CAMPING QUESTIONS: Is this backpack a good idea, or a bad idea?

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001757.php … So, my camping backpack broke, and the broken parts replaced by the “cat pee camping backpack” broke too. Still, $6 met my camping backpack needs for about 5 years. I can get by with a normal backpack for going to Assateague, but I think that I need a real backpack to go back to Elizabeth Furnace again. So — is this a good idea for a pack? Or is it stupid? Weight matters a lot to me; I always travel light, and always camp making one and only one trip.

 

JOURNAL: CAMPING: First camping trip of the year was a success!

Well, we all went camping this weekend, and it was nice to know we actually succeeded. Last April we tried to set up camping trip “2006 #1″ and it became canceled three times due to people backing out (almost always unnecessarily) due to the weather. It was nice that this camping trip worked out in a single try!

 

JOURNAL: CAMPING: 10/14/2006 cold-camping trip

Okay, this write-up is about 6 months too late, but better late than never…Camping on 10/14/2006 was a lot of fun!

 

JOURNAL: Recent YouTube video uploads

I present you with the latest 11 videos from my digital cam that I have posted to youtube…

 

links for 2006-10-25 (POLITICS, how to tie knots)

• US Slips Again In Freedom of the Press Ranking (Slashdot)

 

links for 2006-10-06 (forced cameras in bars, kid arrested if picked up from detention late, interesting documentary)

• TECHNOLOGY WAR: Milwalkee Nightclubs & Taverns may be required to install cameras

  Milwaukee’s taverns and nightclubs could be required to install security cameras to keep an eye on customers both inside and outside, if a new ordinance is passed. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.

  (tags: articles TechnologyWar privacy censorship cameras)

• • School Says Police, Social Services Will Snatch Kids Of Late Parents

    Wow. Indiana school district threatens parents with putting their kids in protective custody — IF THEY ARE LATE IN PICKING UP THEIR KIDS from a mandated afterschool session — given on 1 day’s notice!

    (tags: AbuseOfAuthority politics police parenting children schools)

• • mininova : Movies > Documentary > Return of the Taliban avi

    Read the description of this documentary. Interesting things about Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Al Queda. The summary alone told me things about the War On Terror that I did not currently know.

    (tags: video documentaries WarOnTerror Afghanistan Pakistan Taliban politics war)

 

JOURNAL: CAMPING: “Emergency” backpack repair successful.

Well, my camping backpack has been messed up for quite awhile now.  A screw fell off, and I replaced it, but one of the straps actually severed.

And this is where WordPress nuked my post and everything else I wrote.

Anyway, the new backpack was $5 at a yardsale last summer.  It turns out that it smells totally like cat piss.  I don’t know if it was Misfit  or not (my original post had a link to pictures of Misfit, but now I’m too lazy).

So, we looked at both backpacks, figured out how to remove the broken part of my existing backpack, and removed the same part from both.  We then took the $5 catpiss backpack and used only the parts necessary for repair. 

So, I still have my old backpack, and it is no longer broken, and the total cost was $5.  A new backpack would have cost $100.   And both were gotten at yardsales.  So I’ve gotten 2 backpacks for less than a 1/10th of the cost of 1 new backpack.

This is how to save money.  Yardsale, and get things you might need that would otherwise be expensive.  Keep your money, and roll around in it.

 

CAMPING: Assateague Island Beach Camping

We had our 2nd annual Assateague Island beach camping trip earlier this month. Although I was recovering from illness and could not drink due to liver testing situation (since resolved fine), I still had a blast!

Pictures of this event are HERE.
Carolyn’s blog post about the trip. The longest and most thorough account:
Carolyn.wordpress.com (her post is both about Bethany and Assateague).

Vicky’s blog post about the trip:
http://tgaw.wordpress.com/2006/08/12/assateague-2006/

Angel’s blog post about the trip:
http://ansaphone4.livejournal.com/265913.html

 

Camping, a Traffic Ticket, and a corpse smell that is now gone.

So, camping went well this weekend.  We actually had 9 people, maybe a bit more than average.  There were 11 total, but Jesselanie (Jesse + Melanie) did not stay for the night.  Pictures of the trip are HERE. 

 

Altoids survival kit

Wow, this guy likes Altoids boxes even more than me:

http://www.survival.com/best.htm

Altoids box survival kit.  Who woulda thought?

 

RECREATION: CAMPING: Mosquito advice.

Helpful camping hint: I hear “Avon Skin-So-Soft” brand soap helps prevent mosquito bites while camping. Some groups of park rangers are using it. While not specifically designed to repel mosquitos, new science is currently coming out that mosquitos are attracted to an order ALL of us emit; only some of us mask it. Apparantly, this soap masks it as well.