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The Incredible Survival Story of Alexander Selkirk

Posted on February 14, 2016 at 6:00 am.

In This Article

Alexander Selkirk
Selkirk's Fateful Voyage
Life as a Castaway
Finally Rescued
The Fate of Those Who Abandoned Selkirk

For those of us who are interested in learning to survive adverse conditions, one of the best sources of of knowledge is history. Previously, we have shared the stories of real-world survivors like Poon Lim, who lived for a record-setting 133 days alone on a life raft in the ocean. Today, we'll be sharing another real-life story of solitary survival—one which would go on to inspire the most famous castaway novel of all time, Robinson Crusoe.

Alexander Selkirk

Back in the 17th century, the world was more sparsely populated, and lacked the technology for instant communication across vast distances. Violent crime, war, civil unrest, incurable diseases, and thousands of other everyday dangers meant living past the age of 50 was unlikely during the 1600s. There's no question that it was a much more difficult time to be alive than the present.

During this period, a boy named Alexander Selkirk was born as the 7th son of a humble cobbler. In 1676, the family lived in Lower Largo, Fife, Scotland. At the time, Scotland was independent from England, and a “Glorious Revolution” was about to occur in 1688, involving rioting and a coup that would depose the king.

This tumultuous environment was a difficult place to be a child, and Selkirk grew up with a rebellious nature and “a quarrelsome and unruly disposition”. To escape legal troubles in Scotland, he struck out to sea at age 17 and became a buccaneer, which essentially amounted to being an English-government-sanctioned pirate.

While living at sea, Selkirk and his fellow crewmen fought against the French and the Spanish during the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 1700s. Some historians call this the first true world war in human history, and it hardened Selkirk into an experienced sailor.

Selkirk's Fateful Voyage

Isla Más a Tierra, the island where Selkirk was marooned in 1704. Source: Wikipedia

After narrowly surviving hard battles against Spanish galleons, Selkirk soon became the sailing master of a ship called the Cinque Ports, serving under a 21-year-old Captain Thomas Stradling. In September 1704, the ship needed to resupply fresh water and other resources. So, Stradling stopped the Cinque Ports at an island in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago, 416 miles off the coast of Chile. The 18.5-square-mile volcanic island was known as Isla Más a Tierra, and was completely devoid of human life.

While resupplying the ship, Selkirk (true to form) got into an argument with Captain Stradling about the seaworthiness of their ship. Its wood had sustained damage due to a worm infestation, and Selkirk was worried it would sink before they could return home, spelling a likely death sentence for all on board. However, the captain angrily rejected this notion, and said the ship would be just fine.

Selkirk was so frustrated with the Captain, he said he would rather be marooned on Isla Más a Tierra than set foot on the leaky ship again. Stradling took this declaration literally, handed Selkirk a few supplies, and granted his wish to stay on the island. Selkirk realized his mistake and tried desperately to get back on board, but Stradling refused to allow it, sailing away without him.

Life as a Castaway

As Selkirk watched the Cinque Ports disappear on the horizon, he was left with only his personal belongings: a flintlock pistol, a knife, a hatchet, some oats, a little tobacco, a Bible, a few navigational instruments from the ship, and the clothes on his back. He would be stranded here alone for over four years.

Selkirk was able to sustain himself by hunting and milking wild goats on the island.

Luckily for Selkirk, Más a Tierra hadn't always been uninhabited, and previous Spanish sailors had left rats, feral cats, and a handful of wild goats on the island. The goats served as food sources for Selkirk—he hunted them at first with his pistol, and once the gunpowder ran out, on foot with his knife. The vicious ship-rats would attack him in his sleep, but he eventually befriended some feral cats for protection.

Selkirk also used every bit of the island's resources to their fullest. He fished, caught spiny lobsters, milked goats, and foraged for wild turnips, cabbage, and pepper berries. He even crafted a new knife out of barrel hoops he found on the beach after his original blade dulled and broke.

An 1837 illustration of Selkirk reading in one of the two huts he built. Source: Wikipedia

Although the island's weather was relatively mild, Selkirk still needed shelter from the rain and colder nighttime temperatures. So, he chopped down pepper trees and built two huts, one for sleeping and one for cooking or food storage.

His clothes wore out after a few years, so he skinned goats and sewed the skins into new clothing using a nail and some thread. His shoes wore out also, but he eventually developed callouses and decided to remain barefoot. Selkirk also kept his mental acuity by reading the Bible he was left with, and singing Psalms.

During the four years and four months Selkirk lived on the island, two ships came ashore. However, there was a problem: both ships were occupied by Spanish soldiers, and Selkirk knew he would be captured, imprisoned, or even killed if they found him. One of the two ships spotted him, but his knowledge of the island's terrain helped him narrowly escape, until the Spaniards gave up and sailed away.

Finally Rescued

After years of solitude and self-reliance, the incredible survival story of Alexander Selkirk finally came to an end. On February 2nd, 1709, an English privateering ship called the Duke landed on the island. Selkirk was described as “incoherent with joy” at the sight of friendly humans, and helped the Duke's crew recover from scurvy by providing food and water for them.

An 1859 illustration of Selkirk being taken aboard the Duke. Source: Wikipedia

Woodes Rogers, the captain of the Duke, was impressed by Selkirk's survival skills. He wrote, “One may see that solitude and retirement from the world is not such an insufferable state of life as most men imagine, especially when people are fairly called or thrown into it unavoidably, as this man was.” Rogers made Selkirk the second mate of the Duke, and eventually gave him a ship of his own.

Rather than immediately return home to Scotland, Selkirk remained at sea, plundering jewels from Spanish ships and hunting for gold galleons off the coast of Mexico. After spending several years sailing around the world, he finally headed back to England, and enjoyed life as a local celebrity for the next decade.

A plaque in Lower Largo, Scotland, which commemorates Selkirk. Source: Wikipedia / SylviaStanley

Selkirk eventually sailed away from England yet again in 1721, but contracted Yellow Fever near the coast of Africa, and died on the ship in 1723. He was buried at sea.

Selkirk's amazing story would go on to inspire author Daniel Defoe to write Robinson Crusoe, a novel that has remained popular for nearly 300 years. Many aspects of Selkirk's ingenuity, such as the use of goat skin for clothing, were incorporated into the book.

The Fate of Those Who Abandoned Selkirk

Ironically, the fate of the Cinque Ports ship was exactly as Selkirk had predicted. The vessel took on water rapidly after leaving Isla Más a Tierra, and sank near a much smaller island off the coast of Colombia, forcing Stradling and the entire crew to surrender to the Spanish in order to avoid starvation. The Spanish soldiers then took the men to be tortured and imprisoned in Lima, Peru. Only 18 of the original 63 men were said to survive the ordeal.

The island of Malpelo, where the Cinque Ports crew was stranded before surrendering to the Spanish. Source: Wikipedia

Avoiding Natural Disasters

Posted on February 12, 2016 at 5:59 pm.

Written by Offgrid Staff

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse may symbolize Conquest, War, Famine, and Death, but in the United States, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, fire, and hurricanes are more pressing concerns. In OFFGRID Issue 2, we outlined the heavy costs, both financial and human, of natural disasters over the years. You may not be able to control or predict when a natural disaster might hit, but you can choose your place of residence accordingly. The real estate website Trulia researched reams of data on earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes, calculating which cities faced the lowest risk of these natural disasters.

Perhaps not surprisingly, with hurricanes and flooding in the Southeast, earthquakes and wildfires on the West Coast, and tornadoes in between, Trulia's top picks are in upstate New York, Ohio, and elsewhere in the Northeast and Midwest. They are also quite affordable, with home prices averaging around $100 per square foot, as compared to ridiculously expensive (and disaster-prone) areas like California, Hawaii, and New York City (with pricing of $300 to 500 per square foot).

Before you start packing the homestead, don't forget that there are other considerations as well. These areas may be at relatively lower risk for natural disasters, but many face tough weather with very harsh winters — not to mention other potential challenges, whether economic (e.g. job growth, appreciation of home prices) or otherwise (e.g. misguided political leadership). But as always, arm yourself with good information and prepare accordingly.

Top 10 Safest Cities from Natural Disasters
Rank	City	Pleasant Days/Year	Average Home Price/Square Foot
1	Syracuse, NY	53	$89
2	Cleveland, OH	65	$80
3	Akron, OH	48	$81
4	Buffalo, NY	73	$93
5	Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD	52	$174
6	Dayton, OH	51	$72
7	Allentown, PA-NJ	54	$109
8	Chicago, IL	74	$113
9	Denver, CO	37	$129
10	Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI	65	$94

What's a Pleasant Day? Software engineer Kelly Norton crunched 23 years' worth of data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine the average number of so-called “pleasant” days a year. His definition of “pleasant” was temperature between 45 and 85 degrees with no significant precipitation. None of the top 10 safest cities come close to Norton's top-ranked Los Angeles, with a 183 pleasant days, but they also outstrip the least pleasant — McAllister, Montana, with just 14.

Sources

Trulia > http://www.trulia.com
Kelly Norton > http://www.kellegous.com
National Climatic Data Center > http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov
Federal Emergency Management Agency > http://www.fema.gov
U.S. Forest Service > http://www.fs.fed.us
U.S. Geological Survey > http://www.usgs.gov
California Geological Survey > http://www.consrv.ca.gov

Build Your Own Faraday Box

Posted on February 12, 2016 at 5:22 pm.

Written by Offgrid Staff

In This Article

Rocking Technology from the 1800s
Building a Faraday Box
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Closing Thoughts

Electricity is the cornerstone of modern civilization — most everything in our lives revolves around it. It's the lifeblood that keeps the world turning, and without it our civilization would hit a serious bump in the road. We need it to illuminate the night, refrigerate our food, pump our gas, run lifesaving medical devices and, needless to say, it's essential to our vast communications networks.

In the United States, blackouts like the 2003 New York event, and the more recent power loss event in 2011 on the West Coast, cost us millions of dollars in lost revenue. While none of these incidents were believed to be intentionally caused, it does show how reliant we are on our nation's power grid. It's this very grid that can be an enticing target for terrorists or rogue states to target. One potential attack on our electricity could come in the form of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), which can be created by a nuclear blast.

An EMP is a wave of electromagnetic radiation that is generated by natural phenomenon like lightning and static electricity. It is also the byproduct of manmade events such nuclear detonation. In our scenario, we face the repercussions of a high-altitude nuclear attack. While the physical damage from a nuclear explosion would be devastating at ground level, it's a high-altitude nuclear blast that would allow the resulting EMP to cause the most damage. EMP requires line of sight to be fully effective, so assuming the initial blast is strong enough, the higher it is implemented, the more surface area the EMP will affect.

EMP produces surges that damage or destroy modern electronic devices. According to the 2008 Critical National Infrastructure Commission (CNIC) study on the effects of an EMP, a nuclear explosion at an altitude of 100 kilometers (62.1 miles) would expose 4-million square kilometers or 1.5-million square miles of the Earth's surface. That covers roughly half the surface area of the contiguous United States with just a single detonation.

Rocking Technology from the 1800s

One way to protect valuable or essential electronics is with what is called a Faraday cage or box. They can be as simple as a cardboard box wrapped tightly in tinfoil, or as complex as specially built “screen rooms” used in major laboratories and universities.

The concept of a Faraday box is fairly basic. It is a container with a conductive layer or skin that reflects and absorbs incoming electromagnetic fields. In doing so it creates opposing fields that help dissipate the incoming fields and protect your electronics inside.

Containers do not have to be airtight, but the holes do need to be smaller than the wavelengths they are trying to defend against. All this is based on English scientist Michael Faraday's research from the 1800s. Yes, we kid you not, technology from the 1800s can help protect your equipment from a nuclear blast.

The container itself needs to have some kind of nonconductive liner to prevent the items inside from touching the conductive skin. You can utilize rubber, foam, or any other nonconductive material. Some everyday items can be used as Faraday box on a limited basis. A microwave is itself a shielded box, or you could insulate an ammo can to make a quick and simple box.

Remember, once an EMP event happens, it is too late to shield your electronics after the fact. That means that you would have to leave your Faraday box sealed until after the event passes. As much as you might wish to put all your expensive electronics in there to protect them, it just would not be practical since you'd never be able to use them. So for our box, we selected items that were relatively inexpensive, but would really be convenient to have in an emergency. Size is also a consideration. We wanted the box to be small enough to fit in a closet and not take up too much space.

Our Faraday box contains:

An inexpensive set of two-way radios and the AAA batteries to power them
A pay-as-you-go cell phone in case our primary phone was ruined
A hand-crank combination radio flashlight and USB charger

This will provide for basic news and information and also allow us to communicate with family in case we need to travel.

Building a Faraday Box

Since the type of energy waves one might encounter can vary, we opted for a sealed box solution. Our sample Faraday box is constructed out of a 6-gallon galvanized steel can. We utilized a rubber anti-fatigue mat that you might put in front of your workbench to stand on. The mat is used to line the inside of the can and provide insulation for the items stored within.

Make sure you continually test fit the liner. Use as few pieces as possible to protect your contents from leaks in the seams. With the items to be protected placed safely inside, we then sealed the can with HVAC foil tape. We were able to find all the necessary supplies at the local hardware store. The mat was the most expensive item, but the total cost to complete the Faraday box was about $80.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1 Your items need to be protected all around. We used the bottom of the pail as a template for the nonconductive material.

2 We started by lining the bottom with the material. We left it a little long so it would curl up on the outside edges. We secured it to the bottom using an epoxy-style glue.

3 Next up is to line the sides with material. The angle of the side proved to be a little tricky. We rolled the material up into a cylinder making sure to leave enough room for the equipment to be stored. We then glued the pieces to the bottom.

4 Using the lid as a template we lined the top of the lid with the floor mat.

5 Once we placed all the items in the container, we used the extra floor mat material to build support around the inner cylinder.

6 For added protection, we used aluminum-heating duct tape. This will help seal the gap between the lid and the body of the container.

7 The aluminum tape was surprisingly thin. We had to carefully wrap it a couple of times to get a good seal.

8 The finished product. We were pretty pleased with how it turned out. It's even small enough that your girlfriend or wife shouldn't mind losing a little closet space.

Closing Thoughts

Despite the general belief, an EMP event wouldn't necessarily wipe out all electronics in the affected area. A lot of modern electronics have been so well shielded to prevent interference from other devices that they are fairly well protected. The CNIC study analyzed the effects of an EMP attack on most areas of daily life. The report suggests that about only 10 percent of automobiles would stop working, but traffic would be disrupted due to signals going out and traffic jams due to the other disabled cars. The electrical infrastructure would remain mostly intact with damage primarily to transformers. The commission concluded that the impact to the electrical infrastructure would be severe, but not catastrophic.

One thing you might notice that is missing from this article is any reference to solar flares. Throughout our reading of research papers for this article the general consensus was that most modern electronics are shielded well enough to protect against solar flares. Most experts recommend that the best defense against a solar flare is to unplug your electronics or use a quality surge protector. Solar flares are also fairly predictable as they take time to travel between the sun and Earth, allowing a person time to secure their electronic devices.

Will we ever see an EMP event? Who knows, but aren't you reading this magazine because you're the type of person who'd rather be prepared? Better safe than sorry. So, head on over to your local hardware store and build yourself a Faraday box. Marvel at how cool it is to be using technology from almost 200 years ago!

Sources

If you would like to learn more about how an EMP event could affect your way of life, we encourage you to read the Critical National Infrastructures Report found here > http://tinyurl.com/5v8vt2

Zombie Tools: Destroying the Deuce

Posted on February 12, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Ever see someone with a cool job, and think, “Man, I can't believe someone gets paid to do that!” That's pretty much what we said when we watched the “Destroying the Deuce” video below from the guys at Zombie Tools.

Don't worry, no beer went to waste. They filled these PBR cans with water before slicing them in half.

According to their web site, Zombie Tools is “a band of brothers formed under the auspices of the trickster god Loki, bound together by a common passion for blades, science and art. And beer. And metal music. And beer.” In simpler terms, they're a Missoula, Montana-based manufacturer of bladed weapons—pretty much everything from battleaxes to broadswords.

Before you watch, a word of warning: basically everything in this video is extremely dangerous, unhealthy, and not OSHA-approved. Do not try this at home. There's also plenty of alcohol, smoking, swearing, and death metal. Sounds like a good time? Then check it out:

We told you these guys have an awesome job (although it seems somewhat miraculous no one got hurt during the filming). Also, the Deuce seems to take a serious beating, bending a full 90 degrees without snapping.

Bending the Deuce a full 90 degrees in a vise. Pretty impressive.

We're going to try to get our hands on a Zombie Tools blade in the near future, and test it out our own way. We definitely won't be chopping truck hoods in half, or slicing through a (water-filled) 24-pack of beer cans like they did, but we will do our best to let you know if these blades are as badass in person as they seem to be on film. Stay tuned.

Improving a Hand Drill Fire Starter

Posted on February 11, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

If you've ever tried to start a fire without modern tools, you'll certainly know one thing: it's hard work. The widely-known traditional hand drill fire starter uses a notched horizontal board, a vertical shaft or spindle, and friction from rubbing your hands together in the “praying” position. With enough patience, luck, and the right conditions, you can get an ember burning with this basic method.

However, the hand drill method is time-consuming, often frustrating, and it's basically guaranteed to give you painful blisters on your palms. Fortunately, there are better ways of primitive fire starting, many of which expand upon the hand drill method.

First of all, there's the bow drill, which uses a curved bow and string to spin the spindle (saving your hands from blisters). This method is pretty well-known, but today we'll be sharing two others that might not be as common: the cord drill and the pump drill.

Hand drill cord drill pump drill fire starter 1

A rock with a hole through the center will act as a flywheel for cord drills and pump drills.

Both the cord drill and pump drill are based on the hand drill spindle and board, but add what is known as a flywheel. The flywheel is a disc-shaped stone or piece of pottery that retains rotational inertia, and makes the spindle want to keep spinning. Then, a wound cord is added to the top of the drill spindle, and pulled apart repeatedly to spin the shaft and flywheel.

Here's a video from Primitive Technology that does a great job of illustrating the hand drill fire starter, as well as the cord drill and pump drill:

As you can see from the video, the pump drill adds one last element, a board with a hole that attaches to the spindle and cord. This makes the cord drill even easier to use.

Obviously, making a flywheel from pottery and firing it in a primitive oven is beyond most people's abilities, but Primitive Technology shows how that's done as well. The host even uses flint knapping to craft a drill bit that resembles an arrowhead, so drilling out notches in the fire board is easier. These are all useful techniques that go beyond simple fire-starting and could be valuable to any survivalist.

Hydrate Faster with Oral Rehydration Therapy

Posted on February 10, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Today's world of social media clickbait has made vaguely medical-sounding buzzwords more popular than ever. “Solve your dry skin with a juice cleanse,” the articles say. “This one crazy trick will cure all your illnesses! Those greedy doctors will hate you for outsmarting them!” It has become ridiculous almost to the point of self-parody.

So, understandably, the phrase “Oral Rehydration Therapy” sounds like one of these goofy buzzwords. However, we assure you, this technique is a very real and valid medical technique to avoid dehydration in emergencies. It has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for treating mild to moderate dehydration, and has been used effectively to save millions of lives from illnesses that cause diarrhea.

Oral Rehydration Solution being administered to a Cholera patient. Source: Wikipedia / Centers for Disease Control

In simple terms, Oral Rehydration Therapy involves gradually drinking water with several key substances added, most importantly sugar and salt. The WHO and UNICEF have developed a very specific formula for Oral Rehydration Salts, which are distributed in packets in developing nations and mixed with clean water. Here's the official formula:

2.6 grams of salt
2.9 grams of trisodium citrate dihydrate
1.5 grams potassium chloride
13.5 grams anhydrous glucose (a sugar)
1 liter of clean water

Commercial versions of this formula are available, but if you don't have access to them, you can make your own simplified Oral Rehydration Therapy solution. Here's an example of how to do so, courtesy of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Disaster Preparedness Guide:

On a side note, this guide for Disaster Preparedness (called “Bousai” in Japanese) is packed with other useful illustrations and information, so we'd suggest reading the whole thing if you have time. It's available as a free PDF here.

The Japanese have a word for the concept of disaster preparedness: bousai. They also have a helpful preparedness manual.

Back on the topic of Oral Rehydration Therapy, the solution can also be prepared manually if you don't have teaspoons to measure with:

1 liter of clean water, boiled and cooled
2 three-finger pinches of table salt
2 handfuls of granulated sugar
If possible, add 1/2 cup orange juice or a mashed banana (this provides added potassium, like the WHO official formula)

Before adding the sugar, taste the salt water—it should not be saltier than your tears.

You should drink or administer Oral Rehydration Solution after every instance diarrhea occurs. If vomiting occurs, wait ten minutes and continue drinking ORS slowly. According to Rehydrate.org, adults and large children should drink at least 3 quarts or liters of ORS a day until they are hydrated and well.

Nuclear Knowledge: A-Bombs and H-Bombs

Posted on February 9, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Nuclear weapons are immensely powerful, but also often misunderstood. Most people can tell you that there are two types of nuclear weapons—A-bombs and H-bombs—but many of those individuals don't understand what the differences are, or how each works on a molecular level. Understanding these key differences helps us understand how nukes are constructed, and why this knowledge is still relevant in today's world of nuclear disarmament.

A 23-kiloton atomic shell detonation from April, 1953. Source: National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site...

First of all, A-bomb stands for atomic bomb, which relies on nuclear fission. This means that the nucleus of a volatile atom is split, creating a chain reaction and releasing huge amounts of energy very quickly. On the other hand, H-bomb stands for hydrogen bomb, which relies on nuclear fusion. This weapon causes two types of atoms to collide, forming a new material and releasing truly massive amounts of energy as a byproduct.

Why does this matter? Well, it's important to know the weapons that exist, so you can differentiate between the two throughout history. A-bombs were infamously used against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII, while H-bomb development became more prevalent during the extreme tensions of the Cold War.

Here's an excellent infographic from Futurism that explains some more nuclear facts:

Today, the biggest nuclear threats come from North Korea, India, and Pakistan, three countries which are known to possess nuclear weapons but have refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. North Korea actually was part of the treaty, but withdrew from it in 2003, and has since tested nuclear weapons at least three times.

North Korea claims to have tested an H-bomb on January 5th, 2016, but most sources believe it was a smaller-yield A-bomb, as the country may not yet have the supercomputers and other technology required to produce more sophisticated Hydrogen weapons.

Map of recently nuclear-armed states of the world. Source: Wikipedia

Knowing the difference between these two types of bombs can help us understand the threat that nuclear warfare may pose today, as well as key players that may be willing to use these nuclear weapons. See the map above for countries that currently or recently possessed nuclear weapons. Here's the color legend:

Light blue: Countries that possess nukes under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. These are the only countries known to have H-bomb technology. (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States)
Red: Countries that possess nukes, but are not part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. These countries are known to have A-bombs, and suspected to have H-bombs. (India, Pakistan, North Korea)
Yellow: Other countries that likely have nuclear weapons, but have not openly admitted it. (Israel)
Dark blue: NATO nuclear weapons sharing states. (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey)
Green: States which formerly had nukes, but are currently believed to be disarmed. (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, South Africa)

Skysaver Emergency Rescue Backpack

Posted on February 8, 2016 at 1:12 pm.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Even if you're not a mountain climber, you've probably heard of rappelling (a.k.a. abseiling) before. This technique allows you to descend from high places in a controlled manner, using a rope or cable with a friction device that slows your descent. Outside of the climbing world, you'll often see military and rescue personnel rappelling from ledges or helicopters. James Bond also does it on the silver screen.

Rappelling is a common climbing technique, but it usually requires quite a bit of safety gear and training.

Of course, it's easy to see how rappelling could be a valuable skill for survival, especially if you need to escape a structure fire in a high-rise, or a partial building collapse caused by an earthquake.

However, rappelling is a relatively complex skill, and requires a fair amount of gear and knowledge to use safely. Imagine handing your office's receptionist some cordage, a harness, and a carabiner—she's probably not going to be able to descend from the roof of a building safely.

Fortunately, a new device called the SkySaver emergency rescue backpack has made escaping a high-rise building easier than ever. This self-contained pack was designed by experts from the Israeli Army and rescue and emergency services, and it allows users to descend from a building in three simple steps:

Pull the red tab to reveal the harness, then put on the backpack and tighten the straps.
Clip the included carabiner to a pre-installed anchor point near a window or other opening. (SkySaver can recommend a certified professional to install the anchors for you.)
Descend out of the building facing the wall. The Controlled Descent Device (CDD) will lower you at a safe rate of 3 to 6 feet per second.

Here's a video from SkySaver that shows how it works:

Obviously, this system does require some preparation, since it must be purchased and anchors must be installed before a disaster occurs. It's also rather expensive at an MSRP between $899 and $999 (depending on the cable length you need).

However, it's easy to use, supports children or adults between 66lbs and 300lbs, and can help you rappel up to 260 feet (over 22 stories). It's also invaluable insurance that could help you escape a building fire in minutes, rather than waiting for emergency services and hoping you make it out alive.

For more info on the SkySaver emergency rescue backpack, visit SkySaver.com.

More Yucca Uses: Food, Soap, Fire Starters, and Fishing

Posted on February 6, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

In our first post about Yucca plants, we showed how to turn the fibrous leaves into improvised cordage, which is an invaluable skill if you're going to be trying to survive in a desert environment. However, there are many other Yucca uses, from food to fire-starting. This plant is jam-packed with useful materials and resources.

First of all, Yucca can be made into primitive soap or shampoo. There's even a variety of Yucca called “soaptree” due to its high saponin content. Just grind and squeeze Yucca roots, as seen in the video below:

Secondly, Yucca plants feature some edible components. Specifically, the white Yucca flowers can be boiled, roasted, or eaten raw (although raw flowers may taste bitter and cause a stomach ache for some). Here's a recipe for sauteed Yucca flowers with chipotle and garlic, if you want to get all epicurean. The Yucca fruits can also be cooked or eaten raw, and seeds can be roasted, ground, and boiled. Even the young flower stalks are edible.

The white Yucca flower blossoms can be bitter if eaten raw, so boil them to mellow the flavor.

The dry brown leaves, fibers, and stalks of Yucca plants make for excellent tinder material for starting fires. In fact, the wood in a dry Yucca stalk has one of the lowest kindling points of any type of wood, so it ignites very easily. Just grab some dry Yucca leaves or wood and hit them with your favorite fire-starter—you'll have a crackling fire going in no time.

Can you spot the Yucca plant? Yeah, it's kind of hard to miss, actually.

Yucca juice can even be used to stun or kill fish, and has been used for this purpose by many Native American tribes. If you extract the liquid from crushing Yucca leaves or roots (as seen in the soap video above), and then pour it into streams or ponds with a high density of fish, those fish will be temporarily paralyzed and can be collected easily. It's theorized that this was one of the earliest methods of fish farming in the Americas.

Note: poisoning fish is illegal, so only use this method as a last resort if you need food to survive.

If you can't craft a fishing line and hook in a survival scenario, Yucca juice can stun fish temporarily.

Finally, here's some icing on the cake: the Yucca plant (not to be confused with Yuca, a different species also known as Cassava) is a close relative to the Agave, which is the key to creating Tequila. Now, we wouldn't recommend trying to brew up some Yucca moonshine, but in theory it could be done. Just sayin'.

Improvised Cordage from Yucca Plants

Posted on February 5, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Aside from a fire starter and a knife, cordage is one of the most important tools you can have in a survival scenario. Of course, we recommend carrying some 550 paracord as part of your survival kit, but what if your cordage gets lost or stolen? You're going to have to improvise, adapt, and overcome.

The Yucca plant is plentiful in the southwestern U.S., and its green leaves are easy to identify.

The Yucca plant can be found throughout most of the western United States, as well as Central America and South America. Its distinctive pointy, green, sword-shaped leaves are instantly recognizable—and that's a good thing, because you're going to want to find some Yucca to make cordage.

A map showing the distribution of Yucca plant species in the United States. Source: Wikipedia

In fact, one of the most common varieties of the plant is Yucca filamentosa, which hints at the fact that its leaves are full of many strong filaments or fibers. Historically, Yucca plants were even referred to as “meat hangers” in some Appalachian regions, since the leaf fibers and sharp tips were used to puncture meat and hang it in the air for salt curing.

Now we know Yucca plants are full of strong fibers, but how do you get them out? This video from Bob Hansler on YouTube shows each of the steps:

In case you can't watch the video right now, here's a rundown of the basic steps:

Harvest several green leaves from a Yucca plant.
Set a leaf on a hard, relatively flat surface, like a log or boulder.
Obtain a hammering tool (such as a stone or hard stick) and a scraping tool (such as a knife or sharp stone).
Hammer the Yucca leaf repeatedly to thoroughly crush it.
Scrape away any remaining plant flesh with your scraper tool.
Pull apart the fibers, and twist or braid them together as needed.
Knot the ends to keep the braid intact. You're done!

As with many useful plants, the Yucca can serve more than just this one purpose. Bob Hansler actually compares the plant to a natural Swiss Army Knife. We'll be discussing more uses for this helpful plant species in a second post tomorrow, so stay tuned on OFFGRIDweb.com.