2020-011 | SURVIVE OUTDOORS LONGER EMERGENCY BIVVY XL

THE SURVIVE OUTDOORS LONGER (SOL) Emergency Bivvy XL or its regular-sized bivvy should be part of your emergency and survival equipment. You unleash this when the weather is too much for you. Although a bit expensive with price tag ranging from 890-2,800 pesos (watch out for imitations), the investment could justify its longevity. You only buy once and it shall be a loyal provider of comfort for you should you need it. In my case, I have used it when I needed it most.

I happen to possess and own one in 2012 courtesy of a protegee. In that same year while I was doing a bushcraft and survival training for a Philippine mountaineering association in Mount Balagbag, a treeless mountain between the provinces of Bulacan and Rizal, rain lashed at the campsite for three days and two nights. My shelter was just a cheap laminated-nylon sheet rigged on a pole as its ridge with edges as close to the ground as could be, secured by cords and makeshift pegs. 

It was very cold on the first night but manageable with layering. On the second night, there was a squall. Rain fell almost horizontal-like and went inside through the open spaces of my simple shelter. One camper suddenly appeared to join me inside my shelter when his tent could bear no longer the onslaught of strong winds with rainwater flooding his tent. I gave to him the most secure spot of my shelter while I moved nearest to the exposed part.

Without any second thoughts, I immediately retrieved my SOL Emergency Bivvy XL as my location was almost unbearable. This was the best time to test this gear. It was wide and as long. I am a tall guy but the bivvy swallowed me whole, with a lot of inches to spare. I could instantly feel the warmth and the comfort as the gusts and rain kept pummeling my shelter and my bivvy. I slept the night through.

I slept better than I had on the first night, although I woke up with water at the inside bottom of the bivvy caused by condensation but it was comfortably-lukewarm liquid. It was an awakening for me that this emergency gear really works. It was neatly folded when I removed it from its stuff bag but you do not have to fold it back the way it was. Just stuff it back unfolded and make sure you squeezed out air so it could fill the bag. 

I carried this during my route explorations of the Cebu Highlands Trail, which lasted for almost six years; and during the epic Thruhike of Cebu from southern end to northern end in 29 days. Nowadays, I used this as visual aid during my outdoors training events like the Philippine Independence Bushcraft Camp, the Bonifacio Day Bushcraft Camp, wilderness survival courses, and related outdoor classes organized by outdoor clubs, NGOs, corporations, LGUs, and independent event organizers. 

When I faced the unknown of backcountries and pockets of wilderness then, I was always in a worried state. Now that I have an SOL Emergency Bivvy XL within reach inside my bag, the furrows are replaced by boldness and confidence; and I pushed forward the limits of comfort and safety in my favor. It really is a different feeling when you have this. I am hoping that this unsolicited product review would guide people to equip themselves with this in the event when “Murphy comes to town”.

 

Should I rate the SOL Emergency Bivvy XL on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 as Poor and 5 as Excellent; I would rate it by its different characteristics like Comfort, Make, Function, Weight, Design, Material, Cost and User Friendly; before I could give the final satisfaction rating average. Here is how I do it and please follow me down: 

• The SOL Emergency Bivvy XL is an emergency equipment designed to give immediate relief, warmth and comfort to an individual, which it had during my experience. Comfort is maximum at 5; 

• This is made of polyethylene material with a reflective metallic-like interior designed to reflect body heat back. It is water and wind resistant. Make is rated maximum at 5; 

• Minimum requirements of this kind of emergency gear is that it protects you from the elements, easy and quick to use and does not occupy space when packed inside your bag. The SOL Emergency Bivvy XL have complied with that and this resulted to a very satisfactory functionality. Function is max at 5; 

• Weight is the most obtrusive feature why people think twice of carrying an extra gear. Weight is just 3.8 ounces, or roughly 108 grams, which I rated at 5; 

• The design follows the shape of a regular sleeping bag and, thus, is plebeian and simple. Design is good at 4; 

• The choice of polyethylene sheet welded together by epoxy answers to purpose of an emergency gear and/or survival equipment. This material is also very light and very thin which is why it just weighed at 108 grams. Material is max at 5; 

• At price range of P890-P2800, the customer should be advised to choose prudence when selecting the price. We do not know if there are fake imitations in the market. But if I were to choose the expensive price, I might say I have done the right thing because I bought an original from a trusty source which would last for as long as I use this in my lifetime.  Cost is best at 5; 

• Using the SOL Emergency Bivvy XL is as easy as counting pebbles. Do I need to explain? User Friendly is 5.

Overall, the SOL Emergency Bivvy XL has a Satisfaction Rating Average of 4.82, which is not a surprise, since it is a product made for the saving of lives and is guided by the highest of standards. Personally, this is a very excellent survival equipment to acquire and carry during all your adventure travels, even if you are just around the block.

Survive Outdoors Longer is a subsidiary of Adventure Ready Brands, a company based in New Hampshire, USA. Some of the products of SOL are heat-reflective blankets, bivvies and rain gear; survival kits and emergency-shelter kits; fire-making tools, emergency fuel and duct tapes; signaling whistles and mirrors; the adventure medical kit and an array of the most common treatments in the wilderness.

The SOL Emergency Bivvy XL and its related products are available online at Amazon, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s and REI, to name a few. Closer to home, these are available at Lazada Philippines, Shopee Philippines, and The Outdoor Armory.

Photo Nr 1 and Nr 3 from Survive Outdoor Longer

 

2020-010 | OUTDOORS SAFETY & TENT COOKING

OUTDOOR COMMON SENSE TIPS: Never ever cook inside an enclosed space like a tent. Escaping gas or flammable vapors might accumulate inside and would cause first-degree or second-degree burns and destruction of equipment. Synthetic materials used for shelters, jackets, sleeping bags are made from petrol products and would be consumed by flames quickly.

To prevent from being forced to cook inside tents, choose your campsites that are not windy and exposed. Exposure to wind chill steal away heat from your flame and will make your cooking a haphazard task. As much as possible, stay away from exposed peaks and ridges.

First seen in Facebook

December 18, 2017

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BUSHCRAFT’S TRUE PRACTITIONERS ALWAYS use the terrain for their advantage. They are smart enough to evade exposed areas as a principle and would never establish a campsite there just because it harbored a scenic landscape. They would just admire the scene but they would never stay there. The best they would do is take a video or a set of photographs and move on to a sheltered place. 

Why do they not think like the rest? Simple. They have experienced that before and they would never let themselves be invited again by amateurs who do not know how to choose the best campsites. Peaks, saddles and ridges are not the best places to camp. These places are so exposed that it is regularly battered by winds, hail, rains and that usual wind-chill that make your camping miserable.

Because it is so exposed, you are forced to stay all day and night inside your tent. Even the normal biological functions of defecating and urinating seems to be an uphill battle against the shivering environment. Most likely, because lighting up a stove seems to be a tricky process out in the open that you moved your camp stove inside the tent. The inside of a tent becomes your sanctuary where you cook your food. 

In cramped spaces such as a tent, you are bound to tumble things around and let us hope it is not the top-heavy pot balanced atop a camp stove. If you do that the flame might spread on your tent, your sleeping bags and nylon apparels and causes damage. You might even burn yourself from the tiny flames you touched while putting it out as it eats your melting tent floor, sleeping bag or clothes. You might even scald yourself from the water you boiled or the sausage you fried in oil.

The most dangerous thing is keeping your stove inside while you slept or while you are out to enjoy the scenery. The valve might be defective and caused a leak which lets fuel escape into the insides of your tent. In the case of sleeping dead drunk you might not see the light of the next day due to breathing in poisonous gases. Maybe the escaping gas have accumulated below the roof of your tent that lighting a naked flame caused it to explode in a small fireball leaving your hair and eyebrows singed and a big hole on your tent. 

It is very important then to choose the best campsite which is sheltered and not too high. In bushcraft, we opt those that is found below the tree line. Security wise, we cannot be skylined and observed from afar. We can enjoy our cooking in the open and a small social gathering without having to turn our backs to the wind. 

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WARRIOR PILGRIMAGE BLOG, personified by this writer, is synonymous with the Outdoors, since Bushcraft and Survival is its niche. Safety and Security are its bedrock when it ventured into organizing outdoor events that involved people as in adventure/pilgrimage guideships and seminars; and explorations and expeditions. 

Through tutorship, experience, folk knowledge and good old common sense, this writer was able to collect useful information which he is currently documenting in a book titled, ETHICAL BUSHCRAFT. He shares some of this information and knowledge in his training sessions; in his social-media account; and in this blog.

 

Photo Nr 2 from Barco Reale

2020-009 | BUSHCRAFT AS A LIFESTYLE

WISDOM TRAILS: Bushcraft, for me, is the ultimate experience. You are the sole master of your own fate and you will know the mountains and its valleys and rivers more than anyone else. You just stay in a few places while everyone else are preoccupied of their time and destinations, totally missing out the finer details of a journey which would have given one lasting impressions, wonderful discoveries and irreplaceable wisdom. I have achieved total and unimpeded freedom doing all these and no foreign ideology, modern technology or expensive gear had altered or prevented that.

First seen in Facebook

December 15, 2017

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OVERHEARD ONE DAY from a couple of friends talking about some guy they saw in TV engaged in a series of survival exploits which, to my understanding, are rather ordinary if done by our indigenous peoples, and does not need a lot of hype. Then I found something unusual. The guy was not doing it the right way! Imagine the harm it would inflict on people if they happen to follow his exploits? 

Just by ear only I have grasped the very idea of what he was doing, very familiar yet there was something wrong, even if I have not seen one episode. At that moment, I decided to find a way to educate people properly, the soonest, as it had been taught to me by my late grandfather, else, they would fall into that trap. I was now in the notion of creating another outdoor interest here in the Philippines which, actually, is as old as time.

I searched the Netscape browser to look for some hobby or interests closely related to survival and I found many but BUSHCRAFT seemed to be the most used, so far, globally. It is primitive living using skills from the standpoint of a Western culture. I then borrowed this term and began to start a movement here, dainty little steps, until I became ambitious by organizing the Philippine Independence Bushcraft Camp in 2011 and the rest is history. 

Before the PIBC, I was just a lonely voice in the wilderness. Bushcraft was as alien as ET here and people were more interested in adrenaline-pumping activities. Peak-bagging was their most popular passion and they have their preferred camping grounds, gear brands, dress and crowd. Quite a crowd indeed. My kind of bushcraft would veer away from crowds who learn nothing from a gathering. We shall nurture our own playgrounds, our own dress style and our own sets of gear.

During my sorties among the mountains, I developed my own style and philosophy of bushcraft in a tropical setting; hitching both the modern and the archaic; to become a very practical, quite flexible and a life-fulfilling interest. I walked the talk literally and intellectually and graced a lot of hours before a lot of people about the good outcomes of engaging in such and how useful it would be during post-disaster events.

 

However, it would take another project of great magnitude before people could comprehend and connect to my lifestyle of bushcraft. It was my route explorations for the Cebu Highlands Trail, a long path of around 400 kilometers that crosses over the rugged middle spines of Cebu Island from the southernmost tip to the northernmost tip. It exposed myself through so many challenges and helped to establish myself as a serious bushcraft advocate.    

By and by, it had become a way of life. I became what I have created and more. It had placed me in a different dimension which I had never before entertained in my wildest dreams: creating another philosophy for bushcraft, quite different from a Western concept. It had become a very cerebral outdoors learning and leisure – a zen in the woods; best taught to people and to let them get a taste of what secrets it held for them. 

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WARRIOR PILGRIMAGE BLOG, personified by this writer, is synonymous with the Outdoors, since Bushcraft and Survival is its niche. Safety and Security are its bedrock when it ventured into organizing outdoor events that involved people as in adventure/pilgrimage guideships and seminars; and explorations and expeditions. 

Through tutorship, experience, folk knowledge and good old common sense, this writer was able to collect useful information which he is currently documenting in a book titled, ETHICAL BUSHCRAFT. He shares some of this information and knowledge in his training sessions; in his social-media account; and in this blog.

Photo Nr 3 courtesy of Justin Apurado

2020-008 | FINDING DRY FIREWOOD

OUTDOOR COMMON SENSE TIPS: In the event of very wet conditions where finding dry firewood is difficult, a standing dead tree trunk can be a good source of firewood. Chop on one side and you will be surprised that it is dry. Just be careful because the knife on its downward stroke will tend to bounce off the surface if the edge cannot penetrate deep.

First seen in Facebook

November 28, 2017

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GATHERING GOOD FIREWOOD is second-nature for people. That is fine when you are blessed with good weather or you lived in the tropics where sunshine is turned on 365 days a year. Wood, to include moist and half-moist, full branches and upturned roots, trunks and slender branches, can be converted into good firewood, through a drying process and are kept under the weather for future use.

When wood is drier and lighter, it is chopped or cut to the right length and stacked neatly and aerated for another drying process, this time in a sheltered place. Wood are bunched according to thickness and age, or the time when these were gathered. When it is ripe for use as a firewood, it is chopped lengthwise or split from each other, so to aerate the insides and allow moisture to evaporate.

These are neatly stacked in squares and are sometimes covered with canvass cloth, cheap laminated nylon sheet or just a piece of square plywood placed on the topmost. Those that are ready for the hearth are linearly-stacked separately where it is most accessible, as on either sides, or on the bottom if the makeshift hearth is propped on legs. This is the way homesteads process their firewood, even in suburban areas where it has access to the woodlands.

In camping, the conditions are different. You are forced to use wood where it is available and there is almost no drying and aging process. Most likely, a tenderfoot would pick up a dry-looking wood from the ground intending to use it as firewood with disastrous results. In the process, lighting off all the 48 matchsticks in the box or suffering third-degree burn on the thumb by holding the gas-lighter valve too long, and without success of producing even an ember.

In bushcraft, we developed firewood gathering into an art form. We understood the science behind that. Of why, almost the wood we found and see, are not the best firewood for immediate use? And understanding further the elements of the fire triangle, we can put a spark of fire to life. With that, we could enjoy coffee; finish a warm meal; with the light and the heat of the fire, it stokes up a good night of fireside conversations.

Camping in good weather, firewood are easy to find. These are not found on the ground. These are found up there or rising up from the ground. These are not thick but are very easy to break off with even a lady’s hand. Because it is small in width or diameter, introducing it to heat until it became a fledgling flame, is so easy. Once you attained a robust fire, add thumb-sized wood for insurance.

How do you know these dead branches are dry? You break it and you smell. Your nose would pick up the smell of moisture once the broken-up branch is exposed to air. You may still use these but wait when the fire had already reached the right temperature where it would consume almost anything. Or you could dry it first by propping it near the campfire using the heat radiated by the fire.

 

During bad weather conditions where there is heavy rain and you need to make a fire to warm yourself, finding good firewood material is very daunting. Your object is to find a dry one which is close to impossible since everything is wet. Your only recourse is to find standing dead trees and dead stumps which would not be rare I am sure of that; and those dead twigs that are not touching the ground.

Standing tree stumps which have been dead for some time may look wet in rain but, once you chopped off on one side, you will be surprised it is almost dry. Chop further and it becomes drier. Watch where the blade bounces because, sometimes, it skims the surface. When you have a substantial number of pieces, chop and split them into smaller pieces and leave three long slender ones and fashion it into feather sticks. The finer the curls, the better it accepts heat and flame.

Standing dead trees have wood completely dry because it is still protected by its dead barks. You could chop off on the sides like you do on the dead stump but, if it is a huge tree, chances are that it has a cavity on its trunk. That is where you chip off chunks of dry wood with your work blade. By the way, please make sure you have a good working blade with you when you are foraging and processing firewood. You simply could not do it with your bare hands.

 

Lastly, understand the science of things in how to introduce heat quickly to wood and turn it into a smoldering fire. The smaller, the lighter and the drier they are, the better the chances of catching a fire. That is why in bushcraft, we have another medium to facilitate the quick transfer of heat to fire to a hardy material like wood. These are called tinder and kindling. It would be a different topic, however, and this might be featured here in the future.

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WARRIOR PILGRIMAGE BLOG, personified by this writer, is synonymous with the Outdoors, since Bushcraft and Survival is its niche. Safety and Security are its bedrock when it ventured into organizing outdoor events that involved people as in adventure/pilgrimage guideships and seminars; and explorations and expeditions.

Through tutorship, experience, folk knowledge and good old common sense, this writer was able to collect useful information which he is currently documenting in a book titled, ETHICAL BUSHCRAFT. He shares some of this information and knowledge in his training sessions; in his social-media account; and in this blog.

2020-007 | CIGNUS V85 VHF TRANSCEIVER

WHEN I TURNED TO AMATEUR radio as another hobby, after possessing a station license in September 2013, my first radio was a CIGNUS V85 VHF Transceiver. What is that? Compared with branded ones, this is supposed to be an inferior communication equipment. It is a re-branded radio that is introduced and sold for the Philippine market. It is very cheap and is the only one I could afford.

By the way, I am an outdoorsman who dabbles in bushcraft and exploration. Do you know that radio communication is very vital in my activities? Especially when I ranged the mountains every weekend. On this rugged environment, I dropped my CIGNUS V85 to the ground many times. You cannot be too careful all the time. Then it is exposed to direct sunlight, rain, dust, moisture, pollen and salty wind. Did it malfunctioned? Never!

Twice it was tested on places unprecedented for any portable radio using 5 watts of power and stock antenna in Cebu. In layman's term, it was used without outside power source but its own battery and signal propagated only from its original antenna without using special equipment to increase its range. Just a cheap basic radio that had seen a lot of rough handling.

These were the occasions that highlighted the effectiveness of the CIGNUS V85. Last August 2016, I was able to trigger the repeater of Ham Radio Cebu, located in Busay, Cebu City and communicated with a radio station from the Doce Cuartos Mountain Range, in Tabogon, 88 kilometers away. Likewise, in October 2016, with the same repeater and communicating with the same radio station from Mount Bandera, in Oslob, 116 kilometers away. Is not that amazing?

Because I was communicating in VHF, I propagated it atop the highest ridges. I was using common sense and the quality of radio equipment was immaterial, but the CIGNUS V85 functioned perfectly well, anyway. You do not need an expensive equipment to enjoy your hobby or propagate signals on the field. A Philippine brand like the CIGNUS V85 VHF Transceiver could compete well with the industry standards. Your equipment would work for you if you would only be very competent yourself.

As an amateur radio enthusiast and communicator, I work within the law and the parameters set by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the CIGNUS V85 is an NTC-compliant communication equipment where its acquisition is covered by VAT and other incidental expenses which goes to government coffers. Use only radios that are approved for use legally by NTC in our airwaves so as to lessen crowding and signal interference.  

FEATURES:

The CIGNUS V85 VHF Transceiver is the medium to high-tier portable radio with LCD, numeric keypad, single-channel watch/standby, 99 memory channels, and shall definitely fulfill the users every demand on grouping and dispatching. 

·         Dual Display

·         DTMF Encoding

·         LCD Menu Operations

·         Emergency Alarm

·         FM Radio

·         1750Hz Relay Forwarding Confirmed

·         VOX

·         Busy Channel Lookout

·         Battery Saving Function

·         Channel Mode Display

·         Scan Method (TO/CO/SE)

·         99 Channel Capacity

·         Reverse Function

·         Alarm Function

·         PC Programmable 

SPECIFICATIONS: 

·         Frequency: VHF/UHF / 136-174MHz / 400-470MHz

·         Channel Capacity: 99

·         PLL Channel Spacing: 5/6.25/10/12.5/20/25 KHz

·         Battery Voltage: 7.4V

·         Antenna Impedance: 50Ω

·         Frequency Stability: ±2.5ppm

CIGNUS V85 VHF Transceiver is a product of Cignus Philippines Incorporated (Cignus), a nationwide distributor of high-quality portable two-way radio communication units and accessories under the brand name "Cignus". Cignus portable radios are offered at modest prices, with quality comparable to internationally-branded units. Cignus is one of the first and fastest-growing locally-branded two-way radio communications equipment distributors in the country.

Cignus was established by 2011 to answer the industry’s need to have a registered and dependable local provider with after sales service support.

Cignus continuously innovate products to adapt to the changing demands of clients’ and consumers’ need. Cignus now offers different models with different specifications to meet the changing demands of the industry. Accessories have been introduced as well, constantly finding ways to ensure that consumer needs and satisfaction are met.

CIGNUS V85 VHF Transceiver units, batteries and accessories are now available at popular online stores like Lazada Philippines and Shopee Philippines with prices ranging from P1,690 to P2,300. Ask for a receipt and permit to purchase. These documents you need to support in processing your amateur radio station license (ARSL) and for inclusion in civic and commercial radio stations.

For servicing of defective Cignus products nationwide kindly contact Cignus Philippines Inc. at its corporate address so they could advise you of their regional branches and accredited service centers:

Room 202

721 Gonzalo Puyat Street

Quiapo, Manila, PH 1001

(02) 735-0002

(02) 488-0965

0925 8244 687

0942 3901 777

0925 6868 788