Outdoor Life Prepare for Anything Survival Manual (52 page)

The camp kitchen, tent sites, dishwashing area, latrine, and other critical camp features should be planned with safety and sanitation in mind (i.e., don’t put the camp toilet next to the cooking area).

THE LATRINE
Dig a latrine trench a good distance away from camp—and downwind. Leave the dirt that you dug up in a pile, and use a can as a scooper to cover up after each use. Keep some of your toilet paper handy in a waterproof zip-top bag. Maintain a little dignity and respect camp privacy by using a tarp to screen off the latrine area. If you cannot spare the tarp, then select a latrine area shielded by brush, big rocks, or other natural cover.

THE KITCHEN
Set up your campfire cookpot using bricks, cinderblocks, rocks, or whatever else you have handy to create a safe and stable fireplace. Scrounge up a grill or an oven rack to make an even better cooking setup. The fireplace must be stable. If the pot falls over, a good amount of boiling water can scald anyone gathered around the fire.

THE WASHING AREA
Dirty dishes can spread everything from dysentery to spinal meningitis; don’t take shortcuts with camp cleanliness. Use a three-tub system—the first tub holds plain water to get the majority of food off the dishes, the second tub has a little dish soap to get the rest of the food off, and the third tub has a little bleach to rinse off the soap and disinfect the dishes. The final step is to air-dry the dishes in the sun.

Add these elements to your camp for safety and efficiency.

CLINIC
Have a designated area for your field hospital. You should select an area where the waterproof first aid kit will reside and where wounds will be tended. This should not be near the kitchen area.

TRASH PIT
Dig a hole for trash, but only if animals are not a local problem. If you have bears, feral dog packs, or other wild animals, then you’ll have to shift strategies and burn all your garbage. Create a burn pit at least 100 yards (90 m) downwind of camp in an area that is not prone to wildfires.

FOOD STORAGE
In areas with no bears and few scavengers, you can use one of your empty bins to serve as a food and cooking equipment storage locker. However, in bear country or areas with bold scavengers like rats and raccoons, you’ll have to “bear bag” your food by hanging it up in a tree at least 15 feet (4.5 m)up and 100 yards (90 m) downwind from camp.

TOOLSHED
You don’t need to build an actual shed to make use of the tools you added to your supplies, but just make sure that your group keeps the multitools and duct tape in one spot so you can find them when you need them.

No matter how you attract attention, when it comes to signaling your best bet is to get to the largest clearing at the highest elevation. Certain situations may require you to be a bit stealthier, but for now, let’s assume you’re simply out in the wilderness and you need to signal to a rescue party. There are a few different ways to do this.

FIRE
Probably the easiest and most well known way to signal is with fire. In a large clearing, you can build your signal fire ahead of time, then wait until you are certain someone is within sight of the smoke, which is the most visible part of the fire. Light a hot blaze, then cover it up with plenty of greenery. If there’s a lone dead tree standing in that clearing, sacrifice it and turn it into a torch visible for miles.

FLARES
Add these to a survival kit. Pen flares—part of a pilot’s survival vest—will fire a small signal flare several hundred feet (over 100 m) into the air. Larger flares or flare guns can achieve even greater heights with a more visible flare. Don’t discount the big guns as overkill; treat them as essential, and learn how to use one before you need it.

MIRRORS
Reflective materials are some of the easiest survival tools. If you have a mirror designed specifically for signaling aircraft, follow the directions on the back of the mirror (or see item 245). For another mirror or reflective material, hold it at an angle that allows you to see the reflected light on the ground, then slowly bring it up to eye level and aim at the target. For best results, try tilting or rotating it slightly, which will flash to a search party.

GPS OR RADIO
Technology can make the difference between life and death in the wilderness. Consider investing in a GPS that can transmit your location. These aren’t cheap, and frequently require a subscription, but they can really pay off. A satellite phone or short-range radio can also call for help on emergency frequencies. Learn how to use them both before you need them.

You may already know that the best way to get yourself rescued or receive crucial information during emergencies is through the use of a radio. Most shelters have a reliable radio, but in extreme situations, your basic AM/FM radio may prove useless. In a worst-case scenario, have a backup plan.

CB RADIOS
CBs are great in many situations but have limitations: They only transmit a few miles, and channels may be chaotic during genuine emergencies. If you live in a rural area, one could be a godsend. But anyone can own and operate a CB, so the information you hear might not be the best.

WALKIE-TALKIES
These can help small groups of people stay in touch with each other, but their range, like the CB, is limited. They also run on battery power, so you may have to ration their use if you’re stranded or lost for a longer period of time.

SCANNER RADIOS
These are great for receiving information, but that’s all they do. Sorry, no two-way communication. This makes them ideal for listening in on emergency broadcasts, assuming services are available, but they won’t necessarily be any help if you need to summon a rescue.

HAM RADIO
A ham radio is your best option by far. Ham radios are a more powerful option for two-way communication in emergencies. They can reach incredible distances through the use of repeaters, and the fact that ham radio operators require FCC licenses means you’ll have much more experienced operators spreading information, especially in large-scale disasters like hurricanes. They do require a heftier output of cash, and you have to jump through a few hoops to get licensed. But the ability to stay connected in even the worst circumstances is well worth it.

The MK-3 signal mirror is almost universal to all survival kits. Using it is easy with a little practice.

STEP 1
Reflect light onto a nearby surface, such as a raft or your hand.

STEP 2
Slowly bring the mirror up to eye level and look through the sighting hole. You will see a bright spot of light. This is the aim indicator.

STEP 3
Hold the mirror near the eye and slowly turn and manipulate it so that the bright spot of light is on the target.

STEP 4
Even if a rescuer is not in sight, continue to scan the horizon with the mirror, as signal flashes may be visible from a long distance away.

Sure, wrapping up in a space blanket can keep you warm, but this item is far from a one-trick pony. Space blankets have the ability to morph into many different survival staples. These reflective Mylar blankets usually only cost a few dollars, which makes them a great investment for a lifesaving tool. At a minimum, keep these blankets in your first aid kit, survival kit, and vehicle.

SLING

A busted arm can be cradled in a sling improvised from the space blanket. Fold it into a large triangle shape and tie it around the patient’s neck to make a warm and effective support.

WATER CARRIER

Line a container with a space blanket to make a water transport. You can line baskets, backpacks, bags, and pretty much anything else.

TRAIL MARKER

Cut the space blanket into short strips and tie them onto tree branches, bushes, or weeds to mark trails and create paths for your group, and for potential resucuers.

BANDAGE

Make a sucking chest wound suck a little less with a small piece of space blanket. Cut off a piece of the blanket and encircle it with duct tape around the wound.

RAIN CATCHER

The waterproof nature of this plastic blanket makes it an ideal rain harvester. All you have to do is dig a hole, line it with the blanket, and wait for the skies to open up.

PONCHO

Using the blanket as a piece of rain gear can be a game-changer—especially in places where precipitation is abundant and your supply of rain gear is low.

SIGNAL

The reflective or colored side of the space blanket can be staked out on the ground as a signal panel or hoisted onto a pole to create a highly visible, portable signal flag.

TENT

Tent and shelter configurations abound when you’re dealing with a strong, flexible piece of rectangular material. Use a large blanket as an A-frame shelter, a wedge-shaped hut, or a dome tent.

BLANKET

Use the blanket for its intended purpose: Wrap up in it to stave off the cold, treat shock, and manage hypothermia.

ROPE