System Upgrade

This is what I got (made) myself for Christmas! 

Going to my parent's place is great because I have access to all kinds of tools and toys. So what did I find in the garage? Well how about my old 10 gallon cooler and some wood. I made the false bottom from a coffee grounds basket from a large coffee maker. I drilled more holes in it and cut the sides off of it. I found a perfect sized banjo style piece of copper from an old faucet and mounted it to the valve with a flare fitting. Hope it will work pretty well.

The mash paddle is made from a piece of poplar. I sanded it down smooth and left it unfinished. Feels quite solid and would make a good brewery defense tool as well. 

Prius Shaped Teardrop Camper

Awhile back I started designing a teardrop camper. I wanted something that beat the hell out of a tent for use during the wet season. I also wanted something that could easily have everything ready and stored for the next outing, specifically the galley. 

It is designed to match the height and shape of a Toyota Prius, and be towed by it as well. 

This is basically the sum of my plans. Most of the details will be hashed out during contruction (i.e the solar/charging/battery system).

Tiny House = Tiny Bed Frame

Much to my surprise, if you lay a futon mattress directly on top of a loft floor it will breed mold. Who'd a thunk it? The science behind this is obvious once you realize what's going on. The heat generated by your body and the coolness of the floor, especially a non-insulated interior ceiling/loft floor, combine to produce condensation. This moisture is then held in the fabric of the mattress as it has no way to be evaporated due to the lack of ventilation. So I will provide you with this scientific formula. The NW + moisture = green stuff. If you live here, you understand.

So then you would need a bed frame to remedy this situation right? Something to provide that little bit of ventilation. Well what if you literally only have inches to work with? Well then, I give you the world's thinnest bed frame (it's the smallest I have seen anyway.)

It is a queen size bed frame measuring 60" x 80". It is split into two sections to simplify getting it in and out of the house as well as getting it under the mattress. It is made from five one by twelves and a bunch of drywall screws. All the cross pieces measure 3/4" x 1" while the bottom rails measure 3/4" x 2".  Two 3/4" x 4" pieces hold the two halves together. 

Other than sanding all 98 total pieces it was relatively easy to make. The sanding was the most time consuming. Once you get the end slats squared and check for overall square the pieces go together rather quickly. I chose not to finish the wood, as I do not currently have the necessary environment to let a good coat of sealer cure. So until the weather warms up it will have to do as is. Total material cost for this custom tiny bed frame: ~$75.

Brewing Up Some ESB!

I was finally able to brew some beer! I made a final visit to the home brew supply store on Sunday. Got started at about nine o'clock this morning laying out my equipment and prepping for the boil. Everything went super smooth until it came time to chill the wort. Due to the hose clamps on the input to the chiller being tighten on the vinyl tubing while it was at room temperature it started to spray after it had heated up and softed the tubing. Luckily the little water that made it into the wort was while it was still over 200 degrees. I was happy to see my starting gravity was 1.054. For some reason this was higher than my brew software estimated. Oh well. I tasted the sample I pulled and it had a good bitter to it. It should clean up and taste quite nice as long as there is no unexpected infections. 

My 5 gallons of sweet delicious ESB are now fermenting in the little bench of the tiny house. I had to buy a Brew Belt to maintain a constant temperature between about 65F and 75F. It will take some playing with to get the setup just right, but I am optimistic it is the best bet, short of making a temperature controlled box in the shop. I don't really want to do that though. It would cost money. 

So hopefully in about 10 days I will be bottling up some Extra Special Bitter!

Full boil in my converted 7.75 gal keg kettle.

Second and third hop additions measured and bagged. The muslin bags are awesome.

Bucket of Starsan and my generally messy work bench.

Immersion chiller being sanitized in the boil. 

Keggle and Bottle Crate Update

After thinking it over, I decided to go ahead and zip the top off my 7.75 gallon 1/4 barrel keg (as far as I know it's not stolen, at least not by me). I have been reassured by some folks at HomeBrewTalk.com is it easy to plug the bung hole on the side. Just need to do a good cleaning on it and get an immersion chiller. So brew kettle: Check!

I was in the shop this morning when a neighbor stopped by and I mentioned it would be handy to have a bottle opener mounted on the front of the beer crate. Well about five minutes later he showed back up and handed me a wall mounted opener. So I put it to good use. Still need hinges and a latch though.

Wooden Beer Bottle Crate made from Pallet

I was recently looking at some designs, both old and new, of wooden beer bottle crates and decided to make my own. I'm poor so I salvaged the wood from a pallet that was lying around.
I like the idea of the wood crate, because it makes it easier to take some beers camping or to a friends house. You can also use the crate as a seat (so you can guard the beer), or use it as a table and play cards on it.
When I get my beer brewing setup running, I plan on bottling in 22oz bottles and so far have a collection of a little over 100 of them (three 5 gallon batches worth). I happened to come across a large collection of them someone was getting rid of. They had the anchor steam style bottles, guiness bottles and the standard 22oz bomber bottles. So I decided to design the create accordingly.
The crate is designed to hold all three styles. For the standard 22oz bottle there is a set of dividers made from 1/8" wall paneling. For the anchor steam and guiness bottles you simple remove the dividers. The bottles fit nice and snug with just the right amount of room so they don't clang together. The standard 22oz don't even touch with the divider in place. The whole crate got a coating of exterior siding stain/waterproofer to protect it for the long haul. I just need to get a couple hinges or maybe just a set of latches for both sides, so I can remove the lid completely.

You don't have a shaving mug shelf in your Tiny House?

Well if you know me, you know I'm a pretty bearded kind of guy. Some go so far as to call me a mountain man, but I at least trim my beard. Well I just recently decided to go back to using a good old fashioned mug and brush for my shaving needs. I add a few drops of some homemade shave oil to the lather. It makes quite a big difference. So where to keep the mug and brush? Well it is best to have your shave brush hang to dry, and their is no place for it in the shower. So why not build a nice little shelf and make a brush hanger right above the mug? Sounds good to me.

This is a shot of the medicine cabinet I built for our bathroom needs, picture sans the rolls of toilet paper, q-tips and towels that usually adorn it. 

Re-Thinking the Pack

For anyone who's keeping score, I recently drew up some plans to build a utilitarian little pack named the Mother Ship. Well I have been giving it some thought, crunching some numbers, and thinking about it all some more. Concluding, I have made some alterations to what I have in mind.

My intent was to have an adaptable pack I can use for a variety of activities. After thinking about designs, and looking at pictures I have outlined some key bases I am looking for in the pack. Simple, adaptable to load size, and comfortable to carry. So I am now leaning in the direction of a lumbar pack. 

I have looked at many lumbar packs, and unfortunately it it very hard to find a large sized pack. Most are designed for jogging or small day hikes. I was eyeing the Kifaru brand packs, specifically the Scout, but I cannot justify the price tag on their gear. As bomb proof and well designed as it may be, $203? Ouch! Plus you have to buy the waist belt separate. I figured their had to be a less expensive way to meet my demands. So back to the original idea of sewing my own? Well.....

After crunching the numbers I calculated it would run me about $80, plus or minus, to obtain the materials I would need to create whatever design I came up with, plus time to build it. While I would love to make my own pack, especially a custom designed lumbar pack, I wanted to find another option. So what now you ask? Well Mountainsmith...that's what. 

The Mountainsmith Day lumbar pack, I forgot all about Mountainsmith's line of lumbar packs, seems to fit the bill. It has plenty of size for storage, and straps for load compression. It has a suspension system and the ability to add a pair of shoulder straps called Strapettes, and every review of it I have read is good. And the price tag for the Mountainsmith Day? Well with some judicious searching it can be had for around $70 with the Strapettes. 

One of the things I really think will prove useful for me is the rigging for the Strapette addition. The straps seem well designed and functional, and I'm sure they work great, but it allows me to create my own straps in the future, or adapt another strap system.  I was thinking I might want to add a homemade pouch to fit my sleeping gear and shelter in the upper part of my back and could use the Condor H-Harness in which to attach it.

The main question I had for the Mountainsmith Day was, can I fit a military style canteen in the water bottle pouches on the sides? Well after querying a forum where they were being discussed I was reassured that they will fit. I want the option to carry the Nalgene canteen bottle and my canteen cup.  Thus allowing me to always be able to have a small cook kit packed away for outings. I also have plans to create a simple "shower cap" style rain cover to deal with all of the Pacific Northwest rain that is just around the corner. 

Labor Day Paddle

In an attempt to make my presence in the home scarce on Monday, I loaded up the kayak and headed for McNary Lake. It's called a lake, but it's really a series of large ponds and waterways, but none the less a very nice place to paddle, but talk about crowded! I actually had to wait in line to launch my kayak, as people would lumber to shore and then leave there kayaks and canoes in the 10 foot wide launch area while they wander around near their vehicles, but I digress.

Once in the water everything is always better. People tend to paddle away from you. I do however, find it very fun to paddle as silently as possible and sneak up behind people who are meandering though the channel. The Greenland style paddle I use can be quite silent if used correctly. The look on peoples faces as you glide up beside them, say hello, and then accelerate away from them is close to priceless. Especially, with a beer tucked in the front pocket of your PFD.

Upon reaching the end of the channel it widens out and I found a nice little hard-mudded shore area to beach the kayak. I dragged the kayak into the shade, pulled out my camp chair, a little snack and another beer and sat in the shade and relaxed. I believe I was pretty invisible, as some kayakers paddled right past me about 30 yards off shore and didn't even seem to be aware of my presence. (In their defense it was really sunny and I was in the shade.)

Side Note: There is a beaver in this area by the look of the chewed through trees that were sitting in front of me. I however, did not make contact with said beaver.

Hopi Red Dye Amaranth

Earlier this spring we planted a variety of flora in a little area next to our Tiny House. Among the wildflower seeds we put down were some Hopi Red Dye Amaranth. It's getting bigger everyday! Now if only the tomatos would start turning red.

First Meal on the Trangia

A friend of mine recently gave me a Trangia alcohol stove and a Clikstand stove stand. Very solid setup. And seeing as it was quite warm in the Tiny House yesterday we decided, well I decided, to boil up the quinoa on the Trangia stove outside. So I whipped out my Montbell titanium cook set and went about making my first meal on the Trangia. It boiled up and simmered 1 cup of quinoa and 3 cups of water quite well. Using about 1.5 ounces of alcohol by my guesstimation. As soon as the water came to a boil, I lifted off the pot and place the simmer ring on top of the stove with the swing lid all the way open, and it simmered perfectly.  In conclusion I am very pleased with the Trangia stove. It will probably become my new go-to stove for any type of outdoor cooking. I like alcohol stoves, but I really like an alcohol stove that can simmer!

First Aid Kit list...

Everyone should have a First Aid Kit. No if's, and's or but's! You should just have one. Some of us even have an ideal first aid kit. Admittedly, I don't always have mine on me (shame on me I know). So when I read Cody Lundin's When All Hell Breaks Loose I found a nice little list in the section on first aid. So what did I do with that list? Well I typed it up... and then I changed it. Which is how it should work. First aid kits should be different for everyone. We all have different needs. I personally want my kit to be able to aid more than myself and my "group" so I have changed and modified it, while still trying to keep it somewhat compact.

*Feel free to use either one. The second one with the red is my modified list

Designing the "Mother Ship"...

In my recent new-to-the-blogging-world web surfing I ran across Thomas Vree's blog Exploriment. I have to say I was instantly inspired by his ideas and craftsmanship (especially his OuchPouch first aid kit). Vree's utilitarian design, aptly named Escape Pod , seemed to bridge a gap between my ideal, all-purpose pack and the lack of commerical designs and funds for that matter. It got my creative juices flowing. I had been unable to find something that truly suited all my needs, yet remained customizable to my constantly changing whims. So many hours, and plenty of graph paper sketchs later, I finally have...well I have an idea of what I want to create anyway. It's all theoretical at this point.
Full Disclosure: I have to give Thomas Vree full props for his design and inspiration. Very ingenuitive!


So what is this Mother Ship you ask? Well Dictionary.com defines it as a vessel or craft that services others operating far from a home port or center. Precisely what I am looking for! I want a "vessel" I can customize on a daily basis if I see fit. Something that can be useful taking the bus around town, or trekking into the bush for a night. A pack I can keep a capable first aid kit and my EDC tools available. So what I have designed, in all it's two dimensional glory, is thus.

Mother Ship will be a 6"x 8" x 16" tall rectangular pack made of coyote tan 1000 denier pack cloth covered in PALS webbing. Everything will ideally be coyote tan. The top flap is designed to be a water resistant, slightly over-sized lid used to keep the pack relatively rainless and also facilitate the carrying of a jacket or other such load under it. It will be attached via two side release buckles. I also like the idea of lining the MS with a sil-nylon stuff sack (lets just say it rains a lot in the NW). I am planning on putting a map pocket on the bottom side of the flap as well. Plus you could place elastic shock cord where ever you want on the MS.


The dimensions of the pack are based on the desire to mount the Condor Rip-Away EMT Pouch on the front or sides, as well as being able to mount one or two USGI style 1 quart nalgene canteens, with my canteen cup and stove kit on the sides. Looking into using the GSA Approved Modular Canteen Cover available at canteenshop.com. That way I can use the pouches with or without a canteen in them. Another bonus for customization! I'm also looking for a pouch that will hold a Trangia alcohol stove, assuming it won't fit in the side pocket of the canteen pouch. I could probably just sew one for a lot less money. The back of the pack will be a sleeve. Allowing me to slide a flexible plastic card into it for rigidity or using a space blanket or such for padding. I would also be able to hid the pack straps inside of it if the packs needs to be neat and tidy. 


I have ideas of being able to attach a 2" hip belt to the pack to enable me to add pouches there as well. A lot of ultra light backpack manufactures have started to shift the weight off your back, allowing you to carry some of it up front. Giving you easier access to items like your sunglasses, compass, and headlamp, while allowing a more natural posture. Also very similar to the ALICE Style Load Carrying System. Which I have thought about cannibalizing an "H" harness for my shoulder straps. If only they had them in coyote tan. 


So that about summarizes where I stand on the project. I am in the process of finding and pricing the materials I will need. Amazon has been a pretty good help. I'm going to need a good supply of light weight coyote tan 1" webbing. Still doing some calculations on that. I hope my sewing machine is up to it. Also looking for some tan buckles. Other than that I can find most of it at Fabric Depot here in Portland. 

...and so it begins

...and so it begins, this foray into the world of blogging. I know not where the road may lead, or how I may travel upon it, only that I am going. This should be interesting, a learning experience to say the least.