Jon's Exmoor Bushcraft Blog

Paperback writer.....

2008-07-23T10:46:00.003Z

Well not quite! I have just had an article published in the Bushcraft & Survival Skills magazine on tracking. This is the first of many (I hope) and I think it looks good - even though I say so myself.

I really recommend you go out and buy the magazine because it is full of great articles, pictures and me (only kidding). Follow this link if you want to see my humble offering - tracking article and choose tracking.pdf.

Hope you like it!

Lifesaver Water Bottle (Part 1)

2008-07-02T11:15:00.008Z

As promised, a first look at the incredible Lifesaver Water Bottle. This bottle may not be the most elegant of beasts but it is probably the most important invention to hit the survival/bushcraft market in recent years. It is a highly significant evolution in portable water purification systems. You may think this all sounds a bit OTT, perhaps it is, but the bottom line is that this is an awesome piece of kit, taking water purification to new heights.

In an earlier post (The OS Outdoor show aftermath) I mentioned meeting the inventor of the bottle, Michael Pritchard. A very nice chap whom I gave a rather hard time over the design and the principles of the system. He graciously answered all my questions and after 3 days I became convinced about the concept.

So, I put my money where my mouth was and bought one! So far, I have only primed the bottle because I had to give it to someone else for a trip to Russia and have only just received my replacement. Anyway, overall, the bottle is very easy to use but does take a little getting used to. The bottle comes with a fitted activated charcoal filter as well as a spare, a spare teat, a strap, a small pot of lubricant and an instruction manual. It is important to follow the priming instructions before you use the bottle in anger, so to speak. I did find that tap water still had a taint after the priming process so I just repeated the last stage another 5 or 6 times to lessen this - no doubt more use will reduce it totally.

To fill the bottle is simplicity itself. Unscrew the bottom, ensure the filter is covering the water inlet hole (this just removes large debris like leaves) and scoop up the water, screw the bottom back on, give it a couple of quick pumps and drink! It is a very fast process. You use your teeth to pull up the drinking teat and also to close it and you can literally start drinking it after pumping. The pumping process does pressurise the water meaning it will squirt out quite vigourously at first. This did catch me by surprise the first time I used it and I nearly choked! So be warned. It does mean that the bottle can be used at any angle (see picture below). That's not me in the picture by the way!

The beauty of this system is that there are no chemicals used in the purification process. It is all done through filtration. Speaking of filtration, it is still a good idea to pre-filter your water if it is very dirty. The only reason being that your filter will last longer! You can scoop up the nastiest, dirtiest water you like (except sea water) and the bottle will deal with it in its stride but it is always a good idea to choose the cleanest looking water you can find - no point in lessening the life of your investment unnecessarily, is there?

I will post another short review later when I have used the bottle in earnest. There is a full review of the bottle in the Bushcraft & Survival Skills magazine along with other water treatment systems. I'm not going to tell you what it says because you need to go off and buy the magazine and read it for yourself!

Go out and buy one - you know you want to!

bushcraft water survival lifesaver

Still alive!!!!

2008-06-24T19:05:00.003Z

That says it all really! I'm still here but have been outrageously busy with some of my other work. It keeps the money coming in but it hasn't done much for my outdoor life.

I'm also working on a bit of a project at the moment. At the moment I can't say much about it - it will involve another website and a rather radical departure from my normal day to day activities (though still bushcrafty in its nature). Soon as I have something to show I'll post up links here.

I'm off again with work tomorrow for a week and a half - this time to Barcelona for 5 days then Thurock (of all places for 3 days immediately afterwards). This is the kind of thing that has kept me away from the blog! Having said that I do now have my Lifesaver Bottle and will be doing a preliminary review in the very near future - I know, I know I said that before and it has taken me 3 months to get this far.

Right, until then - see you later!

The OS Outdoor show aftermath

2008-03-17T10:51:00.003Z

Don't get me wrong, it was a great three days but I am glad it is now over! It was quite tiring standing up all day, under artificial light, getting slowly dehydrated by the heating system. Well worth it though!

I must say a big thank you to the guys on the Bushcraft and Survival Skills magazine stand for their hospitality and friendliness. They are a good bunch of people. You really should go and buy their magazine, you know.

I have no idea how many people came to the show this year but we were all very busy on the Saturday and Sunday. Friday was a lot quieter but we still had a good number of folk come and listen to the talks and demos.

As for kit....what can I say? There was loads of great gear around and I surpised myself by not buying much at all. Well sort of not buying...! I did buy a headtorch which I will review in a later post. I tried to buy a jacket but they didn't have my size so I will have to order that in the next couple of days (at show price I hasten to add) and I tried to buy a water purification system but that is on back order now.

I must tell you about the Lifesaver Bottle. We had the inventor of this system on the stand for the three days, Michael Pritchard. I will admit that I was initially very skeptical about the product but the more I spoke to him (well, interogated him more like) about it, the more I liked it. The product does exactly what it says on the tin. It is the only filtration system that does not require pre- or post- processes on the water, it also does not use any chemicals within it. A fantastic bit of kit!

The upshot is that I am willing to spend the money on it as I believe it will be worth every penny. Once I get my hot little hands on it I shall do a more comprehensive review of it.

Well I'm off to do some more work - no rest for the wicked, eh! Look out for my next reviews and if you got to the show, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

The Ordnance Survey Outdoor Show

2008-03-10T09:39:00.006Z

Due to circumstances beyond my control (only kidding), I am going to be attending the The Outdoor Show this week.

Myself and a couple of other guys are going to be covering the Shadowhawk part of the show because Max is off filming again. We are going to be attached to the Bushcraft and Survival Magazine stand.

I'm going to be there for the duration and will be giving a couple of short talks on each day. The rest of the time will be spent, either at the stand, or having a little wander around the show looking for goodies to buy!

Drop by and say hi if you are passing. Hope to see you there!

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Frog Spawn

2008-03-10T09:23:00.004Z

A couple of weeks ago I was taking a walk in one of my local woodlands. Strolling along one of the tracks, I came across this in one of the puddles:

frog spawn!

I was a little surprised to see so much of it, in so many puddles! I thought it was very early for such behaviour but clearly not for my local frogs. I shall be visiting the woods again soon to see how they are fairing. There might be lots of amphibian tracks to see soon!

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Search and Rescue

2008-02-11T17:30:00.000Z

On Saturday I had the great pleasure in helping Max (Shadowhawk) teach two very short man tracking 'masterclasses' to Search and Rescue personnel over at Pinkery Field Centre.

We had some guys and girls from the local Exmoor SAR as well as from Devon and Cornwall and elsewhere. We had absolutely splendid weather and the tracking was very good; helped by the low winter sun. As is often the case with these things I played the 'missing person' which can be fun. This time round it was lovely because I tucked myself behind a wall, in the sun, admiring the view. Bliss.

Before I got tracked down by the team I got caught up in another excercise with the SAR dogs! Their training ex involved another 'missing person' who had coincidentally camped out on the other side of the wall to where I was. This meant that my peacefully reverie was shattered by an inquisitive SAR dog bounding in my general direction until it had worked out that I was not the smelly person he was after. Still it was great to see them in action.

Anyway, everyone seemed very pleased with the tracking taster and enjoyed themselves. As we said to them, tracking will never replace their search skills but it can give them an extra tool to use, as and when they need it.

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Oystercatcher tracks?

2008-02-06T11:35:00.000Z

I was down on a fairly remote beach the other day, not far from Lynton, and came across these tracks. They are very faint but I think that they belong to an Oystercatcher. Granted I'm not 100% sure but pretty confident.

One reason why I'm confident that it is Oystercatcher is from the bill probings along side the tracks as well as the overall size and shape of the tracks themselves. It is of course possible that it is another probing wader such as Redshank but my gut is saying Oystercatcher at the moment.

Even a simple walk on the beach can turn up really interesting challenges!

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Sparrowhawk kill site

2008-02-06T11:14:00.000Z

In a previous post I talked about a fox kill (Fox and chicken just don't go) and how the ends of feathers were chewed.

Well a few weeks ago I came across a Sparrowhawk kill. A totally different affair to dear old foxy!

For starters, Sparrowhawks tend to pluck and eat the breast, sometimes decapitating the prey as well (see above). The plucking is such that the feathers are pulled out in their entirety and do not have that chewed effect. Unfortuneatley, I only had my phone camera with me and I couldn't get a good enough picture of the feather base. It is also common to find fine score marks on the feather shaft where the Sparrowhawk has grabbed the feather and pulled it out. Great stuff!

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Layering Clothing for Comfort and Survival Part Four

2008-01-17T09:25:00.000Z

In this, the last installment on layering your clothing, I briefly look at the outer layer and those for the heads, fingers and toes!

The outer layer is the barrier to wind, rain and snow. The basic waterproof achieves its waterproofness through lamination, with greater repellency being achieved by heavier lamination. This hampers the fabric’s ability to breath. Greater breathability generally means less waterproof. Modern laminates provide an excellent compromise between breathability and repellency. Any waterproof should have sealed seams. This reduces leakage at the seams through the needle holes where the thread passes through.

Extremities

As your core body temperature begins to drop, the body naturally starts to shunt more blood to the vital organs, resulting in constriction of the blood vessels in the extremities ie hands and feet first, then arms and legs. So no matter how good your layering system is, you still need good hat, gloves and boots. Both gloves and boots are available with multiple layers of insulation, windproof and waterproof fabrics.

In an ideal world your hat should be insulated, windproof and waterproof. Approximately 30% of your body heat is lost through your head. So it is an incredibly important part of your layering system.

Using an effective layering system tailored to your own comfort needs and body type, will allow you to experience the great outdoors in comfort no matter what the weather throws at you. It also means you are stacking the odds in your favour when it comes to your own survival.

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Les Stroud and Bear Grylls

2008-01-14T14:31:00.000Z

What can I say - two very different approaches to the same subject, survival! I think that Les Stroud is great (http://www.lesstroudonline.com/). He spends 7 days out in a remote location lugging his own camera kit and filming himself. There is no camera crew (except on the first day) and no back up (except in an emergency) and he video diary's the jount, warts and all. If he screws up then he shows it. He is great fun to watch and very honest about what is happening. If you haven't seen any of his stuff then look out for him on Discovery Channel as Survivorman.

Bear Grylls is another thing entirely (www.beargrylls.com). He caused a lot of controversy with a recent series of Man v Wild where he was accused of all sorts of fakery. His latest series at least acknowledges that he gets assistance, is occassionally provided with wild food for demonstration purposes etc. He is a likeable chap but I don't like his programmes. To me they are sensationalist and often promote dangerous courses of actions to the uninitiated. However, he is popular from a ratings point of view.

I do think that people have been extremely unfair to him. I do occassionally work behind the scenes in television and I know that there is a lot of 'fakery' going on in order to get the desired shot. This is not something that only Bear's production crew have done - others are just a guilty.

Like all these things, you have to make up your own mind. For me, it's Les all the way!

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Layering Clothing for Comfort and Survival Part Three

2008-01-13T15:34:00.000Z

The inner layer is mainly used for extremely cold conditions and longer term exposure. In a similar fashion to the base layer, its main job is to retain body heat and wick moisture away from the base layer. This layer should be snug but not too constricting.

The mid layer is another level of insulation that retains heat and transfers moisture away from the body. Wool, synthetic fibres or down make excellent mid layers. Fleece fabric requires less care than wool and down is an excellent insulator as long as it remains dry. All these fibres work on the same principle of trapping small pockets of warm air amongst the fibres. Synthetics outperform wool in terms of moisture control because they absorb very little water. Wool can absorb up to 30% of its own weight in water. So wool is not generally recommended for highly active sports.

A number of things need to be borne in mind when choosing a mid layer. For example, venting by way of zips for flexibility of internal temperature and properly fitting size. Pullover garments are an excellent choice with baggier sleeves to allow them to be rolled up. Zip necked T-shirts allow for good ventilation and keep the neck warm when zipped up. Again, the key is to have thin layers of air trapped between garments and not too much excess that will cause bunching, add weight or restrict movement. Too much space will push air out when moving and too large an airspace will be difficult for the body to warm up. Snug but not constricting is the key to all layers.

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Layering Clothing for Comfort and Survival Part Two

2008-01-10T18:18:00.000Z

The base layer is the layer next to the skin and is the most important element because it forms the foundation, or base, of warmth and moisture control. A damp base layer is the main source of body chill. Wet clothing against the skin will transfer heat away from the body, at a rate up to 25 times faster, than one that is dry.

Many of today’s base layer fabrics are made from artificial fibres. Some fabrics only wick moisture away from the body when in contact with skin. Others will wick from the microclimate between skin and fabric. Modern fibres are designed to dry quickly and used to suffer from odour retention. The newest fabrics are treated to reduce the odours left after prolonged usage. More traditional fibres are making a comeback with the ‘reinvention’ of Merino wool base layers. Merino is very warm and comfortable to wear and resists odours very well naturally without chemical treatments. An important aspect of base layers is that the fabric is lightweight and sturdy so it doesn’t restrict movement or be uncomfortable to wear. Base layers come in different weights and the one you choose depends on the level of activity, prevalent weather conditions and how you react to the cold yourself. People with poorer circulation will need a heavier base compared to those who “run hot”.

In general, lightweight base layers are for higher levels of activity and moderately cool temperatures. Medium weight layers offer the greatest versatility, warmth and wicking when undertaking mid-level activities or cooler temperatures. Heavy or expedition weight layers are used for higher warmth when activity is low. Since the base layer is the most critical layer, and largely a personal comfort level issue, having several weight options available is a good idea.

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Layering clothing for comfort and survival Part One

2008-01-03T16:50:00.000Z

Whilst out in the wilds, or your own backyard, your level of comfort and even your survival can depend upon your clothing. Why? Because you need to regulate your core body temperature and seeing as we, generally, don’t have fur, we need to use clothing to achieve this.

In the good old days, staying warm in cold or freezing conditions meant wearing so many thick clothes that it would be very difficult to move. ‘Michelin Man’ was order of the day! Luckily for us that technology has stepped into the breach and given us more options to help us maintain and regulate our core body temperature. The key to this regulation is called layering. The idea behind this is to combine clothing to optimise insulation, wind resistance, breathability, wicking, rapid drying, water repellency and durability without compromising your mobility.

The problem can be maintaining the desired level of comfort when activity levels vary and external temperatures change due to time of day or time of year. Early mornings are usually cold, but as the sun comes up and our activity increases, we tend to get warmer and sometimes too warm! Then temperatures once more drop as the day progresses. Throw in a stiff, chill breeze and things get more challenging. The key to dealing with such temperature variations is to use a flexible layering system. In the morning, you may well need to wear all your layers and then shed them as you warm up, and put them back on as you cool.
The number one rule for winter clothing layering systems is to never use cotton. Cotton absorbs moisture and does not dry very quickly and this moisture means loss of body heat. Cotton is great for cooling down the body in warm temperatures. Some people refer to cotton, perhaps unkindly, as cotton killer. Something to bear in mind when choosing your layers.

In Part Two I'll take a look at the first layer in this system, the base layer.

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Fox and chicken just don't go!

2007-12-04T16:04:00.000Z

A little while ago one of our chickens went missing. She was getting old and was nearly totally blind and had often disappeared before only to turn up again. This time she didn't come back, so off I went for a little walk to try and find her hiding under a hedge or in an outbuilding.

I did find her, after a fashion, or at least the remains of her. She had been taken by a fox. This, and a few other piles of feathers were all that was left. Since she was blind she probably didn't know that a fox was about to get her and hopefully it was quick. She was a big girl so would have made an excellent meal!

One of the characteristics of a fox kill, apart from the pile of feathers, is the damage done to the feathers themselves. Foxes just rip out feathers in mouthfuls so the ends of feather always show the same kind of damage - ragged, torn ends to the feather shafts.

I also tracked the culprit for a short distance until it had gone through the hedge onto other land.

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Moving mountains

2007-11-10T22:03:00.000Z

This last week really feels like I have moved mountains - literally! The work on the house is nearly complete but we have started a bunch of work on the garden areas. We have had the bottom, unused part of the garden dug out. We have dug out the space between the stables with a view to concreting it and had a wall built.

We have shifted about 15 tons of soil, 15 tons of hardcore, 8 tonnes of concrete and god knows what else. We are absolutely knackered. But the result is that we have a proper concreted area between the stables which is better for access and easier to keep clean from the chickens. It gives a better base for when we livery a horse here later on. We also have a fantastic stone retaining wall where we are going to have a fire pit, a new water feature and a bunch of new planting beds. Oh, and we have a new soil bank just inside our boundary.

So despite having spent the last week or so outside I haven't managed to do anything bushcrafty or wildlife-related. Oh well, that's the way it goes sometime!

Jetboil PCS review continued

2007-10-31T13:30:00.002Z

A few blogs ago I wrote a quick review of the Jetboil Personal Cooking System. Well, I have used it a bit more and now have more to say about it!

I used it a couple of weekends ago whilst camping out in the woods - the weather was essentially dry but cold so first thing in the morning it was a bit damp. On the first morning I had left the Jetboil in the tent's porch overnight and the electronic ignition would not work! It lit with a match and then sparked OK after that. OK, thought I, must be the damp so I'll leave it in the tent with me overnight.

This I duly did. Next morning, tried the ignition and same thing happened. Once it had been used it would spark like a good 'un. So my conclusion is that it is susceptible to the damp. This in it's own right is not a problem as long as you are aware of it so you can keep another ignition source with you. Otherwise relying on its own ignitiion could make for some tealess times!

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2007-10-31T13:30:00.001Z

Stormlite Ultralight mat review

2007-10-30T15:55:00.000Z

First of all I would like to say that not all self-inflating airmats are made equal! I have had the Stormlite for about a year now and it is now not doing the job I bought it for. Let me explain.

This was the first self-inflating mat I had ever used. As a consequence I hadn't really noticed how well (or not) it worked because it was way better than my previous solutions! To cut a long story short, the last few times I have used it I have been cold. Now, some of this I put down to trying out a new sleeping bag (which I will review on another occassion) which was getting the blame for my cold, sleepless nights. Luckiliy someone suggested that it might be the sllep mat - so I put a blanket underneath the mat and ended up having a much better night's sleep.

Fantastic! Now this mat, in my opinion, is not up to scratch when used in late autumn. It seemed to be reasonably OK during the hottest months but even then I got chilly on some nights. I do run 'cold' most of the time. I have bought myself a Thermarest and will report on how it fairs when I get the chance to use it next.

So there you go - cheaper is not always better. The Stormlite was less than half price compared to the cheapest Thermarest and I now regret having been influenced by price rather than functionality. Lesson learnt!

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Soooo busy!

2007-10-28T18:20:00.000Z

Hi everyone! I have been so busy these last 4 or 5 weeks that I have had very little time for anything blog-wise. We have been doing a lot more work on the house and garden which has been very tiring.

I have also spent about 9 days out of 10 out teaching tracking to different groups of people. Needless to say I got a bit tracked out. Having said that I have trialled a bit more kit (and used some of my newish kit a bit more) and will be writing about that in the near future.

So, I'm still here and will be back with a vengeance in the near future.

Polish Bushcraft

2007-10-10T20:49:00.000Z

A big thank you to Sam for linking back to my blog from his site - Woodcraft in Poland.

Cheers mate!

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Fallow deer on Exmoor

2007-10-08T17:04:00.000Z

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a neighbour about local deer. It transpired that some people in the area thought that Fallow deer were not resident in the area. This upset me a little because I was certain I had Fallow tracks in the private woodland that I have access to. I started to chalk it up to experience as I'm not infallable when my nieghbour said he had seen them about 5 miles away.

To cut a long story short, I was with a client out in the woods recently and at one of our stops we saw, in the distance, 3 Fallow deer! They were about 350 yards away but we had great views of a male and two does. He had a lovely rack and they all looked very relaxed, having a lie down and chewing the cud. Unfortunately, they were on land that I don't have access to so I couldn't nip over there to track or stalk them. Never mind, eh. It was still very nice to get confirmation that they are in the area and that I was (probably) right about the tracks.

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Tracking v Bushcraft

2007-09-19T21:04:00.000Z

Take a look at Pablo's view of the difference between trackers and bushcrafters. It's pretty much on the money!

Tracking v Bushcraft

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Jetboil PCS

2007-09-17T15:51:00.000Z

As you know from my previous post, I have just got back from Alaska. Well, a day and half later I was out in the woods helping out on another weekend tracking course! This was still for Shadowhawk but this time facilitated through Jonny Crockett and Survival School. It was a very good course and all the participants were very switched on.

This time I'm not going to go on about the course but a bit of kit I bought a few weeks ago - the Jetboil PCS (Personal Cooking System). A lot of people I know seem to dislike this pice of wizardry for some reason but I took a chance and got one from Strikeforce Army supplies.

This little beastie is essentially a big cup with a heat sink attached to its bottom and a gas burner. The burner snaps onto the base and uses a standard camping gas cylinder which screws into its base forming quite a tall tower. It has an electric spark push button for ignition (just like your gas cooker at home). It seems to be very efficient at heating the contents of the main cup. It will boil 2 cups of water (maximum fill) in under 2 minutes if you have it on full blast. I used the Jetboil over the weekend quite extensively and I have to say that I like it - it is fast, efficient and quite convenient to use.

It boiled water quickly for cups of tea, it cooked/heated up some packet rice without any problems and it can cook a standard British Army ration pack in a few minutes. It could probably be safely used in a car for a quick brew but I haven't tried that yet! The burner is stowed in the cup but you have to detach the gas cylinder to do this. The downsides? It does form quite a high tower when everything is attached and so could be a bit unstable on rough ground and it can also be a bit awkward separating the cup from the burner, potentially resulting in spillage or worse, scalds. You also cannot really use it with other pots or fry pans so it does limit you to what you can cook in the cup.

Overall I am glad I spent the money on it. It's not cheap but it did everything I wanted and needed over the weekend. If you plan your food to suit the jetboil then it is a very convenient and easy to use bit of kit. You don't need matches as the ignitor is build into the burner which is a bit of a plus too! However, I will use other forms of stove if I want more flexibility with my cooking.

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Alaskan adventures

2007-09-13T13:08:00.000Z

Now I know what you are thinking - what has Alaska got to do with bushcraft on Exmoor? Actually, nothing at all really except for the fact that I did some tracking whilst I was out there.

It was one of those mad trips because my sister decided to get married on Kodiak Island which is off the coast of Alaska. I flew out on the Friday and had to overnight in Anchorage, then fly to Kodiak on Saturday, wedding on Sunday, fly back to Anchorage on Monday and then leave for home on Tuesday morning. I think I travelled something like 16000 miles in 5 days! Needless to say I'm a bit tired.

The wedding was to be performed by the harbourmaster, of all people, on his boat. So, part of the deal was a boat trip to one of the smaller islands, a walk around for an hour or so, back to the boat for the ceremony, dinner, then a leisurely cruise back to base.

Our first visit was to see some of the local sealions, who were all terribly stressed (NOT!).

These guys make some very interesting noises and smells. If you get downwind of them then you know it! Very fishy. They also like to do a lot of snorting which carries a surprisingly long way over open water.

There were plenty of seabirds such as 2 species of Puffin, cormorants, kittiwakes, shearwaters, murrelets and quite a few Bald Eagles. Very good to see those in such numbers and also with youngsters.

We also saw a Sea Otter going about his business. I wasn't close enough to get a decent picture of the beastie but I did find feeding sign on the island.

These were the remains of various shellfish eg crabs, mussels etc. Unfortunately, as this was literally on the edge of a rocky beach, there were no easy spoor to see. There were a large number of compression shapes in the pebbles which could well have been otter but I'm certain some of them were deer - which are well known to roam that beach.

There were other sign of deer such as compression shapes in the soft moss that carpetted the island as well as some evidence of feeding. We headed back to the boat for the wedding ceremony and on our cruise back we were shadowed by a humpback whale! Absolutely fantastic. I don't suppose that many people can say they had a whale as a guest (without being rude to someone of course).

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