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Questions tagged [water]

Applicable if water is relevant to the question and none of the more specific tags concerning water are applicable.

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2 answers
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Should salt be added to drinking water in hot climates?

Maximum sweat rates of an adult can be up to 2–4 litres (0.53–1.06 US gal) per hour[1] Although the mineral content varies, some measured concentrations are: sodium (0.9 gram/litre), potassium (0.2 g/...
Vorac's user avatar
  • 6,979
2 votes
0 answers
204 views

Sunglasses damaged by lake water?

I was recently fly fishing at a local lake in Denver, CO. I always wear polarized sunglasses while fishing. I've fished with these sunglasses before at this lake and elsewhere with no issues, but ...
Brian D's user avatar
  • 129
4 votes
2 answers
577 views

Water treatment for washing - are purification tablets best option, and how many are needed?

I'll be winter camping in a bare-bones cabin with 6 people for two nights and 4 people for a third night. By my estimate, we'll need a lot of water: 6gal 2nights + 4gal1night = 16gal. I plan to haul ...
cr0's user avatar
  • 4,013
9 votes
2 answers
215 views

Does adding new water to disinfected water clean that one as well?

I am at dilemma not to use too many chlorine or similar. I treat 1 larger bottle, hydration bladder with NaDCC or sodium hypochlorite. I drink half water from it. Water is disinfected and chemically ...
Alex J.'s user avatar
  • 1,265
4 votes
2 answers
217 views

Thru-hiking and crossing cold water

Several thru-hike trails have water-sections. For example, the American discovery trail requires crossing the Chesapeake Bay under the bay bridge (no pedestrians allowed). This is a 6km stretch of ...
Kevin Kostlan's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
498 views

Drinking very cold water in cold weather at what temperatures is it dangerous?

I read on forum, that drinking (very) cold water is not good, because body needs more energy to heat cold water and warm you up. I want to know at what temperatures should I heat water, where would ...
Alex J.'s user avatar
  • 1,265
8 votes
4 answers
2k views

Some dilemmas concerning use of UV water treatment vs water filter

The trekking season is starting, need some help with few dillemas with more experienced hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. Last year I got seriously ill for 2-7 days after drinking water from mountain ...
Alex J.'s user avatar
  • 1,265
5 votes
2 answers
144 views

How do you combat algae in a pond?

I've recently purchased a property with a pond. There is large amount of algae, producing a scum like film on the surface. I've found chemicals that are safe for the fish (blue gill, bass, and ...
ejjml428's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
232 views

What baby fish is this? (UK)

What fish is this? I found them in England, near Portsmouth, south of Hayling island on the breathtakingly stunning sand flats out to sea :)
alan2here's user avatar
  • 121
41 votes
8 answers
8k views

Had to drink untreated water: Any immediate action to avoid getting sick?

In the wilderness yesterday I ran out of water and did not think I could hike out safely at my level of hydration. Lacking a treatment method, I drank 1.5 liters of water directly out of a small, ...
Peter Schilling's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
166 views

Sea water as mineral supplement

If you are stranded in Alaska and you have plenty of fresh water in the form of snow Can you get the potassium you need by adding a small amount of sea water to your melted snow? At what ratio? And ...
Kevin Ryan's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
826 views

How can divers be sure that there are no sharks or other lethal water animals where they dive?

I've always been scared of sharks. It seems like the most natural thing in the world to be afraid of. I instinctively haven't forgotten what it was like for my ancestors to swim around in that big, ...
Keishi's user avatar
  • 39
11 votes
7 answers
4k views

Hanging water bags for bathing without tree damage

When I hang my water bag to heat water in the sun for family bathing, I do so by tying a weight to the end of the rope and throwing it over a tree limb. Then I lower the weight, tie the water bag to ...
Bookaholic's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
662 views

What is the safe distance of washing with biodegradable soap?

I just bought a kitchen sink from STS (it is "just" a bag) which says to use it at least 100 meters from water. Since one can use the sink to do anything the distance seems valid, but I ...
greenoldman's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
420 views

A river of moss - what to call it?

Is there any distinct term or phrase (biological or otherwise) for this pattern of mossy growth within a stream-bed? The photo shows little moss islands on individual rocks, within a very sodden &...
StayOnTarget's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
216 views

How much water filtering is necessary in the USA?

I'm gearing up to do my first solo backpacking trip and am looking to get a new water filter. From my research it sounds like most folks say that it is a good idea to filter bacteria and protozoa but ...
binarylegit's user avatar
46 votes
8 answers
25k views

Jumping off of a cliff into water - survival tips

Another scary scenario: Let's say you're in a situation where you have to jump off of a cliff into the water to survive. The cliff is at least 100 feet high. What would be the best way to survive ...
mph85's user avatar
  • 781
7 votes
1 answer
482 views

What can I do when I or someone in my party falls through a floating mat?

Once, I had the opportunity to walk on a floating mat on a guided tour with a nature organisation in De Wieden (Dutch: trilveen). On the surface, it looked (to my amateur eye) exactly like other peat,...
gerrit's user avatar
  • 27.5k
20 votes
4 answers
8k views

Surfacing out of a sunken ship/submarine - Survival Tips

Here is a scary scenario: Let's say you were in a ship or submarine that sunk to the bottom of the ocean. No scuba gear, no oxygen tank, nothing. The depth of the ocean is such that nitrogen ...
mph85's user avatar
  • 781
4 votes
3 answers
235 views

Looking up fish species by body of water and vice versa

U.S. here (and specifically New York state but that's probably irrelevant). Is anyone aware of any websites, apps or DEC resources that allow you to look up what fish species live in any given lake/...
hotmeatballsoup's user avatar
43 votes
7 answers
29k views

How do people drown while wearing a life jacket?

Recently, I heard of three tourists from Germany drowning in a lake in Alaska. Their boat overturned and they ended up in the water. All three of them were wearing life jackets. This is what I don't ...
Peter U's user avatar
  • 533
3 votes
4 answers
404 views

What is the best way to cross a wide river in winter?

Conditions: I live near a wide (~1000ft or 300m) and fairly deep river across from the area where I work. This area is slightly earthquake prone -- near a fault line that has had multiple magnitude 7+...
Cryptc's user avatar
  • 149
8 votes
8 answers
2k views

Keeping water from freezing while cross country skiing

I cross-country ski in the winter, usually not more than 2-3 hours, but it can get quite cold, -15, -20°C, and I'm often on a frozen lake exposed to wind that rapidly rips the heat out of anything. ...
goldilocks's user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
292 views

Should I travel through freezing areas with hot or cold water in my RV tank?

This question is specific to the hot water tank in an RV. In my case it is 6 gallons, propane heated and insulated with the only exterior contact the access panel, as seen in most standard RV's in ...
James Jenkins's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
453 views

Single walled plastic vs vacuum insulated water bottle for hiking and everyday use

I’ve been seeing an increasing number of vacuum insulated water bottles and was wondering would a plastic(single walled) or a vacuum insulated water bottle be better for... Everyday (going from home ...
JIMMYPlay's user avatar
  • 753
7 votes
2 answers
527 views

Water filters: is there always a tradeoff between longevity and safety

My research thus far has acquainted me with a kind of trade-off: one can try to minimize the amount of contamination (from bacteria/parasites) or one can try to minimize the amount of particulates ...
Arash Howaida's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
4k views

Portable desalination hand pump filter life?

I was looking into portable desalination hand pumps. and I found this one one Amazon for $959 it says the Katadyn Survivor 06 is the world's smallest hand-operated desalinator and can easily fit ...
James Jenkins's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
204 views

Can I get fresh water from ocean plants?

In the answer to Can I get fresh water from ocean fish flesh? I learned that the water I can get from eating fish has a low enough salt content that it will hydrate me, BUT the high protein count will ...
James Jenkins's user avatar
15 votes
1 answer
4k views

Can I get fresh water from ocean fish flesh?

Ocean water has about 35 Grams of salt per liter. For the human body salt content in body fluids is about 9 Grams per liter. See related question How much sea water can I safely drink? While it is ...
James Jenkins's user avatar
40 votes
4 answers
16k views

Ways to desalinate water when "lost at sea"?

In recent news reports that all seem to be saying the same things: Jakarta Post Indonesian teenager survives 49 days adrift in Guam waters NPR: 19-Year-Old Survives 49 Days At Sea After Floating Hut ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 981
6 votes
4 answers
985 views

Reclaiming water lost from breathing

What can we do to bring water loss from breathing down to the absolute minimum possible? Techniques or devices useful to adventurers with no frequent water access is what I am looking for, such as ...
Loduwijk's user avatar
  • 3,566
4 votes
0 answers
82 views

Name of this northern pine fishing lure?

Can any tell me the name of this fishing lure or where I might find a distributor?
Joe's user avatar
  • 41
10 votes
1 answer
332 views

What is the expected flowrate of a bucket brigade?

A naive estimate of one gallon bucket a second is 60 gal/min for a well staffed and equipped line, but is there any data on how much water can be moved by bucket in less than ideal conditions? ...
user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
3k views

Are there reusable inflatable life vests (or PFDs)?

Inflatable life vests and PFDs that I have seen so far are meant to be inflated in emergency (either by mouth or CO2 cartridge). I didn't use them myself but they don't look like they could be ...
robaki's user avatar
  • 417
27 votes
5 answers
4k views

How to transport personal belongings while swimming long distance?

What is common way how to transport personal belongings while swimming? I am talking about scenario when I need to cross a lake by swimming. I would like to take my stuff (wallet, cell phone, shorts, ...
matousc's user avatar
  • 471
11 votes
8 answers
6k views

How to keep paper from being damaged by water in the outdoors?

Sometimes people will keep notes or things they see in the outdoors or keep a journal and paper getting wet and then wrecked is a big problem. The other obvious use is printing maps off from the ...
Charlie Brumbaugh's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
282 views

How to find water in thick tropical forests?

A couple of years ago, we hiked up to a place in the western ghats during the month of December (end of it). Which is actually the end of winter in the Indian subcontinent. The biggest problem we ...
Ricketyship's user avatar
  • 7,825
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

Titanic survival, ice cold water?

When the RMS Titanic sank, there were not enough life boats, many hundreds of people went into the cold water and many died from hypothermia. The water temperature in the area where Titanic sank, ...
James Jenkins's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
103k views

What is the minimum amount of water per day to survive?

I am disabled in the wildness, there are no natural water sources available. I have 2 gallons (7.5 liters) of water. The only practical solution is to sit and wait for rescue. I will be resting in ...
James Jenkins's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
3k views

How can I care for a wound that will be immersed in water?

I got a fairly bad cut on my leg, not quite bad enough for stitches but will probably leave a scar. I have a camping trip planned this weekend at a lake where we will go swimming and kayaking. I ...
user812786's user avatar
  • 1,146
10 votes
1 answer
377 views

What's the ecological impact of bird-baths?

When reading this question (What is the ecological justification (if any) for bird feeders?) on bird feeders I wondered if there would be an ecological impact on having a bird bath. Especially in ...
Roflo's user avatar
  • 2,456
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

Aftermarket access panel to clean inside fresh water RV tank?

When I was searching for boat inspection plates amazon example I saw a review where someone had bought one to install in the top of their RV fresh water tank to make cleaning inside easy. I thought ...
James Jenkins's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
142 views

Is all ocular fluid potable?

Many years ago I read that buffalo hunters would drink the liquid out of buffalo's eyes to gross out the greenhorns and tenderfeet (people new to the West). Attached to this anecdote was a claim that ...
Erik's user avatar
  • 9,658
5 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is the name of the water-boiling chemical bag?

There was an invention that allowed you to boil water by putting a bag of chemicals in a bowl with some water and/or food. I don't remember its name and I would like to use it while hiking. (other ...
noɥʇʎԀʎzɐɹƆ's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
697 views

Allergic to Neoprene and need water shoes

Really hoping someone else may be able to help me. I am very allergic to neoprene and am looking for some shoes to wear in water and in the pool. Almost all the shoes have neoprene in them -- so ...
JackieinthePool's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

How do I make sure my cliff-diving location is safe?

I like cliff-diving, but I am always scared that there might be a rock hidden in the water. If it is a popular spot, then I just trust that someone has already done the work, but what if I am going ...
That One Actor's user avatar
14 votes
8 answers
31k views

How to freeze a water container without deforming it?

I like to take a frozen Nalgene bottle of water to my Bikram Yoga class. The problem is, every bottle I have used so far becomes deformed and, as can be seen in the picture below, the bottom bulges ...
amphibient's user avatar
  • 4,053
7 votes
4 answers
480 views

Where can I find public water tap for cleaning/bathing in the Netherlands?

We are wandering around the Netherlands (on foot, hitch hiking, bicycle). We don't sleep in camping site, we put our tent anywhere "in the bush". We are used to travel this way in Southern ...
MagTun's user avatar
  • 173
26 votes
3 answers
15k views

Can you boil an egg in dirty water?

I'm going on a one day hike, and I want to cook an egg whilst on it. I'd like to avoid carrying excess water, and the route goes past a couple of waterfalls and several streams, so there is no problem ...
rlms's user avatar
  • 363
12 votes
1 answer
976 views

Is it possible to 'moisture trap' from trees while thru-hiking?

I'm toying with the idea of collecting water from tree leaf transpiration, while hiking: Obviously, vegetation with larger leaf surface area (and certain types) would be better than others. But is ...
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