Build the Dakota Hole Fire - It's very effective

I always thought of the Dakota Hole Fire as something mostly for stealth, when I wanted a fire, but didn't want others to know, it is that, but also much more.

What are the reasons to build a Dakota Hole Fire?

• To have a fire that is not easily visible to others
• For a safe controlled fire in windy conditions
• Efficiency, cooking can be done with very little wood
• To leave an area visibly untouched-have a fire and leave no trace
• Ideal for use in partially sheltered conditions, like a lean-to, under a tarp or other open shelter

Let's talk in a little more detail about each of the advantages of the Dakota Hole Fire

Read the whole article on our website here

The Key to Survival - Don't Neglect this

With practice comes improved ability and that increases confidence, which bolsters attitude - Perry D Peacock

In our time there is so much technology that it is astounding, we come to depend a great deal on it. I once took a survival class from Jim Phillips, he emphasized that everything made by man comes with an unwritten guarantee, to fail when it is needed the most. We all commonly refer to this occurance as Murphy's Law. There is always something out there lurking to knock us down or stall us in our progress. There is always an opposition that we battle against.

I recall a time in my younger days when I was out with some friends in some remote mountains, we were scouting for deer. Due to rainy slick conditions....

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Learn to Love Camping in the Snow and Rain

It' s been said there is no such thing as bad weather

As a kid for some strange reason I always loved to be out in bad weather, especially the cold. Eventually I learned to enjoy living in the cold, the snow and winds. It's really a perspective that's shaped by our experience. It' s been said there is no such thing as bad weather, just different kinds of weather. I don't know if that's totally true, depending on where you are, a hurricane or tornado can certainly be a terrible deadly experience. But in general if we learn and prepare we can learn to love most kinds of weather.



Check out the full blog post on our website, click here

When do I starting thinking Survival?

How do I Know, When does Survival start?

This may seem like an odd question to ask, yet the answer and it's timing can make the difference in life or death. In a previous blog I wrote about paradigm shifts, which is basically to say we change our view of things when we go into survival mode. Delaying this shift in thinking can cause fatal procrastination in shelter building, obtaining water, or personal care. So just how do we know when to shift into survival mode? Let me illustrate this with a story of an event that happened to me last week.

I had recently found a canyon to ride my mountain bike in that had a great trail, twists, turns, creek crossings and all. I had been on the trail a couple times already and wanted to explore further on each of it's two forks. It had snowed and rained the previous couple of days and although most of the snow was melted, there were still patches everywhere. The stream, now many times it's normal size with snow melt runoff, was still passable.

I rode my bike further up the left fork than I had previously been, and shot a couple of videos for use on our YouTube channel. The sun had gone down while I was just getting started, due to the steep canyons, but I still had time to ride in the daylight.

I was dressed for cool weather, my 60/40 pants, wool socks, a Tee shirt, and a cotton hoodie, I also had a fleece cap in my Camelback. On my handle bars I had secured as usual my Wilderness Innovation Off-Road Survival Kit.

On the ride up the canyon, I had for the most part portaged my bike across the stream, due to the high water, there were about 15 crossings to be made. When I started back down I figured to ride most of the crossings, being that I was going downhill anyway and would have some momentum with me.

I made the first few crossings nicely, then there was a long traverse as the trail descended, soon I came upon my next crossing, it was deep, but looked doable and I continued into the water. At that moment I noticed something in the water, a large pothole midstream, which at this point was too late to do anything about. In an instant I was thrown over my handle bars and headlong into the icy water. I suddenly stopped as my right shoulder hit on a boulder under water. I felt sharp pain. The water was flowing over me as I struggled to get up, not being able to use my right arm.

As I was able to get up I saw, my bike upside down, wheels in the air. I noticed my Survival Kit still fastened on the handle bars. I dragged the bike and myself to shore. My right knee was hurting pretty bad. One of my first thoughts was, if I can't make it out I will have to start a fire soon, to get warmed and dry out. The air was already beginning to chill into the 30's. It was a relief to know I had the survival kit, at least I could get a fire going and get some basic shelter if I needed to.

I determined that if I could get out of the canyon to my truck that would be best. I would start down and see how I did, if I felt like I couldn't continue, then a bivouac would be made for the night.

My shoulder was dislocated, so I knew I needed to try to get that fixed, and after swinging my arm around a bit it popped into place. Now how was my knee? It really hurt to walk on it, but I figured if I could get onto my bike, I should be able to coast most of the way down and would only have to walk the crossings. That seemed to work, but the shoulder pain was intense and my right arm was only used mostly for the brakes.

I was able to successfully get out, I was pretty cold, sore and in pain, but I made it. As I reflect back I am pleased to note that instinctively, one of my first thoughts was sheltering up for the night. I was ready to stay the night, I had to talk myself into continuing down. I felt good that I made the shift to survival mode at once, automatically, I would not risk further danger by continuing if it wasn't safe.

Train yourself to be ready, not to go on, but to stay and to shelter if that's the safest thing to do. Avoid the need to press on, sometimes it can be deadly.

Until next time - Perry Peacock, "Simplifying Survival"

The Twig Stove - A 9 ounce Powerhouse

Evolution of the Twig Stove
For me it all started in the 70's. My grandpa Peacock was a Beekeeper as a profession and my dad did it as a part time job while working towards his retirement at age 50. I worked in the business a good part of my growing up years. I was always trying to improve something, lazy, haha. One thing was the smoker, a can like device with bellows that also served as a handle. The fire chamber was typically filled with burlap and started on fire. the lid with a small hole was closed. Not enough oxygen was present to flame so it would smolder. Squeeze the bellows and a puff of smoke came out. This had a calming effect on the bees.

I had an idea to make the handle a battery case and to install a small fan on the side of the smoker cylinder near the bottom. Light the burlap as usual, then for a puff of smoke press a button on the handle, the fan would pulse on. The design was great.

As I got into High School, I really got into hiking and camping, which continues to this day. In the early 80's I remembered the smoker design and decided to modify it for use as a stove.

It was astounding in it's heating ability, well actually too good. I melted my first stove. So I had to make the fan smaller, still a bit much, so I put a speed control on the fan, excellent.

Until recently I made my own fans with small DC motors from Radio Shack, to which I soldered a fan blade fashioned from a piece of tin. This arrangement worked very well.

We have now substituted small pancake fans like those used to cool computers.

Exactly What is a Twig Stove?
It is a metal cylinder (48 oz soup can) with the lid cut out. A hole in the bottom to mount the fan over. There is a feed hole near the top for adding twigs while cooking. Inside a grate is formed by punching a bunch of holes in the lid that was removed from the can. Several nails or metal rods are bent and fastened to swing to adjust for the size of cup or pan used in cooking. Whew!! That's it.

What makes the Twig Stove so Appealing to use?
It's light weight at just over 9 ounces (255 grams) is certainly appealing, combine that with its totally hollow interior that can be used for storage means it is light and takes almost no space. There is no fuel to take, about any little thing that burns can be used, Twigs of course are great. You will need a battery, we use 9 volt, and that will last for hours and hours of cooking. It only takes a handful or two of twigs to cook a meal. Works great in the wind. It is cheap to make or you can buy one from us. The Twig Stove is safe, no fuel to spill or explode, no gas cartridges to dispose of. After initial starting, the stove can operate nearly smoke free, relying mostly on a bed of coals.

Check out the videos on the amazing Twig Stove, we have several already and more will be added from time to time.

Info on how to make your own Twig Stove

Buy a stove already made

We are really Simplifying Survival with this stove.

Until next time - Perry Peacock

Springtime - Adjusting to changing Conditions

...and a new product we are refining, a Survival Blanket

A while back we did a video on Youtube, a little Quick - Tip about the spring season. Spring is always the wonderful time of year. Snows and cold recede and slowly fade away as summer approaches. The grass shoots forth, trees bud and bloom, all life is seemingly regenerated.

This blog is a follow up on the last one dealing with this time of year specifically and in more detail.

In winter the snow is cold and while temperatures remain in the 20's and below, it is in reality a dry time. Typically spring is a time of moderating temperatures and rains. Spring can be fickle with cold one day and warm the next. This presents a hazard to those who spend time outdoors.

The Problem
Rain combined with cold can be difficult to deal with, and in many ways more troublesome than sub-zero weather. I read a book years ago where a doctor studied the results of a distance sporting event in Scotland, where athletes became hypothermic in what was considered mild weather. The factors were rain and storminess, and although not severe, they had a tragic effect on these athletes.

If you have watched a blacksmith you will note that he works steel that is red hot, he can quench this in a bucket of water, and in seconds it is cool enough to handle with bare hands. This is the tremendous heat conducting capability of water. Water can conduct or absorb heat 30 times better than air. If you think of water taking heat away from your body, you can imagine a continuous filament of water between your skin and the cooler air, your body's heat will travel on this filament from your skin and dissipate into the the cold surrounding air. This is wonderful if you are hot, but quite dangerous if you are in colder conditions.

Rain and general wetness of the environment when combined with cool air temperatures can create situations where hypothermia can easily occur. We commonly talk of the dangers of hypothermia in very cold winter conditions. I believe it is much more a danger in wet conditions where the temperatures are say 30 deg F to about 60 deg F. Most of the reasoning for this is we are not as well prepared to deal with the wet cold.

Solutions
You must do all you can to stay dry. Overexertion can cause excessive sweating which in turn accelerates body heat loss. If it becomes rainy use a raincoat or wait it out in shelter.

We have been conducting tests adapting some clothing and shelter materials that we have used for decades in Sub-Zero camping and living.

We consider the use of cotton as a taboo in winter, and this carries over into spring until temperatures become hotter. I recently placed myself in an overnight test, to rain for hours with temperatures of 35 to 45 degrees F. I had on a Cotton T shirt, Poly/Cotton pants, wool socks
and a new product we are refining, a Survival Blanket made of foam and nylon.

As I retired to sleep, I found the T shirt was terribly uncomfortable, soaking wet and cold, and I removed it. The pants were more comfortable, but because of dampness, I could not get warm while still wearing them, so I removed them. I had on nylon/poly underclothes, they were quite comfortable and did not retain moisture or feel wet. Eventually I removed my wool socks as they were too cold.

Now in just the Survival Blanket which initially was absolutely soggy, yet still reasonably warm. Over time my body heat drove most of the moisture from the blanket, hour by hour I became more comfortable and drier.

So the rules are:
1) Stay as dry as you can, ie, raincoat, tarp or tent.
2) Wear clothing that does not hold onto water, synthetics, poly, nylon, etc.

Check back for progress in our testing.

Stay dry, stay safe, Simplifying Survival - Until next time Perry Peacock

For the Beauty of the Earth...Watch out

The earth is quite a nice place, but it can also cause us grief.

A few weeks ago in church we sang "For the Beauty of the Earth" and it got me thinking. The earth is a pretty wonderful place, at least what I've seen of it.

Laying on the hood of a car at -40 in Canada watching the most beautiful display of the Northern Lights. Seeing a couple of tiny blue flowers in the midst of a desolate plain. Watching the frothy surf roll in from a South Carolina lighthouse. The light blue waters of the Caribbean. The stunning scene looking across Lake Louise to the snow spotted mountains of the Canadian Rockies...I've gotta stop, cause I could go on for quite a while.

When I think about it, there is some sort of beauty in just about every place I've ever seen. With all the scenery of the outdoors to look at sometimes it mesmerizes us. We can become lost in the view, somehow it doesn't seem fully real, and yet it is.

The Problem -
The world is at the same time both rich in its views and smells, and also cruel and unmerciful in its dispatch of those who are careless. We are lured like an insect to a Venus Fly-Trap, enjoying every moment until it's too late, and snap we are caught.

Many times we just forget caution when we get out exploring, everything seems so wonderful, that it never occurs to us that danger lay all about us.

It can be a hike on a nice sunny day up into the mountains where weather can change in a moment, and we find ourselves not properly clothed.

We can be having a blast way back in the sticks on a rough road, when it all changes with a punctured gas tank, now what was a few hours of fun could be days of walking.

The Solution -
When I was a kid learning to drive on the highway, my dad would always ask questions, "what if that car up ahead came into your lane, what would you do?" There were always what if questions. He was trying to teach me to not only enjoy the drive, but be aware of any dangers and try to decide ahead of time what to do.

I suppose I learned a little from those lessons, I have avoided many dangers in my life. I find myself sub-conscously asking myself, "would that make a good shelter if I were stranded here?" Or, "If the truck broke down right here in the middle of nowhere, what would I do tonight?"

We should not fear the wilderness, but with the main focus of our vision see the beauty, and smell all the natural scents with our noses; and at the same time with our peripheral vision, be looking for shelter, or signs of danger. We should always have a little thought running in the background, analyzing our situation and options. It's all part of what they call "situational awareness," it's a way of both enjoying the surroundings and preparing for anything that might threaten us.

We might just call it "Preparedness on the go." So yes the Earth is indeed beautiful and we can safely get out in it and return, if we keep our wits about us.

Remember, Simplify Survival, observe, plan, and have a great day!!

Until next time - Perry Peacock

Survival and Time Paradigms

How we view time may save our lives - Peacock

HISTORY
When I think of times past I am most recently reminded of my grandfathers life. His was one of great change, being born in the 1890's life was dramatically different by the time of his death in the 1980's. His father owned some small department stores in several outlying towns of the old West. Grandpa at an early age drove a wagon and team of horses to the city to get goods for the stores. It was a short distance in todays travel, but it took him 2 weeks to do the round trip. He had many survival experiences. Today we could do the same thing a couple times in one day.

I think of the polar explorers whose expeditions were measured in years. Marco Polo's China trip was 24 years. Shackleton's survival experience on the Antarctic ice was 1 1/2 years. Lewis and Clark's trek across the early U.S. was 2 1/2 years.

THE PARADIGM
Why do I use the word Paradigm? A paradigm (pronounced para dime) is a frame of reference, it is how we view things, our perspective. It is something we can change at will.

In todays world we see things changing fast and even become worried if they don't. Change in our time is so frequent and so common that if something is static, we look upon it as dead.

Now here's where the paradigm comes in. The world is still the world, in other words nature is still nature. If we leave the modern world, venturing into the vast open wilderness, time somehow changes. Not time itself, it still ticks on as always. What changes are our perceptions. Things slow way down. We are not jet setting from place to place. Doing simple tasks takes longer. If the weather is cold things take even more time to accomplish.

How does this affect survival? Well we are still in the same predicament regardless of our frame of reference of time, but if we do not shift our paradigm we may hasten our demise. How so? Early explorers in the Arctic regions thought of the Eskimo peoples as lazy, but eventually discovered there was a purpose in the slowness. They saved precious energy, they did not make hasty decisions, and it was simply not practicable to try to do things quickly under the extreme cold conditions.

Over the last 30 plus years I have collected and read countless stories of everyday people out in the sticks, something fouls up, and they go nuts because they have to be home by 7:00. So many in their haste have made horrible mistakes costing life and limb. To be ruled by the clock in such conditions can be tragic.

HOW TO DO IT
While it is recommended that trip plans be made known to loved ones. It should also be communicated that if problems should arise, safety will rule over the clock in dictating the return.

When you are out and your equipment breaks down, make an immediate paradigm shift, you are now viewing time in days, weeks and months, rather than the usual seconds, minutes and hours.

To help make this possible do the following. Obtain survival training, by book, video or real life. Practice what you have learned all the time and with your loved ones and friends around. This does 2 things, 1) it makes you better at it and 2) it lets your family and friends know that you are capable of dealing with tough situations. This provides relief to you and to others, creating an easy transition when you need to shift your perception of time to survive.

Until next time, Simplifying Survival - Perry Peacock

Book Review: Miracle in the Andes

I'm constantly reading books about survival, preparedness, disaster, etc. to keep my mind honed in on the important factors involved in dealing with and ultimately surviving a variety of circumstances.

At first I didn't really want to read this book, I knew the story, part of it is repulsive and grotesque. I felt this was not "true survival" that perhaps they had cheated to survive. But on the high recommendation of some fellow survival folks I determined to see it through.

I found the book irresistible, it was difficult to put down, I would start reading late when tired actually, and still read till 2am. The key to this book is that it is written not by a writer researching, but by a survivor himself, Nando Parrado, who describes to us his innermost thoughts and feelings, taking us into his thinking process. even revealing to us the demons that fought to discourage him.

First here let me deal with the unseemly, the cannibalism that occurred. While even after reading the book and discovering the dire circumstances, I am yet still repulsed by the thought, and in my own mind, feel to just let death take me rather than to partake. Certainly all would have died without eating of this flesh, they had to go 72 days, about 60 of those would have been devoid of any food. As it was they were all on the very precipice, many could taste death it was so close, these formerly muscular conditioned athletes were now but skin and bones.

Without the disgusting cannibalism there would be no story, 18 people would not have later married and had their own families. They only managed to do the deed by imagining that those whose bodies were now food, had passed away, that the body was dead and would soon decompose anyway, and that perhaps those who died would have wanted it this way, giving of their body much like an organ donor, to sustain the lives of their friends.

This plane load of rugby players from Uruguay for the most part had never seen snow before, and now here they were trapped in a high mountain valley 12000 feet up, in late winter. There was no way out by walking down, only by climbing up and steeply at that. Nando and one other finally were able to make it over the top and out to get rescue after climbing a peak of 17000 feet with no ropes, no climbing boots, no coats really, no gloves, then a difficult trek of some 45 miles. It was a desperate situation, no one was coming to look for them, they were assumed to all be dead somewhere in the vast Andes. Nando and Roberto had to make it or all would be lost.

For survival they had broken glass for cutting, tin sheets on which to place snow to melt in the sun, the fuselage of the plane for shelter (although the windows were broken out and the back was open), they fashioned blankets the best they could from the seat covers, they made snowshoes from the seats. They tried to improve their clothing by stuffing whatever they could find into it for added insulation. They really had little to work with, no experience, and bitter cold at night. They were seldom able to really sleep due to the extreme shivering from the penetrating cold that invaded the fuselage each night.

In the end Nando's drive to survive was the closeness and love he had for his father, he could not bear to leave his father so alone, having already lost his wife and daughter in the crash. As is so often the case in nearly all the stories I have read, love seems always able to conquer the unconquerable, to make impossibility flee and to vanquish death that would seem so inevitable.

This book is absolutely worth reading, truly there was a Miracle in the Andes, each survivor had their own mental and physical battle to win. Every survivor had to somehow scrape up the will to live, they each many times came to deaths door and managed to turn away. Some survived due to God, for some it was the desire to see a loved one. They all had to find that one irresistible reason to live on another hour, another day, another week. They had little hope of survival, but by resolving upon a reason to live, they were able to do anything that needed to be done to make it.

Until next time - Perry Peacock, have a great day!!

Is it Survival or Preparedness?

Too many times we think of survival as; an accident or unfortunate event has happened, now we've gotta make it through. So what's wrong with that kind of thinking? Or is there anything wrong with it?

I think it has more to do with the attitude than the process. If we do nothing to prepare for the unexpected, the unexpected will certainly catch us unprepared to deal with it.

We've all experienced "Murphy's Law" in our lives, it preys unmercifully on those who are not ready. It quickly makes a tragedy out of a hardship.

I tend to take issue with those who view survival and preparedness as static issues, something where we can do x and y and we are eternally ready. That is just not at all the case. We become complacent when we gather together a few things, read a book or two, dabble with a few things and then declare I am now ready, no need to think anymore about it.

Both survival and preparedness properly done demand constant updates , consistent practice, and regular evaluation. It's like the saying goes about luck, the harder a person works at something the "luckier" he becomes. If I were to venture into the vast unknown with nothing but my shirt and jeans then fall into a bad way, I may well survive, but the amount of work and struggle could be enormous. If, however, I take with me a kit, like our Off Road Survival kit, my time may be tough, but I would be capable dealing with it much easier, so we see where the puzzle piece of "preparedness" fits.

Being prepared is the oxygen that keeps survival alive.

An example of what I mean by saying preparedness is an ongoing project follows. Tonight I was repacking things from a snowshoe hike over the weekend. I checked the mantles on lanterns, I fully fueled the white gas stoves and lanterns, I organized my food in my pack. Now having all that done, I am ready at a moments notice to go.

I try to integrate the survival mentality into all I do. Whenever I am "out in the sticks" I like to practice something, or try out some item from my pack or survival kit. This practice not only hones my skills, but lets me know that perhaps some item I was counting on is not sufficient, allowing me to upgrade before I'm caught in a situation.

I use my First Aid kit items, I use my FireStarter Kit, I use my Swiss Army Knife, my 550 parachute cord, my whistle. A survival kit in todays world is looked at as something you buy and stash away, waiting for "the big crash" this is a tragic mistake, use it, then replace things as you use them up.

One thing I love to watch is the old Warren Miller skiing movies of guys skiing unbelievable powder snow in exotic locations, they just flow down the mountain as easy as can be, it's beautiful to watch. Now if I tried that, it would not look so graceful, I haven't trained nor had the experience to do it like they do. The same is true with your survival kit, and your survival abilities. If the "big situation" happens to you, would you like to gracefully and confidently take care of all that needs to be done? If so practice, use what you have.

Till next time - Perry Peacock

Stay Warm Use the Jacket Bivy

If you have read as many survival stories as I have, if you follow rescues in the paper, there are plenty of people who get out on snow machines, ATV's, bikes or hiking and either try to go too far or run into some difficulty. Then it's decision time, "do I still try to get home or do I button up and spend the night?"

All to often those who forge on are the ones who don't make it, they get lost or in more trouble due to darkness. Tiredness and the onset of hypothermia can make proper judgement difficult or even impossible.

Search parties don't generally run at night, so your chances of being seen moving about are eliminated. It's so easy to get into more serious trouble by pushing on after dark.

The best course of action in most cases is to work out some kind of shelter. Get out of the wind, rain or snow. Insulate yourself the best you can. Avoid working too hard on this, you cannot allow yourself to get sweaty before settling in to bed.

Perhaps we should envoke the KISS principle here, Keep It Safely Simple. Utilize your machine to block wind. Find trees, brush, rocks, snowbanks, etc. for sheltering you from the elements. If you are in snow, try to find something to insulate you from the snow while laying down.

An effective way to keep warm is to use your coat as a bivy, check out our video. If it has a hood pull it over your head to add more insulation. Now get situated for how you are going to lay, pull your arms out of the sleeves and into the chest area. Cross your forearms over your chest.

Doing the jacket bivy has a couple of advantages. One, by pulling your arms in against your chest, you are able to keep them warmer than they would be out in the sleeves. Two, by crossing them over your chest you are able to share the warmth of blood circulation between your bodies core and the arms.

Hopefully your coat is large enough for this. I always try to buy coats a bit over-sized, as this allows for better layering and also makes the jacket bivy easy to pull off. If the sleeves are cut too tight, many times you can take the jacket off zip it up, and pull it over your head like a sweater.

So if you ever get stranded, keep your wits, shelter up and use the jacket bivy to keep yourself cozy till morning.

Stay safe and enjoy to outdoors - till next time - Perry Peacock

Old or New - I'm Torn

It's interesting, the evolution of things. I have spent a lot of time this past year looking back at equipment I used to use, and reading about what was used in the 1800's to the 1930's. At first glance it makes me think, "how did they ever survive with that stuff?" However, on further analysis much of that gear was simple in a cleaver sort of way.

Today money is the only thing separating us from all the so called "top of the line" equipment. I say so called for a reason, when we look at what the early explorers did without solar heat absorbing fabric and sophisticated insulations, without titanium cookware, and freeze dried food, no polycarbonate utensils, without GPS navigation, exotic butane powered stoves and cooking systems, and tents made of super-light synthetic materials; we are left to wonder how they did it.

We just need to go back to the essentials of survival; shelter, fire, water, food, and medical care, take care of these and it doesn't really matter what materials we use. Granted the new materials and gear can be much more effective, weight saving, and efficient.

I guess I can say I'm in a phase right now where I am testing the old and trying to integrate it with the modern. In our haste for materials perhaps we have bypassed some of the old methods, discarding them before evaluating their usefulness.

I was reviewing some new gear the other day, here are some examples: Inflatable sleeping pad that is extremely light, $150 and somewhat fragile. It's great technology, but can't I make myself comfortable without that? How about the specialized stove-cook set combos that can boil water faster than you can imagine, nice, but you can't interchange anything, want a bigger pot, sure $150 will get you one. There is something to be said for a tin can pot set in the coals, takes a little longer to boil water, but what am I in a hurry for, will I miss the bus?

Well I'm not against all this modern gear, I'm seeking to learn some of the old stuff, to get acquainted with a slower pace of life, to relax. I don't want to be timing my boiling water to see if I set a new record. This new stuff is cool, so cool, it's amazing and I love it.

But what really turns me, is the thought of taking my Wilderness Innovation Off Road Survival Kit, and the Personal Survival Tarp, some oats, ramen, jerky, chocolate mix, rice and flour in some ziplock baggies and wander off for a few days to make the best of it. I don't really want to go primitive, I did that years ago. I guess a little bit of minimalism kinda rocks my world.

Whatever you are into for survival items, camping gear and cooking, make yourself comfortable and settle into the wilderness, learn to enjoy the challenge of making yourself comfortable with whatever you have. Breathe deep the clean fresh air and get into loving the outdoors.

Until next time - Perry Peacock signing off, have a great day!!

PST Sneak Peek - Our new Personal Survival Tarp

I know I should wait, but sorry it's just too exciting to hold back now. We've been busy working on the PST or Personal Survival Tarp for some time now. I have done sketches earlier in the year, and off and on over the years. About six months ago I got intensely into research, the most helpful things came about while investigating tents and tarps from the 1880's to the 1940's, the information from those studies helped to congeal what I had in my mind and the things I had been drawing. I took all those notes and did a CAD drawing, from there we started prototyping. Shauna helped to refine and improve some of the construction.

So just what is the PST?

The concept is to have a tarp that is light weight, very durable, water and wind proof, sized for one person. The tarp is 7 feet square and made of rip-stop nylon, it has 18 webbing tabs for configuring various shapes; the tarp is sold with 5-20' hanks of 550 Parachute cord, 4-9" tent stakes, shock cording, and a tough Cordura nylon bag like the one for the Off-Road Survival Kit, only a couple inches taller and equipped with MOLLY PALS attachment system.

We know of 14 different ways to pitch the tarp, and there are a couple others to try out. That's the idea, a tarp that can be set up many different ways according to conditions. I've used it and pitched it many times in the mountains near the shop, and recently in the desert of Southwestern Utah.

The more I use the tarp the more I love it. I knew it would really be cool, but as I use it and learn from using it, I am more pleased all the time. It seems so simple and it is, but at the same time a very capable piece of survival gear.

We will have much more on it in the next couple of months. I'm not certain how soon we will begin marketing it (haha I just started here in this blog :), but easily in time for spring. Check out more pics and details on our FaceBook page, be sure to Fan us so you can keep up with things.

I've got to get to bed soon, but I may not sleep well, I have plans in the morning as soon as it is light to work with the PSTarp, it's all so exciting.

Until next time, have a great day!!  Perry Peacock

Survival – Circles of Priority - Targeting

When I think of survival, or even emergency preparedness, I tend to divide it up into categories. It's hard for us to do everything at once, and if we try we may become discouraged. The old saying still holds, “How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time.” So lets break it all down and get organized, visualize a target with a bulls-eye at the center, and rings expanding out from that.

Step 1 - The Center or Bulls-Eye: EDC or as the survivalist world knows it Every Day Carry

Another blog on Every Day Carry will follow this one, with a post by Beau, detailing his experience with what he likes to carry, and his interviews with others about what they have with them. This is usually personal, and it should be, some items people don't want to disclose, and that's fine as well.

The only other thing I will say on this, leaving the rest to Beau, is I try to be a realist, a lot of what I see people saying is EDC is not; it is only EDC when out in the bush. I want to know what people carry ALWAYS, to me that's the true EDC. I always have a knife and a fire starter for example, that's my bare minimum.

Step 2 – First Ring: Personal Essentials – What most would call a Survival Kit

To survive all of us need the same things: Shelter, Fire, Water, Food, and Medical Care are some general categories. The amount of each we need varies according to our circumstances and our personal condition, but regardless, all of us will perish without these things. When I'm talking of the First Ring – Personal Essentials I'm thinking of what an individual needs to live out a couple of days to perhaps a couple of weeks, truly surviving the ordeal, not necessarily in comfort.

Based on these factors we developed our Real Survival Kit and the it's enhanced brother the Off Road Survival Kit, both of these providing the tools needed to help a person get through difficult times. The kits contain items such as: Victorinox Swiss Army Knife, Doan Magnesium Fire Starter, 550 Parachute Cord, Compass, Whistle, First Aid Kit, Flashlight, Poncho, Space Blanket, Fish Hooks and leader, etc...

Step 3 – Second Ring: Personal Efficiency Survival Items – For Effective use of Time and Energy

Although our Wilderness Innovation survival kits, or kits you may have providing the same functionality, will generally get us through the tough spots; something of consideration, especially if the conditions are exceptionally rough or the amount of time we must stay out is extended, is conservation of energy and good use of time. To the onlooker, a person in a survival situation has nothing but time to kill, and that is most certainly not true. In our modern society the amount of time we spend procuring food, shelter, fire and water, is relatively small. When conditions force us to survive, those things are now life and death matters, with not much leeway in there, 3 days max without water and depending on conditions, perhaps not even a day without fire or shelter. Time is critical to manage effectively.

Why the emphasis on energy conservation? The human body requires a lot of energy (calories obtained from food) just to stay operational. When a person doesn't know when he will eat again or in what quantity, it becomes imperative that all energy used is metered doing only that which is essential.

So in light of what we've just discussed what items would be key to saving energy and time?

Folding Saw – We may hack away with a folding knife or just try breaking branches for fire or shelter, but with a folding saw of 10 – 16 inches, we can do perhaps ten times the work for the same energy, and the time savings is proportional to that as well.

Tarp – A personal size tarp is light weight and very effective for creating all or part of a shelter. A lean-to of branches and boughs may take half a day to make, a debris hut may take a day to several days to make, a shelter formed with a tarp may be constructed in 15 to 30 minutes.

Fixed Blade Knife – A person may choose to insert a 4” to 6” heavy duty fixed blade knife here and forgo the Folding saw, placing it in the items of the Third Ring. A knife of this type is useful in chopping with a baton, carving, cutting, splitting and many other functions. A saw is certainly much more effective at cutting, but the knife is the only option for splitting.

Reserve Food Items – Carrying of extra dried or packaged food, will easily extend the time a person can hold out, as well as providing comfort and consolation in a difficult time. Ramen noodles are light, flavored, quick and easy to prepare, and they are convenient to combine with whatever a person may find locally. These should still be limited, light, and easy to prepare. Jerky, dried fruits and vegetables, rolled oats, nuts, etc.

Step 4 – Third Ring: Personal Comfort and Safety Items

At this point I would consider that we have broken somewhat from surviving to living, and this involves a good deal more in preparedness than simply survival items. This is where more thinking is involved and much more personalization, and customizing. In fact these items in the Third Ring will usually vary with the trip or adventure

Stove - This is a nice addition, it saves always having a fire, particularly if one is not needed for warmth, or is difficult to start or maintain due to current conditions. Food preparation time is greatly reduced, as is boiling water for purification.

Larger Tarp or bivy – For extra comfort a bivy or larger size tarp can offer more protection. I prefer the tarp because it can be configured so many different ways, where the bivy has a single method of deployment. Our new Survival Tarp Series are tabbed out in a way that they can be set up more than 12 ways.

Extra Food Items – Adding some MRE's or Freeze Dried meals can really take the edge off of a very tough situation. Include some food items you have tested and tried to give some welcome comfort while awaiting rescue.

Expanded First Aid – Include some personal items that you may need due to a condition. Triangle bandages, more gauze and cremes and lotions, perhaps a suture kit. Add plenty of extra pain relievers, etc.

Water Filtration – The addition of a quality water filter set up can save lots of fuel or time in the fire which makes moving about easier if you need to. Use the filter to stock up your water bottles

Ax – Finally as mentioned earlier an ax can really be a blessing. It can effectively split wood and even chop in a reasonable manner, you can use an ax to pound in stakes. It is unparalleled in prepping a pile of wood for the fire. You can get the job done and then relax a bit.

In closing, this list is not at all totally inclusive and should be in many cases customized for each person. More information and details will be discussed in future blogs.

Have a great day – Perry Peacock

Wilderness Innovation New site is Home to the Blogs Now

Well there has been much progression in the business at Wilderness Innovation. We have a totally new site design, with our products, and we will be adding many others shortly, a shopping cart finally, and the site is now the new home to our blogs. There will be 2 or 3 blogs a week, we already have 8 blogs up covering subjects like Haiti and considering our own preparedness, keeping dry in the snow, getting enough fluids. The blog has also introduced new items and features such as:

We have a new logo

We are making lots of new videos, 65 currently, with 20 more just on winter on the schedule.

Some of the videos are on food at home, preparation, storage, etc.

We have introduced on our YouTube Channel - Wilderness Quick-Tips which are short videos of less than 60 seconds that give a little hint or idea.

Some of the blogs are video blogs, and others have links to related videos

Our YouTube WildernessInnovation Channel is picking up steam gradually, we now are getting more than a thousand views a week, and that is great. We want steady growth and not a flash viral, although if something went viral, who would complain?

Can I let the "cat outta the bag?" Sure at least a little info, mostly because I can't possibly keep my mouth shut  about it, too excited I suppose. After lots of research and designing we will shortly introduce a new product. But hold it, it doesn't even have a name yet, it's so generic. Anyway its our Wilderness Survival Tarp, and it's so cool. It will come in 2 sizes 7x7 personal and a 10 x 10. It is lightweight super tough ripstop nylon, digital camo and it can be configured in at least 11 different ways due to how it is tabbed out. The WST will come in a bag like the WI Off Road Survival Kit complete with the additional attaching method PALS for MOLLE packs.

So anyway check us out if its been a while, (click me)