#3Once that’s done, plug in the glue gun to heat up. Then, place the cut side of one of the bottle tops on the gift card. Use the marker to draw a circle around the bottle top and cut out the circle with the scissors.

#4Run a bead of glue or epoxy around the perimeter of the circle you cut from the gift card, then place one of the bottle tops over it, gluing it in place. Once the glue has dried, flip the top over and do the same to the other side.

#5Now, you could stop right here. What you have at this point is a nifty little storage container, suitable for things like tinder or meds. You could even omit the plastic disk and have a larger, single interior rather than one that is double-sided. But, I promised you a fishing kit, so here’s how to finish it up.

#6On the bottle tops, you’ll see a plastic ring that sits just under the cap. Cut that ring off one of the tops. Then, tie on some fishing line and wind it around the bottle top, right at the spot where the ring was removed. Be careful to keep the line from winding on the threads as that may prevent the cap from twisting on securely. When I made this one, I stopped at 55 feet of line. Crimp a split shot sinker on the loose end of the line and drop it into the bottle top, then screw down the cap. This keeps the line from unraveling. I recommend using braided fishing line for this project. Monofilament line has a problem with “memory” and will tend to kink up if stored in this fashion for a time.

#7Unscrew the other cap and inside you can store your hooks, sinkers, and lures. Granted, there’s not a ton of empty space to use for storage, but you might be surprised at just how much you can carry in this tiny kit.

DIY MRE

Originally designed for the military, MREs have become quite popular with the prepper crowd, though I’m not entirely sure why that is. They taste…okay. But they are expensive and actually fairly heavy to carry around in your pack. Some folks open them up and remove the main courses, just carrying those. That’s not a bad plan. If you decide to go with commercially produced MREs, though, I highly suggest you take the time to try them out and make sure you like the taste, as well as ensure they agree with your digestive system.

In this project, we’re going to put together our own version of MREs, using the foods we already know we like and that we know aren’t going to give us…issues…later.

MATERIALS

Shelf-stable foods

Large (quart- or gallon-size) zip-top plastic bags

Plastic cutlery

Paper towels or napkins

#1The types of food you include in your MRE depend on what you like to eat and whether you want to include foods that will require some type of cooking prior to consumption. Examples of common DIY MRE components include:

Bouillon cubes

Candy

Canned meat (e.g., Spam)

Crackers

Dried fruits

Dried nuts

Instant oatmeal

Instant single-serve drink mixes

Packaged instant potatoes

Packaged noodles

Pouched meat (e.g., tuna, chicken)

Ramen noodles

Single-serve salt and pepper

Vitamins

Tea bags

#2Stick with things that require nothing more than water for preparation. You aren’t likely to have butter, milk, and other niceties with you during a bug out. Things like salt and pepper can be either saved from fast food meals or packaged yourself using a variation of the Fire Straws instructions found on page 58.

#3Group your selections into different meals, striving for at least a little diversity so you’re not eating the same thing each time. Another important consideration is meal preparation and what you plan to have available to you for that purpose. If you’re only going to have a single small cooking pot in your pack, don’t plan on making two different things that require the use of that pot for a single meal.

#4Once you have the items sorted into individual meals, package them up using one large zip-top bag for each meal. For some items, such as plastic forks and spoons, vitamins, and bouillon cubes, you may want to use small, snack-size zip-top bags within the larger bag to keep things organized.

#5Some folks like to use vacuum sealers to preserve their DIY MREs. That’s certainly an excellent option if you have a sealer and bags available to you. However, using the large zip-top bags and gently squeezing the air out of them prior to sealing them shut should suffice. Most of the components of your MRE are already in their own sealed packaging.

BOLA

I have no doubt you’ve seen bolas used on TV or in the movies. A traditional tool of Argentinian cowboys (gauchos), bolas are used to ensnare cattle or game. While they differ in size, bolas all consist of a number of weights connected by cordage. They are typically thrown at the legs of the targeted animal. The weights wrap around and trip up the animal.

In various cultures, bolas have been used for hunting and even as battle weapons. The traditional bola is made using wooden balls or leather sacks of rocks for the weights. We’re going to make it a lot easier on ourselves and just use stuff we have in our garage.

The most common version of the bola uses three weighted ends, so that’s what we’re going to do in this project. However, once you understand the basic mechanics of the bola, feel free to make others using additional weights.

MATERIALS

2 pieces (4-feet and 2-feet) thin rope

Handful or two of nuts and washers

#1Start with the longer piece of rope and tie a knot about 6 inches from one end.

#2Thread a few nuts and washers onto the rope, then tie another knot on the loose end, jamming the nuts and washers tightly between the knots. Repeat this with the opposite end of the rope.

#3Take the 2-foot piece of rope and repeat the above step on one end. Reduce the nuts and washers that you use here a bit. Traditionally, the weight on this part of the bola should be less than the weight on the other ends.

#4Find the midpoint of the 4-foot piece of rope. Tie the short piece to the long piece at that point. I’ve found that it works well to use a knot to tie off the short piece, then do a quick overhand knot with the long piece over that. Doing so will prevent the short piece from sliding up and down the long piece.