We have been making efforts to keep it fun and get them involved, last outing after we packed up and were leaving I did about 3 donuts in the snow and they loved it. I have a compass in the suv now and my 5 year old tells me our bearing every time I turn.the key is to make the kids active participants, rather than just drag alongs. they will learn more, and have more fun. Get them involved with the planning, the route, the rest stops, the activities, etc.
Watch the garage sales in the better neighbourhoods around home too. they tend to have quality stuff that they either upgrade regularly, or 'tire of' and sell off for the latest fads.
I cant wait to have that bonding with my sons and look back after many years of our ongoing traditions that I hope they teach and share with their kids. I have been testing my coffee making at home with the alc stove and it takes about 5 minutes. Ive just got to make a safe stable stand now.Oh how this take my back to the day when my kids were young. I agree on the all of the thread replies and will add... My son and I have our favo hot camping/day fishing/hiking meal that we always do that started way back when. It's a big ole cans of Dinty Moore Beef Stew and crispy hard rolls to eat it with warmed from in the can in hot coals with the lid punchered then evolved to the self priming white gas Svea stove . Do your day field test with your alcohol stove and a can of Ravioli, chop some wood and make fire with your son and the memories will last a life time for you both
Coffee goes in zip-loc bag and how you cook it is endless.
mmmm yummy, thanks we will enjoy!!And NEVER forget smores material if you ever plan on lighting a fire. I can't even light a fire in our fireplace without our daughter asking to get a stick for smores. It is the only time I let her use a knife, under direct supervision, because everyone has to cut their own stick for a smore. It is the only thing I remember learning in Girl Scouts.
lol, yes I most definatley have coffee up there as a top 3. I have a Bialletti mocha express to bring along.Metro; first concern is coffee, i know several yrs ago it was beer, our priorties change. next is a way to cook the coffee. a bean can [without beans in it] will work if you forget the coffee pot. if you forget and bring whole bean coffee, your cleanest sock will work as a coffee filter. the rest of the list is not important.
Thanks for your detailed post. It is very helpful for me.Lemme give you a video, and follow up with my personal advice...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIysQVPXku0
If I dont get in the woods at least a few times a month I get withdrawal jitters. Guess it came from so many years as a reserve grunt! So, I do this as often as time allows...
1) Chow: Mountain House is good stuff, well... as good as freeze dried comes by. Get a few packs, you can heat the water, pour it in the bag, stir and let it sit a good 20 minutes minimum. (follow *my* directions, *not* the bags). Stir about every 5 minutes.
There are other options, including just taking a few PB&J samiches in a ziploc. Be creative. And also, you do not need to spend a fortune, or even go beyond your local grocery store if you really wanted.
2) Coffee: God bless coffee! I take the Foldgers "singles", they are like tea bags. Bring your water to a boil, take off heat. Dip bag about 5 time, let it seep for about 20 seconds, enjoy. If you go toooo long it will be paint thinner. IMHO, taste almost as good as a fresh pot... but only a cup full at a time.
3) Alcohol stove: I run the "Mechanic Mike" open top alcohol jet stove, as seen in the video. He sells his on ebay for just a few bux, and after making a few semi-duds, his make mine look like garbage. Run what you have or what you like, its up to you.
4) Fuel: Only run denatured alcohol in your stove, trust me, its worth it in the long run... from fumes to black marks on your pot/canteen cup... denatured burns as clean as you can get. Hardware store/Home Depot/Lowes/Etc..
5) Fuel transport: I carry my alcohol in a small MSR fuel can, therefore I *know* my fuel wont leak and the container wont bust a seal. They are inexpensive and last forever and even get new o-rings if needed. Bonus: If you go with an MSR pump stove, you already have a bottle *and* it can run the same alcohol! (I got a whisper light in my plans...)
6) Water: Nalgene bottles and nothing else. After 2 decades plus of beating the bush, these bottles IMHO are top notch. Not a "Nalgene style" bottle but the Real McCoy. The plastic they are made of are both durable and light. Also, water does *not* come out with a plastic taste, like my GI canteens did. If you put spring water in, it *will* taste the same coming out.
7) Make sure you take a FAK, a few flashlights, a few chemlights, etc.. etc.. Okay, a day trip, dont need much. Pack like you might roll your ankle or break a knee cap and be on the trail overnight till help comes in the morning... If everything goes perfect, then at least you had a better workout for humping the extra weight! If luck runs sour, you got a few toys to play with until Rescue Rick can make his way into your area.
Any further questions, tips or advice, ask with specifics so we can answer as accurately as we can.
Have fun, be safe!
EB
I am running methyl hyrate ( which I read is the same as denatured alc)
I hope to pick up a MSR fuel bottle and nalgene water bottle today.
Ive got PB and a spork in the backpackPeanut butter, I forgot to put PB in my list. We use this a lot on hikes, either on a sammich with honey and butter (goes down easy and good calories for energy), or load up a squeeze tube with PB and honey.
The MSR bottles are great for fuel. I have a couple I've had for 30 years or longer and are still perfect after much heavy use.
Another bit about stoves, the whisperlite stoves are light and work well, but if you need water boiled you need to highly pressurize the fuel to get enough heat. When you do that, it is almost impossible to get back to a simmer. Years ago I started with a Coleman Peak One and decided to go with the WL to reduce weight. I used it for a couple years, but was never fully satisfied with it. I ended up getting a new dual fuel Peak One. It is a little heavier, but for short trips, it holds enough fuel without having a seperate bottle. It is very stable and adjust well from very hard boil in less than 4 minutes to a very low simmer with just a move of the adjustment handle. I haven't been able to see much difference in fuel consumption overall.
I haven't used alcohol stoves, so can't speak to them. But the Esbit stoves do pretty good at getting stuff hot, but not really to a boil. But are very light and compact. Pretty good for day hikes and GH bags IMO.
So far, and I have not tried any other stoves other than a screw onto the top of a mini coleman propane bottle, I am digging the alcohol stove. I am going to make a penny alc stove that can regulate two modes, hi and simmer.
Ive got a bag of the costco trailmix with the m&ms in my suv box. yummy and im sure ill open it before I really need it lol.Well there is a bunch of stuff out there that has changed for the better. If you are taking kids then have them backpack some of the stuff. Keep it real light so they don’t get bogged down. May be a sandwich and a drink is all that they can manage but it is a start. Trail mix is your friend, check Costco for that my family goes through bags of the stuff.
I find that whenever I go camping it is a test of my equipment and different foods. If you have never had freeze dried food now is the time to try it out. Bring a couple of extras in case you or the kids do not like the first one.
Sniper is right; don’t forget to bring a camera. Even better with everything being digital and some being real small give it to the kids to take pictures. They will have fun and you can delete the trash later. Sometimes people are intimidated by a compass or GPS. Even if you are in a small park that you know where you are take one to get you and the kids familiar with one.
Backpacker is right about peanut butter. The nice thing is you can make a PB&Js and when you find one five days later they are still good.
Regarding coffee, Elevenbrovo is right on about the bags they work good. If you want to do more than you can consider a coffee press? They work very well for some people. If you are car camping then the best way is the Colman drip coffee maker, it just goes on the burner and works just like the plug in at home, I love mine.
The most important thing is take your time, don’t get in a hurry and have fun. If you are miserable then everyone will be, remember misery is optional.
Going to by some GSI cooking equipment shortly to try out some MRE's.
Compass and camera are both a check mark on the list, my 5 y/o loves to operate them both.
Good advice about not being in a rush. Ive found that the best way to follow this advice is to leave the wife at home rotflmao
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by ElevenBravo
Bookmarks