Field Craft - Home Craft

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   The expierence of members is widely varied.  My hope is to start a thread that would cover topics from sewing to making butter, home made sauerkraut to outside field expident shelters.

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Field Craft - Home Craft Posted: February 19 2006 at 9:31am
	The expierence of members is widely varied. My hope is to start a thread that would cover topics from sewing to making butter, home made sauerkraut to outside field expident shelters.

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 19 2006 at 12:35pm
	Tarp leanto - material required: 20 penny or larger preferable nails. Tent pegs can work. Hatchet, 100' of parachute cord, tarp 8' to 12', some people use bungi cords. Find 2 trees 8' to 12 ' apart on level to gently sloping ground. The back of your shelter should be down slope so water off your shelter will drain away from you. I like to put a horizontal pole between two trees about 4 to 5 feet off the ground for the shelter front. This pole can be spiked to the tree (the tree won't suffer much) or held in place by forked sticks on each end. The tarp attaches to the pole with bungi cords or parachute cord. The back is staked down with pegs, sticks or your big nails. The horizontal member could be more cord to attach the front of the leanto to. A horizontal pole about 3" in diameter is sturdy though. Trench around your shelter to direct rain runoff away. Use pine needles or leaves to insulate from the ground. Your fire ring should be 4 to 6 feet in front of your shelter. I actually make mine closer - be careful you don't want to burn down yourleanto. The back of your fire ring should be about 2 feet with large stones if possible. This will store heat and reflect heat into your "Hooch". If you are going to be there awhile consider making sides with rocks and or branches. An entrenching tool helps ditching and making the bathroom (the latrine should not be near your water source and 100 feet from your hooch. Drip lines off your main support lines keep water from running into your tarp. Just tie on small lines so the water will run to that point then drip down. You probably can make a place on the back of your tarp to pool water. If you can pack a tarp in your bug out bag, you have shelter. You can pull a lean to off a vehicle too. Big nails in the end of a split stick tied or taped make a good pointy stick. Pointy sticks are good things if that is all you have. Always take a day at a time, extend to the next day - adapt, overcome.

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 19 2006 at 12:58pm
	Bug out bags: Don't put stuff in your bag that you don't know how to use. If you have several in the family distribute the goods so if one bag is lost the other bags still have the items you need. I am not going to list every item that I think should be in a bag. But I am going to list the groups of things that I think should be, and examples basically water, food, fire, light, shelter, first aid. Weapons could be for you or not for you. I think the individual should make that decision. Depending on where you live your needs will be different. Your water may be only enough to get you where you need to go and a water filter. Fire could be flint & steel, water proof matches, lighter or all three. If the SHTF - mister fire should be in your pocket at all times. Your food could be a small amount of food short term, but you could be carrying an assortment of fishing hooks, lead, line and so on. You might be carring 22 ammo and a pistol or 22 rifle to take small game with. Shelter could be light weight tent, pouncho, a heavy duty garbage bag with a hole for your head to come out or the tarp shelter posted earlier. First aid - should be what you use at home. Light could be candles or flash lights. Put things in your bag that you know how to use - not because it showed up on some ones list. Teach your kids how to build a fire if they are to an age that you are comfortable with them knowing how. It will take some of the mystery away from them and they will be better for it. I have seen people who couldn't build a fire on top of a flare. Spend the night in your local State Park, build a fire, roast a hot dog, live off your bag overnight. Old 35mm film cannisters always make a good place to put matches, fish hooks, line - sinkers. Keep it light.