Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Paracord Bracelet


Last week I was out, and I got a few questions regarding the bracelet I wear on my wrist every day. Normally in circumstances like these, I'll respond with something sarcastic like "it's a friendship bracelet" and usually that will be the enough for the person asking. However, in situations where I feel that maybe there is a chance that someone may appreciate what it is, I'll give a proper explanation.

For those of you who haven't seen one before, the bracelets shown above are simple braids of military parachute cord. The type of braids and methods of closure can vary and are up to personal taste, but the purpose is the same. Like the similar Paracord Survival Belt, the idea is to carry a length of cordage with you that can be unravelled in an emergency situation. Parachute cord (or paracord) is ideal for this purpose because it has a test strength of 450lbs, and can be unravelled further to reveal 7-8 inner strands which can be used for anything from binding, to fishing lines to snare lines.


So if it's a survival thing, why would I wear it everyday? After explaining what it is, I'm usually approached with the response "So you wear it because somehow you're going to wind up needing to snare or build a shelter in the middle of downtown?"

Ok, an understandable response. The situation that I'll somehow be transported from the middle of an urban metropolis to the middle of the wilderness in an instant is a little far fetched, but the truth is that if I only wore it when I "needed" it, I'd never wear it. By that I mean that when I first started wearing it, it felt uncomfortable and I was always aware that it was there. By wearing it every day, I've become to accustomed having it on me, so now it feels awkward if I'm not wearing it. Now, if I ever did need it the chance that it was with me would be higher than the chance that it wasn't since it's a habit to have it with me. The same sort of rules that apply to having an EDC keychain.

So now that I've explained it, you no doubt want one of your own! So how do you get one? Sorry, I can't help you there. There are plenty of people who make these to sell, but you're going to have to do that research on your own. The ones I wear I've made myself, so I can however direct you to a few resources on learning to make your own. If you are interested, just follow the links:

Need to buy paracord? Supply Captain has a good assortment.
Want to learn to make a cobra stitch with a snap? Here is the guide I used when I first started.
Want a different style (chain sinnet, snake braid, zipper braid)? TyingItAllTogether has some excellent videos on making braids and knots.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Maple Syrup!

Off to the maple syrup festival today, to have some fun eating pancakes and walking around the maple trails.

Not really bushcraft related, but still going to be a good time in the woods.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Serendipity

Today was an eventful day. I expected to go to the show and check out some deals on a few pieces of gear and grab some information regarding getting my hunting license. In fact I came away with so much more.

By pure chance, my girlfriend was looking at some firesteels and a survival school instructor asked her if she knew how to use them. After a minute or so of talking to him, she ran to get me as she knew I would appreciate the chance to talk to him too. Turns out, he was the owner of the survival school and we got to talking bushcraft right away. Turns out he's bringing Mors Kochanski to teach at his school. Mors is the author of my bushcraft book... who over 20 years ago was the one who popularized the term "Northern Bushcraft".

The fact that he is a wealth of knowledge and is officially retired from teaching makes this a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn skills from a very experienced teacher. One that I definitely do not want to miss.

Off to the show

Heading down to the Toronto Sportsmen Show today. Hopefully I'll find some good deals on gear or at the very minimum, some info about hunter education courses or outfitters.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Survivorman speaks

Not really a full post, just wanted to share this.

Les Stroud (Survivorman) weights his opinion on the importance of proper training and preparedness.

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO

and

READ THE ARTICLE

(click the link to be taken to the Globe and Mail)

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Knowing you limits: A cautionary tale.

I've been mulling over this post all day. I almost didn't want to write it because of the tragic nature of the situation, but I think there are a few things that need to be said. I woke up to read an article sent to me by someone who knows how important to me learning bushcraft skills are. The article detailed the unfortunate case where an individual went out for a weekend to practice his survival skills, and sadly succumbed to the elements.

The article details the unfortunate case of a fan of the television show Survivorman who left for a weekend in the Muskoka woods, and never returned home. The only things he took with him were the knowledge in his head and his gear which consisted of his "multi-tool, an axe, matches, a lighter, an emergency blanket, fishing tools, a compass, a survival book, maps and some cash". It goes on to detail his self taught skills and the number of times he spent alone in the woods successfully.

Without going into the blame game, and whether or not "reality survival show" are to be blamed for this, there are a few things the article covers that I think need to be addressed.

One of the most important take home messages here is the importance of safety when learning skills that put your life at risk. There is no substitute for going out and practicing the skills to make shelter and fire, or find water and food. Doing so takes us to a very spiritual place, a place were we get just a glimpse into our past to see what our ancestors had to do just to live. The problem here lies in the fact that doing too much too soon means the difference from having an enjoyable experience that develops character and spirit, and death.

I think the biggest mistake that this poor fellow made was that he didn't know his limits. Regardless of how mild the winter has been here in Ontario, walking into the middle of the Muskoka woods without proper sheltering materials or winter clothing is stupid. Anyone with proper winter experience knows how serious the dangers of hypothermia are, and to not prepare for it shows either ignorance or over confidence. He clearly had experience having demonstrated the ability to go out in fair weather, so he definitely was not ignorant.

In survival, even more important than your gear or your skills is your mindset...and if you're overconfident, nature will punish you for it. The truth is, that when...

...you know nothing, you don't take the risk because you know you can't handle the situation.

...you know a little, there is a tendency to be over confident because you know more than the people who know nothing

...you know just a little more than that, you appreciate the scope of how little you actually know and you're humbled by it.

Perhaps if this fellow appreciated the seriousness of what he was doing he would not have lost his life for it.

I'd like to comment briefly about the attitude of the people around him and the tone of the article. With no disrespect to the grieving friends or family, the sense that the article gives is that the skills this man learned were almost dismissed as being nonsensical or laughable. From the description given in the article it sounds almost like this gentleman knew that the inner bark of pine trees is edible, that willow bark or basswood trees gave strong bark that could be twisted into cordage, or that he had knife skills to do woodwork which is essential in bushcraft. Insights such as these tell the story of a person who was dedicated enough to learn very important yet, generally overlooked skill sets. Yet the impression the article gives is that he was only "playing" at survival, because he was self taught. They simply couldn't understand why he would want to go out and do what he was doing.

Survival isn't a game. It isn't camping, and it isn't an adventure. Survival means that your life is at risk and the only two options are life and death. I don't know the full story, but as someone who also loves the outdoors I can at least appreciate where he was coming from.