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I like to carry a small fixed blade if I'm going someplace more remote. It doesn't have to be a big gently caress off knife, but I like something with a four or five inch blade and a full tang. It's partly practical and partly a totem. And plus one on the Leatherman Wave. Those things are magical whether I'm backpacking in the woods or in a city. Outrail posted:Don't forget a razor blades in your first aid kit. I had to cut my knee open to fish out a cactus spine that was rubbing on the bone. The Swiss army knife knife was dull and needed to be sharpened on a rock. I also keep a Swisscard in my FAK. Small, flat form - has a knife blade, tweezers, scissors, magnifying glass - and it all remains clean and sharp because it's not used for anything else. Canna Happy posted:You only need one knife. I personally carry a derma safe as my knife on all my hikes. I think the swiss army will be perfectly fine. I've noticed a lot of people using those - usually either guys really looking to shave weight, or the guys who pack all sorts of survival widgets into Altoids cans. How are they to use? They don't have a locking mechanism, right?
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May 18, 2013 14:36
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It was horrible and would have been so much easier if I had blades. Yes I was stupid.
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 12:23 |
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Drink water. Drink when you're thirsty. Drink when you're not thirsty. Drink water. You can splice in some of the electrolyte stuff if you want (I usually do a half-strength Gatorade bottle that accompanies my main water bag) but food is an even better option. Salty snacks are also useful and delicious at the same time. Watch out for signs of dehydration - Dark urine, nausea, head ache, or a lack of sweat. Sweat is good. Sweat is your body cooling itself off. When you stop sweating, that's bad. Drink more water than you think you need. Any idea what the humidity will be like? Also watch out for signs of hyponatremia. That's a lack of salt in you ("electrolyes"). It looks a lot like dehydration, but you'll also feel exhausted as all hell and you'll have been drinking poo poo tons of water and peeing clear. Make sure you have a hat and sunscreen, plenty of sunscreen. A day of hiking in the sun is a lot of exposure. I'd skip the base layer - you won't want Polartec. The general idea is to wear loose clothing that gives your air circulation while shielding you as much as possible from the sun - hence the light colors being ideal. Seconding timing. Try to rest during the really hot parts of the day - find a patch of shade, take a break, wait for things to cool off. Don't get yourself stuck someplace baking. Most of all, have fun! Where are you headed off in such temperatures? (Drink water.)
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Jun 27, 2013 14:53
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BeefofAges posted:Regarding the first aid discussion, take a wilderness first aid class! Most first aid kits are kinda useless if you don't know how to use them. Totally this! A first aid course will give you a better idea of what you want/need to carry, and the skills to use them. I know NOLS and WMA both do courses with dedicated wilderness components, but even a standard Red Cross type course can give you a leg up. The wilderness courses focus a lot on when you need to get out of the wilderness - when it's time to gently caress out of the backcountry and get to real help. That's probably the most valuable skill when you're in the woods: Knowing when to call it. My FAK contains a lot of the sexy stuff - SAM splints and quikclot and other assorted neato bits - but the stuff I use most often is the same stuff I use most often in my house. Look at your medicine cabinet/medicine drawer/medicine hole in the backyard. I have a small pouch dedicated to bandaids, ibuprofen, and Pepto Bismol because I use them constantly. And if you buy a prepackaged kit, open it up and go through it. Make sure you know what you have, when the medications expire, what you're comfortable using.
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Jul 8, 2013 11:41
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Oxford Comma posted:Do the cargo pants from 5.11 work well for hiking? Specifically, these? All I know about 5.11 is its the apparel of choice of mall ninjas throughout America. I've got a pair of these I use for work, including some hiking. They're well built, there's a poo poo ton of pockets, and they're made of that rip-stop fabric - y'know, the little reinforced squares. The waist is stretchy and they give you a lot of flexibility. I could see using them in places where you're going to be hiking through brush or other scratchy terrain. I really like the back pockets on them. They're slash pockets? And very deep. Plus. Y'know. Tactical.
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Nov 13, 2013 10:53
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Time Cowboy posted:The Cactus Eaters by Dan White (a book-length e/n thread, obsessed with how sexy his ex-girlfriend was). That's the most succinct and apt description I've ever heard of that book. I put it down a quarter of the way in, when I realized what direction it was going in, and wished I'd put it down much earlier. I'm not sure if you're looking more for AT and PCT stuff, but I've heard really good things about Tracks, by Robyn Davidson. It's on my shelf at the moment, I just haven't quite gotten to it yet. There's also Turn Right at Machu Picchu, which I have read and enjoyed. It delves a lot into the history of the Inca Trail, intertwined with a travelogue of a novice taking on the trail with some help. It captures a lot of the frustration of being an out of shape newbie hiking steep trails at altitude alongside the exhilaration of being an out of shape newbie reaching the summit of a steep trail at altitude.
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Jan 4, 2014 03:24
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Bottom Liner posted:Oh yeah, I have a full mini toolkit for any bike related needs. I meant on foot, with a 4.5 inch fixed blade knife. I guess it is unnecessary, I just want to learn more bushcraft style skills. Yeah, this kinda comes back to what kind of camping you're into. I carry a 4 inch fixed blade with me as a general camp knife, and to play around with some bushcraft. It's one of those "It Depends" pieces of gear. If you find it useful or enjoyable, it's a good tool to carry. I'm just used to having it there and putting it to use - even if sometimes just as a totem.
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Jan 16, 2014 11:12
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 12:23 |
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i_heart_ponies posted:Really though, sometimes you want to bring the Rambo knife along to play with. As long as you're honest with yourself that you're bringing it along as a toy and not as a practical tool, it's all good. I agree with this with the big gently caress off Rambo knives. A friend of mine used to insist on carrying a full size Ka-Bar for overnight trips. I always found it a bit silly, but he was the one carrying it and it made him happy, so more power to him. On the other end of the spectrum was the guy with a razor blade with one side covered in duct tape. That said, once I'm a certain distance from a trailhead/road, I like to carry a small (4-5") fixed blade. It's got a full tang, so it's basically a hunk of metal with a sharpened edge on one side. 90% of the time it does little tasks for me that a folder could do pretty well. I've also used it to help me fashion improvised splints, though. I think it makes a good, basic (if not the most basic) tool, but it takes practice with it and a lot of safety considerations. When my knife's in my pack so is a larger FAK. me your dad posted:Duncan Knob Hollow in the George Washington National Forest. I haven't been up there for years but this is a really cool hike, as I recall. The overlook's beautiful in the fall. EDIT Oxford Comma posted:Anyone looking for a knife should spend $15 in a Mora and call it a day. Also these are fantastic for the money.
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Jan 17, 2014 00:56
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