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Saturday, August 8, 2015
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What did you do to prep this week?
Before we get going today, I’d like to thank and give a shout out to Steven B, Lars M, John W, Jeffery P, and Victoria S for their generous donations this week via Paypal.
If you feel that this site has helped you in someway and want to give back then you can do that by shopping with our advertisers (look in the sidebar), and don’t for get to tell them that you saw their ad here, when buying anything through Amazon.com use the link in the left sidebar (Click To Shop Amazon).
Okay, now what did I do to prep this week…
Worked in the garden, put up produce, cleaned out chicken...
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Prep Blog Review: What Would You Do For Your Defense?
A riot is all you need to see in order to have an idea of what will be going on once SHTF. Of course things will be much, much worse than that, with desperate people turning to violence and looting to get what they need to survive.
So when this happens, how far are you willing to go to defend your family and yourself? I assume as far as you have to, so here’s 5 things to remember.
1. 5 Reasons Everyone Should Stockpile Ammunition
“If you’re a survivalist, then chances are you’ve already stocked up on plenty of ammo.
But if you haven’t, this video is sure to change your mind.
There are probably a dozen reasons why you should stockpile ammunition, but Van Prepper has narrowed it down to the top 5.”
Read more on Urban Survival Site.
2. Security or Survival, what are you prepping for?
“Security or Survival, what are you prepping for? There is a difference you know? While I believe that being a Prepper means preparing for both, sadly there are those that just really don’t understand the difference. Today we are going to look at both aspects to see why both are needed in order to truly have either one. “Those that sacrifice Liberty for Security deserve neither.” – Ben Franklin
What exactly is Security? It is defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary as: “things done to make people or places safe” and” the state of being protected or safe from harm”, but what does that really mean to us?”
Read more on American Preppers Online.
3. Should I Pull the Fire Alarm During a Mass Shooting?
“As more details about the Louisiana movie theater mass shooting emerge, we learn that one of the shooting victims pulled the fire alarm to facilitate evacuation as the shooter was targeting victims. For more information about the incident, check out the link below:
Hero Lafayette shooting survivor tearfully describes how she took a bullet in the leg for her friend who saved lives by raising the alarm.”
Read more on Active Response Training.
4. Should You Join a Militia?
“There is historical basis and precedence for militia. Our forefathers even went so far to plan for the need of a “well-regulated Militia” and outlined this in our Second Amendment to the Bill of Rights.
Their reasoning in my, and countless others minds, was that a militia could one day be “necessary to the security of a free State”. The militia concept was preferable to a standing Army which many of our founders were vehemently opposed to.”
Read more on The Prepper Journal.
5. What To Know When You Point A Gun
“This is in no way an extension, justification or promotion of the ongoing gun debate in America today.
The reason for this article is poignant due to the recent events in Charleston, SC, where a gunman entered a church meeting and subsequently gunned down several people for biased means. I generally prefer to keep these articles timeless by not delving too deeply in events that mark a specific point in time, but it was worth mentioning due to the nature of the subject matter.”
Read more on Expert Prepper.
This article has been written by Brenda E. Walsh for Survivopedia.
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Friday, August 7, 2015
If you could only have one survival item …
Written by Pat Henry on The Prepper Journal.
Occasionally I am honored with a request from someone writing an article on preparedness or survival, asking for my opinion on a question they have. In the past, these requests have come from other bloggers who are just starting out or people creating infographics, even newspapers and magazines. The questions are all slightly different but […]
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The Hike : The Importance of Knowing Your Equipment, and the Reality of Using It…
Today we present another article in our non-fiction writing contest – Samantha R
A few months ago I decided it would be good experience to go on an extended backpacking trip. I carefully researched the area I was interested in by asking people who knew the area and by looking over various maps and descriptions. I initially thought I’d attempt this solo but then asked my daughter if she’d like to come along. She seemed interested and reluctant at the same time. I described the hike to her as a leisurely and “easy” hike with several trails we could take and end the trip...
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Blog poll : Who would you vote for?
We are constantly hearing about the 2016 presidential election and polls telling us who is on top and who is not, but if you’re like me no one has called or asked my opinion, so I thought it would be fun and food for thought to take our own poll here at TheSurvivalistBlog.net to see which candidate you (if any) you would vote for if the election were today and you could vote for any of the candidates…
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Canning 101 – The Basics for Beginners
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Friday Miscellany News Brief
1.) Rand Paul vs. the others : Rand Paul used to be a golf buddy with Donald Trump. But he teed off on Trump right from the start. Paul, down in the polls and struggling to break through a crowded field, showcased an aggressive style at the first GOP debate — taking on The Donald more directly than the rest of the GOP candidates.
2.) Texas introduces bill to mandate GMO labeling : Despite a major setback last month when the U.S. House of Representatives voted 275-150 to pass legislation that would prohibit states from enacting the labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the Right...
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6 Smart Ways To Repurpose Tire Rims
Old tire rims are the corner stone of any self-respecting scrapyard! Have you ever wondered what happens to the tens of millions of old car rims? Most of them get melted and recycled, but lots of them rust quietly in the shadows, doing nothing important, wasting their second lives and serving no practical purpose. And that’s not cool in my book.
As a hard-core prepper with the proper mindset, I cannot stop thinking about the myriad of useful things you can do using old tire rims. Have you ever asked yourself what can be built using tire rims as building blocks? For a couple of the projects, you may have to learn how to weld, but that’s too not bad; learning new skills as you go is always a good thing. Today’s article will focus on a few smart ways to repurpose old tire rims.
To begin, let’s talk about something simple and useful so you won’t get discouraged. How about DIYing a nice wood stove using old tire rims?
This is a fairly easy and pretty straight forward project, perfect for our first episode in the “How to repurpose Tire Rims” article. To build a stove, all you need is a couple of old tire rims and a welder. You can always borrow what you need from a friend if you don’t already have it in your garage.
Oh, and you must know how to weld stuff, but don’t worry; what we’re dealing with here is a simple welding project, so it’s a good project for your first lesson in welding. Consider it a crash-course. Learning new skills is the salt and pepper of a prepper’s life, right?
Anyway, here’s a video with an old-school dude explaining in detail what’s up with welders, old tire rims and old whiskey (after the job is complete, obviously. Don’t drink and weld kids!).
Thursday, August 6, 2015
3 Essentials To Prevent Home Invasions
Home invasions are different from burglaries or other robbery type crimes because the criminals who commit home invasions count on, and plan, on the fact that the victims are home. This is so they can FORCE the occupant victims to give up their valuables by threat of violence and even death.
Home invasions are generally considered one of the most dreaded of all crimes. This is not only because they destroy the basic foundation and emotional content of individual personal sovereignty by violating the sanctity of private intimacy in a person’s domicile, but invariably the perpetrators also combine the invasion of your home for the purposes of looting and stealing with the compounded commission of the major crimes against person such as kidnapping, torture, rape, and murder in the process.
Also, far too often, sex crimes and murder are the sole purpose of invading the privacy of your home where once inside, the psycho predator actually takes advantage of the home’s privacy and feels more secure in their criminal acts from outside scrutiny.
What Are the Odds?
According to the findings of the Department of Justice crime statistics there are over 8000 home invasions happening across North America every single day! In The U.S. it is estimated that over 3,600,000 property related crimes occurred between 2005 and 2010 which means one every 4 seconds!
- 39% of all serious personal physical assaults are committed during home invasions.
- In 50% of all home invasion victims are seriously or critically injured.
- 60% of all rapes and deviate sexual assault are committed during home invasions.
- People 60 or older make up almost 50% –and climbing– of all home invasion victims!
So what are the odds of being a victim of a home invasion? Perhaps a better question is what are my odds of preventing one?
So we’ll show you how you can reduce the odds that you’ll ever be a victim of a home invasion that ‘succeeded’, to zip…and zero. But right now your odds of having some psycho(s) trying to enter your premises for the purpose of ripping you off and/or hurting you, if you are not adequately prepared, are better than winning any prizes any time soon.
Or about 1 in every 10 residences can be targeted at any given time! Depending upon where you live and your lifestyle, having a criminal stalk and break into your house is more likely than getting into a serious car accident, a house fire, or most any other types traumatic experiences. Even all the apocalyptic events we preppers avidly anticipate, are not as likely to occur as is a crime directed against your property and person.
I don’t mean to frighten anyone. Instead I prefer to scare the living doo doo out of everybody if that helps you become more concerned! Because I, personally, have investigated some pretty horrific home invasion scenes in my time.
If you’re a prepper and somehow overlooked what you are about to learn, then you better get on it before anything else you do, especially if you live in a higher risk area.
Know Thine Enemy!
Sociologists claim there are as many variables involved with the analysis of the criminal mind as there are criminals, and the study of these are quite complex. That may be true in the general psychological academic context, but in real time daily life in the mean streets of ‘civilized’ society, the actual perpetration of criminal acts are confined to relatively simple and common habitual behavior patterns.
These are sometimes known as “modus operandi” and these criminal acts can be defeated by anybody who has the serious desire to prepare themselves correctly. You only have to be concerned with a couple ‘personality traits’ of a home invader to know exactly how to deal with them.
- First of all there are generally three kinds of criminals. The circumstantial ‘one time’ unfortunate acts that people make the mistake of getting themselves into. Like in ‘there but for the grace of God, go I” most of these unfortunates are non-violent and perpetrated in the temporary absence of common sense or inadvertently under serous outside influence of drugs, stress, or emotional imbalance.
- Then there are a common variety of habitual ‘career criminals’. Academics say this is also a social psychosis but one that is permanent. There’s no excuse for this because it’s a conscious choice of their own cognitive rationale but sooner or later, if they don’t reconsider their critical choices in life and rehabilitate, they will pay the very serious prices for their decisions.
- The third kind of criminal is the most dangerous to individuals and society as a whole. Many refer to them as ‘animals‘. I personally don’t call them animals because animals are wonderful creatures that rarely harm people unless pressured from unnatural outside environmental conditions only reacting to duress or antagonistic confrontations caused by humans. Criminals of the ’third kind’ are not animals. They are vicious sub-human monsters who are nothing but calculating evil entities who should be taken out of society, one way or the other, for the protection of civilization. Home invaders are these type of criminals.
Home invasions are on the rise basically because criminals are also emulating the general populate and getting lazy. And this does not necessarily imply that they’ are getting more stupid or less violent. Some of them are graduates from “Gladiator Crime School” in the penitentiary.
Their ’teachers’ realized through trial and error the hard way that instead of attempting to rob a bank with its armed security guards, instant alarms systems and police then on the way…It’s much easier to follow the elderly man home from his small coin and collectibles shop at the Mall, and when the time is right, ambush him at his home, force him inside, and take their sweet time in private surroundings. Even torturing the victim if they have to, in getting them to open the safe.
Don’t Make It Easy for Them to Physically Break in
Access Re-enforcement
Even though a determined invader will eventually get in if they have a few basic tools, anything you can do to buy some time by fortifying egress can be worth your life. Rather than waking up in the middle of the night with some psycho shining a flashlight in your face while he’s stabbing you in your bed, if you awaken at the noise of a difficult break in, this allows you to escape or gun up and get ready, while you dial 911 and wait for the police.
There are several angles at which to approach home fortification. Certainly “kick in” proof doors and windows modifications are a priority. There’s something newer out there than standard window bars called Hurricane film for windows which is a transparent stick on glass coating that’s supposed to be amazingly resistant to typical foot or object breakage.
Loud Audible Outside Alarms
Before ADT and silent police alerting alarm companies dominated, there used to be something called an ‘Outside Ringer’. Mostly at businesses and factories, it was nothing more than a large and raucous and hammer and bell ringer that could sometimes be heard for hundreds of yards away. It was hooked up by a magnetic door or window sensor and when set off somebody would hear it and always call the police. Burglars would know this and quickly leave.
These work even better for personal contact home invasions. If someone is trying to break in and immediately sets off an ear deafening outside alarm that stops passers-by in their tracks who speed dial the police and brings out your neighbor with his AR-15 because he knows you’re an elderly person who lives alone and he worries about you, then that will certainly STOP home any invasion in its tracks, so to speak.
Augmenting the alarm with instant-on very bright floodlights not only illuminates the predator but if situated correctly and powerful enough will blind him and stop any further effort. Strobe light set ups are even better.
You can also have the electrician or tech person set them up with a strategically located quick access “panic buttons” in a couple different locations in your house that can’t be switched-off until you go to the secret shut down location. You can set this up to hit either the flood lights first, if you’re not sure, and the second hit on the panic button does the outside ringer/siren.
There are many variations to this with modern electronics. Even the latest ‘First Alert’ type wireless medical necklaces would work if you had nothing else. But electronics professionals can set up a pocket or necklace panic button device so that if anyone comes near you when they shouldn’t, you press it and a loud outside ringer goes off and that changes the whole invasion ball game.
There are many variations of this to include some sophisticated systems that are so effective that to some people they are worth the extra expense. But what about if you’re monetarily disadvantaged, and expensive alarms and equipment is not an option? Well, then if you’re in a really vulnerable area, consider a location change if that’s a possibility and make a greater effort to sharpen up your Acute Situational Awareness. But there’s a couple things you can do that almost anybody can afford.
The easiest and quickest solution for your home defense is to have a good defensive barking dog, an outside emergency ringer/anti intrusion alarm system, and a high capacity pistol or at least one of the above if one or another is not an option. And if you could spend around fifty bucks on some of these battery powered cheap, but effective enough personal alarms that go on doors and windows and set them up at weak points in your apartment or home’s configuration.
Even your car alarm on your wireless key chain lock could function as a “panic button” outside ringer hack, if your car is in range. So you could keep your spare one with duplicate car keys in a belt key chain or in your pocket as you walk around your place.
If nothing else have a good high capacity pistol always on or near you like a Glock 22 or 17 with a 30 round magazine in it. One point here to never forget that just having the gun is not the magic wand to make bad things go away. You must learn how to shoot it correctly and develop a proper use mentality. You really don’t want to kill a family member who happened to be sneaking in late one night because you made the mistake of thinking he’s a home invader. There’s plenty of info on this out there. Learn it. I did.
Nothing is guaranteed to work perfectly all of the time. Even the White House had attempted home invasions that got farther than many people would have ever believed. Of course there are some serious differences in security requirements, especially because the premises are also open to the public.
But doing at least some of the above proactive measures, and expanding from there when you can, will create an environment that is uninhabitable for most, if not all, home invaders. Usually they’ll stop the invasion and run away at the first layer of defense when it begins to disrupt their plans.
And even if they manage to break through to the inside of your house, far and few in-between will continue their endeavor with a large seriously angry dog coming at them or while anti-intrusion devices are waking up the whole neighborhood and automatically dialing the police, and they are also suddenly facing a locked and loaded out of sight determined homeowner waiting to ambush them with a couple dozen rapid fire hollow points if they are stupid enough to run in the wrong direction!
Start now by assessing your ’Threat Level’ and vulnerability factor. Then get moving on ’improving’ your security situation as soon as you can. You won’t be sorry!
This article has been written by Mahatma Muhjesbunde for Survivopedia.
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Wednesday, August 5, 2015
We are now making several paracord watches for members of our military unit and want to see how many of you would be interested....the watch on the left is equipped with a basic paracord watch band including a hand cuff key in the buckle. The watch on the right is the first edition special tactics survival watch. This watch is loaded with a fishing kit, first aid kit, water purification tablets, fire tender, parasaw, p52 can opener, compass, handcuff key, flint and flint knife, and a casio gshock watch face. All contents are waterproofed and encased inside the watch bands. Each band is equipped with custom engineered attachment points to allow for interchangeable watch bands. If you are interested email us at customer.service@thecoroutfitters.com #military #specialtactics #specialforces #usa #usarmy #usmc #usaf #armyrangers #usnavy #uscoastguard #watches #paracord #paracordbracelet #watchesofinstagram #survival #survialist #prepper #preppers #thecoroutfitters #bugout #bugoutbag #bugoutgear #shtf
Prepping Plans: If You’re Reading This, I May Be Dead
Written by Pat Henry on The Prepper Journal.
Would your family know what to do in the event of a disaster or SHTF event? Would the prepping supplies you have carefully purchased and stored away help your family survive or would they be unused because nobody knew about them? Not that your family is inept without you, but do they know all of […]
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Gardening tools that you probably don’t realize you have!
Today we present another article in our non-fiction writing contest – Brian F
Well I hope that I caught your attention! Yes I have discovered by watching and visiting friends and relatives that we all have great gardening tools that are not realized or used.
Before I list them, I have some questions, how much fertilizers of any kind do you buy in a seasons time. The main question really is how much do you spend on the fertilizers? How much mulch do you buy in a seasons time and how much do you pay for it? How much have you spent on expensive gas powered equipment, plus the cost of fuel...
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8 Financial Experts That Are Warning That A Great Financial Crisis Is Imminent
By Michael Snyder – Economic Collapse Blog
Will there be a financial collapse in the United States before the end of 2015? An increasing number of respected financial experts are now warning that we are right on the verge of another great economic crisis. Of course that doesn’t mean that it will happen. Experts have been wrong before.
But without a doubt, red flags are popping up all over the place and things are lining up in textbook fashion for a new financial crisis. As I write this article, U.S. stocks have declined four days in a row, the Dow is down more than 750 points...
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Loss of a Pack member
Hello MD.
I’m known by the Pack as Docsay. It is hard to say this but I am using this email address to let the Pack know that on July 4th the man that we knew as Tracker passed away. He suffered a massive stroke and died almost instantly.
He was my neighbor, my friend, my teacher and my mentor. He thought the world of you and the Wolf Pack. He loved to read the back and forth between various members. BC, Penrod, Axlesteve, Becky and so many more.
He often said that he wished he could meet everyone in person and toss around ideas for solutions to our collective problems. Sorry. Getting...
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Wednesday Miscellany News Brief
1.) Middle Eastern Men Intimidating U.S. Military Families In Colorado & Wyoming : “An alert has been issued by the FBI to all law enforcement agencies in Colorado and Wyoming involving U.S. military families and concerns about who may be watching them.”
2.) Feds charge 3 men accused of prepping for martial law : By the title given to this article, you would think that prepping for martial law or another event was a crime, also they give the impression that stockpiled weapons, ammunition and tactical gear are also illegal in North Carolina. The only crime they allegedly...
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Surviving Heat: How To Get Water From Plants
We’ve discussed the need for water for survival ad nauseam throughout many of our articles here on Survivopedia because, quite simply, you’ll die quickly without it. Though most people think of water as the clear stuff that comes in a glass, there are other ways to get the hydration that you need if your water supply is suddenly cut off. You can survive by getting water from plants.
Many plants have a surprisingly high water content that you can use to hydrate. Like people, a plant is generally made up mostly of water but they’re not all safe to consume. Nearly all grasses are edible but there are many plants and flowers that are poisonous so you want to be careful about what you eat in your attempt to get some moisture.
Watermelon
This delicious fruit is comprised almost entirely of water; thus the name. Eating watermelon is almost as hydrating as drinking a glass of water and also offers carbohydrates and nutrients.
This is definitely a fruit that you should have in your survival garden. Since you can grow smaller ones even in a vertical garden, it’s doable for most people regardless of space.
Hens and Chicks
No, not the feathered kind – the plant kind! Hens and chicks, scientifically named Sempervivum, are those little succulents that look sort of like roses made from aloe leaves, or maybe a bit like a puffy artichoke. In Latin, the name actually means “always alive” if that tells you anything about the hardiness of this plant.
It’s found across the US growing in rocky crevices and people have taken to growing it as ground cover in the garden, though you have to be careful growing it because it will easily go feral.
The leaves of the plant are entirely edible and extremely hydrating. They taste sweet, crunchy and a bit astringent. This gives you the odd sensation of having a dry or puckered mouth while you’re actually getting a ton of hydration. Though I’ve never tried it, I’m told that it actually tastes good.
In addition to being a hydrating plant, the juice is also good for soothing skin irritations such as bug bites or minor burns.
Berries
Berries of any sort, wild or domestic, are packed with water though some are poisonous, so do your research.
If they’re edible, you can eat the leaves and stems as well as the berries, though make sure that you only eat fresh leaves; as they wilt, the chemical composition alters and wilted leaves may make you sick to your stomach.
Miner’s Lettuce
This wild plant grows throughout most of the US and is extremely high in vitamin C as well as a good source of hydration. It’s an annual that starts growing in the spring and likes shady spots.
You can identify it by its light green leaves and the stem that grows right through the leaves. It grows from 6-12 inches in height. There can be 25 or more stems growing from a single root.
Miner’s lettuce is described as delicious – it’s sweet and juicy. You can eat the leaves, stems and flowers of the plant, which will be small and white or pink.
Mint
Mint is a hit with kids and picky people because it tastes…well, minty. All members of the mint family have square stems and you can eat the entire plant. They’re not hard to find – when they’re near, you’ll likely smell mint! The stems of mint are always square and the leaves are serrated. They may also have pink or white flowers which are also edible.
They’re a good source of water and also have significant nutritional value. Mint is rich in vitamins A and C, thiamin, folic acid, riboflavin, manganese, magnesium, copper, potassium, iron, calcium and zinc. They’re also great for soothing your stomach and treating morning sickness and IBS. Not only does mint grow in the wild, it’s also a great addition to your herb garden!
Maple and Birch Sap
We’ve talked about making syrup from sap but if you read that article then you know that sap is mostly made of water. Though the sap really only runs in the early spring, it’s a great source of water and it’s relatively easy to tap in to. You also get a significant yield and there are essential minerals in the sap that are good for you.
Grow maple or birch trees on your property or look for them in the wild if you’re on the run because they are plants that are a great source of water in a survival situation. Taps are light so you may want to throw one in your bug-out bag.
If it isn’t spring, you can still wring water out of the fiber of the trees themselves!
Cacti
Plants that have adapted by altering their physical structure so that they can survive in drought conditions are called xerophytes. These include all forms of cacti, including aloe and smaller cactus plants that you can easily grow in a little garden. Prickly pears are particularly suited for this because they provide a ton of water, they’re pretty and they taste good, too.
Prickly pears, or Opuntia cacti, grow both pads (leaves) and fruits that are edible and good sources of water. The fruits ripen in late September and are bright red with a bright orange center. Others are yellow on the outside and green on the inside and aren’t quite as sweet as the red ones. You can eat them raw or make them into syrup, jellies and even liquor!
Vines of Any Sort
Vines that are at least an inch and a half in diameter are a good source of water but you need to know which ones are safe to consume. Safe vines give a clear fluid and poisonous ones yield a milky, sticky sap.
Even the vines that contain potable water can cause skin irritation if you touch the outside of the vine so let the liquid drip into your mouth instead of putting the vine in your mouth. A container is even better. Vines look great in gardens as long as you don’t let them invade your other plants.
Palm Trees
You can only grow palm trees outside if you live in tropical or sub-tropical climates but they yield quite a bit of water – up to a liter per day. The buri, nipa and coconut palms are the best ones to use; simply bend one of the flowering stalks and cut its tip, then let the water drain from it. If you cut another thin slice off the stalk a couple of hours later, the flow will resume.
The nipa is the best palm to grow for this because the shoots start at ground level – no climbing required. Coconut palms are good to have but can’t be grown inside because they’re tall, but coconut water is extremely good for you.
Now that you know about a few plants that are good sources of water in a survival situation, plan to include some in your garden and do your research so that you can recognize them in the wild. You never can tell when knowing how to get water from plants will save your life one day.
This list is by no means all-inclusive. If you know of other plants that are a good water source, please tell us about them in the comments section below!
This article has been written by Theresa Crouse for Survivopedia.
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Tuesday, August 4, 2015
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15 Tips For Surviving Journeys Through The Wild
In today’s modern world, land navigation without computer assistance is almost a lost art form. The average person finds it too hard to use a map and compass, let alone other tools that can be used to get from point A to point B. Maps, compasses, and other non-computer oriented navigation tools require at least some basic math skills.
What would be the odds to get lost in the wilderness, far far away from civilization? What if your car gets broken or your plane crushes in the middle of nowhere?
This is why you must know how to find your way back to civilization, and get back safe home with your group or to any other destination of interest to you.
Should You Stay or Leave Your Location?
Before you even decide to go somewhere, you need to assess what you are leaving behind in exchange for going somewhere else. Some questions you need to ask include:
- Do you have the knowledge, training, and experience to survive in the wild, or in some other area of interest to you? If so where are you goin and how long will it take to get back to civilization or your current location if needed?
- Are you injured? If so how bad? Will you need to heal before leaving?
- What is the situation with food or water supplies? Are there other people who can or cannot travel?
- Is the weather too hot or cold for the group to survive?
- What advantages/disadvantages are there to going to a remote location?
If you survived a plane crash and you are a survivor, stay at the crash site. In most cases if an aircraft is experiencing trouble the pilot will send out a Mayday call stating location, course, and nature of the problem.
If you are in a major boating or ship accident, stay with the boat or ship. If there was time, the captain would have sent out a Mayday giving location and how bad the damage is to include whether or not the craft can stay afloat or if it will sink. Finally if you are in a car or an off the road vehicle stay put with the vehicle and wait for help to come.
In all of these examples searchers have a starting point to search for survivors. The worst thing that could happen is the survivors would leave the crash site and get lost from the main group. Now the rescuers will have many lost people to find instead of one group of survivors at a known location.
If you are at an emergency shelter stay there. Most search parties would check there first and then broaden the search area outward. If you are lucky enough to have a map of the area, emergency shelters are usually located on the map if any exist in the area.
In most cases it is best to stay with a group and not set out on your own. If you leave, the rescue party will have more than one rescue to conduct, which means valuable time will be lost. Never forget that within just a few minutes a situation can become critical. An untrained person in the wild would not last long in this environment and would most likely die from their lack of knowledge on how to survive in the wild.
Even if you have jogged down a few nature trails, consider yourself fit, or gone camping in a public campsite, that does not mean you are truly ready to survive in the wild. From snakes and contaminated water to poisonous insects and mistaking poisonous plants for edible ones, you truly never know when disaster will strike.
When to Leave the Group or the Location?
1. If you are alone and no one knows where you are. In this situation, you may well be safer trying to survive in the woods, or going through uninhabited areas in order to get back to civilization.
Do this only if you are pretty sure of you location and you have the experience with a map and compass or other means of land navigation.
Even if you do not have a map for the area, knowing basic navigation skills can help prevent you from going around in circles or losing track of how much area you have already covered.
2. When no one would be looking for you because you are not where you should be. This could happen if you were lost in a storm and you were blown off course. A second reason for not being where you are supposed to be could be by damage to the navigation systems. Since you are off course in this situation, there may not be a beacon or other alert in the probable search area.
3. If you or a group have been missing for a while and the supplies are running low. I would do this only if there had been no signs of a search in the area. Before you leave, place a note in a weather proof container stating your name (and the names of those leaving with you), what direction you stated out in, the date, health/physical condition, how long your supplies are expected to last, and when (if) you will return to the area where you started out from.
4. When a member or members of the group require emergency medical care. If the travel distance is not to long and there is a strong belief of the location or the camp is not known, then go for it.
5. If it is decided within the group that one portion of the group should leave to seek out a safe route back to civilization and try to return with help and rescuers. Then the group should be divided into two groups.
The first group (the A group) would contain all those individuals that would be staying at the present location. The A group would be made up individuals that are injured (but in a non-emergency condition), children, elderly, and infants, plus at least one or two people that can help them survive. Those who cannot travel must stay behind because the terrain is too rough for them or the distance is too great to be traveled by them.
The second group (the B group) would contain all the individuals that would be leaving the present encampment to find help or rescuers. For each member of the B group they should write down their name, next of kin, and other contact information in the event that they are lost and leave it with A group. Included in this information should be the route taken, departure date if known, estimate of travel time, and return date.
Also the B group should be carrying the same information on A group with a possible location of A group’s camp. This way if A or B groups are lost their personal information and other information could be used to find the other missing group and verify who they are.
Before the B group leaves there should be built enough shelters for the A group to be kept out of the weather. Look around you and make what ever you have work for you. If you have a broken down vehicle, aircraft, water craft, or any wreckage, or building debris use it for the construction of shelters. Remember to use what you have first if you do not have any ready made shelters. A handy acronym to remember when building a survival shelter is the word SITTING.
- S is for shelter. Find, build, and use one based on your environment.
- I is for improvise. Improvise all materials from around you.
- T is for trees. Look to trees for a quick sleep spot or for construction materials for a shelter.
- T is for time. Take your time and build the shelters right the first time.
- I is for insight on how to build the project.
- N is for nature. Use all that nature offers including caves, holes, logs, fallen trees, and other useful materials just laying around.
- G is for ground. Build a platform on the ground at least. Go under ground in extreme weather.
When building long term shelters take the time to get it off the ground and protect it well from wind, rain, and, all of the nasty little critters. Make sure that there is lots of cushioning for sleeping and lots of leaves and foliage to make cover for warmth.
Travel Tips to Use While on Your Journey
Now that you have prepared for your trip, selection of the route is everything. When choosing the route always choose the path of least resistance. The odds are high you will be weak, tired, and hungry. Also, keep in mind a few thing in order to survive the journey:
Try to walk the high ground. Do not descend unless it is required. It is hard on you to climb down hill, but it is even harder to climb back up. This will wear you out faster than if you walk the ridge lines. The nice thing about walking
the ridge lines is that you can see both sides of the mountain, this will double your chances of finding civilization or water.- If you must drop down into lower elevations, try to read the ridges and stay on a path that keeps you as high as possible on the land. Look out for dead ends that will eventually force you to backtrack.
- Avoid walking in valley bottoms, as it could be dangerous. About the only time to do this is if you are looking for water or trying to shield yourself from high winds or other bad weather conditions. In these low areas, you are more likely to encounter thick bush that makes traveling very difficult. If you find yourself in thick bush, drop down low and try to find a game trail to follow out. Once out, do not return to this type of terrain.
- Use terrain features like rivers and ridge lines to help keep you on track. These features will help to keep you from getting disoriented in thick cover or low light.
- Do not try to traverse swamps or mountain ranges. It is safer just to go around them, unless your time is running out and you have no choice but to take the chance or die.
- As you are walking on the route be aware of your surroundings. Do not walk with your head down or staring out into space. Always study and analyze your environment for things that might be of benefit to you. For example, always look for tracks either animal or human. These tracks could lead you to food, water, or even rescue.
- One of the worst things that could happen to you on your route to freedom is to find yourself going around in circles. Most people have a dominant leg when they walk. As you walk you tend to step longer and stronger with your dominant leg. This actually makes it difficult to walk a precise straight line for long distances. Unless you correct your course on a regular basis, your body will tend to steer you in a large circle in the direction opposite of your dominant leg. If your dominant leg is your right leg, then you will circle to the left. To correct this problem step to the right whenever you come to a tree or other obstruction in the path that causes you to deviate from the straight line path. This will keep you closer to the on course route.
- Be aware of the fear factor! When you are lost, scared, or uncomfortable in a unfamiliar landscape there is a tendency to move toward your dominant side. This tendency is greatly increased at night and cause people to run around in total panic.
- Never jump off a cliff into unknown water! There may be dangerous rocks or other under water obstructions below the surface.
- Stay out of freezing water. You will become hypothermic within 45 minutes and could die. It is best to build a raft or continue to walk down the river. You never know, you just might walk into civilization or rescue.
If you find yourself working too hard, think strongly about changing the route for an easier path. Do not push too hard to reach a planned destination. Your schedule is not chiseled in stone. It must be flexible in the event of unplanned delays.
Remember to take it as easy as possible, it is not worth wearing yourself out. While traveling, remember you must take planned breaks for food, water, rest, and sleep. If you do not take care of basic needs, there is a strong chance you will not make it to the final destination.
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This article has been written by Fred Tyrell for Survivopedia.
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