Our man in the jungle found that walking through the forest on his bare feet gave them a beating, so he fashioned a protective pair of sandals from plant fibers.
"Our man in the jungle" admits that he doesn't like wearing footwear when he's walking through the forest. He prefers to go barefoot. But these sandals do give his feet some protection when he is carrying heavy loads through rough terrain.
He fashioned them entirely from plant fibers in about an hour. They may not look as pretty as a pair of colorful beach flip-flops, but they get the job done in good order, helping to prevent cracked and split soles in his feet when hauling heavy materials for his his various projects.
He made these from loya cane, which he has an abundance of in his area. But he says that "pretty much any rope like material will do. Bark fiber rope, grass, vine, flexible roots, etc. will all make usable alternative materials."
The weaving is also exceedingly simple and straightforward, as the video demonstrates.
I did find it interesting that he made both pairs of sandals at the same time, by looping the came into two pair of footwear, and then alternately weaving through both pairs of sandals at once. Once he finished with the weaving, he simply cut the connecting cane with a sharp stone.
He admits that he won't wear these regularly as his bare feet provide a better grip on the forest floor, particularly over inclined ground. I'm guessing that these sandals probably do make for some slippery walking after a rain or in wet areas.
It would be interesting to know what his assessment is of them in conditions such as that.
But when carrying heavy loads such as baskets of clay, thatch, or sticks for his kiln firing projects I think these sandals are a good solution, and are perfectly in keeping with his primitive lifestyle while in the bush.
Like what you see here? You can read more great articles by David Smith at his facebook page, Stumpjack Outdoors.
NEXT: Primitive Technology: Man Builds Tile-Roofed Hut Entirely by Hand, Deep in the Forest
https://rumble.com/embed/u7gve.v3tsmt/
