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Dear Reader,

     This is the first of what I hope to be many installments relating to emergency and outdoor survival. This is a general overview, a starting point if you will, based on facts, actual use and learned knowledge. I was not born knowing anything related to this subject. I have read many books, spent a great deal of time in the outdoors and ultimately learned through trial and error. I hope to save you time, money and frustration by passing on what I have learned and hopefully help someone survive. If you have any questions related to survival topics or have comments about this page email survival@mresource.net  Thanks.

-Mike

Emergency Survival 101:

If you drive a vehicle, use a boat, fly in aircraft, ride a bicycle, backpack, hunt, fish or go camping you are at risk of being put in an emergency survival situation. Natural and man made disasters are also creators of these situations.

What constitutes as an “emergency survival situation”? Any situation or event that could leave you unable to live in your normal environment and cause you to unwillingly spend extended time away from it. That is a very broad description but most people, myself included, tend to think of being stranded in the wilderness or displaced by a flood, fire, tornado, hurricane or earthquake, ultimately forcing you to live under difficult conditions.

Having knowledge in a few primitive skills and having a few items with you could mean the difference of life or death for you, a friend or a family member. There is a great deal of information on this subject available in books, magazines and on the internet. Knowing which information to use and which not to use can be tricky and frustrating. Research everything on your own and never assume that what you read or what you have been told is the golden rule. Including this article!

Many people are misinformed or unable to apply common sense to this subject and believe there is some sort of mysticism or exclusive knowledge surrounding survival, and only they know it.

I find many people who claim to be “survival experts” these days. I consider myself very knowledgeable and fairly well experienced on the subject, but not an expert. Most of these self proclaimed experts post on survival message boards of popular survival based TV shows gloating about their knowledge and experience. I have read far too many posts that recommend doing things that will most certainly kill you if you do them under controlled circumstances, let alone in a situation of life and death survival, where you could be hours or even days away from a hospital.  Topics have been from bizarre to just plain idiotic, like using a gun and over 100 rounds of ammunition to shoot through a tree in order to cut it down. 

One such topic that has been heatedly debated on these message boards is drinking your own urine during extreme dehydration. This topic was started after the host of a TV show built a solar water still and urinated in the bottom of it to create more moisture in an effort to increase its effectiveness and over all output of drinkable condensation. The uninformed or just plain ignorant “survival gurus” on this message board started typing away about the proper way to drink your own urine, never realizing that he never did drink urine. They obviously have no clue what a solar still is. If you are unaware of what it is, look it up or wait for the next installment.

Drinking your own urine would most likely make anyone vomit almost immediately, causing a massive loss of the few precious fluids you have left. If you did manage to keep the urine down, fever and illness as well as further dehydration will most certainly be a direct and almost immediate result.

To put it simply your body will need more fluids than before because urine is toxic and your body will be trying to expel these toxins by, you guessed it…urinating, diarrhea and some more intense vomiting causing further dehydration. Common cense would make it apparent to most people that drinking your bodies waste and by-products couldn’t possibly be good for you.

Being a life long outdoorsman I’ve learned a few thing about the outdoors, survival and Murphy’s Law, which states: What ever can go wrong will go wrong. This is especially true in a survival situation. Having the best quality gear you can afford really is priceless.

I can not put a dollar amount on my own life or the lives of my children. I would never sleep through the night again if I bought a piece of my kit for $3.00 trying to save a few bucks instead of the quality version for $15.00 and the $3.00 piece didn’t do what it was supposed to and someone was seriously injured or died as a result. If you want to increase your chance to survive, buy the best quality equipment you can afford. Accept no imitations if at all possible. Your life does depend on it!

Learning survival skills before you need them are paramount. Knowing that there are such things as a fire bow, debris huts, travel patterns of birds,  insects and animals, different cloud types and so on, serve no purpose what so ever if you don’t try to make the tool or study the topic and then practice and apply what you have learned. Read books, then practice the skills learned and practice them again until you are confident the tool or technique will work, even if only sometimes. Weather conditions can adversely affect every primitive or modern tool or skill, so use them in all conditions possible.

A truly excellent book on the topic of survival and one that I feel is far superior to the US Army Survival Manual is the SAS Survival Guide printed by Collins Gem and written by John Wiseman. If you are only able to purchase one survival book I recommend this one! It is packed with information on just about every type of terrain, climate and survival or medical situation a person might find themselves in. Topics such as food and water procurement, shelter building, weather and poisonous plants, insects and reptiles as well as many others are well illustrated and described.

Having a survival kit, bug out bag or what ever you call your emergency kit in your home, auto and on your person at all times would be ideal but not always feasible. Having one in an easily accessible location, such as the trunk of your vehicle might be the best choice depending upon your individual situation.

There are many commercially available kits that can be purchased that include a first aid kit, a space blanket or two, some sort of retort water and usually a block of “food bar”. To round it out glow sticks and a razor blade are usually packed in as well as other items. Some kits have name brand, original products and others are totally generic.

For the price of some commercial kits you may be able to make your own kit using top quality gear and supplies and not have to worry about sub-standard items. Price and value shopping are critical when choosing your kit or your supplies. A sturdy, waterproof bag, preferable a backpack should be the foundation of your kit. You can waterproof nearly anything if you can not find or afford a waterproof bag or pack. There are plenty of commercially available sprays, including plain silicone that work fabulously.

You may have to carry your kit long distances on foot, so having at least a shoulder strap is a must. You can use the list of supplies found in commercial kits as a basis for building your own kit. Whether you build your own or purchase one commercially, you will need to add any medication you, your family members and pets might need as well as sanitary products and personal care items.

There are also much smaller, miniature kits that can be carried in a pocket that are packed with useful items. They do not come with food or water but provide tools that will allow you to procure them. Look for my kits to be sold on this site and visit www.m4040.com for an idea of what a good personal kit contains.

There are many misconceptions regarding survival items and techniques. I highly recommend testing any kit with an overnight or weekend excursion in different weather conditions using just your survival kit. It should be in an area that you can easily leave and seek shelter or medical attention if the need arises. You will quickly see what it is capable of, what to expect and what it lacks. The best way I have found to practice survival skills and gain practical knowledge is by tent camping. If you are an avid camper you have an advantage already.

Survival kits are filled with useful items that are truly marvelous inventions. Every item as well as every kit has its limits, strengths and weaknesses. Comfort and being comfortable are luxuries. Survival kits and survival items are all very short on comfort and are designed solely for function.

 The Mylar space blanket, which technically is not a blanket at all, is no exception. If you think you will be toasty and snuggly warm in a Mylar space blanket, think again. A fluffy down filled comforter or expedition weight sleeping bag its not. Try one out over night in only cool weather and you will quickly see what I mean. Mylar blankets are little more than sheets of shiny, highly reflective plastic.

Mylar blankets are effective in reflecting light, your body heat or heat from another source. They don’t increase warmth by trapping warm air like a regular blanket; they reflect it back to you to retain warmth, in return increasing your warmth as compared to without it. They can also transfer cold through them so choosing a location and a way to use one is almost as important as having it in the first place. They are most effective used next to the skin but I have found them to work pretty well under a parka on top of two layers.

Don’t let the negatives discourage you from carrying a space blanket. They can and possibly will mean the difference between life and death in extreme situations and therefore serve their purpose and meet their designed function, but they are not a substitute for extra clothing, a tent and sleeping bag or a well built debris hut. They can be used as a shelter or on the inside of a shelter for added warmth as well as water and wind protection in situations that don’t demand it be wrapped around your body. Being highly reflective they could also be used for signaling during day light hours.

If purchased separately they typically cost about $3.00 US Dollars for a .1 mil., 52 X 84 inch Mylar blanket. Bulk rolls of Mylar can be purchased through some garden supply stores and found on the internet on websites such as ebay. I have found these rolls in widths of up to 5 feet and lengths as long as 150 feet. The thickness of the Mylar is measured in mils. A mil is 1/1000 of an inch. Mylar is usually found in a .1 mil or .2 mil thicknesses with most space blankets made from .1 mil.

Knives are one of the most important tools of survival. Most kits do not come with knives for many reasons and number one is cost. Knives are usually a personal item to the user as well. There are numerous Multi-Tools and folding knives that are excellent but for a general purpose knife it should be a fixed blade. When choosing a fixed blade, general purpose knife it should be large enough and heavy enough to chop through tree branches up to 3 inches thick yet small enough to gut and clean fish. Usually a blade length between 5 to 8 inches with a weight of 12 ounces or more is preferred and considered by many to be ideal.

If the blade had a saw tooth back that’s great but that alone should not be a deciding factor of purchasing the knife. Hollow handled knives should never be relied upon. Under heavy use the handles can and will snap off. Your “one and only” knife should have a full tang; meaning the knife blade and handle metal are made from one solid piece of metal and are not pinned, screwed or welded together. Stacked leather rings or Micarta scales on the handle are very durable as well as comfortable.

There are many US military issue knives that are very affordable and meet all of these requirements. I recommend the US Air Force Pilot’s survival knife as made by either Camillus or Ontario Knife Works. This knife has a saw tooth back and comes with a sharpening stone secured in the leather sheath and can usually be found for around $30.00 USD. If you would like to pay a few dollars more, actually a little more than double the price you can purchase the excellent P3 Quartermasters knife. The blade is wider, thicker and slightly longer and is polished. These sturdy and almost indestructible knives were often likened to a sharpened crow bar and used as such. I will be offering knives for sale on this site shortly so please check back!

If your budget will take you there, the British MOD 4 survival knife will set you back upwards of $100.00 USD or more but is a fine example of what a survival knife should be. Machetes are also an excellent option but can be a bit tough to gut and clean fish or animals with. A machete will also make a formidable and intimidating improvised weapon. A good quality machete can be purchased for less than $20.00 USD. I would recommend any machete Cold Steel makes as well as U.S. Military Issue machetes made by Ontario.

Cold Steel makes a fantastic Kukri pattern machete that is very inexpensive but very durable, with retail prices at around $25.00-$30.00 USD including a sheath and made in 13 inch and 17 inch blade lengths. Many people favor the Kukri pattern for its all around usefulness. It is capable of chopping, cutting, slashing, hacking, hammering, digging…what ever you need it to do, it will do well. Cold Steel makes a better quality Kukri at a much higher price as well. The design was originated in India by the Gurka’s and was found to be the most effective blade for lopping off a persons head with one swing!

Ka-Bar also makes a Kukri style blade in 11 inch length which I think is superior to Cold Steels model, but double the price. Two major things set Ka-Bars Kukri Knives apart and above Cold Steels machete model. The first is the steel used. Ka-Bar uses 1085 steel and Cold Steel uses 1055. The 1085 is a more durable steel, is harder based on the Rockwell scale and should hold an edge longer.

The second reason is that Ka-Bar sharpens the “top” edge of their Kukri and Cold Steel does not. This allows for an effective back slash if the tool is used as a weapon and also gives an edge that gets little use and will remain sharp for fine cutting chores. Add some saw teeth to the flat part of the top edge and you will truly have the ultimate survival blade. Anyone can add saw teeth with just a file if need be. Before modifying a Kukri, I strongly recommend visiting M40’s site at www.m4040.com to see what he has done to some of his. Simply ingenious!

What ever knife or edged tool you choose, you need to be comfortable with the fact that it could be lost or broken and will ultimately be abused. If you spend $350.00 on a knife and you are comfortable with loosing it, my hat is off to you.

Last but not least you should know the 3’s of survival. 3 minutes without oxygen, 3 minutes to bleed to death, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. This sums up and puts in order your priorities under most circumstances. You should also know/have 3 ways to: Make a fire, make shelter, procure food, procure water, signal, etc. I try to have skill or tool in each of the following categories: modern, semi-primitive and primitive.

Take fire for example. A modern method would be a lighter or matches and a tea light candle, a semi-primitive method would be a flint and steel or magnesium and flint and a primitive method would be a fire bow or fire plough. For my modern kit I ONLY carry BIC brand mini lighters in orange or yellow. For my semi-primitive kit I ONLY carry the original Doan Machinery & Equipment Co. magnesium fire starter with built in flint rod. Imitation models tend to loose the flint rod, rendering the tool useless.

A 35mm film can stuffed with cotton balls that were wiped or soaked in Vaseline helps start a fire very quickly. When the cotton is pulled apart and “fluffed” these can be ignited with just a spark from a flint and the Vaseline keeps them burning  hot for 2-3 minutes.

By having or knowing at least 3 ways to do everything in a survival situation, you should be well prepared.

Please email comments, questions or suggestions on topics to survival@mresource.net

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