In my neck-of-the-woods one of the popular fashions is camouflage clothes because they are used so often by the hunting community here. And who doesn’t like blending with nature?! There is such a variety of clothing that feature different seasons. However, if there was any potential of becoming lost or injured and immovable, it would be more difficult to be spotted by rescuers. An exception might be if the hunter was wearing blaze-orange gear that increases their visibility to other hunters and could help rescuers as well.

When I go kayaking or canoeing I wear bright clothes so that in an emergency I can be spotted more easily by rescuers. In the worse case scenario, if I were to drown my body could be more easily spotted for recovery. For similar reasons outdoor tools are often marked or manufactured with bright colors so that they are easily seen when placed or dropped onto the ground (see Lost Or Found).

So, your clothing can serve a number of functions, whether for insulation, comfort, or style, but it can also be used for a measure of visual safety as well.

It’s in me to share my passion of outdoor skills and knowledge with others and so I attended the church service the next day. Afterwards they fed the boys and men some grilled hot dogs and beverages and when we were finished we headed over to the pond. Various men brought gear to lend to those who didn’t have some. I decided to show the boys “hobo fishing with a soda can” I knew that the first line in the water usually gets the fish but I wanted to set up the young man in the photo first so that he could begin fishing before I made my first cast.

With that task completed I made a couple of casts and got a bite but while I handed in the line it broke and my lure was gone. I tied on another lure but without any further success. I could hear the men in the distance say “I guess that can rig sure costs less than a rod and reel but if it works, why not?”. The bait of the day was chicken livers, worms, and power bait. Out of the total group effort who fished that day only two fish were reeled in. the young fellow that I had helped to set up had two strong bites, one of which also broke his line. He was using the loaner pole from the library and the line was too light for the size of the fish. Lesson learned… bigger fish require bigger line.

I was prepared to demonstrate flint and steel firecraft at the end of the fishing session but a downpour of rain sent us all scurrying to our cars for cover. It just wasn’t going to happen that day, but there’s always the future. When folks get together for outdoor activities it’s alway fun to share my craft and help to teach and prepare the next generation basic skills for survival, not to mention it’s just fun!

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.

The chain of events began last month when I heard that WXII Channel 12 Weather Man and Producer of “Austin Outdoors” segment, Austin Caviness, would be appearing in my area at a local YMCA while participating in a program called “Transformation Nation”. I felt that my bushcraft and survival skills would be of interest to his audience so I attended the event with the purpose of introducing myself and my website to Austin for his consideration. He was in fact interested and asked me to contact him later so that we could discuss details. Actually connecting with such a busy person is not always immediate, but my persistent calls finally paid off and this week when we finally connected we worked out plans to get together in Winston Salem the following day.

In preparation for any possible subject or demonstration my vehicle was “loaded for bear”, jammed with equipment, kits, and firewood. We met at the WXII television station and traveled a short distance to a park where we video taped the contents of the 2 minute segment “Living Off The Land“. The videographer Jeff did a great job capturing the event and Austin is a great sport and willing to try new things. Having done industrial video in earlier years, I can really appreciate the fine job that they did in creating the segment and the seamless editing. Now, we just have to work on my last name…