Here's another alternative for showers if you have another way to heat the water. I picked up the 10L bag and the shower kit.

http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/water-trea...ry-bags/product

http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/water-trea...wer-kit/product

I have had really good experiences with solar showers. We used them continually when in back country camps doing projects and they worked very well. If for some reason, the water wasn't hot enough, it was no big deal to heat up some on the stove and enjoy. We always showered Navy style - quick rinse, stop the water, soap up, rinse off.

The 2 1/2 gallon model even gives you some "luxury time" once you have rinsed off the soap and grime. If necessary, I could get two showers out of a bag.

Les,

Look for an old Indian fire pack. Usually they are galv. but some of the old ones were brass and they still make them in stainless. Lots of rural fire departments got rid of them a few years ago (when money was not as tight) and got lighter ones. Some still have some around that they no longer use. I have never seen one that had anything but water in it. You can put a hose on the sprayer for a shower if you don't hang it, we used to do it in fire camps all the time.

Respectfully,

Jerry

Picked up a pair of new Columbia Sportswear high top winter boots. Supposedly they are rated for -54*C. Size 13 so I can wear 2 pairs of socks when required. (Actual footprint is so large I may not even need snowshoes! - Tongue in cheek)

Surprisingly lightweight but too warm to wear inside for more than a few minutes. Great for tromping around in deep snow, ice-fishing, etc. $160 so they didn't break the bank either. CS also had another pair that have electrical heaters in the soles -- at $350, I thought I'd give them a pass...

Jerry... thanks, my Dad was on the NPR volunteer fire dept when we moved here in 1955....I remember them using them for brush fires...

I picked up a Honda eu2000 generator. All I care about is keeping the fridge going. I don't care about the tv. Keeping the laptop going would be a bonus.

I got a 4x8 red trailer for $100. I plan on building a slide-on/off camper box (teardrop style, but boxier) putting the frame on 35" tires to match my Jeep. Still drawing up the details.

I also applied for my NJ firearms ID and will be buying my first handgun once approved. Unfortunately, no CCW in NJ. I'm leaning towards a medium-frame 9mm.

A firearm is on my list for 2011. I need to take safety classes first though.

a comment for those of you in jurisdictions that do not allow concealed carry or where a handgun ownership might be somewhat restricted... you might look at one of the lever action carbines (short barrels typically 16inch)in a pistol caliber like .357..the operational familiarity, and accuracy skill level learning curve is a whole lot shorter

I have a flashlight that I like better than I thought I would:
http://ca.rayovac.com/flashlight/islj2aa-b.shtml

It's 4 inches long with the face pointing forward. The beam points at 90 degrees to the body, swivels to point in line with the body, and also swivels about the axis of the flashlight 360 degrees. It has a clip, so I can point the beam at 90 degrees and clip the flashlight to my waistband or the neck of my t-shirt and have the beam light the ground ahead of me, or swivel the beam up and clip the light to my hat brim. I can clip it to pretty much anything and have the beam pointed where I need it.

Runs on 2 AAs and has an incandescent bulb.

Although the bulb is incandescent, that means it is in a reflector and shines where I want it to, and it means that colors are more nearly natural at night. I tried to cook chicken at night with and LED and it looked raw no matter how well done it was. Sometimes colors are important, and LEDs screw them up.