Recommended Reading for Survivalists

If you are interested is survivalist strategies then there are definitely some books that you should be reading to prep yourself for any eventuality.

When Technology Fails by Matthew Stein is a must read because during a big disaster there may be no power, no cell phones, no computers or television. This book covers everything from starting to fire, to purifying the tap water to administering medicine and first aid.  There is also information about simple chemistry, metalworking and finding food and shelter during a calamity.

 

When All Hell Break Loose: Stuff You Need When Disaster Strikes is by survivable Expert Corey Lundin. It focuses on your survival mind-set which is about avoiding the weak and unstable and focusing on your own needs. He is the author that maintains that survival in a disaster is ten percent methodology and gear and ninety percent psychology. In this book you will learn extreme survival skills like how to make a composting toilet, catch rodents to eat (if necessary) and how to safely dispose of a corpse.

 

You can practice survival skills before a disaster strikes. The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour is the only book that teaches all the skills needed to live independently in harmony with the land harnessing natural forms of energy, raising crops and keeping livestock, preserving foodstuffs, making beer and wine, basketry, carpentry, weaving, and much more.  These are the skills needed if you have to go back to live off the land after a total economic or world collapse.

 

The Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Home Storage and Survival is another useful resource.  This book by Jack A. Spigarelli is practically an encyclopedia that tells you how to develop a food storage program  preserve food, store fuel, alternate energy, emergency evacuation kits, medical and dental, surviving biological, chemical and nuclear terrorism, communications as well as store up firearms and other survival tools.

 

A classic in this genre is the SAS Survival Handbook Revised Edition: For Any Climate in Any Situation, \Newly updated to reflect the latest in survival knowledge and technology, the internationally known SAS Survival Handbook is covers it all from basic camping to fear management to navigation and strategies for coping with any type of disaster, You also learn what food to eat, what to avoid and how to maximize what food or water that you do have.

 

These are just a few of the survival guides on the market that can be helpful to you in an emergency. They are among the most popular and best known and based on time-proven advice.

All About Bug Out Bags

A bug out bag (also nicknamed a BOB) is a packed bag of some kind that is a portable back pack that is large enough to carry minimal bedding and some emergency supplies but light enough that it can be carried.  Your survival stash is limited by the size of the bag and the size of the person carrying it.  Try a brand that is made out of light aluminum and nylon.   Each member of your family should have a bag and the family member should be able to hike with it for quite a distance.

 

Each bug out bag should contain –

  • Bottled water
  • Water filter
  • Water purifier tablets
  • Granola bars
  • Dried fruit
  • Jerky
  • Dried nuts
  • Hard candy
  • Trail mix
  • Pocket knife
  • Can opener,
  • Small eating utensils
  • Most toilets
  • Change of clothing
  • Jacket or sweater
  • Gloves
  • Hat
  • Extra socks
  • Long underwear
  • Extra pair of shoes
  • Extra eyeglasses
  • sunglasses
  • Sleeping bag
  • Duct tape
  • Pepper spray, mace or a taser for personal protection
  • Firearms
  • Cell phone and charger
  • Portable radio
  • Compass
  • Area maps,
  • identification
  • Whistle
  • Plastic bags
  • Cash and credit or debit cards
  • Chemical hand warmers
  • Small flashlight (wind-up)
  • Candle
  • Portable stove and fuel
  • Disposable lighter
  • First aid kit
  • Charcoal capsules
  • Tweezers
  • Soap
  • Towel
  • Insect repellent
  • Toothbrush
  • Prescription and over-the-counter drugs taken

 

Keep these stocked bug out bags somewhere close to your door so they can be grabbed at short notice if need be. It is also a good idea to keep a set of them in your car in case a terrorist attack or earthquake strikes while you are at work. This way you can grab your loved ones and keep driving on to safety without having to go home first.

 

In the back of your car you should also have –

  • Jumper cables
  • Tire pressure gauge
  • Fix-a-Flat
  • Emergency distress sign and triangle
  • Gasoline siphon
  • Windshield scraper
  • Towing strap’
  • Folding shovel
  • Work gloves
  • Rag
  • Spare tire
  • Fire Extinguisher

 

It is also really good idea to keep extra water, jumper cables, tent poles, flags, emergency flags, flares, fix-a-flat kits and other things in the trunk of your car. Keep a First Aid Kit and extra blankets in your car as well.  Thin thermal blankets can come in very handy in an emergency if there is a sudden drop in temperature or if someone needs warming because they are in shock.