November "overnighter" near the Gatineau Park, Canada

[defaultuser]

Hello all,

Inspired by many posts here, I went "tarp camping" last weekend, and took some pictures just to share with you guys!

Sorry in advance for the bad pictures...here we go.

First the site; I wanted a place not too far away so I could ride my mountain bike, but secluded enough to enjoy nature alone.
Lots of hemlock spruce, and a very old forest as the ground was spongy and covered with old rotten stumps and tree limbs.
I found a relatively dry elevated and flat area, away from any trails and human activity:

Here the camp is almost set up; the fireplace ready.

Finding good firewood was not that easy; everything on the groud was rotten...I managed to find a semi-standing dead hemlock, pretty dry.
A saw made quick work of the tree; I prefer it to an axe, for wood of this size (much lighter, and you can use it in the dark).
I will try to find a more portable saw for next camping season

Getting ready to start the fire, as dark was fast approaching...I prepared everything before stricking the firesteel:

Quality ourdoor time goes well with a quality brew:

Two strikes were necessary to ignite the tiny pile of fatwood:

Later that night, just before going to sleep...completely dark now.

(continued)

 

[defaultuser]

The night was cold, but not too bad. I noticed a big difference in the temperature between tarp camping and sleeping in a tent.
There was still some snow on the ground, from last week mini-storm:

Now, the knife part I was wayyyy "over-knifed" for such a small outing; but they all needed a workout...Here's what I had with me:
From top to bottom: Necker (S30V, oal 8"), Spyderco Para-Military, Hunter (S30V, oal 8", Bone slabs), Busse Meaner Street, and finally, my "Log Splitter" (S30V, oal 13", Convex grind):

A shot of only the knives I made myself; all users, as you can see:

...and in their sheaths, along with their Busse friend.

Came back home in the morning with a flat tire on the bike and mud all over my clothes, but a huge smile on my face.
Thanks for looking! Have a great day...outside, if you can escape!

 

[BarberFobic1992]

looks like a fun trip. great knives too.

 

[KuRUpTD]

Very nice pics bro .... did the fire provide enough reflective heat ?

That log splitter looks like a beast !

 

[defaultuser]

Very nice pics bro .... did the fire provide enough reflective heat ?

No, not really. I should've build a reflector behind, but the fire was there more for the pleasure and smell than for the heat, as I didn't plan to keep it going all night long. Thanks!

 

[siguy]

looks like a nice night out...

as for a flat tire, i always pack a small bike kit whenever i'm more than a mile from home. two tubes, tire levers, tire wrench (i don't have quick off tires), and a small pump.

those are good looking knives too, yours and the others...

 

[mtnfolk mike]

great pics man...:thumbup: i'm about due for an overnighter myself....

your knives are looking really nice too... i like all of those... especially that hunter and necker..

 

[defaultuser]

Thanks guys!

 

[kgd]

Very cool pictures. I like that tarp set up. Looks like a warm sleeping bag too. Is it synthetic or down? I use an older MEC bag with primloft insulation and it works nice in weather like this. I noticed lots of that white stuff on the ground near London on my travels. Your necker and that little stag one look like awesome knives!

 

[defaultuser]

Thanks kgd! It is a MEC down filled mummy bag...quite warm, and very small & light, but I have to keep it dry at all cost!!!

 

[vic2367]

great pics,,,:thumbup:

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Hey defaultuser, thanks for sharing. I really like that little hunter you made.

Doc

 

[cuphead]

Awesome blades, nice outing.

I live not too far from the park myself.. heh
Have you heard of Lake Basketong? near Mont-Laurier??

 

[defaultuser]

Awesome blades, nice outing.

I live not too far from the park myself.. heh
Have you heard of Lake Basketong? near Mont-Laurier??

Of course; I went fishing up north several times (north of Lebel-sur-
Quévillon), and passed along the Baskatong on each trip; no wonder, there's only one road

 

[stockman242]

Some great pics. :thumbup:
And it sure looks like a great time.
And the bone Hunter seems like a mighty fine blade.

peter

 

[baldtaco-II]

Lovely. As much as I appreciate the many day hike and my picnic knapsack in the garden cutting twigs shots that get posted here I usually show up in the hope of something more. Cheers.

It's also refreshing to see a heavy duty S30V blade doing field trials too. How fine a finish do you take the edge down to on that?

I know what you mean about the temp difference between tent and tarp. I get a very pronounced difference between the sleeping bag in or out of the bivy bag.

 

[WhiskyJack]

Does that hemlock pop in the fire a lot?

I find when I'm tarp camping I'm always trying to strike a balance between getting close to the fire to stay warm, and staying far enough away that sparks dont burn holes through my gear. But Pine and spruce pop a lot....

Not being able to go to sleep with the fire blazing because I'm fretting about my expensive sleeping bag is a bummer. Next time I go i think I'm going to pack a wool blanket.

How about you, ever an issue?

Maybe instead of the wool I just need different firewood selection,.

 

[theonew]

Nice pics :thumbup:

I'm also into using saws for wood gathering. You might want to check out Silky Saws. I have a Super Accel 210 from them, 8 inch blade, 9.5 inches folded, and only weighs 9 ounces. It rocks.

 

[tonym]

Thanks for sharing your outing!

Great pics!

Do you know how cold it got overnight?

 

[defaultuser]

It's also refreshing to see a heavy duty S30V blade doing field trials too. How fine a finish do you take the edge down to on that?

So far, I'm very satisfied with this steel's performance. I used it to baton, for instance, full swing, several times in the last year or so. The convex grind makes it a pretty sturdy blade, and at RC59, it keeps an OK edge (I prefer ~61 for smaller blades). The only chipping I had, and it was tiny, was when I used a dirty stump as a chopping block...not smart. On the other hand, It was a bi*ch to shape with a file...I don't know if it is due to the CPM or just how well annealed the steel was, but give me PGround O1 (or PGround 154CM for stainless) to work from anytime. To answer your question, the very edge is finished with medium Lansky stone. I know, polished edges are more robust on big blades, but I'm lazy, what can I say... It makes this blade a convex grind with a V edge! The edge will be convexed over time, as I like to use sandpaper for on-the-field sharpening.

Thanks for your interest!