Cr///ek Stewart here! I am extremely excited to be a contributor to Alumni Alive and share some more of my favorite survival hacks! My first hack is a quick and easy way to ensure your dinner is hot. My second hack will prepare you for the first one as you prepare your coals to get your fire started. Enjoy! And remember, it’s not IF but WHEN.
Shelf Bracket Stove Being able to efficiently support or hang a cooking pot over a fire is sometimes easier said than done. One of my favorite quickie stove hacks involves three metal shelf brackets that cost under $5! They are also very lightweight and packable if you need to take them on the move. Once you have a good bed of coals going, stab the metal L-shaped brackets into the ground (as shown) and scoop the coals underneath. This makes for a very sturdy surface on which to cook stews, fry meats and wild veggies, or boil water. You can stab the short ends deeper in the ground to create a surface closer to the coals if necessary. Use four brackets to mkae a larger, square-shaped raised platform.
Make Your Own Lint for Tinder Most people know that dryer lint makes awesome fire tinder. It’s dry, fibrous, and almost always contains cotton fibers, which are incredibly flammable. However, there are no dryer lint trees in the wilderness, or at least none that I’ve found. If you have an ignition source that will create a spark, such as a busted cigarette lighter or a ferro rod, here is a little trick to make your own lint tinder. Scrape any cotton garment at a 90-degree angle with a knife or sharp tool - even a rock. You will slowly reveal a small pile of cotton fibers. Collect enough of them to create a tinder bundle large enough to ignite with just a spark. Note: Don’t pack your lint too tightly when trying to ignite it. Pull the fibers apart to expose more surface area and you’ll increase the chances that a spark will hold.
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