Your Klondike Gear List

January 6, 2017 - posted by EmmaLee Sessions

It’s time to turn our sights towards one of the most exciting “holidays” known in the Boy Scouting community. Having grown up in a family of Eagle Scouts, I heard about Klondike all my life, but for obvious reasons wasn’t allowed to attend. So, I teamed up with my dad, Scott Woodland, and Smith & Edwards employee Dennis Rasmussen to learn a little more about this exciting campout and how to prepare for it.

Klondike is the place where boys become men, or so we have been told, and prove their ability to survive through some of Mother Nature’s harshest conditions. We wanted to take a minute to talk about the basic essentials that your youth are going to need for Klondike this year, and to be better prepared for the years to come.

Scouts of Troop #494 snowshoeing at Klondike. Photo courtesy Richard Broadbent

Warm Clothing for Klondike

The clothing that your boys will need to take on this adventure will make or break their excursion. From bottom to top, it’s important to be covered properly. Dennis Rasmussen was extremely helpful in this area of expertise.

Socks

It’s important to wear two layers of socks while hiking and camping. Look for boot sock liners that are made of either polypropylene or polyester. These fabrics wick moisture and sweat away from the body, keeping you dry and warm. This will also help prevent against blisters on your feet.

Wool is the best material for your boot socks. If your feet do end up getting wet, wool will still hold your body heat and keep you warm, unlike other materials that can actually pull heat away from your body.

Take a look at the men’s merino wool hiking socks here!

Footwear

You will need to invest in a good pair of waterproof hiking boots. If you can keep your feet dry and warm, you will have a greater chance of keeping your body warm too.

The men’s Hi-Tec boot styles, Altitude Lite i (52103), and the Skamania (52122 regular and 52122W wide) are excellent waterproof choices.

(Hi-Tec’s women’s Hi-Tec boot styles, 9022 and 22040 are excellent equivalents for women in winter)

Editor’s Note: The shoe styles listed above may be discontinued in the future. If the links above do not work then we invite you to see the active styles of men’s and women’s hiking boots on our retail site.

Klondike scouts with snow pants and snow boots - courtesy Richard Broadbent

These Troop #494 scouts are warm in hats, snow pants, coats, and snow boots while they break for food! – photo courtesy Richard Broadbent

Base Layers

It’s essential to choose the right material. Look for “long johns” made out of polypropylene or polyester. DO NOT wear cotton fabrics as a base-layer. Unlike polyester or polypropylene, cotton absorbs moisture and holds it close to your skin. This will lower your temperature and increase your risk of hypothermia. Thermax is also another perfect material to use as an insulating layer.

Take a look at our Carhartt, Columbia, and Under Armour men’s thermals and women’s thermals! These youth thermals in our army surplus department are great too, for smaller children.

Shirts & Pants

Clothing items are best when made out of synthetic materials, unless you have wool. Synthetic fabrics dry quicker and are not as heavy as wool or cotton when wet. They will also continue to wick moisture away from your body. Dennis strongly suggested materials other than cotton, but said, “cotton can be worn, but should be kept at least two layers away from your skin.”

Coats & Outerwear

Have a lightweight and warm insulator level. Fleece is a great choice because it is not heavy and it retains body heat really well. Look for thin fleece jackets to keep bulk to a minimum under your winter coat and rain gear. Be sure to have a waterproof exterior layer to protect against rain and snow. If you can stay dry, then you’ll stay warm easier.

Hats & Gloves

Keep your head and hands warm and protected. Look for water-resistant and insulated gloves to keep your hands dry and warm. Any kind of polyester/wool blend is perfect because it will wick moisture away and still keep you warm if you do get wet.

Come in to our store to check out the wool and polyester hats in our surplus department and the variety of winter gloves we carry. Or see a small variety of balaclavas and winter hats on our website.

Klondike scoutmaster setting up tent - Photo courtesy Chris Ward

Scoutmasters need gear for Klondike, too! A headlamp will let you work with your hands while you light the path. Photo courtesy Chris Ward.

Gear & Essentials for Klondike

In order to best live by the Scout Motto, “Be Prepared”, you need to have the proper clothing and gear. Some of our favorite gear that would work great for your Klondike experience and other outdoor camping and hiking trips include headlamps, survival kits, and backpacks.

Scott Woodland, former Trek Director at K-M High Adventure Base in Montana, put together a gear list with additional guidance and commentary. Download the Klondike Gear Guide here! (55kb PDF)

Keep in mind that each Klondike has a theme and there may be additional equipment you need. Mr. Woodland simply went over your essentials and wanted to remind everyone, “Don’t forget your survival guide!”

Prepare well and know how to use your equipment properly. If you do these things then you will never find yourself ill-prepared for Mother Nature’s harshest conditions. Good luck and happy camping!

Scouts of troop #494 in their ice cave at Klondike – photo courtesy Richard Broadbent

No comments

How to make a Boa Paracord Bracelet

September 29, 2016 - posted by Rose Marion

While I was walking past the Rope Room the other day, our Hardware buyer, Blaine Taylor, called me over. “I have a surprise for you,” he said.

Next thing I knew, I found myself in a dark sideroom looking at a bundle of paracord that glowed in the dark!

Just a short time under an LED flashlight was all it took to activate the PARAGLOW white and light blue paracord Blaine just got in. “Wow!” I thought. “This would be so cool to turn into a bracelet for hiking!”

I like having reflective gear, especially as it starts to turn fall, so if I’m walking near twilight the cars can still see me.

A glow in the dark paracord bracelet would be GREAT!

“That’s not all,” Blaine told me. “I’ve got another new paracord. This orange paracord has a jute strand, for starting a fire, AND it’s got an 8lb test fishing line inside.”

You can find reflective & glow-in-the-dark paracord online here, and at the Rope Room in-store at Smith & Edwards. This is some neat stuff!


Light Blue Glow-in-the-Dark 550 Paracord – 100 Feet	White Glow-in-the-Dark 550 Paracord – 100 Feet	Neon Orange Fish & Fire 550 Paracord – 100 Feet

And the bracelet? Jerica in the Web Department helped me make it. Well, I found the bracelet and she figured how to make it! This is a Trilobite bracelet, aka ladder rack or boa paracord bracelet. Here’s how she made it!

Making the Paracord Bracelet

You’ll need:

About 85″ each of 2 colors of 550 paracord (6″ wrist)
If you want a single color bracelet, use 170″ and skip step 1.
5/8″ buckle
Lighter
Scissors

1. Thread the ends of your paracord into the receiving end of your buckle. Then, melt the ends together.

Make a lark’s head knot, hiding the seam of the thread so it doesn’t scratch your wrist.

2. Put the paracord through the two openings in the other buckle. Measure the paracord around your wrist. Add 1/2″ and move the buckle to that point.

3. Tape the buckles to the table, with the 4 strand buckle at the top. You have 2 outer and 2 inner strands now.

4. Make a 4 with the outer left strand, and hold it over all other strands. Bring the outer right strand over the 4 tail, over the inner strands, and under the 4. This will make a Granny knot over the bottom buckle.

In the photo above, for the fourth picture, bring the strand you just wove with, over the outer left strand, under the inner strands, and over the outer right strand.

Then, take the outer right strand and weave it under the strand you just wove with, over the inner strands, and under the outer left strand.

Good job – you’ve finished the hardest part!

We made the bracelet twice, and flipped the colors the 2nd time. We apologize!

5. Now we’ll just weave to the top of the inner cords.

Take the left outer cord and weave it over the first inner cord, under the middle inner cords, and over the last inner cord.

Take the right outer cord and weave it under the last inner cord, over the middle inner cords, and under the first inner cord.

Repeat this process all the way up the bracelet!

6. Now and then, stop to adjust the snugness of the weave, so you can have a consistent & tight weave.

Finishing the Bracelet

Here’s how we finished the boa bracelet.

1. Push & tighten the weave. Then, loop the strands so that they are next to each other. Trim the paracord to be just long enough to grasp.

2. Take your lighter and melt the ends of the strands. Hold the ends together and press with flat nose pliers to seal them together.

Tip: Have a friend hold the lighter for you, so you can hold one strand in each hand, and melt them together!

You’re done! Enjoy your bracelet!

Want to make more Paracord Bracelets?

Looking for more Paracord Bracelet patterns? Here are some sites & channels we found that have GREAT tutorials!

No comments

How to Make your own Laundry Bucket Washer (video)

May 6, 2016 - posted by Rose Marion

Muck-covered overalls? Horse leg wraps? Greasy shop rags? There’s no way those are going in the nice front-loading washing machine.

Here’s a neat way to turn 5-gallon buckets into a shop washing machine that keeps the mucky things out of the clothing laundry. We saw this on Pinterest and HAD to try it out!

Plus, you can also keep this on hand for emergencies: the Zombie Apocalypse or when the power goes out.

Thanks to Melissa in our Housewares department for showing us how to do it, and Marty for cleaning the leg boots!

Tip: Did you just buy a new pair of dark-wash denim jeans? Add a cup of vinegar and don’t add soap. Then, add your new jeans and let them sit overnight. This will help set the dye, and you won’t get as much indigo rub-off on the rest of your laundry!

Make your own DIY Laundry Bucket at Home

You’ll need these supplies:

Two 5- or 6-gallon buckets (We offer 5 gallon on our website.)
1 bucket lid
Plunger
Bushing: we used a 1.5″ x 1″ reducing bushing
Drill with 1/2″ and 2″ hole saw drill bits

Directions:

Drill holes in one of the buckets, both the bottom and 1/3 to 1/2 of the way up the sides.
Drill a hole in the lid with a 2″ hole saw. Then, insert the bushing.
Now drill 1/2″ holes in the rubber plunger.
You’re done!

4 comments

Brand Spotlight: Cox Honeyland – Why We LOVE Honey

April 19, 2016 - posted by Jerica Parker

Henderson and Marion Cox started in the bee industry in St. George, Utah. Since then, the family has carried the tradition of bee keeping and honey production, and in 1989, Cox Honeyland opened for business. Now, the fourth generation of family is running the business in Logan, Utah, with more things than just honey, including lotions and other food items.

Here at Smith & Edwards, we have proudly carried Cox Honeyland for the past 20 years.

Honey has so many benefits!

Besides being all natural, healthy, yummy and sweet, it makes a great food storage item!

On top of that, there are other cosmetic uses that not many know about.

What’s even better? Finding honey that is harvested locally!

Why is local honey better?

We love the local Cache County honey from Cox Honeyland.

Have you ever had honey that tastes or looks a little different than other jars? Honey bees fly as much as 55,000 miles within a 5 mile radius, all the while collecting nectar from flowers. The nectar gathered from a specific region will give the honey produced a slightly different taste and color. Cox Honeyland honey has three different honey varieties: Clover-alfalfa (lighter color and mild taste), Cache Valley (darker with more flavor), and Mountain Snowberry (mountain wildflower flavor).

So wherever you get your honey from, it will be slightly different than honey from another place.

Fight those allergies!

A benefit of getting local honey is that it is said to help boost immunity for seasonal allergies. Naturally made, honey is healthy for you.

Tip: Have a sore throat? Mix honey with a spoonful of lemon juice in a mug filled with steaming hot water to soothe your throat and relieve congestion.

Pure and Healthy

You can tell honey is pure when it crystalizes. That means that there are no preservatives added to the honey. The great thing is that honey never expires! (Which makes it great as a food storage item!) When it does crystalize, simply place the jar in a pan of warmed water and it will soften back to its smooth texture.

What else?

Honey is great for various different uses, some can be surprising! As a natural sweetener, honey makes a great substitute in recipes for sugar. Using this replacement in some recipes reduces up to half of the sugar a recipe calls for.

Cox Honeyland has recipes using honey – View them here!

Honey also has cosmetic benefits. “My dad would have us wash our faces with crystalized honey as kids. When honey crystalizes, it makes a great natural exfoliator”, Maleesa with Cox Honeyland told me. You can also use the beeswax to make your own lip balms, lotions, massage bars, and more.

Now that you know why we love honey so much, it’s time to get your own! Whether it’s for your food storage, cosmetic benefits, or just to enjoy now, local honey is the best!

One comment

Prepare with 72-Hour Kits & Bug Out Bags

April 2, 2016 - posted by Rose Marion

It’s that time of year to check your preparedness gear, make sure you have a communication/meetup plan for your family, & rotate your food storage.

One important piece of your preparedness plan is having a bag with all your necessities. Some people recommend a bug-out bag, but here in Utah a 72-hour kit is the most recommended pack to have.

What’s the difference? Mike Vause from our Sporting Goods department asked Ryan Seager, our Surplus manager, and Jean Dimick, our Preparedness manager, and here’s what he found.

What Ryan suggests for a Bug-Out Bag

A bug out bag, or go-bag, is a small bag designed to get your from Point A to Point B. Point B should have more supplies, such as your 72-hour kit or your food storage.

You might keep your bug-out bag in your car or truck, or in your desk at work; some place you can get to it easily and go.

So it’s a minimalist kit that has just the necessities to survive. You can buy a pre-made bug out bag, or create your own based on your needs & preferences:

1 quart water, a container, & water purification method
Food (preferably a high-calorie bar)
Bivvy or compact sleeping bag
Poncho
Paracord
First aid kit
Multitool with a good blade
Lighting: headlamp or area lighting
Gloves, hat, scarf, light jacket, and spare clothes (if possible)
Fire starter
Personal defense

Jean’s picks for a 72-Hour Kit:

A 72-hour kit has the supplies you need to survive for 3 days. You’ll store more food and supplies than a bug-out bag, and for this you should consider a large backpack from the camping department, rather than a slim tactical pack. See Hiking & Camping packs here.

You can download a list of suggested items for your family’s 72-hour kits Get a printable ID card and 72-hour kit ideas from Smith & Edwards, as well as ID cards for your children:

Did you know?

Save the Children has excellent resources for teachers, parents, and caretakers. Check them out here! You can also make your own ID cards for your children on the Child Safe Kit®’s website.

No comments

How to Can Applesauce in 6 Easy Steps!

October 23, 2015 - posted by Jerica Parker

Fall is here! The leaves are falling, the wind is cooler, and it’s time to get ready for winter. One of my favorite ways is by storing all the delicious food we have enjoyed in the summer, so we can have it in the winter as well.

Vickie Maughan, our canning and housewares department manager, shared with us her great recipe for making canned applesauce at home. And we want to share it with you!

The perk of this recipe, is you can eat it right away, storing leftovers in the fridge – and you can also can the applesauce to enjoy in the winter. Her tips and tricks are right here in 6 easy steps:

How to Can Applesauce

Start by washing your apples. Peel them, and then slice them. Vickie used a peeler machine to take off the peel and slice them. Get your own peeler here!
Cook the apples in 3/4 cup of water on medium heat. When they reach a boil, lower the heat and steam them until the apples are tender.
Then, using an immersion blender, blend up the apples until it reaches your desired consistency of applesauce.

If you want to enjoy it right away, finish up by sweetening and seasoning however you like it. If you would like to continue to can and store for food storage, continue with the next steps.

When you have reached desired consistency, sweeten and season to how you like.
Next, fill the jars. Using a funnel is so helpful for easy cleanup! Wipe clean to avoid problems with sealing the lids.
Tighten lids and place jars in pot with water just above the level of the jars. Bring to a boil for 20 minutes. Careful! When you take out the jars, they will be very hot. Use a good jar lifter to protect your hands.

And voilà! Delicious applesauce to enjoy and share with your family and friends.

But you better hurry! You have just under 2 weeks left in apple season to get your apples for delicious applesauce. Stop at Pettingill’s and get your apples soon! They are closing for the season on Halloween, October 31.

Make sure to like Pettingill’s Fruit Farm on Facebook, and then take a peek at when we stopped in to Pettingill’s in August.

No comments

How to Freeze Corn – Plus Easy Corn-Cutting Method!

September 10, 2015 - posted by Jerica Parker

What do you do with all that left-over corn you made for dinner? Throw it out? Stick it in the fridge, forget about it, and then throw it out? Not anymore!

With this easy video & guide, you don’t need to let the words “canning” or “food storage” intimidate you. Melissa in our Housewares department will walk you through the steps.

Easy Frozen Corn Storage: Watch How!

Now, this is something I have done with my family since I was a little girl. We have our own garden and we love corn. So when it is corn season, we all get together to freeze our own corn for storage. It’s so simple and the corn comes out with that same fresh-from-the-garden taste.

How To Freeze Corn in 6 Steps

Here are some quick and easy steps for freezing your corn:

Shuck the corn.
- Shucking means to take off the husk and the silk hairs. As Melissa shows in the video, one easy method is to hold the corn between your knees and pull the husk toward your body.
Wash the ears of corn and remove any remaining silk.
Blanch (or boil) the corn in boiling water for about 6 minutes.
- The reason behind blanching the corn, is to stop the enzymes that can make the corn taste bad later. Cooking it first helps preserve the flavor when you want to eat it later on.
Place the corn in ice water (using a pair of tongs to protect your hands) to slightly cool them off, just until they’re cool enough to handle.
Cut the corn off the cob.
- This part is optional. If you like, you can freeze them whole, on-the-cob. After step 4, you would wrap them in plastic wrap and then put those in freezer bags to freeze. If you prefer cut corn then you can take a knife and cut the kernels off the cob to freeze. In my family, we have always cut the corn off. It’s your choice!
- Editor’s Tip: To cut the corn off the cob, you can put them in the center of a Bundt pan. This will hold them as you cut off the corn and it will fall right into the pan. Or a simple board with nails pounded through (about 5″ apart) can hold the cob steady while you cut.
  To make a nailboard, simply take an extra shelf or spare board. Paint it, then hammer a 4″ nail through it. Then you can simply set each ear of corn on the nail, and safely cut the corn.
Now, simply scoop the kernels you just cut off into freezer bags.
- You can put 1 1/2 to 2 cups in a bag, depending on how big you want your portion sizes to be when you eat them. When the bags are flattened to about 1/2 – 1 inch thick, you can stack them nicely in your freezer to make the best use of freezer space.

More Tips on the Freezing Process

11 1/2 dozen large ears of corn should give you about 58 cups of corn to freeze.
Vickie, Kitchen Dept. Manager at Smith and Edwards, says to lay the bag with corn flat as you zip it up. When you have about an inch left to zip, squeeze the air out. “If it has air in it in the freezer, it is more likely to get freezer burn,” she says.
Melissa has another idea on how to get the air out. She says when you have the full bag, you can slowly lower it into a lot of water, just until it reaches the zipper line. The water on the outside of the bag helps push the water out and you can seal it while still partly in the water.
Don’t put too many bags in the freezer at once! If you put a lot of warm things in the freezer, it may begin to thaw out your other frozen foods. But if you put in just a few at a time until they’re frozen, they will freeze faster and won’t thaw any of your other food.

Now you have corn to eat for the next few months! It’s a great and easy way to start up your own food storage without the complicated recipes or big pressure cookers.

We would love to hear back from you! If this worked for you, or if you have any other tips or secrets to help others in starting their canning & food preserving, please leave a comment below.

If you liked this, you will LOVE our other frozen food storage tips! Make sure you check out How to Freeze Beets and How to Freeze Cherries.

No comments

Get Your Own Custom Dog Tags!

April 18, 2014 - posted by Rose Marion

Did you know that you can get your own, personalized dog tags at Smith & Edwards?

That’s right! You can get an ID tag with your own information – as much or as little as you like – on a necklace and even a matching short chain here.

We can even stamp just the dog tag plate and you can use it on your pet’s collar.

Here’s how they start out: blank tags and rubber silencers

Not just for individuals – these are great for camping and groups, including Girls’ Camp in the summer! We love creating custom dog tags for groups.

We’ve done custom dog tags for all kinds of groups: church groups, emergency groups, camps, youth retreats, and more. For example, Girls’ Camp may have your daughter’s name, and the theme of the camp stamped on the dog tag she receives during the trip to camp.

You can enter up to 5 lines of information, with 15 characters per line.

Have questions? Call 801-731-1120 and ask for Surplus dept, or leave a comment on this post.

No comments

Key Water Storage Containers & Tips

April 4, 2014 - posted by Rose Marion

You’ve probably heard the rule of 3s for survival: You cannot survive more than 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, or 3 weeks without food in an extreme situation.

Having a plan for emergency water is even more important than emergency food storage, and it’s so easy to prepare. In order to prepare your family for ice storms, long-term power outages, blizzards, and more disasters, you’ll want to have a water barrel ready – not just a case of water bottles in the basement.

How Much Water do you Need?

According to Ready.gov, you should prepare 1 gallon of water per person, per day, for drinking and keeping clean. Make sure and drink half a gallon of water per day. Children may require more water, as well as mothers and medical emergencies. In a disaster during a Utah summer, that gallon could double.

Water really is more important than food in a disaster situation – not only is being hydrated important for your body to function properly, but water will also help keep your mind sharp so you can make the best decisions for your family in a crisis.

Ready.gov recommends you keep at least a 3-day supply of water – the Red Cross recommends 2 weeks. That means a family of four needs 12 gallons, minimum, for 3 days – or 56 gallons for 2 weeks.

Water Storage Drums and Pump

Here are our picks:

55-Gallon

The 55-gallon barrel is a great size for couples and families. Our Emergency Preparedness buyer Jean Dimick has 7 of these barrels in her laundry room. That’s plenty of water for her family, and you just don’t ever know how long city lines might be down. And it’s enough to share with the neighbors, too.

The great thing about keeping them in the laundry room is it’s easy to drain and refill the barrels there!

Siphon Pump

Use this siphon pump to keep your water within reach. You can fill cups and bottles from your water barrel using this siphon pump – you could also use a siphon hose.

250-Gallon Super Tanker

If you have a large family, or you’re expecting to be a point of refuge for several families, this Super Tanker. This is great if you have a heated garage or have high ceilings where you can fit this tall water barrel.

What should you look for in Water Barrels?

There are 2 big points to look at in storing water.

First, you want to make sure your drums are opaque. We only carry the blue opaque drums because white drums are more translucent, which means algae could grow in them because of letting in sunlight. For safety, you want to stick with the blue drums.

Second, you want to think about where you’re going to store them: indoors or outdoors? In the garage, basement, or extra room? You’ll want to make sure your ceilings can accommodate the option you choose.

Make sure you pick the right room. Whatever room you choose, make sure to have a wooden base made from 2x4s or a small pallet so the water doesn’t pick up the taste of the cement floor. Some people have even built wooden cradles for their water barrels.

Also, only store your water in a heated garage, not one that will get cold in the winter. That’s because although the water barrels can move slightly, they aren’t built to have the water freeze and then thaw and expand. It’s nice to wake up to a dry garage!

Final Notes about Water Storage

Before using these drums, make sure to clean them thoroughly with dish soap and water, rinsing very well. For safety, you should replace the water in these drums every 6 months.

Some people add a bit of Clorox or water purification tablets to their stored drinking water to prevent bacteria growth. However, in most municipalities, there’s already enough chlorine in the water to keep it safe – and there’s not really enough chlorine in Clorox to make an impact. Consult your city’s water records and choose a plan for your own method of storing water for a disaster.

If you have water you’re not too sure is fresh, these Water Purification tablets from Coghlan’s are a good way to clean the water. And this water treatment will help the water taste better.

Think about it: do you know how to drain your water heater? In a disaster, that’s another source of water, and you can use that water for cleaning and washing instead of the good drinking water you’ve saved.

For More about Water Storage:

Have questions about water storage? Have a great method of your own to share? Let us know in the comments below.

No comments