The fur-trade era Mountain man had a bag on him at all times.
This bag he called his "possibles", and it held his flint and steel,
his spare knife, his beaver pelts, and the other necessities for
living on the move. Most likely it was made of buckskin, with fringe
and a leather strap. I would like to go through in a little depth what you
can put in your possibles to make it a great, all-round tramping-camping
kit. In Dave Canterbury's book, Bushcraft
101, he tells you all about
the 5 C's of survivability. They are*:
Cutting
Cover
Cordage
Containers
Combustion (fire)
With these in mind, now we can look at what exactly to use. For CUTTING, there are knives, axes and saws. 3 good knives to have are a pocket knife, a really good belt knife (like a trap spring knife), and an extra fixed blade knife in your bag. For axes, a good old-fashioned hatchet will do, but as long as you are not building a cabin, I recommend the little Gerber hatchet, with a rubber handle. They cost a pretty penny, but it’s worth it. For a saw, if you are just going out in the woods for a few days, you just need a wire saw, or a very small hack saw. COVER is very important, especially if it is cold out side. In winter, you want a small, lightweight tent, or to build a debris hut with a sleeping bag. In summer, on the other hand, you can just bring an oilcloth tarp, or a roofed hammock. CORDAGE can range from fishing string, to 1000 IBS test rope. Along with a fishing kit, you should always have 100' of paracord, and some nylon stuff. The paracord can be used to rig up tents with a tarp, or to make a snare. The nylon string is for the in-the-middle jobs, like hanging food from trees, and making pack frames. Also, you can take jute twine, which can take the place of the nylon, and double as a tinder source. Just remember, everything in your kit should have at least 3 uses. CONTAINERS will hold water, food, bait and supplies. You can use hard ones or cloth ones. A good, all metal water bottle and cup is a must. And you need a bag to carry your kit in, in the first place. And don't forget the handkerchief. They can be used to cover wounds, slightly filter water, and catch crayfish. COMBUSTION, meaning any way of making fire. This includes matches, lighter, flint and steel, fire piston and magnifying glass. Matches are very susceptible to the elements and you are never sure of a light, so I do not recommend them. A regular, $1.50 BIC lighter is the best fire starter you can get, because it is waterproof, it provides an open flame, and it is very compact. In addition to your lighter, you may use a magnifying glass (sun glass), or flint and steel. The sun glass is a little harder to use, but it does not require a special tinder, while the flint and steel with char cloth or cotton balls is very to start a fire with.
That covers the five C’s, but not food and water. For FOOD, trail mix and canned soup is what
I take. Even better is a can of soup, a bag of trail mix, a gun, and a fishing
kit. WATER can be pre filtered water
taken in bottles, for a small hike, but, just like the food, I say mix it up a
little. Take a large all stainless steel bottle and 2 stainless cups, and a
good water filter. Before you go, fill the flask with water, then when you run
out, you can use the cups to filter more.
If you pack all this, you are ready for anything that could
“possibly” happen to you in the woods.
Have fun trekking,
CALEB
*Dave Canterbury has written the 2 best books I have ever read on
bush craft, called Bushcraft 101, and
Advanced Bushcraft. If you want to
learn how to smooth it in the woods, then get those books, and go to his
website @: www.selfrelianceoutfitters.com
