Gather your materials. A trick my Dad taught me is to use rolled up newspaper to build your base.

Roll it up just like this…

Build your base with the newspaper and then put some kindling on top.

Thanks to my neighbor Bill for donating some of his firewood for our yearly tradition.

An axe… every man needs one.

Strike anywhere matches… light them off your zipper but be careful not to catch your pants on fire.

Stack the wood in a criss-cross pattern to allow enough air to circulate through to keep the flames going.

The last required step… is a beer… Yuengling to be exact.

Happy fire making and enjoy your Thanksgiving!

1. Read a map and a use a compass to navigate. Lets face it men have a knack for getting lost. It is probably because of our sense of adventure and exploration. But if we get lost it is important to be able to get ourselves and others (who are along for the ride) back to civilization. To read more about this check out this article, Find Your Way: Learn the Basics of Map and Compass. This is just the basics so if you really want to get your feet wet, read this Navigation Training Guide.
2. Know How to Defend Yourself. Learn some martial arts. With the craze of MMA there is no shortage of schools to learn from. Also, take some time to learn proper firearm training. The more you do it the more comfortable you will become. Knife throwing would be cool too… just throwing that out there!
3. Pick some locks. Learning how to pick locks can be great fun and it does have some practical applications as well. For instance, have you ever locked yourself out of the house? Locked your keys inside your car? Hopefully the car is not running, yes I did that once. Check out this video from ITS Tactical.
4. Know How to Survive in the Wilderness. There are plenty of resources to learn survival techniques. An important thing to remember is to practice your skills before you are in a true survival scenario. I suggest taking a class from Tom Brown Survival School or read his books. You may have heard of Dave Canterbury he is on the show Dual Survivor on the Discovery Channel. He also has a school here in Ohio. For survival tips check out his youtube page.
5. Rope Skills. Knowing how to tie knots is an important skill to know. I have been learning knots from ITS Tactical – Knot Tying Videos.
6. Escape from Zip Ties.
   
7. First Aid. Find a class at your local American Red Cross.
8. Basic Cooking Skills. This is where you might impress that lady friend of yours. Cooking is not only valuable to learn at home but being able to cook something amazing on a backpacking trip might earn you some bonus points. Check out these cooking posts from thisisreverb.
9. How to Change a Tire. One snowy afternoon I had a flat tire and I spent four hours trying to change one tire. I had to give up cause I did not have the proper tools. My number one tip… invest in some good tools, like the Four-Way Tire Wrench.
10. Know How to Swim. Doggy paddle does not count. Learning to swim could save your life or somebody else’s.  Learn rescue swimming from your local American Red Cross.

Check out these articles to learn more skills!

• 100 Skills Every Man Should Know: The Instructions (With Videos!)
• Top 40 Useful Sites to Learn New Skills
• 50 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do

I will be starting out with one thing that all men love… beer. I introduce you to the beer wheel. If you feel the need to have this spice up you bar/man area click on the picture and buy it.

This is awesome… every beer drinking man should have one.

I am a big fan of digg and they came out with their own bottle opener.

Potato guns are great especially when demonstrated by women. No disrespect to the ladies just thought this was funny.

Backyard Bombs from Christopher Polydoroff on Vimeo.

Uber Tuber on MAKE: television from make magazine on Vimeo.

Want to make your own potato guns check out these sites.

Instructables.com (search for potato gun)

A kick ass poato gun!

Bacon floss… I immediately thought of my friend Josh Emerson when I saw this. He loves bacon. I am not sure if he loves to floss but if he does this is the product for him.

This concludes the first Man Post. Hope it made you laugh a little bit. I already have content for the 2nd episode of The Man Post, so stay tuned

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