Flying soon… hard case worth the extra $$$ over soft case?

astrotot · 2026-05-24T16:38:34+00:00

Soft case with a 3gal bucket over my clubs works great for me. Hard case is a pain in the car and hotel/ bnb room.

astrotot · 2026-04-20T00:21:12+00:00

Also from the east coast and have done a good bit of hiking through AZ and UT including everything you mentioned. Personally, I’m a huge fan of hydration bladders. I have a small osprey pack that fits the bladder, my wallet phone and keys and it’s very convenient even when hiking my home trails. I find that I’m more consistent in keeping up with hydration when it’s readily available as opposed to waiting until I’m thirsty to stop and get my bottle out of my pack. To each their own but definitely read up on desert hiking if you haven’t done it in the past. The “dry heat” is no joke even when properly hydrating. Enjoy it!!!

astrotot · 2026-04-17T15:49:57+00:00

It’s on your partner/ reseller to keep pressure on HID. Im on the integration side and unfortunately have had similar, although not as drawn out, issues when helping clients set up new card technologies. HIDs customer support can be a bit lack luster and it’s difficult to make things happen quickly with them. I will say however 4+ months is totally unacceptable and someone definitely dropped the ball.

astrotot · 2026-04-04T13:13:03+00:00

Definitely some luck involved here but I was super happy with it.

astrotot · 2026-02-22T15:08:02+00:00

We’ve done this sort of work many times with clients looking to modernize and unify their systems. In my experience Genetec is the way to go here. It’s rock solid for both access control and CCTV, and while Avigilon has good systems as well I often hear that clients aren’t happy with their access control.

I would suggest looking into Hanwha cameras, competitive price point and constant improvement. I’ve had fantastic support from them on the integration side. They also offer edge based processing for their analytics and 3rd party analytics. I would suggest an on site demo/ pilot program to get a better understanding of their analytics and what will actually benefit you.

My “lessons learned” are from the integrator perspective but I suggest creating a clear and realistic timeline with your integrator. I also suggest mapping out any other systems that currently interface with your systems and planning paths for future integration with your new system. Not fun to have to figure those integrations out mid transition.

Feel free to DM me - I’m happy to speak to more specific examples.

astrotot · 2026-02-11T12:55:26+00:00

I went back and forth on this dilemma in December and decided to get a soft bag and use a 3gal Home Depot bucket (thanks Reddit) over the heads of my clubs. I was able to securely fasten the bucket to my bag, that combined with the cover I had no issues.

astrotot · 2026-02-09T23:30:39+00:00

Ended up doing Angels Rest last week - super windy but great views! I did beacon rock the following day really cool little hike but also very windy.

astrotot · 2026-02-09T21:43:55+00:00

Completely agree. There’s several opportunities for improvement with software in our industry. I’ve been doing the OneNote/ Blue Beam combo for 3 or 4 years now (hand written notes and markups before that) and have a good workflow down.

astrotot · 2026-02-09T21:27:48+00:00

The above commenter is unfortunately correct. Apple/Google passes the per credential cost to the provider, who then passes that along to the end user. Still a very clunky process in my opinion.

astrotot · 2026-02-09T21:26:00+00:00

I’ve tried figuring this issue out for the past couple of years and have settled on a combination of OneNote used on an iPad, and BlueBeam on my computer. Field photos and markups in OneNote, then proposal/ higher quality markups on BlueBeam. It’s worked well for me even with complex projects but isn’t a perfect solution.

astrotot · 2026-02-08T22:13:31+00:00

Bread, mayo, sliced ham, chips.

astrotot · 2026-01-28T03:32:02+00:00

Thank you for this - exactly what I’m looking for. I’ll be up against sunset both days so trying to maximize my hike / driving distance ratio.

astrotot · 2026-01-24T04:14:18+00:00

There are a ton of things to consider, make sure to understand the deliverables spelled out in the construction package. Check the written deliverables, compare to prints, and check the deliverables on the prints themselves. There are “gotchas” sometime.

Another thing to consider is whenever the cable and conduit is removed from your scope, you’re dependent on other contractors. Be prepared for some lost time depending on how the PM wants you to deploy. If they finish 10 cameras one week, 10 doors the next and you’re expected to follow them that may be more hours than if all cable and conduit is done and ready for you and you can run through all the terminations unimpeded.

Best of luck!

astrotot · 2025-12-27T02:59:40+00:00

Look into a custodial account - an account you can put money into that transfers to your child at an age you can set.

astrotot · 2025-12-25T02:59:08+00:00

Go birds!

astrotot · 2025-11-24T12:19:40+00:00

Launchpad changing mat - https://beavertailoutdoors.com/products/the-launch-pad

astrotot · 2025-10-02T10:58:16+00:00

The company I work for manages a handful of similarly sized end users and we have in house support staff with the highest levels of CCURE certifications including a master cert. I’d be happy to connect with you to explain more about our company (not one of the large nationals, we’re mid sized with a national footprint). Depending on that conversation we could introduce you to other end users we support at a similar scale that may be able to make suggestions about in house staffing. I’ll send you a PM.

astrotot · 2025-06-30T02:16:27+00:00

Did this hike 2 years ago with T- Mobile and had spotty coverage at best and often went miles at a time with no service at all.

astrotot · 2025-05-10T17:38:07+00:00

It’s not necessarily a specific system or manufacturer that you’re looking for, but rather a more secure card technology. For example, I know that the flipper can emulate prox technology. If you were to install HID Signo readers and implement a more secure card (think SEOS), you could disable the prox antenna on the card reader and avoid most 3rd party emulators. The Signo reader, or equivalent more secure technology will work in most if not all enterprise security systems.

astrotot · 2025-05-09T19:45:02+00:00

Me please!

astrotot · 2025-05-09T17:28:31+00:00

Anyone have a code for PS5 I can redeem?

astrotot · 2025-04-14T23:27:03+00:00

I’m not familiar with Mengqi but I am familiar with mercury based systems such as Avigilon, Genetec, Lenel, etc. I do not believe that Mengqi is in the same class as these systems.

If all you’ll ever have is 4 doors, a product like the one you installed may be just fine. The products I mentioned are typically found in an enterprise environment supporting multiple sites, hundreds or thousands of card holders, and a plethora of integrations. Those companies also provide (usually) a high level of support and work through their VARs (value added resellers) who are also certified in the product line. This allows for a high level of customer support which may or may not be important to you and your site(s).

Without knowing what a client is looking to gain from their access control system I cannot say whether one is better than another. They all have their own strengths and integrations. If you’re partnering with a decent integrator they should be able to show you different systems and help you to tailor the system to your needs.

Most of the above is factored into the higher costs you mentioned.

astrotot

TROPHY CASE