Outdoor Readiness

TweetHear a new rattle inside you water filter? Don’t use it. Don’t let your water filter freeze. I think that’s what snapped the rigid element inside my NDUR Survival Straw–along with some pretty rough handling. I put it away indoors, end of last winter, then noticed a rattle, later. I disassembled it and found the black filter element had snapped off. The straw is no longer available for sale and I found no parts for sale online. This well made…

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TweetGo Outdoors and Do it… You probably don’t need much of an excuse to Go Outdoors and Do It. Just getting out there, wind on your face, your senses visited by breezy natural aromas and immersed in a soundscape of birds and bugs–those are reasons enough. And, there’s that orchestra of tree music strummed by fingers of wind playing the forest canopy: Oh, and the watery “poik” of fat raindrops on rocks and the gentler patter of dripping foliage. If…

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TweetWhy do we need shovels when snow camping? A snow scoop shovel can be a light weight package for high volume snow moving and snow construction. They are frequently carried on backcountry sleds and occasionally carried up mountains. Shovels are necessary equipment if you want to avoid the inconvenience and expense of using towing services to escape backcountry parking (never conveniently available). When you travel to snow country, snow finds you. Bring shovels. I carry a full size snow scoop…

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TweetA short field test of the Marmot Rockaway 0 in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Multi-purpose inexpensive gear selections squeeze more enjoyment and more readiness from outdoor dollars. The Marmot Rockaway 0 is a good value for conditions where a few more ounces and cubic inches won’t weigh you down. My Rockaway 0 Long weighed-in at six pounds, six ounces, including the orange compression bag, after hanging indoors to dry for 24 hours following my return from the UP, not bad for…

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TweetSomehow, our forefathers settled wild North America and probed the far corners of seven continents equipped with little more than animal skins, oil cloth and fulled wool. The Age of Exploration mostly preceded internal combustion engines and the fabulous array of high tech outdoor gear we fuss over today. I like to touch base with historical travel and camping methods from time to time to regain perspective. These entries, made in June and December of 1772 and early in January…

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TweetDutch oven meatloaf is easy and rewarding. Meatloaves are as varied as their chefs. This one is basic: one large yellow onion and a fat carrot, chopped, sauteed just to soft in a tablespoon of butter, prepared on stovetop or on a Dutch oven lid over coals. Let cool a little, then mix with three pounds of cold fresh hamburger, two cups of bread crumbs, a half cup of Parmesan cheese, two large eggs, a teaspoon of sea salt and…

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