Methods of fire building have long been a fascination of mine. I tend to gravitate towards the more traditional options. The bow drill option is about as traditional as it gets. But it's not as easy as it may seem. Conditions and materials really have a huge influence on your success rate with the bow and drill. I wanted to share this video as a very good, detailed look at the bow and drill material choice, technique, and what to do once you have a good ember. It is long... but it's worth it. Hope you enjoy.
Top 5 Paracord projects
Paracord is all the rage right now. It's strong, light weight and comes is all kinds of colors and patterns (for the aesthetically minded). It's usefulness goes beyond it's basic form. If you deconstruct it you'll see that it is made of a durable outer sheath, several smaller strong cords (they get their strength from being bundled together), and one twisted black and white strand thin enough to sew with. The dozens of uses for each of these parts makes this rope very desirable to have around. Especially in an unexpected emergency.
Enter the survival bracelet. I'm sure you've seen them around. The draw being that you can carry somewhere around 10' of cord with you on your wrist in the form of a bracelet (depending on the style). If a situation arises that requires rope, you simply take it apart.
Of course you can do more than just make bracelets. I have seen all kinds of things made out of paracord. The benefit of the longer items is that they hold a lot more cord. A good rule of thumb is about a foot per inch. You can do the math.
Here are some of my favorite project tutorials. Hopefully you find something that will inspire you to get your knot on! Click the images to get to the tutorial.
#1 Paracord belt
#2 Paracord dog leash
#3 Paracord hammock
This one isn't so much an everyday carry item, but it looks fun!
#4 Paracord bottle wrap
Like most of these projects, the applications of these techniques can be applies in many different forms.
#5 Paracord bracelet
You've got to include the classic bracelet in a top 5 list. This link has some great instructional videos.
There are many many different knots and patterns that are used to create this sorts of items. The results are varied. Some simple and some very intricate and beautiful. There's a whole paracord world out there waiting for you...
Bear attack!
I've personally never been charged by a grizzly or any other deadly beast. I wouldn't mind going to the grave without the experience, but you never know what the future holds. This handy graphic will help you decide ahead of time what do to do in the event of an encounter. Spoiler alert! Running in terror is not recommended for any kind of encounter. Except maybe squirrel.
The truth behind Mosquito repellent
Mosquitos are the worst. They can put a serious damper on a trip. I've seen hikers literally running out of the woods trying to escape thick clouds in central Oregon. I've heard the woods humming like high voltage power lines with the darn things. So, short of not going outside, how can you get rid of them?! Do the crazy Chemicals work? Are there natural ways? This little info graphic will help you decide which of your options way be the best for you. Hopefully this will make your next trip a bit more pleasant and a lot less itchy.