Don't make a mistake with your survival gear

[Shellie]

I know we are not supposed to get stuck in just "survival" mode.. I like to think we need to remain in "thrive" mode. But I see a lot of people are making the same CRITICAL mistakes in their preparedness.

First of all, NEVER buy pre-packaged ANYTHING. Not your first aid gear, not kits, and CERTAINLY NOT YOUR BULK FOOD. One rotten apple spoils the rest- or, one infested bag of cereals can ruin 50 pounds or more worth. Go out and buy the pieces that YOU need in YOUR situation. That is the only way you are going to ensure quality, reliability, and relevance. It will also make you more familiar with your gear and the multiple ways things can be used. Google reviews of products you are looking to purchase.

I highly recommend this website www.survivaltopics.com, and this guy links to another really great video series made by a guy in Sweden at www.bushcraft.se. If you are in the city and think you may have to head for the hills for any reason, this is great advice.

[Shellie]

... AND Barnes and Nobles printed the US Army's Survival Manual a few years back (field manual 21-76). The old versions from the 1970's are still floating around on Amazon if you can't find it at B&N. This obviously is a very trustworthy, basic manual. I will give one warning: BOOK LEARNING IS NOT THE SAME AS REAL WORLD. Practice.

Please, be very careful of the resources you use to get your information. A lot of people are arm-chair survivalists and they write books whose information will get you killed in the real world. Try our everything you read or see to see if it really works.

[Anchor]

I agree - great posts.

Here is a checklist of other things you can do to train yourself or find out how to avoid mistakes through some forced experience.

1) Have recent some camping experience - enjoy this one :)

2) Find out what its like to go without food for a few days - can you survive caffeine/thanine/nicotine withdrawal for 3 days?

3) Experience no electricity for 48hrs and see how it goes

4) Learn what its like to not have hot water [1]

5) Have first aid training, and then after that learn wilderness first aid ("Where there is no Doctor" - David Werner, "Wilderness Medicine" - Forgey are two great references)

6) Maintain a reasonably good degree of physical fitness

Bonus points

7) Get some water from out in the wild somewhere, purify it, and then .... drink it ... !!!

8) Learn bushcraft skills (especially how to sharpen a knife properly!)

I'm sure there is more, add to the list please. Maybe we can build a training curriculum :)

A..

[1] I actually take freezing cold showers every day now instead of hot ones. I have been doing it a year. It cured my allergies and saves water, and electricity!

[Gale]

I have the SAS Survival Handbook by John Wiseman and Wilderness Survival published by the Province of British Columbia.

[border xer]

Watch plenty of Ray Mears :D

[Anchor]

Watch plenty of Ray Mears :D

Over here that would be - Watch plenty of Bush Tucker Man! :biggrin2:

[Realview]

I think this is something worth being aware of. Most people actually need very little food to live a healthy life. There are people, alive and well, who claim they eat one meal a week or a month and remain healthy. Since we have 3 basic survival needs: food, shelter, water. Minimizing our dependency on any is good knowledge to be aware of.

http://www.gallerize.com/Gallerize/Non-Eating_One_Year_Later.htm

[FoxForceFive]

Over here that would be - Watch plenty of Bush Tucker Man! :biggrin2:
I have my Russell Coight dvds on hand for any potential crisis! :biggrin2:

[Soul Sequence]

http://www.uaff.us/survival.htm

excellent site for preparations for just about anything

Regards and Blessings,
Soul Sequence

[Sol Invictus]

I think this is something worth being aware of. Most people actually need very little food to live a healthy life. There are people, alive and well, who claim they eat one meal a week or a month and remain healthy. Since we have 3 basic survival needs: food, shelter, water. Minimizing our dependency on any is good knowledge to be aware of.

http://www.gallerize.com/Gallerize/Non-Eating_One_Year_Later.htm

Very little food to lead a healthy life? one meal a week or month?

Sorry, not being rude to you, but thats very dangerous and silly. After a time your body goes into emergency survival mode. It will start to 'eat' the major organs for calcium and minerals ect. One meal a week or month?

Think of how quickly the Jews died in camps, and they were fed one meal a day. Ditto for the poor folks who became japanese PoWs.

[Sol Invictus]

SURVIVORMAN IS B.S. I can't tell you how many idiotic risks that guy makes in order to look cool for the camera. Don't listen to anything he says! Ignore him.

If it was the choice of you or Les Stroud I was to listen to, Les would win hands down. When you can hold an audience of 500 avid survivors enraptured for two hours, let me know and i'll book tickets.

Yes some of his stuff is 'for TV' and is entertainmnet, but ever read or heard him speak about 'real survival' topics? The guys a walking encylopedia of knowledge.

That total disrespect for another human is off putting to say the least.

[Swanny]

I'm stocking up on tinned food :original: