mini review/testing:Frost River Isle Royale,Gary Mills Timbwerwolf,A Wright,Mors pot!

[Clouston98]

right, first off I just want to say this is not going to be as good or thorough as a John Fenna review, or the likes of .

to kick start, the Frost River Isle Royale Bushcraft Pack, the big daddy!

this pack is officialy a Christmas present, but that was never going to happen when it arrived in september!

it was meant to be a traditional pack and boy its a looker !

the quality of this is absolutely oustanding and second to none. it arrived in brilliant condition with no faults at all, everything was perfect. Its leather, brass and waxed canvas construction had me mesmorised from the start. I have heard people mention that it is not the most comfortble due to the fact it has no frame, I whole hartedly disagree. If you pack it properly with soft goods at the back it moulds perfectly to your shape and the padded bucksin straps mean I could carry it for ever. it is a monster and it could easily be a one stop canoe pack for me. Yet it also has the versatility of sinching straps on the side and the top, and it can be siched down to easily around 30 litres or be extended to around 85 litres. the main reason I chose this pack over the Duluth equivalent was the side straps, the Frost River's are olive paracord through brass D-rings, whereas the Duluth's are nylon and only lie at half way up rather than the full side length. these could easily be replaced with leather thong rather than paracord, something I am looking into, however the paracord blends in very well.

the pack also has bottom and top attachment points to strap on a wool blanket. I bought the correct straps along with the pack and my Hudson bay blanket fits on the bottom like a dream. the straps were gorgeous and just like little blanket belts.

the reason I bought this and not the junior is because it has a waist belt and a chest belt whereas the junior only has a chest belt. I wanted this for long distance walks and although the pack is bigger I could never fill it.

some photos:

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In summary this is one excellent pack that will last a life time! im in love with it and can recommend one to anyone! It has the traditional style with no compromise on comfort and it is truly superb!

If anyone is wandering these photos are from a while back, ive only just got round to a little review, I'll still be in plaster till january.

keep looking as a knife-off and other reviews are coming!

 

[Clouston98]

Mors Kochanski Bush Pot

I bought this pot from Four Dog Stove and got a brilliant delivery time!

the pot itself is very good, the aluminium construction makes it very light in comparison to a Zebra but not flimsy at all. the bail handle locks in three places making it easy to pour coffee through the spout and the butterfly handles make it even easier.

how did it cook?

it made soup very well and it also excelled at coffee! however the pot fell a bit at frying and making bannock, it cooked them perfect but dried up very quickly nand there was a lot of washing up to do! this was post broken leg, so it was a garden fire bowl job!

a picture of the pot new:

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In conclusion I love the pot and even if it is just that! It is not over engineered it just has simple feature that make it work that bit better than the rest!

thanks for reading!

 

[Clouston98]

Gary Mills Timberwolf VS A. Wright and Sons 701 Rosewood Handeld Bushcraft Knife!

the Timberwolf:

A truly beautiful knife that excelled at every task it was put through! to start battoning the knife through seasoned beech and pine was a breeze, no edge rolling or ny problems at all, it got the job done very easily indeed! For featherstick the recently battonned wood it excelled too it made very fine shavings that were easily ignited with the supplied firesteel. I set about carving an impromptue spatula and fork to eat some pheaent breast we fried and it left a very good finish on them, certainly a lot better than the majority of knives I have used. i used it for a variety of other tasks such as fungi harvesting, tinder preparation, vegetable preperation, meat preperation (slicing into chunks, not butchery) and it excelled at all those tasks which suprised me due tho the thick blade.

The knife itself is lovely curly birch over red fibre liners in an unbelievably thich leather sheath supllied with a matching firesteel. it has brass boltys and lanyard tube and the blade is 01 tool steel, perfectly tempered. The handle has a lovely coke bottle profile, which combimed with the curl on the end of the handle makse for an extremely comfortable grip.

Overall this is one brilliant knife that has earned its place on my belt!

The A. Wright and Sons:

A somewhat controversial knife that has had very mixed reviews in the past, however mine is actually very good. the grind on mine were even and the knife came sharp and held an edge well, as did the Timberwolf. For battoning this knife was also vey good, although the Timberwolf was better. At feathersticking I would say this was on par with the Timberwolf and they both did an excellent job! all the tasks I did with the Timberwolf, I also did with the A. Wright and Sons. they both did an excellent job but the main problem with the A. Wright and Sons was the handle. very well done but too slim a profile too be comfortable in extensive use.

The A. Wright and Sons is rosewood handled with brass rivets and a lanyard tube and was also supllied in a leather sheath with a matchinf firesteel. However this sheath was rubbish so I had another made by Dougster (great work mate!) and this firesteel was not as good as the Timberwolfs.


in conclusion, the Timberwolf is the beetr kniofe but also costs more so in all i'd say they're both fit for purpose, Timberwolf is my favourite and now lives on my belt!

here is a glamour shot:

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sorry I have no photos of them in work and its too late now but I assure you they now look very used and lived in!

Here is a more up to date shot:

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Thanks for reading!

 

[Clouston98]

Hudson Bay Company 3.5 point Blanket in "Camel"

This blanket is quality and will last forever! It is extremly warm and thick and the wool is of the highest quality, it doesnt shed fibres one bit. This was also a Christmas present and it will never part from me! The reputation of these blankets speaks for its self, they are second to none! they are warm, comfy and importantly not irritable to the skin. the only problem i had was the fact they are made in England, then shipped to Canada and to buy it we had to get it shipped back to England again! Anyway at least its got milage!

here is a photo of it strapped to the bottom of the pack:

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thanks for Reading!

 

[Macaroon]

Good stuff there, matey............That pack looks a dream and you've written very clearly about it. I don't suffer from kit envy any more but I covet that pack; well done - good review!

 

[Clouston98]

Good stuff there, matey............That pack looks a dream and you've written very clearly about it. I don't suffer from kit envy any more but I covet that pack; well done - good review!

cheers mate! It means a lot .

 

[John Fenna]

Good work!
Nice bits of kit too

 

[Clouston98]

Good work!
Nice bits of kit too

Thanks a lot mate! Not as good as you reviews though .

 

[British Red]

Stunning kit - you have some wonderful quality gear there. Look after that Hudson bay and put it in a large plastic bag when not in use (one of those vacuum suit carriers or the like) - your daughter should be snuggling under it with her husband - but not if a chuffing clothes moth gets to it.

 

[Clouston98]

Stunning kit - you have some wonderful quality gear there. Look after that Hudson bay and put it in a large plastic bag when not in use (one of those vacuum suit carriers or the like) - your daughter should be snuggling under it with her husband - but not if a chuffing clothes moth gets to it.

Cheers! It came with a thick carry bag with a heavy duty zip and its safely locked in there away from any moths or creepy crawlies .

 

[vizsla]

Well done chap cracking review, I'm a big fan of frost river And now I fancy another!
good job

 

[Clouston98]

Well done chap cracking review, I'm a big fan of frost river And now I fancy another!
good job

Cheers mate! And why not get another one, it'll not be long for me!

 

[ammo]

Good reviews them mate. You do have some lovely kit, look forward to seeing you do a few more.

 

[Clouston98]

Good reviews them mate. You do have some lovely kit, look forward to seeing you do a few more.

Thanks mate! I'll get some more done as soon as I can .

 

[Clouston98]

Just had another read and I apologise for the spelling, it was on the computer and I'm not good at typing without hitting the wrong buttons .

Will do some reviews on other stuff soon .

 

[Toddy]

Oh that looks like someone's having a very good Christmas Good kit that'll take use and last well.

Nicely done Thank you for the reviews
My kit cupboard is pretty well plenished, and I have a good stash of shinies, but I like the look of the pot.

cheers,
M

 

[Clouston98]

Oh that looks like someone's having a very good Christmas Good kit that'll take use and last well.

Nicely done Thank you for the reviews
My kit cupboard is pretty well plenished, and I have a good stash of shinies, but I like the look of the pot.

cheers,
M

Cheers! It certainly will be a good Christmas!

 

[Man of Tanith]

Lovely stuff mate.

Good collection of kit.
I use the mors pot a lot and its a great pot-got the mini mors pot that nests inside it for my birthday one thing. ..yours now is far too clean and shiny

Reckon your all set t do the boone challenge once your leg heals

 

[Clouston98]

Lovely stuff mate.

Good collection of kit.
I use the mors pot a lot and its a great pot-got the mini mors pot that nests inside it for my birthday one thing. ..yours now is far too clean and shiny

Reckon your all set t do the boone challenge once your leg heals

Cheers! Mini Mors pot sounds great! Happy birthday :hapbirth:!

Certainly have a go at the Boone challenge, I've done similar stuff and always had great fun, once I'm good to go, end of January, may be a winter Boone for me!

 

[Man of Tanith]

Oooh brass monkey boone good thinking buddy.

The mini mors comes without the bail arm although you can buy it with it attached as an optional extra.
It looks like the two combined would allow one for brewing up/solo cook pot and the big un used for melting snow or sterilising large amounts of water.