- Joined
- Dec 13, 2005
- Messages
- 6,105
Hello all-
I finally got a chance to do a quick overnight with my girlfriend this week. Time was short so we didn't get to go out to the much larger area we enjoy the most, but we went to a large sportsman's club that I belong to which has some trails and camp areas. This worked out doubly well since we were taking the dog for her first trip out into the woods.
I tried to pack up my gear as normal, though, and bring nothing that I wouldn't have brought into the real woods with me normally. Here's a few pics (sorry for the lack of good gear pics):
My very lovely lady sitting in the newly setup tent (complaining about all the leaves that had been left inside the tent from its last use...):
Me screwing around with the tent:
Here is a nice chunk of cedar that I grabbed to play around with making a bowl. I had read about using embers to burn out the hole, it was working pretty well! Sadly, I didn't have time to really finish it. I hung onto the wood for the next time we go, or for when I get bored.
Her and the mutt next to the fire:
There was cedar everywhere, which is by far one of my favorite smells in the world. The fire was great, despite the heat.
The dog behaved pretty well, but of course as soon as I thought that it would be okay to take her off the leash and let her roam around, she sprinted off down the trail
!!! She got tied to a tree after that with a 15' teather.
Food was just some summer sausage and oatmeal, but I had a couple of nice cups of cider. I got to use my new pot ($6 at Sportsman's Warehouse) which worked quite well.
The MVP for the trip was definitely my Fiskars hatchet.
This gathered and cleaned all of the firewood (all previously and naturally downed trees). It also did a really good job on the general whittling that I was doing with the 'bowl' (about which I got made fun of continuously). The edge got chipped a little bit towards the tip somehow, but I'm hoping to get it out soon. Now it's got a bit more character!
The other blade did very well also, it is a Tora bushcraft blade that has had the edge reworked into an amazing convex grind. I used it for a lot of carving and for cutting up some food. I even used it to baton some logs, and the edge held itself fantastically. It's just as sharp was when I started. I'm really loving this blade.
The only other blade that was brought with me was my new Opinel #7, which I'm really growing fond of. I've sharpened it well and gotten to the 'good steel'. I'm afraid I don't have any camp pictures of it, but heres one in the living room:
The edge also held great and was wonderful for carving, and for cutting food. Very handy little knife to have in the pocket, and is my EDC blade now.
The little keychain-o-goodies in the above kit was also the only real thing that was used for light and for fire starting. It has an LED, whistle, magnesium firestarter and ceramic rod. This has become my real emergency kit, as I keep it in a small sheath on my belt. Between that, and the twine and Opinel in my pocket, I'm comfortable with whatever might occur. I also have a small square-ish mint tin with first aid items in a pocket. I'm finding that if my PSK is something any bigger and bulkier than these few items, I'm simply not going to keep it on my person. These items are also, of course, redundancies of important gear kept in my pack for primary use. The Opinel a backup to a good fixed blade, the keychain LED a backup to a fullsized 9-bulb LED, etc.
Fatwood is certainly going to be stuck into the sheath in the future too, and has become my main firestarting method (with any firesteel). It weighs nothing, is waterproof, and lights up easily and for long enough that you don't have to rush with your tinder.
My girlfriend also got me one of these for my birthday this year: http://outdoors.jasonpaterson.com/article/firefly-led-nalgene-lid/
It worked okay, but just not well enough to justify the weight. The light is just too diffuse, and a good flashlight and/or headlamp does a much better job. Certainly not telling her that, though!
The final piece of gear that I had a chance to test a bit was my Camelback Unbottle, which is insulated and kept the water cooler for quite a while. I had it on my back for a quick morning hike, and did actually find myself drinking more often since I had a mouthpiece, instead of having to stop and dig out my water bottle.
I plan to take another trip (probably solo since I don't know any other campers) with just a few basics, like the blades and those pocket items. It feels great having so little on your back!!!
Sorry for the very lengthy post, and I hope you enjoy the pics. Thanks!
I finally got a chance to do a quick overnight with my girlfriend this week. Time was short so we didn't get to go out to the much larger area we enjoy the most, but we went to a large sportsman's club that I belong to which has some trails and camp areas. This worked out doubly well since we were taking the dog for her first trip out into the woods.
I tried to pack up my gear as normal, though, and bring nothing that I wouldn't have brought into the real woods with me normally. Here's a few pics (sorry for the lack of good gear pics):
My very lovely lady sitting in the newly setup tent (complaining about all the leaves that had been left inside the tent from its last use...):
Me screwing around with the tent:
Here is a nice chunk of cedar that I grabbed to play around with making a bowl. I had read about using embers to burn out the hole, it was working pretty well! Sadly, I didn't have time to really finish it. I hung onto the wood for the next time we go, or for when I get bored.
Her and the mutt next to the fire:
There was cedar everywhere, which is by far one of my favorite smells in the world. The fire was great, despite the heat.
The dog behaved pretty well, but of course as soon as I thought that it would be okay to take her off the leash and let her roam around, she sprinted off down the trail
!!! She got tied to a tree after that with a 15' teather. Food was just some summer sausage and oatmeal, but I had a couple of nice cups of cider. I got to use my new pot ($6 at Sportsman's Warehouse) which worked quite well.
The MVP for the trip was definitely my Fiskars hatchet.
This gathered and cleaned all of the firewood (all previously and naturally downed trees). It also did a really good job on the general whittling that I was doing with the 'bowl' (about which I got made fun of continuously). The edge got chipped a little bit towards the tip somehow, but I'm hoping to get it out soon. Now it's got a bit more character!
The other blade did very well also, it is a Tora bushcraft blade that has had the edge reworked into an amazing convex grind. I used it for a lot of carving and for cutting up some food. I even used it to baton some logs, and the edge held itself fantastically. It's just as sharp was when I started. I'm really loving this blade.
The only other blade that was brought with me was my new Opinel #7, which I'm really growing fond of. I've sharpened it well and gotten to the 'good steel'. I'm afraid I don't have any camp pictures of it, but heres one in the living room:
The edge also held great and was wonderful for carving, and for cutting food. Very handy little knife to have in the pocket, and is my EDC blade now.
The little keychain-o-goodies in the above kit was also the only real thing that was used for light and for fire starting. It has an LED, whistle, magnesium firestarter and ceramic rod. This has become my real emergency kit, as I keep it in a small sheath on my belt. Between that, and the twine and Opinel in my pocket, I'm comfortable with whatever might occur. I also have a small square-ish mint tin with first aid items in a pocket. I'm finding that if my PSK is something any bigger and bulkier than these few items, I'm simply not going to keep it on my person. These items are also, of course, redundancies of important gear kept in my pack for primary use. The Opinel a backup to a good fixed blade, the keychain LED a backup to a fullsized 9-bulb LED, etc.
Fatwood is certainly going to be stuck into the sheath in the future too, and has become my main firestarting method (with any firesteel). It weighs nothing, is waterproof, and lights up easily and for long enough that you don't have to rush with your tinder.
My girlfriend also got me one of these for my birthday this year: http://outdoors.jasonpaterson.com/article/firefly-led-nalgene-lid/
It worked okay, but just not well enough to justify the weight. The light is just too diffuse, and a good flashlight and/or headlamp does a much better job. Certainly not telling her that, though!
The final piece of gear that I had a chance to test a bit was my Camelback Unbottle, which is insulated and kept the water cooler for quite a while. I had it on my back for a quick morning hike, and did actually find myself drinking more often since I had a mouthpiece, instead of having to stop and dig out my water bottle.
I plan to take another trip (probably solo since I don't know any other campers) with just a few basics, like the blades and those pocket items. It feels great having so little on your back!!!
Sorry for the very lengthy post, and I hope you enjoy the pics. Thanks!
