being "trail safe"

[fatdog]

Have you watched any of David Paulides trail safety videos by any chance? https://youtu.be/dYvwf1vLyps

Yes, his stuff is good, same for the Hill People Gear vids, Michael Bane wrote a pretty good book on the subject.

The whole comms thing as Paulides, GJM and others have cited is an often overlooked aspect of this general subject. Mrs. Fatdog put her foot down a few years ago about this and I am not allowed to head for the forest either 4wd or hiking, without being actively tracked and having the sat phone in tow along with the cell. She knows she will be a widow some day, just doesn't want to fight the insurance company over if I am missing or dead.

One of the things the rescue services, like the Clay Co. rescue team who finally responded to this poor girl's call for help always preach over and over again, if you need help in the TNF and cannot tell us your GPS coordinates it will take us a lot longer to find you. I think a lot of people wander into the woods in this part of the country and always assume they will be able to find bars on the cell signal and it will give responders their location too. Ain't so unless you have the new Apple sat capability.

[HCM]

Timely thread as I'm about to take a solo trip to a national park. I don't ever do off body carry but the thought of hiking all day while carrying is less than appealing even with an enigma.

IME the ironically named Hill People Gear “kit bag” chest rig - essentially a chest mounted “Fanny pack” is the easiest way to carry when hiking, especially with a pack. It comes in non-tactical colors.

https://hillpeoplegear.com/Products/CategoryID/1

I’ve long held the position that THE number one threat is ALWAYS two legged.

Crime and threats in the outdoors are nothing new.

[HCM]

Have you watched any of David Paulides trail safety videos by any chance? https://youtu.be/dYvwf1vLyps

Anything from David Paulides is HIGHLY suspect. He’s literally a fraud and a conman who left LE under dishonorable circumstances.

[Clusterfrack]

Force Science did a breakdown of someone drawing against a drawn gun and found that it can and has been done. I've seen it in class. Esp. if the gun holder is blabbling, the disconnect from your verbalism gives the shooter enough time to shoot you. However, if you are the gun holder and just watch the hands of the opponent you shoot him first.

My relatives in the PNW lived where there were great trails to hike on. Now they won't as they are full of sketchy folks. We used to do the Portland systems, don't know if I would if I lived there anymore. @Clusterfrack - is Tryon Creek funky? They said Forest Park was a definite no go.

Hochul has made our trails safe by banning carry in the Bruen aftermath.

No CCW on trails? WTF? That would be a complete dealbreaker for us. We would have to move to a different state. Sorry you have to deal with that tardation.

Virtually all of my sketchy encounters requiring or nearly requiring me to deploy a firearm have happened in the outdoors, mostly while hiking. As well, our vehicles have been broken into multiple times while parked at trailheads. For me and my wife, not being armed would be like going on a hike without a first aid kit.

Here in Portland, the city and county parks are home to hundreds (probably thousands) of drug addicted, deranged criminals. That's true for waterways as well (search 'pirate boats Portland'). I have a lot of stories... including one where my admin and her pre-teen girls went cycling on the Springwater bike trail and were threatened by hobos. As far as I know, they never went on a bike trail again--so much for "the most bike friendly city in the US". More like the most Mad Max city in the US.

Forest Park is the largest urban park in the country, and it's a beautiful place to hike and mountain bike. I've spent a lot of time there over the years, and I'm beyond angry that it's not even safe to park a car at a trailhead during daylight hours. We still hike there but not as much as in past years.

Tryon Creek seems to be free of hobos, in part due to half of it being in Lake Oswego, an upscale suburb that has a functioning police department that can enforce laws. Note that L.O. is in politically neutral Clackamas County, while Portland is in extremely progressive Multnomah County. There have been multiple cougar sightings in Tryon, and we've seen tracks. I'll take cougars to hobos any day of the week.

[okie john]

My relatives in the PNW lived where there were great trails to hike on. Now they won't as they are full of sketchy folks.

Yep. Psychotic hoboes living in nasty RVs on the edges of town and near the parks, people cooking meth and stripping cars as you get farther away.

LE has found drug dealers working out of those RVs in the encampments, so add cash, guns, and junkie-on-junkie violence--all of the utterly predictable second- and third-order effects of defunding the police.


Okie John

[Cheap Shot]

Good thread.

As a luddite that still uses a map and compass I'm starting to rethink using technology when out in the woods. I've heard good things about garmin inreach for non emergency communication and emergency rescue.

https://discover.garmin.com/en-US/inreach/personal/

[fatdog]

heard good things about garmin inreach for non emergency communication and emergency rescue.

Replaced my Spot 3 and old handheld Magellan GPS with a 66i last Fall. So far so good, one device is easier than two for me. I think this Spring hiking season will tell me if it was a good choice. The topo map and Silva compass will however remain in my day pack probably as long as I can get out and do this stuff.

[WDR]

Good thread.

As a luddite that still uses a map and compass I'm starting to rethink using technology when out in the woods. I've heard good things about garmin inreach for non emergency communication and emergency rescue.

https://discover.garmin.com/en-US/inreach/personal/

I had long put off buying an InReach because of the expense, but last year drew a limited entry elk tag in a fairly remote and inhospitable area. My wife insisted I make the purchase, since I would be hunting alone. It allowed me to notify her, and my father, when I had my bull down, so they could prepare for my return (with multiple coolers full of elk meat to process). There was no cell reception where I shot him, and I had to hike to a ridge to make a call out after I had started breaking the elk down and packing it out. I was able to notify people that I had an elk, and that I was able to safely get back to camp, without cell service.

I hope I never have to use it for an emergency, but it is great peace of mind to have on hand. The subscription does cost a bit, but you can choose many plan options, and have flexibility to start and stop service if you only use it at certain times of the year.

[Clusterfrack]

I'm mostly happy with the InReach 66i. It's basically 90's technology, so the user interface isn't great. But it's very rugged and reliable, which is what matters most. The $15 monthly isn't cheap, but for us it's well worth the expense.

[JCS]

IME the ironically named Hill People Gear “kit bag” chest rig - essentially a chest mounted “Fanny pack” is the easiest way to carry when hiking, especially with a pack. It comes in non-tactical colors.

https://hillpeoplegear.com/Products/CategoryID/1

I’ve long held the position that THE number one threat is ALWAYS two legged.

Crime and threats in the outdoors are nothing new.

Do you have any experience on the differences in the runners kit vs original kit bag?