I’m watching the rain and snow beat on my window pane during the first storm of  2012 in Central Oregon. But the rest of the country has already had  major winter storms and power blackouts. Millions were left without power, and some areas suffered greatly.

A survival situation can develop in your home when the power goes out. The backup plan must include emergency lighting.

If you lived in those affected areas, let’s hope you were prepared for power outages. Here are some tips to keep you from sitting in the dark.

by Leon Pantenburg

This brings an important topic to the forefront : What happens when high winds, heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures combine to knock out the electricity in your home?

Emergency preparedness means you should have backup systems or plans for heat, lighting and water. If you’re lucky, the power won’t be off long, but batteries are gone after a few days, unless you have a way to recharge them. A generator will only work until it runs out of fuel.

One of the more important aspects of urban survival during winter storms is lighting. Without a lighting plan, you could end up in the dark from when the sun sets at around 5:30 p.m. until dawn. The right lighting supplies can make this situation more bearable.

This scenario is familiar to Tom Dumalt, manager of Globe Lighting in Bend, OR.

Dumalt lived in the Milwaukee, OR., area from 1978 through 1981, he said, when days-long power outages were common. While various battery-operated light sources work well, Dumalt also recommends stocking up with plenty of candles and matches because emergency power only lasts so long.

For the long term, candles may be one of the best choices, he said, because they’re cheap, easily available
and easy to use safely.

And if you’re a scrounger/recycler/prepper, candles are something that is always on the “To-Buy” list. And they have a place in any urban survival kit.

When buying candles for a potential power outage, all you’re really

A single candle may provide enough lighting in some power outage situations.

concerned about is quantity.  The aesthetics and mood of a romantic candle-lit dinner will soon wear off, and everyone will soon be more concerned about seeing what is for dinner.

Great places to find really cheap candles are garage and rummage sales and thrift stores. It doesn’t matter if the candles are outdated Christmas or novelty candles, odds-and-ends from a dinner party, or clunky art projects – all they have to do is provide light. Buy all you can find and stockpile them.

Another good lighting choice is the old-fashioned kerosene lamps our grandparents used. My urban survival kit includes several such lanterns and lamps, plus a supply of kerosene to fuel them. A standard Deitz lantern, according to the manufacturer, will burn up to eight hours on one tankfull of fuel. 21st Century Inc 210-32060 Hurricane Lantern No. 30

Other garage sale treasures can include old Coleman gas lanterns. These run on Coleman camp fuel or (in
some cases) unleaded gasoline, and they can be dirt cheap. I was given several once after an estate sale, when nobody would buy them. Repairing them was not difficult, and if I can fix one, so can you.

Generally, the reason gas lanterns don’t work is because of a worn-out pump or from being clogged from dirty fuel. Sometimes a good cleaning is all they need. Repair parts are dirt cheap too, so there is no reason you can’t have several. Coleman Two-Mantle Dual Fuel Lantern with Hard Case

Before you lay in a stock of lighting sources that require combustion, consider how safe they are, and if they
will work for your intended purpose.

Probably the first consideration is if your lighting source emits carbon monoxide. This odorless gas is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Carbon monoxide results from the incomplete combustion of fuels such as wood, kerosene, gasoline, charcoal, propane, natural gas and oil.

This means a gas, kerosene or propane-powered lantern has the potential to be life-threatening in a closed, well-sealed space, says Gary Marshall, deputy chief with the Bend Fire Department.

The red kerosene and Coleman gasoline lanterns can provide a source of efficient lighting, but be aware of potential carbon monoxide problems.

All of these light sources must be used in a well-ventilated area only, Marshall said. Remember, if the electricity is off, so is the fan motor in your furnace, and there may not be a way to circulate air.

Both the American Red Cross and the Bend Fire Department recommend an emergency illumination source that is battery-powered.

In any emergency lighting situation, you should be prepared with battery-operated lamps or flashlights, Marshall said. Be very careful with candles or any open flame.

An important part of any emergency preparations is The Plan. Come up with a plausible lighting scenario for your area, then decide how you will handle it.

Think about your lighting needs when there is no electricity, Dumalt advises. When the sun comes up, will you need a light source to work? If so, can you move the work area to take advantage of sunlight?

Look at window placement as it relates to lighting, he added. Would the best idea be to shut down other areas of the house, and move into a central area that is more easily lighted and heated?

Another consideration is what the lighting needs are when the sun goes down. Decide what area you’ll be in when it becomes dark, Dumalt said, then think about the most effective way to light it for different activities. A single candle might be enough to light one area for certain activities, while more light might be needed later for cooking, bathing or washing clothes.

In some cases, such as two people reading together, a single candle will be enough, Dumalt said. In situations where it can be done safely, you can use a candle or lamp to save batteries.

While you’re picking up candles, stock up on extra batteries, too, and be sure to check your flashlights or electric lanterns to determine which batteries they require.

Here are some emergency power outage tips from the American Red Cross:

• Avoid opening the refrigerator and freezer.
• Do not run a generator inside a home or garage.
• If you use a generator, connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. Do not connect a generator to a home’s electrical system.
• Listen to local radio and television for updated information.
• Turn off or disconnect any appliances, equipment (like air conditioners) or electronics you were using when the power went out. When power comes back on, it may come back with momentary surges or spikes that can damage equipment such as computers and motors in appliances like the air conditioner, refrigerator, washer or furnace.
• Leave one light turned on so you’ll know when your power returns.
  
  

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One reader wondered why hot, tasty food is categorized as a survival item on SurvivalCommonSense.com, and why I claim recipes are a survival tool. Well – that’s a really good question! So here is a story from World War II about food and its affect on morale.

American tank at Bastogne. (US Army photo)

by Leon Pantenburg

I am a history nerd, particularly fascinated by World War II. That  historical aspect is embedded in my psyche: When I was growing up, it seemed as if every adult male I knew was a WWII veteran.

In my immediate family, my Dad was an infantry captain in both the European and Pacific theaters; my Uncle John Lynch, US Coast Guard, drove landing craft on Iwo Jima and Okinawa; Uncle Harold Lindeman was an MP in the European theater; and Uncle Fredrick Wirth served in the Aleutions.

To my frustration, none of these men ever talked about their service!

In 2003, I wrote “Vanishing Heroes,” a special edition tribute to World War II veterans that published in the
Bend, OR, “Bulletin” on Veterans Day. I was privileged to interview a variety of  service members from all branches and who served in every theater.

For me, the Battle of the Bulge has always been particularly fascinating. (To read more about that battle, click here.) On Dec. 16, 1944, the Germans launched a surprise winter offensive through the Ardennes Forest that caught the Allies completely by surprise. One of the keys to the battle was in the town of Bastogne, Belguim. Whoever controlled Bastogne controlled the roads needed for further penetration of Allied lines.

My uncle Fred was in Bastogne during the entire siege, which  lasted from Dec. 20 through Dec. 27. The besieged American forces were relieved by elements of General George Patton’s Third Army, which included my dad. Despite my pestering, neither ever talked about that battle.

The World War II memorial at Bastogne today.

So interviewing Corporal Francis C.  Buck, (Headquarters Company, First Battalion, 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division), was an incredible privilege!

Buck made four combat jumps with the 82nd, which included drops at Sicily, Salerno, D Day and Operation Market Garden.

He had been wounded at the La Fiere Bridge on D-Day (To read more about the La Fiere battle, click here). After he recovered, Buck ended up being one of the reinforcements rushed to Bastogne to prop up the disintegrating American lines. When it came to survival gear, the troops were not prepared at all.

What food they had was cold, canned rations, with no way to heat them. They didn’t dare make a fire, and the soldiers had to tough out the long, frigid nights.

To quote from “Vanishing Heroes”:

“The only jump we made during the Battle of the Bulge was from the back of a truck,” Buck said. “We didn’t have any equipment and very little ammunition. No gloves and no winter clothes, just jump boots. We put up a tent and each of us had a blanket.”

Buck and his comrades set up a defensive line, and Buck periodically would take off his boots and massage his feet to keep them from freezing.

“I used my boots for a pillow,” Buck said. “I woke up to two inches of new snow.”

The Germans attacked at dawn, and Buck went on to describe the intensity of the fighting that day.

“So what was the worst part?” I asked. (Before the words were out, I regretted them. Talk about insensitive!)

Buck thought a few moments.

“It’s tough – really tough – to fight in snow and cold. We didn’t stay warm, and my feet froze. One man shot himself in the foot to get off the line,” Buck said. “But the hardest part is the cold, frozen chow.”

Buck saw my raised eyebrows and  elaborated.

Reinforcements enter Bastogne on Dec. 27, 1944 (US Army photo)

“Sometimes, the only thing you have to look forward to is a hot meal,” he said. “The day may have gone to hell, but if you think there’s  a hot meal coming, that may be the high point. It gives you something familiar in a really bad situation.”

In one instance, during a brutal  artillery barrage, Buck said he was crouched in the bottom of his foxhole, “scared to death and shaking from more than the cold.”

“It was funny, what comes to mind,” he said, chuckling. “I remember thinking how good a cup of hot coffee would taste.”

“Vanishing Heroes”  went on to win the 2004 National Journalism Award from the American Legion and numerous other local and regional awards.

Napoleon said an army “marches on its stomach.” And the interview with Buck re-enforced what I had learned from several other “Vanishing Hero” participants: Hot, tasty food is vital to helping maintain a survival mindset, be it in a battle or a wilderness emergency!

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It doesn’t matter if you’re planning a quick snowshoe trek or an hour-long stroll along a wooded path. Common sense dictates that basic survival tools be taken along. Above all, this gear, or kit, must be lightweight and convenient to carry, or it gets left behind.

by Leon Pantenburg

That said:  BEWARE! If you don’t know how to use the materials in the kit, and don’t practice with them, you may develop a false sense of confidence. This attitude could get you in a lot more trouble!

Keep basic tools with you at all times. On the keyring: LED flashlight, fingernail clippers, whistle, Boy Scout Hot Spark and Classic Swiss Army knife. The other knife rides in a pouch on my belt.

Mention survival kits among recreationists and an argument/discussion will follow.

At one end of the spectrum is the guy who takes the heavily-loaded backpack full of gadgets, doo-dads, knick-knacks and neat stuff. He may not go far, because of the pack’s weight, but he’ll be safe. Unless, one time, he decides to leave all that stuff at the car, since he’s never used anything and it’s damned heavy. And he’s just going a little way…

Then he becomes the optimist, the guy at the other extreme.  Since he’s never been in an emergency situation, then it stands to reason that nothing will ever happen. He denies the need for survival gear, because he’s never been in an emergency.

Somewhere between these extremes is the common sense approach.

Here’s my take (and of course, this opinion may place me squarely in the survivalist wacko camp!): Everyone should have a collection of survival tools with them at all times.

As I type this, I have a butane lighter in my pocket, a whistle, knife, fingernail clippers, LED flashlight, small knife and magnesium stick on my belt clip, and a Swiss Army knife in my belt pouch. My wallet has firestarter, charcloth and a signal mirror in it. This gear goes with me everywhere it’s legal.

Suppose I have to run out of my house, right now. Let’s say an earthquake just hit and all the pictures are falling off the walls and it’s in the middle of January. If I have to sprint for the door and can’t grab anything else, I have the minimum tools on me to build a fire for ourselves and the neighbors, stay warm, help others and signal for help.

If I can grab my jacket on the way out the door, there is an Altoids tin mini-survival kit in the pocket. And if I can get to my car there is a full component of survival gear in there, including food, water, a sleeping bag, and several tarps. I won’t waste any time looking for equipment, when the walls may literally be falling down around me.  This will come in very handy for a quick evacuation due to a forest fire, urban natural gas leak, tsunami warning, forced evacuation of the neighborhood or city.

Any personal survival kit will ultimately boil down to opinion, knowledge, skill levels and the season.

Let’s start here: Many experts agree that a MINIMUM KIT should contain the following materials. Here are my suggestions and the links to find them below this article:

Carry survival gear in your wallet. I always have (from left) firestarter, charcloth and a signal mirror with me.

• survival knife
• firemaking tool(s) plus the firestarter
• compass
  map and GPS
• mirror (for signaling)
• signal whistle
• flashlight
• Some form of emergency shelter, like a tarp with rope.
• Food and water, plus water filter.
• Layering Clothing (fleece, wool, polypropylene)
• Waterproof packable shell

While commercial survival kits are available, the quality of some items is sometimes reduced to cut costs. Some things, such as fishing hooks, sinkers and line are included because people think they need them. And some items are included in commercial kits because they’re cheap and take up space.

The safest bet is to make your own survival kit. Start with a realistic assessment of your skills and needs, then start researching. One size doesn’t fit all – a survival kit that works in the cold winter of Oregon, will be different than one designed for Florida, and vice versa.

Every town has a survival guru with a website, but that doesn’t mean they know anything. In fact, be leery of any survival website – a lot of people are out to make a fast buck. Start by contacting the people who work with emergencies every day: police, sheriff’s departments, search and rescue, the Red Cross and see if they have recommendations for necessary gear. They will also have a pretty good idea of  who is good teacher and who is a fraud.

If you have certain medical needs or conditions, make sure the kit includes the appropriate medications.

Then, educate yourself. Practice with your survival tools. Don’t take any recommendations at face value, unless the source has been proven to be reliable. Then, make your survival kit, and take it along.

Every time.  Check out the many other articles about personal and wallet sized kits, plus car kits, home kits, etc. by browsing the survival kit category on this site.

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During nearly 45 years of wandering around the world’s backcountry I have developed a collection of equipment that has frequently saved my bacon! Equipment that, on more than one occasion, changed a potentially life threatening situation into an inconvenient night out.

By Peter Kummerfeldt

Some would call my collection of gear a “survival kit.”  The mountain men of the Rocky Mountain West would call it a “possibles kit. I call the collection “my emergency gear” and always have it with me – what good is your emergency kit if you don’t have it along?

Over the years the contents of my kit have changed. As new equipment came along that was better and lighter than the gear I used it replaced the old.

Despite the changes in the individual pieces of equipment, the categories of equipment I carry have not changed – there are those must have items; there are pieces of equipment that would be sorely missed if they were not available and then there are those pieces of equipment that you would like to have with you but if you didn’t, the world would not come to an end.

While it’s hard to justify carrying equipment that doesn’t get used often there is some equipment that has to be carried for that once in a life situation when your life hangs in the balance – these core items include shelter, fire making and signaling equipment.

In my pockets: Some things just belong in your pockets – a folding knife for example.  A bandanna handkerchief, a piece of equipment that has a thousand uses, would be another valuable item,  Chapped lips are a constant aggravation – carry one of the lip balms with a SPF factor of at least 15 with you and use it often.  I would always have a metal match with me with which to start a fire. Carry those things in your pockets that you need quickly and use often.

Then, because of circumstance, you were separated from all of your equipment bags you would at least have a few basic items with you that you could use to save yourself.

In my get-away bag This bag should contain the emergency gear that you would heavily depend on if you were stranded, if you were hurt and couldn’t make it back, if you were caught out after dark or trapped by bad weather and continuing on would be dangerous.

This bag would be usually carried in your day pack or fanny pack and then removed if the larger pack was left behind.  Fundamentally this bag should contain a water proof, windproof shelter – material that you could crawl into or crawl under to keep yourself dry and warm. It should contain reliable fire starting tools and the means to signal your distress.

Here’s a list of what I carry in my get-away kit.

• 1 heavy duty, 4 mil, orange plastic bag (38”x65”) for shelter
• 1 metal match with scraper
• 2 match cases – one filled with REI matches and one filled with Vaseline saturated cotton balls
• 1 glass signal mirror
• 1 plastic whistle
• 1 small folding knife
• 1 orienteering compass
• 1 plastic water bag
• Small stick of pitch wood  for fire starting
• 1 small LED light with a head band
• Nylon line

This equipment is packed in a bright orange Cordura zippered pouch with belt loops.

In my day pack: In addition to the items listed above I carry the following additional equipment which might be considered nice-to-have but in a pinch I could do without, even though I might not want to.

• Dandy saw with 17” blade or a Florian folding saw
• 18”x18” closed cell foam sitting pad
• 150’ parachute cord dyed red
• Hygiene kit (toilet paper, wipes & small bar of soap)
• Basic medical kit (band aids, ace bandage, 4×4 gauze pads, Imodium AD tablets, Benedryl tablets, Bayer’s aspirin, Rolaids, Finger nail clipper, Dental floss, prescription antibiotic, personal prescriptions medications.
• Sawyer bug repellent (depends where I’m going – summer only)
• Bug Out jacket (depends where I’m going – summer only)
• Head Sokz for head protection
• Helly Hansen Guide raincoat and bibs
• Light leather goat skin gloves
• Synthetic mittens
• Esbit fuel tablet stove with plenty of fuel tablets
• Map of the area
• Chunk of pitch wood for fire starting
• Food bars, Cup-of-Soup powder, hot chocolate powder.
• One quart Nalgene wide mouth, water bottle.
• 4 cell, AA battery, Princeton Tec flashlight with elastic headband
• 3.5” Bill Hook Model M571 fixed blade knife.
• One bottle (50 tablets) Potable Aqua tablets
• One metal cup
• An additional orange DOT plastic bag
• Additional insulated clothing

The ability to produce a lot of firewood quickly makes carrying a good saw a priority.  Select a saw that is multi-purpose. The Dandy Saw I carry cuts wood, snow and bone.  It is tough, requires no assembly and has no moving parts.

The Florian folding saw is another very dependable tool that, while not quite as versatile as the Dandy saw, is efficient, safe and reliable.

I carry a closed cell foam pad to insulate myself from the ground when I sit down. It also helps to keep my clothing clean and dry.  Its most important value may be the padding it provides when I sit on hard ground, rocks or other uncomfortable, cold objects.

Parachute line is very useful and will serve as your hammer and nails when you build shelters, line for hanging equipment, sewing thread, dental floss, fishing line and hundreds of other uses.  Buy white parachute line from a military surplus outlet and then dye it red or orange (RIT fabric dye) – a color you can see!

Your toilet kit should have “wipes” in addition to toilet paper.  Under field conditions toilet paper doesn’t do the job well enough.  Wipes are the field replacement for a shower or bathtub!

Assemble a medical kit sufficient to handle the commonly encountered medical issues – not to perform major surgery!  In the event of a serious injury there is little that those present can do beyond taking the normal first aid steps and then making the patient as comfortable as possible before going for help.  Limit the drugs you carry to those personal medications you must have and then add Benedryl for dealing with any allergy issues, aspirin for pain control and for its usefulness when treating someone who is experiencing cardiac problems and finally Imodium or other anti-diarrhea medication.

In some parts of the country protection from biting insects is essential.  Black flies, deer flies, mosquitoes and other forms of “flying teeth” make life miserable for a survivor and can become a life threatening issue.  Head nets, bug-shirts and repellents are virtually impossible to improvise – have them with you when you need them!

Emergency clothing should include the means to keep your head warm, an outer layer that is wind proof and waterproof and a pair of  light leather gloves.  Your hands are not as tough as you think they are and will soon become bruised, burned and battered.  In colder weather include mittens in your gear. With functioning hands survival is difficult. Without the use of your hands survival becomes impossible. Take care of them!

Cotton balls infused with petroleum jelly, combined with a metal match, make an effective and reliable firestarting method!

The ability to start a fire under adverse conditions is fundamental to surviving especially when clothing is inadequate and shelter hard to come by.  Relying on primitive fire making skills in the absence of a metal match or good matches is asking for a cold night out and the possibility of becoming a hypothermia victim.

A container full of Vaseline soaked cotton balls for tinder and a metal match provide the means to start hundreds of fires.

Unlike other methods of fire starting, metal matches are not affected by changes in air pressure (cigarette lighters don’t work well at altitude) temperature, or moisture and require minimum practice to become proficient.  For those who still want to carry matches REI Stormproof matches are the best.

An Esbit stove is a very useful device that makes getting a hot drink easy without having to build a fire.

Signaling devices range from expensive electronic devices that can reach out from any location in the world by satellite and make contact with rescuers, to simple less expensive equipment that may not have the range of the more sophisticated gear but can still get the job done.  Every emergency pack should, at the very least, contain a whistle and a mirror.  Both can be used to attract the attention of ground searchers and, in the case of the mirror, can also be used to signal a passing aircraft or boat.  The human voice is a poor signaling device – it doesn’t last very long nor does it carry very far!  Carry a whistle – it can be blown all day and the blast carries much further than your voice.

Depending on the time of year other things may show-up in my gear.  During the colder months I add a Wiggy’s Sweater.  This jacket is insulated with Lamalite, one of the best synthetic insulators available.

Should I need to dig a snow shelter or move snow for any other reason I add a Snow Claw digging tool. This inexpensive mini-snow shovel works far better than digging with your hands or other improvised shovel and can be used for a number of other purposes as well!  In arid regions I would add additional water containers.

To some of you this may seem like a lot of equipment to carry around the mountain.  To others it may seem barely enough.  We each have to decide what we need based on our circumstances and the situations that we might find ourselves in.  Granted, few people are going to find themselves in a survival situation but when they do, it would be nice to be well equipped, clothed and prepared.

Author’s note: The product recommendations given are based on the author’s use of the items in the field.  The author does not “rep” for any of the companies listed.

Peter Kummerfeldt has walked the talk in the wilderness survival field for decades.Peter grew up in

Peter Kummerfeldt has taught wilderness and emergency survival for more than 40 years.

Kenya, East Africa and came to America in 1965 and joined the U.S. Air Force. He is a graduate of the Air Force Survival Instructor Training School and has served as an instructor at the Basic Survival School, Spokane, Washington; the Arctic Survival School, Fairbanks, Alaska, and the Jungle Survival School, Republic of the Philippines.

For twelve years, Peter was the Survival Training Director at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. He retired from the Air Force in 1995 after 30 years of service.

In 1992, concerned with the number of accidents that were occurring in the outdoors annually and the number of tourists traveling overseas who were involved in unpleasant and sometimes life-threatening incidents Peter created OutdoorSafe.com

He is the author of Surviving a Wilderness Emergency and has addressed over 20,000 people as the featured speaker at numerous seminars, conferences and national conventions.

Check out Peter’s blog at: OutdoorSafe.blogspot.com

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At some point, you may need to attract a rescuer’s attention. It would be in any situation, from being lost in the wilderness to being stuck on a rooftop during a flood.

But when people are looking for you, though, you may be an insignificant object in a vast  space.

A signal mirror can help rescuers find you, as this photo shows, if it is used correctly! (Peter Kummerfeldt photo)

One way to speed your rescue is to bounce (reflect) a beam of sunlight from your position to that of a rescuer.  Remember, the person on the receiving end of the signal must recognize the reflected light for what it is – an emergency signal, and respond to it.

One way to bounce light is with a signal mirror. I have several, but the one that is always with me is a homemade, credit-card-sized piece plastic mirror material I bought in the automotive section of the local WalMart.

Along with the rest of my wardrobe survival kit, this small mirror may someday prove invaluable!

So how do you use a signal mirror?

Here is a post by survival expert Peter Kummerfledt that explains everything you need to know about this vital piece of survival gear!

To read the rest of the story, click here! - Leon

For more information on making survival kits, click here!

Check Out Our Affiliate Blogs!

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In an instant, the backpacking trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains turned from an idyllic family outing to every parent’s nightmare. One moment, my son Daniel, 16 months old at the time, was playing around the campsite. In the next, despite the close supervision of four adults, he had vanished.

Though warmly dressed, this youngster would be hard to find if she got lost in the winter woods. Her clothing blends in with the surroundings and there is no whistle attached to her coat.

The adults immediately split up to search for Dan. I sprinted back down to the lake, while my wife, Debbie, ran the other way, up the hill. Out of the corner of her eye, Debbie caught a flash of Dan’s bright red jacket as he disappeared over the rise. She collared the would-be wanderer, who thought the chase was part of a game.

We took my oldest son, Dan, on his first backpacking trip when he was five months old. Debbie carried him and all the paraphernalia associated with an infant, and I carried all the camping gear.  When my brother, Mike, went backpacking with us, he and I would split the weight up. We didn’t go far, but we still managed to get back into the mountains, away from most of the crowds.

Infants are easy to take along, as long as you have properly prepared their gear. They can’t wander off, and a tarp in the sunlight, along with some favorite toys, quickly turns them into happy campers. And talk about fantastic  memories!

The difficulty starts when kids reach the toddler stage and before they’re old enough to go to kindergarten. Kids in this age group have boundless energy and curiosity, no concept of danger, and a near suicidal lack of  common sense. By the time children reach kindergarten age, they are generally considered old enough to be taught. But if you’re taking a little kid into the backcountry, plan on spending all your time on full alert.

There are some steps to make your child as safe as possible, and outing preparation should start long before you arrive at the trailhead. These tips have worked well with all three of my children:

* Always dress kids in bright clothing. Soft, muted earth tones or black or white jackets are like camouflage, and the youngsters should be highly visible at all times. You may want to take along some fluorescent duct tape and/or flagging and attach it to the youngsters so they will be even more visible. ALL FLORESCENT FLAGGING TAPE

* Permanently attach a whistle on their coats or somewhere it won’t be lost. Explain that the whistle is always to be carried with them and only used if they get separated. Fox 40 Pearl Safety – Pink

* Teach them (and practice) the drumming game: Teach the child that if separated from the group, find a tree and a stick and start hitting it to make noise. Blow the whistle as part of the game.

* The usual rules about not talking to strangers are suspended if the child gets lost in the wilderness. Explain that there will be many nice people trying to help find him or her, and these searchers will know the child’s name. You don’t want the child hiding from rescuers. Re-enforce this idea as you hike, so they don’t forget.

* Keep them hydrated and fed, even if separated from you: Dehydration in the wilderness is a danger to anyone. For youngsters, especially, it can be deadly. My kids each had a bladder-style hydration system, as which work well. CamelBak Skeeter Kid’s Hydration Pack The novelty of  being able to drink out of a drinking tube, and the fact that the system was carried like a backpack, means the child probably won’t lose their water.  If the child is lost, it may take several hours to find them, and they will need to drink. It’s also a good idea to put snacks in the backpack part of the bladder backpack, so the child learns to look there for food. Clif Kid Zbar Variety Pack – 8 Chocolate Chip, 8 Chocolate Brownie and 8 Honey Graham per Box

Here are some child safety recommendations from Deschutes County (Oregon) Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue:

* Everybody stays together.

* Teach the children that if they get lost or separated, to sit down, stay put, drink water and eat their snacks.

* Look bigger for searchers: Your waiting space, if possible, should be near an open space. Blow your whistle if you hear or see anybody!

* Don’t lie down on bare ground.

* Stay away from large rivers and lakes.

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The wind blew sheets of rain sideways and the water dripped off the brim of my hat as I hunched over my charcloth and flint and steel. The original idea had been to demonstrate to Boy Scouts of Troop 18 in Bend, Oregon how to start a fire in the rain using one match, and available natural materials.

The waxed firestarter will burn on snow, or when the weather is wet and nasty.

By Leon Pantenburg

It had rained in the area for two days, and everything was soaked. We found a juniper tree that offered some shelter. I demonstrated how to find the dry side of the tree, strip off dry inner bark from underneath a limb and gather relatively dry twigs from under the trunk. Then I reached from my waterproof match container.

My 11-year-old son Dan had other ideas.

“Oh, c’mon Dad,” he said. “You can get a fire started with a flint and steel, can’t you?”

Typically, Murphy stands at my elbow when I attempt such demonstrations. And Murphy’s Law (as it relates to firemaking) is very explicit. It states: The more people watching you try to show off, the harder it will be to start a fire.

But Murphy had stayed home. I caught the spark on the second whack of the striker, placed the glowing charcloth into a prepared nest of dry and shredded juniper bark and in a matter of minutes had a roaring fire going. Nobody was more impressed than me.

Getting interested in one aspect of history generally leads to other rediscoveries. In my case, an interest in primitive

firemaking lead to a search for an effective firestarter. Surely, I reasoned, the oldtimers had some sort of flammable material that was compact, portable, effective, simple to make and that used easily-obtained local materials. Pitch wood, cedar bark, dry grass, weed stalks, pine needles etc. all work great when the weather is nice. But usually, the fouler the weather, the more desperately you need a fire (another axiom of Murphy’s firemaking law). There had to be some sort of old time firestarter.

The answer came from another seeker of esoteric knowledge, my buddy, Dr. Jim Grenfell. Jim is a former UCLA

Charcloth, made from old denim, will catch any spark and should be included in every survival kit! The finished product should be completely black, but flexible and not brittle.

instructor of dentistry who took up blacksmithing upon retiring. He makes knives, replica tomahawks, fire strikers, and anything the local Boy Scout troops need. Jim is also a former fighter-bomber pilot combat veteran of the Korean War and a graduate of three Air Force wilderness survival schools.

Jim already had the answer to the firestarter situation. We went out to his shop and he pulled out what looked like a waxed pillow case.

“You could make a hat out of this, cover your feet, or use it as a mat to sit on,” Jim said. “But it’s really firestarter. Try it.”

Well, I did, and the waxed firestarter works very well. Here’s how to make it.  The idea is to melt equal proportions of beeswax and paraffin together and dip 100 percent cotton cloth in it.

First, find a large flat pan and a source of heat to melt the wax. I use my propane Camp Chef double burner camp stove outside to reduce the potential mess.

Get some 100 percent cotton that tears easily. Denim from jeans and the stretchy material from old T-shirts will work, but the material is difficult to tear or fray the edges. I prefer old cotton sheets or pillow cases. The material can be torn easily to whatever size is needed.

Paraffin is available in grocery stores. Beeswax can be expensive, so a good alternate material is the wax liner ring used to seal the bottoms of toilets. These rings cost under a buck at most hardware stores and they provide about eight to ten ounces of wax. The toilet sealer wax starts out slightly sticky, but after it’s diluted with paraffin that disappears. I always add a crayon to the mixture. The crayon’s only purpose is to color-code the batch, so if it works particularly well, you can duplicate the recipe.

Set your fire extinguisher nearby. Then heat the wax/paraffin mixture to almost smoking hot, SHUT OFF THE HEAT, and start dipping the cloth. Molten wax can burn you, so wear oven mitts or gloves. I use kitchen tongs to handle the hot cloth, and after dipping, let the excess wax mixture drain off.

Set the dipped cloth out the dry on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil. And that’s it.

To use the material, rip off a piece and roll it diagonally, and fray the edge. It should light almost instantaneously. For lighting campfires, I generally use a piece of firestarter about the size of a cigarette paper. If your tinder, kindling and wood have been gathered correctly, this will be overkill. If the fire starts quickly, you can extinguish the starter and re-use it.

How well does this stuff work? Well, it will burn almost completely up while resting on top of a snowdrift. An eighth-inch by one-inch piece, rolled loosely, will burn for several minutes. I’ve used the firestarter many times in driving rain.

Because the wax mixture is so hot when the cloth is dipped, individual threads completely absorb the wax. This makes

Firestarter, left, charcloth and a signal mirror can all be carried in a wallet. The compact, easy-to-carry firestarter can be included in your everyday wardrobe without ever noticing it!

the material completely waterproof and virtually indestructible.

Several springs ago, a Boy Scout campout south of La Pine, Or., turned into an exercise in sleet and snow camping. In the dark, somebody dropped a piece of  the waxed firestarter in the main path, where it was ground into the slush, mud and snow.

The next morning, assistant scoutmaster Dave Colton of Bend found the piece and brought it over to me.

“Do you think this will work now?” he asked. We brushed off the mud, patted the firestarter dry on my pantleg, and it started like it had spent the night in a waterproof container.

Since discovering the waxed firestarter, I’ve replaced all the commercial versions in all my survival kits. I carry a credit card-sized piece in my wallet. The waxed firestarter takes up virtually no space, is light and doesn’t leave a mess. (But don’t leave a piece on the car dashboard in the summer sun!)

Like all survival tools, this one will do you no good unless you know how to use it. So make some waxed firestarter, practice with it and add another tool and skill to your survival arsenal. (Original story published in the Volume 28, No. 2,  April/March edition, 2006,  of “The Backswoodsman.”)

Check out the SurvivalCommonSense.com Making Survival Kits blog by clicking here

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I hadn’t dumped a canoe in years, so unexpectedly entering the water just above the John Day River’s Clarno rapids was quite a shock. I righted myself, pointed my feet downstream and tried to follow the course originally set for the canoe.

Integrate these items into your wardrobe and "wear" them every day. You may be grateful you did!

by Leon Pantenburg

The Central Oregon rapids last about three-quarters of a mile, and we’d managed to hit a rock cross-ways right at the head. My wife, Debbie, paddling in front, was also thrown out of the canoe. Her head bobbed above the rapids as she navigated the whitewater. Several minutes later, I pulled myself out in the slack waters of an eddy. From downriver, Debbie waved to show she was OK.

Picking my way over the rocks toward her, I did a mental inventory of my survival tools. Everything we had, all of our fishing, camping and survival gear, was headed downstream toward the Columbia River. It was a hot day, with no danger of hypothermia, and the other members of our float party were at the scene.

Neither of us was injured, and  it was not a survival situation. But if we had been alone, here’s the survival tools we had left:  I didn’t lose my hat, glasses or the GPS in my pocket.

But the Moro knife was gone from its sheath on my belt, and the butane lighter in my left front pants pocket had disappeared.  A whistle was attached to my life jacket. I had charcloth in a plastic bag, firestarter and my key ring survival gear, except for the flashlight, still worked. Debbie had a whistle, too, but her survival gear was somewhere downstream. But even soaking wet, we could have started a fire to warm up and signal for help.

You could get dumped out of a canoe, thrown off a horse that runs away or be in a shopping mall or hotel when there is a power failure. In these cases, all you’ll have is a survival mindset and the tools in your pockets or on your person. But a little planning can help a lot if you make some basic survival tools part of your wardrobe. This is what I carry on a daily basis: These items are on a separate key ring that clips to my car keys or belt loop.

On the keyring: LED flashlight, fingernail clippers, whistle, Boy Scout Hot Spark and Classic Swiss Army knife. The other, large Swiss Army knife rides in a pouch on my belt.

• LED flashlight: This is one of the most-used items. Princeton Tec Pulsar White LED Key Chain Light A flashlight could be what gets you out of a dark, fourth floor hotel room that is filling with smoke! It may also require leadership training before using. In any dark emergency situation, the person with the flashlight automatically becomes the leader!  Make sure you get an LED light with an on-off switch. Otherwise, you’ll get really tired of pinching the light to make it work.
• Nail clipper: Until you have torn a finger or toenail on a camping trip, with no way to trim it, you can’t imagine how important a clipper is. In a pinch, it works as a tweezers to pull out splinters.
• Whistle: A necessary signaling device, since you can only yell until your voice gives out. A whistle can be heard at a great distance, with less energy expended than shouting for help. The universal signal for distress is a series of three, equally-spaced blasts.
• Magnesium or flint stick: In this case, a Boy Scout Hot-Spark firestarter is the chosen tool. It can be used with cotton balls and petroleum jelly, or Chapstick, or Purell hand cleaner,  to start a fire.
• Swiss Army Classic model knife: This knife’s capabilities are much bigger than its size! A classic has a knife blade, scissors, screwdriver blade, tweezers and toothpick. Most important, it can be carried with you at all times.

In my left hip pocket:

• Bandanna or 100% cotton handkerchief: This item can do a hundred different tasks, including wiping your nose! Other common sense uses include shredding as tinder for the magnesium stick; signaling, and improvising a head covering or sun shade. I always carry at least one, and prefer to have several along.

In my right hip pocket is my wallet with the usual driver’s license, credit cards etc. These survival items are designed to fit in the credit card holders:

Firestarter, charcloth and a signal mirror can all be carried in a wallet

• Charcloth: If you can catch a spark, from any source, on a piece of charcloth, then you should know how to blow that spark into an ember, and then a fire. Charcloth should be carried in a waterproof plastic bag.
• Waxed firestarter: A credit card sized piece of this material, also carried in a waterproof plastic bag, will supply several minutes of flame when lighted with a match or some flame. The firestarter supplies that link between ignition and getting tinder and small sticks to burn.
• Signal mirror: I made this mirror out of a piece of flexible mirror material (available at most auto repair stores), and purposefully sized it to fit a credit card holder. In addition to signaling, the mirror can be invaluable for locating something in your eye or directing light into a hard-to-see area. The plastic covering on the mirror face is left on for protection. Directions for use are on the back.

In my left front pocket:

• Butane lighter: I don’t smoke but always carry a small lighter. It’s easy to “Flick your Bic” to light a fire, or make a signal at night, especially if you’re injured. (You can also use it to show your age at a concert!) Wrap it with a couple feet of duct tape, and you have added another survival tool.
• Chapstick: Get the kind with sun protection, and you can use it for lip, face, ear and skin protection. Chapstick works as a firestarter when combined correctly with a shredded cotton bandanna.

In the right front pocket:

• Hand cleaner: Keeping your hands clean may keep you from getting sick later. Purell liquid handcleaner also works well as a firestarter with the shredded bandanna.

In my shirt or jacket pocket:

• Notebook and pen or pencil: You may need to write down map or GPS coordinates, phone numbers or leave directions and you’ll need something to write on. Don’t forget to leave a note telling someone where you went.

These items may help you get by in an emergency situation, but don’t rely entirely on them if possible. Always take your Ten Essentials on any outing, and know how to use them.

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]]> http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2011/03/05/wardrobe-survival-kit/feed/ 15 http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2011/02/20/worth-readingfeed/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=worth-readingfeed http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2011/02/20/worth-readingfeed/#comments Sun, 20 Feb 2011 15:44:33 +0000 Leon http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/?p=6206

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Only fools deliberately put themselves in danger to test a survival technique, or to prove something. But how are you supposed to learn? Is there a safe, practical way to learn how to deal with emergency or survival situations without risking injury or death?

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Only fools deliberately put themselves in danger to test a survival technique, or to prove something.

But how are you supposed to learn? Is there a safe, practical way to learn how to deal with emergency or survival situations without risking injury or death?


One way might be to read and study, from people who have “been there, done that.”  Scott B. Williams’ latest book: Getting Out Alive: 13 Deadly Scenarios and How Others Survived” may be a valuable addition to your survival library.




Scott B. Williams

by Leon Pantenburg

One  of the perks of being a journalist is the chance to interview interesting people. That was the situation last week when I interviewed Scott B. Williams on SurvivalCommonSense.com Radio. (To listen to the show, click here.)

Williams is the author of the popular Bug Out Survival blog, and wrote the bestselling “Bug Out.” I did one of the first  Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late reviews  last year, and when I heard he was working on another survival book, I put my name in for one of the preview copies.

Getting Out Alive: 13 Deadly Scenarios and How Others Survived is not so much a survival manual as it is a look at some specific survival situations, and how people in those situations in real life managed to get out of them.

A few cases mentioned in the book also describe the plights of those who did not survive, either through bad luck, lack of knowledge or skill or some combination of factors beyond their control.

“Anyone who deliberately seeks adventure is bound to put themselves in situations that can test their survival skills,” Williams said. “I’ve been in a few of those tight spots, and learned from personal experience in many instances.”

But even homebodies  can also find themselves in danger, he said,  when it comes to threats from natural occurrences such as hurricanes and winter storms. And the recent tragedy in Arizona, when a gunman opened fire as Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was meeting constituents in Tucson, shows nobody is safe from a  deranged individual with a gun who goes on a rampage.

The purpose of a book like Getting Out Alive, Williams said, is to show how easy it can be to end up in a life-or-death struggle and provide food for thought about how the reader might learn from the mistakes of others and avoid the same situation.

In some cases, the real-life examples show  the  best course of action that could have  been taken. In other instances, he said, we can all learn from their errors in judgment.

“I limited the number of cases to 13, because of the book length,” Williams said. “I could easily have chosen 20 or 30, but I decided to pick some situations that could happen to almost anyone, and a few that would more likely happen to an adventurous traveler.”

“Some of these are scenarios that I could have found myself in,”  he added, “since I have a love for deserts, the sea, jungles, mountains and wild places inhabited by dangerous animals.”

Here are some of  experiences mentioned in Getting Out Alive:

Cutting Your Losses: Looks at situations in which lone travelers in remote locations have been trapped by fallen trees or shifting boulders, and had to choose between cutting off a limb or death.

Category 4: The plight of people caught in the path of a major hurricane.

In the Line of Fire: The frightening scenario of being caught in a shopping mall when a deranged shooter opens fire on a crowd.

Modern Day Castaway: Survival techniques for an uninhabited island.

Fire on the Mountain: What do you do if you’re caught in the path of a forest fire, and can’t outrun the flames?

Snowbound: Look at how easy it is for winter travelers in vehicles  to get into a life and
death situation during a blizzard.

Williams’ wilderness experience has been extensive. In 1992, Williams said, he took off for several months to explore some of the “blank spaces” on the American map. He did extensive backpacking trips through some of my favorite wilderness areas, such as the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness and Selway/Bitteroot wilderness area on the Idaho/Montana border. He has also ventured out into the desert and canyon country of the Southwest, and has an affinity for the swamps of the southeastern United States.

Williams has been writing about sea kayaking and sailing for twenty years. He is the author of four previous books.

Getting Out Alive: 13 Deadly Scenarios and How Others Survived is available through Amazon.com.


For more related SurvivalCommonSense.com tips and stories, click on the highlighted words:


• STOP: Use this exercise to reduce stress and focus your thoughts.
• Write a note to let people know where you went, before you left.
• Take your Ten Essentials on every outing.
• Dress with the right fabrics.
• Have a plan to make a tarp shelter.
• Carry lightweight, compact firestarter.
• Find the most effective fire ignition system.
• How to make charcloth, a material that can catch a spark from any source.
• Use charcloth as an effective method of catching a spark to make a fire.
• It can kill you: Hypothermia
• Hardtack: A great emergency food
• About Leon Pantenburg

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]]> http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2011/02/20/worth-readingfeed/feed/ 0 http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2010/07/02/mark-your-gearfeed/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mark-your-gearfeed http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2010/07/02/mark-your-gearfeed/#comments Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:52:44 +0000 Leon http://survivalcommonsense.com/?p=925

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The best survival gear in the world does no good if you forget or lose it somewhere! Mark you equipment so you won't lose it.

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by Leon Pantenburg

Mark all your gear so it can be easily found before you head for the backcountry. Here’s why.



In low light, my fanny pack with all my survival gear would be hard to find.

At the first portage, I realized my fanny pack with all my survival gear was missing. The scout troop was about four days into a nine-day canoe trip into Northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters. While everyone else relaxed, the guide and I paddled to the last campsite to retrieve my stuff. I was lucky to have noticed the missing pack when I did, and really lucky to have found it!

It was a potentially dangerous screw-up. The gear had been dropped on shore during a canoe launch. Distracted during the activity, I forgot to pick up my fanny pack (can you say: “Survival Common Sense?) I wore the pack at all times and in it were my Ten Essentials, water bottle, survival gear and all the tools I’d need for the next five days. Several adults and scouts walked down the trail by the black fanny pack and never saw it.

On one Idaho elk hunt, I leaned my black 7 mm Remington rifle against a tree while I walked a few yards away to answer nature’s call. On the way back, it started to rain and I stopped to glass a promising clump of trees, then walked a little distance further to see better. (Yes, I had all my survival gear on me!) That caused a distraction, and in the gathering gloom, my black rifle blended in perfectly with the trees.  It took about 10 anxious “Oh Crap!” minutes to locate the rifle.

“Yeah, Leon quit elk hunting,” I could imagine my hunting partners saying while I searched. “He lost his rifle. Yeah, really, he lost his rifle. He leaned it



When the same pack is turned over, the bright tape on it makes it easily visible. The knife and saw are also marked with tape.

up against a tree and couldn’t find it again.” And I could just imagine the ribbing I would get around the campfire that, and many other nights!

Nowadays, I frequently stick blaze orange duct tape on my hunting rifle to help it stay found and as an added safety feature. I usually wear blaze orange in the field, even when the law doesn’t require it. Well over half my outdoor gear has some sort of camouflage pattern.Premium Duct Tape 2″ x 60 yards each color

To a duck and turkey hunter, the appropriate camouflage pattern is important to success. But don’t inadvertently forget the recreational clothing patterns and colors that are also camouflage. Black, white and earth-tone colors are popular and can easily blend into the surroundings. A brown-and black or green-and-white plaid pattern is one of the most effective camo patterns available.

If your knife, canteen, glove or other item is too well camouflaged, it may be lost or misplaced. Here’s a simple solution: Take along bright, fluorescent duct tape, flagging or parachute cord and mark everything before using it. 2″ X 150′ CONSPICUITY,REFLECTIVE,TRAILER TAPE RED/WHITE
The bright material will  help you see your gear in low light.

Bob Patterson, a skilled outdoorsman and veteran hunter from Mankato, Mn.,  recommends using highway department reflectional tape to mark gear.  The tape is typically available at automotive stores. Trimbrite – Glow in the Dark Tape, 2″ x 24″ (T1805) Bob is color blind, so camouflaged gear is virtually invisible to him. If  Bob misplaced something, he could wait until darkness and see the tape markings by flashlight.

Bob runs a few pieces  of the reflector tape through a paper shredder to make ribbons, then takes along thumbtacks to attach it to trees. The shredded reflector tape works well to mark the  path to and from a deer stand.

If, for some reason, you feel the need to hide out, either from mauraders or mallards, just strip the bright material off.

The best survival gear in the world does no good if you forget or lose it somewhere!

For related SurvivalCommonSense.com tips and stories, click on the highlighted words:

• STOP: Use this exercise to reduce stress and focus your thoughts.
• Take your Ten Essentials on every outing.
• Have a plan to make a tarp shelter.
• Find the most effective fire ignition system
  .

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