Just wondering

[trax]

I tend to go both ways in the minimalist vs modern in terms of equipment when I'm out in the bush. For example, if I'm taking people camping I'll take a tent. If I'm going way back in the bush hunting, I don't bother. I can make a knife, but I'd rather buy one. I hunt with a rifle, not a pointy stick.

I'm just wondering what some others here might say is the ONE, primary modern convenience that they appreciate most out in wild country. I already know my answer but I'm hoping a few others will offer up theirs and see if someone else has the same answer too, so I'll wait a bit before I say mine.

[nell67]

Easy,toilet paper:D

[trax]

well, that was too easy,Yep that was my answer.

[Sourdough]

ALL of the modern stuff for me. Boots, sleeping bags, Aluminum pack frames, etc. etc.

I "ONLY" want the best tool for the job. The best boots, best socks, best underwear, the best tent.

But if I had to pick just one modern thingieee......"THE BIC disposable LIGHTER".

[bulrush]

Toilet paper and a bic lighter. I cannot make either of them.

[trax]

matches in case it's a false alarm you can still have a little fun?

[Rick]

I have to go with a way to make fire other than rubbing sticks together. Bic lighter is fine. I do like my TP, though.

[Sourdough]

Grass and leaves, even dirt work fine for butt'wipe. On long trips I just use a old dish towel or old t-shirt. and wash it out in the creek. Butt wipe would be the easiest thing for me to do without even at the cabin.

[crashdive123]

Not really into minimalist trekking, but if I had to pick it'd be fire making for me.

[Rick]

There's just something about a cold round rock or walking down a sapling......

[Aurelius95]

My first camping trip that was longer than 2 nights was when I was 14 or 15. Up until that time, I had never been away from a toilet longer than a day. My body did not want to cooperate and things just "shut down" for about 5 days. All that being said, I was glad when I finally was able to use the TP, but until that point, I would have taken fire starters hands down.

[beerrunner13]

I think a way to start a fire too. I can always use a bandana or tshirt and wash it out. Walking down a sapling :eek: that hurts to think about.

[crashdive123]

What about that three shells thing from that Sylvester Stallone movie?

[Rick]

You ask. I deliver.

http://www.poopreport.com/BMnewswire/three_seashells_solved_kinda.html

[canid]

hahaha. he doesn't know how to use the three sea shells..!

many people have irregularity in unfamiliar environments, from unaccustomed foods, etc and camping is no different. a good plant for TP if you can find a field or meadow is mullien. you have to rub it between your palms first, because the hairs can be uncomfortable on especialy tender areas, but the rub right off, like sage. it dries pliable, it's somewhat tear resistant both ways and it's soft. it's an introduced plant in north america but has been spread over the whole continent.

[crashdive123]

You ask. I deliver.

http://www.poopreport.com/BMnewswire/three_seashells_solved_kinda.html

Thanks........I think.

[Rick]

I use a similar plant. It's actually a tree, debarked and shredded into pulp, mixed with water and dried into a sterile, long strip of paper.....called toilet paper.

[canid]

is there nothing consumer scientists won't think of?

[crashdive123]

is there nothing consumer scientists won't think of?

Well.......we always hear how great the invention of sliced bread was. Guess that would work.:eek::eek:

[trax]

Ok, you guys are getting stuck on the butt wipe thing, and that's just anal.

[canid]

i just wanted to make sure we had it well covered.

[Ridge Wolf]

:rolleyes:Jane's Guide ought to do a review of this site... First of all, any broad leafed tree or shrub or other plant for that matter will suffice for TP. Canadians ought to know about maple leaves..

Washing out a used t-shirt in a creek is bad karma... The guy downstream may not have a filter or purification tabs...

A young sapling... better used as a support for a shelter.. dig a hole.

Sliced bread has a risk of tearing in the middle (as with peanut butter).. :eek:

Personally, I would take the bidette with me... makes me feel civilized and I can also charge a quarter for it's use... :D

[canid]

i find that waxy surfaced leaves, such as many of those from deciduous trees tend to spread the mess around. ranked right up there with spruce cones.

[Ridge Wolf]

i find that waxy surfaced leaves, such as many of those from deciduous trees tend to spread the mess around. ranked right up there with spruce cones.

eh.. turn it over.. :cool:

[crashdive123]

Ok, you guys are getting stuck on the butt wipe thing, and that's just anal.

It deserves alot of attention. Wouldn't want the unsuspecting camper to have a crappy experience. (couldn't resist)

[Catfish]

Lamb's ear (Stachys Byzantina) is quite common round these parts. Soft, strong, flexible, who could ask for more?

Well, me actually, which is why I tend to carry a roll with me just in case there's no Lamb's ear handy at the time.

Photo (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Lamb's_Ear_Stachys_byzantina_Leaf_2448px.jpg/450px-Lamb's_Ear_Stachys_byzantina_Leaf_2448px.jpg)

[Catfish]

Oh, and I do the bic lighter thing too.

[crashdive123]

Lambs ear huh???? Think of the possibilities.

http://www.farmersguardian.com/Pictures/web/c/d/p/investors_lamb.jpg

[trax]

great, we need angry sheep in the world....

[Catfish]

Thanks a lot Crashdive, now we're going to get a whole bunch of Welshmen finding this forum while surfing the web late at night.

[nell67]

Yep,things could get baaaaaaaaad :eek:

[Sourdough]

:pIs a white lambs ear goooder than a brown lambs ear, or is one just used....:p

[canid]

if you ask me, the whole subject is kinda ewe.

[crashdive123]

:pIs a white lambs ear goooder than a brown lambs ear, or is one just used....:p

white lambs ear -- faster lamb.

[Ridge Wolf]

:D Mrs. Ridge Wolf says ya'll need to get a life... honest.:D

[Catfish]

Did Mrs. Ridgewolf happen to say where such a thing could be bought? :)

[Ridge Wolf]

Did Mrs. Ridgewolf happen to say where such a thing could be bought? :)

Aww.. she read over my shoulder the post on the brown lamb's ear vs. the white lamb's ear...and following. She's thinkin' that we all just sit around on the puter all day with nothin' better to do... (shakes her head and rolls eyes quite frequently).. :D

Now she says that life can be bought at any toy store..

[canid]

ebay catfish, ebay. it's where i'm getting mine, in the form of hardwoods, some of the tools i'm buying.

[Rick]

Dear Mrs. Ridge.

For Christmas the gang and I would very much like a life. You see, we were poor little orphan kids and didn't have a life growing up. All our formative years were spent enslaved to book learnin' by a very strict head master at the No Life For Orphans School. So it would be a real treat if you buy us one for Christmas. Either that or a Bear Gryllis knife.

[crashdive123]

Did ya hear? Golly Gee......we're gettin a life for Christmas!!!!!

http://www.uen.org/images/themepark/imagination/annie.jpg

[Catfish]

Do we get one each, or are we going to have to share?

[nell67]

We gotta share,it's like having a kid with MPD.:D:eek:

[crashdive123]

Do we have to share it with all 1,245 members or just the active ones?

[Ridge Wolf]

Hmm, well, she went to work... I'll have to show her the thread tomorrow... :D217 I am sure that is what she meant.... meanwhile, she was laughing with me over the posts

[nell67]

Just the active ones.

[canid]

and not the passive ones, the more oppinionated the better.

[GVan]

trax,

above all, you must be a realist. What are you trying to accomplish when you go out? That question has always worked for me.

[FVR]

Above all, the one thing, beyond all others, I can be standing there nekked, with only one thing.

My work boots. They are the most comfy pair of foot wear that I own. Putting them on in the morning is a pleasure, taking them off at the end of the day is a chore. Without them, I can walk, but with them it's like walking on clouds.

The boots, Carolina lineman boots, waterproof, with this special insole cushioning. They go up above my ankles for support.

So, I will be there, buckarse nekked, in my boots.

We gonna go?

[trax]

trax,

above all, you must be a realist. What are you trying to accomplish when you go out? That question has always worked for me.

I thought I was being a realist when I asked the question. Apparently, about 85% of the respondents...not so much, but hey, I love hijacked threads, :D