Duh...I feel stupid. If you are really concerned about the fumes, and that is a valid concern, once yer first fire is going, set you up a cooking fire close by and just transfer fire from an untouched burning piece of wood. I do this all the time when cooking on both of my outdoor cookpits.

While in the Air Force I had Spam 4 to 5 times a week for many months. I haven't had Spam since 1965. It is however, a good food stuff to have in a survival kit.

I keep a few sterno cans available to use as a cooking heat source. It works well with my mess kit. I used this heat source when teaching Cub Scouts how to use their kits a long time ago. It's pretty effective.

Good call Fetino, I also keep a few cans of Sterno around... and a sterno stove. Though you can use rocks or small logs or whatever else is available to use to hold you mess kit over the can or the ground, depending on how you use your sterno.

No need to set up a stand with a fresnel lens. It's starts tinder a blazing fast/

That's kind of funny with the sterno, because I knew someone who cooked with one too. The problem was that they were using it to heat a griddle to make cheesesteak bits. The meat wasn't even fully brown!

One thing that I've had as a concept is a folding stainless steel stove large enough to cook on with say a half gallon pot. The difference is that this stove would look like a miniature wood stove, with an adjustable draft and the ability to use small sticks safely to heat your water and food. I think it should be much more efficient than any open wood fire, and would be able to use paraffin blocks, esbit fuel, lint tabs, maybe even cotton/wax mixtures.

I would like to add a light source that needs no batteries. It's the Mini-Crank LED Flashlight. I like having a backup to my primary light in case I run out of battery power. I purchased this light at LL Bean.

Has anyone used those Faraday flashlight things? And I mean the actual brand name "As seen on TV" one. Where you shake it for power? Are they worth it when it comes to light? I bought a generic brand of the same design and it only gives me a little bitty spotlight. I never trusted those commercials that make it look like the product they are selling is the greatest thing in the universe, lol.

quote:

Originally posted by fetino:
I would like to add a light source that needs no batteries. It's the Mini-Crank LED Flashlight. I like having a backup to my primary light in case I run out of battery power. I purchased this light at LL Bean.

I keep a couple crank powered radios and lanterns around the house. I have a small faraday flashlight in my kit.

quote:

Originally posted by lindbergh-baby:
Has anyone used those Faraday flashlight things? And I mean the actual brand name "As seen on TV" one. Where you shake it for power? Are they worth it when it comes to light? I bought a generic brand of the same design and it only gives me a little bitty spotlight. I never trusted those commercials that make it look like the product they are selling is the greatest thing in the universe, lol.

The Faraday flashlights are not designed to be bright powerful flashlights, they are simply meant to provide some light in an emergency.

I have a real cheap one I got from work that was a "safety prize",(which means it was cheap as 300 employees received them) it has a bad switch now.

I bought a few of the ones sold at wally world and they seem to function fine. Though again , they are not the brightest light in the room.......

I think if i needed to make a survival kit i would follow les strouds example,a good multi tool,some kind of loud obnoxious instrument,fire starting material,such as signal flares,those 2 chemicals he mixed toghther(dont remember the names)thats a must have,maybe a rotted half eaten fish

quote:

The Faraday flashlights are not designed to be bright powerful flashlights

Which is odd considering one of their advertising points, lol. Well thanks for the info, appreciate it.

quote:

Originally posted by lindbergh-baby:

quote:

The Faraday flashlights are not designed to be bright powerful flashlights

Which is odd considering one of their advertising points, lol. Well thanks for the info, appreciate it.

You're welcome.

And yes the commercials do make it seem that they are pretty powerful, but you definitely are not going to spotlight deer with one....unless he is 6 feet away.



*Note* deer spotlighting was simply a humorous example, I do not nor have I ever participated in this unethical and in many cases illegal activity.

Well, I made some of the cottonball/wax blend firestarting aids and tried one out today in the driveway. It is a fairly breezy day today and I was able to start a fire in under 3 minutes using my magnesium flint and steel with the cotton wax blend as my main source of tinder.

Thanks for the tip whoever posted it way back on page one! This item has been added to my fire making kit!

Did you try the chunk of wax in the cotton ball or did you let the cotton soak up a bunch of liquid wax? Cause the cotton soaking up the wax nearly produces a roaring fire by itself, lol.

I cut a soda can in half, used the bottom half and poked a few holes in it, lite a small tea candle under it and melt some wax in the parabola. That should give enough liquid wax to soak into half a cotton ball. Should do the trick.

I used an old grungy crock pot to melt my wax in. Also, if you go to a lot of rummage sales you can usually pick up big ugly candles for not much money.

Also, since one main thing about survival is to try and use what is around you without using what you have. Pine tree resin makes an excellent fuel for fire starting, since its a hydrocarbon, if you don't want to use your wax or if you left your wax at home.

Take your cotton ball, put some pieces of pine resin into it and spark the ball. The resin will melt and create a candle effect.

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Well if you lose the bag then you deserve to be lost in the woods with nothing, you should have been more prepared, lol. And you should always carry a needle and some heavy duty thread or fishing line in your pack, just in case.

I have had problims with fishing line cutting through clothing if it is under stress. I would recomend floss. Personaly I have used it for a few years and it never seems to rip out. I have stated going over some seems before I have a problim with the floss just to make sure it holds.

quote:

Originally posted by lindbergh-baby:
Did you try the chunk of wax in the cotton ball or did you let the cotton soak up a bunch of liquid wax? Cause the cotton soaking up the wax nearly produces a roaring fire by itself, lol.

I cut a soda can in half, used the bottom half and poked a few holes in it, lite a small tea candle under it and melt some wax in the parabola. That should give enough liquid wax to soak into half a cotton ball. Should do the trick.

I soaked a cottonball with the wax from a tealight candle. I had a couple empty tealight candle shells from wherewe burned some during a storm related power outage this past Thursday, I hollowed out a cottonball in an empty shell and pourd the melted wax from another candle into it and once it had soaked up the wax into thefibers and began to make a ball of wax in the middle of the hollow, I closed the ends of the cottonball up around it and lastly poured a little wax over the bulk of the cottonball, leaving the ends of the cottonball up and twisted together like a wick.

quote:

Originally posted by lindbergh-baby:
Also, since one main thing about survival is to try and use what is around you without using what you have. Pine tree resin makes an excellent fuel for fire starting, since its a hydrocarbon, if you don't want to use your wax or if you left your wax at home.

Take your cotton ball, put some pieces of pine resin into it and spark the ball. The resin will melt and create a candle effect.

Mostly hardwoods around here in West Kentucky, wild pine are few and far between, most pine trees around here are planted by homeowners or the highway department along the 4 lanes and the occasional Xmas tree farm.

There are some wild Cedar trees, the dried nettles from the ground around them aregood source of tinder....when you can find a wild cedar growing....

Still useful info though as I plan on doing some hunting out west someday, where I guess there may be more pine forests....

quote:

Mostly hardwoods around here in West Kentucky, wild pine are few and far between, most pine trees around here are planted by homeowners or the highway department along the 4 lanes and the occasional Xmas tree farm.

LOL so what are you complaining about? It sounds like pine sap is the ideal survival tool for you. If you find some your eather in someones yard or on the highway, eather way your saved.

But, I have used pine sap and it dose work really well.

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Mostly hardwoods around here in West Kentucky, wild pine are few and far between, most pine trees

Well since you live in Kentucky, it shouldn't be too hard to find more pine trees. Just stand on a shoe box and you can see across the entire state.

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I have had problims with fishing line cutting through clothing if it is under stress.

Try braided spider wire in about 30 to 40 pound test.

quote:

Originally posted by bearc1aw:

quote:

Mostly hardwoods around here in West Kentucky, wild pine are few and far between, most pine trees around here are planted by homeowners or the highway department along the 4 lanes and the occasional Xmas tree farm.

LOL so what are you complaining about? It sounds like pine sap is the ideal survival tool for you. If you find some your eather in someones yard or on the highway, eather way your saved.

But, I have used pine sap and it dose work really well.

LOL. No complaints here. I love where I live.

quote:

Originally posted by lindbergh-baby:

quote:

Mostly hardwoods around here in West Kentucky, wild pine are few and far between, most pine trees

Well since you live in Kentucky, it shouldn't be too hard to find more pine trees. Just stand on a shoe box and you can see across the entire state.

HA! You ain't never really seen Kentucky have you?

Well, I bought me a 1800s style camp hatchet at the re-enactment recently. I bought a few 72" rawhide bootlaces and wrapped them around the hickory handle both for splinter protection and so as I would have back up "strings" for a fire bow or for whatever other use I may need them for.

It is much lighter weight than a modern steel handled hatchet, tough a bit longer. The added length is helpful in making it stay in place in the loop I placed it in on my pack.

I need to go to the hardware store and get a few "Ax handle" wedges to keep in my pack, to drive into the head end of the handle, to keep the handle snugly fit as it dries out and shrinks. Course, I may need to soak it in water to swell it out again as well. Depending on how much it shrinks.

i dont know if i have been smart or stupid

but i have always soaked my axe heads in used motor oil. the head still swells but the blade done rust and i think it last longer. then i send the motor oil off the the recycler.

its a little black unless you have a propane truck but that wipes right off.

nutz_II
oil + water mixed creamy burns HOT when it gets going.

Yeah, my Granddaddy and my Dad always soaked their ax heads in used motor oil as the axes were often left stuck in a stump at the wood pile to keep them handy. The oil repelled rainwater and the handles lasted longer.

I don't burn wood at this time, so I soak them in water, after first spraying the steel with silcone spray. Then after soaking/swelling, I use the air compressor to blow the excess water off and out from between the blade and handle, then spray it all down with WD40, after wiping any rust there may be off with a rag and Sewing Machine oil.

Figured I would bump this back to the top.....keep the good ideas and discussion going folks!

This is an entertaining idea for the survival kit.

http://tinyurl.com/3542fs

Imagine: Catch a squirrel, chop it up, throw it into a pot of boiling water and toss in some chunks of your emergency light source. BAM, high calorie soup.

quote:

Originally posted by lindbergh-baby:
This is an entertaining idea for the survival kit.

http://tinyurl.com/3542fs

Imagine: Catch a squirrel, chop it up, throw it into a pot of boiling water and toss in some chunks of your emergency light source. BAM, high calorie soup.

Thats funny!

I had an idea just today, and I think it has some merit for signaling. Some of those small strobe flashing fireworks, looks like a mini Reese's peanut butter cup, wrapped in tin foil, and packed with saw dust for moisture protection. These things are pretty bright and can be seen for miles even if you cant look directly at them, like when its on the other side of a hill or something.

Think about this, you can use the saw dust as tinder for fire lighting. You form a bowl out of the tinfoil put the firework in the middle of the bowl so it focuses the light upward and creates a flashlight reflector effect.

The little fireworks are easier to get a hold of then flares, I think.

Not a bad idea. Maybe not easier (in some states, they sell flares at Walmart). But definitly not a bad idea.

Definitely not a bad idea....Flares are readily avialable where I live and are easy enough to get online.

Anything, any questions about survival kits, can be answered by another Marine (no such thing as former) John D. McCann (weteachu.com) Stroud is the hottest thing to grace our viewing pleasure since "The Mountainmen".

Good Stuff Maynard!

Karlsson

This idea came frome a survival equipment book..........pack a few birthday candles that can't be blown out. These trick candles will give you a longer opportunity to make a fire.

quote:

another Marine (no such thing as former)

No there is such thing as a Former Marine. There are no Ex Marines. The term Former Marine stems from the longer version. Former Active Duty Marine. Saying Former Marine is just a shorter way of saying it.

quote:

Originally posted by fetino:
This idea came frome a survival equipment book..........pack a few birthday candles that can't be blown out. These trick candles will give you a longer opportunity to make a fire.

By golly! Now thats a good idea!

To Typ:

Thanks for the backup brother!

quote:

Thanks for the backup brother!

No problem man. We Marines travel in packs.

Okay, I am modding the candle wax/cottonball blend for emergency fire starting....I am going to add shavings from my magnesium stick to the mix and see if this helps out any with getting a fire started faster......I'll get back to you folks with the results.

Edit: I know it may seem redundant to mix the magnesium in already and then using a mag stic to light that as well, but I am figuring on it being much faster to already habve the shavings off the stick, so you don't have to fumble around as much with cold, numb fingers....especially in low temps and when soaking wet....a time that it is essential you get a fire started.

Also, I just recently used my cotton ball/wax ball combo to boil a soda can filled with water and it took almost 8 minutes. Using a fire that was no bigger then the palm of my hand and produced almost no light. With enough practice one could make some tea, maybe even some soup, without alerting everyone else around you. Haha

I noticed that everyone has great ideas for these kits, but I have one question what are you suppose to wipe with. I mean I never see Les say anything about what is good to use and for someone who has never seen poison Ivy before I would be in for a world hurtin.

One thing that I bring with me (that I haven't seen here yet) is a folding saw. They weight almost nothing and are fairly compact since they fold, and that makes it safe too. According to the package they never need to be sharpened. It makes it pretty easy to make the thinner pieces of wood smaller to build a fire.

As for poison ivy, I'd look it up online or in a book, that will show you what it looks like and where it grows. Personally I have never had a problem with needing to wipe, my brain blocks out that bodily function for some reason!

quote:

Originally posted by USMCTRONGOD:
I noticed that everyone has great ideas for these kits, but I have one question what are you suppose to wipe with. I mean I never see Les say anything about what is good to use and for someone who has never seen poison Ivy before I would be in for a world hurtin.

Well if it is growing on a vine, don't wipe with the leaves!

Whenever I was in the field, if I ran out of toilet paper, I would cut strips off the bottom of my t-shirt....worked much better than leaves.

Though I could usually not have to "drop a deuce" on a 3-4 day FTX....Much longer than that and I was off to dig a cathole!

Edit to add: I reccommend cutting strips off the bottom ofyour shirt before going to do your business.....squatting over a cathole and trying it is not the safest way to be handling a sharp (or dull) knife.

quote:

Originally posted by Bryan May:
One thing that I bring with me (that I haven't seen here yet) is a folding saw. They weight almost nothing and are fairly compact since they fold, and that makes it safe too. According to the package they never need to be sharpened. It makes it pretty easy to make the thinner pieces of wood smaller to build a fire.

As for poison ivy, I'd look it up online or in a book, that will show you what it looks like and where it grows. Personally I have never had a problem with needing to wipe, my brain blocks out that bodily function for some reason!

Folding saw is an excellent idea and I can't believe I forgot that as I have one in the grab bag in my truck!

Well I appreciate the input. See being an air winger we went to the field and had port-a-johns plus I never had to drop a duece out there because I was stopped up on MRE cheese and crackers, love that stuff! The shirt thing doesnt sound like a bad idea. But as far as the plant thing I need to look that stuff up and see which plants are safe to use. OOHRAH Devil and Happy New Year to ya!

quote:

Originally posted by USMCTRONGOD:
Well I appreciate the input. See being an air winger we went to the field and had port-a-johns plus I never had to drop a duece out there because I was stopped up on MRE cheese and crackers, love that stuff! The shirt thing doesnt sound like a bad idea. But as far as the plant thing I need to look that stuff up and see which plants are safe to use. OOHRAH Devil and Happy New Year to ya!

You wing nuts and your port-a-johns!

Yep the MRE cheese was a good pipe clogger!

Oddly now, I can eat all the "real life civilian" cheese I want and not become in the least bit "bound up"!

Semper Fi and a Happy New Year to you as well.

quote:

Originally posted by formermarine0341:

quote:

Originally posted by Bryan May:
One thing that I bring with me (that I haven't seen here yet) is a folding saw. They weight almost nothing and are fairly compact since they fold, and that makes it safe too. According to the package they never need to be sharpened. It makes it pretty easy to make the thinner pieces of wood smaller to build a fire.

As for poison ivy, I'd look it up online or in a book, that will show you what it looks like and where it grows. Personally I have never had a problem with needing to wipe, my brain blocks out that bodily function for some reason!

Folding saw is an excellent idea and I can't believe I forgot that as I have one in the grab bag in my truck!

It happens to the best of us, especially remembering a list of things! Ask my dad after he gets home from food shopping. He never brings a list and almost always forgets what my step-mother wants!

First, take a leaf and rub it on your arm, wait 20 minutes. If you don't feel anything where you rubbed it then you break it open and rub the "blood" of the leaf on your arm, then wait 30 minutes. If you don't feel anything after that then it should be safe to use on the.........*cough*

At least, thats how I was taught. Corrections?

quote:

Originally posted by lindbergh-baby:
First, take a leaf and rub it on your arm, wait 20 minutes. If you don't feel anything where you rubbed it then you break it open and rub the "blood" of the leaf on your arm, then wait 30 minutes. If you don't feel anything after that then it should be safe to use on the.........*cough*

At least, thats how I was taught. Corrections?

I wouldn't suggest doing this, in a survival situation you don't want to expose yourself to any sort of injury. It will make things that much more uncomfortable if you actually wipe a poisonous plant on you.

If you must go . . . I'd use something you know is safe.