My basic boring gear list and book list showcase items more useful, perhaps than this simple holiday wish list, but these items have attracted my magpie-like attention for shiny, quirky and gadgety things. Whittling Whittling and carving is a favorite pastime, having a good knife and some idea of what to whittle makes it even more fun. […]
Gear
My Boring Basic Scout Gear List
Why is my basic Scout gear list boring? It’s hard to get too excited by basic, durable, inexpensive gear that isn’t glitzy or laden with gimmickry. Basic, boring gear works and keeps on working. With a couple of exceptions I have listed things I have owned and used for many years, sometimes for decades. Everything has withstood […]
Hammock Camping for Scouts
Our latest ScoutCircle presentation featured Derek Hansen, Scoutmaster and hammock camping guru. If you are curious about hammocks and how Scouts can use them take the time to watch the presentation. Derek is a great speaker and shares all of the basics in this presentation; here’s the resources mentioned: Hammock Forums Derek’s website The Ultimate […]
What is that Smell in the Tent?
With apologies to my past and future tent mates I offer this slightly risque, yet truly funny infographic from the Adventure Journal via Walter Underwood
Sawyer 3-Way Water Filter Review
UPDATE August 2016 I checked out the three Sawyer water filters we own for our week-long canoe trip to Canada this year. I decided to order three new elements in case our three years the old filters stopped working. All of our three-year-old filters performed flawlessly all week long – a truly amazing product. UPDATE October 2015 It’s been two […]
Electric Fence for Bear Country
UDAP, the folks that make pepper spray for fending off bears, also offer (of all things) an electric fence as an alternative to hanging food in bear country. Powered by 4 D -cell and 4 AA batteries the fence packs a 7600 volt punch into a 9 pound package. Looks like a viable alternative for […]
More Camp Kitchen Permutations
Here’s my latest overview of the endless permutations of the humble patrol box, chuck box, or camp kitchen. We use the Rubbermaid Action Packer to house our modest patrol cook kits. I know some of you don’t care for car camping or big patrol boxes. I find the different solutions folks come up with for setting […]
Customizing My Hennessy Hammock
One of my old Scouts through-hiked the Appalachian trail a few years ago. He joined us for a camping trip afterwards and showed us the camping hammock he had used for his hike, I was impressed. I bought a Hennessy Hammock (the deluxe explorer) and used it on several occasions. I was close to being […]
3M Ultrathon
What’s a good place to test insect repellent? How about 25 Scouts canoeing their way through a buggy week in Ontario, Canada’s Algonquin Provincial Park? In mid August we don’t usually run into too many mosquitoes and the black fly season is long over. This was a wet summer and we encountered more mosquitoes that […]
Summer Camp Solar Homing Beacon
Here’s a clever idea from Camp Wanderer that combines a canning jar and the top section of a solar re-charged garden light to create a lighted container for things like matches at camp. While I am at summer camp I’ll have a jar sitting on my picnic table with a spare headlamp or small flashlight inside […]
The Wanigan – Storage for Canoeing and Camping
Wanigan is borrowed from Ojibwa word for “storage pit” as a name for a storage box like the ones shown here. In some regions a houseboat, temporary hut on a log raft, a small house, bunkhouse, or shed mounted on skids may all be called a wanigan. Rob built the wanigans shown above and decorated them with woodburned illustrations from […]
Marbles Camp Axe Review (and more!)
Marbles Camp Axe Great fit and finish for a very good price. The marbles is a bit larger than most camp hatchets or axes and it’s a quality product. Aailable at Amazon Sarge Boy Scout Knife NO LONGER AVAILABLE Marbles Back Pocket Dual-Grit Tool Sharpener Great tool for maintaining axes, hatchets and pocket knives this […]
EcoZoom Stove Review
While researching information to write this EcoZoom Stove review I learned some interesting things.: Half of the world cooks on a wood fire every day. They use open fires or unimproved stoves. Nearly half the world’s wood supply is used for fuel and deforestation rates are rising all over the world. Smoke inhalation accounts for […]
Best Internal Frame Pack for Scouts
My favorite external frame backpack for Scouts is the Outdoor Products Dragonfly. Almost all of the packs available today are internal frame backpacks. Finding an internal frame pack for Scouts that has the right combination of features for a reasonable price is a challenge. The best internal frame packs I have found for Scouts are the Scout […]
Brunton Restore Solar Charger – Video Review
If you are looking for a reliable way to re-charge portable electronic devices on extended camping trips the Brunton Restore is a solid choice. When at full capacity the Restore’s internal lithium polymer battery will recharge virtually any USB compatible device. Charge he internal battery using USB power from a laptop, a wall adapter (not included), […]
The Highly Evolved Scout Mess Kit
For a number of years I thought that real Scouts only used real Scout mess kits. The standard issue military type clam shell mess kit has a long tradition in Scouting but, compared to the alternatives available out there it is woefully inadequate. There are lots of gadgety, expensive, highly touted modern specialty cooking and serving ware being manufactured […]
Astronomy Tools for Scouting
Here are my favorite astronomy tools for showing Scouts the night sky. Get out and look at the stars the next clear night you are out camping, you don’t have to be an expert or particularly knowledgeable to have a great time finding constellations and doing a little stargazing. With a little research you’ll now when and where to look for […]
Review of Lansky Blade Medic
My first impression of the Lansky Blade Medic was a little cynical. Another knife sharpening gadget? No thanks. As a professional woodworker I have sharpened hundreds, if not thousands, of blades, chisels, knives etc. over the years. I’ve shown a couple of hundred Scouts how to use and sharpen a pocket knife and I’ve tried out many […]
Review of Rayovac Sportsman LED Lantern
2019 Update This review was written in 2013, and after six years of heavy use in the hands of Scouts later these Rayovac lanterns are still going strong, just about indestructible. We replaced our old propane gas lanterns five or more years ago with Coleman Pack-Away LED Lanterns. Like any Scout gear they’ve been battered, bruised and broken and […]
Satellite Phone Rental for Wilderness Travel
We depend on satellite phone rental for emergency communications during our annual high adventure canoe trips. Since we’ll be travelling out of cell phone range we want some way to contact help if needed. There are a number of technologies available but a satellite phone is the only one that enables two-way voice communication If you look around you’ll find a […]
High Adventure Canoe Trip 3 – Portage Details
At the beginning of a high adventure canoe trip our portage packs our packs weigh about 60-70 pounds. This is quite a load for some of us but time has proven that even our smallest Scouts can handle them very well. As the trip progresses we eat our way light and by the last portage out the […]
High Adventure Canoe Trip 2 – Gear and Clothing
Any high adventure canoe trip requires selecting the right gear and clothing. I am pretty specific about what we carry on our trips because I know one thing for sure; in the case of where we are going: It’s All About Portaging In a place like Algonquin you’ll be traveling from lake to lake, and the lakes connect by trails […]
Camping Gear Repair and Maintainence
Backpacker Magazine’s Complete Guide to Outdoor Gear Maintenance and Repair is your ticket to becoming a camping gear repair guru. Author Kirstin Hostetter’s well illustrated, carefully explained directions return your investment with the first piece of damaged gear you save. Maintaining and repairing modern clothing, sleeping bags, backpacks, stoves and tents is not a simple as slapping on a […]
Titanium Reflector Oven
Dan Baker shared an interesting 9 ounce reflector oven idea constructed of titanium foil, aluminum and bicycle spokes. I think this is a great design, it’s lightweight, collapsible and looks like a fun project. I cannot resist taking this on my trips. I have baked pizza, chocolate muffins, bread, etc… with this and it is always terrific! […]
