Bear Mountain Survival

12/23/2022

I don’t post much on here, but I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy late solstice, a merry Christmas, and also a bit about the storm.

Much of the country is going to get hammered over the next couple days with conditions that I can’t remember seeing so widespread. Many will be put in positions where they don’t know what to do. Lose power, can’t safely drive somewhere else, etc. Sadly, there will likely be people who die in the process.

This isn’t a “blizzard tips” post, I just wanted to say please keep your head on straight and make good decisions as much as you can. If you come out on the other side, please think about how bad it could have gotten and make preparations for the next time something bad happens.

But above all, please try and enjoy this holiday weekend. If you can help someone or make the world a little better in some way, please do.

Merry Christmas and be safe out there.

08/01/2022

Great training opportunity from our friends at Nature Reliance School

We have 4 spots open in survival class this weekend. Let us know if you want to snag them. We would love to have you join us. See link in comments.

06/03/2022

It would be nice if people stopped spreading wrong information or information without context as fact as it pertains to survival. The idea that you will starve to death eating rabbit meat comes from ancient people in extreme cold climates dying from eating ONLY rabbit meat and no fat.

Essentially eating only lean protein combined with extreme cold can indeed kill a person over a long period. However this is ANY lean meat, chicken included. Instead of spouting misnomers, and basically telling people not to eat rabbits in a survival situation, it would be more beneficial to prioritize fat intake in cold environments.

04/12/2022

I posed a question in an earlier post about “which knife would you choose” (see previous post) It was kind of a trick question in that what would be helpful in the situation was hidden in the handle of the cheapest, lowest quality blade.

The compass, fishing kit, and matches would be far more beneficial in the scenario given than ANY (yes, Any) knife on earth.

Far too much emphasis is placed on knives as it pertains to survival. There is a need for high quality blades, but this lies in daily or frequent use. In my opinion, a person should not purchase a knife strictly because of how they think it would perform in a survival situation. A “survival knife” is a sharp object with a handle that you have during a survival situation.

It might cause some feelings in people, but your knife is probably the least important part of your survival kit.

As someone who uses knives on a daily basis, well made ones are definitely worth the price you pay. But if it’s just sitting in the closet waiting on you to get stranded on an island somewhere, maybe starting to carry a bic lighter everywhere would be a better (and far cheaper) option.

04/12/2022

If you were in an actual survival situation (see below) and could only choose one of these knives, which one would it be and why? This would be the only item you have to stay alive and get back home.

From top to bottom:
1. Harbor freight “survival” knife- $10
2. Morakniv companion- $15-$20
3. ESEE 3- $100
4. CRKT folder- $30

I’ll share my choice in a follow up post.

Situation- you were hiking in the mountains alone and became lost. It has been over 2 hours since you last were on a trail. The vegetation is thick and difficult to navigate through. You were only planning on being gone for a couple hours and the temperature at night is supposed to be below freezing. You find a waist high stream with fish in it but it is flowing away from the direction you believe the trail to be.

01/28/2022

Next weekend I’ll be taking a knife only class with Craig Caudill at Nature Reliance School and hopefully have some time afterwards to discuss animal tracking.

I’ve wanted to attend one of his courses for a long time and finally the timing worked out.

As an instructor of a variety of different subjects in different communities, one of things I see lacking is the willingness to learn. There is sometimes a feeling demonstrated by instructors that they have arrived at the pinnacle of knowledge and their way is best. The notion that students should flock to them and heed their every word and that other instructors are doing things incorrectly if they teach things differently.

For me, I actively stay away from these types of people. I absolutely love attending instructors classes whom I respect as a person though. I might not walk away from a class with a ton of things I didn’t know before, but I will definitely gain some perspective. I will be better than when I showed up because of the quality of people I spent time with.

I am definitely looking forward to the class and if you aren’t following Craig, I highly suggest it.

01/24/2022

Somewhere in my woods is a squirrel without a tail and a bobcat with an empty stomach.

01/01/2022

I’ve been seeing a lot of posts in various groups about “bug out bags”. There are 2 things that you should never cheap out on if you are planning on walking for a long time: stuff you put on your feet and the thing that holds all your stuff.

Decent bags don’t have to be ridiculously expensive, but I guarantee you will regret buying a cheap one if you spend very much time with it. So here are some considerations for bag purchasing.

1. Where are you going? A lot of folks seem to be purchasing military style or surplus backpacks for their BOB’s. This can be a big mistake if you have to move through urban areas as you will actually stick out and it could make you a target.

2. What items do you need to get there? This will determine the size of your bag. It shouldn’t be the other way around where you buy a bag that you like and then start putting random things in it. You will fill the bag up no matter how big it is. Determine what you need first. Let’s be real, you aren’t going to be able to live indefinitely by yourself with just the stuff in your pack. So you probably don’t need 3 knives, an axe, etc. Think about where you are going, what you need to get there and make the process easier on yourself, not more difficult.

3. Obstacles. Whether your route might require climbing, crossing water, moving quietly, or something else, how difficult/ easy is it going to be to negotiate those obstacles with the bag you choose? Size, weight, and layout are all considerations.

4. External additions. Don’t. Please just stop strapping pouches, gear, etc on the outside of your pack. In addition to making noise, getting stuck on things, chance of losing items, and many other reasons, it completely throws off weight distribution which makes everything more difficult. Get a decent pack that holds all of your stuff inside of it.

5. Support. Generally speaking, any weight over 10-15 lbs is going to require a certain amount of support. Here we’re talking about at least a rigid back, not necessarily a frame. 30lbs or more will require a very rigid back or frame. So if you can roll the bag into a ball, you shouldn’t be carrying more than a few pounds in it.

6. Multiple bags. You may need more equipment to get where you are going in the winter vs summer. If so, make sure you have the ability to carry what you need. Most of the time if you are following the above principles, this means having more than 1 bag.

7. Bugging out isn’t a camping trip. Remember that your BOB’s purpose is to supply you with the items that you NEED to get you from where you are to your bug out location. If you are carrying everything you want to camp and your bag is heavy, it may prohibit you from getting there or make your trip much longer than it needs to be.

8. The “nowhere to go” people. I get it, not everyone has a cabin in the woods that is stocked with supplies and all they have to do worst case is walk a couple days to get there. Some of you may simply need to get out of the city you live in and find a safe place. If this is you, I would recommend having cash on hand and a means of self defense. No matter what the situation is where you need to get away, most places will still take cash for a while and it could mean the difference between you being stuck or getting away. Travel light.

Don’t let your bug out bag keep you from bugging out. Spend a little bit more and get a quality pack that will make your life easier if the worst happens.

12/10/2021

Some thoughts on living water and survival priorities.

12/07/2021

Cross grain batoning (or batoning in general) is one of the things that people get bent out of shape about. Remember that we’re talking about things that you need to do in an emergency to stay alive in a situation where you probably don’t have all of your toys.

Survival is very much a way of thinking and using things to keep you alive even though they might not be designed for the task.

Randall's Adventure & Training / ESEE Knives ESEE 3 is up for the task.