Thread: BASIC LIST / SUGGESTED ITEMS FOR LONG TERM SURVIVAL

12 Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Bug Out Bag: Series Post 3 of 12: Shelter and Bedding

February 2, 2012 By Creek 3 Comments
Series Introduction

This post series is for anyone who has an interest or curiosity in building their own Bug Out Bag. In the next 3-4 months leading up to the release of my book Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit, my publisher has authorized me to write a series of 12 posts outlining the 12 Supply Categories needed to build the perfect Bug Out Bag and WHY they are important and necessary. Each post in this 12 Step Series will highlight a separate Bug Out Bag Supply Category.
In my book I elaborate on each of these supply categories in great detail with 100s of detailed photos, instructions, practice exercises, recommended gear and specific supply check-lists. The purpose of this 12 Step Series is to identify, define and explain why each of the 12 Supply Categories I outline in my book are critical elements of a well-thought out Bug Out Bag. I will not get into recommended gear, survival instruction or specific check-lists – I have to save something for the book! This blog series isn’t as much about pitching my book as it is about selling the idea of building a bug out bag. I truly believe that every person should have their own 72 hour disaster survival kit – especially in the uncertain times we live in today. You can almost look at this post series as 12 Reasons Why People Need a Bug Out Bag. It is my hope that this series motivates people to begin building their own kit that may very well serves as their survival life-line one day.
Supply Category # 3: Shelter and Bedding


As fun and cool as it looks, building a natural shelter should be your LAST option in the midst of a Bug Out Evacuation. Natural improvised shelters are labor intensive, time consuming and calorie draining – all of which you want to avoid when getting to a safe destination is your # 1 Priority.
Shelter solutions MUST be included in your BOB and they MUST be tested to work for you and your Bug Out Crew.

Exposure to the elements is the #1 Outdoor Killer – period. A sudden and violent natural disaster (natural or man made) can force you and your family from your home with little to no warning. When the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami struck Japan in March of 2011 it forced TENS OF THOUSANDS of people from their homes with as little as 30 minutes warning. There wasn’t an ‘evacuation safe-haven’ for these people to stay in and no one was waiting at the city edge to cradle them with warm blankets and hot chocolate. Many of them fled to the mountains with what they could carry on their backs. Did you know it was also freezing outside? Can you say BUG OUT BAG?
In extreme conditions, SHELTER can be (and often is) your #1 priority. Humans can die in as little as 3 hours (or less) in extreme cold or hot conditions. There have been countless instances of hypothermia in temperatures as high as 50 degrees. Combine water, wind and cold temps and you have a recipe for death. Besides your clothing, the shelter and bedding you HAVE WITH YOU is your best defense against fighting the battle against exposure. While not very glamorous, this chapter in my book is extremely important. Shelter and Bedding is a critical supply category that should be carefully considered in EVERY Bug Out Bag.

It’s so important, in fact, that I encourage redundancy when it comes to Bug Out Sheltering solutions. Even if you pack a lightweight tent in your BOB, the knowledge and supplies to construct a quick tarp or poncho shelter as a wind or rain break can save your life. I discuss many of these shelter options throughout this chapter. Your main shelter system might get damaged, lost or stolen. Back-up solutions to critical supply categories are important because NOTHING is guaranteed. The survival gain from a light-weight backpacking tarp is well worth any space and weight sacrifices you might make to include one in your BOB.
A roof over your head is only 1 aspect of shelter. In a disaster Bug Out you must be prepared for worst case scenarios. No shelter system is complete without bedding that can keep you warm in the worst of climates. Besides FIRE (which I will discuss in a later post) BEDDING is a key component to keeping your core temp in check during frigid night-time sleeping conditions.

Bedding consists of not only what is ON TOP of you but also what is UNDERNEATH YOU. Conductive heat loss into the cold earth below can render even the best sleeping bag and shelter system virtually useless. Understanding HOW the body loses heat in a wilderness environment is critical to selecting Bug Out Bag Shelter and Sleeping Gear. Even the simplest short-comings came prove deadly in extreme environments.
As with any critical Bug Out Supply category, what works for you may not be the best solution for the next guy and vice versa. Selecting gear is only the first step and it is very personal – there are no RIGHT or WRONG answers. However, all human survival needs are the same and SHELTER is at the top of the list. Your shelter and bedding systems MUST be tested to work and must meet your expectations. If they do not, then it’s back at ground zero. Mother Nature & Mankind can be brutal and merciless adversaries. It’s important that now, during moments of peace and normality, that you invest the necessary time into selecting gear that will withstand the conditions that only a Bug Out situation can present.

Bug Out Survival Shelter |


Similar Posts:

• 12 Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Bug Out Bag: Series Post 1 of 12: Water and Hydration
• 12 Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Bug Out Bag: Series Post 2 of 12: Food and Food Preparation
• Bug Out Bag Preparedness Lessons from the BEAVER: Chip away at it!
• The Bug Out: 4 Aspects Defined
• Indiana Flooding Causes People to BUG OUT

SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA
Life in Argentina after the 2001 crisis.



Feb 16, 2012

Interview with FERFAL regarding advantages of YouTube prepper community versus documentaries like Doomsday Preppers. We cover a lot of ground including:

Argentina, Northern Ireland, Prepper Mindset, Zombies, Looters, Genocide, Doomsday Preppers vs YouTube Preppers, Dave dsarti1 Sarti, Survival Mom, NRA, Gun Rights, Physical Fitness, Avoiding Conflict, Deadly Force, Property Crimes, WROL, UK Preppers, and Cultural Diversity.

Check out FERFAL's book "The Modern Survival Manual" at Amazon.

SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA
Life in Argentina after the 2001 crisis.

Security and New to Preparedness

Monday, February 13, 2012

Dear Ferfal,
I read your book and I’m a big fan of your blog. Who would have thought! I used to be entirely against guns, as I liked to think of myself as a progressive, civilized, professional and peaceful gal. The reality and society that surrounds us, though, is anything but civilized and peace-loving. The thing is that no one takes the trouble to teach you the way the world works. We grow up in some sort of fantasy land where we’re made believe that if we do good, we’ll receive good. That is simply not the case in the real world. As I see the effects of the economic recession unfolding before my eyes; global political unrest (are we heading for another war?), the rise of crime and violence, the sinking middle class, etc., etc. it only makes sense to be prepared. I can’t seem to get my mind off of the savage murder and rape of Dr. Petit’s family in Connecticut. I wish in vain he had read your book. I find myself thinking, did the family have an alarm in their home? Did they have a steel door? A gun or any weapon that could have been used to protect their daughters? That family could be any family in US suburbia where people feel “safe” in their upscale neighborhoods and would never consider getting “paranoid” over security. What an illusion! I can only hope that other families learn from this horrible crime and become better prepared. As of the two scum bags convicted of their murder, I hope they live in misery until executed. Not that it would bring back the precious lives of those murdered and that’s the true tragedy of it all.

I only wish more women read your book, so they could take charge of their safety and be more self-reliant. I feel so much more aware now after reading your book and your blog and can’t thank you enough.
Sincerely, Carol

Hi Carol,
I really enjoy most aspects of survival and preparedness, from defensive training to researching disasters or whats the latest gadget out there and how useful it is, but you know what really makes my day? Emails like yours.

Knowing that I helped someone in one way or another to see things from a different angle, not paranoid or scared but with a better understanding of how the world around us is both wonderful but also at times dangerous, and that the best way to live enjoyable lives is to be ready for both, that’s what gives me energy to continue working. That’s why I started writing and “spreading the message” so to speak in the first place.

A lot of people that are into survival and preparedness are well educated professionals, men and women that have traveled the world and have seen how wonderful but also how cruel it can be at times. We can be the nicest guys (or gals) and still pack a gun and know how to use it, one doesn’t exclude the other by any means. I do believe also that if you do good it does come back at you, just like if you do evil instead. In my opinion its not about karma but almost like a physics principle in which the reaction is similar to the action but in opposite direction, meaning towards you. Always trying to be as good as possible I’ve had more good returning my way than evil. Still I also comprehend that just like there’s people of notable kindness, there’s people of a type of brutality and cruelty not many can fully grasp.

There’s countless other stories like the Petit family but they don’t get much attention in the media or people quickly forget about them. Even if from a purely technical aspect we can analyze the mistakes made in terms of security that lead to such tragic ends, not one of them is to blame for what happened to them.

Eventually you may see the press starting to blame the victims, something too common in Argentina. “He fought back” “He resisted to a robbery”, almost tying to sound similar to resisting a lawful arrest. We must see these moves for what they are, and usually they are techniques used by the establishment to somehow justify what’s unjustifiable. You may start seeing it already. Its mostly gang violence, it happens close to ghettos, close to the border. That murder took place in a run down part of the city. None of them should be excuses.

The one thing we can do is try to learn from these tragic events, these brutal murders so as to not become victims ourselves. Without becoming paranoid there’s always things we can do to become self reliant safety wise.

1)Installing an alarm or having one installed (and putting it to use).

2)Replacing existing locks with better, more resistant ones.

3)Getting a dog capable of pulling guard dog duties. You don’t need the biggest, meanest animal, but make informed decisions when getting a new pet. A video on this is coming up soon.

4)Getting in fighting shape. Take defensive fighting classes. Try several out until you find a martial arts club you feel comfortable with. What’s the best in my opinion? Thai boxing and jujitsu combined with defensive fighting training which includes firearms and knives. If there’s not enough time/money for all that know that doing some will always be better than doing nothing at all.

5)Be more aware of your surroundings, especially during critical times such as entering or leaving your house or vehicle, and incorporate security habits to your daily life. This can be as simple as taking a closer look before opening the garage door, not opening the door to strangers no matter how insistent they are and always remembering to lock your doors.

Again, thank you so much for your email and I’m glad I’ve been of help,
Take care,

FerFAL

SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA: Security and New to Preparedness

The Top 50 Survival Blogs!

1

SHTF Plan

2	Survival Blog

3	The Survival Podcast

4	Urban Survival

5	The Survivalist Blog

6	In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

7	The Survival & Emergency Preparedness Blog

8	Survival And Prosperity

9	The Survival Mom

10	American Preppers Network

11	WillowHavenOutdoor.com

12	Survival Topics

13	Pioneer Survival Blog

14	Preparedness Pantry

15	Off Grid Survival

16	Disaster Preparedness Blog

17	Ice-Qube - Emergency Preparedness Blog

18	Wilderness Survival Skills

19	Surviving In Argentina

20	CARD\'s blog

21	Modern Survival Blog

22	Backwoods Survival Blog

23	Back Door Survival

24	Modern Survival Online

25	Texas Prepper\'s Network

26	Preparedness and Response

27	Shepherd School

28	Stealth Survival

29	Save Our Skills

30	Be A Survivor

31	Bug-Out Survival

32	Total Survivalist Libertarian Rantfest

33	Doug Ritter

34	ATEP Emergency Preparedness Blog

35	Survival Joe

36	Preparedness Pro

37	The Just In Case Book Blog

38	TEOTWAWKI Blog

39

SHTF Blog

40	SHTF America

41	International Preparedness Network

42	Emergency Survival and Preparedness Blog

43	Code Name Bullseye

44	Keep It Simple Survival

45	Survival Times

46	Advanced Survival Guide

47	If It Hits The Fan

48	Survival Common Sense

49	Emergency Preparedness Blog

50	The Retreat

The Top 50 Survival Blogs!

=> View these other great Survival Blogs that almost made the Top 50!

Runners Up

7 Ways to Use Sprouted Wheat


By Angela
Following the tutorial on sprouting wheat, I got the question, “What do you do with sprouts that small?” Good question. They’re not tall green “sprouts” like the alfalfa sprouts you have on your sandwich. What do you do with those little sprouted wheat grains? Well, here’s seven great ways to use sprouted wheat.

1. Eat it plain. I love sprouted wheat right out of the sprouter. By the handful. I can eat it like candy. Really. You could also add some seasonings to it if you like. Sprinkle it with some seasoned salt, cajun seasoning, cinnamon sugar, whatever you like. Try it–you may become a sprouted wheat addict also.
2. Top a salad with it. Sprouted wheat when it’s young is kind of nutty flavored and chewy. Put it on your salad like sunflower seeds.
3. Add it to your bread. If you’re adding it whole, make sure it’s good and moist or the wheat kernels may be a little hard once your bread’s baked. You can also run it through a meat grinder and add it to your bread dough after it’s a bit chopped up. Yummy.
4. Make bread with it. Try this recipe for sprouted wheat bread that doesn’t use any flour or try an essene bread (mine didn’t work–bake it on a pre-heated baking stone to get it to bake right).
5. Keep it growing and grow some wheatgrass. I haven’t grown wheat grass, but I know other people who have and really like it and others that have tried it and don’t like it. Here’s a good video tutorial in case you want to try it.
6. Dry the sprouts out and make them into sprouted wheat flour. I’ve never tried this either, but here’s a video on how to do it (you could also dry them in your dehydrator).
7. Make blender wheat pancakes with it. This tutorial doesn’t have the wheat sprouted, only soaked, but it would work with sprouted wheat as well.
So there’s a start. I’m sure there’s more uses for sprouted wheat than I have listed. If I missed your favorite use for sprouted wheat, leave me a comment and let me know what you do with it. Me? I really love to just eat sprouted wheat plain. In fact, I think I’ll go get some started sprouting now.

http://foodstorageandsurvival.com/7-...prouted-wheat/

Food Storage and Survival

You might also like:

Sprouting Wheat in a Mason Jar

Essene Bread Fail

Seven Preparedness Benefits of Sprouting

Seven Preparedness Benefits of Sprouting

By Angela
photo by fred_v


During February we’ll be focusing on sprouting. Sprouting is the process of germinating seeds to be eaten. If you have never tried sprouting, I’ll show you how you can get started quick and easy. We’ll cover the ins and outs, different seeds to sprout, different sprouting methods, and ways to use your sprouts–stay tuned throughout the month, this is going to be fun!

So today we’re starting with the benefits of sprouting, specifically with survival in mind. You’ll see there are quite a few reasons you might want to include sprouts in your preparedness plan.

1. Sprouts are high in nutrition. Before seeds sprout they are dormant little plants. Sprouting changes the chemistry of the seed and adds vitamins and nutrients that weren’t there before. It’s like storing extra vitamins in your food storage.
2. Sprouts grow fast. You can have fresh produce in as little as 3-5 days. How does that compare to your garden?
3. Sprouts require no soil and very little space to grow. You can grow fresh, nutritious foods with no garden plot. This is especially great if you live in a place with a small yard, an apartment, or a rental house. You can even grow sprouts while you’re traveling!
4. Sprouts are easy to grow. Easy. Even if you’ve never had a garden work for you or are notorious for killing houseplants, you can grow sprouts.
5. Sprouts grow during any season. You don’t need to wait for spring or summer to plant and grow sprouts. Sprouts don’t care that it’s the middle of winter.
6. Sprouts don’t even require sunlight. You can grow them in the winter in Alaska. Which would also make them a good source of fresh food in any disaster in which the sun isn’t shining so brightly (volcanic eruption, etc.).
7. Mature sprouts are approximately 2-10 times the volume of food as their dry seed counterparts. For example, one cup of wheat berries equals over 1 3/4 cups of sprouted wheat. 1/8 cup zesty sprout mix (alfalfa, clover, radish, other small greens) grows to over 2 cups of sprouts! This means you can store a lot of food in a very small space.
So if you want a source for fresh food with some high nutritional content that is easy and quick to grow and adds variety and versatility to your food storage, you’re going to love sprouting!

Seven Preparedness Benefits of Sprouting « Food Storage and Survival

Light Sleepers More Likely To Get Alzheimer’s

February 17, 2012 by Personal Liberty News Desk




The amount and quality of sleep you get at night may affect your memory later in life, according to research to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans in April.

“Disrupted sleep appears to be associated with the build-up of amyloid plaques, a hallmark marker of Alzheimer’s disease, in the brains of people without memory problems,” says study author Yo-El Ju, MD, with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “Further research is needed to determine why this is happening and whether sleep changes may predict cognitive decline.”

Researchers tested the sleep patterns of 100 people between the ages of 45 and 80 who were free of dementia. Half of the group had a family history of Alzheimer’s disease. A device was placed on the participants for two weeks to measure sleep. Sleep diaries and questionnaires were also analyzed by researchers.

After the study, it was discovered that 25 percent of the participants had evidence of amyloid plaques, which can appear years before the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease begin. The average time a person spent in bed during the study was about eight hours, but the average sleep time was 6.5 hours due to short awakenings in the night.

The study found that people who woke up more than five times per hour were more likely to have amyloid plaque build-up compared to people who didn’t wake up as much.

Light Sleepers More Likely To Get Alzheimer’s : Personal Liberty Alerts=

Doctors Now ‘Firing’ Patients Who Reject Vaccination

Mike Barrett
NaturalSociety
February 16, 2012

For many years government and health officials have been trying to push vaccination on the people. While childhood vaccine exemption rateshave been increasing, we have been seeing an overall increase in the amount of people receiving the flu shot each year. There have even been numerous occasions where legislators and others have called for mandatory vaccinations that could affect health care workers in particular. In fact, many pediatricians are so angry with their patients who refuse vaccination that they are ‘firing’ patients and their families, refusing to play their role as doctor.

Pediatricians “Firing” Parents and Families for Refusing Vaccines for Children

That’s right, pediatricians are refusing to help parents — and their families — if they aren’t ‘responsible’ enough to vaccinate their children. One study of Connecticut pediatricians found that some 30 percent of 133 doctors said they they refused to help a family due to vaccine refusal. Another survey of 909 Midwestern pediatricians found that 21 percent dismissed a family due to vaccine refusal.

While doctors are trained and told to ‘sell’ these vaccines, many people are becoming aware of vaccine dangers and risks. One study found that more than 1 in 10 parents are straying away from the traditional vaccine schedule, with the number to increase exponentially over the next few years. For doctors to refuse care for those making a decision for their own health is irresponsible to say the least.
Perhaps doctors should consider these truths about vaccines and the flu shot before ‘firing’ patients who refuse to be pricked.

• Flu vaccines have been shown to be quite ineffective. They simply aren’t nearly as helpful as health officials make them out to be.
• Vaccines suppress the immune system which could actually increase your risk for contracting the flu for weeks or months.
• The flu shot “protects” against the influenza virus, but only about 20 percent of flu sicknesses are caused by influenza type A or B. The 80 percent remaining are caused by over 200 other bugs which make you feel like you have the flu.
• Flu shots have been linked to killer nerve disease.
• Vaccines contain chemicals called adjuvants, which are causing numerous health complications.
• Your immune system is the absolute best defense for any sickness.
• Vitamin D is over 800 percent more effective at preventing and reversing flu, with no side effects.

After reviewing this information, it is no wonder why so many parents are refusing vaccines for their child. If your doctor is refusing to help you due to vaccine refusal, be sure to thank him later for making you find a different doctor.

Pediatricians Refusing Parents for Child Vaccine Refusal | Natural Society


Explore More:

1. Should You Follow Through with Vaccination?
2. Doctors Often Withhold Information from their Patients
3. African Country Threatens to Jail Parents for Skipping Polio Vaccination
4. New Bill to Mandate Flu Vaccine for New Jersey Health Care Workers
5. Swine Flu Vaccine Linked to Guillain Barre May Also Lead to Narcolepsy
6. VacciNation: Duped by Medical Quackery

Food
Water
Shelter
Light
Cook
Communicate
Navigate
Seeds
Solar
Tools
Essentials


Food : Welcome to NuManna Foods, When your life depends on it

3 Month Premium Food Supply

Model: 540 Serving 90 Day Food Supply
Shipping Weight: 60lbs
30 Units in Stock
Manufactured by: Numanna

3 Month Premium Food Supply [540 Serving 90 Day Food Supply] - $1,029.00 : Welcome to NuManna Foods, When your life depends on it


6 Months Premium Food Supply

Model: 1080 Serving 6 Month Food Supply
Shipping Weight: 120lbs
30 Units in Stock
Manufactured by: Numanna

6 Months Premium Food Supply [1080 Serving 6 Month Food Supply] - $1,979.00 : Welcome to NuManna Foods, When your life depends on it