Top 10 tips for Survival ?

"Luck" is when preparation meets opportunity.

I say next to "will", being prepared is the best tip for survival.
 
silverbullets said:
at some point I really need to give myself a time out from buying guns/knives and work on getting some emergency supplies for the family
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I concur. It's of little use if you don't have a good supply of water and food (at least 3 days, if not several weeks) and any relevant medicines and first aid to avoid a minor injury from becoming life threatening.

On the note of food, I have had a recent experience of some relevance.
Be advised that storing a rotating supply of water (even your water heater's capacity counts, keep that in mind) can work out pretty well, but my initial attempt to store dry foods in my pantry has not met with the same success. Indian meal moths either managed to find their way into (or had pupae/eggs already within, an even worse scenario) my 25 and 50 lb. bags of rice, beans, quinoa, oats and maize meal. The whole 200 lb. of recently purchased supply is either known bad or suspect.

A professional re-packager is what I might use next time so that I have a guarantee of a pest free food supply. The big bags dry food stuffs come in (in bulk) and any paper packaged box are easily invaded by pests. I could not ultimately tell which 25 or 50 lb bag originated the Indian meal moth infestation, but it was probably the quinoa or the maize meal.

To repackage into plastic air-tight pails, I needed to open the bags, sift the contents and place these in mylar inner bags (like a big zip-lock), surround the bag with silica gel packs strategically positioned around the interior of the 5 gallon bucket and then pound the lid on with a rubber mallet. During the process of repackaging it became apparent the sacks had been infiltrated by dead moths, silk strands and cocoons.

I'm negotiating with my bulk grocer to get a refund or store credit, though I'm not sure what I'll trust to buy at this point (depending on where the contamination originated, upstream warehouse, at the store itself, at the shipping port). For the next six weeks, I have to use moth pheromone bait trapping on the adults, re-clean the pantry with bleach water and fill in any cracks with foaming insecticide then vacuum the blazes out of every nook and cranny before starting over. Everything in the pantry (including glass jars, cans, everything) has to be hand washed in bleach water and decontaminated or the eggs will survive to repeat the cycle.

Word to the wise, check your food supply often and don't delay in getting them into more permanent food containers. Sift ALL of the contents, this won't catch eggs since they are small and camouflaged, but there should be telltales, like dead pests (beetles and moths in particular) to queue you in you have a problem. While most of the common pests themselves aren't toxic (certain beetles are, but not the meal moths), they don't enhance the quality of the food they infest and in large enough numbers the color, smell and taste can be off-putting, not a liability you want to add to if you ever have to use it.

I have been instructed by a friend on what to do with the current infestation to eliminate the meal moths. The best known method recommended to me will kill any eggs not caught in the sifting with an appropriate sized sieve. Place the sifted meal/legumes/beans/grain in a plastic sealed container and place in the freezer for 7 days, as many as your freezer can fit. The other method is to expose them to temperatures above 150 degrees F for several minutes to achieve the same thing, without using poisons directly on the food. I chose to attempt to return the recent purchase since this is a lot of work with 200 lbs of bagged food that I would have to dump into gallon size containers to freeze for a week in an already overstuffed freezer.

Good luck.
 
In addition to all the other great tips here- Knowing the area you live in and knowing the surrounding areas is very important also. When i lived in B.C. i lived literally 2 min driving distance from a road that took me from a rural community to a big lake out in the middle of the bush, and then linked up to the main highway 40 km down the road...i found out about this road by looking at the area i lived in VIA google maps. It is an old logging road!

Cramming as much knowledge into your head about every aspect of survival, be it urban or wilderness, the more you know and the more you practice the better prepaired you are if the worst should happen.

Mapping out your GTFO route from your house is also important, especially in an urban environment, then driving on that route to familliarize yourself with it so that if you need to take it to get the hell out, it is second nature to you...On that note, mapping out sources for fuel and food is also a good idea.

My wife and I are learning how to can food. you can can anything really and it keeps for a long long time..If every weekend y ou canned for 2 hours or so you would stockpile food very fast. The main downside is that if you had to pack up and leave your home/shelter they are both beavy and bulky..But on a plus side it is realatively in-expensive to do, and you can drink the water you canned your food in..so its kind of a 2 for 1 deal.

Knowledge...gather it, seek it, apply it, share it and survive.
 
Thanks for the tips Tony, and also for the ASAP link. and all the other posts from the rest of the guys here.

I was able to try the Mountain House brand; Backpackers Pantry brand; and the Bridgford ready to eat sandwiches.

I did not try every meal they have to offer, and no deserts/breakfasts.

I found that they all tasted good, my only downside to them was that the ones with peppers in them did not have crisp peppers! But what can one expect when the meal is soaked in water? and no real downsides at all.

and the Bridgford sandwiches have a good taste to them, however they are mostly bread, and kind of dry.
 
For the most part I couldn't agree more or add anything else. But it also comes down a lot to mentality of an individual. Like medical assistance. Here everyone who has a driver's license also has passed an emergency medical procedure exam. So basically a good amount of population is fit to assist someone if needed, but no one does.

Same with the police. Don't know how it's in other places but here I'd never count on them to do anything than to harass me and arrest me.
So it's a lot in the mind of the individual.
 
As has been mentioned a few times, survival in this sense is a way of life, not a backpack and a few mre's. It snows a lot where I live. Nothing crazy, but power outages and being snowed in are frequent enough to seem normal. You just get used to keeping a couple weeks of food around. Having several methods of cooking doesn't hurt. Heat and backup generators are also good ideas to have. It's not a very dire situation usually, but being prepared for it keeps you ready for worse events. Being prepared makes it a non event. Not being prepared in a bad storm, very not fun
 
Great tips.

I recently read Cody Lundin's book "When All Hell Breaks Loose" and it's got a ton of info for urban/sub-urban survival tips, which is where most of the population lives.

:thumbup:
 
adaman04 said:
A local Wal Mart was consolidating their Mountian House selection (pretty small, mainly entrees) and after standing in front of it for a half hour I ended up just buying everything they had. It was half price.

The only down sides to MH in my experience are cost and how much water you use to prepare it. 2 cups of water per entree, which serves 2. The up side is it stores for a very long time, is relatively compact and is delicious. I've eaten it for lunch to try it out and it tastes very good IMO.

Would I buy a whole cart full of it at $8 per meal? No, but it is nice to have every now and again. My personal favorites are the chili-mac and beef stroghanoff.

It's kind of a wash. MREs weigh more because they're already hydrated, but you need to carry/procure water for MH meals and the like.
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Yah why did Wal Mart do that? I bulk bought too a few weeks back, they had unopened boxes of these on the top top shelves, and had them for 80% off, dunno, but yah I like them too, they taste good. I ordered some stuff from snow peak, so going to see this weekend or next, how they taste "out there" , my brother said its not that big a difference. But water use is a tad bit. But for the price I got mine for, not going to complain. Also going back maybe at noon or later tonight, they have in the corner near the outdoors stuff like shovels, rakes, bbq pits and etc, I saw a 40 pound box that read FATWOOD, for $9.99 , clearance sticker on it.

Hmmm maybe Walmart is getting rid of stuff that doesnt sell?
 
I've lived thruogh three huracanes and can easily say that if you live someware that a disaster could happen you need alot of food, water, charcoal, cleaning suplies, and freinds. Huricane Ivan had us out of power water gas and eventialy food for weeks. That was the worst disaster I had to deal with but catrina hit real close and proved to me you never know when bad can happen. Prep to survive.
 
Another point to think about is where you live. In Canada we have some long winters, although they have been much milder last few years, it is still cold. So blankets, heaters, wood burning stove all things to think about. Knowing your area and the conditions that come with it will help you prep for a long and more comfortable amount of time.
 
LittleSpartan said:
Yah why did Wal Mart do that? I bulk bought too a few weeks back, they had unopened boxes of these on the top top shelves, and had them for 80% off, dunno, but yah I like them too, they taste good. I ordered some stuff from snow peak, so going to see this weekend or next, how they taste "out there" , my brother said its not that big a difference. But water use is a tad bit. But for the price I got mine for, not going to complain. Also going back maybe at noon or later tonight, they have in the corner near the outdoors stuff like shovels, rakes, bbq pits and etc, I saw a 40 pound box that read FATWOOD, for $9.99 , clearance sticker on it.

Hmmm maybe Walmart is getting rid of stuff that doesnt sell?
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They seemed to sell pretty well around here. One thing I noticed is that it was different MH meals at all the stores. Now I'm seeing the same stuff everywhere. Maybe eliminating SKUs and getting them cheaper by buying more of the same item. Who knows. 40 lb box, I thought I got a bargain on the 4 lb bag for $4 at Menard's home center. 4 lbs of fatwood is a lot of firestarters. :D
 
I fully agree with all 10. If you can practice all of that and do your best to stay calm with a clear head you greatly increase you chances for success in a situation that could prove detrimental to you or your family.
 
If we are talking about REAL WORLD survival, and not some bull-pucky Hollywood end of the world/zombie invasion dumbassery that will never happen, here are 10 useful tips to survive as long as possible in a gradually worsening world:

1. Become a dual citizen in a neutral country and get a passport from said country. Maintain a house/apartment/condo in said country. (If you’re smart, you can rent it out to a local)

2. Have a strongly diversified portfolio of blue chip stocks and govt. bonds.

3. Have some gold stashed away somewhere safe. (Actual gold, not certificates of ownership)

4. A bank account with at least $50,000 in a Swiss bank or Cayman Islands bank is a must! (Eliminate any paper trail as best as you can; in the internet age, this is harder and harder to do.)

5. Learn to speak 2 more languages fluently. Spanish and Chinese would probably be the most useful, but German or French is also widely spoken in the world.

6. Gear: cell phone w/ spare battery, water purification tablets, basic drugs (acetaminophen, imodium, etc.) gas mask, duct tape, flash-light, matches/fire-starter, Leatherman multi-tool. These will take care of 99% of your needs.

7. Cut back on red meat, sodium and refined sugar in your diet. Heart disease is the #1 killer in the western world! Bonus tip: no smoking, alcohol in moderation.

8. Sunscreen. Skin cancer has never been as prevalent as it is today.

9. Learn basic first aid and CPR.

10. At least half hour of strenuous exercise a day can add years to your life.

There you have it: follow these tips and you maximize your chance of a long and healthy life.

Bonus tip # 11. Research shows that those who surround themselves with positive supportive people live longer!

Bonus tip # 12. A pilot’s license is also a very useful thing to have!

Bonus tip # 13. The more college degrees or marketable skills you have, the better your chances are…
 
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texastonydobbs said:
7. Invest in a Good, Strong Lockblade Folding Knife
The knife is one of mankind's most versatile tools.
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kyhunt said:
I'd change # 7 to a fixed blade.
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Can't get much stronger or locked than a fixed blade!

But I'd change #7 to "Invest in a good range of useful cutting tools"

I have a SAK & a Multitool - there is so much that you can do with those 2 tools so I would consider them essential equipment. Then to supplement them there are bigger folding knives, fixed blade knives, machetes, kukris and axes. Whatever would be useful in a survival situation it couldn't hurt to have!
 
I agree on the variety of cutting tools. But I Always have a folder of some sort on me. Usually a pocket knife and a Buck 110 S30V (I still like Buck 110s). My multitool in my pack I may want to consider updating. I might have to start a thread asking about multitools. I have a Craftsman ( USA made) from about 10 years ago. The torx bits on it seem to work themselves loose enough that sometimes tools come open.
 
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