ROLE CALL: Weekly List of Cool Survival Gear

ROLE CALL!!!!

Starting today I plan to show some links to some awesome gear for all you survival students out there, from the super useful to the mind blowing gear, gadget, vehicle and just stuff you will drool over. Lets be honest, we all lover our toys, why not have some that kick ass as well.

1. The Crovel Extreme: Shovel. Check. Crowbar. Check. Saw. Check. Ax. Check. Awesome. Check. This awesome multi-shovel is the Crovel and it is everything you need in one cool package. Boasting up to 13 different tools packaged in this 5.5lbs tool of the gods. most of the gear I listed above can be essential to survival but carrying it all without a group can be difficult to put it nicely. Get this bad boy at $109.
2. SOL Origins Survival Kit: This compact tool by adventure medical provides an abundance of useful tools in a small orange case. You can carry this in your EDC and feel confident that you have all the essentials. You can find this on Amazon from $40-50.
3. Mokai Jet Powered Kayak:

Envy this man....

Its a Kayak with a 4 stroke engine that can be removed or installed in minutes and has a max speed of 15mph. It's awesome, I can see you drooling, you want this, nuff said. Price, $3450. 

That's all for this week, just a taste, but I'm sure you're already hooked. Come back next week for more great gear. 

Zombie Survival Shotgun: The Art of Manliness

The awesome blog Artofmanliness.com has an interesting article on building a survival shotgun, survivalcache.com has a similar 8 part survival shotgun article that shows how to build one from the ground up but this article adds some pretty interesting and cool accessories to the shotgun. Check it out.

How to Make a Survival Shotgun | The Art of Manliness:

'via Blog this'

First Week Back: 4 College Survival Tips

So the beauty of summer is over and you back to the grindstone, college. Well it sucks having classes but its also a great time for clubs, friends and parties (everyone loves the parties) so what now, go off and be crazy, no its time to prepare for the struggle that is having fun and graduating at the same time, oh and sleep, maybe.

So here are some real quick tips to help you survive this nightmare:

1. Come Ready: For the love of God, show up with at least pen and paper, and not a half used post-it note that already has your class schedule and breakfast on it. Also don't come prepared to write the next Harry Potter series in class, a simple legal pad will get the job done.
2. Don't Get Lost: It happens every time, especially if your a freshman, you're looking for a class and your sure you have the right classroom....you have the wrong classroom, you panic, "Oh crap, Oh crap, 2 min to get to my class, where the hell is it!!!!!" this can all be made so much easier if you just leave 15 min early and don't be afraid to ask for directions. Maybe you can get a number in the process. 
3. Don't Sweat the Books: All the administration and people paid to make you think they know about college will tell you that if you don't have your books by the first day of class a giant bird like creature will whisk you off and devour your internal organs or something like that. Screw them, the truth is you should wait til at least first day of classes to see if you really need the books, if you need the latest addition and if you can find it at Library for free, yes I said FREE.
4. Use the Syllabus: I know for most of you will use your syllabus as the new lining for your backpack to cushion your laptop, or it may just be online. Well take it from a person who has missed more due dates then he cares to remember (which might have something to due with it) don't just discard them to the Jansport abyss. Most of them have a schedule of everything that's going to happen in the class; use that, really do it. Make a schedule in your phone or computer, I assume you have one since you're reading this, and add all the important dates for your classes. It will be a live saver. 

It's not a lot but these tips can really lighten the load of the first two weeks, oh and have fun, your in college don't forget that. Survive or Die.

New Semester New Blog: Return of the Survival Student

Hey guys.....my bad. My apologize to all those people out there who have been waiting for me to make post on my blog, I admit I was working on personal issues and getting my life together, no excuse to drop off the planet. The good news is I'm back and ready to bring you the intense heart throbbing action of surviving in school and the world, I sweating just thinking about it. Weekly updates will return along with plenty of awesome and useful junk. Stay tuned, Survive or Die.

Random Thoughts #4

Moving....

    In the past few weeks Ive had to endure one of the most down right horrible, time consuming, body draining, and possibly one of the most primitive human task of survival... Leaving Mommy's house and moving into a place of your own.

    This is my first time leaving mothers den to find my own territory to call my own.  It all happen so fast, one moment my friends and I are talking about how tired we are of living with are crazy ass parents to the next moment I'm signing a legal document stating that for the next 12 months I'm obligated to pay $450 to live in a two bedroom apartment with two other people. A lot of thoughts have been running through my mind these few weeks: Was this the right thing to do? Can I afford to move out?  Will this move affect me in school in a good or bad way?  Will I regret this?  As you can see I'm a pessimistic with no positive thoughts what so ever.  But so far with all my negative thoughts I can honestly say I do like the fact that I'm living on my own now, if I do bring that special lady back to my place (which is highly implausible since rabid dogs are more sociable than me) I don't have to worry about the embarrassment of my mom making an unexpected appearance. I also get to spend more time with friends, which was impossible because of work and school schedule.

   

    Moving is a activity that everyone at some point will experience.  I hope a few of my tips help:

•  Pack early  please don't wait till the last moment to pack.  Procrastination is your enemy.

•  Give yourself 3 days to move-in  most people give themselves that one Saturday to move all their crap. If your moving from one apartment to another don't wait till the day you lease is over with your old place to move into the new place. Try to give yourself time.

•  Prepare to get transportation  get back in touch with that friend that has a truck 

•  Big stuff first/ Little later the little stuff you can also cram into your car unless you have a truck

•  Friends friends friends prior to moving you treat all the friends you have like they were dying from testicular cancer

•  Procrastination is your enemy no explanation needed for that statement 

    Moving for me was a breeze; one reason was probably because I had nothing really to move but also I stuck to my tips and kicked procrastination right in it's procrastinating balls.

By Molech Wiles

Random trek: Trip through the local wilderness

The opening of 90% of horror movies.

So this Sunday I felt that with all my talk of survival in the woods I really haven't spent much time there. I decided to man up and just head out to the unknown. The Unknown was of course the local woods near my school, its actually some kind of environmental area, whats important is that it gave me a chance to see if I was man enough to last one day in the woods. I was running on bare essentials some simple energy bars and water, my knife (S&W Rescue Knife), compass, matches and some dyer lint, small first aid kit, and the clothes on my back.

It was a simple trip into the woods, I just needed to get out there and see what it was all about, find out if I would have a fighting chance or just be up shit creek. I found out that I'm not all talk, and I still have a ways to go. Using some of my survival knowledge I was hot on the trail of some deer which are pretty common around here.

Fresh footprint from a white tail deer.

It had rained recently so tracking by footprints wasn't to hard but 1 wouldn't be enough I kept on the hunt.

Shows me that it wasn't just a single deer.

I came across several more as I ventured in deeper into the brush, traveling off the beaten path lead me to a stream and more evidence of these elusive deer. (I should make note that 1. I wasn't actually hunting deer 2. tracking them wasn't my only intention in going into the woods.)

Yeah...thats deer poop.

and......

I think I was on the right trail.

Of course I took a moment from that to find something that I could eat in an emergency that I didn't have to catch, we all know where this is going, I'm about to have a Bear Grylls' moment.

Also found some ant hills, not much I could do with that though.

Beetle, the other other white meat.

Yeah, after walking around a bit further I came across a downed tree trunk, I noticed this one had tiny holes in it, so without really thinking about it I started smashing it open with my crappy Walmart boots (note to self, next big purchase, proper boots) until it cracked open to reveal among other bugs, to huge beetles. I was surprised that I had made a good call on that, of course I didn't eat them because I'm not being followed by a camera crew somewhere in South America, but if I had to, there they were. I kept moving after this, still off the main path and got some great use out of my knife clearing some thorns from my path. I also came across some large mushroom and other plants I couldn't identify. I am working on learning plants that are of use but I at least took a pic of the 'shroom. 

This looks a little less psychedelic and a little more deadly.

I had been in the woods for a few hours now, I decided to check out a small clearing and find some wood to try and construct a fire. I failed at the fire epically but in the clearing across a gully I found my little family of deer I was tracking, oddly they really didn't notice me (more likely they were use to humans) but as they ran along I did notice that if I was hunting these guys, purely for survival of course, I would be within easy kill range with most kinds of firearms (including high caliber pistol or bow & arrow). 

All in all, it was a nice experience and I learned some stuff like, I suck at making real fires, need better boots, need a real bag and I need to learn to recognize local plants at least. But I found out I'm not a survival failure and that I wouldn't be the first to go down when the SHTF. Its a Good feeling.

Random Thoughts: Women + Survival Savvy= Extremely Attractive

       Lately I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos, majority of them about survival techniques(Ex: fishings, reviewing editable plants)  and extensive reviews on supplies. (Ex: knives, surplus tools, and storage)  While watching hours upon hours videos I stumble on this one YouTube site called PeakSurvival.  Like all the other outdoor survival YouTube channels PeakSurvival has the basic and advance outdoor tips and reviews on equipment.  But unlike the other hundreds of channels with guys doing the talking this one caught my attention because it's a woman doing the reviews and giving the outdoor guides.

        Selica is the female instructor at Peak Survival that is giving her time for the YouTube videos. The first thing that drew me in was her voice; her ability to describe everything with such great clarity and shes attractive too (not that that matters but is a plus). After watching about a dozen of their videos I realized how assuring it felt when watching a woman talk about issues that are discussed by men.  For some reason I had trust in her reviews of the tools.  When she did do reviews she also demonstrates those tools out in the wilderness and she doesn't look like she was a novice who couldn't handle the equipment. I actually purchased some of my supplies based off of her positive and negative reviews. 

           A woman who knows an amazing amount of knowledge about surviving in the wilderness I find very attractive.  It seems hard to find women who have the same passion of wilderness survival techniques.

  Please check there website www.peaksurvival.us and watch their YouTube channel would like your thoughts?

Post Written by Guest Author: Moe

Survival Knife on Student Budget

So today I found my self searching around the web for a good, sturdy survival knife that won't break the bank (gotta pay the college bills of course), unfortunately I wasn't entirely sure what made a good survival knife and most of the ones I saw were well out of my price range. But being smart and having the internet I did some research in order to make my decision.


Here are some features to look for when trying to purchase a survival knife:

• Full Tang is a must - Full Tang refers to the area of the knife that would be the grip, it is full because the metal used to make the blade extends all the way to the bottom of the handle (hilt). Knives with hollow hilts, although great for storing items, will fail and break under real use in the wild. (Only exception to this is knives where the blade and handle are all made from the same piece of metal).  

• High Price Isn't always High Quality - There are plenty of overpriced knives out there that would be of little use to you in the wild, there are also plenty of affordable and durable blades out there for a survivalist. 
• Have a good sheath - Leather sheaths retain water and wear down faster than other sheaths so avoid these. A nylon sheath or kydex sheath are both better choices, whichever your budget allows. Also it should always have a belt loop and give your knife a lanyard. 

• Bigger is sometimes better - Having a larger survival knife does sometimes mean more weight and they are more visible but there are certain jobs in the wild that a smaller knife (4 in or smaller) just can't handle like a large one. When it comes down to the most basics of survival it, its better to have a larger knife with you, preferably one 5 1/2 in or greater. 
• Serrated vs Plain - This argument....the best answer for it is both, and no I don't mean a single knife with one, but to have a different knife of each type. As of this moment I carry 2; one a serrated folding knife, the other a plain edge fixed blade. This isn't a perfect coverage of the knife world but it gives me more options. But to give a more detailed answer, I would make my survival knife plain edge mainly because most of the jobs you will have to do in the wilderness require the plain edge.

• Fixed or Folding - For this knife and its function, I would stick with fixed blade knives, mostly because you may need to chop or hammer with your knife and a folder much like a non-full tang won't cut it.

Good Knife Choices:

Ka-Bar Survival knife

This is the staple knife in survival and fighting knives. Tough, powerful and durable, this is a tested a true weapon for many occasions. This model is about $50 but there are a few that are lower than $40. here are two links to two models.

KA-BAR Full Size US Marine Corp Fighting Knife

KABAR Short Black Plain Edge Knife

Frost Mora Military Knife  

This is a great ultra light, durable knife, and at an excellent price. At just over $20 including S&H from amazon this knife is a great choice for someone on a tight budget...like a college student. This knife does have a slight drawback, that being its a small knife at 3 7/8", not to say this is a bad knife but keep that size in mind.

Frost Mora Knife

Gerber Bear Grylls Knife

This one you may have heard of already, its an all around solid knife with a lot of nice features although the price is a bit much. Developed by Man vs Wild host Bear Grylls, it is another really good choice for a survival knife. There are plenty of videos on it on amazon, it cost about $50 so a little pricey. Another good and over looked option from Gerber is the Prodigy model although this model is a little harder to find. 

Gerber 31-000751 Bear Grylls Survival Series Ultimate Knife

SOG SEAL Pup Knifes

SOG is a well known knife company and they do have great quality knives, but many of which are priced a bit to high (if you have $120 to blow be my guest) but they have a few that are reasonably priced of course these models all are partially serrated so take it as you will but if you want that these are a good choice. This model is about $50, too. 

SOG Specialty Knives & Tools M37-N SEAL Pup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smith & Wesson CKSUR1 Bullseye Knife

After looking at many options this was my choice for a knife, its durable and strong, good size and comes full tang w/ plain edge. It was obviously inspired by the Ka-Bar type knives and that works well because it can function as a survival or fighting blade when confronted by the not so friendly when the SHTF. Best of all this knife only cost $21.59. Thats a great deal on a solid knife. It also comes with a really nice sheath so its an awesome deal. 

 

Smith & Wesson CKSUR1 Bullseye Knife

Some other choices.....

Ka-Bar Bowie Black Finish Survival Knife

Buck 119 Special Fixed Blade Survival Knife

Winchester Large Bowie Survival Knife

New Favorite Survival Show: Wild Within

The Travel channel has a new series that I have been watching and I have to say its an informative and entertaining show. The show I am speaking of is titled The Wild Within. The show follows outdoorsman/survivalist and pretty skilled cook Steve Rinella as he travels to global locations to connect with the wild and hunt and gather food which he prepares for his family & friends at the end of each episode. The really amazing thing about this show is that you actually see him out hunting (and butchering) his prey in the wild with different cultures in every episode. The wealth of knowledge from this show is amazing and it pulls the watcher in to the hunter lifestyle, something most of us need/should learn how to do properly. By showing the difficulty, heritage and just plain awesomeness of hunting the viewers leave with a greater interest and respect for hunting. I know that this show inspires me to go hunting and become proficient at it.

Here I have a slideshow to his episode in Canada. Click Here

Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone

Everyone go ing enjoy St. Patty's and remember to be safe tonight and not drive drunk...other then that, show your GREEN!!!!

Bombing of Libya

It has been confirmed that we will be bombing Libya, the time is to be determined but it has been confirmed.
I am posting a link with live updates on the situation. I will comment on this and other news after receiving more information.

Libya Air Strike

Survival Canned Food Challenge: Final Days & Thoughts

Well people, lets be honest, weekends for college students are how should I say this, "busy" for most, so I couldn't post this weekend I did however keeping making meals so I decided to compile all the photos for this final day.

This weekend I ate mostly leftovers (I had plenty of them) and these two meals which both were delicious. As for this little experiment I would say it was a success and very informative. I was able to get a fairly large amount of canned good for almost 1 dollar each can, it was also enough food to last further than the week I had planned. It was a great variety and I was able to make some pretty good meals, especially under the food restraints I had placed on myself. Some things I learned were that you must keep close watch of you sodium intake (of course in a survival situation this may not be paramount) many of these canned food have high levels of sodium. Also, you have to work to keep a bit of a balanced diet if your eating out of the can alone. There were some foods I missed but it wasn't unbearable and even though I am hardly a good cook the dishes turned out well. Final thoughts, it wouldn't be hard for a student or anyone for that matter to "survive" off of canned and dried foods alone, I would want to live off of them though. I also wished I could have experimented with more dried foods but I have a new found curiosity for them so I may try some down the road (which I will blog about of course) I would give this overall experience a 4.5/5, because there is always room for improvement.

Prayers go out to Japan.....

In the Mist of their crisis, let us pray for those people in Japan right now, after the devastation of the 8.9 tsunami that hit the country. Your in our prayers....

Survival Canned Food Challenge: Day 4

Day 4 here, although this is a very late post. Being a college student I spend much of my time awake in the evening so this is a good time to blog for me. Today was another late day so breakfast was skipped but my lunch was very nostalgic.

Lunch:

My childhood comes flooding back....

I have been getting great use out of my camping cook set this week.

Dinner:
-Mackerel (Pan Fried)
-Cream Corn
-String Beans

I love creamed corn.

Forgot to de-bone....

Adding some seasoning at this point. 

Cooked until darkened.

Nice balanced dinner for 1.

 Now the mackerel wasn't prepared as well as it could have been, but I never claimed to be a cook, needless to say it was a little dry. The string beans and creamed corn made superb sides though. I did enjoy this one, not as much as my Kale Stew but still pretty good. Solid 3.7/5.