Do You Carry A Weather Radio?

“Do any of you carry a weather radio when you are backpacking?”

“Nope. I have a barometer on my watch that is pretty accurate.”

“Yes. The lightest one from Radio Snack.”

“after my last BP trip, im wondering if I should! LOL!!!!”

“What happened SC?”

“it's a component of my VHF Radio.”

“I never have before. But for Christmas my sons were given Motorola 2-way radios with weather channels. I got them for them specifically for when we go backpacking since there are times when we are quite spread out over the trail and I want to be able to communicate with them. So it will be a nice feature to have.”

“No. I check weather forecasts in great detail before I head out, and make various gear/clothing decisions based on what to expect. For big trips, I ask my meteorologist friend for a forecast, too.”

“A surprise tornado...I had no shelter and was camped under a walnut tree....LOL!”

“Sorry Spirit but that was a funny night...thud...ow! thud...ow! thud...ow!...”

“A surprise tornado...I had no shelter and was camped under a walnut tree

Ooooo, that smarts!”

“I carry the lightest one from Radio Shack also. It help immensely getting around too many layover days because of headwinds while canoeing the Boundary Waters and helped me get in my days hiking between squall lines in the Smokies.”

“Ruby,

How well does the Weather Service Channels pick up on your Motorola FRS. I'm thinking about getting some new ones mine are over five years old time to upgrade. If I had the bucks I'd buy that new Rino 530 radio with GPS, altimeter, barometer and NOAA radio. It could be mine for $499.
last edited: 1/27/06 12:34:57 PM”

“I have tested the weather channels here in Gary, Indiana and then in the woods near Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I think there are 7 channels, and it worked both times no problem finding at least one relatively clear channel.

I bought them at Costco. Don't remember the model number, but they claim to have a 10-mile range. It has 21 channels. I think 7 of them are 1 watt (does that sound right?). It came in a two-pack with charger, extra cover plates, ear buds, and belt clips for 59.99.”

“I just checked the Costco site. I could have sworn that they are Motorola. I'm not home at the moment so I can't check. The web site isn't showing them, so maybe they don't carry them anymore. They are showing a Uniden model that is similar, but has fewer features.”

“Found it. This site has the whole package I bought, but it's $25 more than I paid in December.


http://www.productwizard.com/motorola-t6550.html”

“Thanks, Ruby I'm not buying them today. I'm glad to hear that the NOAA Channels work well though.”

“Bateauxdriver, if it helps any, the Rino 130 also has all of those fetures. The main differnce between it and the 530 is it doesn't have the color display, has 24MB of memory instead of 56MB, and it costs $350.
last edited: 1/27/06 1:25:48 PM”

“Thanks for the input everyone. I picked up one to carry with me, seems like a good thing to have just in case.”

“Pansies.”

““Pansies.”

They are pretty flowers aren't they?”

“Actually, I have to carry it. It flat-out refused to walk along on its own.”

“Not me, they freeze up this far north.”

“My wife carried a weather radio, but I pretty much don't care what the weather is. I do have a barometer on my watch. Usually only notice it when the altimeter starts screwing up. I do carry a AM/FM radio which has weather news. Hillbillies are pretty good at reading the sky though.”

“If I go alone I take a small radio with a weather band. Half the time I can't pick up any stations or weather.

My pet peave is people who have to take their tunes into the woods. Sitting in pristine wilderness listening to sounds of the eighty's blows.”

“You got it, bacpac. If anything bugged my on the thruhike it was a group of people, all hiking in a row, plugged into their mp3's. What bugged me more was when others just blasted their music out into the woods.”

“prosecutor - I've never had to delay because of strong headwinds. I learned early that going straight across a lake can be the longest way. The headwinds are usually diminished considerably close to the shorelines. And, when necessary, I use tacting, like in a sailboat, to achieve forward progress.

I can see taking a weather radio on a canoe trip, but never on a backpacking trip. It is definitely extra weight.”

“I use earbuds with my radio. Doesn't even have a speaker. Love my radio & would do without a LOT of other stuff to keep it. Hard music for the climbs & softer stuff for the scenery. Makes the trip. I do pop out the earbuds when approaching other hikers, so I can hear them. Got pretty close to an upright huffing bear while bushwhacking before I noticed her. The only way down was right past her den. My neck hair was tingling then.

Canoeing, we always stay near shore in high winds. If we have to cross, we go as hard & short a distance as we can. That will tire you out quick.
last edited: 1/28/06 1:30:03 PM”

“I take my tansistor radio with me for news and radio updates (plus I gotta Rock'n' Roll) and listen in with my headphones so I won't disturb anyone's appreciation of nature: I attach one end of a 6 foot length of insulated copper wire to the antenna and ground the other end with a nail and this eliminates static and improves reception.”

“I found a small FM/weather radio with a carabiner and led light at WALGREENS recently. It was about 7 or 8 bucks and uses a button type watch battery. I accidently left it on and ran down the battery, so not I put a piece of plastic between the contacts. It is removeable when I need to use it. I haven't carried it on a trip yet, but I did carry my MP3 player on the Sipsey trip last month. I probably wouldn't carry it on most trips, only when I really thought I might need it.”

“6' of insulated copper wire?????”