As settlers, we have a never-ending list of chores. There’s food to harvest, wood to cut, and buildings to repair, but that’s just the beginning. Faced with this never-ending list, we can forget the dangers we face every day. How many times do you wake up in the morning and start your next task without thinking about your safety?
The homebuilding lifestyle comes with its own set of perils, including careless mistakes with a chainsaw, falling off a barn roof, and encounters with bears. Each year, thousands of people find themselves unprepared to handle emergencies and in need of rescue. The ability to build shelters, start fires, and administer first aid can make all the difference. He said that if he only had a way to wake him up, he would be able to live until help came. My list of items and my knowledge of using them has grown over the years, but his words have stuck with me.
It’s impossible to anticipate every possible situation or carry every item you might need in an emergency. However, it is possible to always have basic tools with you that can save your life and the lives of others if necessary. Everyday carry, or EDC for short, refers to items that people carry with them on a daily basis for practicality and for unexpected dangerous situations. What I usually carry with me varies slightly depending on the job and the season, but there is something I always carry with me. Here is a list of must-have items for the whole year that you take with you whenever you walk out the door.
pack. You can’t carry everything on your own, so you’ll need a reliable pack to hold most of your Homestead EDC items. There are good packs and bad packs. A good pack is one that meets your specific needs, not necessarily the most expensive one.I like packs made by black hawk and 5.11 Tactics Gear can be attached to the outside, leaving the inner compartment free to store other items. Always carry your pack and keep it within reach.
knife. When it comes to knives, the best advice is to never leave the house without one.Of all the tools you have, except your brain, the knife is the most valuable. A good knife can free you from jammed seat belts, create shelter, open nail boxes, and prepare game and fish.
I always carry a belt knife, either a fixed blade or a folder, in a case.My folder is Gator Drop Point gerberand my fixed blade of choice is the next generation LT lightIn addition, I have a swiss army knife in my pocket. This knife is most often used because it has multiple tools.
I also keep two extra knives in my pack. These are heavy, fixed-blade knives, great for chopping limbs for firewood or building an emergency shelter. There are many good knives on the market, but I like him LT Wright’s Jessmuk and Gerber’s StrongArm. I keep the Jessmuk inside the pack and the StrongArm on the outside of the pack for quick access.
fire. The original “multi-tool”, fire is a must. You can warm your body, cook food, and boil water. Also, melt the ends of the nylon rope to prevent fraying. With so many uses for fire, it’s important to always have a way to start a fire. Matches are great, but I always have a butane his lighter in my pocket. These lighters are cheap, readily available, and reliable, so there’s no excuse not to have one. Besides, rubbing two sticks together is totally wrong.
Additional pyrotechnic devices should be placed in a resealable waterproof bag and placed in a pouch on the outside of the pack. The bag contains a box of wooden kitchen matches, two of his paper matchbooks, and he also has two butane lighters.
flashlight. There’s nothing worse than fumbling around in the dark. Whether you’re bolting on your car or trying to find your way home, a flashlight is invaluable.
Flashlights come in a variety of sizes and qualities. Don’t settle for cheap things you find at discount stores or things you get for free at the bank. They fail you when you need them most. I have a 5.11 Tactical EDC PL2AAA flashlight in my shirt pocket. It emits just the right amount of light, is about the size of a large pen, and is made of high-grade aluminum for excellent impact resistance. I also always have a headlamp in my backpack. This allows you to see in the dark with both hands free for other tasks.
communication equipment. Always carry a fully charged mobile phone. The ability to communicate with the outside world can mean the difference between life and death. No one will come to your aid if they don’t know you need help, despite all the other items you have.
I also have a two-way radio in my backpack because my cell phone sometimes doesn’t work.I Midland GXT, and channels are monitored by my wife at home with the Midland XT511 GMRS base camp. Most emergency services monitor radio signals, so you should always have a radio with you, even if no designated person is on the other side.
It is also important to note that you should always take the time to let others know when you are going and when you plan to return. I know what to start looking for.
food. If you’re like me, pack your lunch before heading out for the day. With a bento, you don’t have to go home to eat when you’re repairing fences or cutting trees.But that sandwich will only hold you for a very long time, and if something happens, it can be hours or longer before help arrives. I prefer products made by new primalbut stock your pack with what you like best.
water. Always bring water. However, water quickly adds weight to the pack and is limited in how much you can reasonably carry, so you will never be able to carry the amount of portable liquid you need. There may be That’s why we recommend investing in a quality water purifier. (Don’t drink directly from the river, even if it looks pretty.) sawyer A Mini Water Filtration System that works well and fits nicely in my pack.
Paracord. I always pack 100 yards of 550 paracord. Paracord has thousands of uses, including dragging deer out of the woods, bundling branches into emergency shelter, making makeshift snowshoes, and using it as extra shoelaces.
first aid supplies. I designed a first aid kit to be attached to the outside of a backpack.I wanted a kit that reflected what I thought was most important, so I ditched the store-bought products and customized my own kit. We don’t have everything, so we recommend the same: gauze, antiseptic cream, over-the-counter pain relievers, lip balm, antibacterial hand sanitizer, bug bite relief, SPF 30 sunscreen, poison ivy wash, I also have surgical gloves and last but not least I have included some chitosan tourniquets which are used to stop heavy bleeding. Sam A splint for fixing a broken or sprained limb.
You may think that you carry a lot of things with you every day, but if you pack them properly, there should be no problem. Despite our best efforts, accidents can still happen at Homestead.
Dana Benner has been writing about all aspects of the outdoors, survival and homestead for over 30 years and his work has appeared in various publications. He hunts, fishes, forages and grows a garden. He served in the U.S. Army for his 10 years and holds a Bachelor’s degree in American History and Native American Culture and a Master’s degree in Heritage Studies.