Ok, so me and 3 other friends go twice every single week and camp in the woods. Each time we go we try and make it a little harder for ourselves (We find this stuff exhilarating) without in dangering ourselves(we need proper clothes ect..)
We travel throughout our state of Michigan exploring, and testing ourselves.
Out of everything we have done, we still are afraid of diving into a run wihtout flint, neccessary water bottles, and a few cans of kidney beans. Fishing never goes well for us (We never bring anything but a hook, for difficulty) and we have not gotten to the point of hunting anything bigger then a rabbit, we occasionally will get lucky..but we are afraid if we don’t bring the beans and also can’t get a cetch that we will fail our run.
So my question is:
We havn’t made fire without flint before, what are some tips how to?
Also, if fishing and hunting goes wrong and we don’t have beans..what do we do without calling it a "fail" and returning to our cabin?
And last, we always "baby" ourselves with water for the fact we don’t know how to make clean water. (We HAVE indeed used snow, but it is dirty and gross) How can we have some water?
I ask everyone to please respect mine and my friends idea of fun, we live for this stuff..so please honest and helpful answers. And thank you to everyone that helps us out..
F.Y.I.- We have done about 50 runs throughout Michigan, and next weekend we are going to the Upper P. for our first time and we want to be prepared. It’s rather chilly up there. 
always boil the water.. and you can these little pills to drop in the water to kill ne bacteria
always boil the water.. and you can these little pills to drop in the water to kill ne bacteria
References :
well if you can’t get a rabbit or fish make traps or kill birds or something like that..on the water thing you can get the and boil it in a kettle over your fire or river water..make a fire with matches or a cigarette lighter and when you light the fire put weeds and teenie sticks first then get ti bigger by just adding bigger sticks or logs
References :
i love camping its my favorite i do it all the time too …oh and make sure you bring some warm blankets if its snowy and cold there!
as a michigander i applaude your ability to camp in these conditions; you can get water from some plants, although not sure which, you can always boil snow, as said, and buy tablets/water bottles to purify water; for starting a fire without flint, you could use moss, if dry, and rub two sticks together for friction, also you can often find rocks to scrape together to get a spark; there are many plants you can eat, although not many in the winter, you may be able to trap animals, possibly a bird or two with a snare; i would pack extra clothes, especially socks for the u.p. as it is currently snowing here in the lower penninsula, i assume it is even colder in the u.p.
References :
To make a fire without flint it depends on the type of trees surrounding you. A way to make fire without flint(depending on the trees) is to get to green trees, put two rocks between them at both ends, and tie them together so there is space in between them. Next, get a light branch(the branch with the LEAST amount of rings inside, pine works well) and rub it against another branch inside that rig you made. Once the branch begins to heat up, place brush inside and once the branch sparks you have fire. For the water problem, place snow or water from a nearby creek and place it in some type of container and place that over the fire. Boil the water to get rid of any bacteria, let it cool off and drink it. Hope this helps.
References :
7 years camping
"Man vs. Wild"
Wow! I wish I could hang out with you guys. What fun!! Okay, so you want a challenge. Here are a few ideas.
Food–I don’t know for how long you camp, but you won’t starve to death in less than 3 days. How about getting a book from your local hiking store that shows the edible plants in your area and live off them for a day. Put some jerky in your pocket "just in case".
Water–Leave your water pump behind. Filter out the "junk" from snow by straining it through a tee-shirt or other strip of cloth. Sitting it in the sun on a rock, even in cold temperatures, should melt it. Or you could always put it over a fire if you have a container. Be sure to purify it with iodine tablets for 20 minutes before you drink it. I always keep a small bottle of them in my pocket when I hike in case I get separated from my pack in an emergency situation, so if you are a prepared hiker, you would have this even if your pack got washed downstream on a rough river crossing, right?
Fire–(1)Before you leave, make a fire piston and some char cloth (or use moss). Okay, it isn’t as primitive as the friction-and-stick thing, but it’s fun to play with. I’ll point you to a good website below. (2) take along a book of paper matches with half as many paper matches as nights you will be camping. Tell your friends that they have to figure out how to make the matches last. See the other website below for a trick on doubling paper matches. Near bottom of page. **Don’t tell your friends–see if they can figure it out for themselves** If they don’t you’re a genius just as they are getting cold.
Have a great time. I wish I could be there to watch.
References :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iha9vQvnWMU&feature=related (if preparation time is short)
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1169797/fire_piston_diy_diesel_lighter/
http://www.ultimate-ultralight-backpacking.com/firestarter.html
I was doing survivor man before it was on tv! If you want to ruff it do the following.
1. Make survival kits containing: 2 liters of water in water bottles, a empty 16oz water container, flint magnesium starter, hand towel, camp soap, folding pocket knife, rope, multi-tool, three glow sticks, a mre or freeze dried food, a mag-lite flashlight with extra batteries, deodorant, extra large trash bag, win/water jacket, matches, tooth brush, toothpaste, toilet paper, flare, rain poncho, first-aid kit, space blanket, bug spray, etc ( you can take or add what you want too)
2. build everyone a survival kit and go out and see who can make it threw a certain amount of days
References :
make a bow and drill and practise with it till your good in your back yard , and when you know for a fact you can do it every time then go pick some wood out of the forest and make another bow and drill and see if you could do this on the fly and you’ll be ready !
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fastest horse, surest rifle, prettiest gal,ugliest dog !