Survival information, tips, and products to help you survive a natural or man-made disaster
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Sunday, December 16, 2012
Survival Prep is as easy as it sounds. You prep to survive. The following information will help you prepare for survival of natural and man-made disasters.
1. Have a plan for each type of situation. Go over the plans with your family members so each person knows what to do in each situation. In this plan be sure to specify a meeting place, outside of the expected disaster area, where you can meet up if you get separated.
2. Prepare your disaster supply kit. Your supply kit should include enough food and water for each member of your family for 7 days, at least. Don't forget specialty diet foods for medical reasons and medications. Additionally, include pet foods and medications for your furry family member or members.
3. Your disaster kit should also include the following: a manual can opener, a flashlight for each family member, extra batteries, a crank radio, space blankets, board games and coloring books/crayons (especially if you have young children), toilet tissue, and some comfort foods - such as candy bars and cookies. Additionally, every disaster kit should include a well-stocked first-aid kit.
4. Additional things that could be included in a disaster survival kit, depending on the type of disaster anticipated, could be the following: fishing line and hooks, sleeping bags, tent, camp stove and propane, charcoal, wire hand saw, shovel, axe, rope, tarps, duck tape, maps, books identifying edible plants and insects, and how-to books on everything from creating your own electricity to converting a vehicle to run on alternate fuel.
5. Some of your supplies can be kept in watertight tubs with lids or in new trash cans.
6. Make sure to check the shelf life on your food supply several times a year and rotate out the expiring food with fresh non-perishable food. If you buy one or two things a shopping trip then the cost isn't as overwhelming and you can better keep an eye on what will be expiring in the near future. If you can afford it, it never hurts to have a few cases of MRE's on hand also...they store longer and most come with their own heat sources so you can have a hot meal even without electricity, propane, charcoal, or a campfire.
Everyone should have a home first aid kit ready to go in case an emergency should arise. If you have small children, being prepared with an up-to-date first aid kit becomes even more important. Keeping a first aid kit within easy reach will provide you with considerable peace of mind. Here’s a handy checklist of the items that your first aid kit should, at a minimum, contain:
1. An Antiseptic (such as Bactine): Cleaning scrapes or wounds is important for preventing infection. If soap and water are not on hand, using an antiseptic will help flush out debris and provide a mild pain relief. Antiseptics may come in cream or spray form. Many, such as bactine, also provide pain relief.
2. Bandaids and gauze pads. Bandaids help treat injuries of all sizes. Your best bet is to buy a large package that comes with a variety of sizes.
For gauze pads, buying larger sizes works best, because you can always cut them down to the size you need. Gauze pads work well for more serious injuries.
3. Scissors. Speaking of cutting, scissors are often overlooked in many first aid kits. Scissors come in handy not just for cutting gauze pads, but for cutting clothing, adhesive tape, and anything other materials or obstructions that may present themselves in an emergency.
4. Ace Bandages. Ace bandages come in handy in a variety of situations, such as sprains and breakages.
5. Instant Cold and Hot Pack. These packs are for one-time use only, so it’s a good idea to stock up your first aid kit with them. They can be applied on sprains, bruises, and bumps to reduce swelling.
6. Adhesive Tape. Adhesive tape can be used to form splits, tape gauze, and secure any other bandages.
7. Tweezers. Like scissors, tweezers are often overlooked, but come often come in handy. They can be used to remove stingers, ingrown hairs, splinters, and hang nails.
8. Latex Gloves. Latex gloves are a helpful addition to any first aid kit. Latex gloves will provide a clean and sanitary way to protect you against bacteria, blood, bodily fluids, and other potential contaminants that you may encounter in an emergency situation.
9. Analgesic. An analgesic is a pain reliever. Include a small bottle of aspirin or ibuprofen to combat headaches, migraines, or pain due to injury.
10. Antibiotic Ointment. A small tube of antibiotic ointment can go a long way. Antibiotic ointment can be used on scrapes, cuts, wounds, and other injuries to prevent infection.
11. Rubbing alcohol and disinfectant. These are helpful for cleaning insect sting bites or for cleaning wounds. Alcohol wipes are particularly convenient to have in your first aid kit because they don’t take up much space.
12. Antihistamine. In the case that someone may suffer from severe allergies, having some sort of antihistamine on hand is a good idea.
13. A list of emergency phone numbers. Keep an index card with the numbers of your doctor, the national poison center, and all other emergency contacts. Also, it’s a good idea to write down the name of members of your family who have allergies, and any medication they take on a regular basis.
One important thing that people have realized over the past few years is the importance of survival kits. So many disastrous events that have taken place in last few years showed how the entire world can be turned upside down in just a matter of few seconds. Floods, hurricanes, fires, tornadoes, terrorist attacks are just to name the few events that can come on the way of your normal life and leave you with nothing to do except for hoping to survive. Having a 72 hour kit ready can help you save your life as well as that of your family members. It is the handiest thing to have ready in case of a sudden emergency.
Unlike what is popularly believed, survival kits are not always expensive. In most cases, a 72 hour kit can be prepared by items that can be found by combining items that are found in local grocery or hardware stores. However , it is important to understand that 72 hour kits contain just the bare minimum items that are needed to survive till the help arrives. In some cases, help even takes longer to arrive and in such scenarios the usage of survival items should be planned in a way to sustain them till the help arrives.
The basic elements that should be included in all 72 hour kits are food, water, medicines, shelter, and first aid supplies. Water is the most crucial thing that is a must for survival. Proper care should be taken to make sure that the stored water does not get contaminated during disasters. While you can manage without food for few days, still food is needed to give you strength to keep you going till the services reach you. A set of dry clothing, winter wear, tent, sleeping bags, radio, flashlights, knife, diapers for babies, etc are some other items that can be included in a 72 hour kit.
A 72 hour kit can really act as a live savior for you and your family during emergencies. With proper preparation and planning, you can always be ready to deal with emergencies.
Been shopping for a new camping tent? Wonder what 3-season or 4-season means? Confused about what a family tent or convertible tent classification means? Let’s try to cut through all the marketing lingo and get down to what you should really look for when you see camping tent ratings or classifications.
When you get right down to it, you should think of a camping tent as either 3-season or 4-season. So what’s in a name?
Generally speaking your average 3-season tent is built to hold up well in light to moderate weather conditions. They are built to be comfortable in Spring, Summer and Fall in most any location, hence the name 3-season.
Three-season tents are generally more affordable than 4-season. You will find a vast range of 3-season tent quality from the cheap units found in big retail stores to expensive models found in specialty camping stores.
The downside of 3-season tents? These tents do not hold up well in high winds, torrential rain and heavy snowfall. 3-season tents are generally not the tent of choice for backcountry expeditions through Alaska in January.
The best 3-season tents generally come with a waterproof rain fly and a breathable canopy. Ideally you want to find a three season tent with a waterproof floor. The rugged "bathtub" floor is generally reserved for the more expensive four season tent (but not always).
Four season tents are great for just about any weather condition that you may encounter, assuming its winter. The 4-season rating really should be classified as 1-season. Why? Because a quality 4-season tent performs great in winter conditions but may suffer from over-insulation in the summer months.
Structurally 4-season tents generally have at least four aluminum poles for strength (the more the better) to withstand sleet and snow. They are aerodynamic in design and typically they are dark colored in order to absorb heat. And they are generally much lighter.
The roof lines on four season tents are fully defined and very strong so water and snow cannot collect on top of the tent. Most four season tents can be utilized free standing in the event there is no place to pound stakes into the ground such as on the side of a mountain or in frozen terrain.
Four season tents have a fully encompassing rainfly to combat the elements. They also have excellent waterproof floors that are called "bathtubs" as they come up to about six inches on the side of the tent. Additionally the seams are very hardy and strong throughout the tent.
The downside to the 4-season tent? Price. You can end up paying a hefty sum for the technology built in to keep you protected.
Also, as I alluded to above, if you are camping in the middle of summer you will want air movement through your tent to keep things cooler. 4-season tents are generally made to inhibit the elements from cutting through the camping tent, which is great in the winter and not so great in balmy summer.
So where does a family tent fit into these ratings? A family tent is simply a 3-season tent.
What’s going on with a convertible 3-4 season tent? This kind of tent generally has some sort of built in airflow ventilator. I would not take this type tent into the backcountry where survival was important. If the ventilator malfunctioned and it would not close, you could become an unhappy camper pretty fast.
Bottom line: The 3-season tent is the recommended choice for the majority of campers. It is the most cost effective tent and will allow the user to camp in a variety of conditions up to, but not including, severe winter weather conditions.
If you camp from Spring, Summer and Fall, a 3-season camping tent will fill your needs. If you camp where severe winter weather is possible then you should be getting a 4-season camping tent.
A father of two daughters, Chris loves the outdoors and counts camping, skiing and bicycling as his favorite pursuits. Chris is the owner of http://www.camping-tent-guide.com, a website for camping tent information, camping tips and outdoor adventure discussion.
Not many television shows are produced with backpackers in mind. Still, there are some tv shows that can be appreciated especially by backpackers. They may even contain some useful lessons. Here are some examples of the best.
The Classic National Geographic Specials
Specials produced by the National Geographic Society are great viewing when you want to get motivated for new backpacking trips. The older ones are some of the best for this, like the thirty-year-old episode where four guys built a raft and floated down the Yukon River. You can find many of these on DVD now in public libraries, as well as in some video rental stores. You can se newer episodes on the National Geographic Network and occasionally on PBS.
Les Stroud's Survivorman
This television program is all about wilderness survival. You'll find it on the Discovery Channel, the Science Channel, and possibly others. It's about one man against the elements. The man in this case is Les Stroud, who is put in various environments to survive for seven days while filming himself.
One great feature of Survivorman is that each show has a "theme. " The Canadian arctic episode, for example , has Stroud left with a broken-down snowmobile. He cannibalizes this various useful items, including the seat cushion, which he uses for a insulating sleeping pad. The Sonoran desert episode has him in the middle of a desert with a broken dirt bike, and he uses wires from this to weave a blanket of grass.
The show is creative and entertaining, but is a survival program useful for backpackers? I think so. There are specific techniques of survival that Stroud shows us and, more importantly, the inspiration the show provides. Survivorman lets you know that you can survive - and it gets you in the habit of thinking about how to use everything around you. This is knowledge that not only makes the wilderness more interesting, but could also save your life someday.
I Shouldn't Be Alive
It's a pure survival story show - all true stories of people that have survived some of the most horrible circumstances in every type of wilderness. In one episode the story is told of a couple who were stranded for nine days in the middle of winter in the Sierra Nevadas - with a baby. They really shouldn't be alive, but they are.
This is the point of watching a show like this. It is inspiring. Watch the episode where the man crashes his plane in the African desert and breaks his spine, then faces killer elephants, ants, thorns, hyenas and more. If you are ever lost in the wilderness, just recall a few of these shows and you'll know that people have survived worse situations than yours. You won't give up hope too easily.
The various "reality shows, " like survivor, are mostly drama and more about political survival than wilderness experience, but there are other things for backpackers to watch on television. These include movies that get us motivated, like the "White Wolf, " series. Movies like these may not be full of great acting, but they always put teenage hikers in beautiful setting that make us want to get the pack out and start making plans.
One final recomendation. If you can catch it on television or rent it from the video store, watch "The Edge, " with Anthony Hopkins. It is an inspirational survival story for starters. It also has some of the most beautiful scenery you'll see in a movie. You'll want to start planning a trip to the Canadian Rockies before the movie is even over. This one is my kind of backpacker television.
In my last survival article I discussed the Sacred Order; shelter, water, fire, food. When you have your shelter, water source and fire you will begin to think about eating. In this article I will discuss 4 basic wild edibles that can be easily found almost everywhere.
First, I would like to touch upon an important spiritual aspect of gathering from Earth Mother. It is important to remember to ask permission to take from Earth Mother and then give thanks, express gratitude. Give something back. A tobacco offering is appropriate if you have it. Collect what you need with a “caretaker” attitude, which means gather in a way that will leave the area healthier and better able to grow and replenish. Ponder the effect your taking will have on the next 7 generations, remember, we did not inherit the land from our forefathers, we are borrowing it from our children and grandchildren. Leave plenty for them!
Correct identification of plants is of extreme importance! Your life may depend on it! Be certain of the identification of plants before eating as some plants are poisonous. I suggest you obtain a field guide and start learning to identify edible plants in your area as well as poisonous plants to stay away from.
Pine: Pinaceae Family, Pinus Genus.
Pines are evergreens with needles that grow in clusters of 2-5.
Pine is edible year round, however you must eat from a living tree or a very freshly downed tree. Parts to eat: needles, inner bark, buds, young green cones, pollen, nuts.
Needles: Pull bundle cap off, chop needles and make tea. Steep in hot water until needles sink to bottom.
Inner Bark: This is the cambium layer. It is white in color and is edible year round. The inner bark is high in nutrients, vitamin C and sugar.
You can eat the inner bark raw, boil it like noodles or dry it and pound it into flour.
Pine Buds: Eat the bright green new ones in the spring. You can eat raw or boil them and sweeten with honey or sugar.
Pollen: Gather by shaking into a bag. Eat raw, in stew, or mix with your pine bark flour. The pollen is very high in protein.
Young Green Cones: In summer you can gather the newly forming cones and boil for a few minutes and eat.
Pine Nuts: In autumn gather the nuts from pine cones and eat raw or grind into pine nut butter.
Oak: Quercus genus.
Part eaten: Acorns
Oak is very high in tannic acid so more preparation is needed before eating.
After gathering your acorns you will want to dry them for several weeks for storage. If you are going to use them right away you don’t have to dry them.
First you will shell them. Then winnow them using a shallow bowl or basket, toss up and down to remove the husks.
You must leech acorns before using! To leech chop them into quarters and put into already boiling water for 5 minutes. Pour the water off and repeat this process 5-6 times. This process removes the tannic acid and makes the acorns edible.
Eat acorns or pound into flour. Acorn flour can be used just like regular flour. The flour loses about half it’s nutrients in 2-3 days so don’t pound into flour until you are ready to use it. Store your acorns in a cool, dry, dark place, keeps for several months.
Acorns are high in protein and fat.
Grass: Graminaceae (14, 000 species)
Parts eaten: roots, leaves, seeds.
You can eat the roots of grasses year round either raw or cooked. Eat the leaves raw or dry and pound (grind) to add to other flour. Don’t grind until you are ready to use it.
Seeds are ready when they turn are brownish in color and fall off into your hand. You can boil and eat like hot cereal or pound them into flour. The flour makes yummy breads and cakes.
High in vitamins.
Caution! Be aware of Ergot Fungus! Ergot fungus grows in the place of seed, it is enlarged, purple or black in color. Is most common in domestic rye, but can be found in grasses. Ergot Fungus prefers moist areas. Do your research and make sure you can identify Ergot Fungus!
Cattail: Typha genus
Parts eaten: new shoots in spring, flower head, leaves, pollen, rhizome (root), corms.
Shoots: Gather in spring or early summer. Always cook the shoots (bake, boil) and eat the core.
Flower head: Steam or boil and eat like corn on the cob.
Pollen: Eat raw or use for flour.
Leaves: Eat the leaves the same as grasses.
Rhizome (root): Make flour with the roots. Wash the root, split it in half, dig out the white part into a container of water. Let it settle, then pour off the water. The flour will be in the bottom. You can dry the flour for later use or use it right away to make cakes, breads, etc . Nutrients: starch and protein.
Corms: Corms are found along the roots. Feel for a hard knot and collect the hard knot. Prepare and eat like a potato. High in vitamins and other nutrients.
These are the basic wild edible foods that can keep you alive and healthy for a long period of time in a survival situation. Having a spiritual connection with our Earth Mother is the most important skill of all. Learn her voice and how to communicate with her and instead of surviving, you will flourish.
Whether it is a natural disaster like hurricane Katrina or an unnatural catastrophe like an upwind industrial chemical explosion, what you do now to protect yourself and your family can make the difference between life and death. After you survive, rebuilding your life and business quickly becomes critical.
Please, do not for one moment think that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is going to be able to get to you in time, unless you have already taken these steps to rescue yourself. Tragically, even 10 days after post-Katrina rescue efforts began, there were still people starving to death in New Orleans.
It can happen anywhere (here), and it is not if, it is when it will happen. No one can predict the future, but you can take measures now so you know that you have done what you can to prepare.
Check out these Catastrophe survival tips for You and Your Family" at www.ORGANIZE.com that you can use to buy yourself and your family more time. Time is the second most important factor in surviving a catastrophe. Water is number one, so our first tip is:
1) Without water you lose your ability to make clear decisions within 24 hours. Thirst kills you faster than famine. At Work: Keep a backpack at work with as much bottled water as you can carry. Plus, put in dried fruit, power bars, your daily medications or vitamins and a small first aid kit. Keep a Family Emergency Numbers List inside too.
At Home: Put at least enough water in sealed containers so that your family will have one gallon per day for two weeks. I just bought shrink-wrapped cases of quart-sized plastic water bottles and stacked them under the backyard picnic table. Even if some of it is compromised you will still have other bottles intact. Swap water out every six months - put a reminder in your calendar.
2) Create a Catastrophe Kit on your property outside your house and garage (in a back corner of your yard, for instance). It is as easy as getting a plastic 55-gallon trash bin with clips on the lid to hold it shut. Or use a small plastic/metal garden 'shed' in your yard.
3) Clean out your closets and put in layered clothing AND tough shoes for each family member. You need a complete change of dry clothing that you can be warm enough in to sleep while dressed.
4) Clean out the camping gear you are not using: this is the perfect place for it. Tents, Tarps, Ponchos, Sleeping bags or Wool blankets (wool will keep you warmer even when wet), cooking gear, Lighters, Utensils, Can-openers and a pan to boil water.
5) Make a separate sealed container with food in it. Canned goods as complete meals are ideal. Dried foods will use precious water to reconstitute. Instant coffee keeps withdrawal headaches away. If you smoke, put a carton of cigarettes in to prevent withdrawal sickness. Concentrate on meals (e. g. beef stew, spaghetti) and carbohydrate foods like cereal bars and dried fruit leathers for energy.
6) If you eat a protein drink (or power bar) regularly, throw in a big container (or a 12-pack of cans/bars) and enough liquid to mix it up. This is a good concentrated food source.
7) Include another plastic sealed container with all of the basic medicines or vitamins you and your family must have. Some doctors will give you double prescriptions once if you ask. Clean out your bathroom cabinets and make sure to pack first aid remedies like ibuprofen, tylenol, aspirin, bandages, anti-bacterial ointment, etc . You can get cost-effective home emergency kits at Costco.
8) Important: a battery radio for emergency broadcasts; ideally a CB radio or Nextel-type network phone; your Family List with names, essential medical and contact information, as well as local emergency numbers. Call friends/family outside your state to leave update info. Local phone access is often turned off or destroyed during emergencies.
9) Maintain a Catastrophe mini-Kit for your car(s). Always have a blanket, food (e. g., power bars) and water in sealed containers. You can buy quality car emergency kits at Costco, too.
Create regular backups of your personal and business computer systems. I use Norton Ghost to image copy my entire drive onto an external hard drive and store it in the trunk of my car parked in my driveway. You probably won't be thinking about your business in the middle of a disaster, but when you survive you will need to rebuild your life and business as soon as possible.
It's more fun hassling re-creating your working drive than it is to go out of business. You can also do regular backups to remote sites on the web. I highly recommend my backup 'guru' Sallie Goetsch's weekly Backup Reminder ezine. For essential backup tips visit the FileSlinger(tm) Backup Blog www.fileslinger.com/blog
"May you and yours be safe and well. " But , do your family's Catastrophe Kits this weekend anyway, OK? Organizing cannot stop a catastrophe, but after you survive it will help you and your family in recovering quickly.
In the early winter of December in the year 2012, the Mayans and many other ancient cultures of antiquity have predicted the 'return of the gods' in their literature and other records. This return is actually the return of a consciousness that humans have not seen in tens of thousands of years, going back to when we were humans in spirit form. 'the fall of man' is what it is now called that we lost many eons ago. In a nutshell 'the fall of man' was a series of events that caused human beings in the spirit to become desirous for themselves and thus become human beings 'in the flesh' which was the 'fall' part. Our selfishness (desire to seek for the self alone) separated us from God and so we then manifested physical bodies in the physical world and still reside in these physical bodies today.
This means, in simple terms that the frequency that our consciousness operated on was lowered because of our lack of sharing, and it was lowered to a point that we could not maintain our spiritual bodies (today known as the light-body) and as a result we became physical creatures with physical creature issues, like needing to eat and getting rid of bodily waste as well as the need to breathe air to survive. We lacked enough of Gods divine essence flowing through us and so we needed to live like the physical creatures that we become. The problem with this is obvious in that if you have all of these physical needs and symptoms that make you selfish, how can you get back to the spiritual body where none of these physical issues exist.
The Cycle
When the 'fall of man' occurred, it happened to us as a collective. This meant that everyone experienced this fall together as a race of beings. In December of 2012, we as a collective will experience the raising of our consciousness through a raise in our collective frequency that our nervous systems operate on and this raise in frequency will be the 'return of the gods' that the Mayans and other ancient cultures spoke of. This will happen to us as a result of a shift of our solar system and galaxy that occurs every thirteen thousand years.
Our planet takes a year to go around our sun one time, and our sun takes twenty-six thousand of our years to go around the center of our galaxy one time. High energy particles escape from the series of black holes in the center of our galaxy shooting out cosmic material in only one direction (instead of all directions) in a way that divides our galaxy in half with one half (equaling the first thirteen-thousand years) getting a constant fresh supply of new matter, and the other half of our galaxy getting no constant fresh supply of direct new matter material (equaling the second thirteen-thousand years). We need twenty-six thousand years to make one full revolution of one half fresh new cosmic energy and the other half no fresh new cosmic energy.
When we are in the thirteen-thousand years with no fresh new cosmic energy we experience a lack of sufficient 'light' and as a result we become selfish and desirous to ourselves instead of sharing. When we are in the thirteen-thousand years where we get constant fresh new cosmic energy, we have an increase of light from our galactic center which increases the frequency that our nervous system operates on and as a result we experience an increase in our consciousness and the desire to share everything and help each other ceaselessly. This happens to us every twenty-six thousand years. Half of our solar systems revolution around our galactic center is happy and positive (the girl cycle) and the other half of our solar systems revolution around our galactic center is sad and negative (the boy cycle). We are at the point that we can become divine again when we are going through the girl cycle. This is what Jesus explained to his apostles and others during his time among us. As we go around our galactic center we experience either one or the other of these two states throughout history.
It is unfortunate that most people have been brainwashed to believe that humanity has only been around for a mere sixty-five hundred years or so. They have been deprived of a great revelation!
The Result
What does this have to do with December of 2012?
In December of 2012 we will officially enter 'the girl cycle' of our revolution around our galactic center and that is what the Mayans and others meant when they said that their gods would return. This will be the start of thirteen thousand years of happiness, peace and positive energy. Many early cultures spoke of this cycle like the ancient Mayans, the Hopi, the Essene community and The Cathars of early France, as well as many great souls that have counseled us over the centuries like Buddha and Jesus. We have not been openly taught of this cycle, how and why it happens and have been deprived of its secrets, the greatest of which is that the girl cycle (divine feminine) it is coming again in December of 2012 and we can regain our divinity again when this happens.
We have been led to believe that we are not worthy of Heaven or of God but this is false and misleading. We are simply going through 'the boy cycle' and it is not our fault that we are like this. In December of 2012, there will come great difficulties with this coming change. Those in power will not give up all that they have without a fight and that fight will be an attack on you and I. An attack on our consciousness!
They are responsible for the horrible things that will happen leading up to December of 2012 including the natural disasters, intentional famine and spread of manufactured diseases as well as general negativity in our society mostly through the news media. These people will make us fight each other and call it 'competition' and claim that it is good for us when they are fully aware of the devastating effects that it has on us as a collective.
Oddly enough, their efforts will fail miserably and the new era will start as scheduled. In the few years that we have left in this era, we had better brace ourselves for some very difficult times ahead. It would be prudent and smart to find out what is being said about 2012 and how to prepare for it whether it be good or bad. It is always wise to be prepared instead of sorry, especially if you have kids to care for.
If you ever decide to go hiking, even for a short period of time, I can't express how important it is to be smart, and know that no matter how short of a time you plan on spending out there, anything can happen to you.
It's the really small things that people don't even think about that gets them into trouble. I am a very good example of this. I decided to go trail running a few years back, and I was feeling really energetic that particular day. Of course I planned on running in, and running out before the sun went down. So the sun started to go down, and I decided it was time to run back. Now the trail markers crossed at grey and blue and consequently, they looked exactly the same, with just a little less sunlight. I was lost until the next morning because before I knew it, there was no sun, and no moon what so ever.
I was lucky in fact. What I didn't know was that in any direction it was only a matter of miles in any direction to find a way out. I didn't know that of course and i went in circles a bit, but imagine if it was a large park, and I could have been lost for weeks. That's potential death for many reasons I can name and all i needed... was a flashlight and it would never have happened.
Stupid right? Well its really not, in all honesty, its something so simple, especially with my background, I figured it couldn't happen to me. And it happens to a lot of people and some aren't so lucky. You need to be educated at least a little bit before you go out there, and bring some emergency supplies just in case.
Every time I tell people that moose are dangerous they look at me funny like "wha"? Those are people that may try and pet the creature that can trample you to death. Or they think because they are packing a knife, they're going to fend off a bear. The chances are slim I hate to say. In fact in almost all cases people run from bears, and then what good is that knife? But if you knew that running downhill is your best chance against a bear you'd come out unscathed (most people think playing dead is best).
Just don't make the mistake of thinking that accidents, and unfortunate incidents can't happen to you. If you do your research, and bring the essential, you can always be assured that you'll have nothing but a fun, safe time.
Taking your ATV for an overnight camping trip is a great way to get away from it all. With your all-terrain vehicle, you can avoid the crowded campgrounds and find hard-to-access camping sites that offer one-of-a-kind views and a total escape from civilization. With an ATV drop rack and bag, you can do just that.
The best way to pack your utility quad for a camping trip is to use ATV front and rear racks and a rack pack. Tailgate style or drop racks make for easy loading and unloading and give you extra space to stash your cargo. An ATV luggage bag fits nicely on the front or rear of your quad and helps keep your cargo clean and dry. Make sure your rack bag is waterproof to seal out rain, water, mud, sand, and dirt.
Pack items that are as lightweight as possible. The following list will give you a basic idea of what to pack. Depending on how much you like to rough it, you may want to leave some of these items behind.
• Lighting (flashlight and batteries or lantern and fuel) • Shelter (tarp or tent and sleeping bag) • Emergency supplies (first aid kit) • Repair kit for your ATV (tire repair kit, basic tool kit, etc . ) • Shovel • Recovery gear • Extra fuel • Cell phone • Maps and GPS unit • Food and water (including a water purification system for emergencies) • Cooking supplies • Matches or fire starter • Clothing and toiletries • Rain gear • Garbage bags
Pack heavier items towards the bottom of the ATV rack as a base; then pile lighter items on top. Lightweight, bulky items (like sleeping bags) you can strap down on top of the load with bungee cords, but seal them in a plastic garbage bag first in case of rain. Try to include items that can serve more than one purpose in order to cut down on extra luggage and weight. Also, keep items that you need to access frequently at the top of your ATV bag.
Balance the load out from the front rack to the rear rack and from side to side. Check your owner's manual for the manufacturer's rated load capacity. In some ATV models, the rear capacity is double the capacity for the front of your quad. Check the load capacity of your ATV racks as well. Try not to stack the load too high. You want to keep the center of gravity as low as possible.
Place the rear cargo as far forward as possible on your ATV drop rack, and keep the front cargo clear of the handlebars. Leave enough room to easily turn the handlebars. With a heavier load, your ATV may handle differently, so drive with caution until you get a good feel for what your quad can handle under load. Avoid steep grades and uneven terrain that could cause your quad to tip.
With an adequate amount of planning ahead, you'll be able to relax and enjoy your trip in the backcountry. Remember to pack out what you pack in, and leave your campsite cleaner than you found it.
Surviving an emergency has nothing to do with luck. In fact , if luck plays any part at all, it's probably too small for most people to actually benefit from. The best way to survive an emergency – any emergency – is to be prepared, aware and know what to do. Having the right resources is also advantageous, particularly if these are exactly what you need to survive. If you're planning on buying a survival kit or putting one together yourself, here are the types of emergency food you should consider:
Dehydrated food
Dehydrated food is excellent as emergency food for your survival kit because they come in small , compact portions. They are convenient to pack and easy to prepare. You will need to heat them up with water, though. They are a good choice as part of your survival kit if you are ever in an emergency situation where you need warm food.
Dehydrated food includes meat, vegetables, fruits and flavored meals. Information on the number of calories included in a serving is usually included, so pack enough to meet your most basic calorie needs on a per day basis.
Canned food
Do not use raw food that still needs to be cooked for your survival kit. Emergency food has to be convenient to store, prepare and eat. Besides, raw food will rot. Canned food is a better choice for emergency food because they can keep for several months to a few years.
Canned food also provides plenty of choices – meat, fish, fruits and vegetables. They can also be eaten straight out of the container. Probably the only preparation you might have to do is to heat them for more comfort and flavor.
Consider packed meals as well. Not only do they keep well, they are also very flavorful. They come in single serves which make it easy to keep track of the number of meals you have. Make sure to choose those that can be stored outside the freezer. If the emergency food requires freezing, make sure you have the facility to do this.
Drink
Water is the best choice for all emergency situations and as such, should be a major component of your survival kit. Regardless of the season or location, the ideal amount of water you should pack should be 1 gallon for each person per day. If you're storing emergency food at home, consider keeping enough to supply your need for fluids for at least 10 to 14 days.
Other excellent choices for emergency food for your survival kit are drink mixes, particularly the ready-to-drink or pre-mixed varieties. Drink mixes not only contain pleasant flavoring (quite helpful in stressful situations such as emergencies), there are many made available in the market that are formulated with vitamins and minerals. These drink mixes are especially helpful in combating the first signs of dehydration and can replenish important nutrients that may be lost due to the lack of proper food.
A disadvantage to drink mixes is that they cannot be used to cook food. Your priority should be pure water and then simply supplement what you have with drink mixes. If you're unsure about the purity of the water you've stored in quite a while, keep a bottle of water purification tablets. You can treat the water with these to ensure its safety.
Survival skills just for backpacking? Why not? For ultralight backpackers like myself, skills replace gear, and therefore weight. If you spend any time in the wilderness, it also just feels good to know you can deal with whatever comes up.
Survival means staying warm and dry, hydrated, uninjured, and finding your way out of the wilderness. Of course, eating is nice too, but not crucial if the situation is just for a few days. Here are some survival skills you can learn easily.
1. Put dried moss or milkweed fuzz in your pocket as you walk, so you'll have dry tinder to start a fire, just in case it's raining later. Cattail fuzz works well too, and you can experiment with different materials.
2. If it looks and tastes like a blueberry, strawberry, or raspberry - it is. There is no berry in North America that looks like a blueberry, strawberry, or raspberry, and can hurt you from one taste. Take a taste, and just spit it out completely if it doesn't taste right.
3. Make a pile of dry leaves and dead grass to keep warm in an emergency. I have slept warmly without a blanket, in below-freezing weather, in a pile of dry grass.
4. Put a stick upright in the ground, and mark the tip of the shadow. Mark it again fifteen minutes later. Scratch a line between the first and second marks, and it will be pointing east. Techniques like this can save you when your compass is lost.
5. Clouds form in the Rocky Mountains just before the afternoon storms in summer. Hikers are regularly killed by lightning in Colorado. Birds often fly lower before storms. Learning to read the sky and the behavior of animals can keep you out of trouble.
6. The biggest wilderness killer is hypothermia, and getting wet is the biggest cause. Get in the habit of watching for ledges or large fir trees to stand under when you think that rain may be coming. Learning to stay dry is one of the more important survival skills.
7. To stay warmer, sleep with your head slightly downhill. It takes some getting used to, but it works.
8. Get in the habit of filling water bottles every chance you get, and you won't have such a hard time with any long dry stretches of trail. Drink up the last of your water right before you fill the bottles too.
9. Break a "blister" on the trunk of a small spruce or fir tree, and you can use the sap that oozes out as an good antiseptic dressing for small cuts. It also can be used to start a fire, and will burn when wet.
10. Bark from a white birch tree will usually light even when wet. In a jam, you can also use it as a paper substitute if you need to leave a note in an emergency.
The above are just a few tips and techniques you can easily learn. There are many more, and they can make backpacking not only safer, but more interesting. Why not practice one or two of these survival skills?
"An influenza pandemic of even moderate impact will result in the biggest single human disaster ever - far greater than AIDS, 9/11, all wars in the 20th century and the recent tsunami combined. It has the potential to redirect world history as the Black Death redirected European history in the 14th century." -- Michael T. Osterholm, Director, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota
A new killer flu virus is on its way. Ducks and geese carrying this virus are now winging their way across the globe, spreading the disease wherever they go. Started in Asia, it has now spread to Europe. Soon it will be in North and South America.
So far it has only killed a few dozen humans. It is, after all, a virus that’s passed from bird to bird. Or from bird to animals. So far it can’t be transmitted from human to human. But flu viruses are crafty. They have the ability to change. This is what happened in 1918 when the Spanish Flu Pandemic swept over a war weary planet killing 50 – 100 million people – far more than were killed in the war.
This time it will be much worse. After all, we now have 4 times the number of people living on the planet. And most of them live in cities. Large, crowded cities. The five largest cities in the world have over 100 million people living in them. A killer virus that can be passed from human to human, let loose in our major cities where people are living elbow to elbow, would have a catastrophic effect.
And consider this…back in 1918 it was a much bigger world. It took weeks to get from one side of the world to the other. It took days to get from one side of the continent to the next. Today it takes hours. Last year more than 46 million international visitors came to the United States. If only one infected visitor passes on the virus to 2 others, who pass it on to 2 others, and so on, by the end of a month everyone in the US could be infected.
I don’t even want to consider the implications if this idea ever occurs to muslim terrorists who are only too happy to blow themselves to bits in order to take out a few infidels.
So what can we do?
Fortunately it’s not all doom and gloom. There are some very specific steps you can take to minimize the dangers and protect yourself and your loved ones.
1. Draw up a Plan. Outline the steps you and your family need to take, both pre-pandemic and during. Identify responsibilities for each family member. Make lists of supplies required. Find appropriate sources. Develop a realistic timeline. By establishing a plan now, you will avoid becoming a victim of the panic that will grip the general population, resulting in civil chaos and pandemonium.
2. Keep Informed. If and when the virus mutates so that it is being spread from human to human, it is likely to start in Southeast Asia. Pay attention to the news. When you hear that this has taken place, it's time to act. We might only have weeks before the pandemic reaches North America, but with international travel so fast and easy it could be much sooner. Sign up for free newsletter notifications at http://www.survivetheflu.com.
3. Prepare Your Child for Home Schooling. Most flu outbreaks get their start at schools. You can be certain that the schools will be closed. And if they're not, you should give very serious thought to keeping your children at home.
4. Minimize Contact with Others. The H5N1 avian flu virus can be transmitted for two days before a person is showing any symptoms and for a week after symptoms have disappeared. You never know who isn't and who might be infected. If possible you should stay home. Every time you go into an area where there are people you are at risk.
5. Wash Your Hands Often. Sneeze particles can travel across a room at 600 miles per hour. If the person sneezing has the flu, everything in that room is covered with flu virus. And when you touch anything, the virus is transmitted to your hand. Eventually it will be transmitted to your mouth. Your only protection is to wash your hands, well and often. Each washing should involve vigorous scrubbing with soap for at least 20 seconds.
Winter backpacking can mean your footprints are the only ones out there. That adds to the beauty of the experience, but also to the danger. Alone and in a cold enviroment, it's important to know what to do in an emergency. Learning a few basic cold weather survival skills can save your life.
Fire Making
Imagine slipping into a stream and soaking everything with you, when you are more than a day from the nearest road and it's below freezing out. What would you do? Start a fire, of course , but can you?
Always carry waterproof matches, and practice starting a fire in the cold BEFORE you go winter backpacking. Learn which tinders work even when wet. Birch bark, for example , will burn when wet, and so will sap from pines and spruces. You may have only minutes before your fingers get too cold to function, so speed is of the essence.
Winter Backpacking - Survival Shelters
You'll probably have a tent with you, but you still may want to learn shelter building using snow blocks. Sometimes you can stomp out blocks without tools, using your feet, and then liff them from beneath. Just play around in your backyard until you get the hang of it. In an emergency, or if the weather turns extremely cold, you may want to put your tent behind a wall of snow blocks, to stop the wind.
If it isn't raining, a quick survival shelter for warmth is a pile of dry leaves, grass, braken ferns or other plants. I once collected enough dried grass from a frozen swamp in thirty minutes to make a pile several feet thick. I slept warmly in the middle of it (half the insulating grass above, half below) with just a jacket, despite below freezing temperatures.
Staying Dry
You can be wet and warm when it far below freezing, as long as you are active. The moment you stop moving, however , you start to lose your body heat. Once you get chilled through, it is difficult to get warm again. Hypothermia (a lowered body temperature) kills many people every year.
If you get wet, try to get dry before you go to sleep. Put dry clothes on if you have them, and use a fire to dry any wet clothes. Earlier in the day, you may be able to hang damp clothes on your pack to dry in the sun. Often when it is coldest, the air is dryer.
Try not to sweat. Adjust your layers, removing and adding shirts, sweaters and jackets as necessary to keep from getting too hot or too cold. Sweat, and clothes damp with sweat, will cause you to lose body heat fast once you stop moving. Stay dry to stay warm.
There are many other cold weather survival skills that you may want to learn. (You can generate heat by eating fatty foods, for example. ) You don't need to know hundreds of skills and techniques, but why not learn a few basics, like the ones above, before your next winter backpacking trip?
These lightweight backpacking tips and techniques are options or ideas, not recommendations. I tend towards the extreme side of ultralight backpacking, and if you don't know yourself or your skills, some of these techniques will get you into trouble.
A good example of this is the "natural mattress" that allows you to leave your sleeping bag behind. With this technique, I've slept with no pad, and only a five-ounce sleeping bag liner, on a night when it was near freezing. It took fifteen minutes to collect enough bracken ferns to make a two-foot thick mattress, but it was comfortable and warm.
You can use leaves, pine needles, dead grass or dry bracken ferns. All you do is make a pile big enough to set your tent or bivy sack on. This could damage the enviroment in some areas, so use common sense, and collect only DEAD vegetation. Also, scatter your materials in the morning, so they won't smother the plants underneath.
An important point here is that you have to know your enviroment, so you know you'll be able to find proper mattress materials. Otherwise, you could have a very cold night or worse. Also, gloves make it easier and safer to collect the ferns or grass. Try this first near home.
Knowledge Reduces Weight
Learn certain backpacking techniques, like the one above, and you can carry a lighter sleeping bag, less clothing, and even less food. Wilderness survival knowledge can help you reduce weight, but it also lets you travel the wilds more safely.
Learn which berries are edible, and you can eat as you hike and bring less food. I've eaten half of my calorie needs in the form of berries on some days in the wilderness. During a hike to Grinnel Glacier in Glacier National Park, my wife and I ate nine types of wild berries.
Researching the climate, and timing can help you reduce weight. You can leave rainwear home, for example , if you're in the eastern Sierra Nevadas in September (bring a garbage bag for emergencies). I sometimes plan trips to coincide with the full moon. I enjoy getting up at four in the morning and hiking by moonlight, and since I'm up and moving at the coldest time of the night, I can get by with a lighter bag.
Money Reduces Weight
Money will buy you lighter gear, and expensive backpacking gear is generally of very high quality. I didn't enjoy paying over $200 for my sleeping bag, but I've never yet been cold in it, and it weighs just 17 ounces.
Concentrate on the the larger items. A sawed-off toothbrush could save you 1/4 ounce, but a lighter shelter can save you pounds. Consider small things last. Buy dual-purpose items, like a poncho that can double as a shelter. Drink soup and tea from your pan, and you won't need a bowl or cup.
Leaving Things Reduces Weight
This can be the tough part of lightweight backpacking. Ask of every item; Can I get by without it? Stoves aren't necessary if you bring ready-to-eat food. You don't need a change of shirt or pants on a three-day trip. If you're not sure you'll be happy as a minimalist, go back to the money solution. Start replacing your things with the lightest alternatives you can buy. There are many ways to go lightweight backpacking.
Peak Oil? Economic Collapse? Maybe the universe is trying to tell you something. Maybe it's Relocation, Relocation, Relocation.
With many people predicting a serious economic depression, and others equally--or also--concerned about the approaching depletion of oil production ("Peak Oil" - For full information, see Dry Dipstick at www.drydipstick.com), you might consider moving to a quieter, more sustainable, less oil-dependent location.
Of course you might be fine living exactly where you are now. It's certainly easier to stay where you are than to move. No one can predict, certainly not with certainty, where the best places might be to deal with the future. Many observers think that large cities are definitely not the best location. Others suggest that any town dependent on water and food that comes from a large distance may not be ideal. They suggest a small town with adequate water and nearby farms. When it comes down to it, no one really has the foggiest idea, so you're on your own.
If you wish, you can run off into the hills, create a mountain fortress, and be a dyed-in-the-wool, nobody-come-near-me loner. Others believe that if a true survivalist is someone who wants to survive, the best way to do that in the 21st century is in a community. (If you're really into survivalism, we suggest you check out survivalist.com" target=new>www.survivalist.com
.)
The choice is yours. If you still have the time, we can suggest resources for finding a place to live both in the United States and in countries around the world.
Inside the United States
If you currently live in the United States, you might want to consider simply moving to another state rather than going abroad. Things generally get much cheaper when you move away from the coasts, and the quality of life can be very good. Plus, they speak English there (more or less) and you can usually get all the stuff you're probably used to. (Assuming stuff is still available.)
There are a number of excellent web sites to help you in your search for a place to move to. Moving.com's (www.moving.com) city profiles provide information on hundreds of cities. The profiles include cost of living, taxes, home costs, insurance costs and quality of life factors such as population, crime, weather and education. Moving.com can also help you find real estate and arrange for moving logistics. You can even compare the profiles of two cities of your choice.
BestPlaces (www.bestplaces.net) lets you compare two cities from a list of over 3,000 places in the U.S. You'll see a comparison of nearly 100 categories. BestPlaces offers neighborhood profiles for every zip code in the U.S., in-depth profiles on over 85,000 schools, a cost of living calculator that compares cities and determines what salary you'd need at a new location to maintain the same standard of living as you have now. Plus you'll find crime rates for over 2,500 U.S. cities, most and least stressful cities, and climate profiles for 2,000 cities worldwide.
You can even take a "Find Your Best Place" quiz to determine your own recommended best places to live. BestPlaces also publishes the book "Cities Ranked and Rated", with detailed information on over 400 metropolitan areas in the U.S. and Canada. You might also find the Most Livable Communities website helpful (www.mostlivable.org/).
Our favorite resource is FindYourSpot (www.findyourspot.com). It offers a fun quiz (it'll take you less than 10 minutes) with great questions, and it produces a list of two dozen cities that fit your quiz answers. Results for each city include an attractive downloadable four-page report with an insightful overview of the character of the area and information on climate, arts and culture, recreation, education, housing and cost of living, crime and safety, health care, and earning a living. You'll also find links to currently available jobs and housing, roommate services, recommended city-specific books, and travel deals if you'd like to personally visit the city.
Outside the U.S.
Wondering where the best country is to move to? We suggest that there is actually more than one "best country" for you. You find them by:
1) visiting every possible country and seeing which ones you like best, or
2) researching every possible country, zeroing in on those you feel most attracted to, and then visiting those countries. We suggest that the best way to begin is to use the Web, particularly the sites we list below.
Bottom line? Visit a country and spend some time there before making the actual move. Most experienced expatriates suggest living at least six months in your host country before permanently moving there. And remember, you're not going to live in an entire country, just in one specific place in a country. You don't have to love the entire country to be able to find that one special place just for you. You're looking for a region, a city, a town, even a neighborhood where you can find the qualities you want in a new home.
Here are some websites that should help in your quest for a new country.
Boomers Abroad (www.boomersabroad.com)
A website devoted to giving you the best and most comprehensive information available on the Web about beautiful (and affordable) warm coastal countries, how to get there and how to live there. Whether you're looking to be a retiree, a working expatriate, or simply a visitor, Boomers Abroad is your place on the Web for Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Uruguay.
Expat Communities (www.expatcommunities.com)
A directory of more than 110 countries with sizeable English-speaking (and usually international as well) expatriate communities. English-language websites, organizations, online forums, meetups, local newspapers, and books of interest to current and potential expatriates. These websites will give you, or link you to, all the information you'll need to decide if a particular country might suit your needs and deserves future exploration.
Expat Stuff (www.expatstuff.com)
Wherever you end up living as an expat, you'll need stuff. And information. And services. This website is an excellent directory with a focus on the endless variety of information, services and tools you'll need to enjoy life and create your own income while living abroad. You'll also find information on such things as communication, health insurance, obtaining a passport, links to country information, and general expatriate blogs and websites.
Why learn about medicinal plants? Certainly, backpackers shouldn't leave the first aid kit home, but it can be useful and interesting to know a few plant medicines too. Whether you are someday in a survival situation, or you just lost your first aid kit and have a terrible headache, wouldn't it be nice to find relief nearby?
You can. There are many effective medicinal plants. Some are also dangerous, of course , just like synthetic medicines can be. I won't discuss those here. This is a quick guide to a few safe plant medicines.
Plants For Pain Relief
Fill the bottom of a cup with shredded willow bark, and make a cup of tea with it. Let it steep for a few minutes before you drink it. The active ingredient is salicin, closely related to salacylic acid, which is used to make aspirin. You can also try chewing on a few balsam poplar buds.
Antiseptic Plants
Sap from "blisters" on balsam firs is a strong antiseptic. Pop the blisters on the trunks of young trees, and the sap will ooze out. You can spread it over cuts and small wounds to prevent infection. It is very sticky, however , and it will be difficult to wash off (at least it smells nice).
The crushed leaves of Saint John's Wort can be used as an antiseptic dressing as well. I once put a wad of the mashed leaves on a nasty gash in my foot, replacing it occasionally, and the cut healed faster than I've ever seen a cut heal. St. Johnswort has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.
Medicinal Plants For Diarrhea
You can drink tea made from the roots of blackberries and their relatives to stop diarrhea. Just fill the bottom of the cup with the cleaned and shredded roots and pour boiling water over them. Let the mix steep for five minutes before drinking.
Oak bark and other barks containing tannin are also effective. I have also used the twigs to stop diarrhea when I was backpacking in Mexico. Make tea with a spoonful of the bark or chopped-up twigs. Tannins can be hard on the kidneys, so drink just one cup of tea, or use oak only if you don't have other options.
Skin Medications
You can relieve the itch from insect bites, sunburn, or plant poisoning rashes by applying a poultice of jewelweed (Impatiens biflora). I have seen a poison ivy rash cleared up overnight using the juice from jewelweed. It is also said to work on sunburn as well as aloe vera.
Make a tea of witch hazel leaves (Hamamelis virginiana), and you can use it for relief from insect bites, and sunburn. Witch Hazel used to be a common astringent that women used as a "tightening" face wash.
There are hundreds of wild medicinal plants that could be useful to hikers and backpackers. You don't need to become an expert to benefit from them. Just learn to identify and use a few of the most widespread and safest ones.
Unlike other types of travel bags, the backpack bug out bag leaves the user's hands and arms free, so it's easier to move around, climb or carry other things. This makes it the top bag of choice for adventurists and travelers, thanks to its strong, sturdy design that allows it to withstand heavy loads.
The backpack bug out bag
The backpack bug out bag is a convertible backpack. It can be expanded and turned into a basic travel bag or it can be zipped up and made compact to turn it into a backpack. The main compartment of the bug out bag is expandable, allowing for a larger number of gears and supplies to be packed.
The backpack bug out bag is built for strength and is often made of fabric such as canvas. To avoid tearing, the bag often features reinforced stitching on common stress points. It is also designed with several inner and outer compartments to provide extra storage for small items and easy access to commonly used equipment.
The backpack bug out bag is a popular choice among military personnel, adventure travelers, sports enthusiasts and those whose jobs require long exposure to the outdoors.
Advantages of the backpack bug out bag
Probably the best reason the backpack bug out bag is a bestseller is its expandability. Because the bag can be expanded, it offers more room for storage, making packing a breeze. The bug out bag is an excellent choice for backpackers, travelers and adventurists who like to bring along a lot of stuff and pack them in just one bag. It's also an excellent alternative for people who travel for extended periods of time but do not wish to pack more than one bag.
If you are an adventurist, hiker or camper, it is the perfect survival bag to use because it's roomy enough for a number of gears and equipment but handy enough to make traveling on foot easier.
The backpack bug out bag is also excellent for long distance travels, even if it means keeping the bag hanging from your back for long periods of time. The bug out bag has been carefully designed to ensure that the weight of the bag is distributed over the user's center. This makes walking, climbing and running relatively easier because the weight of the bag will not threaten the user's sense of balance, regardless of how heavy the load is.
In terms of comfort, the backpack bug out bag is designed with padded straps and body to provide a buffer zone between the user's back and any hard or sharp contents of the bag. This also makes transport of heavy or numerous items more efficient.
It is interesting to note that survival can be broken down into RULES OF THREE. These rules of three can be instrumental in providing a checklist or packing list for things to take on your next trip.
You can last 3 MINUTES without air.
If you are taking a scuba trip, you will want to pack plenty of air tanks for you and those traveling with you for the number of hours you wish to be under water. Another thing to consider is your altitude. Are you going to be high in the mountains where breathing could become a problem? Consider where you will be going and determine if sufficient air/oxygen would be present. If not, plan on how you will be provided with the amount of air you will need.
You can last 3 HOURS without shelter.
If you're hiking (or lost) and the sun is about to set, you want to make sure you have a good shelter to protect you from the cold. Make it just large enough to accommodate you and not much else. This is important, especially in cold climates, because your body heat may well have to heat it. Be extremely careful if you are going to use fire to heat the shelter, as most natural shelter materials are flammable! Plan ahead, and use common sense. If you are hiking in a dessert, you'll want a shelter to provide shade.
Most of the time, though, you’ll be trying to keep warm. Use everything you can think of for insulation. Crawling inside a big pile of leaves or pine needles is actually pretty warm and comfortable (do not attempt this near a fire). A large pile of fresh pine sprigs is not only a springy mattress, but is good insulation from the ground.
You can last 3 DAYS without water.
While you may be able to last three days without water, you will start to feel the effects of dehydration after only 12 hours or so. Your brain is made up of 70% water and will not think clearly without plenty of water. It is important to know ahead of time the kinds of water supplies you will have at the location you will be at. Is there a stream running through? Will you have to take water purifying items? Will you have to carry all of your water in with you?
You must drink plenty of water even if you do not feel thirsty. An adult should drink at least a couple of liters per day (more in hot climates). If you spent the night on high ground, then plan on moving camp. In most areas, just continue to walk downhill and you will eventually find water. Watch animals or follow their tracks. They will usually lead to water. Birds also tend to congregate near water. In dry areas, you may have to consider other means, such as a solar still. If you are getting water from streams or ponds, boil before drinking, or use water purification tablets or straw.
You can last 3 WEEKS without food.
Many people make food their priority. Even though your stomach may be growling of hunger, your body can last much longer without food than without water or shelter. Only after taking care of those needs first, should you worry about food. Will you be able to catch your food from the rivers or streams? Will there be game for you to hunt? Or will you carry all of your food with you? What about pots and pans? Will you have a stove to cook on or will you cook over a fire? Your camping location will determine what options you have for food. You will also want to consider dishwashing liquid, SOS pads, grill scrapers, aluminum foil, etc . Camping is more tolerable when your hunger cries are answered with enough food to sustain your activities.
With that being said, if you find yourself in an unplanned situation where you need to rely on your surroundings for food, as a general rule, avoid plant life unless you know for a fact that something is edible. Stay away from mushrooms and any plant that has a milky sap. Common edible plants include cattail roots, acorns, clover, dandelions, almost all grasses that are seed bearing and the inner bark of trees such as Poplar, Willows, Birches and Conifers.
The easiest rule to remember is that if it walks, swims, crawls, or slithers… thump it, and muck it on down! Small animals, fish and insect life are always your best bet (remember, do not eat spiders or anything else with more than 6 legs). Use the knife, hooks and line, make a spear, make snares with the 80lb test cord. Setting multiple snares and fishing lines in ways that you do not have to baby-sit them is a good idea. Check them from time to time for a catch. This allows you to "hunt" without expending much energy. Use your imagination! The facts are, ALL fur bearing animals are edible. ALL birds are edible with no exceptions. Grubs found in rotten logs are edible, as are almost all insects (6 legs).
You can last 3 MONTHS without companionship.
If you are alone for 3 months or longer you will either go insane or you will develop a relationship with God. Like Tom Hanks in the movie, "Castaway", you will have to invent your own Wilson, or you will turn to God for companionship. Human beings were designed to interact with others, so if you are going to live on your own for longer than 3 months, consider bringing a companion along or plan on having someone "show up" for a weekend or two to help you get through the loneliness.
These rules of three can provide any camper with the proper frame of mind when faced with survival situations. I hope that you will be able to benefit from these rules and memorize them.
I learned these Rules of Three from Rodney East, a fellow Pathfinder Director. A portion of this content was also taken from the FM 21-76 US ARMY SURVIVAL MANUAL.
A classic 70’s tune gives us the lyrics, “She ran calling ‘Wildfire’…..” Then a love song, but today, possibly the beginnings of an action / adventure / horror movie. With rainfall low, and temperatures and winds high, the wildfires we’re currently battling across the country are heavily taxing our first responder assets. More fires will surely follow if these conditions continue.
First responder assets aside, these fires have affected local civilians. Thousands have evacuated, and many find nothing but charred vacant lots when they return. What are some innovative ways civilians can protect themselves, their property, and actually help firefighters in the process?
At the household level, most of us have smoke detectors. That’s good, because in a house fire, as in a wildfire, where there’s smoke, there’s F.L.A.M.E.:
Family – Something as massive as a wildfire will affect your whole family. Prepare them now.
Landscaping – Simple and subtle steps can make your property much more fire resistant.
Awareness – In an emergency, time is crucial. Stay aware of the threat and get the warnings early.
Moisture – Some say you fight fire with fire. We say you fight fire with water.
Evacuation – Even after taking all the other steps, a wildfire is something best avoided.
Family
A prepared and involved family is far more able to handle any type of disaster than those who wait for last-minute instruction. Therefore, one of the best things you can do for your family is to prepare them for one of the most common and least forgiving enemies; fire.
1. Take the family on a fire-safety tour through the house. Locate dangers such as overloaded electrical outlets and safety items such as extinguishers and escape routes.
2. In emergencies, redundancy is our friend. You should have more than one smoke detector, fire extinguisher, and escape route from rooms or the house. Hint: If you’re a heavy sleeper, buy a “baby monitor.” Put the transmitter near the farthest smoke detector and the receiver in your bedroom.
3. Make sure everyone in the family knows how to use a fire extinguisher, and how to call 911.
4. Have regular fire drills. Let each family member have a turn being the one who discovers the fire and who has to warn others. On at least every other drill, have everyone evacuate blind-folded on their hands and knees (while exercising due safety) to mimic the realistic conditions of a fire evacuation.
5. Revisit every family emergency plan with the whole family during wildfire season and certainly if one is in your area and possibly heading your way.
Landscaping
Though tragedies usually take the lead in newscasts, stories still abound of how some homeowners managed to protect their properties from wildfire by simple and subtle changes with their landscaping and home. Take these steps now, since in a fire, time is of the essence.
1. Your main landscaping consideration is to remove any dead, dry vegetation, whether on the ground or in your trees, that could transfer fire to your house. Since this aspect of wildfire preparedness has been adequately covered by others, here are a few good outside sources:
2. Be ready to seal your house before evacuating. Create covers for any opening on your home such as attic vents (roof turbines can be covered with metal trash cans), crawlspace openings, etc. Gather your material (such as plywood) and cut, paint, and label (where it goes) each cover now, keeping them stored on your property for immediate use. Put a couple of hooks over each opening you might cover and drill corresponding holes in the plywood covers. The hooks will hold the cover in place while you drill in the screws. This allows one person to do the job and frees up others to perform other necessary tasks. Hint: Also make covers for your windows (including garage door windows) just as if you lived in a hurricane zone.
3. Create a “fire tool box” and include everything needed to prep your house in advance of a wildfire. Store extra garden hoses, water sprinklers, “Y” connectors for extra hoses, wrenches to turn off your gas, rolls of heavy-duty aluminum foil (to cover the openings you didn’t make covers for), machetes and gloves for last minute brush clearing, etc. Store extra tools because you won’t have time to replace tools that might have been broken or lost.
4. Make sure first responders can see your home’s address. Put your house number on your mailbox, near your front door, and painted on the curb by your driveway.
Awareness
A common theme in all our publications and presentations is the fact that in an emergency, our most crucial asset is time (see our other articles at http://www.disasterprep101.com). The two key elements of time in a wildfire are one, to have as much done in advance as possible, and two, get as early a warning as possible.
1. Don’t wait for a wildfire to approach to start your landscaping. Perform that now and keep your property as fire-retardant as you can.
2. Don’t wait for the smell of smoke to warn you a fire is on its way. If fire conditions are right, monitor news channels and listen for community warnings.
3. Learn to recognize your community warnings. Does your community have a reverse 911 system? Sirens? Will the local TV or radio station broadcast the alert? If your community doesn’t have any of these systems, why not start them in your neighborhood? At the very least, have a phone tree.
4. Buy an NOAA Weather Alert Radio since they’re being incorporated into the overall Emergency Alert System. You should also know who your local Ham Radio operators are. See http://www.arrl.org
Moisture
Water is the king of firefighting and fire suppression substances. The best protection for your property lies in your ability to keep a “dome” of moisture in one form or another all over and around your home.
1. One publication under “landscaping” above lists beneficial plants that hold their moisture well. Regardless of the types of plant life in your yard, keep them well hydrated (while following watering ordinances).
2. When setting up your sprinklers, give your yard adequate spray coverage, especially over areas that might worsen the fire such as an above-ground propane tank or wooden deck attached to your house. The best sprinkler for surface areas is the professional directional type rather than the small garden variety that only sprays a weak pattern over a small area. Your garden store rep can help.
3. Put sprinklers on your roof, being sure to anchor them in place since the high winds generated in some wildfire wind storms can blow them off the roof.
4. If you have an in-ground sprinkler system, great! It will give you even water coverage over the grounds and provide a good foundation for the comprehensive water system you’ll need. To your in-ground system add separate “fire” lines that feed water to sprinklers that either spray directly against your house, or outward from your yard to cover vegetation surrounding your property. Too, have a sprinkler line permanently installed on your roof to save you the time of manually putting sprinklers up there. Also, install an additional input valve to allow water from a secondary source like a water pump drawing from your swimming pool.
5. If you have a pool, pond, well, or creek, you have a reservoir that should be put to good use so you don’t draw off the municipal water firefighters need to prevent fire from nearing your property in the first place. It’s a simple matter to keep a gas-powered generator (which self-reliant families should have) and a water pump (such as a pressure-washer), and use the two to draw water from your pool and feed it to your sprinklers. If you have a well with an electric pump, hook your generator to the pump to keep it running should local power fail. Exercise caution when setting up your generator so it doesn’t start its own fire.
6. A final consideration with sprinklers is position. Cover the outer perimeter of your yard, spray against the outer walls and roof of your house, and cover the crowns of your trees if possible. Also, consider outward-pointing sprinklers anchored to an elevated position such as an upper floor deck or porch, or your roof.
Evacuation
We strongly recommend evacuation, even if you’ve taken all the above steps and feel they might work. It’s best that you be pre-prepped and ready to leave at a moment’s notice since time is our most valuable asset. The more ready you are in advance, the more time you have.
1. All your landscaping steps should be taken care of now and maintained, especially during fire season.
2. In wildfire-prone areas, and especially during wildfire season, keep your bugout kits and vehicle ready at all times (with fuel tanks topped off). Hint: With your documents, keep the non-emergency numbers for local authorities so you can call to find out when it’s safe to return.
3. Perform last-minute landscaping ONLY if time allows, since you’ll want extra time to perform the household shutdown steps. However, don’t do anything until you’ve loaded your car with provisions and have nothing left to load but people and pets (in their carriers and/or ready to go).
4. Inside the house do the following:
- Move all flammables (such as furniture and curtains) away from windows making sure each is closed and latched. Lower and close any metallic blinds.
- Leave your fireplace damper open, and close the fireplace protective cover.
- Close all interior doors but don’t lock them.
- Turn off your heat/AC system, and cover any window air-conditioners or floor heater vents with aluminum foil and duct tape inside and out.
- Turn off all gas coming into the house whether from underground line or above-ground tank.
- Turn on inside and outside lights so your property is visible in heavy smoke. Firefighters may need to use it as a beacon.
5.To protect the valuables you don’t have room for in your evacuation vehicle, consider these:
- For waterproof valuables, put them in a bathtub, storage tub, or trashcan you’ve filled with water. (Notice we didn’t recommend your pool, since you should be using it to feed your sprinklers.)
- Large valuables such as antique furniture, etc. should be carried into the center of the house on the lowest floor (the same place you’d go in a tornado).
- Major appliances, such as your oven, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, clothes washer, and dryer, tend not to be consumed by flame or crushed by debris and thereby offer a protected storage location for other valuables. Hint: Disposable diapers are surprisingly flame resistant, and might be useful as wraps for some items stored in an appliance.
6.Lock up the house, leave a note on the door telling authorities you’ve evacuated, check with neighbors to make sure they’re on their way to safety, hop in your vehicle, and leave. Hint: If the area is getting smoky, listen to your radio for road closure information, turn your headlights on low, and set your climate controls to “re-circulate” so as not to draw in smoke from outside the vehicle.
Naturally, this is an article that could go for a few dozen more pages since it’s such an important topic and certainly one where we could offer extensive detail. For now, this will have to do. Will the above information make you fireproof and prevent any damage to your property? No. But it’s very likely to help, especially if you take these steps now. Taking these measures also helps firefighters since any time a wildfire is delayed or a home protected, you take one more item off the shoulders of first responders. Prep now, stay safe, and remember that preparedness is not only a social responsibility; it’s your only true protection.
How to: Build an Urban Survival (EDC) kit by SOF SERE instructor (HD)
