A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Friday 14 January 2011

Tools For Settlement & Survival.

Tools For Settlement & Survival.

Before you can equip yourself for survival in the wilderness, you have to identify your future needs. So first we will attempt to make a list of our needs.
Protection.
Hunting.
Travel foods.
Carrying.
Construction of shelters.
Trapping.
Fishing.
Cooking.
Planting crops.
Clothing repair and construction.
Equipment and tool repair.
Making fire.
Medical.


I think that probably covers my needs, so now we will take each one at a time and see what tools and equipment we need to accomplish the above.


Protection from animals and enemies.
Flintlock fusil, musket or rifle.
Flintlock pistol.
Shot pouch and contents.
Powder horn.
Powder bag or wallet.
Wad punch.
Gun tools and spare parts.
Ball and shot moulds.
Tomahawk or axe.
Hunting knife.



Hunting.
As Above.

Travel Foods.
Food bags and perhaps a haversack or a market wallet.


Carrying.
Knapsack or Snapsack or Rucksack.
Shot pouch.
Powder bag or wallet.
Food bags.
Haversack or market wallet.                           
Tool pouch.
Belt pouch.
Spare gun parts bag or pouch.
Leather thongs or cordage.

Construction of shelters.
Tomahawk or axe.
Felling axe and or half-axe.
Augers.
Saw.
Oilcloth/Tarpaulin.
Leather thongs or cordage.       


Trapping.
Brass wire for snares.
Tomahawk or axe.
Jack knife.


Fishing.
Tackle container.
Different sized hooks.
Lines.
Brass leader.
Tomahawk or axe.
Knife.


Cooking.
Tinderbox.
Flint and steel.
Kettle.
Knife.
Spoon.
Costrel or water bottle.


Planting crops.
Crop seed.
Tomahawk or axe.


Clothing repair and construction.
Sewing needles.
Awl.
Linen thread.
Sinew.
Beeswax.
Container.
Scissors or knife.


Equipment and tool repair.
Awl.
Linen thread.
Beeswax.
Tomahawk or axe.
Knife.
Whet stone.
Metal file.
Mainspring vise.
Spare lock springs and hammer, or a spare gun lock.


Making fire.
Tinderbox.
Flint and steel.


Medical.
Herbs.
Soap.
Hair comb.
Cloth for bandages.
Salt or antiseptic.
Tweezers or ball mould.
Knife.
Whet stone.
Kettle.
Costrel or water bottle.
Needle.
Awl.
Thread.
Tinderbox.
Flint and steel.
Reading glass or spectacles.


You may think of other needs, other tools or equipment. If so please share your thoughts. Very rarely is something wrong, it is simply a personal choice, but whether you or I are wrong, we will learn something from discussing it.


Note how many times certain tools are required or may be required for a variety of reasons. These items in this list I consider pretty basic for my needs. Some of these items you may consider carrying more of, for instance, I carry three knives. A clasp or Jack knife, my hunting knife, and a legging knife. As always, there are personal choices.


If you do not understand why I have listed a particular tool/item for a particular need/activity, ask me. There are no silly questions if you can’t think of an answere. Although having said that, I have had to slap myself up the side of the head a few times for not seeing the obvious!






2 comments:

Hutch said...

Awesome.

I don't have a flintlock, either pistol or rifle, but for a long haul that's a nicely done list. I'm confused with the importance of the auger, though. While understood it would be greatly helpful for building larger, more permanent structures, it seems like extra weight in a day to day shelter making, no? OR, is it assuming that some point will be a stopping point, and therefore inherently necessary for such a structure?

Keith said...

Quite correct, the auger and saw etc are intended for constructing a log cabin. If you only intend to construct a half-faced shelter or similar, such as one of the woodland Indian dwellings, then you do not need to carry these. All depends on the scenario you are setting yourself, and if this scenario is a practice run for a modern day "bug out" survival situation.