GLOW STICK BUZZ SAW
When most people think of a glow stick nowadays what comes to mind are roller rinks, sporting events, or rave dance parties. Although I’m not a big fan of glow sticks for survival lighting, there is a hack way to use one that makes an excellent (and really simple) rescue signal. Tie a 3' length of rope to one end of the glow stick and spin it as fast as you can in a circle facing the direction of your rescue party. At night, this will create a glowing orb, 6' in diameter, that forms an effective visual rescue signal—a big out-of-place moving object. A rescue signal like this one can be seen for miles by a ship or plane. To learn more about this hack, visit www.willowhavenoutdoor.com/general-survival/the-buzz-saw-nighttime-survival-signaling-technique.
REARVIEW RESCUE
I’ll never forget the story of a family lost and stuck in their car in the middle of winter on a snowy logging road. On several occasions, rescue planes flew overhead but the snow-covered car couldn’t be seen on the thin road in the dense forest. Survival signal mirrors are a staple recue tool in almost every single survival kit. The reflection of the sun’s rays from a signal mirror can be seen for miles by a plane or boat. Even the reflection from a bright moon has been known to save lives. Any mirror or reflective surface will work just fine. A simple hack, if stranded in your vehicle, is to yank the rearview mirror off the window (it’s just glued on) and use it to reflect the sun. Vanity mirrors on the visors also work very well.
HANSEL AND GRETEL SURVIVAL
If you’re on the move, marking your path of travel has two advantages. First, it allows you to retrace your steps if necessary. Second, it allows a rescue crew to follow your route. A good trail marker should incorporate three elements:
It should appear to be manmade. Try not to make a marker that could happen at random in nature.
It should have movement if possible. Strips of material hanging from branches that blow in the wind are a prime example.
It should indicate your direction of travel.
Two trail marker hacks include a tube of lipstick and an emergency survival blanket. You can shave away the bark of trees to the white cambium layer and draw a lipstick arrow as a marker. An emergency survival blanket can be stripped into hundreds of 1" × 4" strips and hung from branches as glittering signs of travel.
Chapter 8
Everyday Carry (EDC) Kits on a Budget
EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #1
The Mentos Container Pocket Kit
EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #2
The M&M’s Minis Container Pocket Straw Kit
EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #3
The $3 Kit
EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #4
The Keychain Kit
EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #5
The Paracord Bracelet Kit
EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #6
The Shoe Sole Kit
EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #7
The Cell Phone Belt Pouch Kit
In general, survival hacking becomes necessary due to a lack of preparation, planning, or both. There is no hacking substitute for proper gear, solid plans, and tested knowledge. One of the best ways to prevent having to hack your way out of a sudden and unexpected survival scenario is to carry some tested survival gear on your person. This is known as an everyday carry (EDC) kit.
At a minimum, you should consider the core four categories of survival when building a personal EDC kit:
Shelter
Water
Fire
Food
Many survivalists include first aid, tools, and self-defense as core categories as well.
An EDC kit is nondescript, often fitting in pockets, on a key ring, in a purse, on a belt, or in a combination of places. Larger EDC kits can include fanny packs or even backpacks.
An EDC kit can get expensive if you let it. In keeping with the theme of this book, I’ve decided to dedicate this chapter to EDC on a budget. Look at it as the hack version of an EDC kit. Following, I outline 7 different kits to illustrate that there is no right or wrong EDC build. I hope these spark your own creative ideas, and you can share those with me via e-mail at creek@creekstewart.com. Who knows, I may ask if I can feature your idea in a later edition of this book!
EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #1
EDC ON A BUDGET KIT #1: THE MENTOS CONTAINER POCKET KIT
As mentioned in A Perfectly Minty Lighter Box hack in Chapter 3, an empty Mentos gum container makes an excellent disposable lighter box. I took this a step further and turned one into a full-on survival pocket kit.
CONTAINER: EMPTY MENTOS GUM CONTAINER
At 31⁄2" × 11⁄2" × 1", this container is rigid, nearly crushproof, and waterproof. It easily fits in a jacket pocket, glove box, or purse. It’s lightweight, durable, cheap, and can be opened with one hand. With the label left on, it’s also disguised as a container of gum during an unexpected pocket dump.
CONTENTS
1 3' duct tape. Wrapped around the outside of the container is 36" inches of duct tape. This can be stripped and used as cordage and also makes very good fire tinder.
2 Ranger band. Stretched around the outside of the container is a Ranger band. A Ranger band is simply a crosscut piece of bicycle inner tube. This can be used as weatherproof fire tinder or to hold additional items to the outside of the container.
3 Mini Bic disposable lighter. This is one of the most reliable fire-starting tools available. It will work in nearly every survival condition except extreme cold and very high altitudes. Even then it’s not completely useless because you can still strike sparks into tinder from the striking wheel.
4 Folding razor knife. You can use this little 2" knife to process cordage, clean wild game, gather wild edible plants, and carve trap sets.
5 Small spool nylon thread. This was given to me by a friend who works at an automotive manufacturing factory. This is the thread used to sew dashboards together. It’s some seriously strong stuff and fits perfectly into the kit. It can be used for fishing line as well as for shelter lashings and guylines.
6 3 fishing hooks. Sandwiched between 2 pieces of packing tape, I’ve included 3 fishing hooks of different sizes. Become comfortable with sourcing live bait, natural bobbers, and rock sinkers. Improvised hooks are very difficult to make and are not effective.
7 Water purification tablet. Stuffed in a crack is 1 water purification tablet capable of purifying 1 liter of wild water. This is sealed in a waterproof foil casing by the manufacturer (Aquamira).
8 6" cotton wick. I cut 1 6" length of cotton lamp wick in half to make 2 3" sections. These off-the-shelf cotton lamp wicks make excellent fire tinder when shredded. It will ignite with just sparks from a ferro rod or broken lighter. Of course, it can also be used to make a crude slush lamp (see the Ladle Slush Lamp hack in Chapter 7).