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What makes you think plant fiber is inferior to the rope you buy in the store?

Nothing, other than the amount of time required to make it.

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Originally Posted by booker (Post 528546)

Dogbane (aka Indian hemp) is plentiful in most fields areas and is much stronger than grass or nettle.

I agree grass is useless but dried nettle is at least as strong as dried dogbane. The problem with nettle is it's a total pain to get enough for a usable diameter--it dries to wispy little threads. But green nettle is great for hafting things; it shrinks up tight. My stepson's great-uncle (FBI Ojibwa) said the great strength of dried dogbane cordage is that it gets stronger when wet. They made their nets out of it back in the day for the spring walleye runs in WI/MN.

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Originally Posted by Barbarian (Post 528529)

I have to think of pretty far-fetched scenario to come up with a survival situation in which I have access to neither gloves nor a better source of cordage than plant fiber.

Not trying to discourage you, or anything.

As far-fetched a scenario as going through Mr. Peabody's wayback machine and walking across 19th century N Am from sea to shining sea?

Ooh! I can think of a few scenarios!

I once spent 14 hours drifting in sharky waters west of Barbados waiting for someone to pick me and my buddy up after a dive. Does that count? Didn't have any gloves and didn't need any cordage, though. Could have used some water. And a hat--got really tired of wearing my fin for a hat. Glad I had a strobe though. I carry a rolled-up boonie and a quart platypus of H2O in my bc now. Folks mock me.

Five or six times my son and I got flown into a lake system in Ontario north of Red Lake for a week of walleye and northern fishing. We were the only ones for at least 50 miles around. Some of the best "son" time I've had. I gave a thought or two about what we'd do if the plane didn't splash in to pick us up...Plenty of monofilament but no gloves.

I once lost my entire freaking pack down a gorge in a backcountry wilderness area but that one is too embarrassing to relate further. That could have gotten sporty if the weather hadn't cooperated. Still had my shoelaces. No gloves though. Sure glad I had a Bic in my pocket.

What I don't see in anyone's list is mosquito netting. I have no-see-um grade headgear in every pack. Too light to leave out. Some Voyageurs on the upper Mississippi watershed killed themselves to get away from the skeeters. Skeeters can drive you insane, sap your strength, and make you stupid from lack of sleep. I hate mosquitoes and yet they love me so much.

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Originally Posted by Broadsword2004 (Post 529596)

So just want to double-check, but is Hawke's Green Beret Survival Manual a good book for learning about survival?

You're kidding, right?

TR

Quote:

Originally Posted by Broadsword2004 (Post 529596)

So just want to double-check, but is Hawke's Green Beret Survival Manual a good book for learning about survival?

Well we are going to have to give you a wiz quiz now!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by Broadsword2004 (Post 531083)

So I was reading that one should avoid brightly-colored insects and so forth when searching for things to eat in the wilderness, as the colors often are a way to advertise to life forms that these creatures are toxic. I was thinking though, does that mean that wearing brightly-colored clothing could ward off predators that might otherwise want to eat you? Or would it just make you a bigger target?

Forget the bright colors just put some bacon grease on the bottom of your boots; they hate bacon.:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Broadsword2004 (Post 531083)

I was thinking though, does that mean that wearing brightly-colored clothing could ward off predators that might otherwise want to eat you? Or would it just make you a bigger target?

Might depend the species of predator and whether they can distinguish bright colors.

Since there is no dedicated "knots" thread, I'll put this here.

I was going over some knots today (I'd forget how to tie my shoelaces if I didn't do it every day) and came upon the Falconers Knot. It struck me that this might be a good knot to learn in case you lose the use of a hand in a survival situation. Or if you have a Falcon. :D

This is the best video I've found so far: Falconers Knot

Pat