Emergency Survival Charts, LLC

EMERGENCY SURVIVAL CHARTS

Hope is not a good plan.

Can you rely on yourself?  Can others rely on you?  What's your plan if there is a major catastrophe in your area?  What about your back-up plan?  What will you do without your "smart" phone, your car, electricity or clean water?  Who will help you?  Welcome to Emergency Survival Charts.

Our mission is to provide Americans with reliable, accessible, comprehensive survival information that can save lives.   This means our product must be waterproof, durable, compact, lightweight and portable.  It must also cover a broad range of contingencies and provide a vital foundation for preparedness and self-reliance.  The ESC also aims to provide the building blocks for a network of like-minded people who believe in self-reliance, community responsibility and the American way of life.

To get the information contained on one ESC, you would need a stack of maps and several books about land navigation, bushcraft, shelter building, fire making, food and water procurement, local plant identification, wilderness and Native American medicine, emergency planning, communications and more.  However, books and maps are too heavy, bulky, and delicate for rugged field use and especially, for exposure to water.  Electronics are often unreliable in those conditions as well, and they commonly fail when you need them most.  This is why a physical map is so important.  Everyone thinks they can search their phone or computer when they need something, but what happens when it doesn't work or networks are down?  Honestly, many people wouldn't even know what they should search for to begin with.

However, if you are motivated enough, and have the right kind of training, you might know what to look for, but you'd most likely have to do it before a disaster hit.  You would probably have to spend countless hours reading books, searching the web, collecting vital information, and confirming that info with multiple sources.  Then you would have to compile it all, organize it, and save it someplace where it would be easily accessible during a crisis... even without power.  Next, you would have to find, and buy the maps, then research and determine an acceptable material to print it all on.  This all becomes time consuming and expensive, even if you know what you're doing. 

Alternatively, you could buy an ESC, since all of the work is already done for you.

Want to know more?  See the ESC Description video below. 

COVID-19 Announcement:  Emergency Survival Charts LLC has had some financial setbacks recently but we are ready to move forward again.  If you would like to help or just want to be one of the first to get one, please consider preordering a "Founding Member Edition" below.  

For a complete list of current products, click on COMPLETE CATALOG.

This product is priced very reasonably if you consider how valuable it could be for you or loved ones in a crisis.  You don't want to regret not having it if you need it someday.  Just the map files alone would cost you over $100 but you're getting it printed on Tyvek with military specifications (MILSPEC).  To see more detailed info about what's included on an ESC, let's take a walk in the Texas woods.

In Part 2 below, I show you some more information included on an ESC.  I also demonstrate an excellent fire kit that uses only sticks for fuel.  There will be more gear recommendations and tutorials like this added in the future.

Finally, in Part 3 below, I am hit with a rainstorm and I demonstrate another use of the ESC... as an emergency shelter. 

MAPS

Four 1:250,000 scale, full color, topographic maps.  To give you an idea of the size, it would take about 12 ESCs to cover the entire area of Texas.  These highly detailed maps are excellent for on road or off road vehicle travel and can be used on foot as well. Topographic maps include major features like developed areas, transportation networks, infrastructure, landmarks & cultural features, topography, hydrography and vegetation.  Additionally, ESCs include aeronautical and sometimes nautical information (if in coastal areas) important to aviators or ship captains.

If you were to buy these maps individually, they would cost you over $100... even just printed on normal paper.

 

DAN Back 1

MARGINALIA

In the map margins, each ESC also has customized survival information for the areas they cover. It can be divided into the sections listed further below. Several physical uses for the ESC are also described.

Comms
Med
Firecraft

EMERGENCY ACTION

Local Emergency Action Plans

Easy to read, step by step instructions for a major crisis.  This section guides you from the initial response to an event, to the final arrival at a safe location.  It includes preparedness considerations like meeting places for loved ones, and how to identify and assess the threat you are facing.  It also helps you decide whether to shelter-in-place or evacuate and it gives general advice pertaining to evacuation routes and possible safe areas.  This section concludes with trip planning and important travel procedures.

NAVIGATION

Map Reading

An introduction to map reading and how maps work.  This is about actual maps... not apps.  

Compass Reading

An introduction to basic compass use and some advanced techniques as well.  GPS is great but it can be unreliable... especially when you need it most.  This is mainly about the device that got humanity through the past 2,000 years. 

Travel Procedures

Basic route planning information, travel techniques and defensive measures for when stopping and resting.

Navigational Aids

How to find true north using only the stars, find south using the moon and how to use other natural navigational aids.

Water Crossing

Crossing techniques including water proofing equipment, finding distance across a body of water and fording rivers.  

Flotation Device*

An ESC can also be used physically to wrap vegetation for an improvised flotation device.

DAS with Kit
Nav
DAS Waco

WATER

Conservation and Procurement

How to save the water you have and how to find more.  How much water does your bathtub hold and how long will it last your family?  See panel F8 on your ESC.

Filtration and Purification

How to filter and purify non-potable or questionable water.

Water Collector*

An ESC can be used physically to catch rain or dew for drinking water.

Wash Basin*

An ESC can also be used physically to line a hole or depression as an improvised wash basin for yourself, your food or your clothing.

SHELTER

Site Selection

How to choose a suitable location for a shelter.  

Building Techniques

How to build primitive woodland, desert and snow shelters specific to your environment.   

Heating a Shelter

How to use hot stones to warm up a shelter.

Improvising Cordage

How to make or find cordage for shelter building from plant, animal, and man-made sources.

Protection From Elements*

An ESC can be used physically as a sunshade, wind and rain shelter.  It an also be used to help construct a woodland or desert ground shelter.

Blanket*

 An ESC can be used physically as a water resistant blanket.

Extra Clothing*

An ESC can be used physically to wrap your torso for extra warmth.

Foul Weather Gear*

An ESC can be used physically to cover important gear during foul weather.

Hauling Materials**

An ESC can be used physically to haul materials like sticks for a fire, or large quantities of leaves to insulate a shelter.

FOOD

Edibility Test for Plants

How to perform the universal edibility test for unknown plants.

Local Plants

In depth information about the identification, nutritional value (or poisonousness) and uses of approximately 50-75 plants in the local area. All but the most commonly known will have color pictures as well.

Local Bugs

Culinary recommendations for the ten most common edible bugs.

Trapping Fundamentals

The basics of trapping game, and fish.

Trap Diagrams

Diagrams with step by step directions for making the ten most effective primitive traps & snares for large game, small game, birds and fish.

Food Carrier**

Used physically as a way to collect and carry plants, berries, acorns, nuts or game.  

Plants 3
Plants
Plants 2

BUSHCRAFT

Knots

Diagrams depicting 10 of the most important knots, including their uses and how to tie them.

Cordage

How to find or make cordage for traps and snares.

Field Dressing Large Game

Directions for field dressing large game like deer or wild pigs.  

Skinning and Tanning Large Game

How to know when large game is ready to be skinned and processed as well as primitive tanning techniques for the hide.

Building a Smoker

How to build a primitive outdoor smoker to preserve freshly killed game.

Building a Lasting Fire

How to build a low maintenance, all night fire.

Native American Survival Food

A recipe for an unbelievable survival food that provides incredible nutritional benefits and does not spoil easily, even without refrigeration. 

MEDICAL

There is a medical section based on a combination of US Special Operations Tactical Combat Casualty Care course curriculum, remote wilderness medicine and traditional Native American medicine. As many practical contingencies as possible are covered. Everything from bug bites and blister care to bullet wounds. The ESC also has physical applications for some medical problems.  See below:

Wound Treatment*

Used physically to plug a sucking chest wound.

Casualty Litter**

Used physically as an improvised litter in the absence of backboard or stretcher.

Wash Basin*

To use as an improvised wash basin in the absence of a proper medical facility.

Splintting*

Used physically to splint and broken wrist, arm, or dislocated shoulder.

COMMUNICATIONS

Basic Radio Comms

How to talk to first responders and aircraft over the radio and how to send a Mayday distress message.

Important Freqs

Includes important emergency comms info like HAM, CB, and shortwave frequencies.

Alternative Distress Signals

How to use whistles, gunshots, mirrors, smoke, and ground to air markers.

US Military Phonetic Alphabet

How to properly communicate letters over the radio to mitigate confusion.

Basic Cipher Techniques

How to secretly communicate messages like your location or duress signals.

Comms Locations

The locations of important radio facilities and aerodromes.

US Navy Signal Flags

How to identify and use American signal flags for communication.

Identification Flag

An ESC can be used physically as a visual identifier.

Morse Code

How to learn, send and receive Morse code.

Comms

LONG-TERM SURVIVAL PLANNING

Long-Term Survival Checklist

This section discusses long-term survival priorities if you decide to Shelter-In-Place because of a major national crisis.  These priorities include: Planning considerations, defensive measures, clean air, shelter and warmth, clean water, and long term food sources.  It also discusses what you can do, proactively, to mitigate these problems. 

* According to the US Government

** ESC LLC will be testing our product to back up these claims.  Videos will be posted soon.

 

Maybe you think you’ll be taken care of in mass emergency.  You are probably right.   However, if you would rather decide for yourself what happens to you and those you care about then this is a very inexpensive insurance policy.  If you take nothing else from this website, then at least remember this symbol:

 

 

Require Map 2

 

 

It is the Ground-to-Air distress signal that means:

I REQUIRE A MAP & COMPASS.

 

Detailed images of ESCs in development are copyrighted.  This website was put together by Christopher Jones.