Conceivably, a cell phone bike or bar mount could be repurposed to a hiking stick? (Depending on the hiking pole style — this might not work well on my poles, though).
https://www.rei.com/product/135665/nite-ize-wraptor-rotating-smartphone-bar-mount
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What are “small plastic dip containers” ?
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Thanks!
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Another great way to get containers in bulk is ketchup containers. They are much like the containers above but have a better lid.
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Entirely too much but since the current drift is containers… I study fungi so a basket or other good size container to hold collections, wax bags for species collections (keep them separate) and plastic “tackle box” with moveable dividers for the smaller more delicate specimens.
Ironically no plastic for larger specimens to keep them from going slimy but plastic for small delicate to keep them hydrated and protect them.
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And where do you get them from?
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I got mine from Target, but I bet you could get them from any supermarket.
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I imagine you could also get a pack from many dollar-store type places. The inventory of these stores can be kinda random but many of them will sell bulk containers in various sizes.
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When I go into the woods or somewhere else to take pictures of nature (usually for iNat), I almost always take:
- a drawstring bag (or sometimes backpack)
- a camera (I’m going to buy a really good one as soon as possible)
- petri dishes (more useful than you’d think!)
- rubber bands
- water and sometimes food
- a net
- one or two jars (if something won’t sit still for a photo and is too big for a petri dish)
- a rag (just incase)
- zip lock bags
- tweezers
- a clear shoebox (for those too big for anything else, or for fish and other aquatic organisms, etc.)
- a first aid kit
- bug spray (Off!)
I use petri dishes to catch many of my insects, including bees, young assassin bugs, flies, some beetles, etc… petri dishes are light weight, and can be easily held shut with a rubber band! A drawstring bag can double as a net. Zip lock bags can hold things from arthropods to fungi, and take up next to no space! My bag ends up light weight and easy to carry for long distances!
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Petri dishes are great, but I’ve got to get my hands on a glass one. The plastic ones just get all crushed and broken in my backpack.
Very little, although I think I need to invest more into my hobby and at least bring a ruler. I don’t collect material, usually. Some waterproof footwear might be in the forecast too. All these items will be in a backpack:
-Phone
-Sometimes a hand lens
-Water, a lot, because dehydration is real
-Hand sanitizer & mask
-Socks if I remember them
-Old shoes for getting wet if I think the occasion calls for it
-I have a plastic poncho from a cruise at Niagara Falls I sometimes break out if there’s rain.
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I totally forgot about a lightweight tripod. These are very useful for low light photography.
Mine changes depending on the situation.
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Smartphone. Now I wouldn’t ever go out without mine, but I only started carrying one and using it for iNat a couple months ago.
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In line with #1, I used to always carry a GPS, but now I usually leave it behind as my only unit is aging and less accurate than my phone.
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Previously I would always carry a camera, but now that I have the smartphone I’ll leave the camera behind during downpours or if the area I’m surveying is likely to require significant climbing or other maneuvers where the camera may get damaged. Always a backup battery for the camera.
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If at night I’ll carry a headlamp and an extra set of batteries for it.
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I’ll often take a small notepad where I’ve listed particular routes, boundaries, and options that will be important to remember that day. I’ll also photograph the pad with my phone so I don’t have to worry about losing the top sheet or getting the ink smeared in rain.
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Depending on conditions, I may take a water bottle, extra socks (for replacing wet ones), or extra rain/cold gear. At times I’ve been away from the car for as long as 11 hours while surveying and traveled as much as 47 kilometers in a day.
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If I remember, I’ll take a small transparent ruler with millimeter markings. But I often forget.
That’s about it. I used to be a Boy Scout and many years ago I practiced that “be prepared” ethic and would have carried much more (first aid kit, knife, rope, snack food, compass, fire-starting kit, ground temperature sensor, etc.) but now I’ve become more of a minimalist with that stuff.
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A report by the US Fish and Wildlife Service found that bear spray is more effective than a gun as a deterrent against bears. It works because it is:
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Relatively easy to aim - you just have to get it in the right general direction as it both spreads out and holds in the air for a short period of time.
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Highly effective as a deterrent as its primary effect (severely irritating the bear’s eyes) is much more likely to cause the bear to break off the attack than merely wounding it would. That serious irritation is somewhat novel for the bear, it doesn’t necessarily understand what happened nor feel secure continuing the attack with inhibited eyesight.
It is very difficult to shoot a charging bear effectively and even fatal gunshots may not be enough to stop a bear attack from causing significant damage as an injured bear may choose to attack with even more vigor and can do a lot before it dies. Of course, in many cases guns have been used to deter effectively, but it isn’t seen as reliable as spray.
https://www.outsideonline.com/1899301/shoot-or-spray-best-way-stop-charging-bear
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Cool, ty for replying!
For me, I try to pack as little as possible, but let’s be honest that never happens. Everything goes into a tiny Dakine pack with a chest and waist strap.
- Water
- First aid kit
- Rain Jacket (even though it rains like 3 times a year here)
- Binoculars
- Really cheap Nikon Coolpix S33 (it gets the job done surprisingly well)
- Tape measure
- Swiss Army knife
- Plastic bag
- Gloves
- Tweezers
- Bone saw (surprisingly handy)
- Moleskin
- Field guides
- Pencil
- GPS
- Loupe
- Dip net
- Spare socks
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I travel relatively light on my excursions, and most of the stuff I carry have been covered in other posts. But two instruments that accompany me in the field have increased my environmental awareness: a solunar watch (Yes WorldWatch), and a weather datalogger (Kestrel Drop D3):
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The Yes Watch intuitively displays rising and setting times for sun and moon, twilight, and moon phases, very useful for example when looking for crepuscular animals (such as stag beetles or bats), nocturnal animals that are active in the security of complete darkness during the moonless hours of the night, or horse-shoe crab mass-spawning on new and full moon. Of course, some apps & websites give the same info, but I like having it at a glance to my wrist. :-)
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The Kestrel Drop is attached to my backpack, recording temperature, humidity, and pressure data at regular intervals which I can then transcript to observations. I like that it can also be left to record data in a particular location, and retrieved weeks later.
Also, I first learned about the capture clip (Peak Design) here on this very thread a few months back thanks to @tiwane’s post, and it has been a revelation! I now have two of them, one on each backpack strap: one for camera, the other for binoculars. It is very convenient, keeping hands free, without all the gear dangling around, yet easily reachable. It’s great when in the field, but might look a bit conspicuous when going through more urban areas (so in this case I just put camera and binos in a small foldable backpack).
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The best “field bag” I found for the NE Ohio winters is a neoprene lunch bag with shoulder strap. it is waterproof, has a nice big zipper and usually has a smaller pocket. Some have water bottle straps which you can use for a compact umbrella.
If you can’t find one with a shoulder strap, it is easy to buy a couple of D-rings, sew them on and get your own strap.
Something like this. I do like the “Built” brand. You can also find them on eBay.
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Something I keep in my purse (which doubles as my small field bag) lately that no one else has mentioned yet is a selfie ring light. Naturalists are not their target demographic, but it’s handy to have a lightweight, rechargeable LED light that can clip onto my phone. I usually end up holding it in my left hand and phone in my right, but it’s especially useful when I need a free hand. I got it especially for mothing but it’s nice to have for any low light, close up situation.
I was looking for something that could clip over my bulky Zytlus Revolver magnetic macro. Similar lights that don’t have an entirely open circle weren’t able to clip over the macro lens very well. I don’t go anywhere without the Ztylus and I am so sad that they aren’t making new ones for phones beyond the iPhone XS. I’m going to hold onto my XS until I find another compatible macro that is as convenient, or come up with a homemade solution that will let the Revolver work acceptably on a 3-lens iPhone.
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