In order for the trip to be successful and bring pleasure, you need to get enough sleep. Mountaineering, hiking, hiking, cycling, motorcycle or car tourism - in each case, special equipment and equipment is needed. Before every lover of active pastime, the question of choosing a sleeping bag becomes.
At the moment, there are many sleeping bags from various manufacturers, as well as my types and types, which makes the choice when buying an extremely problematic and time-consuming process. We will try to tell you in detail how to choose the right sleeping bag so that your camping trip or going out into nature turned out to be not only exciting, but also comfortable and safe for health.
How to choose the right travel backpack
Every novice tourist is faced with the need to choose a backpack. If you decide to go to wild places where it is not possible at any time to buy something forgotten at home, then the backpack should contain everything you need for an autonomous trip. Let's look at how to properly assemble a travel backpack and analyze the main types designed for long trips.
In this article we will try to figure out how to choose the right travel backpack? What are the differences between urban and hiking, men's and women's backpacks? What nuances are important to pay attention to when choosing?
Methods for cleaning and disinfecting water in natural conditions using improvised means
If you need drinking water in the wild, find fresh water- that's only half the story. In order to drink it and cook food on it, the water must be purified and disinfected. And it is necessary to firmly know that any water must be purified, if necessary, and disinfected before use.
Water suitable for drinking or cooking should be absolutely transparent, odorless, colorless and tasteless. Turbid water is a suspension of particles of various solids. Muddy natural water always needs to be cleaned first.
What is the best fishing hook and why?
Fish hook - although small, it is the main part of fishing tackle. But now there are a lot of varieties of hooks. Which is better and more correct to choose? It all depends on what kind of fish, at what time of the year and on what nozzles you are going to catch.
The most common are the following types of hooks: single, double, triple, with a long or short forearm, straight or curved, with a ring head or spatula head in various combinations. The hook number (size) is the distance from the forearm to the sting, measured in millimeters. The smallest hook is 2.5, the largest is 20, if you do not take into account the very exotic for huge fish and special gear.
Protection against mosquitoes, midges and other insects
In the warm season, almost every one of us is annoyed by mosquitoes, midges and other insects. Especially goes to summer residents and lovers of outdoor recreation. Mosquitoes and midges annoy not only on the street, they buzz and bite in city apartments.
TO mosquito bites, most of us treat without much attention: unpleasant, of course, but not scary. However, do not forget that a banal mosquito can easily cause quite serious troubles or complications. If you comb the site of a mosquito bite, you can get an allergy or even an infection. It is worth emphasizing that arbovirus diseases are transmitted through the saliva of mosquitoes, which after a few days can lead to fever or even encephalitis - inflammation of the brain. Therefore, mosquitoes must be fought without a twinge of conscience.
A mandatory attribute of any hike or just outdoor recreation is a tent. The question of choosing a tent is quite complex and is determined by many different factors. It will not be difficult to buy a tent, because, today, a huge number of options are presented on the market - tourist, expeditionary, camping and others. Each tent has certain parameters and features: size, weight, number of places, entrances and vestibules, quality of fittings and seams, water resistance, impregnation quality and others. All this matters and affects the cost.
First you need to decide: for what purposes do you need a tent? The answers can be summarized in three main ones:
Homemade rod or spinning rod holder
The oldest and most common "grandfather" way of a fishing rod stand is an ordinary horn, which fishermen cut right on the shore, from coastal trees, after which the stands are simply stuck into the ground or sand. But, besides the fact that it causes great harm to trees, such coasters are not very convenient, there is not always something to make on the shore and where to insert it (for example, a shore made of concrete slabs). Moreover, such supports can even damage the rod, especially when hooking. It is much easier to make a simple fixture yourself - holder for single rod or spinning rod, or group stand once and use for many years.
Trimmer boat motor
The idea of a light outboard motor for a small boat, including rubber, is of interest to many fishermen and not only. A motor that could become an alternative to an electric motor with heavy and not cheap batteries and a short power reserve plus no possibility of recharging in nature is a dream for many. If we add a relatively low price and versatility, that is, the ability to use it for other useful purposes, then the trimmer motor (mowers or lawn mowers - call it what you want) is not a bad option. And if you already have a trimmer, then it would not be bad to use it as an engine for a boat.
Why a trimmer? Lightweight, modern, "low drinker", with a built-in engine tank, with ready-made controls: throttle, starter. There is even a long "leg", what else do you need?
For a successful hunt, an animal or bird must be called to the hunter's position. The simplest and most common way is to imitate their feeding or mating call with the help of a decoy. We will not dwell on the need for decoy on the hunt, if you are here, then you understand this. Calls are of two types: electronic and brass. The wind call creates a certain sound like a whistle. This is the whistle, it is not expensive, there are many ways to make such a decoy yourself, it does not require power supply. This is where his merits end. There are not so many shortcomings, but they are very significant - it is difficult to find the identity of the sound of the call and the original, often not possible at all, one call - only one sound (of one animal or bird), limited volume, and therefore the territory of audibility, well, you have to blow - once or twice nothing, but all the hunting ...
Do-it-yourself auto hook for fishing rod, spinning
Auto hooking is often used when fishing - it increases the catch, allows you to fish with a large number of gear, allows you to do something else in parallel with fishing, and also realizes the ability to catch fish without being present at the time of the bite. Of course, you will not achieve a 100% catch when biting using auto-setting, but even without it, the bite does not always end with fish in the cage. But with a good bite, the chances of hooking a fish when using auto hooking are often greater than when hooking manually, when optimal time cuttings you can just miss. That's what fishing is all about. There are various schemes of auto hooks, they are all easy to manufacture, so making them yourself is not difficult, but you can also look in stores - for the lazy. Further material for those who want to make auto-cutting for a fishing rod or spinning.
Many people enjoy outdoor recreation. But while for the most part modern people do not want to part with the comfort and conveniences of home even when away from home. The devices that are collected in this review will help maintain home comfort and comfort even away from home.
1. Furnace
A unique solar-powered oven that will allow you to cook food without electricity at any time of the day. The unusual device consists of two aluminum concentrator blades that open up to capture the sun's rays and direct them to a vacuum tube that retains up to 90% of the collected thermal energy. A competent design of the invention allows the stove to heat up to 280 degrees in a few minutes, and a thermal battery based on beeswax will make it possible to cook even in the dark.
2. Pocket radio transmitter
The GoTenna mobile device is able to provide its owner with communication and Internet access in conditions total absence mobile network. The peculiarity of this device is that it does not depend on satellite communications, GSM or Wi-Fi, but is capable of transmitting a signal from a smartphone over a distance of up to 80 kilometers. Of course, the maximum result can be achieved only in isolation: in the forest, in the ocean or in the desert. In settlements, the distance is reduced to tens of kilometers. However, this will be enough for important negotiations, work on the Internet or saving someone's life.
3. Rocking chair
A stylish rocking chair made from recycled materials that converts kinetic energy into electricity. In addition, the chair is equipped with a generator, propulsion system, led lamp for reading and stereo speakers.
4. Coffee maker
A compact solar-powered coffee maker that will allow you to prepare a cup of natural coffee, wherever you are.
5. Tent
A unique tent that will allow you to charge your devices away from civilization. This happens due to the solar threads included in the structure of the fabric. To charge gadgets inside the tent, there is a special pocket with a built-in GPRS sensor, which will allow you to find your camping shelter and not get lost in the forest.
6. Portable shower
A small portable shower that will allow you to heat a small amount of water without electricity - useful thing at the cottage or on a hike.
7. Food containers
Original containers that will keep a small amount of food fresh. The peculiarity of this invention is that they do not have wires and do not consume electricity at all.
8. Washing machine
A unique invention in the form of a bag that will make it easy to wash clothes in field conditions. The principle of operation of the device is extremely simple, you need to put clothes inside a moisture-proof durable bag, pour 2-4 liters of water, liquid detergent, thoroughly knead the contents of the bag with your hands for 3-5 minutes. After that, the clothes should be rinsed with clean cold water.
9. Chain mail for legs
They say that the earth is a source of strength, and walking barefoot will help replenish the resources of vital energy, improve your health and get a powerful boost of optimism. Paleos shoes, similar to chain mail, will help you feel unity with nature and protect your feet from mechanical damage. The shoes are made of durable lightweight material with neoprene inserts that provide ventilation and protection to the feet. In addition, Paleos can be adjusted according to the anatomical structure of your foot, they are easy to clean and completely eco-friendly.
10. Beach mat
Sand on the beach litter delivers a lot of discomfort and can pretty overshadow the rest. The unique Beach Sand Free Mat blanket will help you forget about this problem forever, the unusual structure of which does not allow sand to linger on its surface even for a second.
11. Water filter
This plastic bottle is actually a portable nano filter capable of purifying water from bacteria, viruses and fungi. This happens thanks to a multi-level system of various filters that can literally turn any water into drinking water in just one minute.
12. Furnace-charging
A compact mobile oven that will allow you to charge mobile devices in conditions where there is no electricity. A travel oven-charging will allow you to combine cooking and heating with charging your gadgets. Unlike solar panels, BioLite CampStove is a real source of energy, which can be started with firewood and a special ignition compound.
13. Camping toothbrush
The original lighter-sized invention, which consists of a folding toothbrush and a container for pasta, will become a true companion of any traveler.
14. Speaker system
A powerful speaker system with a flip-down solar panel that absorbs the sun's rays and transforms them into electricity. Such a device will allow you to have a party in field conditions and enjoy your favorite tracks on a long trip.
15. Camping stove
A flexible magnetic belt that will allow you to cook food in field conditions without any electricity. You just need to wrap the belt around the pan, set the desired temperature and fasten.
16. Conditioner
Zero Breeze is a small portable air conditioner capable of battery operation at home and on the go. The advantage of this device is not only the air cooling function, but also the presence of a Bluetooth module, a lamp, two USB ports that will turn the air conditioner into a powerful wireless speaker.
17. Funnel for urination
The GoGirl urination funnel is designed to make life easier for women who go hiking frequently. With its help, you can easily cope with a small need, even in the most severe cold.
Those who love to spend time outside the city but rarely go camping know how difficult it can be to keep matches dry, quickly light a fire or cook hot breakfast. However, experienced travelers know how to make homemade products for a hike with their own hands without much effort. Each of these devices at a minimum cost will greatly facilitate the life of beginners and experienced tourists.
Camp jet stove
Perhaps this is the most expensive tourist home-made for the trip, which will be discussed. The fact is that for its manufacture you will need to purchase two small stainless steel mugs in advance. Such a stove will make it easy to heat water for tea or fry scrambled eggs. Of course, a gas primus stove is much more convenient in this regard. But the gas can run out, and this little device runs on wood, which can be found in abundance in any planting.
For work you will need:
- inexpensive mugs with a diameter of 10 and 12 cm, made of stainless steel;
- masking tape or strip of paper;
- a strip of stainless steel 25 cm long and 3-4 cm wide.
In addition, you need to prepare tools:
- grinder or hacksaw for metal;
- roulette;
- hammer;
- drill and drills;
- marker;
- pliers;
- core;
- metal scissors.
What do we have to do
In order to make such a homemade product for a hike, it is important to act very carefully and in accordance with the following instructions:
- We start by processing a mug of a smaller diameter. First of all, cut off the handle - it will not be needed.
- Now we carefully grind the places of its attachment with a grinder using a cutting disc. If necessary, help yourself with pliers. The result should be a kind of stainless steel glass.
- Departing from the edge of the workpiece about one centimeter, we paste masking tape around the circumference. Peel it off again and mark the strip into 12 divisions. This is necessary in order to drill 12 holes around the circumference of the workpiece at the same distance from each other. If there is no adhesive tape, you can use a regular strip of paper, moistening it a little with water.
- We transfer the marking back to the mug, paint over the necessary places with a marker and use a drill and a drill to make small holes.
- We remove the adhesive tape and drill the resulting holes to a diameter of 10 mm.
- We pass to the bottom of the workpiece. There you need to mark 21 holes. To make it beautiful and neat, you can outline the contour of the bottom on a sheet in a box and first mark the holes there.
- Having slightly moistened the paper with water, we glue the workpiece to the bottom and core the places of future holes. We mark them with a thin drill, and then increase the diameter of each to 7-8 mm.
- Now let's get to work with the second, larger mug. We turn it over and mark a circle with a diameter of 10 cm in the center on the bottom.
- We drill a convenient hole in the center of the mug and cut out the circle with metal scissors.
- In the upper part of the mug, also stepping back a little from the edge, we drill several holes with a diameter of 10-12 mm, evenly distributing them around the circumference.
- We collect the stove. To do this, turn a large mug upside down and insert a metal glass with holes made from a smaller mug into the resulting hole (in the normal position, bottom down). The workpiece will be tight to enter, so you can place a small board on top and gently tap on it with a hammer.
- It remains to make a cross. To do this, you need a steel strip. We cut it in half, then cut each half in the middle so that the parts can be inserted one into the other.
The oven is ready. If you install it on a flat area and melt it, the fuel supply is enough even to boil a kettle. In this case, the handle will remain cold, so that the device can be safely extinguished or moved to the right place.
"Bombs" for the fire
Considering homemade products for hiking and tourism, it is impossible not to pay attention to lighting a fire. Those who often do this in nature, especially after rain, know that this is not an easy task. In order for the fire to always flare up quickly and easily, it is better to stock up on special paraffin “bombs” before going out. Making them is very easy. You will need:
- egg carton;
- cotton fiber, such as cotton wool;
- wax candles (2-3 pieces).
Everything is done very simply. Put a lump of cotton wool in the cells of a cardboard stencil - it is better to tear it and tamp it a little. In an unnecessary tin can in a water bath, melt the candles, after cutting them into pieces.
Pour the cells with cotton wool with melted wax, wait until everything hardens. Using a clerical knife, cut the stencil into pieces and wrap each “bomb” in cling film. Each blank, set on fire with a match or lighter, will burn stably for at least twenty minutes. This is quite enough to dry the wet brushwood a little and kindle a fire.
bottle filter
And here's another one useful homemade for a hike. With its help, you will not be left without tea, even if the entire supply drinking water will be used up. The main thing is that there is a small river or rates nearby.
To make a simple filter, you need to prepare:
- plastic bottle;
- a small ball of cotton or 3-4 cotton pads;
- plastic bag;
- a piece of cloth, such as a clean handkerchief;
- a pack of activated charcoal - if you don't have one, a few charcoals from yesterday's fire will do just fine.
Operating procedure
The scheme for creating a homemade filter is very simple:
- We cut off the bottom of the bottle, and make several holes in the cork. We wind the cork and turn the bottle upside down.
- We plug the neck with a lump of cotton wool or place 2-3 disks there.
- The next layer is crushed activated charcoal tablets. The more of them, the better. If you are using charcoal, then the pieces should be broken a little so that they lie as tightly as possible to each other.
- We cover the coal again with cotton pads or cotton wool.
- Place a clean handkerchief on top to keep the filter from clogging.
- We cut off a corner of a plastic bag or make holes in it. Place the cellophane in the bottle.
- Now we pour a layer of clean river sand. If there are small pebbles on the shore, it can also be used by placing the topmost layer.
Note! Layers should be such that there is room for water on top.
The filter from improvised materials is ready. Water obtained in this way must be boiled (at least ten minutes) in order to finally get rid of various microorganisms and pathogenic bacteria.
Hot gun without electricity
There are times when you need to fix something urgently. How to do it? It's best to grab some hot gun rods from home. But how to use them? Now you will know.
To make a camping hot gun, you will need:
- lighter;
- can;
- insulating tape.
It is very easy to make such a useful and necessary homemade product for a hike:
- with the help of a knife, we cut off the bottom and top of the can, and cut it along itself so that we get a sheet of thin tin;
- we roll a small bag out of it, fasten it with electrical tape;
- cut off the tip so that glue passes through the hole;
- with the help of electrical tape we fasten the lighter from below like a pistol trigger;
- insert the glue stick into the hole.
The device is ready! Now it will be very easy for you to seal up a torn boot or make minor repairs to equipment.
Everyone loves tourism. And if someone claims that he does not love, then he simply does not have enough comfort in the field. A selection of homemade ideas for hiking will help you find comfort in a forest clearing. It is easy to make these things with your own hands. And the tourist will need only improvised materials.
Fire and hearth
A camping trip is impossible without a fire, so the list of must-have crafts consists of "fiery" accessories. For example, a small burner made from a tin can.
On such a light, you can easily cook a dish for one person or boil water. It is important to remember that the container is hot, and you should not grab it even half an hour after use.
If you equip the grate from the old refrigerator with metal legs, you can get a mini-barbecue for a quick lunch. When there is no time to build a fire, such a device will save the tourist from hunger.
Another option for a compact fire is a tin with a folded piece of cardboard. The device will burn due to the air in the corrugation cavities. For best results, you can impregnate the paper with fuel. You can’t cook dinner on such a fire, but it’s quite possible to warm your hands.
This design will help keep the fire going. As it burns, the wood will be fed into the fire, rolling towards the center.
Convenience and comfort
A long hike includes accommodation in a tent. Tourists will benefit from this compact holder for toilet paper. To make it, you need a plastic cup. right size. Most likely, a new roll will not fit in the container, so it makes sense to stock up on started packages.
In order not to toil with plastic utensils and not to carry heavy utensils to the mountains, it is recommended to shorten an ordinary spoon and fork. The handle of the device is wrapped with paracord according to the bracelet weaving pattern. The resulting keychain can be hooked onto a backpack or fanny pack.
And if the appliances are left at home, you can make a spoon in five minutes using a plastic bottle. It should be cut according to the scheme shown in the photo.
The model of such a washstand is most likely familiar to everyone since childhood. But the idea is still helping out tourists and summer residents.
This blank of dry leaves and natural rope will help to light a fire even after rain.
Life hacks for tourists will be an excellent instruction on how to find comfort in the field. To do this, you only need improvised materials and a little time.
At the end of last season I tested the Term-a-rest Neoair xlite inflatable and loved it. Of the advantages, high thermal insulation properties (R-value> 3) with low weight (350-460 g) and a huge plus for sleeping comfort can be noted. Of course, he has his shortcomings, but now is not about that. It is necessary to inflate this mat by mouth, which is quite simple, but there are several nuances: Firstly, the temperature of the air from the lungs is higher than that of the surrounding air, and therefore, after a while, the mat is inflated due to air compression during cooling. Secondly, moisture from the lungs enters the mat and is deposited on the walls there, reducing thermal insulation and increasing weight. I have no idea how to dry this rug, so I thought about the pump. On the American Internet, I found a very good option ultra-light mat pump. But, as usual, we do not have all the goods from the nearest supermarket, which by some miracle in diameters and threads are ideally suited to tourist equipment (this is not the first time I have come across this). Therefore, I upgraded the design to our realities.
To make a pump for a rug, we need:
- plastic bottle of lemonade - any
- Garbage bag, I used a 60 liter
- A piece of rubber or neoprene ~ 3mm thick, rubber is better, but I only had neoprene
- Hacksaw with fine teeth - I used a hacksaw
- Knife with a narrow blade
- Scissors
- Sandpaper
Let's get started (I apologize in advance for the quality of the photo - my daughter helped me take pictures, it was a debut for her :)). The first step is to saw off the neck of the bottle just below the ring on the neck. The safety ring that remains from the cork after the first unscrewing must also be removed. Carefully sand the saw cut or cut off the burrs with a knife.
The next step is to cut a hole in the cork with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the valve on the mat. An exact match is not needed here, the main thing is that the flap of the mat easily falls into the hole. This operation is conveniently done with a short thin knife.
Next, a washer should be cut out of neoprene or rubber with an outer diameter equal to the diameter of the cork, and an inner diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the mat valve. Our American colleagues are deprived of this step, because they can buy this washer in the plumbing department and it will fit perfectly with their bottles and rugs.
If made of rubber, then you can give a small allowance. I made it from neoprene, so the first version of the hole turned out to be too big, the neoprene stretched and let air through. I had to make the second option - smaller.
Now we need to make a chamber in which air will be injected. For this, any package is used. I took garbage bags "especially strong" The bottom corner of the bag should be cut off so that the resulting hole could be pulled tight on the neck of the bottle.
It remains to insert the rubber washer into the cork and screw it onto the neck with the bag.
If you made a gasket from rubber, this process ended, if from neoprene, like me, then you have to tinker a little more. The fact is that neoprene is much softer than rubber and when pumping air, the pump can fly off the valve. Therefore, for control, I also put on an elastic band for money to hold the pump on the valve.
Now you can upload. This is done by trapping air through the throat of the bag and then squeezing the bag itself (below is a video demonstrating how to do this). Don't forget to open the flap on the mat. There is no need to rush, otherwise the package may be damaged. Loads up pretty fast. I tested only at home, I wonder how this pump will behave in the forest, where the needles are raining and other weather conditions.
The weight of the entire product was less than 20 grams, which is noticeably lower than the proprietary solution. The maintainability of such a pump is very high, if you are afraid that the package will burst, you can use two packages by inserting one into the other or take a spare with you.
As a result of test tests, it turned out that I inflate a size L (196x63 cm) mat with my mouth in 1 minute and 16 seconds and in 16 breaths, although my lung capacity is larger than the average. At the same time, I begin to slightly hyperventilate. And with the help of a pump, I pumped up the same rug in 5 minutes and at the end the neoprene pad could no longer withstand the pressure and poisoned the air. I had to blow my mouth a couple more times. Apparently, it will be necessary to replace the neoprene with rubber and repeat the experiment. Here is a video demonstrating the operation of this pump.
Summarizing, we can say that the prototype turned out to be quite working, but in the end the pump cannot cope with the increased pressure, requiring final pumping by mouth. There is still room for improvement here. But in general, I am satisfied with the preliminary result - I will test it in the fields.
