Tag Archives: Camping

To share the love of camping and being in nature is a beautiful thing that can spread love and create memories for families and friends.

5 C Survival Kit

The 5 C’s of Survivability are 5 items that are the most helpful to have in any emergency. They are also the hardest to reproduce out of natural materials and burn the most calories to make. So by carrying them with you at all times, you will always find yourself in a much better state of well being no matter what might happen in the woods.

I will put them in order of how I feel they are most important.

  1. Cutting Tool – My cutting tool that I carry most often is a fixed blade knife whether it’s my BK9 or my Mora Bushcraft Black I always have a knife at my side. Some other options could include a macheteax, or a multitool.
  2. Combustion Device – Fire is very important in any situation it is a moral booster as well as a protector of bugs and other animals. It also lights up camp at night, keeps you warm on a cold day, and can be used for cooking or treating water. So haveing a reliable fire starter is one of the most important parts of your kit. I always carry a good old Bic lighter as well as a Ferro Rod along with some Wet Fire or Live Fire to make sure I can start and maintain a fire in most conditions.
  3. Container – Having a container that you can carry water over distance with as well as cook and treat water is a very important thing to keep in mind. I carry a stainless steel water bottle that I can use to not only carry water but I can place it in a fire to boil water for drinking or cooking anything I may find along the trail.
  4. Cordage – Having cordage or rope with you can help aid you in many tasks. It can tie logs together to make a raft, it can be used to help build shelter, you can make a tripod out of long sticks to help cook or smoke anything you find to eat. I always carry 550-paracord with me that I keep in my pack just for emergency purposes only. Other options would be Zing-it which still has a very strong tensile strength but is much lighter. Also, tarred bank line is used by many bushcrafters for the same reason.
  5. Cover – Having shelter from the elements is very important to staying healthy and safe when dealing with weather. The very first defense from weather is the clothes on your back. Always make sure to dress according to the conditions of the day ahead of you. Wearing a swimsuit in a snowstorm will make shelter building a very top priority over anything else. Making sure that not only are you dressed for the day ahead of you but also having something like a light coat or rain jacket can make a surprise rain seem like just another walk in the park. I try to always dress for the conditions, have a coat to help keep me dry or warm, plus I carry a space blanket that I can make a shelter out of and also keep me warm, safe, and dry.

The 5 C’s was a system made up by Dave Canterbury. All of my kits have a minimum of the 5 C’s Dave has also added 5 more C’s to round out a 10 piece kit that will aid you even further. I will be adding those 5 C’s in another post so stay tuned for future posts.

Water Filter

My favorite water filters.

  1. Sawyer mini – I have used the Sawyer Mini for years and find it works really well. It is small light weight and very easy to use. The thing I like most about it is that you can drink straight from the filter or you can squeeze the water into a separate container allowing you to carry more clean water with you as you go.
  2. Berkey GSPRT water bottle – This is a water bottle with a built-in filter this allows you to fill the bottle with any water from anywhere and simply drink like you would out of a standard straw that you find in most sports water bottles. This makes it super simple to use and fast to get what you need and keep moving.
  3. Sawyer Squeeze – I have not used the Sawyer squeeze which is the Mini’s bigger option. I have heard from many people that the flow rate on the Squeeze is much better and it can filter a ton more water than the mini. However, I feel the Mini serves me well and don’t plan to buy a Squeeze now that I have the Mini.
  4. Sawyer Products Personal Water Bottle Filter – Like the Berkey this is a standard water bottle that you just fill and go. It is very quick and easy to use allowing anyone, even your children to filter water and not slow them down.

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