Survival Essentials

Some plants can be total lifesavers by holding onto water just when you need it most. Here’s a quick scoop on which plants might just quench your thirst: Cacti: Yep, the classic water-storing champs. Just be careful when extracting water to avoid the spines, and avoid the cactus fruit which can be toxic. Bamboo: Tall and hollow, bamboo stalks often collect water in their hollow segments. Cut a segment open and you might find water pooled inside. Vines: Some vines can store water. Just give them a cut and see if water drips out. Make sure you know which ones are safe, as some can be toxic. Palm Trees: Certain types of palm trees can hold water at their base or in cavities. Again, knowing the right type to tap can be a lifesaver. Dew Collectors: Early in the morning, the leaves of many plants collect dew. Tying a cloth around your ankles and walking through a meadow of tall grass can collect that dew, which you can then wring out.

Natural band aids that you can find into the wilderness. @sonofa_bear

🔧 DIY desalination device using a single-walled stainless steel bottle and a copper tube. This setup allows you to convert saltwater into drinkable fresh water through the process of distillation. Essentially, the heat source boils the saltwater in the bottle, the steam then travels through a coiled copper tube where it cools and condenses back into liquid water, leaving the salt behind in the bottle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT6cjp_zThw Water Bottle Copper Tube Paste Flux Wire Solder Compression Tube Fitting

Making a solar water still is a smart move if you're stuck somewhere and need clean water. Dig a Hole: Find a sunny spot and dig a bowl-shaped hole. Add Vegetation: Toss some green vegetation into the bottom of the hole. Place a Container: Put a clean container in the center of the hole. This is where your distilled water will collect, so make sure it’s not something that’ll add weird tastes or chemicals. Cover with Plastic: Stretch a clear plastic sheet over the top of the hole and secure it with rocks or dirt around the edges to keep it airtight. Weight and Seal: Place a small rock in the center of the plastic, right above the container. This will create a dip so that the condensed water will drip into your container. Let It Work: As the sun heats the hole, water from the vegetation will evaporate, hit the plastic, and condense. Then, it drips right into your container. Just sit back and let the sun do its thing!

Nature's Clues: How to Spot Water Sources by Observing Wildlife Birds: Birds can be a dead giveaway. If you spot them frequently diving down to a particular spot or see a bunch of them hanging around the same area, especially in the morning or evening, there's a good chance they're heading to a water source. Mammals: Keep an eye on larger mammals, like deer or wild pigs. They need to drink daily, so if you follow their tracks, they might just lead you to water. Reptiles: These guys are a bit trickier since they don't need as much water. However, amphibians like frogs or toads? If you hear them or see them, especially at night, you’re probably close to water. They hang out where it’s moist and cool. Insects: Bees are brilliant for this. They need water to cool their hives and dilute honey, so if you see bees buzzing consistently in one direction, follow them. Also, swarms of mosquitoes usually mean there’s stagnant water nearby.

If you ever find yourself in a survival scenario, knowing where to find water is key to staying alive. Here's a quick rundown on spotting those crucial hydration spots in the wild: Natural Collection Points: Look for valleys or dips where rainwater might collect or where streams might form after rain. Animal Tracks: Animals need water just like we do, so following trails made by animals can often lead to water sources. Vegetation: Lush, green areas are likely to be near water. Tall trees or a group of green plants can indicate the presence of moisture below the surface. Dew: In the mornings, collecting dew with a towel or cloth can be a quick way to gather drinkable water. Rock Outcrops: At times, water flows down hillsides and gathers in crevices or rock pools, so keep an eye on rock faces after rainfall.

Through some neat illustrations, it shows a few different DIY techniques to ensure you're never without water when exploring the great outdoors.

Knowing how to determine direction using the sun is important in survival situations because it helps you navigate and find your way without modern tools. Being able to orient yourself can lead you to safety, help in locating resources, and avoid getting lost, which can be life-saving when you're in unfamiliar or hazardous environments. This skill minimizes your chances of wandering aimlessly and increases your ability to make strategic decisions about travel and shelter.

How to pass a rope far away.

👊🏻 Fight What if you can’t run, and there is no good hiding place? First, don’t panic. It will likely take every ounce of willpower you possess to remain calm, but it is imperative you do. Once you panic, you’ve lost the capacity for rational thought and your chances of survival drop drastically. In addition, you may also further endanger anyone with you. If possible, dial 911 to advise authorities of the shooter’s position. If you can’t talk, let the 911 operator listen. They may glean helpful information to pass on to the police. If you want to survive an active shooter event and you can’t hide, you might have to fight yourself out of there. However, this strategy isn’t always doomed to failure. You still might be able to subdue an attacker even if unarmed. Three young and unarmed men were able to do it to a shooter on a train in Paris. It’s the last resort, but it can end without a fatality as it did there. If you don’t fight, the shooter will have a clear shot to your head, and death is likely. On the other hand, it might just be harder to be hit with a fatal shot if you fight. Of course, it would be great if you knew martial arts, but any type of aggression against the gunman would disrupt their “flow” and possibly put you at an advantage. If you can, approach him from the side or rear, and go for his weapon. If you have help, all should attack simultaneously from different directions while hurling objects that he has to dodge. This guy is probably not James Bond: he’ll be disconcerted and unable to handle multiple threats at once. If you’ve disrupted the shooter or, better, get the weapon out of his hands, inflict damage on him until he is dead or has stopped moving. Harsh, I’ll admit, but these are tough times; commit to your actions. Conclusion Luckily, few people will find themselves in the midst of a terrorist attack like the one at San Bernardino, but I honestly believe that more are coming. Having a plan for surviving an active shooter event is galling to some, but it’s part of life in the New Normal. Those with a plan will have a better chance to survive this event and many other disasters in the uncertain future. What will you do in an active shooter situation?

🏃🏻Run / Escape Most people will hide as their first course of action. You**, however, should run away from the direction of gunfire as soon as you hear it**, leaving through those exits you’ve been mentally marking. This will make it less likely you and the shooter will cross paths. Also, forget about collecting your stuff; it will only slow you down, and, face it, it’s just stuff. If you’re in the shooter’s line of sight, run away at an angle or zig zag to make yourself a more difficult target. I know it’s not a natural action you’d think of doing, but most shooters aren’t marksmen and will miss a moving target. A good citizen would yell for others to follow and prevent others from entering the kill zone. However, don’t try to move or otherwise help the wounded, despite your natural tendency to want to do so. You have to get out of there, and becoming the next casualty does no one any good. Even the police will neutralize the shooter before tending to the injured. (One critical note: If you see law enforcement, don’t run up and hug them. Instead, get your hands in the air, fingers spread, where officers can see them. They need to know you’re not the threat. Then, follow any instructions given and leave in the directions the officers came from.) Once you’re in a safe area, call 911 if rescuers have not yet arrived. Hide Running might not be an option if there’s only one exit and the shooter is standing in front of it. So your next choice is hiding. You first want to get out of the shooter’s line of sight. We call this “concealment,” but it isn’t necessarily “cover.” If you’re concealed, you can’t be seen, but a bullet might penetrate to hit you. If you have found cover, you are both hidden and protected from projectiles hurled your way. Foliage is good concealment, but a thick tree trunk might be a better cover. In a building, hiding under a table in the same room as the shooter is a death sentence. Instead: -Get into another room, preferably one with a door you can lock. If there is no lock, put together a barrier with desks and chairs. -Turn off the lights, silence your cell phone, and stay quiet behind an additional barrier like a table or in a closet. -If you can quietly alert authorities, do so. -Don’t respond to voice commands unless you’re sure the danger is over; sometimes, the gunman will try to lure you out of a safe place. By accomplishing the above, you’ve just made yourself a more challenging target to acquire for the shooter, and he wants to do his damage as fast as possible. As a result, he’ll likely pass you by to find easier targets.

Guide: Surviving An Active Shooter Event - How to Stay Alive and Safe It’s hard to read the news without seeing reports of the latest shooting by terrorists or the deranged and disgruntled. Few believe that they could wind up in the crosshairs of a gunman’s sight, but it can happen anytime, anywhere. So what would be your response? This article will look at how you can increase your chances of surviving an active shooter event. ❓What is an Active Shooter? An Active Shooter is a person trying to kill or attempting to kill many people in a confined area. Their weapon of choice is some type of firearm(s). While they have typically carefully planned the event, their choice of victims has no pattern or method. Our Natural Response to an Active Shooter The natural response for most people is not to do anything. It’s sad but true. Most citizens believe is that law enforcement and homeland security are on the case. While these agencies do their best to counter situations like this, most mass shooting events end within 10 to 15 minutes. There is little or no chance that help will be there when you need it, so you should have a plan of action. Don’t Wait Until It Happens: Plan NOW! A person without a plan of action follows the herd. If fifty people around you drop to the floor, your natural tendency is to do the same. However, cowering in fear under a table in plain view of the shooter isn’t a recipe for a good outcome. You will have a better chance of getting out of there in one piece by having a plan. For example, if you’re at the mall, what would your plan be if you heard gunfire nearby? What would you do first? Run? If so, where? If you couldn’t run, what would you do? These are things you should be thinking about, calmly and rationally, whenever you’re in an area where there are many people. It may seem extreme to have to think of these things, but that’s what I call the “New Normal.” What You Do in the First Few Seconds is Critical to Surviving an Active Shooter Event What you do in the first few seconds may determine your final outcome with an active shooter. Give yourself a head start by always knowing what’s happening around you. We call this situational awareness. -Know where exits are, -Know where the gunshots are coming from, -And know who appears nervous or suspicious in your immediate area. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But in this era of people immersed in their smartphones, few are situationally aware and are, therefore, easy targets for the active shooter. For example, have you ever seen a patron enter a restaurant through the door marked “employees only” or a movie theatre through the fire exit? This is a person you’ll want to observe. In most cases, it means nothing. In rare instances, though, it could be someone that’s up to no good. By the way, those same little-used exits might save your life: Most people will be trying to leave by the front door, just where the gunman expects them to go. So find an exit away from the direction of gunfire. How to Survive an Active Shooter Event If you find yourself in the middle of a terrorist event, you should remember these three words: Run, Hide, Fight. Just as “Stop, Drop, and Roll” can save the life of someone on fire, “Run, Hide, Fight” might save the life of someone under fire. This is the order of the actions you should take in an active shooter scenario.

4 useful tips of tying rope knots. @survivalessentials

Do you live somewhere with coconuts? If so, you might be interested in learning how to make rope from coconut fiber.

🕒 The 3-3-3 rule in survival is a super handy mnemonic to remember the essentials when you're in a pinch. Here’s the breakdown: you can survive three seconds without hope or spirit, three minutes without air, three hours without shelter in harsh conditions, three days without water, and three weeks without food. But the real kicker is the "three seconds without hope" part. It’s all about keeping your cool and staying hopeful, because losing hope or freaking out can mess up your decision-making skills fast. Seriously, keeping your head in the game is crucial because, in any tough spot, a positive mindset can be your best survival tool.

I've got this handy little window breaker and seatbelt cutter in my car, and honestly, it's a game changer for safety. It's one of those things you hope you never have to use, but just having it there gives you peace of mind. Considering how affordable they are, it just doesn't make sense to risk being without one. It's super easy to use and could really make a difference in an emergency. Everyone should keep one in their car – it's a small investment in safety that can have huge benefits. Stay safe out there! Amazon Link

If your car starts sinking, here's a quick guide to escape: Stay Calm: Keep your cool to think clearly. Unbuckle Seatbelt: Do this immediately to move freely. Open Windows: Try the electronic windows first. If they fail, you’ll need to break them. Break the Window: Use a sharp, hard object if windows won’t open. Target a side window, not the windshield. Exit Through Window: Help children out first if they are with you, then follow quickly. Swim to Safety: Swim to the surface, follow the bubbles if disoriented.

🔋In times of emergency, conventional power sources might fail. Whether it’s due to a natural disaster, a technical failure, or environmental factors, having a backup plan is crucial. A car battery, a versatile and relatively inexpensive option, can be converted into an emergency power source. This guide will walk you through the essentials of using a car battery to power basic tools and lights when you need them most. 1️⃣Identify Terminals – Find the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on the battery. 2️⃣Connect Inverter – Attach the black lead to the negative terminal and the red lead to the positive terminal. 3️⃣Check Connections – Ensure all connections are secure and correct. 4️⃣Test Before Use – Use the multimeter to check for correct voltage and no stray currents. 📈 Scaling Up for More Power Use Multiple Batteries – Connect batteries in parallel to increase capacity. Proper Connections – Connect positive to positive, and negative to negative. Attach Inverter to One Battery – Only connect the inverter to one battery in the setup. Source Tools Required Multimeter Wire Cutter Crimping tool Screwdrivers Power inverter