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.
As always.
Nice article. Succinct take on why I love the ‘hawk. Few tools lend themselves in such equal measure to construction and slaughter.
Look Up Oath Keepers.
Not counting the car kit, how much does all that weigh?
Comes in at a surprising 40-45 pounds, not including the rifle. You’d be surpised at how small the backpack is - and at how much it’ll hold.
That’s not bad.
When I was much younger and healthier, I spent some time running around with a pack that I estimated at about 70 lbs (about half my weight at the time) ... that got old.
Therein lies the key: whatever your "bug out" plan, don't just have it, LIVE IT.
I like telling this:
As the "Y2K Bug" was a looming threat, I described in detail to my father the societal-collapse scenarios that were commonly feared. He nodded, understood, shrugged, and remarked "so I'll throw another log on the fire and go back to my book." And he was right; TEOTWAKI would mean little, as he already lived in long-term survival mode.
Yep. It's all talk and speculation until you test it. Most don't. BTW, part of the design spec for my kit is that it is also usable on horseback. Currently it works out to 40-45 pounds not including rifle but including ammo.
Yah. I’m not up to humping the kind of rucks that our boys in the fields Iraq and Afghanistan do. Especially in that kind of heat.
mmmmmmmmm - instant beer...
I thank the Lord for my sis who has extended an open invitation to our family in such a scenario.
Nan, you need to read this thread. After reading about the “flash” mobs lately - who knows what may happen in the next months.
thnx for the ping, B
Reference P I N G . . .
BFL
And another ping back for reference to the recent pistol question...
Money, yes indeed. About $300-$400 for the gear minus weapons. The question is: What’s your life worth?
I never post to vanities...
and raspberries welcome. Fire away.
Raspberries!
Things like a 30 day supply of your meds is necessary (IF they keep you alive. If not, cholesterol meds are just extra weight).
Good post. People who haven't had any type of training may read this, and it might save their life.
Go bag, bug out, whatever (e.g. hurricane preparedness, etc.), needs to be high atop the to do list for everyone.
Test, train, and experiment. All are needed to insure you survive a disaster.., or society breaking down.
Just say'n...
5.56mm
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.