Making personal trail gear

One of the things I like to do is to make some of my own trail gear. I have found that using handmade gear makes my outings even more special for me, especially when I want to do a very minimalist outing and move quietly, such as when tracking and observing wildlife. Leather is my material of choice as it is rugged, supple, and quiet. In the photo below, I have a photo of my basic primitive kit for a day outing:

Primitive kit



Making your own gear is not as difficult as you may think. The gear depicted above was made using a Swiss Army Knife, a ruler, an Ice Pick and leather mallet, leather glue, wooden clothespins, sewing needle and kite string. The steps are simple:

- I make a full-sized cardboard or paper grocery bag pattern of the pouch or belt bag I wish to make.

- I go to a leather store and dig through their scrap bin and select inexpensive leather for the project I have in mind [Usually costs no more than $5.00 for leather]. I take the cardboard pattern along with me to be certain I get the right size leather for the job.

- I cut the leather pieces out; I advance sew any difficult inside seams before gluing and sewing main body together.

- Bag/Pouch is glued together and allowed to dry overnight using the clothespins to hold pieces together.

- Next day I use the ruler to mark sewing holes, then punch them with ice pick.

- Pieces are sewn together using polyester kit string [cheap and very strong] using a large needle.

As a final touch I sometimes use a wood burning tool to smooth/fire burnish edges and to add petroglyph art, like the snake, which holds special meaning for me, as you will see in the following photos [I will also show close-up's of how I assembled these projects].

In the next three photo's I've shown my self-made Elk hide belt pouch. The hide was a gift from an old friend. It was sewn inside out then turn right side out to hide stitching. I used an old coin to make the button, using a ball peen hammer to concave the coin.


 

Elk hide belt pouch - exterior

Elk hide pouch - interior

 

In this photo above, you can see a pocket was built into the flap. I often use this pouch to carry a 1 pint USAF pilot's flask of water, and a couple of small snacks in the flap pocket.

Finally, here is the rear of the pouch showing the belt loop details:

Elk hide pouch - rear 

In the next photo, my PSK [Personal Survival Kit] pouch (left) and Firemaking porch (right) are shown:

PSK and Firemaking pouches - front view

 

Rear view of pouches

 

Each of my creations is a one of a kind. Sometimes I don't even take a pattern to the leather shop...I'll just buy a piece of leather and let it "talk to me" and see what it becomes. The Firemaking pouch was exactly done like that. Here's an interior view of the PSK and Firemaking pouches:

Inside view of pouches

And here's a gear dump of the contents:

Gear dump

The PSK is a tin that's been "Japan'ed"...held over a gas flame to produce a color-case hardened effect. the red pouch is a laminated glass U.S.N. MK III signal mirror, one of the best ever made. Firemaking pouch holds a match safe with waterproof and Storm matches, a lighter, tinder stick and swatches of cotton cloth.

I also carry a LEATHERMAN "SUPER TOOL 200":

Leatherman tool

Incidentally, I  didn't make this knife sheath. My Dad made it around 1974 and wore it every day of his life, carrying his CASE folding hunter in it. I inherited it when he passed, and so he goes along in spirit when I go out woods trekking.

Some people like ornately tool leathercrafted work. I do not. I like my gear simple and rugged. I don't want to be afraid to use it or to get a scratch on it. I also like my leather gear to be simple and primitive in appearance...like it came right off a Mountain Man or Native Americans belt.

To conclude, I have attempted to show here that you don't need fancy leather crafting tools to make pouches and bags that are rugged and will serve your needs. A few simple tools, your imagination, and your time is all that is necessary. I think you will find making your own belt pouches personally satisfying and a means of enriching your outdoor experiences. Don't be afraid to try and if you make a mistake, big deal, learn from it and use it anyways!







© 2014, MANNY SILVA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Walking in the steps of the Ancient Ones

Today I awoke to a lovely, warm, Spring day and I decided to go on a hike through the Powell Property, a nearby undeveloped parcel owned by California State Parks. Starting into the property from the trailhead, one first encounters this nice little clearing with logs to sit on and ponder things:

Trailhead entrance

Walking in a short distance, I came across this little brush shelter someone had created. It seemed too small and open for a sleeping shelter, so I am inclined to think it was just built for shade:

 

Brush shelter

 

This is a nearby former volcanic peak called Hollister Peak. It's part of a chain of 7 such peaks in a line through this valley. They are known as "The Morro's" or also "The Seven Sister's". I was struck by this lovely view of our Earth Mother & Father Sky. We should all have feelings of profound awe and respect and love for the gift of nature that we've been given.

Hollister Peak

 

The recent rains made for some water in the little seasonal creek. The Willow grow here, and sometimes I harvest a piece for a project or to dry for a bow drill set:

 

Creek bed

This parcel was the site of a very large ancient aboriginal village. The village location is covered with middens...heaps of broken shells from many generations of native peoples processed shellfish:

Midden

   
The oldest dated human found hereabouts to date, was dated back 13,000 years. Many generations of ancient peoples harvested shellfish and shelled them here using stone and bone tools. They also buried their dead in these middens, so it's a burial ground as well and one should keep that in mind, respect those native peoples, and not dig or disturb the earth.

Large Sea Snail shell atop the midden

While exploring the parcel, I found some colorful rocks. The top right 2 stones in the photo below have some marks that indicated to me they may have seen use as tools:

Stones found along trail

Here is a closer view. I am thinking the left stone may've been a little scraper. It has some tiny flake marks along the leading edge suggesting it was worked. The Serpentine stone on the right has worn striations that look to me like it was used to sharpen bone hooks or some pointed tool:

 

Possible primitive tools

 

Kit for the day was simple. Handmade leather belt pouches. I love making and using my own personal gear. For me, it makes each outing much more special. In this photo below, the left pouch holds my pint USAF water flask and a few food items; the center pouch holds my LEATHERMAN SUPER TOOL 200; the far right pouch contains my PSK tin. at the bottom is a little neck knife a friend made for me from the leg bone of a deer I helped him field dress:

Traditional kit

I like putting the snake totem on my traditional gear. I run into them a lot on the trail, so I have kind of adopted them [or they me]. I used to be afraid of them but now, as a visitor to their home, I have realized I am the visitor, that they intend me no harm if I have respect for them and their role in nature. Native American people's consider the snake a powerful spirit animal, that represents healing and life changes. Snakes don't have eyelids so they are considered wise because they see everything.

I love walking here, knowing it was inhabited by generations of ancient peoples who walked that earth and I can walk in their footsteps.I don't move any faster than I can see, smell, and hear everything and silently place each footstep on the earth. It took 2 and a half hours to cover a mile today. But I heard bird songs, saw woodpeckers at work, squirrels running through trees, and beetles trudging in the sand. You have to become a part of it.

 

As always, show that respect to the earth and wildlife whose home it is and bring back more than you took in. I always carry old cereal box liners...super tough plastic and great for collecting litter. I easily got a pound off the trails while woods cruising:

 

Trail collected trash

When woods trekking and observing nature, you should walk slowly, with reverence, and allow all your senses to take in the beauty around you...don't rush through it...we do that too much in our modern world and it runs us. You have to let it come to you. Wildlife will also allow you to come closer if they sense you have a peaceful spirit and are not there to harm them.

The Navajo people have a prayer that's part of their Blessing ceremony that speaks to this, to let go and allow the beauty that surrounds us to come back to rejuvenate our tired spirits:

"In beauty I walk
With beauty before me I walk
With beauty behind me I walk
With beauty above me I walk
With beauty around me I walk
It has become beauty again."




© 2014, MANNY SILVA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Central Coast Bushcraft "Spring 2014 Urban Ruck"

CENTRAL COAST BUSHCRAFT [Facebook:  Central Coast Bushcraft ], is a private bushcraft skills group located in San Luis Obispo, in the California central coast area. The group was founded on September 24, 2011, and though not *officially* affiliated, identifies closely with the goals and objectives of Bushcraftusa.com. The membership is composed of persons interested in Bushcraft, Primitive Skills, Wilderness Survival Skills, and Self-Reliance.

For those not familiar, Bushcraft is an umbrella term that covers the whole of outdoor activities [An excellent definition can be found at Natural Bushcraft ]. Bushcraft is also becoming popular in urban areas where urban surroundings insulate and separate people from nature. But even in the largest cities, parks and small pockets of open space can be found that allow some degree of practice of skills, hiking, and nature observation.

 

As March 9, 2014 was Daylight Savings, and the unofficial beginning of Spring, the group decided to kick off the new bushcraft year with a Urban Ruck through the streets of San Luis Obispo. The 10-day forecast called for 73/Partly Cloudy, and 0% chance of rain, so it seemed a good day to go forward with an outing. The morning broke beautifully. Leaving for the Spring Ruck, I caught the sunrise over the Santa Lucia mountain range to the east:

 

 Sunrise over the Santa Lucia Range
 

Four members of the group assembled at the old University Square shopping center, and packs were weighed. Each member was required to carry all items necessary to manage a night afield [food, water, shelter, cutting tool, and firemaking ability] but was given leeway on weight, and could carry as much or as little as they wished or was safe for their fitness level. Objectives were to have fun, get outside, condition with a packload, spotting and identifying any urban wildlife along the route.

 

Another stated goal was to spot and identifying resources that would be of potential use in an urban survival situation, such as following a catastrophic earthquake [a reality here in California]. We knew of Thrift Stores along our route and decided we'd look through their dumpsters for possible cast-off reources we could use.

 

The route across town would terminate at Laguna Lake Park, about 3.2 miles from our starting point. At Laguna Lake, those who wished to could make lunch using packed items and show off their field kitchen skills.

 

We noted that the City of S.L.O. has a 3" limit on open-carry blades, so members were cautioned that if they must bring them, `hawks and large knives should be discreetly stored inside their pack so as not to draw unwanted attention/detention from Law Enforcement Officers.

 

Donning our packs, we started down Chorro Street in the cool but comfortable 53F overcast morning. BUSHCRAFTUSA member JASONHCC [far left] had the heaviest ruck at 27#, while BCUSA member STRIKE3CYA [rear right] had the lightest ruck at 10#:

 

Starting out on the ruck

 

An interesting sight along the way was a piece of history in concrete; a 1940 dated street curb poured by FDR's Depression-era WORKS PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION, which was located at Chorro and Mission Streets:

 

Depression-era dated curb

 

Thanks to the recent rains we've had, San Luis Creek was flowing nicely. We enjoyed this view passing over the bridge at Chorro just before Peach Street:

 

San Luis Creek

 

I must say, except for hearing some bird calls, I did not observe any wildlife on this outing. We watched for potential resources along the way. It was amazing how many useful items we found discarded on the streets...buttons, books of matches, water-gathering containers, fruit trees, lost clothing:

 

Looking for useful resources

 

On the ground outside of a cafe, we found a bag of CHEETOS, probably discarded the night before. We judged the contents at about 80 calories. Some might laugh, but in a post-earthquake or similar urban survival situation where food could not be found, you'd be glad to have it. Behind a Thrift Store, we found a dumpster with many useful items including a sparking lighter that lit at least once:

 

Semi-functioning lighter

 

Urban survival is about using any available resources to assist you. If you could make fire even once with this lighter, you've conserved your own matches/lighter that much more. Watching for, and gathering, useful items while on the move is a wise practice. We also noted useful ground insulating materials that could be used sheltering or for building a pallet for insulation from the ground and preventing conduction of body heat by cold surfaces:

 

Bedding material: Clean, dry cardboard in a recycling dumpster

 

We took note of homeless person campsites as we passed them. Sadly, some homeless persons have long experience at urban survival and have developed know-how to find shelter and make the best of their situation. Many people with means have never spent a night out-of-doors and have little idea how to meet their basic needs for existence had they a need to do so:

 

Homeless person camp beneath overpass

 

Packs used on the outing varied widely from a COLEMAN hydration daypack, to a high-end MOLLE assault pack. One new members ued this 5.11 "Covert" daypack. It's a strong, well-made tactical bag designed to look civilian, and not raise any suspicions:

 

 

5.11 Covert pack

 

STRIKE3CYA had the lightest pack at 10 pounds. He's a dedicated minimalist that always hikes in FIVE-FINGER [toe] shoes:

 

Well-used REI pack

 

We arrived at the park after a 1:08:00 hike, average pace 2.6 MPH. Once there we decided to hydrate and take in some calories. This was a chance for me to try out my own designed homemade MRE, which I called the "MRE/N" - Meal, Ready to Eat/*Nearly*. Total cost of contents were about a dollar:

 

Homemade M.R.E.

 

I decided to brew up some Ramen and added pieces of Beef Jerky to fortify the meal. I used ESBIT fuel tablets in my gel fuel-depleted M71 Swiss stove for a boil. 2 tablets took around 10-15 minutes for a boil. The tablets store in the stove tin. It was a good way to re-purpose the stove instead of tossing it out:

Swiss M71 gel stove



Finishing up, we policed up our trash, re-packed our bags:

 

Packing up

 

Having loaded our kit, we then hiked over to a second vehicle we'd earlier dropped off nearby for the return drive to our staging location. Urban hiking is a great way to get started conditioning for the trail, and it can be done right in your own community...you need not drive far into the country to practice skills and make nature observations. We had a great time and are already planning next month's outing. Our goal is to throw a hike or outing each month through next Fall.

 

Wishing everyone a great Spring 2014 outdoors!



 

 

 

 

© 2014, MANNY SILVA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

Urban rucking for fun and fitness

One of the things I like to do is what I have come to call "Urban Rucking"...basically, hiking city streets while wearing a day pack or rucksack.

Using a city street map, I plan a route which will provide the distance and terrain [flat or hilly] I wish to walk, and also that will take me past interesting sights. I also usually plan a lunch stop at a park with meal preparation in the field using a gel stove. Recently a friend and I made a 2 mile cross-town ruck:

Starting the ruck

 

We parked a vehicle at our destination and then drove across town to our starting point. a hospital parking lot. His pack weighed 17 lbs. and mine about 15+ lbs. Shown here are the contents of my pack that day:

 

This was the load-out for this ruck, displayed on my

GRABBER "SPORTSMAN" model Space Blanket

[heavy duty, with sewn-in hood and glove corners].

 

We began by taking streets to an open space trail across a hilltop.  Once atop the hill we had a great view of the community below, and some volcanic peaks in the valley outside of town:

These volcanic peaks are around 1300' elevation.

When active they were many times that height.

This is all that remains.

We hiked down the hill and then passed over a bridge that crossed over the Union Pacific railroad tracks. This community was the last place in California to receive rail service, because it took many years to carve a road down the steep grade north of the city:

Railroad yard and depot

It was a warm day, so I made a hydration stop:

 

Mixing a hydration beverage

 

It was probably approaching a sunny 80 degrees. I had brought along a little 1 pint USAF pilot's flask [about $3.00] and mixed some sugar free Hawaiian Punch drink mix in. Really good stuff for little money. The flask is handy so you can keep your main reservoir pure.

Heading to the destination, we passed through neighborhoods and saw parts of town we'd never noticed while driving. Hiking [walking] allows you time to notice thing's you otherwise would not see. The final obstacle was to cross over the Highway 101 overpass to a shopping center where we'd earlier dropped our second vehicle. As we did so, I spotted this lone person sitting under a tree beside the Freeway below:

 

Homeless person encamped by Freeway

There was lots of cardboard pallets scattered around and you could tell a lot of homeless folk spend their nights and days there, probably because its near the shopping center and resources [I spotted a young woman coming down a trail with a little backpack. It's so sad to see how these folks live...exist really. It reminds me to be thankful for what I have...some have literally the clothes on their back and little more].

The entire hike took us about an hour and a quarter. Along the way we made a game of pointing out potential resources that would be useful in an earthquake or disaster scenario, were we suddenly cast into a survival situation, such as places one could seek warm shelter, obtain water, scrounge food, or potential tools like discarded water bottles.

The point is, you don't have to drive out into the country and find a woodland trail to get exercise, practice self-reliance skills, and see interesting sights. You can do all of that on the streets of your own community and don't have to spend gas money to get there.

Give Urban Rucking a try!






© 2014, MANNY SILVA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Cooking with pine resin

Just a quick follow-up to my January 29th post Pine Resin...a natural glue and aid to firemaking . I wanted to post up some pics of using pine resin as a fuel to make a meal. I used the metal tin that I'd collected pine resin in and melted into a cake. In this photo you can see the flame is intense and comes right out of the tin:

Pine resin fuel for boiling water

 

Using pine resin, I achieved a rolling boil on a cup and a half of water in about 20 minutes, which I think is about the same as 2 ESBIT tablets, but free of course. Initially, I used the burner ring from a Swiss Army M71 gel fuel stove. However the burner sunk into the melted resin, and the pot's bottom smothered the flame. I had better success using a grill crafted by my good friend Dan, who runs a small home-based business making tactical kydex sheaths and bushcrafting gear:

Pack size grill holds pot above fire.

 

The down side is that it is much more sooty than the Swiss stove [quite sooty in itself] and very hard to remove from the cookpot because it is resinous in nature. I get the same result cooking in a campfire, as resins from the burning wood gather on the cookware.

The fire is out, but the molten resin is still bubbling:

Molten resin stays hot for a long time

 

It took quite a while for the tin to cool adequately to allow handling. Afterwards, the resin forms a solid cake in the tin and is ready for re-use. Free stove fuel, and a hot breakfast, courtesy of Mother Nature:

 Resin soot blackens cookpot

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2014, MANNY SILVA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED



Playin' Coyote...tracking a wild dog in the rain!

Yesterday, I decided to make a rainy day hike up the Hazard Peak Trail [Montana de Oro State Park, CA]. The temperature was around 54 degrees and it was windy and fog blowing in from the Pacific Ocean. I started my hike around 12:20 p.m., and it rained steadily for the first hour and a half of the hike. 



Some of the trail became deep puddles 

 

  A fun way to spend a rainy afternoon. The fog was thick and blowing in very hard:

 

This is looking down toward Spooner's Cove

 

As I entered the second hour of my hike, I heard a Coyote barking somewhere up ahead. 

Coyote hunting small game, Johnson Ranch, January 2013

 Later on, I came across his tracks. In fact, I almost stepped on this track. It was very recently made, and little doubt in my mind by the Coyote I'd heard yapping.The Coyote's tracks traveled down the trail in the direction I'd come from. Somewhere he'd have to had gone off the trail, but I'd not noticed...

Coyote's are one of my favorite animals. Their Latin name is CANIS LATRANS meaning barking dog, a reference to their yipping, yapping bark. Probably because there are so many of them around here and I see them so often. They're always hunting, wandering, and skulking around. The name comes from a Mexican Indian word, Coyotl , meaning "Trickster", probably another reference to their sneaky demeanor. They're kind of a member of the wolf family, but not as big as a wolf. Around here they usually go, I dunno, 30 lbs. or so. They have a big bushy tail, which I think makes them look larger than they are. Close-up of one of the track impressions:

About 2.5"-3" in length, average size

 

The rear foot is a little bit smaller than the front paw, and they're a Diagonal Walker , meaning they move their left hind foot at the same time as their right front foot, and so on. They also do Indirect Register, meaning they almost put the rear foot in the same place as where the front foot went [Direct Register, is putting the rear foot precisely in the same print as the front foot, is a trait of the cat family and foxes]. Sometimes its hard to read the tracks because they'll overlap.

The next photo is a good impression made in some very thick gooey mud a little further up the trail. I later measured my trekking pole and that track was about 3" in length. In this photograph, you can see that the toes hook inward, and the print is narrower or more elongated...signs that differ from a domestic dogs print. Supposedly, a domestic dog's print is not perfectly symmetrical and a Coyote's is. Looking at this print, it does look mirror image if split down the middle:

This track measured about 3" 

This is another thing...Coyote's tend to walk with their tracks in a very straight line, which can be seen in the earlier photo of the line of prints. Domestic dogs kind of wander around [I remember many years ago working for Animal Services and trying to tranquilizer dart a feral dog that was roaming in the Laguna Lake area, San Luis Obispo. It was a German Shepherd cross and had the same head-up, ears up, fast and direct predator/feral pace of a Coyote. We never did get it]. And, much the same on this outing...I never saw the Coyote that made these tracks...but I am confident he watched me. All the way to the peak I kept looking back. Coyote's have been known to attack humans...

When I got to the top of the peak, I was cold and decided to make a hot beverage with my STANLEY cup and an M71 stove. I spent quite a while trying to get a boil and it just wasn't happening...the strong winds on top of the peak were just robbing all heat. The bench I'd turned over for a windbreak was no help...the wind just wrapped around and passed through it. 

 

STANLEY Adventure Cook set, Swiss M71 stove

I became aware I was becoming very chilly just sitting motionless in the wind and rain. I'd pushed hard up the mountain, so I knew [and could feel] my clothes were wet with sweat under the heavy rubber rain suit I was wearing. Fortunately the heavy wool shirt I was wearing kept its insulative properties, even though damp.

 

Cold, wet, but at the summit! 

 

I decided the only way to get warm again was to take in calories, get moving, and generate some body heat. I wolfed down [no pun intended] a granola bar and a bag of jerky as I moved back down the peak. Soon I was sufficiently warm again.

 

Stripping the wet clothes off at my truck, I quickly put on dry clothes. I was chilled for a brief time and it was very apparent to me how easily chill and then hypothermia could set in. This is the value of an outing like this.

 

Lessons learned on this outing: Be track aware.  Don't push hard and break a sweat...open garments and allow body moisture to vent. If you become chilled get warmth back into your body...if you can't build a fire or drink a hot beverage, eat a high caloric value food to keep metabolism up and get physically active to regenerate body heat.

If you want to learn more about tracking, there are many fine books and tracking guides. I recommend ANIMAL TRACKS AND USING THE TRACK TRACER, by Barry Breckling, TRACKING AND READING SIGN, by Len McDougall, and ANIMAL TRACKS: A POCKET NATURALISTS GUIDE by James Kavanaugh. I also recommend the excellent tracking videos by the MAINE PRIMITIVE SKILLS SCHOOL [  http://www.primitiveskills.com/].



Coyote scat. Note sheath of hair, tapered ends.

Happy Tracking!

© 2014, MANNY SILVA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED