Very accurate and the next best thing to a transit. Get them here. Best price I've seen on them.
Posted on 03/24/2010 4:12:18 PM PDT by Noumenon
Most of this gear is off-the-shelf and relatively cheap. Check out Cabela’s, CheaperThanDirt.com or SportsMansGuide.com for the best deals.
Assumptions:
1. Civil unrest ensues.
2. Communications go down.
3. You may have to fight your way out of wherever you are. or on the way to your destination.
4 You may have to abandon your vehicle
5. You may have to walk to a prearranged safe place or rendezvous/rally point.
6. You will move quickly and not ‘camp out’. Rest, yes. Camp, no.
7. The weather may suck - majorly. Hot, cold, wet, snowy.
Strategy assumes that you may lose your backpack and/or your sling bag. Or that you may not have time to suit up, and that you can only grab your sling bag/backpack and weapons. Try to wear a pair of decent hiking shoes or durable shoes in case you can’t put your boots on in time.
First layer – Combat Uniform
I prefer the old 80’s era Swiss Alpenflage. Cheap and readily available (or used to be), works great for the inland Pacific NW environment. Rig for your area and circumstances.Strongly recommend good boots and a PASGT helmet with appropriate cover. Plenty of PASGT gear on eBay if you don’t have any. This is what works for my area. Think it through and pack what will work for your circumstances. The important thing is to have comfortable, durable clothing that you can wear for days.
Your pockets/belt will hold the following essential items:
1. Strike-anywhere matches in a waterproof case.
2. BlastMatch with tinder of some sort.
3. Maps or even Jeppesen charts are very useful. You should also do a custom Google map of your E&E routes. You DO have more than one route, eh?
4. Compass In a worst case scenario, you may not be able to rely upon a GPS device. Learn how to follow a compass bearing. You can guide yourself through thickly forested areas, featureless winter landscapes, foggy sagebrush areas, etc.
5. LED Flashlight and extra batteries. Use what works best for you. Carry at least two.
6. Energy bar(s). Something’s better than nothing.
7. Extra Clothing Layer. Poncho and/or parka. This could also be a mylar emergency blanket. Area / climate / season specific. A poncho will fold up into one of your pockets.
8. Sunglasses.
9. First Aid Kit. Carry basic first aid supplies such as sterile gauze and pads, Band-Aids, moleskin, etc
10. Knife / multi-tool Preferably one of each. An extra knife on a lanyard around your neck is good insurance.
11. Water and the means to carry it. Adopt/adapt for your circumstances.
12. Water purification tablets don’t take much room, either.
13. Wire saw. Notch a stick at each and lodge the saw's end rings in the notches and you've got a serviceable bow saw.
Extras if you’ve got the pockets or the inclination:
1. Small radio w/extra batteries. 22+ mile range/NOAA combo preferable. If you’ve made arrangements with others to meet up, that type of radio can be invaluable. But be secure about using one, though. Keep your plans confined within a small trusted circle.
2. 25-50 ft of parachute cord. Whatever fits. Very useful.
I’ve left off fishing kit and items like that because you’re probably not going to have the time for fishing and in any case, you have room for that sort of thing in either your sling bag or your small backpack. I’ve also not included magazines and ammo, because you’re probably going to be carrying that elsewhere.
Practice and test. Finally, when you’ve got that all together, field test it. See how fast you can get it all on, boots and helmet included. Do it again and again. Then do it at least once a week. Try walk, trot, run and see what rattles. Quiet the rattles. Then roll down an embankment, throw yourself down flat, crawl through brush, tumble if you’re capable and see what you’ve got left. Walk, trot, run. Still quiet? Good.
Second layer – Sling Bag
The sling bags offered by places like Cheaper Than Dirt and Sportsmans Guide are great. They’re easily snatched up and the contents will afford you an extra day or two of operations in the field. Plenty of webbing attachments for your customization pleasure. The premise is that even if you don’t have time to suit up, you can still grab your rifle and the sling bag and make a decent go of it. I wear mine on the left, since I’m a right-hander. The one I use also has a waist strap to keep it from flapping in the breeze. To a certain extent, I replicate the essentials listed above in the bag and the list below reflects that. But it differs in some details and sports a few additions. Ammo, for instance. I hang a 3 magpouch on it for my AR carbine, and there’s more ammo and an extra rifle/pistol in the bag. There’s an extra 15 round 10mm mag in there as well. Again, you’re not looking to camp out – you want to keep moving towards your destination. Rest, but don’t set up housekeeping.
1. Strike-anywhere matches in a waterproof case
2.Fire Starter. BlastMatch with tinder of some sort.
3.Maps. >Same as above.
4. Compass. Yep, another one.
5.LED Flashlight and extra batteries. If you’re smart, your radio, flashlight and any other device you might carry will all use the same batteries. Preferably AA.
6. MRE of your choice. A good meal (although some may dispute even the possibility) can make a big difference to your outlook. Even the (ugh) omelet ones.
7.Energy bar(s). Better to have 'em and not need 'em>
8.Extra Clothing Layer. Same as above.
9. Sunglasses AND regular glasses. For those of us who need glasses, the investment in an extra pair could be a life-saver. The sling bag described here accommodates glasses in hard cases nicely.
10.Binoculars. Compact, decent quality and keep them easy to get to.
11. First Aid Kit. Carry additional first aid as mentioned above.
12. Knife / multi-tool. /b> Preferably one of each. Again.
13.Empty Water container. You can fill it later. It’ll add to the one on your backpack.
14. Water purification tablets.
15.Rifle / pistol mag(s). Full, and one of each. They’ll be inside the pack along with as much extra ammo on strippers as you deem fit. Don’t overload it though.
16.Rifle ammo on strippers. 5.56 mm doesn’t take up that much room and you can probably carry an extra 2 or 3 magazines worth. Remember to include a couple of extra stripper guides. Wear one around your neck; keep the other in a zipper compartment in the bag.
17.Rifle mag pouch. Hang this in an easy-to-get-to place on the outside of the sling bag. Most will hold three AR-style mags.
Again, practice and test. Still have everything? Good.
Third layer– Small Backpack
Cheaper Than Dirt and Sportsmans Guide offer some nice compact backpacks. I like the Level III ‘assault’ pack. It’s big enough to hold more of what you need for an extra two or three days in the field, expands your available food and ammo stocks, provides for a change of socks, underwear and t-shirt, insect repellent, a small folding shovel and a hydration pack. Depending upon what you feel like stuffing in there, you can add a small waterproof bag with a towel and some baby wipes
Again, practice and test. Same as above. Still have everything? Excellent.
Weapons
When things get dicey, don’t assume that you’re going to just drive or stroll home. Rifle, pistol and a good fighting knife (that is, a knife that you actually know how to fight with) are essentials. The last thing you want to do is to get into a firefight. But you do want to have a chance to prevail if it drops in the pot. Again, carry what you know how to use. This will be no time for on-the-job training. If you don’t have the skills, take a martial arts class of some sort (NOT tai chi or freakin' yoga) and get thee to an Appleseed event to learn how to shoot like a rifleman. www.appleseedinfo.org.
Everyone’s got an opinion – so I’ll just tell you what I picked and why.
1.Rifle. CAR15 or equivalent. Light, accurate within reason and you can carry lots of ammo. I carry 7 loaded mags – one in the rifle, three in a quick-access pouch on the sling bag and two more in the backpack.
2.Pistol. Glock mod 20 with 1 mag in the pistol, two in the carry rig, one in the sling bag and two more in the backpack. This is a hard-hitting pistol, a real fight-stopper. No aspersions on .45s - I just like having 15+1 rounds of near-41 magnum persuasion on tap. Besides, if you’re down to your pistol, then you’ve got other things to worry about besides calibers.
3. Tomahawk. One MOLLE’d to my backpack. I like tomahawks.
4. Fighting knife. One MOLLE’d to my sling bag.
5. Miscellaneous small knives. Everywhere.
Car Kit
I carry pioneer tool items that could prove useful in some circumstances. This is in addition to the usual road kit with flares, gloves, rope, a regular tool kit, etc. Let your experience and imagination be your guide here.
1. Shovel.
2.Pickaxe
3.Axe.
4.17 pound tamper bar. With a tamper on one end and a wedge on the other.
5. 24” bolt cutters.
6.Extra food and water.
7. Sleeping bag.
Again, your circumstances and training will produce endless variations of this list.
well worth repeating “There are a lot of us country boys/vets out here” . We 3%’rs will not lay down and summit.
bump well said
If you have a ping list, would you add me to it, please?
1312
HR 3590 EAS/PP
1 ‘‘(2) other factors, as the Secretary determines
2 appropriate.
3 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the
4 purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized
5 to be appropriated $50,000,000 for the fiscal year 2010 and
6 such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years
7 2011 through 2014.’’.
8 SEC. 5209. ELIMINATION OF CAP ON COMMISSIONED
9 CORPS.
10 Section 202 of the Department of Health and Human
11 Services Appropriations Act, 1993 (Public Law 102–394)
12 is amended by striking ‘‘not to exceed 2,800’’.
13 SEC. 5210. ESTABLISHING A READY RESERVE CORPS.
14 Section 203 of the Public Health Service Act (42
15 U.S.C. 204) is amended to read as follows:
16 ‘‘SEC. 203. COMMISSIONED CORPS AND READY RESERVE
17 CORPS.
18 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—
19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Service
20 a commissioned Regular Corps and a Ready Reserve
21 Corps for service in time of national emergency.
22 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—All commissioned officers
23 shall be citizens of the United States and shall be appointed without regard to the civil-service laws and
1313
HR 3590 EAS/PP
1 compensated without regard to the Classification Act
2 of 1923, as amended.
3 ‘‘(3) APPOINTMENT.—Commissioned officers of
4 the Ready Reserve Corps shall be appointed by the
5 President and commissioned officers of the Regular
6 Corps shall be appointed by the President with the
7 advice and consent of the Senate.
8 ‘‘(4) ACTIVE DUTY.—Commissioned officers of the
9 Ready Reserve Corps shall at all times be subject to
10 call to active duty by the Surgeon General, including
11 active duty for the purpose of training.
12 ‘‘(5) WARRANT OFFICERS.—Warrant officers
13 may be appointed to the Service for the purpose of
14 providing support to the health and delivery systems
15 maintained by the Service and any warrant officer
16 appointed to the Service shall be considered for purposes of this Act and title 37, United States Code, to
18 be a commissioned officer within the Commissioned
19 Corps of the Service.
20 ‘‘(b) ASSIMILATING RESERVE CORP OFFICERS INTO
21 THE REGULAR CORPS.—Effective on the date of enactment
22 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, all indi23
viduals classified as officers in the Reserve Corps under this
24 section (as such section existed on the day before the date
1314
HR 3590 EAS/PP
1 of enactment of such Act) and serving on active duty shall
2 be deemed to be commissioned officers of the Regular Corps.
3 ‘‘(c) PURPOSE AND USE OF READY RESEARCH.—
4 ‘‘(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Ready Re5
serve Corps is to fulfill the need to have additional
6 Commissioned Corps personnel available on short no7
tice (similar to the uniformed service’s reserve pro8
gram) to assist regular Commissioned Corps per9
sonnel to meet both routine public health and emer10
gency response missions.
11 ‘‘(2) USES.—The Ready Reserve Corps shall—
12 ‘‘(A) participate in routine training to meet
13 the general and specific needs of the Commis14
sioned Corps;
15 ‘‘(B) be available and ready for involuntary
16 calls to active duty during national emergencies
17 and public health crises, similar to the uni18
formed service reserve personnel;
19 ‘‘(C) be available for backfilling critical po20
sitions left vacant during deployment of active
21 duty Commissioned Corps members, as well as
22 for deployment to respond to public health emer23
gencies, both foreign and domestic; and
24 ‘‘(D) be available for service assignment in
25 isolated, hardship, and medically underserved
1315
HR 3590 EAS/PP
1 communities (as defined in section 799B) to im2
prove access to health services.
3 ‘‘(d) FUNDING.—For the purpose of carrying out the
4 duties and responsibilities of the Commissioned Corps
5 under this section, there are authorized to be appropriated
6 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for
7 recruitment and training and $12,500,000 for each of fiscal
8 years 2010 through 2014 for the Ready Reserve Corps.’’.
This has the effect of removing all current legal obstructions to the use of military FORCE against the citizen population afforded by posse commitatus. Our President just created his own private army and as he stated numerous times in the campaign he intends to equip it to the full equivalent of our MILITARY forces.
Can somebody tell me what this has to do with universal HEALTH CARE? Why does he need an ARMED FORCE for use inside the country? Does anybody think there is more than a passing similarity to another such force in history known as the GESTAPO? Folks, this isn’t hyperbole — nor is it “chicken little” this is as real as it gets.
Do I hear echos of brown shirts or black panthers this go around
I was thinking of Obama’s promised “Civilian Security Force” full of purple shirts, ACORN street punks, and Black Panthers.
In the case of an EMP attack on the USA during normal business hours, most (producing, upstanding) folks will be at work. However, no unprotected vehicle in the affected area with any kind of electronic controls on the enginge will operate after such an attack. (vehicles with fuel injection, for instance). Thus, you will most likely be walking home for the next day or two, unless you have a horse or bike handy.
A Bug Out Bag (BOB) or Get Out Of Dodge (GOOD) bag contains all the necessary tools to assist you in getting to your home safe, alive, and uninjured.
Keep in mind that Iran, which is trying to create a nuclear weapon as we speak, has also called for the complete destruction of our country. Well, they can't do that with a few nukes. However, a nuke set off in the far upper atmosphere can destroy all unprotected electronic devices for thouseands of miles. It is believed that if the Iranians wants to get the most bang for their nuclear buck, they will commit their bombs to a high-a;titude EMP attack rather than surface detonations. It's a "value-add" for them.
Bump that.
The whole “it’s SHTF/TEOTWAWKI, flee to the countryside” notion is rank ignorance.
1. There’s a whole lotta people doing the same thing.
You won’t be the only one thinking “get outta Dodge”.
You won’t be the only one on the gridlocked roads.
You won’t be the only one finding the hard way that walking all day out of the city only gets you to a different part of the city (a 15 minute drive is an all-day walk).
And by the end of the day you won’t be anywhere that isn’t already overpopulated by like-minded but under-equipped refugees.
2. When you finally get to the rural areas you had in mind, and have somehow out-run & out-traveled most of the refugees and zombies, you’ll find that it’s still more densely populated than you expect, and the residents dug in, prepared, informed, and fiercely territorial. All that land belongs to _somebody_ - even if “owned” via “possession is 9/10ths of the law”. For context, consider: people who move into a rural area discover that it can take _ten_years_ to achieve acceptance by the locals; random strangers setting up camp without permission should not expect friendly accommodation.
3. Even if you can get to your chosen target location, and don’t have a problem with the locals in doing so ... now what? Short of having your own well-maintained well-stocked cabin, you’ve only got what you brought with you - and you just used up 2/3rds of it getting there. Great, now you’ve “made it” with 1 MRE left and a tarp for shelter. You have no refrigeration (short of northern winters), which wouldn’t do much good if you had it ‘cuz the big game population just went to 0 in 2 days flat thanks to everyone else doing the same as you. Yes maybe you’ll survive. Go watch every episode of _Survivorman_ and learn the core lesson: yeah you’ll get by for a week, but you won’t _eat_.
There is only one place for you to go: home. The “high-mobility 72 hour kit”, aka “Bug-Out-Bag” (BoB), is for you to get there. It better be ready for off-the-grid operation.
The “corps” referred to is a team of doctors ready to serve high-casualty scenarios. It’s not an armed military/police corps.
It is whatever Obama SAYS it is.
What is always a risk is localized disturbances. Here in CA, the "big one" (earthquake) will happen eventually. There might be extensive destruction. Roads will be damaged, so we won't be driving anywhere. The vast majority of us urban dwellers have no outdoor survival skills, so a long trek into the "country" won't enhance our long-term prospects.
I think the best preparation is to keep some stocks of extra food and ammo. If mobs start pillaging the neighborhood, be prepared to resist with deadly force. Make yourself a hard target, and they will likely move on to find an easier target. Hold out for a few days and wait for order to be restored.
I have mine vacuum sealed. Gives you many additional years of effectiveness.
Precisely. My kit is dsigned to get me out of a 'problem' area and back home - which is in fact out in the countryside. I'm fortunate that the semi-industrial area in which I work has multiple navigable back road routes out while driving is still practical. And once I'm home, we're not going to be taking in strays, if you know what I mean.
In any case, I'm watching for signs. At the first hint of real trouble - like the declaration of a 'bank holiday', for example - I'll be calling in 'sick'. Or excusing myself from my desk and promptly heading home. Why wait for it to get worse? The folks who live in urban areas, well...
Most of them are monkeys who will be wondering what to do well past the time that the gov't pellet-dispensing machine shuts down.
Very accurate and the next best thing to a transit. Get them here. Best price I've seen on them.
No ping list, my friend. Maybe I should start one.
Yes, you can get a lot done with a decent ‘hawk. Quick shelter construction, especially if you’re in evergreen forests goes so much better with one. I use a SOG Fusion avialable from Sportsmansguide.com for a little less than $40. Good deal, that. I’ve also got standard hickory-handled ones at home, but the Fusion is the one I carry.
His loss, my gain.
Nice. The real prize is the knowledge of its use.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.