The Grabblog

It has been brought to my attention that not everyone who would like to, can enroll in my survival school. It was therefore suggested that I pass along some survival tips from time to time- kind of like a community service, if you will.

This week I’d like to talk about the single most important thing you must have to survive: knowledge.

All the fancy gadgets in the world won’t do you any good in a survival situation if you don’t know how to use them. And, depending on the terrain you find yourself in, you may not need anything more than your brain to survive a particular situation.

Some of you reading this will argue that the will to survive is most important. I consider that knowledge. You have to know that you want to survive, and that you can survive.

So, can you survive?

That depends entirely on your environment and circumstances. There are areas where shelter may not be so important. Other areas may require shelter before all else.

There’s first aid- emergency medical care for injuries. Survival situations often come with injuries and you need to know how to keep your body working.

Sustenance? Well, in long term survival situations, you will need food and water. But bear in mind that most people tend to go hours and hours without food or water on a daily basis. Don’t rush to find food or water thereby neglecting more urgent needs.

Defense? Surviving can often mean protecting oneself from creatures in the area. One thing civilized people tend to forget is that the wilderness is filled with animals that will just as easily make a meal out of a person as they would another animal. In fact, physically speaking, we humans are easier prey than a lot of other animals. Especially if we’re wounded, alone, and worrying about how to survive instead of paying attention to our surroundings.

Now that we have an idea of the kind of knowledge we need to have, where do we look for it? Luckily, there are myriad sources with survival information. Books galore, websites and even TV programs.

For the beginner in survival techniques, I recommend a great program from the Discovery Science Channel called "Survivorman". Hosted, narrated, starring, filmed by and produced by Les Stroud, the show is a fantastic example of what Survival can be like. Each week, Mr. Stroud places himself in an environment with no food or water as well as taking on the burden of working all the cameras needed to film his seven days of survival.

For more advanced information, a simple google search will reveal a great deal on the word "survival". A similar search in the Amazon.com bookstore will yield many results.
But for those of you who want to hear a little something from me...

One of the first things I teach my survival school students is survival assessment. That is, the ability to fully grasp the situation they are in and what to do to correct it.

Step 1: Are you safe? Can you remain where you are for a prolonged period without further harm? Examples of not being safe would be in a car sinking under water, or stranded in the desert or arctic with no shelter.

Step 2: Are you injured? Are all your limbs intact? Any lacerations or blood loss? In addition to the problems loss of bodily fluids can cause, there is the possibility spilled blood will attract predators. Also, many injuries can be unfelt. Examine yourself carefully to check for broken bones, foreign objects, etc.

Step 3: Where are you? How did you get there? Where is the closest civilization or help? This is a very complex step, as sometimes survivors have no idea where they are- for example, air crash victims. Look around your environment and try to decide where you are and what direction help may lay in. For example, streams feed into rivers and people often live on rivers.
Step 4: Resource Assessment: What do you have to work with? Are you carrying a multitool? Do have blankets or food stuffs? If you were in a vehicle, are any parts of it available for new purposes? Are there natural resources, like firewood?

Step 5: Stay or Go? Are you somewhere that help can find you? Does anyone know you’re lost? IS there food and shelter where you’re at? This is a crucial step, and directly affects your chances of survival. How you prepare for the days ahead will be markedly different depending on whether you are making a stand and waiting for help, or whether you’re going to cross terrain.

The second lesson for my students is one that I feel is of great importance: fire making. Some say man’s ability to harness fire separates us from the animals. I say fire is the original multi-tool. You can cook with it. You can produce illumination with it. You can keep warm with it. It can scare away predators. It even can provide psychological remedy- making those around it feel safe.

There are a lot of gadgets on the market for making fire; "firesteel" artificial flints; water-proof matches... And while gadgets can greatly help one in a survival situation, they may not always be available. To that end, I insist my students learn the art of firemaking with no supplies other than the basics.

However, rather than try and explain the process to you in depth, here’s a website that breaks it down very effectively the Bow and Drill method:

http://www.survivaliq.com/survival/firecraft_s5.htm

However, for those of you who like gadgets I’ll give you my personal recommendation:
A disposable Bic lighter.

You can get it wet, allow it to dry and it works again. The fluid doesn’t slowly evaporate away like with a zippo. Even without fluid, it still has the ability to make sparks, to ignite tinder.
Well, that’s all for now. But check in again in the near future, for more survival tips.