No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

1. Most importantly, just because you pulled it with your truck a few times doesn’t mean that it will be pulled by your truck again. With that being said, keep in mind that not all vehicles are the same size. If you have a big hitch with sway and torsion bars then your hitch is probably adjustable and more than likely it is adjusted for your vehicle. Go take a look at the nuts & bolts on that hitch and make sure you have the correct wrenches stored IN the trailer WITH the hitch. Always, always store the hitch in the trailer with what you need to adjust every part of it. It will come in SUPER handy.

2. Misc Broken things:

• Super glue: get the variety pack of one time use tubes if you can. The super glue will always be dried out when you need it. The one time use tubes are great for avoiding this. Super Glue can be used to temporarily fix most of the plumbing on a trailer.
• Electric Tape: Exposed wires should not be. Check your brake line, it might have been dragged bare.
• Duct Tape: You got it! Good for a lot!
• Gloves: keep your hands scratch free!
• Tool bag with usual tools: You can buy ready to go tool bag/chest’s for under 50$ get one. They usually have an assortment of wrenches, a multi screw driver, a knife, flashlight (check on batteries)
• Shake or Crank Flashlight: Murphy’s Law, the batteries will be dead when you need it.
• A floor jack: Yes it is expensive and yes it is heavy but so is that trailer. Many trailers do not come with a jack for changing tires and the leveling jacks are NOT designed for this. Do not even attempt to lift the trailer (to change a tire) with the leveling or tongue jack. Get the big floor jack and stow it underneath. Most companies want you to use Road Side Assistance so you don’t get hurt but I figure this; if you can lift a floor jack than you should be able to handle changing a tire. MENTAL NOTE: Put blocks under the wheels of the trailer AND the floor jack when it is positioned so it doesn’t slide and CRUSH your silly head.
• Wet Wipes/Paper Towels/Towel AND Toilet Paper: In any situation where you need any of the above bulleted items will be a situation where you will get dirty, need to mop something up or wipe *something*.

Above all, have some common sense and ingenuity. Never put your life or the life of others at stake, if something doesn’t *feel* right about the trailer, it isn’t. Stop and investigate. If you’re not sure, find someone who knows better.

 If I missed anything that you feel should be here, let me know.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Ten Essentials:

1. Map
2. Compass
3. Sunglasses and Sunscreen
4. Extra Food
5. Extra Clothes
6. Headlamp/Flashlight
7. First Aid Supplies
8. Fire Starter
9. Matches
10. Knife

If you are reading this then hopefully you have already read the first post on Survival which is an outline of what you need to survive. We will be using this to further define the 10 Essentials.

Let’s break down this list into the the categories from the survival article.

1. Shelter
• Sunglasses and Sunscreen: they shelter you from the sun or glare from water, ice and snow. And depending on your prescription the sunglasses could be used to start a fire.
• Extra Clothes: again, more shelter
• Knife: Use it to cut branches, vines, plants for your shelter
2. Fire
• Headlamp/Flashlight: fire gives you light and you use these to light a fire (we’ll go over that later)
• Fire Starter: not the movie, usually a flammable paste or some kind of tinder. This can be handy in wet, damp weather when dry wood is hard to find.
• Matches: to light the fire!
3. Water (the original list did not specifically state anything related to water, BE WARNED you do need water storage and water purification abilities in most situations)
• Map: use it to locate rivers and other bodies of water.
• First Aid Supplies: I put this here just in case you pack water purification tabs in your first aid kit. If you don’t go put some in there right now.
• Refer to Fire and Clothing: With enough ingenuity you can build a water filter starting with these items (we will definitely go over this later)
4. Food
• Extra Food: eat it or use it to attract more food, like animals!
• Knife: use it to kill or cut up food.
5. Hope and Ingenuity
• Map: you need to know how to use it but it can be one of the most valuable items
• Compass: Very useful with or without the map, if you lose or break it, don’t worry we will go over direction later. Many compasses have a mirror, can be used for signaling.
• Headlamp/Flashlight: Use it to find your way, do things at night and for signaling. The parts can be used for other uses as well, sometimes the batteries can be used to produce a spark to start a fire.
• First Aid Supplies: many kits have the miminum plus. If your injuries are severe and you are not a doctor/medic you will need some ingenuity with your kit to patch yourself up. While a huge section in its own right, we will attempt to cover the basics for what are the most common injuries in the wilderness.

If you have not already, print this list and make a commitment to pack these items into at least one bag in the next week. Be sure to pack a large water bottle and some water purification tablets as well. Put this bag in your car so it is there when you need it.

That is all for now and stay tuned for our next installment where we cover the alternative lists and other items you should bring with you (or at least seriously considering doing so)

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I’ve read hundreds of survival ‘guides’, books, cards, websites and so on and have always wondered what the most important tool/item would be for a survival situation, of ANY kind. Ingenuity. You can be without a knife, but you can make one out of bone, or stones, and sometimes wood (stabbing/spearing knives). You can be without shelter, but you can make one out of your surroundings. You can be without food, but you can find it or even discover it with the right testing process. You can even be without water but you can find it readily (in most cases). Even if you are without a map you can find your way.

Obviously that would be closer to an extreme situation and we all hope you don’t end up in one. But what if you do? What if for some magical reason you end up in the wilderness, all alone and with nothing? What do you do?

First thing to remember is to have some ingenuity. Ask yourself, What do I have? What do I need? What can I use to get/make it? And for today, remember this, and in this order: Shelter, Fire, Water, Food, Hope.

 There is a story about a lost hiker who was found dead, leaning against a tree with the butts of two packs of cigarettes strewn around him. He had been missing for ten hours. 10 hours! He didn’t die from smoking either. For some reason or another the man felt hopeless, completely hopeless. The autopsy found no poisons or obvious sign of death and the coroners came to the conclusion that he just died, from hopelessness. Far fetched? Possibly, but there are millions of stories about people who persevered in the face of adversity simply because they had hope. That is why it is in the list.

Shelter: Many survival situations can be easily survived if you protect yourself from the elements. If you are in the desert, staying out of the sun will help to minimize your water loss. If you are in the frozen tundra it can keep you from losing too much body heat. Many parts of the world have extreme temperature differences between day and night. Shelter will help you with this.

Fire: Fire warms the mind in addition to the body. You can use it to signal (white smoke in dark areas, black smoke in light areas, light signals at night, more later) It can be used to cook, purify water, keep you warm, keep insects and animals away and to light up your area.

Water: Depending on the environment and your exertion level, you can only go so long without water. First minimize water loss but drink water if you have it. Second find more water. Most water in the wild will need to be purified. Boil it for at least ten minutes if you can, filter it or use water purification tablets. Even running water can be rife with little critters ready to wreak havoc on your innards and cause you to lose even more water than you gained.

Food: You can go longer without food than water but you will need to find it. Even if you think you will be rescued soon, do not wait till the last minute to find food, you might not have the energy. Survival is an ongoing process, do it always. If you don’t know an edible plant from a poisonous one, do not worry there is a method to help you distinguish and discover. We will go over that in a future article.

 So what have you learned? Ask yourself “What do I have? What Do I need? What can I use to get/make it? You are human, humans have ingenuity, use it. As for the checklist, say it out loud with me “Shelter, Fire, Water, Food and Hope” Although you should always have hope first, I put it at the end to help tie it all together, and to remind you that at the end of the day it is the hope you have that will get you through the next.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.