Activity for Kevin‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Edit	Post #41631	Initial revision	—	over 4 years ago
Edit	Post #39901	Initial revision	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Recipe for baking bread/cake on the trail Here are two dessert recipes I like to make while camping: Peach Cobbler: 1 (big/commercial-sized) can of peaches in heavy syrup 1 (regular-sized) box of cake mix (plain yellow cake, unless you want to get adventurous). Heat up some coals, pour the peaches into a dutch oven, and pour the cake mi... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Does Moss only grow on the North side of trees? Moss grows best in the shade (and damp, but most relevant here is shade). Because of the curvature of the Earth, in the northern hemisphere the north side of trees is shadier than the south side, so if moss grows on only one side of a tree, it is likely to be the north side. In the southern hemispher... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I locate the leak in a inflatable pad Take a bath. Fill the bath tub with water and the pad with air, and put the pad underwater (if it's too big to all go under at once, check section by section). You should see bubbles coming out of the leak. (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: How much garlic in the mountain kitchen? This has now been brought up on skeptics.stackexchange.com. Presumably you were looking at the contraindication for before surgery: Not recommended for: Upcoming Surgical Procedure Large amounts of garlic may increase the risk of bleeding by thinning your blood. Thinning the... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: Navigational gear worldwide GPS (wikipedia) is based on orbiting satellites and so is accurate worldwide. There are other similar systems in use or under development, run by other countries (Russia, China, India, and the EU), but the US GPS still works everywhere. This stick shadow method should work the same north and south ... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Question	—	How often should I wax skis? I have a pair of skis, let's pretend I use them as much as I want to. How often should I wax them? Once a season? Every few ski days? Before or after every ski day? Both? Does it matter what kind of snow it is? If so, how does that factor in? (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Driving tent pegs into rocky ground You will probably need, as you mention, a mallet/hammer or rock, but if you find a particularly resistant spot, you may have hit an underground rock, and you should move the stake around a bit, see if you can avoid it. (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to sail a packraft I have no personal experience with sailing a raft (though I do sail), but as it's getting on three weeks without an answer I'll give it a shot. I see two primary concerns here: the stability of the sail on the raft and the overall stability of the craft. To make the boat stable, the center of gr... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Best way to illuminate a tent? When I was younger, I had a flashlight where the cone part pulled out and it became essentially a lantern. I would tie it to the top of the tent (most tents I used had a hook there), and that provided good light throughout the tent. Lacking that, if you have a Maglight (or, I'm sure, many other bra... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: What type of mosquito repellent is most effective? The CDC says Picaridin and DEET are the best, with Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus being something of a shorter-lasting runner-up: Of the active ingredients registered with the EPA, CDC believes that two have demonstrated a higher degree of efficacy in the peer-reviewed, scientific literature (See Public... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: What proven alternatives are there to DEET? Besides DEET, the CDC lists: Picaridin (Cutter Advanced, Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus, and Autan (outside the United States)) Lemon Eucalyptus oil (PMD) (no examples given) IR3535 (Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus Expedition) In particular, Picaridin seems to be a viable alternative: Of the active ... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Question	—	How can I make/improvise a rope on a trip? If I'm out in the wilderness and find myself in need of a rope I don't have with me (forgotten, not enough, another snapped), how can I make one? Are there any natural ropes I could use with minimal extra preparation? Rope for use in hanging a bear bag, maybe some lashing or other round-the-campsite... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should you pop a blister? My mother, who is a doctor, has always told me to let blisters be. Keeping them unpopped keeps them clean and sterile, and (if I recall correctly) the fluid in them actually helps them heal faster. If you're in the wilderness, you really don't want to pop them and risk infection. Even if you have ant... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Question	—	How could I treat scrapes outdoors without a first aid kit? Say I'm hiking outdoors and I get a scrape. I've forgotten my first aid pack, or already used up the appropriate supplies. Is there anything in the wilderness I can use to sterilize and perhaps cover it? (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I read a topographic map? A topographic map, as we see here, is made up of a number of lines.: Every point on a given line is at the same elevation. Where the lines get closer the slope is steeper, and vice versa. But that doesn't tell you directly which way the slope is going, so they put numbers on the lines - the slope g... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: What essential items should go in a small first aid kit? It depends on precisely how big the kit is. A couple other answers have covered bigger packs, so I'll mention what could be in a much thinner pack. If it needs to be flat and relatively small: Bandages. Alcohol wipes. Gauze pads. A flat pad of athletic tape. One or a couple small packs of Benadr... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Question	—	How should I check climbing equipment to tell whether it is still safe to use? I have, unfortunately, not had the opportunity to go climbing (and thus use my climbing equipment) for a couple years. I know that such equipment, especially the rope and webbing, can degrade over time. So how can I check my equipment to tell which pieces are still OK to use and which need to be rep... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Question	—	What hand and finger exercises help with climbing? It's been a while since I went rock climbing but I'd like to get back into it. What are some hand exercises that will help with climbing? (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I make a footprint for a tent? Perhaps this is too naïve a solution, but I would take a tarp, lay the tent out on top of it, trace the outline with a sharpie, and cut on the outline you just drew. (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Which will keep my food colder longer, draining the melted ice water, or leaving it in the cooler? From a thermodynamics point of view, I'd say you should leave the water in. Temperature is a measure of the active kinetic energy of the molecules in a substance. Warming up is essentially the surrounding environment imparting some of its kinetic energy into the object being warmed up. Simply thi... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: What should I do if I'm stung by a scorpion? The answer is right there in your link. Some select tidbits to answer your question: All known scorpion species possess venom Of the 1000+ known species of scorpion, only 25 have venom that is dangerous to humans; most of those belong to the family Buthidae. First aid for scorpion stings... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I catch fish with fish hooks but no bait? Dig a bit and search for worms. Look under some old rocks or break open a rotting log and grab a couple insects. If you have a bit of granola or a raisin, or something similar, try that. If you can't find any of those, just go ahead and try with a bare hook, especially around feeding time; I've ca... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Question	—	Serrated vs flat-edge knives Each has their purpose, I'm sure. So for what activities is each better? When would I use one over the other? What about half-serrated blades? (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I set a top rope anchor? Rule number one: Assume that one piece of your equipment will break, there must be redundancy right up to the rope. At least two, preferably three, independent anchors should go to two opposing locked carabiners. As for what to anchor to, if there's a bolted anchor that looks good, use it (but even... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are good knots to know for camping and backpacking? The most important knots you'll ever need to know are the taut-line hitch and the bowline. For instance, on your bear bag, you would tie a bowline through a handle or other loop the bag, and then the taut-line on the other side. The best thing about a bowline is that no matter how much force you'v... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Question	—	What is the safest way to purify water? There are a number of ways to purify water, off the top of my head we have filters, iodine, and boiling. Clearly each has some advantage/disadvantage (iodine tastes terrible, boiling takes time). Which of these is the safest? Is there another method that's safer? (more)	—	almost 13 years ago