Dr. Jekyll's "6-C's" for survival

My basic approach to survival is much like my overall approach to medicine;  KISS.  Everyone knows that in high stress situations memory recall can be substantially hindered.  Physicians understand this well.  When an infant or child is spiraling downhill the last thing you need is to be worried about what the correct dose of medication X should be.  This is the primary reason behind the structure of programs such as Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support.  These programs are full of eponyms and pneumonics for easy memorization and I approach survival in the same way.  Keep It Supper Simple, Starting with the 6-C's.

1)  Container - Nothing is more important in survival than water.  The general rule of thumb is 3 liters of water per adult per day and 1 liter for a 1 year old, 2 liters for a 5 year old and adult fluids for over 50 pounds.  Obviously you will be bound to your water supply unless you have the means necessary to carry these fluids.  There are a multitude of available options including collapsible buckets, the ever popular camlebacks, and simple water bottles.  Personally, I prefer the Nalgene 1 liter bottle.  They are cheap, indestructable and reliable with a solid lid that is easy to attach to you B.O.B.    We currently have 4 of these in our home, one for each member of our family and mine is always no more that an arm length away

2)  Cover - Hyper and Hypothermia are killers.  There are few things medically related that the US military has invested more money into to protect troops.  The truth is, if you stay warm and hydrated you will survive (at least for awhile).  In my mind cover includes your clothing and some sort of headware.  Only a few important rules here:  "cotton is rotten" and "players use layers".  My personal favorite is wool for clothing although many of the synthetics work equally well.  The goal is to wick away perspiration or moisture while maintaining adequate insulating properties.  Wool can get really expensive.  I recommend looking for Army/Military surplus clothing stores and picking up some warm weather wear through them.  Not all that fashionable, but proven to do the job.  I also have started carrying a bandana on me at all times.  Extremely useful as survival clothing.  Check out this blog on 30 different uses for a bandana.

3)  Cutting tool - "With a knife you survive, without one you don't!".  Which knife?  How Long?  How many? Fixed or folding?  Lots of choices here.  In the end the important things to keep in mind are to have a thick, full tung blade which holds an edge.  Stainless steel is a must and don't ignore the sheath.  Made in the USA is something I look for.  My personal choice for manufacturer is Gerber or Remington (not made in USA).  You don't need to spend a lot to get a high quality knife, just start looking around and pick up a simple sharpener at the same time.

4)  Combustion Device - Being able to start a fire is a must.  You need to have at least 3 different ways to start one.  I recommend having a flint stick, a 9V battery and steel wool, and water proof matches.  You should also learn how to start a fire with sticks and your arms (not an easy task).  If you have these you should be set.  I also throw in some vasoline and cotton balls for longer burning tinder (nothing worse than getting a flame and then watching it flicker out).

5)  Cordage - 100-200" of high weight paracord.  Can buy for dirt cheap all over and the only limit to it's use is your imagination.  Enough said.

6)  Concealed Carry - Yes, I'm adding in a weapon to the 5-C's.  Not an absolute necessity, but will absolutely improve your odds of survival.  I won't go into choice of weapon at this time but it should be something your starting to think about and plan for.

Till next time,

Dr. J