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Show Contents 31st August 2015

Show Notes
I start this weeks show with my survival knife the Titan, then the Wilderness Gathering 2015 Report, Blizzard Survival 2% Discount offer, How To Purify Water – Water Purification Process, The Get Home Bag? The Ribzwear 30% Discount offer, What is Emergency food? My Thoughts on EMP, the Wilderness 121's 10% Discount offer, The Bug Out Week North East 2015 is Coming, Homemade Cheese, Survival Cooking Risks, the Midimax 10% Discount offer, What Goes Into You BOB? Little Boy, the Field Leisure 10% Discount offer, Has Anyone Tried This? The BUGGRUB 10% Discount offer, The Deadly Enemies to Your Survival, the Hunters-Knives 10% Discount offer.

Here is my "SURVIVAL BLADE" the Titan

It is designed by me and hand-made by a true craftsman Mr David Tilling from Welsh Knives, his Face Book page is here. https://www.facebook.com/WelshKnives?pnref=story

Titan is an all rounder, built of 8 mm. 01 steel, hardened and tempered with a choice of wood or mycarta scales and a leather or kydex sheath. I think it is "THE" survival blade.

Titan with Wood Scales

Titan with Micarta Handle

A Zippo on Titans back

The Wilderness Gathering 2015 Report

Well I am just nicely back from the Wilderness Gathering and what a fantastic weekend it was.

Meeting old friends and making news ones while eating the finest of food and drinking the finest of beverages.

Imagine Elk stew, Bison burgers, Organic cakes, flavoured Jerky, Pancakes, and of course the British breakfast of Sasuage, Bacon and Eggs, Oh! and not forgetting, Fine Tea's, Coffee's Somerset Cider and Meade, all these things added together almost garuntee success.

Those of you who have never been should seriously consider booking for next year.

This year there was even a party of preppers and survivalists from the Netherlands which was great and having spoken to them, they say that they really did enjoy their visit and all said roll on next year.

I really want to thank some very special people, without whome my weekend would have been very much diferent.

Roger, Dominic and their staff are the kindest most caring people, and I want to thank them very much for allowing me to use their staff toilet, for providing a taxis service to and from my classroom, and for taking time to look after me, making me feel safer to be honest.

Peter Martin you are a star my friend thank you,and cheer's to you and I wish you good luck and a lifetime long marriage to you and your very special lady.

Charlie, what can I say my friend, but my deepest thanks for your caring and support, Charlie tried his best to re-name the Titan and all I can say is watch this space.

I hope that next year Fiona will be able to attend, as I missed her this year. Fiona don't forget the water to go bottle for your trip to lios, and have a great time.

Bear Foot Bob, now known as Up and Down lol, thank you for your photo's and video's mate, it was great to see you again. Thank you also for fetching and carrying.

Joe and Jackie you are true friends, thank you for being concerned and for offering help when needed.

Fraser, George, Will, Pablio, Sonni, Ash, Madhi and many, many others it was really great to see you all again.

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How To Purify Water – Water Purification Process

“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink,” as the old saying goes. A more apt statement for these times might be, “water, water everywhere, but is it safe to drink?” And if it’s not, what is a reliable water purification process?

Whilst at school I was taking part in the DOE silver award and climbing slieve Binion in N.I. it was in the high 70's, I was thirsty and there was this clear running stream coming down of the mountain. Yes I had a drink and then filled my water bottle too.

Would I do that now knowing what I now know no way, unless it was a life and death situation of course.

Sadly, in this day and age there are few, if any, places where the water is safe to drink without treating, no matter how pristine and inviting it may look.

Water in the wild often contains harmful microorganisms, bacteria and parasites that can cause a variety of ailments, such as giardia, dysentery, hepatitis, and hookworms. Luckily, however, I am going to cover a few simple ways to purify water to make it safe for consumption.

The simplest method to purify water is probably boiling.

You need to bring the water to a full, rolling boil to be safe. The down side to boiling your drinking water is that it removes the oxygen and the water ends up tasting flat. You can improve its quality by pouring it back and forth between two containers to put oxygen back in, or simply shake it up or better still add a powdered juice mix..

Water Purification Process: purifiers

There are also several chemical purifiers on the market. Iodine (Banned in the EU), available at www.iodine.com comes in either liquid form, (which can be messy), or tablet form.

One to two tablets or drops will clear up a quart of water. Shake your water bottle or container and wait twenty minutes before drinking. Water treated with iodine will have a darker colour and a bit of an unpleasant flavour.

It is possible to mask this flavour by adding a powdered drink mix, but be sure to wait the twenty minutes before adding it, as it will interfere with the iodine’s effectiveness.

Other chemical treatments to purify water that work similarly to iodine are chlorine tablets and potassium permanganate. You should be able to pick these up fairly cheaply online.

You can even add a few drops of bleach at a pinch, though I wouldn’t recommend overusing this one. It is important when using chemical purification to make sure all surfaces have been decontaminated.

After waiting the twenty minutes, slightly unscrew the lid of your water bottle or container and rinse around the threads and lid. The nice thing about using tablets is the container is very small and portable and can be slipped into a pocket, a plus if you do not want to carry a stove or pot, or take the time to boil water. Chemical treatment can be done on the hoof with minimal stopping time.

Water filters

A third method of treatment is commercial filters. These come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. Most work by pushing the water through a charcoal or ceramic filter and then chemically treating it.

Normally, they have one hose with a float that goes from the water source to the filter and a second hose, for clean water, that goes from filter to water bottle. When using this type of filter it is important to not cross contaminate the hoses.

Keep the clean hose in a separate plastic bag so it never touches the contaminated hose.

The plus side to this method of how to purify water is that there is no flat or funky flavor. Commercial filters are also good for when the water is on the murky or dirty side, as they will remove this also.

The drawback is that the sediment or tannins that you are filtering out will quickly clog up the filter.

Some can be cleaned, with others you need to buy a replacement filter. Like all technical equipment, cost and breakage are things to be considered. I prefer the new range of water bottle filters like the watertogo, NDūR Survival Canteen, OKO and many, many others.

Primitive Methods

Beyond these common methods, there are more primitive techniques for the serious survivalists (or the unlucky person who was caught unprepared).

One is filtering through soil or, preferably, sand. Keep rinsing the water repeatedly through the sand until it is looking clear.

A variation of this is to dig a hole near where the source is and use the water that filters through into the hole.

Be aware, that although soil is a good filter for sediment and other particles, it is not a guarantee for things like bacteria. This is even true for spring water, which many people assume is safe to drink without treatment.

Distilling is a method that can be used for either collecting water or getting fresh water from salt water.

To collect water from the ground, dig a deep hole and place a collecting container or water bottle in the centre.

Cover the hole with a clear sheet of plastic. The plastic needs to be weighted in the centre with a rock or heavy object so that it points down into the container.

Then, secure the sides of the plastic tightly around the hole, such as by covering with dirt. The clear plastic acts like a greenhouse. The water in the soil or a container evaporates as it heats up. When it hits the plastic it runs down to the point and drips off into the container. This is basic a solar still.

If all you have is salt water, you can distil it by placing a small pot inside a larger pot. The salty water goes in the larger pot but not the smaller one.

Invert a lid over the pots that will point down into the smaller pot, then bring the water to a boil. As the water boils, fresh water will evaporate, hit the lid and drip down into the smaller pot, leaving the salt, or other minerals behind.

An alternative if you don’t have a smaller pot is to put a cloth over the pot the will absorb the steam. Use caution when removing it to wring it out so you don’t get burned.

Above all, be cautious and use common sense when choosing where to gather your water.

Do the plants surrounding it look healthy?

Are there dead animals near by that might have contaminated it?

Don’t collect any water that looks stagnant. Unless you have a commercial water filtration system. Generally, water that is further upstream will be cleaner than that downstream, but there are no guarantees.

Don’t automatically go for the fasting rushing water, as fast water carries more sediment. You can avoid picking up a lot of sediment by making sure you dunk your water bottle completely under the water. This will avoid all the dirt and debris that floats on the surface.

With so many ways to purify water, there should be something for everyone and no reason to ever take chances drinking untreated water.

There are die-hards out there who will argue that the risk is small and not worth worrying about. But a nasty case of beaver fever in the back country can be not only uncomfortable, but life threatening.

Diarrhoea and vomiting can cause serious dehydration and sap your strength to the point that you cannot get yourself to safety.

If you are going to spend time in the outdoors, always make sure you have at least one, if not two or more, methods for purifying water.

It’s vital to know water purification process methods.

The Get Home Bag?

A get home bag is a backpack that is fully stocked with everything you would need to get back home if you found yourself stranded away from your home, say at work or in transit.

You should keep your GHB in the boot of your vehicle and only use it in emergency situation.

By keeping a get home bag in your car, you will maintain a peace of mind that if you were to ever find yourself stranded with a broken-down car, you have everything you need to get yourself back home safely.

When you do get home, you should have a much larger supply of items you would need for emergencies your 72 hours BOB.

Next up is the most important question people have about get home bags – what are you supposed to put in it? Well here is a list of the most important get home bag contents.

Of course there are dozens of other items that are also suitable for a GHB and I would advise everyone to customize their bag to fit their lifestyle.

This includes any special medication that you can’t go more than 1 day (or longer) without. Along with medication there are surely other personal items that would be absolute necessities for your own personal bag like an epipen or inhaler if necessary.

Breakdown of Must Have Get Home Bag Contents

The Bag

A backpack of some kind is the best choice – it’s just easier to carry than any other type of bag.

Being stranded and walking home could take several hours plus depending where you are, so you will want something light and water resistant. Any unused backpack could be fine, but if you’d like to purchase a bag just for your GHB, go with a tactical, lightweight backpack.

Food

Obviously you want to go with something with a decent shelf life which is why I recommend MREs or granola/energy bars.

In a 24-hour period this is all you would need to survive and also the easiest and quickest way to get nutrients into your system.

Water

Much more important than food is water of course. Staying hydrated is a big part of surviving emergencies.

I suggest that you keep multiple bottles of water in your bag. Even though they can add substantial weight, storing multiple water bottles can be essential if you are stranded with other people. Or get yourself a water purification bottle.

Money

A prepaid credit or debit card could be a good idea – but the universal form of money is cash. In the event of an emergency credit card processors can go down and transactions would be cash only.

I suggest having as much as you can, but distributed around your body in small amounts. If you are stranded and can’t get home, finding the nearest hotel could be key, and you will need to have the cash to be able to pay for one night’s stay.

There are countless other necessities that cash will be able to buy you in an emergency.

First Aid Kit

This one’s pretty obvious. Things can happen and wounds need to be addressed big or small. You also may want to throw in some travel sized over-the-counter pain-killers or stomach relievers.

Footwear

An emergency can strike at any time and you could be wearing the wrong footwear. You could be wearing dress shoes or sandals, so having a pair of boots or shoes in your bag or even your boot could be extremely important.

An emergency could mean that you have to walk through a wooded area, snowy terrain, or very wet ground, so a good pair of comfortable hiking boots or shoes are very important.

Plastic Rain Poncho

A practical addition to your bag is a plastic rain poncho to guard you from the elements. Being stranded with cold and wet clothes can cause more problems than just being uncomfortable like hypothermia in cold temperatures.

If your poncho is big enough, or if you have more than one, you can even use your poncho as a makeshift tent/shelter.

Work Gloves

A good set of work gloves can also come in handy in several ways. In colder temperatures even thin work gloves are better than nothing if you don’t have winter gloves or mitts.

If you find yourself needing to work with your hands during an emergency a quality set of work gloves will help you get a better grip on everything and also protect your hands from scratches or cuts.

Clothing

Just like with the footwear mentioned above, you aren’t always in ideal clothing for emergencies. Make sure to have a change of clothes in your get home bag and keep it appropriate to the current season.

Plan a time at least 2-3 times per year to re-evaluate your bag – especially the current spare clothes.

Lighter

Even a cheap lighter can be crucial to aiding in survival, at the least you should have a simple cigarette lighter in your bag. I would suggest going above and beyond and including some tinder/paper or even special tools for lighting fires like a ferro rod and striker that even work in wet conditions.

Multi-function Tool

A good multi-tool is essential and needs to be in your bag. Most multi-tools will have the important features, but make sure to grab one that isn’t too small.

Your multi-tool should have a good set of pliers, scissors, a knife, a file and a mini-saw.

Flashlight

A good torch/flashlight is a must have for any GHB. You may also want to include extra batteries just in case.

A powerful flashlight won’t just help you see in the dark, but will also help you get found if you are ever lost in the darkness.

Wet Wipes

You won’t always be lucky enough to be stranded somewhere with a bathroom – so keeping some wet wipes at hand will help keep you clean. They also serve a dual purpose for when nature gets messy and you need to clean your hands or body and don’t have soap.

Medication

This one you need to use at your own discretion. Some lucky people don’t have any daily medication they need to take.

Other people will need to customize their bag even further with a 1-2 day’s dosage of their own medication. You should also include some over the counter medicines or if necessary, feminine products.

Some people can overlook this step but keeping non-expired medicine in your bag can be just as important as anything else.

Self-Defense

Whatever you’re comfortable using for self-defense should be in your GHB. From non-lethal forms like UK defence sprays, to very lethal forms like a handgun or a knife, you need to have some sort of defense mechanism at hand.

If you select to include a firearm in your bag it is important that you have necessary permits to stay within any legal parameters in case you get pulled over and searched.

Writing Utensils

One useful item that will barely take up space or weight is a simple ballpoint pen. A good idea is to have one or two different pens in case you need to write down anything from directions, phone numbers, or anything else of importance.

Go with a pen over a pencil – a pen can write on more types of surface than a pencil – including your hand if you need to jot something down quickly and don’t have paper nearby.

Other Items

A get home bag can only be so big, so obviously you won’t be able to fit everything you want inside of yours.

If however you do find that you have some extra space, don’t hesitate to add one or more items from our “If Room Permits” list.

Be careful though, because even if you can fit it in your bag – if it’s too heavy for you to walk up to several miles with, you may want to leave some things out so that you aren’t encumbered.

Try to keep an old mobile phone in your bag or car that is fully charged and powered off.

Do not for get a road map that covers the area between where you are and your home and an OS map just in case the roads are blocked and you have to walk.

Important Vehicle Items

Your bag doesn’t have to be the only helpful item in your vehicle. There are several other things that should be in your vehicle to aid in any sort of emergency situation. Here are items your vehicle should have:

Roadside assistance kit

Spare tire, tire jack & iron

Tire pressure gauge

Fix-a-flat

Jump leads

Your vehicle’s manual

Maps

An old piece of carpet if you need quick traction

Road salt or even cheaper cat litter

A shovel

When Would you Need a Get Home Bag?

Hopefully you never have to use your bag, but there are many events that could occur where your get home bag could save your life.

Here are several emergency scenarios where you will want to have your bag with you.

Natural disaster/snowed in by a blizzard

Power cut

Broken down vehicle

Terrorist activity

Regardless of how ‘likely’ any of the above scenarios are, making a get home bag could be the most important thing you ever do.

If you already have a GHB, I hope that the above list can help you improve it.

Please check any expiration dates on the items in your bag. If however you do not currently own a get home bag – please use the this information to help yourself become better prepared for an emergency.

BREAK

You are listening to the UK preppers Radio network on KPRNDB-UK I’m your host Tom Linden

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What is Emergency food?

Emergency food is food that you simply store for emergency purposes.

To expand, it is food that can be and has been stored for the single purpose of being consumed in times of disasters where you and your family are cut off from your primary food source (e.g. market, shops, farm, etc.).

Emergency food supplies can consist of foods that you normally eat, but had been bought in excess from the weekly trip to the supermarket and stored for this very purpose.

Emergency food supplies generally consist of commercially packaged food – that is tinned, freeze dried food and the like, which may be stored for a long time, up to 25 years and beyond, without special storage requirements like refrigeration.

Or they may be handmade preserved items which can be done through canning, pickling and other methods of preservation.

Why is Emergency Food important?

The importance of emergency food stems from the need of man to eat food in order to survive.

Emergency Food is like insurance it is an investment, one which can most likely be used to ensure you and your family’s survival through any disaster, short or long term, that may prevent you from accessing and purchasing food from an outside source.

Emergency food serves as security for you and your family I would say by means of:

Boosting morale and keeping stress levels low – When there is food, people are less inclined to panic safe in the knowledge that they have access to life’s critical commodities and therefore will more likely to have a clear mind in order to make decisions with regards to during or post-disaster agenda.

Nourishment for the family even without the convenience of purchasing food – In case of financial crisis, emergency food, when continuously stocked, can become long term survival food and can aid your family by having money spent on more vital matters than food (since you have it stocked already) which may become overpriced in these types of crises.

In a nutshell, having emergency food is being prepared for almost anything, and being secure knowing that you have sustenance even during times when it is not readily available and others may not.

What methods do people use – Freeze Dried, Canned, Rotation, Buckets?

There are many methods for storing emergency food, some of which are discussed below.

Freeze dried food are foods – be it raw ingredients, staples or even cooked meals – which have gone through the process of freeze drying.

Freeze dried foods are often mixed up with another preservation method, dehydration, mostly because of their preserved state, but their processes are definitely different from each other.

Foods that will undergo freeze drying first need to be checked before going through freezing, which will require that every inch of the food be frozen.

After which the water is removed through the process of sublimation – the process in which solids turn to gas without passing through the liquid phase.

Commercially packaged freeze dried food – such as have a guaranteed shelf life of over 25 years – meaning it can stay in a cool dry place without other special storage facilities without spoiling.

There pre freeze dried meals, though the best and most valuable solution over the long term, can be high cost initially and thus not for everyone. However, there are ways in which people can freeze dry food parcels at home.

Canning is one of the more popular food storage methods. This is the method in which food is processed (either commercially or at home) and stored in air-tight cans or jars for long-term use.

Food is first preserved – there are many ways to preserve food – and are placed in sterile, air-tight containers.

Rotation is a food storage method in which emergency food can be stored for its intended use and is rotated for the food to be replaced and consumed before its best before date.

Rotation can also be done not only for emergency food, but for those storing food for normally.

By taking note of the date it was purchased or the date it will expire or quality starts to deteriorate, one is able to consume stored goods without fear of wastage.

The bucket system is another food storage method wherein foods with a high shelf life are stored in high-food grade buckets along with oxygen absorbers or other methods for removing oxygen for long term food storage.

There are others who combine the food grade bucket with other food storage methods, such as Mylar bags and even freeze dried food – these combinations can also be another form of rotating food supply by combining food with similar best before dates.

My Thoughts on EMP

So in the middle of the summer an enemy explodes an EMP weapon high above the earths surface, say between 50 and 100 miles up.

Northern Europe is hit by a massive Electromagnetic Pulse. Instantly everything with a chip is rendered useless.

So all cars, buses, lorries, trains, areoplanes, communications, power, water, heating, lighting and this includes our "just in time transport delivery system" too will be as if they never existed at all.

Within a flash we are back in the 1800's. But this time we have no reliance on horses for farming, transport of goods or people.

Our toilets will not flush, our kitchen white goods will not work, our money will be trapped in an electronic banking system that no longer functions.

Credit and debit cards will be useless pieces of plastic.

Common values, morals, respect, civil obiediance, honesty and consideration for others will go out the window in peoples desperate fight to grab whatever they can before someone else does.

Then the deseases will begin to take hold, TB, coleria, the medical system will also back in the 1800's, no more ambulances rushing you to A&E, no more operations, no more fire service to rescue your cat or to put out life threatening fire storms as they rage across the cities uncontrolled.

No more police to come to your rescue and save you from whatever. No more 999.

Absolutley horriffic I thing you will agree.

But as I sat at my laptop this morning I thought of another problem our modern society has produced, something that I have never seen covered before in prepping and survival shows and articles.

On a typical weekday in last year, 535,000 passengers arrived in central London by train in the morning peak time of 07:00 to 09:59.

On average, a total of 977,000 people travel into London by trains alone throughout each day.

Add to that planes, buses, cars and bikes and the figure is over 2Million.

Imagine that number of people trapped in some cases hundreds of miles from their homes. Imagine again those people without GHB's, accommodation, water, food, prescription medicines, communications, proper clothing, footwear,or their families and loved ones.

Ostensibly you now have up to 2million refugees in the London. Who will house and feed them, water and cloth them, medicate them protect them.

Imagine if you were one of them what would you do?

Of course every major UK city, town and even village will be affected in much the same way although the numbers in each case will of course vary.

I said imagine this happening in the middle of summer. And I picked this time of the year for one reason.

On average an amount of 60 million go on holiday each year.

However 45 million of these people go on their holidays in the summer months from June 25th - August 31st Of these 45 million people only a mere 6 million people go in groups of friends each year.

So now they have the very same problems London commuters will face but magnified many times because now they are thousands of miles away from home, in a foreign country. They will have to contend with a different culture, language, laws and way of life.

Oh! and now that they are not holiday makers any more, but refugees, there will be no more bacon and eggs for breakfast, no more British beer, no more Insurance cover, so no more medical treatments, no more money.

And I would suggest no more ways to get back to their loved ones in the UK.

Imagine that, so what would you do?

Before you go, use google earth etc. to reckon the area you are going to for,

Rivers, lakes, streams, swimming pools, fruit trees and crops in general. Shops selling camping equipment, hospital and medical centre locations, police stations, shopping centres, fishing tackle shops, in fact the list is endless and limited only by your imagination.

In my opinion I think that every time you pack your suitcase for your holidays you are in fact Bugging-Out.

So bearing in mind what I have said perhaps some additions to your normal holiday items would be prudent.

Yes I know that luggage weight restrictions are a concern, but how many of us come back from a holiday with items of clothing that we have not worn?

Anyway you could always pay a little extra if you go over your 22kgs.

However what I have in mind should not weight too much at all.

These are the extra items I would pack, and I know it is not an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination, and that you will add to it yourselves.

Map of Holiday Country

Local language phrase book

Emergency supply of prescription medications.

Water filtration bottle each

Copy of your home deeds

Contact numbers

Bank details

Torches for each plus spare batteries

Multi-tool each

Hidden extra cash each

Decent footwear

Spare glasses

Feminine products

Emergency meet up plan if separated while on holiday.

If you are in a holiday complex then I suggest that you get everyone together and have a general meeting and decide what you all want to do.

I would ask the complex/hotel staff what they suggest, but do not leave your accommodation as it is at least a roof over your head, and if you do it may be denied to you upon your return.

There is of course a chance that the RAF/Navy will be able to take you home, that is if their planes and ships still work, and they are not involved in a shooting war.

If you are in a villa, camp-site, taverna, camper, caravan, tent whatever then you are on your own in real terms. But a lot of what I have said will still apply to you in any case.

I think that those stranded abroad post an EMP attack will have to make the best of their lot and resign themselves to life outside the UK for many years to come if not for ever.

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The Bug Out Week North East 2015 is Coming

Please read the information about the Bug-Out weekend before you say that you are going as there is a £5 non refundable deposit to pay for your place as all the places are limited.

You must say what the deposit is for in the notes on paypal before you send payment and what system you are using to bug out.

Here is the paypal address to make payment to is below;

ijc1197@yahoo.co.uk
with other like minded people

For any further information, just give Ian a call on this number.

Mob: 07926086048

Available Spaces

All spaces are designated specific areas at the Bug Out Weekend location that are suitable for that type of bugging out system as the location is a wild managed area and has a range of different types of ground.

All the places listed here are for the tree covered areas of the location.

1. Hammocks:-----------------------40 spaces 31 left

2. Tarps and tents------------------40 Places 25 left

3. 4x4 and off road vehicles------15 places 10 left

4. Camper van's and trailers----10 places 8 left

5. Tipee------------------------------- 4 Places or a Family of 5
Admission Fee
£20.00 for adult over 16 years

£10.00 for child under 16 years

Free for child under 10 years

For the Tipee there is a extra £5 per person.

Traders and promoters are welcome for no extra cost to the entrance fee.

Once payment has been made Ian will send you your payment receipt reference number.

This number is to be presented on entry to the Bug out Weekend where the deposit will be deducted from the admission cost that is to be paid upon entry.
Arrangements

Please arrange any train Tickets to Metrocentre Train Station as soon as possible (ASAP) as this will save you money and could be cheaper than your own car.

Ian can arrange to pick you up from there and drop you back off for a fee.

The cost of this service is to be arranged.
Or you can take a bus from the Metrocenter to Greenside and someone will pick you up there too as it is only about a mile away at that point.

The bus journey takes about half hour.

Please let Ian know as soon as possible if you require this service.

Ian says he will post any bus times and services as soon as he gets them, or you can just Google it.
Facilities

Toilet areas will be allocated

There will be ranges for Archery, Crossbow, and Air rifle.

There will be a solar Shower available with hot water if needed.
You can order two breakfasts, both for a fee of £5.00 per head.

One of them for the mornings of the Sunday and the other for the Monday that consist of:
Sausage, Bacon, Egg, Black Pudding, Mushrooms, Beans and Tomatoes

These come in a half large Stottie or Bap and are very filling
Just a quick one
Ian says he really does hope to see you there as we had a great time with the Bug Out Weekend meeting Back in May 2014.

The weather was amazing even though the Met Office said it was going to pour down with strong winds and low temperatures,

That put a lot of people off. That was annoying as it takes a bit of effort to say the least to organise the thing and make it work.

So just come along and Bug Out for the weekend with us and try out your survival systems and learn some new things along the way.

Even if you have never done anything like this before, just bring your camping gear and see what people do.

There are plenty of us to help and give advice. That's what the Bug Out Weekend is all about.

If you need to borrow anything i am sure we can help.
Just let us know in advance.

Make some friends and have a laugh at the Bug Out Weekend it will be what we make it.

We do appreciate your support.

Thanks: Bug Out Weekend ( CUP )

CUP

Guy's I had the privilage to attend the May Bug-Out event and if it had not been for the kindness and generosity of those around me I would not have had such a memorable and enjoyable time.

Ian goes out of his way to make every event a great success and those that attend are the salt of the earth.

So I suggest to guarantee your place that you book asap.

Homemade Cheese

What you will need

4 litres of whole milk, 1 pinch salt, 1 large lemon, juiced

What to do

1. Pour the milk into a large pan, and stir in a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from scorching on the bottom of the pan.

2. When the milk begins to boil turn the heat off then stir the lemon juice into the milk, the milk will then curdle. This may take 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Line a sieve with a cheesecloth, now pour the milk through the cloth to catch the curds. What is left in the cheesecloth is the Farmer’s Cheese. The liquid is the whey.

4. Gather the cloth around the cheese, and squeeze out as much of the whey as you can. Then I find it best to suspend the cheese cloth over the sink for example.

5. When it has stopped dripping, I put it in an airtight container and put it in the fridge.

Why not try using herbs or other flavourings.

Survival Cooking Risks

So Summer is here and as preppers and survivalists we head for the woods to practice for when the brown stuff hits the fan and we bug-out.

You will build a shelter, light a fire, hunt, trap and fish and then sit around the fire singing “gin gang gooley” as your food cooks.

It just sounds idyllic doesn’t it?

But according to recent figures this could be the most dangerous aspect of survival camping.

A shocking 94 per cent of more than 2,000 people questioned for a Government survey admit to at least one barbecue habit that is a health risk.

Food poisoning is a real risk at barbecues

Twenty-one per cent believe they have been ill due to something they have eaten as a result, the poll for the Food Standards Agency found.

Almost a third admit to not checking burgers, sausages and even chicken are cooked all the way through.

Food poisoning is a real risk at barbecues and we should take good care of our families.

Survival cooking is bar-b-q cooking is it not? When the shtf there will be no chemist, health centre, doctor or NHS to go to to sort out food poisoning, stomach upsets and diarrhoea, all of which will dehydrate you and reduce your physical ability to provide and survive.

OK I do not want to teach my grandmother to suck eggs by it never hurts to get back to basics.

Charred doesn’t mean cooked, cook your barbecue food thoroughly until you are sure that your poultry, pork, burgers, sausages and kebabs are steaming hot, with no pink meat inside.

Avoid cross-contamination by storing raw meat separately before cooking, use different utensils, plates and chopping boards for raw and cooked food.

Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water and dry them before handling your food for the barbecue and after handling raw foods including meat, fish, eggs and vegetables. (You should of course wash your hands after touching the bin, going to the toilet, blowing your nose, or touching pets and other animals.)

Don’t wash raw chicken or other meat, it just splashes germs. Cooking will kill any bacteria present, including campylobacter.

On the other hand, washing chicken, or other meat, can spread dangerous bugs on to your hands, clothes, utensils by splashing.

Turning meat regularly and moving it around the barbecue will help to cook it evenly. Charred on the outside doesn’t always mean cooked on the inside so, it’s always safer to cut open and check your burgers, sausages and chicken. If in doubt –keep cooking.

Keep plates and cutlery away from raw meat and fish, never serve cooked food on a plate or surface that’s had raw meat or fish on it, and don’t use cutlery or marinades that have been in contact with raw meat.

There’s no point in serving up food with a flourish if you’re adding bugs back into the mix.

Remember whether you are in a survival situation practising or for real, why risk your health?

Ken at MidiMax.co.uk is offering 10% off any product by using the code Midi10 so check out www.midimax.co.uk

What Goes Into Your BOB?

Anyone who has read much about or spent much time around preppers has I would bet have heard the term B.O.B or Bug-Out-Bag.

The Bug-Out-Bag is a bag that you can quickly grab as you are heading out the door.

It is already pre-packed with a number of survival and preparedness items to enable you to get to your destination safely and establish a recovery plan. Bug-Out-Bags are generally only designed to contain 48-72 hours of food and equipment.

Do you need a Bug-Out-Bag? Chances are, you already have one of sorts. A hand bag, briefcase, day pack, or vehicle rescue kit all of these are basic Bug-Out-Bags.

While they may not have everything you would need to survive for 72 hours, they generally have the things that you need the most or that are most important to you.

Cash, medicine, a lighter or waterproof matches, knife or multi tool; all of these will fit into handbags, briefcases, and day packs. Put a little more thought and planning into the design of a slightly larger bag and you’ve got yourself the perfect Bug-Out-Bag.

The construction and design of your Bug-Out-Bag is something to bear in mind: some people prefer a large duffel bag or large shoulder bag, and this may be fine if you are bugging out by car or truck, but if you’re stuck on foot a backpack or frame-pack may be more appropriate.

Also consider your local climate. If you live in a rainy area, or foresee yourself needing to evacuate from or during severe weather, it may be important that your Bug-Out-Bag be water-resistant or better still waterproof.

You will need to analyse your individual situation and determine what is the most likely means of transport you will use and what your needs will be before assembling your bag.

This type of “grab it and go” methodology is very important to adhere to when assembling your own Bug-Out-Bag.

The smallest component of your bug-out set-up should be a backpack sized bag that is easy to carry, but which can contain the bare minimum of necessary survival gear.

In an emergency, you may not have time to pack a bag with necessary items: that’s why you have a Bug-Out-Bag.

By packing multiple bags of multiple sizes, you can grab the smallest and most necessary first and then grab more as time allows. This small survival bag can also be used as a portable Bug-Out-Bag and carried 24/7 in the boot of your car as I do.

Such a bag can also double as a “get me home” emergency bag, should you find yourself stranded away from the safety of your home.

What goes into a bug out bag is a very personal choice, and is highly dependent upon the persons needs and experience.

In general however, most bug out bags include emergency food rations, first aid or medical supplies, tools, documents, cash, and various other survival gear.

Some starter BOB are available that include the basics and you then customize it to your personal requirement.

Your bare bones survival kit contents may vary, but should contain at a minimum cash, tools like a (knife, sewing kit, multi-tool), food for example (MREs or energy bars, dog/cat food for pets) and a water purification/filtration system, duct tape, paracord, personal hygiene items, respirators or particulate masks, maps and compass a GPS (or both), fire lighting equipment (tinder, lighter and/or matches), AM/shortwave radio or communications gear (prepaid mobile phone, CB etc.), medical supplies (first aid, prescription medications), poncho, and at least one change of clothing appropriate to the season and climate.

I would say that this is the bare minimum that anyone should include in their basic Bug-Out-Bag.

Many people will also include various self defense tools ranging from pepper spray to a personal firearm and ammunition.

While this may not always be necessary, and may in fact be illegal in some countries, it is something you should consider when assembling your Bug-Out-Bag.

The minimum I would say that should include in your BOB is the following.

Food and water (as much as you can practically carry)

Portable radio and extra batteries

First aid kit and handbook

5-day supply of any medications you take regularly and a copy of your prescriptions

Whistle (to alert rescuers to your location)

Personal hygiene supplies (including toilet paper)

Emergency lighting (e.g. glow sticks, flashlight, headlamp) and extra batteries

Large rubbish bags and paper towels

Change of clothing and a hat

Sturdy shoes, in case an evacuation requires walking long distances

Dust mask

Pen, paper and tape

Cash in small denominations

Copy of health insurance card and driving license.

Photos of family members for reunification purposes

List of emergency contact phone numbers

More tips:

In children’s Go-bags, include medical consent forms, a family photo for reunification purposes and a favorite toy, cards or book.

Include jump leads in your vehicle’s Go-bag.

Remember to make a Go-bag for your pet!

When assembling your Bug-Out-Bags remember that you will be assembling them with survival, recovery, and comfort in mind in that order.

Your smallest and easiest to reach bag should be only for survival. If you can grab two bags or more, the successive bags should have items and equipment geared towards getting you back on your feet and then providing some level of comfort.

You should consider packing smaller ruck sacks inside of your larger Bug-Out-Bags in the case that you are forced to downsize your load.

If you have geared your Bug-Out-Bag towards evacuation by vehicle and suddenly find you are forced to flee on foot, it will be handy to have smaller shoulder carried bags available to reassemble a downsized emergency pack.

Having a Bug-Out-Bag presupposes that you already have an evacuation plan already in place. You do have an evacuation plan, don’t you?

If not, take this opportunity to put one together. Consider what threats might cause the need to evacuate and where you might go if forced to flee.

Plan alternate routes to a number of safe destinations.

Where you will be retreating to and how long you will be staying will play a large part in deciding what items will need to be packed in your Bug-Out-Bag.

Little Boy

On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima, was having clear weather. At 8:15 a.m. (local time), the Enola Gay's door sprang open and dropped "Little Boy." The bomb exploded 1,900 feet above the city and only missed the target, the Aioi Bridge, by approximately 800 feet.

Staff Sergeant George Caron, the tail gunner, described what he saw: "The mushroom cloud itself was a spectacular sight, a bubbling mass of purple-gray smoke and you could see it had a red core in it and everything was burning inside. . . . It looked like lava or molasses covering a whole city.

The cloud is estimated to have reached a height of 40,000 feet.

Captain Robert Lewis, the co-pilot, stated, "Where we had seen a clear city two minutes before, we could no longer see the city.

We could see smoke and fires creeping up the sides of the mountains. Two-thirds of Hiroshima was destroyed.

Within three miles of the explosion, 60,000 of the 90,000 buildings were demolished. clay roof tiles had melted together.

Shadows had imprinted on buildings and other hard surfaces. Metal and stone had melted.

Hiroshima's population has been estimated at 350,000; approximately 70,000 died immediately from the explosion and another 70,000 died from radiation within five years.

A survivor described the damage to people:

The appearance of people was . . . well, they all had skin blackened by burns. . . . They had no hair because their hair was burned, and at a glance you couldn't tell whether you were looking at them from in front or in back.

They held their arms bent [forward] like this . . . and their skin - not only on their hands, but on their faces and bodies too - hung down.

If there had been only one or two such people . . . perhaps I would not have had such a strong impression. But wherever I walked I met these people.

Many of them died along the road - I can still picture them in my mind -- like walking ghosts

But have wondered what would happen if the Americans had dropped Little Boy over Britain instead?

There is a map called the Nuke Map of the world, which allows the user to see exactly that.

The map also shows the destruction other bombs would cause if dropped on London – from North Korea’s latest weapon test and the world’s largest bomb the 50 megaton Tsar Bomb.

1) Little Boy (death toll in London 90k)

The atomic uranium bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945 killing 66,000 people and injuring 69,000. If the same bomb had been dropped over London now the death toll would be a 90,230 with 272,380 injuries.

2) Fat Man (death toll 110k in London)

When Fat Man was detonated over Nagasaki it killed 39,000 and injured 25,000. The same 20 kiloton bomb would kill 110,460 in London and injure 279,520.

3) Ivy King (death toll 450k in London)

The largest pure fission weapon tested by America is the 500 kiloton ‘Ivy King’ bomb. If this was set off over London 453,370 people would die and 835,570 would be injured. East Anglia is also screwed.

4) North Korea (death toll 70k in London)

North Korea’s latest nuclear weapon test was in 2013 and was a 10 kiloton bomb. If Kim Jong-un launched this tomorrow over London, he’d kill 69,570 and injure 259,350.

5) Davy Crockett (death toll 360 in London)

Davy Crockett is the codename for the USA’s tiniest nuclear bomb – at 20 kilotons. Only 360 would die in London if this was set off, while 3,190 would be injured.

6) Tsar Bomba (death toll 6 million in London)

The Tsar Bomba is the biggest bomb in the world at a huge 50 megatons. In London this would kill 5,758,910 in London and injure another 3,396,580.

7) Tsar Bomba – biggest designed (Death toll 5.9 million in Britain)

The 100 megaton Tsar Bomba was never made but it was designed. If this was to go off in London it would kill 5,920,300 and injure 6,048,100.

See how your town would survive here http://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/

Now thanks to the Managing Director Paul listeners visiting Field Leisure - The Bushcraft & Wilderness Store at http://www.fieldleisure.co.uk/ can get 10% OFF by entering the code UKPRN at the checkout now Paul guarantees next day delivery all over the UK and fast European and US delivery and that is reassuring and refreshing too.

Has Anyone Tried This

Your compass is a measuring tool that can be adapted to a variety of needs. It can be used to measure more than just direction.

You can use your magnetic compass to determine the width of a stream or small body of water without having to get wet.

This quick and easy method of determining distance using a compass may just come in handy. In any case, it is always a good trick you can use to amaze your fellow survivors.

Here is how it is done.

Standing at the edge of the water, sight an object directly across from you on the far bank. Take a compass reading on this object and mark the spot where you are standing.

Walk along the stream until the compass reading to the same object across the stream changes by 45-degrees and mark this spot also. Now measure the distance between the two marks you set.

This will be equal to the distance between the first mark and the object you sighted across the stream.

For example:

Say you are standing next to a stream and directly across from you on the opposite bank is a large tree. Take out your compass and sight the tree.

Let’s pretend the compass reads 300-degrees (Azimuth type compass) or S30W (Quadrant type compass).

Mark this spot and then walk either downstream or upstream until the compass sighting on the same tree reads 45-degrees in either direction from your first reading (either 255-degrees or 345-degrees on an azimuth type compass, S15E or N15W on a quadrant type compass).

Mark this position also. The width of the stream is equal to the distance between your two marks on the ground. If you have practiced pacing (and every survivor should) you can count the number of paces between the two marks and calculate the width of the stream.

Peter at buggrub is not only sponsoring the competition on my website he is also offering a 10% discount on all his products by using the code PREPPER. So have you got the gonads, can you walk the walk, dare you, I dear you to buy some buggrub and then eat it, go on I dare you. Peter’s website is www.buggrub.com

The Deadly Enemies to Your Survival

When putting together survival kits, there are 8 enemies of survival to consider – no matter whether the kit is for someone going into the bush, or if the kit is being made for a teotwawki situation. Taking care of these eight issues by stocking up your kit well will go a long way to ensuring your survival in just about any survival situation.

 Fear:

Fear often leads to panic and panic does no one any good…in fact it often kills. The best way to temper fear is by preparing with proper survival skills and survival gear.

Survival skills help reduce fear because you know that you can take care of yourself in a survival situation. Without those survival skills people who are lost are often so scared they don’t know what to do. They’re scared of the animals, scared of the dark, scared of being without all of the comforts of civilization.

Survival gear helps combat fear because it gives you the tools that makes surviving easier.

Complacency:

Complacency is a bane of modern life. Complacency is dangerous because it lulls you into believing everything is alright and causes you to ignore clear signs of danger. A good way to combat complacency is by practicing the art of relaxed awareness.

Relaxed awareness is similar to the art of meditation….it is achieved by being fully immersed and aware of your surroundings. A good example of relaxed awareness is when you are practicing defensive driving. After you practice defensive driving, you remember the entire drive because your mind was fully engaged and active the entire trip. Unfortunately relaxed awareness isn’t something you can pack in a bag, but you can practice it constantly to help ensure your survival.

Hunger:

Hunger can nag at you, slow you down, and eventually kill you. Combat hunger by learning primitive hunting and fishing skills. Make sure that you have snare wire,  survival knives, paracord, a fishing kit and anything else you can think of that will help you find and secure game and fish. Also, learn what wild plant in the area are edible.

Thirst

You will die in only a few days without water. Depending on your activity level and the environment, you will need at least a gallon of water a day. Knowing how to locate, store and decontaminate water is essential. Always carry a way to store and decontaminate water.

98.6 degrees Fahrenheit

If you can’t keep the core temperature of your body at 98.6 degrees, you are in a world of hurt. Cody Lundin of “Dual Survival” fame covers this reality very well in his book “98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive“.

You need to be able to protect your body from both heat and the cold. Always have a way to make a quick emergency shelter in your survival kit. Bivy sacks are lightweight and take up very little room. You also need several ways to start a fire in your kit. Also, always have clothing in your survival kit that is rugged and made for the weather of the season that you are in.

Pain

Avoid pain at all costs. It can cripple or at the very least slow you down to the point that you are in imminent danger of losing your life. If possible, carry medications to deal with it. Injuries are more likely when one panics or is fatigued.

Fatigue

Getting overly tired or fatigued makes the chances of injury greater and increases the dangers of exposure. One important thing to understand is that fatigue affects your mind just as much as it does your body. Arctic explorers discovered that if you sleep when you need to rather then pushing on, you will wake up when you become cold. If you push on till you collapse from exhaustion you’ll freeze to death instead of waking up.

Boredom

Boredom is like a cancer that slowly eats away at morale. It is always a good idea to keep a way to entertain you in your survival kit. Something as simple as a deck of cards can do wonders for fighting boredom. To this one you can add loneliness…if the survivor is alone. Loneliness can be devastating.

As you can see, these 8 enemies of survival can all make surviving an emergency much more difficult…if not impossible. By understanding them you will have a much better chance of getting out of your next survival situation/emergency alive.

Nigel at www.hunters-knives.co.uk has offered you dear listener 10% on all his products simply by using the code PREP10.