Beckerheads outdoor tips and tricks

Rsmith_77 said:
what i want to know from you southern boys is

what in the world to do you use to keep the ticks/chiggers/mosquitoes from ruining your camping trips
i swear deet just acts like hot sauce for bugs down here
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I have naturally oily skin. Bugs don't like me. But, honestly, sulfer will make them stay way, if you're up for it.

Moose
 
It's true. On occasion (as needed) I have had to take a sulphur based drug for a dermatology issue. I've noticed that, when I'm on it, bugs are even less likely to bite me.
They already don't seem to like me whereas they'll eat the rest of my family alive. Maybe I'm salty and they're sweet. I don't know, but my children seem to attract mosquitoes.
 
To cure diarrhea in the wild, make a slurry out of black charcoal and water. Scrape some black charcoal from an expired fire. Grind it up and mix it with clean water. About a tablespoon of charcoal to a cup of water. Charcoal will absorb the toxins causing the problem. Drink 2-3 cups per day until the problem goes away. This isn't about taste, it's about curing the problem. Chronic diarrhea will make you become dehydrated, which of course is dangerous in a survival situation.
 
IN a pinch you can put mud on your skin to protect against mosquitos. It doesn't drive them away, but the mud can stop them from penetrating your skin.
 
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Disregard the rule of 3's when it comes to FOOD. It has been shown you can live 3 weeks without food....IF you are doing nothing. Otherwise, you NEED food for crucial energy to do the tasks you need to survive. Watch the video from the scout class on Dave Canterburys site where they guys had (maybe) 400 calories for 4 days. It'll shatter that illusion. Its also why Ron Hood built up his love handles in his Solo video and called it "Survival muscle". Its also been shown that the hardcore P90X types don't last long in these situations BECAUSE they have no fat.

Always carry carbs, protiens, and fats in your kit in the form of food. Noodles and Jack links are the easy solution. Also a Datrex or Mainstay 36hr bar.
 
A highspeed friend of mine says to NEVER leave the house without a flashlight, a lighter and a knife. I carry the little three dollar eveready you get from wally, a mini bic and rotate a BK11, SAK farmer or SOG mini vulcan. I'm amazed at how often one of these three gets used every day.
 
Well as a Southern boy...I have found that NOTHING 100% keeps ticks and chiggers off you in the summer woods, but the best repellent I've found is called Duraron. It is available at feed stores...it's a spray-paint style can either green with yellow lid or yellow with green lid. It works quite well, and lasts a long time. It is for crawling bugs tho...you'll still need something for 'skeeters and other flyers.

one warning, the stuff is STOUT so if you have sensitive skin...I wouldn't be spraying it on bare skin, test it on a small patch before you cover yourself in it.


I also tuck my pants into my socks...and put a rubber band over it all...helps seal out ticks/chiggers. I have also spread a thin layer of vaseline on my ankles and back of my knees (where ticks/chiggers bite on me 98% of the time) I aint real sure if it works...but it seems to.
 
acetaminophen is good and ibuprofen is good but they work even better together. My dentist told my to use this cocktail after I had a wisdom tooth removed. I seldom take anything but I do keep some handy.
A P-38 can opener is small easy to carry and almost as useful as a Becker.
 
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LG&M said:
acetaminophen is good and ibuprofen is good but they work even better together. My dentist told my to use this cocktail after I had a wisdom tooth removed. I seldom take anything but I do keep some handy.
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Weird. I just posted about this in the Place That Shall Go Unnamed.
Last December, I had all four wisdoms yanked. For a couple of weeks, it hurt like hell. Headaches, jaw pain, etc.
The prescribed pain meds made me feel crazy, so I wound up taking 800 mg of ibuprofen and 400 mg of acetimenophen at a time.
I kept it up for a couple of weeks until the sockets finally healed.
 
Ok you guys give me a yes or a no on this one because i am still kinda new at this starting a fire with alternative methods stuff. Seemed like everytime I would get my little tinder pile built I would some how smack it when trying to strike a firesteel. I was using store bought waxish cotton balls. Sooo.. what I did was just take my cotton ball out of my tinder set it where I could get to it easier lite the ball then just pick it up while lit and put it into the tinder. Common sense says be carful not to burn your fingers and the cotton ball is not entirely engulfed in flame so picking it up is not a problem. So "dumb greenhorn" or "yea that might work" :)
 
This tip may sound obvious but every year at expedition time I have to correct student's rucsacs; it also may not be relevant to everywhere, but here in Blighty it's essential.

Waterproof your gear: use a rucsac liner, then put everything in some sort of dry bag. Never store your sleeping bag on the outside of your rucsac: the stuffsack is not waterproof (unless you definitely know otherwise).

I'm sure that I'm not telling anyone anything new here, it's more of just a rant based on last week's experiences.

Claudiasboris
 
Idaho Guy said:
Ok you guys give me a yes or a no on this one because i am still kinda new at this starting a fire with alternative methods stuff. Seemed like everytime I would get my little tinder pile built I would some how smack it when trying to strike a firesteel. I was using store bought waxish cotton balls. Sooo.. what I did was just take my cotton ball out of my tinder set it where I could get to it easier lite the ball then just pick it up while lit and put it into the tinder. Common sense says be carful not to burn your fingers and the cotton ball is not entirely engulfed in flame so picking it up is not a problem. So "dumb greenhorn" or "yea that might work" :)
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Think about technique. Are you pushing the striker across the steel? That's how people usually knock their tinder out of whack.
Proper technique is to keep your striker steady just over the tinder and PULL the firesteel backwards. This technique is less likely to upset the tinder and it deposits your spark more accurately.
 
Guyon said:
Think about technique. Are you pushing the striker across the steel? That's how people usually knock their tinder out of whack.
Proper technique is to keep your striker steady just over the tinder and PULL the firesteel backwards. This technique is less likely to upset the tinder and it deposits your spark more accurately.
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Everytime I used my dumb trick it was in good weather. Now if things were crappy my trick would just add more aggravation I'm thinking. Your right Guyon improving my technique would be a better idea.
 
Claudiasboris said:
This tip may sound obvious but every year at expedition time I have to correct student's rucsacs; it also may not be relevant to everywhere, but here in Blighty it's essential.

Waterproof your gear: use a rucsac liner, then put everything in some sort of dry bag. Never store your sleeping bag on the outside of your rucsac: the stuffsack is not waterproof (unless you definitely know otherwise).

I'm sure that I'm not telling anyone anything new here, it's more of just a rant based on last week's experiences.

Claudiasboris
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I am a new convert to drybags. Dave Canterbury was telling us how he came to the same conclusion while on location and one of the camera guys turned him on to Sealline Dry Bags. He now uses a dufflebag sized one with backpack straps and a waistpack.

I haven't bought my Seallines yet..been buying other odds and ends patching up holes in my soon-to-be-perfect kit. Right now I am using those clearish vinyl dry bags they sell at Walmart. They are a log better than I would have figured and they are CHEAP. The one I keep my main kit in is just under $6.00. If you live near water you might find one of the really big ones that go for $9.00. The mid quality Outdoor Reasearch bags are good...though i dont remember where I bought mine. The little 3-pack of small dry bags sold at Walmart are junk...but they work for a little while. I filled them up with water to test and they held. I use them for secondary storage...spare shorts, socks, shirt.

Remember to get vinyl repair tape or a tire patch kit (for Sealline). The best thing about drybags is they work both ways...you can use them to HOLD water too.

On the subject of containers...Besides the dry bag there is one other HIGHLY underrated item: The food-grade high density 5-gallon bucket. You can harvest water, use like a dry bag, poop in it, and use it as a seat/container. I keep one in the bottom of my seabag (Army Duffle....I was Navy) with the Luggable Loo toilet seat lid. In it is my woobie blanket, hygiene items (2 luggable loo bags, fresh-2-go toothbrush, Soap, Washcloths) FAK, and Flat Bungees for my Tarp). Everyone was jealous of my 5 gallon buckets, because I had the best seat for sitting around the campfire.

With the bucket in the bottom, next is the Drybag with my main kit, and a second lighter drybag with some clothes and a smaller drybag with a broken up/repackaged Datrex 3600 bar and two packs of Gatorade. That is my main all purpose do-anything kit.

I am thinking about getting a spare set of Berkey Black Filter elements. Then, with an awl or hand drill, I can convert my 5-gall bucket to a top-shelf water purification system. I built my Berkey system from scratch using those buckets and gamma seal lids.
 
Charcoal from your firepit, will make a great filter if combined with sand and moss, in a tube of sorts, bamboo, or plastic bottle. It doesn't kill the bacteria, but it cleans all the floaters out, and lets you boil some sparkly clean water.

Moose

ETA, the 3 week rule about food is set at an average standard. The main thing to take away, is that you don't need food in the timeframe most people will have in a tough spot. It does things to the mind though, its good to hear a big word like WEEKS when your belly is growling. After the second day, you don't feel hungry anymore.

Moose
 
- Boiled Badger is terrible
- bring enough water so you don't have to resort to drinking your own piss.

Thats enough for now.
 
All of the above
Also get a compass/map and practice using it just for fun,it'll help when you're really lost.
A bag of mixed nuts in a sealed bag will last for a long time,I always keep one in my bag,and water tablets.
 
Here is one that may crack you up but still a useful tip if you are in leech country. Steal your wife's pantyhose and wear them when you are in the swamps or leech country. :)
 
bullosa said:
Here is one that may crack you up but still a useful tip if you are in leech country. Steal your wife's pantyhose and wear them when you are in the swamps or leech country. :)
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I'm heading to the swamp in October. I'll report back what I find. No need to steal the wife's, I have my own. :D

Moose
 
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