Category Archives: Hunting

Gear || Screw Diamonds…

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*This article was originally posted in December 2011 but due to changes in the website, the archives were lost. I’ve decided to repost some of my favorite pieces over the next few months. I hope you enjoy them!

Sure diamonds are shiny and sparkly, worth some cha-ching and definitely brag-worthy but do they keep you warm and dry? No. Will they make you smile when you are soaking wet but still warm after post-holing through thigh-deep snow all morning? Probably not like wool will. And will your diamond keep you cool on a hot summer bike ride as you pedal over mountain passes and sun-soaked valleys? No way!

Okay, maybe it’s a little bit of a stretch, comparing my wool gear, even if it is Smartwool, to diamonds but honestly, in my world, it is way more valuable and sees a lot more use. This time of year you find me dressed from head-to-toe, not in fur suit with tiny reindeer but in wool from my beanie to my socks and everything in between.

I remember back in high school (don’t laugh but I’m going to date myself) looking at a Backpacker Magazine that explained how to properly layer for different seasons and activities. Every piece of clothing was made from some sort of synthetic and it was a big deal that mid-layer fleece was made out of recycled pop-bottles. Ikes! It’s hard to imagine now with all the awesome merino options that recycled pop-bottles were considered the best way to keep warm and dry when working up a sweat during cold-weather activities.

I also remember the day that I decided that there had to be a better option than synthetics. I had three layers of poly on top and a layer beneath my Carhartt bibs. It was cold and I was standing near a machine pile that I had lit, trying to warm back up. When suddenly, poof, my clothing vaporized. Had it not been for a cotton T-shirt sandwiched in between I probably would have had nothing on up top. Now that would have been one cold snowmobile ride home!

One of the guys at work always wore a pair of ancient wool pants over his long johns. He always seemed to be able to move more quickly and comfortably then the rest of us with our Carhartt outer layer to protect us from heat and cotton or synthetic base layers. I was always soaking wet and miserable by the end of my day. I figured he was on to something and should take a lesson.

Soon thereafter I purchased my first pair of Smartwool Lightweight Bottoms and a Mid-Weight Zip T. Heaven I tell you, pure heaven. Over time I have added a pair of the Liner Gloves, the Spring Glove, some more tights, the Reversible Training Beanie, the Ewetopia Knicker, a Channing Jersey and a few sweaters to the mix.

Wool started out as a way to keep warm and not have my clothes vaporize. Since that time it’s become my all time favorite clothing, from cycling to hunting to backcountry skiing or just looking great out on the town. Wool is this girl’s best friend!

What is your favorite piece of outdoor clothing?

~R

Hunting || Christmas at the High Plains Game Ranch

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A few short days before Christmas I was invited to join the crew from Malon Insulation for their annual Christmas pheasant hunt at Vallery’s High Plains Game Ranch.

There’s nothing more perfect then a bluebird South Dakota day, cloudless sky, unlimited sunshine and a gentle breeze. The only thing that would have made it more perfect for pheasant hunting would have been a skiff of snow. But with views like this, there were no complaints to be heard.

Located just north of the Black Hills, the idyllic setting of 4th generation family ranching operation, makes you feel like you are a few hundreds of miles east in the heart of the prairie.

 As soon as we rolled into ranch headquarters we were greeted by owner Randy Vallery and one of his guides. They immediately made us feel like one of the family. As we stepped into the lodge, we were greeted by dozens of South Dakota’s finest creatures, including a mount of the great American Bison. After a few introductions, a quick cup of coffee and an overview of the day we were off to have a little fun.

There’s nothing like starting your hunting adventure with a quick jaunt across the fields in…a little yellow school bus! With plenty of leg room and lots of dog kennels it made for a fun ride out to the fields.

With five dogs abreast and roosters flying over head, it was pretty difficult to get any kind of shot off other then with a Remington 870. I did managed to snap off a few quick shots.We cruised our way through fields of tall-grass prairie, sorghum, and corn. In the near by fields, hundreds of geese taunted us, as goose season had closed just a few days before.

With great guides and excellent habitat it doesn’t take the dogs long to flush out the birds and for us to fill our limit of pheasants. Although the High Plains Game Ranch is one of the few locations in South Dakota that is home to Hungarian partridge, they remained illusive this particular day. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the lodge for a late lunch and more delightful conversation.

All too it was time to say our goodbyes to Randy and his staff and hit the road. It had been an amazing hunt with the down home hospitality you come to expect from South Dakota. With a great day of pheasant hunting in the bag, it was a perfect start to the Christmas holiday!

If you’re ever in the area, I’d highly recommend you stop by and enjoy a day with Randy and the crew at Vallery’s High Plains Game Ranch!

~R

Gear || Almost-Filson Chaps: Part 2

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Happy 2012!

I can’t believe the new year is here. 2011 sure flew by, didn’t it? What are you guys doing to celebrate the New Year? I ended my 2011 the exact same way I started it, making a few tele turns on new fallen powder, then taking a nice long 2-hour nap, working on a project and then a delicious dinner with friends before hitting the sack. Since all of those make me happy I’d say it was a good year! Since I was in bed before midnight, I’d also say I might be getting old.

The irony of yesterday’s project was that it was the last day to hunt pheasant on public land and I finally completed my pheasant hunting chaps around the end of shooting light. Go figure! The good news is that preserve pheasant is open until the end of March; I’m hoping to get at least once chance to try out the new chaps.

Part 2 of the Almost-Filson Chap project was to treat the canvas with the wax coating that makes it so durable, mud and blood proof and keeps my legs warm and protected from all the prickly stuff.

Step 1: You are going to need some wax product to do the waxing with. You can create your own or go by a few cans of the Filson wax treatment. I love the results the Filson wax gives but it’s pretty pricy to do a large project with it at $10.00 per 3 1/4 ounce so I opted for the make your own option.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to brew your own.

The amounts you’ll need of each are:
1 qt. linseed oil
6 oz. turpentine
1 1/4 lb. beeswax
3-6 oz. pine tar

Place all the ingredients into a container you never want to use again and place that container into a large pot of water. Your local hardware store has galvinized buckets that work great for this. Place on a burner over medium heat and bring the water to a boil. Melt all the ingredients together and you’re ready to wax.

We’ve played with the recipe and found that this produces the closest results to the Filson Oil Finish Wax, although it is definitely not the same product. The Filson Oil Finish Wax is a semi-solid product that you rub into the fabric you want to wax, we’ve found that the homebrewed product works best when applied as a liquid. Otherwise you’ll be working on the project for-ev-ah.

Step 2: Now that you’ve got your wax gather your supplies. You’ll need an clean paintbrush that you never want to use again, a large sheet of cardboard to cover the surface you’re working on or else work on a surface that you don’t care if it gets coated in oil, a blowdryer, and your item to wax.

Step 3: Wax on, wax off!

Actually that should be wax on, wax in. Working in small, manageable chunks, use the paintbrush, “paint” your project with the wax coating. Some of it will go in but a lot of the wax will just kind of sit on top of the fabric.

Once you’ve got the wax on, there are two ways to work the wax into the fabric. Both work well, which method you choose will depend on what you want the outcome to look like. If you’ve never tried this before I’d recommend trying out both on a spare piece of fabric to see which result you like better.

Your first option is to use the blowdryer to heat the wax into the fabric. Depending on how water-proof you want the product to be you may need to do two coats. I’ve found this to be the case in most of my projects.

For this project I went with the second technique which is a little more “hands on.” Apply the wax to a small area and then rub the wax into the fabric, using your body heat to work the product into the fabric. You may need to reheat the wax with a blowdryer if you coat to large of an area or are working in a cooler environment. Be careful about getting the blowdryer too close to the wax or it will melt the wax into the fabric instead of just heating it. I used this method for the back of the chaps because it produces a less stiff result and and will more comfortable when walking mile after mile.

The area on the left was worked by hand, the darker area on the right was done with the heat method. Both work well, it’s all just about preference.

Continue working  until you’ve coated the entire exterior of the project and then, voila! You’re done!

Some final thoughts on waxing canvas…

If you’re going for really, really waterproof you may want to let the project cool for a few hours and re-coat it again. I used this technique for my vintage messenger bag.

Because I use my chaps for hunting and the turpentine has a very distinctive scent, once I’ve finished waxing them I hang them outside in a protected location and let them air out for quite a while. I’m not going to say this gives me any advantage over the pheasants but at least I don’t stink out my hunting partners!

What did you do to celebrate the New Year’s holiday? I’d love to hear about it!

Happy New Year and happy waxing!

~R

 

Gear || Almost-Filson Chaps: Part 1

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I’m sure you are wondering by now why, when it’s been 50 outside, haven’t I been out enjoying the weather. There is a very simple and very disheartening answer to that. I’m sick.

I am a very bad sick person. My mom would tell you that you’d probably be better off duct taping me to the bed to get me to stay there. But I have been kind of, sort of, trying to relax. If you count laundry, housekeeping and a simple sewing project as relaxing. But, I have been napping in between it all, sleeping in, drinking enough tea to fill an ocean and doing other cold-related remedies.

So today, my “very chill project” has been up-cycling an old pair of worn out Carhartt pants into a new pair of waxed canvas hunting chaps. (I promise, I napped at least once while doing this project and drank tons of tea!) I have an almost-love affair with waxed canvas. It just has this totally awesome vintage thing going on top of being incredibly indestructible and water-resistant. Almost a year ago I posted a DIY on how to wax canvas but when the technical difficulties monster struck the other day, he ate all my old posts, otherwise I’d give you the link to that. But not to dismay, you are in luck.

Since my project involves both the up-cycling of the chaps and the canvas waxing I’ll post about both! DIY waxing canvas and up-cycling Carhartts into hunting chaps. See, I really do love you guys! (For those of you who might not need a pair of hunting chaps, waxed canvas also makes a great up-cycle messenger bag. I promise I’ll show the steps to that later. It’s too cool not to share!)

Step 1: Get an old pair of Carhartts, scissors, a chalk pencil and a ruler. To make your project easier, I’d sew all the front and back pockets closed. It’ll make the cutting a whole lot easier, I promise, and they won’t fill up with sorghum seeds when you walk through the fields, double bonus!!

Step 2: Get a friend to help. Corbet is my little buddy who likes to be involved in everything! He’s become my mental support on the days I stay home. He’s good at helping me make decisions, which probably explains a lot.

Step 3: Make your chalk lines for cutting. I tried to get all technical and measure everything out. After measuring how far down from the crotch I wanted to start my cut and how wide of an area I needed at the waistline, I gave up on the technical part. I didn’t have a pair to look at so I just put the dang pants on over my jeans and drew out where I wanted to chaps to ride. Then I added in a seam allowance of 1/2 inch and went with it. When I don’t have a pattern, that’s how I roll!

With your pants cut, it should look something like this. Don’t throw anything away, we’ll use those parts later. We’ll use almost all of the pants by the time we’re done.

Step 4: I decided to cut out the pocket material, just so there wouldn’t be as much material to sew through when I did my seams. I couldn’t find my larger needles and was working with a pretty delicate one, so I had to put everything to my advantage!

Step 5: Because the attachment loops wrap around your belt where your waistband was, you can cut it off. If you’re really short or just have really long pants, put the pant leg back on and figure out how far down you want to cut. Don’t forget to leave room for the seam allowance. It’s pretty hard to add the material back. If you’re tall, consider yourself lucky and forget this step!

Step 6: Pin your seams up, maybe even iron them out if you are really into perfection, and sew them up. Once I got my seam put in, I went back over with a decorative topstitch seam, just so it would match the rest of the Carhartt seams. This might have been a little over the top but it looks cool!

Step 7: After you have the seams in on both of the chaps, it’s time to cut your strips of fabric for the attachment loops. Here’s where the scraps come in. Mine measured 8″ x 1 1/2″. I based the length on what I needed to sew one end to the pants and have enough left to wrap over my belt and back down with a little extra space for the snap to attach. The width was chosen solely on the snap diameter.

Step 8: You’ll want to iron your seams in on these. I just folded each one in until they met in the middle.

Step 9: Back to the sewing machine with you! Sew up your ends first and then sew up the seams you ironed over. I top stitched these to match the rest of my seams but it’s your chaps so what ever floats your boat.

Step 10: Once they are all stitched, it’s time to sew them onto your chap/pant legs. You can see the one in the back is already stitched on. I decided to bar tack each attachment loop in two places so they don’t wiggle as much when I’m wearing them.

Step 11: Now that your chaps are all stitched and they have attachment loops it’s time for the fun part. Who knew sewing projects involved hammers! If that’s the case, bring on the sewing. You’re going to need some snaps for this part. Or you could use buttons but they don’t involve hammers so I’d say go with the snaps. Tandy Leather has a great selection. As you can see I went with something traditional!

Step 12: You’ll need to make a hole, centered, on each end of your attachment loops. Make sure you get them facing the right direction and that the snap parts will marry up. If you screw this up, well, let’s just say this is kind of a one shot deal. Or else you’ll be getting the Dremel tool involved in your sewing as well.

Step 13: Once you’ve got the snaps all lined up, it’s hammer time! (Bad 90′s joke but when you’ve been cooped up all day…) FYI, those aren’t my hands doing the hammering. It’s impossible to take hammer and take pictures, I tried.

Step 14: Tada! Corbet hates posing for photos so Remi agreed to step in.

Short and sweet instructions, I know. But honestly, these were one of the easier projects I’ve tackled and well, there just wasn’t much to them. The hardest part was deciding where to cut the pants. They were much easier then the placemats I made for my sister-in-laws birthday which is today. Happy Birthday Melissa!

Tomorrow I’ll show you how to wax them.

Until then..Happy Hunting!

~R