from ranger ricks web site:

How to Make a
US Army Ranger - Rick
Bamboo Walkin Stick
I don't know about you, but I've always been a tightwad when it comes to money, just ask my wife, she'll tell ya. Well if there's one thing I won't spend money on, is on things that I can make myself. For example, check out these walking sticks.
$99.00
Can you believe some of these prices? Unbelievable! But I guess if you're rich and wealthy it doesn't matter how much things cost because if you like what you see and you've got the dough, you're gonna buy it, right? Nope! Not me, no way Jose.

Now I've been making my own walking sticks since I was a little kid, and I've read dozens of outdoor survival books on how you should select one too. Some say they should be as tall as the person using it, and others say it doesn't matter how tall it is as long as it's got a fork on the end so you can use it to pin snakes, whack bears, and beat up other defenseless critters with it. (Yea, right, sure, uh-uh, whatever.)

Well, here's my philosophy and two cents on the subject… As long as you're comfortable with the length and it's durable enough to support your weight when used as a walking stick, weapon, etc… It doesn't make a difference if it has a fork on the end or not, nor if it's taller or shorter than the person using it. Because if it's too heavy, too bulky, too long, too thick, or too whatever else… You're probably gonna get tired of hauling it and ditch it anyway, right? So you may as well choose one you're comfortable with and the hell with what these damn survival books tell ya. Ya know what I mean? Duh?

Now here's a walking stick I'm sure you're gonna like, it's not only lightweight, durable, and inexpensive, but you can buy'em in almost any garden supply store, a "bamboo stick."



Yep, believe it or not, all these items fit inside the top portion of my walkin stick. No BS! The Mini Mag-Lite, the small Swiss Army Knife, a condom, water purification tablets, fishing line, hooks, sinkers, etc, including a little bitty compass too. And to make sure these items stay securely inside, I close/plug the top with a plastic cork. Cool, huh?

Now if you decide to buy a bamboo stick, don't necessarily choose one that's a comfortable length. Because the shorter it is, the more likely it'll be a very narrow bamboo stick, which means you may not be able to fit all your survival goodies inside of it. So study the diameter of the bamboo stick and the items you want to store inside of it, because if you find the right diameter and it's too long, you can always cut it down. You know what I mean bubba?

Here, check out these pictures and see what else I did to my bamboo walkin stick.



That's right, the next to the last compartment at the bottom is an "improvised lantern" too. How did I do this? All I did was drill a hole in the top portion and section of this bamboo stick, fill it with pure/rubbing alcohol, cut out a short square piece of aluminum, place a long narrow strip of "cotton clothe" along the edge and rolled it until it fit "nice & snug" inside the hole.

IMPORTANT: The rolled up piece of aluminum should rest "flush & securely" inside the hole, and if it doesn't, then you'll need to trim it. But be careful, because if you trim it too short it'll fall inside the hole and you won't be able to extend, remove nor get it out.

Now before lighting the wick for the first time; (a) make sure it's completely saturated with alcohol, (b) the rolled up aluminum is pulled out as far as it will go so the flame won't burn the bamboo, (c) the wick is kept as short as possible, because the longer the wick is - the bigger the flame and the more fuel it burns up too.

WARNING! DANGER! Use strictly pure/rubbing alcohol because (1) it's less combustible than other flammable liquids and (2) won't leave a poison residue inside the bamboo stick when it's used up.

To prevent the alcohol from evaporating and leaking out, just seal the hole with some duck tape. Or better yet, visit your local bicycle repair shop and ask if you can have the narrowest bicycle tire "inner tube" they're throwing away and cut off a piece about twice the size as the hole and slide it over. Works like a charm!

I also placed a rubber "chair leg cover" over the bottom to keep out the dirt and prevent the bamboo stick from splitting should I poke something hard with it like a rock. Then I got me a long thick nail, melted a whole in the center and slid it inside. So now if I ever need to use it as a fishing or hunting spear, all I have to do is remove the rubber cover, run the nail through the other way, place a piece of wood inside the bottom to prevent the nail from being pushed inward and place it back on the end.

You can buy these rubber chair leg covers in almost any hardware supply store, but before you buy one make sure you know what size/diameter you need or you might be throwing money out the window. And if you can't find the right size, no problem, just plug the bottom with something else and wrap some tape & wire around it to keep it from splitting.

I also drilled a couple more holes so I could use the other bamboo compartments for storing water, but I doubt if I'll ever use them unless I'm in a real life or death survival situation. Why? Well I'm not sure, but if my bamboo stick came from outside the United States it was probably treated with some sort of bug killing chemical before being allowed in country and I have no idea if it's harmful to humans or not. So if you make a couple holes in yours and use'em, you do so at your own risk.


And here's something else I attached to my bamboo walkin stick, a large plastic trash bag and several yards/meters of parachute cord. Why? Oh, just in case I need to make an emergency/field expedient rain jacket or shelter.

First you fold the trash bag to the size you want it, then you wrap it around the stick and secure it in place with a small piece of tape. Then wrap the parachute cord firmly around the bag and add a couple of bicycle tire "inner tube" bands around it to help keep it much more securely in place.

Wanna know what else you can add, use, or do with this bamboo stick? Order The Ranger Digest Series and find out.



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