HikeArizona.COM

I heard Matt mention that HAZites in the past used Arizona Flag patches or bandannas attached to their packs as a methond of identity. Is this a common practice and how many of you out there have done this? It would be awesome to spot a HAZer from the patch or at least some sort of ID. Maybe we can get Joe interested in designing and selling patches right here on the site, in the store! :idea:

I have an AZ patch on both backpacks but not my camelbacks which I use for day hikes...

I don't know how to link the threads but you are correct, this has been discussed in the past and if I remember, most resolved to carrying an AZ bandanas??? Some places were even mentioned for purchasing them cheaply. I'm sure there is some way to dig up the old thread through the search, I just haven't tried. That's just if curiosity is getting to you Mike.

Sorry not much help...

mikeinFHAZ wrote: It would be awesome to spot a HAZer from the patch or at least some sort of ID. Maybe we can get Joe interested in designing and selling patches right here on the site, in the store! :idea:

I'll take two! (and throw in a HAZ "guy" cap also)

mikeinFHAZ your thoughts are most appreciated

There have been several posts on HAZ ID
I "think" the consensus was to hang an Arizona Flag Bandana off your pack
Personally, it's doubtful I'll be flaunting a bandana. Kind of for the same reason you don't usually see gangsters in tevas. It's nothing bad it's just not my style at all.
You can spot me with a carabineer dangling off the front left strap of my pack. No I'm not a climber. I know it doesn't really make sense. Sometimes to rest my arm I slip my thumb through the carabineer. Hard to describe, it just works for me.

Maybe just flip the double-bird to every passerby, just kidding


As for a patch, Rodney designed a cool patch...
http://www.hikearizona.com/dex2/album_p ... ?pic_id=67
the next photo in that series is the first sample I produced
These will probably be available next summer as I'm very busy in the winter.

chihiggs patch: Rodney also designed a more vibrant printed (non-embroidered) patch. I purchased 50 of these and just let Rodney hand them out for free.

I've got bandanas tied on to both my packs and my Camelbak. Haven't met a fellow HAZer yet, but some folks on Mt. Graham asked me what it was for and I turned them on to HAZ. You can buy them ay any surplus store for a couple of dollars. See you on the trail!

joe bartels wrote: chihiggs patch: Rodney also designed a more vibrant printed (non-embroidered) patch. I purchased 50 of these and just let Rodney hand them out for free.

I turned the patches over to Tom & Matt...anyone interested in one could check with them to see if there are any left. (I do have 5 left in the emergency stock pile, only 4 if joe decides he wants one, that I could probably be talked into handing out.)

Rodney wrote:I do have 5 left in the emergency stock pile

classic

Rodney, I gave away all the HAZ patches I had. I also accidentally gave away the last HAZ patch that I had been saving for myself. So I too am out of patches.

matt gilbert wrote:Rodney, I gave away all the HAZ patches I had. I also accidentally gave away the last HAZ patch that I had been saving for myself. So I too am out of patches.

If you want, I'll save one for you...as long as you don't give it away when you get it!

we still have two HAZ t-shirts. One white and one yellow. They are so nice looking we couldn't wear them hiking, that would mess them up. So we have saved them in "showroom condition." Maybe if we ever go to a HAZ "get-together, we will wear them then. They are too good to "wear out" on the trail, so to speak.

We are mighty big on lapel pins. We don't collect them the way people do, but we probably have 20 of them. We generally wear an "Arizona Route 66" pin when we are hiking and it has spawned many meaningful conversations. Some Wal-Marts sell a kokopelli arizona pin for a buck sixty-six. The kokopelli looks almost identical to the HAZ logo. So we have been wearing the Route 66 AND the kokopelli pin for quite awhile.
People notice the Route 66 but not the kokopelli, so I guess that means we haven't met an HAZ-ites on the trail(s).

We think it would be nice to have a typical, classic embroidered patch and a lapel pin, too, and a hat, for sure.

We like to buy 60/40 dress shirts at Goodwill to hike in. They are 60% cotton and 40% poly and they dry in a heartbeat. I would dearly love to sew a HAZ patch onto one of those cheap buck-fifty shirts.

Of all three options, we'd go with the patch. You could sew it onto a "blank" ball cap, or any kinda hat, for that matter. You could sew it to a pack, a shirt or just body pierce it to your naked skin, eh, Snick N' Wiz?

Ok, here's one last sorta-related, rambling anecdote.

We sell a lot of stuff on Ebay. One day we found a "vintage" Sedona Westerners embroidered patch at an estate sale for fifty cents. It was sewn to one of those ridiculous, cheap, flimsy, old Yellow Front packs. We put it on Ebay and sold the danged thing for $27.50! Somebody in Carmel, CA, bought it! High dollar address, for sure.

Nostalgia--and all that, ya know.

Soooo....Joe, maybe you oughta do limited editions and change the design each year so us "investors" could get a leg up on the competition.

J&S

I got a sticker from Texaco, of the Arizona State flag. Put it on my pickup in the middle of the back window. At least this could be some form of ID for now... still looking for a state flag patch (iron-on would be nice)

In response to mikeinFHAZ's reply:

I've got a half dozen HAZ patches and a couple of AZ flag patches (iron on) left if interested. I would suggest sewing the patches on your pack though. Unless you're extremely careful with that iron.

HikerInGilbert wrote:Unless you're extremely careful with that iron.

Sounds like the voice of experience!

My dog wears the Arizona bandanna when we hike, I guess I'm kind of like Joe and not a bandanna sort of person. I do have a HAZ sticker on the back window of my truck, but have never had any comments about it. I sure would think that by now I would have come across one of you guys in a parking lot...

If you think about it, there are probably only 30-40 people that post on here regularly. Spread that over the hiking population of the state and it's highly unlikely to run into any of the regulars.

I don't sport any patches, stickers or bandana. I mean to, but just never got around to doing it...

Rodney wrote:

HikerInGilbert wrote:Unless you're extremely careful with that iron.

Sounds like the voice of experience!

Shhhhhh! Shudd up you! I only melted a tiny spot on one of my Camelbaks. Glad it was only a test run.

I still have my AZ flag bandanna hanging on the back of my Camelbak. It shows up in some of the pictures. I haven't yet met any other HAZ'ers by sportin' the colors, but I'm always looking.

In response to Daryl's reply:

Sounds like its time for Joe to step in... how about a table showing in descending order, miles logged vs. posts, per year, of the HAZ participants?

I wrote:Rodney, I gave away all the HAZ patches I had. I also accidentally gave away the last HAZ patch that I had been saving for myself. So I too am out of patches.

Sorry guys, my mistake. When I said HAZ what I meant was AZW. I still have about 10 of the HAZ ones.

If you guys want them all you have to do is put together a group hike SO enticing that I can't resit. Then when I sign up and go, I can hand them out to the other members.

Greg Jackson wrote:In response to Daryl's reply:

Sounds like its time for Joe to step in... how about a table showing in descending order, miles logged vs. posts, per year, of the HAZ participants?

Only a handful of those visiting HAZ daily even look at the forum
then there's a whole 'nother group that views the forum daily but never post
currently averaging 80-170 members logging on daily and about 100-300 non members

there's an authors page at
http://hikearizona.com/authorSTATS.php
shows about 450 authors on HAZ
it's updated every hour thirty minutes past the hour

I'm not sure what miles logged vs. posts would indicate but I could do that if need be.