Archive for the ‘Automobiles’ Category

VW Van Update – Windows Tinted + Sleep Setup

Posted: June 16, 2014 in Adventures, Automobiles, Coast Products, Frugality, Gear, HD Videos, VW Vanagon
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

By Cameron McKirdy

Survival Bros gives you a tour of the 1986 Volkswagon Vanagon, and discusses van dwelling.  I use the Coast Products TX100 LED flashlight to show you how dark the windows are now with tint and black vinyl covering them.  Look at the other gear I use and how, including my Kelty Recluse 2.5 insulated sleeping pad.  You have to have some kind of mat to lay on to be comfortable camping.

I’ve been doing a great job of staying clear of local police.  I continue to camp on private property with permission from the owner, or legally at camp grounds.  Plus, by staying at designated rest areas, the cops can’t charge me with overnight camping.  The police have better things to do anyways, like uphold their oath to The Constitution, and keep the peace.  We know law enforcement is big fans of our emergency preparedness blog, so thanks for visiting!  More adventures from the road soon.  

 

Off The Grid Camping in a Volkswagon Vanagon

Posted: May 18, 2014 in 26, Adventures, Automobiles, RV, VW Vanagon
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
2

By Cameron McKirdy

I’ve had my hippie van for a week, and have burned through tanks of petrol.  I’ve found several spots to crash out for a night or longer that are free places to stay, and I’m willing to share this and more with you today – only on Survival Bros.

The first type of location I scouted out are places open 24 hours to the public.  There aren’t many in small towns, but large grocery stores are a good start.   Be on the look out for other campers, and recreation vehicles at the far end of parking lots.  If you had to spend a night car camping in city limits, this isn’t a bad choice, because you probably won’t be hassled.  Don’t forget you can always post up, and get some ZZZ’s at Rest Stops.  I spent a night this week the parked at one.  You’ll have access to the bathroom at all hours, trash, and potable water (in some cases).  

Camping in a van solo can be lonesome.  So I made an effort to hangout with other preppers, this time way outside of the city.  The VW van, which I’ve named Shaggy, has been mobbing hard, so I felt comfortable driving to BLM land in the Clatsop Country Forest.  I have AAA towing up to 100 miles, so I have no fear going off the grid.  However, I still had cell phone service in the mountains, thanks to a well-placed tower.  Two bros of mine led me to Lost Lake this week for a getaway.  It’s stocked with thousands of trout begging to be plucked from the depths.  I watched my buddies fish for a few hours, while I played with the dog, and poured drinks.  I brought rum, and sparkling cider.  The Martinelli’s was an excellent chaser.

Camping at the lake, or in the parking lot is prohibited, so we made our own spot down another gravel road.  The lookout was spectacular.  Below you can see a valley, and the Nehalem river.  Which you can watch me and my Dad raft by clicking this link to YouTube.  The fish were cooked on a spit for an hour or so, and tasted delicious.  I wanted to take a bite out of the side of a raw fish, but I will save the sushi for when I’m being trendy in town.  Wasabi, soy sauce, and ginger are a must anyways.

Nehalem River viewpoint

I didn’t feel like waiting for food to cook, so I grabbed two bags of Mountain House food, and heated water on my portable butane camp stove.  It took four minutes to get it boiling.  Then I opened the food pouches, and dumped the water right in.  I resealed the grub, and in eight minutes I was ready to chow down.  Now normally I would share, or save some of a feast this size, but I went beast mode, and devoured both bags.  I combined the Mountain House biscuit and gravy meal, with scrambled eggs and bacon.  It was terrific!  I forgot to pack utensils though, so I used a six inch blade to carefully shovel calories into my face.  In case you are wondering, the knife I used is called the COAST F611.  It’s a survival tool I’ve been playing around with a lot lately, and I like it.

Camping food bag

mountain house meals

eating with Coast F611

trout fishing

 Dinner is served!  Even our dog got some fish.

fish on spit

Fire looking cool.

Pabst Beer can cup

Tactical Gypsy made his own coffee cup in the morning from a beer can.

VW Vanagon GL 1986

Shaggy the VW Vanagon is a tank, and handled the gravel roads like a boss. 

Roscoe Dog

In the A.M. my two bros, the mutt, and I went back to the lake.   I was busy getting fishing tips, journaling for fun, and doing basic breathing and stretching techniques.  I love my yoga!   We walked a trail skirting the water, and attempted to hook more gilled vertebrates.  The fish were teasing us.  Jumping out of the water and splashing near us.  We did see one breach the surface and smack into a floating log.  That was funny.  Not amusing was the dog getting all muddy and wet, then coming right up to me to shake off.  Of all the places.  I almost took a swim, but decided to save that for another time.  I didn’t need a bath that bad.  Besides, have you ever seen a clean hippie?  More from the road soon friends.  Best wishes. 

Lost Lake Fishing

 

 

Buying A 1986 VW Vanagon GL for Camping

Posted: May 13, 2014 in Adventures, Automobiles, Beach, Everyday Carry (EDC), VW Vanagon
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
2

By Cameron McKirdy

I bought myself a dirty hippy van.  Last week I took a gamble on a vintage Volkswagon Vanagon.  I was her knight in shining armor.  Her my companion for the open road.  The adventure is on.

Take a look at how I found her in Hammond, Oregon.  Plopped in a mud puddle.  Unloved.  Covered in bright green duct tape.  My baby started right up, and I went for a test drive.  The seller had to move immediately, so I scored the van for less than it’s worth – just $1,300.

0505142040

Don’t duct tape your car kids.  It sounds cool, but it’s NOT.  I’ve spent four plus hours peeling tape off of the paint, and getting the goo removed with citrus cleaner.  There’s still disgusting residue on it.  Plus, there was some water underneath.

duct tape van

Look at it!  Cleaning this should be a form of torture.  My finger tips hurt. 

van towShe broke down on day two.  Blew a hose and a belt.  It cost $65 cash to get her towed across town to a trusted mechanic.  

Yesterday I had to introduce my baby to Seaside Oregon’s finest surfing destination, The Cove.  I shot this HD video walk around, and filmed the interior.  I have lots of work to do, but at least the VW is clean.  I scrubbed the carpets and upholstery, and they came out fresh, exceeding my expectations.  Thanks to my Dad for helping gut her.  It was a big job, but now the Vanagon is in acceptable camping condition.  What should I name the Volkswagon?  Lots more soon.  Comment if you like.  Best wishes.

 

Having My Car Broken Into and Stuff Stolen with Tips

Posted: January 5, 2014 in Automobiles, Emergencies, Everyday Carry (EDC), Gear, SB Tips
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
4

By Katnip

2013 Chevy Camaro

How the Grinch stole MY Christmas. Two days after Christmas my beautiful, 2013 Chevrolet Camaro was a victim of crime. I thought I lived in one of the safer apartment complexes here in town. My bedroom is directly over the top of my carport on the second floor. I have a direct view of my car from the window. While I was sleeping, these thieves somehow managed to unlock my car without the alarm going off. (Apparently they make remotes to do so these days…thanks hackers of the world.) Why they chose MY car I will never know. One would naturally assume that a brand new car like mine would have a perfect lock and touchy alarm on it like Fort Knox. Well, my precious vehicle wasn’t well protected.

I’ve had my previous car broke in to before, and seen my things rummaged through. I’ve felt what it’s like to have your documents strung all over your car, and find your gear M.I.A. It’s awful. I should have taken the extra precaution like I have every other night and removed my valuables from the vehicle before locking her up for the night. I didn’t. I did have EVERYTHING out of sight. If you were to walk past my car, you couldn’t tell it’s a daily driver. I know better than to leave valuables out for prying eyes. I thought my stuff would be safe for one more night. Here’s a list of things I am kicking myself for, prepare to cringe:

– Canon Rebel EOS DSLR Camera with Lens, accessories, LowePro Camera Bag, and Cameron’s beloved camera tripod.

– iPhone 4S with car charger

– TomTom GPS with car charger

– Tool Box (Wrenches, Screw Drivers, Ratchets, etc)

– Jumper Cables

-My prized Bug Out Bag (As mentioned and pictured in this previous post)  Now I will create a new Everyday Carry bag with emergency supplies, and bring it inside no matter what.

In addition, who knows if they could steal my identity, as I had some sensitive documents in the glove compartment that they rummaged through too.

I’ve since taken proper measures to protect myself since, and hopefully regain my property again. I would like to share these tips with you so this same thing doesn’t happen to you.

– Keep ALL valuables in your home. Don’t take the chance like I did and assume that things are safe in the trunk and out the vision of creepers.

– Download the “Find Your iPhone” application and TURN ON YOUR LOCATION! (I had previously turned the location off the day prior because I felt it was nuking my battery. Dumbest thing I’ve ever done, because I had this app on my smart phone, and because I turned the location off, it wouldn’t lead me or the local police to where my possessions were.)

– If you find yourself in this predicament of having your things stolen from you, contact your local police department, file a police report.  Note: They wouldn’t come out, and recommended I fill one out online.

– Write a list of the items that were stolen from you, with serial numbers if available, and take this list in to the second hand shops, cellular stores, and local pawn shops.

– Contact your phone provider and register your phone as “Lost or Stolen.” If someone is dumb enough to try to activate the phone, the provider should confiscate the cell immediately and turn it over to either the police department or contact you to let you know your device had turned up.

– Scour all outlets of items for sale, such as eBay, Craigslist, Facebook sale pages, etc. Eventually, your stuff may turn up on one of those.

– Keep receipts of ALL expensive purchases that you have in your possession, my home owners insurance wouldn’t cover the items stolen from my car at my apartment, as I didn’t have proper sales receipts for these items….(They were gifts.) Things can’t be replaced if insurance can’t prove you never had them to begin with. 

I can recommend from personal experience that having your stuff stolen is not a pleasant thing to have happen. It detracts from valuable time I could have spent using my nice things to make my life easier. If you’re a car thief, I would like to leave you with this final note: You should be ashamed of yourself.  Work hard for your money so you can purchase quality belongings for yourself. Why steal from others that have actually earned their way in life? Karma is a bitch. Happy Travels!

Newer Entries