The Harmonica Challenge

In every Survivorman episode, Les has his multitool with him, and we all know how handy it can be in a survival situation. He also always has his harmonica with him, but all he ever does is play it. Considering how adept Les is at making use of whatever is at hand, I'm kind of surprised that he hasn't found some other use for his harmonica. Let's see how many survival type uses we can think of for a harmonica. For example:

Idea

It can be used like a paperweight to hold tinder in place so it doesn't blow away while starting a fire using a bow, plough, etc.

Signal mirror.

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How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

if you broke it and bent it alot, im sure the outer metal could make some sort of crude knife.

you could break it and use yer multi tool wire cutters to cut out a crude fishing hook outta it.

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Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

the metal would be a good arrow head if you cut it to size. Or a weapon for defense

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

As a person of musical ability myself, if ! i was a harmonica player it would be the absolute last thing on my mind to destroy the only thing that gave me peace & hope. Just pulling that out & playing it would give you hope & a feeling of, I WILL GET HOME !!. No matter how bad it got, you still could have something that could take you home, if only in thought.

Sincerly Drummer Dave. Cool

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
We are Known By The Tracks we Leave Behind
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

dave thats actually really good, well said

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

Grind it down and eat it... Wink

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The liver is evil, it must be punished!!!

According to Les, you could use it as a Bear call, in case the Man vs Wild crew is recording an in adjacent area. Twisted Evil

Some good ideas, everyone. Very Happy

To which I will add:
Idea

After making a fish hook, as Daffy suggests, use the rest of it as a float on your fish line.
Idea

Use it instead of bear bells, to alert bears (i'm talking about real bears here) to your approach. Actually, considering my musical skills, a bear would be torn between running as far away as possible and killing me to make the noise stop.

I wonder if Les will see this thread and end up using someone's idea on Survivorman. If he uses your idea, try to get some swag from him as compensation. Laughing

	Drummer Dave wrote:
	As a person of musical ability myself, if ! i was a harmonica player it would be the absolute last thing on my mind to destroy the only thing that gave me peace & hope. Just pulling that out & playing it would give you hope & a feeling of, I WILL GET HOME !!. No matter how bad it got, you still could have something that could take you home, if only in thought. Sincerly Drummer Dave.

Besides, if you cut it all up it probably wouldn’t make a good signal mirror when the time comes. Razz

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How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

	Tibby wrote:
	According to Les, you could use it as a Bear call, in case the Man vs Wild crew is recording an in adjacent area.

That was the coolest thing in the entire world. Very Happy

It could be used as part of the trigger mechanism in a deadfall trap.

true bush, and with the teeth er whatever you call them (holes you blow threw) you could make it pretty sturdy too so you could put more rocks on top!

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Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

Kindling

Maybe we should all go out and get harminicas and make them into something? Coolest use wins!!! Wink

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The liver is evil, it must be punished!!!

	CedroneS wrote:
	Maybe we should all go out and get harminicas and make them into something? Coolest use wins!!!

Fish lure, like the credit card in... oh crap, was it Georgia?

Lash it to a stick and put it up outside your shelter to predict the weather! Louder = stronger wind. If you have a good ear you can even tell which direction the wind is blowing from the sharps/flats. Laughing

Possibly as a lure for game? I've heard that some large game (buffalo in particular) are very curious, yet cautious, of anything new. The native people of the plains would lie in a field and hold a colourful flag up, buffalo would come to investigate, then they'd jump up and knife them. If you're very skilled (or if you smash the harmonica) you can make it sound like a duck call.

	Foxfire wrote:
	Possibly as a lure for game? I've heard that some large game (buffalo in particular) are very curious, yet cautious, of anything new.

Oh, I totally forgot about that! Coon hunters will sometimes set a trap with a shiny object as bait.

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"Always there has been an adventure just around the corner... and the world is full of corners!"

-Roy Chapman Andrews

"We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

-Aldo Leopold

	Foxfire wrote:
	Lash it to a stick and put it up outside your shelter to predict the weather! Louder = stronger wind. If you have a good ear you can even tell which direction the wind is blowing from the sharps/flats.

If the harmonica is wet, it's raining; if it's white, it's snowing...........