Life in the Woods: What Worked and What Didn’t

I recently had the opportunity to live out in the woods (not by choice) for a couple weeks.  I wouldn’t go so far as to call it camping for most of the creature comforts traditionally associated with camping (read: tent / sleep) did not exist.  Being in the south it was extremely hot and humid and the bugs showed no mercy.  Combine that with a rucksack and movements of 10+ miles per day  there was surely good times to be had all around.  But hey, I volunteered for it right?

I’ve done this sort of thing many times over but I wanted to specifically pay attention to the equipment I was using so that I could relay back my thoughts to you all.  Who knows, maybe it will help someone decide how to pack their BOB or give insight on what to purchase next.  In no particular order here goes….

The Good

– Poncho: I never had the opportunity to string up a “poncho hooch” (shelter) but it did come in quite handy as a ground tarp when conducting patrol base operations.  Generally the poncho serves as a layer between you and the dirt, with the bottom pad of the rucksack serving as a pillow.  If it rains, put the poncho on top of the gear to keep it try.

– Mosquito head net:  Sleep was few and far between, maybe a few hours a night and never in succession.  For those times when I did get to close my eyes it was great having a head net to keep the buzzing biters at bay.

– Datrex bars:  I had a few packs in my bag and actually shared them with the boys, they were a huge hit and provided the nutritional value necessary to continue.  Granted, you had to choke down gallons of water while chewing these but the flavor was fine…tasted like cookies.

– Fox River Socks:  Interested in a pair?  Check out the link here.  I’m sure there are more expensive socks out there but these are outstanding, even with soaking wet feet (which happened on more than one occasion).

– Oral Re-hydration Salts:  AKA ORS packets, mix one of these into a canteen and sip on it for an hour.  When it wasn’t raining it was so hot that I was completely soaked most of the time, drinking LOTS of water but barely urinating.  These ORS packets help to replace fluids and electrolytes, an absolute necessity.  Here’s a tip: DO NOT chug these down, you WILL puke.

– Blackhawk Boots:  Unfortunately rules are rules and I couldn’t wear my Keen’s out there, so I had to settle for Blackhawk boots. This is probably my 5th pair of Blackhawk boots and I simply love them.  They are sturdy enough to navigate uneven terrain but have the comfort of sneakers.  Ankle support is stout and the laces are not cheaply made.  In my opinion the feet must be taken care of because when they fail it’s game over…as such investing in great boots is an absolute necessity.

– Camelbak:  I don’t care what type it is, but you NEED to get a camelbak if you don’t already have one.  You can strap it to your pack and let the hose hang loose, thus providing access to water while on the move without having to dig around for a water bottle or canteen.

– Body Glide:  This might be TMI,  but I tend not to wear underwear when out in the boonies.  The only downside to this is the potential for chafing between the thighs and other regions.  Some guys use Vaseline, I prefer Bodyglide.  You put it on like deodorant and it keeps the friction down…really great stuff.

The Bad

– Cold Steel Code 4 Clip Point:  This is my main beef, I was seriously disappointed by this knife while out in the bush.  Some guys put them through back yard tests but I was living in the sand and dirt for a couple weeks, and it only took a couple of days for this knife to lock up.  I’m guessing sand (it was the south) got into it (I spent quite a bit of time laying on the ground) and fouled up the locking mechanism.  I could open it just fine but had to actually beat the release switch against something hard in order to get the blade to close.  Epic fail…I’ll never buy another Cold Steel knife.

You can see the nicks on the knife where I had to hit it to close

– Useless bug repellent:  Let’s be clear here, I hate bugs and associated bug bites.  I soaked my clothes in permethrin before heading out into the woods and also applied Chigg away every day…to no avail.  The chiggers laughed in my general direction as they assaulted my skin.    Save your money and invest in something else.

– 5.11 Operator Belt:  I should clarify that under most circumstances this belt will be just fine (I even sang its praises here), but I was not operating under most circumstances.  Here’s the issue, I sweat SO MUCH that the velcro which secured the belt became rather useless.  It would secure the belt initially but after an hour or so of walking around it would start to come loose.  To be fair, most belts might experience the same sort of failure.

– Hand Held GPS systems:  We had access to these systems and to be quite honest I preferred a MGRS map, compass and protractor for navigation.  The GPS was great for situations when we needed to plot our exact location, but for navigation I had to stick to pace count and shooting azimuth’s.  More than once the GPS seemed to lead us into areas which might seem questionable.