Posted by Larry Catt on May 12, 2021 • bushcraft, bushcraft camp
Pull out your phone, pull up a browser, and look for “restaurants near me.” That’s how simple it is these days to find food options. However, when you’re out in the wild, in a survival situation, or even if you’re camping, all you have to rely on are your skills and the tools in your pack.
One of the most useful skills you can master is how to prepare food over a fire. Even more importantly, you need to ensure that you’re adequately cooking your food so it’s edible, bacteria-free, and generally fit for human consumption.
When you’re camping outdoors, a well-cooked meal is the key to filling you up and providing you with the energy you need to continue your hike and other activities. The first step to this is setting up a proper cooking suspension system for safe food prep in nature.
In this article, you’ll learn Self Reliance Outfitters simple strategy for cooking your food well using only your skills and a few handy implements. Let’s dive right in.
Building Your Suspension System
One of my favorite ways to cook food over a fire is to use a simple suspension system. This bushpot cooking system allows you to move your pot vertically and horizontally. It’s a simple but revolutionary method that will make cooking your food way easier and faster.
Start the setup by using a highly rated 550 paracord. You’ll need approximately 3 feet of the cord to build this suspension system. You can vary the exact length of the line depending on the height of your campfire tripod. For this demonstration, we’ll keep to a 3-foot cord.
Once you have your cord, you want to tie a bowline knot (our preferred and recommended knot for these types of projects). This knot creates a loop that you can move horizontally across the pick over the fire. This setup creates the horizontal positioning of the suspension system.
After tying the bowline knot on one end of the cord, it is time to attach your toggle to your line. You can use a sizable stick you find on the ground as your toggle, or opt for a preferred piece you created and cleaned in preparation.
Start by tying a simple overhand knot to lock the end of the cord. This step is vital, so don’t skip it!
Now that you have tied that overhand knot, take a “bite of your cordage” (approximately one and a half times the length of the toggle) and fold this length in half.
Lay your toggle across both strands and tie a Locking Lark’s Head Knot to secure the toggle in place. This knot is bound in the middle of the toggle to provide an even and balance weight distribution. Secure the knot by tightening it until the overhand knot is firmly against the toggle, thus preventing it from slipping.
You have now built your perfect campfire bushpot suspension system!
Installing and Using Your Bushpot Pulley System
To install your new suspension system, all you have to do is loop the bowline knot side over your crossbeam above your fire.
Once you’re done, it’s time to insert the toggle through the bale of your pot and secure it in place. The best way to secure your pot and ensure your vertical movement is to take the toggle and wrap the standing line once around the toggle.
To do this, press the standing line against the toggle and wrap the line in the middle of the toggle. Do not wrap more than once!
With the standing line wrapped around the toggle, you can easily adjust the pot’s height above the fire. All you need to do is slide the toggle up or down!
Conclusion
One of the most enjoyable parts of the camping experience is camp cooking. The last thing you want when you are camping is to ruin one of your meals. A campfire cooking suspension system provides another tool in your toolbox to help you avoid the dreaded overcooked or undercooked meal. It takes very little time to create, and it helps ensure that your meal is cooked properly.
Self Reliance Outfitters has everything you need to build your suspension system, as well as various bush pots, skillets and cooking utensils to make your experience even better.
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