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Thursday, 11 September 2008

Forks and Roasting - Online!


I've been a fan of, and occasional poster on, the bushcraftuk.com site for a couple of years now, and while it's full of really useful information, it's much like human nature itself; a mix of the good the bad and the ugly. It's also not short of moments of high comedy

There are some people who can't seem to think about bushcraft without buying yet more tat to drag around with them.

(sound of glass house resident throwing stones)

As a wise man once said 'there's a seeker born every minute, two to teach him, and another two to sell him 'must have' accessories on the internet'

The Swedish company Light My Fire sells some really cool stuff, but sometimes people get a bit carried way and 'it's a really cool idea' gets confused with 'it's going to be a really cool product'. You know what sales and marketing people are like.

(another stone flies past)

This toasting fork is a case in point. You get some wire and you bend it, it becomes a really sweet way of keeping the bread, sausage, or marshmallow stable on the end of your stick while you're toasting it over the fire. It's not rocket science - but it is the kind of cool idea that the internet is so good for sharing. Barry Crump would be proud of you.

A chap whose forum name on bushcraftuk is Cobweb has gone to the trouble of posting a straightforward tutorial showing exactly how to make one in 12 photos. Nice one mate.

Then follow 3 pages of sad, angry men telling each other how each of them believes they know best. After a while the guy who started the site asks them to play nice, they don't listen!
It's hilarious! Boys and their toys! What can you say?

thanks for reading
SBW

PS the toasting forks absolutely rock - and are very very easy to make
PPS have a look at the silly poll I posted about an English TV show and the responses it got!

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous11 September 2008 at 15:10

    Very good piece of campfire gear, and one even a child can make as a bushcraft project. Thumbs up!

    ReplyDelete
  2. andy shafte11 September 2008 at 21:18

    Am I becoming a boring middle aged man or is it normal behaviour that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about toasting forks, how they're made and various important social comments on this previously unknown to me utensil?
    ...and for the anecdote, a streetwise acquaintance of mine did ask if a 'suburban bushwacker' meant a resident of an outlying community masturbating in proximity to a small cluster of shrubs? Not having the answer I simply said that you can't count on the northern line and maybe i should leave early.....

    keep up the good work mate

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Suburban Bushwacker12 September 2008 at 09:44

    Survival Topics
    Top bit of kit aren't they, and yes they do make an excellent first project (no sharp tools required) They give both a sence of acomplishment, and a sence of perspective on our consumerism, when you show them the thing they just made for sale on Ebay for £4 ($8).

    Andy AKA Mr. Bojangles
    we've met before and it's god to see you still reading

    Thanks for getting in touch chaps
    SBW

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous12 September 2008 at 14:13

    So that's what a toasting fork looks like. I'd always wondered.

    ReplyDelete
  5. American Bushman13 September 2008 at 14:28

    Great post.

    Thanks for the link to the tutorial on BCUK also. Somehow I've managed to miss it before.

    You know, Gary at Bearclaw Bushcraft Blog has recently done a post about how bushcrafting has turned into the quest for more and more outdoorsy gear and, like you, I've managed to find myself caught up in the quest for the ultimate and best and lightest and toughest bits of kit and have ended up with lots and lots of really good stuff in triplicate. :)

    B

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Suburban Bushwacker15 September 2008 at 16:52

    American Bushman

    Ha Ha!! It's so easy to let your 'inner gear freak' take control isnt it! Of course there is an added irony in that as you lightened your load so much of the suff that fell from your pack landed in mine!!

    SBW

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous19 September 2008 at 14:21

    Thanks for adding me to your blog roll. Love the map, thanks for the idea!

    I am going to make myself a toasting fork so when my little girl is older (she's one) we can make some together.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous28 September 2008 at 10:57

    yeah it is very very easy

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous4 October 2008 at 18:16

    well i didnt know this can be found online

    ReplyDelete

Please feel free to leave comments. I really enjoy hearing what readers think. The rules are the same as round my dinner table:

You're welcome to disagree, life would be way too boring if we all agreed with each other and we'd never learn anything.
I like to think that we're all grown up enough to argue every last point, right down to the bone, without bearing a grudge afterwards.



Come on in the waters lovely
SBW