[ Offroad Survival ]

Offroad Survival (Greg van der Reis) African Expedition Company	Why an article about offroad survival you may ask? We have all the gadgets and equipment, "I can last 14 days in the bush" well can you? I have been stuck on two occasions, both while driving 4x2 bakkies, one on a muddy road in Namibia after the floods a few years ago - I dug for five hours, could not free the vehicle and knowing the area well I walked the 14 kilometers to the nearest farm. I must add that I had a winch, sand ladders and a spade but to no avail. On the second occasion I got stuck in the Namibian Kalahari at 9pm while assisting on a desert rally, I once again had a winch, spade and sand ladders and eventually got out at 1am after using the sand ladders. Luckily I knew the areas very well and would have had to wait no longer than a few hours for recovery. The rule applicable to divers is also applicable to offroader enthusiasts, "Drive Alone and Die Alone!" "I like being alone", "Nothing will happen", "my vehicle has been serviced", "I have done the trip many times" does this sound familiar when a group of offroaders are together? What do you do if something does go wrong? Where do you start with the contingency planning? Itinery If you have planned your vacation properly then you will have your itinery with approximate dates and therefore copies of this itinery can be left with a friend or family who will act as your emergency contact. Whilst on your journey it is advisable to update the itinery and either fax a copy of the revised itinery (marked revised on ......date) to your emergency contact or at least phone them and explain the changes to the itinery. It is also very important to give them contact numbers of local garages and the local police so that if you have not contacted them by the designated day then they can contact the locals and ask them to look for you. Assuming that you have enough food and water it is important that you give them a window of a number of days, let's say seven days. This means that they will not call the police for help until seven days have passed beyond the deadline that you gave them. It is also advisable to stop at the local police, garage, pub and find out what the conditions of the road are like before continuing. Some pubs and police stations keep logs of travellers passing through, especially if the place of interest is very remote and there is a one way in/out track or if permits are required to access the area. If you are serious about your offroading - especially offroading alone, then you should have a Satphone or HF radio by which to put out an emergency call, summon help or request medical advice. Avoiding an emergency Most emergency situations can be avoided with some common sense. Have your vehicle thoroughly checked by an expert before departing on your journey. If you are inexperienced then complete a offroad driving course. Have a fire extinguisher handy at all times. Have an isolator switch on your battery. Carry recovery equipment (high lift jack, snatch straps, sand ladders). Have a compressor and tyre repair kit with you. Carry spares such as: fuses, water pump, fan belts, rubber pipes, battery terminal clamps, hose pipe clamps, spare oil and lubricants. Jumper cables. Torch with spare batteries. First aid kit. Two way radio on one of the common offroad channels, for example 29 Megahertz radios operating on 29.8725 Mhz (Channel 14), CB radio (bad option but better than nothing) try SSB modes for "skip" conditions, HF radio - get yourself linked to one of the coastal radio stations. Always carry emergency water (minimum 10 litres) and some emergency food. GPS - then you can pass your coordinates to the rescuers. Emergency Kit Each vehicle should have an emergency kit or jump bag as the boaters call it. In an emergency you can grab the emergency kit and survive until rescue. An emergency kit should be easily accessible and should contain the following minimum equipment. Emergency blankets for each person in the vehicle Map Compass. Knife (Leatherman type are the best) Waterproof matches Magnifying glass for making a fire Mirror for attracting attention of aircraft, people and other distant vehicles Red distress flares Red smoke flares 10 meters of nylon rope 2 meters of piano wire (for snares) Fishing gear (line with some hooks and sinkers) Plastic sheet 2m x 2m for shelter Plastic sheet, clear plastic 1.5m x 1.5m to make a solar still Canned water or plastic water sachets (used at cycle races) Plasters and some headache tablets Sun tan lotion, lip ice and a cap to protect against the sun Water purification tablets Diarreah tablets Condoms to carry water in For the gadget junkies: Strobe (from the boat shops) EPIRB emergency position indicating beacon Aircraft radio Survival means taking advantage of every situation that presents itself. Survival can be defined as follows: But what can go wrong I hear you ask? Offroad we will generally experience two scenarios. Scenario One - you are travelling alone (only one vehicle) and the vehicle breaks down. Scenario Two - the vehicle gets destroyed (by fire or washed away by a river). Scenario One This is the easiest one to survive. Your vehicle has mechanical failure, you have become stuck or the most embarassing you have run out of fuel. Assuming that you have planned for every eventuality then it will be a case of just sitting it out and waiting to be rescued. The Golden Rule is never leave your vehicle. Your vehicle can be seen easier from the air than you walking through the bush. Once you realise that you are in a predicament - you cannot fix the vehicle or get the vehicle unstuck, sit down and evaluate the situation. Switch off the ignition, and turn off all electrics, leaving only the two way radio on. Don't let the kids sit in the vehicle and "listen to music". If the engine runs use it to charge the batteries on a regular basis. Ask yourself the following questions: Does someone know where I am? Are there other vehicle tracks in the road, what is the chance of another vehicle coming along? How much food and water do I have? Is my vehicle safe, away from rivers, etc? Open the bonnet to indicate that the vehicle has broken down Remember that you can survive for a long time without food but only about 72 hours without water, so drink sufficient not to dehydrate but be sparing with the water you have. In desert conditions an adult requires up to 5 litres of water per day and so carrying 40 litres of water does not go very far. To save water try the following: Sit in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Breath through your nose, less moisture is lost this way. Avoid talking excessively. Avoid alcohol consumption as this accelerates the dehydration process. Don't drink radiator water as the coolent in the water can make your very sick and the resultant vomiting and diarrhea will cause you to dehydrate even faster. Study the map and using your GPS to obtain your position determine if there are any main roads, towns or villages nearby. Keep in mind that villages could be deserted due to migration of the herdsmen or AIDS. If you want to hike to a high point to observe the area do so at dawn or dusk and not during the hottest part of the day. If you see an aircraft signal them with your signalling mirror or heliograph. Move the mirror at such an angle so as to reflect the sunlight towards the cockpit of the aircraft. The internationally recognised distress signal is a group of three fires placed in a triangle at an equal distance apart. Make a big fire and cover the fire with greenery so as to make as much smoke as possible. The fire serves a secondary purpose of indicating the wind direction should the aircraft be able to land. If you carry flares a red smoke flare will also draw attention to your plight. The colour red is the accepted colour that indicates distress. At dusk a red handheld flare or parachute flare can also be used to signal an aircraft or a distant vehicle. Once you have been seen by the aircraft use the accepted Ground to Air Code or Body Signals to indicate your situation. If you have been waiting at your vehicle for a few days and your water supplies be running low it may be a good time to explore and look for water. Leave as many of your party as possible at the vehicle and taking a water container with you set off keeping a constant lookout for animal tracks (well used path with fresh spoor) these often lead to water, dig for water sources at the outside edge of a sharp bend in a dry riverbed. Should you discover wet sand, continue digging deeper until water starts seeping through. If water cannot be found then it is time to make a solar still. Plants contain moisture and putting them into plastic bags will result in the moisture from the plant material condensing on the plastic and running to the lowest point. A plastic bag can be placed over the end of a branch and sealing it over the stem, this will produce about a mouthful of water. A solar still is formed by digging a hole in the ground approximately 1000mm across and about 500mm deep. Place a collecting jar in the middle of the hole and then fill the hole with green plant material, finally place the plastic sheet over the hole and seal the edges with sand. Place a small stone on the plastic sheet causing the plastic to have it's lowest point over the collecting jar. All the moisture that condences on the plastic will drip into the collecting jar. A solar still will produce a cup of water under ideal conditions. You can live without food for approximately three weeks but by this stage you will be rather weak and so before your supplies run out set snares on game tracks and try and catch rabbits, birds and small buck. Most meat can be preserved by drying it in the wind (biltong) and in very dry conditions the meat will be dry in about three days. If you had been on an extended trip when the problems occured then it would be most likely that you would have tents and sleeping bags to keep you warm at night. In emergency situations the space blankets or emergency blankets also work extremely well. Unless you have wondered off the tracks into virgin bush it is unlikely that you will be stranded for more than a few days. Get to know your vehicle, do an offroad driving course and designate a bag for the emergency gear. The 4x4 won't go anymore and I start to realise that I am in a potentailly dangerous survival situation. What do I do first? Survival must be thought of in the following terms: S - Size Up the Situation Evaluate your situation and surroundings. Get a feel for what is going on around you. Listen for animal and bird noises, distant voices or music and vehicular noises U - Use All Your Senses, Undue Haste Makes Waste You may make a wrong move when you react quickly without thinking or planning. Consider all aspects of your situation (size up your situation) before you make a decision and a move or do anything. R - Remember Where You Are Spot your location on your map and relate it to the surrounding terrain. This is a basic principle that you must always follow. If there are other persons with you, make sure they also know their location. Pay close attention to where you are and to where you are going and constantly orient yourself. Determine the following: The location of local water sources Areas that will provide good cover V - Vanquish Fear and Panic The greatest enemies in a survival situation are fear and panic. If uncontrolled, they can destroy your ability to make an intelligent decision and may cause you to react to your feelings and imagination rather than to your situation. I - Improvise In the South Africa we have items available for all our needs and this easy come, easy go, easy-to-replace culture makes it unnecessary for us to improvise. This inexperience in improvisation can be an enemy in a survival situation. Learn to improvise. V - Value Living What happens when we are faced with a survival situation with its stresses, inconveniences, and discomforts? This is when the will to live- placing a high value on living-is vital. A - Act Like the Locals The local people and animals of a region have adapted to their environment. Animals also require food, water, and shelter. Watching them, you can find sources of water and food. L - Live by Your Wits There is an aircraft overhead, night is approaching and my rations are beginning to run low. I need help! Signalling for assistance If you see an aircraft signal the aircraft with your signalling mirror or heliograph. Move the mirror at such an angle so as to reflect the sunlight towards the cockpit of the aircraft. Flash the aircraft continueously until it turns and circles you, if and when it does it means that you have been seen and your position will be reported. In Africa don't expect a quick response as pilots regularly report that their radio calls to the air traffic control staff go unanswered. Another option is the use of the internationally recognised distress signal which is a group of three fires placed in a triangle at an equal distance apart. Make a big fire and cover the fire with greenery so as to make as much smoke as possible. The fire serves a secondary purpose of indicating the wind direction should the aircraft be able to land. If you carry flares a red smoke flare will also draw attention to your plight. The colour red is the accepted colour that indicates distress. At dusk a red handheld flare or parachute flare can also be used to signal an aircraft or a distant vehicle. In a dire emergency where an aircraft or helicopter has to land at night you can use a white handheld or parachute flare. These can illuminate a vast area and will help the pilot make a safe landing. Once you have been seen by the aircraft use the accepted Ground to Air Code or Body Signals to indicate your situation. If you hear the aircrat at night and can see it look for it's tell tale port and starboard markers. Starboard is on the right and indicated by a green light and port is on the left and is indicated by a red light. Therefore if you can see the aircraft and the green is on your lefthand side and the red on your right then the aircraft is flying towards you. In a case like this I would activate the strobe. A strobe is a high intensity flashing white light and even though they can be pocket sized they are visible from 40 000 feet, so an observant pilot should see you. Communication has been covered in a previous article in SA 4x4 but with the amazing technology available today the use of satellite phones is becoming more and more affordable and accessible. Satellite phones can be rented and the ease of use justifies the cost. Handheld units such as the Motorola Iridium range are cheap and very portable. Water If you have been waiting at your vehicle for a few days and your water supplies seem to be running low it may be a good time to explore and look for water. Leave as many of your party as possible at the vehicle and taking a water container with you set off keeping a constant lookout for animal tracks (well used path with fresh spoor) these often lead to water, dig for water sources at the outside edge of a sharp bend in a dry riverbed. Should you discover wet sand, continue digging deeper until water starts seeping through. If water cannot be found then it is time to make a solar still. Plants contain moisture and putting them into plastic bags will result in the moisture from the plant material condensing on the plastic and running to the lowest point. A plastic bag can be placed over the end of a branch and sealing it over the stem, this will produce about a mouthful of water. A solar still is formed by digging a hole in the ground approximately 1000mm across and about 500mm deep. Place a collecting jar in the middle of the hole and then fill the hole with green plant material, finally place the plastic sheet over the hole and seal the edges with sand. Place a small stone on the plastic sheet causing the plastic to have it's lowest point over the collecting jar. All the moisture that condences on the plastic will drip into the collecting jar. A solar still will produce about a cup of water under ideal conditions. Water gained via a solar still is safe to drink and it is not necessary to boil the water first. Where a water source is available it is advisable to use water purification tablets to make the water safe to drink . Two drops of bleach can also be added to each litre of water or if unavailable use 3 drops 2% tincture of iodine to one litre of water. Water purification devices are also available from some outdoor and 4x4 shops. These units are usually pump driven and will produce a cup of water for every 50 to 100 pumps depending on the unit. In a nutshell they are expensive and are laborious to use. Boiling water will also purify it but the water must boil for a a number of minutes before all of the bacteria are killed. In emergencies the stomach juices of snared animals can be consumed in lieu if water but the ability to swallow them (and keep them down) can be a survival experience on it's own. Dehydration results from inadequate replacement of lost body fluids. It decreases your efficiency and, if injured, increases your susceptibility to severe shock. Consider the following results of body fluid loss: 5% loss of body fluids results in thirst, irritability, nausea, and weakness 10% loss results in dizziness, headache, inability to walk, and a tingling sensation in the limbs 15% loss results in dim vision, painful urination, swollen tongue, deafness, and a numb feeling in the skin >15% loss of body fluids may result in death The most common signs and symptoms of dehydration are: Low urine output Dark, sunken eyes Fatigue Emotional instability Loss of skin elasticity Delayed capillary refill in fingernail beds Trench line down center of tongue Thirst. Last on the list because you are already 2 percent dehydrated by the time you crave fluids You can live without food for approximately three weeks but by this stage you will be rather weak and so before your supplies run out set snares on game tracks and try and catch rabbits, birds and small buck. Most meat can be preserved by drying it in the wind (biltong) and in very dry conditions the meat will be dry in about three days. Keeping warm at night If you had been on an extended trip when the problems occured then it would be most likely that you would have tents and sleeping bags to keep you warm at night. In emergency situations the space blankets or emergency blankets also work extremely well. If temperatures are below zero a fire will help warm you as well as helping with keeping predatory animals at bay and of course it is a good method of signalling. If you dont have matches of a lighter how do you start a fire? Choose a place to make your fire very carefully: A suitably place in relation to your shelter Will concentrate the heat in the direction you desire Is protected from the wind Have a supply of wood or other fuel available Magnifying Glass The lens can come from binoculars, camera, telescopic sights, or magnifying glasses. Angle the lens to concentrate the sun's rays on the tinder. Hold the lens over the same spot until the tinder begins to smolder. Gently blow or fan the tinder into flame, and apply it to the fire lay. Purchase a magnifying glass and try this at home. Battery Use a vehicle battery to generate a spark. Attach a wire to each terminal. Touch the ends of the bare wires together next to the tinder so the sparks will ignite it. One can also use steel wool between the terminals of a battery as it sparks and glows very easily. Catching animals for food Let me remind you from the outset that this is survival and not a few days of adventure. In these situations where you may be a week or more from help necessity will dictate your behaviour and if you have to kill an animal for food then so be it. Travelling outside South Africa will most probably mean that you don’t have a gun and so will have to compromise and use other methods to catch food. Seashore Travelling Your vehicle has become stuck in deep sand and the tide is coming in. You unpack everything you can carry and finally the sea claims the vehicle. After finding a safe place away from the sea action you look for a place to build a shelter and within a few days you have no more food left. The seashore is usually very generous and spending times at rock pools can generate a really interesting meal. There are the small crabs, sea urchins and rock pool fish. You can build a fish trap and trap bigger fish in the rock pools as the tide changes. Under the rocks one can find crayfish, octopus and larger shell fish. If the pool is too deep for the waist deep scavenging then the food gathering can be approached a little differently. A small fishing net can be made from an unraveled rope and can be used to catch small fish. Another method of fishing a rock pool is to collect shells and burn them in a fire. After burning the shells they must be ground to a powder and thereafter the mouth of the rock pool must be blocked to stop oxygenated water entering. Throw the ground sea shell mixture into the rock pool. The ground shells remove the oxygen from the water and in a short time the fish in the pool will die and can be harvested from the surface. Fish can also be caught using conventional fishing line but a handline in the surf just does not work. You can make field-expedient fishhooks from pins, needles, wire, small nails, or any piece of metal. You can also use wood, bone, coconut shell, thorns, flint, seashell, or from any combination of these items Fish Traps You may trap fish using several methods. Fish baskets are one method. You construct them by lashing several sticks together with rope into a funnel shape. You close the top, leaving a hole large enough for the fish to swim through. A readily available method that is easy and can produce enough food for one person is the two litre Coke a Cola bottle. Cut the top third of the bottle off and insert it spout first into the base of the bottle. Attach the two pieces with wire and anchor with a short piece of rope. Put bread crusts into the bottle (bits of meat will also do) and place it in a rock pool. The fish swim into the bottle through the neck but cannot escape. Overnight you should have a collecting of small fish, prawns and crabs. You can also use traps to catch saltwater fish, as schools regularly approach the shore with the incoming tide and often move parallel to the shore. Pick a location at high tide and build the trap at low tide. On rocky shores, use natural rock pools. On coral islands, use natural pools on the surface of reefs by blocking the openings as the tide recedes. On sandy shores, use sandbars and the ditches they enclose. Build the trap as a low stone wall extending outward into the water and forming an angle with the shore. Spearing Fish If you are near shallow water (about waist deep) where the fish are large and plentiful, you can spear them. To spear fish, find an area where fish either gather or where there is a fish run. Place the spear point into the water and slowly move it toward the fish. Then, with a sudden push, impale the fish on the stream bottom. Do not try to lift the fish with the spear, as it with probably slip off and you will lose it; hold the spear with one hand and grab and hold the fish with the other. Do not throw the spear, especially if the point is a knife. You cannot afford to lose a knife in a survival situation. Be alert to the problems caused by light refraction when looking at objects in the water. Do not eat fish that appear to be spoiled. Cooking does not change spoiled fish will be edible. Signs of spoilage are: Sunken eyes Peculiar odor Suspicious color. (Gills should be red to pink. Scales should be a pronounced shade of gray, not faded.) Dents stay in the fish's flesh after pressing it with your thumb Slimy, rather than moist or wet body Sharp or peppery taste Eating spoiled or rotten fish may cause diarrhea, nausea, cramps, vomiting, itching, paralysis, or a metallic taste in the mouth. These symptoms appear suddenly, one to six hours after eating. Induce vomiting if symptoms appear. Snakes Snake can also be eaten and in some countries snake meat is a delicassy. To skin a snake, first cut off its head and bury it. Then cut the skin down the body 15 to 20 centimeters. Peel the skin back, then grasp the skin in one hand and the body in the other and pull apart. On large, bulky snakes it may be necessary to slit the belly skin. Cook snakes in the same manner as small game. Remove the entrails and discard. Cut the snake into small sections and boil or roast it. Birds Birds are also a good source of food. Birds can be caught using a net tied between two trees at sunset or for larger birds a snare may have to be used. A snare can be placed near a water hole or a a place where birds congregate. A normal wire loop can be suspended at the birds head height or birds can be attracted with seed or bread crumbs into a deadfall trap. After killing the bird, remove its feathers by either plucking or skinning. Remember, skinning removes some of the food value. Open up the body cavity and remove its entrails, saving the craw (in seed-eating birds), heart, and liver. Cut off the feet. Cook by boiling or roasting over a spit. Before cooking scavenger birds, boil them at least 20 minutes to kill parasites. Small Game For an unarmed survivor trapping or snaring wild game is a good alternative. Several well-placed traps have the potential to catch much more game than a man with a rifle is likely to shoot. There are no traps you can set for all animals. You must determine what species are in a given area and set your traps specifically with those animals in mind. Look for the following: Runs and trails Tracks Droppings Chewed or rubbed vegetation Nesting or roosting sites Feeding and watering areas Position your traps and snares where there is proof that animals pass through. You must determine if it is a "run" or a "trail." A trail will show signs of use by several species and will be rather distinct. A run is usually smaller and less distinct and will only contain signs of one species. You may construct a perfect snare, but it will not catch anything if haphazardly placed in the woods. Animals have bedding areas, waterholes, and feeding areas with trails leading from one to another. You must place snares and traps around these areas to be effective. Building a Shelter When you are in a survival situation and realize that shelter is a high priority, start looking for shelter as soon as possible. As you do so, remember what you will need at the site. Two requisites are: It must contain material to make the type of shelter you need. It must be large enough and level enough for you to lie down comfortably. When you consider these requisites, however, you cannot ignore your safety. You must also consider whether the site: Is suitable for signaling, if necessary. Provides protection against wild animals and rocks and dead trees that might fall. Is free from insects, reptiles, and poisonous plants. You must also remember the problems that could arise in your environment. For instance: Avoid flash flood areas in foothills. Avoid avalanche or rockslide areas in mountainous terrain. Avoid sites near bodies of water that are below the high water mark. In some areas, the season of the year has a strong bearing on the site you select. Ideal sites for a shelter differ in winter and summer. During cold winter months you will want a site that will protect you from the cold and wind, but will have a source of fuel and water. During summer months in the same area you will want a source of water, but you will want the site to be almost insect free. The vehicle has been washed down river and you are 400km from the nearest civilization. The walk out will take fifteen to twenty days but you decide that the chances of survival are better if you stay where you are until a vehicle passes. The wind is cold and the sky is grey, it looks like rain again, the wife and kids are crying and in shock and you curse for having attempted the river crossing without first checking the depth. You look at your watch and realize it will be dark soon. You need to build a shelter for the family. Before you start you need to consider the following: How much time and effort you need to build the shelter. If the shelter will adequately protect you from the elements. If you have the tools to build it. If not, can you make improvised tools? If you have the type and amount of materials needed to build it. What is the dominant wind direction (look for permanently bent trees). Lean-To If time is limited this form of shelter takes a short time to erect and a minimum of equipment is necessary. You need a groundsheet, piece of plastic or any waterproof material, 2 to 3 meters of rope, three stakes about 30 centimeters long, and two trees about 2 to 3 meters apart. Ensure that the back of your lean-to will be into the wind. To make the lean-to: Cut the rope in half and attach the rope to the two corners of the groundsheet. Before tying the rope to the trees attach a drip stick (about a 10-centimeter stick) to each rope about 2.5 centimeters from the groundsheet (put it through the rope. These drip sticks will keep rainwater from running down the ropes into the lean-to. Tie the ropes about waist high on the trees (uprights). Use a round turn and two half hitches with a quick-release knot. Spread the groundsheet and anchor it to the ground, putting sharpened sticks through the grommets and into the ground or use large rocks to anchor the corners. If long straight sticks are available a frame can be made to support the groundsheet and these in turn will stop the groundsheet from sagging in the middle. For additional protection from wind and rain, place some branches, bush, your rucksack, or other equipment at the sides of the lean-to. To reduce heat loss to the ground, place some type of insulating material, such as leaves or pine needles, inside your lean-to. Note: When at rest, you lose as much as 80 percent of your body heat to the ground. With a bit of ingenuity the same concept can be used to make a two sided tent or if your groundsheet is large enough a tent with two sides and a bottom. These shelters are fine for a night or two but for a longer stay the shelter and camp has to be more elaborate. Three-Pole Tepee If you have a groundsheet that is large enough and you can find three poles, make a tepee. It is easy and takes very little time to make this tepee. It provides protection from the elements and can act as a signaling device by enhancing a small amount of light from a fire or candle. It is large enough to hold several people and their equipment and to allow sleeping, cooking, and storing firewood. You need three poles 3.5 to 4.5 meters long and about 5 centimeters in diameter. To make this tepee Lay the poles on the ground and lash them together at one end. Stand the framework up and spread the poles to form a tripod. For more support, place additional poles against the tripod. Five or six additional poles work best, but do not lash them to the tripod. Determine the wind direction and locate the entrance 90 degrees or more from the mean wind direction. Lay out the groundsheet on the "backside" of the tripod and locate overlapping the two top corners. The inside corner can be attached to the tripod frame while the “outside” corner can have the rope attached to it and then puller tight attaching the rope to either the tripod at the ground or anchor such as a large rock or stick hammered into the ground. Construct the entrance by wrapping the folded edges of the groundsheet around two free-standing poles. You can then place the poles side by side to close the tepee's entrance. Place all extra groundsheet underneath the tepee poles and inside to create a floor for the shelter. Leave a 30- to 50-centimeter opening at the top for ventilation if you intend to have a fire inside the tepee. What if you don’t have a groundsheet? Nature can provide various materials from which you can make a shelter. Trees Cut branches from a tree and clean them of foliage, once clean you can build a frame from the branches and then use shorter branches with leaves to cover the frame. Getting this type of shelter waterproof will take some practice and in most cases the covering must be tied to the frame or woven into the frame to prevent it from being blown off the frame in storms. Bark Shelter frames can also be covered with bark from trees. This works very well but is a very time consuming process and is not a two hour job. Rocks A effective shelter can be built using a wooden frame and covered with pieces of slate or shale. The structure has to be substantial to support the weight of the slate, but for a person traveling alone a shelter of 500mm to 700mm wide can be covered without too much effort. Shale can be split into thinner sheets by hammering a wedge (another piece of slate, wood, screwdriver or Leatherman) between the strata, The slate can be covered with branches and leaves to improve the waterproof integrity of the structure. Survival blankets Although small, survival blankets can be used to protect you from the elements. The main problem with any plastic non breathable material is that you tend to perspire and will end up wet and cold. Bivvy bags and tents These are small one man tents which are small and easy to carry and offer protection against the rain, sun and bugs. The bivvy bag is a one man survival tent and not a family survival option. To summarize We all try and tell ourselves that this could never happen to me but regular stories filter through about people dying because their vehicle broke down, the vehicle was washed away in a flash flood, etc. The normal offroad rules apply in all situations: Never travel alone, have a minimum of two vehicles. Do not camp in river beds during the rainy season. Always determine the depth of a river before crossing it in a vehicle. Make sure that somebody knows your itinery and the route you plan on taking. When passing through small towns phone home and advise them where you are. Have a communications system with you. Keep a fire extinguisher easily accessible. Take essential engine spares with you. Make sure you know your vehicle, wiring, fuses, etc. Get your vehicle serviced and inspected thoroughly before the trip. Recalculate the distances and your fuel supply. Take sufficient water. Have a small jump bag that can be “grabbed quickly in an emergency” containing: Survival blankets, enough for the family. Plastic sheet to make a shelter and a water still Knife or Leatherman Ten meters of nylon rope Water purification tablets Diarrhea tablets Bandages, plasters and antiseptic Waterproof matches Compass or GPS Signaling mirror Flares Strobe One litre of bottled water Some emergency rations Sun protection cream Enjoy your vehicle and the wilderness of Africa.
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