Every house should have at least a couple of fire extinguishers available. You never know when a fire could break out, and you want to be ready when it does. One of the places where fire could start is the kitchen. After all, you play with fire there just about every day.
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A good multitool is an essential addition to your Bug Out Bag or Every Day Carry. When we talk about multitools, usually it refers to the big, solid multitools like the classic Victorinox Swisstool or the more “modern” Leatherman Skeletool.
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We’ve written at length about the virtues of duct tape over here in Survival Today. RESCUE TAPE is duct tape on steroids.
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As I mentioned in a previous post, recent events have made me relook into my disaster preparations. I still have my fully stocked 72-hour food kit, but this time I wanted to focus on the Bug Out Bag (BOB). For newcomers to the concept, the BOB (also called a Go Bag) is the one bag that you “grab and go” in case of an emergency, for example, a mandatory evacuation. The BOB contains essentials that will get your through the next 24-72 hours while you get to your next destination. You might need to use a BOB just once in a lifetime, but consider it insurance. I want to show that it’s not difficult to assemble a BOB, and that it doesn’t have to cost you a bomb, either.
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Seriously, this is not just an excuse to show cleavage on this blog. A few months ago, I read on WalletPop about using a sports bra as a cheap survival device. Bruce Watson wrote about how a bra can be used to attract attention and help. In fact, this very method helped save a US hiker who was trapped in the Alps. How disappointed do you think the rescuers would be, if the the owner of the sexy bra wasn’t a pretty young woman, but an overweight man? Just kidding.
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In an urban survival scenario, a good solid prybar would probably come more useful than, say, a fishing kit. I was taken aback when I first heard about the Stanley Fubar — I thought the name was referring to the other FUBAR (f***ked up beyond all repair). Actually, it stands for “Functional Utility Bar”.
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Pop quiz : what are the two things that should be in your BOB (Bug Out Bag)? Here’s a hint : one is for putting things together, and the other is to take things apart. The classic WD40 is considered “the Swiss Army Knife of lubricants”, thanks to its ability to loosen up just about everything. Other creative uses include removing snow from metal surfaces and killing weeds. A 5.5 oz can of WD40 can easily fit into your BOB.
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Do you have any cooking gear in your bug out bag? It could be useful to have something set aside for group cooking. For anything longer than a week, you might want to consider something like the Trangia 25-1 Stove & Cookware Set. This set includes an alcohol stove with :
- 2 saucepans in 1.75 litres and 1.5 litres
- 1 8.7″ fry pan
- 1 pair of pot grippers and a binding strap to secure the whole kit
- 1 pair of wind screens
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Did you know that a dull knife can be more dangerous than a sharp one? Well, now you know. A dull knife requires you to put more force in order to cut properly. So, now that you’ve used your knives to cut a lot of turkeys, it’s time to put an edge to your blades.
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