Blundering Bushcraft

OK so a camp stove with a USB port is a little outside the realm of traditional bushcraft but it can be a nice luxury item and in times and places where open fires are banned it is a nice alternative. I started following the Biolite company before they even had their stoves ready for sale. I liked the idea of a simple stove that could also charge my phone and help with global development.  So it was not to long after they came out for sale that I purchased one. The stove is great for boiling water or frying something quickly. However it is not something where you have a lot of control over the heat. There are only 2 fan settings: Hi or Low so any other control will be based on how much fuel you add and how close to the flame you put things. It does cook well with the use of very little wood.  However it will only charge my kindle not my phone and when it charges the Kindle it only charges it part way. So it has not been a solid charging option for me. I have had the s

As I said in my blog about the wok the dutch oven is the standard for outdoor cooking. So although not something I ever want to bring on a hike it is a luxury to have when you can and I finally broke down and got one. Nice fresh bread There are many types of dutch ovens: cast iron, enameled cast iron or cast aluminum; legs or no legs; rimed lid or plain lid; new or used; small, medium or large; bail or no bail. I wanted something versatile that could be used at home or in the woods (This basically ruled out ones with legs). I wanted it to be traditional cast iron. The lid ready to do some frying I ultimately settled on the Lodge Double Dutch Oven. It is cast iron, 5 quart, no legs, no rim, no bail and new. The lid also serves as a frying pan giving more versatility like I wanted. At about 7kg or 14lb it is no ultra lite option however it makes some great food and allows you to cook about any way you want to other then microwaving. The Dutch oven all together F

This Summer I spent much of my time in the woods (thus the general lack of posting) and needed a bigger saw for processing fire wood. So I figured this would be a good opportunity to learn how to make a simple bucksaw using: some scrap wood, 2 linchpins, some rope and a saw blade. I looked at some pictures in books and online to get a general idea of how to make it and what proportions to use, gathered my materials and got to work. I wanted to stick with basic hand tools to try and see how reasonable it would be to make one in the woods with only the tools on hand. I manly used: a knife, a draw knife, hand drill, hack saw and chisel. The draw knife work could have been  done with a knife, the drill with an awl and most magnesium blocks come with a hacksaw blade. The chisel work might have proved harder with a small bush kit but I usually have at least my chisel knife with me and I am sure other notches might work. My first attempt at using it I used some lighter bank line and bef

Like any important element I like to have a secondary knife with me should something happen to my Primary knife. Yet to avoid total redundancy I want a secondary knife that is different than my Primary and has different strengths and weaknesses. The knife that caught my eye was a Mastercraft chisel knife. Mastercraft is not a well known knife manufacturer and generally make other tools like wrenches but so far mine has held up well. The knife is stainless steel, has a Mora style clip on plastic sheath.  The handle is a rubbery plastic material and seems to fit well in the hand and takes a bit of abuse from hammering it when using the chisel.  It is a fairly heavy knife (4 mm thick) and has handled all the batoning and prying that I have done with it and I have been using it for about 2 years now. It seems to handle most basic carving tasks and I even managed to whittle a spoon with it. The spine of the knife works well for striking a ferrocerium rod and has nice 90 degree corne

I hate having to use a dull knife. It takes longer to do things and more effort to do things. Whereas a sharp knife is a joy to use and makes me look for new tasks to take on. In short I like to keep my knives that I use sharp. This of course requires the occasional sharpening and although I like to do so with my full home kit sometimes it is just too big to take with me so I have put together a smaller field kit. The first part of this kit that I purchased was the DMT Diafold Double Sided Sharpener. Mine came with a blue coarse side and a red fine side. I like the size, durability and the fact that you can use it wet or dry. However the handle does get in the way sometimes, it takes a steady hand to get good results and the fine side still leaves a fairly rough finish. I have marked mine with a C and an F so I can see at a glance what side to start with as I can never remember what red and blue stand for. Also if I have a flat surface to use it on I find it works well wit

My wife has gotten hooked on Norwex products and has slowly been filling our place with them.  After seeing them at work around the house I started thinking about how they would work out for camping. After a bit of experimenting I am going with their toothbrush and there face cloth. The Norwex Toothbrush as it came The toothbrush works without toothpaste. So no need for mini travel toothpaste or tooth powder or dried toothpaste dots just water. That basically sold me on it being my camp toothbrush. It also comes ready to go with at travel head cover. I have been using one for a month now and it seems good and I have not heard complaints from people I know who have used it longer. The Toothbrush has antibacterial properties that allow it to self clean making it more sanitary then an ordinary toothbrush. It is a full sized toothbrush so if you are into counting grams you can always cut off the handle or use one off the kid versions but at least you only have to worry about the

Gear is only good if you have it with you when you need it so the gear that you carry with you every day is essential.  My EDC has changed several times but this is how it stands currently. Leatherman Squirt E4: Knife, File, flat screwdriver/bottle opener, awl/mini flat screwdriver, tweezers, pliers, wire strippers Keys: car, house, etc Fire Steel: Light my fire first Generation, with the File from the Leatherman for a striker RFID Proof Wallet: cash, cards, etc Duct Tape: wrapped around waxed paper to the size of a business card Pocket Survival Tool: Can opener, knife edge, Flat screwdriver, Ruler, Bottle opener, wrench, Butterfly wrench and saw. Cell Phone: organization in a box Solitaire LED mag: modified with a pen clip so that it can clip onto my hat for a head lamp, if the head is removed it can also make a mini lamp, extra battery and case Paracord Bracelet: Never know when you need some paracord Handkerchief: Alway