​Our previous post on the “10 Essentials” got us thinking. Since what to take with you on your outings into the wild is always a hot topic, we decided to look into the issue a little further – searching for significant “real world” examples based on actual data – not just anecdotal history.  Based on the fact that we like to get out there, we decided to investigate the opposite end of the spectrum from a day-hike that we covered in our “10 Essentials” blog and look into:

In our opinion one great source of information related to the gear that you need to survive in the outback for months is the History Channel’s TV series “Alone”. If you haven’t seen it, Alone follows the daily self-documented activities of 10 individuals (seven paired teams in season 4) as they survive alone in the wilderness for as long as possible using a limited amount of survival gear. With the exception of medical check-ins, the participants are isolated from each other and all other humans. They may voluntarily quit at any time, or can be removed if they fail a medical check-in. The contestant who remains in the wild the longest wins a grand prize of $500,000.

​Some other people may quibble, but to us, an analysis of the 10 essential items that the Alone competitors took with them into the wild is a great window on what gear you really need – regardless of what all of the internet wisdom and sales people tell you that you need.
 
Over the 9 Seasons of Alone there have been 94 people that spent a total of 3,669 days in the outback (an average of 39 days per person – with the shortest being 6 hours for someone that was scared off by a bear encounter and the longest being 100 days) – so that’s a lot of great data to pour over.
 
To analyze their gear the first thing to look at is where the Alone competitors had to try to survive during each season - since these locations and filming dates were significant because the climate and weather conditions that they were trying to survive fundamentally impacted the gear that they needed (as it will on all of your adventures). 

​The locations that have been given for each season of Alone are as follows:

• Season 1: Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada (Fall 2014)
  • Oceanic to Subpolar Oceanic - Köppen Climate Region Cfb to Cfc
• Season 2: Vancouver Island, Quatsino Territory, British Columbia (Fall 2015)
  • Oceanic to Subpolar Oceanic - Köppen Climate Region Cfb to Cfc
• Season 3: Nahuel Huapi National Park, Patagonia, Argentina (Spring 2016)
  • Temperate oceanic/subtropical highland climate - Köppen Climate Region Cfb
• Season 4: Vancouver Island, Quatsino Territory, British Columbia (Fall 2016)
  • Oceanic to Subpolar Oceanic - Köppen Climate Region Cfb to Cfc
• Season 5: Zuunkharaa, Selenge, Mongolia - Northern Mongolia (Fall 2017)
  • Monsoon-influenced subarctic climate - Köppen Climate Region Dwc
• Season 6: Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada (Fall 2018)
  • Continental Subarctic Climate - Köppen Climate Region Dfc
• Season 7: Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada (Fall 2019)
  • Continental Subarctic Climate - Köppen Climate Region Dfc
• Season 8: Chilko Lake, British Columbia (Fall 2020)
  • Continental Mediterranean Climate - Köppen Climate Region Dsb
• Season 9: Big River, Labrador, Canada - Northeastern Labrador – Artic (Fall 2021)
  • Tundra Climate - Köppen Climate Region ET

​Here is a world map showing the Köppen–Geiger climate classification to help you better visualize the climate that the competitors had to survive in:

The winners and the number of days that they lasted in the wild are as follows:

• Season 1: Alan Kay survived for 56 days
• Season 2: David McIntyre survived for 66 days
• Season 3: Zachary Fowler survived for 87 days
• Season 4: Jim and Ted Baird survived for 75 days
  • This season had 7 teams of 2 people each that started 10 miles apart from each other
  • Fixed blade knives, ferro rods and sleeping bags were given to each competitor and did not count against their 10 items
• Season 5: Sam Larson survived for 60 days
• Season 6: Jordan Jonas survived for 77 days
• Season 7: Roland Welker survived for 100 days
  • In this season the winnings of $1M were to be evenly divided  between any competitor that lasted 100 days; only Roland lasted that long.
  • Roland’s closest competitor was Callie Russell who made it 89 days before being medically extracted because she had frostbite on her toes.
• Season 8: Clay Hayes survived for 74 days
• Season 9: Juan Pablo Quiñonez survived for 78 days

​​To start their adventures the competitors select their gear for their time in the wilderness. To make it a level playing field the TV producers have developed a “Participant Gear List” as the basis for this selection. Here’s the listing from Season #9 that the competitors got to choose their gear from:

Clothing/Apparel/Personal Effects
Note: These items are allowed for all competitors and do not count towards their 10 special items, but competitors may not exceed the approved quota for each item:

• 1 pair of high-leg hunting boots
• 1 pair waterproof Arctic winter boots
• 1 T-shirt
• 1 fleece/wool shirt
• 2 wool, fleece or cotton sweaters
• 6 pairs wool socks
• 2 hats
• 2 buffs or neck gaiter
• 1 shemagh or scarf
• 4 pairs of gloves
• 2 pairs of underwear/briefs
• 1 insulated parka-style jacket
• 2 pair of outdoor pants/bibs
• 1 pair of fully insulated or waterproof winter pants/bibs
• 1 waterproof un-insulated shell/Jacket
• 2 pairs of thermal underwear
• 1 pair of gaiters
• 1 leather belt
• 1 toothbrush
• 1 pair of eyeglasses
• 1 personal photograph

 
Additionally, each participant is given a satellite phone (for either dire emergency use or to call to say that they are quitting), life jacket, medical kit, camera batteries and a tarp to stop the rain from damaging the camera equipment.

10 Items Selection List
Notes: Participants are allowed to select 10 items from the following gear list.

• Participants are responsible for sourcing and purchasing their 10 items.
• Participants may only choose up to 2 Food items.
• No duplicate items can be taken from the following list.
• Any loops of string attached to any tool, weapon or used as a neck loop will be deducted from the participants 80m of paracord, cotton cord or trapping wire allowance.

 

• Shelter
  • 12x12 ground cloth/tarp
  • 8-mm climbing rope - 10M
  • 550 Paracord - 80m
  • 3-mm cotton cord - 40m

 

• Bedding
  • 1 multi-seasonal sleeping bag
  • 1 bivi bag
  • 1 sleeping pad
  • 1 hammock

 

• Cooking
  • 1 large pot - 2 quarts
  • 1 steel frying pan
  • 1 flint or ferro rod set with standard-sized striker
  • 1 enamel bowl for eating
  • 1 spoon
  • 1 canteen/water bottle

 

• Hygiene
  • 1 standard size bar of soap
  • 1 8-oz tube of toothpaste
  • 1 face flannel
  • 1 40-mm roll dental floss
  • 1 small bottle bio shower soap
  • 1 shaving razor
  • 1 towel
  • 1 comb

 

• Hunting
  • 1 300-yd roll of a single-filament fishing line up to max of 20 lbs weight test + 35 assorted barbless hooks
  • 1 Primitive Bow Recurve or longbow + 9x Arrows
  • 1 small-gauge gill net
  • 1 slingshot/catapult + 30 steel ball bearings + 1 replacement band
  • 1 net foraging bag
  • 2 lbs of 20, 21 or 22-gauge stainless steel and/or brass trapping (snare) wire
  • 3 lbs of one solid block of salt

 

• Food (2 items max)
  • 2 lbs of beef jerky
  • 2 lbs of dried pulses/legumes/lentils mix
  • 2 lbs of biltong
  • 2 lbs of hard tack military biscuits
  • 2 lbs of chocolate
  • 2 lbs of pemmican
  • 2 lbs of GORP
  • 2 lbs of flour
  • 2/3 lbs rice / 2/3 lb sugar / 2/3 lb of salt

 

• Tools
  • 1 pocket knife
  • 1 hunting knife
  • 1 Leatherman multitool or similar
  • 1 sharpening stone
  • 1 roll of duct tape or 1 roll of electrical tape
  • 1 small shovel
  • 1 small sewing kit
  • 1 carabiner
  • 1 LED flashlight
  • 1 pair of ice spikes
  • 1 scotch-eyed auger
  • 1 adze
  • 1 2-handed draw knife
  • 1 hatchet
  • 1 saw
  • 1 axe

Prohibited Items
Note: This list is not exhaustive, any item not listed in the preceding lists inclusive above are prohibited items; this list serves as an illustration.

• Fuel, lighters or matches
• Bug spray/mosquito repellant
• Sunscreen/chapstick
• Sunglasses or prescription transition lens eyeglasses
• Goggles
• Beauty products
• Map
• Compass
• Unapproved technology
• Professional snares
• Firearms of any kind
• Ammunition
• Explosives or gunpowder
• Animal poison
• Professional fishing rods
• Fishing lures, flies, bait kits
• Fishing traps
• Food/beverage
• Decoys
• Animal calls
• Tree stands
• Professional bows/crossbows
• Scopes of any kind
• Tents or shelters
• Stoves, pressure cookers or other cooking appliances
• Hydration packs
• Fire pits
• Electric or propane lanterns
• Inflatable boats
• Filtration, purification devices, iodine tablets
• Coolers or food storage boxes

​The tables below show all of the 10 items of gear that the competitors selected on a season-by-season, person-by-person basis; color coded to identify which gear was most commonly taken and which gear was least common selected (click on any data table to enlarge it): ​

Season 1: Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada (Fall 2014)

Season 2: Vancouver Island, Quatsino Territory, British Columbia (Fall 2015)

Season 3: Nahuel Huapi National Park, Patagonia, Argentina (Spring 2016)

Season 4: Vancouver Island, Quatsino Territory, British Columbia (Fall 2016)

Season 5: Zuunkharaa, Selenge, Mongolia - Northern Mongolia (Fall 2017)Season 5: 

Season 6: Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada (Fall 2018)Season 6: 

Season 7: Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada (Fall 2019)Season 7: 

Season 8: Chilko Lake, British Columbia (Fall 2020)Season 8: 

Season 9: Big River, Labrador, Canada - Northeastern Labrador – Artic (Fall 2021)Season 9: 

​So that you can see all of the selections in one place, here’s the listing of all the gear from all 9 seasons shown side-by-side in the rank order of how often the gear was taken:

Here you can see all of the gear selections relative to the other options based on their averages over all 9 seasons:

Here you can see how quickly the variability in the gear selections dropped off once the top 6 items were selected - and even more so after the top 11 items:

Here you can see how often the top 11 gear items were selected on average across all 9 seasons:

Well quite a bit. First off, if you get a chance to choose which gear to take with you into the wild – here are the top 11 items that will help you survive if you’ll be out there for a while:
 

1. Sleeping bag
   • It is imperative that you are able to be warm when needed and to get quality sleep – since without these your ability to perform your daily tasks will deteriorate.
2. 2-quart cooking pot
   • This versatile piece of gear can be used to haul water, boil water to eliminate any parasites (like giardia, shigella and campylobacter), drink from and cook your meals.
3. Ferro rod
   • Since fire is critical for warmth, water purification, meal preparation, nighttime protection from animals and your morale – having an easy way to start a fire is critical.
4. Fishing line and hooks
   • If you are going to be “living off the land” you need protein and fat – fish give you both – so you need a way to catch them; passively if possible using a trotline.
5. Axe
   • Being able to clear the land for a living space, obtain fire wood on a daily basis, and make all sorts of wilderness “furniture” and artifacts requires the ability to chop down and shape the forest around you.
6. Saw
   • As many of the Alone competitors discovered an axe and a saw both cut wood, but they excel at significantly different functions and require different levels of energy. A saw is a much more efficient cutting tool - especially when cutting down standing dead trees or fallen trees and branches less than 6 inches in diameter. A saw is also better for most construction projects since the ends are smoother.
7. Knife
   • A knife is irreplaceable for so many tasks and, in our opinion, for pure cutting they are far superior to any blade on a multitool; especially when you need leverage and strength. For tasks like cutting through wood or rope, gutting fish or dressing game you need a knife.
8. Bow and arrows
   • If you are staying in the wilderness past 21 days you are going to need a substantial amount of food – and that means larger animals. The most efficient way to hunt these animals is using a bow – but you have to be judicious with your shots since losing an arrow can be very costly.
9. Paracord
   • The ability to tie off items, lash together two logs, support a tarp, hang a bear bag, make a clothesline to dry off wet items, and a thousand other reasons requires some type of cordage. Paracord is strong and durable and weather resistant.
10. Trapping wire
    • Like with fishing, if you are going to be “living off the land” you need protein and fat - and a way to obtain it; passively if possible. Although small game is not as substantial as larger game (one 18-ounce Wild Rabbit has ~583 calories, with ~108 grams of protein, fewer than 12 grams of fat and no carbohydrates), and doesn’t have the fat found in fish, having the ability to trap them without expending the effort to “hunt” them is a great way to augment your food supplies.
11. Multitool
    1. In our opinion multitools are a mixed bag – they can do lots of tasks – but don’t do any of them that well; and they can’t replace a good camping knife. A multitool might come with pliers, a wire cutter, scissors, tweezers, a screwdriver, and several other functions, helping you cut down significantly on how much gear you carry, while a camping knife provides you with a single strong, sturdy blade. 

​Of course we also need to keep in mind the significant factors that influenced the Alone participant’s “10 items” gear choices:
 

• The climate where the participants were located:
  • Seasons 1 - 4 were in Temperate climates - Köppen Climate Region C
  • Seasons 5 - 8 were in Continental climates -  Köppen Climate Region D
  • Season 9 was in a Polar climate - Köppen Climate Region E
• Time of year was early fall transitioning into winter
• Their living locations all had proximity to water
• They were living in a fixed location versus traveling through the wilderness
• Clothes were not included in the 10 items since they were specified for each competitor to level the playing field

In Season 1 nine people took knives and one person took a multitool, but by Season 9 all ten people took multitools and two people also took knives. Clearly showing the value that people place on the versatility of their multitools.

Over the 9 seasons on average 8.6 people took axes and 8.4 took saws - a clear indication of the recognition that both are valuable and have advantages and disadvantages depending on their use.

​Fishing with a line and hooks is consistently preferred as the method for fishing over gill nets. Note that for Season 8 the rules were modified due to local regulation prohibiting the use of gill nets until 45 days into the season.

​Two participants tried to use a slingshot in Season 1 and another tried in Season 3 - but since they were not successful - no participant has brought a slingshot since them. Conversely the use of Bows/Arrows and Trapping Wire have grown virtually every season to where in Season 9 all 10 participants selected both of these items as part of their gear.

​Tarps and Emergency Rations were popular selections up through Season 4 - but since then have declined in usage - probably based on their perceived limited usefulness when compared to other items. Paracord has increased in popularity - but is still only selected about 80% of the time. An interesting fact given the number of survival sites that say you “must” carry paracord with you.

We are not the only people intrigued by what we can learn from the History Channel’s Alone TV show. A couple of other websites have taken their shot at analyzing the Alone gear too – here’s one that we liked the best:

A look at the gear from every winner and runner-up of the TV show Alone
https://theprepared.com/blog/alone-winner-gear-analysis/  

​It’s something to think about before you head out on your next wilderness adventure.

​Pretty much everybody in the Hiking, Camping and Shooting community knows about the main tenants of: “The Rule of 3”, “Leave No Trace” and the “4 Rules for Handling Firearms” (and we’ve written blog posts on all of them), but there’s one other tenant that we haven’t talked about - because it’s a little less agreed on; “The 10 Essentials” from The Mountaineers.

Since they say it best – here’s a passage directly from the Mountaineers website about this topic; “What Are the Ten Essentials?”

“The Mountaineers Ten Essentials™ dates back to our climbing courses of the 1930s. This widely respected safety and packing system was formalized in the third edition of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, released in 1974. Each of the nine editions of Freedom, as it is affectionately known, was written entirely by volunteers and reflects the collective wisdom of hundreds of outdoor skills instructors. The list has always sought to answer two basic questions:
 
Can you prevent emergencies and respond positively should one occur?
Can you safely spend a night (or more) outside?
 
The Mountaineers Ten Essentials was formalized in 1974 when the iconic list debuted in the third edition of “Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills.” The ninth edition of “Freedom” presented a thorough modernization to prepare today's mountaineers for adventures. Learn more about what to bring on your next trip and a limerick to help you remember all ten.
 
Certain equipment deserves space in every pack. Mountaineers will not need every item on every trip, but essential equipment can be a lifesaver in an emergency. Exactly how much equipment “insurance” should be carried is a matter of healthy debate.
 
Most members of The Mountaineers take along carefully selected items to survive the unexpected. Whatever your approach to equipment, a checklist will help you remember what to bring in the rush to get ready for a trip. But remember that The Ten Essentials is a guide that should be tailored to the nature of the outing. Weather, remoteness from help, and complexity should be factored into the selected essentials. The first seven essentials tend to be compact and vary little from trip to trip, and can be grouped together to facilitate packing. Add the needed digital and physical maps, the proper extra food, water, and clothes, and you’re ready to go. This brief list is intended to be easy to remember and serve as a mental pre-trip checklist.”

The most recent “10 Essentials” list espoused by the Mountaineers includes the following gear:

1. Navigation: map, altimeter, compass, [GPS device], [PLB, satellite communicator, or satellite phone], [extra batteries or battery pack]
2. Headlamp: plus extra batteries
3. Sun protection: sunglasses, sun-protective clothes, and sunscreen
4. First aid: including foot care and insect repellent (if required)
5. Knife: plus repair kit
6. Fire: matches, lighter and tinder, or stove as appropriate
7. Shelter: carried at all times (can be a lightweight emergency bivy)
8. Extra food: beyond minimum expectation
9. Extra water: beyond minimum expectation, or the means to purify
10. Extra clothes: sufficient to survive an emergency overnight

The Mountaineers even have a limerick to help remind you what the 10 Essentials are:

The Mountaineer’s website has a 10-page article that discusses each of the 10 Essentials in detail – so we won’t go into them in this blog. If you want to read the Mountaineers’ article you can find it here:

What Are the Ten Essentials?
https://www.mountaineers.org/blog/what-are-the-ten-essentials
 
If you want to watch a short video covering the 10 Essentials you can find that here:
Ask a Ranger: 10 Essentials

Personally we always wear hiking boots and carry a day pack with some type of headgear, navigation aids, hydration, food, raingear, a First Aid kit and emergency supplies. You can see all the details on our Hiking page and its subpages.

​So what’s the controversy?

Well, as with most things in the Outdoor community lots of people have different opinions as to what is essential – and as technology improves other items grow in prominence.  For example, there’s a good article from Backpacker that discusses this topic in detail. In the article Dr. Nicholas Daniel, the associate director of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Wilderness and Austere Medicine Fellowship (located in Lebanon, New Hampshire) wondered whether there was any data to back up the Mountaineers gear list:

Even though the 10 Essentials list has been around for over 90 years, no study had ever been done to analyze this gear’s impact on a hikers’ adventures. So Dr. Daniel and his colleagues set out to determine if the 10 Essentials items improved hiking outcomes and which items were most critical to a hiker’s safety.
 
To collect the relevant data the team interviewed 961 day hikers at Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire (a rocky hike that we have done several times) asking them what gear they carried on their hike, what adverse events they experienced (1,686 were reported) and how satisfied they were with their hikes.

​The study’s main conclusion was that “Carrying more items did not translate into improved satisfaction for day hikers, but was associated with fewer events for which the hiker was unprepared.” Based on their observations, Dr. Daniel’s team suggested that it may be possible to cover the majority of adverse events with for day hikes with 4 of the 10 Essentials:  water, food, extra clothing, and a medical kit. However, since day hikes - similar to climbing the reasonably well marked shady trails of Mount Monadnock - may be less dangerous than multi-day trips, the researchers also recognized that the other 6 Essentials (navigation, headlamp, sun protection, knife, fire, and shelter) may be needed more often on longer hikes when more adverse events may occur.
 
Dr. Daniel also opined that there’s one more essential item he recommends hikers always carry, something that the original 1930’s Mountaineers list, and even the 1974 list could not have included – a cell phone.

You can read the entire Backpacker article here:
 
How “Essential” Are the Ten Essentials? A New Study Finds Some Help More Often Than Others
https://www.backpacker.com/survival/survival-gear/ten-essentials-less-important-than-you-think/

Dr. Daniel’s research team published a detailed paper detailing their efforts in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. You can read it here:
 
Rethinking hiker preparedness: Association of carrying “10 essentials” with adverse events and satisfaction among day-hikers
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675721005003

In addition, if you search the web you’ll find that almost every organization has their take on the 10 Essentials – with many of them adding their thoughts, additional information, essential item #11’s (such as insect repellent, a trash bag, etc.,) and alternative lists (to include lists of the 10 Essentials for hiking with dogs). We think that most of the discussion is valuable since being prepared with the right gear is always a good thing. Here are a few links to some other credible sources:
 
National Park Service: Ten Essentials
https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm
 
American hiking Society: The Ten Essentials of Hiking - Ten Things You Should Bring on Every Hike
https://americanhiking.org/resources/10essentials/
 
The Sierra Club: Ten Essentials
https://angeles.sierraclub.org/outdoors/ten_essentials
 
The Boy Scouts of America: The Scout 10 essentials: Items every Scout needs in the outdoors
https://scoutingmagazine.org/2013/02/the-10-essentials/
 
The Boy Scouts of America: The Ten Essentials for Outdoor Activities
https://scouttroop116.com/10-essentials.html
 
The Boy Scouts of America: Scout 10 Essentials:
https://www.scouterlife.com/blog/2021/4/26/scout-10-essentials
 
REI: The Ten Essentials
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/ten-essentials.html
 
The 10 Hiking Essentials You Need to Safely Hit the Trail
https://www.freshoffthegrid.com/10-hiking-essentials/
 
The Ten Essentials for Hiking
https://www.iheartpacificnorthwest.com/blog_post/ten-essentials-for-hiking/
 
10 Essentials for Hiking with Dogs
https://www.sierra.com/blog/snow_sports/10-essentials-for-hiking-with-dogs/

We’ve all been there, out in the wind, the dust, the sun, the cold, the bugs and the glare off the water. And we all know that you really need to protect your face and your respiratory system from the elements. So we’ve always been big advocates of bandanas, shemaghs and reusable N95 masks to make sure that you can breathe in whatever conditions Nature throws at you. Over the past couple of years we’ve also become an advocate for neck gaiters – especially in windy conditions – and with the COVID-19 craziness the number of neck gaiters on the market has exploded.
 
Their uses are pretty obvious and include:

• Keeping your face protected when you’re in the outback by keeping sun, wind, dust, sweat and bugs off your face - and out of your nose and mouth
• Protecting your face from getting a painful windburn – especially if you’re hiking on a mountain
• Protecting your face from getting a painful sunburn – especially if you are on the water
• Wicking sweat and moisture away from your skin

Given the amount of new products on the market, in all sizes, colors, patterns and materials (e.g. polyester, spandex, microfiber, merino wool, fleece, synthetic, etc.,) we decided to replace all of our old neck gaiters with new ones before Winter arrived. You might think about doing the same since the new products have come a long way.
 
If you want more details about neck gaiters – here are a couple of great articles discussing their uses,  versatility and evaluation considerations for different environments:
 
The ultimate neck gaiter guide
https://www.broamer.com/gaiters/neck-gaiter-guide/
 
All the ways a neck gaiter is a multifunctional wonder
https://www.popsci.com/story/diy/how-to-use-buff/
 
Neck Gaiters: A Noteworthy Face Covering
https://www.mcrsafety.com/blog/neck-gaiter

Normally all of the leaves have been knocked off the trees here in New England by this time of year by the rain. But not this year. This year the conditions were perfect for a long beautiful Fall – a relatively wet summer, giving way to a drier Fall with brisk temperatures but no heavy early snow.
 
Knowing that this beauty wasn’t going to last - we took every opportunity that we could to hike far and wide to see the beauty that Nature had to show.
 
Here are a few photos of the amazing late Fall colors that we saw in New England this year. (click on any photo to start the slideshow): 

Participating in outdoor activities can take a toll on your hands and feet and the rest of your body – so you need to protect it as appropriate with the right gear like gloves, shoes and clothing. In some situations you need even more protection which might include eye protection or hearing protection. Over the years we’ve found that you also need to protect your knees since they do a lot of work for you while hiking and participating in many shooting activities. Luckily there are lots of knee pads on the market to help you solve this problem.
 
When looking for the right knee pads to meet your needs you should consider the following three main areas:
 

• Protection – You want a knee pad that has comfortable padding against your knee - but will also provide good shock absorption. Materials such as foam, gels, rubber and neoprene are the materials most commonly used to provide for padding.

 

• Retention – A good knee pad is worthless if it won’t stay in place on your knee as you move. Many knee pads on the market have straps to hold them in place; some work better than others. So if you choose a knee pad with straps - make sure that they are adjustable (most commonly using Velcro) and fit both your knee and leg snugly. Another approach to keeping the knee pad in place is a “sleeve” that encircles your entire leg. These have the advantage of better staying power in many cases – but there is a balance between “tight enough” and “too tight”.

 

• Durability – Lastly you need to consider how durable the knee pad needs to be based on how much contact you expect it will have with the ground and other surfaces. If you will be kneeling on hard rock or gravel surfaces, you will need something more durable - leading you towards a “hard cap” knee pad. If you don’t expect too much continuous contact with the ground, or are wearing the knee pads beneath your pants, you can probably get by with a less durable pad. Balancing this durability with flexibility and retention is often a key tradeoff. In our experience many durable knee pads protect well but don’t want to stay in place because they are made of high-density polyethylene which sometimes doesn’t flex when you need it to.

 
Because we want to protect our knees with padding, but don’t spent a considerable amount of time running and then “hitting the dirt” or crawling around on the ground, we like the lower profile, lighter weight knee pads than the heavy duty “tactical” knee pads that are used by many outdoor enthusiasts; especially tactical shooters.
 
Consequently we use McDavid® Hex™ knee pads which have individual hexagon shaped cells that conform to and move with your body to balance comfort and protection. Although these knee pads were primarily designed for playing basketball, football, volleyball and other court, field and impact sports, they work well for our shooting and hiking activities. Their compression sleeve holds the knee pad firmly in place – but they are still lightweight and breathable. Since we wear them under our pants when shooting, the fact that they don’t have a more durable “hard cap” isn’t an issue for us.

​Our Columbus Day weekend had bright Fall weather, so we went for a drive and a hike in the local area to take some photos of all the beautiful colors.  Then Wednesday, since it appeared that it might be the last good weather day before some rain arrived and the Fall leaves really started to drop off the trees,  we got out and spent a few hours hiking to some of the more out of the way places near us.
 
As if the Fall leaf colors weren’t enough, we even saw a group of turkeys out for a stroll. It's always funny. We see the turkeys in October and early November - but the week before Thanksgiving they all seem to disappear; I think that they have that week marked on their calendar and go hide out.
 
“Leaf Peepers” travel from all over the world to see New England’s amazing colors in the Fall - all we have to do is hike in our town and the surrounding areas.......
 
Here are a few photos that attempt to capture the breathtaking beauty of nature. ​​(click on any photo to start the slideshow):

Although the Summer months have just passed us by - here in New England that doesn’t mean that all the insects have disappeared yet. Far from it since October and early November are still prime time for mosquitoes and ticks in our neck of the woods.
 
As always, there’s lots of information out there on the internet – as long as you have the time to search for it. Fortunately for us, last week Thomas from pests.org dropped us an email with a link to an article of theirs that they had recently updated for 2022:
 
“The Ultimate Pest-prevention Guide: How To Deter Insects From Overruling Your Person, Outdoor Gear, and Home”

Their article covers the following insects:

• Bees, Hornets, and Wasps
• Mosquitoes
• Biting Flies
• Spiders
• Fleas
• Ticks

 
We really like that the article has three sections with detailed information about each of the pests listed above:

• Health Risks of the pests
• Treating Stings from the pests
• Tips for Preventing these pests From Taking Over Your Personal Space

In addition to this great article on pests that traditionally plague hikers and campers, the website also has  a ton of information on how to get rid of:

• Bed Bugs
• Rodents
• Termites
• Roaches
• Rats
• Stink Bugs
• Raccoons
• Squirrels
• Birds
• Snakes
• Moles
• Opossums
• Bats

So if you’re looking to learn more about how to deal with a wide variety of insect and wildlife pests - you might want to check out “The Ultimate Pest-prevention Guide” and the “DIY Pest Control” page that pests.org has online. They are great sources of information – all in one spot.

We visited 5 of the 13 Greek peripheries (e.g. provinces/states) - which included 7 different islands:

• Attica (Athens, Piraeus)
• Peloponnese (Corinth, Mycenae, Nafplion, Pylos)
• Crete (Heraklion, Agios Nikolaos, Kritsa)
• Southern Agean (Syros, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Patmos)
• Ionian Islands (Corfu)

 
We visited 9 cities in Turkey where we saw a wide variety of “Classical” Greek, Roman and Ottoman sites:

• Kusadasi
• Ephesus
• Cesme
• Kepez
• Troy
• Istanbul
• Priene
• Miletus
• Didyma

 
And we got to end our trip by spending three action packed days in Venice where we visited all sorts of fabulous sights to include:

• Grand Canal
• Teatro La Fenice
• Rialto Bridge
• Doge’s Palace
• Saint Mark’s Square
• Murano
• Burano

 
Needless to say every day was filled new wonders. To me some of the most amazing were:

• Seeing the marvels of Athens to include the Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Hephaestus and Lycabettus Hill
• Standing at Troy where King Priam, Hector, Paris, Helen of Troy and Achilles stood 4,000 years ago - then standing in "The Palace of Agamemnon" in Mycenae and "King Nestor's Palace" in Pylos; the palaces of two of the Greek Kings who waged the Trojan War.
• Visiting the Palace of Knossos; the center of the Minoan Civilization dating to 1,900 BC - the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably Europe's oldest city.
• Seeing the initial piece of a tablet that had “Linear B” writing on it; the writing system used by the Mycenaean civilization.
• Marveling at the ongoing excavations of the “Terrace Houses” in Ephesus.
• Standing above the Corinth Canal
• Standing where the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation, where the Apostle Paul spoke to the Corinthians, and where the Apostle Mark is interred.
• Visiting Delos - the mythological birthplace of Apollo
• Seeing the actual pottery "ballots" that were cast to ostracize Themistocles from Athens in 471 BC.
• Sitting in the Roman Amphitheaters in Ephesus and Miletus.
• Seeing the internal expanse of the Hagia Sophia and the beauty of the Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
• Standing in the Temple of Apollo in Didyma.
• Wandering through all the Venetian Forts in the Aegean Sea.
• Wondering how much gold there is in the Doge’s Palace in Venice.
• Seeing the actual Antikythera mechanism; a celestial navigation “computer” dating from 205 to 100 BC.
• Visiting the Ancient site of Akrotiri; which was covered in ash by the volcanic eruption of volcanic eruption of Santorini (Thera) in 1,600 BC.
• Roaming through the cobbled streets of the Medieval city of the Hospitilar Knights in Rhodes.
• Visiting the bedroom of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Villa Pisani.

​There was so much to see that it was almost overwhelming.......
 
Here are a few photos from our trip. As always, I'll post more photos on the “Adventures/Europe” page when I have a chance to review and edit the 4,700 photos that I took. 

Last week I got into a discussion with a friend of mine who’s an EMT about the type of gear that you should have for emergencies where a victim is severely bleeding, and we spent a fair amount of time discussing the importance of tourniquets. Because the data (especially the data from the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan where IEDs were prevalent and body armor decreased the number of immediate deaths) shows that using tourniquets can have a significant impact on saving the lives of wounded people, I thought that I would lay out the facts in this blog.
 
For years the approach to treating people in trauma situations was ABC (Airway, Breathing, and Circulation), but over the past 20 years the priority order for lifesaving treatments in emergency situations has transitioned to MARCH (Massive Hemorrhage, Airway, Respiration, Circulation, Hypothermia/Head Injury). So these days, upon arrival as you evaluate the person for trauma, the most notable, life-threatening condition is massive hemorrhage. Massive hemorrhage can kill people faster than an airway complication, because we don’t have much blood in our bodies in the first place (~5 liters is the average). Depending on the location of the wound, direct pressure, pressure dressing, wound packing (with or without a hemostatic agent) or tourniquets are the immediate field solutions to the problem.

Following the discussion with my friend I happened to have another similar discussion with a Navy Pararescue specialist. He reiterated the points covered in my previous discussion and emphasized that at the shooting range and in the back country it is imperative that you carry a tourniquet; and the only one that he recommended was the Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T) by North American Rescue - which is now the standard in the US military based on years of studies.

“In 2004, the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) conducted a study of seven commercially available, off-the-shelf tourniquets for their effectiveness in stopping blood flow with the least amount of pain during application. Three of the seven were 100 percent clinically effective in occluding blood flow. However, USAISR recommended the C-A-T as the primary battlefield tourniquet based on its overall performance—less painful, easier to use, as well as smaller and lighter than the other tourniquets evaluated.
 
In 2008, a study of battlefield data from a combat support hospital in Baghdad published in the Journal of Trauma validated the earlier USAIR conclusions. The C-A-T was identified as “the best combat tourniquet”
 
In 2011, another study published in Military Medicine further validated the earlier studies and continued to hail the U.S. military’s primary tourniquet, the C-A-T, as the safest and most effective combat tourniquet requiring 30 percent less pressure to achieve success.” - North American Rescue - Winter 2012-2013 by Ricardo Flores

Because of this discussion we updated our gear by purchasing a C-A-T tourniquet to replace our older gear. The CAT currently on the market is the 7th generation of the tourniquet and is recognized as the fastest, safest, and most effective prehospital field tourniquet available. It has proven to be 100% effective in occluding blood flow in both upper & lower extremities by the U.S. Army’s Institute of Surgical Research. ​The C-A-T comes in both black and orange. We purchased the orange version so that we can very easily locate it in our kit in an emergency situation. 

As with all tourniquets the main thing to remember if you have to apply one to a victim is to place it “high and tight” – high above the wound to stop the circulation above the point of bleeding and tight enough that you cannot put your fingers under the band; even if this is painful to the victim. Once in place do not ever remove the tourniquet unless you absolutely have to so that you can make it tighter because the bleeding restarts and you don’t have a second tourniquet to place adjacent to the initial tourniquet.
 
With respect the C-A-T, “The Gen 7 CAT utilizes a durable windlass system with a patented free-moving internal band providing true circumferential pressure to the extremity. Once adequately tightened, bleeding will cease and the windlass is locked into place. A hook and loop windlass retention strap is then applied, securing the windlass to maintain pressure during casualty evacuation”. Here are the high level instructions for using the C-A-T tourniquet.

It should be noted that tourniquets should normally only used for extremities (arms and legs) when the bleeding cannot be stopped by the use of direct pressure alone, if direct pressure cannot be effectively applied for any reason, or if it is clear that the injury is so massive that attempting to use direct pressure will fail and only waste valuable time. There is an intermediate option of “wound packing” that can be used if applying direct pressure is not sufficient to stop the bleeding and the wound is on the neck, armpit, shoulder or groin. Because of the critical internal organs - the only viable field solution to wounds to the chest, abdomen, lower back, pelvis and skull is applying direct pressure.
 
The nominal order of the steps that you should take to “stop the bleed” is:

1. Direct Pressure: Application of dressing material and pressure directly on a wound (for minimal bleeding).
2. Digital Pressure: Identification (visual or tactile) of bleeding vessel(s) with fingertip(s) pressing vessel(s) against the bone (for moderate to severe bleeding).
3. Wound Packing: In conjunction with digital pressure, dressing material is systematically placed under fingertip(s) into wound cavity. Packing of wound is complete when cavity is entirely full (for moderate to severe bleeding).
4. Pressure Bandage: Applied in conjunction with dressing or wound packing material, to maintain pressure on injury site (for moderate to severe bleeding).
5. Tourniquet: Applied to eliminate ALL extremity circulation (for life-threatening bleeding).

 
If you want more details about the C-A-T Combat Application Tourniquet you can find it here:
https://www.narescue.com/combat-application-tourniquet-c-a-t.html
 
Here’s a great presentation by North American Rescue on “Small Limb Hemorrhage Control” that covers all this material in detail:
https://www.narescue.com/education/cat-tourniquet-education/small-limb-hemorrhage-training-ppt.html
 
In addition, other CAT Tourniquet Educational Materials can be found here:
https://www.narescue.com/education/cat-tourniquet-education.html
 
Just remember – with respect to traumatic bleeding – If it won’t quit - - - Tourniquet!

Well today’s the first day of Spring here in North America – so I guess it’s time to get ready to get back outside in the great outdoors; and we all know what that means – Gear Preparation.
 
To get ready for the Hiking and Camping season everyone has their own routine. What we do is take out all our gear, check it over for usability, clean up anything that needs a little tender care and evaluate what we have against the newest gear available to see if our gear has either “aged out” or if there are new products on the market that are significantly better than what we have. This allows us to make sure that the gear we take with us works when we need it in the outback, and keeps us up to date on the latest items on the market. Checking over all of your gear at the beginning of the season doesn’t’ sound like a lot of fun – but trust us – it’s better to find out now that you need a new piece of gear rather than the day before a trip, or even worse, on the trip.
 
To compare our gear against what is currently on the market we always head to our local outdoor stores (to see as many items as possible in person) and to the internet to read the great gear reviews that are online. Of course, many items don’t change that much from year to year (we doubt that we’re ever going to replace our Council Tool Woodcraft 24" Pack Axe, Gerber E-Tool Folding Spade, Buck 110 or Army Survival Knife), but we always like to keep current with what’s out there “just in case”.
 
While we were checking our gear for the 2022 Spring/Summer/Fall season we were contacted by Jillian, an editor from Sport Fitness Advisor about a comprehensive guide that they had just published about the "Best Backpacking Stove".

Since our site focuses on the specific gear selections that work for us, and our specific situation, and provides our evaluation criteria and rationale for selecting our gear, we don’t provide detailed side-by-side comparisons of products. That doesn’t’ mean that we don’t read a lot of the websites that provide side-by-side product comparisons – because we most certainly do – we just find that many of these sites do this better than we would (because of the size of their staff and budget). So our HCS site has direct links to many of the sites that do specialize in detailed gear reviews, just in case you want to see the side-by-side comparisons. Of course, we love it even more when a site that has evaluated the latest gear reaches out to us to let us know about a comparison our readers would be interested in; like Sport Fitness Advisor did.
 
We really liked the "Best Backpacking Stove" article because it was comprehensive in covering what features you need and why you need them. And, as all of our readers know, we think that providing you the most important evaluation criteria is vital since it allows you to assess if your situation equates to the evaluators when you make your gear selection decision. If it does – fine. If it doesn’t - then you can use the detailed information to make a gear selection that better fits your specific situation.
 
Here’s what the Sport Fitness Advisor article covers:

• What is the Difference Between a Backpacking and Camping Stove?
• Things to Consider When Shopping for a Backpacking Stove
  • Fuel Type
  • Canister Stoves: Integrated vs. Non-Integrated
  • Simmering Capabilities
  • Boil Times
  • Weight and Packability
  • Cold, Altitude, and International Travel
  • Cost
• Evaluation Categories
  • Best Overall
  • Best Value for Money
  • Best Integrated Canister Stove System with Simmer Control
  • Best Lightweight
  • Best for Windy Conditions
  • Best Alternative Fuel Stove
  • Best Wind-Resistant Integrated Canister System
  • Best Ultralight Stove

​For comparison’s sake our evaluation criteria for compact hiking/camping stoves include:

The 10 stoves that Sport Fitness Advisor covers in their article include:

• BRS 3000T
• Jetboil Flash
• Jetboil MiniMo
• MSR PocketRocket 2
• MSR WindBurner
• Snow Peak GigaPower 2.0
• Snow Peak LiteMax Titanium Stove
• Solo Stove Lite
• Soto Amicus
• Soto Windmaster

We don’t want to give away their conclusions, so you should go read the "Best Backpacking Stove" article for yourself; it’s worth a few minutes of your time.
 
In addition to their recent article about the “Best Backpacking Stove” Sport Fitness Advisor has numerous other articles related to Hiking and Camping. You should go take a look.
 
     https://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/?s=hiking
     https://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/?s=camping
 
If you would like to see another expert opinion on what the best backpacking stoves currently on the market are - you should check out Clever Hiker’s latest list of “Best Backpacking Stoves”; he’s always got great insight into the gear you need.