Two Tip Tuesday: Intro to a Rabbit Stick and an Atlatl

Three Survival Items That Never Fail

We have all watched in horror as a piece of our trusted survival gear breaks. We have all watched attachments break, blades snap and even handles crack. It happens. Most of the time it happens on a camping trip with little risk. Thank God for that! Still, it has a serious affect when it happens.

Instantly, you are transported to a place and time where that piece of gear is all that separates you from disaster. It’s a terrifying thought. It calls into question the quality of your gear and how you handle and maintain it.

What survival items can you add to your setup that never fail? Well, there are plenty, but three come to mind. These three will not only stand up against survival they will also make the biggest impacts on a survival situation.

Bank Line

For a long time, the survival cordage space was dominated by paracord or 550 cord. There was no getting away from this stuff. It became the ultimate in survival cordage primarily for its tensile strength and the 5 smaller strands of cordage that were inside of each strand.

I don’t want you to think that there is an epidemic of paracord failures. That is not why I am bringing it up. There are other alternatives and when it comes to cordage, bank line is less bulky and weighs about half as much as paracord. Now, that should get you excited.

Bank line can be purchased with vary degrees of tensile strength. It’s a finer cordage than paracord but its very strong. Bank line takes up much less space than paracord and that space savings is exponential as you increase the amount of cordage you carry. You can grab a 100-foot spool of quality bank line for about $4 or less.

No matter the situation you face, a spool of quality bank line can make you shelter, catch your food and stand the test of the outdoors.

Ferro Rod

If you go overboard in a canoe, if you roll down a steep embankment, if you find yourself in the throes of some situation that separates you from your gear or treats your gear to some blunt force trauma, the ferro rod will be there.

Aside from a modern lighter or a piece of flint and your survival knife, the ferro rod is the most dependable and fast acting fire starter there is. If you are looking for a fire-starting companion that will not fail you, invest in a nice thick ferro rod. Don’t buy one of the thinner rods.These can break easily. buy a 1 high quality ferrorod that will last.

Aside from the fact that it will never fail to shoot sparks, even if it’s wet you can just dry it off, the ferro rod is also going to lastyou a very long time. If you have efficient tinder making skills and you understand how to build and sustain a fire, you might only need a few scrapes on that ferro rod to make it work.

Imagine how long a ferro rod will last you if you scrape it a few times for each fire. This is why the ferro rod is one survival item that will never fail you. You ask it to bring sparks and it will do that over and over again.

Bug Spray

Now, maybe you think I should bring you some impressive type of survival tool for the third item that will not fail you. A few come to mind. I could mention things like short handled axes or maybe something for creating shelter.

Its pretty clear that water, shelter and fire are the three most important parts of any survival situation. So, you might be asking yourself: why are you talking about bug spray?

Lots of survivalists get wrapped up in this idea of gear. They get to the point where they are wading in gear. However, things like sunscreen and bug spray are often left out. Could it be that these two items are just not exciting enough? They aren’t as cool as more modern survival gear?

Bug spray can make all the difference in a survival situation. If you are truly lost and trying to find your way out of the woods, you are going to need to be alert and awake. Sleeping in the woods, under a lean-to is challenging enough. Imagine getting bit by bugs all night, too! You can bet you will be groggy and tired come morning.

After a few days of hiking, without sleep, you will not be able to focus and getting out of the woods safely will become much harder.

Bug spray will never fail you. It is a powerful item that is light and easy to carry. There are many derivations of it but even some store-bought product will put an end to the gnats flying into your eyes or the biting mosquitos. Even bugs scurrying over you in the night can be brutal, if you aren’t used to it.

While the gear out today is impressive don’t forget about keeping the bugs and the sun at bay.

Conclusion

Of course, there are many other items that could be mentioned but I think these three offer up the benefits, the reliability  the sweeping power to affect survival on many levels.

For the most part a serious rifle for hunting is another piece of gear that is rarely going to fail you. Take into account that you could even build that weapon from a simple 80 percent lower and then you know how to fix it even if it breaks!

That’s the type of mentality we all need to focus on. Even if these great tools fail us, can we fix them?

Survival Gear for Natural Disasters

When you think about survival gear do you plan on using it to deal with natural disaster? Preppers have a strange fantasy that often involves a total collapse where they reach for a loadout of elaborate gear to survive the collapse.

What about regional disasters that happen on a regular basis? What about tornadoes and hurricanes?

These things happen every year and every year people are unprepared. That said, there are pieces of survival gear that might benefit you in the wilderness but will also benefit you when dealing with a natural disaster.

Lets look at a few situation specific situations and the gear to assist you.

Managing Fallen Trees

Most natural disasters bring down trees. It can be blizzards in the cold or hurricanes in the searing summer. Trees come down in disaster. These trees block roads, down powerlines and on occasion they need to be dealt with by homeowners.

In this case you are going to want access and fuel for a chainsaw. However, you might also want a high quality ax, hatchet and maybe even a folding saw to deal with branches.

You might think of these tools as something for building wild shelter but they are great for dealing with down wood and processing them down to be moved or used or another purpose.

Cordage and Tarps

Water is the enemy in a number of natural disasters. You need to have a means of shielding your home from rain if the home takes damage. One of the best ways to do this is using cordage and tarps.

You could use utility tarps for this or you could a rainfly for smaller holes.

Whether you store bank line or paracord, or both, you want to have lots of cordage both to use as survival gear and for natural disasters. This cordage is so vital. Tying down these tarps is the key to having success.

Light Sources

When the lights go out in a natural disaster, they go out for a while. Sometimes you get lucky and your power comes right back. If thats not the situation, then you need to be ablke to see at night.

Headlamps, high lumen flashlights and solar powered lights are great options for this.

You should also invest in some batteries to assure your lights are ready for the darkness.

Shemaghs

The shemagh is a piece of survival gear that really assists you after the strom has passed. Wahtever the natural disaster its good to have a means of dealing with the after affects.

The shemagh is large multiuse scarf that can assist you in a number of ways.

• It can protect you from the sun
• As a face cover it can keep you from breathing in dust and debris
• It can be a sling to deal with injury
• Worn wet it can actively cool you in a hot environment
• Its a great backup swaddle for kids
• You could also use it as a blanket for children
• It can even be a preliminary water filter in the worst of cases

The shemagh is lightweight and highly effective. There is no reason not to have at least one for everyone in your family.

Repellents and Sunscreen

I don’t mean to poke fun but only a beginner would head off into the woods or face down a natural disaster without these two pieces of survival gear.

Granted, they are not a cool ax or a ferro rod but they are certainly going to go a long way in flooded areas when homes have been destroyed.

You might not look at something like sunscreen as a piece of survival gear but its as important as most other things. After hurricanes the sky clears up in a way that is very strange and the sun is absolutely relentless.

Most people just go back in their home but what happens if your home is gone, or the roof was taken? What happens if you are outside working in your neighborhood all day to aid in recovery?

Conclusion

If you think that survival cgear should be resered for that next wilderness adventure or an SHTF situation, youd be right! However, thats not all you want some quality survival gear for.

Do yourself a favor and start considering regional disaster. Regional disaster and natural disasters are as letitmate as anything else.

Every year people lose loved ones to run of the mill natural disasters. Stop shrugging them off and start storing survival gear for these disasters.

Delicious Fruit Smoothie Recipes – Quick and Frugal

These Delicious Fruit Smoothie Recipes – Quick and Frugal … Plus they are packed with nutrients and vitamins. 

Here is why this smoothie is amazing: Collard Greens – full of fiber & helps your body digest foods. Consuming them raw maintains their nutrients. Cancer-fighting. Bananas: Potassium & b vitamins. Berries: Vitamin C/Fiber rich. Walnuts: Good fats & Omega 3’s. Ginger: Increases circulation & much more. 

1. Blueberry Ginger Swirl Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup Kale, 1 Banana, 1 Mandarin, Handful of Blueberries, a small piece of Ginger Root, 1 tsp. Almond Butter. Add Coconut Milk & Enjoy.

2. Almond Butter Banana Zinger Smoothie

Ingredients: 1 cup Spinach, 1 Banana, 1 Mandarin, 1 tsp. Almond Butter, A few Hazelnuts, A small piece of Ginger Root, 2 tsp. Cocoa powder. Add Coconut Milk. Blend & Enjoy

3. Tropical Storm Smoothie

Ingredients:

Kale, Banana, Strawberries, Frozen Pineapple, Coconut Flakes, Piece of fresh Ginger Root, Add Almond Milk & Enjoy!

4. Blueberry Peach Spinach Surprise

Ingredients:

1 cup spinach, a handful of blueberries, banana, 5 frozen peach slices, a handful of walnuts. Add almond milk. Blend and Enjoy!

5. Super Energizer Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded Collard Greens 1 Banana, Handful of fresh blueberries, 3 Strawberries, 5 Frozen Mango Cubes (Oranges/Pineapple/Clementines would work too) Walnuts Piece of fresh ginger. Add Almond Milk. Blend and Enjoy!

6. Banana Strawberry Kale Blend Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup spinach, 2-3 kale leaves, 1/2 banana, 4 strawberries, 1/2 avocado, 3 dates, 1 tsp peanut butter. Add coconut water and water. Blend and Enjoy!

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