Home made equipment 1/ 5
Jim Speirs
Here's a file that I came across almost two years ago on one of the
North American e-mail networks.
Although it's fairly extensive, there has to be a lot of ideas out
there that could be included. Care to add yours to the list ???
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The original file for these low-cost equipment/ideas/fixes for Scouting
and camping in general was originally found on a F-Net Scoutinging board
and was reposted on Fidonet on Nov 11/92 by Steve Simmons. The file
evidently originated with BSA Troop 886 in the USA.
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Channel lock pliers make good pot holders.
Make an oven by lining a moving box with aluminum foil and pushing coat
hangers through both sides about half way up the box to form your grill.
Put coals in a pan and put the pan on three stones on the bottom of the
box. Close the doors (lid) and bake away.
Canning rings can be use to cook your eggs in for egg sandwiches. (Works
well for English Muffins or Hamburger buns).
Nylon rope can be used as shoe laces.
Use a large zip lock plastic bag, filled with air, as a pillow.
Plastic butter tubs make good storage containers for your camp kitchen.
(Not a good idea to use in a backpack).
A plastic bottle makes a good latrine for cold weather camping. (You don't
have to 'go' very far from your sleeping bag). Keep it just out side the
tent flap.
An old closed cell foam exercise pad will make a passable sleeping pad.
Plastic bottles can be used for canteens. Make sure the lid does not leak
before using in a backpack.
The pins which hold the backpack and shoulder straps to the frame can be
replaced with a small piece of coat hanger threaded through the hole and
twisted around itself.
Twist ties can be used to hold up another tarp from your dining fly to form
a wind screen.
A small automotive water hose clamp can be used as a stop for your dining
fly's upright poles.
Drill a hole in the bottom of nested poles and put a screw in to stop inner
poles from sliding out.
Short lengths of coat hanger or wire can be threadd through the holes and
springs of the summer camp cots to replace the missing springs.
Carry several pieces of lumber cut into 2 inch squares to summer camp and
use these to level platform, tent and cot.
If for health reasons you must sleep on a cot in cold weather insulate
yourself from the cold air under the cot with several layers of newspaper.
Old shower curtains make great ground clothes.
Make a double boiler for melting paraffin from a 1 lb. coffee can and a 2 lb.
coffee can. Bend a coat hanger so it will support the 1 lb. coffee can
inside the 2 lb. can. Pour some water in the 2 lb. can and put the paraffin
in the 1 lb. can.
Waterproof matches by dipping in melted paraffin.
Make fire starters by filling paper condiment cups with saw dust and pouring
paraffin into the cup.
Put matches in corrugated cardboard strips (about every other hole) and dip
into paraffin for fire starters. Cut off what you need to start a fire.
If your hand warmer came without a bag or the bag has been lost, replace the
bag with a sock.
A length of chain and a piece of coat hanger bent into an S-shape will allow
you to hang your lantern from a tree limb.
Use a cookie tin as a dutch oven.
Keep batteries in an appropriate size prescription bottle to insure that
they cannot run themselves down by accident.
Continued in next message.
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* RoseReader 2.00b P003758: Cats: Proof that eating and sleeping isn't all bad.