[Blindtlk] international cane travel

Thu Oct 6 02:59:07 UTC 2011

All cane tips catch on something sooner or later.  I've found that 
holding the cane at a certain angle (which feels very natural once 
you get the hang of it) and use a pretty light touch on the cane, the 
tip will bounce over most reasonably smooth things pretty easily.  
Bricks are sometimes difficult, depending on the bricks.

Most of the people I've seen using folding canes have these big 
honking nylon tips on them and I wonder how they can feel anything 
with them.

Joseph

On Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 08:34:58PM -0500, Kelby Carlson wrote:
>I have sometimes had the problem of NFB tips getting caught in 
>pavement; also, sometimes it is harder to feel areas (such as seams 
>at the end of driveways) that I need to navigate.  Am I just using 
>the cane incorrectly?
>
>Kelby
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "T.  Joseph Carter" <tjcarter at spiritsubstance.com
>To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Wed, 5 Oct 2011 18:24:21 -0700
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] international cane travel
>
>To each their own, of course.  If it works, and you don't run into
>things or people with it, it's a good length of cane for you.  I do
>prefer the longer cane because I like to move fast without the
>running into things.  I used to custom order extra long Ambutech
>canes (without the silly red tip!), and then I learned that at any
>length the NFB canes were so much nicer because they were so much
>lighter!
>
>As for sturdiness, the NFB canes have a baked on white coating that
>will chip, but not as easily as the reflective tape gets messed up on
>most other canes.  It's not reflective, of course, but who says the
>cane has to be?  Trust me, drivers CERTAINLY DO see it without the
>reflectivity.  And they'll have to be as blind as we are to miss a
>white cane as long as I carry!  So, reflective tape is for the birds
>as far as I'm concerned.
>
>Regardless, I highly recommend carrying one of the new NFB telescopic
>canes.  They're great in a pinch as a backup, way nicer to use than
>the older models, and since even when I used the Ambutech canes I
>used the adapter that takes NFB metal glide tips on it, so it's easy
>to carry several spare tips on a trip or something, just in case.
>
>Joseph
>
>
>On Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 06:33:19PM -0500, Kelby Carlson wrote:
>I think it's primarily the reflecting tape on the outside of the cane
>that gets warn, particularly on the bottom.  For whatever reason--I
>seem to be unusual in this regard--I prefer the slightly shorter
>AmbuTech canes' length.  I just find that the longer NFB canes are
>less easy to use.
>
>Kelby
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "T.  Joseph Carter" <tjcarter at spiritsubstance.com
>To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Wed, 5 Oct 2011 16:27:03 -0700
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] international cane travel
>
>Depends on the cane.  Ambutech's rigid canes are tanks.  Their
>folding canes are pretty tough too.  NFB rigid canes are tougher than
>the Ambutech folders because they're rigid, but not as tough as
>Ambutech's rigid canes.
>
>The trend in NFB canes is lighter and lighter, which means more like
>a fencing foil and less like a big caveman club.  This lets us use
>the very long canes many of us now prefer, without the muscle strain.
>
>Joseph
>
>
>On Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 06:20:39PM -0500, Kelby Carlson wrote:
>A related cane question.  In people's experience, do NFB canes last
>long than canes from companies like Ambutech? I just got a new cane
>and rather prefer the folding canes with the golf grip, but they seem
>to get beaten up awfully quickly no matter how careful I am.
>
>Kelby
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Brian Miller" <brian-r-miller at uiowa.edu
>To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Wed, 5 Oct 2011 19:04:50 -0400
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] international cane travel
>
>Hi John,
>
>I've traveled all over the world, including many developing
>countries, using
>my NFB long white cane and have emerged relatively unscathed.  There
>are
>certainly challenges, A couple of things to consider --
>
>First, be sure you have a spare cane with you, even if it's a folding
>or
>telescoping cane, so in case yours breaks, you aren't stuck.
>
>Secondly, be sure to bring extra cane tips, as you are likely to lose
>one or
>two as you traverse uneven terrain, and you don't want to be
>scarmbling
>around on the ground in chaotic situations looking for it.
>
>Just take your time, keep your cool, and you should be fine.  It can
>be easy
>to get rattled by the noise, the crowds, the uncertainty, but you can
>do it
>with some common sense and an even keel.
>
>Brian Miller
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org
>[mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of John Davis
>Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 12:35 PM
>To: travelandtourism at nfbnet.org; blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>Subject: [Blindtlk] international cane travel
>
>Hi,
>
>I'm thinking of traveling abroad with some friends soon for a few
>weeks.
>I've never left the country before, but our plan is to see parts of
>Asia and
>Europe.
>
>First, I use an NFB cane with the standard metal tip for travel
>everywhere I
>go.  I do use a combination of touch and slide technique depending on
>the
>situation.  I had never thought to ask this question until a friend
>who went
>to Africa over the summer told me that, being in a developing
>country, the
>roads and sidewalks look completely different from the suburbs and
>cities of
>the US! With that, I'm wondering If I'll have any trouble using a
>cane in
>some foreign countries? From what I've heard a lot of sidewalks can
>have
>huge holes and cracks everywhere and the like which might make using
>a cane
>hard abroad.  especially in more developing countries ...  apparently
>it's
>quite chaotic and a total mess in some places even for people who can
>see! I
>ask because the NFB metal tip can succumb to rough spots and cracks
>and the
>like here on occasion, so I'm suddenly wondering If I'll have trouble
>abroad.  I will be with a group of friends so maybe I won't need to
>use my
>cane too much on my own, but I thought I'd ask before I leave anyway.
>Apologies if these are silly or the wrong lists to ask these
>questions on.
>
>Thank you
>
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