Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Muppets Threads! (And Anything Else) => Topic started by: jags on November 06, 2014, 06:28:00 PM
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Just curious lads and lassies but do any of you delve in the Bushcraft world.
i love watching videos on Bushcraft on utube,
to be honest its not a million miles away from cycle touring especially guys that wildcamp.
anyway it's big in the UK and they seem to hold meets all year round,
cheers
jags.
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Got any good links?
I'm UK
Matt
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Matt,
Here's the link I gave Anto on Facebook. A good starting point:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/content.php
I'm also a longtime member of the BackPackingLight forum, which delves heavily into similar areas:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/index.html
Best,
Dan.
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loads i'll post them in a sec. ;)
cheers dan i'll get one of my favourates up shortly got to get the coffee first. ;D
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This guy is a pure genius he make's knives as well pure class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvPAtB-2DK0.
this guy seems to be an expert in all things bushcraft.
Zeb is also brilliant and a real nice guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLXkwp3AkYc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMKnWQaBf3E
really loads to watch and enjoy.
my son just passed me buy and said his buddy teaches bushcraft ::) ::)
i've been looking at these videos this past 3 months and now he tells me.
jags.
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Not quite bushcraft but handling problems out bush - Bush Mechanics (http://youtu.be/wspwBcuOZFg)
This was a whole series on the ABC here in Aus. Great viewing ;D
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So not a lot of bush crafters i thought as much ::)
so what about tarp and hammoch do any of you guys use either.i was thinking of buying a tarp handy bit of kit but what to get is another story.
jags.
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Anto,
Tarps are a really lightweight, packable and flexible alternative to tents. They just need something to elevate at least one end, and a bicycle can serve admirably there. JimK and I discussed this in an earlier thread and it offers possibilities. Tarps can be made very large and roomy if you like to spread out and you can adjust headroom by changing the pitch.
Our own John Saxby has a great deal of experience using a bivy sack, a tent, a tarp, and various combinations together and has posted photos and detailed descriptions of them to the Forum.
There's also this fellow...
http://www.christownsendoutdoors.com/2014/11/tarps-shelters-my-award-winning-feature.html
I don't think any mention of tarp-camping would be complete without mentioning Ray Jardine. He's literally written the book on the topic: http://www.rayjardine.com/ray-way/Tarp-Book-Essential/index.htm ...and offers compete kits for a reasonable price so you (or June, who has the skills already in hand) can make your own. He's got a complete line of kits and materials available, and offers the plans in his publications so you can make them from fabric and such you get on your own.
Ray has refined his tarps so you can close them down against high winds ( http://www.rayjardine.com/ray-way/Tarp-Kit/BatWing/index.htm ) or stay secure from Bug Invasions ( http://www.rayjardine.com/ray-way/Tarp-Kit/Net-Tent/index.htm ).
This is a great way to get some top-quality kit with just the features you want...for far less money and the investment of a little labor. Much lighter and more compact than many commercial offerings, as well.
I've no connection to Ray except to say I've always found his writing and philosophies to be thought-provoking. He's big on ventilation, and makes some very good points, particularly about choosing a camp to avoid -- or maximize -- katabatic airflow ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katabatic_wind ). It could well explain why you got so very cold that one night. I've sometimes found just a few meters' difference in pitching location can make a big difference in how warm I sleep. A good book to curl up with on a cold winter's evening before the fire is _Trail Life_: http://www.rayjardine.com/ray-way/Trail-Life/index.htm
As for sleeping hammocks, those generally require trees and insulation under you inside the hammock to stay warm through the night in cooler climates. A few can be pitched as mini-tents on the ground if no trees are available...but are generally smaller inside than you've preferred in a tent.
Anto...have you considered a tarp-tent? There's even a company of that name: http://www.tarptent.com/ The idea is to use a pre-shaped tarp and then equip it optionally with an interior floor or net chamber or pitchable with or without an inner compartment so you have the versatility of each kind of lodging as you desire. Here's an example that ticks most of the boxes you've mentioned wishing for in a tent: http://www.tarptent.com/cloudburst3.html 3.25lb/52oz/1.48kg for a 3-person tent isn't a bad weight and it pitches very quickly in 2 minutes and can be closed up snug against drafts.
Best,
Dan.
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wow dan it will take me a month to get through that lot ;D ;D.
your a mind of information how you do it is beyond me.
cheers dan.
anto.
say dan did you read franks post on facebook the house they left in indi a guy was shot dead in it last night. :o
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...Good thing they left when they did! :o
All the best,
Dan.
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Yes I've been to some of the suffolk group meets from bushcraftuk forum and this Friday just gone I went out for a camp out in the woods on my own.
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Yes I've been to some of the suffolk group meets from bushcraftuk forum and this Friday just gone I went out for a camp out in the woods on my own.
Sounds terrific, Ips; did you take that lovely black Nomad Mk2 of yours?
Best,
Dan.
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Yes I've been to some of the suffolk group meets from bushcraftuk forum and this Friday just gone I went out for a camp out in the woods on my own.
great stuff love to give it a go but not solo.
funny thing is when i was a kid many many moons ago we did this all the time.gotten to used to a soft bed and oil fired central heating the ruin of mankind.worse than the computer methinks.
so how did the adventure turn out will you be doing it again.
jags.
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Not on bike this time. I have been to a Suffolk meet on a bicycle but that was using a Dawes karakum. A good bunch of guys and they all offered to give me a lift home on Sunday. I had to explain I did have a car and was cycling because I enjoyed it. I think the group meets have given me the confidence to go out on my own.
This Friday was just what I needed and the perfect antidote to a hectic week at work. It was a bit like turning yourself off and on again. Was able to walk through the woods by the moon and star light, listen to the nightly noises, see a shooting star (just by chance as I was walking along) and up early to watch the first glow of light creep over the horizon.
Things like that remind me that the world we choose to live in isn't the only one that exists or the only way of existing..... Very deep man.... :D
Ps. Bushcraft also opens up a whole new world of kit buying! Stoves, saws, knives, fire lighting, tarps etc... There is a whole other world of kit out there that you don't really need but you can't help thinking what if...
Pps. Definitely be going out again. Perhaps even next weekend as wife away with her mum so have a bit of free time.
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agree i walk a lot by the local canal n river at times you wouldn't see a soul . i often sat in the wods for a hour just listening to the peace of it all does a fellas head good.
but yeah those bushcraft lads are all super blokes love the craic and the great outdoors for sure.
there take on gear is different than ours only because they use ther cars to get to a meet,but there is a few lads that just use thebackpack and they seem to cope pretty well with just the bare amount of survival gear, then again there experts.
love to get my hands on one of that guy's Sandy's bushcraft knives ,ah i might as well dream here as in the woods ::)
anyway happy bushcrafting tis all great stuff .
jags.
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Jags, a further note on tarps, following Dan's very comprehensive note above: A lot depends on bugs, their numbers & savagery, and one's own tolerance. Since I live close to & do a lot of camping on the Canadian Shield, I have to take account of bugs, so that limits the use of tarps. They're always great as shelters against wind, sun and rain, but without a quality inner shelter against bugs (blackflies especially, but also mozzies) in these parts they're limited as a primary shelter to spring, early summer, and later summer/autumn. Here, the best summer months--June, July, and the first half of August, are also high season for bugs. (There are some people who ignore blackflies, but I'm not one of them.)
As an indicator of what's available in tarps, here's the link to the MEC catalogue:
http://www.mec.ca/shop/camping-tarps-and-light-shelters/50130+50712/?h=10+50055+50130
Of the ones shown here, I have two rectangular Integral Designs Siltarps, large & small. They're very light (small one is just 400 gms), well made, handy, and I use them a lot. Trees, etc., are obviously best for rigging, but I've found that a combination of a tent inner, plus an upright bicycle, works pretty well too. Rigging requires a bungee cord or two, light braided nylon cord, and I also use the indispensable quick-release rubber ties I get from Lee Valley Tools, in different lengths.
Some of the newer one-person tents, esp just the inners, are almost as light as a bivy sack, and more spacious. Recently, I've done some arithmetic on the various combinations of my tents and tarps. Happy to share those figures if you're interested -- send me a P/Message if so. FWIW, I'm tilting towards a Tarptent DW Moment as (for me) the most versatile combination of weight-weather protection-bug protection-reasonable 3-season durability. Not the absolute lightest, but easier to use than buying/using separate bits & pieces in various combinations. My research is telling me, however, that lightness ain't cheap -- "less" is certainly more...
Cheers, John
PS: Bought my Wenger Swiss Army knives from Knifecountryusa.com -- check it out, there's a whole other world out there...
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Cheers John seems all you guys are experts im just a dreamer to be honest, wife thinks i've lost the plot altogether. ::) as for bugs in ireland hah safe enough on that count if they come out they get drowned with all this rain..but yeah i can see how a tarp would be a great and handy bit of kit to have especially if a fella is cooped up in a one man tent.
knives i love knives i have the swiss army who doesnt love to get a quality bushcraft knive ,i'm looking to buy a mora knive they seem to be good and liked by a lot of bushcrafters so i'll try and talk the family into getting me one for christmas..
ah im just a fairweather tourer John but i love all this stuff i reckon i was davy crocket in my other life 8)
cheers
anto.
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Cheers, John
PS: Bought my Wenger Swiss Army knives from Knifecountryusa.com -- check it out, there's a whole other world out there...
Speaking of knives, I've collected dozens of them over the years, including Bucks, Gerbers, Schraders and lots of custom ones, but for utility and light weight when camping, I always fall back on my trusty Swiss Army Knife (Victorinox) "Picnicker" model (now called "Camping" or "Camper", I think) which turns 40 years old next year. It cut me the first day we were together, as I'd foolishly left the curved blade half way open, and I still have the scar. It's been around the world with me many times, like an old friend, spreading butter or jam on crusty bread or skinning and butterflying kangaroo tails. It has also opened countless bottles of fine, and not-so-fine wine. :)
The Gerber leather pouch I bought back then has finally given up, and last week I purchased a replacement scabbard in Lima. I intend to celibrate the anniversary in May next year, :-* wherever we happen to be (Clithroe, Lancashire, perhaps?)
Sam (some things are really worth being sentimental about)
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Nice personal history, Sam. These things do become a part of you, don't they? I was bereft in every when Air France "lost" my hiking stick, a lovely piece of bamboo, in 2011, and then simply refused to take any responsibility. The least I could do was write to their V-P of marketing and swear that I'd never use their wretched "services" again.
But on a happier note, and I offer this to you with all respect & caution: Over the years, I too have had several Victorinox SAKs, including an initialled one I bought in Geneva some 15 years ago & still use. But, on the recommendation of several people on crazyguy, I bought first one, but then a second, Wenger SA knife, an S18 and an S10. They are a step up in quality -- the steel simply a grade or two better, as well as some of the tools such as the scissors. And, they come with a locking blade. If you want to look into one, best to hurry, as Victorinox has bought out Wenger. I understand, though, that the latter's knives will continue be produced under the name "Delamont", the town where the Wenger factory is located.
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My own beloved version here, John...
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=3968.msg17665#msg17665
Best,
Dan.
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Mine are red, Dan, all of 'em, incl the Victorinoxes. (Nearly forgot: a Swiss colleague just sent me a wee Victorinox as a thank-you gift.) Have to say I prefer Victorinox' scalloped shield icon to the Wenger's rounded rectangle, but for me substance trumps style here, as it usually does. I tend to use the S10 more on a day-to-day basis, but the S18 has a satisfying and confidence-building heft, so I take it on my travels. (Haven't used the saw yet in the year-plus that I've owned it, oddly enough -- last time I had a SAK with a saw blade, about 30 years ago in Central Africa, I used it all the time. In such circumstances, it eventually became, as you might expect, another old saw.) -- J.
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Nice personal history, Sam. These things do become a part of you, don't they? I was bereft in every when Air France "lost" my hiking stick, a lovely piece of bamboo, in 2011, and then simply refused to take any responsibility. The least I could do was write to their V-P of marketing and swear that I'd never use their wretched "services" again.
But on a happier note, and I offer this to you with all respect & caution: Over the years, I too have had several Victorinox SAKs, including an initialled one I bought in Geneva some 15 years ago & still use. But, on the recommendation of several people on crazyguy, I bought first one, but then a second, Wenger SA knife, an S18 and an S10. They are a step up in quality -- the steel simply a grade or two better, as well as some of the tools such as the scissors. And, they come with a locking blade. If you want to look into one, best to hurry, as Victorinox has bought out Wenger. I understand, though, that the latter's knives will continue be produced under the name "Delamont", the town where the Wenger factory is located.
Yes, I am aware of the Wenger takeover. About 18 months ago, Victorinox announced they were going to merge the two brands, although a few Wenger models will survive in the lineup. Better keep yours safe! It could be a collector's item? :D (The respective Wikipedia entries make for interesting reading, which I happened to do just over a week ago. See below.)
On a related note, our battered suitcases were just about destroyed during our recent (non-cycling) travels in South America. My wife has fallen in love with a set of beautiful, high-tech, red Victorinox luggage she found at Larco Mar in Lima, and now has her heart set on them. My objection: The set wil cost as much as a delivered Thorn! >:(
Needless to say, I'm not confident of winning this discussion. :'( :-\
And thanks Dan, for pointing us towards that previous thread on this topic. Your knowledge of this site is truly encyclopaedic!
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Thanks, Sam. It all gets a wee bit complicated, no? Let me make a suggestion on luggage--this from one who's travelled a lot in the last 10-15 years. The best I've ever found is Brooks & Riley. (This is a bit far from either bushcraft or cycling -- so far as I know, the "Brooks" here has nothing to do with A-grade saddles.) They're expensive, but nowhere near the cost of a Thorn, even if you bought a bunch, and they come with a lifetime guarantee. (I had to test this with the shop where I bought a suitcase -- can't recall what the issue was, maybe the zipper. They replaced the whole thing free of charge, no questions asked. This on something five-plus years old.) We have a couple, one boring old black, the other a very chic dark burgundy. My computer briefcase, FWIW, has the same logo as Wenger, though it's sold under some other brand name. Well designed made, if nowhere near B & R (above) for quality.
But yeah, I'm clutching tight to my Wengers.
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probably Briggs and Riley. I shouldn't have looked!
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You're right Jim, and apologies for the confusion. I was on my Brooks today for a couple of cold-but-splendid hours in the hills, and my saddle morphed into a suitcase!
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any of you lads use mora knives thinking of buying one,im after a bushcraft one any ideas what i should be buying.love knives no idea why just like the look of them i know im a geek but what the hell. ::)
anto
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I know the name, Jags, but have no experience with these. I "try" to imagine what use I'll have before buying, and that's worked fairly well for my SAKs. Also, there's a US outfit based which sells mostly domestic knives & other cutlery. For example, we have a pair of kitchen scissors for which we paid $90 (!) about 20 years ago, and they are brilliant -- solid, effective, still sharp, & trouble-free. They also make outdoor knives, however, which I expect are of similar quality: http://www.cutco.ca/products/thumbnail.jsp?shop=outdoor-knives
Then there's the handmade Russell knife, from Nova Scotia, highly praised for its balance, utility, and all-round competence: http://www.grohmannknives.com/pages/outdoor.html
Have to say I've thought of getting a Grohmann, in the hope I'd find regular use for it ...
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Cheers John yeah i have no much use for them to be honest,but i would probable carve something or other when walking in the woods ,i carved the face of Bob Marley smoking a joint at a wood carving course i was on few years back, i think the guy running it thought i was taking on to much but he was surprized when i finished it ,It was Cool as bob would say. ;D ;D
mind you i gave it away to one of my son's friends the wife hated it ;D ah well can't please every one.anyway as i said i like knives some crackers in that link you sent but i think i'll go with the mora i can buy on amazon.
jags.
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jags,
have a look around this site,
http://www.tamarackoutdoors.co.uk/PBSCCatalog.asp?ActionID=67174912&PBCATID=1467246&PBCATName=Knives (http://www.tamarackoutdoors.co.uk/PBSCCatalog.asp?ActionID=67174912&PBCATID=1467246&PBCATName=Knives)
I got my Wenger swiss army penknife from them.
Julian
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Nothing is much sharper than a flint-knapped obsidian knife, Anto, and you can make one yourself. Several of my surgeon friends prefer obsidian for their scalpels...much sharper than surgical stainless. My hunter friends like them for skinning and for sectioning prime cuts, but they are brittle and can break if you hit bone or pry.
Lots of opportunity for embellishment and artistry in the blades and handles:
http://www.pinterest.com/kerrygunnarson/flint-knives/
Best,
Dan.
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thanks Julian and Dan great links .
the wife told me i wasn't getting a knife :'( :'(that £16 Mora will cost me 33euro by the time it reached my door,found one on an Irish site and with postage it will cost the same.
now if it were me spending the dosh i would be buying the top of the line ;)
but i have to use the auld credit card which is in the governors name .
so unless Santa brings me one i have no chance. ???
jags.
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John, I checked out the Briggs and Riley luggage and guarantee, and you're right - it's compelling! Unfortunately, there's not a stockist (much less a repair centre) in Australia, which diminishes the value of the guarantee considerably on something so bulky.
I'm exploring my (our) options. ::)
Thanks,
Sam