Diet Taco... trying to keep things light

to cut down on battery consumption consider some of these. Recharge easily and last for a very long time.

 

Speaking of first aid courses, what do you recommend for a "regular joe" type? i got some basic first aide/first responder training from the boy scouts, but id really love to expand my knowledge there if i can. especially since i often attend rally events that are a good 5-10 min wait for the nearest ambulance

 

Take a CPR course, usually free.

 

I have two E-Tools, maybe three. Did you know it can be used as a seat? If not let me share what the Corps gave to me...
After digging your trench/hole for solid human waste fold the blade of the E-tool 90 degrees. Next put the handle next to either lower leg/calf with the blade pointing towards your arse. Have a seat and do your business. I thank my drill instructors every time I use this process for the knowledge they shared. Some military people gain this knowledge and others don't.

Now make sure you also include latex/non-latex gloves. Using gloves during the wipe process reduces chance of contamination with your hands. When done wiping grab your pile of TP/ass-wipe with a gloved hand and then fold the glove over the paper. Chuck your nice ball of trash in your trash container and you are good to go. No paper waste left in the field. This glove process credit goes to HB Murphy, the wildlife wizard.

 

Nick- How do you remove the tool after you get the valve stem installed?

 

Unread it, just like a valve cap.

 

Nice. I never knew the E stood for evacuation!

 

As I read the instructions given I'm thinking "Evisceration Tool" is more like it...

 

Aha. Now I can picture it in my mind.
Thanks.

 

The American Red Cross has a combined First Aid/CPR/AED course these days. They also have an online only version of the course but then you don't get evaluated for proper technique or get to practice on a dummy. That said CPR recommendations are simplified these days (done with chest compressions only). Courses usually run around $100 but there are often many given for free in your area sponsored by various organizations if you keep your eye out. These are perfect for your situation since they are meant to stabilize a patient while waiting five to fifteen minutes for EMTs to arrive (so things like clear airway, stop profuse bleeding, perform chest compressions if heart stopped). These days many places have AEDs and so knowing how to use those is an important life saving skill in an urban environment. Definitely the most "bang for the buck" course you can take since of course you are most likely to encounter an emergency around your home or workplace since you spend the most time those places.

After that you could consider taking a Wilderness First Aid course if you are frequently in situations where that applies. These are two days long (16 hours of instruction) and run around $250. NOLS gives them and they often give them through REI. These deal with situations in which medical aid is many hours to a few days away. So a good fit for remote off-roading where you need to stabilize a family member long enough for self-evacuation or to wait for a SAR response from using your EPIRB.

Right now my last FA/CPR course is over twenty years past (AEDs didn't exist then) and I had a short wilderness medicine course about fifteen years ago taught by a SAR group rather than NOLS itself. Need to get these courses worked into my schedule somehow!

 

Inventory - "Kitchen" Action Packer
December 2016

On top of the raised floor live two Action Packers and the Yeti cooler. The APs hold quite a bit and are easy to move in or out of the back to either have a kitchen out of doors, create more space in the back or use as benches. The interior of a single AP is so large that you really need to divide it up somehow. I half thought of making wood dividers, but that is more work and weight. So instead I wrote the dimensions down and then wandered around Ikea looking for a way to partition the interior. The DRONA boxes used for the EXPEDIT/KALLAX line work nicely to create one larger spaced and then wedged to the side are two SKUBB shoe boxes which together partition three smaller spaces.

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For the "kitchen" AP the large area holds the stove, pan, pot, plates, bag full of ziplocks and another ubiquitous tool bag full of kitchen prep tools (this one desert camo). The three smaller partitioned spaces hold dry goods. Having these internal divisions not only keeps things much easier to find but also keeps delicate food items like bread, buns and chips from being crushed by heavier items. By removing excessive packaging where necessary and carefully arranging things I can hold a surprising amount of food in just under half the AP.

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Besides creating the large internal partitions the various IKEA boxes also create small thin partitions between the AP sides and the boxes. These make good nooks to tuck things like my Scepter spout, grill lighter, hot pads and cutting boards.

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Again, not everything needs its own little personal divided space. Rather larger partitions create manageable working spaces to nest like shaped items together very efficiently without the packing losses that smaller individual spaces create. Above with the kitchen bag and ziplock bag removed the wedged nest of stove, plate holders, pan, paper plates and pot can be seen.

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Everything that is smallish goes into the kitchen tool bag. Some highlights are the telescoping skewers for cooking over a fire and a folding heat shield that wraps around my single burner propane stove both for wind protection and for a safe cooking setup inside the Flip Pac when weather requires it. Also note the single slice folding toaster. The classic Coleman five slice toaster is insanely inefficient and takes forever to toast anything while usually resulting in at least one piece falling on the ground. This smaller one has a screen to catch crumbs and slightly re-radiate heat while holding a single slice closer to the heat source. Much faster toasting (sometimes too fast really).

 

The off-the shelf boxes for internal dividers are a really nice touch. I'm inspired to take a look at how we're doing things in our camp to see if we can improve. Thanks.

 

There are some great ideas here.

 

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Going to be running a wire through the A pillar in a week or so. Picked up this inexpensive trim removal tool kit on Amazon so that I wouldn't cavse any damnification to poor old Diet Taco.

 

I've been trying to figure out a good way to section off my bigger bins. That is a great idea.
Thanks for the very detailed thread. I just started following. Very impressive. You and @Crom have a couple of the most informative threads I've come across. Nicely done.

 

I have 4 large APs I used in the back of the first gen when pulling the trailer. On our longest trip, one was recovery gear, one was tools and spares and fluids, one was pantry, and one was adult beverages (Utah, 12 days, always be prepared). The trailer galley had room for all the pots, pans, coffee stuff, etc.

But now I'll be rethinking every thing with the easy platform option for the 2nd gen, and my desire to go trailerless on some trips, or just have an extra sleep spot. Toddler and 2 adults in the teardrop isn't optimal. An RTT is also in the distant future. And a new windoor-equipped cap (near future). All of this is a long-winded way of saying I appreciate your ideas, and making me realize I should probably remove the bed mat if using a platform so I can slide stuff underneath easier, like a mortar tub.

 

Inventory - "Other" Action Packer
December 2016

The second AP is essentially a random assortment of "everything else". Things needed frequently stay more easily accessible at the top (potty seat for my daughter, blanket for her, water bottles etc.) while the lower portions hold reserve stocks of things I wouldn't want to run out of unexpectedly (matches, toilet paper, extra rope/cord, trash bags etc.) or infrequently used items (various telescope accessories, extra tupperware, tarp). Since I don't live where my truck lives this AP also ends up holding transient items meant to be installed or used in the future (small parts for future mods).

In the end there is always stuff "left over" in any organization system. Even more so for me since there is no "garage" to tuck stuff I might not need until later. I like to keep the majority of my stuff functionally organized: keep the TP in the camp bag with the shovel, keep paper plates with the kitchen stuff. While I do want more than one roll of TP with me I don't want multiple rolls in my camp bag and I don't want my kitchen box filled with 100 paper plates either.

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A few things worth mentioning in here:

• The bottle thingy in the lower right is an Arctic Cove mister. I have two of them. Fill with water, pump them up by hand (sort of like MSR fuel bottle pumps) and they generate a nice mist. Great for toasty desert afternoons.
  
• The Reflectix sheets on the top there are good for controlling temperatures inside the Yeti cooler when using dry ice.
• The orange thing at the top is a folding foam seat pad, the kind that has straps to hold the back up when you are sitting in it. Helps make a more comfy seat out of an AP. I don't use it too often and it isn't as comfortable as I'd like.
• You can see tucked to the side are some flip-flops. Good things to wear in public showers you often encounter when camping!

 

I expect a detailed write-up written in the same manner.

 

Inventory - MISSING

So here's a catch list for things I think are missing and need to be added. Chime in if you can think of something I don't have that I probably should!

• Fire extingusher(s) - Thinking small BC by driver and a larger AB or ABC in the shell. Cold Fire stuff looks quite interesting for the shell extinguisher - good fit for things that would burn in camp as well as things like brakes/oil/transmission. It is AB so not the best choice under the hood, but neither is ABC. By the drivers seat BC under the assumption it is a dashboard electrical fire being dealt with.
• Bolt kit - Need a collection of grade 8 bolts, washers and nuts in appropriate Tacoma threads to deal with missing fasteners on the trail.
• First aid kit - As mentioned earlier what is in the truck is a joke
• Jack base(s) - Need to buy or fabricate a base for my bottle jacks
• Jack compatibility with Safe Jack accessories - Hydraulic jack behind seat only thing compatible right now. Looking adapter for the OEM screw jack or switching to 3rd Gen 4runner OEM jack which is compatible diameter for accessories.
• Rubber cement and valve installer to tire kit (thanks Nick!)
• Road flares?
• Already bought and to be added on next trip - reflective safety vest for when working or walking on side of road due to a disabled vehicle.

Oh and I do need to on the next trip add inventory list from the center console and the glove box - forgot this last time!

 

I had road flares stowed in the truck for 8 years. On occasion, I wondered if they were still safe to use. I finally fired them up last night on a very busy highway helping out a friend and fellow TW'er install his spare on the shoulder of the highway (with cars zipping along past us.). I did feel a little bit safer with those flares all lit up.

I'm now thinking of replacing those traditional flares with LED safety warning "flares." Still need to do the research on them.

Oh. And I also used the reflective vest that I had stowed in the truck as well.