One can also "pre-soften" the cold power bar by tucking them inside you shirt for a while.

For me...I will carry the weight...I have been on trips before where I was hungry and food was on the shy side...After those experiences I now carry extra and have found the extra pounds to be a relief and relaxing. To each there own  We still move pretty good too-78+miles in 6 days with duff days on the loop that contained the Frost River-just me and the boy who was 7 at the time...Just call me porter

Cytomax....I will be checking that out to incorporate into the grazing that we do.

"Mat, if you use baggies for your cytomax, you can just cut off the bottom corner of the baggie to add it to your water bottle.  The bag thus becomes the funnel as well.  Not sure what that paper weighs, but as a guy who counts ounces, you might appreciate the weight savings."

actually, my dad tried that and it did not work - the powder would not pour freely, and trying to shake it out just made a mess - so I stick with the paper. its just a piece maybe 5 inches square, folded in half, and then creased in teh middle to make it stiffer - that works a lot better than cutting off the bottom corner of hte baggie - maybe just because the water bottles I use are old mouthwash bottles, and the mouth is only an inch wide  - the pice of paper usually gets used later to help start the fire

and you are right - if I could get away without the paper, I'd do it that way, just to save a half ounce or whatever!

mastertangler wrote on May 19^th, 2010 at 1:36pm:


But, THEN his breath won't be all minty fresh

"Since the esteemed and well liked Mad Mat is such a generous contributor to QJ I have set up a site where contributions can be made:

WWW/MadMat//watercanteen//procurement fund.com"



Oh, that was low - no, cruel!  My feelings are hurt, sniff, but worse, my water bottle's feelings are hurt!

Now I must defend my choice of the Ultimate water bottle - the perfect marriage of form and function.

Function ? Why to hold water, which of course it does.  Form, ah, now we come to its real beauty!
The "flask" shaped 16 oz bottle fits perfectly in the hip pocket of any pair of pants, and even carrying a pack,
it is comfy and so easily available that I don’t need to stop to take a drink - even cross counntry skiing,
I can reach my bottle and take a drink, even while gliding down the hills.  No stopping to dig out a water bottle for me
And that nice flat shape fits nicely in the top flap pockets of all of my packs - much easier than those big mouthed fat ol' round bottles that everyone else buys - you know, those round bottles that,
when knocked over, roll down the hill, or roll down the rock into the lake.
No sir! I wouldn't have such an ill trained water bottle - mine are faithful and stay with me, even if I do knock them over or kick them.

No, I won't give up my Plax bottles! - you'll have to pry them from my cold dead fingers!


The Penultimate bottle, yes, but some of their cousins are nearly as fine.  Two of the 30 oz Viadent
bottles, with thier flat rectangular shape fit oh so perfectly, side by side in the front pocket of the daypack I use for river trips here;  and, laid flat in the bottom of my hunting fanny pack,
leaves enough room on top for raincoat and lunch and hoist.
And they fit nicely along the sides of my climbing pack, fitting into the spaces much better than round bottles do.

So nice, that I retired my old qt plastic vinegar bottle, the one with the duct taped 4 holes from a bear's canine teeth, in favor of the better flat form.

And then there is the perfect little plastic syrup bottle - the 12 oz one with the handle that works so
well when clipped with a biner to my climbing harness!  

And the "old man" gatorade bottle - well, we'll skip that one for now.

So what should I do?  Give up my Plax bottles that have skied thousands of miles with me? that have gone on hundreds of hunts with me? that go climbing with me?  that fit in the side pockets of the truck door?

and replace them with what ? This $30 yuppie water bottle  that weighs nearly a pound!
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Or the "cheap" $10 wide-mouth REI bottle  that weighs  a whopping 6.2 ounces?
when two bottles of mine weigh only 3 ounces!

Nay Masterjester, I won't abandon my faithful companion in favor of a newer, sexier model, even with money contributed - you must have me confused with some politician!

/Mad_Mat wrote on May 20^th, 2010 at 6:14pm:


I have no reply to such persuasive arguments. Tis not for me however. I can't imagine a 16 oz anything in my back pocket. I can't even put up with a wallet there.

I wear a web type belt on which my water holster, camera, and aluminum fish pliers/sheath ride. All these items I need on a constant basis. I find the water rides nicely on my hip, the camera is there when I want it and the aluminum pliers are lightweight yet very strong with carbide side cutters for wire. Since I usually run a line the pliers are more or less used several times a day. Once in a while I get some conflict with my big padded waist belt on my pack but not to much.

I wonder who else wears stuff on their belt?

Hey Mat, let's go climb Mt. Rainier. It'll be fun.