Home › Forums › Campfire Forum › New vids on woodsmanship, etc.
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I’ve been working with BHA to produce a series of short how-to vids on basic woodsmanship and outdoor skills. We’re calling the series “Backcountry College” and you can see the first vid below. Thought youall would like it..:wink:
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Worked fine for me 😉
Good instructional Clay. The humble tarp is an excellent but oft overlooked tool in the outdoors in my little opinion. I use a very small and lightweight variety we call a ‘hoochie’ down here.
I keep elastic straps tied to the corners for quick and easy set up. They’re great even in the summer as a source of shade. You can also use it to wrap up your field pack with a little air pocket so you can float it across a river and keep the pack and contents dry. Lots of things they can be used for and they pack so small and light!
I can’t wait to see what else you guys come up with 😀
Jim
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Clay, good stuff. I’m thinking of trying that with some recycled material they use for billboards out this way. Thanks for a great video. I look forward to seeing more. dwc
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dwcphoto wrote: I’m thinking of trying that with some recycled material they use for billboards out this way.
that stuff is vinal isn’t it? I saw where a guy made a swiming pool from an old billbord add. Recycling at it’s best:D
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I’m not exactly sure what it’s made of, but it’s like a lightweight tarp you’d buy in a hardware store, only free. I was looking for a good way to make targets and I got the idea while driving along a billboard strewn highway. I’m using them for targets, stuffed in feed sacks, and cut in strips to cover firewood. I gave some to a friend who will use them to make shelters are a dog shelter. dwc
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Great job Clay! I watch a great many videos like this on you tube and many are a waist of time. You have a great presence on video and the video is great quality. Thanks for all the effort. Your example of tarp usage in this video is great. My goal is to go with as light a pack as possible and with as little as I can survive on. I am going to attempt your tarp layout but I will be using a lighter tarp and I am definetly not hiking those stakes and big ole axe with me…HA!
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Well done, Clay. I’m looking forward to the rest of this series…
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Cameron, I’ve got one made of polyester that I use for backpacking. It’s 12X12 and weighs next to nothing. I just cut stakes in the woods.
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Good catch Ben, I’ll get that fixed for the next one.
Mike, these will all be free on the BHA site and on youtube.
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Clay–This got me thinking:roll:. I thought I had posted this site http://WWW.cybertracker.org before but a search showed nothing therefore, you and BHA may want to check it out. Not only does it have awesome videos of persistence hunts and two great books for free download, Dr. Liebenberg has developed hardware and software that to my small brain would be a great asset to not only your profession but to all who can gather data in the field for scientific research. As I read the site it’s free to certain type organizations. Worth a look if you don’t know about it.
Mike
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Clay Hayes wrote: Cameron, I’ve got one made of polyester that I use for backpacking. It’s 12X12 and weighs next to nothing. I just cut stakes in the woods.
I figured as much…I am looking forward to more of your vids. I noticed some hammock camping in the final moments of your video. That is what I am into right now…can’t wait to see your ideas on hammock camping.
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Great video….Im looking forward to seeing more.
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Well done, Clay! If you got a light enough waterproof tarp, you could pack it as standard gear in your hunting pack and never have to worry about getting stuck out all night in nasty weather and dying of hypothermia.
But I have to wonder, with the only floor being the parts of the tarp that tuck under/inside, how waterproof is it in a prolonged hard rain and wind? Also, if the door only ties at the bottom, which is how I saw it, that could be a problem in windy wet weather. Maybe a couple more grommets in those panels to allow for lacing tighter shut? Finally, what are the inside dimensions? With most lightweight tents and tarps, if your bod comes in contact with the material in a rain, it will leak at that point. So I’d want the minimal size tarp that would make a shelter big enough to stretch out in without touching, and also fit my pack into. Finally, I’d use a rock for a hammer (or my head) and leave the hatchet at home.
This is such a cool idea that as soon as you advise on these details I’m going to make one and give it a test sleep-over.
I’m really glad you’re working on this good project with BHA, Clay. So far as I’m concerned, when it comes to practical woodsmanship skills (that is, not primitive for the love of primitive, but everyday useful skills), you be da man! You should adapt this to a “Primitive Skills” article for TBM with photos and sketches to further clarify. Keep ’em coming. Uncle Dave
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Love the concept, but I too would like to know how it would fair in nasty weather! I guess you could configure a more compact design like a A frame. Great idea, seems like these shelters are growing in popularity! Outfits like Kifaru, Seek Outside charge mega bucks for what really amounts to a glorified tarp. Keep those videos coming!!
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Dave, good questions, and I’ll do my best to answer. First the demensions. As I stated in the video, this 9X10 is minimal. The inside is about 4.5 X 6.5 (at the peak, plus a little with the flaps extended), so just big enough for one guy. My feet touch the back where it slopes down to the ground. And, as you say, that can be a problem in prolonged wet weather. I’ve got another lightweight silicon treated polyester tarp that’s more like 12 X 13. It weighs next to nothing and could stuff easily into a daypack. There’s plenty of room in that one to stretch out. You could get a cheap plastic tarp and set it up this way just to see if the demensions would work for you. Or, you could get some old bed sheets from the goodwill and mock one up. The diamond configuration gives you a lot more room, but the front is open. That’s sometimes nice because you can build a small fire out front and make coffee while you’re still in your sleeping bag. I’ve used mine late season in near zero weather and that’s a real benni.
I had mine out a week or so ago and it rained and blew for a day and a half. I was in a down sleeping bag atop a thermarest inside and stayed dry. I did have to trench around one side to avoid rain coming in under the walls.
Mine also has button holes along the front flaps so you could thread a long narrow stick and close it up tight. You could solve that problem in a number of ways.
I don’t pack stakes. They’re easy to cut in the woods. And a rock works well to drive them.
ch
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