FIRE; Not Just the Devils Friend.

In today's society Natural and Unnatural Disaster are probably not on the forefront of our minds. Unless we are made aware of hurricanes, tornadoes, or raging wildfires we probably don't prepare for almost any disaster situation. Let us ask ourselves to what extent are we prepared and knowledgeable should we be stranded outside of society.

Let's just say you're Tom Hanks in "CASTAWAY". Although Tom Hanks character knew how to sail and apparently had some survival skills training or knowledge seeing how he used a fire plough (plow) and had other survival knowledge. When he scouted the island, he found one of the deceased crew members had their wallet, he had his pager, and an antique pocket watch. In this situation it may not be too far of a stretch that in the beginning, he had his wallet as well. Let us not debate whether or not Hanks had his wallet let us just agree that a wallet was found.

FIRE START SKILLS- When it comes to survival there are many different methods of creating an ember to develop into fire. Fire starting and ember creation are as unique as the individual and their fire start preference. Some may be diehard friction, others may be feather sticks and ferro rods, some may use magnesium or flint and steel, and some may be diehard solar fire starters. Regardless of any individual's preference it is important to know, practice, and use all fire-starting techniques you are comfortable with. Should you be uncomfortable due to aches and pains, or cramping issues use and practice harder skills in moderation in case they become the only resources you may have.

FRICTION FIRES- Probably one of the most well-known friction fires is the bow drill. There are many more friction fires from hand drills to fire ploughs (plows) and other friction-based fires. When looking at the building blocks most friction-based fire starts requires a hearth board some with a pie shape cut out, may require a bearing block, and most have a special shaped spindle not to mention needing an ember catch. In a true survival situation, let us ask ourselves how easy or hard would it be to source and shape the materials we would need to create a friction fire. Any person using a bow drill would need to source a string for a bow drill and are the materials going to be readily available for hand drills. One other thing one might want to consider is the energy expended in creating a friction fire. The fire we are trying to create will boil our water not to mention sourcing a container to boil water in. Considering the harder you work the more energy you expend, and you dehydrate faster should you be sweating could there be an easier alternative?

"METAL"ING WITH FIRE STARTS- All joking and puns aside there are metals we can use in fire starting from the common ferro rod, to flint and steel, and even magnesium which we would actually scrape or shave to use as an ignition source.

The Ferrocerium "Ferro" Rod- Mainly used for its shower of molten sparks to ignite tinder into flame. That being said you would need to source or create a tinder such as fire twills or feather sticks that will catch the sparks in order to create a fire. Although, most ferro rods are good for thousands of strikes over time they will wear down and need replacing as you are striking material off to create the sparks of ignition. Please note that if you are using a knife to strike a ferro rod the knife in question will dull quickly.

Flint and Steel= A lesser used fire start as the repeated striking and fewer sparks produced to that of a ferro rod make this option less attractive as a fire start. The steel is usually struck against flint and charcloth is used to catch sparks and create an ember. Charcloth is a material that is made with fire, so if you do not have charcloth on hand you would have to have something that will catch sparks and create an ember. You may be able to wear the steel striker as a necklace; however, is flint or any other spark producing rock going to be readily available?

Magnesium Fire Starts- Magnesium must be scraped off before being ignited, again scraping material off will use up and wear down your fire start eventually causing you to have to replace it. Once you have shaved your magnesium off you will need a way to ignite it. Some magnesium fire starts come with a ferro rod in order to allow you to ignite your magnesium shavings. Please remember in using the fire starts mentioned the number one thing is they will wear down and need to be replaced over time. Please note that if using a knife to obtain shavings knives will dull quickly.

Credit Card / Pocket Magnifying Glass (Fresnel Lens)- One of many solar fire starts and arguably probably one of the most popular. Magnifying glasses in general have been used for many years as a way to torture ants and start fires. My personal belief is every person in the world should have a credit card sized pocket magnifier on their person in a larger than normal medicine style bag necklace or in a wallet. Wallet? Didn't we mention a wallet earlier? We will revisit this in a moment. Should you be in a situation with let's say ten people and your situation becomes dire and you find yourself in a survival situation, if half of those people had a pocket magnifier as well as yourself, and you may only be able to locate one or two of the half that were carrying pocket magnifiers your odds are now 1in 3 and not 1 in 10 should you not be separated from your wallet or medicine style bag / pouch you have a fire start. Please note that solar fire starts are dependent on the sun, and this is why all fire start skills need to be learned and practiced.

The Undeniable Facts and Conclusion- In the beginning of this blog post we stated that Tom Hanks may have had his wallet; however, it becomes clear that he did not have a pocket magnifying glass and the deceased crew member did not have one in his wallet either. Had either Hanks or the crew member had a pocket magnifying glass (Fresnel lens) seeing how Tom Hanks character wore coverings to keep from being burned by the sun, fire may have been much easier to create, and the damage done to his hand(s) and the energy he expended could have been drastically minimalized. Outside of the movie let us look at having to have a way to source or create bow drill strings, bearing blocks, hearth boards, ember catches, tools needed for shaping of spindles, possibility of needing knives or sourcing and shaping rocks as cutting tools in place of knives, and creating or sourcing tinder that may require a sharp edge to be created. None of the fire starts mentioned outside of the Fresnel lens / credit card magnifying glass will fit in a medicine bag or wallet. Please ask yourself how hard it would be in today's society to carry any tools you may need in a survival situation on to a plane and if you have said tools checked in and in storage on the plane what are the chances you will have of locating them in a survival situation? Now ask yourself how hard it would be to carry a wallet or wear a medicine bag or larger pouch around your neck, and please note some wallets have chains on them which would diminish the chance of losing your wallet. Please take the time to locate a credit card magnifying glass / Fresnel lens and see what little room it does take up in a wallet or even how well it fits in the back of some cellphone cases and PLEASE make sure everyone you know and care about has one and the knowledge to use it. You can even check our home page and get one for free. Until next time "STRUGGLE TO MAKE PUDDING".

BUGGING OUT VS BUGGING IN

There are many theories on which is better when it comes to bugging in versus bugging out. There are many factors to consider I myself have always wanted to go off grid and build a cabin in the woods, tend a little garden, hunt and process my own game / food, and do my own canning of goods and get away from the ever-degrading society in which we live. In my opinion the so-called normalcy that has been subscribed to in every day society is anything but normal. Not to mention all the laws and regulations regarding how you live, what permits and licenses you must possess, and the fines you face for not properly abiding by the guidelines set forth in the state and cities in which we live. However, in any facet of life there must be rules and discipline in order for one or more to be successful even in a so called self-built society off grid without rules and regulations and a hierarchy to establish a set of laws and punishments for violations of said laws people would experience total chaos.

BUGGING OUT- When it comes to BUGGING OUT there are many factors to consider from is this a temporary escape or a situation of being forced by natural disaster or an escape to clear one's mind and simply practice skills and commune with nature. Please be aware in a BUG OUT situation you are giving up all the creature comforts of home.

First of all, let's be honest if you're bugging out for 3 to 4 days to practice skills and commune with nature you are pretty much camping. You probably planned and prepared to go out and packed water and rations to have on hand maybe even checked the weather to make sure it won't rain. Unless you plan to forage and trap every meal and source and purify all your water needs you are not truly in a BUG OUT situation.

A BUG OUT situation requires a BUG OUT BAG which is a bag with the BASIC SURVIVAL tools necessary and is usually set up for 72 hours. A BUG OUT BAG will have just enough food and water, hygiene, first aid, and shelter aids to get you by until reaching a rescue point or being rescued. In a BUG OUT scenario, you may have tools for water purification and limited food source, however if you have foraging skills and have BUSHCRAFT or SURVIVAL SKILLS / TRAINING you may be better prepared in a true BUG OUT scenario.

BUGGING IN- When it comes to BUGGING IN the main thing you have to consider is the set up. When preparing to BUG OUT you may need to purchase many items to facilitate your comfort and survival chances. When BUGGING IN you could spend the money you would have spent on BUGGING OUT to prepare an almost off grid lifestyle. When BUGGING IN you're at home you have a bed and cookware and the creature comforts of home. Also, when BUGGING IN you can over time learn and have set up(s) in place to process meat, have herb gardens, sprout seeds, grow a garden, set up a canning area, and over time develop water storage and maybe even afford to go solar saving money for investing in your BUG IN SHELTER. There is just as much if not more to BUGGING IN as BUGGING OUT, however if you are on your own property, you could have a smoke shack be processing your own meat you may even be raising chickens for eggs or food you might even have water purification of rainwater in place. The possibilities on your own property for an END OF DAYS or natural disaster preparedness scenario are endless. Please understand that any natural disaster situation or any unforeseen set of circumstance could technically leave you homeless or at least in a severe state of despair. In my experience one ideal way to BUG IN is with a ROOT CELLAR and if you were to research ROOT CELLARS, you might find them to be both a BUG IN and BUG OUT tool and may find ways to create your own for an affordable to semi affordable convenient inconvenience. You not only can put a root cellar on your property and store dry and canned goods you may also be able to put some minimal furniture in place to be able to sleep and eat meals.

THE COST COMPARISON- When it comes down to cost comparison it really is individual preference on where to spend your money. Please understand everyone should be prepared to BUG OUT should they have to, however if you could BUG OUT in a BUG IN environment would the time effort and money be worth it?

THE COST OF BUGGING OUT- Personally I have spent more than I care to admit on solar chargers and USB adaptable devices so that many things could be charged off of my solar chargers not to mention sleeping bags and tents and heating sources away from home. I have purchased all kinds of tools and devices to increase my chances of being able to pick up and BUG OUT at a moment's notice.

The time and money that has gone into first aid and researching all the different types of gear and knowledge you must possess to build, lash, frap and strap, gather, hunt, trap, and forage for existence and all the while you need to find time to build anything from a temporary to a semi-permanent to permanent dwelling. You see it's not just the financial toll it would be severely mentally and emotionally taxing as well for just one person now add your loved ones into the mix and take into consideration any health issues and physical ailments and any disabilities or specialty care that may be needed and remember that disaster natural or otherwise doesn't run on a schedule.

THE COST OF BUGGING IN- Personally I wish I would have researched this option more before being prepared to BUG OUT. In the beginning I was so focused on BUGGING OUT in an emergency I went more miles than I care to think about in the wrong direction. As of today, I have talked to many people who have families with disabilities and health issues who could not navigate mountainous or even overly hilly areas or even semi rough terrain. I have spoken with my own family, and it's been agreed we can grow a small family garden and plant wild edibles, set up canning areas and meat processing areas, and even raise a few chickens or other livestock in our own home and we can put a root cellar on our own property and have shelter and a bed(s) on our own property and do things at home. Any individual may have to spend money on an outbuilding for tools or a canning or meat processing set up and yes building a root cellar may be costly depending on what each individuals' needs are and building water purification and having a water storage set up isn't going to happen overnight, however in the end you have HOMEFIELD ADVATAGE.

IN CONCLUSION- No, I did not compare prices or go into great detail on the BUG OUT gear and BUG IN prices. In the end everyone must draw their own conclusions. I believe I have made my own decision as clear as possible. I would choose to BUG IN even though I would give anything to take off find a water source and build a cabin the world at large would not let me just disappear in it without owning the property to do so. With that being said I guess in BUGGING OUT and getting away from the world at large if I had to own the property on which i would BUG OUT on, I would still be BUGGING IN.

Until next time; STRUGGLE TO MAKE PUDDING!!!

Humble Beginnings

One man's story of where it all began

Hello; and welcome My name is JD at least that's what I go by. I began an adventure a few years back thanks to friends and family on how to survive. No; not survive in just the wild but in life. I started with a $10 dollar investment that changed my life and a few short years later here I am. Through dedication, hard work, and constant practicing of select skill sets I have become rather knowledgeable in bushcraft and survival skills. I now possess today the knowledge and skills that will not only help you survive will allow you and the people close to you to be pre pared come what may. I have over time and through trial and error learned what the most common mistakes that are easily made and easily corrected with the providing of simple knowledge.