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If the winter weather has you trapped, would you be able to make it out alive?
 | First ResponseSprains and fractures are common injuries that require swift attention. |
 | Meet Tim MacWelchThis survival expert brings 23 years of experience to OL Survival. |
 | The Silent KillerCarbon-monoxide poisoning is a real threat for outdoorsmen. |
 | Make a Family Emergency PlanMake sure your family is prepared for anything. |
 | Snowbound CarWinter storms can move in without warning, catching you unprepared. |
 | Burglar-Proof a HomeTake steps to keep your home and belongings safe. |
If you read my previous post on the possible hazards of DEET and Permethrin, you’re probably left wondering what you could use to stave off the hordes of mosquitoes that are out to drink your blood in the summer months.
Here are some DEET-free solutions.
Cigar Smoke
Folks who like the taste of cigars may find some relief by sitting in the middle of a cloud of cigar smoke. Any smoke will help keep bugs away, and cigar smoke seems to be more effective than most other smokes. But the big question on this one is whether the cigar smoke or the DEET is more hazardous to your health. [ Read Full Post ]
Considering that the Dakota fire hole is an obscure fire building tradition, I sure get asked about it quite often. People want to know if it really works, is it worth the trouble, and a whole host of other questions.
The Dakota fire hole is a Native American fireplace style that burns wood efficiently like a wood stove. It also provides a greater margin of fire safety by keeping coals and flames fairly contained when you must have an open fire in windy conditions.
By spending some extra effort on the front end to dig the fire hole, you can burn a hot fire with less wood. This can be a huge time and material saver in areas where wood is limited.
Here’s how to make it. [ Read Full Post ]
In the first part of this two-part post, we looked at ways to cook “off grid” and ways to store food without electricity. Today we’re going to look at sanitation in emergency situations, and how to communicate when the power is down.
Communication
No power and no phone can be a scary situation for modern folks. We are not used to being cut off, and it makes most of us feel vulnerable. The event that takes out your power may or may not also smack down the phone lines. If it doesn’t, you can still use a landline phone with a hand set (not a cordless, which requires power). But if a major storm knocks out your land lines and the local cell phone towers too, then your communication with friends and family will not be as easy as it normally is. [ Read Full Post ]
On the night of Friday, June 29th, a destructive complex of thunderstorms known as a “derecho” swept from Illinois through the Washington D.C. area. The unexpected storm delivered wind gusts up to 80 mph and hail almost 3 inches in diameter, and produced extensive damage, leaving more than 1 million Virginia residents without power, many for a week or more.
With grocery stores and restaurants closed, your ice cream melting, and your electric stove down, how do you feed the family after a disaster like that? This unusual summer storm ended up being a wake-up call for many folks I know. The best advice I can give them is to have supplies and plans in place for natural disasters just like this storm. In the first part of this two-part post, we’ll look at ways to cook “off grid” and ways to store your food without electricity. (Part two, coming Wednesday, will address sanitation and communication when the power is down.) [ Read Full Post ]
These days, it seems like there is a tactical version of everything we buy. That one word—”tactical”— informs us that someone has put a combative spin on an everyday item like a flashlight, a key chain, or even a ball point pen. These ruggedized, intensified, or weaponized items can provide us with one more way to defend ourselves and our loved ones. So having tactical versions of different kinds of gear is not a bad thing at all.
Consider the tactical pen for a moment. In its most basic form, it is simply a rugged pen that both writes on paper and serves as a spike that could be used in hand-to-hand combat. Any pen or pencil could stab an attacker; but a tactical pen can be used to fight back with a surprisingly sharp point, and without the fear of the thing bending or breaking in half. [ Read Full Post ]
Have you ever been outdoors with someone who was in over his head? No skills, in terrible shape, or simply overconfident. Or perhaps he had a health issue, or even a mental health issue, that put him at greater risk of getting hurt or lost than the average outdoorsman.
A young autistic man was at great risk for the past three weeks, when he got in over his head and became lost in the backcountry by himself. And yet, he somehow survived. William Martin LaFever, 28, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, went missing around June 6th while attempting to walk from Boulder, Utah, to Page, Arizona, a distance of about 90 miles. [ Read Full Post ]
A key chain ring is one of those everyday items that never gets much attention. It holds our keys together, and that’s all it does for us, most of the time.
But as I focus more on EDC (every day carry) gear lately, I wanted every part of my keychain to help with survival chores, even the key ring. So I thought you might get a kick out of my favorite key ring trap trigger. Here's how it works. [ Read Full Post ]
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