Survival: SKills & Hardware Necessary

[JD Spydo]

Just yesterday I had made a suggestion on the General Discussion section of this Forum concerning the possibility of a "Spyder Survival Kit". The thread was met with some very interesting posts and ones I think we ought to discuss. One brother made the statement that each person's survival situation is going to be different and it would be difficult for Spyderco to make up a kit because of that reason. And that's true when you consider the geographical location, climate, access to water ( or the lack thereof), food availability and potential social unrest.

With our USA economy ( and the global economy) in a very volatile state at this time and with other factors that seem to be looking down I truly believe we all need to take a serious look at the subject of survival and preparedness. What would you would deem necessary to make up your own kit for you and your family. How you would handle a situation of no power, no running water and potential societal breakdown.

I've been studying the subject for quite a long time now and it amazes me just how much a person needs to consider when faced with an emergency or disaster. And don't think that an economic breakdown wouldn't fall into the category of a disaster. Tell us how you plan to prepare or if you're prepared already let us know what you think is wise to prepare for. Let's talk

[clovisc]

For me, the key is knowledge of:

-- Potable water sources
-- Wild food sources
-- Medicinal properties of plants.
-- Safe travel through mountain, old growth forest, and muskeg areas.

I live in a rainforest area... endless rain and water.

There's enough natural food here, easily accessible, for me to stay fat on, any time of the year. Even in winter my diet is heavily subsistance-based already... 5 species of salmon, sole, halibut, rock fish, cod... (trout get released)... and I'm not even hunting! (Yet.) I keep myself and my two roommates full of fish.

There are plenty of deer and bear... grouse... And endless wild salmonberries, blueberries, low cranberries, huckleberries... especially during the summertime. There are lots of "beach foods" that can be safely eaten without fear of PSP... gumboots, limpits, sea cucumbers, various forms of seaweed...

The most difficult thing would be staying warm in winter... You'd need decent shelter, and fire... and most importantly, a way to keep firewood dry. But still, with a little knowledge and effort, it wouldn't be too hard.

Anyhoo... my ideal "basic" survival kit would include...

-- Kukhri
-- Rock Salt
-- Gorilla Tape (rather than a first aid kit... :D )
-- A couple good lighters

That's all I really need here. But also...

-- Preferably, some fishing gear... although I'm sure I could make some. I can tie my own flies out of natural materials. And I know how to make hooks, sinkers, line out of natural materials, if need be... and how to trap salmon in rivers, or on the shore... though I vastly prefer the commercial stuff. I guess... I'd choose my TFO TiCrX 10 weight... routinely handles everything from steelhead and cohos to sharks...

[vampyrewolf]

bandaids, med tape, gauze, gloves, small packs of polysporin, condoms, chemical water treatment & coolaid packs (aka taste neutralizer), razor blade, bic, golf pencil, vnox classic, ducttape or electrical tape, granola bars, diamond steel, deck of cards.

Toss that together and vaccuum seal it. One per person, per vehicle or bag

Thats a minimal "single person on the move" kit.

Survival here is a question of being able to stay put and wait out the weather, or being able to get somewhere that you can wait it out.

My BOB has chemical treatment for 30 litres, 4 ways to start fires (magnesium rod, ferro rod, wood matches (sealed with sandpaper), bic), 4 chem and 4 electric glowsticks, 8-10 tealights (EASY way to start a campfire), 12 or so AA batts, 100' of 1/4" poly rope, 50' of seatbelt webbing, 2x 400lbs 'beiners, survival book (sleep deprevation makes it useful), snare wire, 12x15 tarp with grommets every foot, granola bars, energybars, jerky, dried fruit, canned fruit, mora knife. Enough water for 3 weeks and enough food for 2 weeks, at the extremes.

Have a 1kW generator in the garage that is drained right now but the gas and oil are in the garage too.

Never let my truck get below a 1/2 tank (200km or so range). Means I can hit the bush and wait the crazies out.

Have enough food stored that I don't have to go out for a supply run for close to a month.

The big skills that few ppl think about are fire and shelter. You can last a couple days without food and water, but you can freeze in a few hours.

[clovisc]

patrick, i like the tea light idea.

fire and shelter would be priorities here... and shelter for firewood.

there's a lichen here called "old man's beard" that's commonly found... very easy to dry out quickly, to start a fire with.

no end of rocks and driftwood on the beaches... thick patches of moss for insulation/windproofing... Alaskan erector set... :D

[vampyrewolf]

I actually got the tealight idea from a retired army major. Set up a teepee around it, light the tealight and start building your fire. No messing with tinder that goes out if you look at it wrong or don't get it built fast enough.

Doesn't that old man's beard (or any lichen for that matter) take forever to grow in the first place?

[clovisc]

not sure how long it takes to grow... but you can duct-tape it to wounds to prevent infection... :D

a tealight sounds great... i hate messing with tinder!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SimpleIsGood229]

Excellent posts, guys. However, I can't believe y'all forgot about flashlights and firearms!

I know gun people tend to over-emphasize the importance of guns ( :o ) in these situations, but we shouldn't forget them either. They sure make gathering food much easier. The choice depends upon ones own situation, obviously. I think a quality .22 rifle is an excellent choice for gathering food. A good handgun for defense (urban) is good to have, too. In the case of civil unrest, a good fighting carbine, such as an AR or AK, could be lifesavers.

As for flashlights, I like Surefire. I would take my 6P LED (my EDC light) as my primary, with my G3 as backup. The X300 would be mounted on one of my guns. Oh, and a load of batteries.

EDIT:
Something I forgot to mention is para cord. I'd throw about a 2-300 ft. bundle in a BOB.

[vampyrewolf]

I've got spare AA batts in my BOB, and usually have my Inova X1 on me. Even then a minimag will do the job and tell me where you CAN'T find one :p

As far as firepower, in a SHTF situation, I'd rather blend in with the populace than tote around my 22 and 12 gauge. If I had to grab a projectile weapon I'd grab my compound bow and a dozen arrows (both quivers). Less weight to lug around and a whole lot less maintenance. Or the longbow up at the office.

I've got a 26" machete-bastard-child (ontario swords Bengal) that almost shaves, with my camping stuff in the shed right beside an 8lbs splitting maul (grab 30litre tote, toss in back of truck and haul ***). Who says you need firepower when the SHTF.

It's not that I don't see firearms as essential in a survival/SHTF situation, I just have it covered with something that has worked for a couple thousand or so years longer than guns.

[clovisc]

i EDC a nice, bright fenix this time of year... when it's dark at 3.30pm. i also work with kids, and routinely have to pick them up after school... so it's pretty necessary for safety. i still have some surefires and a trusty inova X5t i picked up following vampyrewolf's suggestion years ago, but the fenix does the best job, on AAs.

i think that, if i were really living off the land, or doing "survival" type stuff in a SHTF situation here on my island, gathering batteries for a flashlight or ammo for a gun would be much more difficult than gathering food. :D you'd be surprised how well your eyes can adjust to the dark... especially when there's not a lot of sunlight to begin with.

in the bush in zambia, i got pretty used to using a single candle, and letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. i had flashlights, but didn't need to use them as often as i might have in america. the people who lived there would go walking through the bush in the middle of the night, like it was no big deal at all...

during the summer here, it's light until like 10pm. :D

and i guess... i'm just not really a gun person. the people here made due without them for thousands of years, and did just fine.

i picked up my first mora a couple days ago... great survival knife! i'm going to take it out and put it through the paces this weekend... :D :D

i would see firewood, and keeping it dry, as my priority... and would expect to have to focus the most time on that. the key would be having a tool that could be used to efficiently construct shelter and split wood during the rare rainless moments here... a kukhri would work great.

[JD Spydo]

Hey Clovisc you make great points us usual :) Being I am a very devout Spyderco, Surefire, Oakley, Carhartt & Redwing man I will admit that I am finding a few excusable exceptions to many of my higher quality preferences. I have tested a Fenix flashlight and I will say that I was impressed with what I saw for no more than they cost. I have seriously considered getting a couple of those smaller Fenix models for daily EDC and for extra rough work. That way if I trash out a flashlight I won't be nearly as heartbroken as I would be if I lost or destroyed one of my beloved Surefires.

I also like the fact that the Fenix operates on AA batteries which are much more easily available than the "123a" batteries that cost a fortune if you don't get them from Surefire. Now when it comes to "rechargable flashlights" I would have to see something really super to draw me away from Surefire's rechargable models. I have the 9an & L7 LED both and I treasure them highly. Flashlight technology has really jumped up here of late. I look forward to what is coming on the market.

[wescobts]

It's really quite scary how not prepared I am, going to have to work on this. I am a camper so some really important equipment is in my possession, but I have many areas that are empty or very deficient.

[clovisc]

Yea, JD -- the new Cree LEDs really upped the ante, flashlight-wise. (Not to mention eco-friendly home lighting-wise... !!!). We're in a whole new world of EDC flashlights -- and if you're still clinging to a dinosaur that burns quickly through those spendy little camera batteries, time for an upgrade. My Fenix has put everything else into retirement. No, it's not as nuclear-missle-proof as my Surefire C2 with the really intense annodization, but it's much more practical. The AA battery factor, and switchable brightness... and the sensible price... makes it a pretty awesome choice.

Surefire sent me a P9 when I was in Zambia, in exchange for permission to use one of my stories about fighting a 7-foot-long black spitting cobra at night after it covered my leg in hematoxic venom. :D :D :eek: :eek: It was great... I'd shine it into neighboring villages from my house way up on a hill, and I could here the locals screaming "Mamotocal! Mamotocal!" ("Motorcar" -- they thought a truck was coming!). I lost it one night playing "manhunt" in the Appalachian mountains. Sure, it wasn't the most expensive Surefire I could have lost, but it alerted me to the possibility that expensive gear is as likely to disappear in the field as cheap gear. And anyway, the Fenix is brighter, and has a better quality beam, than my old Motocar light. :D

Still, whether you're in a survival situation in the wilderness, hunting an Alaskan Sasquatch, or moving discretely on bush trails in Africa... sneaking around, your best bet is going to be letting your eyes adjust to the dark, rather than alerting everyone around you to your presence with a mini sun... :D

[clovisc]

Speaking of survival... we had some unexpected snow, which prompted me to stock the heck up on food. Although, two supermarkets are a short walk away.... a third, maybe an hour? :D Mostly frozen and canned veggies to go with the hundreds of pounds of fish in our freezers... :D

[TCSpyder]

Spyderco should make a something like the Toollogic device. It should have a Swedish firesteel in it, and a water tight compartment to store other goods.

[Jimd]

Being I am a very devout Spyderco, Surefire, Oakley, Carhartt & Redwing man I will admit that I am finding a few excusable exceptions to many of my higher quality preferences. I have tested a Fenix flashlight and I will say that I was impressed with what I saw for no more than they cost. I have seriously considered getting a couple of those smaller Fenix models for daily EDC and for extra rough work. That way if I trash out a flashlight I won't be nearly as heartbroken as I would be if I lost or destroyed one of my beloved Surefires.

I also like the fact that the Fenix operates on AA batteries which are much more easily available than the "123a" batteries that cost a fortune if you don't get them from Surefire.

Super thread, guys! I'm also going to check out some of the Fenix lights. I, too, am a Surefire fan; have a few E1Ls.

But I recently saw Fenix AAA flashlights, very small ones, at Bladeart.com for $12.50. I'd like to pick a couple up as soon as I have a few extra dollars. They seem like the perfect little EDC light.

Regarding tinder for firestarting: have any of you ever tried cotton balls that have been dabbed with Petroleum Jelly? They go up like little torches! Great stuff for getting a fire going. It can be kept in a small, plastic film container.

Great ideas here for survival bags. I plan on putting a few together some time soon, and the list of indredients here is great!

[FLYBYU44]

I've been thinking about this lately. Especially since we had a power outage about a week ago (some idiot shot some insulators out and put 20,000 homes and businesses out of power). I don't have any firearms, but I do have a 10M Russian air pistol. It is pretty delicate, but it has more then enough power to kill a bird or rabbit in a pinch. I also have about 10 tins of pellets, so about a lifetime supple of ammo. I've specifically thought of getting a more rugged 22cal air pistol with a holster for this sort of thing, but I do have a case for my pistol and it is super accurate (one ragged hole for a 10 shot string at 10M). I also have fishing gear and a Gerber fixed blade knife as well as a wind up LED flashlight. My wife has tons of tea light candles. After I thought of it, we have everything to survive, it is just all around the house and my shed, not in one place. Anyway it's an intriguing topic, and with the way things are these days there is a good chance of it becoming a reality. My first priority would be to get my wife and son as far from any other person as possible, you can't trust people in a crisis.

[SimpleIsGood229]

Are .22 cal. pistols available in Canada? If so, I highly recommend getting one. It would nicely compliment your air pistol.

[FLYBYU44]

Are .22 cal. pistols available in Canada? If so, I highly recommend getting one. It would nicely compliment your air pistol.

I had a .22cal Crosman airpistol before this one, but it was C02, I want a pump one now.

[SimpleIsGood229]

Sorry, I was a bit unclear. I meant .22 rimfire pistols.

[FLYBYU44]

I see... We have to go through a ton of red tape to buy a pistol here (and money), after all that you can only use it at an approved range, so it defeats the purpose. A .22 rimfire would be sweet though. I don't hunt or anything, so I don't have a firearms licence or any "real" guns, I just stick to sub 500 feet-per-second airguns for fooling around with. I would like to get a .22 air pistol again though, my Crosman one packed a decent punch for being under 500fps and you could easily shoot birds or something with it. I was thinking about the airgun for survival thing after a drive to work one day. On my way to work (which is all within the city) I normally see at least three rabbits, I thought if I guy was starving or had no money you could easily knock one off for supper. Not sure how humane it would be shooting a rabbit with a sub-500fps gun, but if shoot placement was good I think it would take one down, and if you are starving your willingness for a humane kill may diminish a bit.