The Ultimate Gadget Survival Guide

THE WORLD’S BEST SURVIVAL STORIES
Climbing
If you were half-way up a cliff-face and a 200 pound boulder fell on your arm, trapping it, what would you do? In April 2003 Aron Ralston spent four days considering this very problem. Eventually, he crudely amputated his arm with a pocket knife and climbed down.

Mountain
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 was carrying 45 rugby players when it crashed in the Andes in 1972. After 60 days in near-freezing conditions two of them — Nando Parrado and Robert Canessa — set off to find help. After 12 days trekking the pair were finally found and directed authorities to the others, 16 of whom had survived by eating their late team mates.

Sea
In 1982, Steve Callahan survived 76 days adrift on the Atlantic Ocean on a five-foot raft, living on fish and rain water he collected. Seven ships went by unawares before he was eventually spotted and rescued.

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HOW TO DINE ON WILD GAME

1 Prepare an enclosure around a smoky fire.
2 Cut the meat into 6 cm thick strips and drape them over a frame. Without letting the fire get too hot, smoke the meat overnight.
3 One night’s smoking will preserve meat for a week; two days will preserve it for two to four weeks. Always pack the meat in salt.

Alternatively, use this
Jetboil Flash PCS
The Jetboil Flash Personal Cooking System is an all-in-one burner and cooking pot in a compact unit.
With a one-litre capacity it boils water in a couple of minutes, so you can hastily rustle up a moose and nettle stew. 

Rs. 5,000, www.jetboil.com


Did you know?
All mammals are edible. However, avoid making a polar bear or bearded seal pâté, as their livers contain levels of vitamin A that are actually toxic.




HOW TO KEEP WARM

 

 

 

 

1 Stay clean; dirty clothes lose insulation value.
2 Avoid overheating. If you get too hot you’ll sweat; as your sweat evaporates you’ll start to freeze.
3 Wear loose clothing and lots of lightweight layers.


Alternatively, use this
Zippo Handwarmer
Using lighter fluid, this compact handwarmer provides heat for 24 hours and fits easily into your gloves or a handy pocket.

Rs. 1,400, www.zippo.co.uk

Did you know?
Dry boots overnight using body heat by placing them between your sleeping bag’s shell and liner.

HOW TO START A FIRE

1 For tinder, bark, wood shavings, straw, dead pine needles or sawdust are best. Gather kindling such as pine tree knots containing resin and small twigs, and fuel in the form of larger branches or dried grass.
2 Take an AA battery and a clump of wire wool. Connect with wires (or thin strands pulled out of the clump). It will heat up and glow red. Place it on tinder, blow gently. Or flint and steel. Or magnifying glass and sun.
3 Build your fire in a pyramid shape, so extra fuel you add to the fire will always fall inwards, keeping it burning.

Alternatively, use this
SLP2 Survival Tool
As well as a three-inch folding, serrated, locking blade, a torch and piercing rescue whistle, the belt-clipping SLP2 comes with a firesteel. When the SLP2’s blade is dragged along the back of the steel it produces a 3,000°C spark, lighting tinder even in wet conditions.

Rs. 2,500, www.iwoot.com


HOW TO PURIFY WATER

1 Half-fill a pot with water and tie a cup to the handle on the pot’s lid.
2 Turn the lid upside down so the cup is dangling into the pot, but not in the water.
3 Boil the water for 20-30 minutes. The condensed water that drips from the lid back into the cup will be pure.

Alternatively, use this
Katadyn Pocket Microfilter
The longest-lasting, most rugged compact filter money can buy, it uses ceramics rather than chemicals to filter out 99.99 percent of bacteria and protozoa. It has a one-litre-per-minute flow rate, comes with a 20-year warranty and doesn’t require a replacement filter, ever.

Rs. 15,600, www.katadyn.com





Did you know?
By the time a person feels thirsty, their body has already lost over 1 percent of its water content.





HOW TO ATTRACT HELP




1 In darkness, fire is the most effective. Three fires in a triangle is the international distress signal.
2 In the day, it’s three columns of smoke.
3 Sunny day? Flash a mirror or polished metal object.

Alternatively, use this
Petzl Myo RXP
This head torch has three brightness settings, up to 140 lumens; a flashing mode; and you can adjust the width of the beam. Its SOS signal can be seen from 100 metres above.

Rs. 4,200, www.petzl.com

Did you know?
Pilots have reported sighting distress flashes produced by mirrors from up to 100 miles up.