Cheap can stove

I was out for a wander yesterday evening contemplating Bush Buddy stoves when a flash of inspiration hit me. Bush Buddies are quite expensive and are prone to damage if not looked after (V keeps his in its wooden box). What about a simple dirt cheap design for a wood stove?

Materials list:

• Tin can (preferably clean)
• file
• cutting tool

Mark a series of crosses near the top and bottom of the can. These are for the holes for air intake and fume exit. Mark a largish rectangle lengthways near the top. I advise against cutting out the rim around the top so that the stove is more structurally sound.

Cut out the holes by pushing your cutting tool through along the lines you made.

Remember to file down any sharp edges, having to dig out a first aid kit sucks plus blood makes a mess.

Fill with twigs and small sticks the same way as the Bush Buddy, light and sit your pot on top. Voila! A cheap reusable wood powered stove.

The stove didn’t turn out as well as I hoped it would. Went out a lot and had to be rekindled. Also took a while to get water up to any sort of heat. Still, for the price it can’t be beat.

Anti-Hypothermia Brew

Just come across a nice recipe of sorts to help stay warm in the bush in winter.

Fill a thermos with:

• hot cocoa
• a stick of cheese
• tablespoon of butter

Sugar, fat and some protein, perfect.

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BCNW-O1 bushcraft knife

A good bushcrafter and survivalist will always depend on one item above all others, the knife. Knives have many useful applications, indeed many tasks are either very difficult or impossible to perform without a knife.

After a small amount of consideration after reading some reviews and watching videos I decided to get Bushcraft Northwest’s BCNW-O1 knife. I am not a knife guru at all (this is my second knife) but I love it to bits.

Mike, the proprietor of the store, is a very cool guy, keeping me updated throughout the transaction and even attempted to get the shipping lower. Excellent customer service, go buy something from him.

I cannot go much further without a criticism of the delivery people. USPS and Parcelforce, you suck. 4 days to cross the atlantic, WTF?! Also, HM Customs, die. Die you thieving bastards. Charging me import duty and VAT, for what? So the government gets to fund things I do not agree with? Again, die. Parcelfarce can also die for their clearance fee.

Vitriol off.

I was surprised at the weight of the knife. Heavier than I thought. Does have a lot of steel though. 3.9mm full tang. Fits in my hand wonderfully. I especially like the thumb scallops, great idea Mike.

I also love the scandi grind that the knife has. Most knifes I have seen have 2 bevels which makes sharpening more difficult in my opinion. The scandi grind makes sharpening very easy, just put the whole bevel on the stone and go.

The leather sheath is also very nice. Seems to be very strong and holds the knife securely. The firesteel holder also holds my firesteel snugly. Neither are likely to come out without direct effort to do so.

I do have a criticism of the sheath though. Due to me being a gear whore, I like the functionallity and appearance of PALS webbing. The sheath does not feature that and I think it would make a great addition, of course being leather, this would be difficult.

Due to the lack of PALS, I put a loop of paracord through the belt loop and suspend the knife on a carabiner.

Aside from that fault, the whole package is very nice. A joy to use. Still need to give it a proper workout and a proper razor sharp edge but soon I will be in the bush having fun.

Throwing stuff out leads to new stuff getting bought

I have managed to shift a few of the books that I have offered, however more have come in to replace them. Why must Amazon be easy to buy from?

Three books arrived today with one still to come. I got Bushcraft by Mors Kochanski and the Collins Gem SAS Survival Guide as well as the 9th Trinity Blood manga. Bushcraft and the SAS book are packed with good info for out in the bush and should I need to abandon civilization, these books will be packed, no question about it.