Playing with the dehydrator

I have had a nice Nesco dehydrator for close to a year now that has seen zero use until tonight. Last weekend, we went to a farm and picked 2 gallons of blueberries, which is more than even we can eat before they go bad. So, I decided to give the dehydrator a shot. We also had some bananas that were getting quite brown, so they were on the list as well.

I boiled the blueberries for about a minute as the instructions directed to remove the wax and break open the skin, creating a nice purple mess of myself and our kitchen in the process. Some of them became a pile of purple goo when I tried to spread them out on the drying racks. I will definitely have to come up with a better process for those.

The bananas were a bit easier, since all I had to do was slice them into 1/4″ slices and then dip them in a mixture of honey, water, and cinnamon. The dehydrator looks like it will be a sticky mess thanks to that plan and cleaning it up should be a fun task this weekend. I’ll let you all know how they turn out. If this try goes well, I have Rainer cherries, pluots, tomatoes, and all kinds of other stuff to experiment with.

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Itty bitty Swiss Army Knives on sale at Amazon

Amazon has the SAK Ranger and Midnite Minichamp both at $19.99 right now. These aren’t your average SAKs, with the Minichamp being only 2 1/4″ long, about the size of the Classic model. The Ranger is a bit larger 3 1/2″ long, but slim compared to some of the more fully featured models.

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Costa Rica Trip Report Part 4 – Monteverde Day 2

OK, I lied. I only did one trip report last week. After this day’s trip report, it was mostly a bunch of wandering around on the beach, so maybe I’ll actually finish this up this week. Dak had to go and make me look bad by posting his soon after he got back.

Flickr set for Monteverde
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New Nature Photography Blog – Mike Spinak

Mike Spinak (Evolute over at BF) just started a new photography blog. I have enjoyed his work from the moment I saw his first picture, so it’s a treat to be able to read about how he does what he does. He plans on using the blog to discuss the methods and techniques and techniques that he uses to capture his images, so the information should be great. I have read several of his tutorials on photography and outdoor skills, and they are always well-written and easy to follow. You can find more of his work at his photography site.

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Video – How to build a log cabin fire

This video shows how to build my personal favorite type of fire, the log cabin fire. It’s like building a little house….and then burning it down (I’m not serious, Mr. Arson Investigator).

Keep in mind that the birch bark is like using nature to cheat, so the tinder will not normally flame up quite that quickly. it will light easily and quickly if you use the right dry materials, but birch bark is very oily and makes lighting fires a cinch. It helped balance out the fact that most of that wood had received a good soaking over the past week with daily thunderstorms.

I used a 3/8″ x 4″ firesteel and PJ cotton balls to light the fire.

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Video – Firesteel and PJ Cotton Balls

I had someone ask me through the store how to use the firesteels and PJ cotton balls I have for sale, so here is a quick video showing how to use them.

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Camelbak Delta 5 Tactical Hydration Vest

I have been fascinated with the concept of using a vest for hiking for a while now, and along comes Camelbak with one that has an integrated 3L hydration bag, the Delta 5 Tactical Hydration Vest. I like the idea of being able to have all those pocket and organization options for the gadgets I take on a trip, especially now that I take 50 lbs of photography gear on every hike. Having all of the weight close to my body, and where I choose for it to be is also a bonus. It would obviously not work in the summer months unless I want to sweat more like a pig than I already do, but it would be great for colder weather.

The only problem is that it is a little too, well, tactical. I don’t have a problem with military gear at all, but I prefer not to look like I am about to storm a terrist stronghold on the trails (although, in the South, that might help me). Makes it difficult to approach another group of campers and ask them to borrow their shovel without having them reach for the (dull) 1.5″ blade on their Swiss Army Knives. Every similar style of a vest that is made to carry more than a fishing lure or two that I can find is oriented toward the military or law enforcement. Has anyone ever seen such a vest system that is made for the outdoor type crowd or am I the only person that has ever wished for such a crossover product? I might have to resign myself to buying lots of MOLLE pouches…

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Review: Nitecore EX10 Flashlight

Got a new toy a couple of weeks back, the Nitecore EX10 flashlight. It is an interesting concept, using a piston inside the flashlight for the switching mechanism, which supposedly increases switching reliability and durability and also makes the negative current flow inside the flashlight instead of outside like most flashlights. I don’t know enough about electronics to really know why that makes a difference, so maybe Ainsley can pipe up and enlighten us. The version I bought uses a CR123 battery, but there is also the D10, which uses a AA battery. The EX10 was extremely well made and a nice little light, but the short version is that I sold it last night.

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RIP Gear Addicts Forums

Clay over at Gear Addicts called it quits today with the forums that were spawned as an answer to the crappy SteepAndCheap forums. He had a good thing going for a long while, so it’s sad to see them disappear. Clay has changed the format over to a blog dedicated to gear, so wish him luck with the new endeavor.

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Frontier Firestarter – My first firesteel

I was digging through boxes of ancient crap a while back when I came across my old camping gear. I’ll show the rest at a later point when I am not afraid dying from the embarrassment, but for now I’ll show you the one little piece of gear that might actually still be useful. It is called the “Frontier Firestarter” and I have had the thing for a good 20 years.

The concept of the firestarter is actually pretty smart. A small firesteel and rod of magnesium are attached end to end on a small piece of wood (cedar, I think), with a piece of a hacksaw blade attached by a leather lanyard. The firesteel lights the magnesium scrapings, which burn for only a brief moment, but can then light the wood shavings which will burn for a bit longer, maybe allowing you to get a fire going.

The firesteel is a little small for my tastes, but the concept could easily be transfered into a similar tool a bit larger. I think I might have to tinker this week to see what I can come up with….

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