1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from my Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:17,280 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio. 4 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: And how the tech are you today? I want to 5 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:25,600 Speaker 1: talk about technology that's designed to enhance our time spent outdoors, 6 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: specifically when you're doing stuff like hiking or camping. And 7 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: before we really get into it, I thought I would 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about my own experiences of camping 9 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: back when I was much much younger. You see, I 10 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: camped fairly frequently. As a teenager. I had joined the 11 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: Society for Creative Anachronism or s c A, which is 12 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 1: a nonprofit group that, at least in theory, is dedicated 13 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: to learning about culture during the Middle Ages. In practice, 14 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: it can often be more about dressing up in funny clothes, 15 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: eating a lot of food, and hitting each other with 16 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: rattan sticks wrapped and duct tape. Anyway, I would often 17 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: attend s c A events, which usually took place at campgrounds, 18 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: and that meant camping. So I had all the camping basics. 19 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: I had a tent, I had a sleeping bag, and 20 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: um if I remember to pack it, I had a 21 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 1: beat up egg crate, foam mattress topper to take a 22 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 1: little bit of the staying of a sleeping on the ground. 23 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:27,199 Speaker 1: And that was pretty much the extent of my camping gear. Well. 24 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: I loved the sea events, but it didn't care for 25 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: camping too much. It was too uncomfortable and inconvenient. Now, luckily, 26 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: this was way back before we had stuff like smartphones 27 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: or else. I really would have gone nuts if I 28 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 1: had been cut off from that technology. My point is 29 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: I lacked the right stuff to make camping right for me, 30 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: and as I got older and less resilient, I lost 31 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: interest in camping. I mean, these days, if I were 32 00:01:57,720 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: to try and sleep on the ground without a prop 33 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: per pad, I would probably be unable to move the 34 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: next day. But here's the thing. I didn't really lose 35 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: interest in camping itself. I lost interest in putting myself 36 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: through discomfort. And also since those days, which you know, 37 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: to some of y'all might seem like to happen just 38 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: after the Middle Ages, things have changed significantly. You know, 39 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 1: We've got smartphones and other devices that more of us 40 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: lean on year after year. In fact, I think some 41 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 1: of y'all have probably experienced withdrawal symptoms whenever you're pulled 42 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 1: away from your smart devices. And that's not a comment 43 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 1: on your character. Rather, it's a comment on how incredibly 44 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 1: useful and yes, addictive, these devices have become. Well, something 45 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,519 Speaker 1: that I think is really cool is how various companies 46 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 1: have responded to this by creating solutions that start to 47 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: remove the things that would otherwise make people say, I 48 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: don't really want to go camping. There are so many 49 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: examples of technologies that ideally encourage more people to go 50 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:09,240 Speaker 1: out and spend time in nature, and that time is valuable. 51 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: I mean, it can help you shed stress and anxiety. 52 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: It can encourage a sense of accomplishment. You know, everything 53 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: from setting up your tent to lighting a fire or 54 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: a camp stove, or cooking a meal. All of these 55 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: things can really make you feel better while you're exploring 56 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: nature and walking around national parks that you otherwise would 57 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 1: have just passed on by as you go from one 58 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: city to or another. It's it's a significant thing. So 59 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: today we're going to take a look at some of 60 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: the technology designed to get you out from behind your computer, 61 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 1: out of your house, and out into the real world. 62 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: And I thought I would start off with a hobby 63 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: that I first became aware of more than a decade ago, 64 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: and I'm talking about geo cashing. So geo cashing is 65 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: an activity that grew out of the fact that in 66 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: two thousand, the then US President Bill Clinton brought an 67 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: end to a practice called selective availability. All right, but 68 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: what the heck is that? Well before two thousand, GPS 69 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: signals were considered to be crucial for national security in 70 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: the United States. As such, there was a requirement that 71 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: any public GPS signals first had to be degraded before 72 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 1: citizens would be able to access them. So, in other words, 73 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: if you use a civilian GPS device, the information you 74 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:35,040 Speaker 1: got about your position was only sort of correct, and 75 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 1: by sort of, I mean your positioning could be off 76 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,679 Speaker 1: by like a hundred meters, which is significant. You would 77 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: not be able to use a GPS device for navigation. 78 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: If that were the case. You would get an instruction 79 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: to make a right turn, and it would just turn 80 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: out that that road that you're supposed to turn on 81 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,160 Speaker 1: is fifty behind you, or maybe it's a hundred meters 82 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 1: ahead of you, or maybe you're not even on the 83 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:59,279 Speaker 1: road that the GPS device thinks you're on. So before 84 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: two thousand GPS devices at least four civilians were interesting, 85 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:06,719 Speaker 1: but not practically useful in any way. It was a 86 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: different matter for GPS devices that were used by say 87 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: the military, those signals were not degraded. And if you're 88 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,040 Speaker 1: wondering how did they degrade the signals, it all has 89 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 1: to do with timing. You see, the signals that get 90 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: to your device are coming from satellites, multiple satellites, and 91 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: each of those satellites has a very precise clock on it. 92 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:31,919 Speaker 1: When those satellites send out a signal that your device receives, 93 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: it knows when that signal was sent by the satellite, 94 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 1: and it can measure the amount of time that it 95 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: took for the message to go from the satellite to 96 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:45,039 Speaker 1: the device, and by coordinating that with multiple satellites, you 97 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,840 Speaker 1: can figure out where on the Earth you are. Well, 98 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:51,840 Speaker 1: the way selective availability worked, the satellites would fudge the 99 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:55,719 Speaker 1: time just a little bit, but just a tiny change 100 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: in time was enough to make a significant change in 101 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: the results on the GPS device, making you think you're 102 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:04,599 Speaker 1: somewhere where you're not, at least by a hundred meters 103 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:09,640 Speaker 1: or so. Well. Starting on May one, two thousand. All 104 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: that changed. President Clinton ended selective availability, and the constellation 105 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 1: of GPS satellites would send accurate information instead of masking it, 106 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: giving you a precise location when you used your device. Well, 107 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 1: that capability encourage some GPS hobbyists to create a new activity. Now. 108 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 1: The idea was you go to some location, frequently a 109 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 1: remote location out in nature, somewhere, preferably one that you're 110 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 1: allowed to be in. Right, You're not supposed to trespass 111 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 1: or anything like that on private property, So you would 112 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: go someplace where you're allowed to be and you would 113 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 1: take note of your precise location using a GPS device. 114 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 1: You would write down the coordinates. Then you would take 115 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:57,040 Speaker 1: a container of some sort, preferably weather proof and resistant 116 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,359 Speaker 1: to damage, and you would put inside that contain a 117 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:03,840 Speaker 1: log book for others to sign, some writing implements so 118 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 1: that people can sign it, maybe a couple of cheap 119 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:09,160 Speaker 1: little do dads as a type of reward, and you 120 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 1: would seal all of that away and hide the container. 121 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: Then you would go back home, hop on a database 122 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: frequented by other GPS hobbyists and you would share the coordinates. 123 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: The other hobbyists can then use those coordinates and use 124 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: their own devices to try and navigate to that precise location, 125 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:31,239 Speaker 1: search for the container, open it up, signed the log book, 126 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: and take a do dad. Now, the practice quickly evolved 127 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: so that the hobbyists who are doing the hunting would 128 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 1: bring along their own little do dads, and they would 129 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,440 Speaker 1: swap them out so they might have a token of 130 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: their own that kind of was their signature, and they 131 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: would leave that token in the stash and take something 132 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: else from it and then go on their way after 133 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: signing the logbook, and the log books grew longer and longer. 134 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: This hobby is still going on today, and frequently. One 135 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 1: of the driving fact ars of this hobby is that 136 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: the hobbyists like to find locations that are special in 137 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 1: some way, and it may be that getting to those 138 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 1: special places requires some determination and skill. Often that will 139 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 1: be marked down on a database to how much strenuous 140 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 1: activity might be required for you to reach the destination. 141 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 1: Maybe the destination will have a spectacular view, like it 142 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:27,480 Speaker 1: might overlook a waterfall or something. The hobby became part 143 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: treasure hunt, part tech geek activity, and part exploration. As 144 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: more folks joined in, more would go out and about 145 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: finding great locations where they could hide the next dash. 146 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: There are urban versions of this too, where people will 147 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:47,440 Speaker 1: hide them in like neighborhoods and such, but more frequently 148 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: you hear about ones that are in parks and things 149 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:53,560 Speaker 1: of that nature. Now, let's be clear, folks could have 150 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:56,319 Speaker 1: done this kind of activity without the tech. In fact, 151 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,400 Speaker 1: there is a very similar hobby called letter boxing, in 152 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,839 Speaker 1: which instead of leaving coordinates, the people who hide a 153 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 1: stash will share clues and riddles that will lead people 154 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:09,959 Speaker 1: to wear a stash is hidden. It is in many 155 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:14,200 Speaker 1: ways similar to geo cashing, but doesn't require the coordinates bit, 156 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 1: which frankly can make it even more challenging depending on 157 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: how well the clues are formed and how clever you 158 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:24,840 Speaker 1: are and figuring them out. But the tech in geo 159 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:28,600 Speaker 1: cashing really facilitated things. It's served as a reason to 160 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: get outside and go exploring. It provided inspiration, and that's 161 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:36,720 Speaker 1: what I love about these kinds of technologies. The problem 162 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:40,720 Speaker 1: they are solving is not about necessarily making camping or 163 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: hiking or even exploring a snap. It's removing the barriers 164 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 1: that we put up for ourselves that stop us from 165 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:52,440 Speaker 1: getting out there in the first place. I think. Another 166 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: technology that has inspired folks to get out more are 167 00:09:55,120 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 1: quad copters or drones. Many years ago, according to a 168 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:05,040 Speaker 1: quick search online, I remember seeing a quad copter drone 169 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 1: for the first time. It was at c e S 170 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: or the Consumer Electronics Show, and it was a device 171 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: that's no longer on the market, so there's no point 172 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 1: in even naming it. But the idea was you could 173 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:21,560 Speaker 1: have this squad copter and pair your phone to the drone, 174 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:24,400 Speaker 1: and you would run a special app and your phone 175 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: would become a remote control for the device, and you 176 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:30,560 Speaker 1: could even use the camera that was on the drone 177 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: to feed a video straight to your phone. Well, at 178 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: the time, I had no way of knowing that what 179 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:39,680 Speaker 1: I was seeing was going to become an entirely new 180 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: consumer product line. Today, there are dozens of companies that 181 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 1: are into it. You can find lots of different brands 182 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: of drones. There are plenty of drones that can shoot 183 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:53,920 Speaker 1: images and video at four K resolution or even higher. 184 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:56,960 Speaker 1: A lot of them have tons of cool features like 185 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: obstacle detection and avoidance that make them easy year to pilot, 186 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: and they can get absolutely breathtaking shots that you would 187 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:10,679 Speaker 1: otherwise need a helicopter to manage. I've seen phenomenal footage 188 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:14,679 Speaker 1: from drone pilots and looked at pristine locations that are 189 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,720 Speaker 1: just so gorgeous that I can't help but feel I 190 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:21,480 Speaker 1: need to go visit those myself. Now. I'm sure for 191 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 1: some of the folks who are using drones, they were 192 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:26,600 Speaker 1: already outdoorsy, right. A lot of them might even have 193 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 1: been into hobbies, or maybe they even had a career 194 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 1: in nature photography. But there's a slice of drone users 195 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:38,200 Speaker 1: who before they got their quad coptor, they weren't the 196 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: type to do much outdoor exploration. Now they have a 197 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:44,240 Speaker 1: device that pretty much requires that they do that, and 198 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: I think that's cool too. It gives people a reason 199 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:50,000 Speaker 1: to get out there. Along the way, they might find 200 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: that they really liked the lifestyle, and they progressively get 201 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,360 Speaker 1: more into it. We're gonna take a quick break. When 202 00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: we come back, i'll talk about some more technology that's 203 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,360 Speaker 1: meant to get you out and about in the great outdoors. 204 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:16,240 Speaker 1: You know, one technology that has really evolved incredibly rapidly 205 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:19,840 Speaker 1: over the last decade, maybe two decades, would be the 206 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 1: camping trailer. So in the old days, a camping trailer 207 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 1: was really just this terrible living space that you could 208 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 1: use to sleep in while you were out on the road. 209 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 1: It might feature some pretty cool technology in it. You 210 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 1: might have climate control options, maybe a fridge, perhaps a 211 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:42,120 Speaker 1: cooking surface of some sort. But these days there are 212 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:44,839 Speaker 1: camping trailers that have more smart devices in them than 213 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:48,200 Speaker 1: my house does. I had a conversation with the CEO 214 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,720 Speaker 1: of a particularly famous company known for its camping trailers, 215 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:54,360 Speaker 1: and I learned about how, as the head of a 216 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 1: company that manufactures these things, trailers meant to appeal to 217 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 1: people who like to go on outdoor adventures, that he 218 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 1: sees technology as being pivotal to the business model. He 219 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:12,040 Speaker 1: pointed out that people want certain conveniences, for instance, connectivity. 220 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 1: You know, some people feel such a sense of anxiety 221 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:18,080 Speaker 1: when they have no cell phone service that they can 222 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 1: enjoy themselves. They're too busy fretting over what they might 223 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 1: be missing. Those people are far more likely to turn 224 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 1: down the opportunity to spend time in nature, which is understandable. 225 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:33,240 Speaker 1: None of us want to invite more anxiety in our lives. 226 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:37,480 Speaker 1: For that reason, he said, his company made sure to 227 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:41,160 Speaker 1: boost connectivity features in their products, so new models of 228 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:45,719 Speaker 1: camping trailers would include things like amplified antenna to pick 229 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:49,080 Speaker 1: up cells service and signal boosters which could take a 230 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:52,440 Speaker 1: week signal and make it strong enough for campers to 231 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 1: make it useful. And he also talked about how more 232 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 1: and more features in the company's campers are smart technologies, 233 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,600 Speaker 1: controllable from an app even if you aren't there, so 234 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:07,000 Speaker 1: you can do things like check on levels of the 235 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:10,680 Speaker 1: battery in the camper, or how much water is in 236 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:13,320 Speaker 1: the camper, things that you would need to know before 237 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 1: you would actually go out on a trip. You could 238 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 1: just check it from your phone. Now, obviously his goal 239 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:22,600 Speaker 1: is to sell as many camping trailers as he possibly can. 240 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:26,560 Speaker 1: That's the business. But his point was unless you listen 241 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:30,320 Speaker 1: to what customers want and you remove those things that 242 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 1: would otherwise convince people not to go camping, you're going 243 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: to fail as a business. So for folks who want 244 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:39,960 Speaker 1: the camper experience, there are all sorts of new gadgets 245 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: and gizmos a plenty incorporated into those designs. Today, there 246 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,920 Speaker 1: are a lot of camper companies out there now. I 247 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 1: don't want to single out one at the expense of 248 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 1: all the rest, because lots of companies are doing innovative 249 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: things with their camper technology. So I'm just gonna talk 250 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: in general about some of the tech that we're starting 251 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,440 Speaker 1: to see in prototypes and in at least some cases 252 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:06,200 Speaker 1: campers you can actually go out and purchase. We're seeing 253 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:09,360 Speaker 1: a lot of work with very lightweight materials and three 254 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 1: D printed components which are meant to maximize efficient use 255 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 1: of space while also reducing weight. Reducing that weight makes 256 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:20,400 Speaker 1: it easier to tow the camper behind your vehicle. Uh. 257 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 1: In fact, there's a prototype camper that has its own 258 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:29,520 Speaker 1: drive train that ends up using its own power supply 259 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 1: to help propel the camper behind the towing vehicle so 260 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:38,080 Speaker 1: that it's less of a load for the towing vehicle. 261 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:43,080 Speaker 1: That's pretty incredible. Uh. One prototype system even has an 262 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: option where you detach the camper when you get to 263 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 1: your campsite and you use a connected smartphone as a 264 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:53,360 Speaker 1: remote control. You can actually maneuver the camper into the 265 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:57,240 Speaker 1: position you want at your campsite using your phone. You 266 00:15:57,280 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 1: don't have it connected to your vehicle anymore at all. 267 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:02,520 Speaker 1: That's cool as heck, and it takes the worry out 268 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 1: of how to back a camper into the right spot. 269 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:09,200 Speaker 1: Several of these campers incorporate solar panels to provide electricity 270 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:12,240 Speaker 1: to charge on board batteries, which in turn can power 271 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:15,560 Speaker 1: all sorts of stuff like a water pump, a heater 272 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,560 Speaker 1: which gives you a sink with hot and cold water, 273 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 1: or powering a cooking surface, or an entertainment system, refrigerator, 274 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 1: air conditioner, lights, even ultra high definition televisions, and some 275 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: of these models, it's kind of like having a hotel 276 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: room that's portable. Now, a big trade off you have 277 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:40,440 Speaker 1: with campers is that they can run to be really 278 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:45,200 Speaker 1: really expensive. Plus some outdoorsy folks might feel like it's 279 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: kind of like cheating. I mean, sure, no one wants 280 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: to be miserably uncomfortable when they're out and about, but 281 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 1: you might want to at least feel like you're roughing it. 282 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:58,000 Speaker 1: And sleeping in a luxurious camper surrounded by four K 283 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:02,440 Speaker 1: television screens probably doesn't at that bill. However, we're seeing 284 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:06,399 Speaker 1: a lot of technology that's aimed at outdoor enthusiasts that 285 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:09,560 Speaker 1: doesn't quite go to the extremes of top of the 286 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:14,560 Speaker 1: line campers. For instance, there are self inflating sleeping pads 287 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:16,600 Speaker 1: that will get you up off the ground, which is 288 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:21,080 Speaker 1: something that's absolutely critical when you're in colder months or 289 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: when the weather turns nasty. Now, this technology actually dates 290 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:27,920 Speaker 1: back to the nineteen seventies and it's pretty interesting stuff. 291 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:31,680 Speaker 1: So the pads have foam in them. The foam, if 292 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:34,120 Speaker 1: you were to look really closely at it, you would 293 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: see are made up of what are called open cells. 294 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:41,919 Speaker 1: The cells that create the foam are have open walls 295 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:45,160 Speaker 1: in them, which allows air to flow into that space. Now, 296 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,919 Speaker 1: if you pack that stuff into fabric that does not 297 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:52,280 Speaker 1: allow air to pass through it, and then you include 298 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:55,240 Speaker 1: a valve that will allow air to pass but only 299 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: in one direction depending on how the valve is set, 300 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:03,360 Speaker 1: you have yourself an ideal structure for camping. You turn 301 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:06,440 Speaker 1: the valve so that air can pass into the pad 302 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:09,679 Speaker 1: but not out, and air will rush in and the 303 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 1: pad will expand. That expansion is the foam stretching out, 304 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:15,640 Speaker 1: and as it does, it starts to create a vacuum 305 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:17,679 Speaker 1: and air moves into fill it. Because we all know 306 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:21,960 Speaker 1: that nature abhorrors a vacuum right well, when it's trying 307 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 1: to pack up. Turning the valves that the air can 308 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 1: only move out means you can start to compress the 309 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 1: pad and squeeze the air from it. The valve prevents 310 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:32,960 Speaker 1: air from coming back in, so you get the pad 311 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 1: as compressed as you can so that you can pack 312 00:18:35,119 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 1: it back up again, which is pretty genius. Now there 313 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:42,720 Speaker 1: are also inflatable air sleeping pads out there, meaning these 314 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:45,639 Speaker 1: are pads that you have to pump air into or 315 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:48,840 Speaker 1: maybe blow it up yourself, which to me sounds like 316 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,639 Speaker 1: a terrible activity after you've just hiked your camping spot. 317 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: And of course there are various pumps out there too, 318 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:58,480 Speaker 1: from hand pumps and foot pumps to battery powered electric pumps. 319 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 1: The point is there are a lot of solutions for 320 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:03,359 Speaker 1: campers when it comes to finding the right surface to 321 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:07,119 Speaker 1: sleep on, and as someone who can tell you from experience, 322 00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:10,280 Speaker 1: you definitely want to make that at least a little 323 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,359 Speaker 1: comfortable so that you can move around the next day. 324 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:16,040 Speaker 1: By the way, if you do want to shop for 325 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:18,840 Speaker 1: that kind of gear, you should pay attention to the 326 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,919 Speaker 1: temperature ratings on the products. This also will go for 327 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,439 Speaker 1: sleeping bags, but the rating systems are different and they 328 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: can get very confusing. The air mattress style pads will 329 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:32,879 Speaker 1: keep you more comfortable as you know as far as 330 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 1: it being softer than the self inflating foam pads do, 331 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:42,760 Speaker 1: but the air mattress style pads don't have good insulation 332 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:47,040 Speaker 1: against the cold. Many sleep pad manufacturers will indicate what 333 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,399 Speaker 1: their pads are rated for, which is designated with a 334 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 1: value that has an R in front of it, and 335 00:19:54,119 --> 00:20:00,199 Speaker 1: the higher that value is, the better insulated that pad is. 336 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:03,400 Speaker 1: For those who plan on camping in late fall, maybe 337 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,879 Speaker 1: even into winter, and our value of three point five 338 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: or greater is a good idea. Of anything below that, 339 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:13,960 Speaker 1: you are probably going to be too cold at night 340 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:16,280 Speaker 1: and you might just want to call it quits rather 341 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 1: than enjoy your experience again. Picking the right stuff so 342 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 1: that the experience is fun and something that you eagerly 343 00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:29,119 Speaker 1: seek to do again. That's the goal. We're not looking 344 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:35,399 Speaker 1: at making a technology nervana out in the wilderness, but 345 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:39,640 Speaker 1: rather an experience that enhances our time outside so that 346 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:43,200 Speaker 1: we seek it out again and again. As for sleeping bags, 347 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:46,240 Speaker 1: they come in a variety of shapes and materials and 348 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:50,399 Speaker 1: temperature ratings. Those ratings are usually designated I s OH 349 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:55,800 Speaker 1: that stands for International Standards Organization, So a bag that 350 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 1: has an I s O rating on it is one 351 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:01,520 Speaker 1: that the manufacturers submitted to the I s O to 352 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:06,560 Speaker 1: test the bag out. This actually costs money to the manufacturers, 353 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:08,720 Speaker 1: which means that not every sleeping bag is going to 354 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 1: have an I s O rating on it. When we 355 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: come back, I want to talk about the testing process 356 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,280 Speaker 1: the I s O uses because it's actually pretty nifty 357 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:29,639 Speaker 1: and uses some interesting technology. But first another break. So 358 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:32,880 Speaker 1: the I s OH, in order to test the sleeping bag, 359 00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:37,200 Speaker 1: gets a test dummy and they cover it in heat sensors. 360 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:40,399 Speaker 1: They also put the dummy in a base layer of 361 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 1: clothing you can think of like light pajamas, So there 362 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:48,640 Speaker 1: are bottoms, there's a top, there's a hat, and socks. 363 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:52,400 Speaker 1: The dummy is then shoved into the sleeping bag that's 364 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 1: being tested. Actually, more likely it's folded into it and 365 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:58,600 Speaker 1: zipped up, because that makes more sense. But I just 366 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 1: like the visual of someone having to shove the test 367 00:22:01,359 --> 00:22:04,240 Speaker 1: dummy into a sleeping bag. And on top of that, 368 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 1: the bag with the dummy in it is placed on 369 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 1: top of a winter rated sleeping pad. Now, if you remember, 370 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:12,720 Speaker 1: before the break, I talked about how sleeping pads have 371 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:16,240 Speaker 1: an R number associated with them to tell you how 372 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:19,639 Speaker 1: well insulated they are against, say the cold In the 373 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:22,960 Speaker 1: case of this test, it's a sleeping pad with a 374 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:27,879 Speaker 1: rating of R five. That is a significant insulated pad. 375 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:32,440 Speaker 1: So that's that's one really meant for cold cold weather. Now, 376 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 1: the pad plus the base level of clothing is standardized, 377 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:40,359 Speaker 1: so they use it on all the different sleeping bags 378 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,520 Speaker 1: out there. Obviously, it would not be fair to switch 379 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 1: out any of that stuff between tests because that could 380 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:51,479 Speaker 1: lead to incorrect conclusions about the correct temperature rating of 381 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 1: the bagging question. Now, the test takes place in a 382 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:58,600 Speaker 1: room that can be cooled down to around zero degrees fahrenheit. 383 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:02,640 Speaker 1: The I s SO lowers the temperature and then monitors 384 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:05,479 Speaker 1: the sensors that are on the dummy to determine the 385 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:08,040 Speaker 1: lowest temperature at which a human would still likely to 386 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,959 Speaker 1: be comfortable while sleeping in the bag. The I s 387 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:16,040 Speaker 1: O actually produces two ratings per sleeping bag. The first, 388 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:19,520 Speaker 1: which is the higher temperature of the two, is for 389 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:23,960 Speaker 1: people who sleep quote unquote cold, and for those people 390 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:27,919 Speaker 1: they would probably be comfortable at that temperature, but no lower. 391 00:23:28,359 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 1: So these are people who prefer a warmer sleeping environment. 392 00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 1: If it is cooler than that, then they feel chilly. 393 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:41,680 Speaker 1: The second number, which is a lower temperature that's sometimes 394 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:44,680 Speaker 1: referred to as a transition number, is the temperature where 395 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:48,720 Speaker 1: people who sleep warmer will feel comfortable. So this would 396 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:51,159 Speaker 1: be the lowest temperature for those who like it a 397 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:54,720 Speaker 1: little chilly in when they're sleeping, Like I like a 398 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:59,720 Speaker 1: nice cave temperature when I'm going to sleep, so I 399 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:04,280 Speaker 1: sleep warmer. Frequently you will hear folks refer to the 400 00:24:04,359 --> 00:24:08,679 Speaker 1: first number, the higher temperature, as the women's temperature, and 401 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:13,200 Speaker 1: the second as the men's temperature, because there's a tendency 402 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: for men to prefer colder temperatures than women. I stress 403 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:21,719 Speaker 1: it's a tendency, it's not a universal rule. And there 404 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:24,280 Speaker 1: are sleeping bags that are marketed just to men and 405 00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:26,879 Speaker 1: some that are marketed just to women. And due to 406 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:30,440 Speaker 1: that tendency to sleep warmer cold, you can have two 407 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: sleeping bags, one for a man and one for a woman, 408 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:37,040 Speaker 1: each rated for a comfort level of let's say ten 409 00:24:37,119 --> 00:24:40,560 Speaker 1: degrees fahrenheit, meaning that if it's ten degrees fahrenheit or warmer, 410 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:43,119 Speaker 1: you should be fine. Well, the men's bag is probably 411 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:46,359 Speaker 1: gonna be lighter, and that's because of that tendency. It 412 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:49,719 Speaker 1: takes less insulation to keep your typical man comfortable when 413 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 1: the environmental temperature is ten degrees than it would to 414 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:58,000 Speaker 1: keep a typical woman comfortable. So again, like the temperature 415 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:00,920 Speaker 1: is just about the environment, it's not about the bag itself, 416 00:25:01,359 --> 00:25:04,480 Speaker 1: and that's how you factor in which bag is going 417 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:06,119 Speaker 1: to be right for you. It also depends on what 418 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:09,199 Speaker 1: time of year you plan on going camping. Now, if 419 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:11,600 Speaker 1: you want to have something that's better for more extreme weather, 420 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:15,280 Speaker 1: you have to look beyond I s O ratings. The 421 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:18,119 Speaker 1: I s O only rate bags that are meant to 422 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:22,080 Speaker 1: be used in temperatures that are zero fahrenheit or warmer. 423 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 1: Extreme bags, which can go below zero degrees fahrenheit frequently, 424 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:31,640 Speaker 1: will have three temperature ratings on them. The first represents 425 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:34,640 Speaker 1: the temperature a person could expect to sleep in relative comfort. 426 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:38,119 Speaker 1: The second number, which is often called the limit number, 427 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,200 Speaker 1: is the lowest temperature someone could be expected to sleep 428 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:44,040 Speaker 1: in the bag at all, and the third number the 429 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:48,200 Speaker 1: lowest of the three. The extreme level is a temperature 430 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:50,320 Speaker 1: where it would probably be way too cold for you 431 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:53,120 Speaker 1: to get any sleep, but the bag would likely keep 432 00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:55,840 Speaker 1: you warm enough so that you could survive the night. Now, 433 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 1: obviously that third scenario is something that represents an emergency situation, 434 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:04,560 Speaker 1: then we've got tents. You might think tents end up 435 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:07,840 Speaker 1: being pretty basic, low tech things, but there are exceptions, 436 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:11,160 Speaker 1: and of course tents come in a variety of sizes, shapes, 437 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:14,240 Speaker 1: and materials. Some tents are essentially just a thin barrier 438 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:17,240 Speaker 1: between you and everything outside the tent. That can be 439 00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:20,360 Speaker 1: really useful if you needed to be super lightweight and 440 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:24,480 Speaker 1: you're going to be hiking to your campsite. Others are 441 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: more rain resistant. Some are rainproof, although you can probably 442 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:33,720 Speaker 1: put rainproof in air quotes because it's very possible even 443 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:38,080 Speaker 1: for the most resilient rainproof tense to become flooded if 444 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,080 Speaker 1: you set up the tent poorly in the wrong location, 445 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: like you start, you have the entry of the tent 446 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:48,280 Speaker 1: facing uphill and it starts pouring down rain. That's not 447 00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:52,720 Speaker 1: going to be great. But tents can go well beyond this. Uh. 448 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,720 Speaker 1: There are tents that have led light straps sewn into 449 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: the seams and you just plug a couple of double 450 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 1: A batteries in and you got yourself indoor lighting woven 451 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 1: directly into the tent, which is really convenient and because 452 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,320 Speaker 1: L E D s are so power efficient, those battery 453 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 1: should last a good long time. There are tents that 454 00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:13,880 Speaker 1: use inflatable elements so that you don't have to struggle 455 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:16,360 Speaker 1: with poles and ropes to get the tent set up, 456 00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:18,720 Speaker 1: which is pretty cool. I've seen some of these, I've 457 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,640 Speaker 1: never slept in one. I've always been curious about them, 458 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:25,240 Speaker 1: but yeah, that's that really appeals to me, because, um, 459 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:29,119 Speaker 1: I'm one of those people who becomes like Goofy in 460 00:27:29,119 --> 00:27:31,240 Speaker 1: the Disney cartoons when I try and set up a tent. 461 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,600 Speaker 1: I'm more likely to end up tying myself to a 462 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:37,040 Speaker 1: tree accidentally. Now and then we see some interesting tent 463 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:40,440 Speaker 1: concepts that incorporate things like solar panels and other elements 464 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 1: in them that, to be honest, a lot of those 465 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:47,320 Speaker 1: seem to remain concepts and never quite migrate over into 466 00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:51,560 Speaker 1: consumer products. As for other camping gear, with the tech side, 467 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:54,840 Speaker 1: you've got stuff like led lanterns that have solar panels 468 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: so that you can recharge them during the daytime, which 469 00:27:57,400 --> 00:27:59,000 Speaker 1: is pretty useful when you're out in the middle of 470 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:01,680 Speaker 1: nowhere and there's no way be a light. There are 471 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:05,439 Speaker 1: portable showers, which essentially consists of a bag that you 472 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:07,399 Speaker 1: fill up with water and you leave it in the 473 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:09,960 Speaker 1: sun to heat up. You hang it from a height, 474 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 1: and some of them are very simple, just gravity fed systems, 475 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:15,320 Speaker 1: so you open up a little valve and the water 476 00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:19,560 Speaker 1: comes out due to gravity. Others incorporate foot pedals that 477 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:22,960 Speaker 1: uh connect an air hose from the foot pedal to 478 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:25,280 Speaker 1: the bag, so you can actually pump some air into 479 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:28,480 Speaker 1: the bag, increasing the internal pressure of the bag. So 480 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:31,119 Speaker 1: when you open up that valve, that pressure starts to 481 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:33,040 Speaker 1: push the water out with more force and you get 482 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: a better shower going. I've seen camp stoves that not 483 00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:39,360 Speaker 1: only provide a way for you to get warmth and 484 00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:43,320 Speaker 1: cook food, but also charge your portable devices. The stoves 485 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:46,840 Speaker 1: connect to electronics that harvest thermal energy and convert it 486 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:49,920 Speaker 1: into electricity, at least that's what they say they do. 487 00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:53,520 Speaker 1: You also can charge them typically like you can use 488 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:57,400 Speaker 1: it as its own portable battery pack, and I think 489 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 1: that's probably the most efficient way to charge the battery 490 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:04,600 Speaker 1: on those camp stoves. But still a really interesting concept 491 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:07,720 Speaker 1: to me, and there's so much more we can chat about. 492 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:10,840 Speaker 1: There are special filtration systems. They are designed to filter 493 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:13,960 Speaker 1: water from streams so it's safe to drink. A lot 494 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 1: of these fit right into a water bottle so that 495 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:19,280 Speaker 1: you can fill the bottle up, attached the filter to 496 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:21,040 Speaker 1: the top of the bottle and drink from the other 497 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 1: side of the filter. Others are gravity fed, so you 498 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:26,920 Speaker 1: attached two bottles together and the filter is between the two. 499 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 1: So you fill one bottle up with say water from 500 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:32,880 Speaker 1: a river, you attached the filter to it. You attached 501 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:34,800 Speaker 1: an empty bottle on the other side, and you use 502 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,560 Speaker 1: it almost like an hour glass. The water filters through 503 00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:41,000 Speaker 1: and then it's safe to drink. There are lots of 504 00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:43,239 Speaker 1: different variations of this. There are even ones that are 505 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:45,479 Speaker 1: shaped like a straw and you can just drink straight 506 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:48,600 Speaker 1: from a stream if you wanted to. They are really 507 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 1: cool and innovative, and most important, they make it safe 508 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:54,520 Speaker 1: for you to drink water. For more heavy duty water 509 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:57,240 Speaker 1: filtration systems, you can get a hand pump model that 510 00:29:57,320 --> 00:29:59,720 Speaker 1: lets you filter a lot of water all at once. 511 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:01,920 Speaker 1: It's pretty useful if you're camping with a big group 512 00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:07,960 Speaker 1: of people. Honestly, you could spend hours looking at camping technology, 513 00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:11,120 Speaker 1: and I know because I have. I've even had an 514 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:16,720 Speaker 1: idea for a special series of podcast episodes about the 515 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:20,440 Speaker 1: subject we'll have to see if that ever goes beyond 516 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:24,400 Speaker 1: the prototype phase. Personally, I go back to that philosophy 517 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:26,800 Speaker 1: that says the best camping tech is the type that 518 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:29,400 Speaker 1: gets you out in nature in the first place. There's 519 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:33,520 Speaker 1: stuff that is gimmicky and flashy, sure, but the pieces 520 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,000 Speaker 1: that are important to me are the ones that inspire 521 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:38,080 Speaker 1: you to get up and leave your house and head 522 00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:41,200 Speaker 1: off to the campground or the park and go exploring 523 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 1: the flash ear stuff. Often I think of that as 524 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 1: being more trouble than what it's worth sometimes because you 525 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:51,760 Speaker 1: have to remember, especially if you're not just going to 526 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:54,480 Speaker 1: be camping close to wherever you park your car, you've 527 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 1: got to carry the stuff too. So it's always good 528 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:01,480 Speaker 1: to use a little bit of judgment before you go 529 00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:06,160 Speaker 1: hog wild and buy every single tech out there for 530 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:10,320 Speaker 1: your camping experience and then discover your are incapable of 531 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:13,800 Speaker 1: moving once you've loaded it all into your backpack. And 532 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:15,440 Speaker 1: I hope some of y'all out there will take this 533 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:19,160 Speaker 1: as inspiration to have your own outdoor adventures, whether it's 534 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:22,360 Speaker 1: jumping into the geo cashing hobby or spending a weekend 535 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:26,400 Speaker 1: out of the campground enjoying nature and good company, and 536 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:29,400 Speaker 1: maybe a little tech along the way. That's it for 537 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:31,959 Speaker 1: this episode of tech Stuff. If you would like to 538 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,920 Speaker 1: comment on this episode or send any suggestions my way, 539 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:37,920 Speaker 1: feel free to use the talk back feature on the 540 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,320 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio app. A few people have been doing 541 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:43,760 Speaker 1: that and I love it. Thank you so much. We're 542 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:46,720 Speaker 1: gonna have some episodes coming up based upon your suggestions, 543 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:49,400 Speaker 1: so keep an ear out for that, or if you prefer, 544 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: you can reach out via Twitter. The handle for the 545 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:55,520 Speaker 1: show is text Stuff H s W and I'll talk 546 00:31:55,560 --> 00:32:03,920 Speaker 1: to you again really soon. Text Stuff is an I 547 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:07,560 Speaker 1: Heart Radio production. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, 548 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 549 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:12,680 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.