by Les Stroud
in survival kit, 26
taking bearings with, 234
taking bearings without, 231–32
topographic, 229, 233
matches, 23, 114–15
Maunyi, 145–46
Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), 35
medication, 24
mental and psychological attitude, 343
mental fitness, testing your, 10–11
mental keys to surviving, 44
“mess kit” See cook set
metal, making knives from, 330
mirrors, signal. See signal mirrors
money, 26
moon, as navigation tool, 241
moose, 217–18, 261
moss, 239
moss cups, 78
mountainous areas
food in, 210–11
hazards in, 273–74
shelter in, 177
travel and navigation in, 248
water considerations on, 93–94
weather in, 284
multi-tool, 26–27
mushrooms, 264–65
natural disasters close to home, 343–48
nature
“becoming one” with, 51, 52
vs. man, 51–52
navigation. See also specific topics
basic survival, 228–29
natural disasters and, 346
region-specific, 245–48
using natural features for, 239–42
needles, for compass
magnetized, 231, 236
magnetizing, 27
nighttime travel, 224
noose, 195
notebook, 28
Ontario, 144, 217
packs, making, 337–38
painkillers, 24
Paiute deadfall, 200, 201
panic, 46–47
parachute cord, 27–28
parasites, 70
pencil, 28
Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), 27, 63
physical fitness, 9–10
planning and preparation, 3, 4
informing others of your plans, 13–14
natural disasters and, 344
for survival, 3–5, 45
for survival travel, 218
for the worst situation, 11, 18, 45
plants. See also edibles, wild
healing, 302
water from, 82–83
plastic bottle, purifying water with a, 334
“playing dead,” 256
poisonous animals, 186, 272–73
poisonous plants, 264–66. See also edibles, wild
polar regions
food in, 209
hazards in, 271
shelter in, 171
survival kit for, 32
travel and navigation in, 246–47
water considerations in, 90–91
weather in, 283
potassium permanganate, used to make
fire, 132, 133
predators and dangerous animals, 253, 261
accidental predators, 253–56
creating an early warning system for, 260
securing your shelter from, 259–60
tips on dealing with, 260–61
true predators, 256–59
prescription medicine, 24
prioritizing, 41–43, 45
quinzee, making a, 171, 174–75
quuliit (seal oil lamp), 108, 109
rabbit snare, 196
rafts, making, 226
rags signals, 61
rain, 25–26
rainwater, collecting and drinking, 77, 91–92
Ralston, Aron, 39–40
rapids, swimming in, 227
rawhide, 324
rescuers, 64–65
research, doing your, 4–8, 10–11. See also specific topics
rivers, rising, 272. See also water
Robertson, Dougal and Linda, 91
rock(s)
making knives from, 330
splitting, to make an edge, 331
water from, 85
root bed, 169–70
rope
as part of safety kit, 27–28
making, 324, 326, 335
twisting, 325
route, knowing your, 5–6
safety pins, 28
salt, as preservative, 206
sandstorms, 283
sanitizer, hand, 335
satellite phones, 64
saw, folding, 28
sawdust, 107
scissors, 26–27
scorpions, 187
sea and open water
clothing for, 298
food in, 209
hazards in, 271
survival kit for, 32
travel and navigation in, 248
water considerations on, 91–92
sea ice, old vs. new, 91
seasickness, 271
self-reliance, 8
sendansos.com, 14
shadow stick, 237
sharks, 258–59, 272
sharpening stone, 22
shelter construction basics
bed, 147–49
frame, 150
wind-and waterproofing, 151
shelters, 141–43
creating, 32
fire in, 152–53
frame, 150
heated ground, 153
importance of site selection, 144–46
long-term, 154, 156–65
natural disasters and, 345
region-specific considerations, 166–78
short-term, 154–58
shingling a shelter, 151
shock, 307
shoulder dislocation, 310, 311
sickness, 312–13
signal fires, 59. See also fires, size of
making, 60–61
signaling for rescue, 45, 55, 344
signal mirrors, 28, 56, 57–58
signals, 55. See also SOS messages
making your own, 58–59, 335
ready-to-use, 56–58
simple, 61
targeted, 55–63
technological, 55, 63–64
simplicity, thinking, 322
skinning game, 204
sky, watching, 75, 281
sleep, 157, 168, 266
slush, eating, 76–77, 90
smoke, 59. See also signal fires
smoking food, 205–6
snakebites, 314
snakes, 248. See also creepy crawlies
snares, 194–97
snare wire, 29
snow. See also avalanches
eating, 76–77, 90, 91
sheltering with, 171
snowblindness, 246, 271
snow cave, making a, 172–73
snowshoes, 337–38, 339
snow shovel, 36
solar blanket, 247
solar still, making a, 80–81
Sonoran Desert of Arizona, 136
SOS messages, 14. See also signals
sound. See audio signals
spears, making, 335–37
spiders. See creepy crawlies
splints, 308–9
SPOT satellite messenger, 29, 63–64
sprains, 310
squirrel snare, 197
stars as navigation tools, 240
starvation, 266–67. See also food
steel wool, 132
stings, 313–14
Stolpa, Jennifer and James, 13–14, 33–34
streams. See water
stress and stressors, 41. See also calm
stretcher, makeshift, 222, 223
sunglasses, 247, 337
surgical blades, 25
survival, vi, 18. See also specific topics
survival guilt, 51
survival kits, vi, 17
carrying case, 21, 34
complete, 21–30, 354
disadvantages of prefab, 18–19
home, 357–58
making it yourself, 18–19
natural disasters and, 344
personal, 19–21,
353
tailoring them to your destination, 31–33
top five items in, 32
vehicle, 33–36, 355
survival situations, reacting to, 46–51
survival skills. See also specific topics
essential, 348
getting over the squeamishness of destruction, 323
thinking like a sculptor, 321–22
thinking simplicity, 322
Survivorman (TV show), v
survivors, characteristics of, 40
swamp areas
food in, 211
shelter in, 178
water considerations in, 93
sweating, 290, 291, 295
tape
duct, 22
marker or “surveyor’s,” 26
tarp, 36
tarp shelters, 165
text messaging, 29, 34
thirst, 73
thread, 27
three, as number signaling distress, 59, 63
throwing sticks, 203–4, 335
thunderstorms, 282
tidal waves. See tsunamis
tinder. See fire-starting tinder
tipi, 164
toilet paper, 36
tools, 36, 323–24. See also specific tools
torches, making, 338
tracking insects, 76
tracks, animal, 202. See also animal trails
trailblazing, 242–44
traps, 193, 198
bottle, 200
Doug’s deadfall, 199–200
figure-four deadfall, 198
Paiute deadfall, 200, 201
where to set, 194–97
travel, survival, 64–65, 346. See also specific topics
natural disasters and, 346
at night, 224
planning and preparing for, 218
rate of travel, 222
region-specific, 245–48
by water, 225–28
whether to stay or leave, 215–21
traveling in a straight line, 244
travel partners/group, 9. See also group vs. solo survival
Traverse, Chris, vi, 295–96
trees
for navigation, 239, 242–44
water from, 82, 83
tree torch, 61
“tree wells,” 160–61
triangle, three signal fires in shape of, 59
tsunamis, 273
underwear, as hunting tool, 334
ungulates, angry, 261
urine, 86
vegetation, observing changes in, 75
vegetation still, making a, 78–79
vehicle survival kit, 33–36, 355
vehicle wreckage signals, 62
vines, as source of water, 82
Wabakimi, Ontario, 144
watch, used as makeshift compass, 238
water
crossing, 226–28
rationing and preserving it in your body, 72
traveling by, 225
untreated, 70, 71
water, drinking, 34, 69–71, 182
filtering, 89
finding and collecting, 74–86
natural disasters and, 344
physiology and, 73–74
region-specific considerations, 89–94
shelter’s distance from, 145
water, open. See sea and open water
waterproofing, 26
waterproof matches, 115
water purification, 32, 86–89, 334
water purification tablets, 29
water purifying straw, 29–30
water sources, 74–79
wax-and-cotton fuel wads, 23–24
weather, 146, 220, 252–53, 277. See also specific weather conditions
vs. climate, 278–79
dangerous, 281–83
natural disasters and, 347
preparing to stay alive in dangerous, 277–78
region-specific dangers hazards, 283–84
ways to interpret signs and predict, 279–81
websites, 14
well water, 83–84
whistle, 30
widowmakers, 145
wiki-up, 164
will to live, vi, 39–40
wind, 146, 280
wind chill, 282
wind patterns, 280
windproofing shelter, 151
“wind tunnel” shelter, 144
wires
and electrical fires, 347
snare, 29
wood, 146
choose, 146
as fuel for fire, 108, 135–36
knives from, 333
splitting, 32, 135–36
for water collection, 78
wounds, 316
Ziploc bags, 30
About the Author
Les Stroud, expert survivalist, is also a filmmaker, singer-songwriter, and creator of the television show Survivorman. A member of the prestigious Explorers Club, Les has produced, hosted, and appeared in many television specials, including Shark Week, Surviving Alaska, and Off the Grid with Les Stroud. He has been guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Larry King Live, The Late Late Show, The Hour, and been featured in Men’s Journal, Entertainment Weekly, and numerous other publications. Visit him at www.lesstroudonline.com.
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Credits
Illustrations by Beverley Hawksley.
Cover design: Luke Despatie & The Design Firm
Cover photography: Laura Bombier
Copyright
SURVIVE!. Copyright © 2008 by Les Stroud Productions Inc. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Mobipocket Reader October 2008 ISBN 978-0-06-171684-3
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