Mobile Survival

One thing I have noticed in my studies, much to my frustration, is that survival tactics are generally divided into two categories, Mobile for Extraction and Stationary for Extended Stay. The first, of course, being geared towards those who happen to find themselves in a survival situation through act of god, or fate. The second of course, reffers to advice given by the kind of people who have 2 tons of beans in 5 gallon bags under their beads, each labeled by month and year. The first of which, being primarily wilderness survival. The later usually requires a large plot of land, and significant monitary investment.

There is a definite lacking in survival study for those with low income preparation, urban, and in the case of todays topic, Mobile survival. Hopefully, today, I will be able to shed some light on the necessity for these studies. I do not wish to invalidate either of the other categories affore mentioned. Both are necessary to know. However, if wild fires are spreading across the coast of California and you have to make it to the desert on foot before you are devoured in flames, it's not going to matter how many beans you have buried in your back yard, and I don't think you will be terribly worried about how to build a lean-to.

One of my favorite techniques for any kind of Mobile Survival is "On-the-Move Foraging". The basic idea is you collect edible food while heading towards your destination. This will limit the scope of food you can collect, for example you won't be setting any snares/deadfalls or doing much fishing, but it will keep you fed, and you will arive at you destination much more quickly. Another issue, is this only works while on foot. It's hard to pick plants at 60mph. Also, you have to be able to recognize the plants readily and easily, so if you are not familiar with the edible plants of the area you are in, you will also need refference materials. For these refference materials, you want something small, lightweight, and easily acessable and weather proof. Enter Edible Wild Plants Identification Playin Cards. Multipurpose playing cards/Plant Identification flash cards, you can flip through these whilest trapsing your way to wherever you want to go. By stopping to collect wild plants, you are getting your rest breaks while doing something constructive, and saving energy because you don't have to wander around looking for the food you need.

Another thing to take into consideration is with Mobile Survivability is navigation. I can't stress enough the necessity for a Portable GPS system. Prefferably a rechargable one. Making a wrong turn could add hours or days to your trip, or if worst comes to worst, you could even miss that all important next gas stop and find yourself in a much more serious situation. You're going to want something that does both topographical and street maps, and does not require that it be connected to the vehicle if you have to ditch it and head out on foot.

Choice of transportation is also important. For short term survival situations, the Airwalk Express and a 3-day-BOB will probably suffice, but if you expect to be in a bad place for an extended period of time, you're going to want better transportation than that. Bicycles are great. They are completely silent, light weight, and require no fuel. You can take them almost anywhere on almost any surface. Horses also make for excellent transportation, though do require fuel, and can't be taken on many surfaces. You can however, carry a lot more on a horse than a bicycle.

Though they do require fuel, a motor vehicle has one distinctive advantage over a non-motor vehicle. Motor Vehicles generate electricity which can be stored and harnessed for purposes other than transportation. And there are several distinct types of vehicles that are custom tailored to many different purposes. For example, You can carry a lot more stuff in a truck, but a car can sleep more people. A van beats both classes in both categories, but is far less fuel efficient. Depending on your needs, you can select a vehicle that will extend your survivability rating emensely, and also help keep you more comfortable on your journey to your next destination.

When surviving with motor vehicles, fuel is still your primary concern. The key here is flexibility. If our recent gas crunch isn't concern enough, wait til the dollar crashes. Because fuel is an international product, it's based on international averages. When the dollar fails, fuel will soar to previously unimaginable prices, and most families will be limited to transportation that requires no fuel at all. Ethanol, however, because it can not only be completely locally produced in every area of the US, and even at home, should remain relitively stable. And simply the ability to use more than one type of fuel gives you many more options. FlexTek and FFI both provide reputable E85 conversion kits that can be used on most major vehicles. Ethanol stills can be manufactured from scrap, and even be made to be portable. When TEOTWAWKI comes, if you know how to make fuel, you have a very powerful bartering chip, and a marketable skill set when civilization begins to rebuild. What's more, the Ethanol you make can be used for a lot of other things as well. It can be applied to wounds as a local Anticeptic, you can use it in a multi-fuel stove, or even drink it and get drunk! (Though I don't recommend this last one, you could go blind. Also, this only works with home made ethanol, as the storebought kind has finishing addatives to remove excess water, and probably to prevent people from drinking it.)

These are just a few of the things that need to be taken into consideration when planning for mobile survivability, and you are not going to find them in any survival handbook. As I find more problems and solutions, I will continue this thread.