Our Story Starts with a Canadian-Born Dentist of the name Weston A. Price. As he ran his practice in Cleveland, Ohio in the beginnings of the 1900’s he saw first hand the rapid increase in dental problems as people adopted a modern diet. He wasn’t the only one, in the 1930’s there was a huge debate in medical circles over nutrition. But Price is the one that matters, and that’s because Price was a fucking boss. While all the other doctors were laying about in their Red Leather Arm Chairs in front of a open fire and discussing the degeneration of modern health price shut down his dental practice, packed up his wife and started traveling the world looking for answers.

He went to the mountains of Switzerland and Peru, the lowlands of Africa, the bush of Australia, the outer islands of the Hebrides, the everglades of Florida, the coast of Alaska, the islands of Melanesia, and the jungles of new guinea and new Zealand.

He tracked down isolated populations that had not yet been exposed to modern foods and his discovery’s earned him the title: The Charles Darwin of Nutrition.

What makes his work so valuable, almost a hundred years later is that the people he studied are gone. The few hunter gather tribes that still exist live in extreme parts of the world where farming is impossible.

So what did he learn? What did Price find after a lifetime studying the last of the hunter gatherers?

For one he found that those eating a wide variety of traditional diets had had no dental problems, with a exception being the “sturdy mountaineers” of Switzerland who had teeth covered in a greenish slime, but underneath that Price found perfectly formed teeth virtually free from decay.

Wherever he went Price took pictures of teeth and collected samples of food, which he sent home to be analyzed for macronutrient and vitamin content. He found that The native populations were eating a diet substantially higher in Vitamins A and D, on average ten times as much! It was already understood at this time that the processing of foods robs them of nutrients, and store food is designed to be stored and last a long time, the best way to make it more stable and remove pests was to remove the nutrients from it.

Price concluded that modern Civilization sacrificed  the quality of its food for quantity and shelf life.

Price found a extensive Varity of diets , he found seafood diets, dairy diets, meat diets, and diets in which fruits vegetables and grains predominated.

The Masai of  Africa consumed virtually no plant foods at all, subsisting on meat, blood and milk. Seafaring groups in the Hebrides consumed no dairy at all, subsisting on a diet largely of seafood and oats made into porridges and cakes. The Eskimos lived on raw fish, game meat, fish roe and blubber, seldom eating anything green.

Among the Nile near Ethiopia price encountered what he judged to be the healthiest populations of all: tribes  that subsisted on milk, meat and blood from pastured cattle as well as animal food from the Nile river.

Price found groups that ate diets of wild animal flesh to be healthier than the agriculturalist that relied on cereals and other plant foods.  These agriculturalists also had a higher level of tooth decay but still low by our standards.

Price noticed that many of the people he visited particularly prized organ meats, which he found high levels of vitamins, and everywhere he went he found people placed a high value on seafood, which even mountain dwelling groups would go to great lengths to get, trading with coastal tribes.

The common denominator of good heath he concluded was to eat a traditional diet consisting of fresh  foods from animals and plants grown on soils that were themselves rich in nutrients.

He found the quality of animal based foods had a significant link to what those animals ate. The vitamin content of butter produced from cows grazing in spring grass compared to that of those grazing on winter forages had much higher levels of vitamin A and D as well as the health o the people subsisted of them.

I’ve always been one of those famously nice guys, you know the kind who spends their money on others more than themselves, one of those guys who’s everyone’s big brother. I just can’t help but fall in love with all my friends.

When I was 8 years old and at the zoo I saw someone my own age crying because he wanted a ice cream bar. In my naivety I empathized with him and bought one for him with my own money. He was happy for a moment, but when his mother saw  she was furious, she took it away from him and yelled at me that he wasn’t allowed ice cream. Then my babysitter, who was the one who took me to the zoo in lou of my parents, scolded me on the matter as well. And so I learned at a early age that being generous did not necessarily make the world a better place.

With this in mind I tried my best to do good but the results were always what was most important to me.

I found that many people, rather than use my help to stand on their own became dependent on me. I had to ask myself:

Should I still feed a man fish when he isn’t interested in learning to feed himself?

Perhaps… perhaps the kindest thing I could do is to not feed the man, because without food for himself he would be more motivated to learn.

And when he did learn he would gain more than independence, he would find pride and confidence in his ability with every fish he caught and this, this would carry over to other aspects of his life.

Arnold Schwarzenegger famously said-  

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”

I know this all too well from personal experience.

And I’ve met too many people disabled by overly supportive mothers who do everything for them.  My roommate Ryan is a good example. His mother used to schedule all of his appointments, insisted that he needed help doing simple things like navigating the city and she was right, he didn’t know how to do these things on his own. But guess what, when he stopped talking to mommy he LEARNED. He just told me he’s much happier doing things on his own. Certainly we all are.

When I looked at people suffering mental disabilities I found that there were severely disabled people living on their own, and those who were very mildly disabled who were totally dependent on their parents. The difference between the two is the one living with his parents was given a too supportive environment, he was told that if something was hard for him he didn’t have to do it. The guy who lived on his own struggled a lot but he got by, because his parents never expected anything less. He was held up to the same standards as other kids and sure he struggled but he got by.

Listen to this: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/play_full.php?play=366&act=1

It’s a fantastic story.

Socrates, the father of philosophy and trolling realized that the kindest thing he could for his beloved city was to become a social gadfly(It’s a great word look it up if you haven’t heard of it, I certainly was unfamiliar with it prior to researching Socrates). 

Our lives used to have a simple meaning one universal to all animals: To find food, shelter and pass on our genetic material. But we clever humans, after 300,000 years as a species wandering the earth were able to solve all three of these by inventing Agriculture, Houses, and Adult Friend Finder.com.

But every time we satisfied one need a new one arose in its place, until we reached the need to find needs.

The search for purpose.

Many ask themselves for what reason am I here?

What am I supposed to do with my life?

Well I can tell you you were supposed to spend your life hunting and gathering as you produced children to pass down your genetic code.

But that’s gone now, and as wonderful as this world is its also too easy.

You could say society is a lot like a overprotective mother, coddling us and making us weak by making our lives carefree.

So I fully intend on making our lives harder.

You might not fear the beast but you shall fear me.

For I troll

And I troll

Because I love you.

I did another video today! In this one I show off my updated camping gear and show how much I can fit in my tiny 23L Backpack.

Thanks for watching

-Jonathan

People speak of a food that is 100% nutritionally complete, light weight and will keep good for years without refrigeration. It is the ultimate travel food. Developed by native Americans its got more nourishment per ounce than any other food and can be eaten by a man indefinitely and sustain him.

In fact some people do exactly that, they live entirely on this one food, US Admiral Peary as a example ate nothing but it for 20 years.

It needs no salt to preserve, and stored just in rawhide would be good 20 years later.Thousands of hunters, trackers and explorers relied on this substance from the Indians.

This food that I speak of is Pemmican.

Moisture is removed from beef and this beef is shredded and mixed with a equal part of melted fat. 

That’s all it takes to make the greatest travel food in the world. But the bitch is in the details.

First off if the meat is cooked at a temperature above 120degrees you start to destroy the nutrients and you either: stop halfway and don’t completely dry the meat so it lasts just a few days unrefrigerated or you completely cook the meat and because of lacking nutrients you end up with scurvy and other nutritional deficits along your journey.   

Unfortunately the FDA legally requires anyone who sells dried meat to cook it to 160 degrees! This is why all beef jerky you buy is nothing more than flavored leather.

Properly preparing the fat is another story, that starts off with actually finding the stuff, the only market I’ve found so far that was willing to sell it to me was the Spanish market vallarta. The man pulled the fat trimmings out of a GARBAGE CAN and tried to sell it to me for 1.59.

Fuck you, If I’m going to get meat from your trashcan at least give it to me for free.

Anyways Preparing fat is a long way away for me, first I must master making jerky.

If you want something done right, do it yourself.

This cost me about $15 to make:

A 150 watt bulb shines onto the meat from below, sucking the moisture from it.  I figured this would work pretty well, at its early stage flys crawled all over the meat and were a bit of a nuisance. Later the owner of the house started complaining about the light being on and asked me to turn it off at night? Oh well Ryan and I bravely tried the meat a little too early, so we might get sick from eating meat that sat out in a warm temperature for 12 HOURS that still had a little moisture in the center. I tried it again recently, while still it could be dryer it tastes much better but still bad. I looked online to see if there was a better way and as is often the face I found my way to a Alton Brown. What a Genius.

Part 1-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIK4DVLHf7Y

Part 2-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfI0NKl-Kq0

Skip to 1:35 of the second video and Alton explains a better way to dehydrate meat.

With a cool air. I doubt anyone is going to complain about a fan in summer.

Looks like I’m making another trip on my bike to the hardware store and possibly Wal-Mart to pick up things that are really hard to carry on a bike. Wish me luck!

The Journey may be difficult but I won’t give up!

Update:August 1st

A new day! I was going to go build a makeshift dehydrator, but my LOVELY SIGNIFICANT OTHER Cassidy decided to buy me a fancy $80 food dehydrator!

It looks nice doesn’t it?

Its estimated to arrive on the 4th! The great thing about a food dehydrator i s that I can do so much more than beef strips!

Fruits, Vegies, a gun for making jerky out of ground beef and a tray for making fruit rollups! This is going to be wonderful!

It has a temperature control(~95-155 temp range) and a fan and its significantly faster at drying than what I was using before! What took days will be done in hours! 5 trays with the possibility to expand to 12!

Not pictured the jerky kit comes with 5 cures and 5 seasonings, 2 clean a screens- 2 fruit rollup trays that double as a way to catch any drippings for dehydrated beef and it comes with a guide book!

I’m so excited.

Thanks for getting me such a great gift Cassidy.

Update: Aug 4th-

I got my dehydrator!

Today I’m drying 4 pounds of strawberries, then I have some flavor grenade pluots and many more fruits:

I’ll be using the applesauce as a base for fruit leathers.

Once I dry all the melons and pluots  I’ll allow myself to start dehydrating meat  and then vegies. 

Update Aug 28th:

Almost a month later I’ve done a lot of dehydrating.

I’ve made some wonderful tasting dehydrated fruits for Cassidy once I learned the secret of a good dehydration is to keep the temp consistent. Shredding foods and making fruit leathers is a faster and more efficient way to dehydrate fruits but they lose some of their charm with their shape. 

I also started working on meats, I experimented with two batches, one at 160 degrees(FDA regulations demand you cook jerky at this temp) and one at 115 degree(at the suggestion of do it yourself jerky makers) wow what a difference! I see why all jerky sold in stores is so strongly flavored, it comes out bland and most of the nutrients are destroyed at 160 degrees while my low temp batch came out with a rich steak flavor I’ve never tasted before in beef jerky. Its amazing!

 

So next up: I’m going to try to dehydrate vegies and make pemmican.

If you asked me about food, I redirected you here.

I hope you enjoy reading and are free to ask me any questions by posting a comment. I’m a man of Science and I everything I say is backed by scientific observation and anthropological knowledge. I can cite all my sources, so if you are doubting the legitimacy of one of my statements and your google-fu is weak, let me know

Listen kids eating healthy is simple, I’ve got three big don’ts eats and two do eats

Be wary of sugars-

Humans have a bit of sweet tooth, in our pre-agricultural days finding enough calories to get by everyday was a struggle, and the best way to tell if a plant was edible aside from actual knowledge is sweetness. That worked out fine when we were finding wild berry bushes and trying to figure out if that wild banana was ripe yet. Things aren’t so simple anymore, fruits have been bred to be sweeter than they ever were before, and much worse we have found ways to extract and refine sugars to disguise any food. If I gave you a glass of lemon juice you would take one sip of it, pucker your lips and throw it on the ground. “MANNN I’M NOT GOING TO DRINK THAT , ITS WAY TOO SOUR.” But then I pour a couple cups of sugar in it and your tastebuds get confused and you smile and enjoy your tall glass of lemon aid.

Do you understand what I’m trying to establish here? Sugar destroys your ability to distinguish what is good to eat.

Avoid any food that has sweetener of any kind put in it as a ingredient.

I’ll link you to an overview by Mark Sisson: athlete, writer, role-model and the author of the 3rd most popular health blog on the internet.

So here: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-sugar/

Speaking of sugars confusing you,

Be wary of grains-

Unless you are a bird, or some kind of rodent you SHOULDN’T be eating grains. It isn’t even edible. We have to grind it up and cook it just to make it digestible. Seeing as we live in a agricultural society founded on the very principle that we could obtain more calories from farming for baby plants(seeds) than hunting animals its understandable that you would take this one as a shocker. It goes against the grain of convential wisdom.

But its true.

Once again, no time for science, its late and I’m sitting in the bathroom writing when I should be asleep.

You want to read about grains: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-grains/

P.S. Not all grains are as equal, Rice PARTICULARLY THE WILD VARITY is much less of a offender, if you simply must eat grains, go with rice.

Or look at the alternatives: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/alternatives-to-grains-quinoa/

Be wary of processed foods-

The closer you can get to whole foods the better. There are a slew of things I could go over from the problems with processed meats to my beef with juices, note the word could. I’m not going to.

Jack Lalanne once said regarding foods: If man made it I hate it.

I feel the same way, its better to avoid it all together, the best man made foods are still inferior substitutes to real food. When you cut this one out you no longer need to read the ingredients of everything you eat, because you know what’s in it, YOU MADE IT YOURSELF.

So those are my three big don’ts, avoid sugars, avoid grains and avoid processed foods.

If you can do one of those three consistently your health will improve, two would be better and if you can do all three bravo.

I know sugars and grains could fall under processed foods but I want to stress how important they are on their own.

Prioritize Protein-

“At a minimum you need .5 grams of protein per pound of lean mass/per day on average to maintain your “structure”. If you are moderately active you need .7 or .8, and if you are an active athlete you need as much as 1 gram of protein per pound of lean mass. That’s at a minimum, but it’s on a daily average.”

I’m not actually suggesting you calculate your body fat and activity level and figure how much protein you need every day, no that’s a waste of time. Just make sure you have a solid source of protein in your diet, Meat is the best. I’m not saying you have to get your protein by eating lots of meat but I highly recommend it.

Rumminats such as cattle, goats, sheep, giraffes, bison, moose, elk, yaks, water buffalo, deer, camels, alpacas, llamas, antelope, pronghorn, and nilgai. are ideal. The chances of me getting my hands on giraffe meat is slim but if I ever do…

uh where was I oh yes Rumminates such as Cows are ideal if you can get them grass fed. I understand there is a lot of beef with red meat and I understand why, corn fed cows are disgusting. Grass fed meat is a different experience.

Grass fed(their natural diet) Rumminat meat is the most nutritionally dense food on the planet. A man could live a healthy strong life on Grass fed meat ALONE.

Incredibly high in omega 3’s Vitamin E…

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-differences-between-grass-fed-beef-and-grain-fed-beef/

I almost got lost on a science rant there. Thankfully I can delegate all that to other places. So yeah Red meat is boss, but just make sure you get enough protein.

Suggestions?

Beef, Chicken, Fish, eggs, Plain European Yogurt(try trader joes), Almond butter…

Prioritize Fat-

“oh my god fat why would you say that Jonathan fat will make you fat why would I want to eat fat that’s so gross“

Learn to love it. It’s the fuel of choice of the healthy. If you are eating meats, veggies, and some fruits and nuts then you aren’t getting much carbs, If you need more fuel reach for some fat to satisfy your cravings.

Suggestions?

Nuts, avocados, coconut, eggs, butter, olive oil, fish, chicken, lamb, beef…

It been well accepted by the scientific community for years that saturated fat is not bad for your health. Unfortunately everyone is still thinking on outdated theory’s developed in the 50’s

One more time I’m throwing it over to mark.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/

Those are my big Five or to put it simply:

Be wary of Sugars, Grains and processed foods while prioritizing protein and fat.

If you can do this you’ll rise above the SAD(Standard American diet) and join the elite and sexy race of people who are truly healthy.

You deserve to reach your true potential.

Good Luck.

(Insert Pic here)

Traffic 3.0 Hybrid bike equipped with a computer, 2 back lights a water bottle cage fully fitted with pinhead theft prevention, a side mirror and a place to hold my flashlight and luggage.

Bike Gear:

220lumen telescoping  redline tactical flashlight(L) –4.38 oz

Very very useful when I’m riding my bike in the dark and I want to light up the pavement I’m riding on for 150 yards. The night slayer can also be a handy tool of you want to permanently blind someone. It also glows in the dark, so I’ll never need to worry about finding the thing.

Complete bike toolkit (including bag) for long bike rides-17.08 oz

Someday I’ll sit down with this kit and a better understanding of bikes(I’ve only been riding for a few months) and decide what’s the minimum I can get by on.

Topeak MTX Trunk Bag DXP(L) – 39.52 oz

The way the bag slides in and locks into the rear rack provides unbeatable stability and convenience! This thing is heavy but very tough, (a must for anything on a bike I’m riding) and has a awesome 1220 ci Capacity with room for plenty more to be strapped to the outside and the ability to compress to small size it’s a incredible luggage item well worth the price. I’m confident this is the only thing I’ll need on month long bike trips.

OnGuard Ulock- 42.73 oz

Its big… and heavy! They told me I had to get one of this size or I would have trouble locking my bike up, I’m starting to think I would be better off with a smaller Ulock. Still I often find myself barely locking my bike in with this thing and it does greatly deter bike theft. It fits perfectly in my Trunk bag’s main compartment where it takes little space but adds a lot of weight to my rear end.

Galaga Keyring and key- 0.81oz

The length of the fabric makes it always easy to find my key, whether its around my neck or buried in a backpack.

Motorola Bluetooth headphones(L)- 1.76oz

Whether its for listening to music from my phone or making phone calls, these headphones are comfy, rest easy on the neck and don’t get in the way of me hearing everything around me. I don’t use them just for riding my bike, often I put them on while making long phone calls. Anyone who talks on a cell phone for long should own a wireless headset these are mine.

One size fits all Bike Helmut –10.52oz

All bike helmets work the same, I just got the cheapest one I could find that fits my head nicely.

Pearl Izumi bike gloves(L)-1.31oz

I won’t leave the house without these! The cushioning these gloves provide make it a must for any long distance bike ride and I don’t like the feel of handlebars, and the trace amounts of black gunk they leave on my hands, these protect me from that as well.

Bike Net(L)-2.86oz

Amazingly versatile, for a long time this netting was the only thing I had to strap objects to my bike and its never let me down. Cheap, light and often the best way to strap a odd shaped object to my bike, Even with new super uber Bike Trunk I’ll still be using this baby a lot. Possibly in conjunction with my Trunk!

Total: 120.97oz

7.5lbs

Camping gear:

Ozark Trial Camping Pad “Blue foam” (L) Cut down to 17×39.5 inches-4.20 oz    14×39.5 3.420z

A amazing value, this mat gives me plenty of room to lay down on, working as a insulator as long as this is positioned under me I’ll stay toasty warm on the coldest of floors and it doubles as a frame/cushion for my backpack..

MSR Large Travel towel(including bag)(L)- 2.79 oz

I plan to cut this down to the very minimum needed to completely dry me after submerging myself and the towel in water and lightly wringing the towel out. Looking at how well it has preformed so far I expect this to be nothing more than a handkerchief eventually.

Compass –0.88oz

It’s a map compass.  I still need to learn how to use the darn thing but I’m sure someday I’ll be relying on it for direction.

Zinc&Aloe sunscreen (Mauve color)- 0.53oz)-

This stuff is pretty safe on your skin, I don’t normally use sunscreen but it’s a must when you are being constantly hit with light reflected from large bodies of snow or water. When that day comes I’ll gladly smear all over my face, even inside of my nostrils with this purple paste.

Cooking gear-

I don’t really need all this but I bought it anyways. I figure it would be nice for a short trip to cook a nice meal in the woods and enjoy eating in nature.

Lightmyfire with the spoon snapped off(L)- 0.18oz

This is what I almost always eat with.  Being a Fork with a knife on its side I suppose you could call it a Knork. My knork is super light, easy to clean and in my opinion far superior to its more popular and less dangerous cousin the Spork. Nobody but me seems to know how to use it without sawing their mouth open so in the chance of theft justice will be swift.

Stainless steel eating utensils- 2.40oz

I always have a lunch ready to eat outside of the house. I normally get by with my trusty Knork but I bought these figuring that I could carry something a bit more fancy for a nice picnic. I have yet to use them but I’m hoping to have the chance to soon!

Stainless steel skillet with handle+ foldable skillet with knifes edge and plastic bowel(L)- 10.97oz

I’m counting this all together because I’m carrying them as a set! The skillet is part of a very affordable set that includes a pot that snaps on top and a mug, which I don’t plan on carrying. It should distribute heat well and it doesn’t have any usless teflon paint that you end up eating while you use it. I’ve never had a problem with keeping my pots clean. The secret is just to NOT BURN FOOD. The skillet is very light at 0.74oz and has a good cutting edge. I got it at a REI in Portland for very little.  I’m very much looking forward to using this kit.

Markill Hotshot(L)-5.75oz

I got this for a great deal at $30, I wouldn’t particularly recommend it for the price I’ve found it online I’m sure you can find a better value, but with what I got in store I ‘m very happy with it so far. It cooks very hot! I often use the lowest temperature I can its so intense!

I wanted something light, portable and CHEAP for camping and this suits me very nicely. Now all I need to do is get myself another gas canister. I couldn’t exactly carry the one I bought in Portland home with me.

I’ll be on the lookout for something lighter that can cook at a lower temperature. Someday I want to upgrade to a wood burning stove! Until then this suits me nicely.

Clothing-

Tillyhat-5.79oz

Tilly hats are great! What can I say? a nice wide brim for a sun, a sweatband to keep your head cool, it floats, it has a secret waterproof pouch(how waterproof? It survives the washing machine!) at the top to carry small items, it secures to the head well in the windiest of conditions. Sadly I mistakenly Ran it in the dryer and the brim in particularly is now wavy. Seems to work fine and I plan to continue use it! Oh and it has a lifetime guarantee, they will replace it for free if it wears out.

Sherpa shirt-7.06oz

Looks nice, haven’t worn it yet, so nothing to comment on so far.

Alpine Shorts with Belt-8.68

Same as above. Nothing to say so far other than: I might take the belt out, depending on how handy it turns out to be at dealing with my shifting waist.

 

Hydration-

Empty 1L Smartwater bottle-1.45oz

My hipster roommate sneered at me for buying smartwater but I’ve always liked the taste of it and the design of the bottle! Lint says that it actually makes a good light water bottle and I’m finding he’s right! I feel quite foolish for spending money on fancy Nalgene bottles fretting that a cheap plastic bottle would carry bad taste or break down quickly.

Entertainment-

Kindle in bubble wrap(L)- 8.50oz

With over 300 books on me reading list, most of them educational in one way or another I see camping as the perfect time to knock out a couple hundred thousand pages. The kindle weights in at only 8.15oz and is without a doubt the lightest way to carry books on a trip, not to mention the free global 3g network access could come very much in handy and replaces the need for another device to keep in contact with the outside world. Plus I can use it to store thousands of pages of information about my hike that would be impractical to carry. Thanks to the screen technology not only does the print look like paper but the battery life is several months as long as you keep the 3g off.

Reading LED light(L)-0.81oz

My portable single LED bright light source comes on a clip so I can attach it to my hat, or my kindle.

Cannon Camera in case(L)-6.99oz

I love taking pictures of the things I see, suspending the things I see for future viewing and sharing! This camera is the way I do it! I wouldn’t consider going on a adventure without it!

 

Total weight: 56.12oz

3.5lbs

Total weight of the items I would actually take in my bag: 31.66oz

2lbs

A more of half of that is cooking gear, stuff I often won’t carry once I master pemmican.

 

As you can see there are still some significant items I’m lacking before I can go camping. Namely: Sleeping bed and a shelter system but also: tiny bottles to carry soap and other items, maps, A water purification system( I’m still deciding between tablets or drops I may end up trying both and deciding which I prefer),a 2+ liter Platypus waterbag and lastly a backpack to carry it all in!

 

At the current moment I think it would be financially wise if I waited before buying these things. My plan is to get some cheap but light items that function for now, later on as I gain experience I’ll allow myself to invest in a top quality Sleeping bed and shelter.

 

Update:  Aug 16th

Sleeping bag(L)- 71.60 oz( 4 and a half pounds D:) This is not something I would normally camp with! This is actually what I sleep in at home. But I’m going camping today and this is all I’ve got.

I’ll count it with my gear until I get something more practical.

 

Specificly I plan to buy the following well priced items:

Containers-http://www.sunnysports.com/Prod/CategoryID_2206/Context_2200/Sort_Stock/DescSort_0/CLNCA.html?Hit=1

Umbrella-http://www.sunnysports.com/prod/GOLCDTU.html?ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=GOLCDTU

Storm Whistle-http://www.sunnysports.com/Prod/CategoryID_2323/Context_2200/Sort_Price/DescSort_0/AQUWS.html?Hit=1

Water treatment drops-http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OR111G/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Drinking blader-http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J2KEGY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Food Saver-http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Seal-a-Meal+-+Food+Sealer/8785228.p?id=1205365049742&skuId=8785228

I sat down to a amazing lecture on ultra light backpacking. It’s inspired me to try to do it myself.  I’ll be keeping everything I learn here.

Transcript of Ultra light hiking sheet he handed out(with a few details added by me):

Baseweight for 3 season hiking
Nunatak arc alpinist 20 degree quilt(w/storage bag)	682g
Mountain Laurel Designs prophet backpack	328.5g
Gossamer Gear SpinnShelter tarp	266g
Gossamer Gear Nightlight torso sleeping pad	71g
Gossamer Gear polycyro groundcloth	49g
Vargo titanium stakes(qty 6)	71g
Bushbuddy Ultra stove(runs on wood)	150g
Snowpeak titanium 900 pot (w storage sack)-	128g
Titanium spoon	9g
Trash compacting bag liner	61g
Bug netting	89g
Montbell Windpants	72.5g
GoLight Rainjacket	198.5g
Fleece hat	49g
Montbell UL Down parka	259g
Umbrella(GoLite)	227g
Arm Warmers(made from socks)	84.5g
Extra socks	34g
Food storage bag	29g
Water bottle	39.5g
Platypus 2 liter water bladder	35g
Fenix handheld light	30g
Photon necklace light	7.5g
Misc bag(Knife, Compass, water purification,ect)	225g
TOTAL BASEWEIGHT!	3.1955kg
Baseweight in pounds!	7lbs,0.71oz

 

My Camera ran out of space and shut off near the end of his lecture. But I took notes on everything and included it below.

Backpack- Rucksack, very light thin backpack custom made
Use a trash compacter bag as a waterproof liner for the backpack.
torso sleeping pad, camp in a place with natural forest duff where its soft, the sleeping pad is just to stop conductive heat loss from the earth. sleeping pad also works as a pad for the backpack.
took the zipper off the sleeping bag to cut down weight. the idea is that he sleeps with it as a blanket over him.
I might prefer to be cocooned.
 
uses a turkey bag from the grocery store to waterproof the sleeping bag.
 
Tarp rather than tent. Uses a stick to prop it up.
grown cloth to protect him from moisture on the ground.
these two are cheap and essential.
 
Made a huge body net to protect from bugs.
 
golight umbrella-http://www.sunnysports.com/prod/GOLCDTU.html?ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=GOLCDTU
 
stove-burns on wood-http://www.bushbuddy.ca/
no need to carry fuel, no need to conserve fuel.
ate dry cereal, granola, dried fruits, dried vegetables, penutbutter and tortias, cheese, breads
buckweetgrowths, coconut powder is amazing source of fat.
 
carry cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly, just 3 so in case of emergency’s you can start a fire easily.
 
carry’s a lighter.
titanium spoon, a lot of people seem to say a titanium spoon is all you need.
 
hike in simple travel shorts and a button up shirt(which gives for venting control). Special material you would get at a hiking store, that can handle being worn for months.

Carry a black down jacket for insulation layers.
Rain jacket-lightweight rain shell.
 
wind pants- works well as a warmth layer and bug protection. Doesn’t actually use them for rain.
——INFO NOT IN THE VIDEO BELOW—–
Arm Warmers- made from black long girls socks with holes for the hand and thumb, they can be rolled to adjust cover and are easier to take off than a jacket. Portable long sleeves.

Smartwater plastic bottle- lightest of plastic water bottles and a Platypus 2 liter water bladder in backpack.

Carry’s a light around his neck and a small one he holds at his feet to light up the ground rather than infront of him.   

Had the smallest swiss army pocket knife on the market. Didn’t even use the knife, cut it in half and took off the stuff he didn’t need.
Uses the tweezers, mini scissors mostly. sort of the knife.

In the past he used a portable water purification tablets for drinking out of rivers and a filter for drinking out of really dirty stuff, but he says he’s developed a immunity over the years and doesn’t need it anymore.

Carry’s a Compass + multiple maps for navigation. He’s had a GPS unit before, it was really really useful a couple of times but he decided he didn’t need it.

Carry’s Sunglasses for snow also need sun screen or the inside of your nostrils will burn. He used to carry a full brim hat but now only wears a baseball cap as seen in the video.

Rope for hanging up food and a bear canister when going past bear country.

Ate 2lbs of food per day, he got a few mail drops of food, shoes, ect. From his friends at next adventure 6 or 9 times during his trips and otherwise refueled from local stores whenever he could.

Carried ID and Money

Longest he spent without visiting a town to refuel was 11 days.

Someone said that for most people Fear is the biggest weight of all. This was a strikingly insightful comment on the reason why most people won’t camp this light. Fear is the reason why hikers bring more than they need. Fear is the reason why hikers won’t sleep outside of a incased tent.

Is it really a hunting knife? Or is it just a security blanket shaped like a knife?

-I’ll keep this page updated as I learn more,

Jonathan

Despite the dangerous involved, every animal sleeps. Over millions of years animals have evolved to do incredible things like swim, run and fly. But no animal goes without sleep.

Its such a vitally important part of our lives, especially considering we spend about a third of our life doing it, we have spent very little time studying it and there is much we don’t understand.

But here is what I do know:

There is a good reason why sleep is the most important part of recovering from any illness. Your immune system is most active during sleep. Sleep can be directly correlated with the strength of your immune system.

Sleep spurts the release of the Human Growth Hormone responsible for physical development and cellular regeneration.

One of my worst habits is staying up late to do work when I could be doing it the following morning. Sleep Stimulates creativity Helps us Deal with lifes emotional stresses and even Improve athletic performance.

Statistically its been found that older people sleep less, I always assumed this was because they needed less sleep, but that turns out not to be the case, Sleep problems are just more common.

So sleep is pretty important, how does one get a good nights sleep?

Although its something I never get to do with my busy lifestyle, napping is fantastic. If you fail to sleep solidly the night before a nap might be exactly what you need to catch up. Its also such a good way to deal with stress just the anticipation of it can lower your blood pressure.

The ideal time to sleep would be shortly after it gets dark and then rising early in the morning on your own with the sun. If you can’t go to bed that early at least shoot for a time in which if you go to sleep you’ll wake up on your own before your alarm clock. Being awaken by a alarm will jolt you out of sleep. That’s bad. Your body does a lot of important maintenance while you sleep and it all gets interrupted and dropped with the sound of a alarm. Let yourself wake up naturally or you are going to feel groggy all morning and feel like you slept less than you did.

How much you need to sleep is something you’ll have to find for yourself. The average is 8.7, but there are plenty of normal people who need 10 hours and some who need only 6.

Your computer will keep you up at night. The screen sends out a high level of blue light which is mentally associated with the sky. I recommend the program f.lux to every die hard computer user. Your screen will be more readable at night and it might just help you fall asleep.  If you want to read more about blue light Click here.

What to sleep on is a tricky subject that there is very little scientific knowledge about. But we have a industry of bed manufactures that tell us we are supposed to sleep on LIGHT FLUFFY CLOUDS that cost thousands of dollars.

Beds like Breakfast  started off as as a novelty the wealthy enjoyed. As the middle class rose to power they took after the wealthy and soft beds became apart of our culture.

I don’t know if you have, but I looked around and I don’t see any other animals sleeping on fluffy clouds. I see them sleeping on firm surfaces.

I spent a good deal of my childhood sleeping on carpet, whether that be in a closet or the side of my mothers Californian King bed. I layed out a sleeping bag and slept fine.

It turns out that there are actually health problems caused by sleeping in those soft beds. On a firm surface you are supported by your bones when you sleep, but on a soft one you sink in and it presses lightly against your muscles and veins. It reduces blood flow and can leave you waking up in the morning with sore muscles.

A month ago I threw out my mattress and started sleeping on a series of wooden planks with a blanket placed over it. Its not as ideal as sleeping on dirt or sand but I wake up energized. I no longer get that weak sluggish feeling in the morning that most people suffer from.

If you’ve been camping you know how great you feel the morning after sleeping on the ground. Did you ever take the time  to stop and ask yourself why?

My first blog was to write about my opinions and thoughts

My second blog was to write about what I was doing, physically to improve myself

Science is my third blog, it is not about what I think, or what I’ve done, its about what I’ve learned. I am constantly studying and picking up information but I have no place to store it. Who knows what was once known may slip from my mind and my efforts to learn it lost with it. So I am devoting myself to writing about what I learn, and doing so publicly.

Welcome to science.

A database of knowledge.