Heading out into the backcountry is the idea of the perfect day/weekend/vacation for a wide range of people. Escaping to nature is a great way to get away from the rat race, relax, and get some exercise — all while embracing our inner explorer. Of course, if you run any variety of outdoor safety training, you already know this. You also know how many potential dangers exist, particularly for the unprepared and uneducated — and how many potential disasters you help avert with your courses. But offering those courses generally means dealing with the vagaries of nature and the frequent replacement of supplies. If this is a struggle you regularly face during your outdoor safety courses, here’s how TerraSlate waterproof paper can help:
Outdoor/Wilderness Skills Training
When heading out to the backcountry for a backpacking trip, most inexperienced people do not automatically think “lots of water,” especially in parts of the country known for desert landscapes. However, if you have gone on the number of hiking and backpacking trips necessary to offer experienced wilderness safety training, you know that water isn’t the only thing that can wreck your training materials. And sure, surprise rain turning your course notes into a sodden pile of mush may not be that big of a deal. But what happens when rain wrecks the maps on which your training exercises rely?
Avalanche Training
The concerns that come with a general wilderness safety course carry over to avalanche safety training, just to a greater degree. First, most avalanche training takes place out in the snow; it would hardly be effective training without environmentally-relevant experience. In addition, snow makes it harder to map out a course, so when it comes time for your students to practice a snow rescue, the right materials can make a big difference — in both your preparation and your students’ learning/charting practice. Materials that can stand up to the snow, ice, and generally sodden conditions necessary for avalanche training can make a world of difference. The goal, after all, is to help your students learn as thoroughly as possible to encourage future safety.
Creating Waterproof Materials
No matter how many different courses you teach, waterproof course materials and maps are the obvious answer. The follow-on problem, however, is getting those materials in a way that is both sufficiently waterproof and personalized to your courses without exorbitant expense. You will notice that our first qualifier is “sufficiently waterproof.” That means lamination is right out. Whether your course is a day hike or a multi-day backpacking expedition, space is at a premium. This also means that folding and refolding laminated materials will quickly wreck the lamination, leaving you with semi-legible, de-waterproofed materials. The other qualifiers are personalization and cost. We believe you should not have to sacrifice either quality for materials that are actually waterproof. It was that combination of concerns that led us to develop TerraSlate waterproof paper.
Our waterproof paper works like a standard sheet of printer paper. If you can create or purchase the design you need, you can print it on our paper without any hassle. The difference, as you probably guessed, is that our paper means your designs will be impervious to liquids (and mud) and colorfast. There are no post-treatments or specialty processes needed to make it waterproof, either; just print with a laser printer or write with a ballpoint pen. Even better, our waterproof paper products are all tear-proof, so they can hold up to rough handling and repeated use, even when you use nature’s paperweights — rocks — to keep your map from flying away.
Outfitting With The Right Gear
Whether you are teaching people how to plan for a multi-day backpacking trip or how to react after an avalanche, you know that the right gear is a key part of staying safe. Explore TerraSlate online for our waterproof printer paper, poster, and even waterproof sticker options to see why our products are the right gear to outfit your training courses. See how easy it can be to create your own waterproof materials and enjoy the financial perks that come from reusable, durable maps and other paper goods. Shop TerraSlate online to give your outdoor training courses the boost they need.