One leg at a Time

Someday, if I am fortunate, I will meet a "good death" hopefully with my sword (or my spade) in hand and I will take my place among my comrades in Valhalla, "where the brave may live forever". When that fated day comes, I will most likely be wearing these REI Sahara Convertible Pants!

I own 5 pair of these pants, which is itself a glowing endorsement. I've tried, still own and occasionally wear other leading brands (like ex Officio, Marmot, Northface, Columbia and Railriders), and honestly, some have more and better features on them like hidden pockets, dedicated suspender loops, reinforced knees and seat, "left"/"right" tabs on the zip-off legs to make replacing them easier, conveniently placed utility pockets for knives, pens, lighters, etc.), but the good old REI Sahara's are considerably more cost effective for essentially the same basic nylon pant with zip-off legs that you get.

The North Face brand zip-off pants are great, packed with features (like labeled legs, knife/tool pockets, suspender loops), but come at a premium price. The Railrider brand zip off pants are probably the most durable pants I have ever worn. They are reinforced in the seat and knees and seem incredibly impervious to hard use. Again, if cost were no object, I would highly recommend Railriders. My last pair of Railriders lasted nearly 20 years! Finally, the only brand of zip-off pants that I would NOT recommend is the Ex Officio. I don't know why, but they seem to soften and break down readily after sun exposure. They fade rapidly. I find that they start to break down and shred/split after a couple of years (whereas my other pants have not, both pairs of my Ex Officios have literally fallen apart). In fairness, they do have a few nice value-added features, like soft sueded waist band for comfort, mesh trunks, integral nylon belt, and a waist closure button on nylon webbing instead of a snap or thread. Ex Officios also have this annoying idiosyncrasy of having only a single left cargo pocket.

The REI brand Safari pants are basically a 6-pocket design cargo pant. They have an integral nylon belt with belt channels that open at the right places so that you can still use suspender hooks. Note: when I'm in the field, I usually use suspenders to distribute the weight of the gear I carry in my pants pockets and belt. The pants are not lined. The trouser legs have convenient ankle zips, handy for boot wrangling, for changing pants without removing shoes, and for optional roll-up in hot weather or for wading. The cloth is very nicely sun-protective, stain-resistant, and very colour fast through years of sun exposure and repeated washings. The fabric does not have any propensity toward "pilling". The roominess, I found, is useful for layering (either an against the skin wicking layer or a Polartec insulating layer, or both in really cold weather).

Though relatively thin, the Sahara Pants are durable. I've put mine through some rough use (rock scrambles, crawling through caves, sliding down water chutes, whitewater rafting, general camping) and I still have all 5 pairs that I've accumulated through the years. The older ones are just more faded and have minor abrasions or tiny holes around the knees and seat. The zippers on the convertible legs have held out superbly (well beyond my expectation) and they don't seem to be a weak point.

If I have to mention a weak point... it is the right-side cargo pocket zipper. On two (of my newest pairs) the zipper has spontaneously jammed on me, for no discernable reason. Once while trying to get to my money out to complete a transaction, this zipper inexplicably locked closed. This left me tugging desperately on this right pocket with both hands in the middle of a marketplace while the local merchants stared at me as if I was crazy as I wrestled with my own right leg. They were wide-eyed as I eventually had to whip out my knife and cut the pocket open (through the zipper tape) to access my money clip. A good friend of mine has reported the same problem with this same right cargo pocket zipper. Odd.

You may then logically ask, "why was my money in this zippered cargo pocket?" Answer: the front pockets on this Sahara pant are strangely designed and inexplicably very shallow. If I sat down (on a couch, chair, a vehicle), I'd often find my wallet and keys had plopped out onto the seat next to me as there was just not enough pocket to hold them in. After several close calls (almost losing my wallet and car keys) the "secure" zippered cargo pocket seemed like the next best place to put it. So my money sits in there along with pamphlets, maps, airline tickets, and folded paperwork. The left side pocket has a convenient oblong sub-pocket which perfectly fits my hard sunglass case. I suppose you can drop your cell phone in there if you don't mind fishing it out every time it rings.

The Sahara pants are very comfortable to wear, day and night, with a roomy cut, and the zip-off feature is convenient for impromptu wading, warm weather hiking, comfortable driving, swimming and, for me, sleeping in when camping/sharing a cabin.They are very fast drying, and when I travel, I just use these as my swim trunks (rather than pack a separate pair). Note: Chlorinated pools seems to fade the colour gradually. Also, they are easy to wash in a sink or stream, wring out, and hang up to dry (in about 1 hour they'll be ready to wear). Of course while wilderness hiking or in a survival situation, I recommend that the pants NOT be used as shorts (to protect the legs from sun, brush, and fall abrasions). I generally only convert to shorts for swimming/wading, lounging around camp, and sleeping.

They used to be available in more colours too. I have khaki, grey, black, and 2 shades of olive green (my favourite). The black, which is no longer available, is useful for travel because it looks "dressier", from a distance, like slacks, and when worn with a nice shirt appears appropriately respectable in most restaurants, theatres, and churches/museums. In fact, travel is probably one of the best uses of these Sahara pants. They pack extremely light and compactly, like easily 2 pairs in the space of 1 pair of jeans (and twice the versatility!).

Like I said, I love these pants, and I keep buying new ones in a different colour every few years because I know I won't be disappointed. REI keeps adding new features and improvements to these pants every few years, like the latest version has a side-seam zipper along the zip-off legs section, allowing the pants to be more readily converted to shorts without having to remove footwear or do a precarious balancing act trying to feed your foot through.

I probably wear them more than any other pants that I own and they'd be my first choice to be wearing in an emergency. So as morbid as it may sound, I expect someday that they'll be the last pair of pants that I will be wearing, either to be buried in them (or my body found in them somewhere on a lonely glacier).

Eyes of an Eagle

The ability to see far occasionally comes in handy. It's not vital, but handy. I like to carry some type of "optics" when I travel (enhancing appreciation of things I see), when I go out into the wilderness (for seeing the details of nature and birding), and I would most certainly have some optics on me when I go tactical. After futzing around with various designs, magnifications, sizes, weights, and extra features, I finally decided that the most practical utlity vs. weight-size ratio was in the 8 X 21 or 8 X 20 compact monocular design. Monocular because I have a very dominant eye, and it saved half the weight for about the same result, with less fuss. For me a mini-monocular is about the perfect balance of practicality and portability/deployability... afterall, you may have the best $1200 roof-prism, ruby-coated, armoured, range-finding Zeiss binoculars in the world, but if it's sitting in it's protective case in your backpack, well, it ain't doin' you any good. So it was for me I found. I hauled around various nice binoculars and spotting scopes over Creation for years, dutifully packed away in my pack. But the thing was, I never seemed to use them much. The hassle of taking off my pack, digging them out, taking them out of their protective case was just too much for just the occasional, casual glance through them that I wanted, and wearing a 3 lb anchor around my neck while hiking for the few times that I used them was not practical either. Through the years I downsized, and finally, I ended up with 8 X 20 monocular as my most practical solution.

With my monocular in a quickly accessible mini-pouch on my packstrap, I can whip out my optics in 3 seconds and be already focusing in whatever object caught my eye, while my friends are still digging around in packs for their binoculars or more often, not even bothering to take the trouble, and waiting for their turn to peek through mine. And just as quickly, I can put it back into it's case and be hiking. I'll tell you, it's made a world of difference to me.... seeing things more closely, at will, conveniently and quickly.

It's so fast and convenient to deploy, I use it on my vehicle Go bag, and I can whip it out at stoplights to read small script signs or check out interesting things in the distance. It surprises my traveling companions sometimes how I could be standing somewhere admiring a view and in the next instant they look back and I have my monocular out. Really, I have nothing against larger telecopes and full-sized binoculars, they work great, but I just find them too inconvenient to lug around. That's just me.

My particular monocular uses a series of right angle reflectors to shorten the overall linear length of the unit, while retaining its focal length. The entire unit fits into the palm of my hand, so, though the motion (scoping an object) is obvious, the actual monocular is not visible in my hand. It weighs less than 2 ounces, and though it is not built to be "rugged", mine has seen it's fair share of abuse in the field (drops, submersions) and still functions. I actually have two of these units (duplicate), and since I only use one of them, I part out the other one to keep my primary unit in top working order.

It used to be a much "bigger deal" back 20 years ago, but I was also one of the first people on my block... LOL... to have Night Vision. I learned the value of night-vision in the military and as soon as I could afford it, I bought myself a handy Russian-surplus scope. My first scope worked, but the image was not very sharp. My next generation Night Vision scope was better in that it collected more light and had it's own inexhaustible "dynamo" power supply. I do still carry that along sometimes when I know I might be operating at night or in the dark. It's also effective for stargazing BTW.

I do carry several magnifying glasses or "field lenses" on my person also. I suppose my primary is the 5X magnifier that is on my Swiss Army knife. It seems to work for most scientific and utility needs. It is also very effective for starting fires in a survival situation. Additonally, I carry a flat Fresnel lens in my "wallet". Ostensibly it is useful for reading small print, but it too can be part of a "survival" kit.

The Ace of Spades

I'm writing today specifically about the Cold Steel brand Special Forces Shovel. It is simply a medium-weight, rugged, steel and hardwood mini-shovel. I've mentioned it many times elsewhere but it happens to be one of my favourite and most useful pieces of kit that I regularly take the time to lug around. Normally it is "attached" unobtrusively along one-side of my vehicle BOB, or if TSHTF it would be in a belt holster on my right rear hip.

The uses for this tool are as endless as one's imagination. If I need to dig a quick hole in my garden for mulching/transplanting... when I am geocaching, hiking, surviving, or lookin' for Sasquatch in the wilderness and I hear a strange noise in camp... when I'm traveling on roads less traveled and unknown to me through the vastness of the country (and want to feel the reassurance of stout piece of oak just under my truck seat)... and in case of annoying attacks by those pesky flesh-eating zombies ('cuz it never runs out of ammo!)... my tool of choice is this Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel available at Amazon.com and other retailers.

This rather innocuous looking tool (a plain tiny spade) is really sturdily built of quality materials, and, with a little modification and imagination represents a whole tool chest worth of handy implements, weapons, and elements for other devices. If you are on a rapidly sinking ship (or happen to be a contestant on Survivor) and you could grab only one thing, you might strongly consider this little shovel.

I remember reading about "the little Spetznaz shovel" back in the 80s when I was in the Army. The Soviet version of the Special Forces (the Spetzialnoya Naznashenya <---phonetic Russian... lol), first widely deployed in Afghanistan, had these ubiquitous little spades in their kit. They used them for much more than digging trenches. They used the flat as a paddle and hammer. The hardwood handle became an improvised billy club for non-lethal blows. They sharpened all 4 edges of the spade and used it as an effective tomahawk, and even trained to throw the hardy, yet balanced tool, as a throwing axe. Cold Steel merely copied the basic design and used better quality materials to produce our own improved version of it.

The personal mods that I alluded to earlier are fairly simple and will instantly improve the utility of this already versatile tool. The handle is made of smooth polished oak which hefts very comfortably in the hand, but can quickly become slick with sweat (or blood). I wrapped part of the handle in black (hockey) friction tape for better grip, to subdue the brightness of the wood, and incidentally, make lifting prints more difficult. I have access to a professional rotary cross grinder machine, so I further sharpened all four facets of the blade, so the edges are sharp enough to slice paper. Finally, the handle swells at the end to a nice rounded pommel, which is already drilled with like a 5mm hole (I don't know why). I just screwed a large alloy eyebolt into the hole, which provides a tie-down anchor point for straps, rope, and cord.

The solid design yet short length of this shovel makes it an effective digger in various positions (kneeling, prone, supine, suspended), so I especially like it as my "universal" Search and Rescue tool. I can move a whole lot of dirt, debris, chop wood, probe, break car glass, bash concrete and cinder blocks, pry, and slice through cord and vegetation all without switching tools. I have chopped down a tree with it. I have built many complete "shelters" with it as my only tool. I have paddled a raft with it.

Besides the more obvious uses as the aforementioned shovel, axe, paddle and hammer, I have found use for it as a hasty tent pole, flag pole, camera tripod, and support for a wind-break or laundry line (anytime you need a quick and handy vertical stand to stick into the ground). It can be used as an impromptu ice axe or ground anchor, grapnel for climbing, or just a hook that extended the reach of my arm so I can pull myself up. Though not the best tool for this purpose, I've used it as a (heavy) field expedient machete when bushwacking. Like any sturdy stick or club the handle can be used myriad ways. I have used it as a step up over vertical obstacles. The flat of the spade I suppose can be used as a cooking surface, a fire poker, or spatula to retrieve hot items from a fire, or if nothing better is around, as a flat writing surface. And it can be used as an element in devices and traps (survival, early warning, defensive).

I believe the hidden advantage of this little shovel is it's compact size and unremarkable appearance as just a mundane, literally "garden-variety" tool. Yet, it is among the best hand to hand weapons I have in my arsenal, with a decent range, good weight, balanced, remarkable blunt/cutting trauma, can be thrown instantly and is almost always misunderstood or underestimated. It just hefts great in my hand. This little shovel would be about my #2 choice (overall, of all h-t-h implements). I am not by any means advocating carrying around sinister concealed dual-use implements/weapons, but I will repeat the adage "what's the best survival tool?"..... Answer: The one that you have with you. All I'm getting at is that people would tend to look at you funny if you walked around town sporting a chainsaw, baseball bat, big axe, a 9 Iron, or a knife/machete, and you'd certainly be eating asphalt in the felony prone position if you overtly carried a spear, broadsword, battle axe, or morningstar around with you. But few seem to notice or even care about what is obviously this mini-digging tool sitting in plain view in my truck, or attached to my rucksack.

Check out: http://www.youtube.com/v/j7EdhnReYH0&hl=en&fs=1

A Man's Got To Know His Limitations

"A man's got to know his limitations" --Dirty Harry in Magnum Force

Have you ever... just "tested" yourself just out of curiosity? Just to know what your magic number was? Like " just how long could you hold your breath?". Have you ever intentionally (perhaps in a training environment) or unintentionally (in a real world situation) tested some of the limits of your endurance. The Native-American aphorism,"What one man can do, another can do" is an interesting, if not always useful, guideline, meaning if one human being has ever accomplished anything, the feat can be duplicated. Nowadays with so many "extreme" athletes, I don't know about that. Like, there are people who have run "double Marathons" (that's 52 miles) in one day. I doubt I can ever do that (even if chased... LOL), but I do know that I can cover about 25 miles in one day with a full pack, road marching, if I really push myself.

I am a scientist at heart and just out of curiosity, I run experiments on myself just to test these physical limits. I find these facts interesting to know, and in certain situations, somewhat reassuring knowing that I've done it before and knowing what I can expect.

Relatively immobile, I've been able to hold my breath underwater just under 2 minutes and 30 seconds (note: this is using a dangerous CO2 purging technique which should not be attempted alone). I'm a pretty strong swimmer, and pushing off the walls, I've been able to swim (underwater) about 2 and 1/4 lengths of a 25m (racing) pool. That's like to the 60 yd line of a football field. I consider myself a "strong swimmer" and I feel pretty comfortable in and under the water. I have swum as far as 4 linear miles, but I know I could go on much further. I can tread water, or float, seemingly endlessly without a PFD (but have timed myself only up to 2 hrs). With SCUBA gear, the maximum depth I've reached so far is about 84 feet.

I have personally "fasted" (gone without food whatsoever) for 8 days under "light to moderate" activity. I did this experiment when I was healthy (not sick or healing). I of course drank water (because you can cause serious bodily damage by not hydrating). The first day or so is a breeze, as nutrition already in your system slowly passes out, but, for me, approaching the 48 hour mark was the hardest part. Starting on the second day the hunger gets worse and worse and right around 48 hours it seems to reach a "hysteria" point (when you will eat just about anything). Then, suddenly, the hunger just subsides and becomes this dull background ache, which you can live with fairly easily for a long time. I think the body just switches to it's fat stores or something. As long as you don't consciously think about food, you can go and function. For me, it was about the morning of the 4th day before I felt the first physical effect in the form of weakness when standing up and general tiredness throughout the day. But I was still able to work and function at what felt like a slow burn. I'm sorry, but I scoff at people that say they are "starved" after missing one meal, or claim they "feel weak" from not eating. It takes the body a long, long time to actually starve. So at that point (4th day + ) my hunger level just plateaued psychologically and I even found myself "not caring" if I ate or not, believe it or not. I really didn't notice a significant impairment of my functioning until about the 8th day, when I would pass through spells of lightheadedness and dizziness. Though I knew that I could will myself to continue the fast for another few days, I decided to terminate the experiment because it was effecting my ability to safely drive. So what I came out of this experiment with is some interesting data about myself, and this newfound confidence in my ability to survive should I find myself in a situation without food. Oh, and I only lost 11 lbs, so "starvation" is not a great weight loss method.

In an Army training situation, I have been awake for 5 and 1/2 days continuously. During emergencies, I often work 30 to 36 hour shifts (but, admittedly, I can sneak a 10 min "cat nap" in here and there if I have a trusted buddy nearby to wake me). Heck, when I was a young man, I routinely stayed up all weekend (from Friday until Sunday) continuously doing some fun activity (ski weekends, beach party, visiting friends in L.A.), not even thinking about wasting time with sleep. I know it's not safe, but I've driven full 12 hour shifts on road trips when I really wanted to push for distance.

I personally know that I seem to have a high tolerance for cold and freezing temperatures, and conversely a lower tolerance for high or very hot temperatures. Like I feel fine working all day in an ice rink, or perfectly comfortable working outdoors in a t-shirt at 40 degrees F, but once that thermometer starts to go above 80, I start to sweat, and at 90, I have to be careful to hydrate or I'll get heat exhaustion. 100 or above, forget about it. Only once in my life, so far, I have been medically diagnosed with severe heat exhaustion, requiring IVs, ice bags, and over-hydration (and note: even then, I was still functioning nominally at my job and went to the hospital under protest).

I have a high tolerance for pain. I've never been much of a complainer or cryer. My Mom tells me that as a baby I didn't cry (that I was a strangely silent, content baby). Hmm. Pain is a kind of bio-feedback that can be ignored or dampened I found, if you choose to. I learned about this in Army training. "Pain is weakness leaving the body"... LOL.. or more seriously "Pain is sign of the body healing". In any case, we started priding ourselves on how much we can take and not complain. We would just slough off minor injury (small fragments, bruises, sprains, lacerations) and just drive on. That's what God made duct tape for! Or you can mask it with "Ranger candy". In some cases, medics would actually offer us morphine for pain, but we would refuse it (sometimes for other practical reasons though). I once injured my ankle (seriously, I later found out) out in the field, but I just taped it up tight and limped all the way home under my own power, about 3 miles. Now I know, for future reference, that I can walk at least 3 miles on a broken extremity.

Pedes, Non Impedimentus Nunc

I get the impression that the vast majority of people think of shoes as just "apparel", as in coverings for the feet, and most commonly select them for their looks, their brand name, or how they match whatever other clothes they are wearing. To me shoes, or better yet boots, are"LPCs" (leather personnel carriers) to me, or in other words, "basic transportation". As such, a good set of footwear is a category of equipment that I consider vital (as in the "it could save your life someday" and "you may not survive without them" sense). That's why I don't skimp on expense/quality, and I would only casually select a shoe by it's appearance if it were for a temporary costume. When I'm in the market for a new pair of shoes/boots, I research very carefully, read reviews, try them on for hours, and know most of the "professional" tips and tricks for boot fitting.

Footwear is critical equipment in the few hectic moments of an emergency or in a survival situation if you have to be mobile. Just picture yourself immediately scrambling out of a collapsed building, crashed vehicle or some other imminent danger, through debris, broken glass, spilled chemicals, perhaps even flames... or imagine a ten mile trek back to civilization to get help... and doing it with what you have on your feet right now. Barefoot? you're screwed. High heels? good luck. Those cheap $10 bargain bin "light hiker" knockoffs? uh, maybe, if they don't ignite or come unglued. As I've noted before, even a small innocuous break in your skin (stepping on a rock, a thorn, a piece of glass, a cactus needle) and subsequent infection when you're hungry, stressed and physically taxed can lead to infection, sepsis, incapacitating illness and death. I recall this horrifying anecdote of some African explorer who stepped in dung while barefoot and in a few days could actually see and feel tiny maggot-like larvae squirming under his toenails (!!).

In pinch, I know I can make or improvise other clothing items if I need to, but I cannot make myself a good much less high-performance pair of hiking boots. Maybe rudimentary mocassins, or VC "Tevas" out of tire tread, at most. Therefore, I always list well-made, well-fitted footwear as one of my 5 most valued possessions. Though not rare by any means, they are not readily replaceable assets.

As with all my other gear, it is just as important to "maintain" your footwear. Rotate them out if they are daily wear. Air dry them with tongues fully open whenever possible. Use odour absorbing and cushioning insoles for long-wear shoes. Out of habit, I tend to polish, saddle soap, or waterproof all my footwear on a regular maintenance schedule. In wet weather, I lean them "up" for drainage and ready air-drying.

The Army does exhaustive research on footwear, and going with any of the current issue models of combat boots is never a bad choice. They are well-built and comfortable. The suede-out desert tan boot with panama sole, rolled top edge, and speed laces is a great long distance, hot-weather boot. I am from the highly polished black combat boot era, so I have a bias toward black tactical boots. As an MP, I favoured light, aggressive sole, and highly supportive boots, but I started to sacrifice some of that height for more comfort/ventilation and believe it or not, ease of taking on/off or lacing. From the literally hours that I spent on my feet every shift as a medic, my boot of choice became the Hi-Tec Magnum 6" Air Tacs. They weighed almost nothing, yet they supported my ankles and protected my feet, and had this large "air bubble" chamber in the heel which absorbed impact and made them soooooo comfortable. I bought the waterproof/breathable version of course, and I modified them with elastic speed laces (so I can just pull them on like a pair of socks), hidden compartments for a boot knife (down one side), and a mini-"escape" kit on the other (contains scalpel blade, handcuff key, lock shim, lock pick jiggler and tension bar). I loved these boots and I think these would be my first choice if the things get really bad. About the only thing that I don't like about them is that they are manufactured in China. But, it was just too good a boot to pass up.

I log a lot of foot miles every year, so I take my choice of hiking boot very seriously also. Since the advent of "light" hikers, I've been flip flopping back in forth between heavy mountaineering boot designs (Merrell, Northface, and yes, even Timberlands before they went "gangsta") and the serious light hiker designs (like Vasque, Nike, Asolo). My current favourite is a "medium" hiker made by Northface, the Jasper Canyon GTX Hiking Boots. They have the light hiker look, but are supportive enough for backpacking. They are waterproof and breathable and have a Vibram sole with aggressive tread (suitable for scrambling). I have traveled the world in these and they have always performed flawlessly and, with care, have yet to show the slightest signs of wear (after 2 years). It's a high performance boot with a casual civilian look, so I love the way it allows me to blend in. These are often the boots that I'm most likely to be wearing.

Some honourable mentions include this very unique split-toe design working shoe that I found in Japan. In fact in Japan these are very common "workboots" worn by tradesmen and construction people that have to work at high angles, on roofs and in trees (and such). They are very strange looking to Westerners, who associate this split toed look to "Ninja" boots. They have a grippy rubber sole and are somewhat soft, but they give you a grabby feel when you are on uneven surfaces. Certain skilled craftsmen use them because it actually allows them to grab and hold things with their feet while they work with their hands. While I would not choose this boot for long walks, I definitely notice an advantage to wearing them for certain climbing, SWAT, rescue, stealthy operations.

I do like the comfort and versatility of the Teva "river" sandals. They are sturdy, comfortable, totally amphibious, secure on the feet (unlike other sandals or flip flops), and adaptable/useful to various conditions especially when traveling (like from casual footwear, to shower shoes, to sandals for pool/beach). The older (original) models had a severe drawback as the porous rubber used to trap foot bacteria from sweat and would stink to high heaven after a month. Now, the Teva corporation has fixed that problem with this Micro-Ban Zinc technology imbedded in the rubber which inhibits the bacterial growth. Phew!

Finally, I like Rockports, Eccos, and Merrells and similar type so-called "walking shoes", which are basically all-leather casual shoes with a split sole, and heel counters designed for comfortable walking and touring. They are very comfortable low quarter shoes, designed for long hours on one's feet, but usually have waffle tread Vibram soles like a hiking boot. These are the kind of shoes recommended by travel experts like Rick Steves. Additionally I prefer that mine are also waterproof/breathable also (not that it matters much when it's a low quarter design). The great advantage to these high quality shoes are, they appear dressy enough to wear with anything from cargo pants and jeans up to nice slacks and sportcoat, so they do double duty when I travel.

Like Wearing Many Hats at Once

I never did like wearing hats. I still don't. To this day, they almost immediately cause my head to sweat even in freezing weather. I guess hat wearing is something that you either get accustomed to doing while growing up, or you don't. I happened to grow up living in a classic mild temperate zone where the weather was neither cold nor hot practically year round. With the exception of Scouts and Little League, hats were not a part of my life until the Army. But that's when I first learned the value of a good hat, the proper wearing and etiquette of the hat, and discovered some of it's survival uses (as a tool). Nowadays, a person wearing a hat is the exception and not the rule, so I am acutely aware that it does draw attention and it is as much a "symbol" as it is apparel (like hats can identify your profession, the region of the country you're from, your social status, sometimes your politics/religion/national origin, and even, believe it or not, your "propensity for/skill at" violent action, if you know how to "read" someone). I am not an everyday wearer of hats. I mostly break out my hat when I know I will be in the sun all day, but I do consider it an essential item to wear or pack along when traveling by any means, when going out into the wilderness no matter how close civilization is, and part of your survival "kit" when the things get bad.

-Probably most importantly and fundamentally, hats provide instant, portable sunshade/sunscreen against solar ultra-violet radiation. I think a good, practical hat should protect the ears, back of the head, and neck also, not just the face and eyes. This becomes even more critical in extreme environments, like desert, or if you happen to be stranded on the open ocean (like even a nuissance sunburn leads to cracked skin, which becomes a bleeding wound, which can get infected easily, which leads to sepsis, incapacitating illness, then death in that order) where dehydration/malnutrition/fatigue will tax your normal immune system and ability to heal. I think ballcaps, BDU hats, short-brimmed "pork pie" hats, watchcaps, and most especially berets are not too effective for this function and if those were the only hats available, I'd make a "haverlock" (like a sun curtain out of a hanky, that hangs off the back of the hat, sort of like the French Foreign Legion did).

-I suppose everyone must have heard already the famous "factoid" that because the human brain has enormous circulatory needs, as much as 1/3 of total body heat loss can occur via the top of the head, depending on the amount of hair you have. Simply wearing any head covering insulates the head from much of that radiant heat loss.

-Along the same lines, a hat is basic rain shelter. Even wet, it still insulates, but also keeps rain out of your eyes, off your glasses, and from going down your collar.

-Hats provide a minimal level of (armor) protection from bumps, hits, abrasions, scratches, slashes, and punctures. It can mean the difference between a bruise on the head and a bleeding scalp laceration. Tall people will know what I'm talking about.

-A hat can be used to protect the hand when expediently punching through glass (when nothing else is available).

-A hat can be used as a flag/guidon (held high), signaling device (waved), decoy (if flung), or head surrogate (to draw fire) in conjunction with a stick or arm extension.

-Hats can be used to bail water, or even carry water, useful for lifeboat survival, firefighting, personal hygiene or camping. Makes a good calm water basin for making/improvising that floating compass I mentioned elsewhere.

-Hats can be used to scoop and carry dirt, if nothing else is available. It may be the largest volume container you happen to have handy.

-In very hot, dry climates, I soak my boonie hat in water, and wear it wet, letting the evaporating water cool my head.

-It can be used as a fan to cool oneself, swat flies, or to fan flames.

-It can be a handy feedbag for your horse.

-Hats can be used to carry/hold many small, loose objects, like for foraging, carrying ammo, or keeping all of your EDC items in one place in a dark, unfamiliar hotel room. I use my hat as a nightstand "valet" when I travel (holding my room key, wallet, mini-LED light, loose change, tickets, all in one place). Also, with a cord attached, it can be used as a haul basket to transport items to a higher level for whatever reason (up a cliff, up a tree, down a hole, from floor to floor in a collapsed building, etc.).

-I use my hat as a convenient eye-shade when I catnap during the day, or in a bright airport, or inflight.

-Depending on the design of the hat, it has numerous recreational uses, like as a Frisbee, a target basin for a flicking cards, a catching "mitt" for thrown objects, holding money during a bet, and as a good "improv" prop for characterizations.

-Hats can be used to cook in (to boil water!). Cloth (canvas) hats and felt hats can hold water. What you do is take super-heated stones from next to a campfire, with a couple of branches as tongs, and drop them into the water in your hat. The heated stone rapidly heats the water, then you take it out, and drop another heated stone in. The stones are so hot that I can literally boil water in about 3 stones, and use the water to cook (make soup, boil meats, or sterilize uncertain water). Never underestimate the comfort and morale boost of first a simple fire, and then a nice hot cup of tea, when you're in a survival situation. Just the "ritual", puts my mind in the right place.

I have two dozen high quality hats of various designs, historical periods, exotic national origins, and compositions. I won't bore you with a rundown of my collection, but I keep coming back to 2 hats that I consider my "primaries", which I wear most often and which I would choose for my most practical for survival. My personally modified cotton duck canvas "boonie" hat, and, my beaver-felt cowboy hat. The boonie is the one I wear/carry more because I can just stuff it into my pocket or wear it from it's hat cord around my neck. Plus it's easy to wash and maintain, durable, and cheap enough so I am not overly worried about losing it. My cowboy hat was a gift (but I know it was expensive) and I tend to wear it when I'm traveling, riding (of course), and longer duration camping. Although it is a "crushable" memory felt design, I do worry a lot more about maintaining it's condition, or losing/misplacing it.

My favourite boonie hat has a 4" brim (as opposed to the standard 2" on military boonies), is light sand coloured (to reflect sunlight), and has a hidden pocket in the crown, which I usually keep some flat packets of sunscreen in. I wish I could tell you it was a Tilley, which makes an outstanding hat, but for the tremendous expense of a Tilley, I'd rather not worry about my hat, as long as it works. My boonie has ample loops around the headband for camofluaging or holding small items, but usually the only item I occasionally clip on there is my LED light, and/or, my red LED flasher/strobe (when rode marching at night, so I don't get run down by cars). The headband/sweatband portion of the hat has a hollow space, which I use to hold two pair of cable ties (flexi-cuffs), and I have a small sewn-on Military Police crossed pistols branch insignia on the front. Underneath the insignia is a #10 scalpel blade and a handcuff key... part of my escape kit. I always insist on a cord for my hats. Not only does it let me retain my hat in high winds, waves, or maneuvers, but it conveniently let's me just flip my hat off my head to hang from it's cord whenever I don't need it. Like I hike from sun to shade, whoop with a flip of my head, my hat is instantly off.

It may just be my imagination, but I think that I get searched a lot less when I wear my cowboy hat when traveling, especially when I'm coming back into the United States. When I wear my cowboy hat, I am obviously NOT a "grey man" but a tall, conspicuous American wearing a classic hat. It's like I'm demonstrating my national affiliation and my obviously not trying to hide anything by standing out in the crowd. I just tend to get asked a simple question, like "where's your home town?", I give them my unaccented reply, and then I get waved through without even a cursory glance at my luggage. It's almost like, what terrorist idiot is going to draw that much attention to himself by wearing a cowboy hat... LOL. Just a theory.

Map 60 Is All That and a Bag of Chips Too

I am writing today about what is currently my favourite and most useful little electronic device, the Garmin GPS Map 60Cx. Though I try not to get too attached to material things if I were pressed into naming my 5 most valued possessions, I'd have to include this, my personal GPS unit, without hesitation. I love my Garmin Map 60 and all the things it enables me to do. I'd say in the last 5 years of my life since I bought the Map 60, it has significantly enhanced my life and the enjoyment of the outdoors manyfold (particularly with my enthusiastic new pasttime... geocaching!). Nor do I think I would now (want to) travel without this handheld Map 60 or a similar good GPS, for reasons I will soon explain. And, though it may sound somewhat "melodramatic" for me to say, I will even go as far as to say, it may have already saved my life (or at least saved me from a harder ordeal or greater suffering) already.... it's hard to say exactly what might have happened. I was never that bad at wilderness navigation already, but I simply do not/cannot get "lost" anymore (like in the old map and compass days). Within 10 feet or so, I always know precisely where I am on the Earth and I must say, it has taken just a bit of the mystery and magic out of my world as a consequence.

The Garmin GPS Map 60, which includes the Map 60CSx and the Map 60Cx is, IMHO, even 5 years after it's introduction and after 5 years of newer more "upgraded" models, is still the old reliable workhorse of the Garmin line of GPSs. Garmin has gone on to add more memory, more bells and whistles, touch screens and other "innovative" new interfaces, but for the money, they have not yet made a significant improvement over the Map 60 yet. Like what? right away I can name two significant things.... the Oregon and the Colorado are battery hogs and will drain away a pair of AAs in about 8 hours (it seems) whereas I usually get a nominal 22 to 24 hours out of a Map 60 CSx and up to an amazing 31 hours on my Map 60Cx (which is the same unit minus the electronic compass and barometer). The second thing is the ease of operation or ease of interface. Head to head, I can navigate the various screens, input new data, and look up information much faster with my trusty old Map 60 than I can the fancy new GPSs with touch-screens or that dial-a-wheel thingy. There is something very ergonomic about the Map 60 in my hand, and I especially love how I can operate it with my gloves (Nomex aviator's) on.

I've owned 3 other GPS units (plus the Magellan I used in the Army) and I was a very "early adopter" of GPS technology. Back in the 80s, I never dreamed that a regular civilian would ever be able to own and access technology as advanced, expensive and as useful as Global Positioning System. My first few GPS units were all disappointments in various ways, but mostly because it was frustratingly difficult to ever lock in the requisite 3 satellites, or to not lose your signal as soon as you walked into a grove of trees, or standing next to (much less inside) a building. Even in a vast ocean of desert, the old Magellans would take 10 minutes to "initialize" and lock satellites, during which time it burned away half it's battery life! (<---I'm only exagerating a bit). The wondrous Garmin GPS Map 60Csx is the first unit that simply worked for me just as described. It took me aback at first. No more wasting time searching endlessly for satellites while initiating, no more losing signal at the slightest interference, no more "jumping" when you reached your coordinates, and no more changing out batteries in ridiculously short durations and then losing all my data/position. This unit uses this new SiRF II technology which seems infinitely more sensitive than previous models (and any other brands). It quickly locks satellites like nobody's business, even indoors, even in a car, even in the middle of a thick Redwood forest or deep in a ravine. In other words, it's actually useful.

My favourite use for the Map 60 is the hobby/sport of "geo-caching". If you don't know what that is check out http://www.geocaching.com/. Basically (with tongue firmly in cheek), it is the "sport" or activity of using multi-billion dollar satellites in Earth orbit to locate little tubs of Tupperware in the woods. It's like a treasure hunt, but using tech devices. Seriously, it is a lot more fun than you may think, and it has really given me a great new reason to go traipsing and thrashing about through the wilderness and it has led me to beautiful wildlife, meeting great like-minded people, unforgettable vistas, and many fun-filled "adventures". Frankly, it is just the kind of thing that the Boy Scout in me just loves.... hiking with an objective.

Secondarily, I often use my Map 60 for a vehicle GPS system. I just mounted a bracket for it on my truck dashboard (note: it is actually illegal in CA to install it on your windshield) and plugged into my cigarette lighter adapter to save batteries, it gives me great full colour, backlit, turn by turn instructions as well as helpful guides to gas stations, motels, Starbucks and McD's along the road.

Thinking a little outside the box, another use that I put my GPS to is as a "travelogue" or travel diary. During my trips abroard or essentially anywhere I go now, I just turn my GPS Map 60 on, clip it to my belt, and even though I may not necessarily need directions, it serves as a "recorder" of all of my movements throughout the day. I would occasionally mark "waypoints" for places of interest that I might want to remember (like the spot where I took a photo) or a nice restaurant that I might want to find again. When I get home from my vacation, I have a complete and accurate "log", practically step by step, of every place that I went. I archive and cherish these "track logs" as much as the photos and souvenirs from my trip.

Ten Things I LOVE about the GPS Map 60:
1) Locks satellites efficiently. With the SiRF II chipset, it works like a dream! On the average it takes about 1 minute, if stationary.
2) Sips battery power. Unlike other units, it operates for a long time on a pair of AAs. I'm consistently getting about 30 hours battery life on my Map 60Cx.
3) Uses common AA batteries. Why is this a "plus"? Unlike specially sized or worse yet "internal re-chargeable" battery packs in some units, the GPS Map 60 uses common AA batteries that you can get almost anywhere in the world. With a fresh set of alkaline batteries you know with reliable certainty about how much battery "life" you'll get, rather than the uncertainty and degrading performance of re-chargeables. It also connects up to alternate power, like a car adapter, through a common mini-USB jack. Haven't tested it yet, but I'm pretty sure that the same mini-USB means it can also be hooked up to those portable emergency chargers (battery, dynamo crank, or solar panels) for more options.
4) Fairly rugged and water resistant. It's not built to be "tough", but it has stood up to a whole lot of dropping, abrasions, accidental submersions, and lots of dust, dirt, and abuse. There is a nice Pelican (the 1030 model?) Box that fits the Map 60 like a glove BTW. Once it's in a Pelican, you can drive over it in a car or toss it into the ocean for fun.
5) Easy to use, intuitive controls, well placed. The interface is simple. The navigation screens are simple. If you are even a bit computer savvy, everything makes sense. Menus, have sub-menus, and pull down boxes that let you do your functions with minimum confusion. It's easy for me to operate with one hand. I also operate it with gloves on. Try that with your Oregon.
6) Includes easy to install, easy to use software. Just pop in the disk and it guides you right through everything. It's even fun to download your data and play around with... like to review your "day" on a map.
7) Nice compact size, practical sized colour screen. Lightweight, handheld, very portable. Ok... maybe a bit small for a car mounted GPS, and maybe the details of topo maps are hard to read without zooming in, but for a handheld unit, I think it is about the perfect size for me. Wouldn't want a screen much bigger (for size, durability, and power usage), and wouldn't want a screen much smaller (making the maps too small to read).
8) Upgradeable maps and additional data. Here's the "bag of chips" I alluded to in my title. The GPS Map 60 has a mini-SD memory stick onto which you can load detailed maps for about the Western third of the US. I haven't tried to load other (foreign) maps yet, or carry additional memory sticks, but this will give you a rough idea of the additional memory capacity. Anyway, you can load and carry practically the whole world on a series of mini-SDs.
9) Supported by a good range of accessories. Window mounts, handlebar mounts, clips, cases, carriers, power cords, data cords, external antenna, and various Map software.
10) Price is coming down (finally), a good value. I think the Map 60 is worth every cent I paid for it, but being that it is now an older unit, the price is coming down now. I've seen it for as low as $150 new on eBay, which is an incredible bargain. Would I buy this unit again?? Absolutely, without hesitation. It is one of the best electronic investments I've ever made.

I give the GPS Map 60 my highest recommendation.