Issue 2: Gimme Shelter

Gimme Shelter

Shelter? You may not think about it all that much, but it's absolutely the MOST important factor in all successful survival/rescue situations.

Shelter has the job of maintaining your body's core temperature of 98.6° F. A couple degrees above ↑ or below ↓ this core temperature and your body goes haywire, making any other survival task problematic. Shelter is what will keep you alive. Period!

If you're in your car, your shelter is already in place; unfortunately, convertibles with broken roofs don't count. But check it out ‑ if you add a medium sized (10x12 square foot) lightweight plastic tarp (with grommets or eyelets) to your kit, you'll have something that'll keep rain, snow, wind, and radiant solar energy off of you.

A car is considered to be great shelter, but if you reside or travel through desert areas for example, your car can turn into an oven while bathing in the sun. No Bueno! If you have a tarp with your kit though, you can turn the space next to your car into a nice comfy shady place, and you might even catch a nice breeze. Not too shabby!

Important note to consider - Shelter is not only about what's over your head, but what you can surround your body with. We recommend to throw in an extra blanket or , a small sleeping bag and you can take practically the most of what Mother-Nature can dish out, year round. Also pack some spare clothes, accidents happen and you may need to scrap that shirt or pants due to a tear. REMEMBER though, spare clothes you pack will need to be rotated ‑ that wool sweater that made sense in January is not going to be helpful in hot summer months. October and April are good months to swap out your spare clothes for more seasonal alternatives (think of it as spring or fall cleaning).

*Side Note ‑ Since this kit is meant for 72hrs, don't go all crazy with the Cheez-Whiz when it comes to packing extra clothes. Remember ‑ Pounds = Pain and weight matters! A warm coat, a loose comfortable pair of pants (jeans or khakis) a scarf (water-soak-able in the summer), and maybe some sturdy/broken-in hiking boots. All these can help you get back to a main road for help, or even hike to a nearby town.

Here at DNA Tactical, we have a dedicated team focused on education and the distribution of that knowledge to all who are willing to learn something new. However, we are far from being "All-Knowing" and subject matter experts in everything, nor do we claim to be. So, we also urge our readers to research and discover other sources and educational materials. There are a great many books and resources available for anyone with the curiosity to learn more. We strongly advise people to seek out and invest in the knowledge of "Survival & Preparation". Natural disasters tend to happen, they may seem far & removed when we watch them on the tube, but I'm sure those people confronted with disaster scenarios had the same notion when they watched the last disaster on TV. Just something to think about! Three (3) books we know will be a huge benefit to others are The Urban Survival Guide by David Morris, SAS Survival Handbook by John 'Lofty' Wiseman and When all Hell Breaks Loose by Cody Lundin. All three of these gentlemen are incredibly knowledgeable and subject matter experts in their respected fields.

This wraps up our second issue on "Gimme Shelter". Standby for the next newsletter where we plan on discussing "Water"! It is much more interesting than we just made it sound, we promise. May your dreams become a reality until then…

I like to "shelter" just under the covers where I can see my stuff. You humans have a lot of stuff ‑ but do you know what kinda batteries your stuff takes? Do the batteries in your stuff even work? My tip for today, take a look at the stuff in your kit and think about adding extra batteries. Maybe 2 or 3 extra sets just for your flashlights! Who knows, may come in handy if an emergency strikes…. Sratchya next month.