Hello all.I was on one of the Channel Islands on a last minute archaeological excavation"No phones,no lights,no telephone;not a single luxery." Oh,and no native water which was to be delivered.When it wasn't,the most valued item from my personal gear was a simple sponge! I was up every morning collecting dew from the abundant grasses.This provided adequate drinking water for 5 adults for 3 days.My SRK knife barely left it's sheath!<br><br>

>>>...the most valued item from my personal gear was a simple sponge! <<<<br><br>Chris, your comment makes me think that one of those compressed sponges should find its way into my kit.<br><br>Thanks<br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL

Surfing the web for compressed sponges, about the only thing I found was at http://www.bcbin.com/itm00193.htm It looks really cool, but with currency conversion and overseas shipping costs (a buck for a sponge and 35 bucks or so to ship it to the U.S.) ... well, it just doesn't seem likely.<br><br>1) Does anyone have any recommendations for where I could procure some good useful sponges? The kind that might compress down enough to be included inside, well, maybe not an Altoids tin, but some kind of small kit?<br><br>2) One friend recommended soldering sponges. Does anyone know how well they'd compress?<br><br>I bought a big square sheet of flat sponge material at the grocery store to cut into pieces the width & length of my kits, but I have yet to actually go out early one morning and try it, so I don't know if it'll really work. In his writings, Doug says he prefers dehydrated compressed type sponges like those available at most gourmet cooking stores. Well, I don't know of any gourmet cooking stores around here, though I'm sure they are around. I'm just not much the gourmand.<br><br>Online, I've also found some interesting sponges at http://www.garyline.com/site/browse3.asp?category=50<br> but I don't really feel like ordering a few hundred. <br><br>3) Am I at least on the right track? Any recommendations?<br><br>Stay safe,<br>J.T.

My sponges were the standard kitchen type. I have since purchase the dehydrated version at a gourmet shop locally. try some of the online cooking suppliers. If you strike out somebody on the forum could send one off to you. It isn't critical to have sponges, you can use clothing. I wear 'rags' or bandannas. they actually work quite well. Sponges are a nice item and pretty versatile. I was out hiking and one of my companions had a rucksack even more ancient than my Swede surplus. The monster load and leather harness made short work of her shoulders. I retrieved mine, unwrapped the ducktape from my knife sheath and rigged shoulder pads.<br><br>

What about a square of synthetic chamis? It tends to hold more water than cotton cloth.<br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL

Chamois work fine. I just happen to usually wear a huge cowboy ragg anyway. As Doug relates in the gear section, it makes a ; signal flag, filter,sling,dust mask,container for gathering wild vegetable food materials, can be shredded to create fishing lures and actually worn as intended. They are great to increase warmth or soaked to cool off with.<br><br>