Brian Jones
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I'll wait until later today to suggest the next item. C'mon everyone!!! There's more of you out there! 
Good stuff, Mike!
Good stuff, Mike!
-
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Skills:PSK (ITEM 7 IS UP!): A Group Exercise in Creative Thinking and Improvisation
- Thread starter Brian Jones
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Instead of pure monofilament fishing line a power braid migth be the best to pack. It can be used to string tarp, set a snare, etc...
Also I think my dentist told me that the Glide (Crest maybe) dental floss is actually kevlar. Get a bunch in a small package
Also I think my dentist told me that the Glide (Crest maybe) dental floss is actually kevlar. Get a bunch in a small package
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One could use fishing line to hang items from tree limbs. Items like wet clothing to dry, food that needs to be kept out of reach of animals, etc...
Brian Jones
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Continued good stuff, everyone! Keep 'em coming... I'll post the next item when responses drop off.
Brian Jones
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Ok, I'll tally up the ideas from fishline/hook in another post. If you have further improv ideas for any previous item, please still post it! Next item:
Aluminum Foil
Cut and paste this into your posts:
Aluminum foil--
Shelter:
Fire:
Water:
Food:
If you don't have an idea for one of those, just leave it blank. After all this, we'll get into signaling and putting that into the improv package.
Aluminum Foil
Cut and paste this into your posts:
Aluminum foil--
Shelter:
Fire:
Water:
Food:
If you don't have an idea for one of those, just leave it blank. After all this, we'll get into signaling and putting that into the improv package.
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Aluminum can be used as bait when fishing. In the water, it attracts fish since it reflects light and stands out.
Brian Jones
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Definitely - falls under food. What about the other categories?
mtnfolk mike
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great post brian...:thumbup: there is some great info being posted...
Aluminum Foil
Aluminum foil--
Shelter:
Fire: use it as a heat reflector, windscreen for your stove or fire...
Water: making a small pot or cup.. to drink and/or boil water...
Food: cooking on it, or in it...using a small shiny piece of it to attract fish, like a lure..
Aluminum Foil
Aluminum foil--
Shelter:
Fire: use it as a heat reflector, windscreen for your stove or fire...
Water: making a small pot or cup.. to drink and/or boil water...
Food: cooking on it, or in it...using a small shiny piece of it to attract fish, like a lure..
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I remember a post a while back I thought was a great idea, wrap a bunch of line around a bic, pack some hooks flat then wrap some duct tape around it, makes the bic only slightly bigger but adds a lot to the kit.
I also added a few small scalpel/woodworking razor blades, it would be easy to put them in a stick with a split end and wrap a bit of string or wire around the top to hold them in.
The inner strands of paracord are very tough, was that mentioned? I wonder if a fish would bite on the highly visible floss or p.c. strands.
Just realized I in no way contributed to the post, how about the thin line to make snares for birds, which are far to light to be caught with a wire snare.
Also a hook could be used to make some sort of jigging snare for smaller animals, and if you have a few you could probably heat it in a fire and straighten it to make a sharp point for woodworking and other stuff.
I also added a few small scalpel/woodworking razor blades, it would be easy to put them in a stick with a split end and wrap a bit of string or wire around the top to hold them in.
The inner strands of paracord are very tough, was that mentioned? I wonder if a fish would bite on the highly visible floss or p.c. strands.
Just realized I in no way contributed to the post, how about the thin line to make snares for birds, which are far to light to be caught with a wire snare.
Also a hook could be used to make some sort of jigging snare for smaller animals, and if you have a few you could probably heat it in a fire and straighten it to make a sharp point for woodworking and other stuff.
Brian Jones
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Liam, none of that was mentioned.
The exercise is to take each item I bring up, one at a time, as pretend as if it is your only item, in order to come up with the maximum number of creative uses for it. We'll combine items later on.
Brian Jones
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Awesome stuff coming in -- more, more!!!!!
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Aluminum foil--
Shelter: I sleep better when I line my hat with it, the voices stop.
Fire: Windbreak for stove or firelighting. SAS firelighters, PJ cotton wrapped in foil. I often will use foil behind a candle for light reflection. It also enhances a log or rock reflector placed behind a fire. I made my candle mold (candle making thread) out of PSK aluminum foil. Making charcloth.
Water: Boil water for purification
Food: Cooking critters, possible fish lure.
That's all the procrastination time I have right now. Mac
Shelter: I sleep better when I line my hat with it, the voices stop.
Fire: Windbreak for stove or firelighting. SAS firelighters, PJ cotton wrapped in foil. I often will use foil behind a candle for light reflection. It also enhances a log or rock reflector placed behind a fire. I made my candle mold (candle making thread) out of PSK aluminum foil. Making charcloth.
Water: Boil water for purification
Food: Cooking critters, possible fish lure.
That's all the procrastination time I have right now. Mac
Brian Jones
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Aluminum foil--
Shelter:
Fire: Already covered
Water: Already covered
Food: Already covered, plus use it to wrap your fish or potatoes, or anything for cooking. When wrapped in Aluminum foil, you can just through your food in the fire instead of making a grill and area for coals for cooking, etc.
P.S. This is a great idea for a thread. I like the format that you gave that I used. When you are done with all the items, the answers should be compiled into the above format and stickied.
Shelter:
Fire: Already covered
Water: Already covered
Food: Already covered, plus use it to wrap your fish or potatoes, or anything for cooking. When wrapped in Aluminum foil, you can just through your food in the fire instead of making a grill and area for coals for cooking, etc.
P.S. This is a great idea for a thread. I like the format that you gave that I used. When you are done with all the items, the answers should be compiled into the above format and stickied.
Brian Jones
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How might you rig a primitive compass with tin foil? Or fishhook? You may need to navigate your way to a distant landmark that provides terrain for shelter...
Can you carry your freshly lit tinder from the bow drill to the fire using the foil as a tray?
Can you carry your freshly lit tinder from the bow drill to the fire using the foil as a tray?
Line and hook
Someone already brought up use as an anti-tracker device, but you can also make a nice alarm for your camp if you also have a tin can and some rocks...
Unobtrusively dangle the hook along the path to your camp, with the line tied to the bucket of rocks, which is dangling from a branch out of site. When you hook someone's clothing, particularly the pants of a stepping leg it makes quite a racket...
Clint Hollingworth
The Wandering Ones webcomic
http://www.wanderingones.com
Someone already brought up use as an anti-tracker device, but you can also make a nice alarm for your camp if you also have a tin can and some rocks...
Unobtrusively dangle the hook along the path to your camp, with the line tied to the bucket of rocks, which is dangling from a branch out of site. When you hook someone's clothing, particularly the pants of a stepping leg it makes quite a racket...
Clint Hollingworth
The Wandering Ones webcomic
http://www.wanderingones.com
hooks and line:
hooks can be poked through tears in clothing and then crimped shut for quick little repairs. line can be used to sew if you can work out a needle (or you have an open-weave fabric). hooks don't work so great for needles even when straightened out etc. the large eye makes it difficult to use.
you could use the hook for a snare for birds and other animals as mentioned. the line can be used for snares, traps and booby traps. i suppose you could whip up a bow if you had some really strong braided line. it might cut into the fingers when drawn though...maybe a few strands grouped together.
line can be used whenever cordage isn't handy. tying apache throwing stars, tying shelter together, i don't suggest making a hammock in the field; they are not that comfy with cords so thin, and they take a huge amount of cord that it wouldn't be practical.
maybe i am being too simple here but you could use them to fish with. i would suggest rigging up a line across a stream or across a small inlet of a pond with shorter lines and hooks hanging off of it. again you would need some stronger line.
Aluminum foil--
Shelter: if you had enough, it could be used to help waterproof the peak of the roof of your shelter. adds some water shedding ability to debris huts between layers of leaves.
would reflect some heat if you lined the inside of your shelter.
Fire: as said, it could be used for a fire reflector or a windscreen on a stove. it could be used to carry an ember with you, or even carry a small fire from place to place if you aren't going far. you could float some fire down a river with you...but i don't know how this would help you
Water: good luck making a container with it unless you have some heavy duty stuff. after is has been folded flat to fit in a psk, it will likely develop holes and weak points along those seams. carry a whole roll with you, that solves the problem.
Food: if you can get it into a container shape, you can boil water and cook food in it ala frying pan/sauce pan. i like to use it to cook meat in the coals of a fire. don't bother wrapping potatoes, just peel the skin off after you pullthem out of the embers. it is great to cook meals all wrapped up in a foil bubble, pull it out and its all ready to eat. good stuff. :thumbup:
that's all i can think of for now, i will keep thinking though...
hooks can be poked through tears in clothing and then crimped shut for quick little repairs. line can be used to sew if you can work out a needle (or you have an open-weave fabric). hooks don't work so great for needles even when straightened out etc. the large eye makes it difficult to use.
you could use the hook for a snare for birds and other animals as mentioned. the line can be used for snares, traps and booby traps. i suppose you could whip up a bow if you had some really strong braided line. it might cut into the fingers when drawn though...maybe a few strands grouped together.
line can be used whenever cordage isn't handy. tying apache throwing stars, tying shelter together, i don't suggest making a hammock in the field; they are not that comfy with cords so thin, and they take a huge amount of cord that it wouldn't be practical.
maybe i am being too simple here but you could use them to fish with. i would suggest rigging up a line across a stream or across a small inlet of a pond with shorter lines and hooks hanging off of it. again you would need some stronger line.
Aluminum foil--
Shelter: if you had enough, it could be used to help waterproof the peak of the roof of your shelter. adds some water shedding ability to debris huts between layers of leaves.
would reflect some heat if you lined the inside of your shelter.
Fire: as said, it could be used for a fire reflector or a windscreen on a stove. it could be used to carry an ember with you, or even carry a small fire from place to place if you aren't going far. you could float some fire down a river with you...but i don't know how this would help you
Water: good luck making a container with it unless you have some heavy duty stuff. after is has been folded flat to fit in a psk, it will likely develop holes and weak points along those seams. carry a whole roll with you, that solves the problem.
Food: if you can get it into a container shape, you can boil water and cook food in it ala frying pan/sauce pan. i like to use it to cook meat in the coals of a fire. don't bother wrapping potatoes, just peel the skin off after you pullthem out of the embers. it is great to cook meals all wrapped up in a foil bubble, pull it out and its all ready to eat. good stuff. :thumbup:
that's all i can think of for now, i will keep thinking though...