There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge. Bertrand Russell
...and the worst part of your trip? A double bed that acted like a trampoline. My wife woke me up four times when she moved like a banshee. Andre, Canada
Pay no attention to what the critics say; there has never been set up a statue in honour of a critic.
Jean Sibelius
Drill for oil? You mean drill in the earth and try to find oil? You're insane.
Technical experts whom Edwin L. Drake wanted to hire for oil exploration, 1859
Outdoor Tips
Now this is what we call R&D (research and development). Here are the useful hints that will make life safer and more comfy in New Zealand's outdoors. If you have an idea that will help the New Zealand explorer, we'd love to know. Use the form to make your contribution. Thank you.
Add an outdoor tip here.
Outdoor tip of the moment
stick-em-up
We often break and rip gear in the mountains on tough trips (raincoats, dry bags, packs, overtrousers, tents, and guides). It’s a pain taping them up then later removing the tape and trying to repair properly – especially if you need to keep stuff water tight. We are totally into gluing stuff these days as it’s fast and lasts. Sometimes stitching just weakens older fabric too much. We take along a small tube of urethane glue, the type of adhesive used to glue wetsuits (we’re not claiming we take our wetsuit tramping). Urethane glue is great for fixing tears in fabrics, without the need for stitching. You can make permanent waterproof repairs in the field with no effort. Urethane glue is available from hardware stores. It’s expensive but it sticks like sh*t! Takes 12 hours to dry (unless you use the McNett Seam Grip Seam Sealer with the fast set gunk).
You can glue a patch of something on top to make the repair look better or just smear the urethane glue all over the place. Use some petrol or ideally meths from your cooker to clean the fabric if you can, but this stuff is pretty forgiving. Once a tube is open it doesn’t last long – perhaps a year at the most. So make sure you break lots of stuff all at once. If the tube has ‘gone off’ just cut it in half and there should be some liquid in the middle that you can make do with. No worries now mate.
Other tips
cowboy coffee - thanks Bruno
If you don't have a fancy Italian stove top coffee pot to make your latte. Try it "cowboy style". Simply put your fresh coffee grounds in the bottom of the billy (pot with wire handle) and pour the required amount of just boiled water over the top. Tap the side of the billy a few times with a spoon (not sure what this does, someone told me it breaks the surface tension - yeah right) then you go outside, make sure there is nothing above you, low flying aircraft etc, then start swinging the billy round and round a complete 360 degree circle (vertically). I go in both directions about 10 times each. Be careful when you bring it to a stop, you might spill some! This is not as hazardous as it sounds, but take care all the same. After the spin the grounds will have settled to the bottom of the billy, so you can scoop out your fresh espresso. A quick boil (5 seconds) will sink any rogue floaters you may have. No worries now mate.
mosquito net
Enjoy sleeping out in the open but are bothered by biting insects? Go to sleep with your gortex rainjacket wrapped around your head, tucking it in well. Gortex works best as it’s breathable, unlike other clothing that is liable to suffocate you. This is particularly useful for early summer mornings in the South Island when the sandflies start biting. Less effective with mosquitoes as they are a bit more clued up and fly around objects. No worries now mate.
thermarest
Suspect you have a small leak in your thermarest? Fully inflate your thermarest. Lean it against a wall and leave it for a couple of days before returning. If it sags then you’ve got a leak you need to fix. No worries now mate.
luke warm latte
If you take a small italian stove top espresso maker camping (and you should) you probably find that adding cold milk to your coffee gives you a luke warm latte. Put a bit less water into the bottom chamber of the espresso maker, add your cold milk to the top, and by the time the coffee comes to the top, the milk will be warm. Presto! A steaming hot latte. No worries now mate.
hot head
Are you a hot head? A great way to cool down when you are honking up a steep mountain in warm weather is to plunge your head in a cold mountain stream, shake like a dog, and continue on your way. You lose lots of heat via your head, so you will cool off really quickly (which is also why, when it’s wet and cold, you should wear a warm hat). No worries now mate.
fire
Can't get that fire going? Two tips for you. Place a piece of tin foil (or an old tin can or your stove windshield) under the starting fire to seal off groundwater and dampness, and to reflect heat. Don't forget to take it out afterwards! If that doesn’t work, shove your cooker head under the fire to give it a boost of heat. MSR and SIGG stoves with a fuel tank on a flexible hose allow you to keep the tank safely out of harms way. Other stoves (with internal tanks) make this operation potentially very dangerous, so don't do it. Once the fire is roaring, remove the stove but shove logs or a stone into its place to stop embers falling through and snuffing out your fire. No worries now mate.
plastic bag
Can't tell by looking at it whether your plastic bag or dry bag is waterproof so your gear stays dry when you cross a river or it rains? Simply turn the bag inside out, fill with water, and look for leaks. Turn it back the right way and you can use it straight away if needed. We never remember to check our bags until we are actually packing our pack so this last trick is a good one. No worries now mate.
holy clothes
Sick of burning holes in your goretex or synthetic fleece when you sit too close to the camp fire? Wear wool or cotton. They don’t burn or melt easily. If you don't have a woollen jumper, take a big, old cotton t-shirt with you and wear it on the OUTSIDE of your fleece. You might look odd but, hey, if it's dark, who will know? No worries now mate.
emergency rations
If you are going on an overnight hike or exploring a remote area you should always take spare food for emergencies. Spare rations can be as simple as rice (enough for the group for one night) and some flavouring, such as soup sachets. You never know what might happen. Accidents occur at any time and rivers can rise without warning. With a little planning, you won’t go hungry if you do need to spend another night in the bush. No worries now mate.
sleeping mat
Want to keep your closed-cell, foam sleeping mat (Therm-a-rest) clean and dry (well, dry-ish)? Fold it in half before you roll it up. When you unroll it, make sure you sleep on the side that has been folded together. Obviously, if you just roll it up without folding it the wet or dirty side smears the clean side and the whole thing gets manky. So, remember to fold before you roll. No worries now mate.
squashed tomatoes
Tired of hiking to the perfect lunch spot only to find your tomatoes are squashed? Pack all your soft food items inside a billy or pot. This will protect them from getting hammered inside your pack. It also helps prevent any nasty juices leaking into the rest of your gear. Uurgh! No worries now mate.
backpack
A badly packed pack is uncomfortable! Remember to pack heavy objects high and close to your back. Make sure nothing sticks into your back. Don't hang objects on the outside as they tend to bounce around, get caught on things, and get wet. Few packs are waterproof so ensure everything is packed inside a plastic bag (a pack liner is ideal). Finally, remember to pack the things you will need often (raincoat, camera, water bottle) near the top of your bag so you don’t spend your lunch break unpacking your bag. No worries now mate.
pillow
Can't sleep without a pillow? Fill your sleeping bag sack with soft items (clothes are ideal) to make a comfortable pillow. Fold the clothes rather than stuff them in, to avoid annoying ridges. If you don't like the feel of the sack against your face then try wrapping it in a clean fleece. No worries now mate.
sooty billy
Do you enjoy boiling a billy over an open fire but hate dealing with the sooty result? Coat the outside of the billy with dishwashing liquid first. Remarkably, this stops soot building up and makes the pot a lot easier to clean. This is a bonus when you are the one carrying it in your pack. No worries now mate.
flapping tent
Can’t stop the bottom edge of your tent flapping noisily in the wind on stormy nights? It’s a very well-made dome tent that never flaps (it is less of a problem on tunnel tents). Try loosening and tightening the straps, or re-pitching on level ground (not that we have any of that in New Zealand!). If that fails, tie a cord with a clove hitch around a bunch of the nylon at the bottom edge of the middle of one face. Peg it out about half a metre. This works best if it’s the vestibule face (if you lift the bottom edge of the tent too much above the ground driving rain can get under the edge). If you are a really rough bastard, just chuck a rock (5-10kg) on the flapping face and deal with it properly in the morning. No worries now mate.
toothbrush
Use an old film container to store your toothbrush by cutting a wee hole in the lid and poking the brush through. Use a black Kodak canister as they keep the light out and the brush won't go mouldy. No worries now mate.
wet boots
Got wet boots and heading up into the snow? Brrrrrr. Put on your wet socks and then a plastic bag on each foot before putting your boots on. Once the water/dampness in your socks is warmed by your body heat, the plastic bag acts like a (very poor quality) neoprene wetsuit bootie. The plastic stops cold water and snow getting in. If you encounter this situation often, consider getting some neoprene or waterproof socks – or plan your routes better. No worries now mate.