The Great Outdoors Stack Exchange
The Great Outdoors Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
19
votes
2 answers

Is it safe to camp in the desert without a tent?

I'm looking to hike the Grand Canyon (found out that as a single I do have a good shot at securing the permit!), and now I'm trying to make sure I carry as little as possible on said hike. First thing I'm thinking about ditching is a tent. I figure…
Affable Geek
  • 1,412
  • 12
  • 16
19
votes
2 answers

Swimming while in the high seas

When sailing, can the passengers of the yacht safely go swimming while in the open seas? That is, when some miles away from the coast-line.
Pierre B
  • 493
  • 3
  • 8
19
votes
9 answers

What's the best way to store/carry olive oil for hiking?

Bottles of olive oil often have special caps that help prevent drips/etc. when pouring the oil, but an entire bottle of olive oil is far to heavy to carry for a hike. What's the best method for carrying olive oil to avoid getting oil all over the…
Russell Steen
  • 32,121
  • 23
  • 131
  • 274
19
votes
5 answers

Stoveless/fireless hiking food suggestions

In light of the recent forest-fire qualms that have arisen all over the globe (not to imply that any of y'all are irresponsible enough to have the capacity to start any, and hopefully that same would apply to all campers), and also given the other…
Tom McCone
  • 191
  • 3
19
votes
4 answers

What makes a good head lamp?

I'm looking for a decent head lamp, with a bright light and good battery life. Most on the market these days seem to be LED based, but aside from those three (perhaps obvious) considerations are there other things to look out for when selecting a…
berry120
  • 22,555
  • 9
  • 74
  • 158
19
votes
2 answers

How do I rescue someone out of a crevasse?

What is the technique involved in crevasse rescues? Presuming a group are all moving together on a glacier and the leader of the party has fallen into a crevasse (collapsed snow bridge, etc.). The fall was held so all other members of the party are…
user2766
18
votes
6 answers

Effective way to carry a sleeping mattress with rucksack?

I am going for four day hike in Western Ghats. The terrain is rocky humid and It is one of the eight "hottest hotspots" of biological diversity in the world. I am trying to pack my rucksack as per the terrain and found that sleeping mattress…
Suresh Karia
  • 765
  • 1
  • 6
  • 22
18
votes
3 answers

Any reasons not to use 30-year-old ice axe?

I'll be doing a guided tour which includes going up a steep slope on a glacier, therefore I need an ice axe. I could rent one for a couple of bucks from the tour organizers, but I was wondering if there is any reason not just to use my dad's…
helm
  • 1,722
  • 1
  • 12
  • 28
18
votes
2 answers

How to make a traditional torch?

How would you go about preparing an old fashioned torch for use in survival situations where an electrical torch has failed?
Aravona
  • 15,371
  • 5
  • 58
  • 120
18
votes
6 answers

Pack of coyotes in my neighborhood

Coyotes are coming through the lot next to my house. There are several. One ran across my driveway 2 nights ago. When I take my pomeranian out before bed, I hear them about 100 feet to the left of my house. By the time I take the dog in they are in…
Wilma Hontz
  • 181
  • 1
  • 3
18
votes
4 answers

How can I safely practice trad climbing?

I have climbed indoors and outdoors for several years, both top rope and sport, and I somewhat recently took an outdoor trad climbing class. In the class, we placed protection while on top rope and never took any falls on the gear. Now, after the…
Chris Mendez
  • 7,210
  • 5
  • 35
  • 80
18
votes
4 answers

Sleeping in an inflatable boat

I am going to make a trip on a river in an inflatable rowing boat. The trip is going to be two days long: one day down the river and the next day - back. The question is how I should spend night. I don't have a tent and now am pondering over whether…
olegst
  • 313
  • 2
  • 4
18
votes
2 answers

Why do seagulls circle around at high altitudes?

I was recently at a music festival in a field here in the UK. It was a nice hot day and I was staring up into the lovely blue sky. I noticed there were high numbers of seagulls circling above, seemingly riding thermals to a great height (they…
user2766
18
votes
2 answers

How do I attach a hammock to trees?

On my next vacation, I will be camping in a tent on a designated campsite. I saw somebody use a hammock for lounging during the day last time, so quickly got a cheap hammock from eBay, with a "let's see if that works for me" attitude. The hammock…
rumtscho
  • 1,552
  • 1
  • 12
  • 20
18
votes
2 answers

Is a tepee, log cabin, or lean-to configuration most effective for starting a fire?

As long as the wood is dry and you have good kindling, does it matter how I start a fire?
That One Actor
  • 987
  • 8
  • 16
1 2 3
…
99 100