Masterguns Survival Primer

[Masterguns]

Post #1. Background

I started this thread in the interest of our forum members who wish to prepare for a worst case scenario that threatens survival. I do not claim to be an expert on survival.. in fact, I do not believe there is such an expert. I say that because survival is dependent upon circumstances encountered and no one has encountered all the possible scenarios. So, the best we can do is prepare for the circumstances that can kill us. I set aside the idea of being armed. That is a no brainer. A gun can keep you alive. End of debate on that point. However, the preparation for survival in a worst case scenario has been exploited by businesses that want to sell people lots of stuff by making them believe the stuff they sell is needed to survive in a SHTF situation.

My experience that allows me to feel entitled to comment was that gained after I recon qualified in the Corps. That was 1969. I got to apply that learning in 1970:during my last of four tours in Nam. We went on LRRPs (long range recon patrols) that could be two weeks long. We had to live of the land after the first three days. We did that since not being resupplied meant you die unless you live off the land. Now, I am going to apply what I learned and did to a civilian situation, and I hope it is beneficial to those who read it.

While this is an open thread, and anyone can add, agree, or disagree I will not debate. My intention is to present my view for anyone to consider, adopt, or reject. So if you want to follow me, just look for my chevron avatar. That said I will start another post with my first thoughts.

Whether you are trying to escape a natural disaster like a forest fire, or a civil uprising in you area, or a complete upheaval or law and order there fundamentals of survival do not change. No matter what causes us to rely on survival preparation the preparation is the same.

Survival preparation has become an industry that is pleased to sell people all kinds of packages of gear and supplies to enhance the act of survival. Unfortunately those kits often are developed by people who know how to sell stuff but know nothing about how to survive when removed from modern facilities and support. Over my next few posts I am going to opine on what is actually needed to survive a worst case scenario situation regardless of the cause.

 

[Masterguns]

Post #2. Water

The first thing you need to know about survival is that you can survive 3 days without water. If you do not have water to drink your organs will fail, and no matter how much muscle or fat you have you will die.

Many survival kits include either water packets or water purification pills. The problem is they are expended over time while the need for water is eternal. The best method to assure safe drinking water is to rapid boil it for 5 minutes. Problem is that the ability to take time to build a fire or to overcome a water drenched environment’s fuels is very limited.

The water purification pills do reduce the probability of illness from tainted water. Every time you use one you reduce your supply. Eventually the supply will run out. Then what do you do?

I am an advocate of using a water filter to make water safer than any pill can make it, but not as good as boiling the water for 5 minutes. My survival kit includes a Sawyer water filter. It filters our about 99% of all contaminants. It can filter 100,000 gallons of water before it has to be flushed or replaced. It can be flushed by pushing water through the filter in the opposition direction from intake when you have safe water to do that.

I have two of them. Yes, I like the idea of a belt and suspenders to,assure your pants do not fall down. They cost $20 each, and that is an inexpensive item to assure I will have good water to drink and to survive.

Yes, there are other water filters available from other manufacturers. I am not promoting Sawed. It happens to be the one I selected. You might select a different one.

I am a widower whose kids have their own families. So I carry the filters for me. But if I had a family each one of them would have a water filter in their survival gear. Each person has to be equipped to survive, and potable water is the first need. Remember, 3 days without water and you die. Enough said.

Disclaimer: I do not have any business relationship with Sawyer or any other company. I do not own stock In any corporation in the world. Whatever I recommend it is because I think it is a good product.

You can see a video about the sawyer water filter here:

 

[hiwall]

The Sawyer Mini, like most water filters, do not remove viruses. For that you need to boil the water. Also most filters, like the Sawyer will filter the pond water but it will still taste like pond water.
I have a few of the Sawyer filters. They are the best bang for the buck. Available everywhere, even Walmart.

 

[Masterguns]

The Sawyer Mini, like most water filters, do not remove viruses. For that you need to boil the water. Also most filters, like the Sawyer will filter the pond water but it will still taste like pond water.
I have a few of the Sawyer filters. They are the best bang for the buck. Available everywhere, even Walmart.

Agreed, and foul tasing water is just that no matter what you do it. I have a stainless steel water bottle because I can set it in a fire and let the water in it boil. Although bacteria is the greatest threat in water, it is possible to pick up a viral infection. Nothing beats boiling if you can do it.

 

[Spikedriver]

I've never used a Sawyer but I've heard good things and your testimony backs that up. I personally believe in tincture of iodine as well. Kills nearly all bacteria and viruses and doubles as a disinfectant for wounds. Cheap, space efficient for packing, and widely available.

I will need to get a Sawyer and try it. Surface water in my area is generally unsafe even when boiled because of the presence of nitrates and agricultural chemicals, it is my understanding that portable filters are not effective for those so I would need to be away from home to try them.

 

[Masterguns]

I've never used a Sawyer but I've heard good things and your testimony backs that up. I personally believe in tincture of iodine as well. Kills nearly all bacteria and viruses and doubles as a disinfectant for wounds. Cheap, space efficient for packing, and widely available.

I will need to get a Sawyer and try it. Surface water in my area is generally unsafe even when boiled because of the presence of nitrates and agricultural chemicals, it is my understanding that portable filters are not effective for those so I would need to be away from home to try them.

Your point is well taken. Even boiling will not remove chemicals. The only way to get pure water is to distill it, and that would be quite a fete in a survival situation. Hoevef, if I could make a still, I could find some corn field and make some pain killer.

 

[Masterguns]

Post #3. Fire

Post #3. Fire
I know that many think shelter is the the second most important thing needed for survival, but I do not. For me the second most important item is fire. The reason I believe that is shelter is either carried, constructed, or found. In my next post I will discuss those options. But for now, let’s consider fire.

A fire can provide light or heat. Light to see by or to be seen if you are lost. Heat to warm you, cook with, or dry anything from clothes to gear. Fire is among the most important natural elements: air, fire, and water. Well I will not deal with air because either there is some or there is none, and in the latter case of having none survival is no longer an issue because you are dead

I have seen survival kits that contain stoves and fuel of various types. The problem with them is again they add weight, and when your gas stove runs out of fuel the stove is maybe good for an anchor for the boat you do not have. Let’s face it, people survived for centuries in caves without gas, alcohol, or stereo stoves. They did that by making a fire using all natural tools and materials. I am not going to recommend that everyone includes stick to rub together to make a fire in their kit. If it comes to that there a plenty of stick to be found in the wild. Instead I will address simple lightweight gear for making a fire.

My kit contains three fire making items: a ferrite rod, two lighters, and 4 ounces of lighter fluid. The ferrite rod is the kind you can but at Walmart for $5. You can learn how to use it by watching videos on YouTube, so I will skip a lesson on that here. The lighters I carry are very small units that encased I. Stainless steel and have screw in tops with O rings that keep the fuel from drying out for a long time the two you can see in the photo below were dues 14 months ago and they still work fine. That 4 oz can of lighter fluid will last a long time, but you do have to carry some extra lighter flints.

Why not a butane lighter you might ask. Well as I examined a butane lighter and I noticed the fuel was encased in plastic. If a hard impact cracks the plastic your lighter becomes a Xmas tree ornament. My lighters will not break.

The lighter fluid serves a to be more the lighters. Building a fire usually starts with a small amount of combustible materials like dried leaves or grasses that are used to ignite thin kindling, which in turn lights heavier kindling, which then ignites wood that will allow a sustained burn. If you are not informed about how to build a fire, visit YouTube when you can watch a hundred people demonstrate how to do it in a variety of ways.

The lighter fluid also can serve as an accelerant. A few drops (not ounces) on kindling will make it burn efficiently, hot, and fast. You can even use it as a fuel when there is no dry fire making materials. Carry a small steel cat food plate and put a couple teaspoons of fluid it in it and you have a stove that will boil water in minutes or allow you to cook protein over the fire easily. Needles to say, so I will say it as good sergeants do, you use it for fuel only when all else fails because it runs out. Expend natural items not the gear or fuel you carry unless all else fails.

Here is a photo of my two lighters. I carry one in my kit and one with my dog tags around my neck. In the most. Challenging worst case scenario I want to be able to start a fire if for nothing more than boiling water.

 

[Spikedriver]

Your point is well taken. Even boiling will not remove chemicals. The only way to get pure water is to distill it, and that would be quite a fete in a survival situation. Hoevef, if I could make a still, I could find some corn field and make some pain killer.

I should check the effects of consuming small amounts of chemically tainted, but otherwise treated, surface water. I suppose that in a real emergency drinking it might make you sick or dead, but dehydration WILL make you dead.

 

[Masterguns]

Post #4. Shelter

Recently on another forum I read a post from a fellow who was touting his purchase of a tent and sleeping bag for his bugout kit. I looked up the tent and bag specs online and saw that combined they weighed ten pounds. Most people have never walked for miles with ten pounds on their back in addition to the maybe ten to fifteen pounds of gear needed to survive. Now all of us could sling a pack weighing 25 pounds in our backs without a problem. It barely feels heavy. But after hiking with it for hours it feels like a ton. I come from the school of lean is mean and light makes for easier flight. Generally, if you are in a survival situation you are fleeing something. It is best to keep gear to a minimum when trying to survive to increase the ability to move fast and far and/or be less detectable.

When it comes to shelter you might be able to find some. A cave, a rock overhang, a grove of closely growing trees, an old abandoned structure, etc. keep,in mind that animals also find such places to get out of the elements so be ready to fend off some fury beast or squirming snake upon arrival.

There are numerous ways to build shelters from materials readily found in any environment except a desert. Avoid deserts. Hot in day time and cold at night, no water, lots of snakes and scorpions make deserts a very inhospitable environment. You may have to survive in one, but try find another route if you can. It is beyond the scope of this thread to demonstrate various types of shelter you can build, but there are many examples on survival websites.

My choice for shelter was selected to be easy to set up and to take down. Building a shelter takes time and energy. Unless you are going to be staying in spot it is best to have a portable shelter setup. Mine consists of two items. First is a tarp/poncho. It covers me and my pack in rain, and can be used in variety of configurations to make shelters. You can find videos about tarp/ponchos on YouTube. Below are two photos of the tarp/poncho I use. Second is a survival blanket. I am not referring to the thin Mylar sheets that fold up and fit I a pocket. The blanket I use is 5 x 7 feet with grommet holes in the corners and much sturdier that the often seen thin Mylar sheets. The blanket makes a good ground cloth if you lay it down with the Mylar side facing up you can lay down on it and fold it over yourself. The blanket reflects about 85% of body heat helping to keep you warm. The photos below show what the poncho looks like.

 

[GAgal]

Thank you for sharing this with all of us. It's a great thread.

 

[hiwall]

If I was bugging out I would not want any bright colored tents or tarps or even clothes. Like said above --"Generally, if you are in a survival situation you are fleeing something". Drawing attention to yourself with bright colors is last thing you would want to do.

The exception (there is always an exception) is if you start out with nothing and gather what you can for your survival as you are bugging out.

 

[Masterguns]

If I was bugging out I would not want any bright colored tents or tarps or even clothes. Like said above --"Generally, if you are in a survival situation you are fleeing something". Drawing attention to yourself with bright colors is last thing you would want to do.

The exception (there is always an exception) is if you start out with nothing and gather what you can for your survival as you are bugging out.

Indeed if you are being hunted the use of bright colors would be foolish. My thoughts about needing a survival kit are more slanted to a natural disaster or civil unrest. In such a case I would move to safer terrain by moving away from the danger. I would not expect the danger to follow and hunt me. If that were the case I would rely on natural camouflage, slit trench shelters with a variety of vegetation to cover it.

 

[303tom]

Indeed if you are being hunted the use of bright colors would be foolish. My thoughts about needing a survival kit are more slanted to a natural disaster or civil unrest. In such a case I would move to safer terrain by moving away from the danger. I would not expect the danger to follow and hunt me. If that were the case I would rely on natural camouflage, slit trench shelters with a variety of vegetation to cover it.

You got that right Sarg. Former US Army here, most people have NO idea what it's like to lite out to get away from something with as much as 50 lbs. hung on you !...............

 

[Masterguns]

Post #5. Food

A person’s ability to survive without food for a period of time is dependent upon age, health, genetics, metabolism, hydration, activity, and stored energy, aka fat. When a person has little to no food the body will begin to convert fat stored on the body into an energy source. Once the fat is consumed the body will begin to convert muscle tissue to energy. Losing muscle is certainly not a healthy thing while losing fat is often a healthy thing. But in a survival situation the simple fact is that you have to have a source of food to maintain strength and energy.

The problem with carrying food as part of a survival kit is that it adds weight to your load. So one of the keys is to carry a food supply that has maximum nutrition per pound of weight. Part of the weight of carried food is packaging. A can of tuna is going to weigh more than it would if It were in a foil pouch. Same volume of tuna so same nutritional value. The difference is weight.

Some of the lightest foods present problems of their own. For example a favorite of many campers in Ramen noodles. They are extremely light, but they take up a good bit of volume. When packing space is limited. Items that take up space disproportionate to their nutritional value can be reduce lacking efficiency and require larger packs, and therefor more weight. Remember, weight is you enemy when in a survival situation. Below are some items that might be considered for packing.

Rolled oats are light and oatmeal made with water is highly nutritious. You can even eat them uncooked. Hey, horses live on them. Tuna and salmon In foil packets are light and packed with protein and other nutrients. As a protein source they are a no brainer. Nuts (unsalted) like almonds and hazelnuts are packed with protein and calories a handful can keep, you going for hours on end. They are more nutritious than peanuts. Dried fruit is good because there is no water content and therefor lighter. The high sugar content is great when you need a quick energy pick up. Dehydrated vegetable are excellent. Soak them in water and cook or just take some dry and chomp on them. Again great nutrition with little weight. They also go far with a 12oz jar providing as many as twenty-four servings. The link will take you to the dried veggies I carry. The website has many dehydrated offerings.

http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/Dried-Vegetable-Soup-Mix-12-oz_p_1867.html

Careful consideration and research of high nutrition lightweight foods is easy to do on the Internet and when shopping for everyday food items. Keep in mind you have to carry what you select. In an extended survival scenario you are unlikely to be able to carry all the food you will need. That means you will have to live off the land. You can trap small animals or hunt them with a weapon. You can fish with a hook and line or make a fish trap. Later in this series I will explain how to trap small mammals and fish.

When I was in Nam in 1970 in a Recon Company we went on long range recon patrols. We called them LRRPs (Lurps). They could be three days to ten days in duration, and sometimes they went to two weeks. Carrying three days of food was acceptable, but when you went over that volume you were reducing speed and mobility. So we were trained to live off the land. That is how I came by the information in this post and some subsequent posts.

I would suggest that a survival kit include a manual that depicts edible plants. I do not recommend one of the many book sized survival manuals because of the weight. I have a survival app in my iPhone and one that helps me identify edible plants. To assure I can rely on my iPhone I keep it in an extremely rugged case. In my next post I will layout how a smart phone is among the bets assets you can have In a survival situation.

 

[hiwall]

I enjoy foraging but I would not suggest anyone depend on it for their only food source. Also you should try foraging NOW in your area so you are familiar with the common edibles found there. Also just because a plant is edible does not mean that it tastes good or that you might not happen to be allergic to it. Books on foraging so you know what plants are edible and books on plant identification are essential. Learn now so you do not have to carry heavy books when you do bug out.
America is full of edible plants though many have little actual food value and might require more calories to find and prepare than you receive by eating them. I used to live in a high (4000 ft) desert area and I was surprised at just how many things there were edible. I did my best to find and eat as many plants as possible. Now I live at a higher elevation (7500 ft) so I have mostly all new plants that I have to identify and try out.
Most dried foods have a loooong shelf life which is another bonus for them besides the light weight.

 

[Masterguns]

hi wall, you make some excellent points and I endorse everything you wrote. I am sure we would agree that foraging May become a necessity. Readers should know that there is a lot more nourishment I. A squirrel or fish than a plant whe. Food is scarce. I line SE PA and this time of year about the only thing you see in the field is a bare, dormant plane stripped of leaves. That makes it very hard to ID, and that means even eating the roots could be dangerous. While roots can be nutritious if you do not what the plant is don’t eat them. On the other hand from May through October there are numerous edible plants. As you wrote, learning to try out plants as food is an important skill. That is why it pays to learn before the need occurs.

 

[hiwall]

hi wall, you make some excellent points and I endorse everything you wrote. I am sure we would agree that foraging May become a necessity. Readers should know that there is a lot more nourishment I. A squirrel or fish than a plant whe. Food is scarce. I line SE PA and this time of year about the only thing you see in the field is a bare, dormant plane stripped of leaves. That makes it very hard to ID, and that means even eating the roots could be dangerous. While roots can be nutritious if you do not what the plant is don’t eat them. On the other hand from May through October there are numerous edible plants. As you wrote, learning to try out plants as food is an important skill. That is why it pays to learn before the need occurs.

I bet there are a lot of acorns and other tree nuts around yet this time of year. Tree nuts have lots of food value! Just remember with acorns that you have to soak them and dump the water a couple times to remove the tannins. It is easy to tell if the acorns need more soaking just by tasting them. If they taste sweet and nutty they are ready for you to eat if not they need more soaking with more water changes.

 

[Masterguns]

I concur that acorns are a good food source. In my I ediate area we have de oaks trees, up there are some white oaks that drop their acorns starting about May.

There is a good online article about harvesting acorns and preparing them here:

https://honest-food.net/how-to-eat-acorns/

 

[303tom]

We have quit a Bur Oak around here, them darn things have Acorns big as a darn Walnut !..............

 

[Masterguns]

post #5. Communication & Navigation

I own an iPhone 5s smart phone. It is an integral part of my survival kit. It allows me to communicate and to navigate. If there is cellular service I can use it to text or call. If there is WiFi I can use it for email, information gathering, and documenting experiences in words and photos. Since the phone has GPS that is not dependent upon access to either cellular or WiFi service it serves as an independent GPS device.

To assure it will work when I need it I have two very important accessories for it. The first is an extremely rugged case. The phone is housed in a high impact resistant plastic housing that fits into a rubberized flexible case for padding. Once so clad the entire setup fits into a holder that can be belt on shoulder strap mounted. That holder allows the phone to be placed in it with the screen facing the interior so it is hardly vulnerable.

The phone operates on battery power, and it is highly unlikely that there would be a means to charge by any conventional method in a survival situation. So I have solar charger that can recharge the phone. The solar charger can be lashed to pack or other object so that it continually storing more of a charge. It can also be charged by usb cord and transformer in the event one finds an electrical connection. Photos of the setup are at the end of this post.

Besides the usual apps I have loaded several very useful apps to assist in navigating. They include Apple Maps and Google Maps and these other applications for navigation.

Gaia Topo Maps which can be used offline by downloading maps into the phone. I have maps for a 50 mile radius from home. The maps are topographical so one can gauge not only distance but also terrain and elevation.

Spyglass which is a compass with directional finder. One can select a course and hold the phone in vertical positions so that the camera lens can display the ground on the screen. Using the compass overlay one can sight along an an azimuth and then select a landmark along that line as a target to travel too.

Of course I carry back up fluid compass and a paper map, which is simple road map of the area I selected to stay within.

I also have an app that describes edible plants and depicts them with color photos. It takes the guesswork out edible plant safety. App stores have aids for survival situations. Among the offerings are first aid, comprehensive survival topics, shelter making, etc.

I do not have an Android device so I am not familiar with the Android apps, but my impression is that almost all practical apps are made for both systems.

The photos below portray the items discussed above.

 

[Masterguns]

Post #6. First Aid Kit

While a first aid kit is clearly recognizable as a survival need the contents of a kit should be tailored to a variety of injuries. The marketplace is crowded with prefabricated first aid kits. My problem with those kits is that they are most often not assembled based upon the possibility of encountering a range of injuries. So I decided to assemble a kit with customized contents to serve a wide range of needs without being too bulky of heavy. The items in my kit include:

These items should be first aid grade, that is sterile.
Two surgical dressings 5x9 inches
One roll 3 inch x 25 yards gauze bandage
Four 3 x 4 inch non stick sterile pass with adhesive tabs
Assorted adhesive bandages including fingertip and knuckle type
Steri strips for wound closure
Twenty sterile cotton balls
Anti bacterial ointment
Hydrocortisone cream
Vaseline in tube
Ibuprofen tablets
Anti-histamine tablets
Decongestant tablets
Two rolls 1 inch x 10 yards adhesive tape

These items are multipurpose with applications in first aid.
Hand sanitizer for disinfecting wounds and hands also fire accelerant
Nail clipper
Insect repellant
Kevlar thread and curved needles for stitching wounds and sewing
Two large bandanas can be used to make sling or general purpose use
Safety pins
Small leather with scissors and tweezer, and more.
Small roll duct tape

All the above items are contained in ziplock plastic bags with air squeezed out.

 

[Spikedriver]

Post #6. First Aid Kit

While a first aid kit is clearly recognizable as a survival need the contents of a kit should be tailored to a variety of injuries. The marketplace is crowded with prefabricated first aid kits. My problem with those kits is that they are most often not assembled based upon the possibility of encountering a range of injuries. So I decided to assemble a kit with customized contents to serve a wide range of needs without being too bulky of heavy. The items in my kit include:

These items should be first aid grade, that is sterile.
Two surgical dressings 5x9 inches
One roll 3 inch x 25 yards gauze bandage
Four 3 x 4 inch non stick sterile pass with adhesive tabs
Assorted adhesive bandages including fingertip and knuckle type
Steri strips for wound closure
Twenty sterile cotton balls
Anti bacterial ointment
Hydrocortisone cream
Vaseline in tube
Ibuprofen tablets
Anti-histamine tablets
Decongestant tablets
Two rolls 1 inch x 10 yards adhesive tape

These items are multipurpose with applications in first aid.
Hand sanitizer for disinfecting wounds and hands also fire accelerant
Nail clipper
Insect repellant
Kevlar thread and curved needles for stitching wounds and sewing
Two large bandanas can be used to make sling or general purpose use
Safety pins
Small leather with scissors and tweezer, and more.
Small roll duct tap

All the above items are contained in ziplock plastic bags with air squeezed out.

I like the Vaseline idea. Aside from health uses, I recently read that smearing the Vaseline all over the cotton balls turns them into little fire balls that will burn for about 10 minutes if you tear them open and light the dry fibers in the center. I'm going to try it out next spring when camping season starts.

 

[Masterguns]

I like the Vaseline idea. Aside from health uses, I recently read that smearing the Vaseline all over the cotton balls turns them into little fire balls that will burn for about 10 minutes if you tear them open and light the dry fibers in the center. I'm going to try it out next spring when camping season starts.

Quite true. The hand sanitizer is 70% Ethyl alcohol and can be used the same way. It burns with a clear flame so you have to be careful.

 

[EasyCZ_tfa]

This should be a stickie.

 

[EasyCZ_tfa]

Post #3. Fire

Post #3. Fire
I know that many think shelter is the the second most important thing needed for survival, but I do not. For me the second most important item is fire. The reason I believe that is shelter is either carried, constructed, or found. In my next post I will discuss those options. But for now, let’s consider fire.

A fire can provide light or heat. Light to see by or to be seen if you are lost. Heat to warm you, cook with, or dry anything from clothes to gear. Fire is among the most important natural elements: air, fire, and water. Well I will not deal with air because either there is some or there is none, and in the latter case of having none survival is no longer an issue because you are dead

I have seen survival kits that contain stoves and fuel of various types. The problem with them is again they add weight, and when your gas stove runs out of fuel the stove is maybe good for an anchor for the boat you do not have. Let’s face it, people survived for centuries in caves without gas, alcohol, or stereo stoves. They did that by making a fire using all natural tools and materials. I am not going to recommend that everyone includes stick to rub together to make a fire in their kit. If it comes to that there a plenty of stick to be found in the wild. Instead I will address simple lightweight gear for making a fire.

My kit contains three fire making items: a ferrite rod, two lighters, and 4 ounces of lighter fluid. The ferrite rod is the kind you can but at Walmart for $5. You can learn how to use it by watching videos on YouTube, so I will skip a lesson on that here. The lighters I carry are very small units that encased I. Stainless steel and have screw in tops with O rings that keep the fuel from drying out for a long time the two you can see in the photo below were dues 14 months ago and they still work fine. That 4 oz can of lighter fluid will last a long time, but you do have to carry some extra lighter flints.

Why not a butane lighter you might ask. Well as I examined a butane lighter and I noticed the fuel was encased in plastic. If a hard impact cracks the plastic your lighter becomes a Xmas tree ornament. My lighters will not break.

The lighter fluid serves a to be more the lighters. Building a fire usually starts with a small amount of combustible materials like dried leaves or grasses that are used to ignite thin kindling, which in turn lights heavier kindling, which then ignites wood that will allow a sustained burn. If you are not informed about how to build a fire, visit YouTube when you can watch a hundred people demonstrate how to do it in a variety of ways.

The lighter fluid also can serve as an accelerant. A few drops (not ounces) on kindling will make it burn efficiently, hot, and fast. You can even use it as a fuel when there is no dry fire making materials. Carry a small steel cat food plate and put a couple teaspoons of fluid it in it and you have a stove that will boil water in minutes or allow you to cook protein over the fire easily. Needles to say, so I will say it as good sergeants do, you use it for fuel only when all else fails because it runs out. Expend natural items not the gear or fuel you carry unless all else fails.

Here is a photo of my two lighters. I carry one in my kit and one with my dog tags around my neck. In the most. Challenging worst case scenario I want to be able to start a fire if for nothing more than boiling water.

Is that an Everstryke lighter?

 

[Masterguns]

Is that an Everstryke lighter?

No, it is a knock off an everstrike. You can get them on eBay for under $3.00. Look for the ones that ship from USA. The cheapest ones ship from China, and that takes forever. On eBay just search for survival lighter.

 

[EasyCZ_tfa]

No, it is a knock off an everstrike. You can get them on eBay for under $3.00. Look for the ones that ship from USA. The cheapest ones ship from China, and that takes forever. On eBay just search for survival lighter.

Thank you sir! :smilie flag:

 

[MattNH]

I'll try and contribute. For my backpack first aid kit I have 2 rolls of 2" x 5yds vet wrap which sticks to itself. Cheap on Amazon

 

[Masterguns]

I'll try and contribute. For my backpack first aid kit I have 2 rolls of 2" x 5yds vet wrap which sticks to itself. Cheap on Amazon

Good suggestion. I have never tried that kind of wrap, but I am going to,orde some. It seems like a sensible solution to a pain in the but problem of securing a wrap.

 

[Masterguns]

Post #7. Footwear

Anyone who ever served in the infantry will tell you are only as good as the condition of your feet. Wet or cold feet can not only slow you, but also can end up as a medical condition like trench foot or frostbite. A blister can be debilitating until you lance it. When you lance it there is always a possibility of infection. So taking care of your feet in a bug-out situation is critical. Let’s consider how to avoid cold and/or wet feet and blisters.

Blisters are caused by parts of the foot rubbing against the inside of footwear. For the rest of this post I will use the word boot for all footwear.

The way to avoid blisters is to do five thing things.

1. Wear boots that fit, and that you tried on with the kind of socks you will wear. My socks are from Costco and cost les than at an outfitter.
2. Loose footwear will rub the foot, and that can cause blisters.
3. Be sure to lace footwear tightly without cutting off circulation. That keeps the foot from sliding in the boot.
4. Wear good wool hiking socks with padded soles. Wool is warm, more water resistant, it dries more quickly than cotton, and it protects the foot from the footwear leather.
5. If the sock bunches up in the boot open the boot and refit the sock.

There are popular methods for keeping feet dry in the boot. One is to have Gore Tex lined boots, and the other is to waterproof the outside of the boot. I avoid Gore-Tex boots because if water gets into the boot it is much harder to dry the interior. I prefer leather boots that I waterproof with mink oil, which is rubbed into the leather and into all seams on the boot including where the top meets the heel and sole. That included the the tongue of the boot. I use a Qtip to wax the crevices. It can be reapplied routinely, and if you do that it does not deteriorate like Gore-Tex can. Another advantage of using mink oil is that it helps keep the leather supple and that reduces the likelihood of blisters.

I also choose ankle high boots because they can be dried out faster if they take on water, and I can get them on faster than high tops. The photo below shows my actual boots, a can of mink oil, the socks I wear and a rag for applying mink oil. The Qtips are in my first aid kit. The photo shows the boots with laces. I do not carry extra laces because ParaCord is a staple in my kit, and it is stronger than any boot lace.