Giant Dutch Oven Giant Hot Cross Bun

I had planned to bake a giant hot cross bun for Easter in my dutch oven over an open campfire whilst camping but in the current situation that is not sensible so I've tried to simulate it in the garden using a fire bowl from a hanging BBQ 

Ingredients:

250g flour (212g for the mix and 38g for the cross paste)
25ml rape seed oil
3.5g yeast
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice 9nutmeg, ginger,fennel,cloves,caraway, corriander)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
25g brown sugar
75g raisins and sultanas
13g mixed citrus peel
65ml milk
65ml hot water
38g plain sugar for glaze solution

Method:

Combine dry ingredients and fruit in a ziploc bag and shake to mix

Heat water and add to milk and rapeseed oil then pour into ziploc bag and knead for at least ten minutes

Set aside to prove for at least 45 minutes in a warm dutch oven

Mix flour and water into a paste then pipe over proved bun in cross pattern

Bake for at least 30 minutes and when done add warm water to remaining sugar to glaze leave dutch oven away from fire and place a couple of coals on the lid to set the glaze whilst you make a cup of tea!

Serves two normal people, great with a cup of tea

As ever I'd love to hear what you guys thought so please leave a comment, happy Easter!

You can watch a video of me doing this on my YouTube channel here:

Take care

Roo

DIY wood stove flue

In order to use my wood stove in a tent I wanted something to protect the canvas from getting scorched by the flue.

I've seen several on Amazon but all are around £40 or more but when Lidl was selling these bird feeders for £3.99 I decided to make my own.

If you want to do similar here is a Amazon link for the type of bird feeders I used;

I began by removing the lid and the hanging bail for use later with a pair of pliers...

Next to open the bottom I drilled a hole so I could use tin snips to open it up leaving approximately 1cm overhang.

Again using the tin snips I cut the over hang to form little flaps that I could fold over the bottom ring at the base of the fatball holder.

I repeated this on a second bird feeder and used rebar tying wire to tie the two together.

Lastly I straightened the two bail hangers to form hooks and reattached them so it could be hung from the spark arrester on the flue.

The finished product looks pretty good I think for £8

If you want to watch the video of how I did this click here and if you like it please give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing 👍

Take care
Roo

Triangular bandages, the medics EDC multitool

The humble triangular bandage seems to be absent in many modern first aid kits but I would argue every IFAK should have at least one due to its versitility 

Most people know of its ability to provide support to injuries as a sling

But it can also be a wound dressing and simple narrow or broad bandages that can also be used to immobilise limbs by securing to splints

By forming a donut shape to allow bandaging over for protruding objects in a wound

Bandaging awkward areas such as the head and hands

As its a simple cotton triangular cloth it also can be worn as a bandana, used to cover a water bottle when filling from a water source, hobo bag and cut into pieces for making char cloth etc etc

You can see some of these uses in this video

So make sure you have one in your IFAK and maybe consider carrying one in your EDC even if only as a hankerchief

Take care

Roo

  

DIY Backpacking Alcohol Can Stove

When hiking keeping weight to a minimum is key and money might be tight so making an ultra lightweight alcohol stove from empty drinks cans could be the way to go as they're often found discarded on your travels so are completely free and your helping tidy the environment when you repurpose them this way, win-win!

These can be made quickly and easily with a simple multitool from your EDC or you can use commonly found items such as scissors and pliers

You do need to be careful with the edges of the can as they will be very sharp so wear suitable gloves, you can see my video on how I made this one here

As ever I'd love to hear what you think so please leave your comments in the box below or contact me directly

Take care

Roo 

Top 5 Folding Camping Stoves 2019

The range of folding stoves for camping is quite varied, these handy lightweight stoves can use a variety of fuels but are mostly used for self contained fires where a open campfire may not be practical

This is my top five favourite stoves currently available;


5. Bushcraft Essentials Bushbox

Measuring 9.0cm x 9.0cm x 11.5cm at just 270g this was the forerunner for most folding camping stoves that followed the sides interlock to provide a surprisingly stable base

Pots can be supported by the trivets or by sliding wire tent pegs through the holes around the top

Due to the interlocking sides construction they've made kit so that two or more can me connected in parallel which is really cool

4. Lixada pocket folding stove

This handy little pocket stove is much easier to set up as three sides are fixed together with hinges that wrap around the ash grate and locked into place with a simple pin that slides into the fourth corner


11.6cm x 12.7cm x 16.2cm high






3. Toogoo opensided

This open sided stove makes an excellent travel BBQ and is super easy to refuel as it has an open sided front 

15.0cm x 19.0cm x 18.5cm high with a generous 6.0cm ground clearance under the ash plate






2. Pskook bushbox

This fully hinged firebox sets up in seconds as most of the parts are already connected to eachother

Able to hold much more fuel this stove is a genuine replacement for a campfire both for cooking and heat when camping

The door opens to reveal a generous opening for refueling and is hinged so that sticks want to slide down into the firebox rather than fall out

This is my pick for best value stove of 2019 and I recently did an unboxing video here;

14.0cm x 14.0cm x 21.0cm high this extra space means you don't need to refuel as often as the previous smaller stoves






1. Bushcraft Essentials Bushbox XL

The undisputed king of the folding camping stoves thanks to its versatility, its the most expensive stove in the list but that is down to the extensive engineering that has gone into producing it that allows this stove to perform many tasks excellently

YouTube is full of videos showing the numerous uses of this stove and for several years has been seen as the benchmark go to portable stove

12.5cm x 12.5cm x 19.0cm was for a long time the most generous folding camping stove but has now been exceeded by the PSKOOK

Still retains its crown as the best stove due to the multifunction trivets and the various slots that accommodate them 







So that's my top five let me know what you think or if you have any others you would recommend in the comments below 👍

Take care

Roo

DIY backyard blacksmith hand forged ash rake for outbacker stove

A while ago I made a DIY forge for £5 here I use it to make an ash rake tool for my outbacker portable woodburner for camping

I used a fencing pin which many building sites will give you for free if you ask or can be purchased from builders merchants for about £1 and 1kg of charcoal so total cost was less than £2 and took about half an hour

Its not the prettiest as you'd expect using rolled steel bar but it will do the job

As ever I'd love to hear what you guys thought so please leave a comment or a thumbs up and if you liked and maybe you'd consider subscribing

Take care

Roo

#backyard #blacksmith #project

I also post on these platforms;

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PreparedCamping?lang=en-gb

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/preparedcamping/

Camping Tick List

The Sun is out and many people will be heading outdoors for camping trips or other activities but its a good idea to do a little preparation first...

Almost anywhere in the countryside you're liable to be in close proximity to small but nasty little creatures called ticks

These little relatives of spiders are bloodsuckers that like to climb tall grass and other vegetation in order to cling onto any passing mammal that brushes past them for a free meal

And unfortunately they can transmit a bacterial disease called "Lyme" from the bacteria that lives in their stomachs

Symptoms are similar to flu;

• Fever
• Headaches
• Pain in muscles and joints
• Fatigue

Some people have claimed to suffer for many years after being infected if they didn't get early treatment...

Once they find a victim they like climb into a nice warm spot like the groin or armpit where they will not be disturbed as they eat

There are chemical products that can deter ticks and as they only climb up simple steps like tucking trousers into socks can also help prevent bites

A common symptom of a tick bite is the "bullseye" rash shown here of a red swelling surrounded by an outer ring shaped rash sometimes these can take weeks to develop long after the tick has gone so if you have something like this visit your doctor as soon as possible

Many first aid kits will include tweezers which can be used to removed the tick but this is very difficult as their jaws are jagged like a saw blade to give them a strong grip on their victim

Often the body can be crushed leaving the head embedded in the wound prone to infection or even when being gentle run the large risk of squeezing the little beastie causing it to vomit its stomach contents, including the aforementioned bacteria into the wound 

But you can buy very inexpensive little plastic tick removal tool similar to a prybar for pulling nails that fit around the ticks head allowing you to twist and lift it out which greatly reduce this risk

For anyone going outdoors I would recommend having one of these in your first aid kit particularly parents or pet owners like dog walkers, and as I said they like to climb into areas difficult to see a small mirror is also advisable

Not all tick bites will result in bacterial infection but in all cases its advisable to see a medical professional for assessment

Have fun outdoors whatever you're planning, but be prepared for you and your loved ones...

Take care

Roo

Best way to start a campfire with doritos...

So as the weather gets better people will begin to spend more time outdoors camping and grilling on BBQ's and a popular "hack" I've seen online is to burn Doritos as firelighters, but in my opinion they're all doing it wrong...

Yes these little triangular snacks will burn very happily so could get a campfire going, but the packet they're sold in, like many other snack packets, is made from an unrecyclable plastic

So eat your snack, burn the pack!

You can see the video I posted on YouTube about this here;

These packets are a common sight as the wind blows them around our environment from landfill sites or inconsiderate people that simply discard them as litter 

I've always folded them to prevent them doing this, as many animals eat them and get sick and when folded they won't be blown about unless there's a hurricane.

Recently I've began to keep them as little firestarters rather than consigning them to many years in landfill 

In damp conditions where dry tinder is scarce, you'll often see a packet like this trapped in a bush or tall grass that could help you out

By burning it you're also cleaning up the environment win-win 



Take care

Roo

Buddy Burners the campfire in your pocket

A "Buddy Burner" is a simple fire in a tin can of some sort usually fueled by wax that has been added to corrugated cardboard

These simple emergency stoves can be used to cook on but could also provide a limited heat source, here it is heating some chicken noodles in my Latinaric Stainless Canteen Set

Please note this is an affiliate link and as an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases on this link but you will not be charged any extra, I have not been paid to review this product

All you require is an empty tin, in this case I'm using an altoids tin, this is smaller than many I've seen other people make but it fits nicely in your trouser pocket and as it has a lid makes snuffing out the flame safe and easy whilst keeping things clean and tidy when not in use 👍

I mark the cardboard and cut into strips that are the height of my tin, in the case 2cms wide, then I melt some candle wax and pour over the top

The safest way to do this is to place the wax into a container that is gradually warmed up in a pot full of water, so long as you don't boil the water the wax won't be heated to the point that it can begin burning

You can watch how I made mine here;

The amount of heat your burner will give off and how long it lasts will depend on the size of tin you use but this little pocket campfire easily boils water and heats food

I just pushed four wire tent pegs into the ground to act as a pot stand and you're good to go but of course you can find other means of supporting your pot depending on what your using

Take care

Roo

Camping Power

Its great to be able to get away from technology when we want to but having the ability to power your phone or other devices could be a lifesaver

I've had a couple of these power banks from Aukey for two years now and they've been great at keeping my devices charged when camping but usually are left in the car glove box for emergencies

Aukey 20000 mAh power bank


Please note this is an affiliate link and as an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases on this link but you will not be charged any extra, I have not been paid to review this product

Specifications:

capacity of 20,000 mAh

5V 3.4A dual USB output 

lightweight (388g / 13.7oz)

They were £19.99 when I bought them and are similarly priced on amazon today and there are many sizes and brands of power bank to suit your needs or budget but they are a great addition to any B.O.B. or vehicle

Take care
Roo