Survival & Disaster Kit Recommendations - Fire Starting Supplies & Techiniques

Disaster Girl's Kit Recommendations

Bonus items you should add on top of items listed in  previous survival kit article.

FIRE STARTING SUPPLIES & TECHNIQUES

WIND & WATERPROOF MATCHES

Retail Value: $7.00 + S&H

 MAGNESIUM FIRE STARTER

Retail Value: $6.16 + S&H

UST's Trekker Stormproof Lighter

Retail Value: $28.73 + S&H

But.. What if I don't have any of those things available?

 

xoxo disaster girl

Disaster Kit Recommendations - Weapons Without Machinery

Disaster Girl's Survival Kit Recommendations

Bonus items you should add on top of items listed in  previous survival kit article.

 

WEAPONS WITHOUT MACHINERY

Somewhere between Breaking Bad & The Walking Dead it became apparent that perhaps the stealthiest weapons are the ones you wouldn't traditional carry. Let's face it, guns require quite a bit of maintenance compared to knives and they also make a lot of noise. Weapons that don't advertise your location will be the most useful to have in apocalyptic scenarios, and although I don't condone the use of them in disaster scenarios sometimes you just don't know what cards you will be dealt. As the movie Aftershock kindly (& graphically, might I add) pointed out- you never know what a natural disaster can cause. If there is a devastating natural disaster looters WILL be found, and prisons may experience breaches- so it never hurts to be prepared.

 

 

BOW & ARROWS 

 

BEAR ARCHERY BRAVE III COMPOUND BOW

Retail Price: $49.95 + S&H

Via Sierra Trading Post

CROWBAR

 

LARGE CROWBAR

Retail Price: $11.50 + S&H

Via eSafety Supplies

MACHETE

 

GERBER GATOR MACHETE

Retail Price: $13.99 + S&H

Via Fleet Farm

PICK AXE

 

NEW CHINESE MILITARY SURPLUS PICK AXE

Retail Price: $14.99 + S&H

Via Sportsmans' Guide

It's always a good idea to have weapons that aren't guns!

xoxo disaster girl

Disaster Kit Recommendations - Duct Tape, Duct Tape, and More Duct Tape!

There's no such thing as having too much duct tape!

Duct tape is literally the worlds most versatile product that I can think of with its uses being literally boundless, and countless new ideas flooding reality daily. Personally, I can think of at least a couple dozen situations where duct tape helped me out greatly. The last being the giant spider on my 12 foot ceiling, combined with a swifter dry sweeper.. well let's just say that spider had seen better days. Below is a ridiculously long list of the survival uses of duct tape, and a few notable ones I threw in for good measure. Be forewarned though, using duct tape on a regular basis can lead to strange things..

The Many, Many, Many Uses of Duct Tape

1. Fixing tears/holes/breaks in just about anything. (Tents, boats, glasses, pools, clothing, roofs, house siding, garbage cans, screens, arrows, window cracks, minor car issues, poles, sleeping bags, water bottles, boxes, backpacks, etc.)
2. Make a rope, clothesline,cords, ETC.
3. Create butterfly bandages, and regular band-aids when in a bind. You can also use rolled up sections to pad/prevent a blister!
4. Use duct tape to line the interior of clothes/boots/shelter when extra insulation is needed! Exterior when waterproofing is needed!
5. Making/adding/attaching shelter elements to where you're staying. (I.E. stringing lights, attaching hidden weapons, etc)
6. Make cups, plates, hats, clothing, handcuffs, shoes, sandals, CPR masks, paddles, reflective signaling, harnesses, sandbags, sunglasses, wallets, utility belts, first aid slings, containers, etc.. this list literally goes on and on.
7. Resealing packages/containers- especially FOOD packages when camping outdoors!
8. Use duct tape to reinforce knots when unsure of their durability.
9. Use it to write with (by making the letters out of tape) or to write on!
10. Hanging tape works great as a fly and mosquito catcher! You can attach small dots of sugar to attract them as well!
11. Spear making! Use duct tape to attach your knife to a study stick and you now have a spear!
12. Wrap a sprained ankle, broken wrist- use it to attach a stick to splint broken bones to keep them stabilized.
13. Use duct tape to mark a trail when hiking and traveling (or a fake trail if you think you're being followed :)
14. Wadded up duct tape can be used as a fire starter when you have no other options!
15. Use it to seal off clothing cuffs to prevent nasty tick bites, and more.

 

xoxo disaster girl

Disaster Kit Recommendations - Emergency Water Purification Methods

Disaster Girl's Survival Kit Recommendations

Bonus items you should add on top of items listed in  previous survival kit article.

Adding water purification methods to your Stash:

On top of having a hefty back up supply of water on hand, you should also know the following methods of purifying water yourself. The recommended water intake per person per day is currently at a gallon, also a gallon for pets. So for a household of say four, you would need 4 gallons a day, 28 gallons a week, 112 gallons a month. And that's just for drinking,  so you're definitely going to need more for bathing, cooking, cleaning, etc. So with the amount of water usage for the average family being so high, it makes more sense to buy a house next to a fresh water lake than it does to have a couple thousand gallon water tanks lying around.

Below I've listed all the items you need to purify water three separate ways:

The Sun Method:

Sun, Sun, and more sun! Did you know that if you store water in PET bottles (available here) and let it sit in direct sunlight for 6 hours, the sun will clean it for you? 

The Bleach Method:

The bleach method depends on what kind of bleach you are using. Normal household bleaches contain less than 6% chlorine per bottle, if you are using one within this range the measurements will be 8 drops per gallon. However if you are either unsure or have a lower percentage than 4-6% you are going to want to use between 30-40 drops per gallon. Double amount for cloudy water, repeat dosage if there isn't a faint odor of chlorine after a 30 minute treatment.

Chlorine Bleach with 4-6% Chlorine Count

 Retail Price: $2-6

The Iodine Method

Potable Aqua Iodine and Taste Neutralizer Tablets

Retail Price: $11 + S&H

See Here

Instructions

From Bottle: Each bottle includes 50 tablets; 2 iodine tablets treat 1 quart of water
Plain Iodine: 5 drops clear water / 10 drops cloudy / wait 30 minutes

Happy Drinking!

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

7 Ways to Purify Water  

Special Thanks to Survival Life!

I want to thank Survival Life for sending me

my free Survival Business Card, for survival on-the-go!

As per their website:

Here's what the tool includes:

• 11-in-1 Functions:
1. Can Opener
2. Knife Edge
3. Slotted/Flathead Screwdriver
4. Ruler
5. Bottle Cap Opener
6. 4 Position Wrench
7. Wingnut Wrench
8. Saw Blade
9. Direction Ancillary Indicator
10. 2 Position Wrench
11. Keychain Hole

• Dimensions: 2- 5/8” x 1- 3/4”
• Durable Stainless Steel construction
• Leather-look sleeve
• Diagram of functions
• Credit card size fits easily into wallets

Get Yours Here! 

Thanks Survival Life!

xoxo disaster girl