Sheltering in Your Vehicle

Anyone who drives faces the possibility of spending a unplanned night in a vehicle. Bad weather, breakdowns, running out of fuel, getting stuck are some of the more common reasons why a driver might have to bed down for the night (or perhaps for several nights) until the situation is resolved.

A night out does not have to be a life-threatening experience. Drivers who accept the possibility that the unforeseen
may happen are drivers who prepare  for the experience. On the other hand, drivers who deny the possibility may find themselves fighting for their lives!
Here are some things you can do:

Survival Book Reviews: “Survive” by Les Stroud

Peter demonstrates firemaking  by rubbing two sticks together.

“Survive”  by Les Stroud.
I finally got around to reading this book and, for the most part, thought it a useful addition to a person’s survival library.

And then I got to the part where Les writes:

“A good signal mirror can also serve as a fire starter by reflecting the sun’s rays.” (Page 28)

How do you do that?How do you concentrate the rays into a spot hot enough to ignite tinder using a flat surface? A highly polished parabolic reflector can be used, but not a flat surface!

On one level, this kind of miss-information just irritates me. On a more serious level,  it angers me since it confirms for me that the writer hasn’t tested the process and has just accepted someone else’s information as factual!

To read the rest of the story, click here.

Which Knife is Best For Survival Situations?

This Mora-style knife is a good choice for an overall survival knife.

I am sure the debate over “which is the best knife” has raged ever since early man first knapped a sharp edge on a piece of obsidian! The recommendations that follow are just that – recommendations. But they are suggestions based on fifty years of recreating and working in the outdoors.
Click here to read the entire story.

Pick the Best Saw For Your Survival Kit

Cutting tools, in all of their variations, have been an integral part of my life. In my world the term “cutting tool” encompasses knives, saws and shears.
It does not include axes and here’s why. Nobody knows how to use them safely anymore!
I have never found myself handicapped because I chose to carry a saw rather than an axe. There are many saws available some of which are very useful and others not so much. Let’s take a look at a variety of them starting with the least useful.

Survival is His Business: Kummerfeldt at the Deschutes County Expo Center

Peter gathers water from a vine.

Peter Kummerfeldt can demonstrate how to rub two sticks together to make a fire, and for years, has been using the old-fashioned flint-and-steel firemaking tools as part of his wilderness survival presentations.
But his point is not to teach you these primitive skills.
Peter will, however, show you how to plan and prepare so you can avoid getting lost in the first place, and survive a wilderness emergency if you do happen to get lost.
To read the complete story, Published in the Bend (OR) Bulletin click here.
Peter will be at the Deschutes County Expo Center this weekend. Check the Bulletin website for subjects and times.

How to Avoid Becoming an Altitude Casualty

When you travel to high altitude, above 8,000 feet, too quickly and are too active when you get there it is extremely likely that you will become "altitude sick."  Altitude illness can be a mild annoyance or a life threatening illness.

To learn more about altitude illness click here.

Wilderness Emergency Management

If you think you're lost, the first reaction may be panic.

Surviving a wilderness emergency  begins with being able to control your emotions.  Being able to resist the urge to panic and run. Sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing - do nothing until you have calmed down and can reason and think logically.
The eventual outcome of your event may very well be determined by what your actions in the first few moments.
To learn what to do, and for or more information click here.

How to Avoid Becoming a Dehydration Casualty

Dehydration is a contributing factor in many medical problems that occur in the outdoors. It is also a significant factor in determining how successfully the body can keep itself warm -- a dehydrated person will have a much more difficult time staying warm than a hydrated one. 

To learn more about dehydration click here

Here is a Survival Kit List for Beginners

When it comes to wilderness or urban survival, a set of the proper tools is absolutely critical. If you're considering (I hope!) about putting a survival kit together, here's how to start.
Begin with the Ten Essentials, the basic list of  what you need to have. Virtually every organization has some variation of this list, and it doesn't really matter whose you follow. Your best bet it to make your own survival kit, based on your needs and skills, because you control the components' quality. Don't buy a commercial survival kit, toss it in your backpack or rig and think you are prepared. Above all, don't let your survival kit give you a false sense of security! To see the list, click here.

Making Water Safe to Drink

Today, there is more polluted than pure water in the world. No matter where you go, you must stay hydrated to stay healthy and able to function. Here’s some advice on how to purify the water you find in the outdoors.
There are a variety of ways to disinfect water and that includes chemicals, boiling and filtration. Which one works best.
Click here to learn more!

An Urban and Wilderness Emergency Survival List

Emergency situations can happen very quickly.

If you haven’t learned survival skills by the time you need them, you probably won’t have time to learn! But this emergency management list gives you a step-by-step progression of what to do in an urban or wilderness survival situation from the moment you realize you are in trouble.
First, read this list before you go anywhere (like right now!) in a calm, non-threatening environment, such as your living room. Think about the recommendations. Discuss them with someone, and get the ideas embedded in your psyche.
Then, print off the list, and include it in survival kits. Let’s hope you don’t need it. But the printout may be a great survival tool to hand to others to help them calm down and focus on staying alive!  To learn more, click here.

Find a Survival Water Source in Vines

In some forests, water may be found in certain vines.

Widespread spring flooding has already started in many areas throughout the United States. Maybe you’ll be one of the unlucky victims, and find yourself surrounded by a sea of muddy,  polluted water that isn’t safe to drink. If that’s the case, let’s hope you have a supply of drinking water available!
The knowledge of  where to look for pure water under different circumstances, and in different areas and climates  is an important part of  any survival kit. If you live in the southeastern United States, or in any jungle-like tropical area, here is a tip for finding a drinking water source. Like any survival tip, experiment and check this out before you need it! To learn how to apply this survival technique, click here.

Self Rescue: When Staying Put to Survive Isn’t an Option

Stay or go? A fundamental precept of urban and wilderness survival is that during or after an emergency and/or survival situation, you should stay put so rescuers can find you. But what happens if that isn’t a possibility? What if a tornado or hurricane just happened, the emergency personnel are overwhelmed or non-existent, and you know there is no possibility of rescue? Or suppose an accident occurs in a remote wilderness area with no potential for a rescue? What do you do in a situation where you have to rescue yourself? How do you tell the difference? How do you make the decision to stay or go?
In this article, we look at the mental and physical processes of self-rescue.

Survival Tip: Avoid Becoming a Lightning Victim

About 2,000 people are injured by lightning strikes around the world each year, according to the National Lightning Safety Institute. In the U.S., about 10 percent of those struck die, for an average of 40 to 50 deaths per year.  Lightning is the #2 weather killer nationwide, second only to floods. The odds of being struck by lightning during a given year are 1:700,000.
But if you’re one of the those unlucky people, lightning can hurt you in several different ways. Here is how to avoid being a victim.

The Importance of Water to Survival

To drink, or not to drink? That is a critical question. Suppose you are in a survival situation in a North American desert and you come across a spring or a water seepage area. The water looks kinda funky, with mud, insects and scum on the surface. You don’t have any way to purify or boil the water. You’re very thirsty.

Is the best idea to drink the water and worry about getting sick later? Or should you avoid drinking the nasty-looking stuff and risk getting more dehydrated? Survival expert Peter Kummerfeldt gives some practical advice.