Today is a good day to die.
I didn't say for whom.
Posted on 02/05/2011 9:40:15 AM PST by Noumenon
Most of what's here is based upon common sense and experience. None of it is written in stone, and everyone can and should adapt what I've laid out here to their circumstances. I should emphasize that this is what I actually keep on hand, and I've tried or used all of it. No theory, just the real deal.
I've retained the emphasis on redundancy and high mobility. One website I've run across showed a '72 hour' kit that looked like a full-on expeditionary load-out. "Try running in that," I thought.
If nothing else, I figure I'll get you to thinking if you haven't considered this level of preparation. And if you haven't, it's getting late in the game. For those of us who have, a nod and a tip of the hat.
what do you think about the mini14 and the colt govt .45 combo?
i would also add 20 feet of nylon webbing, highly useful in the field and easier on the hands than parachute cord.
and maybe some of those little white nylon snap ties, easy fix for stuff that breaks and needs to be tied together.
i always carry both of these in my survival pack, along with two of the compressed mylar film sleeping bags, a heat tab, and a fire starter striker.
A CB radio in the vehicle might be a good idea, while it lasts.
You can buy wind-up cell phone battery rechargers these days. Probably a good idea to throw one that fits yours (if you can find one that does) into the pack.
I’ve owned them both. The Ruger’s not the most accurate weapon out there - it’s a design flaw. AR carbines are cheap enough to warrant ditching the Ruger and going to one of those. But you can’t go wrong with anything designed by John Moses Browning. The .45’s right at the top of the list. If you’re good with yours, then that’s the ticket.
Thanks!
Get a block of paraffin (available at most grocery stores).
Melt the paraffin in a can or pan. Place some lint in the sections of the egg carton. Pour paraffin in the section to cover the lint.
When the paraffin sets, cut the egg carton sections into single units.
When you need a quick, sure fire, just use any flame source (I recommend the wand style gas lighters) and ignite the paraffin and voila, hard to extinguish fire.
I have started wood fires without tinder with 100% luck. No smoke, no smell except the wood you choose! They burn for 10+ minutes.
Good luck!
Glasses are good but they restrict your vision. To get the best field of vision do NOT get those narrow rectangle things. You want roundish and large. You are not making a fashion statement, you are trying to see.
Sun Glasses should fit over your glasses and I would suggest getting the kind with switchable lenses. Amber, green and gray should cover all situation you would normally run into.
If you wear hearing aids, extra batteries. You don't want to lose one of your senses at a time like this.
Folding metal cane. Light, easy to store, makes a good weapon, helps you keep moving if you hurt your knee, foot or ankle. Also useful to pry, poke, prod or extend your reach if necessary.
Frankly i dont know how accurate it is, never did anything more than plink with it, but it can hit a can at 100 yards over iron sites, thats probably all you need for the scenarios your envisioning. plus with a 30 round mag you get a couple chances. i guess in a pinch uyou cold use it to take small game, or even deer for food. as for ammo, been using the nato surplus green tip. what do you think of that? in any of these discussions, the issue of shotgun always comes up because of versatility. with different ammo you can do almost anything from self defense to birds to big game. problem there is weight of gun and the ammo makes it kind of prohibitive for a long hike. but if i had to grab and run, i'd take it. you can always ditch it later. also, what about the dog? take him along?
For fire, I like the stormproof matches at REI. They require a striker, but come with extras in the box. I take two of the cheap waterproof match cases and tape them together (in opposite directions) with electrical or duct tape. That makes them easier to open when your hands are cold. One case gets the matches and a striker, the other gets cotton balls dipped in Vaseline.
Communication is something we take too much for granted, that its always there and it cannot be controlled.
And then we saw Egypt.
I think it should be worth having at the very least the info on how to get a web address using non traditional means. I would say also knowing where to get outside news when in the name of civil unrest all local news is censored.
I will leave this topic in the hands of those much more knowledgeable than myself about this.
I also liked this site for its very practical advise for informational preparations—getting all your documents on a flashdrive, among other things—which would be useful in break-down situations short of Mad Max:
http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/p/map.html
My filler/wick material of choice is small wood chips. The little stuff that's all over the place after splitting a pile of wood for the wood stove at home works. Break the longer bits into pieces 1" or shorter.
Paper shreddings also work well for the filler/wick material.
The rest of this looks good.
If you're in an cold climate area, a "heater/stove" is a good idea. A sterno type works, though you can make your own with a metal coffee can, a spare roll of toilet paper and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Have a ceramic, or stoneware plate, or a metal cover to snuff it out. You make the "heater" by removing the cardboard roll from the center of the toilet paper, placing it in the metal coffee can, and filling the can with alcohol (rubbing alcohol is fine, but if you can find 90% or 95% rather than 70%, it will be better). Pull a "Wick" up from the center of the roll and light it. This can be used as a heater, or as a makeshift cook stove.
Ping
Use the saw to cut a small baton length, and cut the rest into useable lengths. Use the baton and your knife to split the rest of the wood for the fire.
Crank operated flashlights are now cheap. You should have at least one just in case your batteries are dead or you need to use it longer than a set of batteries last.
Also, I would suggest that you have at least one incandescent bulb flashlight. The LED ones are generally better, but if the disaster is some type of EMP attack they might be as dead as any other electronics. Just running a current through a glowing hot wire is immune to that.
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