Survival Essentials: A Comprehensive Guide to Making It through Tough Times
Surviving the Great Outdoors: The 5 C's of Essential Survival Gear
Spending a night in the wilderness can be an exciting adventure, but it's crucial to be prepared with the right gear. The 5 C's of Survival - Cutting Tool, Combustible, Cover, Container, and Cordage - are essential items that can enhance safety and increase your chances of enduring the night outdoors effectively.
- Cutting Tool (Knife) - A high-quality, full-tang knife is a valuable survival tool. It can be used for various tasks such as creating fire, boiling water, making a shelter, and hunting food. Proper training is necessary to use the knife effectively in a survival situation.
- Combustion (Fire) - Fire is essential for warmth, cooking, signaling, and purifying water. While a BIC lighter is commonly used as a fire-starting tool, a ferro rod (ferrocerium rod) is suggested as a primary fire starter due to its ability to work in all conditions. Learning how to use a ferro rod is necessary, as it has a learning curve. A video on how to use a ferro rod can be found online.
- Cover (Shelter) - A military poncho or similar knock-off is considered the best form of shelter. A quality rain poncho is recommended as an emergency shelter. Mylar blankets, also known as space blankets, can keep you warm and reflect heat back onto your body. However, they should be held slightly away from the body to prevent heat loss through convection or air passing by.
- Container - A single-walled metal canteen is recommended for boiling water and warming up with hot water. A plastic Nalgene water bottle is not suitable for boiling water or warming up with.
- Cordage - Paracord is strong rope or paracord used for building shelters, traps, carrying gear, or various emergency repairs. Paracord can be used for various purposes such as tying poncho or Mylar blanket as a survival shelter, fishing line, making traps and snares to procure food, and repairing gear. It's recommended to cut paracord into four separate 25-foot hanks for easy use in an emergency situation.
Remember, learning how to use all the gear is important, and practice is recommended in a controlled setting. Adequate outdoor gear is crucial to prevent emergencies due to lack of preparation. For those interested in learning more, a 5 Day Outdoor Survival Basics 101 class is available. Our instructors use various knives, some of which can be found on our KNIVES PAGE.
Stay prepared, stay safe!
- Adequate training is essential to effectively use a high-quality, full-tang knife, a crucial cutting tool, for tasks like creating fire, making a shelter, boiling water, and hunting food in the wilderness.
- In addition to a BIC lighter, a ferro rod (ferrocerium rod) is suggested as a primary fire-starting tool for all conditions, and learning how to use it is necessary due to its learning curve.
- A military poncho or similar knock-off, used as an emergency shelter, is considered the best form of cover for protection against the elements in the wilderness.
- A single-walled metal canteen is recommended for boiling water and warming up, as a plastic Nalgene water bottle is not suitable for these purposes.
- Paracord, a strong rope, is essential gear for building shelters, traps, carrying gear, or various emergency repairs in the wilderness.
- Implementing outdoor-living skills such as those taught in a 5 Day Outdoor Survival Basics 101 class can also help maintain a home-and-garden lifestyle, being prepared for any situation in the great outdoors.
