Category: Field Gear

Pat’s Product Reviews: Blackhawk Nightedge Knife

As I’ve mentioned numerous times in my knife articles, I like big knives. Big knives can accomplish more tasks than smaller knives can. And, in the case of using a fixed blade knife for survival purposes or military applications, I think bigger knives shine! However, keep in mind that, no single knife can accomplish all the tasks you may need a blade for. That’s why I carry several knives, as well as having fixed blade knives with long blades, as well as shorter blades. There is no “do it all” knife – you need several. If you are looking at …


Keeping Your Communications Private, by F.J.B.

In this age of continuing disregard for an individual’s privacy, it can be difficult to keep your communications private. Warrant-less phone taps, postal service mail tracking, RF scanners,  and random roadside searches will appear fairly tame once the strip-searches start at the mall. Of course, this is their goal but even non-government snoopers are out there scanning your ID, listening to your phone calls, and trying to hack into your email. Going somewhere? Who knows your schedule? Did someone overhear your plans? How can you know? What has happened to our right to privacy? Many people today are so beaten …


Letter Re: Dressing for Self Defense

Mr Rawles, I found A.Y.’s suggestions to be very astute and workable, and wish to add a few of my own. Underclothes: fencers over the years have pressed the bounds of stab- and slash-proof clothing. There are a number of SPECTRA fencing undershirts, that are of the same quality, if not better, as LEO anti-knife gloves. They also have the added bonus of being made with the express purpose of being stab proof. That said, still hurts like the dickens when one really gets gut stabbed. Having worn one in 90 degree sun, I can attest that not only are …


Dressing for Self Defense, by A.Y.

This is a review of considerations for civilian dress for basic self defense in most areas. Be advised some of these suggestions may be illegal where you live, follow all laws when dressing defensively. The goal of this article is to re-think basic aspects of normal street clothes and minimize any possible negative aspects of normal street clothes for purposes of self defense. An important consideration to this task is understanding your own personal Threat Matrix.  A Threat Matrix is the likely risks you personally have to face in your day to day life.  Are you an ordinary citizen in …


A Guide to Chemical Warfare Preparations, by Bryan R.

All survivalists, indeed all citizens everywhere, should give proper thought and consideration to the threat posed by Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) and Radiological agents, particularly chemical agents as they are the most likely to be encountered in dozens of possible situations. It is a fact of life that chemicals are everywhere, be they in surplus military storage depots, the local chemical plant down the road, the chemical laden train moving through the county, the semi hauling a tank filled with chemicals, or the nefarious terrorist who has finally realized that all he needed to make some very nasty blood agents …


Pat’s Product Reviews: Kershaw Zero Tolerance 0300 Knife

I like big knives, folders or fixed blade models. I’ve found over the years that, you can accomplish more tasks with a big knife, than you can with a smaller knife. Of course, that’s not to say that, small knives don’t have their place – they do! My personal preference is for bigger knives, and one reason I like bigger knives is that they are usually built stronger.   I was on-board when Kershaw Knives started their new ZT Division. The ZT stands for “Zero Tolerance”. And, I’ve toured the Kershaw plant several times, to know that, Kershaw has a …


Pat’s Product Reviews: Columbia River Knife & Tool’s “Ultima” Knife

One of my favorite knife companies is Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT). They offer a wide variety of cutlery, at affordable prices. You get quality for your hard-earned dollars, and that means a lot to me. CRKT was started by two former executives from Kershaw Knives. CRKT is now solely owned by one of those executives, Rod Bremer, who I delight in calling a friend. You should see some of the e-mail exchanges between myself and Bremer, you’d think we totally hate one another – truth be told, if one of us started talking nice about the other, we’d …


Preparedness in Megalopolis by John C.

One thing to be said of modern life, you generally wind up living where the work is. Money can be very good, for example, when you’re working as a government contractor in the Washington, DC area, so that’s a plus. The bad side of this lifestyle, though, is that you’re planted squarely in Megalopolis, with guaranteed chaos and congestion during any catastrophic event, severely hindering your ability to get home from work or to evacuate the area.  Those who commute into cities or live in high population areas can relate, as evidenced by what normally might be a 1-hour commute …


Pat’s Product Reviews: Okuden Knives – Ammo Daddy, Alpha Pattern

I’ve been writing about knives for more than 18 years. However, I’ve only been to one knife show in all those years. I attended the Blade Show-West, at the invitation of a large knife company here in Oregon. I’ve been to a lot of gun shows, where there were custom knife makers displaying their wares, but I never attended an actual knife show, until about a year and a half ago.   To be honest, I was a little disappointed in the knife show – there were less than 100 tables there, and my oldest daughter and myself, were done …


Pat’s Product Review: Blackhawk Products Clothing and Gear

For those of you, who are not familiar, with how Blackhawk Products came to be, here’s a little history: Former US Navy SEAL, Mike Noell, was operating in Iraq. He had to hump a ton of gear by foot in an enemy minefield. The pack failed, dumping his gear into the mine field.  Noell promised himself, that if he got out of that minefield alive, he was gonna make stuff the way it needed to be built, so none of his buddies would have to go through a similar equipment failure. Upon returning to the private sector, Noell started Blackhawk Products …


Helping Friends and Family Gear Up, by L.D.L.

As I sit here this evening, I am watching the aftermath of recent Missouri and Alabama tornadoes, Midwest flooding and western fires on television.  In the southeast, hurricane season will be upon them and there is always the possibility of an earthquake throughout the US. The news carries stories of our county’s continuing financial decline and overwhelming debt. I watch as the value of gold, silver and other precious metals climb and the value of our dollar continues to drop. The next segment of the news has reports of increasing gas prices, increasing taxes and increasing crime. The growing unrest …


Letter Re: Parachute Cord Bracelets

Hi Jim,   After I saw Liam Neeson with a parachute cord bracelet at the beginning of the movie The A-Team, I thought “Okay, I got to get one.”   After waiting around for the vendor who makes those to show up at one of the local gun shows, I finally went on YouTube, and guess what? I learned how to make them myself. They’re not difficult to make. As a matter of fact, the company you linked-to yesterday (SportBraceletStore.com) makes a simple two-piece Cobra Weave. I crank those out like candy, using a simple jig I made using a …


A Late April Snow and Wind Storm Illustrates the Need to Be Prepared

James, Things can fall apart rather quickly.  Today’s example is why you always want to carry a survival kit (BOB) in your vehicle.  People are stranded all over western North Dakota on the last day of April.  Who would have anticipated this?  The weather service put out warnings that many ignored and those who stayed home are without power. A total of five major electrical feeds into the state are down which is unheard of.  What couldn’t happen, happened. Mile after mile of power poles are sheared off and snow drifts of up to 10 feet and zero visibility is …


Letter Re: My Bug Out Bag Was a Blessing When the Tornados Arrived

JWR, Thank you for providing all the information in SurvivalBlog. It is truly a lifesaver. I live in Arkansas, and I’m sure you’ve seen the devastation the tornadoes have caused. This season is possibly the worst I’ve seen in the past 20 years that I’ve lived here. The tornadoes and severe weather have pummeled our state. Thankfully, when disaster strikes, neighbors help neighbors, strangers, and everyone in between. I wanted to tell your readers who haven’t considered the value of neighbors, who have a go-it-alone attitude, they are more valuable than all the gold you could stockpile. When the tornadoes …


Using Your Smart Phone as a Survival Phone, by Kelly H.

When preparing for any large-scale emergency or disaster scenario our initial tendency is to seek out the most basic necessities for survival: food, water, shelter. Those serious about survival expand these necessities to include protection, first-aid, mobility, etc. I believe one of the most important tools to include in any survival plan is a smart phone capable of offline card storage.   In my profession, I am attached to my smart phone. I depend upon it to work as much as my Leatherman while backpacking. I also know that during a large-scale emergency or a TEOTWAWKI scenario, a cell phone …