Comfort and Survival Gear

a reply to: JAGStorm

Solar panels / batteries

Starlink

Antibiotics

Common OTC meds, especially anti ‑fungals, anti bacterial, etc.

Lighters, lighters, lighters

Vitamins, lots of multivitamins

Iodine

Can openers, can openers, can openers (you would be surprised most people have no non electric or maybe one operational can opener)

a reply to: incoserv

if your capping off fools that get on line and tell everybody how much food they got, you will have plenty of food and will need to wipe your a@@.

a reply to: infolurker

from my younger days when in the Corps, i got about 100 P38's (John Wayne's)packed away with my old gear. even got a couple old alice packs.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I used to buy water, as where I live has a tank which collects rainwater. But when I came across a good vid on the tube showing how to filter it through ceramic garden planters/pots I bought one to test it out,if you cut the top off a twenty litre bought plastic container it fits quite handily into it, so gluing a spout on was a no brainer. Keeping it topped up every day the now two of them provide enough filtered water for two people. You have to give the pot a rub with sandpaper to break the glaze and plug the hole in the bottom, but it will literally clean up ditch water. Every few months it might need a cleanup with bicarb but that depends on the water you are filtering. Water would be the first concern if you are off the grid.

originally posted by: anonentity
a reply to: JAGStorm

I used to buy water, as where I live has a tank which collects rainwater. But when I came across a good vid on the tube showing how to filter it through ceramic garden planters/pots I bought one to test it out,if you cut the top off a twenty litre bought plastic container it fits quite handily into it, so gluing a spout on was a no brainer. Keeping it topped up every day the now two of them provide enough filtered water for two people. You have to give the pot a rub with sandpaper to break the glaze and plug the hole in the bottom, but it will literally clean up ditch water. Every few months it might need a cleanup with bicarb but that depends on the water you are filtering. Water would be the first concern if you are off the grid.

I got the water situation down. I have well water (deep aquifer) and there are easy ways to tap into that with hand pumps. I do agree that water is the most important thing in any survival situation!

originally posted by: BernnieJGato
if your capping off fools that get on line and tell everybody how much food they got, you will have plenty of food and will need to wipe your a@@.

Those kinds of jerks are the first people I'm gonna shoot.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Another thing that occurred is a rodent problem . Apparently, a fifty-fifty mix of baking soda and flour takes care of them. Just leave it where it won't get wet. It is a fairly quick kill they blow up.

Good info here


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I’ll sum up gear selection as:

You carry the gear that you don’t want to make and you make the gear that you don’t want to carry.

If you have to relocate a good distance, you might deal with a 5’ x 7’ poncho as a tarp versus an actual 10’ x 10’ tarp (size and weight considerations) because spending three+ hours gathering and constructing a small lean to shelter every day is counterproductive.

A single walled stainless steel water bottle that holds a quart or liter is good. Two are better. Because you will drink 2 liters traveling easily and gathering and purification before setting up camp for the evening is rare. You will want a pot and pan of some sort for cookware.

Fire. Yes you can do friction fire starting. Hope it isn’t raining or too humid. Honestly a few Bic lighters and a couple ferro rods are your best bets for easy fire per weight. Yes, they are consumables. So is flint and steel…which need char cloth (or natural char such as cattail fluff) or preferably fatwood shavings to catch that spark.

Cordage. You can make it out of natural fibers. You can make it out of ribbons of plastic from shopping bags or water/soda bottles. Plenty of litter around. You can also save time by carrying it. I’ll lay strong odds that if you take the time and energy to make cordage…you are taking it with you if possible if it was any good.

Tools: Knife, saw, axe, file, sharpening stone, triangular file are pretty standard. Some say scotch eye drill, shovel, others have other tools in mind. I will say a hatchet or tomahawk rather than axe, pliers are handy but not essential. An awl of some sort, even if just a nail. As many knives as you feel practical to carry. But means to sharpen. Is any of it absolutely necessary? No. You can make a knife and axe out of rock. But it is a whole lot easier to not make them.

Needle and thread. Yes. I recommend a heavier needle such as a sail cloth or upholstery needle. And waxed thread that you would use for leather craft. Speedy stitch is worth carrying as well in my opinion. This also where those pliers come in handy as well for push/pull through tough materials.

A change of clothes is nice as is three pairs of socks. Which brings up sleeping. There are two factors to sleeping outdoors. Lift and Loft. Lift is the thickness between you and the ground. As the ground will suck the heat out of you. Loft is the thickness between you and the air. So too will the air by evaporative cooling. You need padding from the ground and a blanket of insulation between you and the air. Both can be accomplished by just leaves. You may wish to place something between you and the leaves as they tend to be wet and are home to unwanted things. Lightest thing is…trash bags. 3 mil contractor bags cost around $1 each. With duct tape and contractor bags you can just about make anything. Like plastic long underwear to block wind and allow a bit of body heat retention. Although you should shelter that day if at all possible.

Most all of the above gear will continue to be used when you achieve a long term or permanent shelter. You want to travel light, forage wild edibles, gather fire material and handy materials such as fiber for cordage. Setup camp, eat, wash clothes, boil water for next day, do crafting chores. Sleep, do morning chores/routine, stay or strike camp depending. Not all days are travel days. Some can be hunting and gathering provisions. Or just rest or bad weather days.

My favorite is Peanut butter and tortillas in a pack

originally posted by: incoserv
a reply to: DerBeobachter

You'll need more than a "big glass tube." I am accumulating kilos of salt. Salt is critical. We use unrefined sea salt for personal consumption as well as livestock. Even for just personal use, you're gonna want a large amount of it.

Brought up that spices pouch example because i really use it for my "bushcraft"/wild camping tours. And very often i am the only one who brought spices, oil and stuff because the others have thought of everything possible except spices for their food xD

I know that a small tube of salt can´t conserve for example a pig but spices is something many people completely forget about, even on a camping trip. A good meal is good for your mind, good for morale. And a good meal is only a good meal if it is properly seasoned.

If prepping for a SHTF scenario then it´s non-electric powered tools and lots of different seeds (next spring will come as surely as the amen in the church) nobody should ever forget about.

a reply to: Ahabstar
Because of pan and pot. I bought a set of two woks (one for a friend) for 24 euros, stainless steel but somehow nevertheless quite light, 26cm of diameter, two stainless steel handles. That thing is pot and pan in one, i can carry it in my backpack (with my other stuff) without any problem. It is good to collect water when it rains and i believe you even could wash gold with it... xD

But no joke that 12 Euros wok was my solution for not having a pan in my gear. It is not very advantageous to fry meat in a Nalgene bottle, a Stanley Two Cup Adventure kit or in mugs with folding handles. All that stuff is good to cook water for coffee, tea and to prepare ready meals but a wok is better to prepare a reasonable and not tiny meal.

And somehow it´s cheaper, lighter and not as bulky (because of the pan handle) as the pans i looked for. Those pans with a folding handle were way too expensive and heavier than that cheap wok. And if a car doesn't drive over it i can't see how that thing should ever break down.

a reply to: DerBeobachter

The Stanley Two Cup Adventure kit is something I have considered and declined so many times that it is almost bipolar. Walmart even has the perfect stainless cup to fit the pot inside of and still fit the lid perfectly on the cup that generally would be $20 together…still declined. It is a quality build with a could modifications and price point that is great, but the dimensions and limited function get me. It seems too easy to tip and ruin your day. For a few dollars more you can buy the 750ml MSR Alpine pot that can double as a pan and has a secure lock for storing things in the pot on the move. Also easier to use as an oven for baking.

Many will say the classic USGI canteen cup, lid, stove sleeve and canteen. I too like this setup especially if you have two attached to either side of your utility belt. Add the Vietnam Era Fanny Pack for easy access items on the belt or add a shoulder sling as a haversack. Downside is that such a setup is somewhat expensive but not cost prohibitive.

One thing I forgot to include above is cotton bandanas. The more the merrier. Knowing Furoshiki (Japanese Fabric Wrapping) takes the already incredibly useful bandana to infinite use status.

For comfort during a survival situation, I would recommend wool clothing. Of course it's not something to wear in the blast furnace of summer but is ideal in colder times. Bonus that it continues to retain heat when wet. Even during warm weather with chilly, or even down right cold nights, it's hard to beat a wool blanket.

a reply to: Moon68

One thing to note is that silk is not as good of an insulator as wool due to loft. But will also retain its heat even when wet. But is also not as durable of a fabric from weathering, especially sunlight. So silk is a suitable alternative for those with allergies or have weight/space concerns.

Cotton alone is not great due to evaporate cooling and can cause hypothermia even in the 60’s F (upper teens C) when wet. Cotton can be treated for water resistance and even waterproofing, but adds weight. A poly-cotton blend fabric such as poplin is fairly water and wind resistant, a great example being the classic M65 Field Jacket.

a reply to: Ahabstar

I bought a knock off of the original Stanley kit via Amazon because they wanted, no joke, almost 80 Euros for one on Amazon Germany. It´s almost exactly the same as the original but without the scale (who cares?). And it´s made 0.1mm or whatever milimeter thicker than the original so Tatonka mugs don´t fit on the in- and the outside. But i found a set of 4 folding handle mugs which fit (500ml inside, 600ml outside), also knock offs and it looks like it´s the same manufacturer but sold by another seller. 18 Euros for the kit and 20 Euros for four mugs.

The inside including the 500ml mug is filled with a "cat food spirit stove", a cheap bandana as dishcloth, a narrow sponge, few DIY waterproof matches, a bit of BBQ fire starter, a few Q-Tip/Vaseline fire starters, salt, sugar pepper, tea, coffee, two ready soups, a DIY windshield. Made a "IKEA stove" and the kit with the mugs fits exactly in there and all that fits into a pouch i bought extra for that kit. It´s not much more than a handful, even with 4 squeeze bottles full of spirit/dishwashing detergent in the outer pockets of that pouch.

I really love that setup, it´s small, not heavy, does not necessarily need an open fire and is really good for cooking water for hot drinks and preparing ready meals or better ready snacks, for something warm to drink and eat on the way. But without a pan or, like in my case, a wok, you are too restricted in cooking a really good meal with only that thing or my other Nalgene/Tatonka setup.

Yes, bandanas are useful for a lot of things, even as a simple water filter. But since i bought my first shemagh those bandanas are so tiny... xD

a reply to: DerBeobachter

So in the 25-30 Euro price range and not quite 2kg in a bag. Not bad at all for a cook kit. Being in Europe some military surplus to consider would be a Polish Bread Bag as a Haversack. The German Alpine Ruck that has a pocket for a folding sleeping mat. A Romanian Plash Palatka (which has improvements over the older Soviet version). The plash can go from rain cloak to shelter rather readily. Essentially 70” x 70” (180cm x 180cm) waterproofed canvas tarp so ground cloth, rolled on poles as a cot.

You know what didn't sell out during the lockdown?

Baby wipes.

Why?

Not flushable.

My ass don't care if it flushes or not.

Neither do my armpits or face.

Thank you to who ever mentioned it, Guitar strings are an item that never crossed my mind with stuff to stock up on.
Now off to find a deal on a case of Elixr

On the survival side, have you actually been outside in what you would wear when its cold and wet to the point things are starting to get saturated, so you sort of know what kind of time you have before hypothermia becomes a problem, also you dont have enough or a good enough med kit, and have you gotten training through the red cross or someone similar on using it.

Comfort, if you are a reader have your favorite book you have read a hundred times, if you are not a reader learn to enjoy it.