Hi folks, i managed to get a night out in the woods last Monday for the first time in too long awhile
due to work. So once again i went for limited
kit option. I have also managed to do away with using a rucksack by using the blanket back pack
instead,anyway more on that later.
The weather was nice and settled when i set off walking from home,the site i chose to build my shelter
was under an Oak tree,and after checking the tree had no widow makers which might fall i started
to make camp.The tree did have some nice big branches above which would deflect rain plus
also radiate heat back down on me thus making it feel warmer.
First i tied a long branch onto the trunk to give me a support for the rest of the materials to
lie against,once my lean-to was built i made the bed,i used 6 wrist thick branches to isolate me from the ground,on top of
them i put a good layer of springy branches and then topped it off with a layer of dry grass. Once
that was done i collected fire wood so i could have a brew,then made a tri pod to suspend my billie
from.After collecting water from the small stream it was time to get the fire going,i used the bowdrill
to get an ember, which i stuck into my nest of dead Sticky Wullie tinder(Goosegrass,Cleavers) that
i had picked up as i walked along,i blew it to flame and stuck it into my fire upon which it promptly went
out,
and thats when it struck me that i had forgot to buff up the tinder
, which had felt a little
damp when i stuck it in my trouser pocket, thus was the reason it did,nt light,the rain had started by
now,forecast said to expect 2 inches worth during the early evening and on through to Tuesday.
So i had to start again,this time i buffed up the tinder bundle,and i changed fire lighting
method(well i was now gagging on that brew plus that water needed purifying)so i used flint and
steel instead,my spark catcher was a piece of Fommes,which took a spark after a couple of
strikes,into the tinder bundle and this time success. No pine needle tea this time it was Tetleys all
the way,now i can hear you say "you cheating so and so"but i doooo so like a Tetleys cuppa
and i won,t appologise either.
Well the rain just got heavier so i thought a bit of comfort was needed,i used my poncho to add too
my shelter space,by placing it over the roof and guying it out i managed to protect the fire from
the rain.Well at 9.30 i climbed into my blanket,watched the fire and listened to the rain dripping
on the poncho then proceeded to nod off.
I woke at 7.30ish and it was really heavy rain,so i just got up broke camp and returned everything
back to nature leaving the site as close to the way i,d found it,when i got out of the wood i could see
that being under the shelter of those branches had made a big difference as the rain was
torrential,luckily i did have the poncho to keep me and the blanket back pack dry on the way home.
Again another great night out
.
Anyway i thought some of you might like to see the blanket back pack so i,ve done a wee bit of a tutorial
on how to put it together. To tie the whole thing up you will need approximately10 feet of Paracord
and the same amount of strapping to carry it on your back.
The blanket itself is a different one from the one i used in March,the earlier one was a light weight
man made fibre job but this one is an all wool double blanket,which i had to bribe my youngest
daughter to part with as she used it on her bed. I also sweet talked the missus into making me
a cover for it in OG,the cover idea was so that if it gets really cold i could just stuff the inside of
it with woodland debris to give it more insulating properties. My missus being my missus decided
that i should also have a pillow case to match the cover
,i did,nt think i neeeded one but i,ve ended
up getting one anyway,but it does come in handy though.
So here we have the pillow case with the kit i carry,starting clockwise from top left -Water bottle,Billie
,Milbank bag,Tea bags Milk powder and Sugar,(Wayland)chain,SS spoon,Midgie headnet,Bino,s,Bow
for bow Drill,Small inflatable sit mat, Bow drill spindle and ember pan,Hearth and bearing block,
Billie cover,Crusader mug and Russ,s(Warthog)lid.
Now packed and ready for putting in side the pillow cover.
Blanket folded.
Next i laid my wool blanket shirt on top of the blanket,then i placed the pillow case with contents inside
on top of the shirt,next roll the blanket up tightly.
Rolled ready for tying.
Step1. In one end of your cord make a loop,next pass the cord through the loop and pull tight.
Step2. Then tie off leaving a loop.
Step3. Next make another loop by twisting the cord and placing over the first loop.
Step4. Then pull tight,now you have created a loop that won,t come undone and will be used later.
Step5. Next tie up the blanket as though you were tying up a Sunday roast.
Step6 Carry on all the way down to the bottom.
Step7. Then take the cord all the way round under
the blanket and back through the loop you made at the top,then double back
again under the blanket,pulling tight as you go.
Now just keep on wrapping around the blanket until you have just enough cord left to tie it off.
Step8. Again finish it of by making a loop then secure it by making a second loop and pulling tight
just like steps 2&3.
Step9. Turn the pack over and insert your strapping as in the photo above,now your blanket
back pack is ready.
Last but not least,Bow and Poncho tied on ready for the woods.
There i hope that was clearer than mud,anyway thanks for looking and sorry for the long post,well it has been a long time since i contributed anything to the site,and thats my story and i,m sticking to it
.
Cheers Stuart.
due to work. So once again i went for limited
kit option. I have also managed to do away with using a rucksack by using the blanket back pack
instead,anyway more on that later.
The weather was nice and settled when i set off walking from home,the site i chose to build my shelter
was under an Oak tree,and after checking the tree had no widow makers which might fall i started
to make camp.The tree did have some nice big branches above which would deflect rain plus
also radiate heat back down on me thus making it feel warmer.
First i tied a long branch onto the trunk to give me a support for the rest of the materials to
lie against,once my lean-to was built i made the bed,i used 6 wrist thick branches to isolate me from the ground,on top of
them i put a good layer of springy branches and then topped it off with a layer of dry grass. Once
that was done i collected fire wood so i could have a brew,then made a tri pod to suspend my billie
from.After collecting water from the small stream it was time to get the fire going,i used the bowdrill
to get an ember, which i stuck into my nest of dead Sticky Wullie tinder(Goosegrass,Cleavers) that
i had picked up as i walked along,i blew it to flame and stuck it into my fire upon which it promptly went
out,
and thats when it struck me that i had forgot to buff up the tinder , which had felt a littledamp when i stuck it in my trouser pocket, thus was the reason it did,nt light,the rain had started by
now,forecast said to expect 2 inches worth during the early evening and on through to Tuesday.
So i had to start again,this time i buffed up the tinder bundle,and i changed fire lighting
method(well i was now gagging on that brew plus that water needed purifying)so i used flint and
steel instead,my spark catcher was a piece of Fommes,which took a spark after a couple of
strikes,into the tinder bundle and this time success. No pine needle tea this time it was Tetleys all
the way,now i can hear you say "you cheating so and so"but i doooo so like a Tetleys cuppa
and i won,t appologise either.
Well the rain just got heavier so i thought a bit of comfort was needed,i used my poncho to add too
my shelter space,by placing it over the roof and guying it out i managed to protect the fire from
the rain.Well at 9.30 i climbed into my blanket,watched the fire and listened to the rain dripping
on the poncho then proceeded to nod off.
I woke at 7.30ish and it was really heavy rain,so i just got up broke camp and returned everything
back to nature leaving the site as close to the way i,d found it,when i got out of the wood i could see
that being under the shelter of those branches had made a big difference as the rain was
torrential,luckily i did have the poncho to keep me and the blanket back pack dry on the way home.
Again another great night out
.Anyway i thought some of you might like to see the blanket back pack so i,ve done a wee bit of a tutorial
on how to put it together. To tie the whole thing up you will need approximately10 feet of Paracord
and the same amount of strapping to carry it on your back.
The blanket itself is a different one from the one i used in March,the earlier one was a light weight
man made fibre job but this one is an all wool double blanket,which i had to bribe my youngest
daughter to part with as she used it on her bed. I also sweet talked the missus into making me
a cover for it in OG,the cover idea was so that if it gets really cold i could just stuff the inside of
it with woodland debris to give it more insulating properties. My missus being my missus decided
that i should also have a pillow case to match the cover
,i did,nt think i neeeded one but i,ve endedup getting one anyway,but it does come in handy though.
So here we have the pillow case with the kit i carry,starting clockwise from top left -Water bottle,Billie
,Milbank bag,Tea bags Milk powder and Sugar,(Wayland)chain,SS spoon,Midgie headnet,Bino,s,Bow
for bow Drill,Small inflatable sit mat, Bow drill spindle and ember pan,Hearth and bearing block,
Billie cover,Crusader mug and Russ,s(Warthog)lid.
Now packed and ready for putting in side the pillow cover.
Blanket folded.
Next i laid my wool blanket shirt on top of the blanket,then i placed the pillow case with contents inside
on top of the shirt,next roll the blanket up tightly.
Rolled ready for tying.
Step1. In one end of your cord make a loop,next pass the cord through the loop and pull tight.
Step2. Then tie off leaving a loop.
Step3. Next make another loop by twisting the cord and placing over the first loop.
Step4. Then pull tight,now you have created a loop that won,t come undone and will be used later.
Step5. Next tie up the blanket as though you were tying up a Sunday roast.
Step6 Carry on all the way down to the bottom.
Step7. Then take the cord all the way round under
the blanket and back through the loop you made at the top,then double back
again under the blanket,pulling tight as you go.
Now just keep on wrapping around the blanket until you have just enough cord left to tie it off.
Step8. Again finish it of by making a loop then secure it by making a second loop and pulling tight
just like steps 2&3.
Step9. Turn the pack over and insert your strapping as in the photo above,now your blanket
back pack is ready.
Last but not least,Bow and Poncho tied on ready for the woods.
There i hope that was clearer than mud,anyway thanks for looking and sorry for the long post,well it has been a long time since i contributed anything to the site,and thats my story and i,m sticking to it
.Cheers Stuart.
Great post Stuart.
