Cary wrote:Don't know much about bears and electric fences, but Newfies are close . We had 3 "escape artist" Newfies, so instead of having to respond to various calls that the dogs had gotten out again, I decided to install an electric fence around their dog run. They all watched with great interest as I installed insulators on the fence posts and strung the wires--very curious dogs.

Then here was the proof that in spite of their sort of dopey expressions, they are very, very smart. After I put power to the fence, the "leader" pup, the one who always led the escapes, started at one end, and tested each segment with his nose. He would let out a little yelp, then go on to the next segment, wash, rinse, repeat. At first I thought, "You dummy!" But then I realized that he was just making sure that all segments were hot, because if one was cold, that was the escape route. Of course, he didn't understand that the whole thing was either hot or cold. After his testing, he went over to where the other two dogs (his Momma and his brother) and somehow "told" them. We had no more escapes.

At first, when the battery ran down, I replaced it. But the next time it ran down, I just left it. I took the chance that they'd been convinced, and I was right. As I said, no more escapes.

How all that translates to keeping out bears, I haven't any idea.

Cary

Grizzly bears aren't quite that smart, but polar bears will go along the fence, testing it with a paw, looking for a weak spot.

I don't see a good mallet or hammer. Comes in handy. Especially for the bear fence.

You could use a driving stake to tap holes in the ground for your bear fence poles. Often times the ground is hard or rocky and you won't be able to get the poles into the ground. Use a steel rod and the mallet to drive a hole into the ground and bust rocks below if necessary.

The bear fence needs a bit of setup and it helps to have assembled it a few times before going into the field. Almost more important than having it in your plane is being ready to set it up with confidence. Do it enough times so you know how to keep the wires separate and free of tangles before your first night out.

You have rescue water tablets and a filter straw but I don't see a good water filter system. Water in AK or anywhere for that matter is important if you are out for any length of time. I use a Katadyn system and like it.

Why the combo of MSR stove and jet boil? Are you looking to do some real cooking and need the adjustability of the MSR stove?

A bug zapper can come in handy. And provide some entertainment.

Camp chair.

Head lamp.

Two tarps.

Crampons if you think you are going glacier flying and need the ice screws.

Little 3 oz bottle of Dr Bronner's soap.

DeLorme Gazeteer

Xtratufs or equivalent.

Binoculars.

NunavutPA-12 wrote:

Cary wrote:Don't know much about bears and electric fences, but Newfies are close

We're talking about dogs, right?

Don't ask - it's a Canadian inside joke!

Haha! That was my first thought too! I was gonna start packing my bags if you are allowed to keep newfies in an electric fence down there!

A set of smudge pots can help a lot with mosquitos around camp:

Pick out a half dozen different beers in large aluminum cans, trying to find sizes and shapes that will nest together. Remove the beer however you see fit. Cut the top off the beer cans and then punch or drill holes along the sides towards the bottom. Ideally you want four or five cans that will nest together to save space.

At camp fill the cans with duff, pine cones, punky wood, tree fungus, moss...anything that will smolder and make a smokey fire. They won't eliminate mosquitos, they do help a lot.



Someone mentioned a shovel. The Glock e-tool is by far the lightest and best made compact shovel I've ever used. It's not the sort of thing you'd want to dig a mass grave with, but it's tough, light, and lasts as well as everything else Glock makes. Put an edge on it so it will cut though roots and duff easier.



A small file or diamond hone to keep your axe sharp.



A 10X12 sil-nylon or cuben fiber tarp weights little and vastly expands the livability of any rainy-day camp when pitched over the tent door or off the plane wing. 75 feet of line for the main line and fifteen foot lines off the guy out points should be enough.



Swarovski binoculars. I recommend the 8x30's as the best all-around pair based on image quality verses weight.



A small tripod that will work with your camera and with an adaptor to fit your binoculars.



A way to dump the contents of you camera memory cards onto a secondary storage device (phone, ipad, etc.) so you have a back up.



A Thermarest to sleep on and a Thermalounger to convert it to a chair during the day time. Most comfortable camp chair ever made.



A copy of "Matterhorn" by Carl Marlantes, so no matter how uncomfortable things might get you can read about people suffering 1000% more and just be glad you're not a Marine living in the jungle.

Waiting for the new-plane announcement to drop...

denalipilot wrote:Waiting for the new-plane announcement to drop...

Now that's funny!

Barnstormer wrote:

denalipilot wrote:Waiting for the new-plane announcement to drop...

Now that's funny!

Especially the registration number on the side!

Cary

Barnstormer wrote:

denalipilot wrote:Waiting for the new-plane announcement to drop...

Now that's funny!

Couldn't resist. The awesome thing for you is you have an airstrip and a hangar here to stage all this stuff in, and draw from as needed.
-DP

Squash wrote:Why the combo of MSR stove and jet boil? Are you looking to do some real cooking and need the adjustability of the MSR stove?

I'll admit that was a moment of weakness on my part. I bought the Jet Boil first, which is fine for all that dehydrated food, but then I thought what if the Jet Boil is full of coffee? I do love my coffee. So I got the MSR Multi-fuel Stove so I can just take gas from the SQ2.

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Barnstormer wrote:

Squash wrote:Why the combo of MSR stove and jet boil? Are you looking to do some real cooking and need the adjustability of the MSR stove?

I'll admit that was a moment of weakness on my part. I bought the Jet Boil first, which is fine for all that dehydrated food, but then I thought what if the Jet Boil is full of coffee? I do love my coffee. So I got the MSR Multi-fuel Stove so I can just take gas from the SQ2.

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

I did the exact same thing, only in reverse order! I love both stoves for different reasons.

Barnstormer wrote:

Squash wrote:Why the combo of MSR stove and jet boil? Are you looking to do some real cooking and need the adjustability of the MSR stove?

I'll admit that was a moment of weakness on my part. I bought the Jet Boil first, which is fine for all that dehydrated food, but then I thought what if the Jet Boil is full of coffee? I do love my coffee. So I got the MSR Multi-fuel Stove so I can just take gas from the SQ2.

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

It might not be any lighter, but I just cary one stove and a thermos.