Equipment and Material Questions from Survivalists

I routinely receive singular questions from readers so it has been my practice to save them up, the ones I don't answer via e-mail, and post them with my comments.

1. "Have you seen or tasted Survival Tabs? Are you stocking Survival Tabs as part of your food supply or Bug Out bag?"

UrbanMan's reply: Short answer is no. I haven't seen Survival Tabs since we tested them circa 1984. Great idea, to carry 15 days of survival food in a plastic tub that will fit into a one quart canteen carrier - they even come with a plastic bag so you can transfer the survival tabs into the bag and use the plastic tub as a water canteen, BUT the key point here is that they taste like crap. Again, no, I do not have any Survival Tabs, nor will I be buying any. I have soup mixes, granola bars, nuts, and small food packets for my Bug Out bags.

2. "I did not see you list bandage scissors in your medical kit recommendations. The primary use for bandage scissors is to cut the clothes, such as pants, off of patients to address the wounds and injuries. Do you advocate using a seat belt cutter instead of scissors?"

UrbanMan's reply: I'm not going to go back and check, but every kit I have has either the common bandage scissor, surgical scissors and/or a multi-tool with scissors. Scissors of many types belong in the preppers stocks. From first aids needs, to harvesting vegetables to dressing game - scissors are valuable. The latest and greatest medical scissors will be shortly offered from Leatherman, the creator of the original Multi-tool. Their new product is called the Leatherman Raptor. I got my hands on one a few months ago and this is gem with the standard shears and includes a glass breaker, strap and ring cutter and even a wrench for oxygen tanks. I will be buying at least two of these when they are offered hopefully in May 2013.


3. "I do not have a flint and steel fire starter. I don't see the need if one has boxes of lighters, regular and storm matches."

UrbanMan's reply: Fair enough. I will continue to keep my several magnesium flint and steel fire starters. I also have boxes of matches, cases of MRE's with matvches in the accessory pack, bags of Bic lighters and even a couple fancy storm lighters with can be replaced with fuel. Magnesium starts last a long, long time. My way is to use them wherever I can, saving the lighters and matches. My boxes of regular and stick matches are mainly for barter, but I have enough Bic lighters to trade one where and there if/when the collapse hits and commodities barter replace precious metals to a large extent as we transition to a straight barter soceity. Consider PACE planning, that is Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency measures in all aspects of your collapse survival plan, from material and food supplies, to firearms, to route planning and Bug Out plans and yes even to fire starting. So come on get yourself a megnesium fire starter - you'll enjoy starting fires feeling like Grizzly Adams!

Reggie Bennett, Survival Instructor and High Tech Survival Tools

In my mind's eye I see a person surviving in the wilderness as a short term venture. A person spending all day working on survival tasks such as repairing or improving a lean to or dug out shelter; procuring fire wood; checking and setting traps and snares; maybe laying in fishing lines; repiaring gear or clothing; procuring edible or medicinal plants; constructing hunting weapons and tools.

Again, all of this is short range survival - very few people can do this for even weeks on end, let alone year in and year out, through all sesons and weather conditions. But this does not mean that the well prepared Survivor should discount these wilderness survival skills. Perhaps the main objective of these skills is to give a person confidence for all situations and to orient the survival mindset or what Reggie Bennett calls the positive mental attitude.

I stumbled across this article on Reggie Bennett, Virginia based wilderness survival instructor, from a Yahoo! article by Marc Istook:

If you want to learn survival skills, be it low or high tech, Reggie Bennett is the man. Friendly and unassuming, at first glance you may not realize that he is the quintessential survivalist. But with U.S. military training that taught him how to brave some of the globe's harshest conditions, and his time spent instructing Air Force pilots on how to survive, he is uniquely equipped to teach others at his Mountain Shepherd Wilderness Survival School in Catawba, Virginia.

On a sprawling 100 acres, Reggie and his wife Dina host everyone from housewives to schoolkids, CEOs to active-duty armed forces, and one lucky Yahoo! News host — yours truly. You don't mess around with Reggie.

The open spaces in Virginia make a great location for this kind of training. It's close enough to Roanoke that it's easy for guests to fly in. But it's remote enough that you feel at one with nature — even if that does mean I spent hours searching in vain for a cell phone signal. To sum up Reggie's vast knowledge in one training session would be impossible. So he makes his survival tips simple, boiling them down to seven key priorities. They involve the basics, like finding food, water and shelter.

A bit more complicated — starting a fire, signaling for help and providing first aid. But the most important aspect according to Reggie: maintaining a positive mental attitude. It's a perspective that's accessible to anyone braving the elements. And without it, he says, surviving becomes significantly more difficult. Reggie's training taught him how to make it out of the wilderness with nothing but the most primitive tools.

But with the help of a little technology, we can increase our odds of survival in almost any situation. Modern water purifiers use advanced filtration methods to keep us hydrated. Cell phone and GPS technology can help us find our way, or help rescuers locate us more quickly than ever. Today's compact, efficient batteries and solar power units keep our gadgets charged, long after the power — and cell phone signal - has gone out.

Don't forget to keep a positive mental attitude! Low tech or high tech, Reggie has found a way to make the idea of surviving fun. His school takes all comers, from those wanting to learn simple camping tips to mountain men looking to conquer the wild. I highly recommend meeting Reggie and checking out his survival school. Maybe I'll even see you there… just keep your eyes peeled for the slightly lost Yahoo! host, desperately seeking a cell phone signal.

Urban Survival Planning - Manual Tools Essential

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com received the following equipment tip from VisionMan.

When making plans for emergency or potential survival situations, it is important to pack tools in your bug out kits that could save your bacon. The problem is, many of us plan for a multitude of emergencies that may occur. We end up stuffing our packs to the breaking point with a payload that would buckle the knees of even the best pack mule. Lessons learned. The key to preparedness or even survival is to be armed with the right tools and the right knowledge.

To accomplish a lighter pack load, most experts recommend packing multi-task tools so you can hump it to your destination with less weight. The new Crovel, a core mix between a shovel and crowbar, is the ultimate multi-task tool. At first glance it looks familiar; like an e-tool, but the Crovel boasts the function of 13 additional tools. It also differentiates itself by its sheer strength. Made of 10-gauge hard steel, the Crovel crushes its fellow competitors who offer flimsy stamped steel shovel heads with wooden handles. When put through a rigid test, these competing shovels always bend and break.

The heavy duty structure of the Crovel includes a shovel head that flaunts a razor edge connected to a solid crowbar. Not only does it hold an edge, it can take the place of an ax. The handle is a harden 18inch gooseneck crow bar with a 1 inch hammer head. This makes for a formidable entry, prying or fastening tool, not to mention a fear-inducing weapon against a determined foe.

This tool will not fail, even if you do.
To check out the Crovel shovel, click: survivaloutdorgear - crovel

Survival Chronicles of Jim – Chapter 6

Okay! Now I feel like I have accomplished something. Although I am not necessarily buying into the whole “the World is going to Crash” scenario, I AM practical enough to have a plan just in case something does happen. My Survival Bug Out Bag is now complete, or at least to a stage where I am comfortable having something ready to grab as I run out the door. I’ll continue to add Survival Gear and Survival Tools as I become aware of them and find value in them, not to mention if I can afford them!

Have not yet heard back from Neomi. I’m going wait for her to call me. If she wants to be prepared, I’ll help her, but I am not going to be placed into a position where I have to talk her into it.

I went to the local Bureau of Land Management Office and bought maps to cover my route from home to my survival safe location in case at any point during my movement to my Survival Safe Location (the family cabin), I will have some navigation aids. Next I need to learn how to read a map and navigate better.

I also bought another rim and spare tire for my Toyota Rav 4 vehicle, so now I have two full up spares. I also went to a local military surplus store and bought what is called a “shelter halves”, which is a light weight green canvas tent, and a section of netting, called a ‘Light Weight Camouflage Screening System or LWCCS in military jargon”. I’ll keep all this in my garage until circumstances will key me to start loading my vehicle in a higher level of readiness.

The shelter halves will be used to place over my Toyota’s front and rear windshields if I have to stash the vehicle or hole up in the forests or in the desert - this will reduce the shine and reflection off the glass. I can roll down the other windows. The camouflage netting I can use to drape over my vehicle. After all, my vehicle is red! The Survival guys told me that I can use or make wet dirt or mud and “paint” my vehicle with that as well as to use green duct tape to reduce all the shiny areas such as chrome trim, etc.

My next step is to find the best spots from my house to the Survival Safe Location to hole up at, whether I’m driving or walking, and water sites like streams, lakes or ponds. I will be carrying 100 ounces of water in my Survival Bug Out Bag, plus four additional quarts of water, plus a couple of Energy drinks (not the commercial sugar laden kind but a healthy energy drink I buy from a buddy of mine).

If I can make it out of the city, pickup my son at college and make it out of that small town, then I will have about 140 miles left to travel to get to the cabin and could make it in seven days, which will require me to pre-load seven days worth of Main Stay Survival bars in my Survival Bug Out Bag. (click here to see the Product Review on Mainstay Survival Food Bars).

I’ll also put together a package of food and water to rapidly load in my vehicle for my Bug Out plan, so I’ll have food and water during my trip to the Survival Safe Location and not have to touch the contents of my Survival Bug Out Bag.