Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Survival Videos

I’m often asked by folks to teach them “survival skills”. This is a hot topic. Just what is meant by “survival” to one person might mean something entirely different to another. As I’ve stated many times, I’m no expert in anything. I’m just a very serious student in a lot of areas. In the past, I have taught some wilderness and street survival skills, but I’m no longer in that market. Survival skills just cover so many different areas that I don’t even know where to begin. If anything, I’m more skilled in street survival skills than I am in wilderness survival. However, that’s not to say I’m not well-versed in wilderness survival skills. Many wilderness skills are more advanced and long-term “camping” skills. At one time, I was a Boy Scout Troop Leader, and many of the skills we taught were camping skills, and that relates to a lot of wilderness survival skills. Remember the Boy Scout motto– “Be Prepared”.

I’ve reviewed a number of survival DVDs and wanted to alert our readers to them. There is some outstanding information contained in these DVDs that can be useful when it comes to survival, all types of survival. First up is “Survival Communications For The Prepared Citizen”. Many Preppers forget about communications in a survival situation, and with all the talk about an EMP attack a lot of folks think they won’t be able to communicate with others. That’s simply not true. If you have some two-way radios or Ham radios that you kept protected in a Faraday Cage or even in an old microwave oven, they will still work once the power grid goes down.

I admit to having a limited knowledge of Ham equipment, and I watched the above video several times before I got a good grasp on the information. Some of the information in this video can save your life. It teaches you all about Ham radios and a communication plan. You’ve got to have a plan! You’ll learn about multiple power sources for communications, licensed and unlicensed communication options, how to assemble a grab and go comms kit, your first radio, and DIY projects. It’s a great DVD.

Many years ago, I was part of a sheriff’s department Search And Rescue team– SAR. As anyone knows, a SAR is called out many times for missing hikers or hunters. However, my skill set involved tracking down wanted folks who were living in the boonies, way out in the boonies. Still, much of what a SAR team does is simply finding lost and/or injured people, and more often than not it is finding hikers and hunters who got themselves lost.

“Survival Land Navigation” is the title of this DVD, and it has outstanding information that is clear and concise. This video needs to be watched several times, and you must practice what it teaches you in order to comprehend all the material. You’ll learn manual land navigation– navigation without a GPS, which is very important in an EMP event where a GPS won’t work. Some of the most important skills are learning to read a map and use a compass, and we aren’t talking about a road map, but they do come in handy. We are talking about using a topographic map of the area you’ll be in. Many folks get lost in the city with street signs clearly marked where they are. These are some of the same people who say that when the SHTF they will “head to the hills….” and survive. Nope! That ain’t gonna happen, especially not without some navigation skills, including reading a topographic map, using a compass, and knowing about declination. I thoroughly enjoyed this DVD, and it is a must have for any Prepper.

Next up is what is called “Survival HD, How To Survive High Desert and Low Mountain Environments.” The instructor on this DVD is Kirsten Rechnitz. Wow! A woman teaching wilderness survival skills? Yes! In this DVD, you will learn serious camping and hard-core survival skills, and the instructor says if you can learn to survival in the High Desert and low mountains, you can learn to survive just about any place.

In the above DVD, you will learn how to find water and procure food, how to build a shelter, and build a fire. You will even learn how to make some primitive weapons, like a spear, for procuring food. There’s lots of great information in this DVD, especially for a beginner who has never been out camping or hiking in the wilderness. Again, it’s a must-have DVD.

The above three DVDs are available from the Survival Summit. Check out their website.

Next up is another DVD and book. These are from the good folks at Infidel Combat Systems. A long-time friend, Chad Cooper, and I have tested and reviewed Infidel Body Armor several times for SurvivalBlog readers.

Some time back, I reviewed the book “Driven” and DVD that went with it and found the information outstanding. The DVD was professionally produced, too. Well, “Driven 2”– the book and the DVD– have just been released, and it was worth the wait. Chad Cooper and his professional crew of instructors did a fantastic job on the DVD, and of course the book is loaded with great information. This is a follow-up on the first book and DVD, and we can look forward to Driven 3– the book and video in the future.

In “Driven 2” you will continue to build on the skills you learned in the first book and DVD, and that includes how to prep for a mission, advanced tactics, how to resist interrogation, how to counter trackers, night driving, ambushes, and many other important topics that you may need is a serious survival situation. I can’t emphasize enough how professionally done the DVD is. It’s worth watching over and over again.

The above book and DVD can be obtained at Infidel Body Armor and is worth the price. You can join and become a member for discounts on products, too.

Be sure to check out all of the above DVDs and the book, if you are serious about learning more survival and preparedness techniques. It would be hard to find schools and instructors to teach you all the material you’ll find in this material.

– Senior Product Review Editor, Pat Cascio