Backpacking and Camping
From Steal This Wiki
Backpacking and camping are both viable ways to live without a permanent address. Backpacking implies much more mobility and deeper wilderness, the equipment is mostly suitable for touring both on foot and by bicycle. Camping is more stable and often involves more comfortable bedding and cooking equipment. A camper hitches a ride, drives, or even uses a trailer, while a backpacker can easily move on his own.
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Backpacking
Contrary to what the magazines and gear shoppes would like you to think you don't need to have the most expensive equipment money can buy to take to the hills. There is sometimes a trade off in comfort, weight, and function with the expensive gear, but never let price keep you from choosing this option, we hope some of our ideas can get you out without breaking your budget. Remember often the price difference in the ultra$$ brands is because of expensive advertising.
Don't forget to visit mom and pop army-navy surplus stores for lots of weird junk mixed with some useful and sometimes very high quality camping gear, unless you swiped it from a base a bit of the money from surplus supports some generals slush fund, but the deep discounts are worth it, just watch out for obsolete, worn out, heavy, or low quality gear. Unfortunately unless you move fast most of the best deals are quickly grabbed and sold at online auctions.
Packs
A quality pack is very important, fit is very personal, you need to try on the loaded pack (take 30-50 lbs of well sacked sand bags or call ahead and see if the store has some) before you buy and walk around for at least an hour.
Quality frame packs while not in vogue are often cheaper and let you carry lots of heavy gear, the internal frame packs hug tight to your body giving you more stability. Be sure the straps are comfortable on your shoulders and chest and that the sternum strap can be moved to a comfortable place Women especially need to find a pack with shoulder straps contoured to not rub their armpits or breasts when cinched tight.
The old US Army ALICE frame pack is an excellent buy if you can find one in good shape on the surplus market.
Care must be exercised since a high priced pack might have bad stitching or components and a really good pack might be sold for very cheap if it is a brand unknown in the US.
Things to look for: well ventilated back pad, anti-damp shoulder straps and belt pad, useful outside pockets, drinking system compatibility, gear attachment loops, modularity, quality zippers, and durability especially at the shoulder straps and seams.
A pack cover with a draw string protects your pack from rain and also makes it difficult for pickpockets to quickly find the zippers. A pack cover could be reversed to cover straps during air travel.
Daypacks
When traveling find a good daypack that is comfortable when either attached to the main pack straps or looped forward on your arms as well as when you wear it on your back. Keep your valuables in the front day pack where you have control of it an leave your bulky stuff in the main pack.
Small light-duty packs are available which fit into a key chain or wallet and weigh almost nothing.
Tents
A tent serves several jobs; insect protection, privacy, sun shade, and weather protection; the tent construction will affect the performance in all of these areas.
- For insect protection be sure that there are full closing zippers, some inexpensive tents leave the bottoms of windows and doors open, durable screens and zipper seams are less likely to rip out quickly.
- Privacy is the easiest to get, even the cheapest tent is usually opaque, a luggage padlock on your zipper will keep the honest drunk and stoner from crashing out in your tent while you are away.
- Sun protection is best achieved by buying a polyester tent with UV resistant coating or aluminum impregnated into the tent giving the fabric a silver color. Even a good tent should be keptin the shade if possible to reduce degradation.
- Weather resistance is much of what makes the difference between a $20 tent and a $800 one. High quality tents are season rated, a one season tent is made for use in summer only resisting rain, two also includes late spring and early fall meaning it has better ventilation, three season is for early spring and late fall meaning it can take light snow, a four season is reinforced to withstand heavy snow and still not collapse.
- Construction quality varies widely between tents look for the following. Bathtub bottom construction means that the waterproof ground cover extends up a few inches to resist light flooding. Proper multilayer urethane coating on the tent fly will resist the strongest rain and not rot quickly. Quality Easton aluminum is lighter and stronger for pole construction than fiberglass. Taffeta inner walls that reach to near the bottom of the walls will help prevent condensation, be sure the fly is well separated from the inner wall to give good ventilation. YKK zippers are the industry standard and much better than the ones on inexpensive tents, glow zipper pull add -ons are nice at night. A mesh gear loft is handy to place a light, watch, glasses, phone, or keys. A large tent fly that extends from the tent can be used in rain or snow for stashing water resistant gear and careful cooking.
Without all of these fancy features we have successfully tested $20 tents for whole summers in dry locations with occasional rain. If the weather is clear don't use the fly at night on a cheap tent, the small "skylight" screen will release enough moisture that condensation will not be too bad. On every tent buy quality seam seal and reseal all of the seams with three light coats to prevent leakage through the stitches.
Tarp Tent
For ultra light weight camping a UV treated nylon tarp and your walking staff makes a tent,
- 1- shorten your walking staff and stick into the ground
- 2- Connect one corner to the top of your staff
- 3- stake the corner opposite the staff to the ground
- 4- spread the other two side corners with five foot cords
- 5- stake side cords to the ground.
This gives good protection from sun and if placed mindful of terrain or a angled gutter is dug to divert runoff it will also protect you from rain. Suspend a light bug screen for insect protection.
Rain Protection
The US army type poncho is a multi-purpose item that can be used to, among other things, create a quick shelter. Two can be snapped together to form a pup tent or one as a tarp tent. Recent surplus ponchos are not only woodland camouflage but are designed to match the infrared background in a forest which is good if you are a fugitive but bad if you are lost in the woods. If you look in books like the army ranger handbook you will find ideas for using ponchos as rafts, emergency stretchers, and other useful things. http://www.hackerlabs.net/downloads/stw/PDFs/RangerHandbook.pdf
While backpacking, rain gear (that is, a top jacket and a bottom pair of rain pants) is far superior to a poncho. Ponchos, while very cheap, are extremely awkward to fit over a backpack while hiking. Rain gear is more expensive, but infinitely more comfortable for the serious hiker. Still, it's hard to beat the price of a $0.99 poncho vs the $20+ rain gear.
Sleeping Gear
Sleeping Bags
The price difference in sleeping bags is mostly a factor of name brand style, weight, and packed size versus warmth. The difference is in the construction, fill material, the shell, and in the lining. The shell is usually nylon and is thin or thick depending on if durability or weight are desired, for any shell the weave should be tight to prevent snags. Fill material available is constantly changing, 600 goose down is the gold standard for insulation but is worthless if wet, we don't recommend it. Synthetics claim many qualities, but good fluff is what you really need; claims of new 3D fibers and such pop up every few years, be skeptical of amazing powers contained in the new expensive fiber. Lining is usually nylon, coolmax, or a nylon-cotton mix, the cotton and coolmax synthetics make the liner more comfortable in hot weather, while nylon is lighter. Construction is very important, some features mentioned only apply to a mummy style or rectangle bag, look for the following: neck and face draw-strings, quality (YKK is good) zippers, full length zippers, compatibility to zip two bags together, hang loops, mesh gear pocket, foot contour, thicker insulation on bottom, and box baffling of insulation.
A low temperature and a medium temperature mummy bag give you a modular extreme cold system, nest the smaller bag inside the larger for very cold nights, and in warmer weather if the zippers match you have room for two.
Many inexpensive sleeping bags can now be found to include many of the features needed to keep warm even in cooler temperatures, while not performing badly in terms of weight and packing. An army poncho liner blanket is very light and can be stuffed into any place in your bag where you feel cold.
If you're really down and out, one or more of the "lint" blankets given away by homeless shelters inside of a taped or melted-shut piece of visqueen plastic sheeting will keep you warm and block the wind, but the blankets and bag need to be seperated and dried out every day.
Sleeping Pads
The best choice for a sleeping pad is a well made self inflating pad, it is both light and durable. However, if you are on a budget, stick with the old indestructible closed-cell foam roll-up mat, it will keep you warm and dry, but packs big. Cardboard or newspaper can be used to insulate yourself from the ground. Be sure to avoid sleeping with little-to-no insulation, especially if in the woods, as temperature changes and dampness can make you uncomfortable and even sick.
Bivvy Sack
A quality Gore-tex bivvy sack will set you back about $300 unless you can find a military surplus one. These manufactured bags are of high quality, tough, and waterproof. A bivvy sack is almost weightless when compared with a tent and greatly increases the cold rating of a sleeping bag. Quality bivvy sacks usually load from the top only because it is very difficult to have a leak proof zipper. They usually also have a zip-shut bug screen for the face and a draw string to close the opening.
Gore-tex type waterproof but water vapor passable fabric can be found at some large fabric stores. You might mix a few unmatched remnants to save money, remembering that every seam is a potential leak point (so be sure to seal them well!), the bottom can be ordinary waterproof fabric if you need to save money.
Hammock
Your hammock is a good way to stay stealthy, cool, and comfortable in hot weather, you also don't need to worry about how rocky or uneven the terrain is, even a steep hillside will work for a stealth campsite. If you are properly tied in with a harness or safety belt(if you don't tie into an anchor and your harness it is an easy way to die in your sleep) you can even hammock up on a rock face, building sit in, or tree sit using tree or rock anchor points or bolts. Don't wear your shoes in your hammock, this causes wear on the mesh or fabric.
If you hang a tarp like a tent on a piece of cord strung over your hammock you will protect yourself from rain and gain a bit of privacy, it is a good to stake down the corners with a bit of cord if you want to have better wind and rain protection. If the weather is nice your tarp line can also be used to hang a bug screen, be sure to tie it below you or tuck under your sleeping bag. Use a bivvy sack if it looks like a real bad storm is coming. It is now possible to purchase one piece tented-over hammocks which are both bug and rain protection. A cut down sleeping pad will protect you from cold air below you, the hammock compresses your sleeping bag reducing its effectiveness on the bottom.
Don't be intimidated by the price of combo tent hammocks at high end backpacking and cycle shops, most $5-10 cheap mesh hammocks work well for starting out and the expensive taffeta hammocks can be DIY made by either sewing parachute lines or nylon string to nylon taffeta and attaching them to a small steel ring or carabiner and then attaching the hang lines, an quicker method is to double over the last six inches of fabric and wrap your hang line around that about ten times and tie tight.
Like in stealth tenting look for a little bit of brush between you and the public areas sticking to dull colors for gear.
Food Preparation
Liquid Fuel
For vagabonding, international, and back country travel multi-fuel backpacking stoves tend to be the best as gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, white gas, furnace fuel, or diesel fuel is available nearly everywhere. Liquid fuel stoves also generally put out the most heat, some enough for melting snow in large volumes. Some of us really like the MSR Whisperlite International and MSR XGK, although they are both expensive (the Whisperlite will set you back about $100, the XGK is about $160.) They burn most any fuel and can get volcano-hot, so be careful! The Whisperlite simmers better, while the XGK is tough and burns like an afterburner. They are still running years later with only the tools that they came with. It really comes down to the old adage, "you get what you pay for." There are other good stoves on the market so visit a few camping gear stores, and do some research.
Remember that most of the pressure stoves on the market will do the job, although some only burn gasoline, others use more expensive camp stove or Coleman fuel. Used gear from a yard sale or junk shop can often be fixed by cleaning the tube and jet tip on better stoves or replacing the generator tube on the more common Coleman small stoves. Be very careful to know what fuels your stove is rated to burn before buying; most better multi-fuel stoves have one jet for light fuels like gasoline or white gas and a second for kerosene and diesel, if one ismissing you can order another.
Compressed Gas
Compressed gas stoves are lighter, easier to control, and can be cheaper. Compressed gas stoves, with due caution, can even be used inside your tent fly vestibule to cook during rain and snow. Some gas stoves include an electrical igniter.
Open Fuel
This category covers pellet, alcohol, and wood stoves as well as many other improvised stoves. Alcohol and Sterno stoves are discussed in Low_Impact_Crashing#Kitchen and work well in warm weather but burn alcohol which you can find in many paint and hardware stores or at gracery stores as chafing dish fuel. Fuel pellet stoves like the Esbit or butterfly stove fold small and light and you can mail the fuel but are usually only used for emergencies due to fuel pellet prices. There are also a few fan blown wood scrap burners.
An interesting improvised stove is one made from an old oil filter and some welded steel break line, a feed hole is cut near the bottom and ash holes on the bottom a steel tube several inches long is attached a few inches up and it looks like a pipe with a giant bowl. Plastic or rubber tube is attached and a small bellows is connected made to blow the flame, good heat and easy lighting make this a real winner even in damp areas especially since it uses wood and bark bits as fuel.
The hobo stove, shimney or rocket stove, and charcoal pre-heater cans also work as good camping stoves.
Pots
Stainless steel seems to be the way to go for durability although aluminum does win in a weight comparison. Uncoated aluminum cookware, however, can leach aluminum into your food, which may cause health problems eventually. Non-stick coated aluminum should be okay, though.
Non-stick is easy to clean until the non-stick scrapes or burns. Sand will help scrape out most gunk in a steel pan. A kettle is good for easy boiling and pouring. A few plastic containers are good for leftovers and mixing bowls. If you are part of a good sized group a wok might be worth the weight. see Cheap_Chow
Insulation
A Thermos type insulated container saves fuel by holding a near boiling cooking level heat in for many minutes after you shut off your stove, for example bring your pasta or beans and rice to a nice boil in a minute or two and then shutdown and pour into your thermos it will finish cooking in there. On a long campout or trip a thermos might easily be worth its weight in fuel.
Mess Kit
A lexan bowl, some quality bamboo chopsticks, and a good set of stainless steel nesting utensils will work to serve most food you will be able to make in the wilderness.
Forest Forage
If you somehow are stuck in the woods for a long time drink pine needle tea for the vitamin C to avoid scurvy. Some soft (unripe) pine cones have food value cooked or raw.
The inner bark of many trees, if boiled, can be eaten for minimal food value. However, this will often kill the tree.
Young plant shoots, soft inner stalks, and soft or bulbous roots can often be safely cooked or eaten raw, learn what is poisonous and edible along your travel route and local area. Always find a guide who is actually eating the foods to be sure failing that become very skilled in using a plant food guidebook for emergencies, pay special attention to the danger plants in your camping area.
Steel wire snares or baited fish hooks are a cruel and illegal way to survive by trapping animals and birds but it might save your life if you are starving, check your traps regularly.
Cut and cook or smoke to thin brittle jerkey all meat as soon as possible to avoid waste, for a large kill where you are short on time in hot weather, skin and open fire roast or boil the meat first to preserve before smoking and salting.
A small net at the end of a large triangle of rocks laid in the river to guide the fish in will make a good trap as will a series of baited hooks in the water strung to trees above, check your fish traps regularly, spear fish in the shallows with a frog spear tip on a stick.
Bombing fish in a pond with chlorine bleach is classless destruction, it will bring them to the surface but will kill the whole ecosystem. Instead use rotenone or crush green husks from butternuts or black walnuts. Throw the husks into the water, it will do the trick just stunning the fish without killing the other animals, collect and eat or salt and smoke all fish you stun.
A good rule is to never eat any plant foods that are bitter or burning unless it is a known food like peppers, although even rotted meat can be safely eaten in most cases if very well cooked or boiled for several hours. Always cook or smoke and then hang meat since bears, mice and raccoons are still interested in your food.
Don't expect to be able to survive on gathering, fishing, hunting, or trapping, indigenous peoples in what is now known as North America were very few in number and the wildlife was not as stressed, many first nations people also practiced agriculture.
Most foods can either be stewed in a pot which is boiled on coals of at least an hour preserving most nutrients, if this is impossible cook chopped meats and fish on a skewer over the coals of a fire.
Even if you find your meats have started to rot the maggots that will come can be collected, cooked, and eaten, culturally disgusting in the west they are actually easier to digest and higher in nutrition than the meats they are found on, they are popular in many parts of Asia.
Fishing
Fishing as a food source is a useful skill in some parts of the world. If you know what you are doing you might be able to supplement your protein intake with some lightweight gear. Forget about hobbyist fly fishing gear, we want the food. A telescoping pole and spinning reel will do the trick without breaking your bank or back but a stick and floss will work in a pinch. Some six pound test monofilament line will bag most small river fish. Ask locals their favorites but in general worms, corn, insects, and dough balls all work good, it won't hurt to carry some flashy, rattly, and spinny lures with your gear. Get a big assortment pack of fish hooks, they weigh and cost very little and are useful for a hobo on the move even if you just use a stick pole and dental floss. A bobber hangs your bait off of the bottom in still water, moving water requires casting out and recovering as it floats downstream, you can use a dry stick as a bobbber if needed.
If you catch a fish it should have firm and elastic flesh, clear and full eyes, bright red gills, a clean pleasant order, and an absence of reddish discoloration on the ventral side of the backbone, that is, the side of the backbone that’s on the inside of the fish. Cloudy, sunken eyes, and gray colored gills are the first recognizable signs of old, decaying fish. When the head, gills, and backbone are gone, like at a store, rely on your sense of smell and touch. Worn out or dying fish have much less nutritional value but cooking them will remove danger of illness, which would be minimal anyways.
In over fished areas forget about wasting your time. Sport fishers, hunters and gatherers are often out in huge numbers during hard times and will often cause many years of damage from taking too much from the ecosystem.
To clean a fish smash the brain area to kill it, then cut from the anus to the throat, remove guts(these are good fish bait), use a dull knife to scrape off the scales, some fish are best filleted from the ribs but small ones are easier to leave in and remove when you eat it. Pan fry most fish with a little oil and spices, a favorite is to use banana or other large leaves with a pleasant or neutral flavor to wrap the fish for roasting, if possible rub the fish with oil, lemon and/or pepper is nice for flavor. Salt water and a smoke pit is a way to preserve fish for a longer time, even without salt a dry smoked fish will keep for a few weeks. With all cooking methods remember fish cooks quickly like eggs, over cook it and it will get tough.
Watch out for fish and game cops they can take all of your gear, car, or boat as a punishment leaving you destitute if you are accused of poaching.
Cold Caching
Occasionally you will have drinks or foods that keep longer or taste better if kept cold. Find a place in a cold river or creek where the current is not to strong. Place the food in a durable container or mesh stuff sack and either trap it among rocks or tie a anchor line to a nearby tree. Remember that except right off of a melting glacier this method is not as cold as a regular refrigerator and hence will not preserve the food as long.
Water
Purification
Water purification pills, boiling, and unscented bleach will kill bacteria. but take around half an hour to work. Most backpackers who don't have access to plumbing want the convenience of a filter. We teach the construction of a drip filter in Low Impact Crashing, but hand pumped models work faster and can remove pathogens from large volumes in a shorter time (if you can devise a pump for the improvised filter element above with no bypass this will work too). Good filters have a scrub clean ceramic filter and are designed for easy field maintenance. Be careful that you pump out all water in and keep inside your coat in freezing temperatures as ice can crack the filter element. MSR, PUR, and Sweetwater make good filters.
If you are near an open, natural water source or even damp soil or green vegative matter during a sunny day with moderate heat, you can use what is called a solar still to generate fresh water. Foam in the water is bad, it means pollution or something else wrong, pure water does not foam. Solar stills are usually inflatable buoys that consist of a flattened black base connected to a parasol with a collection tube attached to the bottom of this. It works by collecting water, green vegatation, damp soil, or anything containing water onto the bottom part and then using the sun to evaporate it. This leaves behind dissolved substances (like salt). The vapor is then collected inside the top of the cone and condenses. There is usually a thin fishing-line type cord that spirals down the inside of the top and empties into the tube. You can lead this end into a bottle or pouch to fill with clean water. It usually takes a while to get a lot, but additional stills will make this better. These are good for use if you are camped for a somewhat extended period of time in a desert area, or if you are out at sea. It is still a good idea to bring this distilled water to a boil to sterilize any bacteria.
Drinking Systems
A backpack tube type drinking system makes sipping easier and increases water intake preventing dehydration in all weather conditions, adding a shutoff valve will prevent leakage if the bite valve is accidentally compressed, blowing air into the tube will keep that next gulp of water cool in the pouch especially if you have ice. You need to clean the tube and bladder well and store with a paper towel puffing out the bladder to prevent mold and slime. Many drinking systems have a large opening which is threaded and compatible with water filter pumps.
Giardia
Giardia is a protozoan that lives in almost every stream and river in Amerika. When ingested, it multiplies in the intestines and causes its victim to violently expel out both ends, a condition known as "beaver fever". It usually won't kill you, but you'll sure wish it could.
Filtering or boiling will make the water safe from these parasites, but remember to also use clean water to wash your face and dishes.
Flagyl (a.k.a. Metronidazole) is used to treat intestinal parasites, including giardia. You can get it for relatively cheap, but you'll need a prescription. (Just tell 'em you're going hiking for a couple weeks, they won't think twice about it.) It should bring relief in short order.
Hydration
Be sure you are getting enough water to drink, plan minimum two liters a day if camped in cool weather, more if moving or the day is hot. Your urine should be a clear when in the field, dark or cloudy urine is a sign of dehydration, most Americans are chronically dehydrated. Even if the weather is cool insufficient hydration and urine output could lead to bladder and even kidney infection especially in women.
A dilute drink mix can make guzzling water easier and helps soft drink addicted Americans replenish electrolytes, this should taste like watered down soft drink. You can carry a concentrate to add to water while you are on the trail.
- 4-5 tablespoons sugar
- 1/8 and 1/16 teaspoon of salt
- 1/16 teaspoon salt substitute that contains potassium chloride
- 1/2 packet of unsweetened drink powder(no artificial sweeteners) or 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
- 1 litre of water
You can substitute powdered citric acid for the drink flavor powder to add zing, experiment with concentrations.
Clothing
Footwear
Footwear for backpacking depends on your ankles. If you have steel ankles and arches you might be able to get by with trail runner shoes or light hiker boots. For the rest of us non-bionic humans the weight on our feet is paid off by the superior support of a mountaineering boot. The price of these giant boots is offset by the vibrant resale market where a slightly stinky used pair of $400 boots can be had for around $50.
If you will be establishing a longer term wilderness base camp, trail runner type shoes might be worth the pack weight for short trips from camp. River sandals are also an option for short trips especially if you will be walking through water. For the most part waterproof footwear is a problem either because about 30% of people perspire too much and the inside gets damp or because they step in water over their ankle and it takes forever to dry the shoe out since there is a waterproof barrier.
If tramping through swamps and rivers the old Vietnam jungle boot is a good workhorse although it gives less support than a big mountaineering boot.
Big woolly socks help prevent blisters, even in hot summer go for the big fluffy socks, we know some who wear an inner silk or synthetic stocking but watch for folds that can cause blisters.
It is vitally important that you get a good fit and do not jam your toes into the end. Jammed toes lead to ingrown nails and blisters, which can become infected and potentially lead to immobility or major damage. When at the store do heel and toe kicks at the ground, walk around for a few minutes, and if possible, walk or in-place-step up and down on an incline to see if your foot stays tight without jamming your toes or making any rub spots.
Clothes
Cotton clothing is cheap, but loses all its insulating power when it gets wet. Unless you're in a desert, you'll probably be much better off with other fabrics.
Synthetic zip off trousers/shorts are easily available at the writing of this book, these are good for durability, ease of washing and drying quickly but some do hold body odors.
Camping and ski stores often carry synthetic button shirts and t-shirts, although for the money discount, 100% silk Hawaii print or colored dress shirts work just as well, although you will look like a Hawaiian tourist poser. (A dye job will fix that.) Look for a durable tight weave.
If you're in a cool, rainy climate, your best bet might be a plain old wool sweater. They're cheap, warm, and retain their insulation when wet. Check your local Salvation Army or Goodwill; you probably won't be winning any fashion contests, but who cares? We'll take function over form anytime.
Jacket
In most locations, if you already own one, a light mountaineering type parka shell combined with one or two liner layers is a lightweight way to protect from rain and cold. The army surplus camo gore-tex jacket fits the bill, we have heard of some people successfully coloring them black without ruining the gore-tex.
If you are in a very rainy location think about roll up Gore-tex rainpants. Mountaineering gaitors are waterproof and keep your legs dry if you need to move along in wet brush or grass after a storm or heavy dew.
Under your shell layer lies the main insulation layer (fleece jacket and trousers although a fleece vest is fine in summer), sometimes your tighter vest and looser jacket are combined to add insulation in serious cold. Long underwear finishes up your three layer system. Remove layers to keep you from sweating.
In the far north, the more insulation, the better. Additionally, hoods should have fur or fake fur around the edge to help keep in breath.
Hat
Wide brimmed boonie type hats are great for hot, sunny, or wet weather but a good insulated military helmet under hat or wool cap will keep you warm in the cold.
Underwear
Spandex sport bras and underwear works well for preventing chafing and providing support, bike shorts also work well and prevent most thigh chafing when walking. Another option for women is to wear a one piece competition bathing suit on the trail for support and at your destination you are ready for the water.
Long underwear of the real polypro and not a cotton mix is a super lightweight bit of gear that really helps keep you warm, don't forget both tops and bottoms.
Electronics
You are limited in the amount of batteries you can carry into the wilderness and by what to do with them after they are used up, see our thoughts in Low_Impact_Crashing on batteries, solar and wind up gadgets with extra emphasis on solar since it provides electricity without requiring you to expend extra effort.
Communications
For Communication a tiny HF QRP radio transceiver will keep you in touch on a regular enough basis to keep you on top of everything, some kits can even listen to shortwave broadcast too, look for a kit or radio set with low battery consumption. Have planned meet up times with a ham radio operator or member of the underground with a serious radio and antenna to check in several times a week who will also read you email and type up responses for you. Be sure not to compromise on a quality wire antenna and set up on a hilltop if possible when you transmit. If the pigs are looking for you and can get line of sight to your hilltop they might be able to DF(direction find) a HF radio set, keep your transmissions short and hope they are not looking or transmit from a valley and pray that the other station can hear you. Learn Morse code that works when almost nothing else will.
Walkie talkies are fun and sometimes very useful in the woods or urban jungle but they are super easy for the cops to zero in on, if they have the right gear, even if there is very little chatter. We find either a 2 meter ham or quality FRS walkie-talkie work best.
A signal mirror works for many miles hilltop to hilltop, the difficulty is sending and receiving morse code effectively to another party.
Light
A headlamp is a must when camping, a dual beam headlamp will give you a powerful halogen beam for long range and an LED bulb for reading and camp chores while keeping your hands free. Pressurized fuel and candle lanterns, fluorescent lamps, and light sticks all have their place but a LED light usually wins because of battery life and weight.
If you have a propane or liquid fuel pressure lantern for light, seriously consider replacing the glass globe (that glass thing that surrounds the mantle) with one made of steel mesh. Glass breaks too easily when you're roughing it. Steel mesh globes are available on-line and at better sporting goods stores or can be made from steel window screen.
Navigation
Most people really believe in the GPS, we like it too but we really don't trust Uncle Sam and his boys at the Air Force to leave it working right for us citizens if they really start cracking down. We like the army lensatic compass with the perma-lit tritium elements so the important parts will be glow for about 25 years. You sight this compass like a gun while viewing the degrees dial so you can easily choose a landmark to walk towards. This is around $120 new or $10 if you can find a soldier a week before payday. For a big quality drop there is a functional copy of the army compass sold at camping stores for $15 but you must be very careful to check that the needle points true and doesn't stick. Silva and Brunton also make excellent compasses for navigation but are not as tough as the army ones.
Toilet
To minimize your own impact on your surroundings, dig a hole at least 6 inches to poop in. This gets down to soil with bacteria that will decompose your waste. Do not pee in the same hole as this will kill the helpful bacteria. Make sure that your hole is at least 200 feet away from any water sources to avoid contamination. If you can, use natural items for toilet paper such as smooth sticks, round rocks, or leaves (make sure it isn't poison ivy!). If you must use toilet paper, put it in a sealed plastic bag and throw it away - even "biodegradable" toilet paper can take up to 50 years to decompose.
Walking Sticks
A pair of lightweight telescoping ski type poles have become popular with the backpacking crowd. Essentially they make you into a four legged animal giving you more strength while climbing and better stability while descending or crossing water. In the tents section above there is a description on how to use a tarp and telescoping hiking pole to make a ultra-lightweight tent.
Tools and Repairs
- Tent wands can be repaired by wrapping pop can around the break a few times and securing with duct tape.
- Tents can be repaired by gluing a piece of the nylon packing bag over the hole and seam sealing it.
- Inflatable pool toy repair glue will save an inflatable mattress.
- Have o-rings, pump cups, and silicone lubricant for all stoves and filters.
- Carry a bit of tent screen patch.
- Some wire can save a broken zipper and act as a zipper pull.
- Cable ties are just always useful.
- A zipper that is stuck open can be lubricated by rubbing a candle or a bar of soap on the teeth.
- Pack a well-stocked sewing kit with some patch material, carpet thread, Velcro, large needles and safety pins.
- Military duct tape is amazing but the goop it leaves is tough to get off for real repairs. Wrap a meter or two around a golf pencil.
- A stick of hot glue can be melted with a lighter.
- Assorted small nuts, bolts, washers, pins, and screws have many uses.
- Carry lots of lantern mantles (and make certain they're the right model for your lantern).
- Quality pliers multi-tools are always good to have in or out of the woods
- A smaller scissors multi-tool is useful on your keychain.
- Camping stores carry a pocket-chainsaw which is a roll up linked saw that you can either use with the included handles or make a bow-saw with a stick, it rolls into a four inch pocket size flat can.
Other Skills
Check out Low Impact Crashing and Pack your bag for more camping related skills and gear.
Cycling
Camping while Cycling is a popular way to overnight when touring, Just stick your backpack in a trailer (have plans for wet weather) or better yet distribute your gear in pannier bags, since weight savings are still important to cyclists backpacking gear is traditionaly used. Very popular is the Hammock with a rain tarp to mimize the bedding and tenting load. An especially interesting item for long expeditions and mobile-homelessness is the combination tent-cot-trailer which folds out into a bed with a tent over it for quick tidy camping.
Skiing
see Skiing and Boarding for backcountry winter movement.
Ultralight
There is a niche of us who after years of being weighted down decided to try the ultralight way. The benefits are that you can make much of your own gear, you won't be tired from a big load at the end of the day, and all of your gear will can easily fit in a small pack, bike pannier, or on your lap when hitchhiking. The downside is most of the gear has a shorter wear life and if purchased from a store can be very expensive. Ultralight can become an obsessive lifestyle and sometimes confers (often rightly) the superiority complex also seen with ex-smokers, vegans, and the fervently religious. If you like go the slow route and trim your gear down to minimum. Testing is very important to be sure that your gear is good enough for the job you are planning it to do, don't go so light that you cannot handle changes in weather. We strongly support going the DIY route so take our advice and borrow a sewing machine. You can often have fuel and food sent ahead to post offices via general delivery.
- Tent-Military surplus parachute panels are a great material to sew your tent from. Once you sew your tent you might consider spraying it with a water repellent, but this is optional. Test your new design by staking down and spraying gently with a hose. Many designs assume you will be using telescoping walking sticks and incorporate them as poles. Three or four quality aluminum stakes should be enough to keep the tent tacked down even in moderate wind. Look above for the tarp tent design, alternatives are using a bivvy sack or survival plastic tube tent.
- Sleeping Bag-Your sleeping bag can be the heaviest component in your pack. Goose down is a great way to save weight but it gets damp easily and then looses it's warmth. One option is to sew a top only sleeping quilt stuffed with a light insulator from parachute cloth and let your ground pad keep your bottom warm. You can also increase your warmth by wearing loose long underwear and clothing to sleep.
- Ground Pad-From cut down yoga pads to sheets of tyvek house wrap, you need to keep ground moisture from stealing your precious body heat, this is a place to save lots of money and weight if you are creative. Alternatives include using a camping hammock to get you away from the cold damp ground.
- Pack-A simple thin backpack should be enough, since the load will be light a frame is not needed. If traveling it might be smart to have a bit tougher pack due to questionable surfaces like boxcars or barns as well as unexpected abuse.
- Shoes-Since you are not overloaded many people are able to get by with lightweight trail hiker sport shoes.
- Clothing-A layering system and adequate head and neck cover can save quite a bit of weight. A base of long polypropylene underwear followed by soccer shorts, a fleece fest, a wool or fleece hat possibly with wrap around ear flaps, and a fleece scarf. A packable anorak wind jacket and thin warm up pants will form an outer layer. Some choose to use a lightweight umbrella instead of a waterproof jacket for rain protection on the trail.
- Cooking-Some swear by DIY alcohol soft drink can stoves, others use Esbit tablet solid fuel. Depending on the fire and environmental conditions a natural wood fire might be what saves you the most weight, making a Dakota fire hole can intensify the heat and save fuel, punching holes in a steel can and making a mini hobo stove is also an option.
- Pots-Some people like to carry a single aluminum kettle for heating water to pour into their bag or bowl ramen, couscous, or converted rice. Others carry a sierra cup, cut off aluminum can, large tuna can, or a super cheap non stick pot from a dollar store. Often chopsticks and slurping straight from the bowl is enough.
- Water-Soft drink bottles have been popular for years, lately there have been warnings that sunlight can break the plastic into undesirable chemicals. Many filters are large although we describe making a drip filter element in Low Impact Crashing, or just use a small filter from the store. Many ultra-lighters choose to use iodine tablets and put up with the bad flavor.
- Food-Lightweight carbs like rice, potato flakes, and couscous, protein like beans, egg powder, or oven dried meat, and oil to add fat to your diet, a favorite spice or mix adds flavor. Energy bars, peanut butter, and cookies are great for ready to eat food.
- First Aid-Band-Aid plasterer's, butterfly bandages, antibiotic ointment packets, iodine swabs, Immodium and aspirin tablets, thin maxi-pad, flattened roll of tape, aloe packet.
- Other-LED keychain or headlight, TP, small multi-tool, compass, sewing needle, thread, parachute silk patch, whistle, signal mirror, two butane lighters, space blanket, sunglasses, wide brim hat, pixie QRP radio, tea light candles
- Urban-You can apply your ultralight skills even when you are not going to the wilderness. The freedom when visiting, traveling by air, cycling, and hitchhiking is because your simplified bag can go in almost any locker, corner, or carry-on luggage bin. A stinger electrical immersion boiler means you can plug in instead of searching or paying for fuel. A thin rubber sink stopper is good for washing clothes, a synthetic towel is pocket sized so you can stealth wash yourself in a sink and dry off. For news an earplug size FM radio keeps you informed. Several folded plastic shopping bags are a good way to stow trash, carry a bit extra gear or food or to protect your gear from getting wet.
Where to Camp
Public land can often be the easiest choice. National Forests and BLM land are free to enter and, unless otherwise marked, free to camp on. In some cases, a backcountry permit is needed. Naitonal and State Parks, on the other hand, often have designated pay-camp sites (anywhere from $5 to $30 for a night) and rangers can be very strict about camping in these sites only. Backcountry camping is an option here, although occasionally a fee will be charged for a pass.
We prefer to find a nice spot off of the road and just set up camp far enough away from town that the cops won't bother us. If getting away from town is not practical at least camp near or inside a park treeline a hill between you and town helps. Be careful if you find a beautiful soft green field in the middle of summer, you may be surprised by pop-up water sprinklers at two in the morning. In nearly all jurisdictions as long as the place you camp is not clearly marked "No Trespassing" you can not be busted until you are asked to leave and refuse, don't assume that small town cops understand the law, keep most of your stuff packed and ready to go, but if you litter or do ANY damage at all the homeowner might be able to seek damages or press charges.
Look at the terrain you are in for signs of water flow, this means avoiding both dry river beds which can drown you in your sleeping bag during a surprise flash flood or just paths or erosion indicating a water flow that could soak you and your gear in a storm.
Always get dull colored gear if possible, a big part of the stealth camping we do is not being noticed, this is especially important as you near urban areas. Going into the brush and trees even a little bit breaks up the outline of your tent, dull colored (non-damaging)dye art on your rain fly will help break up the outline but will also make you easy to identify. You will develop an eye for using terrain and folliage to conceal your camp. Look behind buildings with parking large lots, train tracks, and near large factories for a field to camp in, industrial areas may not have services but they also often have a much lower competetion for viable camping spots.
Hot Springs
If you can find a camping spot with a hot spring nearby you will have access to one of the great outdoor treasures. Hot springs are the result of a normal water table encountering the volcanic heat of an active volcanic chain like in the Rocky Mountains or Cascade range similar to the way geysers are formed. Many hot springs have a cult like following who regularly visit them, even skiing to them in the snowed in months, these groups may have even upgraded an open pit in the forest or hole on a river side to fancy wood tubs or even bathhouses. A great hot soak is like good surf waves, be cool and give preference to the locals, they do much of the work to keep the place nice.
If you come across undeveloped hot springs you need to be careful, the water can be boiling hot!! Use a cup on a stick to dip some steaming water to determine the temperature, if it feels just right use a shovel to dig a pit large enough for you and friends to sit in and and enjoy. If the water is too hot for safe enjoyment you need to either direct the flow toward a source of cold water such as a cool spring or creek, and using rocks or logs as dams and bypass trenches adjust the mix to fill your tub or pit with comfortable water. Use plenty of caution if you are using a really hot spring and be ready to jump out of your soak if the flow changes and overheats your pool.
Even the most remote hot springs have likely been mapped and are occasionally visited by rangers or backpackers. If you are hiding out this may not be the best location to do so.
Deep Wilderness
Serious planning is required before taking to the deep wilderness such as northern Canada and Alaska, the skills and gear required is beyond the scope of this book which mostly covers near to civilization escapes. If you plan to do an ultra deep wilderness retreat pre-position enough food for your whole stay, even if it takes a few trips. Plant food and gear caches along the return path in waterproof and animal proof bucket or tree caches. Fats like canned Crisco, lard, or olive oil carry the most calories for their size and preserve well for emergencies. Carry powerful antibiotics for the most common infections and illnesses, Diphenhydramine (AKA Benedryl), and epinephrine (inhaler or injectable) for severe allergic reactions. If you cross any creeks, riverbeds, or rivers find out about the times and conditions when they go to flood stage, also learn about the dangers of and plan for being trapped by an early winter blizzard. Learn how to cross obstacles like rivers using rope that you bring. Don't cross obstacles that could cut you off for a long period of time unless you have substantial extra supplies and the right emergency crossing equipment and training. For extended stays either carry an aircraft band 121.5 MHz AM aircraft radio transceiver or a satellite beacon for dire emergencies. Your best plan is to bring a buddy or two who can get help if needed and keep you company if everything is OK. See the movie Into The Wild(2007) for a worst case scenario of an Alaska wilderness stay.
Forest Fires
If your area is threatened by fire the best option is to get out. Learn to understand what affect regular wind patterns and trerrain have on fire movement where you set down. If a mature forest catches fire up in the trees there is almost no possibility of surviving in place. Relocating yourself to a meadow, parking lot, center of a stream, or even the middle of a road could make the difference in survival. Some army surplus stores carry the forest service aluminum-foil and fiberglass fire shelters. These will protect a person even if the light brush around them is aflame although they are quite heavy for their rare usage. In an emergency a silver space blanket might deflect some radiant heat if you are in a safe place but will not protect anything like a real fire shelter.
Avoiding Vagrancy Problems
Unless you are taking a planned wilderness vacation those on camping or cycling nomadic walkabout it is a good idea to carry as vagrancy protection some or all of the following. Personalized business cards for your real or imaginary consulting service, hostel card to prove you are a legit tourist and not from the migratory poor, student ID to prove you have corpgov slavery lock-in but are still allowed to be free and not drive everywhere in a Lexus, credit cards (even if they are canceled but in date) to prove you are living the go-go life of debt slavery. A journal showing your travels may soften the heart of a slave nation cop or property owner who hates the poor and homeless that he fears he might yet become himself, similar to homophobia. Of course all of the quick-draw ID should be in the same name to avoid trouble. Of course a certain level of non-permanence in your camp site and good grooming will also help the WASP majority identify more with you opening the possibility of camping in yards, free meals, and less calls for the police. In unfriendly locales be sure to be very stealthy in camping and only be seen walking with clear plans as to where you are heading.
Replacing Consumables
Out in the wilderness there are a few ways to make cash if you get creative, the upside is the overhead costs are low, just try to keep your nice gear from wearing out, that can be the biggest expense.
- Silver or pewter jewelery sculpting can be a fun creative job.
- Gold panning is a way to make a living good enough to support a camped out lifestyle, a special gold pan is used to allow the current to wash away and then swirl out the lighter dirt and pebbles but keep the heavier gold dust which is best found deposited at turns in rivers and where the current suddenly slows. Practice in panning and knowing where to look improves yields. A small turkey baster and clear jar are good for sucking the smallest gold flakes from the bottom of a pan.
- Sometimes mushrooms or truffles become very valuable on the world market and harvesting and selling could buy you months of supplies.
- Although very unconventional, if you have a solar panel a mobile phone with internet and an HPC you might be able to use the Internet to take part time with editing, translating, and writing jobs even from the forest a few miles from a small town.
- Growing pot might not be a good idea, even though the payoff is good, as if you are caught you will loose even your backpacking gear.
- Try whittling! Just be sure to have the means to sharpen your knife if you spend a lot of time on this. Make small crafts to sell at street fairs or music fests! A couple good examples include a fat, shapely cat statue from balsa wood (just paint in the eyes) with some small holes with cut fishing line glued in for whiskers; miniature Buddhas or other religious items.
- Crochet old plastic shopping bags, with the "Green is In" fad people are happy to buy often for a decent price items crocheted from plastic bags.
- Set up a sign and offer bicycle tune up and repair near a popular bike trail (have extra spokes, chain, screws, and tubes)
Camping
If you are looking for a more permanent home in one location, or prefer something closer to the comforts of home camping could be your solution. Camping is also easier if you have children and they are unable to carry their own gear.
Tents
Larger tents can be rented or purchased from a place specializing in their sales. Army surplus tents are very durable and can last several years in the elements, be careful for intentionally damaged tents and shoddy repairs. Insist that the dealer erect and allow inspection of any tent, don't forget the poles, stakes, and ropes. Lighter family tents can be expensive and usually are intended for only a few setups, left erected they can last for months if in a shaded area. You should buy a tent with plenty of room to stand up, roll out several large sleeping bags with foam mattresses, and stow your gear.
Trailers
A trailer or motorized camper can be very expensive if purchased new, like most yuppie retirement toys the value drops like a rock once it looks used inside. Be sure the appliances work since repairs can be expensive. Inspect the wheels and tires of a trailer, make sure lights and brakes work correctly and that the tow vehicle is able to connect. Pop up campers must be inspected carefully for mechanical function and rot especially in canvas panels, ask to leak test the camper with a garden hose. Never overload a vehicle with a large trailer, this can be very dangerous!
Cooking
If you are using a trailer most have LP gas stove installed cooking is like at home. For tent campers the old Coleman pressure stove is a good option. For longer trips out you might want to invest in a gas powered stove and use a distribution pole and gas hose to run it from a five gallon or larger LP gas tank, these poles have a connection on top for a propane lantern and extra valves for other propane gadgets.
The army tents used to have an option for a diesel/wood fueled stove but supply of these are drying up. A person good with welding or rivets, a metal drum, and some stove pipe could build a stove for heat and cooking surface. Be careful to inspect the stove pipe hole on these tents for burning or damage.
Dutch Ovens
Cast iron pots often with a lip to hold coals on the tight fitting lid and short legs to stand above hot coals is a very useful cooking tool if you will be camping for a longer time. It is possible to stack several dutch ovens if required for a large group or for multiple dishes. The cast iron lid can be flipped over and the inside used as a skillet if you don't have a fry pan, you will need to oil and cure the whole pot and lid before using. This was standard pioneer equipment that can also be used inside modern ovens as a casserole dish or to cook a roast. A common dish was a stew or beans with cake batter or corn bread floated on top, after an hour or so there will be a nice cake on top of the stew. It is also possible to bake bread inside the dutch oven. The most important use was to leave the dutch oven in a pile of coals to slow cook a dinner.
Pottery
If you are unable to get a proper dutch oven for cooking in your fire you can make something similar from clay. Pottery is not as durable as iron but is still very useful. To see if the clay in your area is suitable for pottery, roll a small ball into a stick about 18 mm in diameter, then bend the stick into a ring about 5 cm in diameter. If you have good clay it will not split and the ring will be firm enough to set on edge without sagging.
Form a pot with a mouth formed around a can or pot for roundness, allow to dry, add stub legs as it is drying and verify the roundness and evenness of the pot lip. Once everything is even and dry a minimum of 24 hours in hot summer sun or a few feet from a fire if you are careful to turn it regularly then you can fire it. Fire your pot in a hot campfire for three to four hours, it has to get red hot. Once the fire goes out let it cool slowly for the rest of the day and maybe overnight if you are not in a hurry. Now make the lid, a dome is a bit stronger, add a lip on the edge to hold coals, also add a thick ring with a wide base on top to use as a handle Press the still soft lid onto your pot, use some ash dust so the lid doesn't stick, this ensures a tight fit. Fire the lid as you did your pot and allow to cool. Ideal thickness for any clay part is about 1/2 inch (13mm). For a more waterproof inside and outside you can use a smooth tool like a spoon to rub the clay shiny once the pot is partly dry (leather dry) or apply a ceramic glaze or metal oxide paste to the outside before firing.
Electricity
Unless you really need lots of power like for some sort of pirate radio gig a generator is noisy and a real invasion of the solitude of the wilderness. Running your car engine to charge the batteries feeding your inverter is also a huge waste of fuel. Try to minimize power and if possible stick to solar for charging your deep cycle batteries. see also Cars
Toilet
Many people plan on using chemical toilets when they are not constrained by weight, to some these also seem cleaner. These are usually not warranted if you are able to dig a small toilet hole, the exception being in stressed wilderness environments where overuse is taxing the area. To minimize your own impact on your surroundings, dig a hole at least 6 inches to poop in. This gets down to soil with bacteria that will decompose your waste. Do not pee in the same hole as this will kill the helpful bacteria. Make sure that your hole is at least 200 feet away from any water sources to avoid contamination. If you can, use natural items for toilet paper such as smooth sticks, round rocks, or leaves (make sure it isn't poison ivy!). If you must use toilet paper, put it in a sealed plastic bag and throw it away - even "biodegradable" toilet paper can take up to 50 years to decompose. If you have a plumbed trailer or camper only dump your waste into a sewage system and not into a body of water.
Water
If you are downhill or beside flowing water and plan to stay for awhile a piece of blue tarp can be sewn into a cone shape and clamped to a garden hose fitting, this is tied in the flowing water, a length of hose can be attached with a valve at the end to deliver water to your camp, let the hose flow to remove stagnant water before using.
A small electrical pump can be attached to a length of hose, drop into a lake or creek and fill up, remember to add chlorine or install a filter in your water system that will remove Giardia.
Remember to filter or treat any water you get from the wild. River water may look pure and fresh, but it might be flowing over a dead animal upstream. Avoid drinking water dripping off of melting ice from rock formations. It may contain pulverized stone.
If you poke around country stores or ranger stations at night you will surely find a water spout, use your handy faucet knob and plug in.
If you camp near a river or stream, consider the US Army's priority of where activity is to be done concerning the river's flow. Furthest upstream is where you get your drinking water. Further down is where you wash your clothes and cookware. Last down is where you bathe.
Furniture
Army folding cots or medic stretchers make great beds and keep you from the damp ground, in cool weather use a foam pad on top.
Be careful about swiping picnic tables from Smokey Da-Bear, he will send the Forest Freddies after you.
Proper plastic folding tables are the best, resisting the elements for several years. Plastic folding tables will work outdoors and take a while to rust the steel legs even in rain, try to bring them in. The older pressed wood folding tables will warp once wet.
Folding lawn furniture and stackable resin is superior to indoor folding chairs for long term camping.
Campfires
Before you start a campfire, make certain that you're not in a drought stricken area. If a ranger sees the smoke from your fire, you're up for a fine or maybe even arrest, at the least the forest cops will will run your ID.
Stick to the old fashioned Boy Scout methods. Check to see that nothing flammable is within a six foot radius of the fire. Dig a small pit and circle it with rocks, then build a small compact fire that generates more heat than smoke, a upside down cone of sticks with tinder or paper inside seems to tbe the easiest way to get a fire going.
When cooking food over a fire, don't use fresh evergreen wood if possible. The wood releases resins and tars that can harm the flavor of the food. If there's a lot of warm grease in your pots and pans, throw a handful of white ashes into it and stir. This will turn the grease into a weak soap that will help in cleaning.
To put out the fire completely, pour water over the embers, stir the ashes, douse it again, and then carefully feel the muck.
Always try to pack a full sized axe (a purloined forest service pulaski tool is even better) a shovel, and a bucket when driving into or base camping in the wilderness and know how to use them and mineral dirt to extinguish a fire.
Always scrape away the organic duff and only burn on mineral earth. If there is no moisture in the ground even down to a half meter, and if when you split logs they are dry as a bone be very careful, fuel moisture is very low and a fire will be hard to fight.
Large fires almost always throw off firebrands which can light the forest on fire, even if there is no forest fire since everything is green firebrands will burn holes in your cotton and nylon tents and gear, save wood and keep the fire small.
Barbecue Grilles
If the fire danger is high a grille can be very useful to a camper. In Cheap Chow and Low Impact Crashing we discuss very creative uses including baking bread and cakes inside the grille dome.
If you need charcoal and don't have any cash or access to a store get a fire going using pieces no larger than three inches wide and once the fire is down to good coals rake them into a pile and cover the whole thing with slightly damp soil. After a day or two the coals should be cool, collect them and use as regular charcoal.
Other Options
Fire Lookout
Many US and Canadian Forest Service lookout towers are no longer occupied at all times in the summer. A maintained shelter often with a wood stove awaits. These are always unoccupied after fire season unless the area has a camper rental program. You may need to pick the lock.
Log Cabin
If you have the knowledge and time, like if you are on the run from the man and can't get out of the country, a small log cabin can be made with an axe and your hands and trees. It is a good idea to spike your logs to prevent collapse if possible or use an auger to bore a hole and force a peg through. Build a small short shelter just large enough for your bed and pack. Use the largest stones you can find as corner stones. Dig out a entry tunnel instead of a difficult door unless you have lots of tools and construction supplies, continue digging a depression to make more headroom. Jam moss and leaves between the logs to make the cabin more wind proof, once the logs are seasoned you can use mud to parge the inner walls for a better seal. Make a single slope shed type roof and cover with bark, leaf, or wood shingles or a thick cover of pine boughs, if you had plastic or a survival blanket consider using it as a roof liner. If there is high clay soil you might be able to make a fireplace and chimney but watch for heat damage to your logs, otherwise make a small campfire in the center of your floor and have a smoke hole in the roof.
If a USFS trail or fire crew sees any unauthorized construction expect to see it demolished so stay away from lakes, ponds, and hiking trails.
