Why An Apocalypse Wouldn't Be All Bad.

Ok for arguments sake lets say the chance of an actual nuclear war was even remotely likely, yes if you didn't get each and every single atom within your body ripped apart and survived the initial 'War'(if you can call it that it probably wouldn't last much over a week), many or most of the people you knew and loved would be dead.

Yes this is terribly sad and you may be lonely however, just imagine you have crawled out of the burning pit that you used to hide form the explosions you now have so many perks and opportunities that you may not have thought of as a result of this terrible catastrophe.

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No law.

So this can be a gift and a curse, on the one hand plenty of things you might have to do to survive that may be frowned upon in polite company would now be, to all intents and purposes, legal. Due to the fact the is no law and no one to maintain it. 

So taking as many tinned goods from abandoned super markets as you could carry WOULD now be very easy. Feeding yourself would not be a problem. However this also means other people could also steal, kill and torture without the threat of arrest. Silver linings right?

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All of those great 'Apocalypse' weapons you see on youtube could be yours!

Again this goes kind of back to the no law thing. You could happily ransack peoples houses and make as many brutal weapons as your heart desired and indeed use them. Defending yourself would be very very easy and you could have fun experimenting with different kinds of weapon to find the best to crush the skulls of those who would otherwise do you harm. Double ended chainsaw sledge hammer?

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Do what ever you want

Now there are significantly less people to insult and harm, it enables you to treat the world as your playground. Want to take a shit off the Eiffel Tower(Provided it's still standing) you go and take a shit off the Eiffel Tower.

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All the time in the world.

No people means no job, that means no worries of money or time. You could spend all week just smashing up a house, or learn to speak Chinese(not sure you could do it in a week but you get the point). Without time restraints in your life and no one to answer to, you would be free to exploit your surroundings to the fullest.

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Pretend your in a Fallout game.

For those who game, you could reenact the whole of the Fallout franchise and even build a house or find a dog(if there is an uncooked one available). An apocalypse really is a gamers dream come true.

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Own anything you set your eyes on.

That really nice classic car your neighbour has? he's dead he won't be needing it anymore, take it out for a spin. Did I mention no speed limit? Is that a great sword in Buckingham Palace? better line up the water melons.

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The world may be a giant sandbox now(quite literally I can imagine there would be a fair amount of dust) but you could go anywhere and do whatever you pleased(all while listening to 'The Wanderer' by Dion). The initial shock would be terrible but surviving the bombs would be well worth it. Every person could become whoever they wanted to be the possibilities are endless and all you need is to find a lead lined fridge!

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And my Instagram: @strollingmenblog

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- Find That Fridge -

- Louis -

Why Every Man Needs To Have A Swiss Army Knife.

The Swiss, are good a making many, many things, watches being one (Rolex is undisputedly one of the best watches available), chocolate being another. Knives are no exception to this.

Most peoples first knife would be a very small Swiss Army Knife with a tiny little blade and they would either cut themselves, or loose it. Then over time they grow out of it and move onto bigger and better knives, leaving the modest Swiss Army Knife behind. But no matter what knife you have, it will almost always be beaten by these brilliant little multi tools.

Sure you could get a Leatherman, but one, they cost a bloody fortune, and two they aren't that compact, it is literally like walking around with a pair of pliers in your pocket.

I'm on my second Swiss Army knife due to my first one disappearing....I started with a Huntsman which had more than enough tools for me at the age of 13, but it was still a brilliant knife.

I've since downsized to a Spartan which is much more basic but I carry it everywhere due to the fact I use it on probably a everyday basis. My point about these knives are that they are the perfect tool for anyone to have. They are classically designed, all the knives are razor sharp and hold an edge ridiculously well, and it is a world recognised brand for a good reason!

I read an article on SAK's once about a lifeboat captain who through one way or another ended up over board getting pulled down into the water, had he not had his swiss army knife with him he would definitely be dead, you could argue that any knife he would have had could have saved him but just a single blade knife, or a shoddy multitool might not have had quite the same effect. Why carry a single blade when you can have two plus extra tools! 

I will always support SAK's because of the brilliantly strong design and their reliability, and I recommend every man to get one, you never know when you might need it.

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Follow my Twitter - @strollingmen

And my Instagram - @strollingmenblog

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- Louis -

Mad Max Paracord Bracelet.

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I loved the film Mad Max: Fury Road, partially because it was a brilliant film, partially because I love Tom Hardy.

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I noticed the bracelet he wears throughout the film and wanted to make one. After looking at several videos I figured out a way to make them.

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Apologies for the less than average photos I don't really know what was going on today.

You Will Need:

About 4 arm lengths of paracord(roughly, hold one end, measure to shoulder and repeat).

I used my swiss army knife to cut the ends but you will also need some kind of small stick. The thick end of the tooth pick works really well with that.

A means to melt the end, I used my stove.

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Firstly, get your paracord and find the middle point. Bend that in half and from the bend measure it around your wrist. Pinch the length you want it to be the reduce it by about an inch.

From that point, bend each end of the cord to each side like shown.

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Then move the left side over and pull the right cord so it is on top.

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Put the right cord behind and back up through the left loop.

Then pull it not completely tight as you need to go through this one later on. Every knot after these are to be tight however.

It is VERY important to remember that the same cord always make the loop first. It is the cord that always crosses over the top.

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I'll put an uninterrupted sequence here and just repeat it till you get close to the bottom remembering to keep the lead cord as the first loop, always over the top.

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Pull tight each time.

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Continue the tying until you get down to a point where it is very difficult to keep going but you have enough room to easily still do at least one more knot.

This point is when you will need your little stick or pokey thing to get the cord through the hole at the very bottom.

Now I must admit I am faintly confused by these photos, I was getting angry with my camera and probably should have made these clearer.

You need to put the main cord(that main loopy one) through first then push the opposite one through(It's very possible you bracelet at this point might be the other way round just reverse the instructions). You need to make sure the main loop is on top of the other one and pull each of the cords tight THROUGH the opposing ones loop once you've done that you will have tied the stopper knot.

If you don't tie a stopper knot you can easily pull every single knot off the bracelet taking it back to a massive stretch of paracord.

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Once you've loosened the first two loops at the top of the bracelet use your stick like thing to push each cord through to the correct loop. 

From here, you need to put the bracelet on and note where you want to knot to be on the ropes so you can still get it on and off(do it a little tighter than you think as the rope it slightly stretchy and the knots on the bracelet will adjust).

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This stopper knot is similar to the knots on the bracelet. Start it like you did on the first knot and place one cord over the top and another under the bottom.

The cord on the top is then going to go round the back and go through itself, and the cord on the bottom is going to go over the top to go through itself.

It sounds more confusing than it is.

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Pull it tight and it should look like this.

Trim off any extra cords.

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Use some kind of fire to melt the tips so they can't become undone.

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And there you have it. Your own Mad Max bracelet made with nothing but paracord.

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Follow my Twitter: @strollingmen

And Instagram: @strollingmenblog

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- Don't Go Mad -

- Louis -

6 Reasons You Should Hike.

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To be a true man, you must appreciate the world that we live in, explore it, enjoy it.

A man should walk or hike to grow in himself and to see parts of the world unavailable via modern day transport.

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Here are 6 reasons why you should hike.

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1. Getting Away From It All.

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When you are out in country walking, you escape the modern rat race of the city and every day life. There is no noise, no traffic, just the pure open unpolluted world.

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2. Real Men Hike.

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Lumber Jacks, Survival Experts, Mountain Climbers, of these men use the country and woodland for their hobbies, jobs, and interests. The kind of men with beards and hairy chests. Follow in their footsteps and become a man.

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3. To Enjoy Surviving.

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Our world is a giant play ground for us to explore. You can do anything outside. Make a fire, build a shelter, catch some food. The great outdoors is a greatly under appreciated resource that we have outside our back doors.

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4. Come On, It's Healthy!

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Obviously this is fairly obvious. Hiking is healthy! it is a form of exercise and you get a great view while you walk. Why would you not want to enjoy this while effectively working out.

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5. It's a great activity with someone or alone.

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It doesn't matter if your on your own, or if your with someone, hiking remains a great pastime. With someone, your doing a physical activity and talking, laughing, enjoying the world together. Alone gives you space, time to think.

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6. You Can Do What You Like.

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You can lay down when you arrive at your destination and have a drink next to a fire. You can fish and get a bite to eat. You could make a bow, or a knife handle. Make a shelter for yourself. Anything you want you can do when your hiking.

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Our world is not like it used to be. We need to go out and enjoy the wild before it goes. Hiking brings you close to our roots and our planet. Hike once a month and camp out. You'll appreciate our world a little more.

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#HikingBasedStuff? I don't know I needed some pictures.

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Follow my Twitter: @strollingmen

And my Instagram: @strollingmenblog

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- Hiking Is Healthy -

- Louis -

How To Survive #2 - Basic Snare.

In a survival situation water is obviously the number one priority, food is a very close second. Without food we cannot think properly and our energy levels drop until just sitting up can feel exhausting. 

Of course you can forage and find berries, nuts, fruits and roots. But this takes up lots of time and often isn't very successful. The best way to take in the calories you need is from meat.

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There are three main ways to get meat, fishing, hunting, and trapping.

Fishing in most large bodies of water can provide you with

(surprise, surprise) fish. Fish, are full of calories and do not require a large amount of calories to get them.

Hunting is the best way to get larger animals, boar and deer are the most common. In order to hunt you need a good understanding of where the prey is, and a plan as to how you will corner and kill it.

Trapping is a waiting game and can be useless if traps are not properly made. But, if enough are set up, it can provide an almost limitless food supply.

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A Basic Snare.

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This snare is probably best used for rabbits and other small game. Also keep in mind it can be illegal to set up snares on someone else land without their permission so by all means give it a go but be careful.

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To start with you going to need some kind of string or thin rope(it need to be fairly unnoticeable) with colors that fit into it surroundings i.e green, brown.

Next, you will need two support sticks to prop up the snare, and a stake to keep it tied down.

Finally to make life a bit easier, your going to need a knife. You can do this without but it might make the snare a bit more 'hardy'.

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Step 1.

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Tie the rope in a small hoop. Make sure that is can easily be tightened and loosened.

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Step 2.

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Get your stake and sharpen the end of it. (This isn't necessary, it just make pushing it into the ground much easier if the soil is hard)

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Step 3.

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Sharpen both of the support sticks. Again this isn't necessary if you aren't easily able to.

If your support sticks don't have branches, and you do have a knife it might be worth your time to make some small notches in the tops of the sticks so that the noose won't fall off, making the snare useless.

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Step 4.

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Attach the noose with a double knot to the top of the stake.

Then stick the stake deep into the ground.

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Step 5.

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Place both of the support sticks into the ground close to the stake and open the noose as wide as it can go. Then place the top of the noose loosely on the tops of the support sticks.

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And there you have it. A quick easy snare to catch rabbits and other small game. Just make sure you remember where you placed the snares so you can collect your food and/or reset the traps.

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And Instagram: @strollingmenblog

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- Happy Trapping -

- Louis -