Sealing the Deal: Making Repairs With Cargo Tape

Last week we talked about the fire starting abilities of cargo tape and this week we will be moving on to the true reason that it is a part of the 10 C's. That reason is its ability to repair in the field. We are still using Gorilla brand cargo tape and that is the only brand of cargo tape that I will use.




Whether you are repairing your tarp, there is something wrong with your pack such as a broken strap, or turned it into a rope like Kirk Miller did (link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgJ0z...), or even if your shirt got a rip, you could repair it really quickly with cargo tape. I'll show you how.

You want to start by getting a length of cargo tape that is roughly a quarter of an inch longer above and below the rip; this can be longer depending on your preference. This actually works really well with denim, but because I didn't want to rip my good pants, we will just be working with a cotton t-shirt. So all I am going to do is pull the fabric taut, fold the tear over on itself, and seal it with the cargo tape being sure to smooth out any wrinkles as this will weaken the bond. Now the tape does not stick to my skin and no wind is able to get through the fabric. Of course we can all agree that this is a temporary fix, but this can be a quick solution to the problem until you have time to sit down and repair the fabric with needle and thread.

Now let's say you got injured.What I have seen some people do is take a small section of cargo tape and tear it in half. They will start on one side of the wound and pull over to the other side and seal it down. Then taking the other half of the cargo tape start on the opposite side than what you started on with the other piece of tape and repeat the process. I have even seen some people take a larger section of tape and cover up the the smaller pieces of tape and the entire wound. On the contrary I have also seen people saying not to do this because the wound needs to breathe. I am not an expert by any means so you may want to do more research into this topic. If there is a way you prefer to do it, leave me a comment and tell me!

We have now repaired our shirt, we've repaired ourselves, and my pack currently does not need repairs. Now we are going to move on to the reason I carry cargo tape the most; repairing the tarp. So I have just cut a small hole near the corner of my tarp. I am going to do this the same way that I repaired my shirt. I am going to get a piece of cargo tape long enough to go about a quarter of an inch above and below the tear and seal it down. I am now going to go onto the back side of  the tarp and do the same thing. Now if you happen to do what I did and did not get a long enough piece of tape, no worries. Just get another section of tape and overlap where the previous piece stopped and pull it the rest of the way over the tear. This should  make it water type and we will test it out. All I have done to test is to stake the corner near the rip up so I can see the ground beneath it and poured water directly over the cargo tape. After doing this, the ground beneath the tarp was still dry as was the inside of the tarp, making this a successful repair.

That does it for this week! Next week we will be doing a cargo tape review and you won't want to miss it! As always feel free to comment by clicking the comment link at the end of the blog, 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.

Trails with Ole Nick: Pre-Trip Repairs

Music: "Georgia's Banjo Brigade" by TeknoAXE's Royalty Free Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7gJZ...

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Waiting on Pins and Needles: Review of Sail Makers Needles

Last week we looked at all other possible uses of a canvas needle other than for sewing purposes. This week we will be reviewing the iconic green and white package that is W. Smith and Sons Sail Makers Needles. Before we open into these there are a few things on the outside of the package that I feel are worth pointing out. The first thing I notice is that it says "Manufactured by W. Smith and Sons, Redditch, England." If you recall on the package of Dritz needles we purchased they are labelled as "European quality." This could mean that this brand claims to be of or similar quality to the W. Smith and Sons needles, or it could just be a particular way that the needles are manufactured. Either way, I thought it was worth bringing up. The next thing worth noting is the "forged and hand-made." This to me says that they were manufactured with some sort of human involvement, meaning that there are going to be less imperfections. For the price of these needles, less imperfections are certainly a better deal. Their saying "Made by hand, not to cut the twine," is printed on the package. It is also labelled "Reduced Edge" meaning that the point of the needle is made into a wedge shape so not to fray the thread when going in between the fabric.

The last thing I would like to point out on the package is the qty. 5 and the sizes 13-19. I'm now going to open into the pack to show you what these mean. There are 5 needles with varying lengths and thicknesses, however if I had to estimate the height difference between the smallest and largest needle is roughly 1/4-1/2". Based on diameter I can infer that the smallest needle is the size 13, and the largest is the size 19. I believe the second largest needle to be a size 14 because it appears to be the most versatile. It is about the same length-wise as the 13, but  slightly heftier. This leads me to believe that the other two needles are a size 15 and a size 17. I have arrived at this conclusion because I have seen the needles referred to in odd numbered increments. I also know that David Canterbury and the Self Reliance Outfitters sells a size 14 needle on its own so the sizes 13, 14, 15, 17, and 19, seem to make the most sense.


I have with me some leather, the same leather in fact from last week. My goal is to see how well these needles can awl through leather. Last week I could only get one needle to perform this task and that was a challenge in and of itself. I am going to start with the size 19 needle since it is the biggest and I will believe it will go through the leather easier than any other needle in this set. I am correct in saying that as the needle does go through and it goes through like butter. I tried to awl the leather with both the 13 and the 14 as well and I was just as successful in that endeavor. I am thoroughly impressed by that. If I had thread I would be able to sew the leather or if I need an awl tool on hand I have one.

Since I have my leather out I am going to try to make what is called a leather palm for sewing. The cool thing about this is that I am making it for my needles, but I am going to use my needles to make it. The first thing I am going to do is cut my leather into a strip that takes up most of my palm and is just a bit wider than my palm (I want a bit of excess on both sides of my hand. Now I am going to take the largest needle I have (in this case the 19) and I am going to thread it with frayed bank line. Of course you can use anything you have like paracord or what have you.

Now I am only going to knot my bank line at the tail end, not near the needle, and there is a reason for this. So first I am going to make a hole in the leather with my needle and I am going to pull it through until it stops at the knot I made.






Now I am going to pull the end of the thread that is not knotted through the hole I just made and bring it to the opposite side of the leather. The knot in the other side will keep the bank line from coming loose.






Now I am going to come straight across from the hole I just came through and make another hole keeping the needle in the eye.








Once the bank line is through I am going to make a knot in the end so that it cannot slip back through the hole.








Now I am going to repeat this process two more times on the middle and bottom corners of the leather so that I have three straps of bank line. All I have to do is cinch them down on my hand and I have a leather palm that keeps the needles from digging into my hands when I am using them to awl leather.




Now I am going to test the needles to see how well they can actually sew. I have some canvas and I am going to start with the size 14 needle, the inner strand of some paracord, and I am going to do a simple running stitch. I am pretty satisfied with the results. The grouping is even and looks nice. Next I am going to use the upholstery thread with the size 19 needle. Now this time the gauge of the needle was a little to big for the thread so I am sure that if I had used the size 14 or maybe 15 I would have had better results. I was able to use the needles with the bank line when we made the leather palm, so the only material that leaves is...the jute. As you can see from the photo to your right, I was able to sew with the jute which tells me that if I can make natural cordage in the bush, I can sew with it using these needles.

This needle has awled leather, sewn with every type of material I have given it, and now we need to see if it will perform as a redundant compass. Now you can magnetize your needle using magnets, but I prefer to use a battery. If you are using the battery method, use Duracell batteries. The reason being that I tried the Energizer batteries and the positive end actually repels the compass needle and the negative in pulls in, but the pull is not as strong as the pull from the positive end of the Duracell battery. After 50 swipes of the needle on the Duracell battery I suspended my size 14 needle from a thread and watched as it found north, and now I am going to repeat the test with a bowl of water and a flotation device. Instead of using a tea candle this time I am going to use my new invention which is a bottle cap with a groove cut into it to fit my needle. Once again, it successfully finds north.

As before with the other needles you can use these to clean you nails, teeth, and pull grit out of your equipment. For hunting, fishing, and trapping you could use these as a gig or some type of windless trap for small animals. You could hold down the fish while you could descale it, heck you could descale it with a different needle, and you could also do things like testing your bread dough. For my final thoughts, this set of needles will set you back about $12.99. The other needles will set you back roughly $2. Out of the Dritz pack you will get two half way decent needles, with W. Smith and Sons you are getting 5 high quality needles. If you are just getting into bushcraft I recommend going with the cheaper option to get comfortable using them. Once you get comfortable you can definitely upgrade to the better option. Now the W. Smith and Sons needles are all different sizes, but it is my opinion that you could pretty well divide them up  between your different packs that you may have and  have pretty similar results. Now it is time for The Packening. The first thing I am going to pack is my W. Smith and Sons needles because I have been using canvas needles for a while and I need to upgrade. I will be taking along with that: the bottle cap floating device, the upholstery thread, a thimble, and my sewing palm.

And with that we have reached the end of our canvas needle series. I had a blast doing this, although I think I say that every time. Next week we will begin our cargo tape series. I have a lot to show you and you won't want to miss it! As always feel free to comment by clicking the comment link at the end of the blog, 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.

Leaving You in Stitches: Simple Sewing Stitches You Should Know

This is the first blog of 2018! This year we are going to be picking up with another C from David Canterbury's 10 C's of Survivability. In the last blog we ended on candle, and this year we will be picking up with canvas needles. To start this off, I have purchased Dritz Homecraft Needles, European Quality with 7 needles included. This kit cost me about $1.75 at Walmart. Included in this kit are sail, sack, canvas, carpet, leather, and two upholstery needles. A total of 7 needles.

The sail needles can be identified by having a slight bend at the tip of the needle. The sack needle has a large eye and a blunt tip. The upholstery needles are both C-shaped, I have a large one and a small one. I can identify the canvas needle by its triangular shaped tip. With the two that are left I know that the smaller needle with the larger eye is the carpet needle and the one that is slightly bigger is the leather needle.

Let me begin by saying that if you are going to sew anything for your survival needs, I highly recommend that you use upholstery thread. It is thick, stiff, and very durable. It's thick enough that when I begin to thread it through the eye I do not need to lick it to make it straighten out. All I am going to do is feed the thread through the eye about an inch or so, fold it over onto the tail and pull. If the thread doesn't separate from the needle, I know that it has been successfully threaded. Now I am going to draw out the tail about 18" and tie an overhand not near the end of the thread I will be sewing with. Now we are ready to sew.

The first stitch we are going to talk about today is called the running stitch. To begin I am going to insert my needle through both pieces of fabric and pull it all the way through to the knot. I am then going to go back through the fabric in the opposite direction leaving a bit of a loop. I am then going to go from the underside of the fabric on top of the stitch and through the loop and pull it tight. I have now locked my thread in place. After going through the fabric I am going to lay my needle flat, judge an adequate distance (about a half inch or so) and push it through the other side of the fabric again, repeating the process. Once I have gotten all the way to the end, I am going to stretch the fabric taught  and make sure there is no slack in and then I am going to lock the thread like I did in the beginning.

The second stitch is called the whip stitch or the loop stitch. This stitch is not going to weave in and out of the fabric like I did before. This time I am going to be going in one direction in one continuous motion. First I am going to lock into the fabric, then letting the thread rest on top, I am going to go behind the fabric and pull it through. Then I am going to repeat by bringing the thread around to the same side I just went through and pulling it through again in the same direction.

The third stitch is called the blanket stitch. After locking it in you will go through the back starting off much like we did with the whip stitch. Only this time instead of the loop being in our way, we are going to incorporate it by pulling our needle through the loop and repeating the process. Again this is very similar to the whip stitch, but we are going through the loop instead of pulling it down. I like the blanket stitch because it is a very strong stitch and is good for rounding corners.

The last stitch is called the hidden or ladder stitch. This stitch is good for mending tears in your clothes. I am going to lock in below the tear on the inside of the fabric and as the name suggests this stitch is going to resemble a ladder. I am going to go through one side of the rip and leave a loop then pull through the loop. I am then going to go through the other side of the rip and repeat. I am going to go back and forth like this down the length of the rip until I get past it. At this point I am going to go through the fabric and pull until the tear cinches shut. This just leaves a fold on the outside of the fabric so no stitching shows through.

If this got a little confusing to read, I do have a corresponding video on my YouTube channel Backpack Bushcraft. If you take nothing else away from this video just remember if I can sew, anyone can sew and probably do a better job than I did. Next week we are going to look at different materials to sew or mend in a survival situation as well as different thread materials that you may have to sew with. You won't want to miss it! As always feel free to comment by clicking the comment link at the end of the blog, 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) or Wednesday 12pm for our new Comic Bumbling Bushcraft. 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.

The Daily Grind: Maintaining Your Equipment in the Field

Over the past few weeks we have talked about various cutting tools you would take into the field such as knives, axes, and saws. But let’s be honest here, these tools are going to do absolutely nothing for you if you do not care for and maintain them. With proper maintenance, these tools could last you for years and you will find that they even perform better, but without it, you will be out a considerable amount of energy trying to work with them and money having to replace your tools because they have fallen apart or are now completely worn down. So as you can imagine, this week we will be talking about proper maintenance for your cutting tools while outdoors so you can get the most out of what they have to offer.

The biggest problem with taking maintenance tools into the bush, is the amount of weight and space they can take up in your back. While I’m sure your Japanese water stones are the best when it comes to sharpening your blade, it can be highly impractical to take it with you, along with a belt sander or various other things that you may use to sharpen your knives. However, some items are sold to be taken into the field to help you keep that edge.

The first thing that I want to introduce you to is a two-stage portable knife sharpener. This will resemble a square with two open slices into the top side and the bottom side. One side will contain sharpening stones and be called the “coarse” side. This will be used to take off large amounts of material as you begin to treat your blade.  The other side will have one labeled “fine” which will have ceramic rods in it. Now I am going to be honest with you, I am not the best knife sharpener and when I was young, I always believed that you had to start with coarse side and move to the fine side. However, now, I have been told that you should only use the coarse side for fixed blade knives and that the fine side is for something different. So when you begin to use this product you want to slowly draw the blade across the stones. You will end up having to apply pressure and you will more than likely pull it at an angle than straight across. It make take a few swipes to get it sharp enough. This will be good to sharpen most pocket knives.

Fixed blade knives such as my old hickory butcher knife, to ensure that I get the entire cutting surface, I want to use a different set up. The sharpener that I use for it only has the coarse stones, and, has a guard for your fingers so that you are able to draw the knife across the whole thing without worrying about cutting yourself. It may take you a few swipes to get your blades as sharp as you want. Be patient and check your knives frequently by using the paper test.

 

Now as I said earlier, you can’t take your giant Japanese water stones, however, you can find some smaller versions that can be used to hone your blade while in the field. A good rule of thumb while using them, you want to maintain a good 20 degree angle. To do this, take the corner of a piece of paper, fold it in half making it 45 degrees, then fold it in half again making it 22.5 degrees.

Sometimes you’ll even find tools that do them all. I picked up this device at a gun store on a discount. It has three sides to sharpen your knife on, and a 20 degree guide, along with a fishing hook sharpener. This could be an all in one device that you take just for your maintenance. That’ll just about do it for knives. Now let’s move on to your axe.

When working on my axe in the field, I like to have a bastard file with me. You can pick these up at Walmart in the tool aisle. The reason I always like to pack my file with me is to treat a nick that can be very common when using an axe, or just to touch up the face if I had made a previous mistake. Remember that files only cut one way so once you figure out how that file cuts, you only want to use it in that direction. Unlike with the others that give you a rudimentary guide, you really just have to eyeball this one. What has always helped me has been to look down the edge and you will be able to see the thickness of the metal that is still left.

Once I have removed a good deal of material, I like to follow up with a Lansky Duel Grit Sharpener Puck. It is $7 on Amazon.com. Take my advice, only use water when using stones like this. If you use oil, you’ll have to bring oil in the field. However, if you use water, it’s easier to come by and gives you pretty much the same result in my opinion. I submerge my puck in water until the bubbles stop coming up. Then I find the coarse side and in a circular motion rub it on the edge of my axe blade. The goal is to take off a enough material to bring my edge back.

Lastly I like to follow up all of this with a diamond rod. This really could be the only device that you may need for your maintenance out in the field as it gives you something to hone your blade. The one I have has a flat face, a round face, and a pointed end. This allows me to make sure that I can run the length of my blade no matter what I’m working on.

That will have to do it for this blog. If you are looking to purchase any of these items to take with you I suggest getting, a file, a diamond rod, and a 2 stage knife sharpener. This will give you a great start. If you have an axe I highly recommend getting a puck too. Next week will be the final week in this series of cutting tools. Thank you guys so much for tuning in each week to read my words. However, the next blog will be a little different. Not only will you get the blog, but I am also going to put up the first episode of backpack Bushcraft on YouTube. Both the blog and the video will be a knife review, so you don’t want to miss out.

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. Also check out my YouTube Channel: Backpack Bushcraft for video updates and corresponding tutorials. Until next time, keep those fires burning and put another log on for me.