Just to be extra clear about this freezer bag cooking has nothing in common with the well known ‘omelet in a bag’ technique where you crack an egg into a plastic bag, add some veggies and cheese (or whatever) and then put the bag in boiling water. (If you haven’t tried the omelet in a bag you haven’t missed anything – it doesn’t work all that well and a boiled omelet has a very different taste and texture....
EXCERPT from Fire by Friction Do you think that you can build a fire using a fire by friction set made by yourself? If you answered YES to the this question, you are already 50% done with the building of your fire by friction. It is a fun challenge to any scout and the following tips should make it easier. Before you start, decide which end of the spindle will be the top....
I have been saying for years that all that needs to be done for purifying water by boiling is to raise it to the boiling point and have received many skeptical looks in return. Here is a reasoned examination that explains exactly why this is true; The fact is, with a water temperature of 165 degrees F (74 C) it takes just half an hour for all disease causing organisms to be inactivated....
What, precisely, does partly cloudy mean? Forecasters use these descriptions of sky condition based upon tenths of the sky covered by opaque (not transparent) clouds. Sky Condition Cloud Coverage Cloudy 8/8 Opaque Clouds Mostly Cloudy, or Considerable Cloudiness 6/8 to 7/8 Partly Cloudy, or Partly Sunny 3/8 to 5/8 Mostly Clear, or Mostly Sunny 1/8 to 2/8 Clear, or Sunny 0/8 Opaque Clouds
Here’s a clear, easy to follow description of rope making using the spinning method in the form of a PDF file made by Troop 228. Surprisingly high-quality rope in a variety of sizes can be quickly and easily made with these simple tools and materials. These tools are not difficult to make nor are the materials expensive or hard to find. Building this style of rope maker and completing one six-foot piece of rope, with whippings, will satisfy Requirement Five of the Pioneering Merit Badge....
Scoutmasters may think that the most reliable predictor of foul weather is their Troop’s camping schedule; as soon as the cars are loaded on a Friday night the sky darkens and the wind picks up. Access to the finest weather observing and forecasting technology is now available all over the web. My choice is The Weather Underground a rich collection of useful information presented in a simple, clear manner; Daily forecasts and Radar Maps...
Blogger Steve Karoly is a camp cook in California who shares some great group recipes on ‘Round the Chuckbox‘. Here are a couple that caught my eye: Corned Beef Hash Prepare this camp version of corned beef hash in an uncovered 12-inch Dutch oven over a gas camp stove. Place a pre-heated lid on the Dutch oven to quickly cook the eggs just before serving. 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice...
Those interested in advanced knotting and rope work do no better than these essential knot books; The Ashley Book of Knots Ashley’s is the standard work on knots, bar none. Any serious knot tyer will have a well worn copy in their library. Clifford W. Ashley describes the history, uses and construction of more than 3,900 different knots–presented through 7,000 carefully hand-drawn illustrations.This invaluable volume is big hardcover book with a quality binding and is well worth the price....
How long is the hike? You can estimate using Naismith’s rule named after the Scottish climber W.W. Naismith, who devised it in 1892. Allow 1 hour for every 3 miles (5 km) forward, plus ½ hour for every 1000 feet (300 metres) of ascent. When walking in groups, calculate for the speed of the slowest person. The basic rule assumes hikers of reasonable fitness, on typical terrain, under normal conditions....
Whether an athletic competition, ritual practice, or casual the tug-of-war tradition is many centuries old. The United States Tug of War Association web page features an interesting history of the sport, an official event in early Olympic Games. We are fortunate to own a 30 foot length of nylon rope that was once used on a tug boat that is three or four inches in diameter. Using anything weaker would increase the danger of the rope breaking....
Every year in the port of Naha, Okinawa Japan, the world’s largest rope is constructed of rice straw for the annual great tug-of-war, or O-tsunahiki. Over 600 feet long and six feet in diameter the rope is central to the main event of a 400 year old tradition at Naha, the world’s largest Tsunahiki festival. The Asian tradition of tsunahiki, or tug of war, dates back more than 2,000 years and is a feature of many festivals....
If you are fortunate enough to spend a week at summer camp as a Scoutmaster here are a few ideas from a former camp director that will make your stay a good one. Any camp director will tell you that the biggest difficulties of any summer season come not from the scouts or their staff but from the ‘adult’ leaders who accompany the scouts to camp. Don’t over-do it and make yourself into a time bomb....
Night falls on the first day at summer camp; the big opening campfire is over, the troop has returned to the campsite, the Scouts are preparing for taps. Just after we end the Patrol Leader’s Council a young scout, at camp for his first time, is wandering around the edge of a pool of lantern light. I know exactly why he is there; he and his brethren have been there for twenty plus years – he is one of my homesick Scouts....
Campfire Cafe is a television show about campfire cooking. Lots of information on their website including recipes, tips and podcasts. If you really want to do it right, you need to learn about different firewoods, cooking gear, cast iron pots, and accessories that will make the job easier and the cooking experience successful. There are weather conditions that will have a direct impact on cooking time, like wind. You’ll need to learn how to maintain your equipment, as well as the fire itself....
A tarp creates an dry island of refuge if it is properly rigged; if not it becomes a flapping, dripping, water-catching pain. Here’s an idea from Cliff Jacobsen’s book Camping’s Top Secrets on rigging two tarps to create a chimney to keep a fire going in the rain. Here’s a view showing how the tarps overlap for a foot or two by tying them together at the grommets. The back edge of the top is rigged up to the tree to create the opening that forms a chimney....
A nice setup for cooking at a long term camp the Chippewa Kitchen in this drawing is lashed out of eight foot poles about 1 1/2″ in diameter. Naturally you can scale the kitchen to available materials or conditions as you see fit. Note the pot drying rack and worktop. No sooner had I posted this halfway around the world Peter at Ropes and Poles posted this small camp table.
Christopher Molloy has published an excellent online edition of ten out-of-print Bushcraft Books by Richard Harry Graves: The 10 Bushcraft Books’ are the seminal texts on bushcraft and this on-line edition (based on the first edition of the book set) has been released to share this unique source of knowledge. Originally written as wartime information for conducting rescue missions, the notes were later revised and prepared for a School of Bushcraft which was conducted for nearly 20 years....
The Ropes and Poles Blog features a friction lock table design that I am anxious to try: “Friction locks the whole table together. There is one rope stopping the entire thing from spreading out and falling apart, running across the table (from left to right,under the table top). No lashings are used at all in this construction.” I have seen friction bridges but adapting the concept to build a table is a new one on me....
I put this pioneering book together for our scouts when we were working on pioneering merit badge. Knots, lashings and methods that were absent from or poorly explained in the official merit badge book are included. The average merit badge book is rather dismal; hopefully this one is a little more engaging. The booklet includes the revised requirements as of 1/06 The PDF is set to print the booklet on 8 1/2 x 11 paper, two sides, folded in half and stapled on the spine....
Campfire building can be an elusive skill. Books show us tidy pictures of tepees and log cabins, extol the merits of exotic fire starters and generally make the job unnecessarily complicated. This little film explains how to collect the three things needed to build a fire; tinder, kindling and fuel. Gathering the right kind of material in sufficient quantities assures quick, reliable campfire. Here’s a campfire building infographic that explains the method....