There you are, sitting on the sofa reading an email saying that you gotten a promotion or you closed a client or whatever other happy news that you can receive. This causes a celebration...
The post Stoneware Vs. Ceramic Dinnerware appeared first on The Homestead Survival.
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This will be the second Culpeper Volunteers training event on Saturday 8 February. There will be 16 spaces available. The day will take the format of a ‘HEAT 0.25’ MVT class.
Calling MVT Alumni as RSO’s if you are available.
To reserve a clot on this event, you will need to send an email to: max@maxvelocitytactical.com. Please specify which county you are resident in. The training is primarily for Culpeper County residents, but we may fill space available with others.
What you will need:
AR15 (5.56) rifle (AR platform only)
(Ensure your rifle is well lubed, bring lube and if in doubt we will take care of it for you).
400 (approx) rounds.
6-8 30 round magazines.
Load bearing equipment i.e. chest rig or belt pouches to carry at least 2 magazines.
Eye protection
Ear protection – preferably electronic, such as Howard Leight.
Lunch / snacks / water / hydration. There is a country store a mile from the range location which can sell you lunch.
Appropriate clothing for the weather.
You will be expected to take kneeling and standing positions. The day will be an introduction to safety, weapon manipulation, stoppage / malfunction clearance, shooting positions, and progression will depend on the base standard of those attending.
Tips on rifles and equipment can be found in this forum:
Culpeper Volunteers Range Day #2 Read More »
A couple of weeks ago my friend Lighthiker wrote about how the new OutDoor by ISPO was the Same, Same, but different, and today we are looking at the new equipment and apparel which was presented at the show and which is of interest to us backpackers.
Disclosure: All text besides the Intro and Outro are ©Lighthiker and also all Images are ©Lighthiker and are used with Permission. You can follow the author on Twitter where he is known as Lighthiker.
Each year the Outdoor “professionals” (read manufacturers and dealers) meet twice to present new gear for the next season at the OutDoor by ISPO. This year things changed a bit. First the show took place after their US counterpart, the OR show in Denver. This meant a lot of the gear novelties had already been made public. For a good wrap-up please check this post from Sectionhiker. Second this year’s summer show took place in Munich, whereas for the last 25 years it took place in Friedrichshafen at lake Constance. Hendrik wrote an article why for him it did not make sense to visit the fair this year which is why I stepped in.
Please keep in mind that almost all of the gear mentioned here will not hit the stores before April next year. And last but not least whilst UL or lightweight gear is of interest to you the industry as such did not have that very much in focus this year. After years of presenting the “lightest” of something it looks like the usage of lighter materials either made it into the normal line-up or is simply not considered being a main differentiator to the competition anymore. As a result of the above the main focus of this article is on European brands and on gear that either fits the UL/ Lightweight category or I found of general interest. Enough said let’s nerd out!
Already mentioned by Sectionhiker but still newsworthy, Hilleberg released their first Trekking pole supported tent, called Anaris. A super classic A-Frame double-wall design with a pack weight of 1.4kg . Not UL for a two person shelter but as you can expect from Hilleberg it will be bombproof with an excellent built quality. And the fly alone weighs 640g for those wanting to use it in Tarp only mode.
Vaude came out with their Lizard Seamless 1-2 person tent (more 1 person in my opinion). Again not really UL at 1090g but with interesting bonded seams instead of sewn or taped ones. A 2-3 person version comes in at 1650g.
Starting next year all major producers will measure their sleeping pads utilizing “R-values”. The test methods have been slightly altered so e.g. pads from Therm-A-Rest will increase their values slightly even so the pad construction remains unchanged. He good news is that we will be able to compare pads better in the future. This is one example from Big Agnes:
Also Therm-A-Rest will incorporate new valves into all of their pads next year. So expect a Sale on those with current ones! The new ones are supposed to allow a much quicker inflation/ deflation.
Arc’teryx released their updated Norvan LD 2 shoe. Mesh upper, 9mm heel drop combined with a very minimalistic design and a weight of just 520 g per pair makes that an good option for lightweight hiking. But with all shoes, try them on as they need to fit your foot shape and the lugs of the soles are not super aggressive but should do the job according to one of their employees. What was quite obvious at the fair was that Arc’teryx was one of those brands where sustainability is not even worth mentioning. Whilst this was not uncommon about 6-8 years ago nowadays almost every company focuses on sustainability in one shape or form. Reason why Arc’teryx doesn’t? Because they build such great products that they last very long which is their take on the subject according to a Marketing Manager – Lame to say the least!
La Sportiva will release a brand new shoe called Jackal. Good looking sole, mesh upper, 7mm drop, 640g/ pair. Could be a good alternative to the famous Ultra Raptor who will remain in their line-up.
Need a waterproof pant? Montane released their Aqua Pro Lite, weighing just 100g but still incorporating an ankle zipper. Nice!
Patagonia will release a new series of clothes aimed at Trailrunners. I do see some overlap with fast and lightweight hiking here and especially their Strider Pro Pants and their Endless Run shorts caught my interest.
It is hard to believe but the Swedish company Fjällräven, well known for their super durable, super heavy and waxed G-1000 material released a lightweight trouser called the Abisko pants. Cleverly constructed and in the same category as my personal all-time favourite the Montane Terra pant.
Nitcore will complement their highly regarded NU25 headlamp with additional models on the upper and lower end. The NU32 has 550 Lumens with a higher weight compared to the NU25 and the more minimalistic NU17 has an output of 130 Lumens only but is even lighter. Both will be rechargeable and offer red -light modes on top.
BioLite released their HeadLamp 200 model. 200 Lumens, 45 g, red-light modes and rechargeable and incorporating a super comfy headband.
A bit heavier (weighing 140 g) than the inReach Mini, the new ProteGear offers the same functionalities and some more plus a more attractive subscription model imho. You can even choose daily plans if you want and they receive my prize for the nicest booth design at the fair!
Komperdell will release their new Carbon FXP pole which is a self-deploying (!) Z-style pole coming in at 350 g/ pair in an adjustable (up to 135cm) length version. They reduced the parts from 11 to 3 claiming a 30% weight reduction. Construction looked really solid.
Black Diamond will introduce a so called “Wedge” into the handle of their (heavier) poles in 2020 allowing to mount e.g. a camera directly onto the pole top.
Eberhard Göbel released their Swing Backpack umbrella. Never heard of them? They do actually manufacture all those chrome coloured ones loved by Thruhikers and sold by Gossamer Gear. Their new model incorporates an extendable canopy which extends the reach of the umbrella covering the backpack at the backside only. Quite an ingenious opening and closing mechanism, too. Available in several colors, including silver-metallic and weighing 350 g.
Many people already posted about the new Primus Firestick gas stove. Aside of having a unique design where we need to see if it delivers a real value even the titanium version comes in at above 80 g (and they offer a separate Piezo igniter as none is built-in) which I personally find too heavy.
For the real coffee lovers out there Rubytec released a lightweight (205g) hand grinder accompanied by a stainless steel dripper (54g) into the wild world of cooking.
And last but not least: Six Moon Designs won a prize, actually two prizes at the fair! They received a “Winner” award which is supposed to honour additional noteworthy products within a category. And the prizes went to their Gatewood Cape and the Lunar Solo. I was joking with the company representative that it only takes a UL cottage company 12 years from the release of a product to actually get receive the “official” recognition they deserve.
And to round things out, some more impressions from the fair – or check the Flickr Album for all images.
Well, that was quite a lot of new gear which Lighthiker there told us about – THANK YOU!. I enjoyed this wrap-up immensely (also because I had to only edit it =) and there’s certainly some interesting pieces of equipment there which we might see on the backs of ultralight backpackers in the future. In the One Stop Shop Series we already saw a lot of lightweight (like, 200 g for a pants and jacket) rain gear, for example, and it’s nice to see this trend continue. Some of the shoes sound interesting, and certainly i can see myself using that new Swing Backpack umbrella (also in daily life!). Overall a very interesting over-view – which of these items, or those which Sectionhiker mentioned, did you find most interesting? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook!
Enjoyed this article? Support me on Patreon and get some useful rewards (like hanging out on Discord with me, where you can pick my brains!) or buy me a coffee – I work Full-Time on Hiking in Finland to bring you inspiring trip reports, in-depth gear reviews and the latest news from the outdoors. You also could subscribe to the rarer-than-ever Newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube for more outdoorsy updates!
New Ultralight Gear From the OutDoor by ISPO Read More »
Security overload leads to apathy. How often do you hear a car alarm go off and roll your eyes hoping the owner would disable the blasted thing before the incoming headache comes a knocking? The primary objection I have to such systems is they work too well. Every week I hear an alarm being triggered […]
This is just the start of the post Security Information Overload: From Panic to Apathy & the Remedy. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!
Security Information Overload: From Panic to Apathy & the Remedy, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.
Security Information Overload: From Panic to Apathy & the Remedy Read More »
A story about Ole Red seems like it should be a country song about a faithful dog. My Ole Red is a wool sweater, and it has never let me down.
Proven survival gear that works for me| Ole Red, the wool sweater Read More »
Dragging a deer or elk out of the woods is a good way to bring on a heart attack for the not-so fit, once-a-year hunter. A sled can be a sound investment, and make the hunt a little easier and safer.
Review: Get a sled for big game hunting safety and efficiency Read More »
Security overload leads to apathy. How often do you hear a car alarm go off and roll your eyes hoping the owner would disable the blasted thing before the incoming headache comes a knocking? The primary objection I have to such systems is they work too well. Every week I hear an alarm being triggered […]
This is just the start of the post Security Information Overload: From Panic to Apathy & the Remedy. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!
Security Information Overload: From Panic to Apathy & the Remedy, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.
Security Information Overload: From Panic to Apathy & the Remedy Read More »
Kevin Costner, who starred in Open Range, was born on this day in 1955. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 86 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3,000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from veteran-owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the …
The post Preparedness Notes for Saturday — January 18, 2020 appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
Preparedness Notes for Saturday — January 18, 2020 Read More »
I’ll go on and bet if you’ve got any friends that are heavy into hiking, camping or homesteading you have heard then go on and on at length about rocket stoves, the new marvels of efficient cooking and heating.
Well, got a little spoiler for you: they aren’t new, but boy, oh boy are they efficient! Rocket stoves can be had as an over-the-counter product or built yourself as a DIY project.
No matter how you come by your rocket stove you can rest assured you’re going to get tons of heat on very little fuel. You know, it almost sounds too good to be true. So tell us, Tim: how does a rocket stove work?
Rocket stoves work by drawing in a large volume of cooler air over the burning fuel. This mass of oxygen supply facilitates more complete combustion of fuel particulates that would otherwise go unburned into the air as smoke. By burning the tiny particles that would otherwise escape, rocket stoves not only burn cleanly, but they also burn very hot compared to traditional stoves.
In this way, a rocket stove will furnish a tremendous amount of heat for a little fuel and with virtually no smoke when designed and operated correctly.
Big or small, rocket stoves have the chops for almost any heating task. The ability to do so much work with so little fuel is entrancing for preppers, and it should be! From boiling water in the middle of camp to cooking a huge meal or heating your entire home there is a rocket stove application for you. Read on to learn a little more about these powerful stoves.
Considering how easy they are to make you’d think there be some kind of catch with operating a rocket stove. Well, surprise!
There isn’t, unless you consider screaming high temperatures a disadvantage with a stove, and I sure don’t. Below are just a few of the advantages rocket stoves boast over conventional ones.
I know what you might be thinking: if rocket stoves are so great how come so few people use them? It’s a question I often ask myself, reader. I only hope after this article and other sources more preppers in the West will come to appreciate and use the terrific design that is the modern rocket stove.
Rocket stoves are very simple designs. So simple, in fact, you might think its cheating. No matter if you plan to buy or build your own, take some time to learn about the design of a typical rocket stove and the principles behind its operation.
They are so easy to build using common materials; you’re doing yourself a major to service if you don’t know how to put one of these bad boys together.
To help yourself understand the operation and design of a rocket stove, start by imagining a capital letter J. if you look at a rocket stove from the side, this is exactly what it looks like inside.
From left to right, you have a short vertical pipe open at the top, a horizontal pipe at the very bottom, and a large vertical pipe, connected to the shorter one by the horizontal pipe. These components are respectively the feed tube (or fuel chamber), the burn tunnel (or combustion tunnel), and the heat riser or chimney.
All those components are usually made out of metal of some kind or high heat tolerance ceramic. All those components will be insulated to hold in heat, increasing efficiency and thoroughness of combustion. This insulation is most often dirt, but can be clay or any other material that will pack & seal tightly around it.
From here operation is a simple puzzle: fuel, most often wood, is placed in the wide open top of the fuel chamber where it is lit and then begins to burn. As the fuel burns, the flames are drawn through the burn tunnel, pushing a great mass of quickly rising hot air through the chimney.
The combustion process begins to suck in more and more cool air for the fuel chamber which makes the fuel burn more completely and therefore hotter.
A hotter burn pushes a greater quantity of air, more quickly, through the chimney drawing in an even greater volume of cool air and the process repeats in a sort of vicious cycle until the fuel is exhausted.
The flames will grow so hot and begin moving so fast there is often an audible whooshing or howling sound created by a rocket stove. By now you’ve probably figured out how they got their name.
In fact, rocket stoves burn so hot and so efficiently that most new operators struggle the most with controlling the heat, not getting enough of it.
By reducing the amount of fuel placed in the rocket stove and a few other tricks you can keep the heat down to a manageable level, assuming you don’t want to turn your tasty dinner into fresh charcoal briquettes.
And remember a properly set up rocket stove is so efficient it will do all of this with virtually no smoke. Recall if you will at the smoke itself is burned up in the combustion process.
The design of a rocket stove allows the burning fuel receives an ample supply of fresh oxygen compared to traditional stoves. This hotter, more complete burn contributes to the vastly higher temperature that a rocket stove can supply, which in turn leads to a drawing in an even greater quantity of oxygen further fueling and sustaining this reaction.
Rocket stoves are easy to make, burn extremely hot, extremely cleanly and on very little fuel. They’re your heat-producing ace in the hole if you are a prepper!
So, How Does a Rocket Stove Work? Read More »
