Creating a Survival List

2011
06.01

Before you head out into the woods, you should make sure that you have the right supplies. This is because you never know what can happen when you are out there in the bush and if you get lost, you will want to have everything that you will need to make it through at least 72-hours. This survival list could be the difference between life and death, so make sure that you update this list every six months and take your kit with you whenever you will be away from civilization.

The most important thing to have involved with your survival list is enough water to last you for three days. This generally means that you will carry four liters of water per person. In addition, you should carry food that you can consume without cooking, since you do not know if you will have a fire or not. This can include granola bars, crackers, cereal, canned juice, canned tuna and trail mix. If you bring cans of food, make sure that they have a pop-top, so that you do not have to worry about how you will open them.

You will also want to keep warm, as hypothermia is a significant danger when you are out in the woods. Bring a change of clothing, which includes a long sleeved shirt, pants, socks and a jacket. You should also put additional underwear on your survival list, just in case yours get wet. Blankets and sheets will provide you with additional warm and will keep you warm throughout the night. Even a plastic sheet can keep you warm, as it will help keep the heat in when it gets extremely cold.
As for the supplies on your survival list, you should start by having fuel and a light, so that you can see where you are going. If you end up spending days in the wilderness, the nights can become very long without light, as you will hear many noises throughout the night and will not have a fire for warmth. Even candles can provide you with a small amount of warmth and can be used to transport fire from one location to another. Waterproof matches are a must, as a lighter can stop working if it gets wet or becomes damaged. You should also try to include items like a radio, a knife, rope, tape and a first aid kit, as these items can help you to survive for a short period of time. An axe to cut wood will help as well.

While you never want to find yourself stuck in the wilderness, it is important to keep yourself prepared for the unexpected. A day hike into the woods can quickly turn into a disaster if you take a wrong turn or run into some severe weather, so having the necessities on hands is of the utmost importance. It is very easy to make a survival list and turn it into a kit, so make sure that you do so before your next excursion.

72 Hour Kits – Are you prepared?

2011
05.24

Preparing yourself to survive in the wilderness is a difficult proposition to wrap your head around, especially if you do not have much outdoor experience. Although it might not seem like a huge deal, especially if you are only missing for a few hours, these situations tend to drag on significantly. The entire time that you are missing, you will be left wondering how long it will take for someone to find you, which is a difficult situation for anyone. In the end, 72 hour kits will provide you with enough supplies to give rescuers a chance to reach you, without weighing you down too much on your excursion.

Once you know that you will need 72 hour kits, you must begin looking at the exact supplies that you will need to carry. For starters, you must have enough water to last yourself for three days, which works out to about four liters per person. The reason why three days has been chosen for these supplies is that it gives people enough time to realize that you are missing and then time to trace your steps and track you down. Once people realize that you have not returned, it should not take long to find you, but you never truly know.

Getting out there with your 72 hour kits will provide you with the peace of mind that you need to succeed in this situation. People who do not have these supplies tend to panic, which leaves them in a vulnerable position. Once you start to panic, such as a situation where you must search for water, you could take yourself further from the path and, therefore, you will make yourself more difficult to locate. If you can avoid wandering further into the woods and can live off of your kit, you will make it easier on rescuers.

When you buy kits from a store, most of them will come with enough supplies for three days. This is because survival experts know that 72 hour kits are the way to go. You can also add new supplies to these kits, however, which will provide you with even more products that will ensure your survival. It is also important that you replace any food that you put in the kit yearly, just in case some of it has expired.

If you are traveling with a group of people, make sure that everyone has 72 hour kits. This is because these kits have been designed to fit enough supplies for one person, but your supplies to disappear quickly if you have multiple people using it. Thirst and the cold will be your biggest enemies in this situation, so make sure, at the very least, that you have enough water and blankets for everyone. Taking these extra precautions will ensure that your next trip is a safe one and will prepare

Bug Out Bag, What is it?

2011
04.13

What is a bug out bag? Why would I want one? What is in a bug out bag? Where can I get a bug out bag? These are all very good questions and one’s you’ll want the answers to if for any reason you’re caught in a disaster natural or otherwise. With all the recent events around the world such as earthquakes, tsunamis, fires and floods a bug out bag is more important than ever. If something should happen you and your family need to be prepared for at least 72 hours and probably longer.  A bug out bag should contain everything you need.

Over the years I’ve had several earthquake preparedness kits due to the fact that I currently live in California.
More recently with all the natural disasters, it has become more important to me personally to make sure that I am prepared. In reviewing what I have on hand now and how prepared I am it became very clear that I wasn’t prepared enough in the case of the real emergency. So I started to really research the topic and put together my bug out bag and an overall survival strategy. My strategy includes preparedness not only for the first 72 hours but actually for at least a month.

In this blog I will be sharing what I have learned about survival, being prepared, where to get all the resources needed and finally how to survive in a potentially hostile urban environment.

I look forward to discussing best approaches and your ideas as we all up our preparedness for the unknown. You really owe it to yourself and your family to be prepared. Stay tuned to learn a lot more.

Welcome to Bug Out Bag Blog Dot Com

2011
03.31

This blog features information on bug out bags and survival preparedness.