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Back in the old days, before bivy-bags and mylar blankets, the plan was to carry a cagoule. One sat down, flexed the knees and pulled the hem of the cagoule almost down to the boot-tops, and spent the night cozy and
The rest of the time, the cagoule served as an anorak that hung down to one's knees, and spent the night cramped, but cozy. I tried it a couple of times while deer-hunting, and it was warmer than the alternative. Scrapped it when the bivy-sacks came along.
Does anybody currently carry and use a cagoule?
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I know that Benjammin will jump in here.
What's the best brand/place to pick up a new cast iron dutch oven?
Want something I can take camping as well as use at home as an "emergency" oven.
Thanks.
JohnE
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I've destroyed every single thermos I ever had. After giving up on them for a while, it has come to my attention that my intestines require frequent watering not to tie themselves into knots. Drinking cold water all the time is even worse.
Hence, I need a thermos. But - it needs to be tough. Like, EDC tough. Any ideas?
P.S. Willing to pay about 20-25 USD w. shipping to Israel.
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I love a good desert run and the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix provide scenery that people travel from around the world to witness. (It doesn't hurt that many of them are looking for the Lost Dutchman's mine).
I heard this morning that two under-prepared day hikers went missing yesterday and were found late this morning. Their vehicle found at a trail head I often use for my own hiking and running in the area. LINK to article
My running partners often chide me for the Camelback I run with stuffed with gear. I carry at a minimum my EDC pouch but also a shower cap (as a UL waterproof beanie), well used map of an area I know very well, gels, water and glove liners. Climate conditions dictate my appropriate running attire.
My EDC includes what you would expect: multiple fire starters, LED light, AMK Heatsheet, among other things we all would expect an EDC to have.
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The second half of the LINK is about an ATV rider still lost since Friday, who rode off in croc sandals in snowy conditions. How nuts is that?
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It seems that Kirk Ezell and his shipmate on a delivery voyage woke up Christmas day with water ankle deep in the sailboat and rising rapidly, some 200 miles south of Jamaica. The boat was sinking and abandoning ship was their priority now. They apparently had a life raft on board, a good start, and launched it, tossing all their survival gear in the raft. You’ve heard the expression, "look before you leap?" How about, look before you toss all your survival gear in a raft whose floor has disappeared!
Read all about it with links to video coverage: www.equipped.org/blog/?p=102
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We did our annual cold-weather power out test over my holiday break. This is a simple test. I turn off the power, fire up the generator and we try to go about our lives for a day. Our generator is "critical systems only" - it won't run the whole house. Every year I learn a little something new.
The Good Stuff
1. CFL's + Generator = Lots More Light For Your Watts.
We've replaced 80% of the lights in our house with CFL's. While I hate how they look, how they sound and how they perform in cold weather, I love that I can basically turn on any/all the lights in the house with no meaningful increase on load on the generator.
2. Wood Stove + Cast Iron = Dinner As Usual (for the most part)
Our wood stove has a nice flat surface that's optimal for cooking. Boiling water, simmering - all of it worked fine for a simple meal. No baking solution was apparent, didn't seem to matter.
3. Less Beeping, Pinging and Glowing Stuff.
When we go to "critical systems only", the kitchen is (mostly) shut down, as is the laundry room, most of the living room and all but a few lights. The water well pump and septic pump remain on. Except for the distant rumble of the generator (it's way out in the shed, connected to the transfer switch via underground feed to the house), it's amazing how many things in the how glow (our dishwasher has this blue "Ready" light that's like a freaking aircraft landing zone light), hum (the water softener and water neutralizer run at various odd times, there's some sort of a fan that runs on any number of gizmos in my home office) and the random beeping (the washing machine emits an "all done" 9.546 Khz warble tone that's so loud the mice in the basement explode if nearby, the Dryer emits an 8.344 Khz tone for the same purposes at about jet-engine volume). Add to this various other electronic gizmos that seem almost sentient in their random mono-voiced beep language and you have a house that's never quite quiet. Unless you kill most of the power.
The Bad Stuff
1. Don't forget your livestock. When I cut the power and turned on the generator, I simply hit our transfer switch panel and various loads and a few outlets in the house went on generator power. Note that I said "in the house" - I didn't think about the water heater in the henhouse, and the water froze right up. The solution was simple - a shovel full of coals in a pan and then plopped the waterer over that - but I didn't notice until I went to pick up eggs and saw a frozen waterer.
2. Fuel is a Giant Pain In the Buttocks and Gasoline Generators Suck.
So, there I am with 10 gallons of gas, and I need to deal with keeping the generator filled 5 gallons at a time, I have to drive to the gas station and haul a dangerous flammable liquid that stinks in my car...and I have a 400 gallon tank of perfectly useful diesel home heating oil...and they bring it to me when I need it, and it's more stable than gas...and...in an emergency, I can get to larger quantities of fuel oil in any number of places....and..I could, maybe, make my own diesel from stuff I can scrounge...and..what the heck am I doing with a Gas generator anyway?
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Unfortunately my seven year old was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last month. He's taking it extremely well, much better then I am, although I'm adjusting. (I've had type 2 for a while now, but I'm learning how radically different the two types of diabetes actually are.)
The hospital and health plan company set us up with prescriptions for the various supplies he needs, and I'm doing what I can to pre-load as many months of syringes, test strips, etc. as I can. I was wondering if there are T1 diabetics on this list, or family members that you plan for in emergencies -- what changes to your BOBs and ready/car kits did you make? And if there is further advice about handling his condition in emergencies/unplanned situations?
We've bought an extra blood glucose test meter to keep in the car and we're stashing candies, juices and sugar-boosting stuff everywhere we can think of. I'm guessing the biggest concern is obtaining insulin. He takes a mixture of rapid-acting and slow-acting insulin in a syringe 3x/day. The insulin comes in little glass vials and (unused) last up to a year. Once opened to use, they will last two months in the fridge, and one month at room temp.
Any real-world examples that you know of that I can look up? Any advice appreciated. Thanks. -Gary
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