Monthly Archives: January 2012

Plant Edibility Test

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WARNING: Just because Super Mario eats mushrooms beware….Unless you are sure about a mushroom don’t eat it. Don’t believe all the wives tales you’ve heard as to whats poisonous or not. Don’t chance it!


Its hard for the average Joe to become a full fledged botanist, and its helpful to have a book with illustrations to tell you what plant to eat and not. So its good to learn a few plants that are in many regions that are edible. There are few places in the world where there isn’t edible vegetation, and you don’t have to hunt or trap it. 


Also just because an animal may be eating a plant it doesn’t mean its safe for human consumption.


Below is the plant edibility test…Copy to a word document and print it out and put in you kit to have for future reference.


Applying the Ten Essentials concept to EDC

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Much has been written about the
“Ten essentials”. The Ten Essentials were developed by a group of climbers and
adventurers called “The Mountaineers” in 1930. It’s a list of ten items to
carry with you in the backcountry to be better prepared for any accident or
event that you may come across to better help you survive. In the future, Ill cover EDC’s further and go over my EDC.
            Today we
are going to incorporate these to an Everyday Carry Scenario. Here is the list
of the Classic Ten Essentials:
  1. Map
  2. Compass
  3. Sunglasses and sunscreen
  4. Extra clothing
  5. Headlamp/flashlight
  6. First-aid supplies
  7. Fire starter
  8. Matches
  9. Knife
  10. Extra food
Now
the adaption:
  1. Map-most of the population
    carries some type of smart phone that either has GPS function or Google
    maps access
  2. Compass-Also a function most
    smart phones have…if not wearing a button compass on your watch strap can
    facilitate this
  3. Sunglasses and Sunscreen-I
    wear sunglasses religiously as most folks should, sunscreen if you so
    desire
  4. Extra Clothing-This is a
    common sense item, if it’s cold outside dress for it. Carry a jacket
  5. Headlamp/flashlight-Carry
    Microlight on your keychain, or a Mag lite in your bag or laptop case
  6. First-aid supplies-Always
    carry any medication that you may be taking on a regular basis, Carry in
    your bag or vehicle a small first aid kit
  7. Fire starter-Disposable
    lighter
  8. Matches-not important, due to
    carrying lighter
  9. Knife-small Swiss Army knife
    on keychain, tactical folder, or Multi-tool on belt or in bag
  10. Extra Food-This could be
    protein bars or snacks in your bag or vehicle. Also I would suggest water
As
you can see, there are many modern day tools and items we carry to get us
through the day. This list is just a reference and supplement and change as
your needs may vary. 

Navy SEAL pull up from hell pyramid

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This workout will help you develop your pull ups. You need to utilize perfect form or there is no need to do them at all. No kipping and go all the way down to a dead hang position.

Dead hang pull-ups are all that matters.
2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2 Regular Grip
2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2 Reverse Grip
2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2 Close Grip
2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2 Wide Grip
2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2 Towel Pull-ups
250 total



MARSOC SERE FIELD GEAR LIST

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Marines inspecting contents of Jungle Survival Kit

MARSOC (Marine Special Operations Command) SERE (Survive, Evade, Resist, and Escape) school, is the Marines elite Special Operations. This is their current required gear list for their in house SERE school. This list outlines what Marines are using to survive their SERE school and what they most likely carry on their person when going into combat. This list can be used to develop your personal survival kit or Bug Out Bag. 

Required field gear:

(1) Issued survival kit or
possess equivalent kit (A period of instruction will be given

during course and student will
be afforded opportunity to build kit, all students will be required to have

one before field training)

(1) Fire starting device
(Magnesium block/striker, matches or lighter allowed)

(1) Signaling device (Signaling
Mirror or Camouflage paint kit w/mirror)

(1) Bottle water purifying
tablets or chlorine tablets if allergic to iodine (Will be issued)

(1) Wrist compass

(1) Whistle

(1) Fixed blade knife or
Multi-tool (Only 1 knife or 1 multi-tool is allowed not both!)

(3) Water carrying devices (3
quarts of water minimum)

(1) Issued Digital Poncho or
Tarp with liner

(1) Pair gloves (Leather, Nomex
Flight gloves or green cotton/wool or unit issued)

(1) First Aid Kit

(1) Pair eye protection
(Optional or can be issued)

(1) Pen or Pencil

(1) Paper or notebook

(1) Fleece watch cap

(1) Headlamp w/red lenses or
(1) Flashlight w/ red lenses

(1) Canteen cup (Regardless of
type of water carrying device)

(1) LBE/LBV or equivalent

(1) 5 foot length of 550 cord

(1) Ruck Sack or ILBE pack

(1) Package of map pens (1)
protractor

(8) Pair socks, (2) t-shirts,
(2) pair underwear

(1) Bottle of foot powder

(1) Camouflage paint kit

(1) Boonie cover

(1) Gore-Tex top

(1) Gore-Tex bottom

(1) Warming layer top-Seasonal
Dependant

(1) Warming layer
bottom-Seasonal Dependant

(2) Boots (Marine Corps issued
or MARSOC issued, desert colored boots)

(1) Entire modular sleeping
system with storage compression sack and Gore-Tex bivy.

(1) Set of appropriate civilian
attire

(1) E-tool  

Hard Case Survival’s Universal Handcuff Key

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Todays Product review is Hard Case Survival’s (SerePick) Universal Handcuff key. This is a composite material, non-metallic hand cuff key to get out of illegal restraints or if a LEO gets restrained in their own handcuffs.

These keys, in the brackets are about the size of a U.S. Quarter (they are pretty small). They can be broken from the bracket to be used and can be hidden in a variety of places. Such as underneath watches, behind clothing labels or buttons, the possibilites are endless. They also come in a variety of colors.

They are strong composite material and can be used multiple times without any notice of wear or tear. They can also lock and unlock double lock handcuffs. Hard Case Survival suggest having multiple Universal handcuff keys hidden on your person.

They are priced around $5.00 a piece, pretty reasonable considering it may save your life. They are currently only being sold to Military or Law Enforcement. These are a great addition to your Urban Survival kit.

http://hardcasesurvival.com/

Self-Sufficiency

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Self-sufficiency. This is a word we toss around a lot, especially in the preparedness and homesteading fields. What exactly does it mean? Does it really mean being 100% self-reliant, depending on no one else? Is that even possible? Going by a strict definition, it means sustaining oneself without using any outside resources. The truth of […]

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20 Ways To Use Whey

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Cheesemaking leaves you with a little bit of cheese and an incredible amount of whey. What can we do with the leftover whey? I asked my Old Order Mennonite friend, when we were talking about cheesemaking, “What do you do with the whey?”  She looked surprised and said, “I toss it down the drain. Oh, […]

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