Cameron McKirdy from Survival Bros shows you how to gather freebies at a motel. Embrace hoarding, and be the real prepper you can be. Not that I’d do it, but I bet you could walk into any hotel and politely ask for another shampoo, soap, and coffee and you’d get hooked up without being questioned about what room you are staying in. Just saying. I’ve already put my freebies in Ziploc bags for storage. Happy prepping. Please SUBSCRIBE to Survival Bros on YouTube! Thank you.
Shot by Cameron McKirdy
Survival Bros drives in dangerous road conditions through Champaign, Illinois. It was 29 degrees. First came an inch of snow, then freezing rain, followed by a hail storm. The worthless rental car, a Kia Soul, was covered in an inch of ice, and struggled to stay on the slippery road! There were accidents all over the place, but it looks like the worst winter weather is behind us now. Stay tuned for additional HD videos. Please enter your email on the top left side of the blog to follow all of our posts. More intense stuff soon. Thanks for visiting! Get prepared.
February 5, 2014
Survival Bros is in Champaign, Illinois with the news. Cameron McKirdy films an HD video in the middle of a huge winter snow storm they are calling Nika. Roads are covered in dangerous ice, with packed snow on top making for bad driving conditions. Don’t try to commute unless you have a 4×4 truck, or something with excellent traction, and considerable weight. This weather is brutal on your skin, so use as much protection as possible, such as ChapStick and hand lotion. Cam is wearing a Hoo-Rag bandana on his face to stay warm, and has epic GOR-TEX gloves from Trekmates out of the UK. Check those brands out, and get prepared. Unfortunately, the worst Winter weather is yet to come. Tomorrow Survival Bros will be enduring temperatures near zero degrees. Cam will have another cold weather update for you soon. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe to us on Youtube, and follow this emergency preparedness blog via email. Be safe. Peace.
How’d you like to drive on this? Road conditions keep getting worse. To be continued…
A delivery bike quipped for an arctic blast in Champaign, IL.
The roads are clear here now, but it got down to -25 last night.
Mother Nature had no mercy this morning. I wore shorts to suffer for fun. I got lots of looks and almost caused a few accidents. Ladies like my calves. It would be a shame not to show them. Seriously though, it was so cold my teeth hurt from breathing. Back in Oregon my friends and family are dealing with tons of unexpected snow. Hopefully they are safe, and have food and supplies stockpiled for events like this. More soon!
Produced by Cameron McKirdy with Tactical Gypsy for Survival Bros
Learn how to tie popular knots using paracord following easy step-by-step instructions from a Marine. These are easy and helpful knots you can create quickly for emergency or whatever. We challenge you to learn them all.
Here’s more knots to play with. Thanks for visiting Survival Bros. Follow this blog using your email up above on the left side of the screen. Peace.
Produced By Cameron McKirdy
This weekend Survival Bros went for a drive up I-5, and then took Spirit Lake Highway to visit majestic Mount St. Helens. Most of the hiking trails were off limits to us because we had a puppy to acclimate to the outdoors for the first time. Therefore, we found ourselves at Seaquest State Park, which while splendid, doesn’t have well-maintained paths like the nearby Hummocks Trail closer to the volcano. So, after breaking a sweat there we continued to climb in elevation, and drove to two breathtaking viewpoints called Elk Rock, and Castle Lake. I shot the HD video above, and snapped a few pictures. Our final stop was Clearwater Lake. It formed after the eruption in 1980. There’s a relatively flat trail circling the body of water, but again no dogs are allowed. I was willing to risk a minimum $50 fine, but we’ll just have to trek it another time. Besides, the sun was setting, and my belly was growling. At Castle Rock we cruised into C and L Burger Bar for a feast. I’m talking peanut butter real ice cream milk shakes, fatty elk cheeseburgers, and scalding crinkle cut french fries. Epic. It was a complete day, and I look forward to returning to Mount St. Helens when it’s warmer, and all the backpacking trails are open to explore.
Produced By Cameron McKirdy
Learn all about the NEW contest from Survival Bros, and Cougar Ridge Knives! Visit, or ship your Altoids Survival Tin Kit to the shop for review at: 3348 Hwy 101 N. Seaside OR 97138 USA Call Rick Smith at (503) 738-9812 for additional details on this giveaway. There’s incredible prizes on the line. Lots more soon, so keep checking back on this blog post. Good luck preppers.
*Good news:
This contest has been extended, and is now running until May 1, 2014. So get those entries in. If you are shipping them, please include money for return postage. Thank you.
Here’s the official rules:
1. All contents must be legal commercially available products. All contents must fit inside an Altoids tin and close. Paracord can be used to wrap the tin.
2. Entry submissions can be returned with provided postage, or pickup within 30 days after the contest end.
3. Contest will run from 3/15/14 – 5/1/14. Entries will be judged on practical use and creativity.
Prizes:
1st Prize – Gerber emergency survival pack valued at $60
2nd Prize – Coast emergency lantern valued at $40
3rd Prize – CRKT Eat’N Tool valued at $8
Survival Bros visits a fine knife shop on the Oregon Coast. Stop by the store when you take a trip to the beach.
Owner Rick Smith tell you how you can create a knife with expert guidance at his shop Cougar Ridge Knives in Gearhart, Oregon.
By Cameron McKirdy
In this HD video I drop my new LG G2 and Ballistic SG phone cover on gravel, then concrete from 6 ft high! I just got this smartphone, so I was terrified it would break. However, I know there’s fellow geeks out there that want to see Survival Bros stress test all kinds of gear, so I went for it. The Ballistic case worked well, but after taking off the cover I did notice a tiny dent on the rim of my LG G2. It’s purely cosmetic, and I can live with it, because my screen did not crack. Of course I would have preferred no damage, which I expected since it’s rated to six feet according to the manufacturer. The minuscule chip isn’t worth taking a picture of, and I’m pleased with my purchase overall. Therefore, I give it 4 out of 5 Stars. It’s still probably the best case out there for this recently released Android device, so until better cases are produced it’s staying on me as one of my everyday carry items. Have you had any experience with Ballistic Cases? Let us know. Thanks.
On a side note: I dropped this phone with the case on a few weeks back from about four feet up, and after all of my contacts had been erased! It was the strangest thing. My emails, and phone numbers never returned, and I didn’t delete them. Please comment on this blog post if something similar has happened to you.
For all the tech specs here’s the Ballistic website. Visit Survival Bros again soon.
Produced by Cameron McKirdy
This is our 200th blog post! I’d like to thank everyone who has supported Survival Bros. I’ve had many guest authors, steady cameramen, and people behind the scenes feeding me ideas. Special thanks to local businesses that have allowed me to review their products. 2014 is going to be epic. Visit often, and please follow us by entering your email, plus subscribe on Youtube. Now here’s a video that I shot yesterday showing classy, ornate William Henry knives in high definition.
Survival Bros shops for a new luxury EDC knife at Diamond Showcase, a jeweler in Longview, WA
Their William Henry collection with knives, money clips, and fine pens
Artisan WH blades made in Oregon
By Cameron McKirdy I sling a day pack on my back nearly every day. I’ve mentioned the types of things I have in it before, like gear, food, and a warm change of clothes. So when I discovered the Ribz Front Pack, I was stoked. This innovative, steroid injected version of a fanny pack solves many of the challenges I face when backpacking. Here I am with it on the Hummocks Trailhead near Mount St. Helens in Washington State. 
One issue I have with a regular backpack is I’m constantly taking it off to grab water, my cell phone, or something else that isn’t handy. With Ribz Wear, it’s all right in front of me, so I can continue trail blazing. I also mention in the video how backpacks catch on trees when I have to duck under them. It usually happens a few times each hike, and I practically have to crawl under the obstacle. With my gear in front, navigating through heavy brush is considerably easier. The best part of this system is the pack is easy to adjust. My Dad’s chest and waist are smaller than mine, so after he used it, a quick tug on the straps in back and in front made it comfortable again for me. Plus, Ribz have long, padded shoulder straps, so it feels like a natural extension of your body. 
Check out the map of different Mount St. Helens Adventures. Back to the Ribz Front Pack review, I must mention the Large version I tested can hold absurd amounts, with an 11 liter capacity. Even with it packed full, I was able to swing my arms freely. My dad wore it, and noted that you could still use hiking poles with it on. Ribz makes smaller Front Packs with 8 liters of room too. Internally, there are separate pouches to keep smaller items organized. These elastic lined compartments will hold all your tools close to your ribs, and prevent them from rattling around. We both ran with it, and the pack remained snug, not bouncing around, or swaying side to side.
In conclusion, the Ribz Front Pack is an excellent tool itself. The quality is unbelievable, and far superior to what I expected. It’s lightweight, at only 11 ounces, so it beats a backpack there too. However, I think it would be best suited for use with a rear pack, so the weight of your supplies can be evenly distributed forward and back, thus giving you better posture than wearing one or the other. But if you’re into ultralight backpacking, Ribz might be a dream come true. You can’t machine wash Ribz, but it cleans up nicely with a wet rag. I love the Cordura brand water resistant, ripstop material it’s fabricated with. I will be sporting my Ribz for a long time. I like it so much I want the smaller 8 liter pack too for shorter trips, and cross country running. I just don’t know which color to get next. Check out http://www.ribzwear.com to grab yours.
Cam makes instant coffee with an emergency water packet at Loowit Lookout near Mt. St. Helens in Washington State. Subscribe to Survival Bros on Youtube for more! Thanks for watching! Feel free to comment.
Cam snaps a selfie with his dad on the trail
Survival Bros by Cameron McKirdy 