Bushcrafting, the weed addition: Bugout patch

I used paracord for a ridgeline the first night, and used the trekking poles to make a bigger porch. I did do the traditional pup tent type the next night, but those pictures are on my gopro and not here. {sorry for the poor picture quality. I need a new woods camera}

Yesterday at the thrift store there was a small tent for 10 bucks. The fabric was hung in the zipper and it didn't have a rain fly, so I talked them down to five bucks. Got home with it, and me and the wife set it up in the living room. Which was hard as hell, since the shock cord was gone from the longer section of poles. Well, when we got it done, I found out it wasn't a tent at all, but a beach awning. @ruby fruit would know this company, I'm sure. ABO Gear. I had bought a six dollar tarp to go over it when I though the rain fly was missing, so I will still use it as a tent. Most likely down at the creek.

This is off google, not a picture of mine.

OK you guys had better enjoy this. I had to look back through 21 pages of watched threads to find this one.

My old camps are all messed up, so I've been camping over on my cousin's land. This is my hiking tarp, but I plan on putting up a cheapo that I can leave up.

I've got lots of gear the last month or so. Including these Darn Tough socks. I have three styles now.

Right after I decided to camp back here, I hiked in and got my stash {water bottle} from the fence row behind the long leaf pines where I had a rest stop on my old hiking trail, and moved it over here to the new spot. Then for the next 4-5 times I stopped by to get high, I couldn't find the mofo. This morning when I went to take down my tarp, I spotted it, right where I had left it.

Last week I camped three nights. The first night was at my old river camp. I loaded camp cookware, tarps and other assorted crap in the truck until bed time, so I just slept under the tarp covering the pile of what was left. There was a heavy frost the next morning.

I can't remember if I used my down bag that first night, but I did the next two nights for sure. It is an old Eastern Mountain Sport bag that I picked up for 10 bucks at the Goodwill a couple three years ago. And it is a little too small for me. If I zip it all the way up, I have to fold my arms funny to make them fit. Most of the time my left arm ends up outside the bag, and I cover it and my head with my puffy.

We did Thanksgiving on Friday, and after I had set up the tables and chairs, I noticed my right shoulder was sore. An hour later I was eating Aleve. {I go years between taking any kind of pain reliever} I had to get help putting the tables and chairs back up after we were through. I hurt really, really bad.

That night I soaked in a tub of hot water with the jets right on my shoulder. Did the same the next morning. Each day it got a little better, with me being able to reach straight up today. On Friday I couldn't lift my arm at all, and was scared I had done some permanent damage. Really glad it was nothing but a classic example of sleeping bag shoulder.

I hiked in to my new stealth camp about dark last night. I had already left an el-cheapo tarp, a plastic folding chair, a few pans, some paracord, a Mother Goose blue enamel mug and a keg of {leftover hurricane} water. I brought in a new 10X12 heavy duty tarp and plan on leaving it pitched. {I may move camp. I saw a spot I like better on the way out this morning}

I started off with both wings up. Then as the rain got harder, I lowered the north wing. Then dropped the other this morning before hiking out.

Big haul at the thrift stores this morning. Lots of gear, including The North Face rain jacket. Lots of coats, long underwear, fleeces, neck gaiters and the like. My night hikes should be much warmer.

Can't beat those Darn Tough socks, I use the lo cut ones with silk liners.
I like how little moisture they hold, really quality wool in a dense weave.

How is the AGPtek mp3 player working for you? I ran over my Sansa clip player, so I need a new one.

DCcan said:

Can't beat those Darn Tough socks, I use the lo cut ones with silk liners.
I like how little moisture they hold, really quality wool in a dense weave.

How is the AGPtek mp3 player working for you? I ran over my Sansa clip player, so I need a new one.

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My thickest DT's are my favorites. They are the low ones. I got a light weight model about two inches higher. They are so thin I have to use a liner with them, just so my foot doesn't slip around so much in the shoe. The new ones are an in between weight regular height ankle sock. My feet had been freezing when I was night hiking. They have helped with that.

Speaking of liners, I've heard really good things about the double layer Wright Socks. About the same price point as Darn Tough.

For the money, it's a good player. It has 8G of internal storage. That translates to about 1750 songs, if you don't use the photo and video part of it. I haven't downloaded any podcasts, but it looks like it would be stupid simple.

It has some quirks though. The random play just plays all the track #1's, then the track #2's, etc, etc. I have the 64G micro-sdcard too. It's nowhere near full, so I could use it for extra storage for photos or videos. Also the random feature doesn't work with the micro-sdcard. You have to make a playlist or just listen to whole albums.

I use the FM radio quite a bit. It uses the earbud cord as an antenna. I have found that laying it against my carbon fiber trekking pole improves reception by a ton. {only if the plastic rain cover is removed though}

Battery life is real good. For a normal 2-3 day hike, I an get by without charging. FM does takes more.

The one problem I have is the little pin in the clip will come loose on one end. It takes some skill, a steady hand and a knife point, but it can be stuck back in.

For 30 bucks {if my memory is correct} it's a good deal.

Stayed at the stealth camp last night. Dug a fire hole so it's a little more stealthy. Cold as fuck. Got to work on my sleep system.

too larry said:

It has some quirks though. The random play just plays all the track #1's, then the track #2's, etc, etc. I have the 64G micro-sdcard too. It's nowhere near full, so I could use it for extra storage for photos or videos. Also the random feature doesn't work with the micro-sdcard. You have to make a playlist or just listen to whole albums.

I use the FM radio quite a bit. It uses the earbud cord as an antenna. I have found that laying it against my carbon fiber trekking pole improves reception by a ton. {only if the plastic rain cover is removed though}

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Ugh, I hated the random play on the Clip, you could predict the next song. The FM weather reports are what I need.

You sure don't have a lot of rocks there, but you have sand and deadfalls. I'd put a V shaped berm behind the fire hole to reflect it under the tarp, then put a piece of tin over it to keep it dry when you are gone.
Pile up a brush wall on the other side of the tarp to break the wind, then kick part of it under the tarp when you leave. Nice dry wood and fire pit with dry kindling when you return on a drizzly afternoon.

That should give you 2 small windbreaks on both ends with minimal labor, anything helps in the cold. I usually have a mylar (reinforced one) ground sheet. That will shed the wind off your bag yet still breath, and use a couple trashbags with leaf litter padding for the ground for the night if its that cold.

DCcan said:

Ugh, I hated the random play on the Clip, you could predict the next song. The FM weather reports are what I need.

You sure don't have a lot of rocks there, but you have sand and deadfalls. I'd put a V shaped berm behind the fire hole to reflect it under the tarp, then put a piece of tin over it to keep it dry when you are gone.
Pile up a brush wall on the other side of the tarp to break the wind, then kick part of it under the tarp when you leave. Nice dry wood and fire pit with dry kindling when you return on a drizzly afternoon.

That should give you 2 small windbreaks on both ends with minimal labor, anything helps in the cold. I usually have a mylar (reinforced one) ground sheet. That will shed the wind off your bag yet still breath, and use a couple trashbags with leaf litter padding for the ground for the night if its that cold.

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I try to move my start spot on the random play so I don't get to where I knew what song is coming next. I'm around 1400 out of 1750. Walking with the FM mode is tricky. In camp it's better. You just find the right spot, then hang it there {if you have a speaker}.

I have plenty of tin. I was thinking today about bringing a whole sheet of the stuff that is too bent up to use. It would make a good reflector, as well as blocking the light. Since all the trees are down, light can be seen forever.

But I've about decided I'm going to move my camp. Either to a nearby down tree, or a few hundred yards away to an area with a few trees still standing. The ground under the tarp isn't level, and I'm having ant problems. They don't bite me, but every time I've slept there, there has been ants in all my shit the next morning.

If I use the downed tree, I'm going to prop it up with a good sized forked limb before trusting it. It's an oak, and has several limbs that would make good camo, both above and to the sides. Not as much room to expand, but very stealth.

We went to town yesterday, and that always wipes me out. As soon as we got the groceries in, I laid down for a couple of hours nap. After supper I had to get the mail before going to the camp. When I opened the door, there were Amazon boxes on the porch. The wife and I both slept through them coming.

The goodies included a neck gaiter, gloves, OPSak food bags, extra batteries for my camera and a cigarette lighter USB adapter.

Here are the new gloves and gaiters, as well as The North Face Apex rain jacket from the thrift store.

This is the blow down where I'm going to move the tarp to. As you can see, I had the tarp in front porch mode last night. Was clear most of the night. Moon set early, so lots of good star gazing. {I had a close encounter with a little owl last night. I had got up to pee, and he was in a little persimmon tree. About 6-8 inches tall. Scared me as much as him}

too larry said:

This is the blow down where I'm going to move the tarp to. As you can see, I had the tarp in front porch mode last night. Was clear most of the night. Moon set early, so lots of good star gazing. {I had a close encounter with a little owl last night. I had got up to pee, and he was in a little persimmon tree. About 6-8 inches tall. Scared me as much as him}

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Wasn't there a meteor shower last night?

Yes. The Geminids. Last night was the peak. It was/is raining here, so . . . . . . . .

I think it was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving when I stayed at the river camp. Saw 3 in about 15 minutes. Then another one later in the night when I woke up to go pee. Those must have been the Leonids.

I've been seeing a lot of debris pickers of late, and it made me wonder what I could do with some of my tore up shit. I remembered a 3x4 section of roofing that was torn off. Figured it would make a pretty good reflector for my fire. So with two trekking poles in one hand, the the metal in the other, I walked to the stealth camp last night.

I filled in the other hole, and moved it about 10 feet. If I do move the tarp to the blowdown, it will be in the perfect place.

The new fire pit was beside my brush pile, so I burned out of it for a good hour before I let it burn down to coffee making stage. Also raked the leaves back with my new bushcraft rake. {available at a bush near you}

I'm pretty jealous of your time outdoors.... Maybe if i can retire some day