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.