Don Russell

Safe Water: Clearly, An Important Subject
When travelling in other countries or backpacking in the wilds, clean, safe, drinking water is likely to be the most important thing on your agenda...
Sometimes, It’s Just a Bad day
Story: Marc has asked if I have any funny stories to share. This one happened a couple of years ago and although it didn’t seem particularly...
Extreme Weather: Hypothermia
Although most of my articles have been on navigation it is not a subject that is easily isolated. Generally, most of us associate navigation with...
Practical Navigation:The Real World.Part 3
In this final part we can take a look at how the Special Forces view the topics covered in parts 1 & 2 for comparison; they are, somewhat...
Practical Navigation: The Real World. Part 2
In this second part we’ll take a look at contouring, time & distance, slope angle and much more. Contouring In order to use contouring to...
Practical Navigation: The Real World Part 1
I have posted a few articles on navigation recently and on the whole they have been more on the technical side. Without doubt, a navigator/guide...
Three Types of North… Just Another Complication?
Surely North is North? Why do we need to complicate it? Hopefully,the following explanation will clear things up a little. On many large scale...
Snorkelling: A Beginner’s Guide. Part 1
Going snorkelling when on holiday is always good fun but to get the best out of it (and to stay safe) we need to look a little more deeply; you’ll...
Navigation: The Millieme, Better for Navigation?
The Millieme (mil) is a unit of angular measurement used by the military, mainly the artillery. It is extremely versatile and is in many ways...
GPS Navigation… Can We Give an Accurate Position?
Navigation… Can We Give an Accurate Position? The answer to that question is probably not! Many of us use GPS receivers in our everyday life...
Blisters and How to Prevent Them
When on a backpacking trip blisters can knock the shine off things a bit, but what can be done to prevent them? Without doubt, preventing them in the...
A Compass: What to Look For and Why
by Don Russell, I’m sure it will come as no surprise to find that most people who purchase a compass rarely give it the depth of thought that...
Rucksacks & Handbags… The Horrible Truth
Relaxing with a mug of tea and a Garibaldi recently after a run, my mind wandered for no apparent reason to handbags; more specifically, females and...
Summer Solstice… Is it of Interest to the...
In a previous article looking at navigational awareness when travelling I mentioned some basic information on the Sun rising in the East and setting...
First-Aid Kit for the Adventurer
he first three articles I have posted are more to do with helping the traveler avoid unnecessary risks in order to ensure maximum safety and...
Personal Security for the Adventurer
It is unfortunately a sad fact of life that we are all at risk from theft, mugging, kidnapping and violence when we travel; whether you are male...