Water Filters

What do filters, filter?

Camp/Hiking filters primarily filter out sediment and pathogens (bacteria, protozoans, and viruses). What most filters do not filter out are chemicals, medications, pesticides, and heavy metals.  There are carbon filters that can removed some of these other contaminates.

Safety - All filtering of water is making an educated guess. You are responsible for any decision you make for yourself and family regarding filter of water.

I personally carry a 100 oz Camelbak bladder and *(2) Nalgene water bottles.  Yes this is a lot of water.  Yes its heavy if you count ounces.  Yes you must have water to LIVE.

I also personally employ a two part system.  I first filter all my water with a Sawyer Mini (0.1micron filter).  If I feel the water is sketchy I add Aqua Mira solution.  Additionally I do what I can to check for water information about my local water sources in the area I will be traveling. Once I arrive I assess the area I'm in and make my final decision.  Most parks have information about local water supply either on there websites or when you call the park office.

There are a variety of filters, ceramic, chemical, hollow membrane, carbon among others. Each filter has advantages and disadvantages you have to decide for yourself what would work best for you.

You can read for days about filtering and who's the best.  What you need to consider is what's your goal?  Drinkable water....  And how do you want to achieve that?  Boil, filter, chemicals, or drink and pray?  Your choice.  Good luck.

First Aid - Cuts/Abrasions

First Aid - Cuts/Abrasions

Cuts and abrasions are going to be part of any outdoor adventure or even "end of the world" event.  The key here is to take care of them quickly and prevent infections.  Today infection is typically not a big deal.  If you would happen to get and infection you simple go to the doctor and get an antibiotic.  Out in the wilderness on a weekend hike days from civilization or EMP event and no organized care left a simple infection could kill you.

1)  Clean out the wound with clean water.
2A)  Abrasion - clean and apply ointment, apply light bandage or let it breath

2B)  Small cut - control bleeding and apply small amount of ointment (triple antibiotic ointment), and adhesive bandage (band-aid)

2C)  Large cut/lacerations - control bleeding, apply non adhering dressing, wrap with gauze. (do NOT apply ointment)  Larger wounds, cut/lacerations need time to heal from the inside out.  The ointment may cause the wound to heal on the outside trapping infections leading to bad ju ju.

3)  Keep all wounds clean change bandages regularly.

4)  Keep and eye on the wound for signs of infections; redness, feeling hot, pain unusual for type of wound.

Photo credit: SteadyHealth.com

Things to keep in mind:
1)  Head wounds produce lots of blood quickly.
2)  Blood goes a long way.  Relative to the amount of blood a body holds 8oz of blood looks like 1/2 gallon when you see it spread over a loved one.

The 5 P's

The 5 P's

Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance

Following the 5 P's can save you plenty of time and headaches.  It's simply a matter of taking a little extra time in the beginning to save time and headache later.

#Try - Take a few minutes before you go to bed to organize your next morning. I.E., what you want to eat, what you need to take when you leave the house for work, list of things you need/want to do tomorrow through out your day.

Enjoy your next easy morning!  Since you will be Prepared!

Scabs are good!

Scabs are good!

Play time is hear and clothing is limited, that means we are all going to be getting cuts and scraps, maybe even a little road.  Most of these we can take care of at home successfully with a few simple steps.  Things get a bit more complicated with limited supplies and/or when in the wilderness.

Note about scabs,  as unsightly as they are scabs serve a very important role. 1) stop the bleeding 2) reduce infection 3) protect and aid in the development of new skin 4) reduce scaring.  Scabs are good!

With any wound one of the greatest concerns is infection.  Infections can be annoying or life threatening.  Recently a friend of my got a very small scratch at work.  Cleaned the wound with soap and water as soon as possible.  Several weeks later that friend was diagnosed with MRSA.  Point being you can never be to careful.

Tip#4 - Cleaning your wounds.
Water - In many cases water will do the trick.  Mild soap can be added as long as the wound is not to deep/open.  Running water over the wound for several minutes is beneficial.  When you run water over water for several minutes what your doing is allowing the water to loosen up the foreign material in the wound.  What is powerful.  

Water is powerful.  I know what some of you are thinking well yeah that was caused by a lot of water.  CORRECT.  Now you get it.  You need a lot of water.  Rinsing a wound for 10-15 seconds is better than nothing but rinsing for 2-5 minutes has more benefits.  Clean water is limited in the wilderness there is a tool called a syringe splash guard.  This splash guard is used with a syringe and allows you to direct a powerful stream of water and clean the wound with less water.  When packing to head out for the wilderness do what you can to take some sterile water and a syringe with splash guard. Obviously this will require you to plan ahead.

Peroxide - The old bubbly stand by hydrogen peroxide...  I'm going to pass this along for you to make your own informed decision.  I'm not a physician one resource is Web MD-Peroxide.  Interesting read.  It basically states Peroxide can actually harm some of the good tissue and cell that are at the wound site and cause the wound to take longer to heal.  

Antibiotic ointment - Applying a small amount of antibiotic ointment is good for infection control and keeping the bandage from sticking.  I use triple antibiotic ointment.  One thing to remember is that you need to ensure the wound is cleaned out well so that infections does not get trapped inside a wound that has closed on the top.  An abscess can form.  Which and be very painful and may end up need a doctor visit.

Bandaging - Bandaging is good for wounds it keeps additional contaminates out of the wound and it protects the wound from rubbing on clothing, tables or bumping against things.  One key with bandaging is that it just needs to cover the wound and protect it.  The bandaging should not be tight or thick just cover the wound.  A bandage that is not tight will allow air to get to the wound.  In the wilderness you have to ration your bandaging.  Just enough to do the job.  It is also helpful if each person carries a small first aid bundle of their own.  My 6 year old daughter carries her own backpack in the woods and it has a first aid kit just for her.

Enjoy your summer!  Have a good time and be safe!

Preparedness - Get out the door with ease

REAL Life Insurance begins with each person each day.  How you prepare yourself and your family set the tempo for the days events.  Personally when I set myself up for success the night before the morning goes more smoothly.  For me this includes setting out the items I normally take to work.  When I do this I have the time to look for those last minute items.  I'm guilty of stepping back in the house after I have locked the door and started the car to leave.  Anyone else?  However by setting out those common items the night before I have time to make a trip back in and still make it to work on time with ease.

Tip#3 - Find a location near your path of exit where you can stage those items you want to take with you when you leave.  Try to lay those out before you head to bed.  Give it a couple weeks and see if you notice the relief of some morning stress...

Here are few ideas how to manage this idea.  Search link entryway organization

Life insurance in a traditional since adds piece of mind for the family in the event of an unforeseen tragedy.

REAL Life Insurance encompasses the events in life we are likely to encounter or have to deal with more frequently than death.  For instance, not everyone who lives in Tornado Alley is going to be struck by a tornado in their lifetime.  However there is a strong likelihood they will be scared many times.  For as little as $3000 a 4 person family can be protected by an in ground shelter.  Why isn't every house built with one?  Complacency, it's not going to happen to me, I'll do it next year,  plenty of excuses none of them good ones.  If you live in one of these areas I challenge you to work a few extra hours a month to purchase protection for yourself and family.

Tip#2 - Prepare yourself for potential danger in your area or build on your emergency fund.

Thankfully we avoid mini disaster regularly.  Close your eyes after reading this sentence and think of a time when you were seconds from disaster?  How many times have you felt that way?  In my line of work I see worst case scenario often.  Just as often I hear, "I didn't think it could happen to me."

Long story the summary is below:
In a string of bad luck (1)I had my truck catch on fire after driving 700 miles getting poor fuel mileage from what I now know was a leaking fuel line.  I was 5 minutes from my house.  I was on a 4 day weekend camping trip and had everything outdoors related that I owned at the time with me.  I had just bought a new kayak the week before.  Everything melted, all camping gear, kayak, mountain bike and all gear with that.  A total loss of over $5500 excluding the truck.  I only had liability do to the trucks age.  Thankfully home owners insurance covered my gear.  Sadly I had to use that money to purchase a vehicle. (2) I used the money to buy a used jeep $4000 and was going to use the $1500 to work on it and make it the way I wanted it.  It was late September.  I drove the jeep for about 6 weeks looking at things to purchase.  Had the top down one night on my way home from work.  The jeep burnt oil because of a leaking rear main seal and to fix it the engine needed to be rebuilt which thankfully I was capable of.  I stopped and added oil and gas left the station.  I had only latched one side.  That came lose flew open at 60mph blinding me and broke the windshield frame which was fiberglass.  I latched the hood went home and took the windshield off.  I drove the jeep until mid November.  I had to drive in the rain and snow with no top.  People pointed and laughed kids mostly.  I finally put a sign on the back that said "I lost a bet".  (3)Mid November I was able to purchase another vehicle, an 87 Pontiac TransAm.  Sounds cool but it was a brown V-6 and not one of the best years for style.  I worked over the winter tearing down the jeep and rebuilding as I got the cash not saving any additional money and no emergency case fund for anything.  In February on my way to my uncles farm were I stored and worked on the jeep the transmission went out on the TransAm.  I took the transmission out and took it to friend who rebuilt it at a minimal cost $600.  Stayed with my parents and mom took me to work for a few days.  Put the transmission back in and heard a horrendously loud banging noise.  Took the transmission out put it back in and still the same noise.  Call my life line my father who works in the automotive business held the phone over the engine and was told "Son it sounds like the engine through a rod." Dad what does that mean.  Well, the engine is toast.  (4)I spend 3 months February, March, and April riding my bike 24 miles a day. 12 to work and 12 home.  Several days in the snow and many days in the rain.  First week of May I was able to purchase a used car.  The jeep you ask.......  well the jeep ended up being a Frankenstein.  It has a chassis from one year a body from a different year, an engine out of J-10 pick-up truck and a bent frame that had to be replaced.  That mess was 15 years ago.  I still have the engine and transmission the rest is gone.  Lesson from that purchase, Do Not buy an old vehicle without someone with you that has owned a similar old vehicle! (5)Two months later I was running late for work in a bad rain storm on the highway (I was driving to fast) the car in front of me speed up.  I speed up too.  That car made a quick lane change in front of a semi which I was now beside.  The white Volvo changed lanes because traffic was stopped.  I had to make a quick move to the breakdown lane which I did and started to slow down I passed 10-15 cars hit a large long puddle and hydroplaned into the back of Ford Explorer $2500 in damage. (6)Back on the bike for 2 months so I could get the money to fix it.

The point of this collections of craziness is that you never know when or how the tables are going to turn on you or your family.  Nor do you know for how long.  When will your luck run out?  When will your emergency fund not be enough?

The challenge pick something you have wanted to "fix, correct, make better, or prepare for" and work on it over the next several weeks or months depending on how complex the task.  It's liberating to know you have 1-6 months of emergency cash stashed away.  It's a good feeling when you purchase a generator because 3-6 times a year you lose power.  The best part is the first time you crank it up and the wife/girlfriend, and kids thank you because there is light, fans, and they can keep the phone charged or neighbors thank you because you were able to string them an extension cord to keep the refrigerator going and save them hundreds of dollars in spoiled food.  I lived without power for 2 weeks in the summer after a huge wind storm.  The generator saved 2 refrigerators and a deep freeze full of food.  It also saved the family from going crazy.  Summer is almost hear put together a first aid kit you carry in your car.  Get yourself and family training in first aid and CPR.  Pick something relevant to your family's needs and improve it.  When you need it and it works everyone will be thankful you worked on it ahead of time.

The items above are a start to improving your personal REAL Life Insurance policy.  The nice thing about your REAL Life Insurance policy is that you will see it working and improving your quality of life every day you put time and money into it.

REAL Life Insurance beginning.....

For anyone who is disappointed I am not selling Life Insurance (upon death insurance) in a traditional sense.  I offer a simple apology and this link life insurance  I'm seeking like many to pass on the skills/knowledge I have been taught, learnt, and used over the course of my life.  I have had many experiences that I will share in due time.  Like most enjoy constructive discussion and always have an open mind to new and/or different ideas.

REAL Life insurance is about learning something new that may come in handy some day by either literally saving your life or that of someone around you, or simple helping you solve a problem.  My believe is that this blog will provide you with REAL Life Insurance and no monthly premium.

Tip #1 -  Current CPR recommendations 2014 for untrained lay person (page 3 AHA guide) are that compressions only should be done.  Reasoning:  1) It's easier for an untrained person to remember and easier for a dispatcher to instruct over the phone.  2) most people are hesitant to place there mouth on the mouth of a stranger. 3) during CPR some air is moving in and out of the lungs like the pumping of a bellow if the head is positioned so that the airway is open.

To open an airway Head Tilt, Chin Lift




Trained persons and EMS providers are still doing breaths.
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You don't see these commercials much anymore.....  but I like the message.  BASF Corporation - "At BASF, " We don't make the products you buy. We make the products you buy better "TM"

I strive to make myself better and share the knowledge I have with those around me.  My mission is better prepare for life's hiccups and to make your life better with information and knowledge that provide you with useful knowledge and skills.  REAL Life Insurance!

Thank you for your time