Off again
Off for another jaunt to London to see Avagdu, Peekok and V for fun and games. Staying at the Thameside YHA hostel. Internet access will be minimal if at all so best way to get a hold of me is call/text/tweet me.
Catch ya on the flip side
London Invasion Pack List
All packed up for the imminent R4nger5 invasion of London to meet up with Avagdu. Squeezed a bunch of stuff into my 5.11 Rush 24 (proably too much thanks to the huge sleeping bag).
Front Left flap pouch:
- Nikon Coolpix S220 digital camera
Front Right flap pouch:
- Microfibre cloth
- Buff
- Grimloc carabiner on outside with boonie attached
Bottom front compartment:
- Notebook
- Nature and Walking by Emerson and Thoreau
- Bushcraft by Mors Kochanski
- R4nger5 Campaign Log 1 (may donate it to the 56a Infoshop)
- Pens, pencil and permanent marker
- Paracord on a carabiner
- Map of central London (which will be replaced with a proper one)
- Hair brush with hair ties
- Tissues
Strapped to the bottom is my self inflating mat. Top zip pouch has my sunglasses.
Main compartment
- Hygiene kit
- Towel
- British Army sleeping bag (which is far too heavy and bulky) Poncho liner (aka ranger blanket) and another synthetic blanket
- 2 changes of clothes (including Rant 10th anniversary shirt)
- EeePC and charger
- Crappy inflatable pillow
- Avagdu’s goodie bag
Whole lot is fairly heavy (22.4 pounds, less now that the sleeping bag has been removed), hopefully I won’t have to carry it around for long. Will be dumping the main compartment contents at Sloe’s place where we are crashing for the event. Grabbing the 9.55 am National Express train to London King’s Cross, arriving at about 15:50 if all goes to plan. Meeting with Avagdu the next day and then home the day after that. Repeat in August. Gonna be an accomplished nomad one of these years.
R4nger5 Meet Pack List
On body:
- Well worn boots
- Keys and wallet
- Watch
- Paracord wrapped around right wrist
- Beltline kit (will go over this at a later date)
- Nikon Coolpix S220 camera
- Buff
WebTex PLCE bergen:
- Lid:
- Bushcraft by Mors Kochanski
- Collins Gem SAS Survival Guide
- Notebook and pens
- Paracord
- Baggie of cotton balls
- Baggie of birch bark
- Front pocket:
- 1000/6000 grit combination stone and nagura stone (not got anything smaller)
- Folding spade (normally wouldn’t bring this but will be trying a dakota fire hole)
- Main chamber:
- Section of foam camp mat to act as a seat
- 2 days of clothes, swim shorts, some sort of acrylic beanie style hat, boonie hat
- Caldera cone cooking system
- MSR Titan Titanium 900ml pot with Culinary Upgrade Bag and utensils
- Folding saw
- Hygiene kit:
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Soap
- Shampoo
- Towel
- Loo Roll
- UK Army sleeping bag and DD Hammocks silk liner
- Tarp for poncho floor
- Poncho and ties
- Possibles Pouch (will also go over this later)
- First aid kit
- Inflatable pillow
- Food (cans, clif bars, trail mix)
Between the lid and main compartment is my self inflating roll mat. External to the pack is my french army 2 man tent which is far too heavy. Unfortunatly my Kifaru Paratarp won’t have arrived by the time of the meet. When it does finally come, the heavy (5.2kg, 11.4lbs) canvas will be replaced with 11 grams of silnylon (yay!). I’m bringing both the tent and my poncho so I can experiment with the poncho while having a known adequate shelter. Lashed through the tiny amount of webbing is my trainers so I can go for a run while at the site.
Unconventional Investments
Edit: Avagdu let me know of some other stuff that could be worth looking at.
Been talking with V on the R5nger5 IRC channel (irc.freenode.net #r4nger5, come say hi) and the conversation drifted to investments. Various things were discussed which I will go over here.
Traditionally, investing is usually done with stocks or commodities. the problem with stocks is that they don’t really exist (money these days doesn’t really exist either, its what is known as fiat money which means that it is only worth what the state says it is worth and is backed up by people’s faith in the state but that’s something that can be discussed later). Gold is done in more or less the same way but there is (supposedly) a real tangible substance being held in trust.
The problem with that is you don’t get to hold it in your hand so its not really yours. If things go tits up with the company that you have given money to then your money could disappear.
Getting physical gold is also problem. An ingot is pretty damn expensive. Also, you need someplace to store it securely. Another big problem is in a SHTF situation. You will have to take that gold with you. Gold is heavy and doesn’t really do much. You would be better off in the short term with using the space and weight for food and water. If you can securely store your gold in a bug-out location that would be best.
This brings me on to the main focus. Investments should be functional and reliable as well as 100% under your control.
Wogs and r4nger5 know the importance of kit. Kit enables you to carry out tasks and can augment your skills. Getting good kit that will last a while is a great investment. I suggest getting a good knife (many tasks can be done with one). Pig Monkey suggests a backpack and a good pair of boots.
I made the suggestion of wog laminated maps. The ground does not change appreciably on a year to year basis so a good set of maps should last you at least a decade. For those who don’t know, wog lamination is where you take clear packing tape (or other clear strong tape) and cover both sides of the object resulting in a waterproof and tear resistant object. You also have the bonus of being able to write on the map with a pen or china pencil and wipe it off later.
Rechargeable batteries are also an idea. Every day there are more and more electronics coming out and they need power somehow. The majoirity of them are powered by batteries. Rechargeable batteries have the advantage of being reusable, you can hook them up to a solar panel or a small wind turbine and get power for your stuff in the field. The green-ness could also be a consideration. I suggest standardising on one size (or as few sizes as possible) to keep flexibility. AA size batteries are good for size and power output though getting a few leisure batteries could be useful in a more permanent (or less temporary) base. There is a caveat however. Rechargeable batteries have a limited time before the chemicals go bad and they fail to hold a decent charge. Consider them short term investment and don’t store them, use them.
Depending on how paranoid (or concerned) you are about your water supply, some sort of filter is also a wise choice. Folk are putting very bad things in the water these days, fluoride, lithium and there are prescription drugs detected in places.
Highly taxed goods such as tobacco and alcohol may be useful to barter/trade with though tobacco has a shelf life and isn’t as useful as alcohol.
Shelf stable foodstuffs are another valuable asset. Items such as grains, dried and canned food are easy to store and you will thank yourself for preparing if/when civilization collapses.
I would recommend also investing in skills. Even though they are intangible, the results of them can be used to improve your living and even gain regular employment. Getting a driving license is one that immediately comes to mind.
Just some ideas I’m putting out there. If anyone has any other suggestions please feel free to comment.
R4nger5 meet in June
V has informed me that there will be a R4nger5 meet at Rough Hey Wood campsite over the third weekend in June (20/21st). Details are still to be worked out but I believe the usual procedure of turn up on the Thursday or Friday and leave on Sunday or Monday.
Usual activities of bushcraft, drinking and music will take place, hopefully with filming as well. Also, seeing as it is in June, the weather should be much better than last time.
I will be driving down as per usual, if anyone in the central belt of Scotland wants a lift, contact me.
Be there or be sane.
Home Early
I got back from the R4nger5 meet yesterday. The weather was utter crap so I decided to bail, along with APIPA and Geddonia. Had wind, hail and rain, the ground was a bog and the whole thing was generally unplesant. Not to say that I didn’t have fun, enjoyed meeting new folks but the weather ruined the meet in my opinion.
Put my Caldera Cone though its paces and it performed really well. Managed to heat up my food with no difficulty (burned my macaroni cheese though) and used very little fuel (Especially considering I use too much).
Bought a stick of Swedish firesteel from Sloe which seems to work well. Gonna need to get a better knife for sparking with though, something with a high carbon content. Preferably a fixed blade suitable for bushcraft etc.
The first night I used my foam camp mat which is utter crap. coupled with a lack of pillow made for a very poor nights sleep. The next day I got a couple of pillows from Tesco and sold one to Jason as well as used the inflatable mattress I keep in my car. Made for a much better sleep. I now have a Gelert self inflating mattress suitable for camping with but have not tested it properly. It is quite comfy to lie on the floor though.
My experimental modular system wasn’t tested properly either but I’m thinking of abandoning it. The camp mat is getting chucked and the new mattress is too big. My tent is also too big and bulky (not to mention heavy, canvas is a bitch). Wanting to get a Kifaru ParaTipi but I need some serious cash for that ($507 USD is about £354). Anyone want to donate to the “Buy Kevin a decent light tent” fund?
Summary: cool people, shit weather, some shit kit. There is hopefully gonna be another one around easter weekend when the weather is better.
Going to Leeds, BRB
I’m off for the R4nger5 meet. Will be back at some point on Sunday.
Might post updates depending on battery/bandwidth. Call/text me if you need anything. Those without my number, try emailing me for it.
R4nger5 invasion of London EDIT: dates changed
Just received word that my good friend Avagdu is gonna be in London on the 17th of July and the 2nd of August. I have tentative plans to meet up and do stuff, all who wish to come are more than welcome.
The idea is to find out where he is staying and book a couple nights in a cheap hotel nearby for each day he is in London. Alternativly, if there are folk willing to put up with us, we could crash somewhere.
Plans are subject to change and are pre-alpha at best.
Trail Designs Caldera Stove for MSR Kettle
Warning: I can’t take decent pictures, expect blurryness and poor focus.
Last week I ordered a new stove system from Winwood Outdoor which arrived today. I am pretty surprised at how light the system is, the box weighed less than a box of cereal. Nice to see they recycle as well.
The MSR titan pot is nothing special in my opinion. Pretty standard affair for camping with the exception that it is made from titanium which makes it incredibly light.
The main part of the system packs down very small, fits in my hand.
Due to my lack of reading comprehension, I never noticed that the system came with a stove so I ordered another one by mistake. Not a huge deal, means I can loan/sell it to someone, plus a bit of redundancy in cooking is never a bad thing. Besides, its light (notice a theme here?). The extra stove also came with its own measuring cup which is a bonus.
The fuel bottle is pretty simple, squeezy plastic with a squirt nozzle. Apparently has enough capacity for a 5 day hike. Will have to test that at the upcoming R4nger5 meet.
The Caldera Cone itself surprised me a little. I assumed it came as 2 parts but it is only one. Also seems a bit flimsy to me. I initially thought that it was made of titanium but the manual says aluminium.
When the pot is inserted into the cone it becomes a lot more stable and the pot is pretty easy to insert/remove.
I got this system after reading Pig Monkey’s review on a similar system that he got. My system differs in that I have a different pot so the cone specs will be different, there are no pegs for wood burning (easily sorted) and it didn’t come with an esbit burner (again easily sorted, I have a surplus of aluminium in my garage).
I theorise that with some minor modification, the system could be made to work with a gas burner, increasing the eventual fuel options to 4 (wood, alcohol, esbit and gas).
Bush Bag
Last night I had an idea. Might not be any good, lemme know what you think.
Following the line of thought shown by SKTFM in the Patrolling series’, different bags for different tasks, I came up with what I call the Bush Bag.
Basically, it is a bag that contains everything you need to survive in the bush. The idea is to take a small bag, something like a Maxpedition Fatboy Versipack or similar in OD green or camo of your choosing and fill it with stuff you would need in a forest. Good bushcraft knife, plenty of paracord, some tarps for shelter, cooking gear, firelighting stuff and a first aid kit geared towards burns and cuts. The only stuff it would need is food and water, as well as a couple changes of clothes, but that can be in another bag.
Keep it in, strapped to or near your AWOL bag, that way if you need it you always know where it is. The idea is to have a modular system so you have all the kit for a particular task/situation in one place. Plus it theoretically makes packing easier.
I have done some mental calculations and I think all this would fit in my fatboy. Will give it a shot next time I’m going camping.
