Headlamp Woes Got You Down? Campfire Guy here. Have you ever sung the headlamp blues? Did it squeeze your watermelon sized head and give you a headache? Were replacement batteries too expensive and hard to find? Were you 106 miles to Chicago, with a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, in the dark, wearing sunglass and lacking a good headlamp? Enter The UCO A-120 Comfort Fit. My mission today is to enlighten you on a unique…
So You’ve Got This New Scout, Now What? Campfire Guy here. One of the questions I get asked by families joining a Boy Scout Troop is, “What kind of gear are we going to have to buy”. Gone are the days of Cub Scouts where you crammed the family truckster full. Packing for Boy Scouts is going to look a little different than what you may have been used to. Here’s What You Need Below represents what most Troops will…
It Just Snowed, Who Wants To Sleep Outside? January 7th brought with it some of the coldest weather Dallas had seen in almost 6 years. I had some gear I wanted to try out and what better time than with light snow on the ground and twenty degree weather. The campout also brought with it my first foray into video. Part of this I streamed to Facebook Live, part of it I recorded and tried not to shiver to much….
Baby It’s Finally Cold Outside. Now What? Campfire Guy here. North Texas weather has been very erratic over the past week. On January 2nd it was warm and sunny. By January 6th we had light snow and temperatures hovering in the 20’s. Incidentally I camped out that night. As soon as I thaw out, I’ll be posting an article on that experience. To say that the seasons have been behaving like the guests on an episode of Jerry Springer would be…
Gifts Gone Bad Campfire Guy here. Merry Christmas! Hopefully, this morning you awoke to stockings and gift bags full of your favorite things. Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens or maybe an XBox. What If You Opened Up A Farting Santa? If your smile turned into a frown and your loot pile resembled the Island of Misfit Toys do not fret. No gift receipt, no problem! Farting Santa may have some use yet. Don’t just give it to Goodwill, save it…
6.2.17 Update: The original order of my three pot method was based on an erroneous printing of the 2016 BSA Handbook, 13th addition which has since been corrected in recent printings. The incorrect method list the order as Wash, Cold Sanitizing Rinse and Hot Rinse. The order below reflects the corrected method per the current BSA Handbook. Photos from the shoot are still based on the incorrect version. Campfire Guy here. If you’ve spent any time camping, hiking or killing time at…
Campfire Guy here. I’m in my second year as Cub Master of my son’s Cub Scout Pack. We’ve been fortunate enough to add twenty-four families, brand new to Scouting, over the past 18 months. We try to prepare them as best we can for Scouting by having a Q & A session shortly after they join. “How often do you camp, what is a den, what do I bring on a campout and what do you mean being in…
To Three Or Not To Three? Campfire Guy here. A buddy of mine recently asked me, “For three season camping, do I really need three sleeping bags”? We both live in Dallas and generally have tolerable camping weather from mid-September to late May. Our four seasons are Allergies, Blazing Hot, More Allergies and Cold. I’ve never camped in snow or weather below 20 degrees. While we do get the occasional ice and snow storm, Dallas freaks out and no one leaves…
Campfire Guy here. In an earlier post, I talked a little about my journey to find my first backpack. Well technically, I tried six packs, only keeping one, the Gossamer Gear Mariposa. The Mariposa is manufactured by Gossamer Gear, a cottage company, based in Austin, TX. Cottage in the sense their gear can only be ordered online, not in the sense porridge eating bears live in their offices. Ordering outdoor gear online, without having easy access to a return line is always a…
The Path to My First Hiking Backpack Campfire Guy here. Yeah, I’ve had six packs. Well, not in the washboard stomach sense. My belly, and it’s fondness for pie, nachos, and craft beer precedes me. Similar to the journey I had with family tents, the quest for my first backpack was no simple feat. Neither is touching my toes. Totes: My Erroneous Solution To Packing Light I first camped with my oldest son’s Boy Scout troop in 2014 and due…