Actually living and surviving outdoors...not just camping..pt 2 "WHAT HAVE I LEARNED"

[OSFG]

This is part two of an on going thread. Please do not post unless you have already completed part 1 at this link http://theoutdoortradingpost.com/showthread.php?829-Actually-living-and-surviving-outdoors-not-just-camping .

Now part two. This is where you come back and say this was my weak area and this is what I did to improve it.
Post videos of you doing it or at least describe what you did and what you learned and how it overall improved your survivability score.

Remember the scoring was on a 1-10 basis with 1 being I might last a day or two. 5 being I could last for months, 10 being..Hell I live like that already.

.

Please give your original assessment and your updated one based off what you learned or are learning...Remebr you can post again and again so show me the action and the scoring you attribute to what you learned...This thread may fail miserably...but I hope you guys keep it going for me.

Admin- Can I make this a sticky thread? as well as the original at the link above? because it will take some time to do this.

OSFG

[OSFG]

So to get this started. My weaknesses are. Identifying local flora that have medicinal value or edibility, physical conditioning, pre-modern fire starting, and growing anything. I will return to post what I learned about any of those areas and update my score (or not) accordingly . The point is that many folks will have the same weakness and other s can learn from what you post and try the same tests or methods to improve.

[Just Sayin']

Okay, here goes OSFG.

My biggest weakness identified so far is the medicinal plants in our area. 0 knowledge there. I know what I can eat, but never really thought about what happens when the medicines run out. Anyone have any good recommendations here for a book that covers the plants of the southeastern US? I feel pretty good about first aid and medical, outside of the home remedy department. I've been doctoring livestock for more than 20 years, and have a pretty fair understanding of how to keep someone alive.

My next biggest weakness is physical fitness. Until last November, this was not an issue, but I ended up with a rather severe case of Shingles, and am not coaching HS soccer this year, so I'm not quite as fit as I used to be. I've still got the Shingles, but am planning on running again in the next month or so. I'll go with a score of 4 here. I'm still not an invalid yet,

One thing that I would like to improve, and don't remember hearing much about, is the ability to communicate over long distances. I've got short range commo, both CB and FRS, but no real knowledge or access to anything with greater range. That would be an advantage to have, largely because then you are able to see a larger picture of what is happening around you.

I think my overall average in the first part was a 7 or so. I'm still pretty confident that it's around a 6 on the grading scale you proposed. I did pay attention in all the military schools I attended, and I am pretty confident of my skills and ability to actually use them, although those are surely going to degrade some every year that passes.

[OSFG]

Okay, here goes OSFG.

My biggest weakness identified so far is the medicinal plants in our area. 0 knowledge there. I know what I can eat, but never really thought about what happens when the medicines run out. Anyone have any good recommendations here for a book that covers the plants of the southeastern US? I feel pretty good about first aid and medical, outside of the home remedy department. I've been doctoring livestock for more than 20 years, and have a pretty fair understanding of how to keep someone alive.

My next biggest weakness is physical fitness. Until last November, this was not an issue, but I ended up with a rather severe case of Shingles, and am not coaching HS soccer this year, so I'm not quite as fit as I used to be. I've still got the Shingles, but am planning on running again in the next month or so. I'll go with a score of 4 here. I'm still not an invalid yet,

One thing that I would like to improve, and don't remember hearing much about, is the ability to communicate over long distances. I've got short range commo, both CB and FRS, but no real knowledge or access to anything with greater range. That would be an advantage to have, largely because then you are able to see a larger picture of what is happening around you.

I think my overall average in the first part was a 7 or so. I'm still pretty confident that it's around a 6 on the grading scale you proposed. I did pay attention in all the military schools I attended, and I am pretty confident of my skills and ability to actually use them, although those are surely going to degrade some every year that passes.

Great start... My expertise in SF was communications and particularly HF radios, Morse code and making field expedient antennas just using wire to communicate hundreds to thousands of miles. I have communicated from Afghanistan to the US East coast (over 7,000 miles) just using a di-pole antenna (two long wires suspended like a clothesline) and a 20 watt radio. Also there are a tons of HAM operators that do that too. I could offer some suggestions and also some links, but I was never a civilian HAM radio operator so I don't have knowledge about civilian radios. Just Antenna theory and wave propagation and how the atmosphere is used to bounce the waves where you want them to go. Sky wave, Near vertical incidental Skywave, etc. I hope you find the knowldge you are looking for and sorry about the Shingles. Good luck buddy.

[pheniox17]

In the spirt if this (its kinda great)

Local lacking is native eatables (flora) and meds (not too phased with wild meds as I know enough to treat the basics, and unfortunately at this stage, its not in the high priority list)

making grass seed flower (the aboriginal people had this as a staple)

Local and further out terrain knowledge (I am getting to know a few areas due to qfes involvement)

Defence I am lacking a lot, and fitness is slowly becoming a issue (looking at getting back into aikido to solve both problems slightly)

Again a quility inch bag (high on the list)

More time on fire making.....

Go out and revise wild tracking skills (roos,turkies, pigs, and small game)

FIREARMS and muzzle loaders, need to work on that (apparently all materials needed to keep a muzzle loader fed is available all over wild Australia

[Nightshade]

I need to learn a type of martial arts. I need to learn how to make cordage from plants. I'll get back to u on the cordage first :)

[Arklatex]

Working on my matchless/lighterless fire skill this week. Today I burned the trash as I do every week. I normally start it with a fire steel and some of the trash as tinder. This week I made it a little more challenging. First I grabbed my fire kit out of my GHB which is in a small ziplock bag inside of an altoids tin. It has the full size swedish fire steel, some cotton balls a lighter and a fresnel lens. Next I threw the kit into a cup of water as a test. Luckily the baggie did it's job but the tin was full of water... I also wanted to simulate a hand injury so from this point on everything was done with only my right hand. I gathered up some dry grass and asst other tinder and put a ruffed up cotton ball into it. Then i stepped on the handle of the fire steel and managed to spark the tinder bundle into flame on the first try. End result: trash burned. Lessons: I can one hand start a fire in ideal conditions with my ghb kit. Altoids tin sucks, need to ditch it or put it into a ziplock bag. Maybe next week I will try a friction fire.

[OSFG]

I use the Altoids tins but everything inside is packaged water tight. You should try taking he cotton ball, apply a coating of Vaseline and rub it well into the cotton ball, then cut some straws a bout 3 inches and push the cotton into the straw and seal it at each end with a lighter and pliers. (melt and then Pinch with pliers) Now when you need the cotton balls you can either cut an end and pull a little cotton and light like a candle or if using a lighter just start burning one end. These fit well in the tins.

I never trust plastic bags....ever.

[Just Sayin']

I use the Altoids tins but everything inside is packaged water tight. You should try taking he cotton ball, apply a coating of Vaseline and rub it well into the cotton ball, then cut some straws a bout 3 inches and push the cotton into the straw and seal it at each end with a lighter and pliers. (melt and then Pinch with pliers) Now when you need the cotton balls you can either cut an end and pull a little cotton and light like a candle or if using a lighter just start burning one end. These fit well in the tins.

I never trust plastic bags....ever.

This may be a stupid question, but do you really have to waterproof cotton balls and petroleum jelly?

[OSFG]

This may be a stupid question, but do you really have to waterproof cotton balls and petroleum jelly?

I do because I don't completely saturate them and I don't want the mess all over the place when the can gets hot from the weather. But yes, unless you saturate it, the cotton can still absorb moisture where not covered by the Vaseline.

[Just Sayin']

I got you loud and clear OSFG. Now it makes sense. Thanks man!

[Just Sayin']

I don't actually use cotton balls, but dryer lint. Not that I've seen any difference in performance, just that the lint is free. And my daughter never, ever cleans out the lint trap on the dryer.

Anyone need any lint? I've got plenty!

[OSFG]

I use both the lint and the cotton balls, but I keep the lint dry and solely for the spark catching techniques, where as I use the cotton and Vaseline more for primarily the starting of damp tinder. The Vaseline makes the cotton burn quite a bit longer.

[pheniox17]

I have a version, small cotton balls soaked in vasaline wrapped in duct tape, still playing with it but its a net little package (and takes a spark very well)

[Innkeeper]

I don't actually use cotton balls, but dryer lint. Not that I've seen any difference in performance, just that the lint is free. And my daughter never, ever cleans out the lint trap on the dryer.

Anyone need any lint? I've got plenty!

lol I think any of us with kids have a ton of excess dryer lint. I use that and the cotton ball trick myself, use my empty medication bottles to hold them and put a few in every bag as well as spares in the house.

[TJC44]

I need to try the cotton ball & vaseline bit. I've tried the Swedish fire stick with tinder & can't get it to take.

[Pauls]

I need to try the cotton ball & vaseline bit. I've tried the Swedish fire stick with tinder & can't get it to take.

You need very fine, dry tinder to take a spark from any fire steel. Even a light coat of oil can prevent the spark from taking. The key to the cotton ball is to keep part of the ball dry to take the spark and then it will ignite the vaseline. If you thoroughly soak the cotton ball with vaseline it will not ignite easily.

[Innkeeper]

Has been a swamped time for doing everything but camping these last 6 weeks or so, but I have a nice tent I recently picked up the 2 man Marine issue tent, I keep hearing how it is good for 4 seasons, so using my Army cold weather bags I am going to do some camping this fall and a couple winter weekends, and see where my shortcomings are and I will be reporting back to you, though I know I have some shortcomings in medical and I am hoping to address that next semester I have 3 electives to fill and I am going to talk to my advisor and see if taking some of the EMT courses will qualify, we have a great nursing program at our school , so barring that I will see if I can swing any of those and have them qualify. Again I will report back and keep you updated OSFG and see what advice you may have.

Any advice anyone has on which of those types of classes might be best I would appreciate.

[TJC44]

Holy ****, I finally got it to work. With the help of the cotton balls. I wanted to build it up to full size but I was on lunch break and didn't have the time. Now that THAT issue is done, I can move on. I also have been looking closer at the native plants in the area, cattails, fiddleheads, etc I've yet to taste them.
Oh, well, back to work.
TJC

[OSFG]

Outstanding TJC44.

[Pauls]

TJC,
If you are going to eat Fiddle neck ferns be shur to eat only the curled tops of young plants. The older plants become toxic. Steam them like aspergus and they are good.

[TJC44]

So I've heard. Haven't had the chance yet. TNX Paul.