I’ve been on a lifelong journey to find the best way to make coffee at camp. And like all things in life, it’s the art of balancing comprises to find the thing that’s best for you.
Camp coffee (Italian Style)
Coleman Peak One 442 Rebuild
This is the first backpacking stove I ever bought (Spring 2001, probably). And my first liquid fuel Coleman appliance. I had a fuel leak below the valve, so it’s time for a rebuild.
Ridge line in detail.
The ridge line is a critical, but fairly simple part of the tarp setup. I started with a 50’ length of reflective paracord. Some people use a 30′ long line, this one may become shorter in the future.
Some people don’t like paracord, but it’s a known quantity for me and I’m not convinced that the alternatives are significantly better.
My ridge line starts with a bowline. The bowline never gets untied.
Free D Printer.
I was gifted a 3D printer by a buddy who upgraded his. This weekend I finally got around to trying it out.
The Power of Iterative Engineering
Or, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
I’m an over planner. There’s no arguing it.
My very first boss drilled into my head “We never have time to do it right, but we always have time to do it again.”
Continue reading “The Power of Iterative Engineering”Screw hole repair / upgrade
We bought the house from a flipper who “redid” the 45 year old kitchen. And by redid, I mean he replaced the old solid wood cabinets with the cheapest builder grade particleboard cabinets he could source. (My neighbors are still rocking the original cabinets, and while dated, theirs are holding up better than mine.)
After three years of use by my kids, hinge screws are starting to pull out of the cabinet frames.
Continue reading “Screw hole repair / upgrade”MSR Mini Groundhogs
The basic stakes included with most tents are terrible. One that came with the tarp bent the first time I put it in the ground.
The MSR mini groundhogs are a joy to use, though they are quite painful if you try to push them in by hand. No worries on that though, they are short enough that they are easy to push in with your boots.
Continue reading “MSR Mini Groundhogs”12×12 Tarp Configurations
What I like best about the tarp is that it’s infinitely adjustable. You can pitch it high off the ground to get lots of ventilation or low to trap warmth inside.
Played with it in the yard today to try out some different pitches. I threw a single sleeping pad inside to give a sense of scale. The 12×12 is giant for a single camper.
Poler two man tent – First impressions
Not a review, as I haven’t actually slept in it yet. These are my initial thoughts after unpacking and setting it up in the backyard.
First off, I got this tent on clearance at $75. List price is $250. I’m going to give a seventy-five dollar tent a lot more slack than one costing more than two hundred dollars. I bought this tent for the kids. They are both getting into scouting and I wanted a tent that they could carry and set up.
First off, it’s heavy. It weighs eight pounds. This is not suitable for a through hike of the AT. That being said, it’s perfect for car camping especially if you have a small car, or trips where you have to walk in from a distant parking lot (music festivals).
Continue reading “Poler two man tent – First impressions”Tarp review
This is my first tarp, but I’m confident it won’t be my last. I purchased the REI Trailbreak Tarp. After playing with it in the yard for a few days and sleeping under it one night, here are my first impressions.
Modern Anachronist 