Reducing the weight of your backpack can have a huge impact on how far and how comfortably you hike. To cut your packs weight try to select gear that can be used in a number of situations.

Here are some pieces of backpacking gear that have multiple uses:

• Tarp - Can be used for shelter rain gear, ground cover, rain catch, etc…
• Paracord – For traps, cloth line, fishing, clothesline, food bag line.
• Multitool – Knife, tools, scissors, nail cutters, saws,…..
• Duct Tape – Use to prevent blisters, repair gear, bandage wrap….
• Candles - lighting, fire starter, waterproofing.
• Metal Canteen with Cup- Boiling Water, cooking food, bowl for eating.
• Hiking Poles – Walking stick, shelter poles, emergency splint.
• Socks – warming hands, filtering water\
• Bandana - cooling head or neck wrap, sunscreen, water filter, bandages.
• Safety Pins – fishing hooks, hanging items, securing bandages
• Dental Floss – fishing line, sewing thread, etc…
• Plastic Baggies–carry items, emergency water carrier, storing food.
• Compass with mirror – emergency signal, personal mirror, finding your way.

Making Hide Glue

1. Scrape, sand or cut your animal hide into small pieces or shavings. (The closer to a powder you can make it the easier it will be to work with)
2. Boil a pot of water
3. Gently cook until the mixture thickens. You will have to replace the water as it evaporates. (this process will take forever, some people cook it for days at a low heat)
4. Strain the mixture with an old T-shirt or other cheese cloth.
5. The mixture can be used as is or Dried for storage.

How to Store Hide glue

1. Pour the mixture into a metal cake pan or metal sheet. (1/4 to 1/2 inch thick)
2. When the mixture dries to a gelatin consistency cut into 1 inch square chucks. Let the mixture set for another week.
3. Pop the squares out of the pan.
4. With a thick needle, run some string through the squares and hang dry for at least another week.
5. Store in a waterproof container. ( if kept dry the dried squares can be stored forever.)

Using Dry Hide Glue

To use the glue, take your dried chucks and dissolve them in a small amount of hot water. Let it heat up into a syrup and then apply the mixture warm. Clamp you wood together and let it set. Your now good to go.

Wheat futures are at their highest price in two years, which could cause your food bills to spike in the coming months

The price of wheat is at its highest level since August 2008. If prices continue to go up, you could see the price of bread increase by 25% to 30. That means you will be paying as much as 90 cents more for a $3 loaf of bread.

Another Possible Problem?

It seems the futures market is not the only problem that could drive up your food bill. A severe drought is currently hitting Russia, one of the world’s largest grain exporters, causing a wheat shortage that has driven up demand for the grain.

The drought in Russia combined with problems in Canada and Australia, where wheat crops are expected to be significantly smaller this year, is raising alarm bells across the globe.

While so far the U.S. has enough wheat to meet our country’s demand, prices are still expected to rise as we will be forced to ship wheat elsewhere if global demand continues to increase.

It is precisely in times of national emergencies that civil liberties must be defended and protected most forcefully. If not, then governments will be given incentives to constantly create crises, or perceptions of crises, and declaring “official states of emergency” in order to grab more and more power and money and destroy more and more liberty and prosperity.

The Supreme Court

With no end to the unemployment problem in sight the government is predicting that the number of people receiving food stamps would climb to over 43 million by years end.

Before setting sail make sure that you can handle the lifestyle. Choose a marina that you can live in for 3 – 6 months. This is a crucial step to mentally and physically preparing to live at sea. Your body needs time to adjust, and your mind needs time to take in this new way of living.

Choosing a boat

Research, Research Research. When choosing a boat, don’t jump right into the first cheap one that you find on craigslist.

When choosing a boat consider the following things:

• When considering how much to spend on a boat, take the amount that you are willing to pay and subtract about 30%. You will want that extra 30% for any maintenance issues that may pop up.
• Check for Leaks – Before purchasing a boat do a thorough inspection to check for leaks. Any leaks need to be taken care of  right away. Mold will become a huge problem, and can make your boat unlivable if left unchecked.
• Mold – Mold can be a problem so make sure you check the boat for signs of mold.

Where to Dock:

Anchoring. Anchoring or ‘living on the hook’ is going to be your cheapest option, but it means that you have have to be fully self-sufficient. To be able to pull this type of living off you must.

1. Have a way to generate your own electricity(solar wind etc…)
2. Have a way to store enough water or be able to generate your own drinking water.
3. You must be mentally and physically prepared to live at sea.
4. Buy a good dinghy  for coming to shore for work, supplies, etc.

Mooring. Another cheap option is called mooring. A mooring ball is a method of anchoring your boat without an anchor. It works by attaching your boat to a chain that is attached to a heavy sunken cement block. There is usually an initial deposit or setup fee and a small monthly fee involved.

Marina Living -Depending on the location, this option can be pretty similar to an RV Park. A growing number of Marinas offer electrical hookups and supply stores within walking distance of your boat.

We highly recommend Marina living for those who are just starting out, Before setting sail make sure that you can handle the lifestyle. Choose a marina that you can live in for 3 – 6 months. This is a crucial step to mentally and physically preparing to live at sea. Your body needs time to adjust, and your mind needs time to take in this new way of living.

Safety Considerations

• Pirates - Believe it or not in certain parts of the world this is still a pretty big problem. Make sure you have the proper equipment to be able to defend yourself in case of attack. (SHOTGUN!)
• Make sure you know what your doing! – If you are not familiar with boating, you should take at least 6 months of time to cruise around shore, take lessons and become familiar with your boat before sailing off into the sunset.
• Communications - Cell phones when near shore, satellite communications and a Ham Radio should be on the top of your list of considerations.
• Boats require a lot of maintenance. Make sure you know the in’s and out’s of your boats and how to trouble shoot anything that might go wrong when out at sea.

Nasa is warning that the world could face massive widespread blackouts, travel problems and damage to our power grids beginning in 2013.

Why 2013?

Every 22 years the Sun goes through a magnetic energy cycle, in 2013 this cycle will coincide with a time when the number of solar flares will be at its highest level (which happens every 11 years). When these two solar phenomenons combine they will create huge amounts of radiation. Solar flares from the storm may cause huge problems for everyone.

The problems could get so bad that Dr Richard Fisher, a Nasa scientist, warns “the world could face being without power for several months.” While we have no way of knowing how bad the solar storms will get, experts are defiantly starting to make preparation for this rare event.

What would be effected?

If precautions are not taken the storm could wreak havoc on the world’s emergency service systems, power grids could overheat, hospital equipment and other critical electronics systems could be damaged, and major satellites can stop working. Everyday items such as cell phones, computers and other personal electronic devices will also be effected. The devices would be rendered useless should the strength of the magnetic energy reach high enough levels.

How bad could it get?

A couple of years ago The National Academy of Sciences warned that a powerful solar storm could cause “twenty times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina”. They went on to say that the solar activity could completely knock out power grids, GPS navigation, banking and financial systems, air travel, & radio communications.

If our grid is destroyed as a result of a massive solar storm, the National Academies warns it would cost the country somewhere around $2 trillion in damages and take at least four to 10 years to fully recover from the damage.

Let’s say that all of your papers we’re destroyed in a disaster, can you imagine the amount of time you would have to spend getting your life back in order? Having a backup can save you a lot of time and grief.

To protect yourself from the headache:

• Buy a USB Drive
• Scan your documents on your scanner (or take them to kinkos and scan them)
• Then save them to your flash drive.

I suggest zipping your files in a password protected folder and buying a USB drive that is encrypted to protect your documents should the drive fall into the wrong hands.

What should you save on your Emergency Flash Drive

• Birth Certificate
• Social Security Card
• Drivers License
• Passport
• Gun Permits
• Bank Account Documents
• Insurance Information
• Marriage Certificates
• Medical Records
• Emergency Contacts
• Any Important Papers that would be hard to get if destroyed.
• All of the above documents for all children
• Family Pictures – Drives are pretty big these days, after saving your important documents use any extra room to load your family photos in case the originals get destroyed.

Flash Drive with Security Protection

• Corsair Padlock Secure 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive CMFPLA8GB

Good Non Secure Drive (make sure you password protect your files if you buy this type of drive)
I use this kind for work ….. I accidentally washed one of them and it still worked without losing an data.

• SanDisk Cruzer Micro 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ6-8192-A11