The Art of Manliness has a post up about dismantling a broken cellphone in order to mine it for useful components that can keep you alive after you get stranded in the middle of nowhere. Tools include a compass out of magnet paired with ferrous metal wire, a survival signal mirror out of a layer of screen, and a small-game snare out of headphone wire. But my favorite is the arrowhead spear made from a circuit board.
Learn how to make a cheap and effective fire starter made from an old t-shirt. To download The Char Cloth video click here and subscribe in iTunes. See Char Cloth in action with the Fire Piston from William Gurstelle. For more info on what Swedish Fire Steel is, check out this article.
Miami’s exodus125 makes these custom titanium (!) fire pistons himself. They’re pricey, and in point of fact there’s not much need for titanium (!) in this application when aluminum works just as well and costs way, way less, but still: Titanium! Besides its well-known physical properties–lightweight, noncorroding, and extremely tough–titanium (!) has also been proven […]
With backpacking season upon us, the Survival Skills series on the Backpacker site caught my eye. Their newest skill is how to start a fire in the backcountry with your cellphone battery, some steel wool, and tinder. Simple enough, but worth sharing. You never know when the skill may come in handy for survival … […]
