This last weekend I attempted to produce a Bug Out Bag Youtube video, but failed miserably. The main problem was my buddies who wouldn't take it seriously. They think folks who make Youtube BOB videos are a little . The idea was to take them out for the weekend and to firstly show the Bug Out Bag kit, then show the kit in action (wood proceesing, fire making etc)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcPdaHKhR9U

Even more disheartening was when three 11 year boys came walking down the beach just after sunset (one was carrying a 4 inch fixed blade knife in hand, one of the others a half eaten British Army 24 ORP main meal) to ask us if we had caught anything. With only a small flat fish to hand, one of the boys then said he had earlier caught a 4lb Sea Trout down at Flisk Point (a couple of miles further up the river) then went on to critique the small size of the fire we had going.

Any way here are some photos;



Basha Sheet setup.



Escaping the City...



It might not be a Sea Trout!! but it could make a meal with some baked tatties from a nearby farmers field. The baked tatties were excellent.



Sunset over the Sidlaw Hills and the River Tay. Best served with a nice cool bottle of Chardonnay.



Cilivisation (City of Dundee ) in the background. The Coleman Sling Chair was excellent but slightly heavy for a Bug Out, but needs a better carry bag (needs an adjustable sling strap).



Boiling water using the lid from a Swedish Army Trangia Mess tin with a stick. (useful if your fuel runs out)



Sleeping under a Basha.

I think I need a script and Camera tripod the next time.

Nothing wrong with the size of the fire in your pics; anything bigger is likely to be inefficient.

Nice photos, thanks for sharing. Are you using zip ties to secure the stick to the cookpot handle? If so, how much heat can they take before melting?

Wrong crew for the job.

Use these guys:



Use your original crew to make a video on what goes wrong when you don't have a BOB!

Sue

That one you may have to pull a survivor man and use a tripod and make your videos solo. Many people don't understand and rely on the government to take care of them(I know, Obvious right) . I would like to see a video too of your solar set up if you get some time. I am experimenting with some of goal zeros products as well http://www.goalzero.com/?gclid=CILom47H0aoCFZBY7AodDxZn0w but I'm using my 40 watt military cell I got off off e-bay and the power film charger I keep in a fanny pack with a aqua pack to keep them dry. I use a watershed bag for the big one. http://www.amazon.com/Powerfilm-Battery-Solar-Panel-Charger/dp/B001RMF7P8

Actually they are steel D rings which fold down on the handle. Those clever Swedish folks at Trangia like to get little details right. I also like to keep a Titanium Mug (Lifeventure), Firesteel and plastic Spork inside the Trangia as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-GHZ-l_tGw

Getting the little details right on bushcraft/BOB kit really make the difference in saving time and energy. For example I should have set up the Basha Sheet before hand and used Prusik Knots to tension the sheet along the ridge line rope. The ridge line rope was a GITD type and the guy lines reflective 550 paracord so as not to trip over/walk into them during the night.

The reflective 550 cord is also very useful for the main fixed blade lanyard (Mod4 Survival Knife). I also have a Tritium marker on a main zipper on the back pack as well, where I keep a things like headlamps etc when kept next myself in the tent or under a Tarp.

Keeping the camp site organised in the dark can get a little tricky especially if the situation is highly stressful. Training for stress, such as being forgetful, clumsy and disorientated in the dark etc is simulated by consuming a bottle of wine during the evening.

Great idea... One of the crew actually decided to attempt to pitch his tent in the pitch dark on a pebble beach. Not really a problem for most, but if you bring along the tent poles from a completely different tent and attempt to pitch it in the dark whilst the worst for alcoholic wear then the results can be quite funny.

Actually, that sounds like a perfect video: use your original crew to show what NOT to do, and then show your 'second crew" (the boys) on how to do it right.

Guys and alcohol... that combo has provided a lot of entertainment for many people over the years!

Sue

Do you ever setup a hammock? It looks like you could have done it here.

By the way, that sunset pic is incredible. I glanced over it the first time because of the other pics. What camera is it?

I have tried this and it is much harder then it actually looks. Everything takes 3-4 longer as you to have film, check, redo, re-check etc. On top of all this, it takes more work back home when it comes to editing the video. You may have hours and hours of raw field video only to end up with minutes of decent final cut video.

I recall Less Stroud mentioning the difficulties of doing solo videos. He would have multiple cameras to work with and not to mention being deprived of sleep, food, water etc over a period of 7 days. All this video would be edited and condensed down to about 42 minutes for an hour long Survivorman show.

I have really never got the hang of a hammock, I just don't particularly like the restrictive feel and the idea of falling out of one. I'm even beginning to move away from mummy type sleeping bags.

The camera was an old Casio EX-Z1050

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Casio-EX-Z1050-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B000MVWEHY

Here is the raw photo before resizing;

http://www.amfearliathmor.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/CIMG0446.JPG

Good to know Teslinhiker, I had took pictures of me walking in the trails but never played with doing video. I guess that does pose much of a burden when going solo.

I don't think a solo video is difficult. Just set up your video camera on a tripod, press record and stand there and do your thing when it's not windy. I've done this before. It's fully unprofessional, but it works and is a million times better than describing something with text. Try to make each take no more than 7 minutes, which is about the limit of my attention span for a Youtube video.

Don't even worry about editing. Just pick your best take, and post it on Youtube. Nobody's paying you because you're not Les Stroud. The people who matter will appreciate the video. Everybody else doesn't matter. I'd disable voting because I wouldn't care what all the couch potatoes thought.

It really depends on what you are attempting to capture on video. If you are doing a gear review while just standing or sitting in your backyard or the local park then it is easy to do multiple retakes until you get it right.

On the other hand, making more in-depth videos of actually using your kit and gear out in the field and at the same time providing a decent narrative is much more difficult to accomplish when you are doing it all solo.

i tried a youtube as a canoe gear layout,it's tricky to get everything set up and out so you can see it.you might end up with just a bunch a stuff bags that you point at and say..shirt,pants,hat--without really showing the shirt,pants,hat.
things like lighting,camera angles and even a script have to be done right or it turns out as a dark shaky blur with to much "ya know" "hummm"..to fast to slow.or worse it could just be taken as a "so what" by the viewers.ok he has a sparklight and a ax and can make a tarp out of a poncho--and--and??..except for some videos i posted at youtube out on the canoe trips of sunsets and dismal days under the tarp whining about the rain i left the gear layout tries i did at home on the cutting room floor.at the tube i'm wetcanoedog--please be kind....

I wonder if those helmet cams you always see would be any good. At least they are compact and waterproof.

the problem with helmet cams is that you get too much movement.to make something watchable you have to zero in on the subject.
you want something like Americas Test Kitchens and not Blair Witch Project--i'm sure there is a Youtube about how to make a Youtube.