The wool blanket and sleeping kits

I wanted to add to other posts about camp clothing, bedding, and related items (with an eye on how that applies to GOOD or 72 hour kits).

As luck would have it I am not allergic to wool,  here in the mountains I have learned long ago that no matter how good (or expensive) some yuppie products, I always return to wool.

I have tried five very expensive outer wear sets in the past, in one excessively expensive Gore-tex camouflage jacket and bib set I just about killed myself trusting to the garment to work like I needed. That experience caused me to swear off the yuppie crap and go for the traditional products, or at least products I could trust. I can always trust wool, you pay for this with weight because wool is heavy but by golly it works (even somewhat well when wet), lasts forever (care to keep the insects away) and is tough under heavy use.

I was trying to find alternatives to synthetics and down (waterfowl products) for sleeping kits as I refuse to use down after several questionable products and several unfortunate events involving water.

One underlying problem with backpacking is weight and water, you have never seen miserable until you drench your down bag with water.

Three days into rain and snow mix on an elk hunting trip and a trail of water formed into my sleeping kit from a large canvas long-term-use tent (the big horse packing style tents).

Once it is drenched down is worthless.

Now of course some would say I may lack the skills needed to keep a sleeping bag dry, and that may well be true, in the end I am a beast, hard on some equipment and take trips in the worst of weather.

I have tried down several times after my first drenching only to have similar problems, wear issues (typically down bags are inside flimsy easy to rip covers) and even one fire. So in my quest to find a sleeping kit and explore other options I started looking over the "old-west-cowboy" bed-rolls and wool sleeping kits. I have found the following you may also be interested in watching.

Several thoughts about a kit - warm, resistance to weather, long wear, then weight, I am of course thinking about hunting and prepping instances, if you are forced to grab your GOOD bag a tough option that works under crap circumstances may be the ticket. (I don't think they will give you the choice of good weather under a forced bug out.)

Capillary action self-watering gardening

Two Buckets on a Mission
Is it possible two cheap plastic buckets can help reduce global malnutrition?

Sounds crazy, but there's some amazing technology that can be created by combining two cheap 5-gallon buckets along with some other low cost or free materials. The result is a low cost foolproof system of growing food.


Benefits of the 2-bucket system:
1) 50% to 80% reduction in water usage.
2) 100% reduction in weeds...never pull a weed or use herbicides.
3) Once planted, very little attention is required.
4) Foolproof: People with very little training (like us!) can reap bountiful harvests.
5) All you need are a few square meters of space...even rooftops, industrial wastelands, etc


Two Brothers on a Mission
Our vision: Turning the rooftops and abandoned industrial wastelands of developing countries into mini-farms filled with green growing vegetables. The goal of this website is to share with the world the simple steps required to build the 2-bucket system.

Heads up for Canadian Dirtbags and All you need is mud for the idea - make gardening easy(er).

More Rocket Stoves!

The high-efficiency Rocket stove wood burning stove for use in Central America and other third-world countries the expansion of Appropriate Technology and Disaster preparations advancements.

Use of a pressure cooker for TEOTWAWKI

Grandma was not an idiot!



In the days before the microwave a faster way to cook was invented and the low tech nature and fast times make the pressure cooker a must for preparedness.

Our family plans include lots of dried bulk goods and portable propane tanks (propane, safe for indoors as long as you keep an eye out - I suggest a battery operated carbon monoxide detector - you need one with a wood stove anyway).

With the availability of inexpensive propane tanks and inexpensive cook tops (camper style) there is no reason to forget the pressure cooker.

Two burner table top propane cooker

Save time, save water, save propane! They can even be used over a simple wood stove or campfire.

Camping folding stove

Years ago we learned, when we moved up in altitude to the mountain west that dried goods particularly beans don't like cooking in altitude, in fact our favorite crock pot became almost useless - beans do not cook at altitude - but with a pressure cooker not only will they cook but fast...

We use the 5-7 minute pressure cooker "pre-soak" (don't forget the salt from the start)- that is start timing when the pot comes to pressure (that chugga, chugga with the steam whistle) then off the heat until it lowers in pressure to be safe to open, add spices, then bring back to pressure and cook for 7 to 15 minutes - DONE!

Get a good quality stainless steel model and extra gaskets! The cooker and gaskets are not expensive.

Don't use an old used cooker, they can be dangerous, the new models almost all come with a break out safety, and a pressure lock. Keep them clean and in good shape and they will last decades.

Pressure Cooking

Primer

You do not have to break the bank with the expensive units like the The Kuhn Rikon Duromatic from Switzerland, Presto, Mirro, T-fal, Wearever, Fagor, and others are tested, safe, and do their jobs.

They even have small 1.5 quart and lighweight models that can be used for backpacking!



Cute little thing!

More and More water filtering info

Some construction tips and slow sand technology.

BACKWASHING a biological sand filter when the flow rate slows down. Forcefully backwashing a slow sand filter, particularly a small slow sand filter with layers of different sizes of sand, will destroy it. The flow rate is slowed by a buildup of material on the TOP FEW CENTIMETERS of sand. Simply gently agitating this layer and DRAINING OFF the cloudy water is all that needs to be done.

Now for the main site - David H. Manz the inventor.

More water info

That is the "old tech"

Now the BioSand filter.

Source water can not contain chlorine, soap or salt water as they will stop the bio-filtration process.

The BioSand Filter

A PDF of how the HydraAid BioSand filter works (Big file)

This PDF is a MUST READ!

It takes 5‐10 days for the biological layer to reach full maturity and effectiveness. During this time, the filter will become increasingly effective. Post filtering chlorination provides safe water during the period of time it takes for the biological
layer to form.

A PDF "manual" on water safety, and excellent read with lots of basic info.

A treasure of PDF files on how this type of filter is built and works.

Cooking with less materials - the rocket stove concept

Showing the construction



Aprovecho Research Center

Rocket Stove information

Five Earth-Friendly Cooking Technologies and How to Build Them (PDF)

For heating

Building the Aprovecho Rocket Stove

"A short video available for viewing or downloading describing the steps for building a small single pot Aprovecho Rocket stove. The Aprovecho modification of the stove is inexpensive to construct and is suitable for outdoor cooking in disaster situations.”

Appropriate Technology

LINK to source: Aprovecho Technology

LINK to: aprovecho

A great video that showcases some exceptional DIY technology and could use a little more exposure