Been doing a bit of digging around in the forum for hints and tips for the Crusader mug / cooker combo, and I came across some posts refering to a hanger for the Crusader. Sure enough, a quick Google reveals that Bearclaw sell a U-shaped bit of alu for the job.
It seems to me that carrying an extra bit of metal to hang your mug (that serves no other useful purpose that I can think of) isn't really the best bushcraft solution. So, I thought I'd share a slightly more "bushcrafty" solution to the problem that I came up with the other weekend. Apologies if this is egg-sucking, but it might be useful to someone. I don't have any photos (probably just as well, my work's nowhere near Patrick's standard
) so you'll have to make do with text and imagination.
Start with a green willow shoot (or similar) about 50cm long. It should be fairly sturdy at the base - maybe the size of the end of your pinkie finger. Work the top 20-30 cms to make it flexible, then trim off - you'll use this to make a withy later. Mark the middle of the remaining stick, then cut away about 3/4 of its thickness for an inch either side of this - so you have two sticks joined by a strap. Work this strap to make it flexible, then bend the stick over to form a cross with a loop at the top (like those charity ribbons that used to be so popular). Split the flexible length you cut from the tip of the shoot into a suitable withy, then use it to lash the cross-over point so that it's held in shape, but the two "legs" can move like tongs. Cut notches into the inside of the "legs" to engage the rim of the mug.
And that's it! Put your mug into it and hang from the "strap" - because of the design, the more weight you have in the mug, the tighter it is gripped. It's actually based on an ancient tool (whose name escapes me) used to lift masonry - it will securely grip weight right up to the failure of the materials.
I like this trick for several reasons: it's made from a single stick, it's simple and elegant, and it relies on the ability to control the material's properties to give varying degrees of stiffness or flexibility as needed. All for a mere couple of minutes work - you can probably make one in the time it takes for your fire to get going properly.
It seems to me that carrying an extra bit of metal to hang your mug (that serves no other useful purpose that I can think of) isn't really the best bushcraft solution. So, I thought I'd share a slightly more "bushcrafty" solution to the problem that I came up with the other weekend. Apologies if this is egg-sucking, but it might be useful to someone. I don't have any photos (probably just as well, my work's nowhere near Patrick's standard
) so you'll have to make do with text and imagination.Start with a green willow shoot (or similar) about 50cm long. It should be fairly sturdy at the base - maybe the size of the end of your pinkie finger. Work the top 20-30 cms to make it flexible, then trim off - you'll use this to make a withy later. Mark the middle of the remaining stick, then cut away about 3/4 of its thickness for an inch either side of this - so you have two sticks joined by a strap. Work this strap to make it flexible, then bend the stick over to form a cross with a loop at the top (like those charity ribbons that used to be so popular). Split the flexible length you cut from the tip of the shoot into a suitable withy, then use it to lash the cross-over point so that it's held in shape, but the two "legs" can move like tongs. Cut notches into the inside of the "legs" to engage the rim of the mug.
And that's it! Put your mug into it and hang from the "strap" - because of the design, the more weight you have in the mug, the tighter it is gripped. It's actually based on an ancient tool (whose name escapes me) used to lift masonry - it will securely grip weight right up to the failure of the materials.
I like this trick for several reasons: it's made from a single stick, it's simple and elegant, and it relies on the ability to control the material's properties to give varying degrees of stiffness or flexibility as needed. All for a mere couple of minutes work - you can probably make one in the time it takes for your fire to get going properly.
