This Survival Forum is for the discussion of all topics related to Wilderness Survival and Survival after TEOTWAWKI. I see this as a place for hunters, hikers, campers and backpackers to come together with more hardcore survivalists to learn from each other. Feel free to discuss anything pertaining to Skills, Gear, Kits, Tools, Weapons, Reloading, Communications, Tactics, Preparedness and Survivalism. I do ask that you refrain from posting Political/Patriotic threads. This is because I want this to be a place for LEARNING for experienced people as well as novices. I find that the political/patriotic threads take away from real learning. Not to mention, there are plenty of places on the net to discuss those matters elsewhere. I want you to have fun here and learn! :)
Quickest way to run folks off your site. Just keep it to yourself. Chances are you'll never have need of it. I've never needed to use it to track down a problem poster yet in the couple years or more I've had forums.
I can delete any/all messages so I may be deleting some non-useful posts as we go. I.E. a lot of my non-informative posts already. And any "tests" etc. Don't be afraid of trying posts as 'test' and whatnot, but I will be deleting them in a couple of days to save room. I'm limited to a set number of pages so we'll see how long it takes to 'fill it up'.
If you wish to have me delete anything, post or email me.
I see that I can also create more security by requiring registration and even blocking IP's. I'm impressed by a free site!
Let me know any ideas you have to make the forum better.
I plan on expanding to a full blown HOMEPAGE this summer!
They are not really gun friendly. They have been known to just delete your forums or entire site when they check and find out it is gun related or gun culture related. JR and a few others had it happen to them. I never did during the short time I used them for my forums before I converted to the current software that Matt wrote for us. If you ever decide to buy commercial server space so you can sell your own banner ads we will be happy to license the software used on my forums site for your use.
Bravenet is the one I used to get my forums started. They are good looking forums and I like the way they work (when they work) but they do go down a lot and especially on weekends. They say you are limited to a max of 200 messages per forum but I was never able to count that many on mine before they started to delete them. They don't delete from the bottom either but rather the oldest dates so that it causes a lot of orphan messages when the main thread is removed and the responses are still there. Very aggravating.
Another we got into late in it just before we moved to the commercial server and the software that Matt wrote for us was EZBoard. I really liked it best of the free forums I think overall. They can be found at: http://www.ezboard.com/ You might want to look them over while you are small and staying on free forums. If you ever get really big you are going to need to go to a commercial server space and your own software. These free forums are a great way to start out but in time you may outgrow them. At least that is the goal of folks wanting to expand their site.
You should also sign up for some type of statistics recorder for your site. I "think" that I remember that EZBoard does that for you.
Survivalist power!!! My son is extremely autistic
and he can demolish mt.rushmore in less time than
you can blink an eye,anyway he totally destroyed
the large heating pipes leading from the heat furnace in the basement to the vents through out
the house.Afraid to tell the land lord for fear
of being kicked out into the cold again because
ofmy son I sent them to my wifes mothers house and looked at this as a chance to test all the survi-
valist tecniques that I had theorized,I went to the gelco army military surplus{before I got hip
to walmart}and there purchased a 84x33 20 degree
above zero bag for myself for 70 bucks,then I found that there was a walmart within bus range
of where I live and went there and found that I
could find sleeping bags for guys my size I am 6'5
280-316 lbs.and also to 20 below zero for about 35
to more dollars.I purchased an adult sized bag to
20 above zero for my two sons age 4 and 8 the autistic son being 8,and after I found that if
I would be fully clothed and and keep on my winter
coat,scull cap pulled down over my ears my shoes and sock and get in my sleeping 20 degree holofil
sleeping bag that I could stay quite warm even when it was below zero and snow was falling crazy
outside.I also bought an adult sized bag of the
same kind as mine,and for my 9 month old which I
proceded very carfully with,I bought an adult sized bag unzipped it and along with many covers
and sheets wraped her up in her snow suit boots and hat along with the bag and many quilts and covers. Anyway I wraped my whole family up with
many quilts, covers, wool blankets,had them fully
dressed in winter garb had my two boys share their
bag for extra warmth me and the ole lady woulda done the same cept I am too d*** big and the truth
be told so is she,anyway we survived and stayed
quite warm.It's still snowing in Cleveland and we
are still warm.MY 9month old stay's for now with my mother in law for now,don't want to take any chances with one so young but she has slept many nights under the same circumstances. If any of the boys show any signs at all of or if my 4 year old tells me that he is too cold I will immediatly
get both boys and my wife up and take them by cab or bus at whatever time to my mother-in-laws and
stay there at the house myself,with all the sleeping bags piled on me. My autstic son can't tell me if he's cold but hell grab your hand and direct you towards the door with his teeth chatteing letting you know that he is cold and to take him where it is warm. It may not be that comfortable and you have to remain fully dressed,
but you can survive and stay warm during the night. In the day just be dressed at all times with sweater and sometimes hat and coat.I would
have purchased a kerosen heater/cook stove to warm up the bed room but was told by some that the carbon minoxide might kill my family in their sleep and also concerned about my son{the autistic one}knocking over the heater and starting a fire.
p.s. I must admit that there was a little heat
still simmering up to my childrens bedroom but not alot.
Couldn't you get somebody in to fix it, if you can't do it yourself?
I would recommend calling in a furnace guy yourself and getting it fixed asap. You'll have to pay for it one way or the other. Do you have renter's insurance? This would have been a good reason to have it.
How cold has it been getting? I would be worried about freezing water pipes if it is getting too cold. But it shouldn't be right now.
I hate to say this! but I am now using this experiance for another time when my family and I
relocate to a rural or wllderness setting with others in a community,when we will probably be off the grid. This is a good opportunity to see what
works and what don't,of course if I didn't have
the safety net of my mother who lives l in a rural setting,grandmother who lives up the street and mother in law, who now lives right next door I
don't know if i would have continued on so long.
I grew up in a wood heated 120 year old house in Northern Michigan. ONE room was comfortable, the rest were "A tad chilly". I remember dreading sitting on the toilet seat, for fear of frostbite. Also we did have the water in the toilet bowls freeze frequently.
Urban Survivalist
Just a tip that I learned years ago in Northern
Wisc. To help you keep warm at nite. Change
atleast the inner layer of clothing that you wore
all day. It is filled with perspiration that tends
to make you colder at nite. I always have a change
of clothes that I wear only at night. Keep it
inside the sleeping bag during day. You'll be
surprised what dry clothes can and will do.
We did this every nite in the wood stove heated
cabin. Still do it when I do any winter tent
camping.
Would be interested in learning what civilian sleeping bags, back packs and other gear you folks are using. Thinking of doing some selling and buying. There has to be something to civilian gear. Have watched the ECO Challenge for several years and their civilian gear really takes a beating.
Plainsman way cool board keep it up -I use a Mn military bag,hammock,poncho and liner depending on the weather-I use a LRRP backpack its a modual design that i can add to or subtract later
I like to use poncho liners ,also. Have been using hammocks for about 20 years...lots of ways to use them.they are light.They get ya off the ground when its wet and on and on.....
Okla winter about 15 degrees below wind chill not sure that nite used all my layering starting with poly-pro,light than med,wind pants and then bdu's slept pretty good cheap wally world tent but kept wind off
There are several good sleeping bag companies, try taking a peek in a Gander Mountain or similar catalog and you should ge ta good idea of what is out there. I use mainly wool blankets, in cold weather they are folded across each other back and forth to make an envelope with the foot folded under the previous layer.
In cold weather a mummy type bag is the best usually. Keeoping your head covered is most essential to staying warm. For added, Ummm interest, two bags can be zipped together to accomdate you choice of sleeping companion.
Honestly, I don't have much civvie stuff. I simply cannot afford it. Mainly I have a few pairs of good civvie hiking boots, (Danners, one pair of Garmonts..) and a set of compact stainless cookwear I picked up on sale. I mainly use US and European surplus, as well as hitting the local flea markets and thrift shops.. (ALICE medium, with frame, $5.95. Thank you Goodwill.)
I found this company through acquaintances on the web. It has been around for over 100 years and they warranty every knife ever made by them, no matter the age or the owner.
Most of their line has a simple version of each model that costs less than $100.
Marbles is a great company with a fine line of blades and other OUTDOORSMAN products. They make nice sights, and compasses also. They are in the U.P. of Michigan and were up until just after WWII one of the premiere knife companies in the world. When costs got to high they went out of business and they have jsut started back up in the past few years and brought back many of hteir old patterns and some new and interesing patterns also. You wont be disappointed I believe, I have not been.
ANd as far as tactical knives go, their blades are designed for outdorsman not specfically military personel, wlthough many of their blades can easily be utulized very well in this role. If one wants a tactical blade, one of their high carbon models could be blued I am sure. They originated the leather washer type handles many years back and it is a staple of their line now.
I have the bison and pathfinder models and love them both.
The majority of thier knives are not sharpened prybars. They are knives designed to slice and cut, with fine edges that compliment the work. The larger patterns such as the pathfinder are thicker and are designed to cut paths and other rugged duty.
I want this to be a place for learning. That means we have to communicate. Hence, I pledge to you that I will attempt to respond PERSONALLY to every THREAD! Maybe not every post, but at least every THREAD! Nobody will go UNANSWERED here!
This is the only page that I have working so far, but if things look like they will grow, I will build a larger sites with links and resource materials.
Also, feel free to email me at anytime about anything. At one time I recieved MANY emails from lurkers. You lurkers who emailed made up my final decision to create this place. Feel free to join in!
Those topics just seem to start DISPUTES, no learning takes place then! Look at two other forums whom I won't name that had a conflict. I am still laughing at some of the responses.
Plainsman u dont count, its your place.
Ill be glad to traffic this site and learn A L L anyone can teach me.
Me? I know one thing and im not telling anybody what IT is. Everything else I just make up as I go.
I just bought a black KaBar today. Anybody got any"Ohmigod why'd you do THAT?!" comments.
It has the serrated blade, I wanted plain but guy didnt have one and another dlr only wanted $20 more.
Shooter has sent me all over the internet looking for good knives and I finally came to the conclusion that the Kabar is the best for the money. Getting ready to order 2 from Discount Knives. Just can't make up mind between the New Generation or the standard. Any comments on the New Generation?
Im not a big knife guy. I just need an edge and thats about all. Ive had some good luck with the Kabars holding an adge and they work for me, especially the price. To me the 3 generation knives are just more expensive black KaBars, but I dont know much 'bout em.
You should be fairly happy with it. It is made for combat, and general camp type usage. It is not the best blade for hunting and skinning, nor is it a heavy duty chopper. Use it for its intended purpose and you should be fairly content with it.
For another blade in this same general catagory try the Cold Steel Bushman. It is a better skinner with a bit more belly for that task. It is a bit better slicer with a finer edge profile.
I have finally opened a forum of my own. Many of you will recognize my name, Plainsman. I've been around many forums for few years now and finally decided to lead some of you to my own 'house'.
Let's see if we can get some good discussions going and create an environment for learning!
I'll tell you a little bit about myself first.
I am a 30 year old high school mathematics teacher. I am married and have one son, Connor, who is 5 1/2 months old.
I enjoy teaching and love spending time with Connor. When I get spare time I shoot, reload, do leather work, hunt both with guns and archery equipment. The computer is my outlet to the world and I am here often learning and teaching in the net community.
Feel free to join in. Lurk for a while, but eventually the keyboard will draw you in!
Enjoy!
P.S. I am not censoring any posts, I don't even know if I can even delete any. Use common sense when posting and we should all be fine!
I have added your site to my Favorites. Hope it grows. Hope to learn as well as to contribute.
By the way - you said you are a high school mathematics teacher. I used to teach math at the community college. But I've gone back to industry. When you have four kid$, perhap$ you'll under$tand why!
Looks to be a good start, we need a place where serious gear and surival techniques can be ahd without all the paranoid meanderings and political diatribes found at other sites.
Survival means living to see another day, its not political, it is not argumentative, it is using what you have and what works best for you. It is like the old Boy Scout motto. Be Prepaired.
I know you Plainsman and I know this is a godo start to a good site.
Great, we need this. Sometimes I feel that the more specific aspects of primative tech are lost or out of place on the Squirrel boards. No politics is cool, there are enough sites for that agreed.
BTW Plainsman! I ordered myself a contender in .22LR match and .357 maximum today!
Talk at you soon, look forward to informing and learning from yall good folks.
