Ultralight Backpacking is 'Messing About' and 'Dangerous'

"Ultralight backpacking is dangerous and people should not be 'messing about' with ultralight backpacking gear here in the UK, especially in winter. "

Interesting allegation, lets break this down.

The storm is coming. Could I die tonight in this ultralight sub 500g shelter? 

If someone wanted to cover 100 miles in one day on a bicycle or cycle Lands End to John o' Groats in winter - would that person be encouraged to buy a full on suspension mountain bike, 'just in case' or would that person be advised to consider a light weight road bike or hybrid? Most people would intuitively choose the lightweight option and choose an appropriate tyre to handle the frost and snow expected on the road.

If an individual wanted to walk 15 to 20 mile day averages, should that person choose to carry a backpack and gear with an all up weight of  20 Kg or more, ( the weight of 4 to 5 full buckets of water ) or would that individual make better progress and comfort keeping things under 10 Kg? Most would make better and more comfortable progress carrying less. 

If a backpacker wanted to cover mileage in adverse winter weather, would that walker choose to skirt around the highest mountains and use passes and national trails between ranges, or would it make sense to go over the top of them? Most people would stick to the low and mid level routes and take in only the occasional summit in the right conditions. 

If you were planning a 'day hike' to the summit of Ben Nevis in winter conditions would you consider carrying a 4 Kg ( weight to a bucket of water ), full on, double skinned, geodesic tent up there as part of a minimum of safety gear? Or even perhaps a 1.7 Kg semi-geodesic or tunnel tent as a back up. Or would you consider carrying  a 500 gram bivvy or survival bag as an adequate fall back option? Most hill walkers would consider the bivvy bag to be more than an adequate 'back up' even for such conditions. In fact I suspect many carry little more than an orange plastic bag. 

So why should ultralight camping in relatively sheltered lowland or even mid level winter conditions along our national trails with ultra light gear such as a bivvy bag or single skin tipi backed up with plenty of light weight down clothing and decent waterproofs considered to be unsafe? or Dangerous? 

What is dangerous is becoming fatigued and mentally drained in adverse conditions through the exertion and sweating from carrying too much weight, and then faffing around burning calories for an hour trying to find a space of ground big enough to pitch a tent with a sewn in groundsheet and then spending another half hour fighting 40 mph winds to get it pitched. I know I have been there the past!! Versus pitching a floor-less single skin tipi or pyramid style shelter which can be pitched over anything in less than 5 minutes - including tussocky grass or rocks, so full advantage can be made of natural wind breaks or other useful features of the landscape. 

The extra demands on the body to carry heavy gear risks injury. Sewn in tent footprints mean that often it is difficult to find an ideal place to set up camp in safety in truly wild places so compromises are taken, so increasing danger. 

Once the benefits of  ultralight gear become understood, most people make an instant decision to go lighter, and see those carrying over engineered and unnecessary gear as the ones that are potentially 'messing about'.

Well I am pleased to say that even in the torrential wind and rain that came down following the storm front in the picture above I did survive, also my clothing and sleeping bag stayed dry enough and I did live to tell the tale. Anyone ready to chuck in a few miles before breakfast? 

Thank  you as always for reading

Way of the backpacker

Roselli Carpenter - R110 Review

Roselli Carpnter feels just right in the hand

A superb general purpose back country knife suitable for all basic camp tasks - basic food prep, cutting cordage  / plaster and will excel at whittling everything from tent pegs to spatula's. These knives will also step up to the plate in an emergency situation to split down modestly sized wood to expose dry wood for fire starting or to use to size kindling for a portable backpacking wood burning stove. The knife also excells at feather sticks and can take on larger wood crafting duties such as temporary shelter building and so on within reason.

It was a picture of a Roselli Carpenter similar to the one I have taken above that started my journey into an appreciation of this classic style of knife. Similar knives to these have been used for generations by Northern Scandinavian peoples such as the Sami reindeer herders.

Here's the shocker - The weight of  these knives is actually 'less' than my Swiss Army knife and only 20g more than my Ettrick single blade pocket knife.

That is not to say the parting of my ways from a SAK or my Ettrick for that matter would be easy. The SAK has a number of tools which I regularly use - scissors in particular and the can opener gets occasional use, and the Ettrick excels at small whittling tasks.

Before finally purchasing this knife I looked at many similar knives by Ahti, Roselli, Helle, Lapin, Tommi, Kellam and others. All these Scandinavian manufacturers produce traditionally inspired designs which cover the two basic traditional designs - big knives for chopping / splitting duties - and small knives which do the detail carpentry, food prep and dressing of game. The larger knives are termed 'Leuku' and the smaller ones, (smaller being a relative term) are called 'Puukko'. I was in the market for a Puukko.

As a regular trail walker I wanted a modestly sized fixed blade knife, light in weight, to be carried alongside a multi-tool or Swiss Army knife.  I was specifically looking for a general purpose knife that could provide service both in the camp kitchen and for general camp duties, that could be sharpened easily and would hold an edge for a long time. Also a tool able to step up to the plate in a survival or emergency situation should the need arise.

For the odd occasions that I had needed a larger knife in the past, I had carried a kitchen knife such as the Victorinox Rabbit knife from the cutlery drawer at home alongside my pocket knife. Knives such as these perform well for food prep and paring but do not carve / whittle wood very well and are supplied without a sheath so carrying them around is not really very convenient. I have also owned and used classic style Mora knives in the past which are great - but once I had seen the Carpenter.... 

Few would disagree that this knife has an aesthetic appeal - from any angle this knife has the appearance of a small work of art. I also liked the rustic look of a tool which is designed to be used. Although the design is created by Roselli himself a self taught knife maker from Finland, his design is clearly inspired by the style of knife that has been used by the Northern Indigenous peoples of Europe for centuries - the Puukko.  Interestingly the Roselli Carpenter knife has evolved over time, Earlier models do look slightly different to the current model. Roselli also offers a variety of steels for the blade - standard or UHC, which stands for Ultra High Carbon. Mine is the standard hardness as I suspect it will be easier to field sharpen. 

The Handle:

As with many knives from the Nordic countries the blade is inserted into an ergonomic handle usually of curly arctic birch, as with the Carpenter, or a similar wood. Inevitably this arrangement is not likely to be as strong as a full tang bushcraft knife for use say as a pry bar, or for batoning wood . On the other hand the blend of less metal and more wood leads to a considerably lighter and more comfortable and dextrous knife that is still adequately strong for general purposes. The handle of this knife for my medium sized hands feels perfect. In fact I have never held a knife that felt so right in the hand, with no metal touching my hand anywhere. This knife unbelievably weighs no more than my Swiss Army Climber, yet still manages to feel absolutely solid. The other thing of note is the lack of a finger guard.  This means that the knife will not be suitable for a stabbing type action, if this matters to you. On the other hand it leads to a very controllable blade with a super comfortable grip when carving. With appropriate use your finger is not likely to be nicked by the blade, indeed I have not so far cut myself or come anywhere near. The curly birch feels warm to the touch and grips really well, especially when damp or wet. All four fingers are easily accommodated in a variety of hand grips. Extended knife use does not leave any hot spots for me.  

The Blade:

From the super sharp fine pointed tip, the blade has a sharply curved belly which then leads to a straight edge which runs up to the handle. The standard blade is forged from 58C carbon steel and is 3mm thick at the spine, tapering to a fine point at the tip. Roselli has put a typical Scandinavian grind onto the blade which is very easy to sharpen either by sharpening the full bevel to a perfect and true zero Scandi grind for the ultimate razor edge or by placing a secondary bevel which creates a strong edge for general use. The knife arrives with a very slight secondary bevel. The overall length of the blade is 80mm.  The steel blade although of fine high quality steel has been left with the forge marks and black finish so looks very rustic. Personally I really like this but this may not appeal to everyone.

Personally I would prefer slightly more of a drop point along the spine towards the tip which would bring the point slightly lower to create the ultimate carving knife for me.  This is more of a preference of my own than a criticism however as this may detract the knife form its other general purpose duties. 

So How does the knife perform in use?

The main use of a knife on the trail for me at least is slicing salami's, chorizo and other cooked meats, dicing shallots to pep up my trail rations, chopping garlic, slicing up apples and other fruit and the occasional wild edible. It also needs to open food packaging and act as a knife as in knife and fork - in my case knife and spork. It also needs to cut cordage, and plaster and repair tape and may be used occasionally for prepping line caught mackerel and also for whittling tent pegs, toggles, small chopping boards, rough spatulas and splitting down small kindling for a portable wood stove. So how does it perform? 

I was expecting the knife to easily dispatch these duties, but in actual fact the knife is not fantastic at 'all ' these functions. Of course no knife can be perfect at everything. This is no fault of the manufacture or quality of the knife, but is more of a factor to do with the scandi grind which acts like a spitting wedge when say halving an onion. However, it will take very fine slices from the edge of say an onion, if you angle the knife so that the grind edge sits flush with the direction of cut.  It chops garlic easily and is a dream to peel vegetables with - its just so comfortable. Acting as a regular knife as in knife and spork it also peforms well  - look out plastic plates if you use them! it will score deep marks in them. Food packets are very easily sliced open. 

The next most likely use is that of a utility knife for cutting say plaster, cord, rope, bandage and the like. The knife performs here as a knife through butter, super sharp and effortless. 

Whittling and Carving duties. Needless to say this knife is perfect for these sorts of camp duties as per its name  - the 'Carpenter' - replacement tent pegs or whatever else takes your fancy are yours within moments with the right skills. I am more than happy to make pegs with either green or even seasoned wood from the forest floor with this knife. The knife can be sharpened to a very fine cutting edge, so I would take knife safety very seriously indeed. 

Can it split firewood? Inevitably this question seems to be the thing that defines a suitable knife for back country 'survival' use for many. The answer is 'yes it will within reason'  - The knife is sturdy and the blade is long enough for say up to 5cm diameter logs. However, I do not intend using this knife for this function myself. I do not believe  a push tang knife is really designed to be used with a baton and if this is your 'main' priority from a knife maybe look more to a full tang full on heavy duty bushcraft knife. On the other hand I think in all other regards this knife is better suited to camp duty than what we now call a bushcraft knife. For the heavier chopping jobs the Sami would have presumably deployed the Leuku. If regular chopping is needed maybe consider one of the Leuku knives?  Roselli makes an attractive traditionally inspired Leuku, which is still super light compared to say carrying an axe. 

Cutting meat and gutting fish:

Super sharp nimble blade, I have opened up mackerel and have had great control of the initial cut due to the super sharp point and razor blade edge. The lack of  a finger guard could be an issue if you were cutting deep inside a large animal carcass but this is not an issue for me with the odd fish. Roselli does produce a dedicated hunting knife with a sort of finger guard worked into the handle and a slightly more clipped blade tip. I have sharpened my Carpenter to a zero bevel, so any contact with bone could roll the edge. I could easily put a secondary bevel back on the knife if I were using the knife for regular game prep. Main issue for me though is that carbon steel is prone to tarnishing and rust around sea water, and the sheath is prone to damp. So the knife will do the job, but consideration needs to be made to the grind and maintaining the knife correctly by ensuring it is dried and oiled after use. This is not a knife that will live well in a damp fishing box. Also there exists the tiniest of gaps around where the blade inserts into the handle which will be very hard to clean say dried blood from. 

Sheath:

The carpenter is supplied with a vegetable tanned leather sheath which appears very Nordic and traditional. It may not appeal to everyone's taste but personally I really like it. The sheath could be worn on the belt, 38mm max belt width, but I generally will stow such a knife inside my pack when on the move, especially anywhere near civilization. Technically this knife is not a UK legal carry unless you have good reason for doing so. Most likely carrying a camping knife on the trail whilst carrying and using camping gear would be OK, effectively its the kitchen knife and camp knife, but its probably best to not have it on show anywhere that may create the wrong impression. Also be mindful when travelling on public transport, especially using the underground or indeed anywhere a bag search could occur. There are laws which cover 'concealment' and 'intent'.

The knife is very light for its size and a leather thong or paracord around the neck and through the sheath loops would make this knife a great neck knife around camp. The tanned leather picks up dirt and stains easily due to its pale colour. I intend to rub some bees wax or fat into the leather in time. There is a plastic tip liner which slightly catches the knife tip if you mis-align it when placing the knife in the sheath. Not a biggie but careful insertion is required. The sheath is a tight fit on the knife handle and I have not been concerned about the knife coming out. It does not 'click' to fit, it relies on friction to stay put. 

Conclusion: 

Overall I am super happy with this knife which I purchased for £60.00 from Lamnia Finland.  Not a cheap purchase when you consider that you could have 3 or 4 Mora knives for the the price of this one. However I do not intend buying another Puukko in this life so in the fullness of time I am sure this will still represent great value. I was kept well informed during the delivery process and everything went smoothly. If you need a comfortable great looking camp knife and like the traditional carbon steel rusticity and provenance then look no further. This is what Roselli says about his designs:

"Smith Heimo Roselli refuses to build any non-functional or unnecessary attributes in his knives. The unessential is detrimental"

I agree that Heimo Roselli has acheived his aims here and has produced a very practical light weight tool that is a joy to hold and will perform its intended function without fuss. If you need to Baton wood consider the Roselli Leuku, if you need the choil / finger guard consider the Roselli Hunter - however both are heavier.

The main advantage of this knife the Scandinavian grind and fairly thick solid blade also provides its disadvantage - the knife splits food when halving rather than slicing through the middle of things like apples or onions. This is a concern only if you prefer a dedicated camp cooking knife and you are not too worried about other duties. A full flat grind can be better at slicing and dicing.  A knife such as the Enzo necker 70 flat grind may suit you better. On the other hand for a general purpose knife which is a joy to use and handle with wood and that can also perform all the other main camp tasks then the Carpenter by Roselli may be a hard one to beat. As an added bonus, if I were stuck out in a wilderness setting and I had to create a quick shelter, split down some modest kindling and make a fish trap, digging stick or improvise fishing gear then I would feel very secure with this knife in hand.

Some other great light weight small sheath knives with an historic or other pedigree to consider:

Mora/ Frosts - Great blades in high quality carbon or stainless, budget looking plastic handles and sheaths are not to my taste, although no doubt very ergonomic and in many respects very practical. The classic range however is still supplied with the original red ochre colored wooden handles which appeal to me.  Models such as the classic 2/0 make a great buy. 

Enzo - In particular the Necker 70 - Half the cost of the Roselli in kit form and available in full flat grind or scandi grind depending upon your preference. Although smaller it finishes up about the same weight as the Roselli as it has a full tang, so may be a better choice for splitting wood for kindling in Scandi grind or better at slicing and dicing in full flat grind. Also available in stainless or carbon. 

Grohmann- Bird and Trout - Great looking Canadian full tang knife similar price point to Roselli Carpenter here in the UK. Choice of grind, ergonomic handle and option of stainless steel which would make this great if you Canoe or Sail as well as Hike. They also produce a dedicated boat / yacht knife. The sheaths look to be very high quality and comes in many styles to suit.

A Wright & Sons - Green River knife - A traditional all purpose basic camp knife modeled on the 'trapper' knives supplied to the Canadian fur traders back in the day,  a knife then with an historic pedigree - this time from an English cutler from Sheffield England. Excellent price point for the quality and super light in weight for something so adaptable. Also available with a shorter clipped point blade called a boating knife, it would work brilliantly for opening up freshly caught fish, as well as cutting cordage and food prep,

Thank you as always for reading

Way of the Backpacker. 

Fire Craft & Stove for the Trail - Bushcraft meets Ultralight Backpacking

In this article we look at one of the fundamentals - Fire, or to be more precise the best way to create it and a thought or two about when and where it is appropriate to use fire, together with a suitable stove option for sustainable ultralight trail walking.

Basic Stove Lighting / Fire starting Kit, Note how the BIC lighter fits perfectly in the Victorinox Sheath with the Climber  model Swiss Army Knife. Also note the secure water-tight container for the matches. 

On the one hand fire has been so fundamental to the development of our species that it seems like an injustice to not own the ability and primitive skills to make it from the natural materials around us as a right of passage. On the other hand it seems like a nonsense to not take advantage of our latest and most convenient technology for making a controlled fire. i.e. a lighter/ ferroceum  rod or matches.

How we are intending to cook and keep warm on the trail has a direct knock on effect which will govern our other gear / outfit selections. In simple terms our choice of  cooking arrangements has an associated 'flammability' risk.  Open wood fires at one end of the spectrum and a controlled gas cartridge stove flame at the other end of the spectrum. So its easy to see why outdoor outfitting falls broadly into two camps. One camp using the latest synthetic fabrics & down filled clothing  / sleeping bags to keep warm - perhaps using a controlled gas or liquid fueled camp stove to cook. The alternative outfitting style utilizes more natural fabrics and materials such as wool and treated cotton canvas around an open wood fire or biofuel / woodburning stove ( wood burner ).

In truth both outfitting systems can work - but mixing the systems needs careful fore-thought. To give an example or two - A Nylon coated down jacket is not going to be ideal if you intend to cook on an open fire regularly - those stray sparks and embers are likely at some stage to burn a hole or two in the outer shell of what may have been an expensive jacket, soon after the down will start to drop out of the holes and the jackets functionality is compromised. Looked at the other way around using a light weight wool or alpaca blanket would often need a warming fire to keep the camper warm, especially in colder weather. The more traditional approach relies more heavily on open fire as an integral part of that backpacking style. The higher tech approach uses a controlled flame in the form of a stove.

As most trail walking in the UK involves complying with extensive legislation, and 'no fire' bylaws - I go with the higher tech approach and my own outfitting reflects this. Irrespective of the legislation I also 'prefer' ultralight gear on trail walks, as I do not so much notice the pack on my back so I immerse in the surroundings better. 

As a practitioner of  'leave no trace' backpacking - building an open fire on the trail, for me at least, comes with genuine feelings of guilt and a sense that something is not quite right, due to learned perceptions of how to act as a responsible person where land has to be shared with other people and the creatures and flora that inhabit our Isle. Lighting fires, cutting greenwood sticks for pot hangers, and building fire breaks along a national trail would quickly denude resources no matter how responsibly we tried to act. This is due to the volume of foot traffic along the trail and the limited natural resources. There are so many other ways to interact with nature - sustainable food foraging, medicinal plant and tree identification, watching the habits of wildlife, studying geology and so on that I can feel close to nature - thereby increasing my 'bushcraft' or 'wilderness' type skills without needing to build open fires and roast squirrels.

To build a fire without causing offence or being considered a nuisance would exist only once we have gone beyond the edge of civilization, beyond hinterland, truly into the wild or remotest areas as it were. Here we have reached that place where fellow man, and 'bylaws'  are no longer exerting reasoned influence on our personal liberty. At this distance from habitation, we will have gone further than the point where land owners are forcing their reasons whether rightly or wrongly as to whether we can build, own or access fire as that fundamental human tool. In the UK there are few places such as this, In England & Wales in particular finding an appropriate place to use fire will be very difficult, we may have a right to roam in some places, but that is all.  Fires, fishing, foraging & wild camping in most national parks and along trails are usually strictly forbidden. In Scotland, things are slightly different but even here it would be impossible to guarantee every night of a 100 mile trail that a fire could be responsibly lit, particularly in dry weather. For all these reasons a stove of some description will need to be carried on the trail, and so the overall outfitting style / decision is made. We will have to rely on down or synthetic insulation to keep us warm, perhaps choosing a great view as a focal point rather than a fire. That being said there are still options using a wood burner type stove to practice our fire-craft in a controlled and more socially responsible way.

Wood burning  / wood gas stoves which burn biomass collected from the floor throughout the day are a great option. However, do not expect everyone to appreciate or understand the merits of such a stove. Of course 'we' understand that what we are using is environmentally friendly but many of those looking on see similarities in essence to a disposable BBQ set on bricks. Its a fire but not a fire that leaves a mark on the ground if used correctly, for example if sat on a rock, log or raised off the ground in some other way. People, and in particular camp site and land owners will tolerate it where for example a disposable BBQ would be acceptable.

As an added benefit - some light weight wood burning stoves work perfectly in conjunction with the coke can type alcohol stove which can be used at times when burning wood is either not convenient or possible. The stove becomes a pot stand / windbreak . This marriage is made in heaven & brings together the requirements of ultra-light weight backpacking with bushcraft elements so in my opinion is perfect for an extended trail walking scenario. In my opinion, it is the perfect compromise between environmental sustainability, safety and social responsibility. Through interacting with items collected using such a stove encourages the uptake of knowledge about tree species, as different woods burn differently. It is also fulfills a primitive way of interacting with the wild space without causing any long term damage or seriously denuding resources. A few sticks from the ground, an empty pine cone or two and  a few handfuls of dead leaves become the fuel for the stove for those times when a fire is appropriate and denatured alcohol another renewable resource is used when it is not.

I am a trail walker so my ultralight tarps and down filled clothing and sleeping bags are highly combustible. In essence with this type of kit I avoid large fires and poorly controlled flames /sparks at all costs - so I would rarely if ever use any kind of sizeable open fire. The wood burner / alcohol stove option still has flammability risks when say compared to a cartridge stove , but is much more controlled than an open fire.

My Primary Fire Kit. ( Shown above )

For trail walking, long distance walking, scouting, or hiking as some may prefer to term it my fire kit for lighting the stove could not be simpler. I carry a basic lighter such as a BIC or similar in my every day carry kit in my backpack, which is really never used, it acts as a spare. Another similar lighter is placed in my Victorinox sheath together with my SAK ( Victorinox Camper model ) which is either on my belt or in the zipped pocket of my trousers, so is accessible at all times.  A few waterproof matches in a separate waterproof container stay in my backpack also. Matches are great for lighting fires in Bothy fire places and for pushing into the base of a wood stove to light tinder. A few balls of cotton wool and a tiny tin of  Vaseline which can be used to rub into the cotton wool to make a small firelighter is also useful. The Vaseline is multi-purpose, it also serves as a lip balm, or water filter 'o' ring lube.  If  I were canoe / dinghy camping or heading into very remote areas I might also take a Ferro Rod as these will throw a spark even when wet from salt water.

I am amazed at how long a BIC lighter will last, start thinking months of stove lighting. It won't work when soaking wet which a Ferro rod will, but in reality you can dry a BIC in minutes in your pocket. I would not be surprised if  1000 or even 2000 very controlled strikes were possible from one BIC lighter. I would choose a BIC as my first choice as they are very reliable but I have had long term success with the Poppell and Caio brands also.

Emergency & Alternative fire lighting options:

You can use the spine of a carbon steel knife in lieu of the steel in an emergency, which is a good argument for carrying one on the trail. 

Although to date I have never needed to 'rely' on these skills, I do  practice and enjoy creating fire by percussion, in my case a small Viking / Lapland inspired steel and piece of flint used to ignite charred wood and other materials held in a small tinder tin - The whole kit weighs just under 100g. Provided I do not lose the steel element of the kit I could create fire for the rest of my natural life from this simple kit if necessary. It is also worth noting that a high carbon steel uncoated knife spine such as an Arthur Wright & Sons Ettrick or lamsfoot style knife or an Opinel carbon no8 could be used instead of a dedicated steel with alot practice. The knife being multi-purpose versus the dead weight of the steel.

A mint tin works well as a tinder box, I use the ones sold in M&S. Altoids tins are another good option. Another great thing about the mint tin is that the seal around the lid and hinges is not perfect, so if you throw wood in it and then let the lid rest closed without snapping it shut we can char wood and other materials in readiness for the  'next' fire on top of the lit stove. With this method of stove lighting we are always thinking at least one fire ahead. Once the smoke ( gases ) stop leaking from around the edge of the tin, take it off the heat and snap it shut to starve the burn of oxygen. Perfect tinder for the next time fire is needed.

On the point of tinder, there are many fungus' and trees which have suitable barks around to make superb tinders, however I would never exploit such resources along a national trail. Best to carry these in if you are intending to practice at camp. I prefer not to take such resources from along national trails. A good option is to collect tiny pieces of white dry rotted wood from the trail floor. Charred and retained for use inside a tinder tin works perfectly well enough. A reliable ember is available with practice in seconds with this method of fire lighting.

Interestingly 'Otzi the iceman' that lay in ice for over 5000 years had a similar set up in his belt pouch which consisted of flint rocks, and a flint knife together with 4 pieces of tinder extracted from the horseshoe fungus ( Fomes_fomentarius ) which upon analysis showed the remains of iron pyrite on its surface. Although the iron pyrite rock itself was not present amongst his remains it is clear that it had originally been part of his fire starting kit. An pyrite rock can throw sparks, although not ass effectively as the steel does in my kit. Experts suggest that Otzi may have carried smouldering coals of charred fungus in a birch bark container using maple leaves to wrap the coals from camp to camp - Essentially a wooden tinder box!

An alternative back up kit that essentially would weigh nothing is the knowledge to create primitive fire from friction - bow-drill, hand-drill or fire-plough. Again this looks like great fun to learn, probably better suited to warmer / drier climates than ours admittedly. Fire created this way would not be a quick solution in an emergency situation unless you had made the neccessary kit in advance

I have practiced building modest fires mainly at home or on permitted land from gathered standing dead wood, either by using a single match or by throwing sparks from my flint and steel kit into a tinder box to create an ember. In 20 years of  hill-walking, trail walking and camping / adventuring I have 'never' needed to build a large fire. In fact I do not know of anyone else that has 'needed' to build a great big fire on the trail either through survival necessity or otherwise.

Along the trail, fire building can be pretty inconvenient and leaves unsightly scars by the uninitiated, We cook at camp in the evening and boil water for drinks in the morning. Trying to start, control, relight and extinguish an open fire to this pattern v's a compact wood stove or alcohol burner - for me for me the stove wins.

Conclusions

 I never set off along the trail having the intention of building a fire but I am ready to construct and manage a fire should the need arise, such as in a truly survival situation. In this circumstance fire will make water safe to drink, dry wet clothing, provide a micro-climate. and act as a signal. In short I aim to keep the shrinking wild areas as pristine as I can. Probably the stove with the least environmental impact would be the stove made from recycled materials, and burn alcohol which is a renewable resource, such as the coke can type stove. Such a stove teams well with a compact wood biomass stove which in some circumstances can be used to enable us to enjoy a connection with fire that in our every day lives we have all but forgotten. Such stoves also provide a great focal point and are practical for quick lighting and stove ignition with a little practice.

I have often thought about using a Ferro rod in place of a lighter as these sticks are good for a few thousand strikes, even when wet and they will light a stove. This may be a good option for dinghy cruising or canoe camping especially, where there is some risk of total immersion in salt water.  In the end I decide not carry a Ferro rod because even expertly used they often take several strikes even to light a canister stove, 3000 degree F sparks fly everywhere which could set my tarp alight if its in the vicinity and it basically only does what the flint does on a regular lighter in a less controlled way. There is no magic, it is just a lighter really. In a long term survival situation it could even run out of sparks, what then? Best to carry a lighter as the most convenient way to light the stove  and some initial fires if needed, but have practiced how to make sparks from other things such as knives, traditional steel and rocks. I find I learn a lot more about tinder and fire lighting doing it the hard way with a traditional flint and steel rather than the surety of success virtually every time with the modern ferro rod. Using flint and steel in this way encourages us to look in much more detail at what is around us, a further level of understanding of our natural worlds resources opens up to us.

I hope Otzi would agree!

I have described my own fire / stove / stove starting preferences in this article from the standpoint of a regular trail walker in the UK. I am looking for lightweight convenience with minimal impact upon the environment I am walking through. I practice other methods of fire starting as this could be a lifesaver and its really good fun to practice our basic bushcraft skills. I fully realize that my personal set up may not be right for everyone. The fun is working out what will work for you in your setting and enjoying the process of experimentation.


Thank you for reading, please as always do not hesitate to drop me a line or comment.

Way of the Backpacker

Ultralight Backpacking Tarp - Peg Considerations

Ultralight Pegs from Vargo are my own first choice.

Peg ( aka 'stake' ) selection is almost a whole subject in its own right and one where there is an infinite number of incorrect selections that can be made. Poorly selected pegs could potentially spoil an otherwise great tarp experience.

For this reason I will describe my own peg preferences and how they are deployed in practice. To ensure weather proof integrity an ultralight tarp relies heavily on being securely anchored in place. Of course if  natural features are present such as small trees or walls or fencing to act as an anchor point I would aim to use them.  Fixing to a tree or wall will always be stronger than a pegged out guy line, indeed in many respects these are the ultimate peg!

A single person tarp will usually need at least 8 tie outs for most configurations outside of a wooded environment. Larger tarps will usually need more, perhaps 16 to 20 in windy conditions. 

Almost exclusively I use three types of peg. Titanium shepherd hooks. aluminium Y stakes and hand made wooden pegs created at camp. Strong thin pegs such as the shepherd hooks are very difficult to make from natural materials, large wooden ones on the other hand, are very easy. So I  carry the ones that are hard to reproduce in a natural setting. I prefer to carry a strong little pocket knife ( A Wright Ettrick ) which weighs very little and is multi-functional rather than carry another 6 to 8 large pegs just in case. 

For a solo tarp, I carry 2 Y shaped aluminium pegs for the ridge line anchors, and 6 to 8 titanium shepherd hooks. I also carry a small pocket knife as mentioned to quickly craft chunky wooden pegs if I need something a lot larger from wood lying around.  If I am going somewhere I have never been before I will add a couple of extra Y pegs especially if I am heading to the Lake district or Scotland where the ground is usually softer than eastern parts of the country. The hardest ground I have ever experienced was in North Norfolk, where I could only get the shepherd hooks about half way in, The softest ground was at a camp in the lakes where I did make 4 very chunky wooden pegs, one for each corner, and tied off the front and back of my tarp to trees. In sand you may be better to tie guy lines to buried rocks or buried lumps of drift wood. You are unlikely to be using a tarp in snow.  

My first choice for shepherd hooks are the ones such as the ones made from titanium which weigh next to nothing. I use the ones made by Vargo, 8g each. I have had some success also with aluminium shepherd hooks which are also light but are much more prone to bending. By the same token they are easy to straighten. 

Vargo Y beam - Summit stakes' as they are called weigh 14g each. They are  very strong and I have yet to bend or break one. They will not easily be pushed by hand into hard ground, especially on the the trail as I would not generally be carrying a mallet or hammer. A piece of handy wood or a rock may be used as a baton or hammer in lieu of the real thing, but be warned the rock will damage the top of the peg and handy wood is not always around, so in the absence of an improvised wooden baton or rock - make a pilot hole with the shepherds hook then try the Y stake if you are having a bad time of things. The pegs have to go all the way in to work properly.

Shepherd hooks on the other hand can be poor in very soft ground, so be prepared to make a few wooden ones as necessary if you face very soft holding, which is why I carry a decent and sharp pocket knife, I keep mentioning the knife as many ultralight backpackers seem to be leaving the sturdy pocket knife off their packing list these days. Ray Jardine one of the earliest pioneers of ultralight backpacking suggests taking a decent knife on the trail.  These wooden pegs can be discarded to save carrying the weight from camp to camp so little point in making anything too fancy. Placing rocks over shepherd hooks in soft ground will also help as an even quicker fix if these are available.

 Here's an example of a disposable peg.

Disposbale pegs - Nothing fancy, make in situ or on  the fly & eject after use. 

Mainly I will use the Y stakes for the ridge line anchor points of my tarp, unless the ground is too hard to get them in and I use the shepherd hooks for the corners and sides. 

I also carry a few 10 cm pieces of elastic shock cord which I use to relieve stress on the ridge tie outs in heavy wind, I also prefer to use knots on my guys rather than guy- line tensioners as the knots will slip under heavy strain, hopefully allowing the peg to stay put. The elastic is really important particularly if you use Dyneema cordage over say nylon guy lines. Nylon has a little give in it naturally, Dyneema does not so the peg has to do more work. Also a slightly longer line than you might think may help alleviate strain in very windy conditions on the ridge tie outs. Doubling up ridge tie outs in windy conditions can also be beneficial, effectively halving the strain on each peg.

A piece of cord around the head of your pegs, to help you pull out the pegs is a great idea. It will help when its time to leave. If this cord is a bright colour  it will help to locate any lost pegs in the grass or leaf litter. 

Of course I always count the pegs back in, to ensure that I have a full set for the next pitch.

My 8 pegs in total weigh 105g including a little stuff sac to keep the mud off other pack contents.

Thank you for reading.

Way of the Backpacker

A Wright & Sons - Ettrick Knife Review

A Wright & Sons - Ettrick Knife

I am often attracted to functional items that have an appealing aesthetic born purely out of their function. Items such as these cannot readily be improved as any alteration would be a reduction in utility rather than an improvement. The Ettrick knife from Arthur Wright of Sheffield falls squarely into this category.

A Wright & Son describe the knife as follows:
"One of our best-selling pocket knives. The Ettrick started life as a small gutting knife, reputedly designed by the Earl of Wharncliffe and his gamekeeper! Due to its comfortable handle and short blade it has since become a great general purpose pocket knife, easy to carry and particularly popular with whittlers."

I purchased this knife as a general purpose EDC pocket knife, but find that the knife is making itself very useful for backpacking, especially around camp. Whilst I do strive to keep my pack weight to an absolute minimum I also believe in carrying solid reliable items.  After all - the items we carry over hundreds if not thousand of trail miles become the items of much focus and sometimes heavy or constant use. We need the few items carried on our backpacking trips to work impeccably for their designed use and deliver reliability beyond their design at times.

This knife weighs around 57g on my scales, so not super ultralight by any means but certainly light enough for a pocket carry. The 5cm length blade is made of C70 Carbon steel with a Rockwell hardness of 54-56. Once opened against the very robust spring the blade has no noticeable side to side or other movement at all. The high carbon steel blade in the closed position sits slightly proud of the rosewood scaled handle, so using the spine as a striker against a ferro rod is certainly possible.

The handle is very comfortable for a pocket knife and is long enough to accommodate all four fingers. There are slight gaps between the brass liners and the internal metalwork upon very close scrutiny on my example. This in no way appears to affect the strength.  I would describe the finish as 'workmanlike' / 'No-nonsense' rather than an attempt at 'cosmetic perfection'. Considering the price point I am not concerned by this, as this is an item designed to be used rather than to act as an ornament.

The blade has a flat grind and arrives new with a secondary bevel, this makes a strong edge for pruning type duties. I altered the secondary bevel angle slightly to help the knife work better with general camp and food cutting / slicing. A DC3 sized pocket stone is more than adequately sized to keep the knife razor sharp in the field. Indeed an even smaller stone or even just a ceramic rod for regular honing would probably suffice.

My usual backpacking knife is a Victorinox Swiss Army Climber which has been with me for over 10 years, which replaced a simple Ettrick style pocket knife by another Sheffield 'Little Mester' - possibly Thomas Ablett. I can no longer recall the makers mark, the knife having been lost in use years ago. I had been looking for something similar and spotted this one a few months ago. Almost identical to my original, and also hand made in Sheffield from carbon steel, result! Incidentally Arthur Wright and Sons also produce a Barlow knife design, another historic design which gained favour as a small outdoor / hunters knife with a clipped blade shape. and also a larger heavy duty utility Lambsfoot farmers knife.

The spine of the Ettrick blade is around 3mm thick at the spine. The blade comes with a flat grind with a secondary bevel, so sharpening is very straight forward. The knife is well suited to assist with basic camp chores, such as food prep without a chopping board, opening food packets, cutting cordage, plaster and so on. The sturdy little Ettrick bladed knife will also take care of basic woodworking duties - such as whittling tent pegs and so on, in fact it excels at this. The handle offers a good 4 finger hand grip and is also long enough to enable a thumb to bear on the back of the handle bolster to deliver plenty of power to the tip for push strokes.

So will the single blade be replacing my SAK anytime soon? Well, yes, maybe, - I am going to be carrying this little Ettrick blade on a few shorter trips to see if I can manage again without the usual array of SAK tools. I am doing this mainly to ensure that I can consider different ways of achieving my aims on the trail.  My initial thought is that I think I will miss the little scissors on my SAK for trimming nails etc. Perhaps an emery board might be a solution. Also more alarmingly I am now without a can opener. Not that I aim to carry tins but they are available in camp shops and village shops along most of our trails here in the UK - Maybe most tins these days have a ring pull? Again lets see how we get on. . After all there are ultralight trail walkers out there carrying only a couple of razor blades in lieu of a knife so by comparison this knife is surely 'luxurious'.

This general purpose working blade shape has a long heritage similar in style to the Lambs foot - These general styles have been used for cutting everything from from cordage to ovine hooves to sailors scrimshaw carvings for generations. The blade also has a scalpel sharp and strong tip which works well for gutting fish, which is not surprising if the gamekeeper did provide input to the design.

I particularly like using the knife for paring veg. I can peel and cut veg into small pieces without needing a chopping board, which I do not carry on the trail. I use cutting strokes towards the thumb, to the halfway mark, then rotate and cut again to the halfway mark.  The handle is so comfortable and easy to control that these tasks become about as enjoyable as it gets cutting carrots! The tip can be honed to scalpel sharpness and so is great for slicing bacon, chorizo and other back country staples. Of course other tasks such as cutting cord and line, slicing the tops from food packets and trimming plaster or webbing to length are all easy tasks.

I have found the best way to sharpen this knife is by laying the secondary bevel on a DC3 diamond stone and then working the DC3 in tiny motions forwards backwards and then slightly up and down, then switching to the left hand and repeating for the other side of the bevel. Finally repeating with the ceramic side of the stone. Works a treat, and gains a razor edge without even needing to be stropped. Of course if you want to go the extra then even the smallest pocket strop or belt back would be sufficient. The ceramic side of the DC3 is the side that is mostly used in the field for touch ups -  so to reduce carry weight further a simple ceramic rod in my opinion is really all that would be required to maintain the edge in the field.

The knife does not have a lanyard attachment hole, but a lanyard could still be tied and attached due to the shape of the handle which thickens to a bulb at the end, perhaps using a turks head or similar.

Conclusion

An attractive, solid, ergonomic, general purpose utility knife for basic camp duties and trail food prep without the necessity of a chopping board. The cutting edge of the blade is only 5.0 cm long, the opened knife is 15.9 cm overall, so the knife will have its limits. The knife is very solid & should last for years if appropriately used. The knife is hand made here in the UK by apprentice trained cutlers in Arthur Wrights workshop. How they make such a knife for the money I will never know, but make it they do, so grab one and a stick and start making those tent pegs!

I purchased mine from Heinne - £14.95 plus £2.00 delivery. For some reason they are cheaper on here than the manufacturers own site. Delivery was very efficient and the communication was exemplary. Please note I am in no way connected to either the manufacturer or supplier and have given my views based upon my own experience of using this knife in the field.

Thank you for reading as always.

Way of the backpacker