My son and wife took this picture of a moose that wandered through our backyard today.
He sort of just stepped over the fence.
Moose on the loose
Filed under Oware Backpacking Gear
Stuffsack Use
Use stuffsacks to organize and protect your gear.
1. Line a large stuffsack with sleeping pad and plastic trash bag.
2. Stuff sleeping bag inside plastic trash bag.
3. Add night time gear, extra clothes etc.
4. Twist top of trash bag closed and drawcord closed the stuffsack. This Tan
stuffsack is made of heavy duty 400 denier pack cloth and is to be strapped to the outside bottom of a frame pack.
5. This blue lightweight 30 denier stuffsack is to be stuffed into the bottom of an internal frame pack.
6. Insert the stuffsack vertically into the pack.
7. Grab top and bottom of stuffsack and simultaneously push and pull till the
stuffsack is horizontal and squished into the bottom corners of the pack.
8. Smaller gear needed during the day can be in color coded stuffsacks placed on top of the sleeping gear.
Happy Birthday Bo
Is that spam?
OOOH it is!
Time to try out the dog bed.
Filed under Oware Backpacking Gear
Make a Tough Avalanche Shovel from a Hardware Store Version
I bought this aluminum shovel, True Temper Brand, from the Truckee Hardware Store. With
a very sturdy blade and handle, (more so than the majority of avalanche specific shovels)
it can be used to chop ice, push with your feet and lever out blocks. Things that break
plastic and the thinner versions of metal shovels.
To make it transportable in a pack, I drilled out the rivet holding the blade to the shovel and replaced it with a removable pin.
Cleats for your running and hiking shoes
Old school mountaineers used metal nails, hobnails, in the leather soles of their boots for
added traction on ice.
Here is a method to do something similar with your running or hiking shoes. You could even
carry this lightweight kit with you into the backcountry for icy trails.
1. Small 1/4″ bit driver. The one shown is mostly plastic and the rest aluminum so
weighs very little. Some multi-tools have this on them as well. A tiny wrench could work.
Chuck one in a drill for quick at home attachments.
2. 1/4″ hex head sheet metal screws. Use the shortest ones you can buy so it won’t go
through the sole to your feet.
Just twist them in. You can remove them for the summer season or when you need to walk
across someone’s hardwood floor.
Ten Essentials
Develop your own “Ten Essentials” for your trips.
Here are my categories.
Water
Food
Clothing and Shelter
Navigation
Light Source
Knife and Tools
Sun Protection
Fire Making
First Aid
Communication
Each time I head out, I take a quick look at my list and match
categories with items suitable for the activities expected.
Examples
Half Day Hike in Know Territory:
Water– Pop bottle with water in pack or back pocket
Food – eat before I go
Clothing and Shelter – Fleece hat and garbage bag in pocket or pack.
Navigation – known terrain, not needed
Light Source – button flashlight “Fauxton”
Knife and Tools – pocket knife
Sun Protection – sunscreen before I go
Fire Making – bic lighter or firesteel, toilet paper
First Aid – (Very small), bit of tape, aspirin, large dressing
Communication – cell phone, whistle
All day or night ski tour, new territory:
Water – Quart and 1/2 of water, metal cup to melt more or for hot drinks
food – lunch, extra energy bars, energy drink or juice in one of the water bottles (also makes “bread crumbs” in the snow for navigating back), tea bags, (fruit and water in car for return)
Clothing and Shelter – Layered clothes of synthetic and wool, gloves and spare mittens,
hat, waterproof parka and pants, spare socks, ski boots, gaiters, vbl socks silnylon tarp and foam sit pad for stops and emergencies.
Navigation – Gps, compass, topo map in plastic.
Light – LED headlamp with fully charged batteries, spare batteries, couple of “Fauxtons”
Knife and Tools Pocket Knife, Screw driver that fits ski bindings, Duct Tape,
Wire, Spare binding screws, Steel wool for filling loose binding screw holes,
Cord (for emergency rope climbers, towing, building a rescue sled or shelter building,) pocket wood saw for trail maintenance
and fire/shelter building,
avalanche shovel, avalanche beacon, avalanche Probe, ski Skins and skin wax, ski poles, red wax, wax scraper
Sun Protection – Sunscreen, brimmed hat, sunglasses, Clown White for extreme ‘sun on snow’ days.
Fire Making – Matches, bic lighter, Fire Steel, cotton balls rubbed with Vaselene, toilet paper, maybe a pop can alcohol stove
First Aid – Tape, Bandaids, 2nd Skin, Super Glue, dressings, aspirin and Ibuprofen, hand warmers.
Communication – Cell Phone, Two Way Radios, Signal Mirror, Whistle, Paper and Pencil
Reference-Tarp Article at Backpacking Light
For those who have a Backpacking Light subscription, they just posted an article
“Tarp Camping Techniques for Inclement Conditions”
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/tarp_camping_inclement_conditions.html
Filed under flattarp, Good Links, oware tarps
Alphamini Photos
Alphamini Photos
Take a pyramid tarp, cut it in half and add an A Frame door and you have the Alphamid TM. Half Pyramid floorless shelter 4×8 by 5′ feet tall. 30d silnylon Weighs 13.5 oz A floorless tarp which is quick to set up, light and inexpensive. A favorite for winter campers, it can be set up over a snow pit for extra roominess. It includes a stuff sack. Use your ski probe poles, hang it from a tree limb or order the separate shock corded pole to set it up. Just clip the buckle at the bottom of the door, zip up the zipper, stake out the four corners evenly and put up the pole. Additional tie outs are on the center seams. The apex is reinforced , the zipper is a #5 coil. The taller steeper pitch sheds snow and rain much better than the competitors shelters as well a providing more headroom. Includes 1 oz. pole connector (3 webbing straps) so you can use two trekking or ski poles to make a height adjustable pole. Fabric is not flame retardant and will burn and melt when in contact with high heat or flame. Keep away from camp stoves, gas lanterns, campfires etc.
Great shelter for Search and Rescue-very light and you can set it up over a prone victom without
moving them. Current color is grey.
http://shop.bivysack.com/product.sc?productId=39&categoryId=4
Bivysack prototypes,
Bivysacks
Prototype
one with cross chest zipper $45 postage paid
Regular length with room for thick mattresses.
Olive silnylon 30d waterproof fabric on bottom.
Silver grey durable water repellent 30d top.
Noseeum netting at face.
#3 cross zipper with two double sliders.
Line Loc 3 to pull out fabric over face.
Tie out at head and at foot.
74″ wide at chest
88″ total length flat
Weight chest zipper version 7 oz.
Needs the seams bound, serged or heat seared to prevent fraying.
Great price for a roomy light bivysack if you can do a bit of finishing.
paypal or call with credit card info
888-292-4534
do@owareusa.com
Cross chest
inside hem
Filed under bivysack, Do It Yourself, Oware Backpacking Gear
Oware 