My son started walking backwards to push through the thick brush and it occurred to me that safety glasses would solve that problem. Excellent advice as always MM, thanks.
PBX guys, I need a way into the bog
- Thread starter Jon Holcombe
- Start date
Some would suggest a machete but I find that more often then not you hurt yourself by pulling back to swing you will often yank more briars down on your head.A pair of pocket size hedge trimmers will often get you out of a jam.A bit slower then a machete but safer in thick brush.If you fall not near as likely to end your life as well.I usually forget them though so I keep backing up and sidestepping till I can find a way through,sometimes I crawl down deer trails as well.Those deer never seem to make a trail more then three feet high or so
Al,A pair of pocket size hedge trimmers will often get you out of a jam...sometimes I crawl down deer trails as well.Those deer never seem to make a trail more then three feet high or so
Agreed, hand pruners work best as you can control where the cat o' nine tails will end up. In a pinch (pun intended), you can strategically snap the woody part of greenbrier's stem between your thumb and index finger and hook the whip like velcro on neighboring tangle. Also, once you get down into the leaf-litter the thorns become softer but more numerous so it is possible to yank the base out of the plant bare-handed, which works good during the odd equivalent of spelunking. Thorns are most lethal to kneecaps so consider work pants with built-in knee pads. Small brier patches can give way to boots if you walk up the thickest mat of stems like a tightrope, but pick your battle carefully lest you end up Br'er Rabbit. Some of the most wickedly cool spungs are sheathed by brier ramparts, so Pine Barrens pinstripe flesh is often worth the effort. No matter, there will be blood.
S-M
Since I carry a Gitzo tripod (in bag) and haul a relatively heavy backpack with camera and lenses, if I carry a machete or hiking pole I don't have a free hand.. My backpack gets caught all the time, and when I duck under a blow down or briars, I often end up crawling. But getting into these remote locations is well worth the effort, and I'm still working out the particulars of gear and just how far I can push it. By the way, we saw two deer colored dogs run across Carranza Rd in the morning. My son thought foxes, but they were not red or grey and seemed too large so I thought they must be coyote.Some would suggest a machete but I find that more often then not you hurt yourself by pulling back to swing you will often yank more briars down on your head.A pair of pocket size hedge trimmers will often get you out of a jam.A bit slower then a machete but safer in thick brush.If you fall not near as likely to end your life as well.I usually forget them though so I keep backing up and sidestepping till I can find a way through,sometimes I crawl down deer trails as well.Those deer never seem to make a trail more then three feet high or so
My son and I compared hiking wounds in the kitchen, and discussed gloves, pants, etc., for our next outing. The work pants with knee pads is a great idea, I will look for them.
Gloves are a good bet but make it hard working the GPS so i usually don't wear them unless it's in the 20's or lower.
Also Coyotes come in many different colors,I have seen them grey,brown and almost white.Never seen a black one but hear they come in black as well,some even look like a really large fox without the white tail tip.Our coyotes are much bi9gger then the western ones with most I see I"d estimate at about 70 lbs and quite tall,reputedly ours have wolf DNA mixed in them from mixed breeding in Canade before drifting south through new England and New York.
Also Coyotes come in many different colors,I have seen them grey,brown and almost white.Never seen a black one but hear they come in black as well,some even look like a really large fox without the white tail tip.Our coyotes are much bi9gger then the western ones with most I see I"d estimate at about 70 lbs and quite tall,reputedly ours have wolf DNA mixed in them from mixed breeding in Canade before drifting south through new England and New York.
Back in November I was checking a spring seep and ended up getting whacked in the face with catbrier. The thorn went through my eyelid and into my eye. Yeouch!
You need these type of pants Jon. You can find them cheaper than this though.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/cabe...eader%3BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=field+pants
I ordered a pair of double front Carhartt but I may return them, the Cabela's look better. Reviewing the options now, thanks Bob. **Edit: FYI, the Cabela's appear to be closing out. Not many sizes left.**
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You might want to consider these pants http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/...ose-logger-pants-20402.aspx?processor=content
I have 6 pairs of the Carharrt Rigid Loggers that I wear everyday, all year, except to the beach.
They are great for everything from riding a motorcycle to traversing rough woods. I buy a new pair about once a year and try to keep one pair as new as possible for Sunday goin' to meetin' type activities. I wear them on all but the nastiest of PBX hikes.
http://dungarees.net/product_Carhartt_B07_Double_Knee_Denim_Dungaree_Fit_Logger_Jean|DNM|-118-1.html?id=213091380912&gclid=CLGYjvGDj8sCFRBbhgod2zYIfg
For really nasty briar hikes, rabbit hunting or cold weather motorcycle rides, I wear Filson Double Tins. They are a dense weave waxed cotton that will turn away anything in the woods. The dense weave keeps them from snagging which the Carharrts are prone to do. They are stiff as a board and stay that way.
Nothing Filson makes is cheap but I don't compromise on gear. My son still wears what is left of a twenty year old pair for rabbit hunting. I am only on my third pair in 30 years of wearing them. I have the Double Tin Hunting Coat too and that thing will turn away a bullet. I also have the Double Mackinaw wool coat for deer hunting. Pricey at $450 +/- but the warmest and driest coat you will ever wear.
The Double Tin Pants: (You may be able to find them just under $200)
http://www.filson.com/oil-finish-double-tin-pants.html?gclid=CJ3P_9qHj8sCFcRehgod4XoGyw
The best part for me is that those particular Filson clothing models are still US made.
They are great for everything from riding a motorcycle to traversing rough woods. I buy a new pair about once a year and try to keep one pair as new as possible for Sunday goin' to meetin' type activities. I wear them on all but the nastiest of PBX hikes.
http://dungarees.net/product_Carhartt_B07_Double_Knee_Denim_Dungaree_Fit_Logger_Jean|DNM|-118-1.html?id=213091380912&gclid=CLGYjvGDj8sCFRBbhgod2zYIfg
For really nasty briar hikes, rabbit hunting or cold weather motorcycle rides, I wear Filson Double Tins. They are a dense weave waxed cotton that will turn away anything in the woods. The dense weave keeps them from snagging which the Carharrts are prone to do. They are stiff as a board and stay that way.
Nothing Filson makes is cheap but I don't compromise on gear. My son still wears what is left of a twenty year old pair for rabbit hunting. I am only on my third pair in 30 years of wearing them. I have the Double Tin Hunting Coat too and that thing will turn away a bullet. I also have the Double Mackinaw wool coat for deer hunting. Pricey at $450 +/- but the warmest and driest coat you will ever wear.
The Double Tin Pants: (You may be able to find them just under $200)
http://www.filson.com/oil-finish-double-tin-pants.html?gclid=CJ3P_9qHj8sCFcRehgod4XoGyw
The best part for me is that those particular Filson clothing models are still US made.
I have a pair of brush pants i bought from ll bean. Things are 15 years old and still going strong. They are not cheao cause they are waterproof with gore tex thinsulate. Best money i ever spent on clothes.
Lmkms and Rednek, the Duluth and Carhartt double fabric chap pants seem like the way to go. I am going to have to earn a pair of Filsons.
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Well you could get their chaps for $115.00
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/2407343116/filson-double-tin-chaps-cotton
One of my hunting buds who I used to run dogs with always had a pair of the bibs from these guys. They were very tough and the price isn't bad.
http://www.mulehuntingclothes.com/category-s/45.htm
Once again, Made in the good old US of A !
If you haven't ordered boots yet, get some frogs legs, you'll be glad you did. If you have boots, get their chaps.
http://briarproofstore.com/
http://briarproofstore.com/
Thanks 46er. Got boots already, and I'll wear incoming double front Carhartts a couple of times or until I get pierced bad enough that I can justify "all this piney gear" to my skeptical (but attractive in case she reads this) purchasing manager. Nice site, I bookmarked it.
My son and I went to the location you pinned, at the southern edge of the bogs, hiking the long eastern loop in from Hawkins Bridge Rd. The bridge from 2004 is gone, but the beavers have kept up their end. We got halfway to to the Tulp but I admit that the maze of blown down trees and logs deterred me. I already had wet wool socks from getting down to beaver eye level and decided to make the trip back up the west edge. Photos are the exact location you pinned and another stream just beyond the bog road.
a lot of good suggestions. I wear sunglasses always (saftey glass would be better, but sunglasses are much cooler). I also were gloves, always. I realize a hiking stick is difficult when you have a lot of gear but it really comes in handy. It is good for both pushing brier aside and for balance in the swamp. I suggest you make one out of maple. cedar is good but maple has an elasticity to it that I prefer. Not to mention maple is more readily available. Don't go with oak or pine.
I would love to carry a hiking stick and I made one from a sapling, not sure what wood. But I have to carry my tripod in a case, which leaves one free hand to hang onto brush and trees when swinging around a narrow path or by water's edge. I did pick up a pair of Carhartt leather gloves, which definitely helps with the briars.