This is an article I’d pay particular attention to if I were you…
It seems as though 2015 is the gestation period for global disasters. Especially if you listen to the astrological predictors, soothsayers and a recent Nostradamus authority.
Let’s face the facts – no one can accurately predict the future any more than they can recreate the past.
However the political winds they do blow and the global events are still looking dire. At any given time you will find more than 30 conflicts going on around the globe, disastrous weather, Mother Nature rearing her hand leaving behind death and destruction.
You may be wondering what my point is – I’ll tell you – survival – how will you simply survive in a world gone berserk?
This is not a primer for a doomsday prepper show simply a hold on to your knickers theory and a means to come out a lot safer than your neighbors.
My theory for 2015 and 2016 is disaster on a global scale perhaps war brewing like fresh coffee in the Middle East ready to serve the rest of humanity with a dozen years of troubled times.
A dozen years is a long time isn’t it? The Great Depression lasted exactly that long too and it wasn’t pleasant then either. What will be the huge difference – our reliance on technology?
During the Great Depression technology was telegram, telephone and the automobile and of course industry in its infancy.
Today we rely on everything send and received through digital electronics. When we lose that means it will be as though someone turned off our national light switch and we will be left in the dark.
What do we need to make this inevitable bad time easier?
Common sense, the realization that the government will not be able to come to your rescue; also having supplies ready to aid you in the coming bad times ahead.
Supplies like what?
Water – a source or a means to have clean drinking water.
Now let me dispel a myth I may have missed in previous scribbling about purification of water.
Boiling water you take from a pond will not make it drinkable you kill off bacteria, pathogens and other creepy crawlies grant you but not metals, poisons and toxins and drinking this freshly boiled water will make you violently ill.
You have to have a means to remove these deadly impurities and a water purification system is vital to your continued health and well-being.
It’s likely you’ll be staying in your home, condo or apartment unless the crisis requires you get out to a safe place and without proper equipment, training and knowledge you won’t do so well in the wilderness.
Staying inside where it’s at least safe and dry you’ll still need a great water purification system just to be sure the water you consume won’t make you sick and one that you can take with you should you need to leave your home?
I like things simple and I’m a very visual individual and since there is only me I have a Berkey Light Water Filter System. It is made of food grade, see thru poly material that is nearly indestructible and allows you to see the water level. It comes with an elevated base, holds 2.5 gallons of filtered water. I discovered even though I have a Katadyne Water Filter for my bugout bag and other portable filtration bottles that hold 32 ounces of water something you can have in your base camp is essential and for under $300 this unit serves its purpose well.
Another Water Filter System you should consider having in you’re to go bag is a Lifesaver Bottle 4000 Ultra Filtration Water Bottle which will filter 1,000 gallons of water with each filter cartridge or about 2.5 years worth of drinking water. I would recommend you get two additional filters to cover your butt just in case. The system is around $160, is lightweight at 22-ounces and will do an excellent job for you.
Water for hygiene should be boiled in a large pot and stored in a Reliance 5-gallon poly-Bagged Fold-A-Carrier it’s a five gallon/20 liter BPA free collapsible container and for about $8 having one for drinking water and one for hygiene (plainly marked) is a good idea.
Washing your body, brushing your teeth and keeping your hair free of vermin will be just as important then as it is for you now.
Shelter – we have discussed staying put in your home till its time and you are forced to get out when the plumbing fails to give life and to take waste.
Being out in a pup tent may have been an adventure when you were in scouts but as an adult it will not work having to crawl into a small confined area.
If you have a minivan, cargo van or pickup truck you can devise a place to spread out your sleeping bag and keep the night flying, blood sucking critters at bay and if not I would recommend a good sized tent for a base camp. A six or 8 person tent will provide you ample sleeping and storage and you’ll be able to stand up not live life on your belly and knees in a more confining and primitive means.
For your bugout bag I still say a 4-man dome tent is the way to go, a little heavy, easy to setup and roomy and try a week without one you’ll agree the added weight was worth it.
I’m going to get a lot of survival flak about the added weight factor but listen up dummies you are most likely not going to be alone when you are bugging out and weight can be distributed between more than one person. And you are going to be living in this tent, sleeping, keeping your gear and things you gather too – you’ll need the space – trust me and I’m not trying to sell you a car either…
Food – this is a touchy subject with prepper’s but quite frankly take the stuff you normally eat not some freeze-dried, dehydrated or MRE must have foods. I plan to drive to where I am going either in a vehicle or on a motorcycle carrying my not so lithe carcass and around 200# of gear most of it food.
I admit I eat a lot of prepared foods soups, vegetables, fruit and meats in cans because it’s convenient and I keep a large supply on hand just in case of emergencies like the hurricanes that plague Florida knocking out power and communications for a week or two.
As an avid outdoorsman in decades past I ate the three take with you foods freeze-dried, dehydrated and Meals-Ready to Eat. My frank opinion is the first two are not on my top list. The vegetables and fruits are great but the meal entrees not so much. You add boiling water, stir and let sit and dig in expecting a gourmet meal in that $7 pouch of food – don’t – you’ll be disappointed; don’t taste like anything you’ll have ever eaten before.
I had C-rations in scouts in my pre-teens and teens left over from some war and some of it was pretty darn tasty other stuff that would gag a maggot and then the invention of the MRE’s and in the military I had them during my first field training exercise and actually liked them a lot and over the years the meal pouches are tasty and filling and come with toilet paper and a snack.
So hence my recommendation – you have transportation take along 100# of canned food varieties (meats, soups, vegetable and fruits) which is enough for one person for a couple months. Forget about the salt you’ll need it when you sweat out your bodies salts for replenishment. Also don’t forget the can opener, trying to open a can with a knife is a miserable and hand cutting experience I guarantee you.
For the bugout bag and weight sake freeze-dried, dehydrated or MRE’s are wise at least 5-days supply. I am a big guy and my bugout bag is about 40# I take high energy power bars, jerky, nuts and mixed fruits (pemmican) and a choice of the above too. I am prepared to stay out for a month if necessary and can do so with what is on my bag. My secret is to not over exert myself not walking more than 10-miles a day, have a good multi-purpose walking and survival staff from Cane Master’s.
I have personal choice here and it’s not light, cheap or without multiple uses and I am taking up space in this article to tell you about it.
This is a must have for me as I may have to reach high to grasp a branch or balance myself in precarious positions in full field pack with weapons and water. It’s not cheap $20 walking stick or a cheesy cane either but one of the most versatile utility staffs/self-defense weapons I have ever owned and used.
The Highland Survival Staff has been created jointly by Cane Masters and Colorado Search & Rescue. This staff is made from 1” diameter Solid American Hickory. It can be ordered standard 64” or custom made to your specifications. It includes:
35 feet of 450lb. test paracord, good for many uses such as making snares and shelters.
A high tech whistle designed by the U.S. Military for search and rescue that is audible from over 1 mile away.
A stainless steel tip and collar that tapers down to a ½” chisel tip.
Swedish designed fire steel (hidden inside of the stainless steel tip) that emits a large shower of sparks at 5500 degrees Fahrenheit for starting camp and signal fires.
A liquid filled compass with night time luminescence.
A crook designed into the staff that is great for reaching far distant or hard to reach objects.
Weighs less than 3 lbs!
This staff is currently being tested by the Colorado Search & Rescue. The highland survival staff is being introduced for an introductory price of $239.95.
Cane Master’s is not paying me for my endorsement I own this staff and have used it both as a utility in the field and taught a series of self-defense techniques using it and you can terminate a threat with this gem.
Hiking in Colorado Rockies, in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and in the upper desert in California it proved an invaluable tool and a support when I needed that little extra edge.
One thing I don’t usually touch on is clothing and it will play a vital role in your survival future.
Clothing – yep, it comes down to what covers your body that is important too.
Durable natural fabrics and breathable materials are a necessity. I know I use the word “necessity” a lot and you’ll find the “what-you-must-haves” are a necessity too.
Durable and can withstand lots of rugged wear – jeans, good old Levi’s that are broken in and comfortable and something you live in when you aren’t in your corporate best.
A comfortable and mixed blend t-shirt or pullover that allows your body to breathe and wick away perspiration.
Light, waterproof jacket with a hood that can serve as a windbreaker or to keep you dry in a light drizzle.
Socks, cotton or light weight type and several pairs as your feet are your final mode of transportation.
Good quality shoes that are meant to be worn all day, every day in all types of conditions and terrain. I spent over $125 for my hiking boots they are lightweight, flexible and meant to withstand hard usage. I don’t plan on hiking to perilous heights, scaling mountains or trekking across the burning sands of a desert but wherever I do walk good high quality shoes will save your feet and your butt.
So take what I have to say to heart. Stick around your home till you no longer can or if there is real danger get the hell out and drive to safety if you can and if not beat feet.
Till next time… Boonie Hat Bob
Who ever came up with the theory that a bug out will only last three days? Loose the glow stckis and get a head lamp, use a lighter alternative to the heavy shovel, your water sys is way too bulky, denatured alcohol for a stove did you say, loose that and get a esbit stove, the 9mm is only good for self defense and small game. Maps, where are your maps and compass you can lay on the map and that had a mirror, you can get a hatchet that is just as effective but lighter than that one.