Nifty things that make living a /wee/ bit easier

[CelticWanderer]

A lot of stuff on here is for the big picture, what kinda shelters, how to eat plants and all that good shit.
Well, I wanna hear about yalls small, mcgyver type things that make life on the road just a wee bit more comfortable and easy.

Like painting the tips of tent stakes bright orange to find them easier. Or using a walmart bag hanging off a tree limb full a water in the hot sun and poking tiny holes in it for a half decent, half warm shower.

ya know, stuff like that.

 

[Mankini]

I empty everything out of their containers to make my pack as ultralight as possible. i.e., instant coffee goes into a ziplock, aspirin into a ziplock, etc. I use a space blanket as a rain cover and to help insulate. Theyre lighter than tarps but serve the same purpose.

 

[CelticWanderer]

I empty everything out of their containers to make my pack as ultralight as possible. i.e., instant coffee goes into a ziplock, aspirin into a ziplock, etc. I use a space blanket as a rain cover and to help insulate. Theyre lighter than tarps but serve the same purpose.

shit, never even thought about using a space blanket for a rain cover. I bet a few marbles and a simple rope cinch and you could even tie it off on places.

 

[Tude]

I empty everything out of their containers to make my pack as ultralight as possible. i.e., instant coffee goes into a ziplock, aspirin into a ziplock, etc. I use a space blanket as a rain cover and to help insulate. Theyre lighter than tarps but serve the same purpose.

Hehe - Anywhere and anyhow I travel I am huge on killinng space and heaviness on what I'm carrying - therefore, I too, am a ziplock queen!! hehe - I also dump all that excess packaging - say from cereal and just take the bag of stuff with me.

I miss my space blanket - don't know where it went, need another. I volunteer at many different races each year - need to pick up some more of these. When race season starts - I'll see if I can grab some of these and put on here.

I also ran across a sports show for a marathon in Canada that sold for $10 this most awesome - fold up to a 3" ball - "coat" made from plastic that was wind and rain PROOF. I wore that thing out! (was riding shotgun for my friend running - and picked up several of these things along lthe race route as the runners/riders shoot of excess clothing and water bottles - ok - I scavanged - gave a few away too).

 

[Arketype87]

Hey Wanderer, good post. There's many ingenious ways to repurpose items that I've found to be space and weight saving, as well as making for easier travel. Of course I carry at least five 13 gallon white trash bags (rain catches, makeshift rain covers), a handful of extra Ziploc baggies for food I obtain on the road to store in, as well as keep your smaller items dry; for tent stakes I've used old hangers, just cut them in half and wallah, oz. less than stakes, and work well for holding down tarps. For a lightweight, quick and easy camp stove, I use a burner from a fondue set. It will burn anything from kerosene to rubbing alcohol. For my one and only camp pot while on the move, I keep my military canteen cup which you can either find at a thrift shop or surplus store, and they're light and can stand being placed directly on a bed of coals. These and more bub, message me for more cool ideas...

 

[Tude]

Yes - Good thread!

 

[kidbob]

Id like to add one..in regards to the shower...
Spacebag wine is a bliss in disguise
Air it up after empty ...wallah..pillow.let the air out...refill with water and hang up in tree..wallah shower
Them mylar blankets u where talking about TUDE...can be found at wally world for 3bucks... And small packaging allows for easy pocket discount.
Id reccomend a penny stove to any traveler who is learning....their super easy to make...reliable in 90% of conditions i come across(a train fusie fills that 10% void)
a five gallon bucket with a lid and no holes.wash cloths..take duck bath.store foods from ants(especially in the south)
id have to say my bliss is in my 9$ folding saw that i use for cutting EVERYTHING.

 

[kidbob]

Oh oh oh i almost forgot the P-42? that lil sliver of a can opener!!!
and look into the pocketsize survival tool(7-13 tools all on a flat metal the size of a credit card)
if u look on ebay..u can get the can opener and the survival card together for a dollar.....
And dental floss....enough praise can not be said about dental floss.use it for EVERYTHING!!!

 

[kidbob]

Oh yah and if u ever dive into a dunkin donuts dumpster....their coffee in a box....is actually an insulated spacebag...so if u make soup or anything u wanna keep warm for a while3-4 hrs depending on extra insulation....i reccomend using them....cause they ARE reusible with a removable spout.ive had to fill em with hot water and sleep on em befor...only one broke out of the 4 i had and it was cause of my pocket trash.their pretty sturdy

 

[Tude]

I have mah P-42. hehe have met a kinda hard can or two and let loose some naughty words - but it works! Love my plastic spork too from REI - freaking little crazy serrated knife on the end has cut me a few times too - so it's an all in one there. Both of those are in my bike panniers

 

[kidbob]

That made me remember somehing else TUDE!!
so i have always been a fan of cheff boyrdee..and those pull off tops...and i often get the can and no silverware...so one day many many many yrs ago in nola(pre katrina)
i was with a vet and his arm had been mangled in iraq..he wanted to juice up but had no washout kits to speak of and all the while im eating pull off ravioli...and dude ask for lid...he then folds and rolls the sidesup and into the center,kinda manages to fold crease a lip on the bottom with this little V-divit and then folds up the top(the pull off part) makin this lid into a lil 1/4 inch tall .....bowl....i have since learned to do this and i add 3 more v-divits(what he used to rest his needle on) and it makes for a perfect spoon/fork/knife.... Ive made some for travel kids who always lost their bliss..and they all fashioned em into necklace....just gotta be carefull with the sides...u wanna fold/roll em up so there isnt any sharp edges or ur lookin like the joker chewin on glass.....

 

[Kal]

I have this fork, spoon ,knife and can opener that folds into one case kind of like a swizz army knife. For space blankets and tarps, I like to set up tarp and space blanket together as a shelter that way when you have a fire and some rocks behind the fire for a heat reflector and with the space blanket that you have under your tarp will also act as a heat reflector. Keeps a person nice and warm.

 

[Tude]

@kidbob - lol - Yes I have very carefully used that pop off can lid as a spoon and knife when need be.

 

[CelticWanderer]

Dang @kidbob , you've got a lot of really good ideas. I really like the space bag one. A multi-use pillow sounds awesome, and that boyrdee can is a stroke of genius. I'll have to try that.
One I forgot about earlier, I love coffee in the woods but instant coffee tastes like a butthole thats been used as an ash-tray. And mud sucks.
So, if you get a coffee filter, real coffee, and an elastic hair tie, you just throw the coffee in the filter tie it up and throw it in a pot of boiling water.
And you get super awesome real coffee.
That and some hand rolled stogies can make my whole day awesome.

 

[Kal]

Dang @kidbob , you've got a lot of really good ideas. I really like the space bag one. A multi-use pillow sounds awesome, and that boyrdee can is a stroke of genius. I'll have to try that.
One I forgot about earlier, I love coffee in the woods but instant coffee tastes like a butthole thats been used as an ash-tray. And mud sucks.
So, if you get a coffee filter, real coffee, and an elastic hair tie, you just throw the coffee in the filter tie it up and throw it in a pot of boiling water.
And you get super awesome real coffee.
That and some hand rolled stogies can make my whole day awesome.

I like the coffee idea, never thought about making coffee like this, will have to try it.

 

[CelticWanderer]

I like the coffee idea, never thought about making coffee like this, will have to try it.

it tastes just like it would coming out of a pot. Does the same thing. just stir it around alot.

 

[kidbob]

Just thought of something else for those who are less prepared or minimalist...
So ur sitting there drinkin steely tall boys and u get hungry
So u take that one package of ramen u got from somewhere and decide ur gonna eat it finaly
Only to remember u aint got no pot to boil water in.
Take that steely can(once its empty of course) and cut the topp off a lil more than half way.
Fold it back,crunch or break up ur ramen and insert it and water into ur can...wallah..instant raman boiler cup!!
just place over or next to fire or on ur popcan stove and u be eatin hot jucy raman in no time

 

[kidbob]

"mood lighting"

so i am a fan of solar tech and i often liberate things that have solar panels.
I also am a fan of hawian punch cause they come with a handle that makes for hookin the jug to my pack easy...
Now if u take the lable off the jugg and fill with water and u take one of them pathway lights and remove all the plastic cone and shit u can put the led light(which is solar powered) over the opening of the jug and it magnifies the light output 3fold...due to reflection and refraction of the light bouncing around in the water in the jugg.
Now maybe u dont want a "lantern" to be seen but when ur in a squat or off in deep jungle, this comes in really fuckin handy for lighting an area's ground up. Pluss if u have one of them solar powered led's ...u can use their batteries to power ur tripple a devices..and some are double a aswell.

 

[Kal]

Terrific ideas Kid Bob.

 

[kidbob]

Thanks
I do what i can to share MY experiance!