The MacGyver Game

foxyrick said:
:confused: I must have led a sheltered life...
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All you need is a heat source and a small nail, screw or preferably an eye screw! ;)

Good on the guitar answers as well! You could probably use the tuning pegs, depending on exact type, as some sort of three pin trap trigger as well if you could bore holes through other pieces of wood, branches, etc.
 
foxyrick said:
Next up: An aluminium, telescopic trekking pole.
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I haven't perused all of the previously mentioned uses, but a blowgun immediately comes to mind. Hood prop for your car? Fishing pole? A splint? Pole for waving a white flag? Tent pole? Spit roasting? Impaling enemies?


OK, how about empty aerosol cans?
 
If you rub the top crimp on a rock, it shouldn't be too difficult to wear it away and remove the top. If it was something non-toxic, have a water carrier. If it was something like wd-40 you could wipe out the residue to aid in fire starting.

The bottoms are usually concave, so you could probably polish it for possible signaling or fire starting.

Nozzle might make a good fishing lure.

New Item: Red Swingline 747 Stapler...full of staples.
 
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Staples are good for temporary clothing repair, fishing hooks, needles, lures (lots of things can be used as lures ... lol), trail markers.

Stapler after you run out of things to staple you can break apart the stapler for lures, the chrome parts can be used for signaling.
Next item - tin coffee pot.
 
tin coffe pot.

water carrier, bottom could be shined a bit for signaling, used as a dead fall trap for mice, used as a stew pot. used for transporting live coals should your camp fire need to be moved.

used as a bait bucket.

used for warming water for washing.

turned upside down to store stuff you don't want rained on.

used as a rock warmer.

next item

an old 50cc trail bike, no gas, rotted tires.
 
tin coffe pot.

water carrier, bottom could be shined a bit for signaling, used as a dead fall trap for mice, used as a stew pot. used for transporting live coals should your camp fire need to be moved.

used as a bait bucket.

used for warming water for washing.

turned upside down to store stuff you don't want rained on.

used as a rock warmer.

next item

an old 50cc trail bike, no gas, rotted tires.
 
*BUMP*

I was making a paracord bracelet for my 5 year old niece.
I needed something to tuck the ends in with.

So i got out a large needle and a thimble.
I keep my sewing kit in one of those countycomm tube vaults.
She picked up the cap and said "This could work as a thimble too."

I wish I'd thought of that myself.
Bright girl. :)

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I'm not too familiar with dirt bikes but...

Gas tank, water storage.
Fuel line, straw, useful for sucking up puddles of rainwater (TY, Survivorman)
electrical system, cordage
tires, even rotted ones should burn.

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Slightly new twist, a scenario:


You are alone, civilization and rescue are at least a week away.
You are standing on the sandy bank of a stream. You have just finished the last of your bottled water.

Inventory:
You are wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a bandanna.
You have a small EDC blade, wallet, keys.
Multiple empty water bottles.

What do you do?
 
Maybe I am way off...more experienced forumites correct me if I am wrong:

Water should be your first priority - You could make one of the bottles into a sand filter for the water by cutting off the top, lining with bandanna and filling with sand. Once the water is filtered, you could purify using the SODIS method.

Probably best to make camp for at least one night, while the water is "cooking", so start on a debris hut using the EDC blade. Around here there are usually plenty of pines and cedars to make a nice shelter.

A lot of guys have a fire steel on their key ring, I do not, so I guess my only option is to try a bow drill to get a fire going. Build it using your boot lace, and materials found in the woods.

I would stay put until I had my water bottles full, then move downstream to what would hopefully be a bigger river. Keeping an eye on the river for trash that might be useful in my predicament, and edibles along the way. When potable water supplies run low make camp and filter purify more.
 
Would need a bit more info for that one Joben, like how did you get a week away from civilization ending up with only a few empty water bottles, no shoes, and no pack? =)

Let's try regular MacGyver for $1000 Alex, ... A John Deer baseball cap.
 
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I see your point. Though, I wasn't going for a complete action plan, I should have specified "What do you do first?" more clearly.

The week away bit was purely a device to suggest to the reader that they needed a source of safe water for several days, and drinking anything, and figuring you could get anti-biotics tommorow wasn't going to work. Since a field expedient filter was what I had in mind.
 
larry917 said:
Would need a bit more info for that one Joben, like how did you get a week away from civilization ending up with only a few empty water bottles, no shoes, and no pack? =)

Let's try regular MacGyver for $1000 Alex, ... A John Deer baseball cap.
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you could cut the tongue open to get to the cardboard to use as fuel...possibly use the rest of the hat to filter large particles out of muddy water...or cut up the pieces to use as small bandages of some sort?

how about... an empty beer bottle - no cap
 
Simplest use is for water storage after purification. If the right tint, bottom may be used to try and focus light for fire starting. With luck, the shards may be sharp enough for basic cutting tasks that don't require too much pressure.

A Mini Maglite, dead batteries, both primary and broken bulb are burnt out or broken.
 
While not very big, you could use it to carry a minimal amount of water. A better use would probably be carrying dry tinder.

Maybe a stretch, but you could try using the reflctor to start a fire. You could break it, and try using pieces as fishing lures.

Too bad the batteries are dead, you could try using them for fire starting.

I am sure you could find a use for the rubber o-rings, but I can't think of anything off the top of my head other than using them for firestarting.

How 'bout a diaper bag: contents 2 disposable diapers, a tube of oitment, empty bottle of children's tylenol, five wipes in a plastic hinged container (dim's 7"x4"x1"), and a 1 ft x 3 ft changing pad.
 
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chewbacca said:
How 'bout a diaper bag: contents 2 disposable diapers, a tube of oitment, empty bottle of children's tylenol, five wipes in a plastic hinged container (dim's 7"x4"x1"), and a 1 ft x 3 ft changing pad.
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daipers are very absorbent, use to soak up blood in case of an accident.

ointment might be of use as improvised grease for a fire piston seal, and may burn (if it contains vasaline or simmilar)

the empty bottle could be used for storing improvised fishing hooks, a small quantity of berries or simmilar foodstuff, especialy if they are intended as seasoning for other foods. could also be broken to provide a small blade, or even can be used as part of a fish trap.

the wipes would be good for cleaning hands, or possibly cleaning knife blades, especialy if they are going to be used to butcher an animal.

the wipe container could, like the bottle, be used to store foraged food (once empty and cleaned out), or other equipment. it could also be used to catch water from smaller rain collecting methods, and used as an improvised drinking vessel.

the pad could be de-constructed, providing several peices of waterproof material. this could be used to collect rainwater, or used as part of an improvised shelter. you could also cut the mateiriel into strips and use it as cordage. the foam inside the mat could be used to collect water in the manner of a sponge, and could also provide an insulated seat, or even a sort of small camping mat.

the bag itself could be taken apart, providing material, which if waterproof can be used the same as the cover of the changing mat. if not waterproof it can be used as improvised cordage, or as part of some kind of windbreak.
the shoulder strap would provide good qualility webbing strap for use as heavy duty cordage, and the D-rings used to attach the strap may be useful as trap parts (simmilar to the way the rings in the izula kit are shown in the instruction sheet), and could also be used as fishing weights, should they have enough strenght.

next item: a 30cm (1 foot) plastic ruler.
 
phaserrifle said:
next item: a 30cm (1 foot) plastic ruler.
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Well, you could not only measure distance on it, which is what it is designed for, but you could also use it as a scale to measure weight if you had something of a known weight like a lead fishing sinker/weight out of your kit, some line/cord, you could basically make a rather cool balancing beam scale out of it. Why would you need to do that? Well, I don't rightly know but I'm a smart bastard and that's what I figured out in seventeen seconds.

You could also make a Clinometer out of it probably. I have never played with a Sextant but with a couple other pieces of material, you might even be able to make one of them as well, I am not sure.

You could split the plastic, wood or cut the metal and make fish hooks, sewing needles, awls and a plethora of other little tools like scraping tools, etc., with it.

I have to think of something else to put up in line for the next item.
 
OK, next item:

You are hiking in Washington State and you look down over an embankment in the woods and you see something, you are not quite sure what it is, so you walk and half slide down on your butt to take a look. You see a pair of goggles, one glove, part of a rotted parachute harness and some paracord and parachute nylon or silk and several hundred dollars bills in old plastic bags, what do you do now?
 
Don Rearic said:
OK, next item:

You are hiking in Washington State and you look down over an embankment in the woods and you see something, you are not quite sure what it is, so you walk and half slide down on your butt to take a look. You see a pair of goggles, one glove, part of a rotted parachute harness and some paracord and parachute nylon or silk and several hundred dollars bills in old plastic bags, what do you do now?
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Celebrate!!! :D

(in a rush, so I'll post a mcguyver response later :o)
 
Don Rearic said:
Nooooo, anyone else? ;)
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fill your rucksack and pockets with as much cash as will fit
use the parachute silk and the paracord to make a bag.
put the rest of the cash in that.
carry back to your car.
drive home (carefully, don't want to get pulled over)

retire a rich man.

unless there is some kind of deal on finding the corpse, in which case, photograph, attempting to ensure that photos show what time you found the body.
phone cops.
photograph cops arriving, as further proof you where there first.
collect reward
retire a rich man

if I'm right: a ceramic pumpkin head ornament. :D
 
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