Love and kindness are the very basis of society. If we lose these feelings, society will face tremendous difficulties; the survival of humanity will be endangered. - Dalai Lama
I get a kick out of being an outsider constantly. It allows me to be creative. - Bill Hicks
The status quo sucks. - George Carlin
“If the fool would persist in his folly, he would become wise.” – William Blake
See what car living is like for a gypsy travelling on the road in HD video. I think he has a great gear setup for van dwelling. I’m jealous of his sink, with a clever gravity fed water system, harnessing an inexpensive solar shower. Plus, his lighting setup works, and didn’t cost much, thanks to a trip to Dollar Tree. You can’t tell Hugh is in there either, since it’s a cargo van without side rear windows. The dark exterior paint color blend into the darkness, making him more stealth. I like what he has done to insulate the metal sides with cardboard and aluminum tape. Hugh knows the cardboard is organic material, and will eventually decompose, but it’s easy to replace with fresh insulation later. Even the interior wall panels are stuffed with recycled shopping bags for added warmth. We list all of the car camping items for you to spark your imagination, but is there anything you’d add to the recreational vehicle? More van dwelling videos on the way. Stay tuned to Survival Bros.
Survival Bros smashes the screen of a cellphone with a new COAST Products F611 Tactical Field blade. It was total destruction! The carbide tip can also muscle through regular glass, Plexiglas, and plastic. It’s a sturdy knife, and I usually have it handy at the bottom of my backpack, just in case. The F611 is a solid tool for camping, because it can help you process wood for a fire, or even when creating an emergency shelter. You’ll like working with it, and it’s guaranteed by COAST.
Please SUBSCRIBE on YouTube, like, comment, and share if you want more HD videos. Visit the COAST Products for more gear, and information. Here’s the link to my other blog on Art, and video production. http://www.cameronmckirdy.com
Tech Specs:
Cost $43.99 Retail
7Cr17 stainless steel blade
6.0 in. blade
11.0 in. overall
10.8 oz.
Tactical elastomer handle on stainless steel frame
I stopped by Yogi Tea Headquarters in Springfield, Oregon today. After buzzing the doorbell I was welcomed inside, out of the rain. They don’t give tours of the building, but offered me a handful of sample tea packets to try. I took my time investigating each type, but ended up taking every kind I think. Pictured are new varieties I’ve never seen on store shelves before. You can find Yogi teas by the box at nearly every health food shop. They are delicious. I’m grateful for the hookup. It paid off to stop, and inquire. These will go into my EDC bag immediately for later consumption. But I got two of their Roasted Dandelion Spice Detox formula, so I will have to drink that tonight.
Update: I went back for this picture of the free sample bowl at headquarters. I scored 11 more packets from Yogi. Visit them in Springfield, OR for a hook up.
Help yourself to unlimited free tea just for stopping by
Survival Bros goes car camping, and cooks food with the new Pinnacle Base Camper Large from GSI Outdoors. The slick gear features their nFORM Destination System, offering a nesting design for compact storage. Watch in HD video as I show you how it works, and clean it with ease.
The camp cookware is top quality. Each item is designed for hard use, and extended durability. The Teflon coating on the two pots, and large skillet is abrasion resistant, so harmful chemicals won’t be scratched off into food. Plus, the metal is proven to distribute heat evenly, for quick cooking. You can see in the vlog how my food is boiling over the entire radius. Also, GSI Outdoors has developed every product they make to be BPA-free. That’s good, because I don’t want my hormones being disrupted. This Washington State based company has the excursion items you need. Carrying around swag from them makes my life much easier, because it does the job, and lasts.
The Base Camper Large is ideal for a group of four, so I intend on using it when I entertain while tenting with friends, or I’m just super hungry. You’ll be glad you got a set like this if you enjoy camping, an preparing meals outdoors. Retail price is $109.95. Visit GSI Outdoors for more info, and check out the Pinnacle Camper set for the ultimate, integrated cooking and eating solution.
Are you a natural scavenger like me? I often dream about prepping for disasters by roaming the streets, searching for anything I can use; pens, paperclips, tape, food, water, First Aid supplies. It’s crazy how much people in America through away. Lots of items in the trash are still good, another man’s treasure.
I made a pit stop at Goodwin Park at 1172 Necanicum, on the corner of 12th in Seaside, Oregon. When I got out of my Volkswagen Vanagon, I noticed I had rolled over eight AAA, and AA batteries. So I did the natural thing, and busted out my HD camera for a vlog rant. Turns out these energy sources were still full of life. They must have fallen out of someone’s vehicle or bag. I swooped them up, and put them in my EDC backpack for storage. I have many flashlights, and headlamps that could use these batteries later.
What have you scavenged around town or in the woods? It’s always fun to find stuff you can use, especially money. But don’t get too attached to anything, because you could lose it also. Like the time when I recently found $20 on the ground, put it in my pocket, only to realized it fell out of my jacket before I could blow it!
One of my favorite activities do to for myself is taking a trip to an isolation chamber, or flotation tank in PDX. The two spas Survival Bros have checked out are Float On, and Common Ground. Both are open to the public, just call ahead before you try this form of alternative medicine. There’s many benefits to floating, but in general it’s excellent for meditation, and relaxation. Specifically, I use this type of therapy for an improvement in circulation, and to enhance creativity.
So how does it work? Well, the video interview featuring Joe Rogan is a good place to start your journey. But since I have experience, here’s how it went when I stopped by Common Ground at the Everett House Healing Center and Spa. They are located at 5010 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, OR 97211. First, I reserved a floating session by phone (503-238-1065), which cost $65 for 90 minutes. If you call them, and ask for a promotion, you may be able to get a better rate. There’s two tanks here. Common Ground is a wellness co-operative, so consider becoming a member for more savings. It’s a wonderful environment, bursting with plant life outside, and welcoming people all around. The reception area is cozy. Shop, explore other services, such as massage, or you can help yourself to a beverage like hot tea. Check in for your float, then grab an over-sized towel and hit the showers and sauna. Beware, locker room may be coed at times, so you may see some boobies.
After loosening up in the sauna, and breaking a sweat, I rinsed off again, and took off my bath towel. I slipped into the dark tank, and got settled in. Using earplugs is recommended, so one more bodily sense is cut off from The World. That’s the idea. You use an isolation chamber to go inside yourself, work through issues, and make discoveries. A floating air pillow supports your head and neck. Then you simply lay there in darkness, mostly submerged in salty water. The Epsom solution is ideally the same temperature as your skin, at 93.5-95 degrees. So as you relax, you begin to lose a sense of where your body ends, and where the The Universe begins. It’s like being thrown back into the womb. Finally, you’re alone with yourself again, and can process life better.
Follow the links provided to find out more benefits of flotation tanks. You’ll begin to discover how it changes your brain. If you try out an isolation tank, you may feel your mind bending. According to Common Ground in Portland, OR this “stimulates left/right brain synchronization; shifts brain waves from Beta to lower frequency Alpha, Theta and even Delta; creates mental clarity, alertness; increases creativity, problem solving; heightens visualization; deepens meditation; expands awareness, intensifies acuteness of all the senses, accelerates learning.” Sign yourself up. If you try this, you won’t be disappointed. It is not a waste of time. It’s something new to most, and good for you on many levels. Leave a comment if you have additional questions, and I will do my best to answer them. I will explore this topic further, and blog more about floating soon. Cheers.
I needed to fly away. I packed up my huge 110 Liter Kelty backpack, and boarded a plane for Denver, CO. Listening to Dre, Snoop, Hendrix, and Wiz set the mood on the ride. My brother lives in brick apartment downtown, and was generous enough to let me stay one week there. He showed be around, mentioned cool spots to frequent, but mostly I just got high a mile above the sea level I swam from.
Staying in the historic Capital Hill district, there were Marijuana Dispensaries within walking distance. I anticipated the treats I’d savor, and the bud I’d put in the air. The AMCH hooked me up with all sorts of medicated goodies, as seen in the pictures below. Of course, I didn’t get the best deal as a Oregon resident, compared to people with medical cards. I will say, however, it’s good to know friends in high places for the best stuff. I showed my OR ID, and purchased a bag load of THC infused gummy and taffy candies, cookies, Ear Wax, Pixie Sticks, strains of Indica and Sativa, and a very special Chocolate Rice Crispy Treat. The green, gooey bar was loaded with 500 milligrams of activated THC. The label warned of couch lock, and I found out that’s a real thing. After eating all of it, it took too much energy to move. I watched Judge Judy for 3 days straight. Sure, Denver is a fun city, but I didn’t visit there to act trendy, and fit in. So I smoked every 15 minutes, and got fatter. It sounded better than trying to pick up chicks. I had a hard enough time trying to pick out a can of coffee that wasn’t decaffeinated. And with the thin air up there, picking up anything is difficult, especially females. I’d need an oxygen mask for sex.
I felt free being able to carry a fat bag of smoke, and edibles down the street without worry. Now, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and D.C. have ended marijuana prohibition. Measure 91 in OR has been years in the making. With a tax on it, everyone wins. Except the people that have never tried pot, and refuse to. Ignorance is a dying breed. If you haven’t puffed weed, do all stoners a favor, and don’t comment on something you don’t know anything about. Weed is real medicine. So ditch the pills, and consider Nature’s cure for just about everything – MARIJUANA!
Flying over the Rockies.
Dank nuggets.
Ride a bike for FREE downtown.
SWAT at Denver’s City Hall
Denver Fire Department
Burgers and Fries for me!
AMCH serving the public for recreation and medicinal.
Best food ever.
Intense medicine 500 mg. THC
My marijuana stash for the week.
Cone jays label.
Individual joints.
One love.
Weed cookie munched.
We’re so high…
Check out different pot varieties, and the AMCH shop in Denver, CO
My fellow Oregonians rejoice the news that Measure 91 has passed, and weed in legal in our State!
The colors! Witness two magical rainbows going into the Pacific Ocean water. Filmed in HD video on the Prom near 12th Ave. in Seaside, Oregon. Produced by http://www.cameronmckirdy.com More fun movies, and van dwelling Vlogs coming soon. The Volkswagen Vanagon is still putting around. Thanks for visiting my website. Have you ever seen a double rainbow in person? It was awesom. I love The Universe.
Car camping is one of my favorite blog topics. I hope you find it interesting too. Here’s a checklist of my top foods to store in your vehicle. Many items instantly turn into grub by adding hot water. I got ideas for the perfect van dwelling foods by watching YouTube videos of Thru Hikers packing for their long distance trips. Search for Pacific Crest Trail aka PCT, or Appalachian Trail Backpackers online.
Ziplock bags are a trusted way to keep organized. You can even write on the outside with a permanent pen to label things. Plus, plastic sacks maintain some protection from water, rats, an other elements. Let me know if you have any questions about my setup. Add several gallons of distilled and spring water (not pictured), and I’m ready to go off the grid for weeks. I’m stocked up on:
Honey with ginseng, bee pollen, and royal jelly
Drinks: water, aloe water, coconut beverages, teas, fruit juices
Soups in cans to heat and serve, and powdered packets
Protein Powder, plus various green powders (wheat grass)
Pasta Sides, and Dishes like Top Ramen
Dehydrated Food such as Mountain House Freeze Dried Meals (Apple Crisp is my favorite)
Fruit: Fresh Produce like apples and bananas, also fruit strips, bottles, and cans
Nuts and Seeds like Almond and Hemp
Granola Bars, and Oatmeal
Instant Coffee, instant milk
Condiments: Packets of butter, salsa, pepper, salt, raw sugar, mayonnaise, ketchup, and everything else Free and Holy
Canned meats: Flavored tuna, Spam, Chicken Salad with crackers
Scary GoPro Black High-Definition video footage at Devil’s Cauldron from Survival Bros. Shot with my HD Head Camera on, while walking above a rocky cliff near the Oregon Coast Trail. This state long hiking trail follows the shore, and includes sections on paved Highway 101. These cliffs are close to the Neahkahnie Mountain trail head. More GoPro videos coming soon on this blog. Exciting, I know!
Be safe outdoors. And remember, it didn’t happen unless there’s video proof of it. Email me at thesurvivalbros@gmail.com if you have questions, comments, or would like to share an article/something you’ve produced. I’m always looking for EDC pictures. So let’s see the pocket dumps, and which items you find useful daily. Thanks.
Survival Bros by Cameron McKirdy 