Prepper=Survivor

Vehicle Essentials for Summertime Travel

Prepper Advice, Vehicle February 27, 2013essentials, summer, Survival, vehicle 0 Comment

Vehicle Essentials for Summertime Travel

Summertime heat can be hard on a vehicle. The engine is prone to overheating, and tires can be affected by the heat as well. This means if you are traveling in the summertime you may experience a vehicle breakdown on a desolate stretch of highway. The summer heat can be dangerous to you as well. Dehydration is a very real possibility in the heat and you must prepare yourself as well as your vehicle.

Essentials for Your Vehicle

Even if you only commute, a few miles to work you never know what might happen. You might decide to take a shortcut or for whatever reason you travel somewhere else. You need to be prepared, for a breakdown or an accident, involving wildlife or you simply run off the road and your vehicle becomes disabled. To survive a few hours or a few days in the summertime heat you need to be prepared. The following is a list of essentials everyone should have in their vehicle for summertime travel.

• At least three days’ supply of water and calculate the amount using the one gallon/four liters recommendation for each person daily. The average person needs at least two quarts/liters daily just for hydration and if you are sweating profusely you may need up to a gallon daily to maintain fluid levels in your body
• Food for 72-hours such as protein bars, MRE’s, trail mix and/or peanut butter and crackers
• Coolant for the radiator and avoid using water for coolant. Water boils at a lower temperature than radiator coolant. Only use water in the radiator as a last resort
• Quality spare tire and the tools needed to change tires
• Tools for roadside repairs
• Duct tape, electrical tape
• Cell phone and charger and have an extra battery
• Maps of the area and a compass
• Signal flags that can be attached to the vehicle and if your vehicle has run off the road into heavy vegetation place signal flags where the vehicle left the road
• Glow lights that can be placed in the back and front windows so the vehicle can be located in the dark
• Work gloves
• Fire starting materials
• Battery operated flashlight
• Multi-tool and a fixed bladed knife

If it is hot, stay close to the vehicle, try to avoid exertion to slow your perspiration and do not attempt to walk to civilization. You can become dehydrated in a matter of hours. The vehicle is your only shelter for the night and unless you fear your life is in danger never attempt to hike out of your predicament in the dark. Nocturnal animals begin hunting at dark and this includes dangerous reptiles such as snakes. Let rescue personnel find you and make their job easier by staying close to your vehicle. Start a signal fire if there is no chance of creating a forest fire, the smoke can be spotted from miles away.

If you are prepared, you can survive quite easily for three days or longer if you do not panic and begin blundering around out in the heat. Water is your main priority along with having shelter at night, so do not give up your shelter and avoid exertion to prevent heavy sweating.

Backpack for Survival

Prepper Advice, Best February 14, 2013Backpack, Survival 0 Comment

Backpack for Survival

Before you can put together a survival backpack, you first need the right backpack. Having the right pack is important because, after all it will contain all the essential items that will keep you alive in a survival situation. Your pack should be water resistant or even waterproof. It should have kidney straps for securing the pack around your waist, along with ample padding. The waist straps will reduce the weight on your shoulders, and transfer it to your hips, and it keeps the pack from banging against your lower back as you walk.

People tend to overload their packs and this is problematic. A few hours along the trail and they have to decide what goes and what stays. They simply cannot handle the weight. Be honest with yourself and realistic. Your bag should be around 50 pounds. You should have about 25lb/11kg of water, and the rest food and gear. Water weighs 8.5lb/3.8kg per gallon and the recommended daily amount per person is one gallon. To lessen the weight on your shoulders and to allow more room for other items use a weight bearing web belt for around your waist. Use canteens that have pouches that can attach to the belt. Have one canteen on each side, and as you use the water from the canteens replenish from the pack. Do not carry water in gallon containers, because this makes the weight distribution difficult.

A note about water, the average adult requires between 2.0 and 2.5 quarts/liters of water daily just to maintain proper hydration levels. In extreme heat, you may require up to one gallon of fluids daily. The one-gallon a day recommendation under normal conditions considers personal hygiene requirements such as sponge baths and oral care. Do not forgo personal hygiene if water is available, this will help prevent illnesses by reducing the spread of bacteria.

Your pack should also have straps either on the top or bottom to attach a sleeping bag, poncho, tarps or a tightly rolled nylon tent. This frees up room inside the pack and distributes the weight evenly. If you do not have, straps use paracord to attach rolled items.

Military issue Alice Pack this pack can hold up to 80 pounds of gear and comes with a metal frame. The pack can be worn with or without the frame. Your pack should have straps and/or buckles on the harness for attaching flashlights, compass, knives, machetes or hatchets.

Pack Essentials

Your priorities are shelter, water, fire and nutrition you cannot survive without these. It is assumed you would have cold weather clothing on if it is cold and if the weather is temperate then add a cold weather coat, gloves and hat for changes in the weather. You will not have enough room to pack to many extra clothes, but you must have extra socks.

Socks will need to be changed quite frequently regardless of the weather. Sweating feet will cause blisters and if your feet become wet, they must be dried as soon as possible to prevent trench foot. Trench foot is a medical condition caused by prolonged exposure to cold wet conditions. If left untreated this condition can cause permanent damage and result in gangrene and amputation. Trench foot is not a result of frostbite. The temperature does not have to be below freezing to develop trench foot.

Water of course is a priority and along with your supply, you should have water purification tablets, and coffee filters so you can collect, filter and purify a water source along the trail.

Avoid canned foods because of the weight, instead consider Meals Ready to Eat (MRE’s). The packages are lightweight and are not easily damaged so they can be packed tight inside the bag. Each meal is roughly 1,220 calories each and the daily recommendation for an adult is two meals a day. You can also carry beef jerky and protein bars. Avoid high sodium and high sugar content foods.
Carry a quality fixed bladed knife many experts will tell you a quality knife is one of the most important items you can carry. You should also have a multi-tool knife.

Make sure you have rain gear such as a poncho and it must be large enough to cover you and your pack when shouldered. A quality poncho can also be used as an emergency shelter. Carry a small nylon tent if you have the room.

Have a sleeping bag, appropriate for the season, and keep it tightly rolled and secured outside the pack. Have two thermal blankets so one can act as a ground cover. Carry one or more nylon tarps that can be rolled tightly and secured outside the pack. Use for emergency shelter or ground cloths.
Carry fire-starting tools such as a magnesium stick, and Ferro rod in addition to matches. Have a camp axe, machete and/or a folding wood saw. Have nylon rope, fishing line and assorted hooks and tackle. Carry 20-24 gauge wire for animal snares, general bindings and gear repair.

Have a first aid kit along with personal hygiene items such as hand sanitizer, bath wipes and oral care items. Carry extra bandanas, sunglasses, flashlight, and personal protection. Consider a collapsible walking stick as well.

Emergency Wintertime Essentials for You Vehicle

Prepper Vehicle February 1, 2013car, list, preparedness, vehicle, winter 0 Comment

Emergency Wintertime Essentials for You Vehicle

The safest place if you are caught in a snowstorm while driving is in your vehicle. Sudden blizzards accompanied by high winds can cause whiteout conditions, and you can become disorientated and lost just feet from your vehicle. Stay inside and when you have to go out to make sure the tail pipe is not clogged with snow. Keep one hand on the vehicle or tie a rope to you and the car’s door handle. You cannot run your engine if the exhaust pipe is obstructed with snow or vegetation. Make sure to have a window down a few inches when running the engine. Once you become stranded run the car’s engine for ten minutes every 45 minutes to an hour.

Preparing Your Vehicle

Always keep the vehicles’ gas tank topped off, this ensures you have fuel if you become stranded and it also prevents moisture build up in the lines that can freeze and prevent you from starting the engine. The following is a list of essentials you should always have in your car when traveling in the wintertime.
• Three days of high protein foods that can be eaten as is, such as Meals Ready to Eat (MRE’s), protein bars, hard chocolate and trail mix
• 72-hour supply of water protected from freezing, place in Styrofoam coolers with newspaper or clothing for insulation
• Tire chains and traction pads, sand or cat litter for traction
• Small shovel
• Glow Lights the kind that you snap and shake
• Cell phone and charger/extra battery even if the phone does not have a carrier if charged the phone can dial 911
• Two thermal or wool blankets and/or sleeping bag
• Snow boots, heavy coat, gloves and hat
• Signal material such as brightly colored cloth or signal flags that can be held in place by closing a rear window on the material, used to signal rescue personnel
• Jumper/battery cables and/or a battery box with power converter and jump start cables attached
• Tools for minor car repair, duct tape, gallon of anti-freeze and extra motor oil
• Knife and multi-tool
• Matches, lighter and alternative fire starting materials such as a magnesium stick
• First aid supplies
• Snow brush and ice scraper
• Maps of the area along with a compass
• Flashlight and avoid lights that use the vehicles’ battery
• Nylon tow rope and avoid chains or steel cables for towing, they can snap and whip around causing serious injury if used to pull a vehicle

If possible, get signal fires going near the vehicle. Smoke can be seen for miles during the day and the flames can be seen at night. Keep wrapped in blankets to prevent body heat from conducting away from your body. Hypothermia is dangerous and can be a fatal condition if you

Surviving a Forest Fire

Prepper Fire January 26, 2013January 22, 2013fire, forest, shelter, Survival 0 Comment

Surviving a Forest Fire

Planning is essential to surviving a wildfire. Information is crucial and you must know the dangers in the areas you will be hiking, camping or hunting. Check with your local forest service and know the probability of a forest fire before traveling in a particular area. Chances of a forest fire increase if the temperatures are high and the humidity is low. Find out how much rainfall the area has received to decided if the underbrush is tinder dry or not. These are danger areas if it is a popular spot for campers and hikers because humans are the cause of many forest fires.

Escape

Even though you are careful, with your campfires, others may not be and you could be caught in a forest fire while hiking or camping. Getting ahead of the fire is important by maintaining situational awareness, looking for smoke and smelling the air. If you see or smell smoke, identify the probable location and move in the opposite direction immediately. If you take too long, the fire can encircle you leaving you no escape. Do not get trapped on hilltops, you want to move downhill from any fire because the heat from the inferno will rise and it can be as high as a 1000F/537C. Valleys or canyons can also trap the heat/smoke and either end could be blocked trapping you in the middle.

Open ground with a firebreak between you and the fire is ideal. Firebreaks include logging roads, fire roads or even highways. Water is a safety zone as well, and if you have no other choice get into the middle of the river or stream and as far out as you feel safe in a lake or pond. The fire can of course jump the break but a break will slow the fire down. Areas already burned can be safe if the combustibles have been consumed and if the heat and smoke is tolerable.

When the forest fire hits a firebreak, it may split. The combustibles have been consumed up until this point causing it to move along the break and then possibly jump the break. Depending on the vegetation there may or may not be a safe zone behind the fire.

If you are trapped and the fire is close, get to low ground, such as a ditch or any depression Scoop out a depression if you have to and cover yourself with soil if possible, this is only as a last resort. You want the heated air to pass over you, and if covered with non-combustibles you may have a chance of surviving. Keep your face from the heat and as low as possible. Avoid overhead dangers from falling trees or limbs if you have escaped to an already burned area.

There are shelters specifically designed to reflect up to 95 percent of heat from a forest fire that you can carry with you if you are traveling in a high fire risk area. The shelters provide protection from radiant and convective heat. Several models have an optional travel pack that will attach to the bottom of your backpack for easy carrying.

Preparedness Food Storage List

Prepper Food, Uncategorized January 21, 2013August 4, 2015food, preparedness, stockpiling 0 Comment

Preparedness Food Storage List

Food is a priority during a crisis even through the average person can survive up to three weeks without food. Food is comfort and can immediately bolster morale and make the crisis easier to handle. Even the process of making a meal can return some normalcy to an otherwise chaotic situation. Nutrition is a priority, and to ensure you do not lose your food supply to spoilage, rodents and insects it must be processed and stored properly.

Basic Essentials

• Salt/Pepper
• Various Dry Spices: Store To Protect From Moisture Rodents And Insects
• Cooking Oil
• Vinegar: Cider And White
• Flour Stored In Moisture/Rodent And Insect Proof Containers
• Powdered Milk Properly Stored: Used For Nutrition/Making Sauces And Gravies

Food Storage

Canned foods are popular for emergencies and relatively inexpensive and can be purchased virtually anywhere. However, the typical shelf life is one year from date of purchase and the variety can be limited, so persons with specific dietary concerns would have to shop carefully. Because of the limited variety, you will have to stockpile multiples of cans. When calculating amounts the average person will need one can of protein, one can of vegetables and one of fruit daily. Store where there is no chance of freezing and store in a dry area. Canned foods are already processed to prevent spoilage and the freezing and thawing of the contents can ruin the food and cause the can to rupture. Excessive moisture will cause the can to rust prematurely causing holes in the can.

Protein is important during a survival situation to maintain energy levels and proper red blood cell production. Keep in mind your physical activity level will rise during a crisis and you likely burn more calories as a result.

Avoid consuming high sodium foods. Do have comfort foods available but do not consider them a substitute for a well-balanced meal. For children and adults alike have cookies, dried fruits, hard chocolate and crackers available. Crackers and peanut butter will provide needed carbohydrates and protein to supplement a canned food diet. Peanuts, jerky and trail mix make ideal supplements during the day as well.

Dehydrated foods have an extended shelf life up to 30 years in some cases if unopened. They have a large variety from which to choose to include meats, fruits, vegetables, gravies, potatoes and even desserts. Once opened however the shelf life is reduced. The preparation requires water for reconstitution and a means to heat that water. The foods can be stored at room temperature and while the containers can be relatively large, each can contains a large number of meals. Keep in mind when ordering foods for long-term survival the amounts calculated are based on two meals a day.

Meals Ready to Eat (MRE’s) have a shelf life of between five and seven years when stored on the shelf. They require no preparation, so they can be eaten from the package. Each meal has about 1,200 calories and two per day is recommended for each adult.

Considerations

Have a variety of food packages on hand that can be easily carried in backpacks and vehicles. Canned foods are ideal for short-term if you shelter in place but can be cumbersome to carry if you have to relocate or evacuate. Dehydrated foods can be broken down into smaller containers for packing in a backpack, but consider the fact you will need water, a vessel for cooking and a heat source for preparation. MRE’s can be carried in a backpack relatively easily and can be eaten cold or immersed in hot water for heating the food.

1. Stockpile over time to lessen the economic burden
2. Inventory your stockpile once completed and note amounts and expiration dates
3. Rotate foods into your daily diet that are close to expiration and replace
4. Inspect all foods every 90 days for damage from insects and rodents
5. Do not become complacent because a crisis has not occurred and allow your food supply to be used for camping or other outdoor adventures

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What to Do During a Mass Evacuation

Prepper Disaster, Evacuation January 17, 2013January 9, 2013 0 Comment

What to Do During a Mass Evacuation

A survey conducted by the West Virginia University shows that 40 percent of the people surveyed would leave/evacuate during a crisis but do not have a destination in mind. A large percentage of the same respondents also ranked high, the probability of a terrorist attack in their area. The same survey indicates low levels of confidence in the government’s preparedness/planning as far as handling a mass evacuation from any given area. The take away from this study is that you, as an individual must prepare, educate, practice and not rely on anyone but yourself during an evacuation. In some cases, the evacuation routes in and of themselves itself can become a disaster area. Planning is crucial.

Certain natural disasters can be forecasted ahead of time to some extent, and in particular hurricanes, tropical storms and certain types of flooding. Terrorist attacks cannot be predicted or forecasted. Analysts and experts can only assume an attack could happen and evacuation orders would not be issued unless there was a definitive time and place of an attack, and logic dictates if they had that much information the attack could be prevented. Therefore, any attack would be a surprise and any mass evacuations plans would be improvised at best.

Planning Ahead

You have to know in which direction to travel and this is easily determined if the disaster is a natural one, you simply head inland during a hurricane using predetermined routes. During a flood, you evacuate to higher ground, before you are trapped. Therefore, the question is which way you should travel when it is not a natural disaster. Suppose for a minute that a nuclear device was detonated in a city close to you or someone released chemical or biological contaminates in the area. It is not likely the government would have the answers before you had to evacuate to protect yourself, in other words you cannot wait on instructions from the authorities. You have to be ahead of the situation and you must move fast so you are not caught up the traffic and pedestrian snarl. Information is essential.

First, you must have an idea of where you are heading. Rural areas are ideal regardless of the disaster. Terrorist groups and others that seek to create chaos will target symbolic structures/monuments and heavily populated areas. Thus, ground zero as it were, will be centered in or near cities. Take the time to know the surrounding area and not just in one direction map out a radius. It is crucial you do not waste time deciding direction of travel if you have to vacate the area.

Ideally, you can evacuate in a vehicle, but be prepared to go it on foot if needed. You may find that several miles from your home that the roads are blocked, destroyed or otherwise impassable. Therefore, have your essentials packed and ensure each member of the family or group has their own pack with essentials so they can survive if they become separated. Avoid bridges and interstates because that is where the majority of people will be. You can maneuver along secondary roads, and it may be easier to bypass obstructions by going around them. You cannot go around blockage on a bridge or certain other major highways.

Do not stop for anyone unless you know him or her to be law enforcement. During a major disaster Martial Law is likely to be enacted, which means federal troops can be deployed to enforce local laws, make arrests or detain individuals and quarantine areas as they see fit. Avoid troops unless your life is in danger because many times they will simply detain people and sort it out later. Keep in mind if there are demonstrations or riots they will not know if you are part of the problem or not. They will be acting for and with consent of the federal government and in particular the Commander in Chief.

Staying informed of local, national and worldwide events can give you a heads up if something does happen. Even if a nuclear device, chemical or biological weapons strikes a city hundreds of miles, away, your community will be affected and you should under these circumstances move from your area. Move away from the affected area to a predetermined rural safe zone. Many times armies will “soften” a target by a surprise attack of this nature and then move ground troops into other areas before the citizens and the government can gain some semblance of order.

Maxpedition Falcon-II Backpack

Emergency Shelter Tent

Emergency Blankets

MTM Survivor Dry Box

Coleman Stove

Coleman Heater

Emergency Drinking Water

Water Purification Tablets

Fresh Bath Body Wipes

Fenix Flashlight

Dust Masks

Champion Power Generator

Common Survival and Preparation Mistakes

Prepper Best, Disaster, Lessons January 12, 2013December 28, 2012Mistakes, Preparation, Survival 0 Comment

Common Survival and Preparation Mistakes

Over packing, it sounds counterproductive because logic dictates you can never have too much, but you can have too much when it comes to preparing for survival. It is all about priorities. In some peoples’ minds, they assume they need what is currently in their home to survive away from home, which is impossible of course. If forced to evacuate you may only have what you can carry in a backpack or if you are fortunate, enough to be able to escape in a vehicle you have more options but the big screen television is not one of the options. There are things essential to your survival and there are the things you only think are essential.

Wilderness Survival Kits

People typically over pack and thus begin to leave their survival kit behind because it becomes burdensome.

Some may be confused and rightly so about what a survival kit is. Some believe you must have enough food and water in one to survive forever and will pack and pack until they cannot even shoulder the bag. A survival kit is designed to provide you the tools and materials to collect and purify water, hunt and fish for food and to build a shelter. It is not designed for you to carry all of the food and water you may need and it provides the tools to build a shelter were ever you might be stranded. Your kit is designed to take over if you become lost or stranded and the supplies you packed for the time you expected to be hiking or camping are depleted.

Stockpiling Supplies At Home

The wrong type of foods and containers.

There are situations where you may have to evacuate your home. You will need supplies for the trip and for when you arrive at a destination. People tend to believe they will always have their home to live in during a crisis and do not prepare for the possibility of leaving. To prepare for any situation you would need foods that can be packed and carried on your back. Some preppers have safe areas they plan to escape to using vehicles, but vehicles break down and safe houses or areas can be destroyed or even taken over by others. Keep in mind all foods must be such that they can literally be eaten from the can or package. You may not have time or the resources to start a fire and prepare foods such as dehydrated ones.
Prepare, for sheltering in place and prepare for the possibility of sheltering in the wilderness because your current location has become hostile. Home canning is ideal for long term survival but glass jars are not ideal for carrying in a backpack and dehydrated foods require water and preparations so have a variety of foods to suit whatever action you must take. Do not make any assumptions, you must plan and prepare for all possibilities.

Some may brag about how well prepared they are and encourage others to do the same

It is important that everyone prepare so everyone can survive and not be a burden to others but some will not prepare for whatever reason. The ones that did not prepare will be looking for those that did, some will ask for help and others out of desperation may try to take what they need. Do not advertise you are prepared because you will become a target once disaster strikes.

Putting all of your supplies in one place.

Having all of your supplies in one place is not ideal. You may be robbed and lose all of your supplies, you may have a fire or the disaster itself may damage your home. Cache supplies even if it is in the backyard in the ground or in a secure shed. Bury them in various locations so if you do have to evacuate you can supply or resupply as you move out. Cache provisions along the evacuation routes, making sure you have alternative routes mapped out with supplies cached along those as well.