A Small Mess Kit for my Pack?

Not to long ago I put together emergency packs for the kids and wife to keep in their vehicles or to have if they are going off on a hike. The backs contained very basic supplies that met the needs for protection against the elements, filter/carry water, fire.
While going through my pack I noticed I had left something out that will be needed. What were we all going to do when it was time to break out the soup or oatmeal? Carrying water was covered, but we would need to find something to mix the water and oatmeal. Darn... All that planning and find I forgot something. This had to be rectified at once. I perused Amazon, e-bay for mess kits. What I landed on first was a nice little stainless cup.

This cup was found on Amazon for less than 15$ with free shipping
at the time. Feels well built. I have not got out to make my coffee or

chaga tea yet. Hope to do that soon.

So this cup fills the need for putting together a quick instant meal.
16 Oz. is good enough for a pack.




Then I found this at the local W**mart. Now this one looks very promising and in keeping with a kit that is compact. Check these pics out. This kit is made by Stanley. It is stainless steel and comes with a couple of insulated plastic cups.

 20 Oz will boil enough water for cup-o-soup or instant oatmeal. And keep the other cup free to make coffee.

 A vented lid to keep things under control and minimize a mess, maybe.

These are the insulated cups that come with the kit. Plastic and insulated to keep the contents cool or hot.

As you can see the Stanley adventure kit sits nicely into the other cup. Makes for a nice compact kit for the pack and light weight as well. W**mart had the best price for the kit, under 15$. While I did check online prices were much higher.
I think this is an awesome find for the pack.





Enjoy,

a Woodsman Axe...

Always wanted one of those Gransfors-Bruks small forest axe. Have to save up some funds for this purchase. Those axes are not on the inexpensive side.

Got the idea from here.
Woodtrekker - Cheap alternative for gransfors bruks

Tractors supply has this axe called a boys axe with w 2.25 pound head. I have been doing some grinding to make the edge of the axe head a bit narrower. A file to sharpen the edge and a handy dandy Puck stone to smooth the edge. Seems to cut well, holds an edge without to much wear. The axe has been used on hardwood and softwood. I cannot compare this axe to the Gransfors-Bruks, because I don't have one yet.

This pic is after the 2" sander I have for the air compressor. Removed the protective coating on the axe head. The coating seemed to offer up some resistance while chopping and not getting a lot of penetration per swing. So I cleaned it off most of the axe head. Gets a nice bite, edge is still needs work as I am not the most proficient sharpener. But, the edge I do have is nice and cuts well.

I will post updates if I come up with any here.

Enjoy,

** As always this is a tool. Tools can be dangerous can cause injury. Always exercise caution. Wear gloves and eye protection using these types of tools...

Organic Tea that Our Ancestors Drank for Health & Curing Properties...

I have been poking around the internet re-kindling my interest in bushcraft and the associated knowledge that goes along with the practice. My interest in plants and their properties goes back to when I was a youngster. I follow a couple of channels on youtube that peaked my interest in a fungus called Chaga (Inonotus obliquus).
According to history this fungus was/is used by the people of the northern latitude as tea to maintain good health, sprinkled on food, in stew, etc. Used when sick to help the immune system fight the infection. Read more here: Mushroom Collecting - Chaga
Dr. Cass Ingram on Youtube has some great videos on Chaga: Dr. Cass Ingram
Also, here on the Renegade Health Show, and here at bushcraftbartons.

There are some birch out back on the property and so the hunt begins. After several walks around studying the trees our birch trees do not have any chaga. At least not yet. But, I continued to walk around the swamp and adjoining properties. This afternoon is a nice sunny day with the temp sitting at 44F in NW Vermont. Get the leash on Barney the Basset and collect the wife... Off we go.

Got the backpack, hatchet, Becker BK3, a couple of water bottles, bag(s). Here are some images of the Chaga that was found today. I was the one excited about the find. Barney could care less. The wife... well she was in a hurry to get out of the woods. Set them off in the direction of the road and told them I would catch up. Wouldn't you know I forgot the camera. Darn!!! But, here are some photos of the piece I got. I left much of it on the tree and got enough to last a while. 

Awesome afternoon in the woods. Now I need to cut this up and dry it out for tea. Chaga also makes great tinder for starting a fire. 
At the moment I have one cup of chaga tea a day. As I collect more I will consider replacing my morning coffee with chaga. Chaga is not bitter like coffee or tea. Has a mild flavor. Not sure how to explain it, but the drinker can add honey or the like to sweeten it up. 
Find some chaga and give it a try. Your body will thank you.

Enjoy, 

** Update
Here is a pic of the chaga chopped and ready to dry. Here is a helpful video on how to dry: Bushcraft Bartons - Drying Chaga

A Knife the won't break the wallet...

I suppose one has to ask what am I going to use the knife for? For me I am just a person who likes to get out into the woods and wander around. Sometimes I camp, hike, hunt, or I just like the peace and quite.
I was poking around Tractor's Supply the other day and came across a knife in the bargain bin. A full tang drop tip goody and a full 3/16" thick, stainless steel to boot. The edge looked rough, but I figure I could work that into shape without to much trouble. The scales are of wood, not to bad looking if you are one of those who needs a knife to look good. So, I picked one up for 10.00$ to check it out. The knife came with a nylon sheath of fair quality.
When I got home I set to sharpening the knife. Did not take to long to get an edge that would shave the hair off my arm. I wrapped the handle with some cloth friction tape to help with the grip. I add tape with just about every knife I own. The tape also helped with keeping the knife securely in the sheath I discovered. I foresee a problem with drawing the knife with the tape. Since the sheath is flexible two hands will be needed if the tape is left on. A little bit of caution will be needed when drawing the knife. Or I come up with a different sheath to carry the knife. Also, added a bit of small bungi-cord with a retainer as a handle keeper and lanyard.
Tip to tip is 8 3/4", blade is 3 3/4" in length.

The real test will be to take it out into the woods and beat it up a bit. For example how will it perform using to baton some kindling? Will the edge just roll over? I will find out shortly. If it fails I will find a use for it. While it may not be good for extreme camp use I can put a good edge on it to skin the critters. And if it is good enough to skin it will have multiple uses for sure.

Enjoy

A Belt...

Having a belt serves so many purposes. Primarily a belt is used to hold up your pants. But, on occasion your belt can be used as a tool.

1. Emergency tourniquet to tie off a bleeding limb.
2. Hang a piece of gear from a tree.
3. Tie up poles for an emergency shelter.

The list goes on and on. It just depends how creative you are and what you expect to accomplish. I use a belt for the good ole' keep the pants up. Most of the time a canvas type belt with a cinch buckle works for me. If I am required to wear a suit or some sort of casual business I will use a leather belt.

But, when I head out into the woods I am not really inclined to have all sorts of gadgets hanging on the same belt I use to hold up my field pants or shorts. Just adds to much weight and the average belt will fold over. This makes for an uncomfortable day as the average belt is one inch in height.

What I like to use is something called a riggers belt. These belts are normally one & three-quarters inch in height and thickness is almost a quarter inch. Not as tall as the USGI web belt. But, they will support what ever I need to place on them. For example some holsters & knife sheath(s) will not fit the USGI web belt, but will readily slide on the the riggers belt. The riggers belt also has a nifty little option to allow the user to repel or let's say be recovered. This loop is neatly tucked away and strapped down beside the cinch buckle.

I bought a Blackhawk belt which seemed to shrink... Well, rather I seemed to expand. I found this belt to be very well made, but thin in thickness. So, I had to find one that "stretched" to my needs and was a bit more rigid. I picked up an Emerson which is thick compared to the Blackhawk and sits really well. I don't have it loaded with tons of stuff; just a couple items. Riggers belts can be had on e-bay or Amazon. But, if you are on a budget the e-bay deal is tough to beat.

** Keep an old leather belt in your pack. You can use it to sharpen your knife. Check out this Youtube video by BushcraftOnFire:

Sharpening A Knife Without Tools

Enjoy

A Spoon...

I came across a couple of videos on Youtube about carving or whittling a spoon. It is not as easy as you think. Years ago I had to make one to eat with. Mine turned out to be more like a scoop. I found out in the videos that there is something called a hook knife. So, I had to order one and see how well it worked out. Making a spoon with a knife can be done, but the hook knife is definitely handy.
Yesterday was a really nice day. I took a break from working on the bow drill and decided to test out the hook knife. Here is a video on the spoon I created. More like a spoon to stir the pot, but looks fairly good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLuN9T1DNhg

The two video I came across are here BenOrford & Bushcraftbartons.

Once again if you don't practice don't expect to get the task done. Even if you don't have the hook knife make something. Remember to practice knife safety as a cut can ruin your day.

Enjoy.