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- May 17, 2006
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Backyard Jungle Training
This isn’t exactly the tropics but when there is work to be done why not get the most out of these 90 degree days? With a trip to Peru coming up its time to do a few little things to get myself ready. This may seem kind of silly to some but I did the same type of preparation for the last trip and I feel it’s often those little things that matter. There is no real place that can simulate the feeling of being in the jungle. If I was being 100% accurate I would say, Rain Forest, but you get the picture. I still remember the walk off the plane in Iquitos. For those of you that have not been to Peru I will try to paint it for you, it feels like a warm blanket thrown over you as a kind of, warm welcoming. Today it was real close to 100 degrees so when everyone was headed inside to turn on the air conditioner, I was gearing up to head outside to the wild, my backyard.
Boots
First I must tell you a story about my foot; it can be seen on the jungletraining website under photos. I decided to take my Gore-Tex hiking boots and save a few bucks by not buying the right boots with drainage holes. This time I have the right boots, Altama Jungle Boots.
Mike Perrin gave me a good tip on breaking them in before my last trip, when I didn’t have them. He said to stand in a bucket of water completely soaking them, and then walk them dry. This would break them in and get them ready for action. After donning my new boots I completely soaked them and set out to tame my backyard. My plan was to work them dry while practicing my machete swing. The Altama Jungle Boots don’t really hold water like most hiking boots. They are simple in construction and materials, cordura and leather. There are drainage holes near the instep area to help get the water out of your boots. This is what was missing from my Gore-Tex boots and could have been very bad for me a few days later if the immersion foot continued. I think keeping your feet as dry as possible is one of the most important things you can do in jungle living.
Machete Use
The importance of a machete cannot be stressed enough. Simply put, with a machete you have shelter, water from vines, and a fire preparation tool. A machete keeps you alive. Using a machete is another important skill. Being able to swing a machete for hours is something that we all do when learning jungle living skills. This means that if you are not accustomed to this kind of motion, it can give you a sore arm and a handful of blisters. I remember a few guys had blisters on their hand after two days of machete use on the last trip. Friction on damp skin with a plastic handled machete will eventually take its toll. Gloves have their place in the jungle but loosely fitting gloves leave too much material that can also cause friction while gripping and swinging a machete. Add some sweat and water to this and you got problems. Practicing your swing seems like a funny concept but I did that for a weekend in Big Bear CA and around the backyard
before my last trip. Not one blister after days of machete use. Maybe the years of drumming had something to do with this too. This time, more backyard machete use.
Reading
Brushing up on my jungle survival and learning Spanish. I have been toting these books around for weeks everywhere I go. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants to learn about jungle travel.
SAS Survival Guide by John “Lofty” Wiseman is a great all around outdoors book on deserts, mountains, tropics, and the sea. I have been reading this book for years and still am fascinated at how many times I didn’t catch something the first few years with it. I do want to add that on page 176 under camp craft, there is an illustration on how to dry wood over a fire. That illustration is also the basis for a swamp bed that we learned in the jungle. It isn’t mentioned in the book but for those that have it just know that it is a great way to construct a swamp bed platform in the tropics.
SAS Jungle Survival by Barry Davies is devoted to jungle survival. Good info on gear and long term shelter. The swamp bed they talk about is more work and takes more time to construct. The bed poles are fixed more like a ladder in a horizontal position which requires more lashing with vines. The swamp bed that was taught to us in the jungle school had the bed poles positioned vertically. This made for an easier set up and was very secure without extra lashing of vines. If you ever have to move your shelter it is easier to take apart using this method of construction. There is a whole two pages devoted to the bow and drill method. I don’t know how effective this is in the tropics but I would like to see someone try it out. Rafting on page 144 shows a way of making a raft where the guy is sitting in it the opposite way than I learned. I think both ways work but the raft I was in was way more comfortable.
Adventure Travel In The Third World by Jeff Randall and Mike Perrin is a real, information book. This book really is a reservoir of references. I have many books on outdoor survival and after reading a few I got the feeling that there was a lot of cutting and pasting going on between all of them. There is definitely a need to repeat important info but when I got my hands on this book it was like listening to a different style of music with the same instruments and intentions, that being, information. I think this book ventures beyond survival and into the little things that I have never read in a survival book. I found myself gravitating towards parts of the book that were not about gear and survival. There is a great chapter on Arriving in the Host Country which mentions things like Bribing as a survival tool and Third World Travel. An interesting chapter devoted to Social Life-The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Not your typical survival book at all. I thought the section on Wilderness First Aid to be the best in any book for snake bites and heat related illness. Additionally the chapter on Real World Wilderness Survival has a nice section about signaling, very informative. The contents of this book span further than jungle living.
Spanish books from high school are really coming in handy now. Last trip to Peru I had no Spanish going for me. This time will be an improvement.
This isn’t exactly the tropics but when there is work to be done why not get the most out of these 90 degree days? With a trip to Peru coming up its time to do a few little things to get myself ready. This may seem kind of silly to some but I did the same type of preparation for the last trip and I feel it’s often those little things that matter. There is no real place that can simulate the feeling of being in the jungle. If I was being 100% accurate I would say, Rain Forest, but you get the picture. I still remember the walk off the plane in Iquitos. For those of you that have not been to Peru I will try to paint it for you, it feels like a warm blanket thrown over you as a kind of, warm welcoming. Today it was real close to 100 degrees so when everyone was headed inside to turn on the air conditioner, I was gearing up to head outside to the wild, my backyard.
Boots
First I must tell you a story about my foot; it can be seen on the jungletraining website under photos. I decided to take my Gore-Tex hiking boots and save a few bucks by not buying the right boots with drainage holes. This time I have the right boots, Altama Jungle Boots.
Mike Perrin gave me a good tip on breaking them in before my last trip, when I didn’t have them. He said to stand in a bucket of water completely soaking them, and then walk them dry. This would break them in and get them ready for action. After donning my new boots I completely soaked them and set out to tame my backyard. My plan was to work them dry while practicing my machete swing. The Altama Jungle Boots don’t really hold water like most hiking boots. They are simple in construction and materials, cordura and leather. There are drainage holes near the instep area to help get the water out of your boots. This is what was missing from my Gore-Tex boots and could have been very bad for me a few days later if the immersion foot continued. I think keeping your feet as dry as possible is one of the most important things you can do in jungle living.
Machete Use
The importance of a machete cannot be stressed enough. Simply put, with a machete you have shelter, water from vines, and a fire preparation tool. A machete keeps you alive. Using a machete is another important skill. Being able to swing a machete for hours is something that we all do when learning jungle living skills. This means that if you are not accustomed to this kind of motion, it can give you a sore arm and a handful of blisters. I remember a few guys had blisters on their hand after two days of machete use on the last trip. Friction on damp skin with a plastic handled machete will eventually take its toll. Gloves have their place in the jungle but loosely fitting gloves leave too much material that can also cause friction while gripping and swinging a machete. Add some sweat and water to this and you got problems. Practicing your swing seems like a funny concept but I did that for a weekend in Big Bear CA and around the backyard
before my last trip. Not one blister after days of machete use. Maybe the years of drumming had something to do with this too. This time, more backyard machete use.
Reading
Brushing up on my jungle survival and learning Spanish. I have been toting these books around for weeks everywhere I go. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants to learn about jungle travel.
SAS Survival Guide by John “Lofty” Wiseman is a great all around outdoors book on deserts, mountains, tropics, and the sea. I have been reading this book for years and still am fascinated at how many times I didn’t catch something the first few years with it. I do want to add that on page 176 under camp craft, there is an illustration on how to dry wood over a fire. That illustration is also the basis for a swamp bed that we learned in the jungle. It isn’t mentioned in the book but for those that have it just know that it is a great way to construct a swamp bed platform in the tropics.
SAS Jungle Survival by Barry Davies is devoted to jungle survival. Good info on gear and long term shelter. The swamp bed they talk about is more work and takes more time to construct. The bed poles are fixed more like a ladder in a horizontal position which requires more lashing with vines. The swamp bed that was taught to us in the jungle school had the bed poles positioned vertically. This made for an easier set up and was very secure without extra lashing of vines. If you ever have to move your shelter it is easier to take apart using this method of construction. There is a whole two pages devoted to the bow and drill method. I don’t know how effective this is in the tropics but I would like to see someone try it out. Rafting on page 144 shows a way of making a raft where the guy is sitting in it the opposite way than I learned. I think both ways work but the raft I was in was way more comfortable.
Adventure Travel In The Third World by Jeff Randall and Mike Perrin is a real, information book. This book really is a reservoir of references. I have many books on outdoor survival and after reading a few I got the feeling that there was a lot of cutting and pasting going on between all of them. There is definitely a need to repeat important info but when I got my hands on this book it was like listening to a different style of music with the same instruments and intentions, that being, information. I think this book ventures beyond survival and into the little things that I have never read in a survival book. I found myself gravitating towards parts of the book that were not about gear and survival. There is a great chapter on Arriving in the Host Country which mentions things like Bribing as a survival tool and Third World Travel. An interesting chapter devoted to Social Life-The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Not your typical survival book at all. I thought the section on Wilderness First Aid to be the best in any book for snake bites and heat related illness. Additionally the chapter on Real World Wilderness Survival has a nice section about signaling, very informative. The contents of this book span further than jungle living.
Spanish books from high school are really coming in handy now. Last trip to Peru I had no Spanish going for me. This time will be an improvement.
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