Cooper State Park

People in the Northeast Texas area have a lot of great state parks and lakes to check out and experience, but one of the best is right down the road from Texas A&M University-Commerce. Cooper Lake State Park is located around Cooper Lake on both the Cooper side, and the Sulphur Springs's side. There are great outdoor opportunities throughout the park. If you are looking to get outside, but don't want to travel to far, you should definitely check it out.

Here's a video shot at Cooper State park from the Outdoor Adventure crew here at Texas A&M Commerce -

ESEE Knives

Whether you are camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, or just meandering outside, it is always a good idea to have a knife on you. It is even better to have a sharp pocket knife and a fixed blade knife.

A pocket knife can be used to do a lot of the smaller more intricate cutting tasks that might be required and is small enough that it won't get in its own way when doing so.

ESEE makes knives in several sizes and configurations.

I believe in carrying a fixed blade knife on or in my pack most of the time when doing something outside because a fixed blade knife is going to be a lot stronger and more durable that its little brother, the pocket knife. With a fixed blade knife, you cut wood, start a fire (if you have a fire starting rod or flint), and even defend yourself. In my humble opinion, one of the best fixed blade knife brands on the market is ESEE.

ESEE specializes in fixed blade knives that are tough enough for any task you throw at them. I own an ESEE 4 knife that I have put through hell in the time I have owned it and because of the quality that it was made with, you can hardly tell.

When you buy an ESEE knife, you are getting more that a hunk of sharp metal. You are getting a finely designed and roughly tested knife that will handle anything that you can.

Most ESEE knives come with a kydex plastic sheath that has adjustable retention screws in order to hold the knife with just the right amount of force that you need. You can also attach the sheath to nearly anything by using molle-loks, tek-loks or any number of accessories

ESEE knives receiving their patented powder coat finish.

Made out of 1095 carbon steel that is easy to sharpen and hold an edge for a long time, ESEE definitely knew what they were doing when they designed these knives. They are also covered in a tough, bed-liner like powder coating that helps protect from rust and scratches. The knives themselves come razor sharp out of the box.

But by far, my favorite thing about ESEE knives is the warranty. These guys really stand behind their product and aren't afraid to back up their talk of making some of the toughest knives around. ESEE's warranty is a no questions asked replacement guarantee. I have heard several stories of people abusing their knives just for the sake of it, and after they were damaged or broke, ESEE replacing them for free. While I don't condone damaging your knife on purpose, it is good to know if something happens to it, the company that made it has your back. In fact, I have heard from 2 or 3 people a story of someone accidentally (or on purpose) cutting their ESEE knife in half with a blow torch and ESSEE replacing it within a few days.

ESEE knives are available in several different lengths, colors, and blade options so if you are looking for a new fixed blade knife, don't hesitate to pick up an ESEE.

ESEE Knives

Storing and Transporting Water

So now that you've got some ideas of how to get clean, safe to drink water, how are you going to carry that with you? There are several options available, ranging in costs from free to quite expensive. Here are a couple of options:

1. The common, everyday disposable plastic water bottle. These are available everywhere, are cheap, lightweight, and can be disposed of to get rid of weight.

2. A hydration pack. These are flexible, compact, tough water bladders that hold large quantities of water that you can carry on your back. These are great for when you don't or can't use both hands opening and closing a water bottle. Most of these have tubes that can attach/detach from the bladder and allow you to drink straight from the bladder via the tube. The only downsides to these that I have found are that they can be pretty expensive (although you can find cheap versions too), and don't let you easily pass the water around to others.

3. Metal or plastic water bottle. These are tough, yet still lightweight and can be reused indefinitely. They also allow you to pass around the water source to others. Some of the designs, like the Naglene bottles have several available attachments that will allow you to do everything from filter water, to self-sealing spouts for drinking. The downside to these bottles are they can be bulky, and cumbersome to open for drinking.

Staying Hydrated
Hydration Pack Choices
Water Bottle Choices

Coleman 8 Person Tent

I posted earlier this week about the Coleman Instant Tent lineup and how I thought the 8 person model was an ideal tent for camping if you aren't going to be going to far from your car or truck to set it up. I decided to make a video showing how easy it is to set this tent up. My video only included me for setup, yet I still managed to completely set it up in less than 5 minutes.

There are several websites and reviews out there that claim the tent can be setup in under 60 seconds if a couple people are involved, and I would have to agree with those claims.
These tents are so quick and easy to setup, allowing you to spend more time having fun instead of trying fight with the tent poles, flaps, ropes and stakes of other tents.

Check this video out and let me know what kind of tent do you use when size or weight doesn't matter, but comfort and ease of use do.

A Tent for the Whole Family

If you aren't worried about carrying a tent 3 or 4 miles off the beaten path, you should look into a big tent. This gives you a lot of room to set up various stuff, and more people can sleep in the tent compared to backpack tents, which barely allow room for one person.

One of the best tents in this category is the Coleman series of instant tents. These tents have the poles built into the tent so there is no fumbling around with inserting poles, trying to make sure they don't come apart, and accidentally snapping.

I have used the Coleman Instant 8 Person Tent on several occasions, and have never had a problem, I can set it up by myself in less than 5 minutes, and take it down by myself too. The tent is very spacious, even with 4 or 5 people in it. You probably wouldn't want to put 8 people in it unless you don't mind being a little cramped. There is also a divider that divides the tent into 2 rooms. The windows are large and can be unzipped to allow air to circulate in hotter months. All in all, if you are looking for a bigger tent, don't care about weight, and want easy set up and take down, look at the Coleman Instant Series of tents.

This is what Coleman says about the tent -

Coleman Instant 8- Person Two Room Tent

The Coleman Instant 8 person 14- by 10- Foot tent is perfect for the family that is looking to get their campsite set up quickly to start enjoying the outdoors. This is an 8 person, two room tent that has straight walls that make standing up in this tent easy with plenty of head room at 6'5" center height. Fully taped seems with 150D fabric allows Coleman to provide the keeps you dry guaranteed without the need to install a rain fly.

Features
• Spacious 8-person, 2-room tent designed for quick assembly
• Poles come pre-attached to tent, ensuring setup in 1 minute or less
• Exclusive WeatherTec system with thick waterproof walls and welded floor
• 2 doors and 7 windows for full ventilation; removable divider between rooms
• Base measures 14 by 10 feet; center height of 6 feet 5 inches; 1-year warranty

Link - 

Coleman Instant Tents

Staying Hydrated

Staying hydrated is essential just sitting at home on the couch, but that need is magnified when you are outside doing something physically taxing or rigorous. There are several ways to purify, store, and consume water when outside.

As far as purification of water goes, there are three basic methods that I am willing to use in the outdoors. The first is the most reliable, and least complicated at least the way I see it, is boiling water to get rid of unwanted bacteria and other pathogens. Most sources recommend boiling water for at least 1 minute to sterilize it. But remember, any time heated or boiling is better than nothing as far as getting rid of bacteria and other nasty stuff is concerned. I have used my Jetboil Zip to boil water on hiking and camping trips in the past.

Another method of purifying water so that is safe to drink is by using chemicals. Usually the recommended chemicals are iodine or chlorine. Iodine tablets are available for purification purposes at most outdoor retailers. As far as chlorine goes, simple household bleach can be used. Simply mix 1/4 teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water, and let it sit for 60 minutes before drinking. 

The last, and quickest way to make water safe for drinking is by using a handmade, or store-bought filter. There are several filters available for sale at most outdoor retailers like Academy, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, Gander Mountain, and even most Walmart stores. I have a simple Lifestraw Personal Water Filter that I keep in my bag for this specific purpose. I can fill up a water bottle, and drink through the Lifestraw to get clean safe water.

 If you find yourself in an emergency where none of these options are available, you can always crush some charcoal from your fire, put it inside a t-shirt, bandana, or any other type of cloth, and filter water through that. The charcoal will filter out most of the impurities and bacteria.

Link - 

Purifying Water

Camelbak M.U.L.E Review

Before going on a ski trip right after Christmas, I was looking for a pack or a bag that would let me carry an extra set of gloves, sunglasses, water, snacks and my GPS unit. I looked at a lot of packs at Cabela's, Gander Mountain, REI, and other places but most of the packs were either too big, too small, or too expensive.

Eventually I stumbled across the Camelbak M.U.L.E series of packs. These seemed to be just the right size, could carry the included 3 liter water bladder and a few miscellaneous items, along with the price being in my budget. After further research I learned that Camelbak made a regular version and a Military/Tactical version. The only differences are the colors and materials used in construction of the packs and the fact that the Military/Tactical version came with the mil-spec water bladder, which is made of tougher, durable material, and it had an insulated tube. While I certainly wasn't going to be going into any combat zones or police raids with the pack, the added durability sold me on the Military/Tactical version. It was also only about $10 dollars more than the regular version when I purchased it on Amazon right before Christmas.

I took this pack on the ski trip and was very happy with the way it performed. The straps kept it firmly secured to my back, it wasn't too big and bulky when riding the lifts although it held everything I needed it to. The insulated drinking tube also kept it from freezing even though it was below 10 degrees on a couple of the days. I was able to carry snacks, and even a sandwich in one of the top pockets, along with my sunglasses, extra gloves, a GPS unit, and some extra hand warmers. 

After using it for 6 days skiing, I can honestly say that there is not one thing that I could improve about it. I have since used it when going on fishing trips, camping, and even playing paintball. The materials used are very tough and durable, and the black color doesn't stand out like some of the colors of the regular version.

Here is a quick slideshow that shows the ins and outs of the pack - 

If you are looking for a new, lightweight pack don't hesitate to check out the Camelbak M.U.L.E series, both the regular versions and the Mil/Tac versions.