Confronting Kleptocracy--Identifying The Looter Mentality

A recent opinion column The New York Times was titled: The Moral Ambiguity of Looting. Ambiguity? There is nothing ambiguous about it. Let's have the moral courage to be forthright and uncompromising on this issue: Looting is the theft of property that lawfully belongs to another. There are no "ifs, ands, or buts". Looting is unconscionable and cannot be tolerated in a civilized society. Once looting begins, it soon devolves into: "You have it, I want it, I'm taking it." And once looting is sanctioned, then where is the dividing line on "acceptable" plunder? Do you draw the line at: Twinkies? Trinkets? Televisions? Teenage daughters? In essence, looting is pure, unmitigated anarchy in action. None of it is acceptable behavior.

It is noteworthy that much of the looting that went on in Chile was not about parents keeping their kids from starving. Rather, it was more about people wanting television sets. Every reader of this blog needs to make a moral choice: Do you tolerate looting or not? I pray that you don't. If you assent to theft, then don't be surprised if you come home someday to find your own house looted. As a Christian Libertarian, I'm an advocate of minimalist government. But a society needs some basic laws enforced, or it ceases to be classified as a civilized society. Its clear that law and order being re-established in Chile. But things were dicey there for a few days, and it took more than the just police and army to put the societal trolley back on its tracks.

I'm often asked about depopulation caused by pandemics--how that would be a time that would justify looting. That's just speculative balderdash. Even in darkest days of The Black Death, when Europe and much of southern Asia lost half of its population, there were still "heirs and assigns." (If you doubt that, then see William McNeil's book "Plagues and Peoples".) It would take a pandemic with a 90% lethality rate or more before that convention would become meaningless. So forget your "It'll be just like Will Smith and his dog, in I Am Legend" fantasies. The chances of an event causing that level of depopulation, and the even smaller chance of you being one of the lucky few survivors are almost infinitesimal. In all other circumstances, there will be rightful owners or rightful heirs of every piece of land, every vehicle, every tool, every cow, and every larder on Earth. So discard any fanciful "foraging" musings that you might harbor. That's nonsense.

SurvivalBlog reader William C. recently e-mailed me some thought, in warning about those that are planning to loot, in the aftermath of a disaster. He wrote: "To appraise and to steal someone's goods incorporates two dilemmas. One is the immoral practice of stealing and the other is the immoral practice of coveting another's goods. Both are addressed in the [Old Testament] Commandments and should be developed notions in the mind of a moral thinking man." He is correct in that appraisal. There are moral absolutes, and "Thou shalt not steal" is one of them. I also recently got an e-mail from Geoff in Utah, who mentioned: " I... find it disturbing the number of people that I've come across in my work on becoming self-reliant that feel entitled to what I and others have. For instance there is a Law enforcement officer in town that told me he didn't need to keep a reserve of anything other than ammo because being an officer of the law he new who had what and he had more guns, ammo and training."

If your "survival plan" is to loot (or, as I've heard it euphemistically put, "forage"), rather than to store in advance what you will need, then that's not much of a plan. By failing to store substantial quantities of food, you will very quickly force yourself into the role of Vandal or Visiting Visigoth, after the onset of a disaster. And, odds are, you'll end up in a shallow grave somewhere.

Consider this: The greatest threat we someday face might not be unprepared masses from the inner cities. No, it might be overweight armchair commandos from the suburbs, who's only preparations were buying a set of camo fatigues and an AR-15. That is a nightmare just waiting to happen. If you have budgeted for guns but not food storage, then you are setting yourself up to have only one option, when things fall apart. Examine yourself, and your preparations. If you see that you lack balance in your preparations, then I pray that you re-set your priorities, immediately. Food storage should probably account for more than half of your family preparedness budget. If it doesn't, then make it so!

Letter Re: Radio Communications for Retreat Intelligence Gathering

James Wesley:
Ron Y.'s article posted on Sunday is interesting and helpful to those who don't spend much time around radios other than, perhaps, their favorite music station. For those of us who have had a lifetime of radio listening and, in my case, work with public service units in times of disasters small and bigger, there are a few things I'd add.

First is the scanner section of Ron's information. My work desk has four scanners going at all hours that I am awake. Any one of them might flag something that is of interest or warrants tracking. Frequencies scanned here include all the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and air-to-air channels used by both civilian and military aircraft. I live in the area of four ATC centers and not far from training and refueling areas of many Midwest military units from B-2 bombers to Air National Guard fighter squadrons. There are 200 channels of some activity represented there. Air frequencies were my first alert to the 9/11 disaster. Civilian traffic told to land at the nearest airport and military told to get active, plus the dash to Shreveport by Air Force 1 from Florida, all unfolded within ear shot [of a scanner] while the news channels were still marveling
over what was happening in Manhattan.

Closer to home, scanner radios are the heart beat of this rural area's health and problems. Sheriff's radio remains on analog channels while some city and the state police have all moved to digital trunking radios that take a little work to program but remain a first line of information. Arkansas, where I live, also has a state-wide digital
network for health and welfare on a larger scale such as contamination and radiation incidents.

Another resource for frequencies omitted that should be visited is RadioReference.com for up-to-date information on frequencies, changes, digital monitoring and state-by-state lists of what to tune to.

And, another of the recently added radios in my monitoring station is a good old-technology crystal set. It hears all the 50,000 watt radio stations that Ray lists, plus more, and operates with no batteries or other outside source of electricity. These worked for my dad in the 1920s. He taught me to build my first one in 1940 or so. See MidnightScience.com and CrystalRadioSupply.com.

There is, as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band sings, "so much to know before you know enough." Best Regards, - Vern M.

Part II - Childbirth
Warning: I'm not embarrassed by bodily functions and I'm not grossed out by birth. If you are, then stop reading now - unless you're an expectant father - in which case, suck it up you wuss - you need to know this stuff!
Medical Care during Childbirth
First rule: if she wants medical care - you get some.
Second rule: If the pregnancy has been abnormal, you need medical assistance.
Third rule: Trust Your Gut. If something seems “wrong” get help.
Other than those three rules, do you need a doctor during the childbirth? If everything is normal, then no. In fact, when my wife teaches birth classes, I often sit in. Many of her clients are second time mothers who had a bad experience with their first birth. The bad experience almost always goes like this - so often that I've coined it a "snowball birth" because one step inevitably leads to the next and the whole mess gets bigger as it rolls downhill. 1) Doctor induces labor for no good reason; 2) Doctor gives an epidural [anesthetic] ; 3) Mother fails to progress to Doctor's satisfaction; 4) Doctor gives mother [pitocin, commonly called "Pit",] a drug to make her contractions stronger; 5) Mother can't push effectively (usually a side effect of the epidural); 6) Doctor tells Mother she needs a C-section; 7) Doctor performs major surgery without proper emotional support or mental preparation for the mother; and Mother feels like a failure and Doctor leaves for his golf game.
What everyone fails to see is that this whole process happens because the baby isn't ready to come yet. If the Doctor hadn’t induced labor, there would have been no problem in the first place. [In most cases] the baby will come when it’s time.


Pain Management
Most mothers who have had a "modern" birth - those with epidurals and doctors - will tell you how much it hurt despite the epidural and often have complaints about the doctor being rough or rude or even threatening...e.g., "if you don't push, I'll need to use suction."
When you talk to a woman who had a natural and uneventful childbirth - no drugs and a midwife, they rarely talk about pain. They use the word "pressure". There are medical reasons for this involving hormones released after pregnancy that affect memory. Do you remember "The Flashy Thing" in the movie Men in Black, that erases memory? The body has a hormone that does the same thing for pain memories. If you have an epidural, it often doesn't triggered and you will remember the pain. If you're normal and healthy and you have the option - go with a midwife.

But what if …
Let’s say it's an emergency. The baby is coming, it’s going to happen at home and no one can come and help ... the pregnancy, up to this point has been normal and healthy. Now what? Do you call 911?
Some of you may be tempted to tune out right now because you aren’t planning on having a home birth without assistance. Well, guess what? Even if you aren't planning to deliver unassisted at home - remember that the baby may not have gotten that memo.

Supplies for the actual birth:

You need something to clamp or tie-off the cord. I've used dental floss and cord clamps. I highly recommend the cord clamps. You can buy them here. You'll want to order those ahead of time. You need at least two. People have used clean, unopened packages of shoelaces as well. Again, I recommend the clamps.
You need lots and lots of clean towels. We used beach towels. How many do you have? You need more.
You need a large deep bowl to catch the placenta in. It will likely come out with a good amount of force. If the bowl is shallow, it will slide right back out and land on you.
You need tissues. It's quite possible she's going to poop during labor. If she does, she most likely didn't intend to and she probably won't even realize it happened. It won't be very much. Just grab it with a tissue and put it somewhere out of the way. You don't want it touching the baby and there is no need to embarrass mommy.
You need a sharp pair of scissors and a way to sterilize them. Alcohol works. Just have it handy. There will be no hurry for the scissors.
Hydrogen peroxide is good at getting stains out of carpet. I told you that you needed to get more towels, but you didn’t listen.
The Birth Process
She'll have contractions. They may be fast coming, or not. They may be hard or not. They may be regular or not. I know the movies say that they'll be regular, fast coming, and painful. They're movies and neither the baby nor the mother’s uterus has seen them. On a related note, the water may not break until well into the process of birth. Occasionally, in fact, babies are born with the water in tact. Don't count on the water breaking to be a sign - that's also just in the movies.
First things first: what's your job? You are whatever mama wants and needs. You make mama comfortable and hydrated. You do not complain about your problems and you don't share your fears with mama. You are strong when she is not. You are soothing when she needs to be soothed. You just need to help get mama to the point where her body and instincts take over, then you catch.
If you need to time the contractions, that's fine. Do it discreetly, and don't give mama reports. Above all, don't tell mama she's having a contraction or when one is about to happen. It's fairly likely that she already knows.
Watch mama...she's likely to go through some telltale stages (these can last for more than 24 hours or be over in less than an hour):
Nervousness, insecurity, a sense of "I'm not ready" - I'm still talking about mama here, not you - focus! These are all signs of early labor when they're coupled with contractions. She'll likely be talking to you through her contractions...that's because they're still mild. Have her rest, use the bathroom, and drink water. Maybe eat something. If that doesn't stop the contractions, this is probably the real thing. It could be 24 hours or 20 minutes. It's up to baby. Keep mama as calm as possible, comfortable, moving, and hydrated. Help her walk around, walking helps labor progress. Close the blinds, lower the lights - if she wants soothing music, now is the time, wash your hands very well. Gather your supplies - especially the towels.

There is also a period of emotional swings, if contractions were regular before, they may get irregular during this period. That's normal. This is a transition period. Contractions will get more intense. She'll likely stop talking during the contractions - you should too.

Unless she tells you otherwise, keep touching her - gently, soothingly. Look for areas that are tense and help her relax them. Tell her she's doing great. Tell her you love her. Tell her you find her amazing. Comments like: "you're hardcore," "you're a trooper," and "no pain, no gain," are probably ill-advised. When the contractions get to the point that she wouldn't move out of the way of oncoming traffic when she's having one - you're in the real deal.

At some point around this time, she's going to shed her modestly - and likely her clothes too. That's why I had you shut the blinds earlier. Keep her drinking water between contractions.
Now you should be watching/listening for a few things: 1) grunting; 2) clenched muscles during contractions ... the same ones you clench when you're trying to have a bowel movement (if you’re behind her and she’s removed her clothes, watch her sides just above her hips – when that area tenses, she’s pushing); and 3) her saying "I feel like I need to poop." All of these are signs baby will be arriving very soon.

Then you'll go into the final stage - and men tend to want to say "PUSH!" She won't have a choice but to push. Pushing makes things feel better. Her body will compel her to push. This is not a 30 second process. Our first child required more than four hours of pushing. Keep her hydrated and comfortable.

In the movies (and at hospitals) they put mama on her back with her legs up. They are idiots. Nothing could be less helpful to mama and baby. That position is only helpful for the Doctor, and the Doctor isn’t here. This position is unhelpful because it doesn't use gravity to help and it makes the opening narrower. It’s like trying to swallow food while standing on your head. You can do it, but it doesn’t make the process easier. Instead, have her get on all fours, or better yet in a standing squat. This opens the birth canal and helps baby come. True, it makes it harder for you to "catch," but this isn’t about you. Keep your hands properly positioned, because babies can come out fast and you don't want the baby's introduction to the world to be a thump onto the floor.

The water will break at some point if it hasn't already - look at it. If it's dark or brown, you may have a problem - but you already know that because you read the Emergency Childbirth manual, right? Normal is slightly less than clear with flecks of white stuff that looks and feels like lotion floating around in it.
If you see anything other than a head coming out first, then call 911.

Crowning - the part where the head is coming out of the opening - can be a tough time for mom. For dad, it's tough to look at - but get over yourself...she needs you now more than ever. Believe me, everything will go back to normal after a few weeks. Try to help her push baby out gently - too fast and you could have a serious tear. In the end, the baby will come out however it wants. But you can try.
Follow the book's directions on clearing the mouth and checking the cord.
After the head comes out, the rest will follow quickly. Catch! Your baby is slippery, small, and may come out with surprising force. Don't drop it. Don't pull it out and don't yank on the cord, the placenta (which the cord is still attached to) will come out in a few minutes.
Put baby on mama's belly, cover it with towels or blankets and get ready to catch the placenta. Mama will feel it coming. She can be on her back for this part.
Keep your hand up and keep the bowl in place. This can take up to 30 minutes, but when it happens it will go quickly. This is the messy part. It's also the gross part. Catch the placenta in the bowl.
You should expect about a cup of blood during this process. That's easy to say because a cup doesn't sound like much. It looks a lot worse than it sounds when it comes from someone you love.
Once the cord has stopped pulsing and goes limp, clamp the cord about an inch or two away from baby's navel and then about an inch further than that.
Sterilize your scissors and make the cut between the two clamps.

Home Childbirth from a Prepper's Point of View, by Ranger Squirrel
Permalink
I'll discuss bringing someone into the world the old-fashioned way. I realize that as a man I may not be considered by some readers to be the most qualified person to write this post - but hear me out. I have four kids, all four of which I've helped to deliver, the last two of which were done at home, three of which were assisted by midwives, and one of which was done without any assistance at all. I’ve also had EMT training, including classes on emergency childbirth. Nothing in this article, however, is medical advice. If you need medical assistance, you should seek a doctor. What I’m trying to do by writing this is help you to prepare for a pregnancy and birth in such a way that you have options.

Essentially, survival is a mindset and prepping is a lifestyle. Both will be affected by a pregnancy. This article is meant to be a guide for the father in a prepper household, though others should benefit as well.

Part I - Pregnancy
The first consideration is pregnancy itself. You must approach pregnancy from the right perspective. A normal pregnancy is not an illness. It's not a disease. It's a normal process - and a beautiful one at that. If you can keep this in mind, you'll be a lot better off.

Medical Care During Pregnancy
Do you need a doctor during the pregnancy? I feel that pre-natal care, if it's available, is a must. That doesn't, however, automatically require a physician. If the pregnant woman is otherwise healthy and you have access to a midwife, I think midwives are the better route. Doctors are trained to treat illnesses, midwives are trained to help grow and birth babies. Plus, quite frankly, midwives usually know a lot more about pregnancy and childbirth than most doctors. Besides, you don't go to a mechanic to buy a car; you don't go to a veterinarian to buy a dog - why would you go to a healer to have your baby? Much of the care given during pregnancy is about alleviating the concerns and fears of the mother. In the end, midwives are usually better at that part too.

Food Preps
Mommy and baby need good, nutritious foods from wholesome sources. Whole grains, proteins, vegetables, and fruits. Dairy isn't a bad option either. Lots of water. Eggs, containing everything needed to sustain life, are wonderful things. A 10-15% increase in your prep supply for all of these things for the pregnant person will be more than sufficient. You also need a good supply of small, healthy snacks - I've never seen anything that works better for staving off morning sickness than regular, healthy snacking. A hungry pregnant woman is likely a nauseous and/or cranky pregnant woman. Pay particular attention to what types of things she's craving - they can indicate where her dietary needs are not being met.

Medical Preps & Supplies
Vitamins: a good supply of pre-natal vitamins and probably an iron supplement. Get a few different types of morning sickness. Prenatal vitamins can increase morning sickness, but many women eventually find a brand that doesn’t make them sick. Most people agree that the benefits of taking a prenatal vitamin make it worth the nausea. The iron will help with a lot of things, not the least of which is slowing the bleeding after the birth. You need a supply of both sufficient to last her through the duration of the pregnancy.
You also need to go ahead and purchase everything mentioned in the Childbirth section of this article.
Remember, you don't need to worry about the baby - you need to worry about the woman. Her body will take care of the baby as long as you help her take care of herself.

Books
There are a few books I recommend for the pregnancy. One is Husband-Coached Childbirth , which is the manual used by the teachers of "The Bradley Method" of childbirth. The Bradley principle is a sound one and the book is great. Dr. Bradley was an old farm doctor and he basically said, "Animals know what they're doing during birth, humans are animals, let's imitate animals." My wife and I took Bradley classes and she later became a Bradley instructor. It's a method I know and trust and I’ve seen it work four times for my family and countless other times for other families.

The second book is The Expectant Father. Most books for Dads-to-be take one of two forms - a) they try to be funny and don't give out much information; or b) they try to be clinical and don't offer much comfort. This book, on the other hand, is both entertaining and full of information

The third book I recommend is Emergency Childbirth: A Manual.. Yes, I’m aware that book was published in 1958. Shockingly, the process hasn’t really changed much since then. Read this book. Read it again. Get another copy and keep it in the glove box. Put the other one with your birthing supplies.

You may want to pick up a book or two that deal with what types of medications and/or herbs can be consumed or should be avoided by a pregnant woman. I don't have a good source to recommend here - but you can search Amazon.com and find several. Your midwife or OB can usually recommend a good one too. As a rule of thumb, if she can avoid taking it, she probably should. Don’t get sucked in by labels with words like “natural” or “organic.” That has nothing to do with safety for the baby. Remember, hemlock is an herb. That doesn't mean it's safe for baby.

Clothing
Physical comfort: From a clothing standpoint, have the mother-to-be spend some time talking to someone at a maternity store about how best to prepare for the changes that are coming. Every woman is different, every pregnancy is different. My wife typically looks like she's carrying a basketball by the time she's 4-1/2 months pregnant. Other women barely show at 9 months. The tendency, from a male standpoint, is to buy sweats or something similar. It's practical and cheap. If the pregnant woman is someone whose moods are adversely affected by wearing “frumpy” clothes, you may want to reconsider this approach. If she's not, you may still want to reconsider. Maternity clothing is cheaply made and overpriced as a rule. That said, the nicer stuff can help her feel beautiful - which, I've learned in 10 years, is extremely important. This really should be her decision and her opinions are not to be taken lightly. Of particular importance: bra and underwear.

Bedding & Other Odds & Ends

Pillows. Lots and lots of pillows.
Some extra sheets.
A waterproof mattress cover.
Many women find a yoga/pilates ball exceptionally comfortable in late pregnancy (and even during labor).
Emotional Comfort:
Your otherwise sane and logical spouse/girlfriend will have moments of completely irrational insanity. You are never to tell her she is having one of those moments. Just be reassuring, comforting, and patient. She needs your support.
Most of the time, she needs you to listen - not to problem solve. Offer comfort, but don’t jump immediately into finding solutions. For example, if her problem is fear, the answers could be 1) you need to be her rock; 2) she needs to educate herself; or 3) you need to simply say some soothing words. It could also be all three or none of these things.
So what do you do? First of all, stop feeling sorry for yourself. She didn't get this way all alone and you aren't the one whose body is changing so quickly that it's full of aches and pains and whose hormones make it tough to think clearly. You aren't the one who is about to squeeze something the size of a watermelon through an opening the size of a lemon. Imagine what she's going through. Second - listen to what she's saying and watch what she's doing. If she's talking about fear and clinging to you physically, she needs you to be strong and soothing. If she's asking lots of questions, she needs you to be strong, soothing, and work with her to educate her (and yourself) about the process. Common threads: listen, man up and soothe her. Offer solutions if she's asking. A foot rub or back rub will go a long way. If all of that fails, toss her bite size pieces of chocolate and back away slowly. When safe and practical, grab a beer with the guys and complain – just make sure you’re out of earshot.
Men also tend to get focused on two things during pregnancy: work and money. This is how we prepare the nest. That's fine, just realize what you're doing and make sure you're meeting her needs as well.

Sex
I’ve sat through dozens of pregnancy classes with my wife, both as a student and a co-instructor. This question always comes up, so let me address it. Yes, you can have sex during pregnancy. No, it won't hurt the baby. Yes, it still feels good for you and your partner. Yes, she's likely to still have a sex drive. Spooning works best, but you’ll figure that out.

Final Thoughts on Doctors & Pregnancy
I have nothing against medical doctors. If I get hit by a car, please take me to the emergency room. But Doctors treat illnesses and injuries. Pregnancy is neither.
While I strongly recommend against doctors for a normal healthy pregnancy, nothing I've said in this article is a recommendation for unassisted birth or for not getting prenatal care. I've done births unassisted and assisted, and I much prefer the assisted kind. Just in case. Again, pre-natal care, if available is a must in my opinion.
If there are any complications with the pregnancy, involving a doctor where necessary is of course the right thing to do.

Part II - Childbirth
Warning: I'm not embarrassed by bodily functions and I'm not grossed out by birth. If you are, then stop reading now - unless you're an expectant father - in which case, suck it up you wuss - you need to know this stuff!
Medical Care during Childbirth
First rule: if she wants medical care - you get some.
Second rule: If the pregnancy has been abnormal, you need medical assistance.
Third rule: Trust Your Gut. If something seems “wrong” get help.
Other than those three rules, do you need a doctor during the childbirth? If everything is normal, then no. In fact, when my wife teaches birth classes, I often sit in. Many of her clients are second time mothers who had a bad experience with their first birth. The bad experience almost always goes like this - so often that I've coined it a "snowball birth" because one step inevitably leads to the next and the whole mess gets bigger as it rolls downhill. 1) Doctor induces labor for no good reason; 2) Doctor gives an epidural [anesthetic] ; 3) Mother fails to progress to Doctor's satisfaction; 4) Doctor gives mother [pitocin, commonly called "Pit",] a drug to make her contractions stronger; 5) Mother can't push effectively (usually a side effect of the epidural); 6) Doctor tells Mother she needs a C-section; 7) Doctor performs major surgery without proper emotional support or mental preparation for the mother; and Mother feels like a failure and Doctor leaves for his golf game.
What everyone fails to see is that this whole process happens because the baby isn't ready to come yet. If the Doctor hadn’t induced labor, there would have been no problem in the first place. [In most cases] the baby will come when it’s time.


Pain Management
Most mothers who have had a "modern" birth - those with epidurals and doctors - will tell you how much it hurt despite the epidural and often have complaints about the doctor being rough or rude or even threatening...e.g., "if you don't push, I'll need to use suction."
When you talk to a woman who had a natural and uneventful childbirth - no drugs and a midwife, they rarely talk about pain. They use the word "pressure". There are medical reasons for this involving hormones released after pregnancy that affect memory. Do you remember "The Flashy Thing" in the movie Men in Black, that erases memory? The body has a hormone that does the same thing for pain memories. If you have an epidural, it often doesn't triggered and you will remember the pain. If you're normal and healthy and you have the option - go with a midwife.

But what if …
Let’s say it's an emergency. The baby is coming, it’s going to happen at home and no one can come and help ... the pregnancy, up to this point has been normal and healthy. Now what? Do you call 911?
Some of you may be tempted to tune out right now because you aren’t planning on having a home birth without assistance. Well, guess what? Even if you aren't planning to deliver unassisted at home - remember that the baby may not have gotten that memo.

Supplies for the actual birth:

You need something to clamp or tie-off the cord. I've used dental floss and cord clamps. I highly recommend the cord clamps. You can buy them here. You'll want to order those ahead of time. You need at least two. People have used clean, unopened packages of shoelaces as well. Again, I recommend the clamps.
You need lots and lots of clean towels. We used beach towels. How many do you have? You need more.
You need a large deep bowl to catch the placenta in. It will likely come out with a good amount of force. If the bowl is shallow, it will slide right back out and land on you.
You need tissues. It's quite possible she's going to poop during labor. If she does, she most likely didn't intend to and she probably won't even realize it happened. It won't be very much. Just grab it with a tissue and put it somewhere out of the way. You don't want it touching the baby and there is no need to embarrass mommy.
You need a sharp pair of scissors and a way to sterilize them. Alcohol works. Just have it handy. There will be no hurry for the scissors.
Hydrogen peroxide is good at getting stains out of carpet. I told you that you needed to get more towels, but you didn’t listen.
The Birth Process
She'll have contractions. They may be fast coming, or not. They may be hard or not. They may be regular or not. I know the movies say that they'll be regular, fast coming, and painful. They're movies and neither the baby nor the mother’s uterus has seen them. On a related note, the water may not break until well into the process of birth. Occasionally, in fact, babies are born with the water in tact. Don't count on the water breaking to be a sign - that's also just in the movies.
First things first: what's your job? You are whatever mama wants and needs. You make mama comfortable and hydrated. You do not complain about your problems and you don't share your fears with mama. You are strong when she is not. You are soothing when she needs to be soothed. You just need to help get mama to the point where her body and instincts take over, then you catch.
If you need to time the contractions, that's fine. Do it discreetly, and don't give mama reports. Above all, don't tell mama she's having a contraction or when one is about to happen. It's fairly likely that she already knows.
Watch mama...she's likely to go through some telltale stages (these can last for more than 24 hours or be over in less than an hour):
Nervousness, insecurity, a sense of "I'm not ready" - I'm still talking about mama here, not you - focus! These are all signs of early labor when they're coupled with contractions. She'll likely be talking to you through her contractions...that's because they're still mild. Have her rest, use the bathroom, and drink water. Maybe eat something. If that doesn't stop the contractions, this is probably the real thing. It could be 24 hours or 20 minutes. It's up to baby. Keep mama as calm as possible, comfortable, moving, and hydrated. Help her walk around, walking helps labor progress. Close the blinds, lower the lights - if she wants soothing music, now is the time, wash your hands very well. Gather your supplies - especially the towels.

There is also a period of emotional swings, if contractions were regular before, they may get irregular during this period. That's normal. This is a transition period. Contractions will get more intense. She'll likely stop talking during the contractions - you should too.

Unless she tells you otherwise, keep touching her - gently, soothingly. Look for areas that are tense and help her relax them. Tell her she's doing great. Tell her you love her. Tell her you find her amazing. Comments like: "you're hardcore," "you're a trooper," and "no pain, no gain," are probably ill-advised. When the contractions get to the point that she wouldn't move out of the way of oncoming traffic when she's having one - you're in the real deal.

At some point around this time, she's going to shed her modestly - and likely her clothes too. That's why I had you shut the blinds earlier. Keep her drinking water between contractions.
Now you should be watching/listening for a few things: 1) grunting; 2) clenched muscles during contractions ... the same ones you clench when you're trying to have a bowel movement (if you’re behind her and she’s removed her clothes, watch her sides just above her hips – when that area tenses, she’s pushing); and 3) her saying "I feel like I need to poop." All of these are signs baby will be arriving very soon.

Then you'll go into the final stage - and men tend to want to say "PUSH!" She won't have a choice but to push. Pushing makes things feel better. Her body will compel her to push. This is not a 30 second process. Our first child required more than four hours of pushing. Keep her hydrated and comfortable.

In the movies (and at hospitals) they put mama on her back with her legs up. They are idiots. Nothing could be less helpful to mama and baby. That position is only helpful for the Doctor, and the Doctor isn’t here. This position is unhelpful because it doesn't use gravity to help and it makes the opening narrower. It’s like trying to swallow food while standing on your head. You can do it, but it doesn’t make the process easier. Instead, have her get on all fours, or better yet in a standing squat. This opens the birth canal and helps baby come. True, it makes it harder for you to "catch," but this isn’t about you. Keep your hands properly positioned, because babies can come out fast and you don't want the baby's introduction to the world to be a thump onto the floor.

The water will break at some point if it hasn't already - look at it. If it's dark or brown, you may have a problem - but you already know that because you read the Emergency Childbirth manual, right? Normal is slightly less than clear with flecks of white stuff that looks and feels like lotion floating around in it.
If you see anything other than a head coming out first, then call 911.

Crowning - the part where the head is coming out of the opening - can be a tough time for mom. For dad, it's tough to look at - but get over yourself...she needs you now more than ever. Believe me, everything will go back to normal after a few weeks. Try to help her push baby out gently - too fast and you could have a serious tear. In the end, the baby will come out however it wants. But you can try.
Follow the book's directions on clearing the mouth and checking the cord.
After the head comes out, the rest will follow quickly. Catch! Your baby is slippery, small, and may come out with surprising force. Don't drop it. Don't pull it out and don't yank on the cord, the placenta (which the cord is still attached to) will come out in a few minutes.
Put baby on mama's belly, cover it with towels or blankets and get ready to catch the placenta. Mama will feel it coming. She can be on her back for this part.
Keep your hand up and keep the bowl in place. This can take up to 30 minutes, but when it happens it will go quickly. This is the messy part. It's also the gross part. Catch the placenta in the bowl.
You should expect about a cup of blood during this process. That's easy to say because a cup doesn't sound like much. It looks a lot worse than it sounds when it comes from someone you love.
Once the cord has stopped pulsing and goes limp, clamp the cord about an inch or two away from baby's navel and then about an inch further than that.
Sterilize your scissors and make the cut between the two clamps.

Part III – Caring for Mama & Baby Post-Partum
Baby is easy. Keep it warm and in contact with Mama’s skin. Mama should be trying to nurse as soon as she feels up to it.
Mama will be shocky. That means she'll be pale and shaky and may alternate between being hot and cold....make her warm and comfortable. Hydrate her. Orange Juice is good (and a Bradley Method tradition). Keep her warm. She'll still be leaking blood for awhile. Don't make her move until she's ready - that could be hours. Be ready for her to faint - you need to have hands on her at all times if she's walking.
At some point, she'll need to pee. That can be really difficult for a newly un-pregnant mama. Something that makes it easier is a thing called a peri-bottle. Basically, it's a little bottle that you can fill with warm water and mama can use it to clean herself after peeing.

Big, thick pads for her nether regions are important here. She'll still have some blood coming out. These look like giant maxi pads and she'll know what to do with them - you are still actually speaking to her aren't you? She's a human being after all! Some people even soak them in various herbal solutions and freeze them beforehand to use them as cold compresses - just beware of freezing the skin. Or you could buy perineal cold-compresses.

Seek medical care if available at this point. Unless something seems wrong, there's no real hurry here. We didn't even go to a midwife until four hours after our third child was born and that wasn't really even necessary. Consider it a wise precaution. The main concerns are baby's breathing (usually indicated by color), overall health, and whether mama is doing alright post-partum.
Again, nothing I've said here is to be construed as medical advice. You need to consult a professional if possible. These are just tips from my experience with my kids - all of whom were born healthy and without any serious complications. I'm very lucky in that way.

As a father – the time after baby is born is the easiest part. You take care of mama and the other household members and she'll take care of baby. Taking care of mama sometimes means changing diapers and cleaning up spit-up. It means sometimes holding the baby. It may even mean cooking and doing laundry. I said this part was easy, but it sounds like a lot of work, right? It’s easy because your role is well defined. The process works like this: Ask yourself what needs to be done. Then, compare the answer to that question with this sentence - "Feed the baby with my breast." If the two answers are not identical - then it's your job. Simple, right?
Let's try one: What needs to be done? Someone needs to drink a beer. Okay - does "someone needs to drink a beer" equal "Feed the baby with my breast?" No? Then you have to do it.
One more: What needs to be done? Dinner. Does dinner equal feed the baby with your breast? No. You make or otherwise acquire dinner.
What kind of food does baby need? - None. Mama will handle that. Breast milk is the best possible thing for baby. Your only role here is not getting jealous.

Diapers - disposable or cloth. We use cloth. From a prepper standpoint there is no other option. We can buy all the cloth diapers we need for three years for about $600-$1,200. That doesn't even cover the first year for disposables. Storage room is minimal. It takes a shelf.

Other things you'll need - gentle shampoos, onesies and/or baby clothes. If you're buying in advance think about seasonal weather. Grandparents are famous for buying cute little shorts and t-shirts for babies born in November. You'll also need soft blankets.

We co-sleep [with our babies], so we don't even need a crib - but if you'd like a crib, get one. If you drink or use drugs (including prescription ones) or if you are obese or have a disorder like narcolepsy, then please don't co-sleep. If you breastfeed and co-sleep, then babies are much easier. Most rarely cry or get colicky.

Now, if you're about to get upset over my views on co-sleeping, save it. I know the arguments better than you do. Bottom line: humans have co-slept with babies for millennia. When was the last time you rolled out of your bed in the middle of the night? Exactly. You're equally likely to roll on top of a baby.

Now on to mama - what does mama need? She needs you to check on her and make sure she's okay. She needs moral support. She may need help or counseling with regard to nursing - there are specialists for that called Lactation Consultants - there is also La Leche League.

She's likely to be bored and tired. She needs your companionship. She needs to rest. You may have to force that one on her or she may love it. She needs your companionship. She needs food and water. She needs to urinate regularly. She needs your companionship.

When the doctor or midwife follow up they're going to seem oddly interested in bodily functions. There's good reason - they are indicators of overall health. She'll want to know if mama is peeing normally. She'll want to know how often the baby is peeing and/or pooping.

For the first day at least you'll want to keep an absorbent pad under mama in bed. She'll be oozing blood. The big perineal pads will catch most of it, but more protection never hurts.

Oh, one more tip: the first few baby poops will be black and tarry. That's normal. They're a pain to clean off of the baby unless you put a little olive oil in the baby’s crack. I know it sounds silly, but this first poop is called meconium and it's nasty and sticky. The oil keeps it from sticking to the baby.

I hope this has been helpful. Enjoy your baby, they grow fast! - Ranger Squirrel

Some Needful Things



I'm often asked by my consulting clients about my specific gear recommendations. I've noticed that I repeat mentioning a lot of these, so to save time in my subsequent consulting calls, I'm posting the following list (in no particular order):

Gamma Seal Bucket Lids. We use these constantly with our bulk storage wheat. rice and beans.
K & M Industries waterproof match cases. The best, made by a Mom & Pop business
Gerber Omnivore LED Flashlights. These can use AAA, AA, or CR-123 batteries. Sadly, they're made in Mainland China.
Maxpedition gear bags. Incredibly tough and well-made.
Dakota Alert infrared intrusion detection alarms. We leave ours on 24/7/36, here at the ranch.
Leatherman Wave Multi-Tools. These need no introduction.
Wiggy's sleeping bags. I've used their FTRSS bags for 20 years.
Buttstock-mounted ammo/utility pouches. Get one for each long gun.
Anderson Power Pole D.C. Connectors. These sure beat those enormous cigarette lighter plugs that pop apart unexpectedly
Save The Rain Downspout Diverters. These pay for themselves just saving water for gardening, and may prove crucial someday!
Columbia River Knife And Tool (CRKT) Tanto Pocketknives. My everyday carry knife. Buy several, because they will get "borrowed" and never come back.
Berkey water filters. After 15 years of family camping trips, ours now has a few dings and scratches, but it is still going strong.
Break-Free CLP . We use it on all of our guns.
AN/PVS-14 night vision scopes. They cost more, but they're the best.
Parachute cord. 1001 uses!

Letter Re: Sanitation--It Takes Picks and Shovels

Hi James,

Since I returned from Haiti, I have given a lot of thought about the field sanitation problems that would occur when the Golden Horde after a disaster starts entering an area to set up camps. I live in a pretty remote area that would be attractive to people leaving larger communities. This area is one where hunting and winter snowmobiling is popular.

What can be envisioned is people who can make it this far, who are familiar with the few water resources, and the limited game would probably wind up. There is also a national wildlife preserve nearby that would be attractive to people desiring to live off of the bounty of nature, and of course forget about any Federal laws protecting that preserve. A group of ham radio operators in the region are also concerned. Some are prepared and fully expecting a disaster, We are planning in advance because we know there will be some form of disaster eventually. Lets face it: Words like, Indonesia, Katrina, Haiti, and Chile should really keep people in the preparedness mode. Disasters happen!

Personally, I have become very focused on field sanitation the past couple of weeks. I believe that having some extra shovels, picks, digging bars around, and making up some basic booklets or fliers on how and where to dig latrines will be in my preparedness larder. I fully expect when something happens here that I should expect what could become a health problem to be created by people, who have no idea how to survive, and thrive in the out door environment.

The Boy Scouts program isn't as popular as is was 50 years ago. Most people in today's society are totally unprepared on how to properly be safe and sanitary in the outdoor environment, unless there is a plastic Porta-potty parked there to use. And somehow magically gets pumped out and cleaned every few days by the person who has the nastiest job in the country, who by no mistake is pretty well paid by their employers to take on such a job.

Methinks it to be very prudent to take on an extra responsibility, to have extra preparations for this eventuality. To ensure that disease doesn't become something that could and would cause extreme discomfort and even death to wipe out a community.

I know I am not in the best place for a Rawlesian retreat, but this is where the Lord planted me. He did it for a reason, always does. I believe facing this in a prepared and focused way will possibly prevent a second disaster, Like the one we will soon see raising its ugly head in a few more weeks in Haiti, and has already started unfortunately.

Latrines are something that has been neglected in the camps in Haiti, They will not be neglected where I live, if I have anything to say and can do about it. I am also going to start building some portaloos out of five gallon bucket, and buying some seats to attach to the portaloos, filling them with toilet paper (TP) and handy wipes, baby wipes. etc just to have on hand for this possible event. They will be part of my charitable offerings to those people I would encounter in my area of operations (AO).

Something to remember when digging a latrine, is to always keep it a minimum of 100 feet away from any wells, or surface water sources. They should be at least three feed deep, a foot wide, and four feet long to accommodate about ten people. they should have a shovel there to use in order to pitch in a little dirt after each use. When the latrine has only about 18 inches of depth left, then it should be filled in, and a fresh one dug for another cycle of use.

In the Army, our units built plywood four holers with toilet seats installed. the units were hinged and latched so that they could fold up and could be used over again, they had rigging on the sides so four men could pick them up with two long poles, and move them easily to the next location. Since I was in the Signal Corps, we had females in the units too. thus two units for each company were made. I think that having separate men's and women's latrines will be very necessary, along with privacy screening made out of tarps.

Keep in mind that people will congregate, for safety and community. Being a loner isn't practical or prudent. So if your in an area like me, if possible think ahead, and have a plan ahead of time. Thus, when the problem raises it's ugly head, all of the possibilities are addressed.

There are military field sanitation manuals available online. Extract the pages that would be thought most useful in your situations and make some basic copies. Then place them in a large plastic bag and keep them available in your preparedness larder.

Portaloos are fairly cheap and easy to build, a bottle of bleach and a toilet brush would also be a good addition for them too.
These can be useful for people living in tents, they are easy to transport to a latrine and cleaned out for further use. the cleaning is fairly easy. To fasten the toilet seat on for easy removal, install two long 1/4-20 bolts with washers and nuts holding the bolts in place with the ends pointed out. Install the seat using large flat washers and wing nuts. It will make it easier to remove the seat for transport, emptying ,and cleaning. Storing the cleaning supplies and TP inside the unit with the standard bucket cover is more convenient. Home Depot has orange [non-food grade] HDPE buckets available fairly inexpensively. I think a trip there or other similar store one can purchase everything needed to outfit a portaloo for about thirty dollars or so. Blessings and peace of mind in preparedness. - Dave M. in Oregon (A Blessings For Obedience World Missionary Radio volunteer)

For more information go to SurvivalBlog.com



It is All About the Means of Production, by Mark. B.

From the beginning of time, ownership and control of quality farm land and raw materials have been closely associated with wealth creation and prosperity. What can you grow or raise? What resources and commodities do you own and control? How much metal, stone, glass, and wood do you own? Do you have the means, knowledge, tools and skills to produce valuable items from this land and these raw materials?

As America was settled, the pioneers knew very well the fundamentals of non-electric, independence away from the city and just how critical natural resources were to survival. If a parcel did not have fresh water and tillable flat bottom farm land, it was left alone and many years later those same lands are now national parks, national forests, and BLM lands owned by the government.

The primary questions in the minds of those early settlers should also be the same questions in the minds of today’s long-term prepper families. Those questions are simply, “Will this parcel of land support our life?”, and “Do I have ownership and control over the means of production of my food and fuel on this land”?

All along the Blue Ridge mountains, the real estate agents have a phrase they use concerning land value, that phrase is, “the steeper, the cheaper”. It is well known that when you see land advertised as “good hunting land”, that the property really will not support its residents. It is too rocky and hilly, and will not support decent crop production for man and livestock. It is only the last few generations of fearful city type suburbanites and armchair survivalists that have elevated the notion that mountain land remoteness equals security and that is the number one quality to look for in a “retreat”. But mountain living leaves much to be desired in security in many important areas and ways. Never be deluded into thinking that you are safe high up in the woods and that no one will know you are there. It bears reminding everyone of the biblical verse and truth:

Matt 5:14 “A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid”.

Caves and mountains are where you go to if you are on the run, and need temporary shelter from pursuit, just read the Bible and look at history. People only lived that way out of destitute desperation, because everything [needed to support life] must be hauled in on a continual basis in order to survive. Those locations are not an assured long term sustainable solution in many cases. The primary reason is that very little livestock feed can be produced. Be careful that your homestead location does not separate you from the critical means of production, and forever tether you to others for the things you should be producing yourself. If possible then always opt for sustainable systems capabilities in your land purchase decisions as the most important criteria. I encourage forward thinking preppers to expand their retreat and homestead plans to the realities of true societal and monetary system independence. Be willing to transition to an agrarian lifestyle now, and take control over all the means of production of two things in your life: food and fuel. Get to the place where you own the finished goods and things you cannot grow or raise each year such as salt, tools, and ammo. Owning a lifetime supply of salt is something that is not too difficult. You are trying to reach the point where a yearly cycle in food and fuel production is all you have to worry about. This gives you the freedom to stay out of the cities and towns for basic supplies others will be clamoring for; for a great many years. This starts not with the question of how remote is my land from society’s "zombies", but “will my land support life, and do I own all the means of production”? The litmus test is really drawn not at the backyard 4x4 square foot garden level, but rather: can I grow feed for my livestock and my family’s fuel production on this parcel? This is really what the means of production are all about.

It is ownership and control over the means of production of food and fuel that will ensure you and your family of long term survival in a TEOTWAWKI scenario.

Be willing to ask the questions of a pioneer settler with his family in a covered wagon in 1850. “Will this land support life”?, “Can I grow feed for my poultry flocks, dairy and meat animals, aquaculture ponds, and humans”? “Is there a surface fresh water source on this land”? “What about timber and material resources”? Do I have the tools, knowledge, skills, and finished goods for these systems and processes? These are the basics of life and questions that a century ago would have been common knowledge to all, but today’s modern city sheeple prepper wanna-bes too often overlook and discard. Just like we are spoiled with instant everything, we think of every shortcut possible to “instant survival”. At some point you must get to the place where your “retreat” becomes your “mini-farm”. Otherwise, you are simply camping with a can of food.

“Can I produce all my own fuel from this land?” is the second part of the means of production mindset. There are six primary farmstead fuels that wise people should all be in the process of utilizing for their energy independence. They are: wood, charcoal, methane, ethanol, producer gas, and beeswax. Study these fuels, learn all you can and purchase now all the means of production for them on your land. Do not look to the left or to the right. Turn the television off and spend your free time developing these systems and learning the skill sets needed for their production, storage, and use.

Many today will never voluntarily choose an agrarian lifestyle or pursue the ownership and control over the means of production. Instead they will rely solely on commercial packaged food and fuel produced by others who are wise enough to own the means of production. They must haul each load to their retreat, with no hope of new supplies while they keep their city office jobs and suburban comforts till they believe they will “bug out” and be "safe". Lord, help them all is all I can say.

While having the courage to pursue the ownership and control over the means of production instead of mere temporary “preps” is essential, the real challenge for First World urbanites is the shift in practicing and mastering the skills surrounding those means. It takes work and that is a four letter word when everyone wants to be a musician, artist, writer, or celebrity. Choose the agrarian/skills-based lifestyle now even with all the learning curves and mistakes you will make, before you are a fleeing refugee of this empire collapse, and can only wish you would have chosen this path and secured these means sooner. All of the suffering and sacrifice you endure now in becoming skilled and truly prepared, is nothing compared to all of the suffering and sacrifice you would endure later if you are not already skilled and prepared.

I'll close with two more Bible verses:

“Wise men lay up knowledge.” (Prov. 10:14)

“Fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7)

Letter Re: Confronting Kleptocracy--Identifying the Looter Mentality

Dear Mr. Rawles,
I would like to make a few comments on your post titled “Confronting Kleptocracy – Identifying the Looter Mentality”.

Although my education and profession are in medicine, I have been long interested in social anthropology particularly as it applies to the average “citizen” confronted with a breakdown in modern society. As you are well aware, our society exists by means of a fragile web of precisely balanced interconnected dependencies. This web was not created overnight but has developed over several generations.

At present we enjoy life at a time where the poorest people in our modern culture live at a standard way beyond what the richest kings enjoyed only a hundred years ago. About a year ago I sat in a restaurant and heard a young lady (20-something) exclaim to her friend and the server, “Oh my God, this chicken has bones in it! That is so gross!” Quite obviously, this typical young lady has lived her entire life eating only boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken nuggets and is so removed from the source of her meal that being confronted with the reality of chicken, she was appalled. Today, a majority of our population has never experienced life without these comforts. They have no frame of reference to anything different. We set the thermostat for 74 degrees because 76 is a bit too warm and, well, 72 is just a little too cold. We also feel free to complain when it’s not right.

I believe it is important to remember that as a reader of SurvivalBlog, you are not among the majority. If you are a regular reader then almost by definition you understand that your comfort, your safety, and your assets are earned and not deserved. If you are a reader than you understand and agree with the concepts of preparations that you make thereby earning your comfort.

One thing we can ascribe to the "Golden Horde" leaving suburbia is they will have a sense of entitlement. Never before have there been as many people who believe they deserve more then what they have. This phenomenon is made clear by the average personal debt, and is well documented and written about in business literature since it reigns as one of the largest problems facing employers today. In short we have a large group of people with a willingness to deserve but without a willingness to earn.

Last fall during a lecture I asked a group of medical residents what they would do if society collapsed. I used the example of an EMP with complete failure of the electrical grid and ensuing chaos. Keep in mind, these are very well educated and intelligent people; they are physicians in training. These people are expected by the population to have the highest ethical standards and morals. Their answers astounded me. In the early aftermath as a group these people said they would go to the store and get what they needed. When I reminded them there was no way to pay with a credit card they seemed to think that it would be okay anyway. Many of the women said they would resort to begging if things became difficult, but most of the males in the group said they would leave for the rural areas due to the availability of cattle and other farm animals. When I asked what they would then do, most responded that they would take “one or two.” It wasn’t until I mentioned that stealing cattle is also called “rustling” and men used to be hung for such acts that it even began to register they were in fact stealing. The notion had not even occurred to them. One of my residents took the discussion further saying, “It wouldn’t necessarily be considered stealing because of the national emergency.” When I assured him the farmer or rancher would definitely consider it stealing and would likely defend his property with a rifle, he answered, “He wouldn’t shoot me. I’m a doctor. Besides murder would be a worse crime than my stealing.”

In general statistics apply only to populations and never to individuals. This is a critical fact to remember as we consider what might happen in a societal collapse. Personally, I hate the term “sheeple.” Although descriptive in the sense that we refer to the masses of suburbanites moving in the Golden Horde it does not describe the individual. “Sheeple” conjures images of an inept couch potato lumbering along the road with a bed sheet full of junk food over his shoulder with a fat wife and three whining kids in tow. In reality, the individual may very well be educated, physically fit, and have a history of military training. He might be young or old. He might be married with kids or single and alone. He may be well armed and have a great deal of experience using weapons; he might be a felon, or he might be a doctor.

My fear is that the entitled attitude is not only common, but it is the prevailing mindset today. It will not even occur to these thousands of normally good and law-abiding people that taking your hard earned larder is wrong. “After all, it’s an emergency and my family and I are hungry.”

Could it be that all looters are not bad? Perhaps some are just self-centered, entitled, and clueless. This describes half the current population and part of the reason we are in this economic mess. While I have no problem justifying the use of deadly force to defend one’s property and loved ones, (yes, I have a rifle and a shovel) it might be beneficial to stop for a second and consider that the looter just doesn’t get it. They are a product of a society that has taught them the wrong values and ideals for a generation and encouraged them to be self-centered.

As I consider the possibilities in a post-TEOTWAWKI scenario, I can see where looting could fall into two distinct categories. The first group is the despicable where stealing is done for personal gain. They are anarchy in action, they destroy community, and spread destruction. For that group I would agree that “Rule .308” applies. But it’s this second group that gives me trouble. These are the folks that just don’t have a clue. They steal to survive and to protect their loved ones. If I was in their situation I don’t know what I would do, but I do know that I would not sit idly by watching my family starve. I believe these will be the majority and I have to think that education and a little charity could go a long way.

Regards, - Dr. Dean

The Dakota Fire Hole
More Articles Related to Fire

A little known survival aid related to wilderness fire making skills is the Dakota Fire Hole, also known as the Dakota Fire Pit. This handy device is easy to construct and has marked advantages over other types of camp fire constructs. Once you make a Dakota fire hole and try it out, you may choose to use this method on a regular basis.

Making a Dakota Fire Hole is initially more labor intensive than simply building a fire on the surface of the ground. However the outlay in energy required to make a Dakota fire hole is more than offset by its efficient consumption of fuel; it greatly reduces the amount of firewood required to cook meals, treat water to destroy pathogens, or warm your body.

The Dakota fire hole is a valuable wilderness survival aid because it burns fuel more efficiently, producing hotter fires with less wood. In many areas firewood is scarce or requires a large amount of time and expenditure of energy in foraging to obtain it. Once you build a fire, efforts are better spent attending to your other wilderness survival needs rather than in the constant gathering of firewood


Dakota Firehole

Other advantages of the Dakota fire hole are that it creates a kind of woodstove with a stable platform that is very convenient to cook over.

Should you need to conceal your fire, the fire hole will limit the amount of visible smoke that rises from the fire, since the fuel wood is burning hotter and more efficiently. The pit will also help conceal the light emitted from your fire, especially at night when even a single candle flame can be seen from miles away.

Where to Build a Dakota Fire Hole
Before you start to dig your Dakota fire hole you should scout out an area where soil conditions are conducive to its proper construction. You will want to avoid areas

that are rocky and difficult to dig.
with thick tree roots that require cutting.
that are wet or where a dug hole will fill with water.
With soil conditions such as dry loose sand that will not hold shape as it is dug into.


Making a Dakota Fire Hole

To make a Dakota Fire Hole first remove a plug of soil about 12 inches in diameter and dig down one foot.


The usual requirements related to general fire craft and care always apply. As always, treat the wilderness areas you enjoy and count on to survive with respect. Be sure you do not make a Dakota Fire Hole in conditions where out of control wild fires are a possibility and avoid ecologically sensitive areas. Try not to injure the roots of trees and plants.

Follow local ordinances regarding the making of fires; these rules are in place for good reason.


Making the Airway


Starting about one-foot away from the edge of the fire pit, dig a 6-inch diameter air tunnel at an angle so that it intersects with the base of the fire pit.

The prevailing wind is moving from in back back of me in the upper left corner of the picture.



Making a Dakota Fire Hole
Now that we have the introduction taken care of, we can make a Dakota Fire Hole. As shown in the picture, I am using an army folding shovel to dig with. Many wilderness survivors carry a small hand trowel for the burying of human wastes and this also works well. A strong stick or part from your mess kit can also be utilized for digging holes in a pinch; survival experts are experts at innovation so use whatever means you have available.

Making the Fire Pit Chamber
Having selected a likely area in which to dig the fire hole, first remove a plug of soil and plant roots in the form of a circle about 10 or 12 inches in diameter. Continue digging straight down to a depth of about one-foot being sure to save the plug and the soil you removed for replacement later on.

This part of the Dakota fire hole will serve as the main chamber that contains the fire. I prefer to extend the base of the fire chamber outward a couple of inches in all directions so that it can accommodate longer pieces of firewood. This saves time and energy in breaking up firewood into suitable lengths, and also has the effect of allowing larger and therefore hotter fires.



The effect is a jug-shaped hole at the base of which you place firewood. The neck of the jug will serve as a chimney of sorts the function of which is to increase the draft and concentrate the heat of the fire into the small opening.

Making the Fire Hole Airway
Now comes the key component of the Dakota hole that makes this fire making method so effective; the airway.

Before you start on the airway tunnel, determine the general direction of the wind. If the wind is too light to easily ascertain its direction you can often lick a finger and hold it up, being sure it is away from any obstructions. Evaporative cooling on one side or the other of your appendage will be felt from which direction the wind, however light, is blowing. That is the side of the fire hole on which to construct the airway.

Dig a 6-inch diameter airway tunnel starting about one foot away from the edge of the fire hole. Angle its construction so that the tunnel intersects with the base of the fire chamber as shown in the diagram and picture. As when you made the fire hole section, be sure to save the plug containing the vegetation and roots as well as the loose soil you remove.

Using the Dakota Fire Hole
Now that the Dakota Fire Hole is properly constructed, you can partially fill the fire pit chamber with dry combustible kindling materials and light the fire.

To start the fire I am using a FireSteel, the kind Survival Topics highly recommends to be included in every survival kit. These firesteels from FireSteel.com work even when wet and will literally light thousands of fires before wearing out – try doing that with matches or a lighter! We sell high quality Firesteels at the lowest prices in the Survival Supplies section of this website. Help support this website and buy them here - I guarantee a quality product.


Light the Fire

Using a Survival Topics firesteel I am lighting the fire.

These firesteels always work, no matter how wet the conditions. Able to start thousands of fires, you can buy your own firesteels at the Survival Topics Survival Supply store.

Once the flame is going strong, drop it into the fire pit so that it catches the kindling on fire; gradually add sticks so that a strong hot fire is maintained.



How a Dakota Fire Hole Works
The accompanying diagram shows the secret of what makes the Dakota Firehole so effective. As the fire burns, the hot air that is created goes up through the fire hole “chimney”. This creates a suction action that forcefully draws air down through the tunnel and into the base of the fire. The draft is increased even more by your having constructed the tunnel on the side from which the prevailing wind is coming.

Acting as a kind of bellows, the flames are continuously fanned and the fire burns hotter and more efficiently than a fire that is simply made on the surface to the ground. Hotter fires mean less smoke. In addition, the heat of the fire is concentrated into an upward direction where you can better capture it for use. This allows you to do more with less wood – an excellent survival fire by any measure.

Fire Hole Improvements
Once you have made the Dakota fire hole you can easily set up a cooking surface for pots and pans by laying several parallel green sticks across the fire pit as show in the picture. Lacking camp cooking gear you can also find a flat rock that only partially covers the hole – and use it as a sort of hobo frying pan.

It is also an easy matter to set a “Y” shaped stick into the ground onto which is rested a green pole with bannock dough, fish, or other outdoor meal. For more information on the wilderness survival staple known as bannock read the Survival Topic on How to Make Bannock.


Dakota Fire Pit Diagram

This is how a Dakota Fire Hole works.



As hot air from the fire exits through the top of the fire pit, a suction is created that draws fresh air down through the tunnel and into the base of the fire. This brings in plenty of fresh oxygen for combustion.

A cycle develops: The hotter the fire gets, the more air is drawn down into the fire pit - making the fire hotter.

Campfire Cleanup

When it is time to leave the area, be a responsible wilderness survivor who values the land you need for survival. Fill in the Dakota fire hole with the dirt you removed and saved when you were constructing it. Then replace the cap of vegetation. Doing so serves the double purpose of extinguishing the fire and leaving as little trace of your visit as possible.

In summary, the main advantages of using a Dakota Fire Hole include:

burns hotter
with less fuel
producing less smoke
less light visible to those you do not want to find you
providing a stable cooking surface
easy extinguishing of the fire
and removal of evidence you have been there when you are preparing to leave.
There can be no doubt, making the Dakota Fire Hole one of the best types of survival fires you can make when surviving in the wilderness.

Survival Slingshots, by Brian W.

When one thinks of a slingshot, the image of the forked stick and rubber band hanging out of the back pocket of Dennis the Menace is usually what comes to mind. Often overlooked in the survival community, the slingshot can be a valuable addition to any survival kit or day pack.

For all intents and purposes, the best tool for taking small game that a survivalist can have, in my opinion, is a .22 pistol. Until very recently, though, it was illegal to carry them into state parks. To those who are not up to date on local and state ordinances, it can be extremely confusing where you are allowed to posses a firearm. In Colorado, a hiker can unknowingly cross land owned by three different agencies in less than half an hour while on a trail. Knowing if you can or cannot carry a survival pistol, and the consequences of getting it wrong, cause many hikers to just leave them at home. With the threat of a felony conviction, fines, jail time, confiscation of your weapon, and future headache associated, it just doesn’t seem worth the trouble.

Slingshots bridge the gap between small but possibly illegal .22 handguns and snares for catching dinner in the wild. Other primitive weapons have limitations that often leave them in the back of the pickup when you need them. Bows and arrows are unwieldy and not usually taken on simple nature hikes. The atlatl is difficult to master for even the most ardent of survivalists, let alone carrying around a 5 foot arrow. Weapons such as the boomerang and bolo take skill and are not designed for small game. Blow guns are fine but are limited to the number of darts you have brought along. Making darts by hand takes time and patience, little of which you have in a survival situation.

Today’s slingshots are lightweight, collapsible, and reliable weapons that can be utilized to kill small furbearing game and birds. Whereas traps and snares are good for catching game that might come by in a few hours; they are useless for getting that squirrel staring at you from the tree branch 30 feet away. This is where the slingshot comes into its own. It offers you the ability to silently take an accurate thirty foot shot with the option of a rapid follow up shot. Ammo for your slingshot can be anything that fits into the pouch. Steel ball bearings, marbles, lead fishing weights, and spent bullets all make good ammo. The added bonus is that if you run out, you can always pick up a stone. The more round the stone is, the better it will fly. This means you never have to worry about running out of ammo. You can shoot at anything that moves and improve your odds at getting lucky.

Mastering the slingshot is as simple as taking an empty cardboard box in the back yard and drawing a bulls-eye in magic marker. After about an hour of plinking, with a wide array of ammo and at various distances, you should have a firm grasp of the abilities and limitations of his or her slingshot. Aiming is a simple affair. The two most common methods deal with whether or not you have a forearm support. For those who do have a forearm support, hold the slingshot upright with a strong grip, pull back the sling, center your target between the tops of the braces, and let fly. For the older “Dennis the Menace” style, hold the slingshot sideways with your thumb in the notch of the supports. Draw back like a mini-bow, aim, and fire. This position allows you to get a stronger draw without putting too much tension on your wrist.

Modern slingshots are widely available at almost any big box store, costing anywhere from $10 to $25 dollars, depending on quality and accessories. Although I find sighting systems on slingshots to be unnecessary, I do recommend a slingshot with a folding wrist/forearm support. The forearm support redistributes the tension from the sling away from the shooters wrist, saving the shooter the pain and embarrassment of having the sling shot ripped from your hand and hitting you in the face. A majority of the slingshots I have seen sold at army surplus stores and Wal-Mart have a hollow handle for storage. I find this extremely useful for storing the most basic of survival kits. I have a small ziploc-style bag containing three strike anywhere matches, a cotton ball, and a X-Acto knife blade. With this, I can skin my kill, start a fire, and whittle a skewer to cook it on.

Should you feel so inclined, a simple X brace can be tied onto the supports of slingshot in order to fire arrows for larger game. After some fiddling to get the height right, simply lay the arrow into the notch made by the X brace and seat it in the pouch. Now you will be able to aim down the shaft and fire it in same manner as a horizontal bow. This method is good if larger mammals come by, such as marmot or raccoon. I find that modern arrows work best, but feel free to try and whittle yourself one out of a straight tree branch.

Slingshots can also be used to distract and defend yourself while on the trail. Not many people think about attacks that happen in national parks, but they do happen. The IRA has famously used slingshots as weapons, during the war in Northern Ireland. Although it has no guarantee of a lethal shot, a strong strike to the face, neck or groin from a hefty lead fishing sinker or ball bearing will put the breaks on any attacker looking for an easy target. Granted, you will need to be alert to possible danger in order to utilize it, but if you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings, your going to get owned no matter what your packing.

Another great thing about slingshots is the multiple uses for there parts. The surgical tubing scavenged off a slingshot can be uses as; a drinking straw, a tourniquet, or a strong a fast engine for holding or spring traps. If in the event your supports break, but the rubber sling is still good, you can make a hand spear out of it. Simply tie your band in a loop, and then loop it around your thumb and index finger. Take whatever thin stick you are using as a spear and seat in the pouch of your band. Pull back and hold the spear with the same thumb and index finger your band is looped around, aim and let go.

For those of you who want to make your own, a decent sling shot can be made in about ten minutes. First find a stout stick roughly the width of your thumb with a fairly even fork in it. Trim the handle length to suit your preferences. Next, make two small notches on either side of what is to be your supports. This is where the rubber will be seated so that it doesn’t slide off the end. If it is green wood, allow it to dry out in the sun or by your campfire overnight. This will make the wood more rigid, allowing you to get more power behind your projectile. The type of rubber you use will make all the difference. Latex sheeting, surgical tubing, and layered rubber bands make good slingshot material, but improvised elastics can be taken out of the waistband of your underwear. Prison inmates have been doing it for years. Get two lengths about a foot long and tie one end to your supports, one for each side. After that, you will need to make a pouch. This can be any square sheet of material you can cut off, from an old nylon bag or t-shirt. Make two small holes about a quarter inch from the edge and tie your rubber slings through them. That’s it. Test and modify as needed. Understand though, despite how good your whittling skills are, anything you make can be matched or beaten by a cheap commercial slingshot in most instances.

My last point I want to cover is the difference between modern slingshots with rubber tubing, and biblical slingshots like the one that David used to slay Goliath. The biblical slingshot is nothing more than a strip of rawhide about 5 feet long, with a pouch in the middle. One in had a loop that went over the middle finger while the other end was pinched between the thumb and index finger. You spun it either beside you or over your head to build up momentum and then let fly. For those who are interested in a more primitive way of hunting, the biblical slingshot is worth a look. Keep in mind though, that it requires much more skill than the modern sling shot, does not allow for a quick follow up shot, and is not as quiet.

In the end, anybody that walks into the woods should have multiple means of procuring food. Relying on only one method to catch and kill game is a recipe for hunger. The tragic fact of the matter is that most hikers rarely if ever think about what they will need if things go wrong and they find themselves hungry, cold, and tired in the middle of nowhere. A few lightweight items in the bottom of their day pack can mean all the difference. In that regard, a slingshot can be justified as a necessary survival item.

Letter Re: The Daylight Savings Time Home and Survival Checklist -- Renew Your Preparedness Measures

Dear JWR,
On March 14th at 2 a.m. it is the Daylight Saving Time change time in most of the US. So now is a very good time to check some things that you haven't thought about in a while. I'm sure you heard the Public Service Announcements to change the batteries in your smoke alarm and to test them. That is certainly a good thing to do, but is that the only thing you should do this time of year? Grab a pen and paper and let's look around your home.

Batteries and Battery Powered Equipment
Since you're changing some batteries already, this is also a great time to check the batteries in your flashlights, radios, and other battery powered equipment around your home and cars. Turn them on and see if they still work and if you still know how to use them.

First Aid Kit
Hopefully your first aid kit didn't see much use, but you need to check it for expired food and medications, put what needs replacement on your shopping list. If things have migrated to all parts of your home, bring them all back together into one central location. Update any contact information, medication changes or allergies in your document kit.

How Are Your Vehicles Doing?
You probably use your car every day but have you taken the time to really look at it recently?
Check your tire's pressure and look for signs of wear. Use a penny to check your tread depth, if you can see the top of Lincoln's head you need new tires. Look in the wheel wells for signs of rust.
Pop the hood and check the fluid levels and not just the oil and windshield washer but brake, steering and radiator. Look for leaks and worn belts.
Get a helper and make sure all the lights work.

What Did the Winter Do To Your Home?
How well has your house and property weathered the winter? You might want to start another page and call it the Honey Do list.
Check under sinks and around outside faucets for water leaks. Drain your hot water heater. Not only will this clear the buildup of mineral deposits and silt, it will make the hot water heater more efficient and give you more available hot water and faster too, but also more drinking water in case of an emergency.
Look around the foundation, driveway and sidewalks for cracks in the concrete.
Check your foundation, deck and fence for damage or rotting with a pocket knife, particularly around the base of posts. Small piles of sawdust indicate signs of vermin or insect intrusion.
Grab your binoculars and inspect your roof for missing shingles and flashing.
Test your lawn mower, generator and other gas powered equipment and their fuel.

Oh and don't forget to set you clocks the night before. "Spring forward, Fall back."

Considerations for Building and Equipping the Underground Room You Need, by Jim O.
Permalink
My wife and I lived in place with no underground rooms (such as a basement of a cellar) since we have been married. As I have matured and my desire for disaster preparation has increased, I began to realize the importance of having an underground room for storage (particularly food storage and other things necessary for survival in the event of a short term or long term TEOTWAWKI) and protection from disasters such as heavy storms, tornadoes, nuclear activity, etc. My career in construction, specializing in masonry and excavation, made this goal one that was easily attainable and I would like to share some things that I incorporated as I built and prepared this space for those possible emergency situations.

We were in need of a master bedroom addition on our small home. So I decided to incorporate our underground room under it. I will talk about the stages along the way that you will face so that you (working with the people that you may need to hire) can be prepared and have a head start.

The first step is to obtain the proper permits (a step that I decided to skip, as I live in a lenient county in a very rural area). I chose to keep my project as low key as possible. But I thought I should include this step because life could become very difficult in some areas where building inspectors and codes are strict. Be sure to know where all underground utilities and wires are at on the property before moving forward with excavation. Severing gas and electrical lines will most certainly ruin your day. [JWR Adds: There are free line-locating services provided by most utilities. In the US, just call 811. See this site for "pre-dig" numbers for Canada.]

After excavating, I poured the floor. If you are not experienced placing and finishing concrete, you will want to seriously consider hiring professional help. If you decide you have the skills and strength to take on this task, make sure you have all the tools and adequate manpower to help. Make sure to adequately reinforce your concrete (I always use steel reinforcing bar ("rebar") of at least 3/8” diameter). I poured my floor approximately 6 inches thick. You may want to pour concrete footers and lay up (or pour) your walls on the footers, leaving the floor to pour later. I opted just to pour a thick, adequately reinforced floor, and lay up my walls on it. Wanting to have some space for a root cellar, I left the floor in that area a dirt floor (to increase humidity, important for root cellaring). I used standard 8x8x16 block for the walls. You could form and pour your walls with concrete if you prefer. I poured the cells of the block with rebar and concrete for reinforcement (making sure to leave adequate rebar extended to tie the ceiling and walls together). Remember, concrete strength is always unpredictable without the use of reinforcement. For the root cellar, I left lower and upper ventilation for circulation, also important.

As I planned, I decided to go with a seven foot ceiling. I decided this because I wanted to be able to drain water without the use of pumps, and this made it possible. Rain and groundwater can be your worst enemy, and I did not want to depend on a pump and electricity to take care of removing water. I put a drain line in the dirt section of floor in the root cellar and sloped the concrete slightly towards the drain. A pump may be necessary for your situation. If it is, you may want to consider using a sump pump capable of being run by a battery backup. Do not forget to put your sump pump pit in before pouring your floor and slope your concrete accordingly. Proper grade around the perimeter of your underground room will greatly reduce the risk of water problems, especially when combined with properly installed gutters (if your underground room has a room above it like ours does). Also install a waterproof coating on the outside of the walls and a perimeter drain. Again, the perimeter drain would best be drained by gravity, but if this is not possible, drain it into your sump pump. Always backfill with an adequate amount of gravel. This will allow water to infiltrate down to the perimeter drain freely and will help keep your perimeter drain from being plugged. I have been in this kind of work for many years, and I have seen many water problems caused by improperly installed perimeter drains that have eventually filled with silt over time.

I decided to go with a concrete lid, heavily reinforced with ½” diameter rebar, to top off our new 16 ft by 20 ft underground room. You will want to find out how much reinforcement and how thick the concrete will need to be in order to span the distance you need. Also critical is the placement of the rebar in the concrete. When spanning an open room, you will want to place the rebar towards the bottom of your concrete. Make sure to be vigilant to make all the necessary rebar connections. Not many different building materials do worse in an earthquake than un-reinforced or improperly reinforced masonry and concrete. When it is necessary to overlap ("lap") your rebar, make sure that the length of the rebar lap is equal to 40 bar diameters of the size rebar you are using. For example, if using ½ diameter (#4) rebar, your rebar lap will be 20 inches. If you decide to go with a concrete lid, make sure to adequately brace your forms. A collapse (or even a sag) would be a disaster for sure. I used sheet metal roofing under the concrete, which ultimately become the ceiling of my room. Make sure to leave some fasteners to anchor the sheet metal to the concrete, or the metal will sag when the forms are removed.

Since I wanted a dry and canned food storage (low humidity) area along with a root cellar, I built insulated walls to separate the two rooms. I decided to build my own shelves for these rooms (you may want to buy yours). Nonetheless, I took into consideration a few things. One was to make them very sturdy. Bulk food can be heavy. Another consideration was to attach them to the walls and make a lip around the outside edge of the shelves. That always unexpected earthquake could deplete your food supply quickly, especially glass containers. I also liked the idea of building my own shelves so that I could build them to best suit my needs with the shelf heights and widths that were best for my particular situation. This room would also be a great spot for your freezers. You may want to consider a DC freezer with some solar panels and batteries or a propane freezer for those times of extended power outages. Freezers may not be a necessity, but they sure would be a welcome luxury in those times without electricity. This would also be a good spot to keep an adequate supply of drinking water.

Last thing I will leave you with to consider is your consideration for a dehumidifier. You will want one for your dry storage area. Moisture and stored foods do not go well together (not to mention moisture’s effect on guns, ammunition, other steel items, clothes, blankets, etc). Some dehumidifiers operate better in lower temperatures, so do your research.

Since the completion of our room, this space has proven to be well worth the time and resources that it took to build it. One day it may be crucial in the sustaining of our lives for any number of reasons. Hope this article leaves those who read it with some helpful advice to think about.

How to Make a Firebed

Imagine a cold weather wilderness survival situation where your clothing is inadequate and you have limited sleeping gear or none at all. Exhausted and nearing hypothermia, you need sleep but know that if you lose consciousness you will never wake up.

Survival Topics will show you how to survive; there is a method where you can get plenty of comfortable, warm sleep outdoors in cold weather even if you are not dressed for the cold and have virtually no survival gear or survival skills other than being able to make a special kind of survival bed and build a fire. In fact, care must be taken to make this bed cool enough to sleep in!

The survival bed that makes your stay in the cold wilderness much more comfortable or even save your life is known as a “firebed”.


Making a FirebedBefore I show you how to make a firebed, I want to emphasize that if you are not in an actual survival situation but are just practicing making a firebed, pay special attention to causing as little impact on the environment as possible.

Avoid damaging tree roots and fragile plants and be careful when making fires in wilderness areas. If you love the wilderness and wild places as much as I do, then you will choose to respect and care for the lands you enjoy.


Making a Firebed

Firebed Requirements
Because making a firebed requires a fair amount of time and labor, it is important that you first scout out the best area in which to make it. You will be looking for a variety of features that will make a firebed easier to build as well as provide natural materials needed for its construction and for your comfort.

These include areas:

Sheltered and protected as much as possible from wind, rain, or snow.
With ground you can dig ten or twelve inches deep without having to deal with large rocks, tree roots, ice, or water.
Having abundant dry fuel with which to make a hot fire; hardwoods are preferable to softwoods.
Having dry fluffy materials for insulation including leaves, pine needles, grass, cattails, etc.
Let’s start with each point and work our way down.

Sheltered Areas
If possible try to select an area to make a firebed that is naturally protected from the elements. Rock overhangs, areas beneath a thick tree canopy, or even under the roots of a fallen tree can provide significant shelter as compared to open, exposed areas.

You will want to find a piece of level ground that is at least a few feet longer than your body and wide enough to accommodate you.


Dig the Trench
To make a firebed, dig a trench about 12 or 16 inches wide, six feet long, and one foot deep

Diggable Ground
Because you must dig into the earth to make a firebed, the type of ground you select is important. You need to choose an area where:

The water table is not close to the surface; if you strike water you will need to dig elsewhere.
The soil can be dug with the implements you have on hand.
Few tree roots or large rocks, which can be very difficult to dig up and extract.
If there is snow, find a location where you do not have to dig far down to reach the ground.

Line Trench with Stones

If stones are available use them to line inside the trench.

Though not absolutely necessary, these stones will help air circulate through the fire to produce hot coals

If you do not have a shovel with which to dig, you can usually find an alternative. Use your mess kit, a knife, a strong stick, or even your hands.

In cold climates the soil will often freeze to a considerable depth. Depending upon conditions you may be able to find soft ground at the base of south facing slopes where the suns rays have warmed the earth sufficiently. Alternatively you could make a fire to thaw the ground prior to digging.


Line Trench with Stones
If stones are available use them to line inside the trench.
Though not absolutely necessary, these stones will help air circulate through the fire to produce hot coals

Fuel for a Fire
As you will see, a good firebed requires a layer of hot, long lasting coals. For this reason the best fuel for making a firebed comes from hardwood trees and you should try to locate your firebed as close to a good supply of dry hardwoods as possible.

Softwoods can also be used to make a firebed, though they will not produce the high quality coals that hardwoods typically do. Dry grass and other natural materials can also be used, though they will not make coals and you could be relying more on heating the ground itself.

Dry Insulative Materials
Especially if you are inadequately clothed or do not have proper cold weather sleeping gear you will need a good supply of dry, fluffy materials for use as insulation and padding. Often the forest floor is covered with this natural insulation including leaves, evergreen needles, and grass.

Even in areas with deep snow cover, if you search diligently you can often find insulating materials. Look around the edges of large boulders, where the ground is often snow free and dry leaves accumulate (this could also be a good place to make a firebed). Try south facing slopes and patches of evergreen forest which are often have little snow beneath them.


Build a Fire

Here I am using a Survival Topics firesteel to light a fire

These firesteels should be an integral part of your survival kit. Able to start thousands of fires, even when wet, firesteels will not let you down.

During the winter wet areas may provide an excellent insulating material in the form of cattail fluff and reeds. Often these plants are easy to access because the wet areas in which they grow are frozen over and most snow is blown away by wind.

A tarp, blanket, survival blanket, sheet of plastic or any like material can be used to great advantage when making a firebed as we shall soon see.


Build a Fire
Here I am using a Survival Topics firesteel to light a fire
These firesteels should be an integral part of your survival kit. Able to start thousands of fires, even when wet, firesteels will not let you down.

The Wilderness Survival Scenario
Perhaps your truck has broken down in a remote mountain area and you will have to spend the night outdoors in cold weather you are not prepared for. As you can see in the pictures, it is cold enough for snow to be on the ground and you are inadequately clothed.

Your clothing consists of sneakers, thin cotton pants, t-shirt with one cotton sweatshirt, and a cotton hat. You should have been using the three layer clothing system, but you never planned for your truck to break down – a common error in these mountains.

You also have a folding army shovel, an old wool blanket and one of those Survival Topics Firesteels that everyone has been talking about. These firesteels can be used start a fire anytime, anyplace no matter how bad the weather.

You can make a firebed without a shovel or a blanket, but you would not want to be caught in the wilderness without a firesteel.


Bury Coals
Bury the coals with the dirt you dug from the trench.

Making the Firebed
When you realize you will be spending the night outdoors, remember what Survival Topics has taught you; you know what to do - you are going to survive in the wilderness.


Bury Coals

Bury the coals with the dirt you dug from the trench.

You begin looking for a suitable location to build a survival firebed.

Even though most of the forest floor is in deep snow cover, you find a south facing slope where a patch of pines are growing. The pines have kept the snow from accumulating too much depth beneath them and the warm spring sun has melted off most of the snow. As an added bonus, the ground is sufficiently thawed to allow digging and there are plenty of pine needles on the ground for insulation. Nearby hardwoods will provide sufficient fuel wood.

The first thing you do is dig a trench about 12 to 16 inches wide by six feet long and a foot or so deep. Carefully pile off to the side all dirt you dug from the trench while separating out the larger rocks; you will need these later.

Once your trench is of sufficient size, line the inside with fist sized rocks. Space them an inch or so apart as shown in the picture. The rocks are not absolutely necessary but they will help create air spaces so that the fire burns hotter and produces better coals. If you have not dug up a sufficient number of rocks you can often locate some nearby, though be careful not to obtain rocks that have been soaking in water – they may break with tremendous force when heated in a fire.

Then set up your tinder and kindling in the trench and using your Survival Topics firesteel light the fire. Shown here I am using dry pine needles and a pine cone as tinder to help catch sparks from the firesteel and ignite the kindling. Both are excellent fire starting aids.

Once you have a good fire with plenty of hot coals being formed, spread it out through the length and width of the trench. The idea is to keep a steady, coal producing fire that is six feet long and one foot wide to evenly heat the trench and the surrounding ground. You are not trying to build a bonfire, just a steady blaze with flames just a foot or two high.


Compress Dirt
Tamp down the dirt to a depth of about four inches. Be sure the entire trench is evenly covered.
After about one hour you should start to feel warmth rising up through the firebed. If the bed becomes warm earlier than this, place additional dirt on top or it may become too hot to lie on during the night.

Keep the long narrow fire burning for two or three hours, adding wood and spreading coals as necessary. Now would be an excellent time to cook food or boil water to make it safe to drink if you have the means to do so. It is also a good time to dry any damp clothing or bedding materials.

After two or three hours let the fire burn down to coals and evenly spread them in the trench. Next shovel a layer of dirt onto the hot coals to a depth of about four inches and stamp it down so that the dirt is well compacted. Be sure to cover all the coals and especially the edges and corners.

Once the hot coals of the firebed have been completely covered with dirt, make sure there are no areas of visible smoke and steam escaping from the trench.

Now here is where the waiting begins. It should take about an hour before you begin to feel the dirt covering the hot coals become warm to the touch. If it happens earlier it is likely you need to shovel another inch or two of dirt on top of what is already there. Otherwise your bed may become too hot for you to lie upon.

While you are waiting for the dirt on top of the hot coals to become warm, gather into a pile any available dry, fluffy bedding material that you can find. In this case there are plenty of dry pine needles lying on the ground, and these make an excellent material for this purpose.

When the dirt has become warm to the touch, but not too warm, your firebed is just about right. Only with practice will you be able to best reach this point in your survival firebed making skills since every situation is different.

Cover the bed with a layer of the dry fluffy material so that you have a nice heated pad to lie upon. You will also want to place a large pile of natural insulation to place on top you as well so that heat from the firebed is retained. Depending upon how cold it is, you may want to gather enough for several feet of thickness.


Padding and Insulation

Add a thick layer of padding and insulation

Logs placed on either side will help deflect wind and keep your insulative materials from sliding down.

A couple of good sized logs, placed parallel to the firebed, can help keep you warmer. These logs will serve as windbreaks, keep your loose insulative materials from sliding away, and help hold in the heat.


Padding and Insulation
Add a thick layer of padding and insulation
Logs placed on either side will help deflect wind and keep your insulative materials from sliding down.

Firebed Considerations
When I made this particular firebed the air temperature was about 25-degrees F. After four hours the temperature at the dirt surface of the firebed had risen to 110-degrees F and the earth a foot on either side of the trench was toasty warm. By adjusting the amount of padding beneath you, you can regulate the warmth of your bed to the desired temperature.

A common problem with the survival firebed is steaming. The dirt will typically contain moisture as will the natural materials you use for padding and insulation. When heat from the coals rises up through this, a sauna of sorts is made. For this reason the dryer the insulating materials the better. If you can place a sheet of waterproof material such as plastic, a tarp, or survival blanket underneath your body you won’t feel something like a prune come morning!

The next morning, fourteen hours after making the fire bed the air temperature was 17 degrees F and the temperature of the firebed was still about 90 degrees F. This long-term warmth is what you are looking to create. It would be an easy matter to dig open the trench and make another batch of coals for as many nights as necessary.


Making a Firebed

Firebed Requirements
Because making a firebed requires a fair amount of time and labor, it is important that you first scout out the best area in which to make it. You will be looking for a variety of features that will make a firebed easier to build as well as provide natural materials needed for its construction and for your comfort.

These include areas:

Sheltered and protected as much as possible from wind, rain, or snow.
With ground you can dig ten or twelve inches deep without having to deal with large rocks, tree roots, ice, or water.
Having abundant dry fuel with which to make a hot fire; hardwoods are preferable to softwoods.
Having dry fluffy materials for insulation including leaves, pine needles, grass, cattails, etc.
Let’s start with each point and work our way down.

Sheltered Areas
If possible try to select an area to make a firebed that is naturally protected from the elements. Rock overhangs, areas beneath a thick tree canopy, or even under the roots of a fallen tree can provide significant shelter as compared to open, exposed areas.

You will want to find a piece of level ground that is at least a few feet longer than your body and wide enough to accommodate you.


Dig the Trench
To make a firebed, dig a trench about 12 or 16 inches wide, six feet long, and one foot deep

Diggable Ground
Because you must dig into the earth to make a firebed, the type of ground you select is important. You need to choose an area where:

The water table is not close to the surface; if you strike water you will need to dig elsewhere.
The soil can be dug with the implements you have on hand.
Few tree roots or large rocks, which can be very difficult to dig up and extract.
If there is snow, find a location where you do not have to dig far down to reach the ground.

Line Trench with Stones

If stones are available use them to line inside the trench.

Though not absolutely necessary, these stones will help air circulate through the fire to produce hot coals

If you do not have a shovel with which to dig, you can usually find an alternative. Use your mess kit, a knife, a strong stick, or even your hands.

In cold climates the soil will often freeze to a considerable depth. Depending upon conditions you may be able to find soft ground at the base of south facing slopes where the suns rays have warmed the earth sufficiently. Alternatively you could make a fire to thaw the ground prior to digging.


Line Trench with Stones
If stones are available use them to line inside the trench.
Though not absolutely necessary, these stones will help air circulate through the fire to produce hot coals

Fuel for a Fire
As you will see, a good firebed requires a layer of hot, long lasting coals. For this reason the best fuel for making a firebed comes from hardwood trees and you should try to locate your firebed as close to a good supply of dry hardwoods as possible.

Softwoods can also be used to make a firebed, though they will not produce the high quality coals that hardwoods typically do. Dry grass and other natural materials can also be used, though they will not make coals and you could be relying more on heating the ground itself.

Dry Insulative Materials
Especially if you are inadequately clothed or do not have proper cold weather sleeping gear you will need a good supply of dry, fluffy materials for use as insulation and padding. Often the forest floor is covered with this natural insulation including leaves, evergreen needles, and grass.

Even in areas with deep snow cover, if you search diligently you can often find insulating materials. Look around the edges of large boulders, where the ground is often snow free and dry leaves accumulate (this could also be a good place to make a firebed). Try south facing slopes and patches of evergreen forest which are often have little snow beneath them.


Build a Fire

Here I am using a Survival Topics firesteel to light a fire

These firesteels should be an integral part of your survival kit. Able to start thousands of fires, even when wet, firesteels will not let you down.

During the winter wet areas may provide an excellent insulating material in the form of cattail fluff and reeds. Often these plants are easy to access because the wet areas in which they grow are frozen over and most snow is blown away by wind.

A tarp, blanket, survival blanket, sheet of plastic or any like material can be used to great advantage when making a firebed as we shall soon see.


Build a Fire
Here I am using a Survival Topics firesteel to light a fire
These firesteels should be an integral part of your survival kit. Able to start thousands of fires, even when wet, firesteels will not let you down.

The Wilderness Survival Scenario
Perhaps your truck has broken down in a remote mountain area and you will have to spend the night outdoors in cold weather you are not prepared for. As you can see in the pictures, it is cold enough for snow to be on the ground and you are inadequately clothed.

Your clothing consists of sneakers, thin cotton pants, t-shirt with one cotton sweatshirt, and a cotton hat. You should have been using the three layer clothing system, but you never planned for your truck to break down – a common error in these mountains.

You also have a folding army shovel, an old wool blanket and one of those Survival Topics Firesteels that everyone has been talking about. These firesteels can be used start a fire anytime, anyplace no matter how bad the weather.

You can make a firebed without a shovel or a blanket, but you would not want to be caught in the wilderness without a firesteel.


Bury Coals
Bury the coals with the dirt you dug from the trench.

Making the Firebed
When you realize you will be spending the night outdoors, remember what Survival Topics has taught you; you know what to do - you are going to survive in the wilderness.


Bury Coals

Bury the coals with the dirt you dug from the trench.

You begin looking for a suitable location to build a survival firebed.

Even though most of the forest floor is in deep snow cover, you find a south facing slope where a patch of pines are growing. The pines have kept the snow from accumulating too much depth beneath them and the warm spring sun has melted off most of the snow. As an added bonus, the ground is sufficiently thawed to allow digging and there are plenty of pine needles on the ground for insulation. Nearby hardwoods will provide sufficient fuel wood.

The first thing you do is dig a trench about 12 to 16 inches wide by six feet long and a foot or so deep. Carefully pile off to the side all dirt you dug from the trench while separating out the larger rocks; you will need these later.

Once your trench is of sufficient size, line the inside with fist sized rocks. Space them an inch or so apart as shown in the picture. The rocks are not absolutely necessary but they will help create air spaces so that the fire burns hotter and produces better coals. If you have not dug up a sufficient number of rocks you can often locate some nearby, though be careful not to obtain rocks that have been soaking in water – they may break with tremendous force when heated in a fire.

Then set up your tinder and kindling in the trench and using your Survival Topics firesteel light the fire. Shown here I am using dry pine needles and a pine cone as tinder to help catch sparks from the firesteel and ignite the kindling. Both are excellent fire starting aids.

Once you have a good fire with plenty of hot coals being formed, spread it out through the length and width of the trench. The idea is to keep a steady, coal producing fire that is six feet long and one foot wide to evenly heat the trench and the surrounding ground. You are not trying to build a bonfire, just a steady blaze with flames just a foot or two high.


Compress Dirt
Tamp down the dirt to a depth of about four inches. Be sure the entire trench is evenly covered.
After about one hour you should start to feel warmth rising up through the firebed. If the bed becomes warm earlier than this, place additional dirt on top or it may become too hot to lie on during the night.

Keep the long narrow fire burning for two or three hours, adding wood and spreading coals as necessary. Now would be an excellent time to cook food or boil water to make it safe to drink if you have the means to do so. It is also a good time to dry any damp clothing or bedding materials.

After two or three hours let the fire burn down to coals and evenly spread them in the trench. Next shovel a layer of dirt onto the hot coals to a depth of about four inches and stamp it down so that the dirt is well compacted. Be sure to cover all the coals and especially the edges and corners.

Once the hot coals of the firebed have been completely covered with dirt, make sure there are no areas of visible smoke and steam escaping from the trench.

Now here is where the waiting begins. It should take about an hour before you begin to feel the dirt covering the hot coals become warm to the touch. If it happens earlier it is likely you need to shovel another inch or two of dirt on top of what is already there. Otherwise your bed may become too hot for you to lie upon.

While you are waiting for the dirt on top of the hot coals to become warm, gather into a pile any available dry, fluffy bedding material that you can find. In this case there are plenty of dry pine needles lying on the ground, and these make an excellent material for this purpose.

When the dirt has become warm to the touch, but not too warm, your firebed is just about right. Only with practice will you be able to best reach this point in your survival firebed making skills since every situation is different.

Cover the bed with a layer of the dry fluffy material so that you have a nice heated pad to lie upon. You will also want to place a large pile of natural insulation to place on top you as well so that heat from the firebed is retained. Depending upon how cold it is, you may want to gather enough for several feet of thickness.


Padding and Insulation

Add a thick layer of padding and insulation

Logs placed on either side will help deflect wind and keep your insulative materials from sliding down.

A couple of good sized logs, placed parallel to the firebed, can help keep you warmer. These logs will serve as windbreaks, keep your loose insulative materials from sliding away, and help hold in the heat.


Padding and Insulation
Add a thick layer of padding and insulation
Logs placed on either side will help deflect wind and keep your insulative materials from sliding down.

Firebed Considerations
When I made this particular firebed the air temperature was about 25-degrees F. After four hours the temperature at the dirt surface of the firebed had risen to 110-degrees F and the earth a foot on either side of the trench was toasty warm. By adjusting the amount of padding beneath you, you can regulate the warmth of your bed to the desired temperature.

A common problem with the survival firebed is steaming. The dirt will typically contain moisture as will the natural materials you use for padding and insulation. When heat from the coals rises up through this, a sauna of sorts is made. For this reason the dryer the insulating materials the better. If you can place a sheet of waterproof material such as plastic, a tarp, or survival blanket underneath your body you won’t feel something like a prune come morning!

The next morning, fourteen hours after making the fire bed the air temperature was 17 degrees F and the temperature of the firebed was still about 90 degrees F. This long-term warmth is what you are looking to create. It would be an easy matter to dig open the trench and make another batch of coals for as many nights as necessary.

Bannock
More Articles Related to Food
Bannock has been a staple food of wilderness explorers, prospectors, soldiers, and trappers for centuries. Portable, nutritious, tasty and easy to make while surviving in the outdoors, bannocks legendary reputation continues as one of the best survival foods you can bring into the wilderness.

Bannock is high in carbohydrates and complements the proteins of pemmican, jerky, the arctic survival ration, and other meats. It can be used as a hearty stand-alone food or combined with foraged wild edibles such as berries, fruits, and meats.

What is Bannock?
Bannock is a bread that you can cook using little more than a fire and a stick though it can also be baked or fried. Names for bannock include bushbread, trail bread, grease bread and galette.

Bannocks origins are lost in the mists of time, but some believe bannock was first made by the Scotts from the same oat flour that gave their horses great strength and endurance. With stomachs fed with hearty oat bannock those who became explorers and mountain men in the new world introduced the bannock recipe to the Native Americans and other outdoorsmen who lived in the wilderness.


BannockThe most simple bannock recipe consists of just flour of nearly any kind and water. Kneaded into a dough and wrapped around a green stick, this most basic bannock cooks into a fine tasting bread that can be eaten alone or used as a basis for a full course meal.

There are a great many other bannock recipies that will make your mouth water and give you the impetus to try your hand at making your own. In the pictures you can see me cooking one of my favorite bannock recipes over an open fire in the forest:


Bannock

Survival Topics Bannock on a Green Stick
This is my favorite way to make bannock as it brings forth the image of mountainmen from a bygone era cooking over an open fire.

The following recipe provides enough bannock for one day. Stored in a waterproof bag, it is easy to carry a week or ten day supply.

1-cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk powder

Mix all the ingredients well, making sure the butter is evenly distributed throughout. Sometimes I will melt the butter before adding it to the mixture. Then slowly add water while mixing until a dough ball is formed.


Cooking BannockMake the bannock dough into a cigar shape and wrap it around a green stick. Try to keep the thickness of the dough about ½ inch.

Slowly roast the bannock over a hot fire, rotating occasionally until it turns a golden brown. You will hear the butter sizzling and your stomach rumble as the bannock cooks.


Cooking Bannock

Multi-flour Bannock Recipe
This combination of flours, spices, and dried fruit makes the bannock a delicious meal of itself and makes me hungry just thinking about it. It can be cooked over an open fire on a green stick or formed into a loaf and baked and makes a 3-day supply:

1 Cup Barley flour
1 Cup Wheat flour
1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup White Sugar
1/2 to 1 Cup Raisins or other dried fruit
1 1/2 Cup Buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tbsp. Coarse Ground Salt
1 tbsp. Cinnamon
1 tbsp. Cloves
1 tbsp. Nutmeg



Fried Bannock
If you like fried foods then you need to try fried Bannock.

4 cups flour
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup margarine/butter
2 eggs
1/4 tbsp salt

Mix all the ingredients so a dough ball is formed. Break off pieces and flatten into rounds about ½ inch thick. Fry to a golden brown in the oil of your choice.

Try Making Bannock
Bannock is a fulfilling meal that can be used to supplement natural foods foraged from your surroundings. When hiking in the wilderness I like to have enough pre-mixed bannock recipe for at least one meal each day.

Try out various combinations of bannock mixed with fruits, nuts and seeds, cheeses, meats, fish and a variety of spices. Wilderness meals containing bannock can satisfy even the most discriminating palate.

Bannock is easy to cook and is an excellent comfort food that will elevate your mood and fill your stomach. There is nothing quite like the sight and smell of fresh bannock cooking over an open fire at the end of a hard day surviving in the wilderness.

How to Make Waterproof Matches

Making waterproof matches is an easy do it yourself project to help ensure you can build a fire when you need one.

Firemaking Materials are Fundamental Survival Gear
As you know, the ability to build a fire is one of the most important survival skills you can master. And fundamental to building a fire are the ignition sources you carry as part of your survival gear.

Because making fire is so important to survival I recommend your survival kit contains at least three ways of starting a fire. For example matches, lighter, and a firesteel or magnesium firestarter. Should one or two of these fail, the third could very well save your life or at least make the time you spend outdoors more livable.

Waterproofing Your Matches is Important
Matches are one of the most surefire and convenient ways to start a fire. However the problem with matches is they are susceptible to moisture from water or even the humidity in the air. If your matches become damp or wet they will not kindle and could put your survival at risk.


Waterproofing MatchesThe solution to the wet matches problem is to include a vial of waterproof matches in the survival gear you use. While you could purchase waterproof matches from your favorite survival supply store, waterproof matches cost a premium when compared to ordinary non-waterproof matches, may not always be available, and could be of suspect quality.

During a cold rainstorm is not the time to discover your supposedly waterproof matches will not kindle. In my opinion you are far better off knowing how to make waterproof matches for yourself. In that way you can personally control the quality and quantity of this very important article of survival gear.


Waterproofing Matches

What are the Best Matches to Make Waterproof?
Although you could try to make paper matches waterproof they will be less durable and reliable than wooden matches. If you are serious about surviving you are better off purchasing at least several boxes strong wooden matches and reserve the paper ones for use at home.

I prefer wooden strike anywhere matches, since then I do not need to rely upon a special striker surface to light the matches with. In survival situations the fewer working parts that can fail the better. This is backed up by many years of real-world wilderness survival experience.

You can often find wooden strike anywhere matches at your local hardware store or wood burning stove dealer.

Making Matches Waterproof
The process for making waterproof matches is simple and straightforward; set up a double boiler for the melting of wax on your stove or even over a campfire. The usual precautions when dealing with hot surfaces and materials apply. If you would like to see how to set up a double boiler for the melting of wax read the Survival Topic on How to Make Firesticks.

Once the wax has melted dump in your matches and stir, making sure that the wax has completely coated the matches. In the picture I am using the pliers on a multi-tool to remove the waterproofed matches one by one and set them aside to cool so that they are not touching one another.

And there you have it; waterproof matches. The thin layer of wax all around the match ensures the match will catch fire even if it has been immersed in water. As an added bonus the wax will help the match burn longer and hotter.

Store your home made waterproof matches in a waterproof match case and you have gone far toward ensuring you can start a fire when you need to even if your matches get wet.