The MacGyver Game

j williams said:
Grind a car key into a blade on a flat rock, or you can use em for fishing lures, and trap parts. Split rings etc..

Heres one for ya....

the plastic rings that hold a six pack together...
Click to expand...

I can't imagine having a fresh supply of them with me, in my pack so the ones likely found on the ground have deteriorated (brittle) to the point of not being able to be utilized as ties of any kind. SO, perhaps you can tell I have spent far too much time with plastic six pack rings in my youth...I know they are definitely good for one thing even if the UV light has broken them down - FIRE! If you get one going, it will drip molten plastic onto damp kindling/fuel and help to get it going. I've burned so many of these things in my youth...

If you did have a fresh one that wasn't brittle, you could use it the same way you would cheap rope, shelter construction, etc.

Next Item: A busted CB Radio, six feet of coaxial cable and a steel whip antenna - you CANNOT fix the radio.
 
Whip antenna=spear tips

coax cable= snares

radio= smash apart, use diodes,etc, for lures


Next item: lid from 5 gallon pail
 
hiwa said:
Next item: lid from 5 gallon pail
Click to expand...

Plastic:
Firestarter/signal fire

Metal:
cooking surface
can be polished a bit to act as a mirror
bent and used as makeshift trowel

Next Item:

Aluminum collapsible kayak paddle
 
The flat of the paddle can be used as a board for cleaning fish, and as a digging tool.

The handle can be used as an improvised water carrier (thanks, Les Stroud!). It could also be useful for shelter-making, or even as a baton. It could probably make a serviceable splint, too, provided you had some cordage.

Up next: a handful of spent .12 gauge shells.
 
Ooooh, I wanna play!

Spent 12 ga. shells:

Tubes for collecting water

Blunt heads for arrows, to knock down birds or squirrels or rabbits.

Pretty shiny brass trinkets to trade with the naked native women.

Next item: double barrel shotgun with no ammunition, none expected, nada.
 
Heat up the barrel to burn parallel holes for shelter, traps...
Plug the barrels for water
trigger for fishook
Club for dispatching trapped prey
wood for fire


New item:
empty pen
 
for the 12 guage, if you can block the two muzzle ends, you could use the two barrels for water carrying, use the stock like a shovel, take a small stick, wrap a piece of cloth around the stick, like a bore cleaning kit. then get the residual gun powder from te barrel, the use for firestarting.

Next item: one half full bottle of baby powder
 
Baby powder, when packed in to a straw and blown on a flame makes a large fire ball that can be used as a signal or to scare away large predators. It can be used to prevent chafing. it can be dusted on flat surfaces so you will know if anything has walked over it so you can set traps. when mixed with water it can be used like plaster for in prompt casts when layered over cloth or can be made in to fishing lures or for patching holes in solid surfaces.

A large wax candle.
 
Use the baby powder to help keep wounds dry, and to help with rashes and cheek burn. If are into drug dealing it can help increase your profits. You could also huff it to decrease depression from not having a knife with you instead of baby powder. If in the mountains you could possibly lube up some rocks and confuse a mountain goat to its death, thereby providing food, bone, skin, and amusement. (Am I missing something?)

Haha, thankfully someone beat me to the punch.. :)
 
para-frame said:
Baby powder, when packed in to a straw and blown on a flame makes a large fire ball that can be used as a signal or to scare away large predators. It can be used to prevent chafing. it can be dusted on flat surfaces so you will know if anything has walked over it so you can set traps. when mixed with water it can be used like plaster for in prompt casts when layered over cloth or can be made in to fishing lures or for patching holes in solid surfaces.

A large wax candle.
Click to expand...

Assuming that you have some kind of string you can use the wax from the candle to make more candles (string candles like waxing jute cord)

The melted wax also works nicely to seal the ends of firestraws at home.


The flame can be used to :

light your shelter
sterilize metal for splinter removal or stitching
in conjunction with an emergency blanket or a poncho the candle can be used to raise body temp
dry out and light damp tender and kindling to start a fire



Since most of my camping is horse camping I want to see what you guys can do with a horse saddle and blanket. The blanket is 30 x32 inches woven wool and here is a picture of the saddle...

101_1230.jpg


Obviously cordage will not be an issue in this situation.

David
 
Thoughts on previous items:

Shotgun, the barrel might make a servicable blowgun.

Candle, thin shavings from the sides are amazing for making sure damp tinder and kindling don't fizzle out. A stub of candle or at least a little ball of wax are going in all my survival kits.

...and now back to our show...

Currently unanswered items:

"Empty Pen" from CUTS LIKE A KRIS in post #46
"Horse Saddle and Blanket" from Echo4v right above this.
 
Saddle makes a nice seat to keep 'ur posterior off the cold, wet ground (contact cooling) while the blanket . . . is a blanket. Brass stirrups can be ground into tools. Bolo anyone?

LARGE, BRIGHT ORANGE RUBBER BALLOON (minimum of six uses to beat the Fifth grader)
 
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Empty Pen:servicable blow gun(we all did this in school right?) has a spring and a few metal bits: tips for darts? Saddle and blanket: That some heavy leather! so shoes/mocs with liners/insoles. has nails in it for arrow tips ect. Orange ballon: signal device(if inflatable) water carrier, tourniquiet? firestarter, ummm condom if you meet a really sexy mountian goat? :D :D :D next item...cardboard milk or juice container.
 
Leather belts are very useful ...
1) Hold up your pants.
2) Strop for blades.
3) Tourniquet.
4) Strap to hold things closed.
5) Can be cut to form leather ties.
6) Whip.
7) Fishing lure.
8) Spear point (depending on buckle type).

Okay MacGyver ... rusted out tractor (not drivable) battery does have some charge.
 
Woah tractor with a battery?

In that case MacGyver would make a spark gap transmitter or something and send an SOS.

The rest of us might be content with a possible source of metal digging, cutting and prying tools. Maybe a nice heat reflector for your fire if there are any large peice of sheet metal.

---
New item: Toothbrush
 
A toothbrush can be sharpened on a rock, without the aid of even a knife, to make a shiv or spearpoint. Heated to bend, it could be fashioned into a hook for traps, like a turtle log trap.

Next item: one plug in spotlight, no battery.
 
I've been told that the metal inside the light ( the part that surrounds the bulb) can be used to start a fire and I know you can use it for signalling. You said it's a plug in light so the cord can be used for traps, shelter building and fishing lures.

I would like to go back to the tractor also if I may...

The battery has some charge so I would assume a little fuel is possibly still in the tank.

a little fuel in a peice of metal then hook a wire to each terminal on the battery and touch the ends to get a spark and you have fire. Tires will burn for signalling. Lots of metal for spear/arrow tips or grinding a serviceable knife out on a rock. Lots of wiring to use for traps etc ( same uses for wiring as mentioned above). Hood is an excellent shelter and can be used to make a cook pot by just bending it around a rock. Most tractors have weights on the front that could be used as the weight for a trap.

With as much raw material as provided by having a tractor, you wouldn't need to survive, you could live pretty comfy but, the most important thing about finding a tractor with a little juice left in the battery is that you will be able to follow it's tire prints right back to the house.

Next item wrist watch, analog ( has hands) working

David
 
Echo4v said:
Next item wrist watch, analog ( has hands) working

David
Click to expand...

Obviously as a watch...as a compass. As a signal mirror. If it had a leather band you could get some of the "belt uses" out of it listed above, if it has a metal linked bracelet for a band, you might be able to make some fishing lures out of that - they would probably look a lot like bait fish in the water come to think about it.

If it has a plastic "crystal," I can think of another use that I would rather not mention. :D

Forgot to add NEXT ITEM: A broken acoustic guitar you brought along but panicked and fell on top of it and busted it. :D
 
Don Rearic said:
If it has a plastic "crystal," I can think of another use that I would rather not mention. :D
Click to expand...

:confused: I must have led a sheltered life... a monocle is all I can think of...

Don Rearic said:
Forgot to add NEXT ITEM: A broken acoustic guitar you brought along but panicked and fell on top of it and busted it. :D
Click to expand...


1. Expensive firewood
2. If nylon strung: fishing line, suture thread (for the Rambos ;) )
3. Snares
4. Cordage
5. If steel strung: fish hooks from the thicker strings, not sure if it could be used as steel trace
6. Brass bits on the fretboard: Needles, fish/frog/bird hooks, trap triggers
7. Other shiny bits (inlaid mother of pearl, metal): Fishing lures, bird lures


Next up: An aluminium, telescopic trekking pole.

Edit: Should we add uses for previous items that haven't been mentioned? For bonus points... I'm sure we're all spotting extras.
 
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