Jedi Bush-trackers...

Ever make a fire with a bow and drill? That's a lot of work to make and use.

can this be made into a group for easier sharing and whatnot?

I kind of like that it is in the forums.

If enough people show intrest in it maybe it could become it's own sub-forum or something with different threads for the differetn topics. But it is probably too early to tell.

I have pictures of stuff at home that I will post as soon as I can, and I would like to haev "how to" posted, but that will just come with time I think.

Fire with a bow drill...
The first time I tried it I thoguht I was going to die!!!! But as I got older and calmed a bit, I have found that it is not as difficult as it once was (or as I remember it being)

Tom Brown has a book witch gives a very good explination of technique and amterial gathering for bow drills. And once I figured out what worked, it really was a lot easier.

Speaking of fire :woohoo: anyone use: fatwood, flint steel, fire steel, dryer lint, pine sap, steel wool, birch bark, potato chips, wax paper, bug spray, hand sanitizer, lip gloss, 1st aid ointment to start a fire?

Yea, I've made fire by rubbing two sticks together... once.

Pain in the ass. But I can do it if i need to.

Yea, those are really good tenders if you need to start something up. I have used all them besides the fatwood.

Andy Spalding wrote: That is also a project I have been wanting to do. Please post it up if you get to it before I do.

Basically this is it

http://www.primitiveways.com/fire_piston.html

I just haven't put it together yet. It seems finding the pieces of bambo that fit properly is the key.

Andy Spalding wrote: Yea, I've made fire by rubbing two sticks together... once.

Pain in the ass. But I can do it if i need to.

Yea, those are really good tenders if you need to start something up. I have used all them besides the fatwood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatwood


If you've got some other ideas I'll try them.

I was told the single most important thing you can learn to survive a wilderness situation is to learn to start a fire in varrious conditions. Besides light and heat it has a big emotional boost value.

Yay, I use to live in the bush. That is all I have to say right now :silly:

I love this thread idea.
This type of thing interests me quite a bit but I have little actual knowledge about it - survival in the "wild".
I'd like to learn from those who have had some experience with it.
As far as emergency preparedness things go, food and water storage, first aid types of things, heat sources, etc - that's all well and good - and I have a whole lot of it... but when it came down to doing it.. that's another story, entirely.

Hand-made weapons are also neat!

There are so many neat things and the outdoors can be so awesome… I love it! But, we should start with the basics I think. Then we can discuss what we have found that works well for us.

As I mentioned earlier, Dave Canterbury is one of my favorites when it comes to this topic. He is not “the best” but he is one of my favorites. And, he has a lot of videos you can watch and learn from or just get ideas from. When I can’t get out, it helps watching them.

Okay. Lets’ start with the 5 C’s of survivability.

Cutting devise
Combustion devise
Cordage
Container
Cover

These are in no particular order and some will say that certain ones are more important them others. But for me, they are all important and I do not leave home without any of them.

I guess I will give a simple description of each one and if there is anything anyone wants to add hop in!

Cutting devise… a good knife. What does that mean? Well for each person it is different. And I honestly do not believe in the one knife for everything concept. But I always carry a little carbon steel pocket knife.

Combustion devise… anything that can make starting a fire easy. I carry a bic lighter. And when I go camping or hiking I add a ferrocerium rod and at least one tampon.

Cordage… Paracord or number 36 bank line. Both are excellent choices and both have their strong points and short comings. I guess you just have to decide which one would work better for you. When I am going out on longer than short hikes I tend to carry both.

Container… Short and sweet, stainless steel water bottle. When the lid is off there should be no plastic on it, just metal. I would avoid aluminum (personal opinion) and I would carry one that was no less than 20 oz.’s.

Cover… Your cover starts with your clothing. Dress appropriately. Layers when it’s cold and light materials and colors when it’s hot. Having a piece of extra material with you (a bandana for example) is also a good idea for when you are on short treks. But your cover always starts with your clothing.


I'm sure many will feel this list is incomplete. And it is! These are just the bare basic's I would not leave without.