Shelter Supplies Shelter is of paramount importance to your survival. Staying out of the weather preserves your body's resources for producing heat. Rain, wind, snow can all deplete you of your body heat. Lose too much of it and you go into hypothermia. Emergency blankets have been around for years. A poncho provides its own shelter and keeps the rain off of you. 3 Steps to Building a Fire There is no doubt about the greatest advance since mankind started hunting with spears, clubs and wearing animal skins… is the ability to harness the power of fire. In a survival situation, being able to get a fire going can mean the difference between life and death. With a fire you can boil water for drinking or cooking, provide heat, and even signal for help. It can be extremely difficult to get a fire to ignite and burn. 1. Fires must have fuel or “tinder” which helps start the fire. 2. Keeping your fire lit can be a challenge of its own. following items on hand: plenty of small twigs, bark, or any other type of flammable material you can procure. First, it keeps the fire contained. Second, the barrier becomes heated by the fire and retains this heat for a significant duration of time depending on what materials you are using. Third, it protects the fire from being snuffed out by a gust of wind. 3. of the ring and place the twigs and small amounts of fuel on the tinder.
Survival Fire Starters – Do You Have 5 Ways to Make Fire? I would put the ability to make fire right behind water, shelter, and food in the list of most important things in a survival situation, and before food and shelter in some cases. Since being able to start a fire is so important, are you really going to rely on only one or two ways to do it? I think you should have at least 5 fire starters in your Bug Out Bag or in any survival preps for that matter. Be sure to notice that I am not talking about different types of tinder, like cedar shavings, fire log, paper etc. 1. No surprises here. 1.They need to be waterproof. 2. 2. Notice lighters is plural. If you are going to buy a nice lighter like that one, you should carry some Butane refill fluid and it will last you 5 times as long as any of the throw away lighters. 3. A firesteel and scraper, or what used to be a flint, is a tubed piece of metal, usually steel or magnesium, that creates sparks when you run the metal scraper down the tube. Cool ones that we have tested include: 1. 5. Be Safe
5 Ideas for Fire Tinder A while ago I asked readers Do You Have 5 Ways to Make Fire? The article concentrated on fire starters; steel and flight, lighters, and a few less common systems. However, most of those will be useless for building a fire if you don’t have some tinder to put the flame to. Here are 5 great ideas for fire tinder, both natural and homemade. 1. Everybody can collect it for free, and even get it from the bottom of your pockets in a pinch. 2. Collect the stringy shavings from the bark of a cedar tree for the best (in my opinion) natural fire tinder. 3. This might be the oldest survivalist trick in the book. 4. Obviously these won’t be available in all areas, but when you can find them the light feathery material inside cattails is like burning paper or cotton. 5. Like cedar, just shave some bark off of a birch tree. Two great products to keep in your Bug Out Bag are “WetFire” and “Fire Paste“. What do you use? I know these are just the tip of the iceberg for survival fire tender.
The Bug Out Bag - Building A Survival Bag | 72hoursurvival.com Some people ask me, “Why a 72 hour bug out bag? Why not a week, or just a few hours?” Well, the reason is this: In a disaster scenario, like a flood, tornado, hurricane, or earthquake, first responders are likely going to be completely overloaded with large fires, collapses, etc. of large commercial buildings or heavy traffic downtown areas. It is highly possible you will have to fend for yourself for a minimum of 3 days. So the idea is to have enough stuff to keep yourself alive for 3 days and give you the necessary time and possibly tools to get what you need to survive longer if need be. When we first conceived 72hoursurvival.com, we figured one of the first things we would do is build a bug out bag and then put up a page on how we did it. So in this article I am going to try and give you a good idea on where to start and how to get a bug out bag together. Before you start buying stuff to stock a pack, though, you need a pack! One option for this is Mainstay rations . . . . . . . .
Use a Sawyer Extractor for Snake and Insect Bites The Sawyer Extractor is the best first aid application for poisonous snake bites as well as insect bites and stings. The Extractor is a venom suction system that removes the venom from the victims bloodstream. The Sawyer Extractor system is also reusable and a definite must have for your Bug Out Bag or other survival gear. While it is prominently known as a first aid measure for a dangerous snake bite, it is equally effective for relief from mosquito bites or bee stings. Snake bites are a definite threat in a survival situation and a hospital may not be available, you are going to need all of the help you can get. From Sawyer: The Extractor Pump ® Vacuum was designed specifically to provide the most powerful suction available for the safe extraction of venoms and poisons.Because its Double Chamber Pump action is so powerful you will not need to use the dangerous scalpel blades or knives associated with less effective bite kits. Specs Visit our new Survival Gear Store – Forge Survival Supply
Starting My Bug Out Bag I am starting my first Bug Out Bag. I’ve packed for a bunch of backpacking and camping trips in my life but I have never had a Bug Out Bag. I am going to write update articles here on Survival Cache when I add stuff to my BOB so new survivalists can follow along and I can ask questions and get ideas from the more experienced preppers out there. Obviously a good place to start with your Bug Out Bag is the bag itself. Sure there are lots of better bags out there but I really can’t afford to drop $100-200 bucks on a new pack right now and emergencies don’t wait for you to have all your gear ready. I’ve got a couple of other backpacks but I chose the ALICE because its heavy duty, durable, and I won’t miss it from my regular outdoor gear. I have backpacked with this pack before, both with and without the frame. I would like to hear from others with a survivalist perspective on whether you think its better with frame or without? Stuff in My Buy Out Bag so far: A Survival Flash Drive
Survival Gear & Bug Out Bags A Bug out bag is basically a large survival kit that’s filled with everything you need to survive after a disaster. A Bug Out Bag allows you quickly grab what you need should you be forced to evacuate during a disaster. Most experts suggest that your BOB should contain enough supplies to last for at least seventy-two hours. Since most major disasters often disrupt services and normal life for longer than 72 hours, we think it is a good idea to have a Bag that will allow you survive for an indefinite period of time. Make sure your Bag is built to fit your needs; some people may need items that are not listed on this list. Remember that these are just some general guidelines meant to help you get your bag together. Below we discuss some of the items that you may want to include in your Bug Out Bags, as well as some items that will hold up when it really counts. This will depend on a number of factors, such as the area you live in (climate, elevation, etc….)
Back Pack, Bug Out Bag BOB Sandpiper of California (Bugout Gear) originated in 1980. They started their business with the velcro wallet and have sinced established the product line to over 40 different style of bags. Their bags have been sold to corporate and military exchange stores nation wide since 1983. Since they are based out of Southern California they understand the demand of activities around the region. Sandpiper stands behind its quality with a lifetime warranty. Sandpiper is the largest supplier of backpacks to the U.S. military. The Bugout Gear product line has recently become "Must have" items for our troops in every branch of the military Bugout Gear is the "Best value" leader by far giving our troops the biggest "Bang" for their dollar!
Katadyn Pocket Water Filter The Katadyn Pocket Water Filter is made of heavy duty materials, and is ideal for long-lasting continuous use--even under extreme circumstances. The silver impregnated ceramic element is effective against bacteria and protozoa, and will be able to produce up to 100 times more water than standard water filters. The Katadyn Pocket is the only water filter with a 20-year warranty. PLEASE NOTE: Katadyn items CANNOT be shipped outside of the USA. Features Top-quality, durable materials offers unparalleled quality with a 20-year guarantee Cleanable ceramic filter element provides not only for clear but also for very cloudy water Can be used hundreds of times (not a disposable filter) Long lasting and few movable parts--requires minimal maintenance Improved hand ergonomics--even easier to pump Measuring gauge supplied--indicates when the filter element should be changed Ceramic filters have a micro porous structure with impregnated silver which delays the growth of bacteria.
Sopakco MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) Try Sopakco Sure-Pak MRE and you'll be surprised how good Meals Ready to Eat can be. Make sure you're getting the real deal. Some other suppliers will buy an old main entree then various non-MRE components and assemble their own "meals ready to eat" packet, which doesn't have nearly the quality or shelf life as Sopakco, supplied by Rothco. Sopakco has supplied millions of Sure-Pak 12 MREs to first responders, police and fire departments, disaster-relief teams, plus families and individuals who want to be safe, secure, and fed in the event of a disaster. Originally developed for the US military, our fully prepared, shelf-stable meals are now the smart choice for disaster preparedness and for outdoor enthusiasts. MRE do not require water to be added. Please Note: The surplus MRE Heaters will take longer to activate and heat that a regular heater. Meals Ready to Eat, originally designed by the U.S. Meals-Ready-to-Eat are long shelf life meals that can be eaten hot or cold.
Steps In Water Purification If you live in a city, it is easy to take tap water for granted. With a single turn of a faucet knob, you have access to clean, clear water, ready to drink. Ensuring that water is free from contaminants, however, is a multistage process. In nature, water is full of substances that can alter its taste and odor and even make you sick. First, treatment plants pump water into large reservoirs, where it stands for long periods to allow solids and other heavy contaminants to fall out of solution as sediment. The filtration process removes smaller particles that survived the sedimentation process and strips out organic compounds that can affect the taste and odor of your tap water. Filtration cannot remove microscopic biological contaminants. Unfortunately, once the water receives its final treatment, it is not always safe.