With popular TV shows like “Man Vs. Wild”  and  “Survivorman” demonstrating their hosts survival skills in exotic places such as,  the Arctic Circle, deserts of North Africa, and the jungles of Panama, I think as viewers we tend to forget these guys are the best at what they do and have been training and fine tuning there skills for years.  As survivalist I think we all love to get out there and try out new gear and test out skills, but you gotta be reasonable in how you go about it. Take  41year old Richard Code for example. Code was a devoted fan of Canada’s Survivorman show and decided to put himself to the test in the Ontario bush in the dead of winter without a parka. When interviewed by  Yahoo Canada, his friend told the reporter:

“Code was well aware of the dangers, and prepared carefully for his trips, taking an axe, knife, and a top-of-the-line 17-function utility tool.”

In what world was does an axe, knife, utility tool and no jacket prepare you for10 degree nights and heavy snow fall? I hope the late Mr. Code’s story provides an eye-opening lesson about using your noodle BEFORE you head outdoors.

I started preparing about one year ago after what I saw happen in the financial markets. I, like many others are getting myself and my family ready for whatever the world can throw at us. However, like all of us I’m not even sure what I’m preparing for. That in itself makes the job more difficult.

If I knew a hurricane was going to be here one week from this Wednesday that would be a pretty  easy list to put together. But I don’t know when or what I will face, when it will start, or how long I will need to be self sufficient.

Thus, we are faced with what many of us see as the scramble  of a life time. Why, because what ever “it is” …it could happen tomorrow.

In some ways you can drive yourself crazy (and I have to some degree) trying to out guess myself regarding our overall supplies.

Should I buy a first aid kit first or should I buy another case of baked beans. Should I spring for a generator or should I go buy that used .40 Glock I saw the other day. It will drive you a bit nuts if you let it.

In the beginning (LOVE THOSE WORDS BY THE WAY) I would agree and suggest that you secure a few of the basics. Food, water and a decent first aid kit come to mind. Much of which you all ready have around the house. Don’t forget that much of preparation is organization. If you have it and need it but can’t find it you might as well not have it at all.

My son and I do most of the prepping around here and we are trying to keep things simple but focused at this point.

I don’t know about your house but at my house money is an issue. I can’t go out and spend twenty thousand dollars in one shot to get ready for an event they may not happen for five years.

Here then lies the solution, at least ours. Once you get a few of the obvious items that would be needed in nearly any emergency, start setting small goals.

For example my son and I just went out and bought five—five gallon gas cans. Total cost by the way about 60 bucks. In two weeks we’re going to go fill all of them up and store them in a safe place. Total cost, about 68 dollars.We would love to be able to go out and buy 100 gallons of gas and be able to fill twenty gas cans. For us right now that not practical.

We are now in the habit of spending about 120 dollars per month to prepare. Next month we will pick another area we think we need to fill in a bit more and we’ll drop another 120.

Now ever family budget is different but take the time to sit down either with yourself or with your spouse and talk about what that “number” is that you can comfortably set aside for that rainy, perhaps very stormy day. Cheers, Paul Karcher

In 1980, Jimmy Carter established the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the Alaskan Interior, cutting off 19 million acres of prime boreal wilderness from the mitts of fur trappers, oil tycoons, and would-be lodge owners alike. Only six families of white settlers were grandfathered in and allowed to keep cabins in the refuge—of them, only one still stays there year-round living off the land. His name is Heimo Korth, and he is basically the Omega Man of America’s Final Frontier.

Watch Far Out – Heimo’s Arctic Refuge

Part 1 – http://www.vbs.tv/watch/far-out–2/heimo-s-arctic-refuge-1-of-5
Part 2 – http://www.vbs.tv/watch/far-out–2/heimo-s-arctic-refuge-2-of-5

The 5 part series continues all this week on VBS.

Raised in suburban Wisconsin, Heimo set off in his teens to the Alaskan Bush to pursue the Davy Crockett lifestyle in more or less the only place it was still possible. Amid numerous setbacks and misadventures, Heimo gradually learned how to master his terrain, provide for his Eskimo wife, and rear children in one of the most inhospitable environments in North America.

In this premiere edition of Far Out, we take a bush plane to the middle of nowhere, Alaska, to catch up with Heimo and his wife, Edna—now reaching their golden years. Over the course of our ten-day stay, the Korths show us everything you need to know about fur-trapping, caribou-hunting, caribou-eating, river-crossing, boredom-staving, bear-avoidance, and bear-defense to live happily over 100 miles from the nearest neighbors. Vegans, you have been warned.

Armageddon Energy has a solar system-in-a-box that removes a lot of the pain and expense from installing solar systems.

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This article will guide you through the construction of a filter equivalent in performance to the Imperial Berkey that sells for about $300. My total cost was $122

Gather the necessary components. You will need the following:

• two 5-gallon food grade buckets (got mine from Lowes for $5 each)
• two lids for the buckets (got mine from Lowes for $1.50 each)
• a pair of Black Berkey filter elements (ordered mine on Ebay for $99 which included free shipping and a free Sport Berkey filtered bottle)
• a food grade spigot (the kind used for large coffee pots or water coolers is perfect, ordered mine from jamesfilter.com for $10)

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