Meet my new Bushcraft Partner...

Hey everyone! Meet my new Camping Companion!

This is Henry Ronin. He is an Australian Shepherd. I wanted to call him Ronin and my talented wife wanted Henry so we made a comprimise. As you can see he is already making himself more comfortable in the bush... well... the wife's garden anyway. Now I just need to teach him to carve himself a spoon!

Thanks,

Wood Stoves and Jerky and Puppies. Oh my!

You know. Since I started doing this whole blog thing about my passion that is Bushcraft, I have developed a theory.

The theory is such: The moment you decide to be a blogger you begin to feel an obligation to post relevant information to all those blog readers out there about that which is the theme of your blog (if you have one). Once you take that step, the path is clear, the horizon is infinity and your joy is boundless! And then the "Hundred little gods" in the world throw every possible distraction they can find at you. From household needs to new additions, to work related drudge, to the ever popular "Dad! Will you play cars with me PLEEEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEEE!"


*Sigh*

Don't you people know I have a blog to write!?! And not just any blog but a Bushcraft Blog!?!
This is why you will always find at least a couple of posts in the history of a blog's life where you can read the words "Sorry", and "Haven't posted in a while" and my personal favorite, "Been a bit busy lately..." Oh well. Life is like that isn't it?

Ok. Onwards and upwards as they say:

Guess who just got a puppy! Yeah. I know. Like I don't have enough on my plate with a full time job, 2 part time contracts, 2 kids, a wife (a beautiful one at that!), a morgage and the bushcraft affliction as Pablo stated... But think of the future faithful companion and cool hiking buddy! Right Mungo? Sorry. Not a Beagle but an Australian Sheppard. Wonder if my wife is trying to tell me she wants someone a bit smarter around the house she can work with... (or actually see once in a while) Pictures of the cute toe-biter to come.

Got my stove (basically) finished friday nite. Will be posting pictures and an explaination when I get back from the Mors Kochanski Course next weekend at Jack Mountain Bushcraft in New Hampshire. I had started looking at my kit last week. You know.... when it was nice a warm and sunny out? And the evenings were cool and comfortable? Yeah. Suggestion: Don't pack for a camp in November when its still nice out in October! Part of the brain kept thinking it was going to be nice and warm out.... HA! After waking up Sunday to see roofs and cars covered in frost! Time to re-think my kit and find the long underwear! I wanted to post my bushcraft kit list here but... review above theory. Will have to do that when I get back from the course. Actually might be good to post the list with comments on what I actually needed and used! You know what they say about "hindsight"?

One other thing I managed to get done this weekend was.. BEEF JERKY! Man I love my beef jerky. I have never really like the packaged stuff. Mostly because I find them over seasoned and you never really know if the flavor is because the meat is starting to go bad (which was commonly done in the medeval times) or that they don't want anyone to find out where the meat actually came from! Since I prefer to "DIY" it, and making it myself makes it alot cheaper, I decided to make up a batch of what I call "Cooking Jerky". It's lightly seasoned with garlic, lemon juice, soya sauce and garlic. (No. that is not a typo) I will be putting a post up with pictures and a couple of idea/trick that I use soon.


Well, I better get back to that "Life" thing.

Thanks for reading,

Kudos from a fellow bushcrafter...

Mungo says Bah gave me the heads up (Thanks Mungo!). The Southern Woodsman found my link on Woodcraft in Poland (Thanks Samuel!) and said he liked my stuff (Thanks Michael!)

To be perfectly honest, I am honored. I hope that I can make a valuable contribution to everyone in the world of Bushcraft.

Thanks to everyone for making me feel welcome!

Thanks for reading,

Working on the stove...

So I have been working on one of my components to my bushcraft kit. The stove. I have based the design on Ravenlore's Mulit-purpose cooking kit. The basis of the stove is that it can be used with multiple types of fuel. The main fuel of course is wood, since it is all around and this type of stove uses a lot less wood than a campfire. In some places where fires are banned, this type can still be used. But I wanted to work and test it out with other fuels as well since each has its own pros and cons. So other than wood, I was working on Meth-Alcohol, solid fuel, and an idea my brother gave me: charcol. (not a lot ... just a couple as a backup situation. 2 or 3 should work but will have to test)

I will have more information for everyone including pictures of the whole kit and such later. Last nights work was on creating a new alcohol stove that I could keep in my cook set. Everyone has probably heard of the pop can stove, (and I have been using them for a couple of years now) but I wanted to try something bigger that worked well when I left the stove at the bottom of the stove pot, instead of mounting it halfway up the can. Simplicity is the name of the game here people!

I tried using beer cans to start, but I found that the amount of space on the inside of the can will drastically change the efficiency of the stove. After playing around with a couple of different cans and hole punching scenarios, I ended up using 2 of those "ginseng drink" cans.

One thing that I think I learned was that the less holes punched for the gas to come out and burn, the harder it is to keep the thing lit. The more holes you punch the hotter it is but the faster you use up the fuel. It's all in finding the balance, my friend.

So after playing around in the shed (when I should have been sleeping) I think I got one that works. I will be testing it out down in New Hampshire when I make it down for the training course with Mors Kochanski in a week! *insert embarrassing dance of joy here*


Here is a couple of pictures of the stove with the alcohol stove lit.















Once I have completed the stove/cooking kit I will get some pictures up of it so you can see how it turned out.

Thanks for reading,

How to make a small container...

Ever wanted a small container that won't get crushed and is basically water-proof? (ok well... water-resistant depending on what you do with it...)

I found this somewhere on the internet when I was doing a lot of searching for Survival stuff but it works for whatever you need. I am not claiming that it is an original idea of mine but I have definately run with it!


Get yourself 2 different bottle lids. You can save them from the recycle bin from pop bottles, milk bottles, water bottles, etc. You need to make sure that one is slightly bigger than the other. I think the bigger one in the picture below is from a cream container and the other from a water bottle.


Using a sharp knife, cut off the thread on the larger cap about halfway down. You don't need to remove it all. Play around with it and you will get the idea.


Once you have removed the threads, simply put the smaller cap inside the bigger cap and work them together. If you have done it right you will usually hear/feel a click.


That's it! You have yourself a light, rigid container. As you can see, I used this one for a roll of dental floss in my survival kit.


There are a lot of things that you might consider making one of these for:

• pillbox or medication
• cotton balls and vaseline
• condom for emergency water container
• backup container of char cloth
• salt
• baking soda - just enough for a weekend trip for brushing the teeth!
• emergency fishing kit - put a couple of hooks, sinkers and line in here. My favorite.
• spices
• coffee filters - for emergency water filter (not purifying)
• water purification tablets
• string or cordage, or thread for sewing (though the needles will not fit)

Thanks for reading,

First spoon...

I think I promised to post pictures of my first spoon carving.

Here it is:

This is exactly where my wife decided to display it.... Should be interesting to see where she puts the other dozen or so I will probably make too!

It was made from a piece of cedar to test out my new Carving Jack. It probably would not be good to use in the woods. Even oiled.... yes?

At some point soon I will be making one for my kit. Need to find the right piece of wood first.

More to come,

Thanks, Decado.

Teepees, Tipee, Tei... oh you know what I mean...

Have a lot of stuff to post and little time to do it but I thought I would post these pictures from last January 2007 that I took on a over-nighter I did with a friend to try out the teepee.

This was our first attempt at using a parachute. The last one we built, we used 'blue tarps' and there was sooooo much smoke that we should have hung fish inside... the fish would have been done by morning.

Based on more information I got from the internet and Mors Kochanski's Bushcraft book, we created an inner wall this time and left the bottom of the parachute up off the ground. The plastic did not handle much abuse but we managed to get it to stay up and block out the wind coming from below.

The inner walls worked fantastic! The smoke stayed near the top of the teepee and the draft from the inner walls helped us to feel the heat of the fire.

As you can see by this photo, we made a bit of a mistake in sizing the space of the poles. We wanted to make sure we had enough room for both of us to sleep.

The door way was bigger than we hoped so we had to improvise.







Although it did not look very traditional, it really did the trick and made it easy to get in and out for those late nite washroom breaks.

Here are a few more pictures to give you an idea...

Wow... I can actually see the top!



Plenty of wood for the nite.


More stuff to come...

Thanks for reading,


Decado

You know you are a bushcrafter when...

I was just checking out Sam's Woodcraft in Poland Blog. (yes.... I know.... work! But its break time so its ok.) I read a post that Sam titled the same as this one - You know you are a bushcrafter when... and I had to laugh!

Through the years as I researched 'Ultra-light' techniques and ideas and then on to my period of "Obsessive creator of the ultimate Survival kit" which I taught my Scout troupe, and now moving into the focus of Bushcraft, I am always on the lookout for containers that could be used for an other purpose than its original design.

I have always felt that the only true way to help the environment and compensate for manufacturers over use of our natural resourses was to go through my neighbours recylcle bins on the street (late at nite of course) and nick anything that looked useful. Then there are the uses goods stores like Sally-Ann (salvation army stores), Value Villages, and lets not forget the ever popular "Garage Sales!"

I was collecting plastic caps off of bottles (will post their use later), empty vitamin bottles, juice cans, VHS cases, used camera cases and pouches, food containers, you name it - I collected it!

It got to the point where I have so much stuff around that could be useful for one kit or another that I could probably sit down and make a dozen or two kits and still have stuff left over! (A point my lovely wife has no problem reminding me of)

I think I lost my point somewhere back there but here it is in a nutshell: I am always looking at things in stores, our house, or out on the street that I could modify and make into some new cool piece of camping/bushcraft gear!

Nice to know I am not the only one in the world doing it! Now I am just going to have to come up with some posts about stuff I can make out of other stuff! Thanks Sam!

Thanks for reading!

It's confirmed!

Just got the email this morning from Tim at Jack Mountain Bushcraft! I am confirmed for the Bushcraft course with Mors Kochanski! I booked the time of work, promised myself that I would get a bunch of stuff done around the house for my wife before I go (when she is happy.... we are happy.... Gentlemen, you know what I am saying?) I made adjustments on Google maps to figure out the best route. Click here if you want to see it. Not much for liking the "Cut through Montreal" route that was first suggested. (Sorry Mungo!) The route adds a bit of time but its less kilometers. Should be an interesting drive.

Started working on my kit list. Not sure if I should treat it like a Base Camp and add a few extra comforts, or just focus on my Bushcraft kit and only take the things I want to use or test. Hrmmmm,.... decisions, decisions..... Then again, I am one of those people that could spend days on end, playing around with my kit. Trying this and that and spending hours just working it through in my head, packing and un-packing. I am probably the only person that has those tendancies huh?

Ok so on to the list. So far I know I am taking:

Shelter:

• Hennessy Hammock (that's right people! I have the original Hennessy! Been a hammock camper for about 10 years now)
  Still like sleeping on the ground when the time/conditions are right but with a Hennessy I can move sideways and lay darn near flat!


• -7c Sleeping bag - I have been reading a couple of the bushcraft blogs out there and I have been seeing more and more comments about how wool blankets are more versitile. I couldn't agree more but I need to play around with them a bit to get myself the right bedroll. I always have a few in the back of the car just in case anyways.



• Gortex Bivvy sack - always handy if I decide to ground it and the weather is wet. Plus it increase the bag rating by about 10 degrees so I have been told. (thats celsius)


• Blue foam pad - actually I got myself a 'manly' green one that is a smidge thicker.


• 3/4 length Therma-rest - have not used this in a while... might just take it in case.


• MEC Scout Tarp - its a bit heavier that the more expensive Sil-Tarp I have but I just seem to like setting this one up more.
  
• Extra rope and cordage etc.
  
• Army Half-tent/Poncho - I have had this since I was a teenager. I got it at a Surplus store I worked at for a short time in Kitchener. Though a bit heavy I can button it up over me and the pack when its raining or set it up with a couple of sticks to make a half tent shelter. It is handy and rugged enough to not get a hole in it from laying it on the ground. I usually end up laying this over me when I do winter camping in my teepee to keep the sparks off the nylon..... I hate sparks! It looks like half of this:
  
  

Well gotta get back to life.

Thanks for reading,

Excitement isn't the word for it!

From my last post I asked anyone reading if they knew of Bushcraft courses or groups in Ontario that were available. Well no one made a comment on anything going on in 'Ontario' (kind of sad that there isn't much!)

BUT! Mongo did drop me a comment and put me on to the Jack Mountain Bushcraft School website.

They have some great courses and they are located in New Hampshire. Well yes.... its not Ontario.... and yes it's about a 10 hour drive to get there.... but.... A chance to learn Bushcraft and Outdoor Survival with Mors Kochanski? Hell Yeah!.... ehem...... sorry. Got a little carried away there.

I contacted Tim Smith, M.Ed.Founder And Owner Of Jack Mountain Bushcraft & Guide Service by email, asking if there was any places left in the "Bushcraft and Survival with Mors Kochanski" (basic and advanced). Well guess who got the last spot on both courses! (insert embarassing dance of joy!)

Look out New Hampshire! Here comes Decado! Oh wait..... that means I need to pack! Oh-oh.... better start now.... I only have 3 weeks! Gotta' go!


Thanks for reading,

Canadian Bushcraft Question

Ok. I know I am a bit new to this blogging thing. And I know I have only been studying Bushcraft specifically, (backpacking, ultra-light teaching, and wilderness survival experience not included) for a short time now, so I apologize if this is a dumb question.

Are there any good schools in Ontario specifically that teach, train, or otherwise employ Bushcrafters?

I have found dozens in the UK, a few in the US, and even a couple out in Western Canada, but nothing in Ontario.

Being personally trained by Ray or Mors would be amazing but barring that, it would be nice to have a group of people (like the bushcraft bloggers I have met) that you could meet in person and do a trip or 2 with...

Is there anything out there? Am I missing something?

Your feedback would be appreciated! Seriously!

X-Mas came early!

I have had it for a week but I thought I would post this to tell the tale!

From a birthday gift from my parents and an early present from my overly-generous and beautiful wife, I got a chance last weekend to go down to my favorite wood carving store in Kitchener and pick up the "Carving Jack" by Flexcut.

It is awesome! I am carrying it around where ever I go now. I had read Ferrol's post about carving a spoon being the right of passage so..... the first thing I did was look for a piece of wood. I was at my brother's place at the time so I had to make due with what I could find. In this case I thought I would play it safe and just test out the 'Jack' on a piece of cedar. I know. Its probably not the best wood for making a spoon but I thought I would give it a try. (will post a picture soon) It worked like a dream. I have found that Flexcut makes a good quality carving tool.

I will be taking a look around this weekend to see if I can find myself a nicer bit of wood to make my very own camp spoon. In the mean time I sanded the cedar one up a bit and left it for my creative wife to find. Will probably find it hanging on the wall somewhere in the house decorated with flowers by the time I get home! She is, after all, my biggest "carving" fan...

Now if I could only get all my camping equipment cleaned up out of the basement, she would probably proclaim me her shining 'Hero'! Hrmm.... maybe not!

A moral dilemma...

Did a little looking around youtube.com last nite. Found the episodes for Ray Mears - Country Tracks show. In the first one I watched, Ray was demonstrating how to make a pack frame from the local resources when your pack gets lost/broken.

I found this interesting for 2 reasons.

1. I found an article describing how to build a packframe from this site a couple of days ago and had already starting working on it and,
2. Ray was using willow branches to create the frame and the cordage from the bark.

So based on point number 2, here is the moral dilemma: So many of the bushcraft techniques that I have researched require the use of living wood. Yes, I know that a lot of things can still be made with dead wood but still, many require the stripping of bark etc. I have spent years researching, developing and testing my ultra-lite gear for distance trips and effectively used little of the local foliage, if any. In these cases I have worked hard to adhere to a "Leave no trace" practice. But in the techniques used in bushcraft... well.... not so easy!

On one side, I feel that in order for me to really practice and test out the different skills that I find, the most effective materials are living. If I want to improve my skills I need to cut/hack down (though small in quantity) living wood. Obviously it does not require cutting down a huge tree just to make a pot stand or something but still there is not much of a chance of finding fresh bark or pine roots stacked in a pile on the side of the trail just waiting for me.

On the other hand, the environmentalist/treehugger in me says that even if I just take a little bit, that there is plenty of trees/shrubs growing in the forest, is still not acceptable because if I do it then others can do it and before you know it... Whoosh! no more forests. I know that some would say that I am being a bit over the top about it but I have been to some of the campsites on the trails in Algonquin park (actually pretty much all of them come to think of it!) and I have seen how people abuse the environment there. Usually in the form of "if it looks like it will burn, Burn it!" Trees stripped of branches in a 50 foot radius around every campsite, ground cover stripped of everything burnable creating what Ray Jardin calls a "Cold Camp", and garbage and broken bottles all over the place.

So what do I do? I am always looking at the side of the roads for wood that has been recently cut down for walking sticks. (pictures of my wood carving to come in future posts) When fall and spring yard work is done in my neighborhood, I take late nite strolls to find anything I can use. I would love to practice bushcraft techniques that allow me to live comfortably in the forest using the local resources, but I feel guilty everytime I look at a tree and think 'Hey, that would make a great.....'

I just want to be responsible AND skillful!

Any thoughts?

Wood Stove Project

For the last couple of weeks I have been working on making good quality wood stove. I have made pop-can stoves that worked quite well but.... the idea of never having to carry fuel is appealing. During my research I found quite a few references to "Gassifiers" or "Gasification".

At first I thought that the concept was cool! But finally decided to keep this project simple for now. A lot of the inspiration came from the "Ravenlore - Bushcraft and Wilderness skills" website. Gary's Multipurpose Cooking kit was impressive. Simple, compact, versatile and effective.

I have a couple of finishing touches still left to do but I will post pictures of it soon.

Welcome to Decado's Bushcraft!

Having been inspired by such bloggers as, "The Suburban Bushwacker", and "American Bushman", and Ferrol's "Bushcraft and Life", I decided that since I am avidly seeking more and more knowledge in the art of Bushcraft and all things 'Outdoors'.... might as well share!

I hope to add more information in the coming days....

Please feel free to send me your comments or suggestions!