Manversation

The following is an essay written by my father-in-law. He is in the backcountry by himself two-thirds of the year and has a wealth of knowledge pertaining to survivability which I think everyone should have at least a basic knowledge of and is why I am sharing his essays with whomever may read this.
For similar essays by various authors visit Kifaru.

Over several decades of wandering the backcountry I’ve developed a kit of “possibles”–items that can save my bacon, or just ensure comfort, wherever I roam. The term “possibles” comes from the intrepid Mountain Men of the Rocky Mountain West, who gathered a collection of essentials into a “pouch” of sorts with the same intent, and made sure it was always close at hand. Wherever they were. Mine goes with me everywhere too: the office, on hunts, on hikes, on drives, on Super Cubs in Alaska, or on jetliners enroute to Rome. Over the years I’ve pruned my Possibles ingredients down to only the stuff that gets used, or whose absence would be seriously missed if ever it were seriously needed–whether it gets used a lot or not. New items have gone into the pouch countless times. If they don’t get used over a few dozen outings they come back out. Most don’t make the keeper list. What is currently “in” the pouch is listed below. Let’s take a look.

1) Container (The “pouch” itself): Mine is a 1993 prototype of our current Pull Out bags, but in rip-stop nylon. The extra large size (about 600 cubic inches). I get attached to things that serve me well and this is one of them. Current ultralight versions of our Pull Outs in extra large weigh one ounce. These pouches function a lot better than a simple stuff sack in that they don’t spill any contents when upside down. The point, by the way, of a specific container for your “possibles” is that they are all located in a specific, transferable-from-pack-to-pack, place. Or to any sort of carry bag.

2) Firestarter Kit: These ingredients reside in one of our small Pull Outs, inside the main pouch, above. I use several of these smaller pouches for organizing inside the main pouch. Kit components are:

—Trioxane: you can find this all-purpose firestarter at any Army Surplus Store. It’s a purplish cake-like bar, about 1 1/2 X 3 inches, encased in an olive drab foil wrapper. The average “bar” weighs a little less than an ounce. I carry at least two of the things at all times, replacing used-up bars religiously.

—See-Thru Butane Lighter: The see-thruness lets you guage when to replace.

—Small Metal Match: I mean the old-timey SMALL ones . The “flint” part is only 3/16 X 2 inches. Try to find one like this–the newer ones can be much bigger and heavier. My match, combined with its little metal striker, weighs 1/2 ounce.

Discussion: Depending on the dryness of your kindling, only a fraction of each Trioxane bar is needed to start a fire. (BTW, all firestarting discussion here is applicable to getting a fire going in a tipi stove.) A lima bean size chunk will do the job most times, given good kindling. Put the chunk down where you want the fire to be (I often place it on a piece of bark or a flat piece of splintered stick) and then erect a tipi of kindling above it. Leave some room to insert the lighter and fire off the Trioxane. If it’s too cold for the lighter to ignite, hold it in your bare hands for a minute in order to warm the butane. Lighter kaput? Get the metal match. (When it comes to getting a fire going one must have redundancy.) Scrape some “dust” from the main Trioxane bar onto the top of the starter chunk. The metal match will not ignite a cohesive piece of Trioxane, but it WILL ignite this “dust”. A small pellet of Trioxane will burn a couple of minutes–usually enough to ignite reasonable tinder. The more effort you put into finding or creating good tinder the less Trioxane you’ll use. I’m going to assume readers know about “squaw wood” (lower, small, dry, dead branches) and about splitting wet wood to get at dry centers, which can be broken or sliced into thin strips for tinder. Getting a fire going in any conditions is the most critical element in cold weather survival. If you DON’T have build-anywhere fire making skills I recommend you practice. Next to air, an external heat source is the most important factor in cold environment emergencies. It is next to impossible to carry enough clothing to hole up overnight in safety without a warming fire. I am constantly astonished by the never-ending cases here in Colorado of skiers, hunters and snowmobilers who die or suffer frostbite and hypothermia from an unexpected overnight in the backcountry wherein they had no way, or didn’t know how, to get a fire going. My motto for the truly prepared outdoorsman is “be able to get a fire going underwater if you have to”!

3) Water-Making: Next to warmth in importance is hydration, in the heirarchy of survival “needs”. If you get lost or stuck when water souces are open, which is to say not in winter, try to hole up near water. It is difficult to carry enough water on a day trip to last overnight, should the need arise, and most folks just don’t do it. But staying hydrated is important for overall well being and especially alertness. In winter all the water is transformed into snow. Eating snow is not a great idea–you don’t get much real liquid and it chills your innards. So every fall I insert into the Possibles pouch a small metal can to melt snow in next to my fire should I get stuck and have to bivouac. It’s a little Calumet Baking Powder can. Weighs 1 1/2 ounces with plastic snap-on lid. And it’s just the right size for stuffing my one ounce synthetic balaclava hat inside. Snap the lid back on and I have a tidy little tea-making pot that serves double duty as a container for my huddling-by-the-fire emergency headgear. When I say tea making pot I’m talking about tossing in some pine or spruce needles to flavor the snow-melt. Pretty good. Go ahead and make the brew piping hot. Warming your innards is better than chilling them, as in munching snow. In a way, when snow covers the landscape it’s easier to set up camp anywhere you like–”water” is literally underfoot; all that’s needed is a fire, and a pot full of snow snuggled up beside it.

Discussion: Obviously, this “pot” doesn’t have to ride in your Possibles kit in non-winter. Nor does it need to ride along in your Possibles if you’re backpacking a whole camp and have a regular pot system. Unless you’re hunting out of camp in day-hunt fashion. Then it’s still a good idea; or tote a regular camp pot on your day-jaunts. The lowly old Sierra Cup works fine. Or any smallish, lightweight metal container. Sipping a hot cup of pine needle tea injects homey charm into what could otherwise be a dreary situation.

4) Let there be light: Being able to see what you’re doing in the dark is…well, pretty important. That’s why it’s #4 on our list. Many good lights are available. In fact, with the advent of LED technology the choices are better than ever. Here’s what I have settled on, at least for now, as this technology is advancing rapidly: The Petzl Tikka headlamp (3 ounces), plus the Princeton Tech Blast (1 1/2 ounces). Both weights include batteries. Total weight: 4 1/2 ounces.

Discussion: “Ed” (message board regular from Montana) and I have had countless discussions about backcountry lights. Ed writes for Ultra Runner Magazine and has done much research on such matters. So have I. My selection of the above pair of lights centers around distinct functions and weight. The Petzl is a very good all-around headlamp, except that it doesn’t cast its illumination further than about seventeen or eighteen yards. Not enough to avoid getting what I’ll call “cliffed out”. That’s a catch-all term for avoiding bad stuff from a bit further away than right-on-top-of-it. If you’ve ever descended from big-time mountains in the pitch dark you know what I mean. And this is where the little hand held Blast incandescent light comes in–it’ll cast a superb shaft of light to fully fifty yards. It is not an LED like the Tikka, but I only use it in short…well, “blasts”, to check out what’s ahead if I get that “feeling” that I should perhaps be taking another route. Total burn time on a set of two AAA’s for the Blast is only fifty minutes, but used the way I suggest that’s plenty of time. Since both the Tikka and the Blast use AAA batteries (the Tikka three) it’s easy and light to tote five extra batteries in the Possibles pouch and be completely covered for a very long time in the dark. There are now combo LED/long range incandescent headlamps available from several makers. They are pretty good too. The lightest weighs over ten ounces. And that is why I’ve selected the above system for myself. The choice is yours; the main thing I’m stressing here is that your light system should always be with you. Remember, we’re talking about these devices being in that ol’ Possibles. And always have spare batteries, as well as a spare bulb for any incandescent light (LED bulbs last virtually forever).

5) First Aid Kit: Perhaps this should be #4 instead of lights. But I’ve patched myself up too many times with paper towel or toilet paper strips and duct tape or rubber band (and survived quite well, thank you) to be enthralled by the sacred “First Aid kit” concept. Especially the commercial variety. Heck, when I was a kid I would just hold a cut against my jeans and roll on. The bleeding would eventually quit. Matter of fact, I still do that. People managed to survive thousands of years before the invention of Band-Aids and Neosporin. Our bodies have marvelous natural healing powers, and I sometimes am convinced we pamper our immune systems overmuch–they need “excercise” else we become too vulnerable. Aside from the always-with-you toilet paper (at least I hope so) and duct tape (see below) and your bandana (see below) in case of BIG-time contusion, the rest of my medical supplies fit into another small Pull Out. These consist of:

—Finger Nail Clipper: the kind with a little nail file folded up inside.

—Band-Aids: A few, especially one or two of the knuckle and finger tip kind.

—Antihistamines

—Aspirin

—Sunscreen

—Bug Repellant: Summer only

—Caladryl: In half ounce Nalgene bottle. For bug bites. Summer only.

—Silvadene: In half ounce Nalgene bottle. Good burn treatment.

—Bug Head Net: Summer in Alaska

—Bonine: A great motion sickness preventative, in case you’re bush plane flying.

—Blister Kit: Or substitute Band Aids or duct tape, and wear broken-in boots that fit.

—Rolaids

—Immodium I.D.

—Any items necessary for your own well being

—Zithromax: A five dose antibiotic system.

—Percocet: Powerful pain killer.

Discussion: The last two items above are prescription dispensed. My Doctor, who knows I’m alone in the middle of nowhere much of the time, re-prescribes them to me as they pass their dating limits. Talk to your doctor. If you’re not a junkie you should be able to get Percocet for emergencies. I’ve had to use it; it’s a wonder at getting you out of otherwise brutal situations. BTW, I consider a nail clipper as medical necessity, not as a “toiletry” item. A mangled nail or cutical in the backcountry is bad news, especially if it involves your trigger finger.

6) Toiletries:

—Collapsable lightweight toothbrush

—Baking soda: In a film can or one ounce Nalgene bottle. Lighter than toothpaste and won’t freeze.

—Toilet paper: I actually use paper towels, about a dozen folded into a baggie.

—Handi-Wipes: Keep these in a ziploc baggie too, to avoid them drying out. Best devices ever invented when it’s a long spell between showers, and good for field dressing when there’s no water or snow around.

—Dental Floss: There is nothing so maddening as stuck meat when none of this stuff is around! And the wonderful toothpick on my Swiss Army Knife doesn’t quite do the job sometimes.

7) GPS and/or Compass: And extra batteries if you’re toting a GPS.

Discussion: I love my GPS. I back it up with a wristwatch-band-mounted compass. Sometimes my 35-year-old Silva Polaris compass (very compact and light) if I’m going to be afield so long I suspect the GPS might run out of juice. If you are a compass man a map of the area is a good idea. While a map is nice, and sometimes needed in the field with a GPS (depending on whether you did the map work before the trip or are doing it on the trip), a GPS will allow you to wander an area cold turkey–and always get back to your starting point–without a map. They are amazing devices.

Cheap Drugstore Eyeglasses: I’m profoundly farsighted. The distant vision is quite sharp, I just can’t see anything up close–like my GPS–without “Grandpa” glasses. So I always carry an extra set in a little padded case inside the Possibles, just in case I lose or break the main set. Speaking of breakage, see Duct Tape and Glue below.

9) Meat Baggie: (From this point, dear readers, I’m just pulling stuff out of the Possibles pouch, in no particular hierarchy of importance). Our one ounce Meat Baggie (rolled up tightly and with a rubber band around it) is in the Possibles pouch for a variety of reasons: a) it’s so light it can be; b) I can drop anything from bunnies to grouse to a boned-out mule deer in there; c) I can carry firewood in it; d) I can expand the capacity of my pack by lashing it onto the back; e) I’m in the process of evaluating all it’s possibilities; f) I forgot it was in there.

10) Moss Tent Repair Kit: 1/3 ounce. These stick-on patches are useful for repairing tents, sleeping bags, jackets, Thermarest pads…you get the idea.

11) Two, gallon-size Ziploc Baggies: rolled and rubber banded together. 5/8 ounce. Useful for camp-meat small game (especially bug-dope-sprayed–for fleas–bunnies), left over grub, maps, etc., etc.

12) Space Blanket: The silver, ultralite kind. 2 1/2 ounces. For creating a shelter half. Use smooth pebbles or tufts of grass or small pine cones to create bulges, or nubbins in the material near the edges and tie cordage (see below) onto these for pitching the Space Blanket like a tarp. Front and sides will be open. Build a fire just under the front edge. You can build a longish fire and stretch out for some snatches of sleep, between being awakened by cold and having to build up the fire again. Remember, you don’t have a sleeping bag. The setup is much better than nothing, though you’ll have to re-pitch if the wind changes.

Discussion: I carry this in case of forced bivouac. Actually, the new ParaTarp is a considerable improvement, as it is enclosed on three sides and a fire under the front eave will heat it pretty well, and it’s quite wind and weather proof. But the lighter weight of the Space Blanket makes it a natural for day-tripping out of a backpack camp, wherin it’s lighter to carry on the hike in than the eleven ounce ParaTarp. (See “In-The-Daypack”, below.)

13) Manzella Gloves and Turtle Fur Hat: Both are compact, lightweight and absolutely priceless.

14) Cordage: About fifteen yards. I use the ultralight variety, and it has streaks of light-reflective material woven into it so I can see it by firelight or headlamp. I won’t even try to list all the uses for this stuff. Suffice to say that you’ll never get a Space Blanket shelter pitched without it, or be able to hang a Meat Baggie of boned out elk to drain up out of coyote reach. Etc.

15) Ancient Megamid Stuff Sack: 1/2 ounce. This is my pillow. All I have to do is stuff my jacket inside. I’ve slept quite comfortably thousands of nights with this setup beneath my noggin. I’ve patched or re-sewn it a dozen times. Wind killed the tent it used to contain long ago, but this old friend will be with me ’til it disolves. If only it could talk!

16) Accusite: one ounce. This little gadget allows me to check my scope zero without shooting the rifle. Pretty slick. Accuturn@kiwash.net

17) Signal Mirror: At 3/4 ounce this is NOT one of the heavy glass versions. It’s plastic, has the aiming site and works. I’ve had it so long I can barely make out the maker…something like US Ultimate Survival. 2 X 3 inches.

18) Power Bar: Peanut Butter flavor. Yum.

19) Fog Cloth: 1/2 ounce. Indispensible during hunting season if you want to reliably see through your scope, eyeglasses or binoculars.

20) Biodegradeable Soap: In a half ounce Nalgene bottle. Concentrated.

21) Duct Tape: About a foot or so, wrapped around a Popsicle stick. 1/3 ounce.

22) Rubber Bands: Three of them, 1/4″ X 3″ size. I use ‘em all the time. <1/4 ounce.

23) Orange Flagging Tape: A wad, held by rubber band ( there’s a use!). Flag kills, camp, etc., and routes between–especially if you don’t have a GPS.

24) Foam Earplugs: I use them whenever I shoot. Excellent antidote for snoring companions too–last time I did this was in an apartment in Tokyo! Small apartment.

25) Sewing Kit: 1/4 ounce. Made from three inches of hollow aluminum arrow shaft with tape over ends. Various sizes of needles inside, #69 bonded nylon thread wrapped around outside. I’ve used many times (never on my backpacks, mind you!).

26) Safety Pins and Paper Clips: About ten of various sizes. Used for all sorts of things. The paper clips can be folded out to make wire.

27) Pocket Crock Stick Knife Sharpener: 2/3 ounce. Works well enough to get the job done and is lightweight.

28) Super Glue: 2/3 ounce. Especially good for “stitching” serious cuts, as well as fixing inanimate stuff.

29) Heat Pack: 1 1/2 ounce.

30) Wire Saw: one ounce.

OK, that’s what’s in my official Possibles Pouch. BUT it’s not all that I always have with me. Here’s the rest of the story:

On My Person:

—In my left pants pocket: a) Swiss Army Knife. The venerable Tinker model. The one with just enough, but not too much in the way of useful doo-dads. Highly recommended. b) Chap Stick. Both these are items I use frequently, hence they’re in my pocket rather than the Possibles pouch.

—In my shirt pocket: a) My pocket notebook. I’ve been using them for twenty years. All designs start in these notebooks. They are also my journal. I have about a hundred of used-up ones stored away–never can tell when I may need to research some brilliant idea from the past! Never go anywhere without the “current” one. If I buy a T-shirt it has to have a pocket on it or no deal. b) Mechanical pencil. ( Doesn’t freeze, as an ink pen will.) I use this note-taking system so often I learned long ago to just keep it real handy.

—In my rear pants pocket: a) Large bandana; b) Pentax lens cleaning cloth. ( The bandana is often the only absorbent cotton in my possession, as I use synthetic clothing in the outback. “Wiping” a cold runny nose on a synthetic sleeve is more like “smearing”, eh? In addition, the bandana can serve as a medical compression pad. The lens cleaning cloth is fabulous at cleaning my eyeglasses, scope, binoculars and range finder–like nothing I’ve ever used, and does the job when it’s far too cold for liquids of any kind).

In My Day Pack: Besides the Possibles Pouch, these items are always in my old Spike Camp: a) Hand Warmer Pouch; b) Jacket; c) Supplex baseball style cap; d) Kifaru belt pouch (somewhat confusingly called our possibles pouch–but in this case intended for use on the outside of the pack. Never can tell what is going to come along later when we “name” an item. I put this pouch on my left waistbelt on almost all jaunts in the field, taking it off and stuffing it back in the pack when I’m in town); e) ParaTarp; f) 1/2-liter water bottle; g) one of our GPS Pouches on the left shoulder strap–cell phone rides here in town; GPS in the field.

Discussion: My Spike Camp, carrying my Possibles Pouch inside as well as the items just listed, is always with me–hence the joking on our message board of this being my “purse” ( ever known a woman who didn’t always have her purse?). By the way, my Spike Camp is also my briefcase. Not pretty, but it works fine. There is always enough room to stuff some files inside.

With the above ingredients I’m pretty confident of “making do” just about anywhere, anytime. At the risk of being redundant ad naseum, this gear is ALWAYS with me. Maybe it’s not quite the “right stuff” for the Boardroom, but then if I happen to be in such an environment with a bunch of “suits” and the building blows over I’ll be able to set up camp out in the parking lot while those guys are trying to burn their Palm Pilots to stay warm. Anyhow, I’m not likely to be in a Boardroom. BUT, if any of you movers and shakers invite me to one sometime, expect me to show up with the ol’ Spike Camp slung on my shoulder, and all my “possibles” inside. Taking-care-of-business stuff included. Whatever the business.

Patrick

Comments are off for this post

The Men of Manversation and our friend Ruben worked in my garage for about 6 hours yesterday, and in that short time, in utter defiance of the get ‘er done formula I wrote about earlier this week, we actually got everything done that I had hoped for it the amount of time I had planned on. I’ll post some more pictures of the results sometime in the next week or two after I’ve had a chance to clean up and get my lathe stand built, but in the meanwhile, you can have a little sneak peek of the new lumber rack in the photo above. Even with a lot of stuff that still needs to be organized piled high on both workbenches, it already feels a lot better out there now that all the lumber is collected in a somewhat orderly fashion on the lumber rack.

The guys and I worked together very well. In fact, they did such a good job that a lot of the time I didn’t really have much to do and my main challenge was cleaning up the areas we were going to be working on next and trying to keep everyone busy. Bol really helped me out in this area and his skills as a project manager became evident.

The lumber rack and a shortage of drills

The day began with general garage cleanup and clearing a lot of the stuff out of the garage and on to the driveway. Next, we proceeded to build my lumber rack, and with five of us working on it assembly-line style, it came together pretty quickly. Bol and I cut lumber at the miter saw and Nate, Brian and Ruben assembled the uprights of the lumber rack using a spacer block to ensure that the shelves were spaced evenly on each of the four uprights. That way, when we screwed the uprights into the studs of the garage wall, all of the shelves would line up with each other once one level of shelves was level.

We almost hit a snag when the second battery in my cordless drill lost its charge before the first had a chance to fully charge. Bol had brought his cordless drill too, but it was having battery power issues as well and we were almost left without a drill at a key point in the project. Luckily, the first battery, though not completely charged, had been on the charger for about 20 minutes or so at that point and had regained enough of a charge to finish the job. If you’re planning a home improvement project that will involve drilling or driving screws, I suggest asking everyone who’s coming to help you to bring their own drill as well if they have one – you can never have too many!

French cleat

Bol and Brian were intrigued by the French cleat system I had used to hang some of the cabinets in the garage. A French cleat is a great way to hang something like a cabinet, mantle, or picture to a wall. It makes it easier for one person to install something heavy like a cabinet while still getting it level and offers the additional advantage that you don’t have to drive screws or nails through the front of the item you are hanging, which can be important if doing so would detract from the appearance of the item. I found a great video about it from Tim Carter at Askthebuilder.com. If you like this video, be sure to check out his website, it looks like it’s chock full of other useful videos like this one:

Thanks again!

Once again I’d like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude for all the help that Ruben and the other Men of Manversation gave me on this project. It turned out great and I couldn’t have done it without you guys! Next up on the “Man Project” menu: Hardwood floors at Brian’s house!

Comments are off for this post

Today, the Men of Manversation, Nate’s wife Erica, and our good buddy Ruben are coming by the house to help with with a litte garage project. Over the last couple years, I’ve been in the process of building a woodworking shop in my garage. I spent a couple semesters at school building a heavy duty Scandanavian-style workbench, I’ve acquired a few machines, and last year about this time, my Dad and I wired the garage for the 220v electricity some of the bigger machines require.

Along the way, my placement of new machinery has not been optimal and my organizational skills in general have been lacking. I really reached a tipping point when I ordered a new lathe (I’m taking a woodturning class this semester) and found I really didn’t have anywhere to put it that made sense. You can see a picture of the overall mess above, and a picture of the lathe’s current home is below:

In addition, there are several random piles of lumber strewn about. So today, I hope to build a lumber rack to organize all of that and move a few of the bigger pieces of machinery and my two workbenches around to a more optimal layout so I can actually start getting some work done.

With any luck I’ll have an update for you next week and some pictures of a much improved workspace!

Comments are off for this post

Since I was a tiny little tot, barely aware of the world around me, I’ve been a Denver Broncos fan. My parents raised me with season tickets in hand, leading the way every autumn Sunday to our seats in the original house of orange and blue worship, Mile High Stadium. The electric atmosphere brought about by 80,000 devotees watching, gasping, and celebrating in unison was like nothing else in the world. Just like that, the Broncos had a fan for life.

Every time I got to watch the Broncos take on a different team, my dad bought me a pennant with that team’s logo on it. I never got to see all the teams in the NFL, but I did get a good collection, and the groundwork was laid for my future status as more than just a Broncos fan, but a football fan.

Eventually, my folks had to let their season tickets go. It was the sad result of my father’s retail business going bankrupt. Although I could no longer attend every home game, I remained a serious Broncos fan into adulthood. Until my early-twenties, I paid very little attention to the other teams in the league.

And then came Fantasy Football

About ten years ago, a good friend asked me if I would like to join a fantasy football league with him. Neither one of us had ever tried it before, so we weren’t sure what to expect. Finally I agreed, and soon I was “drafting” my team. I don’t remember a single player I had on my team that year. I don’t remember if my team did well or came in dead last. What I do remember is that my enjoyment for watching Broncos football turned into a joy of following the sport as a whole. Suddenly, I had players to root for from those teams on my pennants from long ago.

Fantasy football makes the sport more interesting. It makes watching a football game more personal and gives a fantasy team owner a vested interest in how their players perform. It creates a fun, non-athletic way for people to compete based on the United States’ most popular sport.

Analysts try to estimate the value of time lost by companies to fantasy football participation by their employees. It’s a lot. Billions per year; but they can’t estimate how much companies would lose from damaged morale and loyalty if it were banned. Also, I’d like to see how many jobs and how much revenue fantasy football is responsible for creating.

Fantasy football is really not a fantasy at all.

It’s just a fun game based on the statistics produced by real players in pro football games. It requires no more special skill than a willingness to do a little research, but makes the game so much more exciting every week. If you like football, but never tried fantasy, get some friends together and give it a try. You can make it as simple or complex as you want, as long as it’s fun. Check back often or subscribe to this blog for more…I’ll be posting more about fantasy football in the future; from general observations to overall strategy.

Comments are off for this post

What a human being should be able to do!

One of my favorite authors is Robert A. Heinlein. I fully intend to write a post or two about the absolutely sublime science fiction he wrote and the uncanny understanding he seemed to have about where society was (is) headed. While I’m writing about a different topic today, one of my favorite quotes from his work is quite relevant. It’s from “The Notebooks of Lazarus Long” in Time Enough for Love :

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects

The above quote described the typical American of a generation or two ago

The American male of up until about the 1970’s or 1980’s or so was the epitome of this idea. (Or so I’m told, I mean let’s face it, it’s not like I’m old enough to remember much before the 1980’s). But, for the men my age (early 30’s), think about your fathers (or if need be your grandfathers – maybe the modern decline began a little earlier than I hypothesized above).

Chances are your grandfather knew how to keep his car running, participate intelligently in a town hall meeting, hunt, fish, do at least a basic amount of carpentry, take care of any basic electrical wiring that needed to be done around the house, maybe do a little welding, help his wife plant and maintain a garden, along with a whole host of other things, such as house painting and balancing his checkbook, that were so elemental to him that he probably wouldn’t have even thought of them as skills.

Going even further back, think of the rugged pioneer men and women that helped shape this great nation. Alone or in small communities on the frontier, they were their own doctors, protectors, providers, sources of entertainment, and makers / builders of all objects great and small from their homesteads to their socks.

But today, we have become “insects” or specialists

Fast forward to this modern life where we sit as so many drones in the hives of our office jobs, pushing papers, crunching numbers and otherwise doing our own special little piece of the overall work. Many friends and acquaintances were surprised, if not downright shocked, that I would choose to paint the outside of my house by myself rather than just hiring it done. Just a sampling of the reactions I got “Isn’t it pretty high?” “You should just hire a crew, it will be so worth it!” and my personal favorite from a co-worker who refuses to paint anything including interior painting (is there anything easier than that?), “Homey don’t paint!”

I’m not picking on my coworker; his attitude is actually quite typical of some modern Americans in general and the upper middle class in particular. But, I think we’ve lost something as a nation by gradually adopting this attitude. It’s true that we need to specialize more than we used to, but I don’t think that the average office worker should give up changing the oil in his car, learning to shoot a gun, or how to wire a new electrical feature in his house. Similarly, someone such as a mechanic who already works in a more manual field shouldn’t shy away from learning some things about how computers work. This pioneer spirit, “can-do” attitude and willingness to take on new tasks is what made America great in the first place and were going to need to turn to it again to stay on top in these new times of globalization and economic crisis.

Some encouraging signs

I would say that the attitude of certain so called “menial” tasks being below oneself for a professional-type person peaked in the 80’s and 90’s and that we might be seeing an encouraging reversal of the trend now. More and more people are becoming interested in recovering some of the lost skills of the average homeowner and how-to networks like HGTV and DIY network are thriving. More and more men are learning how to cook.

Also, as a woodworker, I can attest to the fact that woodworking as a hobby has seen a tremendous surge in popularity in the last ten to twenty years. We are in what I would describe as a new golden age of hand tools with high quality chisels, saws, and hand planes available from modern manufacturers such as Lie-Nielsen, Veritas, Adria and Blue Spruce Toolworks, the like of which have not been seen since they began to decline in quality sometime after WWII.

So, I think after years of being confined to “professional” office-type roles, the modern man feels a craving to round out his personality by being creative, getting his hands dirty, learning how things work and being truly useful.

Are you ready to get your hands dirty?

All right, maybe you’ve been inspired to manly action by this post. How does one get started learning some of the manly skills of the past?

• Volunteer. maybe a friend or a neighbor or your church needs help with an upcoming carpentry project. Offer to help a friend change the brake pads on his car. Getting involved in someone else’s project is a great way to learn new skills without spending any cash of your own. If you really want to go all out, I’ve heard that getting involved with a habitat for humanity project is a great way to learn some new skills.

• Look for classes at a community college. We’ve got some great community colleges where I live offering classes on a whole range of interesting topics including: carpenty, electrical wiring, plumbing, welding, photography, web design, pottery, automotive repair, etc. etc. With a relatively low commitment of time and money (most of these classes meet just once a week and cost about $300 - $400 for a 15 week class), you can learn a rewarding (and potentially money-saving or even money-making) new skill.

• Ask a friend – I’d be happy to teach any of my friends anything they wanted to know about woodworking. I’m sure you’ve got a lot of friends who’d be willing to share their expertise with you too.

• Next time you have to hire a professional, ask if you can watch or help. The last time I lived in an apartment I watched the plumber repair a leak in my shower faucet and learned a little bit about plumbing. You’re already paying them, might as well make it a learning opportunity too.

• Look it up on the internet. Well, if you’re here reading a blog on the internet, it’s not as though that’s never occurred to you, but seriously, there’s detailed instructions for everything from charging a battery to cooking Indian food available online these days. If you can’t find any other source, you don’t have an excuse any more for giving something you’re interested in a try.

Above all, I’d say just get started and don’t be afraid to fail. (Of course, make sure you know all the relevant safety procedures if you are trying something dangerous such as working with power tools), but don’t be afraid of messing up the project either. If it’s a minor home-improvement type project and you follow basic safety guidelines, the worst that will happen is you’ll just have to hire the professional you were going to in the first place, and you’ll still have learned something in the process.

The next time you have a new project to tackle, it will be even easier and before long you’ll be on your way to being one of those all-around useful guys that are admired by all around them!

Comments are off for this post