Survival Zone Expert: Ross McFadyen (cont'd)

Read survival expert Ross McFadyen's responses to your questions below. Didn't find what you were looking for? Ask him more survival questions now.

Q: Can you tell me who is the manufacturer of the machete Mike used on the Amazon story?
Thank you,
"Tango"

A: I'm not sure of the manufacturer of that particular knife, but I can tell you that it is a type of Bolo, Gurkha or Khukuri knife. Google it and you'll find them aplenty. My personal favorite is a Bolo made in the Philippines from an old car leaf spring and water buffalo horn as the handle. I've had mine for nearly 20 years, and it has withstood extreme use (and abuse) in every environmental condition without ever failing me. After that length of time and incredible dependability, you really develop a relationship with your knife as Mike displayed in Science of Survival — Escape From the Amazon.

Q: What is a "reliable tender"?
- "B_Hurt"

A: Around my house a "reliable tender" is a lot of elbow grease or my wife's personal favorite — U.S. dollars. If however you're referring to the art of fire craft, then you'll need "reliable tinder." First, tinder is any type of material that can be ignited easily with a minimum amount of heat — even a spark. It must be aerated well and dry. It should burn for a couple of minutes on its own, and you must have an adequate amount (which is another topic altogether).

There is a multitude of reliable tinders that can be gathered from nearly any environment. But an excellent tinder that most people have access to in their own home is cotton balls with petroleum jelly. Just take a handful of cotton balls and a scoop of petroleum jelly and mash them together. Work the jelly in until the cotton balls are somewhat saturated with it. Then store them in a small container, like a 35-mm film canister, for future use. Since the film canister doesn't take up much room, you can carry it in your pocket or put it in your grab bag. Besides being very portable, they're great because even if you get them wet, they are still useable as tinder. To use them, just take a couple out and pull at the fibers until they're separated and hair-like. Then ignite them.

Enjoy!