One comment on the gender-wars debate: Train for the skills you have aptitude. If you're strong, train for brute force. If you're dexterious, then train for skills that use precision. Gender has no bearing on the individual level. There are diminuative men and there are hulking women. And personally I definitely think that one should avoid being solo if at all safely possible. A lone wolf is a dead wolf, especially over the long-term.

That being said, here are some women-specific and not-often-thought-of-by-men suggestions:

For monthly cycling:
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Get a Divacup/Keeper/etc.. its one small item made out of medical-grade silicon, that with some soap (which you should have in your kit anyway) is more sanitary than other method. Nothing wrong with a small amount of back-up products, but to lay in a long term supply is costly and wastes space.

Potential for Pregnancy:
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First of all, in an emergency situation, you definitely want to avoid being pregnant until you are in a safe circumstance. You should have some kind of birth control method, and preferably more than one -- condoms, pills, etc. Both are light-weight, pack well, and can be multi-use/barter items.

If you know or have good reason to think you are pregnant, especially in the first trimester, you should know how to SAFELY prepare an herbal 'menstral regulator'. The big emphasis is on it being safe. There are many herbs that can be used to end an early pregnancy, that have been used for hundreds of years, some of them are relatively dangerous, some will virtually sterilize you, others will make you more fertile later, and all of them will make you at least a little sick for a few days if not worse. But, in a dangerous situation you may need to make harsh choices. Or, you may need to counsel someone who's already made the choice so they do not hurt themselves in the attempt. All that being said, if you have access to a modern medical abortion, this is the safest route for the mother. I am not going to even debate the morality of all this, just putting it out there as suggested necessary knowledge.

So, beyond that, you are pregnant, or have any other gynocological problems and no access to normal health care - then I would suggest you get the book 'Where Women Have No Doctor: A Health Guide for Women' by Ronnie Lovich. Its available through amazon.com. This is also a situation where you really should be focusing on finding other people. Alone and pregnant is just asking for trouble.

Susan mentioned the social conditioning that women in general have against doing violence, even when it's necessary. I whole-heartedly agree. Sometimes it is very necessary. Get over it. Take a self-defense class, or martial arts, etc, where you get to practice judicious use of controlled violence. It's always best to avoid a conflict, but don't lay down and expect to be rescued if its unavoidable. Brute force means a lot less than thought, speed, accuracy and the ability to dodge/get away. Most community education programs or women's shelters have self-defense classes of some kind, often for free.

One last thing, everyone should know some herbal basics. You should know how to treat small skin wounds against infection, treat a cold/flu and maintain your nutrition -- all from the plants local to your area. The stereotypical camophlaged hunter, even with all the meat they can eat, is still going to get really sick in a couple months if they don't know how to find a source of vitamin C. You may not have access to orange juice, or neosporin, or nyquil, etc..

Okay, that's my thought-dump for now. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />