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.

Burning Bright: Construction of a Tin Can Lantern

Last week we finished up our compass series and I said we would be talking about candles. This week I have prepared a craft relevant to this subject that is very important bushcraft, and, it is relatively cheap to make. This week, we will be making tin can lanterns. Now this has many uses for bushcraft and I am basically going to make my sales pitch for why I think Candle should be one of the C's. In addition to providing heat, it also provides lighting. When I did my camp with items from just the first 5 C's, there would times I would want to be reading, but I was completely at the mercy of the sun. The sun would set around 7-8 pm and with 8 hours of sleep that would have me waking up at 4 am, which is not great. With a lantern I could read, write, twist cord, sharpen arrows, construct a trap, or basically anything that I could do to prepare for camp the next day even after the sun goes down. Instead of building a campfire for light and expending all that fuel, a lantern provides enough light while using little fuel. Just wax, tallow, or any lipid substance.

The first item we need to make our tin can lanterns is a tin can. Specifically a can with a sealed top, not one of the "pop top" cans. The walls of these are weaker and they will split when you fill them up and freeze them, but we'll get to that later. The other thing is corn. Corn is not a mushy vegetable and won't get stuck when we cut a hole in the bottom to drain out what's inside. Mushy vegetable like peas  will get stuck and are a mess to clean out. You will need a hammer and nail, some type of snips to cut the can with (I got mine at Walmart and paid $5-7 for a pack of 3), a bowl to catch the corn, and a towel to protect your work space.

The first step is to use the hammer and nail to poke holes in the bottom of the can in the shape of a circle. We will then use the snips to cut out that circle shape, and drain the contents of the can into the bowl. An important thing to note here is that you should not consume the food that comes out of the can. There is a possibility that a piece of metal could have gotten in and contaminated the food. Please, do not eat this food. The next thing we are going to do is fill the can with water and freeze it for 24 hours. By freezing water inside the can, the ice braces it so that the can does not dent when you hit the nail into it. To make your design, your are going to poke holes and make  a sort of "connect the dots" image. You won't be able to get much detail, but what you can do is use bigger holes for the main points of the image, and use smaller holes to guide the eye and fill out the image a bit more. There are two ways you can do this. I actually drew out a star and traced the image over the can by making holes, but I wasn't too pleased with the outcome. This time, I am going to free hand.

After making your design (I made the Viking rune for fire, light, etc. "Kenaz") I am going to go on either side of my design near the top of the can and make a hole on each side. This is going to be where I put the bell of my lantern. The next thing we want to do is create an opening for the candle. You can create a circle or a square; I am going to make a square because it is easier to make the square safe in my opinion. On the opposite side of the can as your design, you're going to find the middle of the two bell holes you just made, and make a hole near the BOTTOM of the can. I am then going to measure 3/4" to the left and poke a hole, and 3/4" to the right and poke a hole. This gives me a line about 1 1/2" long. The reason I have picked this length is because that is the size of candle I am going to use. I will then measure 1 1/2" up from the corners and create my square.

To melt the ice quickly, I simply place it in the sink and run hot water over the can for about five minutes. Now I can cut out the shape of the square we just outlined with the snips. Now I am going to take some steps to make the lantern safer to handle so I don't get cut on the jagged metal.  You could use a file to file down the sharp points, but I am going to use duct tape. The duct tape will heat up with a candle lit inside the lantern, but it will still stick. Plus, even if it does eventually melt away, if I have a kit made up of the 10 C's of Survivability, repairs are no problem. To make the bell I have taken a metal clothes hanger and cut a section of it about 20" long. Take one end of the clothes hanger and feed it through the two bell holes you made at the top of your can. Line them up at the top and slowly begin to fold the ends over each other. You really need to do this slowly because the hanger will crack. Once the ends are folded over, I like to wrap them in duct tape to, again, keep the ends from scratching or cutting my hand. And again if the tape were to come off repairs are easily and quickly made in the field.

And with that our lantern is finished. Just another word of warning when your lantern is lit, do not
touch the can above the top of the square as it will heat up quickly and it does get pretty hot. These lanterns are cheap and very easy to make. You can make them this way or find other methods that work for you, either way, I definitely recommend these. Next week we will be talking about flashlights, the "electronic candle." 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.

me.

I Spy With My Little Eye: Binoculars Sizes and Uses

Last week we talked about different kinds of compasses and did some survival drills at a local park. I also mentioned that we were going to be talking about a compass' best friend. Much like a boy needs a good dog, I believe a compass needs a good pair of binoculars. This week I'm going to be going over the different types of binoculars that I have. We will also be returning to our local park where we will be travelling with a map and binoculars only, as well as with a map and compass only. Lastly, we will choose one of these binoculars to add to our backpack at the end to build it out better, much like we did last week.

First let's start out with a quiz. I'll show you the binoculars and the numbers on them, and you figure out which binoculars are the best. From Left to right,the first pair are 10x25, the second are 16x32, and the last pair are 8x40. Now, don't cheat, but if you think you know leave a comment on this blog with the answer! If you aren't sure what these numbers mean, you're more than likely going to go with the biggest pair, the 8x40. Actually the best pair I have are the 16x32 pair. Now, let's talk about what these numbers mean. The first number, for example the 16, refers to the magnification of the object I am viewing. The first number on the larger binoculars is 8, letting us know that magnification is half of what it is on the second pair of binoculars I showed you. The second number refers to the distance in millimeters across the lenses of the binoculars. So the first pair have 25 millimeters, the second 32 millimeters, and the third have 40 millimeters.

So now you may be thinking, if one pair of binoculars is clearly better than the others, why do you even have the other two? Well, much like with the compasses, the different types are better suited for different tasks. The 8x40 binoculars I prefer to use for hunting. It's not going to magnify as much, but I do have a wider view of what I am looking, much like having peripheral vision. This allows me to look around the area of a tree and easily spot when a squirrel comes into view. The 16x32 I prefer to have with me at all times. It is very useful when looking for something in particular or if I am looking around with them trying to spot something. The 32 millimeter lenses give me a good window of vision to work with as well. The 10x25 pair are a good in between. Sometimes with the 16x32 pair I get drawn in to one spot with the powerful magnification at close distances, but with the 10x25 it's not so bad.


Now I am going to show you what I see through each pair of binoculars. There is a leaf in particular I am going to point out, then we are going to view the leaf through each pair of binoculars to see what we can see. The 10x25 can single out the leaf pretty well way up at the top of the trees. There is a leaf to the right of the one we are looking at that I am trying to get in the same viewing circle as well. I'll be talking about why in a minute. The problem with the 16x32 binoculars is that they are so zoomed in that you can easily become disoriented when trying to spot an object or find where you are. When we locate the leaf we cannot get the second leaf in view at the same time. This is because the magnification is better for pinpointing a specific object. With the 8x40 binoculars we can easily get both leaves into view. It is not the most zoomed in, but we still can see some details as well as still have room for anything else that may come into view.

Now we are going to return to the park and work with our binoculars a bit more. I am beginning at the location that we are calling the ranger station as per last week's blog. What  I am going to do is take my binoculars, and spot for the first X designated on our map. Now, I know that the first X is directly in front of me, but I would do is spot the feature, locate it on my map to confirm, and then begin walking in that direction. Now the second feature which is south of my I am noticing has 5 appendages coming from it. These represent two slides, a set of monkey bars, a staircase, and what I am assuming is

a second staircase around the back. I simply look through my binoculars to see each of these things more clearly, then confirm again with my map, and head that way. To add a bit of a challenge this time I didn't go exactly where the X was on my map. Before I move on to the next set of playground equipment, let's say I couldn't confirm what the feature was by viewing it through my  binoculars and referring to the map. In this instance I would try to look for features around where I am looking to go to confirm the location. In this case there is a bench and a pole near the playground equipment. I can spot those, check with my map, and we are ready to go. Now this is the home stretch. From here with my binoculars I can see the dirt circle with the ride-on equipment, move on, and from there, spot my "camp" which was the bench I started at in the last blog.

Now we are ready to start our second drill. I will be using my 10x25 binoculars and my military style compass. What we will be simulating is a friend going off from camp, and it seems like they have been gone a while and you think something may have happened. Now in this scenario I noticed the direction they went in. I have my binoculars on top of my compass so I can easily switch my views between them. Now I will view with my binoculars the two trees that my friend traveled through and try to spot a flag or any signs on the trail that may signify the direction they went. I don't see anything so now I am going to take a bearing of that direction which is about 50 degrees, so we are going to head that direction. After arriving at the two trees we are going to scan again and in this simulation, we are going to say our friend is smart enough to leave behind trail markers to indicate their direction. So I scan with my binoculars and find a pile of rocks, or a stick with an arrow pointing in their direction. I take a bearing and get about 60 or 65 degrees, and start walking. From here we are going to scan about 360 degrees. I don't notice anything and I am sure that this is an unnatural landmark. So I am going to orientate myself and continue following the 60 to 65 degree bearing and check again in a few yards.

Now I've reached what we are considering the end of the road. What I am going to do is place a marker here so if I cannot find my friend in one direction, I can come back to this spot and check a different direction. My options here are a very steep hill or a much easier to walk path. I am going to say my friend took the easier path. I am going to take the bearing which is about 320 degrees. I'm going to continue scanning every few yards and eventually I do notice them. It appears as though she has hurt her foot, so at this point we are going to try to get her back to camp, and then to the ranger station for some aid.

At this point we have to choose between the 16x32 and the 10x25 binoculars to add to our backpack. The 16x32 binoculars have a pretty good balance between magnification and lens size, though they are not as balanced as the 10x25 binoculars. I do get better picture with  the 16x32 binoculars and naturally the hand shake is a little bit worse. At the end of the day, the one thing the 16x32 binoculars can do that the 10x25 can't is magnification. So with that being said I am choosing to add the 16x32 because I would rather have that feature and not need it, than need it and not have it. A quick word on the military compass that I used. I had a lot of problems with it. It did not want to give an accurate reading through the peep hole or when I matched it on the compass. I would hate to have someone buy it and have the same problems as me. It's because of this that I am happy with the decision I made to add the modern compass to my pack instead.

Next week we will be doing a craft that will help us keep pace with this compass series, so you definitely don't want to miss it! 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.

Set A Course For Survival: Compass Basics and Survival Drills

Last week we finished out our series on our EDC kits. If you missed any of those blogs feel free to go back and read them, there was some very good information there! The videos are also posted on our Youtube channel (backpack bushcraft) if you missed those as well. This week we are going to begin a new series on compasses. I have three compasses that I am going to be going over and discussing advantages and disadvantages. Afterwards we will be going to a local park and doing two survival drills. The first is finding yourself on a map using just a compass, and second is getting from point A to point B using just a map and compass. Lastly we will review the compass and we are going to do a new little ceremony of adding the item to our backpack. Let's get into it.

First we are going to talk about button compasses. Mine is not a traditional button compass as you can tell as it comes with the button compass, a whistle, a thermometer, and a magnifying glass. The button compass has a travel arrow, a floating needle, all the cardinal directions already labeled, and will spin to point north at all times. Because the compass always points north the travel arrow indicates which direction you are more than likely facing. The one problem that I have with this is that it does not have the degrees labelled on the compass, instead there are just tick marks. Now, you could likely easily enough figure out the degree based on the tick marks, as well as get around pretty well with it, however, if you are going to be using a map, you're going to want to check out the next compass.


The next compass, what I call the modern compass is what I was trained to use. It has a clear base with a ruler as well as a mile and kilometer indicator. This lets you line it up on your map and estimate how far away a destination on your map is from your position. The rotating dial and housing which allows the needle to find north by locking it into the two dots (what David Canterbury call the "doghouse"). This allows you to find your true position. An advantage of this type of compass is that it is clear so you can lay it on a map to find your way and still be able to read the map underneath it. The disadvantage are that the tick marks are very fine and can be difficult to read when pinpointing your exact position. I would still prefer to use this compass, however the next compass is even more precise.

Lastly we have a traditional or military style compass. You can see that it has the floating needle similar to the button compass as well as a rotating dial similar to the modern compass. Some key features of this compass is the level in the bottom corner as well as a spot for a tripod so you can hold it on the ground and make sure it is level. There is also a set of cross hairs which you can use to more accurately pinpoint the location of a far off object. At the base of the compass there is a scope which magnifies the degrees to get a more accurate reading. Facing my camera with the button compass I was one tick east. With the modern compass I was facing roughly 120 degrees. Now with the military compass I have pin pointed myself facing exactly 125 degrees.

Now we are going to go to our local park and do some survival drills with our compasses. First I want to talk about my map and how I made it. I started by going to Google Earth and finding the park that I was going to. I found where I wanted to start and oriented the map as north as possible. I then took a screenshot, transferred it to MS Paint, and blew it up to an 8x11 size. Voila. Map. This is good to practice with especially bearing in mind that you aren't going to find topographical maps of a park. The other thing to keep in mind is you can control how zoomed in or out the map is, but if you aren't careful you won't be able to accurately pinpoint mile markers. Another thing to remember is making sure your map is up to date. For a lot of topographical maps this isn't a problem. You also want to be mindful of trees because if they are dense they may blur or cover a path or important map marker.

The first thing I am going to do is look at my surroundings, then look at my map and try to locate specific markers. The first thing I notice is a dirt circle with two ride-on toys. On my map I can clearly locate what looks like a marked off circle with two objects in it so I can say that what is in front of me is that feature on the map. Now I need to figure out what direction this feature is from me. To do this, I am going to set my traditional compass to north, followed by setting my map to north. Now I am going to turn my compass from north, toward the feature, and see what direction I get. My reading shows about 310 degrees.* Now I am going to lay the compass flat on my map and draw a line from my location to the feature I have identified. Now where the lines cross is my location. I appear to be a little off so I need to practice more.

Now we are going to move on to the next feature on the map from the same position I was when we got a bearing on the first feature we identified. I identified this feature, which in this case is a playground set of slides, by determining it's relative location to a very large playground set, a very small playground set, and a bench and trash can. When I take my bearing, it is at about 350 degrees. Now, just like we did previously, I am going to position my compass on the map, and draw the line.

Now that we have located ourselves on the map, we are going to go somewhere with it. I have marked a location on the map that we are going to call the ranger station and I am going to simulate an emergency situation where I need to find the ranger station to get aid. Based on where I am on the map facing as north as I can, and relative to my position from the ranger station on the map I am going to guess the direction I need to go. I am going to guess 315 degrees. I am not going to put my compass on the map and try to get a bearing. If I lock my compass in to 315 degrees, lock myself in north position and draw a line from my position outward on the map I find that I will actually overshoot the ranger station by a few degrees. If I dial it down to about 305 degrees, it gets me pretty close to where I need to go, so I am going to draw a line and go with a bearing of 305 degrees.

Now that I have a line drawn from my location to the ranger station it is important to travel that line on the map and see what features I will come across on my way to my destination. This is important because these features will let me know that I am going in the correct direction if the bearing wasn't enough. The first thing I notice is that my path leads right through a large set of playground equipment. Past that a little ways and to my right is another feature which I cannot identify simply by looking at the map, but we will be able to identify on our walk. Lastly just before I reach my destination there is another set of playground equipment to my left. Now, at the first feature I encounter, instead of walking straight through the playground equipment I am going to instead turn left 90 degrees and walk for a ways, turn right 90 degrees and walk for a ways, and then once again turn right 90 degrees and get back on my bearing of 305 degrees. This allows me to walk around the playground equipment instead of through it. I will show you how to do this without losing your bearing as well.

For my walk I am actually going to be using my button compass. I'm not really staring at it and closely monitoring my direction, I'm just headed generally northwest and using the x's I have placed on my map as I guideline for what features I should be encountering to make sure I am heading in the correct direction. When I encounter my first x, I know that I want to go around it and not through it. I am currently facing northwest, I am going to turn 90 degrees to my left and go southwest. I am going to walk 10-20 paces, enough to get past the equipment, then turn 90 degrees to my right and go northwest once again. I am now going to take another 10-20 paces to get out in front of the playground, turn right 90 degrees now heading in the direction of northeast. After my 10-20 paces I am going to turn 90 degrees to my left and head northwest once again and in my original direction.
Continuing on our original trail I am able to identify the feature that I was to encounter to the right which was another bench. Shortly after it to my left I locate the playground equipment and right in front of me is what we have identified as the ranger station.

That's it for today guys, however before we wrap this up I wanted to take a minute to talk about my backpack (yes, the one from the three day camp). In my backpack right now are just items from the 5 C's. I did have some personal items in there, but I have recently removed them. Now that we are talking about a new set of 5 C's I would like to take some time at the end of the blog if I choose to add an item, and talk about which item and why. Today I am faced with a difficult choice of whether to add the modern compass, or the traditional military style compass. The button compass has earned a special place, not in my pack, but instead in the EDC kit we spent last month building. For right now I am choosing to add the modern compass to my pack. I know we didn't work much with the military compass this blog, but we will in future blogs. I like that I can put the modern compass on the map and still be able to see what I'm doing. I also like the housing dial on it as opposed to the one on the military compass which has two arrows that don't seem to line up when they are supposed to.

Next week in our series we are going to be talking about a compass' best friend and you know you don't want to miss it.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.


*After further review the bearing was NOT 310 instead 290. This was the reason my location was off on my map.

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.

A Shelter With All the Trimmings: Turning Rectangular Tarp into a Square Tarp

There is nothing like the great outdoors. The fresh air, open sky, nature sounds, and sun rays. However, on the other side of the coin there is nothing as bad as the great outdoors. Rainstorms, high winds, blizzards, aggressive wildlife, even those sun rays can turn into a problem after a while. It is times like these when we “seek shelter”.

Now what is shelter? The Webster Dictionary defines it as “something that covers or affords protection.” About what common sense would tell you. Shelter is also considered the first priority with the Wilderness Survival Rules of 3, only after air. Shelter is so ingrained into to us that even as children we like to build forts inside the house. Even something as simple as a patio umbrella is a type of shelter, for those pesky sun rays.

Although, not all shelters are made the same, History shows us this. First we had the cavemen who lived in, well, caves. The good side is they don’t require any energy to set up. Most can keep you dry from rain and possibly wind-shielded. Although very basic, they aren’t too bad, the biggest downside is that no two are the same which means you can’t really have a standard. Also they are very bad to heat with a fire because of the size.

From there the most common would be thatch roof huts, these would mostly keep the sun off of you in the coastal areas and the rain from coming down. Plus the thatching would keep it from overheating and allow some airflow. The downside is that it would have to be replaced often. Plus it wouldn’t be very structurally strong.

A little more inland and closer toward the equator, you find clay made houses. The adobe or wattle & daub is a staple of the area. Building a house from ground can have advantages and disadvantages. To start with they can control ventilation and drafts better and can be assembled with only sticks and mud. Even a fire can be used inside. Disadvantages are that the roof can be a little poor in my opinion, plus it can take a lot of material, time, and energy to make this work. Primitive Technology: Wattle and Daub Hut has a great example of this.

In the American plains or steppes of Central Asia we find tepees and yurts, respectively. Constructed of animal skins and log poles, these shelters were great for the plains Indians and their nomadic ways. Following the buffalo as they did, they needed shelters that could move around without making new ones every time. They were able to put these up and down in an hour. Also they could have a cooking fire in them and be lived in year round. The biggest disadvantage that I’ve heard comes from Dave Canterbury on his journal of the yurt. He talked about how they needed conveyance to use them because they did have a lot of weight. You would need a horse or ATV to move the parts around, plus the long poles would prevent you from setting it up in a non plains area. Dave Canterbury has lived in both of these. You can find their playlist on "Wildernessoutfitters" as "Diary of the Tipi" and "Journal of the Yurt"

Lastly in the high latitudes we find log cabins or log shelters. These are often still used by modern homesteaders or hunters for their simplicity and ease of being taken from the surrounding area with only special joints and tar. This provides the most insulation from all the other materials and even adds a floor to help with conduction insulation. A fire can be placed inside for warmth and cooking. Even a second floor can be placed for storage or sleeping area. The disadvantage is again time, energy, and resources. You could possibly have to pull material from quite a ways away from the building site.     

Now you can’t just carry around a log cabin in your back pocket at all times, but there are other ways to get your shelter needs combining all of these traits from above. Most camps were made with oil cloth or canvas back in the early days of America. Most reenactors like to use these and bushcrafters do too. However with the advancement in the oil based products, tarps can be a much better fit. The weight stays about the same, they don’t need reapplications of water protection, and they are pretty cheap. The disadvantage is that square covers are better than rectangles because there are more set ups or configuration you can do, but that another blog.

You can spend a lot of time trying to find tarps in this size. However I’ll save ya some time. You can’t find them, at least currently. And when you do they won’t be cheap. However y’all know I’m not gonna leave you out in the wind. It took me some time, but I think I figured out how to turn the Walmart rectangle tarps into a square tarp.

Okay I know it doesn’t sound that hard or complicated, but I have never seen anyone else do it. If all you have available to you is one of these blue tarps then it’s best to work with it. Now I’m sure someone could just read this part and say ok run off and get a tarp and do this, but keep reading on, there are a few tips you need first. To start remember square, a square tarp will serve you better in the long term no matter what due to the amount of set ups, it can perform. On the flip side rectangles can do some and maybe give you some added length however, anything a rectangle can do and square can do better. So when buying a tarp pay attention to size. Now talking about size, between 6-10 feet is the limits with 7 being the sweet spot and 8 being the runner up.

So don’t pick up that cheap 6’ x 8’ but instead 8’ x 10’. Now, next is the quality. I chose the cheap blue one to test. It could probably last about a year or two depending on use, but the brown ones you might even get 3 or 4 years out of them. I’ll be trying one of them someday but not in this blog.

So before you go and a buy your stuff also make sure you have the following. A pair of fabric scissors, you could probably work with something cheap but they cut better and smoother cut make the tarp look better. Next some sort of measuring stick, I used a cloth measuring tape. Better choices could’ve and should’ve been made. I would recommend a meter or yard stick. Also some sort of sharpie or marker will be needed to draw. A pencil or pen won’t cut it. Lastly some sort of lighter or open flame device. This will be needed to melt the new edge so that the material won’t rip or fray. After putting this much work in don’t skip this step. After that we’ll want to put grommets in it.You want the bigger ones and you can get this at Walmart too. Go with the metal ones. Lastly something that can help is some stakes to keep the tarp nice and tight, no mistakes.

As you are measuring it out, make sure you know that the 8’ side won’t be 8’ exact. You’ll want to get them as close as you can down to the inch if possible. The more accurate you are here, the more mistakes you can make during the cut and burn. After you have your 8’ side measured you’ll want to measure it on the 10’ side. I had some 4x4 lying around and I used that to keep my measurement line straight. But the yard stick would work well too. Now while measuring you want to make sure you have measured both side and made marks. Then in the middle and make a mark, then the middle between those as well.

In the end you should have 5 marks each with about 2’ of space. After your marks, connect them with the straightest lines possible. The yard stick will come in hand at this point. Measure again and prepare for the cut.

Now on to the cutting, cutting it like you would fabric is the best way; again the reason for recommending the fabric scissors. Cutting it with snips makes it more uneven than slide cutting. Also you could stake it out at this point to really get that crisp edge, but it will lose its tightness as you cut. Afterwards move on to the burning. The key is to not actually touch the flame to it but close enough to singe the material. You could do this real well with a soldering iron, but I didn’t think of this until after I did it. any mistake can be fixed with a little duct tape or cargo tape.

Once complete, mark out the spots for your new grommets. I like to mark the spot with an x. You want to make sure that there is enough material there that it won’t tear out. The location for each should mirror the other side. If you have to move it a little due to problem spots with the tarp that’s fine, an inch or two should not make much of a difference. The most important are the two that will go in the corners. I like to cut the x just enough that the grommets come through but are still tight. The seal it.

 I hope this helps you all save some time and money. While you maybe able to find a square tarp online, with this tutorial you can take your survival into your own hands. Next week will be going over some tarp set ups, I mentioned before. And I'll show you some simple knots to tie them all together. Trust me you won't want to miss out. As always feel free to comment, share this blog, and check back next week for a new one. Follow me on Facebook: @BPackBushcraft and on Twitter @BPackBushCraft. Until next time, keep those fires burning and put another log on for me.