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                        Survival Pack           At the last meeting, someone requested information on what should be included in a basic survival pack.  Most of us have either been in the military or have in some way been involved in camping trips at some level, so we have a general idea of what should be included in a pack.  Many of our patriot recruits however have never been exposed to woods or rough living at all and it's the responsibility of us more experienced people to help these folks in any way that we can in training them how to survive without the pumped in water and electric comfort of our homes.      The following lists show what should be included in a good basic pack.  Use this as a guideline to make up your own pack or to double check to make sure that you have everything that you may need in your already prepared pack.  Your personal needs of course may vary from this basic list, but an honest effort has been made to list what the average person with no experience should get together and have prepared at all times.      The lists have been divided into three categories, ... Priority 1, Priority 2 and Priority 3.  If you are preparing a pack for the very first time, use the list and read the detailed explanations to understand exactly what you need for each of these categories. It is strongly recommended that each person of the family has at least the items in Priority 1 in their very own personal pack.  Even little children should be able to carry a small book bag pack or hiking pack that can carry their personal food and clothing so as to take some of the weight burden off of the parent's backs.      Use the following guide as a check list.  As you gather each item, check it off the list.  By the time you have all the items listed checked off, you will have a fine basic set- up that will enable you to survive for several days away from a populated area without help from anybody.  Remember the term American Ingenuity!  The items for your pack do NOT need to be expensive or high tech items!  For example, if your funds are limited there is no need to purchase an expensive set of canteens, ... empty plastic liter bottles from soda make excellent and free canteens that are easily stored in a pack! ΙΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ» Ί                                                           Ί Ί                                                           Ί Ί                                                           Ί Ί                                                           Ί Ί    Priority 1 : (* Read the detailed explanations on the  Ί Ί                    following pages!)                      Ί Ί                                                           Ί Ί         Food & Water - (Pre_script_ion Medicines)           Ί Ί         Clothing                                          Ί Ί         Shelter                                           Ί Ί                                                           Ί Ί    Priority 2 :                                           Ί Ί                                                           Ί Ί         Weapons                                           Ί Ί         Ammunition                                        Ί Ί         Sleeping Bag - Blanket                            Ί Ί         Fire Starting Materials                           Ί Ί         Pre_script_ion Eye-glasses                          Ί Ί         Rope                                              Ί Ί         Insect Repellent                                  Ί Ί         Survival Tools                                    Ί Ί         Maps & Compass                                    Ί Ί         Cooking gear                                      Ί Ί         First Aid Kit                                     Ί Ί         Toilet Paper                                      Ί Ί         Light Source                                      Ί Ί         Soap, Toothbrush & Other Personal Hygiene Items   Ί Ί                                                           Ί Ί    Priority 3 :                                           Ί Ί                                                           Ί Ί         AM / FM Transistor Radio                          Ί Ί         Small Bible                                       Ί Ί         Small Survival Books or Pamphlets               Ί Ί         Sun Glasses                                       Ί Ί         Sun Screen Lotion                                 Ί Ί                                                           Ί Ί                                                           Ί Ί                                                           Ί ΘΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ1/4 Priority 1 Items: FOOD:           The easiest (and most expensive) way to have food           in your pack is to purchase Meals Ready to Eat           (MRE's) from an Army/Navy Surplus store or a           survival store.  The cost (as of this writing) is           around $4.00 for each meal if purchased separately,           or around $36.00 to $40.00 per case.  (12 variety           meals.)           The advantage to MRE's is that they are totally           self contained.  In addition to an (arguably)           tasty and nutritious meal, each meal package also           contains toilet paper, (freeing up much needed           space in your pack as you won't have to pack           separate toilet paper), a book of matches, snack           candy, coffee, powdered drink mix, gum, salt,           sugar, hand cleansing towelets and eating utensils.           Each MRE is about 1800 to 2200 calories, ... enough           to keep an adult healthy (if not happy) for another           day.  Remember, you burn more calories while on the           move than you do sitting in the comfort of your           home in front of a TV.           The MRE's come packaged in a water tight vacuum           sealed thick plastic pouch. They are quite buoyant,           and in a pack will provide more than adequate           flotation support to use if crossing a deep river           or stream for even a full grown adult.  Being           sealed the way they are, they can be buried for           weeks or months and retrieved at a later date for           consumption.           The disadvantage of the commercial MRE's is of           course they ARE quite expensive compared to what           you could prepare for yourself in a home made MRE.           If you wish to take the time and trouble, you can           dehydrate your own fruits and vegetables, prepare           stews and soups, jerk beef and other meats, pack           dried beans and legumes, rice and commercially           prepared bread and biscuit flours, (just add water)           mixed nuts, etc .           The disadvantage of preparing your own MRE's is           that for the most part you will need to re-hydrate           the foods before you can eat them using much of           your precious drinking water, and you will have to           cook them to make them edible. (The commercial           MRE's can be eaten dry if necessary, as the main           course already has moisture in it, and they don't           need to be cooked or heated.)           If you decide to prepare your own MRE's, be sure to           concentrate on high energy, high calorie LIGHT           WEIGHT foods.  Be concerned about nutritional           properties of the foods that you pack.  Whether you           buy commercial MRE's or prepare your own, you           should pack supplemental one a day type multi           vitamins to stay healthy. WATER:           Water will be one of the heaviest and most vital           items that you put in your pack.  Every member of           the family should have and carry at LEAST one           container of water.  Water is for drinking!  It is           not for washing hands or cleaning cooking gear!  If           needed, clean sand does a fine job of scouring           cooking gear.  Water can be carried in plastic           screw top bottles or canteens.           A small bottle of water purification tablets is           vital.  It's suggested that you have at least one           bottle per person in your family.  They can be           bought at Walmart, K-Mart, and many other           department stores or anywhere that camping supplies           are sold.  A drop of chlorine bleach per quart of           water can also be used to purify contaminated           water, ... but if you decide to pack a small           plastic bottle of bleach, be sure that the lid is           FIRMLY secured as bleach rubbing against skin for a           day will cause sever burns.  River and creek water,           ...  even water from a ditch, ...  can be made safe           to drink if you use a water purification tablet or           bleach.           Water can also be boiled to kill any bacteria or           insect larva if you don't have the purification           tablets or bleach, but it's very time consuming and           smoke from a fire may give away your location to           those that you are trying to elude.  Many people           are packing the little purification straws in           their packs for emergency use.  (These can be           purchased at most Army/Navy Surplus stores or in a           survival store.)  Using one of these straws, you           can literally scoop up a cup of muddy water and           suck through the straw giving you a safe drink. PRE_script_ION MEDICATION:           This is of course self explanatory.  It's suggested           that you carry at least a 30 day supply of any           medication that you or your family members need to           take on a regular basis.
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