So, first off, this past week was my birthday. My LOVELY fiance got me a Real Deal Brazil hat for me-absolutely LOVE it! I crafted a braided 550 cord hatband for it. Have worn it several times so far this week, and this is now my go-to outdoors hat. I need to make a chin strap for it, as it does sit a little loose (choice between small, or large, and I KNOW a small wouldnt fit), as it can have the propensity to blow off in a good wind.
Next, I picked up 2 things I am excited about: first, a Samick Sage takedown recurve bow, with a 45# pull. I have shot it in my backyard a few times, and LOVE this bow!!! I may even try my hand at hunting next year. We will see.
Second, I got a pair of Israeli desert boots. They are, in essence, Chuck Taylor sneakers. I want to give them a go, see how they feel in the woods. Initial impressions, they are lightweight (being made of canvas), and should be cool enough for summer weather.
So, anyway, the plan is to get out for an overnight from Sunday to Monday, in the Federated Women's State Forest, out near the Quabbin Reservoir in MA. My understanding is that you can do primitive camping there, and myself and a friend are going to knock out some lessons for our Basic Bushcraft classes. I should be able to close mine out this week, and submit my certification by Friday. I only need a couple things (some basic firecraft skills), and my outings, which I plan to knock out by the end of next week. So, stay tuned, I should have some interesting pictures to show soon!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Thursday, August 09, 2012
New day pack
As I am getting more & more into the whole bushcraft thing, I am finding that I am looking into more traditional gear. First, let me back up a little-I have an addiction. I LOVE packs, of all kinds. I currently own maybe 10 packs, ranging from lumbar packs, all the way up to expedition packs, with a capacity of almost 8000 ci. Now, I rarely use most of them-I use my Kelty 3000 almost all the time, and, up until very recently, my Mountainsmith Lumbar pack, that I recently went over in another post. But, as I stated, I was looking for something a little more traditional, for woods bumming. I wanted something cheap, to start with-something that I could afford to spend money on, and, if it wasnt for me, sell off, with minimal loss to me.
There are several that I would LOVE to have: The Isle Royal by Duluth Packs, is the one all others are measured by. I like the pack-but, dont like the lack of a frame. And, at over $300-which, as it is handmade, I understand the pricing-it was more than I wanted to spend, particularly as this will be my first more traditional pack.
Second on my list, and a little more affordable, was the Continental Rucksack by LL Bean. I have toyed around with this, and really like it. Its a little more in my price range-about $140-AND it has an internal frame. I read a LOT of reviews on it, and, overall, it seems to fare pretty well. The major complaints are the shoulder straps. It seems, after some use, they have a tendency to roll in. The shoulder straps are imitation shearling, backed by thin canvas. Most people either return it for a new one (LL Bean has a no questions asked return policy), or they modify it by sewing old leather belts as backing, to keep the rigidity. The one major drawback, for me at least, is that they are manufactured in China. But, I think that, for a larger overnighter, this may be my next purchase-we will see though.
So, I continued my search-something a little smaller than the 2 listed above. Duluth Trading Co. has a smaller version of their Royal Isle, the RI Jr, but, again, the price is out of my range. So, I started looking into surplus packs.
I started looking into foreign military packs-Italian packs, Swedish packs, Swiss packs, Czech packs, and German packs. My main priorities were, besides price (and, all these were cheap), were canvas, sufficient room for gear for an overnight, and the long term reviews. And, of course, I was looking at style too, but, that sits pretty low on my priority list.
After taking ALL this into consideration, I finally settled on the German Mountain Rucksack, which was a reproduction of a model during the 60's. The pack I got is new, unused, but was manufactured in 1990. As it doesnt come with shoulder straps, they put on an old LCE shoulder straps onto the D rings for this. Originally, this ruck was designed to clip into a suspender system used by German forces. But, as I didnt want that, and, well, they seem to be impossible to get anyway, the seller has taken to adding these straps.
I havent taken it out yet, but, here are my initial thoughts on this rucksack. First, it appears very durable. it is a heavy canvas. The closures for the 3 pockets (2 sides, 1 front), are metal buckles. The top lid is a cinch style closure. The large internal main pack is plenty large enough to carry gear for an overnight, and then some. The 2 side pockets can hold a 32 oz Nalgene bottle (1 in each, of course), and the large central pocket can hold quite a bit of gear as well. There is a large pocket in the main compartment, that I have slipped a cut down CCF pad in there, for back support, and as a kneel or sit pad. There is also a top lid compartment, similar to what is found on the top lid of ALICE rucksacks.
Loading it up, I noticed a couple things. First, this is my first time trying one of these. Coming from a traditional backpack background, this rucksack sits low. Something I need to get used to. Second, the shoulder straps provided by the seller are lacking. They arent well padded (the original LCE straps arent made to carry heavy loads, simply to help support the web belt). These will be replaced, this weekend. They also pull in a different direction than what I am used to. As there isnt a waist belt, all the weight rides on your shoulders. Which, for now, is fine-this is primarily a daypack, so I shouldnt need to carry too much. I could pack it for an overnight too, but I wouldnt go with any more than 20 lbs of gear in this, as I think it would become too cumbersome.
I made some slight modifications to it as well. Other than replacing the straps, I also removed the top drawstring. There isnt anything wrong with the one it comes with-its a simple cotton string. But, I wanted something a little more durable. I replaced it with 550 cord, and put a wooden bead on it, for a keeper. I tied a loop of 550 cord through one of the eyes in the top, to hang my hawk from. I also added 2 small pouches, on either side, through the belt loops-one contains my compass & signal mirror, the other my first aid kit.
I have the following items currently in here: one side pocket, a military poncho. The other side pocket, a DD hammock (no bug net). The center pocket, my rope kit in a Maratac pocket pouch, my fire kit in an old decon container, my shelter kit in an old top pouch for a military ruck (it contains a 5x7 tarp, a ridgeline, and several lengths of 550 cord, and a Heatsheet), a slingshot, my gerber saw, and a small set of binos. The top lid has my map, and writing stuff (pencil, paper, map marker). Inside, I have a military wet weather bag, which I will put clothing in, as needed, for the weather. I also have my 14cm Zebra pot, which has 2 days worth of food packed inside it, and a Katadyn Basecamp water filter. As I play around with this, expect to see a little more feedback. I am planning on a couple of overnights in the next few weeks, and will update then. For now, I am also attaching some pictures, so that you have an idea what the rucksack looks like.
There are several that I would LOVE to have: The Isle Royal by Duluth Packs, is the one all others are measured by. I like the pack-but, dont like the lack of a frame. And, at over $300-which, as it is handmade, I understand the pricing-it was more than I wanted to spend, particularly as this will be my first more traditional pack.
Second on my list, and a little more affordable, was the Continental Rucksack by LL Bean. I have toyed around with this, and really like it. Its a little more in my price range-about $140-AND it has an internal frame. I read a LOT of reviews on it, and, overall, it seems to fare pretty well. The major complaints are the shoulder straps. It seems, after some use, they have a tendency to roll in. The shoulder straps are imitation shearling, backed by thin canvas. Most people either return it for a new one (LL Bean has a no questions asked return policy), or they modify it by sewing old leather belts as backing, to keep the rigidity. The one major drawback, for me at least, is that they are manufactured in China. But, I think that, for a larger overnighter, this may be my next purchase-we will see though.
So, I continued my search-something a little smaller than the 2 listed above. Duluth Trading Co. has a smaller version of their Royal Isle, the RI Jr, but, again, the price is out of my range. So, I started looking into surplus packs.
I started looking into foreign military packs-Italian packs, Swedish packs, Swiss packs, Czech packs, and German packs. My main priorities were, besides price (and, all these were cheap), were canvas, sufficient room for gear for an overnight, and the long term reviews. And, of course, I was looking at style too, but, that sits pretty low on my priority list.
After taking ALL this into consideration, I finally settled on the German Mountain Rucksack, which was a reproduction of a model during the 60's. The pack I got is new, unused, but was manufactured in 1990. As it doesnt come with shoulder straps, they put on an old LCE shoulder straps onto the D rings for this. Originally, this ruck was designed to clip into a suspender system used by German forces. But, as I didnt want that, and, well, they seem to be impossible to get anyway, the seller has taken to adding these straps.
I havent taken it out yet, but, here are my initial thoughts on this rucksack. First, it appears very durable. it is a heavy canvas. The closures for the 3 pockets (2 sides, 1 front), are metal buckles. The top lid is a cinch style closure. The large internal main pack is plenty large enough to carry gear for an overnight, and then some. The 2 side pockets can hold a 32 oz Nalgene bottle (1 in each, of course), and the large central pocket can hold quite a bit of gear as well. There is a large pocket in the main compartment, that I have slipped a cut down CCF pad in there, for back support, and as a kneel or sit pad. There is also a top lid compartment, similar to what is found on the top lid of ALICE rucksacks.
Loading it up, I noticed a couple things. First, this is my first time trying one of these. Coming from a traditional backpack background, this rucksack sits low. Something I need to get used to. Second, the shoulder straps provided by the seller are lacking. They arent well padded (the original LCE straps arent made to carry heavy loads, simply to help support the web belt). These will be replaced, this weekend. They also pull in a different direction than what I am used to. As there isnt a waist belt, all the weight rides on your shoulders. Which, for now, is fine-this is primarily a daypack, so I shouldnt need to carry too much. I could pack it for an overnight too, but I wouldnt go with any more than 20 lbs of gear in this, as I think it would become too cumbersome.
I made some slight modifications to it as well. Other than replacing the straps, I also removed the top drawstring. There isnt anything wrong with the one it comes with-its a simple cotton string. But, I wanted something a little more durable. I replaced it with 550 cord, and put a wooden bead on it, for a keeper. I tied a loop of 550 cord through one of the eyes in the top, to hang my hawk from. I also added 2 small pouches, on either side, through the belt loops-one contains my compass & signal mirror, the other my first aid kit.
I have the following items currently in here: one side pocket, a military poncho. The other side pocket, a DD hammock (no bug net). The center pocket, my rope kit in a Maratac pocket pouch, my fire kit in an old decon container, my shelter kit in an old top pouch for a military ruck (it contains a 5x7 tarp, a ridgeline, and several lengths of 550 cord, and a Heatsheet), a slingshot, my gerber saw, and a small set of binos. The top lid has my map, and writing stuff (pencil, paper, map marker). Inside, I have a military wet weather bag, which I will put clothing in, as needed, for the weather. I also have my 14cm Zebra pot, which has 2 days worth of food packed inside it, and a Katadyn Basecamp water filter. As I play around with this, expect to see a little more feedback. I am planning on a couple of overnights in the next few weeks, and will update then. For now, I am also attaching some pictures, so that you have an idea what the rucksack looks like.
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