This week we discuss field tools - everything from clothing to pens and notebooks! Shannon panics due to Earth’s close encounter with an asteroid and John talks about the smell after rainstorms. We want to hear your feedback!

John has been playing more with radar during the northeast blizzard.
Shannon has been keeping an eye on asteroid 2004 BL86 as it passed near the Earth Monday. There are already a lot of neat radar images coming from this event.
Shannon is also planning her first class field trip for a field methods class.

Field Packs

People use everything, backpacks, fanny packs, etc.
John has a holster thing like SWAT teams. Looks a little like a weapon holster though, so be careful. (He also can’t find anyone that still sells them.)
Shannon uses a wait-pack.
John and Shannon use stretchy belts to hold their hammers.
Lots of folks use their hammer as a ruler in the field.

Clipboards

John has a clipboard with storage under it. The black ones gets really hot in the sun though.
Shannon uses a taped together fiber-board/lexan map board. It’s large!

Field Clothing

Clothing tech revolutionized geology!
Drilling with quick-dry pants vs. carrying rainsuits that you sweat in anyway.
All drab colors! Consider wearing a safety vest!
Hat suggestions? Maybe we should go back to full academic dress?
Polarized sunglasses are a must. Just beware that they can alter the color of things!

Field Notebooks

Traditional Write-in-the-Rain/Field books. Shannon doesn’t like these because of pencil writing quality.
Extras in the back of different series of notebooks can be problematic
Notebook closures: Binder clip, rubberband, or elastic over notebook
If you’re really into this stuff, you would probably like the Pen Addict Podcast.
Do you attach your pen/pencil to your field book?
Pocket protectors, John has the stealth.

Writing Instruments

0.5 mm pencils for writing in the field books
For sketching/musing Palomino Blackwing 602
Shannon misses the Zebra301 ultra

Compasses/Hand-lenses

Bruntons are the standard, with really no substitue
Handlens are now available with led lights (and uv if you’re that into it)
iPads vs. regular topo map concerns
Battery life
Weather resistance
Overheating
GPS (integrated or separate)
Does it take too much away from basic navigation skill development?

Fun Paper Friday

“Aerosol generation by raindrop impact on soil” Nature Communications, Jan 2015
There is great high speed video to go with the paper.
Carl Sagan did his own version of outside of field reading! See his notes.
A good fiction work to start with is “The Martian”

Contact us:
Show - www.dontpanicgeocast.com - @dontpanicgeo - [email protected]
John Leeman - www.johnrleeman.com - @geo_leeman
Shannon Dulin - @ShannonDulin
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of our employers or funding agencies.

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