Diet Taco... trying to keep things light

This was a while ago for me, but the only time I photographed it...

https://adventuretaco.com/oregon-bound-chapter-2-exploring-oregons-malheur-national-wildlife-refuge/

I've used a drill three times now on flats, and it works great. A 3/16" bit is usually what I reach for - but many sizes will work, as long as you can push the plug through and you're smaller than say 1/4". The runner of the tire will do quite a bit to sandwich the plug.

Oh, and after I drill, I still like to push the reamer in a couple times to rough up the surface of the rubber for better adhesion.

 

A drill is not something I tend to keep in my truck, nor are drill bits; but maybe that should change. I recently saw a video on using a 12v drill battery as a last ditch effort jump starter in the event of an emergency.

This is not the video, but it is the same guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD9rGomxwn8

He didn't use the sponge to separate the terminals in the first one. Obviously, make sure the sponge is dry if you go that route. In the first video, he used electrical tape (which I keep in the truck at all times) to connect some screws (not something I keep in the truck) to the terminals.

You and your shameless plugs (pun wasn't intended, but I guess it works)! I'm pretty sure I've already read all of your posts, but I don't remember this one. So. Few. Leafs. in that pack on the back.

 

He mentions using an 18v battery. What, if anything, would you damage using an 18v drill battery to charge a 12v car battery. I do have an 18v impact wrench that I would likely take with me on any longer adventures.

 

Some great quarantine reading...

​

Libyan Sands: Travel in a Dead World
R.A. Bagnold

$10 Libyan Sands: Travel in a Dead World

https://www.amazon.com/Libyan-Sands-Travel-Dead-World-ebook/dp/B00B9CO5H2/

If you are a desert traveler you owe it to yourself to take some time to read this amazing book from the past. Ralph Bagnold would eventually quite literally write the

$10 The Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes (Dover Earth Science)

book on the physics of blown sand and have a dune system on Mars named in his honor. Before that academic endeavor though he would also found and lead the legendary Long Range Desert Group in World War II. This book, however, was written by him in 1935 before any of that happened.

This very Britishly understated travelogue covers the amazing early desert adventures of Bagnold when he found himself stationed in Egypt in the 1920s and 1930s. He and his friends worked out on their own some of the foundations of remote desert vehicular travel that we all live by today. What they undertook for amusement while on leave is difficult to comprehend in today's world. I was particularly struck though by how many anecdotes and asides about their desert experiences ring true today and have probably been experienced by many of us first hand.

I read this book awhile ago and kept meaning to post about it here in the thread. With everyone trapped indoors I can't recommend any better armchair desert adventure than this!

 

I just watched an episode of the PBS series Expedition which featured canyon exploring in Oman, and was reminded of your own expedition there, @DVexile. A beautiful country! There’s a second episode also about Oman which I’ll try to catch later. A little sensationalized - “ooh, the danger!” - but fun to see the terrain.

 

Still no idea when I'll be able to get to the truck next. Fall at the very earliest but without drifting off topic too much, geez are there a whole bunch of dumb-asses around which makes me doubt getting on an airplane for quite some time. May have to eventually make a road trip just to get to the truck!

Meanwhile after doing months of distance learning not sure we will be doing any summer camps. So for the moment we are still working reduced hours and our daughter is stuck with "Mom and Dad Camp" at home. Trying to keep it a bit more interesting than just arts and crafts:

​

 

Model rockets are awesome! We're not doing any summer camps this year either. If she want's to zoom with my kids and talk desert / nature / camping / etc.; we're game!

 

I was in Cathederal Valley, CRNP a few weeks ago and found this book at the bathroom at the little campground there.

I took it back over to a campsite and read a few chapters while taking a lunch break. Lots of good travel stories, though none desert or Southwest USA related that I have read yet. I was probably supposed to leave something there in its place, but had no books with me other than atlases, so I took it home.

 

@DVexile instead of cutting up a old tire , tractor supply sells rubber horse mats and they are either 1/2” thick or 3/4 “ thick . They also have a tread type pattern on one side . People use them for leveling pads on rv’s and such . They are 3’ x 4’ in size .

 

@DVexile I used the stayning light philosophy and this thread quite a bit when I had the 4 cyl Tacoma. I carried it forward with the newer truck as I have built it. Glad to see this thread is still kickin. Instead of a flip pack or GFC we added a tiny micro off road camper so keeping the truck fairly lite has still got it's bennifits. Intead of carrying all my gear aroud with me all the time it is usually staged in the garage in totes and only carried for trips when it may be needed. I don't even keep the traction boards or anything on the roof rack for daily use.

 

@igno1tus - Nice idea! Probably a million times easier to cut without radials in them!

@Casper66 - Great to hear about build #2. Totes are awesome for being able to rapidly swap between camp mode and home mode. Did that with my old 1992 before this truck.

Well in normal times I’d be planning a NW DV trip for October and a MNP trip for election week. Instead I have nothing at all on the books

I guess even without COVID I would have scrapped an October trip as I don’t enjoy hiking and photographing in smoke...

But fortunately really nothing of consequence to complain about on my end given everything happening. Everyone is healthy so far and managing now through month six of all this. We’ve been spending a good amount of time outdoors here in Maryland with family hikes, bike rides and a few river floats all within 10 miles of our house.

Hope everyone else is managing OK! Fingers crossed maybe I’ll have a trip report in spring time... please?

 

Md? I’m just south of you then depending how n where in Md you are. We are headed out today for our fourth camping trip of the year it’s our only outlet other than that it’s just go to work and come home

 

I did move to the 4Runner Jack and jack pack due to this thread.

And purple fire extinguishers.

Ken you leave an impact even when you aren’t in DV exploring.

 

@DVexile hey, yes, I'm alive. I thought of you today while taking a walk through the hood and I saw some free stuff on a shelf in a driveway. Binocs, black and green, and largish. Caps are on lenses are clear and unscratched, everything works, one missing screw and cap on the ocular chassis, er, barrel, er, and a bit messy from being left out, with some rusty screw heads on the body.

Reminded me of the Eagle optics you discussed and I missed out on a courple years ago or so.

These are Konus

#2122 BINOCULAR NEWZOOM 8-24x50 CF
Focusing: Central.
Field of view at 1000m/1000yds: 78mt/234ft at 8x - 40mt/120ft at 24x.
Exit pupil: 6.2mm at 8x - 2.1mm at 24x.
Weight gr. 900/32.1oz.
Tripod adaptable.

https://www.konus.com/en/Catalogue/Outdoor/Binoculars/Birdwatching/NEWZOOM/

Seems like a great pair to have in the truck for longer-range surveying and spotting. For free, I can clean them up a bit and get some fresh screws.

Any experience with this brand?

 

@scocar - Not familiar with that brand but there are a lot of different brandings of what are essentially the same binoculars coming from a few Chinese manufacturers these days. Many of them are actually quite good and amazing performance for the price.

Zoom binoculars are typically not very loved because they tend to have soda straw fields of view at the more useful low magnifications and zoom out to magnifications not really useful for handholding.

For these the apparent field of view at 8x is only 35 degrees. For a modestly priced fixed 8x or 10x binocular 60 degrees is pretty common.

Hand holding past 15x even with bracing is quite tricky. So zoom to 24x isn’t too useful unless tripod mounted (which I see these can be tripod mounted at least). You get back more apparent field of view at these higher magnifications but it might be a jiggly mess if you are hand holding!

So if buying the recommendation is usually to avoid zooms and instead pick a fixed magnification binocular with a wider field of view in a similar price range.

But when the price is free it is hard to argue with! They’ll almost certainly do the job as an optic for surveying and spotting from the truck.

 

Cheers, Ken. This particular model seems to have mixed reviews anyway. Several reviews focused (hahaha hehe hem) on the tunnel view zoom issue. Seems of limited value for, say, trying to evaluate routes, campsites, or landmarks at distance. As they appeared under "birdwatching," I'll assume that was in the woods, not across valleys.

 

Thanksgiving Week we spent in Sedona exploring the area by rental car...while no where near the travels detailed in this thread, the experience has further committed me to drive from Cincinnati to the desert west and explore for as long as possible.

Has to happen in this lifetime and soon!!!

 

Hi, I would like to copy your electrical box enclosure for my 400p. Before I start searching, I figured that I would ask you if you remember which specific box you purchased, etc. If not, perhaps the dimensions?
Thanks, Carey

 

It is a Hoffman Screw Cover Pull Box Type 1 ASE12X8X6NK:

https://hoffman.nvent.com/en/hoffman/ASE12X8X6NK

At that link under the "downloads" tab there are spec sheets and mechanical drawings. Note that the "NK" at the end of the part number indicates the box version without any knockouts so that you can drill your own appropriately sized and aligned hole without dealing with existing knockout holes.

Back when I got mine it looks like from my email receipt I found it for $26 + shipping from www.midwestequipment.com but it appears they no longer stock it. There appear to be a number of other distributors that do stock it but for around $50.

As it is the box is relatively thick mild steel it did take quite a while to drill the hole using a step bit and cutting oil on a drill press.

 

@DVexile

Happy New Year Ken!! So looking ahead for 2021, any trips planned? Missing your outstanding trip reports and amazing photography!!!

Best-

EdinCincinnati