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Taught From The Trail: Backpacking Tips and Tricks

May 012012

This past weekend, I went on a weekend backpacking trip with 3 friends. It was the first for the season for myself and the first overnight trip in over a year. We set out on an aggressive hike schedule, 2.6 miles the first evening, stay overnight at a designated tent site, 8 miles the next day and overnight at a shelter at 3500′, followed by a 14.4 mile day back to the cars. All in all, a 25 mile loop hike of the Franconia Ridge trail, hitting five 4k footers of the White Mountain National Forest. All this in April, where the expected forecast was snow and sun, never getting 40 and dropping down to the single digits.

Unfortunately, due to an epic ball drop by the Parks Service, they failed to make known that two of the major bridges we needed to cross during our hike were destroyed last year by Hurricane Irene. Not one note on the trail head signs, only a scribbled note right at the bridge, 3 miles in on the trail. Plans changed, but I learned quite a few new things on this trip, which I plan to list out here in a hope to pass on some knowledge.

1. Pack Light – Going ultralight is one thing, you can empty your entire bank account when you start counting ounces. However, it doesn’t take any money to evaluate your gear and keep a working memory of what you use, don’t use, or don’t ever see yourself using when you’re backpacking. Do you really need that clunky multi-tool on an overnight? How about that extra t-shirt? The old saying goes: Ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain.

2. Plan Your Water – You can cut weight on gear all you want, but you can’t do anything about the weight of water. When planning your trip, keep water sources in mind. Every liter of water you carry weighs about 2.2 lbs, plus the weight of the container it’s in. You could carry 3 liters or an extra 6.6 lbs on your back, or realize you might be crossing several streams throughout the hike – streams where you could treat (always treat!) and refill your water. Predict your water consumption based on your hike and your hikers and plan accordingly.

3. Plan Your Meals – You can go extravagant or spartan when it comes to food. I like to straddle the line. Pack high calorie/high protein foods that taste good and pack light. Mountain House is a good bet, or you can make your own meals from soup packets, noodles, dehydrated vegetables, etc. The best meals are those you can just add water to and eat. It cuts out pots, pans, and even dishes when you just eat them out of the bag. Surprisingly, its both useful and easy to pack in some comfort items as well. Tea bags, instant coffee, and sweets are light and help give you a boost of energy or a slow burn to keep you warm at night (astronaut ice cream anyone?!)

4. Sleep Comfortably – Sleeping bags aren’t the entire solution – make sure you have a sleeping pad as well. Also, make sure both are rated to the temperatures you’ll be sleeping in. Over my most previous trip, I brought my lightweight 35 degree down bag. I had a 15 degree bag, but it was made of heavy synthetic insulation, which i didn’t want to lug around. What happened? I freezed my butt off when the night time temps dipped below 20. I plan to get a 15 degree down bag in the future for these really cold trips. Sugary and fatty morsels are great to munch on before bed, the slow burn of fat will help keep your metabolic “slow cooker” going through the night, keeping you warm.

5. Be Nimble – Be ready to change course or reroute the trip should situations change. My friend Eric, the master trip planner, assessed the destroyed bridge problem, and came up with several alternatives. We then decided as a group on how to change the trip according to the amount of time we had remaining and what we felt like doing. Be ready to work around obstacles or course correct.

6. Bring Drugs – Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) and Ibuprofen are your best friends on the trail. Using them responsibly can help you stave off cramps and aches before they start in the morning and help you get a good nights sleep at night. They reduce inflammation while dulling pain, both of which you’ll experience on a backpacking trip.

7. Don’t Sleep With a Full Tank – I actually learned this from Ben Shilling’s book on Winter Camping, that having a full bladder will actually draw more energy from your body and keep you from feeling as warm as you could be. Why? Because your body requires energy to keep that bladder full of whizz up to a homeostatic temperature in your body. Get rid of it and you’ll actually feel warmer! It works!

8. Write Down What You Learned – This blog post is part of this step, which I found astounding when my buddy Eric suggested I do this. It was one of those “why haven’t i been doing that?” moments. But after each trip, write down what you learned, what you think you should do differently, and what you used and didn’t use. Don’t rely on your memory, chances are you’re going to dump all your gear in the garage and not remember a thing the next time you dig it out for another trip.

9. Quality Layers – What I lacked on this trip was a set of heavy weight base layers to sleep in. Since most of my camping and hiking is done during the warmer months, I have a collection of warm weather base layers. These work great when you’re huffing and puffing up a mountainside. Unfortunately, these do a poor job keeping you warm when its cold out and you’re standing around a cook stove or trying to sleep in your bag. What I definitely need is a dedicated set of cold weather base layers, that can be used in situations like those.

Backcountry First Aid 101: Sprains and Strains

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Mar 292012

Backcountry First Aid 101: Sprains and Strains

Sidenote: Yup, before the article even starts I’ve got the testicular fortitude to sidenote. To add to the pomp and frill of this article I’ve taken the liberty of providing you with some background music. Hanni El Khatib – You Rascal You. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.Oh and I disclaim this article to high heaven.

Anyone who has walked more than 10 feet in their life has twisted an ankle. Okay, so maybe you walked a little more than that before you hurt yourself but it happens. Typically, this is seen as a very common sports injury, but with the increasing number of outdoor sports stores popping up all over the country, more and more people are experiencing the pain a tendon or ligament can cause when it’s abused.

Often used interchangeably, there is actually a difference between sprains and strains. Sprains are injuries to ligaments. Strains are injuries to muscle.

Assesment
Usually it’s very difficult to assess the degree of injury since there is a lot of pain, but a period of immobilization and some Tylenol or Ibuprofen could help you. Swelling around the joint is common as fluid builds up there with the inflammation. Check to see if the joint is stable. If you can jiggle the joint around it may mean there is a more severe grade of ligament damage and possibly a partial or complete tear. Since the person is in pain, they may not be able to move the joint. No need to put them in unnecessary pain, so move on to immobilization.

Treatment
The old adage of “RICE: Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate” is tried and true. However, when in the wilderness this may not be a luxury you have. The most important thing to help contain the injury and reduce pain is to immobilize the joint. ADD LINKS FOR SPLINTS AND WRAPS. To immobilize, keep the joint in a neutral and comfortable position. Take a SAM splint or something stiff and fashion the splint so it mimics the joint angle. Then take ace bandages or strips of thin cloth and wrap the splint to the joint. Be sure to secure the splint above and below the joint. This means if it’s your elbow that’s hurt, you secure the splint on your forearm and bicep primarily. If there is an obvious deformity to the joint for the love of Pete, don’t try to fix it!! Just immobilize it the best you can unless you’re hiking with an orthopedist and an X-ray machine.

A few things to check for when splinting:

Make sure the splint is properly padded before applying it to prevent irritation of the skin.
Once the splint is applied and and wrapped be sure to check the CSM’s on that limb to make sure you have not cut off circulation.

In the short-term it’s good to remove the splint, reassess, and do some range of motion exercises to get a better idea of injury and help loosen up the joint to reduce pain and inflammation.

Until next time my friends. Stay hungry and stay bold.

Your friend and savior,

Atley Jackson.

Feel free to message or leave a comment if there are particular topics you’d like to see discussed. As always, consult a real doctor when you can and all of the aforementioned information is purely informational.

Bust More Clays: 6 Fundamental Skills For Better Skeet Shooting

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Mar 142012

I have a new found love for skeet or clay pigeon shooting ever since I committed to buying myself a pump shotgun. I bought it with the sole intention of using it for shooting clays and for duck hunting. Here are 6 tips and tricks to get your fundamental skills up to par to have you breaking more clays than your buddies in no time. I’ve found these to be especially useful in learning and teaching myself better technique and consistency. I hope it will for you too!

1. Swing, Shoulder, Shoot. – Don’t fall into the bad habit of mounting or shouldering the gun first, then tracking the target. This is time wasted. Tracking or swinging the gun onto target and firing the moment you confidently shoulder the gun will lead to more busted clays. The key is to fire the moment you are fully shouldered, as long as you are mounting the gun consistently.

2. Bring the gun to your eyes, not your eyes to the gun. – Mounting or shouldering the shotgun should be a short quick deliberate action. Waste no time or effort with poor shouldering, if you need to readjust your the butt pad on your shoulder, you’ll likely miss the shot. The gun should be brought up to your eyes so that you can look down the barrel and see the bead without tilting your head. Many people making the mistake of bringing the gun onto their shoulder and then tilting their head down to it as if looking through a scope. Again, this is both a waste of time but also inconsistent. Consistency can be brought by finding a good cheek weld against your stock that you can repeat with the same placement and pressure each time. Just like a bow hunter who touches their nose to string during full draw, its an anchor point for repeatability.

3. Act natural – Practice bringing the gun up from a relaxed position. It’s a bad habit to call for pulls with a gun already shouldered. First of all, you won’t be able to execute Tip #1 efficiently. Secondly, you’re setting yourself up for failure if you ever plan to do an upland bird or waterfowl hunting. It’s not like you can walk a field or sit in a duck blind with a shouldered 12gauge pointed to the sky all day right? So start from a safe but natural position and react as you would in the field.

4. Rack With The Recoil – This is obviously for pump users only (and possibly any of your bolt action users out there). Rack the gun, or pump, with the recoil. I’ve found that using the recoil to initiate my rack sequence saves both time and energy. The recoil itself is not aiding in the racking action, but more or less initiating it. Because once the shot is made, there’s no reason not to put another shell in the chamber. When shooting single or doubles too often we take a momentary pause to check if the shot hit the clay before racking, as if it has something to do when deciding when to rack. If you rack the moment after you fire, you’ll have the opportunity to make a follow up or move to your next clay in less than time than if you waited that extra half second to see if you made your shot or not. You’ll have plenty of time to see if you made your hit as you’re loading.

5. Don’t Hesitate – I find that I shoot better on double sets than I do on just single flyers. Why? Because I don’t hesitate because I don’t have time to. When I know I have to hit one then quickly acquire and hit a second, I spend as little time as possible on the first. So I wind up shooting instinctively. I can remember precisely where in the sky I shot my second, but can’t for the life of me tell you where I hit the first… I spend milliseconds on it. When I’m shooting just a single flyer, I wind up hesitating as I follow the clay hoping to get a perfect a shot. You wind up switching focus from the clay to your front sight bead, hoping to get it fully on target, and then its all over from there. See it, shoot it, and move on!

6. Get a gun – Sounds obvious, but if you want to really get your trap shooting skills on par with your buddies, you need to get your own gun and practice with it. Each shotgun is different when it comes to length of pull, weight, and ergonomics. It will take you a longer time to nail down your fundamentals if you’re using a different gun or gauge every time you guys wind up shooting skeet. Pumps can be had for under $300 with Mossberg 500′s, and between $300-$400 with the Remington 870 Express or my Weatherby Upland Pump. I got the chance to handle and shoot an old Weatherby Athena over-under this weekend and fell in love. An over-under just feels solid and nimble in your hands. Nothing rattles or moves, its just a solid mass that points beautifully. Definitely need to get my hands on one someday, hopefully, a Ruger Red Label.

Fun With Krylon Fusion Camo Spray Paint: Camouflaging The LowePro Toploader AW

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Mar 102012

I recently got myself a LowePro Toploader AW to house my Nikon D3. Check out my review, if you’re not familiar with it. For anyone who’s seen it, you know its a big camera bag for a big camera. Not surprisingly, being a piece of pro photo gear, it comes in the standard nylon “ninja” black. I never understood why photographers settle with black. I’m definitely not!

Being that I purchased this camera bag to take with me outdoors for both wildlife photography and hiking. I’m a big fan of Optifade camo, and although I can’t replicate the Optifade patterns on my own (yet), I can get a whole lot closer than black.

All thanks to Krylon Fusion Camouflage Spray Paint!

Krylon’s Fusion line is specially designed to adhere to plastics. If you don’t already know, nylon (which the Toploader is made of), is a plastic! And the Fusion Camouflage comes in Ultra-Flat earthy hues like desert tan, brown, and olive drab. The Ultra-Flat finish reduces shine as it has zero gloss and very rough feel. It isn’t a 100% durable, just a far cry better than standard Krylon spray paint, which you can practically wipe off of plastic.

If you want to camouflage an item using this stuff, the first thing to do is decide what you want actually painted. It’s not necessarily the whole item, if its a bag. I learned this the hard way. I painted a backpack once 100% with this paint and the worst mistake was painting the inner back panel and the undersides of the shoulder straps (what was I thinking!). For one thing, since the paint isn’t 100% durable so I wound up with paint sprinkles on my jacket, and the thing stuck to the my back and shoulders like grip tape. So for this chest pack/hip pack I decided I did NOT want to paint the padded inner panel. I also wanted to keep the LowePro logo on. So I went at it with the blue painter’s tape. Zippers don’t need to be covered as you can still operate them when painted. Just make sure to move the zippers to paint underneath them.

Apply the actual paint can be tricky, as it’s very easy to cake on. It will feel like sandpaper if you over-do it. Usually a light coating is all that’s needed to really change the entire look of the item. I like to call it “dusty” because it reminds me of spending too much time in the sandbox as a kid.

Here are the results of just one light coat with the paint. I hold the can a good 6-10 inches away and smoothly swipe over the area, beginning by spraying the air beside the bag and then steadily going right across. I also give some of the contoured areas an extra once over, following the flow and design of the bag (like around the edges of the top lid and down the squared off walls).

Notice in the above photos that different plastics hold the paint better than others. For examples, this light dusting still lets some black show through on the nylon fabric making up most of the bag, however, harder plastics like the buckles or the rubber zipper pulls look like a solid tan. The photo below illustrates this:

Keep this in mind when painting. Try not to gum up these attachment areas too much!

So far, I’ve just painted the bag and am still planning to paint the 3-point hip harness and the chest harness adapter. When those are finished, I’ll be posting photos of them too!

Disclaimer: Some of you may notice the fact that my garage is pink. I did not choose this color, it’s how it came when the house was purchased (previous owner was an old lady). Since I have so many projects going on around the house and yard, repainting the garage is at the bottom of my priorities. It’s already demoralizing enough letting the neighbors see me working in a pink garage, let alone the entire internet. Be gentle.

Backcountry First Aid 101: Treating Cuts and Scrapes

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Mar 062012

We’ve all experienced various forms of cuts and scrapes ranging from, “Where is all this blood coming from?” to, “OMFG why is paper so sharp??”. This topic is vast and varied but I’ll cover some of the basics of cut and scrape assessment and treatment. Please note that some of the materials required for this are discussed in a previous post.
First Step – Assessment
For most minor trauma this isn’t much of an issue, but even minor appearing wound can be hiding fractures, nerve and blood vessel injury.

When in doubt of the extent of the wound, checks the CSMs.

Circulation: pinch the fingertip for a few seconds and let go. The skin or nail bed should go from white to pink within a few seconds.If it returns slowly or not at all, it is an indication that there is not adequate blood flow to the area and is cause for concern.

Sensation: lightly touch parts of skin past the wound further away from the core of the body to see if there is a lack of sensation. If there is a an area that has decreased sensation, there could be a problem related to the nerves. Again, cause for concern.

Motor: see if the person is still able to move all if their fingers/toes. This may be a little more difficult to asses since if the person is in pain they may not want to move much. If there is a problem with movement there may be damage to nerves, muscle, and/or bone.

Of course there is a direct correlation with your level of awesomeness and the extent of the injury. If you’re just sitting there, not much will happen. However, you sliding down a snow covered slope butt-first may yield a brand new butt-crack.

Second Step
The first thing to do is to expose the injured area. Make sure you can see all the boarders of the trauma. Look for foreign bodies, dirt, bits of clothing etc in the wound. Using clean water, gently irrigate the wound with A LOT of water. You will see that irrigation with clean water will be a recurring theme here. Even in the sterile environment of the operating room, the best way to prevent infection of an open wound is irrigation with clean water.

Once cleaned, you can look like Mr. Cool Movie Star by telling someone to “Put pressure on it!”. Direct pressure is usually enough to stop bleeding. Just put a sterile gauze 4×4 on the wound and put direct pressure on it. If there is a bit more bleeding, add more gauze on top of the original first layer. If needed, change the top layers of gauze but keep the original first layer on. Removing the first layer will tear open clots and start the bleeding process all over again. If the bleeding does not stop or there is blood spurting out from somewhere, it may be from a severed artery. This is a serious problem. You can do your best to occlude the artery directly or clamp it with a hemostat. At this stage, get medical help fast.
After the injured area is cleaned up and bandaged, you can change the bandages every 24 hours. This will give you a chance to re-assess the wound and put fresh clean bandages on it. If there is excessive redness, swelling, pus, fever or more pain, these could be signs of infection and require prompt medical attention for wound debriedment and possible antibiotics. After about 24 hours, the wound might be able to be cleaned by letting light soap and water run over it. Do no soak the area.

As a side note, as cool as scars are, some people don’t want them. The prevention of scar formation is not necessarily the initial wound closure, but has a lot to do with protection of the healing skin from the sun. To minimize scars, after the wound heals, use sun screen for 6-12 months daily over the area. For a few minutes a day, a light massage of the skin by the healing site also helps.

Disclaimer
Yup, it’s another disclaimer. I disclaim the above piece of writing. There. It’s done.

The word “disclaim” actually means to refuse knowledge or connection with something. So if you somehow read this or any of my other purely informational works and wind up with an amputated arm because you put two layers of gauze on a gunshot wound and waited 24 hours, well, you probably should have called 911. I disavow all knowledge of this ever having existed.

This article was written by guest author Atley Jackson as part of a Backcountry First Aid series. Check out his other articles:

Backcountry First Aid 101: Assessing and Treating Burns

Backcountry First Aid 101: Make Your Medical Kit

The Osprey Aiporter LZ Versus Military Issue Sea Bag: Two Surefire Ways to Protect Your Pack When Flying

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Feb 042012

Don’t ruin your sweet backpack when you must check in your pack as luggage! I see so many people at airports that just dump their $300 pack on the scale at check-in and don’t even think twice.

We all know that baggage handlers are not careful with anything in their possession. Nor are they even required to handle anything delicately.

If you’ve ever watched the baggage handlers unload or load up the belly of an aircraft, you know they don’t give two cents about your pack. I don’t blame them, they’ve got other things to worry about. Their main concern is getting what’s on their cart off so that the plane can leave on time or so you can pickup your luggage off a belt and be on your way. That means they will ferociously grab, strangle, and abuse your pack in the most easiest method available to move it from Point A to Point B.

Compare your pack to a piece of luggage. What do you notice?

Would you ever hoist and huck your 50lb pack by the bungee handles designed to fit your ice axes? Would you ever do drag it out by the floating top lid? Or have you ever thought of the multitude of leashes, straps, buckles, and doo-dads adorning your packs versus the infinite corners, screws, latches, and other bags they could hook? What about even the skin of your pack, the material. How much abuse would you let someone subject it to.

I hope I’m not scaring you too much or making your face turn red. All packs are not made equal. Some packs are designed to be used as luggage or are made of parts that could withstand that abuse more than others. Other packs have means to hide away all the straps and buckles like a turtle in its shell.

On our most recent trip to Peru, my girlfriend and I solely lived out of our backpacking packs and a daypack that we used as a carry on. I knew ahead of time I’d be checking in my Osprey Atmos 65, both because I was sure the size wouldn’t be allowed on the plane and also because we wanted it to store extra gear we’d need for the trip that wouldn’t be allowed on board the cabin.

Given the size of the Atmos 65 and it’s plethora of strappy straps, I looked into a cover.

What I found was the Airporter LZ made by Osprey. It runs about $34.00 at REI.

I read many reviews on it and one of the biggest complaints was that the seams on it were very weak and the material pretty thin. This is likely because it offers protection for your pack while also remaining lightweight and packable to stay with you on your trip. It has one long shoulder strap, has a half zip top to load from with double zips to lock it, and has a ID holder with velcro closure.

It comes in mesh zip bag that I ended up using to house hiking essentials: maps, moleskins, bandaids, and Gatorade powder. The cover actually folds up inside itself when not in use, so you really don’t need the mesh bag at all.

I went with the largest size because I found out it can actually fit both my Atmos 65 and my girlfriend’s Aura 50! It has the option but ends up being ridiculously heavy and cumbersome to wear on just one shoulder. Also, because of this extra capacity, when you only load a single pack in it you have a giant floppy mess of extra fabric hanging off like a sock that’s too big for your foot.

Here are some photos of the Osprey Airporter LZ

NOTE: Heeding the words of reviewers shaming the pack’s seams quality (many had them tear open while traveling), I took a roll of Gorilla Tape to every seam that I considered a stress point on the pack. I also put on some foil duct tape so I could spot it quicker on the conveyor belt (It doesn’t stay on very well!!). I’ll likely spray paint a swatch of blaze orange or the like before our next trip.

From the side with my Osprey Atmos 65 (stuffed with a sleeping bag):

Loaded and Zipped up with the Atmos 65 inside:

Also during my search for an adequate pack cover, I read a few people touting the durability, ease, and economy of picking up a military surplus Sea-Bag. These are nylon/Cordura shoulder bags made for active duty military personnel (primarily Marines) for traveling. It’s essentially a top loading sack with backpack straps. It has a spin drift collar with a clip and grommets for some p-cord, and a couple extra pockets. This is a genuine USMC issue Sea-Bag made of nylon. There are others on the market that are made of canvas or duck cloth. While these may be standard issue to other branches or countries, it’s not the same one that’s provided to US military So I’d look for one with these features. There are also bags that are actually laundry bags, so be careful you don’t buy one of those.

I was interested in getting this before my trip because they usually go for around $20. However, many of the ones sold online like at eBay are true surplus or used. Some may come with stains or names written on them. So we just bit the bullet on the Airporter LZ.

A few weeks after the trip, my girlfriend visited a friend whose husband is stationed at Camp Lejeune. While there, she spotted some Sea Bags at one of the PX stores and scored it for $20. Here are some photos of it:

From the side loaded with the Atmos 65

From the Top loaded with the Atmos 65

This guy is a better fit for the Atmos 65 but is not capable of storing an extra pack like the Airporter LZ. It is also slightly heavier than the Airporter, but is far superior in terms of durability. It also comes with to backpack straps, so if you pack it right with the backpack orientated properly, you can wear it like a backpack with relative comfort. The only downside is that the spin-drift collar is not really “lockable” unless you devise a method to cinch it closed and lock it that way.

Being about $15 cheaper than the Airporter, it’s up to you if the cost savings is worth the extra weight to carry around but with better durability. However, a benefit is that the Sea Bag can be used for just about anything else that you don’t need a backpack for, like hauling dirty laundry or for quick weekends to the cabin. The Airporter LZ is pretty much limited to sheathing your pack, as it’s cumbersome to use for anything else otherwise.

For me, it’s a toss-up. I am planning on keeping both and using both interchangeably. Both are pretty economical and surefire ways to save your pack from the rough hands of luggage carriers. One offers lightweight, packable, and spacious amenity. While the other offers the rugged construction, fit, and functionality fit for our soldiers.

Don’t be a assjack, wrap up your backpack!

Five Business Principles to Save More Money For More Gear

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Jan 302012

Buying new gear, whether it be for hunting, shooting, photography, or the outdoors is a guilty pleasure of mine. And if you’re reading this article, chances are its probably one of yours too. Welcome to Gear Drunks Anonymous friend, feel free to grab a name tag and have a seat. I’ve learned some simple and effective ways to be able to afford more gear while dodging the buyer’s remorse (or the look on your significant other’s face when you tell them how much that new pack REALLY was). I’ve lifted these practices from standard business operating principles because I run under the motto of “run your life like a business”. Buying new gear for your pursuits is no different than a company investing in capital equipment to succeed. At least, that’s what I like to tell myself.

If you’re like me and subscribe to many hobbies simultaneous (including the expensive ones above), juggling your finances and new gear or upgrades is a lesson in compromise. I could buy that new Stag Arms 3-Gun Ar15, or buy a new Mystery Ranch Crew Cab and a new telephoto lens for my D3. The first step in saving money to afford new gear is to:

Step 1: PRIORITIZE

Take a seat and make a list of all your favorite hobbies, pursuits, and pass times. Use a piece of paper, or better yet, MS Excel or Google Docs (it’s easier to organize). Don’t feel like you need to put them in any order. Write ‘em all as they come. Even include ones that you don’t do as much but wish you did, or maybe a new hobby you’ve really wanted to try. Here’s a list I made.

Hobbies
Fly Fishing
Bow hunting
Long Guns
Photography
Wood carving
Camping
Hiking
Duck hunting
Handguns

Now, we’re going to place these hobbies in different buckets. A bucket is the same as a category, but I feel the term “bucket” is far more visual in the brain and reinforcing. You can label your buckets however you want, but they should be based on your desire or “need” to do them. For me, I label my buckets is “Already Do- Really Love”, “Already Do – Do When I Can”, and “Want To Learn”. Just make them work for you. Keep it simple, stupid.

Now prioritize your hobbies under these 3 buckets and be honest with yourself. We’re trying to establish a hierarchy here. Once established, you can better warrant purchases depending on the priority that the specific hobby appeals to you. It’s also sometimes eye opening when you put down a hobby that you think you do a lot, but when compared to another hobby, you realize you really don’t. That’s the theory of relativity for the gear hound. Huck that, Albert Einstein..

This is especially useful when cash is tight but you find a deal that you can’t pass up. Rather than investing money into something you don’t really do that often, you could save that money put it toward something you DO often.

Even within the buckets, you can also put the hobbies in an order. Or instead of listing hobbies, list the actual gear you want and relabel your buckets as “Gear I Need”, “Just a minor upgrades”, “Gear I just want”. Be creative but be truthful!

Now that you’ve established these buckets to fill with hobbies, we now need to make these buckets real, which leads us to Step 2

Step 2: SEPARATE

Separate some of your money by creating an additional savings account or pile. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a bank account, it could be just a stash of money like a piggy bank. As long as you’re good about it and don’t touch it. Making a separate sub account in your primary checking or savings account is a much easier and “safer” means. Safer from yourself and safer in general in case of theft or loss. The point of this step is two partition your gear money away from the rest of your money so that you will:

A) Use it strictly for gear.

B) Be less apt to spend your regular money on gear.

Part B requires just as much discipline as not spending your physical money on stuff besides gear. Once you have some sort of account or stash set up, it’s time to employ some money saving tips and diligently siphon that saved money into this place. I actually use both the bank account and the piggy bank method. Once my physical cash pushes over $50 or $100, I bring it to the bank and deposit it into my account.

Of course, if emergencies arise: your car breaks down, your water heater blows up, or your dog needs vet treatment, by all means, use this money up. In fact, sometimes, its the first thing that should go. If you’ve got money saved elsewhere, you can decide whether you want to recoup the expenditure or start over.

Step 3: CUT COSTS

It’s one thing to just save money in general. It’s another thing to save money for a purpose. Now that you have a clear priority and bank account, it becomes much easier and worthwhile to save money for a specific piece of gear or purpose: You can actually watch your money grow.

You can be as frugal or as casual as you want with this. If you want to add $1 to your stash every time you decide you don’t need to hit the vending machine at work for an afternoon snack, do it. If you want to add $15 when you decide you’re better off packing a lunch then going out to lunch, definitely do it. And if you decide you don’t need that new pair of shoes because you’re saving up for a new Arc’teryx jacket, by all means, throw that money in the pot! Physically move that money out of your checking account or your wallet, and put it in your gear fund.

It’s give and take here. The only change is that you’re specifically squirreling that money away so it doesn’t just disappear or get spent on something else later.

Step 4: ALLOCATE

Direct deposit isn’t just a means of convenience at work. It’s actually a powerful tool for saving money as well. Many people already put away their money into a savings account with direct deposit with each paycheck before they even see it. Choose an amount that works for you and your budget. Don’t go dumping so much money into your gear fund that you can’t pay for gas. Or that you’ve stopped saving for your kid’s college tuition (they’ll need it!). Even an amount as small as $20 per paycheck will go a long ways if you’re adding in your saved money on top of it.

Step 5: STOP OBSESSING OVER NEW GEAR!

This is the hardest yet most effective way to save up for something you really want. I can’t even fully stop doing it, but I can definitely cut back on drooling over new gear. Stop finding new crap to buy!

Right now, I’m saving up for a Mystery Ranch Crew Cab. It’s $600 worth of pack. In my mind, that’s 75% of the way to a new AR15, $75 more than a Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm, or pretty damn close to a new Elite Pure compound bow. But again, it’s on the top of my priorities list for a new backpack for camping, hiking, traveling, and hunting. I’ve really had to tone down all the other crap I keep looking at. A new lens for my camera, all the new Sitka Waterfowl gear, and buying a whole set of woodcarving knives to try my hand at carving wooden duck decoys.

I hope this helped you out somewhat. It’s a difficult task. But it’s a matter of treating your gear obsession with rationale and common sense. Set your priorities straight. Save your money tangibly. Stop finding new stuff to buy.

It’s been tough, but I’ve been gear sober now for 4 weeks. Hopefully I’ll be getting that Crew Cab after only several more.

Feel free to share what new gear YOU’RE saving for too!

Backcountry First Aid 101: Assessing & Treating Burns

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Jan 212012

Don't light your hand on fire kids

This article is the first in a series of articles specifically aimed at assessing and treating common camping injuries that occur in the wilderness.

Getting burned in the backcountry is more than just your friend forgetting to pack your Mountain House ice cream or spooking that herd of elk. Although burns are more likely to occur around civilization, whether while cooking, ironing your clothes or working on your automobile, burns are often a serious and overlooked injury that happen while camping. With the growing popularity of lightweight cookware and jet burner style camping stoves, bare hands versus hot metal is a battle that happens too often and always ends in defeat.

Burns are seen most commonly in 18-35 year olds, with twice as many males affected as females. I’m sure this doesn’t surprise anyone. I still check to see if something is hot by touching it. Most people are familiar with the terminology of first, second and third degree burns but as a review:

First degree

Involves only the epidermis, or top layer of skin. The person will exhibit, red skin that is painful, warm and DOES NOT have blisters. These burns are common and even include most sunburns. Typically, these do not require any special treatment and should heal within a week.

Second Degree

This involves the epidermis and varying depths of the dermis below. The hallmark of a second degree burn is blister formation. If the burn is more superficial you will see that when you press on the skin (besides the obvious pain you’ll cause) that it will blanch and redness will return. This is important because it means you still have blood supply and sensory nerves intact. These may scar as they heal and can take up to three weeks to completely heal. Commonly these are caused by grabbing things that are hot without you knowing they are hot or splashed hot water.
Deeper second degree burns may also blister but they will look more pale or ashen in color. More importantly, they may not have proper blood supply anymore and they may not have pain sensation. Healing can take 1-2 months and surgical intervention may be required through skin grafting.

Third Degree

These are serious burns and will look “burnt”. There will not be any pain sensation. Due to the significant area covered and lack of blood supply, these will not heal and will require surgical intervention as soon as possible.

With second and third degree burns you run the risk of serious infection and dehydration. Your skin has several functions including keeping bacteria and other elements from infecting you while trying to keep moisture in your body. By damaging skin you open up yourself to infective agents and allow for evaporative water loss..

Treatment

First you must survey the extent of the burn. This involves not only the severity of the burn but the amount of Body Surface Area (BSA) it covers. The easiest way to estimate this is to use the rule: Palm of the injured person’s hand is about 1% of their body surface area. So if a burn covers approximately “three palms”, using the person’s hand, then the burn covers 3% of their body surface. “Minor” burns are typically less than 2% in third degree and less than 15% in second degree. In children use lower thresholds so as little as 10% BSA of a second degree burn would be considered of moderate severity. This may not help you at the moment but when you get a hold of any form of medical care it will be the first question they ask you.

In terms of treatment, first you need to stop the burning process. This means removing whatever caused the burn, be it hot water, burnt clothing or other agent. This may seem like an obvious step but the burn process can still be occuring in your skin even after you remove the agent. So if its not an extensive or deep burn, you can run cool, clean water over the area. Doing this will also help with soothing the pain.

Next, clean the area with a mild soap and water. In the wilderness, you should do your best to keep blisters intact. Breaks in skin is what allows bacteria to enter and cause infection.Typically larger blisters are broken and debrided in a medical setting. A broken blister that is not properly cleaned is at risk for infection. So if a blister does get broken, do your best to clean it. Flush the area with GENEROUS amounts of clean water to clean the burned area. Don’t be afraid to use 1-2 nalgene bottles worth of water. Then some light topical antibotic to coat the area.

Finally, you need to protect the area. The best way is to cover it with a clean (preferably sterile), dry dressing, lightly covered to avoid moisture buildup and taped down. Try to change the dressing twice a day. There are studies that say synthetic occlusive dressings reduce scar formation and promote healing however they tend to be on the expensive side and MIGHT promote certain types of infections if not used properly.

Once you’ve effectively covered the burned area and have shielded it from further infection or injury, keep it covered and away from dirt, debris, mud, and sweat as best as you can until you can make it back out of the wilderness. Depending on the severity of the burn, getting out may be your first priority. Don’t be a hero. Do not underestimate burns as many of the adverse effects of burns you won’t actually see until its too late. Ballpark rules: high BSA 1st degree, 5%-10% 2nd degree and all 3rd degree burns should be taken to the ER ASAP. Now, although you initially cooled the burned area, you generally try to keep the injured person warm as you make your way to medical attention. You want to avoid shivering or dropping their core temperature. Remember to keep them hydrated as well.

You can try and treat the pain with OTC meds such as Ibuprofen, which will help with pain and reduce inflammation. As always, do not take prescription medication that is not prescribed to you. Besides the fact that it’s illegal, there could be serious interactions with other drugs you may be taking.

That’s it for now, there will be more articles in the future covering other common camping injuries.

As always, this is just advice. Take it or leave it. At the end of the day, the best opinion will come from your doctor.

If you found this useful, leave a message along with questions, comments, or survival stories!

Backcountry First Aid 101: Make Your Own Medical Kit

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Jan 212012

Most people who hike or camp bring some basic first aid supplies with them. Usually this consists of band aids, Neosporin, aspirin, and maybe some athletic tape. This is typically sufficient since it doesn’t add too much weight and you never end up using it. Unfortunately, when accidents happen and you need to do everything you can to extend your survival time to reach advanced medical care. Sometimes you’re within 10 miles of civilization and help, but in some places, especially during remote backpacking hunts, you could 50 miles from even the nearest logging trail.

Using knowledge gained in medical school, I’ve put together a short guide on how to make the best survival medical kit that’s not too expensive while remaining modular and adaptable. There are some things that might be too heavy to consider taking on a backcountry hunt or a hike, where every pound counts. Like a 5 pound ice pack. Or things that are too large when space is at a premium, like the SAM arm splint. However, you, as the adventurer, can tailor the kit to suit your needs. In its entirety, it would put up a decent base camp medical tent. Pared down, it would be a no-nonsense, pro-grade medical kit that can last you many years.

There are plenty of wilderness medical kits out there sold out outdoor recreational stores. They are great. I own one. But I do know that some of them contain crap I don’t really need and the stuff I do need are in low supply. I think they are a great buy initially, but as you start using things up, you’ll need to go out and buy them in larger supply anyways. Why not just buy them yourself in the first place? The way I see it, by doing this I have the means to have a great home medical kit and the ability to create a smaller version for camping, hiking, and hunting as I see fit.

The bag.

I have yet to find a truly well-made, dedicated bag for medical supplies that has multiple storage options. Thus, I would say anything that can fit the follow supplies in it without damaging them would work just fine. The supplies I will be listing can be stored at a wide range of temperatures and humidity within reason so the place in your pack can be to your preference.

I’ve even considered using a wide-mouth Nalgene to house the medical kit for camping. It could fit pretty much everything but the splint – which could easily be improvised in the woods. A Nalgene is both rigid and able to be stored all over your pack, inside and out. I would recommend a blackened or smoke color bottle, to diminish the effects of prolonged UV/light exposure on the plastics and medical packaging.

The Kit

This will have a wide assortment of supplies to help control many different situations. Some outings may not need certain items. Not planning on using a fire for cooking? You can probably ditch the burn gel. And many of the items listed come in packs of 10 or more, some even 100. Obviously, you don’t need to bring the whole box. Bring a few for yourself or more for the group, it’s all up to you.

AMA First Aid Guide

I prefer the paper version so you can use it to start a fire if needed.

Disposable Nitrile Gloves 4-6 pairs of (<1 oz)

Latex free is best, light and cheap. Ask your doctor or dentist for a few pair next time you’re in for a check-up. Washing your hands is difficult in the woods so the next best thing is to contain your dirty hands. Large will fit most hands. Better the gloves be too big than too small because they are easy to tear.

Stainless Steel Scissors(1.6oz)

Yes, you may need to cut clothing off but you should have other tools for that with you. And the scissors on your Swiss Army Knife can hardly cut paper. These are for cutting sutures, dressings, and tape. No manscaping.

Stainless Steel Straight Forceps(7.2oz)

Using them to remove objects from splinters, fishing hooks, broadhead points (in your hand), and debris. Can also be used to clamp a blood vessel during hemorrhagic trauma.

Disposable Safety Scalpel, #10, Sterile
Disposable Safety Scalpel, #11, Sterile

#10 blade has a curved edge for carving and defining areas. #11 blade are for precision cutting. Buy them sterile, don’t use them until you really need them. Once you’re done, toss em out and replace.

SAM Splint 36″ Orange & Blue (4.8oz)

A moldable semi-hard splint for broken arms or legs to help stabilize the fracture. There are cheaper knock offs but this is the tried and true one. You may be able to find a stick to do the job but you could risk further injury if an injured area is not properly immobilized. Also, it’s very hard to find a stout, green branch that’s perfectly straight in the woods. Let alone find one in excruciating pain… one-handed or one-legged. Wrap it up and tape it up with duct tape, medical tape, cordage, or clothing.

Fold Over Finger Splint (3 oz)

This type is nice because it protects the finger better than the single-sided ones.

Sling cloth

Bandanas and t-shirts work well for this, so don’t buy these.

Self-adhering Elastic Bandage (1.30z)

Works well to immobilize medium-sized joints to prevent further injury

Betadine Swab Aid Antiseptic Pads, 10% Povidone(5.6oz)

This is similar to the antiseptic used in surgery. Be careful as it can stain clothing and don’t use it if you have iodine allergies.

BD Alcohol Swabs 100 Individually Foil Wrapped(5.30z)

These are in better packaging so they can be stored a long time without drying out

3M Steri-Strip Elastic Skin Closures (1.6oz)

Used to close some types of wounds. Good skin adhesive properties.

First Aid Only Triple Antibiotic Ointment Pack, 0.5 Gram (1.0 oz)

Single use packets are easier to store and prevent possible contamination of an entire tube of bacitracin

1% Hydrocortisone Cream Packets (2.4oz)

Anti-inflammatory and anti-itch. May seem silly but scratching can cause an infection. So prevent scratching, prevent infection.

Israeli Battle Dressing, 6-inch Compression Bandage (4.2oz)

Bandage and hemostatic in one. Stops bleeding. Fast.

Water-Jel Burn Jel Packets (4.8oz)

Used to help manage the pain from burns

4″x4″ Sterile Gauze Dressings

One of the most common and most used types of gauze dressings.

5″x9″ Abdominal Pad

Helps cover a larger surface and has better absorption.

Micropore White Paper Tape-perforated (3 0z)

Works like medical tape but less irritating on wet skin or prolonged application scenarios. Tears easy if your hands are cold.

Adhesive medical tape (2.4 oz)

Multi-purpose tape. Replaces band-aids.

Instant Cold Pack (5 lbs)

Reduce pain, swelling and inflammation

Mylar Thermal Blanket

Some people call BS on these things, but they work. Just not as your main survival resource. In a medical emergency they can prevent critical radiated heat loss from the body. Be sure to isolate the body from the ground to prevent conductive heat loss.

Adhesive forehead thermometer

Fevers are bad in the woods. This will help you monitor the person or yourself, if you have a mirror, blank cell phone screen, or even a pool of water.

Paper – Pencil – Bic Ball point pen (the one where you can remove both ends and it becomes a tube

Other considerations

Water filtration device / Steripen / Iodine tabs

Staying hydrated is important on any given day. At time of physical exertion or physical trauma is even more important. If there is some sort of skin penetration, generous irrigation with clean water is the single most important preventive measure to avoid infection.

Keep irrigation/drinking water warm by hiking with camel back inside clothes so you don’t end up pouring cold water onto someone who is probably already working hard to maintain their body temp.

Medications

There are basic OTC meds which may be useful such at Tylenol, Ibuprofen and Benadryl. Basic Over-the-counter pharmacology will be covered in later articles.

Disclaimer.

I hate disclaimers. There are people out there who will take advice as gospel instead of using and developing their own common-sense and knowledge in their lives. For these people I say the following: this article and subsequent articles that I write are for informational purposes only. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but despite all of my research and hard work mistakes will be made. I will do my best to keep these articles up to date and fix any errors that are found. For medical advice call your doctor. In the event of an emergency call 911. Don’t stick your finger in electrical sockets. Don’t forget your wife’s birthday.

A Quick and Dirty Daypack Buyer’s Guide

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Jan 162012

A friend of mine asked me the other day for some suggestions on a daypack, which got me thinking about them. Although I have two daypacks (EMS AquaDay and Black Diamond Covert) which I am fairly happy with at the moment, I am always considering getting a new one as well. Such is the case with a total gear hound like myself. Unfortunately, they are an often overlooked piece of gear and the amount of daypacks that are actually just over-designed “school bags” is becoming more and more prevalent. A trip to any non-outdoor sports store will reveal that the majority of their displayed packs, although made by companies like The North Face and Kelty, are aimed at students. Even some outdoor stores feature more book bags than true daypacks. What a bunch of malarkey!

I decided to put together a little guide to how I would evaluate picking one up, and using my friend’s requirements as an example on how I would choose one.

For simplicity’s sake, I’ll break this down into: use mode, size, and profile.

Use Mode

Sounds simple enough right?

But, ask yourself: “What will I be using this pack for and how often will I be using it?” Be honest.

We all hope that we’d be hitting the back country every weekend, but you may end up using the pack for other activities just as often as it’s on your back in the woods. A few uses I’ve found myself using a daypack are things like mountain biking, carrying camera gear, hunting, a nigh up at a friend’s cabin, or as a daypack while traveling. My friend, in particular, wants to also use his pack when riding on his motorcycle back and forth to work. Some other potential uses for a daypack could be: Rock climbing, winter mountaineering, ice climbing, skiing or snowboarding, carrying extra supplies for a child or pet, or while fishing.

Capacity and Size

We all know the saying is bigger is better. In many cases, it is.

But it doesn’t always hold true.In the case of a daypack, you want a size that will fit your needs and have the capacity to carry what you’ll need for the day and maybe a little bit more.

You may ask, “Well, what if I need to carry more? Isn’t it better to have more room than not enough?”

Yes and no. If you need more room, you should be carrying a dedicated backpacking or overnight pack. 50 Liters of volume and up. If you only need a pack for a quick hike, hauling up a 65L pack that only has a rain shell, emergency kit, water, and snacks will feel like a soggy mess on your back. Your kit will be sloshing around in all that empty space, not to mention you’re carrying some extra “empty weight” too. A pack that’s 50L and larger has the necessary beefiness in materials, straps, and frame system for carrying bigger loads. If it’s not loaded up, you’re pretty much carrying it for no reason. So size yourself accordingly.

For example: The Osprey Talon 33 daypack weighs in at 2.0lbs even. The Osprey Aether 85 weighs over twice as much at 5lbs 4oz. It might not seem like much weight at all, and it isn’t. But when you’re carrying it around for no reason at all, it sure is. Not to mention having a big sack of fabric drooping off your back.

In my opinion, an honest day pack will accommodate a volume capacity of 20-35L. Somewhere between 30L and 35L is probably where you’ll land as there is a wide spread of packs in that zone.

Profile

When it comes to profile, I don’t just mean the look of the pack – but that does have a big part to play in it. Profile is the result of the aesthetics as well as features geared toward it’s intended use mode.

A rock climbing pack will have different features than a book bag. Even a winter mountaineering pack will be different than a 3-season “summer” daypack.

For the examples I just used above, a rock climbing pack would be pretty low-profile and sleek. It would have almost zero loose hanging straps and pockets on the outside, everything will be locked up tight. This would be different than a standard daypack which might have plenty of buckles and pockets to attach and stash gear. A winter pack would be different than a summer pack too, in the sense that it would accomodate features like ice axe loops, ski attachment straps and an insulated bladder sleeve.

See where I’m going with this?

I hate to admit it, but some of the coolest looking packs are completely useless to me. Especially many ice climbing packs. I would love one by Arc’teryx or Mountain Hardwear on pure aesthetic appeal alone, but I know it just doesn’t have the features and organization I want in a daypack. So don’t fall into the trap of buying on looks alone.

Pick a category of bags that zero in on how you plan to use it, and then go for looks from there.

By the way, if you haven’t heard of Moosejaw.com, now might be a good time to try applying some of the guidelines I just talked about to try narrowing down a few packs of your own!

Narrowing Down

So now that we’ve got those 3 core principles on buying a pack, let’s take a look at my friend’s case:

“I’m looking for a day pack that I can use for normal day hikes we do, but also use it when I’m on the motorcycle. It doesn’t have to have a high capacity because I have a 50L overnight pack for that. I need something that has decent storage for a few pieces of clothing, liquids, and possibly some extra gear. Price isn’t really a concern but I’d like to keep it under $150.”

- Anonymous Friend

I love when a friend gives me a task like this. It’s like letting loose a hound on a scent trail. However, a 27-year old man barking does draw the attention.

Given these parameters, I’d immediately first go online to a website like Moosejaw and browse to just look at daypacks.

There are a few brands that I personally favor, just from the quality of gear I see them put out and because I own certain pieces of their gear myself. I usually filter out down to those too. In this case, the brands I really dig right now are Arc’teryx, Black Diamond, Osprey, and Deuter. So out with the rest of the riff raff (the rest aren’t riff raff, don’t worry)

Also, make sure to visually filter out Men’s vs Women’s bags. Using the site’s filter will sometimes rip out any bags that are not gender specific as well.
Brands and sex now settled, I’ll usually sort by “Popularity”, “Best-selling”, or “Rating”. Just so I can get a feel for what other people in my situation are buying. But don’t always go by this either, as brand new items will rank very low this way.
Once I’ve checked out a few of the top rated or most purchased pieces, I’ll re-sort for price. And start weighing my options there.

Using these methods, I’ve narrowed down some recommendations for my friend. These are low profile for motorcycle riding but still have several compartments for organization. The are lightweight, capacity around 30-35L, and hopefully around $100-$150.

Black Diamond Octane 28-30 – Uses BD’s new ergoACTIV suspension, very adaptable for short hikes to longer ones. Ventilated back panel.

Osprey Kestrel 32 - Jack of all trades type pack, has an integrated rain cover in case he gets stuck in the rain on his bike

Osprey Hornet 32 – Lighter, lower profile, and more streamline than the Kestrel. Ventilated back panel.

Arcteryx Miura 20 – Takes lightweight to a whole new level, made of highly breathable nylon for aerobic activity and hiking.

Mountain Hardwear Fluid 32 - Excellent design and looks, low profile, with on the fly stability adjustment for shifty loads.

Those are my current picks. If I had to choose myself, I think I’d go for the Hornet 32, Fluid 32 or Miura 20, mainly on looks. I do love Osprey’s though, and own a Atmos 65 myself, but it would be nice to have a change.

So there it is. If you’re in the market for a new daypack try applying the 3 principles I outlined above and have fun with it. It’s your pack and your money, in the end. Find the one you love the most. And let me know if you found this useful or if I missed something!

Older Entries

The Stormcrow Group

Taught From The Trail: Backpacking Tips and Tricks

Backcountry First Aid 101: Sprains and Strains

Bust More Clays: 6 Fundamental Skills For Better Skeet Shooting

Fun With Krylon Fusion Camo Spray Paint: Camouflaging The LowePro Toploader AW

Backcountry First Aid 101: Treating Cuts and Scrapes

The Osprey Aiporter LZ Versus Military Issue Sea Bag: Two Surefire Ways to Protect Your Pack When Flying

Five Business Principles to Save More Money For More Gear

Backcountry First Aid 101: Assessing & Treating Burns

Backcountry First Aid 101: Make Your Own Medical Kit

A Quick and Dirty Daypack Buyer’s Guide

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