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
I saw this amazing elk herd when I drove to Del Rey Beach in Gearhart, Oregon. I parked my Volkswagen Vanagon in the lot, grabbed my HD camera, and snuck up on them all. I came from the beach, and quietly walked through tall grass from behind to get the shot. I hope you enjoy my footage. This is raw news produced for our alternative news community – Survival Bros. It’s not everyday Mother Nature allows us to see beauty on Earth like this. Experience it. Peace and love.
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.
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.
Look at it! Cleaning this should be a form of torture. My finger tips hurt.
She 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.
Jason shows off his big bad three wheeler at The Cove near the beach. This vehicle can carry massive amounts of cargo, and it handles extremely well. I’ve seen him drift it, and ride on two wheels down the prom in Seaside, OR. Like his survival cycle? It’s comfortable, and functional. You’ll see it coming with the contrasting red and flat black paint. Survival Bros loves that it’s high visibility, even though it sits low. The extra lights make it considerably safer on the road less traveled. Thanks for visiting our emergency preparedness blog. Enter your email on the top left of the screen to subscribe! Peace.
Survival Bros checks out the eroding beach, and efforts to save the sewer plant in Seaside, OR. The city has put up a small rock wall, but that hasn’t seemed to help much. Look at all the trees that have been swept away into the water. A running trail has also been destroyed due to Mother Nature. Thanks for visiting. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel to get all the updates.
I thought it would be fun to suffer, and film the superstorm we just had on the Oregon Coast in Seaside. I was blinded by the fierce pellets of water, and nearly perished smashing into a barricade when the brakes went out on my beach cruiser. All is well, and I think I scored some superb footage for Survival Bros followers. First is an HD video I filmed on September 28, 2013. I biked around Seaside, OR and showed off all the flooding and storm damage. I covered a lot of ground, and used my GoPro Hero 3 Black head camera to shoot the high-definition action.
On the next day, Sunday September 29th 2013 I biked into Seaside on another, much crappier bike because I got a flat the day before. I made it to the sand along the Pacific Ocean, right before the bicycle gave up on me. It fell apart, and had to be ditched in a bush. This video shows me walking on the beach while the storm sand blasted my body. Exfoliating.
My dad and I have been planning this one for awhile. We hiked half of the Ramona Loop and lots more on Mount Hood in Oregon. It was brutal. The hike was almost 18 grueling miles. We crossed the Sandy River several times, and were on the epic Pacific Crest Trail.
First I will list the gear in my day pack. I rocked a black Kelty day bag with a new U.S.M.C approved 3 liter Camelbak hydration system. I recently got that at a Navy Exchange. Here was my checklist: compass with whistle, emergency poncho, Mylar blanket, Bear Grylls Gerber Ultimate Survival kit, Moleskin plus padding, Coleman biodegradable eipes, caffeine pills, lighter, various fruit and nut bars, GoPro Hero 3 Black on my head, Panasonic TS4 digital camera, Vibrams, Coast LED flashlight with with white and red light, extra socks, Chapstick with SPF, cash, mace pen, Coast Rapid Response 3.0 knife, 12 hour glow stick, Tillamook County turkey jerky, natural bug spray, and hand warmers. My backpack was on the heavy side with all the extra stuff. It weighed maybe 25 pounds.
To begin we hiked from our spot at Lost Creek campground. It was an easy climb along the Sandy river. We crossed it on a temporary wood bridge to get to Ramona Falls. I’d never been there. It was spectacular, and massive. I filmed the waterfall, and snapped pics.
Along the way I spotted several types of mushrooms popping up. Unfortunately, king boletes are a few months away from harvest. I did find out at the Ranger Station that they only give out 20 mushroom collecting permits per day, and commercial hunting is not permitted. Amanita Muscarias are in season. But of course those are hallucinogenic and poisonous. I found a few russulas too. In addition, I identified and tried huckleberries. They aren’t my fav, but were better than nothing when I ran out of aqua.
We met lots of people on the trail. Most were on day hikes like us. The route from Timberline Lodge to Ramona Falls was popular. I wish we did that, because our hike sucked. We were mobbing hardcore for 10 hours straight. We only had a few brief breaks, just long enough to catch our breath, check the map, and grab a snack.
I wore new waterproof Columbia boots. They held up, and had lots of cushioning. My tall Nike Dri-Fit training socks helped too. They were dry at the end of the day, and shielded my legs as we bushwhacked the unpopular, overgrown trail. We almost didn’t make it back before nightfall! It was getting dark quickly in the forest. So we had to book it all day. I was dumping buckets of sweat. I went through my entire 3L hydration pack, plus 1.5 coconut waters.
The pain of hiking that much basically nonstop was draining. My feet hurt, knees ached, and balls were sore. Women complain about childbirth, but try hiking with a big pair. I stretched along the way, but my hamstrings were tight. If you plan on doing a trek like this, bring pain killers just in case. I will be sore tomorrow, but didn’t cramp up or anything. I managed.
It will be a day or so before I get back to civilization, and can upload pictures and HD video. I got great shots of the canyon, mountain, and river. The highlight of the day was when pops and I used sticks and hiking poles to cross the rapid Sandy river. It had a path of loose rocks and wet logs. We made it across fine, but my dad realized he left his boots across the river. I got a good laugh in and filmed him tip toeing to safety. So he had to cross 3 times then. He changed into sandals, and me the Vibrams, so we didn’t get our boots wet. More soon. Thanks for visiting the Survival Bros blog.
Dad crossing the Sandy River for the 4th time. He won’t leave his boots behind in the future.
WARNING – BLOG IS GRAPHIC, AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN.
Survivalism is hardcore. Man has to eat. My bro Tactical Gypsy took matters into his own hands, and seized an opportunity yesterday, killing a wild rabbit and cooking it on a beach bonfire in Oregon. He’s on the Paleo diet, and needs lots of protein to stay lean and healthy. He popped the furry friend with his Glock 40 upon first sight. One bullet put it down. Roger never knew what hit him.
Next, Tactical Gypsy had to clean the cottontail rabbit with the knife shown above. He also removed the cute little feet. It took about 45 minutes to smoke on the fire with some PBR baste. It’s a hearty meal for at least two. To cut up wood, the survivalist and former Marine battoned wood into small chunks with the Coast Products FX350. He is proud to rock this knife as part of this every day carry or EDC. It’s held up remarkably well, considering the tremendous beating Survival Bros has put on it. Great work demonstrating your ability to be self-sufficient Tactical Gypsy. Thanks for the story and picture. Survival Bros salutes you.
If you would like to share a story, photo, or idea with Cameron McKirdy at Survival Bros, please email thesurvivalbros@gmail.com. You’re awesome.
When you are in the field, your gear has to work. That’s why I pack the best in my bag. I’ve been testing both the Dukjug, and H2O Lite bottles from GSI Outdoors, featured in the HD video review above. I hiked out to Cape Falcon in Oswald West State Park. This Oregon State Park is wondrous, with vast ocean views, and wide waterfalls. The trail was muddy though, but I live to get dirty. It’s 2.10 miles to Cape Falcon from the parking lot on Highway 101. So it took about 45 minutes to get to where I filmed the product review.
The Dukjug is my favorite bottle. It’s stainless steel, and holds 1 liter. The design is fun, and colorful. It’s covered in peace signs, and funky tye dye, so this container fits my hippie personality. GSI Outdoors makes other designs of this jug too, and even a plastic version, all of which are BPA-free. Their Dukjug is unique, because it stores duct tape under the rubber band on the outside. Of course every prepper should have extra tape on hand just in case. I’d use this bottle for hot liquids, and mixing up drinks, like instant coffee or tea. It has a wide lid, so you can store anything inside, even food. The Dukjug tips the scales at 10.1 oz, and retails for $19.95. That’s a value, because unless you drop it off a cliff, it will last a lifetime.
The H2O Lite is super handy to have around. It’s collapsible, and weighs next to nothing, only 0.9 oz. I can just roll it up, and shove it in my backpack. It takes up virtually no space. I like that you can write on it, and date it. Plus, it has a cool cap so it doesn’t leak. When you want a cold drink, just pop the top, and squirt it in your pie hole. Graduations are marked on the back too, which could help with cooking when you need to use a precise amount of water. GSI Outdoors makes smaller versions as well. I would want to bring one of those on my shorter day trips when I’m going ultralight. If you need quality camping gear, look no further than this American company. They have a huge product line you have to check out. More reviews soon. Thanks for visiting Survival Bros. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog. Peace and love.
It’s not easy to set the alarm for 5:30 AM. But the prospect of free food was too alluring. My bro and I geared up, and went down to the beach in Seaside OR, right off of Avenue U. There were swarms of foragers looking for clam shows. The dimples in the sand were everywhere. We got our limit of 15 razor clams in about 30 minutes. Mission successful! We will be back soon. I hope my video entertains, and informs. We had fun shooting it. Maybe next time Survival Bros will show you how we cook the squirmy grub. Thanks for visiting this blog. Comments are always appreciated. Happy hunting. Peace and love.
This is just under the limit for 2 people with licenses.
Survival Bros by Cameron McKirdy 