Category: Field Gear

Product Review: Mainstay Emergency Rations and Water by Michael Z. Williamson

It’s a good idea to have an emergency food supply in one’s bug out bag, but it needs to be something that doesn’t decay, leak or spoil, and has a good shelf life in possibly extreme conditions.  Enter the Mainstay rations.  They’re made by Survivor Industries and packed in what feels like a heavy mylar-lined foil, rated for five years, and can withstands temperatures of -40° F to 300°F (-40°C to 149°C).  They meet USCG and DoD standards for packaging.  They’re in convenient 400 calorie bars, each constituting a meal, which make management easy, and eliminate trying to break them …


Letter Re: Strong and Sticky Stuff for Sticky Situations

Sir: Do you or any of your readers have any experience with J-B Weld? Is it recommended for use as a survival item — i.e., pros and cons versus traditional methods of joining [materials]? Thank you! Best, – J.C. JWR Replies: Yes, it works quite well, and I do recommend it.  But don’t let the “liquid steel” marketing hype fool you.  It is just a two-part epoxy. To be properly equipped for emergency repairs on vehicles, tractors, and assorted gear at your retreat, I recommend watching for sale prices and stocking up on a variety of sticky and strong stuff. …


Letter Re: Some Experience with Clothing and Field Gear in Desert Environments

Captain Rawles, I came across a good post by Erik M., a brother Marine, about the practicalities of humping the brush in full gear, in your archives from last year.  Where he writes from the perspective of an east coast Marine, I thought it would be good to complement that by writing on the same subjects from a west coast Marine’s viewpoint (was stationed at 29 Palms, California), as I’m guessing from his time reference that we were contemporaries, or close to it.  If someone else has done so already, my apologies for having missed it. For the high desert, …


Letter Re: Machine Shop Tool Recommendations

James, In your blog you recently mentioned Transfer Punches. A more important tool to have is the automatic center punch. These are handy around the shop and in a bug out bag. They are great for emergency egress from an automobile accident. [Since these will shatter the tempered glass used in the side widows of cars.] They are handy, compact and versatile. The ones made by Starrett, though pricey, are the best quality. I used mine at work for over 20 years and once a year would oil the spring and still have it after 40 years. Quality always wins …


Getting Home and Getting Away, by D.L.

My life has become a series of bags. I’ve written before about how ill-prepared my family and I were for the Japanese earthquake and tsunami on March 11th. Although we were very lucky, and to this day have experienced only minor inconveniences, we nonetheless dove head-first into something resembling prepping. Unfortunately, prepping with neither a plan nor a little forethought is a bit like diving head-first into a strange lake without first surveying the depth and the bottom. The best that can happen is nothing; the worst that can happen is permanent damage. Our attitude when we went shopping was …


Prepping From the Ground Up, by N.V.

As a newcomer to the survivalist game (and by newcomer, I mean that I haven’t planned for anything bad to happen in the future except for my daughter reaching dating age), I thought it would be interesting to detail how I came to be reading this web site at this point in my life and the steps I have taken so far as a “virgin” survivalist.   I became interested in it recently due to several factors. The first is I have always found literature regarding end of the world scenarios to be fascinating.  I have read everything from On the Beach …


Lessons from Life on The Edge: The Evolution of My Go Bag, by Tim K.

I was stranded on the streets of Los Angeles because my so called “friend” stole my rent money.  Down and out, with no one to help, in a state where I knew nobody, I started out with nothing but the clothes on my back.  I started out grabbing odds and ends in an attempt to get by and make do.  I got some give-away matches from a corner convenience store and used a coffee can to cook whatever I could find.  After some finagling, I came up with a thick black garbage bag which held my supplies: Rain poncho I …


Two Letters Re: Hunter-Gatherer Mobile Survival

Hello, I’d expected Blue Sun’s letter to get some responses. I feel that Blue Sun mixed fact and fiction with his/her email, and I’m sure others had that impression. There will always be someone faster or stronger or a better shot. The best anyone can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best. In earlier days, when regional populations were much smaller, nomadic cultures subsisted fairly successfully. (Many Mongolians live the same way today, albeit now with satellite television.) Such a strategy for WTSHTF is fine, but honestly even the historical hunter-gatherers had larders from which to …


Emergency Prep for Travelers, by O.P.

In March I was traveling on business when the earthquake/tsunami struck Japan.  My brother was in Japan at the time on business travel.  My brother finally made it home five days after the earthquake struck.  Meanwhile I was in Israel when the rockets from Gaza started up again, and a bombing occurred at the Jerusalem bus stop.  We both travel considerably throughout the world, and have often discussed preparations during travel for emergencies.  My brother is less concerned about preparations at home, but our experiences have convinced him over time on the need for backup options when away from home.  …


Letter Re: Off-Grid Laptops

Dear Editor: I recently came across the announcement for a new upcoming product. With Intel creating Atom processors with lower and lower power consumption, Samsung was able to design a netbook with integrated solar panels. It immediately occurred to me that this would be an ideal solution for off-grid computing. You can archive thousands of books and references on a single hard drive, have some instructional videos, maps, and more. You may even run lightweight CAD programs that would give any aspiring designer a significant advantage in a recovering economy where no one else has access to any computational power. …


JWR’s Product Review: The Vest Guy Magazine Pouches

I recently bought a number of magazines pouches made in Utah by The Vest Guy. I was very impressed with their quality. Great materials, expert stitching, and dimensionally correct. The particular pouches that I bought are for the Saiga 12 shotgun (both box and drum magazines) in MultiCam camouflage. But the company also makes a very wide variety of load bearing vests, duffles, drag bags, packs, and umpteen varieties of magazine pouches. Some of these appear unique. For instance, I noticed that they offer some X-Series .308 drum magazine pouches and FN PS90 pouch varieties that I haven’t seen from …


The Art of Getting Home, by Shattered

So you have successfully prepped for every possible SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation, your house is completely off grid, you’ve stockpiled enough chow to feed you and everyone you know for three full years and you have amassed a huge arsenal of assault weapons and ammunition that is sufficient to put even your toddler in tactical gear, body armor and small arms for the next ten years of sustained combat operations. Everything should be good to go right? So you’re sitting at work in your suit and tie and TEOTWAWKI just pops off, maybe it’s a rain of ICBMs hitting major …


Pat’s Product Reviews: Mil-Tac Knives & Tools M3 Tactical Folders

Many folks aren’t aware of Mil-Tac Knives & Tools, but they’ve been around for about six years now. Mil-Tac is owned and operated by Craig Sword, and I’ve known Sword since before he started Mil-Tac, when he was with another knife company. I’m happy to report, that I had a hand in helping Craig get Mil-Tac up and running. That’s not to say, I helped him physically start his company. Instead, Craig and I spent many, many hours on the phone discussing the idea of him starting-up a new knife company, and which direction it should go. I appreciate Sword’s faith in me …


Letter Re: Another Instructables Reader

Hi Mr. Rawles, Instructables.com is one of five web sites I visit on a daily basis (second to yours, of course), and I love seeing links to it from your blog.  I don’t know if you’ve seen the following entries, but they’re certainly handy in a pinch: Emergency Duct Tape field stretcher Paracord Rifle Sling Paracord Bandoleer Of course purpose-built stretchers, slings, and bandoleers would serve one best; but once the Schumer hits the fan, the next best thing might just be made from stockpiled duct tape and parachute cord! Best Regards, – Skip H.


Letter Re: Beyond Outdoor Survival

James,     As someone who has taken multiple week-long backpacking trips in the Rocky Mountains, I noticed a couple of things in this article that I would like to address.  The first is the author’s advice on mountain shelters.  First of all, if you do decide to pick a cave for shelter please be aware that mountain lions are plentiful in the mountains and one may have already decided to make that cave its home.  I have literally walked within feet of a mountain line that was laying in its den in the middle of the day, a very unnerving …