Survival- Above and Beyond

My goal here is to provide a resource that is different than any of the other threads in here. I’ve noticed with many of the survival equipment type threads of recent that there has been an emphasis on the bare minimums. Well, I want to provide a thread that explores new and novel equipment that is not at all necessary but might make your survival easier and more comfortable. Things that will make your shelter area and the day to day grind a less stressful existence.

One of my concerns is that if we continue a narrow view of what we take into the bush (or wherever) we will miss out on possible improvements.

Another concern is that if we recommend the bare basics that only an expert could survive with then it does nothing to help the common person. I would like to see posts here that are not aimed at the experienced special forces type.

Sure, many of us can get away without any of what is going to be mentioned here, but lets see what there is for innovative stuff.

I would be grateful for product reviews on items that you have found helpful while out in the bush.

First aid gear, shelter gear, reference material, The best solar chargers, best radios, tools, gizmos, high tech footwear and snowshoes. Anything that is not listed in the dozens of threads already posted on minimum survival requirements.

I will provide stars generously to posts which bring awareness to novel, wizzy, well built items to help make survival and even back country camping an easier, funner experience.

Lets explore the limits of modern technology. This is after all a high tech era.

Not my idea but Posted by Helig link

A good bag is #1 for any type of situation.
From the everyday mundane carryall, to the Go Bag for sit.x.

Another invaluable resource is 550 cord.
Real 550 cord.
I wouldn't be caught dead without at least 10ft in my pocket.
Absolutely indispensable in every kind of situation.


Rounding out my top 3 is definitely a good knife.

I prefer a folding knife for everyday uses, but a straight job for the bush.
There are so many good ones out there.


Anyone from the [Average Joe], to [GI JOE] can do well to at least have those three items.




[edit on 10/8/2009 by reticledc]

reply to post by dainoyfb

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Yea, that's great stuff. He's put serious thinking and effort into that pack.

Cool equipment modifications are welcome here too.

Thanks for the post.

[edit on 8-10-2009 by dainoyfb]

Great thread!

In surplus to regular survival gear (knife, compass, fire lighting, water purification, cordage, something to sleep on - in - blah blah blah).

I recently bought a SOG powerlock multitool, which I am currently modding to accept jig-saw blades - like on the gerber pro-scout. I'd also like to copy dainoyfb's lockpick mod for powerlock - very good indeed.

I use a pocketpc GPS, which, although civilian GPS would probably go down in a sit-x senario it is bloody useful EDC and a damned site quicker than paper maps - though I can still use them and keep them for more detailed study.

I've been aquiring short range radio equipment for communications between my household and two other houses nearby should something happen when mobile phone networks go down and you don't want to risk going out (or can't) - personally I couldn't leave my area without these other family members in these other houses so the radios serve as good comms.

For urban usage a good lock pick set is often under valued.

As I live in the UK decent LEGAL weapons are hard to do so I plan on getting a good crossbow (before they're banned) - I'm now well trained in budo taijutsu and can look after myself with or without a weapon but whatever you can get surplus is always good.

Don't forget entertainment - I've got a young son and so I keep a Nintendo DS and several other electronic toys that he likes. I see this as EXTREMELY important - one of the biggest things is keeping morale up!

Lastly if I could afford one I'd buy a decent night scope. It would prove invaluable in escape and evasion and just general surveillance.

Again, great thread! Nice to see someone thinking outside of the box for a change!

Star and Flag!

You've got me thinking about all the different materials a hacksaw is capable of going through in a bind. I might have to consider sacrificing an insert that I don't use much. Please show us the mod when you're done.



Sit-x can mean loosing the boat out from under you while on vacation too. I like to have my GPS on me when I'm camping so that when my friend takes me out to a new area and tries all day to get me turned around in the forest then I can just b-line it back to camp.



Speaking of radio equipment, I have a couple of survival stashes that I wanted to have world band radio receivers at in case a national or international sit-x occurred. I settled on The Grundig FR-200:

Why? Because it cost $25. It has a NIMH battery pack that can be charged by the hand crank (hidden on left side of image) and there is a bay for AA cells too. I made a charger circuit for NIMH pack so if I use it on a weekend trip I don't have to crank it to top it back up. It covers most of the shortwave band. It has a cheesy LED flashlight on board and the whole radio works pretty well. It comes with a decent black nylon carry case which I have tossed a set of ear buds into so I can listen without drawing as much power as the speaker would use.



I have to thank you for introducing me to the pathfinder sling bow in one of your other threads.
I have a martin MOAB in my main stash and it is an amazing bow that can take game at ridiculous distances BUT... It is bulky and awkward to carry through the bush. It is easy to damage and its a high maintenance bow that requires a very specialized replacement string.

The bow sling by contrast is tiny, easy to carry, easy to maintain, and costs $800 less than the MOAB. Here is a video:
Pathfinder Sling Bow



Again the shortwave radio is a great multi-use device for this. Simply becasue I can listen to George Noory on C2C AM with it.



I love mine. There is a good reason US, Canada, Britain, etc. equip each of there regular troops with them.

Homemade Survival Broadheads

One thing I never look forward to is napping stone broad heads. It is (for me anyway) the most difficult part of a bow and arrow to fabricate. You have to find decent materials, it takes a lot of time and energy, its hazardous and if you are as artistic as I am then they always end up looking like something else entirely.

I have looked around for manufactured broadheads that I could carry in my survival gear but have always been disappointed. Modern broadheads have a threaded mount which is useless for improvised shafts. There are some end mount broadheads but they tend to disconnect from the shaft and they are difficult to store because the third blade gives them a wide cross section. I wanted something elegantly designed with survival in mind so I designed my own and had a laser cutter make a pile up for me.

I designed these so They can be hafted like an ancient broadhead. I gave them several slots to improve rigidity and made the slots deep so the broadheads would work easily with a large range of shaft diameters. They are made out of thick stainless steel and they hold and edge beautifully, although I usually don’t bother putting an edge on them. Because they are flat they take up virtually no room and I generally store them by wrapping 3 together in a piece of Scotch tape.

...PLUS...

...PLUS...

...PLUS...

...Equals ?...

...Mhua hahahaha...

reply to post by dainoyfb

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Have you considered beer bottle bottom napping ?

www.wildernessoutfittersarchery.com...

Napping ?




[edit on 10-10-2009 by The Utopian Penguin]

So... what does it equal, and how does it relate to this thread? Please explain.



Neat. I hadn't considered using glass for knapping. I suppose if I found a broken bottle in the middle of no where and needed a broadhead I would give it a try.

You'll have to explain how the CNC machine relates to this topic though... you lost me on that one.

[edit on 10-10-2009 by dainoyfb]

reply to post by dainoyfb

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Well not that I'll ever have the money to buy one of these... but... when you talk about the ultimate in survival vehicles then your talking about a unimog
Check this one out

reply to post by DaddyBare

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Thanks for posting that.
You're right that very few people would choose to invest in something like that but there are some neat ideas built into it that could be added onto any vehicle or shelter.

I like the permanent flashlight mounts on the door frame, and it looks like there is a universal power supply built onto the back wall. 1800 miles worth of diesel tanks. I bet very few people think about extending the range of there bug out vehicle. In some parts of the world its important to have extra fuel just to idle the vehicle to keep warm at -35C.

I guess maybe it doesn't in A way.
According to your OP, You want make the ultimate thread on the best equipment.


That Radio is crap,it's huge,And it's not durable.
Each unit I presented is extremely functional.
You can modify them and make them more useful.

Those two way radio's function up to 28 miles
I program them with my computer.
They have security features
You can communicate with one or the group
Those units will auto switch your entire group to A new frequency.
You can use them like phones

My IPOT is awesome.

A solar gorilla
www.naturalcollection.com...
A hand crank
www.naturalcollection.com...
Modifications make it even more useful.

Your radio is barely functional and it's huge and limited.
I mean,that radio is great,if you want to go camping with A brick.
You tell me your carrying that around ?
they are hand held units.
with A little modification there great
plus they have an alarm clock.
www.ambientweather.com...
Here A better source for equipment.
www.unidendirect.com...


Technology can be adapted in many ways ?
I Doubt I'm going to post pictures of my Unique electronics or Modifications.
You can prefab various Alternate energy systems.
Leave them in kit form and cache them in buckets if you like
Wind some coils,grab a few magnets A couple berings and the hard to make parts and your set. print of templates
electricity is easy to generate.
Storage is problem.
/yhchhks

Hydrogen or HHO are the easiest to make.


I have to explain to you the functionality of A Dremel based CNC ?
You can fit in bucket ?

Your broadheads are Amazing, Your A master of design !!!!!
But are they useful,Have you tried one ?
How is that above and beyond ?
Make A kit.
www.steelforce.com...

Here's A solar or A Wind-up up shaver.
www.naturalcollection.com...
www.naturalcollection.com...
Be creative and A port
Go in here... you'll find all kinds alternate energy links.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Daddybare
Wow that is one wicked rig you presented.


[edit on 10-10-2009 by The Utopian Penguin]

reply to post by The Utopian Penguin


As related to survival and camping.


No, your post doesn't give any indication of what all of the pictures you posted are for. For instance what is the application of the IPOT in a survival or camping scenario?


Less durable than the $35 dollar solar razor you posted? Crappier than the $20 crank charger you posted? I find it suspicious that they didn't even mention output power on it. The last crank charger I tried put out 1.6 watts max and that was with my arm feeling like it was going to fall off after 30 seconds. You're the electronics guy. You tell me whats wrong with the math there. Have you even tried this stuff or are you just posting stuff you don't have any clue about again.

I chose that radio because it was cheap, light and it works great. Its much smaller than a canteen of water but I carry one of those to my camp site. I'm going to guess it is smaller and lighter than a hatchet too, but I carry one of those as well. I think it is smaller and lighter than a CNC machine and the laptop and power supply needed to run the CNC too. Another thing I like about it is that the circuit board is all beefy, easy to fix through hole components and there are few parts to fail.


Who can modify them? Does everybody all of a sudden have electronics know how?



Well if we don't know why they are modded and we can't mod them anyway then how is it relevant to us and why did you post them. The same goes with your radios. Why are you posting them. Pictures alone don't help if we don't know why they in particular are something we should be considering.



My radio receives shortwave from around the world which is exactly the function I bought it for. It also has AM, FM, a built in flashlight and charger so in fact it is more functional then I require. It is also smaller and several times lighter than a brick at 0.98 of a pound. It is however nearly the same price as a brick which was one of the main appeals since I wanted one for each of my caches.

In comparison none of the radios you provided a link to pick up short wave at all and the radios you posted have a range of only 28 miles.
I'm not sure why you are comparing my radio to yours at all.



Actually you don't. As you can see from this video I actually design CNC control systems. What I need you to explain is what it has to do with the premiss of this thread. Also I am leery of this particular home made machine. From the comments it seems the only person that has been able to get it to work after building it is the original designer. Have you reviewed or tried this device or are you just posting for the sake of it...again.



Yes I have tried them. I am an avid archer and have used several. They've been through a number of improvements up to this version. As far as useful, they are to me because I can't knap to save my life. As for others, well there are a lot of survival types out there who's improvised weapon of choice is the bow.

It is an item above and beyond the typical items that a survival kit normally contains. I'll edit the OP to clarify what that means.

All of the broadheads in the link you just posted are for modern threaded shafts, an issue I just mentioned in the previous post. Do you now anything about archery or are you just scowering the web for things to argue with me about.

I like the Solar Gorilla charger that you posted. At 550 ma max its not going to run anything but its a nice size and format for trickle charging. I use a small sealed lead acid battery for transferring power between my solar panels at camp and my video equipment when I'm hiking (lead acid because they can take a real electrical and thermal beating) and a solar charger like that would be nice for keeping it topped up.

You know about camping
Survival is A way of life
Maybe you need A geek based camping forum.



I don't need one where I'm going.


I choose A $600 scanner.
It's gets almost everything and It's smaller.


I can



I don't tell anybody,but my group...
I explained to you in your Above and Beyond camping thread which was made as A result of someone trying explain to you when the SHTF in anyway your thinking is flawed.


Go read my threads and posts ? Alternate energy. Long term food storage.
Education,Resources,tutorials, superfoods,non hybrids seeds,off grid refrigeration in the post apocalyptic world using advanced insulation..
I think I know I'm talking about... does sound like i'm camping ?


The radio was created for people like you.


What are you talking about ?

Here the two way radio

www.unidendirect.com...





Your camping,you like the outdoors.
Survival is Camping when your homeless.
Unless you go to a homeless shelter.


Continuous Band Coverage*
25MHz to 1.3GHz Excluding UHF TV and Cellular
www.unidendirect.com...

Survivalist build a little self-sufficient world,they learn skills.
Some survivalists like camping.

DaddyBare Presented A kewl vehicle till it runs out of propane,water and diesel.
I wouldn't buy that ...it's neat though
It's A good bug out vehicle. not for me though.
But if He wants me to convert it alternate fuels it's going cost money.
As for the mods that guy did.
I can do it myself.

I tell you that radio of your using is not A choice for survival and you argue.
It's good for emergencies when the grid goes down.
It's not optimal for survival situations.
It's good for camping.
It's good to have around.
my IPOT is way more entertaining.
If you have people you NEED to talk to in a off-grid situation.
Those Two-way radios are great.
You can call your neighbors.
It like an off grid phone system.
You can even use them camping.

[edit on 11-10-2009 by The Utopian Penguin]

reply to post by The Utopian Penguin

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Sorry dude/dudette. I really need to spend the rest of my time responding to the people that care about the quality of material on this thread. Thanks for contributing.

reply to post by dainoyfb

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OK

So you need a real good bug out location people....
Something Above and Beyond the basics.
Is that shipping container you buried at little damp with condensation ?

Trilobis 65 Floating Home

Neptus 60 Cliff Habitat

Jelly-fish 45 Habitat

The PTB will never expect this.




www.sub-find.com...

[edit on 10-10-2009 by The Utopian Penguin]

Yes I'm sure the wind up radio you presented that is the cheap version,the 200,is much more useful that all band scanner worth 10 times as much and twice as small.

The only thing I don't get uhf tv and cellular.

It's A shame the antenna is breaking quite often on those 200's,but you won't have any problems replacing that yourself.

The other alternative I presented was 3 times smaller,digital has A timer and a clock,plus it's comes with free wind up flashlight and compass.

WOW.... your overwhelm desire to be correct is amazing.
That must of served you positive outcomes through out your life.
Sorry about pointing out inherent flaws.
of course You know I was referring your OP.
As far as mention stars in it.
I don't want them if they arrived flawed.
Enjoy your radio.

reply to post by The Utopian Penguin

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Are you that bored that you must make ill attempts at derailing survival threads on a regular basis? What gives with you? This isn't a political debate. You are reducing this forum to the level of middle school smart @#$ playground antics.

BACK ON TOPIC.

I certainly believe that technology can certainly play a role in a survival situation. Just ask any back country skier who has been caught in an avalanche and has been rescued due to the use of an Avalanche Rescue Beacon.

As a sailor who has frequented open ocean waters we always maintained a well stocked ditch bag equipped with a portable EPIRB in addition to an EPIRB mounted in the vessel. We also kept a Katadyn Survivor manual desalintor pump in the bag as well. Luckily, I never had to use it or the EPIRBS.

It all depends on your survival situation. For a land based BOB, a good addition might be a Brunton Solar Roll charger. www.brunton.com... I haven't used it but it is a well regarded piece of equipment. The larger unit can even charge a car battery.

reply to post by jibeho

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Good call. For a few hundred dollars a desalinator pump is essential (in my opinion) for anyone spending time on salt water bodies.

The inflatable evaporation desalinators rarely pay off because typically the wave action is enough to cause salt water to mix with the desalinated water.

Have you given your desalintor pump a whirl? How do you rate it. I know that when they first came out they were a lot of work to the point that there was barely a difference between how much water your body burns while working the pump and how much fresh water you make. Do you know if that has improved. I haven't kept up since moving from the coast.

Another good idea you touched on is the EPIRBS. Land based EPIRBS might be fitted to some peoples lifestyles if they backpack alone quite a bit. There are ones specifically designed for hikers.

For those who don't know what EPIRBS are, they are transmitters with a GPS built in. If you trigger one it sends your location to a satellite and search and rescue tries to phone you. If they can't get a hold of you or your family then they come and find you. Great if you break a leg, get lost, get hyperthermia, snake byte, etc, etc, etc.

I'm so glad your A MOD. and gave me the applause I just got ?
Was it you ?
You Know,if you don't agree with you, I'll debate you. I'll present you with a better all band tuner ,tell you why yours sucks.explain to your flaws so you will grow.
YOU YOU YOU.

You know if your in thick bush or It's a cloudy day there pretty much useless.Those panels are useful ,but are not the best solution if your on the move.

The one I presented
The solar gorilla is not just a flexible panel.
It's a charging system capable of charging a laptop.
There is a huge difference.


It's A power source !
www.naturalcollection.com...

Now the Burton you presented at max will produce 15.4 Volts / 900 mA
and that costs $650 and has no storage capacity.I can buy to guerrilla's for that price.

Now if Get yourself A good hand crank charger or solar solution....
www.datexx.com...

www.abovetopsecret.com...
If you check out my thread,you'll be able to keep up with advancements in alternate energy.
Sorry for the childish derailment.

[edit on 11-10-2009 by The Utopian Penguin]