Activity for berry120
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
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A: How easy is it to magnetically destroy a compass? The only reliable information I seem to be able to find points to the fact that if you store a compass next to a strong magnet for a long period of time, it can wreck it. Additionally, it seems that some people have reported their compass becoming demagnetised when stored adjacent to something like a... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
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A: What should I do if I break a shoelace in the wilderness? There's a number of options for dealing with such an issue, each can be appropriate depending on the situation in hand. The wonders of paracord can come to the rescue if you have some on hand (and if not, why not!) It's usually a bit thicker than shoelaces but can squeeze through the holes and do t... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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What should I do if I break a shoelace in the wilderness? If I'm hiking in the wilderness and my shoelace breaks, what's the best way to go about fixing it assuming I have no spare? (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: What should be carried in a standard Geocaching bag? I would definitely pack the following: GPS receiver - this may be your phone if you're starting out, but a dedicated receiver really does wonders if you're looking at Geocaching often. They're more accurate and don't eat through batteries as quickly. If you are using your phone, packing a cheap spa... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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What should be carried in a standard Geocaching bag? As in the title, when going Geocaching what are some standard implements and tools I should carry with me to get started so I'm not caught out? (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: What's the best writing implement to carry to sign a Geocache? I often find a "soft" pencil, say 2B does the job much better than HB. Don't go too soft because then it'll be easy to turn into a smudgy mess, but as a general rule I find a pencil a bit softer than the norm works rather well. Alternatively, if you prefer pen then breathing on a Biro to warm it bef... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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What's the best writing implement to carry to sign a Geocache? I often find when Geocaching ordinary pencils don't seem to leave much of a mark at all, especially if the log is wet, and especially on the smaller logs pens are difficult to "get going" without a firm surface. Is there a better alternative I can use? (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Is it normal for a double skin popup tent to leak in slight rain? Sand will be an inherently trickier environment to camp in successfully I would imagine, since it retains moisture well and isn't as solid as earth. Personally I've never camped in sand, but I would imagine even a bit of sand piled on the tent walls could be the cause, that would be the first thing ... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Dome tents vs popup tents, are there any inherent pros or cons besides price and ease? The big advantage that classic dome tents will have with strong winds is the addition of the guy ropes. With a popup tent, in high winds the stress will be on the tent itself, with guy ropes the stress is on the ropes and (when erected properly) a certain amount is channelled down to the ground via t... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: What's the difference between a 2, 3, 4, and 5 season tent? I hadn't seen any of these but a quick Google does indeed seem to bring up a few! From a quick glance around, though this isn't an authoritative answer, it seems that 5 season tents are specifically designed for the harshness of Arctic-like climates, rather than a 4 season tent being designed more f... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Forecasting the weather in the wilderness We didn't always have the weather forecast available everywhere, and there's times when it would be useful to be able to be able to take a good guess at weather conditions in the near future by looking at things such as wind, cloud cover, cloud types, sky colour and so on. Are there some general, re... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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How do I identify dangerous, marshy land? At a casual look, grass with a bit of surface water on it can look very similar to a potentially deadly marsh, and in many rural places there can be lots of both after it's been raining! In dry weather it's easier to spot, since most wet ground will be somewhat marshy. When it's been raining though,... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: How to avoid the layer of ice inside a water bottle during winter activities? You may have luck with a thermos flask, or similar insulated flask above a regular water bottle. If you're only going out for a day or so at a time the flask should keep the contents at a stable enough temperature so it doesn't freeze. For longer trips, you may need a more elaborate system with heat... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: How to get started with packrafts? Disclaimer: I'm also talking from the perspective of not having any experience in packrafts, but more from a general survival standpoint. Is it fine to get started by simply reading info from books, websites etc. and get on the raft, or should one really start with a proper course in safety? I'... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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What qualities should I look for in a good walking pole? I've seen walking poles range from <£10 to >£100 - and to a casual observer there doesn't often seem to be much to distinguish them, with both having good grips and shock relief / suspension. What makes one better than the other, and is it worth investing in one which is more expensive i... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Is there a portable / comfortable pillow suitable for camping / backpacking? I quite like my pillows to give a lot of lift - I usually sleep with two relatively beefy ones. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a good equivalent whilst camping, with the normal pillows providing barely any lift and the blow up ones being rather uncomfortable. Sounds like a minor point, but... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Places for canyoning in England / Wales From a search around, it seems there's a number of places that do it in the SW of England, Devon seeming to come up a lot: http://www.yumping.co.uk/canyoning/south-west-england The other place where it seems to be popular is in the Brecon Beacons in Wales, and around that general area: http://www.ad... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Calculating time until sunset One method I've found to be particularly reliable is the finger method - hold your arm straight out in front of you, facing towards the setting sun like so: Place your hand so your little finger is level with the horizon, and your fingers are stacked on top of each other. Each finger represents ar... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Calculating time until sunset Is there a relatively reliable way of calculating the time until sunset, without any specialist equipment, when I'm in the wilderness? (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Would a tampon be a good addition to a survival kit I wouldn't say it's necessarily better for the things you outline than the other common options. I've certainly never used one for anything! However, after reading that article I am somewhat swayed to the fact that it may well be a good addition in an emergency situation due to its versatility - if ... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: An alternative to geocaching, but with classic maps instead of GPS? Letterboxing is very much the precursor to geocaching, although it's available in relatively limited places compared to the former. Dartmoor is where it was invented, and is thus the most popular place - you can easily find some boxes just by looking under "suspicious" rocks. I believe it's also avai... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: What is Geocaching? In short, it's a high-tech treasure hunt. geocaching.com contains listings for "geocaches" all over the world; containers that are hidden at particular co-ordinates (discoverable via GPS) and often with clues once you get to the rough location. You download the co-ords / clues onto your GPS, go to t... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Things to keep away from climbing ropes Plainly speaking, it makes sense to keep your rope away from any chemicals at all - battery acid, grease, oil, bleach, etc. Same goes for any objects that might harm it, chemically (car batteries) or physically (anything sharp or jagged that may dig in.) Take care of it, keep it dry, well coiled and ... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: How to minimise erosion damage to footpaths when walking? The only real way to stop erosion is of course not to walk on them at all - but that's not really a viable solution per se! Realistically, I'd stick to the marked, worn path. Most people will do that anyway, so you'll be treading on well worn ground which has two main advantages over trudging elsewh... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Packing delicate equipment for a hike I always try to avoid taking much delicate on a hike, but sometimes it either can't be helped or I decide I want to take it anyway (camera would be the prime example!) How can I best pack such equipment in a rucksack to avoid it getting damaged or broken on a multi-day hike? (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
| Question | — |
Places for canyoning in England / Wales I've always liked the idea of canyoning, but it seems that there's few places where it can be done in England. Does anyone know of any such places? (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Finding water in the dry wilderness If I'm in the wilderness in a dry, hot climate without much vegetation and I'm running low on water, what land features and other potential signs can I look for to guide me to a drinkable water source? (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Is a compass generally accurate in only one hemisphere, or both? Possible Duplicate: Navigational gear worldwide I'm not that well travelled (never been outside of Europe!) but at some point I'd love to head elsewhere to perhaps hike somewhere a bit more exotic. I've heard (quite a bit) that most compasses only come calibrated for one hemisphere - how ... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Searching for a lost group member Following on from this question, what searching methods and techniques are best used in scenarios where a single group member (or perhaps couple of group members) become lost and separated from a group whilst hiking? (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Formula for rough amount of water to carry on hike? Is there a formula which can be used (I'm thinking one that gives amount of water needed factoring in time or distance covered and temperature) to roughly work out the amount of water that needs to be carried for a particular hike? Obviously this will be a very rough guide - I know how much I genera... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Group protocol should the group become separated The most important thing is not to wander around randomly looking for each other - this is how a lot of mild situations become severe ones, especially if visibility is poor (a highly likely cause of a group becoming separated.) The best policy to take is one of prevention rather than cure - ensure e... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Eating Matches to repel insects? Whether it's hogwash or not is besides the point in my opinion - the fact of the matter is match heads aren't designed to be ingested and therefore while consuming them may increase your sulfur levels which may help keep the bugs off, there's also a good chance you'll be consuming random poisonous ch... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Pros and Cons of paracord Some of it may well be historical - while there are a lot of generic hardware store type things that "do the job" out there now, I'm willing to bet that a few decades ago this wasn't the case. However, I'd still say that unless you're just doing light hiking / camping where it's never going to be st... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: What should I replace guylines with? Fluorescent or glow in the dark paracord would be the way to go - I haven't tried the latter, but from looking at its colour it may blend in more in the daytime than fluorescent stuff, even if it stands out more at night. I'm happy to be proved wrong of course! However, it seems here the question al... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: Is it illegal to remove rocks from a riverbed in the UK I could find no authoritative source, but I would imagine taking a "few rocks" wouldn't cause a problem - unless you're taking it from a protected area or area of scientific interest of course. My reasoning is that I would imagine the situation is similar for UK beaches - technically taking stones, ... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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How do I check paracord to determine if it's genuine? Given some paracord, is there a simple check that I can make to check that it's genuine and not the cheaper knock off stuff? Number of strands seems like the most obvious point, but is there anything else I should check? Sometimes the cheaper knock off stuff has its place when strength isn't require... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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A: What is the most suitable cooking equipment to use for a long duration in central asia countries? It's no huge biggie either way, but personally I'd recommend alcohol: You're going to countries with a relatively warm climate - gas in pressurised containers has more potential to go "boom" than alcohol. If the gas does escape in a confined area it makes the entire area highly flammable, again mor... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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How can I locate lanes where I can legally drive a 4x4 in the UK? As above really, is there a resource where I can find all the "off-road" style lanes in the UK where I could legally drive a 4x4? (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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Recommended windproof matches? I was looking for some good windproof matches - not for any specific use, but just because I considered they may come in useful in some environments. Has anyone any experience with any particular ones? A lot of the ones I've searched for (such as these) don't seem to have many good reviews. (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Taking care of hiking backpack Generally speaking, straps and buckles don't just fail one day, you can see signs of wear a while in advance. Of course there are exceptions and you should arguably be prepared for these too, but giving the essentials a glance over once in a while can't do any harm. As a general pointer, bear in min... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How do I remove mildew from a tent? The best I've found for this sort of thing is normal household bleach - you can dilute it to start with and try it on a small area if you're scared of wrecking the tent. In many cases, working diluted bleach into the fabric is enough and I've personally never had any issues with it removing the water... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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What practical issues do I need to be aware of when hiking or camping on my own? Related to this question, if I'm camping and hiking on my own, I'm obviously at more of a risk than if I were with someone, and some key tasks will definitely be harder with no-one to assist (such as putting up a tent). If I were planning such a trip, what should I be aware of and therefore practice... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: The outdoors, solitude and dealing with loneliness Solitude isn't for everyone - some people love it, others not so much - personally I prefer enjoying it with others, and there's other advantages to this too (such as from a safety aspect.) If you are going on your own you need to make sure you've got measures in place so people know where you are, a... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How to choose a fire steel and use it most effectively? The big plus with a firesteel is that you can pretty much do what you want to it, including soaking the thing in ice cold water, and it'll still work as well as before. The big downside is it's just sparks, so it's harder to build a fire. However, with practice, it's not that hard and does provide a... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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Reattaching waterproof rubber on GPS The black waterproof rubber seal round my Garmin etrex h has just started to peel away, and while not a major issue at the moment I don't really want to use it in the rough when it's waterproofing is compromised. What's the best way to reattach the seal? Would normal epoxy be fine, or are there any ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How can I prevent batteries from losing charge in cold weather? One approach might be, where possible, to use Eneloops. Far from losing their charge rapidly in the cold, they actually retain their charge far better when they're kept cold (and in general retain it far better than normal rechargeables.) I've got 8 AA ones I use in various pieces of gear (torch, GPS... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Can oiling keep tools from rusting? It can, yes - by keeping water and oxygen away it can greatly slow or prevent the oxidisation process from occurring. However, I wouldn't necessarily advise it as the best approach. Instead I'd advise making sure tools are clean and thoroughly dry, then storing them in a cool dry place (unless the m... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Does wash in waterproofing work on a non-waterproof shell? My one experience can be summarised as "ish". It definitely helped / worked in light rain, so if that's all you're trying to achieve then it should be fine. But for heavy rain or pressing the garment against a wet surface, it was all but useless. Afraid it was a while back and I can't remember the s... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What is a good source of vitamin C in the wild? All types of berries are your answer here! Pretty much any (edible) variety contains a large amount of vitamin C - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries for instance. (Blackberries and raspberries seem to be especially prevalent at the right time of the year here in the UK.) And they'r... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Is it a good Idea to drink grape sap if you have no clean water? I'll give this a stab, but there aren't any authoritative sources that I've managed to find on the subject! The most I could really find are examples such as this one where people have drank it and felt no ill effects, and I haven't found a documented case of anyone drinking it and it being harmful ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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