Include a tin cup in your emergency gear

.Survival gear doesn't need to be elaborate or expensive. Some of the best items are common, easily-found products you may already have. One of those items is a large metal cup. Here's why you need one. (Check out the video below.)
by Leon Pantenburg
I slogged along in the ranks, Springfield slung over my shoulder, headed toward the sound of the guns. As an embedded journalist in the Confederate infantry, I was covering the battle of Champion Hill re-enactment between Vicksburg and Jackson, Mississippi.

These military metal cups earn their keep. (Pantenburg photo)

Except for the Nikon and ballpoint pen hidden in my haversack, all my accouterments and weapons were authentic. It didn't take long to form opinions.
The heavy wool uniform was like wearing a sweatsuit. The small kepi offered virtually no protection from the sun. The canteen was too small, the leather shoe soles were slippery and the authentic food really sucked.
But several common items proved invaluable. My cotton bandana was soaked in water and worn around my neck to cool and protect it from the fierce sun. A flint and steel kit could stand up to the hard marching and campaigning, where as matches didn't last in the heat and humidity. Hardtack was durable, but tasteless.
But the quart tin cup proved to be a stellar performer.
I've included a tin cup in my gear for many years. When I hiked the John Muir Trail in 1976, I carried a metal Sierra cup on my belt. At every running stream, I'd use the cup to get a drink. I also mixed instant oatmeal in it, and used it for just about everything.
That was my first wilderness trip where a tin cup proved its worth. Give some thought to adding one to your survival gear.
Here's what I have used a metal cup for:

• Mess Kit: I used a 40-ounce blue enamel cup and a plastic spoon as my only eating utensils during a nine-day canoe trip through the Boundary Waters. Weight was critical because of the frequent portages between lakes. During that trip the utensil was also used for picking blueberries, dipping water out of the lake for purification, brewing coffee, rinsing off after a sweaty portage, and various other tasks.
• Cooking: I typically carry an aluminum can alcohol stove in my 24-ounce metal cup, along with four ounces of alcohol in two small plastic containers. That is just enough fuel to last a day of cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or elk hunting. I put the metal cup directly on top of the alcohol stove, and brewing up a hot drink is quick and easy. If you have to warm up a hypothermic person, this tool can be a lifesaver.
• Campfire cooking: Save your stove fuel for emergencies. Time permitting, you can make a small fire and purify water or cook a hot meal over the flames. And it looks and feels really cool to do that!
• Bathing: NEVER pollute a water source by rinsing the soap off your body into it. Instead, fill your cup with water, get a good distance away from the source, wet yourself down and lather up. Rinse off the same way. You can also use the cup to hold water for brushing your teeth.

The cup can also be handy for dipping water out of suspicious source before purifying. In a pinch, you could also dig with it, but I wouldn't waste my time digging a hole to make a solar still!
The tin or enamelware cups are cheap and can be found anywhere. Include one in your survival gear and you'll be surprised how useful it is!

Field Test: The EcoZoom Biomass Stove

The EcoZoom is very efficient!

Consider this scenario: If the Stuff Has Hit the Fan (SHTF), you may end up with no potable water. In the aftermath of a large-scale disaster, such as the tornado that hit Joplin, MO, large groups of people will need pure drinking water. In many such cases, boiling may be the only practical way to kill the nasties that can cause water-borne illnesses.

And what about all that storage food you have on hand – how much of it needs to be cooked, and how long will your propane, charcoal or firewood reserves last?

Those are some of the reasons I agreed to field test the EcoZoom BioMass stove. To read more, click on EcoZoom review.

Randy Yow: An Expert Chooses the Best Backcountry Hunting Knives

Randy Yow's commute home from work.

Randy Yow, of La Pine, OR spends his time doing what most big game hunters can only dream about. As host of the popular ” on the pursuit channel, Randy is in the field about 60 days a year, pursuing different species of big game in several western states. In any given year, Yow’s group  may harvest bighorn sheep, bears, deer, elk and antelope.

So what is the best backcountry knife if you’re going to be hunting big game in remote, hard to access areas? If weight is an issue, what is the best choice in this critical survival/hunting tool? Here is what an expert chooses!

To read the complete story, click on Randy Yow knives.

Make Sure your Knife Sheath is Safe, Effective

(Illustration by C. T. Fischer)

So you’ve decided what fixed-blade knife to include in an emergency survival kit or Bug Out Bag.

But how will you safely carry it? Where is the best place to wear that knife on your belt? And what things should you look for in a sheath to make sure the knife isn’t lost?

Unfortunately, some fine knifes come with mediocre to poor sheaths. In some cases, these sheaths can be dangerous to the user!

Outdoorsman and knifemaker  C.T. Fischer explains the best ways to carry your fixed-blade knife, and things to look for in a sheath. 

Click on fixed-blade sheath safety to read the story!

Survival Knife Review: C.T. Fischer Nessmuk Knife

This Nessmuk-style knife is a winner!

Sometimes a knife just looks right, and that's what drew my eye to an ad for a "Nessmuk" knife.  It looked like a quality workhorse.

For a little background here, George Washington Sears, 1821-1890, is better known by his pen name of "Nessmuk". He wrote one of the first wilderness survival books,  "Woodcraft," in 1884 and was a regular contributor to "Forest and Stream Magazine."

So when I saw a Nessmuk-style knife  advertised by C.T. Fischer Knives, based in Elk City, Idaho, I just had to try one out . I called knife maker Christopher T. Fischer and asked about his product line.  

Here's my thoughts on the knife after testing it: click on Nessmuk knife review.

Camp Chef Remote Meat Thermometer

This remote thermometer works great - but do you need one?

Dutch oven cooks tend to fall  into two schools of thought: There are the frequent checkers (when it comes to lifting the lid and looking at the cooking food) and there are those never want to open the oven while cooking.
I am a frequent checker, since I don’t want to burn anything. My wife wants to leave the lid down. Her reasoning is that every time you lift the lid to look at the food, heat is lost. When we cook together, differences of opinion occur!
Recently, I tested the Camp Chef Remote Meat Thermometer at a Dutch oven dinner. Is this a viable tool in your Dutch oven survival kit? Read this thermometer review to decide! 

Frontier Pro Ultralight Multi-Use Water Filter

The Frontier Pro filters water well and is easy to use.

Deserts are arid. That doesn’t mean there aren’t springs or creeks – it’s just that they’re further apart than in areas with more rainfall and desert water sources may dry up during the hot months.

The other extreme might be during a flood, where  you may be in  a flood, surrounded by filthy, muddy water, with none to drink.
Wherever you are, staying hydrated is critical to survival. The preferred method of water purification might be boiling. But what if you need drinking water immediately to rehydrate a child, or don’t have the means to make a fire or a suitable water container?
Water filters that will work under these circumstance and in these situations need to effective. Most importantly, they must be light, compact and easy to carry and use or they will be left behind. That is why I was intrigued by the Frontier Pro Ultra-Light Multi-Use Water Filter.