John McCann - Stay Alive - Introduction to Survival Skills Eshort: An Overview of Basic Survival Skills, Kits, Food, Clothing & More

There are many good survival books out there, so why write another? I have found that although many provide good information on survival, not all actually explain the basics in depth. They assume that the basics are already known, when often they are not. Many people are new at this and need to learn the basics. I also have found that many of these books are what I call why to books. In other words, they tell you why to do something, but dont always tell you how to do it. So instead of providing you with just why to information, I have tried to explain the how to in regard to using a survival kit to survive.

There are various examples, but the following two illustrate my point. Many survival books teach that a shelter is important in a survival situation and tell you why. However, not all books tell you how to make a shelter. I have read many times that a signal mirror is the most underrated piece of survival gear, and why that is so, but never how to use it effectively. In this book, I make a concerted effort to explain how to use the equipment you choose for your survival kit. Hopefully, I have been successful in that endeavor.

I have talked to various experienced survival practitioners who voice the opinion that if you dont have the experience with survival techniques, then you shouldnt be out there. I totally disagree with this position. There are many people involved in outdoor activities who have never taken the time to become survival aficionados or experts. They want to enjoy outdoor activities without making it their life. Of course these people need to learn the basics of how to survive. It is therefore my desire that this book will help provide that information.

This person is well prepared to survive. A hat and personal floatation device is worn and the equipment is tied into the canoe. Always expect the best but plan for the worst.

This book is not about primitive skills, wilderness living or long term survival in the wilderness. This book is not about advanced survival techniques or skills.

This book is about teaching you how to survive a short term survival situation with the aid of a survival kit and the skills to use the kit effectively. These situations occur all the time:

- A hiker on a routine afternoon jaunt takes a wrong turn and gets lost and cant find his way back to a known trail. The weather turns bad and protection from the elements becomes an immediate concern.

- A hunter gets so wrapped up in following a blood trail that, before he realizes it, he has become disoriented in regard to his location and it is getting dark. He may have to spend a night in the woods.

- Or, during a canoe trip in the late fall the weather turns bad. The canoe capsizes and suddenly the person is wet and very cold. They get to shore, but in order to avoid the threat of hypothermia they need warmth and shelter immediately.

- While exploring a wilderness area, a hiker becomes lost, and it may take days before they are either located or find thier way out.

There are many more scenarios, but you see why it is important to prepare for the unexpected. Because in the end it will be your skills and what you have with you in a survival kit or on your person that might determine if you survive!

In my first book, Build the Perfect Survival Kit, I explained how to make a survival kit through proper planning, selection of components and packaging, so you have a completed kit that fits your specific needs. If you havent read that book I highly suggest that you get it. In conjunction with this book, the two will take you from understanding and designing a survival kit to effectively using that kit in a survival situation.

In this book, I will not go into depth about various survival kit components as I did in the first. However, I will reiterate the various component groups as they relate to the skills presented here. Also, some new items will be discussed which were not addressed in my first book.

A small survival kit on you when you need it is better than a big survival kit you left in your vehicle or at home.

As you know, a survival kit gives you a comfort zone if you have it on you when you need it. You know that you have the basics with you to survive. You dont have to wonder if you will be able to start a fire because you have selected components for your kit that will provide you with the means to initiate fire in various circumstances. You have the basics to navigate, signal, construct a shelter and obtain water and food. However, your kit is only the first step, so dont let it become a false sense of security. You must be knowledgeable in the use of the components you have selected. You must have the skills to take those components and effectively utilize them.

There are quite a few people I know who never carried a knife as an everyday ritual, until they met me. They are always surprised how often they use a knife in everyday life once they start carrying one. I always explain how a tool, such as a knife, carried on your person is an important element of an overall survival kit. By using the tool often, they become familiar and therefore comfortable with it. This leads to being better prepared to use that component when an emergency occurs.

But what about the other components in your kit? They arent often used unless you practice with them before you need them. This book will give you the opportunity to learn how to use the individual items youve selected. Hopefully you will use outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, hunting, camping, canoeing or kayaking to practice in an outdoor environment with the items you choose for your kit. If you dont normally get involved with these type of activities, then you can still practice backyard survival.

What is backyard survival you ask? This is when you go out into your backyard with your kit and use your selected components to perform the functions for which they were selected. Know you can start a fire with the various fire starting items you chose. Dont assume you can, but actually do it. Navigate with your compass of choice and see if you can do so and remain on a straight line for a distance. Practice with a signal mirror until you can hit a designated target quickly and accurately.

As you become acquainted with your individual components and feel comfortable in their use, your overall comfort factor will also be elevated. As stated earlier, a survival kit by itself provides a basic comfort factor, but that comfort factor grows exponentially as you learn to use your individual items to perform actual survival tasks.

The other advantage of backyard survival is that if a component fails, or does not suit your needs, you find out in your backyard, not in a survival situation. If the rain gear you selected does not protect you from the rain, you can go in the house and try something else another day. If your fire starting tools dont perform as you had hoped, you can go inside and order something that works better for you. The bottom line is you are not in a survival situation. You have the ability to re-think your kit and modify it for your specific needs. You dont get a second chance when an emergency occurs.