What's your favourite trick, cheat or adaptation?
- Thread starter Wayland
- Start date
When not using my normal stove I take a small plastic spray bottle (from Boots - intended for perfume, about 5cm high) with some panel wipe in it (same fuel as I use in the stove).
Couple of sprays on to some twigs and my fire is roaring faster than RM can knock up a log cabin with a leatherman
Couple of sprays on to some twigs and my fire is roaring faster than RM can knock up a log cabin with a leatherman
Good thread, here's a couple of mine;
Find a source for cheap button led lights, attach one to every jacket, bag, tarp, hammock, tent, bivi etc. You will never be left in the dark again
.
Buy multipacks of bic lighters, do the same with them as the lights, add one to every jacket, bag, rucksack, etc.
I have a led light and a lighter in my first aid kit.
BTW rather than have 1 large first aid kit, make up small kits that are easy to carry, and again stick them in every jacket, rucksack, bag you own. Always have one large wound dressing on you. If your not carrying a sharp, some numpty is, without a FAK.
Cotton wool balls are your friend, you can pack an amazing amount of them into a film canister, soak them in vaseline beforehand, instant tinder.
Film canisters, any supermarket who develops films are more than happy to give you bags of them, just go in and ask. They are waterproof to a degree, and can be utilised for many things.
Always pack a small sewing kit with you, you'll need it.
If your not allergic to nuts, snickers are a great energy pick me up, I always have a "few" in pockets, bags etc.
Duct tape (gaffer) is another friend, always carry some.
Heavy duty aluminium cooking foil is another friend, it packs small and can be used for a multitude of tasks.
I'm crap at remembering cooking recipes and knots, so what I do is type them up (recipes), copy the photos (knots) and stick as many as I can on a a4 sheet, double sided, print it off and laminate it, cut it up, it takes up little room and I have a handy reminder if I get confused.
NB This could be done with first aid pointers as well as other tasks, good tinders, time of year foraging, loads of things.
Always carry a multitool, whether a SAK or leatherman, doesn't matter, carry one.
Cheers
Stephen
Find a source for cheap button led lights, attach one to every jacket, bag, tarp, hammock, tent, bivi etc. You will never be left in the dark again
.Buy multipacks of bic lighters, do the same with them as the lights, add one to every jacket, bag, rucksack, etc.
I have a led light and a lighter in my first aid kit.
BTW rather than have 1 large first aid kit, make up small kits that are easy to carry, and again stick them in every jacket, rucksack, bag you own. Always have one large wound dressing on you. If your not carrying a sharp, some numpty is,
without a FAK.Cotton wool balls are your friend, you can pack an amazing amount of them into a film canister, soak them in vaseline beforehand, instant tinder.
Film canisters, any supermarket who develops films are more than happy to give you bags of them, just go in and ask. They are waterproof to a degree, and can be utilised for many things.
Always pack a small sewing kit with you, you'll need it.
If your not allergic to nuts, snickers are a great energy pick me up, I always have a "few" in pockets, bags etc.
Duct tape (gaffer) is another friend, always carry some.
Heavy duty aluminium cooking foil is another friend, it packs small and can be used for a multitude of tasks.
I'm crap at remembering cooking recipes and knots, so what I do is type them up (recipes), copy the photos (knots) and stick as many as I can on a a4 sheet, double sided, print it off and laminate it, cut it up, it takes up little room and I have a handy reminder if I get confused.
NB This could be done with first aid pointers as well as other tasks, good tinders, time of year foraging, loads of things.
Always carry a multitool, whether a SAK or leatherman, doesn't matter, carry one.
Cheers
Stephen
Oh yes, one for the re-enactors out there.
A scrap piece of chain mail makes the best pot scourer you will ever own.
Just throw it into the fire to burn off the crud when you've finished and It'll last for years.
A scrap piece of chain mail makes the best pot scourer you will ever own.
Just throw it into the fire to burn off the crud when you've finished and It'll last for years.
If you need to pitch a tarp or tighten a fly, you can make an impromptu tarp clip from a split twig, a matchstick and a bit of string. Works best if the clamping part is long enough to go over the folded edge of the tarp, especially if you are using sil nylon which is slippery.
That's a real neat idea Hoodoo.... I shall be playing about with that one
My tip, (as supplied to me by Chris Claycombe
) is to carry a bit of sleep mat to use as a kneeling pad, sitting on etc.
My tip is when making feather sticks use your knife to scrape a whole bunch of really fine shavings by holding it at 90 degrees to the wood, and scraping toward the curls that you have cut. This will allow the feather stick to be lit from a ferro rod
I gather firewood from pine plantations and burn it on the shore quite often. Choose the right deadstanders, rip off the branches and you can whack them down over a foot-high boulder and snap them down to length in seconds.
Thud, thud, thud..... and you have a pile of logs. All too often though the last attempt will be just a little too solid, you smack it down and it doesn't break. Instead it sends a vibration through your hands and into your arms like an electric shock.
Leather scraps inside jubilee clips tightened round a punting pole, little gap in the leather behind the body of the clamp that you can slip a wee bit of 4-5mm cord through. With the body being thick and rounded the rope is safe from the sharper edges.
When I botched up a rig for the canoe like that it was only going to be to try things out but that was months ago and I've had no problems from it so I guess it'll be staying that way for good. You only have to loosen four bolts(for the main head, jib head, boom attachment and up/downhaul pulley) and it all slips apart and you have your pole back.
Thud, thud, thud..... and you have a pile of logs. All too often though the last attempt will be just a little too solid, you smack it down and it doesn't break. Instead it sends a vibration through your hands and into your arms like an electric shock.
Leather scraps inside jubilee clips tightened round a punting pole, little gap in the leather behind the body of the clamp that you can slip a wee bit of 4-5mm cord through. With the body being thick and rounded the rope is safe from the sharper edges.
When I botched up a rig for the canoe like that it was only going to be to try things out but that was months ago and I've had no problems from it so I guess it'll be staying that way for good. You only have to loosen four bolts(for the main head, jib head, boom attachment and up/downhaul pulley) and it all slips apart and you have your pole back.
I take two lengths of para cord, about double the length of my leg from the top of my pelvis to my ankle. I tie them to a belt loop, one on each side and hang them down inside my trousers. Out of the way, yet easily accesible lengths of cord. Theyll be about 6 feet each on average, a decent amount for many tasks.
I always have a rat tail file with me, the end sharpened to a good point. Awl, file, expedient spear point, striker, etc.
I always have a rat tail file with me, the end sharpened to a good point. Awl, file, expedient spear point, striker, etc.
Carnation Condensed Milk decanted into medium size plastic squeezy bottle.
Much nicer than whitener or powdered milk and safer than carrying fresh milk.
It's good for a couple of days if you clean and sterilise the container like a baby's bottle.
Strong, sweet milky tea, yum yum.
Also gaffers tape, great stuff.
Happy trail...torc.
Much nicer than whitener or powdered milk and safer than carrying fresh milk.
It's good for a couple of days if you clean and sterilise the container like a baby's bottle.
Strong, sweet milky tea, yum yum.
Also gaffers tape, great stuff.
Happy trail...torc.
forestwalker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
That trick works well on birch bark too, but I dislike using it on a regular basis since it it hard on the dge of the knife. My trick for feather sticks is to use a "push-cut", i.e. slicing off the feather. Good to have in reserve for when it does not come easy.
Vaseline soaked cotton balls (wool) works great but replace the Vaseline with Neosporin, Bacatracin, or another antibiotic ointment and it serves two purposes.
Forest
Forest
BOD
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Now that's what I call a fire drill! :You_Rock_
As for 'tricks cheats and adaptations', knowing your knots blindfolded and having cordage handy eliminates a host of other items especially if you also carry a 1sq yard/metre piece of strong cloth.
rik_uk3 wrote,
"I just buy the sweetened condensed milk in tubes from Tecso, 69p"
Not available in Ireland unfortunately, I've searched high and low, it would solve a whole lot of problems.
Thanks for your suggestion though rik, you can't beat Carnation.
Happy trails...torc.
"I just buy the sweetened condensed milk in tubes from Tecso, 69p"
Not available in Ireland unfortunately, I've searched high and low, it would solve a whole lot of problems.
Thanks for your suggestion though rik, you can't beat Carnation.
Happy trails...torc.
My favourite bushcraft cheat is starting fires with those cheap tea lights- it's just so easy, and it makes your life alot easier if you're wet and cold etc!
Sad mate, I've got some spare coghlan's squeeze tubes I can send you a couple if you PM me your addy.
These
http://www.rei.com/product/696007
