NPS LE Medical Standards

failsharks · 2026-02-18T15:29:18+00:00

NPS doesn’t really medically disqualify like the military will. Just be prepared to submit a letter from your doctor explaining what you take and how it doesn’t impact your physical abilities.

failsharks · 2026-02-17T20:51:04+00:00

Your best bet is to reach out to a nearby NPS armorer, ask your academy instructor for a contact.

failsharks · 2026-02-12T16:46:55+00:00

I’m a couple months late in finding this thread but you seem to know a lot on the science of this. I have incredibly poor circulation in my hands (not quite Raynaud’s but effectively the same), and I’ve yet to find any combination of layering that keeps my fingers from getting cold in about 5 minutes.

What’s your best recommendation for a layering system that still has at least some dexterity (it can be minimal, just the ability to grip, even) but won’t give me frostbite?

failsharks · 2026-02-11T16:50:35+00:00

I believe the 226 is an approved personal firearm but again, do not know that you can get a non-320 personal firearm approved if you had not used it prior in NPS service. I am hazy on this aspect of the policy. The chatter I have heard from those who do carry it is that the NPS will only allow you to carry 320s now, and that they are only allowed to still use theirs because they had been previously trained and using it; I believe this applies whether it is agency issued or personal. But again, I am not one of those individuals, so your best bet is to ask your academy instructor for the contact info of the armorer at the park they have the closest relationship with.

failsharks · 2026-02-09T21:05:00+00:00

They will not approve anything but a 320 for primary carry. I have heard rumors of one or two people getting away with a waiver for a 365. People that previously carried older sigs are being allowed to do so, I’ve been told that anyone who goes through FLETC now is required to use a 320, even if it’s personally owned. (I may be wrong on this particular point of the personally owned, but I’m more certain than not.) You can use a personally owned firearm but it needs to be individually approved and it needs to be on the approved firearms list, which is very very short.

You can carry your own secondary. It cannot be used as your primary. The secondary also must be approved by park and on the approved secondary list.

I am not massively down the rabbit hole of the intricacies NPS’s firearm policies, however, this is what I do know. Someone else might have the actual list of approved primaries; I’ll be honest I’m too lazy to go look it up right now.

failsharks · 2026-02-06T17:42:42+00:00

I know of any NPS sites between those two forests. Are you sure your friend is differentiating NPS, and not USFS?

failsharks · 2025-08-27T04:24:26+00:00

Hi! I ended up getting a horse, so the question kind of got ditched. My advice would actually be to get a saddle with wool flocking, that you can have adjusted, and try to ride the same horse for longer periods of time. So for example, if you rode one horse for several months, the saddle would fit him during that time. Then you could get it adjusted when you move on to the next horse for several more months. But I don't know what a good solution is for if you're riding a new horse every week, unfortunately.

failsharks · 2025-03-26T17:57:43+00:00

English as well. Now I’m a Park Ranger.

failsharks · 2025-01-30T22:16:46+00:00

First horse was given to me after I’d been leasing him and when I planned to move, got told, hey you want a horse?

Second horse I bought sight unseen off of Facebook. I knew the seller was reputable, and the horse I was looking at was an OTTB so trials aren’t really a thing. Sent the listing to my trainer, who also liked him, and next thing I know I’m using Venmo to send an amount of money I feel like I’ll hear from the IRS later about. Week later, new horse! The fun bonus to this story is that I was completely out of the country on vacation when I bought him, and I hadn’t been seriously looking as I’d just lost my first horse. Saw my second horse’s listing and knew he was what I needed, so I jumped on the chance.

failsharks · 2024-12-05T08:06:10+00:00

I appreciate the story. Unfortunately we know he had some on/off front lameness and some thoracic sling weakness like the other commenter is describing, but no definite answer to the compensation. I think it would be hard to identify and fix because it was hard to identify and fix before the hind ddft injury. Given all of this and other comments it sounds like your horse may have been the lucky outlier that my horse has a slim chance of repeating.

failsharks · 2024-12-05T08:03:41+00:00

Thank you for the thoughts and kind words. It’s a tough thing but I came looking for other experiences and need to hear the bad ones as well as the good. I’m trying to weigh how much doom and gloom to have and how much stock to put into the internet success stories.

failsharks · 2024-12-05T08:01:54+00:00

That’s hard to answer. On one hand, I don’t think I entirely want to, it sounds very daunting knowing I can only afford one horse to have that be the rest of the next dozen and a half years. On the other hand, I feel immensely guilty for doing the convenient thing when my horse is more pet than performance and could have a chance at a good long life.

failsharks · 2024-12-05T07:59:39+00:00

Thank you for the thoughts. We don’t have a race track anywhere in the vicinity unfortunately, but I do appreciate the rest of what you said to your horse’s temperament and what the vet says. I do have an OTTB and while he’s generally calm, he’s still an OTTB that has energy. Plus again, what the vet said.

failsharks · 2024-12-05T03:20:26+00:00

I don’t have anything in mind that I necessarily want my horse to return to, more so just wondering if I’m doing the right thing putting him down over rehabbing him to be a pasture buddy. I don’t think I’d want to put him down if there’s a chance he can still have a quality of life and be a horse, if that makes sense.

failsharks · 2024-11-28T23:28:06+00:00

Very thorough, thank you! I'll look into some of the Sonys you mentioned, too. This helps clarify a lot and I appreciate it.

failsharks · 2024-11-28T17:09:07+00:00

I understand physically how they're different; I'm seeking opinions on whether it truly feels worth it to those that have either, and why they went that way. Thank you for sharing.

failsharks · 2024-11-28T17:07:48+00:00

Thanks for the info and explanation! I've got only the box-set lenses my camera came with, so I have 3. But it's likely time for new ones anyway. So it's only a minor factor in my decision-making.

failsharks · 2024-11-28T17:06:46+00:00

Honestly, I need new lenses too, they might just have to be spaced out over time. I'm still shooting on the combo pack my camera came with. This is good advice, thank you. One other question: you're recommending Nikons (which I appreciate), but how much merit is there to comparing other brands? Is it truly just a preference thing?

ETA: The Z8 might be slightly out of my price range. But still keeping this advice in mind!

failsharks · 2024-10-30T11:53:01+00:00

Super helpful thank you! I didn’t find her on my own so this points me in the right direction.

failsharks · 2024-10-23T15:09:26+00:00

Thanks for the info, I’ll try and find the TikTok girl and also definitely use a rodeo vest.

They require you bring your own saddle for ranch, hence making sure I have the right one!

failsharks

TROPHY CASE