Contest Ideas brainstorm - for Ethan

1) shelter building competitions. I know many of you may have already done this before but for some of us newer guys it would be cool plus additional twists could be added.

2)Assemble altoids tin can to assist you in survival in a wilderness area nearby you. Dropped 60 miles from the nearest road you have to get back to town. This could take a few days.Maybe even a week. Fishing hooks? Fire kit? 1st aid? Imagine that your are with your tin and a chosen BK knife. What knife and what do you put in that tin?

3)Feather stick contest. Quick and easy. Who can feather the best stick? Must use a BK knife of some sort...

4)I also like the edible plants contest. Find, picture and identify + eating maybe optional :eek:
 
Before the edible plants contest, there should be a poisonous plant id contest. Perhaps finding 3-5 poisonous plants, taking a picture of them with a Becker knife, list the characteristics used to identify it.

Then a similar process for edible plants, but with preparing and eating included.

Continuing on the food theme, wild game field dressed with a Becker knife, butchered with a Becker knife, and then cooked and eaten with a Becker knife.

I think a challenge involving flint knapping would be interesting.

I agree that fire and shelter challenges can be repeated yearly, maybe even specify a certain type of shelter or fire each time.
 
DerekH said:
Some continuity between contests would be interesting. Not that there hasn't been, but think of something like this: 1st month, you have to make x amount of cordage. Then 2nd month, you have to use made cordage to make a specific item or items. You can make cordage out of all kinds of things, and the city dwellers could make it out of items they could acquire or if able make it out of natural materials. Anyone ever see rope made out of plastic shopping bags? That stuff is surprisingly strong. So if the city dwellers couldn't participate in the 2nd month challenge, at least they would have had a shot at the 1st month challenge.
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I actually made some plastic bag cordage for the urban "get out of town" challenge. Its dang strong, although at this point I only have 12 or so feet of it. So yea, ideas like that that use city goers can participate in at least some of the time.

And I like the idea of contests building on contests, but I worry about if people don't participate in one, will they be forced to not participate in the second? Meaning, we don't want to limit the number of people that can/will participate just because they missed the first one.

And the more I've been thinking about it, the more I like the idea of annual and/or semiannual contests. Even though they're repeated, it gives you a good way to measure progress (for the forum as a whole), and I feel that competition will increase

Is there a list of all the contests that we've done somewhere? Maybe we get a poll going and ask the beckerheads to pick out their "best of" and go from there. You know, seeing what people like :).

Thanks again for the contests ethan, and for your activity on this forum. Its great to see you around.
 
DerekH said:
I will agree that some of the contests need repeated. In particular the August 2011 Challenge needs to have new participants. I learned more on that weekend than I ever did anywhere else. I can promise you that if you do that challenge and stick to the rules you will appreciate it after it is done.
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^This! It was an empowering weekend, to say the least. It took my confidence and competence in both my tools and skills up a few notches. It lead me to realize and experience that the mental edge is always in need of sharpening. It's the practice in problem solving skills in a controlled simulation of what you might, some bad day, need to do that makes it a good experience.

A Becker and a brain! (not a bad theme, Eh?)

I also really like the idea of doing something similar to a versatility test.
 
I like the bow and arrow contest idea!!!!

I'm sure some of you remember this??

DSC07143-1.jpg



I've been wanting to make another anyway, and it would be cool to try a certain BK knife to make another bow.
 
Psyop said:
How about who can scare the most kids with a Machax?
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At once, or over time?


I'd love to make a bow. Too many projects already...
Also +1 on repeat contests for basic bushcraft skills.
 
In all seriousness I think some of the contests were too hard and thats why the participation wasnt always real high. I think it would be better to do a basic skills challenge so people can learn. Build a fire by three different methods, or gather so many types of natural tinder. If its something more people can do that might be fun. Some of my favorite ones were the Christmas tree shelter contest and some of the ones where you had to have kids help.
 
Not a Beckerhead but...
Build a raft.
Whittling with a BK.
Most interesting patina.
How many different knots one can get into x feet of cord.
6-pack box survival kit.
Pumpkin carving.
 
Honestly I'm all about learning new survival skills. Be it for urban survival or wilderness survival. I mean doing things that challenge what we think we know and seeing what everyone else does to accomplish the same task is a great learning experience/tool.

When was the last time you had to open a can of corn without a can opener? And when was the last time you had to build a shelter without having any cordage? I haven't had to do either but I think I know what I would need to do to get those tasks done.

I don't know about you guys but I came here to learn new things and share what I know. Granted I'm learning more than I'm teaching but this is a great place for it, and Ethan's contests offer a great opportunity for learning. Granted I'd love to get another knife all the time but I really don't think that Ethan hosting contests where we put up a picture of us whittling with a BKT will do anything for anyone.

I say make the contests hard and make us do something to EARN a new BKT!!!!!!!
 
MyWifeThinksImCrazy said:
Honestly I'm all about learning new survival skills. Be it for urban survival or wilderness survival. I mean doing things that challenge what we think we know and seeing what everyone else does to accomplish the same task is a great learning experience/tool.

When was the last time you had to open a can of corn without a can opener? And when was the last time you had to build a shelter without having any cordage? I haven't had to do either but I think I know what I would need to do to get those tasks done.

I don't know about you guys but I came here to learn new things and share what I know. Granted I'm learning more than I'm teaching but this is a great place for it, and Ethan's contests offer a great opportunity for learning. Granted I'd love to get another knife all the time but I really don't think that Ethan hosting contests where we put up a picture of us whittling with a BKT will do anything for anyone.

I say make the contests hard and make us do something to EARN a new BKT!!!!!!!
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This is how I feel as well. If I remember correctly Ethan has Challenges, not contests. They are meant to be hard and to push you out of your element. There are times when I post my entry that I am nervous that I did not do enough to win, or that I didn't do it right because the situation was new to me. That to me is a good thing. I like being alienated. Due to these challenges Ethan's or not I enter the woods with a different thought process than before I was a member here.

Win or loose I feel fortunate for being able to take part and I will continue to enter when I can.

Jeremy
 
DerekH said:
I will agree that some of the contests need repeated. In particular the August 2011 Challenge needs to have new participants. I learned more on that weekend than I ever did anywhere else. I can promise you that if you do that challenge and stick to the rules you will appreciate it after it is done.
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I liked that Challenge too! The whole time I kept waiting for my situation to take a turn for the worse. With every hour that went by I felt confident enough to try new things. I did not show all the things that I tried in my entry but it was a great time to take on something new once I had the basics out of the way. Some of them I was proud of and some failed straight out of the gate. With those failures I had to learn to get over them and set myself up for the future.

Any survival/minimal gear challenge is a great way to test you in many different senarios that we talk about here.

Jeremy
 
Perhaps in honor of those on the East coast who got hit my Sandy, the challenge is to take everyday items and turn them into something that can be used for survival using a Becker blade.
Examples of entries into the contest could be to turn a pot into a hanging candle light, or widdle some kids plastic toys down into hooks or spears, or perhaps turn wooden legs from a table into snow shoes. The key is all you can use is your favorite becker blade, a household item and only a handlful of natural items that might be found in the backyard of those on the east coast.
 
OREGON FAL'ER said:
Yeah, a new trap & snare contest would be good. Twitch up or treadle snare something like that.
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I second that. But to make it more interesting, you must catch something, and use as much of the animal as you can, utilizing only one Becker knife. Would be interesting to see everyones take on what they could use the animal for.
 
How about an "alienate dresnor contest"? I think that would be a very funny thread. :D

Perhaps a "Convert The Sheeple" contest? That one has some merit to it.
 
What about a "cooking with your Becker" who ever makes the most food/ tastiest looking with the help of one of their Becker's wins
 
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Wow....

I should have asked you guys before this.......I am taking notes......Please keep it up.......

Ethan
 
Theknife said:
What about a "cooking with your Becker" who ever makes the most food/ tastiest looking with the help of one of their Becker's wins
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I like this but make a rule that it has to be cooked on a campfire/camp stove/or BBQ outside......
 
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