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'worth the cash or to the trash' – makita 18v usb accessory edition

We got very lucky and were gifted two attachments for our power tool batteries that turn them into  multi-port USB Chargers.  We will do a review-of our Makita tools in the near future, but for now I just want to tell you about our experience with this neat little attachment.

There’s not really much to say, the attachment slides right onto the battery. It has two USB ports so you can charge multiple devices at the same time.  My favorite feature is the dust/dirt cover that seals the USB ports when not in use.  I truly don’t understand why more items of this nature (cell phones, chargers etc..) don’t have this feature as fighting the Sahalee Mud Monster is a constant struggle!!

We have several other USB Chargers, that we will review down the road but this one is our go to source for our evening lighting and charging devices.  Not only are we huge fans of something so simple as a dust cover but the cordless power tool batteries just charge so quick.  This saves us from draining our solar power source or from running the generator, which we hate to do.

What’s that?  You own Dewalt or Milwaukee tools or another brand that is not  Makita?  Don’t fret, Makita is not alone in having this handy attachment just follow this link and search your brand to get one for yourself!!

So, even though it wasn’t our cash– We absolutely believe this attachment is Worth the Cash!!

"Worth the Cash or To the Trash" Makita USB Accessory Review

We got very lucky and were gifted two attachments for our power tool batteries that turn them into  multi-port USB Chargers.  We will do a review-of our Makita tools in the near future, but for now I just want to tell you about our experience with this neat little attachment.

Linght 7W USB Powered LED Bulb Sahalee Off Grid

There’s not really much to say, the attachment slides right onto the battery. It has two USB ports so you can charge multiple devices at the same time.  My favorite feature is the dust/dirt cover that seals the USB ports when not in use.  I truly don’t understand why more items of this nature (cell phones, chargers etc..) don’t have this feature as fighting the Sahalee Mud Monster is a constant struggle!!

We have several other USB Chargers, that we will review down the road but this one is our go to source for our evening lighting and charging devices.  Not only are we huge fans of something so simple as a dust cover but the cordless power tool batteries just charge so quick.  This saves us from draining our solar power source or from running the generator, which we hate to do.

What’s that?  You own Dewalt or Milwaukee tools or another brand that is not  Makita?  Don’t fret, Makita is not alone in having this handy attachment just follow this link and search your brand to get one for yourself!!

So, even though it wasn’t our cash– We absolutely believe this attachment is Worth the Cash!

outward hound pooch pouch

Ridiculous. That’s what I originally thought of the ‘pooch pouch‘ because I always had big dogs, and packing around little designer pocket dogs was just a little too ostentatious for this gal. But, here I am, the very proud and unbelievably happy owner of an 8-pound joyful pup we call Radar Love, whom we believe has never left the state of Florida.

Having dogs out West is a necessity, but the itty-bitty variety pose a bit of a challenge when we’re looking at spending a great deal of time outdoors working and playing amid miles of wild mountain terrain home to big boulders, tumbled timbers, clingy cactus, and snow. Dare we mention all the resident beasts.

I guess the pooch pouch elevated its status since it will help keep Lil Girl warm and safe as she adjusts to her new home.

love bag

Originally posted to blog.sahaleeoffgrid.com.

doug fine's 'farewell, my subaru'

I can’t really say when it was I first discovered Doug Fine, but his story has been a major motivator for this adventure over the years. If you’ve never heard of his book Farewell, My Subaru, I encourage you to become acquainted, and hope you find the same comfort I did in knowing that we all have the power to make our lives what we wish them to be with a little creativity – and a lot of hard work.

Enjoy this short video of the Organic Cowboy’s transition to rural off-grid New Mexico while still enjoying the creature comforts of big city life:

http://youtu.be/evjICqDFXgI

Look out, Enchantment, here we come!!

(And, yes, we really did own a Subaru just like this one… Drove it all the way to FL from CO. Where is she now?)

Originally posted to blog.sahaleeoffgrid.com.

all american sun oven

We’ve been anxiously anticipating the arrival of the slickly-designed All American Sun Oven for months, and jumped right in to trying a few recipes on day 1. First up, a boxed cornbread mix doctored with fresh jalapeño from the Cuba Farmers Market.

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'worth the cash or to the trash' – danner boots edition

So it’s been about eight months.  Carey and I are starting to settle into our day to day routine and Radar loves doing her hourly perimeter checks.  After this time we are truly starting to get a good feel for how all the items we spent our hard earned dollars on would fare once they got continued heavy use to include making it through most of the winter.  Now it’s time to let the world know, did we make wise purchases on the gear that we would come to depend on or have we whiffed completely.  Maybe a little of both.  Let’s find out, are these items “Worth the Cash or To the Trash”!!

Our first contestant on “Worth the Cash or To the Trash” is my pair of Danner Boots.  I chose to go with the Danner East Ridge 8 inch boot for a few different reasons.

Continue reading “'worth the cash or to the trash' – danner boots edition”

"Worth the Cash or To the Trash"—Danner Boots Review!!

So it’s been about eight months.  Carey and I are starting to settle into our day to day routine and Radar loves doing her hourly perimeter checks.  After this time we are truly starting to get a good feel for how all the items we spent our hard earned dollars on would fare once they got continued heavy use to include making it through most of the winter.  Now it’s time to let the world know, did we make wise purchases on the gear that we would come to depend on or have we whiffed completely.  Maybe a little of both.  Let’s find out, are these items “Worth the Cash or To the Trash”!!

Our first contestant on “Worth the Cash or To the Trash” is my pair of Danner Boots.  I chose to go with the Danner East Ridge 8 inch boot for a few different reasons.

Continue reading “"Worth the Cash or To the Trash"—Danner Boots Review!!”

"Worth the Cash or To the Trash"—Danner Boots Edition!!

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This is what they used to look like

So it’s been about eight months.  Carey and I are starting to settle into our day to day routine and Radar loves doing her hourly perimeter checks.  After this time we are truly starting to get a good feel for how all the items we spent our hard earned dollars on would fare once they got continued heavy use to include making it through most of the winter.  Now it’s time to let the world know, did we make wise purchases on the gear that we would come to depend on or have we whiffed completely.  Maybe a little of both.  Let’s find out, are these items “Worth the Cash or To the Trash”!!

Our first contestant on “Worth the Cash or To the Trash” is my pair of Danner Boots.  I chose to go with the Danner East Ridge 8 inch boot for a few different reasons.

First and foremost, Danner boots are made in the USA.  We are absolutely one of “those” households that will not only pay a bit more but also go out of their way to buy USA made goods as much as possible.  As a side note, Danner’s pricing is in line with other quality boot manufacturers.

danner
This is what they look like now

My other main reason for choosing these boots is that they have Vibram Soles.  I won’t say much about Vibram soles as I don’t want to make this too long but click this link http://www.muckboots.com/blog/so-whats-so-awesome-about-vibram-soles/ and you will get the answer to the question “What’s so special about Vibram Soles?’.

OK, so now onto my experience with these boots.  Other than my Slippers, more on those a different time, the Danners are my only footwear.  These are my hiking boots, my driving boots, my grocery getting boots, my snow shoveling boots etc….I do everything in these boots and have done so for 8 months now.

Summer and Winter are two entirely different experiences when it comes to ground conditions at Sahalee.  During the Summer it goes from dry hard packed terrain with little cacti strewn about like confetti at a New England Patriots Ticker Tape Parade.  On these days I would return back to the yurt, start taking my boots off and stick myself with cactus.  Prickly Pear all over the boots, but none of it made it through the leather lower portion or the padded ankle portion.  A boot that can walk right through Prickly Pear is a great thing to have.  The other true benefit that I found during the Summer Season was the ability for my feet to stay cool inside the Danners.  I think we can all agree that a day of sweaty feet in work boots is not very pleasant.  So we know the Danners are great in Summer–good sturdy boots, keep your feet cool, great Vibram soles produce great traction and they are just comfortable to walk in but what about Winter?

While Winter doesn’t produce the prickly pear cactus like Summer does, it does present some unique challenges that need to be considered when buying a pair of boots.  The first challenge, and my only complaint, is just the snow and cold.  While they are insulated and waterproof, it’s just not the same as putting a good pair of moon boots or Sorrells on when it’s down in the single digits.  Multiple layers of socks are always nice, but then the boot just doesn’t fit right.  Another real life challenge for these boots was the acquisition of 5 cords of firewood prior to and during Winter.  While I never got the opportunity to see how they would handle a chainsaw, they did handle the work very well.  These boots do not have a steel toe, and that is all right by me.  They have a very tough leather toe that has had many meetings with multiple saw rounds and many a split log, other than a sore toe once they withstood the beating.

In our game of “Worth the Cash or To the Trash” Carey and I can both safely say that the Danner East Ridge boot is “WORTH THE CASH”!!!!!!

Interested in checking out these boots for yourself?  Click on one of the Danner Hyperlinks to go to Amazon see for yourself!

2017 Guide to the Land of Enchantment

A new year has a lot of folks looking ahead to making travel plans for family vacations and quick getaways over upcoming three-day weekends. We thought that since we have been posting about our road trips around New Mexico and Colorado, some of you may be inspired to head out west in 2017. Here are a few attractions and travel resources to help you decide where you want to go and when.

Continue reading “2017 Guide to the Land of Enchantment”

Off-grid is the best fitness plan

If anyone is pondering their fitness goals for the new year, I can honestly say that nothing works as well as moving off-grid. Before we had a chance to hit the scales during our visit with the Colorado fam for Thanksgiving, we could only guess at how much weight we had lost since moving to the mountains in June.

Continue reading “Off-grid is the best fitness plan”