Urban Survival

[Briggz]

There was a pretty good show on the science channel last night about urban survival in a crisis hosted by Les Stroud. Pretty good wheather you like Les or not. Anyway he mentioned about the crank Radios and Lights. Anyone haver opinions on the best brand of these. Sure, I have the surefire lights but would like something without batteries.

BTW, the show is worth watching and had some good pointers.

 

[shecky]

Haven't seen the Stroud show, but I like this take on "urban survival". In my area, sometimes referred to as "The Home Of The Homeless", I come across folks all the time who have been on the streets for years and can be amazingly resourceful.

 

[reconseed]

Urban Survival is NOTcool by any means... When I read that article its almost like the author wantedto be homeless and survive with homeless folks... very bad decision... IMO. but interesting reading nevertheless. I thought urban survival was more geared towards making to and from your destinations.... safely and involving CCW of knives or guns, or something....

 

[darkestthicket]

Ive seen that one, it was a pretty good show, i like it where he says something like " your children will not want to sleep right next to water that comes 3" high." yeah he has a point. i wouldnt either.

My wife watched this show with me, she said something like, if we ever get water that high in the house, we are going to the attic. I cant say i disagree with her. once the water starts coming in the door ill be moving things upstairs.
That was one of his more informative shows!

 

[shecky]

Urban Survival is NOTcool by any means... When I read that article its almost like the author wantedto be homeless and survive with homeless folks... very bad decision... IMO.

I'd be interested to know why. I personally have no desire to live as a homeless person. However, those who do, either by circumstance or choice, certainly need to develop some useful skills to survive. Is it any more sensible to live isolated and use one's survival skills in the mountain or desert or jungle? I'd guess some of us harbor romantic notions about doing just that.

Most faced with the misfortune of having to endure adverse conditions won't get to dictate the terms of survival. I figure it's not a bad idea to get survival tips from folks who have actually been in a variety of tough situations.

 

[reconseed]

shecky, perhaps you are right... also, i might be totally misinterpreting this authors article... either way, i would rather study survival in the wilderness, personally. i think it is more romanticized as you say than urban survival... to me, urban survival is frowned upon by the bulk of society..

then again, the bulk of society would think all of us here on blade forums, lounging in the survival forum are crazys... oh well. screw em...

 

[gator68]

My wife watched this show with me, she said something like, if we ever get water that high in the house, we are going to the attic. I cant say i disagree with her. once the water starts coming in the door ill be moving things upstairs.
That was one of his more informative shows!

If you move up into the attic, make sure you've got an axe or chainsaw! People drown in their attics when the water keeps rising and they can't get out onto the roof.

 

[hikeeba]

Les' show dealt with survuving urban disasters, primarily a hurricane with flooding. Les gets a lot of flack from folks for doing what he does, but those who understand the circumstances Les puts himself into know that he can't cover every single method or way of surviving any given situation. Les generally makes some good, and they're usually worth filing away in the brain bank.

I think Les Stroud's Urban Survival show could have been easily stretched out to at least 2 episodes. Some of the segments were insanely short. And Darkestthicket, if you're going up into the attic, make sure you have a couple different ways to get out. For me, I'd hope I was away from the area before water got that high. We live about 1000 feet west of a small river on what looks to me to be an ancient flood plain. Two situations work in our favor: 1) the area to the east of the river floods long before water comes close to spilling over onto the west side, and 2) There is some lower ground between our subdivision and the river, so if the area west of the rivier did begin to flood, we'd have some time to react. As I said, in a worst case scenario, I'd plan on being away from the mess. But if something happened and we were stuck, well, I guess we'd load up our tandem kayak and paddle out.

 

[Bumppo]

Survival is survival no matter where you are, urban or rural, or in the middle of nowhere. I was homeless twice, once for two months in the winter in Vermont, again for just under three years spread across Upstate New York, New Hampshire, and Nothern Illinois. I was rarely without work for long, but could not afford a room due to IRS and Divorce bills. It is not as romantic a life as you would think. I did learn a lot, and now whenever I go to a new place I seek out the places where the street people live and hunt down their hidey holes. Some are really clever. There is almost always a choice as to wether you are homeless or not, but it is never cut and dried.

 

[mr.trooper]

shecky, perhaps you are right... also, i might be totally misinterpreting this authors article... either way, i would rather study survival in the wilderness, personally. i think it is more romanticized as you say than urban survival... to me, urban survival is frowned upon by the bulk of society..

then again, the bulk of society would think all of us here on blade forums, lounging in the survival forum are crazys... oh well. screw em...

if you are talking about that "joys of being homeless" article, then i think you are. The author clearly states that he WAS actualy homeless, and that it suck major. The things he talks about were things that he had to do to survive, not just stuff he dreamed up while basking in the soft glow of his monitor.

But then again maybee he is just pulling the wool over our eyes.