My partner’s partner, Nathan, introduced me to a YouTube channel called MotoTrek recently, which looks like a great place to learn skills and techniques related to off-road adventure riding. Bret Tkacs, the guy doing the instructing, gives clear overviews of the techniques and explains the basic physics involved. Check out this video of him showing how to tackle deep river rock. What he can do with a motorcycle is impressive stuff.
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If you’re doing any camping this winter, you may be interested in this video by Far North Bushcraft & Survival. It addresses the problem of how to keep your camp warm all night without having to get up and tend the fire. The answer proposed to make a stand-up long fire with two braced 6″ 10″ x 4-foot logs and let it burn.
The video shows what the fire looks like after 6 hours and it looks like it has another hour left in it. Raising the logs helps with air flow and to heat radiation. Interesting idea.
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Winter’s on the way. To help you get ready, here’s a video showing some snow recoveries by the Search and Rescue Unit in Pierce County, Washington. One involves raising the truck with a Hi-Lift to pack snow under the tires. In the other a Hummer gets winched out of the snow. Read the rest of this entry »
Natalie found this on Pinterest. They’re homemade, egg carton fire starters. Fill each cup in the carton with dryer lint and cover with melted wax. When the wax is dry, tear off a cup, place it under the kindling in your campfire-to-be, and light the corner.
Update 2/15/2015:
We’ve been using these the last couple of camp seasons and they work well. We tear off one or two sections of the egg crate, put them into wherever we’re going to light are campfire, and with a single match, the fire is lit.
As you plan your summer trips, it’s always good to brush up on your outdoor skills. To that end, here are a few volumes for your consideration. Some are vintage and interesting for their presentation of skills from an earlier time. Some are recent and more easily accessible. They all make great reads.
This fantastic Land Cruiser promotional video from the early 1980s, called Getting Through, demonstrates various driving skills filmed throughout Australia. It features footage from sandy beaches to snowy mountain tops and covers the following:
Rocky terrain
River crossings
Beach and dune driving
Winch anchoring
Snow driving
The tips and techniques (many of which were new to me), and animated illustrations are excellent. The vintage TV-detective-show soundtrack and mustaches are hilarious.
Very informative, very entertaining, and highly recommended.
Part 2 is below. Read the rest of this entry »