Things that don't work...

L

LIL COO COO

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Nov 8, 2005
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I am interested to hear from you experienced Wilderness Survivalists!

In the many discussions that are conducted on a day-to-day basis here...all you good folks have chimed in with things that work for you.

I am wondering if you could relate stories about things that you thought for sure would work...but ended up NOT working for you in survival situations.

Your input is greatly appreciated. And thank you in advance for your time.

Travis
 
The only thing I can think Of off hand was the first time I used a military survival blanket. It was a damp cold night and I had been sweating all day Hiking,

I put the survival blanket around my bedroll and in a few minutes i could feel the condensation soaking my sleeping bag,

I am still fine tuning my warmth/vapor system to stay warm without condensation.
 
Ditto! the small one noisy feels like your the krinkle king just barely keep's you warm, would carry the the heavier duty one , two trash can liner's or a poncho.
 
Was up at Survival School, and decided to use 3 "Survival" blankets for my shelter.. You know the ones, the flimsy-mylar-reflect-99%-of-your-bodyheat-surefire-absolute-super-duper space blankets you buy for $4.00 at Wally World..

As I strung up my first corner (using a grass button) the damnthing torn.. Well, shredded would be a better word. This happened with all 3.. Ened up just building a debris hut.

Needless to say, I carry a 6' x 8' tarp now..
 
bringing a friend with me. Im sure you know him. Tells you all about the places he been to. You take him with and as soon as you get far enough. He starts complaining none stop. Too far to walk back so you keep going swearing never ever ever having him again go with you.


Sasha
 
You know him Too!!:eek:

Starts talking about the next trip a day after you get home from one, But has no gear, doesent know how to pack, cant set up a tent or improvise if something goes wrong, can bring down a whole camp with his misery when he gets wet and forgot to bring extra socks.

IS that him :confused:
 
Cheap Wal-Mart butane torch lighter (wind mill lookalike). Thought to save a few bucks on one of these so bought the six dollar wal-mart version. Didn't work for S--t. will be spending the money for a brunton helios. I learned the "you get what you pay for" lesson long ago, but I guess I just needed a refresher course.
 
Here's a popular myth that doesn't work.

Moss grows on the north side of trees.

And south, and east, and west.

Very bad indicator of direction, it's a myth.
 
EmsRescueGuy said:
You know him Too!!:eek:

Starts talking about the next trip a day after you get home from one, But has no gear, doesent know how to pack, cant set up a tent or improvise if something goes wrong, can bring down a whole camp with his misery when he gets wet and forgot to bring extra socks.

IS that him :confused:
Click to expand...


I'm pretty sure I've met that guy, too. He really gets around... ;)
 
I know that guy myself.......spent way too much time trying to fix him to no avail. The one thing I remember not working for me was some vaseline soaked "cotton" balls.......grabbed the wrong ones and they were fire resistant. Learned the hard way 100% cotton is the ONLY way to go! Wasn't a total loss as I had a back up plan but it surely was depressing for a few minutes trying to start a fire in the rain with them.
 
The "solar still" is one of the biggest myths going. If you doubt that the best solution is to build one.

In theory they look good. In practice they do produce water if you build them large, deep, steep slope to the plastic, well sealed edges etc. They just don't produce enough water to replace the sweat you produced making them.

I have yet to meet or talk to anyone who uses them on a regular basis with more than marginal results. The inflatable solar stills carried in liferafts work as advertised, but you don't pay in sweat to set them up and the bottom is filled with seawater. Digging a large pit in a sunny place when you are short of water is a bad idea. Mac
 
Water proof matches that aren't...
Maps that don't have any connection with reality...
Boots that fall apart on top of mountains...oh yes quite tasty that one
Chopper pilots that don't know about cargo loading...
Chopper pilots that suddenly go quiet and then look like they're trying
to bake a cake and tap dance ...lots of stirring and wide eyes
Weather reports...what lucky dip barrel do they really use?
The great outdoors...yep
 
One thing that works, but not as good as some may have you believe, is the magnesium fire starters. When I first bought one I thought I was going to scrape of some magnesium and start a fire without any tinder. Boy was I wrong. The magnesium burns so quick, the fire is gone before you know its there. I can start a fire with one, but not any easier than with a regular flint. I think many people are misinformed about these.
 
I am truly enjoying your posts.

Being a newbie in the survival arena is quite the endeavor. I appreciate these stories...they are enlightening in the fact that I can learn from previous 'invention of the wheel.'

More importantly, I don't want to be that "friend". Gawd that is funny.

PLEASE, KEEP THEM COMING!

Travis
 
For me it's anything that tries to much. To "gadgetey" (is that a word:confused: ).

I bought on of those whistle, match-case, compass, signal mirror, and firesteel jobbies. The whistle was OK, but not that loud, the mirror was way to small, the compass broke, and flimsy fire steel fell out after one strike.

I like to keep my gear simple.
 
A nice lightweight nylon tarp with grommets for paracord to quickly create a dry cooking area - worked like a charm....

except that I'd forgotten to seal the seam running down the center of it....
 
Ditto the complete worthlessness of the mylar blankets. They're a total waste of space. They're very hard to lash into any shelter form without ripping them, and they do more harm than good in 'keeping you warm' by keeping moisture on you. Buy a decent tarp.

Wire saws. The break easily, they hurt, they wear you out very quickly.

I'm not a big fan of the Mg firestarters either and would generally rather have a decent flint instead. But I still play with them.
 
I tried the Magnesium ones too. Total waste of money even though they're not expensive. You'd have to shave half the block to get a decent amount of tinder and dull your blade to boot. NO THANKS! :D
 
This is kind of a given. When I was a kid starting to get into knives, someone gave me one of those "survival" knives. You know the one: early 80's Schwarzenegger commando knives with the hollow handle. It had the token "wire saw"---worthless. Waterproof matches---that weren't, compass that was about as accurate as...moss on trees--- Fishing line and these little tiny hooks,???? Not to mention the knife itself....

To be more serious though, I have an arsenal of flashlights, A rule I learned early: Always carry more then one light. Period. Even the best light can go bad quick.
 
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