Posts by manoftheson
I've been an avid lover of the outdoors for all of my life, camping in quite varied terrain, but so far in all these locations I've been able to use the usual LNT cat-hole methods to take care of h...
It's been a dream of mine to thru-hike the AT ever since I first discovered it. I'm hoping to plan a trip one of these days, but honestly don't even know where to start as far cost. I imagine it co...
I have quite unfortunately found out several months ago that I'm gluten sensitive. Nearly all my meals I've planned and eaten on the trail have included wheat, and thus gluten, in some fashion. I'm...
I'm getting ready to make a pretty big move west and I'll basically be driving across the whole US. One state I'll pass through is New Mexico, and I'm looking at heading through the mountains there...
Red River Gorge is one of my favorite places I've climbed and I've only been in the summer months. Yes it is more humid, but it's not unbearable, though I'm from the Southeast so I'm a bit used to ...
This applies to most sport situations, but there will by some exceptions. This assumes you have draws or other proper gear at the anchors that are not part of the fixed anchors. Just led the route...
I've done plenty of camping in my life, especially since it's part of my job, but one area where I've been particularly challenged is camping where sand is involved. It just gets everywhere and int...
Slippery versions of knots/hitches are very useful in many applications, but have limited use in climbing. But there is one application for which I often use a slippery overhand knot. In Sport cli...
First do a proper assessment and determine that it's actually a dislocation and not another problem or that there isn't also another injury in addition to the dislocation. This requires the proper ...
As seen in the photos of the repair kits below, the wick is the fabric-like material which is made of fiberglass. It doesn't burn but does eventually degrade when exposed to the high heat of a stov...
This question honestly could be too localized on these specific products. However, considering the ubiquity of these stoves I find it is probably quite useful information to know if they could have...
Bears and other wildlife are attracted to unusual scents, especially anything that could potentially be mistaken as food, such as often-sweet-smelling, aromatic pipe tobacco or cigars. However, you...
This question asks what the downsides are to hammock camping, but doesn't really address the reasons why you would want to sleep in a hammock to camp. Let's say I'm backpacker new to the idea of s...
The method by which carabiners in any color are coated (either gate or body) is anodizing, which is going to be nearly impossible to sufficiently replicate with anything practical and cost-effectiv...
The organization I work with has used NOLS Wilderness Medicine Institute for training in Wilderness First Aid for several years until this past one when we switched to American Red Cross's Wilderne...
I would like to add to berry120's answer with my own. I thought of suggesting this as an edit but thought adding an answer was more appropriate. What he said is correct, however I think it is impo...
For years I've seen high-tech cuben fiber gear and drooled over how incredibly lightweight it is, and longed to buy or make some of my own equipment with it. (Then upon seeing the price tag, well, ...
Without having to carry any extra items and thus extra weight, this is what you can do to dry your boots, Gore-tex or otherwise, in the field, in above-freezing temperatures: Prevention: Make eve...
This is why I would not do what that group was doing. It would be safer to just lead this route and/or do a top-belay if possible. Let's look at this simply from a safety standpoint, and more spec...
The three knots you listed are all quite suitable for tying in to a sit harness for rock climbing. The figure eight is the most widely used and most readily and easily inspected, and is not a bad ...
Find a spot at least 200 ft away from water sources, camp, and trails. (Per LNT guidelines) Place soiled items in a gallon zip-loc bag with water and small amount of concentrated, biodegradable ca...
There a few possible remedies to your cold sleeping woes. You already have most of the appropriate equipment so these are some of my suggestions: For general coolness, first I'd recommend some typ...
I've personally found paint pens to work quite well. You can find them at Wal-Mart in the craft section and most likely any craft store. They are the brand "Painters" made by Elmer's. I use the on...
So this is one of those things that I've grown so accustomed to that I've not really put any effort or thought into looking for a solution. I've just "dealt with it" to the point of ignoring it for...
The United States is a very developed place. Sometimes this can prove to be challenging when trying to find a place to get away from everything, especially east of the Mississippi where I reside. I...
