Ever find anything useful?

my3cents

Strange subject but I was out pulling some logs out of our river that I'd cut up to stop a log jam and spotted a rucksack under some submerged tree roots. I guessed the rucksack which has all its pockets open and waving in the flow of the water would be full of rocks and silt but fished it out for a look anyway.

Very surprised to pull out a set of mess tins in a mesh bag. Back home they cleaned up almost as good as new. They are nothing great but seemed very strange to find them like that. There's a high bridge a mile up stream and people throw there rubbish over it into the river its also a spot where stolen bags sometimes get thrown way (its a few miles out of town on a bend where no one can see what your up to) so I guess that might be where it came from.

Previously I picked up a handy ax on the beach probably left by someone who had made a BBQ with driftwood.

L1011

Built up nearly an entire set of camping equipment (bar tent/bedding) over time from stuff dumped by campers back home in Donegal. Stove, sturdy cooking equipment (from cutlery up to a folding saucepan), some basic tools etc. Was doing a service by cleaning up the area at the same time now that I think of it!

I've a feeling some people get rained out, give up and go for the hostel/a B&B and jettison a lot of gear they realise they don't want to lug back home. Need to be careful you're not actually just swiping stuff someone has left for the day, obviously!

aaakev

I actually found my 6 man tent! I was out hunting on my main spot a few years ago and we came accross a tent in perfect condition, remains of a camp fire and loads of empty cans and broken bottles, this is a sheep farm and this was in an area where the sheep sometimes shelter from the rain and bed down at night. I said it to the farmer and he said get rid that he didnt want people on his land camping and acting the mick so we went back a few days later before he let the sheep in and cleaned up the glass and packed up the tent, i took it home and cleaned it out and it was perfect, i couldnt believe it!

That was probably 4 or 5 years ago, its been used a load of times since camping with the kids and as a base to hunt from on a few weekend trips. its a gelert codiz 6,

http://www.winwood-outdoor.co.uk/acatalog/Gelert_Cadiz_6_six_person_tent.html

my3cents

I'm sure I have other stuff but I also found a perfectly good closed cell foam foil backed sleeping mat washed up on the beach. I have a load of them so I used that one to cut down into smaller mats. I have a sit mat cut out of it that fits inside my edc bag.

aaakev

Iv found a few knives over the years too (and lost plenty for that matter) but thats about it i think. The sitting mats a good idea, been meaning to get one for my hunting kit, never thought of recycling one from an old mat

my3cents

I find if you cut a closed cell mat to the shape of the back of the inside of your rucksack it helps stop things sticking into your back if you pack it in a hurry and also gives the rucksack a bit of shape when its not full. I don't use a water bag in a rucksack so cut the foam to fit in the area it would normally take up.

I do still have a large opinel knife I found somewhere but can't remember for the life of me where that was. One thing because I used to be a full time gardener I have lost loads of good pairs of secateurs normally to find them rusted up in a compost heap 6 months later.

I tie lanyard now to almost everything that can put down and lost like knives and torches.

aaakev

Yeah id ve the same i use a bottle because the bag get dropped on the ground a lot so the mouth piece always get covered in crap if i use a water bag. Must make a few mats

Opinals are the main knife i found too, cheap so people people obviously dont mind loosing them! Iv left more knives on the ground when gutting a load of rabbits.... all my good hunting knives have lanyards though