Hammock Camping Info

After a lousy night's sleep in a tent a few years ago I decided to check out hammocks for backpacking and camping.  I bought an inexpensive nylon hammock from Walmart and have never looked back.  Since that time I've "upgraded" to other manufacturers - including Grand Trunk, Trek Light, ENO, and Hennessy - but for ease of use, sleeping comfort, compact size, and light weight the hammock is hard to beat in my estimation.  A quick list of what to pick up for hammock camping is not really a simple task.  There are several considerations: will there be biting insects?  If so then a bug net is helpful.  What will the temperature be like?  If it's very cold at all I will need some sort of under insulation to keep from having "cold butt syndrome."  Is rain a possibility?  If so then I'll want a rain fly.



Few hammocks in the background.

One quick option that I've purchased is the Hennessy Hammock (click here). 

The Hennessy includes everything (excluding the insulation) that you need for basic backpacking or camping as far as your hammock goes - hammock, bug net, rain fly, tree straps, and suspension system.  There are other manufacturers that offer similar setups.  I've modified my Hennessy by changing out the suspension system and tree straps for the Marlin Spike Whoopie Kit from Arrowhead Equipment.  I can't say enough good about the whoopie sling setup.  They are so easy to attach and adjust.  it is a definite inconvenience to try to adjust your hammock left or right with many other systems (including the one that comes with the Hennessy). 

I also modified my Hennessy's entry system.  I bought the Expedition Asym Classic which has a bottom velcro entrance/exit.  It's pretty cool but ultimately not very comfortable to use and is very limiting when you want to easily grab something outside of your hammock.  I had 2QZQ Hammock Specialties install a side zipper for me and it's incredible.  I should have spent the original $20 difference and ordered my Hennessy with a zipper.

Hennessy zipper modification.

Hennessy suspension ropes attached to their tree straps.

If you don't go the all-inclusive route then you can customize your setup in a number of different ways but here's a quick list of items to get and things to consider:

Hammock: lots of options out there - Grand Trunk, Trek Light, ENO to just name a few.

Hammock, whoopie slings, and tree straps all in the attached bag.

Tarp: you can DIY like a buddy of mine or buy one premade - mine are all premade.  You'll want to include some way to run a ridge line to hang the tarp or buy one that is ready to hang already like the ProFly Rain Tarp from ENO.  You can sort of see mine in this cropped pic from a backpacking trip in 2013.

Insulation: you'll need some way to keep from getting cold because of convection.  The cheap route is a simple camping pad, like what you would use in a tent - this is what I currently use.  Other options are underquilts (like those at Arrowhead Equipment) or the "Super Shelter" from Hennessy.  I would love an underquilt but haven't yet spent the $$$ on one.

Bug net: depending on where you go and the time of year you will probably want some way to keep mosquitos from biting you while you sleep.  You can make a bug net, buy one that encloses your entire hammock, or buy one that is integrated like the Hennessy.

Tree straps: you need something to attach to trees while camping.  Most systems are some sort of strap rather than rope.  Ropes will much more easily cut into the tree causing damage.  There are several options out there but I still prefer the system I mentioned earlier from Arrowhead.

Tree straps from Arrowhead Equipment.

Suspension: you need a way to attach the hammock to the tree straps.  Many hammocks only come with the hammock, you'll have to buy suspension lines separately.  I am a strong advocate for whoopie slings.  They are super lightweight, and incredibly easy to attach and adjust - well worth the money.

Here's the Marlin Spike setup from Arrowhead.

Whoopie slings suspension.

Stakes: don't forget enough stakes to stake out your rainfly.

Second hammock: one last thing that I've found extremely helpful is having a second hammock to hang under my main hammock to use for gear storage.  This is especially helpful when its raining but is great any other time as well.

There is so much more that could be written but hopefully this is helpful.  For more hammock information check out the book The Ultimate Hang as well as the Ultimate Hang website.  Tons of helpful tips.

Get out there!

~Rhyno

BushClass USA

I've been looking at getting more into bushcraft for at least the past couple of years. Basically bushcraft is the idea of having and employing wilderness skills. Wikipedia says this,

Bushcraft is about thriving in the natural environment, and the acquisition of the skills and knowledge to do so.  Bushcraft skills include firecraft, tracking, hunting, fishing, shelter-building, the use of tools such as knives and axes, foraging, hand-carving wood, container construction from natural materials, and rope and twine-making, among others.

I found some online "classes" at www.bushcraftusa.com that they call bushclass. I'm hoping to work my way through the three levels of training, if for no other reason than to have some goals to push me to get outside. 

I'll also be posting up my experiences of and progress through the various classes. As I've looked over the curriculum I think it's definitely possible. So anyway here it goes. 

Get out there!

~Rhyno

My EDC Kit

It's probably best to start out with my philosophy behind this edc (every day carry) bag. I wanted a system that could be easily transferred from varying larger bags - one that could be put in my daily office backpack, quickly added to a travel bag, carried out on the trail in a backpack or lumbar pack, or just simply grabbed on its own, with the idea that I would have the basic necessities always close at hand. My philosophy of use is a daily usage and basic survival kit - whether I need to bandage a minor cut, unchap my lips, clip my nails or even start a fire, purify water, and build a shelter. 

For these purposes I chose the Maxpedition Beefy Pocket Organizer. Of course there is no way this will fit in any pocket but it works fairly well as an addition to my backpack. I appreciate the sturdy construction and the many options for internal organization. I would love for this kit to be smaller but then I'd have to sacrifice some of my gear choices. This is my current content:

BASIC TOOLS

Knife - Probably the most basic tool. I'm running the Cold Steel Voyager Tanto large. Tanto isn't necessarily my preferred style but Cold Steel's Triad lock is a beast. This knife may be the next best thing to a fixed blade. 

Flashlight - I've got the Foursevens Mini M2A in 2xAA. I prefer easy to find battery options like the AAA or AA. I also carry some extra batteries, 2xAA & 2xAAA. 

Multitool - Leatherman Juice S2 - a wide array of uses, from cutting to opening cans to tightening a screw to opening a bottle. Knife, scissors, pliers, screw drivers, can opener. 

Mini-Pry Bar - can't say that I use this all that much but it's just a cool little tool. If I need to pry something open or remove a small nail then this fellow can save then wear and tear on your multitool. 

Tweezers - they don't take up much space but they excel at removing splinters or grasping small items. 

Nail Clippers - clipping nails and anything else that needs clipped. 

FIRST AID

I don't have a very extensive edc fak but I try to carry bandages in varying sizes, neosporin, Tylenol, ibuprofen, benedryl, tampon, maxi pad, and iodine. The iodine doubles as water purification. I wrote the instructions on the bottle - 5 to 10 drops per liter and then wait 30 minutes. The feminine products are handy for my daughters in an emergency as well as they can be used in place of bandages if necessary. 

FIRE

Lighter - easiest method. 

Matches - UCO Stormproof Matches. Waterproof and windproof. These are great in adverse conditions. 

Firesteel - Light My Fire Sweedish Firesteel. 

Vaseline Cotton Balls - these take a spark easily then burn for about one minute. Great for getting kindling going. 

Fat Wood - resin impregnated pine sticks - another great fire starter. Can be shaved down, split into smaller sticks or even just lit as is. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Spork - Light My Fire Titanium Spork. Helpful in the wilderness as well as when eating in restaurants that only have plastic ware. 

Lip Balm

Paper - small Moleskine pad. Many uses - writing notes, starting fire, leaving messages, keeping track of details. 

Sharpie Permanent Marker 

Pen - Fisher space Pen. Great writing instrument. 

Trash Bag - 55 gallon heavy duty drum liner. Can be used to help make an emergency shelter (i.e. tarp), climb inside for a bivy sack, make a poncho, or merely hold things. 

Bandanna - blowing your nose, cleaning lenses, covering a wound, wiping sweat, straining water before purification, making char cloth, etc. 

Duct Tape - several feet wrapped around a plastic card. Beyond the obvious usage can be used as a fire starter. 

Signal Mirror - SOL. Includes the sighting instructions on the back. Great for emergency signaling. 

Emergency Whistle - pealess; another signaling option. 

Compass - Suunto A-30. 

Poncho - cheap Walmart poncho in the front pocket. Very thin and light weight. 

Paracord - around 50'. Almost limitless potential. Lanyards, bow drills, ridge lines, lashings, splints, etc. 

Paper Clips - can be bent into many shapes for many uses. 

Safety Pins - couple pinned in the liner of the bag. 

Breast Milk Bags - these seal up tight and can be used for storing lots of items as well as using for emergency water bags. They are super light and thin so don't take up much space. 

Floss/Tooth picks - helpful in cleaning your teeth. 

Aluminum foil - two foot square sheet. Cooking, food prep, surface protection, signal mirror, etc. 

Zip Ties - great for lashing anything together. 

Well that about does it. I'm sure things will change some with time, but with this small kit with me I feel like I have a lot of the major bases covered for every day use as well as basic preparedness. 

Get out there,

~Rhyno

One Knife to Rule Them All!?! - The Perfect Knife

I've been on the lookout for quite some time for my perfect knife. I'm not talking about an every day carry (EDC) pocket knife, like my Kershaw Skyline, but my perfect outdoor fixed-blade knife. The one knife that does it all - fine carving, batoning, chopping, food preparation, striking a fire-steel, etc - one that's comfortable to use, not too heavy, holds a good edge, and able to take a beating and still come out on top.  I want all this without breaking the bank. If possible, I would like to stay under $100. Maybe that's asking too much. Can any one knife fit that bill?

 

A few knives I've played with thus far are:

Ka-Bar Becker BK7

I really like the overall size of this one - big enough for some light chopping and plenty tough to baton. I took it backpacking last summer to New Mexico and it served me well. 

My two gripes about it though are that its heavy (I'm hoping to move to lighter weight backpacking) and its a bit big for finer carving tasks. 

Ontario RAT 3

I've not really used this one out in the field much but I've kept it by my wood burning stove and used it to baton wood to kindle my fire. I actually broke my first one doing this but Ontario replaced it. 

It's a bit short for much serious baton use and it's fat belly doesn't seem like it's helpful in finer carving projects. 

Mora Companion

I really like the Mora knives. They are wicked sharp, easy to sharpen, inexpensive, comfortable to hold, and great carvers. 

Some of the negatives are that they are not full tang (maybe more like 3/4) making me nervous for batoning, their spines are not well finished making them poor for striking a fire steel, and they are so light weight that they are pretty much worthless for chopping. 

Mora Heavy Duty Companion

This is my most recent purchase. It has the same basic info from the standard Companion, just a substantially thicker blade. I'll be keeping this by the stove to see how it handles batoning and will bring it camping next month. 

Ontario Spec Plus Marine Raider Bowie

This knife is a beast! It is absolutely huge, placing it at the top for chopping and batoning. It is comfortable in the hand, has a super sharp tip, and seems to hold an edge well. 

Negatively, because it is so large it is practically worthless for finer work, and definitely more weight than I want to carry on a backpacking trip. 

Ka-Bar Fighting/Utility

I really like this knife. If I had it to do over again I'd go without the partially serrated edge. 

Again it's a bit heavy for backpacking and probably a tad large for finer work. I also don't like the rat-tail tang. Because the tang is so much thinner I bent it a bit with some heavy batoning. 

Well that's my journey thus far. I think I'm concluding that there really can't be one end-all-be-all knife. If I want a good batoner/chopper it'll take a big, heavy, full-tang blade. If I want a fine detail carver and food prep cutter it'll mean a smaller overall knife. In the end I can probably make the smaller knives, like the Moras, fill most backpacking/camping/bushcraft roles. 

Get out there!

~Rhyno 

New Knife - Ka-Bar Becker BK7

I just got this little beauty last week. I was able to take it out the other day and put it through a little bit of wood splitting using the baton method. It performed wonderfully. 

The seven inches of steel with the full tang through the handle plowed well through several logs making some nice kindling for the fire. I was wanting a knife that fit between my smaller blades (I.e. The Ontario RAT 3 and Remoras) and the beefy nine inch Ontario Spec Plus Marine Raider Bowie. I have a Kabar Fighting Utility Knife that is also a seven inch blade that I loved for backpacking but the rat-tail through the handle simply won't allow it to handle batoning through wood.  It's a great all around knife but now has a slight bend in it :(

 

I was trying to decide between the BK7 and the Ontario RAT7.  It finally came down to price.  The BK7 was around $68 on Amazon and the RAT7 was around $95.  Looking today the RAT7 has jumped to $106 and the BK7 is about $70.  In the reviews I scoured I couldn't find one that seemed decisively better than the other.  On the BladeForum in the Kabar section they, of course, raved of the BK over the RAT.

The BK7 seems to be a nice compromise for size and weight constraints.  My plans for this blade are backpacking and general outdoor use. Here's what their website says about it...

 

"The ultimate BK&T all-purpose utility knife was designed specifically for soldiers and adventurers requiring a sturdy but lightweight combat knife that can stand up to hard use.
Made in the USA."

I'll probably put some type of lanyard on it so that I can choke down on the handle for a bit of extra length for chopping.  It doesn't have the heft of the bowie but it definitely holds its own in the chopping department.  The blade stood up well but of course the coating began wearing off pretty quickly - which it to be expected.  I want this for a hard use knife not a show piece for display (although I think it only looks cooler with the wear and tear).  Hopefully I can get out in the woods soon for some more fun.  I'll let you know how it handles.

 

~Rhyno

Ontario Rat-3 update

Just wanted to give a quick update on the Rat-3 difficulties I had posted about previously. I contacted Ontario and received a quick response and equally quick package in the mail containing replacement inserts and screws for the handle. Way to go Ontario! I haven't had to use them yet since I was able to replace the original insert after I tweaked it. I put the screws back with blue lock tight and have had no issues. I've been keeping the Rat-3 by my wood burning stove and using it to baton kindling. I am enjoying this blade. 

Get out there!

~Rhyno

Firebox Nano Stove - First Impressions

I just received the Firebox Nano in the mail today. 

(Pictured above - Firebox Nano, Trangia, Ontario Rat 3, Olicamp Cup, Light My Fire fire steel)

I had been looking at these for the past couple of months and finally pulled the trigger. I wanted to get a wood burning stove for backpacking and general outdoor use. What finally pushed me over the edge was that I received a Trangia alcohol stove for Christmas...

The Firebox stoves are designed with the Trangia in mind, in fact you can order a Trangia with the stove from the Firebox website. The Trangia uses HEET that is easily found at Walmart or most automotive stores. I need to test how long a bottle of fuel will last and how quickly I can expect a boil. I picked up this bottle for $1.77 at Wally World. 

The Firebox folds up extremely well and there is no assembly required, it simply unfolds into position. 

It's a great size and seems solidly built. I fired it up today with both the Trangia and some wood. I ran out of time to fully test it but am impressed so far. 

It breathes well and the loading holes work well for feeding in the wood. I'll have to post more after I get a chance to actually use it in a camping scenario. I can definitely tell there will be a bit of a learning curve with this stove. 

Get out there!

~Rhyno

Ontario RAT-3 - Knife Review (A Couple of Problems Right Away)

I recently bought an Ontario RAT 3.  I have some larger knives like the Ontario Marine Raider Bowie and the Kabar Fighting/Utility Knife but I was wanting something in a smaller package yet more substantial than the ever praised Mora.  My intended use was general camp use and an EDC knife for my bag.  For general camp use I wanted a full tang knife that could withstand batoning firewood and other lesser chores.  I was disappointed by my Kabar recently when I noticed that it now has a slight curve to it from batoning through firewood.  This really only makes sense since it is not a full tang, but rather a rat-tail tang knife (i.e. the metal runs the full length of the knife but only a slimmer portion than the main blade).  As can be seen in the pic below, the RAT3 has a full tang - it is one solid piece of metal with micarta scale handles attached to it.  Overall the handle portion of the knife should be even stronger than the blade. 

 

The blade length is a little over 3.5 inches (or a little over 9cm) from the handles, with the actual cutting edge being just over 3  inches (or 8cm).  The overall length is about 7.5 inches (or 19cm).  I won't go into all the specs as they can easily be found elsewhere.  Although I find it amusing that Ontario adds an extra centimeter to their described length.  As I stated I just got this knife and wanted to share a couple of things I found so far in my limited experience. 

 

The first thing I noticed was that this particular blade came extremely dull from the factory.  I had no danger at all of cutting myself as I ran my finger down it's "edge."  There seem to be mixed reviews from others - some getting theirs extremely sharp, others finding theirs dull.  This is an unfortunate quality control aspect from Ontario.  We get knives and expect them to be sharp - period.  A dull knife is pointless.  In working to sharpen it I found that I needed to work on reprofiling the edge a bit.  I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker and the angle of the RAT 3 simply would not work well for this system.  I used a hand stone and made a bit of a finer edge then worked it over on the Spyderco.  I can now cut hair with it, but find that I still have a bit of a struggle with the curved portion going up to the tip.

 

The second, and more troubling, problem came when I was using this knife to baton some pre-cut kindling for my wood burning stove.  The knife cut beautifully, as I was certain it would.  The full flat ground edge made short work of my kindling turning it into the pencil-sized and smaller pieces I was looking for to start my fire.  My problem arose when I set the RAT 3 on my lap and found that two of the three screws that hold the handle scales in place had fallen out.  In order to shorten my story let me say that I had a bit of difficulty putting the screws back into the brass inserts and getting them tight enough without stripping them.  I did strip out one a bit and bent another, but was able to get them back together and was even able to add some blue locktite yesterday.  Hopefully this will solve my problem.

 

On the plus side, I immediately emailed Ontario and got this reply yesterday,

 

I am sorry for the problems you encountered with your RAT 3 Knife.

 

We will send you out some replacement inserts and screws.

 

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

 

Thank you,

Diane

 

I am very impressed so far with their customer care.  I will write more later if/when they send me the inserts and/or screws.  Good job Ontario! 

 

My plan now is to keep these extra screws with me in my pack so that I can fix the scales on the go if I need to.  Also to that end I added the allen wrench to my sheath with a bit of gorilla tape so that I can fix the knife in the field.

 

 

As can be seen in the pics the black powder coat finish is wearing off, but I expected that (although not so quickly after so little batoning) and I actually like the way it looks.  I got this blade for use, not as a show item.

 

 

The powder coating is ground off on the blade and a chip or two on the spine from whacking it with a small log :) - but the blade is in perfect condition.

 

I added a small piece of paracord to the butt so that I could loop this around my pinkie allowing me to choke down on the handle so as to get better leverage for a swinging/chopping application.  This is a very small blade so it's obviously not the best chopper in the world.

 

 

I don't have very large hands so this smallish knife fits well, and yes, I cut my knuckle with the RAT 3 and that's why I have a bandage on it (obviously that was after I sharpened it).

 

Despite these setbacks I am overall quite pleased with this knife.  I'd rate it an 8 out of 10.  Hopefully after continuing to use it I'll be able to raise my rating to a solid ten.  Only time will tell.

 

Get out there!

 

~Rhyno