BUSHGEAR

AMAZON 5000 - The Impossible Possible Journey (Trailer)

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 19:19:00 +0000

Expedition Kanada - Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:01:00 +0000

He spent 23 days alone in the Canadian wilderness, paddling down two big rivers in a inflatable canoe. It was Peter Perssons second solo expedition into the heart of the wilderness of Canada. The first time it almost cost him his life. This time he brought home some great videos for you. The movie comes in six episodes and you can see them here on Youtube.

How to carve a spoon with Ben Orford

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:34:00 +0000

One of the best spoon carving video available on the web

How to sharpen an axe with Ben Orford

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:20:00 +0000

Sheath for Mora Clipper

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:46:00 +0000

Spoon Carving

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:43:00 +0000

Spoon Carving from barn carder on Vimeo.

Angel Waterfall Venezuela

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:34:00 +0000

Open in full size http://www.airpano.ru/files/Angel-Waterfall-Venezuela/start_e.html

More wonderfull 360° Aerial Panorama at http://www.airpano.com/?set_language=2

A gem of an old wood craft film.

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:16:00 +0000

Great film share by Robin wood http://greenwood-carving.blogspot.com/A gem of an old wood craft film.: This is an absolute gem. Sent to me by blog Reader Tim Marshall, recorded in 1984 two "bushmen" Bill Boyd and Mark Garner fell a tree, split "slabs" off it and hew them to make house timbers. I have worked with some seriously talented hewers in Japan, Germany and the best from the UK, when I watched the first few seconds of this film with these two chaps sat on the porch sharpening their axes I thought it all looked a bit hammed up for the cameras but just stick with it, they are as skilled and effortless as anyone I have ever seen with an axe.

It was uploaded a year ago and has had only 500 views it deserves to be much better known, lets share it and celebrate the skills of these wonderful folk.

Just for comparison I'll post a couple of vids I made in 2005 of German and Japanese style hewing

Braiding a Foundation Knot

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:15:00 +0000

By http://www.johan-potgieter.com Braiding a Foundation Knot:
I will expand on this posting later – just want to get the video out there quick.

If you are looking at this on Facebook, I do not think the videos shows up – so you will have to look at this post in the original blog:

LeatherLearn Blog

Thanks to my friend Mark Sampson, my capcam works excelent so that you can see on the videos exactly what I see!

Come back often – I will have this instruction much more complete with all the do’s and dont’s of tying this knot. Suggestions and feedback will be most welcome to j at johan-potgieter.com

Here is the basics:

Second part:

Please ask questions if anything is unclear!

DIY Alcohol Stoves -- Basic Design Considerations

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 15:34:00 +0000

Great Article by http://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com DIY Alcohol Stoves -- Basic Design Considerations: In a pinch, you can use just about anything to make an alcohol "stove" out of. Really, there are only two criteria: Your stove has to be able to hold a liquid, and your stove can't be made of a flammable material.
What's that? Oh, you want a good stove? Yeah, well that's just a bit more complicated, but no worries. Let's talk about a few basics of alcohol stove design.

Various alcohol stoves prior to testing

OK, so what constitutes a good stove? Everyone is going to look at this a little differently, but here's my critiera:

1. Lightweight. Hey, I gotta carry this thing, right? And if I'm going to give up the convenience of gas, then I better be getting something out of it -- like a lighter pack.

2. Efficient. So, what good is a light stove if it eats fuel like an old 450 V8 Chevrolet engine with a four barrel carburetor? Who cares if the stove is light if I have to carry four times the fuel?! The danged thing needs to save me weight, remember? I want a stove that will do the job with a minimum amount of fuel.

3. Effective. Lightweight? Yeah. Efficient? Yeah. But it has to do the job. A stove that won't cook doesn't save me anything. It's got to work. Not negotiable.

4. Minimum "fiddle factor." If I need a degree in mechanical engineering and a Rube Goldberg mindset just to run the thing, then it's not the stove for me.

With me so far? Sure, we can think of more criteria, but those are the basics. Let's go with those and see what we can come up with.

Preparing to test another set of alcohol stoves
You can make an alcohol stove out of most anything, but aluminum drink cans are the most commonly used item for DIY alcohol stoves. They're light, they're easy to get, and there's a free drink inside if you buy the can! :)

Now here's where it gets tricky. There are 10,000 ways to slice and dice an aluminum can to make a stove. There are tons of sites out there on the net that list detailed templates. I may post something like that at some point, but that's not my purpose today. What I'd like to do is take a step back and look at a slightly bigger picture in terms of DIY alcohol stove design: What are some of the basic considerations involved? In other words, in terms of design, what works?

For the purpose of this post, I'm going to limit the discussion to open type alcohol burners. There are many, many types of alcohol burners, but just to keep this post shorter than War and Peace, I'm going to limit the discussion to open type burners. Open burners are relatively easy to make, effective, and widely used, so it's not like we're limiting ourselves too much.

Testing various open type burners
OK, so any fool can lop the top off an aluminum can, splash in some alcohol, and light it on fire. The chances of getting an efficient stove that way are pretty much zero. For example, take a look at this photo:

An alcohol stove made from 23.5 fluid ounce/695ml drink cans
See those towering, bright yellow flames? This stove puts out a lot of heat, but it burns through a lot of alcohol quickly. Can you say "inefficient?" The first lesson of alcohol stove design is this: fast stoves are fuel hogs. The corollary to that is that slow stoves are more efficient.
So, what's the problem with the above stove? Poor materials? Poor execution? Not really. It's a design issue. It just burns too darned fast. So how can we slow it down and make it more efficient?
It's hard to tell in the photo above, but that's a bigger than average stove. It's made out of 23.5fl oz/695 ml sized cans. What if we downsized a little bit? Take a look at this stove. It's made out of 7.5fl oz/222ml sized cans.

An alcohol stove made from 7.5 fluid ounce/222ml drink cans
Much better! Much smaller flames and a lot less yellow. So, lesson two: The width of the burner matters.
So is that the answer? Just use a small can? Take a look at this photo:

Various types of alcohol stoves being tested.
Notice that there are three stoves made from the smaller cans. The two shorter small stoves have bright yellow flames (inefficient), but notice that the taller one in the center of the back row. Its flames are a nice pale blue -- you can barely see them. So, lesson three is that the height of the burner is important.
Now, did you notice the brass burner in the photo above? That's no DIY burner, that's a Trangia burner. Trangia has been making alcohol burners since at least 1951, and they're pretty darned good burners. Can we learn anything by looking at a Trangia burner? Let's compare it to the stove we called inefficient in the first photo above.

An alcohol stove made from 23.5fl oz/695 ml drink cans (left) and a Trangia burner (right)
Well, now what the heck? The two stoves have roughly the same width at the base, but the Trangia is pretty efficient, and the other stove, well, it isn't. What's the difference? Take a look at the opening in the Trangia burner. Notice that it's not full width. The opening is smaller than that the width of the entire burner. Lesson four: Yes, width matters, but the width of the opening is more important than the width of the entire burner.
OK, now take a look at this photo:

Alcohol stoves of varying designs.
The two stoves in the back row are the proven 12-10 stove from Trail Designs. Note how the opening is smaller than the width of the cans -- just like the Trangia. Hey, maybe we really are on to something here!
Now, take a look at the third stove from the left in the front row. Note how it too has an opening smaller than its width. It's a little hard to tell from that photo, but that's a very tall stove. Recall from lesson three that the height of the burner is important. So, let's fire that burner up and see how it works.

Testing a tall stove with a small opening.
Well, we've certainly gotten rid of those nasty yellow flames! But this thing is a PITA to get started, and the flame is so small that it barely heats water. It might be fine for simmering, but it won't boil water. After 20 minutes, my water still hadn't boiled, so I cancelled the test. This model just isn't practical.
Height makes for a more efficient stove, but too tall and your water never boils. There is a relationship between height and opening size, so lesson five: For a practical stove, the relationship between height and opening size is approximately 1:1.

What would a stove with a 1:1 opening size to height look like? About like this:

An alcohol stove where the opening size is approximately equal to the height of the stove

So, great theory, but does it work in practice? As a matter of fact that ratio works pretty well.

A 1:1 ratio alcohol stove in use

Yeah, there's a little yellow in the flame, but that's not bad when you compare the size and amount of yellow to the stove in the first photo in this post. And the flame is a nice middle of the road size. It's not so small as to be useless, yet it's not so large as to be wasteful. In my tests with 500ml of approximately 45F/7C water, I was able to bring the water to a boil with about 1/2 fluid ounce (approx. 15ml) of green denatured alcohol. In terms of efficiency, that's pretty good.

So review:

1. Fast stoves are fuel hogs; slow stoves are more efficient.

2. The width of the burner matters

3. The height of the burner matters

4. The width of the opening is actually more important that the width of the burner

5. For a practical stove, the relationship between the width of the opening and the height of the burner is about 1:1.

OK, there you have it, some basic design considerations for making a practical, efficient open type alcohol burner. There's more to it, such as exactly which template you want to follow, but in the interests of keeping this post shorter than the Encyclopedia Britannica or the New York City phone directory, I'm going to end things here for today.

HJ

Acknowledgments: I am indebted to many people who shared with me ideas about alcohol stove design. I'm sure I'll forget someone important, but when a debt of thanks is owed, better to remember to thank a few than to thank no one at all. My thanks to: James M, James N, Jon F, Kevin B, Turkoker, Tony B, and Zelph. Particular thanks to Will L. who patiently did the majority of the actual fabrication of the stoves (hey, I'm a blogger not a stove manufacturer. I'm really more of an "ideas" guy, see?). :)

National Geographic Doomsday Preppers

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:11:00 +0000

The Birth Of A Tool. Part 1. Axe Making (by John Neeman)

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:07:00 +0000

How to Make a Fire: A Beginner's Guide

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:58:00 +0000

From http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com How to Make a Fire: A Beginner's Guide: "In this post I want to go over some basics of making a fire. I know that most readers here have much more experience, and none of this will be new information, but if you are new to the skill, I hope this proves useful. I will attempt to show a very easy way to build a fire, even under bad conditions. If you can do this, you shouldn’t have much of a problem repeating the process on a regular camping trip. No special skills are required. I will only use a small knife and a folding saw, as these are the wood cutting tools an average backpacker might have.

Here I will be making a fire in the snow. Some of the same challenges are presented when making a fire in very wet conditions. The main problem of course is the unavailability of dry materials. During a hot summer day, it is easy to gather a bunch of grass and twigs from the ground, and toss a match on them, giving you an instant bonfire. When the ground is covered with snow however, such materials are very hard to find. You have probably heard that you should collect dead standing wood, and while true, in most cases a dead standing tree would have lost any smaller branches a long time ago, leaving just a bunch of thick logs, impossible to brake by hand.

The best thing to do when you find yourself in such a situation is to split some wood, using your knife and saw. Even if directly it the rain or snow, wood will be relatively dry in the middle. If you can split it and get to the dry area, you will have the makings of a fire under virtually any conditions.

Look for dead branches that are about three inches in width-think about wrist thick. Use your folding saw to cut several section, about eight inches in length.

Here I have selected three pieces of oak. You should know that different types of wood burn differently. Soft woods, or woods rich in resins or oils like pine and birch burn very fast, and make large flames. Hard woods like oak and hickory on the other hand, burn slowly very much like coal. A fire does not need to have large flames to be effective.

Select a piece of ground that has been cleared from the snow. Take one of the cut logs, and place one and on the ground. Position your knife in the center on the other end.

Take a piece of wood that has some weight to it, and hit the knife squarely on the spine of the blade. When the blade is in the wood, continue to hit the tip of the knife while applying pressure on the handle with your hand. The knife will continue to go down into the wood.

Eventually, the log will split.

Take one of the split pieces, and repeat the process.

Keep doing the same until you end up with pieces of wood that are about the thickness of a pencil. You will need at least a handful of those.

Now take some of the smaller pieces you have split off from the inner core of the wood and make some fine shavings from them. The shavings do not have to be anything fancy.

From the rest of the wood, split some larger pieces of varying thickness. In the picture you see below, I’ve quartered one of the logs we previously cut, and the rest of the pieces have been made from the second log. The third log was used as a baton to split the wood. If I was going to do more than just boil water, I would have split it into quarters as well. With practice, you will figure out how much of a specific wood you need for a particular task.

Now comes a very important part which people often ignore. You need a way to light the fire, and some form of tinder which will take the flame and keep it going until the wood catches. A good tinder should be able to catch the flame from your source (matchet, lighter, etc) and keep it burning for a good period of time. An experienced bushman can find good tinder under virtually any conditions. For the rest of us however, being prepared will save us a lot of misery.

In the above picture you see a small ziplock bag with waterproof and wind proof matches along with a striker. I lighter will work fine as well. You also see an Altoids Smalls tin with tinder. This is a home made tinder comprised of just cotton and Vaseline. It will catch the flame very easily because of the cotton, and will burn like a candle for a long time because of the Vaseline.

There are natural tinders that will also do fine. Dry grass (if you can find it), or even very fine shavings from the inner core of the split wood (about the thickness of grass) will catch the flame. The problem with them is that they burn up very quickly. If that is what you are using, have at least two handfuls. The wetter your wood, the more tinder you will need. Some natural materials such as pine resin and spruce sap will work like candle wax to extend the burn time of your tinder. Birch bark is one of the best natural tinders if available, because it will burn for a long time due to its high oil content. With time you will become more able to find high quality natural tinders, but you should always be prepared with some ready tinder because you never know under what conditions you will find yourself.

So, moving on, take some of the split wood and create a platform on which you will build the fire. For me this is a very important step. Doing this will keep your fire away from the wet ground, and will create a good bed of coals once the fire starts. Place your tinder on the platform, and the fine shavings on top of that. Don’t use all of your shavings because you may need some later.

Then build a pyramid with your pencil thick pieces of wood. The reason to build the pyramid shape is to allow air to freely circulate, and to also create a kiln effect for the flame, raising the heat in the core of the fire. This will significantly improve the fire’s ability to sustain itself.

Finally, finish off the pyramid with some thicker pieces of wood, and light the tinder.

This is always the crucial part of the fire building process. Assuming you are working with less than perfect materials, there is always a danger that your fire will go out at the point where your tinder burns up. Keep an eye on it. You may need to blow some air into the it, or add some more fine shavings.

Once the fire reaches the stage you see in the picture below, it should be on the safe side. You can now start adding more wood to it.

When you see a good bed of coals forming, place some even larger pieces of wood. From this point forward, large pieces of wood are all you will need to keep the fire going. You have now managed to build a small, sustainable fire, which will not require a lot of wood. If you want a larger fire, gradually add more wood and larger wood until you reach the desired size. In better conditions many of the above steps can be replaced by materials that you find on the ground, such as small dry sticks. The steps will however be the same.

So why make a fire? Well, one of the reasons is cooking. Many people are afraid to cook on an open fire, but there is nothing to it. Take your pot, put water in it, and place it directly on the coals. That’s all there is to it. If you need to cook for a longer period of time, and the wood on the fire starts to burn out, lift the pot, place some mode wood (half an inch to an inch in diameter for our example) on the fire and put the pot back on. You don’t need to hang the pot over the fire, or do anything else other than place it on the coals. The pot you see in the picture is titanium. There is no issue with putting titanium or aluminum directly on the fire.

Two cups of a water should come to a boil in a few minutes.

So, here it is; nice and easy. Under better conditions, many of the materials used here can be replaced with easier to find alternatives. You can save yourself some splitting if you have small, dry twigs around you, and if you can find natural tinders, you can save the one you brought. These steps however will produce good results each time.

Leather knife sheath

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:58:00 +0000

Made specific for a Mora Clipper but can be made for other knifes.

Leather Knife sheath bushcraft style

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:54:00 +0000

Leather Knife sheath bushcraft style. It cam be used vertical and horizontal. Is fits a Mora 2000 and a clipper and may also adapt to others models. It as a built-in holster for firesteel.

The Mountain

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Morakniv® Bushcraft Survival

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Pole Shift: ultralight backpacking gear- free ideas

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:52:00 +0000

Pole Shift: ultralight backpacking gear- free ideas: "

Bug Out Bag (BOB)

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:50:00 +0000

From http://bushcraftwife.blogspot.com Bug Out Bag (BOB): "

The Bug Out Bag (BOB) is a portable kit that contains everything you would need to survive for 72 hours. Other names for this kit include Get Out of Dodge (GOOD) bag, Bail Out Bag, 72-Hour Kit, Go Bag, Battle Box or Grab Bag (I'm sure there are many other names). The focus of your BOB is evacuation, not long-term survival. If you discover you have three minutes to grab something, leave your home/job/location and get out of the area, this is the bag you grab. Your BOB is separate from your EDC. Your BOB should be on hand and easily accessible, your EDC should already be with you or on your person. (The links I added are only to show what certain items are or look like, I am not endorsing specific products.)

Container

Your BOB can be whatever type of container that you are comfortable with, and comfortable carrying. It needs to be something you can lift and carry. Many people use backpacks (soft or framed), or you can purchase a huge variety of bags made specifically for this idea. Most of the BOBs I have seen are backpacks that have a lot of pockets and ways to attach additional items or smaller bags to them.

Contents

Bug Out Bags are highly individualized - ultimately you will have to decide what is appropriate in yours. All I can do here is make suggestions and get you thinking. Think about your personal situation and brainstorm some scenarios - if you have to bug out, where are you likely to end up? Will you be camping or in a hotel? Will you be driving or on foot? What else may influence how you pack?

Also remember that if you can't properly use an item in your bag, it is wasted space. Also think about redundancy - everything in your bag should have multiple uses. I am assuming here that you are also carrying your EDC, or have put your EDC inside your BOB, so items that should be in your EDC will not be listed here.

I think your BOB should focus on the basic elements of survival. Here's what I'm seeing over and over when I research this: shelter, fire, food and water, first aid, navigation, communication, signaling, protection, tools, clothing, comfort, and a positive attitude. Let's go through these one at a time.

Shelter

If you may be outside for two or three days, you will need to be sheltered from the elements and need somewhere warm and dry to sleep. You will want a cover over your body and have something to provide a barrier between you and the ground so you stay dry and away from bugs. Items that could work here are sleeping bags, tarps, space blankets, hefty bags, a tent.

Fire/Light

A fire serves multiple purposes. It will provide warmth, dry wet clothing, boil/purify water, cook food, provide light and possibly keep some critters away (unless the raccoons have marshmallows). Your bag needs to contain a minimum of three different ways to start a fire. Items such as lighters, waterproof matches, and a ferro rod and striker work well. Remember that in addition to starting a fire, you will also need to build it up to a good strong fire. You will most likely be able to gather or cut plenty of fire wood, but dry tinder is not always guaranteed. You can carry a Ziploc bag full of various tinder material such as dryer lint, Vaseline soaked cotton balls, straw or store bought tinder. I would also recommend a couple of candles to add to your pack, in case your shelter is your vehicle. You might be surprised at how much heat one candle can provide inside a vehicle. You also want a good, hand crank flashlight or a battery flashlight with extra batteries. Get a heavy one and you have a weapon as well. A couple of light sticks aren't a bad idea, either.

Food and Water

For one person, figure on consuming one gallon of water and 2,000 calories of food every day. Carrying three gallons of water with you to bug out is unlikely (though I keep one gallon of water in my vehicle at all times). You need a way to gather, hold and purify drinking water. Make sure you have some type of water container and either something you can use to boil water in or water purification tablets. You can also pick up a water purification straw that can be handy. Do some research on survival food. You want something that can give you a lot of calories to sustain you for normal activities plus the extra energy you will be burning off walking, building a shelter, starting a fire, freaking out, etc. Most camping stores carry some sort of freeze-dried food packs and you can put a handful of those in your bag. Keep an eye on expiration dates.

First Aid/Hygiene

The first aid kit was covered in a previous post, and your BOB should hold some sort of first aid kit as well. Here I am also going to mention - for the ladies - that period pack you should have already put together. Hygiene items need to be considered and packed in your BOB. For three days, you can probably skip soap, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. But I'm still carrying my period pack. So should you. Let's also add a shovel here, or something like it, so you can bury your personal waste, and more Ziplocs for bagging up other waste that is not appropriate to leave behind.

Navigation

If I didn't get lost about once a week, I wouldn't be me. Now put me in a bug out situation where I'm scared and confused and I can guarantee you I'm going to stop at some point and wonder where the pluck I am. Be ready for that. Navigation items can include a good compass (provided you know how to use it), area maps, state maps, topographical maps, street guides and GPS for your vehicle. Here's a site with links to other sites that teach you how to read maps.

Communication

In an urban bushcrafting environment, the first realistic thing you are going to try to do is call someone. Your cell phone is probably in your EDC and maybe a car charger is, too. That's good. Just remember that cell phone communication can be iffy. Let's think about some other ways to communicate - like pen and paper, signal mirror, two-way radios, and a battery or crank operated radio.

Signaling

Your bag should contain a few ways that you can signal for help if you need to. There are various items you can pack for this use, that also serve other purposes (and are therefore great choices) - signal mirror, flares and a whistle. You can also pack a bright colored bandanna, which will make you more visible, can make your vehicle more visible and serves a ton of other purposes.

Protection/Tools

You want a couple of knives in your BOB, period. Take a look around bushcraft forums to see the huge variety of knives people choose. Your knives will not only serve as personal protection, they are vital tools. Do not skip this item, and do not go without a backup knife. I do not recommend carrying mace for protection. If you (like me) may have your dog with you, you do not use mace around a dog, it can kill them. And if the wind shifts, all you're going to do is mace yourself. Bad idea. A good multi-tool is also vital. You may not be familiar with them right now, but in a survival situation you will surprise yourself at how creative you get in the use of your gear. Multi-tools can contain items such as: knife, can opener, wire cutter, needle nose pliers, small saw, Phillips screwdriver, regular screwdriver, corkscrew, scissors, tweezers, hook and fish scaler. If you already have your two knives, a Leatherman type mutli-tool is probably better than a Swiss army knife (so sayeth the husband).

Clothing

One thing I think all BOBs should have year-round is an extra-large rain jacket and pants. You can put these on over the clothes you are already wearing to provide an extra layer of heat and waterproofing. You should also carry a pair of hiking shoes/boots. In addition, carry some extra clothes that are appropriate for the season - extra pair of long pants, two pairs of socks, a couple of shirts, a hat, long underwear (in winter), and a bandanna. Obviously this should be altered to fit your individual needs, but this gives you an idea of where to start.

Comfort

The idea behind packing this bag is that you are prepared in the event that something so bad or so scary happens that you have to grab one thing and run for a few days. You are going to be scared, exhausted, lonely, confused and who knows what else. Put one or two things in your bag to give you comfort, or to pass the time. Items like a deck of cards, a puzzle book, a book or two, a hand held video game (with ling life batteries), a sketch book, a journal, etc.

Positive Attitude
You can do it! A big part of survival is the right attitude, and you are already building it! You are reading about getting prepared and your brain is spinning away. Remember that keeping an optimistic outlook can do wonders for how you thrive in any situation. If you are in a SHTF scenario, sitting around feeling depressed and whiny isn't going to help, and it isn't going to shelter you for the night or put food in your gut. You already know that you're a smart, capable person. Look at everything you achieve every day - and you're worried about starting a fire? No problem! (Um, I'm not really good with motivation, sorry.)

So that covers the list. Now let's mention a few other good ideas. Put a lot of your items in Ziploc bags. This will help keep them dry and give you a lot of Ziplocs you can use. Pack some big hefty bags, they have multiple uses. Pack a few squares of dark chocolate, it will give you a sugar boost when you need it. Pack a small pot and a large cup so you can boil water and heat up your freeze dried meal (yum!). And don't forget your spork! You should also carry some sort of gear repair kit, in case you get a hole in your BOB or clothing, you can fix it. Also carry pocket-sized books - survival, first aid, wild edibles. And cordage - I almost forgot cordage! (I'd have to turn in my bushcrafting learner's permit.) Carry some type of cord in your pack - most will recommend 550 paracord. You can also use mason's line, which is easier to pick up and also comes in a variety of colors. You can make a paracord bracelet that would easily hook on to your BOB, and you can wear while you're out there. If you need the cord, unravel the bracelet.

Also consider what you are already good at. Avid fisherman? Pack a small fishing kit. Good with vehicle repair? Pack a toolkit to keep your vehicle in good repair. You get the idea.

So...

If you have followed this post, you now have a humongous backpack stuffed with 500 pounds of gear and you think I am one crazy woman. I know, I know. Here's where the 'highly individualized' part comes into play. Go back through this post and click on the links (I put a lot of them in there). See what other people have packed. Also remember redundancy - be smart and choose items that serve many purposes. This will cut down on number of items and bulk. Get yourself an inexpensive backpack and pack it up. Go to a local park and hike around wearing it. Fine tune what you think you need, and re-pack it. Then upgrade your backpack when you're ready for something different. I'm on my second backpack and I already want another one. In my opinion, this is a process.

For those of you that have never put together a BOB, don't worry. It has taken me months to put mine together and I know I will fine tune it over and over and over. For the experienced bushcrafters who are kind enough to read this blog, please add in your tips and suggestions, I'm sure I didn't cover it all. I'd love to know what you think! Thanks for reading!

Bushcrafters ...

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:12:00 +0000

10 Points to Consider in Preparing for an Earthquake

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:46:00 +0000

Great Article from http://www.wildworld.co/ 10 Points to Consider in Preparing for an Earthquake: "
As news comes in all the time about the rescue in Christchurch, New Zealand it seems only fitting to write about how we can prepare for the ever increasing chance of an earthquake on our own soil. Although here in the U.K an earthquake isn’t thought of as an immediate threat, credible sources have revealed that we are overdue for one although the probability of anything larger than 5-6 on the richter scale is less than likely. The magnitude of the earthquake is of course important but the number of people now living in London for example is around 5 times as much. With so many people living in one city, if the worst were to happen, why would you not have a back up plan to get you and your family out of harms way and caring to their needs while others await government help. You can prepare in advance to build up your stock without much expense.

Here are 10 things to think about when packing your 72 hour survival kit in preparation for an earthquake or similar situation.

72 Hour Survival Kit

To have a kit stashed away for a day you may need it is one of the smartest things a family man or anyone for that matter can do. Having 3 days to recoup, refresh and get your thoughts together will keep you focused on how to progress and will give you time to ride out most storms. Just remember most kits are per person, so if you have a family to think about then just factor them in!

It should consist of:

A Torch/Radio - These can save space in your bag are much easier as one unit. Be sure to get the wind up one just so you have it, a must in the more longer term situations.

A Sierra metal Cup – This metal cup will enable you to drink, cook and will conveniently fold up into your backpack or hanging on the back.

Waterproof Matches – These are ideal for damper areas and if you may need to pass through water in floods.

Water purification Tablets/ Water Filtration Bottle – These will be a necessity if water is low due to structural damage to the system or just an increasing lack of it. The Lifesaver which is very popular after being designed by someone looking for solutions during the Tsunami or even my personal favourite, The Berkey Water Filter!

Water Proof Jacket/Poncho – This will be much needed if you’re outside in wet weather at any point. Getting wet and not being able to dry yourself off with the home comforts can make the difference between you really struggling and staying one step ahead.

An Emergency Blanket – These can be incredibly useful to keep in the warmth and also come in large sizes to use as extra cover.

6 Ounces of Fuel Gel – A much needed igniter for quick fires, although i would always carry a flint for the sake of a pencil sized tool.

A Canteen – These will be pivotal in providing you with a solid and indestructable cooking tin.

Food - The best way to pack food and forget about it is to preserve and store in advance to keep for years in the future. This can be done by dehydrating, canning, drying, smoking and in many other ways. With modern technology as it is, why not use it to your advantage while it’s there. The Excalibur dehydrator is one of the most popular but also the most efficient, robust and best drying on the market. There are links to it on the resources home page if you are interested, i have one myself and could not fault it as you may have read in my article.

A First Aid Kit - This needs no explanation. A must in any unsafe situation

Of course i can go on forever but having a 72 hour survival kit will give you some time to get things back to as normal as you possibly can but things such as shelter will need to be your priority as much as the food and water. Running through scenarios in your head will really help you to picture what you’ll need for your partciular needs. Remember to pack extra medication if it is something you need on a daily basis. The survival kit will hopefully never need to be used, but for us to be the only creature on earth to make decisions for our future, why not make that decision for your family and take it out of their hands may you ever need it!

!
"

Guidelines for Low Impact Wilderness Activities - Part One - Planning Your Trip

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:40:00 +0000

Great article from http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com Guidelines for Low Impact Wilderness Activities - Part One - Planning Your Trip: "

Outdoor activities can be a truly enlightening experience if done properly. It will also help to give you a better understanding and knowledge of your natural environment. One of the main components for any type of outdoor activities is the proper planning of your trip. While it is virtually impossible to have a set of universal rules that cover all the possibilities when engaging in outdoor activities, following some simple guidelines will help to minimize your impact on the natural environment. Here is a simple set of guidelines to help you plan an outdoor trip.

Guidelines for Planning a Wilderness Trip

1. Choose clothing and camping equipment in colors that are appropriate for your surroundings or the time of year (i.e., bright orange in hunting season). In general, choosing earth colors will help you blend in with the natural surroundings.

2. Carry only the equipment and camping gear you will need for your trip in the wilderness. If you pack it in, be prepared to pack it out.

3. Limit the number of people in your group to help minimize your impact on the natural environment. Large groups can cause large amounts of damage that may last for years.

4. Plan your trip to avoid seasons when the natural surroundings may be wet or muddy to avoid impacting areas during a time when they are extremely vulnerable to change (erosion, etc.) from your activities.

5. Plan your trip to avoid times where your presence or activities may disturb animals at critical times where they may be especially vulnerable to any type of disturbance (i.e., birthing season, etc.).

6. Plan your trip to make use of any readily available trails and campsites that already exist in the area. Any unnecessary activities that may cause you to go off trail or force you to camp in a new area will have a greater impact on the natural surroundings.

7. If you plan to take your pet, be prepared to keep them properly controlled or under restraint. Otherwise, it may be better to leave them at home.

8. Make sure to have updated maps of any areas you plan to visit. This will help to lessen the chance of wandering off established trails in the area and help to minimize your impact.

Just as you would expect any visitor to your home to treat it with respect, you should also treat nature with the same respect when visiting the outdoors.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

which is the best axe for carving, bushcraft, general use?

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:19:00 +0000

which is the best axe for carving, bushcraft, general use?: "I get asked this question a lot so thought it would be good to make a blog post which I can refer folk back to.

In the world of Bushcraft most folk go for the Gransfors Bruks small forest axe, it is recommended by Ray Mears which no doubt helps it's popularity, it is like Rays bushcraft knife, a bit of a 'jack of all trades, master of none' compromise and I personally think there are better options.

Axes always tended to be designed for use two handed and have long (around 30-33') handles or one handed use and have short (around 14-16') handles. One handed axes are often called hatchets whilst the longer handled axes of various designs were for felling, limbing and splitting. The Small forest axe is sort of between these at 19' so you can just about use it two handed though it never feels right or you can use it one handed but the long handle stops it pivoting nicely when held close to the head and used for the sort of controlled carving that I do a lot of.

If I were to only have one axe (a terrible thought) it would be a Gransfors Bruks Swedish carving axe. This axe was designed by Wille Sundqvist the Swedish mastercraftsman who first inspired me in my work and it is specifically designed for one handed carving. It will do everything though. It will fell a tree at a pinch and split it into firewood but if you do a lot of that I would strongly recommend an axe with a 30-33' handle. This one excels at carving objects with curved surfaces like spoons but is also very good at hewing flat surfaces to make beams, given time and a woodland it would be possible to build a house and it's contents with this axe.

It has 3 drawbacks, first it is expensive at around £80, second it needs someone with reasonable forearm strength to use it properly and they don't make a lighter version and third whilst Wille designed it to have a slightly longer bevel on the left side to help control carving and they used to come that way it now comes either completely flat on the left like a side axe or with an even bevel. Out of the two I would favour the even beveled one as the flat sided one tends to dig in a little and be more difficult to carve concave areas.

Another axe from the Gransfors stable that I rate highly is the wildlife hatchet, these are quite good value at around £50 the handle is 14' same as the carving axe but the head is around half the weight at about 1lb. Anyone can use this axe and it is the only axe I would consider carrying in a backpack. Again it would be possible to fell and limb a tree with this axe though it is perfect for light carving work, such as spoons or tent pegs. When choosing an axe I suggest you use the heaviest axe you can carve with for 20 minutes or so without getting at all tired. If you can manage a heavier axe the weight will do the work and you don't have to swing as much but a lighter axe moves more quickly and lots of small cuts remove wood just as a few large ones do.

This is sounding a little like an advert for Gransfors Bruks. I do like their axes and the beauty of them is they come sharp and ready to use and with a sheath to keep them sharp. There are many much cheaper axes that work very well but I have yet to find one that is cheap and comes well sharpened for carving. One of my favourite cheap axes was sold for a while by Argos and reduced for a while to less than £5. I imagine most of these cheap axes are made in China but all that I have tried have been good steel and well tempered, they have all however come very blunt, not just needing a sharpen but some major grinding work to get them working properly so I tend not to recommend them unless you have a power grinder and know how to reprofile one. Searching the web for the best deals today this Bahco axe looks about perfect, an 800gm head on a 14' handle.

Another nice option is to look round your local car boot fair and buy an old axe. All our grandparents generation had hand hatchets for splitting kindling, at boot fairs they tend to have loose handles and be completely blunt so need a new handle and a regrind but it is a joyful job to bring one of these old axes back to life. Here are a few typical ones.

This is the sort of carving I tend to do with axes, the axe does matter but correct technique is much more important. Video currently without sound but still shows the techniques.

Mini Camping Stove effective design

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:20:00 +0000

Survival Gear - Navigating with a Suunto A-10 compass

noreply@blogger.com (João Grilo) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:13:00 +0000