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FAQs

Welcome! Read this first.

Hello and welcome to ADJAFRICA Forum. If you want to improve your backpacking skills then you have landed in the right place. Here you’ll find various content that has been thoroughly explored, discussed, and documented by like-minded, experienced backpackers and outdoorsmen and women. While there are plenty of other hiking and camping groups, and forums, many of which have a much more active user base, here you can expect quality over quantity. Feel free to browse and submit.

Find out everything you need to get started by taking the tour. If you still have questions, come back and check out the pinned articles, if you still need help contact us: [email protected]

What topics can I ask about here?

Questions that need additional work or that are not a good fit for this community may be put on hold by experienced community members. While questions are on hold, they cannot be answered but can be edited to make them eligible for reopening.

What should I post to or ask in the forum?

If you're an experienced backpacker who continually seeks self-improvement, most anything you ask or post will be insightful and welcomed. If you're just starting out or trying something new, you are welcome to post is specific categories. But first head over to the appropriate category to first learn the basics (adjafrica/ultralight, adjafrica/appalachiantrail, adjafrica/campingandhiking, adjafrica/hammocks, adjafrica/bushcraft, adjafrica/survival, adjafrica/alpinism, adjafrica/mountaineering etc.).

We value personal experience

Please post and share personal experience, results from your trials and experiments, or anything else you learned from hands-on experience. It's fine if you need to link to your own blog or video channel. Please refrain from gear reviews and 'initial impression' posts that can be found on our blog (https://adventurejunkies.africa/blog/), on many sites or blogs.

Be descriptive in your titles

Descriptive titles make your content clear for the rest of us. Not only that, but your submission will show up in search results from outside ADJAFRICA as well! If you title your submission "A photo diary of the various edible fungi in the northern Drakensberg", I can guarantee you'll have more visitation than had you titled, "Look what I found." Oh, and if you link to an autoplay video or .pdf download please make a mention in the title to the benefit of your viewers, for example: "[pdf] Report on respiration at altitude" or "Tying various climbing knots [youTube]"

What don't we like?

A. Absolutely no advertisements or blog spam
Yes, we said above that it's fine to link to your blog, Flickr, video channel, etc but do not simply advertise or spam for subscriptions. If you have something that fits within the context of #advancedbackpacking, link to that page with a descriptive title and we won't have a problem!

A.1. Product Placement or Crowdsourcing
If you feel your product belongs in #campingandhiking then message /u/TheOutdoorGuy and we'll develop a game plan. If you do not, or try clever product placement, you will find just how short is our tolerance for spam.
(!!) Should you have a product you want to promote, we do have promotion packages and you can feel free to contact us at any given time.

B. Please don't submit posts that only benefit you
Instead, post meaningful and thought-provoking questions and articles that benefit a wide range of readers. And refrain from posting photo albums unless they demonstrate instructions or are part of a product review.

[NO]: "Critique my gear" "What are some good trails in [my neck of the woods]?"
[YES]: "My analysis of various canister gas brands" "What are your thoughts on the new DWR down?"

C. Please don't ask simple questions or post simple articles
Simple questions can be best answered through a google search. And simple articles or information do not add to the communal knowledge.

[NO]: "What are the pros/cons with down and synthetic fill?" "Here are common ways to disinfect water"

D. We are not your personal shoppers
Please do not give us a list of requirements or conditions and expect us to find the right product for you. Nothing is more insulting to this forum than someone who can't do their own shopping.

[NO]: "I'm looking for a sleeping bag that can be comfortable down to 20F"

D.1. Please don't ask "what is the best...?"
There is no best, but there may be a best for you. Search google, field test reports, and product reviews on retail websites; and endeavor to test the product in a brick-n-mortar store with amazing return policies, especially footwear.

D.2. Please don't ask about a single product
Instead, request information on a component (a fabric, a material, a design, etc) that is employed across multiple products. By understanding the components you automatically know the pros/cons across a huge variety of products.

[NO]: "I'm about to pull the trigger on , what are your thoughts?" "How do you like your Jetboil?"
[YES]: "How has your experience been using Goretex membranes?" "Have you found heat exchangers worth the extra weight?"