Have you ever seen a bison before? You might know them by their other name, buffalo. Whatever you call them, these huge, shaggy animals are one of North America’s most iconic species. They’re one of the main attractions at many national parks, particularly Yellowstone, where teeming throngs of tourists and nature lovers line up to … Read more
If you find yourself in the middle of a survival scenario where you run out of food and are facing starvation, you’ll be considering all kinds of things that you never would have dreamed of eating previously. Plenty of survival experts and survival manuals will recommend you scavenge for various kinds of plant life to … Read more
Pretty much anywhere you live in the world you can be assured you’ll eventually run into a snake in your travels. These slithering, cold blooded reptiles give many people the willies and often inspire panic. Though the vast majority of snakes are not venomous and nearly harmless to people a close encounter with a venomous … Read more
There are many important considerations for survival, among them the need for water and food, the need for security, and certainly a need for clean oxygen. But one of the most important survival requirements is shelter. Many survival experts, not to mention survival websites like this one, spend an inordinate amount of time preaching preparedness … Read more
North America is full of snakes, all kinds, and some of them are venomous. Among these venomous snakes, the copperhead is one of the most common, and also the most likely to bite people according to various studies. Considering the copperhead’s wide distribution, behavior and likeliness to bite preppers would be well-advised to become acquainted … Read more
Anytime one is in a wilderness survival situation bolstering your calorie intake by taking advantage of natural food sources is always a good idea. Depending upon your region and the current climate one of the best and not to mention tastiest gatherable foods found in nature are berries. But like so many things found in … Read more
One of the most important considerations for successfully building and managing a fire is fuel selection. Much of the time this will be wood of one kind or another. Each and every species of wood has different characteristics that will affect things like intensity, burn time and other pertinent factors. Pine is one wood that … Read more
In order to escape from some disaster, the time may come when you need to bug-out on foot. If that happens, you can’t let any obstacles stand in your way. After all, you are not on a pleasure hike, you’re on a march to save your life and potentially the lives of your family and … Read more
Growing your own toilet paper is far less expensive than stockpiling copious amounts of commercially manufactured toilet paper for use during a SHTF. Not only will you save money by growing or foraging your own toilet paper, but keeping an abundant supply at hand also requires significantly less space. How much toilet paper will be … Read more
You’ll learn plenty about starting a fire in all kinds of ways when you hang around preppers. In fact, you’ll likely learn more than you wanted to know! Building a fire always starts with a few fundamental factors: heat, oxygen and fuel. Combine the three, in the right ratio, and you have a fire. When … Read more
In a survival situation communication can be vital and proficiency in signaling could save your life, or at least make it a lot easier. Anybody who works in the outdoors learns at least some basic signaling, on land woodsmen need to know where safe trails are and how to find and rescue lost adventurers. At … Read more
Bushcraft is a word that gets thrown around very often in the survival community, but it’s also a word that far fewer people understand it. A truly skilled survivalist is someone who can use resources provided by nature exclusively to survive. Bushcraft will teach you skills not just to survive, but to thrive in comfort, and … Read more
The majority of preppers view bugging out to live a primitive life in the woods as a last resort option. In fact, I would venture a guess that most preppers have planned or are planning a strategic relocation to make bugging in more sustainable. Others know they must endure a short-term bug out from their … Read more
by Ryan When forced into a survival situation, Mother Nature can provide a variety of different resources. Many people see nature as the enemy in survival, but the right attitude is to see it as your ally. Fighting against nature is a losing battle. However, working with nature can give you the tools you need … Read more
by Megan The one resource every prepper must have is a good bug out location. Some people even hope to completely relocate their family to their bug out location full-time before SHTF. The type of property you choose for your bug out location will depend on how you intend to use it, how large your … Read more
Wild edibles are an excellent food source in a survival situation. In most climates you can find wild edibles year round. However, eating the wrong plant can make you very sick and can possibly kill you. Many plants can cause severe diarrhea and vomiting which can lead to dehydration and starvation. Unfortunately, Mother Nature is … Read more
by Jonathan If the SHTF and you find yourself in a situation where you are in need of a temporary shelter, what would you use? Sometimes it isn’t possible to rely on a pre-built shelter or dwelling, so you will need to be creative and able to use whatever resources you can. Or, maybe mobility … Read more
The best assurance of survival during a collapse is to be prepared, and to stack the odds in your favor. You can do this by planning to build in redundancies right into your prepper plan, by stockpiling many smaller caches instead of only a few. The best redundancy plan is to use many caches, and … Read more
Building a shelter is one of your top priorities in any survival situation. Yes, you need water to keep you hydrated. You need food to keep your energy levels up. You need fire to stay warm and cook food. But a shelter ranks equally as high as those priorities. A good shelter will shield you … Read more
by Karen When society collapses you will eventually have to find a way to get your own food by hunting and foraging for it. If you think prepping is all about storing away food and water, you are absolutely not going to survive. There is simply no guarantee you will have food at any point … Read more
Prepping as a family has its challenges, but it can also be a lot of fun, especially when you make it into a game. One of the most important parts of prepping a family is ensuring they have wilderness and outdoor survival skills. No matter how old the members of your family are, there are … Read more
Based on my assessments when I was younger, I thought that quicksand would be a much bigger hazard as an adult. It used to be everywhere, but now you’d be hard pressed to find a modern Hollywood movie showcasing a quicksand rescue attempt. This imagined threat was so severe that even NASA scientists speculated that … Read more
That’s what one writer I wanted to hire wrote in the demo article. According to her, “the smoke goes out the sides while the heat trapped”. Now, although I have strong opinions on things in general, I’m always looking to expand my knowledge. I don’t know anyone who’s actually put fire inside a shelter which, in my opinion, is downright … Read more
It looks easy until you try it yourself. We all kind of know the theory but once it comes down to actually starting a fire with two sticks panic sets in as your rub away and people peer over your should going: “Hasn’t it started yet?” and “Why isn’t it working?” You control the urge … Read more