Bushcrafting: Bush Jacket Project

I really like the look of the Fjallraven Greenland jacket but I just can't afford one, champagne taste on a beer budget.  I prefer natural to synthetic fabrics when I'm out and there is a possibility of having a fire ember landing on me.  I also prefer earth tones when it comes to a bush jacket and I wanted something large enough to layer over my wool Swanndri shirt.  Another requirement that I wanted was a reasonable amount of weatherproofing.  It doesn't have to be completely water proof (my eVent rain shell wont be replaced)  but I'd like a fair amount of water and wind resistance.

So with a small amount of money, I started my search for the right jacket.  It had to be similar to the Fjallraven or an old military M65.  I found just what I was looking for in Old Navy, a $50 lined cotton military styled jacket with a hood.  It needed a lot of work to bring it up to the standards I was looking for.

First thing I did was replace all the cheap plastic buttons with antiqued brass ones.  Then I added a bunch  of cordlocks to the jacket's drawstrings.

To weatherproof it, I waxed it using Fjallraven's Greenland wax.  This is done by just rubbing it on the fabric and then ironing it to melt the wax in.  This was a tedious job and I did two separate layers.

 

Lastly, I sewed on a few patches.  I am thoroughly happy with the results and I feel that all the work invested in this jacket has made it worth more to me than any jacket I might have wanted to buy in the first place.

Mother's Day

I decided to take my wife out for the day and do some local tourist stuff.  The weather was warm and our luck rewarded us with perfect parking spots wherever we went.  We started out on Granville Island where we toured lots of artsy shops, walked through the market, and had lunch.

After lunch we headed for North Vancouver's Capilano Suspension Bridge where we walked suspended high in the tree canopy, along the side of a cliff, and swinging from a bridge 200 feet high above the river.  It was definitely not a place for someone afraid of heights!

All that walking over precipitous drop-offs got us thirsty so we bought some frozen lemonade at their Trading Post.   It was refreshing and delicious..I highly recommend it!

In truth, everyday should be treated like mother's day and we should always let those special ladies in our lives know how much we love them.  On that note, it's time to go and call my Mom.

Sleepless in Seattle

My wife and I had a few days off so we decided to ditch our kids(they are quite capable of taking care of themselves now that they are in high school with one graduating this spring) and we headed down to Seattle for an overnighter.  My wife gambled for our hotel using Hotwire.com and we ended up with a so, so place about a mile and a half from where we wanted to be.  The hotel would have been very convenient had I wanted to see a game given that it was right across the street from Safeco Field.

The weather was a mixed bag with very rainy periods as should be expected for anyone who lives in the pacific northwest or the Seattle area.  You never leave home without your rain gear and I was no exception.

As we were were just doing a little shopping and behaving like typical tourons, visiting Pike Place Market was a must.

Seattle isn't quite as bohemian as Portland.  Seattle has a more mature and sophisticated vibe about it, especially when it comes to dining out.  This morning we had a wonderful breakfast at Sweet Iron Waffles and I must say the barista, who made my latte, was an artist!

On the drive back home, we decided to take a detour along Chuckanut Drive because I have never been on it.  It was stunningly beautiful and well worth the extra time.  I would really like to spend more time exploring the trails along this road and perhaps trying a few oysters from bay we drove next to.

It was a nice surprise to be waved back over the border without any hassle after having purchased over twice our allowable limit.  I almost wished we had spent more(no way!).

Vancouver International Auto Show

Today, my wife and I took my son to the auto show.  He's crazy about cars and wants to be an auto mechanic.  This is the first time that we have all had the same day off to go to the Vancouver International Auto show.  We also wanted to check out a few compact cars as prospective second vehicles.  We will soon have three licensed drivers in our home and possibly need another vehicle.







The show was held at BC Place and I hadn't been in there since they put on the new roof...it looks great and I can't wait to go and see a Whitecaps game there!

There was the usual collection of fancy schmancy expensive models on display like this Lamborghini Aventado.

 

There were also a few concept cars in the show like this Cadillac Urban Luxury Hybrid below.

...and it wouldn't really be a car show without a few giveaways, swag, and sales gimmicks like this "Hank" the robot from FORD.  He reminded me of the evil robot that froze everything in the movie "Logan's Run".  I was a little creeped out and half expected him to start chasing people while cackling about preserving "plankton and fish and sea greens and protein from the sea"!

I spent quite a while trying out various compact cars for "fit" as I am a big guy.  Fit wasn't quite as important to the smaller members of my family.  The car which suited me the best was a KIA Rio although the Hyundai Accent wasn't half bad either.

It was a fun way to spend the day despite the crowds and the irony of taking public transit down to see the auto show was not lost on me.

Bushcrafting Afternoon - In search of fomes fomentarius

Today I had a nice pleasant 4km hike with my family around Richmond Nature Park.  Since we have a lot of paper birch growing naturally in our local boggy areas, I thought it might be a great place to look for Chaga, or False Tinder/Horsehoof fungus(fomes fomentarius).

 

The trail was very wet in spots but it was good practice for my ocean beach trail hikes .

While I didn't find and Chaga, I did find some Horsehoof fungus right where I would expect to find it.

Now that you are curious as to what I want it for, there is a very soft layer between the hard outside skin and the spongy interior of the fungus which makes excellent tinder.  It is called "amadou".  Amadou can also be used to carry an ember for a long time, it makes an excellent strop for knife sharpening, and first nations people used to fashion clothing out of it.  I think I need a little practice harvesting it as the best mine will ever be for is as tinder.

False Tinder/Horsehoof Fungus (fomes fomentarius)

 

Amadou

 

Now I just need to dry it out a little and put it in my fire/tinder box.

Bushcrafting, my new old interest

     I have recently  rediscovered a passion for bushcrafting.  It is an activity which brings back fond memories from my childhood of carrying my Dad's old canvas rucksack on hunting trips with him or the fun I had as a boy scout.  Bushcrafting is essentially learning to coexist in the wilderness by using the skills and knowledge passed down to us by our ancestors, who used them out of necessity.  Bushcrafting is not about survival. It is about living in harmony with your natural surroundings.  Watching youtube videos and old TV programs featuring outdoor gurus like Ray Mears  

Picture from http://www.raymears.com/Ray_Mears/About_Ray_Mears.cfm

 rekindled the desire for what I was missing in backpacking and hiking activities.   Don't get me wrong, I love backpacking and hiking but I felt more like a visitor lacking any real connection to the environment through which I was travelling.  I also found that quite a few of my hiking or backpacking adventures often began to focus more on the distance or elevation gain numbers rather than experience of the trip itself.  This would lead to unwanted stress which was the antithesis of why I was getting out in the first place.

    Some of my fellow hikers might see bushcrafting  as being exploitive because it is an activity that relies on using the resources one finds rather than just depending on what one carries, however,  I see it differently.  Both interests share the "Leave no trace" ethic and in bushcrafting one must be respectful not to overuse what one finds in an area and to do one's best to replace what is used.  In hiking/backpacking, the gear we carry in our kit may be harvested and produced in a manner that is just as harmful if not more so than what is used in bushcrafting.

Anyone who knows me fairly well, knows that I am gear obsessed.  There is gear specific to bushcrafting but it tends to be more related to tools for creating what you might need.

 I love making my own gear and always have enjoyed do it yourself (DIY) projects with my other interests.  At home, my bushcrafting might include, fashioning leather lanyards or assembing a fire/tinder kit (making char cloth out of old cotton T shirts) and in the woods it might include carving wooden tent pegs, making a cook fire, or catching a fish.

  Even my style of clothing has changed.  I now use clothing made from natural fabrics, such as wool and cotton, rather than synthetics for my bushcrafting trips.

 Synthetics are more suited to backpacking where one is concerned about weight and volume.  In my experience, clothing made from natural fibers is more resistant to errant sparks from campfires and is more durable for activities where one is crafting with bladed tools.

     In future blog entries, I'd like to share some trips and techniques that I have experienced.

A Steveston Sunday

Just back from spending a nice day with my wife and daughter down at Steveston.  This is usually their mother daughter time but they graciously allowed me to tag along.  I wanted to see the Winter  Farmer's/Artisan market, which is held every second Sunday in the Gulf of Georgia Cannery.

Afterwards, we had a fish and chips lunch (It's mandatory if you are down in Steveston!), did a little shopping, and then hit the docks where we bought a couple pounds of shrimp off one of the fishing boats.  I also wanted to check out a wood sculpture on the boardwalk that I saw being carved on the OLN TV show , "Saw Dogs".