General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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My medical kit already has some MRE style clean water bags, purification tablets, as well as OTC anti-diarrheal pills at the ready. However, now, I am researching what options there are for hydrati...
I am a whitewater kayaker and I often show people down rivers I'm familiar with on their first time down. I take special joy in doing so and consider it community service. The only compensation is ...
Which dog breeds are best for backpacking? I know malamutes do well in the cold and on mountains, but what if I'm backpacking in the summer? Which dog breeds are good for daily trail runs? I wo...
This summer I will be taking a rather inherently dangerous multi-day hike by myself. I was considering buying a flare gun since I will be out of cellular range unless there is something more moder...
Some terms may not be global, inline descriptions for questionable terms A motorhome is RV with an engine (as opposed to a camp trailer that is pulled by another vehicle). Many people will tow a ...
I have a hydration bladder with a screw on the drinking hose, and the problem is that given enough time it will come unscrewed and then leak inside my backpack. I have tried tightening it as hard ...
I am going to be relocating to the Colorado desert for a long-term research project and need a portable shelter. The only one I've found so far that will conform to my needs in the turtle tuff shel...
This summer I am heading out with three friends to galavant through the American west on little more than gas money and a dream. The trip is looking like 2 weeks or so. Assuming I already know abou...
Some forests in the Western United States will have been logged at different times and by different methods i.e. clearcut vs selective logging. As time goes by, the trees will grow back but this r...
How to make candle wicks? Not really about Outdoors but closely related. I like candles, and I have lot of wax from candles where the wick has grown too short. How to make a wick for this leftov...
What are must-have items in an emergency kit for a multi-day hiking trip?
I intend to go to Tibet in August. I play badminton,tabletennis or volleyball every week and my fitness is decent. But I have not been exposed to high altitudes like in Tibet (16000 ft; 4900 m). Ho...
I'm an international hitchhiker and I've never been sure what kind of shoes to buy. I do the vast majority of walking on roads, carrying 15kg or so. Sometimes I'll be off-road in the same shoes. I...
I want to know how many miles a person can walk in different terrains. The terrains are: Flat (Prairie) Snowy Desert Boggy If a person has a backpack with some weight, how does this weight...
This snap hook on my backpack got slightly deformed due to excessive weight. How to fix it? The blue arrow points to the deformity; the red arrow points to the consequence of the deformity, name...
How long do electric hand warmers last in comparison to other types, such as those iron oxidizing pouches? Manufacturers' claims tend to be useless because they only advertise the max lifetime wit...
When you Google for images of "canoe & bike," you find two basic solutions to towing a canoe with a bike: A traditional axle mounted trailer is modified to have a tongue long enough to loa...
One may perform dolphin kicks in horizontal or vertical orientations. Which is faster: the horizontal or vertical dolphin kick, and why? I'm interested in both swimming without fins and swimming wi...
Assume I want to go as far as possible underwater while holding my breath with bi-fins. Which kick is most optimal, assuming proper technique? Dolphin, flutter or something else? I'm aware of {1} ...
I recently bought some fins... Short, much stiffer than some fins used by divers these are more aimed at surfing. I can feel they make me faster but am struggling with technique. I feel I'm fighti...
Being a ski-novice I want to start doing alpine ski tours, that means mountaineering with ski. I don't want the ski to be mainly used in 'downhill powdering'. Because of long uphill sections, weigh...
We all know when we get dehydrated. And hence we make sure it doesn't get worst. I was on a trek this weekend. A strong stray dog from a village chose to accompany me and being alone, I was happy ...
The Jet Boil Minimo is supposed to be an efficient cooking system that uses FluxRing technology: FluxRing® technology makes it possible to heat a conveniently shaped vessel with extremely high ...
Today I've learnt that one can't vaccinate against Borreliose, also known as Lyme Disease. I've thought that I can't get that (yeah, that was stupid) and so didn't really care about ticks. However,...
What would be a good pot size for melting snow on a camping stove? The idea would be to fill all bottles for the day in the morning, which means some liters of liquid water. It's not necessary to g...
I keep seeing trail runners who instead of a small light backpack, have a running vest with small front pockets and then one on the back. What is the advantage of a running vest over a small backpa...
I have always been very careful while handling climbing gear. Last year while returning from an expedition, I met a group that was returning from a tough-looking climb. They were selling off a few ...
Are there any gender-specific climbing (or other) harnesses? For example a chest harness?
Whenever I browse knife shops or online stores I see many fixed-blade knives whose handles are essentially just a piece of paracord wrapped around the tang. From my anecdotal experience this also s...
I'm taking inventory on my tree farm. The temperature today is -7 °C with a light breeze. Windchill of -10 °C. I figure that there are lots of people who have this problem. Writing a journal, desc...
I had to tie down a tree last night since recent storms broke the guy lines I had placed when I planted it, and I used a tautline knot how-to I found online to tie it, since I was never a Scout. Af...
I live in a rural area around 59° north. When driving around I often see rodents darting across the roads during high winds (20-50mph), but very rarely see them when the weather is calm. Rain doesn...
I have a child who is still young and learning movement skills. How do I encourage balance building activities? I set up a 10cm beam just off the ground to walk across. Are there other things I sh...
I have an older tent, and it has some zip-down windows that can be completely closed, or opened for ventilation, with a rainfly that covers more or less just the top of the tent and leaves the wind...
I often camp in rainy or very humid weather, and I often have condensation forming inside my tent. What can I do to minimize this? My tent has vents, but I’m not sure how to make the best use of ...
Is there a good technique to warm up your boots in the morning? Should you just put them on and warm them up with your feet or is there a better alternative?
I have 20+ year old space heater that is nearing end of life. 120 volt, 1500 watts We use it in the camper when have electric hookup, and need a little extra heat. I started looking online for a...
My parents moved into a new house several years ago. In one of the gardens behind the house, we found this round metal object about the size of a bowling ball: Both my mom and I think that it ...
u/wadanohaaara comments After some research, I found out that this is located in Shelton, Connecticut But where exactly?
It is fairly common practice to drive to a trailhead, park your vehicle and then go backpacking for a while. It would be a real bummer to come back from a trip and find that your vehicle has been b...
My backpack of course has a rechargeable gas lighter. I am considering buying a good Zippo, as I feel it more resistant, and it does not need to be kept with your hands to stay on. Would you sugges...
I went camping last trip and my nice inflated pad... deflated. I always carry a patch kit but I discovered another issue: I couldn't find the leak. The leak was small. It took quite a while of me l...
A sleeping bag will eventually need a cleaning. How do you proceed, in particular according to the different materials?
I have an interest in sextants and how they work, mostly from reading the Horatio Hornblower novels. I know that sextants are still sold. While I am sure that are not nearly as precise as GPS is n...
Yesterday I was shopping for breathable waterproof boots* and this is what the salesperson explained to me. The shoe material does NOT matter. The damp air from the foot goes through the membrane (...
Hopefully this is acceptable. I figure this could be relevant as my bug out bag is essentially what I would bring on a camping trip (first aid, fire starters, some food, shelter materials, mess kit...
I was recently reading an article on UKClimbing by Andy Kirkpatrick about clothing in winter. It talks about vapour barriers: I’ve played around with vapour barrier socks over many years, and ...
I'm looking to purchase a " Weber Smokey Mountain," but wanted to get an enclosure for it so that during cold/rainy/windy weather I can smoke without issues, since I heard it isn't greatly insulate...
In really cold temperatures, it's often recommended to use a separate overbag made from a synthetic material over your main down sleeping bag. Supposedly this helps moisture (from your body) escape...
When sleeping in cold temperatures in a sleeping bag with the opening closed to the minimum — just your face — how to keep your nose from getting cold? I feel like the cold air coming in will alway...
