What to Include in Your Basic Wilderness First Aid Kit
While exploring the wilderness can be an eminently satisfying undertaking, some of the very aspects that make it so enjoyable can also make it dangerous. Escaping from civilization can certainly be freeing. However, it also means being separated from important services—like medical care.
It’s important for each and every member of your party to be well-versed in basic first aid so that everyone can contribute effectively if there’s an emergency.
Building a Basic First Aid Kit
The first step to being prepared for a medical emergency in the wilderness is to ensure that you have the best tools available. Whether you build your own first aid kit or opt for a prepared first aid kit, you should take the initiative to ensure the kit has the following items, and that you know how to use them.
• Gloves, preferably nitrile, as latex is an all-too-common allergen. You’ll want to have quite a few pair—remember, they shouldn’t be reused.
• Athletic tape, 1 inch wide. Bring ample supplies of this—approximately one roll per person multiplied by the number of weeks you anticipate being in the wilderness. Not only is this tape essential for dressing wounds, it’s also great for preventing/treating blisters or for supporting joints (like a twisted ankle).
• Sterile wrapped gauze pads in a variety of sizes. Make sure you get some that are non-adherent, as these are ideal for certain types of wounds like abrasions or burns.
• Rolled gauze or a similar product to help maintain a dressing in place over a wound
• A tourniquet
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Basic over the counter medications: topical antibiotic cream, antihistamines, pain relievers, and gastrointestinal medications (stomach soothing medications, anti-diarrheals, etc.)
Pack your kit in an organized fashion and in a waterproof container.
7 Homesteading Skills You Should Teach Your Kids
More and more people are turning back to the skills from the past to become more independent or even just to escape the fast paced lifestyle that surrounds us.
You can pass these skills on to your children and grandchildren.
You will be teaching them valuable skills that will carry them through life.
Here are some skills you can teach your kids:
Sewing/crocheting/knitting
Start off with a fun project that your child will love to make.
For example, you can start with a simple square quilted baby blanket for a girl's doll crib.
It will teach her to cut fabric, use a sewing machine, and match colors.
Laundry/sorting/ironing/stain removal/drying
You can teach children as young as five to do laundry.
Probably the best way to start is to teach them how to sort clothes.
How to separate white s from colored clothes and towels from jeans, for instance.
You might find that your three your old soon learns how to fold clothes better than you.
Cooking/baking/meal planning/preserving
Give your child his or her own cookbook and they will soon love to make dinner for their parents.
Cleaning/schedules/bed making/organizing/natural cleaners
Cleaning their rooms is one of the first lessons most children learn.
Show them how to do it the correct way a few times.
Teach them how to organize their toys and make their beds.
Gardening/herbs/flowers/lawn care
Children love the outdoors, so gardening is the perfect way for the whole family to participate.
Teach them what weeds look like and what plants look like.
They will learn where their food comes from and how to feed their families by planting a garden.
Wood/chopping/splitting/firestarting
Older children should learn all the basic skills they will need to provide warmth for their family.
Young children can start stacking and hauling wood, even if it is one piece at a time.
Hunting and fishing/gun safety/woods survival/butchering
Familiarize your children with chicken butchering, fish cleaning, and hunting safety from an early age.
They will learn early on where their food comes from and to respect the life cycle.
Children as young as six or seven can start learning basic small animal butchering.
5 Surprising Things That Will Be Like Money When SHTF
When SHTF and society collapses, paper money could be worthless. You will need other items to take their place and for bartering. Items that prolong life or make it more enjoyable will be very valuable commodities. You might want to start investing in some of these items now.
Toilet paper
You probably never thought of toilet paper as something rare. It will be after SHTF. It will be known as "rolled gold." Toilet paper will be an item that will be hard to make after a collapse, so stock up on it now.
Water filtration kits
Water may be the most important thing to have after a disaster. Clean, disease free water, that is. For that, you need a good water filtration kit.
Cigarettes
Even if you don't smoke or can't stand someone who does, you have to admit one thing... Many people will do anything for a smoke after a collapse. Cigarettes will be very good barter items.
Salt
This will be a precious commodity, as it has been in the past all over the world. The word "salary" comes from the Latin word for "salt" because Roman soldiers were paid with salt. Salt is portable and can be bartered in any amount you choose.
Antibiotics
These will keep people alive when the medical system breaks down and conditions are less than sanitary. Of course, you need a prescription, so they are hard to stockpile. However, you can get antibiotics for animals, such as fish, without a prescription. Many people say they are almost identical to the human versions.
75 Bug Out Bag List Essentials
 |
| (Image by Bill Bradford) |
Seemingly, not a day goes by that news doesn't flash across our televisions or computer screens reporting of the latest catastrophic natural disaster, terrorist attack or threat, or even the imminent collapse of some major geopolitical or economic system. Sounds all too familiar doesn't it...
It's because of these increasingly unpredictable, or black swan events that there's a growing movement amongst individuals like you to be sufficiently prepared, come what may.
One of the simplest, most crucial steps in disaster preparedness is to have a well-thought-out and organized bug out bag list to aid in your preparations. This will ensure you have the equipment needed to make your departure from an area of disorder or complete chaos a safe one.
A Bug Out Bag List is Not One Size Fits All
An excellent bug out bag starts with a great bug out bag list.
It doesn't necessarily mean everything you put on the list will end up going into your bag, but at least you've got a pretty good idea of where to start.
The last thing you want to happen is not start because you don't now how. Especially if you're just beginning, it's easy to get overwhelmed with the ton of information out there.
Some of it's really good. Some of it's... not.
Building A Bug Out Bag Does Not Have to Be Difficult
Building your own customized bug out bag doesn't have to be difficult. In fact, it should be a fun and enjoyable experience. After all, having a solid bug out plan, and knowing that you're planning well-in-advance should help put your mind at ease about "SHTF" scenarios.
So whether you're new to the idea of bugging out, or you've been in this neck of the woods for a while now, there's most likely something you can take away from the following.
Choosing a Bug Out Bag
The first item on your bug out bag list is the bag itself. There are several schools of thought on this topic, of which the two main ones are:
1) You should choose the best bag for you
2) You should only choose the bag after you have the items
Regardless of how you decide to go about it, make sure your bug out bag is durable, fits you well and is comfortable and has plenty of storage space and compartments to stow your survival gear.
Make sure your bug out bag list includes the following items:
Water and Hydration
Arguably the most important bug out bag essentials are related to water and hydration. The human body can go without water for only 72 hours, whereas it can go without food for about 3 weeks. Water is an absolute must-have in your bug out bag. One liter minimum, per day, per person is highly recommended.
Recommended items critical to adequate hydration are listed below.
- Drinking Water (3 Liters)
- Collapsible Water Bottle
- Hard Water Bottle
- Metal Water Bottle / Canteen
- Water Filters / Purification Systems
- Water Purification Tablets (Qty 3)
Food and Food Preparation
Next up are food stuffs. In the preparedness community there are a lot of people eager to recommend various products, mostly off-the-shelf, dehydrated, store-bought items. A goog bug out bag list contains a variety of non-perishable food items, some that might require water and some that don't. In a real bug out situation, you don't know how scarce your water source might be. To be safe, plan for more scarce than you think.
Most of these items are self-explanatory, but the important thing to know now is, you'll want enough food to last three days at least. Multiply your food requirements by the number of people that would be traveliing with you. For heat-resistance and durability, make sure you have metal cooking utensils and cookware.
- Protein / Energy Bars (Qty 6)
- MREs / Dehydrated Meals (Qty 3)
- Spork
- P-38 Can Opener
- Metal Cooking Pot
- Metal Cup
- Pot Scrubber
- Portable Stove
- Stove Fuel (Qty 8 Tablets)
Clothing
Choosing clothing for your bug out bag is a very personalized selection as everyone has different body types, tolerances and levels of fitness. The items listed below are to be strategically layered to maintain a healthy, comfortable body temperature at all times.
Your clothes selection will obviously depend on your location, climate and the other factors listed above. You should evaluate your bug out bag every six months. At these times you'll want to have a seasonal selection of clothes that you can swap out when necessary.
At least two changes of clothes ensure you can always have a dry set to wear. The last thing you want while bugging out, and in the elements, is wet clothes. Not only are they uncomfortable, but hypothermia is a real concern not to be taken lightly.
- Lightweight Long Sleeve Shirt
- Convertible (Zip-Off) Pants
- Underwear
- Wool Hiking Socks (Qty 3 pair)
- Medium Weight Fleece
- Hat w/ Flex Brim
- Working Gloves
- Rain Poncho
- Shemagh
Shelter and Bedding
At first glance, to the experienced survivalist, some of the items listed for this category might seem excessive or even impractical. But the items on this list are specifically made compact and lightweight with the backpacker in mind.
Yes, you can make a shelter out of a tarp or use a trash bag filled with leaves as a makeshift ground pad, but these items are a wise choice to include for numerous reasons. Being well-rested, both mentally and physically, is extremely important when times are rough. Do what you can to make sure you're at your mental and physical peak at all times.
- Tarp
- Tent
- Sleeping Bag
- Ground Pad
- Wool Blanket
Heat Source
Having several means for starting a fire is also essential when bugging out. The following basics should be included in every bug out bag. The reason being, there is a saying in the survivalist and firearms communities:
"Where there are two, there's one. Where there's one, there's none."
Essentially that means, if you don't have a back up, and your primary fails you... you're toast.
For that very reason, have at least three different means of starting a fire on your bug out bag list of items to pack.
- Ignition Source (Qty 3)
- Tinder (Qty 3)
- Waterproof Storage
First Aid
First aid is one of those areas where there are a lot of "done for you" type products out there that just aren't well-suited for a survival kit. Look for first aid kits that are specifically made for "survival" and have high ratings from reputable sources. Of course, you can always build your own if you know the right items to include.
- First Aid Kit
- Insect Repellant
- Mylar Survival Blanket
Hygiene
Various aspects of personal hygiene are often overlooked when compiling a bug out bag list of essentials. But the implications of forgoing any of these for an extended period of time might lead to infections and a rapid deterioration in health. When bugging out, you need to be at the top of your game, so be sure to pack these items.
- Wet Napkins
- Hand Sanitizer
- All-Purpose Camp Soap
- Hygiene/Signal Mirror
- Small Pack Towel
- Travel Toilet Paper (Qty 2)
Tools
Next to weapons, this is the one category that everyone loves to go crazy over. And it's easy to see why; gadgets are cool, and some of these are especially sweet. But remember this: "every ounce counts." Determine the must-haves and forget the rest. That said, consider including the following three tools in your bug out bag.
- Survival Knife
- Multi-Tool
- Machete
Lighting
Illumination, like fire sources, is something you'll need multiple instances of as well. If one fails or you lose it somehow, you have another to take its place. Each item listed below has multiple uses, but they all serve the same purpose - helping you see what you're doing or find where you're going. Don't forget the extra batteries!
- LED Headlamp
- Mini LED Keychain
- Light Glowstick
- Mini LED Light
- Candles
- Batteries
Communications
Communications is another highly contested category in the preparedness community. Not all potential scenarios will allow for use of these items, but if your situation does, you'll be glad to have these items with you.
- Cell Phone
- Crank Power Charger
- Emergency Radio with Hand Crank
Travel Aids
Depending on the situation you find yourself in, these items might prove quite useful. Don't leave home without carefully thinking these through first.
- Documentation (Passport, Identification etc.)
- $500 Minimum in Small Bills
- Quarters (Qty 8)
- Gold / Silver Bullion Coins
- Local Area Map
- Compass
- Small Note Pad / Pencil
- Emergency Whistle
Self Defense
Without a doubt, this is a controversial topic.
Self defense is something everyone should give serious consideration. Bugging out, in its severest of circumstances, is a survive or die proposition. Whether you choose a handgun, a rifle, both, or just a can of pepper spray, it's completely up to you. But you can be sure in a bug out scenario, being equipped to defend yourself and hunt wild game will be a welcomed option for most.
If you choose not to carry a weapon, or are not allowed to do so, then at least consider some degree of self defense training - especially if you have a family - as they'll be depending on you for their safety.
- Pepper Spray
- Handgun
- Takedown rifle
- Ammunition (Qty 25 rnds minimum)
Miscellaneous
These are items that didn't necessarily fit into any of the other categories, but they're just as important for inclusion in your bug out bag. Chances are some of the items will have you scratching your head, but you'll want these items in your bug out bag too.
- 550 Parachute Cord (50')
- Cotton Bandana
- Duct Tape (25')
- 55 Gal. Contractor Garbage Bag (Qty 2)
- Resealable Bags (Qty 5, Various Sizes)
- Sunglasses
- N95 Face Mask
- Sewing Kit
- Latex Tubing (3')
- Fishing Kit
- Condoms (Non-lubricated)
- Binoculars (Optional)
- Face Paint
- Military Surplus Survival / Snare Wire
The Bug Out Bag List above isn't intended as Gospel truth. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to do your own due diligence and come to your own conclusions. Your bug out bag will not "automagically" keep you alive. It is, however, intended to help you survive a bug out scenario.
If you don't learn how to use these items effectively and practice using them on a regular basis, all the bug out bags in the world probably won't be able to help you.
Emergency preparedness is not a fad, nor a hobby. It's a way of life. If you believe that, you'll be all that much better off as a result.
If you enjoyed this article and would like a free, detailed version of the list for your own personal use, be sure to visit www.BugOutBagAcademy.com for this and other great bug out bag related resources.
Also, if you know of anyone who would like this post, please share with your like-minded friends. By doing so, you'll be helping educate and empower other people to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sterling_F._Cooper
http://EzineArticles.com/?75-Bug-Out-Bag-List-Essentials&id=7877100
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)