Survival Advice

Children can be a handful, especially in a survival situation.

Things to consider when you have a child or children

1. Age
2. Special needs

The age of the child or children really determines what you can do. Traveling with an infant 0-6 months lets say is a pain, if you are on foot, it is even worse. The older they are the easier it gets, but it is still something that requires extra attention.


Here are some suggestions on items you might want to make available.

1. Transportation - Anything that keeps you from carrying the kid(s), a stroller, little red wagon, anything really.
2. Formula - For infants, this is a must, even if you are breast feeding. You will need the extra energy as well.
3. Baby food - As much as you can reasonable carry.
4. Sugar - or kool-aid for water. Most kids don't like just plain water, it will help with their attitude as well, you can use it as a kind of reward.


The older the child is, the easier it is, you have have them start carrying their own stuff. My daughter had her own emergency bag at age 6. It was nothing more than food, water, some candy, puzzle book, blanket, small pillow, sleeping bag, and some toys. I did give her a choice of what she wanted in it. I did not tell her it was a SHTF gran n go, I called it a tornado pack as we lived in tornado ally. Now that she is in her teens her bag has changed, but it is still geared to her skills.

For an infant, I would make a go bag just for them as well, much like you would take to the store with you. Diapers, formula, bottles and the like. Infants do not require much in the way of number of items, but they do require a lot of it. Blankets are always good to have too.

Lots of snow is a good thing - you can make excellent shelters with it. Caching a machete to cut snow blocks would be helpful.

2 of the biggest problems with children and survival are:

Boredom - survival is often simply conservation of energy by doing nothing. This is difficult even for adults to handle. Make sure you have activities/games that can keep them occupied drawing/reading/playing cards, etc.

Keeping quiet - I found that playing hide and seek is great tool for teaching kids to remain hidden and quiet. It is imperative they understand the seriousness of the situation and respond accordingly.

Kids can often handle things better than adults. They don't have a built-in sense of doom and lack of optimism. They can be very adaptable and resilient. Remember, cave people had young children too. Obviously the survived or we wouldn't be here.

This is very true. Some other tricks that may helps is give the kids a sense of responsibility. A certain task, maybe to carry a certain item. This will help keep them focused. What ever you do do not lie to them about what is going on, they need to know the situation and the severity of it.

Children are very resilient and adapt quicker than adults. They very well may surprise you on what they are capable of.

I have a pretty good plan...

My plan is to sneak up behind you, bonk you on the head, and steal all of your shit.

Great thread! BUMMAP..P...P BuMP bUmP BUmp etc.

I have been wondering what to add. I am open to suggestions, some ideas are:

1. Tools - What kind do you need
2. Shelter in place - NBC Style
3. Weapons of choice - Types and what kind to get.
4. External Supplies - Where to look when SHTF

Anyone else have ideas or want to add?

[link to woodtrekker.blogspot.com]

Good info, but most people do not have the skill to start a garden nor protect it. Also, hunting is nice, but lets be honest, most people do not know how to skin and dress an animal nor have the knowledge to preserve the food for long term.

I am primarily helping those who know nothing prepare a little better. Skill sets to become the MacGyver of survival is something else.

To survive you need two thing.

1. The will to survive.
2. The mind set to survive.

[link to www.eattheweeds.com]
[link to www.foragingtexas.com]
[link to foragersharvest.com] (both his books are great)

Again, good information. But I am thinking a lot more basic.

In order to have a garden, you need land. Many of us live in apartments, thus no land. Seeds stored for future use, is great, but you still need land. Personally, gardens are not in my plan, mainly because I do not know the environment that I will need to survive in.

Farming is the best way to survive long term. Really it is the only way. Short term it is almost useless though. You cannot grow enough fast enough, unless you have already started prior to SHTF.

Those are about foraging the existing landscape for calories, not gardening. They also talk about using certain plants for cordage, medicinal and shelter. Very basic stuff.

Good thread btw, thanks for this.

Information is golden. The more you know, the better your chances are.

Really helpful. Thanks.

Over the past years on GLP i have seen may threads on weapon choices. So I figure I would go over some of the basics.

1. Training - Regardless of the weapon be proficient with it.
2. Safety - Know the safety with the weapons you have, see rule 1.

OK now that we have covered that lets start.

There are many weapons out there and many are like yours. Each weapon has a purpose. Some have multiple uses. When choosing a weapon remember what it is for. Is it hunting, defense, both? A kitchen knife is great, but how long does it take to break the blade in a fight. Can a Kershaw slice a tomato? So how do you choose which weapon is right for you?

Melee

Baseball bats, golf clubs, kitchen knifes, tree limb, frying pan. These are all what I refer to as improvised weapons. Good in a crunch, but not really the best. No real skill required but better than nothing.

Fighting knifes, batons, pepper spray, stun guns, again baseball bats. These are proper weapons and legal in most states. Check you local laws.

A melee weapon, or a weapon that is used in hand to hand combat is a must. To be honest one is not really better than another, use what you are comfortable with. Pepper spray is a great item to have for example, but not the best choice to use in an enclosed area.

You need an up close and personal weapon, a knife, baton, or both. So how do you choose? Reality is personal choice. Knifes are a varied as firearms. Long blade, short blade, fixed, folding, serrated. Choose a knife that best fits you and what you plan to use it for. In this case protection. You will want something that has a sturdy blade so it does not break easily, not to flexible either, length is also important,but check your laws on what you can have legally. A good knife can go a long way. Worth spending the money on a good one. Yes you can have more than one, even advised.

A good children's stroller can be invaluable for hauling stuff. I mean a really good one.

FIREARMS

There are a ton of threads out there about firearms. So I will make it simple.

1. TRAIN
2. SAFETY

Pistols - Primary defense weapon. If you have to defend yourself this is the firearm that you will likely use to do so. The most important thing is how comfortable it is in you hand. Can you grip it correctly, is it to heavy, to light? Caliber is not as important as people say. Granted I would rather have that .45 ACP than a .25 ACP, however that .25 ACP will do the job and i can hide it a lot easier if need be. Distance wise, if you have to use a pistol to protect yourself most likely it will be withing 25 yards. In most cases it will be in 10 - 15 feet. Stick to the common calibers: .22 LR, .380 ACP, .357 magnum, 9mm, .40 cal, .45 ACP

Shotguns - A good shot gun is worth it weight in gold. Next to a pistol this is my top choice. Main advantage is they are very versatile, main disadvantage is they are very versatile. Shotguns are usually geared to a certain task: Home defense or hunting. It is hard to hunt with a short barreled shot gun. Also a shotgun with a 24" barrel is hard to defend your home with. Stick with the common gauges: 12 ga (large bird, deer), 20 ga (small bird, coyote), .410 (small bird, rabbit). For defense, any work just fine, they are short range.

Rifles - Two primary types

Long gun - Used for hunting. Caliber is very important here. Stay to the main calibers: 30-06, 25-06, .308, 30-30, .223. DO NOT BE AN ARM CHAIR SNIPER! Not the weapon of choice unless you know what you are doing.

AR/SKS/AK - These weapons are great, if you know how to use them. Stay away from them unless you know what you are doing. In which case we would not be having this conversation. They are great weapons, but they make you stand out. Ammo is easy to get in a SHTF situation though. Military and police use them.

The cure most.

.22LR, get one! Best weapon out there for SHTF situations. They are light, quite, versatile, ammo is easy to fine (not right now though), cheap. Will handle most situations you find yourself in. Stay with the semi-auto kind though. Large ammo capacity and you can get multiple shots off quickly if needed.

Good advice there Lazy Dog

A couple good places for survival related gear and bushcraft/survival forums.
[link to www.heavycoverinc.com]

[link to bushcraftusa.com]

I think we have covered the basics fairly well, so lets talk about things that will also help you survive.

Hygiene

Very important! Bad hygiene will kill you, not at first, but slowly over time. With an improvised diet, it becomes even more important. Lets take it in parts.

Dental

Most of us have decent teeth, a few weeks of not brushing, well you will not have decent teeth nor gums. Dental care is very critical. I can not stress this enough. Some things that will help.

1. Tooth brush - Even dry brushing is better than nothing.
2. Paste - Better than dry brushing.
3. Floss - Better than brushing.

Brush your teeth improved your health. There are things you can do if you do not have the above items. Just swishing what little water you have in your mouth is better than nothing. If you do not have the above items here are some things you can do.

1. Abrasive root - Not the best, but you can use it as a tooth brush. Make sure it is stringy. You want it to be fairly abrasive to massage the gums and create friction on the teeth. This remove the particles on the teeth.
2. Baking Soda - One of the best forms of tooth paste (when mixed with water) IMO.
3. Root floss - Be careful here, don't use string or fishing line.

Check with your dentist for other ideas. I will talk to my cousin about it and see if I can find out more. Personally, I carry two tooth brushes and paste in every pack.

Bathing

Soap is fairly easy to make, however, in the mean time there are things you can do.

1. Baby or wet wipes - work wonders in those critical areas. Clean under the arms and groin primarily.
2. Bar soap - While it last, put some in your pack. A wash cloth helps too.

You can make soap as well. Lye (camp fire ashes) and animal fat. Trap the animal fat when you are cooking, mix it with the lye and you have soap. It works well. Bath every 2 - 3 days. Also makes a good trade item.

As for Shampoo I am open to suggestions.

Feminine Products

Ask a female for better ideas. I do have women in my life, thus it has entered the equation. I have not solved this yet though, other than cloth for that monthly thing and a vinegar rinse.

Last Edited by Lazy_Dog on 10/14/2013 09:25 PM

Good info, the more places you have to shop the better off you are.

Just remember, if you do not know how to use it, it is useless.

I think you should add to your dental listerene/mouthwash,
plain salt makes a pretty good tooth paste, clove oil or just cloves untill you have had a bad toothache its hard to apreciate these items.

making soap from wood ashes as you suggested is a good idea

[link to www.youtube.com]


There are also natural alternatives

[link to www.ask.com]

for shampoo I just use bar soap anyway

just plain wood ashes makes a pretty good hand wash on its own especially if you have greasy hands

Good info, thanks!

Yes it does, but it is not a soap. Soap kills bacteria which is what you want. Raw ash is an abrasive that will clean but it will not kill what you need it to.

One of the problems with modern society is that we do not have the immune system of ages past. We are less resistant to bacteria and viruses than our grand parents or even parents. Our children are even less so. It is critical that we maintain good hygiene until we can built then needed resistances.