 

Purpose: Most survivors will have done no preparation whatsoever - either having 
gone through the shift totally clueless, or having ignored the warning signs 
completely. Of those who did any preparation at all, most will have waited till 
the last minute when their only options are the basics of the basics - extra 
canned goods, flashlight batteries, etc. For most of these folks, clear thinking 
about long term scenarios will not have been the norm - whatever survival 
tidbits they gather will have been done when all hell is breaking loose, and 
their attention span is quite narrow. For them, literally anything more than 
bullet points will not be remembered.

Structure: To make a limited list (initially about 100 items) of the basic and 
most practical primitive survival wisdom needed to survive after a PS.  The list 
gives starting points of action. The list is used for training and education and 
becomes more useful the closer we get to PS time. The items in this list become 
stable starting points fixed in the minds of those we train or educate.  By 
repetition and keeping the points simple, we give the public something they can 
hold onto and remember when the confusion of what to do after a PS hits them.  
The list can be used as a basic outline for documentaries and interviews.   The 
list is added to or amended over time. After a given size (say 100 items) it is 
sorted by priority. 

Approach: Most simplistic to complex. From what can be gotten last minute to 
what can be gotten with planning and time. Example: 

Seeds 
- last minute:any food seeds (hybrid - whatever, just get what's available)
- some time:Non-Hybrid, Heirloom, Herbal meds, Vitamin C rich
- more time: Seed Bank- plan for new climate, multiple varieties of everything

Constraints: The list is intended to be hard hitting and to the point. It should 
contain statements that clearly communicate the bottom line starting point for 
each key practical survival concept.  There may be a lot more to that subject 
that will be discovered once one starts in the stated recommended direction, but 
this ?more to it? is not unnecessarily discussed in this list.  The taskis to 
stepback about 1000 ft with an exterior viewandcull out the simple?step 
one?primary truths orprimary thing or things to do on each subjectthat can be 
remembered to start one in the right direction for better primitive survival.  
The list is not so much a detail of the entire ?how to do? or ?how to build it?. 
It is more what to do and why.  If a ?how to do it? can also be said in one 
short paragraph then it may be included. As time permits one can get into or 
point to details of ?how to? during discussion and interviews, however it is not 
a part of this list. 

Format:  List of short paragraphs.  One short paragraph is included for each 
survival concept(s) being communicated.  Similar subject paragraphs are grouped 
under a subject. The paragraphs and thoughts are stand alone and complete when 
read or printed.  In electronic form some of the words in the paragraphs can be 
linked to more details on the subject.   If needed this list can be converted to 
an outline format.

Name: ?Practical Primitive Survival Wisdom List?.  Or possibly ?Survival Wisdom 
List? for short. Suggest instead ?Basic Survival Steps?

CONTENTS 


1. Boil drinking water at a minimum. Boiling for 5 minutes kills microbs and 
parasites. Will not get rid of heavy metals. A drop of chlorine bleach also will 
kill microbs and parasites. Let the chlorinated water air for an hour or more to 
get rid of the chlorine. For video, show film of what can be found in pond 
water, creepy crawlies. 

2. Distill drinking water. Does what boiling does and also eliminates heavy 
metals like lead. Explain distillation as making steam and then condensing it on 
some cold surface. For video, show boiling pot to make this point. Simple 2 pot 
and pie pan stacked distillation technique (demo with Mike's setup for video) 
produces gallon every 2.5 hours, and a pot of hot water for washing to boot. 

3. Flint for fire starting. Other fire starting techniques such as stick on 
board. Best kindling. Demo starting fire by flint for video.

4. Black smithing, simple forge for softening metal for making knives or 
machetes out of scrap metal., I could point to folks who could locate a working 
forge to film a minute for the video). 

5. Vitamin C and A sources in nature. List some of the weeds and sources such as 
Scurvy Grass, pine needle tips, Sheep Sorel, Plantain, etc. Can have still 
photos gone through quickly to show what these look like, for the video. 

6. Spinning and weaving on a loom. Lots of these in museums, some giving demos, 
would have to research. Just showing the wheel for a minute, then the look 
shuttles alternating the warf and woof, on the video. 

7. Windmill from scrape parts. Optimally those already built per the Windmill 
TOPIC, have the demos already. Have their voice in the background while you film 
the demo, describing whatcar parts they used and stressing components needed.

8. Windmill components needed. Blades to catch the wind, or sheets in the case 
of a Nebraska windmill. Permanent magnet wrapped in wire (alternator?) to 
convert motion to electrical current. 

9. Means to shut off or take down windmill in high winds, to prevent damage. 
Distance of no more than 50 feet from batteries for DC. More power needed for AC 
but then, if converted, greater distance.

10. Battery series needed to store electricity from windmill and allow down 
time. Easy to remember gauge for size or batteries, how many in series (no 
charts, just easy to remember a statement? if possible). 

11. Battery maintenance. How to flush, reverse charge, or whatever. Parts that 
can be reused with new acid, parts that must be discarded when battery dead.

12. New battery construction. Basics, like fill, poles and types of metals to 
use, where to get this (land fills or work shops or?) in Aftertime. Quick video 
of parts laid out, unassembled. Wood ash water as battery lluid.

13. Light bulbs most long lasting. Bulbs on low voltage to last longer, give 
statistics, show a series and the relative light from them, compared to shot of 
normal current brilliance, etc. 

14. Saving seed. Video of seed gathering, from corn or bean shucking to fly-
aways such as carrot or onion or cabbage or lettuce. I have something I did for 
my granddaughter which covers the basics. We don't have to beat this to death, 
just so they grasp the different ways to save seed. Tomato seed needs to be 
moldered or will not germinate, for instance.

14B. Gardening basics. Cool weather vs warm weather plants. Biennial vs 
perennial vs annual. Natural fertilizers. Mulches. Poles for climbers and 
fencing. Bang through this and don?t linger as this is pretty much common 
knowledge. 

14C. Sources for buying seed. List some of the big and reliable marketers, 
online. How to save seed from most recent GROCERY shopping (squash, tomato, 
onions can be planted and will go to seed, peppers ripened so seed is mature, 
indian corn from your Fall decoration is seed, potato and garlic starts, carrots 
can be planted and will go to seed, etc)

15. Carbon arc explanation and demo. Video Brian's barn lit by incandescent 
bulbs. Turn off the lights. Video Brian's search light pointed to the ceiling 
where there are MIRRORS or metal of some kind to reflect back. The whole barn is 
like daylight. Brian makes comment about all set for growing an indoor garden! 
Point made. 

16. Best light bulbs to buy, chart of options showing spectrum covered (best to 
least). Mike?s explanation about low voltage and long life. Chart showing this 
compared to average life. 


