"Trad Gear" and a training method called the "Cutting the Teeth Game"

As a Youth I craved learning about life in the “wilds” the Adventures were driven of Family stories, TV Movie,Books and the Characters that lived in that little Mountain Town The Family Camps outs were Great but I Craved more and still do.We were pretty lucky to grow up in a National Forest It was a perfect training Ground.

There were a few books around The Scout Manuals a Partial Air force Survival Manual Ben Hunt books and a few at the school Library but as I Went through the pages and got familiar with things other than standard camp outs I craved challenge.

The Game

I had a pretty standard load out it was the basic essentials plus Caches throughout the Mountain no big production just little stashes some hooks matches and line in a Tree, a can of food here and there the biggest stash was a ammo can with tarp food tackle knife net fire set some metal skewers…Thing was that was all set for convenience and fun I wanted adventure and challenge so I had to make it

The challenge was the location and or conditions and Gear on hand

The Adventure was made with that…But the comfort was taken out by not just grabbing the pack and hiking stick

I made list from my notebooks of places that were within walking distance or places that I could be dropped and walk back

I made small cards with location and gear/tools and methods there was a bag for each

Example: Fire bag cards Metal Match,Matches,Flint and steel, blank, take primitive set, Make primitive set the blank card meant make primitive set

Clothing example: Clothes on Back, Dress for conditions and so on

Food and water: canteen empty ,plastic bag and water purification tabs canteen cup ,forage meal on go,set camp prep meal, take meal, fish crawdad, wild stew…

I had some injury cards as well eye,leg arm these would be backed off on if the risk of really getting injured was possible

The draw

Go to Grass valley Creek

Fish/crawdad

Hatchet

Make shelter

Four matches

Clothes on back

　

　

Another example:

Evade to Lake (move as if evading)

No gear forage find feed (that would only leave a choice of task or scenario)

Move down creek improve shelter 1 2 or 3 return note tracks

Then once drawn you go, Im not sure how many times I buckled down and did this but there was a phase where it was the best way to enjoy and learn in the big outside.

This evolved into pre made load outs one was gear of the times another all hand made primitive gear another more Mountain Man load out and these were selected more by mood one was similar to what a downed Aircrew or Pilot would have which is funny since years later I became involved with that type Training

I broke things down to fire, shelter, food water, first aid, Signaling or more simple the 10 essentials I think I carried a pocket knife from elementary school till this day but there were some blades I would belt up as well as hatchets and some old machetes and saws

Take Care… M/BK