Unpopular opinion: I think the old growth fire watch towers are better than the newer ones

Spent two weeks up at a 1950s built tower near Missoula last summer. Had to climb 120 steps every morning. The thing was all steel and rivets, manual everything. Heard the younger guys complain about the new fiberglass ones they put in up north. Then I worked out of one in Wyoming for a shift and I get it now. The plastic ones just don't hold heat the same and the windows fog up worse. Has anyone else spent time in both and noticed a difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

blakestone1d ago

Buddy of mine said his fiberglass one in Oregon got condensation drips on his radio gear.

the_wade1d ago

drew_hart4 you got stuck in a storm in one of those fiberglass things? No kidding, man. That plastic stuff doesn't take wind the same way at all. I heard a story about a newer tower in Idaho that literally started bowing in a 60 mph gust. The old steel ones just groan and handle it. Hard to trust the new ones when they feel like a toy next to a real tool.

drew_hart41d ago

Man that Wyoming one must have been brutal. I did a season in Washington where half the towers were old steel and half were newer fiberglass. The old ones just feel solid, you know? Like you can trust them in a storm. The newer ones feel flimsy and yeah, the condensation is real bad. Did you get stuck in any real weather up there?