Camp Implements

LADDER:
Food collecting, shelter building, trap setting and a whole lot of other task will be easier with a ladder. This one is easily made by lashing cross-pieces to two long poles. Because these are set an angle, not parallel, the rungs will not be able to slip down.

BUSH LADDER:
Easily made. Select 2 long straight poles cut to equal length. Lash the thin ends together.
Spread the butts or thick ends so that they are about 2 1/2 to 3 feet apart.

To these lash the rungs & MAKE CERTAIN that the lashings are good and tight. Lashing the rungs is made easier if you lift the butts on to a log or a couple of big stones.

It will be easier to pass the lashing material under the poles. MAKE SURE that the top end is narrower than the bottom end, it is more solid that way.

SINGLE LADDER ROPE:
Cut as many hard wood chocks 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick as you require for you ladder. These are placed every 15 to 18 inches apart. The chocks should be about 4 inches across and can be cut from either square or round timber.

Bore a hole through the center of each chock. This hole should not be more than 1/8 inch larger than the diameter of the rope.

Thread the rope through the holes in the chocks and then starting at one end open the strand of the rope and slip in a 1/2 inch thick hard wood peg about 3 inches long.
Bind the rope below the peg. Slide the chock down and measure off the distance to the next step.

A CANDLE HOLDER FROM A BOTTLE:
Open flame is DANGEROUS in a tent, so cut off the base of a clear glass bottle. A very easy way to cut the glass cleanly is to heat a piece of thin wire to red hot.

Bend this around the bottle where you want to cut it alternatively tie a piece of grease-soaked string round the bottle and burn it.

Then when the hot wire or burning string is around the bottle, immerse the bottle in cold water. The glass will break off evenly at the place where the wire or string encircled it.

CAMP BROOM:
A bundle of green straight sticks each not much thicker than a match stick is collected and bound tightly to a central handle, the business end of the broom is then trimmed off.

BUSH HOE: (EFFICIENT!)
Select a dead or half dead branch of hard wood, 4 to 6 inches thick with a side branch from 5 to 6 feet long & 1 inch & half thick coming off it at a fairly wide angle. Trim the side branch so that it's smooth.

With your machete trim the main branch so that it is a hook to the handle part. See that it is sharpened to a chisel edge. This bush hoe is quite an efficient digging tool particularly if the digging end is fire hardened.

BUSH SLED:
There are occasions when it IS NECESSARY to move a heavy load and a bush sled can be easily made from a forked branch of a tree. The branch is cut with the prongs of the fork a couple of feet behind the end of the main branch.

A rope or other means of towing the sled is fastened on to this main part of the branch & across the forks a few straight sticks are laid & the load placed on top of these.

TRAVOIS:
For bringing fuel etc., back to camp, or for other loads a travois will work if the ground is fairly smooth - it will not on rough and boulder strewn terrain.

Choose two boughs with some spring to them and lash cross-piece as for the ladder. Add additional struts to provide closer support.

Pull the load on its runners like a sled. If you are pulling loads over a short distance, lash the runners to come to a single grip. For a larger version leave the last space clear or fit leather or fabric shoulder straps to haul it by.