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FEATURED POSTS

Top Five boots to include in a Get Home bag

400 400 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

In the unpredictable world we live in, being prepared for urban disasters is a really, really good idea. Today, we’re diving into an essential element of your bug-out (or Get Home) bag – footwear. Specifically, we’ll check out five boots that are not only built for urban survival but can also withstand the challenges of walking 40 miles in the face of a crisis.

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Cutlery Reviews

bark river hudson bay knife classic knife design 5.5 inch blad

Review: Bark River Hudson Bay Trade Knife – Check out this classic design with new materials

560 400 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

There’s a reason some knife designs are classics, and the Hudson Bay Trade Knife has earned its wilderness credentials.

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Hunt|Fish|Camp

Video: My favorite deer hunting place

300 220 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

Some places become very special places by virtue of long association. I’ve hunted this southern swamp for some 43 years.

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Making Fire

Video review: We check out the Lightning-Strike mini survival firemaking kit

300 235 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

Do you need a Lightning-Strike firestarter? You decide. But the ability to start a fire might someday save your life. And the inability to start a fire could cost your life.

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Emergency Shelter

Urban camouflage: Why you should blend in to walk home after a disaster

599 301 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

You’re driving home from work, something “big” just happened and you’re completely stuck in gridlock on the highway. But, you’re prepared for this scenario. You abandon your car, grab your Get-Your-Ass-Home backpack out of your trunk and start walking. How do you blend in with all the unprepared people, so you don’t become a target for muggers? Here are some ‘fashion’ tips to get you home safe.

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Survival Gear

Jim Green boots help preserve your feet and endangered African animals

600 400 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

This South African boot was designed by wildlife Rangers for combat with poachers of endangered African animals. The boots might work well for you.

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Survival Skills

My great-great-grandfather, James Hallowell was a Civil War veteran. He homesteaded in Iowa in the late 1860s.

Civil War survival lessons from a 92nd Illinois Infantryman

300 400 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

Basic survival skills don’t change. Here are some lessons from a Civil War infantryman on how to provide food, shelter and improvise lighting during hard campaigning.

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VIDEOS | TIPS & HOW TO's

Survival in whitewater depends on proper training and good equipment.
Reader’s comments: Controlling panic when canoe capsizes in whitewater
300 400 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

After my immediate shock of being in the water, gasping for air between waves, I recalled something one of your newsletters or blog posts mentioned about survival. I thought you might be interested that in the face of a stressful situation, your words of advice came to me and helped me.

bison in Yellowstone, bison, bison down
Review: Are Buffalo Wool trekking socks the best choice for cold, wet weather?
448 189 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

These new socks combine modern technology with old time materials. The result is a warm durable sock made of bison down, merino wool, nylon and spandex. I put a pair to the test under extreme conditions, and here is what I found. 

The L.T. Wright Next Gen (top) and Rouge River are great user knives.
How to: Baton firewood with a butter knife
600 366 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

Most survival knife reviews at some point show the blade being pounded – or batoned -through a block of firewood. But batoning is not a big deal if you use the right technique. This method is so simple you can baton firewood with a butter knife.

Leon Pantenburg writes a survival skills blog with tips and techniques to help typical folks survive an unexpected urban or wilderness emergency, using their common sense and emergency preparedness training. Topics include survival knives, survival clothing and camp cooking, making a fire, emergency shelter, hunting and fishing, competent survival skills and survival gear reviews.