Survival--these are some tips that I find interesting and essential incase you get lost or stranded. Survival kit --it would be ideal if everyone had access to a survival kit, although life does seem to find a way of separating an important possession from the needed in times of great distress. That reminds me, that I never read about what to do when the period comes along in the wild. No one discusses what to do about that, the possible attack by prey from the scent of blood or what you can use as a pad or tampon. Have suggestions? Post it in the forums. Here is a basic list of things to include in a survival kit: 1. Matches--use the strike anywhere ones, but waterproof them by dipping them in melted candle wax. I would also include a disposable lighter, just don't depend entirely on it. 2. Candle--for fire starting and light. 3. Fishing line & fishhooks--to catch fish to eat. 4. Flint--for starting fires, reusable. 5. Magnifying glass-- as a fire starter, first aid in assessing wounds and examining plants. 6. Compass--invest in a good one. You don't want to cut corners here. 7. Medical kit--band aids, ointment, all that stuff. 8. Snare wire--to catch animals 9. Whistle and mirror--for signaling 10. Knife--essential for obvious reasons. You don't want to spend all day trying to make one out of stone either. 11. Plastic sheet--for making solar stills to collect water. You don't have to stop there; you can pack food, salt, pots, medicine, vitamins, etc. The list is just an essential what you definitely should have. The basic needs in order to survival are water, food, fire, and shelter. Water is critical for survival. Try to conserve it by staying in shaded areas, moving little in hot weather (basically don't sweat it all out) and avoiding alcohol and cigarettes. If you are low on water, don't eat. Digesting food uses up a lot of water. To get water you can do several things: 1. Find it if you are lucky. Water tends to reside at valley bottoms or where there are patches of green vegetation. Try digging there, you are hoping for a hole that fills itself with water. Water can also be found above the high tide water line at beaches. Fresh water is lighter that salt water and will float on top. Dig until you see water, don't dig deep or you will get the salt water. Always boil water in question for at least 5 minutes. Salt water from the sea must be distilled before drinking. The only time it is o.k. to drink some salt water is in hot climates to replace salt loss from sweating. Dilute seawater with fresh water. Sea ice that is blue is safe as a water source. Avoid milky, white sea ice as it is filled with salt and therefore unsafe to drink. Plants are a source of water, especially cacti in the desert. Familiarize yourself with edible vegetation in of the area you intend to travel to. Beware of ripe and young coconuts; they will give you diarrhea and cause further dehydration. 2. Follow an animal or look at birds. These creatures like you, need water frequently. Stalk them and you will find a watering hole. Hint: when a bird is flying low and straight it is heading for water. They tend to stop and rest on branches on their way back from a good drink. 3. Catch rain or find it caught in leaves and tree hollows. 4. Make a solar still, only helpful if you have a plastic sheet with you. Dig a hole and put a container at the center bottom of the hole. Secure the sheet, covering the hole and weigh it down with a rock so it dips in the center. Water will condense and drip to the center of the sheet where it's weighted down. The clean water will catch in the container placed under the sheet. The same principal applies if you have a plastic bag. You can put vegetation inside the bag and catch condensation that way as well. Food is found everywhere, you might not like it but you will have to eat it to survive. Plants are a good source of vitamins that are needed to stay healthy. Determining whether a plant is safe for eating can be tricky. You also can't rely on other animals or insects as an indicator that a plant or mushroom isn't poisonous. There are two kinds of poisons in the plant world, Hydro cyanic acid and oxalic acid. Hydro cyanic acid smells like bitter almonds or peaches. Avoid all plants with this smell, just to be safe. Oxalic acid produces a stinging or burning sensation on the skin. Some general traits to avoid when scouring for plant food are: 1. Milky sap, (exception, the dandelion is edible) 2. Red plants, especially in tropical areas. 3. Fruit that is divided into five segments. 4. Plants with small barb hair like growth on the outside. Use your magnifying glass to check. These plants will irritate the stomach. 5. Wilted on its way out leaves and plants. These plants might contain hydrocyanic acid. 6. Ferns unless they are the fiddleheads (the young shoots that are coiled at the tip) on the fern. For pictures of edible wild plants go to http://www.wilderness-survival.net/plants-1.php. Catching the food will require great effort. Humans need fat to survive and must have a diet that includes it. Rabbit is considered lean meat and cannot be counted on as your only food source. You can die from a diet consisting of only rabbit meat. "Rabbit starvation" happens because the vitamins and energy it takes to digest the not very nutritional meat is not replenished and you end up being drained. Remember to include other meats in your diet if you are going to eat rabbit. Fish is a good source of protein and fat. Use your fishing hooks and line to catch them. You can also spear them once you are experienced or make a trap by allowing the fish to enter with ease but difficult to exit. Animals aren't easy to catch. There is a lot involved including studying there tracks and droppings. There is also the risk of injury as in animal attack. In the case of an aggressive animal, do not make sudden movements, and do not soil yourself, they can smell fear. Instead slowly back away and talk calmly to it. If the animal is going to charge get out of the way, if you are going to run, run in zigzags. A charging animal runs straight. Shouting and making yourself appear bigger is tactic worth trying. Running up a tree is the last resort. Most animals are expert climbers, or will wait for you to come down. Insects are a great source of protein and fats, especially fat grubs and larvae. They are fairly easy to catch and can be found in rotting trees. Avoid brightly colored insects, worms and frogs. Their bright colors usually indicate poison. Fire needless to say is vitally important. You will need it for warmth, signaling, boiling water and cooking. Incase you have no fire starters; there is the traditional method of fire starting. You will need to find a flat piece of soft wood and a stylus shaped hardwood piece. Friction is what causes the flame. You will need to rub the stylus or spindle on the soft wood by spinning it or using a bow. It takes a lot to create a spark, so keep spinning until you can spin no more. Make sure that you have some dry tinder ready to catch sparks for the fire. Another method is called the fire plough. You will need to cut a groove into the softwood the length of the piece and run the spindle up and down the groove. Almost like a squeegee action. Even easier is starting a fire by directing the sun with the magnifying glass or recently discovered, a coke can and chocolate. To view illustrated techniques and further detail visit go here. Shelter is pretty self-explanatory. There are no right or wrong, as long as it serves its purpose. It is essential however, to have two holes in your shelter, one at the top and one for an entrance. You will need ventilation or you will risk carbon monoxide poisoning. Location finding for those who have forgotten their compass is surprisingly simple. There are several methods using the stick, star, or a homemade compass. The stick method uses the sun and shadows to find north, east, south, and west. You will need to find a stick about 3 ft long. Stick this in flat ground as upright as possible. Mark where the shadow from the stick falls, wait 15 min and mark the shadow again. Draw a straight line connecting the two marks which are east and west. Then draw a line through the middle at right angles to the line. This is north and south. If you have more time to spare, a more accurate stick method has you marking the shadow of the stick in the morning. Then drawing an arc using the stick as a center reference, mark where the shadow touches the arc again. The morning mark is west and the afternoon mark is east. North and south is again at a right angle to a straight line drawn through the two points. Navigating by night in the Northern Hemisphere is primarily by the Pole Star, located almost above the North Pole. Use the big dipper to find the star. If you take the last two stars on the bowl side of the dipper and continue in a straight line away from the dipper you will encounter the Pole Star. You can also use the last star on the end of the dipper handle and connect it to the end star of the constellation Cassiopeia, and it will cross the Pole Star in its path. Cassiopeia looks like a W. There are five stars in the constellation and the center star will point to the Pole Star as well. In the Southern Hemisphere we must use the Southern Cross as a guide. The Southern Cross is comprise of five stars and has two bright pointer stars pointing to it. To find it, look to the sky and find the dark patch in the middle of the Milky Way. On one side of this patch you will find the Southern Cross, the other side will yield the two pointer stars. To find south, imagine a line through the center, long part of the cross and extend it four and a half times longer then drop the line vertically down. Mark this as this is south. Keep in mind that there are several fake crosses and pointers in the Southern Hemisphere. The true cross is smaller and brighter, with the two pointer stars pointing to the top of the cross. Using a needle is another method; if you so happen to have a sewing needle that is. There are several methods of finding north with a sewing needle. The first two involve magnetizing the needle with either a magnet or a piece of silk. (This is another great reason to buy silk products, cause you just never know. Oh yeah be sure to carry around a sewing kit as well.) To magnetize the needle rub it in one direction with the silk or the magnet. Then dangle in by a thread tied to the center of the needle laying horizontally. It will point in the direction north south. This concludes survival 101. If you have any questions or contributions please feel free to e-mail me or post in the forums. I will get back to you as soon as I can. (Here is where I insert my non-liability spiel, the small print: I am no expert at this, I just did some research. Please don't hurt yourself with what you learn here. This is just to help you out. Please don't just depend on these tips to survive. There is a lot more information on survival and I recommend that you read a whole book and bring it with you when going into the wild. There that's it) Sources: Angier, Bradford, How to Stay Alive in the Woods, Fireside, New York, 1998 |