Do It Yourself –dehydrated backpacker’s meals

Face it, whether you are a cyclist, backpacker, or just a compact camper, the commercially prepared freeze dried meals have been along on a trip or two.  Equally as often, you have not been too happy with the meal that resulted, as it failed in quantity, flavor, color, or texture.  I will never forget an experience with some chicken dish, I think it was sweet & sour with rice?  It looked like a puppy had barfed in the container, and the puppy barf might have tasted better.  (No, I have never tasted puppy barf, don’t intend to, and I also gagged at the taste of that stuff.)

Seriously though, on the trail, when you are depending on the meals you have brought along, having something be a total “FAIL” is more than disappointing, it can be a trip ruining disaster or worse.  We have to depend on what we have brought along, and it has been a huge investment in terms of labor and weight to get to the point of adding the boiling water.  Even with the amount of importance that trail food can have, that does not mean we need to have invested our life savings in the food for a two week hike.

Learning to make your own meals has a very steep learning curve.  I’ve tried doing a few things myself, with mixed results.  Then, today I read the most amazing book.  All of that trial and error experimenting has gone out the window, now I have a guide book to get me where I want to go without suspiciously sampling Meal X ever again.  It’s well written, has clear recipes, and solid information.  I’ll admit I have not tried any of the recipes yet (my dehydrator is still packed in a box…somewhere) but I have  no doubts that they are very accurate.

In addition, it allows us to take control of the contents.  My husband and I both need low-sodium meals, and that’s not something that has been addressed by companies such as Mountain House, even though I was told over a  year ago that low sodium meals were in the works.  Unlike many hikers, we no longer need high calorie meals either–due to health problems, we are not physically able to burn off 8,000 calories in a day.  Whether its on a bike or on foot, we now have a much more leisurely approach to the whole process, and our bodies demand we take the time to smell the flowers, experience the moment, and watch the birds flying by a lot more often than we did at twenty-something.  Even with that, we also can’t pack 60 pound packs over mountain tops, and weight is probably more important for us than ever before, as our strength is decreasing as well as our endurance.  Armed with these recipes, we can make the adjustments to the recipes to stick to our medical diets without worries.

So what is this mysteriously wonderful book?  It’s called Backpack Gourmet by Linda Frederick Yaffe.  It’s not new–it’s been out for over a decade, but I just read it via Kindle.  Thankfully, it’s not focused on faddish foods that will make us grimace at the ingredients, but remains just as relevant today as it was when it was initially published.  It’s also the very first book that I can honestly say, hey, here is a really good recipe book to use as a starting point to preparing good, inexpensive packable meals for backpacking, bicycle camping, or any other time we’d want to pack along fast and easy meals.

On that note though, I’m going to leave you taking a look at the book and trying to get your hands on a copy while I go hunt for the location of my dehydrator and vacuum sealer.  I have a feeling that vacuum sealing some of these meals before storing them will make them a lot easier to pack AND store.

The ultimate bug out kit

Emergency preparedness experts often talk about their “bug out” kit.  Just what exactly IS this bug out kit?

It’s a kit designed for quick departure for an unknown period of time and unknown reason.  Nobody markets the ultimate bug out kit because there is no uniformity to the real ultimate bug out kit.

Sacrilege, you think?

Nope, it’s plain and simple, a bug out kit, ultimate or not, has to be tailored to the person who will potentially use it.  What might be useful for me might be utterly useless to you, and what might be essential for you might not be very important to me.  Even with that said, we can look at some ideas behind a bug out kit.

For some people, bug out kits are designed for extensive situations and long term use.  In my case, the bug out kit is regarded as that truly emergency gotta-leave-now situation.  It’s the absolute bare essentials, and the thought is that it is ready to go with no more than five minutes to add additional materials to it.  It has to be ultra portable too, since I have no way of knowing what kind of emergency it would be.

That means it’s in my backpack.  That IS my bug out kit.  Sure I have additional items, but this is my absolute got-to-have kit.

So we start off with the backpack.  It has to fit the user.  That means the belt will adjust to their size, the shoulder straps are adjusted to their size, and it’s not too long for their torso.  There are an incredible number of packs available, and while an external frame pack offers more options in terms of tying things on and carrying heavier loads, the less expensive internal frame packs work just fine for me.  Choose one with well stitched seams of sufficiently sturdy fabric.  Most people prefer darker colors such as green, camo, olive, brown, tan, etc. for their bug out packs, as compared to the neon colors that climbers and hikers often choose.

Your bug out pack will then carry your essentials for living.  The core of those essentials are food, water, and shelter.  Additional ones are heat (in cold areas or for cooking food), clothing, medicines, and hygiene.  Some people like to also include money, comfort item (candy, Bible, etc.) and weapons for defense or hunting.

We’ll focus on the core right now, starting with food.

Food has to be portable, easy to prepare, and preferably neither bulky nor heavy.  It needs to be within budget too, and provide maximum nutritional value while also considering things such as menu fatigue and comfort.  Face it, we’re used to variety.  If we are faced with a week of the same thing every day, we start to stress, and in a bug out situation, we undoubtedly already have enough to stress over.  I happen to think actual military MREs are great, sealed in their own package to prevent weather and water from spoiling them, and have a pretty decent storage life.  They are easy to eat as-is, but can also be heated using a minimal amount of water with the included heater.  In addition, for most people with average caloric output, one “meal” will suffice for the entire day, running 900-1400 calories.  It’s packaged in a way that makes it easy to spread it throughout a day as well.  The problem is, they are not only fairly expensive, they are incredibly heavy and bulky.  To carry seven of them in your backpack, along with other minimal gear, I strongly suggest you had best be involved in a consistent physical training program and not too long in the tooth either.  My solution?  I mix and match my food, accommodating my budget, ability, and space.  I think it’s a good idea too, as it’s a case of diversity, and diversity can be a huge asset when faced with the unknown.

I strongly recommend at least 7 days of food in a bug out pack.  With most people’s physical abilities, we’re also confined to packs staying between 20-30 lbs too.  So what else besides 2 or 3 MREs?

For a lighter pack, I opt for Mountain House meals.  Try them before you stock up, and I’m serious about that.  I’ve eaten them, when camping or enduring emergencies.  They are  not all created equally, and my favorites aren’t necessarily your favorites.  I happen to despise their chicken teriyaki with rice meal, yet it’s one of their most popular meals.  (I thought it looked like barf, and tasted too sweet to be appetizing too.)  I really like their beef stew and their chicken breast with mashed potatoes.  Their blueberry cheesecake is better than most mixes designed for use in a home kitchen, even if desserts aren’t exactly “essential.”  Chili mac isn’t bad.  There are also other brands of freeze dried foods.  Sampling them means you and your companions can choose the meals that are most agreeable to you.  Meals come in single versions, 2 person, and 4 person, although not all meals are available in all packaging.  These meals typically have a fairly extended shelf life too, which means you don’t have to rotate them out of your pack that often.  I’ve also eaten meals that were long expired, and it didn’t cause even a digestive upset, although it might not have been as tasty as it would have been had it been eaten sooner.  The key is to keep them reasonably cool and dry, which means you don’t store your pack in the car continually, and certainly not in the shed.  (If you do keep it in your car, which might not be a bad idea, remember to rotate at least semi-annually, and replace ALL food, water, chemicals, medications, etc.)

So I’ve put in two MREs, and five freeze dried meals in my pack.  My partner has three MREs and four freeze dried meals.  Half of our freeze dried meals are two person meals. That means we’ve covered most of the seven day thing.   Now, we need to fill in  some food requirements.  So what do I choose?

It’s still got to be portable, easy to eat, easy to carry, and have an extended shelf life of at least six months.  I package most items into zip lock bags, both for organizing them and for protection.  Granola bars, dried fruit, ramen noodles, instant rice, sugar, seasonings, tea bags, instant coffee, creamer, instant oatmeal, instant grits, instant mashed potatoes, powdered milk, individual sealed hard candies, and similar items are among my go-to items.  These are not primary sources of nutrition, but rather fill items for convenience while on the move, as well as to increase the calorie content for a hard day.  Some items, such as tea, coffee, cocoa, and hard candies, are comfort items.

Next comes the method of eating and cooking.  I actually pack this weird thing that is like a stubby spoon on one end and fork on the other, which is used by chefs for tasting in restaurants.  Mine was a gift, and purchased at an amazing general and hardware store that carries some odd ball items.  I’ve never used it, but I always include it because it is light, takes up zero room, and would work even if it isn’t ideal.  I also package a fork, spoon, and knife with the knife and fork enclosed in homemade cardboard-and-duct-tape sheaths, then the assembly sealed into a zip lock bag.  Next, is the all purpose pot.  It holds about three cups and was the big pot in a 2 man mess kit.  It has a lid, and the handles fold in.  It’s my cook pot and bowl, all in one.  It’s also a dishpan and wash basin.  It’s a dipper too.  They last a long time, but I have had them eventually develop a tiny pinhole which renders them useless.  I think it was a cheaper brand, like Texsport, that manufactured it, and the whole kits cost around $15.  The big pot is usually all I carry.  Each person needs one, and they don’t weigh much.  I also like to add a 6″ cheap non-stick skillet (cheap ones are thinner and lighter) when we’re backpacking, and ideally would include one in my bug out pack.  Skillets are better for things like corn cakes and pancakes, as well as for frying a bit of freshly caught fish.  If I want to carry oil, for frying something, I rinse out an emptied Mio container, let it air dry for at least 24 hours, and then refill it with vegetable or olive oil.  The container doesn’t leak, but oil does not have a very long shelf life, and nothing is nastier than rancid oil.  The oil, however, is useful for coating your skin to prevent cracked lips, for lubricating something in a pinch, etc. too.  You might want to include one of those containers filled with oil (the Mio container allows for pretty precise application) but remember to rotate it frequently.  We also include a cup, something non breakable.  We happen to carry enamel ones, which can be used to heat directly over the source, although they also cool the contents quickly, as well as scorch lips if  you aren’t careful when they are filled with hot liquids.

So we have food.  We have our cooking stuff.  Now, how will we heat things?

There are a lot of options.  We carry two.  One is in each pack.  The first is an emergency stove that is designed to burn anything from trash to twigs.  It’s great, but it does require a lot of fussing and won’t stand up to months of continual use.  It’s compact, since it folds up flat, and burns literally anything you can feed into the small firebox.  That’s our back up system.  I’ve used it a few times, and don’t recommend it for anything beyond basic heating of water.

The primary stove is a backpacking multi-fuel stove, which requires that we carry a bottle of fuel.  It can burn diesel, white gas, or unleaded gasoline.  We carry white gas in steel bottles.  I prefer stoves that allow the user to simmer, as well as just boil the heck out of something.  I’ve used a lot of types over the years, and I mean actually USED them, day in and day out.  This is one item that you want to be really familiar with if you are going to use it during an emergency situation so that you know exactly how to fill it, pump it up, release pressure, take it apart, light it, and clean it.  Try using it at home for a full week, and I’m not kidding.  If it won’t work at home, it is sure not going to magically start working in the woods or during an emergency!  Be familiar with the sounds it makes (some are noisy) and that way you’ll be aware of any problems when they first arise, preventing a lot of major disasters.  Typically, a bottle of fuel would last us three or four days, so we’d carry two 16 oz. bottles of fuel, with a third being added during cold weather season.

Besides the stoves, you will need reliable fire starting methods.  I recommend using a multi-faceted approach to this.  Include a name brand disposable propane lighter, water proof matches, some kitchen matches, and only add a fire starter if you have bothered to take the time to actually learn how to use it.  They are useless unless you’ve sat down for the hours of practice they take to actually manage to make a fire.  If you opt to carry a firestarter kit, don’t forget to add some kindling.  Nothing is worse than staring at wet wood and shivering.  Many people like to carry fire starters made with cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly.

Then, it’s time to consider water.  It takes a lot of water for a week, and few people can carry that much, since water weighs roughly ten pounds per gallon and we need a gallon a day per person.  That’s a lot of water!  I have a 1.5 quart canteen and two 1 l. water bottles with each backpack.  I also have water purification tablets, a straw filter, and a small bottle of chlorine bleach.  There is also a bag containing a few coffee filters for removing “the chunks” from suspicious water sources.  It’s not perfect, there are better filtration systems out there, but they are also expensive.  Over time, I have also learned that the glass water purification tablet bottles will get broken, so they are each wrapped and packed inside of a plastic soap container to protect them from impacts.  I don’t keep the bottles and canteen filled, and figure that into my five minute prep time for departure.  It’s about the only thing I’ll have time to do.  We also keep some bottled water on hand at home.

So we have food and water.  Next comes shelter.

Tents, for us, are both heavy and bulky.  We had to cut them out to save on space and weight.  We also live in the humid and often rainy South, with lots of trees.  Our solution for safe and dry sleeping is to use hammocks, ropes, and tarps.  It gets us up off of the ground, eliminating the need for actually sort of both dry and flat ground, and makes it easier to find a suitable place to sleep.  Forget the net hammocks, the backyard cotton ones, etc.  Buy a hammock made from ripstop nylon, aka parachute silk.  Learn how to set it up, and how to lie in it.  (You actually lay sort of diagonally, which makes your body flat rather than U shaped.)  Over the hammock, another line is run, and from this one, we can stretch a tarp to keep off the dew or the rain.  An 8×10′ tarp will allow for plenty of protection from the elements, whether it’s wet or wind.  Some extra line and possibly a couple of stakes will secure it further.  Practice setting it up.  Read forums on hammock camping for more details–it’s very popular with ultra-light backpackers as well.

So that’s rope, a hammock, four tent stakes, some cord for staking down the tarp, and some more cord for running the tarp line.  Now, you need to stay warm in cool weather, right?

There are fancy solutions that are both expensive and lightweight.  While they might be very efficient, I’m not willing to spend the money on them, mostly because we don’t have the really cold weather that other areas in the country get.  I need a less expensive solution than under quilts and expensive sleeping bags, as well as one that adapts to the changeable weather we’re faced with in winter.  Therefore, I have another multi-prong approach to the problem.  I use the following: a wool blanket, a micro-fleece quilted throw, a micro-fiber sheet, and an reusable emergency blanket.  The emergency blanket goes on the bottom, topped with the wool blanket folded in half, and half left hanging off of the hammock.  Next, the wool blanket is topped with the micro-fiber sheet, also left with half hanging off of the hammock.  The hanging blanket/sheet combo is then folded over onto the bed and topped with the micro-fleece quilted throw.  I sleep between the layers of sheet, which keeps the wool blanket clean and off of my skin.  In warmer weather, I eliminate layers.  Always remember to insulate UNDER your body too, or you will chill incredibly quickly in cold weather.  In fact, what you have under  you may well be far more important than what is over you, whether you opt for sleeping on the ground or on a hammock.

I also pack for unknowns in the weather department.  I always include several new “drum liners” in the packs, as well as yard sized trash bags.  These are useful for a lot of things, ranging from impromptu protection from rain to creating a rain resistant backpack cover.  The drum liners can become “sleeping bags” that will do a lot towards staying dry.  They can become the roof of a shelter in foul weather too.  I seal each new folded bag in a zip lock bag, with the size (drum or large) written on the outside.  They weigh very little and take up little space, as well as are not expensive.  Drum liners can also be a great ground cloth, or provide protection from a chilling wind, but they do not breathe at all, which can cause excessive moisture build up and another way to get chilled.

Okay, that’s food, water and shelter, as well as heat & cooking.  So what else should be included?

Clothing.  You want at least one full set of clothes, as well as something to sleep in during cold weather.   That means socks, underwear, pants, and shirt, preferably long sleeved, for your clothing.  You may want to add an extra shirt or sweater as well.  It’s a good idea to include several pairs of socks, since they can help a great deal on everything from morale to miles per day, if walking is necessary.  For sleeping, choose something seasonally appropriate, as well as something that can also serve you in daytime if necessary.  Sweats are good in winter and light cotton in summer.  Have a rain poncho, and a jacket appropriate for the climate too.  Assume you will be departing fully dressed, but include a lightweight pair of “camp shoes” as secondary foot gear.  Include a hat and sturdy gloves.  Here again, I recommend packing them into zip lock bags for protection against moisture.  I break them down into several bags, and include at least three pairs of socks.

Hygiene.  Okay, so you don’t need to worry about looking pretty in an emergency, but soap does a lot more than that.  Hygiene can be important when you are stressed and trying to stay healthy.  Include a wash cloth, a bar of soap sealed in plastic, a small micro fiber towel, mouthwash in a travel size, tooth paste, tooth brush, comb or small brush, hair ties, and for women, some sanitary supplies.  A travel sized bottle of hand sanitizer might also be useful, but these are apt to break down during storage, so make sure to rotate them out on your semi-annual inspection/rotation schedule.

First aid kit.  Forget the prepacked versions.  Most of them have a lot of crap you don’t even know how to use, let alone will use.  They are also too bulky and heavy.  For this operation, you’ll stick to what you know and can use.  Mine usually includes the following: prescription medications for 10 days (don’t forget to rotate these regularly), aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen  generic benadryl, salt, anti-diarrhea pills,  a dozen fabric adhesive bandages, some gauze, some adhesive tape, hydro-cortisone cream, muscle rub, insect repellent   and cold remedy pills.  I’m no medic, and I don’t need a huge kit that I don’t know what to do with anyhow.  If it is worse than what we can manage with this stuff, we will need help anyhow.  This covers our basic issues, and is the same things we use at home.  Larger groups or stronger backs may want to add alcohol and hydrogen peroxide to the list.  I include first aid kits in both of our packs.

Comfort.  These are not essential, but they are really handy and comforting to have.  We include a notepad, pencil, pen, micro lantern, flashlights, spare batteries, and a deck of cards in ours.  Cards pass time when you are forced to sit tight and wait.  Light makes the nighttime far less intimidating, and easier to prepare food or complete other tasks.  Pen/pencil and paper allows you to take notes or leave notes for someone else.   For others, it may be spare glasses, a Bible, a favorite book of poetry, or some other small item.

Extras.  Someone in your group may want to add some of these things to your packs, you may want to add one or more to your own packs as well.

• compass–these will help if you have to cross country, and reduce the chances of becoming disoriented and going in circles or wandering off in the wrong direction.
• Magnifying glass-not only useful for examining something, they can be used with sunlight to start a fire.  They come in many sizes and can be either round or rectangular.
• folding shovel–very useful if you need to dig for any reason, far more efficient than merely using a digging stick.
• axe/machete–can cut wood, shape wood, create walking sticks, and other items.  In close contact, it can become a useful weapon.
• Larger pot–for a group, a single large pot can be useful when preparing hot water or cooking larger quantities of food
• belt knifewith holster–useful and handy for ease of use for cutting many things
• hand gun with holster & spare ammunition–protection, signalling, hunting
• rifle with spare ammunition and shoulder strap–protection and hunting, far more accurate for hunting
• bow and arrows–silent hunting, if user is familiar with its use
• binoculars–useful for looking for things in the distance
• mirror–useful for signalling over distance
• whistle–useful for audio signalling, carries better than just yelling
• para-cord–useful for a lot of things, from running a line to building a snare
• fishing kit–who wouldn’t appreciate fresh fish if they are hungry?
• compact sewing kit–stuff tears, needles and thread can fix it
• duct tape–the magical fix it stuff of the world
• tube of super glue–it works for a lot of stuff, from sealing a cut to re-attaching something
• silicone glue–waterproof glue, fixes almost anything that super glue and duct tape doesn’t.  even can reattach a shoe sole.
• cell phone–communication can be useful, if it works
• cash–whether it’s silver coins or twenty dollar bills, money talks…sometimes.  Try a mixture of denominations.
• maps of local area–whether they are highway or topo maps, they can be useful to find…or avoid…something, whether you are on foot or in a vehicle
• extra tarps–nylon tarps are quieter, lighter, and more compact, but they are also more expensive.  A spare tarp can be worth more than gold if it is needed, as well as being an item useful for trading for something else you need.
• sleeping bags–in cold weather, some people prefer these
• sleeping pads–some are compact and light, easier to transport than multiple layers for a pallet bed roll.
• tent–some people like walls that surround them.  They come in a variety of sizes, prices, configurations, and weights, as well as colors.  Choose something that blends in rather than something in neon colors.
• two way radios–very useful especially in larger groups, it allows for communication for up to 3-8 miles, depending on the models chosen.  Make sure you have spare batteries or a charging method.
• Rechargeable batteries with solar charger–this can really help with battery usage for a longer bout of emergency state
• camera–record images for later

Use your head, and try using your gear for a practice weekend.  Figure out what works…and what doesn’t.  Seriously, just go camping in the woods somewhere with it and test it.  If you can’t survive overnight with it, it obviously needs to be changed!

Remember, don’t make it too heavy.  You may need to walk for hours, day after day, carrying this.  If it’s too heavy to carry, trim it down.  Choose lighter items, share weight with your companions, eliminate non-essentials.  Practice wearing it, even just around the house.  Try walking in the park with it a few times.  Be honest with yourself, and assess whether or not it is actually reasonable for the wearer, whether it is yourself or someone else.

Next time, it’s going to be a child’s bug out pack!

Get Ready GO

We had a ” MeetUp.com” group that shared its name with this blog.  We tried all kinds of activities to get people involved, but despite having over a hundred members, we were often hard pressed to have anyone attend anything besides the organizers.  Since the organizers all knew each other, after three years of efforts, we decided that the rising price tag wasn’t worth the effort anymore.

We’ve dropped the Meet Up group.  It seems that if its too easy to “join”, then people regard joining about as important as clicking “Like” on Facebook.  They put an equal amount of effort into their activities with the group too.  Perhaps that’s why so many groups on Meet Up now charge a fee for joining or participating–to prevent the hours that organizers put into activities only to sit and stare at each other with excessive amounts of supplies and no one to participate.

We’re going to essentially focus our online efforts in simply providing information, and our offline efforts will focus on providing opportunities for hands-on participation, in hopes that we achieve a better balance of effort versus participation than we observed during our efforts with Meet Up.  We may include upcoming events in our blog posts and on our website, but participating is going to require being in the area of the activity and making your reservation via the telephone or mail.

So what kinds of things do we intend to do via our offline activities?

Obviously, when we’re planning a camp out, it’s an offline activity.  But there are a lot of other things that go hand in hand, not only with Get Ready GO but also with our primary focus, the Exogeny Center.  That can include anything from traditional skills to socializing, and it’s all important as part of a sharing concept that makes the world of difference when exposing newbies to an activity.

Organizing is important, but on a small scale, it doesn’t have to have a lot of formal trappings.  Someone has to choose an activity, a location, a time/date, and get the word out.  Sometimes there is the need to bring in an “expert” to help with the activity too.  That means that someone has to be the leader, the person in charge.  That doesn’t mean that they become a little dictator and everyone marches on their orders, or soon no one will want to help or participate!  With the leader changing with the activity, that means a number of people have an opportunity to learn leadership skills, an important skill set no matter what endeavor one is undertaking.  By helping the organizer, people can learn these skills without the stress and weight of the entire event on their shoulders too.  All good leaders know the importance of delegation and the ability to flex with different personalities, issues, skills, and desires too.

We hope to soon start planning activities once again, with a wide variety of options, but we’re going to focus on quality versus quantity.  Four good activities are far better than twelve not-very-interesting ones, and having people participate is the ultimate goal.  Those of us who are outdoors fans really have a hard time understanding why anyone wouldn’t find the woods and streams far more interesting and entertaining than an afternoon at the mall!  At the same time, for those who haven’t spent time participating in the past, what seems simple to experienced users becomes incredibly intimidating and mysterious to the neophyte.  Sharing is how we can let others learn about the things we are passionate about, increasing interest and support for natural spaces outdoors rather than the latest and greatest in parking lots!  If we are exclusionary in the activities, fewer and fewer people will see their merit and support preserving the parks and national forests we treasure so much.

So, if you haven’t taken a novice camping this year, what are you waiting for?

The same goes for fishing and hunting and everything else.  Have you shared your skills and passions with anyone?

Share a skill with someone, introduce them to the values that you treasure, and who knows…you may make a lifelong friend, have another hunting buddy, or discover something new yourself.  Don’t wait–tomorrows are never promised either.

Middle-of-July Social Picnic

I’m attending a Meetup with Get Ready GO! http://meetu.ps/dhhvK

Karen and David were the first in the door or the Get-Ready-Go! How to pack your backpack and social Meetup at Cornerstone Restaurant 1740 Denny Avenue, Pascagoula Mississippi 39567 phone 228-762-4755 hours Monday – Saturday from 11am to 9pm.

Problem: No backpack or shoulder straps

I have been looking for solutions to coping with the inability to carry a backpack or use anything requiring shoulder straps.  I’ve found some useful solutions for other issues, things like the “Wilder-Gimp” are wonderful, and while I haven’t tried it, it isn’t a solution for someone who can’t use both arms.  Even navigating a shopping cart with one hand can be a challenge on a level floor, so managing a cart of any kind over a trail doesn’t sound like a good solution for that situation.

I think I might have come up with one though.

With the concept of pushing something in front ruled out, that leaves the idea of pulling something behind  as a potential option.  At the same time, since the use of a walking stick greatly aids in maintaining one’s stability on the trail, tying up the lone “good arm” with a wagon handle doesn’t sound too brilliant either.

My idea is a quick release buckle on a wide hip belt, with the cart’s tow line attached at the center of the back.  Traditional child’s wagons are a good width, but their wheels and tongue aren’t adequate for the job they would be assigned to do.  Most garden carts are too wide, heavy, and sluggish to spend a day being tugged along narrow hiking trails, and would present a huge problem when faced with obstacles that require assistance to cross, such as rivers, creeks, and gullies.

I’m envisioning something using a 16″ bicycle wheel because they are easily obtained, match the wheels on our bicycle trailer, have good clearance for minor obstacles, and are large enough to not beat the wagon itself as it navigates the trailer.  It would have to have a  handle that would allow it to be used to push the trailer, as well as a tongue handle to allow it to be pulled easily.  By making it have a large enough capacity to carry two backpacks, two sleeping bags, and a tent, it could be used by a couple, allowing them to alternate pulling the cart through the day.  That means it needs to be capable of a 75 pound payload.

While two wheels can be used on a dolly, that doesn’t have the weight capacity and stability we’re seeking, so we would need at least three wheels.  In addition, many parts of the country, including where we live, has a lot of water, and if the cart is capable of floating while fully loaded, it would make it a lot easier to cross bodies of water, otherwise, if it is more than 12″ deep, carrying  the cart across would be necessary.

Now it’s sounding like a little boat on wheels, which is a bit whacky, I suppose.

So, we want it about 18″ wide, and no more than 36″ long, with a handle that extends up on both the front and the back.  the front wheel is going to have to pivot somehow in order to make it easy to turn, whether it has a front pair of wheels or a single wheel.  The front handle should be able to be folded back, like the tongue on a child’s wagon.

Okay, great idea…if you own a machine shop, I suppose.  I don’t, and I’m also not able to do extensive work of this nature.  So what kind of a solution would I find by searching online?

I knew I’d have to give up some things, but the width was really important.  Any narrower than 18″, and it wouldn’t work too well for holding a backpack.  If it was too wide, it wouldn’t be able to be used on a typical hiking trail. Too long, and it’s apt to high center as we cross obstacles, as well as having a poor turning radius.

Amazon.com, that amazing super-internet-store, but one also well known to be reasonable secure to shop with, had a number of wagons.  At first, I was mostly searching in regards to a wooden wagon, but those seemed to be mostly for the typical tote-the-kid-around-the-block types.  While there isn’t anything wrong with that, that’s not exactly what I had in mind either.

I found something that looks like it would work with minimal modifications.  It’s called the “Tricam FR110-2 Farm & Ranch 400-Pound Capacity Steel Utility Cart, Green“.

Triton green steel utility cart from Amazon.

It won’t float.  It doesn’t have 16″ bicycle wheels, although they are air filled, which could be a problem if a puncture occurs.  They are fat, which means more resistance than a bicycle wheel would have, but they are 10″, which is a decent size.    It has a tongue, and the reviews indicate that it does have a tight turning radius.

A strap could be attached to the tongue that then fastened to a wide hip belt with a quick release buckle.  It has plenty of cargo capacity, as I seriously doubt that we’d ever load 400 lbs onto a cart to take along on a hike.  It could do double duty by helping haul things around the yard too.  The deck is two inches longer than what my target size was, since it is 34″ long.  It costs $88.31, with a free shipping option, via Amazon.  That’s not a bad price, especially with good reviews from other purchasers.

While we could probably come up with something to bolt onto the cart to allow someone to push from the back, I’m not sure it would do much good after thinking about it some more.  With the pivoting front wheels, steering would still be a potential problem.  That doesn’t mean we wouldn’t use a handle on the back.  That rear handle would allow a second person to slow the cart’s descent down a slope, as well as provide something to grab to help get it over obstacles or even to help carry it across them.  In fact, it might be a good idea to bolt handles to the sides, just for that purpose.

That leaves the belt and the straps.  For the hip belt, nylon seatbelt webbing is available from Seattle Fabrics for $1.50 per yard.  3/4″ black webbing, also from Seattle Fabrics, is only $.65 per yard and would be perfectly adequate to use from the belt to the tongue, freeing up the person playing draft horse’s hands.  A side release buckle runs $1.85 from Seattle Fabrics.  3/4″ buckles, of which we’d need 2, (one for the belt and one for the handle end) runs  $.85 per buckle.

Obviously, the belt and strap will be the least expensive part of the project.

On considering the belt, while seatbelt weave nylon straps are going to distribute the resistance of the cart over it’s entire width, it’s still depending on the person’s clothing providing adequate padding to prevent chafing, bruising, etc.  It may require pads to be attached, and that part…I’ve not worked out entirely yet.

Even so, it looks like I could assemble a prototype from the cart and straps for about $100-120, including shipping and some relatively simple modifications.  That’s not bad, actually, especially when compared to taking a design to a shop and asking for custom fabrication.

 

Do it yourself gear: the folding table

Years ago, I bought a folding table for camping, and it was one of my best investments for complaining knees.  No more squatting beside a fire or stove placed on the ground, stirring a bowl of pancake batter or scrambling eggs.  I was amazed at the level of luxury that having an efficient folding camp table and a chair made for my camping excursions, along with a good three season tent and a cot.  I felt like I was on a luxury trip instead of roughing it, freezing at night, and waking up with assorted aches and pains.  It was about the same time that I discovered that a large furry dog at your feet was the best “heating pad” for cold tootsies ever too.  There is nothing as luxurious as wiggling cold toes into thick, plush fur that is warmed to a perfect temperature by the patient dog wearing it.

The table I bought had a wood slat top that fit over nipples sticking out of the top of the scissoring leg assembly, similar to the very familiar camping chairs sold everywhere today.  Disassembled, the rolled up top fastened with velcro and packed, along with the legs, in a nylon carry sack.  Probably weighing about 20-25 lbs, it wasn’t something  you’d take along on a backpacking trip, but it was ideal for my solitary Jeep-side camps in the canyons and mountains of Arizona.  It also made the trip with me to New Orleans when I moved there, serving as a temporary computer desk and as a dining table until furniture was purchased.  Over a decade later of somewhat hard use, it has died after the failure of the leg assembly.  The top wasn’t in particularly good condition either, sporting numerous grease and scorch marks.  It was only then that I began to shop for a replacement  and was somewhat dismayed to discover that it seems to no longer be manufactured and sold, instead similar tables have flimsy aluminum or vinyl clad tops.  While these may be lighter, the aluminum bends and the vinyl does more than merely scorch–it can burn and melt at much lower temperatures than the wood table had.  In addition, the prices had also gone up substantially, leaving me somewhat disappointed in the more modern offerings of compact camping tables.

That left me wondering…could it be possible to recreate a table like this from a home shop with minimal tools?

Thank goodness for a couple of resources: YouTube and Instructables.

There is the “picnic” style table made from a single sheet of plywood, complete with benches, which looked like a good idea for a couple such as my husband and myself, although we do prefer the flexibility of having separate chairs…the benches might be a great idea simply for a place to set our supplies and cooler, with our chairs at either end of the table.   It disassembles into flat pieces for storage and transport, and assembles just as easily.  It appears to use a saw and a router to achieve the basic construction, although a sander might be a good idea too.  The video is here, and the plans are here.

For a more compact table for transporting and storing, there is a shorter version of the roll up table.  From the design, I don’t think it would be wise to try to create one at normal “table” height without some major modifications to the design.  The plans call for the table to be roughly 12″ high, which is suitable for alongside a chair, and is better than nothing when it comes to a work surface.  It’s also fairly simple to construct, as well as assemble/disassemble.  Here are the instructions for it.  If I was to make one for myself, I’d be very interested in whether or not it would work at about 18″ high, which would make it a lot easier to work with when seated at a chair beside it.  (Chair seats seem to be 18-22″ off of the ground usually.)