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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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 ...
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2
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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 ...
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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 :)
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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, ...
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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 ...
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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, ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 &...
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1
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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,...
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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 ...
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votes
3
answers
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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/...
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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 ...
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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+...
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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.
...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Name of this northern pine fishing lure?
Can any tell me the name of this fishing lure or where I might find a distributor?
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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?
...
user8348
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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 ...
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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, ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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, ...
- 30k
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Where can I find public water tap for cleaning/bathing in the Netherlands?
We are wandering around Netherlands (on foot, hitch hiking, bicycle). We don't sleep in camping site, we put our tent anywhere "in the bush".
We are use to travel on this way in Southern Europe but ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
user2189
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How do you flavour your water on camping trips?
Always drinking pure water can be boring and tasteless, especially when you have to filtrate it or use sterilizer/purification tabs which might cause the water to taste really bad.
What are easy (...
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Is it safe to drink hot water? How hot can it be?
Many mountain hikers recommend drinking hot fluids, because they provide a lot of energy. According to the discussion "Does eating snow help dehydration?", the actual calorie gain is minimal, however ...
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Washing dishes with seawater or freshwater?
When backpacking in a coastal region, you sometimes have access to both fresh water (e.g. a stream) and salt water (sea, bay, etc.).
If you do not treat the water used for washing dishes, what are ...
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What is considered a water source, and why is it recommended to camp so far from them?
I've read one one of the US national forest or wilderness websites that when camping in the wild, one should camp at a certain distance from a water source. Should I understand a water source to mean ...
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Is it safe to drink out of a rusty thermos?
I've got a thermos for coffee and/or water storage that I use on hikes and for bike touring since it keeps things hot for hours. However, it seems like the inside is rusting a bit.
Is this safe to ...
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Replacement tap for Coleman 5 gal. water carrier
We have couple Coleman 5 gal. water carriers. They are nice sturdy canisters, but they have major weak spot: their taps are of poor quality and easily broken — both ours are, and seems like a lot of ...
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