Bushcraft and Survival Skills

How to Make a Solar Still to Purify Water

A solar still uses the power of the sun to purify water. The sun's heat evaporates water, and the vapor leaves contamination behind. Once the water vapor hits the top of the solar still, it condensates and slides down the lid into a collection basin. A solar still is one way to purify water. A still is easy to make and good for use in a wilderness survival emergency.

• Shovel
• Water bottle
• Sheet of plastic
• Rock

Step 1 Select a damp place open to the sunlight. A damp location generates more purified water, so find a spot that water runs into. Dry stream beds, bottoms of hills and places near water sources make good locations.

Step 2 Dig a 3-foot-deep hole. You want to dig into moist soil, because the moisture from the ground will become the potable water. Add vegetation, contaminated water or urine to the hole to add moisture. Remember, a solar still purifies any water; so even urine will be drinkable.

Step 3 Place your water bottle into the center of the hole. To support the bottle upright, you can push dirt around its base.

Step 4 Cover the hole with a sheet of plastic. Seal the edges of the plastic sheet with dirt and rocks. Make sure the plastic is taut and the seal airtight. Place a rock in the center of the plastic and over the bottle. The sheeting should bend to a point over the bottle. When the moisture evaporates, it condensates against the plastic. The condensation slides toward the rock and drips into the bottle.

Step 5 Wait two hours, a solar still will purify one quart of water in two hours. Drink your purified water and reset the still to make more.

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Dandelion Greens

Dandelion greens, which are present in the early spring, can reduce swelling and support digestion. Eat them in a salad or boil them and drain away the water to remove some of the bitterness. Dandelion buds have a buttery flavor.

Avoid picking dandelions in areas that are frequented by pets or where runoff or chemical sprays may have coated the plants. Dandelion is high in vitamins A, C and D, B complex vitamins, potassium, calcium, iron and zinc. The flowers have antioxidant properties, the leaves antiviral effects and the root may improve digestion. The University of Maryland Medical Center suggests you avoid using antacids if you are eating dandelions.

Rose Hips

Rose hips are the fruit of the rose plant and one of the richest plant sources of vitamin C. They also contain vitamins D and E, soluble fiber, essential fatty acids and antioxidants. Vitamin C can act as an antihistamine. Ingesting rose hips may help with cold symptoms. In dried form, they are lightweight and easy to pack.

Collect and boil rose hips to make tea. Boil them longer (10 minutes is recommended for dried rose hips; 2 tbsp. to 1 pt. water) to enhance their flavor and potentially add more nutrients to the water. The hips themselves can be eaten boiled and mashed.

Cattails

Cattails can be eaten as food, with the edible portions changing as the seasons pass. Cattail stalks should be harvested while they are immature; otherwise, when you break them open you will find a wood-like reed (and maybe a few worms). The rhizomes are edible boiled or dried, but the rhizome is labor-intensive to harvest and prepare.

Grasp the outer leaves and bend them downward to expose the main shoot. The shoot can be cut, twisted or pulled to remove the center of the plant. Be prepared for the slimy residue. Washed and sliced, cattail shoots have a flavor like mild cucumber. They make a filling snack, vegetable side or salad ingredient.

Steam and eat the male flower head or collect the cattail pollen to make bread. You will have to mix the pollen with flour, because unless you time your collection perfectly, the amount you collect per plant will be small. To collect pollen, place a bag gently around the flower head, bend the stalk and shake it.

Try eating cattail if you have an upset stomach. Cattail also is a mild diuretic and a tonic. The gel emitted when the stalks are harvested soothes irritated skin.

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There is no need for the novice prepper or "prepper family" to create the equivalent of a corporate disaster response plan; there will be time for that later on. While it is important for you to know the types of disasters that are most likely to affect you based on where and how you choose to live your daily life, prepping can quickly become a daunting task if you focus too much on the minute details rather than the totality of staving of adversity as you begin to prepare yourself and your family. Once the basics are covered, it is then expected that you will round out and expand on your basic preparedness to address the more advanced and in some cases long term needs that you will have to overcome.

Let's start with the obvious - In some scenarios, your survival of the initial disaster is not assured. Earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis and asteroid impacts to name but a few, will kill lots of people outright. There is no amount of preparation that will save you from the effects of a nuclear blast or a terrorist bomb that detonates next to your desk at work.

Preparing is what you do to mitigate the after effects of a disaster so that you can maintain your health and well being until you can recover and move beyond the adversity and disruption to your daily life.

To accomplish this goal in a relatively straight forward manner, it is important that the bulk of your advance preparations focus on the generalities of survival, regardless of the circumstances that brought about the need to survive. You would come to realize over time that many of the supplies and actions you need to keep going in the face of disaster are the same regardless of actual situation you encounter. To save you the time of coming to this conclusion on your own, below I list the aspects of survival that should be your predominate focus. If you take care of these, you will be in great shape to carry on when the world around you has fallen apart.

Disclaimer: There are always exceptions and additions to any list. Your personal situation, state of health and personal needs will dictate exactly what equipment, supplies and knowledge you will need. The list below is meant to be a general list of areas to focus on and is not to be considered all inclusive or mutually exclusive.

First Aid - After any disaster or accident, the first thing you need to be able to do is treat any injuries suffered by yourself or others around you. You need ample first aid supplies at home, in the car and at work.

Shelter - aka on going personal protection from the weather, sun, insects, dust, wind etc. You need to be able to stay warm and dry if you plan on surviving. Remember to take into account, the climate in your area. Shelter means different things in July and January for many people.

No Water - You need to consume at least 2.5 liters (minimum) everyday just for your body to be able to function. You need more to keep yourself clean and to cook. Having no safe water on hand to drink will limit your survival chances and affect your ability to help yourself. Store lots of drinkable water!

No Food - Everything you do after a disaster will be more difficult and take longer than it normally would. You will be burning more calories than you would sitting on the couch watching CNN. To preserve your ability to do work and stay healthy, you need to be able to eat. This is why you need to store food.

Money - We live in a consumer society. We are used to buying what we need to live. There is no reason to expect that everything you will need to procure after a disaster will be available to you for free. The bank wont be open so you will need to have some money available to purchase "things" from others.

Safety and Security - For every 50 people you put together in a group, there will be a few who have no compunction against doing you harm or taking what you have for themselves if given the opportunity. It is not unreasonable to assume that some stressed out desperate people will behave badly. You need to ensure that you have considered how you can protect your person, shelter, water and food from this often over looked threat.

Energy Sources/Utilities - It is safe to assume that in any disaster some or all of the public utilities you depend on to power your stove, furnace and lights may not be available for quite a while. You need a means of seeing in dark, cooking your food, safely disposing of human and food wastes.

Communication - You need a means of learning what is going on and gathering information on threats that exist that you may not be able to see. You need to know where to go and what to do. You need a radio to listen to messages from authorities. Because you are prepared, you may not need many or any relief supplies, but you need to know where these are being distributed if for no other reason than to avoid the throngs of unruly people who will congregate at these locations.

Restricted Travel - It may not be possible for you to travel within your town or between towns depending on the nature of the disaster or restrictions on movement imposed by the authorities. You need options that enable you to stay put under less than optional conditions. You should also consider providing yourself the option of leaving an area of perceived adversity if you have some advanced warning of events to come.

Advanced medicine or life support - Hospitals, medical clinics and doctors/nurses in general may well be overwhelmed by the needs of the many in the aftermath of a disaster. While no one can be expected to perform surgery on their loved ones, having the skills and supplies to suture open wounds, antibiotics for infections and rudimentary dental work is a great advantage. The next time you get your teeth cleaned, ask your dentist for the tools and compounds to apply temporary fillings and to treat cuts in the mouth and tongue.

Lost Records - You may need to prove who you are, that you own the land you are living on, that you have insurance in one form or other, that you are licensed to possess that rifle etc. You need to have copies of important paperwork in the event that the originals are no longer available.

Mental Health & Spirituality - Time will pass slowly without all of the modern distractions we have come to rely on (TV, computers, etc). Plan for those times when there isn't much to do. Keep yourself amused and the kids entertained. Playing cards, simple board games for the boring times (usually when it is dark but too early to go to bed). A Bible or equivalent scripture may be comforting to some.

When beginning the process of getting yourself and your family prepared for tough times, if you concentrate on the above areas of focus you can quickly and effectively increase your chances of survival and at the same time become independent of the need to rely on others in the short and long term. It is important that you begin to prepare right away. This post is an attempt to make it easier for you to begin this process. Please, do not procrastinate and assume that others will be willing or able to help you out. Your life is your responsibility.

What have you done today to prepare? Urban Survival Guide

4 powerful Traits of Survivors

There are some common personality traits that most survivors have in common. The following is a list of the 4 most common traits of people who have survived extraordinary situations.

1. Survivors stay Calm in the face of Danger.

A survivalist has the ability to stay calm in the face of whatever life may throw at him. It’s not that the survivor is without fear, instead he has the courage to face his fears. To be able to stay calm in the face of danger requires preparation & training. The more information you have the easier it is to stay calm during any survival situation.

2. Survivalists are Experts at Improvisation

Survivors can find a use for everything around them. They know how to pick gear with multiple purposes, and they know how to improvise when they find themselves without the needed tools or gear. Survivors  have the ability to make fire without matches, find water where there are no faucets, and find food where there are no stores.

3. Survivors are D.I.Y Experts

They are the ultimate tinkerers. In day to day life, the survivalist will find away to fix something that’s broken, before running off to Walmart to buy a new one. These skills are indispensable in an emergency situation.

4. Survivors are Great Leaders

They know how to make the tough decisions that will keep the people around them alive. During an emergency situation, while most are panicking and making stupid mistakes,  a survivalist  will stop, access the situation and then take action. They are the ultimate leaders!

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How to have a home with no house payments and no monthly utility bills!
This is an introduction to simple solar homesteading that provides information on how to find cheap land, build an inexpensive home, and use solar power to eliminate monthly utility bills.
What would you do if you had no house payment and no monthly utility bills ?
Well watch the video and I will show you how it is done easily and with very little money