Wilderness ID

Do you carry I.D. that does not go in your wallet? I have often headed out for a days hiking or a night fishing leaving my wallet at home with some cash in my pocket. What if I had an incident and was knocked unconscious or worse? How could my medical record be found or my next of kin notified?

There are a few solutions out there such as a Road ID, a Survival Strap ID or the plain old-fashioned army dog tag. I have worn a pair of dog tags for 16 years and was looking to replace them recently as they are looking a little dated which is how I found out about the survival strap as I was also looking at paracord bracelets at the same time.

I then started thinking what else could tags like these be used for? You could have them inscribed with your personal details, your favorite quote, medical information, contact details for a parent/guardian on a tag worn by a child or as a reminder of your loved one back at home.

For peace of mind I would recommend carrying a tag of some description if you are prone to heading off without your ID, I always carry my tags camping or hiking alone or with company as they have now become part of my preparation process.

Posted in Preparedness, Products, Scouts, Survival Kit

Lofty Wiseman on fear and pain at The Bushcraft Show

Posted in Bushcraft Show

Priorities of survival – Food

Your next priority of survival is food, here you need to be thinking will the calories gained outweigh the calories spent. Trapping requires less energy than hunting, traps should be placed on game trails or near dens. Do not place them too close to the dens as animals are most wary when entering and leaving them, look for bottlenecks or funnel the prey to your traps. Try to mask your scent, bait them and set more traps to increase your chances of success. Should you find yourself near water this would be a good place to look for food.

Never turn down an opportunity, a good survivor is a scavenger. Sometimes nature does the hard work for you and you should try to eat anything you happen upon that is safe, you never know when or what may make up your next meal so you cannot afford to be picky. Your brain should be bigger then every animal or insect, so put that grey matter to good use and Think smart!

Make sure that if you have food spare to store it is out of the reach of any insects or animals it may attract, as the last thing you would want is unwanted attention from something that would also appreciate your meal such as a bear.

Posted in Preparedness, Survival Kit