Category: Field Gear

Guest Article: Considerations for Night Operations- Part 1, by Max Alexander

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Let’s talk about night operations. This is a topic that often comes up, particularly with regards to modern night vision equipment. There are multiple aspects to discuss about night operations, so my intent will be to give a broad brush of the various aspects in order to clarify, and open it up to comment and discussion. We are primarily concerned with the armed civilian in an SHTF environment. Thus, you will only have the equipment that you purchased or acquired. We can certainly take pointers from practices within the military, and that is part of the intent of this article, …


Guest Article: A Listening Pause, ShepherdFarmerGeek

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It’s time for a listening pause and then some evaluation and possible adjustments. As the roller coaster of our national life clanks its way to the apex for the sudden wild ride to the bottom, we can see events unfolding now that will prove to be the beginnings of multiple crises. Which wheel falls off first will not be as important as the fact that there will soon be several overlapping issues. Time To Evaluate and Adjust Now is not the time to be congratulating ourselves on our level of preparedness, but the time to make sure that we have: …


Hidden Storage For Strategic Tools and Security Items- Part 2, by Old Bobbert

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Today, we are continuing with instructions for making a hidden storage area in your bedroom closet. Temporary Wood Screw Handles Again, the two long wood screws, which are protruding about 1-1/2 to 2 inches, will be your only handling devices. Go easy with them. They both recently finished a remedial bite-back class for wood screws lost in the big city. Free the Piece of Drywall Hold one of the two wood screws continually, while you finish the cutting and finally free the piece of drywall. Gently re-position the cut-out piece of drywall out of the way and on the closet …


Tires As Part Of Basic Vehicle Preparations, by D.K.

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It’s easy to overlook an important item, such as tires, for those planning different bugout scenarios, getting home after an event, or just driving home from work. I was reminded of this during a recent trip moving my daughter to California. We rented a 5’ X 8’ U-Haul trailer, hooked it up to my Chevy Avalanche, drove it to her apartment, and loaded it for the move the next day. She had bagged up trash, and as I was taking it out I noticed some 8” zip ties. I pulled them out of the trash and threw them in the …


A Proposal for a Better System for Sleeping in the Wilderness, by ACC

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In my youth, I was a pretty avid camper and hiker. I spent many a night in a sleeping bag with a pad of some type underneath. Some of the pads were foam, others were inflatable. Probably the best over the years was the Thermarest brand, which is a self-inflating type. However, they were only an inch or so thick, and the ground was always hard. I learned that comfort was relative. If you hike ten miles with a 30-pound pack beforehand, you can sleep in pretty austere conditions. Looking For A Better Sleep System However, now that I’m in …


Skeleton Optics, by Pat Cascio

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The Skeleton Optics sun glasses just might be the best sun glasses of its kind. They are sold by US Tactical Supply, and what a product they are! US Tactical Supply is the premiere provider of quality tactical accessories, serving military, law enforcement, first responders, and the public. Your mission matters. US Tactical Supply I’m not going to pretend I understand all the technical specs on the Skeleton Optics sun glasses, but I’ll lay out the specs as best I can in this article. Regular readers will know that the nice folks at US Tactical Supply in Albany, OR simply …


Review of MVT Combat Rifle Skills Class, by T.B.

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JWR & HJL, Below is my review of the MVT Combat Rifle Skills that was held at MVT Romney. As with the Defensive Concealed Handgun class that I attended in early 2017, I was greatly encouraged and motivated by the class. Again, thank you both for what you do! Past Experience I attended the Defensive Concealed Handgun class at MVT Romney in 2017. I greatly benefited from the well thought-out, deliberate, and detailed training I received at that class. One of the attendees of that class had attended the Combat Rifle Skills that had been held earlier in 2017. He …


Guest Post: A Discussion on “Bugging Out”, by Max Alexander

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Let’s have a discussion today about “bugging out”. This is in fact a huge topic and often discussed across the prepper-sphere. There are many aspects to this and a detailed discussion, including the debate about “to stay or to go” is written up in “Contact! A Tactical Manual for Post Collapse Survival. The issues, pros, cons, and mistakes around this are further illustrated in the collapse-novel Patriot Dawn: The Resistance Rises. Foolhardy Bugging Out On Foot Given the breadth of the topic, my plan today is to focus on the idea of bugging out on foot with a “never coming …


Survival To Go, Revisited- Part 4, by JMD

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We have revisited my survival supplies carried on the go in travel, by airplane or otherwise. It’s been an extensive list. Now, let’s look at how we might use these in a survival scenario. Survival Scenario So let’s take a look at how this kit can support you in a potential travel survival scenario. Let’s say you’re traveling on business in New York City when the power goes out. You pull out your radio and start scanning to figure out what’s going on. You hear bits and pieces on various Ham, CB, and radio channels. Suddenly, you realize that a …


Survival To Go, Revisited- Part 3, by JMD

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Today, we are continuing with the revised list of items to carry for survival when traveling, carrying a pack on a flight or otherwise. We are in the midst of going through the content of the main zippered backpack compartment. We’ve covered solar panels, light shelter, lighting, clothing, water, food/energy, and now we’re moving on down the list. Main Zippered Backpack Compartment (continued) “Repair” pouch (because something always breaks when you’re traveling): Assorted sizes of zip ties, including reusable ones, twist-tied together. 8′ of regular paracord 6′ of steel wire 20’ of 400lb Kevlar line 20′ of 1″ Gorilla tape, …


Survival To Go, Revisited- Part 2, by JMD

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We are revisiting what I carry when I travel for comfort and survival. We are looking through my items, as they are organized by their location in my pack, which is a 28 liter Red Rock Outdoor Gear Assault Pack. We’ve gone through part of the pack. Let’s continue on, looking next at the pocket that considers our airport security requirements. Top Front Pocket Pouch- Ready to Remove At Airport Security The next pocket is the small top front pocket (the one with the American flag patch in the picture). This holds things that I’ll need to pull out and …


Survival To Go, Revisited- Part 1, by JMD

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Several years ago, I was fortunate to be able to share my experiences and recommendations on being prepared while traveling on SurvivalBlog (Survival To Go Part 1 and Part 2). However, as most of us know, being prepared is never a “one and done” situation. You have to constantly reassess the threats and risks you face. Adjust your preparations, approaches, and skills to stay aligned with your current situation. The goal of this article is to share how my approach to travel preparedness has adapted in the last three years. I based my approach  on how my personal situation and …


Letter Re: Batteries and Chargers

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HJL, If rechargeable batteries aren’t charged regularly then they are useless during emergency. I keep about 2-3 dozens of AA and AAA in a battery organizer and rotate them. To rotate them, I use battery powered LED strips in bathrooms and in closets. I do that to save energy and to practice blackout situation. For gadgets that run on C or D cells, I use a 2 AA converter case. I have them on my 3D maglite and Coleman lantern and they work great. For chargers, I use Nitecore brand that has different charging current and 12V car adapter. I try …



Situational Awareness Starts in the Home, by J.G.

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Most everyone tends to start life with very low levels of what is called situational or tactical awareness. These words are often mentioned in the same conversations along with the term OPSEC (Operational Security). These same men are wearing MOLLE covered gear talking about fields of fire. They might also include fatal funnels, eyeballs on targets, heads on swivels, and other tactical lingo. However, in case you didn’t know, situational awareness is for everyone. So where do we begin with this discussion? I’m glad you asked. I believe that tactical awareness, just like kindness, should start in the home. Mom …