Five Life Skills for BackCountry Enjoyment

Written by Chuck Fitzgerald


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To start a fire, only two things are needed—heat and fuel. Whenever you visitrepparttar backcountry, always be sure to carry both heat and fuel. Heat is easiest to carry inrepparttar 133221 form of waterproof matches or a weather proof lighter. Fuel is tougher to carry although starter fuel such as lint and mineral oil shouldn’t be too difficult to carry. Nature provides an abundance of fuel if you know what you’re looking for. Whether rubbing sticks together (yuck) or using waterproof matches (yea), be sure you know how to start a fire before you start your journey. There are many ways to start a fire and you should find at least three of them that work for you. You can find lots on-line regarding this life skill.

The most enjoyable way to experience our backcountry isrepparttar 133222 “low impact” way. You’ve most likely heardrepparttar 133223 phrase “leave only footprints, take only pictures.” If we take good care of our wilderness areas, not only will we be able to enjoy them our entire lives but our descendants will haverepparttar 133224 opportunity to enjoy them too. There are many organizations actively educating outdoor enthusiasts as torepparttar 133225 best way to “low impact” recreate. Two very popular organizations are Tread Lightly! and Leave No Trace.

Knowing these five life skills will provide you withrepparttar 133226 confidence to fully enjoy your time inrepparttar 133227 backcountry. Once you’ve mastered these skills be sure to pass them on to your friends and family. Get Outdoors!

Chuck Fitzgerald is Owner and President of Phoenix, Arizona based BackCountry Toys, an online store providing backcountry specialty gear and educational information to outdoor enthusiasts. Visit www.BackCountryToys.com to receive the free newsletter "FreshAir” or call (800) 316-9055.


What To Know When Buying Binoculars

Written by Chuck Fitzgerald


Continued from page 1

* While compact binoculars weigh as little as a pound, by using them you will undoubtedly sacrifice performance. If performance is your main consideration, full sized binoculars are preferred. Anything weighing over about 1.5 pounds will get heavy fairly fast. Use a binocular support system to evenly distributerepparttar weight across your shoulders instead of using a strap around your neck. * The amount of light available while using your binoculars will determine –more than any other consideration – which binoculars are best for you. Low light uses such as hunting, birding and astronomy require larger objective lenses. * The distance you will be fromrepparttar 133220 object you view will determinerepparttar 133221 magnification power required in a pair of binoculars. If your application is bird watching, theater or sporting events, a low powered binocular will suffice in most cases. But if you're into astronomy, you'll need a high powered pair. * The minimum focal point in binocular terminology refers to how near an object can be to you and be still be viewed in focus. This tends to be important for birding but not so important for most other uses. * Binoculars with a magnification power greater than 10x (and without a stability feature) will be difficult to hold steady. This becomes important when viewingrepparttar 133222 night sky or distant mountains. A tripod may be a good thing to have if you’re using binoculars with high magnification. * Using your binoculars outdoors will usually subject them to moisture. Waterproof binoculars are preferred for all marine, hunting, birding and other nature related activities. * The greaterrepparttar 133223 magnification,repparttar 133224 narrowerrepparttar 133225 field-of-view. If field-of-view is important to you, don't purchaserepparttar 133226 most powerful binoculars you can find. This becomes very important when viewing objects that move quickly such as antelope, race horses, shooting stars or race cars. * As with almost everything else in life, with binoculars you get what you pay for. There are binoculars that cost under $10 and others which cost in excess of $2,500. My experience says you will need to spend at least $250 for a pair of binoculars worth having. * There is no such thing as “one-size-fits-all” when it comes to sporting optics. If you have multiple uses for binoculars, you will most likely end up with multiple pairs of them – and that’s O.K.

Your understanding of these few simple tips will not only help you in acquiringrepparttar 133227 correct binoculars for your application, but they will also help you with successful viewing – no matter what you’re looking at. Use this information and you’ll Get It Right The First Time. Get Outdoors!

Chuck Fitzgerald is Owner and President of Phoenix, Arizona based BackCountry Toys, an online store providing backcountry specialty gear and educational information to outdoor enthusiasts. Visit www.BackCountryToys.com to receive the free newsletter "FreshAir” or call (800) 316-9055.


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