With essential supplies in a user-friendly package, a BackPak Buddy is a great tool that can help keep you alive and nourished if things go wrong on your next adventure.
A friend of mine in my SAR team recently started BackPak Buddy. Each buddy contains 15 feet of 550 paracord, compass, ferro rod, scraper, tinder, aluminum foil, whistle, duct tape, carabiner clip and a user guide. This gives you the ability to make fire, boil water and set up a shelter if your next trip goes a bit longer than you’re expecting.
BackPak Buddies make a great gift for the dedicated outdoors person or for someone who enjoys an occasional hike or paddle. They also offer more cordage and features than a standard paracord bracelet. To top it off, it has a very friendly form factor.
The whole purpose behind BackPak Buddy is to keep people alive and signal for help when they’re lost in the woods. All the components are assembled and thought out by an experienced and dedicated SAR operator who knows very well what people need to make it through the night.
Looking for an excellent stocking stuffer? Check out BackPak Buddy and purchase one in various colors for only $25.
Know an outdoor enthusiast, wilderness worker or tactical pro? These items will be perfect for stuffing their stocking or putting under their tree!
A problem that has plagued many users of folding knifes is that they are difficult to clean after hard use in the outdoors. The CRKT Homefront gives the user to completely strip down the knife for cleaning without any tools. A lever and wheel built into the knife allow the handle to split apart, freeing the blade and allowing access to the interior or the handle scales. The Ken Onion designed AUS 8 drop point blade gives good cutting power and edge retention for utility tasks. Rain, mud and everything in between won’t stop this blade from performing.
I’ve been using the wolf gray Fast-Fit gloves for a few months now both in Shadow Fox gear reviews and in Search and Rescue. They give good hand protection whether handling ropes, knives or kindling. My favorite thing about these gloves compared to the original Mechanix gloves is that I don’t need to move or take off watches or bracelets when wearing the gloves. Look for a full review on Shadow Fox soon!
A good medical kit is essential to any kit whether you’re at the office, job site or range. The WHT BaseMED kit includes the means to treat a variety of common injuries in a watertight package. It includes the dressings and medications that make it perfect for keeping in an everyday carry bag or on your next day hike.
Vanquest’s update to it’s popular messenger bag makes it perfect for someone looking needing functional load carry around town. The new bag packs collapsible water bottle pockets, a low profile webbing platform and expanded loop fields for adding hook-backed pouches and holsters. With plenty of pockets and a luggage handle pass-through, the Envoy 3.0 is a durable piece of gear that you’ll probably never leave home without.
Maxpedition’s latest addition to its Advance Gear Research line is a semi-rigid organizer pouch that allows you to both sort and protect your small essentials. The outside shell has a loop field for morale and I.D. patches. Inside, there are elastic loops, a mesh pocket and a zippered pocket. Webbing on the back allows you to attach the pouch to your favorite pack or bag.
Petzl’s latest harness takes aim at skiers, mountaineers and alpine climbers who are looking for a lightweight harness that doesn’t get in the way whether inside a pack or on the body. The altitude harness can be put on and off without having to step through any loops or remove crampons. Four gear loops on the waist and leg keepers allow plenty of gear organization without getting in the way of backpack waistbelts. Petzl’s WIREFRAME construction makes sure each size of the harness weighs in at a fraction of a pound.
Petzl’s Ride axe combines the construction of the company’s Glacier Literide and Summit axes to make a short tool with a bent shaft for ultra light mountaineers and backcountry skiers and snowboarders. The axe’s small size and shape reduce the risk of injury when carrying the tool on the outside of a backpack. The machined grip at the bottom of the aluminum shaft gives better grip on technical sections.
Gerber’s flagship fixed blade combines new ideas as well as influences from the LMF II and Prodigy knives. What you get is a solid, affordable tactical and survival knife with an astounding sheath system. The blade comes with both fine and serrated options, something Gerber fans have been craving for a while with their tactical fixed blades. The sheath can me mounted any way imaginable on a vest, belt or pack.
Leatherman’s Skeletool is a favorite among outdoorsmen and women. The RX edition takes the functionality to a new level with a serrated 154 CM stainless steel blade and a carbide glass breaker. An orange finish allows quick identification in an emergency. The model keeps the pliers and, wire cutters and carabiner loop/bottle opener that made the skeletool series a staple in the outdoors world.
The market for assault packs is filled with products that don’t stand apart from each other in terms of designs and features. First Tactical’s Tactix pack shakes things up with a slick exterior and an interior organization layout that gives near infinite options to law enforcement and first responders. The outside of the pack is covered in the company’s Lynx laser cut webbing system, giving the user unlimited placement for pouches and the pack’s removable and replaceable compression straps. Inside, the pack is stacked with pockets, an interior organizer and a loop Velcro lined main compartment. The pack also comes with the ability to slide in a First Tactical rifle sleeve, all but eliminating the need for a dedicated rifle pack.
Although food storage is an essential part of your disaster preparation strategy, it is important that you supplement your food by hunting and gardening. Learning to hunt will serve you well in your quest for survival.
There are several methods of hunting and each has their own advantages and drawbacks. Some hunting methods require more skill than others. It is not necessary to master all of the skills, but it is a good idea to be familiar with the options, including tools you can use if you find yourself without a weapon. Here’s a list of 10 essential hunting skills you can practice for survival whether you are an experienced hunter or not.
1 – Firearm Proficiency Guns are commonly used by hunters. Although guns provide the most effective method of hunting, it is imperative that you are trained on how to safely use the weapon and that you practice your skills regularly.
2 – Archery A bow and arrow is also an effective tool for hunting. Learning how to shoot a bow and arrow takes a lot of practice, but it may be worth it. If you do not have a bow and arrow set on hand, you can fashion the bow with hardwood saplings and paracord.
3 – Setting Traps and Snares Snares are excellent tools for hunting. There are many styles of snares that require various degrees of skill to set up. They can be used to hunt a variety of animals. Once they are set up, you simply need to check them regularly to see if they have captured any prey.
4 – Alternate Techniques with Spear and Rocks A spear is one of the most primal weapons. They can be used for stabbing an animal or thrown at the target prey. A spear can be fashioned from a sharpened stick, or you can attach a spearhead made of bone, stone, wood or steel to the stick. Although they’re not the most effective hunting tool, rocks can be useful if you don’t have any other tools available. The effectiveness of this tool will depend on your strength and accuracy. You’ll have to get pretty close to the animal and throw the rock with enough force to stop the animal in its tracks.
5- Tracking Learn the game animals that are common in your area and the basics of their behavior. You might not find a proper track for a particular animal, but you might find where it has left fur or scratched a tree. Find where the herbivores go, because the carnivores will follow.
6- Covering Scents If you don’t have anything like or baking soda, which some people say works, or woodsy scent chips, pay close attention to the wind while you are tracking, and adjust your positioning if necessary. The slightest whiff of human will put some animals like deer on edge.
7- Field Dressing a Kill Nothing really replaces experience in this regard, but if you don’t have experience in breaking down an animal in the field, find a video to watch and get a general idea. You aren’t going to get far if you’re trying to carry around a whole elk or bear along with your day pack. And furthermore, make sure you have a good knife with you at all times.
8- Judging Distance Eyeballing distances, particularly after dark, does not come naturally to most humans. But if you’re trying to shoot and keep your use of ammunition or arrows to a minimum, this skill could be what saves you. There are things you can to do practice this skill, such as placing markers at 20, 30 and 40 yards and shining a light on them (at night) to see how much you can identify in each area. During the daytime, take note of rocks, trees or shrubs in the area that are at 10-yard increments.
9- Read a Topographic Map Learning how to read the contour lines of a map of your area is an important skill if you want or need to be able to bug out into the woods or mountains somewhere. The lines can tell you whether you’ll be hiking uphill, in a valley or across flat land. Combine that with knowledge of where your water systems are in your area, and you’ll have a very good idea of the environment. With this knowledge you’ll have a better chance of staying hidden — or of being found.
10- Navigate with a Map and Compass In the age of GPS, many people no longer know how to navigate with a basic paper map and magnetic north. If you know hot to do this, you’ll never be lost again. Think about it…a paper map won’t break or run out of batteries. A compass is breakable, but it works even with cloud cover.
We’re getting to know the Bushcraft series of books, because we already had “Bushcraft 101” by Dave Canterbury, then checked out “Advanced Bush Craft: An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival” by Dave Canterbury, published by Adams Media. Now we’ve gotten our hands on the new one, “The Bushcraft Field Guide to Trapping, Gathering & Cooking in the Wild,” also by Dave Canterbury.
This one published October 1, 2016, so it’s brand new. And it’s also our favorite of the bunch. We had some criticisms of the past two books because the information Canterbury presents is focused on East Coasters and some of the information he chose to highlight didn’t seem that important. I’m happy to report that this one is full of more useful information. However, for advanced preppers or hunters, again, some of the information will seem silly. For instance, a list of veggies that can be carried that don’t require refrigeration, including potatoes.
I did love the diagrams of makeshift water filters using a two-liter soda bottle as a water filter or the tripod method using cloth. Using the bottle method, you cut the top off a bottle and invert it, layering fine to course sand and rocks to slow let water filter through.
If you have the opportunity to pack for your outing, there are many tips here that you can use. For instance, packing a few bags of spices or a box of Old Bay seasoning. He provides a long list of his favorite recipes that you can duplicate, such as jambalaya using ground sausage and fresh crawfish. There are extensive pages about ways to build cooking fires and stoves out of found materials, and “beyond the basics” of hunting which includes how to reload spent shells. My favorite parts of this book, which I thought were lacking in the previous book, was the short section including full color photos of edible plants and the foraging chapter. There’s also a section that goes more in-depth into trapping and butchering, which are key considerations for living off the land. Useful in this regard also is the chapter on preparing unconventional foods, such as insects. I ate crickets once at a Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas, and I can tell you that in this case that box of Old Bay would come in handy.
The foraging chapter is great info, provided you know how to identify the plants he’s talking about. If you don’t know how to identify yarrow, it won’t help you to know that it can be used as a natural insect repellent. I think that’s what’s the biggest source of frustration about these books, is that they are a mix of beginner and advanced knowledge, and sometimes where the line is drawn is a little arbitrary. For instance, if you’re already including full color photos of edible plants, why not include one of yarrow as well. On the other hand, this puts a lot of the responsibility on you, the reader, to make sure you know what plants grow in your area and how you might use them.
To wrap things up in a fun manner, I liked that there is a chapter on unconventional cooking, which includes things like cooking cheese bread on your car engine. This is something I’ve always wanted to try to do and this recipe has given me the push to try it. This is a book that you can just flip through and get something out of, if you want to learn how to make a stove out a tin can, for instance. But I recommend taking the time to sit down and read it, because there are lots of tips and tricks that even if you know, you might forget. For instance, I’m going to go around and gather sap, knowing that sap will burn for a long time. I know that I could heat up a can of beans on a fire of sap if I needed to. And I never would have thought that I could use a windshield reflector, the fold-up kind, to fashion a stove.
One thing that I think is a bit confusing about these books is that people who may not realize what they are buying will think they are getting a survival book. While many of the techniques such as making stoves and building utensils out of saplings can definitely be survival skills, there’s too many other things in the book that are not specific to survival, like what spices to keep on hand. However, there’s enough that is new and useful in this book that I recommend it for people who hunt and like to fashion what they use out of things they find along the way, or for people ho have a genuine interest in doing things in an off-the-grid manner, even if it’s just a weekend at a time.
I’ve talked to people who aren’t preppers who feel that in the event of an environmental or social disaster, the city is the best place to be. There are differing opinions on this, of course, and it is likely that any city is where resources will be concentrated to get things back on-line. However, in the city there are also hundreds of thousands of other issues to contend with. We’re talking about other people.
Some people enjoy living in apartments while others feel that they may have no choice because of the relative affordability of apartments. Whatever your case is, emergency preparedness for apartment dwellers definitely takes some unique planning. Here are some things to think about to help you be prepared as possible if you are an apartment dweller.
Think about saving space.
No matter where you live, you should have the minimum recommended 72-hour supply of food and water. Since your space is limited, invest in water in cube-shaped jugs that can be stacked. These space-saving water jugs are cubes that can be stacked to save space. Store your food in 5 gallon buckets that can be stacked, or choose the high-calorie ration bars that also stack and that don’t take up much space.
Stock up.
Try to make sure that you’re never without some basic items such as toilet paper and toiletries, trash bags, paper plates and things like batteries. It’s a good feeling to know that what you have on hand will not quickly run out. We’re not talking about hoarding items here, because space is a consideration, but it’s best to not say to yourself, ‘Oh, I’ll get more next time I go to the store.” Always make sure you have back-ups by buying a second item whenever you start using the first one.
What will you do if the plumbing doesn’t work?
Hygiene will be a problem in any situation, but particularly in a building with potentially hundreds of other people when the plumbing and sewer system is no longer functional.
Can you keep others out?
Are your doors and windows secure? Do you have ammunition? If you don’t have firearms do you have other weapons that are accessible? The biggest problem will be defending your turf if you decide to stick it out and stay.
Know your neighbors.
Scope out your neighbors and see if there are other people in the building you might get along with and be able to share resources with. Sometimes in an apartment situation you want to be left alone, but if there is one other compatible person there, you can get by much easier than you might if you were alone. See what gear they have, what you might be able to borrow, and also what you might be able to let them use. Can you get to their apartment without going through the main entrance? Even better. If you find a trusted neighbor, perhaps the two of you should go in on a pair of walkie talkies so you can communicate in an emergency.
Get to know the handyman.
Maybe you never gave much thought to the guy who keeps the place in order because you don’t have a leaky roof or stove that needs fixed. Emergency planning might be a good reason to strike up a conversation. If you can make friends, he or she is likely to have resources at their disposal that you would not know about, such as access to storage sheds that could be safe places, access to the water tanks, keys to empty apartments, and things like that. Who knows, maybe that handyman or superintendent is a prepper too.
Can you get out?
You may want to stay in your apartment as long as you can. But when the time comes that you want to leave, will you just walk down the stairwell? Consider ways that you might get out through your window, such as having a fire escape ladder that you can hang from the sill.
Where will you go?
If you live in the city, consider where you will go if you truly do have to leave. If you have friends or family that live in a place that might be safer, make sure to let them know that you will head to their place in the event of an emergency. You don’t want to get shot by your Aunt Martha because you’re banging on her door at 3 in the morning and she isn’t expecting you.
What’s nearby?
If there’s a school, hospital or police station nearby, make note. That could be a safe destination until you can figure out what else to do.
Stock up your car.
You likely have a trunk where you can keep emergency supplies. Make sure you keep a car kit in case something happens while you’re out of town or at work, and keep some extra items in there such as a change of clothes, along with a backpack or other way to carry them.
Emergency preparedness for apartment dwellers is not terribly different than what people who live in suburban homes might do, with the exception that apartment dwellers probably won’t have an escape pod in their backyard or a shed full of 30-year shelf life food. With less space and neighbors all in the same situation being the primary issues with emergency preparedness in apartments, look around your neighborhood and see how you can make the most of your particular situation. Leave your advice for others in the comments.
September is Emergency Preparedness Month, where agencies try to get the word out about families and individuals being more prepared to handle social emergencies and natural disasters. We at Shadowfox would like to join in the chorus and encourage you to do something this month to make yourself and your loved ones more prepared.
Just one thing will move you a step closer to self-reliance. That could be as simple as buying a canner and jars, so you’re more able to preserve your own food. Or it could be a major step such as buying a generator. Wherever you are in your prepping, take one step closer and you’ll sleep better.
To help, we’ve compiled a list of our own resources along with websites where you can get more information. What’s the one step you will take this month?
1. Download an App or Sign Up For Texts The Red Cross has a page of downloadable apps that cover various emergency and survival scenarios, such as first aid or earthquakes. Depending on where you are, you may want to get the tornado app, the hurricane app, or the general emergency app that covers more than 35 different alerts.
2. Make a Kit or Make Your Kit Better The Red Cross suggests having a kit with a 3-day supply on hand for emergencies. We know, however, that if there is a major earthquake event in the Pacific Northwest, services will be unavailable for possibly months at a time. If you don’t have a kit, start by making a 72-hour kit. If you already have a 3-day kit, add a day to it for each person in your household (and your pets!).
3. Become Trained As a First Responder Experts have said that if a real SHTF emergency goes down, policemen and ambulance drivers may not be available because they’ll be trying to help their own family. If there’s a severe natural disaster, ambulances and fire trucks may not be able to drive down the street or cross bridges, or if they can, they may have too many emergencies to respond to to help you with your emergency. Moderately sized cities of a couple hundred people may only have a handful of ambulances–definitely not enough to cover a city-wide emergency. Train yourself to help yourself and your neighbors, because you may be the only person who can.
4. Make a Plan Talk to your family and neighbors to come up with a plan for what you will do if an emergency goes down while you’re at work, at school or out of town. The Red Cross has information on making a plan.
5. Figure Out How You Will Communicate This Shadowfox article offers five realistic ways that you might have to try to communicate in an emergency. Communicating by walkie talkie might work, but only if you actually have walkie talkies, so go ahead and get them. Maybe now’s the time to get your Ham radio license.
6. Evaluate Your Water Sources From hidden water sources you never thought of to gathering water from the roof of your house in a pinch, water is one of the necessities you will have to plan for if you can no longer get water from the tap.
7. Prep Your Car Most of us probably feel that if we’re at home in the event of an emergency we’ll be doing ok . . . after all, that’s where our food, clothes and tools are. But if we’re at work or at the movies when something goes down we will have only what’s in our car, and we may need to spend a night in our vehicle until it’s safe to move out. Prepare your vehicle for emergencies with basic car repair tools and an emergency kit that is always in your car. Keep a good pair of walking shoes in your vehicle. Sometimes I wear heels to work, but I keep a trusty pair of cowboy boots in my car so I never have to walk in my “fancy” shoes.
8. Consider Survival Essentials There’s a basic 10 list of items that survivalists recommend people have. This includes basics such as a knife, lighting source, and firestarter. Evaluate what you have against our expert’s list of 10 essentials plus more that you can include to go beyond just the basics.
9. Protect Your Home If the power goes out, so will your alarm system, your lighting, your stove and your ability to charge your phones. Be prepared by thinking through how you will protect your home in a power outage.
10. Be Aware, Be Vigilant The most important thing that you can do is be aware and be vigilant. Always take stock of your surroundings and know, for instance, where exits are if you’re in a building, or what roads to avoid if you don’t want to cross over bridges. Be vigilant in making sure that you always have things nearby that can protect you and your loved ones if you need to.
While storms that spawn tornadoes are thought of as being primarily a spring thing, because the majority of tornadoes occur from April through June. But the reality is that tornadoes can happen at any time of year. In fact, an F-2 tornado just ripped through an industrial park in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on August 25. If you live in a tornado zone, then how to survive a tornado is something you probably grew up preparing for. People visiting a tornado-prone area or just driving through, however, may not know what to do.
And, just because you don’t live in “tornado alley” is no reason to be complacent–tornadoes have touched down in all 50 states. In 2012, twin tornadoes touched down in Brooklyn and Queens in New York in September, with winds of about 70 mph. An F-4 tornado occurred at 10,000 feet in northwest Wyoming on July 21, 1987. Although that was a rare meteorological event, never assume that just because you’re at a high altitude that you don’t need to be aware of the weather. Tornadoes can occur whenever and wherever conditions are right.
Tornado ratings
Modern measurements use a system called the Enhanced Fujita Scale for rating the intensity of tornadoes. The scale is named after Dr. Ted Fujita, a storm scientist at the University of Chicago who developed the sale in 1971. The scale ranges from F-0 to F-5, with 5 being the most severe storm. Approximate wind speeds for each category range from 65 to 85 mph for F-0 to greater than 200 mph for F-5.
Damage That Can Be Expected
According to Weather.com, the following chart summarizes the damage that can be expected from a tornado at each level of intensity.
F-0
Wind speeds: 65 to 85 mph
Typical Observations: Light damage. Peels surface off some roofs; some damage to gutters or siding; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F-1
Wind speeds: 86 to 110 mph.
Typical Observations: Moderate damage. Roofs severely stripped; mobile homes overturned or badly damaged; loss of exterior doors; windows and other glass broken.
F-2
Wind speeds: 111 to 135 mph.
Typical Observations: Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-constructed houses; foundations of frame homes shifted; mobile homes completely destroyed; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground.
F-3
Wind speeds:136 to 165 mph.
Typical Observations: Severe damage. Entire stories of well-constructed houses destroyed; severe damage to large buildings such as shopping malls; trains overturned; trees debarked; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown; structures with weak foundations blown away some distance.
F-4
Wind speeds: 166 to 200 mph.
Typical Observations: Devastating damage. Whole frame houses Well-constructed houses and whole frame houses completely leveled; cars thrown and small missiles generated.
F-5
Wind speeds: more than 200 mph.
Typical Observations: Incredible damage. Strong frame houses leveled off foundations and swept away; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 m (109 yd); high-rise buildings have significant structural deformation; incredible phenomena will occur.
Characteristics
About 1,200 tornadoes hit the United States each year. The energy of a tornado is concentrated in a relatively small area perhaps only a hundred yards across. In the U.S. tornadoes are most common in the central plains of North America, east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Appalachian Mountains. They also occur in other parts of the world. They usually occur during the late afternoon and early evening. Winds that reach 300 mph can rip homes to shreds and even strip asphalt from pavement, pick up cars like toy blocks and send dangerous objects like tree limbs flying through the air. Tornadoes can only be predicted to a limited extent. People describe the sound of a tornado as that of a very loud train or jet engine.
Tornadoes can occur whenever the surface temperature is much warmer than the air higher up. Warm air near the surface rises and carries with it condensation, which leads to clouds and thunderstorms. If the winds are right, a tornado is possible.
Wall cloud. Public domain photo by Brad Smull, NOAA Photo Library
Learn how to recognize the cloud formations and weather conditions that are likely to lead to tornadoes. These are wall clouds, although a wall cloud is not always present. You may also not be able to see a wall cloud depending on your angle of view. A wall cloud is a cloud that forms below a thunderstorm cloud and abruptly lowers. A funnel cloud often extends from the base of a cloud and looks like a rotating cone. If the funnel cloud touches the ground it becomes a tornado. However, some tornadoes may not have a funnel cloud.
Tornado Watches and Tornado Warnings
A “tornado watch” means severe, tornado-producing weather is possible over a period of a few hours. You need to be alert, and be prepared to seek shelter if tornadoes happen or a warning is issued. A “tornado warning” means that a tornado has been spotted, or that Doppler radar shows a thunderstorm circulation which can spawn a tornado. When a tornado warning is issued for your area, seek safe shelter immediately.
How to Survive a Tornado
Tornadoes travel at around 10 to 20 mph, even if their wind speed is much greater than that. Outrunning on one foot is not possible, but in a car, if you have advance warning that it’s coming, you have a chance. Try and gauge the tornado’s movement and direction and drive away only if you’re sure the tornado is not coming towards you. Drive away at a right angle to the direction the tornado is moving–in other words, in a direction that puts the most distance between you and the tornado.
If you’re stuck in a car, the Red Cross recommends getting off the road, parking the car, and slouching down low in your seat while still keeping your seat belt on. Lean away from the windows and cover your head with something to keep broken glass off you.
Seek strong shelter or at least take some cover like covering yourself with a mattress or a sturdy desk. The biggest danger is flying debris. If you’re in a house or building with a basement, go there. Some buildings may have storm shelters. Use them. If you aren’t sure where to go, go to an interior room or bathroom, far from windows. Crouch, covering your head and face.
If you’re outside, like flat on the ground or in a ditch. Try to pick a spot away from trees and buildings. If you’re driving, consider getting out of your car and running to safe place, because a twister can easily pick up a car and throw it like it’s nothing. Trying to get under and overpass or bridge is not a good idea, either. A tornado could collapse the bridge.
When you travel, you might feel limited in what survival gear you depend on, because you can’t always take your important items with you. If you’re flying on an airplane, TSA has strict guidelines regarding the type of products and their sizes that you’re allowed to carry on board and pack.
Review the following checklist for survival items you can take on an airplane. The good thing is that these items don’t take up much space and whether you travel regularly or just once in a great while, you’ll feel better knowing that you can be far from home and still be prepared.
1. Sunblock. Sunblock is an essential everyday item to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays. If something unexpected happens — especially in a sunny or tropical location — sunblock will be a lifesaver. Take a small bottle with you, no more than 3.4 ounces.
2. Portable water filter and pouch. The pouch is a container that can give you filtered water in case of an emergency. Taking these survival items on a plane is ideal because it consumes minimal space when empty.
3. First aid kit. Take a basic first aid kit with you that includes common medication and wound care items.
4. Hand sanitizer. Small bottles of hand sanitizer will pass TSA screenings. For obvious reasons, this product will make traveling more sanitary by helping you keep the germs in check of the billions of travelers have touched multiple surfaces you’ll encounter. An extra bonus to hand sanitizer is that it’s highly flammable and can assist in starting a fire, a major survival tool in emergency situations. Keep the size limit to 3.4 ounces.
5. Baby wipes. If a situation arises in which you can’t shower or bathe, baby wipes will suffice for hygiene. Take a small package with you on the plane.
6. BIC disposable lighter. This brand is highly advised since it’s more dependable than other “flimsy” lighters, according to The Preppers Dome. Fire is a vital part of survival, so you’ll want something reliable.
7. N95 masks. Respirator masks will help you avoid contracting contagious diseases and shield you better from harmful particles in the air following a disaster. The masks are good at preventing the inhalation of smoke and many other trace particles.
8. Compass. A compass can aid in navigation when you’re in a place you aren’t familiar with. You’ll at least know which direction you’re heading with a compass in hand.
9. Space blanket. These blankets fold into small squares and go far in keeping you warm, and shelter you from the elements. It has a dual purpose in that it can be used to alert search planes with the shiny side that reflects light. Invest in a high-quality blanket because the dollar store brands are prone to tearing the first time you use them.
10. SAS Survival Guide. This is a miniature guide that has 625 pages of clear, precise instructions for a variety of survival situations in a broad spectrum of environments. It’s a great survival item for preppers to take with them on an airplane.
11. Solar lantern. New models like the “Luci” light are plastic and inflatable. They deflate to a very compact size which makes them perfect for tucking into a suitcase.
12. Scissors. Check to see if TSA regulations regarding scissors change with time, but in the past they have allowed scissors with blades up to 4 inches.
Tie your shoes, save your life? Your safety when it comes to the shoes you put on everyday is not something that people typically worry about too much. If the shoes are sturdy and comfortable is usually as far as thoughts go toward survival. But a new product from Imminent Threat Solutions makes getting dressed in the morning a whole lot more interesting.
The ITS Tactical Kevlar Escape Laces are the first 100% kevlar shoelaces ever on the market. Other laces are only reinforced with kevlar fibers. Because they’re made with the same material used in bulletproof vests, they won’t fray, ravel or break and they’re fireproof too, in case you’re a welder or firefighter. Best of all, due to their high heat resistance they can serve as a friction saw to cut through plastic zipties. These laces are also an interesting way to keep an extra length of emergency cord on hand. Coming in 54, 60, and 72 inch measurements, these laces promise to deliver 360 pounds of tensile strength that is virtually unbreakable.
Hey, even if you’re not worried about using them to escape being held hostage, you can use them in your skateboard shoes and never worry about snapping your laces ever again. Pretty affordable too at only $11. Last time we checked, the website said they were out of stock, but will hopefully be available again soon.
Advanced Bush Craft: An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival by Dave Canterbury, published by Adams Media.
Maybe you grew up in a household of people who hunted and fished, owned a variety of weapons and prepped for disasters. Maybe you were in the military and learned how to survive on limited resources. If neither of these things is true for you, like it was for me, it’s likely that everything you learned about survival came from watching videos and reading books.
There are a lot of resources out there for survival, and this book, written by Dave Canterbury, is one to consider if you’re ready to learn more about making do when you either can’t or don’t want to rely on store-bought stuff. Canterbury also wrote the book “Bushcraft 101” which was on the New York Times Bestselling list.
The first part of the book is about building your kit. Canterbury walks through the categories of things you need and thinking about when you might need them. For instance, naturally you will take more things if you are going out on a long trip, but the short day trips are good times to practice doing things like carving a throwing stick. Canterbury relied on a lot of tools in “Bushcraft 101,” but this new book focuses on the few tools you really need to make other things you will need along the way.
A lot of attention is paid to fire making, particularly the bow and drill method. After reading this section, anyone should be able to gather the materials to start a fire, and if you can’t, there’s always the option of just packing along a magnifying glass if it’s sunny.
Canterbury is from Ohio, and many of his resources are focused on the East Coast. For instance, did you know that eastern pine needles have more vitamin C than a fresh orange? They’re also good for vitamin A, so these would make a nutritious tea. But as a person who lives on the West Coast, that doesn’t help me, and Canterbury doesn’t list western species that may be similar.
The chapter on knot making leads into basketry and weaving. He provides instructions for making a “woodland loom” using a sapling, lashings and crossbars. This set-up lets you make large-scale items like sleeping mats or shelter coverings. He devotes several pages to different weaving techniques. This isn’t likely a skill that people are particularly concerned about if they’re just going out for the weekend, but as Canterbury says in the introduction of the book, this book is designed for what you will need to know to be prepared for a lengthy stay in the wilderness.
I particularly enjoyed the sections about sheltering and trapping, but in both I found evidence that perhaps this book is not quite as “advanced” as some readers might be expecting. For instance, in the sheltering section a half-page diagram is included on driving tent stakes in at an angle rather than straight down. The trapping section starts out with statements that understanding animal behavior including what they eat, where they live and where they travel is key to successfully being able to hunt animals. Those two things seem like common sense, so as long as readers go into this book understanding they are not getting 100% advanced, previously unrevealed knowledge and take these tidbits as gentle reminders, they’re likely to enjoy this book.
I found the book to be a somewhat frustrating combination of useful knowledge along with things that seemed like they took up unnecessary space. For instance, almost a whole page diagramming the shapes of different axe heads and a chart on when to look for berries to eat. Again, the wild foods and trees are focused on what is in the Eastern woodlands, like blueberries, which don’t grow wild on the West Coast. And I think most people know that strawberries ripen in summertime. What would help me most is some drawings showing some other edible wild foods that can be found everywhere and how to shape a stone into a useful cutting edge. I don’t really care if it is a Kentucky axe or a Southern Kentucky axe, or a Virginia axe or a regular Wisconsin as long as I can make a useful cutting edge from what materials I have around me.
Given the amount of space he took up with firestarting, I would have liked a few more diagrams and information about making arrows. As I read the book I began to get more frustrated that there wasn’t more of what I wanted to know about while so much space was taken up by things that seemed like they belonged in a reference book. The chapters on metalsmithing and boat building felt more complete. There’s even a recipe for squirrel stew, so once you make your throwing stick from chapter 3 and your fire from chapter four, you’re all set to focus on building the log cabin from chapter 5 with a recipe in hand for the first meal you’ll make in your new hand-constructed shelter. I truly enjoyed the chapter of appendices providing information on things like navigating using shadows and star positioning and with some practice using the star positioning system he explains, I know I’ll be able to tell what direction I’m heading in as long as I can see the sky.
Overall, the book is about survival in the sense that you are getting deeper skills than what you might normally get into, like preserving acorns for flour. It’s not a book about meeting immediate needs so much as it is about planning, gathering materials and crafting tools for long-term use if you truly can’t purchase things from a store. Even though it’s not all what I consider advanced knowledge, you will definitely learn something from this book. Purchase “Advanced Bush Craft: An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival” by Dave Canterbury from Amazon.
