Last time we went back in time. This week we’re going to begin our journey back to the future. The purpose of this mission (should you choose to accept it) is for us to go on an adventure together and increase your confidence through this experience. We’re going make a kit, use the gear and work on some projects. Along the way we will learn how to obtain, use and manage our resources. We will also document and make some upgrades as well. This trip isn’t just about the destination, it’s about the journey…
Now before we go crazy on Amazon, let’s go around town and see what we can come up with. Survival is not about mega bucks, it’s about mega ingenuity. One has to have an “opossum mentality.” In other words, managing your resources starts with good habits. Be resourceful and opportunistic. The object here is to find what we need for a better price, save some money and come out ahead of the game. Some of the items we need are extremely difficult to find in nature and require a certain level of skill and knowledge to make. In order to get started off on the right foot, let’s go thrift shoppin’…
Accept the fact that we won’t find everything we want, but we will definitely find things we can use. Our first stop is at Goodwill. If you’re patient and you make it a habit of hitting this store on the regular, you’ll be amazed at what you can find. Check this out. I found a pair of brand new McRae boots for only $24.92. In addition, I sourced a brand new pair of Cabelas wool socks ($1.00), a stainless bowl and lid I can make a Dutch oven out of ($1.76), a stainless water bottle ($1.21), a stainless spoon ($.25), a composition notebook to chronicle our journey ($1.00), a long sleeve button up wool shirt ($5.99), an Under Armor Heat Gear t-shirt ($2.00), a pair of military cargo pants ($5.99), a long sleeve mock-neck polyester performance base layer shirt ($5.99), an acrylic SAS commando sweater ($5.99), an orange candle ($.25) and an Eddie Bauer sleeping bag stuffed in a Coleman compression sack for $15.00. The total comes to $76.34 (tax included) spent on a HUGE part of our gear needs. To purchase what we got here at retail price would break the bank. Can I get a witness?
So let’s discuss what I picked and why I picked it. First of all, I decided to try to get all my clothing needs fulfilled at this store. Your first line of defense against the elements is your clothing. My late Grandfather always told me to NEVER go anywhere unless you were wearing clothes that will protect you against the worst possible condition for that time of year. Being that shelter is the first of your “core four” survival priorities, getting as much as we can on the inexpensive side became my first priority. Notice I didn’t say “cheap.” The items which I purchased are anything but cheap. Wool is high dollar in fact. If I could have found all of it in wool, that would have been ideal. I had to make the best of what I could find. Performance blends are the next best thing. Stay away from 100% cotton. Cotton kills.
But why? The body cools 25% more efficiently when it’s wet. That’s great when you’re in the tropics- not so much in the Eastern woodlands. Cotton is extremely comfortable, but it is a bear to dry out in the woods. The military cargo pants were a blend of cotton and polyester. 50/50 is an ideal compromise between comfort and performance. Now, your base layer needs to breath. I went full poly on my mock neck so it would not hold on to the moisture from sweating. My Under Armour Heat Gear shirt that goes over it, will do the same. The next layer was the acrylic commando sweater. I would have been way over the top excited for a wool commando sweater, but hey, we’ll take what we can get. The military uses them, so can we. We’ll just have to be careful around fire. Acrylics and polys melt when exposed to flame. No bueno. No worries though. We have a full wool long sleeve button up shirt, that is fire resistant, to put on top of that. Click Click BOOM!!!
I won’t even think of compromising on my socks. Wool is the way to go. I will pay $20 all day long for good socks. I lucked out big time on the Cabelas socks. Your feet are ultra important. Trust me- jungle rot is NOT something you want to deal with. Wool resists bacteria better than any other fabric on the planet. Bite the bullet and invest in good foot gear. I highly suggest if you are going to be in the wildlands for any length of time, take THREE pair of wool socks. One pair to wear at night, the other two can be rotated or worn together in extreme temps. NEVER wear the socks you wore during the day, when you are sleeping. Dry the ones you wore during the day by the fire at night. Just do it…
I addition, make sure you apply this principle to your whole wardrobe- Layers should fit you “just right.” They shouldn’t be too loose, or too tight. This applies to your socks and shoes. A HUGE mistake people make, is wearing too many socks and lacing their boots way too tight. You restrict circulation and encourage sweating when you do this. If you can keep your core warm and encourage good circulation, you are in good shape. The key to keeping your core warm is in the layering. The base layer and insulating layers have to breathe. It’s better to have several light layers actually. The trick is in the air between the layers. Heating the air in the layers is what matters most. You can regulate your temp by adding or taking away layers. If you carry a bunch of bulk, when it gets wet, it will be too heavy, hard to pack and very difficult to dry. Choose layers that will breathe, dry relatively fast, and are easy to carry. As I have proved, you don’t have to spend a fortune on good clothes. Put on some Macklemore and hit the thrift shops baby…
I picked up some other goodies at Goodwill as well- a stainless bowl, lid, water bottle and spoon. Stainless is the way to go. I’ve watched students’ high dollar aluminum and titanium kits distort and melt away on the fire. Stainless has never let me down. It’s tough, and easy to find locally. It can also be disinfected over coals. You definitely can’t do that with plastic ware either. Change the way you look at things. Even a stainless dog bowl is better than these expensive kits you can purchase online and in the stores. Let go of your pride and get out of your comfort zone. Use your imagination and put together a mess kit that will last a lifetime. Modify if you have to. I’ve been saving money and doing it for years…
Let’s not forget redundancy- two is one and one is none. The Eddie Bauer sleeping bag adds to the sheltering principle. Sheltering is just maintaining your core body temperature. If my clothes get soaked, I can begin drying them out and get in the bag while they dry. Remember the air principle I spoke of earlier? You will stay warmer in your bag if you lose your clothes. That’s a fact. There exists more than enough research to prove my point. Sure, the synthetic bags will sharpen the nipples upon entry, but as you heat the air in the bag, you won’t have to worry about puncturing it. Try it. You’ll thank me later. Warm and dry clothes feel amazing in the morning. Airing yourself out is important from a hygiene perspective. We do not want to encourage bacteria growth. People who don’t air themselves out, take smoke baths, (more on that later) and practice good hygiene get sick and stink yo…
I consider a journal to be one of the most important items I carry. It allows me to write down things I learn so I can review them later. It also allows me to chronicle what I’ve spent on my gear. In a way, it also gives me direction and allows me to defrag my mind. I set project goals with it, write down inspirational quotes, prayers and even draw foliage that I’m studying. I look at it like it’s my own unique survival book. I have a nice leather bound journal I’ve been carrying for years, but the truth of the matter is, a composition book will do just as well. After you figure out a system that works for you, go purchase a nice one and in a few years you’ll be quite impressed with what you’ve learned about yourself and your environment. The beginning of wisdom is to know thyself…
The candle relates more to firecraft than lighting the path. When we hit the woods I’ll elaborate on that. The orange candle I picked up is long enough to make two out of it- remember two is one and one is none? We’ll increase our fire kit as we go, but I think we’ve spent enough money for one day. Let’s save up some more cash and plan on another trip next time. If you take the time to research everything I purchased at Goodwill, you will find the savings are enormous. You can find name brand stuff people just got rid of- one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Be patient, follow the principles and try to save as much funny money as you can before you pay full price. We’ve had a great start. Imagine what we’ll score on our next adventure…
- Jonathan