Lessons learned: What not to do

[El]

Not bushcrafty..but.....I Was cutting a junior school play field with my tractor..the kids/whole school.. were standing in the play ground watching me..
It was a hot day so I had opened the back window and taken my jacket off and placed behind my seat, I did one lap cutting the headland as I got level with the play ground to start my second lap I noticed that one of the gang mowers had not cut anything..I got out the tractor and realized my jacket had fallen out of the window and got tangled in one of the gangs..
I had to pull out what was left of it..to the cheering of the kids and dinner ladies..but what made my day complete was that my car keys were now shredded metal..and I had no spares...moral if your being watched by a crowed..something is gonna go wrong and and up on youtube!

[happybonzo]

I learnt to focus and calm on demand after failing to reverse dock the lifeboat onto a trailer six times in a row with a huge crowd taking photos and videos.

Glad that I'm not the only one...

[Kernowek Scouser]

I learnt that going into hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, kid.

I'm still learning, so I've made a fair few school boy errors.

I think Steve's lifeboat docking response can be applied to general outdoor situations. When thing go tits up, try not to panic, strive to be calm, focus on the problem at hand think you way out of the situation, then act.

A more specific lesson learned, when transporting meths in a Trangia burner (or copy) always, ALWAYS, check the cap is tightly screwed on, to ensure the meths does not leak out all over your pack.

[FishyFolk]

A more specific lesson learned, when transporting meths in a Trangia burner (or copy) always, ALWAYS, check the cap is tightly screwed on, to ensure the meths does not leak out all over your pack.

After an incident in the army I never store anything meant for cooking, together with the fuel. The Norwegian army uses this stove, the Optimus 111 burning kerosene, and we pre-heat it with meths.



Anyway I was in signals, and one of our squads was going to be plunked down on a mountain top with a chopper, to establish a relay station for a NATO excercice. To save on trips back and forth between the chopper and their pile of kit, they loaded the kerosene in their food container...it must have leake da few drops into their food, becouse within 24 hours they all had the runs, and had to be airlifted out (and my squad had to sit on that %#"%&"%& mountain top for the reminder of the excercise...

Anyways, after that I don't let any fuel, kerosene or meths, anywhere near my food. They go in separate places in my bergen, rucksack, whatever I carry my stuff in...and never into my cooking container. And I never ever keep fuel in the trangia burner either while moving.