Reasonable question.

Ideally, you don't want to have to use any more resources in your bag than you need to. Eventually your matches will run out. Not to mention a big bag of matches will create much more weight and take up more space. You'd only use the lint as a cheat if you couldn't find or make dry tinder.

The matches will run out, and so will the dryer lint. Not seeing any advantage there.


Matches don't seem all that heavy, given what you get in return. Put me down for waterproof matches in my bag.

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The matches will run out, and so will the dryer lint. Not seeing any advantage there.

Matches don't seem all that heavy, given what you get in return. Put me down for waterproof matches in my bag.

Nothing wrong with waterproof matches. Especially on a short term basis. But if it turns out to be long term situation and when your matches and my lint run out I can still get a fire going with the fire starter. I won't have to learn on the fly how to be a caveman.

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If you collect big bags of dryer lint, why not just collect big bags of actual matches?

The lint is used as tinder or kindling. I have waterproof matches, a small magnesium block and a Bic lighter. Also brillo pad and 9 volt battery. Those are firestarters but you need something to catch fire to so lint, vaseline cottonballs, twig shavings, etc., all do the trick. If you have wet kindling around you all of these should be dry in your pack so they would light easier.

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Here you go minorcan,


Fire starter, 550 cord, first aid, a couple good knives, multi tool, waterproof matches and or a lighter, reflective blanket, extra clothes including a hat, compass and the knowledge of how to use it, map of your area, whistle, LED flashlight ( if left in the bag a while keep an eye on the batteries) extra batteries, waterproof container or a dry bag, toiletries like soap and toilet paper, wet wipes (makeshift shower if need be), mirror, a stainless steel container you can use to cook with ( can also house a lot of your items in it), protein bars or MREs, fishing line and some tackle.


That'll get you going. Americus had a bunch of items too that may prove to be very useful like the knee highs. But that list above would be a good starter. Of course, if there are three of you in your family or whatever your case may be, pack extras of some of the items like clothes for them as well. There is much more you can bring. You don't want to be heavily loaded down, but at the same time, there's a saying that goes "travel light, freeze at night" or something along the lines.


If I missed an important one maybe someone can add to it. Search online as well, and take a look back at the earlier posts. Whatever you put in make sure you learn to use them correctly. Heck, a small pocket radio or a deck of cards could even help you to stay sane.

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I like Survivorman with Les Stroud. Not a fan of Bear Grylls, plus Stroud does his own filming with no camera crew.

 

Very true, but my problem with Les is that he does things you shouldn't do.

 

Grylls may stage a lot of stuff, but at least he does more things the "right way."

 

Example - I've seen Les eat snow for survival.  Big no no.  You melt it in your canteen or container before drinking so that you don't risk lowering your core temperature as much as eating it frozen.  Les tends to use older, traditional (perhaps even "ancient") methods of the past - where Grylls' training has taught him newer/safer/more efficient techniques that are better to use in some circumstances (in addition to the more traditional basics Les also employs.)

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"You do your own thing in your own time. You should be proud."

Do you carry guns in these scenarios?

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Nothing wrong with waterproof matches. Especially on a short term basis. But if it turns out to be long term situation and when your matches and my lint run out I can still get a fire going with the fire starter. I won't have to learn on the fly how to be a caveman.

On enough of a long term basis, everything runs out. Then I'll have a head start on caveman lifestyle already.


I mean, we're talking doomsday scenarios right? Not getting lost in the woods for a week?

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Do you carry guns in these scenarios?

I do. But then again i have one nearby most times anyway and if I'm headed into the woods I would regardless.

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On enough of a long term basis, everything runs out. Then I'll have a head start on caveman lifestyle already.

I mean, we're talking doomsday scenarios right? Not getting lost in the woods for a week?

Actually I am more into the surviving a week or so out in the woods. I'm not a Prepper. I added Prepper to the title because I thought they were similar enough to include. I figure if it is a doomsday scenario then I'm just pretty screwed and forget the bag give me my guns. Lol. But am interested to hear what preppers may have as well.

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Very true, but my problem with Les is that he does things you shouldn't do.

 

Grylls may stage a lot of stuff, but at least he does more things the "right way."

 

Example - I've seen Les eat snow for survival.  Big no no.  You melt it in your canteen or container before drinking so that you don't risk lowering your core temperature as much as eating it frozen.  Les tends to use older, traditional (perhaps even "ancient") methods of the past - where Grylls' training has taught him newer/safer/more efficient techniques that are better to use in some circumstances (in addition to the more traditional basics Les also employs.)

I prefer Les over Bear but I did like how Bear's show was a little more intructional. I liked how he'd jump into freezing waters just to show you how to get dry and warm afterwards. I liked how he showed a bit more when it came to cleaning animals. However it kinda seemed like he went too far with that and the show became a "hey look at me eat this nasty thing!" Sure it's helpful. But for me it got old.


I like how Les goes it alone. Seems like more of a survival situation. I agree that he does a few things against the books. But, he does tell you that up front and explains why he did. In the case of the snow eating, I think he had no container to melt it in and explains that worse case scenario, if you need the hydration just go ahead and eat it. I recall bear in an episode saying to never do it... I guess it's one of those things. He has so much experience surviving off of little to nothing that he knows he can get away with this or that. But for a novice like myself I could potentially make matters worse trying to attempt similar things.


I also like how after the original Survivor Man shows were over he got creative and did the season of headed out with some tribes or primitive villages, the 10 days, and whatever the spin he did this past season.

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Actually I am more into the surviving a week or so out in the woods. I'm not a Prepper. I added Prepper to the title because I thought they were similar enough to include. I figure if it is a doomsday scenario then I'm just pretty screwed and forget the bag give me my guns. Lol. But am interested to hear what preppers may have as well.

Ahhh gotcha. Ok, well I guess that changes my thinking a bit.


I thought we were exclusively talking end-of-world here.

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Do you carry guns in these scenarios?

I will. 

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Ahhh gotcha. Ok, well I guess that changes my thinking a bit.


I thought we were exclusively talking end-of-world here.

My husband thinks of end of the world as we know it type stuff a la TWD minus the walkers, and I'm like.....yeah. I don't really want to live in that reality. At all. I'm the same as Jags on this. Get out in the woods and learn some cool stuff but other than that, I like civilization as we currently know it even if it does piss me off most of the time- or at least the people do. I like hot running water and coffee on a daily basis and being able to shave the legs and armpits, brushing my teeth without worrying about rationing my toothpaste, antibiotics, etc. 

 

But I could totally see SHTF and it's all a crapshoot. So knowing some skills and having some stuff is not a bad thing.

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My husband thinks of end of the world as we know it type stuff a la TWD minus the walkers, and I'm like.....yeah. I don't really want to live in that reality. At all. I'm the same as Jags on this. Get out in the woods and learn some cool stuff but other than that, I like civilization as we currently know it even if it does [BAD WORD REMOVED] me off most of the time- or at least the people do. I like hot running water and coffee on a daily basis and being able to shave the legs and armpits, brushing my teeth without worrying about rationing my toothpaste, antibiotics, etc. 

 

But I could totally see SHTF and it's all a crapshoot. So knowing some skills and having some stuff is not a bad thing.

Yeah, I see. I think I'd have two different bags then. They'd be very different haha.

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Yeah, I see. I think I'd have two different bags then. They'd be very different haha.

I do though they both have some of the same basic things.

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I'm a homesteader, sure I think eventually the economy is going to collapse and we're looking a Soviet union style reset in the United States, and that belief factors strongly into where I live, why I live out here and what I do in my spare time. I guess you could call me a prepper since I do have medical equipment, fire starting material, food, water and household essentials purchased in bulk and stored away but that's just common sense, when you live 50 miles from the nearest supermarket you don't ever want to run out of toilet paper.

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I'm a homesteader, sure I think eventually the economy is going to collapse and we're looking a Soviet union style reset in the United States, and that belief factors strongly into where I live, why I live out here and what I do in my spare time. I guess you could call me a prepper since I do have medical equipment, fire starting material, food, water and household essentials purchased in bulk and stored away but that's just common sense, when you live 50 miles from the nearest supermarket you don't ever want to run out of toilet paper.

True story. 

 

Also, my husband and I would love to be homesteaders but at this point in our lives it's just not feasible. Our home is paid for and right now we're not in a financial position to take on land and a loan to build a house, since that's what it would take in this area. If we were to get my medical bills paid off and when I finish school I get a good paying job, then something might be able to happen, but we're in our (almost) mid-40's and to take something like that on may be more than we could physically handle with 2 people working full-time and both having some physical limitations like his bad back and my shoulder that still needs surgery.

 

Now if we could move to the family cattle ranch in Colorado and start with the gardening and everything else, that would be perfect. It's an excellent location in the middle of nowhere, his nearest neighbor is 2 miles away, and has a basement for storage and other awesome features that would be exactly what we'd need. But my uncle might not want roommates. Lol. He's an old cranky bachelor. ;-) And my husband has longevity at his local government job that's hard to walk away from even if we both agree that by the time he's able to retire none of that stuff may be on the table. 

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True story.


Also, my husband and I would love to be homesteaders but at this point in our lives it's just not feasible. Our home is paid for and right now we're not in a financial position to take on land and a loan to build a house, since that's what it would take in this area. If we were to get my medical bills paid off and when I finish school I get a good paying job, then something might be able to happen, but we're in our (almost) mid-40's and to take something like that on may be more than we could physically handle with 2 people working full-time and both having some physical limitations like his bad back and my shoulder that still needs surgery.


Now if we could move to the family cattle ranch in Colorado and start with the gardening and everything else, that would be perfect. It's an excellent location in the middle of nowhere, his nearest neighbor is 2 miles away, and has a basement for storage and other awesome features that would be exactly what we'd need. But my uncle might not want roommates. Lol. He's an old cranky bachelor. ;-) And my husband has longevity at his local government job that's hard to walk away from even if we both agree that by the time he's able to retire none of that stuff may be on the table.

You don't need lots of land to be a homesteader. Start with some garden boxes you'd be ammazed how much food you can grow in a 12x12 box. Plant some fruit bushes that do well in your climate. Get some rain barrels and have the rain water fill them up. Eventually you catch the bug and start seeing all kinds of ways to be "more" self sufficient. I'm a bit of a radical my goal is in 10 years to be debt free and if I need to be able to live off everything I grow and raise on my property. It's a huge task but little steps right?

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You don't need lots of land to be a homesteader. Start with some garden boxes you'd be ammazed how much food you can grow in a 12x12 box. Plant some fruit bushes that do well in your climate. Get some rain barrels and have the rain water fill them up. Eventually you catch the bug and start seeing all kinds of ways to be "more" self sufficient. I'm a bit of a radical my goal is in 10 years to be debt free and if I need to be able to live off everything I grow and raise on my property. It's a huge task but little steps right?

How do you acquire ammo?

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

You don't need lots of land to be a homesteader. Start with some garden boxes you'd be ammazed how much food you can grow in a 12x12 box. Plant some fruit bushes that do well in your climate. Get some rain barrels and have the rain water fill them up. Eventually you catch the bug and start seeing all kinds of ways to be "more" self sufficient. I'm a bit of a radical my goal is in 10 years to be debt free and if I need to be able to live off everything I grow and raise on my property. It's a huge task but little steps right?

Sadly we are not on our own land. We own a mobile home that is on someone else's lot- there are 6 of us who own and just rent the lot. And we don't have a great deal of space. We've considered the best way to do garden boxes and the only good place sun-wise is right where we have to drive and park. We are surrounded by pine trees and scrub oaks that completely shade anywhere else we could do it and we can't cut them down because it's not our property. I tried container veggies a couple of years ago and something just didn't turn out right because nothing happened of consequence. I wanted to try again last year but had major surgery in February that took me out of the game past the time to get things going. Maybe this year. 

 

We do have a rain barrel that we've used mainly to water flowers, plants and the birdbath. It came in handy last weekend when we lost power due to snow and ice and I went outside and filled a bucket with water to flush the toilet because yellow is mellow but brown goes down. I do want to get a couple more barrels for sure.

 

My husband has the same mindset as you but only acquired it in the last year or so. He kicks himself in the butt mentally for not thinking about it before but he was a bachelor until we married and 40 so things like this just didn't ever occur to him. When we married I introduced him to a completely different way of seeing things and it still took him 3 years to figure it out. Lol. And yes- it all happens in steps. I don't know how old you are but it's good to know you are aware of this fact. Many are not and try to do everything at once. 

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