36
votes
Accepted
What's the most remote place in the contiguous US?
Project Remote was started by a scientifically-minded couple to quantitatively determine the most remote locations in each of the 50 states mainly using the distance to the nearest road or town and ...
- 3,603
33
votes
Accepted
Which gun should I use on the trail to protect myself against bears?
The short answer is "bear spray"; a firearm is really not the most effective option. That said...
I will assume you are looking for grizzly protection, since you didn't specify the bear and black ...
- 8,358
23
votes
Accepted
Toothpaste in the back-country and the principle of leave no trace
Even for "multi-week" trips, brushing with water alone is not going to compromise your tooth health. The abrasive action of the brush does most of the work, and missing the flouride hit for a few days ...
- 18.9k
22
votes
Toothpaste in the back-country and the principle of leave no trace
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). It's naturally occurring, and to get a level of toxicity to animals you would need to get to 450mg per liter. Unless you're operating a mine or using literally tons ...
- 2,138
22
votes
How to protect a body in the wilderness?
Most importantly, the living are more important than the dead. Check your scene safety, something killed that person and you want to make sure that it won't kill you as well.
I can't imagine that ...
- 68.9k
20
votes
How to protect a body in the wilderness?
The other answers seem good, however there's an extremely important step they have missed.
Make sure the person is dead!
(And no I don't mean by stabbing them).
Some injuries are clearly fatal but ...
- 949
17
votes
What's the most remote place in the contiguous US?
The answer to your question is: the middle of the Selway-Bitteroot/River-of-No-Return Wildnerness in Idaho. These are actually two wilderness areas joined together (separated by a single dirt road) ...
- 1,818
15
votes
Accepted
How steep of a slope can you skin up in AT gear?
The optimal skin track angle is a subject of much debate in the backcountry skiing world. There are generally two schools of thought on skin tracks.
The steeper the better
Slow and steady wins the ...
15
votes
Accepted
How do I self-assess my physical condition after a fall in the backcountry?
Self-assessment is difficult because your level of consciousness (LOC) may be impaired. Unfortunately, one's own state of mind is also very difficult to self-assess. I'll list here a brief overview of ...
- 8,620
15
votes
Accepted
What's a good place for a beginner to go backcountry camping in Oregon and California?
I'll answer the slightly broader question "How should I plan my first backpacking trip in Oregon or California?" (with emphasis on California, since that is the area I know best)
Since you are ...
- 7,471
15
votes
How can I clean teeth in the backcountry?
Those are some of the problems I have encountered and solutions which have worked for me.
P: Water is scarce.
S: Brush, spit (profusely), rinse, spit, rinse, spit. This amounts to only 2 small gulps ...
- 6,613
12
votes
What's the most remote place in the contiguous US?
Most of the "untouched" places left in North America are that way for a reason, no one wants to touch them. There are loads of barren desserts in Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona that people don't ...
- 53.1k
12
votes
Accepted
How did/do scouts venture into the wild?
Modern Day Adventurers
Answers to What are essential items in an emergency kit? identify patterns/guidelines about what equipment and skills to have in backcountry. This is relevant as it covers the ...
- 3,931
11
votes
Group Trips: 1 Large cook group or smaller cook groups of 3 or 4?
Cooking as a large group is bad for a variety of reasons:
More work to coordinate roles, responsibilities.
Limited cooking resources (stoves, pots, etc.) means waiting, frustration, idleness, or ...
- 6,251
11
votes
How to dry Gore-Tex boots in the field
The army solution is to have two pairs of boots so that one pair dries while the other is worn (yes, even in the field). Another solution is to use goretex socks so that it doesn't matter what state ...
- 6,251
11
votes
Accepted
Solar Power While Backpacking
I'm very satisfied with my Goalzero Nomad 7, it's small, easy to strap to your backpack, and it fully charges your batteries or anything that charges from USB or even 12V power in as little as 3hrs in ...
- 53.1k
11
votes
Accepted
Inexpensive ways to learn cross-country skiing
The cheapest ways to try cross country skiing are borrowing equipment, yard sale equipment, craigslist, or rentals. If you like it, and rent frequently, that stops being cheap.
If you make friends ...
- 4,199
10
votes
Which gun should I use on the trail to protect myself against bears?
Anyone that says you shouldn't carry a handgun in bear country is misinformed about a lot of things. Better would be a .12 gauge shotgun with slugs, but let's deal with the handgun issue. Sure, bear ...
- 982
10
votes
Accepted
Lighting a fire using a flint and steel
A quick search yielded this video, which seems straightforward enough.
I have never seen anyone use charcloth like in the video, but it seems to work nicely.
To summarize the video:
Place the ...
- 326
10
votes
What is the easiest way to remove creosote from pots and pans?
Heat up the creosote covered pan. This softens it. Then pour some denatured alcohol on it and scrub it off. I used a scotch bright pad to scrub with the alcohol, and then wiped the now liquid creosote ...
- 101
10
votes
Accepted
Backcountry Skiing Bindings compatible with soft boots
I believe the answer to your specific question is no; the only boots I know of with tech fittings are hard boots made of plastic or carbon fiber. However, I think you may be underestimating those ...
- 8,358
10
votes
What are the laws for backcountry ("dispersed") camping in the US?
Throughout the entire US the law boils down to this: Whether government or citizen owned, you cannot travel on land without the landowners permission. Doing can result in charges from criminal ...
- 32k
10
votes
Accepted
What can I do to discourage people from littering in the back country?
Make certain that you are part of the solution and not the problem, never leave any of your own garbage behind.
As people are less likely to litter a clean area, remove as much of other people's ...
- 68.9k
9
votes
How to dry Gore-Tex boots in the field
I too recommend newspaper however you can also give the following a try:
Buy a pack of disposable diapers and empty the sodium polyacrylate into a sock or any fine mesh cloth/bag. Carry it in your ...
- 4,465
8
votes
Accepted
How to clean bones found outside?
The great thing about finding bones outside is that for the most part, they're already clean! I'm from a small hunting town, going out for hikes to look for bones and sheds is a popular thing to do in ...
- 53.1k
8
votes
How to dry Gore-Tex boots in the field
You could use a towel or (if you can spare the weight) some old news papers.
Me and my friends dry everything except for the tents by fire.
Just set a line about 3-4 meters away from the fire so it ...
- 1,970
8
votes
Accepted
What is the easiest way to remove creosote from pots and pans?
Unfortunately this advice may a bit late for you now, but if you cover the outside of the pots in washing-up liquid before putting them on the fire/wood burner and clean it after use. The washing-up ...
- 7,069
8
votes
What is the proper etiquette for back country camps with assigned spaces when people take a different site?
What you did was probably the most peaceful course of action, but ultimately, the best people to direct this question to would be the people who issue the permits, the proper etiquette will likely ...
- 53.1k
8
votes
How did/do scouts venture into the wild?
In terms of self sufficiency in the wild there are two main approaches, the first is to take everything you need with you in as lightweight as form as possible the second is to avoid carrying ...
- 6,182
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