Posts by DavidR
I've always just used tape marketed towards climbers (including Metolius brand tape) and reused the gloves, applying more tape as needed (although I have friends who make new gloves every time). Gl...
I've used a double liner (one inside the tent, one outside) before, and it was very effective. When I was in high school, I went on a multi-day backpacking trip where it rained every day. This wa...
Backpacking trips force people to live at a radically different pace than what most people are used to. There's a lot less stimulus that we get in a city. Most outdoorsy people find it wonderful,...
First off - whether one is more durable or not, they're somewhat different products. Whether you need one or the other is more based on what you're doing than on "durability". Hardshell vs Softsh...
I think the regulations are so strict because the park service wants to keep a level of discipline about how hikers manage their food, so that none is accidentally left in a pack, and the oils and ...
You propose packing food deeply in your backpack. I'd specifically recommend against that. Bears (and other wild animals) have vastly more acute senses of smell than humans, and they won't hesita...
Entire books and multi-day training classes are built around thus topic. Climbers spend months either following a more experienced leader, or taking risks and learning stuff the hard way. Lead ro...
The old advice is to "Take nothing but pictures, and leave nothing but footprints". Almost any amount of memento-taking is going to lead to some kind of impact in anything but the most isolated of...
In the context of rock climbing, compared to a figure-8 knot, bowlines are: About as strong under ideal circumstances BUT: Can come untied on their own when unloaded Are more difficult to vis...
You're framing this as a question of "how much will this hurt my climbing"? I wonder if you could use this down time from actual climbing as a chance to focus more on pure climbing specific streng...
There's a distinction here between ice formations and actual frozen waterfalls. A large percentage of the ice formations you'll see (including your 1st picture) aren't actual running waterfalls, bu...
Disclaimer - I should mention that my answer only applies in the context of the original question. I'm discussing my experience rappeling in a rock climbing context, using a dynamic single or half...
By coincendince, I asked the same question to a guide last weekend. His response was this: There is going to be some reduction in the strength of the webbing from the girth hitch. Especially th...
It doesn't really go away with time. At least not for me - when I'm on a hard gym route I tend to ignore any holds that are "off" for that route, and every now and then I'll hit one with an elbow ...
You ask: "Don't these offset the dangers mentioned above? To me it seems like the threat of getting caught in a summer afternoon lightning storm and forced to get down the mountain quickly is abou...
You have a few options: Don't worry about the lease and accept the fact that you may lose your security deposit. You can take the board down before you move out, spackle over the holes, and hope...
Rest? Sometimes this kind of pain can be a sign of overtraining. In the question, the poster doesn't say how frequently he climbs, or how long he's been climbing, so its hard to formulate an exac...
If you want to help maintain trails, its usually better to volunteer with an existing organization with a relationship with the park, than to try and act on your own. Its not always going to be po...
Here are a few things I look for: Bars that don't melt when they're warm. Anything with chocolate will become gooey in the summer Bars that don't freeze easily when its cold. I've found that Po...
You should use some kind of moisturizing hand lotion. There are a lot of brands, and I don't really have a preference. I like to make sure I get an unscented version, since most moisturizers are ...
You probably want wool. Wool has a fairly good warmth to weight ratio, and keeps most of its warmth when its wet. You can get wool products for both base layers and insulating middle layers. "Me...
This isn't in the spirit of the original question, but if you want to make sure you have enough water in the back woods, remember that proper planning is going to be the safest strategy. To me, pr...
When choosing a brand, there are two basic things I'd want to check: Has the product been certified by the UIAA? You can check that site to see if it's on the list. For a harness, will the gear ...
- ← Previous
- 1
- 2
- Next →
