Did you know a child's crayon can be used as a candle? Or that with a little Vaseline and some cotton balls you can make your own firestarters? Or did you know you can build a buddy burner out of some corrugated cardboard, melted wax and an empty tuna fish can? There are SO many cool DIY projects in this book; I want to try them all! I've been working on my own personal Bug Out Bag all week (which is just your basic 72-hour emergency kit packed in a backpack), and I think this weekend I might try turning an empty Altoids tin into a candle. Or maybe my own small survival kit. So if you're secretly a prepper at heart like me, give this little book a read.
"Fair warning, though: Not only can this stuff be fun,
it can be downright addicting."
Happy Prepping!
Some of my favorite survival stories:
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
One Second After by William Forstchen
Stranded by Melinda Braun
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
Trapped by Michael Northrup
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
:) I'm a fan of dystopian and survival books, too. My first one was Robinson Crusoe when I was a kid. My father gave me Robinson Crusoe and my brother got Black Beauty. At first, I was so frustrated--he should have know I wanted Black Beauty! But I fell in love with the ways and means of Crusoe's survival on the island and was hooked. There is a course offered in NC, I think, that gives people all kinds of survival techniques. Fascinating details for people who are accustomed to electricity and grocery stores! I've read One Second After and Alas, Babylon, but the other books you mention are new to me. Will check them out. Oh, and Ted Koppel's Lights Out is fascinating nonfiction.
ReplyDeleteI just barely finished reading Lights Out and I agree, it's very fascinating, and a little troubling. I still need to read Robinson Crusoe...it is, after all, one of the first survival books. :)
DeleteKnown, not know. I should edit better.
ReplyDeleteHappens all the time to me. :)
DeleteSounds like some fun projects to try. I'm not much of a survival/camper/outdoorsy girl but I'm always fascinated to learn what can be used for what in case of an emergency.
ReplyDeleteI don't much like camping either...I'm not a fan of dirt, bugs or non-flushing toilets. :)
DeleteFor some reasons I'm not much of an adventurous person, but I do love reading about survival theme books and the more if they are thrillers. :) This book sounds like both a fun and informative read.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I love that combination of survival and thriller in a book, too. :)
DeleteI love stuff like this too! Fantasizing about surviving is not an insignificant pastime of mine.
ReplyDeleteI take it you still need a wick for the crayon candle... :)
I'm glad I'm not the only one. :)
DeleteAnd for the crayon candle, you don't need a wick...just break the tip off the top so the paper wrapper is a little higher than the wax and light a match.
Have you tried it yet? :)
DeleteI did, and while it was a little tricky to get it to light at first, once I got the outside paper to light my little crayon produced a very nice flame. :) Crayon candles, who knew?
DeleteI love survival stories, too. The tenacity of the human spirit in hopeless situations always inspires me. As for real life situations, though, I would probably be the first to die as I have no survival skills whatsoever! Maybe I should read this book and get some :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun little read because all the ideas in it feel very doable, and also affordable. :)
DeleteI can't get enough of survival stories -- even though I'm pretty sure I'd just perish due to lack of skills. (Even with a helpful book of tips... I'm pretty hopeless. So: I stay in safe zones. A lot.)
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Ha! I hear you on that. I'm not sure I have any real survival skills in me either...but it is fun to read about! :)
DeleteI do know about DIY options for firestarting. I have a fire pit, and I never like to use any chemical firestarters. That's probably all that I do know when it comes to DIY survival stuff. I bet that's a neat book.
ReplyDeleteThe book is definitely a fun one. And kudos on knowing how to start a fire! That's probably the most important "prepper" skill to have. :)
Deletenice way to share knowledge about emergency survival
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