When it comes to survival foods, there are many choices. Let's review some of the top choices of survival foods that work best for different situations.
Canned Foods - For many people just starting out, canned foods are the most practical and inexpensive to buy. Little will go to waste, if the foods you stock up on are items your family actually will eat. Simply rotate the cans as you buy new ones. Write the expiration dates largely on the front of each can with a felt tipped permanent marker, place them on the back shelf and pull from the front. This is how supermarkets rotate their old stock. While out shopping, be sure to grab the cans from the back of the shelves as they usually have a longer shelf life. Canned foods can give you almost unlimited choices, be sure to pick up canned fruits, vegetables and sauces. Broths can be combined with dry foods like rice and beans and make a rather tasty meal. Canned foods are best if you have a place to store them, and you are staying put in your home or shelter. The downside is the cans are very heavy as the food is preserved in water. They also can go bad if the can is dented, if you ever notice a can that has a bulge, throw it away. This is a sign that bacteria has started to grow and the seal has been compromised.
Dry Foods - Dry foods like grains rice wheat and beans are easy to store. They can have a shelf life of many years and will last a very long time if kept in a dark, cool and dry environment. When storing dry foods in large volumes, make sure they are stored in rodent proof containers. Also, beware of nuts as they will not last unless vacuum packed and then be sure to check the expiration date. Similar to canned foods bulk dry foods are something you typically don't want to have in your Bug Out Bag unless they are in smaller quantities.
Dehydrated Foods - The most popular of all survival foods, dehydrated foods are vacuum packed and all the water is removed. They are known to have an extremely long shelf life, as all oxygen is removed from the packaging. They are also known as "Meals Ready to Eat" (MREs) and while not a gourmet meal, they are actually not too bad to eat. The packets are extremely light weight and easy to carry, their foil pouch also doubles as a dish. Just add boiling water and you can eat your food right out of the bag. These type of survival foods are favorites of campers and hikers and the military due to their light weight and easy prep. They come in many different flavors and are available for breakfast dinner and even dessert. Since no cookware is required, this can save you even more weight and let you bring more food along instead. While there are many different manufactures of dehydrated survival food, always be sure to check the manufacture website or package labeling for shelf life.
No matter which survival foods works best for you, stocking up is the key to make sure you have food available when you need it most.
A saw is often times handier than an axe or knife. While a knife and especially an axe will cut wood, a saw can do it faster and stealthier. In a survival situation, it is not always desirable to draw unwarranted attention to one's position.
A good survival saw should be well made and fold into a compact unit that can easily be carried on the belt or pack. Let's look at some of the best survival saws that are lightweight, easy to carry and will hold up when they are needed most.
Ultimate Survival Technologies SaberCut Saw is basically a hand held chainsaw with bi-directional cutting teeth and two straps attached to each end. This little unit will cut through small branches with ease. The main advantage to this saw is it packs up really small, although it is a little heavy to carry around all day.
This next saw is another super compact backpackers saw that makes quick work of cutting wood for camp. The 21" Sven Saw Backpacker's Saw assembles into a larger size saw when assembled. Yet when folded up, it takes up hardly any room at all. Super light and reasonably strong this makes for a good saw to have in the car or pack. One thing to be aware of is the wing nuts they use tend to work lose in heavy use. Better to have a spare on hand because when you lose one it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Try putting some blue Locktite on the stud, let it dry and than assemble. This will add some friction to the wing nut so it will not come lose as easily. Handy little saw and well worth keeping one in you car.
For the top of the line backpackers saw the Sawvivor Collapsible Saw is the one that fits the bill. Made from aluminum for weight savings with a design that is strong and comfortable to use. This saw will not let you down. This is a quality saw that will cut through limbs and small trees like butter. The best part is, it does not cost that much. If you can only afford one saw, this is the survival saw to get first.
Sawvivor Collapsible Saw
Leave the Chainsaw at Home - Silky Saws Make Quick Work Of Brush Removal
If you have not yet experienced the hand crafted precision working cutting, trimming and pruning using a Silky Saw, you don't know what you have been missing. These precision saws built in Japan offer razor sharp teeth that shred through the toughest hardwood with minimal effort.
From their small and compact Silky Folding Landscaping Hand Saw SUPER ACCEL 210 to their largest Silky Saw 403-50 KATANA BOY 19.8-in Extra Large Tooth Folding Hand Saw, Silky has you covered with some of the best and highest rated saws on the market.
One just needs to read the reviews on Amazon to see there is something special about this tool. When you consider the price and maintenance, along with the extra weight, risk of serious injury and noise it is no wonder that many people are simply opting to buy a Silky saw and leave the chain saw at home.
The Silky SUPER ACCEL 210 Large Teeth Folding saw is one of my favorite saws. The teeth are razor sharp and I have cut small trees with this saw with ease. This unit is made in Japan and is top quality. This is a well built little saw and light to carry in your pack. The rubber grips protect your hand and keep it from slipping. In my opinion you will be hard pressed to find a better made folding saw. While there are many other folding saws out there, I have not found one yet that measures up to the quality and cutting ability of my Silky 210.
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When faced with our worst case survival scenario, building a fire should always be in the back of our minds. Fire can add comfort to the worst situation. Used for boiling water to make it safe to drink, cooking and warmth, without fire we can't survive for long.
Waterproof Matches - Easiest Fire Building Tool The most simple way to start a fire is with matches. Waterproof or Stormproof matches are by far the best since you don't need to worry about a little water getting on them and making them useless when you need them most. The storm proof matches are nicer as they flare up hotter than normal matches with less chance of getting blown out by wind. In a SHTF situation this is one more advantage in your favor.
A good idea to always keep all matches in a waterproof container as additional insurance against moisture. If you get caught in a down pour, you will be happy to have your matches nice and dry. Keep a container full of matches on each person and a large bulk package in your bug out bag to restock from.
The Exotac MatchCap Match Caseis one of the nicest match cases I have found for keeping matches dry. It is made from lightweight aircraft grade 6061 black anodized aluminum. Built into the case are two match strikers and a lanyard loop. The Exotac Match Case is waterproof to 16 feet and will do a great job of protecting your matches from the harshest elements.
As a back up, its a good idea to keep a flint or two in your pack in case you run out of matches. This gives one more simple way to start a fire with dry tinder. Depending on how dry the tinder is, a flint can take a lot more effort to get a fire started than with matches. Take good care to protect your matches and use them sparingly so they will be there when you need them. Trust me the matches and a flint beat making fire by rubbing two sticks together anytime.
When Starting a fire with a flint, again it is very important to use dry tinder and protect the sparks from wind. You can also buy pre packaged tinder sticks, to keep in your emergency pack to make fire starting chores so much easier.
Ultimate Survival Technologies Blastmatch Fire Starter is the flint I keep in my bug out bag. It generates a stream of super heated sparks, that are actually much hotter than a match. In case your Blastmatch flint should get wet all you need to do is wipe it off and it still works. It also comes with it's own carbide striker, so you won't need to use your knife. Another very popular flint is the Swedish Firesteel a bit more compact than the Blastmatch, it works equally as well and costs a few dollars less.
Water Proof Matches, Match Case and a good Flint is something no bug out bag should ever be without.
Some time ago, I wanted to see if I could control my Westinghouse TV using an Arduino micro-controller platform.
When I started, I didn't know what communication protocol was being used by my TV, so I used the same approach described earlier in this post, to look at the data being transmitted from my remote control. After analyzing the output, I matched it's protocol signature to the already well defined and commonly used Sony SIRC standard. This website was extremely helpful in doing that analysis.
I then began the process of implementing the protocol in the Arduino language. I broke the protocol definition into three simple transmission parts:
- sending the header
- sending a 0 bit
- sending a 1 bit
Here's some code to help you get started - a method for each part of the protocol:
I then assembled those into the proper sequence to produce the IR blast required to control the TV. Here is a simple explanation of the sequence used to control the TV:
1. Send header
2. Send command (this is info like raise the volume, channel up or mute...etc.)
3. Send device ID (this is like TV, DVD, Tuner...etc.)
This needs to be repeated a minimum of 3 times for the receiver to verify that it indeed is a correct message being sent. Here is a brief video showing a simple looping program that sends commands to my TV.
