Personal Supplies

Clothing

Without question, clothes are a necessity. Clothing styles and fashions vary greatly across cultures, from the grass skirts and feathered headdresses of pygmy savages to the fine silks and jeweled garments worn by royalty. Within a culture, clothing is as much a matter of occupation as of individual taste and personality. Certain jobs require workers to wear a uniform or other specialized clothing. People routinely dress according to the social station they have or would like to have.

Not to be overlooked in a review of clothing are utility items and personal armor. Adverse weather and harsh climates often call for clothes designed to shield the wearer from the elements. Flight jackets and snowsuits ward off the effects of rain and snow; footwear such as boots and snowshoes allow travelers to negotiate difficult terrain. Protective gear, typically associated with armor, encompasses work-related items like hardhats and helmets. True armor offers protection to as much as the entire body.

It is worth nothing that in the TaleSpin world, with fur and other features acting as natural coverings, male characters do not require a full set of clothing. Female characters, on the other hand, always do. At minimum, an average male bear should keep his upper body covered. The decision to give a character an incomplete outfit should be based on appearance, fashion sense, and a healthy dose of good taste.

Work Equipment

Even in this fantastic age of aircraft and automobiles, machines will inevitably wear out and break down. When that happens, repairmen and mechanics rely upon a wide assortment of tools to restore faulty machinery to working order. These tools should be familiar — screwdrivers, wrenches, hammers, saws, drills, and crowbars. Rather than buying these items one at a time, some mechanics buy their tools pre-packaged in sets tailored to the related task, be it appliance repair or aircraft maintenance. Accessories and specialized work equipment are usually sold separately.

Communication Devices

Communication between long distances was once a tedious and expensive affair. Now, thanks to wireless technology and the boundless outgrowth of radio broadcasting, thousands of radio messages flood the airwaves daily. Most over-the-counter receivers cannot transmit radio signals. With some minor adjustments and a little ingenuity, amateur radio operators can convert standard sets into transmitters of limited range. Stronger batteries and the use of a larger antenna may extend the broadcast range to cover a large city.

Public radio operates on one of several bands of frequencies. Other bands carry air traffic communications, ship-to-ship messages, and emergency signals — and at least one private frequency band has been reserved by the military.

Radio equipment comes in all shapes and sizes. Portable transmitters carried in backpacks can be found among many army units, but the devices are too cumbersome for casual use. Airplane transmitters are the most effective for their size; on a clear day the broadcast range may span hundreds of miles. Electrical storms and flying bullets significantly shorten the lifespan of an aircraft radio — fortunately, supply stores keep spare parts and replacements fully stocked.

Some enterprising technicians seek ways to convert civilian-grade radios into transmitters capable of accessing all radio bands, including those restricted by the government. Jury-rigged "pirate" radios, so termed by authorities, are highly illegal devices that allow spies and Air Pirates to monitor pilots' conversations, break into secure frequencies, and intercept secret messages with impunity.

Survival Supplies

Modern safety demands that aircraft and boats carry enough emergency equipment for the entire ship's complement, both for lifesaving purposes and for survival in the wild. Parachutes allow air passengers to escape a stricken plane; as most air accidents occur above open water, flotation devices are a mainstay here as they are aboard seagoing vessels.

Once they have avoided immediate danger, survivors must fend for themselves until they are rescued. Necessary survival gear includes the following items: medical supplies, food and water rations, maps, a compass, signal devices, and some type of shelter. Additional items which may be of extra help are listed elsewhere; they include tools normally carried by campers and hikers, available at stores everywhere.

In an effort to speed rescues, electronics engineers are seeking ways to adapt radio equipment so lost or stranded persons may be quickly located. One new type of emergency signal is a homing device, a modified radio transmitter which sends out pulses interpreted as blips on a tracking screen. The extraordinary strength and range of the beacon (or "beeper") does not yet outweigh its drawbacks, chiefly the transmitter's large size and the signal's imprecision. Furthermore, the complexity of the tracking apparatus confines it to ground stations and large rescue ships. It is hoped that future work will produce a homing device small enough to fit on one's person.