SKI KNIFE

Ski pole grips are very comfortable, rugged, and durable. They also handle extreme conditions very well. These are all desirable attributes for a knife or tool handle. The process is simple: Slide the handle from the ski pole and fill it with epoxy (it could also be pine resin epoxy made with charcoal—see the Charcoal Epoxy hack in this chapter) and insert the knife or tool. When cured, you’ve now got a knife or tool with a handle better than most. You can find nice quality rat-tail tang blades (Mora blades are my favorite) online for very affordable prices, and this also makes a fun weekend knife project. You can also use old bicycle handle grips.

CHARCOAL EPOXY

If the need for a strong glue arises and no modern options exist, hack your own using crushed charcoal and pine sap. Start by sourcing pine sap from the pine tree. Often you can find this sap in the form of dried clusters on the exterior of the tree. Look for wounds the tree may have suffered and collect the sap that oozes forth there. Next, melt the pine sap over the heat of a fire in a small metal container or in a depression on a hot rock. While the sap is melting, crush black charcoal from the fire pit (the black chunks, not white ash) into a fine powder. Mix the powdered charcoal into the melted pine sap—1 part charcoal to 3 parts pine sap. As this sticky mixture cools it will harden into a very strong natural epoxy that can be used as a glue substitute. The leftover dried glue in the metal tin can be reheated later to be made pliable once again and used indefinitely.

CORDAGE HACKS

2-LITER CORDAGE

I saw a video one time about how 2-liter bottles could be recycled to make rope that was ultimately woven into baskets. The process used fancy equipment and electric motors. After seeing it I was determined to figure out a hack way of making cordage from a 2-liter bottle, using only limited tools. After many failed attempts I finally figured out that I could make a few choice cuts in a sapling stump (see diagram) and could then feed a 2-liter bottle through this improvised jig. The result is that I can strip the bottle into cordage that is strong, rot-resistant, and moisture-resistant. To see the full effect of this amazing hack, watch the skills video here: www.willowhavenoutdoor.com/two-liter-bottle-cordage.

DOG TREAT CORDAGE

Primitive man used rawhide for all kinds of bindings. It was excellent for securing axe and adze heads. Other uses included sewing, bowstrings, shoe bindings, knife sheaths, arrow quivers, shields, drums, furniture, and baskets. Rawhide can also be boiled down to make an excellent glue and is still an ingredient in many modern glues today. Working with rawhide takes practice, but it’s not a material that’s readily available . . . to a nonhacker. To a creative “hack-minded” survivalist, rawhide practice material is in almost every single grocery store in the form of dog chews and bones. Soak these rawhide chew toys in water until soft and then cut them into cordage or bindings for primitive skills practice. This is a hack that few people consider.

BOTTLE CAP PULLEY

HDPE plastic bottle caps (marked by a number 2 inside of the recycle symbol) can be found all over the place. You can fuse 2 of them to make a very impressive little gear pulley, paired with paracord.

Start by taking 2 equal-sized bottle caps and heat the flat tops until they are gooey enough to be fused together. Placing them upside down on a hot rock for a few minutes should be plenty to do the trick. Press them together and let them cool. The top edge of each cap is slightly rounded, which creates an indented seam around the middle of the fused caps. This will act as your pulley channel. Drill or carve a hole through the middle of the caps to inset an axle, climbing carabiner, or rope loop, and you’ve got a perfectly functional gear pulley to hoist large game for dressing or send a 5-gallon bucket into a well or over a cliff for water. Using little pulleys like this you can also create some unique cooking cranes.

SHOPPING BAG ROPE

Usable rope can be twisted and woven from practically any thin, fibrous material, including plastic shopping bags, ribbons, hair, and plant fibers. In fact, the Incans built grass and natural-fiber bridges that spanned massive rivers and gorges. These bridges supported the weight not only of people but of wheeled carts and livestock. Like most survival skills, the devil is in the details when it comes to improvised cordage. The process of twisting, pinching, and weaving natural (or manmade) fibers into cordage is called the reverse wrap, and this is a hack invented not by myself, but by primitive man many thousands of years ago. I have filmed a video to teach you this skill: www.willowhavenoutdoor.com/reverse-wrap-video.

GEAR STORAGE HACKS

USPS WATER-RESISTANT STUFF SACKS

Tyvek is a synthetic waterproof material made from polyethylene fibers traditionally used in the construction industry as a moisture barrier house wrap. Many shipping envelopes, including the ones used for Priority and Express services of the USPS, are also made of Tyvek to protect documents and merchandise from the weather. These envelopes also make great little waterproof stuff sacks. They can be used as is and sealed with the peel-n-stick adhesive strip to protect moisture-sensitive materials, or you can sew a handy drawstring channel around the top edge to make great waterproof gear sack for extended travel. Tyvek is also incredibly light! This is a great way to repurpose used packaging.

SKIVVY ROLL

Packing smart can allow more room in a backpack for important survival gear, so it’s always wise to save space whenever and wherever possible. A clean set of underwear, T-shirt, and socks can go a long way in maintaining personal hygiene when normal facilities for washing aren’t available. A great hack for packing these 3 items is called the skivvy roll. Packed according to the diagrams, these 3 items are barely larger than just one roll of socks. It really is a genius way to pack, whether going on vacation or arranging your bug out bag.

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5

STEP 6

STEP 7

Chapter 7

Forward Movement

LIGHTING HACKS

Pop Can Lantern

Headlamp Camp Lantern

Flashlight Diffuser

Ladle Slush Lamp

T-Shirt Torch

Crayndle

Orange You Gonna Use That Peel?

Crisco Candle

NAVIGATION

Wristwatch Compass