Discussion: e-punch safety string poll

After more than 100 times using an e-punch with no safety string, I finally had one slip off and disappear somewhere under the fall leaves. I'm curious how many others do or don't use a safety string; and how many who don't have lost e-punches.

Don't use a string.... i lost my si card as i never put it back into my O box after the event... Dam it :P

Bummer, I always have a string on. Just a peice of yarn tied to my watch band.

Never used a string either. I've twice lost an si-card, but both times it was between downloading and getting back to my car (the second time I got the card back).
In a few weeks I'll be doing my first ski-o with e-punching, does anyone have any ideas on how best to carry an si-card when wearing gloves?

I have had one ripped from my finger after the safety string was caught on some foliage. I gave up on safety strings after that.

ditto to invisible's comment. same thing happened to me so I too gave up on 'safety' strings after that.

My suspicion is that losing si sticks while running depends on how you wear it. If you do the "official SI recommended way" (Siegfried himself recommended this to me) - wearing it on the side of the pointer finger, held in place by the thumb and a tight strap - then you are safer than any other way of carrying it. Just a guess.

I did use a safety string once. The loop of string caught in a branch and almost ripped my arm off ;-)

There is one time I wished I was wearing the string - the only time I lost my si card was when it fell between the plastic wall and the holding tank in a French port-a-pottie during my pre-race visit. Oh brother, what a miserable time that was - but it could have been oh so much worse!

wearing it on the side of the pointer finger

I wear mine on the side of my middle finger, where it's nice and safe between middle and pointer. There's almost no way it can catch on something unless you close your fist.

Have never lost one in the bush, but I'm awesome at losing them around the house. :)

no string
no losses

but then, I probably don't run fast enough for it to catch on anything either. I wear it on the top of the middle finger, fairly tight. I might try it on the side of the pointer finger - sounds like a good idea.

does anyone have any ideas on how best to carry an si-card when wearing gloves?

I use the elastic over the glove on my first finger, and definitely secure it with a string back around my wrist. Otherwise, it can slip off the glove and you won't notice until too late.

I think that carrying on the top of any finger is not ideal. There are two problems. First it isn't protected at all from snagging as you run - in fact it is about as exposed as it can be. Second, when punching it is "more accurate" if you can guide it with your thumb - saving you hundreds of micro seconds (which is really important if some impatient elite guy is coming up behind you to punch at the same control ;-)

For what it's worth, I had one fall off while wearing it on the side of my pointer finger. I used to use a elastic cord until it broke during a particularly rough race but I haven't bothered to replace it.

I don't use a string, and I have never lost one. But I wear mine in a very unconventional manner, nonstandard in all regards: on my ring finger, left hand, palm side, pointing toward my wrist.

I use hat elastic, but my thumb compass (also held by hat elastic) is on the same hand. Only had the elastic caught in a branch once while going through dark green, so it didn't slow me down as my speed was already down to 'fight'. Now I just avoid dark green!

Um JJ--how do you punch with that configuration?

I lost my e-punch during a long distance race while climbing down a cliff; it was ripped off and fell into some leaves. This was at an A-meet (2008 US team trials), so I decided to stop and look for it - I wanted my splits from the part of the course I had completed. It took me 45 minutes, but I was successful.

I improvised a wrist safety strap out of cord and had no difficulties. The cord ended up breaking, so I improvised with the remaining piece and tied a loop around another finger - so I wear the stick between my index finger and thumb, with a short line to the loop around my ring finger. While it's probably not as secure as a wrist strap, it doesn't snap on anything, and failure of both the elastic and the cord loop seems improbable.

Wearing it between the index and thumb seems like a good idea. Unfortunately, I wear my compass and SI card on the same hand, so this could be a problem.

Pink flagging tape, on both SI card and glasses. Might look like a Christmas tree running through the woods, but I've never lost either.

When I run with a baseplate (about 50% of the time, I won't get into my decision criteria here), I have both the epunch and the compass in the same hand. I wear the epunch on the middle finger, between the middle and index finger. The compass reads fine. When I've tried it on the index finger, I have noticed the compass can get pulled slightly (2-5 degrees).

To answer the original question: no string, no losses.

I always use a safety string. No issues with it. I'm having a hard time imagining it getting caught on stuff. I'm also a side of pointer finger person.

My mother used to be a no-string user until she lost one.

Um JJ--how do you punch with that configuration?

How I hold it, what I do when approaching a control, and ready to punch.

Don't know if this would work for anyone else, but it works for me.

It is easy enough to secure the SI stick to gloves using a safety pin but that is not recommended for use directly on fingers for anything over a single day event. Even then if you have a BF percentage of less than 20% it may prove difficult to do.
But seriously, my problem with the SI band was that the more I wore it the more it wore out and stretched out. Eventually I could wrap the band several times around my finger and of course loop the end under.
That problem was solved when I was able to salvage a strap from my (brand new) broken thumb compass. The new strap is nice and snug, for now.
I think pinching the SI unit between the thumb and pointer finger works for me, too.

A branch caught the little elastic strap and launched mine about 20 feet. Took several moments to find it, even though I saw where it went. I was surprised at how far it could go, and have worn a lanyard ever since. I figure the faster you are, the more likely you are to lose the dibber---J-J's method probably excluded.

Here is an old comment thread with the photo of Sharon Crawford's lanyard that convinced me to make mine. Hers is very tight and probably doesn't snag much. Mine has a loose section from my wrist to my finger, so it does snag a little. It is stiff enough to lay flat, so I can only remember a few mild snags. Mine is very strong accessory cord, so that is probably a safety hazard for a worst case snag. I figure the dibber attachment hole will break well before the cord.

Probably the best design will have a section that breaks in the event of a hard snag, or just be a weak cord that would break if you were to hang from it.

Some badge necklaces have a little plastic snap feature that might be re-purposed for wrist use. (There are many types of these disconnects---I just linked to the first one I found.)

Another idea I had was to use a cord lock to pass the two ends of the wrist section through, and then to leave a few inches just hanging. The few inches would let you loosen it to take it off, and would survive some mild tugs, but if it snagged hard the loose ends would just pull through the lock and release. (The badge lanyard people thought of this too. See the photo in the bottom right here.)

JJ - now that is a "punch"

Does anyone have any ideas on how best to carry an si-card when wearing gloves?

I make a small slit in the glove finger, just big enough for the SI card to poke through. Works great, and the slit is small enough that the gloves are still fine for regular use.

what JJ showed reminds me of how i rotate my Emit when i punch a control.

I have a lanyard, which has never snagged, and I have been known to run in the woods. It is short and rests along the back of my hand.
It's sufficiently tight that it will not go on until I remember to have it positioned just right so I can get the punch on my finger. Worn on top of my index finger.

i just man up, stop being a jessy, stop moaning on forums and GET ON WITH IT.

How about an SI finger?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7949018.stm

i have the SI card on a short string attached to my wrist, fairly snug to reduce the amount of "looping" and potential snagging. This has never snagged. To me, the costs of losing an SI card at an event far outweigh the sleight hassle of putting a loop on the SI card.

I momentarily read that as "on a short string attached to my waist, fairly snug..." Obviously past my bedtime.

No safety string, although when I have tried it I preferred a tight cord connected back to a tightish loop around the wrist. The loop has a slip knot to allow it to be applied around the hand.

I normally run with the SI card attached to the top (non-palm) side of the middle finger on the right hand. When running it sits protected by semi extended fingers and when approaching the control unit I clench the fist exposing the end of the SI card to be inserted in the control - a true "punch" of the control.
Map and thumb compass are held by the left hand.

I used to wear the SI card on the thumb side of the index finger but found that it scraped too much when climbing or scrambling on rocks or vegetation.

As of today, PBricker is the owner of a safety cord. Assuming he hasn't already lost it.

J-J's gift of a "lanyard" is like Oxoman's - tight with no slack. Certainly worth trying, since my reason for not using a string was the problem with snagging. I also use my free hand too much to wear it anywhere but on the top (non-palm) side of my hand.