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
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.
Starring Tactical Gypsy. A former Marine shares the EDC gear on his person, and in his tactical backpack. Thanks for watching Survival Bros. Please subscribe to us on Youtube for more, and on this blog.
Last week I requested a free product sample from Wise Company of their emergency storable food. I only expected one packet with four servings, but I got two entrees on the house. So I scored six servings in all. I will try at least one meal out, and let you know how it tastes. Get your own sample, good for up to 25 years, by visiting this webpage:http://wisefoodstorage.com/request-a-sample/
Update: The Savory Stroganoff was scrumptious. It was 100% vegetarian, but I added Parmesan cheese and black pepper. My sample was made on 10/30/2013, so it was super fresh.
In this HD video Survival Bros tests the SteriPEN Sidewinder UV Water Purification System. It’s hand powered, meaning it’s battery-free. I think it’s light-weight at 16.6 ounces, and compact enough to fit in a backpack with a height of 8.6 inches. The Sidewinder is perfect for camping, and emergency preparedness. Their moto is “safe drinking water anywhere.” That’s a noble mission, and one we can all appreciate.
Imagine knowing a hurricane is about to devastate your area, and seeing this on your shelf. I can’t picture a prep that would bring more peace of mind than the SteriPEN Sidewinder. This tool disinfects 8,000 liters of water that could be contaminated with bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. Those potentially harmful risks are getting eliminated thanks to the powerful UV lamp. Even a kid could operate this purifier. All you have to do is fill it, flip it, crank it, and drink it. In 90 seconds you have water you don’t have to worry about. Survival Bros is also grateful that the bottle is BPA-free, so you won’t be drinking chemicals that way. In the box you get the 1L container, water-tight bottle lid, and Pre-Filter for particulate removal.
The SterPEN Sidewinder is one of those products a prepper really needs. It’s a good backup to have, in case your regular water source is compromised, or you’re just off the grid. I have no complaints with this system. It feels well made, it works, and will continue to keep me safe for many years. They even offer a 3 year warranty. Plus, they are an American company. Check out their full line of gear at http://www.steripen.com There’s an ultraviolet light solution right for you. I’m sure you’ll see us testing more SteriPEN products in the future. We approve 100%!
SteriPEN Sidewinder UV Water Purification System for Emergency Preparedness
You gotta see Thompson Falls in Seaside, Oregon. This waterfall is gorgeous, but also extremely dangerous to get to. It’s located in the hills North of town. Please be careful if you do hike out there. Survival Bros will continue to bring you epic HD videos, but only if you continue to like, comment, and share these blogs. It’s all for you. Enjoy!
Survival Bros Founder Cameron McKirdy suggests you take advantage of free trial memberships at local gyms. Some fitness centers will give you a week, or up to a month of access at no cost to you. If you’re homeless, at least you can workout, stay warm, get water, socialize, and take a hot shower. Now you don’t have an excuse to train, even if you are broke.
Ready or not, my chubby puggle Mocha was going hiking with me. I took the pug/beagle combo to the top. She made the summit by herself, but it was a struggle. It was a sweltering 80 plus degrees out. My poor dog hasn’t been training hard lately. Her exercise routine consists of going from the couch to food and back. But Mocha and I have hiked, so I knew the 5-year-old mutt still had it. I remember the first time I let her off the leash on a trail. She was running back and forth, up and down it. The puggle was so excited to be out of the apartment. I couldn’t contain her. Once she even fell off a cliff as the bank eroded and I had to quickly swing her up by the leash and collar to save her. Mocha is much fatter now, but we are working on it.
When we got to Saddle Mountain State Natural Area her nose was working overtime. There were lots of people hitting the trail, and camping. I brought water, and gave the puggle breaks. I made her sit, and she would lay in the shade when she could. The hike is 5 miles round trip, but the elevation change is brutal. It’s 1603 feet to be exact, with the top at 3283 feet. Mainly I was concerned about her paws bleeding. There is lots of metal fencing on the ground to contain the loose rocks, and I didn’t know if that would bother her. On the way up I kept Moc on the leash, 1 because there’s cliffs, and 2 because lots of people were coming down the trail with dogs. I wanted to protect her. However, on the way down I decided it would be better to let her follow me off leash. She didn’t want to walk on the trail because the gravel was hurting her. So she waddled along side the main path, and didn’t hurt anything. Plus, it was getting late, and we were basically the last down.
On the way we checked out a geocache hidden on a side trail. I’ve found it before, but I wanted to see all the new stuff inside, and sign the log book again. Not many people locate it each year. I traded in a emergency paracord bracelet for a CD with clues to another cache. I’m getting into geocaching because it’s something fun to do while hiking, or when you’re just out and about. There’s more than 2 million geocaches planted around the world. This hobby also forces me to analyze and use maps too. I filmed Mocha and I checking out what was inside the ammo box this time.
After a few solid hours of hiking, Mocha, my cameraman, and I reached the peak. We all sat down and took in the majestic views of the North Coast. You can see the whole coastline, from Seaside well into Washington State. Poor Mocha was beat. She was gasping for air, and I was a little worried about her. We had just enough water left to quench her thirst, but more would have been nice. Usually there is a spring about halfway up that I feel is safe to drink from. My dog did lap up the puddle there, but I wasn’t getting on all fours. In the end, Mocha killed it. I was so proud of her. I kept her motivated with words of encouragement, smacking her butt, and tossing turkey jerky in her mouth. On the way back I told Moc we were going back to the car and home for ice cubes (her fav). My legs were jello, and Mocha was walking funny, but we accomplished the mission. Next time we will be even stronger, and smarter about it.
Mocha knew we were going to the top. If you want to rock a paracord bracelet for emergency preparedness made by Survival Bros, send $8 to cameronmckirdy@hotmail.com via PayPal. Thanks and best wishes from us both.
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.
I was on a mission today. It was too sunny not to train hard. I got a good sweat going.
It’s Spring Break! My hometown Seaside Oregon was full of life. The bumper cars, and mini golf course were finally open. The smell of freshly dipped corn dogs in the air. But I biked by, and checked out the action on the beach. I didn’t stay long. I was going for speed and distance today.
I did stop for a raw Synergy kombucha, and found a new green one with chunky chia seeds. It was dank. Slightly sweet. It’s full of healthy bacteria and blue-green algae. It’s an energizer. The convenience store also offered free reverse osmosis filtered water. I filled 2 big bottles, and packed them up to the gravel logging roads.
It was a great day, bursting with sun. I rocked out, and flew down the mountain. I had it to myself. I used the Nike+ GPS iPhone app to track my route and progress. I check Google maps a few times to make sure I didn’t take a dead end. A few of the hills were monstrous, and needed to be walked up, but I like mixing up riding with hiking.
With a few water breaks, and stops for a picture, I went 10.7 miles in 1 hour 50 minutes. I figured the loop would take 3 hours. It was a solid training session. I only laid the bike down once trying to muscle over a down tree. I slammed some protein when I rolled out of the woods and got home, just before darkness fell. I wish you were there, but you may have slowed me up. ;^].