Thanks Jerry!

I put a bandana in the kettle for both prefiltering water and for wrapping the sotve after use. A little bag may work better.

This pack is going to a platform for a new more robust dayhike kit as I start putting the miles back on. The older I get the ore I lean towards to a more minimalist and bushcrafty set-up. I'm sure it won't be long before I tweak it again, and going lighter will be on the To Do list.

FWIW, I've got my eye on making some leather puches while I'm on maternity leave. I'd like a couple for my fire and food kits.

We went for little test drive today!

My son got a new GT Sno Racer for Christmas and I got some new gear too. He's had a chance to try his out but I hadn't so we did a little combo today. We headed out hill down behind the Oshawa GM plant, beside Lake Ontario, that has a smattering a trees around it. (It's right beside a road and subdivision so not at all off-roading for this preggo, but with a couple of key elements we were looking for.

We found a big ol' tree beside a decent sized hill. I'm pretty sure the temps and winds there were worse than the weather network was noting in the city centre. While his gave his new sled a work-out, I sat down to brew up so ramon noodles and hot chocolate on my new gadgets. Climbing up and sledding that hill, and climbing the tree we set up beside, built up an appetite. Sitting and eating his noodles cooled him off enough that he was ready to go home by the time we were finishing eating. All and all, it was a great couple of hours.


DRESSING FOR THE WEATHER

There was snow on the ground and it was an overcast day, hover around freezing, with a pretty steady 15 km/hr wind, so we bundled up to stay warm. We both wore thermal long johns, thick merino wool socks, wool blend hats and winter mitts/gloves. He wore a pair of fleece pants, a long sleeved thermal top and a cotton/poly blend top, under his snow pants and jacket. I wore thick cotton/poly blend pants on the bottom, and a LS thermal top, mid-weight merino wool sweater and a fleece jacket under my down jacket. (I really need to get a new pair of rain/snow/wind pants to fit this preggo body of mine!) He wore Sorrel insulted boots and I wore my Kamik insulated rubber boots.



GEAR LIST





In addition to my pocket carry EDC, I also brought my new day trip pack, designed specifically for trips like this. It'll be the foundation for a new extended day hike/overnight kit once I get through the birth/newborn filled next month or few, but for now It's intended just for a comfortable trail side pit stop than an overnight.

FAK: AMK field trauma kit with added triangular bandage, maxi pad and one person Heat Sheets.

FIRE KIT: jute twine, a cotton lamp wick, a med bottle of pine shavings/pine pitch/birch bark/cotton balls, small vial of strike anywhere matches, a mini bic, a ferro rod with mag bar attached, a small tube of lip balm and a small folding pocket knife. It's all housed in the tea tin with tight fitting lid. (It's also got a small mess bag to hole the contents when I use the tea tin to make char cloth.) I've got a few veggie rubber bands on there now, but will upgrade those to ranger bands soon. I only used the mini this trip, which found a challenge in the cold today.


COOK KIT: 1 full GI canteen, 2 canteen cups, GSI tea kettle, esbit stove & tabs, bandana, a LMF spork and a MRE spoon. I also carried a canteen stove and a small stainless steel copper bottom fry pan. WE also found a sealed bottle of water on the way in.


SHELTER KIT: duct tape, a rubberized GI poncho (German-issue), 6 tent stakes, about 30 ft of paracord, about 25 ft of poly cord, Thermarest (Thermal) Z-seat, 2 x contractors bags. I also took a small wool blanket with us today, which was the only component of the shelter kit I used.



SHARPS: Fixed blade, Bacho Laplander (didn't use either today)

LIGHT: 3XAAA LED (Not used today)

FOOD: 2 packs Mr. Noodles (chicken for him, beef for me) and 2 MRE hot chocolate packs. I also had a bannock, some peanut oil and a zip lock bag of hot drinks (hot chocolate, tea, coffee, apple cidar) but we didn't use any of them today.


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What I Learned Today

My new GSI tea kettle is AWESOME!! (Thanks again Ninja!) It was not quite enough for us today but will be prefect when I'm out on my own with the new baby.
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The esbit stove worked great, (Tipping my hat to Ninja again!) if a little slower than I would have liked. I used 2 blocks of fuel to get one kettle full of water to an almost simmer. I imagine that would have been better if I used a wind screen or built a shelter. An open fire would have worked better but they aren't allowed where we were. Besides, the point was the try out the new stove/kettle combo!
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We covered our canteen cups with aluminum foil while the noodles cooked, but it wasn't enough to keep them warm enough to both thoroughly cook..
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The canteen cups cooled down quicker than we could consume the noodles and broth. Cozies should up the insulation value.

The wool blanket, folded a few times, made a great seat on the cold damp ground for this preggo.
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Nine and half year old boys do not notice the cold when they are racing down snow hills, regardless of mom shivering on the sidelines.
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Thanks for looking. Now get there, play safe and have fun!

Here's a look at what Jerry is talking about:

The esbit stove after it's first use:

The bottom of the GSI kettle fared much better:

Great kit , nothing to add here. But I saw the picture where you light the esbit cube with a lighter, so I want to add a small note about that.

If the lighter decides to quit working during the trip, there is still a way to light the cube with sparks only.

Watch this video :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXtrOdvIWeQ

Great pics! I think you'll find the windscreen helps tremendously! Here's a link to the one I use in my review here:

http://adventurereports.blogspot.com/2013/01/condor-h2o-pouch.html#more

This is my my "lunch kit". I took it out today as well.

Thanks gulliamo! I had my fire kit with me and could have tried the ferro rod, but I was stubborn. It was cold and I just wanted to get it going. I've never started a hex cube that way but have seen it done a few times. It's on my To Do List though!

I was wishing for a zippo though. Maybe I'll add one to my birthday wish list. I am going to upgrade to butane lighters in my kits and EDC, with a more simple ignition system. I've got a couple of Robson's that have never failed me, so may just go with those until the Zippo fairy arrives.

We've got a bathroom reno project we're working on right now. (Ok, not me. Not me at all.) I've added aluminum flashing to the shopping list, and intend to make a little wid screen for this and my larger esbit stove. Keeping it up off the ground should help too.

Is the cat's ass when it comes to stoves? No. But I love it. It's a nice piece of kit, in that it's small, light, simple and verstaile.

My Grandma always said that if you're set for a brew-up, you should be in pretty good shape - you've got heat, water and at least enough protection from the elements that you can sit and drink it.

I've got a couple of those Ronson ones too, Izzy, and agree that they're great. Not sure why i haven't updated my Bic sooner. I've never tried a peanut lighter, but have to admit, I like the convenience factor of not having to refill the lighters in my kit. Of course, I still have to check them regularly anyway so definitely worth looking into.