Light Weight Bug Out Bag

In a previous post I have written about the concept of Bugging Out and Evacuation in Emergency or Survival situations. This post addresses an alternative approach to this concept with a focus on lowering the weight of the emergency kit.

The Bag
The backpack for a low weight Bug Out Bag (LW-BOB) does not have to be as sturdy as a bag that has to hold much more equipment and a heavier weight. The most important aspect is that it has a comfortable carrying system that makes the bag fit close to your body; ideally you should be able to run medium distances with the bag. Interesting bags can found from a number of different companies like Maxpedition, Kifaru, Snugpack, Osprey, Lundhags, Fjällräven, Arcteryx, Bergans, Berghaus and Klättermusen.

Water
Water is one of most crucial aspects in a survival situation and have to be carried, especially if you have to make a great physical effort and make a long distance over a few days possibly by foot. High quality water bottles like the ones from Nalgene, Camelback, Klean Kanteen or SIGG have a very low probability to break but in most cases ordinary soda bottles can serve the same purpose. A water bladder like the ones made by CamelBak or Nalgene has the advantage that you can drink easily without having to remove the pack and making a stop. A minimum of two liters of water should be a carried, but depending on the intended route and climate you may too carry more. Where can water be found and is it safe to drink without purification?

Shelter
Shelter is an important aspect in order to prevent hypothermia and exposure. In order to keep the weight down I suggest either a bivi-bag or a bivanorak as an emergency shelter in a LW-BOB. The Bivanorak and Fjellduk also have the advantage that they can be used both as an poncho and as a Bivi-Bag. If you want to travel light your clothing becomes very important since you don’t carry a sleeping bag, sleeping mattress and tent which makes it possible to improvise shelter in basically any weather condition. Good socks, Shoes that can cope with your local terrain, a Base Layer Shirt that dries easily like merino wool and a wind and rain proof Shell Jacket can compensate too some extent for this lack in equipment.

Survival Knife and Pocket Survival Kit
Some kind of Survival Knife is critical and should also be carried. What type depends on your setting but I would recommend either a Folding Knife, Swiss Army Knife or a Light Weight Fixed Blade Knife. A Pocket Survival Kit contains some additional items that can help you cope with emergencies without taking up much weight or space in a pack.

Navigation
For navigation a Citymap or Topographical Map can be an important addition depending on how well you know your local terrain. Keeping a small compass on your watch band or choosing a watch with electronic compass like the Suunto Core means that you always have a compass available. A light weight head lamp like the Fenix HP-20, HL-20, Petzl E+Lite, ZebraLight anglelights / headlamps can make night time movement much easier.

Food
A normal person can survive for quite a long time without food so making it a few days isn’t a real problem, however if you don’t eat anything for a few days your energy level and stamina will be seriously reduced and you will become more vulnerable to hypothermia. Carrying a some energy bars and one freeze dried rations per day can help you keep your energy level up and still keep the weight of your pack low.

Other Equipment
Exactly what you should pack is a personal choice but some additional equipment could also be useful like a compact First Aid Kit, Paracord, Spare batteries, a Big Lighter, some Tinder, a Notebook, Pen, some Cash, a roll of coins and a compact Cooking Vessel. Find a solution that fits your specific conditions and needs.

Advantages
• A lighter pack makes it easier to walk or run long distances since you will be carrying much less weight than if you carry a fully equipped Bug Out Bag.
• The cost for getting the equipment will also be lower since you won’t have to buy the same amount of equipment.
• Can be carried as an Every Day Carry bag

Disadvantages
• A Light Weight Bug Out Bag miss allot of the items that can be needed in a survival situation. Especially in cold weather conditions exposure can kill fast so not having a sleeping bag, sleeping mattress and extra clothing can prove fatal.
• Less equipment also means fewer options.
• A highly skilled individual can compensate for the lack of equipment with the ability to construct shelter, find eatable plants, catch fish and other tactics.

Summary
A light weight Bug Out Bag can function either as an alternative or a complement to Comprehensive Bug Out Bag especially in conditions where severe weather and temperatures is a small problem. Since it’s composed of very few items it can be carried as an Every Day Carry Bag. Many larger back-packs have a smaller Day-Pack so it’s fully possible to have a larger back-pack containing the other items in a fully equipped Bug Out Bag and carry the items for Light Weight Bug Out Bag in the Day Pack making it possible to leave the heavier equipment if it would prove necessary.

Checklist
Bag
[ ] Backpack, Gearslinger, Shoulderbag, Waist Bag or Other form of Bag

Water
[ ] Two Water Bottles or Water Bladder for your backpack
[ ] Water Purification Tablets or compact Water Purification Filter

Shelter
[ ] Bivanorak, Fjellduk, Lightweight Tarp or Lightweight Poncho

Survival Knife
[ ] Fixed Blade Knife, Swiss Army Knife, Folding Knife or Multi Tool

Equipment to build a Fire
[ ] BIC Lighter, Storm Lighter, Fire Steel or Matches in a plastic bag

Light
[ ] Compact Headlamp or Flashlight

Pocket Survival Kit
[ ] Matches
[ ] Fire Steel
[ ] Snare Wire
[ ] Wire Saw
[ ] Sewing Kit
[ ] Button Compass
[ ] Safety Pins
[ ] Whistle
[ ] Candle
[ ] Small LED Lamp
[ ] Compact Knife or Razor Blade
[ ] Fishing Kit
[ ] Pencil
[ ] Water Purification Tablets
[ ] Painkillers
[ ] Anti Diarrhea Tablets
[ ] Antihistamines
[ ] Antibiotics
[ ] Condom or Alok Sak

Possible Extra Equipment
[ ] Paracord
[ ] First Aid Kit and Blister Kit
[ ] Ducttape
[ ] Sewing Kit
[ ] Notebook and Pen
[ ] Spare Batteries
[ ] Passport or ID, Immunization Record Card and some Cash
[ ] Paper Tissues; can be used as Tinder or as Emergency Toilet Paper.
[ ] SPOT, Emergency Strobe, Signal Mirror, Emergency Flares or Chemical Light Sticks
[ ] Extra Battery for your Cellphone or Cellphone Charger

Other Articles:
Light Weight Bug Out Bags - Examples of Setups
Building The Right Bug Out Bag For You
Bug Out Guide and Checklist
Get Home Bag (GHB)
Pocket Survival Kits
Every Day Carry (EDC)

Peak Oil

The current disaster in the Mexican Golf after the explosion that sunk the Oil platform Deepwater Horizon much attention has been focused on the security of deepwater offshore drilling. One subject that isn’t discussed that often is the access to oil and if the access to oil will become more scares.

The Term Peak Oil
Marion King Hubbert was an American geologist born in 1903 that would later create the term “Peak Oil”. Hubbert got he’s degrees from the University of Chicago and would later work for Shell and USGS. He also worked as teacher at a number of different universities like MIT. In 1956 Hubbert presented the theory that US Oil Production would peak between 1966-1972 and start to decrease after this. Hubbert came to this theory by studying individual fields and how the production curved changed over time and adding them together. Hubbert’s estimates for the American oil production would later be proved right even if very few believed him when he first made he’s predictions.

Will There Be a Global Peak and When Will it Happen?
Many individual countries have reached their peak in oil production (peak oil) and are now in decline. Other countries than the US is Canada, Iran, Nigeria, Norway, Venezuela, Great Britain and around 40 more countries. The question many researchers ask is when the total world production will reach a peak and when the decline in World Oil Production will start. Estimates vary heavily, some researchers believe that the peak may have already been reached in 2005, others that it may happen during 2010, USGS estimates in a report from 2001 that it may take another 30 years and some Saudi experts believe that it may be 100 years before it happens.

Why is Oil so Important?
Oil originates from a period several million years ago and is basically vegetation of different sorts that have been compressed in the earth under very high pressure and temperatures. Other forms of fuels also resulted from this process like coal and natural gas. Fossil fuels are in other words solar energy that have been stored as a result of photosynthesis in combination with geological process a very long time ago. These resources are renewable, but the process takes millions of years so they are not renewable from a current human perspective. This makes the use of oil extremely energy efficient, the amount of energy one can get from taking advantage of these resources is extremely great. Oil is also easy to store and transport, it contains very much energy in relation to its weight.

Timeline
1910 A pressurized oil well in Lakeview Gusher, California starts leaking and would leak over 9 million barrels of oil over the next 18 months.

1944 During The Second World War Nazi Germany used coal to create oil in order to power their tanks and airplanes after their access to oil was reduced.

1970 The oil production in the United States peaks

1973 Saudi Arabia under its leader King Faisal imposes an Oil Embargo against the US and the Netherlands, the amount of oil that was withheld was relatively small but the consequences were big. The event caused the oil price the increase fourfold to just under 12 dollars and the price continued to rise even after the embargo was lifted. Canada Oil production also peaks in this year.

1974 Iran’s oil production peaks

1978 The Iranian Revolution takes place, after the revolution the oil production in Iran drops to around a third of its previous production and the oil prices increase rapidly.

1979 Nigeria’s oil production peaks

1979 A blowout in the Mexican oil well Ixtoc I cause around 3 million barrels of oil to leak into the Gulf of Mexico.

1982 OPEC countries stop reporting oil production on field to field basis. This is one of the major causes of insecurity since it’s very hard to estimate and predict the continued development without any data to see patterns in production for different oil fields.

1989 The oil tanker Exxon Valdez running aground outside of Alaska, spilling over 250.000 barrels of oil into the ocean.

1991 Iraq invades Kuwait War, during the response “Operation Desert Storm” Iraqi troops set fire to oil fields and tankers, many estimates of the size of the oil spill is over 10 million barrels.

1998 The oil production in Venezuela peaks

1999 The oil production in Great Britain and Qatar peaks

2000 The Oil production in Norway, Mexico and Colombia peaks

2002 Oil Production in India peaks

2005 Hurricane Katrina damage several offshore platforms.

2010 The Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon” explodes after an accident in the Mexican Gulf. Several people died in the initial explosion and a large leak has occurred. How big the leak has been has been an debated issue, estimated has varied that 5.000 to over 100.000 barrels of crude oil per day could be leaking. Efforts have been initiated to stop and reduce the effects of the oil spill and the action from both the Obama administration and British Petroleum (BP) has been questioned.

The Saudi Perspective
Matthew Simmons, an energy investor banker has done some research on how the Oil production in Saudi Arabia have changed over time in he’s book “Twilight in the Desert”. Simmons starts at the beginning of Saudi Oil era and also goes into to detail about how political changes have taken place in country. Almost all of the major Saudi Oil fields were found in an early stage and the major Saudi Oil fields account for almost all of the Saudi Oil Production. Especially the Oil Field Ghawar has a special importance. Ghawar is the largest Oil field ever discovered and has been the sole producer for more than half of the Saudi Oil production. No other field has even come close the size and production of this field that produced over 5,5 million barrels per day at most. The second largest Oil field in the world, the Saudi offshore field Safaniya has only reached a capacity of just over 1,5 million barrels per day at most. Simmons also discuss the Saudi Oil production in relation to the American oil production that peaked in the 1970:s. In the beginning the Saudi Oil Production was ruled by the company the later was put under government control. The problem in Saudi Arabia also has other aspects; the country has enormously high birthrates, over 6 children per women in combination with a high standard of living and low child mortality rate, a combination that has resulted in a very big population increase. Water is also a big problem in Saudi Arabia; much of the water is sea-water and must be made into fresh water, a process that requires enormous amounts of energy retrieved from oil. Saudi Arabia has have a critical role in the world when an extra need for oil has taken place Saudi Arabia has produced the extra oil by putting hard pressure on their Oil Fields like during the Iranian revolution that resulted in an extremely low oil production for a few years and during the build up for Operation Desert Storm.

Simmons also shows the production rate for other giant fields outside of Saudi Arabia, and how the production rate has changed after they peaked, and suggest that it’s only natural for the Oil fields in Saudi to follow a similar pattern after they peak in production. One crucial aspect here is that almost all production in Saudi comes from a few fields and despite of intensive search for more Oil fields, non fields of similar size has been found and instead an enormous amount of time and energy has been used to increase the production in the oil fields. There is a big discussion between economist and geologist about how much oil there is in the world. Some geologist say that there is only a certain amount of oil available and money cant changed that while some economist say that when the oil price rises so does the amount of oil that available since the higher price makes it profitable to extract from locations where it was previously to expensive. Here Simmons states that technology and money invested had increased the amount of oil that Saudi has produced and continued to produce, experts from every field in combination with new technology like horizontal drilling and computer models have made an enormous difference when it comes to the amount of oil that can be retrieved from different fields. In other words Simmons combines the insights from both economists and geologists.

Movies
There have been a number of different movies made about Peak Oil and the possible consequences of this. “The end of Suburbia” was one of the first movies on this theme and it gathered a large number of different experts in the movie. “A Crude Awaking” and "Crude Impact" are two another movies that also present the same perspective.”Home” is a recent movie that focuses on both energy and environmental issues, its filmed from a aerial perspective and discusses different aspects of human development and the focuses on the need for sustainable development, this is a movie that can be seen for free online and I recommend everyone to see it. Both for the message but also because it’s proberly the best movie that has been produces on the subject. “Blind Spot” is a movie about Peak Oil with many of the leading researchers within the field that also incorporate some other researchers like Joseph Tainter; author of “The Collapse of Complex Societies”. Tainter explains he’s basic theory about diminishing marginal return and how this issue can be related to Peak Oil. Another movie that been produced on the same subject is the movie “Collapse” with Michael Ruppert based on Rupperts book “Confronting Collapse”. Ruppert has also written the newsletter and blog “From the Wilderness” and the book “Crossing the Rubicon”. Ruppert also incorporates financial aspects and conspiracy theories into the same theme and he’s perspective is even more negative than many of the other researchers in the same field. Ruppert has also recently launched the site “Collapse Network” where he offers advice for how to survive the coming collapse.

Researchers
There are many researchers that have written about Peak Oil. Matthew Simmons book “Twilight in the Desert” have already been mentioned as well as Michael Rupperts “Confronting Collapse” and “Crossing the Rubicon”. Examples of other researchers are Jeff Rubins “Why your world is about to get a whole lot smaller", Richard Heinbergs “The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies” and “Peak Everything”, Dale Allan Pfeiffer “Eating Fossil Fuels: Oil, Food and the Coming Crisis in Agriculture” and Kenneth S. Deffeyes “Beyond Oil: The View from Hubberts Peak”.

There are also organizations committed to studying this phenomena like "The Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas” also known as ASPO. ASPO have national organizations in many countries that you find on ASPO:s homepage. Some off the most famous researchers on ASPO is Kjell Aleklett and Colin Campell.

Alternatives
Many writers in the Peak Oil movement has also made research into the alternatives to fossil fuels like nuclear power, using coal to create liquid fuels, natural gas, hydrogen powered vehicles, fusion power and renewable sources of energy like water, wind, solar, bio fuels and geothermic energy.

Many critics put focus on modern agriculture and the need for both fertilizers and pest ices in order to create bio fuels and claim that in many cases bio fuels actually uses more energy from fossil fuels to make them today than the amount of energy that they make available.

Survival and Preparedness
Will there be a peak in the Oil Production? If this is the case, when will it happen and what will the consequences be? These are all very hard questions to answer. Different researchers make different assessments and the lack of data available makes it hard to make predictions and see clear trends. Personally I make the assessment that there will be a peak in global oil production sooner or later, if it haven’t already taken place. When this will happen and how fast the decline rate will be after the peak is very important. If the decline rate is very slow it will take many years before the lack of oil becomes apparent. Another very important factor is that one will only be able to know that that peak has taken place in retrospective, after it has actually happened. If the decline rate will be fast the problems will manifest sooner than if the decline rate is low. The slower the decline rate the more time there will be for finding alternative solutions and adjusting to a world with less oil available. How we will deal with this situation is the most critical aspect in my opinion. Peak Oil does not have to mean the end of the world, but it can create large problems if the decline rate will be very high and if we don’t find solutions for the problems that can be presented in form of transportation, agriculture and food production.

So how does one prepare for such an event? To start with no one really knows what the consequences will be. The basics needs for survival; shelter, water, fire, food and security etc will still be the same as today.

If you want to prepare for a scenario like this I suggest that you try to reducing your dependency on oil and energy. Do not use your car more than you have to if you have to and try to find a vehicle that don’t consume to much fuel per mile. If the cost per gallon/liter goes up it will be cheaper to drive a car if it doesn’t have an extremely high fuel consumption. Your location is also important, can you get to work by using your bike, take the bus or train? Taking the bike or walking does not only reduce costs, it also improves your fitness. Food may become more expensive if oil prices rise. In order to prepare for this I suggest that you try to have food storage and that you grow some of your own food if this is possible. More details for problems surrounding this you can find in the post “Food, Starvation and Famine – Crisis Preparedness and Survival”.

The economic system is also likely to experience some changes – if transportation costs go up there may become more profitable to grow food more locally and produce goods more locally as well. This can be seen as reverse “Globalization”. Many in the Peak Oil movement envision drastic changes like global famine, war over resources and even a sudden collapse that’s coming soon. I share much of the concern that many researchers have when it comes to areas like food production, transportation and similar issues. However I don’t believe this will result in a sudden collapse of society. However it may result in enormous problems if solutions for the problems aren’t found. The main problem as I see it is that the problem isn’t discussed that much, even if movies like “Home” and “Collapse” has increased awareness. Getting attention to the problem is only one side of the coin, the other important aspect is meaning making – what does this information mean? What will the consequences be, how can we solve the problem etc? I see a danger in that people like Ruppert mixes conspiracy theories with the peak oil problem; few will take the issue seriously if this is how the problem is presented. If you want to inform anyone about the potential problem I suggest that you recommend the movie “Home” since it’s both for free and range over a broad spectrum of problems without incorporating conspiracy theories into the problem.

There are also organizations like the Transition Network that works to teach people self sufficiency, self reliance, canning and other skills. Some of the threats that they envision are Peak Oil and resource depletion. This type of groups does not only offer the possibility to learn skills for long term survival and self sufficiency but also offers an opportunity to get involved, network and get to know people with similar interests.

Analysis
There is great deal of uncertainty when it comes to Peak Oil. It’s hard to estimate the sizes of the current reserves even if all countries produced public data on field to field production for each year. When countries don’t produce this data it’s even harder to make an estimate. And if there is a peak in oil production, how large will the decline rate be? How will economical factors affect this? What will happen to the oil price, will it increase or decrease? If it increases will it increase very fast like during other cases to a level many times over the price today or will it increase slowly? Insecurity also applies to the alternatives to fossil fuels, some believe that new alternatives will be provided by the market and other believe that alternatives like bio fuels and nuclear power may take more energy than they produce if the access to fossil fuels becomes scares.

Anything can happen, and what truly will take place only time can tell. This is a field that potentially can cause severe stress for individuals and societies in a short and long term perspective. But solutions could also be found that allows energy prices to remain low and access to energy to be great. Technological progress is very hard to predict, inventions like penicillin, the computer and many other inventions have radically changed our lives in ways that no one predicted before they were invented. However, awareness of the potential problem can help to reduce the impact of a negative development both for individuals, groups and societies if this would turn out to be the case.

ASPO TV
The Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO) has started a web based platform where lectures from different researchers within the Peak Oil movement can be streamed online for free called ASPO TV. On this Webpage you can view many of the experts within the field from the 2010 World Conference on Peak Oil. This is a perfect source for anyone how would like to learn more about the subject.

The speakers that are currently available for free are:
Lawrence Rice: "Energy and Security"
Jeff Rubin: "Oil and the End of Globalization"
Dr. James Schlesinger: "The Peak Oil Debate is Over"
Bianca Jagger: "Beyond Petroleum: What Are The Options?"
Ralph Nader: "Energy and Policy"

The following speakers are also availble for ASPO members
Ken Zweibel: "The Law of Energy, Technology and Scale"
Sharon Astyk: "Can We Fill The Gap?"
Dr Anthony Perl: "Can We Fill The Gap?"
Dr. Charles E. Schlumberger: "Can We Fill The Gap?"
Dr. Tad Patzek: "The Laws of Energy, Technology and Scale"

Other Articles
Is Peak Oil Already Here?
The United States Energy Information Administration - No Peak In World Oil Production In Another 23 Years
Peak Oil and Our Mental Models - The WikiLeaks Cablle and The Worlds Largest Oil Fields
Things You Can Do In Order To Prepare For Peak Oil
The Battle of Perception has Begun

For Swedish Survivalists

This is an attempt to give Survivalists and Preppers living in Scandinavia and in particular Sweden some advice on literature, equipment, resources and web pages where you can look for further information.


Webpages
The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (Myndigheten för Samhällsskydd och Beredskap – MSB) is the Swedish agency that is responsible for civil crisis preparedness. MSB is a new agency that was created when incorporating three different agencies into one new agency. On the agencies homepage you can find information and other resources like the book about first aid “Prehospitalt akut omhändertagande Enligt principen L-ABCDE” by Charlotta Jande-Waldau and Birgitta Windarve.  You can also find MSB:s assessment of the nationwide capacity to deal with crisis situations from 2008 “Samhällets krishanteringsförmåga 2008”.  For regional Risk Assesments I recommend that you try the webpage of your County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelse) for their latest Risk Assessment (Risk och Sårbarhets Analys – ROSA). MSB:s webpage is also available in English for those how would like to learn more.


Crisis Information.se (Krisinformation.se) is a Swedish Webpage that presents information about ongoing crisis situations in Sweden and around the world. If you travel abroad to a country I recommend that you check out the Department of States recommendations for travel to this particular country and make some basic research before you go. A new webpage called “Your Security” (Din Säkerhet) has been launched by the The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. This Webpage is similar to the American webpage Ready.gov by FEMA and focuses on what individuals can do to reduce their vulnerability to different kind of threats and crisis situations.  

The Swedish Civil Defense League (Civilförsvarsförbundet) is a Swedish organization that offers education to civilians about how to prepare for different kinds of crisis situations. In many cities they also train teams similar to the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) found in the US called Frivilliga Resursgrupper (FRG). They also offer courses in First Aid and CPR. The Red Cross also trains teams of volunteers like Medical Personal (Förstahjälpare) that’s used as a resource in case of extraordinary events and for everyday activities that may call for extra personal.


The Swedish Defense Research Agency (Totalförsvarets Forsknings Institut –FOI) offers an online resource about Weapons of Massdestruction for those how would like to learn more about the subject and the Swedish capacity to deal with this kind of events (Faktasamling CBRN).  The webpage of the agency is also available in English. 

The Swedish Meteorological  and Hydrological Institute (SMHI),  is an government agency that provides online weather forecasts and severe weather warnings.

Books and Swedish Authors
The Swedish Army Survival Handbook is one of the best survival guides there is for the Swedish climate and conditions. It can be hard to find paper copies but it can also be downloaded online.


Lars Fält is a Swedish survival expert that has written many book about survival and wilderness techniques, “Friluftsboken” and ”Uteliv med Överlevnadsteknik” are two examples. Fält has a background as an Army Survival Instructor and has trained with American and British Special Forces. However, none of Fälts books are available in English.


Wilhelm Agrell is a Swedish Proffesor within the field Intelligence Analysis, Agrell is the person how have made this subject into a academical field in Sweden and hold courses on the subject at the University of Lund. Some of the books Agrell has written are "Konsten att Gissa Rätt", "Förvarning och samhällshot" and "Underrätttelseanalysens metoder och problem", all of these books are only available in Swedish. However Agrell has been one of the authors of the book: “National Intelligence Systems”.


“MIMMS: Ett metodiskt sätt att hantera allvarliga händelser” is a book about how triage after mass casualty events should be handled. The book focuses on the Swedish perspective and how the different Swedish first responders are suppose to work together in this type of situations.


Internet Stores
In Scandinavia it can be hard find many of the items that can be accessed easily for those living in the United States. One option is of course to order from internet stores located in States and pay the shipping and taxes for the items. However there is a number of Swedish Internet stores that sell items related to survival and crisis preparedness.


Recon Vildmark sells a number of different products related to survival like knives, flashlights, compasses, watches, gloves etc. They also sell products from Snigel Design that manufactures magazine pouches, first aid bags, backpacks etc. Terräng, Garderoben and D-Gear are stores that offer similar products.There is also a number of internet stores that specializes in flashlights like Ridge and Ficklampsbutiken.


Cold Skills Collection also sell similar items but focuses on a fewer number of items with high quality. They sell some items that can be hard to find at other Swedish Internet retailers and also offers survival courses. The main disadvantage is that they have rather high prices and that the cost for shipping is quite high. Their webpage is also available in English.


Addnature, Get Out and Outnet are three stores that mainly focus on more mainstream hiking, hunting and camping equipment. They have large inventories and the prices are often lower than regular stores. A tip is to try their products, especially clothing in regular stores and before you order it. Förklok and Safety Store are internet store that focuses on preparedness items for your home.


Knivkompaniet, Knivhuset, Knivbutik.se and Knife Nordic are three Swedish internet stores that are specialized in knives. I would once again like to recommend the knives from Fällkniven and the axes from Gränsfors bruk.

SWEMEDIC is an internet store that sells quite comprehensive medical kits and other forms of medical equipment that can be hard to find in other Swedish stores.

Adlibris and Bokus are two cheap internet bookstores where many English titles can be found as well. Low prices and fast delivery makes them a good alternatives to regular bookstores.

Military Surplus can be bought from a number of different stores like the Active Life Equipment, Armyshopen, Billingedalens Hund och Vapen and Desterrat.se.

For buying camping food I recommend the site Utemat.se that sells a number of different meals, including 24 hour rations from DryTech used by the Swedish and Norweigan Military. Dutch Ovens can be hard to find in Sweden, the company Skeppshult makes one model called “Fältugn” with a capacity of 5,5 liters. Imported Dutch Ovens from Camp Chef can be bought from the internet store Essblads.

Swedish Blogs
There quite a few Swedish Survivalist Blogs including ”Blott Sverige Svenska Preppers har”; one of the biggest available that used to be known under the name “Att leva efter 2012 / Innan det sker”. The blog was down for a couple of months but the author has resumed writing it. There are also some other blogs like my favorite Swedish Survivalist Blog "Preppers". The blog is written in Swedish but Google Translate can provide a quite good translation.

Some of the other Blogs that can be found:
· Den Svenska Argus
· Nisse i Torpet
· Bodis - Peak Oil och dess konsekvenser
· BugOut.se
· Eldöga
· Survla
· Upp 19:15
· Svensk Survivalism
· Swedish Prepper
· Tulum
· Ylven
· Southeast
· Off-grid.se
· Kuslingen


”Cornucupia” Is a good Swedish blog that touches many different subjects like Finance, Peak Oil and Sustainable Development. This is one of the largest Swedish blogs on the web. The author has also written a book called "Midvintermörker".

"Survivalist.se" is a Swedish page that works as a hub for a number of different Swedish Survivialist Blogs and also contains a Wiki with information about survival and crisis preparedness.


Peak Oil
Peak Oil is not a subject that have gotten allot of attention in the Swedish media but there are some interesting reports like ”Efter oljetoppen: Hur bygger vi beredskap när hotbilderna går isär” by Hillevi Helmfrid and Andrew Haden. Björn Forsberg has written some interesting books that combines different views on sustainable development and Peak Oil like “Tillväxtens sista dagar – miljökamp om världsbilder” and the new book "Omställningens Tid. There is also a magazine called "Effekt" that has written some interesting articles about Peak Oil in the first number of the magazine in 2010. The Swedish part of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO) has an interesting blog called "ASPO Sverige: Om hur oljetoppen kommer att påverka oss"" where information and articles translated to Swedish can be found.

Media Reports
IDG / Jörgen Städje - Att Överleva Med Stil
SVT – Reportage: Om Survivaliströrelsen
SVT - Preppers: En ny folkrörelse i USA - De väntar på katastrofen
Ordfront - Kollapsen kan komma
Outsiders - Inför Katastrofen

Upcoming posts and themes on the blog

During this period I have had to spend very much time on other things than writing the blog. More post will however be coming as soon as I can find more time. One theme that will be up coming on the Blog is Peak Oil. This is a very interesting subject but not a subject that is easy to understand and it holds a number of different perspectives. In this theme I will try to incorporate different kinds of perspectives both from those how are most pessimistic about Peak Oil but also from those how have a more positive approach to the subject. I will also continue writing about Natural Disasters and there will be a post about Hurricanes and Floods. Natural Disasters is one of the most obvious risks that presented to people all over the world, the recent volcanic eruption on Iceland has affected air travel over large parts of Europe something that has resulted in problems with travel for tens of thousands of people.

One of the best Scandinavian blogs about Survival and Survivalism “Innan det sker: Att leva efter 2012” has regrettably been canceled. This was the blog that pioneered the subject survivalism in Scandinavia written by the alias Despierto. I have enjoyed reading this blog and hopefully the writer will make a comeback sometime in the future.

I would also like to take the time and recommend the new site Ready.gov made by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) where you can find advice on how to prepare yourself for different kinds of crisis situations. If you want to learn more about FEMA and how they work I recommend that you check out their webpage where you can find guidelines for how the agency works with emergency preparedness. The National Response Framework is such an report.

Staying Warm During a Crisis or Survival Situation

Whe elements in cold weather conditions are a deadly threat during survival and crisis situations. The ability to stay warm can mean the difference between life and death. This is normally only a problem when in the outdoors but this can also become a problem during longer blackouts or if the access to gas stops functioning. This can also be the effect from political action such as the Russian Gas embargo against the Ukraine in January of 2009. In this post I will list some of the measures that you can take in order to reduce your vulnerability to these kinds of threats plus the symptoms and treatment for hypothermia.

Clothing
When being outdoors you need clothing that protects you from the elements and allows you stay warm. One of the most important aspects is principle of dressing in different layers. This allows you to adjust your clothing to different temperatures and conditions. The first layer of base layer should be made up of a material that transports sweat from your body, dries fast and gives a good insulation. There are many kinds of synthetic and natural materials that have this function; personally I prefer Merino wool as a base layer, for underwear and socks when I’m out on hunting, hiking or camping trips. Merino wool also has a good resistance against odors, but this doesn’t mean that the material won’t start to smell after extensive use under hard conditions. Another main advantage of merino wool is that it can be washed in 40 degrees in a normal washing machine, just avoid using softeners. No matter how well a material transports moisture you will get wet by sweat in hard conditions so always bring at least one extra base layer shirt, for summer conditions I recommend that you use a short sleeve t-shirt or tank top in some kind of breathable material. There are many companies that make base layers, Smartwool, Icebreaker, Aclima and Woolpower is some of my personal favorites.

For your middle layers there are many alternatives that should reflect what kind of climate you’re in. Fleace shirts are both light weight and have a very good insulation capacity, the main disadvantage is that fleece is a rather flammable material. For situations where fire may be a risk I recommend that you chose middle layers of merino wool. Another good alternatives for middle layers is sweaters filled with down or primaloft. These middle layers take up very little space when compressed and are extremely light. The main disadvantage is that down loses its insulation when wet and that these solutions often are expensive, Klättermusen, Montane and Patagonia makes some models.

Outer Layer – Shell Jackets
The outer shell jacket should be both wind and water proof. This is important; a combination of rain and wind can cause deadly hypothermia even in warm climates. There many materials and companies that make shell jackets and shell pants. I recommend shell jackets since these have the ability to “breath” and you will not become as sweaty in a shell jacket as a regular rain jacket. However in extreme conditions it can be good to have poncho or rain clothing that’s not breathing. It’s good if your jacket is not of short model so that it really overlaps over your pants, there are also high pants called salopettes that’s excellent for extreme weather and conditions. There are many companies making high quality shell jacket and pants like The North Face, Patagonia, 66 North, Fjällräven, Haglövs, Klättermusen, Houdini and Arcteryx only to name few. You can often find cheaper clothing on outlets, yard sales, E-bay and other sources. Military surplus can also be an alternative; the main disadvantage is that camouflage clothing can make you hard to find if you need help during an emergency situation.

Hat / Watch Cap
If you don’t protect your head with a scarf and hat much heat will be lost during cold weather. What kind of hat you should use depends on your climate, but for cold weather a model with wind stopper or Gore Tex can help to protect you from wind, rain and snow. A Buff is a multifunction product that can be used as a scarf, headband, balaclava and cap to name a few applications. There are many different kinds of Buffs, some for summer use with UV protection, other models have windstooper and fleece for winter use. Personally I like the model made from merino wool for winter use. A Shemag is another interesting piece of cloth that can used as scarf, towel or as an arm sling.

Shoes and Footwear
Your shoes are one of the most important clothing details in a survival situation. What kind of shoes you should chose depends on your climate and terrain, but for hiking, camping or hunting trips I recommend some kind of hiking boot. Hiking boots are expensive but a high quality pair will make your trips a much more comfortable and pleasant experience. Make sure to try your boots when they get wet, bring extra pair of socks so that you can change them regularly. Always start wearing your boots before your planning to use in order to break them in order to prevent blisters. However, if you’re wearing a heavy pack and have to walk long distances under though conditions you may get blisters anyway so always bring a blisters kit so that you can care for your feet.

Sleeping Bags
Sleeping bag come in many variations and forms for different kinds of climates. What kind of sleeping bag you should choose depends on many factors. Most sleeping bags use either Synthetic materials or Down as an insulation material. Down is an excellent material as long as it stays dry, if it gets wet it loses it insulation so make sure that you keep it dry, a waterproof compression bag can help keeping it dry under wet conditions. Synthetic materials often have a better insulation while wet making them a better choice for rainy and wet conditions. Some sleeping bag systems use two sleeping bags, one thinner for summer and spring conditions and one thicker bag that intended for winter use. These bags can be combined to give an outstanding cold weather capacity. Some companies that manufactures high quality sleeping bags are The North Face, Klättermusen, Western Mountaineering, Snugpak and Carinthia.

Sleeping Pads
It is very important that you insulate yourself from the ground in order to stay warm; otherwise much of your body heat will be transferred to the ground. Different kinds of sleeping pads are excellent for this purpose. There are low price variants from flat foam and more expensive inflatable models, some of them using either down or synthetic materials from companies such as Therm-A-Rest and Exped. In the northern parts of Sweden reindeer skins is a common alternative to use as insulation against the ground, the major disadvantage with these is that they are heavy and bulky, but they are excellent if you have the vehicles for transport.

Shelter
In order to shield yourself from wind and rain while setting up camp you need some kind of shelter. Tents is one of the best options, a four season tent is ideal for the cold weather conditions and can be used no matter if it is a warm summer night or roaring snow storm during the winter. Bivi-Bags are small shelters that only cover you and your sleeping bag. This kind of shelter is light weight and can be easily used if there is a sudden change in the weather. The Bivanorak is a combination shelters designed for Swedish Air Force pilots as an emergency survival shelter combining the traits of a Bivi-Bag and a Poncho. The Fjellduk from Helsport and Bivi-Poncho from Exped are two similar products. Tarps is another items that can used in a number of way to create shelter in an emergency situation, personally I prefer Tents, but if you’re on a budget and in a climate where Tarps work it can be a good alternative. Practice how to set up your tent before you go out on a hike, it can be hard enough the first time. Trying this for the first time during a storm when you’re shaking from hypothermia can be disastrous. High quality light weight tarps can be bought from Hilleberg and Terra Nova.

Larger Army surplus tents can often accommodate between eight to twenty people and often comes with small wood stows making them excellent for cold weather conditions a large groups. The main disadvantage is that they are very heavy and must often be transported with vehicles, but they can often be found to relatively low price and provide a large shelter where clothing can be dried and food can be prepared in shelter. If you have the money new larger tents ban be bought from companies like Tentipi or Helsport that have room for 5 to 12 people and the options of using woods stow for heating and cooking.

Army wool blankets are a very good alternative that’s both cheap and effective. These kinds of blankets is much better than a small emergency blanket to help persons suffering from hypothermia regaining their body heat and can also be used to put out fires since wool is a very fire resistant material. The main disadvantage is that they are heavy and take up much room in your pack; however they are perfect for your home or camping trips when you have access to vehicles.

One items that easy to carry is the Emergency blanket, this is a small lightweight blanket made from materials that reflect body heat back towards the body and provides some protection against the wind and rain. The main advantage is that they have a low weight and take up very little space so they can easily be used as every day carry. However I wish to stress that I don’t recommend anyone trying to camping with just an emergency blanket as cover, this is only an emergency solution.

Heaters For Your Home
Woods stows are one of the best heaters you can find if you live in an area where wood is easily accessible. However wood must be cut and dried in order to give the maximum effect, this is hard work and requires both time and preparation. Other solutions can be systems like the Heat-Pal, Kerosene heaters or Gas Powered Heaters. The major danger from these heaters is that they can cause carbon-monoxide poisoning if not used in well ventilated areas and start fires if not carefully monitored. It can be hard to heat your entire home, if you’re moving all the people in household to the same room you can keep this room warmer than if you spread out. You can also improvise smaller shelter inside your home or even set up a smaller shelter like a tent to keep small areas warm. Thick carpets and blankets can be used to too create insulate from the cold floor indoors. If you live in a house make sure that you have a good insulation in your house, pay extra attention to the windows and doors. It can be a good idea share beds in order to share body heat during the night.

The Crisis Situation
You can sometimes find yourself in emergency with no or little warning, your car can break down, and the weather might change on hiking trip in the mountains or during longer power blackouts. If you carry a Pocket Survival Kit you will carry some items that can help you get a fire starting to provide both heat and light that can attract attention. A Survival Knife is valuable tool that can be used to improvise a shelter. Wash your cloth in order to maximize the insulation. Make sure to drink enough water, dehydration increases the risk of hypothermia, this is extra important since you may not feel thirsty in cold climates even if you are dehydrated.

The Importance Of Not Being Alone
It’s easy to ignore the symptoms of hypothermia and not take action before you are already in trouble. One of the best things you can do to increase your chances to survive is to always bring someone with you when you’re going on a camping, hiking or hunting trip that can help you look out for the signs of hypothermia. It’s always good to have an extra pair of hands when setting up a tent or shelter under hard conditions. If the worst would happen and you would get hurt in the wild an unable to call for help the company of friends can mean the difference between life and death.

Improvising
During a crisis situation you might not have equipment to shield from the elements so you might have to improvise shelter from what you can find. Use all the clothing you can find and use as many layers as possible. Remember to cover your head since much heat will be lost if you don’t do this. Paper can be used to trap extra air create extra insulation between the layers of your clothing. In nature materials like white moss can be used for clothing and spruce twigs can be used to create insulation against the ground. Gras can be used to create extra insulation for shoes. Warm stones from your fire place can be placed inside clothing in your sleeping bag in order to provide extra heat. Different kind of heaters can be improvised like the Hobo stove. If you want to learn how to make a Hobo Stove I recommend the guide from Practicalsurvivor.


For more detailed instructions on how to makes different kinds of emergency shelters I recommend “The SAS Survival Handbook” by John Wiseman and “Tom Browns Field Guide: Wilderness Survival” by Tom Brown Jr. For suggestion on how to use a tarp I recommend the Tarp Guide on Equipped to Survive.

Hypothermia
Hypothermia is when the body no longer can keep up with heat loss. This is not only a danger in cold climates but can also take place in rather warm climates if one is exposed to wind and rain. High altitude also makes a person more vulnerable to hypothermia. The fastest cause of hypothermia is if a person falls into freezing water during winter conditions, this can cause death in a matter of minutes. An inadequate intake from food and water increases the risk of hypothermia.

Symptoms
Fumbling, tripping and mumbling are early signs of hypothermia. This is symptoms may not be evident to you if your experiencing them yourself, it’s therefore very good if your traveling with someone how can take notice in this symptoms in a early stage. In order to keeps the body core warm the body concentrates the heat for the vital part causing skin to become pale and cold. When hypothermia becomes worse you will experience uncontrollable shivering. Even worse the hypothermia will decrease the ability to make rational decisions. Your heart rate and breathing will increases even further. When the hypothermia worseness even more the shivering will stop and the hearth rate and breathing may become so low that it’s hard to know if a person is dead or alive.

Treatment
Remove and replace cold and wet clothing and make sure that the person is covered from both the wind and rain. Give the person warm drinks and food in order to help the person regain the energy. If a person no longer can move normally you must insulate them from the ground, remove wet clothing and use all items you can find like sleeping bags, sleeping pads, blankets, and clothing to shield them from the cold. Use a tarp or some other water and wind proof material as the outer shell.

It can be hard to know if a severely hypothermic person is still alive or not, therefore always assume that a person is still alive until professional help can determine if this is the case or not. A severely hypothermic person is extremely fragile and must be handled with care; hits against the body may cause the weak breathing or heartbeats to cease. If a severely hypothermic person is being warmed to fast like if brought inside a hot sauna the cold blood from the legs and arms can flow into the body core causing death.