Man, that really is a cool looking kit...

Wow folks!
Thanks for the warm welcome and kit compliments.

Pitchblend is a mixture of pine pitch, mink oil, beeswax, and lindseedoil.... great for waterproofing leather.

My gear isn't the lightest.. but I like it. If I were to go on an extended hike I would certainly shave it down "Haversack and bedroll" style.

Here is my Winter set up...

MOST of my core gear, extra clothes, 3-4 days food, sleeping bag, two tarps and 50ft of rope.(That will last me well over a week with a little foraging)

All together with water bottles full... 43lbs... not bad for the gear choices I have made.

I used to be an ultralight backpacker with an 18lb pack, but I find this more enjoyable.

What pack is that? I don't recognize it.

Canadian issue rucksack... external frame... a bit heavy but bombproof. Most Canadian Army guys hate it because of all the marches they did with it... lol.

Rick

Anybody have a good source to pick up an authentic (or at least semi-authentic) possible bag? I like the idea of leather over what's normally available commercially.

I've used claymore bags for possibles bags. In fact, that's what I'm using for my black powder possibles bag now. I use a Bull Durham pouch (inside of a ziplock) to keep my Bic lighters in.

All of my other leather goods; medicine pouch, scabbards (leatherman, knives, swords, hatchet), are made from leather I bought, and then cut, and sewed together. I normally used "shotline" (the Coasties here know what that is) to sew my leather together but alas, I am almost out of that. I started using nylon thread (Wally World) and of course, Dental Floss to hold it together.

It takes some basic tools (Tandy Leather has kits) and a little thought to turn out some nice leather accoutrements.

I find leather working to be a disease for many of us because it is enjoyable!!!

No, I am not affiliated with any leather companies in anyway, Heck, I'm a dirty ole sailor!!!

I hadn't thought of making something myself...makes sense though and might be worth a go.

The claymore bags look very practical but far too tacticool for daily use.

Askdamice, tell me to pros and cons of the alcohol stove. What fuel do you use, how much fuel does it consume, how long does it burn, how long to boil water. It looks like a classic piece of gear. Is it very heavy? That is one excellent, durable kit you have assembled!

He's using a Swedish trangia, lots of us have experience with them here.

Simple, reliable, robust- you have to work at it to screw this thing up. They run best on ethanol, but you can run methanol (burns fine- just a little poisonous), or if you get REALLY desperate, isopropyl (burns dirty, not very hot). But like all alcohol stoves, it can be quirky a low temperatures due to the relatively high vaporization temp of the fuel compared to other systems.

Search that archives for "trangia", you'll find a few hundred posts. Since mid-summer.