Crawling Road
The Permanent Portfolio, Investing, Finance and Random Thoughts.
Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter Review
02 weeks ago
I am a convert! Last year I was introduced to a gravity fed water filter and I will never use a pump again.
The Platypus GravityWorks system has two four liter bags (one for dirty and one for clean water) plus an inline filter. The entire thing weighs around 10 ounces. You just fill up the dirty bag, connect the filter and clean bag to the end, then hang it up and allow gravity to do the work. In a few minutes you’ll have tons of clean water. This is a really great product for making clean water in the backcountry. It’s also a really nice way to carry water if your source is away from your camp. Highly recommended!
Products reviewed on this site are available through the Amazon Store:
Lightweight Hiking Gear Overview – Hiking in the Norwegian Fjords
02 weeks ago
This past summer I was able to take a trip I’ve always wanted to do and that was to tour Sweden and Norway. In order to see the beautiful countries (and save money!) I did a lot of hiking and camping. I believe very strongly that a light backpack can make hiking much more enjoyable and safer than lugging around a backbreaking pack full of unnecessary gear all day.
In this video I break out my gear in what is around a 20lb. base weight (no food or fuel). If I’m being careful I can get the weight down to probably 15 lbs. There is no need to carry a heavy pack in most hiking conditions. Lighten the load and you’ll enjoy your time outdoors a lot more!
Products reviewed on this site are available through the Amazon Store:
Lightweight Personal First Aid Kit For Hiking
02 weeks ago
Now that you’ve got your emergency survival gear squared away, let’s talk about First Aid. In this video I take a basic Adventure Medical Ultralight kit and do some minor mods to it. This kit has most anything I’d need. I just add in some extras:
- Moleskin for blister management
- Israeli compression bandage for very bad wounds
- Tube of superglue for lacerations (also useful for gear repair)
- Aspirin for emergency treatment of cardiac arrest and some other common meds.
I wil carry this kit with me whenever I’m going for overnight hikes, and even day hikes. There’s no need to carry a full ICU with you, but the basics are really useful when you need them.
Products reviewed on this site are available through the Amazon Store:
A Personal Survival Kit For Hiking
02 weeks ago
I use to volunteer with a wilderness Search and Rescue group (SAR). I received a lot of neat training and experience in seeing what happens when people get lost in the outdoors. I hate seeing people going for hikes and not having enough gear with them in case there is a problem. I’m not talking about a big Rambo knife and delusions of whipping together a log cabin and cozy fire in a pinch. I’m talking about not having basics like some extra clothes in case they get stuck out overnight.
In this video I go over the emergency kit I carry with me when hiking. It is based on the Adventure Medical Kit Pocket Survival Pack. This kit is a good deal because the components by themselves would cost much more than the package they sell. I then add in a few things. Plus I talk about the #1 piece of survival gear (and it’s not this kit BTW). Being prepared for an emergency outdoors is a good idea and it doesn’t need to be heavy and complicated.
Products reviewed on this site are available through the Amazon Store:
Casio Pathfinder Solar Powered Compass and Altitude Watch Model PAG-240
02 weeks ago
I owned the old Casio Pathfinder watch and really liked having the compass and barometer on my wrist when outdoors. However the battery life wasn’t that great. Well the new Pathfinder series is solar powered! No more battery worries. The watch has a built in compass, barometer, altimeter, graphing functions and of course everything else a digital watch would be expected to do.
The altimeter/barometer is really handy. Not only will this watch tell you elevation (including max, ascent and descent rates). But it has a graphing feature for the barometer so you can track high and low pressure systems moving in. In other words, you can see when storms are coming! It’s like a weather station on your wrist. I love this watch for outdoor use.
Products reviewed on this site are available through the Amazon Store:
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