Outdoor Survival Info

Archive for the ‘Equipment’ Category

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Soap is something that should be in every personal emergency kit, but it’s one item that is often overlooked. Why is soap so important? Because it cleans stuff. Seriously, it does.

Keeping things clean might be a lower priority for you during an emergency, but it’s something you really need to think about. You need to think about it on a personal comfort level, and on a first aid level. Soap can keep infections away, and help you feel more comfortable. Both are important. Read the rest of this entry »

Water is a vital necessity. Without it, we won’t last beyond a few short days. Unfortunately, water is heavy, so putting a bunch in your bug out bag can hurt as much as it helps. If your bag is too heavy, you’ll move slowly, tire more easily, and use up more of the water in your body than you need to.

So how do you find some middle ground? How do you carry enough water so that you aren’t weighed down too much? The easy solution is to carry water and a water purification system. That way, you have some water to drink right away, and you have something to make most found water drinkable. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not sure if it’s the price of gas over the last couple of years, or just the economy in general, but MREs are more expensive than they used to be. While unfortunate, things like this are just going to happen. It seems like everything is more expensive than it was a few years ago.

But don’t worry. You can still pick up MREs at reasonable rates. I’m a firm believer in MREs — keeping them around for your bug out bag, bug-in disasters, or just to take with you when you head into the wild for some outdoor fun.

Here are the current prices on MREs at BDR Gear.

MRE Case – 12 Pack – No Heater: $88.75 ($7.40 per meal)

MRE Case – 12 Pack – WIth Heater: $92.99 ($7.75 per meal)

On a per-meal basis, they cost about the same as a fast-food meal for one. These, however, provide a lot more nutritional value and have a much longer shelf life. Perfect for bugging out (or in), and affordable, too.

Grab a case and divide it up amongst your family’s bug out bags, or just keep the meals where you need them. I’m going to have a video review of these meals soon, so you’ll be able to see exactly what comes in each one, and how big it is. The size is important for determining how many you will put in a bug out bag, get home bag, or even a purse (if you carry one).

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Winter Backpacking Survival Tips
By Steven Gillman

Why do you need survival tips for winter backpacking? Because even with the most careful planning there is always a greater risk with winter camping. Of course, getting lost or having an accident is always a possibility, but cold weather makes either of these a more serious matter.

Winter Survival Tip Number One

Stay warm! This is obvious. Hypothermia is the single biggest danger for backpackers, killing far more people than accidents or wild animals. What isn’t always so obvious is how poor planning and not thinking on the trail leads to getting cold.

One cold autumn day, a friend of mine fell in a stream while we were backpacking. He was soon chilled pretty severely. He naturally thought this was just an accident, but looking back on it now, it is clear that we didn’t have a proper survival mind set.

Streams have to be crossed, of course, but we were crossing this one as evening approached. A better plan would have been to get the hiking done earlier in the day. Why? Because it leaves time to deal with accidents like this. It may have been sunny enough to get his clothes dried before nightfall, and it is always easier to find fuel for a fire in the daylight.

In addition, we knew the rocks were slippery, yet we crossed as we were. Seeing the potential for a fall, we could have removed our coats and put them in a plastic bag until we were across. Had we taken this simple precaution, my friend would have at least had a dry coat to put on later.

Had this happened in colder weather (it was above freezing) it could have been very serious. You have to stay warm to survive. To stay warm it helps to stay dry. To stay dry, you have to think.

Insulation

Staying warm is about staying insulated. The value of insulation is determined by the thickness of the air around you that isn’t moving. This is the air trapped in your down coat, and between layers of clothing. Always think in terms of insulation thickness. In planning, this means you need more “loft”in your sleeping bag in winter, and more (or thicker) layers of clothing.

In a survival situation, this means you should immediately look for a way to create more insulation. This can mean setting your sleeping bag on a pile of leaves, or sleeping under a pile of dried grass. You might even stuff your jacket (if it is loose) with the fluff from cattail or milkweed plants, in order to increase the insulation value.

More Winter Backpacking Survival Tips

- Check the weather report before you go, and plan accordingly.

- Be careful when it is near or just above freezing. It is easier to get wet than when it is really cold.

- Drink enough fluids. Dehydration can cause a drop in body temperature.

- Down coats are great – if you can keep them dry. They are almost worthless when wet.

- Avoid sweating, to avoid getting chilled from the moisture later.

- Don’t use cotton clothes in winter, because they get wet easily and then don’t insulate well.

- Have more than one way to start a fire (matches, lighter, fire starter, skills).

- Learn to make a fire in cold wet conditions, and practice.

In 2006, I was trying to climb Crestone Peak here in Colorado, after an early snow. I gave up at about 13,000 in four feet of snow. I was in running shoes, and was soaked from the knees down. It would be below freezing that night, and I had just a tarp and 17-ounce sleeping bag. Does that sound risky? I was actually well prepared.

First of all, it was clear and sunny, and forecast to remain so for days. Back down near the lakes the snow was patchy, with many areas of dry grass. I quickly made a thick mattress of dry grass and thistle stalks to sleep on. I had quit early, so I had many hours to dry my shoes, socks and pants in the sun. They were completely dry long before dark.

As a back-up plan, I had a small fire laid, with a piece of bark covering it in case of rain or snow (I never needed to light it). I drank plenty of water and had fatty foods, which create heat as they digest. I also had more dry socks, and other necessary supplies, despite my 11-pound total pack weight. As you can see, survival when winter backpacking is as much about planning and thinking as it is about good gear.

Copyright Steve Gillman. To get the ebook “Ultralight Backpacking Secrets (And Wilderness Survival Tips)” for FREE, as well as photos, gear recommendations, and a new wilderness survival section, visit: http://www.The-Ultralight-Site.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Gillman
Winter Backpacking Survival Tips

If you are in the market for a new multi-tool, check out the Gerber 600. I’ve got one and it’s pretty good. Here’s a little video review of it — more of a run-down of it’s details, really.

Interested? You can pick one up at BDR Gear: Gerber Multi-Plier 600

I went to the range yesterday and got my rifle basically where it needs to be. I’ve got a 100 yard indoor rifle range here, which is nice. I had bore sighted the rifle using a laser bore sighter, but I still had to work a bit to get the rounds to land where they needed.

After a while I got it working really good. Now let’s see if I can find some deer!

Here is a how-to great article about recycling an old circular saw blade into a nice guthook knife. Use it for hunting, toss it your bug out bag… Read the article here:

How to Make a Guthook Knife from an Old Saw Blade

I’ve got my scope mounted on my weaver base, and I’m ready to bore sight. I think I’ll pick up a laser bore sighter and use that to get the scope set up initially. Then I’ll work on zeroing it.

I’m really looking forward to some pin-point accuracy with such a fun and functional rifle. I’ll need to do this all within the next few weeks, as modern gun deer season starts soon. I’m going to scout some in the woods this weekend while squirrel hunting. Hopefully I’ll see some good deer sign. Maybe they haven’t moved very far from where they were last year.

I hope that this season is better than last year. The weather was so screwed up, I don’t think the deer knew what to do with themselves. It would be a shame if I didn’t even get to test this rifle out in the field because everything is screwy again this year. Here’s to hoping for the best…

Here’s a little slide show video I put together of my scope base project:

Rifle: Marlin 336

Hardware: Weaver two-piece scope base for Marlin 336

Tools: 2 flat head screwdrivers – one tiny, one regular