Activity for Graham‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Answer	—	A: Keeping a backpack from being stolen whilst sleeping in a tent Two ground anchors The ones which look like large corkscrews, frequently used for securing dogs. If you screw two in next to each other and then attach a padlock between them, neither can be turned to extract them. Removing the ground anchors requires about a foot of soil to be removed. Lock the ruc... (more)	—	almost 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: As of 2019, why do mountaineering courses still teach how to use a paper map? Aren't there now amazingly reliable devices that have capabilities far exceeding anything you can do with a paper map? Nope. Amazing, yes. Reliable - well, that depends on batteries and impact protection. And when you mention the "low weight" of electronics, try comparing that to the weight o... (more)	—	almost 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Hot coffee brewing solutions for deep woods camping I have an Oomph coffee press. It works very well, and produces very good coffee if you only want one cup at a time. Allegedly it can also be used for drinking out of like a travel mug, but personally I find it leaks a little if I do that, so I just pour it into a regular mug. It's plastic so I'd b... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying winter camping for the first time? Don't underestimate condensation. Other answers have mentioned sleeping mats. The problem is that if you're camped on cold ground, you've got a cold groundsheet, and that's going to get condensation on it. Even if you've got a sleeping mat, that's not much help if your clothes get wet while you're m... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How many days does it take to reach hiking X miles per day? Months not days. Walking is a sport. Like any sport, you need to train your sport-specific muscles over months before you start getting really serious. If not, instead of getting progressively stronger, you'll just injure yourself on the first day and you won't recover. Unlike most other sports thou... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Caught in the rain without rainwear or raingear Strip off. Your skin is waterproof. Assuming it's warm (because if it wasn't, you'd have proper gear, right?) then you're not going to freeze, especially if you're walking. So take off everything you can afford to be seen without (because getting arrested for flashing is a downer) and stash it in yo... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: As a tall female should I be looking at male or female backpacks? I find it funny that no answers so far have covered the biggest difference in the female torso. Namely, breasts. Rucksack shoulder straps designed for the male body are always either straight or have a simple curve, following the relatively flat shape of the male body. They're designed for a flatti... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it poor etiquette to ask fellow backpackers where they have been/where they are going? Comments from Aaron and StrongBad suggest this may be a country-specific thing, in particular due to being further from civilisation, and perhaps with greater public access to guns. In the UK, every walker, without exception, will talk to other walkers. To fail to say "hi" as you pass is deeply rud... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should overweight people ever climb? I haven't climbed for a long time - not since uni. Our climbing club was famous for its training though, so people from other clubs often joined us for the workout, and a fair number continued to actually doing some climbing. Having belayed a few people much heavier than me (rugby players!), my mai... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is belaying a lead more difficult than a top roped climber In addition to the good answer from @whatsisname, don't forget about the possibility of gear and/or placement failure. If you're leading, you have precisely one piece of gear catching your fall. If that doesn't hold, you'd better hope the one below does - and that the extra slack you now have is le... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are the pros and cons of air pads vs foam pads for backpacking? You might also consider a Z-Rest, which greatly improves on the warmth of a foam mat. It also solves the problem of condensation under your mat, which afflicts both air and foam mats, by the "egg-crate" design allowing some airflow under the mat. Like other foam mats though, it is still bulky. (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Why do I always wake up freezing? I have similar problems with an inflatable mat. With a foam mat, even if it gives slightly under pressure locations, you're still insulated. With an inflatable mat, any pressure location has a good chance of going straight through the mat and touching the ground - and at that point of course you ha... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: What do you call it when a sailboat starts to have trouble? If you gets gusts and choppy water, that's what we call "sailing". It happens. :) If the gusts get severe, you reef the sails, or drop the sails altogether. Note that this is still within the normal parameters of sailing. Any competent sailor should be able to deal with this, until you get to gus... (more)	—	almost 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Diving mask colouring I'm only a beginner, but... I found in my very first pool dive that losing my peripheral vision with a black silicone skirt on the mask gave me immediate and profound claustrophobia. I spent the whole dive stressed about what was around me. I went out and bought my own mask with a clear silicone s... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Any reason to carry a mug outside of the backpack? Personally I don't do that, because having something clanging against my pack (or my back) all day is guaranteed to drive me insane. Eating equipment goes inside my pack, along with stoves. If I need a drink during the day, I have a water bottle. If I run out of water and find a stream, I fill the... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Will drinking lots of water in the day(s) prior to a long trek mean I will need less water on the trek? Not at all. It only takes a few hours for water to work its way from your gut into your system, after which any extra simply goes through your kidneys and out the other end. However you can definitely drink extra water before you start and need less during the day. The water you lose in sweat will... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Considerations for older campers? The main thing is just to do a practise run with their existing kit in the back yard, same way you'd do as someone starting from scratch. Ideally leave the tent up until it rains too, so you can check if it's waterproof. If it all works - don't mess with it. You can't beat familiarity when it come... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Backpacking Through Rain As far as precautions go, look at everything and ask the question "what happens if it breaks?" It's much better to have several pounds of gear that you don't use, because the one time you do need it, you really do need it! The most pointless piece of equipment is the spare that's sat on the shelf at... (more)	—	over 9 years ago