Ooh, bookmarked, thanks for the tip!
A friend told me they can spend hours browsing https://www.sciplus.com/ (aka Jerryco) but BioQuip looks more like my speed.
When I am just looking for insects in the area to add to my Rite in the Rain logbook, and only collecting if it really sparks my interest, not too much is taken with me.
This is what I usually will take when I am out doing this;
Backpack with water
Towel and extra clothes in case I fall in a pond again
First-Aid Mainly for stings and bites
Waterproof hardback logbook
Pencil or two
Sharpener
A few small brushes
camera
forceps
a few vials
labels
phone
gloves
spade
plastic bags
on occasion, a net
But when I´m out collecting specimens, my list of supplies grows, though most of them are lightweight.
It will also depend on my location.
Backpack with water
Towel and extra clothes
First-Aid
Waterproof hardback logbook
Pencil or two
Sharpener
A few small brushes
camera
forceps
80-100+ vials and containers of varying sizes
labels
phone
gloves
spade
plastic bags
foldable sweep net
dip net
methyl acetate
cotton balls
70% alcohol
non-toxic adhesive
tracking markers/chips
aspirator
ruler
pocket knife
snacks
flashlight
hand warmers
UV light
LED headlamp
Permits
old apple juice as bait
tourniquet - watch out for the not-so-harmless snakes
homemade beat sheet - foldable
floss roles from the dentist - never know when you´ll need between 40 and 125 yards of it!
SONY ICD-B300 - audio logs when at an area for multiple days or weeks at a time,recording unfamiliar insect sounds
laptop
WWII Leather ammunition satchel - from my dad´s step-dad
allergy meds - surprisingly, a lot of plant allergies, only a few beetle allergies(Ocypus olens)
reading glasses
book
whistle
1 can of tuna
2 cans of beans
GPS
fitbit, and charger
pitfall traps
pheromone traps
I am probably forgetting a few items, but overall, that is about it.
Is there anything that you guys think that I should be taking?
Peace out!
-Connor
“Again” lol - good idea though!
Yeah, there is a rainwater pond near my old grade school that fills up only if there is enough rainfall over the course of a week or two, or all at once. When I was in kindergarten, my class had a bunch of Pacific tree frogs, and we released them when they were adults at the rainwater pond.
I seem to fall into in a lot when it is as full as it gets(about 2.5 feet at the deepest point) usually when I am either doing a Nerf war with friends, or when I am attempting to capture a specimen.
I carry in one backpack:
*compressed Sea to Summit ultralight backpack (dedicated for picking up trash),
*point and shoot camera with telephoto and macro capabilities (extra batteries and SD Cards)
*SOL Emergency blanket and bivouac
*whistle
*map of area
*kit of tweezers (to examine tiny things)
*loupe (magnifies micro things
*firestarting kit (ferro rod, flash tinder)
*knife (fixed blade)
*compressible jacket(usually down)
*compressible rain jacket (Frogg tog)
*Headlamp (with extra batteries)
*pens
*notebook
*paracord
*durable container with a lid - usually clear (to get shots of small critters)
*hand sanitizer (doubles as fire starter)
*tanka and Clif bars, fresh or dried fruit or veggie
*Life straw and water bottle
*stick of sunscreen (Trader Joe’s)
*ToGo ware (especially if I brought a salad)
*GoGirl (in its own plastic case with toilet paper, extra bag to pack out used TP, Huggies wipes **nobody wants unclean body or pants)
*hat and sunglasses
*small first aid kit, with mirror
*dump pouch (dedicated to foraging, especially in berry picking season)
Sometimes I take more than one camera and sometimes I take a field guide.
Extended trips include a good hand saw and hammock and extra socks
I once used a selfie stick that I got from goodwill for observing a bird nest in a tree cavity that was out of reach. It worked wonderfully.
But I love this idea too -
There’s a few bike handle bar phone mounts or even a clip for attaching a phone to a circular object like a binocular lens that could probably be rigged up with a trekking pole/cell phone. Then you’d either need a remote (maybe available on a connected smart watch) or to use the timer function for photographing after the phone is out of reach, or take clips from a video recording initiated before airborne.
There was an article that car floormats are good for moving snapping turtles off a road. You drag the turtle onto the mat by the back of its shell. (You don’t pull it by its tail which could injure its spine and you especially stay away from the front snapping part.) Then, you drag the mat off the road.
(Added link)
https://blog.cwf-fcf.org/index.php/en/how-to-move-turtle-road-video/
To @carabid_47 and anyone else who is interested.
Those Rite in the Rain notebooks are really great! I once accidentally left one behind overnight on a beach in a small Caribbean island. By the next morning the tide had come in and gone out again, and the notebook had been washed halfway along the beach by the waves.
But I found it easily because of the bright yellow cover. There was fine gravel trapped between many of the pages, but the notebook and all of my notes (in pencil) were in perfect condition. I was very impressed. I would recommend Rite in the Rain to anyone.
I love them. But do read carefully their rules on compatible writing instruments (inside the cover)!
I do think pencil is the best and easiest way to go. Pencil is archival too.
I day hike for 2-11 hours in a chaparral climate on well travelled trails accessible by car; for shorter hikes see: Lifechanging Upgrades?
iNatting:
- Smartphone
- Creditcard sized ruler
Clothing:
- Cargo shorts
- Short sleeve T-shirt
- Bandana - swear cloth
- Sun hat with neck flap and wind strap
- Trail running shoes - vent mesh reduces blistering
- Regular backpack - logos removed with seam ripper
- Sandals / Flip-flops
Nutrition and Hydration:
- Food - same as @lia_the_naturalist’s list
- 2-3 x 1L plastic bottles with a pinch of low-sodium salt and tap water for electrolytes and hydration - not refrigerated
- 2 stainless steel vacuum flasks/tumblers with mostly ice cubes and some water - inexpensive at second-hand stores
Gathering:
- Paper lunch bags - herbaceous samples
- Hori hori - uprooting invasives and transplanting
- 1.2L plastic fiber powder container - berries and transplants
First Aid:
- Shoe laces - from worn out pair
- Alcohol towelettes - disinfection
- Bug bite thing - anti-syringe for sucking bites
- Styptic powder - minor cuts, in a small bag
- Instant Glue - larger, deeper cuts
- Surgical Stapler - gashes, surprisingly inexpensive!
I leave one of the ice-water flasks in the car and drink the other with lunch. It’s very refreshing. The ice is also useful for bug observations (see: @teellbee’s tip here).
The sandals are a for wearing after the hike allowing feet to rest; the best and most underrated tip I’ve learned from an avid runner!
Yes, now days I don’t put a bug directly in a freezer for this. I chill it (like you) with an ice pack (usually, blue ice pack or first aid cold pack).
I also endorse having a pair of sandals handy after a hike. It’s such a treat to take off your shoes on on a hot day.
you always seemed like Inspector Gadget with all the amazing stuff you’d always have. i’m more the ‘really lucky i remembered my hand lens’ type.
i often spend long summer field days in wetlands in muck boots or waders and sandal time at the end of the day is one of the most magical times, similar to ‘cold beer when i get home’ time
I usually carry a 2L icewater bottle with me wherever I go, so I definitely have to minimize what I carry with me so I’m not lugging around 4-5kg around everywhere.
Generally, if I’m not looking for anything specific, that’ll just mean a very basic Jansport backpack with:
- A camera (D3300)
- One or two lenses (Sigma 105mm f/2.8 + Nikon 55-200mm)
- Small first aid kit (alcohol wipes, bandages, tweezers, antihistamine)
- High-power flashlight
However, if I’m in a damp enough region, I will bring my springtail kit, for photographing and collecting springtails, mites, pseudoscorpions, and other mesofauna:
- 3-4 10mL vials full of ethanol + glycerol for specimen killing and storage
- ultra-macro lenses (kludged-together stock Nikon 50mm with +50mm of extension tubes, and a proper 5x Laowa 25mm)
- plastic pipettes and paintbrushes to capture specimens (I need to make a proper pooter, I know)
- 5mm graph paper for photograph backgrounds
I almost always hike at sunset/night, so that eliminates the need for sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, etc. I’m weirdly lucky when it comes to bug bites, I’ve never had a problem with mosquitoes or ticks.
Necklace fan. This thing is fabulous when it’s hot and humid with no breeze at all. Which is frequent in southeast Texas and south Louisiana. This is not the only thing I bring of course. Just something I wanted to share.
I see most of these in the deserts of New Mexico too! Springtails are a huge challenge to photograph or collect.
Yep definitely the best, I bought one when I was in the UK and as you know the weather there isn’t exactly dry, I think I even dropped it in a deep puddle, the notebook was still fine!
Yeah, the Rite in the Rain Notebooks are really great.