Beckerheads outdoor tips and tricks

I was just in the yard in perfect conditions and spen about two hours trying to get a fire started. I learned some great lessons

1. My pro force fire steel sucks. I wore it down to nothing
2. My rat-7 is not sharp enough to make small kindling.
3. I do not practice enough
4. I am going with a bk2 as I found the rat-7 to be a bit big.

After numerious attempts with my little kindling bundle. I gave up and went with a birds nest of pine needles. That did not work either so I grabbed the furry stuff( I don't know the name of it) that is on top of the pumpass grass. Found everywhere in florida. And after a few good strikes it caught.

The pro force striker I was using came with a little piece of steel so strike it with and that did not work worth a damn,

Any suggestions on a GOOD fire steel. I see the one dave always has on the show is huge, I could barely grip mine.

I am a perfect example of a guy that spends to much time reading and not enough time prac apping.
 
resurrected? lol. dry grass makes excellent tinder, gather and weave/ball it up in a nest that will catch quick. Fire steels have a learning curve, but it helps to shave a bit into the tinder before striking sparks to help catch them and ignite. Long, thin green vines can be used as cord in a pinch.
 
Dont take a internet guru's word as truth. Skills only come with practice. Figure out what works for you, in your area.
 
When hiking through unfamiliar territory stop occasionaly and take a good look behind you. This will let you see what the trail looks like if you need to walk back the same way. Landmarks will appear different during different times of the day, different seasons or within minutes if the sky changes from clear to cloudy.
Always have at least 3 ways to make fire. Always have water, or more than one way to treat water if you are using natural sources.
 
If you bring any sort of instant hot drink powder like for hot chocolate or similar, remember never to eat it without water. Sure it's sweet and will give you energy when you're tired and cold and maybe you just wont bother to heat some water, but eating it without water can be very dangerous. The powder is extremely dry and attracts water. This means that once it is in your stomach it will suck water away from the rest of your body until reaching a state of not being quite so dry. If you are already a little dehydrated this can be dangerous as further dehydration from the powder can cause you to faint. This can obviously be dangerous if you're alone in the cold as you might freeze to death.

If you do not have access to hot water, you can eat the powder in small mouthfuls and gulp it down with some cold water. The powder wont mix properly in cold water so you can’t simply empty the powder into your bottle.

I saw this happen once during a hell week like exercise in the army. We were quite worried seeing as we had no idea what had happened to her. It is not unheard of for people to faint during those exercises, but it usually just happens when you’re running with a gasmask and don’t get enough air, which can in some cases lead to fainting if your exhausted from several days of not eating and sleeping. Luckily we had a tent not far from there so we got the unconscious person away from the cold. She regained consciousness not to long after and after drinking plenty of water she was ready for action again - as far as someone can be ready for action when they haven’t eaten or slept in 4 days :p
 
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An oldie but a goodie, and very bump worthy. Need to get this one going again.
 
Dang! I've never seen this thread before, but I just read the thing it there is lots of great tips. One tip that Ethan gave me that someone gave him is that you should practice your firemaking skills every time that you make a fire, especially if you rely on a fireplace or wood stove for heat. You get really good really fast. Another ting is, PRACTICE!!!!! Go to the Lumber yard and get a 12' 2X4 (make sure it's relatively strait grained white pine) and cut/hack it into smaller pieces, and make some 1 stick fires. With 12' you can make about 12 one stick fires. Make sure you clean up your mess, wife (or in my case, parents) don't like wood chips all over the yard. Go to your thrift store and get a large blanket to spread to help with the mess.

Knowing how to use one Becker well is much more valuable than having the whole line-up and not use them.
 
When you are walking down a trail, especially a new trail. Take the time to turn around and look were you came from and memorize it. This way if you have to come back the same way you already have landmarks to go by.

Always be nice to strangers you meet in the woods. In an emergency they might be your best friend.

Jeremy
 
Oh yeah, thanksMuddog! I forgot, Corn has 123 carbs per cup. Very good stuff in that respect. Great survival food

More great belly fillers include rice, oatmeal, and grits are really great stuff that you can add almost anything to and make taste good. They require only water and a pot.

Always pack tin foil. You can cook almost anything in it, it will get rust off a blade, and is virtually weightless. Just be careful with it.
 
Loads and loads of chap stick. More so in the winter. It will keep your lips from peeling off, plus you can fill cracks in your feet and hands with it....if the pooch gets a paw split, you can pack it with chap stick....also is a great way to keep rust off your knife. I make my own as of right now.
 
Never fry bacon naked.

OK, I know that sounds silly... but there is a point to it. Even a small injury or burn can become a big deal out in the boonies. Be extra careful. No Rambo or Bear Grylls stuff.
 
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james terrio said:
Never fry bacon naked.

OK, I know that sounds silly... but there is a point to it. Even a small injury or burn can become a big deal out in the boonies. Be extra careful. No Rambo or Bear Grylls stuff.
Click to expand...

OMG, LMAO.
So.True.
 
NikkiR said:
OMG, LMAO.
So.True.
Click to expand...

:D That brings me to another point... sometimes a bit of silliness can really improve your morale.

Tape, wire and line of various types can be wrapped around almost anything you already have in your kit anyway... knife handle/sheath, pack frame, walking stick, water bottles, etc. It weighs essentially nothing and doesn't really take up any extra space this way. You never know when a few (dozen?) feet of electrical or duct tape, fishing line, snare wire, first-aid tape or of course 550 cord might come in really handy.

Keep at least a container of floss and a comb in your smallest kit... preferably a travel-size toothbrush/toothpaste and some hand sanitizer/"waterless" soap, too, along with the ever-helpful bandana. You want some alcohol wipes for your FAK anyway, so bring extras. Yuck-mouth and just being ratty and gross makes everything bad, even worse.

Warm hat, socks and gloves can make the difference between being completely miserable and actually being pretty comfortable. Even in summer, never underestimate the effect of a 10 or 15-degree drop in temperature, especially when it's damp.
 
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Practice with whatever you have in your kit, even if you have to replace contents afterwards. No sense carrying a firesteel if you've never tried making a fire with one....well, there's sense in it, but it'll be more useful if you have experience actully using it. For that matter, practice anything you can that may save your (or someone else's) life. I have a sea kayaking video in which the first thing people are asked is if they think they can self rescue (get back into their boat if they tip over); they all find out it's WAY harder than it appears and most of them fail even though they carry the proper equipment with them. None of them had ever practiced; most thought they "knew how". "In theory, practice and theory are the same. In practice, they aren't."
 
Don't get too F'd up the first night like the chick with the tat's that a saw in the last gathering last people say they never saw again.
 
Keep your vittles safe from wild critters. They are not interested in sharing, and they have no regrets when it comes to stealing your dinner.

[video=youtube;A-YPz1jicAE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=A-YPz1jicAE[/video]
 
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