mk
Trail Wise!
North Texas
Posts: 1,217
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Post by mk on Sept 13, 2016 6:59:16 GMT -8
280 million year old salt. Expires in 3 years. I love this. The ones I use have expiration dates on them now. Generally it's about 2 years out, but it's usually gone by then.
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mk
Trail Wise!
North Texas
Posts: 1,217
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Post by mk on Sept 13, 2016 7:00:24 GMT -8
Reese's pieces in the trail mix don't last long. Neither does the dried pineapple.
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Sept 13, 2016 7:26:45 GMT -8
Seems like every time I am packing for a trip, I check my first aid kit and something is expiring or near its date. That's something I usually forget to check. The frustrating thing is the need for better labeling. When are dates a "better throw it out" marker and when are they "best by"? I eat lots of food that's gone beyond the sell-by date, since that is obviously not the date on which it goes bad. But I know less about decongestants and anti-diarrheal meds.
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desert dweller
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Power to the Peaceful...Hate does not create.
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Post by desert dweller on Sept 13, 2016 7:29:57 GMT -8
Hiking partners.
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daveb
Trail Wise!
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Post by daveb on Sept 13, 2016 9:38:18 GMT -8
Reese's pieces in the trail mix don't last long. Neither does the dried pineapple. We bought $40 worth of stuff for trail mix including the dried pineapples with cinnamon my girlfriend made for our trip. Unfortunately we left it out on the counter instead of putting it in our bear canisters and have just about eaten half of it. ...back to the store.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2016 10:10:30 GMT -8
Handi-wipes
and peanut M&M's.
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Post by CompassRds on Sept 13, 2016 12:32:53 GMT -8
When are dates a "better throw it out" marker and when are they "best by"? Tried to post something layman-ee long-form about meds. Didn't like how it turned out. Dumped it, but due to background felt irresponsible for not at least posting something... So let's see if I can do a short form without coming off wrong.
Med dates are tough. There are a lot of reasons pills can loose efficacy or ways sterile supplies can be compromised. Most due to improper handling/storage.
How likely is it that many common meds/supplies in a first aid kit will actually be bad by their date? If carefully handled, stored, etc., not very likely.
How many of us drag a poorly-sealed first-aid kit in a sometimes sweaty-pack for miles in all weather, dust and mud, heat and cold without giving it a second thought? Likely, most of us.
That said even a non-sterile pad or compromised salve is less likely to do damage than an improperly cleaned wound and most of us are hopefully not out long enough or far enough for it to matter. Those that are I'm pretty sure know the warning signs of spreading/dangerous infections.
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davesenesac
Trail Wise!
Our precious life is short within eternity, don't waste it!
Posts: 1,710
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Post by davesenesac on Sept 13, 2016 13:59:01 GMT -8
Well obviously lots of food items don't keep very long so will leave that alone. Many things don't LAST very long ie stove fuel contents rather than KEEP that is more about wearing out, breaking, or aging. For example battery charges don't LAST very long. All mine are rechargeable. Like I take along 15 spare NP-FW50 lithium batteries for my A6000 camera on week long trips. And a few small things become LOST so need regular replacement. I've done 4 backpacking trips this summer and over 4+ decades have averaged more than that much per year, so my gear is heavily used.
KEEP: Use those cheap blue plastic poly tarps as an under tent ground sheet. After a few trips they are likely to suffer from pin hole punctures so are tossed.
KEEP: My cheap $5 knee pads. Wear them about 95% of the time backpacking and photography day hiking trips. The rubber foam micro air compartments collapse from too much praying leaving compressed rubber.
KEEP: Am getting old and have presbyopia so reading glasses are conveniently scattered all over my world. Eventually they become scratched or worse the frames get mangled or the temple arms break off or with metal rim, the glass pops out. During trips duct tape and a bit of wire can repair but afterwards are tossed.
KEEP: Moleskin. A few weeks ago on a week long backpack was surprised to find a spot on the side of my heal had gotten red and would soon blister! I rarely get foot blisters so my moleskin supply had aged. Well into my pack medical Ziploc, I pull out the 2 moleskin patches and when I pull off the backing film, it comes off way way too quickly? Because the adhesive had mostly dried years ago. Was totally useless not being able to stick to my skin. Lesson learned. As a backup, folded a section of Kleenix tissue placed in the middle of a piece of 2 inch wide Gorilla tape. That readily stuck to my skin but days later needed alcohol to remove the sticky residual adhesive stuck on my skin. I wrap a fat length of 2 inch wide industrial grade duct (or Gorilla) tape onto a tripod leg, a most important creative resource.
KEEP: Topographic maps. Am continually folding, opening up, and stuffing them into coat pockets, and day packs. In evenings they are much handled planning the next exciting day's adventures. After a few trips the crease lines become unreadable. I tape some of the tears but eventually they add to my tattered map heap.
LAST: I usually bring 2 or 3 Bic lighters and fluid levels need to be checked against a lamp.
LAST: Will bring one of the small travel tube sizes of toothpaste which I tend to use once a day.
LAST: Also take along a small tube of sunscreen that I only tend to use on my face and does not last but a few trips.
LAST: On backpacking trips I tend to bring several Kleenix mini tissue packs spread about my gear areas. I'm one to suffer capillary nose bleeds at altitude thus go through them quickly. One pack is always in a pocket, while another will be in my daypack and a few in reserve in my backpack top lid.
LAST: I'm one that uses a lot of salt on food. From way back in the film camera era, I still have those plastic Kodak film canisters and put salt in a canister that I have to top out filling for each trip.
LOST: A few aluminum tent pegs seem to come up missing each summer and need to be replaced. My UL1 takes 9 pegs to set up for rainy conditions. Obviously when breaking camp some become covered beneath the dirt and tree debris where we all tent.
LOST: Plastic spoons. In this era I tend to take 2. Do critters carry them away?
LOST: Or rather stolen would be a small piece of teflon safe kitchen sponge for pot and utensil cleaning. Because of food smells, critters sometimes drag them away.
LOST: The plastic black comb that goes in my back Levi 501 blue jean pocket. Stuff in pockets without zippers sometimes jump out escaping into freedom.
David www.davidsenesac.com/2016_Trip_Chronicles/2016_Trip-Chronicles-0.html
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mk
Trail Wise!
North Texas
Posts: 1,217
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Post by mk on Sept 13, 2016 18:07:24 GMT -8
have just about eaten half of it. ...back to the store. The first two bags of Reese's pieces didn't make it into the trail mix for this reason. Now I don't buy and make it ahead -- I wait until the last minute.
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Post by cweston on Sept 13, 2016 19:08:01 GMT -8
KEEP: Topographic maps. Am continually folding, opening up, and stuffing them into coat pockets, and day packs. In evenings they are much handled planning the next exciting day's adventures. After a few trips the crease lines become unreadable. I tape some of the tears but eventually they add to my tattered map heap
I really like mytopo.com for printed maps. You can custom select the area of the map, and get it printed on waterproof, durable, plasticized paper. It's an especially good choice for areas you expect to return to multiple times.
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rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Sept 13, 2016 19:31:00 GMT -8
Moleskin. A few weeks ago on a week long backpack was surprised to find a spot on the side of my heal had gotten red and would soon blister! I rarely get foot blisters so my moleskin supply had aged. Well into my pack medical Ziploc, I pull out the 2 moleskin patches and when I pull off the backing film, it comes off way way too quickly? Because the adhesive had mostly dried years ago. Was totally useless not being able to stick to my skin. I discovered this recently, as well. I've stopped carrying so much of the stuff.
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FamilySherpa
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Tangled up in Rhododendron
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Post by FamilySherpa on Sept 14, 2016 4:48:18 GMT -8
Seems like every time I am packing for a trip, I check my first aid kit and something is expiring or near its date. That's something I usually forget to check. The frustrating thing is the need for better labeling. When are dates a "better throw it out" marker and when are they "best by"? I eat lots of food that's gone beyond the sell-by date, since that is obviously not the date on which it goes bad. But I know less about decongestants and anti-diarrheal meds. Any sort of pills, I usually err on the side of caution. If its near its date, I throw it out. I did get stung by a bee once and took some past date benadryl, which seemed to work fine. The things that always make me wonder are topical treatments, such as antibiotic ointment and cortisone creme. Do those really go bad?
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tigger
Trail Wise!
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Post by tigger on Sept 14, 2016 6:16:05 GMT -8
How many of us drag a poorly-sealed first-aid kit in a sometimes sweaty-pack for miles in all weather, dust and mud, heat and cold without giving it a second thought? Likely, most of us. I learned a few years back to keep my Firstaid kit in a gallon ziplock (the required size for mine). I still keep it in the original red marked case so it's obvious what it is.
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Post by CompassRds on Sept 14, 2016 9:11:23 GMT -8
I learned a few years back to keep my Firstaid kit in a gallon ziplock (the required size for mine). Mine too. Then again I can be accident-prone. ;-) (edit: Not to imply you are as well. My kit multiplies when I plan to go off-trail.)
(edit:) Keep posting and unposting this as I worry it might make me look like a survivalist/nut but my base kit includes 2-5x9 larger traumas and 6- 4x4's that I have vac-sealed just in case, 'cause I want the best chances of anything that I might be stuffing in/around a deep cut is as sterile as I can get. Other than that I also have secondary ziplock in the big one with a couple more 4x4's and a roll of med gauze, small scissors (.5 oz), and a roll 3M-Transpore tape, (the best I have found for handling my sweat). For wound cleaning I pack a 3oz bottle of alcohol. Rounding out I have 2 small 1/2 oz tubes of neosporin ointment, in case I contaminate one. Pills are only ibuprofen and salt at this point but they are also in their own baggy.
I'm sure some oz-counters will scoff, but I have taken enough spills in wet conditions, stepped in enough holes, and generally run into sharps bushwaking (or otherwise have come out having used some of the kit) to not it pack bigger.
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rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Sept 14, 2016 9:51:28 GMT -8
Not only the FAK in a ziplock, but there are internal zip-locks to keep pills and bandaids separate, etc.
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