Survival Skills

If there is one group of people you can be certain of running into both before and after an SHTF event it is liars. No matter where you go, no matter what culture you are among or what region you are in deception will be an ever-present fact when it …

This is the method of tying a bowline taught to cavers and search and rescue personnel, for tying a bowline around oneself with only one hand (leaving the other free to help a casualty or stay in place) when thrown a rescue line. Done in this way, it relies on …

If we’re all being completely honest, it’s tough not to get taken by the allure of spy fiction. On film or in the pages of a book, fictional spies’ lives and jobs may look very different from the real thing, but this does nothing to dampen the fascination, and it …

The Boom Hitch is essentially an extended, more complex relative of the Clove Hitch. It is something of a chore to learn, but worth it. It will hold fast and not slip under tension from any direction, even when tied in thick, slippery line. This makes it good for securing …

The Zeppelin Bend is the best, strongest bend one can possibly use for joining two lines of similar diameter. It is very unlikely to slip open or jam shut, and can be untied fairly easily having been loaded (though like most bends, not while loaded). Additional Information In spite of …

Invented by bushcraft master Mors Kochanski, the Flip Flop Winch is an improvised winch for pulling large loads. It’s a wonderful piece of bush ingenuity, and easily powerful enough to pull a car out of a ditch. Well worth learning. The Flip Flop Winch uses only a length of strong …

With fun in the sun, in and on the water activities, hikes and adventures it’s a common myth that a person won’t really have time for games around camp. Just wait until it rains and you have people looking for something to do. That’s when the well-prepared campers haul out …

The Figure of Eight on a bight is a very strong mid loop, where the two ends come out of the knot parallel, so it is best used when the direction of the load from the knot towards the ends is similar for both ends, and the knot is loaded …

This is a method for tying a bowline, good if you want to make the loop itself up really fast, but have some time to prepare in advance: if you were setting some kind of snare or trap for example. If you leave a long working end after the slipknot, …

The Essentials Legal to Carry Openly or Concealed Any knife except a switchblade with a blade of 3” or long, or a knife with knuckleduster handle Vermont Knife Law Overview Vermont is a reasonably permissive state for knife owners, one that is more concerned with punishing those who carry knives …