Incidentally, I did a little study on the term “knapsack” and learned that it is associated with a capacity of under 30 liters. A backpack has a capacity typically of 50 liters or more, and a rucksack has a capacity of 60 liters. The knapsack capacity may be limited but it certainly is an asset when you have provisions to transport, and it’s certainly larger than a bandana on the end of a hiking staff.

I wear a double D ring style belt and used it to tie the ends of the legs together. At first they slipped out of the cinched belt loop but then I rolled back each leg’s hem to form a cuff, then slid one cuff over the other, much like some folks fold their socks together for storage. This created a slight knob shape that helped to prevent slippage through the belt’s closed loop. Next, positioning the pant legs on the closed zipper side of the pants, I threaded the remaining belt strap through the pant’s belt loops and fastened the end of the strap through the D rings. The belt strap can be tightened to close the waist over the top of your load. To mount the knapsack I lifted it up behind my head and inserted my arms into the loops that were created by the legs, then I let it slide down my arms and onto my back.

There’s no substitute for the proper tools for a job but when you improvise, it’s amazing what can be accomplished. This is one possibility that could be a real benefit in an emergency situation.

I have found it helpful to hold a short stick at an upward angle in front of me similar to a bowsprit on a boat to catch invisible spider webs before they reach my face! In preparation for my walk I picked up a small stick off of the ground that had a “Y” branch at it’s tip and found it very useful for pushing aside various obstacles. This made my traverse through the woods much easier. The nice thing about a “Y” stick is that it can be easily fashioned from found recources on the forest floor. I find that a 2 -3 foot length works very well.

Next time that you take a stroll through the woods, pick up a “Y’ stick and try it out for yourself… I think that you’ll be pleased at the asset of this simple tool that will make your travel much easier for a more enjoyable journey.

My very first hammock was made out of a single bamboo pole. It was quite comfortable and a viable hammock if that resource is available. However, I have always wanted to take a conventional approach to improvising a hammock by using a tarp or similar material. The two things that I had to consider was the length and width of the fabric and how to suspend it.

Rather than tying a rope on either end of the hammock material I decided to tie the material onto a single suspended rope, using the rope as a ridgeline. I was more likely to have a long length of rope on hand and it also provided a set distance to control the slope of the material that was hung from it. I also believe it puts less tension on the fabric.

I used a half inch braided rope and tied two alpine knots that are stable in use yet fairly easy to untie. I pulled a portion of the ridgeline down through each loop and lifted it to the side so I could thread the material through the second loop from beneath and over the side of the alpine loop above it. This created a cinching knot that tightened when tension was applied on the suspended rope and held the fabric in place (see photo).

I first tried a fitted queen sized sheet and because of the stretchable corners I tied the strait center portion at the ends of the sheet into a knot and discovered that approach didn’t work. It created an uncomfortable narrow strip of support down the middle and was unusable as a hammock. That let me know that the entire width at the end of a fabric sheet was needed for proper support and should be gathered and tied in order to give even support.

Then I used a queen sized flat sheet and folded it in half lengthwise for proper width. I accordion-folded it at each end which I then tied into a knot. The resulting support area worked okay but the eighty-inch length was too short, however, when hung close to the ground a person could sit in it and straddle the fabric and use it to sleep in while their feet rested on the ground.

Next, I used a regular poly tarp. It was 9′ x7.5′. I folded it lengthwise to make an appropriate width and gathered the ends together. Manufactured tarps are generally made with a hem around it’s perimeter. When accordion folded it becomes thicker at the edge and doesn’t require a knot to be tied when held by the cinch knot in the ridgeline. Again, it was too short but would probably work fine if it was longer.

I finally used a scrap piece of Tyvek building material left over from a construction project. It was four foot wide and I cut it down from a twenty foot length to eleven feet. I was able to gather each end and tie them in a knot. I tied the two ridgeline knots about 9′ apart to suspend the tyvek tarp. This was the ideal formula. In reality the tyvek hammock was a little more comfortable than two of my commercial hammocks because it did not have decorative accent strips on the sides that tend to form ridges and was smoother to lie in.

As all hammock users know, lying on the bias means a more level lay as seen in the first photo. This was a fun project in which I learned a lot. Next time that you pass a new construction site you might inquire about having some of the Tyvek scraps because they are so useful as when used as tarps for ground cloths, overhead cover, or as in this case a wonderful hammock.

 
Before I broke into the package I decided to do some on-line research to learn about MREs and what to expect. I learned that MREs were developed in the ’80s by the military but the manufacturers have in more recent years developed civilian MREs aimed towards disaster relief and outdoor camping. The military MREs are a little more robust in it’s offerings of food and accessories but all MREs contain at least 1,200 calories and come in a variety of menus. In 1990, a Flameless Ration Heater (FRH) was added that uses a water-activated exothermic reaction pouch that creates enough heat to warm it’s entrée.

 
 
My MRE was a civilian product with “reduced sodium penne with vegetable sausage crumbles in spicy tomato sauce” (sounds good, huh?). The packaging is designed to be opened by hand and each pouch displays the nutritional information of it’s contents. Only a small amount of additional water (not included) is required to activate the FRH that displays instructions on how to activate and apply it for heating the entrée. 
 
 
Here are the contents of my package:
– Penne pasta entrée
– Crackers
– Apple jelly
– Grape jelly
– Toaster Pastry (commercial brand – frosted brown sugar)
– Candy (Tootsie Roll)
– Utensil packet (napkin, spoon, pepper, herb salt substitute)
– Flameless Ration Heater (FRH)

I began to open up the various packets to examine their contents and finally attended to heating up the entrée. The recommended heat time is 12 minutes but I flipped the entrée packet over for an additional 5 minutes. When I opened the retort pouch I measured the heat and found that it had reached 170ºF… very impressive!

Sometimes food, like jellies, that have been stored in pouches over time, often require a little kneading to reconstitute it’s contents that may have separated over time. Although eating out of a retort pouch may not be glamorous, I found that the contents tasted quite good, and if I were real hungry it might even be delightful!

These meals are only intended to be eaten for a maximum of 21 days and not for a sustained diet. They are however great for short bivouacs and emergency situations. I’m grateful that there are a number of menus available. A military veteran friend said that the contents of each pack would often become trading items among soldiers to satisfy their particular tastes.

I still enjoy preparing food over fire or coals but this flameless meal has it’s place and can be stored for years in a cool environment for future use when needed.

1 Waterproof EDC container
1 Paracord
3 Fishing lines
2 x Hooks
2 x Weights
2 x Floaters
2 x Sinkers
2 x Swivels
1 Knife
1 Tinder cotton
1 Ferrocerium rod
2 Safety Pins
1 cable saw
1 Whistle
1 Carabiner

I decided to take this PSK to a private pond to see what it could do. Knowing that it had fishing gear I decided to use the cable saw to cut a fishing pole from a nearby sapling. Although I chose to just hold ends of the saw in each hand it could be implemented with toggles at each end or affixed to a curved branch to make a bow saw. I found that the cable should be kept under a ninety degree bend for best cutting results. It did a great job of cutting my pole.

 
The hooks and line came in three parts: 12 feet of just line and two 12 foot lengths with hooks attached. The single line unwrapped easily but the lines with hooks became tangled and took some time to untangle before I could use them but no matter how long that took they were vital parts for fishing so definitely worth the effort. I attached one of the hook lines to the end of the fishing pole, attached a worm and began to fish. I caught a bass!

I decided to try and make a fire with the ferrocerium rod and used the saw/knife blade as a striker. I gathered some dry fluffy weeds for tinder but was unable to get a flame. Then I remembered the tinder cotton and fluffed out one end. It caught the sparks immediately and I had a fire going right away.

I was able to cut a fishing pole, attach a line and hook (and caught a fish!), and built a fire upon which I could cook. The paracord and cable saw could have been used to construct a shelter. I was impressed that a kit so small had so much to offer in providing food and shelter in a survival situation.

Click HERE for more information about this EDC Keychain. Survival Hax is offering a discount to my readers so if you decide to purchase one (or more) be sure to use the promotional code EDCKEY50 on the checkout screen.

This is all good until you swap out the standard issue lace with 550 paracord. Some folks perform this exchange as an emergency preparedness measure, giving them wearable multi-use cordage. Five-fifty paracord has a different texture that is a little stiff and slick, causing it to occasionally slip out of a standard knot, even if double tied.

I swapped out the laces on several pairs of my shoes and experienced the slippage problem of the 550 paracord and tried the double knot approach but found that it didn’t work for me, so I experimented with a different method that does work. I began tying the standard knot but wound the “pulled through” loop around a second time. This binds the initial loop with much more friction and “stays put”. It still allows you to pull a single lace to untie it. Check the video above to see how it’s done.

If you have 550 paracord laces, give this a try and see if it will work as well for you.

Let’s glance at a few of these principals. “Plan ahead and prepare”: This is almost self explanatory but planning your route and packing appropriate gear is essential. “Travel and camp on durable surfaces”: foot prints are seldom seen on rocky terrain. Hammocks that use straps for attachments protect the trees that they are attached to and they are suspended over the ground without need for disturbing the soil. “Dispose of waste properly”: leaves nothing behind thus no material evidence of your presence. “Minimize campfire impact”: Using dry wood minimizes smoke. The least impact and the most covert fire is made by using fueled stoves that use alcohol, propane, butane, or white gas.

I would encourage everyone to visit the website of Leave No Trace organization at lnt.org for the entire list of their seven principles. These are good guidelines for all of us who spend time in the great outdoors whether for recreation or as a means of transit in a time of emergency.

The “thumbdial” method is reminiscent of the “sundial” but works in reverse. A sundial when correctly oriented can determine the time of day. A thumbdial, when you know the time of day tells you the direction of the sun, thus providing orientation. The secret of the thumbdial is that it reveals the sun’s location by revealing it’s shadow.

Begin by standing in an open area and placing the tip of a knife blade on top of your thumbnail and rotate it slowly, watching for a slight shadow to be revealed on the matte textured surface. The location of the sun of course is on the opposite side of the knife blade from the shadow. The wide and narrow silhouette of the blade helps to accent this. The sun’s brightness is defused in fog but still maintains a brighter presence which is revealed by the very slight shadow.

The shadow that you see may be slight, but that does not diminish it’s importance in determining what could be the critical revelation of direction.

Later that week, we camped early by a small lake. My uncle often reclined after a bite to eat while the rest of us were eager to explore our new surroundings. With a quick motion, my uncle struck his cupped hand on the ground and came up with a grasshopper. Turning to us he said “I’ll trade this for a trout”. Whereas I had been mesmerized by fancy lures and flies, this simple statement struck me with lasting impact… how a simple bait could be so effective. Even today I try different lures, but nothing beats the real deal. I have kept a long slender branch with an attached line and hook hidden by my favorite pond, knowing that when I happen by occasionally, I just need to scuffle through the brush, or roll some rotten logs to find the tender of trade to exchange for a fish.