Question:
Hey, I’m new to this group. I was wondering what survival gear you can make. All i have found so far are, waterproofing matches in a 35mm film canister (parafin and nail polisher remover, basicaly acetone) fishing gear in a film canister salt in a film canister (wouldn’t last long but would help) multi-vitiminns in a film canister If you know any other things that can be put together cheaply let me know. Size shouldn’t be to big.
Response:
Some of the posters have made their own clothing out of ventile, others made survival vests and knife pouches.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey, I’m new to this group. I was wondering what survival gear you can make. All i have found so far are, waterproofing matches in a 35mm film canister (parafin and nail polisher remover, basicaly acetone) fishing gear in a film canister salt in a film canister (wouldn’t last long but would help) multi-vitiminns in a film canister If you know any other things that can be put together cheaply let me know. Size shouldn’t be to big.
Response:
I filled a ziplock sandwich bag with dryer lint. Then I pressed it flat to take up less room. You can start several fires with one bag. I used magnesium ribbons and a flint to start the dryer lint. I know the magnesium isn’t a home solution, but it was very cheap at a gun show. For $4, I got enough to start at least 200 fires. The flint is actually a magnesium firestarter, but I only use the flint from it. Stupid question: Why can’t you just use a disposable lighter? They cost less than a dollar each, and I think you can get three or four thousand lights from one.
I tried a lighter first on my last fire. It wouldn’t light the wet sticks. The magnesium and lint lit it fairly quick. Dave
Response:
I filled a ziplock sandwich bag with dryer lint. Then I pressed it flat to take up less room. You can start several fires with one bag. I used magnesium ribbons and a flint to start the dryer lint. I know the magnesium isn’t a home solution, but it was very cheap at a gun show. For $4, I got enough to start at least 200 fires. The flint is actually a magnesium firestarter, but I only use the flint from it. Stupid question: Why can’t you just use a disposable lighter? They cost less than a dollar each, and I think you can get three or four thousand lights from one.
because some people like to make things more complicated than they have to be? 
Response:
I filled a ziplock sandwich bag with dryer lint. Then I pressed it flat to take up less room. You can start several fires with one bag. I used magnesium ribbons and a flint to start the dryer lint. I know the magnesium isn’t a home solution, but it was very cheap at a gun show. For $4, I got enough to start at least 200 fires. The flint is actually a magnesium firestarter, but I only use the flint from it.
Stupid question: Why can’t you just use a disposable lighter? They cost less than a dollar each, and I think you can get three or four thousand lights from one.
Response:
Hey, I’m new to this group. I was wondering what survival gear you can make. All i have found so far are, waterproofing matches in a 35mm film canister (parafin and nail polisher remover, basicaly acetone) fishing gear in a film canister salt in a film canister (wouldn’t last long but would help) multi-vitiminns in a film canister If you know any other things that can be put together cheaply let me know. Size shouldn’t be to big.
I filled a ziplock sandwich bag with dryer lint. Then I pressed it flat to take up less room. You can start several fires with one bag. I used magnesium ribbons and a flint to start the dryer lint. I know the magnesium isn’t a home solution, but it was very cheap at a gun show. For $4, I got enough to start at least 200 fires. The flint is actually a magnesium firestarter, but I only use the flint from it. Dave
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – ha, the condom idea is funny. old army trick i think. thanks for all the links Halcitron, there really good. A bow and arrow looks entertaining to make. I’ll get a lot of good ideas from all those resources. The lint idea is also pretty good. I’ll have to get some from a dryer. I do have one of those magnesium things, i’ve used it but i found you have to scrape off way to much of the magnesium before it helps start the fire. The flint side works well though. I found that if I can find a few twigs, I can shave (knige blade 90 deg to wood) 2 good hand fulls of ‘tinder’,… add a little lint or mag shaving and poof fire. Took me 2 tries (think the wood was damp,… don’t remember) to get a fire going last time I went camping…
2 squares of shit paper will do the same thing and they take up NO space.
Response:
ha, the condom idea is funny. old army trick i think. thanks for all the links Halcitron, there really good. A bow and arrow looks entertaining to make. I’ll get a lot of good ideas from all those resources. The lint idea is also pretty good. I’ll have to get some from a dryer. I do have one of those magnesium things, i’ve used it but i found you have to scrape off way to much of the magnesium before it helps start the fire. The flint side works well though.
I found that if I can find a few twigs, I can shave (knige blade 90 deg to wood) 2 good hand fulls of ‘tinder’,… add a little lint or mag shaving and poof fire. Took me 2 tries (think the wood was damp,… don’t remember) to get a fire going last time I went camping… Cheers.
Response:
ha, the condom idea is funny. old army trick i think. thanks for all the links Halcitron, there really good. A bow and arrow looks entertaining to make. I’ll get a lot of good ideas from all those resources. The lint idea is also pretty good. I’ll have to get some from a dryer. I do have one of those magnesium things, i’ve used it but i found you have to scrape off way to much of the magnesium before it helps start the fire. The flint side works well though. thanks
Response:
Hey, I’m new to this group. I was wondering what survival gear you can make.
Almost everything you need. The raw materials you need to make stuff can be found or purchased cheaply enough. Don’t get carried away collecting stuff you *might* need, or you will end up with so much you need a moving van for all of it. (BT,DT) If you go for "small" and inexpensive, go with "few" and "simple" instead of "miniature". As an example, the Gerber multi-tool is good but the cheap copies are likely to break and be worthless. Get a quality "electricians pocket knife" instead because it’s a lot sturdier, and costs about the same as the cheap multi tool. Add a P-38 can openner (real one, not the flimsy stuff off the Cohglin rack) and maybe a small pair of pliers out of Radio Shack, and you have about the same thing. I normally carry a pair of folding scissors (off the Cohglin rack because that was all I could find) for trimming finger nails and cutting stuff that a knife does not work well for. Bums and hoboes get by with practically nothing. They don’t have an easy time of it, but they survive. For a while. Then again, surviving is easy (for a while). Thriving is what’s hard. BTW, nail polish *remover* is not useful for water proofing matches. A thin coating of nail polish is.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey, I’m new to this group. I was wondering what survival gear you can make. All i have found so far are, waterproofing matches in a 35mm film canister (parafin and nail polisher remover, basicaly acetone) fishing gear in a film canister salt in a film canister (wouldn’t last long but would help) multi-vitiminns in a film canister If you know any other things that can be put together cheaply let me know. Size shouldn’t be to big. Well, if the size is limited to a film cannister, I think you can get 5 *maxxum* condoms in one. (they’re good for covering the barrel of your elephant gun in case of rain) or gathering drinking water if there not lubricated.lol
Response:
I tried a lighter first on my last fire. It wouldn’t light the wet sticks. The magnesium and lint lit it fairly quick. The lighter could also be used to light the magnesium or lint. I just don’t see that using a flint to make a spark is somehow superior to using a butane lighter to make an instant flame. But, YMMV.
I don’t think of using the flint as being superior, just different. It’s something fun for the kids during a winter camping trip when there’s not much else for them to do. I tried it first so see how hard it was. I actually prefer a zippo. I carry waterproof matches, disposible bic, trick candles, magnesium/flint, zippo and lint in by pack. It sounds like alot, but it packs up in a small kit. My zippo once failed to light when wet. The flint/magnesium combo lit up after being dipped in water. Dave
Response:
Hey, I’m new to this group. I was wondering what survival gear you can make. All i have found so far are, waterproofing matches in a 35mm film canister (parafin and nail polisher remover, basicaly acetone) fishing gear in a film canister salt in a film canister (wouldn’t last long but would help) multi-vitiminns in a film canister If you know any other things that can be put together cheaply let me know. Size shouldn’t be to big.
Well, if the size is limited to a film cannister, I think you can get 5 *maxxum* condoms in one. (they’re good for covering the barrel of your elephant gun in case of rain)
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I filled a ziplock sandwich bag with dryer lint. Then I pressed it flat to take up less room. You can start several fires with one bag. I used magnesium ribbons and a flint to start the dryer lint. I know the magnesium isn’t a home solution, but it was very cheap at a gun show. For $4, I got enough to start at least 200 fires. The flint is actually a magnesium firestarter, but I only use the flint from it. Stupid question: Why can’t you just use a disposable lighter? They cost less than a dollar each, and I think you can get three or four thousand lights from one. I tried a lighter first on my last fire. It wouldn’t light the wet sticks. The magnesium and lint lit it fairly quick.
The lighter could also be used to light the magnesium or lint. I just don’t see that using a flint to make a spark is somehow superior to using a butane lighter to make an instant flame. But, YMMV. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dave
Response:
waterproofing matches in a 35mm film canister (parafin and nail polisher remover, basicaly acetone) fishing gear in a film canister salt in a film canister (wouldn’t last long but would help) multi-vitiminns in a film canister
That’s a good start. Add to your small pack some razor blades or even get a razor blade with a handle, look in the hardware store where they are cheapest. If you need something cut, and you don’t want to dull a good knife doing it, it will come in handy. Let’s see. A basic kit should also have cordage, so if you don’t want to get some 550 paracord, some strong twine or even fishing line can be added to your kit. For your fire can, you can add cotton balls on top of the treated matches to make the can silent (no rattles) will give you additional tinder for the fire, though since I’m learning how to spin yarn, Mr. X has been taking cotton balls and showing his friends how to draft out and spin yarn from the cotton that comes in the top of our vitamin bottles LOL. However, if you have not thrown out your cotton from your vitamin container, it’s a freebie for your survival kit. If you have any extra candles lying around, add one to your kit. Those trick birthday candles are a good thing to have. You have not mentioned shelter. A very basic bare bones kit should have SOMETHING devoted to shelter, and if you want to go ultra cheap, for rain protection, add a couple of large garbage bags to your kit. Can cut head and arm holes and you have instant rain poncho, but you can get one with a hood packed down nice and tight from Wal-Mart for about a buck. Also cheap in Wal-Mart, around here anyway, are emergency blankets. They are also folded nice and compact and will fit into your kit. Other medical items you may want to consider are any prescription medications you or your family take. Throw in some Band-Aids from a larger box, generic work just as well as brand name, some triple-antibiotic cream or ointment, medical tape, because Band-Aids do fall off if you have work to do and even in gloves they come unstuck pretty easily, brand name or not. As for clothing options, you should have some good wool items. Wool will insulate you even when it’s wet, so if you don’t have any wool, you should invest in a wool hat, gloves, scarf, and socks, or make them if you know how to knit and/or crochet. I find wool items bought in the store are rather harsh on the skin because wool that’s treated commercially usually becomes VERY scratchy. Many 100% wool yarns have not been treated with so many chemicals, and therefore, the wool stays relatively soft. Learn the difference between superwash and virgin wool. If you make something of virgin wool and then wash it in hot water, it will felt, meaning the fibers will clump together, making your item shrink and become more dense. This is a good thing if your SO has made you a sweater that’s 5 times too big, but a bag thing if it was a snug fit to begin with. Superwash wool is made to go through the laundry without felting. That’s a start on some other items for you. Xena
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – waterproofing matches in a 35mm film canister (parafin and nail polisher remover, basicaly acetone) fishing gear in a film canister salt in a film canister (wouldn’t last long but would help) multi-vitiminns in a film canister That’s a good start. Add to your small pack some razor blades or even get a razor blade with a handle, look in the hardware store where they are cheapest. If you need something cut, and you don’t want to dull a good knife doing it, it will come in handy. Let’s see. A basic kit should also have cordage, so if you don’t want to get some 550 paracord, some strong twine or even fishing line can be added to your kit. For your fire can, you can add cotton balls on top of the treated matches to make the can silent (no rattles) will give you additional tinder for the fire, though since I’m learning how to spin yarn, Mr. X has been taking cotton balls and showing his friends how to draft out and spin yarn from the cotton that comes in the top of our vitamin bottles LOL. However, if you have not thrown out your cotton from your vitamin container, it’s a freebie for your survival kit. If you have any extra candles lying around, add one to your kit. Those trick birthday candles are a good thing to have. You have not mentioned shelter. A very basic bare bones kit should have SOMETHING devoted to shelter, and if you want to go ultra cheap, for rain protection, add a couple of large garbage bags to your kit. Can cut head and arm holes and you have instant rain poncho, but you can get one with a hood packed down nice and tight from Wal-Mart for about a buck.
Agreed, but keeping gear dry can be just as important as keeping self dry. If weather bad enough to not move around, then might be improvising a shelter somewhere. IMHO, biggest problem is to try to protect improvised shelters from both water and wind is a sheet of plastic. Cheapest solution I know for this is the roughly 6 x 8 foot sheets of thin transparent polyethylene sold as "painters dropcloths" Still have some bought years ago at three for $A 1.00…. or in US$ terms, about 20 cents each. Like cheap "survival space blankets", a bit of a "one use" item if aren’t extremely careful with them. Probably less than a mil [1/1000 inch] thick. Main advantage is that are very cheap and don’t take up much space. If want something much more durable, buy some 6 or 8 mil agricultural or construction plastic. Usually 6 meters [or roughly 6.5 yards wide] black or orange in colour, and can buy any length by the metre. [~39 inches.] Usually sold folded in half on 3 metre wide rolls. Much more rugged than the thin crap. However, if want something that will last much longer, go to some grade of canvas, or, better yet "rubberized nylon" tarp. This is "ripstop" stuff, nylon covered with neoprene. Farmers use it for irrigation ditch dams. The stuff that collapsible water and gasoline tanks is made from. More expensive and heavier than either plastic or canvas. On the other hand, almost indestructible in normal use. Also cheap in Wal-Mart, around here anyway, are emergency blankets. They are also folded nice and compact and will fit into your kit.
Take it that you mean the cheap "space blankets" of metallized plastic that fold to around the size of a cigarette pack. Effective enough, but again almost a "one use" item. The more expensive "survival blanket" consists of the metallised plastic, a fibre scrim inner layer, colored plastic outer layer, cloth with grommets on edges. IMHO, one of the most useful survival items ever invented, and wouldn’t be without one. Other medical items you may want to consider are any prescription medications you or your family take. Throw in some Band-Aids from a larger box, generic work just as well as brand name, some triple-antibiotic cream or ointment,
Umm, OK, but in terms of weight/space/effectiveness would still recommend iodine, mercurochrome, etc. …However all are better at preventing infection than curing it. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – medical tape, because Band-Aids do fall off if you have work to do and even in gloves they come unstuck pretty easily, brand name or not. As for clothing options, you should have some good wool items. Wool will insulate you even when it’s wet, so if you don’t have any wool, you should invest in a wool hat, gloves, scarf, and socks, or make them if you know how to knit and/or crochet. I find wool items bought in the store are rather harsh on the skin because wool that’s treated commercially usually becomes VERY scratchy. Many 100% wool yarns have not been treated with so many chemicals, and therefore, the wool stays relatively soft. Learn the difference between superwash and virgin wool. If you make something of virgin wool and then wash it in hot water, it will felt, meaning the fibers will clump together, making your item shrink and become more dense. This is a good thing if your SO has made you a sweater that’s 5 times too big, but a bag thing if it was a snug fit to begin with. Superwash wool is made to go through the laundry without felting.
Very difficult to improve on greasy wool for warmth, which is why fishermen in highly unpleasant conditions wear "fair isle" sweaters. Air is a great insulator, and wool fibers are hollow. There is a synthetic which mimics wool, but AFIK is still more expensive than genuine wool. A sheep covered in frost is usually still a comfortable sheep. That’s a start on some other items for you.
All great advice, Xena. It would help a bit if people writing in for advice gave some basic guidelines, though. With the expertise available on misc.survivalism, can offer lots of advice. However, it obviously makes a lot of difference if the individual wants to survive at the poles or on the equator. Other important info includes roughly how much money he is willing to spend and the maximum allowable weight and space for the "survival pack" I have been a "survivalist" for many decades, and will admit that my first "kit" as a as a child was pretty primitive. Still, it sometimes came in handy even for adults. [Eventually they even stopped laughing at me for being "prepared" :-) ] Hm, come to think of it,this might be an interesting area for discussion. Might be interesting to know when you, Xena, or you Gunner, first started thinking of "useful survival items". Of course, suppose it depends a lot on where a child grows up. If in a big city, don’t suppose that there is much point in carrying around matches, fishooks, etc. …Or knowing where to find water or food. Perhaps our early experiences count for more than we tend to think. When grow up in a dry area, only have to get desperately thirsty once or twice to realize that water is often more important than anything else. Don’t have to be very hungry long very often to realize how good a cheap can of beans can taste. Don’t have to spend many hours shivering in the cold to realize how useful matches, fuel, and knowledge of how to build a fire can be. Don’t have to hold your breath that long to know how important air can be. And, for that matter, don’t have to be frightened much until learn how to defend oneself., I suppose.:-) Maybe when we learn such things early in life we tend to grow up and be "survivalists"? Considering the obvious present risks, there are still very few people on misc.survivalism. Do others find this interesting? Why aren’t hundreds, thousands or even millions on it? Do they think they already know all there is to know, or are they all in denial? Anyone have any ideas on this issue? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Xena
Response:
Thanks Xena, you added a lot of good things: razor blades, 550 cord, extra cotton balls (i dunno about spinning yarn out of them though lol), Band Aids, antibiotics cream, and wool clothing. The one that caught my attention the most was the Garbage bags. They could be used to make shelter a few different way and could be used to collect water. I will add a bunch. Thanks
Response:
check out your local dollar store, much stuff is available cheap. bic lighters, rope, poncho’s, food, supplies, etc. — Steve Spence Subscribe to the Renewable Energy Newsletter & Discussion Boards. Read about Sustainable Technology: http://www.green-trust.org
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – waterproofing matches in a 35mm film canister (parafin and nail polisher remover, basicaly acetone) fishing gear in a film canister salt in a film canister (wouldn’t last long but would help) multi-vitiminns in a film canister That’s a good start. Add to your small pack some razor blades or even get a razor blade with a handle, look in the hardware store where they are cheapest. If you need something cut, and you don’t want to dull a good knife doing it, it will come in handy. Let’s see. A basic kit should also have cordage, so if you don’t want to get some 550 paracord, some strong twine or even fishing line can be added to your kit. For your fire can, you can add cotton balls on top of the treated matches to make the can silent (no rattles) will give you additional tinder for the fire, though since I’m learning how to spin yarn, Mr. X has been taking cotton balls and showing his friends how to draft out and spin yarn from the cotton that comes in the top of our vitamin bottles LOL. However, if you have not thrown out your cotton from your vitamin container, it’s a freebie for your survival kit. If you have any extra candles lying around, add one to your kit. Those trick birthday candles are a good thing to have. You have not mentioned shelter. A very basic bare bones kit should have SOMETHING devoted to shelter, and if you want to go ultra cheap, for rain protection, add a couple of large garbage bags to your kit. Can cut head and arm holes and you have instant rain poncho, but you can get one with a hood packed down nice and tight from Wal-Mart for about a buck. Agreed, but keeping gear dry can be just as important as keeping self dry. If weather bad enough to not move around, then might be improvising a shelter somewhere. IMHO, biggest problem is to try to protect improvised shelters from both water and wind is a sheet of plastic. Cheapest solution I know for this is the roughly 6 x 8 foot sheets of thin transparent polyethylene sold as "painters dropcloths" Still have some bought years ago at three for $A 1.00…. or in US$ terms, about 20 cents each. Like cheap "survival space blankets", a bit of a "one use" item if aren’t extremely careful with them. Probably less than a mil [1/1000 inch] thick. Main advantage is that are very cheap and don’t take up much space. If want something much more durable, buy some 6 or 8 mil agricultural or construction plastic. Usually 6 meters [or roughly 6.5 yards wide] black or orange in colour, and can buy any length by the metre. [~39 inches.] Usually sold folded in half on 3 metre wide rolls. Much more rugged than the thin crap. However, if want something that will last much longer, go to some grade of canvas, or, better yet "rubberized nylon" tarp. This is "ripstop" stuff, nylon covered with neoprene. Farmers use it for irrigation ditch dams. The stuff that collapsible water and gasoline tanks is made from. More expensive and heavier than either plastic or canvas. On the other hand, almost indestructible in normal use. Also cheap in Wal-Mart, around here anyway, are emergency blankets. They are also folded nice and compact and will fit into your kit. Take it that you mean the cheap "space blankets" of metallized plastic that fold to around the size of a cigarette pack. Effective enough, but again almost a "one use" item. The more expensive "survival blanket" consists of the metallised plastic, a fibre scrim inner layer, colored plastic outer layer, cloth with grommets on edges. IMHO, one of the most useful survival items ever invented, and wouldn’t be without one. Other medical items you may want to consider are any prescription medications you or your family take. Throw in some Band-Aids from a larger box, generic work just as well as brand name, some triple-antibiotic cream or ointment, Umm, OK, but in terms of weight/space/effectiveness would still recommend iodine, mercurochrome, etc. …However all are better at preventing infection than curing it. medical tape, because Band-Aids do fall off if you have work to do and even in gloves they come unstuck pretty easily, brand name or not. As for clothing options, you should have some good wool items. Wool will insulate you even when it’s wet, so if you don’t have any wool, you should invest in a wool hat, gloves, scarf, and socks, or make them if you know how to knit and/or crochet. I find wool items bought in the store are rather harsh on the skin because wool that’s treated commercially usually becomes VERY scratchy. Many 100% wool yarns have not been treated with so many chemicals, and therefore, the wool stays relatively soft. Learn the difference between superwash and virgin wool. If you make something of virgin wool and then wash it in hot water, it will felt, meaning the fibers will clump together, making your item shrink and become more dense. This is a good thing if your SO has made you a sweater that’s 5 times too big, but a bag thing if it was a snug fit to begin with. Superwash wool is made to go through the laundry without felting. Very difficult to improve on greasy wool for warmth, which is why fishermen in highly unpleasant conditions wear "fair isle" sweaters. Air is a great insulator, and wool fibers are hollow. There is a synthetic which mimics wool, but AFIK is still more expensive than genuine wool. A sheep covered in frost is usually still a comfortable sheep. That’s a start on some other items for you. All great advice, Xena. It would help a bit if people writing in for advice gave some basic guidelines, though. With the expertise available on misc.survivalism, can offer lots of advice. However, it obviously makes a lot of difference if the individual wants to survive at the poles or on the equator. Other important info includes roughly how much money he is willing to spend and the maximum allowable weight and space for the "survival pack" I have been a "survivalist" for many decades, and will admit that my first "kit" as a as a child was pretty primitive. Still, it sometimes came in handy even for adults. [Eventually they even stopped laughing at me for being "prepared" :-) ] Hm, come to think of it,this might be an interesting area for discussion. Might be interesting to know when you, Xena, or you Gunner, first started thinking of "useful survival items". Of course, suppose it depends a lot on where a child grows up. If in a big city, don’t suppose that there is much point in carrying around matches, fishooks, etc. …Or knowing where to find water or food. Perhaps our early experiences count for more than we tend to think. When grow up in a dry area, only have to get desperately thirsty once or twice to realize that water is often more important than anything else. Don’t have to be very hungry long very often to realize how good a cheap can of beans can taste. Don’t have to spend many hours shivering in the cold to realize how useful matches, fuel, and knowledge of how to build a fire can be. Don’t have to hold your breath that long to know how important air can be. And, for that matter, don’t have to be frightened much until learn how to defend oneself., I suppose.:-) Maybe when we learn such things early in life we tend to grow up and be "survivalists"? Considering the obvious present risks, there are still very few people on misc.survivalism. Do others find this interesting? Why aren’t hundreds, thousands or even millions on it? Do they think they already know all there is to know, or are they all in denial? Anyone have any ideas on this issue? Xena
Response:
Like cheap "survival space blankets", a bit of a "one use" item if aren’t extremely careful with them.
Good advice, but the poster sounded like a rank beginner who wanted to at least have SOMETHING to keep with him/her that didn’t cost too much. Was trying to offer things that would not break the bank while building up a better kit. Very difficult to improve on greasy wool for warmth, which is why fishermen in highly unpleasant conditions wear "fair isle" sweaters.
Fair isle refers to a style of knitting. Two colors and two colors only are used in a row of fair isle knitting. You can use as many colors as you want in the sweater, but only two colors per row, and some mild patterning. The strands of yarn are carried together across the work, dropping the yarn not in use, and possibly tucking it behind other stitches here and there if the repeat is a wide one, and the extra yarn adds extra thickness to the sweater. Some of the most famous fishermen’s sweaters were done in a style of knitting that is called Aran, which is heavily cabled. Generally only one color of yarn is used, the natural shade of the sheep, because on some really remote islands, things like moss and other plants weren’t available to help color the wool, so rather than stranding two different colors, they crossed stitches done in one strand of yarn here and there, or clustered them into bobbles to create a thicker fabric that way. Air is a great insulator, and wool fibers are hollow. There is a synthetic which mimics wool, but AFIK is still more expensive than genuine wool.
You can also take wool that has not been processed to death (which makes many modern commercial wool products so scratchy), which means you can’t just get it at Wal-Mart, because the cheap Woolease has been treated to go through the washer and come out unscathed, and if you get relatively unprocessed wool, you can make your item much bigger than you want it to be, just plain knitting or crocheting will do, and then wash it in hot water, alternating that with dunks into cold water. The wool fibers are ridged, and the heat opens the ridges. You agitate the wash, and the fibers become more entangled and compact the longer you hot wash it, and then you dunk it into cold water to help stop shrinkage and the matting process. When all that is said and done, you have a felted item. Wool felt is quite water resistant. Many peoples have used felted wool items and still do. The yurts/ger tents of the Mongols were covered with felt. Scandinavians made felt boots for the winter. Etc. Other important info includes roughly how much money he is willing to spend and the maximum allowable weight and space for the "survival pack"
That’s why I offered low-cost items and mentioned some items the questioner might have laying around the house and might not have considered as a possibility for his/her pack. Hm, come to think of it,this might be an interesting area for discussion. Might be interesting to know when you, Xena, or you Gunner, first started thinking of "useful survival items".
As a child, we grew and saved a lot of our own food as a necessity. This has always been with me as an adult, and has helped us through difficult times. However, I would only store extra food when Mr. X’s job was slated to end, and we knew the project was close to a close, so we’d be tided over while he found other work, which usually didn’t take too long. It took the Y2K scare to get me keeping food around on a regular basis, and it’s come in handy so many times since then that it’s now a regular thing. I even have Mr. X’s approval, which I didn’t have at first. I think he was afraid I’d end up like the "typical survivalist nut" in the dipshit "Y2K-The Movie" with barbed wire on the fence and a gun clutched in extremely paranoid hands. As it was, we were laughing at the movie, where the people are running uphill and beat the water’s arrival to the nuclear reactor’s center, which is 4,000 degrees, and they are allowed to enter the reactor room, and the water pouring in to save the day is just filling the chamber. Yeah right. No steam, and the people are just allowed into an overheating nuclear reactor core and don’t get parboiled by the steam that should be created by the water rushing in? Don’t think so! It was lame beyond words, but Mr. X was worried for a while that I would take it too far. However, I’ve been slow in building up our supplies, and I’ve been trying different things slowly, not all at once, and he’s finally been convinced. When grow up in a dry area, only have to get desperately thirsty once or twice to realize that water is often more important than anything else.
Did a lot of hiking when I was a kid, and I was given a nice canteen when I was really young, and I carried it for years and years, until it finally did wear out. Dropped one too many times by my sibs. Other than that, I always knew where I was when out hiking, could tell directions by the sun or stars, etc. Xena
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I have found that some paper towel, tissue paper whatever to cover the wound and wrap the paper with black electrical tape makes a great bandaid. Stays on when wet.
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For your fire can, you can add cotton balls on top of the treated matches to make the can silent (no rattles) will give you additional tinder for the fire, Those cotton balls will burn much better with some vasilene on them. Johnny A man should know: How to change a tire, a diaper, and a woman’s mind.Trouble when he sees it.True love when he feels it.A load of bull when he hears it.The symptoms of PMS and how to deal with them.How to unhook a bra with one hand-in the dark.
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/ but some type of BLOCK OF =FUEL= that burns long and hot enough to warm you up and/or dry out and ignite whatever other fuel are available. Don’t depend on a Zippo to save your life, but use it to save your LIFE SAVERS for when you really need them! That said, here’s how to get the most out of your Zippo…. DO NOT put ANY fuel into your Zippo except lighter fluid or Coleman type "camp fuel"! Nothing else works. Gasoline is the only thing else that comes close, but it is dangerous, burns very dirty and will gum up the wick causing the Zippo to never burn as big a flame until you replace the wick. (i’ve done this, so i know, and you can’t clean or restore a wick) Coleman type "camp fuel" burns very clean and well in a Zippo, but burns hotter than lighter fluid, and if allowed to burn continuously for more than 30 seconds Coleman fuel will heat up the lighter case causing the fuel in the case to boil which causes the flame to grow considerably which will overheat the sparker wheel ruining it’s hardness which ruins it’s ability to generate spark down to a very few times. The test to determine if a fuel will work in a Zippo is to pour a small amount on a small rag and see if it will ignite from spark =cold=. Compare that test fuel to a similar test using lighter fluid. It is considerably harder to ignite any fuel =cold= than it is to re-ignite one that was just burning. If in a desperate situation, what’s the point of filling your nice Zippo with a heavy, gummy fuel when a rag and spark will accomplish the same thing?! You will ruin the wick of your Zippo by putting kerosine, lamp fuel or gasoline into it!! Storing extra flint under the bottom pad is a common practice. Flint salvaged from any disposable butane lighter fits in a Zippo. Stretching the spring of a Zippo generates more spark, but shortens flint life. A Zippo kept in a warm pants pocket makes the Zippo empty and causes a rash on your leg. A Zippo case is made of chrome plated brass; To attach something to attach a string to not loose a survival Zippo, sandpaper it down to the brass and then a high powered soldering iron works well given enough surface area for strength. The case melts at temperatures for silver brazing temperatures unless you’re a professional. I can’t think of anything else to add except to repeat, a Zippo is a good, cheap, long lasting firestarter, just don’t rely on one to save your life. 