Ryan Hobbs

How do you do it? Today I was fine in the morning and then completely useless. In order to answer my questions it would be good to know what I deal with. I have Schizoaffective Disorder Depressive Type, Borderline Personality Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and a rock once fell on my head from the roof of a building. I was born with the Asperger's, but I got the rest from a rough life. I see and hear stuff that's not there. Days like today they get to me. The Borderline kicks in and tag-teams the SZA and the voices tell me my family is going to stop loving me because I didn't get a lot done. I feel like crap 50% of the time. I force myself to work when I don't feel well. I have so much anxiety that I have other health problems because of it, with stomach ulcers, and heart palpitations. So now that you know...

How do I homestead with these problems? How do I design the homestead with permie principles to work for me? How do I make it work so that if I have a bad day or even a bad week, that it isn't the end of the world? I know someone is going to say I have to figure it out myself, but I'm in terra incognito here, a road map would be awfully useful for choosing a way forward. What are my options here?

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:I've been thinking about planting some pawpaws, but we don't have the space for two trees that seem to be dedicated to dessert dishes. Michael Judd writes In his new book, For the Love of Pawpaws that a mature tree will bear 35 pounds of fruit.

For example, we are able to use apples and pears in savory dishes as well as desserts. Does anyone have ideas for pawpaws in savory dishes?

BBQ Sauce, Salsa, fish baked in the leaves... It's the love child of Banana, Mango, and Pineapple, so use South Pacific and SE Asian recipes. I bet it would be good as Filipino BBQ Marinade. Use Pawpaw juice in place of Calamansi.

Alright, I'm gonna try to answer everybody, but quoting would eat up too much space. So... Here goes.


Mike, I love the pictures. And yes, the boots are so I don't injure myself. Last thing I need is to slip and dislocate my ankle. If I slip in muck boots it's no big, but it's also unlikely because of the deep treads. Thanks for the links, I followed them and found some good stuff to add. I do have a poncho that fits over my self and a pack. It is light but bulky.

F Agricola, I do have a tent, but I also have no issue with finding trees. The areas I'm going to be in for the year are all heavy forest. As for the tools, I'm not planning to bring an axe, it is just too heavy. But I will be bringing a knife along because of it being so useful. Not a big knife mind you, a folding knife. It is 5.75 inches long. I do believe I need a saw. If I were to get lost, i might need it for making a decent fire or shelter. Keep in mind, I do winter camping and hiking. It's not needed for summer. As for stoves, I have an ultralight stove that suits my immediate needs, but before I start through-hiking, I'd like to get something a bit less dangerous. It is a collapsable multi-fuel stove that fits inside my mess kit. My mess kit is a pot and cup with folding handles and being anodized aluminum, is very light. Even with the stove inside, I can fit small bottles of salt and pepper, packets of tea, and it is the size of a large sierra cup. I have a pair of running shoes that are super light but having no ankle support, I don't use them for hiking. I tried it, got injured, and gave it up. I'm a boots guy all the way. I carry a pair of steel chopsticks. They are easy to keep clean, easy to eat just about anything with, and their weight is less than a fork, knife, or spoon. Yeah, I'm a map guy, I HATE GPS. As for notification, I have my housemate and my Stepdad. If I leave it to my mom, she would call for S&R after a day.

Travis, I have not had that problem with Muck Boots, but I find that wearing good socks with them keeps the chafing from happening. I recommend Darn Tough's Paul Bunyan socks. They are light, cushion-y, and last forever. They also come up above the muck boots edge a bit, so no rubbing there either.

Michael, The gear fever is real. It is esp real for people who don't do outdoors stuff. A couple of years ago my brother and sister both asked me for a survival kit they could keep in their cars. I don't know what they were expecting, but they each got an altoids tin containing: a flint and steel, 2 birthday candles (for use as fire starters), a small fishing kit, a snare, and a very tiny multitool I got at a gas station in WV. I showed them how to use it and repacked it and that was that. They probably don't even know where those kits are. I had to order those fire steels from Germany, least they could do is know where they're at. I will take your weight concerns into account though. You are right that most camping gadgets are extraneous.

Robert, I'm in the middle of making an alcohol stove. I think it will probably do the job. Speaking of tea, I'm a coffee nut. When they draw my blood for labs they find that it is 90% coffee. jk But I have tried instant coffee packets and found them lacking. I am considering just bringing a bag of grounds and making coffee in my mess kit. You can always drop the coffee to get the grounds to the bottom of the cup. No need for a filter at all.

Coffee drop:

Marty Mac wrote:Ryan
 I know the initial cost is intimidating but for a very high quality backpacking stove I would recommend the  MSR Dragonfly.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=msr+dragonfly+stove&crid=1CD3PEG6VXIDB&sprefix=MSR+dragonfy%2Caps%2C199&ref=nb_sb_ss_sc_2_12


I know crazy expensive!!  I bought one about 20 years ago and it is still going strong. I would estimate that thing has cooked my meals for over  a year and a half in that time, some trips it was feeding as many as 6 people. I also use it in the back yard as a pot warmer for BBQ's.  You will need to spend another $20 or so on a fuel bottle. The biggest advantage to the Dragonfly  is its multi fuel capabilities. White gas, diesel or unleaded gas.  The stove you mentioned  needs the specific disposable fuel can that costs $10 a pop. I am a cheep skate so the idea of throwing away a partial can of fuel because it may not have enough left for my next trip is out. Do I then have to carry 2 cans just in case?  With the Dragonfly I can only bring the fuel I know I will need rather than caring a full canister. Also in a cold and wet environment if things go wrong and you need a fire to survive its pretty hard to beat having some gas on hand to get an emergency fire going with wet wood.  Gas stations are everywhere. Not everyone carries the butane propane mix backpacking fuel.

Maybe this belongs in the buy it for life thread?

It is pretty expensive. But you're right ofc.

Travis Johnson wrote:That is a lofty goal.

I hope you get to do them.

My father in law has always wanted to do the AT, and has every book ever written on through-hiking it, but now that he is aged, cannot do it.

I would like to do the 100 Mile Wilderness (the last 100 miles of the AT), but I am not sure if I am up for that. I have been to the top of Mount Katadin, and it is very rugged country to say the least.

As for the stove, I hope you get to buy it.

I think I'll get it when I'm ready to do the BT as a way to mark when I'm ready. For now, the iffy stove will do. Esbit tablets stink (I think they are naphtha). But dead wood is everywhere. I boiled up a cup of tea on a previous outing using only a pinecone. I am planning to make a can stove and try that out. I have a ton of beer cans that I am saving up to start seeds in, so that should be a nice temporary fix if it works.

Edited to add this link:

Travis Johnson wrote:How much does the stove cost Ryan?

I will say, I am gun shy on calling it the "pocket rocket"! I do not think of a stove when I hear that name! (LOL)

I failed to mention this on the first few posts, but I know you have some health issues and it is really good to hear you are getting outside. It really did wonders for me last winter, and after awhile my stamina did better. At the end of it I went for a 5 mile hike, a really big accomplishment for me (it was bushwacking and no trails to hike on).

For what it is worth, I am really proud of you for getting outside for some hiking, fishing and hunting, and wish you lived closer, I would take you out with me on my prospecting trips.

The stove is $65 direct from the manufacturer. I could probably find it cheaper on Amazon or the REI Garage.

I have a dream on my bucket list to through-hike 3 large trails: The Buckeye Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and The Pacific Crest Trail. One of these days I will feel ready to do them. But I have to work up to it.

Ryan Hobbs wrote:My current camp stoves are not great. The little one takes esbit tablets, alcohol, and wood as fuels and folds up so I can fit it in my mess kit, but it lacks power and can be dangerous if you knock it over or bump into it. The big one has 2 burners and runs on white gas, but it has issues such as being heavy, bulky, and slow to start. I’m currently looking at a Sterno Butane single burner stove, which takes up about as much space as an MSR multi-fuel stove, but is much cheaper.

...

I have to carry a stove because building fires without a fire ring is illegal in Ohio state forests. But I can’t afford a Pocket Rocket or similar. So I’m left with the butane stove I mentioned before.

I know it's bad form to quote myself, but Grandma is Insisting on the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe.



IDK, maybe we could afford it but It would have it's limit to buying needed gear. I might be able to justify it if I go on a multi-day trip. Gah!

Robert Ray wrote:It takes a few trips to build one's particular kit. You will find you remove and add items as you create your perfect pack. My backpacking kit is different than my kit I carry when I go out on my dual sport motorcycle camping. Fall and spring camping can be challenging where I live because of snow. I personally am not a fan of hammocks and prefer tents, but many like them. You'll enjoy developing your perfect kit that fits your style.

That's basically what I'm doing. I discovered by doing, that my current sleep system is not comfortable. I tried different pads, different sleeping bags, and I'm still not comfortable on the ground. That's why I'm trying Hammocks next. That way I don't discover a rock under my pad at 3 am. They're also more packable.

That's how I also arrived at my footwear: muck boots. I know that sounds crazy because they're heavy; but they're warm, waterproof around the bottom, and provide ankle support. Also, I wear them all the time so I'm used to the weight. They are also snake-resistant. I know some people go as far as to wear sandals, and I tried that on some hikes. Not for me.

I like the Fall and Spring for camping and hiking because it is cool out, there are less bugs, and snakes are less active. I also enjoy solitude and most hikers stick to summer.

I camp, hunt, fish, and enjoy the outdoors in several other ways. I’m going to start going to Shawnee State Forest* now that the weather is cooling off. I don’t mind the cold, but the heat is bad for me. I do most outdoors stuff from October to April. I chalk it up to my mostly Scandinavian ancestry.

* http://forestry.ohiodnr.gov/Portals/forestry/PDFs/SF/shawnee_backpack.pdf

So anyways, I’m preparing myself for my outdoors season. I’m upgrading some of my kit so I can start day-tripping at that place I linked to. Then I’ll start going for over-nighters when I feel good about my stamina. I’m working on re-building my stamina, but that’s hard because I’m chronically ill. Some days like yesterday I feel great and get a lot of work done, and then there are days like today where I start off good and wind up in bed feeling like shit and writing a post on the outdoors. =_= But I see my doctor again in a few days and we are going to be working out my new meds so this will be less of an issue.

I have all the stuff for day tripping and regular camping already, but I have been slowly building up to have the equipment for a proper backpacking trip. My current sleep system is too bulky and also pretty uncomfortable for somebody my size (besides being a bit overweight, I’m also very tall and broad-shouldered). So I’m going to switch to hammock and tarp and sell my tent. No need to buy hammock top-quilts, we have cold weather sleeping bags and a sewing machine. But the under-quilt will probably be needed. We have a number of tarps (we do live on a farm).

My current camp stoves are not great. The little one takes esbit tablets, alcohol, and wood as fuels and folds up so I can fit it in my mess kit, but it lacks power and can be dangerous if you knock it over or bump into it. The big one has 2 burners and runs on white gas, but it has issues such as being heavy, bulky, and slow to start. I’m currently looking at a Sterno Butane single burner stove, which takes up about as much space as an MSR multi-fuel stove, but is much cheaper.

I’ve always had great sense of direction. But a map and a map-reading compass are certainly on my list before I start taking multi-day trips. I learned to use various compasses and maps in the Royal Rangers, a scouting organization. I had the orienteering badge. The Shawnee State Forest backpacking trails are spread across several USGS topography maps. I plan to fold them so that there are only the portions I need showing in the map case. I will also carry a map-pamphlet of the State Forest for quick reference.



I do need a med kit that is packable, and I found one from the REI co-op that fits my budget and covers everything from minor owies to “I think I dislocated my knee again”. Another thing to include is a travel-size daily pill organizer. With my chronic illness, I take 7 pills every night and 3 every morning. Ofc I need something to drink to take my pills, so… I have a canteen, but decided I’d rather contain my water in something that is more even in weight distro, so 2x 32oz nalgalene water bottles instead of 1x 64oz canteen. And I can put them on the chest straps of the pack.

Speaking of the pack… I’m looking at a German Army internal frame ruck pack. It’s in Flecktarn camo, but I would be making my modifications in blaze orange because I’m well aware of the fact that it is hunting season during my preferred time to be outside. I plan to add a couple of pouches for water bottles, my map and compass, and to make a sheath for my bushcraft knife that will attach to the waist strap of the pack. The sheath will be leather and have a pocket for the pocket bushman knife, a pocket for the whetstone, and a loop for a ferro rod. If you don’t know about the knife, Cold Steel makes it. I got mine years ago and have used it in the ocean, batonned a tree down with it, and it holds a nice edge.

Speaking of tools… I carry an axe when camping, and I could carry an axe with me backpacking, but a saw is lighter and easier to use. (I have used both extensively.) I plan to get a Silky Big Boy folding saw for backpacking. I am considering weight, but I’m thinking more like the Military than the average AT through-hiker. I want to get the most utility out of what I’m carrying, because at times you will need that utility. I won’t carry anything I don’t need, but conversely, I will also carry what I do need. If it is a bit heavier than the average ultralighter likes, I will just have to build bigger muscles. I can get by without an axe by batonning my knife. I have to carry a stove because building fires without a fire ring is illegal in Ohio state forests. But I can’t afford a Pocket Rocket or similar. So I’m left with the butane stove I mentioned before.

With all that said, I’m very excited to get out there and have a trip planned already. I’m going to be hiking there probably twice a week and working out at home until I build up enough stamina for a backpacking excursion. I do have more challenges than the average Joe because of my illness, but I do my best to overcome them.

Steve Mitchell wrote:I've not got the space and access is a problem so selling on isn't an option.  If dry do they compare favourably to polystyrene in performance?  I can only see stats at high temps for these types of bricks.

It's to edge a pit greenhouse, the styrene is expensive!  Any insulation will be covered in poly to keep dry.

Well, I've got some of these. They do work well at high temps. As long as the pores are full of air and not water you should be good to go.