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Skills

Preparedness skills you do with your hands, step by step.

Gear you have never used is a guess. These are the hands-on skills behind the supplies: each one is written as steps you can practice on an ordinary weekend, so the first time is not the time it counts.

Start with the full guide

Start hereStart HereThe order to build preparedness in, one step at a time, with the page to open for each step.Open the full page Master guideMedical PreparednessWhat to stock in a house, mobile, and vehicle medical kit, what to do first in 15 common emergencies, and how to store medicines and records.Open the full page GuideKnots: Which Knot for the JobTie to a post, join two ropes, a loop that will not close, a tarp. Four knots drawn step by step.Open the full page

All 11 skills, A to Z

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Tools and Repair · Skill Bowline Knot Loop. Holds: Steady pull on the loop. Fails: Slack and shaking, or stiff slick rope. Warmth and Shelter · Skill Breaking in a New Wool Blanket: One Cold Wash, Short Dryer Cycles, and a Vinegar Rinse Gentle cold wash, then low-heat dryer in 10 minute cycles, clearing lint each time; softener the first wash only Tools and Repair · Skill Clove Hitch Hitch. Holds: Steady, straight pull on a round pole. Fails: Sideways pull, slack, square posts, slick rope. Power and Light · Skill Crayon Candle for Emergency Light One crayon gives about 15 to 30 minutes of light Communications · Skill How to Get a GMRS License $35 fee, no exam, good for 10 years, covers immediate family Water · Skill How to Source, Carry, and Filter Local Fresh Water Two 3-gallon AquaBricks on a frame pack: six gallons, about fifty pounds Medical · Skill How to Treat a Deep Cut Flush with clean water, dilute iodine on the skin around it, dry, petroleum jelly, close the edges, cover Kits and Planning · Skill Packing a Backpack: Heavy Close and Centered, Light on Top, and the Things You Need Outside Heavy against the spine between the shoulder blades; bulky and soft below it; light on top; the things you need all day outside Tools and Repair · Skill Sheet Bend Bend. Holds: Two ropes under a steady pull, even different sizes. Fails: Tails on opposite sides (left-handed), or slack and shaking. Tools and Repair · Skill Two Half Hitches Hitch. Holds: Any steady pull, any post shape. Fails: Hitches turned opposite ways (a cow hitch), or a tail too short. Water · Skill Winterize an RV Water System Bypass the hot water tank, then run every faucet until antifreeze is visible