We are all survivors.  I can prove it.  If you are reading this, then you are alive and surviving.  We all survive every day.  Our home is our shelter.  We use cars for transportation.  We barter our skills in a workplace in exchange for money.  That money is then used for supplies.  And so on and so on.  Our lives are comfortable.  So what happens when that comfort is disrupted?   Chaos, insecurity, fear, anxiety, despair, alcoholism, etc…not a pretty picture.

To prevail in an unfortunate situation, I believe the most important skill one must possess is the ability to adapt.  This is accomplished by knowledge, experience, and preparation.  The focus of this article is on being prepared.  Three things in my life have made me a prepared individual:

1. My time in the Boy Scouts.  The Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared”.  I’ve learned and practiced outdoor skills and survival.  I have carried this over to my adult life in my outdoor adventures.
2. My military service.  Discipline and teamwork are stressed.  Weapon and tactics training were learned.  It has contributed to my overall survival mindset.
3. My career as a Service Technician in communications and electronics.  If it’s broke, I fix it.  A lot of thinking outside the box and adaptability is required, many times with no outside help.

So, what does it take to be prepared and survive the unexpected?  I feel one must be mobile or capable of instant mobility to survive.  This leaves the options open.  You should also layer your supplies as to minimize unexpected losses which increases your adaptability.  “Wear plenty of layers.”  I’m sure you’ve heard that as a child.  Your mother said this so you would stay warm.  This was so you could adjust your insulation according to temperature and activity level, to adapt to the temperature.  I am going to discuss how to apply the layering principle to your personal survival.

There are three layered levels in our lives:

1.  The contents of our home or other permanent shelter.  This could also be a stocked survival retreat.

2. The sustainment gear we can carry with us in a backpack, Bug out Bag, vehicle, bicycle, etc.
   
   
3. What we can carry on our person every day – Every Day Carry.

In the military, we had line gear.  Line 1 was what we had in our pockets.  Line 2 was our fighting or web gear.  Line 3 was our sustainment gear or rucksack.  So let’s start with the basics:

Food:  Even though humans can go 3 weeks without food and stay alive, mental and physical capacity will diminish within a couple of days.  You should have food with you that requires no preparation on your person such as Power Bars, Gorp, MREs, Spam, jerky, canned stew, etc.  Your transport or backpack can have more sustainable food.  Don’t forget something to cook in.  Anything that cannot be cooked in a pot can be cooked on a stick over a fire.

Water:  This is more important than food especially in arid environments.  Also don’t eat if you do not have water.  It takes water to digest food.  Have a way to purify water.  A portable water filter, iodine, or chlorine tablets will work but boiling is best.  Carry bottled water in your vehicle.

Shelter:  Depending on the conditions, shelter may be more important than food and water.  You can’t eat if you are frozen to death.  Learn how to make field expedient shelters, debris huts, etc.  Carry a bivy and sleeping bag in your Bug Out Bag.  Clothing is also shelter.

Security:  What good is it to have a large stash of supplies just to have someone take it from you?  Security comes in many forms…staying hidden from others, blending in, weapons, or just keeping your mouth shut.  Fire will keep animals at bay.  Don’t carry a gun unless you know how and are willing to use it.

Health:  This includes hygiene, sanitation, and first aid.  For example, don’t use the knife that you just field dressed a squirrel with to cut up your cooked meat.  Either wash it thoroughly or use a separate knife.  You do have soap don’t you?  I’m amazed at how many people don’t include soap in their Bug Out Bags.   Don’t drink untreated water.  Treat cuts and scrapes.  Use toilet paper if you have it.  Brush your teeth.

Communication:  People are social beings.  If alone, have a portable radio to listen to surrounding news.  I have an AM/FM/SW radio that is just a little larger than a deck of cards.  It is analog so it has a long battery life.  A shortwave radio allows me more options.  Sometimes news from other countries may be the only form of information due to an EMP or communications blackout.  By the way, I put a label on all of my electronics indicating their battery life and every device uses the same size battery.  A police scanner is very useful.  2-way radios can be very valuable to groups or used as a barter item.

Fire:  Have multiple ways to start a fire.  Fire starting and building is your most important skill.  It will purify your water, cook your food, heat your shelter, keep predators at bay, and signal for help.  Bic lighters are king.  Carry a flint and steel set on your person at all times.  Magnesium works well in wet conditions.  Backpacking stoves work great for quick meals and draw less attention than fires.  Keep one in your car.

Hunting / Gathering:  Snares and traps can be left unattended allowing you to do other tasks.  Learn a few edible wild plants.  Fishing gear is small and very useful – just some string and a few hooks is all you need.

Evasion / Signaling:  Grizzly bear on your trail?  Just stumble across a meth lab on a hike?  Government out to get you?  Ok, this is a little extreme but if there is a major disaster staying away from others might be the desirable thing to do.  Those that are unprepared may want to take what you have.  People also spread disease.  The flip side to this is signaling.  If you are just lost you need to be found.  A whistle, signal mirror, or smoke from a fire are your best options.

Navigation:  You just bugged out.  Where are you going?  Learn to use a map and compass.  Don’t rely too much on GPS.  They can break, batteries die, and the satellites can be re-tasked for military operations.  Have paper maps covering where you are all the way to where you are going.  What if the roads are clogged with traffic escaping from a hazmat spill?  Do you have bike trail maps?  Do you have a bike?  You need multiple routes of escape and methods of transportation.

The Seven Cs:  These items are the most basic necessities needed to survive.  They will directly contribute to keeping your ass alive more than anything else.  The first four are the most important – Canteen, cup, knife, fire starter. 

Staging equipment is critical.  It must be secure yet accessible.  If your permanent shelter is compromised or unavailable then you become mobile.  Your mobile layer is your second layer.  It may be a Get Home Bag or a complete BOB inside your Bug Out Vehicle.  Your vehicle may be your new home.  A bicycle or scooter is a good backup to have in your bug out vehicle (BOV).  So how do we stage and carry all this gear?

My Layered Bug Out System:

I am going to describe and comment on my system and you can decide if it works for you.  Take my ideas and use whatever you feel is beneficial to your situation.

I keep extra food and supplies at home as we all should.  My food stockpile is a mixture of long term grains sealed in mylar, canned goods, MREs, [freeze-dried] backpacker meals, and the like.  This allows for variety in terms of taste and nutrition.  I rotate my supplies and I do not store much more than can fit into my vehicle due to the possibility of needing to bug out.  Any structure can be penetrated.  If people want what you have, they will get it and you can’t keep watch 24 hours a day by yourself.

My 4x4 BOV is not my daily driver but is always maintained with a full tank of gasoline.  Most any vehicle nowadays will go at least 300 miles on a tank of fuel.  I have enough stabilized fuel stored to get me to any one of my Bug Out Location choices.  A cargo carrier attaches to my rear receiver and a bicycle carrier attaches to my front receiver.  The luggage rack rounds out its cargo capability.  I have opted to not use a trailer because of lack of maneuverability and off road ability.  I can live out of my vehicle in a stationary location with complete isolation for six months to a year.

In the event of an EMP, fuel shortage, martial law, etc. full sized motorized transportation may not be an option.  My BOV may break down or roads may not be passable.  My next layer is a bicycle.  One could even use a game cart, dolly, wagon, etc.  You can only carry a limited amount of gear on your back.  A bicycle is 3 times more efficient than walking and can carry much more weight.  Mine is set up with panniers and my gear is always packed.  I also carry a tractor tire inner tube, pump, rope, and climbing gear which allows me to transport myself and gear over almost any terrain.  The inner tube is for traversing water.  I can transport 200 lbs. + by walking beside and pushing the bicycle.

This leaves the final layer – what is on my person.  My personal carry gear is also broken down into layers.  My pockets have a Bug Out Altoids Tin B.O.A.T.)  A chest rig carries my Seven Cs with a sidearm and can be completely hidden by a sweatshirt.  On top of this would be web gear and rifle in appropriate circumstances.  The final layer is a rucksack.  Another option I have experimented with is a fanny pack strictly for survival.

The above is available for an extreme situation where bugging out may be required.  My normal everyday life doesn’t require these drastic measures.  If there is a major power outage during a snow storm, I’ll just stay home, listen to my portable radio, and cook on my butane stove.  Drastic measures aren’t always needed.

One more item to talk about is a Get Home Bag (GHB).  All of my gear is staged at home waiting if it is needed but I have to get there to use it.  My GHB is combined with my EDC.  Since I am in the service industry, I am required to travel at times in a company service vehicle.  This limits what I can always have at my disposal.  Along with my tools and test equipment I carry a very small day pack.  This holds my Seven Cs, some food, extra ammo, and a few work items.  It is always near me or in the vehicle I am traveling in.  I have a cocealed carry permit and carry every day.  I carry a flint striker on my key ring as fire is more important to me than a knife on my person.  I already carry enough stuff on my belt.

This completes the philosophy and application of my layering system.  Take from it what you will.  If you learn something from it, that’s great.  If it saves your life someday, that’s even better.

A Note on EMP:

Being in the communications business, I have witnessed what lightning can do to a communications tower site.  This is the closest thing I have seen to an EMP.  I also have access to high power radio equipment and have done experimentation with Faraday cages.  My conclusions show that non-continuous shielding (such as screen) will not stop all frequencies.  The only cheap and easy thing I have seen that will shield all radio frequency energy is properly wrapped multiple layers of aluminum foil.  I have had popcorn tins fail along with microwave ovens.  I also will not ground a Faraday cage due to what I have seen lightning do.  I wrap all of my electronic devices that go in my bug out bag.

[Some deleted, for brevity]

Lastly, don’t let the preparedness bug monopolize your life.  Have a preparation plan, carry it out, then relax and enjoy what you’ve accomplished.  If the world goes to pieces, you’re ready.  If not, then sit back and enjoy a cold one.

If a disaster occurs next month, be it economic meltdown, war, or highly infectious pandemic, how prepared are you?
The end of the world as we know it has already occurred. One hundred years ago, the west was still being won. The automobile was still a novelty and a competitor for the horse. Orville and Wilbur Wright had created the three axis-control, giving controllable wings to man, making our big planet a little bit smaller. Fifty years ago, manned space flight was still dreamt about by young boys. The Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis were looming large in the national consciousness and nuclear war with Russia was a very scary probability. The end of the world as we know it has been with us in some shape or form since Adam got his butt kicked out of the garden.

Today we conceptualize a TEOTWAWKI event as a global catastrophe that threatens to wipe out man himself. The scary thing is that it is not only possible, but given our current knowledge of natural disasters and cosmic calamities, it is highly probable. So the question is: what can we do to prepare for these potential events? Since you are reading this, I assume you have thought out various scenarios and are doing what you can for your own survival.

Imagine climbing a pyramid, you have to start at the bottom in order to reach the top. Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs puts survival at the bottom of a pyramid, the next level is safety, followed by love, then esteem, and capped it off with self-actualization. Before one can move to the next level of this pyramid, one has to successfully navigate through the level he is currently on. The goal is to reach one’s full potential as a person. This goal often takes a lifetime to realize. For some it remains merely a dream. For many, it gets relegated to the subconscious and withers into a bothersome itch.

We live in a world that provides us with the resources and tools to climb this pyramid if we choose to; to become the best that we can be.  We also live in a world where we are only one misadventure from falling back to the bottom of the pyramid; to the desperation and violence of survival.

One of the unspoken reasons why you you read this blog, why you are reading this essay, is to ensure your survival in order that you may continue on with your journey to the top of the pyramid. Something in you knows that disaster may befall you at any moment. But if you pay attention, that something that tells you that catastrophe may strike, also tells you that there is the other side of survival.

Learning the art of fire craft, firearms training and farming are all part of your conscious desire to have the preparations you may need for a catastrophic event. Learning how to survive and having the resources, skills, and ability to actually survive are part of your subconscious desire to climb the pyramid to becoming all you can be with the time you have left; and pass this on to posterity.

Every survival course worth its salt teaches about the ‘will to live’. That without this ambiguous ingredient, your survival quotient drops significantly. The will to live requires that you nurture the hope that you will survive and facilitate your ability to eventually thrive. In other words, never give up hope and do whatever is needed to get out of a survival situation. This site is full of the tactics, techniques and procedures on how to survive – use it!

You recognize the validity of this concept; that is why you are here. You may be a young man in an urban setting with three weeks of stored food, a pocket knife and a Bic lighter. You may be a multi-millionaire that is watching a crew finish up work on his subterranean survival bunker; with off-grid power, food for a small country, and enough munitions and men to take it over. Wherever you fall in this compendium of ensuring your initial survival, one thing remains true: the need for an exit plan. In other words, what are you going to do after survival has been achieved?
An event that is large enough to usher in TEOTWAWKI is a not necessarily a deal breaker. If an asteroid the size of Australia slams into planet earth - ‘game over man’; but anything shy of complete annihilation offers us all a small ray of hope that we will survive as a species, persevere as a people, and hopefully, hold on to our humanity.

This blog as well as its advertisers have survival down to an art; that is why you are here. Learn from the vast repositories of knowledge and advice that lies at your fingertips. Prepare for the worst, but plan for what comes after. Once your preps have been achieved, have a strategy on what to do next. If the world goes to hell, have a plan on how you and yours will go through hell; and what to do once you come out on the other side.

At the prepping level, you may be thinking of how to retain and store all this knowledge. You could kill a few trees and print all the information out, start a survival library. You could also utilize current technology and keep all this information in a convenient medium that will improve your survival efficiency.

This actually works: take an old laptop and load it up with as much of the vital information as you can on how to kick start humanity after the Apocalypse. Throw in some other electronic items that you may need, such as batteries, walkie-talkies, DVDs, et cetera. Wrap the laptop with alternating layers of plastic bags and aluminum foil, stick it in an old microwave that has its cord cut, and voila! You now have a primitive Faraday cage that will protect your information from the elements as well as an EMP.

I personally have an old laptop, some DVDs, an old smart phone, and a foldable solar panel with power adapter stuffed inside a large microwave. Yeah, some of this gear is pricey; so set a goal and incrementally acquire whatever you think you will need to see yourself through TEOTWAWKI. If the SHTF, and you can no longer access this site to look up what you may need, the information you have prepared in your Faraday cage will be available until the internet gets back online (and given some of the scenarios known to us to be potential threats, this could take years).

I have a solar charger and power converter in my go bag. It doesn’t take much more room than a thick notebook, and is only 6.5 pounds of combined weight. If the SHTF while I’m away from home, I have a permanent energy source for my laptop and cell-phone. If communication is out and the grid is down, my laptop is still functional and I have apps loaded on my phone to ensure I can survive the interim. (Barring a nuclear airburst which causes EMP, then it is dead weight).  But once I get back home, I can open up my Faraday cage and be up and running with information, even if I cannot get online.

At the post-survival level, you will want to think about garnering other survivors to rebuild; think community and relationships. If the situation is bad enough, you will have to think about creating a new civilization. Create a new civilization? That is a tall order! That will take enormous resources, manpower and ambition. But this is where you have to go. You are already thinking about TEOTWAWKI, just take your thoughts out to the logical end conclusion and you either have a situation like that portrayed in the novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy, or you roll up your sleeves and get to work. In which case the world is now an unknown and you have to start over.

Reverting back to the Neolithic era is not necessary. Again, that is why you are prepping. Here is a useful exercise to think about in your spare time: What and who would you like to have with you if you were to be zapped back in time 500 years with no return ticket? Whatever you come up with may be something you would like to have or know how to develop when TEOTWAWKI occurs. (Hence the laptop with a solar power source).

Being able to survive and to survive well is not an end unto itself. Go beyond survival and envision what is going to be required of you materially, mentally, physically and spiritually if you are to thrive. For some, the art of prepping has been taken to an extreme that has had an unbalancing effect. For those who are unbalanced, the fix is simple: Begin the journey up the pyramid. (Who do you want to be? Start becoming that individual.)

Your preps are not going to disappear; in fact I assume and hope that they will continue on. Realize that if you are not the person you can be, a TEOTWAWKI event will not magically transform you into this person. The truth of it is that your life quotient will take a pretty severe hit if your survival quotient has not prepared you beyond material and skill.
My wife is a psychologist and has taught me numerous skills on how to not only cope, but to thrive in life. TEOTWAWKI events happen all the time. A healthy mind, body and spirit are key factors in enabling a person to survive everyday life. When grief, trauma or personal disaster hit, knowing how to best handle these intruders is as important when they strike, as knowing how foil countersurveillance in an urban environment or navigate by the stars in a rural survival situation.

I am a survival instructor. I teach our military’s elite on how to survive the worst this planet or its inhabitants can throw at them. They train for the worst case scenario, but they also live in the now. They have the skills and wherewithal to survive a TEOTWAWKI situation. And once they have these tools in their tool bag, the journey up the pyramid continues; they know that when the stuff hits the fan, they will be ready for it. Trust me when I tell you that a strong body, mind and spirit are essential not only for survival and harnessing the will to live, but also in everyday life. These three elements: body, mind and spirit are the keys to unlocking the doors that usher you to the next level of the pyramid, and set you up for not only survivability, but thrivability.

Please keep in mind that English is not my mother tongue, and that these recollections are from the perspective of a young girl, now in advanced years.

My mother-in-law grew up in what was then called East Prussia (Ostpreussen) – now Poland. She was born 1929 – got twice evacuated – the first time at the age of 14. The beautiful area is called “die Mazurische Seenplatte” and  “die Mazuren” and is today developed for tourism.

I´ve picked her brains to learn as much as I can, and here are some of the things she remembers of life on the farm back then:

Father, mother and 8 children lived abundantly – with spare produce to sell (and saving up money to buy more land) on 35 hectares (about 75 acres) of ground.  8 hectares was mixed forest, 27 hectares tilled land and meadow for grazing. A river ran near the farm, there the animals drank, the geese and the ducks swam (one child had to keep fox-watch), and net fishing for dinner was done. From the meadow and forest they got wood for building the houses, firewood, all kinds of berries, nuts and mushrooms, healing herbs like peppermint and chamomile, linden flowers and birch juice, rushes were collected from the river.
They all had a lot of work to do, schoolwork was done in between farm chores. In the evening there was singing and storytelling while spinning, knitting, shoemaking, horse tack making, basketry, small carpentry, sorting peas, shelling beans, feathering the ducks and geese  was done by petroleum light. The children had almost no toys, but my mother in law got her first and only doll. She put the poor doll close to the oven so it wouldn´t feel so cold – and the doll melted.
The animals on the farm were: geese and ducks for down bedding, meat and eggs, chicken for eggs (own use and market sale), some sheep (less than 10) to make own wool, 6-7 pigs for sale and own use, around 20 cows strictly for sale of milk/ butter/cheese (i.e. not for slaughtering), three cats as mouse police living in the barn, a guard dog and 3-4 horses for traveling and farm work like plowing. The father was the exclusive handler of the horses, and even so he once got severely kicked by the most nervous horse and had to be hospitalized because he (in a tense market situation) forgot to talk to the horses before he came up to them! While the father was hospitalized the mother got (organized by the state) an inexperienced 15 year old “white Russian” forced labourer to help out on the farm – she had to teach him everything in sign language. He stayed on since both sons of the family had to go to war. Later, when the Red Army invaded East Prussia this boy saved the whole family by testifying that he had always been treated correctly, he even cried and begged to be allowed to stay. Families got shot to the last member if they had treated the forced labourers badly.

A doctor and hospital was 20 kilometers away in a bigger town, so the trip there was a big project. The school principal owned the only car in the village (a Volkswagen Beetle). The 3 kilometer trips to school and church were generally done on foot – the horses were spared for farm work apart from on very special holidays.

After the first evacuation to another village an “ordinary man” got the job of being local priest, grave digger and dentist. Dentistry meant getting a tooth pulled out without any ado and pain killers. Infections were completely avoided by rinsing with alcohol and chewing plantain leaves.

The children walked the three kilometers to school in summer barefoot or in “jesuslatschen”, (toe sandals) - in winter in wooden clogs the father made. Later he advanced to making leather shoes for the children – he bought the leather but the thread for rough sewing they grew on the farm: Linen/ flax was grown for the fiber and as animal fodder. The linen fibers got soaked in tar and were used to make tack for the horses and thread for sewing shoes.

Some things that the family bought: Petroleum oil for the lamps, linen fabric for sewing bedclothes, underwear and kitchen towels (dresses and such were made by the village seamstress), salted herrings, salt, sugar, pepper, cinnamon, feather pens, ink, schoolbooks (handed down to all the children in turn), small blackboards with chalk for individual writing, from the 5th class real schoolbooks for writing in. They also bought nails and carpentry tools of course, sewing notions and even a sewing machine. (The sewing machine got hidden in the earth cellar in the forest when they had to evacuate – sadly the family never came back to reclaim it.)
The family built their own house with relatives to help, they grew/ raised/ collected all their own food except the aforementioned herrings,  for instance meat got cured by smoking with juniper.
They also made their own bedding (mattresses filled with straw, exchanged when necessary, counterpanes and pillows filled with down and feathers), spun their own wool, made all knitted clothes like socks, sweaters, mittens etc. The father made baskets of all sizes and shapes, also for animal feed (through shape), either from willow or split and watered tree roots, and he also made some of the simpler farming tools out of wood. Strangely enough none of this got sold, just the farm produce. (During the war years nobody wanted to get paid in money, so the family paid the seasonal farm workers in meat, butter, cheese and eggs.) They collected all their own seeds, made jam, pickles and “sauerkraut”. Peat and wood kept the “kachelofen” running, an enormous oven built into the house, including a built in water heater and a big bread baking oven that got used for eight sour dough loaves once a week (cakes were made afterwards since the oven was heated up.)

The horses got fed hay, clover and oats, the cows got hay, clover and thinly sliced turnips, and the aforementioned linen seed/flax mix if ill or having just calved.
The dishes were first rinsed with clear water so the pigs could drink the swills.
The crops were: Potatoes, red beets, turnips, beets, carrots, peas, beans (pinto beans), red cabbage (got stored with the complete root in sand in the cellar) white cabbage for sauerkraut, oats, wheat, rye, barley, cucumbers for pickles, and squash/ pumpkin plus garden herbs like chives and parsley.  Flax and clover was grown for the animals.
Rushes of different kinds were cut up and put on the clay floor in the ”old house” – it smelled good and was easy to brush out again since it made no sense to wash a clay floor. This practice was discontinued after the new house was built with wooden floors.
 
My mother in law´s mother got struck dead by lightning during the years as a refugee. The sun was shining again after a thunderstorm , but she was leading a goat and a sheep in iron chains, one in each hand... The father died of pneumonia because of having to do forced labour in winter, one son barely survived Stalingrad (he “just” lost one and a half legs to frostbite) but all the children managed somehow to escape to the west and start their lives anew there. 

The most sought-after barter goods in war time (after food) were: watches, cutlery (a fork could buy a piece of bread) and fur coats! Guns made zero sense in this situation, since that only would have gotten one killed faster.  Being devious, hiding and/or keeping calm in the face of danger was the way – or simply appealing to the human side of war-traumatized soldiers: My mother-in-law had many narrow escapes – once she got found cowering behind the dresses by a Russian soldier rifling through the clothes cupboard with a bayonet, and he spared her life because mother cried and begged for her; once she came running to her father with Russian soldiers on her heels, so father fast dug her into the strawstack he was just making. He stood calmly still on the stack over the spot where she hid – the soldiers pushed bayonets through the stack but she thanks God they missed her every time. Her father did like the other farmers, they used coal “make up” to accentuate their wrinkles and thereby appear older and useless for other things than farming. The soldiers wanted to “take him” (i.e. to Siberia), but he insisted he had to feed the cows otherwise they (the cows) would starve – and food was the number one priority also for the Red Army, so he was spared.

My personal conclusion: Know when to keep your guns in the cupboard, get distilling equipment for making your own alcohol! In case your antibiotics get too old/ used up or you have a resistant strain of some bug or the culprit is a fungus or virus – get books on herbs now, grow Echinacea, stock up on tea tree oil and baking soda (for your teeth)! Thyme, sage and honey will fix almost everything. Grow paprika/ red peppers (window sill) and rose hips for vitamin C. Plantain chewed to a pulp heals cuts, sores, and acne;  aspirin was originally synthesized from willow bark. If you have a chance, grow tons of nut trees, and maples for the syrup, and when your vitamin pills get used up remember that nettles, nuts and dandelions contain lots of important vitamins and minerals.

What follows is a collection of tips, tricks and strategies that I have personally tested/evaluated and passed on to students within my capacity as a survival and tracking instructor working with responsible civilians, military and law enforcement. Some of this has been around for years, some of it is very recent wisdom, most of it is just common sense. This is not an exhaustive study in any way, but rather a useful primer designed to inspire creative solutions while adhering to time worn tactical truisms. Note also, we are not covering SERE, as survival and resistance are truly separate topics.

Setting Out

Assuming we find ourselves in a sufficiently hostile environment such that we must immediately begin to manage our physical and psychological responses to extreme external pressures, the following recommendation might strike a person as counter-intuitive. That recommendation: sit down, have a cup of tea and relax.

The tea is optional of course, however the sitting and the sentiment are not. Common sense dictates that first steps lead to later consequences. Recent research shows that as human animals under stress we are literally subject to our hormonal and biological responses. Let it be clear: you must take this step.

Techniques such as tactical breathing (breathe for four, hold for four, exhale for four) have become standard training for EMS, public speakers and elite soldiers alike because they work to balance the fight/flight response and gain leverage on the adrenaline dump that accompanies survival situations.

Specifically, sitting down forces a person to acquaint themselves with the environment, let go of the urge to bolt wildly into the unknown and--in many individuals--contributes to and facilitates the calming effect of conscious breathing.

This whole activity might last two minutes or twenty. It all depends on you, the urgency of the situation and related factors. But to forgo this step defies both conventional and cutting-edge wisdom. Consider learning a few mantras, prayers, yoga positions or whatever else you can use to bring you back down to earth and center your mind. Cause you’re going to need it in a major way.

Taking Stock

This is not the time to wish you had studied, procured and trained with your survival kit so let’s pretend that anyone reading this has taken it upon themselves to arrive to the moment in question with at least the barest of essentials--the big five of food, water, fire, shelter and security. So those are covered, but what else do we have at our disposal? What are we missing that we might need or might come in handy? If we need to travel fast and light, what can we ditch or stash for later retrieval?

This is the step where you must come to grips with your situation. You have taken a moment, at least, to calm yourself and manage those primal instincts now you must force logic and training to the forefront and make choices based on that logic. I would urge you to explore the concept of the Trivium, as well as the related topics of logic and rhetoric as such activities and tools can only strengthen your mind and add tools to your toolbox.

Moving on, just as the scope of this essay cannot cover survival kits, its scope can neither cover every conceivable escape and evasion situation. There are simply too many permutations. Therefore and due to the adaptive nature of such situations, as well as my own natural distaste for lists, we must emphasize adaptation and flexibility of thought. We are talking about escape and evasion, yet is it possible to simply lie still? That wouldn’t make for a very good escape scene in a movie, but it might very well give you a tactical advantage in certain scenarios. Again, it cannot be emphasized enough: the point here is to gather your resources, evaluate the situation and make choices.

Your resources are in your survival kit, in your environment and in your mind. Evaluation of your situation includes timing, distances, pursuit forces, places of safety and all other factors affecting your current status as well as your prospects in the immediate future. Making choices is essential--it forces a return to logic and re-evaluation of any possible assumptions you have made thus far. As well, the making of choices is an act which has within it the elements of courage, self determination and (hopefully) humility.

Pace of Movement

Movement in E&E is defined less by your wants and more by your environment. Let’s assume you have made your plan. For example: you find yourself five miles from your home; WROL environment; you’re being pursed by a force of unknown character/training; you have at your disposal a small personal survival kit, light weaponry, no effective long range communication ability; night is falling.

If you know the way home, run. Just flat out run for a mile. Take a break to watch your back trail and if it’s clear, keep running and repeat until you are to a safe zone. Yes, give some serious consideration to noise discipline but as a tracker I can tell you that the single most effective counter-tracking technique is speed. Pure and simple. Forget about dog legs, fake shoe prints or anything else. Just run and increase the time/distance gap.  

Now, let’s take the above scenario but let’s say you are 20 miles from your safe zone. Depending on your level of fitness and knowledge of the area, running may still be a decent option. However, at a certain distance or given changes in other decision making factors you are going need to examine other options. As well, you may need to seriously evaluate your pursuers.

Silent Movement

Even with night vision optics silent travel at night can be very difficult and often impossible in certain terrain. Since our above scenario involves lightweight outfitting, let’s consider things without NVGs and without flashlights, as the latter must be strictly rationed to avoid detection.

Let’s just say it: unless you’re in the desert, avoid moving at night. If you must move at night, you are facing the quandary of utilizing well established and easy to travel trails and/or roads which can be a highly dangerous proposition if you don’t know the area or don’t have a clear idea of where your pursuers are moving. Bushwhacking by day has it’s downfalls as well, however at the least you have an increased ability to control your noise.

Silent travel really comes down to choosing your route, slow movement and manipulating sound-producing debris such as leaf litter, downed limbs and the like. Put your weight into your back foot and use your forefoot to gently brush aside a clear area to place this foot on the ground. Repeat. It takes forever and one mistake will make waste of your accumulated effort. I will note that for some people the process of putting weight on the back leg, stepping forward, etc. is actually counter effective. So you need to practice this and fine tune it.

Choose paths based on topography and levels of travel resistance i.e. avoid thickets, vines, areas of dense deadfall in favor of grass, moss or triple canopy where undergrowth is sparse.

The take away points here are: move twice as slow as you think you should and actually pick up, kick aside or otherwise physically move noise producing articles in your path.

One other note from personal experience: I have found that the technique of ‘high stepping’ actually does work if you can sustain it over a series of obstacles. It is particularly useful in area of low light and prevalent exposed tree roots or similar hangups. It has something to do with the fact that the foot is striking directly down upon the earth versus sweeping forward where toes can be caught up.

Habit of Movement

Related to silent movement is your habit of movement, though this line of thinking can also include your other counter-tracking techniques as well as some utilization of day/night routines dependent on your environment as visibility factor.

In our scenario, let’s say your safe zone is on a basic azimuth heading north. Don’t start out going north, instead move east and northeast making a few doglegs and/or roundabouts along the way. Gradually pull your line of travel toward your actual destination. If you have the opportunity or if travel in any way permits, turn around and study your back trail at some distance to evaluate and monitor your pursuers. This is a place where magnified optics have their weight in gold.

In a longer term evasion you need to establish habits that both serve you and avoid detection. This seems contradictory insofar as habits of prey are what most all good hunting is based on, thus avoiding habits would appear at first to be a worthy strategy. The difference is that we are humans and have the capacity for instantaneous evaluation and adaptation. With this in mind, you need to rapidly determine what is serving you and what is not. If traveling early and late in the day and holing up midday is working, use it, habituate it but only to the extent that it serves its purpose. The survival literature time and time again shows that success often comes when a sort of rhythm is established. Whether this is literally the rhythm of your feet and breath as you run, or whether it is in your routines hastily established, if they work use them.

Most likely you are going to need to rest. You might also require water. If you need it--get it and move on quickly. If you can continue without it---go without, as every stop and every choice will have it’s consequences at some point. Speaking of consequences, if you recall when you took a moment and ‘made your cup of tea,’ keep in mind that this ethos is in fact central to your entire act of evasion. So return to that ideal of double edged calm and evaluation. Keep your options wide open; dump a plan if it stops working; continually seek to interface with reality based on its terms while seeking to establish your own foothold in continued survival.

Using the Environment

We mentioned evaluating your pursuers and rest stops. Generally speaking, most people don’t carry pruning shears in their EDC gear, though snipers often carry them as part of their standard gear and for good reason. In an evasion scenario such as we are sketching out, there probably isn’t a whole lot of use for a fully functional sniper’s hide, (though, in keeping with our ideal of adaptation never discount the option of burrowing in and hiding) however modified hides based on well established principles are highly useful and should be practiced.

Where terrain and plant life make it possible, use your pruners to carve out niches in dense thickets. Blackberry vine tangles are ideal because no one wants to touch them and no one would consider that you might actually go inside one. Evaluate the area for an escape route and line(s) of sight; make as few cuts as are needed to burrow into the mass of vines; once firmly entrenched, start to hollow out a useable space, establish a hasty exit route and check your line of sight.

This concept can be utilized in trees where gaining an immediate high-ground advantage is untenable. If you can climb the tree leaving minimal evidence of your effort, staying in the tree as pursuers pass is not a totally unfounded nor untested idea. However, even if you just ascend the tree and make a few choice cuts to gain a decent vantage point on your back trail, it might be worth the effort.

Use of the environment is also going to give you immediate feedback on the talent and tenacity of those on your trail. If your decision making matrix deems it appropriate, consider purposely taking an extremely difficult route. Certain high angles, rapid ascents, rocky terrain, open meadows and the like will allow you to study and make retro-determinations on your hunters’ prowess with respect to tactical acumen, stamina, weaponry, as well whatever else pops out at you.

Good literature on natural concealment is widely available so I won’t harp on it too much. Suffice it to say that a person need not spend more than a minute or two collecting various foliage to effectively break up the conspicuous outline of the human head and shoulders. Attached with paracord, laces or simply tucked into folds in clothing, you can even do this while you’re moving. Avoid leaving obvious traces of your activity such as the white of cut limbs or mangled fern fronds.

Survival skills and their limits are going to play a role in this category of evasion, mainly with respect to what calorie sources you can utilize. I recommend adapting the old concept of the Possibles Bag here as it allows for hasty acquisition and storage of materials found without necessity to pause and rummage through gear. It also allows your pockets to remain available, clean and dry for other uses.

A long utilized method of sustenance by military evaders involves the use of livestock, goods and other useable items usurped from locals, generally in rural areas. This may or may not be appropriate given your situation. For soldiers trapped behind enemy lines and among hostile, fearful or bribe-hungry locals the risk should be weighed carefully. In other scenarios, simply asking the locals for assistance may be optimal and put a swift conclusion to your problem.

This aspect of evasion also brings up the possibility of switching roles from hunter to hunted. Classically, traps and related devices as well as sniper work are brought up in the discussion at this point. It goes without saying however, that these and other tactics and techniques cross a certain line which may or may not be appropriate based on your personal situation. Evaluations such as legality, rules of engagement and morality all must be read in here with their appropriate caveats.

Tips/Tricks/Etc.

I will leave you with a short recap of the high points and a selection of handy tips to keep in your mental back pocket. Recall that when the adrenaline hits, take time to make tea, breathe or whatever else you find forces you to humbly and quickly square up to reality. Like setting the table for dinner, now that you’re tuned in start evaluating, making decisive, logical decisions. Move at the fastest and safest possible pace, utilizing terrain, foliage, weather and anything else possible to your greatest advantage. Stealth is directly related to speed so consider trade offs and continually force yourself to re-evaluate your decisions and assumptions based on the feedback reality is offering you along the way. Ultimately, deliberate action coupled with common sense and perhaps a healthy dose of humility is going to fair you pretty well.

-Don’t follow obvious terrain features such as rivers, rims, tree lines.
-Take care of your feet. If you feel a hot spot, then stop and evaluate.
-Smoke is an effective scent mask.
-Learn how to make a Dakota fire pit. It gives off low light, and when burning certain barks and woods it is near smokeless. Use it only if you absolutely must, to live.
-Keep a 5x7 earth-tone survival tarp in your kit. Cord pre-attached to tie offs.
-An inexpensive monocular or set of binoculars kept in the car or in a pocket can be very handy.
-For calories on a mid to long term evasion look to insects, grubs and fish. In that order.
-Cardiovascular stamina cannot be overestimated.
-Smear dirt+spittle on the stumps of cut limbs or trees.
-Hopping from rock to rock to log, doglegs, walking back in your tracks and other counter-tracking techniques have their price---they tell your hunters something about you, so use them sparingly if at all and never the same technique twice.
-Do a web search: ‘Etymology of red herring.’

Thanks to Jim Rawles and those who participate in SurvivalBlog--such a great source of material. It has been a real pleasure to review the material on this site and note the obvious amount of knowledge available as resources for others in proper disaster planning. When you see nation changing events happening around the world, it is nice to see a level of common people thinking about such things, preparing for such events, and sharing.
 
I have read other’s ideas on weapons related gear and I agree with many of their thoughts. My personal training comes from the Marine Corps as a Marine and NCO, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, civilian firearms trainers and others. This includes my own instruction of weapons and tactics training for SWAT and other tactical situations as well as the many decades of use of firearms and their related carry gear.
 
If you have an interest and are reading this material, at some point, you have probably gathered an array of personal protection pistols and long guns. Others have written about recommendations and the advantages of certain types and brands of weapons. Americans, depending where you live, may chose from many fine firearms. For those of us living in hoplophobic states, with legal restrictions on silly things like magazines and semiautomatic weapons, lawful choices become more difficult. I will point out that, even in these places, you can still gather fine weapons to meet an acceptable level of preparation. I have made and live with these choices.
 
Disclaimer: I am not advocating that anyone break the law. You must check your state and local laws regarding how you would utilize firearms and under what circumstances. I offer this information for consideration but the ultimate decision would rest upon the person possessing and using any firearm (and in some states, even the possession of types of semiautomatic weapons and the magazines used).
 
As long as we have law enforcement to respond to emergencies, within reason, we should use them. This material comes under the umbrella of, “what do you do when you call for a cop and there are none coming to your assistance?” In our culture, in almost any event where a citizen must use a firearm (pistol or long gun), ultimately law enforcement will probably review the circumstances regarding that use and come up with a judgment on that use. I am suggesting that we all must put forth thought and consideration as well as proper training now so that we may make better informed decisions on what we should do under the direst circumstances. I have personal experience in dealing with firearm incidents and I know they are frequently life changing events. That experience comes from four years as a Marine and 36 years in law enforcement.  
 
Many law enforcement personnel are trained and immediately think of people with firearms as threats. We need to continue to work on this issue so that covert carry and even open carry may not be seen as an immediate threat but a right of a citizen under the US Constitution. (I admit, we have a ways to go.) I recall a grade school friend bringing a .22 rifle to school for a project. He was not stopped, frisked and arrested either on the street or at the school. This was a better mindset for cops, and maybe, a goal for the future.
 
With such considerations in mind, my discussion is based upon the premise (or, in some cases, recommendation) that before you gather this weapon carry gear and related equipment, you have already decided or obtained the best quality firearms, related equipment, and training you can get or afford. Related to the topic, I hope that you have enough gun for any fight you need to be involved with. I like 7.62 because it is not understated in a fight. Neither is 12 gauge. An M4gery carbine is lighter but the extended effective range is nearer than the 7.62 NATO. (Since time and distance are your friends in a fight) . Iron back-up sights are required equipment on a serious weapon but I believe that a set of red dot type optics are quicker and easier for any grade of shooter. I also prefer handguns in calibers that start with a “point four.” Do not go cheap on weapons, magazines, or optics (“buy cheap twice or quality once”).
 
How will you carry your weapons and meet the necessary feeding requirements for your equipment? If your state requires a maximum of ten rounds in a pistol, you may find that a pistol with such a maximum mag count by design is a good size for your hand or, ultimately, if you cannot handle the situation with ten rounds in a secondary weapon, you need to add more thought to your primary weapon type. For that primary weapon, what kind of sling system will you need? A quiet way to carry a long gun is without a sling but, from experience, I can tell you that most will adapt a sling, piece of rope or something to help carry the weight of the piece.
 
A sling must work for you and it must work with your gear. I really prefer two-point adjustable padded slings, over one-point or three-point slings. Again, this is a personal preference from my experience. Military (“silent” or web) two-loop web slings can be used to carry a weapon over the right or left shoulder to the rear or front, butt up in the Rhodesian or African carry. These work if you practice with them. Try some out that belong to friends before you pick a sling you like and practice with it and with your gear so that you know that they work together. Use good training to assist in these decisions; see what works. For the taller people, if you find a sling you like is a bit short, have your rigger or shoe repair fit in an extension that works for you (this should apply for smaller people as well). Now is the time to pick a good sling.
 
Next, consider and study the circumstances of how you will deploy your weapons (again, training helps). All the equipment in the world may not be what we need in a serious social situation. The best way out of a gunfight is to not get in one in the first place. As you consider carry equipment, can you build up a set of gear that will allow you to carry a “combat minimum”? Can you wear a loose cover jacket or carry a covert “sports bag” that you can modify with the help of a para-rigger or shoe shop sewing machine (maybe adding some MOLLE strips inside to add loops or pouches) to carry loaded mags and not make you look like a GI Joe? If it is not raining, can you wear a serape like Clint Eastwood wore in his westerns so that you can wear or carry gear what will allow you to be seen but maybe not thought of as being an immediate threat? This is a topic for serious thought and consideration. You do not want to be shot on sight by someone a long way off who thinks that you are a bad guy? Can you have both a covert set of equipment to carry the minimal magazines and related gear you need to feed your weapons as well as an overt set of pouches and gear carried in manner we think of as load bearing gear? Why can’t you have both kinds? Remember, we should have a set of carry gear for each weapon available to us. Having a covert weapon and related equipment has merit – even if it is for someone that may be scouting ahead of others.    
 
Besides wearing many of these items, I have read a lot of material about vest’s and other load bearing gear. What is sometime missing is just how you put it together. We have a fresh crop of young military veterans. In the “Sandbox” and other “climbs and place,” they are wearing a lot of high speed gear and I am sure most of you can get some pointers from them about what works and what does not. Even if I am a generation older, I offer this material on things I find that work. 
 
During a certain age, the Marine Corps issued me 782 gear that included the hook type belt attachments. These swung to and fro against your body as you walked and canteens with these attachment points beat you when you ran. After wearing M1 cartridge belts, our individual M14 mag pouches slid onto the pistol type web belt and were more comfortable but four of them took quite a bit of space in front (most of us were pretty slim back then). Later we were issued the M16 and their mag pouches were the GI LC1 and later LC2 generations, both with the metal “ALICE” clips that dug into your midsection where they were attached on the inside of their very stiff web belts. We were not allowed to exchange out these clips like certain Army types using para-cord. After loading mags, in VietNam many of us carried most of our loaded 20-round M16 magazines in the pockets of OD green cotton bandoleers. (So save their safety pins). It is still a great way to grab additional full mags and walk away.
 
I did not like the hook type attachments that started, I believe, in WWI and continued until Vietnam or the ALICE clips (I do not use the word, “hate” but the feelings for those clips is pretty close). After my discharge, again wearing a green and tan uniform (for a Sheriff’s Office), I was again issued web gear as part of a riot unit and later a SWAT unit. With a wink and a nod, I was allowed to gather my own gear and modify it to be more comfortable (maintaining a “uniform” look). I took to using OD paracord in lieu of ALICE clips until I found that black nylon cable binders (zip ties) worked even better for me (put on, adjusted and then the ends are melted so that they did not come off). MOLLIE came later and I quickly learned how to adjust and wear it.
 
Today, drop down holsters are considered “Tact-a-cool”. I still have one that came with, again, ALICE clips. But I never felt encumbered with the GI leather holster for issued Model 1911 pistols. While stationed at a Marine Barracks, I learned to put a couple of stitches on the rear edge of the holster to hold it flat against the leg. I still have one modified this way (the hooks are on a leather slide-on carrier instead of going through a web belt). If this Marine were ever again put place to repel boarders, I might wear that holster (with some molding, you can holster a cocked and locked M1911). It protects the weapon and you can transition from your primary long gun to the pistol quickly. In the late 1960s, I also carried a C4 bag or Claymore Mine bag that I used as a “dump pouch.” More recently, Marines carry issue dump bags on their vest or belts (“adapt, improvise, and overcome”).
 
To carry my gear today, I still use a 2” nylon pistol belt with a plastic buckle or a padded MOLLE pistol belt with an Uncle Mike's nylon “Universal” holster (this holster allows me to fit a light/laser to the pistol) and I wear it strong side at waist level; a TUFF five mag holder; an old Cold Steel Tanto knife I carried during my SWAT years; a couple of hard plastic AR mag holders; and an “improved” Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK or “blow out”). Depending upon the need, I add a GI canteen and cup that is equipped with a sling or use a CamelBak. I prefer to wear my pistol on a belt rather than a load bearing harness or vest. Maybe I am old fashioned, but I may even wear the pistol holster on the trouser belt and wear the pistol equipment belt with the rest of my gear riding on top (and using nylon belt keepers to hold both belts together). This way, even if I have to drop most of my equipment, I still have some warfighting gear (a light but long cover jacket also covers this belt). Depending upon the situation, I can add a load bearing vest (LBV) with extra mags and other gear. 
 
If you choose to use a carry belt, former military web belts or the newer nylon pistol belts work fine. If you like the para-cord attachment method, after gathering the parts for the belt, I suggest you first position each piece of gear where you want it, then run the cord through the piece of equipment’s ALICE clip slot or MOLLE slots, under the belt, up the back, and over the top. Tie off the cord at the top of the piece of gear so that the knot does not sit inside the belt. Once you are sure of the placement and it is on tight, melt down the knot with a fireplace lighter. I usually use an OD green para-cord. Note: Since you remove the interior cords and use the “tube” for this task, you can heat the end of the “tube” to make it solid, thread the para-cord through the grommets or not and, depending on what the item is, sometimes I use the grommet and sometimes I do not.  
 
The cable binder (zip tie) method is slightly different. Position the gear, run the binder through that piece of gear (ALICE clip slot, etc.), then under the belt and over the top of the belt. Position the locking tab portion of the binder on the gear side so it will not move against the body as you put the running end of the binder through the locking portion. I sometimes use two or three binders for each piece of gear and may even run one diagonally from one corner to the other. As you adjust placement, do not over tighten and crush the belt. A triangular file is handy to make slight groves inside where the binder turns 90 degrees. This helps eliminate some of the tension curve in the tie. Again, once you are sure of your placement, ensuring the locking tab and end are away from the body, melt the running piece in the locking tab with the lighter. Since I do not find OD green ties, I use black.
 
An examination of my gear will show you that I may be using para-cord, cable binders, nylon snap belt keepers, and MOLLE at the same time to secure multi-generational gear items. The idea is to make your gear secure and available – oh, and quiet. By the way, don’t worry about the color of you gear (assuming it is not fire red) as mix-match makes good camo.   
 
The only thing I do not like about some LBVs is that, depending upon the vest and the placement of the gear, it makes me feel too high when I am trying to get flat on the ground (Okay, even the old style military buttons and thread is too thick when someone is shooting at you). When I see pictures of most troops and Marines wearing LBVs now, either they are spending less time on their belly or they are good a digging a deeper fighting positions – or they may be moving fast from an armored vehicle to the target building in built up areas. I adjust the LBV high so they clear the waist belt and I try to position the gear on the vest so that I can get the middle of my chest area down flat on the deck. The vest’s I use are the old 2-buckel woodland pattern that has enough room so that I can wear my gear this way. I also position a dump pouch on the left rear of the vest so I can drop mags in there if I have the time (or to carry a box of loose shotgun ammo). By the way, if you take the bottom belt out of these vests, they make a good MOLLE style gear belt.
 
I am pretty picky about the placement of my gear so I have different harness and vests setups for different weapons. [JWR Adds: It is indeed wise to have one set of web gear for each of your long guns. You never know when an absolute worst-case situation might occur where you suddenly want to hand out spare guns to relatives, neighbors, and friends. Any weapon without a set of web gear and a full complement of magazines won't be of much help.] There is a lot of new gear out there as well as military surplus and inexpensive enough that you can work up your gear as you want it. Also, it is worth finding a para-rigger or knowledgeable shoe repair person to modify or repair your gear to make it work as you want it to work.
 
Before I had LBVs (for SWAT), I wore a web belt, a nylon four-point shoulder harness (the three-point works almost as well), the Tanto knife, GI leather 1911 holster, a radio, twin pistol mag pouch, two AR mag pouches (six mags), the old USMC jungle first aid kit, and a canteen (before we purchased our first custom LBVs). I had a butt pack ready with food, dry socks, and other needed gear to add if needed. I have always liked this type of rig. You can improve it by adding a poncho and a butt pack (by the way, you can rig up two butt packs with the four-point shoulder harness). With this rig and a protective vest, I had great access and it allowed me to move and maneuver as necessary.
 
Like most cops, I have lots of pistol holsters and I find holsters are still an individual thing (for the person and the weapon). One kind of holster or carry method does not seem to be enough and, before you know it, you have a collection of them. Do not spend good money for a fine pistol and not on a good belt, holster and mag pouch. Check them out and get what you want. The traits you are looking for are; carry, access, and protection (your order may vary). If you want real comfort, you probably should not be carrying a pistol (or long gun). (By the way, start a chart of holsters and, as you get a new one, try all your pistols in the new one to see what else may fit. I have saved a fair amount of money using this chart for a new pistol or mag pouches.)
 
I also have a pretty fair collection of civilian and GI packs and war-bags. Again, depending on the situation you will be attending with this equipment, you may need to add a pack. I have worn most of the recent generations of military packs over the years and I still like a the US military issue ALICE medium ruck pack. But, if at all possible, I do not recommend this pack if you are using a long gun during a fight (drop the pack if you must maneuver). Proper maneuvering requires the ability to move smoothly and as fast or slow as you needed at the time and balance is important. You should be prioritizing as much weight off your body as possible (and still meet mission requirements). Besides your weapons, add one combat unit of fire in ammo (it varies with weapon and caliber), at least one additional unit of ammo loaded in mags or stripper clips in bandoleers (GI or home made), you will probably not have explosive weapons – frags, Claymores, etc. so use this for additional ammo in stripper clips/bandoleers, water, some energy food, IFAK, bug juice, a light, poncho, some kind of tool to improve a firing position, and something to carry all this as comfortably as you can (yes, I know a pack mule would be nice but no).  
 
At some point, you should have your weapons, gear, ammo, and carry equipment all together. Hopefully, you have already put it all on and made sure you have access to everything you need when your weapon’s bolt locks back with an empty chamber or another immediate action need arises. You can also jump up and down without making a lot of noise. Next, you need to try hiking, crawling and climbing over things to see if adjustments should be made. Once you have done this, tape down any loose ends, shiny spots, etc. with black or OD tape. I frequently see people show up at a range to begin long gun training. They are wearing the very minimum gear that they can. But, if you ask them to lay out the gear they think they need for a serious social situation, they have a lot more. Proper practice should be with the gear you need – not some lighter weight version to look “cool.”  
 
By the way, we have not spoken about protective vests yet. To wear a vest is another individual decision that needs to be made (your sling and gear will fit different with or without the vest). Both soft and hard protective vests are hot, somewhat restrictive, and not cheap. Besides deciding if you are going to use one, you need to figure out what level of protection you want to purchase. When in my SO uniform, when vests came along, besides the one issued to me, I bought a quality product and I wore it. The price of soft and plate armor has come down so the cost issues are easier but I suggest that as soon as someone shoots at you, you will ask yourself, “why am I here and why am I not wearing armor?” We should also bring up helmets. I recall that about 33% of all peace officers killed by firearms are shot in the head. Now, if cops are not around and you are in a gunfight, you might consider that the one-third of shooting incidents could include whoever is present.
 
As to the level of a vest protection, assess the potential aggressor. For most cops, a soft vest that will stop high end handgun ammo is the usual compromise. If you suspect your aggressor will have a rifle, hard armor is called for. It is always weight vs. threat. This applies to helmets to a lesser degree.
 
A note on individual first aid gear: 1) they are primarily for the individual carrying the kit; 2) they should have some basics like band aids, aspirin, etc.; 3) a small bottle of water purification tabs and; 4) basic treatment for gunshot wounds to include a tourniquet and gunshot bandages (1 or 2). 
 
We have also not discussed communications or night vision gear. You get to decide what you can use, what you can afford, and what you want to carry (remember the extra batteries). Once you make the decision, work with the equipment to make it work for you.
 
Once you have all your gear, put it in a bag (a bag for each set). I used to use a parachute bag but now I use a civilian style heavy cloth bag so it looks like luggage. Do not leave it out so that a “midnight shopper” sees it and takes it away when you are not present.  
 
Priority of Considerations:
Thought process – when and how can I protect myself and my family?
Training
Weapons and optics
Ammo
Sling
Carry gear
Other equipment
 
With all the parts available as surplus or new products, you get to pick your own rig for each weapon you may use, and high or low profile. You can start with a belt rig and then go heavier by adding or changing to a LBV. I know what works for me and I get to pick from gear going back awhile as well as new stuff.
 
Whatever you get, practice with it. You want to wear and use it enough that muscle memory builds so that when your mag goes dry, you automatically reach for replacements in known locations. Find places where you can wear and practice with your gear where you will not have the cops showing up due a hoplophobic reporting party calling in a “man with a gun” complaint (all part of your operational security mind set).

There are so many moving parts to being prepared. Juggling priorities, money, and time are part of it. I fit in recreation as it applies to firearms so I get to slide in some of these issues into that consideration. YMMV.
 
Keep your musket clean and your powder dry.

Many of us have, within our Bug Out Bag some kind of basic survival fishing rig (like those sold at Ready Made Resources or Camping Survival) be it a simple hook, line, and sinker tucked away in a plastic case, in the handle of a survival knife, a pill bottle, plastic pack or metal tin, or a slightly more elaborate setup that might include a small fishing reel and telescopic rod or a small Yo-Yo fishing reel.  Regardless of what rig you possess at the time TSHTF, it is important to have some general knowledge and ability in order to accomplish the desired outcome while fishing—and that is catching fish.   Let’s face it, those of us that have never fished for anything with the exception of the remote control between the cushions of the sofa, could benefit from some tips to increase our chances, especially if it means the difference between a much needed meal or going hungry for yet another day.

Introduction
For the sake of brevity, the focus of this discussion is going to be on the simplest of fishing transactions.  There are an overwhelming variety of fishing styles (sport, spear, bow, nets, etc.), methods (bottom, top water, drift), types of equipment, locations, environments, etc. that can be included in the discussion, but the scope of this writing will be limited to freshwater, a simple fishing setup such as what is found in a typical off-the-shelf or homemade survival kit and what is typically available in terms of the live bait. The goal will be to increase the basic familiarity of it to the prepper  or the  persons in a G.O.O.D. situation that has little to no knowledge about the act of fishing and may be forced to act in that capacity to generate sustenance to survive.     

Contrary to what you may think, successfully fishing to the desired outcome is not necessarily easy and likely one of the more difficult foods to get from the water, but it’s certainly not impossible.  There are many considerations and factors that go into a successful fishing event and some of them include, fishing equipment being used (rod and reel, net, archery, spear, trapping, etc.), weather conditions (heavy rain, full sun, snow), body of water being fished (stream, pond, lake, river), bait available, time of day (dawn, noon, dusk), and season (spring, winter, summer), clarity and depth of water, temperature of the air and water, and the amount of cover in and around the water just to name a few.  Many of the negative factors, some more than others, can be overcome with experience and knowledge.   The argument can be made, that for the time and energy invested, fishing is not the best plan to procure a meal (I’ve gone home on more than one occasion with an empty stringer)--but given a particular situation it just may be your best opportunity at that moment. 

Equipment
The typical survival fishing setup provides the bare essentials to fish-- a hook, line and possibly sinkers—and doesn’t involve legalities such as licenses and other regulations.  If you are going to practice your skills please make sure you comply with all federal/state/local laws—or get the permission of the land owner if you are going to practice on a private pond or lake.  The line and sinkers are designed to get the bait and hook down to where the fish are at.   It is important that you inspect your fishing line and the knot at the hook.  Don’t wait until you need it to find out that the heat has weakened or frayed your line to the point that a slight pull would result in it snapping—that is the last thing you want to happen when your next meal is on the other end.   Monofilament lines (common type of fishing line typically used in survival fishing kits) will breakdown over time and that effect is accelerated with the addition of heat.  It may be worth your while to invest is a small spool of high quality 8-10 pound test braided fishing line available at any sporting goods store or section in one of the big box stores.  This braided, or multifilament line has greater strength and durability when compared to monofilament, but it is more expensive and not without its unique issues.  If you can’t keep the entire spool in your BOB, create a mini spool using a small piece of cardboard and wrap as much as you can (space permitting) around it.  Consider (safely) including a couple of larger sewing needles in with your fishing line—this can help stitch tears, mend other items during the course of your travels , and provide you many other uses should the need arise.   

Your knot on the end of the fishing line is just as important as anything else.  If this is the weak link then you can say good bye to a hook and your dinner.  It is essential to know how to tie a good knot and one or more that meet the needs of your applications.   Animatedknots.com , Realknots.com or Netknots.com are just a few good sources of animated/pictures of knot tying examples.  Additionally, there are several resources (such as knot cards) concerning knot tying for your BOB available at Camping Survival.   Knowledge of knots in a practical or an outdoor survival situation can’t be overstated.  Some of the considerations, other than fishing requiring knowledge of knots include:  lashing/securing/binding items together, climbing, creating a loop, splicing ropes, tying bandages, are just a few.           

It may also be in your best interest to invest is some additional hooks.  They are light and don’t take up a bunch of space and it is almost assured you will lose some in the course of fishing.  There are a wide variety of hooks for different purposes.   In this case we want to stick with bait hooks.  These type hooks are designed with small barbs on the shank of the hook to help hold the bait in place.  From my personal experience the size of the fish I wish to catch and the bait I’m using determines the size of the hook.   In my kit I carry #12 to #8 sized hooks because my primary target will be the pan fish family, a plentiful and easy to catch fish such has bluegills, sunfish, and crappies.  A smaller hook is a good compromise because not only can you catch small fish, but also larger fish. The reverse is not always the case.  My goal is to obtain as much food as I need, as fast as I can, with as little effort as possible.  This family of fishes has very rarely let me down over the course of 30 years of fishing.  Now if I catch a good sized Trout I will certainly be better off in terms of the amount of total protein, but I am relatively sure I can catch more bluegills in the same amount of time (if at all) than it would take me to catch a 4-5 pound trout or bass with a survival rig.

Fishing with a bare line is not impossible but adding that line to a moderately thick green branch can: aid you in getting that hook and bait closer to your next meal, allow you to hold that bait over the target longer, give you access to additional areas that require additional reach (working around a muddy river bank keeping you from slipping in, working in and around cover, placing the bait into a quite pool, etc.).   Select a limb that will withstand a significant amount of pull from the top one-third of it without snapping, rigid is good but you want the limb to flex some (absorb moderate pull) without snapping.   Keeping your line far enough from the tip of the stick, using a pocket knife or something similar, bevel in a smooth notch into the wood all the way around the stick (must be very smooth to ensure the line does not get accidentally frayed or cut by a rough spot on the wood).  Make sure you don’t go in too deep into the wood and unintentionally make it too weak in that area.  If the limb is thick enough, it should easily withstand a 1-5 pound fish--but take the extra precautions and test it.  This beveling will keep your line from sliding off the end of your makeshift “pole” (if you have one, you can also use an eye screw attached to your pole as a fastening point too).   Tie a sufficient length of fishing line for the depth and distance you will be fishing (using a hitch knot or something similar) around the notched area.  Make sure that it is tight enough that it will not fall off or be pulled off when a fish is hooked.  Add your fish hook on the other end of the line and sinkers if you have them (these help get your bait down to the level where the fish are).  Here again, use a good knot, as it would be a bad thing to lose both your meal and a hook at the same time. Not that you have too, but if you want to add a home-made bobber, try this.  Simply find a twig, ¼ inch or slightly thicker, about 1-3 inches long and trim all the bark off of it (contrasting color in the water).  Then bevel evenly around the circumference of the stick, like you did with your fishing pole, but more toward one end, not exactly in the middle.  Determine the level you want your bait to be at, based on how high the bobber will be on your line—high is deeper, lower is shallow.  Once that is known, you can attach the bobber to your main line.  Take the main line, place it against the bobber.  Using a small length of extra line (or small wire, rubber band, etc.), simply wrap it tightly a few times around bobber and main line forcing it into the beveled area (toward the bottom) of the bobber and tie off with a tight knot.  A rubber band would make this process even easier and allow you to quickly adjust the depth if needed plus they are helpful for other things as well.  With a little ingenuity you can make a bobber with just about anything that floats.  This is just one variation of a home-made/survival fishing pole set-up.  There are many interesting creations out in YouTube to give you some idea on how to create your own.  Find one you like, build it, experiment, try it out and share it with others if it works.       
Bait
The next component to a successful survival fishing undertaking is bait.  Here again, the focus will be on the natural side of things or what might be available in and around the body of fresh water where you would be fishing.  Yes, you can fish successfully with artificial lures, flies, and plastic imitation baits but that will likely not be in your standard kit unless you supplemented it with those items (and if you did that, then you are likely proficient in this skill and will find this article to rudimentary for your purposes).  When searching for bait, look into and around the water for sources of food that the fish consume.  If you see tadpoles in the water, mussels, or crawfish, that would be a good bait to use.  You might see grasshoppers or other insects floating in the water or around the shore—if they can fit on your hook those would also be great bait items.  A general rule of thumb:  big bait, big fish, small bait, small fish.  Some suggestions for bait include:  tad poles, small frogs and toads, fish eggs, grubs, beetles, millipedes, crickets, worms, crayfish, larva, freshwater crabs, minnows, fish fry (young fish), caterpillars, fresh water shrimp, mussels, etc.  Look in or under rotten logs or stones, high grass (for hoppers), around the shore line, under rocks in streams, or under plies of leaves--but always use caution.  Take some time to explore the area and don’t be afraid to try different baits out.  Sometime fish can be as finicky as people in what they choose to eat.  Also—word of advice:  if you are not sure what it is, don’t take a chance on getting bit or stung—you can’t afford that in a survival situation!  Move on to something safer and surer.  Always keep your situational awareness in active mode.

Setting the hook, especially in sport fishing, is a very import part of the “catch”.  Since this discussion involves a survival situation the focus is on catching food not sport.  For the most part, when fishing with live bait, many fish will quickly ingest the bait since it is real and something they recognize and regularly feed on.  In a situation such as this, the fish will likely swallow the bait and hook itself—what is often called a gut hook.  This significantly increases the mortality in a sport/catch and release situation (hook removal).  In a normal situation you will want to avoid this and can do so with a quick hook set.  There may even be legal requirements in your area on how to handle a “gut hooked” fish—so be aware.   However, in a survival situation hook setting is another important step in securing food.  Once you feel the weight of the fish (tug), simply snap the rod (or line) in an upward motion and to the left or right. If the hook sets, you will feel the fish fighting (pulling) on the other end.  The goal is now how quickly you can get that fish safely out of the water.  Remember different fish species have different biting patterns, some are aggressive and some light biters.  Here again, practice and learn from your experiences.             

After you catch your first fish, you can cut open the abdomen, and remove the intestines and other organs.  Cut open the stomach and examine the contents and that will tell you about the fish’s diet.  Examples of this can be seen at the Hi-lakers web site. These parts of the fish can also be successfully used as bait as well.  When using “live” bait the goal is to keep it that way.  Hook the bait in such a way that it appears natural (hook hidden) and that it will stay alive as long as possible.  For example, if you are using a minnow as bait, you want it to be able to swim around; therefore you hook it thru the tail, or the lips, or under the spine (from the top of the fish). No, it won’t be hidden but it will stay alive longer.  If you bring the hook too close to the spine, you will kill the fish or at a minimum paralyze it.   The same can be said of frogs, crayfish, or freshwater shrimp, hook them in a way that they will stay alive longer.  With crickets, grasshoppers, grubs and worms their life span is significantly limited in the water—unless they have scuba gear.  With these baits the important thing is to secure the bait and hide the hook!  Of note, it is an important fact to point out that many times the bait you may collect can also double as food for you.  So if you can’t catch a fish, at least you can eat the bait.  Frogs, toads, crawfish, worms, crickets, and grubs in sufficient quantities can provide substance.  Just do your homework so you know how to identify the good stuff and ways to safely consume it.  

Location, Time, Temperature, Weather, the Moon, and Seasons
Finding the best location to fish can also mean the difference between a full stomach and an empty one.  Generally speaking, fish need cover for protection and to provide them sources of food.  Cover comes in a variety of forms both in the water and out of the water.  Some examples of cover in the water can be a sunken tree, a bank of lily pads or aquatic weeds,  large rocks, bottom drop-offs (underwater ledges), or an undercut river bank (safety first—don’t stand on it if it could collapse).  Out of water cover includes overhanging trees or bushes that shade the water or fallen trees.  These are all areas where you would want to place your bait.  Water patterns and formations can also provide successful opportunities to get to fish.  Here you need to look for quite or still pools of water (in rivers and streams) behind rocks and fallen trees , feeder streams into lakes or rivers (these provide cooler water, oxygen, and food), or look for deep holes in rivers or streams where fish might “hole up”.  Often, in clearer water, you can spot fish.  In these situations you want to present your bait up stream (if there is current) and allow it to drift into the area where the fish are waiting.

Remember:  your approach to the fishing location should be done slowly.  Limit any vibrations that you might send in your advance to the area.  Fish are very sensitive to vibrations and will spook easy.  Also if the water is clear your movement or shadow, if you cast one, will likely be seen by them.  While fish do have the ability to see, the distance and definition of what they see depends on the species and environment.  Rule of thumb:  walk slowly, tread lightly, and watch the shadows.  If you do spook them, give it a few minutes as they might return to their feeding area once they feel (no pun intended) the perceived threat is gone.  
Along with location and cover-- time, temperature, lunar cycle and weather also work with you or against you.   Knowing the best time of day to fish often depends on the family of fish you are going after and the location you’re fishing.    Much like us, they need to replenish their food banks after an evening of rest. Commonly, fish start to get hungry and feed just before dawn and into the first hour.  White Bass, for example, at a certain period of time in the wee hours of the morning, will simply go crazy chasing (feeding on) shad and then just stop.  It’s really an amazing event to be in the middle of and quite illustrative of feeding times and it brings up another good point—an obvious sign that fish are feeding is that they are breaking the surface of the water going after food or their food (as in this case) is breaking the surface of the water trying to get away from the predator.  The other optimal time for most fish to feed is just after sunset.  That doesn’t mean you can’t catch fish during the day, it just means it might be more difficult and require more effort.  You might have to fish at different location (in cover), run your bait deeper, or use different more appealing bait, or a combination of all three.

Here is something my grandfather taught me at a young age:  just before a storm, fish increase in their feeding.  I’m not exactly certain why, but I have been told that fish sense the change in barometric pressure and this is one of their reactions to it.  This may be due to experience and the lack of or difficulty in the fish locating food during or after a storm.  Regardless, it is indeed a good time to fish.  However, it can be a very dangerous time to which I can attest first-hand.  Two near miss lighting strikes during separate events (one shore fishing, one on a boat), convinced me that it’s not worth it.  If there is a thunderstorm in the forecast, I stay indoors.  Again, you have to weigh the risks—hunger pains versus possible death—it doesn’t take much convincing on what to do in my book.  But then again, maybe the rewards outweigh the risks in a certain situation.  You will have to make the call. 

The lunar cycle also effects the feeding cycle of fish.  When the moon is full and when it is waning (illuminated surface as seen from Earth is decreasing), is another good time to fish.  Again, depending on other conditions, temperatures (water and air), weather, season, it can certainly affect your outcome.  Likewise, if you have the majority of positive possibilities on your side you increase your odds but there are no guarantees.   
 Seasons play a part in the successful outcome of fishing.  Keep in mind that most of the freshwater fish families spawn in the spring (exact times vary).  Spawning occurs in the shallows (bedding) and often around areas that provide cover in the water (logs, aquatic plants) for protecting the young fish and to also keep food in close proximity.  Also, shallow water provides warmth while coming out of the winter season.  Because of the energy it takes to spawn and the warming effect, a fish’s appetite increases.  Also in the fall season is a good time to fish as well.  The temps (water) have to drop significantly enough to signal the fish that winter is coming.  This tends to spur the fish into action—to put some extra calories on before the slower feeding season of winter.  During the winter months, fish tend to go into deeper (warmer) waters.  For more information on the topic of when to fish, take a look at this free PDF resource that you can download and/or print. 

Preparing the Catch
For additional information concerning the preparation of your recently caught meal, take a look at these diagrams.  The process is fairly straight forward:  scale it, gut it, skin it (depending on the fish), cut/fillet it, and then cook it.  Here are two guides (one and two) to help you through the process and another with a good diagram.  There are also numerous videos on YouTube, some quite entertaining, that can give you an idea of how to prepare and even cook your fish.     

Precautions
In a SHTF scenario you will certainly need to take any necessary tactical considerations while fishing.  Watch your back.  It’s hard to concentrate on catching your next meal while making sure that you don’t become a victim or another predator’s next meal.  As it has been said, safety (and security) is paramount! 
Take the time to put the knowledge you gain into action.  Practice knot tying, rig preparing, finding and using different baits, locating good fishing areas, and actually do some fishing now, while things are relatively normal.  Then take the time to clean, prepare and cook the fish you caught.  Fishing is a fun sport and most kids enjoy it as well--so bring them along.  Fishing, like any sport requires practice and is a diminishing skill.   Through your experiences, you can better define what works for you, as well as the gear you will or won’t take with you in your G.O.O.D. kit or Bug out Bag.  Remember always obey the laws that apply in your area, respect property owners rights, exercise any needed precautions and safety requirements (weather, equipment, situational/threat awareness, environment, etc.), and if you need any licenses or tags make sure you get them as required.   Please also respect the areas that you fish in and leave them in better condition than you found ‘em!  Best wishes on catching those fishes!

I’ve been seriously prepping for a decade and consider myself a prepared and competent guy.   Y2K got me started, but the events of the past few years have kicked my preps into higher gear.   I’m confidant with my guns and food storage.  I have alternate power and heat sources established at both our home and retreat location.  I have a co-worker who includes me in his prepper group’s  meetings.  My family (immediate and some extended) is on board with our plans for TEOTWAWKI.   Although I’m not where I want to be, I’m know I’m better off than 98% of the sheeple out there.
After my travel experience today, I’m not so sure I’m as “practically” prepared as I should be.
 
Today was a beautiful day.  52 degrees in Nebraska…..in January!?!?    What a great day for a road trip.  My daily driver is a late 1990s Subaru.  It still gets great mileage and is all wheel drive which is nice in this climate.  My wife drives a newer minivan and we have a low mileage 2001 Dodge Durango for our spare/bug out vehicle.   My car’s odometer read 168,508 when I filled the tank this morning.  It was getting close to ½ empty so of course, as a prepared guy, it was time to fill up. 
 
I finished a sales call just after noon in a small town about 30 miles North of the City where we live. I decided to take the scenic route on the way back to the office.     I chose to travel a paved road that ran west from the main highway.  From this road I took a number of  gravel roads headed mostly southbound .   Besides the fact that I enjoy the windshield time, I’d like to buy a piece of rural property and these road trips are an easy way to look for them.  It was on one of these roads that my car’s timing belt failed.  In a disabled car on a quiet country road is not a place you want to be on most January days in the Midwest.  I was very thankful for the mild weather today.   I had no clue how much I would learn from this slight diversion from the highway.  
 
My first thought was…”Where am I?” Situational Awareness is something I’ve read about on Survival Blog dozens of times.  But, I didn’t have a clue what road I was on.  What was the intersecting road had I crossed a mile or so back? How far off the highway was I?  I could see a small town about 2 miles to my south west.  What town is that?  It was too far to read the writing on the water tower.                     

Lesson #1:  Pay attention!  Know where I am all the time. 

Lesson #1.5: Get a GPS for this car.
 
There were two houses in view, one was about a mile behind me and one was about three quarters of mile ahead.   It was time for a hike.  Note:  Rockport semi-casual dress shoes are fine for sales calls. They are not however, intended for walking on gravel.  Same goes for dress socks or dress pants.  Good news:  I keep wool socks and my Vibram boots in my “Get Home” bag.   I love those boots!  I picked them up at a local Army Surplus store for about $25.   Too bad that my “Get Home” bag wasn’t in the trunk.   I took it in the house to update it last night!  I did not put it back in the car this morning.                                       

Lesson #2: It’s called a “Get Home” bag…not a “leave it at home” bag for a reason.
 
Not knowing If I’d be coming back to the car or not, I grabbed my laptop in its backpack, my cell phone and my keys (I double checked that I had the keys) and locked the car.  As I walked down the road I was pleased to see I had great cell reception.   I called my wife to tell her what was going on.   She offered to come get me, but she is directionally challenged and doesn’t  trust the GPS . Besides, I couldn’t tell her where I was anyway.   I was in the process of telling her that I would figure out where I was and then call her back when my cell phone battery died.  This just gets better all the time. 

My plan was to walk down the road to the next house or intersection to determine where I was.  I could see the cross road about two miles ahead was a paved road with quite a bit of traffic.  I guessed at what highway it was, but still couldn’t think of the name of that little town.   The farmhouse ahead was set back from the road with a long driveway. I did not want to approach the house.  It seemed a little to ‘cliché: traveling salesman with a broke down car down the road….  No, there had to be another way to figure out where I was.   Their mailbox was on a post along the road but there were no numbers on it. The mailbox door was ajar and I could see that there was mail inside.   I hope I didn’t break and postal laws, but I pulled out a piece of mail and wrote down the address then returned the mail to the box.  At least I had pen and paper with me. 
 
As I walked back to my car, I plugged my Goal Zero Guide 10 into my cell phone. This is a great little AA (4) battery charger/power supply. It has three different power input ports, a USB output port and a built in LED light.  I keep this and necessary cords in my computer backpack.   I plug it once a week to insure it is charged.  I have set up a reminder on my outlook calendar to remind me to do this.  See, I wasn’t as unprepared as I had thought.    After my phone re-booted, which seemed to take forever, I called my anxious wife and told her not to worry and that I’d just call AAA roadside assistance.   The walk back to the car was colder due to the wind in my face.  52 with wind chill is still nippy.  I had no gloves, no hat, and was only wearing a light jacket.  My “Get Home Bag” has gloves and stocking cap…. oh yeah, I left it at home.                                                                                                                                                             

Lesson #3: It’s fine to wear the light jacket on a nice day, but bring the warmer one, too.  This is Nebraska in January for crying out loud.
 
Once I reached the car again I called AAA.   This AAA membership is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.   I understand that my auto insurance company offers roadside assistance at no cost too, but I’ve neglected to sign up for it.  I’ll do that tomorrow….really, I will.   The agent on the phone was very nice but had a hard time finding the address I’d pulled from the nearby mailbox.  It took about 10 minutes to get the tow order set up.  She said the tow truck driver would arrive in about 30 minutes and that He would call in route.  The agent also said they would call again to check on me.
I powered up my laptop (plugged onto the car 12 v), I plugged the cell phone into the laptop USB and used my Air card to get on the Internet. I pulled up MapQuest and determined exactly where I was, the name of the nearby town and settled in for the wait. The net is great but, what if I had not been able to get on it?                                                                                                                                                           

Lesson #4:  I own a good State Road/ Topographical map.  Put it in the car.  
 
AAA called back and told me that the tow truck driver was going to be more like an hour away.  Good grief!  I gave them a much better description of my location and told her I was content to wait.  The driver called me about 15 minutes later and I also gave him better directions as he had not received the updated information. 
I’d only seen one car go by on the road and that had been right after the mine had died.  That driver didn’t even slow down.  Two utility trucks drove by without stopping before a farmer finally stopped.  I told him I was fine and waiting for a tow.  The next vehicle made me very nervous.  This beater pickup approached from the highway,  slowed as he went by then turned around and came back. There were two guys in this truck and they pulled over dangerously close to my window. The “less than professional looking” passenger leaned out and asked if I needed help. I replied that I was fine and waiting on a tow.  He asked how long I’d been waiting.  I (lied and) answered that the tow truck would be there in just a few minutes.  He asked what I thought was wrong and if I was a salesman.  I remained friendly and answered.    He said “Well I didn’t think you were a farmer, you got them ‘out of county” plates.”  I thanked them for stopping then thanked the Lord when they drove away.     I’m happy to say that I have a concealed carry permit.  I even had it with me… the permit that is.  I did not have my handgun.   I did not have my knife.  I did not have my “truck tire thumper.”  I had nothing for personal protection – on me or in the car. I’ve not felt that vulnerable (or stupid) in a really long time.                                     

Lesson #5: A Concealed Carry Permit does you no good if you don’t carry. 
 
I now know that I was 24 miles from home.  If I had walked, I estimate the walk on this nice day would have taken me close to six hours (at four miles per hour).  That pace would have gotten me home about 9 p.m. when the temperature would have been in the low 30s and it would have been dark for four hours.  The only thing of any use in the car was a wool blanket which I probably would have improvised into a poncho for the walk.  Obviously, I had communication capability so I would not have walked the entire distance.  But, that was this time.  What if this had been an EMP?  What if the weather today had not been so nice?
 
The tow truck arrived when expected. Technically, I got myself home ‘all by myself’ and it all turned out fine, except for the upcoming car repair bill.     My “Get Home” bag is restocked, updated and at the front door ready to put in the Durango in the morning.    Lessons learned!

It's nice when a real survivalist designs something, instead of an arm chair commando or wannabe survivalist. The late Ron Hood was well respected in the survival field, as a true expert in wilderness survival techniques. Hood collaborated with Buck Knives (www.bucknives.com) , to come out with the Hood Hoodlum fixed blade survival knife. Unfortunately, about a week after the knife came out, Ron Hood passed away - a loss to us all, and he will be missed.
 
Ron Hood also spent 20 years teaching accredited college courses on survival skills. Not too many survival instructors I've heard of that have taught accredited courses on survival in college. My late friend, Chris Janowsky, who ran the World Survival Institute up in Tok, Alaska used to teach the US Marine Corps survival instructors winter survival skills, and Chris could have easily taught accredited college courses on survival techniques. But there just aren't too many survival instructors out there these days who have the background and know-how to teach accredited college courses.
 
As soon as I received the press release on the Hoodlum, I requested a sample, that was in January 2011 - and I only just received my sample a few weeks ago. Was it worth the wait? You bet it was! As SurvivalBlog readers know, I'm a fan of big knives, especially if you are dealing with wilderness survival. There's more tasks that you can accomplish with a big, stout, fixed blade knife, than you can with a small folding knife.
 
The Buck/Hood Hoodlum has a 10" blade made out of 5160 spring steel, and the overall length is 15.5" - so you know you have a big knife in your hand. The blade thickness is 3/16th of an inch - thick enough for tough chores, and thin enough to make the knife balance nicely in the hand. The Hoodlum really shined at chopping chores around my small homestead, and it would easily chop through some fairly thick tree limbs. There is also a small "cut out" in the blade backbone for scoring bone, to bending wire, to removing pots from the campfire. The knife is plenty big enough for defensive/offensive purposes, too. The handle is made out of Micarta - I would like to see G-10 handles scales, as it is stronger than Micarta - and who knows, maybe Buck will come out with a G-10 handle version. There is also a lanyard hole in the butt of the knife.
 
The Micarta handle scales can be removed - if you have a multi-tool - and you can create a spear by lashing the Hoodlum to a tree branch. There is also a very well made MOLLE compatible, heavy-duty black Nylon sheath, with a front storage pocket - read: sharpening stone or multi-tool pocket, and the sheath is lined, to prevent the knife from cutting through should you take a fall. As big as the Hoodlum is, it balances very well, and only weighs-in a 14.6 oz. Best of all, the Hoodlum is made in the USA - after Buck Knives moved to Post Falls, Idaho, they have been having some of their knives made overseas - not a bad thing, as it saves them and the consumer money, and you get as good of a knife as you want from overseas. Still, it does my heart good to see any products that bear the Made In The USA moniker stamped on 'em.
 
I showed the Hoodlum around to quite a few folks, and the first thing they all said was "wow" when they pulled the knife from the sheath. They were totally impressed with the overall length of the knife, and secondly, they couldn't believe how well-balanced the Hoodlum was. And, they all commented on the outstanding sheath. Then "the" question - "what's this cut-out in the handle for?" In short order, I explained that the Hoodlum was designed for hard-core wilderness survival, and the "cut-out" was for scoring bones from game animals they might take, as well as for lifting a pot off the ol' camp fire - I could see the light bulb go on over their heads. Something sooooo simple, yet soooooo useful on a big knife!
 
The 5160 spring steel is made out of carbon steel, but there is a coating of some type on the blade, to help prevent the blade from rusting. Still, it's a good idea to keep a coating of Birchwood Casey Barricade (formerly sold under the trade name "Sheath") on the blade to prevent rust from getting a foothold. I use Barricade on all my guns and knives - even the stainless steel ones (remember, stainless means they "stain less") and they can still rust if you don't take care of them. In a wilderness survival situation or a SHTF scenario, you have to take good care of your weapons and tools - you may not have a second chance if you tools and weapons fail you when things go bad.
 
I found the Hoodlum to be very fast in the hand using slashing moves. However, the knife wasn't designed as a stabber - but I could still stab into stacked cardboard as deeply as I wanted the blade to go. Never mind what Hollywood might say about knife fighting - when it gets down and dirty, most knife fighting will be slashes and not stabbing - although, a finishing move might entail stabbing. Still, it's best to slash as the arms, hands and legs of an attacker - cut those tendons and they can't hurt you any longer.
 
I also used the Hoodlum around the kitchen for cutting chores. While it's not any sort of a paring knife, it was great for slicing ham slices for Christmas. It also chopped various veggies with aplomb, too. I took the knife up to one of my rural shooting areas on top of nearby mountain, where poachers are always dumping illegally taken deer carcasses, and used the knife to easily chop through the bones on the carcasses - so it is a great chopper and easily broke through the leg and hip bones of deer carcasses without much effort. And, before I get a ton of e-mails about the poachers, I have called the local fish and feathers guys numerous times - they are aware of the area - but are so short-staffed, they can't sit there and watch for poachers to dump the carcasses all the time. I despise poachers! And, I have turned in a few when I saw them doing things that were illegal.
 
If the SHTF, or we were faced with an end of the world situation, I wouldn't hesitate for one moment, to grab the Buck Hoodlum and bug out for the boonies, with this being my only knife. It would take care of all the wilderness survival tasks I could possibly ask of it. Now, the good news - at least I think it's good news. I honestly expected a knife of this quality to be in the $300+ price range. However, Buck's full retail price on the Hoodlum is only $230. Yes, I know, it's still a good chunk of change, but you are getting a lot of knife for the money. BTW, these can sometimes be found for as little as $116 on Amazon.com and eBay. If you were to have a similar knife made by a custom knife maker, it would easily sent you back $400 to $500 - depending on who makes it for you. And, as always, shop around on the 'net, and you'll find the knife a bit less than retail - but be advised, they are a little hard to find right now - they are in great demand from those who are in the know.

Good Morning Mr. Rawles!
 I had to share this link with you: Maryland Hiker Uses iPhone App For New Year’s Eve Rescue. In brief: a man out hiking on New Year's Eve Day got lost in the wilderness.  He used his cell phone to call rescuers, and then used his "flashlight" app on the cell phone to shine a light so that the rescuers could be lowered down to him on the trail and lead him out.
 
My sons, who are both experienced scouters and back country hikers who teach wilderness survival watched this news story in disbelief  last night.  (They were honestly chastising the television so much, I had to turn it off.  They were upset beyond words by the man's thoughtlessness that could have endangered people out searching for him.)
 
"He didn't have food and water with him?"
"No jacket?"
"NO MAP!!!!???"
"No flashlight?"
"He didn't tell anyone where he was going?"
 
He was fortunate to be rescued quickly and not to have suffered any permanent damage. 
 
But, the article is a reminder that we should ALWAYS be prepared: with a map, a flashlight, extra food and water, and a jacket....
.... just in case.....
 
Happy New Year to you and your family! - B.L.W.

Everyone writes about what you need to survive the end; but no one writes about what you need to know before the end happens. Protection, Water purification, hunting, trapping, cleaning an animal, sewing, soap making, and herbal knowledge are just a few examples of what I consider to be incredibly important to know. Now, I know what you all are thinking, males got this down for the most part, right? Well what about your women. What happens to them if god forbid they get separated? Can they take care of themselves. A lot of women couldn’t.

Protection is pretty straightforward, you think you have it covered with a gun right? What happens when you run out of cartridges? Do you know how to make gun powder? Do you know how to reload fired brass? If not then you might consider learning a primitive skill, bow and arrow making. It’s amazing just how many things you can use to make bows, and even more impressive is the amount of things you can make an arrow out of.  A simple bow and knowing how to make it and what to make it out of may be primitive but it could save your life, or at the very least keep you fed.  If your on the go you may want to consider the bundle bow; it’s a bow made out of normally three somewhat straight sticks, can’t find a stick, then thin PVC pipe or old fiberglass fishing rods will work too. Just keep in mind that it what ever you use needs to have some give to it and needs to be strong. [JWR Adds: Using old fishing rod sections might prove dangerous, if they fail, under strain. You do not want your forearm impaled with shredded fiberglass.] One of the sticks need to be about half the size of the larger one, the second needs to be a little bit longer at about three quarters of the length of the large one. Bind them together in several places with some string. Now you should have something that is quite strong that tapers to one stick at the ends.  Wrap some extra string on the ends of the bundle for the nocks. Now you have a bow, but how do you string it. That’s an easy answer; you want a string that is quite strong but not to stretchy remember you want it to bend the bow so you can have power behind the arrow. Once you have decided on the cordage, you want to tie it to the bow your looking for a gap between the bow and the string that is roughly the distance between your thumb and the bottom of your fist when your giving a thumbs up sign. There now you have a bow, Now for the ammunition. Arrows can be made from river cane or straight sticks, they can even be made out of PVC pipe, so long as it is good and stiff and has a small diameter, it can be made into an arrow. But seriously keep in mind that you cannot make a very good arrow out of a toothpick. Once you’ve picked your arrows you can either attach things to make a blade or if your like me, just sharpen the ends. You can also add feathers to the back end but I have also shot arrows without the fletching. Spears are another primitive weapon to consider. They can be made from simple house hold objects, such as broom handles. They may not be as effective as a good bow but hey they will work in a pinch.

Water purification is something that everyone should know about. You can make even the worse looking and smelling water drinkable if you can follow a few simple steps. Now some of you are wondering why not just drink from the running stream. Well, I don’t know about you but I figure that animals use that water which means that the ground around it or even the water itself is their bathroom. I don’t feel like drinking potty water; it’s not so appealing now is it? So, to purify your water you will want to bring it to nearly a boil for at least a minute. I suggest a minute but to be honest by the time it reaches the boiling point, most things have already been killed; and by the time it cools from the boil all things have been killed. If you have the time and you have enough sand you can also make a sand filter. If you have a container you will want to put a few holes in the bottom. Now you have to find a way to keep the sand from getting out so you could use a few inches of pebbles, grass mesh is also possible so long as you are sure it isn’t a poisonous grass, or if you have it some type of cotton material will work great. Next you will want a layer of gravel this is mostly just to strengthen your bottom filter layer. Next, fill the container with sand. Now go collect some of that water, pour it into your filter and catch at the bottom, if it isn’t clear run it again. Just to be on the safe side though even after filtering the water I would boil it just so I can be sure that everything that is possible was removed.

Hunting, Trapping, and cleaning an animal is something else everyone should know how to do. I’m sure everyone here has been hunting but has your spouse? Can she take the life of an animal? Animals are difficult to hunt even for the experienced hunter, sometimes, so you can  imagine just how difficult it would be for someone who has never hunted a day in their life. Hunting is straight forward, point and shoot and hope you made your mark. But trapping is a bit different. You need to make sure that you are on an animal’s path, it’s pointless to put a trap up if you haven’t seen animal tracks. There are lots of traps to chose from, some use large rocks or logs, some use holes. Most of the time these traps take too much time and well by the time your done with one you don’t want to make another; and if your using traps the more you use the better the chance you will get an animal for your dinner. A dozen is normally the smallest amount you want to put out, anything less and the chances of you getting an animal are close to nothing. The Snare trap is easy and reliable so long as you do it right. With the right snare trap you can get anything from a rat to a pig. You can make a snare from wire, string, cord or vines.  Vines aren’t the best material to use but if you have nothing else then trust in mother nature to provide. Wire is the best material but string works just as well. There are two common designs of snare traps; one will keep your prey at ground level and may or may not strangle them. The second  will flip the animal into the air and hold it off the ground, the likely hood of this trap strangling the prey is almost always a guarantee. To make either you need to make a loop in the material; this loops needs to be able to tighten and hold the animal, the loop should be free moving; the free movement allows the loop to tighten when the animal struggles or as it walks forward into the trap. In the second design the movement of the material will trigger the trap and fling the animal up into the air, here the animals own body weight works against it, as it is this weight that will cause the material to tighten. Always remember to set the loop in the diameter of the animal you are hoping to catch; want a pig, make the loop bigger, want a rabbit, smaller. Make sure that the end of the snare trap (opposite the loop) is secure in a bush, or staked. You may want to make a funnel of debris to force the animal into the snare.  In the first design as the animal goes through the snare tightens any fighting makes it tighter. In the second design once the animal is in the snare it will pull the material far enough that the trap will trigger and the animal will be flipped into the air and strangled. In this design you will want a flexible limb or bush, the snare itself, a trigger and a something to hold the trigger. This snare isn’t good in cold weather because you run the risk of the flexible parts freezing. For the trigger you are going to want something with a lip, the same for the part that is holding the trigger. Wrap the material for the snare around the trigger (at the top) a few times and make sure it isn’t coming off. Tie the other end of the snare to the flexible part of the trap. Set the trigger into the lip of the trigger holder and you have your trigger snare trap. Then it becomes a waiting game. It is recommended that you check the traps before going to sleep and as soon as you wake. It has been proven that an animal will chew through it’s own leg to get out of a trap if trapped by it’s leg. The point of the snares is to proved food not to torture the animal. Well you have your animal, so now what. It’s time to get it ready for cooking. You will want to make a small hole in the skin but be careful you do not want to punch a hole in the guts of the animal as that would taint the meat. Once you have the hole you will want to split the skin as if unzipping a coat; once that is done you can remove the skin like a sock, just be careful not to pull to hard. Now that is done you can make another small hole in the abdomen and pull the guts out. It is recommended to wash the animal in some form of water just to be sure that nothing undesirable is inside. Now it’s time to cook it.

Sewing and soap making are something every person in the free world should know how to do. This way you can make your own clothes and you can always make sure your clean. Sewing is simple you just put to pieces of cloth together and hold them together with a piece of string. Most people have enough knowledge to do rough sewing. It will get better over time. As far as soap making, well all that fat off the animals can be boiled down to form tallow which is really the base of the soap. Ash can be boiled in water and that will make the lye water. To know you have the perfect solution of lye water, take an egg if it sinks you need to boil the ash longer, if the whole egg floats you will want to add more water as your lye is too strong when the egg floats with roughly the size of a quarter above the water, then your lye water is perfect and ready for use. You will want at least a pound of fat to every six ounces of lye water. Add the water to the fat and stir. Once you can see the lines of your stirring, often referred to as trace, you can pour your soap into well in this case what ever you have that will allow the lye to set. Let it sit for at least a week before you even consider using it. Typically, soap needs to cure for a month but there is no guarantee that you will have that long to wait. But please wait for at least a week. In pinch you can rub water and ash together to get a form soap.

Herbal knowledge covers everything from what grows wild that is good to eat, to medicines that can be made from what great mother nature has to offer. An example of this is, did you know you could take pine needles and boil them in water and you will have a drink full of vitamin C. Herbal knowledge is not something you can learn from trail and error. You must take the time to learn this ahead of time. If you don’t something you think is just fine could turn out to be deadly. I personally recommend The Master Book of Herbalism by Paul Beyerl, while he does bring in religion to it, the illustrations and the information contained with in it are priceless.  As far as wild edibles you might like the book The Illustrated Guide to Edible Wild Plants it’s published by the Department of the Army. This book covers everything from what is safe to eat to what can be used as medicine. This book also has color photographs throughout.

By now your most likely saying well, I’ve stocked food, I’ve got plenty of ammo for my guns, I know how to clean an animal, soap can be stocked, and I’ve got a medical bag, I’m covered. Well, what happens when your stockpiles run out? What happens if your partner gets separated, or if one of your kids gets lost? Do they have the knowledge the would need to survive? Are you sure? Because every good survivalist knows and lives by this one rule: nothing lasts forever.