Sometimes its the little things that are overlooked, and sometimes those little things are important. In this case its a first aid kit. This is the Fundamentals First Aid Kit from Red Flare Kits.

The Fundamentals First Aid Kit has just about everything that a group of people may need. The compartments are arraigned and clearly labeled so the supplies are easy to find when you need them.  One of the things that I really liked about this kit, is how well it folded up into a small package.  Its small enough to fit into a backpack and contains just about everything that someone may need to treat minor emergencies.

Medications/Instruments:
1 Digital Thermometer 90F-105F
1 EMT Shears
1 SplinterPicker Forceps
1 Duct Tape
2 Pill Vials
3 Safety Pins
1 Accident Report Form and Pencil
8 ExtraStrength Tylenol
6 Motrin
2 Aspirin (325mg)
4 Antihistamine

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Tags: first aid, first aid kits, Fundamentals First Aid Kit Review

This is a video review of the Emergency Zone Folding Saw from ReadyPro.org. Saws like this area handy to have in your pack for clearing brush, or even in your truck for removing small trees that have blown over roads and trails.

Post your comments in the folding saw review thread of the forums.

The mission of ReadyPro is to provide the best emergency solutions to families that want to prepare for disasters. We put our products to the test so that they will provide you with REAL security when you need it. We test all the items and are confident that you’ll have the best solution money can buy. We think you and your family are worth it.

Tags: emergency zone, emergency zone folding saw, folding saw

Some recommendations for stockpiling seeds for a survival garden.

Radish – fast growing, usually ready to harvest 30 days after planting, the whole plant is edible.

Turnips and Rutabaga – large green leaves, good for feeding humans and livestock.

Yellow Squash and Zucchini – including winter and summer squash. Some types of squash can be stored for 2 – 3 months.

Beans and Peas – require little fertilizer, can be dried and stored over the winter. Have been raised by humans for thousands of years.

Potatoes and onions – easy to grow, can sometimes be stored for 6 – 7 months. Onion bulbs and potatoes stored over the winter can be used to plant next years garden.

Corn – Harvested by mankind for thousands of years. Good for feeding people and livestock.

Cucumbers – High producers, but have high nitrogen requirements.

Peppers – good source of vitamin C. Can be dried and ground into spices.

Okra – High producing plant, just a couple of rows 100 feet long can produce 2 – 5 gallons of Okra every 2 days. This plant needs a lot of water, so its not good for areas prone to drought.

Post your comments in this thread on seeds for a survival garden.

Tags: beans and peas, corn, cucumbers, okra, peppers, radish, squash, Survival Garden Seeds, turnips

Lets discuss some SHTF / TEOTWAWKI Camp Considerations. Some of the topics should include shelter, food production (hunting and gardening), safe drinking water, safety and special needs.

Where are you and your family going to go?  There has to be some kind of shelter, something besides a tent in the woods.  Contact a friend or family member that lives outside your area and work out evacuation plans ahead of time.  Everyone needs a place to sleep, rest, shower or bath, brush their teeth,, try to maintain a normal lifestyle.

Food production – are you going to eat off of canned and dried food the whole time? Is this place designed as a short or a long term solution?  Short term solution – canned goods, dried foods (beans and rice), MREs, Eversafe meals and other foods that can be kept for a reasonable amount of time.  Long term solution – ability to raise your own food and hunt.

Safe drinking water – contaminated water can kill entire families within a matter of days.  Humans have to have safe drinking water to live.  That is all there is to it.

Safety – how safe is your family and friends at this location?  Is it in the middle of a city or miles from the nearest town.  Seclusion does not always mean safety.

Special needs – Do any of the family members have special needs?  Such as needing wheel chair access, breathing machines or special medications.

And now for the video.  Post your comments in this thread on SHTF / TEOTWAWKI Camp Considerations.

Tags: fall back position, shtf, TEOTWAWKI

This article was originally posted by Beaterar. It has been copied to the articles section due to its outstanding information content. Please post your comments in this thread on how to layer your gear.

I’m writing this to introduce everyone to the layered gear approach that has become very popular. This is not an original idea by me and have no idea who the original idea came from.

There is no doubt that at some point one will have to dump one or more parts of there gear for various reasons. If you fall in a river believe me you will dump everything to survive, or when entering combat you will ditch your pack to remain mobile and fast as not to get dead. The idea though is still to be prepared, we practice using the bare minimum but still have large back packs, we know comfort goes along way in aid our survival.

In this post I will cover my gear as I have set it up as a result of other post explaining the idea to me, you can alter this idea to fit your needs as I have done in some cases to fit mine.

Generally we have 3 layers of gear:
First line- Survival gear, the bare minimum.
Second line- Combat gear and mission essential gear.
Third line- Comfort and long term survival gear.

I will go over my gear to help you get the idea.

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Tags: layer your gear

During this review, the Maxpedition Falcon II Pygmy is being used as a day pack and an overnight camping pack.  With this sized pack your not going to strap a -20 degree sleeping bag and a 4 man dome tent to it.  The Maxpedition Falcon II Pygmy is designed for a certain purpose and it serves that roll very well.

One of the first things that is noticed about the Pygmy is its size, but do not let that fool you.  Its a well designed pack that is rough and tough. 1,000 denier cordura was used in the construction of the pack, internal seams are taped and finished, and the pack has a capacity of around 1,400 cubic inches.

Some of the specs from the Maxpedition website:
Dimensions: 18″(H) x 9.5″(W) x 5.5″(D)
Main Compartment: 12″(H) x 7.5″(W) x 2.75″(D)
Front Pouch: 12″(H) x 7.5″(W)
Slip Pocket: * Capacity: 1400 cu. in. / 23 liters
Hydration: Two side pouches for 1L Nalgene bottles
Support: 1 inch Adjustable Sternum Strap
Optional Accessories: Grimloc Carabiner
Empty Weight: 36.9 oz.

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Tags: backpacking, backpacks, hiking, Maxpedition, Maxpedition Falcon II Pygmy, Maxpedition Falcon II Pygmy review, milspec

This is a review of the Aquamira Frontier Pro Water Filter from ReadyPro.org. First impressions – this is a pretty cool filter. Its light weight, compact, easy to use and no moving parts. There are no moving parts like a pump or handle to stop working or break.

Unlike a regular filter, where the water is pumped from the stream into a container, with the Aquamira Frontier Pro Water Filter, the container is filled with water from the stream or lake, and then filtered as you drink it.  The filter uses a small “button” looking filter that does not remove viruses and may not be effective on removing all types of bacteria.  If extra treatment is needed use some Aquamira Water Purifier Tablets.

The filter was easy to use. You just get close to the water, insert the straw and suck the water up.  The nipple that fits into the mouth is protected with a plastic cover. One unit is supposed to filter up to 20 gallons of water and be able to remove 99.9% of Cryptosporidium and Giardia.

One of the drawbacks to the filter, you might get your knees wet from kneeling next to the stream. But oh well, its just one of those things about being out in the woods.

The filter in the video as received from ReadyPro, who deals in all kinds of hiking, camping and other survival gear items.

Tags: Aquamira Frontier Pro, Aquamira Frontier Pro Water Filter, backpacking water filter, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Water Filter

Some tips on how to make sausage. James at Jasper Quality Meats and Smokehouse in Jasper, Texas agreed to do an interview and show us how to make smoked sausage.

We start off with some pork scraps and put them into a grinder that grinds it into something a pan sausage.  From there is it mixed with spices, then pushed into the sausage casing.  The sausage casing is wrapped around a bar and put into a smoke house for 12 – 16 hours, depending on the outside temperature.

Tags: home made sausage, how to make sausage, sausage, sausage making