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while looking at a little neck knife on my desk deer antler and jasper tip
i got to thinking what would paleoman carry in his survival pouch.
some flint or chert some tinder but what else? i,m sure he wore
his knife on his side spear in hand. but his PSK what would it have consisted of?
that,s a deep question concidering he lived 10,000 years ago. a sewing or fishing kit?
who knows how would you build yours?
This site has some pretty good info...
http://www.iceman.it/en/clothing-equipment
Example under Medicine> quote
Ötzi's First-Aid Kit
The Iceman also carried a modest first-aid kit.
His implements included two hide strips, on to each of which a round lump of material had been threaded. The strips were attached to Ötzi’s clothing. Analysis showed that these lumps consisted of the fruiting body of the birch polypore fungus.
Right up until the 20th century such bracket fungi were used for many medicinal purposes.
<quote
after wood chores i,m going to start one. some items i already have
Otzi's belt contained a survival kit with tinder fungus, pyrite for striking a fire and several flint micro-blades.
That was in addition to his belt knife and hatchet, the bow and arrows he was building, the pack and all his specialized clothing.
That old boy had been around the mountain a time or two.
kyratshooter, what is pyrite and could flint for a bp rifle be conciderd a micro flint
cause i made some some time back..
yep gotta admit he was a true survivalist for sure.
Not a survivalist....that's just the way then all lived....no different than stuff you do today to get by......Just different.Quote:
Originally Posted by hayshaker
In a raw hide pouch around my neck I carry a case folding trapper knife, ferro rd/stryker, small vial potassium permanganate for water purification,small vial Cayenne pepper for stopping bleeding, small plastic bag with petroleum cotton balls (2). This is my PSK that and what I have on my person will suffice well if all else is lost.
Pyrite is a naturally occurring Iron alloy, usually found in stream beds. It will spark just like a ferro rod when struck. If you ever want to see fireworks use a piece of broken glass or a piece of flint on your ferro rod. The thing will practically explode.Quote:
Originally Posted by hayshaker
A micro blade is a spall fractured from a larger core and is usually untouched or not shaped before use. Any knapper will attest that the razor sharp flakes knocked off a core will do a wide variety of cutting chores. Usually native American butchering sites are littered with these flint chips where they were used until dull, thrown away and a new flake knocked off a core to replace them. Apparently they did not stand around re-chipping dull edges if there was plenty of core material around.
A rifle or musket flint is about the size of small micro-flints but they are shaped for their specific purpose and not real useful for anything else.
And like Hunter said, we use the word "survivalist" out of context. Otzi was just another guy out in the woods, using the tools of his culture.
And less we forget,
!!! HE DID NOT SURVIVE !!!
as for the pyrite i think i saw some once in a stream they lokked like rusty stones in the stream.
when yousay a flake knocked off a spall i know that it,s just when you called it a microblade i got fuzzy.
As you quite rightly say he didn't survive but in his defence , he didn't die of natural causes! No matter what you carry and what skills you have, if you are shot in the back they wont help!Quote:
Originally Posted by kyratshooter
I'm not sure why I would want to carry a paleo survival kit when we have items available to us that are so much better. The idea is to survive so why not utilize those items that will give you the best chance of doing so? Paleo man kept their items until something better came along then they upgraded. Just like we do today.
rick, yes we do have much better tools at our disposal today but to make such akit
and use it if any thing to give us a reaistic idea on the most basic tools use for survival
to mabey gain an understanding of survival 4,500 years ago.
a paleo journey if you will.
to try to understand ,mabey just how did they live using the most rudimentery of tools.
sure technology has made survival easier as compared to then. but to try firsthand
a understanding of our beginings of where it all began. i guess that,s all im trying to say.
to make and use a real copper ax like OTZI used would at least be quite interresting i think
it gives us pause to consider the vast changes in technology from then till today.
how many have ever made or used a bone scrapper,copper ax, a sewing awl,or bone needle,
and so on. i think it,s worth the effort.
Would this be for a day bag, or for general survival for an undetermined period of time? That would make a lot of difference in what you would carry. Do you need to move fire, or start a new one? Is this a hunt, or a migration?
Interesting point, moving fire....as rements of birch bark containers were found with what had ben green plats and charcoal.......suggesting a fire carrying container.
>
The Birch-Bark Containers
The two birch-bark containers are shaped in the form of cylindrical pots. The slightly oval-shaped base has a diameter of 15–18 cm. The wall section is around 20 cm high and is formed by a rolled rectangular piece of bark. Holes were made along the edges of the individual parts, which were then stitched together with bast.
Compared to ceramic vessels, birch-bark receptacles were much lighter and less fragile, making them ideal for an excursion into the high mountains.< quote
The interior of one of the containers was blackened and contained freshly picked maple leaves peppered with various plant remains and traces of charcoal. This container was therefore probably used for keeping embers alight, with the leaves serving as insulating material. The Iceman had probably kindled his last fire with those embers.> quote
Again from
http://www.iceman.it/en/node/285
My thinking on using old ways is simply, to try to be as good as some one that did it that way as a matter of course.....
So, paleo living, or mountain man re-enacting,....making stone points or collecting antique utensils for use.....all in the same line of thinking....as Naked and Afraid (TV show)....
.
"Can I do it....Must have been a real PITA....but can I?"
To just say there are newer and better products out there is a real short and simple answer......Point is "Yeah, I know......BUT can I do it the old way....I like to know and try it."
I understand your journey. Wanting to learn is a good and worthy goal. It just concerned me that you wanted to carry it as a survival kit.
You probably want some way to carry honey as an antibiotic and be VERY familiar with medicinal herbs and plants.
.....Yeah....we do get involved in cover your butte stuff.....
Park the truck over the hill.....LOL
Hey, I learned that one early on. My first car didn't have a starter. Well, it had one but it didn't work. Had to park on the down hill side. It didn't have brakes either but that's another story.
....wasn't a '57 Ford was it?....
Had one as well. wouldn't start. had straight pipes, and the only gear left was High....no low, second, or reverse.
Had to park on the hill, coast down, pop the clutch, then slip it to get going.
Future FIL at the time, paid for a transmission and starter, just so it was quieter when I left GF house at O' dark thirty.......
For me - learning and being able to use primitive skills is a fun thing and falls into the hobby category. When it comes to life saving - I'm using the most modern items that I have at my disposal.
Well, at least we haven't fell into the "What is the best flint...........?"or "Get your mammoth sinew at Amazon dot con"
I just find it interesting.......