Water is essential for life. Drinking on the move can sometimes be a challenge if you do not want to stop. Personally, I prefer canteens and bottles, but for versatility, hydration bladders cannot be beat. CamelBak is well respected in this field, and has been on the forefront of hydration systems for more than 10 years. It all started during a bicycle marathon, when CamelBak’s founder used an I.V. bag and hose, stitched to a t-shirt in a sock on his back. Since then, hydration bladders and carriers have come a long way.

ThermoBack is the military version of a 3 liter (approximately 100 oz) hydration system. The outer shell is made of 1000 denier Cordura. It is abrasion resistant, and more durable than the civilian pouch; this is especially important in the woods, when something can puncture the bladder inside. Shoulder straps have quick release buckles on the bottom, and there is a sternum strap in the middle. These straps can be pout away when the carrier is inside a pack, or attached to something else. There are six D-rings to attach to just about anything, and all stitching is superb. There are two handles, one on top, and one in the middle, to hold this system horizontally while filling.
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While not strictly camping or survival gear, the Smith’s Sharpening System is very useful to have around the house. I have tried several types of sharpening rods, Arkansas stone of different grits, and none worked well for me. I am pretty sure it is because I cannot hold a proper angle while sharpening the blade. The Smith’s system comes with a clamping tool to hold the knife blade in place, and two plastic guides with different angles for the stones. There are two preset angles, around 20° and 25°. The 20° angle is used for everyday kitchen knives, and thinner blades. The 25° angle is for tools that are for less delicate work, and bear more force. Something like a thick bush knife, a machete or an axe. The guides ensure a consistent angle across the entire blade edge, and different stones allow for easy sharpening. There is a coarse surface for getting old or rough edges into shape, then the fine surface to finish up. There is even a triangular bar for cerated blades. The kit comes with a bottle of honing oil, and a nice case to keep everything together. I have inserted an old sharpening stone into the extra loop in my kit. Current version may come in a plastic or fabric case, and with regular or diamond stones. Replacement stones are available from Smith Abrasives Inc as well.

This system was purchased at Lowe’s about a year ago, and I use it on our kitchen knives every one or two months. Once the proper angle was set with the coarse stone, I only have to use the fine stone to maintain the edge. There are several different sharpening systems out there, and anything that will allow you to keep a consistent angle is much better than a regular stone. If you have good expensive knives, but do not understand why they do not work well, or dull quickly it is probably because the edge is rounded instead of flat.

Having a flat edge helps it stay sharp longer than a rounded edge. Check out the rest of the pictures and full article from Dee Griffin. There is also a PDF version available for download.

This mess kit can be purchased at any surplus store, eBay and many other web sites. I have been using this Mess Kit for many years in the woods. The clamshell design makes it easy to keep the stamped stainless steel knife, fork and spoon inside. The lower half is a bowl, with swing-away handle. The top half is rarely used. Because it is stainless steel, some ultralight hikers may find this set too heavy. It is cheap, sturdy and you can use the lower section to cook on the stove, over the fire, or as your plate.  If you use this to cook over open flame, especially a camp fire, the bottom will get soot on it.  It is easily cleaned with a scrubbing pad, or just wiped off.  After a while, the soot will become a permanent part of our Mess Kit, so keep that in mind.  If you are not a super hardcore ultralight camper, use a stove to heat and cook your food.  It is quicker, cleaner, and more efficient than the fire.  One exception I have to make…  If your camp fire has been burning for several hours, and there are plenty of coals glowing, it is very easy to cook on top of them, and not an actual open flame.  If you “dig in” any pot or Mess kit bowl into the coals, because of the large contact surface, everything is cooks fast and even.

Czech mess kit is a nice light compliment to any stove. It only weighs about 1 LB, and there are three pieces total made of aluminum. Large pot is a little over 1 quart, the smaller pot is about 2/3 of a quart. The lid can be used as a frying pan, although I have never used it for anything but a food prep ‘plate’. The swing-away handles are steel, and do not heat up during cooking. This makes it easy to hold the hot pots after your meal is cooked. I usually keep a jar of bullion cubes, scouring pad, plus some spices inside the mess kit. This mess kit was purchased from CheaperThanDirt several years ago, and they are still for sale as of February, 2008. The set is perfect for two people; large pot can be used to prepare the main course, small one – a side dish, soup, or hot tea. Three people, and you need a larger pot set to cook the entire meal at once.

Coleman has had this model of Dual Fuel stove available for many years. It has been my de-facto camping stove for many years. While not light, its construction is bomb-proof, and fuel is relatively cheap. This is actually my second Coleman stove. The first one was lost somewhere. I either forgot it at a camp site somewhere, or something else happened… The original stove lasted for more than 5 years without any maintenance, using unleaded gasoline. Exterior paint was lighter in color, and the rest of the features were identical.

One of the best features of this stove is how easy it is to simmer food and water. Other stoves are either ON or OFF. Some have a H-LOW-OFF setting, which only works half the time. The Coleman dual-fuel has always had ‘infinite’ heat adjustment levels for cooking meals. The basic premise of operation is like this: pressurize fuel travels through the thin brass pipe in the middle of the burner. As it becomes heated by the flame, it keeps vaporizing the fuel from the burner, which draws more cool fuel from the reservoir. The stove has to be primed initially to build up internal pressure to ‘push’ the fuel through the burner holes. Instructions on how to use it are on a printed label, right on the side of the stove. Coleman propane powered stoves boil water a little faster than the gasoline powered 533, but simmering is much more difficult.

You start by priming the stove.

• Check to make sure the fuel pump is tightened (all the way to the right)
• Pull the fuel pump out, and twist it half or full turn to the left
• Put your thumb over the small hole on the fuel pump knob
• Pump 15-25 times. You will know when it’s enough, there will be more and more resistance from within the chamber
• Turn the fuel pump to the right till tight. Do not over tighten; push it into the stove
• Adjust the red flame-control lever to the medium position
• You should now hear hissing, as fuel evaporates from the burner holes
• Keep you flammable material and your face away from the stove
• Bring flame to the top of the burner. It may flare up for a second, and die down. You may have to open the fuel lever a little more to allow the flame to stay lit. It takes 30-90 seconds for the stove to prime itself. There may be some flare-ups as the flame becomes more even. When it’s ready, there will be blue jets just like a regular gas stove in your house.
• When you are done cooking there will be pressurized fuel left in the reservoir. If you are going to pack up the stove, I recommend twisting the fuel pump to release the pressure.

I will not be held responsible for any damage to yourself or others if you follow these usage directions, and get hurt.

It is said that the single burner is 10,500 BTUs, and there is 1.1 quarts of fuel in the reservoir. Burn time is 1.75 hours on high, and 6.5 on low. Low settings may be hard to measure because there are many different levels. There has always been enough fuel inside for my camping trips. We usually have 3-4 people going for a weekend trip. This means two full dinners, two lunches, and several pots of tea in between.

This little gem is a lifesaver. It has replaced all my other flashlights for everyday(night) use outdoors. Before purchasing this headlight on sale at Lowe’s, I used the Inova X5 LED flashlight all the time. The X5 is awesome in its own right, but the versatility of a headlamp outshines every regular flashlight. Wearing a headlamp allows you to use both hands, and the 3-in-1 mode is a bigger bonus.

The Sportsman has 3 different modes. There are two red LEDs for general use. Why RED, you may ask? It preserves your night vision, and if you are talking to somebody, and shining a light at their eyes or body, they get blinded. With red LEDs, your conversation partner can see perfectly well. The second mode is a single white LED in the middle. It is useful if you wan to get true color at night. Red washes out colors, and for more detail the white LED is best. The third mode is a Krypton bulb, on top of the LED module. This is like a conventional reflector flashlight: eats up batteries fast, and you can adjust from spot to flood. The regular bulb is most useful to see across the campsite, at distances the LED bulbs simply cannot reach.

The Rayovac Sportsman is hinged on the bottom, so you can adjust where the light shines. Anywhere from right in front of your face, or 10 feet away. There are three straps that hold in on your head. Two on the side, and one on top. This design is great; I have seen other headlights with just the side straps, and the slide down sometimes. There is a thin layer of foam padding, where the back of the headlight contacts your head. It is contoured, and makes for a comfortable fit. Three AAA batteries are used to power this flashlight, and it is waterproof. I am not sure I would go diving with it, but rain is no problem. The cap is sealed with a rubber o-ring, and all the other compartments are either completely sealed in plastic, or a thick rubber cover.

This little sucker was purchased ‘for the fun of it’ online at SportsmansGuide.com for $18 including shipping. I was searching for a good BOB pack at that time, and this seemed like it would fit the bill. Indeed, it could. Cheap, no nonsense construction, perfect to throw in your trunk or closet for an emergency. This pack is said to be made of waterproof nylon. Looks like the fabric is vulcanized on the inside. It is well worn, and some of the pattern is faded away.
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The CFP-90 was my second foray into US Army rucksacks. The medium ALICE Pack was not comfortable for even short(er) hikes, and I wanted something with an internal frame and a hip belt. I looked at several civilian internal frame backpacks at local retailers, but none of them ‘turned me on’. The suspension systems were well designed, the size was right, but they were either too expensive, or ugly, or ‘just not right’. I then looked online for various military designs, and saw some very well made packs in the $300-$700 range. These bags were simply out of question! I am used to buying surplus military gear way below retail prices, and somebody wants $300 for a backpack? No way. After some more searching on the internet, I came upon an obscure pack made for the US Army, and never used. The CFP-90 was designed as a replacement for ALICE gear, but never adopted. The Army started using MOLLE gear instead. Which, I suppose, is good for the Army, and great for the civilian hiker because surplus Army gear became even cheaper and easier to get.
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The medium ALICE Pack was my first ‘real’ camping backpack purchase. I bought it on eBay, after seeing one of my friends use his on a camping trip. The ALICE pack is a no nonsense, strong and cheap design from 1960s. There were several versions made for the US Army, medium ALICE and large ALICE. The medium pack can be worn without an external frame, the large pack has to have the external frame because of its size. I am not a big fan of external frames, so my pack does not have one. While a vast improvement over a school bookbag, the ALICE pack is not the most comfortable design out there. It is still one of my favorites because of our camping history, and because it is tough. I have strapped tents, gallons of water, firewood, all kinds of things onto it, and nothing ever broke The fabric is very durable, and the straps are extremely strong. I dislike the frameless design because the bag bows out, and sits on your back in an awkward way. The shoulder straps are not heavily padded, and there is no hip belt. With the external frame, you have to use a hip belt, so that may be an improvement in comfort and usability. The stock shoulder straps are about 2.5″ wide, and have less than 1/2″ of padding. When used without the hip belt, all of the weight rides on the shoulders, which makes even a short hikes extremely uncomfortable, and back-breaking. Both shoulder straps have old-school quick release buckles.
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