A Survival Tips and Techniques Blog | UrbanWoodsman.com

A discussion on doing more than just conceptualizing. Planning and research are crucial ,however, actually going through the process, making mistakes and learning from those mistakes is better done now when mistakes will not cost more than money. A wise man once told me actions speaks louder than words.

Grand Canyon backpack Courtsey of kevindooley via flickr

A backpacking checklist is usually about the “stuff.” Good equipment is nice to have, but even with the best gear you can get into trouble in the wilderness. You might have matches and the latest fire starters, but still not be able to get that fire going. It takes more than good gear to assure a safe and enjoyable trip. Towards that end, then, this is a list of skills you should have or learn.

1. Navigation. Contrary to what many novices think, a compass doesn’t tell you where you are. For that matter, a map doesn’t either, if you don’t know how to use it. Practice close to home if you can’t yet use both of these easily. Do the same with your GPS unit.

2. Staying warm. There are tricks to staying warm. Shed layers as you get warm, for example, so you don’t have sweat to chill you later. Use wind-blocking shell clothing, and wear a hat. Eating fatty foods before sleeping can keep you warmer.

3. Pitching a tent. Pitch your tent or tarp wrong and the rain will come in, or the wind will tear the seams. They need to be pitched tight, and you should be able to do it in a few minutes. Practice in the yard.

4. Cooking over a fire. Making soup over a small fire is not as easy as it seems. Cover the pan, block the wind, and keep the fire small and concentrated. Time yourself when you practice. You don’t have to rush normally, but speed can be important in some situations, and it’s always possible your stove will break.

5. Identifying edible plants. Learning to identify three or four wild edible berries can make a trip more enjoyable. Learning to identify cattails and one or two other good survival food plants can be very helpful, especially if you ever lose your food to a bear.

6. Walking. If you pace yourself and learn how to move comfortably over rocky terrain, you’ll be less tired, and less likely to twist an ankle. Tighten those laces, too.

7. Understanding animals. Is the bear “bluff charging” or stalking you? The latter means you’ll be the bear’s supper if you play dead. A clue: making a lot of noise usually means he just wants to frighten you (a “bluff charge”), but you need to read up on this one.

8. Sky reading. Are those just clouds, or a lightning storm coming? It would be good to know when you’re on a high ridge. In the rockies, afternoon thunderstorms are the norm in summer. Learn about the weather patterns of an area, and the basics of predicting weather, and you’ll be a lot safer.

9. Basic first aid. What are the symptoms of hypothermia? Stumbling and slurred speech are a couple of them. How do you properly treat blisters? You can use duct tape if you don’t have moleskin. These and other basics are good things to know.

10. Firemaking. Start practicing in your yard. Try to start that fire with one match. Also try it the next time it’s raining. Get in the habit of collecting dry tinder before the rain comes. Learn what things burn even when wet, like birch bark and pine sap.

This last one can be one of the more important skills in an emergency. Experts can start a fire in almost any circumstances, but you don’t need to be an expert in wilderness survival to enjoy a safe hiking trip. For a safer, more enjoyable trip, just do the best you can, and start checking off the skills on this backpacking checklist.

Preparing a car survival kit requires gathering supplies such as a tool kit, jumper cables, blankets and flashlights. Find out how to prepare a car for a wilderness trip with tips from an experienced outdoorsman in this free video on wilderness survival. Expert: kevin Barrett Bio: Kevin Barrett is an experienced outdoors man who has been honing his survival skills for many years. Filmmaker: Nili Nathan

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Peak Oil Survival: Preparation for Life After Gridcrash

I visit a bakery to acquire 5 gallon buckets for food storage. I focus on my rice and oatmeal.

Survival preparation is one of the most essential parts of scheduling any mission or trip. It is crucial to pre-plan for the contingencies when you may have to stay in an unfriendly terrain without anything but just some life saving gear, and in a few situations, without any safety gear or kit.

Therefore, it is essential to plan for and carry endurance and survival supplies when we set out for a trip where emergencies and contingencies might arise. One must never go out without carrying the essential survival gear to places where assistance may take a little bit of time in reaching you when something happens wrong.     

Everything, which goes inside your survival equipment kit must be essential, adaptable and multipurpose. Military forces diligently plan and prepare survival kits for officers and individuals who carry out missions and require survival apparatus. One of the exclusive survival tools that  some in the  military use in their kits are lightload towels. These lightload towels are as small as a hockey puck while they are folded. These towels measure anywhere between 12 x 36 inches and 30 x 24 inches yet weigh only half an ounce.

Lightload Towels are made out of 100% viscose. They are packed in watertight packs that help them remain dry in the wettest of situations and are so small that you can easily carry a couple in your pocket since they fold to the size of a quarter. Lightload Towels can be as inconspicuous as pocket change, but in a life and death situation, these things will be priceless as they can perform multiple functions as a life saving tool. Some of the main ways in which a light load towel can help in an emergency are:

Harnessing Drinking Water: Lightload towels tend to soak up more water when compared to the usual cotton towel. In addition, these multiple purpose lightload towels can also assist you in harnessing rain water or even dew when you are faced with a shortage.

Making Shelter: The first thing that you need to do in order to survive in the rough terrains is to search for or make your own shelter. Lightload towels which are extremely compact to carry around, open up into full beach size towels i.e. 36 x 60 inches. A couple of these full sized beach light load towels can provide help in making a temporary shelter during dry weather. As these towels are extremely compact, you can keep them in your survival gear kit when you fall short of space to pack extra stuff for making an emergency shelter.        

Treating Injuries: Sealed, sanitized and dry lightload towels can be used for first-aid treatment in emergencies. These towels take up very little space when compared to gauze and therefore act as multipurpose gear while traveling.     

Signaling: Unfortunately, sometimes you get trapped in a condition where you are not able to rescue yourself without external help. In such cases, you need a signaling device like a mirror or flares to get attention and help. However, if you are not carrying any signaling devices with you, then lightload towels, which can unfurl into great white flags can act as a signaling device that will help your rescuers in finding you.www.ultralighttowels.com

Thousands of people every year find themselves in a wilderness survival situation. Fortunately most are rescued alive and well – but not all. If you hunt, hike, canoe, backpack or do other activities that involve the possibility of getting lost in the woods or getting into an emergency situation, it might pay to learn a few survival skills. But what you do before you leave the house may be just as important. Here are some tips then, on how to prepare in such a way that you either avoid the bad situation or are ready for it.

1. The Newest Survival Tool

Cell phones have become the newest survival tool, and have already saved many lives. The key here is to be sure that the battery is good and the phone doesn’t get wet. putting it in a waterproof plastic bag in your shirt or jacket pocket is a good idea, because you might get separated from your pack. Also, it is best to leave it off until you need it, to conserve the batteries.

2. An Itinerary That Saves You

Leaving an itinerary behind will mean that rescuers know where to look if you don’t show up at the end of your trip into the wilderness. Think carefully about where you want to go, because if you change your plans too much while on the trail, the note you left behind become worthless. If there are a couple options you might consider, note them on the itinerary.

3. A Survival Kit

What you need in your survival kit varies depending on the type of terrain and weather you’ll encounter. A good all-around kit should have two ways to start a fire (waterproof matches and a lighter or magnesium fire stick), some aspirin, a small blade for cutting things, some twine, a bit of duct tape, reflector for signaling rescuers, a whistle for the same, pencil and paper, dental floss (many uses) water purification tablets, needle and thread, gauze pads, antibiotic ointment, tweezers, safety pins, medical tape, moleskin for blisters, sun block and bandages. This may sound like a lot, but a kit like this can easily weigh less than six ounces.

4. Navigation Tools

A compass and map are always a good idea, as long as you know how to use them. Keep in mind that if you are lost a map and compass will do little for you until you figure out where you are. A GPS device can prevent getting lost too, but be sure that you remember to “mark” the car or trail head before you leave, so it can guide you back.

5. Proper Clothing

Most wilderness survival situation become real emergencies when the victims become hypothermic. Maintaining your body heat starts with bringing the appropriate clothing. In addition to having clothes that will keep you warm even when wet (avoid cotton), if there is any chance of cool weather bring a small hat and gloves as well. These add only a few ounces to your pack weight, but can save your life.

6. Water Considerations

Food is not usually a wilderness survival issue. Almost nobody starves to death before being found or dying from other causes. Water, on the other hand, is crucial, so plan well. Know where you will be able to collect more water during your hike.

It is safest if you have two water containers, regardless of how much water you bring. This is so that if one breaks or is dropped and lost, you still have a way to gather and carry water. I prefer two plastic pop bottles, since they are the lightest containers available while also being almost unbreakable.

Use these six tips to prepare for any trip into the wild and you’ll probably avoid most emergency situations. Of course, it can also help to learn those wilderness survival skills too. That, however, is a topic for another article.

Peace is fast becoming a scarce commodity in all parts of the world. If the threat of war is not from over the boarders it is from within – civil war is what every country fears more than international aggression. The risk of having to face a civil war is an omnipresent risk and people need to need to be educated vis-à-vis what they need to do in times of civil unrest.

There are many countries such as Africa that are no longer affected by a civil war, in fact living in aggression has become a part of their lives, never the less they are well versed with ways of defending themselves and finding food and nutrition for their families. In Africa alone civil war has displaced as many as 5 million families many of them are living in evacuation camps set up by the army and social service organizations like the Red Cross.

Civil war is no different than a conventional war fought between two countries; the only difference is that the army is fighting people within the country. Nevertheless civil war can be a very devastating experience especially for women and children who in most cases are not equipped to fend for themselves. Apart from food, shelter and clothing problems civil war brings with it atrocities in the form of human rights violations – from military as well as civilian forces.

Every family living in a country that is threatened by civil war needs to put in place a contingency plan in case there is any unrest. These people should never live in the hope that their government will provide for them in times of unrest. Government, at most times, will heap atrocities on the people in times of civil war – remember that the government is fighting civilians in their own country. So, civilians are the enemy!

Preparations for civil war should include survival courses where they are trained in the art of self defense as well as the use of fire arms and other weapon training. While training in the use of fire arms adolescents must also be made aware of the dangers of handling a dangerous weapon, not just the adults.

Knowledge of first aid is very important in times of war and so every civilian must be well versed with the use of various first aid techniques. First aid kits must be prepared and kept ready to deal with open wounds as well as diseases such as diarrhea, malaria and other general contagious infectious diseases.

Families facing the threat of civil war need to prepare to be displaced in the hope of escaping violence. These people must prepare a displacement kit that would necessarily include all necessities such as covering, clothes and shoes. These times will mean living on the road for months without shelter. Your displacement kit will be of great help in these times. Include only the bare necessities in the kit to keep it light.

It is necessary to prepare for an emergency rather than hope it will not happen. So, if you are prepared you will have taken care of a few of your worries at least, and you will have improved your chances of surviving.