Originally Posted By: Bigrr
Thanks for all the tips!!

I have been out a few times now and this is what I have learned...

The jungle is wet...No really, between the rivers, puddles, rain, and your own sweat you are not dry very often. So the advice about keeping dry is useful. All the high tech rain gear is worse than a simple umbrella and cheap rubber shoes (Adidas Kampung) are best.
Yes your pack needs a rain cover...The jungle has a way of defeating the best waterproof coatings.

My high dollar hiking boots from the US lasted one day...the soles fell off even on my Tevas. So far the Shoe Goo is working.

Tents are hot...and don't float well and need a flat clear space, so a hammock and a large tarp is the only way to go.
Even if there aren't any mosquitoes (ha ha yeah right) a mosquito net makes you feel protected.

I still don't believe HOW ridiculously useful bamboo is! You know you can cook in this stuff? I've cooked rice and boiled water in green bamboo! Not to mention building tables and anything else you can think of.

The jungle is wet... oh I said that. So everything in the jungle is wet...The wood for your fire, the ground your fire's on, so getting a fire started is hard, keeping it burning is hard. Strips of old inner tube and a lighter help, build a green bamboo rack over your fire and stack the wood on it to dry...and protect the fire once its started. It will rain.

They don't have Coleman propane here, or white gas. So liquid fuel stoves burn unleaded petrol...messy. Or kerosene, also messy. Ditto for lanterns.
People here use cheap butane stoves from China with the bayonet style cans or Campingaz

Curries in retort pouches are good. Maggi mee (dried noodles aka top raman) is my friend. There are a lot good things to eat in the jungle; fish, crawdads,fruit (bananas, mango, rambutan, coconuts, and even durian yes I have eaten it)

Parangs are the best jungle tool there is! The locals make some really beautiful blades and wooden sheaths.

Nylon tarps lots and lots you need them.

Monkeys are noisy, nosy, and messy.

Leeches suck! pun intended... So leech socks are a good idea.

The jungle is an awesome place!!!!



Thanks for sharing your experience. I appreciate first hand practical experience. Also, helped me to determine that I never want to be lost in the jungle! But, if I were going, I would print out your post!

Thanks for sharing it.

M
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That which does not kill me has made a grave tactical error.