If I keep all this walking up, maybe I'll be in shape by Blade. Oh well, round is a shape. I wanted to do this with the Scrap Muk. But I needed to check out some other things, too. I am so used to carrying a machete or chopper, I wanted to try and make a fire and cook a meal without a chopper, like Bear Grylls and the custom bushcraft knife owning big kids over on W&SS forum. So about lunch time I headed over to the campground I was at yesterday. After assuring the local camp commandant and other high party officials that I was an official gear testing dude from a major internet forum, I was given permission to build a fire at the primitive camp ground. Well, that's what they call it. And axes and machetes are verboten and to be used only by convicted felons under the supervision of the commandant (park supt). It rained last night, too, but I wanted to try a trick I read about. So off I went!

And after not too long a walk, I arrived at the official Horn Dog Wilderness Testing Site!

After unloading my gear, I went out in search of something dry enough to burn.

I was able to find a bit of dead wood and tender that wasn't too damp. It would have been so much easier with a BIG KNIFE! I could have had enough wood to build a bonfire if I had a chopper. So I just had to break things with my hands and leave the bigger stuff.

I prepared the tender, kindling and other wood for the fire on one table and decided to use the other one for food preparation.

I used my Bird Dog to prepare a skewer from a green palmetto frond.

Then I unpacked my shoulder bag. Check it out, I even brought a small cutting board, and some all beef franks, a bell pepper, some bread, a jar of vaseline, and some cotton balls. Been meaning to try that trick.

AND???

I built my little pile of sticks, with some dry palmetto leaf tender on the bottom and some vaseline coated cotton balls placed at the base on the upwind side.

I got it going with my official wilderness survival kit.


Then it was time for meal prep....but a crazy notion came to me. Instead of just eating the pepper and cooking a hotdog, maybe something more exotic, like a kabob sandwich.





Delicious! I split the franks with my Mountain Man. Ever wonder what 52100 steel looks like after a bit of kitchen use? Like this!

The BDLE and MM performed well in slicing and bushcraft. The cotton ball trick really worked on the damp wood. My little EOD bag was able to carry my poncho, a cutting board, the fire starting stuff, the food, and a canteen. The rest of the gear fit into my Cabella's Safari vest. It turned out to be a beautiful day after all.

But I still say a big camp knife or machete is the way to go. I'll need to sweet talk that female at the office a little more, so I can carry my new Swamp Rat M9LE and HCLE combo next time. And just for good measure, the Scrap Muk. I'll be back!

Nice Kebab Vic...reminds me of a Ray Mears episode where he does similar with Salami and peppers and tomatoes...looks tasty!!

I am interested in the point you make about having a knife able to do some chopping is a sourly missed oppertunity...especially for a fire...for me I am starting to question the value of say a Woodlore type knife...compared to something in the "meaty" 6-8 inch range which has chopping ability but is not too large and heavy and "noticeable" for that matter as this plays a part over here...seems to me those knives are much more useful because of the chopping aspect than the smaller knives...and can still do a smaller knife's tasks. You can also "walk" with them without feeling it too much of a burden...

What would you have chosen if you were picking in that range?

Where's the beef? I'm hungry.

Hey Vic, have you ever made pj straws? They work rather well. Tear up cotton balls into little pieces and saturate with petroleum jelly, then stuff it all into a short 2"-3" section of drinking straw. Now heath up the end of some pliers until they are good and hot and pinch the ends of the straw closed(melt them). They make for very nice little fire starters that aren't messy to carry around.

Maybe the ASH1 or the Sarsquatch or the SOD or CW....heck any of them would do, SF. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Huh? The all beef franks are up there in the post above you!

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I posted before you got your last set of pic's up so edited my initial queries...nice to see your choices...with the selection you have it is always interesting to see what you would pick <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

hah! i love it, so similar to mine, sans my $6 fenix ripoff. super tactical rescue pink!

Vic, was that a Smith .357? Model? Make? Im interested to know <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I love the Smith J and K frames. That kinda looks like a K frame...both of which are hella good revolvers. You cant go wrong with Smith.