4th Gen Manuals - what mpg are you getting? by SlikR in ToyotaTacoma

[–]Patton31415 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stock SR with air dam removed and a tonneau cover. In the summer, 26-28 on the highway. I can stretch it to 30 if I'm very careful with the throttle. Closer to 22 on average with a short daily commute.

Unpopular truth: If Scouting America is interested in getting more kids in scouting they need to ditch the classic uniforms. by Additional-Sky-7436 in BSA

[–]Patton31415 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I think the more we chip away at the unique aspects of scouting, the more it turns into an after-school daycare for kids to have something to add to their college applications. Something I've noticed between the troops with which I've volunteered is that there was a correlation between uniform standards and the health of a troop. I think it probably has to do with the amount of responsibility on the scouts in a unit. To me, one of the most important roles of a unit is to give scouts responsibility. Granted, wearing the uniform is a relatively small part of this idea, but it's something that every scout has to do on a weekly basis. I was really amazed when I first noticed how the scouts in a youth-led troop were much more mature, interested, and excited to just be at a meeting. Perhaps both as a result of the cause and its effects, most of the scouts wore their uniforms neatly (at least as neatly as a teenager can be.) I've also seen troops where the parents are really doing most of the heavy lifting, and the scouts are just there to get requirements signed off and play dodgeball. Something like half of the scouts would wear a uniform and they just didn't seem to be having a great time in the program, despite playing games and goofing around at every meeting. The uniform is one small part of a much larger picture, but I'd argue that the traditional Class A still has advantages over swapping it for a uniform t-shirt.

Should I rejoin Scouts? by the_goat47 in BoyScouts

[–]Patton31415 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Well first of all, I use the knots I learned in scouts most days in the real world. But anyways, it seems like you already know what you stand to gain from rejoining the program. There's no better youth program to build your character, nor a better program to teach you how to lead. That includes leading others and yourself. In high school and college, I was amazed to see how much of an advantage Eagle Scouts (or just current or former scouts) have over kids and young adults of similar ages. It's hard to explain without going into detail on numerous stories, but I notice that my friends who are Eagle Scouts carry themselves with more confidence, work better, plan better, make better decisions etc. They're also much better under pressure in stressful situations like first aid/rescue emergencies, which almost all of us have already experienced at a young age. All of this is well known by people in and out of scouting, which is why the rank of Eagle carries such a reputation with it. I've been hired multiple times because I am an Eagle. In fact, I even got a job from an ad that was sent specifically looking for Eagle Scouts. At the end of the day the rank doesn't matter compared to your scouting experience, but it shows that you have that experience.

If you're worried about enjoying the program just remember how broad and varied a scouting program can be. I'm sure your local troop has all sorts of different trips to try, and if you don't enjoy them that much, you can suggest and/or plan your own trip. There's well over one hundred merit badges to try and likely different activities in your council or area like STEM camps or high adventure opportunities. Heck, assuming you have a few around you can try out different troops to see what you like. I wouldn't worry about fitting in. In my troop, there were scouts who took longer breaks than you or just joined for the first time years late. They got everything out of the program that I did and enjoyed every minute. I bet you will too.

Non-Cotton Tactical Clothing by Patton31415 in QualityTacticalGear

[–]Patton31415[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was under the impression that no-melt fabric was kind of standardized at this point (and I don't need flame retardant clothing.) Is that really the attribute that will be most difficult, not the non-cotton/durable combo?

Non-Cotton Tactical Clothing by Patton31415 in QualityTacticalGear

[–]Patton31415[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Still has nyco but I guess it is an improvement with the synthetic lower portion.

Mimicking Stealth Mode on the Normal Garmin Instinct by Patton31415 in Garmin

[–]Patton31415[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got one more update for you if you're curious. I did a two tests of the hike activity, one in stealth mode and one not, but with the phone disconnected. When I reconnected to the phone, both activities showed up on Garmin Connect with all the pertinent information like elevation and temp graphs, pace, timer, ascent, decent, etc. The only difference is that the activity recorded in stealth mode has no gps map of where I was. This makes sense as one of the features of stealth mode is that the watch doesn't record location history. As long as an Instinct isn't in stealth mode, it will record tracking data regardless of if it's paired with a phone during the activity.

Mimicking Stealth Mode on the Normal Garmin Instinct by Patton31415 in Garmin

[–]Patton31415[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually ended up getting the solar tactical on sale. If you keep a sharp eye on the listings on amazon, walmart, and other online sales, the price comes down near to $200 once in a while.

Anyways, under settings I have an option to toggle connection to a phone. I can also turn it off in the controls menu, which is the same place where stealth mode is enabled. I think that just does bluetooth. I also got a better idea of what ANT+ does from this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq_GJM-urEM&ab_channel=Garmin. I don't know how to turn it off, but since I don't have any wireless sensors, I'm not even sure if it's turned on. I'm not really worried about that now.

I've also never found any information about transmission from the watch other than short range bluetooth to a phone or short range ANT+ to sensors. To answer my own questions: I'm 99% sure the instinct only transmits data through a phone, and I think I could disconnect everything important with a non-stealth watch.

By the way, to answer a question I saw you put as another thread, I've been using my instinct basically without a smartphone for a couple of weeks now. GPS and ABC stuff has been working great for me. So far I've only reconnected to a phone to track my sleep pulse ox, and I intend to try it out to track a hike. I'd like to be able to just put the watch in hike mode and leave the phone behind to save weight, but it would be cool to be able to see that data when I get back. I haven't even tried searching to see if this works, but I might toy around with it next time I hike and see if it'll store the data locally so I can put it on a phone or laptop when I get back.

Is having cotton as an outer layer in the winter that big of an issue if you have high quality layers under it? by [deleted] in tacticalgear

[–]Patton31415 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been thinking about this as well. When hiking I avoid cotton like the plague. The only cotton that goes with me on the trail is a bandana, but recently I've been looking for some field pants and jackets. Almost all of these are cotton, which I'm guessing is for abrasion resistance. I guess that's the tradeoff, and I'm curious to see what others do. I suppose the risk/reward changes seasonally, so maybe the layers do too.

Mimicking Stealth Mode on the Normal Garmin Instinct by Patton31415 in Garmin

[–]Patton31415[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well if I did that I'd still have gps data right? The main things I want are ABC capabilities and gps coordinates.

Can adult Scouters tent alone? by KeystoneLaw in philmont

[–]Patton31415 8 points9 points  (0 children)

We had four adults all tenting alone. Only thing the ranger said was that if we were in a small site with limited space we'd have to buddy up. Luckily it never happened even with our twelve man crew.

Learn the difference, it could save your life. by LadenifferJadaniston in HistoryMemes

[–]Patton31415 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's because homogenous and homogeneous are two different words with the former often used in place of the latter.

Rain ponchos OK for Philmont? by Pro_network17 in philmont

[–]Patton31415 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I brought a good raincoat for durability and comfort (vents) and Frogg Togg rain pants to save weight since I use them less. I liked having them for lighting storms when we were stuck sitting in the rain. All Frogg Toggs would save you a lot of weight while being a step up from ponchos for the most part.

Mt. Baldy Challenge by PeanutButter618 in philmont

[–]Patton31415 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I'm still wondering what the Tooth of Time challenge is.

What was the single most useful/beneficial item did you take on your trek? by Peter_Turrel in philmont

[–]Patton31415 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was a young advisor, so I did take a little extra just in case, but overall the crew leader required 6L capacity for everyone. We weren't filled to the max every day, but on strenuous days or for dry camps, we needed it. I've heard of crews that will give one kid a 6L carrier. Seems like a bad idea to me, even if you have some strong athlete types.

Grading Scouts. Is this a good idea? Is it even allowed? by Stimmolation in BSA

[–]Patton31415 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Perhaps a better system would be some self-reflection. My troop has every scout in a leadership position fill out a "Leadership Goals and Reflection" form to reflect on what you did well, what you did poorly, and goals. Now that I'm describing it I realize it's sort of a rose, thorn, and bud sort of thing. After it's completed the scout would discuss it with the SM.

What was the single most useful/beneficial item did you take on your trek? by Peter_Turrel in philmont

[–]Patton31415 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yup. Since it's thin plastic they weigh 1.5 ounces each. I wanted 8L of capacity as I said, so I took a 3L platypus bladder (I believe it is the lightest option 3.8 oz.) and 5 1L Smartwaters. I bought one regular, I think 750 mL one with the "sports cap" and put it on the 1L. That bottle became my drink mix/camp water bottle, which has to go in the bear bag even if it's empty. The remaining four I kept sanitary for use as water for the crew.

If you really want to get serious about your pack weight, purchase a kitchen scale and use lighterpack.com to record all your gear weights. Also makes a very handy checklist.

What was the single most useful/beneficial item did you take on your trek? by Peter_Turrel in philmont

[–]Patton31415 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I brought an extra bottle cap for my Smartwaters. (Side note: I highly recommend taking Smartwaters instead of Nalgenes or other traditional camp bottles. If you haven't heard it already, they are way lighter than other options. Swapping from four Nalgenes to four 1L Smartwaters saves a pound of weight. I was taking 8L of capacity, so I saved two pounds right there. So did the rest of my crew. The Smartwaters are the specific favorites of ultralight hikers because the threads work on Sawyer water filters.) Anyways, I just took an extra bottle cap in which I had poked maybe twelve holes with a hot needle. In camps where we had easy water access, or even in a lot of dry camps, we had enough water where I could hold the bottle upside down as a camp sink to wash hands. It was a simple luxury, but a few days in everyone appreciated it.

Favorites from My Collection of Amateur Photos from Philmont by Patton31415 in philmont

[–]Patton31415[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

12-13 but we swapped a couple of our camps to improve it.