The immediate use that comes to mind is that the inverted shell can be used as a cup for containing water or just to hold other things such as berries or other food items. I have used some natural materials in which to boil water (see “Boil Water In A Cabbage Leaf” and “Coconut Bowl Boiling Techniques“) so I prepared some coals to see if I could accomplish this with the turtle shell.

 
In the end, I did not get the water to reach a boil but I could see the water convection turning and a lot of steam rising. Because of the small size of the shell the water would evaporate and as the exposed shell would burn down to the water level the shell would diminish in size. It would appear that adding hot rocks to the water would be more effective to heat water inside.
 
 
 
It was a fun project and as usual there are lessons to be learned that are best accomplished before emergency situations occur.

I have tried it and it actually works! But, I like the prospect of something more stable/reliable for floatation so I began to ponder how this method could be improved. In a previous article, “Gallons Of Flotation” I discuss that a gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds, and conversely, a gallon container of air can support eight pounds of flotation. This gave me an idea that empty containers could be used to fill the pants legs to provide reliable flotation if needed. In fact, empty 2 liter soda bottles would fit nicely down the pant legs for this purpose.

 
 
I tied the bottoms of the pant legs together then inserted 2 bottles in each leg resulting in a total of 4 bottles that equated to almost 17 pounds of flotation. Then I tightened the belt to close the waist area. I slipped the pant legs over my head with the tied end behind my neck while I used the remaining belt strap to wrap around my leg to secure the improvised PFD to my body. As I entered the water I was glad to have the strap around my leg as it helped to support my body as I floated on my back and freed my hands to paddle in any direction as needed.

When improvising a PDF, any buoyant material could be used as a filler to any clothing, tarp, net, or other surrounding material.

LIGHT – Most folks keep flashlights for various needs but it’s important to make sure that the batteries are fresh. Most smart phones have a flashlight app that works quite well. I buy prayer candles at a dollar store that provide long term light and a feeling of hope in darkness. You can make slush lamps using small cans with vegetable oil and a wick.

HEAT – The first line of keeping warm is layered clothing and blankets. Conserving body heat is primary. You can make a room heater by placing a roll of toilet paper in a tin can and pouring isopropl alcohol (denatured is better) into the roll and place it on an open oven door to isolate it and light it. A personal heater is quite effective when using a lit tea candle at the bottom of a tin can that is placed between your feet where you are seated and wear a poncho or wrap a blanket around your neck and cover your knees like a tent to capture the heat.

WATER – In an urban setting city water will most likely be available vs. well pumps in rural areas that need electrical power to operate. It’s a good idea to keep bottled water on hand. A house’s plumbing system is actually a reservoir of water and can be accessed at the lowest valve and used sparingly. A water heater is also a reservoir that has a drain valve at it’s base. If you use this source, be sure to turn off your circuit breaker first to avoid burning out your heating elements for when the power is restored. If you have a creek or other natural water source it can be filtered or boiled. Snow can be melted.

FOOD – Food that is stored in a refrigerator or freezer in the short term should have limited access to keep the cold in and heat out. If you have snow you can simply fill a plastic bin or cooler with snow and pack the food items in it. Cold water can also serve the same function. It’s best to keep food stuffs on hand in a pantry that are either canned or dry like beans or noodles.

COOKING – A gas grill is an easy way to cook or boil water. Charcoal grills can be used in the same way. On a smaller scale a chimney charcoal starter can be used with a baking rack to cook on. There are various types of camp stoves from gas canisters to wood gasifiers. A rocket stove can be made from concrete blocks. Then there’s always a classic campfire using grills or pots. It is also possible to make and use an alcohol burner.

COMMUNICATION POWER – Some land-line phone services carry their own independent power but cable service phones do not work when the power goes out. It seems that the majority of phones in use today are cell phones that can access transmission towers that are independently powered or outside of an outage area. However, cell phones run on a battery that eventually will need recharging. They are usually charged using a USB cable that can use various power sources. I recently used my laptop computer to charge our cell phones. A vehicle usually has either built-in USB ports or 12V adapters. A 12V to AC converter can charge laptops or other electronic devices. I have a hand crank charger that works on my phone. A 9V battery can be used in conjunction with a 12V USB adapter by placing the adapter’s tip on the positive terminal and using a paper clip to touch the battery’s negative terminal to the side terminal on the adapter.

These are just some of the things that I have experienced during an occasional Winter power outage but for some folks this is an annual event. I would welcome comments on other tips that can be helpful during their Winter power outage.

The most common use for a straw is for drinking a liquid, primarily water. It is generally a matter of convenience and lessens the need to bow as low to drink out of a stream or shallow-dug well but there may be more difficult circumstances like a hollow in a rock or log that might prove difficult to access water otherwise.

Another use for a straw is to be used as a blow pipe for firecraft. Sometimes it’s expedient to focus airflow onto a struggling ember often to revive the remains of the previous night’s campfire. In this case the “longer the better” is advised to distance yourself from the ensuing heat. Yet another application of a straw is that it can be used as a turkey or varmint call when you make a “kissing” sound at one end. It helps to amplify and enhance the sound that you create and draws in your prey.

So, where do you find tubes in the field to fashion a straw? Here in Northwest North Carolina there are groves of bamboo that are excellent for this use but there is a native plant found throughout the Eastern U.S. that is similar in structure and is known as River Cane. Both of these plants have hollow segments that can be cut out from between the nodes. They are sturdy and can provide very usable lengths.

Realizing that other regions may not have those resources I began to look for other plants with hollow stems. At this writing it is Fall so stem conditions might be different than in the Spring but I was delighted to discover that Day Lilies have very suitable hollow stems that are long. I also found Jewel Weed stems to be hollow but shorter in length. Certain tall grasses have hollow stems at their base. Out of season now but tall dandelions have hollow stems and even though they ooze a milky latex when picked are safe and not toxic in such a small quantity. Umbriel type plants have hollow stems but beware of Poison Hemlock that has purple spots on the stem that may not show when dry in the Winter.

In any case, you might try using these natural straws and see if they make your bivouac experience a little easier and perhaps solve an emergency water access problem that you may encounter.

I grabbed a paddle and headed down to the local river. Being that it was late January it was very cold which may have contributed to the challenges that lay ahead. I decided to “put in” water deep enough so that I would not “bottom out” once I stepped inside. As I entered the bin it was quite wobbly and before I could completely sit inside the bin it cracked all the way down one side! I wondered if it was the cold weather or old age that may have caused the plastic to become brittle and if this perhaps would have been better attempted at a warmer time.

I had to abort the plan, climb up the river’s edge and retrieve the sunken bin from the cold water using my paddle. That night I reflected on the day’s event and decided that I would test the virtues of duct tape and make a repair to the damaged area while fortifying other possible weak areas as well. In addition, I would “put in” the bin in shallow water so that my entry would be stable and I could “push off” to deeper water for total flotation.

I returned the next day with the repaired bin, ready to test my ideas. I successfully placed the bin over the shallow river bottom and as I sat down inside I heard a crack! I could tell that the bottom was compromised and it slowly began to take on water. I began to push off to deeper water but it became apparent that my back end began to lower as my foot end began to rise.

I tried to even out the load by scooting forward while placing my legs over the prow but it only proved to be insufficient and unmanageable. It became apparent that even without the breach of the plastic bottom the improper balance of weight would not allow the bin to be used as a plausible vessel in the water.

In the end it was a fun experience and I was pleased that at least my duct tape repairs and reinforcements held. I walked away with that satisfaction of having tried another proof-of-concept experiment that added to my experience base while providing a very memorable occasion.

Today I set out to collect poles for my teepee for an up-coming event. Although the majority of trees are deciduous here there are also some pine trees which I prefer for their straight lines and light weight. As I was walking through the woods I spotted a pole that had a grape vine entangled around it. I had to cut the vine in order to free the pole and I decided that this would be a great time to see if it indeed would yield water.

Like so many containers of liquids, having only one open end is not efficient in dispensing it’s contents, especially if the opening is small. The way to expedite the flow of liquid is to make another opening to break the vacuum within the container and allow air to flow inside. You can see this provision on gasoline cans with an extra opening available on the opposite side of the spout. In like manner, if you cut a vine through at one end you need to cut the vine higher up to release the water inside.

You can see in the photo how the vine was cut to a point that helps direct the seeping water which I caught straight into my mouth. It came in drips but I imagine that the volume and flow would vary according to the size of the vine and perhaps the season. In any case it actually worked! And I was delighted. I will look forward to testing this with larger vines in the future.

Hose Clamp & Sleeve Patch

When I arrived I took a quick look around the outside for the city water meter box but didn’t see it so I knocked on the door and my son let me in. The inlet line to the water heater had split before the turn-off valve so fortunately it was cold water that was spraying under pressure. Because it was spraying near the power cable and was leaking through the downstairs ceiling filling the light fixtures, my son had turned off the power at the electrical panel. I used my phone initially as a light source to evaluate the situation. I could not find a main shut-off valve in the apartment either so we decided to call 911 for assistance. After leaving circumstances, location, and contact info I returned to the task of controlling the leak.

I had a hose clamp in my tool box, but I also needed a seal to cover the split. I usually carry a plastic Fresnel lens in my wallet (for solar firecraft) and it comes in a vinyl sleeve. I wrapped the sleeve around the pipe below the split then placed the hose clamp over it. I used my son’s multi-tool screwdriver blade to tighten it down almost all the way, then slid the two over the split and finished tightening it to seal the leak. That ended the immediate crisis.

Valve Turns Off When Bar Is 90°

About a half hour later the city water employee showed up and we determined which valve belonged to my son’s apartment. After my son and I determined which areas inside the apartment were not affected by the leaking water we turned on the unaffected circuits so that we could see to clean up and run fans for drying.

The events of this morning caused me to think about preparation for dealing with utility emergencies as they relate to the home environment. There are generally three areas to prepare for: water, electricity, and in some cases natural gas or propane. By code each utility should have shut-offs or disconnects so it is important to know where they are located and how to operate them. We found that the breaker box wasn’t labeled exactly correct, so it will be tested later and labeled more thoroughly. It would be wise to acquire appropriate tools dedicated to these potential needs and stored in a bin that is easily reached and not next to a point of potential hazard. Possible tools might include a crescent wrench, vise grips, channel lock pliers, screw drivers (both flat-blade and Philips), hose clamps, duct tape, electrical tape, and any specialty tools for utility turn-off. I can’t help but wonder if this article might be speaking to someone who will need to be prepared for the near future, so check out your situation now!

There are two devices that immediately come to mind: dehumidifiers and air conditioners. Each device produces water via condensation as a result of their operation and can be collected for use. If filtered or boiled the water can be consumed, otherwise, it can be used for alternate uses such as hygiene.

A retired Navy Veteran once told me that he had served on a submarine that used a desalinator to distill sea water into pure drinking water. It was limited in it’s production and used only for consumption. The submarine also operated an air conditioner. What he and other crew members would do is put a piece of cloth in the condensation collection pan of the air conditioner and wick out the water into a pail that was placed beneath it. They used this for “Marine showers” for bathing with washcloths.

The resulting volume of water produced by these devices will vary based on the humidity of their environment in combination with their frequency or duration of use. There have been machines manufactured called “atmospheric water generators” specifically built for the production of water but can be costly to obtain and maintain so they have not flourished in todays market place.

Conceivably, if you have a source of electricity, you can manufacture water for limitied needs. Perhaps if you are trapped or stranded in a building that is earthquake damaged or if you are locked in a building or under seige, this would be a critical resource for survival, so keep it in mind should you ever encounter this situation.

Coconuts don’t grow in my neck-of-the-woods so I am grateful that my local grocery store stocks them in their produce section. They had already been shucked of their outer layer but if you acquire a whole coconut I describe on my “Edibles” page how to remove both the outer layer and crack open the inner layer as well. By cracking open the coconut shell around it’s equator it produced two nice “bowls”. I saved the coconut milk and removed the white pulp inside. These bowls had round bottoms and thus needed support to keep them upright when holding water.

There are basically two approaches to heating water in the coconut shell or any other vessel – by “outside heat” or “inside heat”. “Outside heat” is generally accomplished by setting the shell in coals or suspending them over a fire. It’s interesting to note that a flammable vessel will not burn through to the water because the water inside limits the temperature and prevents ignition. “Inside heat” is accomplished by heating stones in a fire then placing them into the water. Heat is elevated incrementally as each stone is added. The first stones can be removed and replaced by newer hot stones as needed.

For the “outside heat” method I selected the smaller shell to heat by fire so I notched two parallel logs on their facing sides and placed the bowl above them. This allowed space for the fire to heat it from beneath. I just added kindling as needed. It took quite awhile to achieve a boil as the coconut shell is quite an insulator.

For the “inside heat” method I used the larger shell because stones displaced the water as they were added and the vessel needed more capacity. I placed it on the ground and supported it using three stones. I selected many smaller stones (not river stones as they may explode) to heat in a fire. I used two sticks to transfer the stones from the fire to the shell. It was quite awkward to do, so look for a future article on stick transfer tools as I explore other stick devices and methods for this purpose.

It was a great experience. Next time that you plan a campfire, visit your local grocery store and pick up a coconut and try these boiling techniques for yourself.

After pondering various approaches of collection I decided that I could modify the umbrella to make a funnel, thus eliminating the need to monitor the collection process while at the same time maximizing the surface area. The umbrella could be placed over a vessel and left unattended. Because rainy weather is often also windy, a tripod could be used to stabilize the umbrella as illustrated in the photo.

A hole was needed near the tip of the umbrella so I improvised a make-shift grommet by using duct tape. I keep duct tape wrapped around my water bottle so if I needed to, I could improvise this hack while in the field. I placed a piece of duct tape over the inside surface of the fabric to facilitate a clean cut. I then folded the umbrella fabric lengthwise and cut a “V” about 3/4″ wide which created a diamond shaped hole when unfolded. I placed a second piece of duct tape on the outside of the hole and then replaced the inside piece with new tape so that the tape adhesives sealed together through the hole. I folded the tape patch and cut a smaller 1/2″ “V” in the center thus creating a sealed edge lining of the fabric opening. When I placed the umbrella over the collection bin I decided to place a stone next to the hole in order to facilitate better drainage by creating a low point for the collected water to exit.

The open umbrella could also be used to collect dew when left out overnight. Alternatively, a piece of tape can be placed on the outside over the hole so that the umbrella can be used in the conventional manner.