Category: Field Gear

Surviving Custer, by R.S.

Let’s be honest, how many of you ever expect to find yourself in a survival situation? You’ve probably day dreamed about it, wondering how you’d fare. The fact is, we don’t walk out the door in the morning expecting to find ourselves in a predicament. I certainly never expected to find myself in such a “survival” situation on a summer day in South Dakota’s Custer State Park. Yet, there I was facing such a situation just last summer. We had finally taken our long-awaited family vacation “out West”. We live in the suburbs outside a large Midwestern city. So the …


Total City WTSHTF Survival- Part 2, by NDT

Public Transportation Learn how public transportation works in your area and utilize it, as it could be an asset one day. Also, learn about anything that is public, from restrooms and shelters to tornado shelters. Timing could be an issue, and it could become the closest shelter for a variety of situations. Parks also have water supplies. Know where the water fill ups are. I personally know of some local spots that have hand pumps, which while it is not a secret, few people will think of immediately during a loss of utilities. Memberships Having a few memberships can be …


Total City WTSHTF Survival- Part 1, by NDT

I’ve been a SurvivalBlog reader for years and grew up prepping. My parents were preppers in the 90’s, so I’ve been through the full spectrum. I love the articles and especially all the news to be found on SurvivalBlog. I appreciate the hard work all the authors have put into their articles over the years and recognize that most individual skills and ideas have been put to ink. I’m going to attempt the 10,000-aerial view in this approach to city survival. My military background taught me to do a risk assessment for everything, and I practice this today. The million-dollar …


Letter Re: Call Me 4-Eyes

Hugh, Last week a letter titled Call Me 4-Eyes caught my attention. I agree 100% with his suggestions. As a retired Optometrist of 40+ years experience with military and civilian practice, I am concerned for contact wearers post SHTF. The very instant sanitation and personal hygiene are compromised, you should discontinue wearing contacts! Even today, most eye care providers will tell you they see several contact lens complications per week. An eye infection or corneal ulcer can be treated with good results in today’s world. When eye care is not available, a simple infection or corneal ulcer could result in …


Letter Re: Airport BOB

HJL, I have traveled extensively for the last 30 years and carry these items in addition to what you listed: Life straw. Clean water will be essential if you are stuck or have to walk home. Israeli battle dressing. It could be essential to saving yourself or someone else. Tourniquet: Can save yourself or someone else. Tactical pen. Mix it in with other pens in brief case. It’s not much but better than nothing on the airplane. Briefcase that converts to back pack. Brief cases are less conspicuous in the board room. Last year, I personally saw five young Middle …


JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Books: The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Resistance by Vin Suprynowicz All New Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew Movies: Duck Soup The Maltese Falcon Television: Jericho Firefly Music: The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music Rags to Riches the Essential Hits [of Scott Joplin] Instructional Videos: AR-15 Upgrades Overview (from IV8888) Art Of The Tactical Carbine by Chris Costa Podcasts: The Adventure Sports Podcast Wranglerstar: AMAZING Room Transformation Gear: SOG Traction EDC Pocketknife (Under $15!) Harris Bipod Model 1A2 (Adjustable 6” to 9”) Midland Model 75-822 40 Channel CB Handheld Radio


Letter Re: Airport BOB

HJL, I’ve traveled for my company for the past 20 years, and 98% of what T.H. listed is what I had in my travel bag. Note it is what I “had”, as in past tense. I finally got out of the airports and traveling all over the country in 2015. There is the possibility of an odd trip or two, so I still have my carry-on bag handy at work. I find that I occasionally rob it from time to time. One thing T.H. listed that I never had was a whistle, and I feel that is a good idea. …


Airport BOB, by T.H.

I agree that flying is a huge loss of rights, but I can’t afford not to fly.  I’m a college student getting ready to graduate, so I’m busy trying to find a job.  For an interview, I was flown to Dallas the same day they were setting records for snowfall.  As my flight had a connecting leg, home/Denver/Dallas, there was a distinct possibility of getting stuck in Denver and not being able to get to my interview hotel.  These flights were a great and so far safe/easy dry run.  All of this led me to really think about what would I …


Letter Re: Don’t Call Me 4 Eyes

Hi, Your readers who need glasses may want to consider learning how to order glasses at www.zennioptical.com. I first learned of them from an article in The Wall Street Journal a number of years ago. They are reputable, and the waiting period to receive your glasses is about the same as that at retail stores. I typically obtain glasses for about one-third of the cost at retail eye glass stores, and at that price you can afford the spares you want. – A.K.


Letter: Just Don’t Call Me 4-Eyes

Hugh, While doing my bi-annual “Earthquake Bag” check (the politically correct term in the People’s Republic of Kalifornia for a “Bug Out Bag”), I stumbled across a fundamental demonstration of my own personal Normalcy Bias. I discovered one of the key tools of survival I had been skipping for years– back up eyes. As we age, we are almost all faced with the problem of correcting the vision of our aging eyes. Without this correction, most of us would have a hard time even identifying the contents of our BoB, much less using some of the contents. It could certainly …


Hurricane Preparedness Experience- Part 4, by N.K.

I recommend more gas cans so you’re not constantly refilling the same two. I won’t say how many NATO cans I now have, but I won’t have that problem again. If you get NATO cans to avoid the spillage common with now-mandated CARB cans, get several extra NATO vented spouts; nothing else fits them. An assortment of funnels is handy, too. For vehicle filling, extend the NATO spouts with 1/2” steel or brass press-on nipples (the galvanized steel is less expensive and works fine and I’d avoid the plastic versions) from Lowe’s plumbing department and about 16” of 5/8” ID …


Hurricane Preparedness Experience- Part 3, by N.K.

Cooking was interesting. I had a propane gas grill with two spare 20-lb cylinders, a dual-fuel Coleman camp stove, a couple of single-burner butane units, and the ability to build a fire in the backyard. The gas grill got used, because it was easiest. It did take a couple of days to learn how to cook more than simple camping meals on it. We have an old style coffee percolator for camping, and getting the heat to it correctly on the grill took some learning. Cooking on the grill was something we should have practiced before we needed it. A …


Propane as an Energy Source- Part 1, by JB

Propane, or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), is an excellent energy source for several reasons. It stores easily and has a great shelf life. It’s portable and can be adapted for use in internal combustion engines. It can also be used as a refrigerant, and in some situations a viable weapon. Long after the grid goes kaput and gasoline has turned to varnish, propane will still be usable. Basics of Propane There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of full grill bottles stacked in exchange racks throughout the country. In addition, there’s a multitude of medium and high volume tanks …


Prep Your Ride- Part 2, by J.U.

3. A Generic Car-Emergency Kit: Most of these car emergency kits come with a basic tool set (that usually borders on worthless), but most have jumper cables, reflective triangles, a good bag to use to carry your own custom kit, and a cigarette lighter powered tire pump (which can prove useful if you’re not going to spring for the Powerpack or a unit of similar capability.) I bought my car-emergency kit for the bag and then built my own kit into that bag. The useless tools from the original kit make great presents for your brother-in-law. What To Put Into …


Letter Re: Inexpensive Perimeter Security for Your House in the Suburbs

HJL, After reading this in the blog from “KL”, I too went to Harbor Freight and purchased several units. To offer some further information, each box contains one sender and one receiver. Each box has a small oval sticker on the front identifying the channel. All of my units utilize the same tone. So even if I purchase units with different channels, they all sound the same when they go off. I wish the manufacture offered different choices of alerts per unit. The receiver can utilize an optional 6 volt, 200 mA power adapter, but the manufacture doesn’t offer it …