Midlands outdoorshow Meet March 2009

[Andy2112]

Man alive- - what dont I got...?
Knives, knife kit, pouches, pouch sets, flint and steel kits, big dry bag, small day sack, jackets (xl), maybe a RM hammock and insect net, perhaps a self inflating mat, maybe some hiking boots (size 9) - it all depends on what goes between then and now.
Anyone interested in huge Khyam tents - got a couple of hose going spare
I am always up for trades but at a push will accept portraits of the Queen.....
Kinds of things that get me interested include
Antler, knife making bits and bobs, leather, tanned hides and "interesting bits and bobs"

Some interesting stuff there John, might be interested in a few things like the hammock and jackets. Which Kyham's have you got ? I've got an old Igloo one and it's great.

 

[John Fenna]

I have a couple of Khyams at the moment - I think they are the Mega dome (sleeps up to 10) and another that Has a main dome and two sleeping pods like "peapod" tents radiating off...name?
Both are used but not used to death!

 

[In Wood]

Pencil me in guys, I will defo' be down there just not sure yet if it will be campsite or other accomodation. (depends if I can get it paid for or not?)

Addo
Alpha_centaur + 2-4 - will know nearer the date
Andy2112+ Snarf + Gaz (hopefully he'll come this time but don't hold ya breath)
Aragorn - will know nearer the date
Bodge
Bootstrap Bob - will know nearer the date
decorum
EEM +1
Humpback
IN Wood
Jaysurfer - Working at event
JimN
John Fenna - will know nearer the date
Luke_s
Lurch
MartinK9
Mesquite
Mick Miller
nigeltm + 2
PJ McBear
Sasquatch
Sparksfly
T1TCH
Trail Runner +1
Wallenstein
wanderinstar
woodstock
WoodWildling

 

[John Fenna]

OK - it realy looks good for me coming now - and I may be bringing another with me.
Not sure if it will be thurs or fri though
I have worked out how to find the site but where are we going to be pitching...how do I find you all once I get in the gate?

 

[Andy2112]

OK - it realy looks good for me coming now - and I may be bringing another with me.
Not sure if it will be thurs or fri though
I have worked out how to find the site but where are we going to be pitching...how do I find you all once I get in the gate?

Hi John,

best thing i can say is when you come into the car park keep right, through the big gate and then keep right past a few prefab buildings then past a new log cabin till you run out of track. Here you will see a cabin on your left with a small car park and a camping field with the wooded area behind the field, thats where pc 11 is. As long as you keep the field on your right as you come through the main car park you should be ok. The first time i came it took me longer to find the pitch than it did to drive there from home. hth

 

[decorum]

... I have worked out how to find the site but where are we going to be pitching...how do I find you all once I get in the gate?

We're booked onto PC 11. If you look at the site map as if it were a face; we'll be the zit on the nose .

 

[Mesquite]

Hi John,

best thing i can say is when you come into the car park keep right, through the big gate and then keep right past a few prefab buildings then past a new log cabin till you run out of track. Here you will see a cabin on your left with a small car park and a camping field with the wooded area behind the field, thats where pc 11 is. As long as you keep the field on your right as you come through the main car park you should be ok. The first time i came it took me longer to find the pitch than it did to drive there from home. hth

As the man said

Not sure if you've got a map of the site

And here's a PDF one you can print out.

 

[MartinK9]

ooo thanks for that, just google-earthed it and couldn't see the wood for the trees:You_Rock_

 

[John Fenna]

Cheers guys - I hope it does not take me as long to fid as my journey...which will be about 5 hours!

 

[OldFingersGreen]

Addo
Alpha_centaur + 2-4 - will know nearer the date
Andy2112+ Snarf + Gaz (hopefully he'll come this time but don't hold ya breath)
Aragorn - will know nearer the date
Bodge
Bootstrap Bob - will know nearer the date
decorum
EEM +1
Humpback
Jaysurfer - Working at event
JimN
John Fenna - will know nearer the date
Luke_s
Lurch
MartinK9
Mesquite
Mick Miller
naboo_the_enigma
nigeltm + 2
PJ McBear
Sasquatch
Sparksfly
T1TCH
Trail Runner +1
Wallenstein
wanderinstar
woodstock
WoodWildling

Ive added my name as im almost certain im free on those dates and im determined to get to a meet soon!

couple of questions. Are tarps and hammocks allowed? if so is there many spots for them? What about fires? are they allowed? do they need to be raised or just covered over when finished?

hopefully look forward to seeing you all there!

 

[Andy2112]

couple of questions. Are tarps and hammocks allowed? if so is there many spots for them? What about fires? are they allowed? do they need to be raised or just covered over when finished?

Yes, plenty of room for tarps and hammocks, loads of space, and yes small fires are allowed but operate a leave no trace policy (site rules).

hopefully look forward to seeing you all there![/QUOTE]

See you there then

 

[decorum]

couple of questions. Are tarps and hammocks allowed? if so is there many spots for them?

Both are fine and there are plenty of trees .

What about fires? are they allowed? do they need to be raised or just covered over when finished?

To limit fire scars (etc) the site asks that the number of ground fires is kept to a minimum. We have a communal area where we have a ... communal fire. Plenty of folk have contained fires (hobo, firebox etc) at their own pitch, though this might seem a faff it increases the usable space on the pitch we can use.

 

[OldFingersGreen]

excellent, glad about the availability of trees, and if i don't have to bring a tent i can bring my old car wheel i use as a forge, its on little legs and makes a great burner/bbq. Bring the hobo stove of course, gotta get a brew quick in the mornings!

something to look forward to! though i wont be going to the show, i just fancy a peaceful weekend carving a flute or something. probably going to try the full 3 nights, have to get a couple of rabbits, pidgeons, pheasants and the like for a good couple of eats!

 

[Andy2112]

excellent, glad about the availability of trees, and if i don't have to bring a tent i can bring my old car wheel i use as a forge, its on little legs and makes a great burner/bbq. Bring the hobo stove of course, gotta get a brew quick in the mornings!

something to look forward to! though i wont be going to the show, i just fancy a peaceful weekend carving a flute or something. probably going to try the full 3 nights, have to get a couple of rabbits, pidgeons, pheasants and the like for a good couple of eats!

Sounds good Naboo, see you there mate.

 

[decorum]

I've been having a play with making slow matches recently . If anyone fancies having a go just let me know.

 

[Andy2112]

I've been having a play with making slow matches recently . If anyone fancies having a go just let me know.

What's a slow match Decorum ? I would like to see that please.

Hopefully the weather will be much kinder to us this meet so i was wandering if anyone would be doing some bushcrafty tutorials. With my impending DD hammock and tarp purchase i would like to know a few knots i can use with it.

I am bringing some filter coffee along again for folks if they want it and i will also bring along the metal bars which are ideal as pot supports for your hobo's, if anybody want a couple.

I'll also try and bring my Aldi sharpening block so folks can have a gander at it.

Andy

 

[decorum]

What's a slow match ... ?

Basically, slow match might better be called ‘slow fuse’.
Slow match can be lit and used in the same way as char cloth – the benefit over char cloth is that match can be extinguished (on something dry* ) when the ember has been put to the extender.

Slow matches are made by soaking natural fibre cordage/rope in a nitrate solution. Once saturated the cordage is removed and laid flat** somewhere airy until dry.
Speed of burn depends on several things: temperature of solution, length of time immersed, ability of fibres to absorb the solution and the ratio of nitrate to liquid.
Done well, a slow match should burn slowly (4 – 5 inches per hour) and will burn slowly and evenly even in the wind.
Overdosing the cordage makes for a short lived if somewhat impressive, show. Importantly a slow match will take a spark from a ferro rod or flint and steel.

Early slow matches were made using sodium nitrate bad. Unfortunately the nitrate had to be extracted from urine yuck: ) or even worse, from the ... 'liquids' found beneath heaps of manure :yikes: – not a job for someone with a hangover …
Although sodium nitrate is still used, potassium nitrate tends to be more easily available (and apparently absorbs less moisture from the air).


* The ember will be hot, so care needs to be taken when choosing how and where to safely extinguish it!

** High nitrate concentrations cause matches to burn more rapidly - hanging the match to dry causes areas of concentration. This isn’t very efficient and means that you’d need to carry more cordage than you actually require. The excessive nitrate also ‘spits’ more – more important to those who may use match-lock firearms than those in bushcraft scenarios.

 

[decorum]

Quick up date ...

I've agreed with the site that we move the communal area in order to give it a chance to recover after the beating it's taken.

Although parts of the communal area are ok ...

The central bit will take a while to recover.

It might not seem too bad, but it's soft under foot and wouldn't take much to churn it up.


To give us a bit of a change we'll use the area below instead.

As you can see there are plenty of trees to provide easier protection from rain - Oh, how we could have done with that last time .


The next three shots are views taken from the new communal area.

Now for a few pics of paths to and around 11

And finally ...

The all new woodstock trap:

It's well away from 11, but we've all heard him trying to navigate in the dark .

 

[spamel]

Just as a quick point, that area is where the large Tentipi was on the last meet, and where Bernie, Addo and myself where the time before that when we had rook breasts on the griddle for guests to try out! It can smell of stink horns though, so be warned!

 

[decorum]

... that area is where the large Tentipi was on the last meet, and where Bernie, Addo and myself where the time before that ...

We definately have stinkhorns on 11 but I'd not noticed when I've pitched on that bit in the past - do you mean one of the areas in the views from the temp communal area or the communal area itself?