Gallery

Outing 6/30/25

 If you've watched the channel for a while, you know that my trips can be, and are often whimsical and not planned. Todays short outing was just that, decided last night and off we went this morning.

I loaded up my canoe and we headed to a small lake that's close by. My goal was to see if sitting in the front seat would allow me to actually sit up and have stability. It didn't work out so I went back to using my little seat and sitting on the floor in front of the rear seat.

I also wanted to check out using the new kayak paddle for the canoe. Which did work out very well.

No Fuss Or Frills Ridgeline

 I packed up a bottle bag kit and headed off into the woods to show how to make an easy, no fuss or frills ridgeline. Three simple knots and when you're done a quick pull and the knots are all gone so packing back up your cordage is easy as well.

Step One:

Get out the cordage of your choice. I'm using basic 550 cord, but any cordage will work. I'd shy away from bankline though.

Step Two:

Loop the cordage around the tree, and with the working end, create a loop being sure that the working end loops over itself as in the 2nd picture.

Step Three:

Take your loop and press it over the non-working end. Make sure it's on top, as in the picture below, not under.

Step Four:

Take the working end and make a loop, then slide the loop under and through the first loop you make. See picture below.

Cinch it down like in the picture below.

Step Five:

Pull the knot tight around the tree.

The Other Tree.

Step Six:

Loop the cordage around the tree like in the picture below.

Step Seven:

With the non-working end (the end from the first tree) go back about 2 feet and make a loop.

Step Eight:

With two fingers reach through the loop you just made and pull the cord through making a slipknot loop.

Step Nine:

Now loop the working end through this loop and pull it tight. Using two fingers to hold it in place.

Step Ten:

Make a loop as pictured here. The snug it tight up against your fingers.

It should look like this now.

That's' it. You made a super easy but very tight ridgeline.

You can make another loop like the last as addition to further secure things.

I know it seems like a lot of steps, but once you have practiced this takes less then three minutes to complete, as you can see from the video below.

Outing 06/21/2025

 Sometimes curiosity gets the better of me, and such is the case of wanting to try using a rectangle tarp to make a couple of tarp shelters that are best set up using a square tarp. The enclosed tarp shelter and the plow point.

The tarp is an odd size of 9.5' by 12'. It was purchased because it had loops and grommets. But, the loops were a tad small so I added some paracord loops to all of them.

I packed up a couple of backpacks and my wife and I headed over to the camp my buddy and I have on his parents property.

Set up 1, the plow point. This was a non issue. The rectangle tarp worked out fine and it was huge inside.

Set up 2, the enclosed shelter. This one didn't go so well. I first tried setting it up with the short side going away from the tree. This was a no go. This was to short and not useable. It left no space inside as the longer side wasn't able to be tied out properly. But when I rotated it so the longer side was from the tree, and then a few mods I was able to get a useable shelter. I did have to make a few modifications from how this shelter is supposed to be set up. I had to make two tie outs from the back instead if one, and I had to stale the bottom/point end in two loops instead of one. This set up also defeated the purpose of this shelter, having a floor. The loops are not properly spaced like on a square tarp, so the floor gets lost with the modded set up.

Is the above tarp set up a complete loss? No, if you sleep on the ground most people have a sleeping pad of some sort, so this shelter using a rectangle tarp is still useable, but I'd suggest just going with a lean-to set up, a-frame, or even the plow point since the rectangle shape nullifies the entire purpose of the enclosed shelter, the floor.

While I was fussing with shelter 2, my wife made a fire. I had to make a mental note here, I had only taken a small fire kit consisting of a lighter and a fire starter tinder. She wanted to use a ferro rod, so going forward I have to remember to always have a ferro rod when the wife goes with me.

I would normally at least make up some coffee while over there, but it was a little on the warm side, not hot, but warm enough that the cool water hit the spot more then a hot coffee.

I also decided to fell a dead tree in the camp while there. It was not very firm and I knew just pushing it over would do it. I don't recommend this, but I just saw no need to break out my hatchet when the tree was wobblier then a drunk on New Years Eve.

That was it for this trip. The videos are below.