***Thread for survivalists, preparedness, G.O.O.D., SHTF, TEOTWAWKI***

[Nainoa]

First off....NICE!

I believe heavily in the laws of nature, but sadly much of this has been lost. However, I do try and keep myself grounded by way of learning the things needed for survival. I might not ever confront such a situation, but it gives me a sense of calm knowing that I can shoot a rifle, I can gut a boar, I can fish, collect water and all that other biz. But you do have me wondering how I'd fair with only my clothing, a knife and a canteen. Jeez, this is tough.

Well, first off I pretty much think all humans (even the dumbest), are skeptical about berries (mushrooms also). Only a child would go stuffing poisonous berries and 'shrooms' down their gullet. So some things stem from common sense (like an instinctive fear of snakes), while other things come via a learning curve, or studying some of these things beforehand (like knowing how to start a fire, etc.).

I know this might be kind of corny, but the film 'The Edge' portrayed some interesting aspects of survival. The primary point though was that survival has less to do with being macho, young or fit, and more to do with knowledge, trial and error, including that learning curve that comes with being forced to confront survival 'head on' as opposed to in theory.

But it's sad that many of us today have no survival skills because we have no elders to teach us these things. All many of us know is that food comes out of boxes and that tools are purchased at hardware stores.

I like that here in Hawaii many of the locals and old timers hunt boar with knives, or fish using only a line and hook, as opposed to rod and reel. You should see some of these guys with their hands scarred from wrestling 150 pound yellow fins onto a small fishing boat using only a line wrapped around their hands. Just a few days ago a bunch of local boar hunters crossed my property, they were bloodied and exhausted from wrestling a massive boar (which was being 'carried' as opposed to dragged because of all the lava rocks). But they killed this behemoth with a hunting knife. This is what I call hardcore survival, without needing to sit in a tree wearing camo and sniping with a high powered, scoped rifle.

So yeah, I like your idea for a story that goes way back to the basics, to the old-skool survival techniques.

Been writing all day long... Just figured I'd take a break and check the boards.

One of the things I'm really focusing on isn't just "Survival Skills" but in how the laws of nature reveal to us "Primal Truths" and that by understanding them we come to understand our selves, our place in the world... And more importantly how to "Live on Purpose." With a kind of Interactive thinking that nutures a connection to the world and a connection to our circumstances... Rather than the standard urbanised "On par" act of "Reactive Thinking." Where **** just happens to you and you have a bunch of double dick cheese cliche's that help you get through it since "Time heals all wounds."


So it's been a real exploration of things like the value of creativity, leadership skills, personal growth and life purpose.

*****

One of the things that I equate in the book is that the Lakota Sioux had a belief that there are 4 Virtues... Strength, Courage, Wisdom, and Big Heart. That each of us is born strong in one of these, and must come to cultivate the others through the experiences of our lives.

At the same time I believe that in the modern age and teh current cultural paradigm shift that in conquering much of the "Survival needs" of our species that much like a Cultural Form of "Maslow's Heirarchy of needs... That personal growth has a similar set of virtues... In the forms of Intellect, Emotional Awareness, Spirituality and Purpose.

And that it is through the cultivation of these 4 aspects, through the path of personal power that we come to the salient truth of both Identity as well as Destiny.

********

Speaking of Hawaii... My Father in Law has decided to retire out there. (He used to live there for a spell.) He's looking at buying a place that he said is "An Acre just south of Captain Cook" And when he passes he wants to will it to my wife and I...

[JMath]

This thread has had some really good info. Here is a bump in hopes of keeping it alive (no pun intended)

[B.O.L.A.]

Bump

[Travis71902]

and bump

[Nainoa]

Come on guys... If you're going to bump it... At least chip in something small...

Such as:

To start a fire with slightly damp wood, you can drizzle a little fat on your tinder... Vegetable oil, bacon grease left in the pan... Whatever...Just find some kind of papery tinder... Apply a little oil/fat/grease to it and it will create a wicking action similar to a candle that will allow your tinder to burn longer and improve your chances that your damp kindling will catch.

[B.O.L.A.]

I've built an epic BOB over the past 6 months or so....roughly $250 and a lot of planning has gone into it. Also acquired a Ruger 10/22 purely as a survival option. I want to mod it out a bit to reduce weight but local regulations will prevent installation of many "evil features." Can you believe that- can't even own a tricked out .22 ? Maybe I will just get a shorter non-telescoping stock, I don't think that counts as evil....

But yea, anyway, epic BOB includes Gerber camp axe, Kabar, ultralight tent, first-aide kit put together with hospital supplies that I- uh- "borrowed" at work, paracord, etc. Essentially it is just a really nice compact and minimalist camping outfit, but also can serve as a BOB. Will post pics later

[Steak_n_Taters]

I've built an epic BOB over the past 6 months or so....roughly $250 and a lot of planning has gone into it. Also acquired a Ruger 10/22 purely as a survival option. I want to mod it out a bit to reduce weight but local regulations will prevent installation of many "evil features." Can you believe that- can't even own a tricked out .22 ? Maybe I will just get a shorter non-telescoping stock, I don't think that counts as evil....

But yea, anyway, epic BOB includes Gerber camp axe, Kabar, ultralight tent, first-aide kit put together with hospital supplies that I- uh- "borrowed" at work, paracord, etc. Essentially it is just a really nice compact and minimalist camping outfit, but also can serve as a BOB. Will post pics later

Post pics man sounds really good.

[burlyman619]

im starting to build my bug out bag. so far i have the food, the actually pac, some ammo/shotgun, and cooking supplies/

[RHockey84]

In for pics of BOB...I have been thinking of starting one as well...

[burlyman619]

In for pics of BOB...I have been thinking of starting one as well...

Theres TONs of vids on youtube that are great for giving you some ideas and pointers. for example, you ever consider taking a couple baby diapers and baby food to aid/barter with some ppl that may need it?

[Ricky112]

In for pics of BOB...I have been thinking of starting one as well...

Go to the Survivalistboards forum, brah.

[B.O.L.A.]

OK, pics of the bag. sorry about the quality, my camera is not the greatest and has been through a lot. also not sure why the 9/18 stamp, i took these last night.


the bag itself is a "level III assault pack" i got here for $37 plus s/h. it's a lot smaller than it looks, but it is good quality, very durable with heavy duty zippers, stitching, and MOLLE. i know from lugging it around the wear and tear would eventually destroy a lesser quality bag.


those are tent stakes in the camo bag, the rest of the tent is in the main bag. Also not pictured is an extra set of warm clothes vacu-sealed in plastic.


everything is sealed in plastic baggies. the firestarting stuff is a bunch of q-tips soaked in vaseline. the documents include pretty much everything- birth cert, car title, license, CC, SS, insurance, etc. those are extra contact lenses under the AAA card- they've come in handy many times already .


OTC meds include: ibuprofen, aspirin, acetaminofen, immodium AD, benadryl, caffeine. there are some hooks, sinkers, sm rubber worms in that spool of fishing line...and next to it some w/p matches i forgot to label. the sunblock, cortisone, etc I am working on transferring into smaller empty toothpaste tubes (to cut down on weight/bulk...) as I finish the toothpaste up. the hand sanitizer is already shown in one such tube.

first aid-kit contents:

you may notice i did NOT include things like- CPR facemask, SAM splints, large trauma dressings, trauma sheers, etc. Why? because they are highly unlikely to be used, not very useful opposed to improvised alternatives (you do not need a facemask for CPR, in fact a facemask can make CPR less effective), and they are too bulky. I guess the overall philosophy of this first aid kit is geared toward preventing infection and preventing small problems from getting out of hand.

oh, and on each plastic bag I added tape tabs so they are easier to open while wearing gloves...




things not pictured = clothes, tent, extra jacket shell, lip balm, 3 butane lighters, latex gloves, many hand/footwarmers, 2-3 other sets of fire-starting stuff, ~20 plastic zip-ties, steri-strips or 'butterfly bandages.' also the ruger 10/22.

important items i still need = fire-steel, a quality compass (there is a temporary one in the 5 in 1 whistle), some MRE entrees, copper wire for snares, small AAA/solar powered radio, rain poncho, leatherman multi-tool, duct tape.

Overall I don't ever expect to use the bag in a true bug-out "survival" scenario. mostly it is just nice to have around if I ever need some cash, a band-aid, credit card, pain relief meds, or any random thing i forget on a trip. I wanted it to be as lightweight and practical as possible.

[burlyman619]

epic post. is there engough room in that bag for MREs? i know a good rule of thubm is 72-96 hours worth of food. ...

[B.O.L.A.]

epic post. is there engough room in that bag for MREs? i know a good rule of thubm is 72-96 hours worth of food. ...

I'm thinking about doing away with the extra clothes for food, at least the extra jacket I can just keep in my car trunk. it is a tight squeeze though.

[burlyman619]

I'm thinking about doing away with the extra clothes for food, at least the extra jacket I can just keep in my car trunk. it is a tight squeeze though.

i really need to read this whole thread, and get ready. we just had 2 earthquakes here in San Diego . and theres always fires, so i need to get my back better equipped. I was thinking about the MRE idea as well, but theyre pretty bulky.

[HairyScandinavian]

OK, pics of the bag. sorry about the quality, my camera is not the greatest and has been through a lot. also not sure why the 9/18 stamp, i took these last night.

Awesome detail and explanation of everything, repped.

[jonny450r]

Come on guys... If you're going to bump it... At least chip in something small...

Such as:

To start a fire with slightly damp wood, you can drizzle a little fat on your tinder... Vegetable oil, bacon grease left in the pan... Whatever...Just find some kind of papery tinder... Apply a little oil/fat/grease to it and it will create a wicking action similar to a candle that will allow your tinder to burn longer and improve your chances that your damp kindling will catch.

Or if you're stuck in an urban enviroment and wasn't able to leave the city loot some cotton balls and vasaline. coat the cotton balls with the vasaline and all you need is a little spark either from a lighter that has lost fuel and still has some flint in it or just have some flint and steel in your bag.

[RiYelir]

Another fire starting tip: Take a 9volt battery and a piece of the finer mesh steel wool. Fluff up the steel wool so that it is not so compacted and it will be able to get air. Then press the "prongs" of the 9 volt into the steel wool, this should produce sparks/ set the steel wool to burning. You will still need to have other tinder to get a fire going, I have found this works great to get the PJ cotton balls started.
Here is a video kind of demonstrating how it sparks.


I noticed that several of the more recent posters have been discussing the topic of BOB food. I keep "coast guard emergency rations" in my BOB. I feel the pros out weigh the cons, and that they are worth keeping one or two in the BOB.
Pros:No preparation needed to consume/Compact for how many calories they contain/Can withstand harsh temperature extremes/ They have a 5 year or longer shelf life.
Cons:They do not taste that great (not horrible though either, more like lack luster semi gritty cookies.)/ Their lack of fiber could clog you up if you eat nothing else for a while.
Two of the main brands of these types of rations are Datrex and Mainstay, I keep two 3600 calorie packs of each in my BOB.


As I keep my bob in the trunk of my car as it is also my get home bag, I felt that ration bars were a great choice as they won't spoil in the heat of a Utah summer while at the same time withstanding the the cold of our winters.

Just some food for thought.(Pun intended)

[Lewellen]

nice topic, I'm very interested in this stuff, eventhough i admit to being a pretty big noob on the subject.

I've only recently gotten into it as I've been studying economics/political science in school and see alarming trends developing.

As for now I feel my best asset is my outdoor skills gained from growing up backpacking, hunting, kayaking, rockclimbing, etc. My family also had horses from the time i was 12 on so i can ride well. I really need to step my game up on the tangible assets needed to survive.

I'm sitting on a couple 12 gauges and prolly 200 shells, a cheap 9 mm my uncle gave me with about 100 rounds.

After I get out of school, I plan on building an AR, learning to reload, learning to trap, and eventually buy some land in the middle of nowhere (that's farther off though).

My dad's place is on 25 acres in the mountains but still too close to the city for it to a retreat. I'd prolly pack up our 3 horses and head into the national forest. I feel like Arkansas is a good place to live for a SHTF scenario. Not near as densely populated as many parts of the country, perfect mix of fertile delta land and the Ozark mountains. Plenty of rivers with fish and woods full of whitetail. My grandma is a botanist so I always helped her in the garden when i was little. I'm confident i could get a good garden going if i had a summer.

keep the posts coming.

[Mr.Goodtimes]

I think some people get a little carried away with their BOB and SHTF packs. They try packing so they can take all the comforts of home with them and try preparing for every possible contingency and situation there is... and end up with a 35lb pack stuffed full of ****.

I've tried to eliminate everything that i dont need, everything i can easily go with out for three days in my pack, and just pack essentials.

Things i KNOW i can go with out for a few days:

Shaving, showering, changing clothes, eating an all you can eat buffet, brushing my teeth, sleeping in a bed.. etc.

If things go south, I want to be light, fast, and able to move. I plan on resupplying on the move via whatever means nessecary (beg barter, or liberate), and using abondoned structurs for shelter. My bag consists of the bare essentials to survive a few days, and the tools needed to survive and aquire more supplies to bring back to a fall back position or strong hold, wherever that may be. As a result, I also have some empty space, and room for extra weight for items I obtain such as extra Ammo, Food etc.. . Its got the stuff to keep me alive while im out getting more to bring home.
My bob consists of:

-First Aid Kit
-3k lb test rope (75ft)
-Para Cord (100ft)
-Hatchet
-Spare batteries for optic and light
-3L water
-Water purification tablets
-Cliffbars, power bars, beef jerky, bagged tuna.. other assorted dry goods (probably gonna throw in some MRE stuff (need calories)
-Redline (keep me alert)
-Extra plastic bags
-Steel wool and lighter (for starting fires)
-Extra socks, and underwear and cold weather gear (depending on season)
-6 Extra mags for primary weapon
-Toilet paper
-Hand sanitizer
-Lip balm (chapped lips suck balls)

[Steak_n_Taters]

I think some people get a little carried away with their BOB and SHTF packs. They try packing so they can take all the comforts of home with them and try preparing for every possible contingency and situation there is... and end up with a 35lb pack stuffed full of ****.

I've tried to eliminate everything that i dont need, everything i can easily go with out for three days in my pack, and just pack essentials.

Things i KNOW i can go with out for a few days:

Shaving, showering, changing clothes, eating an all you can eat buffet, brushing my teeth, sleeping in a bed.. etc.

If things go south, I want to be light, fast, and able to move. I plan on resupplying on the move via whatever means nessecary, and using abondoned structurs for shelter. My BOB consists of the bare essentials to survive a few days, and the tools needed to survive and aquire more supplies to bring back to "base". As a result, I also have some empty space, and room for extra weight for items I liberate such as extra Ammo, Food etc.. The purpose of the bag is more of an Assault or patroll pack. Its got the stuff to keep me alive while im out getting more to bring home. In a ****ty situation, i would prefer to set up a strong hold at either my house, or if things get bad enough, a secluded, remote location that can be easily defended.

My bob consists of:

-First Aid Kit
-3k lb test rope (75ft)
-Para Cord (100ft)
-Hatchet
-Spare batteries for optic and light
-3L water
-Water purification tablets
-Cliffbars, power bars, beef jerky, bagged tuna.. other assorted dry goods (probably gonna throw in some MRE stuff (need calories)
-Redline (keep me alert)
-Extra plastic bags
-Steel wool and lighter (for starting fires)
-Extra socks, and underwear and cold weather gear (depending on season)
-6 Extra mags for primary weapon
-Toilet paper
-Hand sanitizer
-Lip balm (chapped lips suck balls)

I agree you probably won't need an entire change of clothes for 3 days, but I would still pack an extra pair of socks and underwear. Nothing sucks more than wet socks and underwear.

ETA: I'm a tard, and just read you included that. Great minds...

[Mr.Goodtimes]

i agree

the main reason i dont carry more clothes is, clothes take up a lot of space. im going to try some space bags. Wet clothes in the winter time would suck, ass.

[Nainoa]

If you guys are serious about advancing this thread once again... I would put to you a change in direction... I think in the dozens of pages we have in this thread that everyone understands that there are gear requirements... I think the fine toothed comb has been run through that. (Hence why the thread died months ago)

I think at this point the collective consciousness of the thread understands that you've got a gun, you've got a back pack and you've shot a deer or two in your time.

If you want to advance a SHTF level of knowledge... I think it's time to look at other topics, such as:

Growing your own food. (You don't just toss some seeds in the dirt and eat sweet corn the next day.)
Preservation techniques?

Animal husbandry (You need meat, and it's one hell of a thing to steal a pig and tuck it under your arm while you climb a rope ladder to your mountain fortress!)

Personel Management... You need other people to survive... What skill sets are most valueable, and least valueable to help you understand who you let in and who you keep out?

Resource management... If you have 1 snickers bars left... Who gets it... The Camp Doctor, or the 4 years old girl?

The list goes on.

?????

[TheStender]

Preservation techniques?

This is one thing I'd like to know more about. Especially with meat.

Personel Management... You need other people to survive... What skill sets are most valueable, and least valueable to help you understand who you let in and who you keep out?

This could be interesting.

[44hunter]

Very interesting topic! Has anyone gone out and actually "practiced" a survival situation? Such as a survivorman type scenerio? That sounds like a good project for me, I would like to know how I would react and handle certain situations. Ive hunted and been in the woods my whole life but that would be nothing like an actual survival situation

[Nainoa]

Very interesting topic! Has anyone gone out and actually "practiced" a survival situation? Such as a survivorman type scenerio? That sounds like a good project for me, I would like to know how I would react and handle certain situations. Ive hunted and been in the woods my whole life but that would be nothing like an actual survival situation

I've been on several wilderness retreats... But not something where I take just a knife, one match and a pair of boots, then build a fort out of sticks, trap and eat a porcupine type of thing.

[Nainoa]

This is one thing I'd like to know more about. Especially with meat.



This could be interesting.

Preserving meat is one of those things that really changes based on where you are... I mean if you're in a windy arid region, it's a matter of slicing thin strips and exposing it to wind.
If you're in a swampy region you're going to turn more to pickling etc...

If you're in an area full of hard wood, and cool temps, you might want to cold smoke... If you're in a pine forest you wouldn't etc...

Preservation of meat is kind of "Food Preservation 202"

Ultimately if you can't 101 preserve a vegetable... You won't have the skill set needed to preserve meat.

[TheStender]

Preserving meat is one of those things that really changes based on where you are...

I know that's what got the guy that "Into the Wild" was based off of. He used what a guy from South Dakota told him to do instead of what an Alaskan would do, which is cut it into thin strips and air drying it.

As for survival situations, this isn't quite that bad, but I do plan to go backpacking into Gates of the Arctic National Park. Either by myself or with my girlfriend. No trails, roads, houses, or people. Brought in by airplane. Hope to have that happen in the next 2-3 years.

[HairyScandinavian]

I would be extremely interested in primitive meat (and other food) preservation methods. Anybody know of a good book on the subject?

[B.O.L.A.]

I've cured jerky before, it was pretty good. You do need a fairly low-humidity area though if you're gonna do it sans oven/humidifier.

I used this recipe, took 24 hrs. It calls for a box fan and AC filters but if the climate is right this could probably be done just hanging strips from an improvised rack in front of a fan, space heater, maybe near the fireplace. Lots of possibilities, people have been curing meat practically since before fire.