Hiking/camping survival skills practice

[caoboy]

Any skills you practice while camping? Say, making a firebow, or just trying different things from a survival guide?

I know that sometimes I get bored while camping, and figure that if I were to hone up some skills, it'd make a great little project while camping. I'm going camping pretty soon with a bunch of friends, it'd be something to pass on that kind of information as well. Maybe end up having contests of who can do what the best lol.

[Helpful_Cub]

Does making a fire and drinking beer count?

[stormy_clothing]

I thought the whole point of camping was to get drunk and do stupid things like panty raids at a female college and play lawn dwarf polo

[Tripper]

Make a solar still
Make a small falling trap or box trap
Make a snare

Oh, if you plan on doing any traps, that may require a hunting license, and the location you are at may not allow hunting, you probably don't want to trap the inevitable racoon that comes at night

Might be best to stick with a solar still
Making a falling trap and nit leaving it up might be ok

[vf116]

I've tried the solar still. I think we made it to deep. Let it go for about 7 hours on the last day with green brush in the bottom on a warm day and we got no water.

Make a fire with one match.
Whittle

Haven't tried traps yet.

[Fireguy]

How about frying an egg and bacon in a brown paper bag? An old Boy Scout activity and it can be done.

[Alan Halcon]

on the solar still.

1. you need a clear plastic bag

2. the amount of sweat you expel far exceeds what you produce from it

3. it works best in an area that is moist, but still sucks.

4. transpiration bag over a branch expends less energy and produces a lot more

5. solar still SUCKS at producing water from nothing, but works well for desalinating salt water

[ThemBastards]

Thanks to this thread i am going to work on making a hobo stove in the field on this weekends camping trip. Should be fun.

[pdugan6]

Snares, and piles of tinder for starting fires.

[caoboy]

I really want to learn to make a firebow. I think that is the one skill I'm going to learn/practice.

With fire, you are the king. All it takes is a knife and some twine/string/rope. (and a tree)

[beedoublejay]

I just went camping in the middle of nowhere for a week in south eastern OR.

We had pitch-wood to start fire but I practiced making fire without it, I used some lint that I carry in my BOB it was windy and raining so that made things interesting. I learned a few things about staying dry when tent camping in a storm, utilizing tarps, etc. I also did a 1,000 foot vertical climb/hike that lasted 3 hours with my new Lowa boots and BOB loaded with 1.5 liters of water, my SIG p229 with 3 loaded mags, first aid kit, flashlights, food, and other things I keep in my BOB. I learned that waist straps are a must for long term travel, my ebay bag does not have them and my shoulders paid for it.

All in all it was a great trip and experience. I want to do a lot more camping this summer and will practice various skills each time.

[colddeadhands]

I Usually light my fire with flint and steel, and cook what I catch/kill.

[cannon]

I usually practice/hone my tracking skills.

[Tripper]

I found the little BBQ fire starter things (the flat packet ones), are more efficient and weigh less than bulk amounts of dryer lint, then flint/steel. I guess i just dont like dryer lint.

[jmsenk]

I practice making snares and tracking. I also whittle quite a bit. Not completely adept at starting a fire from nothing, but I am getting there (joined the Army instead of boy scouts, go figure) I also perpetually improve my campsite - same as a defensive position: it is never "done"

I am interested in seeing what other skills people go through while camping.