Rolling and Folding.

 

I suspect that many readers have already seen the above video. It may be one of the most useful things on the internet. Using this technique putting away the laundry has become a quick job of a few minutes rather than a tiresome chore.

Yesterday I came across the term “ranger roll” used to name an alternative to a sleeping bag. Not a term I had encountered before. It turned out to be an alternate name for a poncho and liner used as a sleeping system. A websearch on “ranger roll” in fact turned up something quite different:
 

Rolling clothing this way may be old news to many of you. If, like me, you had not encountered it before there are a number of webpages and videos. Once you have seen how it works for towels and tee-shirts you can probably work out how to roll most items. Some users suggest items may be rolled tighter if rolled on a hard surface. Some items may be more compact if folded flat. It will also depend  on the space where you need to stow something, so experiment.

I realized that I had encountered the technique before. My mother used to “marry” socks by rolling them up and turning over the cuff. As an adult I realized that this was a complete waste of time. Dump your washed socks in a drawer and grab the first pair that look similar.

The ranger roll method is worth trying if you have to pack items. Remember that items such as sleeping bags and down jackets should not be stored for long periods tightly rolled.

Many items of outdoor equipment that you buy come in their own stuff sack. Like me, you have probably unpacked the item to examine it and then found you cannot fit it back in the sack as neatly as it came. Using a ranger roll it may be possible to pack the item without using the sack. Either save weight by not carrying the sack or put the sack to a more useful purpose.

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How to Wrestle Numbers.

Many things I was made to learn at school I have never had to use. Over the years, however, I have had occasions to use trigonometry, geometry and arithmetic. Maths was not one of my best subjects at school! With time I have got more dexterous with numbers but do not regard it as a strong suit. This is relative, of course. To the astonishment of younger generations I have been known to multiply numbers together without using my phone!
 

Over the last week I have been reading “Mind Performance Hacks” by Ron Hale-Evans. A very interesting book with many varied ideas. To my surprise I found the maths section far more engaging than I expected. This lead me to a book called “Rapid Math Tricks and Tips” by Edward H. Julius. I never thought I would enjoy reading a mathematics book, but I did! This book is a fast and easy read and is full of techniques that will improve your handling of numbers. The book says “thirty days” but I read most of it in an afternoon and intend to reread it today.

I have come to the revelation that arithmetic is rather like judo. You learn a few basic principles and then you may wrestle the numbers into submission.

Some insights and observations:

z x y = 2z x ½y = 3z x ⅓y = nz x y/n

which is my way of remembering that when multiplying you can change one number if you chance the other by the same quantity. For example, if you halve the multiplicand you must double the multiplier or vice versa. In other words:

66 x 3.5 = 33 x 7, but one may be much easier for you to calculate.

Similarly, with division:

z/y = 2z/2y = 3z/3y = nz/ny

This is easy to remember if recall a division is essentially a fraction, and top and bottom must balance. You must change dividend and divisor by the same proportion. Hence:

34 ÷ 4.5 = 68 ÷ 9

Breaking numbers up is another useful trick:

For example:

47 x 14

can be reorganized as

(50 – 3) x 7 x 2 or (40 + 7) x 7 x 2

Since I find threes and fives easier than my seven-times table I would solve this as:

7(50-3) x 2 = (350 – 21) x 2 = 329 x 2 = 685

When you split a number keep track of if you have to subtract or add the elements.

Solving the above I used another useful trick, which is subtracting by addition. What do I need to add to “21” to make it “350” ? If I add a “9” it becomes “30”. 30 needs “320” to become “350”. Therefore the difference is “9 + 350”. The book suggests doing the “tens” first: 21 needs 320 to make 341, then 9. OR, you can reorganize: 350 - 21 = 350 - 20 - 1.

When I was at school I was taught you divided numbers from the left hand side, but multiplication, addition and subtraction was to be done from the right.

THEY LIED!

This book has lots of examples where addition or multiplication are simpler if you start on the left. One of my favourites is the method where you run down one column, up the next, down the one after that and so forth.

The book has many other useful techniques. Many are quite simple but may not have occurred to you if you are uncomfortable with numbers. For example, rather than multiplying by “8” you may find it easier to double a number, double the result and double again. To divide by 16, quarter the number and quarter the result. Dividing by 3 and then 2 may be easier than attempting to divide by 6. One way to quickly multiply by 9 is to add a zero to the number and then subtract the original number from this. This is treating x9 as x(10 - 1). 

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Ten Move Flow Drill

Today I am going to look at a flow drill. The video says “knife strikes” but the application of this is broader.

The numbering system used in this video is different to that I used for “angles of attack” in my books. This doesn't really matter, it is the flow of the moves that is important rather than its nomenclature. Some systems only teach five angles: the four diagonals and a thrust.

While the demonstration is made with knives, these moves can be used for a variety of other weapons or unarmed strikes. I will expand a little more on that  later.

The instructor refers to a “box”. This is an imagined rectangle within which you should attempt to keep your blows. No wide swings! Your box should be a little wider than your shoulders. 
 

The first cut is an oblique cut from your high right to your low left. This flows upwards to make the second cut, from high left to low right. These combine to create an alpha shape. 
 

Flip your blade over and follow the alpha in the reverse direction, making the cuts from low right to high left and low left to high right. That is four cuts made already!

The fifth move is a thrust, made with the hand pronated (knuckles upmost). Then turn your hand palm upwards and make a horizontal slash, from right to left. Finish this move with another thrust, this time with the palm upwards (“supinated”). Pronate (turn over) your hand and make a horizontal cut from left to right.

The ninth move is a vertical downwards cut, so you will find you need to learn not to overextend the previous horizontal move. Learn the most economical way to get from the end of 8 to the start of 9. 

The downwards vertical move is followed by an upwards vertical action. That completes the ten motions.

You will learn that the individual motions will need to be modified for particular weapons. With a knife the final move will probably be an upward thrust. With a machete it is more logical to turn your hand over and make this an upwards cut. The seventh move, the supinated thrust, isn't very useful if practicing empty-handed. More logical to pronate your hand and make a thrusting hammer-strike.

Practice this drill with a variety of weapons.

Here is the video:
 

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Textilage on Rucksacs.

Two projects I completed some time ago but had not got around to photographing.

The first project was to experiment with some textilage on rucksacs. For this I used a British army “Northern Ireland” patrol pack and a larger rucksac. I found a company that sells half a kilo of camouflage material strips. Most are PU MTP pattern and unlike most MTP there is good contrast between the colour elements. Strips of hessian cloth or cord are also used. Note the variation in DPM colours. This is particularly notable between the large pack and its side pouches.

This is the large pack. Note that the side pouches can be removed. More on this later. 

Harness side. The shoulder straps have a strap sewn down them in loops. These allow strips of fabric to be easily applied. 

 

“Public” side of the large pack. Some netting, brown on one side and green on the other, has been added to the lid. This does not show up much against the DPM, but can be used for attaching natural materials. Note that there are are additional “ladder” straps down the outside. More textilage could be attached to these to further break up the shape.

Patrol pack, harness side. The shoulder straps lacked a looped narrower strap. Instead a length of paracord was zig-zagged down the padding and sewn at the curves. As you can see, the paracord is totally hidden by the textilage and the shoulder straps themselves are well concealed.

Public side of the patrol pack. Textilage added to the pack top to break up the shape. The top photo is the standard configuration. The side pockets are well constructed with a waterproof lining and drawcord top, the latter in DPM PU. Unlike the side pockets of the larger pack, these cannot be be detached. This feature may have been added to later versions of the Northern Ireland.

This photo (above) shows my second project. This pack has been modified so that a pair of the detachable side pouches can be attached. This can simply be achieved with some lengths of 20mm webbing and 20mm buckles.

Side pouches rigged for independent use.

Side pouches with their harness. The entire thing can be clipped to the patrol pack without needing to be disassembled.

If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
The Books