Family Faces

The tribe gathers for the hunt:

Brother John rests after stump jumpin at the foot of the moutian. A great time was had by both of us. As it turned out, he took a nice young buck in this area. I can't wait to go again.

Sam, like his Father loves the outdoors. Hiking/Camping/Fishing or Hunting it's all the same to him. This trip was no different. I waiting until 03:30 before waking him, I figured he needed the extra sleep. He did.

Never the less he went along for the ride.

One of our favorite spots over looks a swampy area under the cliff. The rain water running off the mountain keeps this area damp and mossy, quiet and still. It has been a spot used for breeding in the past. A fine scrape kept me returning each season and this one was no different.

With our backs to a friendly rock to break the wind and shadow us from the rising sun, it watches over a convergence in a thin trail. To spite the abundance of tree Nazis (red squirrels) that sound an alarm if you fart off key this is a great spot.

Walking in the forest with your Son is like teaching each other how to lead and follow. Each in his time and at his own pace.

Every Father hopes his son will follow in his foot steps some day in some way. This is a start.

The EYEs Have it.

The Red Gods were not kind to us, no deer hung from our meat pole. Thanks to the PBandJ Gods we survived.

Yumm Yumm Frozen PBnJ


SOFF,

Hunting is very much a solitary pursuit but it started as a tribal event. This is my tribe.



A Beautiful Day to watch the sun move across the forest floor





Walking with Family, sharing the

sights, sounds, smells

and sensations of the forest

We are hunters. The Game eludes us and we respect it for that, never the less we enjoy the hunt. As part of the environment, we touch a piece be it small of our past, a past that still now calls to us to forage, gather and collect meat as we can. But mostly we are hunters.

Stay safe

RJ

WHATS IT GOTS IN ITS POCKETS?

THE BIG COMPROMISE.

I have spent years reading lists of suggested kit and equipment to carry on the camping. I have sat around the table/camp fire/ garage floor comparing gear with friends and fellow campers studying what others bring along.
And to what end? you ask, well none of us wants to carry an ounce more then we need to on a "hiking" trip but some of us are willing to carry the strangest stuff on a camping trip.

Let me state right now and without hesitation, I don't car camp!
I don't partake of camp grounds, I will not PAY for the privilege of laying on the ground. I consider camping near a road (paved or not) to be RVing not camping.

If you are one who partakes of the joys of "motor camping" this site is not for you. The site is called Common Outdoor Skills, changing a flat tire not being on the list.

My camp spots are wild, remote and far from the sanctuary of the car. Therefore I need to carry everything I need with me into the bush.
On occasions as a younger man (a much younger man) I was something of a minimalist. I tried to get along with the absolute thinnest list of kit I could stuff into my pockets. I could move along faster and had fewer back pains but I also didn't rest well and was frequently hungry. I didn't care for that much. Oh I was well versed in the primitive skills necessary to collect-catch and gather sustenance but lets face it, that's a hell of allot of work and is tough on the environment not to mention the manicure.

My pack and its fillings are better appointed these days. No less thought out and a bit heftier but suited to my age, speed, proposed plans and my over sized bulk and last but not least unexpected emergency.

We learn best by trying our gear and how we pack and carry it and modifying our results until a "compromise" is reached.

So if gear is a matter of consideration, test and compromise then lets look at how we justify some items while turning our backs on some others.

FIRE IN YOUR POCKET

MAKING FIRE THE MODERN WAY


Man is the only animal in the forest that can make fire. This puts us in a very unique situation, we gain all the wonders fire makes possible but accept the responsibilities that go along with it.
Fire is our friend simply because we have evolved beyond the thick fur our ancestors had to keep warm, the claws and fangs to rip raw food and the sharp sensitive eyes that hunted in dim light.

Fire allows us to compensate for all these things. It keeps the dark and predators at a distance and gives us a feeling of well being.

I will cover primitive and semi-primitive methods of fire making on another page,
For now, lets take a look at some modern fire making tools.

Starting with the most obvious.



Paper matches have no place in the bush, they are hygroscopic (they absorb water) and fall apart. The flame they produce is both slight and too short lived.
Camp matches such as the BLUE DIAMOND variety you see above are the MINIMUM you should ever carry afield.

The white canister on the lower right contains "LIFE BOAT" matches. More like a miniature flare, these are water and wind proof. If you must use matches..........these are it.

The lighters are pretty straight forward, butane lighters are just too handy and inexpensive not to include in your kit. The rather odd looking lighter on the upper right is a "lighter cover" it uses the exact same lighter you see pictured but has an added sliding "wind screen" for use in bad weather. Dumb looking but it works.

Some thoughts on lighters for your survival kit:

1) Buy lighters with transparent fuel capsules so you can monitor butane consumption.

2) Pick a bright color, if you drop it you'll want to find it.

3) Use one with a child proof safety, not only to protect the kiddies but to help keep the lighter from rubbing against gear in your pack and discharging..............you need it = it's empty.

4) Carry more then one and in different locations, Remember......Pocket/Pack/Paw

More Serious Tools

If you are a frequent wilderness traveler, you will at some point opt for a "Fire Tool".
More often then not a Ferrocerium rod attached to a handle or Magnesium rod/bar or both.
These things are a true survival tool and life saver. Nearly indestructible and capable of producing thousands of lights per unit. Simply running your knife or similar edge across the rod produces a shower of hot sparks..about 1100 degree sparks, that should coax a flame from dray tinder. If not a few shavings from the magnesium rod will easily ignite and burn even hotter. Damp tinder gives birth to flame with a strike or two.



This is a Ferrocerium / Magnesium combo in a Wood handle.
I just love this thing. I added a cut down Sawzall blade with a bit of bright paint and a leash to keep em together.



The Zip Lock contains Dryer Lint............Poof........Fire!

Above.........behold the STRIKE FORCE fire tool by Survival Inc! No Magnesium, just a crap load of Misch Metal / Ferrocerium in a handy plastic unit (with a compartment for tinder) and sporting a built in scrapper.
I've added some reflective tape to the sides of the unit just in case.

These things come in all sorts of handy sizes (I have a small one on my key chain) and colors and are worth the few bucks you'll spend on them. Pick one up, practice with it and rest easy about heat, light, signaling and comfort in the bush.

Remember........be careful with Fire !

Safe Travels
RJ

The White Gas Stove

The Gods gave Man Fire (Lightning from the sky)

Man harnessed Fire and made Steam (burning Wood / Coal)

Steam gave Man Electricity and the power to mass produce other machines even conquer the Atom!

kool huh?

And someplace during all that a man named Coleman invented the white gas lantern and the Gods looked down and knew they had not wasted their time.

It wasn't long after Mr. Coleman's lantern that he came up with the stove. A simple yet nearly perfect device in both form and function. Some men tinker with Coo Coo Clocks, others mess with antique Italian sports cars........me? Stoves.

I buy em at yard sale or E-bay and rebuild them, play with them and take them camping with me. I love taking an old stove that may not have seen use in years and bringing it out for a weekend of fun and food. The stoves, like old Cast Iron Pans just love the attention. The more you use em the better they are.

This page will show some of my favorite camp stoves. maybe they are not the lightest, quietest, koolest new bit of high tech kitchen gear one might posses but they are tough and dependable and in a survival situation they can save your life.

Lets look at some.

These stoves are for camping not carrying.

A 1970 Coleman 502

The Pocket Stove. Used in WWII and Korea

The Duel Gas Stove

These were and are the Classic American Stoves, Known for their reliability and long service life. However, across the pond those pesky European Alpine trekkers were craving hot Espresso and Tea and they had a few good ideas about how to get the job done.

Some really great gas Stoves were coming out of Germany and Switzerland and England.

Names like Optimus ,Primus and Svea were making reputations for the same reliability.

And earning it the hard way...........at altitude!

Not all American stoves have been what you might call a good idea, some were just dumb. As an example I present the gelled fuel stove. Stinky, slow cooking and heavy cans of gel, you needed allot.

Please note that I am a collector and this item is merely one of the many types of cooking kits I have found over the years, not something I'd place much stock in.

This will keep your pouched fish warm but not cook a meal in a wind.

This Coleman "Heat Drum" design was offered for a while but never really caught on. A 502 was marketed as the answer to the campers prayer, hot food and warm hands. I still see a few of these on frozen lakes each year, Ice fishermen like the idea.

This is a European Army mess kit complete with Alcohol Stove.

It's not a bad set up but to really "Cook" a meal requires much fuel as Alcohol burns cooler then Gas. They also hate the wind thus the wind screen.

Now the winners of the best all round Hiking, Camping, Survival Stove....in my Opinion.

The Coleman "PEAK 1" Series Multi Fuel Stove!
Burns white gas, Automotive Gas, Kerosene. if this thing runs out of fuel just pull over to a station or farm (or friendly neighbor's tank) and fill up. No canisters-Bottles or gels. No worries about Cold or Altitude or the tank not being full enough to pressurize. Just cook with it and keep it clean!
It's light enough to carry anyplace Horizontally or Vertically and puts out plenty of BTUs even in a wind. These are tough stoves, built to handle the work load. I'd trust my life to them anytime. And for all you "cartridge stove whiners".......yes they do simmer, so piss off!

Try one
Safe Travels
RJ

SAWS and AXES

The BIG jobs call for the BIG tools

Honestly, I seldom carry a saw or axe. Having the right type of belt knife might just make that unnecessary. However if you are set up in a remote area and plan on being there for an extended period of time then to not have one if not both of these tools is planning to do things the hard way.

I own a bow saw or two, a Hudson bay axe and a stout hatchet. All seldom used.




Fixed Pruning Saw



Small Bow Saws





If you have ever seen any of the old outdoor life books printed for the outdoors men of the 1950's you'll notice that there was always some Norman Rockwell type picture on the cover of a white man with hat tipped back on his head plaid shirt selves rolled up (as well as pant cuffs..whats with that?)
and holding an axe........was this guy a hunter? a camper? Lumber Jack?

I'm not sure but one thing was certain, outdoors men carried axes! youbetcha!

It was just the way things were back then, trees were always going to be in our great forests and in enumerable amounts so chop away old boy, build that fire or fence or cabin, lake side dock, tool shed to keep your axe in.


Today we know that was a dream that could not last. Trees like people need space and when people need more space the trees suffer first. felling trees is just unnecessary and wasteful to the causal camper. It should never be done.

My favorite "large" tool is the pruners saw. If I must use wood thicker then my belt knife can handle then this saw does a truly excellent job.



Inexpensive to boot.
Lite and portable and can cut through a six inch log without too much effort.


I, like most outdoors men today visit the wilderness, I don't live there. I don't need "permanent" shelter. I wont be building corals for live stock or a barn for feed, my axe is seldom used. Even the Hatchet has seen little use but I own them and know how to use them just in case.

We are taught to make efficient and economical fire sets when ever we camp. We use the same fire rings whenever possible and only use wood from the forest floor. This is a long way indeed from our axe toting friend on the cover of the book. We love and enjoy the forest as much as he ever did but we understand better now that these things are finite and we are the stewards of the forests and all wild places.

Big tools have their place, have them and learn how to safely use them in case a survival situation presents itself and you must build (semi) permanent shelter. For week end camping or two week vacation along the A.T. perhaps...leave em home.

On to the Survival tool. I hesitate to call these things knives, their just too big to be a knife.


When Crocodile Dundee said "Now that's a knife" he should have said "Now that's a big heavy chopper/cutter misfit of a tool". These things are small wonders and practically useless all at the same time. Too big to be a knife too small to be an axe/machete. In its search to be all things it does none of them very well.


In the movie CASTAWAY, Tom Hanks opens coconuts with an ice skate....Kool.

I guess I would too if that's all I had (with my luck, I'd have roller skates) but that's just the way you should look at survival tools.....not as good as the tool you should be using but it's all you have.




Sawback on the Ontario


Ontario Survival Machete






I've never seen one with a sawback that was worth a damn, yet they all tout the uses of the survival saw........poor designs at best. The Bowie styles are not bad for chopping under brush or killing hostiles but useless for real work. The thick and heavy slab sided ones claim to be good for prying and digging......not! they are too short or brittle for both jobs, like the Bowie they do one thing well.....chop!


What makes the perfect survival tool? Easy answer, it doesn't exist.


In order for you to have the perfect tool you would need to know what the terrain and vegetation was in the area you're traveling.
(Guatemala = machete / Canadian Rockies = axe) it's hard to say but what I can say with certainty is no one tool will ever do it all.....at least not well.


It turns out that the best BIG tool may not be a big tool at all. If you know what you're doing you can use a "Tool Seed".....

A WHAT? A tool seed is a tool that makes other tools. The Swiss Army knife for instance is a tool seed. It does some jobs itself but can aid in cutting, clipping and bending other things into tools. Didn't you ever see Macgyver ? Swiss army knife and some steel wool and he'd make you a Coffee pot or a Volvo or a helicopter or a time machine...........whatever.

You understand.



Swiss Army

Leatherman Multi Tool






Today we have the Multi tools....The Leatherman tool will go down in history as the tool of the working man, knocking the Swiss Army off it's pedestal forever.





The modern survival tool from which other tools come......................




Safe Travels


RJ

Basic Ice Tools

Other then Trekking poles and walking sticks the only other tools of forward motion I will occasionally use is ice tools.

Without making too much out of it, they simply consist of a walking (standard) axe and a good set of crampons.







A Smaller "second" Ice Axe might be carried if the rock features are steep but is usually not required.

Both are useful for self arrest.


Safe Travels

RJ