My Mysterious Package Company "Curios & Conundrums" Reproduction Curios for Volume I & II

Back at the end of 2016 I purchased Volume I - III of the Mysterious Package Company's Curios & Conundrums.

I loved it!  I still do.   However the one thing that I hated about getting the "catch-up" issues of Volumes I & II were that the "Curios" were not included....and the curios are necessary to solve some of the hidden puzzles.  In order to work my way through the puzzles I had to reply on photographs that other people had posted on the internet. 

So a few weeks ago I decided that I was going to attempt to reproduce some of the curios.  I gathered supplies and set to work.   I ended up re-creating 32 of the curios (or 38 if you include a curio  that had sub-parts to it.  

My desk was littered with an odd assortment of tools for a while.  A wood burning tool, a small hammer, steel pad, metal stamping kit, a UV pen, a couple bottles of ink, a glass dip pen, markers, scissors, rulers and paper corner cutter punches - just to name a few.  I think I used at least a dozen different kinds of paper too.

The photos below are the results of my labor.   Most of the curios came about beautifully...some others....they are "ok" but nothing to be wowed about.....but at least I have physical objects to go with the issues and that can be used to solve the puzzles.

I made three sets of these.  One for the set I already solved, another to use when I gift the extra copy I bought to someone, and a final set to give to a puzzler friend of mine.

It is probably a violation of copyright/intellectual property to make and sell these so I won't do it.....  But I am curious to know....  What would you be willing to pay?    


Also, if you have any suggestions on how to improve or make additional curios, please let me know.

UPDATE:  5/23/18

Post by wortelboer on a few seconds ago

This is a work in progress. I have decided not to include the Yale beast (I can't seem to get the image to transfer onto the leather). So while that has been deleted, I've made some additions...including a couple of items which are necessary to solve the puzzles, but were not original curios.

1. the Witch print to 1.4
2. a Bridge letter packet to 1.2 - this is not a curio but a reproduction of what was found at the Bridge. The coded message will be the shorter solvable message along with a small mirror and the hint and the salad dressing recipe.
3. the hint from Bernard from the Sitting Room need to solve the crossword puzzle is being added to 1.3 (as you will recall the paper had an error. The crossword puzzle numbers were missing)
4. the missing page 7 from the Myles' file will be added to 2.4

Once I get the physical curios and content done, I can then work on creating a USB drive that contains the contents from the websites...puzzles, messages, videos, audio for Volumes I & II and III (not including the Vaults and the Strawberry game). I'm not sure it is possible to do this, but I'm going to give it a shot.

KeelEazy added to my kayak

Added a KeelEazy strip to the bottom of my kayak. Wrapped over the bow and stern because it is those two places that take the most scraping when I stand my kayak on end to load it on the SUV. Couldn't get all the wrinkles out over the curve...but I'm happy with the results. Over two years of abuse and the bottom is still in excellent shape...you just need to take care of.

Customizing My Old Town Heron 9XT

Old Town Dirigo

L.L. Bean Manatee Deluxe

I grew up in a family that liked the water...be it the lakes or ocean.    I swam in lakes, in the ocean and tubed down rivers.   I spent hours in canoes and sailboats (Sunfish and Lasers).    So in a few years ago I realized how much I missed spending time in and on the water.    I thought about what type of vessel I could purchase.    Unfortunately, I live in a condo, so storage is an issue.    Whatever I purchase had to live inside my unit.   That left out the sailboats...and a canoe was also out of the picture due to size and weight.   So I explored kayaks.   Growing up in New England, when one thinks of canoes, one thinks of either Mad River or Old Town canoes.   In my family, it was always Old Town...so I have a weak spot for their products...and a deep trust in the quality.   I liked all the features of  the Old Town Dirigo, but it was slightly too long for my needs and wants. 

I also looked at L.L. Bean...another New England tried and trusted outdoor store.  Their 10' Manatee Deluxe was almost perfect! (again too long for storage).   Upgraded seat, and deck rigging, but no bottle holder.  

So I turned my attention to the Old Town Heron 9XT.   It was on sale for 20% off at my local outdoor store, so was a great price.   The Heron 9XT had the storage hatch, the thigh pads and a decent seat with a bottle holder.  So it had the basics that I needed and just need some minor customization.  And, it was the perfect size for my storage spot.  

Old Town Heron 9XT

The Heron is a good size for me.   I have discovered that I actually prefer its length.  At 9'6" it is 39 pounds and I can easily handle the weight and muscle it up onto the roof of my SUV.   It is small enough to fit where it needs to fit in my condo...and is also,  IMHO, a good length for running Class I & II rapids.   I find it tracks well too, even on quiet water.

So I set out to customize my Heron 9XT to match the features I liked in the Dirigo and the Manatee and I am very pleased with the results.   Even with what I paid for the materials, it ended up costing me much less than if I had bought the Dirigo or the Manatee. 

So here is a picture of my customized Heron:

My Heron all fixed up

What did I add?   

First I added the deck rigging.   Cost me about $25.

Then I added a gel seat (I find the back of the seat comfortable - just needed a little extra padding under my butt).    So I bought a seat pad...added a some industrial strength Velcro and attached is to the seat bottom.   Cost about $40.

Finally, I added a couple of D-rings to the inside of the boat to secure dry bags or anything else I might want to have handy in the cockpit.    Again, I used the industrial strength Velcro just in case I ever wanted to remove the D-rings for a trip...or be able to use them somewhere else.  Cost about $12.

D-Ring attached to the floor of the cockpit near the front of the kayak

D-Ring attached to the sidewall behind the kayak seat in the rear of the cockpit

 

 

Now I have the kayak with the features, length, and weight that I really wanted.   All it took was a little time and some work. 

Some additional customizations I have done and plan to do, include:

adding a kayak paddle clip as I'm not a fan of the bungee clip.

Yak Gear Paddle Clip

  

and the addition of some reflective tape.

Reflective tape

I also have this great Splash Deck from Seals.    It has a zippered pouch for small items and helps keeps the splashes out when I'm running the small rapids or anywhere where the water gets a little choppy and is splashing up onto the deck.   Keeps me warmer on colder days too.

I hope this blog gets you thinking about what you can do to customize your favorite kayak too.


At the end of the season...after experimenting and see what works best, I hope to do a blog about my tools and gear for making repairs to the scrapes, scratches and gouges on the bottom of the kayak that have occurred the past few years.

My Camping Tent and Furnishings

Introduction 

When I go camping…I go car camping… you know…where you park your car at your campsite and unload, or load everything into a cart and haul it to the site. I’m not a backpacker. But that doesn’t mean I like crowded, noisy campgrounds filled with RVs.

When I go camping, it is to be in the woods, on a lake or the ocean…enjoying the peaceful serenity of the outdoors.

My criteria:

1. Must be tent only….no campers and no RVs allowed (which means no electricity).
2. Must be on a lake or on the ocean.  
3. If on a lake, must be an unpopulated lake (no or extremely few houses built on the shore and must not allow motorized boats (unless maybe it is a trolling motor). 
4. Must have sites that are on the water that allow me to swim and put my kayak in.

These tent-only campgrounds are very few and very far between…but worth it. I get peace, I get quiet, and I get to enjoy being out in the woods and looking out over water. I do have my favorite spots…and they are a closely guarded secret because they tend to be small, with just a few sites…and competition is fierce to get one of these tranquil, idyllic spots.

All this being said, when I am camping…I have no intentions of roughing it. I like to be comfortable. I want to have all the comforts of home when sleeping at night…and I want to make sure I am warm and dry if the weather turns ugly.

I consider the tent and its contents to be my bedroom. The rest of the campsite I also break up into “rooms” the kitchen and dining area and then an outdoor living space. I may do other articles on these “rooms”….and one about my kayak and equipment…but let’s start off with my “bedroom” - the tent and what goes inside it.

It has taken me over a decade to put this combination together to find just the right products for my taste and comfort. I hope you find this helpful.  

Tents

My first tent is the Black Pine Freestander 6 Turbo Tent. A 4-season cabin-style freestanding tent. It is 10’ x 10’ and the wall height at the edges is 5’6”. Center height is 7’.

I use this tent when I am not sharing space with anyone else. If I am camping alone having a tent that is quick and easy to put up and take down is one of my key considerations.

• Color: Beige and khaki (2nd picture)
• Aircraft aluminum poles, jointed and connected (most 3-season tents use fiberglass poles)
• Tent walls and fly are 150-denier ripstop polyester with Thermoguard lining (most 3-season tents use 75-denier)
• 210-denier nylon bathtub-style floor (most 3-season tents use 150-denier nylon) 
• Rainfly with front awning 
• Two side windows with zippered storm flaps 
• Zippered pockets for stow-and-go guylines 
• Heavy-duty MAX zippers 
• Electrical power cord inlet 
• Wind rating: 60 mph (no 3-season tent I know of has been wind rated – not meant to be out in that type of weather) 
• Weight: 32 lbs, including tent, rainfly, stakes, and canvas carrying bag  

My second tent is my Coleman Durango. They don’t make these anymore…had this forever (ok, maybe not forever, but since 2003) and it has never failed me…never leaked once. This tent is 10’ x 20’, with a 6’ center height. This massive tent has steel poles and has 3 rooms…two sleeping rooms on either side and a sitting area in the middle.

*needless to say I use a ground cloth under both my tents.

Furnishings

I’ve tried sleeping on four different air mattresses, on cots, on a Thermarest…but the combination detailed below is the only one I have found where I don’t wake up with hip or back pain. (I admit….I’m in my 50s now…sleeping on the ground is no longer an option and my joints need cushioning).

My cot is a TexSport King Cot – a very long, very wide, very tall cot. The actual dimensions are 83" x 35" x 20" I sleep on my side…with me knees pulled up, and this size cots is the only one I have found that, when I sleep, my knees are not resting on a hard metal bar or hanging off the side of the cot.

On top of the cot then goes the Basecamp Thermarest = XLarge 30” wide x 77” long x 2” thick.

  

On top of the Thermarest goes my Dream Form Green Tea memory foam mattress topper. Cut down to the size of the Thermarest. It is also 2” inches thick.

 

I had a friend sew me a flannel cover that fits both the Thermarest and foam mattress topper inside. One end has Velcro, so I can remove the cover and wash it..and it also keeps the Thermarest and mattress topper from sliding part at night.

For Fall and Spring camping….on top of the cot goes my Slumberjack Country Squire 20 sleeping bag. Size: 84” x 42” I need room to roll around at night. I hate tight covers that bind. The Slumberjack has a sheet that is attached to the inside of the bag that can be taken out and washed. It is heavy, thick, cushy, and very, very cozy.

My summer sleeping bag is either of these depending on the temperature and my mood. An L.L. Bean Fleece bag, which I usually unzip and just use as a blanket or a Coleman Adjustable Layer Sleeping bag.

Bring my pillows.. and this combo is as comfortable as sleeping in my bed at home!! 

On the floor of my tent, I like something soft and cushioning…and insulating, both from the cold, hard ground and to protect the tent floor from the furniture. 

This is from Displays2Go…and is a blue foam portable flooring measures 10’x10’ -  in 24”’ x 24’” Inches x ½ “ thick square pieces, non-toxic, stain-resistant, anti-fatigue, odor free

The rest of my tent furnishing are simple. A folding chair from Picnic Time (with side tray and handy side storage pockets), a wood folding TV tray table, and a small folding table (from Texsport) next to the cot. Then two lanterns…one hanging from the center ceiling…and one on the table next to my cot. Clothes are packed in my rolling suitcase which easily stores under my coat.

And last, but not least,…depending on weather – tent heaters, either a Coleman or Mr. Heater, and/or some Coleman tent fans. And just in case you are wondering – NO, I would never run a heater at night while I am asleep in a tent!