bradne

I now have "SPAM, SPAM, SPAM . . ." stuck in my head though.

Probably not a whole lot. I do notice that if I log into the site (which you have to do to see the items), and I look at the details of something and then log out, then I will sometimes get an email from the company inviting me to come back. That is really not that often though.

I have purchased items through Expertcity before due to my occupation. Basically Expertcity works with vendors to offer discounts to people working or participating in certain occupations. People working in law enforcement, military, search and rescue, park rangers, etc... have the opportunity to purchase equipment through Expertcity. The idea is that other people will look at the gear, (eg tent, boots, lantern etc.) and say "That brand of gear is good enough for those guys, that's what I want". That is all there is to it. You do not actively talk people into a certain brand. I

The advice to get as low as you can is standard wildland fire training as an absolute last resort. Some wildfires can surround you so quick that you may have no choice but to shelter in place. There have been many wildland firefighters killed over the years by being overrun by a wildland fire. Those firefighters are issued fire shelters (think an aluminum foil tent) to use in the event they become trapped, however they are not always effective depending on the severity of the fire. Generally fire goes up hill, however wind changes everything. I have seen a wildland fire travel across a

If you are talking about hiking or camporee activities, I would suggest the FRS or MURS radios. Both of these are license free, however they are a bit short range. You will be lucky to get a couple of miles out of them, but if that is all you need then that would be fine. You can also get GMRS radios which technically require a license (very few actually get it) but has significantly better range. Don't believe the advertisement of 25 or 30 miles, but you can usually get 3 or 4 miles out of them in general conditions. All of those radios are easily purchased at big box stores or on line

I find this thread extremely interesting. The motto of the Boy Scouts is "Be Prepared", however there is an amazing anti-prepared attitude being displayed by many people in this thread simply because they do not understand that many of us do not live where they do. First, I am a LEO. While it is not required that I carry all the time, I do. I do because you never know when you will run into the guy that you arrested last week. I carry because a few years ago, some nut walked into a movie theater in Colorado and shot a lot of people. I carry because a few years ago, someone walked int

I don't teach that in this level of training, however a safety pin is also used for the same purpose. Oddly enough, some kids pay a lot of money for some guy to punch a hole in their lip and tongue for decorative purposes now a days. Seems like a lot of unnecessary pain. Regarding the "war stories", I actually bring this up when I teach. While war is one of the worst things that humans can do to each other, every war brings new medical advances on treatment of injuries and illnesses. Things like tourniquets have come back to be acceptable now due to the wars we have been fighting for t

I have been reading this thread with a lot of interest. First, let me state I am an EMT and EMT instructor. Although being an EMT is part of my job it is not the primary duty. I do work in some pretty remote areas where advanced medical care is two to three hours drive away (if you are lucky). I have been doing it for close to 20 years and often find myself dealing with all sorts of medical incidents several miles from any road. I do teach WFA for my council/district and would like to comment on a few items. Several posters have mentioned liability and the fear of getting sued