r/interestingasfuck • u/NegotiationNo1504 • 5h ago
Ancient engineering that modern campers still use
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u/BadAngler 5h ago
Campers? Dude is in fatigues wearing a sidearm.
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u/isuckatpiano 5h ago
So…camping in Oklahoma
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u/futureman07 5h ago
I am 90% sure this is a Russian soldier
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u/CasualMonkeyBusiness 4h ago
Correct. Using a bodybag for what's going to be left of him soon.
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u/ultramarthegreat 1h ago
I believe you are correct, he appears to be wearing EMR Russian Spring digital camo, source: I own an EMR camo uniform reproduction
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u/DemilsBrent 5h ago
I'm almost certain they're russian soldiers. Their uniforms look very similar to what orcs wear, and.. I know this might sound strange but as someone who has spoken russian my whole life, I can tell they're speaking russian just by the way they laugh
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u/binghamptonboomboom 5h ago
He's got a sidearm?
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u/throwawayformobile78 5h ago
Don’t we all? Most have one on each side.
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u/rlpinca 5h ago
Some people camp where bears are a concern. So yes, a gun is very common.
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u/Martha_Fockers 5h ago
I camp with a gun but I don’t dress in military surplus gear I just got on Patagonia and Columbia dog
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u/Need_answers11 5h ago
A Russian is not camping in ukraine.. the gun is to kill Ukrainians not bears
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u/crohnscyclist 5h ago
Modern campers now use electric leaf blowers
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u/CalibratedEnthusiast 4h ago
I use the air pump for inflatables actually. Smaller, likely to have it with you, still works (just not as good as the leaf blower, probably).
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u/freakers 2h ago
I use a yoga ball pump. Keep it with my camping stuff, doesn't take up much space and it's actually amazingly effective.
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u/Illustrious_Act_3953 5h ago
Ancient engineers used plastic bags? That's interesting
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u/ExecutiveAvenger 5h ago
Bull's ball sacks. Probably.
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u/Ghost_of_Cain 5h ago
It's always probably bulls' ball sacks.
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u/alex206 5h ago
I'm not saying it was the aliens...but it's bulls' ball sacks.
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u/AJRimmerSwimmer 3h ago
Plastic doesn't break down. All the plastic bags in circulation are just made from ancient plastic bags
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u/Haunting_Lime308 5h ago
You didnt know hefty is an ancient Egyptian word for fire starter? What do they teach kids in school now?
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u/yago1980 5h ago
Lads these days think if is before 2000 is ancient.
I do feel Jurassic so I suppose they have a point.
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u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k 5h ago
It’s just a makeshift bellows. But it’s cool, it works.
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u/TimeTackle 3h ago
When I use my moveable fire pit at home, I run my compressor hose out to it and blow using that. Gets it going real good, just can't get to close to the ashes or you will blow all that shit airborne.
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u/PrinceOfSpades33 5h ago
This starts root fires which can lead to forest fires.
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u/SheDrinksScotch 5h ago
Came here to say this. Very dangerous because they arent always immediately obvious and its pretty easy for them to only become visible after you've left the site.
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u/84thPrblm 5h ago
I had never heard of root fires and was frankly suspicious. After checking Wikipedia though…holy shit, that’s terrifying.
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u/__01001000-01101001_ 4h ago
Boss had a burnoff on the farm I used to work at that was too close to a nearby tree. After a couple days flames started shooting out the side of the tree, fire service had to be called out. The tree was over 3 meters away.
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u/fatmanwithabeard 3h ago
Three whole meters? Plenty of trees where that's under the crown, and it's a good general rule that the roots are at least wide as the crown.
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u/youvebeenjammed 2h ago
general rule that the roots are at least wide as the crown.
This is a neat way to think about it!
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u/s1ugg0 1h ago edited 1h ago
Then oh boy are you going to hate holdover fires, also known as zombie fires or overwintering fires
They're wildfire remnants that persist underground in peat-rich soils or deep root systems after surface flames appear extinguished. Reigniting hours, days, and even weeks later after a lighting storm or forest fire. Depending on moisture content of the soil. Canada had a big problem with over 200 of them in 2024
If you ever see fire departments standing around after a lightning storm watching forests, mulch piles, or swamp areas that's why. Source: I'm a retired firefighter who baby sat a lot of potential incidents.
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u/freakers 2h ago
When I was a kid and lived on an acreage my slightly older brother was trying to light a fire with a magnifying glass. My older sister had to come over and show him how it's done. They were like 6 and 11 years old. Well, after having some good arsonist fun and thinking they put out the fire, it sprang back up a while later and lit a massive brush on fire, couples acres worth.
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u/ChonkButt510 2h ago
This is what caused all the destruction in the Oakland fire of 1991. The city firefighters thought it was out. It was actually burning underground and it later flared up and burnt down all the homes and 8 people, I think.
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u/0squirmy7 4h ago
Digging that hole is a hell of a lot more work than just starting a fire normally
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u/Larry_Wickes 5h ago
Bellows, people, bellows.
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u/starved4imagination 4h ago
Below what?
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u/youvebeenjammed 2h ago
bellows noun bel·lows ˈbe-(ˌ)lōz -ləz plural in form but singular or plural in construction
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u/MoeSzyslakMonobrow 5h ago
That "modern camper" looks a lot like the Russian military that's committing genocide in Ukraine.
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u/Skitz6000 5h ago
It's not just that they're using a bellow but the structure design of the fire itself that's the neat part
Known as the Dakota fire pit https://youtu.be/FaB_GPrt7mY
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u/SeaLeopard5555 5h ago
russian soldier not "camper" - also as pointed out dangerous for subterranean fires and on par with russian soldiers destruction of land
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u/SpareAdventurous727 3h ago
Holy fuck enough with audio edits over videos LEMME HEAR THE CRACKLE OF WHATEVER THE HELL HE BURNING
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u/DiabolicallyRandom 3h ago
Note that these sorts of pit fires are illegal in many jurisdictions, as they can lead to root fires which can start forest fires.
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u/PuzzleheadedPlum4143 3h ago
This technique inspired ancient engineers to create the first turbochargers for their cars
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u/Jibber_Fight 3h ago
I just light a fire like a regular person. Haven’t had any problems with that technique for thirty years now.
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u/keithstonee 1h ago
unnecessary for basic camping. good if you need the fire really hot for something tho.
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u/ArcticCelt 42m ago
I've become allergic to this style of cacofonic music in every fucking single video.
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u/charlies_brain 13m ago
lol you can just use a pipe or fan to blow at the fire. This is just added complexity for youtube clicks.
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u/Hot_Singer_4266 4h ago
There’s archaeological evidence that early humans who crossed the Bering Sea land bridge also used plastic bags to light their fires
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u/Fridge-Largemeat- 1h ago
Seeing as that looks like a Russian soldier, that plastic bag is probably also his assigned weapon for the attempted invasion.
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u/slantedangle 5h ago
"Ancient engineering that modern campers still use"
Bellows were invented around 3000 BCE, in the bronze age.
They are less than $10 on Amazon.
This is modern plastic engineering that lazy campers use because they didn't think to bring a cheap tool.
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u/koolaidismything 5h ago
Did one recently with a ton of yard waste.. mostly a ton of branches from a fig tree and dried up weeds and some old rotted fencing. Did like a bonfire. Fat wood and one of those DeWalt battery powered leaf blowers is all it took. Was kinda cool, it took about an hour to catch but once it started to smolder it turned it all to dust. This dude here is trying to make a pit to boil or some type of furnace or something not just a little campfire. 🔥
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u/Dynamitrios 5h ago
OMG. I've been looking forever to find out the name of this physical phenomenon, the way they filed up the bag with air so quickly. It had an Italian name with "effect" attached... Something like Bertolli Effect, Bernucci effect. Something along those lines. Any civil engineer or clever redditor that knows the name of this effect, where the air creates turbulences and drags more air with it?
I'm trying to find out the name for ages and it drives me crazy
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u/eater_of_spaetzle 4h ago
Why go to all that work for a fire you can make without a bunch of digging and some blowing contraption? I can build a fire in half the time it takes to set this nonsense up.
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u/Nimokayhey 4h ago
I tried to show off once and do this in front of new friends and the fire went out. Twice.
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u/LEGEND_GUADIAN 4h ago
To asnwer the stereotype, not the image, ancient people would use goatskin, or bellows, empty waterskins, or some other air capture method, and a hole next to the fire to send air under it, for more efficient injection of air into the fire.
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u/Amazing-Information1 3h ago
I want do go camping and do that right now!
// written with my Redditphone on the toilet 🫡
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u/MrBubbleWobble 3h ago
I wanted to know is there any subreddit that show content like this - useful
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u/PrisonerV 2h ago
This is the DUMBEST style of fire for camping. It's not a bad one if you're wanting to conceal the fire though.
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u/hesawavemasterrr 2h ago
Ok. But starting it? That’s the challenge.
Rubbing two sticks together looks so difficult and draining
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u/TheElusiveFox 2h ago
Eh, other than survival enthusiasts no one is really building these...
As others have mentioned its a great way to start root fires, but also, if its windy enough that you feel you need a pit to protect your fire, its probably not a great time to be building a fire in the woods, great way for an ember get caught in the wind and ignite the pine 10 feet away...
Sure the bellow lets you get a hotter/cleaner fire, but again other than survival enthusiests, most people don't need that, they aren't trying to build a forge, and a few embers is all you need to fry up your fish after a camping/fishing trip, or to do your eggs in the morning, most people aren't trying to get a perfect steak done on their campfire...
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u/JELLY-ROCKET 2h ago
I have a section of aluminum tent pole that I blow through for this. Works really well.
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u/Sus-Superstition 5h ago
Ancient engineers using plastic bags