Survival & Off-Grid Living

It is definitely possible to survive on rice and beans alone, since the meal is considered to be a complete protein, providing all 9 amino acids that are essential to life. The carbohydrate value of rice provides a good source of energy. Rice and beans partnered together will make a survival food that can sustain you indefinitely if you can stand the boredom!

All dehydrated foods will expand to some degree in your stomach. The degree to which they expand will depend on the dehydration process and the type of dehydrated food. It is, however, unlikely that the extent of the expansion will be the cause of any health concerns other than a little bloating.

Sweat is safe to drink but impractical to collect and is, therefore, not a viable option! Tears would be safe to drink, but the inability to produce and collect sufficient quantities makes it a non-viable option. Drinking blood is not a viable source for hydration or energy for survival. In large quantities, it is toxic and should be avoided.

While there is no doubt that coconut milk has nutritional value and will help to stave off dehydration, you will not be able to last significantly longer on coconut milk as opposed to water. Coconut water is a mild diuretic, so you cannot rely on it alone for hydration. You will need an additional hydration and energy source to meet your daily needs.

You can eat a dead chicken provided it hasn't been dead for too long, and you can establish the cause of death with some certainty. Some circumstances that resulted in the death of the chicken may render the carcass unfit for human consumption and may be more of a danger to your than hunger.

Dehydrated food may not have much smell to our noses, but a bear can definitely smell dehydrated food. The degree to which the bear will be able to sniff it out will depend on how the dehydrated food is packaged. It is always good practice to use additional precautions when carrying food in bear country!

Zippo lighters and plasma lighters will work as survival lighters, but there are better options available than both these lighters for survival.

A crossbow is better for survival than a bow. The reasons behind the choice include accuracy, ease of use, maintainability, and portability, although I would be happy for either one in a survival situation.