Survival Axe and Hatchet Better than a Knife when SHTF

Survival Axe and Hatchet Better than a Knife when SHTF

While many die hard survivalists can live in the bush with nothing more than a knife, a good axe can make life so much easier. When building a fire for warmth or cooking or even cutting down small trees, I would much rather depend on a small hatchet or midsized axe. This will make it much faster to process firewood or kindling. For a large amount of firewood cutting,  using a hand saw is your best bet. This remains the topic for another post.
Warning - It is very easy to injure yourself with an axe so be extra careful and whenever possible reach around the tree to put it between yourself and the axe. Also, watch out for overhead branches when cutting off limbs, so it won't bounce off an upper limb and cut your skull open. An injury in a survival situation should be avoided at all costs due to limited medical personal and supplies.

Best Survival Axes

These are my two favorite axes made by some of the best companies with a long history of axe making.

Estwing E44A 16-Inch Steel Campers Axe is a little longer than a standard hatchet. It's all metal construction will hold up for many years. Estwing has been building axes and hatchets for many years. Their axes feature a comfortable rubber grip handle that cushions your hands and keeps it from slipping. It's strong one piece forged handle and head design, ensures it will never separate from the handle. This axe comes with it's own leather sheath to protect it and also the user from getting cut while transporting. The sheath also has a belt loop so it can be carried on your belt.


The Gransfors Hatchet made by a family owned forge Gränsfors Bruks in a small town in Sweden. These hatchets are the finest money can buy. They leave the factory razor sharp and will provide a lifetime of useful service. While the price is a little higher than a Gerber or some of the other, lower cost hatchets. The Gransfors will not break when you absolutely need it the most.


NEW - Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Tool Pack Review - Best Multi-Tool Flashlight & Fire Starter Kit?

NEW - Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Tool Pack Review - Best Multi-Tool Flashlight & Fire Starter Kit? Video Clips. Duration : 14.50 Mins.



In this NEW Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival Tool Pack Review from http://ultimatesurvivaltips.com/ talk about who this kit is for... and who should look...

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Make a Retirement Survival Kit

A retirement survival kit is a funny twist on a wedding survival kit. The great part about a retirement survival kit is that you can put it all together yourself! This can be a really great gift to give during a retirement party because it can be sure to garner a few laughs.





Here are some tips on creating a memorable retirement survival kit:


Survival Tools


Retirement Survival Kit Container

One of the first things you will need for a kit is a container to put all the goodies in. This can be a way to think of something creative related to your retiree. For instance, if you all live near the beach and the retiree plans on spending more afternoons there, then consider using a beach pail as a container. Or if your retiree had a job that required him to carry a briefcase or laptop bag everyday, then consider getting him a tacky travel bag or even a real piece of luggage so that he can actually use it.


Survival Kit Goodies

Finding the best and funniest goodies to put into a retirement kit can be a lot of fun. If you are working with co-workers on putting together a gift, then ask each of them to contribute their own ideas of what is necessary in a retirement survival kit. For instance, you can do a beach theme and include suntan lotion, funny sunglasses, a beach towel, and some sandals. Or you can do a traveling theme if your soon-to-be retiree has already booked a trip. A travel themed kit can include passport holders, a travel pillow, maps, a funny fanny pack, and other little travel related trinkets.

Sentimental Items

Survival kits can also include some sentimental items, so the retiree will remember those great working years and will know how much you all appreciated him or her. A personalized plaque or coffee mug might be a fun gift to include. Or an engraved pocket or watch can be a great gift to slip in among all the other funny goodies.

Extra Treats

Survival kits usually have some treats, too. So if you want to include some treats into your retirement kit, consider some of his or her favorite candy bars or snacks. Or maybe some homemade cookies. If your office has a vending machine, then you might want to get a few of the vending machine snacks which would be a fun and funny way for him or her to remember the workplace.

A retirement kit can be wrapped in cellophane or you can just tie a great big ribbon around it and present it to the retiree that way.


Make a Retirement Survival Kit

Survival Pack Basic Emergency Aid And Skills



Have you ever wondered what you would do if you were caught in an emergency survival situation? Whether you're hunting, hiking, on a road trip, or just analyzing your everyday life, everyone wonders at some point if they have the emergency aid survival skills they need in a disaster survival situation. However, what many don't realize is that skill only goes so far—it pays more to be prepared. 
survival pack


How can you use your emergency aid skills to be prepared? Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can ensure that you're never in a bad situation, no matter what your scenario is. By keeping the emergency aid essentials within easy reach, you can help significantly in keeping a bad situation turn worse.

One of the most important emergency aid skills to consider is that of first aid procedures. While you may not be particularly skilled in emergency aid having a quality first aid survival pack and a first aid procedures book will help enormously. At the very least, you'll have a good idea of what first aid procedures to do until the paramedics arrive. A good first aid survival pack contains gauze, bandages, pain relievers, disinfectant, burn cream, bug bite ointment, and more. If you have a specific allergy or medication you must take, it's a good idea to stock your first aid survival pack with a good supply of these necessary emergency aid medications.


Another common emergency survival skill is learning how to find food and water in the event of an emergency survival situation. While it's perfectly possible to forage for berries, edible greens, and even mushrooms, it's never a good idea to do so without a competent foraging guide. In the event that you can't forage, it's a good idea to pack a long lasting supply of food with you. These include freeze dried packets, dehydrated foods, or canned foods. These foods last practically forever and have minimal requirements for preparation. Best of all, they taste surprisingly good as well!


If you're traveling by car, one of the most common emergency survival skills is learning what to do in the event that your car breaks down in a remote location. You can improve your situation significantly by having an essential survival pack car supplies. This includes an air pump, a tire jack, a spare tire, a large jug of water for the radiator, and other car survival pack essentials. Also be sure to keep your insurance papers and the phone number of your car insurance company just in case. If possible, keep a pay per use cell phone with you as well just for emergency survival situation.

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With this in mind, it's easy to see how having the right emergency aid supplies can help enormously in helping your survival skills. Whether you're preparing for a known emergency, such as a tornado or a flood, or you just want to stay on top of things, having the right survival pack emergency aid supplies is the perfect way to help hone your emergency aid skills. Learn more today!

Best Bug Out Bags for SHTF Survival

Best Bug Out Bags for SHTF Survival


If you are just getting started assembling your survival gear, you will need a good Bug out Bag. Be it from a snowstorm, tornado hurricane or riot, this is something that can help you survive for three or more days until the situation is over.
Inside this bag you will need to keep food, water, medicine, survival gear, clothing and other items to keep you going.

Keep your Bug Out Bag in an accessible location so it can easily be thrown into a vehicle, or grabbed to take with you on foot if the situation arises. This is something each member of the family should have as well to provide enough food and water in an emergency.

You can assemble your own pack or buy a survival pack pre made ready to go.
I prefer to put my own together but have found this Ready America Grab “N Go Deluxe 4 Person Backpack to be a good 72 hour pack for a family of four with much of the work already done for you.

Want to build your own? I found the Maxpedition Vulture-II Backpack to be absolutely top quality. This pack will hang in there with you when times get tough.
Unlike some of the cheaper backpacks on the market the build quality of Maxpedition is top notch. This pack has enough pockets to stash any gear you need. The built in water bladder compartment keeps your water conveniently near and accessible. My preference if for a dark backpack that blends in. When SHTF last thing you need is to stick out.

If you have large dogs, get them a small backpack so they can carry their own food and water, like the ABO Gear Aussie Dog Backpack so even your four legged friends can help with survival duty.



Once you have decided on a bug out bag, why not visit our Survival Store or see our Giant Survival Inventory List for ideas on what to stock up on to help ensure your survival ISHTF.

First Aid Equipment – What To Have On Hand

In an emergency survival situation it is vital to have the proper first aid equipment with you at all times.

Grab This Emergency Survival First Aid Buddy Care PDF

 

 Here at Emergency Survival First Aid Equipment we realize the importance of having the proper first aid equipment on hand in an emergency survival situation. When choosing what first aid equipment is right for you there are some important factors that need to be weighed before going out and finding what first aid kit contents should be used in your preps.

1. How many people are you going to be responsible for?
2. Are you going to store your first aid equipment at your bug out location?
3. If so, are you going need first aid kit contents for your vehicle?
4. What type of illnesses are you/your family prone to i.e. diabetes, allergies

Here at Emergency Survival First Aid Equipment we have these questions and others answered for you. Have you thought about your family pets? If not, no worries Emergency Survival First Aid Equipment has first aid contents specifically for your dog or cat. If you found Emergency Survival First Aid Equipment helpful in your search for the perfect first aid kit contents that match your families needs please share us with your friends on FaceBook, Google+, Twitter or Pinterest pin boards.

The 5 Best Survival Knives In The World


The Ultimate Survival Knife Shootout

The debate on which are the best survival knives are both ongoing and extremely heated. When searching for the best survival knives there are just so many choices out there that it's mind-boggling. I have searched long and hard, read hundreds of reviews and tested survival knives over and over and have come up with my elite list of the best 5 survival knives on the planet. Why five? The truth is just as each knife is different, each person is different and what survival knife is the best for you may not be the best for someone else. By the end of this review you should have an idea on which survival knives suit you best.
The 3 Most Important Things To Look For In A Survival Knife
Before we look at the top 5 it's important to see why I selected what I did. Survival Knives are not your standard chefs knife and must be made to withstand whatever you can throw at them without even the inkling of breaking or failing, lets face it, survival knives are made for handling a potential life and death situation. Here are the top 3 things all survival knives MUST have.
1. Fixed Blade - With recent technological improvements, folding knives have come a long way, but in the end they will NEVER be as strong or durable as a tried and true fixed blade knives. Fixed blade survival knives have a full tang that extends all the way down to the butt of the handle, and every one of my top 5 pics is a full tang, full fixed blade survival knife.
2. Top Notch Steel - This could very well be the most important thing to look for in a survival knife and is certainly one of the most debated topics when it comes to survival knives. While there are literally hundreds of types of steel out there, my top 5 pics are either stainless steel, carbon steel or a mix of the two which is my personal preference.
3. Thick Blade and/or Heat Treatment - Lets face it, survival knives aren't made to slice tomatoes for your next catering party, these knives are meant to hack, slash, chop, skin and save your life! We need a knife that will not fail you when failure means death. This is why we look for at least a 1/8″ blade thickness combined with a reputable company that will give the knife a proper heat treatment for maximum strength.
The Top 5 Survival Knives In the World For 2012
Whoa, pretty big claim there right? Well, first let me give you a little disclaimer. I know some of you will read this and say, "No way, X/Y/Z makes a $500 knife that is way better!" The truth is you might be right, but I don't know about you but I don't like spending $500 on a knife. This list is the top 5 survival knives FOR THE MONEY! Each of these knives will give you the ultimate bang for your buck, and each of them will typically blow away any $500 survival knife. I should also preface this by saying that these survival knives are in no particular order and I have not been paid by any of the manufactures listed here to favor any of these survival knives, this is just a list from my personal use and experience with these survival knives. Enough talk, lets get to it!
1. KA-BAR 7″ Fighting/Utility Knife
You can't search anywhere for quality survival knives without coming across KA-BAR. These knives are tried and true and have so much history and field experience that many won't even consider going with another brand. KA-BAR uses a 1095 Cro-Van Steel which is a stainless/carbon mix that is extremely tough and very durable, and yet just soft enough to hold a razor sharp edge. There are many types of KA-BAR survival knives but the one I like most is the 7″ blade with the Kraton G Handle, they do make a leather handle but I found Kraton G to be much better for grip and MUCH more weather-proof. Also, make sure to buy it with Kydex sheath, Kydex beats the crap out of leather hands down, don't worry about the few extra dollars, just get it! This knife can literally do it all and has been used by the USMC for years as their standard issue knife, and for good reason, this knife is simply amazing.
2. Becker BK2 Campanion Survival Knife
Ethan Becker broke the mold when he created this bad boy, with a blade thickness of 1/4″ this thing could withstand a nuclear attack! With a true full tang design where the handle is literally 2 pieces of Givory stuck around raw steel this honestly has to be the most rugged knife out of all my top 5. The Becker BK2 is tough as nails, I have seen videos of people putting hundreds and hundreds of pounds of weight on the knife without it so much as flinching, combine that with a beautiful drop point design and one of the best designed sheaths in the business and you have yourself a knife that will out cut and out handle most $400 survival knives at a fraction of the price! My only issue with these survival knives are that the blade might be a tad short for batoning wood, that said when I tested this knife I actually found it the easiest to baton with due to its super thick blade. Its bigger brother the Becker BK7 has a 7″ blade opposed to the BK2′s 5″ blade but it is a bit thinner and comes with a nylon sheath instead of kydex, very disappointing. This is why I choose the BK2 over the BK7, but honestly you can't go wrong with either.
3. Gerber LMF II Infantry Knife
I was never a big fan of Gerber blades as most are outsourced these days, however I'm not a big fan of Chevy cars...but Chevy does make the Corvette, which I adore, and this survival knife, my friends, is the Gerber's Corvette of survival knives. In my opinion it's Gerber's last redeeming quality. Made in Portland, OR of super tough 12C27 stainless steel, this knife requires very little maintenance, if any. This super thick, razor sharp blade can make short work of any survival task. Survival knives come and go these days, but this one is a tried and true legend in the armed forces and sees heavy use in wartime. Theses survival knives have a tough steel butt-cap that can be used as a striking weapon or a hammer and its sheath is one of the best designs I have ever seen. These survival knives are simply amazing, and for a cheap price you are getting a bomb proof, essential survival tool.
4. Cold Steel SRK (Survival Rescue Knife)
If you have ever seen Cold Steel's marketing you have either been terrified or grossed out, personally while I feel its slightly gimmicky it proves a point, Cold Steel make some of the worlds BEST survival knives, if it can cut through a whole cow it will probably do the trick. All joking aside, Cold Steel makes many types of survival knives, some cheap, some insanely expensive. For the money the Cold Steel SRK is one of the best designed and best made survival knives in the world. It is made of AUS8 Steel, which happens to be my overall favorite type of steel for edge retention and durability, it has a super tough, super comfortable Kraton handle (think super tough rubber). While the blade length is on the small side, it is very thick (3/16″) and very durable. It has a great Kydex sheath which man survival knives don't have these days. I love the drop point style blade design, I have always felt drop point blades make the best survival knives. Cold Steel make amazing knives and this is their best one for the money, hands down!

5. Buck 119 Special
What can you say about the Buck 119 special. This knife's reputation is a strong as KA-BAR's. Many outdoors-man swear by this knife and with good reason, its design has withstood the test of time. Buck's philosophy is, "If it aint broke, don't fix it" and who can argue that? This knife is super strong, razor sharp, easy to clean, no maintenance, no hassle and would you look how beautiful this bad boy is? 420HC stainless steel is used on the blade for super durability and if it ever breaks or fails, Buck has a 100% lifetime guarantee on it, a class act! My only complaint would be the sheath, which is leather, so make sure the blade is dry when storing it, or dont store it inside the case. The handle may get a tad slick if wet but I feel this knife has great ergonomics and fits tightly in the hand so it wont slip out, all in all a survival knife among survival knives!
Survival knives are so important in a survival situation, that if you were only able to bring one item with you, you would be foolish not to pick a good quality survival knife. While survival knives come in many shapes and sizes, this list of the top 5 survival knives in the world will narrow that list down for you quite a bit. Each one discussed above you could trust with your life and believe me many have. Survival knives can also be used for family camping and many other uses around the house making them invaluable tools for everyday use.
Don't leave your life to chance! Make sure you own one of these great survival knives, your life my depend on it!
If disaster struck as you were reading this sentence, would you be ready?
By Robert A Wilkie