5 Make-Shift Urban Survival Lights When the Electricity Goes Down

It’s impossible to be perfectly prepared for an imperfect world. Sometimes you just have to go MacGyver and solve common problems by using the resources you have on hand – combined with a little ingenuity, of course. I’ve always said that the ability to improvise is one of the most important survival skills.

This article is a collection (not all my own I’ll admit) of a few, creative, makeshift lighting solutions you may have to deploy as a last resort if the grid goes down. You just never know when one of these innovative ideas might shed some light into your darkness one day.

Shining Sardines

Sardines are an excellent survival food. They have a long shelf-life and are full of protein and fats. Maybe you have some sardines packed in your emergency food storage. If not, consider them.

On a different note, oil lamps have been used for hundreds of years. From rendered whale blubber to modern kerosene lanterns, oil lamps are excellent “off-grid” lighting solutions. What do sardines and oil lamps have to do with each other? Quite a lot, actually, if your sardines are packed in olive oil.

Once you’re done smashing those tasty bites of fish, place a natural fiber wick into the remaining oil and slightly over the edge of the sardine container. The wick, in this case a cotton string from a mop head, will absorb the oil. Once the wick is fully soaked, simply light the end. A sardine lamp with just a little bit of oil will burn for many hours. Sure, it’ll smell like fish, but that’s what you get for not including emergency candles in your “bug in” supplies. Running low on oil? No problem, just top it off with some more olive oil from the pantry – or any cooking oil for that matter.

Glowing Crayolas

Games and toys are excellent items to pack in an emergency kit – especially if you have small children. Simple toys such as crayons and coloring books can help keep their mind off of the misfortune that caused the lights to go out in the first place.

But if you’ve focused only on toys and no essentials, like candles and flashlights, then you may have to sacrifice some of their least favorite crayon colors and make some Crayndles. I made that word up. Crayons are basically colored wax. If you’re in a hurry, just break the point off and light the paper label at the end of the crayon. As the wax melts, the paper becomes a wick and one crayndle will last about 30 minutes. Not too bad.

You can also get a little more creative and sandwich a natural fiber wick (like a shred of t-shirt material) between three crayons that have been stripped of their labels. Bind everything together with two short pieces of wire. Paper clips work well. Then, simply light the wick. I got one of these to burn about an hour. Not too bad for a 10-second makeshift crayndle.

Blazing Bottles

Yet as nice as headlamps are, they aren’t always the perfect lighting solution. Ever tried having dinner or playing cards across the table with someone who’s wearing a headlamp flashlight? It’s really annoying and gets really old, really fast. You get blinded every time they look at you.

Instead, set a relaxing mood perfect for cards and a sardine dinner using a headlamp and a water-filled clear plastic milk jug (or any clear container filled with water). Invert the headlamp around the bottle so that the light shines toward the CENTER of the bottle. The water diffuses and diverts the light – making a nice, mellow, glowing lamp that will help set a perfect mood during any disaster “bug in.”

Beaconing Bacon

If you’re like my mom, then you have a jar in the cupboard where you pour and keep excess bacon grease. This grease makes the perfect improvised survival candle. Jam in a natural fiber wick and light. It’ll burn as long as any comparable sized candle.

No bacon grease? No problem. If the electricity is out, then the bacon in the fridge is going to go bad anyway, so you might as well use it for something. Tear off the fatty pieces and jam them in a jar around a natural fiber wick, and this will burn like a candle as well. The fatty bacon pieces will melt just like wax. Mmmmm, smells like bacon. TIP: Smear the wick with bacon fat first!

Kindling Crisco

But what if the electricity is off for more than 30 days straight and you need a light source that will shine for at least a month?

No problem, Crisco’s got your back.

Press a natural fiber wick (like a cotton t-shirt shred or a mop strand) using a forked stick to the bottom of a can of Crisco and you’ve got one of the longest burning emergency candles on the planet. Yum, doesn’t that make you hungry? Fried chicken anyone? We’re testing it right now but I’ve heard reports of these burning for more than 30 days straight!!!???

Note: Smear the top of the wick with Crisco to get it to burn better.

Conclusion

What’s the lesson here? Make sure you have non-electric lighting solutions in place just in case the grid goes down. If your solutions are battery powered, you will also need extra batteries as well. Oil lamps, flashlights, candles and glow sticks are great emergency light sources. Don’t resort to smashing bacon fat into a jar with your bare hands unless you absolutely have to.

Note: Candles have a bad reputation of causing house fires. Makeshift improvised candles are even more dangerous. Use only as a last resort, burn only on a noncombustible surface and keep close watch on any makeshift candle. A house fire can turn a “bug in” scenario into a “bug out” scenario really fast.

Remember, it’s not IF but WHEN.

Source: http://willowhavenoutdoor.com

Airsoft In Greece |16 June - 23 June - M4

New video at last!

Playing hostage scenario at our usual field.

AEG: Dboys - M4

FPS: ~310

Maybe the best soundtrack i ever used ^^ haha!

Enjoy!

PS: In this video you can see the superiority of Pentacamo ( aprox 0.40 ). I almost hid in plain sight inside these weeds.

Greek Camo - The Greek lizard pattern.

The Hellenic Armed Forces (Eλληνικές Ένοπλες Δυνάμεις) have largely been influenced by the camouflage developments of other nations, namely France, Portugal and the United States. Yet most of the camouflage clothing adopted by the Greek military is stamped with a particularly indigenous style of its own. Both the French tenue leopard pattern developed in the 1950s, and the Portuguese M1963 "vertical lizard" patterns have influenced Greek designs, and in recent years elite units of the Greek Army and Navy have also adopted copies of pixelated camouflage patterns developed by the United States.

The first camouflage pattern produced locally was a copy of the original French tenue leopard or "lizard" design, introduced in the mid-1970s. The design seems to use the original late French lizard pattern drawings and colors, and was printed on a heavy HBT cotton fabric.

Subsequent to the direct copy of French lizard were several variations of the basic drawings incorporating a slightly more disruptive element to the stripes in the pattern. Two main versions are known, having either a primarily tan or pale green background color, yet in fact there seems to be additional variability depending on what type of fabric the pattern is printed on. Overlapping brushstrokes of dark brown & dark olive green complete the design. This camouflage pattern is generally the most commonly associated with the Hellenic Armed Forces, being worn at various times by Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. It is commonly referred to as "Greek lizard" pattern. The four patterns illustrate this variability and range from the most tan background on the far left, to the most green on the far right.

First appearing in 2012, this "pixelated" version of the standard Hellenic lizard pattern is now being fielded by members of the Greek Army Special Forces.

Source: Wikipedia , Camopedia

MultiCam uniform contender - Greek Pentacamo

Greece-based company, Pentagon, has released the PENTACAM pattern to special forces there. The new pattern appears to be a cocktail of theMultiCam, Lizard and Tiger-Stripe (French, Vietnam era) patterns.

Tactical gear in the pattern will include only uniform items at this point, however the appearance will invariably draw desire for the PENTACAM variant. Indeed, not ideal in as many environments as the MultiCam, the new camo will no doubt be popular with the public. The multiple styles of pattern integrated in the variant – including the resemblance to the ever-popular MultiCam uniform e.g. the color boundary fading as well as a strikingly similar color palette – will likely do well with military and outdoor enthusiasts. But can PENTACAM outperform MultiCam?

MultiCam creator, Crye Precision, developed the pattern for use across numerous arenas, initially for an environment such as Afghanistan and it’s massively dynamic landscape. Afghanistan is a perfect example of a country with multiple zones of varied foliage, urban backdrops, green valleys, and rocky brown mountains. PENTACAM is based solely on the original Lizard pattern of the Greek army and may not be as effective for multiple landscape environments. The new camo may also catch scorn over similarities to MultiCam’s color palette and blending. Although still, many learned camouflage experts may retain the Army Universal Digital as most effective.

LEFED, the Hellenic Armed Forces Reserve Association has been testing the PENTACAM for several weeks, providing only positive reviews. Based on these reviews, the camouflage system will eventually be distributed to select special forces groups elsewhere for further assessment. Not currently available for public purchase, the PENTACAM variant will likely be released to the general public later in 2012 and will include Pentagon’s version of the ACU, the Boonie cap, parkas and boots.

Source: http://blog.usamm.com/multicam-uniform-contender/