Activity for Erik‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Answer	—	A: Will a lighter trigger pull help me be more accurate? I think this comes down to personal preference, your level of training, and what type of hunting you're going to be doing with your rifle. In general I don't think trigger pull weight is going to be the deciding factor as to whether or not you come home empty handed unless you are trying to snipe gop... (more)	—	about 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is using ultralight gear possible without sacrificing safety, comfort, or skills? In general the more stuff you have the more comfortable you can make yourself when you aren't hiking, but the less comfortable you'll be when you are hiking. This is the crux of the balancing act. If you bring a big comfy reclining "camping chair" strapped to your pack you'll be very comfortable s... (more)	—	about 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: How much flotation does a canoe need? It might be useful for you to reframe your objective mentally a bit. The goal isn't really to make sure the boat doesn't sink, so much as it is to make sure too much water doesn't get in the boat. By packing your boat with floats/gear/etc. you are preventing that volume of water from entering your b... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Question	—	Butterfly Migration over Lassen Peak Roughly 10 years ago I hiked up Lassen Peak in Northern California, and there was a huge (hundreds of thousands) butterfly migration going right over the top of the peak around this time of year. It was an amazing sight that I would love to share with my children but I don't know of any good resource... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to keep a llama from being eaten by a bear? Why bring only one llama? If one is fun two are twice as nice! In all seriousness llamas are herd animals so they would probably be better protected as a group since this is their standard defensive tactic in the wild. Alternatively/additionally you can bring a dog with you too. The dog will hel... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Whippet as trekking pole? I don't see why you couldn't. One key difference between ski poles and trekking poles is trekking poles often have a little shock absorber in them and ski poles never do. If you don't care about the shock absorber then you can use a whippet as is. If you want the shock absorbing properties of a trekk... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Quickest / most efficient way to ascend a hanging rope with rock climbing gear? I don't have a reference handy but in conversations I've had in the past (several years ago) with people who compete/vie for speed records ascending ropes they exclusively use prusiks. If memory serves they preferred the Texas Prusik system. Here is another resource on the technique. The key benefit... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are crows more interested in identifying individual humans than vice versa, and if so, why? I suspect this mostly is a result of need, and antipathy. First of all I think your premise that humans can't identify individual animals within a breed or species is false. People who spend significant time with animals like pet owners, farmers, and naturalists can differentiate between "their" an... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is an appropriate caliber for hunting mule deer? My deer rifle is a .270. That is a smaller caliber than what either of the two current answers recommend. My father frequently carries only his .44 magnum bear pistol when hunting bear and/or deer. With my .270 I don't consider shooting bears, and he only considers relatively close shots. In my opin... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: How should I vet belayers? What should I look for? Be observant If you go to the gym often take note of who the regulars are and their general abilities. You aren't going to know everyone's name but you might get a rough idea of their capabilities. This will give you introduction lines like: I haven't seen you around here very much. Are you new?... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can you boil water on top of Everest? The short answer to your question is yes you can get a stove to light and cook your egg on the top of Everest if you really wanted to do it. Backpacking stoves are pressurized All of the backpacking stoves I've used use some sort of pressurized fuel system. This means that the ambient air pressur... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can you get burned by boiling water on everest? Yes boiling water at 70oC will burn you. The above chart is for hot water heater settings and burn/scalding. As you can see from the graph being exposed to 70o C water for about half a second is enough to burn your skin. That isn't a long exposure time. As far as the cold and other factors well ... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can Grizzlies climb trees? Why yes they can climb trees, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A common misconception is that grizzly bears, unlike black bears, cannot climb trees. While its long claws make climbing more difficult for a grizzly than for a black bear, a grizzly can get to you in a tree – it wi... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is a camping grill an indispensable cooking utensil in the wild? A grill is only needed when you want to grill. Otherwise there are lots of ways to cook food over an open fire. You can use the classic spit over a fire: You can use rocks to elevate a container over the coals: You can boil water over an open flame in just about anything: You can even just... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is a suitable workflow for cutting down trees? For the purpose of my answer I'm going to assume there aren't any special considerations like a tall tree on a small lot. In general I think this is the best procedure: Cut down one tree. Trim off all the branches. Build a big pile of small branches that aren't useful for firewood. a. Load this s... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Abandoning a multi pitch climb The answer in my mind is simple and straight forward. Leave the minimum amount of gear required to make a good/acceptable anchor everytime. What that looks like will depend on the situation at hand. In some cases this will be two carabiners and a sling, in others it will be three big cams and a co... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Question	—	What are the main disadvantages to a kiteboat in terms of long distance bluewater sailing? A kiteboat is essentially a boat that uses a kite instead of a sail for propulsion. This seems like an intriguing concept, and an interesting alternative to the traditional sailboat designs. As advocates of the sport the website The Kiteboat Project has a big article on the advantages of a kiteboat. ... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: What do I do if I lose my belay plate? Climbing Magazine has an article about this situation. The basic game plan is to build an improvised tube device with four carabiners. The picture from the article is pretty clear: You can also do a carabiner wrap. It really is as simple as it seems you just wrap the rope around the spine of a car... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I prevent myself from getting pumped when climbing? Others have discussed strength training/conditioning/physiology, and remediation techniques like cool water baths. There are two aggrevating factors that haven't been addressed: Bad Technique If you use good technique then you will support the maximum amount of your weight with your leg muscles. Th... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I safely wade through swamps/bogs? It seems to me that a canoe would be the most pleasant way to navigate/explore a swampy/boggy area. Canoes typically have a shallow draft allowing you to explore areas with minimal water depth. They will also help you avoid inadvertently falling into a hole and getting a foot/ankle/leg trapped. You... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should you store a compass flat? According to this site there are only a few things that can go wrong with your compass: Mechanically, it can become hard to read because of a cracked dome or contaminated fluid; it can leak, causing a bubble in the fluid which, if allowed to grow, will interfere with damping of the dial; or it ca... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Where exactly would be the kill of this squirrel? Well if you're Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett you'd aim for the little stump the squirrel is sitting on and bark the squirrel1: As the reader may imagine a squirrel hit by a rifle ball would be torn to pieces, so that neither its flesh nor its fur could be of any service. In order to secure the an... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I keep my backpack safe? If you are in a wooded area you can always hang your pack in a tree like you would to avoid bears eating your food at night. There are two advantages to this approach. The pack won't be messed with by animals (bears, mice, racoons, etc.) who want to eat your tasty food. It will be a minor deterrent... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: What Navigation Aids can I make on an island with only a knife? First things first you aren't going to be able to get longitude without an accurate clock and/or a tome of sight reduction tables. Without those aids which you'd be hard pressed to create while marooned on an island your navigational options are limited. The best you can really hope for is to follow ... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are the easiest methods to carry a backpack when cycling? In general I'd agree with Liam's answer that you should strap your gear onto the bike using a rack and/or panniers. On smooth terrain I'd take this route every time. The one time I'd disagree is if you're mountain biking over rough terrain. Adding weight to the bike is going to make your bike less n... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: UTM Rulers for Odd Scales? Map scales are decided by the cartographer based on what they think is the the best scale for the map they're producing. This is naturally a judgment call sort of like the projection of the map. If you feel like the cartographer's choice is unbearable then I'd suggest you find a different map that co... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Advantages of a back quiver Bow Quiver vs. Back Quiver A bag with a shoulder strap is super simple to dream up and create whereas a workable bow quiver is much harder to build. Of course this only matters if you are making it or don't have access to modern building methods. You can store more arrows in a back quiver than a bo... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to make a fish hook? You have two basic options: You can carve a hook with or without a barb from wood or bone. Some examples of the finished product are here1: You can splice two pieces of material together for an improvised hook. This is probably the easiest way to make a treble hook and/or a hook for snagging ... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Backcountry Skiing Bindings compatible with soft boots I don't think you can find them anymore, but 10 years ago Scarpa was selling a light and pretty soft plastic AT boot with toe bellows (like modern telemark boots). They were great for my Dad to transition to AT gear from 3-pin telemarking on leather boots. On wildsnow.com they have a pretty good writ... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is listening to music on earphones while hiking solo safe enough? Would you recommend that deaf people never venture into the outdoors without an escort who can hear? I hope not. Listening to music while hiking isn't inherently dangerous. Generally speaking listening to music while hiking is no more dangerous in my opinion than listening to music while walking dow... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Material to use for home printed target faces? I haven't tried this personally but I would imagine that waterproof/resistant paper used for printing out maps would work well due the slightly plastic feel. A quick search using your favorite search engine with the terms 'waterproof inkjet paper' ought to give you lots of options. (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are the dangers of descending/rappeling very quickly? This is basically a supplemental to imsodin's answer. In Marine Corps boot camp about 15 years ago I remember one of the instructors demonstrated in dramatic fashion how safe rappelling on the tower was due to the presence of a belayer below. The instructor took a flying leap off the tower and the... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are the most frequent crimes perpetrated by people against people in the Great Outdoors? tl;dr Be smart, be aware, and you don't need to worry very much about people, but they can be a risk factor depending on where you go and what you're doing. ShemSeger's answer sums up my general impression of the types of crimes/interactions that I would be most concerned about, ie vandalism and/... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Pros and cons of different types of snorkeling fins The prime benefit with a more flexible fin is you get greater efficiency vs a bare foot for a minimal cost in increased resistance when kicking. I've found that to be generally true with split-fins as well because the split makes the "scoop" of the fin more flexible. I've never swam with the really ... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Repair broken plastic buckle in the middle of hiking or alternative way to fix it It looks like the webbing for the sternum strap is similar size to the webbing for the shoulder strap. In this pack you could unthread the left side of the sternum strap buckle (keeping the snap buckle), then thread in webbing that was attached to the broken buckle. This is a quick, easy repair th... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Climbing: fear/panic on boulder wall Generally speaking fear is an appropriate and healthy response to many of the situations you will find yourself in while rock climbing. Learning how to control, overcome, and even benefit from that fear is a key mental skill in life and climbing. Furthermore, learning to be comfortable on the rock wi... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Dealing With Wind Direction Changes When Sleeping In A Tarp With luck and planning I would assume in mountainous/timbered areas you would be able to setup your tarp so one of the open sides of your tent were mostly/partially blocked by a tree/rock/bush/etc. which would solve roughly half of your problem. After that it is about accepting the limitations of y... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can nylon ropes fail from bend fatigue? In theory maybe, in practice no. UV damage is a bigger threat to ropes. Climbers repeatedly tie knots (which temporarily reduce the strength of a rope) into the ends of a rope. Then they proceed to fall on that rope with often high amounts of force repeatedly. Their ropes don't break due to the stra... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Tactical Folder vs traditional knife patterns for EDC A knife is just a tool, and will generally reflect the owner's practical needs, and/or aesthetic tastes. Plus there are those who have been carrying the same knife for X years, and don't care to reevaluate their choice. As such the best is a personal choice that doesn't really have a clear-cut answer... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Do snakes try to get in hammocks? I couldn't find an authoritative reference to state that a snake wouldn't do that. The main climbing snake in Texas is the Rat Snake. While one of those could climb into your hammock to cuddle, I doubt they would. At the end of the day it is much easier for a snake to slither into a sleeping bag/tent... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should I run if I see wild dogs? So far all of the answers are assuming the wild dogs are actively hunting you or at least seriously considering attacking you. This might be due to the part of your question where you say: ... or should I stand fast and defend myself? If the dogs appear to be actively hunting you then a control... (more)	—	about 9 years ago

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