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FEATURED POSTS

Ten common deadly mistakes hikers and backpackers make

 340 400 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

Every lost or missing hiker is unique, but there are common mistakes most of them make. In no particular order of importance, here are ten.

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Survival Knives

Carp Knives LP: A quality custom knife that can work hard

 534 400 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

I couldn’t resist when Alabama knifemaker Kendall Carpenter offered to make a hunting knife to my specs. The result is the Carp Knives LP (for Lower Peninsula). 

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Hunt|Fish|Camp

Knife review video: First look at the Benchmade Meatcrafter

 400 400 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

The right knives make backcountry meat cutting a lot faster, more efficient and safer. Two knives can do the work: a skinner/gutting knife and a boning/fillet knife. Make good choices in both categories.

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Making Fire

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Video: Surefire way to start a survival fire in standing water or really wet conditions

 600 300 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

The more desperately you need a survival fire, the harder it will be to start one. That’s Murphy’s Law, and it is generally true. Here are three common items that virtually guarantee that you can get a fire started, even under really adverse conditions. In this case, the technique is used in standing water.

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Emergency Shelter

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How to pitch a tarp to survive in heavy winds

 533 400 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

Winds can rip a tarp to pieces if it isn’t secured correctly. Here’s how to make your survival shelter safe and secure.

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Survival Gear

Desert-tested gear that worked really well on Arizona trek

 320 400 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness
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Some people field test gear, then never do a follow-up. But the real test of product quality is over continued, sustained hard use. These products proved themselves – again – in the hot Arizona desert.

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Survival Skills

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10 tips for staying cool during a power outage/heat wave emergency

 300 163 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

An emergency situation caused by a summer storm may be made worse by the hot weather! How will you stay cool during the heat wave/disaster? Here are some tips.

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VIDEOS | TIPS & HOW TO's

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Video: What you need to make a Dutch oven survival kit
 600 300 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

Beginners frequently ask for a list of tools to get started in Dutch oven cooking. So, here’s a basic, bare-bones list.

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Video: How to make charcloth, a miracle survival kit fire starter
 600 300 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

Catching a spark and blowing it into a flame is a skill that can save your life. Properly-made charcloth will easily catch a spark and grow into an ember.

This T-18 Mora knife has had the sheath modifed for safety and is moderately priced. (Leon Pantenburg photo)
Best beginner knife? We (video) review the Mora 840 Companion
 600 335 Survival Common Sense Blog | Emergency Preparedness

Take a hard look at the Mora 840 Companion if you’re looking for the best beginner 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.