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Backpacker Magazine – October 2012
Saved by...A Sock
7 more reasons to pack an extra pair
Socks (Photo by Ben Fullerton)
- Make water. Fill a sock with mud or wet clay (left), then wring out every drop of moisture.
- Warm your hands. This could prevent frostbite and restore dexterity. It’s very hard to make a lifesaving fire with numb fingers.
- Jury-rig crampons. To create traction on slick ice, pull a wool (it’s stickier than nylon and polyester materials) sock over the toe of your boot. The fibers adhere to ice.
- Make a deadman. Fill a sock with sand or snow, then bury it to create a shelter anchor.
- Fashion a hunting weapon. Starving? Stuff a sock with stones to create a sort of nunchuck for clubbing small game.
- Carry a snake. If you catch one, tie it off inside a sock to keep it alive until you need to eat it.
- Filter water. It will remove sediment, but not bacteria and other microorganisms.
“Fill your sock with sand, charcoal, and grass to grab the bigger particles, and pour water through. It may taste a little ripe, but it’s safer than drinking it straight.
–Bear Grylls
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READERS COMMENTS
Les? Yes, he is skilled. But his program is primarily spent whining about his circumstances. Use the coordinates supplied for his camping sites. I did one time and found he was a mile away from a major highway. Another time he was in Yosemite, a site I've spent time, and his biggest problem was probably keeping other people out of his camera range.
Les? Yes, he is skilled. But his program is primarily spent whining about his circumstances. Use the coordinates supplied for his camping sites. I did one time and found he was a mile away from a major highway. Another time he was in Yosemite, a site I've spent time, and his biggest problem was probably keeping other people out of his camera range.
Bear Grylls is awesome.
What's with everyone giving Bear such a hard time and claiming that Survivorman is so much better? It's a tv show, it's meant to be entertaining - and Survivorman is not.
If you refresh your page to see your awesome post then it re-posts it each time you do
I totally agree with LongRange!!
Yeah, I like to see Bear Gryyls chase around a chipmonk, with a sock full of rocks on his next show. At least it'll be entertaining. I've been a long time hiker/camper some forty years, plus, military experience. If I ever found myself in a survival situation, I would not even attempt to do some of the unnecessary, injury risking things that he does. I understand it's a TV show. However! If you want to learn some survival skills off TV, watch Les Stroud,--Survivorman--, he'll teach you something. Over.
I only sent that once
Bear Grylls is a jerk off.
Bear Grylls is a jerk off.
A sock stuffed with a few large rocks is otherwise known as a "sling club" and makes an excellent defensive weapon.
Bear Grylls is a jerk off.
THE SOCK IS A GREAT IDEA
Interesting, but not sure how realistic some of these tips are. I have used my socks as mittens several times so I can testify to the usefulness of that one. But by the time I had become skillful enough to club small animals with my sock full of rocks, I think I would have starved to death.
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