72 Hour Kits

I personally think that a 72 hour kit can be a deadly thing if used the wrong way. Let me explain; if you do not understand how to use your 72 hour kit you can be lulled into a false sense of security. The mere fact that you have a 72 hour kit does not mean that you are safe or that you will survive a natural disaster. It merely means that you have enough sense to think ahead and plan for the worst hoping that you will not need to use it. Let me ask have you ever tried to live off of just your 72 hour kit for 72 hours? Of course not! First off it is expensive, secondly who has time to do such a thing? So instead, we buy a kit from someone else and trust that they know what we like to eat, what our individual needs are. They also assume that we will all be living in the same climate and environment. Well that is a lot of assuming. So why do we have a 72 hour kit? What should I put in my 72 hour kit? How often should I go through my 72 hour kit? Lets talk about each one of these questions and see if we can come up with some good answers.


Okay so on to question 1:  So why do we have a 72 hour kit?  A lot of people have a 72 hour kit because that is what they have heard the government say we should have.  Some people have a 72 hour kit because their religious leaders advise them to have one, and others have one because it just sounds like good sound advice to have one. Well good for all of us that want to be prepared and have a plan. Now here is something to think about; it takes a minimum of 72 hours just to activate a federal entity.  That does not even take into account the time that it will take them to reach you.  So in reality if you want a kit that will keep you alive until help arrives you will need enough supplies for 3 weeks at least. 

Question 2:  What should I put in my 72 hour kit?  The answer to this question is as different as their are people.  However there are 6 categories that you should always consider at a minimum when packing for any outdoor adventure / disaster.  They are Water, Fire, Shelter, Food, First Aid, and The Will to Live.  Now in every situation you will have to prioritize these categories, because their importance will very with the conditions that you are in.  Another thing to think about is the climate that you live in and the time of year.  This will have a large impact on the type of clothing you pack. 

Water:  A commercial water purifier for backpacking will work great, as long as the water source you are using is not contaminated with oil, fuel, or antifreeze.

Fire:  A Fulsome Rod will work great even in wet conditions.  These rods are also called "Hot Sparks", "Permanent Match", or have been mistaken for Flint and Steel.

Shelter:  A tent that will fit you and your family, or a tarp.  You can make several different types of shelters with a simple tarp and it can be much litter then a tent.

Food:  This is where you have to really get creative.  If you go out and buy frees dried meals that you are not femilyour with then when it comes time to eat them you might not like them.  you also might not know how to prepare them.  So the simple rule is "Store what you eat and eat what you store."  This way you are fimilyour with it and it won't feel like an inconvenience when you have to depend on it.

First Aid:  A good first aid kit will cost you some money.  However this is something that you do not want to skimp on.  Find one that will accommodate 8-15 people and is meant for trauma not just cuts and scrapes.  This way you will have enough to treat everyone in the family and it will have more then just band-aids and neosporin.

The Will to Live:  This is a state of mind more then anything.  It is a mental toughness that prepares you to be able to live at all cost.  It prepares you for the worst and allows you to do your best. 

Here is a Shameless Plug You can find all of this on our web site at http://www.wildjakes.com/wj/Store.aspx

Question 3:  How often should I go through my 72 hour kit?  If you are rotating your food by living off what you are storing then you are doing the right thing.  If you also go through your kit when the seasons change then you are doing the right thing.  This will allow you to prep your clothes for each season and check expiration dates on the other things in your kit.  It will also keep you familiar with what you have and where it is in your kit. 

This brings me to the last two things that I want to cover.  The first is that there is a big difference between a go bag and a kit.  Your go bag will need to meet these same principles but on a much smaller scale.  It should be a bag that you have with you at all times.  By this I mean that you should get in the habit of putting it in your car when you leave the house, and taking it indoors again with you.  This way when you need it you will have it.  Your kit however will be much larger and you will need to have some time to move it.  Be careful where you store it, i.e. if you are in a flood zone then the basement is probably not the best place to keep it.  The second thing that I want to talk about is knowledge, spicificly primitive survival skills.  The more you know about this the better prepared you will be.  You will learn how to live so that you can use the land and your enviorment to your advantage.  This will give you the confidence that you need to Survive in any situation.

You can sign up for these types of experiences at www.wildjakes.com.  We teach Primitive Survival Skills through Experiential Education.

 

October Club Meeting

The 26th of October will be our next Wild Jake's Club meeting. The topic will be "food preservation in the outdoors". Bring you foil dinner and a date to Canyon Glen Park up Provo canyon starting at 1800 to have a good time. We will be at the fire rings on the farthest East side of the park, past the amphitheater.

Things to eat on the GO!

The trick to eating on the go is to remember that you are burning a lot of energy. So that means that you will need to replace it quickly. This means that you will need to eat things that your body can process into sugar. The best things are natural sugars like apples, raisins, and other fruits. One of the best ways to prepare them is by drying them. This makes them light and less sticky. However if this is all you are eating then you will feel a huge crash in your energy about half an hour after your meal. Your body needs something that is more sustaining. This comes in the form of protein and fat. The best way to get this is through nuts and jerky. Having this ready to go and in a place that you can reach it easily allows you to be able to snack on it as needed. You will find that if you snack though out the hike you will not be as hungry at the end of the day when you sit down to that camp fire dinner.

You can also purchase commercial energy bars and there are some that are really tasty. Some of them have a good amount of protein in them. Most of them are loaded with refined sugar though. Grain bars that are made from oats and other grains are really good and easy to carry.

There are a lot of good products out there. The real trick is to really think about what you are going to be doing, how much time you want to devote to meals, and what kind of resources you will have. Personally I like making trail mix out of the things that I like. This way I know exactly what I am getting and I can usually buy it in bulk. In my opinion this is the best way to go.

Good times. Sorry we missed you.

 

 

This one is hard to see. It is a piece of Black para cord hanging above the log and rock.

Even the little ones are invited.

Poison Ive. Notice the 3 leaves and how glossy they look and the white berries.

 Thanks to every one that came to the club meeting. It is always fun to sit and learn with friends. Especially when their is food. We learned how to set 2 dead fall traps and 2 snares. We identified 4 plants 2 poisonous and 2 edible and got to learn how to read some animal signs. A big Thanks to Robin Dexter for helping with the traps, and to Arnold Young for helping the younger club members with their metal match fires. We were also able to meet some new club members. All in all it was a really good night.

July club meeting Location change.

Change to this weeks club meeting, the sit cor. are 40* 19.800 N , 111* 37.234 W Canyon Glen park in Provo canyon. Bring your foil dinner, water, knife, light, and a friend. Look for the Wild Jake's logo on a white flag. I cant wait to see you there. We will be learning how to set 4 simple traps, 2 dead falls and 2 snares. We will learn where, when, and how to set them. we will also talk about how many you should be setting to be successful.

July Club Meeting

Our next club meeting will be the 27 of this month. It is going to be fun. We will be instructed on how to make and set traps. The four Traps that will be covered are a fig. 4, a Paiute, and 2 drag snares. Don't forget to bring your knife, water, flash light your foil dinner and a date our you family. Big Springs Trail head up South Fork Canyon from 1800 to 2100. I can't wait to see you there.

3 weeks lost in the desert

 

 Autistic man’s 3 weeks lost in the desert was a ‘spiritual experience’


Check out this link and tell us what your think about this man's experience. What did he do right and what did he do wrong?

Club T-shirts

How many people would be interested in a Club T-shirt like this one? Would you where it to the meetings? It would be long sleeve to keep you from getting sun burned and cooler. the cost would be about $20ea.

Mike's Bow!

Just got done making my first bow. Jake has been helping me learn how to make bows from boards for a while now. I've learned about the designing beginning process of bow-making, along with the design flaws that I sadly experienced as well. This was my third attempt at making a bow this is a 40 pound bow at 28 inches. This 68 inch long self bow is made of hickory with a zebra wood handle. The string, which he also taught me how to make is a Flemish splice design and allows for easy stringing and unstringing. Check out these pictures and sign up for one of his classes to learn to do the same thing!

Club Meeeting

Thanks to everyone that came to the first meeting. We had a great time and made some new friends. Sorry for the confusion with the grid coordinates. We will make the next one a little easier. We learned some pretty cool tips and tricks for starting a fire by friction.  For example, wrapping the spindle more than once with the cord helps keep it from flipping out, and a good starting length for your spindle is the length of your shin.  We had some delicious tin foil dinners, s'mores, and dutch oven pineapple upside down cake.  We also had a great time making new friends who love the outdoors.

Don't miss our next meetup!

We will try to meet in the same place. Big Springs trail head in the top parking lot.  We will try to get the first pavilion from the top (the one that we all ended up eating our dinners in). I will also have a banner this time. Our topic this next meeting will be TRAPS. So same thing applies, bring your foil dinner, flash light, Knife, water, and eating utensils.  Subscribe to this blog to keep up to date with future meetings and just in case we need to make any changes.

The meeting will be:

On 27 July 2012

From 1800-2100 

Check out this page for pictures of our last Club Meeting and 

Foil Dinner

OK so this is one of my favorite recipes for a foil dinner.

2 large potatoes cubed into small cubes. (Place in the middle of the foil)
1 stick of real butter cut into quarters. (Place in dinner so that it will melt all over the potatoes and the inside of the foil)
garlic salt about two teaspoons (Spread over the potatoes)
Dill about two Tablespoons (Spread over the potatoes)

Place it in the middle of some heavy foil with the shiny side facing up. Bring the long sides of the foil together and roll them down to the potatoes then fold the small sides like a present and roll them into the potatoes. Take another piece of foil and place the first one in the middle with the shiny side up and this time place the meal 90 degrees clock wise on the new foil. Roll the long sides together and fold and roll the short sides. If you did it right the dinner will be wrapped in foil so that the first layer is locked in by the second layer. This way the butter will not leak out. This will feed one to two people. Don't be afraid to add other things like vegetables and meets. You can cook all your favorites this way.                                                                   

This Saturday, the 9th of June, I will be at the Pioneer Village at North Park in Provo from 10:00 to 14:00 demonstrating Fire by Friction and Bow making. Come and meet us. Bring a friend.

Join Our New Club!!

This is now the official site for Wild Jake's Survival Club! Join for free by becoming a follower on this blog. We meet on the fourth Friday of each month from 1800 to 2100. Locations will vary based on the Survival Skill we will be working on. So stay tuned in for more details. You can also follow us though www.Facebook.com and www.Meetup.com
Our first meeting is the 29th of June in Provo Canyon South Fork. Bring your own water, foil dinner, pocket knife, flash light or head lamp, and a friend or date. The site will be marked with Wild Jake's Logo. The grid coordinates are Lat:40.329090, Lon:-111.528710. Tell a friend.

We Have A Winner !!!

CONGRATULATIONS Fawn Shields!! You are our first ever winner!! You have won a FIRE PISTON. You'll receive your fire piston within the week. You are also eligible for our end of the year drawing.

(This drawing is not endorsed or supported by the makers or sellers of this product and is solely the responsibility of Wild Jake's).

Thank you to everyone who entered and Liked our page. Keep visiting our blog for upcoming competitions and make sure to share us with all your friends.

Check out what Fawn won:

English Long Bow

Here are a few pictures of an English Long Bow at different stages in its draw. The bow is a little flat in the riser but it shoots very smooth. I am still in the process of making this bow, but when I am done it will have a 50 lb. draw weight at 28 in. It will also have Buffalo horn nocks, a leather shelf, and a leather hand grip, and I am going to stain it a little darker.

Edible Plant Test

Ok, so here is the edible plant test. It is found in the US Army Survival manual FM 21-76 5 June 1992 in chapters 9 and 10. These chapters are a "must read" and commit to memory for anyone that is going to be actively involved in the outdoors. So, I will post them here.

As for the plant test itself, it takes a very long time to complete.  But, in a true survival situation, do not skip any of the steps. This could be a life or death matter if the plant is falsely identified.

As a rule of thumb, I always apply at least a portion of this test to every plant that I eat when I am in the backcountry, even if I am certain of its identification. You can never be too careful.

I use a combination of steps 9-13 from the manual:   Place a small part of the plant on your tongue, holding it there for 15 minutes. If there is no reaction, take a pinch and thoroughly chew and hold it in your mouth for 15 minutes. Do Not Swallow!

If I am "certain" of the plant identification, then I will chew a small piece and see if there are any reactions. If there are not then I will swallow it. If there are, and I have misidentified it, then I will spit it out and wash out my mouth with water and then dilute it with more water.

Most plants in very small amounts are not deadly but very discomforting. However, there are a few plants out there that are very deadly, so be careful! Remember that there is no room for mistakes with mushrooms so I avoid them altogether when I am in the backcountry. Besides, the amount of calories that you expend gathering them is greater than the amount that you can get from eating them. This makes them a negative food source.

Edible Plant Test from US Army Survival Manual:

1. Test only one part of a potential food plant at a time.

2. Separate the plant into its basic components - leaves, stems, roots, buds, and flowers.

3. Smell the food for strong or acid odors .Remember, smell alone does not indicate a plant is edible or inedible.

4. Do not eat for 8 hours before starting the test.

5. During the 8 hours you abstain from eating, test for contact poisoning by placing a piece of the plant part you are testing on the inside of your elbow or wrist. Usually 15 minutes is enough time to allow for a reaction

6. During the test period, take nothing by mouth except purified water and the plant part you are testing.

7. Select a small portion of a single part and prepare it the way you plan to eat it .

8. Before placing the prepared plant part in your mouth, touch a small portion (a pinch) to the outer surface of your lip to test for burning or itching.

9. If after 3 minutes there is no reaction on you lip, place the plant part on your tongue, holding it there for 15 minutes.

10. If there is no reaction, thoroughly chew a pinch and hold it in your mouth for 15 minutes. DO NOT SWALLOW.

11. If no burning, itching, numbing, stinging, or other irritation occurs during the 15 minutes, swallow the food.

12. Wait 8 hours. If any ill effects occur during this period, induce vomiting and drink a lot of water.

13. If no ill effects occur, eat 0.25 cup of the same plant part prepared the same way. Wait another 8 hours. If no ill effects occur, the plant part as prepared is safe for eating.


Good luck out there! Stay safe!

This is not a Wild Carrot!! This is, in fact, the early stages of Poison Hemlock about the second week after the plant comes to the surface. This is when it is very hard to identify and is when it is usually mistaken for Wild Carrot.