imageYour interest in survival may derive from several sources or concerns – general safety preparedness, camping, hiking, and backpacking, self-defense, religious beliefs, ecological concerns and beliefs, natural disaster, bio-chemical warfare, overpopulation concerns, collapse of the financial system, or maybe you just enjoy the challenge of surviving in the wild.  Regardless of the reason, Wilderness Arena provides an extensive cache of survival guides and survival tips for those interested in wilderness or emergency survival techniques and tactics.

Survival Topics and Getting Around

The Wilderness Arena website uses proven military tactics and techniques as the basis for the information presented and expands on that information utilizing proven research from authorities in the field of survival.  The online survival guide is broken down into several categories.  Food, Water and Shelter discuss the basic necessities required to survive in the wild and includes information on edible plants, how to hunt and trap, how to procure water in the wilderness, how to build shelters, and how to build a fireDangers covers dangerous wildlife, including poisonous plants (including diagnosis and treatment), poisonous animals, and other dangerous animals (and what to do if you encounter one).  Environment discusses topics related to the general habitat including navigation and weather (e.g. in the field forecasting and survival in extreme weather situations).  Supplies covers tools, weapons, and general supplies that are needed to survive in the wilderness (and how to obtain or construct them in the wild).  Skills covers first aid and medical treatment, climbing, repairs while in the wild,  and an extensive section on knots and ropeAbout includes general overviews (summaries and introductions) of survival topics and ways to contact us.

Within each of these main topics are subtopics to aid in navigation.  You can use the top or left-hand menus to navigate through these subtopics.  You may also use the Search facility, found at the top of every page, or use the Topics Cloud located on the right hand side of each page, to search for survival topics and various survival categories.

Wilderness Arena welcomes your comments and suggestions (especially requests for new articles).

Remember:

Nature is unforgiving and it is not the strongest nor smartest that survive but rather, the ones who are the best prepared.

Survival Acronyms and Abbreviations

As you peruse the site, here are some general survival terms that are commonly used in survival training and literature.

A
ACU – Army Combat Uniform
AED – Automated External Defibrillator
ALICE – All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment
Ammo – Ammunition
AOW – Any weapon restricted by a ban which is NOT the assault weapon ban
APC – Armored Personnel Carrier
ATF – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
ATT – Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division of the IRS (the pre-68 administrators of the NFA)
AW – Assault Weapon
AWB – Assault Weapons Ban

B
BAR – Browning Automatic Rifle
BDU – Battle Dress Uniform
BFSC – Basic Firearms Safety Card (a CA-specific certification)
BHO – Bolt Hold Open
BI -Bug In
BIL – Bug In Location, (essentially the same as a BOL with the implication that you are already at your BIL)
BO – Bug Out
BO – Bug Out, Bail Out, Bugging Out
BOB – Bug Out Bag
BOL – Bug Out Location
BOV – Bug Out Vehicle
BUG – Backup Gun

C
C&R – Curio and Relic
Camo – Camouflage
CB – Citizen Band Radio
CCL – Concealed Carry License
CCP – Concealed Carry Permit
CCW – Concealed Carry Weapon
CERT – Communication Emergency Response Team
CFR – Code of Federal Regulations
CM – Calcium Hypochlorite (Bleach in tablet form used for water purification)
CMP – Civilian Marksmanship Program
COE – Certificate of Eligibility (a CA-specific certification)
Commo – Communications
CONUS – Continental United States
CQB – Close Quarters Battle

CQC – Close Quarters Combat

CWP – Concealed Weapons Permit

D
DA – Double Action
DAO – Double Action Only
DD – Destructive Device

Decon – Decontamination

DEWAT – De-activated War Trophy
DOJ – Department Of Justice, usually for the state in question

E
E&E – Escape and Evasion
EDC – Every Day Carry
EMP – Electro-Magnetic Pulse
EMS – Emergency Medical Services
EMT – Emergency Medical Technician
E-Tool – Entrenching Tool

F
FA – First Aid
FAK – First Aid Kit
FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency
FET – Federal Excise Tax
FFL – Federal Firearms License
FIFO – First In First Out (food rotation)
FMJ – Full Metal Jacket (bullet)
FRS – Family Radio Service

G
GCA – Gun Control Act
GHB – Get Home Bag
GMRS – General Mobile Radio Service
GMT – Greenwich Mean Time (see also ZULU)
GOOD – Get Out of Dodge (i.e. good kit = BOB)
GPS – Global Positioning System
GW – Global Warming

H
HBAR – Heavy Barrel (rifle)
HP – Hollow Point (bullet)
HSC – Handgun Safety Card (a CA-specific certification)

I
IFAK – Improved First Aid Kit or Individual First Aid Kit
IIRC – If I ReCall
INCH – I’m Never Coming Home bag

J
JHP – Jacketed Hollow Point (bullet)
JIC – Just In Case

K

L
LBE – Load Bearing Equipment
LBV – Load Bearing Vest
LDS – Latter Day Saints (Mormons)
LE – Law Enforcement
LEGR – Law Enforcement Gun Release (a California-specific form)
LEO – Law Enforcement Officer
LGS – Local Gun Shop
LIA – Little Ice Age
LRG – Long Range Gun
LRW – Long Range Weapon

M
MBR – Main Battle Rifle
MOLLE – Modular pouches that fit a LBE/LBV/Pack
MRE – Meal Ready to Eat
MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheet
MURS – Multi-Use Radio Service

N
NBC – Nuclear Biological Chemical
NFA – National Firearms Act
NRA – National Rifle Association

O

P
PAW – Post Apocalyptic World
PC – Penal Code, an abbreviation brought up whenever citing sections of law.
POV – Personally Owned Vehicle (also Point Of View)
POW – Personally Owned Weapons (alternatively, Prisoner of War)
Prepper – one who practices preparedness, a survivalist
PSA – Personal Sidearm
PSK – Personal Survival Kit

Q

R
RPG – Rocket Propelled Grenade, Roll Playing Game

S
SAK – Swiss Army Knife
SBR – Short Barreled Rifle
SERE – Survival, Evasion, Resistance, & Escape
SH – Sodium Hypochlorite (Bleach used for water purification)
SOT – Special (Occupational) Taxpayer

T
TEOTWAWKI – The End Of The World As We Know It
The Crunch – Same as Stuff Hits The Fan (SHTF)
TPTB – The Powers That Be
TSHTF – The Stuff Hits The Fan

U
U.S.C. – United States Code
UV – Ultra Violet

V
VOK – Ventilated Operator Kit
VOM – Voice Operated Microphone

W
WMD – Weapons of Mass Destruction

X

Z
Zulu – Refers to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), also refers to Zombies

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