. (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Why go without socks with climbing shoes? I believe it is mostly a matter of taste. Many people claim that going barefoot inside the climbing shoes allows you to feel a bit more of the surface than with socks. Granted, you can't feel much through the thick rubber of the shoes to begin with, but I can see how that would be true. Others count... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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A: Are Personal Flotation Devices a good idea when rafting? No question, life vests are a net reduction in risk. It's trivially easy to check yourself and your gear over and eliminate any potential risk of entanglement beforehand. It's not so easy to get control of your body once you've been unexpectedly tossed into the drink. (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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A: Time of high / low tide The math is absurdly complicated. There is no way you are going to be able to estimate the tides without substantial geographical and astronomical information. The brackish areas can be especially hard to predict, because their geometry can cause them to have more complicated cycles than the common ... (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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A: When rock climbing, what is the difference between top-roping and leading? Top Roping: Top roping has an anchor at the top of the climb. The rope goes from the belayer at the bottom, all the way up to the top, through the anchor, and back down to the climber. If the climber falls, he or she only falls they only drop a little bit, provided the belayer has taken up all the s... (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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A: Which stove fuel has best weight to bulk to heat ratio? The hydrocarbons are going to dominate in this category. Gasoline, diesel, and kerosene, and diesel are all nearly the same in terms of energy content by mass and volume, and are significantly higher than everything except propane: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energydensity#Commonenergydensities Th... (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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A: What equipment do I need as a beginner outdoor rock climber? Your equipment list will depend on whether you are: Free soloing (climbing without protective equipment; not good for a beginner!) Top roping Lead climbing Assuming that you aren't Free soling, because there you don't need anything, you'll need at least the following in order: A friend that can... (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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How should I remove a tick? If I find a tick on myself or a friend, what is the best way of removing it? I've heard some people say that singeing the tick with a match makes the tick detach and fall off. However I've also heard that the fire method makes the tick essentially vomit and is worse than just ripping the tick off. ... (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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I found a Deer Tick on my friend and removed it, what should I do now? While camping with some friends in Anywhere National Forest, I found a deer tick on a friend. After removing it with tweezers, is there anything else I should do? Should we abandon our trip immediately or is staying a few more days in the wilderness before seeing a doctor safe? (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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What can I do about those obnoxious biting flies? In addition to Mosquitos, many of us northwoods campers have been made victim to the vast swarms of biting flies. Despite slathering myself with DEET, they don't seem deterred, and they especially love to bite my feet and ankles. Is there anything I can do to deter those obnoxious flies? (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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A: Can/Should I cook in my tent? In addition to the fire hazard, cooking food in your tent in bear country is a good recipe for waking up to find a bear trashing your campsite, and/or you. (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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A: How can I stay warm in subzero (0°F, -18°C ) weather? As others have said, your clothing, and lots of layers is important. Additionally, the composition of your clothes matters. Do not wear cotton in cold weather. "Cotton kills" is a common phrase amongst cold weather-goers. Wear exclusively wool or wicking sythetic fabrics like fleece. Cotton's insu... (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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Bear bags vs Bear canisters: which is better? Most people I know and myself store food in bear bags. However, I have heard that some parks have banned bear bags and require canisters. I've also heard there is a bear in New York that has figured out how to open some bear canisters! Additionally, some of my friends have recommended bear canisters,... (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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Should I get trekking poles for snowshoeing, or stick with ski poles? Being an avid skier I have ski poles lying around, so I've always used those. Do proper trekking poles offer any advantages for snowshoeing? (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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I put a big gouge in the bow of my canoe going across rocks. How can I fix it? While going through some rapids, we slid across a jagged rock and it put a huge gouge in the bow of my fiberglass canoe. What method and process is best for repairing it, so that next time I hit some rocks they don't immediately break through and swamp the canoe? (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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What are good knots to know for camping and backpacking? I once tied a bear bag with a haphazard bundle of knots, and despite being seemingly impossible to untie, it came loose when lowering the bear bag and nearly smoked my friend standing under it. What are some good knots to learn for most stuff encountered while camping / backpacking? (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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