Rich Fleetwood on Survival & Preparedness – Founded/Established 1997
Shared with permission of Leon from SurvivalCommonSense.com
Posted on April 4th, 2011 by Leon in Leon's Blog
by Peter Kummerfeldt
Desire. You must want to survive! You must want to live! Without the desire to live, it doesn’t matter how much equipment or training you have.
There have been survivors who lacked even the minimum amount of equipment; who had never received any survival training but who had a tremendous tenacity to live – and they did! There have also been people who were trained and equipped but lacked the will to survive who died when they should have lived!
Survivors, who are inadequately clothed, poorly equipped and those who have never practiced their survival skills will have their “desire to live” severely tested.
On the other hand, those who can stay warm and dry, those who have equipped themselves, and those who have practiced their survival skills may experience an uncomfortable night or two out , but because of their preparations, they should not find themselves in a life-threatening emergency.
Stay alive. First of all, staying alive means being able to administer first aid – to yourself! Few people begin their survival situations uninjured! Few people in survival situations remain uninjured! Any injuries that incurred during or following an accident must be dealt with quickly – you may be both the patient and the doctor!
When was the last time you attended a First Aid course? Could you administer effective CPR to a drowning or lightning strike victim? Would those with whom you travel know what to do if you were the one that needed help?
In a cold, wet windy environment staying alive also means keeping warm; in a hot environment, staying cool is the objective.
Accomplishing either can be very difficult. 98.6 is the most important number in your life! A deviation of 5° F. above or below 98.6° F. significantly impairs your brain’s ability to function and reduces your ability to make good decisions. Since surviving is largely a “decision making” process, your brain’s ability to function must be protected at all costs.
Staying alive also means keeping yourself hydrated. Every activity that takes place in the human body takes place in a water environment; when that water is depleted those activities begin to malfunction. Under stressful conditions, dehydrated people quickly lose their working efficiency and worse than that, their ability to think clearly and make good decision!
Under adverse conditions. Because of our past experiences, what may be adverse to one person may be routine to another. Before venturing off, ask yourself “What is the worst thing that can happen to me and am I prepared to cope with it?”
“What scares me about the thought of spending an unplanned night out?” Answering these two questions honestly is the first step in overcoming one of the biggest barriers to preparing for a future survival situation – denial of the possibility of an emergency happening. If you can see yourself in a survival situation, then preparing for it will naturally follow.
All alone.Never count on anyone else being there to help you when you are in trouble. If there is, you can pool your talents, equipment and clothing for the benefit of all. But if there isn’t, and you have never developed your survival skills because you reasoned :
“Someone else (husband, father, mother, brother, sister, guide etc.) will take care of me,” you have just fallen into a big trap. You will be totally unprepared physically and psychologically! Plan on being alone!
Until rescued. Beyond readying the appropriate signals to attract the attention of rescuers, there is little the survivor can do to expedite the rescue process. Finding an overdue hunter, backpacker or birdwatcher takes time – especially if you have failed to leave a flight plan!
To the survivor, the time it takes to be found and recovered seems to drag on forever; and remaining in one place, waiting to be found, will take all of your willpower. History shows that those survivors who were able to overcome their impatience and desire to walk out had a better chance of surviving than those that continued to move.
Sit tight, survive and wait for rescue to come to you.
Peter Kummerfeldt has walked the talk in the wilderness survival field for decades.
Peter grew up in Kenya, East Africa and came to America in 1965 and joined the U.S. Air Force. He is a graduate of the Air Force Survival Instructor Training School and has served as an instructor at the Basic Survival School, Spokane, Washington; the Arctic Survival School, Fairbanks, Alaska, and the Jungle Survival School, Republic of the Philippines.
For twelve years, Peter was the Survival Training Director at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. He retired from the Air Force in 1995 after 30 years of service.
In 1992, concerned with the number of accidents that were occurring in the outdoors annually and the number of tourists traveling overseas who were involved in unpleasant and sometimes life-threatening incidents Peter created OutdoorSafe.com
He is the author of Surviving a Wilderness Emergency
and has addressed over 20,000 people as the featured speaker at numerous seminars, conferences and national conventions.
Check out Peter’s blog at: OutdoorSafe.blogspot.com
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2011/04/04/peter-kummerfeldt-what-is-survival/
Let’s get real! While some survival experiences do occur in such places, many more occur in the woodlots of Wisconsin; while duck hunting in Louisiana, or while tracking deer in Washington – in short, anywhere we recreate. While there are many book definitions of the word “survival,” none adequately describe the difficulties that outdoor people sometimes find themselves in. Here’s my definition: SURVIVAL – The ability and the desire to stay alive, all alone, under adverse conditions, until rescued. Ability. There are skills in which you need to become proficient if you expect to survive: first aid, sheltering, fire craft, water procurement and signaling. Without these skills, whether you survive or not may depend largely on luck. These are skills that cannot be learned “on the job” but must be practiced ahead of time. When the emergency arises, shelter can be built, water procured and signals constructed in a minimum of time and with a minimum amount of expended effort.Survival situations can occur at any time, in any location. The word “survival” conjures up a mental picture of a horrendous situation in some remote part of the world where the “survivor” has to “survive” under extreme conditions, without food, with only limited (or no) water while fending of the onslaught of predatory animals!
Desire. You must want to survive! You must want to live! Without the desire to live, it doesn’t matter how much equipment or training you have.
There have been survivors who lacked even the minimum amount of equipment; who had never received any survival training but who had a tremendous tenacity to live – and they did! There have also been people who were trained and equipped but lacked the will to survive who died when they should have lived!
Survivors, who are inadequately clothed, poorly equipped and those who have never practiced their survival skills will have their “desire to live” severely tested.
On the other hand, those who can stay warm and dry, those who have equipped themselves, and those who have practiced their survival skills may experience an uncomfortable night or two out , but because of their preparations, they should not find themselves in a life-threatening emergency.
Stay alive. First of all, staying alive means being able to administer first aid – to yourself! Few people begin their survival situations uninjured! Few people in survival situations remain uninjured! Any injuries that incurred during or following an accident must be dealt with quickly – you may be both the patient and the doctor!
When was the last time you attended a First Aid course? Could you administer effective CPR to a drowning or lightning strike victim? Would those with whom you travel know what to do if you were the one that needed help?
In a cold, wet windy environment staying alive also means keeping warm; in a hot environment, staying cool is the objective.
Accomplishing either can be very difficult. 98.6 is the most important number in your life! A deviation of 5° F. above or below 98.6° F. significantly impairs your brain’s ability to function and reduces your ability to make good decisions. Since surviving is largely a “decision making” process, your brain’s ability to function must be protected at all costs.
Staying alive also means keeping yourself hydrated. Every activity that takes place in the human body takes place in a water environment; when that water is depleted those activities begin to malfunction. Under stressful conditions, dehydrated people quickly lose their working efficiency and worse than that, their ability to think clearly and make good decision!
Under adverse conditions. Because of our past experiences, what may be adverse to one person may be routine to another. Before venturing off, ask yourself “What is the worst thing that can happen to me and am I prepared to cope with it?”
“What scares me about the thought of spending an unplanned night out?” Answering these two questions honestly is the first step in overcoming one of the biggest barriers to preparing for a future survival situation – denial of the possibility of an emergency happening. If you can see yourself in a survival situation, then preparing for it will naturally follow.
All alone.Never count on anyone else being there to help you when you are in trouble. If there is, you can pool your talents, equipment and clothing for the benefit of all. But if there isn’t, and you have never developed your survival skills because you reasoned :
“Someone else (husband, father, mother, brother, sister, guide etc.) will take care of me,” you have just fallen into a big trap. You will be totally unprepared physically and psychologically! Plan on being alone!
Until rescued. Beyond readying the appropriate signals to attract the attention of rescuers, there is little the survivor can do to expedite the rescue process. Finding an overdue hunter, backpacker or birdwatcher takes time – especially if you have failed to leave a flight plan!
To the survivor, the time it takes to be found and recovered seems to drag on forever; and remaining in one place, waiting to be found, will take all of your willpower. History shows that those survivors who were able to overcome their impatience and desire to walk out had a better chance of surviving than those that continued to move.
Sit tight, survive and wait for rescue to come to you.
Peter Kummerfeldt has walked the talk in the wilderness survival field for decades.
Peter grew up in Kenya, East Africa and came to America in 1965 and joined the U.S. Air Force. He is a graduate of the Air Force Survival Instructor Training School and has served as an instructor at the Basic Survival School, Spokane, Washington; the Arctic Survival School, Fairbanks, Alaska, and the Jungle Survival School, Republic of the Philippines.
For twelve years, Peter was the Survival Training Director at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. He retired from the Air Force in 1995 after 30 years of service.
In 1992, concerned with the number of accidents that were occurring in the outdoors annually and the number of tourists traveling overseas who were involved in unpleasant and sometimes life-threatening incidents Peter created OutdoorSafe.com
He is the author of Surviving a Wilderness Emergency and has addressed over 20,000 people as the featured speaker at numerous seminars, conferences and national conventions.
Check out Peter’s blog at: OutdoorSafe.blogspot.com
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2011/04/04/peter-kummerfeldt-what-is-survival/Yes, it's been a while since any blog posts or new articles on SurvivalRing. Life's like that sometimes when you have multiple priorities in your life, 
including a real world job with the state of Wyoming, a home business, caring for grandchildren and helping adult offspring, dealing with multiple vehicular mechanical issues and then doing all the repairs yourself, and then trying to maintain health and household needs to boot.
Unlike hundreds of other survival and self reliance websites, with authors and bloggers who update daily, or even weekly, my website (and blog) is first and foremost a RESOURCE. Gigabytes of downloads of ebooks, government manuals, sheltering plans, fallout planning, and the entire spectrum of all-hazards planning, self reliance content, technical info and data, classic books from the first decades of the 20th century, and so much more.
Obviously, I get a lot of traffic, moving 1.6 terabytes (1,600 gigabytes, or 1,600,000 megabytes) of data this past year. These are ASTOUNDING numbers for any survival or preparedness website. As we enter our 14th year online, I truly expect these numbers to continue to increase every day, every week, and every month.
But, with all this data being downloaded, I get virtually NO feedback from visitors. Maybe one or two emails a week at the MOST. In the early years of my websites coming online in the mid to late 1990s, such as the original Blast Shelter website on AOL, I would get dozens of emails a month, and sometimes a week. I loved looking forward to these incoming suggestions, ideas, thanks, and critiques, and even taunts for some of my crazy ideas.
Something has faded…
I returned to college in 2003, and brought my web development skills up to the cutting edge of technology and web services. This current site design allows for visitor interaction that is second to none...commenting on anything, forums, chat, help desk, and more. They're not being used. Programming and search functions allow visitors to find content ANYWHERE on site instantaneously, and our Google search engine placement in finding rare content and documents on our site is at the top of the charts.
As technology, social networking, the economy, and a myriad of other variables have adjusted the past few years, I've noticed the rise, and fall, of many survival websites. New groups, such as the American Preppers Networks, blog and Facebook groups, many rather large forums, and some well known authors frequently are targeted in the media as "resources" because of what these groups WRITE...which is mostly opinion, editorials, or reposting of news stories, OTHER websites content, and far rarer, actual NEW content and thinking in the realm of self reliance and self sufficiency.
Media …
Articles are good for Google and other search tools to keep those site's rankings up. But, original content is not often enough. The genre of "Survivalist" rantings (always on that bleeding media edge of "good survivalist/bad survivalist" neo-liberalist agendas) are generally a mishmash of myth, potential broken laws, overheated rhetoric, anti-social diatribes, name-calling, misdirection, media bashing, self aggrandizing, gun porn, post-civilization looting ideas, or societal breakdown scenarios and alternative sources for food, water, ammo, bartering, or militaristic tripe.
Boy, do I sound jaded and cynical, or what?
by Leon Pantenburg
Shared with permission of Leon from SurvivalCommonSense.com
Posted on September 2nd, 2010 by Leon in Leon's Blog
An irony of floods is that muddy, filthy water inundates everything, but there is generally a shortage of anything to drink! If you are stranded in an area surrounded by standing water, you may be able to adapt a desert survival skill to gather potable water.
Flood Waters at the north steps of Hilton Coliseum. (photo by Bob Elbert/Iowa State University).
A drinking water shortage situation happened in my hometown of Ames, Iowa in August. Heavy rains caused the Skunk River and Squaw Creek to flood parts of the city, including my Alma mater, Iowa State University.
To add to the flood problems, several water mains broke. This left many parts of Ames without any potable water whatsoever.
Because the disaster was localized, emergency agencies were able to truck in water quickly.
But what would happen in a Hurricane Katrina situation, where people were stranded by flood waters for long periods of time? In those situations, staying hydrated in the heat becomes incredibly important.
Transpiration bags use the condensation principle to gather water. (Peter Kummerfeldt photo)
“In priority order, after shelter and the need to defend your body temperature, preventing dehydration is the survivor’s next most important necessity,” says survival expert Peter Kummerfeldt.
In some areas, drinking water can be found in vines. Another way to gather drinking water during a flood might be to set up transpiration bags, a method typically considered a desert survival technique.
“Using clear plastic bags to enclose living vegetation and capture the moisture transpired by the leaves can be an effective method of collecting water,” Kummerfeldt says. “Any time you have a plastic bag and living vegetation it should work.”
This survival technique relies on a process called transpiration, which goes on constantly during the daylight, in deserts and swamps alike.
During transpiration, trees absorb moisture through their roots, and evaporate water
Condensation from the vegetation will be caught in the plastic bag. (Peter Kummerfeldt photo)
through openings in their leaves, according to USGS Science for a Changing World. Trees tend to transpire more with increased temperatures, sunlight intensity, water supply, and size. When it gets too hot, though, transpiration will shut down.
This water vapor can be collected by enclosing as much living, leafy vegetation as possible within a clear plastic bag, Kummerfeldt says, and sealing the opening shut with a cord or duct tape.
“The vegetation should be given a vigorous shake before placing it in the plastic bag,” Kummerfeldt advises. “This is to remove any insects, bird droppings or other materials that might contaminate the water.”
Within a short period of time, water will begin to condense on the inner surface of the bag, collect into water droplets and drain to the lowest point of the bag.
Water quantity depends on the amount of moisture in the ground, and vegetation type. Other factors affecting water production include the amount of sunlight available, (it doesn’t work at night) the clarity of the plastic bag and the length of time the process is allowed to work.
“It is not uncommon to find two or three cups of water, and sometimes much more, has
The amount of water produced in a transpiration bag will depend on many environmental factors. (Peter Kummerfeldt photo)
accumulated over a six-to-eight hour daylight period,” Kummerfeldt said.
The best way to remove the water without disturbing the bag, he added, is to insert a length of vinyl aquarium hose through the neck of the bag down to the lowest point where water will collect. (This should be done during assembly of the apparatus) The water can then be sucked out or possibly siphoned into a container.
“When enclosing vegetation in the plastic bag it is advisable to place chicken egg sized stone in the lower corner where the water will collect” Kummerfeldt said. “The weight of the stone creates a separation between the enclosed plant life and the water and keeps plant saps from contaminating the water.”
“You can’t count on large quantities of water being produced in individual transpiration bags,” Kummerfeldt cautions. “But you must do everything you can to stay hydrated.”
*Author Bio*
ABOUT LEON: Since 1991, Leon has been an assistant scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 18 in Bend, and a
wilderness skills trainer for the Boy Scouts’ Fremont District. Leon earned a second degree black belt in Taekwondo, and competed in his last tournament (sparring and form) at age 49. He is an enthusiastic Bluegrass mandolin picker, two-time finalist in the International Dutch Oven Society’s World Championships, and a freelance writer for the Bulletin newspaper in Bend, Or.
An irony of floods is that muddy, filthy water inundates everything, but there is generally a shortage of anything to drink! If you are stranded in an area surrounded by standing water, you may be able to adapt a desert survival skill to gather potable water.
Flood Waters at the north steps of Hilton Coliseum. (photo by Bob Elbert/Iowa State University).
by Leon Pantenburg
A drinking water shortage situation happened in my hometown of Ames, Iowa in August. Heavy rains caused the Skunk River and Squaw Creek to flood parts of the city, including my Alma mater, Iowa State University.
To add to the flood problems, several water mains broke. This left many parts of Ames without any potable water whatsoever.
Because the disaster was localized, emergency agencies were able to truck in water quickly.
But what would happen in a Hurricane Katrina situation, where people were stranded by flood waters for long periods of time? In those situations, staying hydrated in the heat becomes incredibly important.
Transpiration bags use the condensation principle to gather water. (Peter Kummerfeldt photo)
“In priority order, after shelter and the need to defend your body temperature, preventing dehydration is the survivor’s next most important necessity,” says survival expert Peter Kummerfeldt.
In some areas, drinking water can be found in vines. Another way to gather drinking water during a flood might be to set up transpiration bags, a method typically considered a desert survival technique.
“Using clear plastic bags to enclose living vegetation and capture the moisture transpired by the leaves can be an effective method of collecting water,” Kummerfeldt says. “Any time you have a plastic bag and living vegetation it should work.”
This survival technique relies on a process called transpiration, which goes on constantly during the daylight, in deserts and swamps alike.
During transpiration, trees absorb moisture through their roots, and evaporate water
Condensation from the vegetation will be caught in the plastic bag. (Peter Kummerfeldt photo)
through openings in their leaves, according to USGS Science for a Changing World. Trees tend to transpire more with increased temperatures, sunlight intensity, water supply, and size. When it gets too hot, though, transpiration will shut down.
This water vapor can be collected by enclosing as much living, leafy vegetation as possible within a clear plastic bag, Kummerfeldt says, and sealing the opening shut with a cord or duct tape.
“The vegetation should be given a vigorous shake before placing it in the plastic bag,” Kummerfeldt advises. “This is to remove any insects, bird droppings or other materials that might contaminate the water.”
Within a short period of time, water will begin to condense on the inner surface of the bag, collect into water droplets and drain to the lowest point of the bag.
Water quantity depends on the amount of moisture in the ground, and vegetation type. Other factors affecting water production include the amount of sunlight available, (it doesn’t work at night) the clarity of the plastic bag and the length of time the process is allowed to work.
“It is not uncommon to find two or three cups of water, and sometimes much more, has
The amount of water produced in a transpiration bag will depend on many environmental factors. (Peter Kummerfeldt photo)
accumulated over a six-to-eight hour daylight period,” Kummerfeldt said.
The best way to remove the water without disturbing the bag, he added, is to insert a length of vinyl aquarium hose through the neck of the bag down to the lowest point where water will collect. (This should be done during assembly of the apparatus) The water can then be sucked out or possibly siphoned into a container.
“When enclosing vegetation in the plastic bag it is advisable to place chicken egg sized stone in the lower corner where the water will collect” Kummerfeldt said. “The weight of the stone creates a separation between the enclosed plant life and the water and keeps plant saps from contaminating the water.”
“You can’t count on large quantities of water being produced in individual transpiration bags,” Kummerfeldt cautions. “But you must do everything you can to stay hydrated.”
by Peter Kummerfeldt
Summer is here, and people like me are attracted to those empty spots on the map that indicate an arid desert region. Always take lots of water along, and never depend on being able to find it! But it’s a really good idea to know where to look for water in the event of an emergency. Here are some tips for finding water in the desert from survival expert Peter Kummerfeldt. – Leon
This spring in the Central Oregon high desert is the only water for miles around. The vegetation around it makes the site easy to spot.
Throughout much of North America, water is usually available and easily obtained from open sources such as lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. Fundamental to finding water is understanding that it will always seek the lowest level possible. If water is present, some form of vegetation will probably show its presence.
A good strategy for locating water is to find a vantage point from which you can scan the surrounding countryside. Slowly and methodically, search for any water indicators such as green vegetation, birds flocking to specific areas, trails left by both domestic and wild animals, and even large rock formations from which springs may originate or where water becomes trapped. Man–made sources of water such as windmills, tanks, dams and irrigation canals might also be observed.
Look for water in low lying areas, such as depressions, sinks, or tanks, where rainfall or melting snow is likely to collect. Water can often be found in these areas long after the last precipitation, especially if they are shaded. A pair of binoculars can save you a lot of walking!
Don’t risk your life trying to climb or reach the water’s edge when safer strategies can be used. Tie a line to a water bottle or other container and throw it or lower it into the water from a safe vantage point. Since many water containers do not come with a reliable attachment point when the container is uncapped, make one by duct taping a loop of parachute cord or other line to the side of the water container.
Do not use the retaining strap that connects the cap to the water bottle. Sometimes this strap will pull free from the full bottle as it is being retrieved from the water source. The result could be a lost bottle.
Water in some lakes, particularly many found in the western United States, contain high concentrations of calcium carbonate and calcium bicarbonate in solution which makes the water non-potable. Lakes of this nature are usually easily identified because the calcium salts leached from the soil form deposits of white powder around the perimeter of the lake as the water evaporates. Water containing high concentrations of calcium carbonate and bicarbonate taste terrible and should not be consumed!
The water quantity produced by seeps and springs varies tremendously. In some situations the amount will be only a
The green grass in the middle of an arid area is an indicator that water might be present. This seep doesn't produce much water, but every little bit helps!
few teaspoons per hour. In other cases, gallons of water can flow from the ground in minutes. Where the quantities are small, the flat edge of the mouth on a plastic bag can be used to scoop up the water from a shallow source, or if it is flowing, to collect the water as it runs into the bag. (editor’s note: This is one reason I always carry a cup or wide mouth container!) A short piece of vinyl aquarium hose also works well for sucking up water from shallow collections or to recover water from narrow cracks in the rocks.
Following rain, water collects in low lying areas and may be found long after the last storms have passed through the area. Check out any depressions, sinks or other low places where water could gather. Water sources like these should be checked carefully since they are frequently contaminated with debris that has been washed into the drainage.
Finding the remains of animals that have died nearby or in the water and other similar contaminants will necessitate boiling the water, the use of halogens (iodine or chlorine) or the use of a mechanical pump to purify it.
It may be possible to locate abandoned open wells from which water may be obtained. Commonly the rope and bucket typically used to lift water from these wells will be missing and a person will have to improvise a means to lower a container down into the well to retrieve the water. Lacking a container a clothing item can serve as a sponge when lowered into the water. Windmills that could provide a ready source of water are a common sight across North America especially where little surface water exists. Commonly the water pumped to the surface is collected in a nearby tank or pumped directly into a trough from which livestock can drink. Where an open source is not available it may be necessary to dismantle or damage the piping associated with the windmill to gain access to the water. Without tools, this may not be possible.
The Nalgene bottle, center, has a piece of parachute cord secured with duct tape. This would allow the bottle to be tied to a rope and lowered into a pool. The nalgene is flanked by two soft, roll-up water containers.
In arid areas, particularly in the western and south-western United States, rainwater collectors called “guzzlers” may be found. These are designed to gather precipitation and feed it into a holding tank where it remains until it is either consumed by thirsty animals or eventually evaporates.
Rain water can be easily collected using a sheet of plastic or similar material. Water collects on the upper surfaces of any material (it doesn’t have to be waterproof) and drains to the lowest point where it is collected.
Even though water is not visible on the surface of the ground, it may still be present in the soil in sufficient quantity to be collected. Locate low lying areas where water is most likely to have accumulated and dig down until damp layers of soil are found. Over time, water may seep into the hole where it can be collected.
If no indicators of sub-surface water are present, dig a hole in the outside bend of a dry river bed. Look for a location where the centrifugal force of flowing water has eroded the outer bend of a river bank creating a depression where the last remnants of water flowing downriver will have accumulated.
A person’s ability to collect water trapped by plants, or contained within plants can be a valuable aide to combating dehydration. Once again, a line must be drawn between methods that are practical and those that are more survival legend than fact!
Barrel cacti for example, long featured in survival literature as a source of water in arid regions, should not be utilized. The quantity of fluid that can be extracted from a barrel cactus is very limited and the fluid that is obtained is not beneficial and may in fact be detrimental to your health!
*Permissions *
- Shared with permission of Leon from SurvivalCommonSense.com
- Originally Posted on June 21st, 2010 by Leon in Survival Skills
*Author Bio*
ABOUT LEON: Since 1991, Leon has been an assistant scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 18 in Bend, and a
Shared with permission of Leon from SurvivalCommonSense.com
Posted on May 6th, 2010 by Leon in Survival Equipment
by Leon Pantenburg
The rattle of musketry came from over the hill, and in a few minutes, our pickets were driven back. The order came to form ranks, so I drained my canteen and wished for more water.
The Nalgene bottle, center, with duct tape is flanked by two soft, roll-up water containers. This system is my favorite for over-all use.
It was late in the afternoon of the Civil War re-enactment battle of Champion Hill, near Vicksburg, MS. I was an “embedded” journalist in the Confederate Army, covering the event for the Vicksburg Evening Post. All my clothing and gear was authentic, right down to the small, standard issue, flannel-covered canteen. It held less than a quart, and even though we replenished our canteens whenever possible, the hot Mississippi sun and wool uniforms sucked the moisture right out of us.
We had skirmished all afternoon, and my lips and mouth were dry from biting off the ends of the blackpowder cartridges to load my Springfield. We raised the Rebel yell and waited to fire a volley when the Yankees got closer.
Being able to carry sufficient water is a survival must. Dehydration can cause you to collapse in the heat or in the cold, and it can kill you. Every survival kit should have some way to carry and purify water.
In the early 1970s, I never filtered drinking water in the mountains. I’d carry a filled quart military canteen as insurance, but I never passed a clear-running stream without taking out my Sierra cup and sampling.
This quart military surplus canteen is cheap and rugged.
I hiked the John Muir Trail; through Yellowstone, and various other western mountain ranges without ever purifying water and I never got sick. But, I’d never do that today because of the potential for getting really sick. I always carry water on outings, and some way of purifying it.
As you put together a survival kit or update your equipment, here are some effective ways to carry water worth considering.
Collapsible water containers: I use these a lot, particularly in the quart size. On a 1977 desert backpack in Death Valley, my hiking partner John Nerness and I each carried five-gallon collapsibles inside our backpacks. Each of us carried three gallons of water in them, which technically, would last us three days of hiking.
On most outings, I usually carry quart collapsibles in my pack, even if they aren’t filled. Platypus Sport Bottle
A quality collapsible is also fairly rugged. Survival expert Peter Kummerfeldt has a collapsible he’s been using for about 20 years. It shows some wear, but is still dependable.
Military canteens: I’ve used these since I was a kid. In the 1960s, the aluminum surplus canteens were cheap and widely available. My buddies and I would go to “Ames Surplus” an outdoors store outside Ames, Iowa and load up with all sorts of cool stuff for camping. The aluminum, and later, the plastic Vietnam-era canteens were rugged, reliable and easy to carry. This type of canteen is still cheap, and readily available.
The military two-quart, left and the Forest Service surplus canteens work well for carrying larger quanties of water.
Blanket covered canteen: I also had a blanket-covered canteen when I was a kid. My water-carrying choices depended on what game we were playing at the time. The blanket canteen that appeared in every western was for cowboy themes and the GI canteens were for playing war.
During my Civil War re-enactor days, (When I was much older, but still playing war games!) I used a wool-covered, replica canteen. They are small, but reasonably adequate , and the water in them heats up quickly. During a battle, march or maneuver, your canteen water ends up tasting tinny and is bathwater warm.
Here in Oregon, Fire Service surplus blaze orange canteens are frequently available. I carry one in my car whenever it isn’t freezing, as a backup supply. When I hike or hunt with my Lab, Belle, I water her with the orange canteen. With a two-quart or gallon capacity, and a wide shoulder strap, these canteens are easy to grab and go.
Bladder Systems: These systems have a lot of advantages. If you’re climbing, biking or doing some activity where your hands are busy, a bladder will work well for you. They come in a variety of sizes, and are particularly good to use with youngsters. The drinking tubes from the reservoir are handy and if drinking is convenient and easy, you probably will.
If you store your bladder hydration system in a freezer you can forget about mold!
But the bladder systems require regular cleaning, particularly in hot, humid environments. Other wise, some sort of mold may develop, and water may end up tasting musty. But there is a way to eliminate this problem.
I got this idea from a fellow shopper at REI. I was looking at the complex assortment of brushes and tools for cleaning bladder hydration systems, and complaining about how hard it was to keep my kids’ hydration systems fresh. CamelBak Skeeter Kid’s Hydration Pack
The shopper claimed to have used the same bladder hydration system for 10 years, and said because it is always stored in the freezer, he doesn’t need to clean anything.
I’ve been storing my Camelback CamelBak M.U.L.E. 100-Ounce Hydration Pack and other types of hydration systems in my freezer for the past two years, and this tip works!
Nalgene Water Bottles: My current water carrying bottle is a wide-mouth quart Nalgene. Stealing an idea from survival instructor Cody Lundin, 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive
This setup is rugged and easy to fill and drink out of. I replenish the Nalgene out of the filled collapsibles in my pack as needed.
Quart Gatorade Bottles: These are included because they are essentially free and reasonably durable. You can find
It took some duct tape and parachute cord to make these quart Gatorade containers in serviceable canteens.
other plastic sport drink bottles and adapt them too. The idea is to have a lot of water in any survival kit or bug-out bag, and these work well.
They should be used only as backup supplies, but their availability and price allows you to have many.
Quart or Gallon Ziploc Bags: As an emergency backup container, these will work. Carry the filled bags in a bandana, and they will be less likely to burst. But if you anticipate needing additional water containers, take something more durable!
Another good hydration tip is to carry a V-8 vegetable or fruit juice in a can. Drink it at lunch. DON’T take soda, because most are diuretic, and may hasten dehydration.
Another necessity for staying hydrated is a Sierra cup or metal cup or pot to boil water. You may find a spring, or crack in a rock with water, and you’ll have to dip it out. Try that with your bladder system!
For more related SurvivalCommonSense.com tips and stories, click on the highlighted words:
- STOP: Use this exercise to reduce stress and focus your thoughts.
- Write a note to let people know where you went, before you left.
- Take your Ten Essentials on every outing.
- Dress with the right fabrics.
- Have a plan to make a tarp shelter.
- Carry lightweight, compact firestarter.
- Find the most effective fire ignition system.
- How to make charcloth, a material that can catch a spark from any source.
- Use charcloth as an effective method of catching a spark to make a fire.
- It can kill you: Hypothermia
- Hardtack: A great emergency food
- About Leon Pantenburg
*Author Bio*
ABOUT LEON: Since 1991, Leon has been an assistant scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 18 in Bend, and a
Note from Rich: Water is THE most important thing to consider in any prepping, survival, or disaster situation. While this particular report discusses some rather disturbing aspects of making water in extreme situations, it is still worthy of consideration and study...just in case.
Rich - 23:31:12 - 2010-04-16
*Title*
Continuous potable water supply for fallout shelters and other isolated sites - final report
*Department of US*
Office of Civil Defense
*Abstract*
- In the manned space program, a good deal of effort has been devoted to developing a system for the recovery of water from urine. Processes involving the use of external power yield a satisfactory product only after extensive post treatment, usually involving physical chemical methods. This investigation centers on the evaluation of urine into water suitable for drinking or other uses in fallout shelters and other isolated sites. The capacity of the multiple and mixed bed ion exchange for the dimineralization of urine; and of activated carbon for the removal of urea, foaming agents, and color were evaluated. Reaction rates and products were determined for the oxidation of urea with calcium hypochlorite and with nitrous acid. The hydrolysis of urea without buffer using the enzyme urease was explored. A strongly acidic sulfonated polystyrene exchange resin was found to be effective for the removal of urea from urine. Experiments on the precipitation of chloride and carbonate, either present in urine or a reaction product, with silver salts were conducted.
*Details"
| Call Number: |
953 v.2 |
|---|---|
Continuous potable water supply for fallout shelters and other isolated sites - final report |
|
| Author(s): | Grieves, Robert B. and Quon, Jimmie E. ; Armed Forces Epidemiology Board. Commission on Environmental Hygiene; Army. Medical Research and Development Command; Office of Civil Defense. |
| Description: | 71 p. |
| Publication Data: | Evanston, IL : Northwestern University. The Technological Institute. July 1964 |
| Identifier/s: | Misc. No.: DA-49-193-MD-2316/ Accession No.: 59877/ NTIS: AD450653L |
| Type of Item: | (REPORT)  |
|
|
URLs are tested and verified at time of data entry. handle.dtic.mil/100.2/AD450653 (2mb) |
| Subjects: | 1. FALLOUT SHELTERS 2. WATER SUPPLIES 3. CIVIL DEFENSE |
| Summary/abstract: |
|
| Availability: | Not available on Interlibrary Loan |
| Copies: |
|
url:
*Type Of File"
*Download"
Click the link below to download this PDF file.
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===> [download id="17"]
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Thanks, Rich
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