LIFESTYLE

Below are some of my favorite products that me and my family use on a regular basis. I get a lot of emails and DMs about this so I thought I’d create a hub to house all of the answers.*

GEAR

Klean Kanteen 40 oz Single Wall Stainless Water Bottle: This is the water bottle I’ve used for year. I use it for my everyday water and also for every camping trip or hike I go on. I’ve boiled water dozens of times in this bottle and have beat it to death in travel. It’s single wall so you can put it in the fire. The lid has a convenient swivel loop that you can attach a carabiner to if you want. I try as much as possible not to drink water from plastic or aluminum if I can help it.

Permethrin Tick Repellent: As much as I hate chemicals, I hate ticks and Lyme Disease more. This spray by SAWYER products is one of the products I use on my clothing and gear to keep ticks at bay during warmer months.

SAWYER Mini Water Filter: When it comes to filtering water in the back-country, this is the filter I carry with me. It’s simple, inexpensive, and removes 99.99999% of all bacteria (salmonella, cholera, and E. coli); removes 99.9999% of all protozoa (such as giardia and cryptosporidium); also removes 100% of microplastics. It also has a life of 100,000 gallons (that’s forever BTW).

Mora 511 Camp Knife: I own at least 6 of these 511s. They are one of the best knives you can buy for under $20. They are made in Sweden and are Razor sharp. Whether you’re a seasoned woodsperson or just beginning, owning one of these is a must!

Cedarcide Natural Tick Repellent: Unless I’m going deep into the bush for a muti-day trip, I try to use Cedarcide as much as possible these days for repelling ticks and mosquitoes. This is a safe natural option and great for my kids too. It’s perfect for a day hike or foraging for wild edibles. I keep one of these spray bottles in every pack I own and in my car. You’ll smell like cedar, but that’s not a bad thing on a hot summer day!

FITNESS

Duonamic Eleviia: Doorway Pull Up Bar: At home and on the road I do body-weight pull ups at least 3X per week using these simple doorway pull-up handles.

Dip Station: Dips are an important component to my body-weight workouts. I use them about 3X per week. There are many different kinds on the market but I like to keep it simple. These also flip on the side for parallel bar push ups.

Weight Vest: I do mainly body weight exercise routines (push-ups, pull-ups, dips, etc). After a few months I need more weight to get a good workout so I added one of these weight vests. I actually found mine at a local Play It Again Sports and it’s almost identical to this one. It’s been a comfortable vest and I strap it on several times a week when I work out.

Beechwood Parallette Bars: I use these low bars for nightly pushup and calisthenic exercises. These are the best ones I’ve used and are very sturdy.

CLOTHING

Helikon-Tex HOP Hybrid Outback Tactical Pants: I love these pants and wear them almost exclusively while in the outdoors. I own several colors.

Smartwool Unisex-adult Classic Hike Crew: I wear these 70% merino wool socks almost exclusively all year.

Helikon-Tex Urban Tactical Belt: Whether I’m carrying my knife or pistol, this belt is rock solid and I wear it all the time.

SAXX Boxer Briefs: My wife got me a pair of these a couple years ago for Christmas and I immediately threw all of my other briefs away. These are the only ones I wear now (although I do have several :).

Helikon-Tex SFU Pants: I’ve always been a big fan of the surplus BDU pants but I don’t like how heavy the all cotton ones are. These are a great updated version from Helikon and are much more practical with 50% polyester. Lots of pockets and durable as heck!

FOOD / WATER / SUPPLEMENTS

Grass-Fed Whey Protein: About 3X per week I take 3 scoops of this with a full glass of RAW cows milk. I typically do this after a workout.

Nutrafol: Each day I take 4 capsules of Nutrafol as a supplement for healthy hair. (Trying not to lose those golden locks.)

Whole Package Bovine Organ Supplement: (SAVE 10% when using this link!) Each day I take desiccated bovine organ supplement capsules (testicle, liver, blood).

IMMUNO MILK: This supplement is a Grass-fed & finished cows colostrum. (Save 10% with this link).

Seven Sons Grass-Fed Beef: I eat mainly grass-fed beef and have it delivered from a local farm in northern Indiana called Seven Sons. I love supporting local sustainable farms and this one is a great example.

PATAGONIA PROVISIONS Roasted Garlic Mackerel: I love packing this tin of mackerel on day hikes and camping trips.

RAW Grass-Fed Cows Milk: Every day I drink a big fat glass of creamy raw unpasteurized grass-fed cows milk, just the way my grandparents did. I love supporting locally farmed organic food and believe it is the best for me and my family. I buy mine from a fast-growing farm-direct delivery service called Market Wagon here.

Baja Gold Salt: I use salt to season the meat that I cook. Many studies have shown that there are all kinds of impurities such as micro-plastics in many salt brands. This is a brand of salt I trust that’s mined here in the Sea of Cortez.

Trace Minerals ConcenTrace Drops: Because we now drink distilled water for our daily drinking water, we use these drops to remineralize our water. Full spectrum Ionic Trace Minerals aids in mineral absorption, helps restore pH balance, and supports normal bowel function, sleep, mood, muscles and the body's complex electrical system functions.

BOOKS / LEARNING

WILD AT HEART by John Eldredge: God did not create men to be nice boys. He created us to live a life of passion, freedom and adventure. To be dangerous men living in a really big story.

The Great Cholesterol Myth: When I switched to a mainly animal-based diet, my cholesterol went up. So, I started doing my research and found this book to be very enlightening on the subject of cholesterol. Sugar, carbs, and processed foods are the true heart evils.

Gospel Patrons: A great book and perspective about how God has used business men and women to support eternal works. I was inspired by this book to be more generous with my finances for ministry.

Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Wild Edible Plants: HANDS DOWN the best wild edible plant field guide on the market - PERIOD. This is a guide I share regularly with students and reference myself in my own study of wild plants. If you’re in to wild edible plants, this book is a MUST HAVE.

The Redemptive Business: This Playbook is for founders, funders, and teams building businesses that seek to operate not only ethically but even redemptively—with deep interest in their cultural impact, generous care for their teams and partners, and leadership marked by uncommonly humble ambition.

Attributes of a Godly Man: Written by a friend of mine, Dan Ploof, this book will challenge you to develop the spiritual disciplines necessary for survival. It’s designed to help men identify and repair their spiritual weaknesses. It focuses on the most common sins men face daily by using examples from Dan’s life to model vulnerability.

PRODUCTIVITY / BUSINESS

Finisher’s Journal: I run several businesses in addition to a host of other passions. I also take every Friday off to spend with my kids. I need to make the most of my work days and I use this simple time-blocking journal to stay on task and move the needle forward.

SanDisk iXpand Flashdrive: I take a lot of photos and video on my iPhone. I use this drive almost daily to instantly backup my photos and video or to copy files over to an external drive or my PC. Such an invaluable tool!

HOME

MegaHome Water Distiller: Tap water is filled with toxins - from prescription drugs and fluoride to household cleaning chemicals and pesticides. You can learn about what’s in your tap water here: https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/ For our everyday drinking water we now use a water distiller. Distillation removes ALL impurities. We use this one by MegaHome. It is an electric unit that distills 1-tank of distilled water every 5-hours.

Big Berkey Household Water Filter: We use the Big Berkey Water Filter as a “non-electric” disaster prep back-up for filtering water. We also travel with this unit to filter water on extended stays on vacation or at a relative’s house. It filters out chlorine and dozens of other toxins from water.

Colletti Bozeman Stainless-Steel Coffee Percolator: I eliminated our automatic coffee maker because of plastic parts (trying to eliminate toxins from our life) and replaced it with this simple stainless-steel percolator. It reduces clutter and eliminates plastic in our coffee.

Air Oasis Air Purifier: Air quality in your home is more important than most people realize. Especially for homes with damp basements. Mold and other toxins can cause a plethora of health issues. In addition to a HEPA filter, this air purifier also kills mold, bacteria and viruses with a suite of advanced technologies so I can feel confident that my family is breathing the best air possible.

ProOne Max Shower Filter: Your skin is your largest organ and absorbs up to 60% of what you put on it, including shower water! Tap water these days is laced with harmful chemicals, pesticides, cleaning agents, and prescription drugs. If you’re on city water you should absolutely be using a shower filter! This is the one I use and it has one of the best filtration ratings on the market.

ProOne Big+ Water Filter: If the Big Berkey isn’t available or is too expensive, the ProOne is a fantastic alternative. The ProOne G2.0 series filters carry the prestigious NSF/ANSI-42 certification and have been tested by an Certified independent lab to other NSF standards.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

SKINSEA Skin Probiotic: As someone who has dealt with psoriasis from a young age, I’ve taken big steps in my adult life to control (and sometimes eliminate) it using diet and lifestyle choices. I believe that gut health has a lot to do with many ailments that people struggle with today. While I’ve tried many probiotics over the years, this is one that has seemed to actually help my skin.

PERMA-EARTH Shampoo & Soap Bar: Our family trying to eliminate as many chemicals from our life. People have no idea how dangerous the chemicals found in soaps and shampoos can be. These chemicals are absorbed into the skin and can not only be irritants but even disrupt hormone production. We’ve thrown away all of our shampoo and soap and now use this lard-based all-in-one shampoo bar for everything. It’s amazing. And, yes, my wife loves it.

GRÝS Tallow-based Skin Cream: As someone who has dealt with psoriasis since the age of 10, I’ve used every lotion and ointment on the market. Not only are they all filled with chemicals, but most of them burned my skin. Finally, my wife and I started making our own using locally sourced grass-fed beef tallow (fat). It was amazing and brought immediate relief to my dry skin. And, my wife loved it too. Long story short, we now have our family formula professionally made and packaged in small batches. If you’re in the market for an all-natural, chemical-free face cream and lotion, this is it!

REVITIN Toothpaste: Come to find out, big brand toothpaste is loaded with ingredients that are harmful to your gut lining. I wish I knew this over the past 40 years! It’s not surprising seeing that most toothpastes are made by soap companies. This is a toothpaste we use that does not contain chemical, such as fluoride, that degrade the gut lining,

OregaSmile Toothpaste: This is another brand of chemical-free toothpaste we use.

PREPAREDNESS

EarthMinded Rain-barrel Diverter Kit: For most people, a rain-barrel is the most practical option for a renewable emergency water source. This is the kit I recommend to add a rain barrel to your home using a food-grade 55-gallon plastic drum.

Flyhoom Rechargeable Lantern: A friend of mine gave me a 2-pack of these as a gift. They are rechargeable USB lanterns and I immediately added them (and several more that I purchased) to out “Blackout” kit at home. I small solar powered battery charging station and these are the perfect addition to that kit. They last a very long time on 1 charge and have multiple settings. Definitely a great off-grid lighting solution.

Harvest Right Freeze Dryer: This home freeze dryer is official NEXT ON MY LIST of things to buy for my long term food preparedness efforts. I have several friends who own one and they are amazing. Freeze drying food not only maintains the nutritional value but extends the shelf life to 25 years. Incredible!

Solar Motion Light: Not only are these lights great security lights but they serve as an off-grid back-up lighting option. With a run-time of many hours each these make an excellent interior light or flashlight for disaster emergencies.

JASECASE Emergency Antibiotics: It’s important to have an assortment of anitbiotics in your disaster med kit. This is a great option that you can purchase online and includes Amoxicillin – Clavulanate 875-125mg (Augmentin), Azithromycin 250mg, Ciprofloxacin 500mg, Doxycycline 100mg, and Metronidazole 500mg. Collectively, these cover a wide range of infections that could be life-threatening if the grid goes down.

KIDS

MORA SCOUT 39: I get a lot of questions about what knife I recommend for kids. This is the one I gave to my son as his first knife. It has a rounded tip and is a fantastic blade in general. Made by MORA in Sweden.

YETI 12oz RAMBLER Water Bottle: I hate my kids drinking out of plastic and aluminum so I bought them both these stainless YETIs for their daily water bottle that they take to school and use on our day hikes. These things are indestructible.

Opinel # 7 My First Pocket Knife: This is a great little folding pocket knife for kids. My son River loves using this knife and the rounded tip makes it much safer while learning the ropes of knifework.

FARM

Coming soon.