Book Review - Camping & Wilderness Survival: The Ultimate Outdoors Book

Camping & Wilderness Survival: The Ultimate Outdoors Book
by Paul Tawrell














I ordered this book on 7/2 from Amazon.com through one of their affiliates. I paid $26.78 with shipping and handling for a like new condition book, but I see there are cheaper choices. I was pleased with the condition of the book as it appeared to be new and in excellent condition.

The book arrived 7/20, and I was pleasantly surprised as to the size of the book.
It has 1080 pages and is jam packed with color images and information on all sorts of topics on the outdoors. This book is a great resource for learning about all types of things, from tying knots to building fires, selecting knives, cold weather survival and many other topics.

While this book is more like an encyclopedia than an in depth study on any given topic, it is very nicely done. There is so much information in it that it will take a long time to read through just the parts that interest me the most!

In reviewing the Customer reviews on Amazon, I see there is a mixed reception to this book, depending on the skill and knowledge of the person doing the review. For the most part it has good solid reviews with the negatives being a small minority.

Not having read through the whole book yet, I can only say WOW! I would recommend this book if you are at all interested in the out of doors. You are bound to learn something new even if you are a seasoned veteran of the wilds!

A New Blog

Rourke over at WorldInfoCD.com (under my featured links) contacted me and told me he has started a new survival & preparedness blog - ModernSurvivalOnline.com. He has been working hard on it and says he has had some pretty good interviews, and has up an interview with author and columnist Jerry Ahern (post apocalyptic survivalist series, The Survivalist). Head on over and check him out!

ModernSurvivalOnline.com.

Tarp Shelter Setup and Tying the Prussic Knot

Tom from Canada asked for the link to this video, so here is the link and the video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkBeZqXU4zk&playnext_from=QL

8x10 Tarp Setup


Also I'd mentioned some videos about tying knots so here is one of them.

Prussic Knot

Selous's Gear - New Toys

I received some new toys in the mail today! I took advantage of the Cold Steel July 4th sale and purchased some of their products. I bought 2 of the Long Hunter knives and one each of the 12" and 18" Spear Point Machetes.

If you buy 2 of the Long Hunters you can get them for $25.00. The Machetes were $7.99 for the 12" and $9.99 for the 18".

The sheaths for the Long Hunter are made of Cordura and seem to be made well enough. When you get them out the box, the blade is protected by a cardboard sheath and is in a small plastic bag. At first look, when you place the knife in the sheath, it seems to be overwhelmingly sloppy. In fact it would most likely fall out if you wore it on your belt and went out into the woods. 

There is no keeper on the sheath like others have as there is no finger guard to be captured. After looking at the website ad I noticed that the knife was seated deeper in the sheath. So I did that with mine. The knife was now held firmly and will not fall out. The grip may loosen over time so that is something to watch for.

Here is the blade compared to my Becker BK7.

Here are the toys and my BK7 for size comparison.

I was disappointed to find that the Long Hunter was made in Taiwan and not the US. The handle of the Long Hunter is made of polypropylene. I find it comfortable enough but am concerned that it may become slippery if you have any blood on it from butchering game. Time will tell if this is a valid concern.

The machetes are worth every cent and seem to be solidly made. Their sheaths are also made of Cordura and the ad says that the handles are also made of polypropylene, though they feel a bit like hard rubber to me. The handle feels good in my grip, and the 18" has a very nice heft to it. The upper false edge is nearly as sharp as the bottom of the blade, but they both need some serious sharpening to be able to use them effectively. Here again the blades are made outside of the US. These are made in China. I would not let that put you off though.

Overall I am pleased with the quality of the merchandise and do not feel guilty recommending any of them to my readers. It is a sale so you need to move on these items quickly if you wish to take advantage of it.

TEOTWAWKI Style Greenhouse

I was snooping around the web the other day, looking for sources of greenhouse plastic when I came across this article.

How to Build an Inexpensive Hoop-Style Greenhouse

and a follow-on article.

An Inexpensive, Hail Proof, PVC Pipe Greenhouse

I am thinking that with the crappy weather we have been experiencing in the PNW that a series of small greenhouses using Sq. Ft. gardening techniques may well be the only way to assure myself of being able to raise large amounts of food. It has been wet and cold right up to the 2nd day of summer, with only a few nice days sprinkled in here and there.

Polyethylene Film Installation

Sources for 4 and 6 mil greenhouse plastic:

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/4-Year-Greenhouse-Film/productinfo/GF-6MC/

http://www.specialtyplasticsheeting.com/greenhouse-sheeting-c-3.html (10 mil)

http://growerssolution.com/page/GS/PROD/G4Y6MGF

http://www.wilsonirr.com/greenhousefilm.html?itemId11=3861365#anchor11

There is more. Just do a Goggle search for "6 mil Greenhouse plastic"

Now this may be the wave of the future as climate change becomes cooler and wetter. Stock up on the plastic if you can, or perhaps try a Geodesic Greenhouse.

WARNING!
Geodesic Domes are not cheap! But they are a longer term solution to plastic! If you get a large enough dome, you could even live inside of it, so you would only be heating one space in the winter and cooling with AC your living quarters during the summer.

33 ft. Diameter Greenhouse Kit:
850 square feet of floor area.
Height 14 ft. 10in.
Fresh produce for 8 to 10 people.
Complete Greenhouse Kit with:
Premium multi-wall glazing   $17,800.00

Other sizes, both larger and smaller are available.

Plans for a simple geodesic greenhouse or shed.

Build a Geodesic Dome Solar Greenhouse to Grow Your Own Food (Slideshow)




Happy Gardening!

A Must Read!

Uncle Vlad has a great post over at his blog today.

Wild dog packs after TEOTWAWKI
http://vlad-unclevlad.blogspot.com/2010/06/wild-dog-packs-after-teotwawki.html

I have read this before and have run across other tales on some different forums. This was written by Bruce "Buckshot" Hemming and comes from his personal experience. If you are serious about prepping and survival after a collapse, you need to read this and give it serious consideration. It is a threat that we all may face but not even normally consider.

I have been going through much of my gear that has been collected over the years and checking it for repair or replacement. Some of it has never been used, some has been used to death. Much of it has been scattered around in different storage locations, but I plan on consolidating it into one easy to get to location. I will also be performing an exact inventory so that I know what I have and where it is stored. Some had been forgotten.

Everyone's thoughts on what may be entailed in a TEOTWAKI/Crash will vary to some degree, so one size does not fit all as far as equipment is concerned. I believe that certain "Basics" will cover 80% of all situations, the other 20% requiring specialized gear. For instance, if you bought an oil lamp for a hurricane, it will work just as well during a winter storm or a grid crash.

Camping and backpacking have long been favorite hobbies of mine, so much of my gear can be used in a bugout scenario without going out of my way to acquire all new equipment. There are some newer technologies out there that I wish to incorporate into my gear, but they are not absolutely necessary to survival in a bugout or a base camp setting.

Powering my CPAP device is the most technological aspiration that I have at the moment that is not implemented fully. I have a basic setup that will allow me several days before having to recharge my power source, but I want a better solution. I have one in mind but it is not very portable and has a large $$$ outlay attached. It is more suited for a base camp.

I also look to get double duty out of what others consider as throw away packaging, particularly for use in caches where the possibility of discovery may exist.

I have been spending a lot of time watching youtube videos on bugout kits and on bushcraft. There are many out there and a lot of them are very informative. Some are just plain crap. Unfortunately you have to wade through the crap to find the gems. I have been pleased to incorporate some of the better ideas into my own plans and gear.

One particular video showed how to stake out a 8'x10' tarp to make a very effective shelter. Another taught how to tie a prussic knot. (very useful) There are many videos on tying different styles of knots, so if your memory of your scouting days has faded, you can brush up on those skills again! Of course if you were never a scout to begin with, it could be a new skill to learn. Bushcraft, survival and knot tying go hand in hand.

Some people may say that they don't need to have bushcraft skills as they are planning only for natural disasters and they live in the city. Finding water and purifying for use can be harder in the city than out in the woods. Boiling will work in both locations, so learn how to do it with minimal equipment or that which is salvaged from the environment around you. When the electricity goes out, the city dweller will need to know how to start a fire for warmth and to cook with, if they have any food!

They must also know how to safely build the fire as to not burn down their shelter or suffocate because of a lack of oxygen. Most of us think that such knowledge is common sense, but every year we read about someone killing themselves and their family by bringing the charcoal barbecue indoors to cook or for heat. Cleansing of the gene pool, right?