Outdoor Adventure USA

A hack is a cleaver solution or modification. A wrinkle is also a cleaver modification but can also be a useful piece of information or advise.

Many trail trips revolve around using one devise for many other uses with “out of the box” thinking. Many nights we have spent around the camp fire discussing multiple uses for such devises. Some hacks involve repurposing common “urban” items in unusually way in the wilds.

For our net this week, share your trail tips, hacks, and wrinkles. We need everyone to post up as many as possible.

Most of us also tend to bring along impractical items that make life a little better. We would like to know what you bring that “You just could do without”. For Dave it is a set of real wine glasses with a long stem! What are your impractical items?

The scope is as wide as the topics for our nets – camping, 4-wheeling, food prep, edged implements, ham radio, outdoor medicine, destinations, navigation, vehicle repair & maintenance, shooting, reloading, etc.

Let me give you two examples to get started.
Sticky Zippers – A quick fix in the field is Lip balm -aka chap stick. (more details in another post.)
Carry 4 small (but strong) magnets. Use to hold the corners when reviewing a map on the hood or side of vehicle.

Post - Post - Post

CAMPING SOLUTIONS

1. PAPER TOWEL HOLDER

One of the more irritating discoveries while camping is finding your roll of paper towels all over the dirt when you return to camp after a day of exploring. It seems the wind easily unrolls the towels and always leaves them in the dirt. The solution was simple - just make a heavy metal plate that rests on the towels and keeps the roll where it should be.



2. WISHY WASHY IMPROVED

Sanitation while camping is an important safety concern, and washing hands is at the top of the list, especially for the cooks. But in truth, everyone who joins the meals also benefits from this. Anything that makes a task easier and more efficient, is always welcome at our camp. Enter the Partner Steel Company's product, known as the "Wishy Washy" - a truly ingenious idea. When connected to a water source (like a 2-5 gallon can) it serves as a community hand washing station, operated entirely by a foot pedal - no dirty hands ever touch the on or off handle.

The only drawback to the system was the design, which required a 5 gallon bucket to catch the dirty water. This presented a problem when it was time to pack up to go home, because we had to dispose of the dirty water and wash out the bucket. A real PITA. Solution - I made a stake to hold the Wishy Washy and now the dirty water goes into a hole in the ground that we just have to bury. Also, we no longer have to carry that 5 gallon bucket. Almost forgot - I had to make a soap dispenser holder.


3. WATER CANS

A filled 5 gallon water can is heavy, weighing in at about 50-60 pounds, depending on the type of container you use. While carrying filled water cans on the roof rack can be done, it will have a material effect on your center of gravity. If room permits, consider storing them in the lowest part of the interior of the vehicle. And, for your safety, keep 'em well secured. Here is an example of water cans which are ratchet strapped to a platform, which in turn is bolted to the floor.


4. SLIDE OUT TRAYS

The complete kitchen, including stove and fuel, is stored in two Zarges containers. Loading and unloading them is sure a lot easier when there is a slide out tray available. Each container is about 45 pounds, and in an accident, or just on very bumpy roads, its a whole lot safer when these are strapped down.


5. SHOVEL EDGE GUARD

Every 4WD vehicle should be carrying a full size shovel. Aside from the, "where do I store this thing" questions, there is a safety issue that should be addressed - protecting you and your occupants from the semi-sharp edges of the shovel blade. Solution - use a length of split loom to cover the entire edge and keep it in place with a hefty rubber band. Like this:

Camping
Tents
Tie string on stake loops in cold weather so you can untie tent if the stakes are frozen into the ground
Store the fly inside of light weight tents when folding up
Learn to tie a taut line on tent lines
Roll up from back toward door so when unroll know where the door is.

Sticky Zippers – everything has zippers – tents, bags, jackets, canopies, Trasharoos, and so forth. Exposed to the elements they become hard to work. A quick fix in the field is Lip balm (aka chap stick). Rub the stick along the closed zipper, open and shut it a few times, wipe any residue off. Check the ingredients in Lip Balm. You will find mostly wax and light oil. It may contain all of these waxes: Carnauba wax, bees wax, paraffin, light mineral oil, and white wax. All sound very good for zippers!
Always put gear away for the night – never know when it will rain, snow, crow, burrows, or vagrants will happen

Sleeping Bag
IF ground is slightly uneven, stuff clothes under the sleeping bag on edge of hips to prevent rolling
Put flashlight in a boot need head of sleeping bag. Firearm can go in the other boot
Stuff head of bag into stuff bag first in case of dust, dirt, etc. and pack open end of bag into vehicle not out
Make a pillow out of your clothes by stuffing them in the empty sleeping stuff bag

Edged Tools
Use sharpie to put black line on a knife / ax edge to get the right angle

Fire
Build a key hole fire

Use dip stick to retrieve a small bit of oil for needs such as leather in Coleman stove Make and carry Fire balls Food Prep
Purchase a set of magnetic paper towel holders. Snap on the side of the metal chuck box, side of your vehicle, etc. Impractical
Shot glass

Other
Whip end of rope or melt nylon ones

4-Wheeling
Write minimum breaking strength and / or WLL on recovery straps. Very few of the recreational straps have labels sewn on them with MBS or WLL.
So once out of the original package the rating is lost. Write it on the strap as soon as you take it out of the wrapper. Stamp into the metal the min breaking strength/ WLL of pulleys. When new the MBS was on the label but after a few years riding in the winch kit,
the label can not be read. Since we don't use anything we don't know the WLL and/ or the MBS stamp the rating into the metal. Lug Wrench
Use ¾” or 19 mm lug wrench in-lui-of a wrench on ½ x 13 / ½ x20 bolts

Paint the end you use on your vehicle of your 4 way lug wrench
Carry the wiring diagram of your winch control box. If one of the "IN" relays goes you may be able to rewire to use the "out" relay f=to rewind your winch. Carry 4 small (but strong) magnets. Use to hold the corners when reviewing a map on the hood or side of vehicle. Use a PTO pin to create “mouse” on a Screw pin bow shackle attached to the vehicle Write “In” and “out” on the winch controller in big letters so it is easier to use.

Tools are essential carry items in the outdoors, especially if you travel by mechanized means that seem to occasionally break down and need repair, or possibly your traveling companion's vehicle breaks down and needs a repair. And how frustrating can it be to go and look for a particular tool and not find it in your tool bag? Perhaps it was lost in the sand on the last trip?

Here are a couple of very simple, very inexpensive hacks that have served me well over the years, and have kept some of my tools with me for 45 years.
Sure, you might find you need the middle end wrench or socket, and you'll just need to untie the cording to get to them. But using this cording Hack means you'll probably actually find the tool you need because it has not gotten dropped and covered by sand or dirt or vegetation and lost forever.

A side benefit is that the corded tools seem to pack better than similar tools on linear socket racks or end wrench racks.

I hope this works as well for you as it does for me.

Paper Towel Hack

Leave plastic around paper towels. Punch hole in one end of paper towel and remove the cardboard tube and throw away. Since the paper towers are attached to the tube they will pull from the center and feed out the hole.

Advantage:

• Paper towels will not un-role in wind.

• If paper towels fall on ground they stay clean

• Paper towels are portable

Early check in please!

Early check in please - Thanks - Bernie

Early check in request? Thanks.

WD6USA
Jeff

KK6CTT for the early check-in please. Some good advice listed and I'm sure there is more to come!

Hiking with HT:
1. Know how to program from the key pad
2. Carry two forms of antennas while I will usually carry three:
A. The rubber duck
B. The longer aftermarket antenna (carried in a PVC protective cover for pack carry)
C. The Ed Fong roll-up j-pole
3. Battery eliminator
4. Battery charger
3. Battery AA/AAA tray
4. Adapter for car antenna
5. Proximity list of repeaters based on most probable location of contact
6. I have a similar setup for my FT1-DR with APRS which is usually my go to hiking radio and too bad the SMA antennas are different (female vs. male)

Repeaterbook Proximity Search: https://www.repeaterbook.com/repeaters/prox.php

Couldn't think of anything specific, so found a book full of "secrets". Seems pretty good, and happy to have it in Kindle format for less.
Example: