Keep 'em coming! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

If you would build a fire or shelter please detail how you would get dry wood, build a fire lay (if any), light the fire, construct your shelter etc.

This is valuable information for all of us. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Thanks!

Here is a fire lay that I am a big fan of. With enough patience in material gathering constructing the lay, it's always lit with one match when dry. If it was wet, a tinder quick or candle stub would help it go real quick too.

It's a basic lean to fire lay, using a large log (4-8") for the support. Dig/gouge with a stick, a small air trench (2 in deep, 2 in wide) about an inch from the base of the log in a parallel fashion. Take 3-5 pencil thick sticks and lay them across the trench, close enough to support your tinder but far enough to ensure air circulation. Then using the tried and true methods of progressively larger kindling (I start with TINY stuff, like pencil lead size), you lay those above the tinder pile, using the large log for support. When you light said fire, you can use the trench to get the match right under your tinder, and the trench supplies lots of air (which you can multiply by gentle blowing, a lost art in firecraft) so that the fire catches and grows quickly. I'm sure all of you know, but I really like "pine snaps" or "squaw wood" for kindling (the dead, always dry wood at the bottom of a pine tree) and pine pitch/dry pine needles if I have matches.

The real keys in firecraft are a) getting oxygen to the fire b) gathering enough tinder, kindling, and fuel so that you don't have to run off and gather more before you fire dies c) the patience to do things right. 90% of firemaking is done before the sparks fly or the match is struck.

Just my two bits.

The reason I gathered the firewood first and covered it was so (hopefully) it would remain dry. If that were not possible, or if the wood on the ground were already soaked, I would strip the dead branches off the bases of trees. Those would be dry enough to ignite with my PSK tinder.

For my shelter I would take an 8'-10' dead pine and lash it with paracord into the crotch of another tree 2' or so off the ground. I would then stack smaller dead branches perpendicular (is that the right word?) all along both sides of my ridgepole, lashing a few of them, particularly if it is windy. I would then finish off with green pine boughs. Some pine boughs for a mattress would finish it off. Sounds comfy--now I need a nap. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Some other things to consider. If your shelter is big enough to sit up in it's probably too big. Watch out for "Widowmakers", and stay away from tall trees if you are expecting lightning.

Scott,

That is a great description of your fire lay! Have you seen the picture of the fire lay in the PSP instructions? PSP Instructions It sounds similar. Air space under your fire lay is one of those magic kind of things. In the PSP fire lay Doug uses a row of sticks to to put the log/brace on then he shows the tinder at the base and kindling formed into an "A" shape leaned on the log/brace.

I think this is an important scenario because it is my understanding that this situation is the one where most people die. They are just out for a day hike, they are not dressed to spend the night, they get lost and bad weather sets in. The next thing you know: lost hiker found dead from exposure. We have the PSKs how would we survive?

Nice Scenario Craig. Thermo regulate, Hydrate, Communicate. I like that.

Thermo-regulate: In this situation I would first put-on some sort of poncho, garbage bag, whatever rain protection is in your PSK. I would then spread a space-blanket or bag over the area where you plan to sleep, so it doesn't continue to get wet.

You will stay warm expending energy gathering fire wood. If you are in a pine forest I would then search for fatwood; it doesn't matter if it's raining. A pine forest has a lot of hidden fuel in the dead wood; under pine trees, dead pines, logs etc, many sources for limbs twigs and fatwood. Even live pine trees that have been scarred may be seeping pitch. The best source for fatwood is a place on a dead tree that been scarred and healed over, and/or, a pitch knot. A pitch knot is that portion of a tree that is left after a pine decomposes on the forest floor. These pitch knots are sections where a limb grew from a tree; they are dense with pitch and that's why they do not decompose as fast as the rest of the tree.

Start a fire with your fuel laden wood in an area protected by the wind and in a place where you can reflect the heat off your space blanket lean-to onto the place where you are setting up a spot to sleep out of the rain.

Hydrate: it's raining....collect the water off your space blanket lean-to.

Communicate: In the morning climb the hill and locate the car .

I would be exploring with my Camlbak. It has my PSK items and a lot of water.

I would expect to be suffering from fear, uncertainty and doubt. It is also true that as you get hypothermic you get clumsy and stupid. Remembering is probably going to be poor as well as fine motor skills. The biggest problem for me is realizing I am in trouble and I need to stop what I am doing and go into survival mode.

My assumption is that it has started raining and will continue on and off for the rest of the night. There are wind gusts that go along with a rainstorm. To survive the night I need to stay as warm and dry as possible.

I would walk under a tree that looked dry at the base. I would put on my $0.99 poncho and I would take my shoes off and put grocery store produce bags over my socks and put my shoes back on. Thank you Willy Whitefeather! I?d hang my Storm whistle on my neck and give three blasts once in a while.

Stories I have read about Native Americans saying you should take care of shelter first. I would look up and all round for a good spot that was safe and provided the best shelter from the wind. Not at the bottom of a hill, any dead branches waiting to fall on me, etc. I would pull out one of my clear trash bags and start collecting dry pine needles from under trees. I would dump it in a nice big pile to sleep on. I would then take out my Orange, 3mil, Coghlan Survival Bag (84? x 36?) with strips and cord already attached. I would stake the closed end with one of the 4 thin steel stakes I carry with the bag. Then I would roll the bag out over the pile of pine needles and stake the front with the two strips of duct tape with a steel washer in them. Then I would tie the top cord to a pine tree and snug it up with the pre-tied taught line knot. Now I would fill up the clear trash bag again and put it in the Survival Bag. Then I would take out my second clear bag and do the same thing. I should now have an insulated and dry place to sleep. I will slide into the Survival Bag and have the clear bags with pine needles over me to keep me warm. Thank you Hoods Woods!

The next order of business is to get a fire going. When it starts to get dark I?ll put on my Petzl Tikka XP Headlamp. I would find a good spot by my shelter bag and clear the ground around it. I would then look at the bottoms of the trees for tinder and kindling. If there are any stumps around I will see if they have pitchwood. If there are branches that could be used as fuel I?ll use my Gerber Sportsman?s saw to cut them to a usable size. While sheltered under a tree, as much as possible, I will use my Mora and a piece of wood to split the wood into usable kindling. The split wood should be dry. I?ll set up a fire lay like the one in the PSP instructions. A row of sticks for the bottom. A fuel size log for the brace. I will then put what tinder I have found at the base and lay kindling in an ?A? shape over it. I will then put a Coghlan?s Emergency Tinder with the tinder. If I have any pitchwood I will put that with the kindling leaned on the brace. I will then take another Coghlan?s Emergency Tinder and wrap it around the end of a stick. I will light it with the back of my Leatherman saw blade and a ferro rod. I?ll take the burning stick and light the tinder of the fire lay and set it in place with the rest of the kindling. In a few minutes the fire should be big enough to put fuel on. The fire should help me get back up to a healthy core temperature. I?ll take out my 36? x 36? aluminum sheet and fold it into a cup. I?ll take out a tea bag and heat up some tea while it gets cold and dark. I?ll sip my tea and eat a snack bar. I?ll then take out my stocking cap for my head, a bandanna around my neck and put on my leather gloves. I?ll set my Petzl Tikka XP Headlamp to blink and put it somewhere that it can be seen from the sky. Then I?ll take off the poncho and duct tape it around the top of the shelter bag to keep rain from coming in. I'll wrap myself in my AMK blanket. I expect the fire to die out as I am in my shelter bag. If I get too cold I?ll have to get up and get the fire going again.

Any comments or critique would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I have noticed that a number of responses include using pine needles and or pitch wood from conifers. I took a short hike a while ago around one of our state parks and noticed that it was older hardwood forest, without a pine tree/needle in sight. When leaves from hardwood trees get wet, they tend to matt down and remain damp/wet.

Anyone with some thoughts on how to achieve similar results, with respect to bedding, insulation, shelter, fire building that people are describing in a coniferous treed area, but in deciduous forest?

Pete

Pete,

You are the master!

Tell us what you saw there that could be used. The good news is that under the trees will be drier and the wood will burn longer than conifers.

Well so far this year, it has been a relatively dry winter, so most of the leaves, especially on the surface are dry (some underlying leaves were damp to wet). Unfortunately, dry leaves, tend to crumple and therefore I would suspect they would offer little insulative properties. On the other hand, which I did not test out since no open fires are permitted, was if the leaves would offer a good tinder option.

There were a number of downed trees, which I am sure were in various stages of decay and would likely have some punked wood or fungus for tinder. There was and continues (lots of brush fires this time of the year) to be a significant amount of dry underbrush, twigs/branches for tinder and kindling.

Plenty of large rock faces in which to reflect heat back.

Very little running water, as most small streams are dry right now.

Pete

Use pine boughs topin the space blanket over a makeshift ridgepole?