Is a weather radio necessary?
I get asked this question a lot. The answer is a resounding yes. Weather radios can give you information about what is going on, what is coming (in most cases), and what they recommend if severe weather is imminent.
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What are the basic essentials camping gear?
This is a great question, and I’ll go over the list below. But this question really deserves to ask the question of the type of camping you are going to do. If you are camping out of a car, bring all the creature comforts. If you are doing a hike through, you may want to minimize what you bring to make the hike a bit easier.
I can’t swim so should I learn to tread water first?
Yes, but learn to swim and tread water at the same time. If you’re going to spend time in the water, why not train both. Treading water is an important skill, and one that needs to be mastered. Becoming good at treading water is partly a mental fitness as well as physical.
Are CB radios any good for survival?
People think that CB radio is dead, but in fact it is still very well used by truckers and people on the road a lot like RVers. With GMRS usage picking up and repeaters throughout the country, you would think most have moved off CB radios.
Do I need to melt ice or snow before drinking it?
Absolutely! As strange as this sounds, if the temperature is cold enough, eating ice or snow will dehydrate you. Consuming snow or ice will drop your core temperature, which will work your body to continue heating it.
How do I know if I am dehydrated?
Being thirsty is not necessarily dehydration, like being hungry is not starvation. You hit moderate dehydration when you have dry mouth and an increased heartbeat at rest. You are in severe dehydration when you feel like, or you start vomiting and have diarrhea. Remember 3 days without water may kill you and rapid dehydration can kill you sooner.
Starting a fire with chocolate, a soda can, and a rag
People think I am crazy, but if I have a soda can, some chocolate, and a rag or even a T-shirt, I can start a fire. The can should be made of aluminum and the bottom should be aluminum and not coated with paint or a plastic overlay. In a nutshell, this is a way to build a parabolic fire starter.
TOUGH-GRID 550 lb and 750 lb Paracord
The Tough-Grid 550 lb and Tough-Grid 750 lb paracords are my go-to paracords for all my packs. I usually carry a minimum of 100 ft of the 550 lb, and at least 20 ft of the 750 lb. I have use the 550 lb paracord to make a paracord bracelet, a pace counter for navigation and orienteering, as well as used it in adventure and survival situations. I won’t go with just any other paracord anymore for survival tasks.
My favorite all-purpose paracord – TOUGH-GRID Paracord
A paracord is a paracord, so most people think, but I love Tough-Grid for many reasons. I have really stressed these, and it breaks beyond the 550 lb test, though I would say 550lbs is guaranteed by the company. I usually carry a minimum 100 feet of Tough-Grid paracord for every occasion.
REVIEW: The ever-popular Baofeng UV-5R
Baofeng UV-5R is a ham radio that works on 2m and 70cm bands. It is so popular that there are significantly more of these units sold than the number of ham radio licensees out in the world. Granted I have quite a few of these since no two are alike, more on that later in the review, and they break so people replace it with another Baofeng UV-5R. What makes these radios so popular is you get a very simple dual band ham radio for an amazingly low price.