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 ...
- 2,209
29
votes
Accepted
Which fingers to use in a 2 finger pocket when rock climbing?
For the sake of your tendons, it is better to use your ring and middle finger in two finger pockets, because of how your muscles in your forearm insert on your fingers, and how they're wired to your ...
- 53.3k
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
22
votes
Accepted
How much wood can the average person expect to chop in a day?
Back in the day, I fit the criteria in the question.
Assuming the wood is down and has been seasoned. One Cord (128 cubic feet or 3.62 m³) a day is easy. I used to cut, split and load into the truck ...
- 30.2k
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'...
- 3,697
18
votes
Which fingers to use in a 2 finger pocket when rock climbing?
While not supported by any hard evidence, in How to Rock Climb by John Long he says
Because it is rate that a pocket will accommodate all of your fingers, the first choice is the strong middle ...
- 10.6k
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 ...
- 7,190
13
votes
Went fishing on the river for full day, caught one fish; normal?
Sounds fairly normal for a not so great day. That's why it's called 'Fishing' and not 'Catching'!
Size and color choice for lures has a lot to do with success as well. The traditional wisdom is ...
- 491
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 ...
- 27k
11
votes
Accepted
Are there any concrete techniques for down climbing?
Little excursion up front: If you have problems with joints or back when jumping down, do not ignore that. Either you already have a significant problem with those areas, in which case you should ...
- 21.6k
10
votes
Is there a technique to snow-shoeing besides "walk on the snow"?
I think it's quite similar to skiing because the reason for kick-and-glide is to save energy. Same for snowshoes; try not to elevate the whole weight of the shoe for every step. Of course in deep snow ...
- 12.1k
10
votes
Accepted
How to get a beached pontoon boat back into the water?
What constitutes “best and easiest?” I suspect you don’t want to pay for a proper boat lift to drive down to the beach and pick up the boat. If feasible that would be the best safety wise and easiest ...
- 9,628
10
votes
Accepted
When trimming my sails, why would I want them to stand flat, versus having some belly?
I didn't intend to self-answer, but after hours of 'net searching I seem to have stumbled on the answer, provided by an Olympic Gold Medalist sailor from Australia, so I hope we can trust it. You can ...
- 5,168
9
votes
Accepted
How to descend a few exposed scrambling moves with minimal equipment?
Basically all answers boil down to the availability of anchors. If there is any fixed anchors like bolts, rapelling would be your best choice. You would have the weight of a harness and a carabiner ...
- 6,690
8
votes
Which fingers to use in a 2 finger pocket when rock climbing?
I guess there is no definite answer, but will vary from climber to climber, as I saw both methods applied. I use both depending of the angle of the pocket: I use the two finger so that the middle ...
- 21.6k
8
votes
Accepted
Is there a technique to snow-shoeing besides "walk on the snow"?
Walking technique
You can save energy by not lifting your shoe higher then needed. And also how long steps you take. If it's steep try to make smaller steps to save energy. If you walk with poles use ...
- 2,652
8
votes
How does one steer a two-person kayak?
cfi's answer describes the classic situation, but if you have a skegg, you can have the front person steer (it can be wired to the front).
I've been regularly paddling in a touring K2 regularly for ...
- 1,542
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
Accepted
What kind of technique is required for bouldering outdoors?
There is no generic answer to your question - it all depends on the kind of boulders you'll encounter on your destination. For example, if you have overhanging jug problems, the technique required is ...
- 4,437
8
votes
Accepted
Why don't trail runners use walking poles?
There are plenty of trail runners who do use poles. They do give you an advantage so some races ban them. If they are banned in a race, training with poles could well be a disadvantage, at least if ...
- 466
7
votes
Went fishing on the river for full day, caught one fish; normal?
Catching fish depends on so many variables that it is hard to pinpoint what went wrong. Depending on weather, time of the day, and season, fish are located at different parts of the water body and at ...
- 1,934
7
votes
How does one steer a two-person kayak?
In response to this: John- it may not be a control issue- it may be that your wife enjoys exercising competency just as you possibly do and if you are always steering then she is relegated to being a ...
7
votes
Accepted
Protection from rain - running vs. walking
It depends on the amount of rain and on the surface you are running/walking on. Now, there is unquestionably a threshold where the amount of rain makes the time exposure factor so significant that ...
- 186
7
votes
Accepted
How to throw a tomahawk
How to throw a tomahawk?
First of all get a traditional throwing tomahawk made for this purpose. Never try throwing an axe, a camping hatchet or a non-throwing tomahawk.
Tomahawk Throwing
...
- 9,579
7
votes
Correct way to wield a machete?
I think your particular problem with your ulnar pad has less to do with your technique and more to do with your machete. Your handle looks kind of like the end of a baseball bat.
Compare that with my ...
- 53.3k
6
votes
Protection from rain - running vs. walking
Having spent a lot of time running and walking in the rain I can say from experience that it's very much an individual specific choice.
Personally I like to keep my body temperature up as I find it ...
- 61
6
votes
Accepted
How to walk on the hot beach or rather hot sand?
Well, it seems that everyone goes with either walk on the wet sand or protect your feet...
However, I've done this in the past since I was a kid (overtime you get used to the hot sand): the really hot ...
- 3,270
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible