Failing to Prepare is Preparing to fail

"Surviving to Fight means Fighting to Survive"

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Friday 19 July 2013

Show Content 19th July 2013



Show Notes
I start this week with the Blizzard Survival Discount Offer, Ribz Discount Offer, Wilderness121 Discount Offer, Is the UK Next?,  Support these companies, How to Use a Torch in a Tactical Situation, Survival Tips, More companies to support, More Survival Tips, The simplest Survival Navigation Technique, The Get-Home-Bag, Further companies to support, When the brown Stuff Hits the Fan, Review Time, Wilderness gathering, Campfire recipes, How to Build a Survival Shelter, Survival Staff, Are you prepared?      

Blizzard Survival 20% Discount Offer
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All you have to do to get a 20% discount is enter the code “PREPPER” at the checkout, it is that simple. Thank you Blizzard Survival.
30% DISCOUNT FROM RIBZ
A front pack is a pack or bag that allows for access of equipment from the persons chest. Front packs first and foremost allow for easy access of gear without the removal of any equipment.
In many adventure outdoor activities it can be critical to the sport to have the ability to reach essential gear fast without the removal of a backpack. Simplicity is the foremost purpose of the front pack but there are many additional benefits as well.
Weight distribution and balance is a key element in the utility of the front pack. Shifting weight forward in situations when carrying heavy loads can be critical to the comfort and balance of an individual.
Backpacking is a sport where in many situations it is critical to both minimize and maximize the contents of your load for a longer or lighter duration of stay. The ability to move small amounts of weight to the frontal region significantly reduces overall stress on a person’s shoulders and back.
Moving a small amount of heavy equipment forward to a front pack can allow for an individual to either maximize or minimize the overall load contained in a backpack.
In all there are unlimited uses for the front pack. Front packs are the best compliment to any outdoorsman’s gear when accessibility, functionality, mobility and simplicity are required.
From horseback riding, long distance biking, motorcycling and kayaking. All sports where fast and easy access of gear is essential, a front pack is your best solution and as you can imagine it is going down a storm within the prepping and survivalist community.
RIBZ VIP TEAM DISCONT
Here's your code for 30% off all RIBZ
Your summer code is "TRAILBLAZE" and can be used in the coupon section within the Store. http://www.ribzwear.com/store/    Have a Great Summer!
Wilderness121’s 10% discount
The new supplier of Purificup to the UK is Wilderness121 and they really mean business, having spoken to the director Rob Williams he has agreed to offer you dear listener a 10% discount just by putting the letters UKPRN into the code box it is that simple.
Now pop along to www.wilderness121.co.uk and check out their great range of survival related products.
So a big thank you to Blizzard Survival, Ribz front pack and Wilderness121 for their great offers to listeners of this programme.
Is the UK Next?
On March 16, 2012, President Obama issued an executive order entitled, "NATIONAL DEFENSE RESOURCES PREPAREDNESS." (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/16/executive-order...)
This executive order states that the President alone has the authority to take over all resources in the nation (labour, food, industry, etc.) as long as it is done "to promote the national defence" -- a phrase so vague that it could mean practically anything.
The power to seize control and take over these resources is delegated to the following government authorities:
(1) the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to food resources, food resource facilities, livestock resources, veterinary resources, plant health resources, and the domestic distribution of farm equipment and commercial fertilizer;
(2) The Secretary of Energy with respect to all forms of energy;
(3) The Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to health resources;
(4) The Secretary of Transportation with respect to all forms of civil transportation;
(5) The Secretary of Defence with respect to water resources; and
(6) The Secretary of Commerce with respect to all other materials, services, and facilities, including construction materials.
This takeover is designed, in part, to "stockpile supplies" for the U.S. military.
Authority for this total takeover of all national resources is granted with nothing more than the writing of a single statement that claims these actions are necessary to "promote the national defence." As stated in the order:
The authority delegated by section 201 of this order may be used only to support programs that have been determined in writing as necessary or appropriate to promote the national defence:
By the Secretary of Defence with respect to military production and construction, military assistance to foreign nations, military use of civil transportation, stockpiles managed by the Department of Defence, space, and directly related activities;
What all this means is that the U.S. government now claims the power to simply march onto your farm with guns drawn and demand all your crops, seeds, livestock and farm equipment.
Think I'm exaggerating? Read it yourself!
And for those living in denial that refuse to accept the reality of what's happening in America, remember the following:
Obama has seized control over all food, farms, livestock, water and transportation across America.
How many brain-dead Americans will continue to live in denial and try to convince themselves this is not happening? Sticking your head in the sand does not make this go away...
New Zealand’s laws to ban citizens from trading home grown food has chilling effects on urban farming.
In response to a growing demand for urban agriculture, and an ever lengthening list of threats to food security, city governments all over the world have been faced with the challenge to augment city planning and municipal codes to address the introduction of the rural into the urban.
Not all of these changes, however, have been in support of urban agriculture.  Such is the case of New Zealand’s Food Bill 160-2, introduced in 2010, which has imposed abhorrent restrictions to trading home grown food in the name of international food safety.
The bill has extended the government’s authority over any business or individual who sells, barters, donates or offers food as a trade sample.  
The definition of food has been stretched beyond simply produce and value-added items (such as jams and preserves), but also to seeds, natural, herbal based medicines, minerals, and any nutrient or ingredient which goes into a beverage (such as garden herbs to make tea).
The Food Bill and its equally repugnant companion, the Natural Health Products Bill, are a result of New Zealand’s compliance to the Codex Alimentarius, a set of international food regulations and guidelines which members of the World Trade Organization are subject to.  
This means that food regulations meant to address food for export now apply to all local food production.
The Codex Alimentarius seeks to establish a unified set of international food regulations so that consumers can be assured that foods imported into their country meet the same level of safety requirements as their own domestic products.  
The codex is not mandatory for participating WTO members, however, many like New Zealand have adopted the set of standards as a basis for their own legislation.
Nobody escapes the taxman
Essentially, the Food Bill makes selling or trading home grown fruit and vegetables a criminal offense, worthy of 5 years imprisonment and penalty fees of up to $100,000, unless you gain exemption or become registered as a food business.
So if you would like to trade some home grown tomatoes with a neighbour for a few of their oranges, or perhaps your honey for a friend’s jam, you have to register as a food business subject to taxation, regulation, and possible registration fees.
Enforcement
Furthermore, making such activities against the law if unregistered means that all it would take is a call from a competitor or disgruntled neighbour to find a Food Safety Officer at your doorstep.
One might not think of home grown food in need of regulation as including “fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices, nuts, cereal grains, seeds, fungi, grasses, or any components extracted or gathered from horticultural produce,” but the drafters of the Food Bill certainly did.  
Produce is a given when defining what should be considered as food, but should the seeds and seedlings that it comes from be as well?
By regulating the sale and trade of seeds, the government is heavily restricting what kind of food will be available in the future for the public to grow.  
Instead of swapping heirloom varieties with neighbours and green thumbed friends, control over plant variety is instead being handed over to seed companies, thus greatly reducing biodiversity and the public’s control over what they can eat.
First they went for America, now they are going for New Zealand. 
Are we next - here in Britain?
Some thoughts besides the first ones that might occur to people, i.e.
How to keep growing our own food freely
How to do seed swaps
But what about our food banks?
What about our Harvest Festivals?
If someone/somewhere In Authority decided they had it in for you personally...then they could (in theory) play silly b*****s and "have a go" just for handing someone a drink of water.
Never put it past a "jobs worth" who doesn’t like you personally or is out to protect their job from even looking for petty stupid little things to quote against you.
Of course, it's not an Obama thing. Bush was much the same Cameron will follow his leader, so it’s not the name of the person in the Oval Office or at No10 who matters; it's the fundamental lack of principles and ethics reflected across governments today.
Instead of protecting the rights of the People, today's corrupt governments are little more than criminal gangs who steal power and resources for themselves (and their connected buddies) while destroying the economy and stealing everything in sight from the real workers upon whose sweat-drenched backs our countries where  built.
If you are looking for some new kit then please Support these Companies
The following companies have supported this station and I will support them they are:
You will never need to boil water again
For I-shields UV Protection
For top quality 550 Paracord
For Survival Knives and Survival Kits
For the Nano Striker fire starter
For tasty MX3 Meals
The Lifesaver bottle
For the Knot Bone Lacelock
For the Wild and Edible Nutrition E Book
Browning Night Seeker Cap Light RGB
Multi lite Multi-tool
For the Ghillie Kettle
For the Blackbird SK-5 or his handmade leather sheaths http://www.hedgehogleatherworks.com
For the Farside Outdoor Meals
The Survivor knife
For the Chris Caine companion survival tool
Day Ration Pack
Vango Storm Shelter 400
How to Use a Torch in a Tactical Situation
It’s late Friday night and you’re walking to your car after a fun evening with your friend’s. As you turn the corner down an unlit side street, you see a shadow dart across the wall and hear footsteps. The hairs on your neck stand straight up.
You quicken your pace, but the other footsteps speed up as well. You look around trying to make out shapes in the dark, when out of nowhere a fist connects with your cheekbone. The sucker punch takes you to the ground and you can feel your wallet being taken from your back pocket.
Before you have time to react, your assailant has disappeared back into the cover of darkness.
You really could have used a flashlight.
If you’re like me, you typically think of torches as something you keep in your kitchen drawer in case the power goes out, or as what you bring along on an infrequent camping trip so you can find your way back to the tent after you take a middle-of-the-night leak.
I have now drastically changed my mind about torches since I acquired the Elzetta ZFL-M60 Tactical Weapon-Grade LED Torch
So what is a Tactical torch?
I’m not talking about just any old torch.
I’m talking about tactical torches. What makes a torch tactical?
A tactical torch is simply a torch that’s been designed for tactical (i.e. military or police) use. Many tactical torches are designed to be mounted to a weapon for low-light shooting. They’re typically smaller than traditional torches, emit much more light, and are made of weapon-grade aluminum for maximum durability.
While tactical torches are designed primarily for military and police units, they’re also a really handy every day and personal defence tool for the average civilian.
Everybody should carry a torch
Before I even get into the tactical and self-defence uses of a torch, let’s talk about why you should start carrying one even if you don’t plan on using it to thwart would-be attackers. Next to a pocket knife, a small, tactical torch is one of the most useful and versatile tools you can have in your Every Day Carry kit.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve been in a situation where a torch would have been handy, but I was left stumbling in the dark.
Electrical power can go out at any time and for long periods. Having a torch on you can save time and toe stubs as you navigate about your darkened home.
And, besides helping you fix wire connections or navigating your home after a power cut, a torch can also be used as an effective self-defence tool.
Torches: are I think one of the Most Underestimated Tools for Personal Defence
If you use a handgun as a personal defence weapon, a torch is vital for low-light shooting. Not only does it help you to identify your target, but it also allows you to see your gun sights in the dark. Even if you don’t carry a gun for personal defence, a torch, when used correctly, can be very handy in tough situations.
They can be taken into places like cinemas or airplanes where guns are banned, and are great for those who live in countries with strict weapons laws, but who still want to carry something for personal defence.
There are two important self-defence functions that a tactical torch serves, plus one bonus use.
Helps identify threats. Attackers often use the cover of darkness as an advantage. A bright torch can help identify threats in a low-light environment and eliminate the advantage of an attacker stalking in the shadows. Simply shining a light on a bad guy can be enough to get him to take off.
Momentarily disorients attackers. Have you ever had a bright light shined in your eyes when it was dark outside? You probably felt disoriented and even blinded for a bit. You can take advantage of that natural reaction to bright light to defend yourself against would-be attackers.
Whenever you encounter a possible threat, shine your torch directly in their eyes, your assailant will likely reach his hands up to his face and experience three to four seconds of disorientation and semi-blindness. That gives you enough time to either flee or attack.
My Elzetta even has a strobe function for this very purpose that even works in broad daylight.
There is also a bonus use: Improvised weapon. Some tactical torches have a serrated or toothed bezel. Manufacturers advertise these specialty bezels as a tool that can be used to break car windows in an emergency.
While the bezel on a tactical torch isn’t going to break windows, it can be used as an improvised striking device during an attack.
After you’ve shined the light in your attacker’s eyes and disoriented him, strike his face with the toothed bezel as hard as you can. The motion should be like stamping him with a giant rubber stamp. 
Be careful with the toothed bezeled torches when flying, as it can be classed as a “striking tool.” When in doubt, put your flashlight in your checked bag.
Which torch is the Best torch in Tactical Situations?
So a tactical torch is a great self-defence tool. Which one should you get?
There are literally nearly 100 different models on the market. The one you choose will typically come down to your budget and personal preference. But here are a few things you should look for when selecting a tactical flashlight for EDC:
Small. You want something small enough to carry in your pocket every day. Your torch should be no bigger than the size of your palm. I carry the Elzetta in a belt pouch.
At least 120 lumens of light output. For a torch to be an effective self-defence tool, it needs to be bright enough to disorient attackers. Anything less than 120 lumens just won’t get the job done.
There are torch on the market that have strobe or SOS functions like the Elzetta, or torches that allow you to change the brightness of your light output depending on how many times you push the on/off switch.
Waterproof. You want a torch that will work in ALL situations. Get a torch that’s waterproof so it will work even in the rain or other wet conditions.
Ruggedly constructed. Your torch will likely see a lot of action, so get something that will withstand the use. Look for one made from hard anodized aluminium. It’s a tough, yet light metal. Also, make sure the metal on the torch is machined so that it’s easy to grip. You don’t want to drop your torch when you need it most.
LED or incandescent? I swear by LEDs because incandescent bulbs break easily when dropped while LEDs can withstand a beating. Incandescent bulbs also aren’t very energy efficient. You’ll burn through bulbs and torch batteries faster than you will LED bulbs.
Survival Tips
What you need in these situations is first aid for the mind.
Think STOP:
Sit
Think
Observe
Plan
Making a Basic Survival Water Filter from Scratch
The first thing to consider when collecting water is to think about how soon you will need to drink. If you have time, collect standing water in a container and let it sit for a few hours. This will allow anything that floats to rise to the surface, and you can skim off any debris.
If you have two containers, try this method for filtering water: Take the first container and fill it with water. Then, put your shirt or some sort of porous layer over the other container. Put your pebbles on top of the cloth and filter your water by pouring it over the stones and into the container. Next, remove the pebbles and put sand, a finer material, on top of the cloth. Filter your water again.
Finally, the most effective way to filter is to crush up charcoal, put it on your cloth and let the water run through it. Charcoal filters remove sediment, many contaminants, and improve taste. You can make your own charcoal by making a campfire, covering it with dirt and ash, and allow it to cool completely. Once it has cooled, crush it into small pieces. Pour the water through the charcoal several times.
If at all possible, build a contraption that will combine all three filtering steps, letting the water flow from one material to another. This will make the water gradually clearer as you filter it again and again.
If you don’t have a manmade container, some natural materials are great alternatives. Bamboo is a prime example. It is hollow in the centre and water can flow through it easily. There are many other plants with hollow centres. Use these to your advantage. A hollow log can be a great option. Place the materials (pebbles, sand, cloth and charcoal) in layers through the various parts of the bamboo or log.
Remember to think about what materials you are carrying and check out your surroundings in any survival situation.
This should provide you with a basic insight on how to create a survival water filter. Realize that it is still possible to get sick, even if you follow the guidelines in this article. Then you must boil this water before you ingest it.
Always contact a physician after you drink questionable water. The side effects of pathogens and microorganisms will take at least a week to start affecting you. If you are in a survival situation, keep hydrated and worry about those side effects later.
Earthquake
Crawl under a sturdy table and cover your face and head with your arms. Stay away from windows and large bureaus or bookcases that could fall. If you become trapped under debris, cover your mouth with a cloth or shirt, and tap against a pipe or other object to make noise. (Don't yell for help unless you have to; you risk inhaling dangerous quantities of dust.)
If you are able, leave the building once the shaking stops--aftershocks can bring down a structure compromised by the initial quake. Finally, if you're outside during the quake, steer clear of buildings and utility wires.
Flood
If a flash-flood warning is issued, move to higher ground immediately--don't wait to gather belongings. In any flood, avoid downed power lines and moving water. Six inches of moving water can make a pedestrian fall, while a foot will float most vehicles
BEYOND FIRST AID
A basic first-aid kit may not be enough to get you through the worst of a disaster. It's a good start—you do want bandages, gauze pads, aspirin, hydrocortisone, antiseptic wipes, etc.—but unexpected emergencies demand unconventional remedies.  So what have you got around you that you could use in a medical emergency?
DUCT TAPE—Great for wound closure, splints, and casts.
SUPERGLUE—Excellent for small, deep wounds. Use tape to hold while drying.
TAMPONS—An unexpected tool for stanching heavy bleeding.
PANTY PADS—As a wound dressing
NEEDLE-NOSE PLIERS—Use for removing large splinters or nails.
Here are some more companies to support
72 hour survival pack
Blizzard Survival jacket
Survival Ration Packs
SOL Complete Survival Kit and SOL Bivy Bag
The answer to rough ground sleeping
For all your military equipment needs
NEW MRE’s
The Fire Piston
Great tasty MRE’s
The 95 Puukko Survival Knife
Gold Standard Whey Protein isolates which are 90% pure protein by weight
The RIBZ Front Pack
More Survival Tips
WATERMYTHS
Boil for 10 Minutes - This is one so old, I don't even know where it came from. I've also heard 5 minutes, 15 minutes and even 20 minutes of boiling time.
All of these are B S I'll keep this short... if the water reaches boiling point, it's safe to drink, period, end of story.
SHELTERMYTHS
High Ground is Warmer - This is one survival tale that keeps popping up all over the place.
We're told that when considering locations for a shelter, we should avoid valleys and low lying areas because cold settles there and it may be several degrees colder than higher ground.
This is scientifically sound, but in actual practice... it's pure, unadulterated bullshit.
This is because while a thermometer may show a few degrees difference between two elevations, thermometers are incapable of measuring wind chill factors.
In most cases, higher elevations are exposed to a lot more wind while small valleys and lower areas are sheltered from it.
A thermometer may show that actual air temperature has increased 2 or 3 degrees by moving to higher ground, but the temperature as far as your body is concerned is likely to have dropped by20 or 30 degrees.
Wind will suck away your body heat faster than you can generate it. Today as I write this, it's almost 50 degrees and sunny outside... a seemingly nice January afternoon.
However, today's wind chill factor drops that to somewhere between 20 and 30... And suddenly it's not so great!
Shelters Should Be Built From Dead Materials -
This one came from our friends in the "green"survival movement.
They are far more concerned that a few trees might get killed than they are about your life.
All advice from them should be considered highly suspect. Imagine building your shelter as a big pile of dead leaves and wood.
Now imagine having a campfire anywhere near that. Do you really want to climb in there and go to sleep? Nuff'said.
Plants Are a Good Source of Food in the Wilderness -
Unless you're a certified expert not just in plants, but in the plants of the given region you happen to be in, stay the hell away from the plants!
Here's the facts...
ALL fur bearing mammals are safe to eat, and will provide you with nutrients and calories.
ALL 6 legged insects are safe to eat, and will provide you with nutrients and calories.
Almost all freshwater fish and almost all birds are safe to eat, and will provide you with nutrients and calories.
...and finally - MOST plants will harm you, make you sick, or worse... poison you.
There are actually very few that will provide you with any nutrients or calories.
It's a simple equation... if it walks, crawls, swims, or flies, the odds are in your favour that it's not only safe to eat, but that it will provide you with the nutrition and energy your body needs.
If it sits there like... umm... like a plant, the odds are against you both for your own physical safety, and for nutritional content.
It's just not worth the gamble unless you're absolutely sure!
IF LOST
Stay put: You arrive at “lostness” from one direction, a single degree out of 360.
You have 359 chances to depart your situation in the wrong direction.
The simplest Survival Navigation Technique
Things happen...you’re GPS or compass may become lost or broken.
You may find yourself needing an alternate method of finding your bearings. You can use terrain association, if there is some readily identifiable features in view, but you really need to orient your map to a direction.
Anyone who has gone through any survival courses has been taught a variety of methods of survival navigation. Most have two problems in common, first they only apply to certain conditions, second they are a little too complicated and very easy to forget.
If you wish to use the North Star, it must be night, you need a clear night sky and must be in the northern hemisphere. The watch method of survival navigation is difficult since almost no one can remember which hand does what, and how north is indicated.
Also most people now wear digital watches without the hands on them, especially during outdoor activities. The stick shadow technique for survival navigation is simple, easy to remember and works anywhere on the planet in conditions where you can see a shadow.
The improvised Survival Navigation Technique is the simplest and most versatile method for direction finding without a compass.
It works anywhere on the planet as long as the sun throws a shadow. Equipment needed is simple: only a stick or straight object such as a pen, and two small objects like pennies or rocks and you will be able to find north.
Step One of the Stick Shadow Technique for Survival Navigation
Place your stick or any straight object into the ground, so it throws a shadow.
Step Two
Put a rock or penny at the tip of the shadow, something easily identifiable and wait 15 or 20 minutes.
Step Three
Place a second object at the tip of the shadow's new position.
Step Four
Place your left foot on the first rock or penny and your right foot on the second object. Just remember that you read left to right so your left foot goes on the first object and right on the second object, or if you are military-minded you always start off with your left foot.
You are now facing north!
All you really need to remember is to place the two rocks at the tip of the stick's shadow. Then place your left foot on the first rock and right foot on the second rock. if you ever find yourself without a compass and in need of a little help orienting yourself, then this technique is easy to remember and needs little equipment or special conditions.
The Get-Home-Bag
WTSHTF maybe you are prepared for an extended survival scenario away from civilization, but you have to get out of the city first (maybe). In a disaster situation that might not be so easy. However If you have these three things in place you will greatly increase your chances.
Get Home Bag (GHB) Imagine for a minute that you work downtown in a large city; maybe you take the underground or take a bus to work every day.
You are in a large office building with many floors, thousands of people, and you are on the fifteen or twentieth floor.
If a disaster strikes, how are you going to get out? I mean literally.
If there is an earthquake or a catastrophic man made event how are you going to get out of your building? How are you going to get down the street? How are you going to get home?
Do you want to be one of the people covered in dust wandering around in shock? I don’t.
But I have my Bug out Bag you say!
Oh really, where is it? Even if it is in your car it is useless to you at this point. The car park is at street level and possibly hundreds of yards away. That could mean life or death in this situation and you need to act now.
Even if you could get to your Bug-Out Bag, how much good would it do you in this environment? Most people’s B.O.B. is packed for survival with wilderness Camping gear, food, clothing, etc.
A Get Home Bag contains an entirely different set of tools and serves one purpose: To get you from wherever you are to your Home.
How to Choose an Urban Survival Bag
Your GHB should contain things that are going to get you out of the building like a crowbar. Things to help you make it through the aftermath like water and breathing masks.
Things you might use to help rescue others like flashlights or radios. Things that will help you on what could be a very long walk home such as food and maybe shoes.
Clearly a GHB is not a Bug-Out Bag. Sure they have some overlap, but a GHB can be much smaller, less weight conscious, have more specific tools, and be planned for one purpose. Do you have one cached in your office or place of work?
You have surveyed the situation and determined that the city is in mass chaos and you need to get out now. What do you do? Again, you have your Bug-Out Bag, but you still have to get out of the city.
Do you have a Bug-Out Plan?
For our purposes here, let’s assume that your Bug -Out Plan needs to get you from your home to your serious survival cache or Bug-Out Location outside of the city.
I understand that not everybody has caches hidden in various places, and even fewer people have a dedicated Bug-Out Location. While you should probably be working on that, you still need a Bug-Out Plan.
There’s no way I can go through all of the various problems you might encounter while trying to bug out of your city so you will have to plan for yourself.
What I will give you are some questions to consider and one rule: Contingency. Is your way out double, triple and quadruple backed up?
If the motorways are shutdown do you have an A road route?
If no roads are passable do you have an off road route?
If driving is out of the question do you have a planned walking or riding route?(Do you have maps of your area in your Bug Out Bag?)
Do you have a rendezvous point with other family members?
A Bug In Plan Let’s back up a minute. Pretend you just got home again, but this time you surveyed the situation and decided that you are not in immediate danger but are still not at situation normal.
Now what do you do? A Bug In Plan is for emergency situations where you can stay in your own home but have to rely on your own preparations to survive.
This might just mean that you will be without power or water for an extended period. Maybe it means you actually can’t leave your home at all for whatever reason.
What plans do you have in place to live like this? A Bug in Plan should include food and water preparations first and foremost.
What will you eat since all of the food in your refrigerator is going to be bad soon? Do you really want to live on the backpack meals out of your Bug-Out Bag when you don’t have to?
How much water do you have stored? Do you have a sewage system set up? (No water=nose wage: it’s always the little things….) Do you have unprepared neighbours’ to worry about? (To help or guard against?)
Starting out in a survival situation in an urban environment is almost an immediate set-back compared to those bugging out from more rural areas, but with a Get Home Bag, a Bug Out Plan, and a Bug In Plan you are better off than most people.
Survival Preparedness is a process or a condition of being prepared to survive.
To Survive. The phrase could be taken literally – that is, to stay alive. The words, ‘to survive’, could also be interpreted less literally – more like staying healthy or healthier than otherwise.
In the context of survival preparedness, some will describe this notion to its very basic core – like the ability to survive in the wilderness without any modern help whatsoever, you are on your own, life and death circumstances, black and white.
Others will describe survival preparedness more-or-less in the context of living within today’s modern society parameters, and utilizing the modern tools available today in order to prepare or be prepared for various problems that may occur tomorrow.
What I’m trying to say is that there are some ‘survival preparedness’ “preppers”that are more hard-core than others and I’ve noticed that the movement has been coined with two labels in an apparent attempt to delineate their core values.
I’m not so sure that I agree with labels and definitions, knowing that there are all sorts of ‘shades of
Grey’, but having said that, the two labels are Survivalists and Preppers.
Survivalists are the hard core while the Preppers are the soft core. Again, I do not agree with the labelling here, but the fact is that it exists.
The Prepper is thought of as someone who is fully functioning within the system of modern society, preparing for minor disruptions that may come their way, while the Survivalist is considered to be on the edge, perhaps already hunkered down in their bunker or survival retreat – ready for Armageddon.
As in all walks of life, there are truly the extremes, and lots of in-between. When it comes to survival preparedness, I believe that the spectrum is all pretty much OK, so long as it’s within the law of the land.
Since there are so very many different types of people, personalities, skills, and interests, there will likewise be a multitude of variety when it comes to how one prepares, and what they are preparing for.
People will interpret risks differently from one another and people will be in varying vicinities of the risk themselves. Some face much higher risk than others based on their geographical location, their occupation, their own current financial and preparedness situation, etc.
Personally, I think that it’s great how more and more ordinary folks are waking up and realizing that things are not all Rosy out there and that there are very real risks facing us all as the world’s economic systems are teetering on the brink of failure while the rumour of wars fill the air.
There will always be ‘newbies’ to survival preparedness and there will always be veterans of the same. There’s room for everyone.
Just remember this… by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Further Companies to Support
Uses natural fuel
EDC steel tools
Highlander Trojan Hydration Pack – Multicam
CUDEMAN HEAVY DUTY OLIVE WOOD BUSHCRAFT KNIFE - 111L
Alum Crystal and natural spa products
Tool logic Survival 11 Credit Card
BackHawk Web duty Belt
Guppie Multi=tool
Go Survival Pack
Beautiful Handmade Catapults
1 Person BASIC Backpack Survival Kit, the back pack that does it all
DD Hammock –The ultimate in Travel Hammocks
Elzetta ZFL-M60 Tactical Weapon-Grade LED Torch
Ultimate Adventurer Survival Kit everything in one kit
Adjustable Knife Lanyard Review
Handmade knives by James D. Sanders
Mini alarm Device with an Ultra bright White LED
Vango Storm Shelter 400

When the brown Stuff Hits the Fan
Many people nowadays are quite aware that the world they live in is going to the toilet. Aside from the geophysical part that “seems” to be going haywire and could be nothing other than the planet’s cycles, there are plenty of manmade catastrophes that loom on the horizon.
Never has the planet had as many people as now and the more people there are the more competition there is for resources. More countries seek nuclear devices than ever before and with advancements in technology this is a much easier process than at any time before.
Biological and chemical weapons are also much easier to manufacture because of leaps in technology in regards to computers. Oil markets are much tighter because of the countries of China and India and their increasing need of energy to fuel their booming economies, and new finds of oil fields cannot keep up with the demand.
The debacle of the world economies needs no introduction. In short, bad times, really bad times could and probably will be coming to a neighbourhood near you.
Unless you and your family take quite seriously this possibility, if and when something extremely horrible happens, you could very well end up one of the large number of statistics.
Many survival sites have informative and excellent advice on survival that can help you make it through a limited amount of time when everyday life is totally disrupted.
However, what exactly does a person do IF the society that almost all of us have become way too dependent on, fails to recover for an extended period of time, if ever again?
What IF civilization implodes and only begins to recuperate after centuries have gone by? If you watch some of the ideas people have on survival being interviewed on television, you have to wonder what exactly these people are thinking.
The people that have prepared for problems with the world are woefully ready for any disaster lasting for more than a few days at best. One lady thought having a torch was being prepared. Even those that have invested in a years’ worth of food and supplies, there are some basic survival skills that need to be learned and understood to better increase one’s chance of making it through a possible long-term survival situation.
Here are some suggestions on those survival skills that will likely be needed after a nightmare has hit human civilization with a vengeance. Each of these skills can fill an entire article on learning and teaching of it.
So only a brief overlay of each of these will be discussed to long descriptions. Further information can be obtained through many survival books and the many articles on each subject.
Situations and personal handling of SHTF situations will differ widely, but the foundation will likely be there for almost everyone. The main objective is to get people into learning and practicing these survival skills so when something cataclysmic does happen, they can better deal with and make it through intense human tragedy.
Prepare for the worst. Individuals can still hope for the best, but something lacking with many preppers is that they still cannot even think about something really awful happening.
Too many of those that do ready themselves for disasters cannot find within themselves to even discuss with their families and friends a calamity that is horrid and what to do if it should manifest itself.
This denial I think leads to a failure of preparing enough beyond usually a couple of weeks or so. To them, there is still that government or other safety net waiting for them when their preparation runs out.
Learn and train your mind to expect the totally unexpected.
The bizarre often happens, and there are events that are going to freak out even some of the better prepared survivalists. A lot of people will prepare and practice all sorts of drills for various horrors, which is wonderful training.
There still lurks the possibility of something so strange and weird that it shocks practically everyone. By addressing this possibility in your thoughts before it actually happens, you have conditioned your mind to at least accept this.
Training for something strange can be done through other individuals within your circle of allies coming up with sudden scenarios that only their imaginations can fathom.
Learn to live meagre. This is practicing for when times become lean for everyone. If a person wants to avoid the shock of living well to living under a rationed way of life, now is the time to get used to it.
We all take so much for granted – the modern conveniences – it becomes an automated habit to turn on a light switch, flip on the internet, TV, mobile phone, without even considering this could be wiped out within an instant.
We open the refrigerator and there is food, or put food already pre-cooked into the microwave to warm it. We go to the supermarket and get what we need. We have entertainment at our fingertips.
If this is all gone, how will people handle it? Horribly I think if they have not gotten used to going without it for at least part of their lives. A “time out” each day from what we so rely on that could disappear is quite helpful to being ready for if it does go away suddenly.
Find personal motivators to continue on. When it looks hopeless after a mega SHTF episode, having some concrete reason to fight and continue on is an absolute necessity to avoid giving up. Many people will feel, “what’s the point?”, and just stop trying to survive. Someone’s child sitting next to them, a parent, a sibling, a spouse, a friend, someone that means something to you can be that inspiration to continue on. It can be just someone’s desire for life that helps them over the hump. Finding that personal reason to survive and fight on is so important.
Understand the world and potential disasters that await. When you can better expect what could happen, you are less likely to be caught off guard. Timing is everything.
An individual that can bug out before something hits is going to be way ahead of the pack. While predicting the future is probably going to be unlikely, seeing a situation developing and acting on it before it occurs can be a life saver.
By monitoring the news of the world with vigilance you can see something others don’t. By becoming more informed about earth science if you live in an area prone to geophysical disaster can make a great difference.
The old adage about knowledge is power is very true, but knowledge is also part of survival and the more you have the more likely it is that you will survive.
Make plans and stick to them. After a disaster your mind is going to be racing around like a car on a race track. Pre-planning and having a written down set of measures to take will make someone’s life go much smoother when SHTF.
Your own personal plan is ONLY what best fits what you are going to do during and after a disaster. People should also have back-up plans, PLAN B and C and D at least because nothing ever seems to go as planned. Haphazard approaches to the aftermaths of catastrophes are kind of like a chicken running around without a head.
Understand how you’ll react. Some people just cannot handle stress, they freeze up and panic overwhelms them.
Everyone reacts to stress and fear in different ways, and even the most calm in control person can go ballistic or paralyzed with fright. Addressing this issue before something happens and attempting to come to grips with it is essential.
People have remarkable levels of tolerance for bad times and most can dig down and come up mentally with what is necessary to survive. Any phobia or fear is usually better dealt with before being put to the test.
A first step is to admit to oneself that these disasters can and do happen and then thinking over, even writing down how one will handle it. Talking this over with another is invaluable.
Understand the psychology of desperate people. This is a difficult one. After a SHTF event people are just going to go crazy I think.
That neighbour that was in control during many minor emergencies may be the one pounding on your door with whacked out eyes demanding what you have because they did not prepare for anything.
Someone in your own survival group may just blank out in a zombie-like stare. Unexpected times brings out the worst in people and people should prepare for this possibility. You yourself could lose it. Again, preparing for this will help should it occur. You always hope that disasters will bring out the best in your fellow person, but often this is not the case.
Be clever and inventive. When the world falls apart around someone, there is likely not going to be anyone there to repair what you have or somewhere to replace it. You will either have to go without, repair it yourself, or jerry rig up some contraption that will function for you.
Much can be learned by practicing going without your power tools and fixing things using only hand tools and what you can find in spare parts laying around. Using junk to come up with unique devices that work for you will become a necessary skill you will need to master, should society fail to come back.
Learn and condition yourself into a survival mentality. Homeless people become experts at seeing what others consider pure trash as survival tools. The fine art of scrounging around will become a chore that people will have to do to find what they need.
That bottle on the ground after a disaster can be used for many purposes including collecting something you can use.
People must first try to see in their minds what use certain items can have for them. Homeless people have become quite good at this during stable times, everyone will have to learn this skill after times become nightmare-like.
Know where you are going. Whether someone is going to bug in or bug out to somewhere safer, they need to know where they plan to make a stand and stay. Transportation is a very important issue to consider and how much of what they have can be moved to where they are planning to go.
Fuel will be a huge consideration as the lack of it prohibits how far someone can go. Something else everyone should understand is how to read maps. You will likely not have any GPS system to guide you and the good old fashioned paper map may be the only way to show you where you are going.
Understanding topographic maps is also key here.
Learn how to maintain light at night. One of the most depressing situations is to spend night in near to total darkness. Besides this, not being able to see at night is dangerous. Learning how to make candles and wicks should be a skill to consider learning. Fats and other oils will burn and can be obtained throughout nature and the outdoors. Long term solar battery rechargers for torches and LED battery powered lanterns are another option.
Learn how to hide. There will almost certainly come a time after a bad disaster that you will want to avoid being noticed at all.
Learning how to camouflage yourself is a good start. Avoiding detection is concealing yourself from sight, sound, and smell from others. Any activity that a person engages in can be magnified many times when the normal sounds of a busy city or town are now quiet.
Much careful consideration must go into taking this into account if a person wants to remain unbeknownst to others that mean them harm.
Remaining inconspicuous can be difficult in some cases, but it can be done.
Maintain proper hygiene. This is one of the top priorities within the armed forces because disease and sickness can and do take down the toughest of soldiers.
People must realize that after a terrible disaster it is not like someone that goes camping, comes back dirty, and takes a nice long shower or a hot bath. After SHTF the water to the taps, as well the hot water heater, may not work. Bathing on at least a semi-regular basis is necessary to avoid all sorts of bacteria from building up on the skin and causing a variety of health concerning ailments that will then have to be treated. People should plan on just how they will keep themselves clean, even thinking about sponge baths as an option.
How to dispose of waste and proper sanitation. In third world countries and the pre-flush toilet era one of the leading causes of illness and death was and is waste not properly discarded. If the toilets won’t flush because there is no water to make them work, human waste is going to be a huge whopping problem for people trying to survive.
Even improperly burying human excrement can lead to disease. Portable toilets, toilet paper and disinfection (bleach for one) should be one of the top items in any survival kit, lots of it. Also disposal of other trash is an issue that can bring hungry dangerous animals around drawn to the stench.
Burning of your rubbish can be a choice of some, while plastic rubbish bags and the means to find some place to dump them is another alternative.
Learn to control pest and other vermin. This is a problem that led to about half of Europe dying several hundred years ago with the Black Death.
Fleas and ticks carry some terrible diseases.
Even people that stay inside their own homes will have to deal with this problem. People outside will have to contend with the fleas, ticks, flies, mosquitoes, mice, rats, etc., etc., etc. There are many repellents in nature that can help a lot such as citronella, even the smell of garlic that most vermin do not like much at all. Stocking up on insect and other commercial repellents is always an excellent idea. It only takes one bite to make a person deathly sick.
Understand radiation and fallout and how to protect yourself.
This is one of the least understood of the survival precautions taken. There are hundreds of nuclear power plants that could fail after the world goes to the toilet. There are still tens of thousands of nuclear weapons available for war should countries decide to use them.
Fallout is something that you might not even see and until you are sick might not even know you have been contaminated. Purchase of a radiation detector that is protected against EMP is a wise idea. Understanding about radiation accumulation dosage RAD’s and how to shield oneself against it is paramount.
Learn how to forecast the weather. Without knowledge of what to look at before a storm system comes in, someone could be trapped and die when they are buried under snow or a wall of water from a flash flood.
Even one of those pocket weather forecasters that can be purchased at most sporting goods stores is a good start. Other weather forecasting books are available to help someone get a better idea on what the future weather holds for an area that they are in.
Weather is still one of the deadliest killers in the modern age. It will become magnitudes worst when people cannot get weather warnings over a radio or other source. People will have to forecast it themselves.
Learn first aid. Treating yourself and or others will probably be the only thing someone can do as medical professionals are going to be few and far between. Many places offer free classes on first aid because they want people in the community to be prepared. A good first aid book along with a first aid kit is something every household should have before, during, and after a disaster. Primitive conditions should be expected when anyone is helping someone after a catastrophe. A stockpile of antibiotics are always a good idea.
Learn about nutrition. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are nothing to fool around with.
Just look what scurvy, the lack of Vitamin C, can do to someone. Many survivalists and preppers make the critical mistake of only being concerned about calories to keep them going. Vitamins; A, B1 through B12, C. D, E, K, Minerals; Calcium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc, and trace minerals are necessary to keep a body going. Many survival foods have some of what your body needs, but sadly lack in others. Each person needs different amounts and any survival food supply should make this need as important as the food itself.
Vitamin and mineral supplements should be stocked with food if someone is unsure about what they are getting.
Learn to keep body temperature uniform. The Goldilocks analogy here, not too hot, nor too cold, but just right. Your physical body should remain as near to what your body has been used to as possible.
It is not only uncomfortable being freezing cold or roasting to death, it puts a lot of stress on the body making someone more susceptible to becoming sick. Trying to stay cool uses up a lot of water, and trying to stay warm uses up more calories. Plan ahead with good warm clothes and blankets for the cold.
Find places that are cooler during hot weather. Keeping out the elements where you are is essential and should be given much thought. If living outside, having a good shelter is beyond important. is something everyone should become more familiar with.
How to start and maintain a fire. This is for everyone. Having a fire and keeping it going when you need to has been the essence to the very first people on the planet surviving.
Fire cooks, heats water, keeps you warm, sterilizes items, and gives light. Having a lighter, matches, any starter is one thing, but actually keeping the fire going is another.
Making sure the fire does not cause damage to your home or shelter is something not everyone thinks about. Burning of toxic wood or other material is something to remember never to do.
Keeping a fire not too noticable to others is something everyone should remember because normally a fire means FOOD to a hungry person. While most everyone thinks that using a fire is rudimentary, there is much more to it.
Obtain water and purify it. This is one of the most rehashed subjects of survival but probably the most important one. Most people just assume the taps will continue to flow and water will be there.
Preppers that take water as extremely urgent often forget just how heavy water is and the hauling of water back and forth from a source such as a stream can be difficult as well as hazardous if it is wiser to stay inside for whatever reason.
People need to know that unless water is from a spring it will likely need to be purified and this means some reliable filters or boiling it which requires heat from a fire, along with pots to boil it in.
Aside from drinking, water is also needed to rehydrate food, make milk from powder, and of course cleaning yourself with. We all have to have a certain amount of liquid a day, and juice and other sources will suffice, but water is something that everyone still needs in order to keep their bodies healthy and functioning, as well as to remove toxins in the body. Water need and how much water will be used is something that is often vastly underestimated by many.
Learn how to grow food and or find it. People’s supplies will only last so long, and eventually self-sufficiency with acquiring food will become necessary.
Many people are into seed storing, and in many cases growing your own food will feed the family.
However growing food has many drawbacks that people need to look at. Water is an issue in dry areas as irrigation is very manpower or animal power dependent. The growing season is a huge consideration.
Pest problems are enormous as pest control, pesticides both natural herbicides and chemical, are not going to be readily available. One of the gravest things to contemplate about is actually guarding your yield, as two legged problems could be a bigger issue to your crops than some beetle infestation.
Hungry people will see food growing and take it, 24 hours a day. No one can grow enough food to feed all those seeking food. From a practical sense, it might be a better idea for some to go the hunter and gathering approach.
Learn how to defend yourself and be willing to do it. This almost certainly means owning a firearm and knowing how to use it and be willing to use it to protect yourself or others. Many TV survival documentaries show have people that feel they can defend themselves with knives, clubs, whatever, but in reality against someone else with a firearm they are going to lose 95%+ of the time.
A firearm is an extension of a weapon that has speed and force behind it. Even the humble .22 calibre can stop any person. Many people think that they cannot use a firearm against another person, but this feeling changes abruptly when they see one of their family members at risk.
Some people still cannot use a firearm, and in this case should consider some form of self-defence such as the non-lethal devices including stun batons, pepper sprays, TASERS, even baseball bats.
NO ONE should ever consider themselves to be safe after a SHTF event, NEVER. People can feel that everyone will come together and rebuild society, many good people will, but there are plenty of bad people in this world.
It may come down to you or them. Everyone needs to practice and practice with any self-defence armament they have, so there is no hesitation when it comes to saving one’s life from someone that is willing to take yours.
These are suggestions that people need to address now, before trying to survive the aftermath of a horrible event that sends the normalcy that everyone has become accustomed to down the drain for extended periods of time.
People that prepare have to realize that when civilization stops functioning, so does everything that most of us depend on.
There may never be that safety net there for us to fall into WHEN our stocked up survival supplies run dry. Much of survival is having supplies, as well as backups for when food, water, and other necessities cannot be found.
The other part is being ready for everything our new life could throw in our way. For this we all need to learn survival skills. At least think about it and then hopefully act upon it. When someone thinks about their personal needs, an individual can probably add many more survival skills to. They should become quite proficient with the skills they personally need and can use NOW, before SHTF so they have a better chance of surviving some nightmare series of events that “seem” like an inevitability in the not too near distant future
Review Time
The Marbles Pocket Chopper Review
The Marbles Pocket Chopper is 3½" closed with 2½" Stainless clip blade and mini chopping blade with a 1" cutting edge.
There is a choice of Brown jigged bone, Red jigged bone or Tobacco coloured smooth bone handles with grooved nickel silver bolsters and inlay shield.
Firstly a warning you need to be very careful with the two blades as they are razor sharp and I know because I had no idea that my thumb and index finger had cuts in them but they do.
Look this folding knife is no Bowie in fact it is totally UK legal so it will just live in your pocket as mine does.
I am puzzled as to why a chopper, but you know it really makes great feather sticks and if battened across the limbs of small game and bird’s it will easily do the job as I have proved by removing four rabbits feet prior to skinning.
It is important to me that it is UK legal carry as I can always find a daily use for a blade and I am sure you can too.
The truth is I love it and I have used it more times than I can remember, from cutting banners from a charity stall I had set up to cutting briars that had snagged my trousers whilst out and about, not to mention the many times I have cleaned the dirt from under my nails or opened packages sent by post.
You can get yours from http://www.heinnie.com

The Vango Storm Shelter 400 Review
So you are out walking or bugging out to your BOL and the heavens open as you are out in the open and you just want something to eat and drink what do you do? What can you do? Well not a lot I suppose besides get wet.
Until now there was only the option of building a lean-to type shelter to shelter in as you try to grab something to eat and drink.
However I have the complete solution to this problem, it is the Vango Storm Shelter, basically an emergency shelter in a stuff Sac.
This is an essential piece of equipment for anyone spending time on the hills. Enjoy lunch in a warm, dry area on a rainy day to invigorate you in the afternoon. In more extreme situations, be reassured that the bright colour and reflective tape on the top of the shelter could save your life.
I took mine into the woods near where I live just as the heavens opened which was a great test for the Vango Storm Shelter.
As I pulled it out of its stuff sac I noticed that the stuff sac is actually attached to the Storm Shelter and it forms a mesh covered vent hole and this attachment also means that you will not lose the stuff sac at all.
Once inside it is rain and wind proof instantly and once the base draw string is pulled together you are in your own protective world, there is also a clear window to allow you to keep an eye on what is going on.
I love it not only because it does what it says on the tin but because it also doubles up as a signal shelter if you are in a rescue situation with its reflective strips on the top of it.
I found that with three mates inside with me it was actually quite warm like it had its very own climate daft as that sounds, but we were warm and dry and really felt protected from the elements.
Fabric: Protex 3,000HH polyester 68D
Sealed seams
Fire retardant fabrics
Crystal clear windows
Vents with mesh covering
Drawcord at base
Reflective strips on top
Waterproof seats
Integrated stuffsac
Pack size - 19 x 14cm
Dimensions - 130 x 120 x 110cm
Weight 500g
Just go to www.outdoorkit.co.uk and search for the Vango 400
Sentry Solutions Products Review
Firstly how about this as a company motto “On Guard against Corrosion Friction and Wear” Body armour for your gear
The History of Sentry Solutions
Sentry Solutions was founded over 40 years ago, with the mission of applying 21st Century dry film technology to combat corrosion, friction and wear. They applied their expertise to revolutionize the care and maintenance of the firearms and gear carried by military and law enforcement personnel.
About their Products
Their innovative, oil-free products are designed and developed specifically for people whose lives depend on the reliability and performance of their firearms and equipment. They supply all branches of our military with lubricants and protectants for all types of small arms, knives, tools and field gear.
They have drawn on more than 80 years of collective international experience with fluid and dry film lubricants in the industrial, racing, aerospace and military fields. Sentry Solutions' experience ranges from coatings for non-stick frying pans to rust proofing oil rigs in the North Sea.
Sentry Solution's concept is simple - dirt will not stick to equipment lubricated with a dry film and metal surfaces protected by a dry micro-bonded shield will not corrode!
So what do these super 21st century products do, well they provide Oil Free Rust Protection for Your Firearms, Solving the Problem of Gun Care the US Navy Seals use Sentry’s products to protect their weapons and gear, Barrel Treatment with SMOOTH-KOTE and/or BP2000, Barrel Break-In Treatment, Sand Dust & Dirt.
Protect Your Paintball Guns, Protect Your Knives Against Rust, Rust Protection for Your Marine Equipment, And Protect Your Fishing Tackle.
Protect against Saltwater, Rust Protection for Your Sports and Other Equipment, Wood Working, Protect Your Golf Equipment, so it is probably easier to ask what these products do not do.
I treated a combat survival knife by cleaning it with the TUF cloth then I placed it into a glass of very salty water and left it for a week the untreated area was rusted up where as the treated area was not now that is impressive I think.
The Lightload Towels
I have been sent the Lightload towels which really can be used for so many different applications including:
Towels
Washcloth
Seat or Pack Padding
Water or Coffee filter
Neck or Headband
Fire Starter
First Aid Supplement
The list really is endless...
You’re Survival Gear:
Lightload Travel Towels have thousands of uses unlike any other product.
Also known as “a cool tool”, lightloads are essential for everyone's survival kit.
Use them as fire starters, wind scarves, insulation, bug repellent, sun bloc, strainers, masks, static electricity insulation and much more.
With emergency preparation in mind, people include them in first aid kits, toiletry kits, camping equipment, hunting gear, hiking gear, handbags, boats, cars and even wallets or purses.
Saving you Space and Weight: 
Put a handful of Lightload Towel hand towels in your pocket and still have room for your keys and money.
Lightload Beach Towels are full size beach towels that also fit easily in a pocket with room to spare!
They free up lots of space in a backpack or suitcase making them essential as travel accessories and outdoor gear.
The beach towels weigh less than 114g.
The standard towels are 14g. When wet they are much lighter compared to cotton and other fibres. To put that in perspective, these beach towels are lighter in weight than a wet bandanna.
Wicks Water Away from you:
Wicking fabric draws excess moisture off of the skin keeping you insulated in the cold. Lightloads are perfect for mountain biking, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, touring, hiking, snows ports, gym use or swimming pools.
Your Personal Care: Lightload Towels are soft against the skin and may provide relief from skin irritations like chafing, itching and rash. They absorb extremely well and can be an excellent baby travel product.
Keep good Hygiene:
Preserving cleanliness is indispensable to good health. While backpacking, travelling or climbing, there is a much higher likelihood of getting dirty.
Lightload towels are excellent ‘go to sports cloths’ in these situations. They have a durable water proof packaging that won't get soiled even if you and everything you're carrying does.
They also dry quickly and don't give off that souring smell cotton and micro fibre towels do when wet. They are essential for travel.
Saves you money:
In tough economic times, why pay so much for the expensive other travel and outdoor towels on the market, when only a few pounds get you a Lightload Towel!?
For that price, not only do you get a double sized hand towel that's super absorbent, but you get extra accessories rolled into one.
People spend hundreds of pounds for shirts that wick away water to keep their necks warm. With a 9Lightload Towel you can do the same.
You can buy items such as fire starters, wind scarves and first aid bandages separately and spend more money, or you can buy a Lightload Towel which has all of the above and save!
Entertains you: Use as game pieces for a variety of rainy day activities. People can play checkers, hockey, and catch, or create your own games.
Caring for our Light Load towels: Lightload Towels are hand washable and do last some time with proper care. Hand wash very delicately and keep dry when possible. They are easy to dispose of as well.
Well that’s the product information so what are they really like?
The short answer is Fantastic.
They are made of 100% viscose and are Biodegradable, Multipurpose, Machine Washable, Superabsorbent and Lightweight and they just work very well indeed. More surprising is their ability to act as fire starting tinder which they do so well by taking a spark very easily.
THE ELEVENTH WILDERNESS GATHERING 2013 15th to 18th August
The Wilderness Gathering has over the years become a firm date in the diaries of those who enjoy bushcraft, nature and wilderness survival skills. The previous ten years have seen this event grow from a small event in one field with some traders and schools sharing bushcraft skills and knowledge to a festival of wilderness living skills encompassing bushcraft/survival and woodland crafts.
The show has grown into an event with something for all the family with stories and music by the campfire in the evenings and skills workshops and activities throughout the three whole days of the festival.
The Wilderness Gathering has without a doubt become the premier family event for all those interested in bush crafts and the great outdoors.
The show has bushcraft clubs for all age groups of children to get involved in plus more activities for all including den building and wilderness skills classes for all.
There are hands on demonstrations of game preparation, knife sharpening, basha building, boat building, bowmaking, greenwood working, archery and axe throwing and primitive fire lighting to name just a few. There are talks on survival phycology, classes on falconry and wilderness survival fishing. All of these skills are there for everybody and anybody to participate in.
You can probably pick up information on nearly all the skills needed to live in the wilderness and prosper at The Wilderness Gathering.
There is a wealth of good quality trade stands that are carefully selected to be in theme for the show selling everything from custom knives to tipis and outdoor clothing to primitive tools. The organisers have even laid on a free service bring and buy stall where you can bring along your used and unwanted kit and they’ll sell it for you.
There are local scout and explorer groups onsite promoting the World Wide Scouting Movement as well helping out with some of the classes and site logistics.
The catering is within the theme of the event with venison and game featuring on the menus plus organic cakes and drinks. The woodland and open field camping facilities (with hot showers) giving you the option to visit for the whole weekend or just to attend as a day visitor.
Check out www.wildernessgathering.co.uk or call 0845 8387062 you really won’t regret it.
Camping Recipes
In the olden days, this simple pleasure was a nightly occurrence. Every meal was enjoyed and appreciated. But somehow, with the increased pace of life in the modern era, it has lost its importance.
The focus put on camping meals by both its preparers and consumers, however, provides campers the rare opportunity to bring back that slowed-down sense of community and appreciation during a great meal.
The following campfire recipes, are guaranteed to fill the stomach and tantalize the taste buds. So round up the ingredients, get the cooking fire roaring, and gather around the fire for these campsite culinary feats.
Foil Dinner
1/4 lbs Ground beef
1 Carrot, sliced
1 Potatoes, sliced
Small onion, diced
Seasonings
Butter
Heavy duty aluminium foil
Layer all ingredients in the centre of a piece of aluminium foil. Season to taste. Top with butter. Fold foil and secure tightly. Leave room for expansion. Place packet on hot coals for approx. 20-30 minutes. Turn and rotate often.
Be Creative – Use various meats, vegetables, seasonings and sauces etc.
Campfire Stew
1 lb Ground beef
1 small onion
Garlic salt
1 can vegetable soup
In a Dutch Oven brown meat with onion, garlic and seasonings. When the meat is thoroughly cooked add canned vegetable soup and simmer till heated through.
Serve with foil wrapped potatoes and biscuits.
Fish on a Stick
Piece of fish (trout, etc.)
Grilling fork or green hardwood stick
Thread fork through the fish. Cook over hot coals. Cook both sides until fish flakes at the thickest part. Serve with foil wrapped potatoes.
Have extra pieces of fish ready in case some fall into the fire.
How to Build a Survival Shelter
Sleeping outside in a primitive survival shelter with no tent and no sleeping bag?! In the rain? Are you crazy?
This idea may indeed seem crazy and a bit daunting to many of us. However, with a couple of hours, proper materials and the right mind set, constructing and sleeping in a primitive survival shelter can be a life-changing experience.
Although there are many types of group and individual primitive survival shelters, I often begin by teaching my students how to build a survival shelter called a debris hut. These structures are fairly easy to construct and can be a warm, dry place to spend the night.
First of all, location is key. Aside from the normal criteria which includes avoiding low spots, steering clear of standing dead trees, etc….proximity to materials can save a lot of time and energy. Take the time to find a spot that feels right.
For construction, the first thing you’ll need to build a survival shelter is a strong ridge pole that is at least a little taller than you are with your arm stretched above your head. You’ll also need something for one end of the ridgepole to securely rest on—a stump, boulder, fork of a tree, and some kind of prop. The other end rests on the ground. At the high end, the ridgepole should be at about hip height.
Once your ridgepole is in place, you’ll need ribbing. Lean the ribs against the ridgepole fairly close together leaving a door at the high end. Once ribs are in place, crawl inside feet first checking to see that you have a little room to move, but that it is still snug and cosy.
If your survival shelter is too big, you will have trouble staying warm. Imagine you are making a sleeping bag out of natural materials!
Next, add a layer of lattice, something to act as a net to hold debris in place when it is piled on next. Brush and twiggy branches may work well the debris that you have available can help determine how small the spaces in your lattice can be.
The structure is now in place and it is time for the essential component of insulation. Of all the things you’ll learn about how to build a survival shelter, not having enough insulation on a cold night will teach you quickly what is required.
Get ready to shuffle your feet or make yourself a rake and start gathering debris! For good insulation, you’ll want material that can trap air. Obviously, dry material is optimal. Pile on your leaves, ferns, grass, or other available debris.
Keep piling, keep piling, go for TWO FEET THICK or more “all over the shelter” if you might get rained on.
Be sure to close up the door area so that you have just enough room to squeeze in without disturbing the structure. Crawl in to see how your cocoon feels. Finish up your insulation by adding some small branches that will hold the debris in case of wind, maintaining as much loft as possible.
Now that the outer layer is complete, it is time to stuff your primitive survival shelter with dry soft debris. If you only have wet leaves, use them anyway, you may get wet, but you can still be warm.
Once your shelter is full of debris, wiggle in to compress a space for your body. Add more debris as needed, and don’t forget the foot area! Fill up the spaces if you are concerned about being cold.
Before you crawl in for the night in your primitive shelter, gather a pile of leaves near the door so that you can close yourself in most of the way.
Aside from having a great story to tell your grandkids one day — or from being able to teach others how to build a survival shelter, spending a night in a survival shelter like a debris hut is an opportunity to overcome fears and gain feelings of freedom and confidence.
Pushing our mental and physical comfort edges also brings us chances to find greater comfort and appreciation in our daily lives. HAPPY BUILDING AND SWEET DREAMS!
The Survival Staff
Just walk into the woods barehanded and you'll soon encounter the first tool.
A knife takes a little more evolution to create, but there's always a stick at hand. Even a crude broken branch has a myriad of potential uses, from brushing aside the webs of spiders to keeping enemies at a distance.
Ever since humans learned to walk upright they've compensated for the loss of those two other feet with sticks.
Go onto a modern hiking trail today, however, and the staff is a rare item. People are almost embarrassed to carry them.
Is it a sign of weakness? Or a mark of age? Or a fashion miss statement? Unless it's a high tech trekking pole, the staff has fallen out of favour.
Historically, stick weapons are the mainstay of cultures where people travel isolated and wild pathways yet do not wish to present a threatening appearance.
If you want a fundamental level of defensive ability without looking like a paranoid invader, the staff is the perfect choice.
Although we think of today's world, especially here in the UK, as tame and civilized, the reality we face in the wilderness isn't so different from that of older and tougher days.
Animals of all kinds share the world with us and get cranky about it, and you can't trust everyone you meet on the trail. A good poking stick can preserve the peace without causing serious injury.
In recent times society's reaction to any form of animal violence has been to eliminate both species and ecosystem. I think we've grown beyond that, but not far beyond that. In modern instances of predation against humans, the individual animals pay the price--as well as any suspect animals who just happen to be in the area.
Our fellow beasts are intelligent as well as cautious--if they test one of us, and learn that we are pointy and belligerent, they probably will not try us out again.
That's good for everybody. The guy with the stick is not dangerous to the balance; the guy without one is.
Luckily, I have seldom had any reason to apply this aspect of the art of Stick. The most common encounters I've had are with cows and the loose dogs who probably already had a low opinion of humans.
The only potentially deadly confrontation in my collection was with a grumpy young bull who showed up in a bad mood as I was trying to cross his field. No real carnivores have ever attacked me, and they probably won't. I carry a big stick.
The hiking staff is much more than a self-defence device tool. It will be used most often for very ordinary things like keeping your footing. I can think of any number of reasons to have one.
To part underbrush on a trail, to take some weight and balance before you shift from this boulder to that ledge, to prop yourself against a current on a swift water crossing--the needs and the uses are endless.
Yes, you could make a staff on the spot, when you happen to need one--no, if you choose that last minute response, you won't have anything dependable.
A good staff will save your life. A rotten branch won't.
Prepared for Disaster
Are you prepared for a disaster that could affect the daily function of your life or the lives of your family members? Or do you even believe a disaster will ever affect you?
Blizzards, floods, power cuts, and who knows what else happens all the time. Still, most of us ignore the warnings. "It can't happen here," some say. "The government will take care of me if it does," others think.
But not only do they happen, they can happen to you. And when they do, you will be on your own. The recent UK flooding events have proved this. Look at the total disruption of transportation when it snows for example.
This was followed by the immediate and complete paralysis of air transportation at major international airports. Thousands were stranded for days on their own in strange cities.
As serious as these events were, they pale in comparison to the possibilities. Consider a major biological or nuclear attack or accident. Hundreds of thousands of casualties are predicted in some scenarios.
These disasters or attacks would overwhelm local, regional, and national emergency resources and cause widespread panic. Transportation would stop, markets would be stripped of food within hours, essential emergency services would be overwhelmed, and food, medical supplies, and emergency service workers would be sent to the disaster area, leaving critical shortages in local areas.
So are you prepared?
Now, more than ever, you need to prepare for the possibility of disasters or attacks on a scale and type never before imagined. It is your duty to yourself, your family, and your country to be prepared.
Some of us need to be prepared for being at "ground zero." Certain areas are the most likely direct targets of terrorists or natural disasters. All of us need to be prepared to be indirect targets, those affected by the temporary collapse of our nation's infrastructure.
In short, we all need to be able to live self-sufficiently for a period of time.
What to prepare for will depend on your geographical area. Natural disasters and the risk of major terrorist attacks vary by where you live. The first thing you need to do is make a list of the possible disasters for which you need to prepare.
Some of the things you will want to consider include natural disasters, such as blizzards, floods, and even wild fires, as well as technological disasters, such as nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) attacks, and hazardous material accidents.
Don't forget cyber-attacks, the possibility that an enemy could attack our computer systems, shutting down electrical, gas, communications, transportation, and emergency and medical services. What about attacks on our farms and agricultural processing plants?
While they would likely affect only a small number of people directly, they would completely shut down food production and distribution systems.
While there are many things to plan for, your response to all of them is one of two things: stay at home or evacuate. For blizzards, earthquakes, cyber-attacks, nuclear fallout, quarantine after biological attacks, and collapse of the infrastructure, you will want to stay at home.
For floods, hurricanes, or with some advance notice of NBC attacks, evacuation may be your course of action.
Whenever possible, staying at home in your own environment and with your own emergency supplies is the best choice.
When you evacuate, you are essentially a refugee at the mercy of government evacuation centres or the compassion of the local population.
In a major disaster, don't expect to be welcomed by the locals who are struggling with their own survival.
In all situations, you will need to be able to think for yourself. Confusion always accompanies a major disaster and initial information and instructions may be conflicting and incorrect.
So, monitor the radio and television for official instructions on what to do, such as whether to evacuate or not, but don't assume they are correct. Make your own decisions based on your plans and preparation.
Bugging In
Key to your survival is preparing a disaster supplies kit, essentially the stockpiling of all materials that you would need to live on if you are cut off from outside utilities, water, and supplies. Once a disaster occurs, there won't be time and materials may not be available.
How long you will need to be self-sufficient is hard to say. My advice would be that everyone store enough food, water, and supplies to take care of their family for three days.
Preparing a "72-hour kit" is a good idea. It can be used for immediate evacuation and part of your overall disaster supply kit. Place items in a portable, easy-to-carry container, such as a large plastic box or duffel bag, ready to grab at a moment's notice.
But, is it enough? A blizzard, earthquake, quarantine, or nuclear fallout could confine you for much longer. You need to be able to take care of all the needs for your family for a period of at least two weeks and possibly longer.
Having supplies for one to three months is not all that unreasonable or hard to accomplish.
There are six basics that should be part of your home disaster supplies kit: water, food, first aid supplies, tools and emergency supplies, clothing and bedding, and special needs items.
Tools and emergency supplies Tools and emergency supplies should include such things as battery-operated radio and flashlights with extra batteries, cups/plates/utensils, non-electric can opener, matches, lantern, fire extinguisher, hand tools for repairs and to turn off household water and gas, a whistle, and plastic sheeting.
For sanitation, include toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, personal hygiene items, disinfectant, and household chlorine bleach. Many more items can be added.
Think through the things you use on a daily basis.
Clothing and bedding Clothing and bedding would include a change of clothing and footwear for everyone in the household, rain gear, cold weather clothes, hat and gloves, and blankets or sleeping bags. Remember, a house or car can get very cold without heat.
Prepare for the worst weather that you might encounter.
Store your disaster supply kit in a convenient place that is known to all family members and make sure they know your family's disaster plan. Evaluate your kit once a year and update it according to family needs.
Evacuation
You may not have much time to prepare when you need to evacuate. A hazardous materials spill could mean instant evacuation, so always have a smaller version of your home disaster supply kit in the boot of your car.
When you have advance warning of an evacuation, bring your portable "72-hour" disaster supply kit, along with additional food, water, and clothing. Keep important family documents in a waterproof, portable container, ready to bring with you in an evacuation.
These may include your will, insurance policies, contracts, deeds, stocks and bonds, passports, social security card, bank and credit account numbers, family documents (birth, marriage, and death certificates), inventory of valuable household items, and important telephone numbers.
It would be a good idea to always keep some cash in this container, so you have it for an emergency. If there is time, valuable family heirlooms or photographs can be added.
Now that you have a basic plan for any emergency, let's consider plans for some specific risks.
Nuclear attack/accident
A nuclear disaster could result from an accident at a nuclear power plant, a detonation of a nuclear device by terrorists or a rogue nation, or an explosion of a "dirty" bomb, an explosive surrounded by radioactive material. Individuals at "ground zero" will have little chance of survival. 
The risk for others is the exposure to radiation.
Radiation is dangerous because of harmful effects on the body. In large amounts, radiation can cause radiation sickness, thyroid and other cancers, and death.
These effects are greater the longer a person is exposed to the radiation and the closer the person is to the source. If radiation is released into the atmosphere, it can travel for thousands of miles, contaminating the ground and living organisms as it settles back to earth on dust or rain. 
This is called fallout radiation.
Time, distance, and shielding are the factors that minimize exposure to nuclear radiation. Most radiation loses its strength fairly rapidly, but it is important to limit the amount of time spent near the radiation source.
The farther away an individual is from the radiation source, the less exposure. Shielding is a barrier between an individual and the radiation.
Concrete, earth, and structures are good shields. Depending on the distance from the source, the best protection from radiation fallout may be to remain indoors.
After a nuclear disaster you may be advised to evacuate. If so, remain calm, pack your evacuation survival kit in your vehicle, and follow the evacuation routes out of the area. If there is time before leaving, close and lock windows of your house, close fireplace dampers, turn off air conditioning, vents, fans, and furnace.
Doing these things will make your house safer when you return by minimizing exposure to the inside of your house to fallout.
If you are advised to remain at home, bring pets inside, secure your house from fallout by closing and locking doors and windows, closing fireplace dampers, turning off air conditioning, vents and fans.
If your emergency supplies are stored in a garage or barn, bring them inside and, if there is time, store additional water in tubs, sinks, and available containers. Inside the house, the safest area is a basement or underground area, followed by an interior room with no windows.
Stay inside until authorities say it is safe to go outside. When coming in from the outdoors after exposure to fallout, shower and change clothes and shoes. Put the contaminated items that were worn outside in a plastic bag and seal it.
Open water sources (streams, creeks, lakes) fruits and vegetables from outdoor gardens, and livestock will all be contaminated. Do not eat or drink products from these until you know it is safe.
Bioterrorism
Very few people were actually infected in the anthrax attacks in the USA after 911 because it took direct physical contact with the bacteria to develop the disease. Other biological agents are contagious (passed from person to person), however, and are much more dangerous.
Biological agents are microorganisms (bacteria or viruses) or toxins that produce diseases in humans. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) lists 17 biological agents that may be used as weapons, including anthrax, smallpox, plague, and botulism.
They are not immediately detectable, may take days to grow and spread, and it is impossible to know when an attack occurs. While preparations are being made for defence against such attacks, nobody really knows what to expect.
Fortunately, most of these biological agents are hard to make into weapons. Worst-case scenarios, such as suicide terrorists infected with smallpox traveling through metropolitan areas, are staggering, however. 
Thousands of victims would overwhelm medical services and die.
Likely? Hopefully not, but who knows? Those at "ground zero" who are infected will need professional medical help.
With air travel, people will spread the disease all over the country before we even know an attack occurred.
The rest of the country will shut down as soon as authorities realize what happened.
Expect widespread closure of the country and mandatory quarantines. Transportation, food, and vital services will stop. Plan to stay at home if advised or ordered and avoid exposure with outsiders who may carry disease.
Your stockpile of food and supplies should get you through this disaster. You may want to have some medical-type masks and gloves on hand.
Should you stockpile antibiotics in preparation for such attacks? Authorities say no and this may be practical advice.
A large number of different types and amounts of antibiotics would need to be stored to protect your family against all likely biological weapons.
Many of the diseases are viruses, not treatable with antibiotics, and those treatable by antibiotics might be altered to make them resistant to available antibiotics. Besides, you will need professional medical care if you are exposed.
Chemical terrorism and hazardous spills
Chemical agents are gases, liquids, or solids that are poisonous to humans. Depending on the type and amount of the material, exposure to chemical agents can cause illness or be fatal.
Chemical agents include chlorine or ammonia gases that are transported on trains daily, other hazardous industrial chemicals, and chemical warfare agents, such as nerve agents, blister agents, blood poisons, and others. 
The CDC lists 58 known chemical warfare agents.
Some nerve agents, such as Sarin, used in the attack in Japan, kill quickly. If you are at "ground zero" in such situations your only chance is to evacuate immediately.
A hazardous materials spill is probably more likely than a terrorist chemical attack. For gases and other chemicals that spread in the air, evacuation to avoid exposure is critical.
Leave the area as soon as you are aware of the incident. Full face respirators (gas masks) may be useful for escape in such situations. Buy good quality, new masks designed for industrial or rescue use, not army surplus masks.
Natural disasters
Natural disasters are somewhat easier to prepare for—you either get out of their way (evacuate) or you protect yourself indoors.
In floods Sandbag doors and windows, move furniture and other items to higher ground, and evacuate if necessary. Do not drive or walk through flood waters and stay off bridges when they are covered with water.
Be prepared
Bad weather Preparation should include boarding up windows and flood-proofing your home. Bring in outside furniture, bicycles, and rubbish bins. Listen to recommendations of emergency officials and evacuate if advised. If not advised to evacuate, stay indoors and away from windows.
In blizzards stay indoors and use the telephone only for life-threatening emergencies. Use fires safely and properly ventilate. It there is no heat, cover windows, close off un-needed rooms, and stuff towels in cracks under doors.
Wear layers of warm clothing. Eat and drink plenty. Food generates body heat and water helps circulation to keep the skin warm.
It is important to know what to do and have a plan before a disaster strikes. The internet can provide additional information for preparing for and dealing with natural disasters and terrorist attacks.
Consider your risks, develop a plan, prepare your disaster supplies kit, and discuss with your family what to do in case of an emergency.
Remember, the future belongs to those who prepare. You must be ready before disaster strikes.