Posts by Kate Gregory
At one end, I tie the rope any old how. It can be loose even. Then I go to the other tree and pull as hard as I can on the rope until it's really tight. Then, holding tight, I walk around the tree ...
I canoe camp, and I bring lightweight canvas or cotton gloves (leather dries too slowly) to prevent paddling blisters. (There's a picture in my answer to https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/6996/1...
I have never succeeded in keeping black flies away with a chemical approach. A hat is important to keep them out of your hairline. Long sleeves, long pants, tuck your pants into your socks. Yes, On...
Out and back is the same as total. The 10 mile trail might be 5 miles out and 5 miles back, for example. If you take a different route back, the numbers might not be the same. For example you mig...
A swarm (used in the technical sense to mean that clump you show in your question) is about the least dangerous formation in which you can encounter bees. Their bellies are full (they eat before th...
There are two different kinds of Nalgene bottles. The originals were soft, sort of white/translucent, and designed for lab work. You absolutely could pour boiling water into them - and much worse. ...
Aluminum is not good at compound curves. My Chestnut Prospector has a section that is concave front to back and convex up and down (or the other way around depending on whether you're looking at it...
I tweeted a link to this question and a series of tweets from Heritage Futures said: A big question and the answer is it remains to be seen. There are no current plans to extend rewilding in th...
The first consideration is siting the tent. Is there shade? A breeze? Ideally a breeze off the water? Can you open two sides of the tent so the breeze flows through it? The same tent can be dramati...
The purpose of the plan is to help rescuers find you. So include: your planned route - this could just be a photocopy of a map with a route drawn on in marker, or "the blah blah trail". identifyi...
Any place that snows has the saying "too cold to snow," and it's generally true. Not that mere cold prevents snow formation, but that the coldest weather is generally clear and cold, with no precip...
Start with making a better list of skills to learn. Identifying edible foods is nowhere near skill #1. I occasionally pick berries, and even more rarely catch and eat a fish, but you can have decad...
I don't backpack, but I canoe camp and I used to do it with small children. We took a watch and used it for three things: we need to have all the work done and food eaten by the time it's dark, s...
For pizza, I do it in a frying pan with cornmeal under it to keep it from sticking. A lid helps a little. For corn bread, I make "corn pone", again in the frying pan. You didn't mention regular bre...
Someone with an aversion to snakes has two issues when it comes to a camping trip: seeing a snake and having a panic attack or other negative reaction in a particular moment worrying about seeing...
Your priorities are: not drowning having a boat and paddle you can get yourself home with your stuff Your boat must contain (and to know it will contain these post-flip, they should be attached...
In addition to heat and humidity, my shed exposes my possessions to cold and damp, and worst of all to outdoor animals such as squirrels, which like to nest in large hollow things (filling them wit...
I think you could do OK with Provincial Parks in Ontario, especially if you were planning to swoop south of the 401 to see Prince Edward County. http://www.ontarioparks.com/park-locator/ The t...
"Things don't always go perfectly" - what does that mean? There is no reason at all you should ever leave plastic behind. Bring in as little plastic as you can. Pack your stuff in reusable contai...
Coconut opening comes in two parts, neither of which needs a knife. First, the husk. Get a reasonably sturdy pointed stick and put it in the ground, point up, between your feet. Jam the coconut do...
A rolled up sleeping pad is generally pretty lightweight, meaning the "you could misbalance your pack and strain your back" concern is probably one you can ignore. People try not put them inside be...
Because I had a major issue with reeky water shoes, I am considering getting different water shoes. I came across some that are nyloprene instead of neoprene. They are not as warm, but in a lot of ...
I have a pair of water shoes with a thick rubber sole and a neoprene upper. They provide good protection from coral cuts, stonefish etc. In the past I've used these in the Ontario wilderness (f...
This summer I went out canoe camping in some light rain that turned into a torrential downpour and wouldn't stop. When it finally did, there was a puddle in the fireplace and we had no dry wood. We...
The way to get started is to swim in areas that are marked as generally safe. These will typically be a sandy beach on the shores of a small lake. Provincial Parks generally have one of these with ...
