In this video I’ve finished off the long parang; putting on a rubber grip and adding some survival items to the handle.
The mention of ‘survival items’ may conjure up images of gun-crazed survivalists preparing to fend off the zombie apocalypse, and many people may think carrying such items is over cautious.
Is it over cautious? The truth is that although the jungle can be a hostile environment, it is not the hardest one in which to survive. Why is this? Firstly you’ll be near the equator (so you’re unlikely to die of hypothermia), secondly there’s usually plenty of water around (dehydration shouldn’t be a problem) and thirdly, well, it takes weeks to die of starvation.
So why the survival items? With the items I carry with me I am confident that I can build a waterproof shelter, make a hammock to lift me off the ground, start a fire and find clean water… and that I can do all of these things relatively quickly. So, if I have to spend an unplanned night in the jungle, I am fairly relaxed about it and, although I may go to bed hungry, at least I’ll be comfortable.
Having a relaxed approach to a unplanned situation is psychologically important as it means you’re more likely to think clearly and make the right decisions. If I’m lost in the jungle and it gets to about 4pm, I’ll stop and make a shelter/fire/hammock, get a good nights sleep and try to find my way out the next morning with a full day in front of me.
A few years ago two people I know went into the jungle near to where I live and got lost. They’d driven to the end of the tarmac and walked less than 1/2 km along the route for a planned road extension. They’d walked this route many times before so they felt confident of finding their way out and they’d left their mobile phones in the car and didn’t have a parang with them. They got turned around and couldn’t find their way back to the car (this was mid-afternoon).
Their frustration grew (they kept coming back to the same tree) as did a desire to get-the-hell-out of the jungle, so they decided to walk a considerable distance across a valley in their attempt to find the road. Unfortunately they were walking in the wrong direction.
Later that evening the alarm was raised and their car was found. The surrounding area was searched but their was no sign of the two missing people.
It started to rain.
They were found mid-morning the next day (far from where they originally got lost) having spent an extremely uncomfortable night sitting on the jungle floor leaning against a tree trunk (much to the delight of nearby mosquitoes and leeches).
People tend to make the wrong decisions when things go wrong – they panic – whereas being confident in the environment you’re in makes it more likely that you’ll stay calm and think clearly.
Imagine if you’re super-rich and get stranded in a foreign city – no problem, you just check into the best hotel there is and all is well. But if you have no money, getting stranded in a foreign city is no joke. In this analogy, having a parang and a few basic survival items (and the knowledge of how to use them) in the jungle is equivalent to being super-rich in a city.
…and talking of money, the parang and all the modifications only cost about 7 UK pounds (excluding the sharpening stone which cost around 15 UK pounds).
So, put together your own survival kit and only include items that you have tested yourself and that you know how to use (there’s no point in carrying a flint and steel if you can’t throw a spark!)
Really great suggestions. I’m currently an ER doc/Disaster secialist and am off to Nicaragua on a medical relief mission. I have my parang I have set up almost identically. I’m stealing your whistle idea and your piezo lighter. Great site. Cheers, Paul
Hi Doc Shotgun,
Thanks for the comment and glad there were some ideas you could use – the piezo lighter and whistle were ideas I got from other people too and I think it is great that the internet provides a way for all of us to share ideas (saves a lot of time!).
Good luck in Nicaragua.
Cheers!
Paul
I am interested in the results of the char cloth test. Did it light after several months in the garden?
Hi Ezadventurer.
Sorry, for slow reply on this but it’s because 1) I’ve been on a trip and 2) I went out to look for the char cloth I’d left outside to test and… couldn’t find it!!
However, I tried the charcloth that I’d stored in the parang handle for some months in the plastic tubing and it worked fine. The problem here is more moisture related than direct rain so it seems to be okay.
Here in Malaysia you can buy 3-in-1 sachets of nescafe (containing coffee milk and sugar) and these are great for camping and the sachets are totally waterproof and great for using to store moisture sensitive materials like charcloth.
Anyway, thanks for reminding me about the test and sorry not to be able to give proper results!
Cheers!
Paul
i was just wondering. when you did your parang mod did you square of the spine to give a nice sharp edge for using ferro rods, or mag rods? besides it would really assist with scrapping wood or bamboo shavings. ty good luck.
HI,
Yes, I have squared off parang spines before but I don’t anymore – I find scrapings from bamboo are best done with the parang edge itself as it’s pretty tough stuff and I don’t use ferro rods. One thing however that is useful to know is that the spine can be used for whacking the branch stems (buds) of bamboo from the main stem (these can be very tough and will mess up your blade otherwise).
Cheers!
Paul
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. I was curious as to why you choose to attach your extra survival stuff to your parang and not the sheath?
Hi Bill,
Thanks for the comment and a good question you ask. I put the survival kit on the parang simply because there is this area (where you choke up on the parang) that isn’t really used. However, there is no reason why you couldn’t put it on the sheath instead.
One thing I have found (since doing this video) is that I tend to use different parangs depending on how I feel and what I am doing – this means that I find it easier to carry EDC type items in a belt pouch rather than on the parang (or sheath) as otherwise I’d have to create a separate EDC kit for each of my parangs (and my collection just keeps on growing!).
Cheers!
Paul
hi
I was wondering hou much rope You used for the wipping because think its brilliant!
cheers
wouter
Hi Wouter,
Thanks for the question and hope your parang project is coming along well. When whipping rope you simply wind around until you’ve got the desired amount of whipping and cut off the excess.
Cheers!
Paul
One modification that I find useful is to get some orange or yellow spray paint and just paint the whole parang a bright colour. I do a lot of gardening in scrub and secondary forest and it’s easy to lose a parang if I drop it or put it down and it slides amongst some leaf litter or under some weeds, especially if it is dark. Painting it a bright colour makes it easier for me to find it again.
Hi Beng Tang,
Many thanks for the tip – I completely agree that it is only too easy to put down a knife or parang and then be unable to find it again…..I like bright coloured handles for this reason. Losing a parang is not only a nuisance but can leave you in real difficulties as well.
thanks,
Paul
Hey Paul, very cool survival setup. Nice parang, do you think it’s fair to say that a straight machete like in your video is better for batoning then the curved parangs? I noticed you knocking the plastic handles but have u actually had many plastic handles break off or are u speaking aesthetically?
By the way I made that Bidor blacksmith factory vid… Here’s the link, I know you’ll enjoy!!! http://youtu.be/1QKNa7EbfAI
Hi Grayson,
Thanks for the video link – really enjoyed watching it and the huge array of parangs over therein Bidor – excellent stuff.
Interesting point about batoning and I think it’s true that you get a cleaner whack on the back of the parang with a straight bladed one so you are probably right. There are advantages for both curved and straight parangs and I guess a lot of it comes down to what you are most used to using. I like the chandong shape which has some curvature but not too much.
As for the plastic handles I have never had one actually snap off or break in two – however, I have had quite a few parangs where the tang gets loose within the plastic handle and that makes them uncomfortable to use.
Anyway, great to see a video of your trip over here….thanks again.
Cheers!
Paul
Thanks Paul
I noticed that what they call a “chandong” in Bidor looks different to what other sites like Outdoor Dynamics call a “chandong”.
Incidentally I took that Bidor parang from my vid on a bush trek last weekend and did some batoning here in Australia, seemed to work just as well as my straight Philippine bolo. That was batoning some pretty hard wood also. Great parang, I’m really happy with it, also I wrapped some bike tubing and rope around the handle like your survival setup. The tubing increased the handles comfort and grip remarkably!!! 🙂
Can’t wait to hit the bushland again this week!
Hi Grayson,
Thanks for the reply and I think you’re right that the Chandong name gets applied to some slightly different blade shapes. Anyway, great to hear that the Bidor parang is working out well and hope you get out into the bush again soon!
Cheers!
Paul