10 C's Of Survivability

Discussion in 'Newbie Corner' started by EarlyMarksman, Apr 5, 2020.

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  1. EarlyMarksman

    EarlyMarksman Master Survivalist
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    10 C’s of Survivability


    1. Cutting Tool

    Should be a fixed blade that is full tang. Full tang means that the length of the blade goes all the way down through the grips. Full tang knives are stronger than half tang and aren’t as prone to breaking when batoning or doing other heavy chores. For redundancy a folding saw is also recommended.


    2. Combustion Device

    Bic lighters are a great choice, or if you are more primitive minded, flint and steel is an option, although personally I've never used flint and steel. For redundancy a ferro rod or box of matches, preferably stormproof matches, is recommended.


    3. Cover

    Tarps provide waterproof cover. I’ve woken up before in a puddle of water where my boots and everything in my rucksack that wasn’t inside a trash bag was soaked. Those were a miserable few days in the field. I strongly recommend using trash bags to store clothing, fire starting materials, books, etc. in case your pack gets wet.


    4. Container

    Having a bottle for water collection is critical. Stainless steel cups allow for the boiling of water for killing bacteria and cooking. Having a water filter is also a fantastic route to go. I have used a LifeStraw before (which filters up to 256 gallons of water if memory serves correctly) and can attest to the filtering capabilities, however I have read reports of the LifeStraw not filtering absolutely everything out. I have not used the Sawyer Mini Filter but know that it filters up to 100,000 gallons and is an investment I’ll be making here soon.


    5. Cordage

    The most common (in my experience) cordage that is used is 550 paracord. We used it in the military for tying down our weapon attachments and the nods (night vision) on our helmets. It can be used for putting up your cover element. Having spare cordage is a must.


    6. Candling Device

    Having a flashlight and a headlamp assists you in seeing your surroundings at nighttime or any threats that are attempting to use the dark as concealment, as well as looking through your pack.


    7. Cotton Bandana

    Can be used for a water filter, although mainly just to get dirt out of your water. Boiling is still pretty much a requirement. You can use bandanas to cool yourself off as well.


    8. Compass


    Being able to determine your direction is important. At the bare minimum you know where NSEW are.



    9. Cargo Tape

    For this I have Gorilla Tape. You can repair clothing, gear, hammock, tarp, tent, the list goes on. You can roll it up into a ball and use it as tinder.


    10. Canvas Needle

    Same as the tape: can be used for repairing clothing, gear, etc.
     
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  2. varuna

    varuna Tree killer & a cat person
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    Hate to say this, but there is no such thing as one-size-fit-all solution for surviving anything, which include one-size-fit-all tools list.
    Every situation, location, will dictate everything. A set of solution for a given situation, place, time of year could rendered any list of survival tools irrelevant or non workable for the given situation & condition. What really matter is always (and will always be) the basic principles, while the rest (materials, logistic, manpower, etc) should be adjusted accordingly.
     
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  3. EarlyMarksman

    EarlyMarksman Master Survivalist
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    Correct. I just took the 10 C's and wrote down in my opinion the uses for each category, although I think for beginners it sets up the basics of what you should have in your pack, hence the reason I put it in the "Newbie Corner." Your pack will evolve over time. I live in Alabama, so a hot and humid environment for a bulk of the year. SOME of what works for me down here isn't going to work for someone in Washington State, such as cover elements. I can't take the risk in Alabama of sleeping on the ground unless I had no other choice due to the immense amount of critters that crawl all over the place. Either a tent or a hammock is strongly recommended. But for people in Washington State you can pretty much lie on the ground all day and not have to worry too much (based upon my own experience).
     
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2020
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  4. watcherchris

    watcherchris Legendary Survivalist
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    Have a set of factory lock picks in my pocket.....have carried them for over 30 years. I can make my own if need be...but factory sets are more consistent.

    This is a skill set in which one musts apply ones self...by which to become even half away decent at it.

    I do not approve of theft as I take serious risks for my monies..but this skill has saved me plenty of monies when I have locked my keys in my car/truck...or even house/garage. It does come in handy.

    There are plenty of thieves out here who cannot pick the first lock...but steal places blind if given the opportunity. It takes work and discipline to become marginally good at lockpicking...and most thieves do not have that much discipline...which is why they are thieves.

    You do not want most people out here on the street to know you can do this as most watch too much television or movies to think through about something like this....until they are locked out and desperate.



    But the list is good..as a baseline...starting point...beginning point.

    Prefer a fixed knife ..if I can but keep a carbon steel folder in my pocket at all times. A fixed blade Mora stainless steel knife in my daily BOB/GHB...a few extra folders in there as well. Diamond hone in my BOB/GHB too...also one in my locker at work. Interesting to me the number of people out here who cannot sharpen a knife...but can surely abuse one...High Maintenance.

    Keep folding pliers on me daily too...also a mag lite and spare AA type batteries.. Don't like to leave home without them.
    Try to keep them close even when wearing a suit and tie.

    If I don't have my mag lite and or pliers...I feel butt nekkid!!!!

    Cargo tape....duct tape..is something I try to keep around the house and in my car/truck all the time and also some cordage..as well.


    My non Ishmaelite .02,
    Watcherchris
     
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    2. TMT Tactical
      Lock picks can be ordered on EBay. Not illegal to own but is a jail sentence if caught carrying in some states. Being ex-facility maintenance person, I own a very nice set. Came in very handy when management personnel locked themselves out of their offices or lost the keys to their file cabinets.
       
      TMT Tactical, Apr 6, 2020
  5. F22 Simpilot

    F22 Simpilot Master Survivalist
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    I also have a few elaborate sets just because I bought a few lock picking books and learned online and just wanted to know how to do it. I'd sit in front of the TV and practice picking a lock. I think the hardest part is applying just the right amount of tension. And with tight tolerance locks like Yale or Medeco, that's an even bigger task. That's why I bought some Yale front door locks I have yet to install. Maybe when the weather gets more nicer. Though, I'm told people who want in won't stop with a lock. So I'd like to get this door reinforcement kit on Amazon. I also have Ring doorbell camera.

    As to carrying lock picks. I have a credit card looking set that fits in a credit card. But they are very cheap. Always wanted the Swiss Army type, but I hear they're junk. I bought some of my lock picking supplies from a Chinese online retailer called Banggood. Now with Captain Trips, I don't dare buy from them anymore and maybe never again in the foreseeable future. Also, many states have different laws I think about carrying lock picks. If I can remember right, most allow it unless you're using them in the commission of a crime of course. I read on a website it was advisable to keep the law on paper in your wallet or what ever should a cop know nothing try to place you under arrest after discovering them. As far as I know, I think damn near all states allow position of lock picks. I was quite surprised by reading that as I thought they were considered "burglary tools" and could be subject to a felony.

    When ever I help someone pick a lock I get permission in writing or video on my phone for proof. I had to let my neighbor's 12 year old in her house once. So I used the path to least resistance and picked the patio lock :D Unfortunately I picked the plug in the wrong direction and had to use my trusty cheap plug spinner. One spin and I was in. Now I have a better plug spinner that looks like a gun looking thing I bought on eBay of all places. But the blade that inserts into the keyway is too fat to fit a common lock. So I have to pull out my wizard tool and file it down one day. The gun plug spinner came with like six different keyway blades, but the smallest doesn't even fit. A quick grind will do perfectly. Love my little wizard tool. And it's also great at making tension wrenches or lock picks from hacksaw blades.

    I read up on all things spy/NSA/CIA/Delta Force/CIA, escape and evasion, etc. Love the genre. Learned quite a few skills already. You know Liam Neeson in the Taken movies? "I have a particular set of skills." :D

    Fun fact: Liam Neeson used to work for Guinness beer in Dublin as a forklift driver. Now he's a bad ass in movies. :D Can't say I ever watched a bad movie of his. Though, his real life gun stance is asinine. LOL
     
  6. F22 Simpilot

    F22 Simpilot Master Survivalist
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    The ten C's should be accompanied with the phrase: Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. I believe that motto is of Russian origin. I was thinking that the whole time my sister was in the hospital with COVID-19. She's now back home but on oxygen. I hope to hell she doesn't have lung damage.
     
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    1. Blitz
      My thoughts go to you and your sister. I had no idea. You must have been going through an incredibly difficult and worrying time. I hope your sister is okay and the burden you and your family have been under is lifted. Although your sister doesn't know me from Adam, or Eve for that matter, I pass on my wishes and hope she fully recovers.
       
      Blitz, Apr 6, 2020
  7. watcherchris

    watcherchris Legendary Survivalist
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    My Dad used to say that ...Prepare for the worst..hope for the best....if less happens ...you are that much better off...than most.

    And yes....it is learning to control the tension/tensioning.


    Thanks,
    Watcherchris
    Not an Ishmaelite.
     
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  8. Blitz

    Blitz Master Survivalist
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    Oh yes. Zip lock bags are so handy. I can't tell you the number of times we ended up half submerged and were saved by zip lock bags keeping everything nice and dry. Garbage bags are okay but for individual valuables such as matches and the like, ziplock bags rule.

    Wish I had invented them, I'd be rich now instead of poorer than a church mouse doing a rendition of Oliver Twist.
     
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  9. randyt

    randyt Master Survivalist
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    My father had many interests and one of them was locksmithing. He taught me to pick locks when I was a kid but I'm far from being good at it. I ended up with his tools. He had key machines and misc lock tools, bump keys. Even had a couple lock pick guns, one a manual and one rechargeable. For fun he would sit in his easy chair and break the code on combination locks.
     
  10. Blitz

    Blitz Master Survivalist
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    I absolutely love reading all the different posts from different times from different countries. It is truly fascinating and inspiring.
     
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  11. randyt

    randyt Master Survivalist
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    Me too......
     
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  12. watcherchris

    watcherchris Legendary Survivalist
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    Though It has been awhile since I've ordered anything from them I get them at a place in Oregon called Steve Arnolds Gun Room. This out of a magazine ad many many year ago.

    The last time I ordered from them I ordered three sets of these lockpicks. Hence I should not be needing any for years....hopefully.

    I can make my own out of the very hard needles from a pneumatic Needle gun scaler tool...but the factory ones are more consistent. I keep back many of those needles just for that sort of thing but in the mean time ...use these factory sets.

    A lot of folks at work know I can do this ...unofficially....and ask me for help when they forget the keys to their locker....even the bosses..

    I don't let on out here on the street..because of too many people having primarily a TV/Movie education.


    As to the mag lites...they are not the best and today there are more of them out there and brighter..also more expensive.

    Most of these tools have eventually contact problems and I will disassemble mine and clean with a Q tip and Alcohol....to get the dirt resistance film off them so as to make good contact...brighter light.

    They have gone to better light bulbs...brighter...LED type over the years and that is good. The older types used a different light bulb and are not that bright.

    But the main reason I like them is that's they are portable...not real bulky.

    The pouches leave much to be desired and I reinforce them by sewing back around the edges with a heavy curved needle and waxen string. Then they are fine heavy duty pouches.

    I have an extra mag light pouch sans the light ...reinforced with said waxen string and in it is a set of machinist feeler gauges.

    One does not go down into the bowels of a ship without some kind of light source....lesson learned the hard way. If the electricity goes out...you cannot see the nose on the front of your face...very very dangerous to walk about without a light source should the electricity go out on a ship...same in a mine...or any totally darkened place.


    Feeler gauges, mag lite, folding pliers.....I try not to leave home without them.

    Hope this helps.

    Watcherchris
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2020
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  13. Blitz

    Blitz Master Survivalist
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    And the feeler gauges?

    Strangely enough, the pup broke the dog seatbelt that clips in and there was so much dirt accumulated that I was unable to get it released. I managed to find some feeler gauges which were the only thing that would fit in the narrow space to allow me to help clean it out. Apart from that incident, I haven't used feeler gauges since ascertaining the spark plug gap my old Series Land Rover.
     
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  14. Pragmatist

    Pragmatist Master Survivalist
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    https://www.streamlight.com/resources/learning-left/flashlight-applications-and-beam-patterns


    Good morning Blitz,

    The "mini-mag lights" were first generation.

    Now there are many more and better - and, of course, costly lights.

    No endorsements, although I do buy from them, ....... above link to Streamlight has good quality info on illumination and their products. They are also in Australia.

    Their pulp catalog is, in a way, a field manual to learn about emergency lighting.

    I
     
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  15. Blitz

    Blitz Master Survivalist
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    Like the look of the Streamlight lights.

    Do you have "Dolphin" torches in the US? They used to be staple lights in our kit. Good light, waterproof and they float. Take those massive box type batteries (can't remember what the size is called). Actually, I don't even know if they still make them or not.
     
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  16. Pragmatist

    Pragmatist Master Survivalist
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    Good afternoon Blitz,

    I don't recognize the name "Dolphin".

    Here, post WWII to the end of the Vietnam War, the dominant flashlight (Br Eng being torch) was the US Army's olive drab L-shaped flashlight using 2 "D" cell batteries (Army lingo: BA-30). It was found throughout the nation's Boy Scout troops, Civil Defense kits,, etc.

    Big batteries are just about phased out. They're not displayed on the counters with batteries at the Big Box stores. There used to be hallway wall torches that were plugged in to an electric socket and in case of power failure, they would use their battery power to keep passage way lit. These models are just about phased out.

    I'm from the oil industry where I bought just about every new model for our safety. It is now a big field. Streamlight has competitors and many spin-off companies have more affordable prices. It does take research.
     
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    1. Blitz
      https://www.bunnings.com.au/eveready-6v-dolphin-lantern-with-battery_p4410892

      Just had a google and apparently they still sell them now in LED. They are an Australian/New Zealand torch so you probably don't get them in the US.

      Hahaha. Yeah, the olive drab torches. I've got about a dozen of them that my husband acquired when in the military. I changed all the batteries and tested them out not long ago. Still going strong. Still got all the different reflectors (or whatever you call them) to change the colour of the light. Kids used to love playing with them camping when they were little.
       
      Blitz, Apr 6, 2020
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  17. watcherchris

    watcherchris Legendary Survivalist
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    Wow Pragmatist!!!

    Have a couple out in my garage....sans batteries. I don't use them much today having these smaller mag lite and spare batteries...even have headlights with AA type batteries...those are very nice for keeping your hands free.
    I try to keep everything around the same battery type.

    What I remember about those olde Olive Drab lites was that they had on them a button for doing Morse Code..and also various colored filters on them. One hardly sees such on todays flashlights which is why I hang onto them.

    Thanks for reminding me.
    Watcherchris
    Not an Ishmaelite.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2020
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    1. Blitz
      Yeah, that's what I was trying to remember the name of ... the coloured filters.
       
      Blitz, Apr 6, 2020
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  18. F22 Simpilot

    F22 Simpilot Master Survivalist
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    During the floods here in the U.S. which will probably come again this Summer, I learned that you can store things in a dishwasher since they are in fact water tight. Not sure at what depth they are water tight, but better than noting I guess.
     
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  19. F22 Simpilot

    F22 Simpilot Master Survivalist
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    They are called an angle head flashlight and I have one. You can still buy them on eBay I'm sure and about the morse code thing, I have a flashlight that was advertised on TV called the Atomic Beam flashlight that I got that has a morse called feature with two or three presses of the button. Though, I think it might be off a bit. I think it's doing S S O S or something. All SOS is ... --- ...

    I have various sized Mag lights and I upgraded my second to biggest Mag with a LED bulb. That sucker is not only bright but saves on the battery life and is a great club.

    PS. The angle head flashlights were sold in black and maybe other colors as well. I also have a mini version that came with filters. Red is great so your pupils don't dilate. Green has the same properties. That's why you see red lights in a submarine or bunker, etc.
     
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