Orange, flame orange, wars

Grab your bear can or camp chair, kick your feet up and chew the fat about anything Sierra Nevada related that doesn't quite fit in any of the other forums. Within reason, (and the HST rules and guidelines) this is also an anything goes forum. Tell stories, discuss wilderness issues, music, or whatever else the High Sierra stirs up in your mind.
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balzaccom
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Orange, flame orange, wars

Post by balzaccom »

OK, it's true. When I started backpacking, I used a bright orange tube tent, and it served its purpose. And there's a reason that alpine shelters are bright orange. When you need a rescue in the snow, that orange color can help get you seen, found, and rescued.

But what does that have to do with backpackers today? Not much. And frankly, I've grown a little tired of seeing bright orange and yellow blobs of color decorating so many photogenic sites, as if they are posing for the cover of a magazine.

If we really subscribe to Leave No Trace principles, shouldn't that also apply to leaving the landscape views unmarred by glaringly unnatural colors? It's a little like those hikers in the Southwest who insist upon climbing up into the rock arches, and then staying there for hours, ruining every other hiker's hope for a more natural photo.

So when was the last time you saw a magazine photo of a backpacking camp that didn't feature day-glo colors blobbed onto the wilderness? That's hardly the epitome of the natural world. We hope that tent manufacturers will take note: stop polluting the views with your logoed eyesores.

Epic campsites? They should be quietly hidden in among the trees, where they can't be seen (and where you can also enjoy some shade during the day), not plopped into the view of every other hiker who makes the effort to enjoy the wilderness. When I started making my own tents, I began with a neutral slate blue material. And then later on, I used an even lighter pale granite color. This was so successful that we once found that another group had set up their camp within 25 feet of ours, because they didn't realize that our tent was a tent, not a granite boulder among the trees.

And today, I have to give kudos to our Tarptent. I'm delighted with the performance of the tent. And I'm delighted that it fades nicely into the landscape with its soft grey color. LNT indeed.
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c9h13no3
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Re: Orange, flame orange, wars

Post by c9h13no3 »

Maybe we should just never go places. Only true way to LNT.
"Adventure is just bad planning." - Roald Amundsen
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balzaccom
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Re: Orange, flame orange, wars

Post by balzaccom »

c9h13no3 wrote: Tue Aug 20, 2019 9:01 am Maybe we should just never go places. Only true way to LNT.
LOL. Great idea. You first....grin

On the other hand, this comes directly from the LNT website: "Bright clothing and equipment, such as tents, that can be seen for long distances are discouraged. Especially in open natural areas, colors such as day-glow yellow may contribute to a crowded feeling; consider earth-toned colors (ie. browns and greens) to lessen visual impacts."
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rlown
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Re: Orange, flame orange, wars

Post by rlown »

balzaccom wrote: Tue Aug 20, 2019 8:51 am And today, I have to give kudos to our Tarptent. I'm delighted with the performance of the tent. And I'm delighted that it fades nicely into the landscape with its soft grey color. LNT indeed.
Can be a little embarrassing to get up in the middle of the night to do the do, and then can't find your campsite. :)
I do like my Tarptent as well. I also like that the cordage reflects light.
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balzaccom
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Re: Orange, flame orange, wars

Post by balzaccom »

Agreed. I once had to shine a light on our tent to help my wife find her way back in that dark...!
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Wandering Daisy
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Re: Orange, flame orange, wars

Post by Wandering Daisy »

I personally prefer bright colored tents, but I just bought a new Tarptent, which is actually hard to see. Maybe I will tie on some survey tape so I do not loose my tent! LOL. In my old age, I go for bright colored stuff sacks and clothing so I do not lose things. Bright colored tents in a photo do not bother me at all. It also helps me see right away if I want to camp somewhere; if too many tents, I move on. More annoying than a bright colored tent are headlamps that shine as far as car headlights. If you own one of these, do not shine it at people's campsites at midnight.

LNT, rather than a "rule" is just a general concept and you use your own judgement in each case. If I want solitude, I go for a far away place off trail where I have true solitude, not the illusion of solitude created simply by "natural" colored tents.
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John Harper
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Re: Orange, flame orange, wars

Post by John Harper »

I use a bright orange spork after a chipmunk took off with my gray one, and it took me almost an hour to find it among the rocks. A lot easier to find it now if that ever happens again.

John
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