Maps

I actually stopped at a yard sale this morning and didn't find much, but there was a box of all of these rolled up maps that the old man was selling. There turned out to be over 100 maps showing a lot of detail of different places in each state. I talked to him for a while and come to find out all of the maps were his that he used while he camped and hiked all over the USA! It was really neat talking to him. I ended up standing there for about 30 minutes. I bought the whole lot of them for $8.00!  A lot of the maps show where to camp and canoe in each state. All but 2 of them are laminated. They are older maps, like from the 1980's and 1990's , so I wonder how much use they are now? Do things change that much? Could they be good just for an idea of what is in certain area? Most of these maps are topographical. That could come in handy?? Oh well, for $8.00 if they are not useful, they are at least neat to look at. Could use for a wall treatment in a den. Who knows.

Off Grid Living - You Can Do it Too

Solar Powered Generator

verted using the principles of off grid living, no matter where in the world they are. There is a steadily rising interest in the use of alternative energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro electric power generation as a means to reduce dependence on fossil fuel burning power plants. Technology has advanced and costs have been reduced at the same time. With the many kits, resources and guides available today, living off the grid can even be accomplished by do-it-yourselfers. Those that have moved to off grid living are today resting easy in the knowledge that their bill are getting less even as global energy costs are rising.

Some people are still convinced that they would need to give up their electrical appliances and gadgets to live off the grid. This couldn't be further from the truth. All that living off the grid entails is learning how to control your energy usage. There are a few very simple things that can be done to save electricity such as turning off lights in rooms that are not in use. Use appliance that don't use power when turned off, like microwave oven and stove clocks. Computers, printers and some chargers continue to leech power and add to your bills when they are off or in standby mode - see those little indicator lights?. Your luxuries don't need to be sacrificed when your are trying off grid living, you just need to learn how to be smarter when using them.

Off-Grid Living Book Set

The increasing popularity of off grid living has brought about the production of high efficiency, modular and movable homes to cater for the demand. These one or two person mobile homes are similar in layout to conventional mobile homes and use passive solar design together with solar panels and natural gas to provide for living off the grid wherever they are located.

If you would like to learn more about off grid living but are not sure about where to start or if you would like to see some practical examples in action, you could use the Internet for your research. There are a great number of guides and resources available as well as a lot of people willing to share their own success stories about off grid living. Probably the best part of off grid living is when there is a blackout in your neighborhood and you don't need to break out the candles. You too can experience the freedom of off grid living regardless of where you live as this lifestyle is within easy reach of anyone.

The author is an electrical engineer with a keen interest in alternative energy sources and DIY.
Visit FreePower4Ever.com to find out more and to get some links to his favorite guides for building your own solar panels and windmills to enable you live off the grid.

 

Backpacking For Beginners: 74 Easy & Useful Hacks To Getting Started On Your First Backpacking Camping Trip!

Backpacking For Beginners: 74 Easy & Useful Hacks To Getting Started On Your First Backpacking Camping Trip!: (Backpacking, Backpacking For Beginners, ... nature, survival guide, outdoors backpack) was a free kindle book at the time of this posting.

Easy and Useful Hacks for Getting Started on Your First Backpacking Camping Trip!

The time has come when you have decided to see the world, on foot, with your home on your back. What better way to becoming one with nature?

Smell the mountainous ferns.
Sleep amongst the wildlife.
Shelter under the forest’s umbrella.
Eat al fresco.

In this guide we will prepare you for your adventure. Backpacking is guaranteed to put you closer to nature, so you must be fully prepared. Whilst the experience will be memorable, you also want it to be enjoyable. To ensure this is happens, read some of our hacks, to inspire you to have the time of your life.

Why Should You Download this Book?

If you are truly serious about finding a solution that will help you to decorate and organize your home in a short period of time then you should download this book. It will offer you great tips and suggestions on how to get that calm organized home that you wish that you had instead of the dreary cluttered filled home that you now reside in.

You do not have to move necessarily to get that dream home. It may just be buried under the debris, and chaos that has basically buried it alive. You will get great suggestions on how to bring out that lovely organized home that you want. All you need to do is brush up on your decluttering skills to get this ball rolling!

• Are you ready, physically?


• Do you know what to pack in your backpack?


• Do you know where you are going?


• Do you know how to survive with the basics?

To make sure you can answer “yes,” to all of these questions, read this eBook and you will set out on your journey fully prepared and able to resolve any problems that come your way.
We have thought of everything in this little guide, from setting off, to planning your journey, what food to eat and how to prepare it, making sure you are ready for your destination.

These are but a few of the things that should be on your pre-planning TO DO list.
Have a look at our section on some of the things that can go wrong, such as illnesses and injuries that you may come across while hiking and in the middle of nowhere.

Changing My Idea Of Being Prepared...

Off-Grid Laundry

I have been prepping for over 10 years now and have had to use the preps a few times because of things happening to our family, that were emergencies to us. Lay-offs and more. We found out that our food stockpile was great. We had enough food to last the almost the whole time the first time hubby was laid-off and the the second time we were in even better shape. We sold items on ebay and other places to make money for our bills. Cut out a lot of needless things, like cable. Which we never did get back. But, I am starting to really rethink my idea on being prepared. Yes, we should have some stockpile of items, but we should learn how to do things for yourselves! That should be your first thought. After the food runs out can we get more on your own? Do you know how to garden? Fish? Hunt? Do you know how to cook the items that you get? Can you clean a fish or a squirrel? These are the things that everyone should be learning and you will always be self-sufficient. Learn how to repair household and vehicle mishaps.

I am getting my whole family more focused on learning how to do things. How to take care of themselves. I have been taking my youngest son on walks and will ask him what he would do if he was walking alone and certain things happened. etc . He is having fun doing this, but hopefully what I have been teaching him is sticking.

Yeah, you might have a year of food storage, but what about other things? Do you know how to cook it without power? Do you know ways to get clean water?

Collect Rain Water

There are so many things that we take for granted every day that we need to know to do if SHTF. How to be clean, how to cook, garden, sew, fish, hunt, be healthy, warm, cool, etc.

Plan this summer to be a summer of learning for your family. Learn new things that will help your family be prepared and self-sufficient. Take your family camping and find out how to cook and more without power. Learn how to do laundry off-grid.

5 Simple Rules When Camping With Pets

Now that we have our puggle , Oscar, we have to think about things like this. He will be going with us everywhere we go.

Most parks will have some form of pet regulations in effect to ensure the campsite and area, fellow campers and your pet are safe and happy.

Most people only bring either dogs or cats, a few bring birds and some may even have an iguana or two but for now I am going to focus on the dogs and cats.

1. Your pet must be on a leash at all times.

Your dog or cat may not respond the same in a camping environment as they would in your home. Just for instance, I had taken my cat camping and had her on a leash beside the tent. The neighbor had a large poodle that was running loose on their campsite. I had reminded them that dogs must be leashed at all times and of course their reply was "my dog is not a threat to anyone or anything".

Maybe 5 minutes later the poodle saw my cat and the chase was on. Somehow the cat managed to get out of the leash and the dog was in hot pursuit. All you could see was 2 black streaks running flat out through the trees. Eventually the cat saw an open tent door (which happened to be the neighbour's tent) and ran for it. The owner saw the dog chasing it and thankfully got the tent door closed before the dog got there. Needless to say - they kept the dog on a leash after that.

Dogs in particular are quite nosy and like to investigate anything that is new. Sometimes that new something is a porcupine, a raccoon or a rattlesnake which is another good reason to keep your pet on a leash. It is also very important to have a first aid kit available just in case. The park attendants will know where to find a vet if you need one.

2. Your pet is not allowed at any swimming area or on the beach.

A lot of parks that have a beach may also have a pet exercise area with water access. Pets and people sometimes don't make friends very well, especially if you have a pet that is very protective of their family unit. All those people make them very nervous and apt to strike out at anyone or anything that is passing by. There is also the fact that some people are allergic to pets.

3. Your pet must be kept under control

Survival Kit For Dogs

Some dogs become very vocal when their owners are not around or if they see something they should be letting everyone in sight know about. This is known as excessive noise and can be very disturbing to fellow campers. Listening to a dog cry for hours because their owner has left them on the campsite is not a pleasant experience for anyone, including the dog. If you must leave your pet behind at the campsite, ensure they have shade, water and food available and only leave them for a short time. If you are going somewhere that you can't take your pet for a longer period, some parks have pet-sitters close by that you could leave them with. It is best to check with the park before you go if you know you are going to be away for an extended period.

4. You must not let your pet disturb wildlife or habitat.

Some dogs and cats like to chase things whether it is a ball, an animal or a bird. Deer, chipmunks, squirrels, and birds are the favourite things for pets to chase while camping. Again you must be able to control them to ensure they don't chase anything.

The habitat on and around your campsite is very delicate and when it is destroyed or damaged it takes a long time to recover. Your best option is to have a steel stake with a swivel top to attach your pet's leash to and not the trees or brush around your site. Remember your leash must not extend off the campsite and in most parks it may be limited to 2 metres or 6 feet.

5. Stoop and Scoop

This is one of the joys of being a pet owner - you must clean up after them whether you are at home or in a campground. It is not a pleasant thing to encounter when you are walking barefoot to the beach or setting up a campsite if the pet owner has not done their job properly. You would not want someone to let their dog do his business on your lawn at home so the same thing applies to campsites.
Following these few simple rules will ensure that you, your pet and your fellow campers will have a pleasant and enjoyable stay in any campground.

Rose Emerson is a lifelong camper and outdoors enthusiast with over 20 years of working experience in Provincial Parks. Camping is an ideal vacation experience and statistics show that more people than ever are embracing the idea. Her website http://www.campfunfacts.com has all the basic equipment needed to start camping as well as lots of information on places to go, things to do and what you need to know before you go.