The Great Outdoors Stack Exchange
The Great Outdoors Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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Is this "dry suit cutting wrists" story realistic?

I'm reading a very good novel, called "Smilla's sense of snow". A minor figure tells this story from the time he was a frogman with the marines: Going down, I glide through a cold belt [...] I panic. I lose my safety rope. [...] They told me later…
rumtscho
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What should I look for when buying a Lensatic Compass

Lensatic Compasses seem to be priced from $5 to $100 USD. What features should I look for when buying one?
wyocalboy
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Preventing "heat rash" around ankles and shins?

I'm currently hitchhiking in South East Asia where it's of course always hot. I'm getting a rash around my ankles that I've had in the past but never looked into. (The same rash, but on a different trip, in Korea, about 5 years later. In Australia…
hippietrail
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Winter bivvying in the Alps: what is a good temperature rating for a sleeping bag

I am searching for a sleeping bag that would allow me to comfortably sleep in the snow eventually at a significant altitude (2800 meters - 9000+ feet), but also (and likely most often) at lower altitudes (2000 meter or so). I plan to sleep mostly…
Dakatine
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Preventing hand blisters while paddling

I went kayaking for the first time this weekend, and it was a blast! Unfortunately, I also ended up with some abraded skin on my hands, where the paddle shaft had chaffed the skin. I've done other paddle sports before, and while my hands would often…
nhinkle
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How can I prevent animals from marking my camp as their territory?

Often, when I leave my tent during the day, cats and other animals come and pee in the corners and on the carpet. They probably do this to mark it as their territory. They don't come at night when I sleep inside. Besides building a fence around my…
Erel Segal-Halevi
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Leader injured during multipitch trad climb, what to do?

I've been working on improving my self-rescue skills, but the skills I've learned so far seem to pertain mostly to single-pitch climbing. For example, a lot of people emphasize knowing how to escape a belay, which is fine, but that seems to be…
user2169
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2 answers

How should I choose between setting up a Cordelette or an Equalette climbing anchor?

I was going through anchoring techniques and I came across this well-received question: Anchor without cordelette? How should one decide when to go for a Cordelette or an Equalette?
WedaPashi
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Field dressing small game in hot climates

When hunting small game in a hot climate, is it advisable to field dress the game where it falls, or wait until the carcass can be refrigerated? Searching has turned up plenty of conflicting answers, but few offer any explanation or justification. …
Kevin Krumwiede
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Fly casting in heavy cover/growth

I recently began learning to fly fish. However most of the streams I frequent are small creeks in the Southern Appalachians that have a lot of growth on the banks and overhead making casting rather difficult. Is there a particular cast technique…
Anycorn
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Leading an inexperienced group

I'm taking a handful (5) work colleagues up a mountain this weekend (Tryfan in Snowdonia). The mountain is a Grade 1 scramble route so it's not overly simple. The group is very inexperienced. I've taken inexperienced people up said mountain a…
user2766
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3 answers

Backpack strap chafing

I have relatively sensitive skin. I have an osprey waypoint 65 backpack. Photo source The shoulder straps chafe my shoulders, especially if I go without a shirt. Is there a softer fabric I can attach to the straps or other solution to prevent…
humanbeing
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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 it useless to try and collect water from trees…
user2189
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4 answers

What information to leave with your emergency contact?

Coming up with emergency information for a recent trip got me thinking: What information should you leave with your emergency contact? I imagine the answer depends on the length of the trip, remoteness of the area, how much your plans are set in…
Felix
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If injured and lost, what are your biggest priorities for survival?

Let's imagine for a moment that you're solo hiking somewhere you've never been before and take a fall off the edge of a trail, injure yourself (to the point of limited mobility), and become entirely disoriented. Obviously, this is a scenario that…
pheidlauf
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