I'm creating a "Survival Tips" page on my website [url]www.bowmansbrigade.com[/url] and would like some input from regulars and new comers here.

I realize that there are a lot of tips, tricks and such on the Net, but I can't directly use these due to copyright issues.   I'm requesting contributions from all of you, with your permission to reprint on my site.  

I've seen some great tips on AR-15, just put them here, or simply says it's okay to use your previously posted tips and I'll put them up on this page, including your AR-15 nick.

I appreciate all the help.

I live in Earthquake Country.  We also have water shortages, fires, and mudslides here.

The MOST IMPORTANT things to have for survival (other than weapons) are:

- Drinking water
- Toilet paper
- Food
- Clean underwear and socks
- Any medicines that you take regularly
- First aid kit
- Battery operated radio w/extra batteries
- Swiss Army Knife
- Fire
- Flashlights w/extra bulbs and batteries

A small roll of duct tape, and bailing wire.  A few cable ties.

Thanks everyone, keep 'em coming.  [b]This is your chance to go down in infamy as the guru of survival tips and tricks![/b]

Don't forget to post a reply on whether I can use your previously posted tips and tricks you've posted on AR15 before.

GHuns ammo knives food blah blah blah.

Stepping outside of the obvious....

A roll of good nylon string.

Can be used for snares-
To fashion shelter-
To hang meat to dry-
To set perimiter alarms-
As a diversionary device (Tie a string to a bush, then go sit behind another bush. When your adversary approaches, tug on the string, rustling the bush. When they go over to investigate, "what that noise was" shoot them- VC used to do that.)

to Fish with-
To set deadfalls
For signaling (Take a stick with a glowing ember on the end, tie it to a piece of string, and whirl it around. V_E_R_Y visable)

Anyway, theres more, but i'm done.

McUZI


Good nylon string.

btt - good tips, keep 'em coming.

Condoms.
Whatever killed the corpse, you don't want to catch.  

(not signing his name to this one)

A bi-sexual girl friend and a super charger for your cheby to go along with that
stupid book you stole that name from.

NSF, I'll be laughing at that for a few days.

Oh, I forgot, [NI]      [NI]     [NI]

 If lost - downwind, downhill, & downstream will usually lead to civilization.
 A pocket knife and lighter that are always with you beats anything you don't have.
 If pursued, avoid choke points such as bridges, mountain passes and the like.
 Zip-Lock bags can carry anything, including water.
 Dry socks are worth their weight in gold.
 Water tabs are a lot easier to carry than water.

Dude, I was thinking about unintended consequences today and I came to a couple of conclusions:  He was killing the senators and the governors and stuff with a hammer, and when people took up arms like the guy in the car killing the other dude driving the same route home, it was never with an Ar or An AK or any high profile weapon, just ranch rifles, cowboy calibers and auto weapons from like WW2.  Was that like sublimnal messagin hinted towards it doesnt matter what you kill with, its killin and u can kill with whatever you want to kill with what you use to kill?  get it?   But seeing how HB wants survival tips and not long run on sentances with poor puncuation  and no end in sight.  how long will this go on?  

NSF <-- been thinking alot lately

Go ahead and use these...

To paraphrase Yogi Berra -
 "Survival is 90% mental, and the other half physical."

Condoms - at least six.  Keep some socks with them - a condom in a sock will hold about two quarts of water, and takes up almost no room empty.

A Swiss Army knife and a solid, reliable, locking folder.  I like the Emerson designs, and I always have a Benchmade Emerson CQC7 in my pocket.  The Swiss Army knife is a pocket tool chest, but the locking folder is what you will want for serious work...   After all the sh!t-storm I have been thru, I can still count to ten after LOTS of knife and explosive work...

Nylon string is useful, and have some parachute shroud line as well - at least 100 feet.  It also helps to buy a surplus parachute canopy (I have a 28' T-10 in the back of my truck.  Think shelter, sleeping bag, vehicle camouflage...

An ax and a shovel in the back never go amiss, either...

Seal up some spare ammo and keep it under the seat.  Also have sever extra mags or speedloaders ready to go, and that can be carried on your person...

Most people to-day are unaccustomed to the idea of survival.  Familiarise yourself with the basics of butchery, dairy, farming, and the like.  How many people REALLY know where meat comes from?

Think of your vehicle as a forward base in the event of SHF or anything else in extremis.  It should cantain the luxuries of survival (NOT living!) but NOTHING that you cannot live without.  Extra fuel, drinking water, and the like do well, but make sure your PERSONAL kit has a supply as well.

Clear plastic sheeting, and a large clean coffee can.  You can store other items in the can, and make a solar still with a little effort.  While it will not eliminate the need to find a source of water, recycling faeces and urine through it (and blood and other damp/wet material or fluids) can prolong the delay before searching.

Get in shape.  You do not need to be Mr. Universe or Adonis, but many illnesses and injuries can be avoided by keeping in good condition.  With activity, a little extra body fat can actually be a help, like a little "reserve tank."

Good shoes - make sure they will fit well and wear well.  Get plenty of support in the ankle, and good flexion in the sole at the ball of the foot and the back of the ankle.  Good arch support is a MUST.  You will be spending a lot of time on your feet...  Also, replace the lacings in your new boots wiht parachute shroud line - NOTHING wears better, and I have tried them all.

Wargaming.  Always be thinking "If this happens, I will do this."  If you have a plan in mind when things go awry, you will be better off that the other man who is absolutely stunned when it happens.  He who hesitates is lost!

E-mail me backchannel, and I will work on some more ideas.  You will also want to review "Bowman's Boot Camp" in Unintended Consequences.  There are a few good points there - and throughout the rest of the book for that matter.  I will also have to think over the matter some more - most of this stuff is second nature to me, and I have to dredge it up to write it all down.

FFZ
[email protected]

Survival tips from AR15 posters?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

How about this:

"Children, be good children, and children, keep an open mind. An open mind is a very good thing. But don't keep your mind so open that your brains fall out."-- Anonymous

[:D]

[img]wsphotofews.excite.com/023/b8/Kv/eT/0z51645.jpg[/img]

Most of the people on here won't survive because they treat everything like a video game where when they die they think they can hit reset and start over again.

Maps of the local storm drains.

Locations of power sub stations.

Ok here is my contribution, This is serious so make sure you get it 100% accurate.

Up here in Alaska fire is very important as you can imagine. Fall up here is wet and nasty and you know what winters are like.

The following recipe will allow you to make a fire starter that is cheap, easy to make and more importantly foolproof to start a fire.

Purchase the following items.

1 jar of 100% petroleum jelly (no substitute) I use Vaseline since my life depends on it I want the best.

1 large bag of 100% cotton / cotton balls NO BLENDS!

Now put the vaseline in a double boiler or mircrowave (be careful if you use the latter)

Melt the vaseline till it is all liquid.

Dip the cotton balls in the liquid until soaked then wring most of the liquid out of them. Let them cool off and pack them in a ziplock bag or anything else you want. You can pack hundreds of them in a very small container and they are 100% water proof already.

When you need to start a fire pull out 1 or 2 and fuzz them up a little by hand. I use a Gerber Strike Force magnesium starter, 1 or 2 strikes and it is lit. You can put these things in a freezing puddle of water and lite them easy (I have done it to prove to my class they work)

They will burn up to 15 minutes with a average flame height of 6 inches. And thats just 1 cotton ball. If you can't get something to burn with that kind of fire you are to stupid to live anyway, just let Darwinism consume you.

Hunter out...

How about a small fishing kit with lures, fishing line, hooks etc.

A whistle, a polycarb mirror, cyl-lume stick for signaling.

From my late-uncle Leonard:

"Keep your head down and change your socks."

If you don't have water, do not eat.  Food dehydrates you, and you can always last longer without food than water.

The best place to store water is in your body.

WATER is the key to survival!

You may know something I dont know, but I use those little vaseline tubes for lips and squeeze some on a cotton ball, work it in with your fingers and spread it apart like a spider web. That has always worked for me. Why do you need to do all that preperation?

Since you didn't qualify your survival tips request with a statement like "wilderness" or "emergency" I'll give a different view of the subject.  Your primary acquisition to survive in todays world is this... are you ready... education.  Don't delude yourself into thinking that everything you are taught in school it true, but learn all that you can about everything.  Take initiative in you own education, don't just veg out and think that you are learning.  Then, after you get a degree, become a productive member of society.  Now here is a very brief account of how this works.  Once you are educated, you will make more money.  When you make more money, you live a better life, have much better health care, move out of the ghetto, etc.  This improves your life expectancy by an exponential rate.  In the meantime, try to make emergency/wilderness survival a nice little relaxing hobby.  Don't obsess, don't worry about the next holocaust, or it will detract from you quality of life.    

Put a nice thick paperback novel that you would enjoy reading in with all your other goodies in your BOB. As I learned in the Army, boredom can get to be truly overwhelming.  Guys used to read and pass around paperbacks, magazines, and comic books until they were falling apart. Also, the pages can be used to start fires or as emergency TP. If you have an emergency retreat, make sure it is well stocked with books and games and stuff.  You aren't going to spend your every waking moment in desperate gunbattles with spikey-haired mutants.  Morale is important and being bored lowers morale.

Take extra batteries for the laptop so you won't miss anything on ar15.com. [smoke]

Depending on how high speed you are  :)
If hide or wilderness is a must a liguid magnetic compass (military w/radioactive glow).
If you know the region you will be going to a topographic map is a must, get it laminated and get some permanent map markers for movements.
Gps is awesome, but rechargeable batteries and a portable solar charger is a must for long outings. Learn basic read right then up, lat and longnitudes, basic nav features and margin data, and pace count with load and without.  Learning elavation, barriors, and likely interception points teach you to know where to hide.  Stay in the armpit of wherever you are and you stand a least likely chance of being found (i.e. swamps, bug infested crapholes).

Buy high quality socks, my preferance is wool with a good nap, feet mean everthing.  Rotates socks and wash to keep knp up, dry wet socks by tieing them to the uotside of your pack, or put the in against your body to speed up.  Pack a foot care kit!  Liquid skin, iodine, bandaids, ect.  Get your license, goto radioshack and pickup a grs radio and learn techniques for communicating longrange and antenna setups.  Over the years I learned to not overpack clothing, just pack correctly, It saves crucial time and weight for gear.  If your really wanna kick the gear game, goto a heavy Army rucksack (or likeness), hand select your gear, and have custom pockets sewn on outside with quick snaps covers.  Remember, if chased, or chasing, that ruck will kill ya, have a drop technique established, and what ya have on ya will have to be outside the ruck!  Magazines, maybe a meal pack, fire starting material, compass, map.  You get the picture.  I used a military od green mattress, cut up the heavy rubber into a circle, and had a long bungee sewn around it into what resembles a tire cover, i put it over my ruck for waterproofing.  chem lights are only one time, get long burn times, if ya have nods, get irs, for night tacops.  Get red lens caps for gear and map checks at night, further tape them so that only a small hole peeks through.  if mre usage is done and carrying them on foot, strip them!, they are WAY too bulky as is.  Watch the survival shows on A&E and discovery, they are excellant.

Superglue has save my butt a few times, from broken gear to "stitching" cuts.  I love camelbacks for field ops, if ya get one, put a nylon sleeve over the hose and electrical tape the mouthpiece on, that dang sucker always manages to find a v in brush and get popped off, feel your water supply for the day running down your leg?  All this talk of weapons, what in an urban firefight generally hits a guy?  Debris of building flying at mach3, cuts on all exposed skin! Especially aroud b&m wear clear lens safety glasses at least.  Debris in an eye will totally make you lose focus.  If traveling in groups under heavy stress, try to carry 1 or 2 iv bags for dehydration losses.  Also distribute loads in groups.  Tie off everything of value to frames of rucksacks ect. Since most are amateurs, movements should be restrained to night.  Get a USAF pilot survival manual and a USA Ranger Handbook. Shoot, you put a copy of that on the web and you are really contributing!
Get all you gear on and run, check chaff points, better now than later.  Jump up and down and check for noisy items.  Remember boot types for terrain.  Leather boots seem great, but if thinsulated during the summer you'll emulsify thick skin on feet and destroy long treking ability at friction points.  Choose boots carefully and dont completely cache them, break them in, and remember feet expand and widen under load, so buy a little big and put greal sport insoles in them, they can be removed. Moleskin for blister points is a must.  I've had a 15" sheet of moleskin between my thighs before when my legs were rubbed raw!  Although extreme case, lancing blisters, disinfecting, and covering with moleskin cannot be overstated as a skill highly regarded, especially when you aren't a avid hiker.  Although this all is assuming you are not driving a car  :)  Hope this helps.  I have fired an m4 before and M16, I have never fired the m4 at distances overs 100 yds.  What barrel do I need to get to maintain 500yd range?  

I haven't seen this mentioned, so here goes one:

a military poncho.  Maybe two.  They are very versatile.  You can make a rainproof shelter with one and cover the ground with the other, or you can hide gear with one and some dirt/leaves, etc.  They keep you dry, but roll up so small as to take up almost no room.  I always kept at least one strapped to the bottom of my buttpack.

A good, small, and more importantly, simple piece of gear.

ronnie

You guys will think this is a joke but it works.
To prevent blisters on your feet put on a pair of ladies nylons under your socks next to the skin.  The short ones are called something like “Ankle Highs”.
A blister is a friction injury.  Instead of the skin on the foot moving relative to the sock, the inside of the foot moves relative to the skin.  The layer of skin separates from the meat, fills with fluid and bingo you got a blister.  The nylon on the foot will slip within the sock before the foot slips within the skin preventing blisters.
These little nylon socks weigh nothing and clean one can be used as a coarse filter for a poor water supply before further treating the water.

The test for anything in your load-out is weight versus utility.  This may seem too obvious to be worth stating, but keep it in mind and you’ll never be sorry.

This comes under the heading of a comfort item but you might consider it.  When I was in the Marines (03 ground pounder) an item most everyone carried in the field was the smallest bottle of Tabasco sauce you could buy.  Just a drop or two made those c-rats a lot tastier.

Your next revolution you're gonna be able to "get fries with that."

It's gonna be urban, and there's gonna be plenty of loose crap laying around to survive off of. You won't be reduced to living off insects and worms. You'll be holding down super markets as food warehouses and defending perimeters on gun shops as ammo dumps/armories.

Your best survival gear is between your ears.

OK, number two . . .

Keep your gun loaded and accessible. Get a decent knife; the M-9 is a good choice.

Buy a Boy Scout Manual and the Boy Scout Field Manual. They are inexpensive and have nearly everything you are likely to need to know.

These are some really great tips.  I [b]sincerely[/b] appreciate it.  Haven't seen anybody yet give permission to me for their previously posted tips on AR-15..... (that's a hint).

I'll keep this thread open, we can all benefit from the insight of others.  These will go up on my site this week for a permanent home.

Got more?  Stick 'em on the list!

[url]www.bowmansbrigade.com[/url]

I have done several extended expeditions, up to three months, over hundreds of miles, with heavy weight, to altitudes over 23,500ft in Nepal and Tibet. There is no substitute for experience when you are going to be away from civilization for extended periods. In that region of the world that starts when you leave the airplane.

If you are going to be out there for a month you will go crazy in a bivy. I am also not a fan of sharing a tent with others. Snoring, flatulence, and leaving to pee will get on your nerves and test friendships for no reason. I carry a The North Face VE25 ($425.00). At 9lbs this is my one weight concession. It is a three person 4-season dome, which will stand when others fail and is nearly waterproof. If you have a month of gear you need a big tent. The weight is not that much greater for the comfort it provides. The next most important item is you sleeping bag. Marmot makes the best by far. Stick to down as they weigh less, pack smaller and last longer. Also do not go with a Gore-tex bag as if they get wet they never dry.  Stick to Dry-Loft. A Marmot Col bag which will go to -20 ($600). I have used this bag to -40. Do not wear a bunch of clothes in the bag; this will reduce your warmth. Stick to a thin set of long underwear, I prefer Mountain Hardwear ($45 per set). Thermarest sleeping pad ($55). With all of this weight you will need a good pack. The BEST and IMHO only option for 80lbs and up is McHale http://members.aa.net/~dmchale/. This you will not find in any store except his in Seattle, WA. He does however take phone orders and requires your measurements for custom fit ($600). You get your choice of color. This is an internal frame pack. Externals are a thing of the past especially if you are going off trail. They are less stable and get snagged on trees and brush. Make no mistake you will not be under 80lbs probably closer to 100 or 120. His packs also break down to ruk sac size for daily use after you establish a camp. Throw in antibiotics, a sewing kit for flesh, water purifier (PUR Scout $80), stove (MSR XGKII $80), 5 fuel bottles ($20ea), two pair polar fleece, Patagonia is good, ($120 for top and bottom), good stiff boots, Solomon or Merrell, to carry the weight ($300) be sure you break them in extensively, a multi tool ($40-$80), Waterproof (Gore-tex) top and bottom Marmot is best ($600), flashlight (try to get LED the batteries will last 4x longer $30), Cookware (save weight with titanium $90 with fork and spoon), the list goes on but those are the majors. Food is also a concern. Better of with dehydrated prepared foods you just add water to. They are about $8.50 per meal (actually supposed to be a two person meal but I eat a lot). You will not want to go through a lot of effort when exhausted. I have these in quantity if you need them. They are also lightweight. Best is Mountain House for taste and price. Everything else is available at you local outfitter (buy now winter gear is reduced) or at www.rei.com.   Don’t forget wool socks, liners (silk are best if you can find them), hat, gloves (one pair of thinner fleece type gloves and one pair of heavy mittens).  Notice I have made no provision for a parka type coat. You don’t need one. A combination of long underwear, fleece and an outer waterproof shell are superior for weight, freedom of movement and ability to layer for different weather conditions. If you are on the move a parka will be to warm unless you are above 26,000 feet or in a big storm. If you are above 26,000 feet you won’t be staying there long. If you are in a big storm you should be in your tent. If you are not on the move you should be in your tent getting rest.

Bottom line: You will spend $3500 to be prepared for winter. This is not a negotiable sum unless your life is. Can you get everything cheaper? Sure, but if we need to move don’t ask me to wait for you.  For instance you can get a –20 bag for $200 if you find a sale. However, it is going to be 2x the size packed and 2.5x the weight. Tents are available for cheaper but they will probably leak and will be heavier. If you ever have to carry it or live in it you will understand.

I am not trying to discourage you. Self-reliance is a great accomplishment. I can't understand this country where most freak out when the electricity blinks. The sense of satisfaction at the end of your trip will be second to none. Be prepared though. You do not get a second chance at survival. If you prepare well you will come away with the attitude, 'what was the big deal' as I do. If you don't, well...

Don't know if it was covered here, but how to determine edible plants is useful.

Another thing to have on hand is a spare pair of prescription glasses. If you're old and "blind" (like me) you'll need them sooner or later.