Finding discounts

I thought I would talk about one of my favorite website for finding deals on caving supplies. SlickDeals.net is an forum where people post…slick deals. If you can think of an item, it probably has been posted on there. After you make an account, you can create “deal alerts” that are triggered by key words, such as, carabiner, water bottle, freeze dried food, rite-in-the-rain paper, Petzl, etc. Alerts are available by email or through your account.

Last week, Amazon.com was selling HDPE 1 Qt water bottles for $3.39 each! That’s less than my wholesale cost.

Slickdealers (the name for people that post deals) routinely post deals on gift cards, too. If you are going to buy something from Target or Home Depot, might as well buy a gift card for say 15% off the face value.

What do you keep in your emergency kit?

Once a year I try to go though my emergency kit, evaluate what is in it and restock any missing items. The kit stays the same for recreational trips and short expeditions. My goal is to limit the size and weight to roughly 1 pound (450 grams). The old kit weighted 16.2 oz (458g). After restocking, 17.2 oz (489g). The extra weight mostly came from moving my space blanket, 2.1 oz (50g) from inside my helmet to the emergency kit. The rational is I would rather keep my helmet as light as possible.

The containers should be small, water proof, durable and protect their contents. Some options are Dry bags Pros: light weight and condense to the shape and size of the kit. Cons: not as durable as a hard shell, leak easily and don’t protect the contents from being crushed. Hard shell cases Pros: very water proof, good access to contents and protect contents from being crushed. Cons: heavy, can’t fill to 100% and expensive. Water bottles Pros: light weight, durable, crush resistant. Cons: poor access to contents.

It’s easy to get carried away and try to pack for every emergency. Picking a small container will help avoid this issue, plus container that is just big enough will keep the contents from sliding around. There are items in my kit that couldn’t possibly be used on every caving trip. I am OK with that, because I would much rather have them when they are actually needed.

Missing from my kit is a knife. My kit always goes in my carry on, and I have lost a knife to the TSA. Not to mention, when caving I prefer to carry my knife on a lanyard around my neck. There is a single razor blade wrapped in tape, in the kit. Also missing are tools, most people keep a multi purpose tool in their kit, so why carry another one, plus they are heavy.

I pack my kit starting with the least used items. If they are needed, 90% of the kit will have to come out. A definite drawback of of using a bottle. Nothing in my kit is very heavy, the space blanket is the heaviest item at 2.1 oz (59g), so weight is not part of the packing order. At the very top are 5 large zip ties.

This year I “upgraded” my wide mouth Nalgene bottle to a lighter HDPE version. It saved me 2.3 oz (72 g).

Older heavier bottle

New light weight HDPE bottle with fresh duct tape.

Below is a picture of the old kit, notice the excess of some of the items, this usually happens when I think of something useful to add and don’t check if it is already in the kit. And what is missing, like band aids, medicine and zip ties. The bottle with contents weighs 16.2 oz (458g)

From top to bottom, left to right:

First row: 4 aqua tabs. 9 hour candle. tweezers. 3 sheets of rite-in-the-rain paper. 10 more aquatabs. 2 pairs of gloves.

Second row: Strike anywhere matches. more strike anywhere matches. 6’ (2m) of aluminum foil tape. collapsing spork. ear plugs. antibiotic ointment. glow stick.

Third row: mole skin. gauze. more rite-in-the-rain paper. 2 short pencils. permanent marker. ball point pen. steel wool.

Fourth row: cravat, more aluminum foil tape. 9’ (3m) flagging. 25’ (8m) spectra fishing line 150 lb (65 kg) strength. Station light. partial roll of silicone tape. large roll of 1/2” (12mm) medical tape.

The new kit weighs 1 oz (28g) more than the old one, but contains many more items. To keep things organized, small items have been placed in small zip top baggies. Missing is a packet of salt from a fast food restaurant and a packet of sugar.

Restocked kit.

From top to bottom, left to right.

First row: 2, 3x3 gauze pads. 4x4 gauze pad. 9-hour candle. 1 sheet of write-in-the-rain. 2 sheets of printed survey paper. 2 pairs of gloves. cravat. 1 gallon zip top baggie.

Second row: thermometer. 2 alcohol wipes. 2 hand sanitizers. tongue depressor. roll of gauze. strike anywhere matches. aluminum foil tape. self adhering bandages. collapsing spork. ear plugs. antibiotic ointment. glow stick. silicone tape.

Third row: 5 large zipties. 2 small zipties. 220 grit sandpaper. pen. nail clippers. super glue. 9’ (3m) flagging. 25’ (8m) spectra fishing line 150 lb (65 kg) strength. small roll of medical tape. mole skin. permanent marker. 2 pencils with eraser(not that I have ever needed one). station light. steel wool. tweezers.

Fourth row: 24 hours worth of the following medicines. Aquatabs. Loratadine with pseudoephedrine. Naproxen. Acetaminophen. Ibuprofen. Loperamide. Ciprofloxacin. Caffeine. (If you have prescription medications, consider adding those to your kit.

My list of items works well for me and the caving that I do, it may not be what is best for you. What do you keep in your kit?

Improving rubber boots

I love my short rubber boots from Etche Securite, they are made from natural rubber that grips to muddy surfaces. But like all rubber boots, they have a soft sole that unfortunately, lets you feel what you are stepping on. Long vertical climbs also become painful because of the footloops digging into the boots. In the next few weeks, The CES will be a supplier of Etche Securite’s short and tall boots.

To solve this problem, try using puncture proof insoles available from Amazon or other shoe suppliers for about $25. The link will donate 0.05% of your Amazon purchase to the CES, there is no increased cost to you. The insole is stainless steel padded with neoprene. I’ve been using them for a few years and they work great.

Where is John Fioroni caving?

We all know we should tell someone where we are going caving and when you will be out. This is easy for known caves or when the cave is easily accessible. But what about for remote expeditions in foreign countries? I keep a Google Spread sheet called “Where is John Fioroni caving and emergency contact information” which I have shared with my wife. This way she knows where I will be, and whom to contact in case of an emergency or if I miss my “call out time”. Plus it is nice to track where I have gone caving and with whom.

Here is what my spreadsheet looks like. It is simple, but it gets the job done. Since it is hosted on the cloud, I can update when I am out, assuming there is cell reception. I’ve removed contact info and locations.

Underwear for tropical climates

This is not my original idea, I wish I knew who came up with the idea. For jungle hikes and tropical caving, a swimming speedo is an excellent alternative to traditional underwear. Speedos are designed to get wet, dry very fast and not chafe. Oh and pllease wear something over the speedo…

Sending and receiving foreign currency

Xe allows you to send money from the US and many other countries to a foreign bank account completely free, and they offer a pretty good exchange rate. The receiver can be a person or business.

I have a personal account and The CES has business account with Xe.

Transferwise is another very good option. They are free to use like Xe, and they allow you to set up local bank accounts with a debit card in Europe.

If you need hard currency (paper money), most of the time the safest, cheapest and easiest way to get local currency is from an ATM at the airport. If your bank charges a foreign transaction fee, consider looking for a bank that does not. Last time I checked, Charles Schwab bank accounts are free with no minimums, and have no foreign transaction fees.

While at the ATM, you may be given an option for a “dynamic currency conversion” or something that says “convert the transaction to US dollars (assuming you are from the US)”, do not select this option. Transferwise blog explains why this is a bad idea.