Thursday 09/07/15
Garbage bags are a valuable resource if you find yourself separated from your gear. These strong, flexible plastic bags can serve purposes beyond their intended use. Whether you are enduring difficulties during a camping trip turned sour, or find yourself sleeping in an friend’s garage (..... don’t ask), garbage bags can make your life easier.
To create any of the following items, you will need:
- A couple of garbage bags.
- A sharp knife (This is probably where I’m supposed to tell you to be careful and that you alone are responsible for your own safety...... Be careful..... there, I said it).
- A roll of duct tape.
Poncho - Very useful if you are caught in the rain without foul weather gear and waiting for the rain to pass isn’t an option. Take a garbage bag and cut a hole in the bottom of the bag for your head and a hole in either side for your arms. This should be big enough to shelter you and your backpack from the elements.
Backpack Cover - Many backpacks are showerproof, but not able to withstand exposure to heavy rain for extended periods of time. This will help protect your backpack from the rain if it is too big to fit inside the garbage bag poncho with you. Take another garbage bag and carefully slice open one side with your knife, leaving the bottom of the garbage bag and the other side of the bag intact. After putting your backpack on, pull the garbage bag onto your backpack like you would pull the hood of your jumper over your head. Pull the flaps forward and tie them around your waist, or tie them underneath your backpack. This isn’t perfect, but it should keep your backpack a little drier.
Mattress - Fill the garbage bag with anything that is soft. You will have to use whatever you can find in your immediate environment. This includes: towels, clothing, packing beads, bracken fern, grass clippings, leaves, lots and lots of plastic shopping bags, etc. You are trying to create something that looks like a big, plastic version of a couch cushion. Do not overfill the garbage bag, because it could burst when you climb on it. One garbage bag makes a decent beanbag or big cushion; with your trusty roll of duct tape, you can join several cushions together to make a mattress.
Sleeping Bag - This requires four garbage bags to create.
- Carefully slice open the sides of your first garbage bag (leaving the bottom intact) to create a plastic sheet. Opened up lengthways, this plastic sheet should be longer than you are tall.
- Repeat this with your three remaining garbage bags.
- Use your duct tape to join two open bags together to make a large plastic sheet.
- Repeat the above step with your remaining two garbage bags.
- Use your duct tape to create a big plastic bag out of the two plastic sheets you just made.
- For insulation, fill the bag with scrunched up newspaper (or towels, or anything else you can get your hands on). This will trap pockets of warm air just like when you dress in layers.
Be aware that this sleeping bag will retain moisture, so whatever you put in the bag should be able to absorb that moisture for you.
Insulated Shirt - If you only have one garbage bag, this will help you get through a cold night. Make a garbage bag poncho (as I described above), cinch the bag around your waist with cord or duct tape (or tuck it into your pants), then fill the bag with scrunched-up newspaper. It isn’t particularly comfortable, but it will help you keep warm.
If you don’t have the gear required to make the mattress I’ve described, you can use flattened cardboard boxes to keep you off the ground. This will give you a little bit of padding and prevent the ground/cement floor from leaching away too much of your body heat (which can lead to hypothermia in extreme situations).
These ideas aren’t intended for long term use, but they may help you get through a difficult and unpleasant situation.
Thursday 02/07/15
We rely on our feet more than we realise, but do so little to look after them. Let’s face it, the only time we pay them any attention is when we damage them or something goes wrong. Ordinarily, it isn’t hard to keep them clean and dry, but this can change when you are outside of your home environment.
Whether you are camping or enduring an emergency situation, you could find yourself with wet shoes and wet feet for an extended period of time. If you do find yourself in this situation, you need to make sure your feet have time to dry out, or you risk developing a severe fungal infection (think Athlete’s Foot on steroids).
If you have wet feet at the end of the day, make sure you dry them before going to bed. Obviously, don’t go to sleep wearing wet shoes and/or socks. If you sleep with bare feet, you will give your feet a few hours to breathe. Wet or dry, you should hang your socks and boots up to dry (or air out) while you sleep.
Tips for foot care:
1) Make sure you start every day with clean, dry socks.
2) Wash and dry your feet every day (clean feet are happy feet).
3) Apply talcum powder or foot powder (to absorb moisture).
4) Don’t wear socks in bed. Allow your feet time to dry (or breathe).
5) Ensure your footwear is dry. If possible, alternate footwear daily to give your shoes a chance to dry out.
6) Only wear socks made from natural fibre (wool or cotton). Never wear socks made from synthetic materials because they trap moisture and harbour bacteria.
7) And as I've said before, don't forget to check your boots for nasty little visitors before you put them on.
Besides the obvious; long socks can also be worn as gloves in cold conditions, or tied together and used as cordage in an emergency.
Remember; take care of your feet and they’ll take care of you.
Thursday 25/06/15
Not only is having plants in and around the house is good for your psychological well-being, the right plants can also provide you with an additional level of security for your home. With a little effort, they can add an aesthetically pleasing aspect to an otherwise empty and unimaginative yard.
When purchasing your plants, I strongly advise you buy them from a nursery instead of a department store. Plants aren’t cheap, so you want to be sure the plants you are buying have been cared for by someone with an interest in gardening. Also, when you purchase plants from a nursery, you will be able to get advice as to which plants will grow successfully in and around your home.
There are three types of plants I recommend for home security; cacti, rose bushes, and bougainvillea. I’m also a fan of blackberry bushes, because they provide both food and security; but we can’t grow them in Australia any more because they are now classed as a noxious weed.
Cacti range in appearance from tall and tree-like, down to something that looks like a lethal, spiky ball. For the purpose of home security you need to select a variety that won’t grow too tall or wide for its designated area and has long, sharp spines. Everyone has fond memories of being spiked by a cactus at least once in their life. As you remember, the spines broke off at skin level, making them very difficult to remove. A row of cacti growing under any window will serve as a visual and psychological deterrent to anyone thinking about breaking into your house. If you live in an apartment, cacti live quite happily in planter boxes. I like cacti because they require little attention and are difficult to kill.
Rose bushes are another deterrent for a would-be burglar. The thick thorns that cover a mature plant can easily tear through skin and clothing. There are many different varieties of rose bush; so look for one with flowers you like the look and smell of, but more important are the thorns. Make sure the variety you choose has thick, sharp thorns. Rose bushes can be planted inside your fence and under your windows to create a pretty, but unpleasant thorny hedge. Roses can be difficult to grow in some areas, so be sure to ask for advice when selecting your plants. If you plant roses, you must be prepared to prune the plants as required.
Bougainvillea vines are ideal for home security. The vine is pretty to look at and has long, thick spikes that are very unpleasant to touch. Like the rosebush, bougainvillea vines aren’t a plant you want to make contact with. With a little effort, they can be easily trained to grow along the inside of your fence.
Generally, burglars aren’t looking for a challenge. They want a job that provides high return for minimal effort. If your house doesn’t look like a quick in-and-out, a burglar is likely to look for an easier target. The plants I’ve suggested for your yard might just convince a would-be burglar to ignore your home and look for an easier target somewhere else.