Cool Handle, Look

I've seen many little gizmos and gadgets made to keep the handle of a zebra billy out of the way so that it doesn't get hot when you're cooking something.. the easiest way by far is to put your knife under it and put the tip under the handle of the lid..very simple

if you're using your trangia or hexi stove you can even just use your mora

if you want the handle to sit even higher just use your fork and put the tines under the handle on the lid.

Bough Bed

If you need to get off the ground in a cold environment and you're not too worried about rain, this is a good bed to make. It doesn't take long and is incredibly comfortable

Start with 4 poles, wide enough and long enough to facilitate your body

You can either use stakes to hold the poles in place or as we've used here a piece of cordage..the recommended knot is what Mors Kochanski calls the jam knot or what I called the turtle knot when I used it for fishing

build it up until it's about 18 inches high

then fill with leaf litter or as we prefer, spruce or fir boughs. This takes a lot less time than leaf litter and we find doesn't compress as tightly and therefore gives a better  nights sleep. Once it's about half filled, lie down in it to compress the boughs..

then get out and fill to the top.

then get in for a very comfortable nights sleep..This bed is easy to adapt if you need to make a roof like a lean to or wiki-up, or even better if you have a tarp and just fit it over.
You would be surprised at just how comfortable and warm this bed becomes..especially if you make one that can fit two people!

Earth Star

I found this little fellow when out in the woods recently

 

 

A pretty little thing, relatively rare in this part of the world so it's nice to find.

there is debate over whether these are edible or not and there are some varieties that definitely are but I'm not confident enough in mycology to differentiate between them.

 

There is a legend amongst the Blackfoot tribe, who call them fallen stars, that says these are their ancestors come to earth in a time of need.

This very special little thing reminds me of someone very special!

 

Straw Capsules

These can be made to hold anything from tea, sugar or coffee to spices, medicines, little fishing kits and anything small enough to fit inside.. Mostly they are used to contain fire making materials like cotton wool and Vaseline..

 

 

all you need are straws, a pair of pliers and a lighter plus whatever you're going to be putting inside, in this case, cotton wool and Vaseline

 

 

pinch the end of the straw flat and melt it with the lighter, it forms a waterproof seal very well

 

 

mix your Vaseline and cotton wool and stuff into the straw with a bamboo skewer or thin stick

 

 

once done, pinch flat the open end and seal with the lighter

 

job done, and you can use any thin tubular items to do the same job. They are waterproof, they float and once opened the straw also becomes a source of fuel when burnt along with the cotton wool giving you valuable extra time for the fire to catch.

 

( These straws came from subway, they're a good size diameter, though you can get really good ones from KFC when you get a crushem.. they're nearly1/2" in diameter!!)