another overnighter: esee rb3, jet log & kifaru stove.

JV3

JV3

Joined
Mar 17, 2010
Messages
4,256
bearthedog is back in town so we decided to do another overnighter. first time in the woods with the kifaru small titanium stove for the supertarp...figured i'd give it a real test run or two (i already did the initial burn-in in the backyard last march) before the cold temps actually get here and to make sure i'm using it safely.

also, a new piece of gear to be broken in is the recently released esee rb3. thank you very much to bearthedog for the knife and esee/jeff for shipping it so quickly! early christmas for me :D

097_001_zpsksojsvhh.jpg


097_002_zpskz6gmrw4.jpg



most pics i've seen people aren't using a pipe stabilizer but i'm still iffy on burning my whole shelter down and there were convenient trees nearby anyway.

097_003_zpsgicvak84.jpg



bearthedog was already busy with the bacon by the time i was done setting up my shelter.

097_004_zpsbr17gtgz.jpg



decided to give the h&b forge lady's tomahawk another chance despite my first negative first impression on the skinny handle...it's growing on me.

097_005_zpsibehlpih.jpg



discarded glass found by bearthedog along the way to the camp spot...perfect for bulleit bourbon :)

097_006_zpszncrc0ly.jpg
 
bearthedog...the man behind the rb3, literally and figuratively.

097_007_zpszlx2bqkg.jpg



jet log...not a misspelling of the time zones thing, literally a jet log.

097_008_zpsqotq1lfa.jpg



...spewing flames like a jet engine.

097_009_zpsy79tamel.jpg


097_010_zpsegrac8px.jpg



i like my whisky neat but bacon on the rocks!

097_011_zpsuy8gnnpc.jpg
 
near bed time i fired-up the stove, got out and watched from the open camp fire for a good hour to see if my shelter will burn down.

097_012_zpszgdkftqz.jpg



you can see the glowing box through the shelter wall.

097_013_zps1dn4y1kr.jpg



definitely met my expectations...great way to warm up my feet and dry any wet gear i may have too. i'm thinking this is going to be just as useful in a rainy camp out as much as during the winter.

097_014_zpswjmqrkxz.jpg



spam for breakfast...now this rb3 is officially mine!

097_015_zpswdb3n83i.jpg



we decided to explore a new area and when we encountered a new stream and the map showed us that it would directly lead us back to the parking lot we decided to do a lost hiker simulation/land nav using the stream back to the car.

097_016_zpskpgtmgrf.jpg



we had to crisscross the stream in several places in order to be able to follow it and often times the only way was straight through some thorn bushes! neither of us had a machete so i used my trekking poles to push them away but bearthedog used a thermarest foam pad as a shield :D

097_017_zpsd7mpe7vx.jpg



after a lot of cursing and a foot dunked in the stream later, we ended up in 5 guys...success!

097_018_zpsm4f7evn2.jpg
 
Last edited:
Good times! Bear has created a nice looking blade, enjoy and thanks for sharing your adventure!
 
Nice photo essay. I chuckled at the cursing part. You mean you're human? ;) The RB3 is a nice little woods knife. It is really all you need.
 
Great pics as usual! I still need to pick up an RB3, this is the ESEE I have been waiting for.
 
JV3 long time not talk man. Great looking shelter. The supertarp was my first Kifaru shelter, and still my favorite. As for the stove. I have a small stove since the TIwas not out when I picked up my supertarp (want to say it was 2007/2008?) Either way, a quick trick that I also do since I am like you and use the stabilizer with the annex mounted stove pipe, use the loop at the top of the high peak of the tarp to tie too. This prevents you from being closelined in the middle of the night, having game walk into it (I have had moose circle my 8man tipi in the Uintas), causing a bigger mess, and uses a lot less cordage. I just stake out the other ends to the ground if needed. I always place a stove jack forming ring under the retention ring to prevent it from sliding down when I do this. Also lean the pipe a little bit away from the tarp overhang.

Great looking camp, and looked like a great trip. I need to get out more often, but now that I have progressed to overlanding, my level of comforts have increased. After using a friends roof top tent, I'm debating that for my rig, just not sure if I want to loose most my rack for it, so I still use my hammocks

As always, keep up the great post and product reviews. I need to make it over here more often.
 
Jet Engine Log Camp

Not even back in NJ for half a day and it was time to head out in the morning with Jay for the woods. Middle of December and winter is nowhere in sight. It felt more like spring, but we were hoping for rain. Either way, one thing was for sure, we were going to hike, cook, use some new gear, and just enjoy this springtime in the winter.
Did I mention we were going to cook?




I finally got a production sheath for my knife. Old one worked great, made by Bryan Breeden.



Vines strangle a lot of trees out here.




We came across a stock pile of glasses and we fished out a couple for whisky and coffee.



While Jay was fixing his camp, I got to work getting us some coals to cook on in addition to finding a good frying rock. I used a lazy man’s log cabin and set it up with the intention of putting the tinder at the bottom and putting thin sticks straight in from the top, similar to starting up a wood burning stove.







We were short of thin, dry, twigs so I just made some big shavings for kindling.



Readying the frying rock




Some bacon to roast as we prepare the veggies…




Jay has the clean knife, this is his tutorial on preparing veggies…









Look at that bacon…



Chow time





Jay’s bucksaw




My main gear



I eventually threw my shelter down, took a minute.



The Jet Engine Log








Jay in the sweat shack…




Morning view…


Straight up



Jay in front of me…




Guess what this is????




Morning Lean-to fire








The giving tree







Spam & onions with mushrooms



…and rice




Time to hit the trail. We bushwhacked it out, found a small water source and followed the creek to the road.







Many creek crossings, luckily for me I have the balance of a ballerina.




Terrain was harsh!




The elusive Hemlock!



Hope you enjoyed the journey!

-RB
 
awesome pics, rb!


Rockywolf said:
Good times! Bear has created a nice looking blade, enjoy and thanks for sharing your adventure!
Click to expand...

you're welcome!


22-rimfire said:
Nice photo essay. I chuckled at the cursing part. You mean you're human? ;) The RB3 is a nice little woods knife. It is really all you need.
Click to expand...

thanks! a lot of those thorn bushes are wine berries - i definitely have a love and hate relationship with them...when it's in season the berries are super tasty. pics from a previous mountain biking trip on a different area. they've certainly shredded a number of my mtb shirts over the years!

wineberries_01_zpswmewlksi.jpg


wineberries_02_zpsl7q37or9.jpg



tknife said:
Great pics as usual! I still need to pick up an RB3, this is the ESEE I have been waiting for.
Click to expand...

thanks! indeed, i've been waiting for a choiless, fat handled esee for years.


spoolup said:
JV3 long time not talk man. Great looking shelter. The supertarp was my first Kifaru shelter, and still my favorite. As for the stove. I have a small stove since the TIwas not out when I picked up my supertarp (want to say it was 2007/2008?) Either way, a quick trick that I also do since I am like you and use the stabilizer with the annex mounted stove pipe, use the loop at the top of the high peak of the tarp to tie too. This prevents you from being closelined in the middle of the night, having game walk into it (I have had moose circle my 8man tipi in the Uintas), causing a bigger mess, and uses a lot less cordage. I just stake out the other ends to the ground if needed. I always place a stove jack forming ring under the retention ring to prevent it from sliding down when I do this. Also lean the pipe a little bit away from the tarp overhang.

Great looking camp, and looked like a great trip. I need to get out more often, but now that I have progressed to overlanding, my level of comforts have increased. After using a friends roof top tent, I'm debating that for my rig, just not sure if I want to loose most my rack for it, so I still use my hammocks

As always, keep up the great post and product reviews. I need to make it over here more often.
Click to expand...

spoolup, good to hear from you man! definitely far too long...as soon as i saw your post the memory of all those kifaru pics i've studied for years before ever making my first purchase started flooding back in :-)

great tips on the stove pipe stabilizer. thanks! i'll definitely try that next time.


caine said:
Diff getting a H&B Hawk
Click to expand...

i highly recommend the shawnee...i haven't used any of my gb axes after getting it so i'm pretty sure i'll be selling them. check out this trip report comparing my shawnee with the gb sfa: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1242364-another-day-hike-tomahawk-vs-axe.
 
Last edited:
took two short videos for the curious to see how it's like inside...first shows how much workspace is available and just the light from the stove...the second video shows the door off.
​
[video=youtube;ER8a5dRcCpM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER8a5dRcCpM[/video]

[video=youtube;Ow94DodjIhQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow94DodjIhQ[/video]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top