Equipment Field Testing
August 6, 2015 11:33 am Leave your thoughts
So I decided to write this post about my experience with field gear and equipment in the field for those who may be looking to get a new set of boots or tent or whatever. Or for those who are just entering the work force and looking to get some equipment for your new forestry or environmental-esque job. Again, this is from my own experience and may not be the same as others, take this as a product review and I hope that you can use my comments and reviews to your benefits.
Right, here we go!
First off, since anyone working in forestry is going to be doing a LOT of walking, a good pair of boots are essential! I’ve gone through a lot of different pairs, some steel toes that were shoes, some that were high top shoes. Others that had the 6” boot tops and I even had the heavy duty 8” boots when I was working in construction and in a truck shop. These all have their benefits and are very good for different things. Shoes are light, more breathable then boots. Boots are more sturdy and offer a crap ton more support. For forestry aka, walking in open cut blocks and through forests, I would recommend the 6” boots, and ones that are metal free if possible. I’m rockin’ a pair of Royer size 12 leathers at the moment, and they’re probably one of the most comfortable boots I’ve own. Down side is that they’re leather and waterproof, which means they don’t breathe, at all, so I always keep a pair of comfy shoes in the truck to change from and back into. Seriously, extra shoes, are a good send sometimes. I was lucky enough to experience heat rash on my feet this spring when I was doing the iso-planting blocks. In my boots for about 10 hours, and it was the hottest part of the year, let it suffice to say that it sucked. Sore feet are the worst, especially if you’re starting out in the morning and wanting to lop off your feet. So to summarize that point, spend the extra time in the store wherever and find a comfy pair of solid boots, and bring a pair of shoes to change back into.
Next, a cruise vest is the next thing one would need. Now, the one I use is a Viking surveyor. Its cloth and not canvas which means it lighter, and it dries a lot faster than the canvas ones do. The only thing that I would criticise about it is that the cloth version doesn’t have the large back pouch on the outside of the back of the vest itself. Otherwise I love it, there’s a crap-ton of pockets for pens, flagging, gloves, GPS, snacks water and the kitchen sink. So for a vest, I’d go with the lighter cloth vest. Not the super-thin cheese cloth type or the Velcro one size fits all types, those are useless and you will spend more time fighting with it or trying to keep it together.
The rest of the stuff I want to review are things that aren’t necessary, but definitely come in handy. Gloves, gloves are very handy. And I really love me some mechanics impact gloves. Leather ones are great for rough and tough work. But once they get wet, and they will, they become very uncomfortable and take forever to dry. I am quite partial to the Mechanix Wear’s Impact Pro gloves. They’re black and yellow and armoured to the teeth along the back of the hand and fingers, and have padded palms. These gloves offer high dexterity for writing or trying ribbon, but strong enough to handle the roughest of bark and sharp branches. Again I’ve used multiple varieties of gloves, but always come back to these. The only place that I can find them is Canadian Tire and they are a little pricey, but totally worth it.
Work pants also very useful. I like ones with lots of pockets. Honestly, I can never have enough pockets. Right now, I’m using Halley Hansen work wear pants. Black cargos. They’re strong but light, made of 50% polyester so they breathe quite nicely and dry quickly as well. I had some Dakota cargos before, and I really like those, but there heavy denim and so are a touch on the warm side and tend to stick to my legs when they’re wet, making it more difficult to traverse over obstacles in my adventures. I also have a pair of Northface hiking pants for light duty work, but they only come in small, medium or large with a slip style buckle, which slides loose every so often. And being a tall guy, they are a little shorter then what I’d like, and if I was to go to the large size to get that length, it would look like I’m wearing a parachute for pants. If you can find a pair at your sports store that fit well, then get them! Comfy, light and inherently water resistant, they are great for walking around in through grasses or understory.
Rain gear is probably the third most important thing you’ll need. Now, if you want something cheap for a one-time deal, get the 10$ yellow plastic suits, cause you’ll only get one use of them before they rip or you blow a seam on them. I was lucky enough to stumble onto a sale of HH rain pants, and they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread. They’re so worth the money! Walking through the forest and step or trip, or slide if it’s raining, I’ve had the pants catch on the stump of branches and what-not with me hanging upside down from said stump by the rain pants and there isn’t even a stretch mark on them. They’re super tough and it’s great. I’ve had them for three years now of intensive field work and still no rips or anything on them. For jackets I have two different ones, I have a high-vis Viking water-proof jacket which is great. Lots of pockets, it breathes like silk so you don’t over heat, and durable. Plus its bright yellow, so you stick out nicely. The only issue with it that I have is that is the cuffs of the sleeves are like a foam-cloth combo so if they get exposed your wrists and forearms can get very wet. The other one is a Dakota raincoat. It has one pocket, but is pretty much one piece of thin rubber. So, very durable, and very, very water proof. But it also doesn’t let water (sweat) out, so if it’s a hot day and raining, you’ll sweat buckets and be just as soaked as if you weren’t wearing it. And in tandem with the rainpants, you could lose about 10 pounds of water weight, just a heads up.
Just a couple final tips here. A nice backpack will come in use very often. I like the Broadstone day packs, light, with an inner frame, and again lots of pockets. And if you’re doing tenting, don’t get the cheap Coleman tents. They don’t last, seriously, if a sparrow farts anywhere near one of those and they crumple. And get one with a full fly. It will save you a lot of frustration with things getting wet. Lastly, tent waterproofing spray, works on more than just tents. The Frank’s hot sauce motto works well here. Seriously, I spray my pack regularly, my work pants, my gloves, work pants, my tent obviously, basically any fabric material that you want to try and keep dry, it works. Or if you want to go the more ‘natural’ route, beeswax works wonders for that too, just be careful you don’t put too much on otherwise you’ll have bears licking all of your stuff.
I’d like to thank all my listeners once again, and hope this info can be of some service to some of you.
Cheers, and hope to see you again here.
Ryan.