5-Bullet Friday — Special Jungle Edition!

Hi All!

Here is your weekly dose of 5-Bullet Friday, a list of what I’m pondering and exploring.

This edition contains items from my most recent explorations in South America. Nearly all of the physical goods were recommended to me by a former member of United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance. Special thanks to Master Repacker for the strong assist.

Enjoy!

What I’m watching

​Human Planet, S1, Ep. 04 “Jungles.” From the synopsis: “The Matis of Brazil carve 4-meter-long blow-pipes to hunt monkeys—in near total silence. Deep in the Congo forests, Tete defies death by scaling a giant tree using nothing more than a liana vine, and he must then negotiate an angry swarm of bees—all to collect honey for his family. Three children from Venezuela’s Piaroa tribe venture deep into the jungle to hunt tarantulas—to toast for lunch! In West Papua the Korowai tribe show off their engineering skills by building a high-rise home 35 meters up in the treetops. Most memorable of all, in Brazil we join a unique monitoring flight in search of an uncontacted tribe.” The video quality at the above link is not ideal, but the episode more than makes up for it.

All-purpose footwear that saved me

​Salomon’s Xa Forces Jungle Tactical Boots. To roughly paraphrase my friend, who’s a fan of minimalist packing, “I would rather have one pair of footwear that does everything well enough than carry a bunch of specialist footwear that does things better than I need.” We both only brought carry-on luggage. So instead of packing sneakers, hiking boots, flip-flops, etc., I bought these. From the description: “This lightweight, tactical boot is designed for pushing hard in tough conditions like the jungle. Based on Salomon’s iconic racing XA PRO 3D, this special-forces boot is ultra-durable and remains stable in uneven terrain. The drainage holes, minimal padding, and non-absorbent fabrics mean the boot dries really quickly.” The drainage holes are a key feature, and the efficacy is hard to believe until you experience them. For example, I walked through a river wearing these, and in less than five minutes, enough water had drained out that the boots were totally comfortable and had zero squishing. Within an hour, they felt—operative word—dry. I was also shocked by how lightweight these boots are and how pleasant they were for urban walking. Easy to lace, easy to use, these boots earned their price many times over.
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​Farm to Feet Men’s King Ultra-Lightweight Merino Wool Crew Socks. These were a critical combo with the above boots. Though hard to believe, even at 95-plus degrees Fahrenheit with what felt like 95% humidity, these worked well. From the description: “Merino wool keeps you cool in the summer and warm in winter. Light Cushion that is light in weight along the base of the foot only. This all-season construction is highly versatile.”

What I’m reading

​The Man Who Quit Money by Mark Sundeen (@SundeenMark). This is a brilliant book, and I appreciate it more each year. Reading it for a third time on Kindle, I was struck by how much my old highlights differ from what I’m highlighting now. Different life chapters have different contexts, different challenges, and different hopes—yet another reason to reread certain books. Here’s the official description: “In 2000, Daniel Suelo left his life savings—all thirty dollars of it—in a phone booth. He has lived without money—and with a newfound sense of freedom and security—ever since. The Man Who Quit Money is an account of how one man learned to live, sanely and happily, without earning, receiving, or spending a single cent. Suelo doesn’t pay taxes or accept food stamps or welfare. He lives in caves in the Utah canyonlands, forages wild foods and gourmet discards. He no longer even carries an I.D. Yet he manages to amply fulfill not only the basic human needs—for shelter, food, and warmth—but, to an enviable degree, the universal desires for companionship, purpose, and spiritual engagement. In retracing the surprising path and guiding philosophy that led Suelo into this way of life, Sundeen raises provocative and riveting questions about the decisions we all make, by default or by design, about how we live—and how we might live better.”

A few more goodies that pulled their weight, despite a bit of TOEFL Amazon copy

​Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. Now, here’s a product I never expected to feature in 5-Bullet Friday. The official description follows, but I have an addendum: “Clinically tested baby diaper rash formula helps provide fast relief from diaper rash discomfort and instantly protects irritated skin with first use. It’s ideal for daily prevention and treatment of moderate to more irritated diaper rash.” But wait… There’s more! Jungle eating your feet? Put this on*. Chiggers devouring your legs? This will stop them in their tracks*. Some weird rash on your ear? This might do something*. It’s the ultimate humidity fighter, and we both needed it. (*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.)​
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​Snugpak Waterproof Patrol Poncho. This also doubled as an excellent hammock pillow. From the description: “Designed to be worn over the user as well as the user’s backpack, if one is being utilized, to help keep you and your gear dry in a downpour. Its generous cut design can allow one to use it as an emergency bivvy, if needed. Snugpak has gone above the old standard design of what most people think about when thinking of a poncho. They have included an adjustable hood and thumb loops in the design. Located on the chest is a Velcro map pocket with a storm flap. Made out of Snugpak’s exclusive Paratex Dry material and with fully taped seams, which allows the shell to be 100% waterproof.”
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​Postropaky Hiking Quick-Dry Lightweight Waterproof Fishing Pants. From the description: “PTFE Nylon Fabric Blend fabric, ultralight, breathe freely, quick-drying and elastic, engineered to keep the body comfortable while still allowing your body to breathe.”
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​Farm Blue Military Camping Blanket. From the description: “Expertly crafted with a 100 percent polyester shell and insulation, you can use this US Army-grade blanket as a not-so-thick poncho liner military woobie for lightweight warmth during chilly nights.” The Amazon remained steamy at night, but some areas in Suriname cooled down enough for this to be a godsend. To my friend, this is simply a “poncho liner.” When you don’t want to bring a sleeping bag but suspect you might need an extra layer for the wee morning hours, this works.
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​KastKing Sol Armis UPF 50 Boonie Hat. From the description: “The KastKing Sol Armis Boonie sun hat for men and women is rated UPF 50 to ensure you are protected from the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays. Lightweight breathable material and vented mesh sides help boost air flow and make sure you are cool and dry on hot sunny days. We have also incorporated a moisture-wicking headband to keep sweat out of your eyes.”
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​BAMBOO COOL Men’s Underwear boxer briefs. I tried a lot of underwear on this trip, and these ended up being the most comfortable and moisture-wicking. One thing you learn in rainforests is that, generally speaking, the more you use organic materials, the better you will feel. From the description: “92% viscose made from bamboo + 8% spandex, light and soft texture, better skin-friendly than cotton material, bring a fresh touch to your skin.”
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​TOUGH-GRID Premium Parachute Cord. From the description: “Go ahead, string up a hammock, rig your sails, secure your tent, or make an emergency tourniquet. … Currently used by the U.S. Military.” Never hurts to have some paracord, and you can always give it away as a gift. Remote villages can use it.

Quote I’m pondering

“Love does not consist of gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.”
​— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars​
​(Click here to share on Twitter.)

You can complement this edition of 5-Bullet Friday with my interview with Mr. Money Mustache on his contrarian money philosophies, my brand-new conversation with Dr. Willoughby Britton on the little-known risks of meditation (and psychedelics), and my podcast episode with Dr. Mark Plotkin, author of The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know.
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And, as always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know. Just send a tweet to @tferriss and put #5BulletFriday at the end so I can find it.
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Have a wonderful weekend, all.
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Much love to you and yours,
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Tim

P.S.

For a glimpse of the real future, check out this wild demo video of Humane’s AI pin, which just went live. If you’re in a rush, a lot of my favorite features start around 5:20, including multi-language (any language) conversation translation, food logging and analysis, and a bunch of computer-vision goodies. This is just v1. Remember the first iPod and iPhone and how quickly the teams iterated? Yeah, well, here we go. I invested in Humane a long time ago, and I’m very excited to see what they do.

P.P.S. Deal of the Week — My very own COCKPUNCH Coffee!

This year, I created COCKPUNCH Coffee as a novel way to raise funds for early-stage science and mental-health therapeutics. 100% of my COCKPUNCH-related proceeds, roughly $2.5M to date, have gone to my nonprofit foundation, the Saisei Foundation. The Saisei Foundation focuses on early-stage, cutting-edge scientific research and other uncrowded bets. Many of the studies and centers associated with the new “psychedelic renaissance” have been funded by Saisei.
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​COCKPUNCH Coffee came after testing dozens of options over many months, and here is the official description: “This medium-roast coffee is bright and expressive, like a Southern Jaquan after three shots of espresso. It sports a juicy body with lasting sweetness, reminiscent of summer flings and butterfly wings. Flavor notes sing of lime, orange blossom honey, and vanilla. For if not to sing, WTF are we doing here?”
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​Grab your bag or bags at Cockpunch.com/coffee. 100% of my proceeds go to the Saisei Foundation. In the spirit of Black Friday and the holidays, I am offering 5-Bullet Friday subscribers a limited-time 20% discount with code VARLATA. Offer is valid until Monday, 11:59 p.m. ET.