BUSHGEAR

'Dragon's Tongue' paracord bracelet... : " JD of TIAT recently made a YouTube video tutorial on ' How to tie a Dragon's Tongue '. I followed the tying method, but instead of two separate paracord strands, I used a single 12 foot long strand of paracord with a 5/8 inch curved side release buckle , to make a 9.5 inch long paracord bracelet. Once I looped the center of the paracord onto one end of the buckle, measured for wrist length and looped onto the other buckle end, I had two working ends and two core strands to weave around, like shown in the video. The ends of the paracord were tucked into the weave on the underside of the bracelet with hemostats to finish. The video tutorial has the paracord stretched out, after weaving, for the 'lashing' tongue effect, but I left the cord bunched up to use more cord in the bracelet, and I prefer the wider effect of the weave. The 9.5 inch finished length was actually a loose fit for my 8.5 inch wrist,

Reflexão muito interessante sobre a necessidade ou não do uso do machado em campo. Fica aqui para reflexão ... Axing the Axe ............ : " The Gransfors Small forest Axe is almost a iconic image associated with bushcraft these days. Made favourite by tv presenter Ray Mears almost every would be woodsman has at some point bought one. Some, if you ever go to the WG you'll seem, even own and feel the need to wear several. But is the axe the 'essential tool' some so called experts make it out to be? After all on my various trips tot he frozen north I've rarely even taken one, and on my trips and courses in more temperate climes apart from demo's I really dont use one ........... so is it so essential? Whats different about my bushcraft to say Ray Mears? As a soldier to I rarly carried an axe, in fact as a squaddy I never had one - I would and still do carry a entrenching tool however and find this much more useful than a axe and in a emergency it can o

A DIY Cap Keeper for your DIY Water Bottle : " Many ultralight hikers forsake the standard-issue Nalgene in favor of disposable plastic water bottles from the likes Aquafina or Gatorade. One nice feature of Nalgenes is that they feature a built in cap keeper (something lacking from the choices available in the soft drink aisle at the supermarket). But fortunately, Gear Talk reader Adam Bailey has come up with this clever way of easily adding a cap keeper to your favorite reincarnated soft drink water bottle. Like all good DIY gear ideas, you can easily make this cap keeper with things you probably already have laying around the house--in your junk drawer or in your gear closet. Materials Your water bottle of choice 8' zip ties Some paracord Superglue Step 1 Gauge the approximate diameter of the cap of the water bottle by wrapping a zip tie around the edge of the cap (don't tighten it all the way). Step 2 Add superglue to the inside of the zip t

How to Re-Profile an Axe : "Over the last few months I have talked a lot about axes. I have often mentioned that some of them can be re-profiled and put to good use, while others are too thick. I realize that the concept can be a bit vague, so I want to try to provide some more details. The part of the axe with which I am concerned here is what is labeled in the above picture as the Axe Blade/Cheek, and Cutting Edge Curvature/Sharpening Bevel. A good multi purpose axe will have both a thin edge curvature, and thin cheeks/overall blade. Not all axes need to be ground that way. There are many tasks which can benefit from a more robust tool, but I think a thin blade with a narrow edge curvature makes for a good overall wood cutting blade. Some axes, fall outside of that description. Some have thin cheeks, but the edge curvature is too wide/thick, while others are thick overall. In the above picture you can see three different axe grinds. Open the picture for a larger imag

A Brief History of Swedish Axe Manufacturers : " I have received a number of questions about different axe producers. Most of them have been with respect to Swedish axe manufacturers. I though I would put together a short list of the little I know about current Swedish axe makers. Hults Bruk Hults Bruk is the largest axe manufacturer in Sweden. The company can trace its origins back to 1697. It was founded by James Reenstierna Jr. and originally produced only nails used for ship building. In 1732 the small factory began to refine its own iron. The mill was subsequently sold in 1752, 1760, 1763, 1778, and 1779 without much change to the operational structure. In 1818 the mill was again sold to Magnus Lonetz Ekelund, who significantly expanded the size of the mill and the product being produced. By 1886 the factory was being run by Gunnar Ekelund, grandson of Magnus Lonetz Ekelund. This is the point where the decision was made to stop production of other tools due to growing com

Como primeiro review deste blog trago-vos a MORA Forest 2000 . Comprimento Total: 230mm Comprimento lamina: 115mm Espessura: 2mm Tipo de Gume:Escandinavo Tipo de Aço: Sandvik 12C27 (Aço inoxidável) Cabo: Plástic/ borracha Peso: ??? Bainha: Plástico NOTA: infelizmente as fotos que fiz em campo na Suécia e as fotos da bainha original perderam-se, tendo apenas fotos do estado actual dela. Comprei esta faca em Junho deste ano na Suécia, custou 95 SEK (+/- 10.5€). Esta foi uma solução de recurso, visto ter deixado, por esquecimento, a mala que tinha o material cortante (faca, machado e serra) em Portugal, e como ia para o mato por um período de 5 dias era imprescindível ter uma lamina adicional, para alem do SAK que trago sempre comigo. Primeiras impressões que tive mal a comprei, leve confortável e corta que se farta. Deixou-me curioso como se portaria em campo. Foram 5 dias de mato que teve de tudo um pouco, calor, chuva, frio, gelo e mosquitos muitos mosquitos...

Bom texto explicativo de alguma modificações possíveis de se fazerem nas bainhas das MORA Mora Sheath Modifications : " The greatest disappointment about any Mora knife is the sheath: a flimsy, plastic thing that won’t easily fit on a decent sized belt and does not even hold the knife very securely. As they come, I consider them unusable. But a few simple modifications and additions make them quite acceptable. The Mora knife sheaths are designed to be mounted either on a button on a pair of coveralls or through a belt. Apparently people wear very small, skinny belts in Sweden. Over here in the United States of Gun Belts, that doesn’t fly. The belt slot on the sheath can be forcefully enlarged by shoving in a piece of wood, such as a ruler, and applying heat to cause the plastic to expand, but I don’t trust that such an act will not over weaken the plastic. I’m not a big fan of carrying a Mora directly on my belt, anyway. Usually, I’ll carry the knife either on a lanyard ar

The Ten "C's" of Survival : " 1. CUT - In most any survival situation, you will need some form of decent blade to cut firewood, cordage or numerous other items…this could be a good knife, machete etc. It should offer a certain measure of protection as well. 2. COVER - You will need protection from wind, rain or cold weather. The elements of nature can work against you if you aren’t prepared for them. This could be anything from a tent or tarp to a good poncho or as simple as a bandana. 3. COMBUSTION - A way to build a fire to purify drinking water, cook your food or to merely stay warm will be required. Anything from a good firesteel to even a simple Bic lighter will can be used to make a decent fire. 4. CONTAINER - Some form of container will be necessary to carry water, cook in or any number of various other uses. 5. CORDAGE - From lanyards to lashing down a load or a tent or tarp, a truly versatile item. Paracord or a good rope will always come in handy.