Category: Field Gear

Scot’s Product Review: Work Sharp

I used to dread sharpening things. Sometimes I would go look for another knife, hoping it would be sharp rather than fixing the one in hand. Other times, I would just make do with the dull one. I’ve sometimes thought that my sharpening phobia might have something to do with how my dad was able to make anything sharp with one of those round axe stones that are coarse on one side and fine on the other with a finger groove around it. He could apply some oil and make short work of most any cutting implement. He passed away, …


Letter Re: EMP

I currently keep my backup mini-iPad in an EMP bag. Do I also need to keep my power supply for it there, too? Thanks – A.B. HJL replies: Yes. In fact, it is probably more important that the charger is in the bag than the ipad. Being an electrical engineer with considerable radio technology experience, I have a perspective that is a bit different than most on the subject. The true danger of EMP is in having antennas or things that act like antennas pick up the electrical energy. If the object in question either has wires or parts that …


Fishing For Survival, by M.K.

I have spent a decent amount of time fishing with my two sons (ages 7 and 9) recently. Watching them learn to go after a stringer of fish has been a real joy. You have all heard the saying, “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” That thought came to my mind as I was talking my boys through our plan of attack on the little lake near our house. As they continued to cast and reel without bringing anything in, I began to wonder …


In Our House, by K.M.

As of this writing, the Ebola virus has done enough damage to spread fear throughout the globe. There have already been many books written on the horrors this virus brings. In the blink of an eye everyday concerns are pushed back and replaced by fear of the unknown. Being afraid can be a very good thing, unless we let that fear take hold. The resulting panic does nothing but create its own problems. In the simplest words, Ebola is a virus that burns through your body at an alarming rate. As the beginning, symptoms of headache, fever, fatigue, vomiting, and …


Letter Re: How To Survive Without Your Glasses

Regarding the “How to survive without your glasses” post from contributor J.E. on Saturday August 23, those were all good tips, but some folks have sufficiently poor uncorrected vision that rough shapes and colors is all that can be detected beyond a few feet. Planning a self defense strategy with those limitations could wind up being hazardous to everyone around them, friend or foe. Simple myopia (nearsightedness) can be at least partially overcome with magnifying lenses, which is what’s going on when J.E. suggests using binoculars in place of glasses. For those with astigmatism (distortions in the lens of the …


Scot’s Product Review: InstaFire

Fire is kind of a big deal. It keeps us warm, cooks our food, and can signal for help. It’s comforting to sit around one. Being able to have a fire quickly is a very nice thing. InstaFire FireStarter lives up to its name, though you do actually have to go to the bother of striking a match to light it. That’s really not too much to ask for, though, considering the benefit. Yes, there are a lot of things you can set on fire with a match, but unlike a piece of wadded up newspaper, this stuff burns hot …


Introduction to Tactical Combat Casualty Care, by W.H.

This is an introduction to Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), which is the medical training that U.S. troops are currently taught to save lives on the battlefield. TCCC is the result of collaboration between U.S. Special Operations Command, trauma doctors, and emergency medical personnel to address the shortcoming in combat medicine at the start, and actually well into the current Wars On Terror. It is the combination of good medicine with good tactics. It incorporates some procedures that are proven to save lives but in the past 75 years were shunned in the medical community. TCCC has proven to reduce …


Scot’s Product Review: SUN OVENS International All American Solar Oven

I’ve already written about solar cooking (and plan to continue writing about solar stuff), but I will try not to repeat too much from the last review in this one. That said, there was some good generic information there, and you might want to refer back to it . As I continue on this trail, I have come to the All American Solar Oven http://www.sunoven.com/. It is a very high quality, made in the USA product that works extremely well. SUN OVENS is a long time player in the field. The original Sun Ovens came on the market in 1986, …


Letter: “Be Smart Get Prepared” First Aid Kit

Hugh, Scot’s review made me decide to review what I carry in my car trunk– the Be Smart Get Prepared First Aid Kit sold by Sam’s Club. It was designed as a kit for a small office and meets OSHA and ANSI requirements for such use. The cost is $19.98, so it is less expensive than the Chinook MinimalistPak, even though it is larger. The Be Smart kit comes in a sturdy plastic case with a rubber gasket around where the lid meets the case. It appears this was intended to make the case waterproof when closed, but the tolerances …


Three Letters Re: Time “OUT”

Hugh, Thanks for publishing the pertinent article by KT entitled, “Time OUT”. Timing and coordination with other group members can and will be very critical ability in the future. Many of us grew up watching old World War 2 war movies, and this article reminded me of memorable scenes from some of these classics, to-wit: a scene with a bombing group having a pre-raid briefing and the closing of the meeting would conclude with the commanding officer having all pilots and crew members “setting” their watches. This was done by a “hacking” mechanism in the watch movement. One can pull …


Letter Re: Time “OUT”

Sirs I believe that K.T.’s well-meaning recommendations regarding timepieces for survivalist situations is flawed, and incomplete. The best choice would be a Seiko SN007 Coutura Kinetic Perpetual Watch or other similarly-featured model from Seiko. As documented in the links below, it is widely acknowledged that electronic movements are more accurate than even the best mechanical movements (even in the $20,000 and upwards range), though as with all things made by men, some items will by “luck” be right on the money, even a cheap Timex. However, since we are talking about survival, it would be best to go with what …


Letter Re: Time “OUT”

Hugh, I very much enjoyed the article. Great information. This is something that I have thought about for quite some time. My question is how do I re-synchronize my watch to the proper time if I forget and let it die overnight? Thanks for the awesome blog and all the insight. – MRM HJL Replies: There are a variety of ways that you can use to determine the time without another watch, some more accurate than others. A Google search will reveal at least 20 different ways. There are two that I remember right off the cuff, but you have …


Scot’s Product Review: Chinook MinimalistPak

Chinook Medical Gear, Inc. calls the kit I’m reviewing the MinimalistPak. They mean minimal in terms of size and cost. It’s not minimal, however, in terms of what you can do with it. It’s a good basic kit for handling most of the injuries one might get on a hike or perhaps while doing a roadside repair on a recalcitrant car. It can handle a good sized cut, though I would want more with a gunshot wound or other major injury. It is one of the seven kits available in their PAK line of first aid kits. The kit comes …


Letter Re: Time Out

Hugh, In reference to the excellent article Time “OUT”, by K.T., it is important to note the difference between “automatic” and “self winding” watches. Over the past couple of decades some companies have produced “automatic” and “kinetic” watches that charge an internal battery when the watch moves. These watches are different than “self winders” that wind the mainspring with an internal pendulum when the watch is moved. When the battery starts to go in these new automatics, it is very cost prohibitive to fix. Also, I’ll repeat what K.T. stressed in his article about buying quality mechanical watches– the cheap …


Seasonal Items and Survival Steps, by P.F.

It never ceases to amaze me when something seemingly trivial that occurs in my life can lead to so much self reflection and totally change the direction I travel, so to speak, in my life planning. I recently decided to purchase a spare, portable plug-in heater for my camper, in the interest of redundancy. So, off I went blissfully unaware that this simple, last-minute decision would alter the course of history, my history that is. I went to my local big-box store and soon realized an important issue I had never thought about before– seasonal items are difficult to find …