Survival is not groveling at the lowest possible level and barely existing. Survival is living richly and luxuriously at the highest level possible with the resources available to you.

   We at Positive Way are proud to introduce to you the Life Pack system to meet your urban and wilderness travel or emergency needs as well as some ideas on how to be more resourceful with your pack and your God-given abilities to be creative. Each item in the LifePack has more than one use. It is a unique pack. Its compact, lightweight, long-lasting, inexpensive and very versatile.

    Before we get acquainted with it, lets go over some basic facts about surviving, whether it be in the urban or wilderness environment.

Rule No 1:
   Know the Threes of Survival
   Don't panic if an emergency arises
   Analyze your Resources:

The threes of survival

• Three minutes without air
  
• Three hours without shelter
  
• Three days without water
  
• Three weeks without food
  
• Three months without a plan or practice
  

   For instance in a closed living area, (particularly in the wintertime) like a tent or snow cave, with a stove or other like device since the oxygen can become consumed by fire and breathing and is then replaced by carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. Be cautious of long periods of time sitting in a closed car to stay warm while the engine is running. The Engine consumes oxygen and produces carbon monoxide.

   The process of fermentation or decomposition whether it in a still, on the forest floor, or in a swampy lowland consumes oxygen and expels carbon dioxide. This too can be life threatening.

SHELTER
   Three Hours without shelter can indeed be a life threatening condition.

   As we go throughout the world we find that different cultures are very adept at the extremes of heat and cold and we can benefit from their experiences. Clothing is very important not only when it is cold but even more so when it is hot. Our tendency in our culture is to lose clothing in the summertime. Typically the hotter it is the less we wear, this is not always the best. How many people, in desert countries of the middle East, do we see with their shirts off?

   Heat exhaustion is the condition when the body is above normal body temperature but the perspiration is of abnormally high amounts. The skin is usually pale and headaches , dizziness, and weakness are common

   Sunstroke is the condition of the body when the when the body fluids and salts have been lost due to heavy perspiration. The body looses the ability to cool itself and is manifests itself in extremely high body temperature, hot dry skin, and eventually unconsciousness.

   Hypothermia is the condition of the body when the core temperature is below 78 degrees, at this temperature all body functions cease. The body has a defense mechanism that determines that the torso is of prime importance and all else is secondary. If the core temperature of the torso is lowered the body starts shutting off the blood supply to all the extremities even the head. Eventually all the extremities suffer from oxygen starvation and the cells begin to die. Hypothermia is manifest by slurred speech, loss of sensation of the extremities and slow mental functions. This may not be readily discerned by the one in trouble and in some instance the victim has to be wrestled to the ground and treatment is administered in great protest. The victim usually is in denial that there is any problem. If left untreated (warmed up) the victim will continue to lose temperature in the extremities and they will freeze. When this happens the cells rupture in the freezing process and when they thaw out will usually just rot and fall off. This is the condition that we call frostbite.

   Hypothermia can also be experienced if immersed in cool water as warm as 70 degrees (if no body activity to raise the core temperature) and sleeping directly on the ground without any insulation underneath. Usually the lack of comfort that we feel sleeping on the ground is not from the hardness of the ground it is the pain that we feel from partial hypothermia

   Keeping dry, the best insulation and overall deterrent from exposure is keeping dry and if you get wet the best thing to do is get dry NOW! not when it is convenient or when you reach the next destination. Do not go to sleep in anything that is wet, your clothes, your bedding or even your socks. If need be put your mittens on your feet while you sleep and/or dry your socks

Fabrics
   Wool has been the standard for many centuries. It has been found to maintain 85% of its insulation value when drenched. it usually will not absorb any moisture be it water or any other liquid. The service stations of past decades used wool uniforms to avoid battery acid from destroying their clothing in the day to day activities around the service of Automobiles. Military uniforms were and are of wool, perhaps the scourge of many a soldier, but nonetheless these uniforms proved to be durable and warm in very adverse conditions. Wool When exposed to an open flame will not burn, in fact in the case of a House fire many lives could be saved by wrapping in a Wool blanket and walking through the flames. (note: do not use a synthetic blanket for this purpose, it will ignite.)

   Cotton though it is a natural fiber is not the best insulator. Cotton will actually absorb water out of the air and is very absorbent. Wet cotton will maintain only about 25% of its insulation capability. Remember Grandma using old flour sacks for dish towels they were very absorbent and did a very good job of absorbing the water out of the dishes. Likewise Cotton will absorb perspiration from your body and water from the moist air of cold days and evenings. A Cotton flannel shirt (in the wardrobe of many a Hunter) may not the best choice if warmth is the desired end

   Synthetic fibers (Nylon, Rayon, Dacron, Etc.) Though they are very comfortable next to the skin, light and warm in many instances and the choice of many outdoors men will produce many different results. Most synthetic fibers are made from a form of plastic in composition, and as such will melt into a liquid and continue to burn until consumed when exposed to an open flame. Wet synthetic fibers will loose from 25% to 75% of their insulation value    Down (Feathers) can be of the warmest for their weight insulation ratio but if they get wet can lose as much as 75% of their insulation and take as much as four of five days to dry and unless treated properly can mildew and can have a very objectionable odor.

Clothing
   Layering. In addition to the type of material clothing is made of the use is just as important. It is important to put clothing on in layers. It has been found that many layers of thinner material will provide more warmth than one layer of the same material and weight . Also it will give the freedom of shedding some of the bulk on warmer days Avoid going to bed with any part of your clothing wet.

   Capote

   Neckscarf

Footwear
   What we wear on our feet can be of greater importance than we think. the energy expended with one pound on the feet is equal to the energy expended with six pounds on the back pack. This explains why we get so tired walking in a muddy area and the mud clinging to the boots. It is a fact that we keep our leather shoes or boots warm they do not keep us warm. It is not the best choice in very cold weather to choose leather, in fact can be a contributor to frostbite. Snowmobile boots and the like have a felt liner for this very purpose

   Keep footwear dry!

Campsites(choosing)
   Choose the lee side from the prevailing wind behind a tree, rock outcropping or hillside.
   Choose an area that has good choices of raw materials for food and tools
   Choose an area close to water but not so close so as to scare off the wildlife that uses the water source on a daily basis.
   Avoid the use of a flood plain area or the threat of a flash flood
   Avoid the use of the bottom of a valley area, this is where the coldest air will stratify and settle during the night
   Avoid any area that may be in danger from falling objects (trees, rocks, etc.)
Temporary shelters

Pack Demonstration
Materials needed:

WATER
    Three days without water is an extreme condition and should be avoided if at all possible. Three to six quarts per day is usually the amount of water needed in our daily activities. This will vary greatly with activity and weather but is a good rule of the thumb.

   Water in the wild cannot be used as was by our grandparents i.e. flowing streams purifying itself every forty feet. Water today can be infected with Ghiardia. Ghiardia is a micro organism that is so small that seven thousand can fit on the head of a pin. This little guy lives on the fecal matter of warm blooded animals and has a five day life cycle. if ingested and reproducing it may take up to three months to manifest itself as industrial strength stomach cramps, flatulence, diarrhea and flue like symptoms. This will continue to increase in intensity and if unchecked can result in death due to dehydration. This little bug is nothing to ignore.

Purifying water
    Filters should have a small enough screen so as to filter out the ghiardia cyst ( .3 microns) Purification tablets seem to work well, be sure to follow instructions on the package and under no circumstances ingest any of these chemicals.

    Boiling will work when all else fails and no other method is available. Be sure to boil at a full rolling boil for a minimum of ten minuets. This will kill all bacteria including the ghiardia

FOOD
   Three weeks without food though is possible is not very desirable and certainly in our society is unheard of. We are socially and emotionally geared up to eating three times a day whether we need it or not. Our body requirements are far less than we expect and we would be far better off with about one forth the food intake that we are presently eating.

   There are many pre prepared packaged foods available on the market. Some may be as expensive as $7.00 per meal, the choice is ours to make as we see fit in life.

   We have found that the greatest amount of food value that can be carried in relation to its bulk is working with the whole grains. Another benefit is that the whole grains are also the least expensive. Between $1.50--$5.00 per week per person is all that would be necessary to have a high quality and very palatable food supply. The following would be an easy amount of food to pack and work with

Two cups each of the following:

• Whole Wheat flour
• Brown Rice (non instant will keep longer)
• Legumes ( Peas, Lentils, Beans)
• Rolled oats

• Baking powder
• Soda
• Condiments to taste
• Allspice, Cinnamon, Chili, Curry, Salt, Pepper Etc.

• Powdered milk (be cautious while cooking as it burns easily)
• Raisins
• Packaged drink mixes ( Hot & Cold)
• Dry soup Mixes

PLANS and PRACTICE
   To function smoothly in our world without a plan for more that three months is difficult. If we do not live by design we then find ourselves living by default

   1. Practice using lifePack inside on floor.

   2. Practice using it outside in yard

   3. Practice using it outside of town only a mile of two

   4. After each practice evaluate and customize your pack.

SUMMARY
   1. Starter Pack

   2. Basic Pack

   3. Urban Pack

   4. Book and Video

   5. Outdoor seminars

CONCLUSION
   What we are trying to accomplish with the LifePACK is that if mom and the kids are trying to go from point A to point B and the car breaks down half way from nowhere. It's no longer panic time it is now adventure time. We are going to cook dinner, make our beds, spend the night and tomorrow we will get someone to help us fix the car.

MISC. (Games, Songs, Stories)