2011 give away WE HAVE A WINNER

[foxyrick]

Happy new year! Nice givaway - thanks for the chance.

Gaffer tape (duct tape, duck tape etc) has many uses: wound fixing, fire lighting (stick your tinder to it in the wind), gear and clothing patching, making improvised helicopters (oops, watched the 'A' team one time too many as a kid)

I use an old plastic, credit-card-sized store card to wrap a few feet of gaffer tape onto and have them distributed in various packs. Even fits in a slim wallet that way. It's the perfect size. I also cut a card down and wrap medical tape on for my FAK's.

 

[Bushman5]

I like to use a hand plane to make piles of paper thin fatwood curls at home. I let them dry a bit, then crumble them fine and pack them into a small baggie or tin. when your on a hike and your hands are numb, nothing beats having Pre-Made tinder ready to go.

I also like to collect big clumps of dried or semi dried pitch (sap) from fir or pine trees, and boil it in a double boiler, then filter it thru an old sock into an aluminum ice cube tray. You get nice big solid hard pure resin blocks, great for scraping onto your primary tinder, or for making pitch glue in the field.

great contest Happy New Year!

 

[dipbait]

Good contest. Wal Mart has key chain belt clips for two dollars. I use them as a pocket clip for a SAK instead of keys. It works well for large knives like the Trekker but I use it mostly with a Hiker.

 

[Cougar Allen]

I've just discovered the Sea to Summit X Mug can also be used as a tight-fitting lid for a GSI Glacier Cup. In fact it would fit anything around that size equally well -- if your cup/pot doesn't fit one of the grooves in the collapsed X Mug just flip the X Mug over and try the other side.

Silicone can take a lot of heat. I think as long as the flames don't reach all the way up to the lid it should be fine.

 

[lord_of_laziness]

Thanks for the contest!

Gut some paracord and square-sinnet-braid it into a 2-3 inch braid with a loop on the end. Attach it to your knife. Then you always have paracord (at least the outer sheath), as long as you have your knife.

Here's mine:

 

[Bushman5]

I've just discovered the Sea to Summit X Mug can also be used as a tight-fitting lid for a GSI Glacier Cup. In fact it would fit anything around that size equally well -- if your cup/pot doesn't fit one of the grooves in the collapsed X Mug just flip the X Mug over and try the other side.

Silicone can take a lot of heat. I think as long as the flames don't reach all the way up to the lid it should be fine.

WILDERNESS MARTINIS! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Cynt]

Thanks for the contest, you've gotten a lot of good info distilled in here!

My oddball gear is Rubber contact cement. Will take a spark from a firesteel, burns long, and it's awesome adhesive for repair.

 

[Bridog]

You can store extra paracord by wrapping it around a glowstick and then ducktaping the ends to hold it in place without adding too much space to it.

 

[NothingCoherent]

There are a few items you have at home that are cheap and weigh next to nothing that make great additions to a wilderness kit. I'll mention two of my favorites...

Super Glue: This stuff goes in my first aid kit. I've sliced my leg open pretty bad with my axe before, and there was no way my little wilderness first aid kit would have enough gear in it to stop the bleeding and seal the wound. However... super glue will get the job done quickly and easily. Clean the wound off, dry it, and start pouring glue onto the cut. It stings a bit and probably isn't super sanitary, but it stops the bleeding. Just be sure to leave a little opening at each end so the wound can breath.

Aluminum Foil: It folds up nice and small, doesn't weigh anything, and can be used for just about everything. I keep a big square of it folded up inside my cargo pocket. I've...

-cooked trout, rabbit, and potatoes with it
-boiled water in it
-used it as a base to built my fire on when the ground is frozen and wet; it reflects something like 80% of the heat back up (this one is a real life saver!!)
-used little squares of it to mark trails
-used it as a bowl to collect berries in, eat out of, or even shave tinder into
-used it to cover my canteen while boiling water on the fire (no ash goes in!)

 

[unit]

Perhaps not brilliant, but it is the only thing I ever came up with in the woods on my own.

I found an old tire that someone tossed into the lake...fished it out and cut a piece out of the sidewall the size of my Altoids tin. This allowed all the water to drain out and I later passed by the same spot and took the dry tire to properly dispose.

The patch I cut out for the tin is great for isolating my friction fires from the ground (and the ember can be transported on it easily). In a real pinch, this patch can be cut into fire starters (rubber burns hot and long...and puts out a thick black smoke for signaling if you need to). Mostly I just use it as a mat for fire starting though...it is a lot more durable than foil (but it takes up more space).

 

[lava_lamp]

Mostfolks probably know that Superglue is a must have. Aside from the more obvious uses, I became a big fan the last time I went to the ER for some stitches in my pointer finger and the ER doc used superglue instead. A tube can do more for you than a pack of band-aids.

 

[turbo-henrik]

Thanks for the chance!

A tip from me:

If you are stranded and find 2 empty soda cans, make a cut 1" from the bottom so you have two separate bottomparts. Then push these two together so the you have a small can with bottom part both ways.
Now you use your knife or something small and pointy to make a circle of small holes ( same size as the tip of a bic pen) make these holes on the outside of the standing edge of the can and one larger hole in the middle of the circle.
Now you pour a flammable liquid into the big hole and seal it simply by placing a coin over the hole, not covering the circle of small holes.
Now light it up with a firesteel.

You now have a homemade, primitive stove.

Not a picture ive taken myself, but its a similar stove:

 

[TimberWolf7.62]

I carry a mesh laundry bag that I got at a dollar store in my woods kit. It makes a nice lightweight bag to carry things in (maybe you come across a pecan tree, for example), can be used as a fishnet (to catch minnows to use as bait), and it's a screaming bright orange that would make a great signal flag. All for $1.00.

 

[Any Cal.]

I make sure that I have a flashlight, a knife, and a lighter on me whenever I am in the woods. They all get used a ton, and that way you don't have to dig in your pack for them when it is dark or cold.

Headlamps are great! Every task is easier when you have two hands, and they can help if you need to procure firewood in the dark.

Sitpads are great, they can go under your butt when you sit, under your feet when you sleep, and under your stove when you cook in the snow. You can cut bits of them out to fix your insoles or to protect your feet, beef up padding in some straps, etc.

 

[hiwa]

Easiest sit-down crapper in the woods. Find 2 trees slightly more than shoulder width apart with about 3-6" trunks. Tie a pole horizontally slightly longer than the trees are apart about 18" from the bottom. Tie another similar pole about 2 feet higher but behind the tree. Now you got a place to sit and lean back . You could cover it with a tarp for wet weather use. Keep your roll tied nearby and dig a hole in the ground behind to cover up later.
Thanks for the chance and Happy New Year !

 

[1066vik]

drop a 12 hr glowstick in your cooler the first night of a campout - it'll still be glowing when you pack up to go home 3 days later. this way you don't have to turn on a light to fish through the cooler when you have midnight munchies.

flosscards are also handy and fit in an altoid tin - credit card sized, they generally have 25 feet of dental floss on them, and some dentists give them away free.

 

[SharpCutlery]

When you are using a firesteel, don't use the whole thing. If you strike with the entire rod, you will create a concave in the middle of the rod which will eventually break off. Strike with the front portion of the rod and continue to turn analogous to whittling a point on a stick. This will extend the life of your ferro/misch metal rod.

 

[gradall5200]

When you are using a firesteel, don't use the whole thing. If you strike with the entire rod, you will create a concave in the middle of the rod which will eventually break off. Strike with the front portion of the rod and continue to turn analogous to whittling a point on a stick. This will extend the life of your ferro/misch metal rod.

All Great so far! This one really made me think though!! Great ideas guys this is like a poor mans survival dictionary- joel

 

[dboles]

Thanks for the chance
I always keep a book of knots with me and a short piece of cord
In camp when I do not feel like reading or am caught up on chores that need to be done
I will practice knots,or if I meet someone or a coworker and we have a few moments I always ask them to show me a knot.Most do not know anything about it but once in a while you will meet someone who does know a different knot than you.
My best word of advice when I see someone trying tying and not good at it I always tell them-If you do not know knots tie lots! but usually step up and show them something
Dan'l

 

[mdole]

my tip: on cold nights, heat up some water before going to bed, fill your SS bottle (or plastic nalgene, or whatever you have that has a REALLY tight seal for the lid), and shove the bottle to the bottom of your sleeping bag. Wear socks to bed (if it's cold, you're gonna anyway), they will keep your feet from being scalded. Toasty warm till the early a.m.! BTW, don't put coffee, tea, hot chocolate (whatever) in the canister, you may find some unwanted woodland friends will want to visit you in your sleep! Enjoy!