Zero kit?

[Edwin]

Has anyone come across Thomas Elpel?
http://www.hollowtop.com/pls.htm

Expeditioning with almost no kit has an appeal and some of his thoughts are well worth considering. Why lug a tent when you can find shelter? Why spend two hours building a shelter when you can find one in one hour of looking?

Showell Styles, a children's writer and mountaineer wrote years ago of an Australian friend of his who had a very simple idea of "backpacking". She would do things on day one like buying a newspaper, in the days of broadsheets like the old style Times, and a large tin of stew. That night she would camp under something like a railway arch or somewhere handy light a fire and heat up the stew. Eat the stew and presumably wash out the tin. Sleep wrapped in the newspaper. In the morning brew tea in the stew can and burn the damp newspaper.

[Metal mug]

Thats very interesting Edwin. I was think very recently of trying this out so watch this space.

[CanadianMike]

Nice, thanks for sharing. Looked him up on youtube, am watching this now (only a couple mins into it).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwPf4KEyUjI

[aman]

Also check out the book Vagabonding.

I have not read it but I think it is a similar concept

[CanadianMike]

Nice, making fire with a partially filled plastic bottle of water and a cattail!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF7Yj...eature=related

[luresalive]

Very interesting, I wonder if we will get a summer good enough to try out that technique?

[Metal mug]

I'll try and do this for 2011. Probably wait till it's a bit warmer though.

[comanighttrain]

....you mean she was a hobo?

actually sounds like a workable idea... not everyones empty stew can of tea no doubt... not to mention a sudden turn of weather might send you looking for help

[ghost]

I have a couple of books by elpel. They are very good. He did a bit with Tom brown but relates most of his skills to his grandmother. He has been noted for his exceptional knowledge of wild plants and wrote the book botany in a day.