A place for me to review the various rugged, nifty and needful kit that I've accumulated, for every-day preparedness in the event of accident, disaster or world-shifting end-times Apocalypse, be it zombies, triffids or Mayan divide-by-zero errors.
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Review: Kings Adventure Big Daddy Deluxe Double Swag
Friday, February 16, 2024
Review: Back Country cusine Beef Terriyaki
Hal
Thursday, January 4, 2024
Review: Campmaster single burner stove
Tuesday, August 1, 2023
Review: Titaner titanium Bento Box
Perfect size for 2-minute instant noodles ( shown here with spring onion, ginger chunks, lap cheung sausage and chilli paste. All of which fit nicely in the box for easy transport.
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Review: CRKT Freyr hatchet
I never go camping without packing at least my Fiskars log splitter and even a long hike will see my Boker Tomahook in my belt because their general utility and suitability to the tasks commonly at hand camp-side or on the trail. But a log splitter is big broad and heavy and the tomahook is light, narrow and short. Not all tools do all jobs well, which is why when I saw the CRKT Freyr hatchet I was impressed enough to add it to my collection.
The broad head of the Freyr is made from the robust 1055 high carbon steel, with a textured black finish all the way to the beveled edge. It features a hammer poll on the reverse face, which I prefer over a spike end for the utility of having a hammer on hand. I rarely have to puncture breastplates, oil drums or car tyres. I do, however often have to reset nails, screws, tent pegs and the occasional fence-post.
This makes it very handy for camp-craft, making kindling for fire-starting and coincidentally, the top corners of the head make good striking surfaces for ferrocium rods.
The usable blade bit length is 12cm (4 3/4"), with a slight toe rising above the top edge of the hatchet, giving decent bite when embedding head-on, which i like to do when pausing in chopping or as a carry-aid when processing logs.
The haft is stained Hickory, with a very nice grain and a smooth finish, a 42cm (16 1/2") overall length, with a slightly flared end knob for good hand indexing and retention when chopping. The head has been wedged in the eye and has two steel rings holding it all in place and stable. As the Pale Rider would say, "that's a nice piece of hickory".Unlike the Tomahook, with its full-length tang, the Freyr maintains almost the full weight at the axe-head end, lending itself to solid chops regardless of how you hold it. The traditional bit and eye design broadens the tool for extra log splitting power, without adding significant extra mass or bulk. Topping out at 814g (1lb 12oz) its certainly a handy tool around camp on on the belt when adventuring.
I have made a leather mask for it, to protect myself and the edge, which I secure with the leather strip when on,
The balance point is just behind the tip of the beard, adding to its nimbleness in the hand. Overall i'm exceedingly pleased with this hatchet, it is simple, elegant and functional. It holds a good edge, the black finish keeps it rust and resin free.
I wouldn't say it has replaced my Fiskars logsplitter for its power and reach or the Tomahook for its versatility and tacticool appeal.
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Review: Go! Outfitters - Landing Pad
It’s made from durable 70D polyester, with a 1000mm waterproof polyurethane coating on the bottom and a silicone coating on the top for extra protection and easy clean up. This makes the Landing Pad extremely waterproof.
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Review: ChinLin spade trowel
Those side lashing holes and the hole in the spine of the spoon near the handle of the tool can also act as attachment points to fix a pole fitted into the hollow handle, either acting as a extension to the handle, or to turn the tool into a spear.
Sunday, January 1, 2023
Review: Alton Goods bathtub groundsheet
I received my groundsheet as a birthday present, in winter, and took it on a number of walks, where its small packed size of 21.5x8x11cm (8.5"x 3.25"x 4") and light weight 295g (10.4 oz) made it an inconsequential daypack or cargo pocket addition.
Made from a tough Ripstop nylon construction, dual-coated with 3000mm Silicone and PU, it is fully seam-sealed with heat tape to be both 100% waterproof and puncture resistant. When staked out the Bathtub Groundsheet measures : 210x90x15cm (6'11"x2'11" x 6"), plenty big enough to fit me, and my gear, and the bathtub wall height is plenty big enough to keep my bedding in, or incidental wet out.
The corners are heavily reinforced and tailored to stand upright without stressing the seams and feature tape reinforcement to hold upright without sagging. This is bolstered further by built-in metal posts in the corners to hold it up, as well as sewn in buttressing peg-out loops extending outwards. the top edge of the corners also feature a loop sewn in to fit fly poles if used, and sewn in snap-points allow the groundsheet to marry up with the compatible Ultralight Ground Bug Net to create a fully-enclosed sleep system by pairing with this groundsheet. Nice forethought.
The included 4 Y cross-sectioned 7001 aluminium pegs have retention notches and a built in pull-cord for ease of removal.
When fully staked out and pulled taught, the bathtub effect is very stable, and provides a good barrier against the outside. the ripstop nylon is smooth and whilst not breathable, very comfortable to lay on directly, even after being in full sun.
I liked that it was big enough for me to fully stretch out on, as i'm quite tall. i'd want a tarp strung up over it to sleep on, just to give some cover, and I suspect leaving the most down-hill corner flat to allow any water a drain-off spot might be prudent without one.
I've woken up in a pool of water once whilst camping and don't recommend it.
The whole system comes with own drawstring bag for ease of carry and is small and light enough to be stuffed in a cargo pocket. I have been keeping it in my car along with some light picnic hiking gear and have used it as a picnic blanket a number of times. I think i'll be picking up the bug net and one of the Alton goods tarps to complete the set, and will test it out for sure.Monday, July 30, 2018
Review: Firebox stove
I'm a notoriously difficult present recipient, mostly because I like eclectic and specialized kit and often get my own. When my birthday rolled around this year I was in the fortunate position to have made a list of cool things that I had not yet acquired. One such item was the flat packing and portable fire place system called a Fire Box Stove. This is the Gen2 5" Folding Firebox Campfire Stove which is a multi-purpose super tool for fire.Thanks Basse and Barry!
It's a multi-fuel cook stove designed to be able to utilize wood and other fuels found in nature, solid fuel tablets, alcohol burners, iso-butane gas burners, gel fuels (such as Sterno), wood pellets or charcoal briquettes. I haven't yet tried it but i'd think pine cones would work nicely in it, as would shredded or twisted cardboard.
The folding Firebox's large size and its sturdy construction makes it reportedly stable enough for a large dutch oven yet it can be used with cookware as small as a camping cup. BE sure to set it up on stable flat ground to avoid spilling your pot of 'pocalypse stew ... The Folding Firebox Stove is also easy to set up. It's four hinged sides effortlessly opens into position, the internal fire base folds down to lock it into its approximate box shape and the accessory fire sticks and ash-tray slot into place as desired. When it's time to go it folds flat, clips together and slips into its own handy leather case ready to slide into your pack, cleanly and easily.
Constructed of Stainless Steel, it stands 19cm(7.5") tall, 12.7cm(5.0") across when set up and all told weighs 907g 92 lbs). Folded it lays a mere 0.95cm (0.375") thick. The hinges are well enclosed longways loops of rolled steel and steel pins. I found the hinges to be smooth and whilst not stiff, to be firm enough that the walls did not flop around when setting it up.
When the internal base is deployed , it braces the walls and fits it securely. Even after use, the hinges moves smoothly. The ash tray was a bit fiddly to fit but it has a right way and a wrong way, as its not square and neither is the stove. (It's a trapezoid.) The fire sticks either slots through the walls of the stove to offer coal support or into notches in the top to provide stable cook surface.
A perforated grill plate can also be fitted into the top of the stove in place of the fire sticks. This allows food to be directly cooked on the fire, without need of pot or pan but also makes good cooking platform for a pot or pan.
As well as the perforated sides which give good aeration and wind shielding a fold down lip at the top of one side gives when more heat and burn control. Fuel can be fed in through this gap or through the larger holes in the base of the walls. Short sticks, twigs even straw can be fed in though these side slots without having to remove cooking items from the heat. The relativity small size of the stove means that only a small volume of fuel can be loaded in at any one time so no big logs for long slow nighttime burns and it will require constant feeding. The Firestick posts made good fire tending tools and allowed me to lift and shift components such as flaps and the grill plate without burning myself.
The modular design of the FireBox means that a variety of fuel can be used, in a variety of amounts and applied to a variety of cooking methods. My only complaints with the design are that some of the tolerances are very tight, such as the holding pegs of the grill plate which can be; fiddly to seat and popped loose under heat.
A fire chimney isn't new to my firemaking kit. Astute readers may recall the CampMaid charcoal chimney fire starting system I covered. In principle the two are every similar but the Firebox is purpose built as a stove, whereas the CampMaid chimney is designed as a BBQ starter.
With its multiple cooking configurations, useful accessories and collapsible design, the Firebox leverages its lightweight design and sturdy materials it can use virtually any size cookware and make use of some pretty marginal fuel sources to not only cook food, boil water to make safe but it also functions as a portable campfire.
It's small, not for for burning logs but it certainly beats trying to clear a dry spot for a fire after a rain, and preparing a fire pit, or leaving one improperly quenched. The Fire box, being so well vented, burns very completely leaving only fine ash if left to burn out.
As a backyard stove, it was excellent, and meant I could set up a small fire in a controlled way to burn off scraps and have some fun with my little one Tactical Baby, and teach her good fire behavior in a controlled space. In a wilderness setting it might be wise to set it up with some wind shelter, as the perforated sides and base let embers fall through and it would be irresponsible to spread fire, also it shelters the fire and ensures an even burn essential for cooking.
I used my EverFire brick firestarters to both get it going and to do some initial cooking and it worked really well with those. The Firesticks allowed me to tailor the burn height and positioning. With these to maximize their effectiveness.
I noted a little warping of the grill plate after its first use, and some thermal discoloration of the steel from where the stainless steel reached sufficient temperatures. Not that this was a surprise or is a problem but good to remember.
Its a little too big to fit in a cargo pocket, but small enough to fit in the front pouch of almost any daypack i'd want to take on the trail with me.
I look forwards to collecting the accessories and trying out my lightweight camp cooking skills.
with an Everfire brick as fuel. supported by Firesticks |
Off cuts and woodwork scraps kindled by the EverFire brick |
time for a nice mug of tea! |
Baby wieners toasted and consumed! Vacation fun! |
Non-sqaure base plate folds to holds it rigid |
A single methylated spirit charged EverFire brick gets it red hot |
Heat your tea, cook your dinner, warm your hands! |