HowToDoThings.com Outdoor & Event Sports

How To Make a Campfire

Brian263 — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 15:15:00 -0600

We've all been burned (figuratively) by lousy campfires in the past. Perhaps because making fires is such an age-old human endeavor, failing to make a good one can be a humbling experience. You might use up several days' supply of newspaper trying to light a campfire for day one. You might smell even more like hot dog smoke than you otherwise would have. You might worry that your fire-making ineptitude, together with that protruding brow of yours, could prompt comparisons between you and Ron Perlman in the classic "Quest for Fire." Far worse, you might be cold. Avoid this unfortunate fate!

How To Make the Perfect Snowball

Brian263 — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 14:40:00 -0600

The perfect snowball... when you've made it, you'll know. It's unmistakable - that perfect weight and texture for packing, the ease on the elbow as you throw it, splattering perfectly across your hapless victim upon impact. So how do we make the best possible snowball, the winter projectile of our dreams? You have to know where to get the best snow, and then how to shape it for best results.

They say no two snowflakes are the same, and the same is true of snowballs. But there are different kinds of snow that we can define. There's slush, light powder, heavy snow and popcorn snow, to name a few kinds. The Inuit have many more names for snow than we use (though I bet we Seattleites have them beat in the rain department), and we can learn a lot from their distinctions; we're down here trying to make the best possible snowball, but for them, knowledge of snow is a matter of survival.

How To Pack as Little as Possible

ronkhare — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:48:24 -0500

Tried of lugging hundreds of pounds of luggage? Too much stuff can ruin a trip, from holding up buses or airport security, even requiring hotel staff, friendly passers-by or anyone around to help lug your stuff from here to there.

Rid yourself of excessive stuff, and revel in the freedom and ease of traveling unburdened!

Pack normally. Go ahead, just cram in everything you think you might want to take with you.
Unpack and spread everything out. Now that you can see everything you wanted to bring, we can begin to prune.
What are you actually going to wear? Honestly, pick out the few, best clothes and items, the ones you know for certain you enjoy wearing, and will often. Set them aside for the moment.

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