(Apocalypse) Survival Backpack

Have you ever wondered if there might be an upcoming apocalypse? And no, I'm not talking about an apocalypse where there's a whole bunch of half minded, guts falling out, flesh hungry, people chasing zombies. I mean a big world disaster. The kind that either many earthquakes happen and you need to survive in the woods, or when food supplies go out and everyone goes crazy in search of food and you with your survival pack have acquired food because you're awesome (maybe not that one... but hey, it sounded good), maybe meteors rain down on the earth, or just the economy crashes and there's a huge outbreak of INSANENESS!!! So besides all of those crazy thoughts, just some disaster that you need to escape and go to the woods to survive. And hopefully everybody knows that it's likely there won't be cell reception when the apocalypse happens so hate to say this to some people, but forget the iPhone! But after those thoughts, then it turns out you wouldn't be prepared for the apocalypse!!! Well I have thought at least one of those thoughts. And then your next thought might be, "I'm totally not prepared for some world disaster!" Well everyone, you're in luck! I have a quick and sorta-kinda cheap answer to your worries. The survival backpack (or sack pack if you want to be technical). Just follow these easy steps and you'll be ready when the apocalypse comes around.

Also, I have entered this into the Apocalypse Preparedness Contest so if you could, vote for me cause that would make my day! Thanks!!!

So the first thing you need to find to get started on your survival pack is, well.... a pack!

The one I got was just a regular Under Armor sack pack, although if you want to stay cheap, I recommend getting a different type or brand of sack pack because that thing cost me $20, but it is great and durable and I've had mine for about a year now and it's served its purpose well! Now that you have your pack for carrying things in, you need to take to note the 5 C's of survival. Everyone knows the 5 C's! And if you don't know them, they are one of the most important things to surviving in the wild. So they are...

1. Cutting: First and most important C. Cutting tools like a knife help with getting firewood and also help with survival a little more than a snare or a fishing spear, since we can't prepare food like a fish or a caught rabbit without a cutting tool. And a knife really helps as a defense tool from wild animals or crazy people too.
2. Combustion: Honestly, I would mark combustion as important as cutting. Because let's say you just got back to your camp site and then realized that you don't have tools for starting a fire to warm up to or for cooking that nice fish or rabbit you just caught. Or maybe you get a little water from a lake or stream and need to sterilize it over a fire. So ANY time you want to go camp in the woods or make a survival pack, bring something that has combustion. Because everybody knows how it is... no combustion, NO fire.
3. Cordage: Now you might just be thinking about that rabbit and how you might catch it. Cordage is the quick answer to that (sometimes). Something like paracord or rope is very useful because then you could make a snare for the rabbit! Or if you need to make a quick climbing rope, you could use that cord! Or if you badly cut a leg or arm, you could get the cord out and make a splint or a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
4. Container: A container is very useful since you can carry things that aren't waterproof, or berries, roots, and food items that can spoil fast in them. You can also hold water that you would find from a lake or stream in one too.
5. Cover: Finally, the last C. Now for surviving, you technically don't need cover for a couple reasons even though it is nice sometimes. For instance, we don't need to cover ourselves with something like a sleeping bag, tent, blanket, or tarp unless you have something like rainaphobia (not real). But one then again, you could be somewhere very hot and so then you could pack a cloth, bandana, or a face mask to protect from the sun or even from the cold. And also, making a little hut in the winter time can save a life. And I am saying that because I have experienced being in a little homemade winter survival hut for a night and it kept cozy in -15 degrees!

So keeping in mind the 5 C's of survival, you need to find those tools.

1. Cutting: A knife (preferably a saw-back) would do, same with a multi tool with at least a knife and a saw. I had also made a neck knife from the blade of a pocket folder and a spare rope laying around. Just for the heck of it you could even put in a throwing star!
2. Combustion: Some matches, a lighter, or flint and steel would work. Or if you feel the need, all three!
3. Cordage: Paracord, duct tape, rope, or just something of the sort. I had used the last bit of paracord i had to make a paracord snake whip but it has 30ft of cord overall so i just put that in there with my paracord bracelet.
4. Container: Paper bags (pint or quart size), plastic bags(zip-lock), plastic grocery bags work too. And a waterproof little container like ones to store matches and the like in. Don't forget a water bottle.
5. Cover: like I had said, you don't need some type of cover, but if you feel the need, a blanket, a small tarp, a extra change of clothes, a hat, a bandana, or a face mask maybe. And personally, i would consider sunglasses, goggles, and gloves cover for your face and hands.

By the way, you'll have to click on my pics to read their descriptions.

So now that I named the major items to have, you can start scavenging around to find other items. Here's a list that I made so it's just basic and if you don't have all the items listed it's all okay. You can also add to the list too.

• A flashlight or two
• A fire starter
• Fishing kit
• Medical (first aid) kit
• Slingshot (a fold up works best)
• Watch
• Notepad and pen, pencil, or marker (sharpie)

Now that you have a basic idea, let's get started with making the fire starter, the fishing kit, and the medical kit.

This is probably the easiest kit type of thing to make. Let's get started.

• First, gather together a bunch of tissue paper, wood shavings, and other easily burnables.

• Next, get a plastic grocery bag and put the burnables into it.

• Lastly, make the bag as aired out as you can and tie it up.

This fire starter will last about 5 different times to start a fire if you make sure to spread out everything.

In a few steps here I'll show you how to start a fire and a few fire structures that you can build.

For making the fishing kit, you don't need much, just a little bit of stuff to get you fishing with and you could make a fishing rod out of a stick if you really wanted.

To make the kit, here's the basic things to get started in a small fishing kit like mine.

• A little box like i have in the picture with the following items inside
  • Some pre-stringed hooks
  • A few small jigs, medium jigs, and weighted jig heads
  • Plastic grubs, leaches, and minnows
  • Fishing hooks: assorted sizes
  • A leader
  • Some small weights
  • And some lures: daredevils and the like

Now just distribute the lures, jigs, plastics, and whatnot throughout your little box.

A few other supplies you could get that is not put in the box would be in the next little list here.

• A rope stringer
• A bobber
• Fishing line
• A pair of pliers

Now you have a completed fishing kit for your survival pack!

One important part of a survival pack would be the medical (first aid) kit. Here's a list to start a basic one.

• Regular popsicle sticks (could be used as a splint)
• A sewing needle and thread (to sew up a bad cut)
• Rubber bands (many uses)
• Electrical tape or duct tape (also used for a splint and many other uses too)
• Cotton balls (to dab cuts or also used as a great fire starter)
• Que tips (dabbing cuts and whatnot)
• Band-aids (hopefully everybody knows the use of a band-aid)
• Tissue paper (saved for that moment you get a bad sneeze. Also good fire starter)
• Toilet paper (even if there's a world disaster, we all gotta go behind a bush and relieve ourselves at sometime)
• Rubber surgical gloves (used as, well, rubber surgical gloves!)
• Super glue (you can glue up a bad cut with it)

Just put all that into a plastic zip-lock bag and you'll have a finished basic first aid kit.

To make sure the matches don't get wet, you need to put them into the little waterproof container. And the way you do that is by taking them out of that big, bulky, casing. So once you get that done, you need to cut the match striker from that casing too. Then you glue the striker to a little wood or cardboard piece and then put the new match striker into the container and then seal it up.

The first thing you should know about making a fire is the different structures that you could make for the fire. They all have different purposes like the wind guard blocking wind (hopefully you figured that out by now).

1. The cabin
2. The wind guard (that's just what I call it)
3. The teepee
4. the traditional version

To make the neck knife into a spear, you would first get a stick, then you would make a notch or two in it and place the knife into the notch. Then you would tie the knife to the stick with the knife's rope. Now you have a spear!

Now you are ready to fill your survival pack. This process is just my preference, you can fill yours any way you like.

• Start by putting in the fishing kit
• The fire starter
• The first aid kit, notepad, and pen
• The paracord
• The goggles, sunglasses, and slingshot
• Bandana, face mask, and gloves
• Put the neck
• Big light that has the whistle

Then sinceI had a little pocket in the sack pack, I had put my watch, little LED light, and neck knife in there.

Then I put in my water bottle and everything else. And I put the knife and multi tool in their cases and then put them on a belt.

Well, have fun putting together your own apocalypse survival backpack and then you too will be confident that you will survive the apocalypse!!!