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cabingal3
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# Posted: 24 Jul 2012 11:55
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here is a tip i stumbled upon.
i always fill my milk jugs with water and freeze the jugs.that way i have ice for the ice chest.this time though i carried it a bit further...i put the melted ice called water-into the sun.The sun got the melted ice so warm and i used these jugs of water for a shower and for dishes.
i did not have to heat up the stove for hot water and use up propane.
do u have any tips for saving time and monies?
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exsailor
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# Posted: 24 Jul 2012 12:19
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When camping I have used plastic bottle to hold cooler Ice. I have also noticed milk in a plastic jug doesn't stay as cold and will spoil in a cooler. If I take milk camping these days I use a screw top soda bottle to keep milk in. I found they seal better. My theory is the plastic insulates the milk from the cold to a degree. Maybe the cooler wasn't cold enough, but milk hasn't spoil 6 days out in the cooler since I put it in glass.
I also put like meats, pork with pork, in a gallon zip lock bag to keep the juices contained. I like to plan meals out so meat I won't use in a couple days gets froze. It is like free ice and last longer.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 24 Jul 2012 21:07
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Get a separate but smaller Styrofoam cooler and put some dry ice in it. Then you can have ice cream. Be warned, the ice cream will bend all spoons until it thats for a while Dry Ice is real (((cold))). I was camping a few years back, picking up ice from the local grocery store along with some other supplies. A truck driver was offloading stuff and asked me if i wanted some dry ice. I said of course. Tossed it into my cooler. Next day, everything was frozen solid. All ice and water in the cooler was solid, milk was froze solid. It was a nightmare.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2012 13:23
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Freezing water in empty jugs was one of the best things I discovered because not only does the cooler stay dry but the ice last much longer too and doesn't cost a penny!
If not frozen jugs than blocks of ice will last longer than cubes.
Remember food on bottom-ice on top and sides.
We put beverages and condiments in a separate cooler than the food so that the food cooler isn't opened as often and therefore stays colder.
One last ice tip...instead of buying bags at a store or gas station most fast food places, at least here, sell 10# bags for a dollar. We generally always have a bag of cubes for ice water. Whatever cubes are left in the bag when we get home goes directly into the freezer to be used as a more solid "food cooler" block next time since they generally freeze into a solid mass after melting some.
Toyota Where can dry ice be purchased?
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MJW
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2012 15:00
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Quoting: trollbridge Where can dry ice be purchased?
Not sure about all of them but I have noticed alot of WalMarts have a cooler placed close to the entry doors that have dry ice for sale.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2012 15:14
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Thanks! I'll have to check out our WalMart store. Would be nice to have the occasional ice cream treat up north while sitting out on the screened porch relaxing.
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Sustainusfarm
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2012 15:48
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Here is a tip I have used forever because I always forget things when I leave home to go to the cabin!
I have a special plastic bin that has everything in it I need to have with me to go to the cabin or things that need go back to the cabin.
I put things like clean towels or washclothes that I brought home to wash after a weekend of use...once they are clean I toss them in the bin so I don't forget them on the next trip.
Or...some little items for a project that I need to bring up with me on the next trip.
Essentially I add to the bin between trips to be sure I take what I need as I think about it.
It is also where I keep the keys to the driveway gate and cabin! Hate it when I forget those!! 
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DaJTCHA
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2012 18:24
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I make excel spreadsheets that itemize everything I should bring based on the trips objectives (work camp or trout camp) and/or duration of time and people traveling.
It makes packing so much easier and rarely is anything missing when we arrive to our little piece of heaven.
We make "panel ice" in the freezer by using boxes that are about the dimensions of shoe boxes. I like the box long ways with cardboard dividers and insert the ziplocks into each gap. Filling them with eater produces encyclopedia sized blocks that work well when lining and top cooling within the ice box.
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Sustainusfarm
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2012 19:08
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Gosh...those were only phone numbers for two little gas stations where you can pic up dried ice!!
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2012 19:30
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Quoting: Sustainusfarm I have a special plastic bin that has everything in it
This is an ideal solution for me! I always forget to bring bedding and towels back!Quoting: DaJTCHA I make excel spreadsheets that itemize everything
Lol...this would never work for me personally but it would be 2 of my daughters method of choice!
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2012 19:39
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Be sure to keep an umbrella at the cabin if you have an outhouse 
A little rain is one thing...a major downpour is another!
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Sustainusfarm
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2012 19:44
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TB...posted two phone numbers in this thread and I think they were deleted..they were numbers for 2 little gas stations, one in Hayward and the other in Ashland, that sell dry ice....I just searched dry ice in Ashland and they came up....good luck
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2012 19:53
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Thanks Dave 
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neb
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2012 23:13
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If you want a sure way to start a fire use cotten balls that have vaseline smeared on them. Just put vaseline on cotten balls and store them in a plastic bag. They will keep forever and ready to use anytime. Keep a lighter with you and use the cotten balls. Vaseline is oil based and will start in any weather rain or shine. A great way to get things going.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2012 23:42 - Edited by: MtnDon
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For those who may be new to dry ice. Dry Ice is solid phase CO2, Carbon Dioxide. There is no liquid phase, it goes directly from solid to gas. That's called sublimation. The temperature that is changes phase to gas is −78.5 °C (−109.3 °F) (at std atmospheric pressure) . It will freeze skin/flash virtually on contact. In an enclosed space the gas can be dangerous if the concentration builds up and you breath that air.
If used for a prolonged camping trip we find it best to have one cooler with the things you want to keep frozen solid for a while. Good for keeping ice jugs frozen solid till the dry ice runs out. The plastic gets very brittle though so watch jarring the ice jugs, or the cooler too for that matter. Don't try to store it in a sealed container as that makes a great bomb as the dry ice will sublimate unless you can keep the dry ice below −78.5 °C (−109.3 °F).
Dry Ice has other uses too. If you are storing grains in sealable buckets for long term and want to be sure there is no insect infestation place a small piece on the top of the grain let it sublimate and then seal the container after its pretty much all changed to a gas.
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TheCabinCalls
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# Posted: 26 Jul 2012 10:33
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- hide a lockbox with keys in it (just in case)
- use padlock with combo when locking things so you don't need keys
- use ground up leaves and branches for free mulch
- make as little lawn/turf as possible (what you'll actually use)
- get food grade barrels from local farmers to collect rain water
- use vinegar to kill poison ivy
- use your scrap 2x4 as kindling (for outside bonfires)
- use different screw head types when securing something someone might steal
- long black (or dark) hose filled with water will get you a nice hot outdoor shower
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tsvoyager
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# Posted: 9 Aug 2012 12:57
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years ago, a friend asked me to store a few items for him (15 years and counting) 4 of those items were tricycles that had ice cream coolers on them. not built yet. Seeing as I have lost touch with him I "borrowed" them The walls on these are about 4 inches thick. I have used the milk jugs for years to store ice. I just got back from a 15 day trip to the land and I still had some ice in the jugs. I did purchase some ice and laid it over the top on the coolers. If you can find any coolers of this type, I would purchase them, They work GREAT. My other coolers (for soda and condimints) used a bag of ice every day.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 24 Sep 2012 10:34
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Quoting: neb If you want a sure way to start a fire use cotten balls that have vaseline smeared on them.
I am going to try this...I was trying to remember this weekend what you had said about cotton balls while I was trying to get a fire going in the cabin and was having trouble (we forgot newspaper) and had none left from last year. Do they burn fast or do they stay lit for a fairly long time?
Usually birch bark is a sure thing too but it had just rained so even that was wet enough it didn't want to light.
Finally I remembered that I had totes full of stuff I had bought that we had hauled up the last few times and didn't unpack yet. A lot of those items were packed with newspaper!
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2BarA
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# Posted: 26 Sep 2012 13:14
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For fire-starters you can easily make trench candles. Just cut or tear a sheet of newspaper into strips about 1-1/2 inches wide, roll
up and tie with string. When you have made a bunch of these, melt down some candle stubs and, holding the end of the string, dip them into the melted wax. Lay out on a piece of wax paper until
cool and solid. They may stick together but are easily broken apart.
Just toss one into the fire you have set and light a match. I found some of these I had made in the '70s and they were still perfect.
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Montanan
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# Posted: 26 Sep 2012 16:54
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I use a lot of these and learned some new ones too (like the different screw heads!)
I use a big duffel bag with backpack straps for laundry and linens. I bring it up each time, filled with clean sheets and towels/dish cloths and then hang it on a hook after I have emptied it. It becomes the cabin hamper for all of our dirty clothes and towels while we're there (husband, 3 children and large dog create a lot of dirty laundry!) When we head back home, I cinch it closed and take it directly to the laundry room at home. The backpack version is crucial for us because we have to snowshoe into the cabin in the winter.
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 26 Sep 2012 20:32 - Edited by: SE Ohio
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I keep a sticky note on the cabin door for my "next time" list, things I need to replenish (paper goods...) or for a project. This note goes home with me and gets stuck on a container that I'll fill with said items for next trip. I'd never remember all these things at the last minute!
Dryer lint makes good tinder, so I keep a ziplock on the dryer at home that goes into my "next time" container.
A mix of 1 gal vinegar, 1 cup salt and a teaspoon of dish soap can be used as weed killer, applied with a sprayer.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 26 Sep 2012 22:48
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Quoting: SE Ohio Dryer lint makes good tinder
Perfect! Lots of laundry done here so therefore lots of lint too...a great way to use it!
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EvoQ
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# Posted: 10 Dec 2012 05:16 - Edited by: EvoQ
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I have a friend that built his own refrigerator, yes kinda strange you might think but not really. Most if not all Refrigerators that are available are terrible as insulators. Think how thin the walls of a typical refrigerator are, they are manufactured that way to save space. A standard was produced and these manufacturers have stuck with it. When they really need to be making Refrigerator Walls/Insulation much thicker with a much higher insulation value.
Well my friend built his custom made refrigerator as he was building his cabin and like me designed and built his own custom cabinets. he decided what the heck, I'll make my own refrigerator that will be built around the custom cabinet faces so you would never know that there was a refrigerator there or that it was homemade for that matter.
I welded up all the storage racks out of stainless steel and even the large case for him out of Stainless and a few other pieces since stainless steel is almost rust proof. He had a friend that works in the heating cooling business and knows allot about refrigerator guts and such so this guy designed and helped us make the cooling apparatus. So in that regard it is basically the same cooling mechanism but with a much much better Insulation/Refrigeration value. This keeps his food cooler for a much longer period of time.
In the end my friend had an awesome refrigerator that he says is at least 5 times more efficient than anything that he could buy. It was an interesting project and he got a great refrigerator out of it for allot less money that is way more efficient. It just boils down to having that attitude that I can do it myself or I can do it even better than I could go out and buy it.
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rayyy
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# Posted: 11 Dec 2012 17:28
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I can relate on our camping trip's up into the Adirondaks.You alway's forget somthing.We just make a list of meals for every day,thinking about every aspect of that meal.butter,bread,salt,pepper,ketsup,salt,cup's,plates,,,for that one item you plum forgot,,,well,a trip to the nearest town!(good excuse to go out for diner anyways!)
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littlesalmon4
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# Posted: 11 Dec 2012 18:15 - Edited by: littlesalmon4
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We always make a list of haves and needs. Almost all hand cleaner is alcohol based. Good for hand cleaner awesome for fire starter. Just be careful because the flame is almost invisable.
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ljohnsaw
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# Posted: 12 Jan 2013 15:36
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Quoting: trollbridge Perfect! Lots of laundry done here so therefore lots of lint too...a great way to use it!
You can take all your lint, place it neatly in egg cartons, pack it down a bit. Then pour wax over it, just enough to soak the lint (and the cardboard will soak up some). Break these apart, place in ziplocs and you are all set!
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Paul
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# Posted: 12 Jan 2013 21:49
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Be careful with trying to kill poison ivy. I have broken out in the middle of winter when all the weeds were dead. Also had my eyes swell shut a couple times when the neighbors burn it by mistake.
TIPS:
I keep a couple hundred bucks in the nearest small town bank to my cabin. If I ever have major major problems I hope they would be willing to help me transfer money from my city bank or give me a signature loan.
I bury a mason jar with a couple hundred dollars in 5 dollar bills and extra keys in case of a tornado. I have one at both my house and cabin but most of you in tornado alley already do this I'd wager.
You all posted some great tips! Thanks!
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 15 Jan 2013 10:55
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Here's a tip that worked well for us when we first were getting things established.
In order to have a more general lighting in our outhouse-instead of just a flashlight or lantern, we bought a solar powered landscape light (the kind for pointing up at a sign or flag) and mounted it up high on the wall. We then pointed it directly at a mirror we have hanging up. The little solar charging panel it came with was mounted on the roof. By pointing the light at the mirror, we increased the amount of light it gave off and bonus.......the mirror was evenly lit, making it even more useful after dark as well.
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racaswell
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# Posted: 13 Mar 2013 15:04
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Try filling a clean milk jug mostly full and add 3/4 cup of Ice Cream Salt, I buy mine from Walmart. While the mixture is freezing rotate the jug so the salt does not stay on the bottom. I use these in my cooler and it will actually freez items that are near it. They work great.
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SubArcticGuy
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# Posted: 14 Mar 2013 00:16
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If you use firewood with lots of sticky sap then keep a bottle of hand sanitizer nearby (but away from flame of course). It takes the sap right off your hands.
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