tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25111933645607364722024-03-12T16:31:49.885-07:00Survival and Preparedness from Equip2Survive.comAt E2S we are passionate about everything survival! Survival kits, survival gear, knives, firesteels, saws, paracord, water filters, survival cooking, survival fishing, wilderness survival, bushcraft, prepping, homesteading, bugging out, bug out bags, canning, how to survive, survival techniques, survival entertainment, and more! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-27735718598365545892015-01-24T08:45:00.002-08:002016-07-13T08:39:27.587-07:00WHICH CELEB SURVIVAL EXPERT ARE YOU?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://equip2survive.com/quizzes/quiz1.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ta7bLUYfKshTWbZrmS1gR-vo_WKKTaMX_MmLGAm64MFWcHtMxKXbSzHAkdqE-VC6Ck-hT0ufL4bMQjGmycYuPxMfAfMYpDPV5uYvp5qyUWnPxP1zBQ2qpv8lIvC49l-7zeJWm_OMLy8U/s1600/survival+celeb.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;">You may THINK you know which TV survival expert you are most like, but do you really?</span><br />
<a href="http://equip2survive.com/quizzes/quiz1.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Take the quiz and find out!</span></a></td></tr>
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We all have our favorite survival shows and favorite survival experts from each of these shows, but which one are you really most like? Les Stroud? Cody Lundin? Joe Teti? Matt Graham? Bear Grylls? Myke Hawke? Creek Stewart? Terry Schappert? Ray Mears? <a href="http://equip2survive.com/quizzes/quiz1.html" target="_blank"><b>Well take this fun quiz and find out!!</b></a><br />
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<a href="http://equip2survive.com/quizzes/quiz1.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">TAKE THE QUIZ!!</span></a></h2>
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<span style="color: orange;">COMMENT</span> <span style="color: orange;">below letting us know who you got!! We'd love to know!!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-61116815949905324822015-01-07T14:48:00.000-08:002017-04-25T15:00:22.256-07:00SURVIVE IN PLACE: URBAN SURVIVAL COURSE!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLM-isMMd8xcVuXQ7Qf1yFZZjKjcB4ScrA0qDVg0jMY5ycgKESo74lMX6reoW-GVJI8droE1CTmZ2Rn2fj7ObdTeO-k2VnR7X2sx7dhpQeTsCki1_pDmyQ4ZxgQe-s3FZ9m8G0E0J0LUG/s1600/surviveinplace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLM-isMMd8xcVuXQ7Qf1yFZZjKjcB4ScrA0qDVg0jMY5ycgKESo74lMX6reoW-GVJI8droE1CTmZ2Rn2fj7ObdTeO-k2VnR7X2sx7dhpQeTsCki1_pDmyQ4ZxgQe-s3FZ9m8G0E0J0LUG/s1600/surviveinplace.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://65129jk9v90vf-9l0a5zomu7nv.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">"Survive In Place: Urban Survival Course"</a> is a terrific 12 part</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
urban survival audio course with lots of great info on a ton of</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
important topics!</div>
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I wanted to take a moment to share a great 12 part urban survival audio course called <a href="http://65129jk9v90vf-9l0a5zomu7nv.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">"Survive In Place: Urban Survival Course"</a> by David Morris. I purchased this course a little while back and enjoyed listening to while driving very much!<br />
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There are many terrific survival and preparedness books on the market today, but it can be tough to find time to sit and read a book when you are as busy as so many of us are these days. <span style="color: orange;">How about an audio course that you can listen to while driving??</span> That's what is so great about this course. You can listen to it while you work, grocery shop, do other tasks or even while driving down the road!</div>
<div>
<br />
<div>
This course covers all kinds of great preparedness topics like:</div>
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<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: orange;">Bugging Out vs Bugging In</span></li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">But Out Strategies</span></li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">Firearms and Conceal Carry Reciprocity</span></li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">Chemical and Biological Attacks</span></li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">Pandemic</span></li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">N-95 Masks, Tamiflu and Other Pandemic Preparations</span></li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">So much more!!</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<span style="background-color: #336699; color: #cccccc; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span><span style="color: orange;">
This course also comes with a </span><span style="color: yellow;"><u><span style="color: orange;">60 day 100% no risk satisfaction guarantee or your money back!</span></u> </span><span style="color: orange;">So what are you waiting for?</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">GET YOUR URBAN SURVIVAL COURSE HERE!:</span></h2>
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://65129jk9v90vf-9l0a5zomu7nv.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SURVIVE IN PLACE: URBAN SURVIVAL COURSE</span></a></h2>
</div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLM-isMMd8xcVuXQ7Qf1yFZZjKjcB4ScrA0qDVg0jMY5ycgKESo74lMX6reoW-GVJI8droE1CTmZ2Rn2fj7ObdTeO-k2VnR7X2sx7dhpQeTsCki1_pDmyQ4ZxgQe-s3FZ9m8G0E0J0LUG/s1600/surviveinplace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLM-isMMd8xcVuXQ7Qf1yFZZjKjcB4ScrA0qDVg0jMY5ycgKESo74lMX6reoW-GVJI8droE1CTmZ2Rn2fj7ObdTeO-k2VnR7X2sx7dhpQeTsCki1_pDmyQ4ZxgQe-s3FZ9m8G0E0J0LUG/s1600/surviveinplace.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h4>
<span style="color: orange;">
Click the image above to get your copy of the 12 part audio </span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: orange;">
course</span> <a href="http://65129jk9v90vf-9l0a5zomu7nv.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_blank">SURVIVE IN PLACE: URBAN SURVIVAL GUIDE</a><span style="color: orange;">!</span></h4>
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Want to check out some more cool Urban Survival photos, tips and insights? Check out our <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/urban/" target="_blank">Urban Survival Pinterest board</a> here!:</div>
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<a data-pin-board-width="525" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="525" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/urban/">Follow EQUIP2SURVIVE's board Urban on Pinterest.</a><br />
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<!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page -->
<script async="" defer="" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-69585610799846694202015-01-02T12:30:00.000-08:002017-04-25T15:03:15.110-07:00The Perfect DIY Battery Bank For Emergency Backup Or Complete Off Grid Power!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiyIW8eHovL7BKDfHKgiAmT3yOdlxLTwCbepSekE5jT79QQEmnOQ3SIq6tTVsqm9ywaBcupeiPMB5YqQBdWeJ9i0pDGSt1sWAm9S_Rd5-nLn4tQQYk9Gww8quhkyqTJn-TG-kciNssmUg/s1600/battery_bank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiyIW8eHovL7BKDfHKgiAmT3yOdlxLTwCbepSekE5jT79QQEmnOQ3SIq6tTVsqm9ywaBcupeiPMB5YqQBdWeJ9i0pDGSt1sWAm9S_Rd5-nLn4tQQYk9Gww8quhkyqTJn-TG-kciNssmUg/s1600/battery_bank.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
If you are seriously interested in setting<br />
up a solar, wind or hydroelectric power<br />
generation system, then <span style="color: orange;"><a href="http://equip2survive.com/diy_battery_bank_emergency_backup.html" target="_blank">this video series</a></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><a href="http://equip2survive.com/diy_battery_bank_emergency_backup.html" target="_blank">about creating the perfect battery bank </a></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><a href="http://equip2survive.com/diy_battery_bank_emergency_backup.html" target="_blank">for your system is an absolute MUST!!</a></span></div>
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Anyone who is concerned about or interested in disaster and emergency preparedness should also be (and probably already is) interested in<span style="color: orange;"> alternative sources of energy for when the power goes out. </span>Many preppers, survivalists and other preparedness enthusiasts explore the wonderful possibilities of solar, wind and hydroelectric power generation, but unfortunately all too often a critical component to any alternative energy solution is often overlooked:<br />
<span style="color: orange;">A quality battery bank!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;">Without a quality battery bank, your solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric and thermoelectric generators are virtually useless!</span> You must have a reliable battery bank to store all that wonderful power that you are generating. You have to have a few other components as well to make that electricity usable. Whether you are looking to set up a <span style="color: orange;">small power back up solution</span> or you are interested in investing in more of an <span style="color: orange;">“off the grid” full home power solution</span>, you can’t just buy a few solar panels and expect them to be the end all solution for your power needs. There’s a bit more to it than that.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;">So how do you go about putting together a quality battery bank to store your power and make your electricity useable? What kind of batteries should you use? How many will you need? What size? How do you hook your batteries up? How do you convert the DC power that your generators collect and your batteries store into usable AC power? How do you get the electricity from your generators into your batteries? What other components will you need?</span> All important questions that you need answers to before you can fully set up your alternative energy system.<br />
<br />
Some months back we discovered an incredible DIY video series by Stephen Harris on how to assemble your very own high quality battery bank system. <span style="color: orange;">We cannot express to you how impressed we are with this video series. It covers absolutely everything that you need to know to set up your battery bank for your emergency or off grid power solution! </span><span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: orange;">Setting up your own DIY battery system will also cost you only a FRACTION of what commercially sold battery systems cost!</span><span style="color: orange;"> </span></span>This is by far the best video series on this subject and we are thrilled to finally be able to share it with you!<br />
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<a href="http://equip2survive.com/diy_battery_bank_emergency_backup.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Get your comprehensive DIY battery bank videos now! Learn how to build the perfect DIY battery bank for emergency backup or off grid living!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh446AY9O39ex80sS4TTsOhdnILWIjSUAvqpcM_nBA2z2SIJq37Vt5cVHnRdC_ENnG7OXbpwZSR6L2rL9sXIO21OBGBG21x8JCJg15ux5F3-dv1BXN13ldZg8E6JdzHtTPRog3qQQZ03Bi/s1600/getyourvideosnow.png" title="Get your comprehensive DIY battery bank videos now! Learn how to build the perfect DIY battery bank for emergency backup or off grid living!" /></a><span id="goog_897001833"></span><span id="goog_897001834"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYzzM9bjDAvk88FMKyVip9NkPDQX4bcl01t_YQEXDrS3Hbv-hvolfrDZUdfoa6wiKrSWPCTHcvBMPJHr3tg22H9ZgIL8q4Hy47LVpw7s_JEg9lZSYrwtO_HFofXvFugz0UCjf_KZFYs6J/s1600/battery1234_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYzzM9bjDAvk88FMKyVip9NkPDQX4bcl01t_YQEXDrS3Hbv-hvolfrDZUdfoa6wiKrSWPCTHcvBMPJHr3tg22H9ZgIL8q4Hy47LVpw7s_JEg9lZSYrwtO_HFofXvFugz0UCjf_KZFYs6J/s1600/battery1234_3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
A simple two battery bank system </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
with charger, batteries and AC power </div>
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inverter.</div>
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This video series includes <span style="color: orange;">3 videos totaling 5+ hours</span> of incredibly informative step by step instruction! The first video (<span style="color: orange;">Emergency Home Power - Selecting the Correct Battery for You</span>) covers everything you need to know about selecting the right batteries for your battery bank. Do you need large and cheap batteries? Do you need 100% acid save batteries? Does your battery bank need to be mobile? This video cover all of the details on these topics and more! This is your 1st class education in batteries!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgIv5LQyV7OeIE4-4Lj0NYhgTkLq8LgR65cJt__47ISopckm1DHp4O8kmuRLEJqGv1rs6hrXu4WQLioe61mR7fnFmeZZ3h71sS4PSxFoSZCaTgRvx2lrt5YekJkRTjoJsK6hYyGwAFOm-/s1600/battery1234_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgIv5LQyV7OeIE4-4Lj0NYhgTkLq8LgR65cJt__47ISopckm1DHp4O8kmuRLEJqGv1rs6hrXu4WQLioe61mR7fnFmeZZ3h71sS4PSxFoSZCaTgRvx2lrt5YekJkRTjoJsK6hYyGwAFOm-/s1600/battery1234_2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
A comprehensive DIY battery bank</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
with all the trimmings you will need</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
to power all of your basic needs and</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
beyond! <span style="color: orange;">You will save so much money</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: orange;">with your homemade system!</span></div>
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The second video in this series (<span style="color: orange;">Emergency Home Power - Building Your HOME & MOBILE Battery Bank</span>) is all step by step instruction on <span style="color: orange;">exactly how to build a quality battery bank for your home or your car!</span> Stephen starts out with a basic straight marine battery system with DC power only and then builds from there! He explains everything about DC only cell charging and how to power a DC only light. Then you get to start adding inverters and adding more batteries and then he takes you all the way up to a 4 golf cart battery bank with a 2000 watt inverter for more comprehensive power needs!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij8COkR7dWbjX6m65JhHJ2oGYGRW2Epb_PhZS31zQ3NUy3rJ2AEh3dqo9reyo_aPtaOVJDk-d7NuJUcl7v-_f6HoHdcpzqdNibA-svA9O1sKf-ZV0Kj0NGi5aQc34R8cMjhVQmjQ3Ut5h/s1600/battery1234_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij8COkR7dWbjX6m65JhHJ2oGYGRW2Epb_PhZS31zQ3NUy3rJ2AEh3dqo9reyo_aPtaOVJDk-d7NuJUcl7v-_f6HoHdcpzqdNibA-svA9O1sKf-ZV0Kj0NGi5aQc34R8cMjhVQmjQ3Ut5h/s1600/battery1234_1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
With this simple set up you will be able</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
to <span style="color: orange;">power your entire home with your </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: orange;">vehicle during a power outage! </span>This is </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
amazing!! Learn how in the third video!</div>
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The third video in the series (<span style="color: orange;">How to Power Your House from Your Car with an Inverter</span>) is really something special! If you are wondering where to start in terms of a DIY alternative power project, this is a great video to start with! <span style="color: orange;">You’ll learn how to power lights, TV's, radios, refrigerator, freezer, charge your phones, iPads, tablets, games, and how to have all of the AA rechargeable batteries you could want and much more from a simple inverter connected to your car!</span> Stephen even shares a terrific anecdote about a guy who powered his entire house with his Jeep during Hurricane Sandy in October of 2012. Steve says that he constantly gets emails and photos from people who have watched this video and are using the skills that they learned from it to keep their family safe when others are miserable!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;">If you are seriously interested in any/all of the following, then this video series is an absolute must for you! Again, here's what is included in this amazing and comprehensive video series:</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: white;">Video 1: How to Select the Correct Battery </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: white;">Video 2: Making a Home Battery Bank for your Family</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: white;">Video 3: Making a Mobile Battery Bank in your Vehicle to Power Your House! </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: orange;">* Emergency Power for Your Family 24/7 </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">* Never be without Light, TV or Cell Phone </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">* You'll be Safe & Informed when others Suffer </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">* Don't Be a Fool & Suffer. This is the Right Thing to Do! </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">* Easily Watch Video on Mobile or Computer </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">* Watch Online Instantly & Download if you want. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">* iPad, Android, Mobile Compatible !! </span></b><br />
<br />
If you are seriously exploring setting up some kind of alternative energy solution for you and your family, then we can assure you will absolutely love this video series. If you have even the slightest doubt, then we have some good news for you! <span style="color: orange;">This video series comes with a<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange;">100% <u>no risk</u> satisfaction guarantee or your money back!</span> </span>That’s how confident Stephen is that you will love this video series of his... and we are confident that you will love it too!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://equip2survive.com/diy_battery_bank_emergency_backup.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Get your comprehensive DIY battery bank videos now! Learn how to build the perfect DIY battery bank for emergency backup or off grid living!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh446AY9O39ex80sS4TTsOhdnILWIjSUAvqpcM_nBA2z2SIJq37Vt5cVHnRdC_ENnG7OXbpwZSR6L2rL9sXIO21OBGBG21x8JCJg15ux5F3-dv1BXN13ldZg8E6JdzHtTPRog3qQQZ03Bi/s1600/getyourvideosnow.png" title="Get your comprehensive DIY battery bank videos now! Learn how to build the perfect DIY battery bank for emergency backup or off grid living!" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://equip2survive.com/diy_battery_bank_emergency_backup.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69INQiSloCSQt_OZQi0gbdhplWqpgLwNQ_y8OW10aPqJRfgNVpDMH2LIwZm9j5n6iL-T5qDtsfVhC8_QR-osoGfdBOASz-7ppdkPJvGqHTmT3iFNXv5HpmR7f5BR5pu9yl3c0m_PSj8Zn/s1600/batterybanksidebarLARGE.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://equip2survive.com/diy_battery_bank_emergency_backup.html" target="_blank">Click the image above to get your comprehensive comprehensive </a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://equip2survive.com/diy_battery_bank_emergency_backup.html" target="_blank">DIY battery bank video course today!</a></b></td></tr>
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<span id="goog_689631221"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-28995983314312147062014-12-31T12:21:00.002-08:002015-01-26T12:05:41.867-08:00Why You Should Add A Machete To Your Survival Kit!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeaH41wsLmUDeNoKg1iODeXb7gb-RA2YWWOEoqyZn8tydkBdMgXhnawvtZaoBCv4Chqa26wz7XPQ6peVP5RPc-WDxZvLsaXx8hesMLXI3jTVT8kbDDEY53emuFhGGfxzNcw5xkwkRkoTG/s1600/machete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeaH41wsLmUDeNoKg1iODeXb7gb-RA2YWWOEoqyZn8tydkBdMgXhnawvtZaoBCv4Chqa26wz7XPQ6peVP5RPc-WDxZvLsaXx8hesMLXI3jTVT8kbDDEY53emuFhGGfxzNcw5xkwkRkoTG/s1600/machete.jpg" height="400" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Machetes can be a game changer in a survival </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
situation, and not just for cleaving zombie heads! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Depending on your choice in machete, a machete can </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
be terrific for chopping, slicing, carving, cleaving and </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
clearing.</div>
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Machetes are far more useful tools for survival than many realize. When most bushcraft and survival enthusiasts think of standard core survival/bushcraft tools, we tend to immediately picture fixed blade survival knives, bushcraft saws and hatchets or axes (amongst others). While a machete isn't absolutely necessary, you might be surprised at how much a machete truly can add to your survival tool kit. <span style="color: orange;">Machetes are extremely versatile tools and can be considerable "game changers" in a survival situation.</span><br />
<br />
In skilled hands, a machete (depending on the design you ultimately choose) could arguably replace your knife and your hatchet! With the right machete you can chop wood, do fine carving, strike a ferro rod and many of the other tasks that you do with your knife, hatchet and axe! With a well chosen machete you can go from chopping directly to intricate carving without having to switch tools! This may not sound like a big deal, but when you need to construct a survival shelter with only a few hours of sunlight left, this can make a huge difference!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-WVXKm4IF9T-g1sHldHdDa61MpcL9cx-X3GcgLzpD6ZwwHuuxwq4MapAU2Tr6118NghnVCPqORgO9Ki1wD0ZypGb-glzvFg_rGqadAF65I-c_qtXYowVzSQw8jtQt1Fv6aMsuOniD4s6/s1600/machetes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-WVXKm4IF9T-g1sHldHdDa61MpcL9cx-X3GcgLzpD6ZwwHuuxwq4MapAU2Tr6118NghnVCPqORgO9Ki1wD0ZypGb-glzvFg_rGqadAF65I-c_qtXYowVzSQw8jtQt1Fv6aMsuOniD4s6/s1600/machetes.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Above are three popular "machetes". The top is the <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001H53Q8A" target="_blank">Ka-Bar </a><br />
<a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001H53Q8A" target="_blank">Kukri</a>. The bottom is our favorite machete, the <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001PYSNAO" target="_blank">Cold Steel </a><br />
<a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001PYSNAO" target="_blank">Gurkha Kukri</a>. In the middle is the <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001DZV3BG" target="_blank">Ontario RTAK II</a>. The </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
RTAK II is technically not a machete, but we love using this<br />
large knife like a machete. </div>
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One challenge you will likely encounter immediately upon choosing to add a machete to your kit is determining... <span style="color: orange;">which machete is right for you? </span>Just like with knives and axes, there are many types/styles of machetes, many brands and quite a range in terms of pricing. So which styles are best suited for your survival/bushcraft needs? What materials should your machete be made of? Which brand should you choose? And how much should you spend?</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Choosing the right machete is mostly determined by how you plan to use your machete and where.</span> Do you plan on using it primarily in the jungle? In the woods? In an urban environment as a self-defense tool or weapon? As a zombie eliminator? Determining this will help you narrow down your options considerably for choosing a machete design/style that best suits your needs.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN89gTxdVjkmEcTwKfFPqEct_2Tch9H-wCXHRAKIs2T7bUiAZ9v_ZCDoVuUVSnupNqvH7UBP71sR5bvmvyhEPwu5MeeLn6YUw3kRNSZ0lWOC83xtm8o7GsYjxOp5ntl5SBk22tltu_81Mi/s1600/latin_style_machete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN89gTxdVjkmEcTwKfFPqEct_2Tch9H-wCXHRAKIs2T7bUiAZ9v_ZCDoVuUVSnupNqvH7UBP71sR5bvmvyhEPwu5MeeLn6YUw3kRNSZ0lWOC83xtm8o7GsYjxOp5ntl5SBk22tltu_81Mi/s1600/latin_style_machete.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Latin style machete.</td></tr>
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The quintessential traditional machete (the style seen in movies and used in the jungle to clear paths of grasses, vines and vegetation) is known as the <span style="color: orange;">Latin Style Machete</span>. It is a long and straight machete designed to effectively clear away brush, briars, vines, grasses and more. It is not a very effective wood chopper, but it excels at most other light and medium tasks. The Latin style machete is the machete traditionally used by the U.S. military. Latin style machetes are great tools, but they may not be the ideal choice for a survival machete. Fortunately we have other options available to us!</div>
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<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqmy6Ssb_yRfTk53QyWRmdyZrWb2c9_6lMaG1om_7kN6RsFFEJVF4G5WDU4FPLLEfM-fbbJECgMhnZUf1G25VocUUis0KZG4Sw8MLV4e80nwi3nWWPbaW_e_LoyACYYS-ZDcWIdy-Seyv/s1600/bolo_style_machete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqmy6Ssb_yRfTk53QyWRmdyZrWb2c9_6lMaG1om_7kN6RsFFEJVF4G5WDU4FPLLEfM-fbbJECgMhnZUf1G25VocUUis0KZG4Sw8MLV4e80nwi3nWWPbaW_e_LoyACYYS-ZDcWIdy-Seyv/s1600/bolo_style_machete.jpg" height="196" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The Bolo style machete adds a little </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
extra punch for chopping.</div>
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The <span style="color: orange;">Asian Bolo Machete</span> is similar to the Latin Style, but it has a notable performance upgrade. The Bolo Machete has added heft and weight toward the working end of the machete giving it much more of a punch for brute force chopping. The Bolo Machete, like it's Latin cousin, is a trailblazing machine with considerably more backbone. While the Bolo is a dependable chopping workhorse, it is not nearly as effective as other machete styles for more intricate tasks. This makes the Bolo a bit less versatile than other machete styles. The <span style="color: orange;">African Panga</span> is very similar in nature to the Asian Bolo.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbb7es-1pXVNW5IPnIj4BmNVLWTmz78vOO2o1VUZM8bahMTMnxxJzzgb-bVWfxqwj70a2_OXTh0CC5Gbd3sN-Xs6c5vp5jsqLNNfZIJqc1m-carDkX77C8bgMgNC4SNlur5Bdu_ctLhvQO/s1600/kukri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbb7es-1pXVNW5IPnIj4BmNVLWTmz78vOO2o1VUZM8bahMTMnxxJzzgb-bVWfxqwj70a2_OXTh0CC5Gbd3sN-Xs6c5vp5jsqLNNfZIJqc1m-carDkX77C8bgMgNC4SNlur5Bdu_ctLhvQO/s1600/kukri.jpg" height="50" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The popular and versatile kukri.</td></tr>
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The <span style="color: orange;">Kukri Machete</span> is a Nepalese design that has become extremely popular as of late. The kukri is actually considered an all purpose utility knife by the Nepalese people (much like the puukko is the everyday knife of Finland), but the larger versions of this knife are commonly sold around the world as machetes. The kukri has become extremely popular as a machete for good reason. It's inwardly curved edge, sharp point and innate balance due to it's shape and proportions make it a versatile tool, effective chopper, and a excellent weapon. <span style="color: orange;">The kukri in our view is easily the most versatile of all the machete styles as the outer edge of the blade is incredibly effective for chopping while the inner blade is outstanding for more intricate work and cuts.</span> None of the other popular machete styles or designs touch the kukri in terms of versatility.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctdoWcX1MCvMVM2Somh2ddwphFqujX37yjhckAna07lmY20s-ykzI4TOFcRtlTG0tK4hk-AlB-TFkl8CeJopFECzfBp99n84Am8Jdq7xcHv8HChEFT_pmOwe_sj_lEp0kvHwwkl77cWa-/s1600/bowie_knife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctdoWcX1MCvMVM2Somh2ddwphFqujX37yjhckAna07lmY20s-ykzI4TOFcRtlTG0tK4hk-AlB-TFkl8CeJopFECzfBp99n84Am8Jdq7xcHv8HChEFT_pmOwe_sj_lEp0kvHwwkl77cWa-/s1600/bowie_knife.jpg" height="56" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large Bowie style knife.</td></tr>
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There are a number of other machete styles that we could cover in detail, but the ones we have covered above are the most common and popular styles. One last "machete style" (in quotes because it is not technically a machete but is often used like a machete) worth mentioning is the <span style="color: orange;">American Bowie Knife</span>. We include this famous American knife tradition on this machete page for several reasons.<br />
<br />
While the Bowie is a large knife as opposed to a machete, it has much in common with the popular kukri. <span style="color: orange;">The Bowie is a "king sized" multipurpose knife that has great chopping and slashing abilities, but the Bowie's design allows it to also be used for processing game and skinning! </span>It is also a terrific weapon. We realize that we are taking some liberties by including the Bowie very loosely in the "machete" category, but the Bowie is arguably the closest thing to an American version of a machete. <span style="color: orange;">Just as the kukri is truly a utility knife yet loosely included in the machete category, the Bowie knife could easily be treated the same way.</span> </div>
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<span style="color: orange;">So how much should you spend on a machete?</span> Machetes come in a range of prices starting at around $10 and climb up from there into hundreds of dollars and more. Part of determining what you should spend on a quality machete obviously depends on what you can afford. Most of the same rules that apply to knives in terms of price, quality, craftsmanship, construction, materials, etc. apply to machetes as well.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6qQjSx19N4-8hY0m3GaEUqXyHrf_kNThRHBgOud2cYrqboKG1DS7_LZnM1V1D5OVJ4pDxVQv7dDKgg_6vKidVPq3thTlz2TAdwif-DJWWJVmx9-QbgUrzNyisJBx3R3kebPemxGuR6fQ/s1600/machete_comparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6qQjSx19N4-8hY0m3GaEUqXyHrf_kNThRHBgOud2cYrqboKG1DS7_LZnM1V1D5OVJ4pDxVQv7dDKgg_6vKidVPq3thTlz2TAdwif-DJWWJVmx9-QbgUrzNyisJBx3R3kebPemxGuR6fQ/s1600/machete_comparison.jpg" height="400" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Here is just one example of the difference between our<br />
$50 <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001H53Q8A" target="_blank">Ka-Bar Kukri</a> and our $150 <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001PYSNAO" target="_blank">Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri</a>.<br />
Asyou can see, the Ka-Bar on the left is a flat piece of<br />
metal from handle to tip. The <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001PYSNAO" target="_blank">Cold Steel Kukri</a> on the<br />
right has a nicely tapered blade that improves the balance<br />
in your hand incredibly. This means that your hand and<br />
arm experience far less fatigue as you use the Cold<br />
Steel.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">We cannot emphasize enough how much this </span><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001PYSNAO" style="color: orange;" target="_blank">Cold Steel </a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001PYSNAO" style="color: orange;" target="_blank">Gurkha Kukri</a><span style="color: orange;"> </span><span style="color: yellow;">is worth every single penny that it retails <br />for!</span></b></td></tr>
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Remember the old adage <i><span style="color: orange;">"You get what you pay for".</span></i> Some folks opt for the cheapest machetes and are perfectly happy with them. They don't see the point in spending more than $10 on a machete... until they actually have an opportunity to use a higher quality machete. <span style="color: orange;">Some of the cheaper machetes are basically sheet metal with an edge on them. </span>Make sure you take a close look at the materials your machete is made of and its construction/design.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
A quality machete is going to be your friend for years to come. <span style="color: orange;">Fair quality machetes tend to cost around $25 to $50. I would recommend spending <i>at least</i> this much on your machete. </span>If you are interested in a truly high quality machete made of quality materials and of a design that will excel in performance and last you for decades as a reliable tool, then spending $100 or more on a machete is far from out of the question and is something you should absolutely consider if you can afford it. $100 or more for a machete may sound expensive, but <span style="color: orange;">a $150 dollar machete can truly be a dream to use as opposed to a $50 machete. It really can make a difference. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Machetes that are $200 or more tend to be more high-end collectors blades for special tactical purposes or with various handcrafted details that aren't necessary or even significantly helpful in the woods. Sure, we'd all love to have one, but these high end machetes are beyond what most of us truly need in terms of satisfying that "quality useful tool" void that most of us are aiming to fill by acquiring a machete. They are "drool factor" blades. That being said, if you can afford a really nice quality tactical or custom machete for your collection, then by all means go for it! </div>
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<div>
Word of advice: <span style="color: orange;">Don't buy a machete just because it looks cool. </span>Stay away from machetes with "Zombie" in their names. These are marketed to be novelty items as opposed to effective tools. Evaluate your prospective machete in terms of performance, quality in design and materials, comfort, balance and ease of use. <span style="color: orange;">You want a machete that is a pleasure to use and excels as a practical tool for the purposes you intend to use it for.</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">Now that you understand the asset a machete can be in a survival situation, it's time to choose yours! Here are three that we have tested and recommend!</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: yellow;">ENTRY LEVEL</span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;">INTERMEDIATE</span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;">BEST IN SHOW!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001H53Q8A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001H53Q8A&linkCode=as2&tag=equip2survive-20&linkId=ZCJYTY3D6ZLLXN7Y"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B001H53Q8A&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=equip2survive-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=equip2survive-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001H53Q8A" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</div>
<div style="float: left; height: 160px; margin-left: 10px; width: 160px;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009XMYUMK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009XMYUMK&linkCode=as2&tag=equip2survive-20&linkId=6TMIMJKO6ZWFKGHT"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B009XMYUMK&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=equip2survive-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=equip2survive-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B009XMYUMK" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</div>
<div style="clear: right; float: left; height: 160px; margin-left: 10px; width: 160px;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PYSNAO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001PYSNAO&linkCode=as2&tag=equip2survive-20&linkId=QK3CPUYWNLOC2IAK"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B001PYSNAO&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=equip2survive-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=equip2survive-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001PYSNAO" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</div>
<div style="clear: left; float: left; height: 20; margin-top: 10px; width: 160px;">
The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001H53Q8A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001H53Q8A&linkCode=as2&tag=equip2survive-20&linkId=QCLOKINQYP3XDVRC">Ka-Bar Kukri</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=equip2survive-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001H53Q8A" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
is a great "entry level" quality machete at a reasonable price. While this machete may not have the balance, comfort and performance the next two do, it will get the job done.</div>
<div style="float: left; height: 20; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 10px; width: 160px;">
The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009XMYUMK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009XMYUMK&linkCode=as2&tag=equip2survive-20&linkId=HVVPBEGBYEK3WVT6">RTAK-II, Micarta Handle, Plain, w/Sheath</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=equip2survive-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B009XMYUMK" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, while not truly a machete, is a terrific chopper that we love using as a machete. While not nearly as well balanced as the Cold Steel, this thing is a chopper.</div>
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The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PYSNAO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001PYSNAO&linkCode=as2&tag=equip2survive-20&linkId=WKDHUDCGC5DOVUHE">Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri Kraton Handle</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=equip2survive-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001PYSNAO" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> is our absolute favorite machete by far. While more expensive than the other two models, this one is worth every penny in terms of comfort and performance!</div>
</div>
<span style="color: orange;">Want to see some more really killer machetes??</span> Yes, some of them are "drool factor" blades, but they are still fun to look at! Maybe some machete tutorials? Tips and tricks? Check out our <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/machete/" target="_blank">Machete Pinterest board</a> to see more machete amazingness!</div>
<br />
<a data-pin-board-width="525" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="525" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/machete/">Follow EQUIP2SURVIVE's board Machete on Pinterest.</a>
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<script async="" defer="" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-58761654038754165492014-12-30T10:23:00.000-08:002014-12-30T11:00:09.217-08:00Why You Should Master The Art Of Feather Stick Making!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOuoGS8Tqd0Q71q0cCiLCpJlxeaxMg80JvUXZjpEwZqAT0_gpIWekoABYKqCBC1GZoCx5gDkX69cPGRSO3eJLu-EUodHAML094xSOmN-Do23uzuEVVS4IwaMarCfUXU6S4wk_EYaZXqGTL/s1600/feather_sticks_pin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOuoGS8Tqd0Q71q0cCiLCpJlxeaxMg80JvUXZjpEwZqAT0_gpIWekoABYKqCBC1GZoCx5gDkX69cPGRSO3eJLu-EUodHAML094xSOmN-Do23uzuEVVS4IwaMarCfUXU6S4wk_EYaZXqGTL/s1600/feather_sticks_pin.jpg" height="400" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Mastering the art of feather stick making is a terrific way to </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
process dry tinder and hone your knife skills... and it's lots</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
of fun!</div>
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Feather sticks (also known as fuzz sticks) are a popular bushcraft activity/skill to master for a number of very practical reasons. <span style="color: orange;">Feather sticks are not only a terrific improvised source of tinder, but making feather sticks dramatically improves your knife skills! </span>These two reasons alone make mastering feather stick making a must for every survival and bushcraft enthusiast!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Quality feather stick curls are paper thin and can be ignited with merely a spark from a fire steel or ferro rod. </span>Even less-than-optimal feather stick curls can be tremendously helpful in a survival situation, but the finer and thinner you can shave your feather stick curls the better! All you have to do is spend a little time working on your technique and practice and you should be able to get paper thin curls in no time!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">The primary bushcraft/survival benefit of learning to make quality feather sticks is that this skill gives you the ability to process dry tinder even in wet conditions. </span>As we all know, when conditions are wet it can be really challenging to forage natural dry tinder. In wet or damp conditions, being able to make a few feather sticks allows you to process dry tinder when dry tinder cannot be found or foraged. This can be a game changer in terms of creating fire and can literally be the difference between having a fire and going without!<br />
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Not only are feather sticks a tremendous way to process dry tinder, <span style="color: orange;">they are also a fantastic way to hone and finesse your knife skills.</span> It takes considerable skill and control to make quality paper thin curls on a feather stick and it's something that takes some practice and technique. It takes an extremely delicate touch, but anyone can master it with some practice and proper technique. <span style="color: orange;">It's one thing to baton a beefy knife through a log to process it down into kindling. It's quite another to have the ability to leverage your knife with finesse and delicacy to process a typical stick into paper-thin tinder that can ignite with just a spark!</span><br />
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A few variables are required for optimal feather sticks. First, you must have a quality (not necessarily expensive) sharp knife. Feather sticks can be made with a number of different types of outdoor knives, but some types of knives work much better than others. <span style="color: orange;">We have found that a "scandi" grind (beveled) blade tends to work better than other types of grinds.</span> Also, fixed blade knives tend to work better than folders for this application.<br />
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Wood type is another variable that will impact the quality of your feather stick curls. Try different types of woods. Green sticks are even easier to shave and curl than dry sticks, but unfortunately the moisture content in green sticks is higher making them more difficult to ignite with just a spark. That being said, even green sticks dry out very quickly once they are feathered... so making a few feather sticks out of green wood and setting them in the wind and sun can dry them out overnight or even in a few hours improving their ignition point. <span style="color: orange;">Dry woods are definitely preferred for producing immediately available tinder. The size, shape, length and diameter of your wood will also impact the quality of your feather sticks. </span>There are a number of schools of thought on these variables, so try several and learn which variables work best for you.<br />
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Technique is a huge variable in the feather stick equation. There are a number of ways to approach feather stick making (general technique), but several common variables in feather stick making seem to produce better results regardless of the general technique that you end up preferring. <span style="color: orange;">A firm grip of your knife</span> (much like the grip you'd use to hold the handle bar on your mountain bike), a <span style="color: orange;">locked wrist and elbow</span> are also key to your technique as you push through your wood with <span style="color: orange;">long strokes powered by your shoulder</span> are key to nice long curls. <span style="color: orange;">Angle of the blade</span> as you glide down your stroke can change the dynamic of your curls as well. Angling your blade to the left or right as you push through tends to make your curls travel in like direction into nice elongated spirals as opposed to tight overlapping curls, allowing your curls to access more air which is ideal for ignition. Another tip is to <span style="color: orange;">use the curved part of your knife blade for best results</span>.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Here's a great feather stick video tutorial from the bushcraft legend Mors Kochanski!:</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="283" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TdbwJJkPGXA" width="505"></iframe><br /></div>
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So what does a "textbook" optimal feather stick look like? Here is an illustration from <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/1551051222" target="_blank">Mors Kochanski's <i>Bushcraft</i> book</a> to use as a guide for your feather sticks and how to evaluate your technique and curls for optimal results:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2_vX8dmGWv-cL0bdZjJqJCxyIJYBeALjij69lrEAFRmTgKELZ8b_kBnTOsBxA1eGZ2YKOkbyCXqRz-Gpxx958JYD2TMtM8T1K0RBgJuFMX5nz07PXi2zCduEJxWUpMtzdSvZ3IZxkgot/s1600/IMG_1565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2_vX8dmGWv-cL0bdZjJqJCxyIJYBeALjij69lrEAFRmTgKELZ8b_kBnTOsBxA1eGZ2YKOkbyCXqRz-Gpxx958JYD2TMtM8T1K0RBgJuFMX5nz07PXi2zCduEJxWUpMtzdSvZ3IZxkgot/s1600/IMG_1565.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
From Mors Kochanski's book, <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/1551051222" target="_blank"><i>Bushcraft</i></a>, examples (left to right) of best </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
feather stick results compared to worse feather stick results</div>
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Now don't get discouraged if your early attempts at feather stick making don't result in a huge blossom of gorgeous paper-thin curls. It takes practice getting the proper technique down! <span style="color: orange;">Don't give up!</span> Also, "textbook" feather sticks have all of their curls intact and attached to the stick they are shaved from... but this is not required. <span style="color: orange;">Even loose curls make wonderful tinder </span>(Tip: Collect your loose curls in a hat or container to keep them off the damp ground and keep them dry)! Keeping your curls attached to the original stick merely adds to the fun of the challenge and demonstrating additional skill. It's lots of fun to practice improving your technique and make adjustments to your blade angle, draw length, etc. to produce thinner and curlier feather sticks. You will see your results improve dramatically with practice!<br />
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One last reason to learn to feather stick: <span style="color: orange;">Quality feather sticks are simply a thing of beauty! </span>The tight delicate curls of finely shaved feather sticks are absolutely gorgeous! They are like small curled paper sculptures that look magical in the light of the sun and fire. The ability to transform a typical "boring" stick into a bloom of gorgeous paper-thin curls is an impressive skill that even your friends will admire! Doing it right in front of them will elicit a response that is almost like executing an impressive magic trick!<br />
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So next time you find yourself with a little extra time, a knife and some wood, try your hand at some feather sticks! <span style="color: orange;">Feather sticks are a really great way to hone your knife skills, process tinder for fire and spend a little time relaxing in the outdoors!</span><br />
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Let us know what you think about feather sticks! Got any tips or tricks of your own you'd like to share? Can you think of any other great reasons to learn feather stick making? Let us know with your comments below!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;">Want to see some more examples of gorgeous feather sticks? Check out our <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/feather-sticks-fuzz-sticks/" target="_blank">Feather Stick Pinterest board</a> below!</span><br />
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<a data-pin-board-width="525" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="525" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/feather-sticks-fuzz-sticks/">Follow EQUIP2SURVIVE's board Feather Sticks (Fuzz Sticks) on Pinterest.</a>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-81864693204966145512014-12-28T12:49:00.000-08:002014-12-28T12:55:00.209-08:00Why A Bug Out Trailer Should Be A Part Of Your Preps!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7behZ8Jt7b2KpBAk2zJ1BTE2Cuzu_cX1PaG2-e80_cxn4JLFtPDE793CMYz38nivLt7bDoPMxwyUWFsW12-Rdb7qAZExJAgYnKdG4iY2A0ffIKEV10DeHet4CFXGmQypnxKUC8WXUFeo/s1600/bug_out_trailer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7behZ8Jt7b2KpBAk2zJ1BTE2Cuzu_cX1PaG2-e80_cxn4JLFtPDE793CMYz38nivLt7bDoPMxwyUWFsW12-Rdb7qAZExJAgYnKdG4iY2A0ffIKEV10DeHet4CFXGmQypnxKUC8WXUFeo/s1600/bug_out_trailer.jpg" height="400" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Have you considered a <span style="color: orange;">bug out trailer</span> as part of<br />
your preps? Well perhaps you should!</div>
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<a href="http://equip2survive.blogspot.com/2014/12/bug-out-vehicle-super-photo-gallery.html" target="_blank">Bug out vehicles</a> are extremely popular with preppers, survivalists and preparedness enthusiasts, but <span style="color: orange;">have you considered a bug out trailer to compliment your bug out vehicle with?</span> Well, for a number of reasons... perhaps you should!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Let's talk about some of the advantages of having a bug out trailer</span> over simply having a bug out vehicle. For starters, you can deck out your bug out trailer in ways that allow you to NOT have to deck out your vehicle with gear and all sorts of survival trappings. Let's face it... we can't all afford to have a designated bug out vehicle. We use our vehicles every day for all sorts of daily life tasks like commuting to work, hauling kids, picking up groceries, going out to dinner and everything else we all do throughout a given week. It's tricky to design a vehicle to meet all of your survival needs AND have it meet all of your other daily needs. So what if you could simply attach a trailer to your hitch on your regular vehicle that turns it into a mean survival machine? Well, you can!<br />
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Another great reason to consider a bug out trailer is the simple fact that <span style="color: orange;">your gear is much better protected from wear and tear from the elements!</span> Keeping your gear in a hot car while it is parked in the hot sun while you are out and about or while you are at work all day can be really hard on batteries, food, gear and so much more. Tools are nearly as well protected from rust caused by humidity. Keeping your designated bug out trailer in your garage or in another protected area can keep your gear out of the hot sun, wind, rain, snow and more prolonging the life of your gear so that it is ready when you need it!<br />
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You can put virtually whatever you could possibly want or need in terms of gear and supplies in or on your bug out trailer in ways that you could not put on your vehicle in a practical way. <span style="color: orange;">How about an integrated fully decked out camp kitchen?</span> No problem. <span style="color: orange;">Solar panels and a battery bank?</span> You got it! <span style="color: orange;">A roof top tent?</span> You bet! (Sure you can put a roof top tent on your vehicle, but the elements from driving around with it on your main vehicle every day can really wear and tear on your roof top tent). <span style="color: orange;">How about extra cans of fuel for your vehicle? Propane tanks and a heater?</span> Not a problem! And if you store all of these items in or on your bug out vehicle protected in your garage or out building, your gear and tools stay safe from the elements and you don't have to store or carry all of this stuff around in your everyday vehicle! How nice is that?<br />
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There are a lot of options in terms of procuring your ideal bug out trailer. Bug out trailers can be purchased already made ("Adventure Trailers") or they can be homemade if you are handy. You can even repurpose old truck beds if you are so inclined. Your bug out trailer could even be a "teardrop trailer" with a camper like sleeping area inside and you can still add a rooftop tent to it!<br />
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The possibilities for bug out trailers are virtually endless and are only limited to your imagination!<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">So what do you think about a bug out trailer? </span>What would your ideal bug out trailer be? Let us know with your comments!
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<br />
<a data-pin-board-width="525" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="525" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-trailers/">Follow EQUIP2SURVIVE's board Bug Out Trailers on Pinterest.</a>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-69371300691865818342014-12-23T12:24:00.000-08:002014-12-23T12:24:58.429-08:00Ultimate Bug Out Bag Page!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin38NLiV4Ci5KLQGkygAh-PLAf9WQye_kFU4MKid2pPrNYH21KuYHaJN6lQ0E2pUpLTrSEOhqbbwB0UOx677zf8AVbNVVcVmuZgOxlyP2hORCoi5x6jPsmxdCY6KfyJarRdqJlPIG_VZUZ/s1600/bug_out_bag_page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The ultimate bug out bag inspiration page!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin38NLiV4Ci5KLQGkygAh-PLAf9WQye_kFU4MKid2pPrNYH21KuYHaJN6lQ0E2pUpLTrSEOhqbbwB0UOx677zf8AVbNVVcVmuZgOxlyP2hORCoi5x6jPsmxdCY6KfyJarRdqJlPIG_VZUZ/s1600/bug_out_bag_page.jpg" height="640" title="The ultimate bug out bag inspiration page!" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The ultimate bug out bag ideas, inspiration, packs,</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
gear, tips, tricks and everything else bug out bag</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
related page!!</div>
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Bug out bags are central to every disaster preparedness plan. Whether you are interested in creating your very first bug out bag or you are a bug out bag veteran who wants to make sure that your kits are as good as they can possibly be, <span style="color: orange;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-bag/" target="_blank">this is the page for incredible bug out bag inspiration!</a></span> Looking for the ideal pack to transform into your ideal bug out bag? Want tips on what kind of gear to load your bug out bag up with? Want to learn ways to lighten your load without sacrificing needs? Need bug out bag concepts designed for ladies, children or even dogs? You have come to the right place!<br />
<br />
It doesn't matter if you are creating a bug out bag, get home bag, INCH (I'm Never Coming Home) bag or vehicle survival kit... <span style="color: orange;">we have assembled literally hundreds of bug out bag ideas, tutorials, pictorial guides, lists, gear recommendations, tips, tricks and more!</span><br />
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Check out our <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-bag/" target="_blank">Ultimate Bug Out Bag Pinterest board</a> here!:<br />
<br />
<a data-pin-board-width="525" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="525" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-bag/">Follow EQUIP2SURVIVE's board Bug Out Bag on Pinterest.</a>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-84921651625895678792014-12-22T16:40:00.002-08:002014-12-23T09:01:01.127-08:00Paracord Project Inspiration!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8DNWcQFroRKaHLrXQv-ex5ObdzZU3llVV6bIJnFdG_FwFDCrhM76uG-ra8JPtuAtMw0AmcDE4czjXVbO07y6ykrC6xI6_irU3ZopMjW0-2cEvtL_YOL_WaozFUxLqubG2g0grgR8tTqV/s1600/paracord_page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8DNWcQFroRKaHLrXQv-ex5ObdzZU3llVV6bIJnFdG_FwFDCrhM76uG-ra8JPtuAtMw0AmcDE4czjXVbO07y6ykrC6xI6_irU3ZopMjW0-2cEvtL_YOL_WaozFUxLqubG2g0grgR8tTqV/s1600/paracord_page.jpg" height="400" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
You can make all kinds of great looking and<br />
useful items with 550 paracord! The cow<br />
hitch knot was used to make this fantastic<br />
looking paracord water bottle net holder!</div>
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As you probably already know, paracord is awesome stuff. It is an amazing tool and resource to have in a survival situation. Paracord is so versatile for fabricating things like shelters, traps, rigging tarps, fishing, using to fabricate a bow drill, suspend a bottle over a fire... the list of survival uses for paracord is endless!<br />
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Because of this wonderful versatility, many survival enthusiasts have turned ways to ensure that paracord is in their kits and with them at all times! Sure you can throw a hank of paracord in a pack pocket, but what if you find yourself in a crisis situation where your bug out bag or EDC happens to not be with you? This is what has inspired so many folks come up with all kinds of creative ways to make certain that paracord is with them at all times!<br />
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One great way to make sure that you have 550 paracord on you at all times is to <span style="color: orange;">swap out your boot or shoe strings with paracord!</span> Pretty clever, huh? While this is a terrific idea, there are so many more clever things you can do with paracord!<br />
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Other examples of popular paracord projects include the common "survival bracelet", paracord lanyards and paracord keychain fobs... but many paracord enthusiasts go well beyond these in terms of creativity and functionality.<br />
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It's increasingly more common to see people replace their classic leather belt with <span style="color: orange;">a belt made from paracord!</span> Paracord dog collars, leashes and harnesses are also popular. Paracord wraps on knife, axe, hatchet and other tool handles are a terrific idea as well! How about paracord wraps on luggage handles, pack handles and other straps? Or paracord guitar straps and rifle lanyards? We have seen all kinds of really cool and practical applications for paracord like watch bands, slings for water bottles, compression straps with handles for blankets/bedding, pouches, drink koozies, zipper pulls (some oversized to make them easier to grab with mittens or gloves on), laptop bag straps... the possibilities are only as limited as your imagination!<br />
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OK... now for some really creative and decorative uses for paracord. Many folks have done some really nice <span style="color: orange;">paracord bottle nets</span> to protect their bottles and hang them from their pack with a carabiner! You can use a cobra knot to paracord wrap your phone charging cable! Sportsmen and women can easily make their own paracord fishing lure, fly or duck call lanyard! There are even some great mess kit sets that come with a nesting stove, cook pot, and bottle all contained in a paracord holder and clip on shoulder strap! You can even make beautiful paracord "jewelry" out of paracord!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1H0x2-F4ItJ0Yv25adL_-CmqweBngnjjECN46HKqjGMLODUb04Zy3HtN1qf2o0K3XNRWozrnaoNGrKFf89oJAhdXpYhk_XE0MyuiFQO0BZi9f-X2f418bZOzR5-9G_MylPGO13F6wnl4/s1600/survival_550_paracord_bracelet_ACU_camo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1H0x2-F4ItJ0Yv25adL_-CmqweBngnjjECN46HKqjGMLODUb04Zy3HtN1qf2o0K3XNRWozrnaoNGrKFf89oJAhdXpYhk_XE0MyuiFQO0BZi9f-X2f418bZOzR5-9G_MylPGO13F6wnl4/s1600/survival_550_paracord_bracelet_ACU_camo.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Classic "double cobra" knot survival<br />
bracelet in ACU camo colors. </div>
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Paracord projects are typically done with a number of popular knots. These knots are used for tying and wrapping paracord around various items for all kinds of projects. The <span style="color: orange;">cobra knot</span> and the king cobra (or double cobra) is by far the most popular and most common knot for paracord project use. It is an easy knot to learn and extremely versatile.<br />
<br />
Like the cobra knot, many of these popular paracord knots are very easy to learn and utilize, but a few are a bit more challenging... but that doesn't stop paracord enthusiasts from using them! While a few of these knots are a bit more challenging, these more challenging knots produce some really amazing results. They are really cool looking and are well worth the extra effort. The <span style="color: orange;">"turks head" knot</span> is a terrific example of one such knot. It is a beautiful decorative knot that is very popular, despite being somewhat more difficult to tie.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAQl_4OrN5nGKAlB2TZ1ygG333jvtK8_AqHgAYZ-rj_SWqZg1wJaLMazJA3LlzyxpP-FMlzcq9_JeoUf5JvrWCxOot5cPh41ERFY4Nwo7HFKEgbAZEk0XCqSYhu50gHg_qOZ_xCk56vxp/s1600/turks_head_reflective_enhanced.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAQl_4OrN5nGKAlB2TZ1ygG333jvtK8_AqHgAYZ-rj_SWqZg1wJaLMazJA3LlzyxpP-FMlzcq9_JeoUf5JvrWCxOot5cPh41ERFY4Nwo7HFKEgbAZEk0XCqSYhu50gHg_qOZ_xCk56vxp/s1600/turks_head_reflective_enhanced.jpg" height="200" width="148" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
This Nalgene bottle was<br />
wrapped with a three color<br />
turks head wrap. The center<br />
strand was made using<br />
reflective paracord making<br />
it extravisible in the dark!</div>
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</tbody></table>
There are a host of other knots that can help you make some really amazing looking paracord projects. To learn more about all kinds of knots (both useful and decorative), check out our <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/knots-for-survival/" target="_blank">Knots Pinterest board</a> for all kinds of photos, tutorials and more!:<br />
<br />
<a data-pin-board-width="525" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="320" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/knots-for-survival/">Follow EQUIP2SURVIVE's board Knots For Survival on Pinterest.</a>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IO2iDJC_C3Fr0ZFezv27I9uTioEkIRbgVHQJuKltSxSq4dx_iz1v0phSc-2cIvAGCyZbeRiDq6bjX_MfO1ME8pvNttkgFLhKqOXDv8moBzFTSEt7ww9KLH65r5L_IedB3skCIldrmP-r/s1600/paracord_survival_grenade.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IO2iDJC_C3Fr0ZFezv27I9uTioEkIRbgVHQJuKltSxSq4dx_iz1v0phSc-2cIvAGCyZbeRiDq6bjX_MfO1ME8pvNttkgFLhKqOXDv8moBzFTSEt7ww9KLH65r5L_IedB3skCIldrmP-r/s1600/paracord_survival_grenade.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
A paracord "survival grenade" is a </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
micro survival kit wrapped in </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
paracord with a carabiner attached </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
to clip to a kit or keychain.</div>
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One of our favorite paracord innovations over the last few years is the <span style="color: orange;">paracord "survival grenade"</span>! No, they are not explosive weapons. "Grenade" is simply a nickname that has become popularized for these little micro survival kits that are completely wrapped in paracord for protection. Often these little "survival grenades" consist of a handful of micro survival tools (like a tiny knife, micro firesteel and striker, fish hooks, some kind of tinder, etc.) and wrapped in aluminum foil or stuffed in an Altoids tin, then the paracord is wrapped around the outside of the kit container and contents to keep the kit wrapped and protected by the tough paracord. Because the paracord is wrapped around the outside of the kit, it takes no room at all on the inside of the kit yet you still have your paracord as pard of the kit! Usually a little carabiner is clipped on to a loop in the paracord so that the entire tiny kit can quickly be clipped to a pack or even a keychain.<br />
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Want to check out some cool <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/survival-grenades/" target="_blank">Paracord Survival Grenades</a>? Check them out on our <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/survival-grenades/" target="_blank">Survival Grenade Pinterest board</a> here!:<br />
<br />
<a data-pin-board-width="525" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="320" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/survival-grenades/">Follow EQUIP2SURVIVE's board Survival Grenades on Pinterest.</a>
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<br />
In addition to paracord for your paracord projects, you might want to invest in some useful paracord project hardware items to complete your project. Most of these are very inexpensive. Items like buckles, shackles, clips, cord ends, cord stops/locks, d-rings and more! The hardware you will need will depend on what you are making with your paracord project. You can find lots of the most popular paracord project hardware here!:<br />
<br />
<h3>
<a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?node=163&page=1" target="_blank">Paracord Project Hardware from Equip2Survive</a></h3>
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There are also a number of tools that you could be interested in that can really help you with your paracord projects too. Basic hemostats are really helpful when you need to pull a loose paracord end through a tight spot. You can get a pair of basic hemostats for just a couple of bucks! Paracord needles are another really helpful tool. Paracord needles are a unique hollow needle that is threaded on the inside to hold your paracord as you push it through tight places. Paracord needles are a must for turks head knots. You can even get (or make) special jigs to help you get your survival bracelets exactly the right length!<br />
<br />
<h3>
<a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?node=163&page=1" target="_blank">Paracord Project Tools from Equip2Survive</a></h3>
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If you are interested in doing some paracord projects of your own, then check out our Paracord Pinterest board for tons of inspiration, project and knot tutorials, clever ways to use paracord, and so much more!
<br />
<br />
Check out our <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/paracord/" target="_blank">Paracord Pinterest board</a> here!:<br />
<br />
<a data-pin-board-width="525" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="525" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/paracord/">Follow EQUIP2SURVIVE's board Paracord on Pinterest.</a>
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<script async="" defer="" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-25230217606583001812014-12-17T14:44:00.000-08:002014-12-22T09:01:59.530-08:00How Glow In The Dark Survival Gear Mods Could Save Your Life!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinA3_b51npoZrXTSurk9goYdTI_w0gCJclWVGhvAaJwszO8DOOaAsT4Usw_Sfq0ceFhv7SPbVzUn9BqBg1drf_2HB-2L2Z8OUNFNrIGwyr4aobV5QMBhwAx4Gt8SlsscRmJ0gVXFEHVFe9/s1600/glow_in_the_dark_gear_mods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinA3_b51npoZrXTSurk9goYdTI_w0gCJclWVGhvAaJwszO8DOOaAsT4Usw_Sfq0ceFhv7SPbVzUn9BqBg1drf_2HB-2L2Z8OUNFNrIGwyr4aobV5QMBhwAx4Gt8SlsscRmJ0gVXFEHVFe9/s1600/glow_in_the_dark_gear_mods.jpg" height="640" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Simply adding glow in the dark gear mods to your </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
survival gear and tools helps you keep track of them</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
much after dark!</div>
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Everyone knows that a large part of being prepared for a survival situation means having the right tools on hand. But what if you made the necessary preparations and gathered all those necessary tools, <span style="color: orange;">but then you lose your knife, firesteel, or other critical survival tool in the dark?</span> Or what if you simply need to find something quickly and easily in the dark after you have gone to bed?<br />
<br />
Losing gear is so easy to do and most of us have done it. You can easily get your firesteel out, start your tinder or fire steel, cavalierly set your firesteel down somewhere while you attend to nurturing your fire... then once your fire has taken off realize <span style="color: orange;">you have no idea where you laid your firesteel!!</span> So frustrating!! The same can happen with your knife, saw, machete, or any other piece of gear! Especially in the dark!<br />
<br />
So what’s the answer? Well one really prudent precaution to take is to <span style="color: orange;">simply add a modification of some kind to your precious gear that makes it (or at least a small part of it) glow in the dark so it is much easier to find!</span><br />
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There are a number of ways for you do to this. You can actually buy gear that has GITD components already built into it like a knife with GITD scales or a firesteel with GITD grip. But many of these items, while they may glow in the dark, tend not to be of very good quality on other important fronts.
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<br />
You could put a strip of <span style="color: orange;">glow in the dark Duck Tape</span> or a glow in the dark sticker of some kind on your gear, but those could potentially get wet and eventually come off.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Glow in the dark paracord</span> is another possibility. You could put lanyards made of glow in the dark paracord on your knives and firesteels! You could put a turkshead knot wrap on your pack or gear handles. This is a nice solution in many ways, but much of the GITD “paracord” out there is not really 550 paracord at all, so you must be careful about treating it as such.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOP3Z_UbYPTJnT322quABQz9bJCAoxzpvT2UfBqdr-WwcuJKHZnaqWVt1OMi7xJm2-JAxIjZ6K2edrrcmRyCngpGvPuUVSfzq_C4mMYqB4UruhWqSgq_n09AVPrM33goBQnhKONwF6olNB/s1600/glow_paracord.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOP3Z_UbYPTJnT322quABQz9bJCAoxzpvT2UfBqdr-WwcuJKHZnaqWVt1OMi7xJm2-JAxIjZ6K2edrrcmRyCngpGvPuUVSfzq_C4mMYqB4UruhWqSgq_n09AVPrM33goBQnhKONwF6olNB/s1600/glow_paracord.jpg" height="320" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Glow in the dark paracord doing what it does</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
best... glowing in the dark!</div>
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While we are talking about paracord, another clever option is <span style="color: orange;">glow in the dark cord ends</span> or even beads that you can put right on your paracord. These make great GITD zipper pulls for jackets and packs!<br />
<br />
Another great solution is to get ahold of some high quality <span style="color: orange;">glow in the dark powder or paint</span>. The nice thing about this stuff is if you get quality powder or paint, the glow “charge” can literally last HOURS!! It’s really impressive stuff!<br />
<br />
You can then mix your GITD powder into a epoxy mixture or <span style="color: orange;">Sugru</span> and use it as filler in divots and various other pockets or depressions in your gear. You can even add a dollop of the glowing epoxy mixture into a hole you drill into your kydex sheath or knife scales for this purpose, making a glow in the dark dot integrated right into your gear!<br />
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One more option that is popular with flashlight enthusiasts is <span style="color: orange;">glow in the dark rubber O-rings</span> that you can put on your flashlights or even fire pistons.
Signaling is yet another terrific use for GITD materials and mods. <span style="color: orange;">You could leave glow in the dark trail markers with strands of glow in the dark paracord or glow in the dark Duck Tape to assist search and rescue with locating you after dark! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEcGKQmIi8uiTd0gGDpdcQC84r4rgIpmuFEqDMveW59xxZ-_4cD1GjwGtpfmX1WRsm95ZXUILJ9xlLEP_0wrgJmf1t2XXH4d-umN7t9psHjD3G2jEOVGJy5SuoBV763M8BR5tnLNP7Y2BS/s1600/Before&AfterGlowInTheDark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEcGKQmIi8uiTd0gGDpdcQC84r4rgIpmuFEqDMveW59xxZ-_4cD1GjwGtpfmX1WRsm95ZXUILJ9xlLEP_0wrgJmf1t2XXH4d-umN7t9psHjD3G2jEOVGJy5SuoBV763M8BR5tnLNP7Y2BS/s1600/Before&AfterGlowInTheDark.jpg" height="204" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Check out this before and after shot of this paracord survival</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
grenade! Just one example of how glow in the dark survival </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
gear items are so much easier to find in the dark!</div>
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Glow in the dark mods have a lot of practical survival uses and can help you keep your gear from getting lost. <span style="color: orange;">What other glow in the dark mods can you think of for survival gear? Have you added any GITD mods to your own gear already?</span> Tell us about them with your comments below!<br />
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Wanna see some more really cool <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20data-pin-do=%22embedBoard%22%20href=%22http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-vehicles-bovs/%22%20data-pin-scale-width=%2280%22%20data-pin-scale-height=%22320%22%20data-pin-board-width=%22400%22%3EFollow%20EQUIP2SURVIVE's%20board%20Bug%20Out%20Vehicles%20(BOVs)%20on%20Pinterest.%3C/a%3E%20%3C!--%20Please%20call%20pinit.js%20only%20once%20per%20page%20--%3E%20%3Cscript%20type=%22text/javascript%22%20async%20defer%20src=%22//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js%22%3E%3C/script%3E" target="_blank">glow in the dark survival gear mods</a>? Check out our <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20data-pin-do=%22embedBoard%22%20href=%22http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-vehicles-bovs/%22%20data-pin-scale-width=%2280%22%20data-pin-scale-height=%22320%22%20data-pin-board-width=%22400%22%3EFollow%20EQUIP2SURVIVE's%20board%20Bug%20Out%20Vehicles%20(BOVs)%20on%20Pinterest.%3C/a%3E%20%3C!--%20Please%20call%20pinit.js%20only%20once%20per%20page%20--%3E%20%3Cscript%20type=%22text/javascript%22%20async%20defer%20src=%22//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js%22%3E%3C/script%3E" target="_blank">Glow In The Dark Survival board on Pinterest!</a>
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<br />
<a data-pin-board-width="525" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="525" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/glow-in-the-dark/">Follow EQUIP2SURVIVE's board Glow in the Dark on Pinterest.</a>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-4208795383898041882014-12-16T13:39:00.002-08:002014-12-22T09:05:28.162-08:00Why MEN Should Be Using Pinterest!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KmT72izhCMd6uhEQdyUIrJ10WaJspr9yFClM-I4ZVB_xf5kDRoxY2JYGvCcn7EKrRyWfj3CS0DsYTE7idkW3M2uslqKtUAjfQYSsVEkn2Cok_TBE6CQKTT0MBzv8hiSx5FK-TmKGiCT8/s1600/Pinterest+4+Men.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KmT72izhCMd6uhEQdyUIrJ10WaJspr9yFClM-I4ZVB_xf5kDRoxY2JYGvCcn7EKrRyWfj3CS0DsYTE7idkW3M2uslqKtUAjfQYSsVEkn2Cok_TBE6CQKTT0MBzv8hiSx5FK-TmKGiCT8/s1600/Pinterest+4+Men.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why EVERY Man Should Be Using Pinterest!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Ever wonder why there isn’t a Pinterest for men? </span></b><br />
<br />
Well actually, there is. It’s called... <b><span style="color: orange;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></span></b>. Most men just don’t realize that Pinterest is for them too! And honestly… if you are a man and you are not using Pinterest, you are really missing out. There is so much cool “man stuff” on Pinterest and we are going to prove it to you!<br />
<br />
While Pinterest continues to thrive as one of the top social media powerhouses (70 million users in 2014), it does have a serious PR problem. Pinterest seems to be neglecting an real opportunity to virtually <i>double</i> it’s users by simply attracting men. Currently, Pinterest use is overwhelmingly dominated by women (80%)! But why? There is so much terrific “man stuff” on Pinterest too!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b>So why not men?</b> </span><br />
So why is Pinterest mostly hugely successful with women? We honestly have no idea. For some reason the whole visual/image approach to collecting ideas and inspiration in an easy to use web service just really resonated with women very early on. But one thing we do know is... men are <b><i><span style="color: orange;">really</span></i></b> missing out by choosing to pass on Pinterest.<br />
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Very few men have any clue how crazy rich Pinterest is with “man stuff”. Sure, Pinterest can save you money, help you organize your life, help you learn how to do all kinds of DIY projects, and SO much more... but Pinterest offers so MUCH more than that.<br />
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What kind of “man stuff” you ask? Well… what kind are you into? <b><span style="color: orange;">Cars? Fishing? Grilling? Tattoos? Fitness? Camping? Woodworking? Motorcycles? Cigars? Poker? Sports? Guns?</span></b> It’s all on Pinterest! And lots of it!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b>What is the big deal about Pinterest??</b> </span><br />
We all know by now what a great resource the internet is in all of our lives. We turn to sources like Google, YouTube and Facebook for all sorts of important information. What makes Pinterest so uniquely powerful is two fold: Pinterest is <b><span style="color: orange;">highly visual</span></b> (which is incredibly powerful in helping us orient ourselves in this fast-paced world), and it is like a supercharged “bookmarking” system that makes it really easy for you to come back to and organize various articles, sites, photos, videos and more all in one place! Pinterest is frequently preferred by its users over even Google for finding all kinds of life solutions!<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">How Pinterest literally saved me $5000! </span></b><br />
Our air conditioner went out and the repair man told me exactly what was wrong with it: Our furnace blower motor went out. We’d just spent $1000 two months ago to get the furnace fixed and now it was going to cost us an additional $1000 to get this issue fixed. But the repair man told me that several other problems with our HVAC system were eminent and that we should get a whole new system for $5000. I was not pleased at this news or at the prospect of shelling out another $1000 to $5000… And I suspected that I was getting snowed.<br />
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So… I turned to Pinterest. I was amazed what I found. All kinds of pins that pointed me toward various web resources and DIY videos on YouTube that gave me all the information I needed to determine what parts I needed to replace my furnace blower motor and capacitor… <b><span style="color: orange;">for under $300!!</span> </b>I ordered the parts, carefully followed the instructions on the resources that I found via Pinterest and we were back up and running again after about a half day’s work!<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Browser bookmarks suck. Pinterest doesn’t.</span><span style="color: #e69138;"> </span></b><br />
Look, we all find all kinds of great info, pages, images, videos and more on the web that we want to come back to, right? Bookmarks and favorites in your browser just don’t cut it anymore. How about a <b><i><span style="color: orange;">visual</span></i></b>, organized, convenient and information-rich resource to replace those old browser bookmarks and favorites? Yeah? Congratulations! You just became a huge fan of Pinterest.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>Pinterest is WHAT <u>YOU</u> MAKE IT!!!</b> </span><br />
Not interested in Crock Pot recipes, makeup tips and wedding dresses? No problem. Don’t repin anything about those topics. Don’t follow any pinners or boards that do. Don’t create any boards about those topics. Interested in vikings, motorcycles, tattoos, grilling, fly fishing, the Walking Dead… or whatever else you can think of? Make boards about those things and pin pins about those topics! It’s fun, relaxing, inspiring and such a great way to learn new things and collect all of your ideas and inspiration in one organized easy to use resource that you can access from all of your devices!!<br />
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Find something cool on the web and want to come back to it? Add it to one of your Pinterest boards right from your browser (typically with an easy to install browser add-on or plugin)!<br />
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And what’s cool is… Pinterest actually “learns” what you like too. The more you use Pinterest the “smarter” it gets. Once you start following a few boards and pinners that pin the kind of stuff that you are into, your Pinterest “home page” automatically populates more related pins about stuff you like!<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Why would an article about Pinterest be on a blog about survival, preparedness and bushcraft?</span></b><br />
Yes, admittedly this is a bit of a "topic detour" for us, but the answer is quite simple. Pinterest is an absolute <b><span style="color: orange;">WEALTH</span></b> of information on these topics, and we are passionate about using it. It is such an amazing resource for us and we simply had to share this with other men out there. For example...
Check out our <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/" target="_blank">Equip2Survive Pinterest profile with nearly 90,000 pins</a> about all kinds of survival, preparedness and bushcraft ideas!<br />
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Not into survival or the outdoors? No problem. Just make your Pinterest profile and boards about what <b><span style="color: orange;">YOU</span></b> are interested in. We just wanted to show you an example of <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/" target="_blank">one hell of a Pinterest profile</a> (if we do say so ourselves) so you could see how Pinterest does not have to be about Twilight or Alanis Morissette.<br />
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Give <b><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></b> a try, men! What do you have to lose?<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/" target="_blank">Check out the Equip2Survive Pinterest Profile here!:</a></span></b><br />
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<a data-pin-board-width="525" data-pin-do="embedUser" data-pin-scale-height="525" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/">Visit EQUIP2SURVIVE's profile on Pinterest.</a>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-26818628843484170762014-12-04T11:24:00.003-08:002014-12-22T08:44:21.434-08:00Bug Out Vehicle SUPER Photo Gallery!!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikt7rz70BSO_h6AlBngjVGZ2xIwcL3qQHFsneM3sP-qOAKqhkHyol0Uu6wVeoI2BVqH7Q-QyNTqBhyKOTM4eOzVvC4CPlXzDFTaPy_7nrCYe_ZbnfDFNUJu32nAE8EhnbvZZ5PAnjlVZaw/s1600/bug_out_vehicles_page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikt7rz70BSO_h6AlBngjVGZ2xIwcL3qQHFsneM3sP-qOAKqhkHyol0Uu6wVeoI2BVqH7Q-QyNTqBhyKOTM4eOzVvC4CPlXzDFTaPy_7nrCYe_ZbnfDFNUJu32nAE8EhnbvZZ5PAnjlVZaw/s1600/bug_out_vehicles_page.jpg" height="400" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
If you love photos of seriously awesome <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-vehicles-bovs/" target="_blank">bug </a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-vehicles-bovs/" target="_blank">out vehicles</a>, you have cometo the right place! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You have GOT to check out this amazing </div>
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Pinterestboard with hundreds of killer photos </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
of incredible bug out vehicle ideas!</div>
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Do you love looking at photos of <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-vehicles-bovs/" target="_blank">BOVs (bug out vehicles) and adventure vehicles</a>? Do you enjoy checking out pics of various <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-vehicles-bovs/" target="_blank">bug out vehicle ideas</a> and dreaming about your own ideal bug out vehicle? Need some inspiration for improving or upgrading your bug out vehicle to make it as crisis ready as it possibly can be? Well we have the resource for you! Check out our amazing <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-vehicles-bovs/" target="_blank">Bug Out Vehicle Pinterest board</a> where you can peruse <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-vehicles-bovs/" target="_blank">HUNDREDS of photos of awesome bug out vehicles</a> of all types! Whether you love Jeeps, Land Rover Defenders, Unimogs, Pinzgauers, Hummers, Toyota FJ Cruisers, we've got them all! <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-vehicles-bovs/" target="_blank">Check out this amazing photo gallery below!</a><br />
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<a data-pin-do="embedBoard" href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/bug-out-vehicles-bovs/" data-pin-scale-width="80" data-pin-scale-height="525" data-pin-board-width="525">Follow EQUIP2SURVIVE's board Bug Out Vehicles (BOVs) on Pinterest.</a>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-89706804899963937962014-12-03T14:04:00.000-08:002014-12-03T14:04:12.997-08:00How Cooking (Especially Cooking Outdoors) Can Teach You Survival Skills!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByhqKV1iHWIXJuXLGlgzmIHmW90oq3H8AY5W9i1rNZ-WfIIB-CUnezOyWjreRDh7MXJOYBpOQNCm7l6eH1DkfB45q2gjxkSt5h2q-rmkbeRii-gntvpAhru9aOQifc5J8MO8OU58ntTNX/s1600/cooking_survival_skills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How cooking can teach you critical survival skills well beyond just survival cooking!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByhqKV1iHWIXJuXLGlgzmIHmW90oq3H8AY5W9i1rNZ-WfIIB-CUnezOyWjreRDh7MXJOYBpOQNCm7l6eH1DkfB45q2gjxkSt5h2q-rmkbeRii-gntvpAhru9aOQifc5J8MO8OU58ntTNX/s1600/cooking_survival_skills.jpg" height="400" title="How cooking can teach you critical survival skills well beyond just survival cooking!" width="237" /></a>There are two topics that I am extremely passionate about: <span style="color: orange;">survival</span> and <span style="color: orange;">cooking</span>. These two topics may seem completely unrelated at first, but are they? As you are about to see, not nearly as much as you might think. For me personally, knowing how to cook really well has really informed my survival skills across the board, far beyond just knowing how to cook great food in a survival situation. </div>
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One particular variable that is central to both of these topics is... <span style="color: orange;">heat</span>. When you cook food, typically you are applying heat to your ingredients to fuse all of those individual ingredients into a singular delicious dish. In a survival situation, your core body temperature is one of the most crucial elements to staying alive. One of the key challenges in a survival situation is your ability to masterfully guide heat/cold toward or away from your body as needed to maintain your vital core body temperature. <b><span style="color: #e69138;">You might be surprised to discover that learning to cook (which by itself is a terrific survival skill) can actually help you develop an array of valuable survival skills... and learning how to maintain core body temperature in a survival situation can similarly help you learn to be a better cook! Keep reading if you would like to learn more about how!</span></b><br />
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To better set up our premise, let's take a closer look at some basics regarding how heat works. You are probably at least generally familiar with these concepts, but bear with us for a moment as we lay a solid foundation for our case for cooking as a great way to learn survival skills.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhswGZ1SI77pJm0azTSJjT434xV9tnF24qfT2XSG7yppbe5d1EnKqTUA8QhA4fzuxK0cGRC1YF8Kr7_MjVDT32RD53VylYrrE8ei0CGZQT4KJyJM5OaCF_QY2_Id0ujvAhhH5h4DVD3qZW/s1600/conduction_radiation_convection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhswGZ1SI77pJm0azTSJjT434xV9tnF24qfT2XSG7yppbe5d1EnKqTUA8QhA4fzuxK0cGRC1YF8Kr7_MjVDT32RD53VylYrrE8ei0CGZQT4KJyJM5OaCF_QY2_Id0ujvAhhH5h4DVD3qZW/s1600/conduction_radiation_convection.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
A great illustration of how conduction, </div>
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radiation and convection work. </div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171971835/" target="_blank">See the Pinterest pin source for this </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171971835/" target="_blank">image </a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171971835/" target="_blank">here!</a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">How Heat "Works"</span></b><br />
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As most of us know from basic physics, heat plays by a few "ground rules" that we can always count on. For example, heat has three modes by which it uses to transfer its energy:<br />
<b><span style="color: #e69138;">1) C</span></b><b><span style="color: #e69138;">onduction</span> </b>(thermal transfer via direct contact)<b>, <span style="color: #e69138;">2) R</span></b><b><span style="color: #e69138;">adiation</span> </b>(thermal transfer via motion of charged particles) and<b> <span style="color: #e69138;">3) Convection</span> </b>(thermal transfer via heat rising, cold sinking and temperatures circulating). These three modes are going to be key components in our equation.<br />
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Another key variable in our understanding of heat is that... <b><span style="color: #e69138;">4) heat is part of the electromagnetic spectrum just like visible light is</span></b>. This is also key in understanding how to manipulate this energy to accomplish our goals. This is just a brief list of the basics of thermal energy, but it's enough to give us a lot of insight for the time being.<br />
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So let's review our very basic list of takeaways regarding heat:<br />
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">Heat is transferred via three modes:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #e69138;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #e69138;">1) Conduction (thermal transfer via direct contact)</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #e69138;">2) Radiation (thermal transfer via motion of charged particles)</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #e69138;">3) Convection (thermal transfer via heat rising, cold sinking and temperatures circulating)</span></b><br />
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and<br />
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">4) Heat (like visible light) is part of the electromagnetic spectrum</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVm6hCjQhDcNlfK5pXRZ8nnMivJutRts3I7-2JlC8IMI3Pyv97TLmP_t7fXB2dAnKzJu_An6DvuSMAFHGAIXxJO0F-5Z8PRogFpf77eyvGigzM_3l0qNvcTHZFZawJIVxU7SOG3moHV_F-/s1600/dutch_oven_more_coals_on_top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVm6hCjQhDcNlfK5pXRZ8nnMivJutRts3I7-2JlC8IMI3Pyv97TLmP_t7fXB2dAnKzJu_An6DvuSMAFHGAIXxJO0F-5Z8PRogFpf77eyvGigzM_3l0qNvcTHZFZawJIVxU7SOG3moHV_F-/s1600/dutch_oven_more_coals_on_top.jpg" height="200" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Pictured above is a typical Dutch oven</div>
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setup. Notice how there are many</div>
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more coals on the lid than there are</div>
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beneath the oven to produce an even </div>
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heat. This is because of convection </div>
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(heat rising).</div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171592054/" target="_blank">See the Pinterest pin source for this </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171592054/" target="_blank">image here!</a></div>
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Now let's take these rules and apply them to our <span style="color: #e69138;">two topics (survival and cooking)</span> and see if we can find any significant crossover. In cooking, knowing that heat generally rises (convection) helps us understand that our food item will tend to cook more quickly with a heat source <b><span style="color: #e69138;">underneath</span></b> it than it will with a heat source above it. That fact is illustrated by the simple fact that, when cooking with a Dutch oven for example, it takes roughly a third more charcoal briquettes on top of the Dutch oven as it does underneath the Dutch oven for even cooking. This is just one example of this dynamic (heat rising) via convection.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrG4QqCDcKZLHHowplgf4HkNnpC6tFqDp3iPFWmKmVhqAvW7Di2g2hda1l0DuvKWZ8sZNth4uGV7JvqIHV9tQlmfe_wPLebPxRe2TZQMdooQtQmofVyKLC_DuaF8Hez7iMpjbDHPLtbbD/s1600/cooking_conduction_radiation_convection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Conduction, radiation and convection all at work while cooking. " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrG4QqCDcKZLHHowplgf4HkNnpC6tFqDp3iPFWmKmVhqAvW7Di2g2hda1l0DuvKWZ8sZNth4uGV7JvqIHV9tQlmfe_wPLebPxRe2TZQMdooQtQmofVyKLC_DuaF8Hez7iMpjbDHPLtbbD/s1600/cooking_conduction_radiation_convection.jpg" height="230" title="Conduction, radiation and convection all at work while cooking. " width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Conduction, radiation and convection all at work while <br />cooking. <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171971832/" target="_blank">See the Pinterest pin source for this image here!</a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">Conduction</span></b> (direct contact) is the most efficient of these modes and has the quickest impact on your cooking. Pan searing is a terrific example of cooking with direct heat. Your food item is placed in a searing hot skillet and starts to brown and crisp on it's surface almost instantly. The efficiency of conduction is further illustrated by the famous "grill marks" on your steak. Those brown grill marks are created when your steak makes direct contact with the surface of your metal grill grates. Despite the fact that those grill grates are heated up by the radiation of from your hot coals or gas flames and the rising convection from those gas flames or hot coals, where the grill grates touch your steak is where the extra charring occurs because the heat from the grates is hotter (and stays hotter) than the radiant heat or convection from your flames or coals. This demonstrates the efficiency of conduction over both radiation and convection.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">Radiation</span></b> is next on the list. While not quite as "efficient" as conduction in terms of heat transfer, radiation is a very effective means of heat transfer. Any time you cook something in your oven you are primarily using heat radiation to cook your food. While radiation is less efficient than conduction, it is a much more gentle way to cook your foods. This is preferred when you are cooking foods that have more mass. While cooking with radiant heat is slower, it allows foods with more mass or density to get to temperature more evenly. A medium-rare steak (seared on the outside but just warm on the inside) tends to do better with a conduction method of cooking (or high temperature radiant heat), but cakes, breads, casseroles etc. tend to require a gentler cooking method that promotes even cooking. Radiant heat is better for this. And whenever you are grilling and remove a burger or brat from the grill grate surface and move it to the upper shelf on your grill... you just switched from conduction cooking to radiation (and convection) cooking. Why do you do that? Because you know your meats are charred enough on the outside and you just want to keep them warm now, right?<br />
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Last but not least is <b><span style="color: #e69138;">convection</span></b> cooking. Convection in cooking is primarily factoring into your cooking methods the fact that heat rises. Convection ovens take convection bit further by adding circulation of the hot air in your oven and circulating that hot air around your food to create a more even cooking temperature and faster cooking times. Convection in these ovens basically compliments the radiation that your oven's heat coils have produced by circulating the heat around your food with a fan. Adding additional convection to an oven does make it more efficient, but convection is still not nearly as effective as a cooking method without an existing source of heat producing <b><span style="color: #e69138;">radiation</span></b>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7qFyxZiz4L0FqqC02vDXq91rSrKrylNzw7WI4_HzyOr_Zi96aHa4nCwfOlW8gy0_6Ps5cTk_B5vD7IrFyKrrT9myMSYBEc_X6eS8XWCOVJPt6-1Q0Vkn91awQFKgFtlJYusa642m9ysA/s1600/electromagnetic_spectrum_heat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="You can see that heat (infrared light) is just to the right of visible light on the electromagnetic scale." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7qFyxZiz4L0FqqC02vDXq91rSrKrylNzw7WI4_HzyOr_Zi96aHa4nCwfOlW8gy0_6Ps5cTk_B5vD7IrFyKrrT9myMSYBEc_X6eS8XWCOVJPt6-1Q0Vkn91awQFKgFtlJYusa642m9ysA/s1600/electromagnetic_spectrum_heat.jpg" height="152" title="You can see that heat (infrared light) is just to the right of visible light on the electromagnetic scale." width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
You can see that heat (infrared light) is just to the right</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
of visible light on the electromagnetic scale. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171972594/" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171972594/" target="_blank">See the Pinterest pin source for this image here!</a></div>
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Our last variable in this equation is the fact that <b><span style="color: #e69138;">heat, like light, is part of the electromagnetic spectrum</span></b>. In fact... one could argue that <span style="color: #e69138;">heat actually IS light</span> (heat is actually infrared light which is light that is just outside of the visible light spectrum). Understanding this dynamic and leveraging it can really help you amp up your cooking abilities.<br />
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The very best example that we can give you for this is the use of aluminum foil in your cooking. Why is aluminum foil such an effective cooking aid? Because it can actually <b><span style="color: #e69138;">REFLECT</span></b> heat (or trap heat, depending on how it is used) much like a mirror can reflect light! So why does this matter? Whether you are baking a pizza, a casserole, a roast, meatloaf or prime rib, <span style="color: #e69138;">aluminum foil can allow you to control and isolate your heat almost like masking tape or a stencil can help you put paint where you want it and keep it away from where you don't!</span><br />
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For example, when cooking a casserole, frequently you cover the top of your casserole with foil until your casserole boils around the edges (indicating that it is hot all the way through) Then you remove the foil to allow the radiant heat from your top heating element (or broiler) to brown the top of your casserole perfectly! This is an example of <b><span style="color: #e69138;">cooking in two phases</span></b> (phase one is cooking from the bottom to bring your casserole to an even heat and then phase two is removing the protection of the aluminum foil to allow you finish the casserole by browning the top). More on this multi-phase cooking process is going to featured in another upcoming article.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #e69138;">Now how does all of this cooking information help you in a survival situation exactly?</span> </h3>
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So glad that you asked. The first and most obvious answer is that fully grasping these laws of thermal dynamics regarding heat and how to leverage them for better cooking in your home is that <span style="color: #e69138;">you can actually apply these same principles when cooking food during a crisis when you <b><i>don't</i></b> have a microwave, oven or stovetop</span>. Understanding the principles behind how your conventional home oven and stove top work... <span style="color: #e69138;">these same principles apply when using a grill, backpacking stove, fireplace solar oven or campfire!</span><br />
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But let's take these principles several steps further!<span style="color: #e69138;"> <b>Understanding the principles behind how to harness heat to cook food can also be invaluable when it comes to how to keep yourself and your family warm!!</b> </span>That's right... these same principles are still hard at work even when it's cold outside and you need to safeguard your core body temperature.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir38gwc6IAyNDes2_RkXDVr40Y3Acvvr2PNgZ1H3jIy6VZ5EOBR68fnTN08Hbh8MV81nteooM99EV403JYDDYXN8o49y5_oYoH3KHXxqO5qar6UTbxsmN3ECygEfKiQ9Hc0EVb8pQkcqVu/s1600/snow_shelter_cold_sink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir38gwc6IAyNDes2_RkXDVr40Y3Acvvr2PNgZ1H3jIy6VZ5EOBR68fnTN08Hbh8MV81nteooM99EV403JYDDYXN8o49y5_oYoH3KHXxqO5qar6UTbxsmN3ECygEfKiQ9Hc0EVb8pQkcqVu/s1600/snow_shelter_cold_sink.jpg" height="293" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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This illustration of an ideal snow shelter shows how the </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
entrance of the shelter keeps heat in the shelter because</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
it is lower than the living area because heat rises and cold air</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
sinks. <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171971706/" target="_blank">See the Pinterest pin source for this image here!</a></div>
</td></tr>
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Let's start with the fact that heat rises (convection). In a survival situation you can leverage this dynamic in many ways. <span style="color: #e69138;">One example of this would be creating a "bed" in your shelter that lifts you up and above the coldest air that falls to the floor of your shelter. </span>A terrific example of this is when making a survival snow shelter. It is recommended that in your snow shelter you create a sort of "shelf" for you to bed on, and the area that is lower than your bed is where the cold air falls. This is referred to as a "cold air sink" and allows the coldest air to fall down below the level of your body keeping you warmer. There are many other examples of leveraging this principle in survival. <br />
<br />
Next let's look again at our three modes of heat energy transfer... again, this time from a survival perspective. <b><span style="color: #e69138;">Conduction</span></b> is once again a very powerful and effective mode of heat energy transfer. We have several examples of conduction as a variable that must be considered when trying to stay warm. Our first example is simply <span style="color: #e69138;">getting wet</span>. Most of us know that moisture is enemy #1 when it comes to hypothermia. But why? <span style="color: #e69138;">Well, because when water comes in direct contact with your skin, it sucks the heat right out of your body </span>(the thermal energy in your warm body and the cold water are trying to find that thermal equilibrium attempting to make the water warmer and your body colder). That's conduction at work, my friends. Your skin is making direct contact with that moisture and the moisture is sucking the heat right out of you bringing down your core temperature. This is why it is critical to stay dry in a survival situation or if you get wet to immediately find a way to get dry again.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsitVKQ6iKNwccLCxQiSYShvoy6lpp_dDW1PQxGKF_aUn_y6EryaL30dc3t0hpBX7-AC8a1JwrHzno_6ggSGA2XmuT2KapE3URKWHJSvBjmu_najfl-FfEhYtRHKOL0eps_EU9HG2Ie5A8/s1600/hammock_keeping_cool_convection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sleeping in a hammock allows you to sleep much cooler than sleeping in a tent because of convection. " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsitVKQ6iKNwccLCxQiSYShvoy6lpp_dDW1PQxGKF_aUn_y6EryaL30dc3t0hpBX7-AC8a1JwrHzno_6ggSGA2XmuT2KapE3URKWHJSvBjmu_najfl-FfEhYtRHKOL0eps_EU9HG2Ie5A8/s1600/hammock_keeping_cool_convection.jpg" height="320" title="Sleeping in a hammock allows you to sleep much cooler than sleeping in a tent because of convection. " width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Sleeping in a hammock allows you to sleep</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
much cooler than sleeping in a tent thanks </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
to convection. <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171319180/" target="_blank">See the Pinterest pin source for </a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171319180/" target="_blank">this image here!</a></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Another example of conduction in a survival situation is sleeping directly on the ground. Even if you are sleeping in a sleeping bag but doing so right on the cold damp ground, the ground can and will suck the heat right out of you if you do not have a protective insulating or reflective barrier like a foam or reflective sleeping pad or other barrier.<br />
<br />
Now the two examples that I have given you tend to make conduction sound like the enemy in a survival situation. Such is not always the case. You see, in a situation where your core body temperature has become elevated (hyp<i>er</i>thermia), you can quickly cool down your core temperature by taking a dunk in a cool stream! You can also drink warm liquids like hot beverages or warm a bottle of water or even rocks to put in your sleeping bag to help raise your core body temperature via conduction! This is why it is helpful to understand how heat works and how to harness it.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #e69138;">Radiation</span></b> is once again less efficient than conduction, but the principles of radiation apply in a survival situation in a fairly effective and straightforward manner as well. Any time you have warmed yourself next to a roaring campfire you have benefitted from radiating heat. Any time you have used an electric or fuel powered compact heater of any kind you have leveraged radiant heat. Using a mylar space blanket in the back of your shelter to <b><span style="color: #e69138;">reflect</span></b> (once again, just like visible light) campfire light/heat down and onto your bed is utilizing radiant heat to keep warm! You can use this same principle to protect yourself <b><i>from</i></b> too much radiant heat as well! Placing a reflective mylar space blanket over your shelter to reflect sunlight <i><b>away</b></i> from it can actually help keep you cool! Utilizing a reflective windshield panel as a sleeping pad can reflect the cold from the ground <b><i>away</i></b> from your body and your body heat back toward you!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRFxTUbw0fuEUMZ-Y73IRNIu1dHgVbwZ9wexsFaHZZQszepBdo_odGg-WYQ4QdXtsQXOzsDLMbbyPAwKUPwZVVXgqfr8-r8phyphenhyphen8oemfuwNevXu11qvqD-L4XG-0W4kMjR9wZNGMYztzCH/s1600/terra_cotta_pot_room_heater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRFxTUbw0fuEUMZ-Y73IRNIu1dHgVbwZ9wexsFaHZZQszepBdo_odGg-WYQ4QdXtsQXOzsDLMbbyPAwKUPwZVVXgqfr8-r8phyphenhyphen8oemfuwNevXu11qvqD-L4XG-0W4kMjR9wZNGMYztzCH/s1600/terra_cotta_pot_room_heater.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
A DIY ceramic pot room heater uses just the convection of </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
heat from a small tea light candle to warm a room. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171971774/" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171971774/" target="_blank">See the Pinterest pin source for this image here!</a></div>
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</tbody></table>
While <b><span style="color: #e69138;">convection</span></b> is utilized a bit less effectively in cooking than conduction and radiation, convection is actually a very significant variable in survival. The <b><i>best</i></b> example of this would be... <span style="color: #e69138;">wind</span> (which is actually at least partially caused by thermal transfer and thermal equilibrium itself). You can have a terrific shelter and a terrific fire but if neither is protected from the cold wind it won't matter much. That wind will suck the heat right out of you! Everything from the kinds of clothing that you are wearing to the location of your shelter to which side of your shelter you locate your entrance can be used to combat heat loss via convection.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, convection can also be utilized to keep you cool in hot conditions. Examples of this would include utilizing a fan to help cool you (and assist with sweat evaporation... the body's natural air conditioning) to hanging up off the ground in a hammock instead of on the ground in a tent to help keep you cooler!<br />
<br />
One last variable to consider here: Again... <b><span style="color: #e69138;">heat, like visible light, is part of the electromagnetic spectrum</span></b>. This means that heat, much like light, can actually be <b><i><span style="color: #e69138;">reflected</span></i></b>. We explained this in a bit more detail above, but now just replace that reflective aluminum foil that you used while cooking with a reflective survival blanket or even a black surface (black absorbs light) and... voila! <span style="color: #e69138;">To learn more about the significance of heat being part of the electromagnetic spectrum, visit our</span> <a href="http://equip2survive.blogspot.com/2013/06/campfire-electricity.html" target="_blank">Campfire Electricity</a> <span style="color: #e69138;">page to learn more about generating electricity after dark using a campfire and a solar panel! </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhlsvbNQPYmizztpg4MnZEzhuwgwWmbkSuYU86hs5Mg3g2aP9FwbFaX44jm1oZmWy5BggP_plJHUhROOUCvVQnwnUnnm8LLaXPrh8xasp8QRGQ8wpH78tioJ8xR71sUweMhsdaqiRMn66/s1600/sleepingbag_thermal_transfer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="How a sleeping bag uses insulation to maintain your core body temperature" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhlsvbNQPYmizztpg4MnZEzhuwgwWmbkSuYU86hs5Mg3g2aP9FwbFaX44jm1oZmWy5BggP_plJHUhROOUCvVQnwnUnnm8LLaXPrh8xasp8QRGQ8wpH78tioJ8xR71sUweMhsdaqiRMn66/s1600/sleepingbag_thermal_transfer.jpg" height="255" title="How a sleeping bag uses insulation to maintain your core body temperature" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">How a sleeping bag uses insulation to maintain your core<br />body temperature. <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171971837/" target="_blank">See the Pinterest pin source for this <br />image here!</a></td></tr>
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Now there's one dynamic in a survival equation that is a little bit different than what we see in cooking: unlike cooking, in a survival situation <b><span style="color: #e69138;">YOU</span></b> are your primary source of heat. <span style="color: #e69138;">Your body creates it's own heat by burning calories and circulating your blood.</span> You can absolutely supplement your body's innate internal heat source with external heat sources like a heater or fire to help you keep warm, but you can also just <i><b><span style="color: #e69138;">retain</span></b></i> your body's default core temperature (combat hypothermia) by taking prudent steps just to safeguard your body's natural core temperature from environmental variables that threat it. You can do this in a number of ways like combating convection with wind proof clothing or shelter or utilizing reflective materials like a mylar space blanket or reflective fabric (just like letting that delicious prime rib rest on the stove top wrapped in aluminum foil so those delicious juices relax and stay in your meat where you want them)... or you can tap into yet another cool tool that we haven't mentioned yet known as <b><span style="color: #e69138;">INSULATION</span></b>.<br />
<br />
Insulation is awesome. It's so simple yet oh so effective. <span style="color: #e69138;">Insulation is simply the reduction of thermal transfer and is typically achieved using a barrier of some sort. </span>This barrier can be comprised of a number of various materials that are not conducive to heat transfer or... simply just trapped air! Gases like air are very poor conductors (unlike solids and liquids) therefore are the opposite of conductors which means they are insulators!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7zNEwuwViMY3RCqCaXG6wif7_XZLYotyBGh3BARi3oa5OyYFdegoRc32vwe2cm6p8h9-yl0uZh1ksSDUoXHqJ16YOHbbx6S3EGJp0t8Y8Rn3KyXTKr5a869R4rsLxU6HOiSnFeTV9PWe/s1600/wonderbag_insulating_cooker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Wonderbag cookers are amazing little "slow cookers" that use extremely effective insulation to cook your food slowly with no electricity!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7zNEwuwViMY3RCqCaXG6wif7_XZLYotyBGh3BARi3oa5OyYFdegoRc32vwe2cm6p8h9-yl0uZh1ksSDUoXHqJ16YOHbbx6S3EGJp0t8Y8Rn3KyXTKr5a869R4rsLxU6HOiSnFeTV9PWe/s1600/wonderbag_insulating_cooker.jpg" height="213" title="Wonderbag cookers are amazing little "slow cookers" that use extremely effective insulation to cook your food slowly with no electricity!" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Wonderbag cookers are amazing little "slow cookers" that </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
use extremely effective insulation to cook your food slowly</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
with no electricity! <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171972680/" target="_blank">See the Pinterest pin source for this image</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171972680/" target="_blank">here!</a></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Coolers are great examples of insulators that keep your cold drinks cold even on a hot day. Ever seen one of those really cool non-electric <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=186" target="_blank">Wonderbag cookers</a>? These are another great example of insulation used to cook like a Crock Pot without electricity simply by trapping the existing heat inside your cookware.<br />
<br />
A thermos or double-walled bottle (with the trapped air between the two walls) is another terrific example of trapped air style insulation. So are double-paned windows in your home. Your down comforter, coat or sleeping bag are also designed to trap tiny pockets of air all around your body with the loft of the fluffy down to keep your body warm. Furs work the same way!<br />
<br />
Insulation can keep a body warm or cool depending upon the circumstances and how you use them. If you leverage a good understanding of the principles behind insulation, it's amazing the almost limitless potential this knowledge can bring to you in a survival situation!<br />
<br />
Can you think of any more examples of these principles of thermal dynamics and how they apply to cooking and/or survival? What are some tips or tricks that you plan to leverage in a survival situation? <span style="color: #e69138;">Let us know with your comments below!</span><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-10597188998909854992014-12-01T14:10:00.001-08:002014-12-02T07:40:27.243-08:00Is Pedal Power As A Prep Really A Good Idea?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPi5AUzLZYSYhHj3Z6grY2rz-mgvkivfMmiBmMTOrq4NMQm8Zqfozs0Es4FraI2CdTLBSTS_UjNE-vCRvj4f86wAJqbJRFqvrYaI3lnULuoXbhWOxZeLYktAybE7zLbUNtB4v2S3A9SLq/s1600/pedal_power.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPi5AUzLZYSYhHj3Z6grY2rz-mgvkivfMmiBmMTOrq4NMQm8Zqfozs0Es4FraI2CdTLBSTS_UjNE-vCRvj4f86wAJqbJRFqvrYaI3lnULuoXbhWOxZeLYktAybE7zLbUNtB4v2S3A9SLq/s1600/pedal_power.jpg" height="400" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Why Including Pedal Power Generation In Your <br />
Preps Is A Terrible Idea! (Pictured above is the<br />
popular <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00EZS8VQS" target="_blank">K-tor Power Box 20 Watt Power </a><br />
<a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00EZS8VQS" target="_blank">Generator</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You see a lot of tips and tutorials these days on various websites and social media about how to create your very own bicycle or pedal-powered generators to generate electricity during an emergency power outage, but are these pedal-powered generators <i>really</i> a good idea for a prepper or survivalist? Should these pedal-powered generators be central or even a small part of your preparedness or survival plan? Well, we are about to lay out a case for why we think these are actually a <i>terrible</i> option for preppers and survivalists for their power generation preps.<br />
<br />
Sure, in a pinch one of these pedal-powered power generators would be better than nothing at all, but isn't the point of being a prepper or survivalist to actually be prepared <i>as well as you can be</i>? Sure it is. And we would simply argue that preparing for your energy needs with a pedal-powered generator would not be <i>nearly</i> as effective as preparing to generate power with solar panels, wind turbines or hydro power (assuming you have a suitable water source/supply to sustain hydro power).<br />
<br />
In a survival situation, your physical energy is going to prove a <i>critical</i> resource that you will need to leverage for all sorts of tasks, and this physical energy is going to be a finite resource. During a crisis, it is likely that you are going to demand a whole lot more from your body in ways that you are not normally accustomed to, and your caloric intake is quite possibly going to be significantly less than it normally is.<br />
<br />
Time is another precious resource during a crisis. You need to spend your time, much like your physical energy, very wisely during a crisis. The last thing you need is to dedicate these two precious resources toward pedaling away on a stationary bicycle to generate power when you could be doing other far more important tasks.<br />
<br />
<b>Active Power Generation vs. Passive Power Generation</b><br />
<br />
Here's the important distinction that we want to impart to you regarding the two categories of alternative energy production on this front: active power generation vs. passive power generation. Active power generation methods require direct involvement with the power generation by a user in terms of physical exertion and time. Passive power generation methods do not. Bicycle, pedal-powered and even hand-crank flashlights and radios fall into the active power generation category while solar panels, wind turbines and micro-hydro power fall into the passive power generation category. That means solar panels, wind turbines and hydro generators do all of the work <i>for </i>you while you are spending precious time and energy doing other things. Maybe even resting!!<br />
<br />
So there you go. That is our case for why we think pedal-power generators are a terrible idea as a prep for your energy needs.<br />
<br />
What do you think? Still think pedal generators are a good idea? Share your thoughts and comments!<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-11691023383266439772014-11-27T07:38:00.000-08:002017-04-25T14:35:21.404-07:00HOLIDAY SURVIVAL TIP!!!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigi68hnREHiEhfdrAW3m990EyveKj6LTKORziJMuyIAgPGucBvFytWJl3MMsfbQ90iVJizqsXlpOG4AARHH7FzOlIB3_6bOvOm9grqUlHjBm-6Emgj62ggUN8PRiV_cnmqlX5PnIAgIncy/s1600/holiday_tip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigi68hnREHiEhfdrAW3m990EyveKj6LTKORziJMuyIAgPGucBvFytWJl3MMsfbQ90iVJizqsXlpOG4AARHH7FzOlIB3_6bOvOm9grqUlHjBm-6Emgj62ggUN8PRiV_cnmqlX5PnIAgIncy/s1600/holiday_tip.jpg" width="344" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Hang on to those little pop-up turkey timers this holiday season <br />
to throw in your survival kits and bug out bags to use as WAPIs!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">This holiday season hang on to those little pop-up turkey timers that let you know your turkey is done to throw in your survival kits and bug out bags! In fact... go ahead and just pull them out of your turkey <i>before</i> you even cook it as they are <b>actually terrible for cooking turkeys</b> (they are the main culprit in overdone and dry turkeys all across America!!). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: black;">Despite the fact that these little timers produce terrible turkeys, they aren't completely </span><span style="color: black;">useless. </span><b style="color: black;"><span style="color: orange;">These little plastic temperature indicators actually have a really terrific survival use that most are completely unaware of!</span></b><span style="color: black;"> T</span><span style="color: black;">rust us... skip using them for turkeys, wash them off and throw them in your survival kits! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: black;">Why you ask? Did you know that you can actually use these little pop-up turkey timers as</span> <b><a href="http://equip2survive.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-long-do-you-really-have-to-boil.html" target="_blank">water pasteurization indicators (WAPIs)</a></b> <span style="color: black;">to let you know when your water is hot enough to have killed all pathogens without actually bringing it to a boil (see </span><a href="http://equip2survive.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-long-do-you-really-have-to-boil.html" target="_blank">this page</a> <span style="color: black;">to </span><span style="color: black;">learn why you would want to do this)! These little guys are designed to go off at 185° F which is actually 15° hotter than your water needs to be to kill all micro organisms (160° F is the temperature typically used to pasteurize milk, but 149° F is all it takes to kill pathogens in water)! Just drop one of these little guys in your container of water and heat until the indicator pops out letting you know that your water has reached 185° F and your water has been pasteurized!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Why would you want to do this you ask? Why not just boil? Did you know that the amount of fuel it takes to bring your water to 200° F... it actually takes</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: black;"> that much fuel <b><i>again</i></b> just to raise your water those additional <i><b>unnecessary</b></i> 12° it takes to bring water to its boiling point?? 149° F is all that is required to kill all waterborne pathogens! Why on earth would you use more than <b><i>twice</i></b> as much fuel just to bring your water to 212° F?? That is a colossal waste of fuel, not to mention the waste of time in additional heating and cooling down again so that your water is drinkable! For more on boiling vs. water pasteurization, check out our </span><a href="http://equip2survive.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-long-do-you-really-have-to-boil.html" target="_blank">How Long Do You REALLY Have To Boil Water to Make It Safe To Drink</a> <span style="color: black;">page.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>ADDITIONAL TIP!!!</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Did you know that these little pop-up turkey timers are actually <b><i>reusable</i></b>? Just reheat the tip, push the pop-up indicator back in and allow to cool so the button stays in and you are ready for your next water pasteurization session!</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf11w7Y41YrNeKDjJb7u8vrgQKZL8fCGuczrFtStQOV5Ku8NIcv4YWp9Owgoos6s9yqI4skClksKelBHNSKqMqMZBlKT776oMzOwxW5huy3E3LK5drmo6iiHRuizuychdyaLhN5zQ7vP_c/s1600/1_turkey_timer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Water pasteurization with a typical pop-up turkey timer!" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf11w7Y41YrNeKDjJb7u8vrgQKZL8fCGuczrFtStQOV5Ku8NIcv4YWp9Owgoos6s9yqI4skClksKelBHNSKqMqMZBlKT776oMzOwxW5huy3E3LK5drmo6iiHRuizuychdyaLhN5zQ7vP_c/s1600/1_turkey_timer.JPG" title="Water pasteurization with a typical pop-up turkey timer!" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Just to demonstrate the effectiveness of the pop-up turkey timer</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
as a water pasteurization indicator (WAPI), we decided to photo</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
document the process on our indoor stove top so that you can see<br />
how well it really works! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Here we start with a pot of hot tap water on the</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
stove top with the pop-up turkey timer floating in the water poised </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
to go off once our water hits our pasteurization temperature. We</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
also make use of a thermometer to show water temperature as we</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
progress! As you can see here, our water is at typical "hot" tap</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
water temperature at about 120° F (<span style="text-align: center;">48° C)</span>. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdc_29_o8VRU7VURHzwnlDvEIHlTen_ZOGmlwjzZcToUghChtaUzDb6s9w06MqJlUaKu4N2Sra40f2whWDyf4yW1sOkvG_RiQQpFxlmDpP2Y53T0m8cXz-gCU7Ycz5WtE-8vJd2xT9fRk9/s1600/3_turkey_timer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Our water has reached a safe water pasteurization temperature but our turkey timer has not activated yet. Hold tight!" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdc_29_o8VRU7VURHzwnlDvEIHlTen_ZOGmlwjzZcToUghChtaUzDb6s9w06MqJlUaKu4N2Sra40f2whWDyf4yW1sOkvG_RiQQpFxlmDpP2Y53T0m8cXz-gCU7Ycz5WtE-8vJd2xT9fRk9/s1600/3_turkey_timer.JPG" title="Our water has reached a safe water pasteurization temperature but our turkey timer has not activated yet. Hold tight!" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
As you can see via our thermometer, our water has risen in</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
temperature to slightly over our actual required <b><span style="color: orange;">minimum</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
pasteurization temperature of 149° F (65° C) where all </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
living organisms are killed quickly. We are now at 160° F </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
(71° C) which is the accepted industry standard used to </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
pasteurize milk and various other food/drink products. But as</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
you can see in the photo, our pop-up turkey timer still hasn't</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
activated yet. It hasn't "popped". So does this mean that our </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
experiment is a failure? Not so fast!</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQqpYgjNIoBHZiG5OhK7SXFroi0W7zcW1gXmFmMUVHUfXnO0SubtHw33dXcVPHsDp7OGFf14bi1cUBNLRDPPE1x9PQY-Jz5j5Q2TnKYWohFAvwdpcl53YPaIUK71AA8Pp8u0NFtxCTn8o/s1600/4_turkey_timer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Our turkey timer has activated and our water is fully pasteurized!" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQqpYgjNIoBHZiG5OhK7SXFroi0W7zcW1gXmFmMUVHUfXnO0SubtHw33dXcVPHsDp7OGFf14bi1cUBNLRDPPE1x9PQY-Jz5j5Q2TnKYWohFAvwdpcl53YPaIUK71AA8Pp8u0NFtxCTn8o/s1600/4_turkey_timer.JPG" title="Our turkey timer has activated and our water is fully pasteurized!" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Look! Our pop-up turkey timer popped! Let's take a look at </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
the thermometer and see what temperature our water is now! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As you can see, our water temperature is now slightly under </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
170° F (76° C). Now this is slightly higher than the </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
temperature we need for water pasteurization, <b><span style="color: orange;">but it's still 42°</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: orange;">less than the 212° F (100° C) required to boil water!</span></b> That is </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
a huge fuel and time saver! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
Remember... we don't need this timer to show us that we are </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
precisely at pasteurization temperature (149° F/160° F or </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
65° C/71° C depending on your personal preference in </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
pasteurization standard). We only need a reliable indication </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
that we have <b>AT LEAST</b> reached pasteurization temperature.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
That being the case... <b>mission accomplished!!</b></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5ao-8WxEvivbZvyIrY3tVURRSqWC-zIaDiCRbsW1aWHbXe2cQUzIMlZQRJMGAMBgV9BlRBQH7Ag0c-13QFVqozm-BvLlGf-p0BFB5_HN9-wAzDXmn19GYenrlu9ijSLySZypJAuFv3aj/s1600/6_turkey_timer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Getting ready to reset our pop-up turkey timer pasteurization indicator!" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5ao-8WxEvivbZvyIrY3tVURRSqWC-zIaDiCRbsW1aWHbXe2cQUzIMlZQRJMGAMBgV9BlRBQH7Ag0c-13QFVqozm-BvLlGf-p0BFB5_HN9-wAzDXmn19GYenrlu9ijSLySZypJAuFv3aj/s1600/6_turkey_timer.JPG" title="Getting ready to reset our pop-up turkey timer pasteurization indicator!" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Now here's aspect of these pop-up turkey timers </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
that very few people are aware of: <b><span style="color: orange;">They are </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: orange;">reusable!</span> </b>We are going to demonstrate how to</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"reset" them! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As you can see, I am holding the activated timer </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
in my hand. I simply dipped the tip of my little </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
timer back into my pot to soften the soft metal or </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
wax that holds the blue indicator in place until it </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
softens enough from heat to allow the internal </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
spring to "pop" the indicator out. Once the tip of</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
our turkey timer has been reheated, I push the</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
blue indicator back in.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzu_o1eKKTd5AdWNaR2wmfeep1ee9kBVKWh0GgazUUYCuKKRvZaNDVWJAzWW4ifgmS4j5LEzCBdKPcAnY3Jng5n8t3l7qdxIL_31KVcUrQ3oLdWSQ3VnFsPlh3_fEHySKEb_oqnblxBVY/s1600/7_turkey_timer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="To reset your turkey timer, simply reheat the tip, press the indicator back in and then cool!" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzu_o1eKKTd5AdWNaR2wmfeep1ee9kBVKWh0GgazUUYCuKKRvZaNDVWJAzWW4ifgmS4j5LEzCBdKPcAnY3Jng5n8t3l7qdxIL_31KVcUrQ3oLdWSQ3VnFsPlh3_fEHySKEb_oqnblxBVY/s1600/7_turkey_timer.JPG" title="To reset your turkey timer, simply reheat the tip, press the indicator back in and then cool!" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Once the blue indicator is again depressed, I then</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
run the tip of our timer under cold water to cool</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
the metal or wax so that it once again retains</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
the blue indicator. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2cp5q0fHoq68WXSbhUgajNvO_TO4sJ7QppYZ38JS-h3vi-wZ5MIVRj6B3sCqW8tj0ZPmk1GzkWSqll-45oUTiq3ChduyNHMm_upCr8mNYdD84wLQ5NWgvbFHFwlJcMV7XMHoT_2LFpLW/s1600/8_turkey_timer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Our turkey timer water pasteurization indicator has been reset and is ready to use again!" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2cp5q0fHoq68WXSbhUgajNvO_TO4sJ7QppYZ38JS-h3vi-wZ5MIVRj6B3sCqW8tj0ZPmk1GzkWSqll-45oUTiq3ChduyNHMm_upCr8mNYdD84wLQ5NWgvbFHFwlJcMV7XMHoT_2LFpLW/s1600/8_turkey_timer.JPG" title="Our turkey timer water pasteurization indicator has been reset and is ready to use again!" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
As you can see, our improvised pop-up turkey </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
timer water pasteurization indicator has been</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
reset and is ready to use again! </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Just as a precaution, we would recommend that you do a similar test on your stove top to verify the actual activation temperature of any pop-up turkey timer that you intend to use for water pasteurization and be fully familiar with it. That being said, turkey timers in general do the same thing at very similar temperatures so even without a test like this you should be able to safely and reliably use a pop-up turkey </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "ms pゴシック" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">timer as a water pasteurization indicator! </span>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-6935194647008025092014-11-11T16:04:00.000-08:002016-07-28T12:05:23.238-07:00How Long Do You REALLY Have to Boil Water Before It’s Safe to Drink?<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5el2Ypf0YFuTlb3cUXeGfFMGA978lpxbmdj6vfjxbjcHgUqHYJXX5H-V9MVFYKFxJeyrOWKAdp_Z7D6y1aXqVim79j6oxySS_exMfwV6m3LJu4PgCuCdTkUOO_CcCxxiG_1GPqfk_x6hQ/s1600/how_long_boil_water_pasteurization4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="How Long Do You REALLY Have to Boil Water Before It’s Safe to Drink?" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5el2Ypf0YFuTlb3cUXeGfFMGA978lpxbmdj6vfjxbjcHgUqHYJXX5H-V9MVFYKFxJeyrOWKAdp_Z7D6y1aXqVim79j6oxySS_exMfwV6m3LJu4PgCuCdTkUOO_CcCxxiG_1GPqfk_x6hQ/s640/how_long_boil_water_pasteurization4.jpg" title="How Long Do You REALLY Have to Boil Water Before It’s Safe to Drink?" width="344" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
How long do you really have to boil water before it's safe to drink? The answer<br />
might surprise you!</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So how long do you<b> <span style="color: black;"><i>really</i></span> </b>have to boil water before it's safe to drink?<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> 5 minutes? </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> 10 minutes? </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> 20 minutes? </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="color: black;"> 30 minutes?</span></b></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<b></b></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<b><span style="color: black;">The correct answer:</span></b> If you actually saw through our trick question and guessed <b><span style="color: black;">0 minutes</span></b>, you would be correct!!</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
Now you might be thinking <i><span style="color: black;">“Wait a minute... how is that possible?? That’s not what I learned on Survivorman or Man vs. Wild!”</span> </i>Well, as you are about to learn... it’s absolutely, positively & definitively 100% possible… with just a little knowledge!</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
There’s a lot of conflicting information out there regarding how to “purify” water to make it safe to drink, and it can get pretty confusing. There are chemical treatments, filters and of course the “old faithful” boiling of your water to make it safe to drink. Most of these treatments are completely viable for making water drinkable as long as you know the limitations of each method.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
For this article we are going to stay away from the chemical and filtration methods of water purification and focus primarily on using heat to treat water and make it drinkable. Heat is an effective method for treating water because it eliminates (kills) the microscopic organisms that are living in that water that can make you very sick.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<h4>
<span style="color: black;"><b>So how much heat? And for how long?</b> </span></h4>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
Great questions! Depending on your source, “conventional wisdom” has told us for decades that bringing water to a rolling boil at the very minimum and holding it there for a period of time is what is required to kill these microscopic pathogens. </div>
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For example, let’s take a look at what the<b> <span style="color: black;">Boy Scouts of America</span> </b>say about treating water:</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(122, 122, 122);">“</span><i>The surest means of making your drinking water safe is to </i><b><i><span style="color: black;">heat it to a rolling boil—when bubbles a half inch in diameter rise from the bottom of the pot</span></i></b><i>. While this is a simple method, it does require time and fuel.”</i></div>
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Now let’s take a look at what the <span style="color: black;"><b>United States Marine Corp.</b> </span>recommends for treating water:</div>
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<i>“Purify all water obtained from natural sources by using iodine tablets, bleach, or </i><b><i><span style="color: black;">boiling for 5 minutes.</span></i></b><i>” </i></div>
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So are the Boy Scouts of America and the Marines wrong? No. Bringing your water to a full boil will <i>absolutely</i> kill all common pathogens that we have all learned to take so seriously because can make us sick with illnesses like <i>Giardia</i>, <i>Cryptosporidium</i>, <i>E. coli</i> and the rest. The problem with bringing your water to a boil, as you are about to learn, is that doing so is actually <b><span style="color: black;">complete overkill</span></b> when it comes to treating water for harmful microbes! Boiling your water, while completely safe and will absolutely kill those nasty pathogens, is actually a waste of precious fuel/firewood resources in a survival situation!</div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">OK, so how much fuel are you wasting exactly?</span></b> </h4>
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Did you know that heating your water from 200° F to 212° F… just that last extra 12° to get your water to it’s boiling point… actually uses <b><span style="color: black;">TWICE</span></b> as much fuel as it does just to get your water to that initial 200°?? Well... it does. <b><span style="color: black;">TWICE</span></b> as much fuel! That is nothing to scoff at!</div>
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So now that we know what the Boy Scouts of America and the Marines say about purifying water (and we love both of these organizations!), let’s see what <i>science</i> tells us about using heat to purify water.</div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">Important Temperatures to Factor In to this Equation:</span></b></h4>
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<b><span style="color: black;">212° F</span></b> = Temperature at which water boils</div>
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<span style="color: red;"><b>160° F</b> = Temperature at which milk is generally pasteurized</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">149° F</span></b> = Temperature at which <i>Hepatitis A</i> is quickly killed </div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">140° F</span></b> = Temperature at which bacteria (<i>V. cholerae</i>, <i>E. coli</i> and <i>Salmonella typhi</i>) and Rotavirus are quickly killed</div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">131° F</span></b> = Temperature at which worms & protazoa cysts (<i>Giardia</i>, <i>Cryptosporidium</i> and <i>Entamoeba</i>) are quickly killed</div>
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As you can see from the temperatures listed above, the pathogens that we are primarily concerned about when it comes to safe drinking water are <b><span style="color: black;">ALL</span></b> killed (quickly) at temperatures much lower than 212°, the temperature at which water boils. That being the case... why would you unnecessarily waste any more fuel than you need to heating up your water those <b><span style="color: black;">additional 63°?</span></b> Great question, isn’t it?</div>
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Now let’s take another look at that milk pasteurization temperature above: <b><span style="color: black;">160° F</span></b>.<br />
<b><span style="color: black;">Pasteurization </span></b>is a process invented by French scientist Louis Pasteur during the early nineteenth century. Pasteur discovered that the pasteurization process made it possible to heat the milk to high enough temperature to kill all harmful microorganisms without “cooking” the milk causing it to curdle. </div>
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Now of course you never have to worry about your water curdling, but an important lesson can be gleaned from this milk pasteurization process that can be extremely beneficial: Water, like milk, does not have to be boiled to be safe to drink!<br />
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<b><span style="color: black;">Temperature + Time = Pasteurization</span></b></h4>
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Pasteurization is a process that occurs based on two variables: <b><span style="color: black;">temperature and time</span></b>. You see... you can actually pasteurize water at lower temps if you do it for a longer duration. This is <i>extremely</i> helpful in situations where A) you aren’t able to effect fire for heating your water, or B) you can make fire but you do not have a suitable container for boiling that can withstand the intense heat of your fire. Lower temperature/longer duration pasteurization can actually be done with discarded plastic 2 liter bottles set in the sunlight for longer periods of time (typically 6 hours). This method of disinfecting water is known as the SODIS (Solar Water Disinfection) method. You can even put something black or reflective behind your bottle to speed up the process!</div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">So Why Do So Many Advocate Boiling Your Water?</span></b></h4>
Great question with a very simple answer: When those bubbles start to roll in your container of water, that is nothing more than a clear <b><span style="color: black;">VISUAL INDICATOR</span> </b>that your water has become hot enough (actually MORE than enough) to have killed all of those little nasties. It works. It’s effective. But is it ideal? Or can we do better?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2Ny7gonx6TtnEN9Pte4GCtEYqzqzIgxWxOg4DuGNMyYk1cV0o0wO5IE5ktbNMB_gssbxxNe2kez27KGBG6XKFXhMINyL2j-hr-n37oKFR-W2avZ_P15BxTGRUAoKG9nBCeaAhRuc9_Hh/s1600/IMG_0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2Ny7gonx6TtnEN9Pte4GCtEYqzqzIgxWxOg4DuGNMyYk1cV0o0wO5IE5ktbNMB_gssbxxNe2kez27KGBG6XKFXhMINyL2j-hr-n37oKFR-W2avZ_P15BxTGRUAoKG9nBCeaAhRuc9_Hh/s320/IMG_0011.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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A classic WAPI in the author's hand for sense of scale. Notice the bright </div>
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green plug of wax in the clear tube? That's the stuff that melts and and </div>
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falls to the other end of the clear tube to let you know that your water is </div>
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pasteurized and ready for drinking!</div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">Your Pasteurization Friend: the</span><span style="color: black;"> <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=185" target="_blank">WAPI</a>!</span></span></b></h4>
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So if the bubbles from boiling water gives us that terrific visual indicator to let us know that our water has reached 212° F... but now we know that boiling our water to make it safe to drink is actually a waste of precious fuel resources (fuel, wood, candles, etc.)… how can we then determine if our water has gotten hot enough to have been properly pasteurized without those rolling bubbles? Great question again! We could certainly use a thermometer... but most of these are glass and very fragile. Too fragile to keep from breaking inside your kit. We need something small, light, compact, durable and can be used over and over again to let us know that our water has reached that effective pasteurization temperature. <b><span style="color: black;">SOLUTION:</span></b> A tiny inexpensive device known as a <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=185" target="_blank"><b>Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI)</b>!</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=185" target="_blank">WAPI’s</a> are incredibly simple little devices. They are nothing more than a tiny sealed clear tube with a special brightly colored (easy to see) green wax inside of them. This wax (known as Myverol 18-06) is formulated to melt at just the right temperature for pasteurization (156° F or 69° C.). In most <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=185" target="_blank">WAPI</a> designs the tube typically slides up and down a thin cable with a tiny weight on each end allowing you to flip the tube so that the wax inside can be easily positioned at the top of the tube again. </div>
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To use your <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=185" target="_blank">WAPI</a> simply slide the little tube down to the bottom of the wire so that the wax-heavy end of the tube is oriented toward the top of the tube. Place your <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=185" target="_blank">WAPI tube</a> into your container of water draping the weight at the opposite end of your <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=185" target="_blank">WAPI tube</a> over the lip of your container so that it is easy to grab. Once your water has reached pasteurization temperature of 156°, the wax in your <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=185" target="_blank">WAPI tube</a> will start to melt allowing it to fall from the top of your clear tube to the bottom of your tube with a little help from gravity. This is your visual indicator that your water has been pasteurized!</div>
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While <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=185" target="_blank">WAPI’s</a> are extremely inexpensive to purchase (typically $5 to $8), it is possible to make your own <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=185" target="_blank">WAPI</a>! We have even seen versions made from drinking straws and glue sticks for hot glue guns. While you can make your own <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=185" target="_blank">WAPI</a>, they are so inexpensive that we recommend purchasing one. “Quality control” can be an issue with DIY WAPI’s causing inconsistent results… even when purchasing DIY kits made with genuine parts. Sometimes it’s just best to leave work like this to the experts… especially when a piece of kit like this is so inexpensive to begin with.<br />
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<a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=185" target="_blank">Get your own Water Pasteurization Indicators (WAPI) here!</a></h3>
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<b><span style="color: black;">TRAVEL TIP!:</span></b></h4>
When traveling to countries that are known to have a questionable water supply (due to harmful pathogens remaining in the water supply), one little known trick when you cannot access bottled water is to pour yourself a glass of HOT water from the tap instead of cold. Water from the hot water heater has actually been pasteurized! Water from hot water heaters is typically between 120° F and 140° which is slightly below ideal pasteurization temperatures… but remember that heat + time = pasteurization! 99.999% of water borne pathogens are killed instantly when water is brought to 149° F. The same result can be accomplished with lower temperatures if you simply allow the water to remain at that temperature for a longer period of time. For example, water can be pasteurized at 130° F if simply held at that temperature for 2 hours. </div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">WARNING:</span></b></h4>
As with anything else, use common sense when treating water. Your health and potentially your life are on the line. When in doubt, heat your water a little hotter or for a little longer. It can’t hurt unless fuel is at an absolute premium. </div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">Just like with boiling, pasteurizing is not a panacea for making any water drinkable. </span></b>For example, pasteurizing sea water will not make it drinkable as pasteurization does not remove the salts from sea water. Just like boiling, pasteurization only kills microorganisms that can make you sick. It does not remove chemicals, metals, pollutants or other toxins that could harm you from your water for you. </div>
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One example in particular that comes to mind where both boiling and pasteurizing water can make matters worse for you instead of better is in the case of the recent algae blooms in the Toledo area. Water of this type contains the toxin known as <i>microcystis aeruginosa</i>. Microcystis aeruginose is a species of freshwater cyanobacteria which can form harmful algae blooms (HABs) in fresh bodies of water. Boiling or pasteurizing water of this type actually INCREASES the presence of the toxins and makes your water more toxic to drink!</div>
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So when it comes to treating water to make it drinkable, be smart. Be careful. Play it safe. Use your noggin.<br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Happy pasteurizing and safe hydrating!</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Want to learn more about Water Pasteurization? Check out our <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20data-pin-do=%22embedBoard%22%20href=%22http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/water-pasteurization/%22%3EFollow%20EQUIP2SURVIVE's%20board%20Water%20Pasteurization!%20on%20Pinterest.%3C/a%3E%20%3C!--%20Please%20call%20pinit.js%20only%20once%20per%20page%20--%3E%20%3Cscript%20type=%22text/javascript%22%20async%20src=%22//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js%22%3E%3C/script%3E" target="_blank">Water Pasteurization Pinterest Board</a>!:</span></h4>
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<a data-pin-board-width="525" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="525" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="http://www.pinterest.com/equip2survive/water-pasteurization/">Follow EQUIP2SURVIVE's Water Pasteurization board on Pinterest.</a>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-65114818620986546332014-10-12T13:31:00.000-07:002014-10-20T14:24:39.195-07:00TOP 20 FIRE STARTERS AND TINDERS!<div class="" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">There is an infographic that has
become quite popular enthusiasts on social media like Facebook and Pinterest with
all types of outdoor called<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171696228/" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Top 10 Fire Starters</span></b></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">(by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://scoutmastercg.com/"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">scoutmastercg.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">). While we absolutely love the
idea of an infographic that visually organizes and ranks awesome fire starters,
there was just something a little off about this particular infographic to us, but
it took us a minute or two to figure out what it was. Some of the pieces on
this infographic just didn't quite fit together properly in our minds for some
reason... but why?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">While we like the concept behind this
infographic very much, we felt that there were some real opportunities for
improvement in it:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2511193364560736472" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2511193364560736472" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2511193364560736472" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2511193364560736472" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First off, the items listed in <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171696228/"><b>Top 10 Fire Starters</b></a> are all sort of lumped in
together as an extremely loosely termed category of <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171677248/">“fire starters”</a>,
but as you will quickly see, not all “<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171700829/">fire starters</a>”
are created equal. Several of the <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171677248/">“fire starters”</a>
on this list are purely <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171696228/"><b>ignition sources</b></a> while others are purely <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171696228/"><b>tinders</b></a>. Several are a combination of
the two (like the steel wool and battery fires starting method). It is
important to distinguish between the two types of fire starters because having
one but not the other can make a huge difference when attempting to start a
fire in an emergency situation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another issue that we have with
the list offered on the <b>Top 10 Fire
Starters</b> infographic is that many really great <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171696228/">fire starters</a>
(both <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171696228/">ignition sources</a> and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171696228/">tinders</a>
alike) are notably absent from this list. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So... we decided to take our own
stab at a version of this <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/160792649171677248/"><b>Top <i>20</i> Fire Starters</b></a>
infographic!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/top_10_20_fire_starters_and_tinders.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Top 20 Fire Starters and Tinders!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjph_QBzh0XPN6SQ1qernqM1g2Qn4J6qRiCSn6iSejIuYYj_kO-SxhmtPsb3XPyaVzCpnN0xGmbCemJ7oO_n6YFGmQgVMlDvFYNogyVMZgeuqhPqioRLS2Kqu3wvNBtumXmoGn3Nh-gV2kp/s1600/Top10FireStarters500px4blogger.jpg" title="Top 20 Fire Starters and Tinders!" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Top 20 Fire Starters and Tinders!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Let’s run through our list in a little more detail, shall we? It’s hard to fit a lot of good information into such little spaces!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 24pt;">TOP 20 FIRE STARTERS!</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Top 10 Ignition Sources (Fire Starters)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=179" target="_blank">Butane Lighters</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=179" target="_blank">Butane lighters</a> are the ultimate fire starters and are the ideal backbone for every survival kit. Quality disposable lighters like the classic Bic are optimal. In a pair of skilled hands, <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=179" target="_blank">lighters</a> are virtually a guaranteed fire. <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=179" target="_blank">Lighters</a> are the easiest and most reliable way to make fire even for beginners. <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=179" target="_blank">Lighters</a> are beyond simple to use requiring almost no skill. They are compact, lightweight and can produce fire after fire.<br /><br />Even a “dead” <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=179" target="_blank">lighter</a> can be used to start a fire simply using the “sparkwheel” and flint on the top of the <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=179" target="_blank">lighter</a> with a suitable tinder or spark catcher like charcloth or a petroleum jelly cotton ball.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">As terrific as <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00IMMIWTE" target="_blank">lighters</a> are, they are not perfect. Starting a fire with a <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00IMMIWTE" target="_blank">lighter</a> can still be a challenge in wet and windy conditions. Careful attention must be given to your fire making materials, construction, environment, weather conditions and location of your fire bed for one to successfully create a fire in adverse conditions. That being said, most would still agree that <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00IMMIWTE" target="_blank">lighters</a> are by far the ultimate fire starting tool.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Stormproof Matches<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00773VVHO"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Stormproof matches</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> are next on our list because they too are lightweight and compact, reliable and even resistant to adverse conditions. They burn hotter and longer than both conventional matches and even “strike anywhere” matches. </span><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00773VVHO"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Stormproof matches</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> are even resistant to wind and rain even after submerged in water! </span><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00773VVHO"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Stormproof matches</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> are a terrific item to have on hand or in your kit as a backup method for starting fire since they are so compact and lightweight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">You can make your own “</span><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00773VVHO"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">stormproof matches</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">” by taking common “strike anywhere” matches and coat them in paraffin wax, varnish or nail polish giving them a nice watertight protective coating. Or you can seal a few of them up in a soda straw by crimping the ends of the straw and melting it shut on each end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Magnesium Fire Starters<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B0079SEGO2" target="_blank">Quality magnesium fire starters</a> (like the classic </span><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B0002X1IOM"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Doan Magnesium Survival Fire Starter</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">) are terrific fire starters that have been issued by the military for decades. They even work in wet conditions. <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B0079SEGO2" target="_blank">Magnesium fire starters</a> combine the terrific spark rendering ability of a ferro rod with the ability to make <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00OGP9K8S" target="_blank">highly flammable magnesium shavings</a>. These shavings burn incredibly hot and actually burn hotter when wet!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B0002X1IOM" target="_blank">Doan</a> is not the only quality <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B0079SEGO2" target="_blank">magnesium fire starter</a> out there. There are a number of <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B0079SEGO2" target="_blank">quality magnesium fire starters</a> available that are as nice or nicer than the <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B0002X1IOM" target="_blank">Doan</a>. You can even get magnesium pencil sharpeners that you can scrape shavings off of in the same way and use the sharpener to create tinder with by sharpening sticks just like you would a pencil!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=181" target="_blank">Ferrocerium Rod</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=181" target="_blank">Ferro rods</a> are brilliant fire starters and are often favored by outdoor enthusiasts. Compact, lightweight and reliable, <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=181" target="_blank">ferro rods</a> can light many more fires than a lighter or book of matches provided you assemble a proper tinder bundle to ignite from a spark. All you have to do to get a shower of sparks from a <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=181" target="_blank">ferro rod</a> is to scrape it firmly down its entire length with a high carbon knife or tool blade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=181" target="_blank">Ferro rods</a> are waterproof, durable and very reliable. Many survival enthusiasts carry a <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=181" target="_blank">ferro rod</a> as a primary ignition source. You simply have to know how to create a proper tinder bundle in order for it to ignite from a spark from a <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=181" target="_blank">ferro rod</a>. Once you do you are set!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Electric<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Electricity is another great way to start a fire. A common and popular way to start a fire with electricity is with a 9 volt battery and steel wool. Metallic gum wrappers and cylindrical batteries work as well. Most common batteries, both large and small, will generate a spark when properly coaxed. The leads from car and motorcycle batteries can be contacted to create a spark over fuel soaks rags to start a fire as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Starting a fire with electricity may require a little creative ingenuity on your part, but electricity should always be considered a viable option for starting a fire when other options are not readily available.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Solar<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Sunlight is another terrific way to start a fire. With a <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=184" target="_blank">solar fire starter</a> you can focus sunlight to start a fire by concentrating it on a material that you wish to ignite with one of two options: <b>reflection</b> or <b>refraction</b>. A terrific example of using refraction to start a fire is using a magnifying glass to concentrate sunlight on the surface of a combustible material. A Fresnel lens is a great item to keep in your kit or wallet because of its ability to concentrate sunlight like a conventional magnifying glass without all the bulk and weight of a conventional magnifying glass. You can even concentrate sunlight to start a fire with just a water filled container or even a condom!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Reflection methods of starting a fire also concentrate sunlight on a focal point on your tinder only instead of bending light waves with refraction you bounce (reflect) sunlight from a general area into a concentrated point with a concave reflective surface. A great illustration of this is disassembling a large flashlight and using the concave reflector to concentrate sunlight down into the bulb area where you would place your tinder (bulb removed first, of course). If you are clever enough, there are all kinds of options for taking materials with reflective surfaces (aluminum foil, retired compact discs, etc.) and devising them into a concave shape (like an old satellite dish, hub cap, etc.).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Many survival experts and survival programs refer to this fire making method as a <i>“parabolic lens”</i> method, but that is actually not accurate. The reflector from a flashlight is not actually a lens at all. It is a reflective surface that works on an entirely different principle than a lens does. A reflector collimates light waves and redirects them as opposed to bending them into a concentrated spot like a lens does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Chemical<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Some chemical reactions are exothermic (a chemical reaction that literally “releases heat” resulting in combustion). There are a number of such chemical combinations that result in combustion. Simply having a familiarity with a few of these chemical combinations could turn out to be a life saver. One of the more infamous of these combinations is potassium permanganate and glycerin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">As with other fire starting methods, make sure you do your research before haphazardly combining chemicals. Be smart and be safe. Take the necessary precautions by wearing protective gear when prudent and always mix chemicals in well ventilated locations. Noxious and/or caustic fumes can do terrible physical harm to the human body... even kill you. Always be <b><i>extremely</i></b> cautious when mixing chemicals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Spark”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Sparks result from many fire starting </span>methods<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> and can be created in many different ways. Ferro rods & electricity are just two fire making methods that produce sparks, but you can also produce sparks by simply striking a carbon steel edge (like on a knife or tool) against a piece of flint like our ancestors did for millennia. You’ll need a good tinder to catch that spark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">While starting a fire with only a spark takes a bit more knowledge and skill than simply lighting a fire with a lighter or a match, it’s really all about preparing a suitable tinder/spark catcher that can take that spark and turn it into something you can work with like either an ember or flame. Not all tinders are capable of this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">You need a tinder with a very favorable oxygen to fuel “surface area” ratio (extremely fluffy or fibrous). A single spark, while very hot, is also very tiny and very momentary. If you are going to depend upon a single spark to start your fire, you are going to need a “fuel” that can take that tiny and briefly hot speck and convert it into an exothermic reaction (in this case an ember) that you can eventually coax into a fire. The smaller and briefer your source of heat is, the finer your “fuel” (tinder) will have to be. Fluffy and fibrous tinders like petroleum jelly cotton balls (fluffed finely), fine cotton fuzz (like lint), charcloth, etc. Natural tinders like fluff and dander from cattails, milkweed, thistle and sycamore fluff could work as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Friction<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=183" target="_blank">Friction fire</a> is a primitive fire making method that was heavily relied upon well before the matches and butane lighters of today, especially before the advent of steel. <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=183" target="_blank">Fire bow</a>, fire plough, hand drill, and fire saw and fire thong are all examples of friction fire making. Unlike the butane lighters and matches of today, each of these primitive friction fire making methods requires a tremendous amount of skill developed by practice and experience. That being said, the time, energy and effort invested in those skills can be quite rewarding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Many “survival experts” on TV make starting a fire with a friction method look really easy. It is not. <b>DO NOT</b> simply assume that you will be able to start a fire with friction when your life depends on it having never done so before. You are setting yourself up for a colossal disappointment. It is not nearly as easy as it looks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">On the positive side, <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=183" target="_blank">friction fire making</a> is an impressive and beautiful skill that only a small percentage of outdoorsmen and women have mastered. Learning this skill is an impressive feat and is often regarded as the “litmus test” of a true survivalist or bushcrafter. Anyone who puts in the time and energy to learn this skill and all of its nuances not only adds another fire making “tool” to their fire making “tool box”, but they also earn the respect and admiration of their fellow outdoor enthusiasts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Compression<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=182" target="_blank">Fire pistons</a> are regarded by many to be nothing more than a novelty in the primitive fire making world, but a <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=182" target="_blank">quality fire piston</a> in the right hands can be more reliable than other methods. <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=182" target="_blank">Fire pistons</a> are compact, lightweight and can be very reliable. Like other primitive fire making methods, practice is recommended. It is unwise to simply acquire a <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=182" target="_blank">fire piston</a> and never use it until you actually need it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Top 10 Tinders and Fire Starters<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">PJCBs (Petroleum Jelly Cotton Balls)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Petroleum jelly cotton balls are indisputably the ultimate “tinder” for many reasons. OK, will maybe not indisputably, but pretty darn close. They are so cheap and easy to make, the’re fairly water resistant, compact, last virtually forever, and will ignite from even a tiny spark! They are easy to carry in a capsule, tin, or even a re-sealable plastic bag.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The only down side that we can see to PJCBs is that you actually have to carry them with you. That’s why we make up batches of them at a time and stuff them in all of our kits and in all kinds of nooks and crannies. We put them in airtight watertight containers (like capsules, old film canisters, pill containers, Ziplock bags, etc.) and stuff them into all the smallest pockets and pouches in our kits. Got a fire steel or ferro rod with a built in capsule? Put PJCBs in it. We put petroleum jelly cotton balls in our fire kits, EDC, Bug Out Bag, 72 hour kits, car kits, camping kits and even start our backyard fire pit fires with them. Do yourself a favor: Make a batch of these, container them up and put them everywhere. They come in extremely handy even in non-emergency situations!<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=180" target="_blank">Commercial Tinders</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">There are a variety of <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=180" target="_blank">commercially made tinders</a> available for purchase. One of the most popular is <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B008UB4BV0" target="_blank"><b>WetFire</b>,</a> a highly water resistant “tinder” or firestarter. A little money saving tip: If you like <b><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B008UB4BV0" target="_blank">WetFire</a></b>, <b><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001AN7RGG" target="_blank">Weber</a></b> (yes, the company that makes grills) offers a product for starting charcoal that is essentially the same exact product but the cubes are larger, you get more of them and for far less money (half the price!). Check them out here! <b><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001AN7RGG">Weber Charcoal Starters</a></b>.<br /><br />There are many other great <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=12">commercially made fire starters</a> like <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=180" target="_blank"><b>Esbit</b>, <b>Instafire</b>, <b>Live Fire</b> & <b>Tinder-Quick</b></a> just to name a few. You should try several types of <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=180" target="_blank">commercial fire starters</a> to see which ones work best for you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001MKOCG0" target="_blank">Trick Birthday Candles</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001MKOCG0" target="_blank">Trick birthday candles</a> are an underrated fire starting tool. They are cheap, compact, lightweight and easy to carry. Like regular candles, the wax in <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001MKOCG0" target="_blank">trick birthday candles</a> is a terrific asset when starting a fire in wet conditions. The added benefit of using <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001MKOCG0" target="_blank">trick birthday candles</a> is once they are lit they can’t be blown out by the wind! <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B001MKOCG0" target="_blank">Trick birthday candles</a> are a wonderful item to keep in your kits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Chemical<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">A number of chemicals are flammable, will easily ignite, and can be leveraged as fire starters. Alcohol is found in many household items like hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Lighter fluid, charcoal starter, kerosene, and other fuels are also terrific options.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">When it comes to hand sanitizer, not all hand sanitizers are created equal in terms of fire starting capabilities. Most hand sanitizers are between 60% and 70% alcohol. The products with lower alcohol content do not flame nearly as well as the products with higher alcohol content. Obviously this fact stands to reason, but your luck with using hand sanitizer as a fire starter can vary depending on how much alcohol is in your hand sanitizer, so take a careful look before you purchase hand sanitizer for your preps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Denatured alcohol is another popular “fuel” that burns cleanly and is often used in compact alcohol stoves. Clean burning chemicals and fuels are ideal since you may likely use your fire to cook food with. Dirtier burning fuels like gasoline, kerosene and oils can leave your food tasting like chemicals at best and even inedible at worst, so choose your chemicals for fire starting carefully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Wax<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Wax is another versatile fire making tool. Wax is virtually water proof and is terrific for making all kinds of fire starters from toilet paper tubes, sawdust, shredded documents, dryer lint, egg cartons, and much more. You can also shave off thin strips of wax from an old candle to help start a fire in wet conditions. Most people simply toss old candles once they burn down past their prime, but resourceful individuals see the unused potential in these little chunks of wax and set them aside until they have enough to make come great little DIY fire starters for their fireplace, fire pit, for survival kits and more! You can even coat cordage like jute with wax to protect it from moisture and enhance its fire starting abilities!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=178" target="_blank">Fatwood</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=178" target="_blank">Fatwood</a> is an amazing natural tinder because of its natural high resin content. You can buy it commercially or you can find it in the wild if you know how to locate it. <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=178" target="_blank">Fatwood</a> burns hot, long, and is water resistant. Many survivalists and bushcrafters carry <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=178" target="_blank">fatwood</a> in their fire kit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=178" target="_blank">Fatwood</a> is created when a high resin wood tree (like pine or cedar) experiences some kind of debilitating trauma like being blown over or struck by lightning in a storm. The roots of the downed and damaged tree continues to pump moisture, nutrients and resin toward the tree, but there is no longer any tree left to receive those substances. Therefore they end up concentrating at the base of the tree leaving a stockpile of concentrated highly resinous wood in the remaining stump. Any time you see a downed pine or cedar, you should always check the remaining stump/trunk to see if it is a <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=178" target="_blank">fatwood</a> jackpot!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Charcloth<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Charcloth (or char rope) is a terrific traditional tinder that is super easy to make. While charcloth won’t produce a flame, it will catch a tiny spark creating an ember that you can coax into a flame in your tinder bundle. To create charcloth, you simply need to heat cotton cloth in an air deprived container.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Foraged Natural Tinders<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">There are many wonderful natural tinders all around you if you simply know where to look: dried grasses, birch bark, cattail, milkweed, thistle and sycamore seed dander, tinder fungus, abandoned bird nests, and many more. The best tinders will catch from just a spark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Improvised and Processed Natural Tinders<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">While there are many natural tinder materials available in the wild, there will be times when finding suitable dry natural tinder can be a challenge. That’s when you have to process natural tinders down even finer to produce a material that will take a spark or produce a flame. Feather sticks are a great example.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Improvised/Repurposed Tinders<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Cotton balls, cardboard, dryer lint, feminine hygiene products, egg cartons, newspaper, shredded documents, lip balm, rope, wine corks, sawdust, gum wrappers steel wool, toilet paper tubes and many more. Most of these work best when combined with petroleum jelly, wax, or alcohol.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMprTqXVGcTrcw7ojDOkK6VpyvfUfArV7IWJ2S5XPX5D6oYgXVT9lmfOWASGEwpBg59Jwx7_9WIaRTNZknDdFKfG_vOBzOp8jsMs5w9VlGBz8UpuLSCVgpB2lA7y6MHHNVOW9q_wyBdZRe/s1600/Top10FireStarters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMprTqXVGcTrcw7ojDOkK6VpyvfUfArV7IWJ2S5XPX5D6oYgXVT9lmfOWASGEwpBg59Jwx7_9WIaRTNZknDdFKfG_vOBzOp8jsMs5w9VlGBz8UpuLSCVgpB2lA7y6MHHNVOW9q_wyBdZRe/s1600/Top10FireStarters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMprTqXVGcTrcw7ojDOkK6VpyvfUfArV7IWJ2S5XPX5D6oYgXVT9lmfOWASGEwpBg59Jwx7_9WIaRTNZknDdFKfG_vOBzOp8jsMs5w9VlGBz8UpuLSCVgpB2lA7y6MHHNVOW9q_wyBdZRe/s1600/Top10FireStarters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMprTqXVGcTrcw7ojDOkK6VpyvfUfArV7IWJ2S5XPX5D6oYgXVT9lmfOWASGEwpBg59Jwx7_9WIaRTNZknDdFKfG_vOBzOp8jsMs5w9VlGBz8UpuLSCVgpB2lA7y6MHHNVOW9q_wyBdZRe/s1600/Top10FireStarters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-12285926948044698782014-01-21T14:42:00.000-08:002014-01-21T14:42:44.053-08:0011 OVERLOOKED AND UNDERRATED SURVIVAL GEAR ITEMS!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRp4042t-SRQcwCwW11esxZtIFZXCmqrRTa4HQqadVonuuVpS-gWM2oDYtwCbJ5FKdTXS0255sgP-QqBIPHpg4gqgdUBpxzma8pPLU2ith-yoDUPZ8GzpcJ1gcCduasJIOqlwtWk2dnyqf/s1600/11-underrated-survival-gear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="11 Underrated & Overlooked Survival Gear Items!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRp4042t-SRQcwCwW11esxZtIFZXCmqrRTa4HQqadVonuuVpS-gWM2oDYtwCbJ5FKdTXS0255sgP-QqBIPHpg4gqgdUBpxzma8pPLU2ith-yoDUPZ8GzpcJ1gcCduasJIOqlwtWk2dnyqf/s1600/11-underrated-survival-gear.jpg" height="320" title="11 Underrated & Overlooked Survival Gear Items!" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always be open to new possibilities when it comes to survival!</td></tr>
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For <strong><a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/survival-gear.html" target="_blank">survival gear</a></strong> enthusiasts who have been around for a little while, there are a good number of <strong>survival gear</strong> items that, at this point, most of us are quite familiar with. The "old guard" of the survival gear world may shudder at our proposal to consider some newer, more unusual or perhaps just a bit overlooked <strong>survival gear</strong> items, but we feel like you deserve more than just the status quo in terms of <strong>survival gear</strong> options. We are pretty sure that you are well aware of "Swiss Army" knives, Leatherman multitools, MREs and paracord "survival" bracelets at this point. How about we take a closer look at some far less conventional <strong>survival gear</strong> items? Some that are a bit less cliché? <br /><br />Sure, we get it... How can <strong>survival gear</strong> that is tried and true... <strong>survival gear</strong> that has earned it's rightful place among the ranks of it's elite survival gear "champion" counterparts... How can proven <strong>survival gear</strong> of this caliber ever become "cliché"? Well... we as a species are constantly discovering, innovating and inventing new ideas, methods and tools for every aspect of our lives. Why would this not be the case for our <strong>survival gear</strong>? What amazing innovations have been made on the <strong>survival gear</strong> front that you may be missing out on? What are some relatively recent <strong>survival gear</strong> innovations that you might not be aware of and might want to consider for your packs and kits? <br />
There is absolutely something to be said for the old adage, <em>"If it ain't broke don't fix it!".</em> There are countless examples (well beyond just the <strong>survival gear</strong> realm) of how you simply can't improve upon the original... especially in the case of bushcraft, woodcraft ("Nessmuk" anyone?)and wilderness survival (which by default tend to be about primitive skills and doing things the way they used to be done with tools and materials of old). But in actual <em>"survival"</em> (disaster preparedness, prepping, survivalism, bugging out, etc.), where ideologically standing "true" to the old ways is less of a priority, we can and should be open to new ideas and innovations. There's a time and a place for tradition, but there's also a time and a place for choosing the right tool for the job... even if that tool seems a bit "newfangled" upon first impression.<br />
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In an actual "survival scenario" where you are <strong>genuinely trying to stay alive and ensure your survival</strong>... this is really not a scenario where you want to get particularly ideological (say, "purist" or "self-righteous" just for example) about your <strong>survival gear</strong>. In fact... your best option would probably be to remain open to any and all advantages that you can leverage, new or old. <br />
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So just in case you are interested in considering a few less conventional, frequently overlooked and completely underrated survival gear items, you are going to want to check out the list on our <strong><a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/survival-gear.html" target="_blank">11 Underrated and Overlooked Survival Gear Items</a></strong> page found here:<br />
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<a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/survival-gear.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-large;">11 Underrated Survival Gear Items</span></a></h2>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-79524051669333593952014-01-07T15:01:00.000-08:002015-01-26T10:31:04.483-08:002014 BLIZZARD APOCALYPSE!!!<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23Xqw1-F04khWs3XGcdWoEpDZqYgQAYKKtirS-CEhdoRCJ4E0U6AKMk0CAqY1QvRwSdoKX7ou7MGPtKdKnCCfwHr7PAE7g2gXSSIf1ifXjvOHdcfIzV_PoD7IJPt8-XqV8hgDx_-cWD-D/s1600/blizzardsurvivalblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Blizzard survival!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23Xqw1-F04khWs3XGcdWoEpDZqYgQAYKKtirS-CEhdoRCJ4E0U6AKMk0CAqY1QvRwSdoKX7ou7MGPtKdKnCCfwHr7PAE7g2gXSSIf1ifXjvOHdcfIzV_PoD7IJPt8-XqV8hgDx_-cWD-D/s1600/blizzardsurvivalblog.jpg" height="320" title="Blizzard survival!" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blizzard survival at it's best!! ;)</td></tr>
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So... last evening around 6PM we lost our power. It was almost completely dark and the windchill outside was -40 degrees!! We had just gotten well over a foot of snow and... I went into <b>FULL FLEDGE APOCALYPSE</b> mode. </div>
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My wife Erin and I both immediately grabbed our head lamps. Next I grabbed my <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00CWBABRM" target="_blank">Goal Zero battery backup</a> and light, Erin grabbed every candle in the house, I centralized all flashlights, snapped some <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B004NBZLJW" target="_blank">chemlight sticks</a>... </div>
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<b>LIGHT: CHECK!!! </b></div>
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Then I grabbed the <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B0002WRHE8" target="_blank">Mr. Heater</a> and slightly less than a dozen canisters of gas, gathered all sleeping bags, <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B002CQUA28" target="_blank">survival blankets</a>, down blankets, hand warmers, etc. </div>
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<b>CORE BODY TEMPERATURE: CHECK!</b></div>
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Had Erin fill up all pitchers and food safe containers with water while we still had water... </div>
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<b>WATER: CHECK!!</b></div>
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Pulled the <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B000A8C5QE" target="_blank">MSR Pocket Rocket stove</a>, camp cookware, MREs, canned bacon, etc. ... </div>
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<b>FOOD: CHECK!!</b></div>
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Pulled the <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B007KFLVTM" target="_blank">solar/crank radio</a> off the “survival shelf”.</div>
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<b>COMMUNICATIONS: CHECK!!</b></div>
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Next, I ripped out all of my <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B004356WLY" target="_blank">reflective mylar survival blankets</a> and <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B000CSS8UE" target="_blank">Gorilla Taped</a> them around our doors and windows to keep heat in and cold out. </div>
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<b>ADDITIONAL PROTECTION FROM COLD: CHECK!!</b></div>
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After an hour into going into full fledge "Zombie Apocalypse Mode" and wading through every piece of survival gear I owned, ranging from a bin full of <a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/survival_knives.html" target="_blank">survival knives</a> to another full of molle pouches, I was sweating my tail off and needed a break. We were now officially set up for the <b><i>2014 Blizzard Apocalypse</i></b>, so Erin decided to open a bottle of wine we had on hand to help us "endure" this thing. We were ready. Bring it, "Blizzard Apocalypse"!! In fact... throw a few zombies at us why don't ya??? </div>
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Took one sip of my wine and... our power came back on. I now had "apocalypse" crap strewn all over the entire house. First thing out of my mouth... "Man, I have so much crap to up now." My wife started laughing her ass off!!</div>
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I was actually kinda SAD that our power came back on!! What is <b><i>WRONG</i></b> with me???</div>
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Erin and I now know that we can officially survive one hour without power. We are so proud right now. ;)</div>
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Where did my glass of "apocalypse wine" go?<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">HOW PREPARED ARE YOU FOR AN EVENT LIKE THIS?? </span></b><br />
Sure, our "crisis" only lasted for an hour (It was incredible how quickly the temperature fell in our house in a single hour!), <span style="color: orange;">but many of our friends and family in our local area went without power for days!! </span>We were lucky, but we were also prepared in case we were not! The road conditions were too bad to go help people or get to a home with power and heat. Even though my story is a bit ridiculous and hilarious and a funny story to tell now (all my friends love ribbing me for it), they KNOW and RESPECT that I was fully prepared should the situation have been worse for us!<br />
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Here are just a handful of the items that we "deployed" quickly for this emergency just to give you some ideas and inspiration for preparing your own home and family for a power outage or natural disaster!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVB-6bJT2Wp7CNBYAwD8un0h6gBvLE53rifkc0KQwucOqnXcqt9vzny2BCegHUe6l8MbYpHUgEZBcB3_v4tu6qaYPRXLicdZdaZhNVShiYWC9ZmVXn2jpiJgwFb3Papff1P7gIToKJrYsx/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="UVPaqlight Large" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVB-6bJT2Wp7CNBYAwD8un0h6gBvLE53rifkc0KQwucOqnXcqt9vzny2BCegHUe6l8MbYpHUgEZBcB3_v4tu6qaYPRXLicdZdaZhNVShiYWC9ZmVXn2jpiJgwFb3Papff1P7gIToKJrYsx/s1600/1.jpg" height="240" title="UVPaqlight Large" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00698ODPU" target="_blank">UVPaqlight Large</a> long lasting glow in the dark mat to conserve<br />
battery power!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLs9GW1MUBpB0Qwb4cYhVRqy0DRyo5wfkc193LKj6FTbP8f4QrNpQ-kuPFFfdnrBoTSs6KMdiOd0iM2flsqpldDxOdlFhwMlHmwhYqRtluXBJkz3HCcz-7WwnvXjvGfAFOzdd-5TXbmmFb/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cyalume Light Sticks" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLs9GW1MUBpB0Qwb4cYhVRqy0DRyo5wfkc193LKj6FTbP8f4QrNpQ-kuPFFfdnrBoTSs6KMdiOd0iM2flsqpldDxOdlFhwMlHmwhYqRtluXBJkz3HCcz-7WwnvXjvGfAFOzdd-5TXbmmFb/s1600/2.jpg" height="240" title="Cyalume Light Sticks" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B004NBZLJW" target="_blank">Cyalume Light Sticks</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1zsbFq3ldngIP5tKctBmX8y6jyDY996_hjFO0CYN-hOySTQoBuPt0J312XAL-x6k_Z50tec4QYytGJmOp0VyMXBUKXpnm0lNqB26P0tASSGv9H4ywD1zMYLZsOmeOe3cSwsIk2wrWvI4/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Grabber Outdoors Original Space Brand All Weather Blanket" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1zsbFq3ldngIP5tKctBmX8y6jyDY996_hjFO0CYN-hOySTQoBuPt0J312XAL-x6k_Z50tec4QYytGJmOp0VyMXBUKXpnm0lNqB26P0tASSGv9H4ywD1zMYLZsOmeOe3cSwsIk2wrWvI4/s1600/3.jpg" height="400" title="Grabber Outdoors Original Space Brand All Weather Blanket" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B002CQUA28" target="_blank">Grabber All Weather Reflective Blankets</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVdXeU6VBGJtgjW3Ed4McMNUYawdGPbyMJMvz62AWdNpXcjyn19WDwbTQsY5fOr6WTqbEsl4GcACTYAcCVlsgzKtchEi3xsQl_3OZuoT3KDyUdM3X3MtNud3TH9q6IdRpwyg6PhiYPLmo/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="16 hour survival candle" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVdXeU6VBGJtgjW3Ed4McMNUYawdGPbyMJMvz62AWdNpXcjyn19WDwbTQsY5fOr6WTqbEsl4GcACTYAcCVlsgzKtchEi3xsQl_3OZuoT3KDyUdM3X3MtNud3TH9q6IdRpwyg6PhiYPLmo/s1600/4.jpg" height="240" title="16 hour survival candle" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B00LTPYNSK" target="_blank">16 hour survival candle</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B004GUCD14" target="_blank"><img alt="Goal Zero "Light A Life" LED lantern" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZP6mBRkgjsIBbFC2JJguBBwLyi_3qhRLYKJNVOx5IqEcaaU_BmEHlW8nb2zvlJzwcFSAf7XEcFKsrFEdb_o7y2UQkzQffvnf-DZzvevVqzhG7UCLOFVtn9oSr-xImIC3OTKuEDZWKQvo/s1600/5.jpg" height="400" title="Goal Zero "Light A Life" LED lantern" width="300" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20/detail/B004GUCD14" target="_blank">Goal Zero "Light A Life" LED lantern</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPf8VeXBAPDAZ_Cm7RhmZnLAsAEEPdwt2UTE1DsJHP8DBi_od8Z8nwdgiyf4FAGmXZurKHEMGYil79JgA4hN3RczftZwYF6C2lLSbhBYGCFyw5QcbT7gaU6JeDFDZgaDk6RdQWKCaZ0PmQ/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPf8VeXBAPDAZ_Cm7RhmZnLAsAEEPdwt2UTE1DsJHP8DBi_od8Z8nwdgiyf4FAGmXZurKHEMGYil79JgA4hN3RczftZwYF6C2lLSbhBYGCFyw5QcbT7gaU6JeDFDZgaDk6RdQWKCaZ0PmQ/s1600/7.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Headlamp attached to a "frosted" pitcher for<br />
an improvised lantern!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OHBSGysC3T65XnOfzLwQNQiKYm4tF4HleXE6LXlVUsBq1Ue1nDErj-CHY63tCekT03dzdwrVlvDqSaWu7xXE7rQMF6l7Pq3b4-dybRE9FCTTYMzy45RPwr8uvYQBgkdPwDteTVN7xxVi/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OHBSGysC3T65XnOfzLwQNQiKYm4tF4HleXE6LXlVUsBq1Ue1nDErj-CHY63tCekT03dzdwrVlvDqSaWu7xXE7rQMF6l7Pq3b4-dybRE9FCTTYMzy45RPwr8uvYQBgkdPwDteTVN7xxVi/s1600/8.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My wife diligently filling up any and all containers with water!<br />
She's a keeper!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hfzSP6lQjGjcSbeic7EOGgXRs3E3xZNpUy6D2oxwRZVazsXLheWOa7ES0zTVYyx7_vuv0exmCt202s48OE35GP8OJ2qV4vVB3svTQSptTMGvTNtMQhPrnwsz5rBmhoQiVnjhqrxXd26A/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hfzSP6lQjGjcSbeic7EOGgXRs3E3xZNpUy6D2oxwRZVazsXLheWOa7ES0zTVYyx7_vuv0exmCt202s48OE35GP8OJ2qV4vVB3svTQSptTMGvTNtMQhPrnwsz5rBmhoQiVnjhqrxXd26A/s1600/9.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Survival kitchen all set up with MRE's GSI cookset,<br />
MSR Pocket Rocket stove, fuel canisters, and silicon "squishy<br />
bowl" dinnerware!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqCMLueVBhRtNYLL1manAndNxmDi2WgXUYWonib6W37jRMOMqLLK_V7VpG8uAe8fW9M4s6W7jdHctDcGhTlPEv3booIykqgkXYR4HdG1oMP06rWXJpyVYhpYVlYbTNzXEbBcA-IyPfZmt_/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqCMLueVBhRtNYLL1manAndNxmDi2WgXUYWonib6W37jRMOMqLLK_V7VpG8uAe8fW9M4s6W7jdHctDcGhTlPEv3booIykqgkXYR4HdG1oMP06rWXJpyVYhpYVlYbTNzXEbBcA-IyPfZmt_/s1600/10.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheap mylar blankets taped over all windows and glass doors<br />
to help keep heat in and cold out!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpMz9r5XJ-b8ZuwIvJm3DZkE82AdKC5GoJU93OJqEqw4GGjg8x4faHPFEk8dwQFfYDOE4EJm5ESGS4IXKQBMdHJ6RMJyheVM6f-1YLqq57zxb4DpcOhAOUp9Vu_T3fcFBO9sJmutduzSP/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpMz9r5XJ-b8ZuwIvJm3DZkE82AdKC5GoJU93OJqEqw4GGjg8x4faHPFEk8dwQFfYDOE4EJm5ESGS4IXKQBMdHJ6RMJyheVM6f-1YLqq57zxb4DpcOhAOUp9Vu_T3fcFBO9sJmutduzSP/s1600/11.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another LED light behind a big water container to amplify<br />
light! GREAT trick!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7Yn4fSPwCRikiYh1zNuNqvAkJDY_Pl82a5rgsYGPBiZe8EZUItWOmKhZbGQCgqq7XiODzDkA-XLG9cjhGZMuHVrPY3SUlfxmNQaDh4pvDkP4ezl0Im5WyRypcc423yr_gQShcb5el-jJ/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7Yn4fSPwCRikiYh1zNuNqvAkJDY_Pl82a5rgsYGPBiZe8EZUItWOmKhZbGQCgqq7XiODzDkA-XLG9cjhGZMuHVrPY3SUlfxmNQaDh4pvDkP4ezl0Im5WyRypcc423yr_gQShcb5el-jJ/s1600/12.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decorative tea light candles even came in handy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTLsa6H-TkFIxEaIT2kUEpjQNC2y7UUKemsI-8sbon2lM2-nYvoM99o9wedsVShZ9qfEuOZAZfgiskYRqVP2oWDXBcJW52wAyS9dtx4CgUhurSa6S_A5FG0amz8aIV6g92GvdZei7scEg/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTLsa6H-TkFIxEaIT2kUEpjQNC2y7UUKemsI-8sbon2lM2-nYvoM99o9wedsVShZ9qfEuOZAZfgiskYRqVP2oWDXBcJW52wAyS9dtx4CgUhurSa6S_A5FG0amz8aIV6g92GvdZei7scEg/s1600/14.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Better shot of the mylar space blankets employed... AFTER<br />
the lights came back on. ;)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGDAt88-IHeSmKKlrfs1CBfOL4hygcWkNKLrV5nXpZQ-mAhBVOoyZmn4kFuNQM29spoYZ4p5EHCALt9V4jr9Arf17ygWscsEAm04u-25ZdMyFpyobJYIJumI1bAK1ncK0nMlg1NnbKcDn/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGDAt88-IHeSmKKlrfs1CBfOL4hygcWkNKLrV5nXpZQ-mAhBVOoyZmn4kFuNQM29spoYZ4p5EHCALt9V4jr9Arf17ygWscsEAm04u-25ZdMyFpyobJYIJumI1bAK1ncK0nMlg1NnbKcDn/s1600/15.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front door covered with mylar too!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-5664470975199025212014-01-04T13:14:00.000-08:002014-01-07T11:41:31.630-08:00SURVIVAL KNIVES<div style="text-align: left;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBA2tdGtbXIdrQoZr3LAnu37-VPBVuAvv1ZDCpb8SFNX9P_u-9w7ElM75O7wcWx57x1Ut4-v4kDasdVyJhX-Nwshj_9AJU2rITo7DiOyzVuPL3DZ1iCLx3aysdSCY98FRGHhxALkJmHlql/s1600/survival_knives_assorted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Survival Knives" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBA2tdGtbXIdrQoZr3LAnu37-VPBVuAvv1ZDCpb8SFNX9P_u-9w7ElM75O7wcWx57x1Ut4-v4kDasdVyJhX-Nwshj_9AJU2rITo7DiOyzVuPL3DZ1iCLx3aysdSCY98FRGHhxALkJmHlql/s1600/survival_knives_assorted.jpg" height="300" title="Survival Knives" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Survival Knife Assortment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/survival_knives.html" target="_blank">Survival knives</a></b> are arguably the most critical asset in all of your survival gear, but with thousands upon thousands of <b>survival knives</b> to choose from, how do you know which <b>survival knives</b> are going to be the best for you? It's not an easy question to answer until you learn a few important criteria regarding <b>survival knives</b>.</div>
<br />
There are so many variables to consider when choosing <b><a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/survival_knives.html" target="_blank">survival knives</a></b>. What style of <b>survival knife</b> should I choose? What brand of survival knives is best? How much should I spend? Size? Materials? All important questions to answer when choosing from the multitude of <b><a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/survival_knives.html" target="_blank">survival knives</a></b> on the market today, but even these variables are just the tip of the iceberg.<br />
<br />
The first thing you need to determine before choosing any <b><a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/survival_knives.html" target="_blank">survival knives</a></b> is... how do you intend to use your <b>survival knife</b>? What tasks do intend to perform with it? Do you want a <b>survival knife</b> that you can rely on as a rugged chopper for processing firewood and use almost like a machete or hatchet so you don't have to carry these additional items? Do you like to leverage your knife for rougher and tougher tasks like prying, scraping or digging? Or do you plan on carrying a separate machete or hatchet in your kit for these "tougher tasks" and would prefer a more intricate cutting tool for more detailed cuts like making triggers for traps or more precise bushcraft camp tasks? Are you planning on using your knife to process fish and small game? Do you plan on using your knife as a weapon for self-defense, or simply as a tool to help you accomplish tasks?<br />
<br />
You see, how you plan to use your <b>survival knife</b> should be the primary determining factor in choosing the right <b>survival knife</b> for the job. Larger, longer and thicker knives are better for chopping and batoning, scraping, digging and your more labor demanding tasks. But these knives are not nearly as well-suited for more intricate tasks like making precise cuts like feather sticks, survival trap triggers, pot hangers, etc. This is why many outdoorsmen and women actually choose to own and carry several different kinds of <b><a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/survival_knives.html" target="_blank">survival knives</a></b>, each serving a different intended purpose.<br />
<br />
It's obviously not realistic to carry a designated <b>survival knife</b> to serve each and every possible specific survival or outdoors task, so choosing a knife that can serve as many of those tasks as possible really well is the way to go. For this reason it would be a great exercise to make a list of the tasks that you would ideally like to be able to accomplish with your knife, evaluate those tasks (are they mostly demanding tasks or lighter-duty precise tasks, etc.) and choose a <b>survival knife</b> that would best fit the tasks you intend to use it for.<br />
<br />
As usual, there are exceptions to every rule. In the experienced hands of a veteran woodsman or woman who truly knows how to leverage their <b><a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/survival_knives.html" target="_blank">survival knives</a></b>, surprisingly intricate tasks can be accomplished with surprisingly large and cumbersome <b><a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/survival_knives.html" target="_blank">survival knives</a></b>. The same is true of smaller and lighter duty knives. Many experienced <b>survival knife</b> users can also accomplish incredibly demanding tasks with their much smaller knives designed for much more intricate work... but this comes with experience, knowing the limits of your tools and what to reasonably expect of them, and knowing the proper techniques for doing such tasks safely and without risking damaging your knife.<br />
<br />
If you are interested in learning more about survival knives, you can read about on our <a href="http://equip2survive.com/ss/survival_knives.html" target="_blank">Choosing the Best Survival Knives</a> page.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-3395294900604331572013-09-05T12:54:00.003-07:002013-09-05T13:14:04.728-07:00HOT SAUCE AS A PREP!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uKHqfK7-4xONRLd4PGqsaoYb5DVBupsxzWzvJHbO2Ktg2j0-5Ys2b3jl20c3H1LB3Skaq51CtUO2I0LM8YHqIKxxZ91V6TZH4Q9MG2RRw_SK-71mpWNg7_SAe7xsE7xpLdcq2LTW9pbB/s1600/blogpixlr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uKHqfK7-4xONRLd4PGqsaoYb5DVBupsxzWzvJHbO2Ktg2j0-5Ys2b3jl20c3H1LB3Skaq51CtUO2I0LM8YHqIKxxZ91V6TZH4Q9MG2RRw_SK-71mpWNg7_SAe7xsE7xpLdcq2LTW9pbB/s400/blogpixlr.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are a fan of spicy food (jalapenos, hot sauce,
wasabi, horseradish, etc.) like we are, then you probably think of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">spicy</i></b>
as just another slice of the flavor spectrum just like sweet, sour, salty,
bitter and savory. Some never quite acquire the “flavor”, but for many of the
rest of us… life would not be complete without <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">spicy</i></b>. Having absolutely
no spicy in our flavor spectrum would be like having a rainbow with no red. That
rainbow would totally suck, right??<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those of us who grown to love that classic
vinegar/tomato/hot pepper combination in one form or another… many of us start
putting it on everything. It doesn’t stop with our Mexican food and Buffalo
wings. We start putting it on our eggs, burgers, on Cajun and Creole foods,
potatoes, rice, oysters, cocktails (like Bloody Mary’s), sandwiches, soups,
stews, meatloaf… the list is endless!! Hot sauces are being used on everything
and on all kinds of foods!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hot Sauce Makes Bad
Food Better!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, so have you found yourself in a situation where you
really needed to eat something, but the food really wasn’t great at all? Or
perhaps it was actually terrible? But for one reason or another (like you
didn’t want to offend “someone” by not eating it) you really <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">needed </i>to<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>eat it? You need a secret weapon to help you get your
Mother-in-law’s cooking down? Well… enter hot sauce!! For we heat aficionados,
that secret weapon can absolutely be hot sauce!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not only can hot sauce help you get through your
mother-in-law’s cooking (don’t worry, your secret is safe with us), it could
also save your life in a survival situation by helping make some pretty
unappetizing food sources (like semi-fresh road kill for example) a bit more
palatable. Hot sauces have the amazing ability to make even bad food taste at
least slightly better! Or… at least cover up the bad taste by setting your
mouth on fire.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKCq1e0MujEPWfwWYLCWVxsn59ijfcMDeWSmb_M2U6jVGvMjAez3zkSVvfi_h8rGfzCAQaDjzaix1_2-BJSiFhFzUDdEpCXw_g_nGEbhGi1YetizvviFK4kn0xnGEM3ETipJiFHlRvrAt/s1600/tbsauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKCq1e0MujEPWfwWYLCWVxsn59ijfcMDeWSmb_M2U6jVGvMjAez3zkSVvfi_h8rGfzCAQaDjzaix1_2-BJSiFhFzUDdEpCXw_g_nGEbhGi1YetizvviFK4kn0xnGEM3ETipJiFHlRvrAt/s400/tbsauce.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hot Sauce is Easy to
Store!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because the vast majority of hot sauces have such a high
vinegar content, not only do they have a fairly long shelf life, they can also
be stored on a shelf unrefrigerated even after opened! This makes them an ideal
food storage item! Also, since usually a little hot sauce goes a long way
(depending on how spicy the sauce is and how much heat you enjoy), bottles of
hot sauce are typically very small and take up very little space compared to
other standard condiments like ketchup, mayo, mustard, etc. It’s hard to beat
your favorite hot sauce in terms of bang for your buck!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></o:p></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you know? - Tabasco
in MREs</span></b></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Individual serving-sized bottles of Tabasco sauce were first included in military MREs in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until 1993 that these now famous tiny Tabasco bottles found a home in almost every military MRE.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Capsaicin (the heat producing chemical compound found in hot peppers like cayenne, the main ingredient in Tabasco) is a natural blocking agent of the chemical involved in the transmission of pain.<o:p></o:p></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cayenne is also rich in natural aspirin-like chemical compounds making it a great substitute pain reliever for headaches!<br /><o:p></o:p></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10-20 drops of Tabasco in a glass of warm water is amazing improvised gargle for sore throats!<o:p></o:p></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Capsaicin can also dramatically reduce chronic nerve pain like arthritis, shingles, trigeminal neuralgia and diabetic neuropathy.</span> </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tabasco can also be used as an insect repellant</span> </li>
</ul>
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKCq1e0MujEPWfwWYLCWVxsn59ijfcMDeWSmb_M2U6jVGvMjAez3zkSVvfi_h8rGfzCAQaDjzaix1_2-BJSiFhFzUDdEpCXw_g_nGEbhGi1YetizvviFK4kn0xnGEM3ETipJiFHlRvrAt/s1600/tbsauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<h2>
</h2>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-80369184103782717102013-07-07T15:49:00.001-07:002013-07-07T15:49:04.350-07:00SURVIVAL PYRAMID<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4cFK0-xDYb-FhN2rcGq6yf1N-rTqVRjQA40qWWF83rGoWMQxWpK2vuUe6V2TphQWN24zZR6vJKI8C1Tz5lHWMNzFicoh3nhJ-DI0V4jrWqQTH2cNRnk3wt5Wl4HT5GGaOQRpOlLeBwQV/s1600/SurvivalPyramid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="EQUIP2SURVIVE SURVIVAL PYRAMID" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4cFK0-xDYb-FhN2rcGq6yf1N-rTqVRjQA40qWWF83rGoWMQxWpK2vuUe6V2TphQWN24zZR6vJKI8C1Tz5lHWMNzFicoh3nhJ-DI0V4jrWqQTH2cNRnk3wt5Wl4HT5GGaOQRpOlLeBwQV/s640/SurvivalPyramid.jpg" title="EQUIP2SURVIVE SURVIVAL PYRAMID" width="334" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SURVIVAL PYRAMID</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of us are familiar with the popular survival adage </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The more you know, the less you need!” </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There
are a lot of “survival guys” (and girls) that use this adage as a way to
disparage other “survival guys” (and girls) that have a tendency to rely on
more heavily and invest in nice survival gear. While we </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">absolutely</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> see the point and merits of this adage, it is true… only
to an </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">extent</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. This saying is only
true to a certain point and we all would be wise to realize that it is a </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">gross</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> over-simplification. The reality
is it’s a bit more complicated than that and you simply cannot live in a world
where knowledge is your only asset.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At <b>Equip2Survive</b>,
we have given this subject considerable thought and discussion as of late, and
we have sort of “settled” on (at least for the moment) an <b><i>improved</i></b> survival
hierarchy of sorts. You see, the implied hierarchy in the adage above would be
as follows:</span><br />
<b><span style="color: orange; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: orange; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Knowledge</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: orange; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) Gear</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That’s it. Knowledge trumps gear, end of story. OK… but is
that really it? We should 100% invest in knowledge as it trumps gear (tools,
materials, resources) 100% of the time? That seems like a pretty extreme
viewpoint. Hmmm… Aren’t there other fairly significant “assets” in terms of
survival also? Well we certainly think so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For example… What if you know how to make a fire with a bow
drill… but one of your hands was injured during a fall. Something tells us that
in this situation you might be willing to trade in your fire bow knowledge for
a Bic lighter. ;)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are an endless number of hypotheticals like this. As
we know, there are always exceptions to the rules, aren’t there? And just to be
clear, <b>we are not in any way trying to
diminish the importance of knowledge. </b>We agree that knowledge is a powerful
tool! But it is not the <b><i>only</i></b> tool! And… it is not
necessarily the most powerful tool either! What we <b><i>ARE</i></b> trying to diminish is
<b>ARROGANCE</b>. Foolishly dogmatic statements
like the adage above (if held as a core belief) can put you in great danger if
you foolishly believe that you can overcome any disastrous situation if you
simply <b><i>know enough</i></b>. Simply put… this is frequently not the case. Even
Angus MacGyver had that paperclip. ;) Supplementing
your knowledge with tools, resources, experience, skills and other important
items can not only increase your chances of staying alive… they can also help
you do it more easily and more comfortably!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After much thought and discussion, we at <b>Equip2Survive</b> have arrived at a new “Survival
Hierarchy”. Let’s take a closer look <b><i>COUNTDOWN STYLE!</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="color: orange; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5) Unprepared</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This one is pretty self-explanatory. You are unprepared on all fronts. No
gear, knowledge, emotionally… you are pretty much hosed if anything happens to
you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /><span style="color: orange;">
4) Gear</span>
(Tools, materials and resources!)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now we are getting somewhere. Now you have some tools, some food, a way to
produce light, power, stay warm, stay cool, stay safe and secure… you have
stuff. Resources to tap into. You have knives, saws, solar panels, sleeping
bags, flashlights, duct tape, paracord… you are on your way, but are you really
prepared now? Mmm… no. You can have a tire iron, a jack & a spare tire, but
this doesn’t mean you know how to change a flat tire, does it?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But that being said… <b>Better to have the
gear and not know exactly how to use it than to know </b><b>how to use the gear but not
have it!!! </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: orange;">3) Knowledge
</span>(What to do and how to do it!) </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now we are getting somewhere! Now you <b>know</b>
<b>what to <i>DO</i></b> with that gear! You <b>KNOW</b>
you need to keep warm, stay hydrated, stay safe, stay cool, stay fed, a way to
illuminate after dark… and you know how to use all of those tools to meet those
needs! Right? You are all set! Or are you??</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can know all kinds of stuff but still be poorly equipped for a situation.
Knowledge alone is not going to save your life. You can “know” that you need a
72 hour kit to help you get through a crisis, but if you don’t actually create
that 72 hour kit… well, that knowledge did you little good. <b><i>You
have </i></b><b><i>to actually ACT upon that knowledge for it to be of real value.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: orange;"><i>2) </i>Skills</span>
(practice what you know, experience)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is where the rubber hits the road. The key word here is <b><i>action!</i></b>
It is one thing to <b><i>have lots of </i></b><b><i>gear and equipment</i></b> with you in a survival
situation. It is another to <b><i>know what to do with them</i></b>. But it is
even better to have <b><i>developed skills and experience using them</i></b> well!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can “know” all kinds of great survival tricks by watching <b><i>Dual
Survival</i></b> or <b><i>Survivorman</i></b>, but until you actually get out there and try it,
this knowledge does you little to no good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing is more frustrating and demoralizing than knowing what to do yet not
being able to do it! It is one thing to watch it be done on TV. It is quite
another to be able to do it yourself! The key to developing a skill is to do
it, gain success and keep doing it over and over again! <b>PRACTICE!! </b><b>Repetition makes it become a part of who you are!!</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>And finally… #1 on our countdown…</b><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b><span style="color: orange; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Will</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will is a funny thing. It is a <i>powerful</i>
asset in a disaster situation and can allow you to accomplish incredible
things. There are <i>many</i> survival
stories where would-be victims are able to defy all odds and survive a crisis
with little but the clothing on their backs in the harshest of conditions for
days and even weeks!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While these inspiring stories do exist… Simply <i>having the will to live</i> is <b><i>not </i></b>a survival plan. You simply
can’t count on <i>“willing”</i> yourself to
live in a life-threatening situation. Your <i>“will
to live” </i>really needs to be backed by some real knowledge, tools and
skills.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So why then did we put <i>“will”</i> at our
number one on our <i>“Survival Pyramid”</i>
then if you can’t rely on it alone to keep you alive? Simply put… even if you
have gear, knowledge, & skills… if you don’t have the will to live, the
rest are worthless. And even if you <i>don’t</i>
have much in the way of gear, knowledge or skills, but you do have the will to
push on and do whatever it takes to stay alive… your chances of surviving are
increased <i>substantially!!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The key is not to give up! <b>DON’T GIVE
UP!</b> People are looking for you! People love you, care about you and will
miss you! Your wife! Your husband! Your children! They need you! Stay alive for
them! <b>Know who are and what is worth
living for and do anything and everything you can </b><b>to stay alive for them!!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Believe it or not, you can actually <b><i>strengthen</i></b> your will! The military
is a prime example of this! They put our brave men and women through rigorous
training and experiences to help them learn their limits and to <i>strengthen their wills!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Getting out there in the woods and trying things, challenging yourself, <b><i><u>safely</u></i></b>
pushing your limits and your abilities can actually strengthen your will! <b>TEST</b> your will! Push yourself! Mental toughness and your ability to withstand stress, discomfort, pain & fear can
actually be expanded and can be an educational experience as well... but <b>DO IT SAFELY!!!</b> Don’t push yourself too
hard or too far. Don’t do it alone! It’s good to gently and responsibly test
your limits… but don’t <b>DISREGARD</b>
those limits!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>NOW IT'S TIME</b> for us to come clean about
something. We haven’t been entirely forthcoming with you in this article. After
putting you through this whole mental exercise regarding survival priorities…
it’s time to give you the truth: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the end of the day… <b><i>you can’t really realistically put these
survival assets into a neat little linear triangular graph like we did in the
graphic above.</i></b> We only did this to facilitate conversation and thought.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Honestly, <b><i><u>all of these assets</u></i></b> are really important in a survival
situation and each of us should aspire to develop each of them to use in
harmony together. We all need to strengthen ourselves on <b><i>ALL </i></b>of these fronts! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a disaster preparedness-minded individual, you need to prepare your home,
your vehicle & your family with the proper <b><i>gear,</i></b> tools, food &
water preps, light, heat, cooking, hygiene & sanitation, firearms &
ammo… everything you need to make it through a crisis situation. Then you need
to <b><i>learn</i></b>
how to implement and leverage your preps and <b><i>teach</i></b> your family how to
as well. Next you need to <b><i>practice</i></b> your preps and develop
skills and experience! And last but far from least… talk to your family about <b><i>why</i></b>
it is important to prepare, stay alive, continue living life and <b><i>never
give up</i></b> even when things get tough! That, my friends, is a survival
plan.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-43587661215854431702013-06-02T16:00:00.004-07:002014-12-02T08:09:17.502-08:00Campfire Electricity!<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYUAxiiuQLYyIPlrfEQ8Ht852cdc52JHyBgUK3oZnQ7iOcP6ZTtTThku-_0zEeM3-vzOSueKMa5pcFpn1f0HF_cPp8KCpn403BqdMBef1PydLIhvxZhJ365WTOYWksne_a8Vtz6xXE54r/s1600/solar_power_campfire_panel_fire_infrared_electricity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="How to generate electricity with a solar panel and your campfire!" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYUAxiiuQLYyIPlrfEQ8Ht852cdc52JHyBgUK3oZnQ7iOcP6ZTtTThku-_0zEeM3-vzOSueKMa5pcFpn1f0HF_cPp8KCpn403BqdMBef1PydLIhvxZhJ365WTOYWksne_a8Vtz6xXE54r/s400/solar_power_campfire_panel_fire_infrared_electricity.jpg" height="400" title="How to generate electricity with a solar panel and your campfire!" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charge devices with a solar panel and fire!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Did you know that you can actually <b>generate electricity</b> with your </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>campfire</b> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">and a</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> <b><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=116" target="_blank">solar panel</a>?</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Neither did we, actually... until recently. We actually stumbled upon this discovery in the past few months as a result of some very interesting after hours internal conversations (and a few adult beverages... but I digress).</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In the interest of full disclosure, we are not scientists. We are not engineers. We aren’t even electricians... but we <i>are</i> thinkers! And the result of this thinking? Well, we think we have discovered something pretty ground breaking! And we are pretty sure you are going to agree!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A few of us at Equip2Survive started to get <i>really</i> interested in <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=116" target="_blank">solar energy</a> (and other alternative energy solutions and technologies) a few years ago for disaster preparedness purposes. Because of this unconventional preparedness approach to “off the grid” energy alternatives (as opposed to the typical “green” movement), we were able to ask some pretty interesting questions and come up with some pretty unconventional theories. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The short version of this story... One evening after hours, a few of us began discussing how solar panels worked. We were intrigued by these glass panels that you could put in direct sunlight and magically transform this sunlight into electricity!! What’s not to love, right? But how does this happen? What wizardry takes sunlight and turns it into electricity? Turns out... it’s no wizardry at all. It’s science! Who knew?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We then started taking a closer look at this science and discovered that certain natural materials are “sensitive” to light and have the capability of translating sunlight into electricity!! We’ll let the scientists take care of all of the details on molecules getting hit by sunlight and jumping around and all that. For our purposes, these details matter very little. But there is another scientific aspect of photovoltaics (fancy word for the science behind “solar energy”) that is a huge part of our discovery: The electromagnetic spectrum.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">You see... sunlight has energy in it. And solar panels are “sensitive” to this energy and become “active” when they are in contact with sunlight. The energy given off by the sun is all part of the electromagnetic spectrum... or as most of us refer to it, light. Now if you have had any basic physics, you might remember that “light” as we know it (visible light) is only a <i>tiny fraction</i> of the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum covers everything from x-rays to microwaves to radio waves to gamma rays. Don’t worry... we aren’t going to worry about any of these in this discussion. We are only interested in a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum barely larger than the visible light portion of the spectrum. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">You see... we non-scientist, non-engineer, non-electricians... we know just enough to be dangerous. We wondered to ourselves... are “solar” panels only sensitive to <i>100% pure sunlight</i>? And... are they only sensitive to <i>visible</i> light? What about man-made light like flashlights, headlights, lamps and such? Incandescent? Fluorescent? And the mother of all questions... <b><i>what about fire??</i></b> These are questions that we <b><i>had</i></b> to get answers to. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We started researching. We found a few posts on the internet about <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/equip2survive-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=116" target="_blank">solar panels</a> and their sensitivity to man-made light, but strangely... we found <b><i>nothing</i></b> about solar panels being sensitive to fire in either in the positive or the negative. Nothing. We found this very strange. Had this idea never occurred to anyone ever before? Surely that wasn’t possible, was it? Surely we had not just made an significant scientific discovery... when we are not even remotely scientists. Is that possible? So... we stepped up our research. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Solar panels are sensitive to sunlight, right? Sunlight (once it reaches the earth) is basically covers three primary categories of light: The visible spectrum, UV and... infrared. Infrared... hmmm... Interesting. Isn’t infrared light actually <b>heat?? </b>Well... yes, it is! What other sources of “light” give off these same wavelengths? Well... many actually!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The sun is basically a big ball of fire, isn’t it? And it gives off visible light and a bit of invisible light... including heat. So if another light source emitted some of these same wavelengths (albeit not at the nearly the same intensity of the sun), couldn’t a “solar” panel potentially be sensitive to other light sources besides just <b><i>100% pure solar? </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It was time to stop researching and theorizing. It was time to do some tests!! On our next camping trip, we brought our solar panels and lit a campfire. Once the sun went down, we propped up a solar panel next to the fire and then propped up a <b>mylar reflective survival blanket</b> on the other side of the fire to basically double his fire light... and amazingly our panels started charging our deep cycle marine batteries (yes, plural). </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This discovery was astounding to us. And we knew that the possibilities of this discovery were <b>HUGE</b> in terms of a survival skill! How? So glad you asked.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What if you need to charge a battery, phone or other device and you have a solar panel... but it is night time and almost completely dark outside? What if you are in a part of the world (like Alaska) where either the daylight hours are short or the intensity of the light in this region is less than optimal? You are hosed, right? Well... apparently not anymore!!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We are going to do many more tests and cover the specifics of this in much more detail, but we are ready to share our very simple, basic and straightforward demo of this on video! This is merely a very basic beginning to what we think is an astounding discovery!! We are looking forward to doing more experiments and tests in the near future, so stay tuned and <b>enjoy the video!!</b></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-27560678651177350312013-05-25T13:25:00.004-07:002013-05-25T13:25:55.198-07:00"Survival"... What is survival? What does the word "Survival" mean?"Survival" is an interesting word these days. "Survival" means so many things to so many different people. To most, the word "survival" simply means in a general sense to overcome a set of daunting circumstances and come out "on top". What does the word "survival" mean to you?<br />
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The word "survival" can be used to describe overcoming a rough childhood, a bad relationship, job loss, personal or financial tragedy or even the death/loss of a loved one. There is emotional and mental "survival", and then there is physical survival. Living through a life-threatening tragedy like a car accident, injury, potentially terminal illness or other. Both types of survival are very real. In fact, one could make the argument that there is "spiritual" survival as well... but we're not going to take that particular front on at this time. That is a different conversation entirely.<br />
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There are so many different kinds of tragedies that life can throw your way, and most of us face several different kinds in our lifetimes. You can blissfully go about your life ignoring this reality and face devastation on some front, or you can leverage the best tool to safeguard against tragedy: preparedness.<br />
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Preparedness comes in many shapes and forms. We are all "preppers" in one form or another whether you realize it or not. Those of us who try to take care of ourselves with good diets and exercise are "preppers" preparing their bodies for the future. We are "preppers" when we wear seat belts, invest in our childrens college while they are young, take out insurance policies, acquire fire extinguishers, invest in our 401Ks, open a savings account... all of these are "preps". Most people simply don't think of them that way. <br />
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Of course we are not suggesting that you can successfully prepare for
each and every tragedy that could possibly come your way... but taking
an honest look at the types of tragedies that are most likely to come
knocking at our doors and making even just some very basic "preps" to ensure that you come out alive and on top... that is simply being responsible. <br />
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Survival preparedness is simply a matter of making sure that you and your family needs to take care of their basic needs (staying warm, staying cool, staying hydrated, nourished and as comfortable and positive as you can possibly be) are maintained during a temporary crisis. All this requires is having a handful of basic items with you at all times and knowing how to use those items.<br />
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The best place to start with survival preparedness is to simply ask yourself... if a crisis occurred now, would you be able to keep your family warm? Cool? Hydrated? Fed? Entertained? Safe? Happy? And if not... what are you doing about it? What changes do you need to make to be able to maintain these needs in a crisis? Make sure you have the required items at "arm's reach" at all times! Create a 72 hour kit for your home! Create a vehicle survival kit! Create a low profile kit for your office! Make a small kit to carry on your person! Cover the basics, then as you are able, supplement your kits appropriately as to what you have room for or can carry. And practice with your kits! Make sure you know how to use the items that are in those kits!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-82877515426642938712012-12-08T11:12:00.003-08:002012-12-08T11:12:26.958-08:00SURVIVAL AIR CONDITIONER!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZjnbkXOi74OMcX_GmX2iIQmfaGDUWITwSdQjf540l2YfcEmy9Lzwtl3D8FSrUAhrQlFF0sch1pQlnNgHdjxnPVbiswsqZfMiojsity8Luf8jRu7QNbTYwwTSb7OWNl2EulpdG4QHyaXF/s1600/2040762302498787_g09g6lRL_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Survival Air Conditioner Evaporative Cooler" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZjnbkXOi74OMcX_GmX2iIQmfaGDUWITwSdQjf540l2YfcEmy9Lzwtl3D8FSrUAhrQlFF0sch1pQlnNgHdjxnPVbiswsqZfMiojsity8Luf8jRu7QNbTYwwTSb7OWNl2EulpdG4QHyaXF/s400/2040762302498787_g09g6lRL_c.jpg" title="Survival Air Conditioner Evaporative Cooler" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swamp Cooler Evaporative Cooler <br />(AKA Survival Air Conditioner)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/equip2survive/diy-survival-air-conditioner/" target="_blank">Survival Air Conditioners!</a></div>
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Ever think about what you would miss most during a real survival situation? If not... then you absolutely should! (One of the best ways to find out is to turn off your electric, water and gas for a weekend or week and find out!) Well... I absolutely have. I have a little list going, actually... and air conditioning is actually toward the top of the list!<br />
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When we think about survival, most of us are very aware of our need to keep our core body temperature up when it is cold with proper clothing, shelter, fire, and effective bedding. But we don't hear nearly as much about keeping cool. Hyperthermia (over-heating) is just as dangerous as hypothermia (over-cooling). Many still die every summer from heat waves and prolonged exposure to extreme high temperatures! So never underestimate the threat of overheating!<br />
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We "survivalists", are all about "surviving", right? Well... sure, but some of us are more about actually THRIVING than simply surviving. Taking on the apocalypse with a knife and some paracord may sound really hardcore, but let's face it... after a hard day "surviving" in the intense summer heat, wouldn't it be much nicer to call it a day and relax in a nice cool shelter? We certainly think so.<br />
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At E2S, our survival philosophy is pretty simple: Be prepared! If TSHTF and you are going to miss something after it does, then you need to set yourself up properly in advance and make sure you plan way to keep it around!<br />
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In the case of climate control, we find it of tremendous value to make devices like this and work out all the bugs in your system BEFORE actually need it! Figure out how it works, what you can do to make it perform better and really get familiar with it BEFORE you actually NEED to use it.<br />
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A device like this survival air conditioner requires another resource that you will need to need to prepare for properly as well: electricity. This survival air conditioner is going to require power, so the project assumes that you have already prepared for this important resources as well, via solar, wind, hydro, wood gasification or other.<br />
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So it may seem absurd to suggest that in a survival or SHTF scenario that you could ever enjoy a luxury like air conditioning ever again.... but this improvised evaporative cooler just proves that isn't necessarily the case! With a five gallon bucket, a fan and a few other supplies, you too can stay cool in your camper, tent, or shelter!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQj0l-_7j-6tK2qS_XWIZ_nCEZCYlvZxwSYSt2tL42BGB9L084hoHLD1MuxX7QX2g0ALnkonEx_Ejrwmz4HL-cRoeRuJumm9ATwxocPTSYJNGKGREzSenDI372c6Oxhv8-SxBRyiKPCaX/s1600/192528952790696329_zFiQ2gcb_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Fan and Copper Tubing Survival Air Conditioner Improvised" border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQj0l-_7j-6tK2qS_XWIZ_nCEZCYlvZxwSYSt2tL42BGB9L084hoHLD1MuxX7QX2g0ALnkonEx_Ejrwmz4HL-cRoeRuJumm9ATwxocPTSYJNGKGREzSenDI372c6Oxhv8-SxBRyiKPCaX/s400/192528952790696329_zFiQ2gcb_c.jpg" title="Fan and Copper Tubing Survival Air Conditioner Improvised" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Survival Air Conditioner improvised from Fan and Copper Tubing.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81G-WN9CUgXfd5N86wB2o2fOGS3QaOmv19htioZ5tVP2Y76RRyGOjXl0HlV62_G9GnSOgvr4ZAKSeQEcFZrtFLA2j6eS1RX-izXidB6f8ebeG8lA2NjoM7BIZ9e7MO-sqEYdrWqFA7q3D/s1600/23643966764049891_PwJ499rw_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Survival Air Conditioner Improvised from Cooler and PC Fans." border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81G-WN9CUgXfd5N86wB2o2fOGS3QaOmv19htioZ5tVP2Y76RRyGOjXl0HlV62_G9GnSOgvr4ZAKSeQEcFZrtFLA2j6eS1RX-izXidB6f8ebeG8lA2NjoM7BIZ9e7MO-sqEYdrWqFA7q3D/s400/23643966764049891_PwJ499rw_c.jpg" title="Survival Air Conditioner Improvised from Cooler and PC Fans." width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Survival Air Conditioner Improvised from Cooler and PC Fans.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2a0NFudlVFEYpmVPKPVa27qZJ6ZWlA4DxQlyNt21hMkdEXR8AKnB6ZCuwkia5s1NJ-MMzSxjNgz2IuCyjJz22Fb0sYr1AMckakb51JGkeLQk3A4KjuHUG7PR4nDsJOZ5L8-J0Hw9cXL95/s1600/160792649167086014_bGkImbXb_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Make survival air conditioner from a few household items." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2a0NFudlVFEYpmVPKPVa27qZJ6ZWlA4DxQlyNt21hMkdEXR8AKnB6ZCuwkia5s1NJ-MMzSxjNgz2IuCyjJz22Fb0sYr1AMckakb51JGkeLQk3A4KjuHUG7PR4nDsJOZ5L8-J0Hw9cXL95/s1600/160792649167086014_bGkImbXb_c.jpg" title="Make survival air conditioner from a few household items." /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make survival air conditioner from a few household items.</td></tr>
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See more improvised survival air conditioners at <a href="http://pinterest.com/equip2survive/diy-survival-air-conditioner/" target="_blank">Equip2Survive on Pinterest</a>. And don't forget to "Follow" us on Pinterest to check out thousands of survival, bushcraft, camping and preparedness pins!!!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511193364560736472.post-13161742715489835852012-11-18T07:04:00.002-08:002012-11-18T07:06:17.367-08:00FIRE ROASTED TWINKIES!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyM5EEqzI9Hj7P_NfBFm9TMeGYOJ3S1yHHf7ePIcSmKWxhdxtfI3Qg6wC8bJq88Dz45ZWhp8_tVfBaW2VSnUywKYZs7gKrMfhNITbs72NiXFwcV7CzfL82mONVpp6BU6m_B-hK6hQXWQy/s1600/rei_twinkie_roast_2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fire Roasted Twinkies! REI Hostess Bankruptcy" border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyM5EEqzI9Hj7P_NfBFm9TMeGYOJ3S1yHHf7ePIcSmKWxhdxtfI3Qg6wC8bJq88Dz45ZWhp8_tVfBaW2VSnUywKYZs7gKrMfhNITbs72NiXFwcV7CzfL82mONVpp6BU6m_B-hK6hQXWQy/s400/rei_twinkie_roast_2009.jpg" title="Fire Roasted Twinkies! REI Hostess Bankruptcy" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire Roasted Twinkies! YUM!</td></tr>
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Is the Twinkie really dead?? That is yet to be seen, but they are definitely now on the "endangered species" list at the very least. While these little snacks are not the healthiest, they are an American icon and true culinary classic. Their demise is truly unfortunate. </div>
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The future of the Twinkie, while bleak, is still a bit uncertain. The familiar cream-filled sponge cake may or may not truly be gone forever. It is quite possible that another company will buy the rights and recipe from Hostess and keep the Twinkie alive. It is yet to be seen. </div>
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In the meantime, there are recipes online for making your own Twinkies at home. While not as convenient as purchasing them by the box at the store, for those of us who have an intense craving for a good ole "los submarino", there is an answer... and that if of great comfort!</div>
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I haven't eaten a Twinkie in years. I have to admit, I completely took them for granted and just assumed the would always be available at the store to purchase anytime I wanted one (which wasn't all that often), but for some reason the demise of the Twinkie this week made me... it made me miss them!! I miss having them with ice cream and fresh strawberries! I miss making fun of people who loved eating them battered and deep fried! </div>
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And only now that the Twinkie may be gone forever do I discover that they are terrific toasted over a fire like marshmallows! I never knew! And I may never get a chance to try this!</div>
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Well, regardless of whether I am able to locate a box of Twinkies or someone buys the Twinkie recipe and puts it back on the market... or I simply make my own homemade Twinkies, I WILL get my chance to try fire-roasting Twinkies! This I swear!!! ;)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139993541538703484noreply@blogger.com0