July 30, 2014

$50 SURVIVAL KIT / BUG OUT BAG



aka "Try and Survive Kit"

If you only had $50 to spend on a survival kit, what would you put together so that you could survive in the wild?  Or, if you're a new prepper and you want to run out and get some stuff today that will increase your chances of survival if the SHTF tomorrow, what should you get?  These are the most basic inexpensive items that will increase your chances of survival for a budget of only $50.  I also like to call this the "Try and Survive Kit", because if this is all you have, you're gonna have to TRY....very hard.


$10 GI canteen kit

$5 tarp

$1 kitchen knife (yeah, I know, but for $1 it's a big chunk of steel)

$1 Swiss army knife (generic)

$1 Bic lighter

$1 magnifying glass

$1 emergency blanket

$1 bucket
$1 bleach

$1 cord

$3 seeds

$6 shovel


$3 rat trap

$2 fishing hooks

$1 fishing line

$3 zip lock bags

$3 desiccant packs

$1 hydrogen peroxide

$1 band aids

$1 bandages

$0.50 cotton balls

$0.50 bar of soap

$1 toothbrushes

$1 survival guide and wild edibles guide


free coffee straws

free New Testament


So what do you guys think about this?  Any suggestions?



July 26, 2014

$12 GO AWAY SURVIVAL KIT


If you are planning on living in a dystopia, such as a collapsed America where everyone is struggling to survive, and you want to help people, but don't want them begging and stealing from you all the time, perhaps you can hand out "Go Away Kits".  I got the idea from a family on Doomsday Preppers who had a bunch of these bags prepared for others (although their bags contained mostly snacks and hygiene stuff).  They knew they wouldn't have the resources and supplies to help everyone, so they planned on giving refugees these go away bags and telling them to leave and not come back.

I think it's a pretty good idea for preppers and survivalists.  Whenever we come across nice people in a collapsed scenario, I think we should do all we can to usher them to a camp location of their own and help them learn how to survive.  However, that won't always be possible and there are some people that we won't feel good about partnering with, so in those cases, you can give them these go away kits.

You don't want to spend too much money on these.  You basically want to gather the minimal supplies necessary for a person to conceivably survive.  It will be no guarantee of survival by any means, but it will give them a fighting chance and some hope.  Plus, if they are trying to survive the legitimate way, it might prevent them from trying to steal from you.

Keep in mind you don't want to hand these out if you are in a location that has lots of people, because it will draw too much attention to you and it makes it more likely that somebody who has become aware of your preparedness will attempt to steal from you.

So, here's what I would put in a Go Away Kit for the North American wilderness:

$3  assorted seeds
$1  kitchen knife (yeah, I know, but it's a big chunk of steel for cheap)
$1  loaf pan
$1  emergency blanket
$1  plastic drop cloth
$1  hand trowel
$1  cord
$1  lighter
$1  3 fishing hooks and string
$0.10  small bottle of bleach
$0.33  bar of soap
$0.25  cotton balls
$0.32  Print out some basic survival guide instructions, pictures of wild edibles in the area, and a map with good bug out destinations circled.
Free  New Testament

What would you put in your Go Away Kit?



July 23, 2014

TOP 20 SURVIVAL ITEMS

TOP 20 LONG TERM SURVIVAL ITEMS
If you had to run into the woods with 20 items and never come back, what would they be?

Here are my items:

#1  TRACKER KNIFE

It acts as a great survival knife.  Its design makes it very versatile for survival.




#2  FRESNEL LENS (magnifying lens)

A lighter can start hundreds of fires.  A fire starter can start thousands of fires, but a fresnel lens can start fires indefinitely.  It can't light fires at night or when it's cloudy, so for that reason, I don't recommend it for cloudy and dark places.  However, I was thinking when 10 years has passed and your fire starter is no longer working, you will be wishing you packed a fresnel lens instead.  If you get a fresnel lens that is big enough, assuming you can carry it with you, you can also cook food with it without leaving a smoke trail, melt and shape metals, and warm rocks to keep you warm at night--all great advantages of a fresnel lens over a regular fire starting item.  Magnifying glasses and solar fire starters are nice too, but I think they are easier to break.


#3  GI CANTEEN KIT

A canteen kit gives you the ability to purify water and cook food.  It's a nice combination of a water bottle, pot, and stove that packs up nicely.


#4  SURVIVAL SEEDS

It's amazing that so many people don't have seeds in their long term bug out bag or survival supplies.  You need seeds.  They result in easy food.  Don't rely on hunting, fishing, trapping, foraging.  Farming is much easier.  If you have seeds with you, you've taken a major step in the direction of good survival odds.




#5 MILITARY SLEEP SYSTEM

A military sleep system is a really good option for staying warm and dry.  It has 3 different layers to suit many needs.  If you are going to be in a really cold place, you should spend more and get a sub zero capable sleeping bag/bivvy.



#6 HUNTING RIFLE

hunting rifle with the works--suppressor, scope, night vision scope (converter?), thermal imaging scope(?), and extra magazines. This is for hunting and protection.


#7 AMMO

Load up on ammo for that rifle.



Instead of bringing a survival guide with you, why not take a whole survival library? That's what the Survival Sage is. It's over 10,000 pdf files or 1.2 million pages of survival information on a micro sd that can be popped into an electronic device like an e-reader and powered by a solar panel charger or some other device. This is all the information you'll need to know in order to survive, thrive, and revive civilization after society collapses. When you need to learn how to do something in a survival situation, you can simply look it up on your survival sage.


#9 EMERGENCY RADIO

This will allow you to receive communication from the outside world if there are any broadcasts going out, which is crucial for your sanity and plans for networking and growing your survival community. The Kaito Voyager KA500 is a good one. It comes with all the bells and whistles, like a hand crank, charging options, a flashlight, reading light, solar panel, AM, FM, Weather Band, and Shortwave.


#10 BUCKETS

You may not realize it, but buckets have so many uses in a survival situation. They will make life easier and save you time.


#11 FIRST AID KIT

You'll want everything you'll need to treat minor injuries, major injuries, and treat common illnesses, like infections. OK, so this isn't just one item, it will be many items, but in one kit.


#12 SHOVEL

Shovels are important for digging a hole for an outhouse, a well, a root cellar, a fire pit, a subterranean home, irrigation canals, tilling the ground, preparing garden rows, and many other things.


#13 RAT TRAPS

These can be used to trap squirrels and other small animals. They are easier to set up than snares or other types of traps and some say they are more effective. Make sure to anchor them down, so the animal doesn't run away.


#14 TARP

A tarp can serve 3 main purposes in a survival situation: you can make a cover and they will keep you dry, you can catch rain water with them, and you can create a fish pond with them. But in this case, since we only have one, it will serve as cover from the rain and catch water.


#15 PARACORD

Many uses obviously.


#16 AXE

To chop firewood and construct things.


#17 WATER FILTER

Katadyn makes a pocket water filter that can filter 13,000 gallons and has a 20 year warranty.  This thing is small and perfect for guaranteeing clean water for a long time.


#18 MYLAR ZIPLOCK BAGS

These will be great for food storage. They can be filled with dry food like jerky and they are reusable too.


#19 DESICCANT PACKS

These packs absorb moisture. They can be put into the mylar bags with your dried food to help preserve it. These packs are reusable.


#20 TOOTHBRUSH

Here's your first hygiene item. Taking good care of your teeth will be important.


July 19, 2014

TOP 10 SURVIVAL ITEMS

TOP 10 LONG TERM SURVIVAL ITEMS
If you had to run into the woods with 10 items and never come back, what would they be?

Here are my items:

#1  TRACKER KNIFE

It acts as a great survival knife.  Its design makes it very versatile for survival.





#2  FRESNEL LENS (magnifying lens)

A lighter can start hundreds of fires.  A fire starter can start thousands of fires, but a fresnel lens can start fires indefinitely.  It can't light fires at night or when it's cloudy, so for that reason, I don't recommend it for cloudy and dark places.  However, I was thinking when 10 years has passed and your fire starter is no longer working, you will be wishing you packed a fresnel lens instead.  If you get a fresnel lens that is big enough, assuming you can carry it with you, you can also cook food with it without leaving a smoke trail, melt and shape metals, and warm rocks to keep you warm at night--all great advantages of a fresnel lens over a regular fire starting item.  Magnifying glasses and solar fire starters are nice too, but I think they are easier to break.


#3  GI CANTEEN KIT

A canteen kit gives you the ability to purify water and cook food.  It's a nice combination of a water bottle, pot, and stove that packs up nicely.


#4  SURVIVAL SEEDS

It's amazing that so many people don't have seeds in their long term bug out bag or survival supplies.  You need seeds.  They result in easy food.  Don't rely on hunting, fishing, trapping, foraging.  Farming is much easier.  If you have seeds with you, you've taken a major step in the direction of good survival odds.




#5 MILITARY SLEEP SYSTEM

A military sleep system is a really good option for staying warm and dry.  It has 3 different layers to suit many needs.  If you are going to be in a really cold place, you should spend more and get a sub zero capable sleeping bag/bivvy.



#6 HUNTING RIFLE

hunting rifle with the works--suppressor, scope, night vision scope (converter?), thermal imaging scope(?), and extra magazines. This is for hunting and protection.


#7 AMMO

Load up on ammo for that rifle.



Instead of bringing a survival guide with you, why not take a whole survival library? That's what the Survival Sage is. It's over 10,000 pdf files or 1.2 million pages of survival information on a micro sd that can be popped into an electronic device like an e-reader and powered by a solar panel charger or some other device. This is all the information you'll need to know in order to survive, thrive, and revive civilization after society collapses. When you need to learn how to do something in a survival situation, you can simply look it up on your survival sage.


#9 EMERGENCY RADIO

This will allow you to receive communication from the outside world if there are any broadcasts going out, which is crucial for your sanity and plans for networking and growing your survival community. The Kaito Voyager KA500 is a good one. It comes with all the bells and whistles, like a hand crank, charging options, a flashlight, reading light, solar panel, AM, FM, Weather Band, and Shortwave.


#10 BUCKETS

You may not realize it, but buckets have so many uses in a survival situation. They will make life easier and save you time.