Survival Clothing For Outdoor Emergencies - free article courtesy ...

Maybe you don't need to learn about survival clothing. Maybe you always hike with a spare jacket. Perhaps you never go out into the wilderness overnight, but just for day hikes. Or you bring lots of warm clothing when you do go backpacking.

Nonetheless, hundreds of people die or come close to dying every year from exposure. They thought they were prepared. They didn't expect their clothes to get wet from falling in a stream, they didn't think they'd be out there for the night, or they get lost for days.

Coming down from Mount Whitney I met several young men in t-shirts on their way up, determined to get to the top. They had no gear, and not enough time, but they probably made it there by sunset anyhow. They also certainly didn't make it the eleven miles back to their car before dark. It was below freezing that night, so I imagine they were uncomfortable at best.


Quick survival Clothing

What survival clothing could they have made in that situation? One of them did have a light jacket. He could have used his t-shirt as a hat (a lot of heat is lost through the head) and filled his jacket with the fluff from the cattail seedheads for insulation. (Cattail down was once used to fill those old orange life preservers.)

Insulation is the important principle here. You can stuff a jacket, shirt, sweater or pants with dry leaves, milkweed down, bracken ferns or almost anything that creates a lot of "dead air space." It's better if you have two layers to sandwich it between, but being itchy is better than being frozen in any case.

In a jam, you can also use the flat leaves of cattail plants to weave a vest that will block the wind and some rain. Two bread bags full of milkweed down or other silky plant fibers make warm mittens (tie them at the wrists). A plastic bag full of the same could be tied onto your head as a hat.

Usually, you'll do better to look first at what you have, before looking to kill animals for their skins, or weave grass skirts. If you have a sleeping bag, it can double as a coat - just wrap it around you. Socks can be mittens, and garbage bags can be made into snow pants.

A garbage bag can also be a raincoat. Otherwise, tie bunches of grass tightly together along a string or strip of cloth, and then wrap it around your shoulders. This will repel a light rain. You can fashion a rain hood of birchbark as well.

In the desert you can make a sun-hat of large leaves, like those from a fan palm. String some together to wrap around your shoulders to prevent sunburn.

You'll probably never have to use animal skins for survival clothing. You might never lose your shoes and need to glue tree bark to your feet with pine sap, for hiking. Still, knowing how to improvise a few basic pieces of survival clothing can make you more comfortable, and possibly save your life.


Homeland Survival Guide - Learn to survive a disaster and protect your family!

Family Emergency Preparedness by Hugh Simpson

A lot of people say that emergency preparedness is not the most important item on their radar for the new year.  They couldn't be more WRONG!
This is the time of year that you need to prepare your family for any and all types of natural and man-made disasters.

So what can you do?

Visit  http://www.usprepared.com and get your FR** Emergency Preparedness Guide and make sure to sit down with the family and read through it. After you have read through it then begin to take ACTION now!

Make sure that you have at least a week but preferably more of the items suggested on hand for every member of the family. And remember your pets are important for emergency preparedness!

Start by buying one or two emergency supply items a week while you do your normal grocery and department store shopping.  This will allow you to accumulate what you need without having to spend a lot all at once.


We are strongly encouraging every family to purchase one particular item this year - a family tent!

Why a family tent? Family tents usually have two or three room allowing for privacy.

Remember those poor souls that had driven away from Hurricane Katrina and Rita only to find the motels already booked to capacity and the stuffy concrete floors of the shelters packed like sardines?

Would it not be a heck of a lot more comfortable to find a state park or national park where you could set up your family tent without the added stress of hundreds of people crammed together?

During Katrina state parks in Arkansas were utilized. That is a step in the right direction. Most state parks have bathrooms, showers and even electric outlets.

So tell your friends about preparedness and why it's to better utilize our state and national parks for emergencies and go get prepared NOW!

Backpack Bug-Out-Bag: Survival Must-Have by Phil Washington

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 amount of gear 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, those whose jobs require long exposure to the outdoors, and most survivalists.

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 many types of gear 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.



Maxpedition Falcon 2: Survival Gear Review

Pet First Aid Kits and Emergency Supplies by Eric Holm

Pet first aid kits are an essential part of the survival of pets during emergencies. The importance of preparing for calamities, not only for yourself and family, but also for your pets has been underscored after a lot of dead pets were found in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which hit several areas in the southern parts of the United States. A lot of dogs, cats and even other exotic animals were left in the streets on their own as humans evacuated because of the said hurricane. It was a sad story but truly, you and your animal will have a better chance of surviving big disasters and emergencies only if you plan ahead.

Assembling your pet first aid kit is one of the first things you should do to help ensure the survival and happiness of your pet during emergency situations. Remember that pets are more sensitive than humans when it comes to feeling catastrophes or natural disasters, so there is a big possibility that they will react violently or restlessly before, during and even after the calamity. Because of this, you need to include pet safety products such as lighted collars, possible motion activated dog tags, and even pet carriers. Of course, you also need to provide emergency survival pet food and water for your precious pooches, cats, or birds. It is important that you check the food and water supply of your pets regularly to ensure that they are good when disaster strikes. We would recommend that you keep at least a three day supply of emergency food and water for your pet, just like is recommended for your emergency kit.

Apart from food and water, your pet first aid kits should also contain blankets, chew sticks, and even playthings to help them cope during emergency situations. If you will be staying in evacuation centers, it is a good idea to bring along poop bags and/or WAG bags to maintain the sanitation of the place. In case your evacuation place does not allow animals inside for sanitary reasons, you need to make a back-up plan about where your animal can stay. An alternative shelter and/or pet carrier for your pet is essential for its survival, so do not forget about it.

A good pet first aid kit and a three day supply of food and water are really important if you treat your pet as a member of your family. You will be glad you prepared in advance.



A Survivalist Survival Food Storage Stockpile For When SHTF - Updated