Survival Hygiene - The No Rinse Solution

One of the first things to disappear in a crisis is the availability of fresh water. Water is essential to many of our daily activities including drinking, cooking and bathing. The ability to maintain a decent level of cleanliness in a crisis can be limited by your access to adequate resources of water. While most of your water resources will probably be devoted to drinking and cooking, it is still necessary to maintain adequate levels of cleanliness in order to avoid other problems that could affect not only your health but your overall sense of well-being. This is where the No Rinse solution can solve that problem.

Keeping a supply of cleaning products, such as body wash or shampoo, that don’t require water can solve this problem. Many people are unaware that there are products available that don’t require water in order to maintain an excellent level of cleanliness. These products are available in sizes that can accommodate a BOB or GHB to satisfy your needs and there are larger sizes that work well to meet the needs of a whole family. This can be extremely important if you have allergies or suffer from dry skin. Plus you won’t have to rinse off any residue. All it requires is a dry towel to wipe down with afterwards. Mrs. RW likes to clean her feet with the body wash before bedtime. She spends a lot of time walking around barefoot and she likes the way it only takes a few drops of the body wash to clean her feet before bedtime. I like the way it leaves you with a clean feeling and doesn’t dry out my skin...which is dry enough already. The shower caps are also an excellent way to keep your hair clean without using water. Just use a good comb or brush to rake all the leaves and other debris out of your hair and put on the shampoo cap. A short massage and towel dry and your hair doesn’t feel like it’s glued to your head. Great item to keep the kids heads clean.

After my open heart surgery, I was left with some pretty significant scar tissue and the area is not only very sensitive but needs to be kept as clean as possible. This product allowed me to clean a very sensitive area without any irritation. This is a big plus in my opinion.

While there is really no substitute for a hot shower or a warm bath, this may be the least of your worries in a crisis. Still, it is important to remember that maintaining a certain level of cleanliness will be required and water resources will more often than not be severely limited. No Rinse offers an excellent line of products which include an alcohol-free hand sanitizer. If you are looking for a means to stay clean while conserving your water resources in a crisis, these are products that are excellent additions to any disaster or survival kit

Got the “No Rinse” solution?

Staying above the “water-less” line!

Riverwalker

Conserving Resources - Cooking in a Crisis

In a survival situation, it’s important to use the most effective solution that will create a positive difference in your situation. It’s the positive things you do that will help to offset the negative effects of any crisis. During any crisis, knowing a range of different options will allow you to make the most efficient choice when conserving your available resources. This is quite often a simple combination of the different options that are available which will save time and effort.

Cooking in a crisis can use up valuable resources very quickly. The preparation of meals can be a time consuming activity that can’t be avoided easily. Cooking can make your efforts more productive if you realize that there is a wide range of options to help keep the process simple and efficient by using a combination of cooking methods.

Certain cooking options, such as using solar power, can vary widely depending upon your geographic location but there are several that work great in combination with each other in spite of this fact. Different means of cooking can be integrated into a “cooking system” that will allow you a wider range of choice and additional options for cooking in a crisis. Any “cooking system” you can design using available your available resources will help you in cooking more efficiently. By using different cooking methods in combination, a significant savings in your available resources can be achieved. This can result in a dramatic difference when you are cooking during a crisis.

Does your meal need to be cooked or simply “warmed up”? Perhaps it just needs to be simmered and a “candle powered” stove will do the job. It may be as simple as using an insulated cooker to finish the cooking process that may help to conserve your resources. Always consider your options when cooking in a crisis; it can help you conserve valuable resources when they may be limited.

Got “cooking system” for a crisis?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Simple Survival Meals - The Advantages of Soup for Survival

In a survival situation or during a crisis, making or preparing simple meals can be one of the best ways to conserve time, energy and resources. Being able to prepare simple meals also increases the ability to use limited skill sets for those persons who possess limited culinary skills. Throughout time soups have been the primary type of meal consumed by people with limited resources. Here are just a few of the advantages of using soup as a simple survival meal.

The Advantages of Soup for Survival

1. Soup is a cost effective and economical meal that can be made from just a few simple ingredients.

2. Soup is generally easy to cook and requires only rudimentary skills to prepare. If you can boil water and stir a pot, you can make a decent soup.

3. Soup can be adjusted easily to feed additional persons. Just add water or additional broth to “stretch” the amount of soup available.  

4. Soup can also provide a variety in your diet with the addition of simple spices and flavorings or by merely changing the basic ingredients.

5. Soup requires only basic cooking and eating utensils. If you’ve got a pot, you have the ability to create a decent soup for a meal.

6. Soup is easy to serve to a large number of people. All you really need are a few cups or bowls and a couple of spoons. It can even be drank or sipped from a cup.

7. Soup requires only minimal cleanup when water resources may be limited. With less utensils to clean, you save time, energy and resources.

8. Soup allows you conserve valuable fuel sources when cooking a meal. In little more than the time it takes to boil water, you can make a decent soup.

9. Soup is also one of the easiest food items that can be fed to persons who are suffering from a number of physical ailments. Soup is great for treating persons suffering from the effects of dehydration due to stomach or intestinal disorders.

10. Soup when combined with a slice of bread, a biscuit or a few crackers can be a very filling meal for even the hungriest of persons.

There is one additional benefit of soup that is also beneficial in a survival situation or a crisis. 

Very few things can make you feel better than a simple bowl of soup.

Got soup for survival?

Staying above the watered down soup line!

Riverwalker

Guidelines for Low Impact Wilderness Activities - Part One - Planning Your Trip

Outdoor activities can be a truly enlightening experience if done properly. It will also help to give you a better understanding and knowledge of your natural environment. One of the main components for any type of outdoor activities is the proper planning of your trip. While it is virtually impossible to have a set of universal rules that cover all the possibilities when engaging in outdoor activities, following some simple guidelines will help to minimize your impact on the natural environment.  Here is a simple set of guidelines to help you plan an outdoor trip.

Guidelines for Planning a Wilderness Trip

1. Choose clothing and camping equipment in colors that are appropriate for your surroundings or the time of year (i.e., bright orange in hunting season). In general, choosing earth colors will help you blend in with the natural surroundings.

2. Carry only the equipment and camping gear you will need for your trip in the wilderness. If you pack it in, be prepared to pack it out.

3. Limit the number of people in your group to help minimize your impact on the natural environment. Large groups can cause large amounts of damage that may last for years.

4. Plan your trip to avoid seasons when the natural surroundings may be wet or muddy to avoid impacting areas during a time when they are extremely vulnerable to change (erosion, etc.) from your activities.

5. Plan your trip to avoid times where your presence or activities may disturb animals at critical times where they may be especially vulnerable to any type of disturbance (i.e., birthing season, etc.).

6. Plan your trip to make use of any readily available trails and campsites that already exist in the area. Any unnecessary activities that may cause you to go off trail or force you to camp in a new area will have a greater impact on the natural surroundings.

7. If you plan to take your pet, be prepared to keep them properly controlled or under restraint. Otherwise, it may be better to leave them at home. 

8. Make sure to have updated maps of any areas you plan to visit. This will help to lessen the chance of wandering off established trails in the area and help to minimize your impact.

Just as you would expect any visitor to your home to treat it with respect, you should also treat nature with the same respect when visiting the outdoors.

 Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Survival Rationing

Survival Rations

In any or disaster emergency situation, a sense of loss may be accompanied by panic and a hopeless feeling. Being careless in how you react to a disaster or an emergency will only weaken your chances for survival. Rationing your supplies carefully in an emergency or during a disaster will help you avoid needless errors and waste. Simple errors in judgment can reduce your chances for survival. If you lose control of your emotions during a crisis, you may endanger your survival. Resources and supplies can be used up quickly and may even be consumed or wasted much more quickly than they would be under normal circumstances. Having a little discipline and a lot of determination will be much more effective and could quite possibly save your life and the lives of your family.

Rationing for Survival

1.) Review your inventory. If you don’t know how much you have available, you won’t be able to determine proper allowances for everyone. Be sure to make allowances for those with special dietary needs and to allow increased amounts depending upon the energy expended.

2.) Place the most dependable person in charge. You will need someone that is not prone to panic in a survival situation to put a good rationing plan into effect and who can make sure it is implemented properly.

3.) Use your perishable items first. Frozen food items will quickly spoil and be wasted if not used quickly, especially if there is no power. Save those items with a longer shelf life till a later time.

4.) Determine the proper rations. Depending upon the amount of supplies you have on hand and the number of people involved, you will need to determine a proper amount and size of the rations for each person. Realize that many people consume portions well beyond their needs during normal times and during a crisis may even have a tendency to think they need even more.

5.) Include an estimate for the length of the crisis in your plans. Obviously you will need to be a lot more careful with your supplies if the emergency or disaster continues for an extended period of time. Remember that in a crisis time will be your enemy. If you are unable to determine the length of the crisis, plan for the long term just to be safe.

6.) Maintain a regular schedule. A sense of order and routine will give an air of normalcy to everyone during a crisis. Plan regularly scheduled meals and snacks. Try not to vary from your routine once established. Determine a daily ration schedule and stick to it except in the case of extreme necessity, such as someone with an illness or injury that may require adjusting the rations for those individuals who have been affected.

7.) Don’t be too strict with your rationing. Leave your self enough room when planning your ration portions to prevent unnecessary hunger or thirst. Hungry and thirsty people can act irrationally and may create even more problems for you during a crisis.

8.) Follow your ration plan. Once you’ve determined a plan for rationing your supplies, don’t make any changes or adjustments unless absolutely necessary. Stick with the plan.

It may not be the best plan but it is a plan, which is a lot better than no plan at all.

9.) Guard your supplies carefully and keep track of their condition. An infestation of insects or other pests can quickly ruin your stock of supplies. Check their status on a regular basis to insure their viability and integrity. Don’t risk needless loss because you forgot to check your supplies.

10.) Don’t forget water. Water is a necessary item for digestion and is also needed to maintain proper sanitation and hygiene. The effects of dehydration will overcome you a lot faster than a shortage of food.

What's on your survival plate?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Preppin' 101: Food Conservation

Food costs have risen dramatically recently. The most disturbing fact is that the amount of wasted food has also skyrocketed to astronomical proportions. You can increase your long term food supplies by following a few simple steps that won’t cost you any money. This will be especially useful during tough economic times when saving money will be essential to the survival of you and your family. Eliminating wasteful habits and practices will allow you to conserve food supplies without additional cost.


In a University of Arizona Study it was found that Half the American Harvest Goes to Waste.

Here are a couple of excerpts from that study:

“TUCSON, Arizona, November 23, 2004 (ENS) - When University of Arizona anthropologist Dr. Timothy W. Jones sits down to his Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, he is not likely to put more on his plate than he can eat. Jones has spent the last 10 years measuring food loss, in the farms and orchards, warehouses, retail stores and dining rooms of America and he knows how much of the U.S. harvest goes to waste - nearly 50 percent.”

“They found that, on average, a family discards 1.28 pounds of food a day, about 470 pounds per household per year, or 14 percent of all food brought into the house.”

Simple Food Conservation Tips

1.) Check your expiration dates carefully. Don’t throw food away simply because you think it’s bad. Many people unknowingly throw good food away by failing to do this simple step.

2.) Don’t cook for an army if there are only two of you eating! Many leftovers get thrown out instead of being eaten simply because there was “too much” food left over from the original meal.

3.) Rotate! Rotate! Rotate! Always spend the necessary time to properly rotate your food stores. Don’t let it go bad sitting on the shelf.

4.) Don’t practice “new recipes” on family and friends. This can be a disastrous waste of food if your “new recipe” is a failure.

5.) Carefully plan your meals so as not to have excessive amounts of leftovers.

6.) Create and use a specific list of needed food items when shopping. Don’t purchase items that you may not need and ultimately may go to waste.

7.) Know the tastes of your meal time guests. A dish containing a specific herb or seasoning will go to waste if your family or guests don’t have a taste for it.

8.) Remember, TASTE DOES MATTER! Always try to prepare meals that not only are good for you but that taste good too. Sometimes simple fare is better than trying to be a gourmet cook, even though we all wish we could be the world’s best chef.

9.) Clearly label all leftovers with the date and contents.

10.) If you know you have too much in the way of leftovers to consume the next day or two – freeze it for later use!

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker