Knowledge Weighs Nothing - Life Hacks, Bushcraft etc

[Easy 6]

Its camping season, so I figured its time for a repository for all of the cool tips and tricks to be found out there that can make your experience easier and more enjoyable... don't wanna pack a tent so you can really rough it? theres a lot of different shelter designs out there, need to start a fire but forgot the lighter? there are tricks out there for that as well.

It can also branch out into cool knowledge that's useful around the home and in life in general, which is why I threw "life hacks" in there... this thread is for outdoorsmen and everyman.

Tell us your trick for saving money around the house, building a fire, catching food, making a field expedient water filter etc.

[srvy]

Originally Posted by Easy 6

Yeah he's not doing it the best way, that square opening is where it should be fed, keeping the cup nested



Rub some vaseline on that stuff and it will light up if you even look at it wrong

Yeah, I used to melt paraffin then add lint let solidify remove the cake out of the pan keep it in a baggie and break off pieces.

Some mentioned vasoline before just have yet to try but will.

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by Hog's Gone Fishin

On a side note ,dryer lint makes great fire starter. Every time you clean your dryer lint trap stuff it in a baggie for SHTF.

I’ll have try that.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by srvy

Yeah, I used to melt paraffin then add lint let solidify remove the cake out of the pan keep it in a baggie and break off pieces.

Some mentioned vasoline before just have yet to try but will.

I used to do that as well. Just got lazy about it in recent years.

I used to make char cotton (just cotton balls stretched/flattened charred), slide them into one of those big straws (0.5 inch diameter?) with one end sealed, and pour the melted paraffin in there, pop into the fridge, and an hour later I had a fire-starting stick. Push out of the straw, and cut up into 1 inch 'paraffin cake' pieces.

For use, I just teased out the fibers (if necessary) all around the paraffin cake, and then light. You could light the things with just the sparker from an empty Bic lighter.

[ptlyon]

You can do the wax/paraffin/lint deal in an empty egg carton. 12 separate fire starters.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

I used to do that as well. Just got lazy about it in recent years.

I used to make char cotton (just cotton balls stretched/flattened charred), slide them into one of those big straws (0.5 inch diameter?) with one end sealed, and pour the melted paraffin in there, pop into the fridge, and an hour later I had a fire-starting stick. Push out of the straw, and cut up into 1 inch 'paraffin cake' pieces.

For use, I just teased out the fibers (if necessary) all around the paraffin cake, and then light. You could light the things with just the sparker from an empty Bic lighter.

Just remembered: the other way to store/carry these is to simply cut the straw into 3-4 inch pieces, put a piece of tape over the open end(s), and now the straw keeps the pieces safely stored in their own sleeve. When needed, simply pull tape off and squeeze out what you need, cut with knife/scissors, and put tape back over the end of the straw.

[Bob Dole]

Train your dog to believe ice cubes are treats. You’ll save a lot of money while still spoiling your beast.

[ptlyon]

I had a GF like that, but ice cubes weren't the thing

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by ptlyon

You can do the wax/paraffin/lint deal in an empty egg carton. 12 separate fire starters.

I've heard of that one, also heard of using cedar chips like hamster bedding, wax and an egg carton.
Know what else works great for a fire starter? Corn chips, especially the generic ones cause they're good and greasy.

[Iowanian]

This spring, the guys from my deer camp are taking our boys to the woods for a survival weekend. Build shelters with tarps and debris, learn fire starting options, snares and traps, making fish hooks from locust thorns and try to catch some fish in the river with those.