Survival Summit

Don't Be Caught Without
Essential Survival Gear

Don't Be Caught Without
Essential Survival Gear

Any family that loves camping will have a pretty good supply of survival gear.

Some items that may not be needed in a "civilized" campground, may definitely be needed in a disaster situation.

Either way, preparing for anything means acquiring survival equipment — as soon as you can afford it. 

Invest in emergency food storage now and enjoy peace of mind for the next 25 years. Don't miss out on the savings! 

Using Survival Gear For Backup When an Appliance Fails

Can you think of a more important appliance than a refrigerator/freezer in these modern times? I can't.

This week, our 15 year old refrigerator/freezer failed us. This is the second time within a month. The first time was the capacitor and the second time was the compressor itself - the heart of the machine. Fair warning: If the capacitor quits on your refrigerator...

Read more...


The Benefits of Using Two-Way Radios During a SHTF-Type Disaster

The two-way radio, once seen as a toy by many and often comically referred to as the walkie talkie, is now deemed by many to be an absolute necessity to add to their emergency communications and preparedness kit lists.

Read more...


You're Not Prepared If Your New Survival Gear Is Still In Boxes

You're Not Prepared If Your New Survival Gear Is Still In Boxes

You've spent the money to buy survival gear you might need when the "stuff hits the fan". Are they still in boxes fresh from the store?

Now is a great time to unpack them, test that survival gear, and learn how to use it.

Read more...


Build Your Own Emergency Off-Grid Power System

Build Your Own Emergency Off-Grid Power System

Can we live without electricity? Maybe. Do we want to? No. Answering these questions led us on the path to acquiring a portable solar generator.

We (my husband and I did this project together) went through several thought processes, some at the solar generator level, some at the appliance level, to help us decide:

  • Did we really need electricity if the grid went down for an extended period of time?
  • What appliances did we need/want to be able to use? (Must have or mostly want?)
  • What did we want that was both practical and affordable?

The purpose of this project was to prepare ourselves to survive without electricity for an extended time, maybe as much as a year. We invested approximately 80 hours of work doing research for this project.

Read more...


Emergency Survival Kits For Every Crisis

Emergency Survival Kits For Every Crisis

When planning the contents of your 72-hour kit, remember that this is only for 3 days max. Keeping that in mind should help you to not over pack. What to put in them - for adults and children. How to build your own, where to keep them and how often to update.

Does your emergency first aid kit consist of whatever is in the bathroom cupboard? It shouldn't be left to chance.

How many hours do you spend in your car each week? In any crisis, auto emergency kits could save lives or provide comfort in stressful situations

Read more...


How to Light Your Home When the Grid Goes Down

How to Light Your Home When the Grid Goes Down

Have you ever spent a night in your city when ALL the lights were out? It's kind of eerie, isn't it?

One night in the dark can be kind of fun - an adventure, but several nights, or longer, can be very difficult unless you are prepared with flashlights, candles, light sticks, lanterns, lamps . . . any kind that doesn't need electricity.

Read more...


Emergency Heating: How To Keep Warm in a Power Outage

Emergency Heating: How To Keep Warm in a Power Outage

It's only logical to consider emergency heating in your survival plan as many disasters involve weather that may knock out your electricity and that means, your furnace.

It could be a real challenge to stay warm when the furnace hasn't worked for days due to winter storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods...

Read more...


The Best Ways to Cook a Hot Meal in a Power Outage

The Best Ways to Cook a Hot Meal in a Power Outage

How have you prepared for survival cooking so that your family will have a hot meal if there is no electricity?

During World War II, the army discovered that men fighting in the bitter cold would do well if they had one hot meal a day. Without it, they would die from living out...

Read more...


Water Purifiers: 48 Seconds to Pure Water

Water Purifiers: 48 Seconds to Pure Water

Traveling? Camping? Backpacking?

You're sitting in a restaurant in a foreign country. That glass of water in front of you — is it safe to drink? You take out your SteriPEN and, ZAP, clean, safe water to quench your thirst.

SteriPEN Purifiers are the smallest, lightest, and easiest to use purifiers on the market. 

Read more...


Katadyn Water Filter - Have Clean Water Always Available

Katadyn Water Filter: Have Clean Water Always Available

I was very excited when our Katadyn water filter arrived. Why? Well, first of all because I have never had anything like it. It's a very cool little tool. It has so many uses:

  • take it camping or backpacking;
  • handy for people who just don't have enough room to store huge containers of water;
  • guarantees clean drinkable water any time, any place.

Read more...


Kerosene Heaters: How to Keep Warm When the Power is Out

Kerosene Heaters: How to Keep Warm When the Power is Out

On the Sunday morning I wrote this, it was 11 degrees at 8:00 a.m. At noon it was 25 degrees — likely to be the high for today. That's winter in Utah.

This season always reminds me of how dependent we are on most of the technology we take for granted and how vulnerable we are without it.

Read more...


Stay Informed With an Emergency Radio

Stay Informed With an Emergency Radio

During any kind of disaster where electricity is interrupted, an emergency radio would be a good investment for keeping in contact with the outside world.

Solar/battery operated radios will work when your cell phone won't - not that they do the same thing, but most emergency radios also have cell phone chargers built in.

Read more...


Cooking With a Solar Oven

Cooking With a Solar Oven

Now you can cook without any fuel at all - just the sun. Learning how to cook with a solar oven is both necessary and so easy you'll wonder why you don't do it all the time. Think of the money saved from not using your regular oven.

Use in an emergency, take it camping, or cook dinner in it just for fun! . . .

Read more...


Paracord: What is it and why do I need it?

Paracord: What is it and why do I need it?

Paracord should be a staple in your survival supplies. Just having a roll of it is prudent — just tuck it into your bug-out-bag.

But having it handy, woven into a bracelet, key chain, belt, or lanyard can be a lifesaver. Wear it on your wrist in bright colors and there will be no digging though a B.O.B. when an emergency arises.

Read more...


Why You Should Replace Your Old Flashlights

Why You Should Replace Your Old Flashlights

Flashlights are a pretty mundane subject to most people, at least they used to be. With the invention of the white LED, flashlights have become revolutionary devices, especially for Preppers.

We currently own several well-made, expensive, machined aluminum flashlights, but all things considered, they really don't compare well to modern LED flashlights.

We still own those big, machined aluminum flashlights, but we have "replaced" every one of them with smaller, brighter, more energy efficient, LED flashlights.

Read more...


How to Fill and Use Oil Lamps

How to Fill and Use Oil Lamps

You may not think there's much to learn about filling and using an oil lamp, but there are some little tips and tricks to make the job easy. It's not like flipping a light switch. It isn't difficult but, done correctly, it will become second nature to you.

When the power goes out due to a storm, disaster, or power company issue, it's comforting to have several methods of providing light when evening comes.

Read more...


Using Vacuum Sealers For Long Term Food Storage

Using Vacuum Sealers For Long Term Food Storage

Wow! What can I say. I LOVE my FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer. I purchased it this summer as well as the Excalibur Dehydrator and have used them together to add another method of preserving food for storage.

Read more...


Thermos Cooking is a Practical Preparedness Tool

Thermos Cooking is a Practical Preparedness Tool

A common, everyday thermos bottle or jug is actually a unique piece of emergency preparedness equipment that can turn otherwise difficult-to-prepare storage foods into breakfast, lunch or dinner in an emergency situation.

Read more...


Indoor-Outdoor Thermometer Saves Frozen Foods From Unexpected Thawing

Indoor-Outdoor Thermometer Saves Frozen Foods From Unexpected Thawing

For most people, meat is likely to be the most expensive food in your house, especially beef. No one can afford for it to be ruined by an unplanned thawing.

While doing some emergency preparedness planning, I began to think about the food in our freezers. 

Read more...


Teaching Children Knife Safety

Teaching Children Knife Safety

Being comfortable using a knife will increase your chances of survival. Whether you are camping, building fires, or hunting and preparing game, knowing how to use a knife is essential. However, knife safety is a tough aspect to grasp, especially if you’re a complete newcomer to the entire equation.

We’ve lost touch with our old heritage, the way things used to be done! Knowing how to use and be safe around knives is a vital life skill. It really should be taught in school. By passing these skills on to our children, we can give them a vital skill which will last a lifetime.

Read more...


Test Your Survival Gear - Go Camping!

Test Your Survival Gear - Go Camping!

You've spent the money to buy survival gear you might need when the "stuff hits the fan". Are they still in boxes fresh from the store?

Now is a great time to unpack them, test that survival gear, and learn how to use it.

  1. Take your stove, Dutch oven, or solar oven (or all of them) and plan menus for each cooking method. You may want to choose some canned foods that can be quickly heated on a propane stove. Or try some freeze dried foods in your solar oven.

Read more...


Survival Gear You Need:

What do you think?

I’d love to hear what you have to say in the comments.​​