A Wonderful Day

It was a wonderful day. Not merely because the temperature was 15C; nor that the goat willow was out; nor that the woods were filled with the sound of birds building their nests. No. All that was secondary to the fact that I was out and I was witnessing it first hand.

I don't know what I expected but I assumed spring was in full swing. It was in many ways, but apart from the odd spurt of nettle, the odd outcrop of bitter arum lily leaves and the aforementioned goat willow, there wasn't the carpet of green I expected. Mind you, I was only in the local woods (Park woods) and there's not a great amount of ground flowering plants.

It was a different matter in the trees. The rooks were shouting the odds and if there was any aural indication of spring, this was it. Normally they would be foraging in the nearby fields. Now they were squabbling at the top of the trees, building their nests of long twigs. In my euphoria to be out in the woods, even their constant squawking was acceptable.

The sounds of the rooks were often inter-dispersed with the sound of the green woodpecker or "Yaffler" as it's known in these parts.  Its laughing call was a mocking challenge to try to locate them in amongst the tree. Only occasional glimpses of green and red were seen. The more common smaller birds were coming uncommonly close. The inquisitive robin, blue tits and great tits chattering excitedly.  I was pleased to capture an elusive wren. Normally they don't stay in one place long enough to focus on them. I realised the reason for the sudden company. A sparrowhawk swept silently at speed across the woods at head height; once from north to south and then back again.

I rigged my hammock, opened a flask of coffee and lapped up the warmth of the sun. I had plans and a rucksack full of tools. I decided to soak up the sun instead. It wasn't long until I was asleep.

The woods were still soaked from recent rains. Being a run off for the fields, they were also still quite flooded. Unfortunately the Aircast boot I was wearing is not in any way waterproof, which restricted me to the drier west side of the woods. But enough was enough for today. I took my time walking out of the woods grateful that I had brought the crutches for additional support. I saw old fox, badger and muntjac tracks. Yes, it was a wonderful day.

A Wonderful Day

It was a wonderful day. Not merely because the temperature was 15C; nor that the goat willow was out; nor that the woods were filled with the sound of birds building their nests. No. All that was secondary to the fact that I was out and I was witnessing it first hand.

I don't know what I expected but I assumed spring was in full swing. It was in many ways, but apart from the odd spurt of nettle, the odd outcrop of bitter arum lily leaves and the aforementioned goat willow, there wasn't the carpet of green I expected. Mind you, I was only in the local woods (Park woods) and there's not a great amount of ground flowering plants.

It was a different matter in the trees. The rooks were shouting the odds and if there was any aural indication of spring, this was it. Normally they would be foraging in the nearby fields. Now they were squabbling at the top of the trees, building their nests of long twigs. In my euphoria to be out in the woods, even their constant squawking was acceptable.

The sounds of the rooks were often inter-dispersed with the sound of the green woodpecker or "Yaffler" as it's known in these parts.  Its laughing call was a mocking challenge to try to locate them in amongst the tree. Only occasional glimpses of green and red were seen. The more common smaller birds were coming uncommonly close. The inquisitive robin, blue tits and great tits chattering excitedly.  I was pleased to capture an elusive wren. Normally they don't stay in one place long enough to focus on them. I realised the reason for the sudden company. A sparrowhawk swept silently at speed across the woods at head height; once from north to south and then back again.

I rigged my hammock, opened a flask of coffee and lapped up the warmth of the sun. I had plans and a rucksack full of tools. I decided to soak up the sun instead. It wasn't long until I was asleep.

The woods were still soaked from recent rains. Being a run off for the fields, they were also still quite flooded. Unfortunately the Aircast boot I was wearing is not in any way waterproof, which restricted me to the drier west side of the woods. But enough was enough for today. I took my time walking out of the woods grateful that I had brought the crutches for additional support. I saw old fox, badger and muntjac tracks. Yes, it was a wonderful day.

Wood and Leather Maintenance

Although I have a few bits of the most up to date textiles and plastics in some of my kit I still prefer leather, wool and wood. Not only are they functional in a traditional way but they are also aesthetically pleasing and come within the ethos of the what I like to consider is the spirit of bushcraft and wilderness living.

There are a couple of drawbacks with using these materials though. Firstly, they tend to be heavier than modern plastics and fibres and fabrics, which is why I don't really use them a great deal when going light or when tracking. The second drawback is that they take a little bit of breaking-in and maintaining.

Every six months or so I give my wood and leather an overhaul usually in spring and autumn. This is in addition to the more regular chore of ensuring that after each excursion, blades and axes are wiped down and sharpened and any leather and wood is likewise wiped down and clean.

For the natural woods i.e. axe handles and handles of knives I use a very fine sandpaper and gently rub the surface of the wood. I like to keep the grubby patina on the wood so I don't rub too hard. I then give the handle a thin coating of boiled linseed oil.

Some people prefer other oil coatings such as Danish oil and they use a piece of wire wool to knead the oil into the wood. If you use linseed oil it's important that it isn't applied too thickly or it will take too long to dry and the handle will become slippery and dangerous to use (especially when the hand is sweating or during wet weather).

I don't tend to do much else with the handle as it should be well maintained from new. As soon as I buy an axe I soak the head in a bucket of anti-freeze for 72 hours. This will forever seal the axe head on to the handle. The water will make the wood swell and the anti-freeze will make it stay swollen.

A tip I learnt was to remember this little ditty for applying linseed oil to new axes handles:

"Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year and once a year for life."

If you follow this then a little annual maintenance is all that's needed. I use a coating of walnut oil for any wooden spoons I use. This is the only oil I really trust for use with or near food stuffs.

Many folk apply renaissance wax to their blades. I tend not to do this, but I do check to make sure carbon blades aren't rusting. If I'm not going to use a blade for a while, I'll coat it in a thin layer of oil before returning to a dry sheath.

You can't beat giving leather items a good polish, especially leather footwear. Boots made completely of leather aren't really in vogue nowadays, however I still use a pair of Rogue Rangers and Bison tracker boots both of which are leather. After cleaning them and giving them a polish I gently warm up the leather in the sun (or on a radiator) and apply a bit of leather wax. Finally, I apply a coat of dubbin.

The dubbin works for leather sheaths and pouches as well. It puts back a little moisture and nourishment back in the leather and provides a degree of protection against moisture and water.

I believe that wood and leather are there for a purpose and not purely for show, but it doesn't do any harm to shine up your kit and make an effort to maintain it now and again. I've found that you will be rewarded by the effort.

All the best,

Pablo.

Wood and Leather Maintenance

Although I have a few bits of the most up to date textiles and plastics in some of my kit I still prefer leather, wool and wood. Not only are they functional in a traditional way but they are also aesthetically pleasing and come within the ethos of the what I like to consider is the spirit of bushcraft and wilderness living.

There are a couple of drawbacks with using these materials though. Firstly, they tend to be heavier than modern plastics and fibres and fabrics, which is why I don't really use them a great deal when going light or when tracking. The second drawback is that they take a little bit of breaking-in and maintaining.

Every six months or so I give my wood and leather an overhaul usually in spring and autumn. This is in addition to the more regular chore of ensuring that after each excursion, blades and axes are wiped down and sharpened and any leather and wood is likewise wiped down and clean.

For the natural woods i.e. axe handles and handles of knives I use a very fine sandpaper and gently rub the surface of the wood. I like to keep the grubby patina on the wood so I don't rub too hard. I then give the handle a thin coating of boiled linseed oil.

Some people prefer other oil coatings such as Danish oil and they use a piece of wire wool to knead the oil into the wood. If you use linseed oil it's important that it isn't applied too thickly or it will take too long to dry and the handle will become slippery and dangerous to use (especially when the hand is sweating or during wet weather).

I don't tend to do much else with the handle as it should be well maintained from new. As soon as I buy an axe I soak the head in a bucket of anti-freeze for 72 hours. This will forever seal the axe head on to the handle. The water will make the wood swell and the anti-freeze will make it stay swollen.

A tip I learnt was to remember this little ditty for applying linseed oil to new axes handles:

"Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year and once a year for life."

If you follow this then a little annual maintenance is all that's needed. I use a coating of walnut oil for any wooden spoons I use. This is the only oil I really trust for use with or near food stuffs.

Many folk apply renaissance wax to their blades. I tend not to do this, but I do check to make sure carbon blades aren't rusting. If I'm not going to use a blade for a while, I'll coat it in a thin layer of oil before returning to a dry sheath.

You can't beat giving leather items a good polish, especially leather footwear. Boots made completely of leather aren't really in vogue nowadays, however I still use a pair of Rogue Rangers and Bison tracker boots both of which are leather. After cleaning them and giving them a polish I gently warm up the leather in the sun (or on a radiator) and apply a bit of leather wax. Finally, I apply a coat of dubbin.

The dubbin works for leather sheaths and pouches as well. It puts back a little moisture and nourishment back in the leather and provides a degree of protection against moisture and water.

I believe that wood and leather are there for a purpose and not purely for show, but it doesn't do any harm to shine up your kit and make an effort to maintain it now and again. I've found that you will be rewarded by the effort.

All the best,

Pablo.

ATI + 128 (on 7th Sat March)

I'm getting irritable. Twitchy, moody and irritable. There's talk of Birch tapping. The sun has been out. The temperature is up and the catkins are drooping in their fresh green finery. I even heard a lawn-mower going a few days ago. And I'm still sitting here with a cast on! Is it really 128 days (a third of a year) since the original Achilles Tendon Injury. Seems like yesterday! 

I am forbidden to put any weight on this last cast under any circumstances. The last time when my foot was manoeuvred into the "neutral" or flat position I was given a shoe and I was allowed to wander around. Not this time.

 

Well, the good news is that there's only one more week to go. Next Friday I will have the final cast removed. The consultant warned me that I will be going back into the Aircast for a while, but at least it will be weight-bearing and I will be mobile again. I suspect I will be able to take it off every now and again to build up the muscles around the injury. I agree that this time I've got to be ultra cautious and for a month or so and the Aircast will be staying on when I go on any trip to the woods.

 

Of course I'm glad that this is coming to an end. So is my bank manager. I've spent a small fortune on leather-making stuff! Mind you if it wasn't for the injury I wouldn't have discovered it or had the opportunity to practice.

So far I've made a sheath knife for my EKA W11, a laplander saw holder, a large possible pouch (in a sporran style) an axe holder and a notebook cover. They could all be improved especially the stitching.

I've called this series "Antique Oak - Tan". The Badger print was kindly manufactured by Jim (Kerne) over at BCUK.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

ATI + 128 (on 7th Sat March)

I'm getting irritable. Twitchy, moody and irritable. There's talk of Birch tapping. The sun has been out. The temperature is up and the catkins are drooping in their fresh green finery. I even heard a lawn-mower going a few days ago. And I'm still sitting here with a cast on! Is it really 128 days (a third of a year) since the original Achilles Tendon Injury. Seems like yesterday! 

I am forbidden to put any weight on this last cast under any circumstances. The last time when my foot was manoeuvred into the "neutral" or flat position I was given a shoe and I was allowed to wander around. Not this time.

 

Well, the good news is that there's only one more week to go. Next Friday I will have the final cast removed. The consultant warned me that I will be going back into the Aircast for a while, but at least it will be weight-bearing and I will be mobile again. I suspect I will be able to take it off every now and again to build up the muscles around the injury. I agree that this time I've got to be ultra cautious and for a month or so and the Aircast will be staying on when I go on any trip to the woods.

 

Of course I'm glad that this is coming to an end. So is my bank manager. I've spent a small fortune on leather-making stuff! Mind you if it wasn't for the injury I wouldn't have discovered it or had the opportunity to practice.

So far I've made a sheath knife for my EKA W11, a laplander saw holder, a large possible pouch (in a sporran style) an axe holder and a notebook cover. They could all be improved especially the stitching.

I've called this series "Antique Oak - Tan". The Badger print was kindly manufactured by Jim (Kerne) over at BCUK.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Alpkit Skyehigh 800 Initial Review

As I reported last week, I decided to buy myself a down bag. I found out that even the cheaper bags were quite expensive and I quickly discounted the likes of Rab, Mountain Equipment and Marmot; most models of which are over £150-00.

I had heard that Alpkit were reasonably priced, so I had a look. Alpkit are a strange company. They source their products directly which makes them cheap, but because of this, they more often than not have stock problems. They have three styles of down bag, but you'll find that even now that only one is available.

I've had a bad delivery experience with Alpkit where they got every single one of the 4 items wrong, but I think that was just a bad day. I've had no problems since and they are friendly.

I looked at the choices in their Skyehigh range to see if it ticked any of the boxes.

No more than £100? Yup -£95

4 season? So it says; Yup

Comfort -10C? Yup

Extreme  -16C? Yup

Good fill power? 650 +; Yup

Weight 1570 gr; OK

Pack size 25x27cm; Seems OK

That seemed exactly what I wanted and out came the bank card.

Luckily the item was in stock and it was duly delivered two days later. I was impressed that the sleeping bag came with two bags; a stuff sack which disappointingly wasn't waterproof so it was quickly replaced with an Exped stuff sack. The other bag is a light cotton storage bag, which is just the job for putting the sleeping bag away when not in use without compressing it too much.

I had to wait 2 months before I could test it out in the field and then I only used it once because of my ruptured tendon; so this is a review based on that one occasion. I was also ground dwelling in a tipi so again this should be born in mind.

The bag compressed well but perhaps not as much as I originally hoped so I decided to strap it to the outside of the rucksack even though there was room inside.

Once out of the stuff sack at the site, the bag lofted after being shaken out a couple of times and sat there almost smugly as if to say, "Come on. Give it your best shot." By night time the temperature was down to -4C. Yes, it may well be tested.

I got a right-sided zip version to make it compatible with the Snugpack bivi bag. I was a little disappointed that the zip snagged in the material. There must be a sleeping bag out there that doesn't snag!

I retired in my thermals and ensured I'd followed the normal rules of turning in with a hot drink and couple of pieces of hot reindeer salami inside me. I also changed my socks. I settled down on the fully inflated Thermarest Prolite 3 and tried to adjust the baffles. These were two standard pull cord baffles one for the shoulders and one for the hood. I must say I don't normally use the hood. By not doing this it actually detracts from the efficiency of the bag but I favour wearing a balaclava. I did try it on this occasion though.

I woke up during the night but it wasn't because of the cold. I had indigestion from eating too much salami! In the morning, I found out (being a novice tipi dweller) that I hadn't vented the tipi properly and that the inside was covered in a thin layer of frost. So was the outside of the bag. The material was enough not to let any of the dampness through which I was quite pleased about. I would have to see whether it thawed through the bag during the day. This fabric is very soft lightweight micro ripstop DWR nylon fabric and lined with 300l Tactel nylon.  Alpkit say it isn't the most technical fabric around but it helps keep costs down.

The next night was even colder dropping to about -6C and later to -10C. The condensation had stayed out of the bag and once again it was puffed up and waiting. I had already decided that if future trips were likely to be wet, I would bring along the Snugpack bivi bag which would allow a greater degree of water protection, especially when ground dwelling. Once again, I had a cosy night even though I had decided to insert a Nato water bottle full of hot water. Well, I am getting old and I'm entitled to a little comfort in my old age!

First impressions of the Alpkit Skyehigh 800 are very favourable. There's no bells and whistles but for a down bag of this quality, the price is good and it's well made. The only down side is that I expected the bag to compress a little more; but I suppose it is a -10C to-16C bag so there must be one or two compromises.

I'll see how this bag performs throughout the year and keep you updated.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.