The best way to get warm is to stay warm.

The best way to get found is to stay found.

The best way to get food and water is to have food and water.

The best way to get help is to help yourself.

Thoughts? Other "maxims"?

'Cotton kills.'
This is less important down here, where cotton is often quite comfortable, but important to keep in mind when things get cold.

"The easiest way to survive a disaster is to avoid the disaster.'
Don't concentrate on dealing with situation and neglect to look at ways you might avoid it.

'Don't play the hero.'
The need for 'heroic action' means you have screwed up and failed to plan, prepare or observe.

Don't try to stick to the original plan when conditions have changed.

If it crosses your mind that your idea might be stupid and dangerous, go back and reconsider; you were probably right.

Don't jog with your ears plugged in bear/cougar country.

If you think you're lost or off the trail, STOP!

Keep your most important tool sharp at all times...the one between your ears.

Don't pull on the red rope that goes up through a hole in the ceiling. It makes the walk-in freezer door fall off.

-Blast

Dress to survive, not just arrive. (from outdoorsafe.com)

S-T-O-P -- Stop, Think, Observe, and Plan

Hug-a-tree -- If you've done your prep work right, people will be looking for you soon enough. Stay put and wait for help. Don't go looking for it.

The best survival knife is the one you have with you when you need it.

The best place for water is in your stomach. (from http://www.equipped.org/kidprimr.htm )

Don't leave home without it! (thats for gear junkies like me)

Fortune favors the brave.

Virgil, Aeneid
Roman epic poet (70 BC - 19 BC)

Still true today.

The only thing more accurate than enemy fire, is friendly fire.

Never share a fox-hole with anyone bravier than you.

If your assault is going very well, it is an ambush.

Your service weapon was produced by the lowest bidder.

The plan is the first victim of contact with the enemy.

See one threat, Think two.

If your feet are cold, put your hat on.

There are many more like these!

Mike

Always have back-ups...two is one and one is none.

Always wear old underwear. You're either going to s**t your pants or medical personnel are going to be cutting them off. Why waste clean on that???

Sue

On a long enough time line, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
From Fight Club

swampdonkey, you forgot one.... Tracers work both ways...

Hey mtnlvr68,

Sounds like we have the same list, it was a papercopy from about 15 years ago and I have no idea where I filed it?

Mike

First you say it then you do it.

Blast+Kitty+Water=ROTFLMAO

What one man can do, another can do.

A dull knife is only good for spreading butter.
Hint: when the enemy is in range of your sights, you're in range of his.
Friendly fire is not friendly.
There is no such thing as a fair fight. Always cheat, always win.
Murphy has a great sense of humor, problem is YOU are the punchline.

-Bill Liptak

You win!!

When being chased by a wild critter bent on your destruction you only need to be faster than the other guy.

There is an eleventh essential: toilet paper.

hummm...never needed toilet paper in the bush. Just too many other things I can substitute - would rather carry something more useful.

But there are just some areas where TP looks better then a hand full of sand.

yeah or a cactus

I carry TP in my EDC bag. There aren't any substitutes in a dirty gas station bathroom that's run out of TP.

Maxim #1:

The first chapter of any credible survival manual is "How to stay out of survival situations."

Maxim #2:

Memorize the first chapter. It's a lot less work than the others.

;-)

Yeah, and snow is no fun either!

Yeah - that one has save my.... A couple of times

There are alternatives to TP, but the only one I really want to use are sold in the drugstore as wipes.

If you need to sample the leaves to see which ones give you rashes or not, then you do it. But when the urge strikes in the middle of someplace with facilities and you have not had time to prepare, that roll of TP or package of wipes is wonderful to have.

After TEOTWAKI, I'll learn to use leaves, etc. Right now, I want the modern convenience.

Although a different kind of survival, I'll say what we teach in self defense classes..."The best self defense technique is to keep yourself out of situations where you need self defense techniques"

And to quote Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid II..."Best block, no be there".

From a co-worker/martial arts instructor/best friend when we were bouncing, "Don't be the one to get hurt!"

Joe

Some Ray Mears quotes in his programmes:

'Death is natures way of telling you; you should have done more survival training'

'If you keep one eye on the past you are blind in one eye, but if you forget the past; you are blind in both eyes'

'Having knowledge without the wisdom to use it is like using
matches in a fireworks factory'

The Sock

Remember....If it is stupid and it works.....it isn't stupid.

"GET BUSY LIVING OR GET BUSY DYING"