The Gray Man

I have always wanted to be an army spy or something cool like that. When I look at getting survival gear I am attracted to the tactical style. I think I look legit and it makes me feel invincible. There's only one problem. I look legit.

The problem with looking like a legit tactical expert is you will stand out from the crowd. You will appear to have the right and the best survival gear known to man. That means those who do not have any gear will come to you for yours. So how can we still be a tactical survival expert without standing out like a sore thumb?

Be the Gray Man

This is a survivalist term that means to blend in. Camouflage does not only mean wearing desert or woodland gear. According to thefreedictionary.com, Camouflage means "The concealing of personnel and equipment from an enemy by making them appear as part of the natural surroundings." This can mean a desert, a wooded area, or a crowd. How do you blend into a crowd? What camouflage is there for a crowd? Try to look like everyone else. That way when people scan the crowd their brain doesn't pick out your weird dress code. Why is that guy wearing so much woodland camo? Weird.

This is a tough thing to do. I find I really want to look cool and super prepped. The problem is I will walk around with a target on my back. So what can we do to accomplish becoming the gray man?

1. No logos. The number 1 goal is not only to blend in, but to not create stimulus in others. If you wear a Calgary flames hat it may also cause someone to want to strike up a conversation about the last game.

2. Use common sense. Being the Gray Man will be different depending on location. You will dress different if you are at a grocery store compared to a college campus or a church. Know the area you are going to and dress and act accordingly.

3. Know it will be difficult. Being the Gray Man. The point is to "not be there." Human nature says you want the attention. You want people to notice you. You want credit for something. Even if you successfully achieve being the Gray Man, you desire credit for it. You want to share your success with others. Being the Gray Man means going against that and not seeking attention or credit. It will be difficult.

4. It is a process. This is something that takes time. There's not point in waking up one morning deciding to be the Gray Man when you've shown everyone on your block your gun collection. When SHTF, they are running to your house for cover. It would have been better for you to simply disappear. No one really knew too much about you. And that's good.

5. Lastly, it is nearly impossible to achieve. That doesn't mean don't try. Just realize it is impossible to actually be invisible. But let's do our best to blend in. That way when the zombies come, we wont have to worry about other people trying to kill us as well.

Winterize your 72 Hour Kits

This is a good time of year to winterize our 72 hour kits. We like to think that when the SHTF it will be summer and in the middle of the day. It will probably happen on the coldest night of the year when we least expect it. We should be taking a few minutes to winterize our kits so we are ready for the new weather conditions of what ever area we are in.

Before I get to the list, I want to mention the one rule to rule them all! KNOW YOUR AREA!
Pack your kit for your area. My pack for Alberta, where we get lots of snow, will be different than a pack for parts of British Columbia where they get lots of rain. Pack accordingly!

Here are a few tips on how to winterize your pack.

1. Food
The food you have in your summer kit has been in your pack for probably 6 months. It should be cycled out either way. What you want to replace it with are foods that are high in calories, protein and fat. Nuts, beef jerky and peanut butter are great examples of high protein and high fat foods that can be store in a pack and are great at giving you the needed protein and fat to stay warm. Other ideas are instant oatmeal, soups in a package like lipton soups, energy bars, and trail mix.

2. Clothes
This is a very important one. For your winter months you will need more layers and accessories like gloves and hats. Make sure you switch these over because the last thing you want to do is be cold and not have a sweater or hat in your pack because your pack is still set up for summer. Also make sure you check the fabric of the clothes your packing. The last thing you want to pack into your winter bag is a pair of jeans. They get wet easily, hold onto water, and freeze. Good materials are wool, fleece, waterproof gear, polypropylene or hydrophobic materials. These fabrics are breathable, pull the water away from your body and help trap air. The trapped air will act as a great insulator keeping you warm.

One other point for clothes is your footwear. Make sure that your extra pair of shoes are winter ready. Change them for boots or add some gators to help keep the snow out of your shoes and keep your feet dry. 

3. Water
Don't forget your water. You can become very dehydrated in the winter weather. Just make sure when you pack it that it won't freeze, or if it does, it has room to do so. You don't want your bottles to burst when frozen and then thaw, leaking water onto all your gear.
Another option is to find water when your out in the wild instead of carrying it. One note on that though is DON'T EAT SNOW. Not as a source of water anyway. Your body burns too many calories turning snow into water and then into energy. You could always put snow into a pot and boil it.
Since you may be using the snow method of water, one thing you will definitely want in your winterized kit is water purification tablets. These should be in your kit already, but definitely make sure while your swapping out all your other gear. Nothing worse than getting sick while in the elements.

4. Fire
You will already have fire starters and such in your pack, but since it's now winter, you will want to double the amount of your fire supplies. Not only will you be needed fire to cook your food, you may need to make a fire just to stay warm. Make sure you have enough supplies to start multiple food fires as well as heat fires.

10 Rules for Prepping

1. Don't panic
Worst thing anyone can do is panic. When you panic you cloud your minds and you are no longer  able to make sound judgements. When it matters most, we may not be able to make the right decisions. The result could be devastating! Take a wrong turn, or give someone the wrong medicine and BOOM, dead.

2. Always know your surroundings.
Knowing the area will help us to know what places are good and what places we should avoid. Where are the main roads? Is there a water source somewhere? Knowing the area includes knowing the plants and animals of that area as well. This will help when we need to catch food or need to find plants for medicinal or other purposes. Do you know how to identify poison ivy or poison oak? Don't want to use those for the wrong reasons.

3. Rule of 3s
      3 minutes without air
      3 hours without shelter
      3 days without water
      3 weeks without food
      3 months without hope

This should help you decided what order to do things when you have to bug out to the woods. When you have limited resources, and time is working against you, what do you do first? According to the rule of three, build a shelter. 3 minutes without air should already be taken care of. If you have asthma, your bug-out bag(72 hour kit) should already have an inhaler in it. Unless you're drowning, air usually isn't a problem. Maybe we should all include a gas mask in our kits in case of nuclear warfare, or biological warfare. Generally though, first build a shelter, then find a good source of water, then make fire for food.

4. Two is One and One is None
Always have a back up. This doesn't mean you need two of everything, but the general rule when prepping is to think Two is One and One is None. If you can have two flashlights, then that is better then one. All it takes is for the batteries to die in one for you to now have no light source. That's no good.

5. Prepping should be a lifestyle
There are different stages of prepping. Some are way more into it than others, but it should be a life style. If it is not, we will not keep up with it. We will fall out of the habit of gardening or canning. We need to have a vision of becoming self reliant. Learn how to grow a garden, and then stop buying those vegetables. One thing we want to avoid when bugging out is being unfamiliar with our bag and supplies. If you set up your bag and then don't touch it for 3 years and then have an emergency, will you remember what you have in your bag? Will you remember where to meet and who to call? This should be something we are doing on a regular basis so when the emergency happens, we are familiar with the procedure and supplies.

6. Keep it simple
Complication creates fear. Keep things simple. Keep your bug out route and communication plans simple. Not only will it instill less fear, it will also make it easier to remember what to do, when to do it, and where to go.

7. Improvise
Have concrete plans, but set them in sand. That means you may have to change some of your plans as you go. Your plan is to exit the city via the main highway right next to your house. Your about to leave when you realize the military closed the highway to public use. Now what? You still want to get to your bug out location, but now you need to find a different route. Maybe you planned on having a very important person in your group, a mechanic maybe, but they died or can't get to your location. You should definitely have plans, but set them in sand. Expect to have to alter them as you go.

8. A little each day goes a long way
Many of us get overwhelmed when thinking of prepping. We look it up on google or youtube and see these experts with their underground bunkers and garages full of guns and think "Ha, ya right. There is no way I can afford to do all that." What we don't see is what they did on a daily basis to get where they are today. Starting small, and being consistent. That's the key. Pick something, and start there, and just be consistent. You will get there

9. Be discrete
There is a term going around in the prepper world called "the gray man." We all strive to be the gray man. Why? We don't want to look like we are extremely prepared. The main issue of a large catastrophe is other people are not prepared. That means they will want to take your resources. But if you can look just like them, then they wont think you have any more than they do. You would not last long if you walked around dressed like a combat specialist. People will attack you for your weapons and supplies. Try to look like the average joe, the gray man.

10. Have fun
Prepping can be fun. The more my wife and I get into it the more we love it. It was fun when we decided to make our own butter. We have only done it once, but it was enjoyable, and delicious. if this is going to become a lifestyle, we might as well enjoy it. 

A few points on 72 hour kits

A few points on 72 Hour kits.

Don't wait
Even if you don't have a nice tactical survival bag, get started on your 72 hour kit. Use any backpack you can find. If you can't find one, use a pillow case. Just use something to start putting items together for that 72 hour kit. 

Don't forget medication and vitamins!
I usually forget to grab my vitamins when I go on trips. Something that will make the 72 hours very uncomfortable is not having your allergy medication or prenatal vitamins.

Don't forget entertainment. 
Depending on where you have to spend your 72 hours and with who, a good idea is to have some cards for you and maybe some colouring books for the kids.

For those of you with pets, don't forget pet supplies. 
You may want a separate bag for your pet. If you have a dog and need to evacuate and head to a family members house that doesn't have a dog, what are they going to eat? What about any meds your pet has to take?

Change your contents so they are weather specific.
Every March-April remove your winter stuff and put in your summer things, and every October switch out the summer stuff of the winter gear.

Cycle your food. 
No food lasts for ever. Pick a schedule and replace the food in your bag with new stuff and eat the old stuff. If that idea makes you cringe a bit, then your leaving your food in the bag too long.

Test your bag!
Even if it is still while your at home, test your bag. Live off of only the contents of you kit. It would be best to go on a 3 day camping trip, but having small children can make that difficult. Testing your bag will show you how efficient it is. It will also show you what in your bag is taking up space. You may realize that you packed something that you thought was important, but you didn't use it once on your trip. If that's the case, get rid of it and put in the one thing you thought, "man, I wish I had that."

What points do you think everyone should remember?

Ward fanout

This Saturday we had a ward fan out. It was brilliant!

It was preparedness themed. The point was to feel extremely unprepared; It worked! Here is how it went.

At 9:20am we got a call from our district leader(someone that lives close to us) letting us know there was an "emergency" and we needed to grab the following:

72 hour kit
first aid kit from house
first aid kit from car
emergency car kit
jumper cables
flash light
go-book
picture of food storage
picture of water supply
picture of slippers with hard bottoms
picture of emergency contact list
picture of To-Do list(how to turn off utilities)
picture of evacuation ladder
picture of first aid cert.

Then we had to get to the church as soon as we could.

It took us 10 minutes to gather everything and head out the door. Granted, our kids had their shoes on already because we were expecting the call. We just didn't know what would be on the list. For the most part, I believe in a real emergency, if emergency personnel knock on your door they usually give you 10 minutes. So that should be the time to beat.

This exercise allowed us to see how easy it was to gather our emergency stuff and to see what was missing. Here is what we were lacking:

To-Do list.  We don't have a list pinned to the wall in our utility room letting us know how to turn our utilites off. It is super important. If someone knocked on your door and said "turn your utilites off and gather your things, you have 10 minutes to get out," would you know how to shut your water or your furnace off?

Evacuation ladder. We looked into getting one when we first moved in, but when we talked to the agency that helped us open a day home they said the fire marshal told them ladders were bad. Instead we are to break a window, throw a mattress out and throw our kids onto the mattress...yeah right. Like I'm going to throw my kids out the window.

Go-Book. We have a go-book, it's just not filled out. The purpose of the go-book is to store all your information. Banking info, mortgage and investment info, car and house insurance, copies of passports, drivers licenses and birth certs., pics of everyone in the family, all info you would need if you can't get back to your house.

Other than those few items we didn't have, we did pretty good. When my wife and I talked about it afterwards we felt we are also lacking in water supply and food storage. It's not up to where it should be. We need more of it. But it was good to see how an emergency evacuation would go. Once we got to the church, the lady that organized it went through our kits and gave us points on what we had and took points off for what we missed. Let's just say, overall, I'm glad it wasn't a real emergency. A lot of people showed up with very little.

I feel most of us are still co-dependent on others to provide for us. We are not taking this self-reliance thing seriously. We will not be able to just go to walmart or superstore and buy water the day of the emergency. The shelves will be bare from all the other people that weren't prepared.

Our take-away: We are not nearly prepared enough for a real emergency. We have a lot of work to do to get to where we want to go, which we will do, just one day at a time.

Our next goal: Have an "emergency situation" where we actually live off our 72 hour kits for 72 hours and see how we do. That should be an exciting 3 days!

How to winterize your home

Before I get to how to winterize your humble abode I wanted to give an update on the status of our family. We have added our third child to the family. Benjamin David Sinclaire. He was 20" long, and weighed 7lbs 11oz. 2lbs lighter than me when I was born. Both mommy and baby are home and doing well. It is still surreal for me to think we have another little one. Our family is growing so fast!

Ok, so onto how to winterize your home. With winter being here...for the most part, we should have already winterized our home. However if you're like me and procrastinate everything till the last second, your home is not yet winterized. So I have a list of 11 things that you can do to winterize your home and save on your energy bill.

1. Put a sweater on. First off I wanted to mention the one all our parents told us whenever we asked them to turn the heat up. "Put a sweater on!" This is the cheapest way to reduce the heating bill...unless you don't have any sweaters. In that case, you will need to go purchase a few. Apparently putting on a sweater can increase your body temperature by 4 degrees. So, if your home is at 18 degrees Celsius and you put a sweater on, it will feel like its 22 degrees. Nice!

2. Plastic on the windows. This will do a couple things for you. One thing is it will block any leaks you may have around your windows. The last thing you want to do is pay to heat the outside. The second thing plastic on the windows will do is insulate. It traps air between the widow and the plastic and can prevent more hot air from escaping.

3. Reverse ceiling fans. If you have a ceiling fan, there should be a reverse switch on it. What this will do is force the warm air down instead of up. When the warm air is forced back down, it can recirculate through the house.

4. Block any leaks. Take time to calk around windows and door frames. You can also get something called a "draft snake" to put under your door. According Kim Pressnail, associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto,  air leaks lead to 30-40% heating loss. That's huge! The price for calk and a couple draft snakes is definitely worth it.

5. Invest in a programmable thermostat. According to Pressnail, for every degree you lower your thermostat, you save 5% on your heating bill. With a programmable thermostat, you can tell it to reduce the temp by 4 or 5 degrees when you're not home. That way you're not paying as much to heat an empty house. Then at the time you get off work, your thermostat kicks back on so you can come home to a warm house...but not too warm, because you'll be wearing a sweater right?

6. Replace furnace air filters. Having dirty air filters can impede air flow through the house. Regularly cleaning or replacing the air filter can help make sure the heat you're using is being used to its fullest extent. We don't want to pay for heat that isn't able to circulate through your home!

7. Prepare a 72 Hour kit. Depending on where you live, ice storms can be the norm. Toronto and the east coast have had some terrible ice storms in the past years. Often these storms will cut power for a week at a time. Having a 72 hour kit will make that week without power a bit more comfy.

8. Have a food storage. Going along with #7, having food set aside in case you can't get out to the grocery store will be a life saver. Having a food storage may allow you to balance out your budget as well. Using your food storage in the winter will bring your grocery bill down while your heating bill is going up. When spring arrives, you can gradually build that food storage back up while your heating bill starts to go down.

9. Invest in a generator. When the power goes out, having a generator will allow you to run things like your fridge and deep freeze so your food doesn't spoil, saving you that grocery trip. It could also allow you to charge your car so you can get to work or wherever you need to go. You can also use it to run space heaters and the like to stay warm.

10. Close vents to rooms that are not inhabited. Rooms like a storage room or guest bedrooms shouldn't be heated all winter. Why pay to heat a room no one really visits? Open the vents when you have a guest staying, and then close them again when they leave. A simple way to reduce how much heat is being used in your home. Focus it on the rooms you are always in.

11. Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Winter sees an increase in home fires and CO leaks due to us running our furnaces on overdrive. Making sure smoke and CO detectors work can save homes and lives. Some alarm systems (like the one from Vivint) allow you to tie smoke and CO detectors into the system so that the alarm system can call the fire department for you. This is very beneficial when you are not home or able to get to a phone.

Do you have any other winterizing tips? Feel free to leave them in the comments.

Why food storage is so important

The next little while may be scarce on the posts. We are expecting our third child in the next few days. I completely spaced the post yesterday. My mind has been elsewhere lately.

I did read a really good post this week. Ill put a link in here for you. I recommend you read it. It is exactly what my wife and I think about food storage. I really liked the points that food storage is not just for when SHTF. It is for so many other reasons. What if you lose a job and can't afford to go grocery shopping, or your sick and can't get out. Or, being in Canada, if snows 4 feet and you can't drive any where.

Another great point is that you should store what you eat and eat what you store. Don't buy things you don't regularly cook with or eat. What happens is either it goes bad because you never use it, or when it comes time to dive into your food storage you don't know how to use it. Just buy extras of what you already eat, and cycle through that. Then when it comes time to use the food storage, you meals still taste the same and you are familiar with it all.

Last point I wanted to hit on from the article is to learn a new skill. Learn how to can food. My wife and I were talking about learning how to make our own butter and soap. It could be a fun family activity and you can save a bit of $$ by not having to buy butter or soap.

Well, I don't want to give everything away. Here is the link.
http://survivalistprepper.net/why-food-storage-and-prepping-are-so-important/

Let me know any thoughts you have on the subject.

MONEY MONEY MONEY

Hello Readers!

We found out that we were paying for a balance protection insurance on our credit cards. We promptly canceled that. We were paying that every month. What were we paying for? If I lose my job or get hurt, they will pay my minimum payment for 1 year. If I still have no job THEN they will pay off the balance of my card. WOW, thanks...
Or I could pay off my own card so I don't need anyone to pay the balance of my card. I was choked when I figured out we were paying that. Unreal.

Anyways, my thoughts this week have been on finances. Controlling our money and creating additional streams of income. Someone last week mentioned that it's pretty silly to have only one income stream. Why would be want to put all our eggs into one basket?

That is a great point. Why would we put all our eggs into one basket? When I looked at my situation I said, man, I need to spread my eggs out.

I don't only have one stream of income. Both my wife and I have a job, so that's two streams of income and I am starting a second job, so that's three. 

The question I had this week was "what happens if one of us loses our job. Are the other streams of income enough to cover expenses?" The answer is no.

I think that is the case for a lot of us. We have those two jobs, but we are living in such a way that forces us to continue in both jobs. If one spouse loses a job, then bills aren't being paid and credit is being destroyed. So why are we having two jobs then? What benefit is it?

I want to get to the point where we have enough additional streams of income that if one disappears the others are still enough to cover expenses.

Of course there are a couple ways to get into that position. One is to reduce your expenses, the other is to increase your income. Obviously, the second is the optimal choice. No one wants to reduce their expenses. What do you cut? Cable or internet? Netflix? Kids sports?

It's better to just increase our income so we can still enjoy our cable and internet. So what options are there for increasing your income? Heres a short list:

1. get another job/spouse goes to work
2. go back to school to get a better paying job
3. ask for a raise
4. start a business


This is what have come up with. I am already working two jobs and my wife is already working one, I have gone to school to get the better paying job, no one likes asking for a raise, and I have started a business and continue to look into how to start more.

Personally I feel the last one is the best option. In time you can free your self from your job with the business you start. There is, I'm sure, an infinite amount of ideas for kinds of businesses you can start. Mom and Pop shops, network marketing, affiliate marketing, selling crafts or home made items, start your own day home or hair salon, etc, etc.

I really want to spread my eggs out. I don't want to risk my family life on my boss not firing me, or deciding that our department is no longer needed or cuts are needed. So I want to ask you guys, what other ideas are out there? I would like to hear some ideas you guys have come across to increase your income or create a second/third/fourth stream of income. I would like opinions on some of the ideas out there.

One last point. The ball is in your court. It is extremely important that we take our financial future in our own hands. It is our responsibility to make our money and pay our bills. If we leave it in the hands of others, we will never be free.

Brain Dump

Wow, my mind is full right now. So many things to think about. Which one to write about?

Zombie apocalypse seems right around the corner. Just google ebola virus and there are articles of 3 patients who died and were "resurrected". Granted they may have been thought as dead, but still. Bodies appearing lifeless then coming back. Apparently one of the women who came back spent 2 days in a room with no food or medicine prior to coming back. But then again there are sites claiming it is all a hoax. I'm telling you, one of these days it's going to hit our door step and we still wont believe it.

Conference was this weekend. For those of you who don't know, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This weekend we had our second General Conference of the year. First one was the first week of April. It was an awesome conference, as always. A lot of great talks. I liked how they have now allowed speakers to speak in their native tongues and having subtitles on the TVs. They all used to speak English. We are getting quite the representation of nationalities at conference. It is a wonderful thing.

Talked quite a bit tonight about preparation with one of my brothers. It's a hot topic right now with me if you can't tell. It's hard for it not to be when you look at the news and see things like ISIS doing whatever they want. I can't imagine the scene the prophets like John the Revelator saw of our day. They speak of bloodshed and chaos. It hurts my stomach seeing what has been done and that's only a few pictures. John saw it all. I don't know how he could have handled it. These things almost seem unreal.

I don't want to dwell on the negative but these topics have been in my mind this week. How blessed I feel right now to live in this amazing country. Still we need to prepare for anything. Could be a flood, loss of power, loss of a job, or an attack. Either way it is pretty dang smart to have something on hand in case the SHTF!

More Preparedness Stuff

More preparedness stuff this week. We have been working on getting our food storage up. It was really hard to have one when we moved twice every year for the last 5 years. Every time we had a food storage we would have to eat it all because we needed to pack up and go. Now that we are in a spot that we can stay for awhile (at least that's the plan for now, but you never know...), we can actually start creating an actual food storage. Each week we go shopping we grab something to go into either our 72 hour kits or food storage. First week was bottled water, then a big bag of rice and I believe we also got granola bars for the 72 hour kits. I think next we are going for the canned meat.

It is going to feel nice to have a reserve of food and water. We made butter this week. That was awesome. We got some cream, a marble and a mason jar. Put the marble and cream in the mason jar and shook it till we had butter. It is quite delicious too, Haha, tastes like cream. We are going to figure out a way to make it taste more like butter. Maybe more salt. I have been having this desire to learn how to do things on my own. Making butter is one example, another is how to sharpen knives and axes. Making soaps is another one I think would be pretty fun. Not sure how time consuming it is but it will be cool to be able to say I made my own soap.

I think we rely too much on others to provide. I fear for it actually. What happens when the power goes out in your house for 1 day or 1 week. How do you keep your food cold? How do you cook with no stove?

Anyways, this has been on my mind a lot. Can you tell? Haha. Maybe it's part of my dad instinct kicking in, making sure my family is taken care of no matter what.

By the way, the youtube channel is up. No content yet, and I'm not sure how soon either. I want to have a schedule set up for frequency of videos and topics picked out. Just thought I would let you know that I am one more step closer to getting it up and running. Name and everything else will come later.

The point of it is going to be education. I want want to help other people learn how to do the things I am learning how to do. I find there are a lot of videos by "experts" but not to many by a rookie who is also learning how to do it. I figured why not film myself learning how to do it and show everyone else that it isn't (or is...) as scary as it looks.

Anyways, I need to go to bed.

Bushcraft 2.0

So this is more of a heads up post. I have talked this over with a few people and have decided this is a good idea. I am going to add a video blog to this not video blog. YAY!!

This video blog will be about survival/preparedness/bushcraft. I think it will be fun. I am not to sure as to a time frame on how soon the first video will be up or how frequently they will be posted. I would like to say weekly but I may be leaning to monthly to start off with. No promises though. This is mostly thoughts in my head. It will really depend on how frequently I can get out and film something. I will be starting a youtube channel. Ill let you know when that's up. I have a few other ideas up my sleeve that I will leave as a surprise. Really I just don't have all the details worked out yet for all the ideas I have. The first step is going to be this vlog.

I have seen a lot of video's and read a bunch of blogs from professional bushcrafters and preppers. You can get a ton of awesome information from them. The idea behind my video blog is to do this bushcrafting/prepping from a "rookie" point of view. I want to document my "journey" as I learn how to become self reliant and prepared for what ever catastrophe may strike. I do want to point out that I am a chief scout ( Canada's version of an eagle scout for you american readers out there ), but it has been way too long since I completed my badges. I have forgotten most of my knots, never really knew anything about plants and trees, and the last time I went camping was...I can't remember. I went on one after my mission in 2006. I'm sure there is one sooner than that but I can't think of it. Scratch that, I went winter camping with my father-in-law and brother-in-law 2 christmases ago. That was awesome.

So we will be learning together. I will be learning different skills, how to identify different plants and what they are good for, trying different methods of fire starting and shelter making, and filming it while I do it.

As of right now I am just waiting on some more equipment so I can actually have something to camp with. I'm not quite ready to head out with just the shirt on my back ( and pants ) just yet.

I have been feeling a pull to do this for a while. I love being out in the woods. I love sitting at the top of a sky slope and just staring at the valley below, and while camping hearing nothing but the river rushing and the wind through the trees. Really the only things holding me back are lack of equipment and I wasn't taking my thoughts about it seriously. I just passed them off as wishful thinking or just random thoughts. I would often think, "man, I really want to go camping. I need to get out in the woods, oh well". I would be reminded of it when I go to Vancouver Island and hike through the trees. I love it out there. I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to find this passion of mine...but here I am. Better late then never I suppose.

Bushcraft

Again, sorry for the late one.

Im sitting in a lodge in Soldotna Alaska about to go to sleep. We are meeting at 5:45am to go fishing on the Kenai for a number of hours. This is where I feel at home. Out in the wild. I definitely don't do this enough.

I watched a video last week of a guy from England who filmed himself doing a 5 day "bushcrafting" trip. That looks the most interesting to me. I love camping but I definitely want to get into bushcraft.

The idea behind bushcraft is to learn how to use what is available in nature instead of tools you would normally carry in a camping bag.

So this guy, as he is bushcrafting, explains what different plants are good and bad for. He shows how he uses certain mosses as a scrubbing tool to clean dishes and his hands, talks about how certain plants make for good tp. He makes his own teas from plants he picks.

I think that is so interesting. Not only will I gain a greater understanding of the plants and animals but also a much greater appreciation for the world God has created for me.

This is going to be my new hobby from here on out. I know this is what I want to do. I love the outdoors, and im not sure why I have been putting this off for so long. Im going to combine this hobby with my other hobby of geocaching and soon, hunting. This should be good!!

How to use your analog watch to find true north.

For those of us who like to hike and rarely take a compass because we are going on an "easy" hike, or a "we do this all the time" hike, there is a way to find true north without a compass (acutally there are more than 10 ways to find north...but I'm only going to show you one). It is done using an analog watch. It's not the best compass...technically it's not a compass...but it is better then no compass. I think this is a fantastic tool to use. Especially when we're on an easy hike that we do all the time and didn't bring a compass and I swear the trail was right here.

I have included a picture for your viewing and educational pleasure.

How it's done.
Three simple steps. 

1. Place the watch in the palm of your hand or on the ground face up.
2. Point the hour hand in the direction of the sun. (Or along a shadow, making sure the hour hand is   pointing towards the sun, not away from it)
3. The half way point between the hour hand and the 12 mark is your north-south line.

A few points to remember:
1. Yes I drew that picture
2. For us in the northern hemisphere, the sun will always be in the southern sky at its meridian
3. If it is before noon, measure clockwise from the hour hand to find south. If it is afternoon, measure counter clockwise from the hour hand to find south.

And there you have it. An easy way to use your analog watch as a compass to help find true north. Give it a shot the next time you're outside. It is actually pretty cool. Or I am just a really big nerd. 

Zombie Apocalypse. Part 4. Finale

Alright, lets finish off this zombie topic.

Final type is Fast Smart.

Worst case scenario and most probable. A great example of this is "I am Legend". If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it. These zombies are strong, fast, and even smart enough to set up traps. How messed up is that? Not only are you running for your life from zombies, but they are setting up traps to capture you and then, Im assuming, kill you. Many people actually believe the creatures in I am Legend are NOT zombies, but some type of vampire. Either way, they are not normal humans that were infected with a "cure for cancer" that had terrible side effects 3 years later.

How could this happen? According to the movie, curing cancer caused the outbreak. Most likely though, it would probably be caused by a military experiment, trying to get super soldiers who can run faster, sleep less, and are stronger. Something goes wrong with the chemical or procedure they use and now the super solder can't think normally. They turn back to survival instincts only and may view everyone as a threat. Some how they can sense who is also "infected" or otherwise affected by the same procedure.

What can you do to prepare for when this kind of zombie hits? Nothing. We are all screwed when this type hits. They are faster, smarter, and stronger than you. You definitely want to have lots of weapons, know how to survive on your own in the wilderness, and trust no one. My idea would be to go up north as far as I can. I don't know for sure if the cold would have a huge effect on them, but Hitler lost Russia because of the winter so I'm hoping the zombies wont be able to last through it either. 

Well, honestly is there going to be a zombie apocalypse? Probably not. The most likely situation you will be dealing with is a natural disaster of grande proportions and other people trying to pilfer your stuff. Sadly, in all zombie movies, not only are we fighting zombies, but we are also fighting each other. We all should be prepared enough for when the power goes out, or the city cuts the water supply. I am really hoping there is never a day I have to defend my family and belongings from others, zombie or not, from killing us and taking our stuff. 

Zombie Apocalypse. Part 3.

*WORLD WAR Z SPOILER ALERT* Read at your own risk



Zombie Type 3: Fast Dumb.


A good example of this is World War Z and 28 days later. For those who haven't seen World War Z, the zombies are virus infected, and have to bite someone else to spread it. They run very fast, tackling people to the ground and then chew on a body part and them move onto the next person. The one bitten is very quickly turned into another fast running machine who wants to bite the next victim. They are dumb because there is no common sense. They climb all over each other trying to get at the victims, they turn corners like water does, by hitting the wall and ricocheting into the new direction. They bust windows with their head, never a smart idea. All they do is run really fast and only stop to bite someone. 28 days later is a rage virus. Still very much human, but not in control. Now the rage reigns supreme.

Likely hood of this one happening? High. This one could be a virus or something like a military experiment gone wrong. Trying to make super soldiers that can sleep less and run faster. Some kind of side effect makes them in a constant state of rage. I could see if happening. Maybe not on a global scale but I could see if happening.

What can you do to prepare for when this kind of zombie hits? Start running, now, or get a armoured vehicle. You need to be faster then they are. Well, actually according to World War Z, you just need to get sick, and for 28 days later the "cure" was the non-infected leave Europe and come to the Americas, but still, get your running on. Even the fortifications they built in the movie didn't keep them out. They just climbed over each other until they had made a pile of raging zombies high enough that some started falling over the wall into the "safe zone". What then? Well, get your running on and you may be fine. The issue here is that these zombies are probably using all their bodies strength plus a bit more to run faster then the body probably should, so you're not likely to out run them. As long as you can out smart them, you should be fine. This is where you either need to ALWAYS be on the move, or make the craziest fortification ever, or both with an armoured vehicle. The last option is probably not likely unless you know in advance they are coming. So you will probably have to always be on the move. The only reason sickness is what saved people was because the virus could detect a sick person and only wanted to infect healthy hosts. The thing is, we can't expect the virus to actually sense or care that the host is sick or not. Better safe then sorry in my opinion. GET YOUR RUN ON!

Avoiding high dense populated areas is also a good idea. Head out to the woods. This is where your 72 hour kits and previous preparation comes in handy. You will need to have some food and supplies set aside because the last thing you want to do is go back into the city where those crazy raging marathon runners are biting everyone.

The good thing about virus infected zombies is there is normally always a cure. Since the virus is not airborne, we may just have to hop over the ocean and all will be well. Unless it is a human created virus and released on all continents...then we are screwed. That's when I would hope that World War Z got it right and all we have to do is give each other the flu.

Zombie Apocalypse. Part 2.

Ok, onto the next type of zombie. Slow smart

One thing to point out before I get to far into this one is that when a zombie apocalypse happens there is a very high chance that there will be different types of zombies running around at the same time. You may have all 4 types to fight off. One example is fast smart zombies taking over the world but then you have some that are injured in some way, maybe missing a leg, or its broken, and now you have a slow smart flesh eating machine. One guy has brain damage  but is still able to run fast (dumb fast), and then you have brain damaged injured zombies (slow dumb) walking or limping around.

Anyways,  these slow smart guys are unable to move quickly but are smart enough to use weapons and wait in the shadows until someone is vulnerable. They could set up booby traps or hunt their prey. This is definitely not best case scenario but it's also not worst case. They are slow, easily out run, but if you fall for one of their traps, or aren't paying attention as you walk into that dark alley or abandoned building, your probably dead.

Most likely these types of zombies are caused by some kind of virus or experimentation. One that doesn't kill them per se, but takes away their ability to rationalize or have a conscience. Basically it would be a world being hunted by a bunch of slow moving psychopaths. They are smart because they still have their human problem solving abilities, but are slow because they are injured. Their body won't allow them to run, or the virus has caused them to lose the ability to react quickly.

What can you do to prepare for when this kind of zombie hits? Focus on being fast. These guys are slow, so if you can have amazingly fast reflexes you should probably be ok. The only down side is you may become super paranoid thinking everything that moves is out to eat you. Which may not be a bad thing, better safe then eaten right? You will need to learn how to always be on alert though. Knowing they are laying traps and using weapons changes how you should scrounge around. Finding the "jackpot" supply load could actually be a trap.

Likely hood of this type hitting? Higher than the undead walking, but not as high as the last two types. I wouldn't spend most of my time thinking about how to fight off these guys. Since it's a high probability that they are slow because they are injured, coming across one would pretty much mean only one thing...I have worse things to worry about...fast smart.

Zombie Apocalypse. Part 1.

Laugh all you want. It's bound to happen.

I was talking to my brother a while back and he mentions there are about 4 or 5 types of zombies and through my research, and I guess depending on who you talk to, there can be up to 350 types...I wont go there. I'm going to focus on 4 types of zombies:
   

                    Slow Dumb       Fast Dumb
                                           
                    Slow Smart       Fast Smart

This will be a 4 or 5 part series. Each post will be about a different type and the likely hood of it happening...general likely hood. No statistics here.

So, slow dumb. This is the best case scenario but the least likely to ever happen. This is the undead. Those in the grave walk. Unlikely because we know (so far) that the dead don't walk. Yes there are types of zombies other than the undead, and I will get into that in other posts.

To give you an idea of the slow dumb zombies you can watch The Walking Dead or Shaun of the Dead. Bodies are falling apart. They walk slowly, and when in groups can run, but they don't sprint. They are as dumb as a post. Don't know how to get through or over a fence, how to open a door, etc.

This is the best case scenario type because as long as your faster and have at least an IQ of 1, you can probably survive. Unless you are part of the initial outbreak...then sorry. Keep on the move and you should be fine. The reason this type of zombie exists in idea is because I feel it is the best for movies. Nothing gives you more suspense than knowing there is something slow that will eventually kill you. Slowly the masses turn, and theres nothing you can do about it. At least that's the feeling you get during the movie.

Being that it is the best case scenario, what can you do to be prepared for when this type of zombie hits? Doesn't take much. Have a food storage, a go bag. Other than that you should have time to scrounge up stuff while your on the move. Weapon of choice would be anything but my bare hands.

Sadly this is the least likely to ever happen, so when the zombie apocalypse arrives, we wont be so lucky.

What to Prepare First?

With being prepared, where does one start?

In my opinion EDC is a good place to start. EDC stands for "Every Day Carry." EDC's are things you have to have with you every where you go, every day. It may change depending on what your activities are for that day but for the most part it is the same.

Everyone has different items in their EDC. Some have 2 or 3 items, others have 9 or 10. I have about 7 at the moment.

Heres a photo of mine. I've got my iPhone 5s, my work phone, my wallet/iPhone case with my most used plastic(DL, debit card) and some cash, a second wallet with my less used plastic, a business card holder, a paracord bracelet (12' of paracord), and a pocket knife. I plan on adding a couple more things to it soon, but for now this has been sufficient. I see a lot of people who also have watches and flashlights. Its really up to you what you want to carry with you every day. My swiss army knife has a flash light and a pen in it. Pretty handy (if the batteries worked, mine are currently dead...so...not helpful with the flashlight thing...talk about being prepared ;) ).

EDC's are never complete. You can always add more to it, but making sure you have the essentials covered is the important part. A huge plus about EDC's is that you have most of the stuff already. Wallet, phone, watch. So what else do you put into an EDC?

The Essentials

$$$ Money is always an essential. Cash and coinage in particular. You should always have some cash on hand. My total amount varies. Again, it is up to you how much you want to carry. You never know when someones debit machine wont work, or you need to pay a loonie for parking.  Plus, using cash saves you on bank fees.

Phone. Communication is always a must. Since the arrival of cell phones, life has become much more convenient. Anything happens and it's quick and easy to get in contact with loved ones or the authorities. One thing to consider with your phone is a spare charger. I have one in my car. Too many times my battery has died before my day was over.

Time. Have a watch or a phone that has the time on it. This one is more handy when your not in the city where clocks are everywhere. When you're on a hike its smart to always know what time it is. You don't want to be in a situation where you lose track of time and all of a sudden it's getting dark, with not enough daylight to get back.

Light. You never know when you need a handy flash light. Drop your phone under your seat? Can't see while hiking in the dark? Can't see the keyhole on your door? Jogging in the dark?

Pen and paper. Its always a good idea to be able to write things down. I'm sure everyone can think of a time when you needed a pen but no one had one. If not pen and paper then an app to record notes. I have a recorder app. I have had ideas pop into my head I wanted to write down but I couldn't at the time (driving, no pen...), so I speak into my phone and listen to it later.

Utility tool/swiss army knife. This tool has been very handy many times. I have even picked a lock with it (my filing cabinet...). Cutting tape, tightening your eye glasses. There are many examples of when having a screw driver would be handy. I am very happy that I made the investment and bought one. I have used it for many things that could have been accomplished without it but man, it made the task way easier.

Paracord. Very handy in emergency situations. If I ever need it, I have 12' of rope around my wrist. I have never had to use it but who knows. The whole idea is being prepared for the worst. They are very easy to make and buying paracord in bulk is fairly cheap. You should check out paracord grenades. Fantastic idea.

Why start with an EDC?
They are cheap. You don't have to add a lot of things into your EDC. Most of what is on the list you already have. It gets you into motion. It is the beginning of a good habit. Once you have a good EDC set up it will seep into other areas of preparedness. I believe an EDC is a gateway into being better prepared.

Do you have to start with an EDC? No, of course not. Start with what ever you want. Many start with food storage. I find the EDC is the cheapest and quickest way to become prepared. From the list of things you need to do to be prepared, this one you can check off rather quickly. It gives you a good feeling to say you have completed something, and as a result, you are more prepared for today, and tomorrow.

Why Survival/Preparedness?

I'm not sure where all my readers live, but natural disasters happen everywhere, so I'm sure the term "preparedness" is familiar to all. I live in Calgary Canada. According to the Calgary Sun in 2013 "...The single largest loss event in North America was extensive flooding in the city of Calgary, Alberta, and surrounding area..." (see article here: http://goo.gl/ZHZZ7l ). Luckily I was living in Edmonton at the time but some of you were here in Calgary when it happened. Were you ready for a disaster like that? I know Calgary wasn't. Consider the flood in High River Canada, or the BC fires, ice storms in Eastern and Atlantic Canada, mudslide in Washington State. These happen all the time. We don't know when natural disasters are going to happen so we need to be prepared for when it does.

When my wife and I were living in Lethbridge, there was one sunday I remember coming out of church meetings and the sky was black. There was a grass fire west of Lethbridge and the high winds were pushing the fire towards the homes on the Northwest side between Lethbridge and Coalhurst. "thousands...forced out by grass fire" read one article ( http://goo.gl/Gs4Oy9 ). Luckily we were not evacuated but it got me thinking. If the knock came to your door that you have 5 minutes to grab your family and some things, what would you grab? Would you have everything you need to survive? Most of us would probably grab our kids, our pets and then stall wondering what else to save and what to leave behind. Would you grab your birth certificate? passport? insurance documents? computer? Snowboard? Food? That brand new PS4 you just bought?

I wanted to blog about survival and preparedness because I feel it is one subject that a lot of people dismiss as something that can be done later because most of us live in pretty safe areas. How many times have you been evacuated out of your homes? Me? Never. So for me the need to prepare for it was small.

It's funny. The biggest reason this got on my mind wasn't because of the fires or the flood. It wasn't the leaders of my church telling us for years now that we need to have 72 hour kits and food storage. It was a TV show. The Walking Dead. That is what set it off. 

So why would a real fire and real flood not push me to get my 72 hour kits done, but a TV show about zombies would? I don't actually know. It's silly really. It doesn't matter what gets us motivated to get the 72 hour kits ready. As long as we get them ready. 

I will get into the zombie thing another time. I feel I could write a few blogs on that subject, so I probably will. For now though, I wanted to tell you why I want to write and blog about it. Mostly it is going to be me writing about cool articles I have found on the subject and blogging about my families progress with our preparedness. There is more to it than just 72 hour kits and food storage. But what ever it entails, we need to do it all so when the time comes we are prepared and can continue to survive, even if surviving is as simple as making it to grandmas house.