Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Mora (& Other Low-Cost Knife) Modification For Better Bushcraft

It’s all well and good if you can afford a high end quality bushcraft/survival knife such as those made by the Ontario Knife Company or Spyderco fixed blades. The fact remains that by far the best selling bushcraft/survival knives are the low cost Mora knives made in Sweden, with the Morakniv Companion at under $15 being by far the most popular of all the Mora knives.

For their price, Mora knives are fantastic knives, I have two, and whilst they are not full-tang knives, I have used and abused them and I haven’t come close to breaking one. They make great camp and general around home knives. I wouldn’t choose one as my first choice for a bug-out-bag/survival bag, but it would be my back up!

For all the positives about these very low cost Mora knives, there is a quick, two minute modification you can make to them that will dramatically improve their usefulness. Watch the video by Dave Canterbury from the Pathfinder School and get modifying.

By the way, if you don’t already own a Mora knife, check out the Mora knife range on Amazon, I highly recommend them! I have some very high quality knives, I even have a bespoke knife made especially for me, but time and time again, I find myself reaching for the Mora knife. I think it is because it is so dependable and hey, if I do break it, it’s only $15…

How To Make The MIDGE Gasifier Campstove

FESOVDWH8CVKJO0.LARGE

Gasifier camp stoves are gaining in popularity, this is because they burn very hot, very clean and very efficiently. The reason gasifier stoves are more efficient is because the air is drawn in through the bottom of the stove and as it passes though the fuel, it too is combusted, so in effect you are burning the fuel, and the wood gas/smoke which is given off. That’s my very basic understanding of the process anyway…

Now you can purchase a gasifier camp stove, the Solo Stove is very popular with campers, hikers and preppers. I have a Solo Stove and I will be reviewing it shortly. Whilst the Solo Stove is a premium bit of kit, it does cost around $70. Below is a tutorial on how to build your own gasifer camp stove for free, from some tin cans and a few screws. This stove is called the MIDGE (“Modified Inverted Downdraft Gasifier Experiment”) and it is actually quite famous in its own right as an awesome little stove for those into DIY, or on a tight budget. Check it out below, it is very easy to make.

How To Make The MIDGE Gasifier Campstove

(Photo from: KoffeeKommando)

Snakebite Symptoms And First Aid Advice

snake

Firstly, before the snake bite first aid and treatment advice, brownie points for anyone who can identify the snake species AND sub-species…

It’s a fact – most people who get bitten by snakes are bitten because of their ignorance or stupidity. They were either not taking the appropriate precautions in snake country, or they were plain stupid and picked up an unidentified snake.  In fact one of the most common snake bite victims are drunk people who stumble across a snake and try messing around with it. That said, even the most experienced outdoors person can, and do, get bitten by snakes.

Regardless of why you got bitten, the questions is, what should you do?

Well firstly you should know that the vast majority of snakes worldwide are non-venomous, BUT, if you cannot identify the snake that bite you, you should assume it was venomous and follow the snake bite first aid and treatment advice below. You should also pay attention to the list of things you should not do; there are a lot of myths about what to do when bitten by a snake, and some of these can get you into even more trouble.

Snakebite Symptoms And First Aid Advice

(Photo from:  Michael Hodge)

Blisters – To Pop Or Not To Pop?

253563485_1760215ee3_z

Firstly, let me tell you, blisters are serious business! You should never ignore that hotspot you feel in your boot, take action right away and get a band-aid or some improvised cushioning on the to stop the rubbing. I did a 35 mile day hike once in some new boots (big mistake!), and I ignored the hotspots and blisters; it got to a point at around 25 miles that I knew I was in trouble, but I also knew that if I took off my boots and saw the damage, I probably wouldn’t continue. Anyway the long and short of it is – I made it home, but my feet were a mess and I couldn’t walk for two days afterwards…  They were so bad, they took weeks to heal completely.

If you are bugging-out or in a survival situation, not being able to walk for two days could kill you… Blisters caused by friction from boots and packs are entirely preventable; as soon as you feel discomfort, stop and treat.

Now with blisters themselves, everyone has an opinion on how to treat them…. But medically who is right and who is wrong? Is the best blister treatment to leave it alone, or to pop it? Does it depend on what kind of blister it is, for example a friction blister or a blister from a burn? Does it matter where the blister is located on your body? Thankfully the Survival Doctor aka James Hubbard, MD, MPH has written a post on his website on just this topic.  Check out Dr James’ thoughts below.

Blisters – To Pop Or Not To Pop?

(Photo from: Phil and Pam)

If It Crawls, It’s Canned (An Awesome Article On Subsistence Living)

salmonjar

Most of us get the majority of out food from the store; sure some of us grow and rear some of our food, but even then, a lot of our food still comes from the store, especially in the winter months. Below is a link to an awesome article about living on Prince of Wales Island in south-east Alaska. People living here have to survive largely as subsistence hunters and gatherers, and when food is plentiful, they have to can and preserve it in bulk for future use when food isn’t so readily available.

This article is a great read for anyone into prepping, homesteading and living  sustainably off-the-grid as it explains about subsistence hunting/gathering and also shows how vital canning and preserving foods is, when it is plentiful…

If It Crawls, It’s Canned (An Awesome Article On Subsistence Living)

(Photo from: Alastair Bland/for NPR)

How To Build An AWESOME 80 Pound PVC Tube Longbow

PVC tube longbow

So you want to get into archery but you have been put off by the cost of traditional long bows and archery equipment? Well, how would you like to build an awesome longbow on the cheap, which is easily powerful enough to hunt with?

Check out the two videos below from the Backyard Bowyer and see how it’s done… This guy is awesome, he shows just how cheap and easy it is to make a quality, powerful long bow, from PVC tube. He also has a few additional videos demonstrating the bow in action. This really does emphasise what can be achieved with limited funds, a lot of thinking outside the box and creativity.

Archery is a great recreational sport/hobby, and it can prove a vital survival skill if the SHTF or you need to hunt for food in the future. If nothing else, this is a great, fun DIY project for the weekend!

I will soon be doing a post on how to make and fletch your own arrows, which could also save you a heap of money…

Make 12 Door Or Perimeter Alarms For Just $2.49 (80 decibels!)

pulling fireworks

I found these little Pulling Trick Fireworks on Amazon (you may be able to find similar locally) which are designed for pranking friends and family. They have a  5 inch pull string on each side of a 1.5 inch charge; You rig them on anything that opens such as doors, windows and draws to prank people when they open them… I haven’t tried these myself, but providing they work, it appears to me that they can also be used for security purposes to set door/window alarms and perimeter tripwire alarms.

You attach one string to the door/window frame and the other to the door/window itself.  When the door/window is pushed open it pulls the firework in a similar way to a Christmas cracker and it goes bang and omits a 80 decibel bang! You can buy a 12 pack of these pull string fireworks from Amazon for just $2.49 with free delivery.

These pull string fireworks could also be used with some fishing line to create a tripwire perimeter alarm when outdoors hiking, camping or if you’ve bugged-out to the wilderness. Simply tie one end of the trip wire to one of the strings, run your tripwire around the area you want to protect and simply tie the end of the wire to the other string on the firework.

Check out the Pulling Trick Fireworks on Amazon

How To Escape From Handcuffs

Firstly, this information is not for people who have done something illegal and have been justifiably and lawfully handcuffed (actually law enforcement and military often use zip ties now anyway). This information is for people who are concerned and want to be prepared in case they become the victim of illegal restraint in SHTF type scenarios. This is a very quick and easy technique to learn and implement, as long as your hands are cuffed in front of you and you have a bobby-pin or paper-clip.

(Photo from: .v1ctor Casale)

Make A Slingshot Bow in 5 minutes!

slingshot bow

Fancy turning your slingshot into a slingshot-bow? The short tutorial below shows how to do just that!

The tutorials uses a whisker biscuit for the arrow rest; these can be pretty expensive, so if you are on a tight budget, you can use a keyring and two rubber bands. Simply tie the rubber bands to the keyring and attach each band to each arm of the slingshot (so the keyring sits in the middle!) You will have to adjust the height and tension for accuracy, but it is a whole load cheaper that buying a whisker biscuit…

Make A Slingshot Bow in 5 minutes!

(Photo from: mountainmedic via Instructables)

Stanley FUBAR Demolition Bar (Another Prepper’s Friend!)

fubar

Last week I did a quick post: Trucker’s (Preppers!) Friend All-Purpose and Survival Tool. I thought the Trucker’s Friend looked like an awesome bit of kit, which would be ideal for preppers. I liked it so much, that I had one sent to me and I will write a full review of it in due course. When I posted about the Trucker’s Friend on the Facebook page, someone asked why I was featuring it if I had no personal experience of using it. Firstly, I never stated it was a review of the product and secondly, whilst I haven’t reviewed the product, 33 people on Amazon have and they gave it 5/5.

Anyway to try and right the wrong, today I am featuring the Stanley STHT55134 FUBAR Demolition Bar and this is something I do own! The Stanley FUBAR demolition bar has a ground chisel and prying end for ripping cutting and prying, with a nail puller at the other end. The tool is comfortable and a good weight in the hand; once sharpened, the blade can be used for light chopping chores, you can’t throw it, but it could otherwise replace a tomahawk.

I think this demolition bar is the perfect size and weight for a bug-out-bag; the blade is very sharp and it can do many of the tasks of a knife or tomahawk, and for its size, it is great for wrecking, demolishing and gaining entry through doors and windows. It’s also a handy weapon for self-defence. The great news is – it currently sells for just $15.99 on Amazon (I actually paid more!) and I think that represents excellent value.

Check it out on Amazon: Stanley FUBAR Demolition Bar