Stephan Kesting

How to light a fire with gasoline more safely

Why Lighting a Fire with Gasoline Usually Doesn’t Work (nd How to Do It Safely)

Lighting a fire with gasoline or other flammable liquids like kerosene or white gas can be incredibly dangerous since the explosive fumes extend out well past the actual liquid. This can potentially engulf you in a fireball when you try to ignite the fire. The worst case scenario occurs if you’ve previously tried to light […]

Does Expired Bear Spray Still Work?

Does Expired Bear Spray Still Work?

A few years ago I pulled off the highway onto a deserted logging road and pulled out an old container of bear spray. I wanted to fire it off to refamiliarise myself with the range and dispersion pattern of the capsicum spray. I checked the wind direction, removed the safety latch, and pushed down on […]

What Causes River to Meander

What Causes River to Meander?

What causes a river to meander and cause a series of curving channels across the landscape?

Cycling the Coastal Camino from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Camino de Santiago by Bike, the Coastal Portuguese Route

PORTUGUESE COASTAL CAMINO OVERVIEW The Camino de Santiago is a thousand-year-old pilgrimage network all over Europe which converges on the amazing cathedral in the town of Santiago de Compostella, Spain, that is built over the supposed remains of St James the Great. The most popular version of the Camino is the Camiño francés (the ‘French […]

Bark, Skin and Dugout – The Three Types of Traditional Canoes

Canoes are universal. After all, anywhere that there is open water it’s probably useful to have an open-topped craft that can be easily loaded and unloaded, pointed at both ends so it can go forwards and backwards, and light enough to be propelled by paddles. Prior to the advent of Kevlar and fancy plastics, canoes […]

Open Canoe Roll

The Open Canoe Roll

Rolling practice… It’s been 20 years since I last rolled a small whitewater canoe equipped with a saddle, thigh straps, and airbags, so I headed to the pool to practice. I can see some room for improvement, but overall it’s a skill that’s coming back quickly. I’m motivated to make my roll bombproof because I […]

Adam Shoalts on Wet Weather Gear for Canoeing

Raingear for Canoe Expeditions

In this video I chatted with Canadian explorer Adam about rain and cold weather gear for expedition canoeing… Adam normally goes super minimalist, but hypothermia is certainly something to worry about. He had hypothermia a lot while doing shoestring expeditions on a budget in his 20’s and he’s not had hypothermia since then because he […]

Intuitive Navigation, Or Why You Shouldn’t Rely On Your GPS in the Wilderness

I recently spoke with explorer and author Adam Shoalts about the role intuitive navigation plays in the wilderness. Here’s the video of that conversation, and the summary of the main points are below the video. Enjoy! Summary of Intuitive vs GPS Based Navigation It’s obviously a huge asset if you can learn to navigate intuitively, […]

An explorer's number one tip for wilderness safety

Your Number One Tip to Stay Safe in the Outdoors

Adam Shoalts is an accomplished Canadian explorer with many big expeditions under his belt. He’s been a guest on my podcast (The Strenuous Life Podcast) multiple times, always with new, amazing stories. In our most recent conversation he explained how mindset and mentality are MUCH much more important than gear for staying safe in the […]

Power Oatmeal for Camping

Power Oatmeal for Camping

After years of refining the recipe I think it’s time to publicly share ‘Power Oatmeal’… On a recent trip to the Nahanni we ate this on 10 out 12 mornings and never got bored of it. And as soon as we got back we made some more for home use. I prefer eating it with […]