KNOW THE BASIC TOOLS FOR SURVIVAL

... You've been following a bull elk over several hills, concentrating on your kill, hours have passed. Suddenly it's dark, it's starting to rain and you're miles from your camp. What do you do?

... Or, you're traveling a back road, a short cut supposedly, to your destination. Out of the blue your car sputters and dies! No one is around to answer the call on the CB and you’re out of reach for the cell phone. ...

What if a flood of water suddenly washed everything you own down river? Could you live off the land? Could you start a fire? Could you find food to eat, dry clothes to wear, clean water to drink?

Your life literally depends on BEING PREPARED!


Suppose you were enjoying a vacation in the mountains. You've been skiing, having fun, relishing the freedom from work and home responsibilities... then it happens, you snag a branch, slide down a hill, hit your knee and you can't walk. You had decided to try a new slope, now you find yourself in unfamiliar territory unable to take yourself out. Could you survive a possible 6 to 12 hours OR MORE until someone notices you're missing or the search and rescue team find you?

What if a tornado suddenly hit your area? We never expected it here in Eugene, Oregon. But last year we were visited by our first real tornado. Blocks of homes were damaged, one being a close friend of mine. His family was at home, he was at work. Would you know what to do?

The list is endless of "WHAT IF'S". The point is to BE PREPARED and take the emergency out of emergencies. A few simple tools and necessities can mean the matter of life or death.

I have been an exhibitor at the International Sports Show Events and other similar Outdoor Trade shows for the last 11 years promoting survival tools. Every show I attend someone tell me about their experience of being stranded, or their canoe overturning, aircraft going down, being caught in a sudden storm, or just having to make camp unexpectedly when it's too far back to the camp with too much meat to pack. One person told me about being accidentally shot. Accidents happen. If your not prepared or think they won't happen to you, a horrible surprise could be waiting for you.

Every survival school, survivalist, search and rescue team, outfitter or forest ranger will have a different list of "Basic Survival Gear". It is up to you to customize your kit to suit your needs depending on your particular situation.

There are some basics to consider. The four main concerns are food, water, warmth, and shelter. Not necessarily in that order ........., which you consider the most important again depends on the situation, but fire is almost always at the top of every survival list.

Many camping trips have been spoiled because of wet matches and lighters that wouldn't work. Knowing how to build a campfire, especially when your matches have gotten wet or your lighters have failed, can be quite a challenge. Being prepared with several techniques will increase your chances of survival.

Never depend on only one source of fire preparation.

Fire is essential not only for warmth and to cook your food, but to decontaminate your drinking water, first aid sterilization, and is also a source of light.

Some of the other methods of fire starting along with matches or lighters are a bow drill, natural flint and steel, a magnifying glass, or a battery and steel wool. Few people have found natural flint and steel to be successful because of the minute spark that is achieved upon striking. Special tinder is required to ignite with the tiny spark that natural flint produces. A bow drill also takes practice and expertise to assemble and use. A magnifying glass is beneficial during the day but is useless after dark. The battery and steel wool will work, if you have them with you, and if it is charged.

Another method of fire starting that is gaining in popularity, which is more dependable and effective than any other means of fire building, is magnesium and flint (man made metal flint). Many of the search and rescue teams are recommending the mag/flints, authors of survival books have written about their success, even the military includes one in the survival packs for our servicemen.

The benefit of the metal flint and magnesium is that it works even when it's wet. The flint supplies an extremely hot spark to ignite dry or slightly damp tinder. The magnesium can be scraped off to produce a fuel to ignite, which in turn will ignite wet tinder. This gives you the most important ingredient for survival --- FIRE!

This will be just the beginning of what you will need if you find yourself stranded or hurt while hunting, backpacking, snowmobiling or enjoying any other outdoor activity.
A few necessities can mean the matter of life or death in an emergency. The basic list that most authors or survivalist refer to include these items:

Compass
You have to know which direction you are going and most of us are not trained to follow the stars by night. But basic east and west of the sun will work if you know the approximate time of day. Make sure you learn how to use a compass.

Map
If you are not familiar with reading area maps MAKE SURE YOU LEARN! A compass will be of no avail if you can't read a map.

Water
One canteen of water can last a couple days. Water is more important than food during a time of survival. Once you have exhausted your supply, you will have to either boil water sufficiently (which requires a fire) to kill the bacteria or carry the tablets that are designed to purify stream water.

Pocket flashlight
A flashlight with a dead battery is worthless. Carry a small flashlight with a switch that cannot accidentally be turned on in your pack. This is for emergencies only! Keep it lightweight.

Plastic garbage bag or a space blanket
This can be used to wrap up in to stay warm and dry or to build a shelter for shade. There is a variety of books at your local library that show how to build shelters of any size for survival. Or you can search the Internet for any subject you are curious about.

Whistle
A most effective way of getting attention to be located!

Pocket knife
The Swiss Army Knife is hard to beat, but any sharp pocket knife will do. One that has a locking blade is safest. A small sharpener can be included in your pack but you can also sharpen the blade on a flat rock.

FIRESTARTER (Matches, lighter, Magnesium/Flint, Etc.)
Everything except the Magnesium/Flint tool must be kept dry! This is what makes the Flint tool so impressive and dependable. The flint can also be scraped hard to produce a flare like spark for use as a signal. Be sure to carry at least 2 methods for building a fire. Small pieces of pitch wood can be put in a plastic bag and can easily be ignited. Cotton balls smeared with Vaseline light easily and are lightweight. Steel wool is also light and easy to light as your initial tinder.

Food
Dried food is lightweight and nourishing but does use up the water in your body, so use this sparingly. Protein wafers are easy to pack and nutritious. Hard candy will give extra energy. There are many books available on living off the land.

Small First Aid Kit
Any small kit will be better than nothing. There are herbs of every kind available in the wild but knowing how to identify them and prepare them can be quite complicated.

Fishing line and 2 hooks
If you are fortunate enough to be by a stream, you could catch your dinner. If not, this line can be used to set a variety of traps to catch small animals.

This is just a BASIC LIST that can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency. Other lesser important items might be sunglasses, extra clothes, fluorescent marking tape for trail marking, a wire ring saw, safety pins, sewing awl, collapsible shovel, small ax, a small toolbox, sleeping bag, radio, survival manual, insect repellent, rope, dental floss (for sewing), needles, candles, bug spray, toilet paper, and soap. It all depends on how much you want to carry.

Once you have assembled your EMERGENCY KIT make sure you know where it is at all times. Put it where it's easily found. If you travel, keep a second kit in the trunk of your car. Put a fanny pack together, take it with you if you backpack or just go for a walk by the river.

A book that I would recommend reading is "The Sense Of Survival" by J. Allen South through Timpanogos Publishers. This is the most complete guide I have ever read. It is well written and easy to understand. It can be purchased or ordered from any major bookstore.

The Mag/Flint tools can be purchased through Flint Firestarters. Call them for an order form. Their toll free number is 888-728-3433 or 541-345-3400. The chances of you surviving any emergency depends primarily on your preparation and using common sense. Don't panic! Stop and assess your situation, then act.

It takes very little time, money or effort to assemble an "Emergency Pack" to be ready for any situation. If you’re not prepared, it could cost you your life.

Questions?
Email Sparky!

COPYRIGHT © 1999, WebWorks