Posts by roryalsop
Guidance that came with my extreme sleeping bags was to randomly stuff, as @Russell commented, trying to use a different pattern each time, and to hang it over a line and give it a good beating whe...
In the Falklands, because the water is so cold as it comes up off the Antarctic peninsula, I always wore 6mm wetsuits even for kayaking. The two solutions we used were: talc. Yes, it gets wet, bu...
My only concerns would be around its tear resistance (in case of rubbing against a sharp bit of the tree) and bend radius. If those are appropriate, then it should work as a sling. Be aware that ...
Mt Elias isn't even in the top ten for number of deaths. It comes in in 24th place according to https://www.shughal.com/25-of-the-deadliest-mountains-in-the-world/ with Everest at number 1. This si...
Early ice-yachting was done with converted boats, but that is rare now. There is a class designed for unstable ice that can sail in water if needed, and in the Netherlands blades are still added t...
Dyneema is the most hard wearing, however if you need it to run through any friction grip or clutch it is not a good choice as it is very smooth and shiny. Polyester really is the cost-effective, ...
I have a few colleagues who have done this, and one team who did it with a colleague in a wheelchair. They are all reasonably fit, but the day job is desk-based, so if you have managed Kili easily,...
Randall Munroe has the single best article on this I have ever seen, over on his What-If site where he discusses what would happen if all the water in a cloud formed one giant raindrop. I recommen...
Firstly there's the weight issue - as Paparazzi commented, batteries are heavy! Then there's temperature - battery performance drops considerably in the cold And finally reliability - if your elec...
Like many prey animals, vision is optimised to detect danger coming from anywhere. They can see you with one eye very easily, and their reflexes are on a hair-trigger to take them away from incomin...
I have always taught sailing students to run a full check every time they rig the boat (if it's a dinghy or the mast is regularly lowered) or annually before returning it to the water after winter....
Always check used wetsuits for wear, especially around seams, under arms, between the legs, and the seat. These areas typically wear through fastest, and although they are often strongest (extra st...
One reason (and I don't know enough to suggest this is the main reason) is for identification. When putting a tent up you may have a bundle of fabric that you need to set down on an uneven surface...
Most folks I know (including the Royal Marines) swear by Avon's Skin So Soft to repel most biting insects - it certainly works well against midges in Scotland. It is also much less harmful to the ...
Most of the mushrooms you will find in a guide are low risk because they don't have similarities to poisonous ones - if you have a good guide it should point out the ones where identification is mo...
A local source of water is obviously easiest - if you are near a stream - but if not, smothering can be really effective. In planning, having your fire made on stones above damp ground will help, ...
One of my tents goes in my rucksack, but I have another one which has two carry bags which strap nicely to the sides of my rucksack, keeping the weight well balanced and close to me. In dry condit...
The other two answers mention 'summer camp' type environments. My answer is more focused at family camping, but has some relevance to both: With younger children it can be very simple, although p...
It will not matter which way the fletching runs on arrows for left or right handed archers, however right handed fletching tools will be harder for a left hander to use, as you would need to change...
All pines, spruces and firs have edible needles. All yews are poisonous, and can look like some of the above, so be careful you have identified the tree correctly!
If you are running long distances over multiple days with boots, packs etc., and you must complete the distance you should plan to pop a blister at the end of day, but then you need to be sure you ...
Photographers in the Antarctic store camera batteries in their armpits to keep some decent heat in them. Amusingly, when the batteries in the camera die, that is also the best place to put them. My...
Let's start with the easy one first: No fins - this really only works with a long board, as the board's length gives it the stability a fin would normally give you. You aren't going to be able to...
The friends I know who have done this have said that it is just a long uphill walk - but the altitude increase means the temperature drop is incredible - from +25 Celsius to -25 Celsius, the equiva...
Possible Duplicate: How can you navigate without a compass or GPS Obviously we all carry a compass and a map when we go trekking, but if I lose them but know I need to get back to my car...
