It’s not homework: 5 blogs I recommend you check out

Last week I told you guys I would more than likely be taking this week off to rest and recharge, and I am currently doing that. However, I thought this would be a good time to recommend just 5 blogs for you to check out. These blogs have been picked for their contents and how it will pertain to the next blog series to come out, but more on that later. Also these blogs will provide you with a lot of insight to the previous series “The 3 day camp” and the reasons I choose the tools I did. Now you could of course check out all the blogs, though if you don’t have that kind of time, just check out these 5.

First off from our combustion series I have to recommend “Cloth roasting on an open fire”.  In this blog I made char-cloth a key component to next fire mentality. Not only that, but it was also a nice wrap up to the entire series. After the char cloth was made I performed a few observations on it. I learned that super-hot char-cloth will begin its embering process if a gentle breeze is present. This make sense because of the 3 facts for fire which are heat, fuel, oxygen. The fuel is already super-heated turning it into char then in the presents of any airflow it begin to ignite. Lesson learned about letting your char-cloth cool before using it. So make sure you check this blog out before next week

Following next was my container series. During this time I spent a lot of times working with mess kits. Even going so far as to make my own. However, the first blog was about your water bottle and its importance. At the time there wasn’t much I could do in the way of an activity for this blog so it turned about to be a lot of lecturing. However, some important points came from there like “My criteria for a Bushcraft water bottle” as well as “what your water bottle should do for you”. Definitely want to check those out so you know which bottle to keep and which to pitch.

 

Speaking of “pitching”, a blog called “pitch the tent and use a tarp” came from

the cover series. In this I used my square tarp that I had made from a rectangle tarp in the previous blog, to demonstrate different set-ups and flys that can give you great shelter options. Never in a million years did I think I would recommend a tarp over a tent. However, my problems with tents like: heat, moisture, and claustrophobia; these aren’t a problem in the tarp. And with a good moisture barrier and some bug repellent would could get all the benefits of a tent without the downsides.

Next in the cordage series, I wrote a blog called “time to get a little knotty”. This entire series was plagued with puns and I apologize for that. However, I do recommend this blog because it shows you the different knots that your cordage should be able to do for you. In this blog, I highlighted 5 or 6 different knots with included a fishing knot and a hitch knot, which lead in to the lashing blog the most popular blog on the website. Definitely will be important so check it out.

Finally in the cutting tool series I have to recommend “Sharpest tool in the shed”. Not only was it our first video episode. But it was the longest blog in process. I very proud of this review. The cutting tools shown in this blog all have specific purposes and different way of tackling a problem. I recommend this one, because knowing what each tool “can do” and “can’t do” will make more sense for the choices I’ll be making in the next series. However, that’ll have to wait till next week.

Now as for the series itself it will be on EDC kits. I will be going explain the importance of EDC kits and the problem I have with most of the ones I see. If ya want a Sneak-peak then here it is: NO PLASTIC BOTTLE. As always feel free to comment, hit the follow button in the top right corner, share this blog, and check back next week for a new one on Sunday 10pm (est). If you want to keep up with me and what I’m doing, Follow me on Facebook: @BPackBushcraft and on Twitter @BPackBushCraft. Lastly if video is more your style check out my YouTube Channel backpack bushcraft where there is a video version of this with the same title. Until next time, keep those fires burning and put another log on for me.

Homeward Bound: Day 3 of the 3 Day Camp and Review

At last we have arrived at Day 3 of the 3 Day camp. Last week we talked about basic camp hygiene and we packed up as much as we possibly could on Day 2 so when it was time to go in, the only thing we really needed to pack up was the bedroll. After breakfast, that will be the plan to pack up and go in, but the day doesn’t end there. Once we get inside we will need to do some maintenance on our gear to keep it from becoming ruined. Let’s get into it.

Packing up our bedroll is as simple as packing everything up the way we took it out. First I lay my tarp out flat, layer in my wool blanket, garbage bags, and inflatables, and roll it up into a bedroll and secure it with paracord. Easy. Now all I have to do is pick up my pack which should already be ready to go and head inside. The first order of business is to take a well-deserved shower and check for ticks.

The first gear item I am going to turn my attention to is my

mess kit. I used my garden hose to wash out as much as I could but there are still some problem spots on the inside. I am just going to wash them in the sink with a sponge, soap and water. After cleaning them up they are not sparkling and shiny new, but there is a big improvement. Overall I am happy with how they cleaned up and I anticipate being able to get many more uses out of this mess kit.

It is important to note that you should deal with these items 24-48 hours after your camp. With that being said I am now going to work on my bedroll. It did rain during the camp so I know that at least my tarp is wet. My wool blanket being a cloth item could mildew if any moisture gets into it so what I did was drape it over my bathroom door and let it air dry. It didn’t appear to be wet when I got it out of the bedroll, but I hung it up as a precaution. The trash bags that I had used a moisture barrier were wet, but they are also easily replaceable so I chose to toss the ones I had used. The large inflatable that was supposed to serve as my mattress was a failure on this trip so I decided to dispose of it as well. Now to dry my tarp. What I decided to do was stake my tarp out over the large bush in my yard. A quick note, one of my tent stakes became bent during the camp and will need to be replaced. I actually had planned on replacing the whole set, but for the time being this is what I have. All I did was drape the tarp over the bush and used the stakes to pull it tight. This allows it to air dry in the sun. An alternative method to drying the tarp would be to wipe it down with some clean, dry towels, but I chose this method because I didn’t have to fool with it any more once it was staked out.

Now I would like to take this time to review the camp itself. I think overall it was a success. I also learned a lot from my experience during the camp and we are going to talk about some of those things now. I’m going to talk about my gear that falls under the category of the 5 C’s. My cutting tools did their job and did it well. I was impressed by how they maintained their edge throughout the camp. When I inspected them after coming in I found that none of them needed sharpened which was nice. My combustion kit worked the way it was supposed to as well and I know I will need to replace the charcloth I used for the next time I go out. However, I know this is an expendable resource that I will need to continuously replace. I never needed the cordage that I packed, however I did have some there if I needed it. I would like to add another container to my pack. The purpose of this being that I can have water boiling on the fire and water that I have already boiled cooling down to drink. This gives me more purified water to work with during my camp.

I would like to talk about my cover more in depth since this item did the most work and took the most hits throughout the camp. The tarp did its job well, the only issue I had was from a failure in one of my tent stakes. I do want to replace my metal stakes with plastic stakes because I think they will be more robust, so that will be something to look for in the future. The wool blanket was also very helpful. I don’t think I could have stood it out there as long as I did without it so I will definitely be using that item again. I was really surprised by how well the contractor garbage bags worked out in my camp and I think next time I will pack four instead of two. My inflatable mattress as I stated earlier was thrown away. The next camp I am going to try and use a yoga mat as my cushion between myself and the ground. The downside to this is that it may make my bedroll bulkier, but it is much more reliable than the inflatable. Speaking of inflatable I had much success with the smaller floaties in the pillow case and I will definitely be using those again as well.

Now for the personal items. The insect repellent spray easily earns the MVP for the camp. Without it I would not have made it. The mosquitoes were absolutely awful when they would hit, but spraying that spray got them off my case. I was very happy I chose to bring my washcloths along, they helped when it came to cleaning my gear and myself. The medicine kit helped out a lot too. Every time I have been camping I have always slept in a tent. This was actually the first time I have slept on the ground in a Bushcraft setting so the sleeping pills were very helpful in getting me to fall asleep and getting a good night’s rest. Another thing that I never would have thought would help me get a good night’s rest were my boots. By using them as a place to rest my head, I was much more comfortable and well rested the next day. That just leaves my food items. Overall the items I chose to pack with me were very good for the setting I was in. The bread was even good, however I did not have a good enough control over my fire to get it to cook properly so I will definitely need to work more with that. I packed enough food to have 6 meals, two per day, one for one afternoon, and one at night, plus my Slim-Jims. Next time I think I am going to pack enough food for four meals per day plus an extra day’s worth of food because frankly, I was still hungry. This could be attributed to a few things, but it is definitely something to change about my pack in the future.

I hope you have enjoyed this camping adventure as much as I have. I would like to add that next week there will not be a blog or a video, I will be taking a week’s break, but I will be back the week after with a whole new series. As always feel free to comment, hit the follow button in the top right corner, share this blog, and check back next week for a new one. Follow me on Facebook: @BPackBushcraft and on Twitter @BPackBushCraft. If video is more your thing, check out my YouTube channel Backpack Bushcraft or just click here to watch now. Until next time, keep those fires burning and put another log on for me.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub the Bushcraft Tub: Day 2 of the 3 Day Camp

Last week we talked about day 1 of the 3 day camp where we set up the tarp, did some cooking, and went to sleep for the night. Today we will be talking about Day 2 of the 3 Day camp. A couple of things I want to talk about first; during the night my mattress deflated. I continued to sleep on it as it served as a secondary moisture barrier. I also used my boots as sort of a headboard and place to rest my head and it actually helped make me much more comfortable and give me a better night’s sleep.

To start the day I enjoy a breakfast of canned fruit cocktail and some water that I had purified the night before. The fruit can has a pull tab, however if it were to fail, I have my Camillus Trench to open the can with. The goals for day 2 are to collect more firewood to make another good fire tonight, and also to go over some basic camp hygiene.

I checked the nearby trees for dead, dry branches that I could use for firewood. I can tell how dry they are by how easily they snap. Once I found a good bough, I took it from the tree and brought it back to my camp to be processed.

For lunch I ate the bread that I had made on the campfire the night before as well as some Slim-Jims. I would like to add that if you are taking Slim-Jims, or any other kind of jerky with you into your camp, have water. These food items are cured and quite salty and can make you very thirsty. This is why I didn’t have any Slim-Jims the night before. My water was still too hot to drink and I could have easily become dehydrated.

At this point during the camp it begins to rain. I decided to take advantage of this in a few ways. I have a large bough that I took down from a tree that needs to processed into firewood and kept dry so I decided to use this time to do that. The smaller kindling pieces I broke down and stored in my large bowl from my mess kit and the larger pieces that would be used as fuel I sat to the side near the back of the tent. Another way I took advantage of the weather is trying to harvest rain water. I used my empty fruit can to collect the water in. I took my bandana and set it on top of my tarp. Once it became saturated with water, it dripped into the can. I didn’t collect much, but it was something.

Once the rain stopped I started my campfire. There is no need to make more bread tonight since I will be going in after breakfast in the morning so I am going to do something a little different with my fire tonight. For starters I decided to try cooking my soup out of the can rather than in my mess kit. Next I also took some water and placed it in my large bowl and began to heat it over the fire to wash myself down with. Once the water is heated I get one of my washcloths wet and when it has cooled to a tolerable temperature, I wipe myself down with the cloth. It’s no shower, but it is refreshing after being in the hot, humid weather all day.

My fire is burning out and there is not much left for me to do. I figure now it is best to pack up as much as possible so when it is time to go home in the morning, I really only need to take down my tarp and pack up my bedroll. I make sure that I wash out the pieces of my mess kit and dry it as best as I can before I pack it and put it away. When I get home, I can actually put it in the sink and wash it a bit more thoroughly.

Well that’s about it for day 2. I hope you have enjoyed this blog. Next week we will be packing up the camp and talking about how to take care of our gear after we come in from the outdoors, as well as what I might do differently next time. As always feel free to comment, hit the follow button in the top right corner, share this blog, and check back next week for a new one. Follow me on Facebook: @BPackBushcraft and on Twitter @BPackBushCraft. If video is more your thing, check out my YouTube channel Backpack Bushcraft or just click here to watch now. Until next time, keep those fires burning and put another log on for me.

Settling In and Cooking Out: Day 1 of the 3 Day Camp

Last week I showed you all of the gear items that I have chosen for this camp, some of them we had talked about, but some were personal items I had chosen that we had not previously discussed. I showed you how I packed my pack, and now we are ready for the 3 day camp. This week we will be talking about the first day of camp from the time I walked out the front door, to the time I went to bed for the night. Let’s get started.

For the first night I need to accomplish a few things. The first and most important thing is setting up my camp. Next I will need to collect some firewood and some water. Then I can build a fire at my camp site that I can use to boil my water and cook my food for the night and some for the next day as well. I need to try and get all of these tasks accomplished before it gets too dark that I cannot see to work, or that I will be too tired to do anything else.

For my camp I will be using my bedroll to assemble the wedge, or plow point tarp set up that we had talked about in a previous blog. I have chosen this set up because there is a possibility it could rain during the three days I am out here and it will provide the most space and cover. Another bonus is that it is the fastest to set up and also to tear down. After getting my tarp set up, the next thing I am going to do is place the industrial size garbage bags in my bedroll on the ground to provide a moisture barrier not only for myself, but for my gear to rest on while I go gather firewood and water.

I collected my water from the nearest source which was my garden hose and stored it in the canteen that I packed in my pack. This water may not be unsafe, but according to the rules of my camp, I will be treating it as an unsafe source and will boil it over my fire later on in the camp before I drink it.

Now for gathering firewood. Tinder and kindling are easy enough to process as they can be broken up by hand. The fuel is much thicker so I will be using my hatchet to process it. To do this I take the wood I will be processing and place it on another piece of wood so there is space between the ground and the branch. This protect my blade from hitting the ground and damaging it. 

To get my fire started I lay some fuel branches on the ground, placed some tinder on top and placed a piece of charcloth in the tinder. I could cast sparks with a ferro rod but for this instance I just chose to use my Bic lighter. Once the charcloth was alight I layered in tinder, kindling, and then fuel until the fire had taken off on its own. 

At this point I am ready to start cooking. The first order of business is to get my water boiling. I can boil it in the canteen itself by placing it close to, almost in the fire. Next I am going to take out my mess kit. I used the larger bowl to pour my soup in and used my tripod to get the bowl into the fire enough to begin warming the soup. I used the smaller bowl in my kit as a mixing bowl and started making pancake batter for my lunch on day 2. I used a couple of spoonfuls of flour, a few pinches of sugar, a bit of salt, a scoop of shortening and some of the water I had purified to make the batter. I also used some shortening in the flat pan in my mess kit to grease it as the plan was to use it as a griddle. In the end my bread did stick to the pan. It wasn’t pretty, but it was edible. After dinner I needed to get my mess kit cleaned up for the next day. I simply took the pieces of it over to the garden hose and sprayed out the contents.

Now it is time for bed. The first thing I need to do is inflate my inflatables. First is the mattress which is a large pool float. Next I have four arm floaties that I inflated and stuffed into a pillow case that I used for a pillow. To keep them from shifting around I pack them in the way I want them and then tie off the excess length of the pillowcase to keep them in place. Lastly I have my wool blanket that I will cover up with. After my fire is out, I am ready for bed.

I hope you have enjoyed this first day of camp. Tomorrow is a new day with a new set of goals and new challenges to face. As always feel free to comment, hit the follow button in the top right corner, share this blog, and check back next week for a new one. Follow me on Facebook: @BPackBushcraft and on Twitter @BPackBushCraft. If video is more your thing, check out my YouTube channel Backpack Bushcraft or just click here to watch now. Until next time, keep those fires burning and put another log on for me.