Dandilion uses

You can boil up the dandilion root and eat like a vegetable
you can eat the leaves
you can fry the petals(remove any green otherwise its bitter).

Eat the weeds by Green Deane is a great youtube channel for eating wild food

Reed use: survival straw

In the past I have used reeds as a wick for candles and have been looking at sections of reed under the microscope. They have very tight pith, like a very dense filter.

Then the idea came to me that they must make great survival straws as they have such a dense constructions and they draw water or oil up like wick.
I have tested it and they make a very good straw and because they are so dense I recon they would remove pretty much any large particles.
You might need to boil the water to kill any bacteria but the straw would remove any visible particles.

uses for pine

-You can mix pine resin with sugar to make a candy
-You can harvest the pine nuts by bringing the cone near the fire or leave in a paper bag for 10 days to open
-You can cook and eat the inner bark
-You can make tea from the needles

Pine resin treatment for burns

A traditional use for pine resin has been as an external treatment for burns and sores. A long-term study done by Russian scientists and published in the April 2002 issue of the "Byulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny" found that pine resin, as a main active ingredient in Biopin ointment , inhibited anti-bodies found in bodily fluids but aided healing and prevented infection by boosting cell immunity. The ointment did not cause irritation or allergic reactions.

Read more: Medical Uses for Pine Resin Pitch | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_5903962_medical-uses-pine-resin-pitch.html#ixzz1ryBxaRBs

waterproof blanket and wrapping

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091212100446AAP0li8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx38go8-Ig8

Blanket versus sleeping bag

Sleeping bags are good but there are some benefits of using a blanket:

sleeping bags get wet like blanket and sleeping bags cant be dried by the fire


if fire camping to keep warm use blanket

if non fire use sleeping bag


blanket if covered in waterproof cover cold be put on outside of pack posse need a backpack with wooden frame, could build.

blanket doesn't tear either so good in debri shelter

blanket could sew us side so create a sort of sleeping bag
much more resilient when camping next to fire
sleeping bag would melt
blanket just gets a bit charred
could sew up side? or just roll round me and also put a silver blanket under or onto of it

if using fire or derby shelter use blanket
if tent or no fire/sharp bits use sleeping bag

Cheap insulated shirt

I remember reading this method in an old mountain man book; Take two old shirts one larger than the other and sew one inside the other, leaving holes in the outer shirt pockets. These holes give you the ability to pack insulation in between the shirts providing insulation. I would recommended packing with dry grass or fluffy seed heads which can be used as tinder when needed, you could also feathers.
You can easily pack more in if the weather is getting colder or remove and use to light your fire when the weather gets warmer.
Its advantage over other insulated jackets is that you can get rid of the insulation or add to it on the trail.

You don't have to wait until a survival situation to use natural materials. Save some money by sewing two shirts, pants, socks, hats, or blankets together and filling them with cattail fluff, grasses, feathers, or even hair. Try to use only dry materials and replace them each year.