Making An Anorak From A Blanket Just Using a Swiss Army Knife, Some Cordage and A Blanket of Course

This is an interesting survival project which could be a lifesaver, or at the very least, make life more comfortable in austere conditions.



The offcuts can be used to make additional improvised features that add to the utility of the Anorak. such as internal pockets to hold useful items, a large patch pocket at the back to hold light items, some clothing or for additional insulation. Offcuts can also be improvised into mittens or extending the cuffs of the anorak arms.

Another improvement would be a shoulder cape, ideally made of some waterproof material.

Felix Immel is a very personable and relatable YouTube presenter and his channel contains a trove of interesting, informative and entertaining YouTube clips on basic bushcraft, mainly using Swiss Army Knives as the main crafting tool: His channel is well worth a visit.

https://www.youtube.com/c/FelixImmler/search

 

Useful, indeed. Subscribed.

 

Lead me down another rabbit hole Chell, thank you. Lots of ideas that I wouldn't limit myself to a Swiss Army knife, but well worth doing with more standard tools. Stone bowls, etc were great find.

 

I'm sure that there would be a number of projects that could be completed quicker and with much less effort than with a Swiss Army knife, by using more standard tools. However, his channel does demonstrate that at a pinch, and with some sweat and effort, that with just a Swiss Army knife as one's only tool, life can be made much more bearable, and comfortable with just a little thoughtful ingenuity and a little physical effort.

If one completed just one project a week of his, it would help with developing and maintaining one's mental and physical resiliance, which would not only be beneficial to one's physical and cognitive functioning, it would also offer wonderful opportunities for bonding with one's children and grandchildren, and contributing to their resiliance in negotiating an evolving, complicated, and challenging world...and they are just, simply fun things to do.

 

Chell, life is like baking beans.. A lot of things require that you do a bunch of things, start the process and then nothing happens for a while, hours, days, or weeks, then later you enjoy the fruits of your labor. I am 84 and have some health issues, would be a lot easier to just take a pill and set in a chair for the day and go to bed at night. See people all around me doing it in their 60's, but in 3 months they can do no longer do anything but sit and end up in either assisted living or a nursing home. If you do all you can, for the most part no matter what your age is, you often can work thru it and keep on doing things. Seems like a good simple concept like the Swiss army knife can indeed be both a generator of ideas, a means of doing something with the bare minimum of resources and have an effect well beyond the supposedly limited effectiveness when used with imagination.

We heat with wood with oil backup. Getting soft and fighting cancer so last 250 gal of fuel oil only lasted 2 years. Getting wood ready for year after next. Move slow, use my tractor and bucket and a 2 wheel cart, but right now it is good exercise and rebuilding my strength, a good prep and saving me about $150 a week at this time in fuel oil expenses. Lots of preps work like that in times of inflation, stupidity, and ageing. The pleasure I get out of puttering in my greenhouse in March in the bright sun and 70's in a tee shirt, while it is 20 outside is as valuable as the produce it grows.

His series of videos were worth watching for the viking chair alone, don't know if I would ever build one, but a beautiful simple idea that is a pleasure to think about. A lot like the simple weapons and concepts that Bishop often shows. A $800 fly rod would probably be less likely to feed you than $5 worth of parts made into a trot line and left in the water 24 hours a day.

A simple mention of the Ukraine mess,while the majority of the battle is economic and propaganda, several real life truths are coming out. Fuel and tires seem to be limiting the Russians as much as anything, the equipment stored for years has not held up well, and a man hidden well with the new anti armor weapons can limit all forms of mechanized weapons and the modern automatic weapons and sniper quality rifles limit individual or squad level movement. WW2 rapid mechanized movement is not occurring nor is WW1 trench warfare. Russia's biggest limitation is how to operate an effective military operation, which is often shock, awe, and lots of blood, while the opposing force can with a modern cell phone record it all in detail, with color and sound, and with global phone access. It than can than be shown world wide at its most effective propaganda point of view 20 minutes later .

The concept of something simple like the Swiss army knife is that it is open ended, and with imagination and limited resources, it can achieve results that were never in the designers plans. The individual soldier with modern radio comms, laser targeting ability, and anti armor man portable weapons, has turned into the new version of the Swiss army knife, and we are still trying to fully utilize his abilities into the overall military system. Add drones and their ability to carry weapons and it is a whole new world.

 

Check out asbell wool I have a few of her pathfinder hoodie and hoodie vest

 

I checked out Asbell Wool. Their products seem to be of good quality and value for money. I'll probably fashion a woolen anorak from what I would otherwise donate to charity as a 'dog blanket', just as a proof of concept exercise in improvised tailoring. I'd probably dye the finished product as the blanket is a puke coloured plaid pattern...it didn't get much use, and was fairly quickly relegated to unexpected guests that we were not inclined to offer extended hospitality.