Posts by Kevin
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?
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 tha...
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 loc...
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 t...
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.
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?
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: ...
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...
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 ...
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). ...
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, s...
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...
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 ...
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),...
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 o...
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 ...
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 provi...
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 tha...
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 ...
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 minima...
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....
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 cov...
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 ...
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 s...
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 ...
