Learning + Tutorials

Back in the late 1980s, an oral surgeon was in the middle of a two-week raft trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon in Arizona, when disaster struck.

He and two other men were on the bank, getting their 18-foot (5.4-meter) raft ready for a trip down the Crystal Rapids when it got caught in a wave, filled with water and ripped the line from their hands.

Should traditional modern communication systems be unavailable, having a backup way to communicate far distances is a smart thing to have.

It's not uncommon for large storms to take out cellphone and land line phone systems and with them likely goes the internet as well.

The easiest and most useful backup option is one that's been around a very long time - and it's long range radio communication via voice and telegraph.

You may have heard it referred to as Ham radio which is slang for Amateur Radio.

The key to prepping an effective emergency Bug Out Bag or any other survival kit is being able to quickly find and take stock of the items within it.

Resist the urge to dump everything in there willy-nilly. You should be able to find each item quickly and efficiently (even in the dark) without spilling the whole thing open or rummaging endlessly.

Items should be grouped together by function into kits: a fire making kit, a sleep kit, cooking kit, etc.