Getting away for the weekend.

[Keith_Beef]

As I mentioned in the thread about staves and sticks, I'm going away for a weekend course, Saturday and Sunday, sleeping under a tarp Saturday night.

The meeting point is about a cube and a half hour drive from home, so I'm going out on Friday, sleeping in one of my tents at a municipal campsite on Friday night and again on Sunday night before driving back on Monday.

I'll be taking a ridiculous amount of kit because I'm hoping to test things in real bushcraft conditions, rather than just the kind of simulations that I've been doing in the back garden.

I'll have two twig stoves (one very basic collapsible, the other a Solo Titan), tarp, self-inflating mattress, sleeping bag (plus tent and camp bed for the campsite before and after), Beaver Bushcraft hatchet (and possibly Frontier Hawk), two fixed blade knives (home made but from bought blades), Leatherman Super Tool, Decathlon aluminium cooking pans, cezve for making coffee, solar panel (for charging my phone that will probably be my camera for the weekend), five firelighting devices, tinder and kindling, first aid kit, folding shovel, head lamp, torch, compass, folding fabric bucket, paracord and twine... The recommendation is to bring *five* litres of water per person. And I need to bring my own food... I've set aside rice and buckwheat grains, salami and cured pork, wondering about taking some tinned fish... I'm testing a vacuum flask with ice cubes to see if it's worth freezing some pasteurised milk to take with me...

 

[Pattree]

@Keith_Beef
Ref. milk when camping:

Being away from home, both working abroad and camping is what moved me to stop using milk in my drinks (or anywhere else!)

Black coffee, cocoa and tea have been my standard drinks now for nearly 50 years. It removes one of the more problematic camping issues without hardship. Ethiopian and Turkish coffees are taken black anyway and very welcome they are too.

If you can manage it I thoroughly recommend it.

As for bulk kit: Me too. I take experiments and back ups in the car. No need for discomfort if you aren’t backpacking.

 

[Broch]

Ditto, I gave up milk and sugar in drinks when I was a teenager so I didn't have to carry it and worry about keeping the milk fresh.

 

[Broch]

I often take tinned fish - with a bit of imagination tinned fish and quick cook rice turns into paella or mixed with quick cook couscous and a few Moroccan spices a fish tagine

 

[Tengu]

Milk is a problem and like many I do without. Only miss it in cerial (So...those porridge pots already have it)

Evap can be diluted to more like proper milk but then you have to use it up. Its a shame evap doesnt come in smaller quantities

 

[Toddy]

Nido is your friend.

Full fat milk, dried. Easy to use, easy to keep, works well.

.....except for those of us who are lactose intolerant

 

[Pattree]

I get enormous satisfaction from making a decent meal on a stick stove.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I'll drink tea without milk readily enough, and I'll drink espresso, but I prefer my breakfast coffee with milk.

I'll see how the trial works out; my ice cubes were at about -35°C (I measured the temperature a couple of days ago) when I put them into a wide-mouthed vacuum flask, screwed the lid on and put it in the fridge (for the trip to Brittany, it would be in a cool box with a couple of blue freeze bricks). I'll take it out of the fridge tomorrow morning and check on the state every six hours or so.

If the ice cubes stay frozen or melt but stay very cold, I'll take that as a sign that milk will stay fresh.

I'll see if I can pick up some Nido from the Indian grocery shop in town tomorrow.

 

[nigelp]

Tesco also sell Nido.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Tesco also sell Nido.

It would take me a lot of time and money to "pop down to Tesco"...

The Indian grocery had Nido in two different sizes of tin, and the 400g was around 20% less expensive than at Amazon.

 

[Falstaff]

Sounds like you'd better stay for a week to test that much kit and also do the course
But yes, I do the same thing.