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TucsonMax
08-19-2009, 07:56 PM
How to Get Started: Advice from one Newbie to other Newbies

I have no camping, military or survival training and am unquestionably a newbie. I’ve spent significant time reading and thinking about the topics on this site... here’s what I’ve learned, in hopes it will help you get started on the road to peace-of-mind and general preparedness:

1) You need to get a clear handle on what you want to prepare for and what concerns you have. Preparation for a “winter storm: 3 days w/o power” is different from “3 weeks w/o power” which is mighty different from “3 months w/o power.” Your decisions will be much easier and results better if you internalize your concerns rather than just “jumping-in.”

2) Emergency, wilderness and survival preparation is an art, not a science. There is much more grey-area than black-and-white answers. You need to understand that. You can’t expect to read one book or website to find all of your questions neatly packaged together… there are simply to many variables and opinions.

For example, to a newbie, the question: “What is the best way to prepare for cooking w/o electricity?” seems perfectly reasonable. But what you will learn is, there are at least 5 methods, all different, some overlapping, all with passionate defenders. The best method for you depends on personal preferences and circumstance. It has helped me to think about these topics as I would think about a serious medical condition. I would do plenty of reading and research and gets lots of opinions before forming my own opinions. That’s how these issues work.

3) When using this site, the first thing you must do is Register. The SECOND thing is go to the Introduction thread
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=14 and introduce yourself to the others. Why?

A) So that the Super Moderators don’t have a cow (or a calf :-)
B) So that the people who are going to help you, can find out a little bit about you. No one is interested in your resume… but a little bit of information like: where you live, your age and any special skills or training you may have will help the teachers better teach.
C) This is a very intelligent and helpful community… but you are stranger, so YOU should take the first step.
D) Oh yeah.. I’ve read this maybe 50 times: If you have a website or want to promote something, KEEP IT OUT OF YOUR POST! (No one really cares, especially if you are a Newbie.) You really should try to contribute something to the Community FIRST, before trying to sell it something.

4) Read! Before my first post, in fact, even before I registered, I spent several weeks reading through hundreds of threads and literally thousands of posts. I spent an hour per day, probably 100 hrs total, getting educated. (Thanks to all of you!) (And, yes, my wife was a bit concerned, at first.) So now, I’m a hellova lot smarter than when I first meandered onto this site.

And to make the most of my reading/research, I created many word docs on different topics (water, gas, candles/light, food storage, food prep, etc.) Whenever I found some useful info (very often) I summarized or copied it to my docs. And whenever I found a new topic of interest, I created a new doc. Later I organized the snippets and before long, I had complete 1-page strategies on all sorts of topics. You can’t remember everything and it is easy to get overwhelmed with the breadth of information and opinions. This method helped me a great deal.

5) Ask intelligent questions. Think first about your question and then ask it completely. Here’s an example of what I mean:

I’ve seen lots of Newbie questions like “What is the best way to store water?” That’s a legit newbie question that will receive many different responses. But, I suspect will be ignored by some senior members and those you really want to hear from. Why?... because the question is incomplete. What you should have asked was: “My family of three lives on the 10th floor in a small apartment in a very old building in the middle of a big northern city and I’m concerned about pipes freezing or water-main breaks and loss of water for 2-3 days, what is the best way for me to store water?” Now, that’s a question that will get direct and specific and very helpful answers.

Appreciate, if you live in the desert (but don’t tell anyone) and ask about food storage; then get answers from experts living in Alaska about "burrying supplies under the tundra for the long term"... how helpful is that? There’s an old computer term “GIGO” stands for “garbage-in, garbage-out.” It’s fully applicable here too.

Remember, we were all Newbies once… so go forth and learn and then contribute whatever you can to the Community.

I hope this helps.

PS: Special thanks to: Rick, Crash, Chris, Ken, Bulrush, Beowulf, Trax, Sarky, Ole Coot, Pict, Sarge, Wareagle, Remy, Nell67, Owl Girl and Hopeak for getting me from bumbling idiot to Newbie.

Ken
08-19-2009, 08:00 PM
Sticky??? :innocent:

Rick
08-19-2009, 08:01 PM
Done did it. TM - That is one of the better posts. Well thought out and nicely done! Contgrats!!!

Sarge47
08-19-2009, 08:02 PM
Who's gonna have a cow? We just direct them to the right thread or turn 'em over to the Sergent-At-Arms? Hey! Who's the Sergent-At-Arms? :innocent:

Ken
08-19-2009, 08:04 PM
Excellent post, Max! Excellent! :clap:

SARKY
08-19-2009, 08:42 PM
There IS intelligent life out there!!!

nell67
08-19-2009, 08:51 PM
TM,that was an excellent post!!!!I think you have officially graduated from newbie! Congrats on the sticky!:clap::clap:

Sarge47
08-19-2009, 10:45 PM
This is one of my blogs that should be on here:

For The "Newbys"; Part II.

Posted 01-27-2008 at 01:11 AM by Sarge47 (http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/blog.php?u=296)
Updated 01-27-2008 at 01:14 AM by Sarge47 (http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/blog.php?u=296)
Here are, in my personal opinion, some mistakes made by a lot of new-comers to this site as well as to the field of Survival:

1.) Oft-times we 1st hear from a "Newby" regarding the most facinating piece of Survival equipment imaginable, the Knife! the allure of a large bladed knife, in some cases, sporting a hollow handle to stash more Survival stuff, seems to draw the new-comer like a magnet, adding fuel to their great belief that they are the next "Rambo". When-ever possible, please don't make this your 1st post, and if you do, please don't start out by saying something like:
"What do you think is the best Survival Knife? I just bought the...." or "What do you all think of this knife (usually includes a photo or a link to a web-site showing the knife.) I just bought/ordered one." Now if we answer that question in a negative then you will either get angry at us or feel bad about your purchase.

2.) The 2nd most popular topic is for a Newby who desires to put together a survival kit without ever having any previous experience in the field. You need to learn "Survival Priorities", & they are as follows: FIRST; you're mind. Train it right and it will take care of you better than a lot of other stuff. SECOND; Study, then put what you've learned into practice. THIRD; Learn the basics 1st, & that includes 1st aid, the proper clothing, & a bunch of other stuff way too numerous to mention here.

3.) The 3rd most popular thing a Newby does is try to impress us with the highly questionable desire to show us all what a tough, macho, Hombre they are by dashing off into the Wilderness with nothing more than a loin-cloth and a head full of good intentions. You WILL impress us, but not in a positive way. So do yourself a favor; if your planning on running off into the Wilderness with nothing more than your
underwear and a pen-knife, keep it to yourself unless your a full-blown masochist as you won't like the response you're going to get. We don't want to hear it any more. If you can read and follow the 3 things here, then you'll wind up making a lot of friends; if not then prepare for negative criticism. SARGE.:cool:

COWBOYSURVIVAL
08-19-2009, 10:50 PM
I concur .... This is a great post 'n' should be the introduction to this site.. or at least consider it...

pocomoonskyeyes
08-19-2009, 10:59 PM
Being Fairly new here myself I want to say I'm mad at you. You could've done this weeks ago and saved me some headache!!!! Just kidding TM - It is an excellent STICKY that says a lot to me. I like the way you and Remy Organize your thoughts.(Yes I said that) that organizational skill is impressive. I can tell a story well but it is all ad lib I just start writing at point A and go from there. You OBVIOUSLY spent a lot of time,effort and thought in starting this Thread/Sticky - impressive, very impressive.

equus
08-20-2009, 08:41 AM
yes that is a great sticky TM.

trax
08-20-2009, 05:45 PM
Light at the end of the tunnel!! Nicely done, TM.

finallyME
08-21-2009, 06:09 PM
I like the post. It doesn't only apply to this site and this topic, but probably all others. I have seen the bad behavior mentioned on many other sites that cover different topics. Well done.

Ken
08-21-2009, 06:11 PM
What other sites? :sneaky2:

Jonesy
08-21-2009, 06:33 PM
TM that is a great piece of advice. Maybe that should be an automatic PM when a person registers.

When you find that you have dug yourself into a nice hole in a thread simply lay down the shovel.

NightShade
08-22-2009, 07:38 AM
I agree completly!.. a great post Tucson!.. I also agree with Sarge, especially about the knife.. I cant help but shake my head when people talk about the "awesome" hollow handled "survival" knife they just bought...Anyone who has owned one of those realizes they aren't all they're cracked up to be... and it could be too late in a survival situation..

Lorna
08-23-2009, 01:20 PM
Great post TM, this post will hopefully stop alot of the Super Mods headaches.

trax
08-24-2009, 01:36 PM
Naw Lorna, the SuperMods will always be headaches.

crashdive123
08-24-2009, 01:41 PM
http://janeward.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/bulldog-with-headache.jpg

Rick
08-24-2009, 03:08 PM
I second that...

http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens2268915module12399991photo_1225590724fun ny_dog_pictures_head_wound.jpg

Beo
10-26-2009, 07:55 AM
WOW! TM that was a great post, personally I think it should be on the Main Page, very very good write up. Seems we have another great mind in the Pack.
While I have a little knowledge on the outdoors I am always learning here, everytime I get on here I learn something new.
Anyway I can help anyone out let me know and TM glad that something I posted helped you.
Beo,

Old GI
10-26-2009, 08:25 AM
I second that...

http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens2268915module12399991photo_1225590724fun ny_dog_pictures_head_wound.jpg

At the risk of repeating myself - Rick, you are a baaaaaddddd mannnnnn!

Nativedude
10-26-2009, 11:45 PM
TucsonMax,

I have been quite busy this summer and have not posted here much, so first I will say welcome to the insanity.

Secondly, that is a very well thought out and beautifully executed post. Much applause! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Personally, I believe the you will be a great asset to the forum and you've learned the how-to and have laid a solid foundation on which to build your house of survival knowledge. It should be very sturdy as learning is an ever evolving and growing process.

Good Luck!

Icemancometh
10-27-2009, 05:16 PM
From another newbie, that was very insightful. The devil is in the details.

smhg
10-30-2009, 06:46 PM
TucsonMax,

I am still a bumbling idiot (I liked that term in your post) and am trying to learn so I can move to Newbie status.

Thanks for writing an excellent post. Though I've been a member here since earlier this year, I took a hiatus while getting settled into my new, very concrete, South American living environment. We are hoping to get some country land soon so I am just now getting back into trying to learn, and am putting together goals for a 1-year survival plan for a family of 6 (including 4 kids ages 6 & under.)

For some of us who are also trying to put together 1-pagers, do you have a blog or site where you post any of the information you've put together?

crashdive123
10-30-2009, 07:00 PM
Smhg - you should pick Pict's brain when you see him on line. He just moved back to Brazil last week.

smhg
10-31-2009, 10:32 AM
Crashdive123 - thanks! He has sent a note to me back in April when I joined and I finally wrote back the other day when I came back to the forum. Brazil is a very different kind of place and it is hard to find the things I need/want. I will for sure be picking his brain for tips.

TucsonMax
11-02-2009, 12:34 PM
For some of us who are also trying to put together 1-pagers, do you have a blog or site where you post any of the information you've put together?

smhg:
Thanks for your kind words.
I hadn't thought of posting my 1-pagers. They need cleaning-up and some more work to make sense, but a good idea. I'll work on in after the 1st.

Bladen
01-25-2010, 05:36 PM
heres a tiny thought: if you dont know anything about the topic youre posting to, maybe it would be best to not post at all.

if youre going to inject a bit of humor thats just fine with me. i think we all like the humor around here.

but ive read post after post after post where a guy asks a question and 10 people feel the need to say "sorry, i dont know anything about that." it makes it pretty hard to sift through to get to a bit of knowledge.

just a thought.

crashdive123
01-25-2010, 07:51 PM
heres a tiny thought: if you dont know anything about the topic youre posting to, maybe it would be best to not post at all.

if youre going to inject a bit of humor thats just fine with me. i think we all like the humor around here.

but ive read post after post after post where a guy asks a question and 10 people feel the need to say "sorry, i dont know anything about that." it makes it pretty hard to sift through to get to a bit of knowledge.

just a thought.

It's a trade off. If somebody asks a question to which folks that are on-line do not know the answer ---- we've been accused of ignoring somebody because they were new, or asked a "dumb" question. It's not the case, but it seems to happen a lot if no responses are received.

intothenew
12-06-2011, 09:16 AM
Thanks for the primer. I need all the anti-bumble ammo I can get.

BENESSE
12-06-2011, 10:22 AM
Hey, where in the world is TucsonMax?!
Hope he got that car fixed.

doormatt
07-04-2012, 10:44 PM
I wasn't able to see which questions I got wrong after I took the quiz. Is there a trick I missed ?

crashdive123
07-05-2012, 06:57 AM
I wasn't able to see which questions I got wrong after I took the quiz. Is there a trick I missed ?

When you take the quiz it and hit the grade me button it will give you the areas you need to brush up on. There is then a button that will give you the details on each question you missed, along with an email being sent to the address you provided.

kyratshooter
07-05-2012, 12:31 PM
I wasn't able to see which questions I got wrong after I took the quiz. Is there a trick I missed ?

Go back and take it over. When in doubt answer "waterproof".

Rick
07-05-2012, 02:11 PM
You know we're going to have to put a leash on you don't you? We can't have you runnin' around the front yard scaring all the neighbors.

doormatt
07-09-2012, 12:32 AM
ha ha.. you must be the class clown. I love clowns.

here's a question for you..
as a Kentuckian.. at what point, did your fingers begin out numbering your teeth?

crashdive123
07-09-2012, 06:13 AM
Wow! I'm sure with that as your second post, you will endear yourself to the membership here.

BENESSE
07-09-2012, 08:22 AM
Wow! I'm sure with that as your second post, you will endear yourself to the membership here.

What's worse is now he's got kyrat's attention.

crashdive123
07-09-2012, 02:48 PM
What's worse is now he's got kyrat's attention.

Yeah, I hope he has good luck with that.

doormatt
07-12-2012, 07:40 PM
Wow! I'm sure with that as your second post, you will endear yourself to the membership here.
I see by your replies you are a gentlemen.. and
since you were good enough not to cancel my membership after what I posted, I owe you an explanation.

I did retake the quiz; in the same fashion as I did the first time, through a Yahoo search.

Both times the quiz was presented to me directly without going through the home page.

The first time, I didn't bother 'brushing up' on the side text.
I wanted to see how informed I was or wasn't without any other input.

After I completed the quiz, I clicked on grade me and saw my score was 85%.
Huh? 85%, 21 questions ??
Sorry, but the generally accepted rule when presenting percentages is to take the ratio to three significant figures,
so 85.7%, or better yet, 86% would have ameliorated my growing skepticism.

But let's continue.

I looked around to see if there was a discussion about the questions I missed.
I didn't find anything but some wise-*** comments about what I needed to work on.
I can handle being made fun of as long as everyone is let in on the joke.

So after taking the quiz a second time, I looked again and got the very same results,
no buttons.. no arrows.. no signs.. nothing but a big DOWNLOAD BUTTON with the caveat..
"We'd sure like to sell you something." (paraphrasing)

I don't know about you, but I don't like downloading anything off the web I'm not sure of.
But don't take my word for it, go see for yourself.

That said, I did find information here I found to be useful, and thank you for it.

I won't hold it against you if you do decide to terminate my membership .. but
if you do allow me to continue, please don't expect me to accept being treated like a doormatt.

Rick
07-12-2012, 08:06 PM
But...but.....that's your name. By the way, Crash is a gentleman in the truest sense of the word.

The quiz isn't designed as a be all end all of survival tests. It's to have some fun and see what you know. I did go out and take the test at your urging. I did get a score and I did have a button that let me see the ones I missed. It functioned as it's suppose to. Directly below the Download banner are your test results. You don't have to click on anything else or download anything. The download button is part of an advertising banner. Here's a snapshot of the results.

8105

You can see the three missed questions below the advertising banner.

How you arrived at the quiz has no bearing on the results. Different roads to the same destination.

Finally, advertising keeps the forum afloat. You don't have to purchase anything.

doormatt
07-12-2012, 10:07 PM
But...but.....that's your name. By the way, Crash is a gentleman in the truest sense of the word.

The quiz isn't designed as a be all end all of survival tests. It's to have some fun and see what you know. I did go out and take the test at your urging. I did get a score and I did have a button that let me see the ones I missed. It functioned as it's suppose to. Directly below the Download banner are your test results. You don't have to click on anything else or download anything. The download button is part of an advertising banner. Here's a snapshot of the results.

8105

You can see the three missed questions below the advertising banner.

How you arrived at the quiz has no bearing on the results. Different roads to the same destination.

Finally, advertising keeps the forum afloat. You don't have to purchase anything.
geez.. another gentleman with more good manners.
can we amend my name to real_heel-on-the-doormatt.

thanks Rick.. I can't say I saw what you sent me in the link the previous times, but my glasses are in need of a new prescription..
and no doubt, you are thinking, so are my meds.

I'll see if I can conform and get with the program.

cheers.

kyratshooter
07-13-2012, 08:15 PM
here's a question for you..
as a Kentuckian.. at what point, did your fingers begin out numbering your teeth?

I presently have the vast majority of my own teeth, and not under my pillow either.

This is an accomplishment for which I was nominated for the position of mayor of my small town.

Unfortunately the postmistress' dog and the small engine repairman's goat both got more votes than myself.

It is just as well, the responsibilities were more than I wanted to deal with and the goat is doing a fine job!

Adventure Wolf
11-27-2014, 03:12 AM
I just saw this post for the first time. Great post. I know its old, but the original poster still got reputation from me for it.

With the influx of new people, I want to respond to it and make it active again. I have no problem doing that because its a sticky.

Tokwan
11-27-2014, 03:17 AM
Great piece of writeup.....

josha
06-22-2020, 06:04 AM
just saw this post for the first time.

Of course, since I just joined to spam your site that should come as no surprise. You guessed it......I'm just a stupid spammer out of the Philippines.