Ingredients

How to make it

  • WATER
  • If at home, stored in case hydro fails and you cannot get it from taps.
  • If in the bush, you’ll need to depend on whatever water you can find, but it never hurts to carry a good sized flask of it.
  • You can always refill a flask from a stream, but boil it first for at least 30 minutes.
  • MATCHES
  • Backpacking materials should be light enough to carry, yet enough to help you survive.
  • Not everyone knows how to make a fire without matches or lighters.
  • If you’re camping out in the winter, or lost in the forest in winter, matches may help save your life as well as alerting others to your predicament.
  • Keep matches in a dry container like a pill bottle with a good tight lid.
  • Wet matches won’t help you.
  • FLASHLIGHT
  • If you can get one, buy a solar flashlight.
  • But don’t depend on it totally in case you’re deep in the forest and the light doesn’t get much sun.
  • Take several sets of batteries to fir the flashlight, and store both the light and the batteries in a watertight container.
  • A wet flashlight won’t operate.
  • Neither will wet batteries.
  • BLANKET
  • If it’s not too heavy, pack two blankets, one to lie on, and the other to cover you.
  • Those health-blankets as they call them are really good and help preserve body heat.
  • Also be sure to carry an emergency blanket of what looks like tinfoil and you can buy them wherever you but first aid supplies.
  • Not only will it preserve body heat, but in the daytime, the sun will reflect from it, alerting others to your problem, especially airplanes or helicopters if they are searching for you.
  • FIRST AID SUPPLIES
  • Never under-equip yourself with these, but don’t overload yourself so it becomes too heavy to carry either.
  • Bandaids, roll bandaging, tape, safety pins, cleaning agent for wounds, triangular bandages are all vitally important to carry.
  • Splints if needed can be made by using tree branches and tying triangulars around them to hold the limb stiff.
  • Always store these supplies in a waterproof container.
  • FOOD
  • Carry only what you can use.
  • Keep it water-tight.
  • Trail mixes, dried meats, veg, that sort of thing.
  • Carry all foodstuffs in waterproof containers.
  • Chocolate bars are good to carry for quick energy but can melt if carried too close to your body in the pack.
  • Carry them nestles in between the blankets.
  • COMPASS
  • The first thing you need to learn, are the directions. North, South, East and West.
  • North is the most important.
  • The red and black needle is referred to as the COMPASS NEEDLE.
  • Well, on some compasses it might be red and white for instance, but the point is, the red part of it is always pointing towards the earth's magnetic north pole.
  • That's basically what you need to know.
  • It's as simple as that.
  • But if you don't want to go north, but a different direction:
  • You've got this turnable thing on your compass.
  • We call it the Compass housing.
  • On the edge of the compass housing, you will probably have a scale from 0 to 360 or from 0 to 400.
  • Those are the degrees or the azimuth (or you may also call it the ‘bearing’ in some contexts).
  • And you should have the letters N, S, W and E for North, South, West and East.
  • If you want to go in a direction between two of these, you would combine them.
  • Let's use that as an example:
  • You want to go northwest.
  • What you do, is that you find out where on the compass housing northwest is.
  • Then you turn the compass housing so that northwest on the housing comes exactly there where the large direction of travel-arrow meets the housing.
  • Hold the compass in your hand.
  • And you'll have to hold it quite flat, so that the compass needle can turn.
  • Then turn yourself, your hand, the entire compass, just make sure the compass housing doesn't turn, and turn it until the compass needle is aligned with the lines inside the compass housing.
  • Now, time to be careful!.
  • It is extremely important that the red, north part of the compass needle points at north in the compass housing.
  • If south points at north, you would walk off in the exact opposite direction of what you want!
  • And it's a very common mistake among beginners.
  • So always take a second look to make sure you did it right!
  • A second problem might be local magnetic attractions.
  • If you are carrying something of iron or something like that, it might disturb the arrow.
  • Even a staple in your map might be a problem.
  • Make sure there is nothing of the sort around.
  • There is a possibility for magnetic attractions in the soil as well, "magnetic deviation", but they are rarely seen.
  • Might occur if you're in a mining district.
  • When you are sure you've got it right, walk off in the direction the direction of travel-arrow is pointing.
  • To avoid getting off the course, make sure to look at the compass quite frequently, say every hundred meters at least.
  • But you shouldn't stare down on the compass.
  • Once you have the direction, aim on some point in the distance, and go there.
  • But this gets more important when you use a map.
  • There is something you should look for to avoid going in the opposite direction:
  • The Sun.
  • At noon, the sun is roughly in South (or in the north on the southern hemisphere), so if you are heading north and have the sun in your face, it should ring a bell.
  • When do you need this technique?
  • If you are out there without a map, and you don't know where you are, but you know that there is a road, trail, stream, river or something long and big you can't miss if you go in the right direction.
  • And you know in what direction you must go to get there, at least approximately what direction.
  • Then all you need to do, is to turn the compass housing, so that the direction you want to go in, is where the direction of travel-arrow meets the housing.
  • And follow the above steps.
  • This isn’t a perfect method, but it helps.
  • It is not very accurate.
  • You are going in the right direction, and you won't go around in circles, but you're very lucky if you hit a small spot this way.
  • If you are taking a long hike in unfamiliar terrain, you should always carry a good map that covers the terrain.
  • Especially if you are leaving the trail.
  • It is in this interaction between the map and a compass, that the compass becomes really valuable.
  • TWO WAY RADIO or WALKIE TALKIES
  • If you have access to these.
  • Even if so, remember the batteries will wear down quickly, so don’t overuse it.
  • Use it only for emergencies, and remember where you are, you may not even be ABLE to contact anyone.
  • The radio is handiest when you have someone closeby or in your group so you can maintain contain should you or the other person become disoriented to position.
  • CHANGE OF CLOTHING
  • Always carry this with your backpack, in a water-tight package.
  • Wet clothing at night can be very dangerous to health, especially in the winter.
  • And if you sweat, a change of clothing is a must.
  • Sweating will make clothing wet, increasing the danger of being cold, and body odour also attracts insects.
  • Wash clothing when necessary in streams you find.
  • Using these ideas may help save your life. Please pass it on.
  • Pete

Reviews & Comments 19

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    " It was excellent "
    browneyegirl ate it and said...
    Good post.
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  • lovebreezy 13 years ago
    I wonder if a cell phone or the walkies would be a better choice these days. I see the advantages and disadvantages of both and therefore vote to have both with you.
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
    " It was excellent "
    cookingandbakingqueen ate it and said...
    I want to say thank you for the post.I added this to a few groups.I hope that you didn't mind.
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  • snowcat17 14 years ago
    Pete, Great Post!!! I get lost going to the groceryLOL I will keep this handy for when I hike/travel thank you! HIGH FIVE
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    " It was excellent "
    kingofallassholes ate it and said...
    It is getting that time of year that I need to start doing this as well.Thank you for reminding me.Thanks.
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    " It was excellent "
    grumpymomma ate it and said...
    Thank you for reminding me.It is getting close on needing them.
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    " It was excellent "
    sandygalesmith ate it and said...
    Yeah I agree with you there.I've been tryen to tell that to my boyfriend on adding things like that into his car but he DOESN'T listen to me. This is very helpful.
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
    " It was excellent "
    pippy ate it and said...
    This is so helpful and I am printing it out as I type. Thank you for sharing so that all of us can benefit from the information. High 5!
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
    " It was excellent "
    chef_irish ate it and said...
    Thanks for Sharing This...
    Good Things to Keep Handy Always!!!
    High 5
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    " It was excellent "
    lor ate it and said...
    You've got my "5" forks for this excellent survival information.
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
    " It was excellent "
    brianna ate it and said...
    Great post. Thanks 5555
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  • linspj 15 years ago
    Super information....you never know what can happen. We are planning a trip from upstate NY to Atlanta in Dec. There are some mountains to go through and weather is unpredictable. I am going to pack this kit to bring along.
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    " It was excellent "
    gourmetana ate it and said...
    This is a great post and valuable information for those planning a trip to the forest or mountain. Thank you for the addition! *5*
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    " It was excellent "
    chefelaine ate it and said...
    This is great, Pete, and thank you so much for posting it. As a former Girl Guide, we were always told to be prepared! HIGH FIVE :+D
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    " It was excellent "
    lanacountry ate it and said...
    Wow more good advice from Trigger there also!
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    " It was excellent "
    moonlight ate it and said...
    Great information. Thanks for posting!
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    " It was excellent "
    lanacountry ate it and said...
    Folks NEED to get more knowledgeable with these
    recipes IMHO, Pete! Thank you and a high 55555! :)

    FOLKS..NEED to get this kit prepared NOW, IMHO!
    Outstanding info..saved Pete!!
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    " It was excellent "
    momo_55grandma ate it and said...
    great post and useful information a high6 if could thanks buddy
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    " It was excellent "
    trigger ate it and said...
    Good advice Pete I would add a whistle and a mirror.
    They are light weight and could help get you out if you are lost.
    The Mirror can be used to signal if you get to a clearing or to make a fire with a little pine needles. The whistle can help call attention to people trying to find you give it a blast every minute.
    Five from me
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    " It was excellent "
    mystic_river1 ate it and said...
    This is a wonderful post, Pete. I saved and then printed out 10 copies to give my friends. A true life saver and a 5 and many thanks.
    Now, I am 'almost 5 ft tall' and rather small in stature all the way around. My Dad used to give me a red balloon on a long string and tie it around my wrist. This was at carnivals, state fairs and baseball and football games etc. or if I was playing in the snow. No kidding...must've loved me huh?
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