Page 51 - American Survival Guide - October 2017

› You’ll want a
mind that you will need plenty of water to proper blade. A
prepare the stu properly. Additionally, a modest survival
knife kept sharp
small camp stove or chemical heater can can perform fine
markedly increase its palatability. You can tasks and also
certainly eat it cold, but it’s tastier if you chop. A multi-tool
brings versatility.
warm it up a bit. Tomahawks and
Food is important, but it is not critically hatchets are both
effective tools
important in the near term. Victuals can be and frightful
weapons.
bulky and heavy, particularly if you might need
to go anywhere on foot. As always, assess your
circumstances and plan accordingly.
Most Americans place way more
importance on food than is necessary. A
modest stash of food can go a long way in
a crisis. Once you’re hungry, your standards
will drop precipitously regarding what you
are willing to eat. I once ate stringy boiled
rabbit in the frozen wilds of Alaska and was
thrilled to get it. Even kids will typically not
turn their noses up at otherwise bland food with it. Don’t expect your insurance company to pay for a single pill beyond what you need
once they become adequately peckish. day to day. As a result, you might have to pay for a month out of pocket to build up a decent
stash. An end-of-the-world bug-out event is not the time to be running out of medication
FIRE AND LIGHT for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or some similar metabolic or psychiatric malady.
It is important to be able to make a fi re, In addition, keep a decent fi rst aid kit handy to help manage medical crises.
but it is seldom your fi rst priority. Chances If anyone in your party requires insulin, you must have a portable refrigerator. It is possible
are fairly unlikely that you will be simmer- to secure one that will operate o of solar power or a vehicle’s onboard power system.
ing someplace around a campfi re while Amazon.com is your buddy. If you have insulin-dependent diabetes, you don’t want to run
the world comes crashing down around out of insulin.
you. Regardless, I try to keep two or three
methods handy, because they need not take HOW WILL YOU TOTE IT?
up any real space or weight: Ferrocerium Your bug-out bag, by defi nition, needs to be something you can just grab and go. If money
fi re starters are easy to use. Each of my is tight, Wal-Mart has some decent inexpensive bags. If money is really tight, a cheap du e
home-schooled kids could conjure fi re with will do. World War Supply o ers inexpensive surplus aviator kit bags that will carry a ton of
these devices by their 5th birthday. Lifeboat stu over short distances.
matches are a timeless standby. Disposable If you can a ord to do it up right, Flying Circle makes the best tactical bags I have ever
cigarette lighters are cheap and e ective. used. The zippers and seams are about twice as tough as those on the cheap gear. They also
More important than fire is light. typically have a cool pass-through pocket for a weapon.
Chemical light sticks will often keep longer
than their expiration date, but you should
expect performance to diminish after the
stated expiration date. A decent flashlight › A decent water … THE SIZE, CONTENTS
or two can be invaluable, but swap out filter is a must.
Such a device AND DESIGN OF
the batteries on your birthday every year, need not be
whether you use them or not. You can then expensive, but YOUR BUG-OUT
a good one will
use the old batteries for less-critical tasks turn almost any
objectionable BAG SHOULD
around the home. bilge into drink-
able water. BE AS UNIQUE
MEDICAL MATERIALS AS YOUR
We Americans are a remarkably sickly
group. One-tenth of the population has FINGERPRINT.
diabetes, and it seems almost everybody
is taking some kind of medication for
something. Keep at least a month ahead
on your chronic meds and rotate your stock
through your bug-out bag. If you need a
spare prescription for this, ask your doctor.
As long as the meds are not controlled, he
or she should be supportive.
Your health insurance company does not
care whether you live or die. It would sell
your organs on eBay if it could get away

[ASGMAG.COM] AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE 51

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