Author: rexplex

With a bachelors degree in history, I turn wrenches for a living. I’m most at peace when I hear the wind in the trees or the gurgle of a brook. I’m a believer in the Renaissance Man, as epitomized by DaVinci engineer, artist, soldier, statesman. As Heinlein said, “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

Still another tent (but not really)

For some reason I started shopping for backpacking tents. But I couldn’t find one I liked. They all had one or more fatal flaws –

  • Too heavy
  • Too small when pitched
  • Too large when packed
  • Too expensive

But I think I may have found the perfect solution.

Continue reading “Still another tent (but not really)”

Nimble Double Air Mattress review.

In the yurt, my wife and I sleep on a folding air bed, but I don’t have room for it in the modern tents so I went looking for something smaller.

Backyard camping under the tarp

The Alps Mountaineering Nimble Insulated Sleeping Pad- Double makes for a great night’s sleep. It’s also available single wide in insulated and non-insulated versions.

Continue reading “Nimble Double Air Mattress review.”

A day with the drill press

Alternately, a day of project creep.

I’ve been trying to figure out a tongue box (my wife loves that term, BTW) for the utility trailer. A place to store the lines, straps, wheel chocks, locks, tarps, tools, and other sundries that the trailer requires. But they’re fairly expensive and I’m having problems finding one that seems to be the right size size.

Remember the drill press? It’s a post about the drill press (mostly).

But then I saw it, on a neglected shelf in the garage. A Rubbermaid Action Packer box. Before we met, my wife used it to store her camping kitchen equipment. It sat empty at the old house for years. When we moved here I filled it with the candle lanterns that we use for party lights. Of course we moved just before the pandemic started and haven’t had any parties.

I know that the KLR crowd uses small action packers as tail boxes, so I think it is reasonably water tight. It’s lockable, certainly large enough for my needs, and the price is definitely within my budget. It might not be perfect (foreshadowing), but it will do.

Continue reading “A day with the drill press”

Glamping Kitchen (Mk.2){part 2}

In which we add plumbing….

First off, this is as basic a plumbing system as I can imagine.

Second, the sink, which would normally be the most expensive bit, was free. I recovered it from a foreclosed house I was cleaning out. I found one here for $60, but you still need a drain basket.

So while this seems so extra (and it is pretty unnecessary) it’s not an expensive addition.

We bring everything, including the kitchen sink
Continue reading “Glamping Kitchen (Mk.2){part 2}”

Glamping kitchen (Mk.2) {part 1}

The first version of the kitchen was made from low quality plywood that I had on-hand. It was never supposed to be used a second time, but I never found the time to remake it with better quality materials.

We’ve used it for at least seven years, and I think I’ve identified all the shortcomings.

  • Steel pins
  • Shelves aren’t interchangeable
  • Wasted space, shelves are too big for crates
  • Paper towels get rained on.
  • Doesn’t pack flat
Continue reading “Glamping kitchen (Mk.2) {part 1}”