Suffolk Bushcraft Group
- Thread starter Big Stu 12
- Start date
Been there, seen it, watched videos etc. but at the mo I'm only going to carry it for about 1/2mile from the car to the woods, so easy access is more useful than perfect pack balance. That's assuming there is no room in the 4x4s. 
I'd be more careful if I was going far.
I'd be more careful if I was going far.
on mine I have, stove, pots and pans knives and toys in one, food and water in the other. Fak, fire kit, hygiene kit in top, and the rest in the main bag. I have added extra pockets to the top of the side pouches, only an inch or so, so I can put wallet, keys and phone in them and don't have to dig around in the top pocket when back at car or in emergency. these extra pockets I made from a pair of sacrificial side pouches, I cut around the donor ones just below the zip and sewed them on to the other ones, a pig of a job but worth it in the end
Yeah Endicotts are nice guys to deal with, Emailed them about the Vulcans. they have run out but got some more on the way, but only sizes 2 and 3....
Sounds like a good plan. i may try my usual of putting the valuable bits in a bright coloured drybag for the weekend, and look at modding it once I've got used to it.
I've got a very long back about 64 cm according to the burghaus size chart I really need a size 4.. I have a Short Back Bergan now and its not that good, does the job but hey ho... it was a cheap find .
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Thats a nice mod seen it done a few times, shame its not done as standard, I Know RVOP's do it as an Option... I still wondering about going to Dragon and having one made to my spec's.....
Been thinking about making a rucksack myself as well.
I have seen RVops and nearly had a fit at what they charge to stitch a zip to the bag. I initially thought it would have to be stitched through the main bag but it does not, the zips will be stitched on to the flaps that cover the existing side pouch zips and as they are external makes the whole job a heck of a lot easier as there is bugger all on tv tonight I might make a start, I don't need the Vulcan for another 2 weeks.
as there is bugger all on tv tonight I might make a start, I don't need the Vulcan for another 2 weeks.
Thats waht I thought when I saw it.....yeah its about £25 to £30 extra......at least by going through the flaps they are not doing the proofing on the main sack.
I hiked from my house to one of my permissions... only to find the entire area submerged in about 4-5" of water (still hasn't dried up since the flooding). So I hiked from there, through part of Tunstall Forest, around a farmer's field, and about a mile down a road to another of my permissions between Orford and Iken.
Arrived there around 7PM, pitched up, made dinner, then turned in for the night.
Woke up around midnight gagging, sat up and threw up all over my groundsheet (just missed my sleeping bag). My stomach wouldn't settle at all after that, so quite quickly (having cleaned up the mess) I packed up and hiked home. Was home by 1:30AM. Would've probably made it home a lot earlier if I hadn't had to have kept diving into the woodlands to eject from one end or the other.
Not one of my better trips, that's for sure.
I can list it all:
- Snugpak Elite 5 sleeping bag (my usual)
- DD Small (2013 version) Tarp (1.8m by 2.8m) which makes a great lean-to ground shelter.
- Therm-A-Rest XTherm inflating mat (by far the warmest and most comfortable I've had, though also the most expensive so swings and roundabouts I guess)
- Light merino blanket
- Inflating pillow
- MSR DragonFly stove and ~300ml bottle of fuel
- Sausages, bacon, buns and small bottle of home-made ketchup.
- Couple of pieces of my "Hudson Bay Bread"
- Beef jerky (I try to always take some out with me, a great relief if the night gets cold)
- Peanuts (again, great relief to have on colder nights)
- Spare pair of socks (I always take them)
- My new Alu/Titanium frying pan (had to try it out, it's a great bit of kit)
- My new Opinel Inox knife (dedicated for food prep)
- Knife, fork, spoon
- Tatonka cup
- Camelbak bladder
- Sawyer Mini Filter (to reverse-fill the bladder, went through quite a bit of water during the hike so this was quite handy)
- Trekking poles (as you know, my back is a wreck, plus gives me easy options for pitching the tarp wherever I end up and wherever I find flat-ish ground to sleep on)
- Med kit
- My survival pouch (which I take everywhere anyway)
- Knife, folding saw, crook (as always)
I also had my GoPro, it's batteries, mounts etc... but not in the Peli Case. They were in my new pack, and don't actually take up much space at all, despite how large the Peli Case is.
Oh and my Mrs had tucked an umbrella into the side of my bag, which wasn't necessary but fair enough.
Amazing how little weight there is once you remove the large tarp, the hammock and underquilt. Largest weight was the Camelbak of water (at a shade over 3KG full). By the time I got to my pitch that was down to about 1KG (I'd drunk two-thirds of my water).
Despite the ending, I really enjoyed the trip. It's really nice to hike the entire way rather than driving up. Covered a significant distance (albeit the majority of that I need not have traveled had I known it was flooded out prior to setting off). It was also nice plotting a route and sticking to it, rather than being lazy and following the roads all the way. Didn't lose my bearings even when it got dark, so at least I haven't lost my edge when it comes to navigation skills.
Just wish my gut hadn't decided to play up on me... I was looking forward to shooting some video of the new kit in action (especially the new pack) Guess that'll have to wait until next weekend now.
EDIT: Forgot to mention:
- Toilet paper
- Scourer, towel and dish soap
- Small pack of antibacterial wipes (which came in handy cleaning up the mess on my groundsheet)
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Sorry to here you didn't feel well Simon.
Today I thought I better put my boots on and go for a walk, I would really like to do the challenge from Melton Station but as I'm very unfit I'm bit concerned I would not be able to manage it. I had a good briskish walk through Rendlesham forest for 3 hours, thoroughly enjoyed it and felt fine but I'm going to need to get some proper walking boots or something as I could feel my feet moving around in my boots too much. I reckon with a fully loaded pack I would struggle. Still I've got some time to try and get my fitness up a bit before the challenge.
I cant believe the state of Rendlesam Forest....... there are trees down all over the place since the high winds, looks like its going to take ages to clear up.
Today I thought I better put my boots on and go for a walk, I would really like to do the challenge from Melton Station but as I'm very unfit I'm bit concerned I would not be able to manage it. I had a good briskish walk through Rendlesham forest for 3 hours, thoroughly enjoyed it and felt fine but I'm going to need to get some proper walking boots or something as I could feel my feet moving around in my boots too much. I reckon with a fully loaded pack I would struggle. Still I've got some time to try and get my fitness up a bit before the challenge.
I cant believe the state of Rendlesam Forest....... there are trees down all over the place since the high winds, looks like its going to take ages to clear up.
Yes, I'll be bringing it to the meet. Not going to give anything away until then though
No... definitely not. In all honesty I didn't feel well on Friday either, but I thought it was just one of those 24 hour stomach bugs as I'd felt fine on Saturday morning before I left. Still feel a bit funny today, though... and had to force myself to eat. We'll see if it kicks off again.
