The cold weather is here at last. In East Texas it does not get "that" cold, but still cold enough to give you a chill.
When December and January roll around, and the cold weather starts to blow in, I think of my teenage years. The memories are still there of camping along the marsh, with the northern winds blowing overhead. On the edge of the marsh there are few tree to stop the wind, so it blows right through.
How I miss those days with my buddies, all I have now are memories. Real life keeps us apart (my friends and I), we have adult duties, like taking care of our kids, or going to work.
The places where we used to go camping are overgrown with weeds, kinda like our lives. Back then things were simple. But now things are a lot more complex, and it seems that weeds grow up around our lives that stop us from doing the things we want.
Maybe one day I can get back out to the woods and feel the cold night air.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
How about onions?
Onions - they are easy to grow, easy to transplant, easy to store, which makes them perfect for home gardens.
As for soil and fertilizer requirements, try to use some good organic potting soil, manure and nitrogen fertilzier every few weeks. Onions also like plenty of water. If the tops start to bend over, they need more water.
As for soil and fertilizer requirements, try to use some good organic potting soil, manure and nitrogen fertilzier every few weeks. Onions also like plenty of water. If the tops start to bend over, they need more water.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Review of the Maxpedition Vulture-II
This is a review of the VULTURE-II backpack from Maxpedition.
So what do you look for in a 2 - 3 day pack? Well, some of the things I look for are 1,000 denier construction - which the Vulture II has.
Double stitched seams - check. Having a pack come apart on you while on the trail is no fun. Double stitched seams helps make sure that the pack will stay together even during heavy use.
YKK self repairing zippers - check. In May of 2007 my son, my daughter and I went on a short hiking/camping trip. We were only about a mile from the truck. We hiked along a nice clear stream and setup camp next to a fishing hole. One the way to the camp site, the zippers on my daughters pack failed. The pack came open and some of her gear fell out and onto the ground. The whole situation was a little unnerving. Especially when I realized the zippers were not self repairing. Meaning, the zippers would not close back up.
Main compartment for storing stuff like a one man tent, hammock, and other stuff - check. Asking for a large min compartment might sound silly, but you need a place big enough to put your stuff.
Outer pockets for organizing smaller gear - check. This helps for storing your maps, GPS, compass, first aid kit, bug spray,,, things that you might need while on the trail.
Attachment points on the bottom so sleeping bags and bed rolls can be strapped on - check.
Compartment for a water bladder - check
Adjustable shoulder straps and chest straps - check.
One of the really nice features of this pack is the padded shoulder straps - those can make or break a pack. But you do not have to worry about the shoulder straps digging into your arms or shoulders. There is plenty of padding on this pack.
With a capacity of around 2810 cubic inches, this pack should be able to carry whatever you need for a 2 - 3 day trip.
So what do you look for in a 2 - 3 day pack? Well, some of the things I look for are 1,000 denier construction - which the Vulture II has.
Double stitched seams - check. Having a pack come apart on you while on the trail is no fun. Double stitched seams helps make sure that the pack will stay together even during heavy use.
YKK self repairing zippers - check. In May of 2007 my son, my daughter and I went on a short hiking/camping trip. We were only about a mile from the truck. We hiked along a nice clear stream and setup camp next to a fishing hole. One the way to the camp site, the zippers on my daughters pack failed. The pack came open and some of her gear fell out and onto the ground. The whole situation was a little unnerving. Especially when I realized the zippers were not self repairing. Meaning, the zippers would not close back up.
Main compartment for storing stuff like a one man tent, hammock, and other stuff - check. Asking for a large min compartment might sound silly, but you need a place big enough to put your stuff.
Outer pockets for organizing smaller gear - check. This helps for storing your maps, GPS, compass, first aid kit, bug spray,,, things that you might need while on the trail.
Attachment points on the bottom so sleeping bags and bed rolls can be strapped on - check.
Compartment for a water bladder - check
Adjustable shoulder straps and chest straps - check.
One of the really nice features of this pack is the padded shoulder straps - those can make or break a pack. But you do not have to worry about the shoulder straps digging into your arms or shoulders. There is plenty of padding on this pack.
With a capacity of around 2810 cubic inches, this pack should be able to carry whatever you need for a 2 - 3 day trip.
Patio Gardening Project
A few weeks ago a little Patio Gardening Project was started. It was more like a test, but "project" might be a good name as well.
The plan was to take a couple of storage tubs, and figure out "what" they can be used for after the stuff was taken out of them. So why not fill them full of dirt, plant some onion, radishes and spinach in them and see how things go.
After the first week the radishes had sprouted first, and the spinach sprouted the next day. The onions came from some green onions my wife and I had in the kitchen.
By the second week the radishes were doing good, but seemed a little stunted. The spinach has not done hardly anything. Some more radishes were also planted.
1 week after planting the second set of radishes they are already up, about 1 inch tall and 3/4 inch wide across the leaves. The spinach still has not done anything. The green onions have grown 6 - 8 inches in 2 weeks.
Be sure to visit the Patio Garden thread of the forums for more updates.
The plan was to take a couple of storage tubs, and figure out "what" they can be used for after the stuff was taken out of them. So why not fill them full of dirt, plant some onion, radishes and spinach in them and see how things go.
After the first week the radishes had sprouted first, and the spinach sprouted the next day. The onions came from some green onions my wife and I had in the kitchen.
By the second week the radishes were doing good, but seemed a little stunted. The spinach has not done hardly anything. Some more radishes were also planted.
1 week after planting the second set of radishes they are already up, about 1 inch tall and 3/4 inch wide across the leaves. The spinach still has not done anything. The green onions have grown 6 - 8 inches in 2 weeks.
Be sure to visit the Patio Garden thread of the forums for more updates.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Third Maxpedition Proteus Versipack Review
This video review of the Maxpedition proteus versipack is the third of a series. The one thing that I can say about this pack, I am really surprised at how well its built. The overall quality is outstanding.
The two outside pockets have attachment points where you can attach ALICE or MOLLE equipment. So I attached 2 - 1 quart US army canteens. This made the pack a little heavy. Regardless of the extra weight, you have to have water with you on those day hikes. I tried attaching a single 2 quart canteen to the rear of the back. But that was too heavy and pulled the pack backwards too much. So the 2 quart was removed and the only other option I saw was the 2 - 1 quart canteens.
The large inner pocket is big enough for a couple of MRE main entrees, a rain poncho and a few other odds and ends.
The smaller pocket all the way to the rear of the pack is large enough for GPS, compass and topo maps.
Its the attention to the little details that says "quality". Such as having 550 cord on the zipper pulls. This is going to be a really nice feature in winter time when your wearing gloves.
The two outside pockets 1 on each end of the pack - their just big enough for a cell phone or a small - medium sized GPS unit.
I give the Maxpedition Proteus Versipack an A+ rating. The only thing that I personally would change on the pack, is the belt buckles might need to be a little bigger. When compared to the buckles on an ALICE pack, these seem a little small. But then again, the Proteus Versipack is not as big as an ALICE pack either.
Post your comments in this thread of the survival gear forum.
The two outside pockets have attachment points where you can attach ALICE or MOLLE equipment. So I attached 2 - 1 quart US army canteens. This made the pack a little heavy. Regardless of the extra weight, you have to have water with you on those day hikes. I tried attaching a single 2 quart canteen to the rear of the back. But that was too heavy and pulled the pack backwards too much. So the 2 quart was removed and the only other option I saw was the 2 - 1 quart canteens.
The large inner pocket is big enough for a couple of MRE main entrees, a rain poncho and a few other odds and ends.
The smaller pocket all the way to the rear of the pack is large enough for GPS, compass and topo maps.
Its the attention to the little details that says "quality". Such as having 550 cord on the zipper pulls. This is going to be a really nice feature in winter time when your wearing gloves.
The two outside pockets 1 on each end of the pack - their just big enough for a cell phone or a small - medium sized GPS unit.
I give the Maxpedition Proteus Versipack an A+ rating. The only thing that I personally would change on the pack, is the belt buckles might need to be a little bigger. When compared to the buckles on an ALICE pack, these seem a little small. But then again, the Proteus Versipack is not as big as an ALICE pack either.
Post your comments in this thread of the survival gear forum.
Someone has to pay the bill
When tax dollars are used to benefit a few select people, or a few select companies, the republic ceases to function.
A republic by its very nature, is supposed to work for the good of all of its citizens, not just a certain few. With the bail out of wall street, the bail out of the auto makers, and every company in between, every day citizens have been turned into servants. We are now enslaved to the federal reserve system - which is a privately owned company. So we are now in effect, enslaved to a company with no face.
We are not employee who can just quit and walk away. We are slaves, who must work and pay our taxes the the internal revenue service. The taxes are payment for being an involuntary servant. If you do not work and make your payments, your thrown in prison.
So the question is, how and why have we allowed this to happen? Its quit simple, really. This is what happens when you have an uneducated voting populace. We have voted ourselves into slavery.
There is one solution - abolish the federal reserve and remove the two major parties from office. Both of these have to be done in order to restore law and order that protects the people, and not just a few select few.
A republic by its very nature, is supposed to work for the good of all of its citizens, not just a certain few. With the bail out of wall street, the bail out of the auto makers, and every company in between, every day citizens have been turned into servants. We are now enslaved to the federal reserve system - which is a privately owned company. So we are now in effect, enslaved to a company with no face.
We are not employee who can just quit and walk away. We are slaves, who must work and pay our taxes the the internal revenue service. The taxes are payment for being an involuntary servant. If you do not work and make your payments, your thrown in prison.
So the question is, how and why have we allowed this to happen? Its quit simple, really. This is what happens when you have an uneducated voting populace. We have voted ourselves into slavery.
There is one solution - abolish the federal reserve and remove the two major parties from office. Both of these have to be done in order to restore law and order that protects the people, and not just a few select few.
New articles section
The people over at the survival gear forum have opened a new articles section. Some of the topics include general disaster prepardness, wilderness survival, hiking and camping and several other topics. The layout is pretty straight forward with a 2 column layout.
The articles section was opened in response to members asking for a place for important forum post to be stored. Instead of each section of the forum collecting stickies. The outstanding threads will be copied and posted into the articles section. The article will then have a link going back to the forum thread.
Its kinda like going through a book collection, picking out the best ones and putting them into a library. All of the magazines and general print stuff will be stored in the boxes.
That way, if a member is looking for an article on a certain topic, they can go into the articles section, browse through the categories or use the search feature to find stuff that interest them.
Besides articles, there is going to be a videos section. Where members of the forum can post their videos. Hopefully this will make a well rounded addition to the forums.
The articles section was opened in response to members asking for a place for important forum post to be stored. Instead of each section of the forum collecting stickies. The outstanding threads will be copied and posted into the articles section. The article will then have a link going back to the forum thread.
Its kinda like going through a book collection, picking out the best ones and putting them into a library. All of the magazines and general print stuff will be stored in the boxes.
That way, if a member is looking for an article on a certain topic, they can go into the articles section, browse through the categories or use the search feature to find stuff that interest them.
Besides articles, there is going to be a videos section. Where members of the forum can post their videos. Hopefully this will make a well rounded addition to the forums.
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