You’ve probably not noticed but I spent most of the past few days making TheSurvivalistBlog.net more secure for you. Look up at the URL and if you’re using the Google Chrome web browser you’ll notice a lock icon before the site URL and the word “Secure” in green.
This means that the site is secure using https instead of http – read the explanation below from Instant SSL:
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is the secure version of HTTP, the protocol over which data is sent between your browser and the website that you are connected to. The...
from TheSurvivalistBlog.net RSS Feed
Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. Are you ready for any situation?
#SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag
“My faith in humanity restored”…”THIS is how Americans really treat each other”….”We see heroes and victims, we don’t see colors”….the images are undeniable, they are both heart-breaking and faith-restoring.
This is the America we know, these are our neighbors and friends and our family members stepping up. This is happening in Texas. As someone who has been to 49 of our 50 states I know this would also happen in Alaska and Florida and Maine and California and all the places in between, and yes, even Hawaii. Stories of large furniture stores opening their doors to all who need a refuge, bakers working around the clock and giving away the food, pizza chains delivering free pizzas by kayak to flooded homes, beer companies switching production to canned water and donating it for free, are endless.
Sadly, to every silver lining there is a cloud, and in this case it is price gouging and looting. Two (2) more reasons to prep if you aren’t already. It is about being realistic as to the endless good in some people as well as the expedient dismissal of rules and laws and moral behaviors in others. And even the good can turn to the dark side when they are cold and wet and hungry and desperate.
Chain store employees and their local management NOT thinking that for every extra $40 a case they make on bottled water, they will be loosing thousands from customer who will see this and never buy from them again. Hotels, working the economics of “scarcity” with 17,000+ local households displace, and thousands of rescue workers flowing in, tripping their rates; gas stations hiking prices 10% in a single night in spite of the fact that they had no new delivery at a higher price but did it in “anticipation” of that event. In reality, while it could be a reasoned out as a rational economic move, not on this grand a scale and over a single night and people, especially people in desperate circumstances, have long memories.
The message here is clear to preppers, we know these things may come to pass and we wish to maintain as high a place on the food chain as we can for as long as we can. We look to protect ourselves and our families and that is a noble thing.
And then, at the bottom of the food chain, looting:
As we know in a SHTF scenario this is to be expected of people in need, and supplies left unattended, but that is not the case here. This is the ROL ending, even briefly, and this is motivated by hate more than need. Remember that the next time someone asks you why you prep. It is real and it would happen from sea to shining sea and this is something people need to prepare for, come to grips with, and have a plan.
I expect a lot of comments as this is an emotionally charged issue. Twitter is buzzing with well-wishes as well as message so hate-filled I will give them no platform. Humans are complicated in the comforts of a stable environment, unknowns when thrown into chaos.
As Howard Ruff said “It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark”.
from The Prepper Journal
Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies?
#SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag
Everyone knows that you need to practice your sustainable gardening skills now before the world as we know it ends. However, how are you implementing that practice? Did you purchase your seedlings from a store? If you have bugs in your garden, do you reach for the Seven? If a plant dies, do you run to the store to get another one? Did you purchase commercial manure or garden soil to ‘plus up’ your soil this year?
As we all know, this isn’t sustainable. My idea of survival gardening is to take all necessary actions needed to overcome the...
from TheSurvivalistBlog.net RSS Feed
Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. Are you ready for any situation?
#SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag
Most people wrongly believe that it is difficult, if not impossible to hide in plain sight. If you want to avoid detection even when surrounded by other people that may be looking for you, you have to change your way of thinking and learn how to blend into your surroundings.
Once you have mastered how to do this, you can hide in plain sight without family, close friends, or co-workers noticing you.
9 Ways to Make Yourself Invisible With What You Have on Hand
Sometimes individuals have distinctive features that make them stand out in a crowd. It could be a scar, tattoo, or the color of their eyes. The following items can help to make you invisible.
Hats
Use a hat to cover hair styles or colors that are not common where you are. If no one is wearing a hat and you are, take it off or wear a scarf instead rather than take a chance of your hair standing out in the crowd.
Glasses
If you have distinctive colored eyes, wear different colored contacts, sun glasses, or regular clear reading glasses that have fake lens. Once again, the style and design of the glasses should match what is popular in the area so that you do not stand out.
Hide Distinctive Signs
If you have scars or tattoos on your body, wear long sleeve shirts or jackets to hide them. If in an area where almost everyone has tattoos or scars, then don’t try to cover them unless they make you easy to identify.
For example, if you have fairly common tatoo design such as a rose, it will blend easily enough in the crowd. On the other hand, if the tatoo has an uncommon word in it, and people know to look for that word, it might be better to cover up that tattoo rather than take a chance of it being spotted.
Use Makeup
Use makeup to hide scars or a distinctive face, and it is also possible to use makeup to make you look older or younger. Using temporary glued on beards or mustaches can also help to hide your actual facial structure. Remember that this makeup must make the wearer fit into the crowd, not draw attention.
For example, if the people around you don’t wear a lot of cheek color or eyeliner, try to avoid these options. If you are a male, be very careful about how you apply makeup so that it isn’t obvious you are using this particular aide.
Trick Technology
To hide from facial recognition technology, if you are in an area that is covered by video cameras, you must change the basic facial structure of your face. This can be done by puffing out your cheeks or packing your nose with tissue. Try not to over do it, because this will draw attention to you as well.
Fix Your Hair
Wear your hair in the style similar to what others in the area are wearing. If people around you have messy looking hair, don’t make yours look neat and clean. By the same token, if everyone is wearing long hair that is straight and neat, don’t walk around with a permanent or hair that looks messy.
Clothes
Your clothing must not stand out from other individuals around you. You must know what is considered to be the norm of the group in the area. If you don’t look like them, you will stand out and attract attention. You must dress yourself up or down by adding or removing ties, jackets, or shirts.
Usually, neutral colors will blend in better. Always choose gray over black or white over red because these colors blend better and can be visually harder to follow at a distance.
The Way You Walk
If you must temporarily change your looks to stay invisible in a crowd, you may also have to change your gait. If you are making yourself look older then walk slower and more carefully. Using a small stick as a cane may also help people think you are older or disabled.
You can also add a small coin or stone in your shoe to give you a small limp. When trying to look younger, walk a little faster than normal, but not so fast it draws attention to you. Never ever run unless it is an emergency!
Jewelry
If you must wear jewelry or a watch, make it simple and match what the local people wear. If they don’t wear any jewelry, take all yours off as well.
The Dos and Don’ts of How to Act When Hiding in Plain Sight
Even though you may want to move through an area a quickly as possible, haste can lead to making mistakes that cause you to be easily spotted.
It is better to go through each of the following points so that you don’t overlook anything important:
Observe the area you will be traveling through to see what people are expecting to see in individuals traveling through this area.
You must have a plan to blend in. The look that you decide on must enable you to merge into the crowd you’ll be hiding in.
The plan should cover what colors to wear, what type of accessories to wear, and what type of footwear will match your look and the crowd.
Look like the average individual in this crowd. The more you look like everyone else around you, the harder it will be to spot you as someone different, and therefore worthy of interest.
People will always notice what is out of place. To keep from creating problems or other distractions, follow the crowd in all aspects, otherwise you will become the problem or the distraction that others notice. When walking in a crowd, stay near the center of the group, as this is the most populated area, and therefore makes you the least conspicuous. Never stay long in the center of the group or go near the fringes. If others are moving from one area to another, match their patterns so that it looks like you have the same interests as everyone else assembled.
If you must change direction or cross the the crowd, do it as smoothly as possible. The trick is to mimic what the crowd is doing to better fit in with the movement of the group.
When walking with crowds, you must look, walk, and act like you belong there for the same reason everyone else does. Act like you have a purpose and know where you are going. Fast walking, being skittish, and looking in all directions quickly will make you look suspicious and draw unwanted attention to you.
To keep a low profile, remain silent. If you must talk to someone, use a softer than normal voice that will not travel far. Using your normal voice volume may give you away if it’s different than the locals. If you are traveling overseas it is good to speak the local dialect or use the accent of the region you are living in. Failure to do this will immediately reveal that you are not a member of the crowd. When speaking to other individuals in the crowd, follow the local body language customs. If people are smiling and agreeable, do the same thing. To keep from getting unwanted attention, don’t stay silent or ignore people when they try to talk to you. Keep the answers short and to the point, but still within keeping for the group.
Trying to hide in plain sight it can be a very stressful. You must act and move in a casual manner. All of your body movements should show others that you are not in a hurry or nervous, and that you are one of them.
Avoid eye contact, but don’t go to extremes. Making eye contact is a way two or more people acknowledge each other. You must not look people in the eyes that are close to you. Instead look at the ground 25 to 30 feet ahead of you. Don’t make it obvious that you don’t want to look others in the eye or this will also make you memorable or worthy of suspicion.
Try to obey all laws and city ordinances in the area you are hiding in. Nothing attracts attention like jaywalking or walking on posted park grass. Obey all traffic laws. Monitor all vehicle lights and replace all burned out lights immediately. Be sure driver’s license, license plates, and all other permits are up to date. The last thing you want is the police to notice you or stop you. This is how a lot of “invisible” individuals get caught.
Have a good sense of situation awareness. Be able to look and study a crowd without looking like you are doing so. As you watch the crowd, you may be able to spot individuals that are looking for you. If possible, notice how they stick out, and the response of others around them. Make sure you aren’t duplicating their obvious behaviors and mistakes.
Even something simple can cause you to become visible when you want to stay hidden. It is to your advantage to practice your own skills, and also observe people in crowds as much as you can. Make note of things people do that make them stand out, and then see if you have the same or similar habits. The more you observe and practice, the easier it will be to stay invisible when you really have to.
How to Hide From Some While Remaining Visible to Others
You need a plan that you can use in case you must escape a situation where you need to hide from someone like an active shooter while being easy to find by the police or others trying to help you. To help you to easily remember the parts of the plan, use the acronym ALICE, which stands for:
A= Alert – notify the authorities and the people around you of the problem.
L= Lock down – Find and secure yourself and others in a location that is to hard for unwanted people to get to.
I= Inform – Keep the authorities informed of the situation and know your surroundings.
C= Counter – If there are no other options, confront or interrupt the attacker.
E= Escape/Evade/Evacuate – do so if you can manage it.
Other important parts of your plan include the following:
Always stay positive
A calm outlook and attitude can help you avoid panic. Try to maintain a positive outlook and maintain clear, logical thinking. Never let go of the belief that you will survive and that an opportunity to reach safety will present itself as long as you are capable of looking for it.
Know the source of the danger
Always be aware of where the danger is coming from and stay away.
Know where the exits are located and where they go to
Get away from the immediate danger and find the nearest exit that can get you away and outside of the danger zone.
Arm yourself
Remember anything can be used as a weapon. Make yourself as dangerous as possible in the event you are forced to defend yourself and others.
Always be prepared to move quickly when necessary to get you and your party to safety.
When on the move, always use cover to protect you as you travel from one strong point to another. Never stay in the open longer than is needed.
Don’t travel along walls
Always travel at least six inches away from walls to stay away from ricocheting bullets.
How to Find the Best Position
If you are visiting an area that might be targeted by terrorists or hostage takers, always do the following:
Locate as many exits as possible that lead away from the main area of the building.
Look for offices, classrooms, or storage rooms that can be barricaded and defended.
Make these safe areas very hard to break into. Usually, attackers will skip over areas that are hard to get into and seek easier targets.
Locate areas that provide good to excellent cover or concealment.
Find and use an area that has good cell phone reception to contact the authorities.
Keep track of where security or other personnel may be. If they aren’t already targets of the criminals in the situation, they may still be able to help you.
How to Keep Children Silent
It is extremely important that you stay calm when in a dangerous situation. Don’t be reactive to the situation and you must find ways to keep and stay calm. Remember, children take their cues of behavior from adult’s actions. If you stay calm, so will the children. If you lose control and panic so will they.
To help children to be silent and under control in an emergency, practice and rehearse emergency survival situations. The more everyone practices together, the more you will be able to handle any kind emergency situation. If the children know what to expect, there is less a chance they will cry, scream, or panic.
How to Breath and Reduce Stress Levels
It is important to teach yourself, and children stress reducing techniques that will aid in calming and slow down breathing.
Breathing exercise 1- count to 10 slowly, breathing in and exhaling with each number. This teaches you how to slow down your breathing, which can create a sense of calm.
Breathing exercise 2- This is a three count exercise. Breath in for a count of three. Hold for a count of three. Exhale for a count of three. Repeat this exercise three times while thinking and focusing on the word relax. This will help to calm your mind.
Isometric exercises- squeezing and releasing all the muscles in your body isometrically and simultaneously can make your muscles relax. Do this three times. This will reduce stress levels quickly.
Visualization – Close your eyes for one minute while focusing your mind on a calming memory of a favorite place (your happy place). Hold this image to the count of three. This will lower your heart rate, blood pressure, and stress levels.
Everyone should know how to hide in plain sight. To do this you must make yourself invisible to all others inside and outside of a group. If mistakes are made they will be noticed quickly by all groups concerned.
If you are in a dangerous situation, blending in with the other individuals in the group can save your life!
This article has been written by Fred Tyrell for Survivopedia.
from Survivopedia
Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies?
#SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag
This week you have scavenged a #10 can of chicken flavored TVP and you have zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes and sweet potatoes from your garden.
While out scavenging you came across a small group of people camped out not far from your home. You observe them for a few days. There is a middle-aged man, two young women and five children. They look tired and hungry. They appear totally unprepared. Would you help them? How would you go...
from TheSurvivalistBlog.net RSS Feed
Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. Are you ready for any situation?
#SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag
Editors Note:A timely guest submission from valnut79, as summer draws to a conclusion in the Northern Hemisphere and tries to make a new beginning down under.
Let’s face it, if we were to plan an SHTF event, there’s no better time for it to happen than the tail-end of summer. Our gardens should be in full force, churning out food left and right, the threat of power outages have minimal impact to our daily lives thanks to the long nights and warm temperatures. There’s still plenty of things to keep us busy as we work on projects, or simply lie in the hammock enjoying cool beverages and good content to read, whether in a book or on a mobile device.
Let’s take advantage of the weather and the sunshine then to do some true tests of your preparedness. “Test your preps” is one of the first and foremost principles of living a lifestyle of preparedness, and now is the time to really, truly see what you can do. You can learn quite a bit about yourself and your supplies as you try to work your way through scenarios.
Challenge #1 – Take Yourself Camping with your Bug Out Bag only.
Find a Friday night , and plan a short, close to home camping trip for you and the family. If you don’t want to leave, then simply camp in your backyard. On Sunday, you can return at midday to prepare for the coming workweek.
Bug Out Bags are designed to be used for a 72-hour period, and contain everything you’ll need for those days, including food, shelter, clothing, and tools for a disaster situation. Testing it in the summer allows you to see how far your bag will take you in case of a real disaster. The Friday-to-Sunday routine is long enough to experience at least a little hardship without being overwhelming if your bag is determined to be underwhelming.
When I tried this two weeks ago, I found that I had a few changes I needed to make in order to make the most of my bug-out bag. My supplies were heavy with too many improperly chosen clothes, and I didn’t include nearly enough food. Since we went with the backyard approach, I just went inside and grabbed two more packs of Ramen Noodles and breakfast bars so that we didn’t starve ourselves, but I cataloged the experience and amended my supplies when the experiment was over. I also found that the multi-tool I packed was not in great shape. It needed a little oil and some TLC to get the sand out of it, and now it’s working much better. I found that I wanted a dedicated cooking pot, and didn’t pack for that eventuality, so now an iron skillet is sitting in the bag, ready to go.
In the end, this helped me modify my bug-out equipment, and reminded me of the value of packing a Summer and Winter lineup of clothes – those sweaters were simply unnecessary, but had been sitting in my pack year-round.
Challenge #2 – Don’t Go Shopping…For a Month
August is a great month, and this August in particular is great because there are three paydays this month for our family that are falling within a one-month period, giving us an extra bit of disposable income. That disposable income is going into our second challenge – we will not go shopping for a whole month, because we’ve prepared for an SHTF situation in which we will not be able to head to the store for any old convenience.
This is the best time of year for you to avoid a trip to the store. As I mentioned above, the garden should be in full-swing. I know that I’m drowning in cucumbers presently, and in a week or two, I’ll likely have a dozen tomatoes to garnish my sandwiches. As of the start of this challenge, I have full food stores for about two months for our family.
Now, as for that disposable income I mentioned earlier. I don’t actually plan to run my supplies down to the bare minimum – we’re using that first August paycheck to definitely go to the store and purchase a whole new set of long-term food storage, but we’re not going to use it for this challenge. We’ll save for the rest of the month to re-earn our money, but that big paycheck lets us go mega-shopping on day 1. Let’s face it, it would be Murphy’s law in the extreme for us to actually use up all of our supply and have the SHTF the very day of our going to resupply.
What will this teach us? Our family is in the beginning stages of this experience currently, so it’s hard to say exactly, but what I hope to learn is how well we’ve actually meal-planned for the coming catastrophe. Is our food supply varied enough to provide nutritional and interesting meals, or did we simply buy too much oatmeal and too many beans? Did I actually calculate correctly when I rationed out the calories, and will we end our month with more than another month of food still left over (we’re eating partly from our garden after all)? Will my wife and I actually enjoy all of the meals we said we would when we taste-tested our Legacy foods? We’ll find out when all is said and done.
Challenge #3 – The Lights-Out Weekend
I believe that, as the parent of a teenager, one of the most difficult SHTF scenarios that I can try to stave off is any time period in which there is no electricity to power her devices. To that end, we tested our ability to reasonably care for our family in case of a long-term power outage by flipping the switch on our breaker box on a Friday afternoon when I came home from work, and turning it back on Monday morning as I left for work.
Do you currently have enough backup power-making equipment to survive a weekend with a technology-less teen?
We found that, fortunately, we did plan for this well enough. The lights-out weekend, was, in fact, so fun that my daughter is willing to do it again in a month or two. I decided that I would prep my wife for this idea by proposing a lights-out weekend to her about 30 days in advance (happy wife, happy life). I told her it was coming, but I didn’t say when. We did not tell our daughter. I live a very routine life, so it’s not difficult for me to over plan for a specific weekend. When I sensed that my wife’s radar for the lights-out weekend was off, I flipped the switch, and called my daughter to come home from her friend’s house. There was no way either of them could plan for this eventuality.
We then went over the rules – use your phone and tablet as much as you’d like, but no leaving the house to enjoy other people’s power and technology, including stores, friends, car chargers and libraries. I distributed one charger from our supply of backup batteries to each person, handed out some candles, and went over the rules of requiring my wife and daughter to snuff them before leaving the room or falling asleep for the night. We then went on about our business.
Friday was a typical weeknight – our daughter spent the night doing her own thing while my wife and I did our own. We did require that she cancel her plans with friends and stay home, which she did willingly. We spent most of the evening enjoying the sunset, my daughter used her battery pack to watch a movie on her tablet. Her pack was spent, so a small argument ensued on Saturday morning, which was quelled shortly thereafter – she knows I’m a stickler for the rules, and as stubborn as it gets, so she didn’t press her luck.
Saturday was where it got fun. There being no technology to entertain her in her room alone, and no contact to be had with friends (her phone was dead too, as she made the bad decision of leaving it on overnight), our daughter was forced to do a very un-teenager thing and actually interact with us. She asked for book recommendations, and I made them willingly, and she actually followed through and chose one of the books I told her about and started reading. My daughter isn’t a complete non-reader, but I was surprised that she made this choice. We were all a little inspired, actually, and with the AC off, we spent the day outside reading on our shaded patio. When night fell, we stayed inside, playing a few games from our board game collection by candlelight. Quality family time.
On Sunday, my wife chose to use her battery pack to power the tablet, and we watched a movie outside together, and then we all chipped in to help do some work in the backyard and gardens together. We cleaned the house when we went inside, and played a few more games and read a little more from our individual books.
This was a really great experience for us. We had a whole weekend of family time, and it came when everyone was least expecting it, so nobody was able to prepare or cheat their way out of it. It was a hot weekend – around 95 degrees for us every day, but we managed to keep cool outside. It was difficult to sleep in such hot weather with no AC, and so we’re now actively looking for ways to manage airflow in case of this being a real situation, but we did know that we could always set up a tent in the yard if necessary.
We learned this – tablets with battery backup are awesome, and you should keep some local copies of digital movies handy in case your router is down. Candles, books and good board games (we play designer games like Ticket to Ride, Catan and Pandemic, not Chutes and Ladders) also make for essential entertainment options. Family time doesn’t have to be a drag, and my daughter learning that alone was well worth the price of being slightly late to work on Monday (apparently the power being off affects my alarm clock’s ability to wake me up on time!).
from The Prepper Journal
Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies?
#SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag
Whether you are planning to go camping, do some yard work, or live outdoors, you’ll need appropriate clothing. From extreme temperatures to injuries, health risks, and even dangers posed by other people, these specific fabrics and garment will keep you safe.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to buy new clothes or even ones that are pre-made, and stockpile them for a crisis situation.
Focus on these 10 questions about material and fit, and you can easily find good quality clothing that will remain in good condition over time.
Is It Easy to Wear in Layers?
If you are expecting to be outdoors in cold weather, it is very tempting to look for the thickest, heaviest garments that you can find. While a certain amount of density in the fabric is important, the ability to have air spaces is also vital for retaining heat.
Choosing thinner garments that you can wear in layers creates air space, and also gives you a greater range of temperatures that you can feel comfortable in.
When choosing garments for layering, you must also pay attention to the garment size and how easy it will be to shift it comfortably between layers, or eliminate altogether.
You may need to buy a ½ to a full size bigger as you reach the outer layers. If at all possible, see if you can try on all the layers at once to see if they feel comfortable and don’t limit your range of motion.
No matter what the temperature and humidity conditions are, your body is going to release sweat. If you are active and moving around a lot, your body will release even more sweat in order to cool down.
A buildup of moisture next to your skin can cause several problems including:
an increased risk of skin breakdown, especially in areas where garments rub into your skin
an increased risk of infection in any are where the outer layer of skin has been compromised
because your body produces sweat in order to cool down, you may lose vital heat if too much moisture stays near your skin. Even if you are in very cold temperatures, the sweat your body produces will cause this cooling effect and spell disaster. Fabrics that wick away moisture will help keep your core body temperature stable.
Will the Fabric Resist Tearing?
You might be going through dense underbrush, or areas where there are apt to be thorns that would scratch your skin if your garments didn’t protect you properly.
A scratch from a thorn or a shrub branch may not seem like more than an inconvenience, but your skin can infect if left unattended. This is especially important if you’re traveling through damp areas or other places where mold, bacteria, mildew, and other pathogens can be introduced into the opening in your skin.
To add insult to injury, if your clothes do not wick correctly, or are uncomfortable to wear, these problems can also make the skin wound even worse.
Choose at least one outer layer garment that is as tear resistant as possible, to prevent this kind of problems. Look for lightweight clothes that are designed to be worn outdoors and a name brand that have a good reputation for producing tear free garments.
Remember, even if you cannot afford new garments, it is not all that difficult to create a loose fitting shirt and pants from suitable material. You may also be very surprised at what you will find at estate sales, yard sales, and flea markets.
How Will the Colors Affect Heat Absorption?
You know that white blocks energy and black absorbs, but you may not give it much though when choosing clothes for outdoor wear. If you are going to be out in colder weather, have an outer layer garment that is black or some other dark color.
On the other hand, if you expect to be out in warmer or hot weather, wear something white or light colored. Bright colors will also absorb heat from the sun, so it is best to reserve them for cooler or mid-range temperatures.
When you are planning an outdoor excursion, make sure you have at least one white, one black, and one neutral color so that you can switch them on and off as needed for your outer garment layers.
Also, if you need different sizes for the inner layers, take along at least one white garment so you can wear it as a single inner layer if you happen to be in hotter temperatures and need to remove all but one layer.
Choose a garment that has long sleeves or legs so that you can still protect yourself from injuries created by thorns, underbrush, or insects.
Can I Adjust the Visibility of this Garment?
Regardless of whether you hunt or not, you may be at risk of being shot or injured in the woods if you aren’t aware of where people are hunting.
You may also come across intentional poachers or those who are hunting out of extreme need outside of legally defined hunting seasons. That’s why it’s best to wear clothes that will ensure you are easy to see and that you will also not be mistaken for game.
Typically, blaze orange is the best color for wearing in an area where hunting will occur because it will not be as easily mistaken for colors found on certain animals.
On the other hand, you might need to escape from a city during crisis or prefer other people be unable to spot you. In these situations, wearing blaze colors, or even white might spell disaster. If your prime concern is visibility, wear a neutral color for the terrain you are traveling through.
For example, you might choose a dark green for the woods, or a tan for desert terrain. If you find that you want to be seen easily, then carry blaze orange arm bands, patches, scarfs, or other coverings that you can easily affix to any outer garment.
What Temperature Ranges is it Best Worn in?
Many people think that layering garments means you can simply wear the same garments all year round, but just add or subtract layers as needed. This won’t always work because different fabrics have different densities to their weaving that make them suitable for some temperatures and not others.
Pay attention to the fabric type and density so that you know which garments may work better for the season. You can still keep one or two items on hand that will fit a mid range, however the rest should be divided between materials suitable for hot or colder temperatures.
Here are some common fabrics and the temperatures they will work best in:
Linen – hot weather – this fabric breathes and wicks well, dries fast, and is also lightweight.
Cotton – depends on the weight. Lighter weight cotton can be used for summer and hot weather, and then use heavier weights for mid range temperatures. Never use cotton for cold weather or any temperature where you must preserve core body temperature because it sucks up sweat easily and will pull heat from your body with the sweat.
Polyester – cold weather – use for inner layers to build air spaces. This fabric does not breathe well, so try to keep it away from your skin.
Wool – cold weather. Is a good insulator and also dries quickly.
Nylon – use as an outer layer for keeping dry and as a wind breaker. Nylon also doesn’t breathe well and should be reserved for outer layers that can be opened up easily to improve air circulation.
Is it Waterproof?
Aside from needing to find out if an outer layer of clothing will withstand rain and other forms of moisture, you have to evaluate the same information for inner layers of outdoor clothing.
While you will want at least one garment to wear when it rains or you need to keep excess moisture out, it will not be a good idea to have waterproof material on any of the inner layers of your outdoor clothing.
Typically, waterproof garments do not wick well, and they will also prevent moisture that has been released by your skin from escaping, which can cause hypothermia in cold weather, and increase the risk of infections because of poor air circulation.
Does it Cover Me Properly for Woods and Rough Terrain?
Have you ever been outdoors in hot weather and didn’t even want to wear a T-shirt? If so, then you may also be tempted to wear the lightest and skimpiest thing you can find to go in the woods.
Unfortunately, this can be a recipe for disaster because:
As you travel through underbrush, you will inevitably brush into brambles, thorns, and twigs. These can easily cut your skin and leave an opening for infection.
Ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects are drawn to anything that might look like a meal. In this case, they can easily land on the back of your neck, upper leg, or other areas where you won’t notice them until it’s too late. The best way to prevent Lyme disease and many other insect borne illnesses it make sure the bugs can’t land on your skin to begin with. Insofar as clothing choice, your best option is to wear garments that cover as much of your skin as possible.
Many people think they can just spray insect repellent on their skin and clothing, and then avoid wearing clothes that cover their skin. These sprays are expensive and exposing you to dangerous poisons that can have long term health consequences, are not likely to be available in the post crisis world. Choose and wear clothes that will cover your skin properly now so that you won’t have to adapt later on.
Can I Adjust the Garment to Keep Out Ticks and Other Insects?
Aside from choosing garments with long sleeves and legs, make sure you can use rubber bands, velcro, or something else to seal off sleeve and pants cuffs.
Add a lightweight turtleneck stop shell in order to prevent insects from landing on the back of your neck. If you cannot find one for sale in a suitable fabric, you will find they are very easy to make.
Make sure they are properly secured and sealed to the garment below them so insects cannot crawl in.
How Well Will it Protect from UV Radiation?
Are you the type that packs the sunscreen away as soon as summertime is over? If so, then you need to use fabrics that have a proven SPF rating for outer layer wear all year round. As long as there is sunlight available, UV rays can reach your skin and cause damage. Even if it is a cloudy day or a very cold one, it is important to wear UV proof clothing.
Contrary to popular belief, fabric garments will not automatically block out all UV. To perform a quick test, hold the fabric up to the light. If you can see any light at all shining through, then the garment will allow UV to reach your skin.
Since you will be buying lighter weight garments to create layers, this test is extremely important all year round. To be on the safe side, choose at least one outer layer garment from a reputable company that gives an SPF rating on the label.
As with choosing garments that can be adjusted for keeping insects away, choosing garments that protect your skin from UV can help in a major social collapse scenario. Why worry about buying sunscreen when you can use these garments to do the same job. You can increase the lifespan of your sunscreen stockpile until you figure out a way to make your own using natural materials.
If you visit any department store or mall, you will find all kinds of expensive “outdoor” gear, and find yourself wondering what to buy. Try starting off with lighter weight garments that can be worn in layers, and then focus on color, visibility, waterproofing, UV protection, and insect management.
Asking ten simple questions about each garment, and thinking about how you will use it, will also help you evaluate garments in other places.
No matter whether you visit a second hand store, flea market, or decide to sew the garments, you will have confidence in evaluating the garment and fabric within the context of your needs as opposed to always relying on name brands and testimonials.
This article has been written by Carmela Tyrell for Survivopedia.
from Survivopedia
Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies?
#SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag
Editors Note:A guest submission from Mitchell, founder of Musket Hunting, a timely article as hunting season is upon us. As always, if you have information for Preppers that you would like to share and possibly receive a $25 cash award like Mitchell, as well as being entered into the Prepper Writing Contest AND have a chance to win one of three Amazon Gift Cards with the top prize being a $300 card to purchase your own prepping supplies, then enter today!
The fall is here again. If you are a passionate deer hunter, you must be ready to go into the woods and tag your trophy winning buck. But before you step into the woods, I will like to share a few tips that can help you to improve your chances of killing the big game you’ve always dreamed about. Here are some expert tips on how to sharpen your shooting skills, avoid spooking your buck, when to hunt, and how to process deer meat without incurring high deer processing cost.
Practice Effectively
Every passionate deer hunter practices his bow hunting skills. But the question is “do you practice effectively?” You should practice shooting your bow while you are putting on your camo, boots, harness and other hunting gear. This helps you to discover the type of noises you will make in the woods. It also allows you to know if any of your equipment will stop you from tagging your buck.
Make sure you do your practice in a typical hunting position. If you know you will hunt from a tree stand, practice from there not on the ground. Remember that the angles at which you will shoot will be different in each position. So you should set up your tree stand and practice shooting from it. Shoot at targets directly in front of you and shoot at targets that are not. This will help you to prepare for the different types of situations you will encounter during hunting.
Keep Out the Noise
Silencers are designed to help us reduce the noise our bows make. But placing many silencers on it will not cut out all the noise completely. So what else can you do to eliminate noises connected with hunting? First, you must understand that removing your bow from the rest, attaching a release, drawing out an arrow, and setting your foot for the short all produce a significant amount of noise. So you should practice all these actions frequently to ensure you can do them silently. Putting foam around your bow rest can make it very silent. Also, placing a small carpet under your feet will make them quiet.
Sharpen Your Broad-heads
Your bow naturally attracts more attention than your arrow. But it is the broad-head that helps you to kill the deer. Although modern broad-heads are far more effective than what we had a few years back, they must be kept razor sharp. If you have just shot a broad-head into a foam target, you must not use for hunting immediately after. Sharpen it first.
Hunt in the Pre-Rut Season
Expert hunters, who target trophy winning buck, know that the rut is not really the best time to tag them. Many advanced trail cameras have tracked a buck within a hunting area throughout the season but it ends up being shot up to 2 miles away. Mature bucks are smart and they need to be studied carefully before you can shoot them successfully. For the following reasons it is better to tag a hit list buck during the pre-rut.
* Bucks Stay at Home in the Pre-Rut: You can only shoot at your target buck if he is at home. Pre-rut is the time when the buck will be more active in the daylight and stay within the boundaries of his home range. With the day-to-day levels of testosterone still rising, the buck will be prepared to come out of its bedding or staging areas in search of a doe.
* Bucks Respond to Calls at This Time: Bucks would have spent most of September and the early days of October, scraping and rubbing to prepare for fights. The levels of testosterone in the buck will make him come out if he hears a call from a challenger. So if you see your buck cruising, make a challenger grunt and get ready for a quick shot. This type of call is quite effective when your hunting stand is close to thick cover or there is something to obstruct the buck’s view. This will make him move close to investigate.
Crop Harvest Will Draw the Deer Out: If your hunting area is close to a corn field, the harvest time will offer a unique advantage. Many of these corn fields are harvested in the second half of October and there will be a lot of waste grain to draw the bucks out of their cover. At this time, the bucks will be compelled to bed inside woodlots and walk out in broad daylight. This makes them more predictable.
Target Bedding Areas in the Morning
During the pre-rut season, you need to make the best use of each time of the day, particularly the early hours. For instance, a bedding area is the ideal place to hunt in the morning during the pre-rut. During this season, bucks are actively searching for does at this time. Even if you get to your stand at dawn and you don’t see any buck coming out of the bedding area. Be patient. You could still see one come out as late as 10 am to find a doe.
Learn How to Process Your Venison
After you’ve shot your deer, you need to know how to process deer meat so you can preserve it and enjoy its unique taste, flavor and texture. Before you carry or drag the deer into your truck or camp site, make sure it is dead. This will help to prevent serious injuries. Then you must do field dressing immediately to remove the internal organs of the deer before transporting it.
At your camp, you need to hang it up, preferably with the head at the bottom so the blood can drain out completely. While the deer is hanging, cut the rib cage open using a hack saw. Then put a 2″x 4″ stick into it to keep it open for proper air circulation. The hanging position also offers a perfect chance to take off the skin. Use a sharp knife to obtain the best result. While taking off the skin, be careful not to allow fur to get on the meat. Take off the head, the tail and the legs from the knee downwards. Then rinse the meat thoroughly. If you are a new hunter, you may need to get help from a more experienced hunter or get a professional to do it and pay the deer processing cost.
Deer meat needs to age for at least three to seven days. During this time, the meat must be kept at a temperature that is close to, or less than 40 degrees F, to avoid spoilage. If the temperature is greater than 40 degrees, then you should not age it for more than three days. Aging the meat helps to make it tender and it improves the flavor. After you are through with aging, cut up the meat and store it in a freezer. To keep predators and scavengers away from your encampment, dispose of the carcass at a place far away from it. The other area natives will consider this a feast and efficiently dispose of it for you.
Conclusion
These ideas and tips will help you tag the type of buck you’ve always wanted during this hunting season. They are simple and easy to apply. Keep them in mind as you prepare to step into the woods.
from The Prepper Journal
Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies?
#SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag
The recent arrival of Hurricane Harvey is somewhat personal for me. Early Friday morning, before it made landfall, radar course projections showed it heading right for my home. Since I only live 90 miles inland, we would have been hit hard by the 130 plus mile-per-hour winds and torrential rainfall.
But Harvey made a course change just before landfall and passed north of our home, leaving us safe.
But that doesn’t mean that Harvey was safe by any means.
As a Category 4 hurricane, Harvey’s winds are strong enough to tear buildings apart. It has dumped somewhere over nine trillion gallons of water on Texas, devastating Corpus Christi, Houston and many smaller towns.
While there has only been five reported deaths as of this writing, billions of dollars worth of property has been destroyed. This hurricane could very well be the most devastating to hit our country since Katrina, topping Sandy in total dollars of destruction.
Part of what has made Harvey so destructive is that it has moved very little since hitting the Texas coast, dumping trillions of gallons of water in what is really a rather small amount of space. By the time all is said and done, Houston is projected to end up receiving around 50 inches of rain.
This rain is what is going to end up causing the biggest part of the damage, as the winds started dying down as soon as Harvey made landfall. By the time the weekend was over, less than 48 hours after hitting, Hurricane Harvey had been downgraded to a tropical storm.
But I’m sure that’s no consolation to the residents of Houston, Galveston and the surrounding areas, whose homes have several feet of water flooding them. Many of those homes will never be the same.
As of this writing, the storm is still dumping rain on Houston, as well as moving farther to the east. Louisiana seems to be next on its dance card, as the storm moves towards the northeast. Lake Charles is already experiencing Harvey’s wrath and New Orleans could be in for some heavy rainfall as well, before it’s all over.
As with every natural disaster, nature couldn’t care less about the devastation that it is causing. We think we are so powerful, with our technology and our machines, but all it takes is one storm to break down this house of cards we call civilization.
Maybe it’s Time to Refocus Our Prepping
It’s no wonder that prepping is growing in the United States. The American people are finally waking up to something our ancestors knew, that life is fragile and nature is a killer. Even without the help that we humans give it in killing our fellow man, nature does a good enough job on its own, killing thousands of people per year.
As preppers, we love to talk about preparing for “the big one.” It doesn’t matter that that big one is a total breakdown of society, a financial collapse, an EMP attack or a zombie apocalypse, we have a plan for it.
But the reality is, we’re much more likely to face a natural disaster in our lifetimes, than any of the major disasters that we prep for.
Granted, much of the same preps need to be made for a natural disaster as those we need to make to survive a hurricane. More than anything, it’s the aftermath we’re prepping for, not the disaster itself.
Living through the destructive power of a hurricane or other natural disaster may be difficult, but nobody is going to starve or die of dehydration in a few hours or days. Living through weeks of outages, when there is no power or water and the grocery stores are empty is what we prepare for.
While the effects of an EMP are nationwide, on a local level they aren’t much different than any other disaster. The big difference is that Uncle Sam won’t be coming in to rescue us and help us to restore our lives. That’s going to have to happen on a local level, because the communications necessary to do anything on a national level won’t exist anymore.
What that means is that the aftermath is going to be much longer, straining our ability to survive, even if we are prepared.
But food is food and water is water. We will need both to survive anything that comes our way. Likewise, we will need most of the other things we stockpile. Even so, there are specific things that we will need, which are totally dependent on the type of disaster we end up facing.
Surviving a Flood
Hurricanes cause devastation in two ways; through wind and through water. While high winds can destroy many structures, it is ultimately the flooding that does the greatest damage. That will definitely be so in the case of Harvey, as the high winds dropped off almost as fast as they climbed.
So how do you prepare for this sort of flooding? Can you save your home, and if so, how? What can you do to survive, if your home becomes flooded, making it inhabitable?
First of all, this storm, like others in the past, demonstrates the reason why we all need a good bug out plan in place. While Houston officials didn’t call for a general evacuation, the state’s governor recommended it to those who could. This raises the question of why a general evacuation order didn’t go out.
It really boils down to experience and history. When Hurricane Rita was headed towards Houston in 2005, a general evacuation was called. Six-and-a-half million Houstonites took to the roads, creating a 100 mile long traffic jam that lasted for over a day and a half. There wasn’t enough gasoline available to fill that many vehicles, causing many to run dry and be abandoned on the road. People died from the heat, as well as from traffic accidents.
After all that, Hurricane Rita only struck Houston with a glancing blow, not even worth the effort that had been taken to avoid it. Hurricanes are always unpredictable, and this is just one more example of how the best of our planning may only be for naught.
We cannot rely on the government to tell us when to evacuate; we’ve got to make that decision for ourselves.
In the case of Hurricane Rita, the city government was wrong in telling people to evacuate. Now, in the case of Hurricane Harvey, the city government was wrong in telling people to stay home. But in both cases, the decision that was made was based upon the best information available. It’s just that nature doesn’t follow our information.
Waterproof Your Stockpile
I don’t know how much money you have invested in your survival stockpile, but I’m sure it’s in the thousands. Food is expensive, so if you’re going to have enough to last you any time, you’re going to have to spend a lot of money.
That’s an asset you can’t afford to lose, even in a flood. So you want to make sure that you won’t. How? By doing everything you can to ensure that it is waterproof. Canned goods already are, so that’s not an issue. Dry foods stored in five gallon buckets are waterproof as well. But what about everything else? How’s your toilet paper supply; is it protected from the water?
In some cases, you can ignore waterproofing if you can store the items on the second floor of your home. I have a lot stored under the second floor eaves of my home, where it is fairly well protected from flooding. Unless the roof gets torn off my home, I won’t have to worry about losing it.
But many people have their stockpile in the basement of their home; the first place that will flood. If that’s the case, you want to be extra careful about waterproofing it. You also want to have a plan for moving those supplies upstairs, if your home starts to flood. Otherwise, you won’t be able to use any of them until the flood waters subside, simply because you won’t have access to them.
Another possibility for protecting your stockpile is to keep some of it off-site, hopefully on higher ground. That way, if your home floods, you will still have access to supplies. You can use the remotely stored supplies until your home gets to the point where you can have access to those supplies once again.
Keep in mind that your supplies are more for surviving the aftermath, than for surviving the disaster itself.
So just because your home floods and your supplies are underwater, doesn’t mean that you’ve lost them, assuming that they are properly waterproofed. You will need those supplies as you are trying to salvage what you can from your home and put your life back together.
Protect Your Home
American homes don’t handle flooding well. They are not made of materials that can withstand sitting in water for minutes, let alone days. Drywall will soak up water rather quickly, falling apart. Even the structural studs and plywood that makes up the wall structure, floors and outer sheathing of our homes can be destroyed by too much water.
Chances are that if your home floods and the flood waters stay in place for days, your home will be totally destroyed. But if the flood abates quickly, you may be able to salvage it. Carpeting, drywall and other materials will need to be replaced; but if the structural part of your home survives, it can be rebuilt.
In Mexico and in many other emerging countries, homes are built out of cinder blocks and cement. While that may not make for as nice a home, it handles flooding much better.
I have some friends in the state of Tabasco, in Mexico, whose home has flooded several times. In each case, they’ve moved the furniture to the second floor and waited it out. Once the flood waters abated they were able to clean their homes up, repaint them and put their lives back together. That’s a whole lot easier than rebuilding an American home.
Since our homes are not made that way, we need to consider trying to protect them from flooding altogether. That may be too expensive for any of us to do, but we should at least look at it.
The most common way of protecting a home or other building from flooding is to make a wall of sandbags around it, with space between the sandbags and the home. That way, any water that seeps in can be pumped out; and yes, water will seep in.
Doing this takes a lot of sandbags and a lot of sand. The wall has to be unbroken all the way around, with all of it built to a uniform height. One dip or gap makes the whole thing invalid, as the water can pour through that one spot, flooding your home.
There are other, more modern options, which have been developed for use, instead of sandbags. While these are probably more expensive than building a sandbag wall, they are also probably easier to use. essentially the idea is to create a wall out of water filled plastic tubes, two to three feet in diameter.
This wall does the same thing that the sandbag wall does, but is considerably easier to erect. A couple of different companies make these tubes, so you might want to look into them.
Stay Prepared to Bug Out
No matter what you do, always keep yourself ready to bug out. Let’s say that you decide to ride out a hurricane that’s heading for your city, like the people in Houston did. That’s your decision to make. But don’t leave yourself without options. Make sure you always have a way to escape, should it come down to that.
What do I mean by that? Either have a four-wheel-drive vehicle that is high enough to ford the waters or some sort of boat, even a raft, that you can paddle out of there. if your answer is a truck or SUV, then make sure you leave before the water gets too deep to use it.
If it’s a boat, you’ve got more time. But in that case, you want the boat ready to use, moored to your home, where you can get into it from a second-story window.
Granted, a boat is an expensive investment, especially if you’re not going to use it for fishing. But a rubber life raft is much cheaper. For that matter, a large air mattress will work, if you don’t have anything else. Just make sure that you always leave yourself an option, so that you don’t have to go down with the sinking ship.
Whatever you do, stay lert and be prepared to face the unexpected, so you and your family survive!
This article has been written by Bill White for Survivopedia.
from Survivopedia
Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies?
#SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag
While out scavenging you came across a small group of people camped out not far from your home. You observe them for a few days. There is a middle-aged man, two young women and five children. They look tired and hungry. They appear totally unprepared. Would you help them? How would you go...
