Persuade me to go light?!

[JonathanD]

We didn’t use tins in the military either. Too much noise and the empty tins would make even more racket and be a nightmare to carry out. You’d need to bubble wrap them. Even our own waste we had to bag up, so it was wrap food in clingfilm, including Mars bars etc, or use sachet rat packs.

 

[Erbswurst]

The Germans had in the old times always one pretty big meat tin in the personal rucksack that wasn't allowed to open unless they got a command to do it, called the "iron ration".

Although German personal military equipment was constructed outstanding light they always did schlep the meat tin around, just for psychological reasons (as long as the rucksack was still carried regularly on the back).

That may be one of the reasons why we tried to keep the frontlines on foreign ground. If a Frog or Iwan has to clean up his forest afterwards it's no problem for the German army.

 

[Allans865]

I had a quick look,and there was a British Army opener with MORFED stamped on it,i think it may have been from WW1 .I'm not too sure,but with ration packs as they are now there may not be a reason to have an opener issued.

Like this little guy here you mean? When I joined up in '89 these were in the rat packs, and i've had one on my keys ever since.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[Erbswurst]

Oh, it also drives on the right.

But no! They all, also the others, Americans and Swedish for example, drive on the left! For the Swedish ones I can see the historical reason. But why do the American ones drive on the left?

Only the swiss ones work the correctly continental way round!

 

[Erbswurst]

Does anybody know if the older ones, that cut from inside to outside had been created in Australia?
They are so upside down somehow.

 

[BumblingAlong]

While serving we spent a week in one exercise out and it never went above -25C, -35 in the night. Sleeping in tents though. At -20C one does not need much extra clothing except when standing still for longer periods.

Primitive hunters could use as much spruce boughs as they wanted for insulation, a skin on top of the boughs and a fire in front of a lean to makes for easy sleeping. The lowest I have tried that is about -15C, slept well. Going light is OK but not sleeping well stops you in a few days.

My sleep system is a BA bivvy under a tarp which work fine until the minus 4 dew arrives and dampens the outer layer of the sleeping bag. If there is direct sunlight or a breeze I can dry it during the day. If not the bag stays a bit damp. Any advice on how to avoid or mitigate the -4 UK dew.

 

[TLM]

Any advice on how to avoid or mitigate the -4 UK dew.

The method is getting the surface of the bag (sleeping or bivvy) surface slightly warmer. A small fire works when the tarp is set as a leanto. If the under surface of the tarp is IR reflective, metallized, that tends to raise the temp of anything underneath by a few degrees because of less radiative (?) heat loss, works quite well under a clear sky.

From memory TiO, SnO, and InSnO reflect IR but I don't think any manufacturer is coating their fabrics with those.

 

[Limey Pete]

Many years since I used to be active here, but as I was lurking in the shadows I got provoked by the comments on using a certain weight frying pan was not bushcraft…
Kak man !! Why should a certain weight define what is and what is not bushcraft ??
I grew up in Africa, and my brother and I used to bushwalk either alone, or together with the herdboys. Sometimes we were out for several days at a time with only very basic equipment (blanket, knife, kettie/slingshot and not much more), doing what we all now call bushcraft, although we ourselves did not have a name for it then. Sometimes we cooked directly on the fire, and sometimes in a pot.
A four pound ten ounce frying pan is a piece of cake. On several trips in the bush we used a halfsize (1/2) Falkirk cast iron potjie with a weight of about 8 pounds (I still have the pot, and I just checked), and yes we did carry the blimming thing with us as far as 14-15 km from the nearest gravel road.
That pot was all we had available to use, and yes…we did buy more lightweight stainless steel billycans as soon as we could afford it, but don’t tell me that by using that heavy potjie we were not doing bushcraft.

I have a photo here to prove it, but it seems that I can not post photos directly from my computer, only urls Anyway….with regard to the thread title, my advice will be…..don’t buy a potjie for travelling light…!

Thank you for your support Tvivdr. "Don't carry a potjie for travelling light." A three legged cast iron - minimum weight 3.3 pounds.
Cast iron for travelling light is stupid, but certain people will not accept this.

 

[Limey Pete]

In fact this is the very one. Had it since 1988 and still used as it sits in the kitchen drawer.

View attachment 68949

Yes I have one.

 

[Limey Pete]

The method is getting the surface of the bag (sleeping or bivvy) surface slightly warmer. A small fire works when the tarp is set as a leanto. If the under surface of the tarp is IR reflective, metallized, that tends to raise the temp of anything underneath by a few degrees because of less radiative (?) heat loss, works quite well under a clear sky.

From memory TiO, SnO, and InSnO reflect IR but I don't think any manufacturer is coating their fabrics with those.

Some results of a British examination of the advantage of reflective survival sheets concluded the advantage was no more than 10 percent, and a plastic bag might be just as good.
RAF I think it was.

 

[TLM]

As said one needs a few degrees more in the surface to avoid dew, not to actually increase heat insulation. A different game altogether.

The effect of radiation heat loss depends on the conditions so one just can't say it's effect is 10 %, it's not constant.

 

[Limey Pete]

The method is getting the surface of the bag (sleeping or bivvy) surface slightly warmer. A small fire works when the tarp is set as a leanto. If the under surface of the tarp is IR reflective, metallized, that tends to raise the temp of anything underneath by a few degrees because of less radiative (?) heat loss, works quite well under a clear sky.

From memory TiO, SnO, and InSnO reflect IR but I don't think any manufacturer is coating their fabrics with those.

Well if you have dew on your bag too much heat is escaping, otherwise dew would not form.
The dew forms because of the difference in temperature.

 

[TLM]

The dew forms because of the difference in temperature.

Not true, dew forms on a surface if the temp is below saturation temp.

 

[nigelp]

Not true, dew forms on a surface if the temp is below saturation temp.

Exactly that. Dew often forms of grass because it has an increased surface area and readily cools below the ‘dew’ point of the surrounding air. The water vapour in the air then condenses on the grass as droplet’s

 

[TLM]

Dew often forms of grass because it has an increased surface area and readily cools below the ‘dew’ point of the surrounding air.

Also water evaporating from the blades lowers the temp.

 

[nigelp]

My sleep system is a BA bivvy under a tarp which work fine until the minus 4 dew arrives and dampens the outer layer of the sleeping bag. If there is direct sunlight or a breeze I can dry it during the day. If not the bag stays a bit damp. Any advice on how to avoid or mitigate the -4 UK dew.

I sometimes use a two bag system and no bivvy bag (in a tent or under an enclosed tarp) in those cold damp UK conditions. A 2/3 season down bag with a synthetic over bag or quilt. Moisture in the down bag passes through and into/onto the synthetic bag and any drips and moisture on the synthetic bag don’t have much affect on its performance. The synthetic material dries more readily and is not as affected as down might be and this layering system feels more breathable and less constraining than a bivvy bag. My MYOG quilt can be opened up as a blanket or wrap also. This layering up also means you have options for warmer dryer weather, using the down bag alone, or the synthetic depending on conditions or both together.

 

[TLM]

This layering up also means you have options for warmer dryer weather, using the down bag alone, or the synthetic depending on conditions or both together.

I think that works, I am using an all synthetic bag for moisture reasons though that gives a slight weight penalty.

 

[nigelp]

I think that works, I am using an all synthetic bag for moisture reasons though that gives a slight weight penalty.

I use a good quality down bag that is probably warm to around 5-8° for me (I sleep cold) and my quilt. That weight is comparable to a full on winter down bag.
To keep the weight balanced I carry a cast iron pillow and 42 can openers.

 

[TLM]

To keep the weight balanced I carry a cast iron pillow and 42 can openers.

That is certainly not giving you any unfair advantage.

 

[Tvividr]

Thank you for your support Tvivdr. "Don't carry a potjie for travelling light." A three legged cast iron - minimum weight 3.3 pounds.
Cast iron for travelling light is stupid, but certain people will not accept this.

I am in NO way supporting your claims. You seem to be an expert in only quoting what suits you best, and ignoring the rest. Anyone can figure out that a potjie is not ideal for lightweight travelling, but that was not the point. In another thread and again in this one you stated that taking and using a four pound ten ounce frying pan is not bushcraft, and THAT is what my comment is all about. As for the rest of the kak you are spreading out like a hippo defecating, I have no comment (sorry mods… that is about as politely as I can put it).