Best Survival Blog – Tips For When You’re On Your Own
What’s The Best Survival Blog?
That’s the question I used to ask myself when searching for the Best Survival Blog that was providing simple top survival tips, skills, and valuable information for the everyday person and their family, and people interested in self-sufficient living.
With increasing natural disasters such as floods, pandemics, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, and fires, the upcoming years for all of us, not just survivalists, will undoubtedly be even more significant.
Anyone can end up being a YoYo Survivor, and when You’re On Your Own during a hike or caught up living in an area where an emergency or natural disaster has or is going to happen, knowing essential survival skills and being educated for you and your family will be so important.
And, remember to PRACTICE! You don’t want to learn new skills in the middle of a crisis – these skills can mean the difference between life and death.
So, whatever your survival focus – urban survival to wilderness mastery – or your political views, this YoYo Survival Blog has something to share and enjoy.
Oh… and check out our new online survival store for great survival gear – t-shirts, clothing, merchandise, and gifts for you and your like-minded survivalists, preppers, friends, and family. Be proud to say… “I’m a YoYo Survivor!”
Here are some of the key topics that this YoYo Survival Blog will cover:
How Much Food Do You Need For Survival?
Are you preparing and storing food?
Do you have enough food?
Even though we are so used to having food readily available to us at any time, night or day, history has taught us that people can survive, and even thrive, on much less than the average 2500 to 3600 daily calories consumed from a typical American diet.
If faced with a prolonged food-rationing emergency, you must consider restricting your daily calories to the minimum amount needed for healthy functioning.
Your food supply will need to be stretched for as long as possible.
If you have specific ailments or health issues, you may want to supplement and go out and forage for more, as a gradual decrease in calories would be more suitable for maintaining your strength and health. In these cases, cutting calories drastically rather than slowly can be detrimental.
People are far from equal and do not need equal rations. If you have a family or are in a group, you’ll need to think about and prioritize food distribution.
For example, parents tend to go hungry in emergencies to ensure the kids, and the elderly are fed first.
This is not a good strategy, however, as they are the ones that need to keep well-nourished to be able to carry on providing for the young and sick.
Remember: If you are working more, cooking, dealing with maintenance, parenting, and doing strenuous activities, you need more calories!
How many calories does the average person need per day?
Source: Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington (DC): The National Academies Press; 2002.
Learning now about food nutrition and getting an idea about how many calories certain food groups provide will help when it comes to knowing what should be eaten per day in an emergency situation to avoid poor health.
Also, preparing and storing food is essential for survival. You can provide healthy meals at budget prices by canning and pickling things like fruit, vegetables, meats, jams, and jelly.
Think of storing tins of food and soups, and non-perishable food items with long expiry dates, such as honey, whole grain rice, instant coffee and teas, bouillon products, dried beans, oats, baby formula, and pet food if necessary.
Remember: Some foods and things like cereal bars, dehydrated fruit slices, and freeze-dried foods can have a shelf life of up to 30 years!
SURVIVAL BLOG PRACTICE TIP: Don’t go to the store every now and then and eat from your emergency stock. This way, you can see how the food tastes and figure out what you and/or your family like.
How Much Water Do You Need For Survival?
Are you storing water?
Do you have enough water?
Water is one of our most critical resources. You can go for several days without food but certainly not without water. After just 24 hours without it, you will go downhill fast!
An average person is estimated to need one gallon of water daily, which does not include water for cooking or bathing. And don’t forget your pets! You’ll also need an extra half a gallon per day for each pet.
Most of us are not fortunate to live on a farm or mountain retreat where we have our own supply of clean water. We have to rely on purchased or City water.
We’ve all seen on TV how people go crazy mad when there’s a natural disaster – buying up cases and cases of water and emptying the shelves.
The key to water in an emergency is to BE PREPARED!
Figure out how much water you need for a weekend; this will help you determine how much more you will need to store for a more extended period.
Always keep a few cases of bottled water around the home.
If you have no way of knowing whether your drinking water is contaminated, and you don’t have any way to sterilize it, don’t drink it.
If you live near a creek or river think about a filtration or purification system just in case the water is contaminated. Make sure you have spare filters too!
Remember: Different conditions mean that you will need more or less water. If you live in a hot climate, for example, you will need more!
SURVIVAL BLOG TIP: 40-50 gallons of water are available in a standard hot water tank. Shut off the intake water before an event happens and put a hose on the tank for potable water. Make sure, though, that if you’re using a hose to fill containers, it is a drink-safe hose.
Saving and cleaning suitable food-grade BPA-free containers that also block light from drinking water is a good idea. There’s no need to buy and pay for bottled water if you’re already paying for safe tap water.
Never use containers that have previously had toxic chemicals stored in them, such as jugs containing anti-freeze or kerosene.
Filling safe containers with hot water will help create a vacuum, which means that the water will be less likely to have bacteria growing in it, especially if the containers block out the light. If you have room, you can put the containers in a refrigerator so they will last even longer.
Having a second refrigerator or freezer for water storage is a good idea. You will then have water refrigerated or frozen water ready for when the power goes out or when a hurricane arrives, for example.
SURVIVAL BLOG PRACTICE TIP: Now and then, just for a weekend, use your emergency water stock. This way, you can see how long the water lasts and how much you and/or your family consume and use to drink, wash, cook, and bathe in.
What Are Your Power And Communication Needs For Survival?
What do you need if you go off-grid?
At one time or another most of us have realized how addicted to power we are after experiencing a short-term blackout/power outage from a bad storm or main power line down.
Just as we get used to using the flashlight and candles, the power returns, and everything returns to normal.
But what if your electricity doesn’t come back on?
What would you do if there is a long-term blackout/power outage? One that may last months or even years!
A long-term power outage is MUCH more challenging for things like refrigeration, lighting, cooking, cooling, and heating.
Any food stored in your refrigerator and freezer will stay cold for about two days. This is where your food storage and canning survival tips mentioned in this article will come into play.
Knowing how to prepare to take care of you and your family during short- and long-term power outages is vital.
Communication during this time is very important.
Firstly, being able to communicate will help you find out if the power outage is going to be in the short or long term. So, having a cell phone with a battery or solar charger and a battery-powered or hand-cranked radio so you can listen to the news or any emergency broadcasts will help you get informed and plan.
Batteries, Batteries, Batteries! Keeping a stock of things like radios, flashlights, and lanterns is essential. Matches, large wide candles, and oil lamps (which can run off cooking oil) are helpful, too, as these will help preserve your battery stock.
When it comes to keeping warm, most homes and RVs are insulated, However, your haven will eventually cool down to the same temperature as outside, so having lots of spare blankets, coats and clothing will be needed.
For extra heating, the most obvious thing to have is either a wood-burning stove or a fireplace. Another useful heater to consider storing is a kerosene heater.
For cooking, you can use a camp stove, barbecue, or cook over your fire – or you can build a rocket stove if you run out of fuel for these.
To really BE PREPARED, the least expensive and most common way to get power is from solar panels. Although depending on where you live, you may need other power sources too – like a gas generator or a windmill.
How much sunlight you get in a day will help you figure out how much solar power you can run. This Guide provides a rough estimate of usage. Work out your essentials and, if needed, talk with a Solar Technician about your requirements:
Remember: Whether the power outage is short or long-term, unplug ALL of your electrical equipment as, when the power comes back on, there will be a surge of power. This surge can damage equipment – unless you’re using a good surge protector.
SURVIVAL BLOG TIP: Think and plan. If you can purchase and install solar panels now or in the near future, do so. Stock up on extra gas for your generator. Think about your resources for heat and cooking in a survival situation.
Read part two of this series: Survival Gear for more survival tips.
And, remember to think like a YoYo Survivor, be wise, and BE PREPARED for When You’re On Your Own.
About the Author YoYo Survivor
I have a love of the great outdoors and have lived in the backcountry for over 15 years. I like to practice and learn general survival skills and get educated on how to prepare for a natural disaster or emergency where my knowledge could save mine and other people's lives.
