Bushcraft Poll #1

Last Poll asked which would you choose? Axe or Saw.

Axe takes it with 73% of the votes over Saw.

Thanks, Decado.

Bushcraft Bucksaw Belt

During the last garage clean up, I found some belting hardware that I had been saving, hidden amongst the piles of bushcraft do-it-yourself gear.

I decided that I needed to put together the bucksaw belt and possibles pouch for cruising around the property.

What is the Bucksaw belt you ask? OK. You might not be asking but lets pretend you did!

The belt is created with 2 layers of material sewn/glued together in order to store a bucksaw blade inside. I got the idea from some of Mors Kochanski's teachings. Since I made a bushcraft bucksaw during my course with Mors and Jack Mountain Bushcraft School on an earlier post, I thought it would be a good idea to put the belt together too!

So here goes:

I had some nylon belting that fit perfectly with the plastic belt buckle. I would have liked to use leather for this project but I wanted to try it out to see if I liked it first. The leather will come later in time. So I folded the belting in half and measured it to myself making sure that I could adjust the buckle depending on the clothing I was wearing. No point in making it if I can't use it as a belt for my pants or over all my winter clothing too! Once I had it set I threw it down on the sewing maching and stitched the edges together leaving an opening at one end.

Taking a 24" saw blade I connected some cord and a couple key rings to one end. The cord is just to pull the blade out of the belt but the key rings are to hold the ends of the sawblade on the bucksaw when it is made.

I took some scrap cardboard to make it easier to slide the saw into the belt.

Put the entire thing together and here is what you have:

I had expected the blade to stick out and bother me, even with so flexible of material. Turns out once it was on I did not notice it at all. I have been wearing it for the last couple of weeks and although I would like to make it with more traditional materials and make it look nicer, it works, and that is the main thing. Right?

Should be posting my possibles pouch and belt setup in a day or so.

Thanks, Decado.

Still alive.... just busy... Maybe a little too busy...

Not to worry. I am still here. Posts have been a bit thin lately. Sorry. (We all say that, don't we?)

Did the Survival practice last weekend with a friend. Spent 24 hours in the bush working on my clothing system and building a "Super Shelter" based on Mors Kochanski's designs and teachings. It went well all things considered. Got some things accomplished that I wanted to try and learned a few other things, which is what the weekend was all about!

Got some good pictures and finished my log of the night's experiences. Will be posting that this weekend when I have a minute.

Here is one thing I really wanted to mention now (since the boss isn't looking over my shoulder at the moment):

This may be common knowledge to most of you and I have heard this before but getting a little more hands-on experience in the matter has really clarified it for me. Mors Kochanski made mention a few times during the Bushcraft and Wilderness Survival course I took at Jack Mountain Bushcraft School in New Hampshire. He said that one of the things you try to reserve when in a survival situation is.... well... Effort! (or your energy as the case may be). What he meant was think about what you are doing, like building a shelter, and try to use the least amount of effort to achieve the objective. An example of this is: if you are placing logs across each other to make the base of your shelter, one option is to chop a groove out of one log to make it fit nicely on top of the other. The other is to use a small amount of cordage to tie the two logs together using a "Jam" knot. Using the cordage took a lot less time and energy to make the logs stay together.

Ok sorry for the long explanation but here it is in a nut-shell: There is a direct relationship between "Effort" and "Equipment". Forgetting about the need to carry everything for a moment, the more stuff you have with you, the less effort required to do a job. I know this sounds pretty obvious, but think it through based on your own experiences in the bush. We all know you can learn the skills and practice making cordage, but if you end up out in the wilderness and the resources just aren't there or the time of the year makes it difficult, then what do you do? Isn't just easier to bring a spool of cord with you? Why build a debris hut and spend a couple of hours gathering enough materials to make your shelter water proof when all you need to do is bring a tarp or tent fly?

Ok... Ok.... you can stop shaking your head in sadness thinking that I have turned to the dark-side and will be throwing a 60 pound pack on my back the next time I am out! Sheeeesh! Been there, done that! I guess what I am trying to say is.....well.... actually what I am trying to say is just what I said!

I have done a lot of reading on the web about peoples "Bushcraft Kit". There are many similarities. Fire, Shelter, Cooking, sleeping. Last weekends camp was meant to go off into the woods without a sleeping bag, or blankets etc. and get the one thing that is most important when you are trying to live in the bush. Sleep, and sleep comfortably. Hrrmmm... Maybe my point is this: You know Mors' saying, "The more you know, the less you carry". I guess my addendum to that is:

"The more you know, the less you carry, the more effort is required!"

I have seen some amazing stuff being done by other bloggers and bushcrafters, but I never really realized how much effort it truly takes to get out there with nothing but your clothes, a knife, and a fire-steel. Our fore-fathers did it..... but can you? Can you make everything from the resources around you and still get a good nights sleep? Only you can answer that. (great! now I am preaching... sorry)

I know I could survive. Could I live? Well.... we'll see.

Decado

***Public Notice *****

Please be advised that the preceding comments were merely the observations and opinions of the writer, and were in no way meant to sound: pompous, arrogant, demeaning, or should otherwise be taken as a "Mr. Know-it-all" attitude. The writer simply wanted to share. Go on.... be nice..... give the guy a hug and some honest feedback! He would like that. No. Really! He wants you to express yourself! Share with him! Thank you.

************************

(P.S. - Ok no more attempts at posting on a friday afternoon after a week from hell at work! I promise..... Decado.)

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,

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!