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1. Believe it or not, I actually carry two folding knives at my hip for the very reasons mentioned in the article. One larger main knife with a keen blade for cutting (which I use nearly every day), and another smaller one for loaning to a buddy who needs a quick “borrow”, picking gravel out of my shoe treads, prying something small, etc. Its blade is decent, but not honed super sharp like my larger one.

   And then there’s the mini Leatherman in my pocket. Less than half the size of a standard Leatherman, and with fewer options, but still has a blade, pick, (mini) pliers, flat head screwdriver, etc. Barely even feel it in my pocket, but it has come in handy several times for unexpected situations.

   Of course, you can’t see any of them because they’re all usually concealed under my shirt hem. Despite CA’s absurd gun laws, we can still carry just about any knife we choose, openly or concealed, as long as any blade longer than 4″ is closed or sheathed when not in use. You can literally stuff a folding tree saw down your pants and legally walk around with it.

   Go figure.

   1. In California, the presence or absence of a sheath is NOT the issue, with some categories of knives. The key issue is whether or not it is concealed. Using a sheath WILL NOT keep you from getting arrested and convicted if you carry a “dirk or dagger” (double-edge knife, ice pick, etc.) CONCEALED. For some clarification on the law, written by attorneys, see: https://www.shouselaw.com/california-knife-laws.html

      1. Knife law reform is long overdue in most states. It is educational (and depressing) to read up on state knife laws. Most states have stunningly draconian prohibitions even in the mountain west and redoubt where knives have long been a part of everyday life.

2. Dont forget the knowledge to use these supplies and equipment

3. for long term gear dont overlook high quality backpacking gear that survives through hiking the Appalachain trail/ Continental divide/ Pacific crest trail. coleman peak 1 stoves,
   SVEA 123 stove, Wiggys bag, North face or Eureka tents, swiss champ knife, gerber tools, Buck knife fixed blades, high quality backpacks. most of my gear i’ve had 25 plus years and maintain it meticulously, and i use it for any outdoor excursion i can. most others are jealous of my comfort and ease of use. you get what you pay for, and practice makes perfect.

4. Totally agree with ‘wingfootjr’, do not discount the modern man long distance hiker and his gear. Not only did I camp & hike as a youth, old school style, did the wool thing and the Korean War down sleeping bags, but spent 15 years with the Boy Scouts (before they went far left), with my sons and our troop was run by military vets, we camped and hiked every month, rain or snow, no matter what the weather was. I learned about modern gear, what worked, what did not, how to repair it. We hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail, so I can appreciate what those long-distance hikers use and go through. A couple of good backpacking books are “The Backpackers Handbook” by Chris Townsend, “The Complete Walker IV” by Colin Fletcher & Chip Rawlins, and “Beyond Backpacking- A guide to Lightweight Hiking” by Ray Jardine. I recommend Western Mountaineering sleeping bags, pricey, but worth it, they hold up and will keep you warm.
   https://www.moosejaw.com/search/western-mountaineering

5. I enjoyed the article, S.J. Brought back memories of some good friends back East when I was a member of a Muzzleloading Rifle group.

   For anyone new to the idea of surviving and if you want some practical experience in small doses, check out a local Muzzleloading or Rendezvous group. Now that the weather is breaking, they will start having weekend events which are usually open to the public during the daytime on Saturday and Sunday, for a very minimal entrance fee. The participants enjoy introducing “mundanes” or “moderns” to the educational side of it, and often the encampments host school field trips on Fridays, if they are there for a long weekend.

   You won’t see too much in the way of modern equipment in plain sight. What you will find is a bunch of very friendly folks who enjoy learning and teaching the history of the early days of America. The actual fur trapping era only lasted about a quarter of a century, as I recall, but many of the re-enactment groups will include everything from the French & Indian War (1754-1763), through the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, up to the Civil War, and some groups even include the Blues & Greys, just because they don’t want to leave out their friends. If you are interested in learning even more, start going to a few meetings and see about joining them for an event or two. You can even start by using modern tents and rv’s off-site or in the parking lot, as long as you make an attempt at dressing the part while you are inside the boundaries of the encampment. I will warn you, though, that pretty soon, you might find yourself getting outfitted with a tent, fire tools and cast iron cooking pots. We even had some Amish families who would join us for events because they felt “at home” with other people doing primitive camping and they would bring along home canned goods to sell to the guys. I figured out how to make pies from scratch, baked in a cast iron Dutch oven in the coals of my campfire. As a single woman, I experienced more examples of chivalry at the Rendezvous than I ever saw at the Medieval events. The guys taught me so many skills that will be necessary if/when TSHTF.

   The point is that the folks there will do their best to teach you how to start a fire with flint & steel, how to shoot a muzzleloader, how to throw a hawk and knife, cook over an open fire, forge black iron, make primitive furniture, brain-tan a hide. You name it, if it was a skill needed in the early years of settling this continent, somebody in the group has researched it and figured out how to do it. It is a great – and super fun – way to prepare for TEOTWAWeKI. It is knowledge we should all endeavor to gain and the best way is by doing it.

   If you want to go even lower-tech, check out some of the Medieval reenactment groups. They don’t do any firearms but it is a great way to get experience with primitive archery, not just shooting but also how to make all the equipment necessary – bows, strings, arrows, quivers, all the leather working needed to make arm guards and gloves. If we get to the point where gun powder and primers become unavailable, archery might be the ultimate fall back for hunting and self defense.

   To find more info, do a web search for NMLRA (National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association) and for the Medieval group, SCA.org (Society for Creative Anachronism).

   Keep your powder dry…

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