Sign of Spring

Spring is here no doubt about that, and what better indicator can there be, than Dandelions growing everywhere!


Many people abhor these weeds in their lawn and do all thing to eradicate them. I for one, pull them out but they are just so stubborn they come back in a jiffy. It's much easier to use chemicals but you also poison the ground that way. Some people eat Dandelions but I guess they don't taste good otherwise there would not be a lot of them around.

But its good to know that Dandelions are edible. I never did until I saw this video. It is wise to know wild edibles available in your local environment because they are a source of food in time of extreme necessity.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Finger Cut Again

I got my finger cut again. The knife fell from its sheath and the blade hit the ring finger of my right hand. It just barely grazed my finger but the knife was so sharp it made a small cut on my finger.




The sheath was loose so I have to tie a rubber band arround it to keep the knife from falling out again.


Hardwood Handle Mini Tracker Skinning Knife. The blade is re-profiled to a convex grind. It cost less than $10 including shipping charges.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Clipper Lighter

One item I always include in my fire kit is a disposable lighter. Why, because using a lighter is an easy and convenient way of making a fire. I know a lighter is no good when the flint is wet but you can blow and wipe it dry and it will function again. What about when the fuel runs dry or evaporates? Well, you can still use the spark from the lighter to make fire if you have a char cloth, cotton balls soaked with petroleum jelly, jute twine or any tinder that will catch fire easily. You can convert your lighter into a sparklite. See my previous post on how to convert a lighter into a sparklite. But you don't need to do that if you have a clipper lighter.


Clipper is a brand name of a lighter that is refillable and world renowned for durability and reliability.


It's just like any disposable lighter.


But it has a removable flint system that allows you to replace the flint. You just pull the flint system up with your fingers.


And you have an instant sparklite. Clipper lighter, a conventional lighter and a sparklite all in one.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Combination Wood - Alcohol Stove

Now that winter is just a week away, I find it hard to gather dried twigs to fuel my wood stove. I like to drink coffee when I'm out on the trail. Well, it's actually a trail and a park because there is a picnic grove too. I don't go deep into the woods really. After I come out from work on a night shift, I just take a short walk on the trail and then prepare my coffee. So I modified my hobo stove to accomodate my DIY alcohol stove to boil water.


To be able to use my alcohol stove, I just punch 4 holes on the hobo stove and inserted 2 wires which will serve as a platform for the acohol stove. This way the hobo stove will act as a wind screen at the same time.


This is how it works. The alcohol stove is already fired up but you can't see the flames. I used heet for fuel and the flame is not visible. You will note the condensation forming on the lower portion of my space saver cup. The outside temperature is 34F when I made this test.


It took 12 minutes for bubbles to form on the water. I didn't get a rolling boil maybe because it was also too windy that day. Anyway, the water was hot enough for a good cup of coffee. And yes, I had to refill the alcohol stove too.


Result is not really bad. Maybe I would make a taller alcohol stove so there would be no need for fuel refill. I was also thinking of a way to use solid fuels like esbit solid fuel for example. That would be my next project I guess.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

BUCKLITE Knife 422 Folding Lockback

Recently, I have been participating in auctions for used knives at eBay and this is the first one I won.


This is the photo posted on eBay and the seller described it as "with rust spots on the blade" as you can see above.


Well, it turned out that it was gunk after all and not rusts. After cleaning the blade with oil, it was as good as new.


7.25" OAL, 3" blade, 2.6 oz. wt., not sure if blade is 440 or 420HC. It looks like Buck Ranger 112 but very much lighter.

I have been feeling uneasy carrying fixed blade knives when I go on a short hike on forest preserves. I think it's much easier to justify carrying a folder instead of a fixed blade just in case you get accosted by law enforcement officer. That's highly improbable to happen but who knows? As Murphy's law states "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Better be safe than sorry, so for now I would carry a folder instead of a fixed blade on short hikes.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

ResQMe Tool Gone

Another gadget lost. I lost it the same way I lost my guppy knife - yanked out from the carabiner attached to my pant's belt loop. I should have learned my lesson the first time but I guess I'm so hard headed.


My car keys with the black clip that holds the ResQme tool.


How it was attached to the black clip.


The ResQMe tool. Read this post to find more about it.

Well now I will never attach a carabiner with my stuff on my belt loop ever again.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

EDC Upgrade

We're having a bit of unusual low temperature this fall. Its cool and winter-like at 30F-35F. In fact we just have a thin layer of snow fall about 3 weeks ago. Since early fall, I have winterized my car. Wool blanket, winter coat, sweater, space blanket, flashlight, food, I even have a stove and firewood in the trunk. Who knows when a blizzard could suddenly occur. Remember the rule of 3's? Three hours of exposure to the elements ... you die (in this case of hypothermia).


First snowfall this year.


I also checked my EDC kit and found out that some items need replacement like the petroleum coated cotton container and the leather lighter pouch. This is the kit that is in my pocket wherever I go.


The cap of the improvised container for the petroleum coated cotton is missing and need to be replaced probably with a new waterproof container.


The small leather pouch for the lighter had stretched and enlarged. The lighter is kept in the pouch by a tying a rubber band around it. This pouch needs to be replaced too. I may also replace the firesteel in preparation for the coming winter season.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.