Do you possess a survival mindset?

[Tokugawa]

In most evergreen forests, there is a source of super-inflammable tinder even in the wettest, nastiest conditions. Find an old ROTTED stump. Poke around with your knife and find "ribs" of un-rotted hard wood. Usually you can see them standing proud of the rest of the stump. The reason they did not rot, is because they are saturated with pitch. Pry off a few pieces and light it-usually it will burn instantly with a smoking, burning gobbets of pitch dripping out.
I carry a small piece in my range bag- it is #1 for smoke blackening rifle sights.

 

[gbran]

I'm not McGyver, but I usually have a few essentials on me, including the very small "shake-light" that requires no batteries. I always have a bunch of survival stuff in my vehicle. When I go hunting or on trips I always carry a strobe-light beacon. It's kinda tough to freeze or starve to death with an IPod with a dead battery.

 

[Cosmoline]

I don't know how cold it was wherever these people were, but remember that in the more extreme winter climates trying to make a fire is often a dangerous waste of time. You must focus on making a proper shelter first, assuming you are unable to get out. Making fire from frozen trees or digging through feet of snow to try to find dead stuff underneath can be ultimately futile. Besides, the ability of a fire to do much in deep cold is questionable. If your emergency shelter is properly insulated, all the fire will do is suck up your vital 02 and drive you outside with smoke. And any good branches and such you can find are better used constructing the all-important bed. If you've got a portable stove or can make one with some gasoline and a tin can, that's wunderbar. But trying to build some boy scout fire in the middle of a snow shelter? Meh. Fire is something you can do after you've had a few days or weeks to build your shelter into something bigger with a vent and such.

The best survival mindset is to dress right to BEGIN WITH. Wear your survival gear. This is why you will never, ever, ever see me in blue jeans. I know a bunch of teens who died on Mt Hood back in the late 80's-friends of friends--who perished wearing those nasty things. They retain water and do NOTHING to insulate you. I'll never be a fashion plate, but you won't see me freezing to death either. I also wear big coats with tons of pockets that have everything from lighters to extra ammo. But remember the first order of business is to ensure that you preserve the heat from your built-in fire. Building a secondary fire should be a backup plan only.

 

[mpmarty]

As a pipe smoker I always carry fire in several forms. +1 on the pitch laden pine or fir wood. Also, on the ground under fir or pine trees is a wealth of dried fallen needles and pine cones which make great fires. In heavy snow conditions, build a lean to shelter but NOT under a large evergreen tree. The fire you build in front of the lean to will cause the snow load in the tree to come crashing down on you extinguishing the fire, crushing the shelter and generally making you unhappy.

 

[Geno]

When I go hunting, there are certain items that are simply mandatory:

CCW
Leatherman tool
waterproof matches & laundry lint in a ziplock baggie (cornships also work great)
7-mile range two-way radio or cellular phone
1 liter of water
1 package of dried beef
Appx 20' of para cord
emergency pack (bandages, etc)
If winter, add hand warmer packs

This all fits so easily into a small backpack that it makes zero sense to risk an outing. What people sometimes fail to anticipate is that you could accidentally injure yourself, via whatever means, and thus be unable to walk great distances. If you're out of area for communications, your out of luck until they find you.

Most important, I have a pre-agreed upon contact or arrive-home hour. If I exceed it by 1 hour...send someone to look for me.

Doc2005

 

[BigBlock]

I never go anywhere without a Zippo. But that's mainly because I'm a pot head. Otherwise I keep a few things in my truck, since I'm never more than a few hundred yards away from it I see no need to keep survival items on my person. In the truck I keep a few self igniting thermite sticks, which will nearly light a pile of snow on fire. They can actually melt their way through an engine block...

 

[geronimotwo]

as a kid i found the most interesting read to be the air force survival manual. it was the real big one with all five zones covered. everything from shelter to deadfall, snares, etc. my friends and i would go out and practice the techniques in the surrounding woods.you know, for fun!

using two sticks to start a fire is difficult. a quicker method is the fire drill. use a shoelace for the bow. of course my dad always taught me to have matches and a knife whenever going off the beaten path (a cell phone with good service doesn't hurt either).

 

[jakemccoy]

Cosmoline, I thank you for that.

I'd like to know of any cases where somebody has successfully used a fire in below freezing weather where there's lots of snow and moisture. All the successful snow survival stories I've heard have not involved any fires.

 

[Cosmoline]

I lived off grid up in Willow for a few years and was disabused of many notions. While a kerosene heater is great, it's not very practical to carry one for survival. Besides I discovered such devices will not make up for poor shelter in serious cold. In the deep snow, a traditional campfire will just melt itself to the ground, and all the heat from it tends to do is turn everything around it to mush, which is far wetter and more dangerous than cold dry snow.

Don't get me wrong, if you're out in the high desert on a 35 degree night a fire can be great. Esp. if you don't have much cold weather gear. But fire in general is too often the myopic focus for survival. I'd rather get bedding together. With enough wool blankets I can survive anything!

 

[Mt Shooter]

Always carry two ways to make fire, a wad of duct tape burns long and hot.

 

[Officers'Wife]

Hi Bogie,

Just a little helpful hint from someone that had an uncle that insisted she learn 'traditional' ways. If you add just a pinch of Niter (sodium nitrate) to the anvil and the charge the fire drill works a LOT easier and faster.

My husband makes fun of me that I keep a flint and steel as well as a small can of lighter fluid in my purse.

Selena

 

[Regolith]

Hi bogie,

Maybe you could point to a good informative website that talks about techniques for survival in the wilderness.

I snowboard a lot. My most likely survival scene would be in the snow. I think I could do ok there with a flashlight, knife and lighter. At a bare minimum, I'd pick the lighter. I'm thinking creating a firing using boy scout techniques would be almost impossible in wet conditions.

Regards,
Jake McCoy

www.knifeforums.com has a great survival forum. One of the best I've come across.

Don't get me wrong, if you're out in the high desert on a 35 degree night a fire can be great. Esp. if you don't have much cold weather gear. But fire in general is too often the myopic focus for survival. I'd rather get bedding together. With enough wool blankets I can survive anything!

Yeah, survival techniques vary greatly depending on your location. Shelter and warmth are the most important elements, unless your in Arizona and its mid-summer, in which case water and shade (which I guess is a type of shelter) becomes far more important. Best thing to do is to know the types of conditions you are likely to run into, and develop a survival kit/plan for that location.

 

[The Annoyed Man]

I wear black fatigues and carry 6 Glocks in .40 S&....

Oh, wait, that's another thread....

Actually, I've been a bit desk bound for the past few years and don't get out into the woods anywhere near as much as I used to. When I do, I carry at a minimum, a folding knife, a small Surefire flashlight (EL2 Outdoorsman), and a magnesium fire starter in my pockets.

 

[Griff]

Got the tools and training, but I'm not so sure about gnawing my leg off it it gets caught in a trap. Some of you people are kinda scary

 

[hopkin]

I go rough camping quite regularly and love bushcraft, the basic skills for surviving in rural environments. I can start a fire using a firebow but because I know how hard it can be always make sure I'm over-prepared. I know enough bushcraft to have a good chance in most situations and that's a big motivator, a 'survival mindset' gained through practice.

However, I have arthritis and so never leave the house unprepared as I'm limited in the amount of physical effort I can put into survival. I always carry the basics for fire, water and light. If I'm anywhere near the countryide I have a full survival kit that fits in a small pouch or tin. If I'm camping I have 3 - pocket, beltkit and backpack - as well as a car kit.

I have the worlds most impressive collection of small tins, bags and pouches.

 

[PRazz]

Was the name of the family "Griswold"? ~ probably should have headed out to wallyworld for their tree.

My thoughts on fire:
Don't buy lighters from the dollar store. My wife picks up these 5 packs every once in a while and 3 out of 5 of them will fall apart after a strike or two. I had to tell her to stop wasting money on them and just buy a bic.

Zippo is my first choice if I'm taking fire with me because it's windproof and if it ever did fail to light the wadding inside could also be used. I also have one of those huge zippo handwarmers which is like a huge lighter. Extra flint and fuel are nice too.

The little trioxane tablets sold for hiking and camping are great for not burning out. They burn like sterno but are a hard, dry, leak free fuel tablet. If you don't want to burn the whole thing it can also be scraped or grated like hard cheese.


I think many people, including me, become complacent and don't think "it" will happen to them. Time to get a survival kit together to throw in the car. I've got stuff all over the house that should be in it, but its all over the house, rather than with me where I might need it most while away from home.

 

[Wheeler44]

I read once where a former olympic wrestler nearly froze to death on a snowmobiling trip. If he would have used some of the gas from his machine he could have lit his snowmobile on fire, they will burn a long time and real hot too.

I grew up in a different part of Alaska than Cosmoline, Alaska is a huge state. Where I lived a person could usually find a hollow log big enough to crawl in. A fire just aways outside of the mouth of the log will reflect heat back inside making a long night a lot more comfortable.

 

[Cosmoline]

Yeah, if anyone found a hollow log big enough to crawl in around here it would be deemed worthy of a theme park ;-)

 

[Wheeler44]

Yeah, if anyone found a hollow log big enough to crawl in around here it would be deemed worthy of a theme park ;-)

Or if someone could crawl in a hollow log up where you live they could be a sideshow freak (maybe billed as the human worm).
Down around the Tongass Nat'l Forest there are some HUGE spruce, cedar and hemlock trees. I once stayed in one ol' stump big enough for three teen aged boys.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Gnaw Your Leg Off?

. . . but I'm not so sure about gnawing my leg off it it gets caught in a trap.

Remember Aron Ralston?

Reading his story changed my perspective on EDC knives. Now my EDC always includes at least one knife sharp enough and strong enough to do "serious, if unpleasant" business.

I've had people ask why I carry some knife or other. "Well, you never know when you're gonna have to cut off your own arm." That'll sure get you a "look" but it completely defuses the view that "if you're carrying a knife, you must be looking for trouble."

 

[Griff]

I have no reply to that.





See? It works. Good one.

 

[dstark]

I saw a documentary on that guy, if he didnt have a knife he'd be dead. Good reason to carry a sharp one.