Category Archives: bushcraft

A trip down memory lane aka Just some pics of various other WW1 excursions

Even though this blog is about my hike along the western front in 2015 and the preparation for it, I have spent already quite a few days walking around the Westen Front. Of course like any “tourist” I shot 100’s and 100’s of pics. I’ve been on wellknown sites but also several less wellknown and quite a few that are rarely seen by anyone and where time seems frozen.

It was visiting those out of the way places that kindled my interest in bushcraft (at first because i was venturing into places where help is not 1 phonecall away and I realised  I wasn’t equiped for it) and what tought me that camping without a ton of stuff to pack and unpack is infinitely more comfortable than going “luxury” camping.  In the end it provided a perfect combination of two hobbies for me..So just for you, some impressions.

A side note on the ammunition you see on 2 of the pictures, for those who happen to wander into the frontline (and most of you will have without knowing, if you have travelled to France or the south east of Belgium), it is still abundant everywhere, if you go off the beaten path you trip over the damn stuff, but just passing a freshly plowed field in flanders or north France, can be enough to see it lying around

…Please! if you ever come across it do not touch, after 100 years it is still as dangerous as it was back than and even something small (like the fuse in the 1st of the 2 pictures  containing amo) will take of your hand (and probably more) off. This stuff can still explode and it will, it actually still injures people to this day and still destroys (farmers) equipment…btw lets not mention what happens to you if you happen to pick a corroded through gas of phosphourous shell 😉

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US begraafpl romagne

 

Last but not least: Don’t ask me where some of these locations are, I wont tell you, unless I know you well, and if you happen to be truly interested in the more remote, non-tourist locations, you can probably hazard a guess of the general area anyway 😉

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Packlists

When going on an extended hike, it all boils down to packlists, here is mine for now, still designed around 1 small week solo without support (with water for 1 to 2 days depending on conditions, and food for a week), it still needs some work since it totals at 21,5 kilograms and a bit which is quite a lot!

The food is just a random selection of what one could have around, the redlines are areas where i’ve just made guestimates for weights (so im probably a little below 21,5 kilo’s, but it will do for now.

Areas where there can be improvements are Tool/ict,packing and shelter (I have some ideas for that). Also I can loose some weight in the cooking category by swapping out all nalgene’s by platypus’s

Yes most of it is in ductch, but where it’s not obvious…google is your friend 😉

Kooking
1 firesteel
2 aansteker
1 schuursponsje
1 trangia brandstoffles vol
1 waterfilter inc boek+hoes
1 titanium 500ml pot
1 Ultralight Titanium DX Stand (EBY-257
1 microfgripper
1 trangia brander
1 folding cup
1 folding fork
1 folding spoon
1 platypus
1 Nalgene standaard
1 nalgene folding bottle 1L
1 zelfbouw snijplankje
1 opvouwbord
1 grote zakdoek KL
1 trangia koekenpan + greep van de set hierboven
Shelter
1 hammock
1 treehuggers
1 hoes van tarp
1 Tarp groen
1 slaapzak
1 slaapmat
1 Zak + patch van matje
8 tentharing alu
1 plastic voor op de grond
1 kussen
1 zitmatje
Clothing
1 Reflectiv hesje
1 sea2summit poncho
1 haglof tshirt
1 haglof tshirt
1 overhemd lange mouwen
2 onderboek odlo
1 onderboek odlo
1 outdoorbroek
1 outdoorbroek
1 wandelsokken
2 wandelsokken
1 Wandelschoenen
1 paar slippers
1 zonnebril
1 tropenhoed
1 buff col
1 microfleece
regenjas
Tools/ICT
1 rugged phone
4 aa batterijen
1 trekking poles per paar
1 hoofdlamp
1 Fenix e1
1 roll ducktape
1 ipad mini
1 goal zero leeg
1 Nomad 7
1 usb kabel
1 stekker USB uitgangs spanning
1 Mora compagnion
1 Victorinox
2 10m paracord
1 GPS + hoes
landkaarten
1 iphone
1 DC4
1 Rugzak
1 8L sea2summit drybag
1 35L sea2summit drybag
1 20l sea2summit drybag
1 casio PRW-5000T-7ER
1 kompas
1 schepje
Hygiene/ehbo
1 Tandenborstel
1 microfiber handdoek
1 Scheermes
1 rol wc papier
1 blok zeep
1 potje vaseline
1 EHBO Klein
1 Kneebrace
1 rescue blanket
1 talkpoeder
camfor spray
1 antimug
Various
1 bankpas
1 randomreader
1 creditcard
1 plastic fluitje
1 Velden van weleer
1 zorgverzekeringspas
1 reisverzekeringspas/info
Food
1 Pak zilvervlies rijst
1 blik ravioli
1 pak gedroogde tortelini
3 water per liter
10 Hero n between
8 hardkeks
1 unox hamburgers