Posts by berry120
In short, leaves. But as per the comment, make sure it's nothing that's going to cause skin irritations! Also worth mentioning along the same lines that when doing your business, be sensitive in w...
Before you make any decisions, you need to decide whether it's just rain or it could have the potential to turn into a storm. If you're not sure then err on the side of a storm, just in case. If i...
Sounds obvious, but if you've got enough fuel and it's snowy, gather some to melt. Bear in mind though that you'll get vastly less water than you might expect, so be prepared to grab lots of it. St...
Build a tripod with 3 branches, then make a platform with 3 more about 1/3 of the way up the tripod. Prepare a tinder bundle and kindling as you would for a normal fire (dry grass, small bark flake...
Normal detergent should be able to break down the poisonous oils in question, it shouldn't require any specialist stuff to remove them. Just be sure of a few things: Wash infected clothes separat...
You don't say what area specifically you're looking at, or what your budget is - but Anquet seems to do a number of electronic copies of standard OS maps for prices I wouldn't consider unreasonable...
Chemically, if you can use it, I see no reason why it wouldn't work on any similar animals - though practically it may not be as effective. In terms of cougars for instance, this seems to imply it'...
There's no general rule of thumb that I know of... I lied, there is Naismith's formula as correctly cited in another answer. I just tend to stay away from it because more often than not I find it ...
I did wonder whether there were any long standing letterboxers whose experience would put me to shame lurking around here, but since the question is now more generalised I feel more qualified to an...
It's probably worth pointing out that a lot of people reading this question may be thinking along the (commonly quoted) line that about 80% of body heat is lost through the head - which is much mor...
It sounds obvious, but check that you haven't got anything like a sighting compass on you or anything else with a mirror - I once heard of someone who was rescued but the process was more difficult...
First off, weigh up whether it's worth crossing said river. I know this question is about if you "have" to cross it, but bear in mind that falling in is a real danger and if you do, hypothermia can...
There is a (very) basic model that involves taking into account the position of the moon - the earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours and the moon rotates the earth in the same direction onc...
As well as the other answers, I notice you said they were new shoes you were hiking in - it isn't uncommon for these to be more likely to rub and potentially cause blisters until they're properly b...
With these maps it's all about elevation - just remember a few main points: Each line represents a constant elevation (height) - so if you walk along that line you'll be walking flat. The numbers...
When talking about fresh, dry clothes then it's not true. More layers definitely equals warmer! As pointed out in the comments if you really go to extremes then more layers doesn't necessarily equ...
If there's a stick around and enough sunlight, I've found the stick method surprisingly accurate: Find a straight stick, around 2 feet long (length isn't that important) and plant it straight in ...
Of course, the best way is to prevent mold on a tent from occurring by airing, cleaning and storing it appropriately. When doing this I've never had any issues. However, there may well be cases wh...
It means the rope is rated for X falls where the fall factor is 1.77 and the weight is 80kg. In layman's terms it's a pretty big fall with a pretty big guy, the sort of fall that if you took you mo...
If you can, melt it beforehand - not because of dehydration but because of the obvious; it'll cause you to get rather cold rather quickly! If you can't and it really is an emergency (the only time...
Has anyone got any good tips on how to (cheaply) waterproof a geocache or letterbox? Those pill pots used to work brilliantly - one inside the other - but now they seem to be rather hard to come by...
Your best bet is to try and position yourself face down, with your feet at the bottom, and then arc your body to put as much pressure on the hands, feet and knees as you can. As pointed out below t...
Compasses seem to come in all shapes, sizes and (especially) prices! What sets a good compass apart from a bad one and what are some good characteristics to look for when making a purchase?
What are some good techniques to use (materials, knots, etc.) for building a raft by gathering wood in the local area? I'm talking about something to sail on still or slow moving bodies of water, n...
Make sure to thoroughly clean and air it before storing, especially for long periods of time - this will get rid of any damp and thus should help prevent mould. Aside from that, make sure to keep i...
