igor2003
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quote:
ORIGINAL: MasterCaneman
I'll agree fire is important, and my own training is biased towards an environment where water was considered more important than fire and that sometimes a fire could be a bad thing (desert state in the middle of a drought). My teacher reduced the formula to the lowest common denominator. Survival (at least wilderness survival) is like taking care of a baby: Full, Warm, and Dry. You have those three things, you've got it licked. I stress water because you can go for a couple weeks without food, but three days without water and you're in serious trouble.
But I also agree with having multiple sources of being able to make fire as well, I just don't stress it as much because I know how to do it in multiple ways now. I'm a smoker, so I always have one source right there (and a lit cigarette vastly improves your chances of getting a fire lit with a single match, BTW). Shelter is another thing. You may not realize it, but we're wired to seek out shelter (even if it's just shade) every three hours. Wind, rain, snow, sun, they all take a toll on our bodies. Something as mundane as an umbrella can be a lifesaver on a bad day. Sunny, hot, dry? You got shade, its original purpose. Rainy, windy, snowy? Gives you a wind break that lessens convective cooling.
I don't go overboard with it, I still consider it more of a hobby that anything else. I have a car kit and my everyday backpack I take with me when I go out and about. One does not need to go nuts with it, and I don't recommend just going out and buying a pre-made "bug-out bag". If you want one, there's a ton of suggestions out there, make one that works for you. Someone who works on the tenth floor of an office building in a large city doesn't need the same thing as someone who lives in the sticks and commutes fifty miles on back roads to get to work.
I don't like the term "BOB" (bug-out bag) because what it really means is "instant refugee kit". My stuff is to help me make my way home and do it safely and comfortably. For most folks, a simple car kit that has a blanket or sleeping bag of some sort, water (or means to procure thereof), light, and some form of external warmth is probably enough. Especially in winter. Just a charged cellphone isn't enough if no one can get to you for some time. And 'knocking on someone's door' isn't the smartest idea either. That's my GF's plan, and if it does come to pass, I'll probably be looking for a new one.
The folks who live in Tornado Alley mostly understand this, as do people in earthquake country and places where hurricanes tend to make landfall as well. The rest of us may have to deal with blizzards (my cup of tea), power outages, other 'disasters' that stop the processes we're used to. I prefer to rely on myself to get my rear-end home, where I keep the bulk of my stuff. And, I don't like carrying a load equal or greater than what the Army made me hump when I was a kid. Can't do it anymore.
Notice I didn't touch on weapons? Other than a knife or a pistol (if one either has a permit or doesn't need one), I tend to discourage folks keeping instruments like that in their kits. The reason being, they're stored more than they're used, and if someone breaks into your car or wherever you keep it, you've just given them a firearm and ammunition. Since I carry legally, I don't have any further plans other than a few extra rounds in my gear because it adds weight and is probably not needed. I always get a kick out of the 'hardcores' who boast about having an AR or AK as a 'car gun' in case they have to 'bug-out', remembering just how much a full ammo load weighs and how fast you can shoot it up.
If someone's got to have a weapon to 'reach out and touch someone', I'd suggest a slingshot (for our UK friends, read 'catapult') and some marbles, ball bearings, or lead shot in a decent size. They're light, cheap, and relatively silent, and can put a hurting on someone or something. I don't see 'hunting' as a pressing need in your 'average' emergency, and it's better to move fast and light than to stagger forward with a fifty pound pack while all hell breaks loose around you. And forget those fancy-schmancy 'survival knives' they're constantly pushing. A regular ol' pocket knife will do ya just fine. The only exception to the 'firearm in the survival kit' would be if you lived in Alaska, the Yukon, or deep in the wilderness in the Western states, and most folks who live out there already have that gear already.
For more information on survival kits and other nifty things, I send people to Instructables.com. Cool site, has how-to stuff on tons of different things as well (paracord bullwhips, anyone? There are several articles on making those). Like I said, I consider it a hobby, one that may pay off handsomely someday if needed. There aren't words to describe the way I felt the first time I made fire with just a rock and an old knife blade, or the first arrowhead I chipped out of an old wine bottle bottom (and it was a beautiful green, too!). As long as you don't get carried away with it, it's all good.
Fire or water...water or fire...kind of depends on the individual circumstance. If you are stuck in the mountains of Idaho, water won't do you any good if you die of hypothermia. But I know exactly what you are saying. Water is definitely essential for any long term survival, so you have to either have it, or be able to find it. And if you have to find it, you have to be able to make it drinkable.
As far as what is needed in an emergency kit, it all depends on where you think you will be needing it, and for how long you expect to need it for. The needs are very different between wilderness survival if you are lost, injured, or broke down, and suburban survival in case of a natural disaster.
As I kind of mentioned in my first post, my emergency preparations are more geared toward survival in the mountains and deserts of Idaho and eastern Oregon in case my ATV should break down on a long ride (about half of our rides are 60 miles or more), so I'm always looking at different equipment and methods suitable to those circumstances "just in case".
_____________________________
If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy. - Red Green
At my age erections are like cops...there's never one around when you need it!
Never miss a good chance to shut up. - Will Rogers
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Emergency Kits and Strike Anywhere Matchs... - 
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