Posts by Ryley
I've gotten shin splints on long hikes - once 2 weeks into a hike, and another time 2 months. I wasn't able to determine how I got them though, which has really annoyed me! I get that I could pro...
I think you pretty much covered it. Advantages of a tent: Keeps more rain/snow out (particularly if you have little skill in tent/tarp setup) Keeps out insects. For me, this is the big one - in...
I use this system exclusively, and there's an entire site dedicated to the variety of ways you can do it. I think it is generally called "freezer bag cooking", and the main site I'm aware of is ca...
Sadly, in North America, there is no rating beyond what each manufacturer decides for itself. I suspect that in the US especially, some thought goes into liability (i.e. if someone freezes to deat...
It somewhat depends on how warm you sleep and how much you're willing to layer up in your bag. I've met people who claim they used one 30F bag the whole trip (with thick layers at the start, and u...
Shoes and a harness. Some places don't have belay devices or carabiners attached to each rope, so check on that beforehand, as you may need to provide your own. That's it. Chalk and a chalk bag ...
I've been surprised by how durable tent floors are. I've never used footprints, and I have a silnylon-floored tent (i.e. not very durable material) that has lasted hundreds of nights and still doe...
I would recommend making your own. I've used a bunch of the recipes from FreezerBagCooking and found them generally easy to make and incredibly tasty. You can adjust them to fit your budget or so...
If you're hiking in dry, hot weather places, and you have a whole backpacking setup your best bet is to store your water deep in your pack. The sun is your only real enemy here. In the desert, I'...
I don't think you need to bypass them at all. You didn't say what time of year you'd be going, but in the later summer/fall, they are not nearly that deep. Also, at any time of year you could e...
I've done a bit of cross-country skiing on trails at local mountains, but I'm more interested in getting off the trails and out into the woods. The terrain around here is pretty steep in general w...
I think you need to separate this into two parts: Money spent before the trail starts, and budgeting while on the trail. Before you start, you're going to spend money on gear for sure. Your slee...
My answer will assume we are talking about a quilt. You can get down quilts that are made of exactly the same material as a mummy bag (Pertex Quantum face fabrics with 800+ fill down). Most quilt...
The main solution I've found to this is to wear looser clothing in the groin area. Boxers made of polyester or wool or something that breathes well. Shorts as well if at all possible, but if not,...
A fuller history: They were approved for a few years (2004-2007) for use in Yosemite, which is a proving ground for bear-resistant containers. In 2007 I believe there were a couple incidents wher...
Your best bet is probably to switch out all your cordage and attach something like a LineLock to each tie-down point. Those things will grip even really tiny cordage like Spectra (which is definit...
I made that comment coming from the perspective of a long distance hiker. If you're going to use the same bag every day for 3 months, regardless of whether it's down or synthetic, it pays to treat...
Part 1 - how do I deal with loneliness/solitude? For me, the key to not freaking out when I go out alone into the wilderness is feeling prepared. Usually on the first night of a solo trip, especi...
It represents a two major things. I'm not going to illustrate, but the core of it is: Don't load carabiners across the gate or spine side of the carbiner (i.e. the side opposite the gate). This...
I was hoping someone else would offer a more scientific answer, but here's my take on it. You shouldn't need almost any ventilation around the top edge of your wind screen... A few small gaps, or ...
If you are into sport climbing, Thailand has got to be the place. Specifically, check out Krabi or Railay, also anywhere that offers deep water soloing. The downside to Thailand is that you'll sp...
If the GPS is mostly off (i.e. you're only rarely using your GPS app), I think you will get ~2 days of battery life. To get that much battery life, you'd need to do these things: Keep the GPS of...
I would call it a reasonable risk to camp in the desert without a tent (but with a tarp available if it was to rain!). I've "cowboy" camped 40 or 50 nights in the desert and never had any company ...
If you treat your gear well, it will almost all last a whole thru-hike. Rain Jacket If you have a bad year, you can have 80+ days of rain, and the shoulder straps of your backpack will wear out...
Do boots really last (only) 400 miles? In short, yes. If you are a hard-man/woman, you might stretch one pair of boots to half the AT. Normal people go through quite a few pairs - I used 10-is...
