All Questions
11
votes
2answers
499 views
What things should I look for when buying a compass?
Compasses seem to come in all shapes, sizes and (especially) prices! What sets a good compass apart from a bad one and what are some good characteristics to look for when making a purchase?
11
votes
1answer
85 views
How do you best treat a turned ankle in the back country?
Possibly the most common injury I see when hiking with groups is when someone turns or rolls their ankle. Assuming that access to a vehicle is not feasible, what is the best way to deal with the ...
11
votes
1answer
1k views
Do CO2-based mosquito traps work?
My parents get a lot of mosquitoes in their garden during the summer. We've tried torches with citronella additives in the oil, but this has not been effective.
I don't want to install a UV-based ...
11
votes
1answer
88 views
How can I go camping in Nepal and Northern Pakistan?
A group of friends would like to go camping in Northern Pakistan on their own. The only problem is to know some locals who can help us with food and a place to find where we can put up our camps. How ...
10
votes
3answers
3k views
Prevent mosquito bites: insect repellent patch or just eat vitamin B1?
I'd like to use natural malaria prevention. Insect repellent patch seems to be very promising. One patch contains 75 mg of B1 and covers 36 hours. However, it's not very cheap. Many other travellers ...
10
votes
6answers
199 views
What can I do to keep my hands warm while using touchscreens in the winter?
Now that it is starting to get cold it is more difficult to use touchscreens while outdoors. I use both an iPhone and a Garmin GPS to geocache and both have touchscreens that require me to take my ...
10
votes
5answers
573 views
Can I use my leather jacket to go to ski?
It might be quite a stupid question but... can I use my leather jacket to go to ski ?
I think it is waterproof and it is reasonably warm. If I wear quite heavily under it, do you think I should be ...
10
votes
4answers
2k views
What can I do to help relieve joint pain in fingers after climbing?
After I've been climbing for a while, my finger joints are very sore.
Is there anything I can do to relieve that pain?
10
votes
4answers
163 views
What practical issues do I need to be aware of when hiking or camping on my own?
Related to this question, if I'm camping and hiking on my own, I'm obviously at more of a risk than if I were with someone, and some key tasks will definitely be harder with no-one to assist (such as ...
10
votes
4answers
253 views
How should I put out a campfire while away from civilization?
If I build a campfire, but need to move on before it goes cold, how should I put it out? I wouldn't want to use my drinking water. Should I bring a covering to smother it with?
10
votes
3answers
273 views
How to create campfire which will burn overnight?
I watched a documentary "Man vs Wild" which showed the TV presenter Bear Grylls collecting wood and starting a fire. He somehow always manages to keep his campfire burning until dawn. How does one ...
10
votes
4answers
490 views
What are the key differences between Mountaineering and Rock Climbing?
I think the title speaks for itself. I have done a basic google search and I do not find the references to be sufficient. I'm looking for a short synopsis that would educate a layman such as myself.
...
10
votes
3answers
217 views
How can I signal for help in the wilderness?
What are some different ways I can signal for help in the wilderness?
I'm looking for methods that apply in all seasons, particularly in the mountains, with forests or meadows & plateaus.
10
votes
2answers
195 views
Long or short sleeves on a hike in the Desert?
I have heard different things from different people, but here in the South West we do a decent amount of desert hiking.
Protection from bugs is usually little concern because most of the time in the ...
10
votes
2answers
207 views
Surviving a forest fire
Awhile back I heard on CBC radio about a man who got trapped in a forest fire (surrounded on all sides) and survived. The way he survived was so ridiculous he was brought to court and almost fined/put ...
10
votes
2answers
185 views
What dried vegetarian foods have the highest ratio of calories to volume?
I mostly hike in bear country, which limits how much food I can take to the volume of my bear canister. This excellent question dealt with foods that are great on a trip where food-selection criteria ...
10
votes
2answers
170 views
Jerky or Freeze-dried food : Is the salt they contain a concern?
Almost all outdoors activities require having a certain quantity of water to prevent dehydration.
Many types of jerky or Freeze-dried foods contain high amounts of salt. Should that be considered?
If ...
10
votes
3answers
185 views
Which stove fuel has best weight to bulk to heat ratio?
Pack stoves come in a variety of flavors, consuming white gas, denatured alcohol, propane, wood, gels, unleaded, kerosene... etc.
Given the assumption that I will be carrying all the fuel I need (no ...
10
votes
3answers
273 views
How effective are portable electric fences?
I am worried about bears and wolves when camping so I'm looking at portable electric fences.
Are they effective and more importantly just how dangerous are they?
10
votes
4answers
209 views
Is it worth buying a footprint?
I recently bought a new tent, is it worth the extra $40 to purchase a footprint for it as well? Or are there alternatives that can be found on the trail or even made at home?
10
votes
2answers
99 views
Sailing with an infant
My wife and I are thinking about sailing with our ~ 6 month old baby boy.
We understand this is not something to take lightly, and we're planning either a canal/river sail or a sail in a very calm sea ...
10
votes
1answer
314 views
Is it safe to use denatured alcohol as an antiseptic?
A lot of hikers carry denatured alcohol for cooking. Is there any risk to using it as an antiseptic for cuts and lacerations?
10
votes
2answers
112 views
Starting cross-country skiing off trails
I've done a bit of crosscountry skiing on trails at local mountains, but I'm more interested in getting off the trails and out into the woods. The terrain around here is pretty steep in general with ...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
Which knot for climbing: figure eight, yosemite bowline, bowline on a bight?
This is a topic often discussed online, but all I could find so far was people sharing their opinions (including numbers) on what tie-in knot is the best. Here's what I've found out from different ...
10
votes
1answer
196 views
Is my tent pole a lightning rod?
I have used the Mega Mid tent almost exclusively for hundreds of nights out over the last many years. It's versatile, well ventilated, light... but has this pole sticking straight up the middle.
Is ...
10
votes
3answers
331 views
Are Trangia and MSR fuel bottles inter changeable?
In other words, could I purchase a 1 litre Trangia fuel bottle and the MSR Dragonfly liquid-fuel camp stove and use them together? Or would the smaller, slightly more expensive MSR fuel bottle be the ...
10
votes
4answers
273 views
What proven alternatives are there to DEET?
DEET is an effective mosquito deterrent, but there are many reasons it cannot be used. Per the CDC, cuts, eczema, and being a kid are all problems if you want to use DEET.
What proven alternatives ...
10
votes
3answers
292 views
How do you remove mold from a tent?
Of course, the best way is to prevent mold on a tent from occurring by airing, cleaning and storing it appropriately. When doing this I've never had any issues.
However, there may well be cases where ...
10
votes
2answers
273 views
How do I inspect a climbing rope?
It is imperative that climbing ropes are in excellent shape so they don't split while someone is climbing.
How do I properly inspect the rope when I'm about to start a climb?
10
votes
2answers
123 views
Do kevlar sacks work against bears?
We ran into a hiker on the AT last year using a kevlar back to keep out bears and rodents. He said the product was an Ursack and seemed very happy with it. However he'd never had a bear try to get ...
10
votes
1answer
266 views
What should you look for when buying hiking socks?
A quick search online shows there are dozens of different types of hiking socks, with different materials, thicknesses, and properties. In general, what should you look for when shopping for hiking ...
10
votes
2answers
305 views
Why does my belay device have two holes?
I have a belay device that looks like:
which I used when I am belaying someone who is top roping or leading. However, my rope only goes through one of those slots. What is the purpose of the other ...
10
votes
2answers
194 views
Staying dry in severe weather
I've been in pretty big storms before on campouts, but only two were big enough that the water would seep in through the sides of the tent. One of those times I used a tarp, rope, trees, and ...
10
votes
4answers
325 views
I found a Deer Tick on my friend and removed it, what should I do now?
While camping with some friends in Anywhere National Forest, I found a deer tick on a friend. After removing it with tweezers, is there anything else I should do? Should we abandon our trip ...
10
votes
2answers
147 views
Features to look for when buying a stove (for car camping)
We (wife, 5 year old and me) are planning to go camping next summer (UK). It will be car camping - i.e. drive, set up tent and, knowing the UK, sit in the tent as it rains.
I'm looking at equipment ...
10
votes
2answers
116 views
How are backpacking conditions at Yosemite in April?
Looking at the webcam, it looks like things are still pretty wintery in that area. Being Michiganders, some snow is not going to deter us (we love winter camping), but we at least want to be prepared ...
10
votes
1answer
128 views
How to tell if water is likely to have cryptosporidium?
I often use CLO2 (for example this product) to treat drinking water when I’m backpacking and boiling is not convenient. The instructions for the product say that the dose should be tripled if the ...
10
votes
2answers
630 views
Is bear spray effective against other animals?
Is bear spray (pepper spray specially formulated to be effective against bear attacks) effective against other animals, especially mountain lions or wolves? Or is there something in it specifically ...
10
votes
3answers
232 views
What to look for in a quality tarp?
I'd like to purchase a tarp as some point, both to put up over a small camp at some point, and to use over a hammock.
When I've camped with my uncle he's used a folded over builders tarp, which has ...
10
votes
1answer
335 views
Minimum equipment recommendations for hammock camping
I'm looking to try out some hammock camping on our next trip to the wilderness, but I don't have any of the gear yet. I could buy it all, but as it's a trial run it might not make sense to pour a ton ...
10
votes
2answers
238 views
Are carabiners useful tools to have in the wilderness? If so, what would they be used for?
Carabiners are obviously essential in certain circumstances, such as with any type of climbing / rappelling. But are they a good tool to have generally as well, and if so what might be some example ...
10
votes
2answers
96 views
Are there any specific guidelines for edible plants in North America?
I know there are dangerous plants and fruits to eat, but are there any basic rules one can use when in an emergency situation that apply to all safe foods? The 'rules' don't necessarily have to apply ...
10
votes
1answer
148 views
Eating in a long sport activity (scuba diving) to keep your strength up
We're planning a 9 to 10 hour dive. We can't go that long without eating.
What kind of 'food' could replace at least 2 meals of the day so we can 'survive' a long dive like that?
We'll figure out if ...
10
votes
1answer
454 views
Plastic or fiberglass for a kayak?
I'm an intermediate level kayaker but have only paddled plastic boats. I'm looking for a kayak to do multi-day trips in on the ocean. What are the differences between plastic and fiberglass?
10
votes
2answers
2k views
How do I take care of Gore-Tex boots?
I have a pair of Gore-Tex walking boots that I have used a fair bit now and want to make sure I keep them serviceable for as long as possible. What is the best way to maintain Gore-Tex walking boots? ...
10
votes
2answers
135 views
Trekking in the himalayan region
Which are the better trekking routes in the himalayan region?
Also, how safe are the routes?
If any of you guys have been around in the region, I would like to know your personal experiences as ...
10
votes
1answer
95 views
Am I allowed to sleep in the wild in the Austrian Alps?
I don't mean to use a tent, just a mat + a sleeping bag, or possibly a bivy sack if the weather is foul.
10
votes
1answer
315 views
How do I extend the life of waterproof leather boots?
I've got some leather boots that are showing some wear and tear. More importantly, the seam between the sole and boot is starting to crack and allow some water in. Do products like ShoeGoo or FreeSole ...
10
votes
1answer
83 views
Minimizing ecological impact of winter-sports in the backcountry
I have heard that skiers and snowboarders can do a lot of damage to an ecosystem. I am interested in the following backcountry wintersport activities and would like to do them responsibly.
...
10
votes
1answer
246 views
Dealing with very cold climate (clothing)
In the near future I will have to prepare myself for a Siberia expedition.
During the winter, average temperatures in Siberia range from -10°F
(-23°C) to below -50°C (-45°F).1
What should I ...
