Poll

Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?

Yes, it helps if you need to be resuced, it is safer that way!
6 (33.3%)
No, THe last thing I want to see when gazing down a valley is a line of people in lime green waterproofs!
11 (61.1%)
Seriously what a rubbish question, stop wasting my time! :)
1 (5.6%)

Total Members Voted: 18

Author Topic: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?  (Read 10863 times)

Skinny Walker

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I have been conidering the quetion of bright colours on the hills and can't come to a decision,

If you wear bright clothes and you get in trouble it is easier for you to be seen. So that makes sense,

However I was in the peaks last weekend and I saw a line of people in bright bright tops walking down a valley and it really catched my eye, ruined the scene a bit.

Or am I just an old git (at just 33)? Am I whining about things that are too small to worry about ;D (thus the 3rd option)

You need special shoes for hiking - and a bit of a special soul as well.  ~Emme Woodhull-Bäche

Ridge

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #1 on: 09:49:46, 07/08/08 »
Difficult question. I don't really mind seeing other people in fluresant orange but thinking about it most of my own stuff is on the drab side.

I do have a natural distrust (sorry if I'm about to offend anyone here) of people in camouflage gear unless they are actually soldiers.

mike knipe

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #2 on: 10:08:45, 07/08/08 »
I think its personal choice - bright colours on people doesnt bother me either way - but I share Ridge's reservations about people in camoflage gear - I always suspect that they're pretending to be something, and if anybody's going to have a big knife combined with some kind of dangerous fantasy existence , it would be somebody dressed as a soldier. (who isnt a soldier)
Anyway, for rescue purposes, I dont think it matters so much nowadays - a sarda dog will find you whatever you're wearing and I believe that the helicopters will have thermal imaging.
If you're hankering to wear a pink caggy covered in daisy prints, then go fo it!
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tonyk

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #3 on: 11:08:58, 07/08/08 »
 Mike Knipe wrote
Quote
but I share Ridge's reservations about people in camoflage gear - I always suspect that they're pretending to be something, and if anybody's going to have a big knife combined with some kind of dangerous fantasy existence , it would be somebody dressed as a soldier. (who isnt a soldier)

 I met a pair of guys on Kinder who were dressed in camo gear and doing the first day of the PW.They had the full kit including webbing,scrim nets and fur lined calf high leather boots.What I did find strange was that one of them had a large axe attached to his belt!I got talking to them and couldn't help asking if they were in the army.The large guy,with his stomach hanging over his belt,said they were training for selection (SAS selection!) and intended to do the PW in eight days.After a few probing questions it turned out they got their gear on the cheap from a mate who worked at the MOD and had never been in the army.They ended up quitting at Crowden due to badly blistered feet caused by their ex-Russian army fur lined para boots ;D

Ridge

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #4 on: 12:26:42, 07/08/08 »
..one of them had a large axe attached to his belt!I got talking to them...

 ???

Could I suggest next time 'one of them had a large axe, I walked quickly away in the opposite direction'.

Skinny Walker

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #5 on: 14:25:28, 07/08/08 »
Quote
If you're hankering to wear a pink caggy covered in daisy prints, then go fo it!

I am sensing that Mike is soon to make an entry on the what kit are you buying next topic.... ;D ;D
You need special shoes for hiking - and a bit of a special soul as well.  ~Emme Woodhull-Bäche

Lupine-Andy

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #6 on: 18:30:41, 07/08/08 »
You look cooler if you wear all black ...

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howardfernlover

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #7 on: 18:56:15, 07/08/08 »
Lupine-Andy, I've seen pictures of people dressed like that on some strange websites....  (Only kidding, mate!) 

Seriously, though, I'm almost fanatical about  wearing nothing but olives, browns, greens and fawns when I'm out walking or backpacking, because I want to blend in with the countryside and not stand out in bright colours.  Even my sleeping bag is olive coloured because I don't want any farmer spotting it from half a mile away when I've got it hanging up or laid out to air in the morning.

But don't go thinking I'm Rambo the macho wannabe soldier.  I think we've all seen at least one of them in the hills, haven't we, complete with all the gear even down to the camo stick markings on the face.

I'm not so young any more (don't think I ever was, actually, I was born old) and I am very much aware of how I'm possibly limiting my chances of being found and rescued if I got into serious problems, but then again I like to think that if I've avoided trouble for all these years, I must be doing things right.  And if Joe Simpson could spend days crawling off a remote mountain with a shattered leg, then I'll have a go, too.

cragster

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #8 on: 19:36:16, 07/08/08 »
I agree with Howard. .

I don't think the likes of Wainwright would have been overly worried about being visible and he did alright. I bet he never left details of his walks in case of an emergency either.

I go into the fells with full knowledge of the risks and wouldn't expect anyone to come rescue me. If I'm stupid enough to walk off a cliff because I didn't follow my compass bearing properly then that is my fault and I should deal with the consequences. If I trip and fall off a ridge or my health fails me then that is Gods will and what will happen will happen.

Life is boring if you take all the risk out of it, I mean we will all come to the same sticky end one way or another so why worry about it.

Bright coloured clothing dsoesn't bother me, It's bright coloured wild campers tents pitched in the way of what would otherwise make a stunning photo at 10:30 in the morning that really gets my back up!
« Last Edit: 19:41:56, 07/08/08 by cragster »
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tonyk

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #9 on: 21:52:07, 07/08/08 »
 If you look at the numbers of people who go into the hills and compare that to the amount of accidents reported you will find the risk is very low.In all honesty you have more chance of being involved in an accident driving to and from the hills.The media tend to blow accidents in the hills out of all proportion and you could be forgiven for thinking the deceased had been attempting the North Face of the Eiger rather than going for a walk in the British countryside.Some mountains are dangerous, An Teallach is one that comes to mind and it does have a bad record,but most are quite safe provided the normal precautions are taken.

 If you are concerned about being seen by the rescue services take a bright orange bivvi bag,they fold up small and weigh next to nothing but they can be seen from a great distance away.Bright colours are useful to helicopter crews trying to carry out a search over a wide area and it makes sense to carry something bright, but that dosen't mean you have to walk around looking like a dayglow bivvi bag!



 

tonyk

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #10 on: 22:01:17, 07/08/08 »
???

Could I suggest next time 'one of them had a large axe, I walked quickly away in the opposite direction'.

 Oh,he was quite harmless,just another Walter Mitty character.I realised what the axe was for when he said they hadn't made a fire yet,and that was on a scorched kinder in thirty degrees of heat!
« Last Edit: 23:30:53, 07/08/08 by tonyk »

pete

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #11 on: 22:10:29, 07/08/08 »
As most of my gear doubles up for my birdwatching trips I tend to stay away from lurid colours but  do not go in for cammo gear,lets leave that for the real soldiers.
It must be tea time by now

Skinny Walker

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #12 on: 08:21:35, 08/08/08 »
I totally agree with Cragster, tents should absolutely blend in!
You need special shoes for hiking - and a bit of a special soul as well.  ~Emme Woodhull-Bäche

kkm

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #13 on: 10:13:51, 08/08/08 »
just having a chuckle to myself.....

when i got kitted out for the pw, i told mr kkm that i had bought a bright pink jacket........
it didn't help when we went to the outdoor show and were buying rucksacks. I kept asking if they had it in pink.....mr kkm's face kinda blanched and he quickley walked away from me.....

however, i cast my love of all things pink (or lilac) to one side, and bought all in a nice shade of khaki and green, with a black jacket  :)

my one concession was a pale pink tee shirt 8)

Mr Sam

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Re: Bright Coloured clothing in the mountains, Yes or No?
« Reply #14 on: 16:59:23, 08/08/08 »
Am the only one to say yes? I wouldn't go out of my way to have bright gear. I saw a d of e group wearing highvisibity vests near styhead tarn on a clear sunny day. But I do own a red coat.
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