Bushcraft Kits - Extreme Survival Gear

A Bushcraft kit contains tools for surviving off the land in very primitive surroundings and harsh conditions

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Think extreme survival gear and tools on a small enough scale that you can carry them in addition to a 72 hour kit.

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Morguefile.com

The basic 72 hour kit is great if you had to bug out to a shelter in your area. These shelters are not a place you would want to have weapons or gear such as an axe or firestarting materials. The smaller area you and your gear take up the more people can be housed in in the shelter. Emergency shelters are for situations such as a hurricane, tornado, or an earthquake taking your neighborhood off of the map.
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Sort out emergency gear into sets for mild or extreme emergencies.

We all know we should pack and have ready a 72 hour or bug out kit. These kits are designed and personalized to contain what we need to feed and clothe ourselves for approximately 3 days in the event of a disaster. Having food, water, first aid supplies, a bed roll, and a change of clothes is in the ideal bug out kit and are for general purposes. The basic necessities in these kits aren't something that need to take up a lot of space.

But what about the other gear you might want to consider?

Image: Morguefile.com

Video: How To Use An Axe For Bushcraft

In a Bushcraft kit we need to be ready to do some hunting, foraging, and fishing.
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Two items that come to mind are a buck (or bowie) knife and an axe (or hatchet). 

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These two tools are something that would not be allowed in a shelter but are necessities in roughing it and setting up camp in the great outdoors. 

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In addition to these tools also consider packing a standard mess kit like the ones the scouts use. It takes up very little space and packs neatly into itself.

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Don't forget a set of utensils!

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Bushcraft Kit Supplies:

Supplies such as a few yards of rope and twine can be invaluable for things like lashing together branches for a lean-to or tie down a tent in windy conditions. Twine can be handy for making a primitive bow or lashing sticks together. It can also be used for making animal traps. 

Suggested list for a basic Bushcraft kit:

Axe or Hatchet
Buck Knife
Fillet knife w/ knife sharpener
Magnesium Firestarter
Rope
Twine
A small fishing tackle box
Mess kit
Utensil Set
A small tent
Small shovel or trowel

Bushcraft tools and supplies in a portable kit can be an essential life saving set in the event of an extreme emergency OR maybe just an impromptu camping trip. Keep your skills fresh and tools handy!

There are other things I am sure I am leaving out but this list is basic enough to get you started. If you have any suggestions on what to put in a Bushcraft kit or would like to list the contents of your kit, feel free to post it!

Thanks for visiting! =)

When the SHTF ~ A Rant

This is about as harsh as I am going to get.. Let other preppers set the doom and gloom tone.

Thinking about all the ways that the SHTF events can impact our lives and what some of us are doing about it makes me think. What about dear friends and family members who are too busy, too caught up, and perhaps not serious about where their lives may be if a situation should occur in their lives that they could have prepared for. Come knocking on my door when it's too late and I am going to want to tell 'em I told ya so, but I won't because I am really not that mean, or can I be???

Fires, storms, riots, unemployment, floods, medical problems, and loss of homes are the SHTF events of today. Preparing for any or all of these crisis can help you to better understand what it takes to prep for a larger event. Starting small and moving onto major survival levels pushes you and your family into a better readiness state and closer to being a family that is ready to survive  and not a family ready to starve, die, or be victimized. 

The emergency teams that are associated with natural disasters do not have time to hold your hand because you neglected to address these issues before these events happened. They need to to find victims who need medical care, locate and prepare the dead, tend to hazards, and organize rescue operations, and deliver emergency first aid to those who need it.

Facing the destruction of all you held dear being gone isn't the time to say I could have done more. It's the time to roll a preparedness plan into action and sustain your family until circumstances turn around and you can be guided back to a reasonable living situation. With the essentials of food, water, shelter, and emergency energy covered you can be ok no matter what you have lost. Your life, your health, and your family with you is more important than the pile of stuff that is no longer there.

Where does one begin?

Gather your emergency 72 hour kit together, now. Arrange a set of emergency supplies that can be stored in the trunk of your car. Sit down with your family and review what measures you need to take for your particular needs. Set aside a stock of food storage. Collect drinking water and energy sources such as batteries, charcoal, sterno, and similar items. Make bed rolls to go with each emergency kit as well as a change of clothes.

Ask anyone in a hurricane zone what's the first things to disappear in the markets? They will all tell you: Bread, Water, Batteries.

Having these life sustaining items in store long before a disaster is on your front step is wonderful insurance for your family.

Preparing to support your family in times of trouble is as important as planning to pay your bills every months and planning to go to work to tend to their needs. Why leave preparedness out of your planning? You plan a family vacation, do you not? Plan a survival team family meeting and implement a contingency plan in your lives.

The more you talk over the needs of emergency preparedness and gather against the SHTF crisis the better off you are going to be, no matter what happens!

More by this author @

www.survival-recovery.com

and 

Home and Family Preparedness

Frugal lifestyle is Emergency Planning!

Random Readiness notes:

As a driver in a busy city I never know where my day may wind up. I am always starting a new adventure when I clock in at the office and am issued the keys to the car of the day. Some days it may be easy to do lunch at a fast food joint. The other days however may find me camped out somewhere (in a shady spot hopefully) and waiting for my client. These types of work have me either thanking God I brought my lunch pail with me or kicking myself that I did not. I want to be as prepared as I can for the job I do. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow will be a round trip charter to LAX and back to Vegas. That's a long day and I do NOT want to stop for long. The sooner I can get home safely the better off I am and the company's expenses are as well.

The same thing applies to any planning of a long term trip, building a contingency plan for emergency survival,  or that just in case unknown minor emergency. Bring a bag that's small enough to not be a bother but roomy enough to keep a few readiness items in it.

Planning ahead well enough you take pressure off of the situation and can apply that energy to using other skills.

This has been covered this in  other posts but I really want to stress how much easier it is to plan ahead for crisis than it is to have to live through it with out any back up what so ever.

I have people tell me all the time I am wasting my time. Laugh out Loud, I think to myself. I have used these plans and supplies a number of times though not on a serious scale, yet. Times of tight budget, illness, unemployment, and seriously busy scheduling have me accessing my preparedness planning. Time and again I am grateful that I am NOT wasting my time but adding to the things that help me.. Saving time and money in the process.

Frugal lifestyle IS Emergency Planning!

More info on these handy links:

Survival Food Basics:

http://www.squidoo.com/survival-foods-requirements

AND

Survival Recovery Site: www.survival-recovery.com

Survival Kit Ideas: 

http://www.squidoo.com/a-survival-kit-list

Food Ideas For 72 Hour Kits

Emergency meal and power bars packed with nutritious ingredients lend much needed nutritional resources to our supply. For situations where cooking a regular meal is not possible or the need to conserve our resources is present, a power bar can float us through to a more convenient place and time.

High calorie energy bars don't have to be expensive.

In seeking the right ones make sure they can with stand heat and have long, stable shelf life.

Garden of Life's Raw Meal is a great addition to your list. With a full meal daily requirement in a simple mix and consume powder you don't have to skimp out on your full dietary needs.

For more nutritional information on what to store see article: Survival Foods Requirements

Additional food support for emergencies see site: Survival Recovery

What if's we don't think about...

Photo credit: jusben from morguefile.com

From a conversation with one of my preparedness clients:

What if?
Where you live it is a possibility. The power grid shuts down. Guess what! No power means no water. Without electricity the city's water pumps aren't working. No water in the home?
No toilet, no water at the kitchen sink or shower. Family with no water? Sunk!

What if? You are sitting on a highway miles from anywhere with modern conveniences. There is a wreck on the highway and guess what!? You are left on that patch of road for hours until the emergency vehicles and authorities clear up the scene and get traffic flowing again. Having a kit with some basics in it is going to make that wait a little easier. With energy bars and a couple bottles of water, YOU won't be famished and dehydrated by the time things get going.

What if? Your neighborhood has a major fire or is close to a chemical spill. Your home isn't affected but they have blocked off the entrances to where your home is. They need to contain the fire or clean-up that poison. Waiting until you can return home again may be hours or days.

What if? You get a few water jugs filled. Prepare a bug out kit for your home. Put a 72 hour and a first kit in your car. Have some food storage and emergency energy sources standing by.

Plan for a what if. May it never happen, but if it does, be grateful you made sure you had your supplies ready.

For more information see: www.survival-recovery.com

72 Hour Kit and Bug Out Kits

A 72 hour kit usually entails a couple days of supplies. Small easy to eat foods, MRE's, and a few bottles of water. A bag of hygiene products such as a roll of toilet paper, a small towel, washcloth, and some kind of soap or hand sanitizer, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant. Packed, also, is a change of clothes with a couple of pairs of socks and under garments, a warm jacket to double as a pillow. A space blanket or a microfiber blanket is a nice item to have. Even if it isn't cold you can have it for comfort.

My kit includes a whistle, a flashlight, meal bars that supply a high calorie count for energy. Small water packages are tucked in there. It has a tube tent and hand warmers, though here in the desert where I live I don't think the hand warmers are going to be used, but you never know. I added a camp dish set and the utensil set to it to make sure I had something to eat out of and cook with. I grab this kit and my handbag and I can go anywhere in a moments notice.

These things are extremely important to anyone living in an earthquake zone, coastal areas that experience hurricanes or strong storms, and the tornado prone states. Civil unrest and natural disasters can occur anywhere.

For More information:
Survival and Emergency Management at Home

Survival Food Companies

There are many food companies in the survival business. Some specialize in convenient pre-selected large packages for long term purchase. Others have a catalog where you can select and build your own long term store. They all feature long shelf lives.

I have found some companies have an inexpensive price tag which looks great until you read the fine print. The weight content is why the foods are cheaper. Find the heaviest weight in the product you are seeking and you have found the best value for your money. This is valuable information when putting as much product in the space you have available. I personally want to store the heaviest possible amounts as I am limited on places I can put my foods in the storage area I have allocated.

Popular Preparedness for Emergency Survival Food Online Catalogs:


Free Food Storage Calculator:
Shelf Reliance

Large Selection of Entrees:
Nitro-Pak


Special Packages in mylar bags:
Mountain House Freeze-Dried Food


Small storable container selection:
Lindon Farms Food Storage

Survival Handbag

LADYS!!! What's in your handbag? Can you use it in conjunction w/ your 72 hour kit and bug out bag? I can just because of the work I do and the schedule I have to keep. Are you carrying.... a can opener???

Ideas to turn your regular day bag into your survival tool kit!

There are 4 basic tools you need in any survival situation. And NO it isn't a weapon of any kind. And it is not a flashlight. Well, one if them is a knife. I have mentioned 2 of the tools here. What's the third and fourth one?

     

What's in your purse, handbag, or tote? I hope it's a little more than makeup and lip balm! 

See Full Article here: A Lady's Survival Kit List

A little silly a lot serious! 

Frugal Living Storage Tips

Frugal Living

Rotation Ideas

A great idea for storage items is using basic items to substitute for name brand fancy cleaning products. Salt makes a great scouring agent. Baking soda has always been a useful tool for cleaning. Bleach has many uses from whitening to sanitizing. Used in small quantities it can purify water and sanitize surfaces. Spearmint Rubbing alcohol and water makes a great window and surface cleaner.

The more ways you find a use for your storage in your household needs the easier it will be to keep the fresh items up front. Set routines for regular use so things don't go bad. This helps with the budget, too, frugal living is one of the keys to successful storage planning.

See Full Article: How To Properly Store Survival Foods

Budgeting For Food Storage

Budgeting for Preparedness

Looking at what you already spend on take out food and other junk food snacks can be your storage allowance. All it takes to set aside preparedness foods is about $15 a week to get started for an individual. How are you going to spend that $60 a month? Cut out all that junk food with these healthier choices and you have 2 new motives. Eating healthier and survival preparedness storage. Good Plan!




See Full Article: Preparedness Keys Successful Survival

Storing Foods

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Storing Foods At Home and In Emergency Kits

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Assure your food supply at home and in emergency kits is stored in the right container and at the right temperatures. 

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This makes a big difference in what you choose to store and how you go about storing foods. Use these foods! Rotating your home food stock is necessary to preserve it's freshness and quality. Plan regular meals around your food storage items and replenish products every now and then.



Preventing the infestation of food destroying bugs and preserving the quality of the food stored should be considered when selecting containers or when you are making the initial purchase.


Make a note of the expiration dates. Some foods keep for a couple years. Some only keep for a few months.


Whether you are using dry storage or a freezer, small pantry or a large bulk preparedness storage room, keeping the product usable is as important as what to store.

Pantry Emergency Food Store:

Canned goods keep for about 2 years where a freeze-dried food choice will keep at the right temperature for over 5 in a mylar bag and up to 20+ in specially lined cans. Store foods in cool dark places. Ideally temperatures should be between 60 and 72 degrees.

Storing Foods - The 72 Hour Kit

Collect foods for 3 days to set aside in a bug out bag or 72 hour kit. Food that can tolerate temperatures up to 140 like the Mayday High Calorie Emergency Bar will fit nicely in an emergency kit. They taste like Oatmeal, Apple Spice cookies and will store well up to around 5 years. They come in 1200, 2400, and 3200 calorie portions. 
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MRE's For Emergency Kits

MRE's are a great addition to emergency bags. They come in packages with a complete meal or just the entree itself. A complete meal has the MRE heater included and a few goodies such as a powdered drink mix and other items to make a balanced meal. The complete MRE Meals are normally sealed in mylar bags so the shelf life on these is recommended at around 5 years. A camping trip is a good time to be creative when using one of these meals. Test out the ones you like and set them aside for your pantry or emergency kit.

A Foodie Tries His First MRE:

for a serious MRE review check this video:

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EXTREMELY SILLY MRE VIDEO:

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That's the silly side of MRE's 

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Other Food Storage Ideas:

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Protein powders keep long as well. Items such as crackers and small canned meats shouldn't be stored in a car but should be stored in an emergency bag ready to go at home.


There are a variety of great emergency food companies in our market place and the value of these foods in an emergency is without question. No matter which company you chose to supply your food storage be assured that to have a balanced meal on hand in times where there is no other option protects our health, insures our comfort. and feeds our strength.
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What are your favorite storage foods?
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Related Articles: 
How To Properly Store Foods - How to properly store survival foods: Survival Food Storage ~ what's the best way to properly store your survival food for long term? Below you will find my favorite tips and tricks! There are some great ways to keep your goodies fresh and (more...)


Survival Foods Requirements  - No, we are not talking about Grandpa's MRE's!Requirements for food in survival are the same as your regular foods. Think about the nutritional guidelines already set forth in our daily requirements. How can I add this to my survival storage? (more...)

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Images: Morguefile; M Burgess

Why Survival Preparedness?

Looking at ways we need to support ourselves in relation to preparedness planning brings me to address certain issues in uncertain times. 

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Scouring through reasons to plan  for crisis and disaster isn't difficult. 

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Look at the events in today's headline news with serious examples of why to prepare. Why Survival Preparedness? For me some of the reasons are clearly evident with natural disasters in the forms of floods, fires, storms, and financial difficulties. 

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Hedge your bets! Insure with your family for times when the budget is tight or the seasonal weather is rolling in. There are dozens of reasons to prepare! Bet it won't happen to you by planning ahead that it does!

From: The NEW! The Survival Recovery Blog on Wordpress
Author: RiaB

Descriptions of why you would need preparedness is as follows:

Severe storms ~ Image: MorgueFiles

Minor events vs Major Catastrophies

The lights went out last night in our home. Ok, so we won't be able to use the computer, and what else.

1) No electricity?

In our home in Florida this would have also meant the water supply was cut off because we have a drilled well with a water pump and a water softener filter system that both need electrical power to supply the home.

In my home in Nevada no electricity means the temperature of our home is increasing to unhealthy proportions in our blistering summers.

2) No water supply?

With no electricity and no water, we have no heat, no air conditioning or ways to cook, no bathing or showering.

Let's imagine this is a county wide situation. The absence of ...(more..)

Planning against disasters in these modern times is often approached with skepticism and views of preppers being paranoid. The events unfolding just in news headlines TODAY tell us otherwise. I am preparing for the same reason I would would fill up my car with gasoline. I want to make sure I have the things on hand I need. Fuel in the tank means I don't have to sit on a roadside because my car ran out of gas. Prudent planning is a smart idea! Two reasons are listed above for preparing. There are dozens more...

Additional preparedness issues:
 Preparedness Keys 

"American Red Cross Emergency Smartpack for One Person, Nylon Case"

Fussy Families & Food Storage

Fussy Families and Food Storage

My family has different needs for their meal choices.

One family member is allergic to peanuts, so there goes peanut butter for that one. Another one can't tolerate soy products. Label reading is a required study when shopping and cooking. Grandpa is a diabetic and the youngest one in our family only wants to eat cereal at every meal.

How do I plan a storage around that? 

Just like you plan your weekly grocery trips. Only for storage you plan it in bulk. How long do you want to have your storage last? Seeking ways to make sure that quality holds up?

Store what your family eats. Know the better your family can eat in times of stress the healthier your survival will be and the easier the crisis will be to get through.

These questions enthusiasts manage to work around in their quest for ideal preparedness for emergency survival.

Full Article: Survival Foods Requirements

Site: www.survival-recovery.com

Inventory and Storage Planning

Setting Up Your Food Storage?

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Inventory and Storage Planning

When you decide finally that you want to set up a food storage where should your begin? Storing your favorite foods and household items can be as easy as checking your grocery receipts and inventorying them into a structured list. 


It's tedious but it can be done. 


Put into regular practice, you have a basic storage plan. 


Multiply use x family members vs a set time goal and here is a simple version of a long term home preparedness storage system.


By adding the foods that can be stored long term and keeping in mind what your family REALLY eats, a food storage pantry can be a source of good nutritional support and foods your family WILL consume. There is nothing worse than stocking up on items your family won't use. You might as well throw that money down the trash chute!


Our survival foods may not come in the forms found in the grocery store. We can can items in mason jars or purchase dehydrated and freeze-dried foods already packed for use. Simply re-hydrate and use in a recipe. Make sure you are drinking PLENTY of water if you use these foods. They will cause gastric distress if you don't. Be warned! 


Use these foods in your meal planning. Here you may have to get a little creative. Make a survival food menu night about every 2 weeks to help your rotate your stock and prepare the routines you'll need to know for accessing this food when you need to. Let the family help you do this. Maybe assign something to each of them and make it a pot luck kind of night. This helps give you some idea of how to use these foods. And what you will need to get your family used to eating them if needs be.


Keeping your survival foods stock fresh and acclimate your family for the event you have to rely on your emergency stash.


When the foods we store are in basic forms such as grains, add them to mealtime favorites a little at a time to get the family used to the textures and digesting them. Wheat, if it can be tolerated (no gluten allergies!) , can be used in baking as flour and in cereals, as cracked wheat. Substitute it a bit at a time in creative recipes so that you know how you may use it when the time comes you have to cook with it.



Emergencies aren't always those major disasters we originally think food storage is for. Somethings to plan ahead for are crazy work schedules, medical leave, or situations with employment lapses. Think ahead. Plan well. Be Prepared

Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com




For Related Information:


Article: Preparedness Keys


Site: Survival Recovery


Additional Blog by this author: Survival Recovery on Wordpress