7 Important skills we all need to know.

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SurvivalMike

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Temecula CA
Of course there is more we should know but I can go all day lol.

#1: How to Purify Water


There are three main methods of making water safe to drink:

  • boiling (water will need to be at a full, rolling boil for at least 5 minutes)
  • chemical purifiers (1 to 2 drops or tablets of iodine, chlorine, potassium permanganate, or halazone per quart of water)
  • store-bought charcoal or ceramic filters
When looking for a place to gather fresh water, look out for a few context clues. Make sure there are no dead animals nearby, that the plants surrounding the water look healthy, and avoid collecting stagnant water.

#2: How to Start a Fire without Matches

And how will you boil water, let alone cook food, stay warm, and keep predatory animals away? With a fire, of course! Matches and fuel-fed lighters will make the job easy, but those man-made conveniences won't be around forever. "Matches will run out—you have to have some way of starting a fire without them," says Brent Sr. (there are several ways. Look up some of them)

#3: How to Treat an Allergic Reaction

If you or someone in your party is allergic to bees, wasps, or certain foods, you're going to need to know how to stop the severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis. Symptoms of this life-threatening reaction include, itching and swelling, which leads to swallowing and breathing difficulties, increased heart rate, sudden weakness, and shock, among others.

Unfortunately, there's only one treatment for anaphylaxis, according to WebMD: epinephrine by injection. So stock up on a few EpiPens for your emergency medical kit.

#4: How to Suture or Treat a Wound

When you're out in the elements without access to a hospital or antibiotics, a dirty wound could mean certain death. If you have a big cut on your leg, you're going to need to know how to treat a wound to prevent infection.

#5: Basic Bartering Techniques & Top Barter Items

In a crisis of epic proportions, you will not be able to run to your local Wal-Mart for the things you need. The solution, says Brent Sr., is bartering. To successfully negotiate a good trade, you'll need to know what items are highly valuable:

  • gold and silver (including pre-1965 dimes and half-dollars)
  • addictive goods (coffee, alcohol, cigarettes)
  • freeze-dried foods (they're good for 35 years and weigh very little)
  • longterm storage food, such as wheat (unground wheat will last a lifetime)
  • gasoline, diesel fuel, and kerosene
  • medical supplies
  • guns and ammo
#6: How to Hot-wire and Repair Vehicles

"If you have to get somewhere further away fast, you need to have a knowledge of automobiles," says Brent Sr.

The most basic technique for starting a car without the key, is to stick a flathead screwdriver in the ignition, and turn it as you would a key.

#7: How to Read a Map and Use a Compass

Most people ask Siri or the Garmin lady how to get where they want to go. But in an off-the-grid scenario, electronics won't work for long, and you'll need to be able to find your way with a standard map and compass.



There are many more skills you should learn to be “fully” prepared but these are definitely some you should consider.
 
Listing the first 7, I would move a couple of the items further down the line 5 and 6 in particular, good list though :)
Foraging far more important to survival skill than hot wiring a car ;)

Basic bartering are important not necessarily a skill though, trapping, tracking and hunting would be more inline with survival
 
If I may add to your sentence on hot wiring cars...

You need a large flathead screwdriver with a square shank, and a ten inch crescent wrench. Pound the screwdriver into the ignition slot with the crescent wrench, then turn the screwdriver by placing the wrench on the square shank. Just rip it all around in the right direction. This breaks the lock pins, or tears the entire ignition lock module off its mounts. The car probably wont start, and the steering will still be locked. You just want the dash lights to come on. If the entire ignition has ripped loose, at this point you can break it or take it apart, get the core out, then turn it to align the contacts. Breaking or cutting the rods for the steering wheel lock at the ignition, won't release the steering wheel lock. It is sprung. It IS possible to just break the pins in the lock, and then have the screwdriver act like a key. But it doesn't happen that way every time.

Use the screw driver to pry off the steering column cover, and then fish around and find the pin or pins that lock the steering wheel. Bend these out of the way. If you are a guerilla, just rip the steering wheel around and shear off the pins.

Open the hood, and cross the starter motor terminals, starting the car.

At least, that's been my experience. Last one was a Honda civic in... 95? So some newer cars may have some stuff I don't know about.
 
The only problem I have with foraging, or trapping, is it takes SO MUCH to get the calories you need. Big game animals, sure, but I bet they would become rare quick.

The only way I see to do it, is to have enough stored food to grow a first or even second crop, have some meat animals, and be able to protect that, job one.

Bartering with folks I know? No problem. Bartering here in the city? Man, I think it could be risky.

We had a long discussion about this when I was down at the BOL.

Still a lot of work to do.
 
The only problem I have with foraging, or trapping, is it takes SO MUCH to get the calories you need. Big game animals, sure, but I bet they would become rare quick.

The only way I see to do it, is to have enough stored food to grow a first or even second crop, have some meat animals, and be able to protect that, job one.

Bartering with folks I know? No problem. Bartering here in the city? Man, I think it could be risky.

We had a long discussion about this when I was down at the BOL.

Still a lot of work to do.

That it does, but in a shtf you will be hard pressed to maintain a daily 2000-3000 diet in a shtf even with long term food, there are many forging items to get a lot of calories, pine nuts, cattails or even meat from bark on trees are high calorie etc.. but it does require work everyday and basically that's what survival is.. work and knowledge. Most issues related to hunter/gatherers were of hygiene and sanitation not for the lack of calories, we can survive on less than 2000 calorie diet as long as hygiene and sanitation protocols are followed. Most of the food we have here are hunted, fished, forage and raised, we very very seldom rely on purchased food so transitioning from today to shtf is of no issue.
 
That it does, but in a shtf you will be hard pressed to maintain a daily 2000-3000 diet in a shtf even with long term food, there are many forging items to get a lot of calories, pine nuts, cattails or even meat from bark on trees are high calorie etc.. but it does require work everyday and basically that's what survival is.. work and knowledge. Most issues related to hunter/gatherers were of hygiene and sanitation not for the lack of calories, we can survive on less than 2000 calorie diet as long as hygiene and sanitation protocols are followed. Most of the food we have here are hunted, fished, forage and raised, we very very seldom rely on purchased food so transitioning from today to shtf is of no issue.

That's pretty much where the group LIVING at the BOL are at. They mostly buy beer, and condiments. Little stuff. Otherwise, they garden and can, make wine, make maple syrup and sugar, raise beef and rabbits and chickens (bee's are coming, thanks forum BK's), I would say the majority of the meals are from food grown or raised right there on the property.

I'm pretty impatient, I need to get some salt and sugar stocked up down there, and contribute for next years cows. Man, so much to do. Ah well.

I agree with you, Maverick, but man, I don't wanna eat pine nuts. I know, I know, reality dictates it might come to that, you are definitely not wrong. But I am fighting that tooth and nail.
 
Salt and sugar is a big and extremely hard to replace in a shtf if even possible at all, I can go to the ocean and produce salt from the sea but I don't want to travel 130 miles to the coast in a shtf, sugar I can get from beats but not enough to make a dent so I'll use honey but salt is my concern. I have a little over 300lbs of salt in my long term supplies. I also have roughly 5oolbs of salt block for the livestock with zero additive I reckon I can use that in an emergency if it came down to it.
 
Salt and sugar is a big and extremely hard to replace in a shtf if even possible at all, I can go to the ocean and produce salt from the sea but I don't want to travel 130 miles to the coast in a shtf, sugar I can get from beats but not enough to make a dent so I'll use honey but salt is my concern. I have a little over 300lbs of salt in my long term supplies. I also have roughly 5oolbs of salt block for the livestock with zero additive I reckon I can use that in an emergency if it came down to it.

Mav will this help?
http://www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/ger_b49_salinelake_dep_wa.pdf
https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1019j/report.pdf
 
Salt blocks...

Why didn't I think of that? Plus, that's dual purpose, I could count that toward my contribution to food stocks, and cattle supplies.

Maverick, that's awesome.

A lot of salt blocks contain dye, vitamins and/or antibiotics, make sure it's all natural.
 
dunno about hot wiring a car or bartering fuel, the roads will be like a giant parking lot a few hours after SHTF.

Paul, it's sad but most Americans cannot drive a manual transmission. I think this a must. You never know when you need to steal a car.

A manual transmission is a great anti theft device in the U.S.
 
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Funny you guys mention potassium permanganate.

It's used in water softening, so it's readily available at a modest price.

If you mix up a strong solution with water, it's a good antifungal medicine.

If you mix it with ethylene glycol from antifreeze, it will burst into flame all by itself.

It can also be used to make gun powder.
 

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