35 years of Alaska packs and Survival

[J.Baker]

Getting things back on topic...I needed a new multi-day pack a little over a year ago and try as I might I had a real hard time finding anything with an external frame. For some strange reason all the manufacturers have gone to these new-fangled internal frame packs. Don't they know such monstrosities don't give you anywhere to strap on extra gear, plus they don't give you that space between your back and the pack so it doesn't get all hot and sweaty and uncomfortable? Took me awhile, but I did finally manage to track down the Alpine Mountaineering Zion 3900 for around $100. Really wanted something in the 4500+ cubic inch range, but they simply don't exist now in an external frame pack.

http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/s...1073/cat100855

[358Hammer]

I found the following pack 10-12 years ago at a garage sale here for $25. for Lisa. It is tough- light-plus she can get into everything without removing anything. Initually I could never find anything like Jim that would fit her slight frame so had Kelty modify a nice internal frame to fit her. That was 17 years ago and it is still going strong. Like Jim I don't like the internals because they cause me to sweat and aweful lot. For extended packs of 1-3 weeks I have to deal with sore spots from being wet even though its not raining.

The site below has bunches of external frame packs.
http://www.amazon.com/JanSport-Scout...Frame+Backpack

35 years ago I bought my first Camp Trails Freighter and have never looked back. Actually I have 4 of them as they were being sold at a couple yard sales for $10. and I just could not pass them up. One was actually a small frame external that kind of fit my wife. I took one of the mesh back supports off one pack and attached it on my main freighter along with the one that is already there. Lots of air movement now.

http://www.outdoorreview.com/cat/pro...9_2958crx.aspx

Had the following link sent to me last night by a friend in New Mexico who is buying a Kelly Kettle. I was not aware that someone had made a small wood gas stove. Looks like it should be another worth trying out. One that also has a large for pot size burn area where I could put some type of burn tinder for my ultra wet climate.

Neal
http://www.solostove.com/solo-stove/

[J.Baker]

Ut oh....You're going to be the cause of me spending more money Neal as I'm really liking the Alpz Outdoorz Commander Pack at the Amazon link. It's a little heavy though at 7lb - 5oz. compared to my current pack's 4lb - 15oz. I do like the larger (5200ci) size and fold-down tray to support heavier loads though. Hmmm....

http://www.amazon.com/ALPS-OutdoorZ-...ref=pd_sbs_a_2

Manufacturer's Page:
http://www.alpsoutdoorz.com/outdoorz...g#.UOYMV3fseAk

[358Hammer]

Jim did you get that pack ordered?
I ordered that solo stove and it should be here tomorrow.

Been really terrible weather since Christmas, raining off most of our lower elevation snow. While everyone was watching football or generally hanging out looking at the ice covered everything Lisa and I went out and worked at building a fire with ice covered wood. Brickets started the show and after 30 minutes we droped some ice wood on the fire. ANother 30 minutes and we spooned red hot brickets into the rocket stove and added wood to cook potatoes and veggies with our sausages. No petroleum but it did take a bit to dry wood out.

You just never know what you will see in the wilds. We saw easily 500 ducks in our little hidden cove along with these swans. Note the ice on the vegitation.

[Stockrex]

Jim, pls share with us how the alps pack works with a rifle, I like it how they have the rifle is on the side.

[J.Baker]

Well, I didn't order the Alps pack - I ended up finding a very lightly used Eberlestock Skycrane II on Ebay for less than half the price of a new one and couldn't pass it up. My thinking is that with it's versatility and expandability it will serve all my needs, be it for a day hike or a week-long jaunt along the Appalachian Trail.

The Fanny Pack/Go-Bag offers 300ci of space which is perfect for a couple energy bars, my cell and/or GPS, and a 1-liter water bladder for an afternoon hike.
The Little Brother pack has a 1,800ci capacity and will work great for a full day or overnight pack.
The main chassis/bag offers 2,375ci of space which when combined with the above two packs (4,475ci total) should be about right for a 3-5 excursion.
The Super Spike Duffel can add an additional 2,900ci of space if/when needed for a total of 7,375ci

-

[358Hammer]

Looks great Jim-

We have added to our do-it-yourself kit "without" petroleum products some weeks back with the solo stove. Kind of the same principle as the rocket stove but weighs 9 oz! Remember that we live in a very wet climate and many times windy so being able to start this thing is only half the battle as the wood is wet or damp year round here. However the Briquette in a plastic bag weighs virtually nothing for a gallon bag of them. Starting them with vasoline soaked cotton balls was easy. Three briquettes will dry out all soaked wood and cooks food or boils water just fine. 3 briquettes at a time and our 10 pound bag of them will last a very long time. A gallon bag of them wil last 7-10 days and weighs virtually nothing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=C7-TqfYT6Co

The last few weeks I have been using various types of alcohol products as well and all work including "Gasline Antifreeze". The gasline works the best.

Conclusion: I have a super-light burn most anything cook stove and when using the titanium wind sheld with jetboil finned base pot it cooks rapidly and efficiently.

In the past we have just put our normal packs into the canoe when we are taking water trips on the ocean or rivers. The problem in the past with this method is the packs always seem to get wet from me switching sides with the paddle.
Recently I added a dry bag concept pack to the family. If it posts this is a picture of a 65 liter dry bag with padded shoulder and waste straps. This has turned out to be awesome in that each bag will float a lot of gear as well as me if the unthinkable happens. The dry bag is absolutely dry and waterproof under every condition I have found. I would have to put cloth between it and I or something for air movement for longer portages in the summer.


Retail $60. www.bridgeoutdoors.com

[J.Baker]

I use an Wolfman Luggage Expedition Dry Duffel to haul my camping gear on the motorcycle. I got the small size which is just long enough for my Eureka Apex II tent to fit in length-wise. It's the only thing I've been able to find thus far that has kept my stuff 100% dry in the nastiest rain while running 60-90mph down the interstate.

[bountybuddy]

This meal sure looks good Neal! Looks like it would stick to your ribs good to. Thanks.

[358Hammer]

Thank you it was!
Just finished smoking 40 salmon fillets. Using the new back packing equipment, canoeing and 4-wheeling. To date the inside of the camo daypack has had all the waterproofing peel off.
The waterproof bags are doing great and are still waterproof.

What I especially like about the shoulder/waste belt dry bags is they stay packed and are easy to move from 4-wheeler to canoe. Two large 3000 inch cube dry bags. One goes on Lisa's bike and one on mine and we are set for weeks of fun and never have to open the bag unless we are washing dirty cloths or replacing food stuff.

I have a 8' X 8" tee pee that we have been camping in at only 8 pounds I think. It sure doesn't take up much room and with a flue hole we can have a toasty place to kick back if we want. Sure like being able to stand and dress and there is plenty of room to sleep, Lisa to do her knitting and me my rope work.

I am really liking my rocket stove and its light weight version for the dry bags. I am so happy with it I am going to make a rocket stove version on the back side of my fire pit here at home. I will be doing my canning and much cooking out on a larger version rocket stove. Why: is so economical and much faster than my electric stove in getting the canned goods up to temperature.
http://www.bridgeoutdoors.com/
Neal

[bountybuddy]

My wife and I are really happy for you. You keep having a great time my friend. We hope our paths cross sometime down the road. Be safe.

[358Hammer]

Your Bio-lite wood burning stove charging your cell phone!

Not only does it charge your cell phone it actually has its own mini fan which turbo charges the flames inside making an awesome quick cooking fire. It starts with a basis like the rocket stove of burning anything. Hot and cold generates electricity which runs the little fan and with the grill it blows heat and smoke through the little grill top as well.
http://www.biolitestove.com/

Kind of spendy but it is awesome!

Neal

[wildcat hunter]

388Hammer, I too am interested in the "rocket stove" you have pictured on post #15. Can you tell us where you bought it. I have a very heavy, clay/metal rocket stove and it works fantastic but the one pictured there would be a great back packing tool.

[358Hammer]

388Hammer, I too am interested in the "rocket stove" you have pictured on post #15. Can you tell us where you bought it. I have a very heavy, clay/metal rocket stove and it works fantastic but the one pictured there would be a great back packing tool.

The picture on # 15 is home made and I do not know where to purchase one. I do know that the stove weighs in well past camping weight. Like maybe 10 pounds. I have sampled different designs and have concluded that square tubing cut to one's desired length and welded together top and bottom is really all one needs. Review the first rocket stove post/the little one. There is a cross bar, used as a foot and it is removable. That is all one needs. At another permanent camp sight I cut/split and covered a bunch of wood for cooking use and indoor heating. I am in the process of making one of these stoves to fit inside my 12' X 12' Teepee so I can heat and cook year around.
A lot has changed since I last spoke. The pack originally posted is still sound but the waterproofing flacked off do to Chinese quality. We went to the Osprey series of packs because of the awesome evaporation setup. On a hot day or a hard day of packing everyone sweats. The Osprey comes in different sizes and demands. Mine is a model 58 and my wife's is a model 46. Because of the design I can really feel the air/wind passing between me and the pack do to the ventilated suspension system shown.
The # 2 reason I like the Osprey setup is because I never ever during the course of a trip have to get into the main compartment to get into the extra food, sleeping system or the tent. There are external pockets everywhere and the only difference between those two packs pictured is the 46 does not have one of the two vertical external side pockets that my 58 has. My pack is on the left and has the bonnet open so you can better see what is up. I would have to write pages to tell you all the nooks and crannies of storage including the waste belt storage of my 2500degreelighter and fire starting material.



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...410_em_1p_7_ti Everything this says is absolutely true! The only down side to this is it crinkles. But, a sleeping system that equals a med weight sleeping bag is way past cool.

There are a number of liners that we are putting inside of the above sleeping system like the SOL ultra to add a margin of warmth for winter camping. These two systems together with clothing will and has kept us warm for 5 hours at 22 degrees and a 25 mph wind!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SOL-Escape-L...p2054897.l4276

Got to run for now. Welding shops if you do not weld should not want much to make a simple circumference weld.

Neal

[mazda3gun]

Very interesting thread!
I was a Boy Scout for 11 years(ages7-18) and learned a lot about cold weather camping and general backpacking. I have several related Merit Badges pertaining to everything you've talked about. My skills were tested several times over the years, we were above and beyond a Boy Scout Troop having trips planned at least twice a month. I've been rock climbing/repelling more times than people who live on mountains, rafted more than the Rivermen, and camped more than Mr. Kelty himself. Not fluffing up or blowing smoke, just a fact. We were EXTREMELY ACTIVE!!! The leader had his own canoes, rafts, climbing gear, and tents available for our use. A huge thanks to him!!!
But what I'm concerned with is your weight and items dealing with survival and Bug-Out scenarios. I've got a Kelty frame pack I had ordered from years ago when I first became a Scout(didn't do long term hikes in Cub and Weblow ranks), and it's going to be my BOB, it's held a weeks worth of gear and then some several occasions. It seems like what you deal with/do, weight isn't too much an issue.
My bag is more planned toward being the last time I leave behind the material things I don't need to survive the rest of my life.

I haven't weighed this or acquired all the items and the list is subject to change, but here goes:

Cold Steel G.I. Tanto knife
Stainless Mess Kit, skillet, 'plate', small pot w/ lid
1 Fork
Water Purification Tabs
Fleece Sleeping bag
Mil. Issue Green foam pad
2 Nalgene bottles
1 Mil. Issue plastic canteen
"Emergency" blanket
Ammo/Firearms
Survival Life fire starter/BIC lighter
Paracord, as much as I can tie onto anything and everything, hopefully a full 1,000ft

I don't carry a tent: I know how to make shelter in the woods or disaster landscapes
I don't carry raingear: see above
I don't carry food: I'll kill/gather/grow that
I don't carry water: I'll find that

Open to any suggestions for additions/removals of items and agreements/disagreements.

[358Hammer]

.
My bag is more planned toward being the last time I leave behind the material things I don't need to survive the rest of my life.

I haven't weighed this or acquired all the items and the list is subject to change, but here goes:

Cold Steel G.I. Tanto knife
Stainless Mess Kit, skillet, 'plate', small pot w/ lid
1 Fork
Water Purification Tabs
Fleece Sleeping bag
Mil. Issue Green foam pad
2 Nalgene bottles
1 Mil. Issue plastic canteen
"Emergency" blanket
Ammo/Firearms
Survival Life fire starter/BIC lighter


Paracord, as much as I can tie onto anything and everything, hopefully a full 1,000ft

I don't carry a tent: I know how to make shelter in the woods or disaster landscapes
I don't carry raingear: see above
I don't carry food: I'll kill/gather/grow that
I don't carry water: I'll find that

Open to any suggestions for additions/removals of items and agreements/disagreements.[/QUOTE]
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I do not quite understand the first sentence above. All my packs have a specific purpose. My external freighter packs have been my work horses since arriving in Alaska in 1974. My day packers are just that, day packers that double as whim overnighters. Jan- Dec
2013 found me walking 850 miles. October alone I walked 121 miles with the 30-35 pound Osprey pack. I have had up to 50 pounds of salmon in that pack.
I have been out in the wilds with the temperature below zero and by the end of the day it was forty degrees. In the old days of search and rescue we had to be prepared to survive every conceivable situation when dropped of to find a lost hunter or a down aircraft. This included the fact that one MUST be prepared that your ride out might be grounded (Helicopter) until the weather improved. So we have a standard 5 day survival scenario in our packs. I myself have 7-10daysworth of gear in mine and they run from 25-35 pounds.

Odwalla Meal bars and supplements added very little weight, just in case my Bear creek soups and stews ran out. When out on searches one does not have time to hunt or scavenge for food when a life is concerned so we are contained for all weather types and I have literally been out in 100 mph winds gusting to a high of 124mph long before cable news was around. I learned so much and incorporated that learning into the things I do today. I was out one day where they predicted 6-8 inches of snow. When the storm was over there was 8-12 foot drifts. We lost 90% of our deer population that year. I had to snow shoe to my wife's work at the hospital to take her snow shoes so she could get home. Snow equipment did not come out till the next day.

All areas of the world require different things to survive. But the basics are pretty much the same. If you are wet you must dry and be able to get out of a winter breeze. All of my outdoor clothing is some type of wool head to foot. I do not chaff and when climbing and packing I dry rapidly when the exertion changes. My # 1 item used is my steripen for purifying lowland or uncertain waters.

#2 Item are tampons: History- tampons were created a long time ago for the military to plug wound holes. They are in my med-surgical kit everywhere I go because they are contained in a sterol environment and are fantastic for wound care. They are also fantastic for removing material from my water. Steripen kills through microwave as I recall and the tampon removes debris.

There is a reason why we have an arctic Navy Seal training center here. Everything is evolving and what use to be state of the art in most cases even five years ago has something new and better today. EXCEPTION: Wool in my opinion has not been improved upon. I would be lost without my smart wool hoodies and hooded wool vests.

If there is any interest in this stuff maybe I will share spending 45 minutes in 38 degree water ( boating accident)when my friend was all but dead while wearing cotton.

Neal

[mazda3gun]

The sentence you didn't understand means: I'm making a Bug Out Bag for when crap hits the fan, society collapses, apocalyptic catastrophe, global/US disaster situation, that kind of thing. I.E. 'prepping'

Your mind set is for Search and Rescue, or for Alaska/cold weather camping conditions specifically.

I'm asking for ideas and suggestions that have nothing to do with those things, directly.

[mazda3gun]

I felt you seemed experienced in what I was asking, but maybe this isn't the right thread...