S.U.R.V.I.V.A.L.

The following is a breakdown of the word SURVIVAL, as used by the United States Army. Its pretty thorough and easy to remember so give it a go!

• S – SIZE UP TH SITUATION: This includes the analysis of your own physical condition, your surroundings and the equipment you have available. In otherwords, this is the step where you see the options that you have available. Do you have a broken leg? Then don’t try hike to freedom, rather just find shelter. You don’t have a waterbottle? Then don’t risk crossing the desert.
• U – USE YOUR SENSES, UNDUE HASTE MAKES WASTE: This one has 2 parts. First off you need to be observant. If you find a water hole, but can smell decay, then maybe the water is stagnant and unsafe. If you notice dark clouds on the horizon, you may face rain later that day. At the same time, you don’t need to do everything in a hurry. Sometimes waiting for the sun to set, might save you from heatstroke. Or you may lost equipment trying to chase down and animal for food. Think slow but thouroughly!
• R – REMEMBER WHERE YOU ARE: If you have a map, make sure you constantly check your new position. If you are in a group, ensure everyone knows that position as well. What would happen to the group if you were the only map reader and you were to be killed or lose the map? It is also a good idea that if you are moving, but pass a landmark, that you remember your position in relation to it. If you can get a call for help out, a message like “We are hiking south from where the Tugela river forks” is far more helpful to rescuers than simply “Um i think we are somewhere downhill from a river.”
• V – VANQUISH FEAR AND PANIC: These are your 2 biggest enemies in a survival situation. These can cripple your abilities to think logicly and cause you to make irrationaly decisions based on emotion and imagination. Not only that, but your body consumes more resources in a stat of fear.
• I – IMPROVSE! – This is probably one of the toughest ones to remember. We tend to think that all we need is in our survival kit, but that will run out or be lost eventually. It is therefore necessary for us to make our own tools and to use natural features to accomplish tasks. Don’t give up on an idea just becasue you don’t have the right tool for the job.
• V – VALUE YOU LIFE: The loss of morale is often what kills you in the end. Therefore keep your chins up and remember that you WILL survive. Any just because you are surviving doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself too. If you see a great view, take 5 minutes to enjoy it. Have a cooking fire? Why not sit around and sing a song or 2. Maybe you have a camera with you, so think of photos you can take for a ‘survival scrapbook’ when you get home. Little indulgences like this can be what keeps you alive.
• A – ACT LIKE THE NATIVES: In other words, the local people and animals know better than you do. If the birds start chirping early, it may be a sign that the afternoons will be hot, so get up early too. See game trails? These usually lead between the animals shelter and water, so that solves your needs of food and water. If you do encounter indigenous people, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Even if they are unable to make a call for you, they will surely point you in the right direction. Remember: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
  

  Some times things feel 'wrong', these should be avoided!

• L – LIVE BY YOUR WITS: Us humans are animals, and do have a small amount of instinct. If you reach a waterhole, but it just feels wrong, maybe the water is stagnant so double check. Your subconcious notices things you may miss so don’t ignore ‘vibes’. I’m not saying base all your decisions on a gut feeling, but if you feel something is out of place it is worth double checking. Remember, it is the feeling of ‘wrongness’ or ‘being on edge’ that are alerts from our subconcious. Things like nervousness and ‘being grossed out’ aren’t good feelings to base a decision on, as they are things we have cultivated oursleves.

Hope you guys find this useful! (Check out the Multi-Service Survival Manual for more!)

The Science of Flint & Steel

Howdi All!!!

For those of you who know me, you’ve probably wondered why  haven’t put any of my technical science stuff up on the blog yet… seeing as I usually don’t shut up about it. Well wait no longer! Behold, the secret of flint and steel!

The great thing about flint and steel is that you can start a fire even if it is sopping wet, where matches and lighters would be useless

Most of you out there know that if you strike a flint with a piece of steel or you knife it will make a ton of sparks. This is usually used by us wild backcountry guys to make emergency fires. But how many of you know what causes those sparks? Keep reading to find out…

If you’ve got a piece of steel and a flint give this a go. When you strike any ferrous (iron containing) metal against a flint, tiny bits of iron break off, the same as what happens when using an angle grinder. These bits of iron turn into the sparks. Now for the science. Most people think the friction makes the sparks, but it doesn’t! Iron is actually a type of chemical called a pyrophoric. This means that at room temperature iron will spontaneously combust in contact with air. WOW! Now you thinking I’m wrong, because you have tons of iron stuff and none of it has burnt you, well keep reading. Large iron objects like knives, axes, machetes don’t actually have any pure iron on the surface. This is because the iron has already oxidised (reacted) with the air to form an unnoticeable layer of rust. If you had to damage such an object, the newly exposed rust would instantly react with the air, but the heat caused will dissepate. This happens because iron is a great conductor of heat and this is the reason you will never see a large chunk of metal suddenly erupting in flame.

But what happens if we reduce the size of our piece of iron, to say 10 or 20 micrometers? Well there is no extra iron to conduct the heat and there is a massive surface area in relation to the size of the object. In other words, the metal would heat up, and burst into flame and be visible as what we know as sparks! Yay! These sparks look pretty small, but compare it to an industrial explosive like Thermite (thats what they use to weld railway tracks together). These iron particles can burn at up to 2500 degrees Celsius and are momentarily brighter that the sun!

All it takes is practice! (Even patience is optional)

So now we can respect this ancient fire starting method a bit more, but how does this help us? For starters, all you guys who use your knifes to strike the flint: Don’t do it! You are taking chips off your knife blade to make those sparks, rather use the back of the blade. Secondly, don’t buy those cheap flints with the magnesium block attached if you what something that will last. For those of you own them, you’ve probably notice how your flint is getting worn out, this shouldn’t happen because good flint should be harder than steel! In addition, pure sparks burn almost the same temperature as magnesium, so those few filings aren’t going to save the day. The big tip is this: For maximum sparks, you don’t need a flint, any very hard abrasive substance will work. But the type of metal makes all the difference! Only substances with iron will work so don’t try your aluminium or silver cutlery. The harder the metal, the smaller the fragments that will break off and the hotter the sparks will be. For the real enthusiasts, carbon steel (98% iron, 2% carbon) that has been tempered is the best material.

Hope that got your interest!

What To Eat/What Not To Eat?

Hi All!

At some point you may find yourself in a survival situation and even with all your scouting skills, a fully stocked survival kit and emergency rations, you will eventually run out of food and will need to find a meal. Remember, although a human can survive up to 40 days without food, you are going to need to eat every day or 2 (even if its just snacking) to keep you energy levels up and boost your immune system. Being hungry is also a morale killer.

Now, the problem comes in when we try to find things to eat. Most of us have a corrupted  view of  “Can’s” and “Cant’s” with regards to edibles. This is mostly due to movies making it look so easy. If you follow our simple list of rules and don’t try anything risky, you should be totally safe.

1. Never eat plants unless you are 100% sure you know that it is edible. Over 70% of plants are poisonous so its not

Amanita phalloides, this harmless looking mushroom is responsible for most fatal mushroom poisonings.

worth the risk. Our suggestion is to research 1 or 2 edible plants in an area before you go on your trip, this way if you need to you can look specifically for those ones. PS. All grasses are edible if you need to build up bulk for a meal, but do not eat them if they have wilted.

2. If you are stranded near the ocean, don’t risk any shellfish or fish unless you know they are edible. Remember even creatures which are usually safe can become deadly poisonous during Red Tide. Our suggestion is to keep and eye open for urchins and starfish as they are always edible without exception. Just remember to remove venomous barbs, eggs and intestines before cooking.

3. Never eat mushrooms! Over 80% are deadly poisonous and even if you are lucky enough to find a safe one they all have near zero nutritional value. It’s not worth the risk.

4. All birds and bird eggs are edible with no exceptions (this includes carrion eaters).

5. All furry mammals are edible (but avoid moles, rats and scavengers that could carry disease).

6. All grubs and larvae are edible, and they are probably one of the most nutrient rich food sources you will find.

7. All land snails are edible if boiled.

An edible White-Grub.

8. Keep an eye open for pine trees. Green pine needles can be used too make tea, for the record pine needles contain 5 times the amount of vitamin C as citrus fruit.

9. All snakes are edible. Don’t go out of your way to hunt snakes, but if you accidentally snare one, or are forced to kill a venomous one, you can eat the flesh by cutting off the head (aim for at least 5-10cm under the head so that the venom glands are also removed). The snake can then easily be skinned and gutted.

10. Other than snakes, void eating any reptile or amphibian.

11. All freshwater fish are edible, although the barbs of a catfish must be avoided when catching it.

This lists the most easy way to be sure that what you find is edible. But more importantly, use your head. If something has bright warning colours, don’t eat it. If it looks sick, don’t eat it. If you find it dead, don’t eat it. I’m sure there are a ton more guidelines I could type up, but in a real survival situation you won’t have a guildbook, notes or internet access. All you’ll have is your brain, so if you remember these rules you won’t need more!

10 Simple Survival Rules

Hi Again!

Getting lost. Its something which will probably never happen to most of us, and if it does its usually only for a few hours and even if its longer there is often cellphone signal, etc. to help us get out of the situation. However, there is always that slight chance that you are one of the unlucky minority that are stranded for days, so to help avoid disaster, here are our top 10 survival rules:

1. Don’t panic. Its a human thing to become anxious when we are separated from a group. So try keep a clear head and remember that you KNOW what must be done to survive, so you don’t have anything to panic about.

2. Always be prepared to survive. Wherever you go (camping, hiking, etc.) remember that you may stumble into a survival situation, so always be prepared with a survival kit and scouting knowledge.

3. Always tell someone on the outside where you are going.

4. If you are injured, or experience an injury later, always treat it before trying to satisfy other survival needs.

5. Find nearby shelter. If the weather is bad it is important to get out of the wind and rain to prevent hypothermia. Try stay as near to your original location as possible. If no sheltered area is available and you need to construct your own, first do number 6 & 7.

6. Build a controlled fire, regardless of weather. In most circumstance, you will be in a protected conservation area, game park or nature reserve and seeing smoke will probably bring people to your area. It is also a great morale booster and you will probably need it to sterilize drinking water.

7. Find water. Often this is not readily a problem as you will probably have a litre or 2 on you if you have been hiking. It is still important to identify a water source while you can so that if you do run out, you know where to go (eg, if you are in the mountains, just have a look around for shaded gulleys where water might collect). Also remember that all water should be boiled, especially if it’s still.

8. Stay dry. It is easy to get wet if you are lost in the rain. Even if it is a relatively warm day and you are wet, wind chill can cause hypothermia. The important thing is to at least ensure that your outer layer is dry to prevent wind chill. Eg. If you are soaked through, just crawl straight into a dry sleeping bag or survival bag until the wind or rain dies down.

9. As soon as you immediate survival needs are met, you should construct some sort of signal to allow others to see you from a distance, or ground-to-air signals for passing aircraft. If you have a cellphone or 2-way radio. You should also try to identify nearby landmarks in case you pick up signal and can alert someone on the outside.

10. Remember hygiene! This may not always seem like a factor on camps or hikes, but in a long term survival situation even relatively minor illnesses such as the flu or gastro can result in death or leave you incapacitated. Remember to avoid wound infections, do you ablutions far from sleeping and water areas and also to wash your hands before eating!

These rules have been adapted from the list on http://www.simplesurvival.net/10rules.htm, with a few of our own modifications. Remember, these 10 rules are only a pointer. Its up to YOU to ensure you know how to survive.

Fun With Ghillie Suits!

Hay again!!!

A commercial USMC Sniper ghillie suit

Have you every wished you had the perfect camouflage for a wide-game or maybe a round or 2 of paintball. Well now you can!

The ghillie suit was first used by Scottish gamekeepers for casual hunting. It saw its first military application during the 2nd Anglo-Boer War, when it was used by the Lovat Scouts, a regiment of the Scottish Highlanders. In 1916, theybecame the British Army’s first sniper division! And all because of their efficiency with these suits!

Now don’t even think of buying one! Commercial suits are really expensive (often costing thousands of rands) and are only suitable for one or 2 terrain types. Rather make your own with this awesome online guide! And the great thing is that it uses mostly scrap materials to make you own! It’s a bit time consuming, but it can make a really cool patrol activity if you get everyone together to make their own. And all the work is totally worth it once you try this baby out!

Making your own can be much more rewarding as you can choose you own design. Jackets, pants, overalls and ponchos are all options you may want to consider. Another point is that you can configure it to match you location. South Africa has a really diverse ecosystem, so whether you are in the fynbos, grasveld or Natal tropics, you can customize your look and colors for maximum effect!

So what you waiting for? Give it a shot!

Unusual fire starting methods…

Ok guys lets be realistic here. If you are trapped in the wild and need to start a fire for signalling or cooking, but you DON’T have matches or a lighter, then what are to odds that you will have 9V batteries, steel wool, chemicals, cotton wool, fire cylinder, flint or any of the other ‘luxury’ item we are usually asked to use to start survival fires with. I mean seriously, if you have any of that stuff with you, then u probably have a lighter in anycase.

So, being more realistic, we have made it our job to find relevant fire-starting techniques that are not only practical, but also use items that you more than likely will have access to. The first awesome method we found is on Wild Wood Survival and starts a fire with…… drum roll….. drum roll……

A COKE CAN AND A CHOCOLATE BAR!!!!!!

Check it out here: http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/cokeandchocolatebar/