Hello, this is John. I am the owner and main author for Home Business Ideas And Opportunities. I have decided to produce an article on a very important survival skill. The reason behind my thinking on this is as follows…
Today, and for every day in the past few years, our leadership, or government, has placed myself and every other American in great danger. There is no other way to look at the situation. You can say some crap like ” oh here we go. Another conspiracy nut.” Go ahead, think that all you like, but at least finish the article and learn the skill it will teach you. It’s very simple skill and you can read it once, look at the images, and you will be able to do it no problem if you ever need to use the skill.
Stuff happens all the time in life. It always works out better when you’re able to confidently take control and know that you are able to help, not only yourself, but anyone you care for to survive through a difficult situation. When you are not sure what to do sometimes panic will set in and then it is a wrap. Nobody does good when they become panic stricken.
Am I Qualified To Teach This Skill?
Well I believe that I am. I’ve been basically a gypsy for the past 30 years of my life. The only structured housing I have lived in was the couple times I found myself in prison. ( Not a bad guy, just made a couple stupid mistakes. I’m only human.) The rest of those 30 years I have lived off the grid.
My main place that I call my stomping grounds has been in the middle of the Redwood forest of northern California. I’ve built every shelter I have lived in from the materials I could scrounge up at random. It rains like hell here in the winter and gets hot as a blast furnace in the summer. There have been many times that the shelter I constructed has kept me warm, dry, and safe during my time here. I have also had some times when I wasn’t so lucky and my shelter didn’t hold up to the elements. So in those cases I learned what doesn’t work and found myself battling mother nature until I built something that did work.
Anyway, like I said I am definitely able to teach you a few things about surviving with nothing. I still live like that. Not because I have to but, because I enjoy the freedom of not having to answer to anyone else. Some may say I’m a bum because by the time I get to town for supplies I’m dirty and unshaven. But I don’t ask nobody for hand-outs, and I have worked for, or have earned honestly, by selling or trading items for every bit of what I have or need. I’m still allowed in every store in town because I never take things. I know people who ask me to watch their homes while on vacation and they tell me not to let their own kids into the house.
Anyway…
Finding A Proper Area For The Shelter
There really isn’t a super special place that you need to find to construct a shelter. It can be anywhere. The Only thing that is going to be the deciding factor is the amount of work it will take to prep the area where you plan to build.
Depending on how many people you have with you will be one of the considerations because you will need a large enough area for everyone to be able to lay down comfortably. The first part of prepping the site is to make a flat area to the best of your ability and clear all the debris out of the way.
This image shows a good start to a lean-to style shelter. You can modify the shelter from this point depending on your location, climate, and size of group. Or you can leave it the way it is. Some vines like Ivy or tiny green saplings make good rope in a pinch. You can use these items to hold the poles and branches in place.
I like to build my shelter a bit closer to the ground and at a little bit more of an angle so as to give a bit more of the ability to catch and hold my own body heat. The above image would allow you to have a nice fire close to the open end that would keep you nice and warm. The only issue with that is you need to keep the fire going, and you are open to any wild animals out at night causing mischief.
This next image is of an A style shelter. Or a version of that style being as it only has one end off the ground in the A style of building.
This is a smaller shelter for single person usage. You can also make it as big as you want. The smaller the area in which you lay the better heat from your own body heat. As you can see in the image a thick matting of soft fir, or spruce branches have been shredded up to keep you from lying straight on the ground making for more warmth. And the vegetation on the roof is placed in a way that will help shed any water quickly and not allow it to penetrate completely through the many layers.
A layer of mud and ground vegetation is the first layer that you want to place on the roof of your shelter. Any leaves and grasses that you are able to mix with some water and dirt serve as a kind of insulation and solid barrier from the elements. Then the goal is to use live branches with thick vegetation, large leaf plants such as ferns, or continue with layers of thick mud and vegetation until you are satisfied the elements will not break through.
Keep in mind that this shelter is not your final housing. You are only building this to get out of the weather and have a place to sleep where you are not just out in the open being fair game for wildlife. I will create an article after this one showing a few ways to build a more stable home that is better suited for long term. This serves as a spot to have while you spend the few days building your home base.
Here are just a couple more images of easily built shelters that can really make a difference between life and death.
Each of these shelters can be built with a simple hatchet or a strong machete. This one just above is something made for a family unit or a group of three or four people. It is also a bit safer as far as keeping the wildlife away while you are sleeping. Skunks, raccoons, bears, and a few other wilderness animals love to mess with your stuff when they think they can get away with it. They are also quite a problem if they become startled. A scared animal is unpredictable making it dangerous in many ways no matter how big it is. They have sharp claws and teeth plus carry diseases that cause infection from scratches or bites.
I am going to make a few suggestions as to what your emergency backpack should contain. This list of things is what I would have stowed away for easy grabbing in the event of an emergency. My opinion on what to utilize may be a bit different than what you would consider necessary items. A few things that I will add to the list are must haves and I will place a + sign next to these items.
Things To Have In Your Emergency Bag
- Small folding military style shovel. +
- A medium sized, well built hatchet. +
- A compass. +
- A well made first aid kit, at least 150 items. +
- Emergency foil blanket. +
- Flint or fire starter. +
- A very well made, sharp knife. +
- Spool of fishing line and a minimal amount of hooks and sinkers.
- Rain gear, well made, and tear resistant.
- Change of clothing, 1 warm set.
- Some military food rations, just a little in case you are having trouble finding food.
- Water straw that has a filter rated for maximum filtration.
- Water resistant, comfortable boots.
- Bow and a quiver of arrows.
This may seem like a lot to carry but, if you purchase from the proper outlets online, the products are good quality and most of the items are packaged in tight, small packaging. Things like the boots and bow can be fixed to the outside of your pack in a way that they are not cumbersome along with the shovel and machete.
I suggest a bow and arrow because the arrows can be reused easily and they can also be easily made in a pinch. A rifle or firearm will be heavier and the ammo will eventually run dry. Bows are also quiet and less noticeable.
In Closing
I hope this article gave you a bit of insight or at least a general idea when it comes to being prepared for an emergency. You should always at least have a fist aid kit in your home, vehicle, and one on ready in a bug out bag.
If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me at support@JohnFShoemaker.com
Best Wishes,
John
