Gear Testing, Fire, & Wild Plants

[KuRUpTD]

Hey Mist, next time try using some fatwood to get your fire started and stop dilly dallying with PJCB's and other stuff.

Nice job and great pics bro :thumbup:

FATWOOD ! that's right I said it

 

[TheGame]

Great post, as usual, Mist. I remember a while back when I first saw the Nanostriker in one of your posts. I was wondering when something like this was going to come along. It was begging for it! :thumbup:

 

[Mistwalker]

Thanks for all the kind words and comments guys, I'm glad you all enjoyed the post.

I'll address specific comments and questions later tonight...I have my hands full at the moment.

 

[s7brad]

Glad to see some new photos from ya, buddy. Been stuck at work doin 60-72 hrs a week ltil the end of the year. You always put up great stuff for us to live vicariously while stuck indoors. Thanks for sharing

 

[Mistwalker]

cool thread Brian, I love my nono strikers too. Guess what color they are lol?

I got the orange color lol.

Bryan

Thanks Bryan, lol, as soon as Rob told me one of the first colors was going to be orange I thought about you. The nanos are an awesome piece of kit, I have one that goes every where I go and then others in kits.

Very nicely done Mistwalker!

Thoughts on the nano striker thingy ma bob?

JGON

Thanks JGON, glad you enjoyed it. The nanos are awesome. A little small yes, and take a little more gettin used to than a larger rod but they pack an awesome punch. The stock nano weighs in at less than 15 grams, the extension probably pushes it close to 20g.

Mist my good man, thought maybe you had hit the lottery & fled to parts unknown. Great shots once again of some interesting items. Did you get a chance to measure the length of the nanostriker with & w/o the tinder tube??? I carry an Aurora firesteel on my keychain now along with some other stuff (Sally swears the keyring is going to pull the ignition switch out of our Jeep) & would be interested to know. Anytime I am out that early around here, there is also some green tea brewing, believe me...
Informative article once again, thanks for sharing it with us.
Be safe.
p.s.: Did you see the "note" I left in the Waffle House post . . .

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed the post. Hell, even if I hit the lottery I might be gone a while yes...but I'd be back with better stories, pics taken with better cameras, and a more powerful computer to write the stories up on

Without the extension it is 14.5 grams and 2 3/8 inches long. With the extension it is 5 inches long but I don't have an exact weight...probably no more that 20 grams.

great pics as usual Brian...:thumbup: i wouldn't mind trying out one of those Nano-striker's....

Thanks Mike, you can check them out at exotac.com :thumbup:

.... is there a reason you pull the PJCB completely out of the straw? I always just fluffed a little bit out, but left the straw partially in tact, so the plastic would burn as well. I'd also be interested in the OAL with and without the tinder extension if you happen to know it.

Only that I hate the smell of burning plastic It wasn't all that wet so i just did it like that, next test will be leaving it in the straw.

OALs are 2 3/8 inches and 5 inches.

You may want to try cooking the saw tooth oak acorns before passing judgement. If you've had acorns cooked before, the cooking really brings out every bit of bitterness. For example, I tried swamp white oak raw and they were starchy, but not detectably bitter. Once ground and leached (but not leached enough), I tested some by cooking it into a thickened porrige. Acorn grits if you will. It had a terrible bitter aftertaste. The tannins are still in there when it's raw and are just as harsh on your kidneys, even if you can't tell.

Oh, I could tell from the dry mouth that the tannins were there, I was just thinking it might be less trouble to leach out than some other acorns. I know White Oaks have less than Red Oaks and I think these do too. I'm going to try to collect some to test next year.

Great stuff as always buddy !

How are ya liking that Becker, do ya have your name down for the new Ritter/Becker ?

Thanks bro. I'm loving the BK-2.

I like the look of that collab knife. The point and the grind look awesome....but I think I'll stick with the BK2 for now. I like this sheath a lot.

Hey Mist, next time try using some fatwood to get your fire started and stop dilly dallying with PJCB's and other stuff.

Nice job and great pics bro :thumbup:

FATWOOD ! that's right I said it

Ha, I couldn't tell you how much fatwood I stepped over and walked around....even brought some home. I was never in any danger of not having fire ...just wanted to test the system :thumbup:

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed the pics.

Great post, as usual, Mist. I remember a while back when I first saw the Nanostriker in one of your posts. I was wondering when something like this was going to come along. It was begging for it! :thumbup:

Thanks T.G., glad you liked the post. Yeah, I think Rob drew the first one out about 10 months ago when i first talked to him about it, but he has been really busy at work too though. I think there are more good things to come from Exotac

Glad to see some new photos from ya, buddy. Been stuck at work doin 60-72 hrs a week ltil the end of the year. You always put up great stuff for us to live vicariously while stuck indoors. Thanks for sharing

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it. Lol, I'm usually stuck outside with a camera...figure I might as well share if I find anything interesting

 

[JV3]

good stuff! by the way, i was playing around in the garage with my bk-2 with it's new micarta handle earlier tonight and i must say it really does improve the feel of it. i was happy with the grivory scales for awhile but i wish i would've bought the micarta sooner.

 

[Mistwalker]

good stuff! by the way, i was playing around in the garage with my bk-2 with it's new micarta handle earlier tonight and i must say it really does improve the feel of it. i was happy with the grivory scales for awhile but i wish i would've bought the micarta sooner.

Thanks man, glad you liked it. I've got a thing for micarta anyway, pretty sure I'll be getting them :thumbup:

 

[Snow]

The little firesteel thing looks handy to have around. Any idea where they are made?

 

[August West]

Google "acorn mook" it is a korean dish made from acorns that is delicious, it is similiar to tofu but better in my opinion. This fall when the acorns started falling the little old ladys were out in force to gather them, no wonder the squirrels over here live on pine cones. Chris

 

[Mistwalker]

The little firesteel thing looks handy to have around. Any idea where they are made?

The aluminum versions are made in China I think, but the Ti versions are made in the U.S. as far as I know. The Exotac Life-Caps (camouflaged capsule left side of last pic) are also made here in the states.

Google "acorn mook" it is a korean dish made from acorns that is delicious, it is similiar to tofu but better in my opinion. This fall when the acorns started falling the little old ladys were out in force to gather them, no wonder the squirrels over here live on pine cones. Chris

Thanks for that, I will look it up. The indigenous peoples here used White Oak acorns to make a flour with.

 

[Bladite]

ooh, wild persimmons. autumn olive is teh bomb though. 4 lbs collected this Fall was enough for some nice jam, though i want to try win at some point.

what's the larger green things in your photos? i don't think you covered those earlier...

great work!


Bladite

 

[Mistwalker]

ooh, wild persimmons. autumn olive is teh bomb though. 4 lbs collected this Fall was enough for some nice jam, though i want to try win at some point.

what's the larger green things in your photos? i don't think you covered those earlier...

great work!


Bladite

Thanks Bladite, glad you enjoyed the post.

I have located four persimmon trees so far in that one area. I love persimmons after the frost hits. I brought some fruit and seeds back in hopes of planting them here on my own land. The top of the mountain is covered with Autumn Olive trees. I have never done more than munch on them on hikes though. I think next year I m going to harvest some.

The large green fruit is passion fruit, called Ocoee by the Cherokee people who originally inhabited this area. I guess I should have mentioned that too but I have posted a good bit on it earlier this year and I was just surprised to find any left this late and started munching

This is what it looked like earlier this year with some of the flowers still in bloom.

Even my oldest daughter liked it right off when I introduced her to it. It has a somewhat citrus-y taste. You eat it much like Pomegranate by just sucking the jelly-like coating off of the seeds and then spitting the seeds out.

 

[Shotgun]

Cool thread. Like the steam shots you got.

 

[daizee]

Mistwalker, what is a Mullein stalk good for? Plenty around here.

Also, another important equipment question: Is that a K1000 around your daughter's neck???

-Daizee

 

[Battle Creek Knives]

you've just ruined that knife treating it like that !!


thanks for sharing !!

 

[Mistwalker]

Cool thread. Like the steam shots you got.

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed the post.

No lack of steam shots around here except in the dry parts of summer. They call it a rain forest for a reason

Mistwalker, what is a Mullein stalk good for? Plenty around here.

Also, another important equipment question: Is that a K1000 around your daughter's neck???

-Daizee

I've read several things on Mullein and friction fire so I have some experiments I want to do myself.

Yep, that one was supplied for her by her school for part of a course she is taking.

you've just ruined that knife treating it like that !!


thanks for sharing !!

Yep, so I noticed, scraped a little of the coating right off the blade

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed the post !

 

[daizee]

Yep, that one was supplied for her by her school for part of a course she is taking.

One of the best learning cameras ever, and after that STILL totally awesome. I've got 2. Doesn't mean I've learned twice as much... :-D

Nice to see someone still teaching film.

-Daizee

 

[Mistwalker]

One of the best learning cameras ever, and after that STILL totally awesome. I've got 2. Doesn't mean I've learned twice as much... :-D

Nice to see someone still teaching film.

-Daizee

I have heard a lot of similar comments since I first posted the pics from that hike with her. I never got tp play with as nice a 35mm when I was first learning photography.

Starting out digital it was an interesting "step back" for her but she is loving the course.

 

[Snow]

The aluminum versions are made in China I think, but the Ti versions are made in the U.S. as far as I know. The Exotac Life-Caps (camouflaged capsule left side of last pic) are also made here in the states.





Thanks for that, I will look it up. The indigenous peoples here used White Oak acorns to make a flour with.

That's a little bit of a bummer. The Ti version would definitely be cool, but I'm not up to paying $60+ for a firesteel. I still might pick up the basic version to keep on my keys.

 

[Mistwalker]

That's a little bit of a bummer. The Ti version would definitely be cool, but I'm not up to paying $60+ for a firesteel. I still might pick up the basic version to keep on my keys.

Yeah, the Ti version is more expensive, but I like the weight. Replacement rods are only four bucks though...

I only have one Ti but a few of the basic models.