July 2010 Blog Posts (17)

Tohunga How to enjoy a Steak and Kumara dinner in the bush

Ok,

Anyone can rough it in the bush and TBH a lot of us will have tried Backcountry freezedry meals ( Roast lamb + Veggies is my favourite)..

But a trip out with some real food is nice once in a while so here is how to prepare a Steak and Kumara dinner.

Ok find a good site for your fire...

I tend to use the similar technique each time for my fire lay..

I start by clearing where I'm going to… Continue

Added by John Swarbrick on July 27, 2010 at 16:30 — 6 Comments

Newbie Domex Balck Ice XL

I Bought a Domex Black Ice Xl sleeping bag of trademe. for $137 inlc. Postage!

It arived this afternoon. Its Huge! and a pig to get back into the compresion bag hehe

It is the sleepingbag that's currently issued to the NZ military apperently, so I reconned it must be good. its got -3 to -8 comfort rating. I Like!

Cant wait to trow out the POS I bought in holand. I tried sleeping in that one at home for a night last week On the floor in my bedroom…

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Added by Talbert de Jong on July 21, 2010 at 18:54 — No Comments

Admin Armyshop.co.nz Bushcraft Prizepack (CLOSED)

Congratulations to Mike McGavin whose name was drawn, he wins the Bushcraft Prizepack! Well done Mike I'm sure this gear will be put to good use with all your adventures.…

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Added by Ryan Johnson-Hunt on July 21, 2010 at 7:00 — No Comments

Admin Realistic Wilderness Survival, Staying Alive in the Real World

Written by Tim Smith from Jack Mountain Bushcraft

Survival is not dying. Wilderness survival is not dying in the wilderness. The simple fact that one is in the bush does not mean that rationally solving the problems associated with survival must now entail enormous, overpriced knives, combat-style clothing, and a mindset derived from exposure to countless Hollywood-style…

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Added by Ryan Johnson-Hunt on July 19, 2010 at 19:40 — 1 Comment

Shrafter Making an Efficient Portable Wood Stove.

This stove is based on the plans for the "EverythingNice" stove which can be downloaded freely from the World Stove site: http://worldstove.com/album/your-versions-of-the-everythingnice-stove/

I have played around with fires and stoves over the years, and the World Stove design impressed me. I think the small opening in the top of the stove is an important feature and I saw this for the…

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Added by Stephen Coote on July 18, 2010 at 9:00 — 5 Comments

Admin Outing: A Day in Hunua

Just returned from a great day in my favourite local pine forest. Heres a google map if you are interested in visiting it yourself. The forecast was for showers in the afternoon so I set out early. I love this forest as there is room to walk around and explore (unlike most native forests) and… Continue

Added by Ryan Johnson-Hunt on July 17, 2010 at 18:30 — No Comments

Shrafter Figure-4 Deadfall Trigger. Great for Rats & Mice

I have caught a lot of mice and a few rats using a simple figure-4 deadfall. One thing I do, which I haven’t seen anywhere else, is to split the end of the bait stick. I force the bait well into the split so that the rodents need to push hard to get at it.

This trigger could be used to make a bigger deadfall for bigger animals. I’ve never seriously tried to do this. There is a lot less work…

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Added by Stephen Coote on July 15, 2010 at 21:34 — No Comments

Admin Win a Great Prize Pack with our Tutorial Competition (CLOSED)

---This competition has ended, the winner was John Swarbrick for his tutorial How to enjoy a Steak and Kumara dinner in the bush. Congratulations John!----

With the nationwide launch of the network coming up on the… Continue

Added by Ryan Johnson-Hunt on July 14, 2010 at 10:00 — 1 Comment

Admin Swanndri Modifications

I finally splashed out and bought a swanndri off trademe that actually fits me (the ones I have are a little tight) and is a plain dark green. It will arrive in a few days, looking forward to trying it out.

In the meantime I am trying to research way to reproof them. Straight from the shop they are great at shedding water, the effect seems to wear off over a few years. The… Continue

Added by Ryan Johnson-Hunt on July 7, 2010 at 17:01 — 2 Comments

Newbie Ray Mears, Bear Grylls, Les Stroud n others

For those who chose to do so...

Here's access to free torrents, be they of Ray Mears, Bear Grylls, Les Stroud, shows n a few books, etc.

I do advocate people supporting these individuals n purchasing thems directly from them or their web sites rther then thru an indirect source.

Thus, supporting the individual not the corporations>

I recognize not all folks are at the income level of being able to…

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Added by I M on July 7, 2010 at 15:59 — No Comments

Admin Traditional Plant Use By Maori

Recently I stumbled across this little gem, which is a great resource for NZ bushcraft. A section of the website Eske-Style (yes that's its name) is entirely devoted to traditional plant use by Maori. Just like anything, it may not be wise to base everything on one source so make sure to research from multiple reputable sources,… Continue

Added by Ryan Johnson-Hunt on July 6, 2010 at 7:52 — 6 Comments

Shrafter Maori use for native plants.

Just came across this website, thought we all might like to read it.

www.eske-style.co.nz/maori_plant_use.asp

Added by Scott Hamilton on July 5, 2010 at 20:00 — 1 Comment

Newbie More resources for ya folks..a Great publication

www.primitive.org

Bulletin of Primitive Technology

from The Society of Primitive Technology

Check it out,

Youll be a happy camper that you did...

The Society of Primitive Technology is a non-profit organization dedicated to the research, practice, and teaching of primitive technology.

The purpose of the Society of Primitive Technology…

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Added by I M on July 3, 2010 at 0:00 — No Comments

Newbie Abo links

Abo Links

*Abotech* The Cyber-Shelter for Primitive Living Skills. *Boulder Outdoor Survival School, Inc.* A…

Abo Links

Abotech: The Cyber-Shelter for Primitive Living Skills.
Boulder Outdoor Survival School, Inc.: A…

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Added by I M on July 2, 2010 at 23:31 — 2 Comments

Newbie Oil KIll: The Gulf of Mexico Killing Fields. What BP Doesnt Want You Thinking About and then acting upon.

We are involved with Indigenous life skills.

There's nothing primitive about it to me

as whilst living for years in So. America

during which I lived and loved living life, amonst the Huaroni tribe and visiting other tribes for various durations.

The health of all of the Natural world I feel should

(theres that for some taboo word..should)

be of the utmost priority concern for us.

Those of us who…

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Added by I M on July 2, 2010 at 23:30 — No Comments

Newbie Rabbitstick

http://www.backtracks.net/Rabbitstick.html…

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Added by I M on July 2, 2010 at 22:00 — 1 Comment

Shrafter The Simple Sack Pack

Sack packs are a simple bag you can carry quite a load in. I think a Kiwi name for them might be pikau.

The simplest is just a feed sack or fertiliser bag with rope 'straps' tied to the bottom corners. You need something like a small pebble in each corner to stop the rope slipping off. It has been suggested that you can have onions or potatoes in the corners of the bag so you have some food with you.

The rope on a sack pack can be one…

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Added by Stephen Coote on July 2, 2010 at 18:00 — 4 Comments