Category: Field Gear

Preparing To Go To Gunsite – Part 1, by N.C.

I think the most important preparations we make are those that overlap in “fun” and “useful” categories. For me, that overlap is best represented in marksmanship. I’ve always loved marksmanship and being a better marksman makes me better able to defend my family if the second worst day of my life happens to be today. I used a SurvivalBlog Writing Contest prize Course Certificate toward the full Gunsite 250 class. The 250 defensive pistol is their standard basic defensive pistol class. Because 250 Defensive Pistol is a 5-day course, the credit that I won writing an article for SurvivalBlog only …


Another Look at Your BOB and INCH Preps, by Dr. Rick

In my most recent article which was posted on June 23, 2025, we looked at and evaluated your EDC and GHB equipment in the framework of survival priorities. Hopefully, you found that information useful. In the preceding article, the focus was on individual preparedness for drastic situations. Now we are going to look at two very different situations. In the two situations presented here, the focus is on family or group preparedness. Both involve evacuation. In this article, we will be looking at your BOB (Bug Out Bag) and your INCH (I’m Never Coming Home) kit using the same survival …


Another Look at Your EDC Gear and Your GHB, by Dr. Rick

There are two essential survival kits that deserve another look — both because of their importance and the confusion and misunderstandings that so often surround them. These kts are similar, but they are not the same. What sets them apart is their individuality and their applications. One size does not fit all. There’s no established list to bide by. To be successful, both bags/kits must be customized to meet each user’s individual needs. EDC stands for “every day carry.” In other words, with you all the time, always ready. The idea has been in the survival community for many years. …


Directional Antennas Improve COMSEC, by Tunnel Rabbit

Editor’s Introductory Note:   For those who are unfamiliar with the term “YagI”,  I’ll preface this article with a bit of history from the InfoGalactic wiki: “A Yagi–Uda antenna, or simply Yagi antenna, is a directional antenna consisting of two or more parallel resonant antenna elements in an end-fire array; these elements are most often metal rods (or discs) acting as half-wave dipoles. Yagi–Uda antennas consist of a single driven element connected to a radio transmitter or receiver (or both) through a transmission line, and additional passive radiators with no electrical connection, usually including one so-called reflector and any number of …


Big Idea Design Ti Field Watch, by Thomas Christianson

Big Idea Design makes some high-quality pieces of gear out of titanium. The strength and light weight of that metal make it well suited to items for everyday carry (EDC). The Big Idea EDC item that I like the most is their Ti Field Watch. It is rugged, light-weight, and accurate. With a price at the time of this writing of $499.99 at BigIDesign.com , it is definitely not inexpensive. But it is by far the best watch that I have ever owned. If you can afford a watch in the mid-price range, this one would be an excellent choice.


Coolfab Flaretop Rocket Stove, by Thomas Christianson

Coolfab is a custom metal-fabrication shop in Zeeland, Michigan. They are putting out some of the most innovative rocket stove designs that I have seen anywhere, at quite reasonable prices. I recently had a chance to test one of Coolfab’s Flaretop stoves. It is a real beast of a rocket stove, with its cooking surface standing 27.5 inches above the ground and weighing in at 52 pounds. The flaring at the top of the stove allows for a respectable 12 by 12-inch cooking surface. This larger surface area enabled me to simultaneously roast hot dogs and boil a half gallon …


Communications Options for the Common Man – Part 4, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 3.) Applying P.A.C.E. to a Commo Plan For every communication requirement, always have an alternative or substitute option to accomplish the same task. For example, hand and light signals and whistles are appropriate alternatives for a security operation. As a last resort, a signal fire, fog horn, or air raid siren could be for emergency communications.  However, I should let the user make the final decision.  Stay off the beaten path as much as possible and increasingly so as the threat conditions escalate.  As threats learn and evolve, so should we.  Continually improve your security operation and …


Communications Options for the Common Man – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 2.) Low-Power Radio, Communications Planning, and SOI Several radio types that are relatively easy to use can used to complete a commo plan. To start, choose a primary platform such as either FRS, GMRS, MURS, or CB, and then choose an alternative to standardize on. Then select a primary and alternative channel for both your primary and alternative radio services.  Expect to be jammed and be prepared with a set of Signals Operation Instructions (SOI) so that all understand when and how to quietly switch to the alternative channel or radio service. For longer ranges, GMRS and …


Communications Options for the Common Man – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

We live in uncertain times where tens of millions of foreign invaders comprised largely of military-aged males have recently and in organized fashion crossed our borders. They were assisted by U.S. government-funded NGOs south of the border. We certainly should wonder about their intent. And there are many other significant threats that we should be concerned with particularly as the world is rapidly becoming unstable, both economically and geopolitically. At some point in the near future, World War 3 will break out and the economy at home will suffer greatly, causing riots in the streets that would further destabilize this …


Demko Knives Shark-Cub AUS10A Clip Point, by Thomas Christianson

The Demko Knives Shark-Cub AUS10A Clip Point is a handy folding knife with an innovative locking mechanism. That mechanism makes it easy to deploy the shaving-sharp, 2.75 inch, stone-washed, clip-point, AUS10A blade with a flick of the wrist. The black, glass-reinforced-nylon, steel-lined handle is ergonomically shaped and nicely textured for a secure grip. The ambidextrous deep pocket clip carries the knife securely and discreetly while keeping it easily accessible. This Taiwanese-made knife cost $89.99 at the time of this writing at DemkoKnives.com.  It is a well-designed and well-made knife for everyday carry. If you are looking for a sturdy, practical …


Old School Commo: EE-8 Field Phones, by Tunnel Rabbit

Because I know how easy it is to use a USB SDR Dongle (a poor man’s spectrum analyzer) to find radio transmissions, and how drones might be used to DF signals, I’d rather use hard wire field phones whenever possible, and certainly on those occasions when, or if a drone might be in my remote area. Using low-powered transceivers and directional antennas can be effective in most situations.  But in extreme situations, I would use a field phone if at all possible, and to conduct daily communications with LP/OPs, and with neighbors. Field phones are part of my commo plan …


American Hat Company Range Hat, by Thomas Christianson

A range hat is designed to allow over-the-head, earmuff-style hearing-protection to be worn comfortably over the hat. It accomplishes this by forgoing two features that are common to most baseball caps. Those features are a fabric-covered button (squatchee) on the crown of the hat and the hatmaker’s buckram reinforcement of the front two panels of the hat. Without the squatchee and the buckram, a ranger hat is better able to conform to the shape of the wearer’s head under the muffs. The American Hat Company version of the range hat is made of lightweight, ripstop cotton with a comfortable sweatband …


Buck 0722 Spitfire Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

The Buck 0722 Spitfire Folding Knife is a rugged, well-conceived, American-made design that is hampered somewhat by stiff blade deployment. The Spitfire has a shaving-sharp, 3.25 inch blade made of 440HC stainless steel; a nicely-machined, anodized aluminum handle; a robust locking back; and a thumb-hole deployment notch. The knife weighs 3.2 ounces. At the time of this writing, the knife had a manufacturer suggested retail price of $49.99 at www.buckknives.com. That is an excellent price for a good, American-made knife. If they can figure out a way to smooth out blade deployment, this will be an outstanding knife. With the …


Post-SHTF Lighting – Part 3, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) THIRD OPTION: RECHARGEABLE LED LIGHTS This section will be a very basic look at the broad topic of rechargeable lights. The bulk of the information and all of the many options will be presented in the next article of this series on post-SHTF lighting. In order to use rechargeables for illumination after the SHTF three things are needed: 1. rechargeable lights 2. a charging device 3. a “plug-and-play” solar panel 1. Rechargeable lights Rechargeable lights come in a wide variety of styles with options such as battery capacity, hi, medium, and low …


A Disaster Laptop Computer – Part 3, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) Reference Material Another useful function that computers do really well is store, manage, and interact with information. No one can remember everything, and there are a lot of sources of free or low-cost eBooks, articles, documents, manuals, etc. on the Internet that can be extremely useful for a post-disaster world. I created a folder on the 1TB microSD card on my disaster laptop named ‘Reference Material’, and here are some of the things I’ve collected and stored there: SurvivalBlog Archive – ($33) An obvious choice for SurvivalBlog readers. [JWR Adds: It also …