"I knew that".

To carry duct tape, if you need to fit it in a cylindrical space, wrap it around a drinking straw. For flat carry, wrap it around one of those fake credit cards you get in the mail. You can also stuff large straws (7-11 super duper big gulp) with several vaseline soaked cotton balls and, holding the ends with pliers, sear them shut over a candle flame. Now you've got very small waterproof storage for your cotton balls/drier lint.

None of these are my ideas (I wish). They have been cheerfully stolen from others over the years by me on this forum. :D
 
A little late on the TP topic but, since I have had kids these last few years, I have started taking a few of their "flushable toilet wipes" in ziploc when I hunt. They do a great job and even leave you feeling kind of fresh ;)

I remember squatting behind a tree one time with em, while a gobbler and some hens went by me hammering at about 75yds. I finished my business and killed him later that morning.
 
you guys keep mentioning the cable or zip ties. i like something that i found at the local home depot one day. they do what cable ties do, but they are little strips of fabric or plastic that have micro velco on them. they work just the same as the zip ties, but they are reusable. i use one as an extra belt loop between the two that my belt fits into since the belt will not quite reach that other belt loop and it is always flapping around.

the only problem with these is that they will stick to some of your stuff, like the spare socks or other soft fabric stuffs. just keep them seperated.
 
First off, great thread and lots of great ideas here.

Here's one that's really pretty obvious, but something you just may not have thought about. A.) Always have lanyards on your knives. B.) But, instead of just your run-of-the-mill single strand of paracord, make a single-strand braid almost twice the length of your hand and use that. It gives you nearly three times the cording, so if you need that paracord in a survival situation, you'll have more.

And, too, something sharpening-related I've learned on BF, and now use nearly exclusively for my blade touch-ups, is stropping on the rounded top of a rolled-down glass car window. Works like a charm.

Josh
 
This is a great thread; in fact, I vote that we make it a sticky! :thumbup:

For those of you who carry a battery-powered flashlight, here's a fire starting ability it has -
take off the lens and screw out the bulb. Using some fine-gauge snare wire, put a piece of wire into each hole that feeds the bulb from the battery. Hold the 2 wires in your tinder and it'll (eventually) catch it on fire. Sorry, one caveat to add - I don't remember if the 2 wires need to be touching before lighting the tinder, or if they create the necessary circuit simply being placed into a flammable material. Hmmm, I think I'll go check it and report back.

Another, somewhat more obvious, firestarting solution - if you're near your car and need to start a fire, assuming your battery has any charge, you can affix your jumper cables to the battery and (very lightly! :eek: ) touch the 2 free cables together to get a spark. Just have them sufficiently close to your tinder, and be careful! In an emergency that requires fire, though, it can be necessary to do this.
 
Codger_64 said:
Way back in the middle of the last century, I learned from a Scoutmaster named Wilton Goodeaux why the cotton Boy Scout web belts were best left a bit long. While the end usually had a brass tab pressed on, the adjustment end that went thru back of the buckle was free to unravel. There is a lot of cordage in those belts. I used them for several years as a source of fishing line, and found that the same method works on a lot of nylon straps too such as those covering an Alice pack.

Codger
Click to expand...


I keep meaning to respond to this post. Codger is right (as usual)- there is a ton of cordage in those belts. I unraveled part of an old one and reverse twisted a bow string for a bow drill and used it successfully for a coal. The same thing can be done with a couple inches of denim off the bottom of your jeans (done this too) and many other pieces of fabric. If you don't know the reverse twist technique for making cordage, learn it. It can be a life saver.

Doc
 
siguy said:
you guys keep mentioning the cable or zip ties. i like something that i found at the local home depot one day. they do what cable ties do, but they are little strips of fabric or plastic that have micro velco on them. they work just the same as the zip ties, but they are reusable.
Click to expand...

3M, (of course), makes a real nice, real thin, style of velcro strap sold through Sportman's Warehouse. I think it comes in 1" x 10' or 12' lengths for $3. It's dark green, so it blends in well with your other stuff.

Zip ties can be re-used in two ways.

Preferred Method: Insert the tip of a pointy knife blade or fine slotted screwdriver (Hello again Mr. Leatherman!) into the breach between the locking tab and the cable itself. Next, back out the length of the tie in the opposite direction it was fed into the opening.

Secondary Method: Cut the feeding end of the zip tie next to the gathering hole. Then pull the stub through the hole to clear it for the next use. (NOTE: If you've trimmed it real close, you may need to push it through with a screwdriver, knife blade, etc.) I've reused the same zip-ties over a dozen times out in the shop.

My great uncle died back in the early 80's. When I cleaned out his shop, I scored a bunch of medium sized zip ties with metal locking tabs. Tough stuff. He may have picked them up when he worked at Boeing.I wonder if I still have any of them?

Has anybody tried the all metal, stainless steel, zip ties that were developed in NASCAR? I've seen them on e-bay for about $2 each for a 3/16" x 12" size.
 
I remembered this little trick the other day while taking a walk with my kids. A simple acorn top can make a very loud whistle. It takes a bit of practice to get it right, but once you have it, it produces a loud shrill wistle.

Here s a site that shows you how to do it: http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/acorn/assembl.html

I also seem to remember being able to do this, when I was a boy, with a spent shell casing, but can't remember what caliber I might have used.

In a situation where you were lost in the woods, an acorn whistle would be useful to alert rescuers to your location.
 
I'm pretty sure any spent shell casing will work.
Pop or beer bottle too.
The smaller the volume the higher the pitch?
 
The funny thing was I had totally forgotten about the acorn cap whistle, until I was walking with my 4-year daughter and just happened to see a group of fallen acorn caps (the acorn itself long carried off by squirells). And the memory just came shooting back to me. My kids are amazed that you can whistle with an acorn cap. I'm trying to teach my six year old how to make it work, it's a bit of a challenge.
 
also, lower tone makes it easier for older people to hear, as the older you get, the less ability you have to hear high pitch noises. i think they did some tests that pretty much showed this with some rescue whistles, how some people could hear them farther than others (the older people could hear the lower tone farther, and the younger people could hear the higher tone farther)
 
Codger_64 said:
Way back in the middle of the last century, I learned from a Scoutmaster named Wilton Goodeaux why the cotton Boy Scout web belts were best left a bit long. While the end usually had a brass tab pressed on, the adjustment end that went thru back of the buckle was free to unravel. There is a lot of cordage in those belts. I used them for several years as a source of fishing line, and found that the same method works on a lot of nylon straps too such as those covering an Alice pack.

Codger
Click to expand...

Here are a couple of pictures of making cordage from clothing:

Webbeltcordage2-IMGP0111.jpg

This is cordage made from an unraveled web belt such as Codger mentions above. It was used successfully as the bow string for bow drill fire.


Webbeltcordage1-IMGP0112.jpg

A closer shot.


Denimcordage1-IMGP0116.jpg

Cordage from unraveled denim jeans - also used successfully for bow drill fire.


Doc
 
Liam Ryan said:
-a couple of condoms take up little room,
they can tote water, keep stuff dry, etc.

-Another good one is instead of using a bow drill when starting a fire with nothing, use a loop of cord of any sort thats fairly strong and put it evenly over a knock at the top of your drill. Put your thumbs through it and simply pull down to apply pressure as you spin.

- Water can be boiled in a green leaf. The leaf will burn to the water line but not below. Havent tried it myself yet, but I'm guessing it cant be within the actual fire, but beside it.

- a few old guitar strings make nifty snares, as they have built in loops and seem to be just the right length.

-A good swiss army knife with a few of the "frivolous" blades came come in mighty handy. You dont need the "champ" with all the bells but the victorinox huntsman, or (my preference) the wenger handyman are worth their weight in gold

-try to find a toilet paper brand with loose tubes. you wont really need the tube in the woods, it just takes up space
Click to expand...

In regards to the green leaf water can also be boiled in a cup made of paper held over a flame......I never would have believed it untill I tried it.The science behind it is that the paper cannot reach a combustable temperature untill the water reaches the same !!!:eek:
 
a note on getting fires started;
it is a good idea to carry some ready made kindling, not just tinder. when i am going on trips where i can have a fire, i carry a small cloth bag filled with dry woodshavings and peices of matchstick sized sticks left over from when i whittle to waste time. i also carry wax paper and brown paper with the wood.

really nice when you get somewhere, especially if it is getting dark, to not have to go finding dry starter wood and fuzz and split it up. just pull out the bag and toss in a handful. also, the cloth is 100% cotton, so i could use that too if i really need it.
 
pit man said:
Anyone pack a small tube of superglue for emergency use on deep cuts etc?
Click to expand...
Yup, I can never decide whether to put it in my 1st aid box or the "small tools" pouch with the electrical tape, finishing nails and whatnot.
 
How about a Mozzy head net?
Obviously they can be worn to keep mozzy's off but can also be used as a net to catch small fish and shrimp or to hang filled with ice next to a fire to get water !!!
 
I just stumbled across something really cool... the plastic screw cap from a 20-oz soda bottle snaps perfectly in place over the lens end of a mini-Maglite. I no longer fear the lens and/or bulb getting broken in a crowded pouch or pack :)P.S. yes, I wrapped the light's handle in a few feet of duct tape, and pit man has a good point about headnets. I picked up a flecktar one for cheap and it's huge... I immediately thought of using it to scoop out fish or frogs...
 
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