If you are sick of buying batteries for your camping lanterns and flashlights, consider using the Hybrid Solar Lite instead. It is a super bright, solar powered, LED flashlight that can be recharged over and over again via its solar panel.

It is waterproof to 80 feet and floats when dropped in the water (unlike my cell phone that was “toast” after I accidentally dropped it in the lake while on a camping trip last year, but I guess that’s another story).

The flashlight also has a conventional battery backup. You probably won’t ever need to use it, but it’s there just in case you decide to to something like go live in a dark cave for a long time.

The best part is that the hybrid solar lite it is guaranteed for life (just don’t lose it)!

The Hybrid Solar Light is manufactured by Hybrid Light LC in Saint George, Utah, a small family owned company.

To find out more about the flashlight and how it works, watch the short video below:

For more information about the company or to purchase a Hybrid Solar light, visit the company’s website at hybridlite.com. Enter the discount code of blog08 to receive $2.50 off your hybridlite. The code is good through December 31, 2008.

For some great dutch oven recipes, check out the The Geezer Cookbook by Dwayne Pritchett.

The cookbook has over 350 recipes that Dwayne compiled into an electronic format and which you can download and print for FREE! All you need to be able to download and print the cookbook is Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Dwayne was a Scoutmaster who loved Dutch Oven cooking and spicy foods. Like many of us, he collected recipes on various scraps of paper. Dwayne eventually decided to compile his recipes and share them with his fellow Scouts and Scoutmasters.

Dwayne passed away in August of 1995 after batting cancer. Mark Michalski, who had the opportunity to know Dwayne “Medicine Man” Pritchitt is sharing Dwayne’s story and recipes so his spirit of friendship and sharing can continue on.

You can download and print the cookbook, and also continue the spirit of sharing by letting others know about the cookbook.

There are recipes for appetizers, breads, desserts, breakfast, main dishes (from beef to pork to chicken to fish and other seafood to venison), salads (the dutch oven isn’t needed for every salad but there’s some great salad dressings you can make in the dutch oven), sandwiches, pasta and rice, gravies and sauces, soups, vegetables, and there’s a great “hints and tips” section that first time dutch oven cooks as well as experienced dutch oven cooks will find helpful.

Some of the recipes in the cookbook include: Geezer Come and Get it (a yummy dip), firebird casserole (spicy), armadillo eggs (an armadillo free recipe!), road kill stew (for venison lovers), monkey bread (made from scratch and a little time consuming but who doesn’t love fresh, warm bread?), camper’s breakfast (made with Spam, a favorite of my husband’s), black bear chili (no black bears, just black beans and flank steak), and blackberry cobbler (if you’ve never eaten blackberry cobbler, you’re missing out).

I’ve been doing dutch oven cooking on my camping trips for a little over a year and I love it. The food is great. With a little dutch oven know-how there’s no need to eat burgers, hot dogs, and marshmallows your entire camping trip (unless you want to).

To great this great FREE cookbook, go to macscouter.com.

No, that title is not a typo. And no, you will not get arrested for cutting your Christmas tree down at a national forest as long as you do it in a national forest that allows the cutting of holiday trees and as long as you purchase a permit.

The United States Forest Service sells thousands of holiday tree cutting permits every year to thin out trees in the forests which helps prevent forest fires.

But don’t think taking a trek through a national forest to find a tree is going to be the same as going to a tree farm to cut down a tree because unlike those nice tree farms, the trees in the national forest are not in perfect straight lines with all other brush and trees removed; nor are you provided with a saw for cutting the tree down or a way to haul it back to your vehicle.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun family outing. A person just needs to be prepared. When cutting a holiday tree in a national forest be sure to pack water and food (and maybe a thermos of hot chocolate) because you may take quite a long walk to find the “perfect” tree in the snowy woods. You’ll also need a hand saw to cut down the tree; along with a a tarp and rope for hauling it back to your vehicle or campsite; and rope for securing it to your vehicle. Snowshoes might also come in handy.

Remember that every national forest has different rules and regulations but many of them issue holiday tree cutting permits through the middle to latter part of December. To find out if the national forest in your area sells permits and to find out the cost and dates you’re allowed to participate, go to the US Forest Service website, use the drop down menu to find a national forest in your area and then either use the “contact us” button to contact officials at the forest or check out its home page to see if it has any information about holiday tree cutting.

I checked to see if permits were available at the Chequamegon National Forest in Wisconsin. I went to the forest’s home page and then clicked on “winter activities” where I found out they sell permits for cutting down holiday trees for just $5 per tree (the cost does vary but I think a permit costs less than $15 in most parts of the U.S.).

You could turn a tree cutting expedition into a camping trip as well. Check to see if the national forest in your area allows winter camping and turn your tree hunting excursion into a memory making camping weekend!