M.D. CREEKMORE

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M.D. Creekmore

Hello, I’m M.D. Creekmore. I’ve been interested in self-reliance topics for over 25 years. I’m the author of four books that you can find at Amazon.com as well as Barnes and Noble. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about prepping, homesteading, and self-reliance topics through first-hand experience and now I want to share what I’ve learned with you.

Best Grain Mill for Home Use – My Recommendations After Extensive Testing

Best Grain Mill
Wonder Mill and Corona Grain Mills

Most homes will already have most of what you will need to process and cook the foods from your survival pantry, items such as pots, pans, and other common household kitchen utensils. So we will not get into that. What we will cover are tools that most typical kitchens do not have on hand but that are necessary for the prepper’s kitchen. So let us get started.

Choosing a Grain Mill

You need a grain mill now. Don’t put it off another day. Even one of the least expensive models would be better than not having one at all. I know many of you want the best, and that is great. Get the best if you can afford it. Just do not put it off any longer. Get a mill now. If you cannot afford one of the better models, get a cheaper one; buy two or three of the cheaper models – that way if one breaks and cannot be repaired, you will still have spares to fall back on.

This goes along with my philosophy of the rule of three. Always have at least three independent sources of any survival necessity. Never put all your eggs in one basket. Too many things can happen which will leave you with nothing, which is what we are trying to avoid by prepping in the first place.

While I cannot give recommendations on all the models currently available today (because I have not owned or used them all), I can tell you what I have and my thoughts on these which should, at least, get you started in the right direction.

I currently own four different grain mills, The Wonder Junior Deluxe Grain Mill, a Corona Landers, (check the current price on the Corona mill at Amazon.com) a Back to Basics, and a Grizzly H7775.

Wonder Junior Deluxe Grain Mill (Top Pick for the Best Grain Mill)

 

If you read my book “Dirt Cheap Survival Retreat”, then you already know that I use the Corona hand grain mill for all of my day-to-day milling. It is a strong and well-built grain mill, and for less than $75 it is hard to beat. The Mill to Table Clamping System is a very strong feature included with the Wonder Mill.

However, I have never liked having to run the meal through the Corona several times to produce usable fine-enough flour for baking. That is one reason I made my homemade sifter – to speed up the process. However, it was still always necessary to run the bulk of the flour through the mill two or more times.

Since I mill grain several times per week, I needed a more efficient mill. I considered the Country Living Grain Mill but never could find enough extra change for the purchase. Therefore, I started looking for an alternative. I eventually decided to order the Wonder Mill Deluxe – check the current price and availability at Amazon…

I have used the Wonder Mill for the past three weeks, and so far I have been extremely pleased with my new mill. In fact, I think I’ll retire the Corona and use the Wonder Mill Deluxe exclusively. Yeah, it is that good.

The Wonder Mill comes with both stone and steel grinding heads as shown in the photo above.

Best Grain Mill
Wonder mill also makes an electric mill – you can check the price on that here…

I love the one-piece construction of the mill and hopper. There is no separate hopper that can fall off during operation or any pins or clamps that could be lost. This is one thing I never liked about the Corona, as there were several times that the hopper fell off during aggressive cranking of the handle.

Another big improvement over most hand-operated grain mills is the double clamping system used on the Wonder Mill, which is the strongest I have ever seen on any mill. When properly clamped to the table, I had no problems with the mill moving out-of-place or coming off during grinding.

However, since all of my grinding is done in the same place, I will likely remove the clamp altogether and bolt the Wonder Mill directly to the table. This will provide the strongest possible mill to table mounting system.

Another thing I loved about the Wonder Mill is the quick change head system that allows you to easily switch from grinding dry grains, beans, and legumes to oily grains, nuts, and even coffee in just a couple of minutes. The Wonder Mill Deluxe comes with both steel and stone grinding heads, which can be changed out in less than one minute.

Here are the product specifications:

  • Weight: 10 pounds
  • Height: 12 ¾ inches (without the clamp)
  • Hopper capacity: one quart
  • Crank handle: 10 inches

Best of all, the Wonder Mill produces excellent, fine flour (with no sifting or re-grinding required). This saves a lot of time and effort. Moreover, the consistency is easily adjusted using a simple knob to adjust from pastry flour to cracked grains.

In fact, 90% of flour files through the sifter screen after the first pass through the mill. Again, this is a huge improvement over the Corona. In addition, because of the excellent bearing system (that never needs lubricating) cranking the handle is much smoother, but still requires effort.

The flour guide directs the falling flour into the catch pan or onto the screen without any mess around the milling heads or thrown flour on the table and floor. This is always been a problem with the Corona when grinding pieces of grain and flour would be thrown all over the place. One solution was to secure a plastic bag over the grinding head of the Corona to catch the flour and grain particles.

I wish that I had a Country Living Mill to compare against the Wonder Mill. I am sure there would have been some interesting findings with the comparison. The folks at WonderMill.com did perform a speed comparison between the two and according to their website: In a test performed at the Wonder Mill test kitchen, the Wonder Junior was able to grind 1 ¼ cups of flour in a single minute *80 turns*. This is 65% (about 1/2 cup) more than we were able to produce with the Country Living grain mill with the same flour setting and the same amount of turns *80 turns*, and for half the price.

I know what you are thinking, it sounds great but “can it be motorized?” Yes, it can. There is a motoring pulley available that will allow you to do just that; however doing so will void the warranty. They also make a special adapter which can be used with a power drill to make grinding any grains or beans a quick and easy process.

I only grind a small amount of flour at a time (why grind more than I need?). I will not be adding a motor, but it is an option to keep in mind.

Your next question is probably going to be “what will it grind?” I have used it to grind wheat, corn, and beans. It can also grind spices, herbs, oily grains, nuts, and seeds. See WillItGrind.com for more info on what the Wonder Mill will grind.

Based on my tests, comparisons, price, and use, I give the Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill my highest recommendation for a grain mill. If you are looking for a hand grain mill this is the one you should get.

Check the price of the Wonder Mill on Amazon

Corona Landers Mill

It is strong, robust, well made and my second favorite grain mill. The Corona is a hand-cranked unit that uses rotating steel burrs to crack and grind corn, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds.

It is manufactured using cast-iron parts with an electro-tinned finish to guarantee a rustproof and easy to clean tool. I give it my second highest recommendation following the wonder junior hand grain mill.

Back To Basics Mill

This mill works well and is actually very easy to use. My main complaint is the small hopper that needs to be refilled after a few cranks of the handle. It is lightweight when compared to the Corona and I do not think it would stand up as well to continued usage.

Grizzly H7775 Mill

The Grizzly H7775 mill it is not my first choice but it sure beats having nothing at all. It sits low on the table, low enough that getting a large enough bowl under the head to catch the flour is difficult. I have the same problem when using the Corona. This is the main reason I use a homemade sifter to catch the grindings.

My other complaint is the small hopper, refilling it every few cranks can be an annoyance, at least for me. On the plus side, the grinder is efficient and the grinding plates are easily adjusted to the desired consistency.

While this is a good mill, it is not of the quality of the Corona; but note that it is half the price, so buying two or more is an option.

Country Living Mill

While I do not own this mill, it is given the highest recommendations by those that do. A recent advertisement proclaims: The Country Living Grain Mill is one of the highest quality grain mills ever made.  Living Grain Mill is one of those high-quality items that could be passed on to the next generation.

How to Grind Grains and Beans

When grinding, it is often necessary to regrind the grain several times before reaching the desired consistency. Some of the meal will come out perfectly fine the first time through, while other parts remain coarse and need to be reground several times.

One way to make grinding easier is to use a screen to sift out the finer flour while leaving the larger pieces of grain behind. The sifter is simply a four-sided box with sides but no top, and a bottom made of nylon window screen from the hardware store. Mine is 15″ X 12″ with sides made of a ¾ inch by 3-1/2 wood.

Cut the wood to length, and nail or screw the pieces together. Lay the screen out on a hard surface, sit the box down flat on top of the screen, and cut to fit with a utility knife. Turn the box over and tack the screen to the box with several thumbtacks or small nails to hold the screen in place.

Take all-purpose cement from the plumbing department of the hardware store, and spread generously around the rim of the over the edge of the screen, forming a permanent seal between the wood and the screen.

When grinding, place a section of newspaper under the grinder head and set the box on top. Grind as normal but after each pass through the grinder, shake the finer meal onto the newspaper and transfer into a bowl.

Pour the coarser meal back into the grinder and regrind, repeating until reaching the desired constancy. This saves running the finer meal back through the mill, making grinding easier and quicker.

If you’re looking for an off-the-grid cooking solution that never runs out of cooking fuel then watch the video below…

How to Clean Field Run Wheat

First off, never buy “seed” grain for human consumption. Seed grain is often treated with insecticides and fungicides. Seed grain is to be planted and grown not eaten. Buy untreated whole grain sold as “feed” that is meant to be eaten.

Look for “field run grain.” It is cheaper and because of fewer processing steps, it is less likely to be infected with mold or contaminated. Field run wheat will have dirt and detritus that will need to be removed before use, but cleaning wheat is not a big deal.

First, sort the grain by laying it out on a clean surface and pick out any chunks of dirt, rocks or darker grain. After sorting, you need to wash the grain. Place the grain on a sifter or screen and pour clean water over it until the water coming out the bottom is as clean as that poured in from the top.

After cleaning the grain, you will need to dry it before grinding. Pour the grain into a strainer and set it aside for about ten minutes. After it stops dripping, spread it out on a cookie sheet about ¼ inch deep, heat in oven at 180° degrees occasionally stirring until dry. Drying usually takes about an hour. If it takes longer that’s fine; just make sure it does not burn.

Alternatively, if you prefer you can dry it outside under the sun. This is better and cheaper but is dependent on the weather and time of day and the season. Just spread the grain out in a thin layer on newspaper or other suitable material in direct sunlight. A solar oven could also be used; however, I have never tried this method myself.

Greenhouse Gardening Tips – Growing Vegetables in a Greenhouse Year Round

by Crazy Joe

It is in the greenhouse that seeds are started so a larger seedling/plant can go out in the spring and increasing the chances of an earlier and better crop The larger scale greenhouses with their heating units, air circulation systems, automatic water sprinklers, and temperature controls are on a scale most homeowners could not afford or just not have the room or need for.

I have met so many people over the years who garden and stated how they wished they had a greenhouse. I have shown many folks and helped a few to build one the easy and cheap way out with a cold frame.

The most simple is to get some old storm windows of equal size – 4 for the four sides and 2 for the top. This is good enough to get a few dozen herb plants started or 20 or 30 tomato plants. It only takes a little time to read up on watering requirements for seedlings and the fact that even on a windless cold sunny day in March a small cold frame being 5 feet by 5 feet and 3 feet high can get up to the 60 to 70-degree range.

Getting old storm windows and putting them on a frame or making them with wood lathe and greenhouse plastic and securing them to the south side of any building will give you a much larger cold frame with some standing room.

I have built cold frames as small as 3 foot by 5 foot up to some in the 10 feet to 20 feet long range. On the larger angle cold frames a couple of hinges on a window gives you a window to prop open slightly for those cold sunny days and NO you cannot do this and go to work for 10 hours You will come home to dried out seedlings – as in dead seedlings. The same goes for watering.

Even on cold late spring days a closed cold frame or greenhouse can get up to 90 plus degrees – death for newly sprouting seedlings or very young plants. You want the advantage of a greenhouse or cold frame, therefore some attention is required. Believe me, the attention and advantage is well worth it. I have gotten way ahead on cantaloupe output by getting them started 8 weeks earlier in a small greenhouse.

Building a greenhouse, especially with scrap material (saves money), is not that difficult. It is the same as building a dog house only bigger and it gets covered with glass or plastic instead of plywood. One does not have to have the 3 foot high benches inside as the bigger houses have.

In a smaller greenhouse, with enough headroom to walk down the middle flower pots can sit on the ground or on some lattice or lattice type of structure raised on some bricks works fine At present my greenhouse is in a pile – I dismantled it. The 30 foot long 12 foot wide -at base – by 9-foot high center was all white so boring and it was warping-both deficiencies bothered me equally.

I found a web site with “Victorian Greenhouses” which some include scalloped cedar shake shingles on the bottom part of the greenhouse and some brass or bronze accents. I have about 120 recycled wood frame windows that I have trash picked from homes getting the new and improved vinyl windows. All of these were all white.

I chose an oil-based paint in a shade of forest green (semi-gloss) for the frames and will keep the caulked part of the window panes in an oil base gloss white. Now I have 30 or so painted. In the next 4 months, I hope to get as many done as possible but do not expect to rebuild the greenhouse by next July.

Last but not least is the upkeep and care of a greenhouse that brings me back to the day before Thanksgiving. Greenhouses can provide shelter for small critters seeking warmth on a cold January day. The glass gets dirty or the plastic gets old and brittle.

Weeds may have spouted up and you were busy doing other chores so they kept growing all summer in the empty greenhouse. This is the time to get that empty greenhouse or cold frame in shape. Spring is about 18 weeks or so away.

Here are some web sites for greenhouses, cold frames and their construction, care and what can be started in them. Trust me. Gardening is simple and with a cold frame or greenhouse, you get a major head start over the competition.

Even if you should just get a cold frame going you will reap the benefits.

Buying Used Canning Equipment (Buyer Beware)

Home canning. Pickled vegetables and jam

by Vickie from Frugal Canning

Although I tout the virtues of shopping at yard sales for canning equipment, it is time to give some words of caution. Know what you are buying! All canning equipment (check out this selection of canning equipment at Amazon.com) was not created equal.

Hot water bath canners are fairly simple to examine. Hot water bath canners are meant to can high acid foods like fruits, jams, jellies, preserves, pickles, relish, and tomatoes. Hold the canner up to the light. Can you see any light peaking through? Is it extremely rusted? Is it dented?

 
Does the lid fit? What size is it? Will it hold a double layer of jars? Are the handles made so that it will be easy to lift when full of water?
Hot water bath canners come in aluminum, enamel, and stainless steel. Since the water does not enter the jars and touch the food, an aluminum canner is safe to use.

Test a used water bath canner by filling it with water to ensure it does not have any leaks. Leave it in the sink for a while. Then put it on the stove and heat the water to boiling. If there aren’t any leaks and if the lid fits so that the steam does not escape and if the handles are sufficient so that you can lift it safely, you may have scored a useful find.

When you are finished canning, always dry out the canner and put it safely away in a dry place.

Pressure canners need careful examination and decision making before buying. Pressure canners are used to can low acid foods like vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, soups, stews. Don’t think because the pressure canner is being sold that it is safe.

 
There are many factors to consider. First how old is the canner? What condition is it in? Is the brand name familiar? Is the instruction booklet with it? Is the weight with it? Are the handles in good condition? Are there signs of staining around the seal?

Let’s be more specific. Does the age matter? Yes. If the cooker was made prior to 1960 it was probably manufactured using a process called die-casting. Molten metal, most likely aluminum, was poured into a mold to create the pot.

 
This was the standard manufacturing process during and after WWII, and such pans are not of the same quality as those made today. Modern manufacturing makes pressure cookers from rolled and stamped metal sheets that form the pot from one single piece of metal.

Cast metal is brittle and it is subject to tiny, microscopic cracks or thin spots that weaken the container. Pots and pans take a lot of abuse, they get banged around and they get dropped and may result in cracks in the metal.

 
All these tiny fracture lines or hairline cracks are microscopic and they can only be picked up through industrial X-rays, they are not visible to the naked eye. While you might be able to use that old cooker safely for a while, eventually such a fault will cause a failure, sometimes with catastrophic results.

The only way to be sure if an old pressure cooker or canner (MD Creekmore adds – this is the one that I use at Amazon.com) is safe is to send it back to the factory for testing. The original manufacturer – although sometimes other manufacturers may be willing or have the special equipment to test other brands.

 
Be prepared to pay a small fee, plus round trip shipping costs to have it tested for unseen faults. Be sure to call the manufacturer first, if they are no longer in service then Presto of Mirro may offer testing on some models.

Also, check with your country or university extension office. Often they will provide this service, although it may only be offered at certain times by appointment as the testing equipment travels from place to place.

Check for the brand name. If it is not a common name then it might be difficult to get parts or be able to send it back to the manufacturer for inspection. Stick with an American brand name like Presto, All American, Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry or Mirro. Foreign brands may be difficult to track down and more difficult to get parts from.

If it is a weighted canner is the original weight with it? It is important to use the same kind of weight designed for that model. I collect old weights and there are subtle differences that could affect being able to calculate the correct pressure.

Are the handles in good condition? Older canners had wooden handles and over the years they become brittle and crack. Check with the manufacturer to see if the handles can be replaced and at what cost. I had the handles break on an older canner once while canning and it was extremely difficult to get the lid off and remove the jars.

 
It was extremely hard to pick it up as well once the handles had broken. That canner became a planter in my garden collection of canning pot planters.

Are there signs of staining around the seal? If so possibly this canner leaked and did not seal tightly. Always get a new gasket for a used pressure canner. No matter what story the seller tells you always be on the safe side. Improperly canned foods can be fatal or at best make you sick as a dog.

 
Make sure you can find the model number so you will be able to order the right gasket. Take pressure canners in to have gauges checked annually by your local County Extension Agent.

Have I frightened you away from buying a used pressure canner? Good, that is what this article was meant to do. Study up or better yet do not buy an old pressure canner. Invest the money in a new model and save yourself time, money and most importantly your safety. New models are technologically safer and will inherently have fewer problems.

Please go to http://missvickie.com to read all about pressure canning. Miss Vickie is the Queen of pressure canning and pressure cooking information. When I grow up I want to be just like her! Thank you, Miss Vickie, from the Frugal Fraulein at Frugal Canning.

How to Get Free Food When You Don’t Have Much Money

By Frugal Canner

Being the Frugal Fraulein that I am, the word free gives me tingles. This is my favorite time of year. The gardens are calling to be harvested, the trees are laden with fruit, the fish are moving up the streams and the deer and elk are fattening up in orchards and berry thickets. I hear the sound of plink, plink, plink in my head while I have visions of full canning jars filled with free food.

Did you pick up on the word free? Yes, this time of year there is free food everywhere I look. I happen to be among the officially unemployed but no boo hoo hoo from me. I have stored food as a way of life for years and live simply.

Let me share with you some ways to get free food.

Be observant

All year I keep my eyes open for fruit trees and easy access berry thickets on the side of the road and in yards. It is fairly simple to tell which homes are probably not picking their fruit because it is still hanging on the trees.

If the tree sits in a yard, I stop and knock on the door and politely ask if I might pick some fruit in exchange for either leaving some picked fruit on their doorstep or bringing back some canned items. I have never had anyone say no to me in all the years I have done this.

Right now I am watching a plum, apple, Bartlett pear, Asian pear, crab apple, and elderberry trees for the right moment to pick. I have already picked all sorts of wild berries and blueberries. In the Pacific Northwest if you do not pick free blackberries there is something wrong with you!

My supplies are always in the car. I have a couple of “pickers on a stick” and tubs for large fruit and stainless steel bowls, zip lockable bags, handheld pruners and hand wipes for berries. A picker on a stick is simple to make. A bleach bottle is cut and bolted to a broom handle.

This tool allows you to reach higher and pull the fruit off the tree without having it fall and get bruised. Two Christmas’s ago a commercially produced fruit picker was given to me which I also like. I also have a hands free container which is a coffee can that has a wire coat hanger that hooks over the top of my pants.

I always clean up the area where I pick as a service to the homeowner and rake up the drops and deposit them on their compost pile. There are a few homes that actually look forward to my annual visit. I don’t know why they don’t seem to want any canned items but I don’t argue because that is more for me. They just don’t know what they are missing! All for free.

Put the word out

Tell everyone you know you are willing and very happy to take their year-end produce. Towards the end of the season, some folks are tired of zucchini boats, cabbage that might have some brown leaves or slug trails, too many tomatoes or cucumbers or can’t bear the thought of picking any more beans.

I volunteer to clean out the garden and take home the left overproduce. I put up signs, let church-going friends know, club members, post signs on Craigslist and at supermarkets and am not bashful about putting the word out that I will take garden leftovers. All for free.

Make an exchange

This year I offered to advertise for a fellow with a produce stand near my home in exchange for produce. He called me when he had leftovers and I was able to either get them free or at a very low price. Daily these guys have to throw away perfectly good food.

You are doing them a favor by cutting their disposal costs. This arrangement can be made with your local produce man as well. I have known people who said they were picking up produce for their chickens when they were really talking about kids, the humankind. All for free.

Gleaning

A friend of mine who happens to be a member of the L.D.S. church invited me to join a group of ladies that glean a corn farm annually. I thought I was bold taking two plastic tubs with me but to my surprise, these ladies showed up with pickup trucks! It seems the farmer picks two to three times a season and the last of the corn is not worth his effort.

Some are small but most were perfect. It is always an adventure to travel down the tall aisles of corn stalks looking for leftover ears of corn and smelling the sweet smell and hearing the fall crickets and birds chirping.

We have always done this activity late in the day so the sun is setting and fall is in the air. Since my first experience, I have picked corn, cucumbers, and pumpkins as gleaning activities. Most often a percentage is brought to the local Food Bank so others are benefiting as well. All for free.

Barter

This year I bartered my canning experience for fresh tuna fish. A local fisherman brought 60 pounds of fish ready to go and I did the canning. Yes, it was labor-intensive and time-consuming but I now have jars of the most delicious tuna in my food storage that is not comparable to that stuff in the can from the supermarket.

I also barter fresh salmon from a neighbor in exchange for babysitting and some extra camping equipment I had. The salmon is usually eaten fresh but I have canned it before. One year the local Native American Tribal caught more salmon than the market could handle and they put out the word to come and get it.

I brought home about 15 very large salmon and canned it. This year I have posted ads for hunters to can meat in exchange for a percentage of the bounty. All for free.

Learn to forage

If available take a class on foraging in your local area to learn which local plants are edible. If no classes are available in your area (and even if they are) then I suggest you get a copy Nature’s Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants from Amazon.com and The Forager’s Harvest – Wild Food, 2 DVD Set. These are both excellent.

Once you have a knowledge base of what is out there, you can go out and pick, pick, pick. Items can be canned, dehydrated or made into tinctures for healing nutritional purposes.

This year I am picking wild elderberries to make a tincture. Elderberry tincture is good for the flu and it is a great additive to anyone’s medical kit. I have foraged fiddleheads, many types of greens, mint, leaves for tea, wild onions, Oregon grapes, berries, mushrooms. All for free.

MD Creekmore has several great articles here at MDCreekmore.com about foraging for wild foods and I will add links to those below.

Are you getting the idea? Are you inspired? All of you who smart enough to be ants and not grasshoppers do not have to have huge reserves of cash to do food storage.


Just be frugal, bold, polite and the Universe will provide. Please follow my blog frugalcanning.blogspot.com for more tips and articles on frugality.

Quick Tips For Planning an Effective Family Bug Out

What Should I Put In My Child's Bug Out Bag?by Anonymous
 
If you are a family leader, you must plan for the entire family also.
 
I recommend a grab bag for each person who is old enough to carry and hang onto one…and a separate medical pack for the entire group (here is a great kit on Amazon.com). Besides a separate well-stocked medical kit, each pack should have a small first aid kit (this kit at Amazon.com is perfect for individual bug out kits).
 
Each person, even children who are old enough to carry a small book bag type pack, should carry a pack of some sort. Each pack should have some food, extra underwear and clothing and rain protection, and toilet paper and soap and a washcloth.
 
MD Creekmore has gear article on bug out bag contents here – The First 23 Things I Put In My Survival “Go Bag” and you can see his bug out bag video below for his most recent bug out bag recommendations. 

Bug Out Bag Checklist | Survival Prepper Gear Recommendations

 
Each person should have at minimum a bar of soap, dry or dehydrated energy food, etc. Remember to take salt along also. A bottle of saccharine tablets (available at Amazon.com) and some kool-aid packets and instant coffee will make life a lot more pleasant for everyone, especially children in a harsh environment. Remember, keeping spirits up is essential, especially for the young.
 
Each adult pack should have two rolls of toilet paper. Pull half-used rolls out of your bathroom and squeeze them flat so they don’t take up much space.
 
Sheets of toilet paper can also be used for marking trails if you want someone to follow you, or for marking the blood trail of a wounded animal or person…just leave a sheet at the last drop of blood, and cast forward until you find another drop, and so on until you find the wounded animal or person.
 
A wounded animal or person will seek shelter and a place to rest and hide.
 
Mouth-blown game calls can be used as signaling devices. Where crows are, you can outfit your crew with crow calls, and set up natural-sounding signals. A crow will caw three times in a row if danger is near, and this is a good way to warn your team if you spot danger…or a crow might warn you also.
 
All packs should have some tough plastic ground cover sheets in them. Remember, you must separate yourself from the cold ground with some kind of insulation in the winter. Pine boughs covered with plastic will do, or else, the cold earth will absorb your body heat and cause hypothermia. In summer, the plastic keeps chiggers and ticks and other creepy crawlers away from your skin.
 
Meaning no disrespect for women, but mature females need extra consideration for the cleaning of their vaginal area in a wilderness environment since their urethra is shorter than males making them much more susceptible to bladder infections. A bladder infection can literally drain the energy from a person.
 
Just ask anyone who has ever had one. So, soap and two washcloths and tampons for female menstrual periods should be in their packs. These essential considerations make all of the difference in the world in a harsh environment, and these extras keep spirits up.
 
Also, sulfa drugs to treat female bladder infections should be packed in the medical grab bag…and condoms should be packed for all females who are sexually active, if the wilderness stay might be an extended one.
 
For weapons, except for young children, I recommend the above-suggested choices of a .22 and one or more team members with a …….308 or .223 semi-auto or other weapons.
 
For other members, especially female family members I suggest a very small palm-sized .22Lr revolver or other small reliable derringer or small pocket pistol which can be hid in a pack or shoe or pocket of each adult, especially each woman and girl who might be susceptible to rape from roving males who might try to overpower them when other team members are away from camp and they are venerable.
 

The goal is to have a weapon of last resort handy if the person is overcome by someone who gets the drop on them and then wants to do them extreme harm. Just some ideas from my tour in Vietnam and from my years of deer stalking.

If you have other ideas and or advice, please add in the comments section below…

Fixed Blade and Folding Survival Knives (Selection and Care)

fixed blade survival knivesGuest post by Josh C  

Any Prepper, Survivalist, Hunter, Camper or Outdoor Enthusiast should have a good knife and know how to use it.  A good survival knife is the single most important piece of equipment you will ever have or use.  With it, you can procure fire and food, and create shelter and other structures. Just as there’s a tool for every job, a wrench for tightening bolts, a hammer for pounding nails, there’s a knife for every task.  

If you’re blazing trails or clearing brush you would want a Machete (check out this awesome CRKT Machete out on Amazon). If you’re splitting kindling or dressing game the obvious choice would be a Fixed Blade. Cutting rope and carving tent stakes then falls to the Folding Knife (this is one of the best folding knives priced at under $20).  

Let’s take a look at the parts of a knife. The blade is made up of the edge, the tip, the point, and the coil. The tang is the part of the blade that runs through the handle.  

When choosing a knife there’s a simple guideline to follow:  

Hold the knife, how does it feel in your hand? Does it fit your hand comfortably? Is it too heavy for you to use effectively? Is it too big?  Look it over, what is it made of? Are you going to be comfortable carrying it around with you on outings?  

Use the knife, is the blade-shaped correctly for the jobs you may need to use it for? Will you be able to comfortably use it for an extended period of time? Go over all the cuts and slices you may need to make.  

Research it; ask people who have it how it handles. Read reviews on it, many times have I bought a knife on impulse to have it break the first time I use it.  

Price It, I have never spent more than twenty-five dollars on a knife. That said you should not skimp on quality, the knife you purchase has to be perfectly suited to you for you to survive.  

Now, let’s take a look at the types of Cutting Edges there are available.  

Machetes:

In a survival situation, a good chopper can make a world of difference. While an ax or hatchet would be equally useful for chopping, they lack the finesse of the machete.  

There are several different styles of machetes ranging from the Gurka Kukri to the South American Bola. The only good way to find the style that suits you is to get out there and use it.  

Fixed blades:

A good fixed blade is essential to your survival. When choosing a fixed blade one thing to keep in mind is whether or not it has a full tang.  

The tang is the portion of the metal that runs through the handle. A full tang provides extra support for chopping and slicing or anything that requires putting any stress on the blade.  

Also, try to stay away from hollow handled “survival” knives. These are accidents waiting to happen.  

If it has a hollow handle than it has no support from the tang and is therefore probably the worst tool you can take into the woods.  

A blade length of between 4 and 7 inches is probably best for survival and bushcraft purposes, any larger and it becomes too cumbersome to use effectively, any smaller and you might as well use a folding knife.  

Folding Knives:

The Folding Knife provides amazing control when carving and doing fine work. There are to types of folders, Pocket Knives, and Multi Tools.  

Pocket Knives can be divided into two further categories, Jack Knives, and Pen Knives. Jack Knives are hinged on only one end but may have more than one blade.  Multi-Tools are divided between Multi-blade Knives and Multi-pliers.

Multi-blade Knives are hinged on both ends like Pen Knives but in addition to multiple blades, they have tools such as scissors, bottle openers, corkscrews, and screwdrivers.  They are traditionally the only type of knife with a blade that locks in place, although it does not have to. Pen Knives are hinged on both ends and have multiple non-locking blades.  

This style of knife was made popular by the Victorinox knife company. Multi-pliers are basically Multi-blade Knives that fold up inside folding needle-nose pliers. The Leatherman Knife Company made this tool popular. Sometimes generic multipliers are referred to as Leatherman tools.  

survival knives fixed blade

There are two common types of steel used in making knives. The first being stainless steel, stainless steel has the advantage that it is virtually indestructible and in theory, won’t rust.  

That said, it will tarnish over time, and will not keep a good edge for very long. The other type of steel is ‘carbon steel’. Carbon steel will take and hold an edge better than stainless but will rust if exposed to the elements.  

There are several things that you can do to extend the life of your knives or any tool for that matter.  

First, keep it dry. ‘Dry knives live long lives’. The process of rusting is scientifically known as rapid oxidization. If you leave an apple out in the open air for any period of time you will notice that it will start to turn brown.  

That is called oxidization, which basically means that the fruit is losing moisture. Rusting occurs when metal gains moisture (whether it’s through being left out in the rain or other), and then rapidly losing it.  

Keep it clean. If you ever have to cut a piece of food with your knife, and it’s still all sticky from that piece of pine you cut through the other day, then what are you going to do.  

Sap and other sticky substances and residues can easily be removed by rubbing at the sap with rubbing alcohol and using a dish scrubby or rough sandpaper.  

Finally, keep it sharp. A dull knife is much more dangerous than a sharp one. When carving with a dull knife you have to force the knife more than is necessary, making it harder to control. It is also a lot easier to work with a sharp knife.  

There are many methods of knife sharpening, included are:  

The Sharpening Steel (honing rod). The honing rod is a long round file used for quickly sharpening longer blades. Sharpening (wet) Stone. The sharpening stone is the most reliable knife sharpener out there. It has been used since before our forefathers came to America.  

Precision Sharpening Systems. There are many different types of manual sharpeners and kits on the market. Okay, now I have a question… What’s your favorite survival knife?