Camping, knives, fire making

Fallbrook Forge

Fallbrook Forge

Joined
Jan 1, 2006
Messages
1,649
Spent a few days in Idyllwild Ca, just car camping. Was a great time and this is a gorgeous place

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there was plenty of snow on the ground, but it was nice and warm
One of the first things I did, search for fatwood:
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score! I used the new Ka-BAR Cutlass and a SAK saw to extract it
On to fire making! a couple new kits I brought with me:
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and a new extreme fire starter,
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it consists of 4 REI storm matches, a small piece of fatwood, lamp wick and it's all wrapped in just that is soaked in wax

more to come!
 
:confused: AWWWW COME ON !!! Get a guy all worked up & then just cut him off ! :p NEED MORE PICS ! I want to see this torch!!! Where did you get the bottle type container for you fire kit ?
 
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initial flare up
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a few seconds later
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once the match heads burned out, this thing burned for a good 7-8 minutes, and burned hot! I left a piece of the fat wood exposed so I can shave it off into a pile I liked the result

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Batoning with the Cutlas, this thing is a beast, I was using alot of old pine and oak and it bit deep, and split clean through knots and all
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here I finished up all the kindling I would need to get a good flame going, all the wood I had was wet so I made very small, small and medium.
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fatwood shavings
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prepped and ready to strike the mag/farro
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fatwood shavings lit no problem, adding the very small kindling
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here I'm adding the small kindling, and you can see I split way more than I needed. I learn from my mistakes(trying to light a fire in Big Sur without enough kindling)
 
So you shaved the fatwood onto duct tape, correct? And talk to me about the sheath system (looks cool) and the pants, do they have reinforced knees?
 
Patience my friend! and the bottle thing I got at countycomm.com(careful on that site)

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here it is after some of the med/large kindling getting into actual pieces of firewood

well, I have been backyard bushcrafting using the advice/tips and tricks from alot of you here on the forums. And I am very pleased with the results:
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Dinner time! Chili, grilled chese with Apple smoked Ghuda and sourdough, and a loaf of Jalepeno brad
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dessert was custom smores, Trader Joes waffle cone cookies, Gadiva 72% dark, mallows and cowboy coffee, it was amazing!
ad last but not least, the heavy hitters
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overall I was thrilled with this trip, less than 2 hours away, gorgeous, nobody there, great weather. I will spending alot more time in the San Jacinto wilderness in the future
 
great pics man...:thumbup: i didn't know you lived in Cali. too... right on...:D where abouts are you at??

Idyllwild is a gorgeous area.. i haven't been out that way in years... thanks for sharing... that is a mighty fine knife selection BTW...:D
 
Great shots. Looks like you and the Mrs. had a great time! The torch seems to have worked very well. Seven minutes of burn time is plenty enough!
 
Looked like fun. That's some heavy-hitting steel you have there. How does the Browning stack-up?

Great redneck tv pics and nice mini-torch :)
 
Rockywolf- you are correct, I shaved into duct tape to keep it from blowing all over the place( learned that trick here) there is also a piece of Neverdul on there(another tip learned here)that stuff is super flamable!
the pants are 5.11 Pro Tac, they have reinforced knees and seat, a gusseted crotch, cargo pockets, a cell phone pocket, slot front and rear pockets, and one extra slash pocket on the right thigh for a knife, these are outstanding pants! I wore them the whole trip, and they never soaked through, no special treatment from me either, they are 60/40 nylon cotton IIRC. I'm wearing them now actually, they are my favorite pants.
The knees still look brand new and can accept kneepads internally. they have 7 wide
sturdy beltloops that will take up to a 2" belt. I wore REI MTS med wieght long john under them and still had plenty of room. These pants are amazing! I have a 37" inseam, and 5.11 is one of the only companies to make a pant that fits me.
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here you can see the pocket configuration, (the Spyderco is in the back pocket), cell phone pocket and cargo that has a AMK pocket medic in it, and K&M long brass match safe.

The knife sheath is from Okuden.net(Oku on the forums) and is the best Kydex you can get, his is the only stuff I ever carried in Iraq. The pouch is from River-8. I love this setup! THe pouch can hold alot!
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knife and sheath, knife is a Busse SARSquatch
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fire and tinder, mag/ferro rod, alc prep wipes, fatwood, mini bic.
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water storage/collection and purification, aqua pouch fromhttp://bepreparedtosurvive.com/SurvivalProducts.htm
and aquamira repackaged into backpackinglight.com dropper bottles, this holds enough for 10-20 liters depending on initial quality of water
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first aid, duct tape, sutures, triple antibiotic, burngel.
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signaling and nav, Fenix P3D, Suunto clipper, AMK mirror from the SOL(it's the smallest one I've ever seen), TOPS whistle
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Misc. modded Farmer from Scibeer(blade, saw, awl only) rite in the rain paper, mini sharpie, capsule with aspirin and one tinder quick tab, caffiene tabs, and a piece of gum to boost morale.
 
mtfolk- I'm in Oceanside/Camp Pendleton so a wee bit south of you

brians- the Browning is stinking awesome! I didn't get any in use pics with that one(my camerawoman got bored) but it bites deep and clean. I could take 3-4" chunks out of pine in one swipe, no damage to the edge throughout the trip, it batons ok, it has an extended almost false edge thing so striking the spine I would up breaking batons. Super comfy handle, SHARP, right outta the box, great buy, it's in my wifes car BOB now
 
nice pics! looks like a lot of fun. I'm out by Julian just a bit east of you. which campground was that? I did some car camping out by Green Valley lake awhile back.

also great knife pics and a way cool extreme fire starter too. what's the 2nd large knife biting into the log on the left side at an angle? looks to be about an 8" blade length and very nice shape.
 
From your location, Anza-Borrego SP is also pretty nice this time of year.

DancesWithKnives
 
thanks, it does answer my question. It was the Browning I was admiring....


And yes, DWK2, Anza-Borrego is very nice and will graduate to absolutely beautiful in the spring.
 
Looks like you had a great time.

Did you get to use all the blades? Or only the ones you mentioned?
 
Anzo is pretty, just not my cup o tes, I prefer trees. Julian is also nice, really good pie!

Farnsrocket-a medical supply wharehouse that is local, if you're in the lower 48 I'll mail you one if you want
 
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