A global pandemic WILL happen due to international travel warn experts.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5316429/New-global-pandemics-feared.html

Bugging Out Equipment List. WHAT & WHY.

I decided to post this because when I read lists of other people’s modern equipment for bugging out I often see items that I can’t make sense of. Items that are NOT sustainable & seem of very little use. Some say “well I use this until it breaks & then I throw it away”. The problem with that is that this equipment has taken up room, added weight to the pack, can leave sign to track you by if you don’t dispose of it properly, & meanwhile you could have used this space & weight to either carry a better piece of equipment, or you could have left it out & saved room & weight. If you can afford to throw it away, then you don’t need it in the first place.

Anyway, here is my list. Please feel free to comment, different people sometimes see things in a different way & I like to hear other people’s point of view.

My Equipment List. WHAT & WHY.

.62 cal/20 gauge flintlock fusil. 42 inch barrel.

Why?  Large calibre smoothbore has a lot of knock down power with a round ball, very versatile using bird shot, buckshot, or round ball or a combination of any two of these, able to use other projectiles found in nature, only requires a siliceous rock for ignition which can be found in nature, the lock is easy to repair, if the lock breaks & there are no spare parts I can use it as a matchlock or tinderlock & keep using it, I can use the lock to make fire without the use of gunpowder, I can make my own black powder, I can retrieve spent lead from shot game & reuse it, I can mould my own round ball & shot.

.70 caliber smoothbore flintlock pistol.

Why? Same as above fusil, light to carry, easy to use, good for a back-up & self defence.

Gun tools and spare lock parts.

Why? To keep my firearms working long term.

Shot pouch and contents.

Why? For maintaining & using my firearms.

Leather drawstring pouch of .60 caliber ball (in knapsack).

Why? Back-up supply.

Powder horn.

Why? For carrying gunpowder for immediate use with firearms.

Ball mould, swan shot mould & Lead ladle.

Why? So I can reuse spent lead by remoulding.

5 Gunpowder wallets.

Why? For carrying extra gunpowder, the leather wallet is lighter than a powder horn, once empty they are good for storing spare tinder for fire lighting.

Butcher/Hunting knife.

Why? A good basic working knife made for skinning & butchering game, good self defence knife, long blade but light to carry & use.

Legging knife.

Why? Good back-up knife for hunting & self defence, easy to access, light to use & carry.

Clasp knife.

Why? Good back-up knife, mainly used for camp chores, making kettle hooks, making trap parts, easy to carry.

Tomahawk.

Why? Lighter than a modern hatchet, the helve fits in a round or oval eye & is easy to make in a wilderness situation, the helve can easily be removed to use the head on its own for making a new helve or scraping hides for making leather or rawhide, good for trap making, good for hammering, can be thrown for hunting, defence, offence & entertainment.

Fire bag.

Why? Greased leather waterproof  bag for keeping my tinderbox & contents dry.

Tinderbox.

Why? For preparing plant & fungi tinders for flint & steel fire lighting, contains prepared tinder for fire lighting, is used for fire lighting by striking sparks into the tinderbox.

Flint & Steel. (NOTE: Not a ferocerium rod).

Why? For making fire. This method is sustainable long term.

Belt pouch.

Why? This pouch is carried on the waist belt at all times & contains my fire bag, my fishing tackle container, my sundial compass & my fire steel/striker which is tied to the pouch buckle.

Fishing tackle in brass container.

Why? For fishing & for trapping fowl.

Two brass snares.

Why? Small game snares for trapping .

Roll of brass snare wire.

Spare wire for making small game snares, can be used for making leaders for angling, can be used for repair work.

Knapsack.

Main pack for carrying equipment & food supplies, carries my blanket roll & oil cloth shelter & secures my market wallet.

Scrip.

Why? This haversack is carried just for foraging purposes. I often forage along the trail when trekking.

Market Wallet.

Why? This is secured under the flap closure of my knapsack & is used to carry extra items. This wallet can also be carried indendently.

Tin Cup.

Why? For drinking tea & eating food.

Kettle (Billy Can).

Why? For boiling water for sterilising & making tea, for cooking.

Water filter bags (cotton & linen bags).

Why? For filtering dirty drinking water before boiling, light & compact & easy to carry, unbreakable.

Medical pouch.

Why? Contains medical equipment & supplies, lighter than a hard container, easy to pack & carry in my knapsack near the top.

Housewife.

Why? This is my sewing kit for making repairs to clothing, making moccasins, needles can be used to remove splinters & if necessary to stitch wounds.

Piece of soap and a broken ivory comb.

Why? For bathing & looking after my hair.

Dried foods in bags.

Why? Dried foods are lighter to carry, easy to pack & preserve well for long periods.

Wooden spoon.

Why? For cooking & eating, light to carry.

Compass.

Why? A compass makes it easier to tell direction on very overcast days & nights, makes it easier to maintain a straight direction & travel quicker.

Whet stone.

Why? For keeping my blades sharp, for working on gun lock parts if needed.

Small metal file.

Why? Same as whet stone above.

Oilcloth.

Why? The oil cloth is for making a quick shelter, easy to set up & versatile, enables me to use a fire for cooking & warmth close to my bed, can be used as a rain coat, can be used for water collection, can be used to make a boat, gives me more vision around me & an easy exit if needed.

One pure wool blanket (Monmouth cap, spare wool waistcoat and wool shirt rolled inside blanket).

Why? The blanket roll is easy to carry, does not restrict my movement/escape at night like a sleeping bag will, can be used as a matchcoat, can be used as a Great Coat, retains body warmth even when wet, light to carry.

Spare pair of moccasins.

Why? To wear if my other pair get wet, to wear whilst I make repairs on the other pair, to wear if the other moccasins need replacing & whilst I make a new pair.

Two water canteens.

Why? For carrying drinking water.

Bottle of rum.

Why? Only a small bottle but I like a tot of rum & it helps me relax a little.

The deadly diseases being released as ice thaws. Surviving The Next Pandemic!

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/tvepisode/pandemic-0

The deadly diseases being released as ice thaws. Surviving the next pandemic.

Scientists have raised the issue of new old diseases being released by the global warming melting the ice. They say it is quite possible that these diseases have been lying dormant since before the coming of man. This means that we will have no immunity to these diseases, & we will have no medicines to combat these diseases. Once released & started they could sweep the globe annihilating humanity completely except perhaps in isolated cases.

In this day & age an infected person could get on a plane & be in another country before they even know they are carrying a disease!
So there is a hell of a biggy to add to our lists!

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170504-there-are-diseases-hidden-in-ice-and-they-are-waking-up
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/05/the-deadly-diseases-being-released-by-climate-change/
https://www.livescience.com/55632-deadly-diseases-emerge-from-global-warming.html
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/stories/melting-ice-could-release-old-viruses

How To Survive The Next Catastrophic Pandemic
https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/04/how-to-survive-the-next-catastrophic-pandemic/
http://modernsurvivalblog.com/pandemic/21-things-for-pandemic-survival/
http://www.happypreppers.com/pandemic.html

https://www.dpc.wa.gov.au/ossec/Documents/4-planningforindividuals.pdf

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/519F9392797E2DDCCA257D47001B9948/$File/Assumptions.pdf

https://www.qld.gov.au/emergency/dealing-disasters/emergency-kit

Australia's capacity to respond to an infectious disease outbreak.

https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp0405/05rp03

Factory farming in Asia creating global health risks, report warns

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/14/asia-factory-farming-creating-global-health-risks-report-warns

We have already had health problems here in Australia caused by contaminated frozen fruits from China, this threat though could trigger TEOTWAWKI!

What Not To Do!

Photo Credit: http://nga.gov.au/AboriginalMemorial/land.cfm;

I was prompted to write this short article because I recently saw a video about survival in Arnhem Land. In this video a number of suggestions were made that I do not agree with. Rather than rubbish the video or the presenter, I prefer to simply advise what not to do in this blog.

I lived for 10 years in the Territory, I survived cyclone Tracey in 74, & prior to that I lived in an Aboriginal camp in Arnhem Land for two months.

When travelling in the Territory, wet season or dry season, do NOT set up camp anywhere near water if you intend to spend the night there, & certainly not in shaded areas near water. The reason for this is: 

(1) mosquitoes breed in water, & they love to be near water & particularly swarm in shaded areas. The dry season can get chilly & therefore less mossies especially if there is a stiff breeze blowing, but in shaded protected areas the mossies are still there.

 (2) Leaches. Leaches love the damp, & they are not just in the water. Leaches can be found in the damp areas anywhere near water & you do not want these in your shelter. 

(3) Snakes. Snakes love the water & frequent low damp areas, this is where they find their food. They are also great swimmers & will often travel by water. If snakes are to be found anywhere, it will be near water.

(4) Crocodiles. Crocs are everywhere in the Territory, a safe water hole one season may not be safe the next, because during the wet season crocs travel overland. Crocs can be hard to spot in the water, & they will often leave the water. Crocs can also run very fast on land for short distances. If you don't want a croc dragging you out of your shelter at night then don't camp near the water! If you have to fetch water, NEVER put your hands in the water, NEVER stand on the water's edge. Use rope, cordage or at the very least your waist belt through the handle of a billy to dip water. Crocs are amazingly fast so take care! 

(5) Rising Water. In the wet season water holes, creeks & rivers can rise very quickly & if your shelter is too close to the water you can get flooded out. 

If you are going to make camp do it in an open area high & dry if you can with a tree or two for shade. In this way you can take advantage of any breezes blowing that will help keep you cool & hopefully keep the mossies at bay. Sometimes there is no escaping mossies, I have covered myself with a blanket, used a mossie net, & sat all night by a Buffalo dung fire drinking rum all night. The latter won't keep the mossies off, but after half a bottle of rum you don't really care! Come morning though you will not be feeling so good from the rum or the mossie bites!

You take care out there.
Keith.

Survival Tips For Australia. A Link.

http://www.amazingaustralia.com.au/survival_tips.htm

Useful Information For On The Trail.

Not all of this will be relevant to your situation should you have to leave your home if or when the SHTF. But modern guerrilla warfare was based on the following 18th century rules, & I think they are worth taking note of.
Keith. 

Rogers Rangers Standing Orders 1759.

1.  Don't forget nothing.
2.  Have your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet scoured, sixty rounds powder and ball, and be ready to march at a minute's warning.
3.  When you're on the march, act the way you would if you was sneaking up on a deer.  See the enemy first.
4.  Tell the truth about what you see and what you do.  There is an army depending on us for correct information.  You can lie all you please when you tell other folks about the Rangers, but don't never lie to a Ranger or officer.
5.  Don't never take a chance you don't have to.
6.  When we're on the march we march single file, far enough apart so one shot can't go through two men.
7.  If we strike swamps, or soft ground, we spread out abreast, so it's hard to track us.
8.  When we march, we keep moving till dark, so as to give the enemy the least possible chance at us.
9.  When we camp, half the party stays awake while the other half sleeps.
10.  If we take prisoners, we keep 'em separate till we have had time to examine them, so they can't cook up a story between 'em.
11.  Don't ever march home the same way.  Take a different route so you won't be ambushed.
12.  No matter whether we travel in big parties or little ones, each party has to keep a scout twenty yards ahead, twenty yards on each flank and twenty yards in the rear, so the main body can't be surprised and wiped out.
13.  Every night you'll be told where to meet if surrounded by a superior force.
14.  Don't sit down to eat without posting sentries.
15.   Don't sleep beyond dawn.  Dawn's when the French and Indians attack.
16.  Don't cross a river by a regular ford.
17.  If somebody's trailing you, make a circle, come back onto your own tracks, and ambush the folks that aim to ambush you.
18.  Don't stand up when the enemy's coming against you.  Kneel down, lie down, hide behind a tree.
19.  Let the enemy come till he's almost close enough to touch.  Then let him have it and jump out and finish him with your hatchet.

The Travois.

I made this travois for travelling on foot. It is made out of bush poles and plant fibre cordage.

The Trekking Trolley.

The Bug-Out/Trekking Trolley.

This project started out with a post on one of the Aussi survival forums. A chap said that his pack was just too heavy when carrying enough water for a long trek. So I thought of a Trekking Trolley. Only to find out later from another forum member that the trekking trolley had already been invented and marketed!

Well I decided to make my own anyway as a cheaper alternative. I made this one out of old wheel barrow parts and a couple of bush poles. No doubt you will recognise the parts I used.