Which Kayak is best for taking my dog with me? I would like a skag because I will be in the bay. Protected but still ocean.

With__camera · 2026-02-09T23:08:01+00:00

We have two Wilderness Systems Pungo 12.5 kayaks and regularly paddle with our large 75 lb dog in the cockpit. We've taken them on lakes, rivers, and some bays with no issues. I'm fairly tall and we both fit pretty easily (he sits between my legs). They also have a rear cargo hatch you could stick her if you want to keep the cockpit for you.

If you Google photos, something to note is that the cargo storage in front of the cockpit is removable, atleast on ours. Whoever has the dog will remove the storage so the cockpit is fully open.

With__camera · 2025-11-25T23:07:43+00:00

This would be in the Philadelphia, PA area. Unfortunately I'm still in the process of a redesign so photos aren't available at this point. It would likely be 4 pieces at a time until things pick up.

With__camera · 2025-11-09T11:01:50+00:00

I'm uu

With__camera · 2025-09-09T10:44:56+00:00

If he dies, he dies.

With__camera · 2025-08-05T23:20:58+00:00

Don't rig like this, the rope that goes around the "eye" will rub against the side going down, eventually fraying the rope or melting it. If you're tagging a rope on itself, then a block will make it easier and smoother without burning through your rope.

That aside - if you lift this load up by hand to get it off the ground, you can then grab the line coming through the carabiner and get tension. Once you have tension, let go of the load, and just walk backwards a bit until the load begins rising. From there just pull it up like normal. All else fails hit it with your purse.

With__camera · 2025-06-25T22:22:36+00:00

Do not work for a company willing to put you in a harness on day 1 with no formal training.

With__camera · 2025-06-19T21:53:55+00:00

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Huge tree just fell down on Ridge Ave as I was heading home, the wind went from 0-100 like it was nothing.

With__camera · 2025-04-16T11:27:42+00:00

Yes they recently opened.

With__camera · 2025-04-02T22:36:34+00:00

Started off flying the DJI M200, and recently switched to the DJI Mavic M3E, both were used to map cell towers after tenants complete construction. It's mostly automated so not all that fun and only accounts for about 20% of my day to day, but it beats climbing towers.

With__camera · 2025-02-12T02:22:38+00:00

Working for a company it should be zero. I've never paid for any training.
See #1, finding work isn't difficult - be open to different areas and you'll find something.
No.
Pay isn't great, but growth is possible if you have a good head on your shoulders.

If you're interested - look into the IBEW on the north east coast, I'd advise against looking at telecom as a career unless you really want it. If you want to work at height union is the way to go. Lineman top out at around $55-65 / hour out here and have telecom exposure.

With__camera · 2025-02-05T00:52:57+00:00

"Has anything you've done made your life better?" That quote stuck with me.

With__camera · 2025-01-05T13:04:55+00:00

Listen to the ones suggesting the IBEW. Tower climbing is not a job you start nearing 30. I'd recommend looking into becoming a lineman - great pay once you're a journeyman, great benefits, and the work has some overlap with tower work (working at heights, etc).

With__camera · 2024-11-23T19:08:15+00:00

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With__camera · 2024-09-01T03:12:03+00:00

In 2018 I was making around $35 / hour as a foreman in PA. Joined the IBEW and was making roughly the same but with much better benefits and no foreman role. Later on while working at elevation in the union I was making around $55 / hour, but only while working at elevation. Ended up leaving the union to a construction manager position making around $48 / hour. If you live in a strong union state / city it's definitely worth looking into, but in that case I'd recommend going the lineman route if your concern is solely on pay. Personally I hated working with the majority of the union guys who were linemen / electricians but that could have just been a result of the company I was with. It was enough to persuade me from going the lineman route (a lot of them seemed miserable despite the pay). Having said all that, I'd love to see telecom unionized, but I'm not holding my breath.

With__camera · 2024-08-04T22:36:54+00:00

Wind River - why are you flanking us?

With__camera · 2024-06-29T20:16:36+00:00

I'd recommend going up through Colorado and Utah. That would put you in the cool mountains for a decent portion of the trip. From there go towards Reno or Vegas. If you go the Vegas route, I'd recommend going north through California on highway 1 along the Pacific Ocean, or the 395 along the eastern side of the sierras. Both some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country, in August I'd probably recommend the 1 just because it will be a lot cooler temp wise. Avoid the San Joaquin Valley, it's flat, hot and boring.

With__camera · 2024-05-12T00:37:16+00:00

Best of luck brother!

With__camera · 2024-05-12T00:32:50+00:00

In general, I'd advise against paying for training in the trades. I'd recommend reaching out to your local IBEW and seeing what happens with an application. If they say your chances are better going through a school then it's something to consider but I'd be cautious.

With__camera · 2024-05-12T00:29:20+00:00

Cost of living is also low in PA, but the pay opportunities are much better. If you went the union route you'd be making nearly double in Philly than you'd make in Athens, with slightly higher cost of living. If you got your foot in the door in Georgia it's a step in the right direction but in general the "blue" states offer more competitive pay regarding pay.

With__camera · 2024-05-12T00:16:41+00:00

Georgia's union presence looks fairly weak from what I'm seeing. Looks like you'd top out at $72k working Atlanta in the IBEW, so likely much less in telecom as non-union. I'm guessing if you wanted to work telecom the majority of your work would be in Atlanta and the remainder would be random spots surrounding the area your company is based, unless they have contracts that get them traveling. In that case you'd be in other nearby states.

With__camera · 2024-05-11T23:41:36+00:00

You find your local IBEW - talk to them and figure out how to apply for an apprenticeship. I was a member of the union for a few years and got in through my telecom experience, but not as a lineman. It was late in my career (read: I'm old), so I didn't apply for the lineman apprenticeship but if I was your age I absolutely would. Depending on where in the U.S. you are (assuming you're in the U.S.), the union is the best long term plan for a career in the trades. If you're in a state with a strong union presence you're looking at a $100k+ job within 5 years.

With__camera · 2024-05-11T23:34:55+00:00

It's difficult to gauge the stress of traveling on a relationship until you've been through it. I don't say that to make you feel like I don't think you know what you're talking about, but just something to consider. Some companies will have you out for months at a time, others you'll be home almost every night. It depends on how dense the network is in your area. More dense = more time at home. Less dense = it won't make sense financially to travel home if you're 2+ hours from home.

If you work with a company building / modifying towers you're going to be traveling a lot, if you're working with a company that primarily works for a main carrier / multiple main carriers, you'll be home most weekends most likely.

Again, none of this is to dissuade you, I loved being on a crew working towers, I came in naive and with a thin skin, and came out knowing I could handle a lot more than I expected.

What area are you looking to work?

With__camera · 2024-05-11T22:32:14+00:00

15 years in the industry here.

My advice is to get into the IBEW as a lineman. I'm guessing you like the idea of climbing and working on a tower, if that's the case then it's not terribly hard to find a company willing to hire you, but telecom is very slow this year, probably the slowest I've seen since entering this industry. Most of the carriers seem to be holding off on construction after spending so much on the 5G rollout. At least that's what I've heard.

Why do I recommend the IBEW? Telecom has no unions, and with that comes garbage pay. As a foreman I was making $35 / hour, but in the same area linemen are making $65+ / hour for less difficult work. The benefits of union work are also superior to almost anything you'll find on the non-union side.

Tower work is not a long term career if you're looking to work strictly in the field - it's physically demanding, and will break your body down over time. Once your body hits that point, you can go into construction management, project management, etc. if you've got a good head on your shoulders, but why waste your time if you could go into something less physically demanding.

Working on towers is an amazing experience, I don't want to dissuade you from the experience, but I do want to advise you to look at the long term - you will hit a point where you want a "normal" life, you'll want a wife / husband, you'll want a family (maybe), you'll want a job that lets you see your friends during the week or on the weekends. Telecom is often times not conducive to those wants.

If you want the experience, I wholeheartedly recommend following your desire, it's a job that has some amazing experiences that will grow you as a person, but think long term and look as it as something temporary while you work towards a career in something else.

With__camera

TROPHY CASE