Woodsman's Zip Loc bag

A lot of outdoor instructors suggest carrying a 1 quart zip loc bag for water collection in an emergency. But if you don't have one, here's a neat trick that can use any plastic bag strong enought to hold water...a "Woodsman's Zip Loc Bag". It's a field-expedient means of collecting/carrying water if you lack a canteen or don't wish to cross-contaminate your canteen with water that has not yet been disinfected.

This is also an example of how you really can self-instruct using books and video's...in this case, I learned the method from one of the excellent BUSHCRAFTMYWAY Youtube channel video's that I have watched online [I'll attach the link below].

All you need for this project is a plastic bag, a piece of green wood, and some cordage:

I like to use the liners from cereal boxes because they are a very tough plastic [and free]. I carry a couple in my day pack for emergency water collecting purposes. Using a knife, carefully split a piece of green wood:

Fill the bag with water. Extra air is bled from bag and one piece of the split wood is rolled into the spare plastic. The second piece is applied to prevent unraveling of the bag. A piece of paracord serves to lock the 2 pieces of wood together and to act as a handle for carrying.

Here you can see the completed bag and how it works. The bag is filled with water [2 measured quarts]:

Here is a close-up of the cordage and lock assembly. This system works well and if the bag is tough enough material, can even be lashed to your pack to transport water:

And, to give credit where credit is due, here is the excellent BUSHCRAFTMYWAY video with instructions on this technique:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naZoj2f6Pdg






© 2013, MANNY SILVA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED