Hot Disaster Preparation Posts


How To: Tie a genoese zipper sinnet knot easily
The Genoese Zipper Sinnet is actually a fusion of both the single Genoese Bar and the Zipper Sinnet, obvious reasons for the name. This knot can be great for making a strap, bracelet, or necklace. In this video you will learn how to tie the knot up close and personal, giving the video great detail and insight into the knot tying process.

How To: Use a parang knife (Malayan machete) in the tropical wild
If you're ever stuck in the jungles of Southeast Asia, then your only hope for survival is the parang knife, which is a Malayan type machete. This is the ideal tool for the jungle, especially in Malaysia, where the typical vegetation is more woody, and needs something thicker for stronger chopping action. A parang has three different edges: the front is very sharp and used for skinning, the middle is wider and used for chopping, and the back end (near the handle) is very fine and used for car...

How To: Tie a Button Knot lanyard
Think you're a knot master? Have you mastered the Button Knot? Simple and elegant, the Button Knot makes for more than just a decorative button; It makes for a wonderful lanyard leash. From Tying It All Together, learn how to tie a Button Knot lanyard in a just a few steps.

How To: Make a spear for hunting in the wild
This is a method for making a native American free point spear using a bamboo stick, bamboo strips and some commonly found items. First take a sea shell and make a hole in it. Make the hole using a pointed stone and pierce an opening in the shell. Make the hole such that the shell fits the bamboo. Now the bamboo has to be split in half and for this you have to find a common stone which has a sharp edge on one side to split the bamboo. This is a common stone found anywhere. Now you have to tak...

How To: Create a grip with paracord
When is a knot not a knot? When it's a grip. The knot outlined in this video isn't a knot per se but a way to wrap objects to increase their grip and also to store extra paracord. Specifically, this video demonstrates how to County Comm Micro Widgy Bar, which is a miniature pry bar. It’s made from hardened D9 steel and is around 3? in overall length.

How To: Tie the caterpillar sinnet
Learn tot tie the caterpillar sinnet with this video tutorial. 1. To start the sinnet, place rope in hands with one piece in your left hand and the other in your right. 2. With the rope piece in your right hand, create a loop with the top of the loop being the piece from your left hand. 3. Take the piece of rope in your right hand and slip a small piece of rope through the loop. 4. Gently pull the rope in your left hand tight. This will have created a new loop and link below it. 5. To create ...

How To: Make a primitive fishing hook from wood or thorn
Learn how to make a primitive fishing hook / fishing gouge from completely natural materials in a wilderness survival situation. Learn how to survive in the wild. You never know when you'll be stranded on a desert island, lost in the deep woods, or be a contender for Survival, the TV show. This series of videos, by Hedgehog Leatherworks, brings you the basics in outdoor survival. Wilderness survival skills include fire starting, deadfall traps, primitive fishing, making jerky, rope & cordage ...

How To: Make a cordage basket when out in the wild
Learn how to make a primitive basket for wilderness survival using natural cordage. Learn how to survive in the wild. You never know when you'll be stranded on a desert island, lost in the deep woods, or be a contender for Survival, the TV show. This series of videos, by Hedgehog Leatherworks, brings you the basics in outdoor survival. Wilderness survival skills include fire starting, deadfall traps, primitive fishing, making jerky, rope & cordage skills, and more. For the outdoor enthusiasts...

How To: Do the backpacker rope coil
How to coil a rope and wear it on your back. Learn how to survive in the wild. You never know when you'll be stranded on a desert island, lost in the deep woods, or be a contender for Survival, the TV show. This series of videos, by Hedgehog Leatherworks, brings you the basics in outdoor survival. Wilderness survival skills include fire starting, deadfall traps, primitive fishing, making jerky, rope & cordage skills, and more. For the outdoor enthusiasts, enjoy this video on backpacker rope c...

How To: Do the Mountaineer Method for rope coiling
Here is an effective way to coil a long rope and use as an emergency method of transporting an injured person.

How To: Orient a map and use a compass as a Boy Scout
Second Class Boy Scouts work on building their outdoor survival and camping skills. Compass work, nature observation, camp tools, and swimming are areas where new skills are mastered and demonstrated. A second class scout, having completed all the requirements, should be able to lead a hike, care for his own equipment, set up a campsite, and perform basic first aid.

How To: Identify and treat a 'hurry case' as a Boy Scout
Second Class Boy Scouts work on building their outdoor survival and camping skills. Compass work, nature observation, camp tools, and swimming are areas where new skills are mastered and demonstrated. A second class scout, having completed all the requirements, should be able to lead a hike, care for his own equipment, set up a campsite, and perform basic first aid.

How To: Tie the Chain Sinnet, Chain Stitch, or Monkey Braid
Learn how to tie the Chain Sinnet Knot. This animated knot tying tutorial is the best you'll find. With this knot tying how to, you can tie the Chain Sinnet, Chain Stitch, or Monkey Braid Knot fast or slow, or pause it at every step along the way. Learn to tie knots for your next outdoor trip. Tie the Chain Sinnet, Chain Stitch, or Monkey Braid.

How To: Coil an unnattached rope
Learn how to coil an unnattached rope. This animated knot tying tutorial is the best you'll find. With this knot tying how to, you can coil an unattached rope fast or slow, or pause it at every step along the way. Learn to tie knots for your next outdoor trip. Coil an unnattached rope.

How To: Fall down safely to minimize possible injury
Sometimes, there's no way to avoid a fall. If you are aware of the inevitability of a fall, you can at least prepare properly to fall. Watch this video safety tutorial and learn how to fall down the correct way forwards or backwards, all the details on how to do it safely to reduce the risk or lessen the severity of injury.

How To: Eat lichen (Cladonia)
Learn from Green Deane about lichen, a potential food found everywhere on earth.

How To: Eat wild lettuce and sow thistle
Learn with Green Deane how to recognize and prepare wild lettuce and sow thistle, lactuca and sonchus.

How To: Light a fire using the flint and steel method
Andrew Price of Dyad Bushcraft demonstrates how to light a fire using a flint and a piece of steel. He also demonstrates how to make charcoal clothe and shows you how to use the modern version of flint and steel.

How To: Get rescued from a deserted island
Whether your plane made a crash landing or your ship got lost on a three-hour tour, now you're stranded on a remote island. Here's how to get help.

How To: Build a shelter in the Savannah
Check out this instructional safety video that demonstrates how to build a shelter in the Savannah. Rock walls, leaf roofs, and elephant dung mattresses might not make for the most ideal lodging, but they will protect you from the elements, and that is what really matters in the African Savannah. Check out this safety tutorial video and learn how to build a shelter in the Savannah. Build a shelter in the Savannah.

How To: Make a Fire by Rubbing Two Sticks Together!
Here's a survival technique for making a fire with the most basic of resources—assuming you can find two sticks to rub together!

News: AA battery + staple = fire
Creator Funditor claims right off the bat that this survival tip could save your life. We think that's slightly dramatic, but it shouldn't take away from his video's utility.

How To: Finish of the end of a rope with back braiding
Back braiding, as demonstrated in this how-to video, is used instead of a whipping to hold the strands at the end of a rope together. Back braiding is the simple process of braiding the loose strands of a piece of rope. Watch this video tutorial and learn how to back braid a rope.

How To: Tie a Slip Clove Hitch Knot
The slip clove hitch is very similar to the clove hitch knot, except that it's easier to untie. This is the knot used by cowboys to tie up their horses. Follow along with this video survival training tutorial and learn how to tie a slip clove hitch knot.

How To: Tie the Celtic heart knot
In this video, we learn how to tie the Celtic heart knot. Start off with your rope and make a loop in the middle of it. Now, bring the working en on the right side into the loop so you have a circle. Now, bring that end back into the knot and braid it through the other loop. Next, push this through the bottom loop, then braid it through the lines that are on the shape. After this, you will see a heart shape start to form. Pull gently on the heart with both sides of the rope and shape the midd...

How To: Build a fire in the snow
What to do if you're lost & freezing in Antarctica? Build a fire to keep warm! Yes, fires can be built successfully in cold and wet conditions with the right tools & preparation. In this eight-part series of short videos, Fitclimb survival instructor Ali teaches how to build a fire in the snow in 15 minutes. You can build this fire with just two tools: a knife and a metal match (magnesium stick). In part one, Ali talks about site preparation and how to choose and prepare the right site for a ...

How To: Heat Your Home in an Emergency Without Gas Using Flower Pots & Candles
Not having power can make everyday tasks really difficult if you're unprepared. You have to find new ways to do things like cook dinner and charge your devices, and if it happens during the winter, you also have to figure out how to heat your home.

How To: Tie an Arab-style shemagh two different ways
A shemagh, or a keffiyeh, is a traditiona Arab headdress that's worn by Arab men. Made from a square scarf, it protects their heads and face from desert wind and sun. It's also multifunctional - warm at night and lightweight during the day. These scarves have even become adopted by the U.S. Cavalry to protect themselves during long treks outdoors.

How To: Get a pattern for a wool blanket shirt
In order to pattern a wool blanket shirt, you'll need a blanket, scissors, a needle, and thread.

How To: Start a fire with the "fire saw" friction method
This video illustrate us how to start a fire with the "fire saw" friction method. Here are the following steps:

How To: Start a fire with a battery and a staple
This young fellow demonstrates how to start a fire using a battery and a staple. He suggest you begin with a staple or any thin wire, a AA battery and a knife. On the negative terminal of the battery, he cuts off a piece of the insulation by following the small ring on the battery. Pay attention to the small ring between the top of the terminal and the casing. Look for the gap that has some paper material and pry that up. Insert the staple below the paper into the gap. As you move the staple,...

How To: Read a paper map
Have you ever found yourself lost in the Appalachian Mountains, or stranded in the Mojave Desert? Maybe it was because you couldn't read a map… a real map… a real hands-on, folding paper map. Reading a map is an important skill that may be lost in the internet and GPS era, but it' s a skill that everyone should have.

How To: Use a magnesium fire starter
This is how to use a magnesium fire stick. Steps:

How To: Make a survival fire from a battery and staple
Check out this how-to video to start a fire using an AA battery and a staple. You can do this while listening to the classical guitar piece, "Malaguena" if you feel like it. It could save your life! With your battery: start by cutting the plastic away from the negative terminal. Watch the video survival training tutorial for more tips on starting an emergency fire!

How To: Make mosquito repellent
Ray is in the outback making smudge fires out of termite mounds to ward away the creepy crawlies, bugs and mosquitos.

How To: Conduct a lawful strip search in prison
This is a government video issued to teach the correct way to conduct a strip or visual search in prison.

How To: How the Headrest in Your Vehicle Can Potentially Save Your Life One Day
If you ever find yourself in a car that's submerged under water, your first instinct should be to try and open either the window or the door in the first few seconds of touching water. Unfortunately, if you wait any longer than that, the lopsided ambient water pressure subjected to the car will make it impossible to open the car door, and the now ubiquitous power windows will likely short out. Sure, you could wait until the pressure has equalized on both sides of the car, but this usually hap...

Body Hack: How to Stop an Emotional Freakout by Inducing Your Body's Natural Survival Instincts
Many of us experience highly emotional "freakouts", so to speak, more often than we'd like. Weather you experience them personally, or via your loved ones, it can be very difficult to think rationally during an episode, and for some people it can take quite a while to calm down.

How To: Tie a perfect round crown sinnet
In this handy knot-tying tutorial from JD of Tying It All Together, we learn how to tie a round crown sinnet. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started tying round crown knots yourself, watch this video guide.

How To: Make a homemade fire extinguisher with items from around the house
If you're planning on making a fire and don't have a big fire extinguisher laying around, you may think that you're all out of options. But if you've got a water bottle, some baking soda, vinegar, dish soap and a little water you're all set to go! This video shows you how to create a short term, home made fire extinguisher and also demonstrates its effectiveness.