What do you do

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brian6244

Guest
Okay here is the situation. You're out in a forest with only your normal 4" fixed blade knife and your wits. You find a fallen tree which is providing excellent shelter already in its natural state so the first thing you do is build a hand drill and create a beautifully roaring fire. Now you have your knife, good shelter and a good fire. The next thing on the list is water and herein lies the problem. You have a readily available water source nearby but the cleanliness of the water is questionable at best so you will need to boil it.

Now with only a knife and a fire, what is the quickest way to get that water boiling??? Firing up clay pots will probably not work, as you would likely dehydrate before they were finished.

Remember you need a way to boil water as quickly and efficiently as possible and you have only a knife and your campfire to work with (as well as what the forest provides).

:pack:
 

TheViking

Native
Jun 3, 2004
1,864
4
35
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Mmmm.... a scenario...... :wink:

Well, I think I would find a bowl or container of some sort and put stones in the fire. When they were red hot, I would lay them in the water and all the time, keep switching the stones, when they got cold. :wink: By other means: rock boiling.
 

Ed

Admin
Admin
Aug 27, 2003
5,973
37
51
South Wales Valleys
I'm sure this was asked not so long ago...... Make a birch bark container for the water and add hot rocks from the fire to get your water to boil.

:)
Ed
 

BorderReiver

Full Member
Mar 31, 2004
2,693
16
Norfolk U.K.
Tricky one.
Make a bowl with birch bark and boil by the hot stone method.

Make a bowl as before.Use charcoal from your fire and put it in some cloth (shirt etc.) pour the water through the charcoal in the cloth.This should take out most of the nasties.

Drink the water anyway and hope that you can be rescued before the organisms get you. :shock:
 

stuart f

Full Member
Jan 19, 2004
1,397
11
56
Hawick, Scottish Borders
Or you could just walk a few 100 yards down the road to that hotel with the big neon sign and ask if you could borrow a cup of water,then be on your way.

Now come on people don,t tell me you did,nt see it,well it was in my scenario anyway!

OH! god these pills are good the doc gave me..
 

Nightfall

Forager
Sep 2, 2004
153
2
54
Nothren Califorina
Unfortunately anymore it is not to hard to find a continer in the woods anymore.Cans and bottles are easy to find.If in the event that someone elses leavings were found, drink the water anyhow.You can be cured of stomach problems.
 
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brian6244

Guest
I guess I am fortunate as the woods I frequents are untainted by human debris.
 

MarkG

Need to contact Admin...
Jun 4, 2004
100
0
Wednesbury, West Mids
OK If I'm in the UK then the most remote place is a hill side 7 miles from a road. I'd just start walking until I found an Ice cream van (they always park in the most remote car parks and laybys in the off season for some reason) then call a taxi from there....

Or do like everyone else says heat some rocks and a make birch bark container with pegged corners.

If the water is really manky then fill a sock with moss/sand/charcoal and trickle the water through then boil with the rocks
 

RovingArcher

Need to contact Admin...
Jun 27, 2004
1,069
1
Monterey Peninsula, Ca., USA
If you are going to be using heated stones to boil the water, be selective with the stones. If the stones contain moisture, as is the case when they are in a stream bed, lake or constant rain, they can explode when heated. Some wait until cold water is added, which could make a mess of your container.
 

SquirrelBoy

Nomad
Feb 1, 2004
324
0
UK
If having looked around and found no birch trees etc to make a container from...
Would it be an idea to filter the water through a t-shirt into one of your boots then add heated rocks to that.
I remember Mears showing a guy surviving using his Ski boot to collect water but how about going one step further and using it to boil water??
 
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brian6244

Guest
Wow you people really like your birch!! :eek:): Okay okay since everyone says they would just whip up a birch bark container like its as easy as tieing your shoe, would someone please explain how this is done and also direct me to where I can find picture of such a container either finished or in the making? I searched the forums for "birch container" but I came up with nada.

Thanks :You_Rock_
 

Nightfall

Forager
Sep 2, 2004
153
2
54
Nothren Califorina
I havent seen to many birch trees in my area.So thats out of the question for me.As for the idea of boiling water in a boot.I dont know about that either.There are alot of places where you are going to want to keep something on your feet.Also the taste. Yick.
 

MarkG

Need to contact Admin...
Jun 4, 2004
100
0
Wednesbury, West Mids
The container is easy (in theory) Get your self a largish peice of bark and fold the corners into a triangle so that you make a corner and peg them. You can practice with a peice of paper. Or have a look on google for bark containers, there's loads of them.
 

TheViking

Native
Jun 3, 2004
1,864
4
35
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brian6244 said:
Okay okay since everyone says they would just whip up a birch bark container like its as easy as tieing your shoe
I didn't say it. :biggthump :nana: Any kind of container... Weaving a birch container would probably take up a lot of energy... :wink: :wink:
No, think i'll add a metal cup in my possibles too! :D
 

Carcajou Garou

On a new journey
Jun 7, 2004
551
5
Canada
What are you doing with nothing but a knife (blade lenght exempt) in the forest, learn to carry what you may need! Make a bark container and boil it up with dry rocks, where I live the water is reasonably clean and plentyful, filter water from beaver ponds, drink from the down side of a streams rapids...etc
just a thought
 

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