Your mad survival skills: busted

I was just thinking about this.

The next phase for this forum, in my opinion, is threads that instruct or suggest things the individual could reproduce at home. I see too many posts telling me to "google it" or "go to the library for more info." I'd rather see the info HERE.

I considered offering to mail a check to the first poster who posts video of themselves improvising a fire drill. Especially someone who has never personally tried it before. I believe that you can learn by watching someone else learn. My reason for considering a contest is that we have too many "speculative" threads; what we need is threads with reproducible insights into survival tech. (Notice, I chose not to make such an offer and that no prize will be awarded by me.)

Sure, an individual poster may not be accurate, but that's where the group discussion comes in. I think the future of this forum goes beyond suggestions and factoids, to becoming a "wiki" of various skills and strategies. Sort of what I was attempting with my "what a jerk / venison jerky" thread.


Here are some threads I'd like to see:


pics or video showing "how to fire drill"

Watch the poster discover that birds' nests in his woods are actually kindling, not tinder, and won't take a spark. Watch him learn (Like I did) that both ends of the drill will get equally hot, and the piece in your mouth may well begin to smoke before the branch you are drilling into! (I mimicked native americans I'd seen, who held the upright end of the drill steady using a piece of wood in between their teeth. I spit in it to cool it off)

How to dress game

Dressing game is a particular issue, because practically no books exist on the topic; they all jump from the kill to the finished-out meat. My I've seen several methods, and prefer my brother in law's. A lot of people just kind of assume that you "cut it up into pieces," not realizing, of course, that if you nick the bladder, intestine, or gall, you'll ruin all your meat and can even taint your blade.



A thread on "Emergency weather-stripping your home."

How to keep your home warm in a blizzard. Can you use decorative candles for heat? Will the gas still be on if the power goes out? Is your fireplace a realistic source of lifesaving heat, or is it really just a decorative appliance for creating ambiance, that will suck more heat out the chimney than it will produce?


A thread on "where to hide stuff in and around your home."

Suppose you really believe that the NWO is planning to search your home for your firearms; how do you proceed? What if you need to hide a family member? Where is the best place to hide stuff from thieves?


A thread on "What to do if your car dies on a deserted road in a snowstorm"

This happened to me in high school. I was trying to get the heat to work in my Ford Granada, and drove it out on a deserted road to rev it up. I didn't know that it had a crack in the radiator and it had run dry. The car died on me about 10 miles from town, and I set out to walk home in what became the first snowfall of the year. my only weather gear was a plastic windbreaker. Incidentally, this is the situation (car dies in a blizzard) that kills motorists every winter, and one that you could well face, particularly in a rental car that has no provisions.



the rundown on germ warfare agents

Am I developing adult acne, or is that zit the first stages of cancerflu? Is it true that the Iranians have designed a man-made virus that causes kibes? How can I tell if I am developing schistosomaisis, and how do I treat it myself, if the hospitals are closed by overcrowding?

[edit on 23-8-2007 by dr_strangecraft]

I'll work on a firedrill video next week if i get a chance to go out and film, as well as some other stuff like edible plants and water.

reply to post by dr_strangecraft

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"What to do if your car dies on a deserted road in a snowstorm"

Stay in your car. Only get out to pop the hood (the universal symbol for broken car) and to flag someone down.

Keep a candle or three in your glove box / trunk. keep a blanket in there as well (both can serve double duty at summer picnics).

In a closed space, even at -20, a candle can give off a surprising amount of heat. You won`t be roasting, but you won`t die of exposure either. Crack a window every once in a while, but not one facing the wind.

Wait.

That`s about it, really.

reply to post by vox2442

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Well, the road I was stuck on was SO rural that no one drove down it until I'd walked right up to the city limits.

Of course, I knew the land, knew that no one was passing by, and had ridden my bike out there in the summer, so I knew what I was walking into. Context is everything.

I would also suggest, if you don't have a coat, improvising with the liner from the trunk--often more flexible than the floormats.

But this is all fodder for another thread . . . start it if you'd like.

ahh this sounds familiar. my brother and i rolled our '81 chevette into a ditch one night during a blizzard right along the north/south dakota border and it looked bleak. (yes, my brother was driving like an idiot but that is beside the point) fortunatly, having been smart ahead of time my dad had stocked the car with survival gear. snowmobile suits, survival heater (ill get to that in a bit) and blankets. we hopped out and got the car back on its wheels but it was too stuck to get out. so we ran the heater until we ran out of gas (after digging out around the tail pipe of course) and we bundled up and waited. the survival heater was a godsend.

two kinds of survival heaters you can make at home.

1) take a pie plate and melt several candles. pour the wax into the pie plate and spread wicks out around the plate so you effectively have a large candle with several wicks. as the poster above me stated a single candle can save you, several can make it quite tolerable.

2) pops had taken a roll of toilet paper and put it into a coffee can (back when they were still made of tin/steel/w/e and soaked it in rubbing alcohol and then put a pack of matches in tin foil in the can. the key to this one is to make sure you light it away from things that will burn in the car and make SURE you pull the cardboard out of the center (smokes a lot) also a pair of pliers handy to pitch it out the window if it starts smoking too much when the alcohol burns off is a handy thing.

make sure you keep a window cracked with any of these as staying warm but suffocating is a bad idea. of the two i prefer the large candle one but in a pinch ill use either of them. (and the candle one is much easier to manage honestly)

also, if anyone is REALLY interested after labor day ill put together a thread on WMD things relating to nerve gasses and bio agents. i wasnt always a demo guy during my military career and actually spent my last 2 years with the mil as a survey team member on a wmd terrorism response team. i can post general stuff that is good to know and field questions as im able. i cant say i have all the answers but i can give enough basic info to maybe be of use...if theres an interest.

reply to post by kosmicjack

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I am only beginning to dive into survival methods. I plan on learning some of the basics soon, and put them in practise, water, fire, local plants,etc.

I was talking about with my husband and he said he can do most of those things. lol I was thinking about your post.



I did start a garden this year. Not so much for survival but to grow local and organic.
Your right, it is not an easy thing to do. I was talking to gardeners and it can take several years to get the hang of it. I didn't do bad for the first time with no knowledge but it is a serious learning curve.
Your right about the seeds. I found older seeds and only one or two made it.
So what do you do, buy seeds every year just in case?
The big thing people have to learn about gardening is that when you don't have chemicals, it is a tough thing.While I despise chemicals on food, I did get an appreciation of why they came into being.
And entire crop of pumpkins, squash,and zucchini got wiped out in a matter of two weeks.When I researched why, they got attacked by squash bugs, that lay their eggs inside(it looked like the stems rotted from inside out)that eat the plants.
I lost some strawberries to ants. I would go to pick a stawberry and there would be an ant party inside. I discovered they don't like cinnamon, and it does repel them. So I sprinkled the surrounding area with cinnamon.Worked like a charm.
I grew sunflowers to have something lay maggots in the seeds.
Deer have tried eating the tomatoes.
It is not only what you can plant, but when. If you have a longer season, you can do double plantings. Some plants only like cooler weather, some only hot.Some need full sun, some need shade.And herbs should be considered.

So I suggest that folks learn natural gardening methods. And keep those seeds on hand, such as marigolds and others that repel bugs, or distracts them.
And learn those methods beforehand. If it comes down to a collapse, I don't think we will have an internet to help.

I didn't consider jerky. Or hunting. But I definetly will learn how to make a bow, and practice.

Something else I seriously recommend is that people learn local plants, their uses, both nutrionally and medicinaly.Where they grow,when they grow, etc.
Scurvy and other diseases will set in quick. For example, dandelions are a good food source, and a great source of vitamin C.

To not only learn how to hunt, but to learn the habits of animals, their migrations, etc. No use hunting for geese if they fly south for the winter.

If you don't have any provisions, you will have to start from scratch, you won't have veggies, etc. So you will need to know your local stuff.

Also, it won't hurt to know surrounding areas and climates in case you have to migrate. So not only local, but maybe a few states around.

And the other thing people may consider is honey. Nature's perfect food and sugar. NOt only to pollonate your plants but to provide sugar and you can sell it and provide the bees for others.It is a skill you can also trade for.
Another thing is mechanical maintenance. People may still have vehicles, generators, etc. to use, but if they break down, that is it. And you can make candles.

I also suggest learning how to handle weather. To recongize it, and survive it.

How to make clothes.

How to make soap.


You may want to study maps. If you have to migrate, in hot climate you will need to know all your water sources along the way. You need a gallon of water per person, per day. How to conserve water, hearty food sources. Know the terraine for easiest passage, etc.

Right now I am learning astronomy and constellations in case I need to know where I am, and how to find my way at night.

Not only being prepared will help you survive, but it will help others survive also.
While many tell you that you need to fight off people, you can help lead them. And not only can you trade your skills, you can become a leader.And being alpha is best.

Not only do I want to learn this stuff in case of collapse, but because you just never know when you are going to get stuck somewhere. If your plane goes down, if your car runs off the road and no one sees you, or you take a wrong turn someplace remote and get stuck. It can happen to anyone unless you never leave your house.

Damocles,
That information sounds great. I look forward to the post.

I learned in scouts how to make a stove by taking a large tuna can, rolling cardboard around in a spiral inside, and fill it with wax, put a coffee can upside down over it. it makes like a sterno. And it worked great for cooking.





[edit on 23-8-2007 by nixie_nox]

This one called out to me because I think I have some good ideas here and do have things stashed in remote locations, but then I realized if I posted my methods they would know how to find my stuff

reply to post by cavscout

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I wasn't thinking of "you" specifically. Surely you could generalize your answers enough that they couldn't use them on "you" . . .

who knows, maybe you could throw them off the scent with a bit of obverse psychology.

I'll see what I can do . . .

reply to post by dr_strangecraft

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In a number of cultures, the guinea pig has been the main source of protein. I believe that may still be the case in Peru (where I recall scientists had bred a super guinea pig that was twice the size etc.)

I have encountered Roman Catholic hermits in British Columbia who raised guinea pigs both for their own food and to trade. (Talk about knowing survival skills!)

This year all of our tomatoes have come from volunteers in the composting. It was an exciting development for us because there was some natural cross hybridizing and these tomatoes have been much heartier and tastier than those of the last couple of years. But I'm still a novice at tomatoes (and roses).

The best places to hide things, are where *you* can't get to them easily. Any place you can get to, a determined thief or government agent can also get to easily, and find easily.

The best places are, for example, hidden behind the drywall in your house, where a determined foot or hammer can smash and grab, but where tampering would be instantly obvious in the case of someone else raiding your house, and incredibly hard to guess. I encourage you, though, to think of your own inaccessible places for your true valuables/weapons/survival gear.

My 2 cents worth on surviving in the cold:

Every home should have a cold room: A room no bigger than 120 square ft that has double the recommended R-value for your climate on all side and both the floor and the roof and an independent source of heat like a wood stove. This is a shelter in place. Some friends along the OK/TX border went to 2 weeks in subfreezing weather without heat and water in their all electric house a few years ago after a major ice storm. They got along just fine by sleeping in the small 18 ft travel trailer that had propane heat and a small generator. Afterwards, they built their super insulated shelter as a guest cabin complete with attached bathroom and rain water harvested water supply.

When I'm traveling by auto during the winter, my winter sleeping bag is the vehicle as well as my hobo heater. A hobo heater consist of six day candle which sets inside sheet metal container that allows the heat from the candle to slowly radiate out rather than out just warm the air. I made mine from a discarded desk top computer case but it can be as simple as 2 large soup cans with holes punched in them. I tested mine in home last winter of a sub freezing night and it kept my 7x18x6.33 interior of my Airstream at 50+ allnight and eventually peaked at 55 degrees. It would probably keep a car well above freezing should the need arise. One other thing about winter survival prep: carry a small metal cup or pan to melt ice or snow in for water. The cold can dehydrate you just as fast the heat can.

[edit on 24-8-2007 by crgintx]

Excellent post!

I'm certainly not up to snuff on the survival skills you mentioned.
My husband is a former Marine so he's a little more adept at it than I am, but he's not a true survivalist.

However, this is what we do have:

*My own garden complete with orange and peach trees
I started it when I got married nearly 6 years ago.

*Berkly Water Filtration Pitcher
Got that a few months ago. One of the best investments ever.

*4 home made solar powered generators
They have been built over the past couple of years. The parts runs around $300 bucks, but it's worth it. I plan to build more.
If you are interested, here is the link Make your own.

*Gold investments.
This has been happening since I was a child. I still buy pieces when I can.

*Guns

Prepared to defend my home if need be.

Maybe you would call this "Comforts of home" survival?

I looked at that canning site. It sounds like a great idea.
I've picked up a lot of tips from this thread.

Maybe we should have an ATS meetup if the Fit hits the Shan?


[edit on 24-8-2007 by morbidtracie]

I live in New Orleans. I came back and did volunteer rescue in the aftermath.

I can tell you with certainty that there were indeed bodies floating around.


As to the cremation question well, as gruesome as this can sound, what about storing bodies in a freezer in a resturaunt when we run out of fuel?

Ok ive been drinking so this may not come of as fluently as id have hoped but i think you need a plan. So everyone perusing the ats survival forum should give themselves a pat on the back your one step in front of the average joe, your thinking about survival and not just taking for granted that our way of life will go on forever.

I think you need a plan and many contingency plans. So one can be prepared for as many situations as possible. Id say planning is a survival skill.

1. Id want to be stocked up at home on food water wind up radio and torches, batteries, veggie garden cranking, rain water tank, solar hot water system, solar panels for power etc.....

2. Id want a BoB kitted ready to go.

3. Id want a far away location stocked up on food water essentials cooking utensils etc.

4. Make sure u can get to this far away location on foot i.e. your next holidays instead of going to Hawaii try walking to your bug out location, excessive i know but you need to know if you can do it.

5. Work on the notion that at the drop of a hat your gunna have to leave, if your cars been playing up, if you havnt seen the doctor about your back etc. how you gunna get to where yo need to go.

7. Decide when your gunna make the 'call,' ( i think the sh&ts gunna hit the fan) i better leave. Early bird gets the worm.

8. Or i think i can stay at home and wait it out, it might get a bit rough but im prepared to roll with the bumps and so is my shotgun .

9. You might get displaced for whatever reason away from your house and your bug out location. (might be at your relatives on the other side of the country when tshtf) Do you have the skills/savvy to slog it out in the woods or in a deteriorating urban environment that is getting more violent day by day for a couple of months as you trek it back home or to your bug out location.

With that last one (9.) id think youd want to err on the side of judgment if there were rumours of war or nukes whatever probably not the best time to visit your old college buddy on the other side of the country.

All these things id love to be able to say i can do or have done but in reality it aint gunna happen. I guess in summary have a survival plan in place. Make a plan where your say "these things id like to have in place," however fanciful they may seem. Then work with what you can accomplish and get rid of the fantasy parts of the plan i.e. (fantasies: walking to alaska sticking to the wilderness, affording solar power etc). Run a drill, ok for the next few weeks im gunna rely on the food i produce at home and have stored as well as the rain water that has accumulated in my tank. Running a drill will most certainly highlight parts of your plan that are lacking.

Plan for the worst case scenario.

pps im drunk dont burn me to hard

Haha, part of my long term plan does include a leisurely stroll to alaska fro arizona. For me it's not as much fantasy, as i train for such a feat anyways. I might even run a drill next spring, see how ling it takes me to walk to AK from here. I estimate if i leave in march i can be there by June, i can cover a LOT of ground on foot.

It takes a lot of land to be a hunter gatherer one group was trying todo it for two years but had eaten everything on 200 acres in four weeks!

Get over your sqeamishness while civilisation still exists.
Get yourselves to restaurants serving snails,raw fish,frogs legs,snakes etc.

Once you get used to eating them,then worms,grubs,larvae,roe etc won't be such a culture shock.

Here is a good survival skill, Preparation. With it many of the things in the OP don't have to be life or death survival situations.

Great thread, mounds of good ideas

Definatly made me a little more humble about my survial skills.

Last November I cured 3 hams salt and brownsugar. In January I smoked them for 4 days...was suggested I do this for 3 days but it was really cold out and I wanted to make sure it was done correctly. It has been years since I have had one of these hams just like Grandpa used to make I wrapped them in cheese cloth and smoked that as well. I hung them in the garage for the spring summer and fall. I recently pulled one down and prepared it to eat. The wife was hesitant to say the least as I scrubbed the mold off saoked it. I baked the ham later that day and she dialed 9-1- and was waiting for me to die basically before pushing the last digit. lol I couldnt believe how good it actually was. She tried it as well and agreed that I did a good job.

I guess the point is...I used a very old technique to produce food that has been hanging in our garage for a year now. I am told that the best flavored hams like this are 2 yrs old....we will see next november.

There could be issues with insects but by smoking the ham and then wrapping it in cheesecloth and smoking the cloth...then wrapping it in another piece of stout cloth...the smoke smell helps keep the insects at bay and the outter cloth is just another barrier.

It was a wonderful way to preserve the meat and if you have never tried on of these hams I would suggest it....You can buy them but they are expensive.