If you are like me, then you have faced the aggravation of dealing with broken zippers on gear and clothing. While it is a simple problem in theory to fix, the reality is that it is potentially quite frustrating, time consuming, and expensive (relatively speaking). This morning, I came across the website of FixnZip, makers of zipper repair products. Check out their website for more information. And please check out too their videos below. I am intrigued enough that I plan on buying a few repair kits. I’ll be sure to let you know what I find out. ——————— How to fix a broken zipper on a jacket: How to repair a broken tent zipper:
Read more →
Are you interested in a way to help protect the environment and save some money on a True North course too? On Sunday, October 6, True North will spend the day volunteering in a wonderful event that will benefit, not just our local communities, but our entire region. We don’t want, though, to keep all the fun to ourselves … True North wants You to join in too! Organized by Paddle Without Pollution (PWP), the purpose of this event is to clean up debris along the banks of the Kiskiminetas River near Leechburg, Pennsylvania. PWP staff and many volunteers will paddle their kayaks and canoes in search of the debris that sadly pollutes our waterways like bottles, tires, televisions, bicycles, and plastic industrial drums (to name just a few), while other staff and volunteers manage what is brought to shore for pick up later by the local government for proper disposal. To […]
Read more →True North is very pleased to share that it is mentioned in the September 2013 issue of Backpacker. This nationally distributed magazine features a wide array of information and articles focused on wilderness hiking and adventure. First published in 1973, it has since become one of the leading journals in the outdoors industry. Erik was interviewed in May, and then again in June, for two articles related to water. One focused on filtration and purification of water, while the other on finding it using land navigation skills. You can check out his remarks regarding one of them in the Skills section under Instant Upgrades “Pro Tips” on page 44-45. But we’ve just so happened to provide a copy of it below! We certainly would like to thank Backpacker for the shout out, but we especially want to thank all of our friends, partners, and, most definitely our clients, who really made this possible. […]
Read more →I have been diligently working these last few weeks on an article about first aid treatment for venomous snakebites that I will be submitting to an outdoors magazine in the next few days. In it, my goal is to underscore many of the same points that I already have in several blog posts this last several weeks. One important point, then, is to try to help dispel many myths and misconceptions concerning snakebites, not just when it comes to first aid, but also about how supposedly “deadly” they are. The fact of matter is that while snakebites are certainly a serious medical emergency, not very many people actually die. Consider, for example, what happened this past Sunday on the Yough River Trail in Fayette County, about 25 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. A woman was gathering firewood when she thought that a bee stung her hand. Instead, she found a copperhead […]
Read more →If your were to ask someone what is “wilderness,” then they most likely would give you a definition that includes such features as mountains, rivers, and trees located miles and miles from the nearest town. But “wilderness” has a far wider scope that surprises most people. Wilderness is typically defined as one or more hours from definitive medical care — that is, a hospital Emergency Department. While this definition certainly fits remote arctic, desert, and ocean environments, among others, it also applies to more urban settings as well. Wilderness, then, can also apply to a “resource poor” environment. This could be some typical third-world city, like Port-au-Prince, Haiti; a medical emergency on an airplane flying at 30,000 feet; or even an American city that has been overwhelmed by a natural disaster. As a consequence, “wilderness” could even apply to that ED in that same overwhelmed city. If the hospital has […]
Read more →