Luggable Loo

Ok…so here we are going to talk crap. This blog is not for the meek….we are going to get personal in this post. We are talking about doing your business in the woods.

When talking with people who at the most, have camped in an RV or a campground, and not taken a multi-day trip completely self-supported, the primary question I get asked (usually in a very quiet tone) is where do we do the business of doo….its an honest question, because at some point in your travel, you have to download.

This can be problematic not just for those who have not had the experience of finding a special spot to squat. Add in weather, children, lack of flora and fauna, maybe a stomach bug. Having a place near your camp that is sanitary, convienent, and private is important.

This last year during the Idaho Overland we kicked off our test of the Luggable Loo by Reliance. We already had a history of using many of their products. They build great consumer grade products that ar reasonably affordable. Because Abby is now getting to the age where she needs a bit more privacy and she was the only girl on the trip, I wanted a solution that offered her a place to do what she needed to do. I also knew that our trip was going to take us through a few barren areas that did not offer concealment. We were also not using any kind of established camp grounds, we were totaly self-supported.

The Luggable Loo was one part of this equation (a privacy shelter that I will do in another blog was the other). The portable unit is a toilet seat with a locking lid to help control odors. It is designed to be attatched to the top of a 5-gallon pickle bucket. You can either by the unit alon or with a bucket. Since I have plenty of buckets like this, I opted to use my own.

For waste collection, I used two thick trash bags that I pre-lined with cedar shavings. I pre-set six of these double-bagged sets for the trip. As we pulled into camp each night, we would set up the privacy shelter and the Luggable Loo. Each morning, it was the last item to be packed and the waste bags were tied and secured with a zip tie, and placed into a third bag, which was desposed of when we came to a dumpster or collection site on the road. Opting to not carry the waste in the Jeep, they were held for transport in a Trassharoo, which is a trash container that hooks up to the spare tire on the back.

For backside cleaning, we kept a couple roles of TP stored in coffee cans along with baby-wipes. Be sure to store your TP role in a ziplock bag when not in use, even in dry seasons, the roll will absorb any moisture in the air. We also would “flush” the bucket after the bags were removed with a squirt of vinegar as a sanitary precaution.

We were very happy with the Luggable Loo. the only downside for us in a tightly packed Jeep is the space it takes. Unlike other prtables I have used, it sits high enough from the ground and places you in the proper “buisiness position”. in fact, its comfortable enough, youo can even take a book or the morning paper with you to read….

Reliance also has a collapsable toilet it sells that we are hoping to test soon.

SPOT GPS- Come Find Me!

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This one piece of gear is going to extend the life of my folks…

The SPOT GPS lets my folks who worry about me know where I am when out in the back country…. The SPOT GPS doesn’t tell you where you are, it tells your selected friends, family or fans know where you are, that you are okay, or you need assistance….it can also call out the calvary if needed. It is a six-ounce salalite messenger…

I get asked—what exactly is satellite messenger? Basics- it’s a lightweight, water-resistant, study transponder  that communicates with global communications satellites and a low earth orbiting satellites.  It transmits your location to others so they know where you are when you press a button to tell them.

We have tested the SPOT extensively this year and it is now a primary piece of equipment for day trips, weekend excursions, and adventures in Asia and Europe. It allows us to provide our position and that we are doing fine through a website as well as the SMS and email messeges it generates at the touch of a button.

A basic subscription of $99 per year enables the four primary features. These are two ways to ask for someone to rescue you, a third feature is called “Check-in/All-OK,” and the fourth feature is similar, called “Custom Message.” The fifth is the tracking mode and it runs around $60…this allows people like my dad or others I give access and a link, the ability to pinpoint our location. I am going to put one of these in Abby’s car when she starts driving.

The flagship feature is the the “SOS” button – that you never want to touch unless you really need to. Its like 911 on a cell phone- asume it works, don’t test it, the calvary will show up….you will likely be fined.

How it works is when you activate the SOS it notifies a third party emergency rescue coordination center that you have a life and death emergency and need help.  

This is a must have for any adventurer that you love. Makes a great gift…or perhaps the gift is the adventurer who gets it to give his parents and other loved ones piece of mind

Check out this episode

GoPro Black

We are HUGE fans of the GoPro line of cameras. strapped to a helmet, clamped to a roll bar on the Jeep, dropping from a plane….yep…we put ours through the ringer.

This was the primary rig we used on the Idaho Overland Expedition, our trips to Korea and China, and all of our adventure events.

But you don’t have to be into extreme sports to fall in love with this versatile rig. Like stop action, like diving trips, like family ski vacations? Stop action, live action, still pics?

Creative types will love the artistry of mounting them to egg-timers, using a rotisere’ skewer turned on its side with 30′ cordage and a rolling platform with a GoPro set in stop-action mode, or strapping it to a dog as he runs through the woods.

The GoPro Hero3 is 25 percent lighter than the Hero 2. It’s also 1/3rd  smaller.  However, the height and width are unchanged to maintain compatibility with the existing line of BacPac add-on modules and rear doors for the clear plastic hard-shell.

The new six-element a-spherical lens offers twice the image sharpness, while reportedly eliminating the fish-eye look of the video and photos. If this is the case this is the ONLY downside for me— but most shutterbugs will appreciate this.

The Black edition has built-in Wi-Fi, normally a feature that comes with one of the expansion model. This allows you to record directly to a computer hard drive or even broadcast to live feeds.

The front panel now has two indicator lights…one red to indicate that the rig is recording and one blue that blinks indicating that Wi-Fi is active. A huge improvement is the small red indicator lights on the top, back, and bottom panels that are visible from most angles….meaning I no longer have to put my mug into the shot to check to see if its recording.

Recommend if you get one of these you pick up a 32 GB card for lots of room for video…

Check out this episode

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Why I LOVE my iPad

In the ongoing saga of a fire and ice relationship, the reasons I love my iPad!

Yes I know it is a fire and ice relationship…kind of like some of my exes…

Right now the relationship is hot…steaming….what the great romance movies are made of…..everyday is a honeymoon and she is in the kitchen making my favorite dish…then a backrub…and a nice glass of wine….

The traveling throughout Asia – laptop free– presenting from keynote to varried audiences, the mapping it includes for my overland adventures–creating my blog–pictures- videos- off-road legends game– facebook updates–twitter- maps for my backcountry and cross-country flights- apps….more apps….AND MORE APPS!

Traveling down long beaches and posting up pics to Pintrest—listening to Dan and Derel on the 4×4 Podcast— Pandora in the Thinking Lab—- did I mention the ability to pay bills, transfer funds, and al my other on-line banking?

Facetime with my bride when I travel- skype for interviews—geo caching—Topomaps—-and it all fits in a day pack!

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Have a listen to the podcast since this text is only a spaceholder for the podcast

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ACR Firefly Strobe- Product Failure

I take my survival gear very serious. When I product meets our demands, we let you know. When it fails….you get that side as well.

I have been a long time fan of ACR, and I am surprised that the Firefly strobe failed….epically failed.
The device is designed to be a beacon signal should you get in trouble when out doing any number of activites such as boating, skiing, hunting, hiking, etc. It includes a lanyard ideal for securing to your gear. It has an O-ring designed to keep it water-proof and the beacon is omni-directional to improve the odds it is seen by rescuers for a rated distance of two miles. It also tested true to the ability to float. It uses easy to find AA batteries, which is what most of my lights, GPS, FSR, and other electronics use. Easy to find anywhere or I can simply scavenge from another device.

Where the Firefly Plus has failed is in construction of the battery compartment. When any of my electronic gear is not in use, I store it with out the batteries (although I do velcro a fresh set to the device so I don’t forget them). This morning as I opened up the strobe to place a couple of AA’s in the battery tray, one of the springs popped out. Thisnunit is less than a year old. (4 May 2012).

After several attempts to fix it, I have determined that it is not repairable. So here is the issue: Imagine I was depending on this unit to signal a rescue craft it would have failed me. If I had been using the strobe to attract attention, and needed to change batteries, it would have failed me. If this was in my kid’s survival pack (and there is) and she needed it if she was lost….you get the point.

Like my Spot GPS and other devices, I have carried my strobe with me in the Jeep on overlanding trips, in the kayak on river expeditions and island hopping trips, in my back country aviation trips, even carry-on luggage when flying commercial aircraft (especially third-world trips).

Again, I think ACR makes great products and still have many in my bag. Unfortunatly, until this one is rectified, this one will not be in our survival kits, nor will we present it at our seminars. At present time we do not recommend. I have attempted, but not been in contact with ACR on the issue and the retailer has recommended I contact ACR since I could not find my receipt.

Re-Post: Polar Express (2004)

This is a repost/rewrite of a blog I wrote in 2004. At the time I was running a blog called “Tribal Courage” that specifically spoke to men. It was very early work for me in blogging. I was going through some major changes in life at the time and had found two great resources. The first was John Elredge’s book, Wild at Heart. The second was by Gordon Dalby, Healing the Masculine Soul- a book I wish somebody/anybody had shoved in my hands when I was a much younger man. I found my original blog while surfing the net the other night- and thought it would be interesting to re-post. I had started journaling, something most explorers seem to have in common with each other. Perhaps it is the desire to truly know and understand ourselves as we push through what seems to be incredible experiences to others- as we are simply living in the moment, and then simply reflecting on it. The blog I wrote in 2004 corresponds with the season, as well as a reflection of who I am, and a tiny insight to me as a person….

I’m trapped. Coming off a my expedition in the Chiuauan Desert of Northern Mexico, having a near death experience at the hands of a faulty water bladder and dehydration, a new commitment to family, fatherhood, and husband…I decided to treat my family to a night out at the “nice theatre” and not the sticky floors of the “cheap” theater…

We promise my 3-year-old to go see a movie—I vote for “The Incredibles”. A great movie about a family of superheros who put aside differences, depression, the sence of inadiquacy….who hasn’t lived that life? This speaks to my heart and its just what I need to hear at this moment.

I lose. Not to the popularity of vote for another, film, but rather to the availability of tickets. So we buy our passes for “Polar Express”

I’m trapped in another sense. I can’t go to a film these days without pulling some kind of message from it. But maybe this one is safe…or so I thought. Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart, Good Will Hunting…all have deep messages for me about the making of a man, the battles within, the path to becoming a stand-up guy, a warrior defending my family, my faith, my own soul.

I don’t want to get too specific at this point—I don’t want to ruin the movie for you if you haven’t seen it. I also want you to pull out your own themes—maybe we can sit down and discuss it sometime over hot chocolate—served from a more subdued staff than the movie represented.

The spiritual themes that run through “Polar Express” are themselves incredible. The theme of wanting to believe, but not coming to grasp with belief, yearning to hear there is an incredible message for each of us individually, even when others are around you who can hear it, yet no matter how hard you strain to listen-nothing. Silence. Desolation. It feels like abandonment.

Perhaps how at one time we have received something special. Something deep, something spiritual, a very special gift, like the speaking to our heart about who we are, our desires, a special name to be called… a special message-and then losing it…

Then the final scene of that desire being written on our hearts. For some its a new destiny, maybe our new name…simply scribbled onto our heart…a name that in the beginning of a journey had only a few letters.

I saw my own spiritual journey reflected in this film. I understood the frustration of not being able to hear God’s voice when others where having larger than life experiences. I could relate the “wandering” that was taking place on the train, sometimes leading to possible dangers, only to be rescued before I got seriously hurt.

In my own journey I have had the displeasure of being surrounded by those that I had to pull along, the occasional “pain in the @$$” know it all, as well as others who were on the same journey—who built my own confidence and helped me to reach my destination.

Aging with Grace

It seems like a lifetime ago….it seems like yesterday… I can no longer adventure the way I used to on bare basics and little sleep.

At one point in my life I remember leaving for motorcycle trips after working three or four 12 -hour midnight shifts. I was in the military at the time and stationed in West Texas at Dyess AFB. The bike would be packed with a sleeping bag, a rain jacket, poncho, and my ATM card. I usually had $100 stuffed in the frame and a tooth-brush and change of underwear in a backpack. I would turn in my weapon after getting off duty in the early morning hours, change clothes in my dorm room, and be on the road by 0700. I would ride my 1983 XT 250 hard for the next few hours, find a rest stop, sleep for a few hours and be back at it. That night I would stop for dinner, usually based on PB&J or an MRE I had saved from a recent deployment. I would crash at a campground, a church courtyard, ratty hotel if weather was bleak, or even in a highway reststop. My travels were never limited and I rode that little 250 into New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Mexico, and all over Texas. I would be back on base in time for my first guardmount formation and refreshed and ready for duty.

A few years later I was doing the same thing with a Suzuki Samurai, although I did start packing a tent and a fairly nice Coleman stove. Still there were nights I would sleep under the tiny SUV as I traveled throughout South Texas, Arizona, and Mexico. I even did a few trips as far as the East Coast and when it was time for me to change duty stations, I camped all the way to New Jersey. Still sleep and “a good nights rest” included a sleeping bag, hammock, and 4-5 hours of sleep.

Fast forward and this last year I have found a high intolerance for sleeping on the ground. We have spent the past few weeks looking for options including roof top tents, tents that will allow a master-bedroom size cot, hot water, privy, and other creature comforts. While on the Idaho Overland, I saw Beau and Lance snuggling in the back of their rigs, while Abby and I tried to get comfortable on our sleeping mats. Nothing is worse than after a bone jarring day in a Jeep, with hundreds of miles behind you and a few more 10 hour days ahead of you….and you are sleeping in a rock bed.

As we prep for 2013, we are looking at several options….including BIG family tents, a tent on top of an offroad trailer, and possible a teardrop designed for off-road. The years of not sleeping has caught up with me. The four hours a night for weeks at a time has transitioned to “I don’t want to get up for work mom….”

So stay tuned, we will report out all the stuff we look at….and with a little luck we will get to do some product testing…..

I am sure I will still have get-a-ways that Trigger and I crawl under the Jeep and certainly when our doing my annual survival training I will have to suck it up…..but I am really looking for more luxury as I get older….

Packing Your Puppies

Trigger loves to go hiking. In fact every pup I have had enjoys getting out to romp in the woods. with Trigger it seems to be so different though. With my other Brit, he got excited when I pulled out anything orange. He was a bird hunting machine. with Trigger though, when I get out my hiking or backpacking gear, he goes crazy and starts howling and talking to me…. Dad…Dad….DAD!!!

Trigger loves coming along. Doesn’t matter if it’s a Jeep trip, a day of geocaching, or a backpacking trip, he is ready to hop in the Jeep, running over everything and everything to claim his spot. dogs need no planning to adventure. I really want to be more like my dog at times.

Something we have learned is the importance for us as dog owners to plan well when heading out into the wilderness with our pups and to keep them safe. We need to remember to keep in mind and be knowledgeable of their physical boundaries. On a hike a few years ago with Scout on the William Pogue Trail in central Idaho, Scout was nearing heat exhaustion. This is an especially dangerous condition for pups. fortunately, we recognized the signs and I had the physical ability to hike him out on my back, while Melissa kept him cool with water in a few key areas of his belly, ears, and paws.

Trigger and I go nearly everywhere. as many of you know my adventures include aviation, off-roading, hiking, and other extreme…and a few not so extreme outdoor activities. we have learned over the years that not all places are dog savvy and not all people see our pups in the same way we see them. We have made it a habit to check on the dog regulations for the areas we will be adventuring. Even though they often allow people with little or no outdoor experience to jeopardize themselves and others, U.S. national parks do not allow dogs to share the trail. Bummer.

Socializing our pups has been a huge benefit. Taking them to stores that welcome pups always get my business. This has helped us as well as our dogs to become polite and we have learned some great control techniques. Remember to Maintain control of your dog at all times. Dogs are required to be on-leash on most public trails. Most require a leash to be 5-7 feet or less in length. We keep our 30 foot lead for certain situations, and we never …. NEVER use an extendable lead. It may be great for everyday romps around the neighborhood to give your dog more freedom, not only does it teach bad leash habits, its really not sturdy enough to live up to trail conditions.

Lessons in stores such as Lowe’s and Harbor Freight has taught us a leash isn’t enough. Keeping our pups calm as other people and pups pass by. Be aware of any situations will upset or aggravate your Companion. Ranger does not like tall men for example. we have picked up a sixth sense when any male over 5’10 approaches. Trigger Is still getting used to other dogs and sometimes makes a slight “grrrr” (not a growl) and we stay ready to redirect him.

Be prepared. Sites such as peteducation.com have a lot of great info about dogs, including many articles about first aid. Petco and the Red Cross offer first-aid classes, which I recommend highly, to offer you hands-on help. In addition, REI.com offers a selection of books that can help. One that I read from time to time is the Field Guide to Dog First Aid by Randy Acker, DVM.

I have a huge advantage that I have a wife who is a vet tech. All of my pups at one time or another has had some kind of boo-boo on a trip. We have learned how important it is to make sure one of us is ready to take care of our dogs no matter what circumstances come up. Melissa gave me an AGS Pet First Aid Kit, which also comes with a great book to help me with what to do on the trail. I recommend reading it allot. I keep the kit in Triggers saddle packs.

Speaking of doggie packs, be sure not to load your pup down. Also, train your pup, beginning first with nothing in the packs at first, and then over the series of weeks, lightly load the packs with items such as food, collapsible bowls, and the above mentioned first aid kit.

Trigger has not taken to boots yet, but I do inspect his paws often for cuts, stickers, etc. I do have him wear a protective chest vest that not only helps me see him, it protects his chest from brush. In addition, since it is in reflective orange, he is easily identified bu hunters. Finally, I put two turkey bells on him. One goes on his collar and the other on his backpack. The bells give me an idea where he is at when off leash.

Everything Trigger owns has his name, my name, contact info, and a statement “requires daily medication”. Even though he doesn’t require daily meds, Ranger does for seizures. If found, the finders will work faster to bet your pup back to you if they know they need meds.

I love adventuring with my pups. It requires a bit more planning and sometimes bypassing areas that are not dog friendly. But I can’t think of not adventuring with my buds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RC Adventure

I haven’t talked about this area of our adventure life much. It is a seasonal thing for us, but it is something that at times has drawn us together as a family. That is probably true for so many of our adventure activities, that desire to draw us all together. This can be a challenge since my bride shows up as a 1-1-1 on the behavioral scale of her Emergenetics diagnostic. This means that when presented with a new idea, she can have Spock like reactions and I really don’t know if she is disinterested or her heart has truly stopped. I also have to wonder about her acceptance of the idea of if she is just pondering.

A few years ago when I got super excited about rc cars not only did I feel compelled to allow my life to revolve around the new interest, I built an rc track in our back yard. Not just a section, but the entire yard. I then went about placing plants and flowers to offset the curves and jumps. Then I built a tabletop track in our garage….just because that’s how I roll….

The indoor teack has since been dismantled and the wood has been transformed into a workbench, tre outdoor track is seldom used and is quickly becoming a prayer path or something, and most of the cars we built to entertain guest sit idle.

Still, I love taking cars out with me when traveling or when out for a day/weekend trip in the Jeep. This is why I am in love with 1/16 scale off road rigs. I can place a car, assorted batteries, charger, and small tool kit and parts in a backpack. I have taken my 1/16 scale companion on commercial aircraft, in the back of the little Cessna, and on road trips to the coast for a weekend honeymoon. Whether alone, with the wife, with the kiddo, or all three, we can take a few rigs on a trip with minimal room.

I have had several Revos, Slashes, Rallys, and combinations, conversions, and off-shoots of these three. But by far the most fun I have had was building these two rigs with my wife. A few weeks ago she showed an interest in an old buggy.

Now she has always loved building and painting but driving was not so fun for her. Our building and painting together was great couple time and since she has a preference for structure, she was able to quickly learn thenins andnouts of rc repair.

I desperatly wanted her to learn how to drive and overcome her fear of crashing a car. I took an old slash and put a 23 turn motor in it and placed in training mode. In the privacy of our backyard track she learned to like it.

Each year we hold an event in the fall called Sweet 16. this is held when night approaches earlie in the evening and we can light up our backyard for an rc rally featuring 16 scale vehicles. Last year, for the Sweet 16 Rally, we picked up a mini slash for non rc visitors to bash. She fell in love with the car when placed in training mode.

Her rig came stock with the 12 turn Titan but soon replaced it with the slower 23 turn HPI. That gave her longer run time and slower speeds. this has proven to be effective in the Mini-Summit as well that goes camping with us.

I still like my speed and when speed is the game in a camp site or an empty hotel parking lot, I still pack my MERV. Mini Electtric ReVo is not at all stock. My rig has the Velenion brushless with Traxxas ESC, Traxxas and RPM parts where available, and run it on a Spektrum controller.

I have several Summits, Rallys, Revos, and Slashes, the last takes allot of lip due to stability. My argument is that if you drive a car within its limits you don’t flip as much. We can go through several bettery packs in an evening without ever being on our lids.

The rc cars are just another avenue for us to play. whether on our track, hiking behind the car on a trail, or playing in an empty parking lot of (with permission) an empty hotel meeting room, the cars have kept me out of mischief on the road.

This next year I hope we get into building scale rigs like the Axial SC series. Think scale models, complete with working winches, shovels, loadable gear, etc. these would be fun to build and drive….at scale speeds. I could build one to look just like my Jeep….or what I want my Jeep to be one day.

Building Brands, Blogs, Brains

How important is it to your day gig and your adventure to have good presence? One of our clients just scored $10K with a presentation they worked on in one of our private workshops….

This is the podcast supplement to our blog the other day on building effective branding, the importance of great presentation skills, and starting podcast and blogs for yourself.

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