Brighter colors are better for survival.

Woods Walker

The Wood is cut, The Bacon is cooked, Now it’s tim
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It is my belief that for many situations brighter colored critical gear is better for survival. Gear likes to walk and more so when people are under stress. Call it entropy or bad luck the end results are usually the same. Speaking for myself most gear which gets misplaced isn't dropped. It is placed down after use or removed from the pack to get something else only to be accidentally abandoned. Basically left behind when breaking camp or after use. The best defense against this IMHO is visibility. Items which are commonly misplaced.





A closer look.





1. Bright orange Mora SS Bushcraft fixed blade knife vs. Black and OD Mora Trieflex bushcraft fixed blade knife.
2. Bright orange Strike Force firesteel vs. Black Strike Force firesteel.





1. Wenger Blaze 55 vs. Wenger Ranger black pocket knives.
2. Surefire bright yellow G2 flashlight with reflective and orange lanyard vs OD Surefire G2 with gray lanyard.





1. Bright chartreuse stuff sack vs. OD stuff sack.


Lets do a survival Easter Egg hunt. I can see the bright orange Mora easily on the right. The Triflex is on the left. If you look farther down the washout the next orange object can be seen.





It really stands out.





The black sheath and OD handle of the Triflex is much harder to see.





Moving down the washout to the Orange Strikeforce firesteel which like the orange Mora stands out.





The black strikeforce less so. That said there is something about black gear which somehow stands out a bit better than one might expect. Still it is generally harder to see.





Look at what we have here. Notice how well the bright yellow G2 and chartreuse stuff sack father down shows up. The OD G2 and stuff sack are another matter. The brighter colors are on the left and OD on the right. It's like a where in the world is waldo puzzle.





This really stands out plus I added a reflective loop. For those who want a highly reliable long running flashlight the SF host and Malkoff LED drop-in is hard to beat. That said if the flashlight is left behind or dropped then can't be found being reliable will not matter. This is the same issue with a firesteel. There might be less to go wrong but lost means yea don't have it.





The OD G2 with older Malkoff M60LL is really really hard to see.





The pocket knives. The Wenger Blaze 55 clearly visible the black Ranger less so.





Wenger Blaze 55. Nice pocket knife and really stands out.





Ranger.





Stuff sacks.





Clearly the chartreuse stuff sack stand out better than OD. Not surprising.








This isn't rocket science but maybe better considered before critical gear items are lost then urgently needed. What can be done to increase the visibility of those critical gear items other than buying new stuff? A survival makeover could be the solution. Some bright orange duct tape and bright reflective cordage should do the trick.





All done. Took all of a few minutes. Best part there is extra cordage and duct tape for the kit. Who doesn't like that?





Here is a video which isn't too long. Thanks for looking.


 

matt4350

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Spot on with this, I wonder how many thousands of dollars worth of camouflage lighters, torches, knives etc now live in the wild? The lanyard idea is so basic, yet I'll confess it never occurred to me, so thanks!
 

Woods Walker

The Wood is cut, The Bacon is cooked, Now it’s tim
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Tent takes are another good use though often not critical gear. They can vanish in the leaf litter. Also when it gets really cold they can get frozen in. So I leave some out as to give a little tap to break the ice. But sometimes for various reasons that takes more dexterity than a gloved hand will allow. The desire to drop a metal object when cold is strong.








More bright gear.




















Less crazy colored gear. I wonder if the Ridgerest takes away from the mood?


 

Monocrom

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With the exception of bugging out, I agree that brighter colors are best. A length of orange paracord onto some gear is a big help in finding it in the woods if you put it down.
 

gravelmonkey

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Great thread Woods Walker! I extend this approach when buying rain jackets, I've been fortunate enough to do some helicopter supported work, once you're off the ground anyone wearing drab green or black is difficult to spot.
 

Keitho

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Nice thread and pics, as usual WW. I'll extend the thought to purchasing bags--there are some with day-glo interiors to pockets, which make finding gear inside of them a breeze. (I'm thinking specifically of a brand of bicycle bags called Revelate, but there are other jackets, packs, and bags with the same idea.) I watch out for that feature when buying gear, and also judiciously apply bright colored paracord lanyards and wraps to many items.
 

Treeguy

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Just for the sake of telling a short story along this vein...

We did a job a few yeas ago clearing trees and bushes in a big maple (syrup) stand to bring it up to standard, we had about a dozen guys with saws and brush cutters, and half the idiots showed up in full camo gear. We had to tie orange marker ribbon to them so nobody would kill anyone else because they couldn't see them.

There are times one should not hide.
 

Booga

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I'd bought some of that cord in the past for cycling bags to add some visibility when commuting but I hadn't thought of using it on other gear.

When hiking I try to wear something bright in case mountain rescue ever need to find me.
 

Woods Walker

The Wood is cut, The Bacon is cooked, Now it’s tim
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Just for the sake of telling a short story along this vein...

We did a job a few yeas ago clearing trees and bushes in a big maple (syrup) stand to bring it up to standard, we had about a dozen guys with saws and brush cutters, and half the idiots showed up in full camo gear. We had to tie orange marker ribbon to them so nobody would kill anyone else because they couldn't see them.

There are times one should not hide.

Yup. Being seen is sometimes a very good thing.
 

markr6

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Just for the sake of telling a short story along this vein...

We did a job a few yeas ago clearing trees and bushes in a big maple (syrup) stand to bring it up to standard, we had about a dozen guys with saws and brush cutters, and half the idiots showed up in full camo gear. We had to tie orange marker ribbon to them so nobody would kill anyone else because they couldn't see them.

There are times one should not hide.

LOL reminds me of most people deer hunting in my area. Dress up like a deer and go deer hunting (full brown Carhartts)
 

Unicorn

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For survival situation where you want people to find you then bright colors are definitely the best. Also for finding dropped items as you pointed out. I don't however keep most of my stuff brightly colored. I have a couple bright panels or strips of reflective belts I can use if I need them. Muted colors work in the woods so much better for not standing out. Either in some end of the world situation or even while just on a day hike. A lot of hikers have noticed and pointed out/complained about the bright colors of others being distracting and seeing a neon green or yellow pack or jacket bobbing along a trail does distract from the natural scenery. So I don't want to be that guy.
 

coffeecup66

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For survival situation where you want people to find you then bright colors are definitely the best. Also for finding dropped items as you pointed out. I don't however keep most of my stuff brightly colored. I have a couple bright panels or strips of reflective belts I can use if I need them. Muted colors work in the woods so much better for not standing out. Either in some end of the world situation or even while just on a day hike. A lot of hikers have noticed and pointed out/complained about the bright colors of others being distracting and seeing a neon green or yellow pack or jacket bobbing along a trail does distract from the natural scenery. So I don't want to be that guy.


Hi,

You may want to read this.

Good day.
 

Stress_Test

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This is a great thread topic, and I had a question to pose that I figured I'd put here rather than starting a separate thread:


For max visibility in all conditions, what "stands out" more to your eyes, neon yellow, or neon orange? Or something else?

For me, neon orange seems to be the most visible in general, though in some cases in low light, the neon yellow might have an advantage.
 
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