On my recent overnight trip I was in a rush to cut firewood at dusk. As I was tossing firewood toward the bivouac site I caught the lanyard of my Bacho Laplander saw on a twig and the saw flipped away from me. I thought this was no big deal as I did not want to drop the armload of wood I was carrying and would recover the saw when I returned from stacking the firewood.

I knew exactly where I has been standing in the dry marsh but on my return I could not find the saw anywhere? This was a real problem because I needed that saw to process enough firewood for the night, especially for the larger diameter pieces that would burn for a long time.

I own two Laplander saws, an orange one like this but unfortunately I had brought my green/black one like this.

After about 5 minutes of frustrated searching I found the saw in the long grass at my feet, right where I had dropped it.

My father was involved in prospecting/claim staking in Northern Ontario and he spray painted all of his outdoor tools orange. This way he could find them in the bush and it identified them as his. Once when he was sleeping his joking partners found the can of paint and coloured a lot more of his equipment (boots, gloves, hat, sleeping bag ...) for him!

Most emergency servives equipment is a bright colour for good reason, but after a while I get tired of looking at glaring, fluorescent outdoor equipment/clothing and prefer a more natural tone.

I do wear lots of blaze orange during hunting season and agree that bright coloured clothing is easier to spot on a person who is lost or for keeping track of young children.

So what is your preference; bright or subdued colours for outdoor equipment and clothing?