By Leon Pantenburg

When my son Dan moved to his first apartment, it seemed like my parental duty to provide him with an “urban survival kit” that included some basic kitchen tools. These necessities included several good “survival manuals” (cookbooks),

Before: My son, Dan's 10-inch Dutch oven needed some steel wool, elbow grease and re-seasoning to restore it back to usefulness.

some sharp kitchen “survival knives” and a well-seasoned cast iron Dutch oven.

Dan’s urban “survival training” came from Boy Scout Troop 18 in Bend, Oregon. He, along with most of his buddies, earned the cooking merit badge. The requirements included learning how to cook outdoors over a campfire, using aluminum foil or a cast iron Dutch oven,

Dan’s oven is a cast-iron, 10-inch Lodge-brand oven that can be used both indoors and outside. It is the same brand, make, model and size of oven I have used at least weekly for nearly 30 years. When I bought my new oven, it seemed expensive.

But Dan’s oven was free because it was slightly rusty and dirty from being stored in an old garage for years. A little elbow grease restored the cast iron to like-new condition.

If you’re a recycler (like many preppers  and survivalists are) and you frequent garage sales and thrift stores, then keep an eye out for good, useful cast-iron cooking implements. Somebody’s rusty, dust-covered survivor of a failed camping trip may end up becoming a valuable addition to your cooking tools.

In a survival situation, a Dutch oven is a useful tool for baking, boiling, sautéing or frying. You can use virtually any

After: Dan's seasoned cast iron Dutch oven is ready to be cooked in.

heat source, including a campfire, charcoal, a propane burner or  barbecue grill. And talk about something with barter or trade value – a few days without electricity, and everyone will be clamoring for a Dutch oven.

You can also save money. Just keep a list of the cast iron items you need or want when you go garage sale-ing, because you never know when a treasure will pop up.

If you don’t need any more cast iron, you can always upgrade what you have, or buy duplicates. Re-seasoned cast iron also makes a great, unique gift that will be used and appreciated for years. Nobody re-gifts a good cast iron Dutch oven!

My Dad, sister Karla, brother Mike and I all collect cast iron, and the older and more obscure the brand, the better. In our informal competition, the only rule is that cast iron can only be acquired using fair chase methods. That means no eBay, or advertising. A special find or acquisition is always good for a flurry of emails!

But aside from the fun of searching and looking, cast iron implements are heirloom tools you can use regularly. And cast iron, combined with a little knowledge, can be used both indoors and outside, making a cast iron Dutch oven a multi-purpose survival tool.

When properly seasoned, cast iron can be virtually nonstick. The even heating and heat-retaining ability make cast iron a good choice for frying, searing, baking and cooking stews, gumbos and soups.

But buy quality pieces, because your cast-iron cookware can be with you for generations. I still regularly use the skillet my grandmother reportedly got in 1918 as a wedding present. My Mom got it in 1950 and used it for decades, until the skillet got passed along to me. Today, grandma’s skillet is good for at least a few more generations of regular use!

My daughter, Mary, already has dibs on an 80-year old, 6-inch skillet she cooks eggs in. And Dad’s old oblong cast iron Dutch oven that he used back in the 1960s is still in fine shape and could be used at the family reunion this year in Colorado.

This pile of rusty cast iron could yield a great vintage cooking implement.

When it comes to quality, experts know that some experienced iron may be superior to what’s on the store shelves. But a potential buyer of used cast iron had better beware. A cheap piece of cast junk is never a good deal, because it will end up being replaced at some point.

Although I own several different brands of cast iron implements, I prefer Lodge cast iron for competition cooking because of the uniform quality. It’s also the only cast iron made the USA. All the iron ore used for casting at the Lodge foundry goes through a Geiger counter screening before being used. The cast iron made overseas has no such requirement that I’m aware of.

Before buying any used piece, look it over carefully. Dirt, dust and light rust are generally not a problem, but deep rust pitting might be. If the piece has been painted or had motor oil in it, or has any cracks, pinholes, warps, scratches or signs of abuse, don’t buy it.

Then check the quality of the casting. Look for uniform thickness in the sides, bottom and lid, because variances in thickness could cause hot or cold spots. Make sure lids fit tightly, with no gaps or rocking. A properly-fitted lid forms a seal that creates pressure while cooking and helps retain moisture.

Once you buy a used piece, it will probably need to be seasoned. Seasoning is the black patina that protects the metal and makes it nonstick. If the seasoning looks even, with no flaking or rust spots, then a good cleaning may be all that is needed before using.

But most likely, you’ll have to re-season, and there are different ways to accomplish that. My brother, Michael Pantenburg, salvaged a badly-mistreated oven by soaking the cast iron overnight in regular Coca Cola, then scrubbing it with a steel wool pad. When he was done, the cast iron looked brand new.

An antique gumbo pot my Dad got at a farm sale decades ago was severely rusted. I took a crack at cleaning it with steel wool, but gave up. It was used to haul ashes from my fireplace for a while. Then, I took it to an auto body shop and had it sandblasted for $5. Once it was re-seasoned, the pot went back to work. When my mother-in-law visits from Mississippi, she uses it to make seafood gumbo.

Avoid cooking any tomato or bean products in a newly seasoned cast iron for the first few times, because the acid will

After brushing or the dust or dirt, remove the rust and old patina with a steel wool pad.

remove the seasoning. After that, use your new, experienced cast iron whenever possible. The more you use it, the more seasoned it gets and the better it will work.

How to season cast iron

The Central Oregon Dutch Oven Society recommends this seasoning method:

Scrub off any dirt or dust. A stiff fiber or wire brush works well for this initial cleaning.

Remove the old seasoning so bare metal is visible. Start by rubbing the iron with steel wool. If necessary, use light sandpaper. In extreme cases, take a particularly challenging piece to an auto body shop and have it sandblasted.

Once you get to shiny metal, wash and dry the piece. Then lightly coat the surface with vegetable oil so it is shiny but the oil doesn’t puddle. I prefer solid shortening for seasoning, but there are also commercial products available.

When the cast iron is clean and polished, coat the surface with shortening. Only use enough to make the cast iron look wet.

Place the cast iron in a 350-degree oven and bake for about an hour. This is going to be smelly and smoky, so if you have a gas grill, do this outside. Put the piece upside down on the grill and lower the hood. Shut off the heat when the smoke stops, and let the grill and cast iron cool completely. This technique can be repeated until you get the preferred shade of black and level of nonstick.

Re-seasoning can be done whenever you feel like doing it. I periodically re-season some the scout troop’s Dutch ovens,  just because I like them to look really black and shiny. And they look really cool when we stack them!

(Leon Pantenburg is a charter member of the Central Oregon Dutch Oven Society, competitive Dutch oven cook and two-time finalist in the International Dutch Oven Society’s World Championship cookoff. He teaches the Boy Scout cooking merit badge, and is a freelance writer, who loves to expound on outdoor cooking.)

Dutch oven info on the Web:

For more information on cast-iron cooking, contact the International Dutch Oven Society: www.idos.com

Interesting and useful Dutch oven cooking items and cookbooks: http://www.dutchovenstuff.com/

Lodge cast iron: http://www.lodgemfg.com/

By Leon Pantenburg

It’s really hard to think when there’s this awful, nauseating realization that you may be lost in the wilderness and you start to panic. Suppose you have a map and compass along, and a basic idea of how to use them. But maybe

The day may start out nice, but suddenly, the sky get cloudy, bad weather threatens and worst of all - you don't know where you are.

you didn’t think about using them…

After all, the sun was out, the day was nice, the trail is clear, the scenery beautiful and you stuck the map and compass in the pack somewhere. It was hard to get to, so you didn’t check it.

After all, the point was to get out in the woods and relax, and who can unwind when you have to fool around with land navigation tasks? Besides, you’re well prepared, with survival knife, a survival kit, tarp  and…all that stuff.

But then it starts to get dark, or the weather changes, and you don’t remember which of the forks in the trail you took. At this point, many people will start to panic, and when that happens, you can’t reason.

But in this situation, remembering some common sense land navigation memory aides and acronyms will help calm you down. Once you can correctly orient the map, you can figure out where you are and where to go.

You can also decide if the smart option is to set up a shelter, build a fire and stay put while waiting to be rescued. Don’t try to make this kind of decision when you can’t think!

Humans are hard-wired to want an activity pattern. Creating a routine to fall back upon in this situation could help calm you down. It will hasten your ability to make good decisions.

Here’s a survival mindset exercise that uses simple, easy-to-remember map and compass memory aides. Memorize them, and the order they’re in, and you’ll have one more tool in your survival kit.

STOP: First and foremost, in any wilderness emergency is the need to focus on the situation. STOP: Stop (sit down while you’re doing this part), Think, Observe and Plan. Stay seated until you reach “P” and don’t get up until you have a plan. Then, get out the map and compass.

Red=N: Which end of the needle is north? Maybe you want to write this on the compass somewhere: Red = North.

These are basic navigation tools: compass, emergency whistle, map and GPS. Start with the basics: does the red compass needle point north?

Yeah – this is elementary stuff, but really important. Disorientation is a symptom of dehydration, fatigue, hypothermia and panic, and you can have all these problems at once. And maybe you also have to deal with  pain, because of an injury.

Also – and this sounds really elementary – make sure the needle actually does point north before you buy a compass. Twice, I have found name brand, quality compasses where the red needle pointed south.

The other instance wasn’t funny, and could have lead to tragedy. I happened across a compass, with a red needle that pointed south, on the shelf of a local sporting goods store. An unsuspecting customer could have bought the compass, assumed the red needle pointed north and gotten really, really lost. The salesman was appalled, and checked out all the rest of the compass inventory on the spot.

Red in the shed: OK – you remember, and are positive, that red is north.

This compass needle is aligned with the orienting arrow. The "Red is in the shed."

But, next, aren’t you supposed to do something with the pointy do-hickey in the bottom?

It’s probably more dignified to say “Box the needle” or “Align the red, north-pointing needle with the orienting arrow figure on the bottom of the dial.” But you’ll remember “Red in the Shed,” because it rhymes and the alignment box resembles, with a little imagination, a tall, skinny shed.

Two norths? There are two norths on a topographic map: Magnetic north and True North and the difference confuse an exhausted, cold person.

Magnetic north is where the needle points to the actual magnetic North Pole. In 2005, that was about 800 miles from the geographic north pole, near Ellef Ringes Island in the Canadian Arctic (Latitude: 82.7, Longitude: 114.4).

True north is the direction to the top of your map.  Since the earth is a pear-shaped object and a map is flat, inevitably, there will be some variations

True north really and truly does point to the top of the map; magnetic north is pointed to by the red magnetic needle.

So remember this acronym: MN to MN = Magnetic needle, magnetic north: The Magnetic needle on your compass points to magnetic north. MN-to-MN.

True north is always and truly at the top of your map.

But that’s not the only thing about true north and magnetic north you need to know.

The difference in angle between true north and magnetic north is called declination, and you’ll have to adjust your compass and map.

Which way to adjust for declination? How do you remember if you adjust for easterly or westerly declination?

In the continental U.S. , just look at the Mississippi River. If you have to go east to get to it, then you adjust for easterly declination. If you have to go west, it is westerly declination.  And, if you live in the zone along the big river, you probably don’t have to adjust for declination at all.

Anyone venturing out into the wilderness needs to have a good working knowledge of a map and compass.  Never rely on a GPS alone. Any electronic device can fail, and the best GPS in the world is only as good as its power source.

These tips are a very small piece of staying found. A critical tool in your survival kit is knowledge and skill. Invest the time and money to take a good land navigation class, then buy a quality compass.

Another good idea is to make your own topographic maps. I use the National Geographic Topo! Outdoor Recreation Mapping Software, and make a custom map whenever I go out. There are other fine mapping programs on the market also, and don’t forget google maps as a resource.

Memorize these aids, and that potential panic attack will dissipate while you figure out where you are!

Recommended Reading: Here are some good map and compass instructional books. For more information, click on:

http://tinyurl.com/yfqco69

“Staying Found: The Complete Map and Compass Handbook” by June Fleming

“Compass and Map Navigator: The Complete Guide to Staying found” by Michael Hodgson

“Basic Essentials Map and Compass” revised second edition by Cliff Jacobson

“National Geographic Topo! Outdoor Recreation Mapping Software” : http://tinyurl.com/ycpuoyx

Compasses: http://tinyurl.com/yd3cs3y

For more related SurvivalCommonSense.com tips and stories, click on the highlighted words:

• STOP: Use this exercise to reduce stress and focus your thoughts.
• Write a note to let people know where you went, before you left.
• Take your Ten Essentials on every outing.

by Leon Pantenburg

In most cases, a properly-pitched and sited tarp shelter  works very well. The advantages of a tarp over a tent are primarily in the weight-savings category.  But in some instances and situations, a tarp may be the most effective shelter you can carry.

This basic A-Frame tarp shelter is a good design to improvise from. Make this the planned shelter and modify it to fit the terrain and your needs.

For years, I have included a tarp (along with some sort of survival knife) as part of my survival kit and  for shelter on backpacking and hunting trips. If I ever got wet or uncomfortable during the night on these excursions, it was because I either didn’t pitch a tarp at all, or was sloppy about securing it.

Most of my early backpacking was done with my college friend, John Nerness. An avid backpacker, John was also a design engineer for Lockheed Aircraft in Mountainview, CA. Subsequently, he brought his engineering expertise into making our shelter every night. We enjoyed the challenge of adapting to the environment through a tarp shelter!

When there was time, we came up with elaborately-tied and secured tent-like structures. In other instances,  we made do with whatever the terrain allowed. John sometimes used a “taco” design, which is a hasty shelter that isn’t  pitched or secured at all. To use a taco, all you do is find a sheltered, well-drained area, lay the tarp on the ground, and fold it up over you.

John commented via email about using a taco shelter:

“The taco is generally doable anywhere in an emergency. Condensation onto the bag might be of some concern, but if you lie in it so you are breathing to the open side, there will be less of that,” John wrote. “Also, at that point, you probably don’t have a lot of choices (and hopefully, don’t have a down bag!)”

We frequently used John's backpack as one shelter support, since it had a free-standing frame. When the edges of the tarp were secured, the pack made a great support.

Obviously, a taco design isn’t the best choice for open spaces where there is the potential of high winds. But again, you have to have a basic plan for a tarp shelter and improvise from there.

There are lessons to be learned from any experience, so just for fun, here’s some tarp-shelter excerpts from my early trail journals:

The Cloud Peak Primitive Area, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming: I graduated from Iowa State University in 1976, and went west for the summer. The first real backpacking trip I ever took was with college buddies Mike Leininger and John Nerness. The weather got really bad about three days into the wilderness area.

John took along a piece of visqueen to use as a tarp, and Mike and I had a backpacking tent. John’s tarp shelters proved to work better than our tent!

June 26, 1976: Mike and I woke about dawn when the tent fell in because

Sometimes, you don't need to pitch a tarp to make a shelter. The tarp, left, was used in a taco pattern - it was doubled over, then the "filling" - our equipment - was folded into the center. John slept in that setup in some really nasty weather in complete comfort.

of all the snow. It was a rude awakening, all the sudden being hit by a cold, soggy tent in the face.

We hollered and woke up John, and he put on his clothes and came and rescued us. I got outside and didn’t want to believe my eyes.

There was about three inches of snow all over everything and the sky looked quite threatening. Looking up to the mountains I could see they were completely snow-covered. They looked like the Himalayas. In the valley, the snow was hip-deep. We all looked at each other with the same thought: Where can we go from here?

If we stayed, we might get snowed on more and end up snowbound. While John cooked and Mike packed up the tent, I climbed up on a high rock and looked over the situation. The tops of the mountains looked clear but here was a lot of snow between us and them. Some of the drifts were eight feet deep.

While we discussed our options, a thick fog settled over the camp. We had taken several compass readings while we could still see landmarks. We took off, deciding to go over the peaks, because they were the only part of the landscape that wasn’t under snow.

Granite Peak, Beartooth Mountains, Montana

Wednesday, Aug. 3, 1977

(We were in the middle of an 11-day hike, cross-country, through the  Beartooths. On Aug. 3, we approached Granite Peak, with the idea of climbing it. As it turns out, common sense prevailed  and we didn’t attempt the summit!)

A much younger Leon outside a silver mine in the Beartooths that provided shelter one night

Hiked all day, trying to get to Granite Peak and had a few problems. The elevation was about 11,000 feet most of the time, and we’d walk about 10 feet, then have to stop and catch our breaths.

All day we were on the rock slides, so we had to hop from rock to rock to go anywhere. Usually the rocks were solid, but when we hit the glaciers, they were loose.

We reached the pass in front of Granite Peak and decided not to try it. It was very steep to the summit, and we would have needed technical equipment and skill . I was somewhat disappointed, because we were within 1,000 feet of the top. But it would have been really foolhardy to try climbing and I didn’t want to get stuck up there.

The trip down the pass was the most dangerous scrambling/climbing I’ve ever done. There was a glacier going all the way down the pass, and it was slippery and steep. We stayed off the ice as much as possible, because a slip could have been fatal.

This tarp shelter was made in the dark after descending from the pass near Granite Peak. The tarp was pitched using a boulder and John's pack (see above) for supports. It sheltered us from the all-night rain very well.

The rocks were loose, and about halfway down the slope, it started to rain. We couldn’t use our ponchos, because we couldn’t see our feet with them on. We both got soggy.

The last segment was really bad and dangerous. It was a sheer cliff and we had to descend it, clinging to the rocks with our fingertips and boot tips. Meanwhile, darkness was falling very rapidly. I picked my way along a rock slide, just barely able to see, but managed to get to the level ground just before dark.

The rain increased, and we barely got the tarp up in time. The ground was rocky, but I could have slept on a bed of nails. I fell asleep, too tired to even eat. I was really, really glad we didn’t attempt the summit!

Thursday, August 4

Rained all night, but the tarp kept us dry.  The condensation of our breathing and the humidity made the inside a little moist. (It rained steadily or was foggy for the next three days. But we slept comfortably at night and stayed dry under our various tarp shelters!)

December 24, 1977, Sheep Canyon, Death Valley National Monument

Got on the trail before 9 A.M. The hiking was fairly easy, but uphill all the way. The canyon had all the contours of an old river bed, and in places was lousy walking. The path was all loose rock, so the footing was unsure most of the time.

Leon, left, and John (taking photo) pitched their tarp in this Death Valley "forest" during Christmas of 1977.

We plodded along steadily. About 4 P.M., we stopped for supper and continued on. We were at the end of Sheep Canyon, so we climbed up the ridges until we finally decided to stop and camp.

Climbed to the top of one ridge and could see Mount Whitney and Funeral Peak. We’re in the Black Mountains and can see snow-covered mountains across the valley floor.

The only fairly level spot was in a creek bed. There were a few bushes around, but nothing to tie the tarp to. We used John’s pack at one end, and a tall rock for the other end of the shelter. It was quite comfortable.

On Christmas Day, my usual luck with weather manifested itself. It started to rain about 5 a.m.

As soon as we heard raindrops on the tarp, we packed up and hurried to higher ground to avoid any potential flash floods.  The rain didn’t last long. It was ridiculous – and funny – getting soaked in heavy rain in a place that averages 1.94 inches of precipitation annually. Some years, that area doesn’t get any rain.

(The most remote spot in Death Valley is the Ubehebe Crater, where John and I camped on Dec. 22, 1977. The GPS coordinates are: 11S 0460029E: 4095647N)

John was playing engineer when he rigged this shelter in the Beartooths. Leon is apparently cooking on the backpacking stove or contemplating something.

Leon under a hasty tarp shelter at Lassen National Forest in Northern California. The two trees at the head provided the main support, and a center line rope held up the middle.

By Leon Pantenburg

A good way to prepare for potential emergencies is to read and learn from informative books with practical, usable information. “Camping’s Forgotten Skills: Backwoods Tips From a Boundary Waters Guide” by Cliff Jacobson is one of those literary resources that should be part of any survival or prepper library.

"Camping's Forgotten Skills" is an informative, entertaining book about old-time camping and survival skills.

The book was first published in 1992. Author Jacobson is an Eagle Scout, a teacher and guide in the Boundary Waters. He has written 11 other wilderness-related books.

Jacobson writes that it’s important to have high tech equipment, and know how to use it. But (and here’s where we get into the survival common sense philosophy) what happens if you become separated from your stove when your canoe capsizes? How will you repair a large tear in your tarp or tent fly? Can you start a fire to prevent hypothermia?

This book is full of old tried-and-true techniques of camping and wilderness survival and grownup Boy Scouts will recognize some of the techniques. The book shows such skills as how to make a lean-to and bed out of pine boughs. And it’s interesting to see how to make a reflector oven out of a metal rectangular gasoline or vegetable oil.

Other little-used skills include improvising camp implements out of tin cans, a packsack out a leg from a pair of jeans, and a tent from a tarp.

But, you might think, I already have the gear and set-up for  wilderness survival and shouldn’t need to improvise anything. Why read this book? Isn’t the common sense approach to have the gear and know how to use it?

The common sense answer is: When it comes to saving your life, you can’t know enough. This publication fits into the “Be Prepared” mantra of the Boy Scouts, and improvisation in making or repairing equipment is something everyone interested in wilderness and/or urban survival should know.

Realistically, there isn’t enough real wilderness left to spoil any of it, no matter how remote the area. Go camping in some reasonably popular public campsite and make a bed of boughs, or a shelter by cutting down a tree, and you’ll get some infuriated wacko (like me!) in your face.

But it is possible that you end up with bits and pieces of equipment when your canoe capsizes in the middle of trackless wilderness. Or you may have to flee an office building that’s on fire or collapsing because of an earthquake.

In these similar survival situations, the only tools you will have are what you’ve got and what you can improvise. This book can teach you some skills that may prove to be invaluable.

Now, maybe your idea of survival is to go primitive. Your survival kit will consist of a survival knife knapped out of chert, and you’ll rub two sticks together to make fire. You will forage and hunt for food, and become one with nature in the tradition of the original inhabitants of this country.

Good luck with that. I admire people with the time and dedication to learn and preserve those aboriginal skills. But this book is not for you.

The rest of us can learn something from “Camping’s Forgotten Skills.”

(I borrowed a copy of “Camping’s Forgotten Skills” through the local library’s interlibrary loan program, but copies are available through Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D16384&field-keywords=Camping%27s+Forgotten+Skills&x=17&y=22.

The ISBN number is: 0-934802-79-3. In used paperback, it will cost about $5, plus shipping.)

by Leon Pantenburg

At one point last week, there was snow in 49 states  (Hawaii was the exception). Recent snow and ice storms have left millions without power. As this is written, there are more than one million people without power on the east coast.

A survival situation can develop in your home when the power goes out. The backup plan must include emergency lighting.

If you live in those affected areas, let’s hope you were prepared for power outages. And it brings an important topic to the forefront – what happens when high winds, heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures combine to knock out the electricity in your home?

Emergency preparedness means you should have backup systems or plans for heat, lighting and water. If you’re lucky, the power won’t be off long, but batteries are gone after a few days, unless you have a way to recharge them. A generator will only work until it runs out of fuel.

One of the more important aspects of urban survival during winter storms is lighting. Without a lighting plan, you could end up in the dark from when the sun sets at around 5:30 p.m. until dawn. The right lighting supplies can make this situation more bearable.

This scenario is familiar to Tom Dumalt, manager of Globe Lighting in Bend, OR.

Dumalt lived in the Milwaukee, OR., area from 1978 through 1981, he said, when days-long power outages were common. While various battery-operated light sources work well, Dumalt also recommends stocking up with plenty of candles and matches because emergency power only lasts so long.

For the long term, candles may be one of the best choices, he said, because they’re cheap, easily available and easy to use safely.

And if you’re a scrounger/recycler/prepper, candles are something that is always on the “To-Buy” list. And they have a place in any urban survival kit.

When buying candles for a potential power outage, all you’re really

A single candle may provide enough lighting in some power outage situations.

concerned about is quantity.  The aesthetics and mood of a romantic candle-lit dinner will soon wear off, and everyone will soon be more concerned about seeing what is for dinner.

Great places to find really cheap candles are garage and rummage sales and thrift stores. It doesn’t matter if the candles are outdated Christmas or novelty candles, odds-and-ends from a dinner party, or clunky art projects – all they have to do is provide light. Buy all you can find and stockpile them.

Another good lighting choice is the old-fashioned kerosene lamps our grandparents used. My urban survival kit includes several such lanterns and lamps, plus a supply of kerosene to fuel them. A standard Deitz lantern, according to the manufacturer, will burn up to eight hours on one tankfull of fuel.

Other garage sale treasures can include old Coleman gas lanterns. These run on Coleman camp fuel or (in some cases) unleaded gasoline, and they can be dirt cheap. I was given several once after an estate sale, when nobody would buy them. Repairing them was not difficult, and if I can fix one, so can you.

Generally, the reason gas lanterns don’t work is because of a worn-out pump or from being clogged from dirty fuel. Sometimes a good cleaning is all they need. Repair parts are dirt cheap too, so there is no reason you can’t have several.

For more information, log on to : http://www.oldtownyucca.com/coleman/. The site has tutorials for fixing all the old lanterns, as well as parts.

Before you lay in a stock of lighting sources that require combustion, consider how safe they are, and if they will work for your intended purpose.

Probably the first consideration is if your lighting source emits carbon monoxide. This odorless gas is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Carbon monoxide results from the incomplete combustion of fuels such as wood, kerosene, gasoline, charcoal, propane, natural gas and oil.

This means a gas, kerosene or propane-powered lantern has the potential to be life-threatening in a closed, well-sealed space, says Gary Marshall, deputy chief with the Bend Fire Department.

The red kerosene and Coleman gasoline lanterns can provide a source of efficient lighting, but be aware of potential carbon monixide problems.

All of these light sources must be used in a well-ventilated area only, Marshall said. Remember, if the electricity is off, so is the fan motor in your furnace, and there may not be a way to circulate air.

Both the American Red Cross and the Bend Fire Department recommend an emergency illumination source that is battery-powered.

In any emergency lighting situation, you should be prepared with battery-operated lamps or flashlights, Marshall said. Be very careful with candles or any open flame.

An important part of any emergency preparations is The Plan. Come up with a plausible lighting scenario for your area, then decide how you will handle it.

Think about your lighting needs when there is no electricity, Dumalt advises. When the sun comes up, will you need a light source to work? If so, can you move the work area to take advantage of sunlight?

Look at window placement as it relates to lighting, he added. Would the best idea be to shut down other areas of the house, and move into a central area that is more easily lighted and heated?

Another consideration is what the lighting needs are when the sun goes down. Decide what area you’ll be in when it becomes dark, Dumalt said, then think about the most effective way to light it for different activities. A single candle might be enough to light one area for certain activities, while more light might be needed later for cooking, bathing or washing clothes.

In some cases, such as two people reading together, a single candle will be enough, Dumalt said. In situations where it can be done safely, you can use a candle or lamp to save batteries.

While you’re picking up candles, stock up on extra batteries, too, and be sure to check your flashlights or electric lanterns to determine which batteries they require.

Here are some emergency power outage tips from the American Red Cross:

• Avoid opening the refrigerator and freezer.
• Do not run a generator inside a home or garage.
• If you use a generator, connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. Do not connect a generator to a home’s electrical system.
• Listen to local radio and television for updated information.
• Turn off or disconnect any appliances, equipment (like air conditioners) or electronics you were using when the power went out. When power comes back on, it may come back with momentary surges or spikes that can damage equipment such as computers and motors in appliances like the air conditioner, refrigerator, washer or furnace.
• Leave one light turned on so you’ll know when your power returns.

Sources for emergency lighting items include:

Deitz kerosene lanterns: http://lanternnet.com/

Coleman camp lanterns: http://tinyurl.com/y9lvwcj

Repair parts and information for Coleman lanterns: http://www.oldtownyucca.com/coleman/

by Leon Pantenburg

The best firestarting system can also be the cheapest and the materials are the easiest to find at any drug or grocery store.

.

This Boy Scout Hot-Spark and a prescription bottle filled with cotton balls and petroleum jelly makes a reliable firestarting method that is cheap enough to be placed in all survival kits.

After extensive testing, my nomination for the best overall survival firestarting method is cotton balls, slathered with petroleum jelly, combined with a magnesium or flint stick. I ran across this method several years ago at a Peter Kummerfeldt seminar at the Deschutes Fairground Sportsmen show.

Kummerfeldt demonstrated the method at his booth, and it looked so easy, I figured there had to be a catch. So, I got the materials and tested it myself, then had some of the scouts from Boy Scout Troop 18 in Bend, OR. wring out the system.

Everybody likes the system because of  its reliability. There is nothing to break, it requires no fuel, and temperature has no affect. But an additional benefit is how cheap it is to produce!

Here’s how you can make one of these firemaking kits.

• Get a locking cap, waterproof prescription bottle. These days, everybody has a prescription for something, and the meds usually come in a small, plastic pill bottle. The bottles with the snap-and-bayonet, waterproof top work very well for storing the cotton balls, and probably won’t cost anything. You can also use an empty 35mm film plastic container, or a standard waterproof matchbox. I use all of these containers, since I carry the cotton balls/petroleum jelly firestarter in all my survival kits. Just be careful with any snap-off or non-locking cap – if they’re easy to get off, they may come apart in your pack!
• Cotton balls: Get extra-large, 100 percent cotton. They generally cost less than a penny each.
• Petroleum jelly: I paid $1.99 for a 13-ounce jar at the local department store. Many of the lip balm sticks will also work with this system, so experiment at home.
• Magnesium or flint stick: One of my favorites, the Boy Scout
  

  Flint or magnesium sticks come in different sizes. Find a size that is handy, so you'll take it with you! The keychain size, center, is a good choice for everyday carry.

  Hot-Spark, costs about $2.50 at the Scout store. You can buy bigger, more expensive models, but the scout version does the trick. I have the smaller sticks on zipper fobs, key chains, and in every survival kit I own. Your Swiss Army knife can become a better survival knife if you attach a Hot-Spark to the split ring on the handle.

• Label with directions: Put a label on each container with what is inside, and how to use it. You may not need the reminder, but then again, you might be injured, disabled or unconscious, and someone else might have to build that life-saving fire. Make their job easier by including simple instructions.

I use a standard Avery 5160 1″x2-5/8″ labels, with Wordperfect software in the “labels” dropdown.  Use 11 point, Aerial type, and this spacing, and all the information fits nicely.

On the labels, type:

Firestarter: Cotton balls and

petroleum jelly. To use: Remove

pinch of firestarter, fluff and light. More info:

SurvivalCommonSense.com (Thought I’d sneak that in! I could use the publicity! For Boy Scout or Girl Scout troops, here’s were you put your name out! You could put compliments of your particular organization, or whatever will fit on the bottom line.)

These containers, filled with cotton balls and petroleum jelly, are fantastic promotional give-aways and cost pennies. Scouts can make up a bunch, and give them out at their next campout or public gathering. I give the containers out when I go cross-country skiing or snowshoeing as a public service – it’s scary how often this firestarter is the only survival gear some people have!

Total cost of the complete firestarter kit, with Hot-Spark, is about $2.75 to $3! If you opt to buy  a waterproof match container for the cotton balls, that will set you back another $2-$3. You’re still looking at a complete firemaking system for about five bucks!

Carry this combination in all your survival kits. When you need to make a fire, pull out a pinch, fluff it out and strike a spark onto the cotton ball with the flint stick. If the wood is damp, and the tinder in short supply, use a whole cotton ball. My experiments show that a cotton ball gobbed with petroleum jelly will burn for several minutes.

The cotton balls and petroleum jelly has another use. On a Boy Scout 50-miler hike a few years back, I started to get a blister on my heel. I took out my cotton ball firestarter, and rubbed the hot spot with the petroleum jelly. No blister formed!

When it comes to your survival kit, you decide how much you want to invest. Personally, I want the best equipment available for me and my family, and price is not a consideration. Our lives are worth that to me.

But prepping or making multiple survival kits can be expensive. Find the areas – like this one – where you can cut costs without reducing quality, durability or safety. Then, invest the money you saved on items you can’t compromise on, such as  boots, a survival knife, sleeping bags, tents, navigation gear etc.

Use common sense in all of this. Find the best, most reliable systems for your survival kits, then practice, research and decide how they can best serve you.

For more related SurvivalCommonSense.com tips and stories, click on the highlighted words:

• Carry lightweight, compact firestarter.
• Find the most effective fire ignition system.
• Use charcloth as an effective method of catching a spark to make a fire.
• It can kill you: Hypothermia
• About Leon Pantenburg

by Leon Pantenburg

If you’re one of those folks  without power, heat or warmth because of the recent snow storms, you probably know that you need a cooking tool that can bake, boil, fry and saute. And it should be able to function  with

A Dutch oven can be an indispensable part of your survival kit when the weather turns bad and you are stranded at home.

a variety of heat sources, since you don’t know when the electricity might come back on.

My nomination for this wonder implement has been around for hundreds of years. It’s easy to find, cheap and effective.

Go get a cast iron or aluminum Dutch oven. The cooking tool has a proven track record, and it can use virtually any heat source.  It’s perfect for a propane barbeque grill, a pan of hot charcoal briquets or a stand-alone propane burner, like the kind for camping or backyard cooking.

A while back, Hurricane Katrina was due to hit land in a few hours, and my relatives in Mississippi, about 150 miles north of New Orleans, weren’t sure what was going to happen.

I overheard my wife talking on the phone to her sister, Patti. In the middle of the hurricane preparation discussion, they started talking about what to cook during a loss of electricity, using a cast iron Dutch oven!

Everyone near Katrina faced a power outage that could last indefinitely. There was a discussion of evacuating, versus staying put. Among the urban survival necessities in any natural disaster is a way to cook and purify water by boiling.  You need a source of heat and cooking implements, without relying on electricity.

Firepans are a critical part of your Dutch oven survival kit. They allow you to cook on snow or damp ground without putting out the coals.

legs. Designed to be heated on top and bottom with campfire coals or charcoal, the camp oven was considered a necessity on the American frontier for at least two centuries. That type of oven, taken on the Lewis and Clark expedition, was used by travelers on the Oregon trail, and was indispensable in countless cabins, lean-tos and soddies.

Technically, a “Dutch” oven has a rounded top and no legs and can be used in a conventional oven, on top of a stove, or on an outdoor propane “fish cooker” or similar type of grill.

Today, a camp oven is on my short list of tools for my disaster survival kit. And if you’re one of the people stranded at home because of the record snows, or are anticipating some sort of disaster, you need a Dutch oven, too.

A Dutch oven can be used to boil water, make a stew, bake bread, and cook virtually anything that can be fitted inside. And if you were forced to evacuate an area, a camp and/or Dutch oven is compact and light enough to be easily transported.

My wife’s advice to her sister was to go to Walmart, get at least 50 pounds of charcoal and three of the round, 14-inch diameter metal pet food dishes. Put the oven, these items and some basic cooking utensils in a square milk crate for storage.

This Lodge camp oven and propane fish cooker will work very well for cooking and boiling water, even when the power is out.

I’ve been cooking with Dutch ovens at hunting and fishing camps for decades, and on many camping trips and Boy Scout and Girl Scout outings. Beginners frequently ask for a list of tools to get started in Dutch oven cooking. So, here’s the basic, bare-bones list of Dutch oven survival kit necessities, proven over the years.

• 1 – 12-inch Lodge brand shallow cast iron oven: I like Lodge cast iron best, because it is made in America and has a proven quality record, but that’s just personal preference. Other experienced Dutch oven cooks may use different brands, such as Camp Chef, so chose whatever you like. You’ll get what you pay for. A cheap, poorly-made oven won’t work particularly well, and you’ll probably end up replacing it with a quality piece. Sometimes, I take an aluminum oven on outdoor excursions instead of cast iron to save weight.
• 3 – shallow metal pans with lipped rims: These are critical, and common dog food pans work very well. Put one pan underneath the oven to protect the coals from dampness and help regulate heat; and another pan is used to store coals. The third is a spare that is used to cover the oven and protect it from rain or snow while cooking.
• 1 – lid lifter: In a pinch, a pair of channel lock pliers will work.
• 1 – trivet or tripod: This is a wire or metal rack that holds the lid while you stir the contents of the oven or adjust seasonings. It keeps the lid out of the dirt and clean.
• 1 – knife. You probably don’t need a tactical or survival knife, (even though, in an emergency, any  knife you have is a “survival knife”) but you will need something that will work for food preparation.
• 1- nylon spatula: This is used for cooking and cleaning the oven.
• 1 – large nylon spoon.
• Source of heat: Charcoal is easy to use, and generally, in good supply. But when the charcoal runs out, you can use firewood, driftwood, coal, wood scraps from a dumpster etc.   Shipping pallets, generally found about anywhere, burn quite well. If the pallets are made of hardwood, which many are, then you’ll get great coals! You can also prepare for disaster by integrating an outside heat source into your normal cooking routine. My propane fish cooker stays operational year-round on my patio, because it is used constantly. Even when there is snow on the ground, we still go outside to fry bacon or cook fish.

The lid lifter, trivet, “survival knife,” spatula and spoon all fit inside the oven.

A Dutch oven works well, no matter what the weather conditions might be.

All these items fit into a nylon commercial Dutch oven holder. Another great way to carry everything is in a square milk crate. Put the metal pans on the bottom, and the oven won’t tip over. The loaded crate stacks nicely.

Cleaning a Dutch oven is easy. Take the spatula, scrape out any food residue, and fill it with water. (Never put cold water into a hot oven. It might cause it to crack.) Put the oven back on the coals, and boil the water. Usually this will be enough to clean the oven, and all that remains is to scrape out the softened food debris and wipe it dry. Hit the cast iron with a light film of oil to protect against rust.

Obviously, there are other “nice-to-have” cooking items that could be included. But this basic Dutch oven survival kit will get you by.

(Leon Pantenburg is a competitive Dutch Oven cook, a Charter Member of the Central Oregon Dutch Oven Society, and a two-time finalist in the International Dutch Oven Society’s World Championships. He is the district wilderness skills training coordinator for the Fremont District Boy Scouts and teaches outdoor cooking to Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops.)

For more information about Dutch ovens and cooking outdoors, contact:
The International Dutch Oven Society:
Lodge Manufacturing
Camp Chef:

For more related SurvivalCommonSense.com tips and stories, click on the highlighted words:

• STOP: Use this exercise to reduce stress and focus your thoughts.
• Carry lightweight, compact firestarter.
• Find the most effective fire ignition system.
• Use charcloth as an effective method of catching a spark to make a fire.
• About Leon Pantenburg

by Leon Pantenburg

Survival situations can happen when you least expect it, or in places where such a thing doesn’t make sense.

These items are lightweight, easily-carried and could save your life if you're injured while running. From left: handwarmers, cell phone, flashlight, knife, Boy Scout flint stick, whistle, and firestarter.

Maybe you’ve gotten into the habit  of taking a run in the same urban area every evening. Then, one evening, the endorphins kick in, and you decide to double the usual mileage. As darkness approaches, you realize you have to get back to the car before it gets really dark. You slip, twist your ankle and can’t move.

Or you might decide to go for a walk and just take off without thinking to tell someone where you went. You’re strolling along, relaxing and enjoying the iPod, and letting the stress from the office dissipate. Then, as it starts to get dark, you realize you’ve taken a wrong turn and are lost. And pretty soon, it will be pitch dark, and you can’t see the path.

Maybe you have your routine down, and are so set in the pattern that you don’t consider the potential danger. After all, you don’t  go that far from your home, and this isn’t some wilderness area…

A similar situation happened to Bend, Oregon resident Karen Johnson. (Click on highlighted word to read Johnson’s complete story.)  She nearly died of hypothermia after slipping on the ice and  breaking her leg. The area she was running in was a popular, well-used trail. But when Johnson was injured, there was no one around. Only prior preparations, her survival equipment, and being very, very lucky saved her.

Here’s a few tips on what survival equipment to take on a run or an evening walk. These items are lightweight, take up little space and can easily be fitted into a fanny pack or jacket pocket.

• Leave a note or verbal message about where you’re going and when you’ll be back: Even if you’re only expecting to be gone for a little while, nobody will know where to look for you. They might think you went to a movie, the library or some place where you had to shut off your cell phone.
• STOP: Stop, Think, Observe, Plan. This survival mindset exercise applies to every survival situation. Know how to use it.
• Cell phone: You can call for help if you need to. Even if you can’t get coverage, leave your phone on. The pings to your phone from the nearest cell tower can be traced.
• Small flashlight: If you end up out after dark, the flashlight can help you get safety out of the dark places. Not to mention, the psychological boost it can provide if you have to stay in one place and wait for help.
• Whistle: A whistle carries further than your voice, and won’t give out. You can signal for help more effectively, and sometimes a whistle works to scare off potential bad guys.
• Flint stick or lighter and firestarter: If you’re injured, you may be able to build a fire for warmth, signaling and as a morale boost. It will help you stay in one place so you can be rescued.
• Small knife: I carry a Swiss Army knife Classic everywhere. The blade can be used to strike sparks of a flint stick, whittle kindling,  or cut string. The tweezers, scissors, toothpick and file also have multiple uese.
• Lanyard: Combine everything together on a lanyard so you can wear it around your neck or tie it to your clothing. If the gear is tied to you, it won’t be lost.
• Handwarmers: Even if the weather is warm, a runner will cool rapidly if he can’t move. The handwarmers can be placed on the chest or torso to keep the vital areas warm.
• Water: Hydration is always a good idea. If the water gets too heavy, you can always drink it, or pour it out.

For more related SurvivalCommonSense.com tips and stories, click on the highlighted words:

• STOP: Use this exercise to reduce stress and focus your thoughts.
• Write a note to let people know where you went, before you left.
• Dress with the right fabrics.
• Carry lightweight, compact firestarter.
• It can kill you: Hypothermia
• About Leon Pantenburg

By Leon Pantenburg

In February, 2007. a routine run near Bend turned into a desperate fight for survival.

Karen Johnson, 50, of Bend, runs in the Phil’s Trail area about four miles west of the city’s western boundary, several times a week. Early on the

The popular Phil's Trail trailhead is about one-half mile from where Karen Johnson nearly lost her life while running.

morning of Feb. 1, Johnson took off on a routine training session.

It was cold and windy, and Johnson wore winter running clothes that included synthetic tights and top, gloves and a sweatshirt. A windbreaker went over everything, and for gear, she carried a water bottle, a whistle, a charged cell phone, a pair of spiked ice grip devices that fit over running shoes and three chemical handwarmers in her fanny pack.

As the sun was coming up, Johnson was gingerly picking her way along a trail, not even running, when she hit a patch of black ice, slipped and fell.

“It felt like someone pulled the rug out from underneath me,” she recalled. “I heard and felt both bones in my leg break as I hit the ground. The pain was excruciating.”

Johnson couldn’t move, sprawled on the ice. She got her cell phone out of her fanny pack and dialed for help.

No coverage.

After the initial failed connection, Johnson dialed the number of her fiancé, Ken Rose, and waved her cell phone above her head. This time, Johnson got through.

Rose knew Johnson’s winter routine and route, and approximately where she would be. He had also just joined Deschutes County Search and Rescue and had his gear ready. Luckily, a friend, Randy Clumbel, had stopped by on his way to work, so the two headed out together.

“I dialed Ken rather than 911 because he would know what to do,” Johnson said. “I might only have time for a few words. I told him I fell, thought I had broken my leg, and where I was.”

While Rose and Clumbel hurried to Phil’s Trail, Rose contacted Deschutes County Search and Rescue directly and requested help.

In the meantime, Johnson’s situation had gotten increasingly worse. She

These items are lightweight, easily carried and could save your life it you're injured while running. From left: handwarmers, cell phone, flashlight, knife, Boy Scout flint stick, whistle, and firestarter.

had used up two of the handwarmers while running, so Johnson took the last one, activated it and put it inside her top, next to the skin on her chest.

“It was 21 degrees, I was shaking uncontrollably, couldn’t move and was lying on ice,” she said. “I screamed out in pain a couple of times, blew on the whistle and called for help. Apparently, I was the only one out there.”

Rose and Clumbel arrived at the accident scene about 30 minutes after Johnson’s call. Johnson’s lips were blue, and she appeared to be past the first stages of hypothermia, Rose said. She was suffering intensely from the broken leg. Clumbel immediately started gathering wood and quickly built a roaring bonfire next to Johnson, while Rose covered her with a sleeping bag and administered first aid.

“It was a tossup which was more serious, the hypothermia or the leg,” Rose said. “She was on ice, but one of the broken bones was pushing against the skin, and if we moved her, it might have bled and been worse.”

“I was completely lucid, but I just wanted to get out of the cold,” Johnson said. “If Ken and Randy hadn’t gotten there when they did, I don’t know if I would have lasted until help arrived.”

About an hour after Rose and Clumbel arrived, a search and rescue team with a gurney arrived. They carried her out a half-mile to a waiting ambulance, which transported Johnson to St. Charles Medical Center-Bend.

Johnson’s ordeal ended relatively quickly because she did virtually everything right. She was also really, really lucky.

“Even if you’re just out for the day, or a quick outing, you can step in a hole or twist your ankle or something, and you’ll be stuck for a long time,” Sgt. Marvin Combs of Deschutes County Search and Rescue said. “Don’t go out by yourself, tell someone where you’re going, when you’ll be back, and then contact them when you return.”

Emergency gear is another necessity, he said, and Johnson’s survival resulted from having what she needed.

“Because someone knew where she would be,” Combs said, “locating Johnson didn’t waste any precious time. The other contributing factor to her survival was that she remained calm and didn’t panic.”

“She was prepared and went out with the right equipment,” Combs said, “and that was a blessing for her and for us.”

Johnson made a full recovery from her injury. A subsequent bone density test rated Johnson’s bones equivalent to those of a 20-year-old woman.

On May 1, 2007, she returned to Phil’s Trail and walked 100 yards on crutches. Today, fully prepared with her usual survival gear, Johnson regularly runs in that area.

She has also become somewhat of a preparedness evangelist. Johnson tells her story whenever possible in the hope people will learn from her experience.

“It’s pretty scary to get in as much trouble as I did only a few miles from town,” she says. “I easily could have died.”

The complete story appeared in the Oct. 14, 2007 edition of “The Bulletin,” in Bend, Oregon.

Today, February 8, 2010, is the 100th anniversary of the founding of Boy Scouts of America.

The BSA currently offers 122 merit badges. Many of them—Hiking, Swimming, Fishing, Canoeing, Backpacking, Orienteering, Wilderness Survival—are distinctly woodsy. Others—Chemistry, Dentistry, Cinematography, Fingerprinting, Nuclear Science, Pulp and Paper, Plumbing, Space Exploration—are more conceptual. Even the simplest-sounding badges can be difficult to earn. A scout interested in Animal Science, for example, might have to manage a flock of egg-producing chickens for up to 5 months. The seeker of the Theater badge could face an equally daunting task. Among the requirements for that skill are to pantomime a scene. “You are at a banquet,” one tableau begins. “The meat is good. You don’t like the vegetable. The dessert is ice cream.”

Statistically speaking, it is unlikely that an American will earn his Theater merit badge. According to veteran Scout Steve Henning, Theater is the 16th least popular skill area, ranking just ahead of such duds as bugling and stamp collecting. What is likely, however, is that a United States Congressman will turn out to be a former Boy Scout. In fact, of the 439 male Representatives and Senators currently serving, 200—or 1 in 2.2—used to participate in the program. And 22 of them also attained the rank of Eagle Scout.

The requirements for Eagle Scout are many. Besides taking up positions of leadership and completing a board of review, applicants must earn 21 merit badges. These tend to focus in the areas of physical training and civic engagement. One badge, called Family Life, requires the Scout to host a family meeting that examines finance, technology, domestic crises, sex, and the pains of growing up—all good primers for congressional debate.

The Boy Scouts of America has established a clear and controversial role for itself. Critics call its policies bigoted; proponents call them traditional. Debate has focused especially on the organization’s exclusionary membership requirements, which explicitly ban agnostics, atheists and gays. As the March-April 2001 issue of Scouting magazine puts it, “The BSA does not equate homosexuality with pedophilia, but neither avowed homosexuals nor pedophiles are appropriate role models for Scouting youth.”

In spite of the BSA’s socially conservative bent, its representation in Congress is surprisingly bipartisan. Over half of all the Scouts on Capitol Hill—1 in 1.99—are Democrats. Similarly, the Congressmen involved in the BSA as adult volunteers are split essentially down the middle.

One wonders what merits our representatives have been concealing. Perhaps a few still remember the skills they learned as Boy Scouts: Stalking, Beekeeping, Pigeon Raising, Citrus Fruit Culture, and World Brotherhood.