afternoon in the woods...please help

[andyc54]

hi everyone just starting out with bushcraft bought a hammock and tarp,fire steel,knife etc just basic stuff so i thought sun is out and i finnish work at dinner time so called at some local woods to try the hammock and tarp and some fire lighting.well collected some birch bark from a dead tree and walked for about 30 mins then set up camp.i've learnt some important lessons ie my knots are n't very good when i ended up on my **** and lighting birch bark with fire steel ain't as easy as the videos on you tube but managed with cotton wool also i think my army basha is to small for my hammock don't want to get soaked so i want to see what you guys think and if i need a bigger one what size ,my hammock is 2.8 meters long

 

[darrenleroy]

Type 'tarp' into the search button at the top right of the page and you should get a load of information from lots of threads on this forum.

 

[Shewie]

Have a look at the hammock tutorial on here Andy ....

http://www.bushblade.co.uk/

It's the same system uncle Ray has used for eons, rock solid and only a couple of knots to master

[video=youtube;KE7dx0WJo9o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE7dx0WJo9o[/video]

 

[mountainm]

For my tarp :ridgeline I do an evenk knot on the first end, followed by a truckers hitch on the other so I can get it as tight as possible. Both are quick release for easy pack up.

M

 

[andyc54]

heres my first attempt

 

[Snarf]

What hammock you got andy?

Looks like a DD with Green tapes?

If it is, change the tapes for the 15M black ones, a hell of a lot stronger.

 

[andyc54]

hi its the tenth wonder xl hammock i was going to get some straps for around the tree cause the green ones are to short really and some karabiners

rich,just watched uncle ray and the knots he uses were close to what i did without knowing what i was tying and they held then came undone easy i feel pretty smug about that bit of my afternoon out now

 

[Snarf]

i have a DD travel hammock, and all i do is tie a bow knot (shoe lace knot) around the tree's.

I would swop the tape thou andy, and get the longer one's from DD. Not that expensive, but they are 15M long so should give you ample length for the hammock.

 

[andyc54]

so what size tarp would people suggest ie 3x4 or even 4x4 cause as you can see the hammock sticks out slightly even with the army basha as a diamond

 

[Snarf]

I only use a 3Mx3M bud, it doesn't overly matter if the tapes are sticking out, i use 4x12" long peices of cord and tie each one on each of the tapes as drip lines, you could do a Karabiner mod and that would act as a drip point aswell.

 

[Bonzo Frog]

Here's a link to a useful web site for knots... http://www.animatedknots.com/indexscouting.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Have fun.

 

[Shewie]

so what size tarp would people suggest ie 3x4 or even 4x4 cause as you can see the hammock sticks out slightly even with the army basha as a diamond

I used the 3x3 for a couple of years with my hammocks, it was always close to the ends but I never had any problems. The 3x4.5 is a good investment if you don't mind the extra weight, the bulk is hardly any different to the 3x3.

 

[spiritwalker]

In relation to birch bark i tend to use living trees just peel the fine bits that are freely offered (this doesnt harm the tree its shedding it anyway your just helping it along )

also buff it up into a ball in your hands so its quite fine it will then catch the smallest of sparks and burns a treat.

in respect to your hammock i have no clue i am a ground dweller

 

[Partickpebbles]

DD Tarp's are real good.....

 

[andyc54]

cheers everyone for the help.i think i'm going to get a 3x3 tarp to try just for the cheaper price more than anything and pack size.
as for fire starting i tried scraping the the bark to make like saw dust but it would n't catch just going to keep trying i will get there in the end

 

[lannyman8]

keep at it mate, the only real way to learn unless a "subject matter exspert" is teaching you is trial and error, keep with it and dont beat your self up to much......

having mastered the bow drill and not failed for about 2 years at my last meet "I FAILED"............lol...... happens to the best of us mate.......

keep trying and most of all enjoy what you do.........

be safe...

chris..........................

 

[Tengu]

Yes, Im a ground dweller, would never trust a hammock

and I use a lighter like the savages of the world do.

 

[andyc54]

i really enjoyed the afternoon with some sunshine in the woods and can't wait to try again.i'll have to come to your next meet at brockwell,if thats ok chris, so i can get some expert tution and have what looks like a cracking weekend from the photos of the last one.