Is anyone else in SE Texas or anywhere else dealing with tent and walnut caterpillar outbreaks right now? Holy shit. I've lived here most of my life and have only seen them like this maybe 2 times. Last year and this year has been fucking awful. Agri extension office said there not much we can do. Insecticide like Sevin will work temporarily but they
Come back in droves the next day. They are eating the hell out of my pecan and walnut trees.
Last year we were having power outages because they were congregating around the electrical transformers in huge numbers....
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I live in south of France and we have to deal with those bastards too.
In my city it's been a couple of years since they started putting some kind of traps on trees, I don't know if it's really effective but there's nothing else to do sadly.
I love these little guys! I used to put them in jars when I was a kid. And I liked to pet their soft backs.
>>727632
House in Houston last year. They suck man. It seems like every 5 years or so Texas has a bad outbreak in some areas. This house made the news, but they were like this all over. It was really bad.
Have you worshiped the god of the outdoors today?
>>726684
more like the god's pet's turd
Good old Matt is a lesser God, Ray mears is the high God-King of /out/ he governs over all in the /out/doors kingdom.
>>726839
There is no God but Ray Mears and the Primitive Technologies guy is his prophet.
Are there any park rangers on /out/? I am thinking of working to become one once I go back to school and am interested in hearing any opinions/tips.
Rangers are 99% of the time a former police officer or Military vet. Going to school is useless unless you meet that criteria first.
It's stupidly competitive for as shitty as the pay is. I'm an Ohio state park ranger and I only got the job because the director of our park is a drinking buddy with my stepdad.
40% of my day is trying to catch gay men in the woods banging so I can arrest them.
>>726050
lolno.
Depends what you mean by "ranger" Common perception is that the park ranger is the ranger of the 1950's who did law enforcement, interpretation, ecology all in one. Since then, the NPS has specialized into divisions. You have interp rangers, LE's, sciences, backcountry, climbing, boat rangers, the list goes on. Furthermore, you have all the other divisions in uniform (trails, maintenance, fire, weeds/revegetation, wildlife, GIS, etc) who generally don't interact with the public...
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Halp.. I have an REI giftcard, coupon, and my REI yearly dividen that all expires soon to spend.. I'm planning another trip to Mt. Whitney and not sure what to spend my $$ on..I have: tent, boots, sleeping bag, a nice backpack, knives, food. What should I buy? Help!
pic related, was taken the last time I was there. This time we are going when there is no snow thankfully..
>>724879
>whitney
i know you said you've been before, but do you already have your permit reserved (i ask because it looks like last time you were outside the high season which changes the game), and are you aware they're doing roadwork on whitney portal road and trailhead parking is fucked? and which route are you taking up whitney, how long will you be taking, and how much $ are we talking about?
>mfw $4.49 dividend because fuck spending oney at reiComment too long. Click here to view the full text.
>>724879
Go wild in the Coghlan's section at REI. Maybe a bladder if your pack has space for it. Sawyer mini, etc.
>>724889
Hey, thanks for the reply! Yeah last time we just did a one day hike. This time we are going to stay at one of the camps over night making it a two day one night trip. Around $150 to $200, I don't mind spending a little over from my own pocket too. We aren't taking the mountaineers route, just the normal one.
We were so ill prepared the first time.. No picks or anything. 5ft of snow at one point, maybe more. Looking back at it, mistakes were made.
>>724897
Solid...
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My main /out/doors knife is this (not my pic tho). It's a damn fine blade. It takes an edge well and holds it well. I refinished the blade with a mustard patina but the handle comes unfinished (like all Condor products). I bought 220 grit sandpaper & boiled linseed oil last night. I sanded the handle and applied a light coating of the oil to it and I plan to apply more light coatings every 24 hrs for the next week and finish up with a beeswax finish. I've heard that "Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, and once a year for...
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you probably only need to oil it a couple of times and then just wax it and oil it occassionally. it should be fine honestly. you don't want a hard setting finish like varnish because that will give you blisters and you will loose grip
>>724427
Your plan should work great, I find tung oil to be an easier solution though.
What /out/ book would you recommend?
>>724347
Been thinking of picking up Endurace, is it any good?
>>724414
I'd like to know this as well
Scott and Amundsen: Duel in the Ice. Great book.
I'm looking for a machete that can take a beating. The CRKT Mah-Chete both looks good and have a 4.5mm thick blade, and a good price point at $65. Do anyone have experience with it?
They are absolutely useless unless you camp in a location with lots of thick bush and wrist or less thickness saplings. A small axe is superior in every aspect.
Also, CRKT makes shitty tools.
>>723241
Two questions.
are you looking to chop wood 3inches wide or smaller?
>parang.
Machetespecialist [I've ordered through them, they are legit, even though the website screams "GONNA STEAL YOUR CREDIT CARD"] has condors 11 inch eco parang. I'm gonna buy one here soon. but it would be interesting to see someone else on here get one and let me know how it acts/feels.
or
Are you looking to chop grasses/palm fronds?
[a real machete]
>>723251
I would also like to throw in a little rant. WTF amazon, why is it now free shipping with 49 dollars or more? instead of 35? How the fuck they go from 35 to 49?
I live in a built up urban environment, with a largish forest with lots of tracks going through it near by.
I've found a few spots that are have no line of sight from tracks due to curve of terrain.
I'd like to setup a stealth camp in the forest for the occasional solo overnight getaway.
It will have to be stealth as no camping is allowed in there. And for my personal security.
I can just setup a ground sheet, small camo tent/fly, with sleeping mat and sleeping bag and I'm done.
However I snore pretty loud, so that might give me...
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>>722328
Why do you think this is a good idea? If camping isn't allowed, the first person that finds you is going to have something to say about it. I have camped in places I probably shouldn't have, for a night at a time and never returned to the same spot. Moving a few yards off trail in an urban environment will not keep you undiscovered for long no matter how high in a tree you are. If snoring is enough to give you away, a tent or tree house certainly will regardless.
3/10 for getting me to reply.
>>722334
Thanks for the effort of replying anon.
Your thoughts HAVE triggered an idea. What if I created a small shelter out of the plentiful supply of fallen branches and tree's, and lined it with MLV for sound proofing ?
>>722342
I honestly think your only way to avoid detection without digging an underground bunker is to blend in to the landscape. You can build a lean to with deadfall but it won't blend in year round and if camping isn't allowed, I doubt cutting foliage is either. This could get you in significantly more trouble if caught depending on where you live.
Why not just find a place close to where you live where you can camp?
>he kills animals for sport
Killing deer is good for all other animals in an ecosystem, except predators
Stupid troll
>>720821
>killing bucks and mounting their heads up a wall does deer a favour
>hunters actually believe this
>>720828
>implying everything else was wasted
what's the best thing you've ever cooked/eaten while /out/?
also please share any relatively simple recipe ideas
deer sandwich
Heart of the elk.
Most of the time when out I make what I usually eat day to day for a meal; Oats for breaky with some fruit, coffee. For dinners and lunches I do some sort of protein, a carb, and a veg. I cook the same sort of things while out its just a little more difficult. Once you get into dehydrating your own shit you'll never go back to anything else.
Fav meal that I can remember was a pair of ruffed grouse I shot in the fall plucked and slowly cooked in a dutch oven in the coals of a fire with red peppers, zucchini, and rice. Seasoned the birds with salt and pep and threw...
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Alright the last knife general thread stopped bumping.
Post your knives and knife questions here!
Does anyone still own Kershaw Leeks? That used to be a really popular knife 10 years ago but I never hear anyone mention them anymore.
When you guys go /out/ for more than a weekend or so, do you bring a sharpening stone?
>>715118
think theyre still pretty popular. its just that most people prefer fixed blades when /out/, and for good reasons.
hey /out/, my main bag is finally falling apart after to be honest moderate use. Everything about its size and design was perfect but it was made like shit so now I'm in the market for a new bag. What do you guys recommend? I'm looking for a big bag for camping trips and a small one for just day hiking trips. Preferably they have molle so I can attach shit to them.
Otherwise backpack general
Karrimor SF Sabre 60-100 would be expensive but very high quality. It can be a 60l bag or unzipped for a 100l bag for your camping trips. They also come (sold separately) with side pouches that are 12.5l each. These are the bags that the British Special Forces use and I love my 45l Sabre.
>>709071
Jesus fuck, I wish people would check the catalog before making duplicate threads.
>>709092
I swear I checked it on my computer and I didn't see shit. Then when I was browsing on my phone 10 min later I saw the like 10 other threads then I felt like an asshole
Patrol Box Thread
With the warmer weather rolling in, many are thinking about going /out/doors and I thought it might be a good idea to do a patrol box thread, as there’s still plenty of time to build one before the season starts.
A patrol box (or camp kitchen) is a Boy Scout term for a free-standing wooden (though some are metal) box with removable legs that has shelves and bins inside for conveniently storing cooking and camping gear, and which also acts as a counter top or table for preparing meals or simply someplace to put your stuff.
A patrol box is also useful in the off-season for storing your outdoors gear.
>>707335
>>707337
>>707342
What kind of cactus is this?
Looks like an Opuntia and yes the pads are edible.
Google nopales recipes.
>>727892
You can eat the fruit and the pads but instead of eating the pad I recommend carefully splitting it and fucking it. The slick slimy feeling on your dick is amazing and if you don't blow inside they last for about a week.
>>727916
This is the guy you hate to meet on the trail...
Why is there no questions general ?
If I put a space blanket on top of my sleeping bag, does it make it significantly warmer?
>>726997
Youre better off putting it under you. Or wrapping yourself into it, like a space borrito.
>>726997
>Why is there no questions general?
We haven't really needed one for a while.
Hope I helped!
Ive hiked maybe 50 miles in my life and only car camped. Is my body ready for the appalachian trail?