Digging a Japanese Spider Hole (and sleeping in it!!!)

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Digging a Spider Hole Part 2: • Digging a Secret Massi...
Japanese Spider Hole Part 3: • Surviving 24-hrs UNDER...
Japanese Spider Hole Part 4: • Building a Japanese Sp...
Japaneses Spider Hole Playlist:
• Digging a Secret Under...
I build an authentic Japanese military spider fox hole with just a few basic tools including a small army shovel, some metal buckets, and some rough saw timbers to help create a safe place to sleep overnight in case of impending war.
A spider hole is mirrors the hole created by a trapdoor spider who will tunnel and then cover the top of the door to conceal itself.
A spider hole is usually shoulder-deep, and round, protective enough to camouflaged lid a solder from attack. A soldier will be able to stand upright and then fire a weapon without being overly exposed. A spider hole is different than a foxhole in that a foxhole is usually deeper and designed to hide or conceal a fighter.
A spider hole is usually hastily dug, whereas a foxhole is done with more care.
Spider holes were used during World War II by Japanese. Saddam Hussein during the Iraq war was captured hiding in a spider hole.
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"Self-Reliance" is an 1841 essay written by American transcendentalist philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. It contains the most thorough statement of one of Emerson's recurrent themes: the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his own instincts and ideas. This channel will approach self reliance from a modern perspective. and will focus on various build projects using modern amenities, and tools to build a completely self reliant lifestyle.

[@ModernSelfReliance]

*Japaneses Spider Hole Playlist:* kzbin.info/aero/PLwj3sDjjGtJqbGwt3fD5AghrGvPM9EUbE *Digging a Japanese Individual Fighting Position:* kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6DUYoGcpJiLqMk

[@miguelboricuapatientlongsu1855]

Vietnamese tunnels were hit hard by bombs and they were triangular and they were able to withhold all the bombing. Gold miners tunnels were the same as you are constructing and they collapsed without any problems 🤔

[@miguelboricuapatientlongsu1855]

One super Important thing to remember you cannot keep rebreathing the same air. Covert air breathing chimney will be necessary if you want to ever wake up 💀☠️

[@jessicad83]

Look up the Australian "Trap Door" Spider - that's some nightmare fuel right there! 🕷

[@FreezyAbitKT7A]

pan that gravel for gold. Esbit stove use Hexamine tablets

[@drivenmad7676]

Ventilation???

[@carriebecker8383]

I have free time, and I decided to spend 47 minutes and 42 seconds of it watching guys dig a hole, and dreaming about digging my own hole.

[@Achedb0b1]

This is my hole, it was made for me!

[@simondelaney2958]

Gotta love a good hole

[@pinetree9343]

I run mine at 1.75x speed. So it was a lot less time spent watching

[@HaloDJumper]

We are adults. We dream of digging holes. And then climbing into said holes. And maybe it's big enough to take a nap in. That'd be nice.

[@user-fs9ko6wg2o]

Durrr durrr

[@Minuteman_Expeditions-wo2cp]

The Vietnam tunnels were dug in hard clay too, and they made their tunnels with dome or triangular roofs so as to support the roof weight and save it if a tank or other vehicle drove over it

[@xp8969]

Based Vietcong Freedom Fighters

[@matthewschipper2023]

Good to know my grandfather actually went to Vietnam and served in the United States army and received the purple 💜 he didn't really talk about Vietnam War very much but when he did us grandkids hung onto every word

[@forrest8976]

Great point. Thanks for the info!

[@timtron]

@@xp8969 viet cong were oppressors, not freedom fighters. Fighting for the freedom to oppress people

[@SecuR0M]

@@timtron vietnam won so theyre based usa lost so it's cringe simple as

[@strangeredits9132]

Watchhed all 47 minutes and I have to agree that it is a glorious hole. I'm about to do an internet search to see if anybody else has made a hole of such glory. Great work.

[@polarispm]

I see what you did…

[@saltissalty3498]

There are some of them in Vietnam, back in the Vietnam War we dug a whole system of them underground, now it's a very famous tourist attraction. Ofc it's not the kind of glorious hole you expect, with proper tools you can easily drill some in a school, a public toilet or your own house

[@spankthemonkey3437]

Someone say glory hole😃

[@MrBlunt419_]

Glory...hole

[@sybrenkruijf8570]

If you use that word to often I'm gonna think of another gloriously hole

[@growinggranite8240]

It’s kinda nice how one-on-one the conversation feels when it switches to just him in the hole. Almost as if your in it with him.

[@FortniteEruption]

Just you and him deep in his hole

[@masertaser4946]

Spider holes often weren’t just one hole, one of the greatest examples of this was on Iwo Jima where the Garrison defending the island dug miles of interconnected tunnels accords the whole length of the island. Even employing hidden doors so when a bunker was cleared by invading forces new troops could flood in and shoot them from behind. Often, a single hole housed an entire unit and cosisted of a kitchen, a sleeping quarters and at least two tunnels of escape. The Vietcong used this method of spider holes a lot in order to conceal their position and hide from the napalm and American forces.

[@jeffjr84]

That's one reason we resorted to using fire the way we did toward the end of the war.

[@quentinbonafede434]

Forget my comment, *this* is my apocalypse plan

[@justwastingtimeonyt9952]

Fun fact about napalm: when ignited it would flow like liquid fire. Meaning that it could flow into the tunnels with the man trapped inside. Another reason why its terrifying

[@somuchbs6008]

@just wasting time on yt pretty sure it’s banned in todays warfare too. Horrible weapon. Liquid fire glue 😳

[@SirRamdomgames]

@@somuchbs6008 lol no its not. you cannot use it agaisnt civilian targets but other than that, its free real estate

[@davebewshey1549]

I knew a guy whose grandfather was in Vietnam and was a tunnel rat, He said the roots were incredible, could not believe that they could dig through that many roots... Makes sense being a rainforest/jungle

[@museum1401]

On the plus-side, I bet the tunnels were really stable.

[@yeahboiii3602]

Borderlands

[@thesweeples3266]

WP

[@Jerry_Bean]

@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ shut up loser

[@viciousbee9151]

my dad was born in southern vietnam ( he’s doin good still. ), if I showed this to him he’d probably talk about how he was a tunnel rat.

[@MichaeLPPL]

The masculine urge to dig a hole

[@sushicatyt]

The first night in Minecraft be like.

[@user-nd7yp1ms9n]

Fact!😅

[@uben0601]

Real💀

[@NickolasSparks-ng6wz]

Best way to save wood on night one.

[@calcustom5026]

You want to dig the entrance hole slightly deeper than the sleeping hole, with a slope into a sump hole going down and away as deep as you can get it. That way water that makes its way into the spider hole will flow down into the sump and away from your sleeping position. It would have also been used to catch grenades so that you are safe from the blast if a GI were to ever find your position.

[@designator7402]

Pretty sure he describes that they did exactly that at 42:44 ish.

[@Swordsoulreaver]

@TheManFromAuntie Yeah, but its better than being dead from said grenade. Maybe.

[@aoki6332]

@TheManFromAuntie better than being shredded be shrapnel

[@BronsonJM]

Ha I'm the 666th like

[@scientificbrony]

@TheManFromAuntie better than being filled with shrapnel, or your organs being burst?

[@jimd.3186]

When I was young my brother and I dug a tunnel in our back yard in Massachusetts. We watched the great escape and wanted a tunnel with tracks, we had a lot of old pallets to take apart to use to shore up the tunnel. We hit clay at 4' and dug down to 12' then we dug a horizontal tunnel with wooden tracks to move the dirt out. We build a wooden fort over it, and had a pop out spot 20' way. I bet that tunnel is still there today, probably not safe, but we lived on 3 acres of land and our old family house is still standing even though we don't own the land anymore.

[@samuelmurphy8692]

legendary

[@mandiehuns1602]

Raising your children on good land is one of the best things you can do for them. It sounds like you and your brother had a lot of fun on your parent's old land.

[@ProdbyRaystee]

U should go there, ask them, make a youtube video about it

[@ProdbyRaystee]

Going back to my 20 year old tunnel

[@martinheath5947]

Somehow, that's life affirmingly wonderful. Thanks!

[@zramirez5471]

The 2 biggest issues I see are the lack of a water sump (grenade sump too if you want to be legit), but far more importantly you need ventilation - if someone were to duplicate this and spend the night inside, a thin layer of snow would seal the hatch and you'd be staring down potential suffocation very quickly

[@sorbetcitron6783]

Yeah ! Take inspiration from Saddam Hussein's hiding place.

[@davidenglish1552]

Also- good luck trying to pop out that hole with a rifle and or gear on.

[@blob5907]

no you wouldnt just breathe air

[@packwolf445]

​@davidenglish1552 yeah really I'd probably cut the hole 1 board wider on either side

[@SerV689]

@@blob5907all these losers can’t even breathe correctly

[@JULESRULES9969]

I spoke to a Vietnam vet who said that a lot of these spider holes existed in rubber plantations. The holes were dug to store water from heavy monsoon rains to keep the trees watered over the year. They would use these existing holes to attack.

[@ClydeW893]

liar

[@Travis_22]

@@ClydeW893 lolz

[@BushcraftEurope]

No wonder. This hole would be flooded for sure in a case of monsoon raining for 3 months straight

[@VoidHxnter]

@@ClydeW893 How come?

[@BushcraftEurope]

@@VoidHxnter think

[@JDLarge]

No thank you! I’ve dug my share of foxholes and fighting positions over my career but digging down and across underground other than for a grenade sump freaks me out. It only take having a position collapse on you ONCE and you’ll never do it again, or at least I didn’t… I had my position so well camouflaged that I had a tracked vehicle roll up and park over me for a minute, then as it locked a lateral taking off it almost got stuck tipping deep and sinking in burying me to my teeth! Glad I used a lot of logs! Fun watching you do it though, even though I was in knots lol!

[@notleviathan855]

From what my great granpda told my Grandpa, digging it with a triangle shaped roof helps give it strength. My Great Grandpa had his fair share of run ins with these spider holes during the second world war, and my grandpa fought in vietnam and couldn't stop talking about how intuitive they Vietcong were with their hiding spots. From what my Grandfather said, some of the stuff they built was so stable it could sit under roads, and tanks rolling over it wouldn't break through. He found a ventilation tube under a fake campfire, managed to somehow track the tube to the opening, and crawled inside. Thankfully it was empty, and without booby traps, but he said they built some pretty neat stuff.

[@jonezmusicgroup]

So- logs, not boards??? 👍🏾

[@jethrolionheart182]

@@jonezmusicgroup like he said he's using the old school 2x4s back when they actually were 2 in by 4 in

[@nploda1408]

"Locked a lateral"?

[@hermanlinam5317]

Holy crap, bet that was high-speed low drag getting out of there

[@hobojoe694]

Was in the US Army, can confirm. Loved digging holes/trenches when bored, some time a few shovels and a couple bundles of 550 cord and you can make yourself an improvised pillbox.

[@zyther96]

What was the 550 used for if you don't mind explaining your process

[@hobojoe694]

@@zyther96 tying branches and other light material over the hole to blend in, sturdy enough branches and you can hang your rifle too with it

[@comeandtakeit5183]

@@zyther96 securing supports and building overhead cover

[@stevemadden3642]

Man I was mortars. Only good part of digging one of those monsters was getting done and using our built in spades table

[@juliefall2892]

It's hard work, even just digging a fire pit to make biochar it took me two days the ground was like concrete,.🇦🇺

[@harveyw123]

Don't know where your hole is or if someone has already mentioned this but the gravel you ran into is rounded, which indicates it was part of a water course of some type. If you are in or close to a gold-bearing region you should test pan the lowest part of your excavated gravel. You might be surprised at what you could find.

[@leesvision]

That's interesting and good thing to remember I never thought of that. Next time I'm digging I will remember this tip. I live near a gold bearing area too. Thanks 🙂 much love ❤️

[@comfortablynumb9342]

I was thinking they might dig up arrow heads or other native American stuff.

[@alphazuluz]

I have dug a bunch of holes. I don’t think many people understand the amount of work this was. This was not an easy few days.

[@brymstoner]

Likewise. And even worse when the ground is absolutely littered with stones.

[@brymstoner]

@Light Sense Media yes, this one is definitely understated. even when digging something shallow like firepits in the woods/forests - nevermind something much deeper like a supply cache.

[@juliefall2892]

@@brymstoner yes I dug a pit to make biochar and the ground was hard as concrete. It took me hours and very sore muscles.🇦🇺

[@sdbigguy]

Great project. I find it amazing that I watched over 45 minutes of a couple of guys digging a hole. I am claustrophobic and you had me on edge the whole time. You kept talking about Japanese Spider Holes but I kept thinking Hogan’s Hero’s… must be when I grew up. Expected to see Dom walking through the woods and spreading dirt out the bottom of his pant leg to hide the fact you were digging a tunnel. Now that I’m older and fatter I would never fit through that hatch. Was was a U S Navy photographer for 20 years but didn’t know how much guys like to dig holes until I spent a tour with Seabees doing military training exercises. I agree, freedom isn’t free and we have to work for it. Thanks for sharing.

[@donniegaskill1836]

Thanks for your service, Thom. I too, am a Navy vet. Retired as a Hulltech PO1.

[@sdbigguy]

@@donniegaskill1836 Thank you for your service as well. It’s hard to believe I’ve been retired from the Navy longer than the 20 years I put in.

[@mrc0917]

That is awesome dude

[@nathanhale7444]

I'm not claustrophobic but watching this I kinda felt like it. Oh and I KNOW NUSSSSSSSSINK, NUSSSSSSINK🤚

[@mrmaniac3]

Glad you thought of Hogan's Heroes

[@since1876]

If you guys want to get through the gravel layer the fastest, I recommend upgrading to the diamond shovel.

[@g1tr3kt5]

Netherite Shovel with Efficiency IV is best. 😛

[@savannahbourgeois]

@@g1tr3kt5 HELLO?!? EFFICIENCY V HERE

[@Thingbol95]

@@g1tr3kt5nah netherite is dookie diamond on top

[@an8thdimensionalbeing142]

the ideal introvert hangout spot: a random hole in the ground that is invisible when closed up.

[@jeffjefferson2676]

You may want to have some spreader to hold the sides from coming into the tunnel, and keeping the beam up. Also, you want to have dirt backfilling on top of the beam, so the earth has something to lean on, so it wont collapse on it. Just nail two planks to the horizontal beams on both sides. Those are "hexamine tablets", you can make RDX explosives if you nitrate those, and you can make a primary explosive (HMTD) if you make a peroxide with it. Its best not to use fire underground unless you have got a ventilation pipe going down there, and preferably two. Greetings, Jeff

[@crayoniii]

I can’t believe there aren’t more comments like yours. This made me so anxious! He needs spreaders to keep those sides from pushing in. If the sides push in, they can no longer support the top, and if the top goes, so do you! There should be spreaders just below the top beam but between the sides and another at the bottom, both secured with fasteners. MSR makes it look cool but his way is INCORRECT and EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

[@jeffjefferson2676]

@@crayoniii Well, it all depends on the "ground standup time", it seems to be pretty good. Also you need to fill in all the space between the roof of the excavation and the lagging (the wood). At one point in time the ground may sag down onto the lagging. Now this will load the wooden lagging. The amount of pressure depends on what type of soil is on top of the lagging. Its a pyramid shape running from the sides of the tunnel up to a certain height. If it is pretty solid ground (which it is), the pyramid shape is not that high, and thus the amount of material within that pyramid does not make up a lot of weight. The lagging is only supporting that weight, the rest of the weight is supported by the ground around the sides of the tunnel. now the lagging does not support anything or not much. Just be sure all the space is filled up so the lagging can "yield". You dont want any momentum with the weight because that increases the energy involved by a lot. E=MC^2, so that is mass times the speed squared(!!!), and the speed can be as fast as gravity makes it go. So that is why the space is filled up. You can read about this phenomenon in Earth Tunneling with Steel Supports, by Proctor and White. Its on my books/archive page. A very interesting book, i scanned it from the university library. Its the only one copy of this book that you can find online. Ive checked. :P Greetings, Jeff

[@crayoniii]

@@jeffjefferson2676 Thanks for responding! I do understand there’s a lot of minutiae in the soil types and how that dictates what kind of and how much shoring is needed. However I’ve seen enough of these types of home brew digging videos to know that most people do not know and are very likely to get themselves killed. I only wish you had addressed this in more detail and proclaimed a starker warning. Happy digging!

[@jeffjefferson2676]

@@crayoniii It is as detailed as it gets.. Earlier this year they found a guy who buried himself in the forest. He was digging a tunnel too. "Slachtoffer ingestorte tunnel is man (29) uit Stein" So, everyone has been warned. Dont tunnel untill you have read all there is to know about tunneling. And even when you know; miners sometimes still bury themselves.. Greetings, Jeff

[@AlexZanderMuro]

@@jeffjefferson2676 dang, i just checked out your archive page and theres some really good reads on there. been looking for a few of those army field manuals for a bit too. thanks so much for putting those up!

[@kiprasrakitskis8439]

Surviving the first night in minecraft be like:

[@ikaros4203]

DIG DOWN, but not too far loll

[@gbs7144]

The side cribbing isn't safe that way. If the dirt, clay slumps, it could push the side away and trap you or then allow the top to come down. On ur next one, notch the uprights so dirt can't push side to side or top down.

[@wyattjohnson5181]

Do you have any resources on cribbing and supports? I am very interested in making tunnels, but don't know how to make them safely.

[@gbs7144]

@wyattjohnson5181 depends on what you're digging in. Look up videos under "tunnel cribbing", ask Jeff Williams and Colinfurze , they do a great job explaining and showing but there are many others too. Learn a lot beforeyoustart, be careful and safety 1st.

[@Rav3nclaw43]

​@@wyattjohnson5181research research research. Can't do enough

[@tbugtreybob]

Notch the top edges u shaped notch the sides in t shapes​@@wyattjohnson5181

[@oldschoolhoosier]

This is a very educational video for those who have ever wondered what it’s really like to build a tunnel system. I’ve seen very detailed tunnel systems that could house 20-30 men. VC and Japanese were highly skilful building these tunnels with boobytraps for intruders. Veterans during the VN War were highly trained in close combat tactics to travel inside the enemies tunnels removing threats. Good tunnels should have camouflaged 3/4” pvc pipe with a 180 elbows and steel wool to let fresh air pass through while keeping bugs out about every twenty foot. Those tunnels are very effective at avoiding and evading most threats. One word of advice is to be cautious when venturing into your or a newly found built tunnel for snakes that love to nest in dark warm areas during hot and cold seasons. Great Video

[@janoskis4727]

I've spent almost 50 minutes watching two guys digging a hole and I have no idea why but I enjoyed it.

[@sybrenkruijf8570]

There is another

[@adamimberti6948]

I also greatly admire his hole.

[@zzmmff]

boy Ive got a series for you... Colinfuze dug from his bunker to his house its like 4hrs

[@krisdreemurr112]

agreed

[@AutismFamilyChannel]

Eating a can of beans and crawling into a tight space with no air flow seems…dangerous 😂

[@dr1verman]

In addition CO2 sinks down, this guy was using candles with no way of changing the air down there. Sleeping down there? Yeah right, could be a long sleep. As he keeps saying "Use your Brain" Ha Ha.

[@sh4rku5]

@@dr1verman it’s the nitrogen and methane in farts that could be lethal. but it’s just not possible for a single person to kill via farts. it would take a large group of people farting directly into a series of tubes leading into a person’s gas mask for it to possibly be lethal.

[@dr1verman]

@@sh4rku5 78% of air was and still is Nitrogen. I think what this guy has done is dangerous, What the Vietnamese did was still dangerous, but apparently they made provision for air movement to ensure they got a fresh supply of oxygen in the air they were breathing down there.

[@benewgillian6823]

Especially if you fart ...

[@jollymarcus4639]

Uploaded my first wild camping edit. would really appreciate if you checked it out please 🙏 kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2rPgn2jbt55gdE

[@paulwhitehead3002]

As a veteran I thank you for your words and I hope others listen to these words of wisdom 😊

[@tyroon.Q]

I just was searching vids of people digging. I just LOVE digging and i can just dig a week long and still not get bored. I never met anyone that is just a insane as me. Now i see this and i know i am not the only one! Love these kind of videos!

[@felixb.59]

please become a mtb trailbuilder 😂

[@joepatterns9091]

They had normal shovels as well so this is more accurate than what you expected. Accidental accuracy is always a good thing!

[@Chad_Thundernuts]

It's interesting that you were digging up river stones from deep in the initial hole. It's amazing how much the topography of any landscape changes given enough time.

[@athelwulfgalland]

I was kinda curious about the river cobbles myself; Certainly worth waving a metal detector over it at least!

[@MCNicholasR]

Yeah, he may have accidentally started himself a placer mine.

[@Hlast1]

The sediments they were digging through tell a pretty decent story! When looking at this sort of thing, the basic thing to know is that larger grain need more energy to be moved through water, so slower water means smaller grains in the sediment. Clay grains are the smallest and indicate something really deep and calm, like an ocean far from a coast or a lake. Silt are the next size up, followed by sand, followed by gravel. Gravel usually indicates a river (if we're certain there was water there, since glacial activity can also be responsible for it). For this hole, they found gravel under clay under the gravel, so there was a river, which became a calm deep lake, which later became a river again!

[@alextimis3771]

@@Hlast1 Thanks for this. 🙏

[@Laomaofaoofficial]

Loved the vid!! Been watching for content like this for a looong time, didnt even skip the Sponser. Keep up the good work😁

[@shloby953]

I'm out here trying to get out of a hole and you guys are over here digging them, perspective is a wonderful thing 😂

[@Noahsamonte31]

It’s great! My shed has been completed and it turned out nice looking and sturdy and it is way better than the sheds that many of my neighbors had put up. Of course, I'm pleased with the outcome and this Ryan’s kzbin.infoUgkxGZedDTcDfgD7fG_uU4esfx_EgxzlY2_1 Plans was extremely useful to me as a guide.

[@ada_mesmer.]

this is not yelp..

[@smithyoftherust]

Neat construction; couple notes, you don't want to use hexamine (or esbit as their commonly known by the brand name) in an enclosed space. Second, you don't want to cook things like beans in the can; modern cans are lined with plastic, so transfer food to a stainless cup or similar bowl before cooking.

[@clay2889]

thanks for the tips

[@MrMrBiggles]

I see nothing wrong with boiling cans of food in water. Start with the unopened can in cold water, fire it up. By the time the water begins to boil, food is ready to eat. Wont get hotter than 212 degrees.

[@MikeJones-mf2rt]

@@MrMrBiggles Did you not read the comment? The problem is the plastic lining the inside of the can, which is there to prevent oxidation/rust/acidity from ruining the can and the food inside, but will melt into the food if given enough heat. Usually Bisphenol-A but recently shifting to Bisphenol-S, both of which are extremely toxic and mimic estrogen when consumed which disrupts your endocrine system.

[@smithyoftherust]

@@MrMrBiggles Yeah, it's not an issue of the plastic melting, but rather it leeching chemicals into your food. It's not that big of a deal a time or two in an actual emergency, but something to be aware of and not what you want to do on a regular or non-emergency basis.

[@jdsmith2670]

Do you mean the plastic wrapping on the can? Can I remove it and cook the metal can itself or you meant the metal itself?

[@Thoroughly_Wet]

Nice, but a few tips. If you are digging one for the purpose of hiding, don't pile your dirt. Spread it out as soon as possible. Also wait a few days after applying your camouflage layer before attempting to use as it can be obvious to some that the area has been disturbed. @ 30:17 you might not be able to see the entrance but you can see the large area where you two raked up and relayed the pine straw fairly well. Avoid low lying areas and Build your floor angling uphill from the entrance to help prevent water from pooling in your living space. The spider hole is definitely a good fighting shelter, but it's better as a pre-built structure than one built as needed.

[@dominictarrsailing]

I was also wondering about this! where do they hide the dirt? is just spreading it out and putting the leaves/needles over it again convincing enough? how long does it take for the pine needles to not look disturbed?

[@DryMrs]

Ahhhh....so clautrophobic!! You finally got out of the hole so I can breath now. Haha! Thank you for giving a shout out to our military. Very informative and great job as always.

[@Adrian-qd5qq]

Love the videos brother, thanks for sharing.

[@williamwallace9826]

04:30 Those folding Army shovels are called "entrenching tools." We used them for digging foxholes. They can be locked upen, as it was when you picked it up, or at 90 degrees, or folded against the handle to put in a cover that attaches to a pistol belt for carry.

[@sporkwitch]

Was about to point out the same, the "little army shovel" is literally called an Entrenching Tool (or, more commonly, E-Tool). I still remember getting to dig foxholes with one in red Georgia clay in the middle of summer during an exercise once >_< (was pretty great once done, though, for the same reason it was a nightmare to dig in, it held its shape, so was able to construct a comfy seat, and the temperature wasn't bad once we got the camo netting over top for shade).

[@sirwolfxx4548]

That last part is so cool to know, thank you for sharing that

[@BeachBallBill]

E-tools also make great toliet seats.

[@smithchasea]

I hated digging with an e-tool. The spade on it is too small, so it would take too long to dig a hole. One time on fex they gave us actual shovels, so it was much better.

[@GreatSageSunWukong]

the imperial japanese army didnt have them tho, they had a shovel head that fitted on a short shaft it wasn't folderble, its possible they could use the T shaped ends of their mortar launcher things to dig in the same way

[@TheCompleteTruthBlog]

Would you ever do a full underground cabin build? Man that would be so cool to see!

[@slinkytreekreeper]

Just go see Colin Furze. Too labour intensive to use this method unless life depends on it.

[@Dreamstead2Homestead]

Agreed

[@TheCompleteTruthBlog]

@@slinkytreekreeper my man laughs in the face of labour intensive methods and throws the living breathing power tool known as Don at them. Underground Cabin Build should be the next great thing from this channel!

[@amberkat8147]

God I want that. I wanted to live in a cave dug into the ground as a kid.

[@TheCompleteTruthBlog]

@@amberkat8147 I still want to 😔 Underground Cabin would be an amazing build video 🔥

[@amyfu2047]

I live in Yukon Canada. Most of the year the ground is pretty frozen by the time you get down three or four feet. Because of the permafrost, the trees here don’t get very deep root systems. They spread out instead. The trees also end up tall and thin. There are some trees with nice thick trunks but not very many compared to other places.

[@williamwalsh3779]

Need to get some MRE's to store down there. Awesome job..looks super cozy and tons of fun.

[@DDGVET4]

I tried doing this in prairie soil back in the 60's when I was 12 years old and Hogan's Heroes was the big motivator on T.V. It was absolutley brutal trying to dig in that stuff. Anyway before we finished there was a report in the news where some kids had done the same thing (I don't remember what part of the country) and the tunnel collapsed and somebody died. My dad came home from work that night and immeadiately made us fill the tunnel in.

[@tfm1449]

I think those kids where from Long Island, new York.

[@ikaros4203]

@@tfm1449 very sandy soil, easily collapsed... rip.

[@wilhallman2890]

A couple months ago some kids affiliated with our church were digging a tunnel on the beach... it collapsed and the boy died. His sister was lucky to survive.

[@tfm1449]

@@wilhallman2890 Sorry to hear that. So sad.

[@CL-vz6ch]

@@wilhallman2890 wonder where Jesus was at the time..

[@D11Alpha]

Retired US Army Combat Vet. Japanese (WWII) and VC (Viet Nam) used those spider holes & knew they would be dying in place when they used them. I've built tunnels as a kid with uncles that had been miners watching over us & probably the most dangerous thing for kids to do or adults, without knowledge of the dangers involved. I would never use any ignition or open flame in a hole with a dead end tunnel that has no ventilation from both ends. Fumes & gases can gather at the bottom of a pit and kill as they are heavier than O2. Every 10-15 yrs there are kids who die from cave-ins in these types of contraptions. I'd recommend demo the thing when you're done. I love building crazy stuff, but tunnels are the most dangerous, IMO.

[@dragonslayer7587]

Methane gas build up is probably what your thinking of, as well CO2 from breathing. I'm thinking they'd have to be deeper to hit a natural methane pocket, but could be wrong. Miners go down hundreds of feet, and then send in the birds.. my only issue with this is kids finding it, & a collapse. Again, though, I don't know how much would actually fall in, as their not down very deep. I've dug tunnels in snow as a kid, used water to ice everything over, and had a very nice fort Until my Dad saw it... 10 minutes with his sledge hammer and 2 days of hard kids work was gone. 🥴

[@D11Alpha]

@@dragonslayer7587, carbon monoxide from candles/open flames, gases from military MRE chemical heating units are toxic. I wouldn't be concerned with natural occurring methane. It does not take much overhead soil to smother anyone. While the shoring of the sides and roof are helpful, I wouldn't utilize a spider hole unless it my only choice. As a General Patton said, "fixed fortifications are monuments to mans stupidity." A spider hole is what you do when ordered to "die in place."

[@chaotic1979]

@@dragonslayer7587 Eating beans wont help either if you are worried about methane gas

[@ws4860]

@@chaotic1979 haha

[@ws4860]

Don't forget radon. It is even found in high concentrations in the basements of many homes, even though they are concreted and insulated. Radon exposure is the single largest natural contributor to most people's radiation exposure. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive element found in the natural decay chains of uranium and thorium . Under unfavorable conditions, the gas, which mostly enters houses from underground, can increase the activity of the indoor air to such an extent that the risk of dying from lung cancer increases significantly.

[@pockets3956]

Watching all of this real life digging and supporting of the walls makes me realize how much more destructive a dropped grenade actually was in those WWII movies. Thanks for the video!

[@virtuedreamer6623]

When it's your first night in Minecraft and you forgot to build a house.

[@ShineDredd]

the tunnel could also be trapezoid or dome roof, as it is more resilient to shelling. Also, if I recall correctly the clay kickers of the first world war worked the dirt while laying on their back, which was supposedly much faster than "regular" way.

[@mage3690]

It is faster, but boy you get a lot more lactic acid buildup in your arms when they're over your shoulders like that. Also, a lot more dirt falls in your eyes that way. But if you're in a hurry, reasonably fit, and you have a good water supply, it's absolutely the way to go.

[@mrmunchkin2181]

@@mage3690 I think that for the clay kickers in WWI, lactic acid was the least of their worries.

[@sandratweedale2579]

You’re a real bear for punishment. And Don helping with all that digging. Crazy amazing.

[@jonothandoeser]

These too don't look Japanes to me...

[@MapleCakeTheLion]

@@jonothandoeser What does that have to do with anything?

[@bcav712]

I would've slept with my head on the opening side of the tunnel.

[@nevillecartwright7292]

A very entertaining video of the construction of your spider hole! Just a few points about the stove you were using......we used them in the army and they were called Esbit Stoves. Small yet highly effective. When you used it, you used it upside down. If you turn it over, there will be a slightly higher flame area, allowing more heat to reach your pot/tin, and thus be more effective. The fuel tablet will sit inside the small indentation, and will remain centered, and not slip all over the place. Thanks again for a great video, and warm greetings from South Africa! 👍😉

[@spencerwright3141]

I feel like adding a small trench with a slight downgrade to the floor, if in a rain prone area, would be a good addition.

[@coopercampling1413]

and or use it as a toilet

[@5150warpig]

even in a non rain prone area its a good idea. all it takes is one rainstorm.

[@the_schan]

@@coopercampling1413 nah, that would result in the build up of bacteria and increase rates of soldiers getting sick. though in a life or death, why not?

[@DrYeet2704]

That could be quite useful, however, if it wasn’t concealed, enemy troops could know that there was a concealed tunnel nearby.

[@trevorseals6588]

Just started this video and I’m already amazed on how much knowledge one guy can have about holes in dirt, nature, and history. You seem like a well rounded guy

[@pedromiguel3227]

I love it! I want one of my own now.

[@thequintessential5503]

The whole day I spent is watching you guys teach us how to dig a hole for 47 minutes that could end up a life saving lesson to prepare for the unfortunate events.

[@The-gender-goblin]

The W H A T.

[@annwachter5985]

Be careful of pockets of sand deposits that many cause a collapse. Also, depending how far you tunnel don't forget air flow. Tunneling is great fun and rewarding like the primitive reminders of what our ancesters did thousands of years ago. Sitting around a fire creates those same feelings.

[@paulhart7739]

Also be careful of lighting fires down there, it consumes all the oxygen. The entrance hole is so tiny, not much air gets circulated

[@KrepsyK]

Never thought I'd enjoy watching someone dig a hole so much.

[@cesmith777]

24:25 - thanks for that shout out - I think many many people just don't understand this! Bout to retire after serving 20 years - and what I see in my country scares me.

[@davidrobertson1980]

Nothing wrong with using an old washing machine "cube" with no top and bottom for the hole sides, in fact two will fit nicely on top of each other for a deep hole and also can make good tunnel walls if you make the initial hole big enough to turn them sideways. Just a suggestion (yeah I recycle everything lol).

[@Reall]

the fact that you could live in this rent free is just on another level of coolness =))))

[@dadthespeedrunner2856]

comfiest house

[@bronacho5085]

i mean its a hole in the ground lmao

[@Reall]

@@bronacho5085 Rent free tho

[@thatoneguy611]

There are tons of things you can live in rent free, they just aren’t very comfortable and/or legal.

[@MrAsddasdasda]

You will live in ze hole and you will be happy

[@Ski_mask_enjoya]

God bless your soul man, this is so nice to see.

[@forendetta8164]

Incredible good work

[@qinarizonaful]

Amazing build! If you are burning a candle in a can, put a pinch of citronella candle wax in it for a minute, not a lot, as you are in a less ventillated space. The mosquitoes should vanish. You can also see where the smoke goes as you place ventillation tubes, to make sure you are getting cross ventillation. I would invest in an alarm oxygen meter/CO2 meter to sleep the first night... and test oxygen levels with candle burning, 😴 insurance on waking up! Cheers!

[@glg3945]

Wow, that would be terrifying to me to stay in that hole! Good job Peace and good fortune and good health to you and your family and friends. ❤️

[@Mjk10957]

That little stove is a hexi burner we use them in the British Army, you put your heximein in it and place a mess tin on top filled with water to boil your ration pack then use the boiled water for a tea or coffie or a shave ect . They work best with mess tins m8. However most of us ditch them after training and buy are own little gas stoves just easier to use.

[@barrydano1701]

I may be wrong, but was he using it upside down ?

[@suhtangwong]

I didn't know I needed this in my life!

[@Snoogen11]

32:00 Oh wow... that's bringing back some memories, when I was a kid, my brother was an army cadet (basically an English version of a scout), he used to bring his army cadet gear home, and sometimes we'd camp in our back yard. Now, he had an actual camping stove, but all the rest of his gear was army issue, we used to cook up some MRE's (the tuna and pasta ones were my fav), and have a hot cup of chocolate, and it was those cubes (they were called hexi-cubes in the cadets), that were the fuel source. The outside was covered in a thin layer of wax, to protect the fuel from rain and other fires, but once you melted that, the cubes would burn for a long time, and would provide enough heat for a few hours worth of cooking.

[@DerpBarrel]

*plays minecraft once*

[@Goigigandfriends]

Bro commits

[@jehrieltv8066]

Fr😊

[@tomatoeskin3781]

Thank you for reminding me why I need to enjoy winter while its here. No mosquito hunting in my room at night before bed. Damn things are the absolute worst.

[@psychedguitar2716]

I was on a dig crew for construction. We will bring a bucket into the hole and fill it to reduce back and forth trips. In the woods you could you a ragged t-shirt or tarp.

[@The_Unkman]

Just an awesome presentation on the perspective of what goes into making a spider hole.. Also gives you the perspective of what a soldier would have to work with in such a small tight place and also how easily soldiers would get sick just from being in one for an extended period..

[@TheVisualAddiction]

Bu

[@brendabinau1187]

I LOVE that y’all are prepping while making “content” keep up the awesome vids!! You and Chris got this!!! These times are crazy! Please take care you YOU and yours first!! I’m sure you are!! Love y’all!!

[@Bigjimandi]

Im gonna dig my own hole. Got my shovel and bucket. Back yard light on as its 23.10 and gonna get to diggin. Lol good work

[@flatlandsline1968]

Also the camp stove thing is called a esbit burner because it uses a esbit to heat food up. Nice video!

[@victorviel]

Women: "lives in a mansion" Other women: its not that big Guy: digs a hole and sleep in it Other guys: oh my god what a king

[@the-epic-man-in-the-epic-land]

E

[@ismokekillz]

Lol

[@MiticDane]

@Victor Viel Underrated comment.

[@oghash4912]

🙌🏼😁

[@alexanderchernyavskiy5011]

Amen

[@marcustulliuscicero9512]

How to solve the housing crisis.

[@Lt_cap_mitchell]

i love these kind of videos

[@HeadbandVR_]

First night of Minecraft be like

[@Dayrile]

DO NOT COOK FOOD IN THE CAN IT COMES IN. you need an empty can that has been put on the fire and "burned out" for 20 minutes or so to burn the plastic can liner out of the inside and thus avoid chemical contamination in the food. alternatively if you are going straight military gear, you can cook in the steel cup that is usually provided with the canteen or mess kit. the mess kits have the advantage of the metal plate with a metal lid to use as a pot.

[@davidcox6647]

You can cook food in original tin, just sent sides place over heat, once dents pop food is cooked. Cooked food in tin for a long time never had as problem.

[@eqnish]

@@davidcox6647 modern cans you buy in the store (like bushes Baked beans) have an enamel coating inside to help protect the can from acidic contents, you should not cook in the can ever!

[@_Anthony___]

@@eqnish you're thinking of soda cans

[@mominminnesota6648]

@@_Anthony___ um, no.... next time you open a can of any food but especially anything acidic (pineapple, tomato, chili, etc) look at the inside surface of the can. It will most likely be white. That's the lining which you don't want to eat.

[@ShmeepyBeeps]

Me and my friend did this in my backyard when we were maybe 12, parents were pissed but it was so cool. Definitely not that deep or cool but enough for both of us to camp in it and cover with plywood camo

[@snakeking-zo6mu]

I did the same thing when I was about that age too, but I had to make it by myself.

[@Phrikeares]

sounds like an easy way of getting buried alive

[@ShmeepyBeeps]

@@Phrikeares it could but it didn’t

[@GameCast222]

looks sooo cosy

[@DETHMOKIL]

love the bit where you thank the brave troops for all their sacrifice. those holes sure do look like they were a lot of work for those Japanese lads, good job boys!

[@maggiem6209]

So, my one thought with this design was two fold: 1. If someone happened to run or walk across that, without sod covering a few inches deep or something similar, they'd know it was there. 2. This seems like an excellent trap for a weekend long game of Assassin on the paintball field.

[@cavemanlovesmoke4394]

Such a awesome vid dude thank you for all the hard work and camera work to document this is super helpful as a prepper!

[@wontonsoup1711]

cool as hell, started my own today, dug down about 5 ft so far

[@thejackw777]

Awesome!

[@mikethemaniac1]

Thing about the spider holes that you don't seem to have caught by about two and a half minutes into the video is that if soil's not suitable for tunneling, there's an extremely easy way to negate the dangers on tunneling. Just dig a hole and covering it with a lid as a fighting position.

[@nicohagan9159]

he only dug sideways so he could sleep in it.

[@wattan7parrast]

These dudes are artists. Thank you for sharing. Very informative. Straight to the point

[@FuneralK9]

Another video that reminds me of how terrifying war can be.

[@Mini161520]

Nice the montreal expos caps!!

[@johns9478]

The fuel for the stove is a substance called hexamine. It's widely commercially available at places that sell camping equipment and is still used to some extent by many militaries around the world, but the US military at some point switched to using trioxane solid fuel tablets instead of hexamine, and then later on the flameless ration heaters that we have today became the norm. Still not a bad idea to keep some hexamine tablets around if you're in the woods though, especially when it's wet out.

[@benzmansl65amg]

This is one heck of an undertaking. You deserve 1M subscribers! Great content as always!

[@tikilongway]

i know you back feels crazy an hour into this

[@IMN602]

These tunnels they dug have always facinated and horrified me. If you ever played the game Vietcong that game has some awesome tunnel levels

[@Drakior]

At the entrance dig it down another foot to make entering the tunnel easier but also to catch any rain. At the tunnels end, expand that a small room. Add a small disguised air vent at the entrance and small room to allow air flow. Reinforce with wooden floor in tunnel and room. Reinforce tunnel entrance with wood and a ladder. This will make a great hidden cabin. You could call it a command spider hole :D

[@DrYeet2704]

In some ways, that sounds like the ROCMET posts that the UK Royal Observer Corps used during the Cold War: small bunkers with weather monitoring equipment as well as a ground zero locator, ionisation chamber and bomb pressure indicator. Those were laid out very similar to the spider hole concept you mentioned. The ROCMET posts were for detecting a nuclear attack, and then trying to plot the predicted path of fallout from the bomb with the weather conditions. There are a hell of a lot of them around, hidden in places you wouldn’t imagine. Most have been sealed and filled in, but there are a few that are still not filled in, one of which is on the North York Moors. Tiny, just a basic concrete bunker with a hatch on top and a small room to the side.

[@timhyatt9185]

most people say they call them "spiderhole" because it's like a trap-door spider's lair..... I think it's because if you built this anywhere spiders were common...you'd be living with the spiders in there with you.....

[@baiduryaray7781]

You know what!! wolf spider dug holes . So they r called spider holes and they r not Japanese. They r Australian.

[@timhyatt9185]

@@baiduryaray7781 you know what...you missed the joke.....

[@danacornish8598]

I would rather them than mosquitoes lmaoo they came up so much this video needs a tw

[@dakota9821]

@@timhyatt9185 Not funny, didn't laugh.

[@edwinlee6864]

There are spiders which dig holes with lids. The Japanese on Quinauan Point on Bataan dug cone shaped holes with room for two soldiers below. After one got shot when standing up, after the Filipinos and Americans passed, the remaining one would shoot us in the back. That trick didn't work for very long.

[@Fordthrower4000]

im about to go camping and this looks so cool

[@outdoorBE]

That’s is the coolest thing I have ever seen on KZbin and I think I’m gonna have to try that but I’m gonna get help from my dad because he works at a wood shop and I can get wood from him and there is gonna be a few things I’m gonna add like another cut out place down below to put stuff and I will find a way to attach the leaves and twigs and stuff to the lid so it’s doesn’t get blow off by the wind or fall off when I’m closing it.

[@jmorin6620]

My knees are screaming just watching him work in that cramped space. I do love how they commit to their projects.

[@throwawaypt2throwawaypt2-xp8nx]

only 21 but I'm screaming wid u :)

[@Harloha]

Well, I don't feel so weird anymore. I have always loved to dig, I thought that maybe it seemed odd. But now I know I'm not the only one who enjoys digging. Great video. Much Love and Aloha from Honolulu Hawaii 🤙🏼 💯

[@Daja_Vu1986]

I need friends like you lol. This would be a fun little adventure never though I'd spend almost a hr watching ppl dig a hole. But I did

[@gregkral4467]

the pucks are hexane, or hexamethylene tetraamine. Made with ammonia and formaldehyde, in a pinch they can be turned into c4 with nitration and parrafin and aluminum dust or detonator charge with 30 percent peroxide and citric acid for hexamethylene triperoxide diamine. Handy stuff. makes great firecrackers.