[Canadian]

I've often wondered which survival skills are the most common and which ones are rare. Feel free to enter the skills you have on the poll. It'll be interesting to see what our strengths and weaknesses are as a group. What skills do you have to contribute to a survival situation?

 

[The_Blob]

my weakest area is firearms, but I have a bit of experience

I feel conceited checking all of them, but... I also have the feeling many people, especially on this board, will also check them all

 

[MaryV]

the only thing I could even think to check is food storage, i dont have any skills whatsoever. I wish I had a husband who could take care of those things for me, lol.
the truth for me is, the only thing I can do is store food. But I will have food to eat.

 

[mandiex4]

I checked some of them, but I need to improve on them allllllll!

 

[SurvivalNut]

Skill Set

I was born and raised in the city but moved to 5 acres after retiring from the Army. I am a knowledge junkie. If you are out doing something, I am apt to stop by and ask to help and pick your brains.

Anyway, my goal is for my property to be self-sustaining. I keep a list of skills I have tried. I keep an eye on Community College classes and learn by trial and error. Besides self-sufficiency, my desire is to have enough skills to barter for whatever I need, providing all my own (sustainable) raw materials for trade goods.

SKILL SET
CHICKENS

EGGS
CHICKS
CHICKENS
CHICKEN FEED
CHICKEN TEA (Fertilizer)
CALCIUM

GARDEN

NON HYBRID SEED
VEGGIE PLANTS
BERRY PLANTS
VEGGIES (asstd)
BERRIES (asstd)
GRAPES
POTATOES
SEED POTATOES
GREENHOUSE VEGGIES

ORCHARD

FRUIT TREES
NUT TREES
FRUIT
NUTS
ACORNS
TREE STARTS

HOME PRODUCTION

BREAD MAKING
COOKING
VINEGAR
SAUERKRAUT
NATURAL HERBICIDES
ROOT HORMONE
TANNIN
SEED SPROUTS
YEAST
PECTIN
RAISINS
DRIED FRUIT
DRIED EGGS
DRIED POTATOES
YEAST
FLOUR
DRIED FRUIT
DRIED VEGGIES
ACORN FLOUR
NUT FLOUR
PRESSED COOKING OIL
TEAS
JELLY
PECTIN
LYE
SOAP
CANDLES
CANNING
FOOD DEHYDRATING
JUICES (Apple, Grape)

BASIC SKILLS

SEWING
HAIR CUTTING
FIREWOOD
ELECTRICAL REPAIRS
SHOP TIME (Solar, Manual Tools)
WOODWORKING

BASIC PRODUCTS

CHLORINE BLEACH
LAMP OIL
SOAP
CANDLES
FILTERED WATER
WOOD TOOL HANDLES
CHARGED BATTERIES
POWER

NATURAL MEDICINES

VITAMIN TONICS
VITAMIN TEAS
HERBAL MEDICINES, LOCAL

BLACKSMITHING SKILLS

KNIFE SHARPENING
HOES
ADZE
SHOVEL
SPIKES
AWL
NAILS
PUNCH
CHISEL
BRACKETS
HAMMERS
KNIVES
MACHETES
KITCHEN UTENSILS
CAMPFIRE TOOLS
HINGES/HASPS
SCREWS
SPEAR/ARROW POINTS
FISH HOOKS
GAFFS
TRIDENTS
FIREPLACE TOOLS
FLINT STRIKERS
SCREWDRIVERS

SKILLS TO LEARN

FLINT KNAPPING
NURSING/LIFESAVING
GUNSMITHING
GAME DRESSING
GLASS CUTTING (recycling)
WELDING

DEFICIENCIES

SALT (inland)
MEAT / FISH (limited)
ROOT CELLAR (need to build one)
SUGARS/HONEY
MILK/CHEESE

IDEAS THAT ARE NOT FEASIBLE

SUGAR FROM BEETS (ONLY 3 TSP PER BEET!)
PEANUTS (TOO COOL HERE)

Any other ideas? Not done yet!

 

[The_Blob]

no salt? that's what BARTER is for, buddy!

 

[SurvivalNut]

Salt

no salt? that's what BARTER is for, buddy!

I have 200 lbs of salt in buckets and 200 lbs in my water softener.

Since I don't produce it from scratch, I did not put it on my list. That will be an item I would have to buy or barter for later.

I don't believe in paying and stockpiling items to barter or give away later.

Thes best barter items are excess production products.

I don't spend my pennies to stock items for someone else's lack of preparation later. If I have spare, then I will barter it.

I like snickers bars. Can't grow them here. Stock some of those for me and I will send some eggs your way when TSHTF.

 

[Canadian]

Hey, I posted the poll and I only checked one box.

 

[SurvivalNut]

One box?

Hey, I posted the poll and I only checked one box.

When TSHTF there are a lot of "one boxers" I will be seeking to ally with. The lady that has canned all her life. The retired couple who have a small backyard garden patch BUT understand seed saving and carry over a few favorite varieties. A person with a good work ethic, honesty and common sense but not much else. A hunter/gatherer. A natural inventor/mechanic. A nuturer/medic.

The world was made with one boxers who specialized in one thing or another.

My kids are not as into this as I am, but each has some skills. I try to support their individual box interests. When I go, hopefully, the little boxes can figure it out together.

 

[Canadian]

Being a one boxer is better than being a no boxer.

 

[Expeditioner]

I only checked four boxes as those are skills that I have developed and applied. I do not claim to know it all and as such I am always looking for ways to improve on what I know and how I apply it. Those skills which I have the most experience with are:

1. Hunting, Trapping, Fishing
2. Hand To Hand Combat
3. Firearms and Ranged Combat
4. General Camping and Outdoor Living

I have varying degrees of knowledge and skills in some of the other categories. Try to learn and apply something new at least three to four times a week.

 

[dukman]

I really ain't that skilled.... I checked Camping and that was it

Most of my skills are my 2 cents.. Sometimes I can see a simpler or more efficient way to do things. My other skill I guess would be intimidation. I probably not very good at hand to hand, but at 6'4/250lbs nobody wants to mess with me

 

[SurvivalNut]

One Boxers

Being a one boxer is better than being a no boxer.

A One Boxer who is good at what they do has enough marbles rolling around to survive most static situations.

I'd love to start a local prep group of One Boxers. OB's I would guess would form, of necessity, a more cohesive group than independent bunkerheads.

 

[Canadian]

Being on a team is always great. I know a lot of people have a very fierce notion of doing everything on their own. It's just a lot more fun when there are other people to help out and share things with.

 

[NaeKid]

Based on that list - I was able to click on 6 of them. I wouldn't say that I am "expert" in all 6 - but - I feel that I a fairly well-versed in them all.

First-aid - re-cert'd several times. My father has been an Industrial First-Aider for the majority of my life and has been part of the ambulance service for longer than I can remember (now retired). My mother has been in the medical field longer than I have existed (and is still in the field). I remember as a child reading medical texts and looking at pictures of burns and amputations and cuts and thinking that I was having a normal childhood. Blood - guts - gore does not faze me at all ..

Mechanical - If its broken I can normally fix it. Electronics, automotive, plumbing, electrical. I haven't done much with gas beyond propane stuff in trailers and natural-gas on my furnace.

Fighting skills - no detail provided

Camping and outdoor skills - camped since I was 6 months old - and that was only because I was born in December. Camping by hammock, tent, trailer, home-made shelter - winter and summer. No problems

Food preservation & storage - you all might have seen some of my posts about cooking food and such.

Communications - got the basics down. Thought about going deeper with ham / short-wave / etc. Have communications gear that include a mobile base-station CB for off-roading.

 

[Canadian]

NaeKid - Good for you. I have to work on being able to tick off more than one box.

 

[Expeditioner]

NaeKid - Good for you. I have to work on being able to tick off more than one box.

There is a lot to be said for the team concept. Even among the various SOG units in the American Armed Forces each member has a special function with cross training in another function. To be an expert in everything is a daunting and maybe even pointless endeavor.

 

[Canadian]

Well I know I'm not going to medical school ever. That's one box I'll never tick off. I'm also a bit germ phobic so touching a bleeding person is a bit daunting for me.

 

[Expeditioner]

Well I know I'm not going to medical school ever. That's one box I'll never tick off. I'm also a bit germ phobic so touching a bleeding person is a bit daunting for me.

I have no problem with touching injured/wounded people. My skills are limited to advanced first aid training. I can suture a wound if I had to.....though the needlework is a lot to be desired. Med school is not a box that I check off either.

 

[Canadian]

I work for a drug addition clinic and I'm surrounded by people with Hepatitis, AIDS, and other blood diseases. So I get really paranoid about hand washing and keeping away from contaminated surfaces and of course used needles. Anytime anyone cuts themselves I stay well back. I'm just conditioned that way now.