Outdoor Survival Info

Archive for the ‘Survival’ Category

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 »

Backpacking Safety Tips
By Natasha Fatale

The most important thing to think about when going on a backpacking adventure is to be prepared for anything. As the saying goes, if it can happen it will happen. These tips will help you avoid any misadventures and enjoy your backpacking trip to the fullest.

Keep Hydrated

It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to keep yourself hydrated no matter what type of a backpacking trip you are on. The best way to do this of course is through the drinking of large amounts of water. You of course do not want to drink it all at once, but spread it out over the course of the day. Making sure that there is plenty of purified drinking water that is available for you and your entire group will lead to many happy campers. Read the rest of this entry »

Hiking Tip – How to Find Water in the Wilderness
By Pauline Go

Hiking is an adventurous outdoor activity which involves walking and trekking day and night. Getting lost or stranded in the wilderness is something that could happen to just about anyone. When you are trapped in the wilderness the single most important thing you need to survive is water. An adult can survive without food for many days but only a few days without water.

Finding water is, therefore, one of the most important wilderness survival skills otherwise dehydration will inevitably occur. Here are some techniques to find water in the wilderness whether you are in desert or in forest: Read the rest of this entry »

Living in the wilderness for any length of time — even just a few days — takes some preparation. There’s more to it than just heading out in the wild and eating berries. You’ll need to tend to things like shelter, water, and fire. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s important to keep rations in your house, and it’s pretty easy to do, too. There’s a lot of talk going around about creating a bug out bag and stocking it with MREs or similar foods. I know, because I do a lot of that talking. Today, however, I want to talk about rations in your home.

It’s important to be ready to bug out and leave town in the event of some disasters, like an approaching hurricane. There are some times, however, that you may need to just stay at home. If you live in areas with heavy winters, you might get snowed in, or be without power for a while. Life can be interrupted yet still allow you to — or make you — stay at home. In these cases, you still need to eat, and your microwave might not be working. What do you do?

It’s simple. Keep food that is relatively non-perishable and can be prepared with nothing more than water, a pot, and fire (or just eaten an room temperature). In my experience, so many people store just enough food in their pantry to get through the coming week. Then they go to the store and buy some more. I suggest having some items that you just keep for months at a time, in storage, in case you need it.

In large quantities, you could keep:

• Rice
• Beans
• Bottled water
• Canned fruit
• Canned vegetables
• Canned Soups

These are all easy to prepare, and will keep you fed and healthy enough until life returns to normal.

Keep all of these in a box in your pantry or garage (sealed up somehow, so no mice or other nasties get in there). Once every few months, go buy some more, and bring your current supply in the house for eating. Rotating your rations out means you’ll always have fresh, edible food in the event that you need it. Hopefully you never will, but it’s good to be prepared.

Remember to store rations in quantities that you will need to feed your family…and then add a little bit more on top of that. Keeping rations in your home is a simple security measure you can take, similar to locking your deadbolt or keeping a firearm near your bed. You may never have the need, but if you do, you’ll be glad you prepared.

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).

Subscribe to the newsletter for notice of that post.

Rabbits are plentiful in many regions, so learning how to clean and prepare them could help you out in a survival situation. The article below comes complete with images, instructions, and a how-to video. In my opinion, the video is more informative than the article, but you can judge for yourself.

How to Eat Wild Rabbit

You might have the warmest jacket around, but if you don’t layer your clothes, it may not be enough. Stacking your clothes in layers around your body is the best way to retain body heat when you are out in the elements.

As body heat escapes, your layers act as barriers to that escape. One layer will only retain so much body heat (the amount of retention varies), and the rest will escape. If you have two layers, the first will capture some of the heat and the rest will pass through. But that heat isn’t all going to get away from you. Another portion of it will be retained by your second layer, increasing your total percentage of heat retention. The more layers you add, the higher your retention will be.

There is something else to consider, too. Since your layers let some heat out, they are also capable of letting the cold in. You have to wear enough layers to not only retain body heat, but also to fight against the invading cold. An easy way to do this is to make sure your outer layer is thick and solid.

Many materials will work, but you need to make sure it is solid. Your grandmother’s knitted shawl might be pretty, but it won’t be very effective keeping out the biting wind. All those holes knitted in for looks will let the cold straight through!

Everyone is different, and everyone has varying levels of cold tolerance. For example, my wife says it’s freezing when I think it’s comfortable. Some people are just different. Take what you know about yourself and create a layer system that works for you. It can get really cold in some parts of the world, and you need to be prepared to deal with whatever weather nature throws at you.

Layer up and stay warm!

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

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Winter Backpacking Survival Tips