Define “Survival” from a Survival Instructor Point of View

I never liked the word “Survival”;  to me it meant barely staying alive…you’re miserable, uncomfortable, cold, hungry and scared out of your mind.  From what I understand no Native American tribe had a word in their language for what we call “survival”  If we were to try and explain what we meant by our term after a while they might …

Over-the-Counter Pain Medication Uses

Question: I’m a little confused about what over-the-counter medications are good for what purposes. Can you provide me with information and recommendations? Answer: This is a question that I get quite a bit in my classes when we talk about survival kits and what pain medications to put in a medical kit. I am NOT a doctor, but I’ll be …

What’s the Best Flashlight to Buy?

With Flashlight technology is changing so fast I’m not sure what is the best flashlight to buy.  What is your opinion?   You absolutely right with you comment on the technology with flashlights changing very fast, however the industry is running into a wall that they may not be able to get past anytime soon….that wall is HEAT and POWER …

Pro Tips for Winter Camping

(Editor’s note: Welcome to the next installment of our “Ask a Survival Guy” series of blog posts. We encourage you to submit a question. The founder of Midwest Native Skills, Tom Laskowski, might just answer it as part of this regular feature!) Question: When I’m camping in the winter, is there anything I can do to not wake up in …

What’s a “Lumen” and how does it relate to Flashlights?

(Editor’s note: Welcome to the next installment of our “Ask a Survival Guy” series of blog posts. We encourage you to submit a question. The founder of Midwest Native Skills, Tom Laskowski, might just answer it as part of this regular feature!) Question: I want to buy a flashlight, but the advertisements I see all talk about something called “lumens.” …