Time To Put Together a Survival Kit

Here is a headline I mentioned in another blog a while back that caught my eye: Are Feds Stockpiling Survival Food? [WorldNetDaily] ...

A Wall Street Journal columnist has advised people to "start stockpiling food" and an ABC News Report says

"there are worrying signs appearing in the United States where some ... locals are beginning to hoard supplies." Now there's concern that the U.S. government may be competing with consumers for stocks of storable food. "We're told that the feds bought the entire container of canned butter when it hit the California docks." (Something's up!), said officials at Best Prices Storable Foods in an advisory to customers. Spokesman Bruce Hopkins told WND he also has had trouble obtaining No. 10 cans of various products from one of the world's larger suppliers of food stores, Oregon Freeze Dry.

In a website statement, the company confirmed it cannot assure supplying some items to customers. "We regret to inform you Oregon Freeze Dry cannot satisfy all Mountain House #10 can orders and we have removed #10 cans from our website temporarily," the company tells frustrated customers. "The reason for this is sales of #10 cans have continued to increase. OFD is allocating as much production capacity as possible to this market segment, but we must maintain capacity for our other market segments as well." The company statement continues, "We want to clarify inaccurate information we've seen on the Internet. This situation is not due to sales to the government domestically or in Iraq. We do sell products to this market, but we also sell other market segments ... The reason for this decision is solely due to an unprecedented sales spike in #10 cans sales. ... A spokeswoman for Oregon Freeze Dry, sales manager Melanie Cornutt, told WND that the increasing demand for food that can be stored has been on the rise since Hurricane Katrina devastated large sections of the Gulf Coast, cutting off ordinary supply routes. ... Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency told WND whatever government agency is buying in a surge it isn't them. They reported a stockpile of about six million meals which has not changed significantly in an extended period. But Hopkins said it was his opinion the government is purchasing huge quantities of food for stockpiles, and Americans will have to surmise why.

Blogger Holly Deyo issued an alert this week announcing, "Unprecedented demand cleans out major storable food supplier through 2009." "This information was learned by a Mountain House dealer who shared it with me this morning. In personally talking with the company immediately after, Mountain House verified the information is true. Customer service stated, 'I'm surprised they don't have this posted on the website yet.' She said they have such a backlog of orders, Mountain House will not be taking any #10 can food requests through the remainder of this year and all of the next. "Mountain House claims this situation is due to a backlog of orders, which may very well be true, but who is purchasing all of their food? This is a massive global corporation. ... Professor Lawrence F. Roberge, a biologist who has worked with a number of universities and has taught online courses, told WND he's been following the growing concern over food supplies. He also confirmed to WND reports of the government purchasing vast quantities of long-term storable foods. He said that naturally would be kept secret to avoid panicking the public, such as when word leaks out to customers that a bank may be insolvent, and depositors frantically try to retrieve their cash. "[These] circumstances certainly raise red flags," he said.

Editor's Note: Since the writing of this article, Becky Boyer, Mountain House, has notifed Lighthouse Patriot Journal that #10 cans are available and rest assured that supplies will be ready for purchase ...

I am responding on behalf of Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc., the manufacturer of Mountain House backpacking and emergency storage food. Your post was recently brought to our attention and we feel it is our responsibility to inform you of the current situation. The short answer is yes — everyone should have emergency supplies on hand in the event of a natural disaster. However, the Wall Street Journal report and many of the comments contained in the article are from March – April period of 2008, when we had production capacity shortages for our products. Production capacity issues plus increased demand for items we produce created a short-term inability for us to package Mountain House food in #10 cans. (Mountain House food packaged in pouches was not affected.) The production capacity issue was resolved last year and we have been producing product in #10 cans to meet demand ever since. Your readers can rest assured we currently have an ample supply of Mountain House food available in #10 cans. We appreciate your giving us an opportunity to correct this mistaken impression.

It has been predicted that a global economic crash will occur, which will also involve America. Kathryn Smith wrote in her article: Surviving an Economic Crash: Resources and Tips...

With concerns about the economy posted all over the web, and with some people fearing a total economic collapse (ie, depression and not recession), it is wise to be prepared. "Act, don't react to situations" is a phrase I once heard. I have always remembered those words of wisdom. And while, in my own experience, the things we fear *almost* never come to pass, it's still wise to cover the bases. ... Just how do we survive an economic crash? I don't know, not having "been there". But having read a lot, and brainstormed a lot, and using links (below) which were posted to a previous article I wrote, here is a compilation of ideas which I hope will prove useful.

There are several suggestions and links provided like making a solar oven out of cardboard boxes, building a solar generator for about $300, growing organic gardens to supplement food supplies and save by home canning, salvaging hand tools, turning your swimming pool into a community fish farm, sprouting grains from glassware in the kitchen, et cetera.

The government has kept a stockpile of emergency food as far back as the 1950s and on through the Cold War and beyond - just in case. The food is rotated before the shelf-life has expired and when replaced the food (before it expires) is sold in the surplus market. Nothing new, nothing to be alarmed about; however, it wouldn't hurt to be prepared in some degree. It is the government and the military's job to provide contingencies for all types of scenarios, like Operation Garden Plot, which has come to be a great conspiracy of the government becoming totalitarian, et cetera, as depicted by some. The US government isn't the only one who has such stockpile procedures, Australia, for example, does the same. Any responsible government will do so in case of emergencies and have a contingency plan to go with it. Ask folks who lived during WWII and about the Victory Garden program, it might be useful information that applies. If you cannot find groceries at the grocery store - how will you be able to eat? Many people today still use the old-fashioned canning method to store away their crops from their vegetable gardens.

You would be surprised how much food you can preserve, either canned or dried in a drying system obtained at the local store. Hunters often jerk meat for snacks when camping, trail hiking, or just because they like the flavor of the snack that the Native Americans (First Nation) used to do to provide food for the winter months when game would be scarce. Early settlers of North America, including French trappers/explorers, learned much about surviving in the New World from the natives of North America. This does not just apply to folks living in rural areas - people in urban areas can have a surprisingly productive vegetable garden on their apartment patios or organize in the community to start a plot garden that folks can share on unused city lots, et cetera. I will provide some links for those who are interested in this topic, as well as survival techniques, et cetera. It may not happen, but if it does, people can be prepared. And, if it don't the food certainly won't go to waste, and you may find ways to cut corners as far as budgeting by using alternate energy, et cetera.

Much of the "survival" web sites one may find concerns wilderness survival, and while it may be good to know the basics of such things, surviving an economic crash is another scenario. It might be good to talk to someone you know who lived during the Great Depression era of the 1930s. They could probably give you many tips. Purchasing some military field manuals on certain subjects is a good idea. They can be found at surplus centers and on the Internet for sale. The methods are tried and proven and cover subjects like retaining and keeping potable water, building outdoor latrines that won't become a health hazard, and so on. The subject material is almost limitless. The US Army (as well as armies around the world) have provided manuals and booklets that keep their troops informed and trained for everything and anything. Of course, there are many out there that make money off of these things, so you will have to use good judgment on sources of information and any necessary equipment - shop around. You do not necessarily have to purchase US military surplus items, there are good European military surplus at a reduced cost that works just as good. Not all field manuals need to be bought, some are in the PDF format and can be downloaded to your computer and then printed out to make your own manual collection.

A printed one would be best after saving to your computer just in case you haven't electricity to reference them. For example, you can get U.S. Army Survival Manual FM 21-76 [cover image left] on the Internet dated 1992 and even the 1999 updated version. The latest revised version of that survival manual is FM 3-05.70. Many outdoormen, especially those with no military experience, read this just in case they get stuck out in the wilderness for whatever reason. However, there are some things in there that may generate ideas and be used alternately in other survival situations, such as natural disasters or whatever. I still have, mostly for nostalgia purposes, some of my military manuals, some like infantry squad tactics (FM 7-7 & 7-8), which is not needed in a civilian disaster environment/situation - generally speaking. However, let me point out this: In every day life and in the history of civilization (human history), there are those that are productive, community-minded and self-sufficient and there are those who are predators and parasites. This means that if such a national disaster occurs, those that do not have are going to want what those do have - and/or those who do not have the skills or weren't prepared. If you think this is off the wall, I suggest you research what occurred during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. There will be looters and just generally evil people, and if the average citizenry do not have the tools/protection against such individuals or small groups - the family situation could be quite grim - thus the reason for the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. It might be a good idea to get together with your close neighbors and devise some sort of small community contingency plan. While there will be more people requiring food in such a group that is larger than a single family, it may be necessary to literally put together a defense perimeter and provide a coalition that would be more efficient and have the ability against those who would try to forcefully take what they don't have. Depending on the length of time this scenario takes place, paper/coin money will be practically useless and the bartering system would take effect. This all sounds like a science fiction novel or film, but the rule applies: Better to have and not need. Better to be prepared than unprepared - than not have what is needed when needed. People who are hungry and suddenly find themselves destitute will do things they normally wouldn't do - and, of course, those who are unscrupulous in society will rely on that vice. For example: After Saddam Hussein's troops were sent running back to Baghdad in the Liberation of Kuwait in 1991, there were groups of children who once lived in wealthy and middle-class type situations who suddenly found themselves parentless, because of the brutality of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard - wandering the streets hungry. Saddam's troops had taken anything of value and the aftermath looked like Attila the Hun had rode through Kuwait City. There were cars without tires sitting in the streets and even fancy door knobs in public buildings and private homes were missing. What was once pristine beaches lined with luxurious hotels in the bays of the most beautiful waters in the world (Persian Gulf) became bullet riddled with barbed wire and emplacements, and the hotels were burned and artillery-shell holes leaving their marks. The crystal-clear aqua-colored waters of the Persian Gulf at some points had oil slicks by Saddam's orders. In the airport area towards the sands of the desert, the sky was darkened in the middle of the day from the burning oil fields, with oil sprayed everywhere from oil wells that had been extinguished of fire. All of this occurred in a short time, turning a beautiful clean little nation where tourists from around the world came to visit into a chaotic disaster and into a Third World environment. Saddam Hussein created one of the worst man-made disasters in human history. He (and his cohorts) degraded, tortured and killed. Now you know why I get muffed when people say that the Iraqi invasion by the US and coalition forces was not necessary. It was not only necessary, but twelve years late. Villagers in Iraq, especially the southern regions, rose up in the US-combined forces liberation of Kuwait thinking that the US cavalry would be appearing in the horizon - that never came. The results of that was clearly evident twelve years later when coalition troops finally did the right thing to end the tyranny of Saddam and found mass graves of men, women and children of those villages that were brave enough to side with America and allies in 1991 against Saddam - and who Saddam's henchmen terminated. I digress here, but you get the point. There are several field manuals that will be of use and will provide information to tailor certain things to your particular situation. I guess, if people are worried about Islamic fascists succeeding in a nuclear or biological attack, one might turn to visiting the appropriate government website for such things or something like FM 3-3-1, Nuclear Contamination Avoidance. The government even posts on the Internet about the basics of survival they call Get A Kit. So does the Mayo Clinic - survival kits for disasters. There are wilderness survival kits, military survival kits and home survival kits. There are private sector sites that help people choose survival or emergency food, meant to be used in case of some disaster. The MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) and Freeze Dried foods seem to be the best. The military put a lot of research and testing - and being an ex-professional soldier, I field tested more times than I care to remember. These can be used as food supplements, but they are not cheap. And trust me, as more people begin to purchase these things - the prices will probably go up. It's all part of the capitalist process, but free trade is better than the alternative; competition being the best factor for the consumer. I guess the real tip here is it is better to have something and not need it then to not have something when needed. You don't have to go out and buy Rambo equipment (especially if the only knowledge/training one has is these films and various thrill-seeker books), but things for the basics of living: food, shelter, clothing, and defense would be in order. It most certainly would be a good idea to have some sort of defensive equipment - the shotgun used for bird hunting or a family heirloom pistol - and make sure that the family group knows how to use it and all the common-sense safety measures as well as the responsibility of using and having a firearm. As one survival site states:

As your survival expertise grows the knowledge and abilities you gain are often useful in other areas. For example survivors prepare ahead of time, and they are experts in the art of ingenuity and inventiveness. The possible environments and situations you could find yourself in are innumerable. Although each situation has its particular requirements for successfully surviving, in the final analysis it is mastery of five basic survival skills that are essential. ...

Once again, the topic is wilderness survival, which is different from disaster survival, but holds some basic aspects that can be cross referenced. Those basic survival skills and necessities are: (1) Fire, (2) Shelter, (3) Signaling, [only if you want to be found] (4) Food, (5) Water, (6) Clothing, and (7) First Aid; as well as: (8) Fishing, (9) Maintaining Health-Hygiene in disease prevention, (10) Hunting, Snares and Traps; (11) Making tools and how to use them, useful items like making (12) pitch and glue from natural sources, and how to survive in the winter season. There are survival kits that one can put together in a coffee can, a back pack or a large duffel bag (like the military duffel bag or civilian counterpart). It depends what you need to put into it and how long the survival situation could last. The list provided concerns wilderness survival, if one is unexpectedly lost or survives a crash into the wilderness. Of course, there are sites offering urban survival kits all in a "deluxe" hiker's backpack that even includes items for entertainment - in case you get bored during the survival situation. This could run you (ready-made kits) from $70 to $90 or more. It is meant for urban survival situations when "disaster strikes". The home-made, personal, survival kit is best, and least costly, as well as ensuring that the items within your survival kit are quality and will work when needed, as well as being individual to preference and individual needs. The government suggested survival kit at Ready.gov:

- Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days. Store water tightly in clean plastic containers such as soft drink bottles.

- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food.

- Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries. [Note: Hand crank radio and lanterns are best. Our hand-crank lantern not only provides light, but has an AM radio and connections to recharge things like your cell phone.]

- Flashlight and extra batteries. [Once again, the lantern should be a hand crank, and you can also get a hand crank flashlight. Don't get the kind of flashlight that you shake to provide electricity - the hand crank is the best.]

- Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place. [Remember that duct taping yourself into a room with no air could be fatal.]

- Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties for personal sanitation.

- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities. (And other tools, of course)

- Can opener for canned food.

- Local maps. [GPS would be good if the satellites are still online - keep an old-fashioned compass and an up-to-date topographical map of your locality-region just in case].

- Prescription medications and glasses.

- Infant formula and diapers.

- Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container.

- Cash or traveler's checks and change.

- Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov.

- Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.

- Complete change of clothing including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.

- Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper - when diluted nine parts to water to one part beach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of household bleach per gallon of water Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.

- Fire extinguisher.

- Matches in a waterproof container.

- Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items.

- Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels.

- Paper and pencil. [notebook]

- Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children (and adults).

This listing is for those who must leave their home area and go further into rural and wilderness areas for safety and the abundance of game animals, et cetera. Whether sticking it out at the homestead or having to travel to a safer area away from two-legged predators and urban areas - the list of supplies and equipment are pretty much the same. I would add to this list a mobile walkie-talkie system with at least two transceivers, more if you have a large family or have established a community organized survival system for communication when there is a need for separation. My personal choice is Motorola - if the military trusts their researched equipment, so do I. However, there are 2-way radios now, Garmin Rino 120, that is a GPS integrated radio communication system - dual purpose. Thus, you have a communication device and GPS built-in one unit - multifunction equipment, tools and supplies are best. Costing more, the Garmin Rino 130 is best for the price ($275-$300): Has built-in electronic compass, barometric sensor/altimeter, weather receiver for seven NOAA weather channels, and 24 MBs of internal memory. Two-way radio communications only up to two miles using FRS and five miles with GMRS mode. Can transmit position by pressing a button in order to allow those with same-type of radio to navigate to your position; with multiple radio receiver/location available called polling. The Rino 130 has a detailed base map of North and South America, displays cities, highways, railways, rivers, lakes and borders. It has 24 MBs of internal memory so it can also store map data from Garmin MapSource CD products, including US Top mapping land and BlueChart. Screen has backlighting display features. Also have an alarm, calculator, calendar, clock, lap timer, stopwatch, trip computer, tracking log, celestial tables for sun and moon, several position formats that include grids with topo maps – and even games. Accurate within + 2 degrees; + 5 degrees in extreme northern/southern latitudes; resolution is one degree. Elevation computer registers from -2,000 to 30,000 feet. Uses up to 12 satellites for GPS. Powered by 3 “AA” batteries (not included), which last about 15 hours if using both GPS and FRS. No memory battery is required to store data. There are ten call and ring tones to choose from and 4 Roger tones. 22 channels (1-14 FRS & 15-22 GMRS). Rino 130 can scramble your radio signals to secure transmissions – vibration mode is available for silence. Garmin series radios can be used with any standard compatible FRS/GMRS radio. Available with accessories like hand-free head set. The new Garmin Rino 530 HCX has all the features above except it operates on lithium rechargeable batters and comes with charger, as well as an extended range of 14 miles in GMRS mode thanks to the addition of a 5 watt amplifier. This model is the priciest, being so new at $500.

An alternate choice might be military surplus radios - mobile-wireless and the type you use a wire to connect the radios; however the mobile radios, the Walkie Talkie from military surplus have only a range of one mile, maybe two in certain conditions (while commercial walkie-talkies have a range of 5-10-20-25 miles) and the batteries last only one day, 15 hours at most. The wired communication radios, available at military surplus outlets, can be useful between buildings and its electrical needs are supplied by a hand crank. Hand crank generators are also available military surplus, which in a survival situation might be handy when fresh battery supplies deplete and are not available or no means to recharge them. You can purchase, commercially, hand crank radios, lanterns, et cetera as well. It is best to spend extra money and purchase only rechargeable batteries - in the long run it pays for itself.

The Mayo Clinic provides a more detailed survival kit list, but generally it is the same as the government site.

Notice that neither site (government or Mayo Clinic) suggests a firearm in your survival kit. I guess they expect one to defend themselves from what is in the survival tool kit - a wrench? - a hammer? - a knife? - a pencil? It shows how our government and parts of society have developed firearm phobia and don't accept the reality of conditions in society. Have we not learned about conduct of some people/predators from the Hurricane Katrina disaster? Instead of looking at lawful armed citizens as an asset, those that operate our government fear the People; thus the reason why firearm confiscation from law-abiding citizens legally have firearms for defense against looters and other predators occurred. If the government does not trust its law-abiding citizens and look upon communities as potential allies in keeping law and order, in conjunction with the county sheriff and deputies - then that is a government that We the People CANNOT TRUST. I am not referring to folks that retrieved food and essential items floating around - I mean honest to goodness looting, and things not necessary for survival like stereo equipment and TVs. Then there were cases of violent attacks and rape reported, as well. If those victims had been able to defend themselves, they wouldn't have been robbed, injured, raped or killed. Criminals will be present along with law-abiding citizens during a disaster. They will seem to come out of the woodwork. Are the criminally minded predators going to change their activity because it's a disaster and suddenly become humanitarian? Sometimes people you thought were law-abiding commit such crimes or join the criminal element for whatever reason. Are the police or National Guard going to be around 24-hours a day to protect you? Or at all? They seem to think they can and thus not allow citizens to defend themselves, thinking, like during normal times in society, that crime will be reduced. It only leaves the lawful citizens defenseless. Authorities always show up AFTER the crime has been committed, rarely do they catch criminals before they can perform their illegal activity. Won't they be busy taking care of their families?

Our government's solution for Hurricane Katrina disaster scenario was confiscation of firearms. Now you know why keeping the Second Amendment in the Constitution and not letting state legislators, governors, members of Congress and the President of the United States disobey the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, your Bill of Rights in writing. When disaster strikes, for "your own protection" - or any other scenario, you have the right to have, keep and carry firearms for self-defense. Once again, remember what happened in Louisiana when disaster struck. Some people take it as an opportunity to loot and pillage and other evil actions. Authorities initiated a firearm confiscation, but mostly took them away from the wrong people. This is reality folks. These are just some random thoughts concerning the possible disaster caused by a total collapse. If you think something like that couldn't happen - remember recently that Iceland's government collapsed. Who would ever think that could happen? Don't panic, just make some contingency plans just to be prepared. Act, don't react. Plan and if it isn't required to use the plan, that's good. Being prepared doesn't mean your paranoid, it is just in case. It's common sense.
Tailor it according to your family, situation and needs. And I highly suggest that a firearm (and someone in the family who knows how to use it) with ammo and cleaning kit be available. A handgun, rifle or shotgun, and it need not be an expensive, fancy or an assault, military-type weapon. Personally, I believe that a bow or crossbow is the best survival weapon - as far as hunting for game because it is not hard to replenish the ammunition, in fact, in a pinch you can make your bolts out of nature's material. Use a crossbow for hunting and save the firearm ammunition for defense purposes. Unfortunately the crossbow is outlawed in almost every state of the Union - for reasons I have not been able to find out from official sources. You will just have to target practice and use it in a survival situation.

In most states (except for Georgia), you must be over the age of 65 and/or handicapped to use crossbows to legally hunt. Firearms, however, are best for personal defense and scaring away potential marauders/attackers, two-legged or four-legged. Americans are fearful of an upcoming economic disaster where they lose their jobs and homes. It is understandable. President GW Bush told us that we had nothing to worry about - the economy would pick up. President B.H. Obama tells us that the government is going to take control, spend more money and ensure there is no collapse. Don't hold water for what either have said or will say - especially now that President Obama and congressional associates are spending money like a money tree forest popped in Washington. I think you should be prepared for the worst, and if it doesn't happen - well, that's good, isn't it? You'll have spare food and water to use on your next camping trip or supplement meals before the shelf date expires on your emergency rations. It would be a good idea to rotate your food stock occasionally anyway. Folks who are used to depending upon government for everything will be in for a real shock if such a scenario should occur. Nobody can take care of yourself and your family better than you, and it works even better when the community works together. Get with neighbors and discuss some ideas about it. Some may scoff at you, but then again Noah was scoffed at as well and look how that turned out. Cheryl Lewis, Missouri commented:

Survival preparation is really nothing new. I grew up during the Cold War in Florida. You can be sure that every third house had a mound in the back yard with vents sticking out. That was the old-fashioned response to the possibility of a nuclear attack coming from Cuba. My grandparents raised a family during the worst of the Great Depression. They lost a grocery store they owned by extending credit to starving families. But they taught me that everyone should always have a two years stash of preserved foods. They kept a large, well-tended garden and my grandmother bought staples in bulk while canning everything from spaghetti sauce and whole tomatoes, to making pickles using wild dill on her land. Though, we have run into problems ourselves in buying certain bulk foods. We can get them easily via the internet, but bulk stores like Costco and Sam’s Club appeared to be getting hit with a high demand for rice and other grains. That may have been a spike in demand for certain sizes, as stated by the vendor you mentioned. We are now doing something similar in Missouri. We own our own land and home outright in a remote area in rural Missouri. Our official mail goes to a post office box because our address isn't even on the official books. We grow everything we can all around us, and the August garlic is already over 8 inches tall. We have a large stash of brown rice, beans, quinoa, lentils, dehydrated vegetables, spices, and herbs in waterproof containers in a home-built spring house. The underground temperature is about 50-55 degrees, year-round, and the spring house effect of the cooling spring water that surrounds the goods brings the temperature down to 40-50 degrees. Nothing tastes better than the ice cold water from a spring, except maybe the cold beer you store in crocks in the running water. Our next plan is to build more of the house underground to take advantage of the constant temperature to reduce our heating and cooling need.

LINK LIST
(partial, do some research as well): US Army Field Manual 3-05/70 - Survival. FM 3-06 - Urban Operations - this one thrown in that may be interesting, and see that US troops are trained for situations like Iraq. How to Build a Decent Wilderness Survival Kit. Camping Survival Emergency Survival Kits - running from a one person at $49 to a 100-person kit at $1,325.00. Thompson Outdoor Supply Home Made Survival Kit Brigade Quartermasters - outdoor gear Cardinal Gear - NATO Approved Survival/Rescue Equipment Wilderness Survival - Planning and Kits US Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76 Choosing Survival Food Army Field Manuals Gerber Utility Survival Pack Sportsman's Guide Sportsman's Warehouse National Geographic Survival Site LPJ Survival Manual - Part 1 - Back to the Basics Survival Blog Survivalist Blog Suburban Preparedness Off Grid Survival - Survival Blog List Be Prepared For A Crisis Fort Faded Glory If you have links that may help on this subject, feel free to include them in a comment - please, no Spammers.