Category Archives: Survival

2012 IGLOO Building Courses at Delta Marsh Field Station – SOLD OUT!

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Maple Leaf Survival will be Co-Instructing two weekend IGLOO building courses this February 2012 at the Delta Marsh Field Station.

“The Delta Marsh Field Station, a research and teaching facility of the Faculty of Science at the University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Canada), is located on the south shore of Lake Manitoba (98°23’W, 50°11’N). It borders Delta Marsh, a “Wetland of International Significance” under the Ramsar Convention, that is one of the largest lacustrine marshes in North America.”

“The course is designed for travelers and persons whose occupations expose them to winter Arctic conditions and winter camping enthusiasts.  It is also designed for persons wishing to become more aware of northern sociological and environmental issues.  Techniques of winter survival will be examined through field work, lectures, group discussions, slide presentations and films.

Personal survival kits for the northern travelers will be discussed as well as survival for persons in downed aircraft.  All participants will build their own Inuit igloo, and time permitting, the Athabaskan Quinzhee.  Participants will also have the opportunity to try out Inuit-made winter clothing.”

INTRUCTORS:

Drs. Rick Riewe and Jill Oakes

CO-INSTRUCTORS:

Maple Leaf Survival

FRIDAY NIGHT:

Introduction to the Arctic (Slide lecture – “Snow shelter construction”)

SATURDAY:           

Breakfast-Igloo construction – Lunch-Complete igloo construction – Dinner-Native skin clothing demonstrations – Northern foods & cross-cultural survival food discussion

SATURDAY NIGHT:

Sleep in igloo shelters

SUNDAY:

Quinzhee construction and Inuit games – Survival Kits designed and evaluated – Lunch

 

Contact us for more information:

info@mapleleafsurvival.com

 

Survival Handbook – In Association with the Royal Marines Commandos

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The Survival Handbook in Association with the Royal Marines Commandos is a very comprehensive and clear reference. The book is well organized and covers virtually everything you need to know about survival – combining the best of primitive and modern concepts and techniques. If not for the cover or title, you probably wouldn’t know it was written in conjunction with the Royal Navy’s elite commandos. There is almost no “military feel” about this manual.

The illustrations are fantastic and visually represent the text of this manual in a fashion that is very easy to absorb and retain. Due to its size (textbook), this survival handbook would be considered a home based resource – certainly one of the best on the market.

 

About the Author

After joining the Royal Navy in 1977, Colin qualified as a Combat Survival Instructor with 22 Regiment SAS, and has spent over 30 years teaching Land, Sea, Desert, Jungle, and Cold-Weather survival skills – as well as Survival and Conduct in Captivity – to UK and USA Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force personnel. He was the Royal Navy’s Chief Survival Instructor and also served three years as Chief Instructor at the US Navy SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) School in Brunswick Maine.

Colin has seen service in the Falklands, Germany, USA,  Bosnia and Northern Ireland in addition to serving a tour with the Army Intelligence Corps.  He still serves as a Royal Navy Reserve Chief Instructor with the UK Defence SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Extraction) Training Organisation, providing survival training for both instructors and students.

He provided the survival training, equipment, and rescue team for Sir Richard Branson’s balloon global circumnavigation attempts, and also trials, evaluates and instructs in the use of specialised survival equipment, both in the UK and abroad.

Colin’s first book, The Survival Handbook: Essential Skills for Outdoor Adventure by DK Publishing is available from all major book stores and Amazon (All Royalties donated to the Royal Navy, Royal Marines Association).

The American version of the book has been officially licensed by the Boy Scouts Association of America.

The book has also been officially licensed by the Royal Danish Marine Korps.

A smaller, more ‘back-pack’ version of the book, containing the essential survival information from the first book is now available from all major book stores.

www.colintowell-survival.com

Cost: Around CDN $30

ISBN 978-1-4053-2236-2

Paracord popularity

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In recent years 550 military spec. parachute cord, aka: paracord, has become quite ubiquitous in the world of survival and bushcraft. Its popularity comes from its strength and versatility where normal cordage comes up short.

Genuine paracord is made of 7 inner yarns, each composed of 3 yarns respectively. Light, slender, and super strong (550 lbs breaking strength), paracord has become an essential piece of kit. It can be used as a reliable string for a bow-drill fire set, hanging up a tarp or hammock, tying up gear etc.

The usefulness of having 25 – 50 feet of paracord in your kit cannot be underestimated. One of the main reasons cordage is such a valuable piece of kit, is because like most essential survival items (knife, fire-making device, water bottle, metal container, whistle, signal mirror etc.), they are considered valuable not only for their usefulness, but also because they are very difficult to effectively replicate or improvise in nature. Can you make natural cordage? Absolutely. But if you pack a kit – that basically means you’d rather not make what you’re packing. If you can pack some paracord – pack it.

Cost: Around CDN $8 (50 feet)

Tip:  If you’re looking for an inconspicuous method of carrying paracord, try replacing your bootlaces with it. Use enough so you can wrap excess amounts around your boots once (or twice) before tying them.

Hawke’s Special Forces Survival Handbook

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Compared to other survival books, Hawke’s Special Forces Survival Handbook seems a bit cluttered. In fairness, this might have something to do with its small size which is a good thing if you want a portable survival reference.

The diagrams aren’t anything to get excited about, nor is the content, which for the most part contains standard survival book concepts and techniques. However, this reference gets to the point quickly, where others can ramble on and on…

What I do appreciate are some of Mykel’s viewpoints on survival – which are somewhat different from those people have been generally adopting.

Cost: Around CDN $18

www.mykelhawke.com

Lights at night

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Ever wonder why some flashlights and headlamps offer different colors of light?

White: All purpose/general lighting. This will temporarily (10 – 20 mins) ruin your natural night vision.

Red: Terrible for general lighting, but excellent for maintaining your natural night vision.

Green: Great for picking up details in the dark. Particularly useful for tracking at night.

Minimum effort – Maximum results

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There is a difference between good enough…and good enough.

More specifically…the “meh…good enough?” and “Good Enough!”

Whatever it may be that you speak of…there comes a point where anything more is either ego or excess…or both…a point where no additional value is added…and is therefore wasteful.

Not only can we apply this ideology to our daily routines, but in a survival situation, conserving energy is vitally important. Needlessly expending precious calories is wasteful – therefore efficiency is essential.

Remember:

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. There is no waste in nature.

Emphasis should be placed on achieving maximum results for a minimum amount of effort. Knowing the difference between good enough vs. good enough – is the foundation upon which this approach is based.

Winter Survival Tip

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Keep your hands dry. Your hands will become cold much faster if they are wet. If you must take your mitts or gloves off, try tucking them under your armpit, or better still, inside your jacket where they’ll stay warmer than if you leave them on the ground. Leaving your mitts/gloves on the ground leaves them vulnerable not only to loss, but to snow getting inside them, severely effecting their insulation value.

An Old Inuit Trick:

If you’re having trouble touching your thumb to your pinky finger – that’s a really bad sign. Get warm fast! It’s an indication that you’re so cold that your dexterity and sense of touch are failing, which in a survival situation greatly reduces your ability to accomplish basic lifesaving tasks, like lighting a match, using a lighter, manipulating a FireSteel, zipping up your clothing etc…

In a survival situation it’s crucial that you take care of your hands and feet. Your hands are essential for shelter building, gathering, knife skills etc… and you need your feet for mobility.