Backcountry gadgets

Most-D

Most-D

Member
Hi NS,

I went touring with some really awesome guys yesterday, and their gadgets were rad. It made me want to know more about what little items really support or increase your enjoyment of slack/side/back country - any suggestions?

In particular, my buddy's compass + declinometer was really neat, as was his small magnifying glass for analyzing snow crystals in a variety of packs. We were on a avalanche safety-specific tour, but despite that, it's amazing how much a tiny piece of kit can improve your hike.

What are your favourite gadgets?
 
13579712:God said:
Not really cool or original but I always carry Binoculars with me when I'm hiking/skinning/whatever , they have come in handy many times
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Do you have those small ones or like full size binos? Either way they can be heavy.
 
I've got the Poleclinometer. It's a super simple concept, just a sticker that wraps around your pole shaft and allows you to approximate slope angle, but that makes it pretty foolproof. Plus it was designed by one of the dudes over on TGR.
 
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As dumb as these things look this was $2 well spent, not sure it qualifies as a gadget though.
 
13582813:TheBigApple said:
I always bring a headlamp. Also what the heck are these?
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SkiGee, you wear it on your thumb and it's a squeegee for your goggles, useful in variable weather conditions when you don't want to take your goggles off to wipe them.
 
My bat and dugout are a pretty sweet set of gadgets. Also a pretty big fan of keeping my brain turned on.
 
Shouldnt everyones favorite BC gagets be the beacon, shovel, probe combo?

I keep my brooks range clinomometer/snow crystal card handy at all times!
 
13581619:Mr.Penguin said:
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As dumb as these things look this was $2 well spent, not sure it qualifies as a gadget though.
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All my friends I skied with at Baker this year carried those...and I quickly learned why. So helpful there.
 
Rutchblock cord and Snow saw.

Besides that I have little wooden sticks to clear snow out from underneath my dynafit toe piece (ice forms under it and you can't get into tour mode). Those have been a big life saver.
 
You can make do with all kinds of things in the backcountry, and many people have different ideas there, but I think the main thing is to be super dialed with the kit you carry.

The new generation of GPS watches are pretty dang rad for tracking vert and location. I back mine up with standard sighting compass that's got an inclinometer, so that's redundancy and the tool I need for pit data.

I've got twenty feet or so of 6mm cord. Easy to use for cutting out ECTs, useful for rigging gear, and it's strong enough to hold body weight.

One of those small, packaged emergency bivis isn't a bad idea. Probably won't need it, but if you do, it could be the difference.

Buff.

Glopstopper. When you need it, you really need it.

Rite in the Rain notebooks. Taking pit data or making observations while its snowing doesn't work with anything else. This one is the best I've seen:http://www.snowpit.com/products/products.htm

First aid kit. Go with your skill level.
 
Nice. Thanks for your post - and I enjoyed exploring your blog and insta. Great to see that you're in Japan; so am I!

Any idea how I can purchase one of these notebooks and have it shipped internationally? Would love to document my tours.

13598709:Literature said:
You can make do with all kinds of things in the backcountry, and many people have different ideas there, but I think the main thing is to be super dialed with the kit you carry.

The new generation of GPS watches are pretty dang rad for tracking vert and location. I back mine up with standard sighting compass that's got an inclinometer, so that's redundancy and the tool I need for pit data.

I've got twenty feet or so of 6mm cord. Easy to use for cutting out ECTs, useful for rigging gear, and it's strong enough to hold body weight.

One of those small, packaged emergency bivis isn't a bad idea. Probably won't need it, but if you do, it could be the difference.

Buff.

Glopstopper. When you need it, you really need it.

Rite in the Rain notebooks. Taking pit data or making observations while its snowing doesn't work with anything else. This one is the best I've seen:http://www.snowpit.com/products/products.htm

First aid kit. Go with your skill level.
Click to expand...
 
13605565:Most-D said:
Nice. Thanks for your post - and I enjoyed exploring your blog and insta. Great to see that you're in Japan; so am I!

Any idea how I can purchase one of these notebooks and have it shipped internationally? Would love to document my tours.
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Thanks for checking out the blog/insta! Glad you liked them.

Just headed home now, actually. Enjoy that pow that showed up just after I left.

I have no idea on the international shipping on those books. They're the shit, but the online sales don't seem to exist. And that web design from 1995 makes all my "oh shit these people just learned about the internet" senses start tingling. I could look into it though, as I want one for myself.
 
Radios are key for quick communication and as a safety backup. Also saves your cell battery to be on airplane mode. Like if you're skiing first and want to tell your buddy to stay to the right of your track, keep their slough skiers left, and maybe hit a chute or air skiers right... are you gonna ring their cell? Not if out of cell service. Shout all that? Prob not.

I'd recommend at least having a pair of cheap walkie talkies. For ~$60 I got a pair of midland 30mi range that give me weather alerts and a SOS siren. To answer OPs question, any gadget that can call for help if you don't have cell service like a decent radio or satellite phone. Over n out
 
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