Video How To: Make a poncho from a wool blanket

Bo T said:
Great video.

Why not use the whole blanket and just make a long poncho?
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I was worried about the ends dragging in the dirt. I suppose I could make a way for it to bunch up but in my hands it would be more complicated and probably fail. I like crank windows whenever possible.
 
Someone who has done the course sent me a message suggesting a coat AND full length blanket. I'm waiting to hear more but I'm having second thoughts about just bringing the poncho and half blanket. Even if I don't use it on the course it is still an awesome thing to poke around the basement in or in the privacy of the woods. Again, I'd get beat up if I wore this thing out in public.
 
averageiowaguy said:
Hey,
I signed up for a primitive skills course and one of the things the course material suggested was to bring a wool blanket and a coat. I have to cover 50-60 miles of desert terrain for the course with 2 quarts of water and minimal food. I'll have to find whatever else I need. To lighten my load a bit, the course materials suggested converting half of the wool blanket in the poncho instead of bringing a coat.

I did a fairly extensive search for info on the project but I wasn't able to find a great source. I made a how to video. I hope you find it useful.

How to make a poncho from a wool blanket
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I know it is off-topic, but it is too important to pass up:
you need more water, more water containers.
What month are you going to do this? Southern Utah can be very hot in June; look at
some data on the web. There are highlands and small Mountain ranges in the Great Basin,
but in true (low) desert it can get very hot and 2 liters would only last a few hours.

Maybe you should google about this org and ask them some pointed questions.
Also google about human water needs and locating (finding) water in the desert.
 
fnc said:
I know it is off-topic, but it is too important to pass up:
you need more water, more water containers.
What month are you going to do this? Southern Utah can be very hot in June; look at
some data on the web. There are highlands and small Mountain ranges in the Great Basin,
but in true (low) desert it can get very hot and 2 liters would only last a few hours.

Maybe you should google about this org and ask them some pointed questions.
Also google about human water needs and locating (finding) water in the desert.
Click to expand...

They show you how to find water on the way but that is of little comfort. Of everything in the course it is the water I am most concerned about. It is a very reputable and established org as near as I can tell. Its been covered by just about every major outdoor and health magazine in the US. I don't think they've ever had a death, but long before it gets to that point I would be able to pick up on the danger and take action, meaning extrication (hopefully).

The other thing I am finding out from people who have done the course at exactly the time I am doing it (end of June beginning of July) is that YEAH you need a coat and NO a wool poncho won't cut it unless you're wanting to be spooned by some big hairy fat dude at night just to keep warm. LOL! I'm interested in a survival experience, not a prison experience. So I am going to use the poncho in the fall and spring in the climate I'm most familiar with (Iowa) and take along my wool hunting coat for the unfamiliar environment (Utah.)
 
Bo T said:
Great video.

Why not use the whole blanket and just make a long poncho?
Click to expand...

I used to camp with a US Blanket as a poncho.
It was my main sleeping gear and coat.
Used it for years, mainly in the New England.

All I did was cut a slit for my head.

To sleep in it I would just wrap myself up in it.
To wear it when walking, I would fold the extra material on my shoulder and wear a cord belt to keep it in place.
That worked well with a packback as the shoulder straps sat on the folds.
If there was too much lenghth, I tucked the corners into the belt.
 
This may seem unrelated to the thread but its related to me, in that the only reason I made the poncho in the first place was to get ready for my survival trip.

Thanks to some expert help from KGD I've just had success starting a bow drill fire. Here are a few things I figured out from my hours of trial and error. I haven't seen these insights posted (admitting that I haven't read EVERY thread or every source).

1) Most of the vids I saw on youtube use spindles that are as thick as a cucumber. The first half dozen or so I made were modeled after these. I came to a breakthrough driving home tonight when I remembered the equation for friction from physics -

Friction = coefficient of friction X force applied perpendicular to the surface.

I was having to press way too hard to get smoke using the larger diameter spindles. Why? Because the surface area of the spindle was too great and the force per unit area applied to the board was less than if I'd used a narrower spindle. I carved my spindle down from banana size to index finger size and viola!

2) Your spindle length isn't hugely important as long as the string has plenty of room to move. Find the spindle length that allows you to comfortably rest your shin on your forearm and stabilize the top piece and apply force.

3) I was looking for a coal, thinking of what happens to wood when you burn it down and get a bed of coals. That is stinkin' thinkin'. What happens with the bow drill is that your hearth slot fills up with fine wood dust and then eventually you eject some wood dust particles that get hot enough to ignite the pile. That is why the "coal" is so fragile. There is no coal in the classic sense, its just wood dust that is on fire.

4) My hearth and spindle were cedar. The fire smelled like burning incense which was a very very very nice surprise.

Thanks everyone for the help.
 
Congrats averageiowaguy. I glad you figured it out and like how you related spindle diameter to force required. The diameter also makes a difference in the speed of the spin as well. Makes a lot of sense. I prefer my spindles just a touch thicker than my thumb, but some folks like them thicker as well.

Nothing quite so fun as experience your first coal. That you did it entirely on your own is truly an achievement in itself!
 
I gotta say that i don't agree with the way the gentleman in KGD's video link pinned his blanket coat. I wish I had a video of it but there is a better way that makes a much neater coat with an actual functioning hood. I can't find any youtube videos on it.

I will try to get something up at some point.


Great job on the friction fire, to the OP.
 
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averageiowaguy said:
They show you how to find water on the way but that is of little comfort. Of everything in the course it is the water I am most concerned about. It is a very reputable and established org as near as I can tell. Its been covered by just about every major outdoor and health magazine in the US. I don't think they've ever had a death, but long before it gets to that point I would be able to pick up on the danger and take action, meaning extrication (hopefully).
Click to expand...

You would be surprised at how quickly you can become disabled.
And most of the desert has no cell phone coverage,
so you would be dependent on guides to extricate you.

Also, consider that severe water deprivation could damage your kidneys, and the
damage may not show up until later in your life. I read about an ocean-raft survivor
who had kidney damage as a result of water deprivation.

Many parts of the desert have a hard-pan that is typically a foot or two down, so
digging is not easy. If you (they) can find a very sandy area 1)at the base of a cliff,
or 2) in a dry gulch that looks promising (green plant, insects, etc), then you are
lucky. Maybe they will herd you in the likely directions; I do not know their policy.

I would take a synthetic (lighter than wool) coat, one size too large, with hood,
and possibly a semi-drop-seat to keep your ass warm. The wool blanket, or part
thereof, can protect the coat from campfire radiation, which can melt synthetics.
Other items (partial list): well broken-in shoes/boots, extra socks, wide brim hat,
at least 2 cotton bandannas, tape + bandaids for blisters, dark glasses or clip-ons,
dozen safety pins. If any of these are contraband, sew then into your jacket lining.

On your trip, keep your eyes open for containers. Cans can be used for boiling water.
Plastic containers might be pressed into service as a water containers on the next
leg (after the next water hole) of your journey.

I assume you are not allowed a backpack; you could reinforce your wool blanket for this
purpose, or add more pockets to your jacket. Big pockets in your jacket = good.
 
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Well what can I say, doing outdoors stuff is dangerous sometimes. I know what the risks are and I'll be careful.
 
AIG sums it up pretty well...
Well what can I say, doing outdoors stuff is dangerous sometimes. I know what the risks are and I'll be careful.
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Everytime you hit a trail, you are at risk. How many folks have benefitted from the gained knowledge and how many have passed on some of their skills to others.



Incidentally...
2009 car accident statistics reveal 33,808 fatalities
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I'm glad I don't have to drive to work anymore.
 
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Back to the poncho again. I've been testing it both in the woods and around the house. I love this thing to death. What if I took the poncho, the other half of the wool blanket and my ancient North Face shell (from back before they were sold in malls)? If the fire becomes and issue with the shell I can always put the poncho on over top. I've spent ~200 nights in the woods with the shell and fire has never been an issue but I suppose there could always be a first time. I absolutely love the poncho. I feel great with it on and it is SO handy outdoors. Thoughts and input welcome.

Thank you for all the replies to my thread and the obvious wisdom and concern for safety displayed.
 
I use a wool blanket poncho liner during the warmer months. It is easy to purchase snaps that are compatable with the military ponchos. Cut a slit for the head hole and use a blanket stitch to finish the edge. Don't remove any material for the head hole. Make it so it just fits over your head. you can always open it up later. Most folks cut it way to big. The poncho and liner can be snapped up together to make a sleeping bag. Two GREAT multi-use items.
 
Yeah, good idea from Rick on the military poncho - can be had new for $25 at mil. surplus stores. Or you can also go the silnylon route which will give you an extremely light poncho that can serve as a windproofing for your wool poncho and as a tarp. Mind you, I understand you are going to the desert and rain isn't an issue, but the windproof + poncho combo can really lock in the warmth if wind is an issue. I don't have enough experience with deserts...Never really thought of wind + cold before.
 
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