Nicely done and a good read, thank you for taking the time to share your experiences.

Mad_Mat wrote on Jun 17^th, 2014 at 2:03pm:


Mat,
I know your a hunter and probably get into some rough places with your vehicle.

Here's another little tip for a fix for a leaking fuel tank that's good enough I patched my 25 gallon fuel tank instead of replacing or re-lining which costs around a $1000 dollars or more IF you can find reliable people that will work on it.

Get some of those stainless steel self-tapping sheet metal screws, about 1" long, in the biggest diameter you can find. Get some fuel resistant rubber gasket material they sell in small sheets at the auto parts store.
Also pick up a tube of gas resistant sealer there too.
Buy some flat washers that fit the self tapping screws.
Cut around patch out of the rubber gasket a little bigger than the flat washer. Cut a slit in center of gasket and push one of those screw thru. I made up a few I keep in tool box with the gasket sealer and a nut driver that fits the screw.

If you have a small puncture in tank, and fuel is leaking out, you apply gasket sealer liberally to rubber patch and drive the screw into hole and tighten down until the leak stops or at least is barely dripping.
I did my fuel tank in multiple spots and it's never leaked since. Often you'll hit something on road that will cause a small puncture but the tank is still good.
This and that soap trick is a good idea for people who motor off the beaten path.

thanks,

good tip on the soap - hadn't heard about that before

ST’s Q-2014 Gear Review

#1.
   First item up is my 13” Samurai Saw. I have and used a Sven Saw for many years, but wanted a saw that I didn’t have to assemble and I could attach to my small daypack which I like to take across with the food pack first.
I won’t claim that it cuts better than the Silky which my online research said was the “Mercedes” but if your looking for that type of saw, I think it worthy of a serious look.
At half the price and very similar or the same blade/tooth construction, I have  serious doubts the Silky cuts 2x as well?
At about $45 including a hard plastic scabbard with belt/gear loop.

Samurai Ichiban 330Mm Pruning Saw & Scabbard | Hand Saws | Pruning & Pole Saws | (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

#2. 
   I mentioned before about buying a wind shirt for this trip. After using one, I will never go without one again. I bought one that is made by the company for the military. I paid about $45 for their Level 4 wind shirt. A decent wind shirt can run upwards of $100 especially if you buy a name-brand. This shirt is exceptionally well made because it was made to stringent military standards to qualify for use by troops in the field. Every detail has been well thought out.
Fit/finish was tops and it made paddling in those cold temps more than tolerable. Only color is a muted gray/green, but I’m not a fan of bright colors in the wilderness and it’s A+ qualities more than make up for its lack of current fashion sense.
A big plus for me is that it’s MADE IN AMERICA and primarily by people with disabilities.
A big win-win in my book.
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

#3.
    I decided to bring a water filter this trip. I haven’t used one in years, drinking from open lakes or using water purification tablets, but wanted to get away from the chemicals and so decided to look into a gravity water filter. All run somewhere between $75-100+ dollars and the more I looked at them, the more I thought I could do as well or better making my own.
The main item in any system is the filter. The rest of the cost is in the various bags/tubing they use. I decided to look into filters. I saw what the various filter brands cost stand alone and they easily were 50% or more of the overall cost of the system.
     All had limited lifespans that depended on the number of gallons run thru them and how careful you were not to plug them with silt. Some had pre-filters or add on options for them and too me, that just meant more places for problems to occur.

   I decided to go a different route. I found this stand-alone water filter made by Sawyer a well-known/respected maker of filtering devices.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

   I got mine form REI for about $25. Comes with a syringe for back flushing and a pint collapsible water bottle. Sawyer’s website says its good for up to 100,000 gallons, but I’m sure that’s under ideal conditions? If it got a tenth of that, it would still be more than the others and way cheaper.

   Now that I had the filter, I needed a water carrier. I bought a 2.5 gallon collapsible water jug. You’ve all seen them. Tab on one end to hang them and a spigot/fill with open/closed lever.

     The Sawyer mini-filter comes with inlet/outlets that are ¼” OD. I found that a 3/8” silicone tube I had and is readily available at home brewing supplies will allow that ¼ clear pvc ice maker type tubing to sleeve INSIDE the silicone tube. I slid a piece inside the silicon one and hot glued it in.
Really wasn’t a necessary thing, if it leaks a little, who cares, water isn’t a problem in the Q.

    The 3/8 silicone tubing will wiggle/fit on the spigot of the water carrier. A little spit and the ¼ tubing slides onto  in-nozzle of the mini-filter. On the outlet end, I had a silicon tubing/ NAGLENE wide mouth bottle adaptor from an old backpacking hand pump style of filter. Slip that on the outlet end and I was good to go.
   
   In camp I would assemble the unit and using an ERNO type strap or bungee cord, I would set the right height and then go fill the carrier from the lake.

     I don’t use a pre-filter, but have my own method. I take a pot with me and fill it with as clean of water as I can. I have some old lady style knee high nylon socks that I bought for this express purpose. I hold one flat over the carriers fill and pour the water in.

    This will take care of 99% of the big particles that can clog a filter. One advantage of that clear water carrier is that you can see the pre-filtered water and can tell if you’ve got potential clog issues simply by looking at the spigot end of the carrier.

   I tied a piece of parachute cord to hanging tab and had a carbiner on the tree side. Simple matter to hang the filter. Make sure you adjust height before filling carrier, MUCH easier that way. Open spigot and your in business.

   I brought a 2.5 gallon this trip, but next time I’ll bring a 5 gallon that I have. A Solo paddler doesn’t need that much water, but I had an epiphany one day and realized that on camp days when I want to go out fishing sans all my gear, I can fill that 5 gallon carrier and put it in bow for added ballast. I like items that serve more than one purpose.

    This is a short video of my Po’Boy water filter. IF you don’t get nauseous from the poor video production, you’ll get the general idea.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

#4.
   This isn’t a gear review, it’s a tip that might save the day IF you have a stove that has a flare nut connection that develops a leak in the bush.

   My old Peak 1 has such a nut and while testing it out pre-trip, I noticed that there was a small flame burning at the top of the brass nut? Closer inspection revealed that there was an almost invisible hairline crack in the brass nut. I sanded it down and applied an automotive sealer that was made to resist gasoline and automotive type fuels. I worked fine until I hit my Antoine lk camp and then it failed. Crack had gotten bigger and the sealer wasn’t up to the job anymore.

   I had anticipated that might happen and after considerable on-line searching, I found a new Peak 1 generator with brass nut and new pump cap and gasket. I took the stove apart with my faux Leatherman and installed the new generator. Tightened the nut and pumped it up. Before I ignited it, the fuel vapor was spewing from around the brass tubing WTF?

   I took it apart and found that the replacement generator, specifically the flare portion wasn’t machined properly and so it didn’t properly seal. I tried mixing/matching parts, but that didn’t work.

   What now? Then I remembered what I had learned on-line when my gas tank on my truck had sprung a gas leak. Old time woodsmen/lumber jacks didn’t have 4x4’s with high ground clearance and shielded fuel tanks, They drove cars/trucks into the wood and often put holes in their fuel tanks on rough trails. Their solution was take a bar of soap and jam it into the fuel tank until the leak stopped. It seems that one of the ingredients in soap reacts with something in gas and forms a hard seal that works great.

    I didn’t have a bar of soap and even if I did, it wouldn’t work in those close quarters. I did however have plenty of liquid camp soap. I applied it all around the brass tubing and let it go into brass nut and over the top of nut. Let the stove set for a while and saw that around the brass tubing where the soap had met the fuel vapor, there was now a hard white seal.

   I pumped up the stove and fired her up. Not a leak to be found. I used it the rest of the trip without incident and will get another spare generator on-line, but if it doesn’t leak, I’ll  leave well enough alone.

   I carry a bar of soap in my truck in a zip-lok so it won’t dry out for emergencies and now know liquid soap will work as well for camp emergencies.