Sounds Fishy: An Often Overlooked Bug-Out Bag Item

I’m always intrigued by what people argue about when trying to decide what to put in their bug out bag or survival kit. You know…. fire starters, water filters, food rations, I need not say more. We all picture survival scenarios that we try to be prepared for. Maybe one of those is being stranded in the woods or lost near a stream or lake.

So here is a question…..Do you have any actual fishing lures and line in your kit? I’m not talking about a bit of string, a few hooks and a sinker. I’m talking about maybe a small 150 yd spool of super high tech fishing line. Maybe you have paracord in your kit but think you have nothing but time to strip one of the 8 strands out of it and use it for lashing or fishing line. Why waste your time and precious resources? The latest technology can give you the diameter of old 4 lb test with the strength of 40 lb test using super braids made out of exotic fabric like trademarked “Spectra” lines. Snares, bed and shelter lashing, trip lines, temporary sutures, and yes fishing, the possibilities are endless and ready to use.

So you have some compact line, what kind of lures could you carry for let’s say a salt, fresh or fly fishing situation? Opinions are close but vary on the top 10 lures in the world for these types of fishing. Most would agree on our sample of a short list of some of the best lures ever invented because all and many more are time tested and proven fish catchers. Do your own research if you wish but consider the possibility of including one or two lures from each category to your well thought out survival kit.

Here’s a list of just a few lures to save you some time…..

Fresh water:

Heddon Torpedo, Red Devil or Daredevil Spoon, Rapala Floating Minnow, Panther Martin, Hula Popper, Mepps Aglia Spinner, and of course the famous versions of the rubber worm!

Salt Water:

Diamond Jig, Gold spoon, artificial shrimp or DOA shrimp, Mirrolure twitch baits, Bucktail jigs and Johnsons Silver Minnow

Fly fishing manufactured lures:

Hares Ear Nymph, Adams Dry Fly- which some consider the most effective, Woolly Bugger, and one of the new modern favorites…The green “mop fly” (That’s’ right, a fantastic lure made from the tiny microfiber fingers in a floor mop. Talk about survival…make your own! It resembles the parachute inch worm which fall from trees and the trout and other fish go nuts.)

We hope this article gets you thinking of the few extra inches of space you could add to your survival kit and of course many arguments can be made of all the amazing lures we haven’t even begun to mention. That is the real point of the article…just to get you thinking and preparing!

3 Reasons Why You Need a GPS in Your Bug-out Bag

Intro

Usually, it would be instinctive to stay away from electronic gadgets when you are choosing gears to bug-out or to simply travel in the wilderness. However, handheld GPS receivers can be considered as one such exception. The amount of benefits that you can derive from this wonderful modern gadget would outweigh the cons of holding such a device. The other must-have item would be a boot knife to keep yourself safe.

Handheld GPS receivers can be considered to be rather complex, where there is a huge variety for you to choose from. Some important aspects that you can consider include the display quality in weather conditions, user-friendly interface and the amount of storage it has. Before going too far with the considerations for a good GPS, here are three reasons why you need a GPS in your bug-out bag.

Reason 1: Ensuring your safety outside cellphone coverage

By just having a GPS, you are already significantly increasing your chances of survival outdoors. A GPS with its basic function can provide you information about where you are, by letting you know your position, orientation and which intended direction you should take. Losing one of these positioning factors would be detrimental because it would potentially cause one of the other factors to tumble.

Equipping your handheld GPS receiver with navigational aids would be necessary if you want to send your coordinates to rescuers when you are in a place outside cell-phone coverage. Your GPS would only be radio signal receivers that contains a logic chip which is good for telling your location, but would be incapable of transmitting signals.

Therefore, you may want to get a GPS which contains an attachment to a cell phone or use it together with other transmission methods. The transmitters that you may want to look into are personal locator beacons and satellite messengers.

Note that personal locator beacons are used only when one is in really bad emergency situations. Personal locator beacons utilize the Distress Alerting Satellite System (DASS) which are monitored by NASA to track distress signals.

Usually, we would just use satellite messengers which is also a navigational aid which helps tell our rescuers the location we are at, even when there is no cellphone coverage. When you are bugging out and when SHTF, having these functions at your fingertips can do you wonders.

Reason 2: Understand your surroundings

Also, to facilitate the process of understanding your surroundings, you may want to employ ‘scouting’. This can be said to be like your ‘homework’ before you travel outdoors or go to the location you want. First, you would start by scouting with your computer, where you can go through topographical or 3D maps so that you have a rough overview of the terrain. After that, mark those places that particularly interest you or the route which you intend to travel.

The next step would be transferring those marked waypoints into your GPS, where these waypoints are really helpful when you scout on foot. This can act as an alternative navigation method where you can just follow the waypoints which you saved which simplifies how you navigate.

Planning your outdoor trips is really important if you want to cover more ground in less time. The act of scouting and saving waypoints could save you a ton of time if you do it right. Remember, you would want to look for a GPS that can insert an external SD card as well so that you do not need to worry about memory.

Reason 3: Navigate with ease

By having topographical maps saved in your GPS, you do not need to weigh yourself down with loads of maps when you are outdoors. With a GPS with sufficient storage capacity, you can save many maps and waypoints that are necessary for your outdoor adventure. This would be important when you bug-out because you would not know how long more you would need to travel!

Handheld GPS receivers are also equipped with different navigation methods, and I would encourage you to experiment with them to determine the most convenient way to navigate. For example, you can choose to navigate by touching on the place of the screen or simply following waypoints.

Usually, I would prefer to navigate by touching on the screen only to find out new places. While I am on foot, travelling would be much easier when I just follow waypoints. An external antenna would be a useful feature to look out for so that you can be sure that you have good signal even when you are in canyons or thick foliage.

Conclusion

Ideally, your bug out bag should have predetermined emergency essentials, so you can be ready for any eventualities at any time. One important aspect is that the gears you carry must be light enough especially when your bug-out location is far from your current location. Another thing to note is the durability of the items you are holding. If you foresee yourself going through rough terrains, you may want to choose a waterproof GPS.

Other options would be considering a GPS that you can primarily navigate through the software using external buttons rather than using touch screen. This is because touch screen GPS would usually be more prone to spoil. If you have any other tips to share, please comment below!

Author Bio:

I am John Lewis, a blogger, survivalist and outdoor enthusiast. You can follow me over at Epic Wilderness. Please click here!

The Most Essential Hunting Equipment for You

If you are a beginner in the hunting hobby, you could be quite intimidated by the number of accessories that are available on the shelf. You may wonder whether you have to buy all that stuff to start your hunting. You need not worry. As a beginner, you don’t have to spend money on all those accessories. There are a few essentials on which you may spend money. These make your hunting a more pleasant experience.

Boots

It is not a big thing to say you need quality boots for your hunting trip. Everyone knows that. The important thing is to get a pair of good quality boots. They are expensive, but they are worth the money. A blistered foot can put your hunt to an end suddenly. It is better to get a good pair of costly boots which won’t give up on you too soon. You will be surprised at how fast sharp stones can tear up a cheap pair of boots. Such hunting equipments are not luxury, but a necessity in hunting.

Rain Gear

This is another important accessory for a hunter. You don’t know when it will start raining and it could be really cold if you are wet. A rubberized one is very good in heavy rains. There are many breathable raincoats, which really work nicely if you can find time to dry it. These are not rains coats but only cover you in short rains with time to dry them up in-between. For heavy non-stop rains these raincoats are not enough as they get saturated with water.

Pack

The pack is another important hunting equipments like your shoes. These packs should be able to carry all your necessities. It should be able to pack your stuff for at least a fortnight. You should be able to carry your food and other things you need. The one with good rigidity is the best for you. It will provide some support too. it should also be light for you to carry around during the hunt.

Hunting Optics

You will need an extra pair of good eyes when you go hunting. You should use good binoculars to sight your game easily. If you have good glasses, you will be able to say from far whether a game is worth following or not. Good glasses are expensive. But if you planning to take your hunting seriously they are worth spending on.

There are other hunting equipments which you will need for your survival for a couple of weeks which also you need to carry with you.

About author

I am Frank, a professional writer and blogger for outdoor, fashion, technologies, pets, foods, beauty, toys and much more. From early on I started studying life and writing about it. I have a passion to write for my blog and online business. It feels good when I have written an article or blog post that helps people discover and learn more. For more information, please visit my website Atbuz.com or follow me on the blog page.

Bow Accessories Every Hunter Should Have

Bow hunting is a very personal sport. Every hunter has his own purposes for hunting. Just like the variety in the reasons each of them has their own choice of accessories which is why there are so many accessories available for a hunter. There are many accessories which only add look to your bow and many which enhance your shooting skills.

Let us see some of the important bow accessories every hunter must have.

Sights

These are a necessity for hunters to improve their accuracy when hitting a target. These are probably the first accessory most people purchase. You should look for bright fiber optic pins, a bubble level, and a circular pin guard. Today, most of the sights have these features.

The fiber optic pins will help you in dim conditions. A pin guard will act as a reference point when using a peep sight. A bubble level is necessary to ensure that you have the bow in the correct level. This will increase your chances of a hit. The sights are very important bow accessories.

Peep Sights

These help to increase your performance as a hunter. These are tied to your bow strings. They are available in many diameters. For hunting purpose, the bigger the diameter, the better it is as they will allow for more light in poor light conditions. The peep sights give you a consistent anchor point to improve your accuracy.

Target shooters, however, prefer peep sights of smaller diameters. These tend to be more accurate. The peep sights are necessary bow accessories for all types of shooters.

Arrow Rests

These are essential for every hunter for accuracy. When it comes to a compound bow these are probably the most important of all. Arrow rests come in three main types. They are the shoot through rests, drop away rests and the full containment rests.

The shoot-through rests are the most popular bow accessories among the target shooters. But the hunters don’t find much use with this arrow rest. They can create fletching issues if not configured properly.

The drop away arrow rests have become very popular. They are tied to your buss cable with a short rope. When you pull the bow, the rest moves up and as you shoot the rest drops away allowing the arrow to move freely without fletching contact.

The full containment rest is a fool-proof arrow rest and the favorite bow accessories of the hunters. It will give full support to the arrow. But target shooters are not in favor of this as they fear that the bristles will present more possibilities of fletching contact.

About author

Know the Types of Archery Bows

There are basically four types of archery bows. Bows have been in existence for a lot of centuries, but they have undergone a lot of transformations from what they started as. They are now made with fiberglass and carbon fiber. There are those with highly advanced mechanisms. Let us see the four main types of bows.

The Recurve Bow

Named after their peculiar shape these are the basic bows. This peculiar shape makes it easy to use it. Lesser strength is required to shoot an arrow because of this shape. The recurve bows were used historically by horsemen.

Beginners in archery normally begin these archery bows which is just a bare bow. It has a string, an arrow rest, the bow limbs and a riser to balance the bow. As the archer becomes more skilled, more components are added.

The Compound Bows

These are the most technically advanced archery bows. These bows have a complex pulley system that will allow improving their strength without increasing the draw weight. Another difference with the compound bows is that they can be kept strung. As long as the recurve bows, or longbows are concerned they need to be unstrung so as not to spoil the bow. Wooden arrows cannot be used with the compound bows.

The Longbows

They are one of the oldest bows to be used and is recorded being in use as early as 1298. They were the most popular archery bows till the 16^th century. The longbows are characterized by their simplicity. They are a long piece of wood, as long as the height of the archer, which is bent in the center towards the archer. They have none of the modern additions like arrow rests or sights. They are more difficult to shoot because they have a low velocity when compared to the others. Their use requires a lot of practice.

The Crossbows

These are frequently used for target archery. They have similar mechanisms like a rifle. The short arrow is attached to the muzzle horizontally. The string is attached to a trigger mechanism. When the trigger is pulled the short arrow is shot. The arrows for the crossbow are referred to as bolts. They are much shorter than the normal arrows. Many people prefer the crossbows to start because they are easy to master than the other archery bows.

About author

Get the Right Accessories for Your Crossbow

It is not just the crossbow that you require for your hunting experience. There are many accessories that will help you to get a much better hunting experience. Some of the crossbow accessories make your sport a much more effective one.

Tripod

A tripod helps you to steady your crossbow. A variety of tripods are available in the market that you can use for the hunting purpose. You should get one that is versatile for use with binoculars, camera, and crossbow. The height should be adjustable to both sitting, kneeling or standing positions. You should be able to pan for 360 Degrees. The tripod should be light enough for carrying long distances. This is one of the essential crossbow accessories.

Rope Cocker

This is yet another essential accessory for a hunter. This will help to reduce the draw weight. You should buy one which helps to reduce as much draw weight as possible. Buy one that is lightweight and easy to carry around. It should also allow you to draw the bow accurately every time.

Crossbow Scope

A scope is essential when you are doing big games. The latest scopes come with reticules calibrated with different lengths. These also come with compensation for arrow-drop like scopes for rifles. This is very helpful for long distances. When you are shooting 275 to 425 FPS these scopes help you a lot. They help to dial you in quickly and you need not worry about holdover estimates for longer shots. These scopes help you to make a clean kill. These are very useful crossbow accessories.

Bolt Puller

For a target shooter, it is always a struggle to pull out the arrows that are stuck deep in the target. Block targets are highly durable today. But this creates difficulty in pulling out the bolts that driven deep. Arrow or bolt pullers with good rubber grippers are an essential accessory to pull out the bolts easily.

Soft Case for Crossbow

You certainly don’t want to damage your crossbow. It is not just too expensive to be careless with, but it will also make you lose that much hunting time. So, it is essential to take care of it as best as possible. One of the most useful crossbow accessories is the soft case for your crossbow. A light case with strong double stitch is best for carrying your crossbow. Ensure that it has space for other items like your bolts, quiver and other items. Get one with a comfortable soft and thick shoulder strap.

About author

Drive to Survive: The Right Vehicle for the Apocalypse

The average adult drives 10,000 miles in their car every year. You drive to and from work, school, the doctor, and the grocery store. It’s a habit and a way of life, but you may not realize that your handy-dandy vehicle could be the one thing that helps you survive when this way of life is destroyed. The end of the world may come in a many number of different ways. However, one of the most important items you will need to survive is a vehicle. This car can’t be your typical Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic though. You’re going to need a durable, secure, and multi-purpose vehicle.

It Needs to be Durable

Just like you, your vehicle needs to be able to withstand the harshest of environments. Whether the end of the world is a zombie apocalypse or an environmental anomaly, you need to defend against whatever may come your way. This includes dangerous storms, potential bombs, shootings, or zombies trying to claw their way in. Therefore, you will want a durable, armored vehicle that can protect anything and anyone inside it. Your vehicle should also have four-wheel drive and be able to handle any type of terrain. Some great cars that will do the job include the Marauder, Conquest Vehicles Knight XV, or a Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6.

It Needs to Be Big Enough for Multi-Purpose Use

At the end of the world, you will want all of your personal items to act like a swiss army knife. They need to be able to serve you more than one purpose. Therefore, your vehicle needs to be able to offer many things than just a box on wheels. Cars such as the E-350, Chevy Blazer, and the Mercedes-Benz Unimog are spacious and can serve a number of purposes when you need them the most. You can these vehicles to drive to a new destination, store supplies, sleep in the back, or you can even turn them into a jail cell should you need to capture or discipline other individuals. When your car is no longer of use, these vehicles also have so many parts that you can scrap them and trade for whatever supplies you may need.

It Should be Insured to Prepare for the End

Car insurance may be the furthest thing from your mind when preparing for the apocalypse, but it can be extremely handy. During the event that causes the end of the world, there will be chaos. People will be rushing to get to safety and there will no doubt be a lot of traffic and ultimately a lot of accidents. If you have car insurance, you will be able to protect your vehicle and ensure that it makes it through the onset of the event. Some companies will even offer zombie car insurance in case you dent your vehicle hitting a zombie or get attacked by a hoard of the infected.

It is important that you prepare for the end of the world and obtain your survival vehicle. Having a durable and secured vehicle can be the difference between life and death.

5 Tips for Ultralight Camping | Must-know Tips for Backpackers

The more weight you can cut from your pack, the faster you move, and the more comfortable your camping experience will be. However, switching to lighter setup can cost an arm and a leg. So here are 5 tips for ultralight camping that can shave weight from your pack without making it too costly.

1. Minimize The Stove

Food is one of the easiest things to over pack. It is thus necessary to lay out your foods in a strategic way. And the first thing to notice is the stove.

The most ideal option is just to leave the stove at home and eat cold foods instead. Oatmeal, nuts, cereal, dried fruits, sandwiches are good choices.

And before you start your trip, list out the foods you will need for each day to make sure that you will not bring too much of the unnecessary.

In case you are not ready to leave the fire behind, you can make a mini alcohol stove from a soda can. This stove can also keep you warm and cook some simple dishes.

2. Use Multi-purpose Items

There are many items that can be used for more than one purpose. For examples, you can use your stuff sack as a pillow cover, cooking pot as a bowl, or sleeping bag as a makeshift stretcher.

Besides the shift toward using multiple-purpose items, it is also weight-saving to cut off the non-essentials. Coffee mug and wine cup are the examples. And after each trip, you can eliminate the items with less frequency or with no actual use.

That said, first aids and emergency kits should never be put on the elimination list.

3. Go Lightweight On The Big Three

The three keywords are the tent, sleeping bag, and backpack. For most campers, they always make up for most of the base weight.

– Tent: There are two factors when it comes to using tents – the number of people and weather. If you go solo, a one-man tent is just a perfect fit. And if you have a companion, two-person tents may weight around 2-3 pounds depending on its design and materials.

Depending on whether it is warm or rainy, you can also opt for the suitable tent to minimize the pack weight.

– Sleeping bag: It is ideal to keep the sleeping bag under 3 pounds and the sleeping pad around 1 pound. These numbers are also flexible depending on weather condition.

– Backpack: People usually forget that even an empty pack weights something. So the tip here is that you should go for packs with smaller loads. It forces you to carry less but just the essentials.

4. Select Smart Materials

Titanium and synthetic layers are two great option for the materials. Before deciding to include anything in your pack, make sure it is lightweight, easy to clean and dry.

Using backpacking solar charger is also a smart choice. It frees you from having to worry about finding electricity when you want to charge your stuff.

5. Put Everything On A Scale

Weight is everything. There is two way to do this. You can either put your pack on a scale or make a spreadsheet listing out all items’ weights to see if your pack is lightweight enough.

You can group your items into different categories such as Shelter, Sleeping, Foods, and Clothes. This spreadsheet may take you quite a while to complete, yet it is definitely worth your time and effort.

It helps a lot in deciding whether anything else can be eliminated for a lighter pack. Choosing the items for your pack is like choosing the players in a football game. There are always limited spots in the team and as a coach, you need a make ruthless decision when picking which players to cut and which to add.

The Bottom Line

Your love for camping will be put off by the aches after carrying a heavy pack on your back for hours. The ultralight pack is then crucial to boosting your comfort and camping experience.

So here are the key takeaways for a lighter camping setup: Plan your foods strategically, take advantage of multiple-use gears, minimize the weight of the tent, sleeping bag, backpack, scrutinize on the items, and eliminate the nonessentials.

I hope these 5 tips for ultralight camping are useful for your campaign prep work. Thank you so much for reading.

Author Bio:

Luna is a camping and hiking enthusiast from Phoenix, Arizona. She wants to share her experience to all adventure junkies in order for them to get better preparations before any trip. Visit her blog to find out more!

Year Zero Survival – Premium Survival Gear and Blog

Committed to providing you and your family with the best survival knowledge, skills and equipment.

Sounds Fishy: An Often Overlooked Bug-Out Bag Item

3 Reasons Why You Need a GPS in Your Bug-out Bag

Intro

Reason 1: Ensuring your safety outside cellphone coverage

Reason 2: Understand your surroundings

Reason 3: Navigate with ease

Conclusion

Author Bio:

The Most Essential Hunting Equipment for You

Bow Accessories Every Hunter Should Have

Know the Types of Archery Bows

Get the Right Accessories for Your Crossbow

Drive to Survive: The Right Vehicle for the Apocalypse

5 Tips for Ultralight Camping | Must-know Tips for Backpackers

1. Minimize The Stove

2. Use Multi-purpose Items

3. Go Lightweight On The Big Three

– Tent: There are two factors when it comes to using tents – the number of people and weather. If you go solo, a one-man tent is just a perfect fit. And if you have a companion, two-person tents may weight around 2-3 pounds depending on its design and materials.

– Backpack: People usually forget that even an empty pack weights something. So the tip here is that you should go for packs with smaller loads. It forces you to carry less but just the essentials.

4. Select Smart Materials

5. Put Everything On A Scale

The Bottom Line