How to Build Suture Kits

Suture kits may not have always been considered part of being prepared. After all, once being prepared meant that you knew the telephone numbers for your physician, hospital and fire/police stations. Today being prepared has taken on a new meaning.

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Emergency Water Storage

Emergency water storage is not something that most people think about; after all for most of us, there are a number of faucets in our home which supply our water needs. However, a breakdown of the water supply infrastructure could suddenly arise out of a natural or manmade disaster and totally disrupt the way we obtain water. It would therefore behoove every household to have a system of storing water for an emergency.

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Barter Goods

Below is a list of barter goods considered by experts in the survival preparedness world to be vital for a barter currency in a post-TEOTWAWKI world. Remember, as valuable as goods are, skills will also be very valuable; learn to barber, make soap, about herbal medicine, etc.

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Suture Kit

While having a suture kit in an emergency situation is a good idea, knowing how to suture wounds might be a better idea. Many who have had medical training have been taught suture techniques, however that’s no guarantee that such a trained person will be handy or that they will have sutures in their pocket.

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Emergency Food Storage

In this day and age, the wise person will want to have a plan for long-term food storage. First, in the case of a natural disaster you may need that food. That emergency food storage can also be useful in the event of a wide-spread national disaster or terrorist attack.

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Barter Currency

Barter currency could eventually mean the difference between being comfortable and healthy during an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it (TEOTWAWKI) scenario. The ability to barter could replace the dollar as a medium of exchange, as trade for goods and services become the norm.

With that in mind there are a few things about barter that you need to know. Like what is meant by “barter”? What is used in barter? We will answer to those and other questions about the world of barter and barter currency. Continue...

How to Suture

Knowing how to suture a deep cut or gash in the absence of trained medical personnel could be a handy skill to know. While some cuts can be closed with a butterfly bandage, deep cuts require suturing to hold the wound together so it can heal correctly.

Most paramedics and some nurses have received training on how to close wounds using sutures. But in an emergency situation where professional medical care may be hours or even days away, knowing how to suture a wound may save someone from an infection or worse. This will be even more important in a post-TEOTWAWKI situation, where trained medical practitioners will be hard to find. Continue...

Raising Rabbits for Meat

Here is the perfect guide for those who are considering Raising Rabbits for Meat. Whether you are practicing preparedness or are just concerned about the economy there are some things you need to know before and after you make the decision to get your first couple of rabbits.

Once again CL Hendricks has produced a practical and informative eguide that is both timely and targeted in its approach. She also shares from her own experience in why she decided on rabbits over chickens, to how she acquired her equipment and other things she learned. Continue...

What do Rabbits Eat

The next question would be what do rabbits eat? Rabbits are herbivores with an efficient digestive system capable of eliminating non-digestible fiber and at the same time fermenting digestible fibers. In the wild rabbits eat a wide range of vegetation such as grass, brush, weeds, shoots, leaves, twigs and bark. Of course we’re all familiar with rabbits and carrots courtesy of Bugs Bunny, but rabbits enjoy other root vegetables, as well as fruits and garden vegetables.

Aside from the question of what to feed your rabbits you’ll need to know that they should be fed twice a day. Because they like to chew it’s recommended that you use a feeder that hangs on the wall of the hutch. Only feed each rabbit what they will eat in a session and remove any extra afterwards. By feeding a bit less everyday, you will eventually figure out just how much each rabbit will eat to ensure they "clean their plate" without not getting enough to eat. Continue...

Old World Skills

If you were faced with a disaster survival situation, what old world skills do you have that would help you survive? Better yet, what skills do you have that would make you a valuable asset to a community of survivors?

Just because one is skilled in today’s world of high tech and high finance, doesn’t mean that they will be a desirable survival partner. In fact, in a true survival situation, the homeless person on the street will have a better chance of surviving than the silver-spooned, trust-fund baby who has lived his entire life enjoying the benefits of living in a modern high-tech world.

What kind of old world skills should one learn in order to survive in a TEOTWAWKI situation? Continue...

Shelter Construction

The ability to construct a survival shelter is one important requirement not just for a scout, but also for anyone who wants to make it through the night alive while out in the wild. The Boy Scouts of America has at least 15 proficiencies that must be met before a member may be bestowed with the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge, one of which proves their ability to construct a survival shelter.

There are several points of paramount importance in wilderness shelter construction. Consider the specific type of environment. Are there an enough construction materials? Is the area on a hill? Is there easy access to water? Is it mild, or is it snowing, windy, or raining?

Considering that information is very important when deciding what type of survival shelter you will construct. Continue...

Outdoor Survival Equipment List

You can go online or to your local library to research what the experts suggest should be included on a comprehensive list of wilderness survival equipment. Some of the items will almost surely surprise you and seem unnecessary or even strange. However, an outdoor survival gear list is something that no one should be without when planning to go off into the wilderness.

In many cases, the items on a list for survival equipment are only there in the event that there is a need for them. The old saying “it’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it” definitely applies to any survival gear list. If there is room in your outdoor survival kit, you should also try to take along waterproof matches or a spark-striker, also known as: Continue...

Disaster Medical Kits

While a small first-aid kit is a great addition to any car trunk, school backpack or purse, a comprehensive medical kit will contain items that go beyond a simple paper-cut or skinned knee.

Even without medical training, a good disaster medical kit is a must!"

Although there are emergency medical kits specifically designed and stocked for use by trained medical personnel, there are also kits designed to be used by the untrained. Such kits will usually contain sterile wound management bandages, resuscitation mouth guards, non-prescription pain medications, shock treatments items and an easy-to-understand guide to first aid. Continue...

Rabbit Breeds

When discussing rabbit breeds we are only looking at those breeds preferred for their meat. For that reason there are a couple of criteria to keep in mind. The giant breeds like the Flemish Giants do produce large fryers with a lot of meat. However, they also have larger bones, so the meat to bone ratio is not as good as some of the smaller breeds.

The rabbit breeds most commonly raised for meat are the California and the New Zealand White. They are both known for high milk production, ability to be bred frequently, and for producing large litters.

The California is a meat rabbit developed in the United States. Typically they weigh about 9-10 pounds and have white fur with black nose, ears, feet and tail. They are usually rather plump but have fine bones. Continue...

Lewis And Clark Survival Techniques

Rustic survival techniques where used when Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the expedition that opened up the lands west of the Mississippi River. The Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804 to 1806 is perhaps one of the most well known expeditions of west expansion.

Because most of the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition were from the civilized lands in the East, they had to learn new skills to stay alive. Those survival skills are the same survival techniques that are taught in many of thewilderness survival schools today.

Students are taught using the same equipment that Lewis and Clark had available then, such as flint and steel, Continue...

Survival Homestead

Survival or preparedness homestead is different than "homesteading" which used to mean settling on a piece of undevel-oped government land and making improvements to the property which then entitled you to own the land. That was a common method of settling the far West in days of old.

Now, however, the term usually refers to a property in the country, that is self-sufficient and hopefully capable of being totally off the grid. Usually that means a well or spring, some type of gardening and livestock.

There are a couple of different reasons why people choose to simplify. One reason is disenchantment with city living and the growing dangers of metropolitan areas. Another reason is that someone believes societal changes are coming and has chosen to live as close to nature as possible as part of their long-term survival preparations. Continue...

Wilderness Survival Knife

The best survival knife should have all the desired features you want to have in case of an emergency. Some things to consider about the best knife blades are whether you want a smooth edge or a serrated edge.

The shape of the blade also might be something to consider. If you had to cut a heavy piece of material, would the hunting knife do the task? Large hunting knives should have a full tang that runs through the entire handle. That way if the handle breaks around the tang, another handle can be crafted out of bone, leather or wood. Other things to consider about the survival knife blade are whether you want a lock-back knife or a non-locking blade. Continue...

Survival First Aid

While many situations necessitate the need for this type of wilderness survival first aid, or even combat surgery training for those fighting overseas, some regular everyday jobs require training for employment. The lifeguard at your community pool should be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and simple first aid. Police officers, fire fighters, and several different government-employed positions demand the same training, if not more.

These people would do significantly better in a situation needing survival first aid. For anyone needing or wanting to be trained in CPR and/or first aid the Red Cross offers health and safety service courses, helping people achieve the proficiency of CPR, first aid, and even Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training. Continue...

Build a Rabbit Hutch

The first step in raising rabbits is to build a rabbit hutch. Because rabbits are hunted by many animals and birds you will need to build their housing so that it is raised off the ground and sturdy enough to protect the rabbits from coyotes, foxes, wild cats and even the family dog.

There are a large number and wide variety of plans for how to build a rabbit hutch. However, they all agree that the purpose of the rabbit hutch is to protect the occupants from rain, wind and hot sun, be easy to clean and be at a convenient height for the caregivers.

While some of the basics of rabbit hutch design may differ slightly there is one material common to all designs. That is the use of wire mesh or hardware cloth with a maximum of ½ in. square mesh often used for the floor of, Continue...

How To Make A Trap

One skill that could come in very handy in a survival situation is how to make a trap. Once it becomes impossible to get your food from the supermarket or grocery, especially in a case of TEOTWAWKI situation, then knowing how to hunt, trap and fish could mean survival for you and your loved ones.

There are a number traps and snares that can be easily constructed to enable you to feed your family. Even if you live in an urban area there are a number of small animals such as rabbits, squirrels, opossum and raccoons that could be caught if you learn how to make a trap. A simple box trap can be built out of pieces of wood, small-holed fencing material or even sticks tied together. Just make Continue...