Posts by James Jenkins
In theory Styrofoam is a closed cell product meaning that is water proof. In practice it tends to absorb and hold water It can take months to dry out very saturated Styrofoam. As a rule Styrofoa...
Last fall I bought a sunfish, best I can tell is built in about 1974 (43 years ago) and has all original sails, sail rings (hold the sail to the spars), tiller, etc. Everything but the lines seem ...
If you are walking on trail, and a game trail heads off in an interesting direction is it ever a bad idea to follow it? If so how would you know when it is OK to follow a game trail? This questio...
When I was searching for boat inspection plates amazon example I saw a review where someone had bought one to install in the top of their RV fresh water tank to make cleaning inside easy. I though...
If leather gloves are doing the job, why change? There are a lot of variables, but it really comes down to exposure. For the most part gloves only protect your hands. When working in and aroun...
Cleaning the fire pit is a task I generally do on arrival. As mentioned in the question and existing answer, hot ashes can start forest fires. A full fire pit will contain 2 or 3 things. Char...
As mentioned a few places here already, mounting a cooking surface directly to 20lb LPG container is going to be a stability problem. If you shop for a Turkey Fryer you should find something that...
There are several places in the US that meet your requirement if you exclude the requirement for forest, and you are will to accept no snow, in place of rare snow. what place in america has for...
The existing answers by Ken and Liam offer good advice. But unfortunately there is nothing you can do to prevent break ins. Thieves can be surprisingly stupid. True story... A friend of mine d...
I was just reading this answer at Can you keep your feet warm in ski boots on a very cold day? Yes, add fat to your feet. I don't mean gain weight. Just slather it on before putting socks on. P...
Assuming I have memorized the major Latitude and Longitudes as they relate to the world, as shown in the image below and that I know how to identify latitude & longitude with a compass. What e...
I am not exactly sure where I am in the world. It could be that I am in a boat on the ocean, been in a plane crash, or suffered some other calamity. In any case I either have a compass with me or...
I was reading all of the answers to Are there any situations while backpacking that would require a watch? and surprised at the number of answers that said you need a watch so you would know how lo...
Bill Irwin, author of Blind Courage found the Appalachian Trail to be a mostly enjoyable outdoors experience. While secluded with good opportunities for enjoying nature away from others. The App...
In the bellies of critters... Seriously, anything living in the area is going to know where the wild strawberries grow and will have made a habit of eating them when they get ripe. They grow cl...
I am hiking in the wilderness, a round trip to civilization and back is at least 24 hours. I know where I am and I can return to the same spot. If my hiking partner dies, how can/should I protec...
Bring toilet paper and a shovel, exercise is a recognized method of increasing bowel motility (making you poo). Other than planning for the likely need, there are no reasonable medical measures yo...
Sulfur has been used for centuries to get ride of nasty little bugs that infest the warm places we like to sleep. Assuming I have found natural sulfur sources can they be used to effectively and s...
One of the surest ways of purifying water is distillation water is boiled and only things that evaporate at or below 100C are captured. This does lead to the potential issue of things like petrole...
According to a google search sulfur is widely available in nature. Volcanic regions and hot springs are common sources of it in elemental state. Less obvious sources are iron pyrites (iron sulfide...
A flintlock rifle is a weapon that can be indefinitely reloaded without any reliance on infrastructure. Gunpowder can be made from resources commonly found in the outdoors (urine as the nitrate sou...
I am considering getting a used wet suit for sailing and canoeing in the early spring and next fall. What should I look for? Based on the related Q&A below, it looks like I will want 6-7mm (1...
Propane is naturally odorless, the smell we associate with it is the result of adding ethyl mercaptan. Is it possible for the ethyl mercaptan to deteriorate, bind with something in the tank or s...
If I am in a survival situation with a knife as my only cutting implement, and I need an axe to chop trees (because I know burning through them is not practical) how would I make one? What attri...
Unless you are building a bridge you don't. If you don't have the tools to cut it down you don't have the tools to do anything with it once it is down. You are converting it from a big living s...
