Archive for November, 2009
Stainless Steel Water Bottles
November 27th, 2009 | 
Author: 
Imagine you’re a day hiker or a canoeist whose trapped out over night or longer – in your day sack you carry a waterproof, fire starter and a water bottle – the night time temperatures plummet around you and you long for a warm drink to stop you shivering and beat off the creeping cold……….. Or maybe you’ve found a source of water which needs boiling to purify! Maybe you’ve come across a fellow hiker who’s less well equipped than you and who soaked and cold is slowly succumbing to exposure!
Water Procurement – Part 1
Water is one of your most urgent needs in a survival situation. You can’ t live long without it, especially in hot areas where you lose water rapidly through perspiration. Even in cold areas, you need a minimum of 2 liters of water each day to maintain efficiency.
More than three-fourths of your body is composed of fluids. Your body loses fluid as a result of heat, cold, stress, and exertion. To function effectively, you must replace the fluid your body loses. So, one of your first goals is to obtain an adequate supply of water.
Dr John Rae – The Unsung Arctic Hero
John Rae is undoubtedly one of Orkney’s greatest unsung heroes.
Although his memorial is prominent in St Magnus Cathedral, the truth is that, these daya, few Orcadians know of the man or his deeds.
John Rae was born at the Hall o’ Clestrain in Orphir on September 30, 1813. He was the fourth son of John Rae senior.
Rae Senior was the factor of Sir William Honeyman’s Orkney estate, so while most Orcadian families faced a harsh life of near-poverty, the Rae family lived in comfort in affluent surroundings.
International Distress Signals
Each year in the United Kingdom hundreds if not thousands of people head off into the hills and mountains of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Some are well prepared for their trip, wearing the correct clothing and carrying the relevant equipment for the conditions they are likely to face. Others are unfortunately not so prepared.
In my view one of the most important pieces of equipment that can be carried into the hills is a simple whistle. Yet so many people do not carry this potentially life saving piece of equipment. Surely it can’t be the cost. Even a good quality whistle will come in at well under a fiver. Therefore the only thing I can attribute to the reason why people do not carry whistles is misunderstanding and ignorance.
Is Your Mora Too Sharp?
It has occurred to me that many people follow Ray Mears video sharpening instructions for his bushy knives and apply them to the standard cheap bushy knife (Frosts clipper/mora) and that this may not be the best. The bushy is zero ground so you sharpen the primary bevel, the mora is designed to have a small secondary bevel.
Samuel Hearne – A Bushcraft Hero
Samuel Hearne was born in London, England in 1745 He served in the Royal Navy, joining in 1756 at the tender age of eleven. In 1763 he left the Navy and took employment with the Hudson’s Bay Company. In 1768 he examined portions of the Hudson Bay coasts with a view to improving the cod fishery. Then from 1769 – 1772, he was employed in North Western discovery. The Hudson’s Bay Company sent him in search of copper mines that were reported by Indians to be in the North, somewhere along the Coppermine River.
In Search of the Perfect Bushcraft Knife
I’ll start this article by coming clean… Over a fairly long period of time, I have bought, owned and sold a great many knives. I have spent a huge amount of money on knives. It’s ridiculous, I could have travelled the world and taken part in some fantastic adventures if only I had not embarked on the search for the Holy Grail! That elusive Bushcraft item… The perfect knife that does everything.
I have decided that I will pass on my experience to you, the reader and in so doing, try and save you the time, effort and money I have put into this fruitless search.
So, here it is… the one piece of information that will save you time, money, grief and effort… “The perfect bushcraft knife does NOT exist”!