I take in cable ties and paracord on my parang sheath – which might seem odd in the jungle where natural cordage is all around you – but the reason I like to have those items is that they allow me to make a hammock quickly and easily if the need arises.
So, although I intended to cover ‘fire’ before moving onto ‘shelter’, it is only right to explain upfront why I think these two items are worth including in your every-day-carry kit.
So here goes…
When you split bamboo the nodes are the parts that are resistant to the split, the hurdles if you like. It crossed my mind that it might be possible to support these nodes on the bamboo and create a semi-split piece of bamboo that could be used as a hammock. A bit of experimenting later and I was dozing happily in a surprisingly comfortable hammock made out of a single piece of bamboo.
The video below shows you how to make one, and I think it is something worth knowing.
While I was in the jungle filming this video a drama was unfolding a couple of miles away where two college students were lost in the jungle… you can even hear the search and rescue helicopter in the background.
Apparently these students were on an orienteering exercise… which just goes to show, even with a compass, it is all to easy to get lost in the jungle.
thanks a lot man. after several failed attempts at making my own bamboo hammock in ghana using a convoluted split then weave method, your method makes much more sense and I will give it a try right after I leave this internet cafe
Hi Ghanaman,
Good to hear that – the hammock can be made much more comfortable if you weave in leaves or other pieces of bamboo within the splits. It also helps if you make a pillow (again, leaves are fine for this). Cheers! Paul