Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with outdoors

Short, dog-friendly hike/walk near Seattle?

lunasol — Fri, 03 May 2013 10:52:55 -0800

I'd like to go for a short hike/long walk in the woods or other wild place within a 90-minute drive of Seattle this weekend. The weather is gorgeous and I need to get outside! I'd like to take my 5-month-old puppy. He's only supposed to walk for about a half hour at a time on his puppy legs, so I'd like the walk to be relatively easy (a few miles or less). I'll keep him on-leash the whole time, but it has to be dog-friendly, so no national parks.

I'm open to forest, mountain, beach, whatever. I'd like it to be outside the city, within a 90 minute/two-hour drive.

I know about the WTA's hike-finder, but would love some mefite suggestions!

Have rods, tackle & permit, will travel near Seattle.

halogen — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:37:43 -0800

I just acquired a couple of light-duty (i.e. inappropriate for river salmon) fishing rods, I've received a primer in selecting tackle and setting everything up, I know my knots, I've got my permits and a Discover Pass, and my cooler is ready for some fresh catch. Where, within a 40 minutes' drive of Seattle, can I go catch delicious fish that I can cook and eat? Any recommendations for location-specific books or other resources geared toward an absolute beginner who is more enthusiastic about the food than the sport? I live near I-90 at I-5, a few blocks from the lake but am not so sure about all the sewage and pollution warning signs at the docks that are within walking distance – and I take my dog there daily but I've never seen any people fishing.

Winnipeg....here I come! Or may be not!

xm — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 18:45:20 -0800

Tell me about living in Winnipeg, Canada. All the good, the bad and the ugly. Low salary and in scientific research and a foreign worker....what did you like and hate about it? For someone who loves being out in the sun, walking/hiking outside a couple of times a week, is this going to be hard to navigate, if its an option at all that is? Or am I going to freeze inside with boredom in my apartment for most of the year and get seasonal depression and what not? I have never lived anywhere where it snows but I love winter. However, I am not sure if I am considering the Tundra here... It is especially important for me right now, at the point where I am in life, to be able to go out and about and walk, as silly as that may sound. Thanks in advance!

Hiking pants for very cold temps

mnemonic — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:53:57 -0800

What pants do people wear for very cold (0 °F / -18 °C, and colder) weather hiking? Just rain shell pants and wool long underwear? Surely there are insulated pants suitable for hiking? I tried some insulated snowboarding pants (North Face Freedom) but they were too baggy for walking. I would like to know what pants you recommend for hiking in very cold temperatures, insulated or not.

Origin of Hotta-San hunting knife at Best Made?

BlackLeotardFront — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:19:24 -0800

I've been looking at this knife at Best Made for a while, and I can't seem to find its provenance. Many other products at Best Made are rebranded or what have you versions from known suppliers, but I cannot for the life of me find a knife that resembles the Hotta-san — after looking at hundreds online. Everything I find refers back to Best Made's info. Can anyone unravel this mystery? I am looking to buy a nice wood-handled outdoorsy knife, and I have plenty of suggestions and leads. This one is just right up my alley, but I'm wary of the Best Made premium - $250 buys a lot of knife and I'm not sure this is comparable to others.

What camera should I take to Patagonia?

Serf — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 22:30:03 -0800

My girlfriend and I are leaving for a vacation in Chile in about a week. We'll be spending most of our time hiking and seeing glaciers and penguins in southern Patagonia, with a few days in Santiago at the end. I'd like to bring a compact, versatile, weatherproof camera with great image quality, 15-20x zoom, and good low-light performance -- but compromises must be made. What kind of camera should I take with me? My budget is $300-750. I'd like to get a new camera to document this vacation. I currently own a Casio EX-Z50 from 2005. I like that it's small and that it allows a lot of manual control. I don't like its mediocre image quality, abysmal low-light performance, fiddly menus, limited zoom, and lengthy buffer clearing period before I can turn the camera off and retract the lens.

I don't normally take a lot of pictures, but I do when I travel. I've heard that Patagonia can be very rainy even in the summer. We'll be spending about 4 days of the trip hiking the W route at Torres del Paine, without access to power for recharging batteries. My main priority is to get a camera that will be good for this trip, but as the price climbs above the bottom of my range, I'd also like to get a camera that I'll use other times. My non-travel pictures tend to be outdoors: hiking, cycling, skiing, walking around cities. I've never really been hiking or doing anything other than Taking Pictures with a camera larger than a point-and-shoot, so I don't know what that's like. I care only a little bit about video, and wouldn't be devastated if it were missing entirely.

I've been reading a lot of camera reviews, and I think I'm at the point where I know which one or two models I would consider in any given category. My problem is that I can't decide which category I want.

Low-end mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (Sony NEX-F3, etc.): more versatile than my other options, but I don't really have the budget for more than the kit lens right now. Maybe also a pancake lens, but that would really be pushing my budget. I would be worried about damaging these, and they don't really fit in a pocket without that pancake lens. I'm also not keen on carrying more weight than I have to while hiking. The upsides are better image quality at a given price than my other options and more versatility if I decide I want to drop more cash on photography in the future.
Point-and-shoots (Canon S100, etc.): basically my current camera, only better in every way (except for zoom, which would be about the same). If only out of familiarity, I wouldn't be as worried about damaging a camera like this as I would an interchangeable lens one, but I would still be nervous about shooting on a rainy day. Better image quality than weatherproof cameras or travel superzooms.
Weatherproof cameras (Olympus TG-1, etc.): I hear Patagonia can be very rainy and windy, even in summer. I really like the idea of not having to be concerned about keeping my camera safe, not knocking my camera pocket on a rock, not getting my camera dusty, keeping my camera in a waterproof case (or plastic bag), etc. On the other hand, I probably won't get top-notch photographic performance in any regard out of one of these cameras: they won't have the best sensors, the best controls, or the best optics. I only go diving about once every other year, and even then I don't know if I'd take a camera.
Travel superzooms (Canon SX260, etc.): I notice that when I'm traveling, I give up on a lot of shots because I can't get close enough with the lens on my Casio. I don't know exactly how many wild animals or other zoom-friendly subjects I should expect to see on this trip, but I'm pretty sure that a lens maxing out at 100mm is not going to get me every shot I'd like. Unfortunately, reviews say these cameras tend to be slow, have poor low-light performance, and often take a hit on image quality in general.

I'm leaning towards either a weatherproof camera or a travel superzoom right now, but even after reading a truckload of camera reviews and looking at a ton of sample images I don't have a good sense for just how much real, non-pixel-squinting image quality I'd be giving up by going with, say, the Olympus TG-1 instead of the Canon S100. I also don't know exactly how rainy I should expect the Patagonian summer to be, or how paranoid I need to be about water damage with cameras.

So help me get my priorities sorted out: what kind of camera do I want? Are there options I'm not considering that I should be? What camera did you really enjoy taking on your last possibly-rainy outdoor vacation? What's going to make me happy?

Balancing career and adventure.

Urban Winter — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 20:45:30 -0800

My friends are all prepping for careers, and I'm wondering how I'll balance mine with the many things I want to do that are (probably) mutually exclusive. Looking for insight. I am three semesters out from graduating with my bachelor's degree, double-majoring in urban planning and geography, and will have my GIS certificate either when I graduate or shortly thereafter. I plan on getting a master's degree in planning, and my mentor (not to be confused with my academic advisor) is encouraging me to attend a school that gives a free ride to a Ph.D after graduating with a master's there. So, basically, I expect to have a pretty sedentary job for most of my life. I could steer toward geography instead, but really I want to work in urban areas.

The trouble with that is that I absolutely love being out in rural areas, in the wilderness, in "nature," whatever term you want to use. There is so much I want to do. I want to walk the Appalachian Trail from beginning to end in one trip, I want to spend time sailing - not days, but weeks, or even months - and I want to climb mountains.

I guess what I really want to know is: Is this realistic? Is there room to do this and maintain a full-time career? Or should I be prepared to quit my job every couple years, spend a while doing what I want, and then find a new job when I get back?

Further, if anyone has experience or knowledge about careers in planning and/or geography, I'd very much like to chat. Neither of my advisors at college are very helpful to me, and I'm feeling like I don't have as much of a plan as I'd like regarding where to look for jobs and such.

Putting this in "work and money" because it's more of a work question than a travel or education question.

Taking a clear photo from far away.

jamincan — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 05:36:18 -0800

I would like to make a poster of the cliffs at Lion's Head, ON; however, in order to get a shot of the entire cliff without too much distortion, I would ideally be located on the other side of Isthmus Bay, about 4 km away from the cliff. How can I do this? I would obviously need a powerful telephoto lens and would need to stitch a whole series of photos together; however, I am mostly worried that at that distance, atmospheric distortions would prevent a clear photo showing details of the rock. Is this idea even possible, or should I try and find a better solution? I was wondering if maybe taking the photo early in the day would avoid haze.

Additionally, what sort of telephoto lens would I be looking for? Are there features that would improve the quality of a photo under these sorts of conditions?

10 degrees of latitude south

zvs — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:53:46 -0800

GiftFilter: Gifts for an outdoorsy teenager trapped in the burbs. I'm stumped trying to find a gift for my stepbrother, a high-school sophomore who plays football and recently moved into suburbia from his previous home in the Great North Woods.

He's a snowshoeing, ATV-riding kind of kid, and I think those activities are pretty much closed off to him now. They arrest you on your dirt bike here.

Any bright ideas for a substitute experience? He now lives in a second-tier metro area, so most reasonable activities are an option.

Easier than EZUp?

MrMoonPie — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 07:12:48 -0800

I'd like to find a screenhouse/shade structure that I can set up by myself. EZ Ups (and related knockoffs) are pretty dominant in the outdoor shade-structure market. I find them awkward to set up by myself, but I haven't seen any good reviews of alternate systems. Is there anything out there I'm not finding? I've looked at REI, Bass Pro Shops, and the like.

A fiberglass pole dome structure would be great, but I'm open to all sorts of suggestions. Weight isn't a huge issue, as this will be for car camping. I'm taller than you, so I definitely need something with a good center height. Nothing that relies on trees for support.

Be vewwwy quiet...

Afroblanco — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:30:57 -0800

I would like to hunt wild pigs. Only problem? I'm a liberal Democrat, I live in San Francisco, and I've never been hunting before. I love the outdoors and I love eating meat. I'm also an environmentalist and a foodie. And really, what could be more free-range and environmentally-sound than eating a delicious invasive species that spent its life roaming the great outdoors? Sadly, in the US, hunting has this big Republican association, and as a result, I've never known any hunters.

I'd like to learn how to hunt and find people to go hunting with. I don't really care if they're politically aligned with me or not, although it would be nice if they shared my environmentalist streak.

According to the Slate article, "wild pigs are found widely along most of the West Coast". Any groups, organizations, or resources in the area that could help put me on track for my first hunting expedition?

Finding a good survival knife

skrymir — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:03:12 -0800

A friend of mine has been getting back into camping/hiking/general outdoors-ness recently and has asked for my help locating a good 'survival' knife. What he's really looking for is a sturdy, good quality general use outdoors knife, likely in the general size range of a Ka-Bar. He hasn't really specified point type, etc. I've made my suggestions to him, but I figured the hive mind might have some good suggestions I don't know of.

Games to play indoors with a Husky-cross puppy

0bvious — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 09:09:41 -0800

I have a beautiful, fun and energetic puppy. A Husky cross (we don't know what the other half is, but it must have been small). She loves to play games. Me and my partner alternate working from home during the day. What fun games can we play with her at home, indoors, that don't distract too much from our work? She's almost 8 months old. She loves to be out and about, and we try to take her for long walks a couple of times a day. We live in the city, but near lots of parks etc. She is great at home, chilled out and very patient. Out and about she is very energetic and loves to play with other dogs.

During the day I have to sit at my computer a lot of the time, and I worry that she gets bored. Chewy toys are great, but how about something more interactive? She seems to love game play, hide and seek, ball fetching, hunting and burying, and most of all, she loves to systematically tear stuff to shreds.

Help make searching for a fire pit the opposite of "the pits."

shortyJBot — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 10:03:43 -0800

Is there a cheaper alternative to a new, store-bought fire pit/bowl that I'm not thinking of? (The cheapest I've seen is about $50.) I've looked online at Home Depot, Target, Lowe's and Walmart for a fire pit/fire bowl that is large enough to make a nice medium-sized fire for a few people to sit around. Is there a cheaper alternative than this that I'm not thinking of? I live in a city with a lot of thrift stores and, I'm sure, a junkyard or two.

My requirements are that it would be:

1. cheaper than $50, the price I could just pick up from the store
2. Can't damage the grass/yard when in use (so an open-bottomed fire ring wouldn't work)
3. Should be light enough to move about once a week when I have a fire. I wouldn't want to permanently set it in the grass due to damage/bald spots, and I do have access to a storage shed
4. safe to use, of course
5. Would be nice if it was a recycled/reused item

Can you help me think of something that fits this criteria? (I know end-of-season sales may be going on in a month or so, and I am willing to wait about 6 weeks or so.)

Thanks!

West Coast retreat

latkes — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 11:35:04 -0800

Looking for an all-inclusive spa/yoga/outdoors retreat type thing, along these lines, but on the West Coast. Want something that will work for an adult and her older but active mom, with a variety of activities for different interests (not forced fitness camp and not too far on the naked hippy continuum).

Trying for the week of August 5th.

Any suggestions?

What makeup do I need for an outdoor wedding?

lillygog — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 10:42:26 -0800

I'd like foundation and makeup strong enough to look good in photos from an outdoor wedding, but easy enough for a novice to apply. Do you have suggestions? I'm almost a complete makeup novice -- I typically don't wear any, but can do a decent job of applying eyeliner, mascara, and eye shadow. I'm getting married outdoors in August, and would like to wear makeup for photos and whatnot, but am also worried I will be sweating my face off. Can you recommend a good lightweight foundation that won't clog pores and won't sweat off? Will any old waterproof mascara do? Are there things I should be focusing on, to look good in photos? Thanks!

Dark sky, cheap telescope, totally inexperienced operator. What can I see?

jjjjjjjijjjjjjj — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 08:14:15 -0800

Astronomy/Skygazing Beginner: I'm gonna be camping out in a dark place, and I have access to a cheap low-consumer-grade telescope. Is it worth it to take it? What could it see? What could I reliably find? Three technically-competent operators, but zero experience/familiarity with the use of any telescope. I'm going camping. I looked up the location on the great "Dark Sky Finder" website and saw that it's quite favorable for stargazing.

I remembered that my pops got a cheap telescope as a retirement gift -- the quality is probably very low, and it wouldn't surprise me if it was manufactured so as to be nothing much more than a prop. I was wondering if it'd be worth it to take it.

I'm a technologically competent person who can follow directions/procedure and RTFM, but please assume zero experience/familiarity with the use of any telescope.

I've just finished a few long audio lectures about astronomy and cosmology, so I'll likely be familiar with the objects you might recommend; but I know nothing about the process of viewing them. Kind of a "I know what's on the menu, but I have no idea how to go about ordering it" sort of thing.

The questions that occur to me offhand:

What objects is this telescope capable of resolving well? Adequately?

What are the "go to" objects for beginning skygazers that combine "simple to find" with "crowdpleasing"?

What (preferably "simple", "free") reference materials should be taken along to help find objects? (Please assume no internet/electronic/satellite access.)

New moon? Full moon? Does it make a difference? (Seems like the new moon would make looking at other things easier... but then again: if there was a full moon I could look at the moon -- which I bet I could find.)

What am I not asking that I should?

Many thanks for your expertise and advice.

Outdoor chalkboard activities

slightlybewildered — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 21:15:02 -0800

What are some fun, interactive things to paint on a boring back fence? I am aiming for an awesome and interactive back yard for the kids (2, 5, 7) and want to make my boring back fence more interesting. I was planning on painting some of the white panels with colored blackboard paint, leaving some as just the chalkboard surface, but adding some activities to some others by painting with white paint. For instance painting a target for throwing things at (wet sponges, mud, balls), a noughts-and-crosses grid, some dots for the dot-game, maybe a heading for the mud pie kitchen menu of the day. What are some other ideas that would look cool and spur more fun?

Where should I take an outdoorsy girl near (but not in) San Francisco?

farmersckn — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:44:16 -0800

Where should I take an outdoorsy girl near (but not in) San Francisco? I met this cool girl and she likes camping and stuff like that. We both live in SF. I have a car and she doesn't, so I think it'd be cool to take her some place awesome/special/beautiful/romantic/fun/etc...

I don't know of any such place since I just moved here about 9 months ago and haven't explored outside the city.

Where should we go? Ideal driving distance is up to an hour or so.

Bonus points for great views of a sunset or water or random animals.

Can largescale 3D projections be diy?

poolsidemuse — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:10:37 -0800

Can anyone explain to me how 3D Projection Mapping is created and eventually executed? I am fascinated by this and want to know how it is done from top to tail. Tried the GoogleFu but could only find examples, not any idea of how its accomplished. I imagine it's a combination of Adobe CS & some sort of HD projection kit, but the nuts and bolts of how it's achieved continue to elude me. Thanks in advance!

Insect repellents for dogs?

COBRA! — Wed, 30 May 2012 08:16:37 -0800

Help me keep the bugs off of my dog when camping! I'm taking my dog camping very soon. She's been along for many trips before, and she likes it, except that the mosquitoes and biting flies of northern Minnesota love to give her hell. It always kills me to see her sitting at the campsite with a cloud of mosquitoes buzzing around her face, and it's even worse to see her muzzle get all bumpy from mosquito bites.

Are there any good insect repellents for dogs? I certainly don't want to douse her in DEET.

Camping and hiking with kid and dog: Sierra edition

DakotaPaul — Tue, 29 May 2012 10:15:16 -0800

Looking for camping and hiking spots in the Sierras and foothills where I can take our 4.5-year-old son and/or our dog. Li'l DakotaPaul is excited about (car) camping again this summer. Last year we took him to Gold Country Campground, which he loved, but I'd like to find places where we spend the days taking short hikes, swimming in lakes, dipping our toes in rivers and streams, and scrambling on rocks or climbing trees. Maybe the camp site has these activities nearby, or maybe we'd have to drive a bit from the site to get to them; either is fine. It doesn't even need to be a campground—if you know of a great spot on National Forest lands where we could just pitch the tent, we'd be up for that.

Also, recommendations for dog-friendly camping site are appreciated. I'd also like to take my dog with me on longer hikes this summer. Can you take them on pretty much any National Forest lands? Where do you take your dog hiking in the Sierras?

We live in Lodi, so three or fewer hours of driving would be ideal, though we'll go further if it's really worth it. Thanks!

Dog-friendly outdoor destinations in the Upper Midwest

compartment — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:48:03 -0800

Seeking suggestions for dog-friendly camping and hiking in the Upper Midwest -- Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula. I'm planning a one or two week trip through the Upper Midwest later this month: Self plus dog plus van. Mostly front-country camping, hiking, trail running, and maybe a little bit of backpacking. I spent April in the four corners states and was somewhat restricted by dog policies in national parks. Open to the idea of meeting with area Mefites if the opportunity presents itself.

Leather Boots...IN THE SNOW?

jnnla — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:26:03 -0800

Have you used high quality leather work boots (Danner / Hathorn / Wesco) in the snow? With proper care do you find that these boots are adequate for occasional use in snow? I am an avid outdoorsperson looking to get a new pair of boots, the caveat being that they need to be waterproof because I tend to snowshoe in the winter so I can get my hike on all year. I am looking to purchase a top-quality leather / welted sole logger style boot, something similar to this. I need a welted sole because I usually have the sole replaced with a less aggressive sole so the boot is a bit more low-profile. I like that boots with welted soles tend to be "modable." Not to mention the fact that replaceable soles won't come unglued and...well...can be replaced. I have a pair of Alden 405 boots I have worn since 1999 that I have "waterproofed" using a yearly or bi-yearly application of Pecards leather dressing. They have withstood being out in the occasional rainstorm...but have never seen snow and do not have a gore tex liner ( I don't regularly use them for hiking ).

So my question goes out to those who have used Danner / Wesco / Hathorn (maybe even Redwing etc...) gore tex lined boots in the snow. Assuming proper care and reconditioning...do they hold up well? I have seen Hathorns with bad water damage as the owner didn't take proper care of them...the leather got stiff and the boot curled. In my case they will only see snow a handful of times per season as I live in SoCal and race up to the mountains whenever it snows...but when I do use them they will literally be strapped into snowshoes all day. Otherwise they will be used on trail in non-winter conditions throughout the rest of the year. If the consensus is that they simply aren't worth the trouble then I will likely go with a more modern glue-soled made-in-china synthetic boot...but I'd like to avoid that if possible...

Thanks!

What clothes and equipment should I invest in to get the most out of my outdoor time?

hannahlambda — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 05:02:26 -0800

What clothes and equipment should I invest in to get the most out of my outdoor time? I spend as much time in the countryside as possible. I like: rambling in woods and muddy fields; hiking up hills; canoeing in lakes in rivers; going for long casual cycles (as well as commuting to work by bike in all sorts of weather); sailing, and spending time at the beach. I’d like to start investing in quality clothes and equipment which will be suitable for a range of these activities, keeping me comfortable and safe for years to come, and would love to hear tips from other outdoorsy people on what to get.

I live in a temperate, wet climate, where it can rain and be chilly, or be sunny and pleasant, on pretty much any day of the year. Keeping dry and comfortable is a priority. There are a lot of threads looking for specific things for specific hobbies (shorts for cycling or sailing shoes for example), but I’m looking more for things which will suit a range of activities as much as possible. I generally go on day trips, so camping gear isn’t needed, but I’d be interested in things I can keep on standby in the car. I’d love to hear about both specific items and what materials to look out for (such as Gore-Tex in boots). I’m a lady and living in Ireland.