Camping with Elise

I am rather excited to take my daughter camping this summer, and I really hope she gets into it.  As my wife is not a "camping gal", I will probably opt to go with other family members and friends so there is always another adult around in case something happens.  I am planning on starting her out with some backyard camping within the next couple weeks.  Then, once we determine if she is down with it, do a one or two night car-camping stint in a state park with some day hiking.  Finally, if she is still into it, I will load up one of my packs (give her a minimalist pack so she feels like she is doing something) and we will pack into a camp and then pack back out (not talking an uber-trek here).

So, in preparation for all this planned adventure, I have been taking stock of my camping supplies and have come to the realization they are very military-centric.  Not necessarily a bad thing, as the gear tends to be tough and reliable, but I think it is time to go civilian on a lot of stuff.  I have a couple really nice military rucksacks, but I think that they are simply too large for the duration of trips we are going to be going on.  So, I think I will look around for a smaller pack to start.  From there I can build out my kit, which is always a fun process.

I think I am going to take the same approach I do toward business travel, where I have packing lists for different types of trips.  This way, I can easily adjust my load-out based on the duration, location and style of camping trip we will be going on.  Sadly enough, I enjoy doing this kind of logistics planning.  I'll probably end up posting the packing lists to see if I can get comments/ideas.  Also, if anyone wants to join us, you can always come along (unless we annoy the crap out of each other).

The one overreaching concern I have is the fatigue factor.  As Elise is 6, I would hate to get out in the middle of nowhere and get the, "I'm tired!"  Which would usually be accompanied by the pouty lip and crankiness.  So, I have been thinking a lot about how to deal with that and think I have a solution, which I should be able to market to parents everywhere.  The only question is, will I have the time to finalize the design and make it?  Who knows.

This is the problem with being an "idea guy".  I have tons of product ideas rattling around in my head and either I am lacking in time or the skills required to bring them to fruition.  I need to come up with the idea to solve THAT problem, then I would be set.  :-)

Anyway, please feel free to comment with your ideas and thoughts around the camping adventures or the packing lists.  I am always open to input from others.

w00t! First Post!

Yeah, pretty easy to get the first posting when it's your blog.

Anyway, here it is. In this blog I am going to ramble about a variety of things having to do with my journey through life. I am going to touch on a lot of topics but my primary focus will be on my attempt to get back into shape and to raise my daughter to appreciate the world around her. Oh yeah, I'll probably babble about technology a bit too.

Much of this will be about my attempts to learn as well. I want to learn to eat better, lose weight and to generally get into shape. I want to convert my camping/woodcraft knowledge from the approach I took as a kid (car camping) and in the military (more of road marching, bivouac and shooting at people or getting shot at) to one of lightweight backpack camping and canoe camping. I want to instill a love of the outdoors into my daughter and teach her as I learn.

As I make this journey, I will tell of where I find success and where I fail. I will review products and probably tell how I have modified or made my own as well. I encourage feedback and ideas, if anyone actually decides to read this :-)

At the end of the day though, this is more for me, but I figure if someone can get some benefit from my journey, so be it.

And so it begins.

See you on the trail,

Andrew Downie