51
votes
Accepted
Caught in the rain without rainwear or raingear
Strip off.
Your skin is waterproof. Assuming it's warm (because if it wasn't, you'd have proper gear, right?) then you're not going to freeze, especially if you're walking. So take off everything you ...
- 2,219
30
votes
How to stash firewood without it getting wet?
First realize that firewood has two qualities when it relates to moisture.
Green/Seasoned
Wet/Dry
When a tree is cut down the wood is green. Over time the wood seasons, natural moisture in it ...
- 30.3k
29
votes
Accepted
Suffocation while cooking under an umbrella?
The answer to this is a resounding: No.
The main problem with suffocation and cookers is in enclosed spaces where there is no airflow. Suffocation when using a cooker can happen when either the O2 ...
- 9,664
24
votes
Protection from rain - running vs. walking
You should run
There's a good video from MinutePhysics that explains it all:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MqYE2UuN24
The short(er) version is that the amount of water you "run into" depends ...
- 2,456
23
votes
Accepted
Why are backpacks mostly not made of waterproof material?
There are quite a few backpacks made of waterproof materials, especially among cottage manufacturers. ZPacks, Hyperlight Mountain Gear, Zimmerbuilt, Gossamer Gear, and many others manufacture packs ...
- 646
21
votes
How to stash firewood without it getting wet?
You don't really have to keep it dry at all. If it is proper firewood, it has already dried. A little rain won't change that.
To start a fire you can split the wood, which will be dry inside. Once ...
- 1,532
21
votes
Accepted
Why do upside down tree leaves mean rain
This is the old saying, "When leaves show their undersides, be very sure rain betides." From the farmersalmanac.com:
The leaves of deciduous trees, like maples and poplars, do often to
turn ...
- 2,760
20
votes
How to keep paper from being damaged by water in the outdoors?
At the risk of stating the obvious...
... just not letting your paper get wet in the first place is by far the easiest and cheapest solution.
How you might ask? These solutions worked well for me in ...
- 12.7k
19
votes
Caught in the rain without rainwear or raingear
So, if you're caught off-guard, you won't have anything with you that offers direct protection, such as: raincoat, poncho, garbage bag, tarp, or any other portable shelter. It also means that you won'...
- 3,707
17
votes
Protection from rain - running vs. walking
Theoretically, run. Practically, slowly jog or briskly walk so that you don't slip and fall.
The TV series MythBusters initially tested this with artificial rain and found that walking was better due ...
- 7,210
17
votes
How to keep paper from being damaged by water in the outdoors?
The solution to this problem is waterproof paper. You can get it in notebooks, journals, legal sized for printing maps or documents etc. I have also seen at least one organization that had their ...
- 69.2k
15
votes
Accepted
How to stash firewood without it getting wet?
Don't chop it.
If you haul in your wood unchopped with its bark still on, then it'll stay dry enough on the inside. We found a pile of wood buried in the snow at one winter camp, and had no troubles ...
- 53.5k
15
votes
Is a full waterproof coat more important than waterproof trousers for hiking?
I can totally see your point of view as your coming from forestry or generally working outdoors, but this is fairly straight forward from a hiking point of view:
Hiking is walking, meaning work for ...
- 21.7k
13
votes
Accepted
Rain soaked leather jacket- how to repair?
It is normal to a certain degree that wet leather, after drying, is a bit stiffer than before.
The effects will generally be worse
the longer your leather was in contact with water
if the water was ...
- 12.7k
13
votes
Accepted
Does acid rain somehow directly harm human beings?
Acid rain usually has a pH of around 4-5, while normal rain is around 5.6, and pure water is 7, or neutral [1] [2]. To give that in perspective, acid rain is less acidic than orange juice or soda, ...
- 2,530
13
votes
Caught in the rain without rainwear or raingear
My experience as a cyclist is that getting wet doesn't matter (because skin is waterproof): what matters is getting cold. So the goal is to stay warm enough.
Your warmth is affected by your exercise (...
- 562
12
votes
Caught in the rain without rainwear or raingear
Get out.
You can quickly cool down when it's raining out, in particular when the rain is horizontal and it's 4°C outside. You say there's no shelter anywhere near. Then walk as fast as you can to ...
- 27.1k
12
votes
Accepted
How to keep socks from wicking rain off pants into boots
GoreTex Gaiters are what I've always worn, and I've never had a problem with wet socks before. The GoreTex is nice and light, and breathes so you don't overheat or get very clammy underneath. You can ...
- 53.5k
12
votes
What first aid steps should you take for someone who faints after being injured in the cold rain?
Send someone to get help, even if it's hours away. The casualty's life may depend on it.
Someone needs to grab a phone and start walking. They should check periodically for signal, including at ...
- 26.1k
10
votes
Accepted
Does rain harm a bow
In simple terms. Yes. But it is easily avoided. When not in use dry off the bow and keep it in a waterproof case. Like anything, prolonged moisture is damaging.
Using it in the rain is no problem, I'...
- 3,175
10
votes
Accepted
What to do with a wet dog while camping
One very helpful thing is to brush him while you're towel drying. The brushing will help separate the hair to keep it from matting and will allow more air drying to occur.
Also, if you use chamois ...
- 520
10
votes
Accepted
Is a full waterproof coat more important than waterproof trousers for hiking?
I say you should always wear the gear that you already own and you are comfortable in instead of following some fashion trend. If you like your setup go for it.
Beyond that I think there are some ...
- 9,668
10
votes
Accepted
At what temperature does rain become not chilling?
I'd say, very hard to answer as it depends on a lot of factors, especially personal preference (e.g. I get cold if I'm tired or hungry). Other factors would include exposure time, wind, sunny/cloudy, ...
- 1,077
9
votes
How to stop rain from entering at the cuffs of my rain jacket?
I've never had too much trouble with a double cuff - a velcro or (better) elastic inner cuff and a loose outer. In the worst conditions, an elasticated inner cuff under a goretex glove with long ...
- 26.1k
9
votes
Is a full waterproof coat more important than waterproof trousers for hiking?
Intro:
You can get wet from sweat or wet from rain, or a combination. The waterproof breathables depend on the outside surface being not wet. So the outside layer has to shed water. This generally ...
8
votes
Protection from rain - running vs. walking
It also depends on your type of clothes.
Wearing "non breathable" clothes will get you more sweaty than the rain will get you wet sometimes. Also if you wear a coat but no rainproof trousers, than ...
- 81
8
votes
What are good indicators of hail approaching?
Hail is a result of the same type of instability that causes thunderstorms. Not all thunderstorms have hail, but most hail is part of a thunderstorm. Therefore, all the same warnings for ...
- 21.4k
8
votes
Accepted
What's the fastest way for a single person to setup a tarp umbrella/leantoo in the rain in a nothern temperate forest?
Lean-tos are hard-sided structures, and are not really meant to be set up quickly. As a hiker and scouter, I and my group carry tarps all the time, and expect rain to greet us wherever we decide to ...
- 2,343
8
votes
Does firewood have to be stored inside or is storing it in a lean-to sufficient?
Very simply, the drier the wood, the more efficiently it burns, and the easier it lights.
A lean-to on the downwind side of the house is very common as a long-term wood store (there's generally a ...
- 26.1k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible