Cheap Fire Starter

There are commerical fire sticks and plugs out there that can help get a fire started. I even have some for sell on my web store. But, there's a cheaper alternative you can use from something that you normally throw away. It's the lint from your dryer.

When you clean out the lint collector on your dryer, just save some back. Dip your saved lint in some petroleum jelly (Vasolene) and place it in a container such as a film canister or used mint tin (Altoids).

Now you can easily take the fire starter with you on camping and hiking trips. Just make sure you bring some waterproof matches or lighter to light your fire starter on fire.

Dutch Oven Drop Peach Cobbler

Dutch oven cooking is a wonderful skill to learn for outdoor enthusiasts. I found a recipe by Donald Ray Burger for Drop Peach Cobbler. Since I didn't ask for permission to post the recipe here, I'll link it. You can find the recipe here. It's a real easy recipe to follow and I have even done it without the butter. I have also use the recipe for a double batch in a 2-gallon oven.

If you don't own a Dutch oven, you can find some for sale on my web store. There are some great links out there on Dutch oven cooking such as Byron's Dutch Oven Cooking Page and the International Dutch Oven Society. Grab a Dutch oven and have some fun.

Solar Cooking

Summertime outdoor cooking usually means lighting up your propane fueled BBQ grill or setting fire to some charcoal briquettes. A great alternative would be to harness the energy giving off by the sun. This would be solar cooking.

Why should one try solar cooking? One reason is that you don't have to pay for any fuel. The sun will provide it for you. Another reason is that most solar cookers are portable. You can take them camping with you. Some other reasons include that nutrients are more preserved versus other cooking methods and you don't end up risking overcooking or burning the food. You can also use solar cookers to pasteurize water for drinking. You also don't have the risk of starting unattended fires with solar cookers, which means you can take it to areas that have fire bans like I have here in Colorado.

There are many types of solar cookers you can choose from or even make yourself. The most common are box cookers, panel cookers, and parabolic cookers. Each have their advantages and disadvantages.

If you want to learn more about solar cooking, check out these links:

• The Solar Cooking Archives


• Solar Cooker on Wikipedia


• Instructions for a Solar Oven at Re-Energy.ca


• Pizza Box Solar Cooker


• PathToFreedom.com's Project Solar Oven

Solar cooking is fun and you can learn how to survive without using expensive fuels. Give it a try.

Learn CPR

Summertime increases the chances of having to use a simple technique called CPR. CPR is an acronym for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. CPR can be explained in four easy steps.

1. Check the victim for responsiveness. If the victim is unresponsive, continue with the next steps. If you have access to a phone, dial 911 and they will be able to help you with this process. If the victim is an infant, you may want to hold off on dialing 911 right away unless you can have someone else call for you while continuing with these steps.
   
2. Position the person on his/her back and tilt the head slightly back and listen for breathing. Check for anything in the mouth that may be causing obstruction for breathing. If you are dealing with a small child or infant, use his/her chin to open the airway and make sure not to tilt the head too far back. If the victim is not breathing, continue with the next step.
   
3. With the head tilted back, pinch the nose and cover the mouth with yours and blow until you see the chest rise. Give two breaths with the duration being around one second for each breath. With an infant, make sure you give light breaths. If this doesn't get the victim to breathe, continue with the next step.
   
4. Position one hand on top of the other and position the palm of your hands in the middle of the chest right between the nipples of the victim. If the victim is a small child or infant, you will just want to use the finger tips of your index and middle finger for compressions. With an adult, you want to press down about 1.5 to 2 inches down on the chest 30 times with a rate of one press less than a second. With children and infants, use gentle compressions. You should complete the 30 compressions in around 20 seconds.
   

Repeat the steps until the victim becomes responsive or until help arrives.

CPR is an easy process to learn. If you don't feel comfortable with just knowing these steps, you may want to check with your local Red Cross and find a class to join that teaches CPR. The class will help build up your confidence in learning and using CPR. Being prepared in using this technique will help increase the survivability of your love ones.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a day of remembering those who have lost their lives in military service. Even though I may disagree with political motives behind wars, I will never say that those who have lost their lives have lost it in vain. Their spirit is the American spirit and they will never be forgotten.

Memorial Day is also the start of Summer, which means the season for camping, hiking, rafting, boating, fishing, and other outdoor activites for many Americans. Make sure with any outdoor activity that you go prepared. It's great to have a check list before each adventure. You should keep a list on your computer that you can update as needed. After each outing you can adjust the list to reflect the things that you wished you carried with you and those things that you wish you left behind.

Sunscreen is a must have in any checklist. It is one of those items that is usually left off of a lot of checklists that I have seen. Wearing a hat is also recommended for most outdoor activites as well. Sunburns can easily ruin a nice vacation outing and it's easily preventable.

A first-aid kit is also a must have. There are many prepared kits that come in various sizes. You should choose one you need based on need. Make sure you add your own prescription medicines to any kit you choose. If you need to look at and compare kits, you can do so at my web store, www.chuckssurvivalgear.com.

Any list you choose should be tailor to your outdoor activity. In the future, I will share some of my own lists and even compare them to other lists I have seen on the internet.

Have fun this summer and remembered to stay prepared. Those that are prepared are always those most likely to survive. And once again, thank you to those who have served the military and for those of you who have fallen that you shall be remembered always.