Activity for Scott Hillson‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Answer	—	A: What's the best way to store/carry olive oil for hiking? The first option that comes to mind is a 20 ounce plastic soda bottle or something similar. Lightweight and well sealed, if you fill it only half full it's relatively easy to pour without spilling down the sides. There's also a product called the flexible flask that comes with a measuring spout that... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Walking through an active railway tunnel during a long distance walk It's quite simple really. If the railway is abandoned, bring an LED headlamp and a set of backup batteries. Edit: Use the buddy system if you can. If the railway is not abandoned, don't step foot into that tunnel. That's a sure way to risk being killed. (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Why are backpacks mostly not made of waterproof material? The complexity of backpacks, as well as the typical use case scenario has a lot to do with why the backpacks themselves aren't waterproofed. For example, the typical day in the life of a bicycle pannier involves relatively little exposure to water. You take it out in the rain for an hour or two, and... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are there any electrically heated winter gloves? They're not cheap, but they exist: http://www.rei.com/product/871649/outdoor-research-stormtracker-heated-gloves http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/stormtracker-heated-gloves.html (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Geocache inside of a pole It already has a hole in it, what if you used a cam? Not exactly the cheapest method but potentially the easiest. Edit: if you found the perfect size Tricam that might be a less expensive option (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: How dangerous is it to walk with wet feet in cold terrain? 48 hours is very definitively too long for your feet to be wet, even regardless of temperature. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immersionfootsyndromes From the CDC article "Injury occurs because wet feet lose heat 25-times faster than dry feet. Therefore, to prevent heat loss, the body constricts blo... (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Opening a beer bottle using a mountaineering ice ax The same way you would with the spine of a knife or other flat piece of metal with enough thickness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NYyRLGUMCY (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are there standardized signals to communicate with aircraft? Two arms up (Y) indicates you are in distress. One arm up, one arm down, indicates that you are not in distress. Also, when in distress, our friends in Europe tend to recognize the rule of 3 ( or 6 ): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distresssignal#Mountaindistresssignals If you have flags, or sticks a... (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Guidelines for safe use of ATC Nano? The good news is, it's compatible with just about every harness. However, you'll only be able to use it with 3mm static cord. It's best that you retire all of that heavy 6mm cord, it's slowing you down anyway. A colleague of mine recently obtained one of these as well and they have plans to rappel w... (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: How much does a full/empty jetboil canister weigh? If you don't have a scale, you can still figure out roughly how much fuel is in each canister with a simple bowl of water. Drop a full canister in bowl of water and mark the water line. Then, drop an empty one in the bowl of water and mark the water line. This gives you your full and empty lines for ... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Quality/robustness of avalanche shovels No, there doesn't seem to be any standard in place for avalanche shovels. Even though an avalanche shovel has to be depended on in a life or death situation, there are plenty of cheap ones out there that would snap in half shoveling well-packed snow. Try to avoid buying one online, and avoid buying... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Why are death percentages of death from trauma in an avalanche so different between USA, Europe, and Canada? I don't have my copy of How to Survive in Avalanche Terrain in front of me, but one of the things that stood out to me relating to this is the wide variety of avalanche climates that exists not just from country to country but from mountain to mountain. You've got intermountain, continental, and mar... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Dropping gear: Where did the hairline/micro fracture urban legend come from? Quite the contrary, many experiments support the argument that modern carabiners retain their strength or even gain some strength when dropped a couple of times (from a reasonable height). http://www.geir.com/mythbuster.html Steve Nagode, a quality assurance engineer with REI, conducted an exper... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Measuring a dangerous snow slope To put it simply, carry a compass with you that has a clinometer to measure a slope's angle, set one of your poles down on the slope and place the compass on top of the pole to get a solid reading. If you spend enough time in one area you'll start to become familiar enough with the terrain to remembe... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to make a fully-enclosed tarp setup with a 1.4 x 2.4 meter tarp, for one person? Your most practical solution would seem to be a wing shelter. For the most part, you simply need your tarp, a tree, sticks and rope. The pdf I attached recommends making it 5 feet tall, but you could easily make it 2 or 3 feet tall to accommodate the length you need the shelter to be. (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to wash a foam helmet? In all likelihood, you just need to replace the helmet. Nearly all helmets, climbing and bicycle helmets included, need to be replaced once they become worn or older than 5 years. Ideally, you would track the age of each helmet. If you don't know how old one is and it looks well used, I wouldn't risk... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: When should you carry a firearm when hiking/trekking? For the purposes of defense, the only situation that comes to mind would be hiking through an area known for criminal activity ( think marijuana farm ). And even then, is a small handgun really going to help you ward off criminals with assault rifles ( it would probably just get you killed faster )? ... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What formation to best survive a flood? Obviously, you're better off not going near the water in the first place. If there are storm clouds anywhere within your vicinity, do not spend unnecessary time in the water and consider the possibility of flash floods. If you do find yourself in the water, form a circle. You place your hands around... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are some emergency water purification methods? At the very least, you'll want some type of plastic bottle. You can cut the end off of your plastic bottle and layer in ground ( smashed ) charcoal from your camp fire along with cotton, sand, grass, most anything you can get your hands on to filter out the different sized particles. Charcoal being t... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What information to leave with your emergency contact? Obviously, the more specific you can be about what route you'll actually be taking the better, but the most important detail is nailing down the trailhead or launch point you're going to begin your trip from. This usually establishes a good starting point to work from in any kind of emergency. You s... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: GPS navigation device or app that allows entry of UTM coordinates? There are many devices that will let you enter in UTM and LatLong coordinates interchangeably. be sure to bring a waterproof map with you too though. http://www.rei.com/product/869473/garmin-gpsmap-64-gps http://www.magellangps.com/Store/eXploristSeries/eXplorist-510 (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What should a rescue team be equipped with? Below is the bare minimum list of gear I would require anyone on my team to carry during and rescue operation. It does not include any of the numerous pieces of rope equipment that members of the rope team would cary in addition to the basic equipment ( only specific team members that have completed ... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are creative uses for retired carabiners? You probably already do this, but make sure you mark all 'retired' carabiners with their own color of tape so that you never accidentally climb with one. Then let the fun begin. If you do any backpacking, they are extremely useful for attaching things to your backpack. A few other favorites: dog le... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Which buoys and markers should I look out for when kayaking (or other water-recreational sports)? Powered boats are typically expected to yield to non-powered boats such as your kayak, but that's not to say you shouldn't be aware of your surroundings, if not for your own safety then at least to be courteous. When I'm in a kayak I tend to stay near the shore unless it's early morning or late eveni... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What format should I use to report my location to emergency responders? Always have a water proof map of the area you're traveling in ( one with coordinates on each side if you can help it ), and a compass you can use to triangulate your position with. You'll be better prepared in an emergency and more confident outdoors in general if you practice triangulating your posi... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Depth Perception in the Mountains The difference between someone who knows the elevation of a peak and someone who doesn't is a map. Always bring a map with you, learn to read it well, and keep it dry. You'll live longer. (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I contact emergency services in the US via the internet? Even Google voice has to call your phone to connect a voice call, thereby requiring a signal. If you really are anticipating the need to contact emergency services without cellphone reception, look into purchasing an inReach http://www.inreachdelorme.com/why-inreach/ (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: When should I use spray-on versus wash-in waterproofer for treating DWR garments? To emphasize what Liam and Paul hinted at, in all likelihood, too much nikwax wash-in and the like could potentially act against gore-tex by blocking the pores and preventing the fabric from breathing (thus soaking in your own sweat). What gore-tex primarily recommends on their site and what I've ha... (more)	—	almost 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Food nutrition for week long hike First, it makes a big difference if you can bring a water filter with you and take advantage of verified sources of water, and by verified sources I mean water that you are 99.5% sure is going to be there when you are. You can't point out a stream on an old map and rely on it, this is your life sourc... (more)	—	almost 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Tent for High Altitude Trekking If there's a solid chance you're going to encounter snow or heavy wind during the trek ( and I'm guessing there is with those elevations ) or the future treks you plan to use the tent with, it's unlikely that a 3 season tent is going to be enough for you. 3 season is a category meant for tents that a... (more)	—	almost 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Campervans - larger vs smaller Keep in mind that smaller does not automatically mean more efficient. A larger van with a diesel engine will easily get better fuel economy than a small van with a petrol engine. That said, indeed almost everything to do with a smaller van will be easier / less costly for you. Ferries, parking, part... (more)	—	almost 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Do mountains really make their own weather, and if so why? One of the big reasons that we seem to be 'caught' by the weather when we're on the mountain is that the mountain forces otherwise harmless air to ascend and condense. As the warm and moist air is forced to ascend the mountain, the air quickly cools and reaches its dew point, water droplets form and ... (more)	—	almost 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Use of gore-tex for a DIY Double-layer hammock Perhaps not surprisingly, there's not a lot of information floating around about what happens when you subject gore-tex to this kind of stress. Gore-tex is a porous material, so stretching it might yield unexpected results. Worst case scenario, you set your gore-tex hammock on wet ground and the wate... (more)	—	almost 11 years ago