During this review, the Maxpedition Falcon II Pygmy is being used as a day pack and an overnight camping pack. With this sized pack your not going to strap a -20 degree sleeping bag and a 4 man dome tent to it. The Maxpedition Falcon II Pygmy is designed for a certain purpose and it serves that roll very well.
One of the first things that is noticed about the Pygmy is its size, but do not let that fool you. Its a well designed pack that is rough and tough. 1,000 denier cordura was used in the construction of the pack, internal seams are taped and finished, and the pack has a capacity of around 1,400 cubic inches.
Some of the specs from the Maxpedition website:
Dimensions: 18″(H) x 9.5″(W) x 5.5″(D)
Main Compartment: 12″(H) x 7.5″(W) x 2.75″(D)
Front Pouch: 12″(H) x 7.5″(W)
Slip Pocket: * Capacity: 1400 cu. in. / 23 liters
Hydration: Two side pouches for 1L Nalgene bottles
Support: 1 inch Adjustable Sternum Strap
Optional Accessories: Grimloc Carabiner
Empty Weight: 36.9 oz.
This is a review of the Aquamira Frontier Pro Water Filter from ReadyPro.org. First impressions – this is a pretty cool filter. Its light weight, compact, easy to use and no moving parts. There are no moving parts like a pump or handle to stop working or break.
Unlike a regular filter, where the water is pumped from the stream into a container, with the Aquamira Frontier Pro Water Filter, the container is filled with water from the stream or lake, and then filtered as you drink it. The filter uses a small “button” looking filter that does not remove viruses and may not be effective on removing all types of bacteria. If extra treatment is needed use some Aquamira Water Purifier Tablets.
The filter was easy to use. You just get close to the water, insert the straw and suck the water up. The nipple that fits into the mouth is protected with a plastic cover. One unit is supposed to filter up to 20 gallons of water and be able to remove 99.9% of Cryptosporidium and Giardia.
One of the drawbacks to the filter, you might get your knees wet from kneeling next to the stream. But oh well, its just one of those things about being out in the woods.
The filter in the video as received from ReadyPro, who deals in all kinds of hiking, camping and other survival gear items.
Some tips on how to make sausage. James at Jasper Quality Meats and Smokehouse in Jasper, Texas agreed to do an interview and show us how to make smoked sausage.
We start off with some pork scraps and put them into a grinder that grinds it into something a pan sausage. From there is it mixed with spices, then pushed into the sausage casing. The sausage casing is wrapped around a bar and put into a smoke house for 12 – 16 hours, depending on the outside temperature.
Dr. Lynn Pearson, who is an orthopedic surgeon in Jasper, Texas agreed to do an interview. We discuss the most common types of broken bones and first aid treatment for them.
When asked what the most common type of broken bone is that he sees in his office, the reply was broken forearms in children. First aid for this type of break is to splint the break and get the person to a hospital.
The second most common type of broken bone would be the humorous and shoulder area. First aid for that type of break would be to put the arm into a splint and get the person to a hospital.
This is a review of the Eco Twister by Sun. Even though the name of the flashlight is spelled “twister” all over the internet, the correct spelling is Eco Twist’R.
Some of the really cool things about this flashlight – there are no external crank handles that can break off, the lens has 3 magnifying lens, and behind the lenses are 3 bright LEDs. At the rear of the handle is a lanyard attachment.
Unlike flashlights that have an external crank handle, the Eco Twist’R is charged by twisting the tail end. As soon as the end is twisted, the lights power up.
The on/off switch is conveniently located where the thumb naturally rest on the flashlight. Its a push button switch – once for on and once again for off. There is no strobe option, but that aint no big deal.
When the flashlight was received from EDC Depot, one of the first things that stood out was how well the flashlight fit the hand. Its about 5 inches long and about 1 1/2 inches at the widest point. This means that the flashlight is long enough to fit in the hand very well, but slim enough not to be too bulky.
So what defines a pack as being “warm weather?” The fact that there is no room for spare clothing in the pack, and that almost no extra clothing is brought on the trip. With cold weather, the hiker or camper might want to bring along some extra clothing, just in case temps drop lower then expected, or in case the clothing that is being worn gets wet.
Keep in mind, with warm weather – you can take clothing off to cool down. With cold weather – if you do not have spare clothing with you, its not going to magically appear out of thin air. With a warm weather pack, the clothing you wear in, those are the only ones you have. With the exception of a change of socks or a spare shirt.
Lets start with the pack. One of the most important considerations you can make is the pack. Look for one that uses YKK self repairing zippers. The pack in the video and in the pictures is the Maxpedition Falcon II Pygmy.
Everyone seems to have their own opinion on how to remove a tick. Some people just grab it and pull it off, some people use a match and burn it off, some people use tweezers.
According to health officials, such as the Centers for Disease Control, the proper way to remove a tick is with tweezers.
If you grab the tick with your fingers and pull it off, there is a chance you will crush the tick. Which causes the bodily fluids of the tick to be forced into the persons skin. Any infections the tick was carrying is then injected into the victim.
This article was originally posted by arisinwind in this forum thread about building a cellar. Please post your comments in the original thread.
Dirt
I’ve seen a few threads here about people building underground cellars or shelters and thought I’d add my experience to the pot. My wife and I are finishing up our cellar. It’s been a lot of hard work but we’re sure it will pay off.
We live in North central Florida out in the country. Our land is heavily wooded so we selected an area for the cellar near the house yet out in the woods so the cellar’s construction wouldn’t be easily observed. WOur plan called for an 8X8 foot cellar with a ceiling height of around 6 1/2 feet. The cellar it self would be drapped with 6 mil platic sheeting to keep the water out.
Around January we took our shovels out to the woods and started digging. We’d dig every other day or so a little at a time. Our hole would be 10X10 to give us room to construct the cellar.
After we got down about 4-5 feet we ran into a problem. We could no longer throw sand out of the hole without dirt falling in. The combined depth of the hole and the dirt piled up on the outside we couldn’t throw a shovel full of dirt out of the hole. To solve this problem we constructed a ramp which would later serve as the stairwell. Until then we used it as a loading ramp for our garden cart. We’d hook the garden cart to our riding lawn mower and back it down the ramp. Then we’d fill the cart with dirt and drive it out of the hole and dump the sand. This worked real well.
For small scale farming ,even in the city, rabbits may be a good option for your homestead. For many raising our own rabbit may be a better option than raising a few chickens. They need less space overall and are definitely quieter. Rabbits are often times considered poultry in cities and ordinances rather than as “livestock”. Rabbit can not only produce meat but make wonderful pets and can provide for a side income of either selling animal meat or fur/pelt.
Here are a few fast facts and rabbit terminology .
This article was originally posted by Scruggs in the Preparations NOW, not later thread of the forums. Please post your comments about this article there.
Just a few observations coupled with an opinion here. Preparedness is not difficult, the hardest part being to just start doing it if you haven’t started yet. The clock is ticking. It is great to have grandiose plans to buy land “someday”, to build windmills for power “someday”, to get the fanciest gear “someday”, or to buy cases of expensive freeze dried food “someday”. You may well be caught with everything in the planning stages.
The basic items are the core of any preparedness plan. Grab that huge sack of rice the next time you are in the grocery store. Don’t plan on it or think about it, just do it. Once you get it home and it is staring you in the face and underfoot all the time, you will eventually store it properly. In the meantime you have ownership of it. If food deliveries are suddenly shut down and you are still thinking about it, you will have much company. Good intentions means you go hungry. If you can’t afford a years supply of food now, don’t start saving up for getting it “someday”. Lay in as many canned goods as you can now. No, it ain’t freeze dried and won’t last for 30 years but you will have it now. Grocery stores are the first thing to be mobbed. Happens all the time here when a blizzard is forecast. Same goes for water.
During this review, the Maxpedition Falcon II Pygmy is being used as a day pack and an overnight camping pack. With this sized pack your not going to strap a -20 degree sleeping bag and a 4 man dome tent to it. The Maxpedition Falcon II Pygmy is designed for a certain purpose and it serves that roll very well.
