Macwelch - How to Survive Anything: From Animal Attacks to the end of the world (and everything in between)

SURVIVAL IS ALL ABOUT BEING PREPARED AND MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES. THIS PREPARATION SHOULD INVOLVE TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND SUPPLIES, BECAUSE YOULL NEED THEM ALL. HERE ARE YOUR ABSOLUTE BASICS, THE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS AND GEAR FOR SURVIVAL.

A big part of surviving in the moment lies in being prepared beforehand. To put it another way, if an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, then an ounce of prep is worth a pound of survival. But what exactly should we prepare for?

Since doomsdays and getting lost in the wild are pretty rare events, it makes the most sense to prepare for the more likely events that could strike you and your family. Although crime prevention, natural disaster prep, and fire drills are a lot less exciting than zombie-apocalypse training, the former are a lot more likely to actually happen. Thankfully, a lot of the prep work for day-to-day emergencies is easy.

Talk about survival with your family, and have a plan for what to do if disaster strikes while youre separated. Now is the timenot during or after the emergencyto make plans detailing how youll cope and where youll meet up, especially if mom and dad are at work, Susies in day care, and Bobbys at the high school. Basic, everyday survival skills arent hard to perform, but they do require some effort. Make time to talk to your kids about the dangers that strangers pose, and how important it is to lock up. Familiarize your family with evacuation routes and alternate ways to get out of town in an emergency. Stock up on basic disaster supplies as detailed in this book. Add a few layers of security to your home, and do a fire drill twice annually when you change your smoke alarm batteries.

Teach your family members, especially the young ones, to stay put if they become lost on a hike or campout. When staying still, they are much easier to find. Have them wear a whistle and carry a long-life flashlight on their outdoor adventures. These two items will give them the tools to signal for help, and to stay calm if darkness falls before help arrives.

Generally speaking, this is easy stuff, and it can even be fun if you do it right. Make sure that all of your family members will make the right choices in the event of a problem, and youre likely to have no problems at all.

EVERYDAY CARRY ITEMS Its wise to have a set of everyday carry (EDC) itemssurvival essentials that can be carried in a pocket or purse and should always be kept on hand. These are separate from the bug-out gear and other survival packs you may have, but they play a supporting role for the larger kits. EDC gear is also your back-up plan, in the event you cant reach your larger assortments of gear.

CELL PHONE Ideally your phone includes some extras, such as a flashlight, compass feature, and a variety of survival apps.

KEY CHAIN Your key chain can be a catch-all of odds and ends. A spark rod, mini-flashlight, cordage, pepper spray, and any number of other survival items can live next to your keys at all times.

POCKET KNIFE A simple yet sturdy folding blade knife can perform a multitude of survival chores.