BushTe.ch

Brompton With Solar

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:51:21 -0700

Snowsled Wilderness Jacket - Review

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:20:00 -0700

A couple of months ago I took delivery of my Snowsled Wilderness Jacket.. just before the good weather settled in. Whenever we had a few spots of rain I would run outside with the dog but it's not until this last week I've had any decent 'bad weather' in which to test the jacket properly.

I have owned all kinds of jacket technology in the past, Gore-tex, eVent, Paramo, you name it. This was the first Ventile Jacket I have ever owned and it really is in a class of it's own.

Strange when you think about how long the material has been around.

Invented in Manchester during the Second World War, Ventile is a high-quality natural fabric made of tightly woven cotton. It's both breathable and waterproof adding a huge amount of insulation. I find it warmer than Gore-tex, yet nowhere near as hot as I have found Paramo jackets. It's pretty tough and I have trawled through dense bramble with no issue. Something I wouldn't dare do in a synthetic fabric jacket. Also, round the camp fire, embers just seem to fall off it rather than have you fear spontaneous combustion should you get too close to the flames as with other jacket types.

It's no surprise that Ventile is making a comeback with Bushcrafters. The fabric is soft and quiet. I was amazed when I first put the hood up. I am so used to the rustle of a synthetic jacket that i was not prepared for the shock of still being able to hear what was around me as i walked hood up, through the woods in the rain. The wilderness jacket also has a wired peak making the hood easy to fix behind me should I want to don my Tilley hat and play English Gent/Cowboy.

To be really waterproof Ventile garments are made in two layers As the outer one soaks up the rain it forms a barrier stopping more getting through. Interestingly though, in light rain the weave is so tight I found that the rain sat on the surface in droplets.

It takes a severe downpour for you to really test the waterproofing. Rain of course adds weight to an already mid weight jacket. I can't see an ultra-light backpacker going for a Ventile jacket but I also can't see them needing much of the many extra benefits you gain from wearing Ventile. Ultra-lighters mostly tend to be racing through the country. Not always needing a jacket for life or something as heavy duty.

This Snowsled Wilderness is one of many jacket and smock designs hand-made by Snowsled. It is also the longest walking jacket I have ever owned and now can't see myself ever wanting anything shorter. The extra protection you gain from the jacket dropping past your bum means I have not needed waterproof trousers in all but the severest weather.

Add to these mounting benefits that Ventile does not need to be constantly reproofed, is easily fixed and is as comfortable as you expect cotton to be and I seriously think you cannot find a better bespoke jacket for enjoying the outdoors. I certainly feel more a part of my natural surrounding when wearing it.

They're not cheep mind. They are also not fashion jackets meant to be cast aside at the end of the year when a new model is out. This is a Jacket for life. And you really do get what you pay for. If you live and work in the country and feel like you deserve the best, Take a look at a Ventile jacket before you look at anything else.

Thanks go to Snowsled for answering all my questions and their great service. Check out their impressive history and for more specs and pricing on the Wilderness Jacket and other clothing please visit the Snowsled Website. http://www.snowsled.com

I still have Autumn and Winter on the horizon and will no doubt update this blog or my other places like http://christianpayne.posterous.com or http://documental.ly with any new findings with the jacket and Ventile in general.

I am @Documentally on twitter

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The Tilley Hat

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:32:00 -0700

(Sanchi, India)

My first Tilley hat travelled with me to over 50 countries including 2 wars and an attempted coup (not my doing). Two years ago it vanished with my bio-diesel landrover which was stolen and never recovered.

I was more upset that my size 7 & a half Tilley T3 hat had gone than the truck. The hat had been a great traveling companion. Outside of protecting me from the sun and rain it also was a great talking point and as other Tilley owners will know the hat's little secret got me out of trouble more than once.

(Eating a chilli filled carott, India)

I have a new Tilley hat now. Not faded and worn-in like my old one. It will take me a few years and even more miles to get it looking and feeling as good as my lost one.

As my address and phone number is inside the stolen hat I still hold out a hope that someone will come across it and return it. It's travel stories span two passports. It's strange how we get attached to inanimate objects. Especially clothing.

(Northern, Thailand)

My new hat has a memory card stashed inside with return details, email address, an offer of a reward and a small video of me asking nicely for the hat back.

Geeky yes.. but it's my own kind of insurance for a piece of kit that has more than the obvious uses and once again was easy for me to grow attached to. Incidentally Tilley Endurables off you their own insurance of 50% off a new one should yours get robbed or lost.

(Zaire)

I recently spotted a new Hemp Tilley hat on the head of @MarkSpoff & I am sourly tempted to grab one for the summer months when I try to pack light. The softer hemp hat would fold up into the smallest of places.

In the meantime, I am sure there is a head somewhere out there adding new adventures (possibly some of them less than legal) to my old hat as I add my own adventures to my new one.

(Eating raw sugarcane, Zaire)

Not enough people wear hats. I am glad that they don't look out of place in the rain or out in the wilds. It's just a bonus to me that a hat offers you protection.

As Margo Nickel said.. "Whenever you wear your hat, your day will be special."

I am @Documentally on Twitter

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Flexible Solar Charging With @Select_Solar & @PowerMonkeys

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:37:52 -0700

This morning the PowerTraveller In-Car charger arrived in the mail and all of a sudden my mobile solar solutions have become even more versatile.

I can now use a large selection of lightweight folding solar panels as supplied by @Select_Solar and use them to power my favourite mobile power solutions, the MiniGorilla and PowerGorilla from @PowerMonkeys.

In my mind, this little adapter really does make the PowerTraveller kit much more flexible as you may already have solar panels in your kit. I have the SolarGorilla already and used it extensively in Africa recently. Still, I feel that this kind of tech that you come to rely on in the field should be able to be hacked together with as many combinations of panels and power packs as you need. You never know when you may have to set up an emergency power solution on assignment or if you are an NGO/charity out in the field.

The panel in the pic is the 'My Mobile Power MM16' rated at 25w supplied By @Select_Solar plugged in via the Powertraveller In-Car charger to the PowerTraveller MiniGorilla with the iPhone charging in at the same time via the USB output.

There's lots of new solar tech on the horizon from both these companies and in the coming weeks I'll be sure to have a play with various combinations of kit in order to see what works best with the minimum of fuss.. without breaking your back.

(I'm @Documentally on Twitter and this post was compiled on a solar powered iPad. I'll be sure to add links to this post when I get to a computer that can format text easier.)

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Home Is Where The Tech Is

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 03:37:00 -0700

To be fair my Dad @Baavet is much less of a Luddite now he has found Posterous. :)

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PowerFilm USB+AA Solar Charger from @Select_Solar

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:52:00 -0700

I got my hands on a test unit of the PowerFilm USB+AA Solar Charger from @Select_Solar.

It's about the size of a wallet when rolled up and as well as a USB socket it has a holder for two NiMH or NiCd AA batteries. It comes with two 2000mAh AA Sanyo batteries and states that it will solar charge the batteries in around 4 hours. Which is about the maximum amount of decent sun we get in a day so that's pretty handy.

It fits in the smallest of pockets, weights only 140g but still provides 1.4W (0.4A @ 3.6V). The panel tech inside this small unit seems to allow decent light absorption from even the cloudiest of days.

So far I have tested it charging a Three MiFi while simultaneously providing a WiFi hotspot.. Charging the batteries for a Kodak Zi6 HD camera and all versions of the iPhone (with the AA batteries in place). If you are going to use USB equipped solar panels with your Apple devices always use the white apple cables where possible. Third party cables sometimes just don't work. I'm sure this may keep Apple busy selling over priced cables in bulk but it's hardly handy if all you have to hand is another make of cable.. It seems pretty shot sighted when the rest of the world seem to be moving towards the standardised Micro-USB. I am sure you will have no trouble charging other types of phone.

There are some smart electronics inside this unit. Couple this with the extremely robust rollable solar panels and you are looking at a high quality bit of kit with a price that reflects this. You can look at paying between £70-£80 online. The military are snapping them up. There is even a video online of a Powerfilm panel riddled with bullet holes and still working. But it's a flash video so i can't embed it here (Why do people do that?)

I also have my hands on some slightly larger solar tech big enough to comfortably charge/power an iPad but that's going to take a little more testing till I can publish my findings.

For it's size and weight, this incredibly versatile little panel is really impressive and could well make it into a future blog entitled 'BushTe.ch survival kit.'

I'm @Documentally on twitter and I would like to thank @Select_Solar for the loan of the PowerFilm USB+AA Solar Charger.

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Folding Bushcraft Knife - EKA Masur Lockback

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 02:00:57 -0700

@Tom_Geraghty asked me what folding bushcraft knife I would recommend.

I rarely use a folder if getting messy. It's hard to keep a folding knife from getting smelly should you be skinning fish and suchlike. That said, one of my favourite every day carries (EDC) is the second knife featured in this video. The Eka Masur Lockback with a compressed Masur birch handle.

It feels great in the hand and if out and about it's a more than competent tool with a razor sharp edge and misleadingly strong blade for it's thickness.

A fixed blade bushy made to this standard could cost you a small fortune whereas this great little knife should not set you back any more than £60.

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How To Make A Mini Stove

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:22:00 -0700

I really must get round to making one of these. A great way of recycling as well.

I'm packing the @Bongomentally for a trip to @Geeknbury at the moment. Would be a great place to try out stuff like this.

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Solar Charging The iPad

Sun, 16 May 2010 13:15:00 -0700

It's not going to be often that I will want to take the iPad out into the wilderness. Still I like to know I can if i want to and that while out in the middle of nowhere I won't need to worry about power.

I have all kinds of little solar solutions that will ensure my MiFi maintains a 3G Wifi connection. (If there is 3G that is) but as yet I have done little experimenting with solar charging the iPad.

I have a variety of panels and power solutions but by far the best portable solar set up I have is the Solargorilla plugged into either the Minigorilla or Powergorilla. Not cheap, but fully spec'd and built to last.

I found after much faffing around that different USB leads behave in different ways and so for this test used either the USB lead that either came with my Powertraveller tech or the white Apple lead that came with the iPad.

As it stands I can power the iPad during light use or charge the iPad if the screen is off. At no point will you see the charging icon with this set up. In fact it may say 'not charging' in the top right. It is charging though. Just not as fast as the 10 Watt wall charger supplied.

So with the screen off for example, I have the Solargorilla charging the Minigorilla and the Minigorilla acting as a reservoir charging the iPad. I tested this with both the Minigorilla and the Powergorilla and in 10 mins the battery capacity would increase about 5%.

The main issue it seems is the amp-age required from the USB socket. Not all USB ports provide the same amount of power. USB ports can provide anywhere from 100 milliamps (mA) to as much as 1,000mA. I have since found the Power Jolt from Griffin and have ordered it to see if the 2.1 amps stated is sufficient enough for me to use the cigarette lighter socket adapter to speed up the charging process.

I hope to field-test this current set up and something similar with a few interesting modifications in the not too distant future.

I will either post the results here or on one of my other two main blogs Documental.ly or OurManInside.com

Either way I will no doubt link the post through my twitter account @Documentally

If you have been doing some off the grid Ipad experimenting please let me know your findings in the comments below. Especially if you have been using the folding flexible type of panel. Thanks for reading.

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The Solargorilla out of the box

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:56:28 -0700

A quick look at a bit of kit I have looked at from a distance for a long time now..
I look forward to trying this out in the field.. Or a field.

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Hunter Catapults - The Ergo Hunter

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:39:00 -0700

I have a couple of catapults, some going back years but fancied something special while I get round to making my own. After a little roaming around the bushcraft forums I found a catapult being talked about fondly and promptly ordered it.

It's from Hunter Catapults and is a hand made hardwood laminate dyed a 'Jacobean oak'.

Here is the Bumf from the website:

'Hunter catapults' is a small cottage based company nestled into the downs of rural Wiltshire.
I have been making catapults for a couple of decades and have made many custom catapults for folk for some time too, some metal and some wood. I have always preferred wood, it looks great and the varieties available are extensive.
The Hunter has been developed specifically with hunting in mind and I have taken a good few meals with one too!

The feature that really sets these catapults apart from other commercially available catapults is the fitting of doubled 'Theraband gold' ,this is believed to be the world’s leading catapult elastic and is used by many of the leading catapult shooters and catapult craftsmen alike, and makes the Hunter capable of 210fps!!! That’s 18ftlbs.

'Hunter catapults' have been developed to fit comfortably in large and smaller hands assuring many happy hours of target shooting or hunting.

If you think that the UK air gun law limits pistols to 6ftlbs and rifles to 12ftlbs you may have a little more respect for the humble back pocket catapult and it's very capable 18ftlbs. I imagine this kind of power is mainly possible if you're shooting hand cast lead shot and I got a couple of samples sent to me with the catapult. I also have a good amount of stainless steel but care has to be taken due to ricocheting. Also I am not a big fan of using the shot and bearings if not hunting as I don't like littering the wilderness with metal. I normally practise with good old fashioned round stones.

Being left handed I shoot my catapult in my left hand which i thought was the left handed way but this actually seems the norm as others feel the right hand/stronger hand is better placed drawing the catapult back. (When using a bow I draw back the arrow with my left). for me though, I feel the front aiming hand is more important so prioritise my left hand over my right. It's not tough to pull back the Theraband Gold elastics. Just to hold them there. Handedness would not normally matter in purchasing a catapult but these Ergo Hunters are made to fit either the left or the right.

After a couple of trips out it has not taken me long to find the 'eye' I had when I was a kid and would be confident hunting dinner should the need ever arise.

It's a beautiful bit of kit that I love to use. Way better than the cold hard factory made, mass produces catapults you can get. When I can afford it I'd love to get Fish (the guy behind Hunter Catapults) to make me a custom one. The laminate is nice but some of his 'specials' are just that. Very special indeed.

If you are not sure of the UK law around slingshots/catapults check the BushcraftUK forum for more info.

And if you want to see how accurate a slingshot can be.. check out the video on my other blog.

Happy hunting!

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Power Monkey Explorer Solar Charger

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:51:00 -0800

This is my second Power Monkey Explorer Solar Charger. It's not a replacement. It's in addition to my first that sits in my pack and is my emergency iphone charger. Having two iPhones and a MiFi means I am always in need of portable power and this secondary solar powered charging device will certainly get a lot of use.

The detachable 'solar slave' remains attached to this one and at the moment it lives in the car constantly topping up the internal lithium battery. In the box with the Power Monkey Explorer is also an AC and usb adapter so you can easily recharge when, as is often the case in the UK, the sun is not shining.

If I'm out in the wilds i'll always have at least one solar device lying around soaking up the light. Occasionally my original grey device blends into the background. I don't think I will have any trouble with this one.

The box also contains a load of extras. So in addition to the battery and solar panel you get the AC and USB adapter, a variety tips for mobile devices (including ipod ) and 3 international plug socket adapters. I tend to select the bits relevant to the kit i have with me and pop them in the small cotton pouch that also comes with the device. This blue model also came with a velcro strap which i think is for fastening the panel to anything that takes your fancy. At the moment it's strapped under my sunroof in the car.

The LCD display is pretty self explanatory. It shows amount of battery life left and there is also an LED to show charging and discharging.

It's certainly one of the better built devices out there and looks pretty weather proof. Mine has certainly not had a problem to getting very wet in the past.

It's a 2000mah battery and so takes a long while to charge in the sun. With moderate use being really careful I can keep an iphone topped up but for someone like me it's really only for emergencies. If you find yourself in a survival situation you will no doubt think the power explorer a godsend but as a heavy user of tech in the field I use it mainly as a backup and it has given me a much need full charge on more than one occasion. You can get about 1.5 iPhone charges from a fully charged Powermonkey. I am still testing it with my MiFi.

I've not really used the little solar panel on it's own but this can apparently be done. And my only criticism would be that I'd have liked for it to continue solar charging the battery as it restored charge into a phone, much like larger systems do, but for the compact size you can't expect everything.

To sum up, It's a great bit of Mobile charging tech and if you get lots of sun you will love the free power. I like the build quality, compact nature and the fact it's given me power on many occasions when I really needed it. I've always had all the adapters that I need and like it's intuitive ease of use.

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Woodland Ways Bushcraft and Survival

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 06:22:00 -0800

Last weekend I was in the woods in Derbyshire on a short Bushcraft course with Woodland Ways. Due to an extremely cold weather front sweeping in and scaring off the other people who'd booked, myself and a lad called Jack Sheffield found ourselves with one-on-one tuition. It was better than that in fact as Woodland Ways were training up another instructor. Three instructors for the two of us.

I packed way more than i really needed but after following the kit list i was sent, I figured I'd take the opportunity to try out some other kit. If you click on the photo all the items will be tagged with more info.

We arrived in the woods at night and got straight into putting up our bashers before heading away from camp to the kitchen area where we prepared wood pigeon for the dutch oven. There was very little cutting needed as we extracted some great bits of meat from locally shot birds.

This was a real hands on exercise and after being a pescatarian (eating mainly fish and no meat) for many years I was surprised how rewarding the whole process felt. We were careful to locate both the entry and exit wounds on the birds so we could ascertain all the lead shot had passed straight through.

The wood pigeon was cooked on the fire in the dutch oven with mushrooms and onion and was .. need i say it, delicious..

The night was cold. Really cold. On reflection my sleeping system of a two season Snugpack, silk liner and Rab pertex bivy on top of a Thermarest was not enough to keep me warm. The air was -4 but the ground seemed much colder. We had been left to our own devices as is the norm when on courses like this. The Instructors say it's so we can fully immerse ourselves in the woodland at night. I just had visions of the three of them in a Lord Of The Rings style ale house warming themselves by a roaring fire and eating big chunks of bread with their frothy beers and hot broth.

In reality they were about 300 meters away in another part of the wood sensibly sleeping in some of the best down sleeping bags money can buy.

The next morning could not come soon enough. Not just because I wanted to thaw out and check my toes were still attached but because I was really looking forward to learning new skills.

A big chunk of the day was spent building a solid shelter and heat reflector so the following night would be more comfortable. Myself and Jack opted to work together and share a lean-to. This meant we could build something bigger stronger and ultimately warmer in half the time. Our insulation and rainproofing was made up of branches and leaves laid thick enough so you could not see the light come through when looking from the inside. I've made shelters and dens since early childhood but there is always a tip or trick to be learned about construction, location etc that will ensure a comfortable safe night and much was gleaned form the days tuition.

Around lunchtime we took a break to fillet and cook some Rainbow Trout and prepared split sticks with natural cordage to hold them over our fire. Once again a delicious lunch.

The afternoon saw us put the finishing touches to camp, collect more firewood to see us through the night and practise various methods of firelighting. Firesteel, flint and steel, friction firelighting using the bow and other methods using electricity and chemicals.

We got the shelter finished as the snow started to fall again and we moved our equipment, bedding etc into our new home.

The meal that night was an amazing rabbit stew. Once again the meat skinned and prepared by our fair hands. It was much easier than I had thought it would be and It was good to be taught a method of preparation that would scale up to larger animals.

With a belly full of food and a shelter full of heat we were once again left to our own devices and myself and Jack chatted the night away around the fire talking of tales of travel and times gone. We kept a good pile of firewood to hand so we could top up the fire throughout the night and even though the ground froze we had a warm shelter, cozy sleeping bags and a dome of heat around our camp that ensured a good night's sleep.

The following morning I woke to look out of the shelter and across a snowy white woodland where I saw what looked like a Muntjac walk by in the early light. A great way to start the day. Especially when it is followed by a large bowl of steaming porridge and honey cooked on a freshly stoked fire.

A fresh coffee from my thermal plunge mug and I was more than ready to face the day.

After breaking down our shelter and returning the woodland to it's former untouched glory, we went for a walk learning about the flora and fauna useful for food and medicine. I learned more on the last morning about bushcraft than I've done in the last year.

A great way to end my short stint in the Derbyshire countryside and my time with Woodland Ways.

I'd taken various bits of tech out with me to use and test and the only real surprise I got was that my fully charged Powergorilla would only charge my two iphones a maximum of twice each and this was not even from flat. I am thinking the cold may have affected the batteries performance. Needless to say I will be looking for alternative sources of power for my next trip out into the wilds.

Big thanks to Alec Pearson and Jason Ingamells for a great couple of days and I hope to have more to do with Woodland Ways Bushcraft and Survival in the near future.

Here are some Audioboo's from the weekend.. Listen! Listen! Listen!

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What is Bushtech?

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:06:00 -0800

As a child my woodland dens and tree houses were basic but protected by highly technical traps and alarms I'd construct after reading whatever survival book I could get my hands on. Holidays saw me and my Brother equipped in the latest mountain tech in the Alps or camping in the latest tent on a European bike ride. On leaving school I nearly joined the forces thanks to the action and adventure articles that adorned the pages of Combat and Survival magazine.

Before Bushcraft was a buzzword me and my friends would forage in the woods searching for edible mushrooms, nuts or elderberries for my Dads wine. As far as our tech went it was pocket knifes, catapults and hand held CB's. The likes of civilian GPS was almost science fiction.

My love for travel and the outdoors truly became married to my fascination with technology during a ten year stint travelling the World. I soon learned that any tool or tech I wanted to buy had to fit inside my backpack. I didn't have a house to fill with junk, instead I would make sure I had the best of everything in the pack on my back.

The best multi tool, the smallest water purifier, the most compact sleep system and the most versatile pack to put it all in. Different kit for different trips.

You may never have to call upon the knowledge of how to survive with only what's in your pockets, nevertheless understanding ancient skills and old knowledge is both liberating and enabling. I feel It's also our duty to archive these amazing skills.

Enter Bushcraft to the public arena. A long term extension of your survival skills and a way of reconnecting with the natural world around you. The term was first coined in the late 80's but recently popularised in the mainstream by Ray Mears and his TV series.

Live in and travel the wilderness. Not just surviving but thriving. Using the skills of the ancients who did not have the modern tools we do to keep them safe and healthy.

And this is where I'd like to start a new adventure.

As much as I enjoy switching off my modern tools and devices and saturating myself in nature, there are times I love to head out and experiment with new and exciting technology.

Just as I was taught the basic needs; shelter, warmth, water, food. And in survival you P.L.A.N. Position, Location, Acquisition, Navigation. I now like to incorporate communication. Be it the ability to power devices to communicate with satellites for navigation, or communicating with the world outside the wilderness you are exploring.

I'd like BushTech to be a new way of exploring the great outdoors. I want to reconnect to the natural world, but when I feel like it, to maintain a connection to the modern world. Perhaps while communicating also sharing and inspiring others to get outside and enjoy nature in a new way. That communication could be solar powered and live through the twitter account @BushTech or it could be archived here on http://BushTe.ch

So if you too enjoy tech and the great outdoors, be it fabric technology, remote comms, portable solar power, GPS and mobile computing, please feel free to join in the conversation. Either on twitter, in the comments, or perhaps contribute to this blog.

BushTech: Where Bushcraft Meets Technology.

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