I'd not known the burl-cup was Scandinavian: I'd only seen it before in North American native contexts. I assume they were created independently and both are old as the hills yes?
Fascinating how the same good ideas keep cropping up in similar environments.
I have not seen the presentation of the 5 Cs and 10 Cs of Survival here on this forum.
While some of you here may be familiar with the concept, many will not be. I want to place this presention in this section as a reference for those wishing to develop/further their woodcraft skills.
The 5 Cs and 10 Cs of Survival were put forth by Dave Cantebury. While Dave freely admits that he didn't "invent" this concept, he was the first to put it in this easily remembered format. He came up with the idea through extensive historical research.
With a just a little tweaking, it can be made ME correct, too. Personally, I'm okay with using an oilskin tarp. I figure that Numenor and later Gondor were sea powers and that they had a lot of sail cloth lying around. If I recall correctly, that is how the Australians came up with the stuff. Tarred Bank line would fit in with that too.
It is my opinion that the 5 Cs should serve as the nucleus of any Ranger's hard kit. The 10 Cs would be better. Incorporating the 5 Redundancies, even more so.
Re: The 5 Cs and 10 Cs of Survival
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 7:56 pm
by Taurinor
I agree that the 5 C's are a solid foundation for any bushcrafting/survival kit, but I think most (if not all) of the kits on this forum do include them, even if the person assembling the kit wasn't setting out to build their gear around the 5 C's concept, specifically. The first-time trekkers' list touches on all of those requirements, although without using that particular mnemonic device.
A while ago, I made a (way too long) video about gear that would meet the requirements of the 5 C's while still fitting in with a fantasy setting for my Meetup group. I've learned a lot since making it, though, so I may make a new video at some point.
Re: The 5 Cs and 10 Cs of Survival
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 12:27 am
by Harper
I intended this thread for somebody who may not have had that much woodcraft experience. So I figured that it was good to start with the basics. My thought was that this presentation could serve both in a real-world survival situation as well as easily translated into a fantasy milieu. The technology is essentially the same. The only real difference is in some of the materials.
You are right in that most people will instinctively include most, if not all, of the first 5 Cs.
I didn't read your thread prior to posting this one. I honestly didn't realize that it was about this subject. While the content is essentially the same, I must say that I personally prefer the 10 C mnemonic. This is coming from somebody has been involved with this kind of thing long before Canterbury put the 10C List together.
I also just watched your video. Good job on going over the first 5 Cs. I'm looking forward to Part II. Your recommendation on emergency gear at the end, and especially the emphasis on: an emergency blanket, a cell phone (radio), a first aid kit and an itinerary is well placed. I hope that everybody--especially those who don't have much outdoors experience--heeds your advice.
But these videos are still worth watching.
Re: The 5 Cs and 10 Cs of Survival
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 1:02 am
by Taurinor
Sorry, I didn't mean any offense - I really enjoy Dave Canterbury's stuff ("Bushcraft 101" is one of my favorite reference books). I think the 5 C's would be a good addition/different take for the first-time trekkers' list, especially since that topic is pinned so people can find it fairly easily.
Re: The 5 Cs and 10 Cs of Survival
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 1:12 am
by Harper
No offense taken.
I didn't read the First Time Trekker's list at first because, well, I was not a first time tekker!
In the (unlikely) event that you are not aware of it, Canterbury came out with a follow up book called Advanced Bushcraft late last summer.
Re: The 5 Cs and 10 Cs of Survival
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 1:21 am
by Taurinor
Fair enough!
Yes, I have "Advanced Bushcraft", but I haven't spent as much time as I would like with it yet.
In case you don't have a metal container, you can heat rocks in your fire*, carve one of these (bigger than the model shown), fill with water and add hot rocks until the water boils:
*Caution: Get rocks from a dry location. Sometimes, rocks from a wet location have their voids filled with water. When heat from the fire changes this water to steam, they can explode. Also, avoid: slate, shale, quartz and obsidian. Once the rocks are in your fire, put some distance between you and them for a good 15-20 minutes. Handle the hot rocks with sticks or make tongs.
Wooden Nails
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2016 5:36 pm
by Harper
While not a new concept, there is some good information here:
I definitely can see Rangers using this kind of fire lay for its stealth and wind protecting properties. They use a shovel to dig it in the videos (which is much is easier) but you can use a digging stick or other makeshift tool:
