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I'm will be doing a lot of work on the survivalism pages in the coming weeks,
especially in the Food and How To sections, if you want to be appraised of updates
e-mail me using the link below.
There is only text on this page, when the shelter section is finished I will include some illustrations etc.

Updates

For now I'll try to concentrate on the most important skills and tips for immediate survival
in the days just after things go awry.

This page contains tips on :

Shelter camouflage
Shelter location
Travel
Camouflage
Short term shelter.

DO NOT ATTRACT ATTENTION

This is one of the most important aspects of survival, you do not want people, friend or foe,
to notice you when you're bugging out, or after you've reached your destination.

If the less than prepared part of the TEOTWAWKI victims find that you have resources,
food, medicines, water etc., they will ( in time ) want you to "share" with them.
Most likely your resources are the result of good planning and preparation.
You have built a cache of supplies which is designed to help you and your
family survive for a period of time, usually until you can
grow / hunt / gather your own food.

Most people will NOT have these resources - so they will try to get them -
if they see your stuff they'll go for it -
desperation goes a long way towards suppressing morality and observation of the law.

Camouflage is a necessary part of survival -
your vehicle, shelter, caches and yourself can all look totally
uninteresting with a bit of camouflage.

Remember that if it looks "shiny", someone will want it .
( it doesn't even matter if they need it, shiny = valuable = I want it )

You can camouflage just about anything with a bit of ingenuity and planning.

So here I'll cover :

- shelter
- travel
-appearance

SHELTER
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Here you have two worries - being spotted from the air,
and people stumbling onto your hideout.

Air spotting -

It is usually difficult to be completely covered from observation from the air.

But, if you avoid having metals or glass in the open you take away spotting caused by
gleaming and reflective surfaces - which is the easiest way spotter airplanes find structures.

Second problem is geometrical shapes, nature will not create an open square in the forest
by herself, she needs human help for that, which in turn shows the spotters that there has been
human activity here, a geometrically shaped field / vegetable garden will be a dead giveaway.

A square aluminum roof will do you in quickly, while a roof covered with grass
and bushes going all the way to the ground will be much harder to spot.

My own thoughts on this, is to build a latched wood structure buried halfway in the soil.
You can then 'build' a wall of rocks around the structure, but underneath part of your roof,
for added structural strength and resistance to bullets.
You can plant bushes or break up the shape of the roof to prevent easy discovery.

This has several advantages, amongst these are :

- insulation from cold, moisture and heat
- easy to build
- good cover from bullets when laying ( sp? ) on the floor
- easier to camouflage
- solid structure
- almost invisible in it's second year due to grass / bush growth on roof
- almost invisible in winter due to snow covering entire structure from roof to ground
- insulation from radioactive rays, a meter of soil is very good insulation from radioactive rays
( not particles mind you )
- not easily recognizable from air because of shape, I.R. will still get you though.
- you use wood,which is mostly easy to come by in the forest : )
- it's a principle that has been used in shelter building
for thousands of years up here, and as such it has proven it's value.

Be careful cutting trees though, if you take all your trees from one place,
a hole in the forest will appear, signaling human activity.
Take a tree here and a tree there over a large area, thus avoiding 'holes' in the forest.

I will be giving detailed instruction on building this kind of structure sometime in the future,
but I need to finish my research first, I'm looking into Viking building techniques at the moment.

You need to think about infra red detection though - but special ventilation systems can help
you a little when it comes to heat from humans or animals as well as heating and cooking.
Refrain from heating or cooking if you suspect spotter planes are in the area.
Keep inside if you suspect spotter plane presence.
You can use a layer of 'space blankets' in your structure to alleviate the threat a little.

Animals like horses or cows are usually associated with human habitation / farming,
especially if they are in a closed area / paddock.

This leads me to another thing,

Ground spotting -

if a herd of animals such as sheep / cows or horses
enters your area, you will do well to assume that someone will come looking for them.
Lead the animals out of your area quickly , but without scaring the animals in such a fashion
as to give their owners / shepherds reason to suspect human or predator presence, which
will lead to them coming to investigate.

If there is a large amount of animals and your food situation is bad, you may consider
taking a sheep or a calf, but usually farmers go searching for lost animals.
I know this from experience here in Norway, where farmers are prone to search for
days for missing animals - in a TEOTWAWKI situation animals will be infinitely
more valuable - so searches will be prolonged accordingly.

If you cut trees for firewood or structures, the stumps will be white and sticking
up from the ground - this is very easy to spot and is only caused by humans.

When you cut a tree make sure you cut as close to the ground as possible.
When the tree is down, smear the stump with soil to cover the fresh cut and speed up
natural decomposition, maybe even cover it with a dead branch ( no leaves ) or two.

Most important in my eyes though are two things :

- remoteness
- accessibility

Remoteness has mostly to do with keeping away from areas where people are prone to
wander around such as close to cities / infrastructure or military installations /
known recreational areas / roads or heavily farmed areas with a large livestock population.

Accessibility has to do with the ease of getting to your shelter site.
Having a shelter in an area heavily covered with bushes and trees, maybe with
lots of little streams and / or hills and rocks usually dissuades
people from walking in while searching for food or water.

Choose an area that people will want to avoid.

I have given thought to ( over time of course ) surround my shelter site with an almost
impenetrable 'hedge' of large bushes, preferably bushes covered with needles or thorns,
downfalls outside the 'hedge' - all this to ensure that only the most determined of enemies
would think to fight his way trough to see what's on the other side.

I must choose bushes that are naturally occurring in the area of course,
raspberry bushes are very common, are covered with thorns and usually occur in large
amounts of bushes together in a small area.
Plus, they'll give you berries and leaves for vitamin C, tea, cloth color and jam.
Nettles also form large colonies, and humans usually avoid nettle 'thickets' ; )
Plus - they too give you vitamins, tea, iron supplement, cloth color and food.
The stems can even be used for making baskets- if a member of your party goes loopy on you ; )

Both of these examples are less good in wintertime though, so finding wintergreen bushes
with sharp needles or thorns is better.

Smell can be a problem, man has poor smell, but smoke, cooking and large amounts of feces
will prompt him to investigate, not to mention dogs, who will smell you easily.

Smell is not so easy to camouflage, but burying scraps and feces in compost heaps
or holes in the ground helps.

Your smoke from cooking and heating should be led through a long pipe, which will
take some of the smelling particles ( tar ) out of the smoke before it's released into the air.
You must however clean your pipe often or risk fires.

Do not use perfumed soap or detergents.

With smell the best camouflage is to be in a remote area.

There are many other tips etc, which I will cover when my Shelter section is finished.

TRAVEL -
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Traveling to your shelter / bug out site, is a risky affair in the days after the
beginning of a crisis, especially if you're traveling long or there are
already food- or watershortages making people desperate.

Appearing to be harmless and lacking resources will enhance your chances.

If you have a powerful 4 W Drive you'll want it to look old and decrepit.
Heave dirt, maybe even mud on it, take down visible antennae, knock some nice
bumps into the body, break backlights and blinkers and turn headlights off at night.
If you absolutely need headlights you can cut a small hole in a piece of cardboard
so that the light is reduced to just lighting up the immediate road in front of you.
Try to get hold of a "silencer" for the exhaust as well as covering the hood with
a thick woolen carpet when traveling at night.
Remove any part that is hanging loose and clanking ( making noise ).
Don't plan to cross large streams or large obstacles in daytime - no need to show
people what your vehicle can do.

Travel fast, do not stop in wooded or bushcovered areas or areas with people.
Have your weapon ready when you do stop.
Make sure that most of your equipment is pre-stored to minimize loss if you are stopped.

If you are on foot - look destitute and avoid people.
Most of your equipment should be pre-stored.

Wear old clothes, even rags if possible.
Avoid shaving or washing with soap on your way to your site.
If you look like a bum noone will want to rob you, if you look like
a man with resources you will most likely be stopped.

Don't display any valuable equipment or foods.
Your weapon can be easily concealed under a trenchcoat or just rags.
Unless you're carrying a longbarreled rifle of course, better to have a large handgun,
sawn off shotgun or UZI sized semi.
Your knife should be covered, but within quick reach.
Travel at night.

When you can, go into forests or wildernesses, it'll take you longer, but conceal you further.
When you enter a forest use camouflage clothes and camo face paint.

Remember that humans see movement - light - silhouettes very easily.
Avoid making noise or fires.

Be careful - concealment and prudence will get you further than just speed.

Wherever you are, hide your equipment and your food.
Hide the fact that you have it, if you have a Red Cross or military handout
in your area and your neighbors see that you do not go to get your share,
they will wonder why, and quickly come to the conclusion
that you have your own stuff - get some, even if you don't need it you can trade
it sometime in the future.

The same applies if you are passing such a handout on your way to your site.
people will ask why you didn't get any for yourself, this will make them suspicious.
( only if you are spotted of course )
If you are stopped by a 'possible' enemy, do not appear too frightened or nervous.
Try to signal that you are harmless and destitute, ask for food and clean water.
Trying to bribe your way through could be dangerous in an absolutely lawless
environment, as there isn't anything to stop your enemy from just killing
you and taking your stuff!

KEEP YOUR COOL

Your best weapon in an adverse situation is your brain -
panic and you'll find yourself in a world of hair...eeeh...harm.

If you find yourself in a situation where you can't run and you can't outfight your enemy,
your best bet is to stay hidden, do not move, do not panic.

That american pilot that was downed in serb territory during the Bosnian civil war
could be rescued because he kept his cool and stayed absolutely immobile when the serb search crews got close.
The human eye is horrible at distinguishing camouflaged humans laying low in in the terrain,
but excellent at catching movement.
Laying absolutely still is a better camouflage than any camo suit.
Try to pull some leaves, bushes, long grass etc. around you if you can.

CAMOUFLAGE
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Being able to camouflage yourself and your gear is vital to survival in a hostile environment.

The human enemy looking for you loves :

Shine
Sound
Silhouette
Smell
Shape
Movement
Bright colors
Light

SHINE

You can easily conceal shine by applying a 'matting' solution to your knives, rifles and other
reflective surfaces prior to things going bad ( meaning: today ).
Such chemicals are widely available in gunstores and knifestores.
There are also some treebarks that will give you a nice 'blue' coating on your steel.
If you forget to do this you can always apply camo face paint to whatever shiny stuff you have,
although this should be considered an emergency option, cutting bread with your camo-covered
K-Bar is not at all delicate.
Your rifle should have rags wrapped around all non moving surfaces ( barrel and stock ).
You can also get camo adhesive tape to put on your rifle, but this does not conceal shape.

Your binoculars should have a 'honeycomb' deflector, which is a plastic pair of 'thingeys' you
affix to the lenses to prevent a reflection when you are using them in daytime or when the moon is out.
If you use eyeglasses you should consider getting hold of some contact lenses for use in
situations where stealth is the order of the day.
Using mirrors in any way is a big NO - NO, that includes the type of compass that has a mirror.
Forget about shaving.

SOUND

If anything is hanging loose, most likely that anything will make contact with another something and make a noise.
This is not good.
Make sure all metal / plastic parts are tied down or otherwise kept from making noise.
If you need to hunt animals you should use traps, snares or a crossbow.
Blasting away with a Winchester might tip off the opposition.
Also remember that velcro makes noise when you open it up.
Another possible noise source of some importance if you're trying to sneak past some sentry
is nylon - nylon webbing, backpacks etc. can make a 'scratching' sound which is hardly natural.
If you wear 'dog tags' you should get those rubber mufflers.
Your gear should be packed in such a fashion as to prevent your cooking utensils from being
in direct contact with each other, the same goes for all your metal thingys.
Metal on metal makes a noise that all human ears will react to.
Avoid breaking twigs or branches.
Tread lightly around enemy positions, real or possible.

SILHOUETTE

Break up any recognizable silhouette using naturally occurring aids,
such as tree/bushtwigs, grass on your helmet / head, depressions in the landscape etc.
Keep away from ridges, hilltops or rooftops.
Silhouettes are easily identified, and a person walking upright on a hilltop can be spotted from far away.
Remember that the moon can light up the landscape like a sun.
Try to walk in shadows and avoid open spaces.

SMELL

Do as the British SAS Special Forces do - DON'T : bathe, use soap, shave,
clean your clothes, change your clothes, brush your teeth with pepsodent, etc.
Your goal is to smell like your surroundings, not like you're going to a cocktail party.
A nice side effect is that anyone who stops you will be dissuaded from
doing a body search by your 'all natural' body odor ; ).

Make sure that your clothes are cleaned with a detergent that does not contain perfume,
or other strong smelling stuff, the same goes for your personal hygiene at all times,
do not use perfumed soap, shampoo, strong smelling toothpaste etc.
Bury any foodscraps and feces.
When traipsing around the countryside near your shelter you should again follow the example
of the SAS, literally - sh*t and p*ss in a plastic bag or other sealable container,
take the stuff back to your shelter and bury it there.

SHAPE

This is linked to silhouette, break up recognizable shapes using grass, leaves, twigs, bushes, whatever.
Don't look like a human, make sure your gear doesn't look like it was made by humans.
Keep from making geometrical ( square, rectangular, circular, etc. ) shapes.

MOVEMENT

The human eye catches movement real good.
Be careful about concealing movement.
The best defense if you can't run is to be immobile.
Move at night or during rain / snow fall if prudent.
Move slowly while keeping low if you suspect enemy presence.
Keep your head down - all the camouflage in the world can't help you if your enemy
can see you moving around.

BRIGHT COLORS

You and your gear should be the same color as your surroundings.
This means camo or dark clothes.
Camouflage paint your face and hands ( if you're not using camo/dark gloves ).
If you don't have camosticks, camo or dark clothes you must employ emergency tactics,
literally meaning covering yourself in dirt, soot, grass, leaves, etc.

LIGHT

Only three things make much light :

The sun, the moon and humans.

Do not use white light ( flashlights ), start fires or other apparatus for cooking or heat,
light a match to read a map, smoke or make any other kind of light.
If you need to read a map, or see something, you should use a flashlight with a 'red-light' lens.
At your shelter you should cover any windows at night.
Walking through the woods while shining up your path with one of those monster Mag Lites will
alert your enemy of your presence in the area.
Using a light at night also effectively robs you of your nightvision for quite some time.

SHORT TERM SHELTER
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Okay, you're heading for your pre-determined bug out site, unfortunately you don't have a car
and the local sheriff has been replaced by the local gangsters - turned looters.
You figure you'd better walk at night, in the woods, sleep in the day, and keep a low profile.
Looking at your bright orange tent you realize that the pre-stored camo spray would be nice to have right now.

You figured on driving to your shelter, but forgot to figure that the militia group
at that last roadblock had their own uses for your vehicle.

Either way, you figure " I'm screwed ".

Hardly.
Luckily, Mother nature has all kinds of goodies in store for those who are willing to learn some
basic skills, and take advantage of what's available in the bush.

The easiest way of making a short-term shelter is to take a 2,5 / 3 meter parachord or
small tree trunk, put it between two trees close to one another,
about 1 meter from the ground, and put leaf covered branches diagonally
from the ground to the parachord.
Like a two sided pyramid.
Make sure that you build it so that you have some shelter from the wind.
This kind of thing takes about ten minutes to build,
gives you camouflage and shelter from wind and rain.

Usually there is nothing wrong with just sleeping under the stars, but you must make sure that
you are camouflaged while sleeping / resting.

You can also find shelter under the lowest branches of some spruce trees, where you'll also be well camouflaged.
Inside bush thickets you can make a shelter with any kind of dark color plastic sheets etc.
because the thicket will camouflage you.

Remember that the most important aspect of making a short-term shelter is to keep you dry and concealed.
You can forget all about cooking, making a fire, taking of your clothes and boots for a comfy night in the
sleeping bag. You sleep with your clothes on, your boots on, and your weapon in your sleepingbag.
Do not close the zipper on your sleepingbag, you must be able to fight on a moments notice.

In a snowy area you can dig a hole in a snowbank and close the entrance.
Remember to make two ventilation holes, you don't want to kill yourself.
A small candle will keep the temperature within reasonable limits, remember LIGHT tho.
You should however be resting in the daytime, so a small candle should be hard to spot.

Really new stuff : )

I want to mention something that's well known by military folks.

Buttons.

Buttons? you say, yes buttons.

It is common practice in many armies to immediately take some
needle and thread and sow the buttons more securely to the garment.

This is done because military wear is usually made in large
quantities, which usually means that the strength of buttons
and seams can leave something to be desired.

You should reinforce buttons the minute you take the garment
home from the store.

Loosing buttons is something that happens, which is why I've
included spare button sets for all garments in the
Equipment section.
You may loose twice as many if you don't
fasten your buttons beyond the manufacturers production.

Some manufacturers are worse than others tho, you should pay
special attention to nato model copies from China, they have
a tendency to shed buttons far too often.

Updated 28. August 1999