With The Hunger Games 3: Mockingjay trailer due to be released in a day, we at The Luxe Nomad slipped into our Katniss Everdeen boots and braids to bring you some luxe survival hacks for you to own that forest you’re marooned in.
#1 Water you doing?
So you’ve found yourself a passable water source, only to realise that it’s got bits of murky weirdness in it. Here’s how to get it to Evian-type quality and avoid drinking your piss.
What do you do: Grab two containers (bamboos and hollow logs) and use a filter (your shirt) to filter the stuff out. Prepare your water storage device nearby to collect your filtered water. Hollowed out husks make good storages or make a quickie bowl from a large leaf and 3 twigs.
If you have the luxury: Fill the top container with sand first then pebbles, then run the water through. If charcoal happens to be available, crush it and use that instead.
#2 Frog legs
Bullfrogs are noisier than fish, so they’re easier to find. Listen out for the telltale “Grooonkk” sound and you know dinner is hopping about. Plus, frog legs taste great.
What do you do: Harvest a 6 to 10 ft piece of wood about 1 inch in diameter and whittle out a sharp point and go hunting.
If you have the luxury: Tie a cord around 8 to 12 inches from the top of the stick and split the wood symmetrically in an X pattern. Sharpen each of these 4 protrusions and you have effectively increased your chances of spearing a bullfrog.
#3 Leaf me alone
Say you’re Oliver Queen and there’s no rope or cord about you because you’ve been shipwrecked on an island.
What do you do: Make cords out of leaves that can be used for fishing lines, wrapping food up and making your own hula skirt. Here’s a really simple video how to that you’ll remember forever. If you’re bored in the toilet, it’s also a great way to pass time.
If you have the luxury: Make a lot of cords. You never know when you’ll need it.
#4 Green cooking
Evidently, large waxy leaves function as tinfoil too, so you can wrap your bullfrog up and toast it on your rock fire.
What do you do: Wrap the meat/eggs in 3 layers of large leaf, use your leaf cord to wrap it up and slow cook it on a fire. When it’s done, you can start to smell the cooked meat. This method also traps all the juicy goodness of the meat and hey, it’s almost gourmet.
If you have the luxury: Cook a bunch of food, then use fresh leaves to store it for later.
#5 Sore feet/need toilet paper!
Have you ever wondered what our cavemen ancestors used for toilet paper? Wonder no more.
What do you do: Look for thick, fuzzy leaves (not too fuzzy though!) and grab a bunch. They function well as toilet paper as well as makeshift insoles. Most of these leaves are antiseptic, so you’ll have nice smelling feet even in the forest.
If you have the luxury: Grab a stack of these leaves for your pillow at night. It’s great, disposable and you can have ready toilet paper first thing in the morning.
#6 Hot Rocks
Oddly, most waters from rivers has loads of bacteria in it, so while it looks clean, it isn’t. This is where we boil that water… with rocks! If you’re a visual person, watch this video. BONUS: it also teaches you how to start that fire.
What do you do: Scoop the water you want to disinfect into your husk bowl, collect a bunch of egg-sized rocks and chuck them in your fire. Give it up to about 10-20 minutes and take the rocks and put it directly into your water. Leave it till it gets bubbly. It might be ashy and murky, but a little dirt never killed anyone.
If you have the luxury: Rinse and repeat and you’ll have a store of disinfected water. Use technique #1 to get ash-less, super-clean water.
Do you have any ideas to add to these, nomads?
Main photo credit: 1. Photo credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Gold!
Glad you liked it – we aim to please 🙂