How did you find ETS? What were you searching for when you found it?

Just wondering what brought all of us here to this great useful site.

I was looking for information on the Thermette and this site came up in the search results on WebCrawler.

I looked around the site for the better part of an hour and became hooked…

Well, I just googled "survival" in the attempts to find a site with different goodies than the ones I normally look at.
The rest is history

-Bill Liptak

Ask.com on survival kits, to M40 site, AMK site, followed link to ETS.

Wow, its been so long that I don't recall at all. Glad I found it though.

ETS was the first hit when googling "survival kits" after a bit of an inconvenience in the woods. Lurked a couple of years before registering. Great info here!
J

I was searching for PSK's, actually..

read about it in Tactical Knives. Not sure what the article was about. But, it was also around the time of James Kim, so I used this place as a starting place for a kit for my GF's car (and then later, my car... my house... my BOB... my hiking kit...).

I have no idea I think I was looking for "suvival" or something like that!?

www.groundspeak.com forums.

I'm with you - who remembers. The 3 forums I found about the same time - Equipped, Blade, and candlepower - which lead to which, I have NO clue anymore

Actually, I was doing research (Intel type) on some nefarious groups when I came across this website and checked it out to see if it was a part of the research I was doing.

When I decided that it was "legit", then I was hooked.

An FAA Wings program aviation survival talk. The presenter mentioned the site and showed kits he'd built based on advice here.

Don't have a clue, it has been too long...

I was recomended by a friend who is also here on ETS. he hates typing and computers with a pasion but after breaking like half of his ribs he had no choice but surf the net while home from work out of boredom and not being able to do much else. He ended up stumbling across this site somehow. as one of the biggest survival freaks I have ever met I was surprised when he told me that he thought this site was excellent as that kind of a rating is not often given by him. Since it was recomended by a guy who lothes computers and forums(except this one) I figured it must be good and had to check it out.

I was searching for first-hand survival stories of the events of 9-11 and found the doctor's report about setting up a triage there. That led to CK's article about being stranded on the island off the coast of California. I had been active on misc.survivalism before that but newsgroup had been heading into the sewer. ETS was like a breath of fresh air.

-Blast

Initially searching for PSK building information for both our wilderness and urban SAR teams. I just seem to keep coming back, day after day. I have gleaned a wealth of knowledge from the site and especially this forum.

I was doing a PSK rebuild prior to attending a work Survival Training course. A Google search lead me to Doug's evaluations on commercial kits and I assembled some of my own using his recommendations. I lurked for a couple years until we got a home computer, then joined because ETS seemed like a respectful site that allowed people the opportunity to actually share useful information.

I enjoy this site and learn from it.

Mike

Can't remember....It all seems so natural now...

I know I was simply Googling something about survival and preparedness. I do not remember whether I was looking for survival/preparedness gear/kits or just information.

I do remember that the first thing I found was the extensive gear/equipment mega-article that Doug wrote. After finding that, I read it attentively as it was one of the best sources of raw, practical information that seems to exist. After finishing that, I found the forum… and the reading continues…

Doing research to prepare for a hurricane or tsunami.

It seems so long ago that I can hardly remember.

I vaugely recall hearing "Let there be light" and then not long afterwords "Let there be ETS, and He saw that It was Good."

It has been a while but I think I was looking for knife reviews and equipped.org popped up on the google search.

I was reading posts about building an Altoids tin survival kit on google alt.survival and misc.survivalism and the equipped.org was often cited as a good source of information on building survival kits. I then read most of the reviews and articles from Doug R. and later found out there's a forum and finally joined.

Frankie

Doing research on a presentation for hunting education survival course and liked what I saw here.

It's been so long who the heck remembers but, the advice and friends I've made can't be replaced

Same as a lot of you, just doing a search for preparedness info and ETS came up. I also liked the level headed approach to preparedness,combined with a high level of mature and knowledgable people willing to share that knowledge. This is a great forum. Thanks Doug...AND All the rest of you here. I've learned a lot.

Kenn

I was doing a google search for survival info relating to the outdoors. I came across several forums, but out of them all ETS is the best.

Although I dont post often I came here every day. I can say by far the ETS has the nicest people. Many other forums on survival topics there are alot of nut jobs running loose and alot of bashing. I have not seen that here. Pretty level headed advise, never a sour word, and respectful. I would like to say thanks to all of you for making this such a great place to visit!

Huck

researching knivies and multitools lead me here. common sense advice and discussions keep me here

I was evaluating what I had for DW and myself should we ever have the need to bugout or bugin. My prior source of information included an author that is probably considered too much of a survivalist for this site. I like his information to some extent, but it's jsut not possible for me to go that far. Anyway, I looked at a few sites for information some of which I still look at occasionally. Eventually, I saw a review for Doug Ritter's Pocket Survival Kit, searched for more information on it and found this site. A while later I found the forum, then lurked for only a bit, then posted.

I've found that I learn a whole lot more when I post on a forum, instead of just lurk in the background. If I post a thought that gets trashed on the forum, that might be something I need to think about some more. Also, sometimes you have good ideas that someone else can help you improve. And finally, sometimes there is something that you just have not thought about at all and someone on a forum will bring it to mind.

I was cyber stalking Blast at the request of PETA about his relations with kitties.

Actually I typed in Survival and this was the site that was most interesting. Almost like stepping in something.

Blitz

Goodness, I've been here for probably 6 years! I bought the "SAS Survival Flickbook" and Googled how to find supplies for my own PSK. I came across Doug's Altoids tin kit first, then the forum, and then after a while I started posting. Spent quite some time being thoroughly amused by an Italian fellow named "Bountyhunter" (does anyone else remember that guy?) and the rest is history.

Yeah, I remember him. It took me a little while to get used to him but once I did, I enjoyed his posts.Funny, for no appearant reason, he just crossed my mind a couple of days ago. Hope he's doing well.

Yeah, I miss bountyhunter, mamabear2, and a host of others that have left. I was excited to see Goatrider back. Christina, you should check him out. He's just outside the Twin Cities (Maple Grove, maybe?).

-Blast

Don't rightly remember the when and how. I do remember lurking here for several months before creating an account and my first post (reaction to 9-11 issues). I guess that I found this site while Googleing some time in 2000.

Somehow I have member #34 now, which is strange because there were a whole pile of posters here before me. The only thing I can think of is that when the forum was redone that a whole whack of people who had stale memberships were dropped.

I'm with Jim.

I started by seeing a kit very much like this http://www.survival.com/best.htm on one of the blog sites like http://www.instructables.com/ via a link from Digg.com I would imagine (that's the best I can do, but I *do* for sure recall seeing the saw blade attached to the kit like the above link.

So I was Googling personal survival kits and checking out military aviation ones and happened upon D.R.'s homemade kit.

Then the news was broadcasting their usual FUD (this time about avian flu) and so I decided to join the boards and join the discussion about long term supplies.

I was searching for fresh ideas for a PSK and this was what I found.

I think it was the survival kit reviews that got me here.

After watching "Alone in the Wilderness" for the 100th time, I decided to switch it up and watch the new DVD "Into the Wild". Well, I got all excited about survival again and hopped on the internet to look up some stuff. And there you guys were, waving at me from a top Google spot.

I had made a trip into the interior (the "bush") and found that there were a lot of things I could've done better if i had some basic equipment with me. Back then "basic equipment" to me meant a knife.

I started on my favourite website (Amazon.com) looking for survival knives and started looking at this with the complete kit in the handle. However, the reviews (this is why I shop at Amazon mostly) were sparse and I decided to look for 3rd party reviews (I was leaning towards a Coast Cutlery knife with a saw at the back of the blade).

I did a Google search and the ETS pages on knife selection came up high in the search results ranking.

The good advice and common sense hooked me after a few mins. The ETS forums are permanently open as a tab in my browser.

Nas.