Effective ways to Carry Water Outdoors

These are good container choices!

Survival Gear Reviews: Effective ways to Carry Water Outdoors: "Being able to carry sufficient water is a survival must. Dehydration can cause you to collapse in the heat or in the cold, and it can kill..."

Include Intangibles in Your Survival Kit

Intangibles can help you survive!

Some of the most valuable survival tools don’t cost anything, you can’t buy one and you absolutely can’t get along without them.
To quote me in a previous story:
” Include a small laminated photograph of  family and/or note in gear: I opened my duffel bag at elk camp in the middle of nowhere, Idaho, several years ago to find little notes from my 10-year old daughter stuck in pockets, rolled-up socks, and in my book. I put all those notes in my survival gear before heading out into the backcountry. 
To read the rest of the story, click here.

Tornado Coming? Plan, Prepare and Survive!

Obviously, tornado season is here!
If you live in area where these storms occur, a realistic preparedness question should be: What do I do to get ready for a tornado?
Here’s a place to start, preferably on a bright, sunny day with no storm clouds, when you have time to think logically: Realize that you could be in danger! If you live in tornado areas, it isn’t a matter of if the big winds will hit, but when!
Click here for some preparedness suggestions, and what items you need in your tornado survival kit!

Peter Kummerfeldt: Emergency Blankets and Vests That Work!

The Blizzard vests work well!

Blizzard Products – vests, blankets and sleeping bags. I had actually come across these products several years ago but didn’t pay them much attention to them because of my bias against anything made from “space blanket” material.

I was very skeptical that the Refelexcell material would stand up to the rigors of a night or two sleeping in an emergency shelter.

I was proven wrong! Not only did they remain largely intact but they also offered considerable protection! 

To read Peter's review, click here.

Peter Kummerfeldt: Sheltering in Your Vehicle

Winter driving is dangerous - make sure you are prepared for and unexpected stop.

Anyone who drives faces the possibility of spending a unplanned night in a vehicle. Bad weather, breakdowns, running out of fuel, getting stuck are some of the more common reasons why a driver might have to bed down for the night (or perhaps for several nights) until the situation is resolved.

A night out does not have to be a life-threatening experience. Drivers who accept the possibility that the unforeseen
may happen are drivers who prepare  for the experience. On the other hand, drivers who deny the possibility may find themselves fighting for their lives!
Here are some things you can do:

Survival Gear For Rock-and-Roll Emergencies!

That's my boy!

Always carry your pocket survival gear and you'll be ready for just about anything!
That happened last night when I went to an Indie Rock show at the Old Stone Church in Bend, OR,  that featured Portland bands "The Autonomics" and "The Dirty Words."
When my wife and I got there, the Autonomics lead guitar player (who is also my son, Dan) had an amp die, just before the show was about to start.
(Turns out, as is typical of most rock shows, the program's starting time was actually a statement of purpose!)
But it only took my dinky little light on my keychain survival kit to quickly help find and fix the loose wire.
I also had in my pocket a BIC lighter wrapped with about two feet of duct tape. My Leatherman Wave was in the car, along with more duct tape, as was 100 feet of paracord, should the repair job have escalated in scope!
Be prepared if you want to rock out!

The Autonomics: Dan Pantenburg and brothers Vaughn and Evan Likem.

Keychain survival gear

Weather Emergencies Make Vehicle a Survival Boat

Whether it's evacuations in California ordered as a result of tsunami waves caused by the Japanese earthquake, flooding in Ohio, Tennessee and Pennsylvania this week, or the unexpected break-down in the desert or mountains, many people wind up on their own or even stranded in their vehicle, which becomes a kind of lifeboat.

But what is in that lifeboat to help an individual or a family cope with adverse conditions? Too few drivers keep basic tools and other necessities and helpers to endure a night or more alone in a car, or the basics to get a damaged car back on the road.

There are a few small things you can carry to make life on the road easier. Click here to learn more!