Posts by Eric
I live in the Sierra Nevadas, a little over 8,000 feet up. There's an area in my yard that has rocks with a bright shiny sheen to them. I've seen some kind of coating on nearby plants (which doesn'...
In the marine environment, it's often a little easier if you reference a known location. Offshore, you want to use lat/lon coordinates for sure. But if you're a mile from the coast (or less), it's...
As others have commented, I would focus on practicality and then start bringing up the LNT doctrine. I have two little kids I go backpacking with. The last time out I explained that if we walked ~...
I've got a lot of backpacking trips lined up this summer, including one multi-week one. I'm considering picking up a dehydrator because: It probably would be more cost effective than buying freez...
You can still buy those coolers at area grocery stores. If you're headed out of San Diego (where I'm at), I could give you the names of specific locations. There are also processors that will be ...
Depending on the route, you'll likely need a way to not sink into snow and give you more grip than boots alone. With ice or hardpack snow boots and crampons are great. Most folks with the experien...
There is a climbing training technique that's been written about extensively called ARC (Aerobic Respiration and Capillarity). From the article: Aerobic Restoration and Capillarity, or ARCing, ...
I would put avalanche safety and a wilderness first responder course as my top priorities. They teach you how to not get into trouble and how to help others if you do. Just being able to spot an av...
I ride a lot and have never seen any gadgets for fixing this. It depends on the snow as well, since the bigger wetter stuff (so cal / washington mountains) tends to be much more of a problem than t...
You might want to try a baseball cap that you're not really that fond of. I've safety pinned mine onto my wetsuit leash and it was okay-ish. A lot depends on where you are, and the differences be...
From the WMA emergency medical protocol (WFR's and WEMT's): Urgent evacuation to higher level care is required if fever, swelling, or severe pain is present. Although the pain of dental infection ...
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). It's naturally occurring, and to get a level of toxicity to animals you would need to get to 450mg per liter. Unless you're operating a mine or using literally ton...
I do a lot of strength training when not backpacking, and try to keep my protein up around ~140 grams per day, on average. I asked a related question over on the fitness.stackexchange.com site, and...
Different land managers have different takes on this so I don't think you're going to get a solid answer that applies across all areas. I generally use the term "trail camp" to describe what you'...
I'll offer up my experiences. I spent a summer in the Sea of Cortez, in which the night time lows didn't go under 100f and the sea water temperature was above 90f for months. It was around 20 degre...
Personally, I keep it simple. One long sleeve shirt for daytime use, one long sleeve shirt at night. I wear one set of boxers in a week, and a pair of long underwear at night (if it's under 50f). ...
For most backcountry navigation I use a topo map and compass when necessary. Generally I'm following known trails and combined with some basic awareness of cardinal direction and land features I do...
I would imagine it's a breath-ability issue. "Breathable" waterproof fabrics, in my experience, are basically "pretty waterproof and allow some/most moisture out in most conditions." Especially ...
I'm not sure if you're talking fresh or salt. In salt water I used various plugs (primarily cedar) in some really beefy conditions. 1000+ miles offshore, tradewind belt, 4 meter seas, etc. In tho...
I just came back from a backpacking trip in an alpine area. I was cleaning some kitchen items (pot, spork, pan, etc) with some remnant food particles that were coming off. I use a very small amount...
