Monday, August 26, 2019

11 Last Resort Uncommon Home Water Sources

As an Amazon Associate, Orange Jeep Dad earns from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

Today I have a Guest Post from Jack over at SkilledSurvivial.com

11 Last Resort Uncommon Home Water Sources  
Let’s pretend for one minute that you were caught off guard, unprepared and ran out of water.   
Maybe the recent Ebola outbreak gets into your local water supply - did you see that cleanup worker spraying the Ebola vomit down that storm drain?  

 Or maybe there’s been an extended power failure and the taps have been dry for weeks…  
You are trapped in your home with your family, all the survival water has been used up.  Now is the time to revert to some uncommon methods to quench your family's thirst. 

These water sources are not your first option, but more like your Plan B.  

When implementing Plan B it’s not time to get squeamish, it’s time to survive. 

I list these uncommon sources from safe to questionable, based solely upon my opinion and personal experience.  However, each sources relative safety must be personally assessed depending upon your specific situation and most of these sources can be purified and treated. 

1 - Melted Ice Cubes / Freezer Build Up 

In a Plan B survival scenario, when you need water desperately, don’t expect to have the luxuries of grid power.   

Your ice and freezer build-up will melt quickly and if you are smart, you will get that frozen H2O into a bucket.  I recommend doing this early in all power loss situations, Just In Case. 

2 - How About Your Water Heater? 

A large full reservoir of city water…. a perfect Plan B solution. 

3 - Liquids from Canned Goods 

If you have some canned Corn or Beans then you have some rehydration available.   Canned goods (especially veggies) are floating in a lot of water.  These waters will be “flavored” but they are also safe to drink. 

4 - Water Drained From Pipes 

Standing Water in your home's pipes can be collected.   

The amount will depend upon the size of your home, but there should be pressurized water stuck between your main shutoff valve and faucets, showerheads, and toilet refill locations. 

Just find the lowest point in your home's piping system.  Open it up, and make certain to collect every last drop.   

Just be prepared for more water to come out that you think.  I’ve done this in order to work on my home's pipes and it always amazing me the amount that comes out. 

5 - A Backyard Sprinkler System 

Depending upon the time of year, your sprinkler system may have some standing water in it.  Each fall, you should drain your sprinkler system to keep it from freezing (if you live in a frost zone) so just follow that same process but you will need to figure out a good way to collect it. 

6 - Outdoor Hoses 

Similar to the sprinkler example.   

Each fall, you should roll up and put away your outdoor water hoses.  If you do this right, you lift one end of the hose and work your way to the other end letting all the water drain out into a collection basin.  

7 - Water From Toilets / Flush Tank 

Sounds gross but remember many dogs love this water.  They drink it and they have no ill effects.  Actually, on average, a regularly flushed toilet bowl is a pretty safe water source.  

A survival situation is no time to be squeamish about drinking water from a toilet tank. However, unless you are about to die of dehydration, a little filtration may be in order.  

8 - P Traps under Sinks 

A P trap is the S curved twisty pipe located under your sinks.  

This design is to control odors from your sewer pipes from seeping into your home.  The way this works the always present water (due to the curve) blocks these potent odors.   

This is not a lot of water but it is wet and can be purified. 

9 - What about swimming pools?   

Tens of thousands of gallons of water right in your own backyard?  

Absolutely.   

What about the chlorine in the water? It’s actually a sanitizing agent keeping the water free of algae and bacteria---so drink up.   

What about a saltwater pool?   

The salt concentration in these pools is very, very low; way lower than seawater, and some can be drunk immediately with no ill effects.  

If in doubt, this water could be used in solar stills or boiled and condensed to remove any salt or mineral. 

10 - Water Beds 

Not the first place I’d prefer due to high potential for bacterial growth, but if you have a water bed then you technically have a lot of potential water.  Carefully treat and filter and you should be fine. 

11 - Rain Water Collection 

If you are low or out of water then look to the skies.   

The best way to collect rainwater is by using your roof.  If you tried setting buckets out on the ground you’ll be lucky to get a few sips of water.   

You need to funnel a large surface area (roof) into a focal point (downspout).  Just get some large containers (preferably barrels) and collect as much as possible out of your downspout. 

Water Treatments 

It can’t be stressed enough, it’s always smart to carefully treat all uncommon water sources as both biologically and or chemically unsafe.  Drinking water from these sources untreated could turn a serious survival situation into a sever survival situation within hours. 

A couple of extra cautionary notes: roof rainwater can contain heavy metals and or chemicals from vehicle exhaust depending upon your location.  It might be best to distill that water instead of relying on purification and filtration. 

Some of these water sources are cleaner than others but to be safe, I recommend that you purify and filter all of them.  There are many ways to purify water.  You can use a bleach solution, water tablets or a UV pen.  

You should also filter the water.  As you’d learn at SkilledSurvival.com, my go-to filtering solution is the Life Straw.  I have several and I recommend having at least one for each family member. 
The current Ebola Crisis crisis is a great reminder that it’s time to get your stuff together.  Are you prepared to deal with longer-term contamination of your public water supply?  

Bottom Line 

You can last weeks without food but will day in a matter of days without water. You need to preserve as many options to find and purify water as possible. This is why knowing where to find water and being able to purify it is so important. My favorite personal filtration tool is the LifeStraw. This small, but mighty, water filter could one day save your life and if you're serious about survival and preparedness you should have at least one.



Everyday Essentials

Posts like this always remind me to keep the essentials on hand. A few things worth having around: a set of storage bins, a daily planner, and a durable tote bag.

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Sunday, August 11, 2019

Blogging From Home - Making Money on Your Time

As an Amazon Associate, Orange Jeep Dad earns from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

Making Money From Home with Blogging


Hello friends. First, thanks for stopping by my little blog. This Blogspot has been around a while and seen lots of different topics. One thing has remained the same though: Self Sufficiency.

Although I've stopped talking about farming and raising 4H animals (for now), I will always be talking about how to make money. Mostly because it seems to the one topic that always has a new iteration and a steady crowd of listeners who are interested in the same thing.

Since I've been a computer nerd my whole life, finding ways to make money with my computer has always interested me. What REALLY interests me is figuring out how to make money from my computer while traveling. I haven't quite nailed that one yet.

Ultimately, I dream of making enough that I don't have to work for someone else in a 9-5 cubicle. It is not an easy task but it can be done. Patrice does it at Rural-Revolution and SurvivalBlog takes care of JW Rawles quite nicely.

So, my blog today is more of an overview of new things I'm trying online. If you are interested in how to make money online with blogging, you are in the right place. I'm not selling anything. Just sharing what I am doing. I believe the more people you help, the more blessings will be poured out.

So let's get started!

Income School and Project 24


If you are into blogging or have been checking it out, you may have heard of a company called Income School. They are growing quite a fan base on YouTube and seem to have figured out their own little formula to making passive income with blogging.

They have an expensive membership club ($499) for behind the scenes information but share a lot of what they do on YouTube for free. You can see their free channel here.

After showing several videos of theirs to Wifey, we've decided to pursue this model of income from home. It is a model that uses specific steps for building a blog and monetizing it. I have always liked to write and blogging is the perfect platform. Figuring out how to do it AND make money would be great.

Old School Blogging Knowledge Still Applies


One of the reasons I like the Income School model is that I'm very comfortable with blogging. My background, just like many of you, starting when blogging was first getting going many years ago. Back then, the things we did naturally brought us more visitors (page views). Things like joining other blogs of like-minded bloggers. I would join Rural Revolution's adventures and read her posts. Then leave a comment on her post about what I thought. That comment would have my icon next to it which, subsequently, linked back to my blog. Anyone reading my comment would see my blog's title and if they wished, they could click on me and visit my blog. That's how you would build up traffic back in the old days.

We also swapped links with each other. I would post Patrice's blog on my sidebar and she would post my blog on her sidebar. Through this link sharing, our blogs would get more exposure. The more exposure you get, the more people visit your website.

It tickles me to see the new generation of bloggers coming on board and voicing their concern about how to increase page views. They're looking for online services that will sell them "backlinks" to help increase their chances of ranking higher on Google search results. "Backlinks" are the same thing I just mentioned that happen quite easily when you just get involved with your audience.

Niche Blogging and Choosing a Niche


The most used phrase now is "niche" blogging. Simply put, it means picking one topic and writing only about that. But newcomers are obsessed with finding the niche that will make them the most money, the quickest. Which wasn't what blogging was about in the old days. Blogging was about sharing your passions with like-minded people. Guess what? it can still be that way AND make money.

The advice I've been giving out lately to new bloggers is "pick a niche you personally enjoy and engage." Don't decide that you should write about "Losing belly fat for 30-40-year-old females" because some keyword tool told you that was the more lucrative topic.

Here's the cardinal rule, rule #1 about blogging:

Only blog about things you enjoy. Because if you are blogging for any other reason, you will burn out and get tired of writing about the subject. And worse, your disinterest will show through your writing and your audience will pick up on it.

I know, because I did it over a decade ago. Now, I write about what I enjoy. This blog was a perfect example of journaling my daily life as a dad trying to be self-sufficient while raising a family. If you look back through my archive, you'll see all kinds of goofy stories about how I had to watch all six daughters for a weekend while Wifey went on a retreat. I share all the crazy stories that happened and what I learned.

The Niche Blogging Method


So, today I'm going to share with you what I'm blogging about on the side, how the blog is doing and what I do to monetize it.

My first "niche" site under the Project 24 plan (Income School has 60 steps to follow ) took me two months to decide on. I was stuck in the "what will be the perfect market" quandry just like everyone else starting this process. Then I realized "This is blogging, I'm not new to this." So I picked something I knew very well. In fact, it's what I do for a living.

My first niche is The Radiologic Technologist (TheRadiologicTechnologist.com). I've been working in this field for almost 20 years and I still am. Many of my first choices for domain names were taken: Xraytech.com, RadTech.com and the like. In the old days, it was taboo to pick a really long domain name because you risk people not being able to remember it.

Nowadays, people don't memorize domain names. They bookmark them into their favorites or better yet, you just start typing the first three letters into the URL bar of your browser and Google auto-suggests what it knows you have typed in the past. Memorizing an entire URL is no longer needed.

So I settled on the proper name for my profession and had to add "The" to the front because the truncated version was taken, just like everything else.

I hosted the domain at Blue Host per the recommendation of Project 24 and set out blogging about my job. But this is where things veer away from our old school ways of blogging. You don't just blog about current events anymore. I mean you can, but there's a method to madness sometimes.

Feed the Goose that Lays the Golden Egg


Now that Google has been around a while, they amassed quite a bit of information from us humans. I'm sure you've used Google just as much as the rest of us. What time does the store close? Google it. What movies are playing at the theater? Google it. How do you spell that big, long stupid word that you always misspell? Yep, Google.

So the Income School philosophy capitalizes on this. Since one of Google's main jobs is to find the answer to the question you have asked, they also have a vested interest in sending searchers to the best websites who can most accurately answer the questions. If they do a bad job finding your answer, searchers may start using Bing or Yahoo. So, Google scours the internet for websites that answer the questions that searchers are looking for.

Income School teaches how to find the questions Google receives from searchers and create blogs that answer those questions. If you do a good job answering the questions, Google starts to send all those searchers to your blog... which leads to more traffic at your blog. The more traffic you get, the more money you can make through different things that you can do to monetize your site.

Once Google knows you have answers, they continue to send you traffic. At one point, according to their theory, you can stop writing posts and Google will continue sending traffic...hence, your blog continues to make money long after you have stopped posting.

Next, they teach that once you have established one blog with 30-40 posts, you can "let it ride" so to speak and start building niche site #2. These are 90-day cycles if you stick to their plan. So every 90 days you start up a new site.

Here's my example, using what I am actually working on:


I want to write about radiology, my career field. So I need to find out what questions people are asking Google about my field. There are several ways to do this.

1. Simple common sense. Because I've chosen my own field, I know what people are asking. If you choose a niche you don't know, you will have to rely on someone else to tell you what the questions are (and Income School teaches how they do this.)  I know from experience that people are always asking "How much does a rad tech make?", "How do I get into Rad Tech school?", "What does a typical day look like for a rad tech?" and so on.

So I wrote blog posts simply answering those questions. Here's my current list of articles that I have written to answer Google questions:

  1. Difference between Rad Technologist and Technician
  2. How to write your resume (includes tips on volunteering)
  3. What a typical day looks like for a rad tech (hospital setting)
  4. What a typical day looks like for a rad tech (clinic setting)
  5. Successful interview strategies
  6. How much does a Rad Tech make per hour?
  7. Ways to pay for school
  8. Tips to get accepted into a program
  9. Can you work full-time while going to school
  10. Explanations of the whole imaging career pathway
  11. Common injuries for rad techs
  12. What are continuing education credits?
  13. Common misconceptions (a comedy piece really, and a little venting)
  14. How to be a traveling rad tech (or any tech really)
  15. Best states to work in as a rad tech (keep more pay in your pocket)
  16. What are the common injuries for Rad Techs?
  17. 5 Reasons to Choose a Career in Radiography.
  18. What does a Rad Tech wear to work?
  19. How to get accepted into Rad Tech school.
  20. Xray- the horror movie from 1981 with Barbi Benton
  21. A day in the life of a radiographer.
  22. Top 5 Rad Tech scrubs for men.
  23. 7 possible dangers being a Rad Tech.
  24. Forensic Radiography
  25. Goodbye RPA Career Path
  26. How to pass your ARRT board exams
  27. What is a registered radiology assistant?
  28. To shield or not to shield…your patients. (ACR says NO!)
  29. What is a Radiation Safety Officer and How Do I Become an RSO?
  30. History and Use of a Radiographic Technique Chart.
  31. Radiation Therapy: What You Need to Know About Becoming a Radiation Therapist. 
  32. The Pros and Cons of Cross-Training Current Employees versus Hiring Outside Employees
These are all questions I see at my job that I know people are asking about. If they are asking me during their x-ray exam, there are people out there asking Google. 

How Does It Make Money?


There are several ways to make money and I've talked about them before on this blog. But for TheRadiologicTechnologist.com, I have used Adsense advertisements in the sidebar and throughout blog posts. I have also used Amazon Affiliate links to promote different items in my posts. These are the two main ways for this site. 

The more traffic you get on a site, the more money you make from these advertisements. This is an old school monetization. I've had Adsense and Amazon on this blog (OrangeJeepDad) for over a decade. This is nothing new. But the methodology of how to entice Google to send you their search traffic is the basis of this model. 

Income School teaches that in their experience, it takes Google about six months to completely search your site, index all of your stuff and apply their own algorithm on how they are going to "rank" you according to all the other blogs out there providing similar information. Nobody but Google knows the exact formula of how blogs get ranked. There are tons of Gurus out there selling you their method but there is no guarantee it works. Income School simply teaches that you should write the best content that you can with no tricks. No attempts to fool them with "keyword stuffing" or paying someone to backlink 200 times to your site from their network of blogs. Just write solid information and wait. 

TheRadiologicTechologist.com is only four months old and I am not seeing much organic traffic from Google yet. I am seeing some but only a few visitors each day. However, because I networked my blog just like we did in the old days, I still see some good traffic. Good enough traffic to earn me about $40 the second and third month of being "live."

Once I reached the last step in establishing a niche site (and I'm skipping a ton of information here to give you an overview), I moved on to niche site 2. 

Who Loves to Go Kayaking?


We do! Wifey and I love to go kayaking here in southern Idaho. So that is what I picked for niche site #2: Kayak-101.com (Kayak-101.com) and I'm enjoying the heck out of it. It gives me an excuse to go kayaking and take more pictures. Then I search or questions based on kayaking and research the answers. 

While we were kayaking yesterday, I was telling Wifey about foldable kayaks and rash guards. These were two questions that I recently researched and started writing posts about. Here's my current list of posts at Kayak-101.com:

I hope this sheds some light on the method of blogging from home for income while using the Income School's Project 24 plan. You can find a lot more information about it at their website. Or, better yet, you can ask me and I'd be happy to help you. 

If this post piqued your interest and you'd like to learn more, leave a comment below. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Tools That Make Blogging From Home Easier

A few basics make working from home on a blog far more productive. A comfortable ergonomic chair matters a lot more once you are sitting at a keyboard for hours a day, a second monitor makes managing research and writing side by side much faster, and a reliable external backup drive protects years of content and photos from a single hard drive failure. Comfortable, reliable gear is what makes working from home sustainable long term.

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Thursday, June 13, 2019

How to Write a Blog for Income From Home

My Journey to Make an Income by Blogging 


My affinity for blogging started over a decade ago while working a late night hospital shift. The small-town hospital afforded me plenty of "downtime" in between patients, usually between midnight and 6 am. My usual routine was to complete homework for whatever program I was in at the time. But on occasion, I would be caught up on homework and looking for creative ways to stay busy while passing the time.

Wifey and I will still be kayaking as much as possible
Enter the world of blogging. I had built websites for several years and dabbled heavily with eBay and bulletin board services even earlier. I actually started with a class in Basic programming that my mom enrolled me into at the young age of 12. I knew then that I had an affinity for these new computer things and looked forward to using them as much as possible.

It's About the Connections You Make, Stupid


The real purpose of writing this post isn't about earning income while blogging. It is to tell all the people I have met in the blogosphere what I am up to and to say hello. The journey I have had on this Blogspot blog alone is noteworthy. The dozens of online friends I made a decade ago who I still talk to today is heartwarming.

I spent some time yesterday looking back at all the posts. I deleted over 1,000 spam comments from all over the globe. Surprisingly, I found a brand new set of 24 from one Arabic spammer just now as I came here to pen this post. These guys should know by now that backlink spamming is going to get them ranked negatively by Google. Google is well aware of these old tactics and already has it plugged into their algorithm to shun the cheater. But hey, it got the blog 24 advertisement views on my Adsense account so...

How to Make an Income with a Blog


This blog actually has made money, believe it or not. I've never been clever enough to create my own product an sell it like Patrice over at Rural Revolution. She had a plan, executed it and to this day is still plugging along with her opinionated blog. I am really proud of her and all of her accomplishments. Successfully raising a family while handling the farm life and all her animals. She has shared her craft of writing with many people and even encouraged me with a NanoWriMo challenge. She is a great example of how to be self-sufficient and work from home at the same time.

Still enjoying the Orange Jeep too!
Of course, Captain Rawles has lead the pack in a way. His blog reaches millions and has gained worldwide notoriety. I have had the honor of writing and publishing two blog posts on his blog over the years. Because of his blogging notoriety, his blog gets attacked on a regular basis by haters. They have successfully taken his site down a few times but he has always managed to overcome with redundancy.

These are just two of the individuals I've met over the years through the hobby of blogging. The overwhelming support my family received during our house fire was amazing. My local church did a great job helping us with clothes and food but the internet friends I made just blew me away. The donations and letters of support were amazing. I still have a manilla envelope filled with all the cards and letters that came after the fire. I get it out about once a year and read through it. Truly amazing what people will do for a stranger they met through a blog.

Blogging isn't Always About the Money


I admit to starting a blog with the intent of making a little extra income on the side. I had heard it could be done and set out on my quiet night shift to accomplish just that. But in reality, it was an outlet to share my affinity for writing and chronicle my life so that it might benefit others. When I look back at this blog now, there were virtually no advertisements at all in the first year. How was I expecting to make an income with no adverts?

The answer: it didn't really matter if I made an income or not. I enjoyed writing and sharing my quirky sense of humor. In a way, I'm sure that was some validation searching in there somewhere. Was my humor funny? Could I elicit a comment of approval? Yes, that was definitely a factor. But the overarching was just to release my desire to write. I can't explain it really. Perhaps I just think that I am really funny and like to read my own stuff. (read: huge dork)

The ability to connect with other bloggers and share ideas was fantastic. I had a nice list on the right side of my blog that linked to all my internet friends. We bounced back and forth commenting on each other's posts. It was comforting to share links with people of similar interests. I appear to have lost my sidebar links now, unfortunately. I'll have to dig around this template and see if I can find them somewhere.

Top Three Methods to Making Money on a Blog


If you landed here by some chance that a search engine actually picked up my title, I'll share with you the three top ways that I have found to make an income by blogging. Some I have done myself but some are what I've seen my friends around the internet accomplish.

1. Banner advertising - 


The simplest, and most well known is Google's Adsense. Although I've been a customer/member for over a decade, I can't say I've made a ton of money with this revenue generator. But that's because I didn't try super hard. In this area, it is all about the amount of traffic your blog gets. If you have 50,000 pageviews a month or more, Adsense could be a decent income producer. I have another blog that I have been focusing on for the past few months (hence no posts regularly here) and I've managed to reach 12,000 page views in one month. On Adsense, it earned me about $20. Definitely not equal to the amount of time that I have put into the blog. But, the main purpose of that blog is to write material once and walk away after 3-6 months. If I do it right, it should continue to trickle in revenue for a few decades.

The Orange Jeep with Two Swify Kayaks
But, if you ARE hitting more than 10,000 page views per month, you should be switching from Adsense to Ezoic ads. Ezoic is still owned by Google but they seem to put a lot more effort into the advertisements and their placements on your site. Since your blog has to be older than four months, I do not qualify yet but have already tried to apply in vain,. With Ezoic, the revenue should be 3-4 times what you would get from Adsense. I look forward to proving that right.

2. Affiliate marketing - 


The most popular here is Amazon Associates. You all know what it is by now so I don't need to explain. But you should know that there are several other companies out there like Share-a-sale, Commission Junction (which I think is called something else now) and just about every other website has an affiliate membership program.

Of course, the plan here is that you somehow drive traffic to their "store" and if the visitor buys something you will get a percentage of the sale. Pretty straight forward. I have only done Amazon affiliates and I think the most I made in one month (when I blogged nearly every day) was about $120 in that month. You can definitely produce some good income with this method. But you have to stay on top of your links to make sure they remain valid over time. Dead links = no dinero.

3. Direct sales - 


Either create your own products like Patrice does with ebook and tankards or buy someone else's stuff and sell it directly on your website. eBooks have been around since the start of the internet and believe it or not, people are still buying them. If you can figure out a way to create your own informational booklet, odds are there is someone in the world looking for that information.

This is where you will make the most income because you are the captain of your own ship. Thanks to the internet and the speed of shipping packages around the world, the sky is the limit on what you can make, sell, and where you can ship it to.

Mixing Up the Blog Topics


It wasn't my intention. My intention a few months ago was to capitalize on this established blog and see if I couldn't' revive some revenue out of it with some new posts about kayaking. I really like kayaking and there's sage old advice that you should only blog about what you love or it will become taxing and unenjoyable. So I switched the topic on this blog to kayaking and changed the template of how it looked to give it a more modern feel.

Then I realized, that just isn't what this blog was for. This blog was a means to express the current events in my life and share with like-minded individuals. So I reverted the blog back to its original template design. Unfortunately, it seems I destroyed some of the modules I used to have like linking to the blogroll of other bloggers who I used to follow religiously.

If you've read this far, maybe you are one of those blog authors that I used to follow. I would be happy to reconnect with a new widget on the sidebar if you could leave me a comment below. I suspect there aren't many out there anymore. Like Granny Miller, did she retire? Pioneer Preppy, Warlock Sundance, Leigh, Jay Ater, Kim, Milo, MaribethKC, well...the list is quite long. I have to jump on a conference call so I'll have to say farewell.

If you are interested, my new site is allowing me to blog about my career in radiology. In the next few months, I will probably pull the kayaking posts off this site and put them on a dedicated site just for kayaking and return this blog back to its original platform for posterity. And I'll drop by from time to time to was poetic because...who else is going to listen :-)

Ron
aka OJD

Edit: couldn't remember Granny Miller's name and called her Granny Smith, LOL. Corrected!

A Few Tools That Help a New Blog Get Off the Ground

Getting a blog started for income does not require much, but a couple of things help. A good webcam and microphone combo makes video content or interviews look and sound far more professional, and a solid book on blog SEO basics can save months of trial and error learning what actually works. Writing consistently matters most, but the right tools make it easier to stick with.

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Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Night Kayaking - The Thrill of Paddling By Moonlight

Night Kayaking: The Thrill of Paddling By Moonlight

I love to go kayaking...obviously. Sometimes I wish there was more time in the day to enjoy being on the water in my kayak. One morning, I started out super early so I could get a paddle in before I reported to my day job. As I slid my kayak into the water at 4:45am, I realized I had never been on the water in the absence of sunlight. It was almost pitch black at that time. That's when I first began to wonder "Can you go kayaking at night?"

The answer: Absolutely! There are some additional safety steps needed like having navigational lights on your kayak or a handheld lantern-type device. You also need to comply with standard safety measures like personal flotation devices, safety whistle, etc. Other than that, the sky's the limit. Go out any time and have fun!

Standard Gear for Any Kayak Trip

I've already done over this here: What do I need to start kayaking?

Additional Gear for Kayaking in the Dark

Two new circumstances for a kayaker are presented when kayaking at night.

  1. Making sure anyone else on the water can see you in the dark
  2. Making sure you can see everything you need to see for your safety

In order to be seen by other people on the water, you will need to add some lights to your kayak. There are boating standards established eons ago for any floating vessel in order to establish visibility at night. Whether you are dealing with a clear line of sight or challenges like fog and rain, there is still a basic lighting protocol established.

An unmotorized kayak is classified as a "vessel under oars" and subject to the U.S. Coast Guard Rules when it comes to navigation lights.

Citing U.S.C.G. Rule #25:

"A vessel under oars may exhibit the lights prescribed in this rule for sailing vessels, but if she does not, she shall have ready at hand an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light which shall be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent a collision."

So there is your first requirement. You should either have lights on your kayak or carry a handheld light source. Here are some great navigational lights that are super easy to be added to your kayak. If you choose to go the handheld route, check these out what they have on Amazon.

However, if you read on you can see an except for kayaks:

From U.S.C.G. Rule 30:

  • A vessel of less than 7 meters in length, when at anchor not in or near a narrow channel, fairway or where other vessels normally navigate, shall not be required to exhibit the lights or shape prescribed in Rule 30(a) and (b).
Seven meters is almost 23 feet.

Bow and Stern lights.

do you need lights

what do you wear for night kayaking

are PFDs required for kayaking

do i need a license to kayak

https://blog.theclymb.com/passions/paddle/kayak-night/

http://kayak-skills.kayaklakemead.com/night-kayaking.html

https://www.viator.com/tours/Florida/Bioluminescence-Comb-Jelly-Kayaking-Tour/d276-26315P9

🌙 Night Kayaking Gear — See and Be Seen

Full gear: Kayak 101.

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Monday, May 6, 2019

Is It Easier to Kayak or Canoe? Which is Best for You?

Is It Easier to Kayak or Canoe? Which is Best for You?

For most first-time paddlers, a kayak is the easier of the two to pick up. You sit low in the boat with a double-bladed paddle, which makes it more intuitive to keep a straight line and correct your course without much practice. Canoes sit higher off the water, use a single-bladed paddle, and typically require a bit more technique, like the J-stroke, to travel straight without a partner in the back steering. That said, canoes have their own advantages that make them worth considering depending on what you plan to do on the water.

Canoes generally offer more storage and carrying capacity, which makes them a favorite for camping trips, fishing, or paddling with kids and gear. They are also easier to enter and exit at a dock or shoreline since you are not folding yourself into a low cockpit. Kayaks, on the other hand, tend to handle wind and waves better because of their lower profile, and sit-inside models keep more of your body dry and warm in cooler conditions. Sit-on-top kayaks split the difference nicely for beginners, since they are stable, simple to climb back onto if you tip, and require very little upkeep.

If you are paddling solo, a kayak is usually the more forgiving choice while you build confidence and technique. If you are heading out with family, a dog, or a cooler full of gear, a canoe's extra capacity and stability at rest might make more sense. Many paddlers eventually own both, since each shines in different conditions. Renting each one for a day before buying is the best way to figure out which style fits your body, your local water, and the way you actually plan to use it.

This page has been moved to our new dedicated kayaking website:

🛶 Kayak vs Canoe: Gear to Try Both

  • Sit-On-Top Kayak — Easiest entry point for beginners. Amazon's Choice picks.
  • Canoe Paddle — If you go the canoe route, a proper bent-shaft paddle makes a big difference.
  • Kayak Paddle — Lightweight carbon options reduce fatigue significantly.
  • Coast Guard Approved PFD — Essential for either craft. Top-rated picks.

Full gear guide: Kayak 101.

Affiliate Disclosure: Links above are Amazon affiliate links. Purchases support The Orange Jeep Dad blog at no extra cost to you.

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Friday, May 3, 2019

How to Keep Kayaking Fun for Kids

How to Keep Kayaking Fun for Kids

Getting kids excited about kayaking starts with keeping the first few trips short, low pressure, and focused on fun rather than distance or skill. A tired, cold, or bored child on a two hour paddle will remember that trip for all the wrong reasons, so aim for thirty to forty five minutes on calm, flat water for the first several outings. Let them paddle when they want to and rest when they want to, and resist the urge to turn it into a fitness challenge. Praise and patience go a lot further than instruction at this stage.

A properly fitted life jacket is non-negotiable, and it should fit snugly enough that it will not slip up over a child's chin if they end up in the water. Sit-on-top kayaks or tandem kayaks are usually the easiest way to start, since kids can paddle alongside a parent without the pressure of controlling a boat solo. Bringing along simple extras like a dry bag with snacks, a water bottle, and a small toy or fishing net for exploring tide pools and shallow water keeps the outing feeling like an adventure instead of exercise.

Turning the trip into a game works wonders: spotting wildlife, counting turtles or fish, racing to a marked point and back, or letting a child navigate to a chosen landmark all keep young paddlers engaged. Sun protection matters even more for kids than adults, since their skin burns faster, so pack reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, and a rash guard. Most importantly, follow their energy level rather than a set plan, and end the trip on a high note while they are still having fun, so they are asking to go again next weekend instead of dreading the next time you suggest it.




This page has been moved to our new dedicated kayaking website:


🚣 Kid-Friendly Kayaking Gear

Full gear guide: Kayak 101.

Affiliate Disclosure: Links above are Amazon affiliate links. Purchases support The Orange Jeep Dad blog at no extra cost to you.

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Wednesday, May 1, 2019

The Dangers of Kayaking - Is Kayaking Safe ?

The Dangers of Kayaking - Is Kayaking Safe ?

Kayaking has an excellent safety record when it is done with a little preparation, but like any water sport it carries real risks that are worth understanding before you launch. The most common dangers are cold water immersion, capsizing in moving water or waves, collisions with other boats, and simply overestimating your own endurance on a longer paddle than you trained for. Most kayaking incidents come down to a small number of preventable mistakes rather than the sport being inherently dangerous.

Cold water is the biggest hidden risk, since even a mild-looking lake or river can be cold enough below the surface to cause cold shock and rapidly sap your strength if you end up in the water unexpectedly. This is why experienced paddlers dress for the water temperature rather than the air temperature, and why a properly fitted life jacket is non-negotiable, even for strong swimmers. Weather can also change quickly on open water, and wind that seems minor from shore can produce whitecaps and strong currents once you are out on a lake.

The good news is that nearly every serious risk can be managed with basic precautions: always wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket, check the weather and water conditions before you launch, paddle with a buddy when possible, carry a whistle or signaling device, and stay within your skill level, especially around moving water, tides, or busy boat traffic. Taking a short beginner course or paddling with a more experienced friend the first few times is one of the best investments a new kayaker can make. With reasonable preparation, kayaking remains one of the safest and most accessible ways to enjoy time on the water.


This page has been moved to our new dedicated kayaking website:

🛟 Kayaking Safety Gear

Full gear guide: Kayak 101.

Affiliate Disclosure: Links above are Amazon affiliate links. Purchases support The Orange Jeep Dad blog at no extra cost to you.

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