Posts Tagged Hiking and Camping
Day Hike in October
On October 4th, 2008 my son and I went on a day hiking trip. Before we left the truck I got out the Garmin GPS and the topo maps and saved the truck as a waypoint. We also brought along a rifle for protection against wild hogs, snakes and coyotes. Bears have been reported in the area, so we had to keep those in mind as well.
We then hiked to a local creek and had lunch with eversafe meals – which are kinda like MREs. On the way back to the truck, the batteries started going out in the GPS. So the batteries were swapped out and we got back on track.
When using a GPS its important to have spare batteries. That is one reason why I try to pick devices that use AA batteries. Whether its a flashlight, or a digital camera, keep in mind ways that these items can be used to help each other out. If the batteries in the GPS go dead, take the batteries out of the camera. But its difficult to do that when the camera uses a Lithium Ion battery, instead of AA.
While on the hiking trip, several deer scraps were spotted. This let my son and I know that the bucks were getting ready to go into rut. Hopefully we will have a good deer season.
If you have any comments about this article, or video – please post them in the forum. Visit this link to go to the Wilderness survival, hiking and camping forum.
Navigation with a compass and GPS video series
Navigation with a compass, topo map and GPS is an important skill that every hiker, camper and survivalist should learn. To help instruct someone that is just learning how to navigate, a set of videos has been put together. The GPS in the videos is a Garmin Etrex, that does NOT have a built in map feature. Please do not depend on the GPS for all of your navigation functions. When venturing off the trail, go prepared with a topo map of the area, GPS with spare batteries and 2 compasses.
Part – 1
Part 1 is a very basic introduction to navigation with a compass and GPS. We discuss learning how to use the GPS and compass in a safe area, such as a neighborhood or on the street you live on. In the video a set of rail road tracks were used as a demonstration.
Using a GPS and Compass
When on a hiking, hunting or camping trip, it is very important not to get lost. And if the hiker or hunter does find their selves lost, how do they get found again? There are some basic tools that should be included in the wilderness survival tool kit. These include a GPS, compass and the knowledge on how to use them.
Regardless of what items are included in the kit, the most important tool is the knowledge. Only knowledge can empower the person to effectively use the gear in their survival kit.
This video discusses some basic information on how to a TOPO map, compass and GPS.
The mistake that a lot of people when they get their GPS, they do not practice. Before a GPS is taken into a wilderness area, take the GPS, read the instruction manual and get some practice in.
Camping Video Collection
This video is a collection of different types of camping and hiking videos streamed from youtube. To scroll through the videos, click the buttons on the right and left hand side of the player.
If the video player shows an error that the video is no longer available, just click the button on the right hand side of the player to advance to the next video.
Large ALICE Packs
The All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment (also know as “ALICE Pack“), was first introduced by United States Army in 1974. The ALICE pack was intended as a replacement to the aging M-1956 Load-Carrying Equipment [LCE] and M-1967 Modernized Load-Carrying Equipment.
The ALICE pack has become popular with the players of airsoft and paintball. The popularity of the ALICE pack is due to the quality of the materials it is made out of, its easy to customize, and the packs area easy to find in most military surplus stores.
This video gives a description of the large and medium ALICE packs. After watching the video, be sure to visit the forum. More information can be found there on gear like the ALICE pack.
The ALICE pack in the video is about 12 to 13 years old, and has been on more hiking and trips then I care to count. The overall comfort of the pack is a little lacking, but its designed for military service, not the civilian market. If you are looking for a go anywhere and do anything pack, its going to be hard to beat an ALICE pack.