Saturday, July 22, 2006
New "Tip of the Day" Compilation
I've decided to try out a daily entry system featuring adventure racing and multisport tips. Some of these tips i have come up with on my own. Many others are the result of improvisation, initiative, and innovation from sources and individuals whose contributions can only lead to the positive development of our sport - from close team mates and friends, club mates, fellow teams, race directors, and the world's best AR athletes.
Some 'tips' will not be tips at all, but rather step-by-step write-ups for constructing our modifying equipment to be used for AR and multisport-specific applications.
Over time, i hope to categorize this collection of hints and best practices into a few broad categories, so that we may approach the enjoyment of the sports we love in a more organised manner.
Tip#1: Clamshell storage bottle
How many times have you experienced, or heard of other racers who have experienced the dreaded 'drowned phone disaster' after a sojourn through a waterlogged race route?
In races where mobile phones are mandatory equipment, the task of waterproofing them is simply achieved by slotting said phone into a suitably-sized sports water bottle. I like brightly-coloured bottles in yellow, white, or orange, as they can be easily spotted and located.
A phone wrapped in doule Ziploc bags will fit in bottles which do not have a 'neck'. Necked bottles will accept most of the slimmer phones on the market. With a little imagination, one might even fit in the mandatory first aid kit, spare batteries, or small bits of mandatory bike / boat repair kit together with the phone.
Screw-top bottles are the safest, but pop-top bottles can be made doubly secure with a couple of rounds of electrician's tape around the lid. Additional tape around the mouthpiece would be a good idea as well. This 'clamshell storage' device may take up some room in a small fanny pack or backpack (particularly in sprint events), but definitely has positive bouyancy, is shock-proof, will protect its contents from dirt, mud, and water, and will certainly withstand submersion.
Some 'tips' will not be tips at all, but rather step-by-step write-ups for constructing our modifying equipment to be used for AR and multisport-specific applications.
Over time, i hope to categorize this collection of hints and best practices into a few broad categories, so that we may approach the enjoyment of the sports we love in a more organised manner.
Tip#1: Clamshell storage bottle
How many times have you experienced, or heard of other racers who have experienced the dreaded 'drowned phone disaster' after a sojourn through a waterlogged race route?
In races where mobile phones are mandatory equipment, the task of waterproofing them is simply achieved by slotting said phone into a suitably-sized sports water bottle. I like brightly-coloured bottles in yellow, white, or orange, as they can be easily spotted and located.
A phone wrapped in doule Ziploc bags will fit in bottles which do not have a 'neck'. Necked bottles will accept most of the slimmer phones on the market. With a little imagination, one might even fit in the mandatory first aid kit, spare batteries, or small bits of mandatory bike / boat repair kit together with the phone.
Screw-top bottles are the safest, but pop-top bottles can be made doubly secure with a couple of rounds of electrician's tape around the lid. Additional tape around the mouthpiece would be a good idea as well. This 'clamshell storage' device may take up some room in a small fanny pack or backpack (particularly in sprint events), but definitely has positive bouyancy, is shock-proof, will protect its contents from dirt, mud, and water, and will certainly withstand submersion.
