In the never ending search for the perfect chuck box here’s another interesting chuck box design by lupinsea found at the Expedition Portal. Looks like a lightweight, compact and functional idea (there’s a video below showing how it is set up. I could not find any plans for this box, so you’d meed to reverse engineer if you’d like to build one. Features […]
Gear
Simple Cheap Camp Seat Infographic
A simple camp seat made from a piece of closed cell foam will provide a bit more comfort around camp, you can recycle an old foam sleeping pad or buy a new one to share with two friends. Either way you’ll have a cheap, lightweight camp seat, a dry place to stand when you change […]
Camping Spice Kit
Convert a 7-day vitamin/medication container into a camping spice kit – what a great idea! The custom labels are nice, I think I may skip that and use a sharpie marker instead.
Best Scout Pocket Knife
What’s the best Scout pocket knife? I am not sure there’s only one absolute best pocket knife for every Scout in every situation, but the Victorinox Hiker is an excellent choice and here’s why: COST A decent knife will last a lifetime (really!). Because a Scout will likely loose a knife or two along the way […]
BSA Chemical Fuels Policy
The BSA chemical fuels policy is a good common-sense approach to the safe use of any gear using chemical fuels. Here it is in it’s entirety: Purpose This policy directs Boy Scouts of America members how to safely store, handle, and use chemical fuels and equipment. Safety and environmental awareness concerns have persuaded many campers to move away from […]
Best Hand Warmers
If you haven’t discovered the Wirecutter blog check it out, they have excellent in-depth reviews of all kinds of interesting stuff. Here’s what their review of the best hand warmers concluded: Zippo Hand Warmer Sometimes gloves aren’t enough. That’s when hand warmers come in. I tested several of the best reviewed kinds and models, and the $16 Zippo Hand Warmer […]
Disposable Propane Cylinders?
I am not a scientist, so tell me if this makes sense. There are about 40,000 Scout troops in the B.S.A., they go camping (this is a very conservative average) of six weekends a year. 40k * 6= 240K weekends I’d guess, conservatively, that two-thirds of these troops own stoves or lanterns that use disposable gas canisters or disposable […]
Solo Stove Review – First Look
Before I begin this Solo Stove review I need to explain that I think building a campfire is an important skill. It connects Scouts to many things, sharpens their ability to plan, and is almost always a group activity. I once thought that we ought to do all of our cooking over fires and not […]
18 Ounce Backpacking Cook Kit
Over time I have managed to get my weekend backpack down to around 25-30 pounds. I am not an fully anointed apostle of the ultra-lightweight sect but I have certainly benefited from a lot of their ideas. The backpacking cook kit described here weighs in at well less than two pounds depending on your choice of stove. Without the stove my choices […]
Scouts and Whittling
Scouts and whittling evokes a vivid boyhood memory of sitting on the back porch steps whittling a green stick with a steak knife purloined from my mother’s kitchen. Since then I have always had one kind of pocket knife or another and whittled when the opportunity presents itself. Sometimes it’s nothing more than reducing a stick to […]
What I am Taking to Camp – The Ditty Box
A few years back I built a sailors ditty box from plans found in Hervey Garrett Smith’s The Marlinspike Sailor. I finished it with milk paint and even went to the trouble of copying the beckets (handles) from the book’s description. I haul this ditty box along on our car camping trips and to summer camp. It […]
What I am Taking to Camp – The Pack Basket
Somewhere along the way (eBay I think) I got a good solid old-school pack basket. It’s perfect for packing a pretty big pile of camping miscellany that comes in handy. Visible on top of the basket is a blue groundcloth. (1) is an old folding candle lantern (Lee Valley still stocks them), (2) pocket umbrella, (3) Outdoor Products […]
What I am Taking to Camp – Lumbar Pack
(1) My lumbar pack is a Mountainsmith Day Recycled-Fabric Lumbar Pack (my review here). I use this bag all the time and it has become my “man bag” or “murse”. (2) I have a large Kwiki Organizer to keep things easy to access on the inside. (3) I keep a shemagh tactical scarf in the bottom of the […]
Eagle Scout Buck Knife
Scouts who have earned Eagle during my tenure as Scoutmaster receive a custom engraved Buck knife. I take the knife to an engraver in our mall called “Things Remembered”. I buy the Buck 110 lock-back because the bolsters are flat brass (not curved like others) and this makes them suitable for engraving.. When I first started doing this the Buck knife […]
Andrew Skurka’s Philmont Gear List
Andrew Skurka’s new Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide includes a packing list for Philmont Scout Ranch! It has far less gear than the official Philmont list. In Clarke’s interview in podcast 111, Andrew pointed out that over 20,000 Scouts backpack at Philmont every summer and probably 19,000 of them are carrying too much weight. Improving packing […]
Larry’s Dutch Oven Hints
I learned how to care for cast iron cookware like dutch ovens from some old timers. Their methods are compatible with standard Boy Scout principles and more modern methods. Some of this may be considered “heretical” by the “authentic” dutch oven cooking folks. You’ll have to decide for yourself. Here’s some hints that have served me […]
Svante Freden’s Reflector Oven
Swedish canoe enthusiast Svante Freden builds and sells a folding reflector oven based on his own design. This reflector oven design has integrated hinges to reduce weight and gives a nice clean look without sharp edges. With a reflector oven you can bake bread, biscuits, muffins and even pizza in camp! This oven folds flat to slip in […]
Splitting Firewood
Splitting wood with a retaining chain and bungee cord: This splitting firewood video features a wicked-good looking splitting axe by Fiskars. It looks to me like their X series splitting axes that come in 17″, 23 1/2″, 28″ and 36″ lengths. The geometry of the axe head creates a wedge whose top curves outward sharply – […]
The Nessmuk Camping Gear Test
First published in 1884 Camping and Woodcraft was the first widely read “how-to” book on on the subject . It’s author Nessmuk wrote ’‘ The temptation is to buy this or that bit of indispensable camp kit has been too strong and we have gone to the blessed woods handicapped with a load fit for a pack mule. That […]
The Best Backpack for Scouts
The Outdoor Products Dragonfly pack is Available at Amazon Selecting a backpack for Scouts can be confusing; here’s one that I think fits the bill. Backpacks fall in to two basic types; ones with an external frame to which the pack bag is attached and ones with the frame built into the bag (internal frame). In […]
Sleeping Gear for Camping
Sleeping well can make or break a camping trip. As I get older it becomes even more important, and sometimes more difficult, to sleep comfortably, so I choose my sleeping gear for camping carefully. In 1974 the first Therm-a-Rest self-inflating foam sleeping pad was manufactured by Cascade Designs in Seattle; a company started by laid-off Boeing […]
Scoutmaster’s Camp Coffee
The Scoutmaster’s camp coffee is an important consideration on any trip. Most of us look forward to a cup of coffee in the morning. According to the National Coffee Association: Over 50% of Americans over 18 years of age drink coffee every day (150 million). Among coffee drinkers, the average consumption in the United States is 3.2 […]
Dutch Oven Kit
If you aren’t cooking in a dutch oven you are missing a lot of fun and some great food! Now nobody is going to carry a dutch oven backpacking; this is a ‘car camping’ option for sure. If you need to get outfitted here’s what you’ll need and a few things that you may want […]
How to wash down sleeping bags
Good advice about how to wash down sleeping bags at Tom Managan’s Hike Hacker: … don’t wash the bag a lot, but do launder it at the end of the season before long-term storage, or after your annual two-week backpacking trip. Where to wash it? Not at home: washing machines with agitators can tear up your bag. You […]
