Survival- The Five Cs

It’s always wise to have a survival kit any time you venture afield. Your personal kit could be very comprehensive or quite basic. Regardless of how large your kit is, it’s not complete unless it contains at least one item for each of the four C’s of survival.

            CUTTING

            Every person in the outdoors should be carrying a knife. It can be as simple as a pocket knife or a larger fixed-blade survival knife. A good knife can be invaluable in addressing the tasks for Survival Rule Of Threes. First aid, shelter building, fire building, water procurement, and finding food.

            COMBUSTION

            Your survival kit should contain more than one method of starting a fire. It would be wise to practice with these tool, building fires in even adverse conditions. This way you will have the skills and confidence to properly prepare and start a fire.

            COVER

            You should have some type of protection from the elements. This could include coats, tarps, blankets, Mylar type “space” blankets, or something as simple as a large garbage bag. You just need something to protect you from wind and weather. Staying dry could be the difference between returning safely home and disaster.

            CORDAGE

            Cordage can be used in first aid, shelter building and food or water procurement. There are several good choices for the type of cordage to carry. Paracord is what usually comes to mind when people think of survival gear. It is an excellent choice because of it’s strength and versatility. Another good product is heavy braided fishing line. I carry 100 pound test. This is inexpensive, can be doubled or tripled for added strength. Five strands of this line is nearly as strong as paracord. It is compact and lightweight and can be used for more delicate projects like fishing or snare building. Jute twine is another good option. It has the added benefit of being a great fire starting option. Simply cut off a small piece, fray it and then hit it with a spark for a quick and easy fire. There is also a paracord option available that has built in fire starting strands as well.

            CONTAINER

            You will need something to put your survival gear in. You should have a light weight metal container to protect your gear and provide a way to boil water for purification.