Page 65 - American Survival Guide - October 2017

‹ A simple,
and let the force keep the support sticks taut by anchoring compact set of
them back to tie-off points. If possible, add one smooth support tools—such as
a folding saw
stick underneath for extra headroom and to shed snow and and fixed-blade
water more efficiently. knife—is just
about all a person
These heat sheets are cheap enough to practice with, even if you needs for most
tear one or two in the process. If you can’t master this, you’ll need seasons. Skill will
help a person get
another solution for your shelter. along with just
these two cutting
With a long fire in front of the space blanket shelter (one long step tools. Both will
away), a warm shelter is accomplished. But ground insulation is the fit into cargo
pants pockets, or
name of the game. As part of my “cover,” I also bring along one large the sheath knife
trash bag for stuffing with debris for my mattress. It is important could be attached
to a belt.
to smash it down, slowly, and then fill it some more. I generally use
a torso-sized pad when backpacking, so a large trash bag is not as
important to me.
Set the whole shelter up, maybe facing southeast to get the most
of that first morning light and heat (in some environments, this
is not too important). Work with the terrain: If there is a “perfect” SO U R C ES
survival camp spot with a good wood supply, water and a large
boulder for providing heat reflection and a windbreak, call that Adventure Medical Kits
(800) 324-3517
home for the night! www.AdventureMedicalKits.com
Randall’s Adventure & Training
GEAR ORGANIZATION (256) 613-3834
Because this will be the main place you keep your survival gear, www.RandallsAdventure.com
make sure it is durable nylon, polyester or leather. Mat Gillenwater of Reliance Leatherworks
Reliance Leather Works makes some of the best traditional possibles (864) 660-9661
pouches for wilderness carry I have seen. I have found leather to be a www.RelianceLeatherworks.com
very good choice for use in snow and rain, because it is more weather
resistant than people think. Nylon or open-top pouches will get DD-2017-Waterwise 6/15/17 9:35 AM Page 1
saturated in bad weather, but most of the gear mentioned in the 10 Cs
list doesn’t require protection from water. Naturally, tinder, matches
or lighters need to be kept dry, but ferrocerium rods will work, even
when they’re wet.
I try to avoid zippers in the outdoors, because they will eventually
fail. However, the Izula Gear pouches from Randall’s Adventure
& Training have been some of my new “go-to” pouches, because
they’re built with what I call “debris-proof” zippers. I haven’t been
able to make them malfunction yet, even in snow, dirt and grit.
They come in orange and OD green and are just the right size to
bring just the necessities. In winter, when I wear several layers
of clothing, I use the over-the-shoulder-style pouches. During
the summer, I tend to use belt pouches, because they are easy to
access with only my shirt covering them.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Safe hydration is a matter of boiling water in a metal container—and
in the warmer months, this is a pain in the butt! Boiling and drinking
water when it is hot is pretty miserable. I always have iodine tablets,
which have proven to work, even when drinking water gathered from
a river with bathing water buffalos in the Philippines or sloth guts in
Peru. I have two leather pouches that hold a small metal cup I made
from a Vienna sausage can that weighs a fraction of an ounce.
I always keep a tube of Carmex for all types of things—mainly for
rubbing into dry cotton balls for a fire accelerant, lip and wound
protection, and lubricating into bow-drill sockets. The tube is soft and
gets smaller as it is used, making room in the pouch for more tinder
gathered off the ground. I also keep a small, ceramic sharpener for
edged tools and a stick of fatwood, with perhaps a folded piece of foil
as additions to my 10 Cs.
Get out there and try it. Survival should not be taken lightly. Practice
should not be dismissed because you own a pre-packed survival kit. In
the world of survival, there is no graduation day! ASG

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