Thursday 20/08/15

The quickest way to get yourself into trouble in the bush is to try something you know is well and truly beyond your capabilities. For some inexplicable reason, people assume the simple act of going camping makes them invincible. This situation is exacerbated when the person in question hasn’t done a lick of exercise since high school.

Over the years I’ve seen people do things that had no chance of success.

  • Swimming – Whether it is in a river, lake or the ocean, make sure you can actually swim the desired distance before you jump in. If you aren’t sure, or know you can’t make the specified distance, don’t attempt it. Drowning isn’t something you want to experience. You don’t want to risk your own life, or your rescuer’s life, because you over estimated your abilities.
  • Trees – Being out in the bush gives some people the urge climb trees. If you know what you are doing, you should be ok. A good rule of thumb is your ability to do chin-ups. You need a lot of upper body strength to climb trees. If you don’t regularly do chin-ups you might want to reconsider your need to climb trees. Once you’re halfway up the tree, it’s a long way to the ground.
  • Steep rock face - Rock climbing shares similar perils with tree climbing. People overlook the obvious; don’t climb up if you can’t climb down.
  • Demanding physical labour in the sun - If you aren’t used to performing hard physical labour, don’t make your debut in the hot midday sun (while giving it all you’ve got). Break the job into smaller tasks, and drink plenty of water. It will take a little longer to get the job done, but at least you won’t get sunstroke.

Adding alcohol into any of these situations is guaranteed to turn a bad outcome into a complete disaster.

Obviously, if you were in a life or death situation, you would do whatever it takes to survive, including ignoring the above mentioned guidelines. If you are just there to enjoy the great outdoors, don’t let your ego turn a fun weekend into a disaster.

Thursday 13/08/15

Every household has at least one pair of scissors. It is likely your house has four or five pairs. But what about your emergency gear or your Bug Out Bag; have you included a pair of scissors? They don’t have to be expensive, but they do have to be good quality.

Some pocket knives and many multi-tools include a pair of scissors, so having a pair with you won’t take up any extra room in your pack. By now you might be asking yourself “What’s so important about scissors? Why would I need them if I have a knife?”.

Yes, they both cut things, but even in the wilderness you will eventually require the precision of a pair of scissors that a knife cannot provide.

  • Cutting your toenails. If you’re away from home for a week or two, you will eventually need to cut your toenails. Do you really want to try cutting your toenails with your hunting knife?
  • Cutting gauze (or some other material) into small pieces. If you’ve been injured, you want to make the gauze in your First-Aid kit last as long as possible. Cutting gauze into pieces with a knife is annoying and potentially wasteful. Scissors will allow you to only use the amount of gauze you need to.
  • It is safer to use scissors instead of a knife to open some food packaging.
  • Depending on how long you are away from civilisation, you may need to trim your facial hair. Definitely not a job for your hunting knife.

I know scissors aren’t the most interesting item you’ll include in your pack, but they are definitely worth including.

Thursday 06/08/15

As we all know, there are three basic elements to survival: water, shelter and fire. Tonight, I’m going to make building fire a little easier for you.

Unless you’re in an area devoid of trees, you should be able to find wood for your fire. With a little effort you should be able to collect all you need; big bits, little bits, and even kindling. Unless you have something to cut the kindling into pieces small enough, you might have a little trouble making tinder.

Fear not! With two common household items you can make all the tinder you need. Well, to be more accurate, you can make your own fire starters. All you need is a jar of petroleum jelly and packet of cotton balls (or cotton wool).

How to:

  • Lay your supplies out on a clean work area. Don’t try doing this in a dirty or dusty area, because all you’ll end up with is some slippery grit.
  • Next, rub a little bit of petroleum jelly through a cotton ball. Try to pull the cotton ball back out to its original size. Don’t be too fussy with this part; all you’re trying to do is avoid the cotton ball becoming a solid lump. This is your fire starter.
  • Place fire starter off to one side and make several more (4-6 should do).

Build your fire as you would (remembering to clear flammable debris from the area), but you can use the petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls in place of tinder.

By now you’re asking yourself “Is he pulling my leg?”. There’s only one way to find out. Make some of these home-made fire starters and give it a go. Remember, SAFETY FIRST. I don’t want to receive a whole bunch of complaints saying you burnt yourselves because you were being careless.