Basic US Military Survival Kits

The items contained in this kit are as follows:

Survival manual- covers all the materials in the kit and their uses. While it might not seem like someone in the military would need this, never underestimate a stressful environment’s ability to cause one to forget. A manual helps get the ball rolling when the body is surging with adrenaline and the mind is clouded.

Food packets- A few days worth of food rations.

Survival fishing kit- usually consisting of lines and hooks, meant to be set and left, returned to hours later.

Frying pan and compressed trioxane fuel- for cooking.

Water Bag- to store water in.

Water purification tablets- to purify water and make it drinkable.

Plastic spoon- for eating.

Saw/knife blade, Shovel head, and handle- A knife, a shovel head, and a handle that screws onto both. Saves space to share a handle and makes things easier to pack.

First aid kit- for treating wounds, injuries.

Waterproof matchbox- very key to have your fire supply waterproof.

MC-1 magnetic compass- to help navigate your way to safety.

Snare wire- many potential uses, from building a shelter, to using it as a fishing line, to strangling an enemy combatant.

Smoke signals and signalling mirror- to signal help.

Illuminating candles- for visibility in the dark.

Poncho- protection from the elements.

Sleeping pack- allows you to sleep and remain warm and dry.

Variations On The Kit

Other items can be added to the kit depending on the environment likely to be encountered. Some environments and modifications to the kit:

Desert- some additional items to the kit may include more water, sunscreen, shade hats and sunglasses. A lighter sleeping bag would be used. The fishing kit would admittedly seem less useful.

Arctic- some additional items would include cold weather clothing, heavier sleeping bags and a space blanket, snow goggles, snow shoes, a camp stove with fuel, extra socks, and arctic tent, canned drinking water, a chemical hand warmer.

Over water- some additional items would include floatation vests, fishing nets and equipment, a water desalting kit, a flare gun, sunscreen, an inflatable raft and a radio for contacting help.

Tropical- insect repellent, insect head netting, a large knife/machete, sunscreen, more water, seawater desalting kit, and specific medicine (anti-malaria, anti- fungal, etc).

Check out this article on creating your own 72 emergency kit, or bug out bag. If your an outdoors man or woman, read this article on building your own wilderness survival kit.

Good luck and stay prepared!

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Meat? That’s like a fun thing, right?

When it comes to raising animals for food, rabbits are a great option, right up there with chickens, goats and pigs. Rabbit meat is high in protein, and by most accounts tastes pretty darn good. They’re fairly low maintenance to raise, needing only small spaces and not making a ton of noise or mess. They’re also (re)productive; a doe (female rabbit) can produce 20-40 new babies a year.

FINDING THE RIGHT RABBITS

Your first step is getting hold of some rabbits. This shouldn’t be too difficult a task (provided you aren’t Elmer Fudd). Other farmers or owners that raise them for food are your best bet, as they are most likely to be the type of breed that fit your goals by having a good feed-to-meat ratio (how much you must feed them daily vs how much meat they produce).

You want one buck (male rabbit) for every 5 does, and want to rotate who mates and keep the gene pool diverse and healthy.

You’ll have to select a type of breed. Medium-sized breeds weigh 4-7 lb at maturity. They consume a cup of feed per day, and take up about 5 square feet of cage space. American Sable or the English or French Angora breeds are examples of medium-sized rabbits.

Meat rabbits weigh 8-12 lb at maturity, and as you might have garnered from their name, are the kind of breed raised for their meat, since  they offer the best feed-to-meat ratio. They consume 1.25 cups of feed per day, and take up 7-8 square feet of cage space. Some examples are Blue or white American rabbits, Beveren, or Californian rabbits.

There are also some “giant” rabbit breeds, such as the Checkered Giant or Giant Chinchilla, which weigh over 10 lb. These are sometimes raised for meat as well, although their feed-to-meat ratio isn’t as good, and stronger cages are required.

CREATING A PEN FOR YOUR RABBITS

You’ll want a wire mesh pen for your rabbits, with 3/4 inch holes or greater for their droppings to exit. Remember the space guidelines for your rabbits as listed above. Have a separate area for your rabbits to stand on as well, as standing on wire mesh all day can hurt their feet.

Place something underneath the cage to catch the droppings, such as newspaper or cardboard you can dispose of, or a tray you can clean weekly (remember not to use bleach when cleaning it, as it will mix with the rabbit urine to produce a harmful gas). Rabbit droppings make a great fertilizer.

Also remember never to put two bucks into a pen together. They will feel threatened, and may castrate each other (ouch.).

During the summer, keep your pen in a shaded and ventilated area, as rabbits aren’t too keen on hot summer days. During the winter keep your pen covered to protect it from cold winds.

FOOD & WATER

For water, you’ll want something that avoids getting contaminated by all that rabbit poop. An elevated water bowl or a bottle waterer are both good options.

For food, there are rabbit pellets for sale that are designed to give your rabbits all the nutrients they need. You can also feed them hay- red clover, birdsfoot trefoil, alfalfa and Kentucky bluegrass all work well. Make sure the hay smells sweet, not damn, as the latter is an indication of mold.

MATING

Pimpin’ ain’t easy.

There’s a reason we have expressions in our language about two people who can’t keep their hands off each other being like rabbits. And that reason is this- rabbits like to do it. A lot.

This comes down to their biology. Some rabbits are ready to breed as early as 6 months old. Does can conceive at any time of the month, they stay pregnant for about a month, and are ready to conceive again hours after giving birth. In short, they spend most of their existence ready for procreation. Life is good for a buck (except for that whole castration thing mentioned above).

To initiate the mating process, place the female in the male’s pen (doing the opposite will scare the female, and she may attack). If they don’t get down to business, remove the doe and try again a few days later.

2 weeks after mating, you can feel the area above the female rabbit’s pelvis to check for pregnancy. If it’s swollen, then she is.

You’ll want to have a separate, private pen (2 square feet or larger) for a mother to give birth and raise her young. Make sure there is plenty of fresh, dried hay in there before hand. It is important not to disturb them, as the smell of humans on the young can threaten the mother, and she may kill them. It’s also important to keep the father away from the young, as rabbits don’t make the best fathers, and he too may murder them. It’s a tough life for a newborn bunny.

Leave them alone for 6-8 weeks to grow, after which you can separate the young from the mother.

SLAUGHTERING A RABBIT

Ahh, now to the fun part…

(Not really, it can be pretty disturbing the first time you kill an animal you put a lot of effort into raising.)

Do not feed a rabbit for a day before slaughtering it. The best way to kill a rabbit is to hold the animal upside down and strike it sharply with a pipe behind the ears, where the neck and skull connect. This is quick and painless for the rabbit (not so much for you if you accidentally hit your fingers. Be careful here).

You’ll need to open the rabbit up and remove the visceral material (intestines, etc) to avoid contaminating the meat. Remove the head and limbs, skin the rabbit, and then store the carcass in an appropriate container and chill immediately.

You now have rabbit meat ready to eat.

FOR RELATED ARTICLES CHECK OUT:

RAISING SHEEP

RAISING GOATS

RAISING PIGS

RAISING CATTLE

RAISING CHICKENS

RAISING DUCKS

HOW TO START A FISH FARM

Good luck and stay prepared!

The post RAISING RABBITS FOR MEAT AT HOME appeared first on Prepared For That.

Well that’s just gross.

This is a guide to making goat cheese using goat’s milk. This is great if you are raising goats, or are just looking to try something new. Goat cheese tastes a bit like cream cheese, but with a firmer texture and a bit more kick. It’s good on salads and in any other recipes where cheese is used.

So let’s begin!

What You Will Need:

1)      A quart of goat’s milk (will yield up to a cup of goat cheese)

2)      ¼ cup of lemon juice

3)      Salt or seasoning (some good ideas for herbs are parsley, chives, dill and rosemary).

4)      A medium-sized stainless steel pot or saucepan (other materials may leech into the milk).

5)      A thermometer

6)      A strainer/colander

7)      A wooden spoon

8)      2-3 cheese cloths

9)      A bowl

How to Do It:

Goat cheese on salad.

1)      Put the goat’s milk into the pot/saucepan.

2)      Slowly heat the pot to 180 degrees. Bubbles will begin forming and surface will look foamy. It should take 10-15 minutes to get to get to this point.

3)      At this point, turn the heat off and add the lemon juice to the pot. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes. The milk will begin to curdle.

4)      Place 2-3 cheese cloths over your strainer. Slowly pour the milk into the cloths.

5)      Collect the corners of the cloths, and hold together at the top. An elastic band can be used here.

6)      Attach this bundle to a wooden spoon, and hang it over the pot. Let it drip and drain any moisture for 2 hours.

7)      Put your cheese into a bowl. Now you can add any salt or seasoning you have.

8)      Use your hands to shape the cheese into a convenient shape (wheels and blocks are common).

Goat cheese will last about a week in the fridge, but tastes best in the first few days.

Some people enjoy the texture more if the goat cheese has been refrigerated for a few hours before eating.

FOR RELATED ARTICLES, CHECK OUT:

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE COTTAGE CHEESE

HOW TO MAKE CHEDDAR CHEESE

HOW TO MAKE FETA CHEESE

HOW TO MAKE MOZZERELLA

HOW TO MAKE CREAM CHEESE

HOW TO MAKE BUTTER

Good luck and stay prepared!

The post HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN HOMEMADE GOAT CHEESE appeared first on Prepared For That.

In the event of an earthquake, it pays to be prepared. While the quake itself will usually last mere seconds, fixing the damage afterwards can take months or even years. In the first few days following a major earthquake, stores may be closed and water and power may be unavailable. Preparing a survival kit ahead of time for such a scenario will allow you to survive it in comfort, should it ever happen to you.

You should keep your kit somewhere out of reach, but easy to get to for everyone in your family.

Here are the items you must consider when preparing an earthquake survival kit:

STORING WATER

First and foremost, you need water for you and your family. Have at least 12 liters for every family member stored (4L/day at a minimum of 3 days). Store the water in plastic containers, in a dark, cool place. For more information on water storage, check out this article on emergency water supply and storage.

Also have some method of purifying water, should you require more and need to sterilize an unknown water source. For more information, read this article on emergency water filtration and purification.

STORING FOOD

You should have at least 3 days worth of food stored for each member of your family. You’ll want high-calorie, nutrient-rich food, that will give you the most bang for your buck (and offer you some comfort). You’ll also want things that are easy to prepare, and don’t require cooking or lots of water to prepare (as these options may not be available to you):

Some ideas are:

• Canned meat, fruits and vegetables
• Peanut butter
• Crackers
• Beef Jerky
• Granola bars
• Crackers
• Cookies
• Cereal
• Instant coffee
• MRE’s (Meals, Ready-to-eat)
• Freeze dried food
• Paper cups and plates, with plastic utensils
• Garbage bags for waste

For more info, check out this article on emergency food supply and storage.

Also remember that, if you have pets, you should have at least 3 days of pet food stored for them.

HEALTH/FIRST AID

You’ll need to have a first aid kit on hand to treat any minor injuries and wounds that could result from the earthquake. You could buy one prepared, or read this article and learn how to build your own first aid kit.

Also remember to have extra supplies of special items any family members might need: medication, prescription glasses, etc.

Some sanitation items to have extra of:

• Soap
• Antibacterial gel
• Toilet paper
• Extra garbage bags for waste (the toilets might not be flushing for a few days!)
• Feminine supplies
• Cleaning supplies (including household chlorine bleach for water purifying)

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

Some additional items to have in your kit:

• A battery powered radio, with extra batteries (it may be your only source of information)
• A flashlight with extra batteries (it may be your only source of light!)
• A utility knife
• Matches in a waterproof case
• A fire extinguisher
• A crescent or pipe wrench for shutting off the gas and water values (only do this if your house has sustained damage or you smell gas).
• Pliers
• Tape
• Aluminum foil
• Extra paper and pencils
• Extra sewing needles and thread
• A gas-powered barbeque or grill (can come in very handy if the power is off for a few days).
• Extra cash as banks and ATM machines may be unavailable

CLOTHING, etc

You’ll also want at least 3 days worth of clothing for each member of your family.

Some extra items to have on hand:

• Work boots
• Ponchos
• Sleeping bags, extra sheet/blankets
• Warm clothes

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

Finally, you’ll want to have all of your important documents in one safe place, should you need to move in a hurry.

What you’ll need:

• Family records (birth, marriage and death certificates)
• Wills
• Deeds to house
• Insurance records
• Bank account and credit card information
• Important phone numbers

Good luck and stay prepared!

Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter

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So without further adieu, the Ten Essentials list:

1)      Strike anywhere matches- it’s important to have strike anywhere matches, and not strike on box matches, and they’re easily confused. The latter become useless if the box becomes wet. Place them in a waterproof box, with a piece of emery board as a striker.

2)      Fire starter- always include some fire starter in your waterproof case. There will be times when it will just be impossible to get a fire started without it. If you find yourself in such times, you’ll be glad you have it.

3)      A map- a lot of trouble people have gotten into could have been avoided if they had a map of the area. Don’t make this mistake- be prepared.

4)      A compass- and know how to use it.

5)      A flashlight- with extra batteries and an extra bulb.

6)      Extra food- supplies you with energy, keeps you thinking clearly, and helps ward of hypothermia in cold wet weather.

7)      Extra clothing- a rain coat and a good wool hat are essential. A rain coat keeps you dry in rain and protects you from wind. A large amount of body heat is lost through the head, hence the hat.

8)      Sunglasses- helpful in sunny or snow covered environments.

9)      First Aid Kit- always essential.

10)   Pocket knife- Go for a multi-use, Swiss army style knife.

Check out this article for more details on building your own wilderness survival kit.

Good luck and stay prepared!

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Hello, friends!

I am proud to announce that today, Rambo Moe’s 30 DAY ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE PREPAREDNESS PLAN is finally available!

This book is the culmination of two years of my life spent asking one very important question:

What is the best way to survive the zombie apocalypse?

Read more here!

Good luck and stay prepared!

The post RAMBO MOE’S 30 DAY ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE PREPAREDNESS PLAN appeared first on Prepared For That.

Photo by Parvin.

Composting is the act of taking organic material and allowing it to decompose, creating a rich organic stew that is great for plants and soil. To learn more about what composting is, read composting 101.

The benefits of composting are many. There are a ton of reasons why it’s good for your garden, which we’ll cover later, but first let’s look at why it’s good for the environment.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF COMPOSTING

There are many environmental benefits that come from composting. Most of these are pretty negligible on the small scale, but if the majority of the planet were to adopt composting, it would make a significant difference.

First, the act of gardening itself creates more plants in the world. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide (CO2) and breath out oxygen (O2), reducing the amount of the former in the atmosphere and thus reducing the greenhouse effect. Compost means healthier gardens and more plants, therefore less CO2.

Second, compost increases the retention of the soil. This mean that soil needs to be watered less. It also means it holds on to pesticides, resulting in less runoff into local water systems.

Third, and probably most important: having a compost heap reduces the waste produced by the average household. By a lot. It has been estimated that 50-70% of the waste produced by a household is organic material. With a compost heap, this is turned into useful material for your garden instead of trash. The environmental effects here are three-fold: less CO2 produced by garbage trucks transporting this material to dumps, less space being used for landfill, and less organic material sitting in dumps and releasing methane into the atmosphere.

THE BENEFITS OF COMPOSTING FOR YOUR GARDEN

Physical Benefits

Consistently adding composted material to your garden has many benefits to the structure of your soil. It will help it retain moisture and nutrients, and increase the movement of water and air within the soil. It will also help prevent compaction and erosion.

Chemical and Biological Benefits

There are also chemical and biological benefits to the regular addition of composted material to your garden.

Composted material naturally stabilizes the pH balance of a soil. You can also play around with this, creating a slightly acidic or alkaline compost material to shift the pH of the soil in that direction.

Composted material has an abundance of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, essential nutrients to the soil, which are release gradually. There are also other nutrients available in it, such as calcium and magnesium, which are good for the garden.

As mentioned above, adding composted material allows soil to hold onto water and nutrients better, so less is needed. On the flip side, it also binds with contaminants, such as pesticides or petroleum, reducing absorption by plants and run off into water sources. In fact, composted material is sometimes used as a water filtering mechanism.

Adding composted material to a garden increases the presence of organisms that are good for your soil and plants, helping with material breakdown and nutrient absorption.

It increases the presence of earthworms, which move organic matter around and increase the movement of air and water within the soil.

It also helps decrease the chances of plant disease.

FOR RELATED ARTICLES, CHECK OUT HOW TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR SOIL AND WORM COMPOSTING: VERMICOMPOSTING FOR FUN AND PROFIT.

Good luck and stay prepared!

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Homemade soap. Photo by bradleygee.

This article is a guide to making your own homemade soap. Making soap is a fairly easy process, and is one of those skills that everyone used to have, but has gotten lost along the way as our modern world became increasingly specialized.

So let’s rediscover our heritage and reclaim our birthright. Let’s go make some soap!

Estimated Time: Less than 1 hour.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Ingredients:

1. A lye solution
2. Soap making oils. For a specific recipe, here’s one that works:
   1. 200 ml coconut oil
   2. 200 ml palm oil
   3. 220 ml olive oil
   4. 40 ml castor oil
3. 30 ml of fragrance oils that are safe for soap.

Equipment:

1. A digital scale
2. Glass or plastic bowls or cups
3. A large pitcher
4. A measuring cup
5. A mixing spoon
6. A spatula
7. Soap molds

Safety Gear:

1. Rubber gloves
2. Eye goggles
3. A long sleeved shirt

HOW TO DO IT:

1. Put your pitcher onto the scale. Note the weight of the empty pitcher.
2. Add the solid oils to the pitcher in their correct amounts.
3. Place the pitcher in the microwave to melt the oils.
4. Put a bowl or cup onto the scale.
5. Add the liquid oils in their correct amounts.
6. With a second bowl/cup, weight out your fragrance oil.
7. When the solid oils have been completely melted, add the liquid oils to the pitcher.
8. Stir the oils together, and make sure the solution is close to 100 degrees.
9. Slowly pour the lye into the oils.
10. Sir the contents together slowly for a few seconds.
11. Stir aggressively for a second, and then rest for a second. Repeat this a few times. A stick blender is helpful for this step. The contents should begin to get cloudy.
12. Pour the cloudy liquid into the soap molds.
13. Cover the mold with a towel, and set it in a warm place.
14. After 24 hours, the soap should be cooled completely and can be removed from the mold.
15. Cut the soap into the desired sizes.
16. Let the soap ‘cure’ (sit) for 1 month before using.

See? Piece of cake. Once you start making your own soap, you’ll never go back to buying the store bought stuff.

FOR RELATED ARTICLES, CHECK OUT DIY DISHWASHER SOAP AND DIY GLUE.

Good luck and stay prepared!

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TREATING A HEAT BURN

First steps (the first 20 minutes)

1. Remove the heat source from the patient.
2. Place the affected area under running cold water, or in a tub filled with cold water, for 20 minutes. If water isn’t available, then some other cool liquid can be used. A first aid burn gel is also a good substitute.
3. Remove any clothing or jewellery from the affected area, as it may begin to swell.
4. If the burn is serious, this is the time to call emergency services.

Next steps

1. Lay the patient down.
2. Apply a sterile dressing to cover the affected area. A non-adherent dressing can be used or clean plastic kitchen wrap.
3. Keep the affected area clean and protected, to avoid infection or further tissue damage.

Things to Avoid… DO NOT:

• Try to remove fabric that is stuck to the burn
• Break blisters or remove peeled skin
• Apply creams, butter or lotions to the burns, as they can cause infections
• Use adhesive tape around the affected area, as it may cause tissue damage

IF CLOTHING IS ON FIRE:

• STOP: Stop moving.
• DROP: Drop to the floor.
• ROLL: Roll back and forth on the ground, to smother the flames.

TREATING A CHEMICAL BURN

1. Remove any contaminated clothing.
2. Flush the affected area thoroughly under cold water for 20 minutes.
3. If any chemical has gotten into the eyes, hold the eye lids open and flush thoroughly with water.
4. Cover the burn with a sterile dressing.
5. Call emergency services.

TREATING A SUNBURN

Prevention

1. Keep the skin covered from 11am to 4pm. Wear a long sleeves shirt, a hat, Etc.
2. Wear sunscreen.
3. Wear a pair of sunglasses.

Treatment

1. Run the affected area under cool water for 20 minutes.
2. Sunburn ointment can be applied to the burn if there are no blisters or broken skin.
3. Don’t burst any blisters that form.
4. Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.

For serious burns, always seek medical treatment.

FOR RELATED ARTICLES, CHECK OUT DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY AND HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN FIRST AID KIT.

Good luck and stay prepared!

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As some of you may have noticed, things have been quieter than usual around here over the past few weeks. This may have led some of you to wonder if maybe ol’ Rambo Moe had lost a step.

Well fear not, my brethren. This was not a sign of things to come, but rather the calm before the storm. A moment of silence before, with the awesome force of a hurricane, Prepared For That is unleashed upon the indigenous populations of the tropical island known as the internets.

What? I don’t know. Anyway…

Big things to come.

In the coming months, I will be doing a lot to grow the web site. As you may have noticed, there have been some design changes recently. If you have an opinion on them either way, drop me a line at preparedforthat@gmail.com and let me know what you think.

I will continue to put up at least 5 posts a week, with 3-4 of them being full articles, and a couple documentaries or links to other cool articles thrown in.

I will also be doing a lot of guest posting, to reach new people and build the community.

And finally, I wrote a book: “Rambo Moe’s 30 Day Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing for the Inevitable Rise of the Dead”. Despite the silly title, it is a very thorough survival manual, using zombies as an entertaining way to explore the topic. In my humble opinion, it is awesome, a clear literary masterpiece, and quite possibly the greatest book ever written. You can read more about it here.

So stay tuned for a big summer from Prepared For That.com.

Rock and Roll, and good luck and stay prepared!

Cheers,

Rambo Moe

The post RAMBO MOE’S 200th POST: MOVING FORWARD appeared first on Prepared For That.