Category: Field Gear

Communications for When SHTF, by N.M.

Communications is a key element in our everyday lives. If you don’t believe me, try going a whole day with no cell phone, Internet, television, or any other means of communications (COMMS). So it stands to reason that having COMMS, when SHTF, is essential to gaining intelligence (COMINT), the safety and security of your family, keeping informed, and keeping at least one step ahead of anybody with bad intentions. Like any skill, it is essential to practice; that means practicing before SHTF, so that you have the necessary skills. While most of the communications methods discussed in this article are …


The Mindset and Experience of a Single Competent Female Prepper, by Skylar

For the majority of my adult life– 34 years– I have taught, lived, worked, and recreated in wilderness settings. I appreciated JMS’s call for articles from single female preppers, as it has been a frustration of mine for many years. My early years were spent trying to prove that women can be effective and competent in a survival setting without having to become “one of the guys” or Rambo-esque. It took me a couple of tries before I found an organization to work for that shared this view. I spent the next 10 years working for Outward Bound, and I …


Three Letters Re: Covert Communications

Dear Hugh: Regarding the captioned article posted 23 September 2014, I call your attention to the following quote, pulled from near the middle of the second paragraph: “These radios do have ‘Privacy Codes’, but anyone can switch around until they find the code you are on, as they all use the same codes and scanners will hear them, coded or not. Switching codes every hour or time you decide will help not being discovered by other FRS/GMRS radio users, but others will scan the codes. It may help but will get you found if others find which code channel you …


Covert Communications, by J.K.

When it all hits the wall, one thing you should be sure of is that someone is listening to every communication you make within reception range. Many will use scanners to try and find you or your group. If they hear radio activity, especially activity on the short-range radios, they will know you are near. Some will use direction-finding antennas to get your exact location. The idea with radio comms is to use the least power and radio with the least range that will get you reliable comms. If all has gone south, you will want to use radio only …


Letter Re: Sharp-Shoot-R Products

I was truly amazed by the work Scott put into cleaning his firearms! I shoot a fair amount of hard cast lead bullets for plinking and target shooting but keep velocities under 1600 fps, and above that I use jacketed bullets, which seems to simplify my cleaning. One patch lightly gun oiled up and down the barrel three times, then I follow that with a dry patch up and down the barrel three times. Take a lightly oiled scrap of cloth and wipe down the outside of the firearm, then the bolt face and moving parts. If the firearm is …


An Emergency Frequencies List

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The following frequency list is part of a blog post from Graywolf Survival. 34.90: Used nationwide by the National Guard during emergencies. 39.46: Used for inter-department emergency communications by local and state police forces. 47.42: Used across the United States by the Red Cross for relief operations. 52.525: Calling frequency used by ham radio operators in FM on their six-meter band. 121.50: International aeronautical emergency frequency. 138.225: Disaster relief operations channel used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; it is active during earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and other catastrophic events. 146.52: Used by ham radio operators for non-repeater communications on the …


Scot’s Product Review: Mosin-Nagant M91/30

A reader suggested that I take a look at lower cost firearms, particularly military surplus ones, and I thought it was a great idea. The one he told me that would make a good start is the Russian Mosin-Nagant, which is currently the easiest to find and cheapest surplus rifle on the market. It is chambered in a .30 caliber round, 7.62x54R, and there are a lot of them available at the moment coming from old war reserves in Russia and Ukraine. They were refurbished and put in storage when replaced by more modern arms. Russia and Ukraine are both …


Letter: Starched Military Camouflage Uniforms

Good morning, Hugh, I read your Thurs 9/18 post on using camo clothing that’s never been starched; how does one tell if a garment has ever been starched? I supposed this may apply to all garments, not just camo. (I reference the common military phrase “breaking starch” on utilities laundered by base personnel.) Is there a way to purge the starch, to make sure it’s not affecting IR detection, since it may be difficult to tell if a particular garment has ever been starched? Or, does starch affect fabric fibers in such a way that the IR susceptibility cannot be …


Challenge of Prepping, by R.W.

How My Insights Have Changed With Time I became interested in prepping and survival 12 years ago. It wasn’t so much an event or reading about survival, it was what I believe was a message from God. I was 49 years old and had just finished leading a Bible study in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. On the way home, my wife and I stopped at a Dairy Queen for our usual weekend treat. It was a beautiful, summer day with lots of white summer clouds floating by. As we finished and were sitting there enjoying the beautiful downtown skyline …


Letter Re: Time Out

Hugh, The author discourages Seiko watches, although I have found them to be one of the best watches I have ever purchased. It is an auto wind and needs adjusting once every several months, which is usually when it gets 10 minutes fast and I just turn it back. My Seiko 5 mechanical watch has been diving, truck driving, shooting, and taken all sorts of abuse. I bought my first one in Sharjah UAE on my way to Iraq. It served me well through the war, from Baghdad to Djibouti, to Manila, to China and all over. Finally, it started …


Comments on Sharpening, by R.F.

As someone said about shooting, “It’s simple, but it’s not easy.” All you need to do is pick the correct angle for what you’re sharpening and maintain that angle, as you remove material to obtain a cutting edge. This is the case regardless of what you’re working on. The difficulty comes in consistently maintaining the angle chosen. That requires a lot of skill, and it explains the popularity of all the jigs and sharpening systems on the market. If you’re interested in learning to sharpen free hand, practice. The only way you’re going to learn is by doing. It doesn’t …


Scot’s Product Review: Sharp-Shoot-R Products

It was a dark and cluttered place. It was crowded. The children were dirty and uncared for. It looked as if their parents never cleaned them. They were streaked with charcoal. Someone had smeared molten plastic on some of them, while others had strips of lead and copper hanging on them. You could sense their dejection. If only someone would come to my gun safe and clean their barrels! Okay, I’m exaggerating…a little. My usual approach to cleaning guns is to wipe them down with an oily rag and run one or two patches with a cleaner-lubricant-preservative (CLP) product through …


Letter Re: Fishing for Survival

Good morning. I’m an avid Survival Blog reader. I live in bush Alaska and live a largely subsistence life. I read this article with interest and would like to make a couple of suggestions in regards to fishing for survival. In my part of the country, I can legally use a gill net for subsistence purposes. This can either be done as a set net and checked later, or as a drift net, or seine. They are very efficient. Next would be a fish trap. This is a simple device that can be submerged in the water. The fish swim …


Two Letters Re: LEO Medic

Hugh: I just want to say “thank you” to this author for such an excellent series. I agree that they are the finest articles I have ever read on SurvivalBlog. As an office-based physician, I do not have the hands-on field experience that will prove so valuable in the future, and I think most physicians are in the same boat. So thanks so much for taking the time to educate all of us. I will read and re-read your articles, as they will save many lives. Primary Care MD o o o Just wanted to add to B.O.’s comment. I’m …


Letter Re: Time Out

Hugh, I read “Time Out” with interest. I wanted to bring to your attention a high-quality but little known watch brand: Steinhart. It is a German company. Their watches are German engineered with Swiss movements, at a tenth (or twentieth) the price of a Rolex. Many of the Steinhart models are what is known as “Rolex Homage”. A high-quality watch that resembles a Rolex but has the maker’s name and logo. In other words, it’s not a counterfeit Rolex. Steinhart is a highly respected name in their own right. Best Regards, D.B.