Lakeland Bushcraft Trading

Blog Moving!

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:48:00 +0000

We're moving to a Wordpress blog, expect a big overhaul soon but for the meantime we have a basic WP blog here:
http://blog.lakelandbushcraft.co.uk/

Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:25:00 +0000

Outdoors writer and survival expert John Fenna reviews the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe. This article first appeared in Gun Mart.

When I heard, from more than one source, that Gransfors Bruks’ axes were “the axes that all other are measured by”, “the top axes available”, “the only axes worth buying”, I became curious and decided to invest in one to see if they are as good as their reputation.

I chose the Small Forest Axes, an axe designed for splitting small sticks, cutting small diameter limb wood and general field work.

Of a traditional design with a 1.5lb head that has a 3.5” face and a 19” top quality hickory handle, the Small Forest Axe can be used one- or double-handed giving both control for fine cuts (such as starting a carving project) or powerful chopping (such as dropping small trees) and is small enough to fit in a rucksack, or even clipped to your belt using the strap on the grain leather mask that it comes with.

The quality of the axe is undeniable, the wood being oil-finished, not crudely varnished, and has a lanyard hole in the end knots. The head is forged from a special Swedish axe steel, forged by one smith who stamps his initials into the axe head (mine is by Mattias Mattson), and properly fitted and wedged onto the handle (no glue or resin used).

With no gluing, painting, grinding or other cosmetic work the craftsmanship in the construction of the axe can be seen, and the manufacturers are obviously proud of their products.

Each axe comes with a copy of “The Axe Book” which not only gives care and maintenance information, but a history of the Gransfors Bruks company (from 1910), a guide to cutting and storing firewood, limbing logs, making a fire (indoors and in the field), axe throwing, making log cabin logs, and the company philosophy (make it well, make it to last so as to reduce impact on the environment) as well as a 20-year guarantee.

Having tried the Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe, is it as good as I was led to believe? It certainly is! The weight, heft, balance, shape – everything is just how a good axe should be and the blade cuts deep, clean and accurately every time. As close to perfection as you can get!

I think he likes it! In fact John still uses his Small Forest Axe, and given how many axes John has tried I think that says something.

Hammock Buddy

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Yuk!

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:28:00 +0000

I finally found the source of the disgusting smell in my garage that has been making me want to retch for the past coupla weeks.
I had thought it was something to do with my sea fishing gear. Either some bait escaped or just accrued grub in my bag or gear that was festering. However a thorough clean failed to eradicate. Yesterday I decided I really had to get to the bottom of it so a sniff and search operation was launched. This revealed a bag from my last trip to Rough Close (two months ago?) containing some skanky burst eggs and a sizable population of maggots. Ugh. Garage now smells much better but the bin a lot worse.

Backyard Bushcraft

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:00:00 +0000

My wee garden chillax zone!

Bamboozled

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Sat, 30 May 2009 19:30:00 +0000

We just got some shirts from Mountain Junky in.
Wow. These are crazy soft!

Tatonka Alcohol Burners Back In Stock!

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:18:00 +0000

Phew, that's been some wait!
But finally supplies are coming in and we (at time of press!) have plenty of Tatonka alcohol burners on the shelf again.

Iodine Drops & Tabs to be Banned

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:59:00 +0000

Just found out that an EU directive means that iodine purification drops and tablets are to be banned!

As you may know, iodine droplets and tablets will not be able to be sold in Europe for water purification purposes after 26th October 2009. Although proven to be very effective and safe, unfortunately iodine is not being supported under the EU Biocides Directive. For this reason Lifesystems will discontinue supplying iodine products (stock codes 3100/3110) in August of this year. It should be made clear that the product is still perfectly safe to use. Please however be aware that we will not accept any returns on iodine after August, unless due to a quality problem.

Lifesystems have been working with various water treatment experts to make sure an improved alternative is available. Chlorine tablets will continue as normal, but we will also be introducing Chlorine Dioxide liquid and tablets to the range from August to replace Iodine. Chlorine Dioxide is considered to be the best way to disinfect water in outdoor environments and will be very effective against most water borne pathogens including Cryptosporidium and Giardia, and does not have any after-taste or long-term effects.

Keeping The Mountain Top Chef Toasty

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Mon, 11 May 2009 09:34:00 +0000

Lakeland Bushcraft are happy to have provided Dan from Simply Good Taste with a Nanok Endurance SF sleeping bag to keep him warm on the cool spring nights as he helps man the Skiddaw Hut Cafe this coming weekend.
The Skiddaw Hut Cafe is opening on Jenkin Hill this weekend only as part of the Keswick Mountain Festival. The cafe asks for donations to The Calvert Trust.

Deaths on Fells Rise

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:16:00 +0000

Article from the News & Star

The number of walkers and climbers dying while out in the Lake District soared by 50 per cent last year, while rising call-outs put a strain on mountain rescuers.

Teams of volunteers were scrambled to the scene of emergencies 464 times during 2008 to help 577 people – 31 of whom died.

An official report shows call-outs rose by 10 per cent, with the number of deaths climbing from 21 in 2007.

Rescue chiefs said it was hard to isolate a reason for the rise other than an apparent upsurge of interest in exploring the Lake District.

The figures emerged only weeks after Cumbria’s top policeman paid tribute to the work of mountain rescue teams. Chief Constable Craig Mackey said at least one team was called out every day during the first week of February as walkers enjoyed trekking in heavy snow.

Richard Warren, chairman of the Lake District Mountain Rescue Association, said there had been a major campaign to cut avoidable rescues last year. Safety videos, leaflets, posters and books were distributed in Cumbria and outside the county.

“However, this does not appear to have halted the trend with incidents up by a further 10 per cent and a significant increase in the number of fatalities,” he stated in a report.

“It is difficult to put a finger on why it is happening, but there does appear to be an increase in the public’s interest in the challenge of the great outdoors.

“These increases are putting a severe strain on our team members and their ability to make the necessary commitment and sacrifice.

“(They are) turning out for rescue after rescue, sometimes two or three in a single day.”

More than 23,000 man hours were spent responding to call-outs last year. Slips, falls, people becoming lost and walkers failing to turn up on time were the most common circumstances that led to operations being launched.

Be careful up there folks. Make sure you're properly equipped for the trip and be prepared for the weather to change in an instant. A lovely warm day can turn bitterly cold on the tops, a fresh breeze become a gale and up on the top is no place to discover that those trendy trainers are bloody useless on the trail.

At the Outdoors Show

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:18:00 +0000

My hotel!

Ray Mears saved our lives

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:16:00 +0000

A great story in the Telegraph today about some backpackers who navigated from the jungle using some advice they picked up from a Ray Mears Extreme Survival programme.

Mr Maddocks, 20, a student at Nottingham University, remembered an instruction given by Mears on his programme Extreme Survival to find a river and follow it downstream.

Mr Maddocks said: "I'll never miss an episode of Ray Mears from now. You never know when you might need it".

I wonder if they'd have been as lucky if he'd been watching Bear Grylls

Wool undercrackers for enhanced bedroom performance!

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:56:00 +0000

I recently received a report from our friends at Chocolate Fish Merino regarding the various wonderful properties of merino wool. Included in these are the usual things we know about merino such as it's non scratch, low stink and high water vapour transmission.
Page 5 takes things up to a whole new level!

"Studies have shown decreased sexual activity (measured as a ratio of successful copulation to
mounting) in rats wearing polyester and cotton/polyester blend underwear (Shafik 1993), but an
enhanced ability in those wearing wool garments (Table 2) – proving wool truly is a performance fibre!"

So there you go, it's wool skanks for increased sexual function.
I'd like to state for the record that I wear merino wool underkeks all the time.....

Brook Trout

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:57:00 +0000

This is a Brook trout that I caught (and released) at a local fishery. I'm just posting this as it's the first time that I have caught a brookie, they aren't so common in fisheries in Blighty. According to Gilbert at the Gilcrux Springs Trout Farm it is not permitted to bring in brookies anymore so that only those farms which already have them can have them. If you catch my drift. The brook is crossed with a brownie to produce a tiger trout, I've never seen one of those in the flesh though.
Apparently the brook trout is a slower growing fish than the rainbow so the fish you see here is likely some three years old (I'd estimate this one at a pound and a half).

Primus Pans

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:49:00 +0000

Having been really impressed by the Primus stoves we recently got in, I'm starting to add some of the other products in the Primus range.
I've heard good things about the Litech range so added the Litech Kettle in both 0.9 and 1.5l versions. They come in one of Primus' nice drawstring bags and are made of hard anodized aluminium for light weight and good thermal transfer. The handle folds flat so you don't get it jabbing your back whilst it's in your pack or wasting space. They seem to be fairly sturdy construction too.
I've been using a black iron fry pan, which is a bit grubby, a bit heavy and the handle sticks out. So I was taken by the Primus Litech Frying Pan which like the kettle is made of hard anodized aluminium but the cooking surface is some kind of magic titanium which makes it non-stick in a way that shouldn't flake off under extreme heat like some of the teflon stuff. I'm told these can be used over an open fire too.
Finally (for now!) the Primus Meal Kit which seems to be one of the most comprehensive meal kits I've seen.

Two deep plates, a spice jar with three compartments, a small container
that can be used for oil or washing- up liquid, storage container with
tight-fitting lid, an outdoor cup, folding spork and an all-in-one cutting
board, colander, grater and knife.

I've stocked the green one, just because I like green!
More Primus stuff, including double burners, to come soon.....

Lifesaver Bottle

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:18:00 +0000

I've always been convinced by the Lifesaver bottle as the best portable water purification system out there, but sales were a bit hit and miss for quite some time. Since the turn of the year though sales are on the up. Perhaps in part to wider exposure due to some Facebook advertising?
Anyway we are now carrying all the spare bits and pieces such as replacement cartridges, activated carbon inserts, pre-filter discs, teats and straps.

Putting up the parachute at Middlewood

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:07:00 +0000

Nearly ready for Middlewood!

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:52:00 +0000

Aquapac

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:30:00 +0000

New in the store are a few products from Aquapac. Aquapac are a UK firm making waterproof (as in submersible!) cases for things like your keys, your mobile 'phone or your pda. They feature the Aquaclip sealing system to make a hermetic seal with the simple twist of two levers.

First off the phone/gps case which we have in two sizes, mini and small. For which size you might need Aquapac do a size guide.

Next we have the small PDA case again there is a size guide but this one fits the popular IPAQ for instance.

Now most of us seem to have remote keylock/immobilisers, the outdoorsman or watersporter has the problem of how to keep your fob dry, enter stage left the Keymaster which has a neck cord should you not have any pockets e.g. if wearing a wet suit.

Finally we have the MP3 player case which has a built in jack socket for your headphones.

All available to order from Lakeland Bushcraft Trading!

Primus Stoves

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:36:00 +0000

A couple of new items in the shop from Primus.
Firstly the ETAPacklite.Packs into an extremely neat compact system, the whole lot even a 100g fuel cartridge packs into the pot which goes into a nice mesh bag. You can use the lid as a colander to drain your pasta or whatever which is a nice little touch. With piezo electric ignition the 2kw burner is powerful enough to boil the pan in about 2 1/2 minutes.
Next up the ETA Express.

This is another lightweight unit, this one fits directly onto your gas cartridge. The lid can serve as a fry pan, both it and the pot are coated with a three layer titanium nonstick surface. Again everything packs into the pot.

Trainee Bushcrafter

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:36:00 +0000

James models this reasons must have - a littlelife backpak. We have a trade account so we may well start stocking them.

Watch Hill

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:08:00 +0000

Known locally as "The Hay" (no idea why) Watch Hill is apparently classed as a Marilyn and I'm given to understand it formed as Moraine. It towers over the farm which was my home for 20 odd years and is now farmed by my brother.

Anyway I went up it for the first the first time in months last week and found that I am at least as unfit as I think I am. Possibly more so.

At the summit, the actually summit not the rocky outcrop that many people think of as the summit I took this pic on my 'phone.

Rather moody looking view down Lorton valley!

Whilst up there I saw a sprig of (plastic) Holly, closer inspection reveals:

A touching tribute to a family pet no doubt. I can't say I approve though, I'd prefer the fells to remain as untouched as possible. Whilst obviously we have fences etc they are at least there for an active purpose. Were we all to seed tributes like these then the fells would pretty soon be a mess of them. By all means remember your pets and the walks you had on the fells but please stick to memories not physical tributes.

Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:18:00 +0000

Lakeland Bushcraft can now be found on Facebook, feel free to drop by!

Backyard Bushcraft

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 14:20:00 +0000

Trying to brew up some charcloth in the garden! I think I've been a bit over ambitious as there's a whole pair of trousers in there and the process is taking somewhat longer than I thought! Plus that can is going to be hell to clean....

Phew!

noreply@blogger.com (Lurch) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 14:05:00 +0000

Is it Christmas yet?
It's been bonkers busy in the warehouse, we were rather caught out with demand for two products in particular. The UCO Candle Lanterns were very popular, and why not indeed? What could be more Christmassy than candles? The UCO system is a great way of having a candle in the home or in the camp without the usual dangers of a naked flame. A wee mix up at the importers meant a delay in shipping some customers orders, and we hate that as much as our customers do!
The old favourite Kelly Kettles were as popular as ever and another product where we had a bit of a struggle keeping up with demand. Another mix up meant that an expected delivery didn't show up as promised and more delays, this meant that we had to send some customer's orders out by Special Delivery and the guys at Kelly Kettle had to send others out direct to our customers from their warehouse. Much appreciated lads, I bet they were dreading our calls last week!
The postal system seems to have been a bit of a muddle this seasonal period with some of our deliveries arriving quickly and others taking over a fortnight! For 1st class packages! We expected a bit of a delay but when customers are waiting over two weeks sometimes for their purchase, it's a bit much.