Letter Re: Rail Cars

Hello James,
I was doing some thinking over the past discussions of those that will have to travel a great distance given a major event to get to their retreat. I understand that this is a less than "safe" idea, but under the scenario of an EMP attack, may be a viable option. Since main [automobile traffic] arteries will be clogged, if you have the foresight to plan your Bugout Vehicle (BOV) as an EMP resistant 4×4 Truck or Van, why not modify the undercarriage to accept train rail gear, or better yet, search for an old retired Hy-Rail truck? This is obviously given extreme circumstances and proof that nothing is operational on the tracks.

I would surmise that trains will be one of the first up and running vehicles as they offer the most cargo capacity with the least number of vehicles after an EMP event. So, think, look, know.

I would assume that one would stumble upon trains that were inoperable along your journey to your retreat making a nice immoveable road block. Lift the running gear, exit the tracks, drive around the deadlined train, and then back onto the tracks.

In a major event, there will obviously be many threats along the way. Given that, I think the numbers will be far less along the train tracks than on the freeways and major thoroughfares. Unless you live in Nebraska, I think most tracks wander in many different directions so it will not be clear to the average Joe without a map, which tracks to take. Not to mention that without a GPS and 6’x6′ signs, most citizens are lost.

With a map in hand, one could bypass major cities or potential problem areas and head cross country, or take a different set of tracks. I am not a train techie, but I think two pairs of manual or hydraulic cylinders, cut out some of the floor boards of the vehicle, and some offset to the inside rims, some sort of homemade track traveler could be had. If the time permits, why not rig up a trailer in the same manner? To clarify, I am not suggesting that the rims of the vehicle become the running gear. My suggestion to offset the rubber tires to the inside is because the centerline of track to track is likely narrower than the centerline of wheel to wheel on your BOV. By setting the wheels to the inside, you could apply ample down pressure on your everyday tires onto the track thus becoming the friction needed to become your drive train.

As a side note I was watching the Military channel a few weeks back and safe and secure vehicles were being highlighted. One manufacturer guaranteed 30 miles on totally flat tires. His device was a two piece doughnut shaped piece that was slipped onto the rim after half of the rubber tire was pressed into place. It almost mirrored a set of drum brake halves except much much larger. Reach in, bolt the halves together, and finish installing the other half of the tire and fill with air. Aside from Loc-Tite [adhesive] and balancing, I can’t think of any drawbacks to such an idea. Width disperses weight. Less weight per square inch and the longevity of the rubber tire is greatly increased. Much more so than the 1/4” wide steel flange of most rims which act as razors to the rubber when a flat happens. [An extra] 30 miles could be the difference between safety and danger. – The Wanderer

JWR Replies: I describe rail car mobility in my "Pulling Through" screenplay. (Which, BTW, is available for free download.) If you opt for this capability, exercise extreme caution and discretion. Get to know the technology, legalities, and customs very well. The best way to do this is to join a "rail motorcar" club. I cannot overemphasize safety in any such endeavor. What you suggest should only be done in extremis on any tracks other than those that you are 100% certain are entirely abandoned. You need to be absolutely certain that the rails that you intend to use are not in use. Failure to do so could be tragic!

A do-it-yourself modification of an existing vehicle for rail use is complicated to do right. You are better off buying either a professionally modified Hy-Rail pickup or a small 100% rail-dedicated motorcar (commonly called a "speeder"), such as the Fairmont speeder that I described in my screenplay. If you get a speeder, be sure to get one that has self-lift/self-turntable capability, as shown in this video. Most railroad companies phased out their little speeders in the 1980s and 1990s and switched to Hy-Rail pickup trucks, for greater versatility. A few might still come up for sale at railroad company surplus auctions, but the prime time for that was more than a decade ago. Prices on the secondary market for speeders is still relatively low, but climbing. Sadly, the days of a $500 speeder" are long gone. Used Hy-Rail pickups that are complete with their rail running gear don’t come up for auction as often as you’d think. This is because the Hy-Rail gear is often switched to a new prime mover once a railroad pickup nears the end of its service life.

One inexpensive option that shouldn’t be overlooked is converting a mountain bike or a light motorcycle (120cc, or smaller) to ride on rails, by means of fore and aft guide wheels, an "outrigger" wheel (or wheels) to ride on the other rail, and a means of locking the handlebars from pivoting. For stability and safety, about 60% of the weight should be on the outrigger wheel. (Hence, with most designs you will always be leaning slightly in the direction of the outrigger. One way of achieving this balance is to position most of your cargo weight on the outrigger side, or even on a cargo rack above the outrigger wheel itself. One alternative is to link two bicycles side-by side with brackets, each riding a rail. (A side-by-side tandem arrangement.) Because railroad grades are mild, it is remarkably easy to ride a bike on rails. The engineering and mechanical skills required for rail converting a bike is simple compared to converting a motor vehicle. But again, all of the aforementioned safety provisos apply.

Regarding "run-flat" tires. These are available on BMW 3-series cars, as well as the Toyota Sienna. Many tire manufacturers now produce them for after-market installation for a variety of cars and light trucks. These include: Bridgestone RFT (Run Flat Tire), Dunlop DSST (Dunlop Self-Supporting Technology), Firestone RFT (Run Flat Tire), Goodyear EMT (Extended Mobility Technology), Michelin ZP (Zero Pressure), Pirelli RFT (Run Flat Technology), and Yokohama. These are all "self-supporting" designs, meaning that they are supported by special sidewall designs rather than a rim-mounted support insert. (The latter would be preferable. More on this, later.) I have an acquaintance that has some.made by Bridgestone, and he said that with normal inflation they have the "feel" of regular tires. I suspect that run flat tires will become commonplace in the next few years, since car manufacturers would surely prefer to save on the space and weight of carrying a spare tire.

I have a bit of personal experience with military run flat tires. Back when I was lured back to the Dirty Big City to take a technical writing job in the late 1990s, I owned an amphibious British Ferret Mark 4 up-armored scout car, which was my intended BOV. (Sadly, I sold it— along with its Valkyrie Arms M1919A4 "turret accessory"–just before we moved back to the hinterboonies.) The Ferret had its original British army issue run flat tires with massive rim-mounted hard rubber inserts. This design is preferable to the typical commercial "self supporting" tire designs. The only brand of commercial run flat tires that I know of that has a military style hard rubber insert (an "Auxiliary Supported" design) is the Michelin PAX System. This requires installation of both special tires and wheels. I consider this design superior to the more commonplace "self-supporting" run flat tire designs. For maximum mobility in a "ballistically challenged" environment, the best of all possible worlds would probably be a vehicle with a central tire inflation system (CTIS)–such as that used on the military HMMWV and its commercial Hummer H1 counterpart–used in conjunction with a Michelin PAX-type auxiliary supported tire system.

OBTW, I once skipped checking tire inflation and drove my Ferret on city streets for nearly 20 miles without realizing that one of the tires was flat and I had been riding on the inner hard rubber support. I didn’t realize my mistake until I was doing my "after operation" checks. (Given the five ton vehicle’s noise, boat-like handling, and top speed of 50 MPH, it would have been hard to have noticed the difference.)

Odds ‘n Sods:

Hawaiian K. flagged this one: U.S. Navy Test Infrared Voice Communications System

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Reader Bob. B. suggested to taking a look at: The Provident Living (LDS) Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness web page. He suggested; “Especially look at the ‘Dry Pack Handouts’ label in the right-hand list. Great recipes for basic foods.”

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There are just 21 days left in the big “Container load sale” at Survival Enterprises. Some items like dehydrated margarine powder and dehydrated cabbage have already sold out, so don’t hesitate to get your order in. Do it soon, before many other items sell out! All of the items in this sale are “first come – first served.” Again, the prices are less than half of retail. Survival Enterprises can take all major credit cards, PayPal, cash, gold and silver coins, but no checks or money orders. All orders must be phoned in for mail order, or by appointment to come in and pick up your order in person. (Survival Enterprises is located in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho.) For special requests, you can call Kurt of Survival Enterprises at (800) 753-1981 or locally at (208) 704-3935 as late as 8 p.m. Pacific time (5 p.m. Eastern time), or e-mail him at: kwATse1.us (Change the “AT” to an @symbol)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“During the 1980s we were told (by the media) that if a nuclear war broke out, we’d all be dead anyway. The reality is now hitting a few (like me, LOL) that yes some people will die, but most will be alive and suffering if they are not prepared. I will not let my children suffer because I had my head in the sand, so I’m doing what I can to get ready for whatever comes.” – Tarran (A lady who is a member of the Yahoo discussion group “survivalretreat”, quoted with Tarran’s permission, courtesy of Rourke)

Note from JWR:

I recently made some minor edits to my non-fiction book Rawles on Retreats and Relocation, and formally released it as the First Edition, through CafePress. I suppose that this change will make the first 100 copies that were sold (the ones marked “Limited Pre-Publication Edition”) a bit of a collector’s item. The cover price of the new edition is just $28. This book is a “print on demand” item, being sold only through Cafe Press.

Letter Re: Advice on Storing Ammunition in Stripper Clips

Shalom Jim:
I have a quick question for you that is probably not the most profound one you’ve ever heard. Recently I purchased some 7.62mm NATO Ball from Southern Ohio Gun, and it came in a metal box loaded on stripper clips with five cartridges per clip. Do you recommend keeping the cartridges on the clips or would you remove them and pack them loosely in the metal box? Also, what is the reasoning behind your answer? Thanks, – Dr. Sidney Zweibel, Columbia P&S

JWR Replies: Unless the stripper clips are rusty (which could induce sympathetic corrosion on the cartridge brass), then I recommend leaving the cartridges on the stripper clips. Here is my reasoning:
1.) Wear and tear during transport (e.g. dented cartridges) is essentially the same whether ammo is off or on strippers. (And in fact it is even less for ammo on stripper clips that are packed in cloth bandoleers.)
2.) The ammo will be quicker to load into magazines when needed.
3.) There is no conclusive evidence that stripper clip springs weaken with time.
4.) With the exception of 8 round en bloc M1 Garand clips, in some localities ammo in stripper or en bloc clips does not legally contribute to the definition of a “loaded weapon” in a motor vehicle. (In my personal experience gained when I previously lived in California, many law enforcement officers mistakenly deem a loaded clip or magazine carried in the same vehicle with an unloaded gun as the same as a “loaded gun”. Yes, this is a misinterpretation of the California Penal Code, but I know of two individuals that had to hire attorneys to extricate themselves from this bogus charge. (What a Mickey Mouse state!)

So, all in all, in my opinion it is best to store cartridges on the stripper clips.

Two Letters Re: Survival Biscuits

Mr. Rawles:
Regarding SF in Hawaii’s letter about hardtack biscuits posted on January 21st, I have made more than a few of these recently, both for survival purposes, as well as just for getting used to them. If you make them to specification they come out hard, like thick crackers. Be sure to cut them to size before you put them in the oven, as even after the 1-hour of cooking they will be too hard to cut effectively.
The best way I’ve found to eat them is take a bullion cube, dissolve it in water. Next add the hard tack, then a chunk of salt beef/jerky(or similar) that has been cut up. Throw in about half a sauteed onion and you’ve got some good eating stew. (A friend of mine also added canned peas and corn)
You can also use Spam instead of salt beef/jerky.
If your hard tack needs are more immediate, cook it at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes. It will come out with a thick bread which if you add a little bit of baking soda instead of salt will taste more like a thick sourdough.
It’s quite good and I often use it to make sandwiches when going for a hike. For a treat, you can also butter it right out of the oven.

 

Sir:
Has anyone ever looked at Scottish shortbread for survival food? Basically butter, flour, salt, and sugar. Tastes good and high in fat. I had some in a plastic Baggie for well over a month. Looked at it and ate it. No problem. – EhB

JWR Replies: Shortbread could be an option, but I’d worry about the storage life of shortbread–particularly in warm weather–given its high butter content. (The butterfat could go rancid.) In contrast, hard tack has long been proven to store very well.

Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics

Jim:
As an emergency room physician in rural East Tennessee and SW Virginia, I’ve seen a number of “casualties” from human use of animal antibiotics. First, the binders used in vet meds are not tested, usually, for lack of general reactivity in humans; if your genetic haplotypes are extremely different from cows and pigs, you might have an allergic reaction to the binder, not the antibiotic; I’ve seen this happen three times, once to bovine antibiotics, and twice to pig meds. Solution: test a small amount of the agent (e.g. 1/8th of a tab) and if no reaction in 24 hours, maybe you’ll be okay (this is not advice and I don’t recommend vet meds for humans or even half humans).
Second: the expirations on vet meds are not as closely monitored as with humans. Usually, an agent can be okay for six months past the stated expiration (and, you sometimes can’t trust the stated expiry on vet meds); after that, no effect. Worse problem, with tetracyclic antibiotics (tetracyclines themselves, doxycycline and similar), the expiration is critical. Two weeks after the expiration date, these agents can and frequently do become nephrotoxic. I’ve seen two patients, now on dialysis, from kidney damage from old tetracycline. So, beware. Best bet is get to know an MD who will prescribe 1-2 courses of commonly used or broad spectrum antibiotics for each member of your family, ask the pharmacy about expiration dates on the source bottles (he may refuse to tell you, if so, forget it), and then rotate every year. good luck and beware. Things are never as easy as they seem. – Wardoctor (a Desert Storm vet)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come.
When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin.
When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come.
Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved."
– Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC)

Note from JWR:

Wow! We’ve surpassed 42 million hits and one million unique visits since SurvivalBlog was launched in August of 2005! We now have readers in more than 75 countries. Thanks for making SurvivalBlog such a huge success. Please keep spreading the word. One of the best ways that you can do this is to paste a SurvivalBlog link logo or link text in your e-mail footer. Many thanks!

Congratulations to our 1,000,000th visitor! (He e-mailed us a screen capture of the visit counter, to prove it.) His prize is two books: an autographed copy of my novel “Patriots” and an autographed copy of my non-fiction book Rawles on Retreats and Relocation.

Two Letters Re: The Next Pandemic: Starvation in a Land of Plenty

Hi Jim:
Perusing the “blog” the other evening, and, in response to your post of how certain members of our society react when normalcy is interrupted. I would like to relate an experience I had during an extended power outage, with my house being the only house within a two block area having power. As I am the end house on the cul-de-sac, my assumption is I am fed from the next subdivision. None-the-less, quite an eye opening experience.

One Friday afternoon, after some pretty heavy storms, the power goes out. When one of the neighbors sees that I still have power, he walks over and asks if he can run an extension cord across the street so he can use his electric blower to blow the debris off his driveway! I mention how dangerous that is , since he lives diagonally across a fairly heavily traveled feeder road, and offer to let him use my gas blower. He says he will bring it back in 20 minutes. But 20 minutes later, I see him and his wife drive away in one of their Corvettes. (Did I mention that they both have brand new Corvettes?) No blower noise in the meanwhile, and no blower returned to me.

As night falls, and power is still not restored to the rest of the neighborhood: I am in the garage, with the door open and another of my neighbors saunters over, wondering how I have power, and if he can watch the game on the television which is currently on PBS. I try to explain that the cable [television system] is out, and all I have are several local channels, including PBS, but I don’t think he understands. He is really irritated that his power is out, and that he is missing the game. His anger is not directed at me, just directed at the situation in general! So, we are sitting around, having a few beers, provided by yours truly, of course, another neighbor saunters over. He too is wondering how I have power and the rest of the folks don’t ….again, I try to explain power generation and distribution…..so, after a while, the last neighbor to arrive says his wife, soon to arrive , will know where the candles are, but he needs a flashlight to see to get over to his house. I kindly offer one of my spares , with the admonishment that I would like to have it back the next day. Did I mention this neighbor has garage filled with a fully restored Chevelle, worth about $20K and two new motorcycles? Drives a Caddy SUV, yet he doesn’t own a simple flashlight?

Two days later: The blower: I finally see the Corvette neighbor roll in, after being gone for two days. I drive across the street , park behind the Corvette, and knock on the door and wait. They finally come downstairs, and hand me the blower. No explanation, no thanks. I am a wee bit irritated, and give them both a lecture on being prepared. During the course of the lecture, they mention all the firewood that I have stacked in the back, and that they “kiddingly” mention they know where to get firewood if things get tough. I reply, “Don’t come looking to me for help, I have a family to take care of and you folks are on your own!” Should have seen the looks on their faces. Because they knew I meant it.

A week later: The flashlight: I finally see my neighbor on the following Friday…he is outside washing one of his bikes. I saunter over and ask “Where is my flashlight”..He replies: “Oh yeah”, and brings it out. Again, no thanks offered. I ask whether he found his or has acquired another…he replies, “No”. I then proceed to give him the same lecture about about the three day food and water, and emergency supplies that our government recommends as a bare minimum. I think that it went in one ear and out the other. Of course, when I mentioned that “if the S. really HTF“, he was on his own, and don’t come looking over my way for help”, he looked slightly shocked, again, because he knew I meant it.

The moral of the story: These two neighbors have already shown me what they are made of. Am I prepared to say no to them if the “S. really HTF” Katrina style? Most assuredly. They are nothing more than parasites.Both sets of neighbors have nice houses , good jobs, probably 1/4 million dollars in assets in their homes and vehicles alone…..and neither of them seem to own a flashlight. And , unfortunately, I have a feeling that the rest of the neighborhood are exactly like them, unprepared for even the most minor cessation of services.

Disaster aside, your main threat will be the people that surround you. – Bob in Georgia

James:
The following dates back to pre-Y2K, but I still find it applicable to far too many people [that live] around me:

“The Pollyanna Mantra”
I have always relied upon the complex interdependencies of society
They have never failed me in the past.
They will, therefore, never fail me in the future.
I do not need to prepare for any problems.

* Meat comes to me in shrink-wrapped packages.
* Vegetables have no dirt on them. They are always crisp and shiny.
* Fish is a food product that has no bones.
* Bread is neatly sliced and packaged. It Builds Strong Bodies Twelve Ways.
* Potatoes are long, rectangular cubes that have salt sprinkled on them. I drive my car past a window to obtain them.
* Light is provided to me 24 hours a day by glass bulbs. It is never dark.
* Power for my appliances lives in the wall. I plug into it whenever I want to.
* I have books. They are used for filling the empty space on my shelves.
* Entertainment comes to me in a large box. It has many channels.
* Sometimes I see wars in far away places on the box. Wars do not affect me personally. Wars are entertainment. Wars are not waged near where I live.
* Heat comes to me as I turn up a thermostat.
* Cool air comes to me as I turn down a thermostat.
* Clothing comes to me pre-sewn, in my size.
* When the county fair comes, I go to see the horses, cows, pigs and sheep. I do not know where they live after the county fair goes away.
* Factories are far away places. They make things for me. I buy them.
* I get to other places in marvelous vehicles that come to me in showrooms. I do not know how to build them, or to fix them.
* My children are educated by people smarter than me. I have forgotten all I learned in school.
* Peace is maintained in my neighborhood by good men in blue uniforms. They have guns. I do not. If I press 3 buttons on my phone, they will come and help me.
* Medical assistance can also be obtained instantly, ..via the same three buttons.
* My s**t does not stink. It goes down a porcelain hole. It goes away.
* If anything goes wrong, I will look in the Yellow Pages and call someone to fix it.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Chris forwarded this one: Scientists Report Breakthrough in Battle Against Deadly ‘Superbug’

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More about Federal Reserve chairman’s Benanke’s warnings on demographic shifts: Calm before the storm’ in federal deficit

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Novelist Michael Z. Williamson sent us a story about a very resourceful nine year old runaway.Mike’s comment: “The boy’s problems aside, he’s very determined, smart, and a sure survivor.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The immigration ‘problem’ in America today is not a question of numbers, but of our failure effectively to welcome those who do come by educating them in American principles, and evoking their real commitment of heart to the unique American way of life that represents a hope for the destiny of the world. We have largely abandoned the process of educating newcomers in the special principles of the American way of life. This failure, of course, is the natural result of the even deeper problem of our own retreat from these principles — for how can we demand of newcomers what we scarcely acknowledge in ourselves? Our own schools have retreated from our commitment to that special understanding of principle, of human dignity, of human justice and of free enterprise that constitute our unique identity and represent a universal appeal for the world.” – Alan Keyes

Notes from JWR:

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Please also visit our other paid advertisers in the scrolling right hand bar, and check out their products and services. One of the best ways that you can support SurvivalBlog is to patronize our advertisers. Please mention that you are a SurvivalBlog reader when you do so. Thanks!

The first article today is another articles submitted for Round 8 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I will again be sending out a few complimentary first edition copies (Huntington House edition) of my novel “Patriots” as “honorable mention” awards. If you want a chance to win the contest, start writing and e-mail us your article. Round 8 will end on January 31st. Remember that the articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

Land Navigation – More Than Just a Walk in the Woods, by GlobalScout

While sheltering in place has many advantages during an End-of-Civilization-Schumer-Dispersal scenario, there may be good reasons to travel on foot cross country. (In “Patriots” for example, squads and patrols traveled afoot for security, reconnaissance, communication, ambush and assault missions.) The following tips are offered for your consideration should you have to resort to “Shank’s Mare” for transportation.
Land Navigation can be divided into “tactical” or “peacetime” methods. While even in peacetime there are times that it is better to travel undetected, in a tactical scenario, being caught might be fatal. You’ll have to judge the situation yourself, but when in doubt, use the most cautious approach practical.

I’ll begin with normal situations where tactical concerns are secondary. Have a compass and whistle with you any time you are in unfamiliar territory or away from civilization. It is easy to become disoriented (especially at night, in dense vegetation or during periods of bad weather) and a quick look at a compass can often set you straight. If you do become lost or disoriented, stay put, if possible, and blow your whistle or use other comms (radio, cell phone, mirror, personal locator beacon, etc…) until you are found/regrouped.
Learn how to use a map and compass. It is fairly simple to learn, and can be fun too. I’ve made a game out of small-scale compass courses to teach the concepts used in navigating with a map and compass. There are various techniques, just find those you can remember easily and that are practical to use. Army Field Manual FM 3-25.26 Map Reading and Land Navigation is a good place to start, or there are many good civilian books on the subject. The Green Beret’s Compass Course, by Don Paul, Path Finder Publications 2004, is an interesting approach to the subject and a fairly quick read. The Internet also has some great resources on Map and Compass use. Here are a few sites to get you started:

Navigation With Map and Compass , Using the compass in interaction with a map , and Finding Your Way with Map and Compass (USGS)

Don’t forget to count your paces and/or use timing to estimate the distance traveled. This can keep you from overshooting your objective, and wasting time and energy to find your way back. In many cases, you can plan a “hold off” technique to purposely aim slightly right or left of your objective if there is an identifiable feature (ridge, river, road, etc…) that could lead you back to your end point. Once you hit that feature, you can turn in the direction of your objective and follow the feature until you reach your objective (e.g. when you get to the stream, turn left, and follow the stream uphill to camp). A GPS receiver is great help too, and potentially very accurate, but map and compass skills should always be there to supplement those battery-operated gizmos.

In a tactical, hostile environment, you would use similar navigation techniques as mentioned about travel in a non-hostile environment, but there are a few other considerations:

Evasion. If there’s a chance of running into goblins in the woods, navigation becomes more complicated. Moving undetected can be a challenge but can be done. Motion attracts an enemy’s eye more than camouflage can conceal you from him. For example, most deer and squirrels you probably see in the woods are noticed because of a twitch of the ear or a flick of the tail that alerts you to their presence. They are naturally hard to see, but the slightest movement can give them away. Move slowly, stop and look. Patience is a virtue that can save your skin.
Noise can also compromise your location. Be aware of noise and disturbing foliage and animals (birds or deer/elk). Masking your sounds by traveling in damp or windy weather may help.
When crossing “lines of communication” such as rivers or roads, cross at areas with limited visibility such as bends or shaded areas. Don’t follow trails or “lines of communication” or leave tracks on or near them. Avoid open areas where you can be seen from far away. This will reduce your chance of being seen, but will slow you down considerably! Instead of trail hiking at 1.5 to 3 mph, you might be lucky to go a quarter mile an hour in some terrain if you have to do it quietly and without being seen. Off road travel will also require much more effort and most likely be noisier. Plan for this.
Also consider what time of day you will be starting and stopping your movement. To avoid being seen by Night Vision Devices (NVDs), dawn and dusk can provide a light condition that is too dark to be easily seen with the naked eye, yet too light for NVDs to work well. Air Force Pamphlet 64-5 Aircrew Survival is a great resource that gives an overview of evading capture while traveling in a hostile environment.
Conceal your direction of travel in case you are captured (no sense in showing the bad guys where you were going). This includes not writing down headings or making markings on a map, and if you are using a military-type lensatic compass that locks the compass dial when it is closed, turn the compass off course before locking the dial so that your last heading is not revealed. To mark a map temporarily, use sticks, pine needles or string to show lines of position or course direction.
This overview is just a brief and limited summary of things to consider if you need to travel to survive. I hope it has provided food for thought and grounds for further research (FFTAGFFR). I also hope that I’ve included some tips that can keep you safe. Be Prepared, – GlobalScout