Bug Out Bags for Sandy the Freak?

Typical photo pulled from the AP. Here a National Guard truck drives through a flooded area. Take a good look at the trailers - every one of them are sitting higher than the water line. Power and plumbing will need to be addressed, but these units will remain intact and in place.

As sunlight creeps across the land, the actual damage and devastation from the Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Freaky Weather known as Sandy is becoming apparent. Current news reports are showing at least 35 people dead and up to 8,200,000 people without power. The damage is spread over 2/3 of the East Coast. Certainly this must make me rethink my earlier post that Bug Out Bags are folly?

NO! In fact, this disaster reinforces the issue of a good Get Home Bag, Evacuation Plan, and Shelter In Place kit.

Let’s look at the actual damage. The homes that were actually destroyed were generally right on the coast or in low lying areas that are naturally prone to flooding. Let’s note here that I grew up in the North East. Multiple times a year I had to make adjustments to my daily commute because seasonal heavy rains caused localized flooding of creeks. During a larger storm you just knew to take a different route. The same understanding applied to underpasses and lower sections of highway. The news delights in showing some dippy reporter standing in water up to his calves to build the drama of the disaster. Yet, when the camera pulls back, you can see curbs and dry land within a few feet of where the reporter is standing. Yes, the impact from this storm is large in scale, but don’t fall prey to the media display.

With widespread pockets of localized damage, there are much larger areas that remain intact. Adjacent areas. This is not like the tsunami that hit Japan! A good Evacuation Plan remains the most critical element to have in place for a disaster of this type. Have your hard drives, important documents, photo albums, etc, very accessible and ready to pack quickly if any type of disaster is heading your way. Hurricanes and wild fires are the perfect disasters to build your Evacuation Plan around as you generally have a few hours, if not several days, to get packed and out.

Aside from basic needs for your family, you will want to have a couple destinations preset. The destination may be the homes of family and friends or perhaps a hotel. If you are in a fire zone you will want to choose a location that is less susceptible to fire. If you live in a low lying area that is subject to flooding, choose an evacuation site that is higher. Common sense is really important here. Take 60 seconds to note what dangers your home is most subject to and find a site that does not share those qualities!

Now about your Get Home Bag. I am thinking a slight revision is merited. While I have not addressed these kits in detail yet, I do believe you need to have good maps – street and topographical – to connect your work, home and school locations. The new revision is to add a map to a designated evacuation location with some means of communicating to family members that the secondary location is the new primary. This type of issue really doesn’t apply to the Sandy situation since there was so much information available ahead of time. Sorry, but if you were not where you needed to be when Sandy struck, the best kit in the world would not have helped. Sometimes we just have to accept Darwin at work. That said, the maps I am suggesting for your Get Home Bags would be valuable during evacuation also.

Above all else, the current storm aftermath reinforces the need for a good Shelter in Place plan. If your home was not in an area that was actually destroyed, you are probably sitting there without power right now. And we did see the shelves in the food stores cleared of critical supplies within a few hours yesterday morning. Get your goods in place – both at your home (primary shelter) and at your secondary location if possible. This is actually a great time to open dialogue with friends and family who may have a residence that is geographically different enough from yours that they would be perfect reciprocal escape locations. For example, someone near the shore that is subject to flooding may be a great partner for someone whose home is in the mountains where they are subject to forest fires. Each of you build a good Shelter in Place plan with adequate supplies for both families.

You can choose to sit there and feel sorry for the folks whose lives were forever impacted by this current storm. Or, you can use this as the impetus you need to get your family positioned so they will not be victims of the next storm. Either way, you still don’t need to start with a Bug Out Bag!

Any Kids in Your Family?

Today's entry is going to be a little different. I stumbled across a link at the bottom of a news article referencing survival skills every kid should know. That story follows. But first a couple comments:

In 2009 I had the pleasure of attending Dirt Time. One of the sessions was led by trackers who provided what I believe to be the best tip ever for parents.Since so many kids all seem to wear the same brand shoe, it is often challenging to pick your child's prints out of a group if they need to be found. Trackers sometimes find themselves tracking the wrong prints! The solution is simple -- cut a small chunk out of one lug of the sole. This will make your child's print totally unique. Then, take a photo of the shoe sole with your smart phone and keep it on there. If your child is ever lost and professional help arrives, show them the photo and point out the unique identifier. This simple step can save considerable time in locating your child. AND, why not do the same to YOUR outdoor shoes? It can be just as helpful if you get lost!

Now for the article. It was from a site called The Survival Mom. A link is at the end of the article. The initial tips when lost and concept that every kid should have their own emergency kit is exactly on track. Plus, the ending tip about situational awareness is something I have never seen addressed for kids. Yes, we all complain that kids seem to spend their life consumed in the video games and phone apps. Truth be, most parents encourage that as a way of quieting the commute. Time to put away the electronics and turn situational awareness into a family game.

FYI, I went to The Survival Mom site with the intent of providing a direct link to this article. I got so sidetracked reading other articles I stumbled across on her site that I never got to this article, so I will just paste it here and you can follow the link at the bottom to explore her site further.

The 4 Survival Skills Every Kid Should Know

Tuesday, June, 26th, 2012 at 9:25 am

Some of outdoor adventurer Bear Grylls’ biggest fans are kids. Their eyes widen at his derring-do, and boys and girls alike admire his survival skills and savvy. But the survival skills that are more likely to keep our kids safe and sound are actually far more mundane! Here are four survival skills that every kid should know, along with a few tips for parents.

What to do if lost

A lost child is a scared child, and usually their first instinct is to begin searching for their family. Train your children to stop and sit as soon as they realize they are lost. Assure them that, no matter how scared they might be, you are searching for them at that very moment; but also that, if they keep moving around, it will take longer to find them. Consider equipping your children with an inexpensive cell phone and when venturing outdoors, a few survival items tucked in a backpack or their pockets. Items such as a whistle, a bright bandana and a bottle of water are the makings of a kids’ survival kit that will go a long way to helping them be found more quickly.

How to answer the door when home alone

Usually the best strategy is to not answer the door! Yes, the person knocking could be a burglar scoping out the neighborhood. But once the door is opened, it’s that much easier for an intruder to enter. And children are easily overpowered. Train your child to enforce home security: Keep doors and windows locked and blinds and curtains closed. Noise from a TV or radio is fine. Someone with questionable motives will think twice about entering a home if they hear noises inside, even if the house is closed up and no one answers the door.

What to do in a medical emergency

From a young age, kids can learn how to dial 911 and report an emergency, but this takes practice. Spend some time rehearsing phone calls, teaching your children to relay detailed information to an operator, follow his or her instructions, and then stay on the line until help arrives. If possible, children should also get the home ready for the arrival of EMTs by putting pets in closed areas and, if it’s nighttime, turning on both indoor and outdoor lights. Summer is an ideal time for children to take first aid and CPR classes, that are typically suitable for kids age 9 and up.

How to maintain situational awareness

When driving in the car, for instance, ask your kids to describe a building or vehicle you just passed. Teach them to pay attention to the route home by asking them to give you driving directions!

This one skill can help your child avoid many dangerous situations. The concept is simply for children to be aware of the people and events around them. Parents can help their children become more observant and aware—not by scaring them, but by playing games to teach and practice this skill.

When driving in the car, for instance, ask your kids to describe a building or vehicle you just passed. Teach them to pay attention to the route home by asking them to give you driving directions! Tell them to close their eyes and describe what someone in the room is wearing. Encourage them to check out the license plates of passing cars: Which states are they from? What is the sum of the numbers on the license plate?

Being aware of their surroundings will help them avoid predatory people and other dangerous scenarios. Simple to teach. Fun to practice. And, quite possibly, a life saver.

Lisa Bedford is the author of Survival Mom: How to Prepare Your Family for Everyday Disasters and Worst Case Scenarios and editor of www.thesurvivalmom.com blog.

Power to the People

Like it or not, electricity provides a tremendous amount of support to our daily lives. One of the keys to maintaining your sanity during/after a disaster is having the comfort of light, communication, even music.

One option is to fit your home with a nice generator (and plenty of fuel). Another option may be solar or wind electrical generators. Perhaps a small water turbine? We can discuss some of these options in the future. The choice I made was to remain transportable and simple.

The basic element of my energy preparation is the humble AA battery. I originally went this direction just because I noticed the myriad of devices I had on hand were using AA, AAA, C, D, and CR123 batteries. Sitting down one day to determine how many of each I should keep on hand to provide for emergency needs was somewhat mind boggling. Historical use was meaningless because it would not be indicative of emergency use. Gave up and bought a box or two of each.

“Honey, the batteries ran down on this again!”

“No problem, I’ll grab new ones out of the drawer. What kind does it take?”

“I don’t remember.”

Sound familiar? Looking at the array of products I was using, it seemed the majority of devices were either running AA or CR123 batteries. OK, let’s consolidate. I made the final selection between these two based on the fact that, at the time, CR123’s were not as easy to get as the AA and I found no reputable sources of a rechargeable CR123. Thinking rechargeable batteries made a lot of sense if I were consolidating types, the AA became an easy choice. The choice may be a little more difficult today as sources and rechargeable options are now common for CR123s.

Decision made.

Step 1 – Identify and replace all critical devices in my supplies which were not currently set up for AA.

Step 2 – Establish decision process for future purchases where AA batteries were the initial sort unless there were pre-identified critical features that were not available with AAs.

Step 3 – Establish more substantial inventory of AA batteries, mostly Alkalines.

Step 4 – Begin building a supply of rechargeable AA batteries with a variety of charging options.

Step 5 – For key items that are not available in AA formats (cell phones) acquire quick charge options that are AA based.

The photo at the top of today’s blog entry shows my emergency weather radio, portable CB radio, a FRS/GMRS handheld radio, a variety of lights, in-line headphone amplifier, charger for my iPod, portable alarm clock and label maker. My GPS and several other devices are also set up for AAs. OK, I may have abused Step 2 a little by restating it as: “This thing uses AA batteries. Perhaps I should get it!”

Charging was originally accomplished with a basic wall plug in unit shown to the right of this photo. The other items are from Goal Zero. The key to this system is the foldable solar panel which was actually designed to hang off a back pack or similar item. Hey, it comes with rechargeable AA packs that plug right in. Better get that! In fact, this system has proven its value during my motorcycle trips as it is strapped to the tank of my BMW! It concurrently charges batteries for my phone WHILE it is powering my iPod. Very convenient. In fact, I am tempted to get a slightly more powerful panel and mount to my back case or to the top of my trailer – it really does work that well! When at home, I have laid it out on a chair and even hung it up inside a window to recharge batteries. I like this simple unit.

So I have charged batteries and a bunch of electronics – a few of which still don’t work on AA. Enter iGO adapters  I first picked up the basic set of adapters several years ago while traveling on business. I needed to charge phones, pda’s, gps, camera, etc. Instead of carrying wall and vehicle chargers for each and every device, I could carry one set with multiple tips to charge units as needed. Get a new phone or some other device? Just get a new iGO tip. Yes, that center item is a plug in power supply for any of the devices which is powered by 2 AA batteries.

Here you see my entire Goal Zero + iGO kit that powers virtually all of my electronics when traveling (still need to resolve my laptop). This combination provides an incredible amount of versatility in a very small space.

Your personal plans should include a solid look at power. Do you want a full house system? Do you want something totally transportable? There are clear pros and cons to each choice – but do make a choice. Transportability was important to me. Your needs may be different. That said, do what you can to keep it simple. Simple solutions are almost always the best in challenging times.

Take a look around the house and determine what is critical and how many power sources you are currently needing to maintain. Make an initial decision right now. Then take a couple days to think through and revisit your commitment. Just make sure you start moving in some direction very soon – the best plans are useless if not implemented.

Now we have a selection of electronics that we consider key to future needs. Perhaps I should put together a Faraday Box?

Document Storage and Transport

I read an article today from Kim Komando about loading programs on a USB drive to boot up and browse the internet with a high degree of anonymity from remote locations. She also had several suggestions on protecting your browsing history on a daily basis. I don’t know anything else about Kim Komando but will be exploring her site some in the future.

The article did prompt me to share how I save and transport documents.

Finding the Right Media

There was a time when we printed out and carried copies of all important documents in a paper file. People who are currently watching the new TV series Revolution may be tempted to do the same. That said, the technology now at our disposal makes transport of important documents incredibly easy. OK, I probably said the same thing when the 5.25” floppy was introduced. Again with the 3.5” floppy and CD ROMs. But really – relish the USB drive. These devices are so inexpensive and easy to use that I can’t believe everyone doesn’t already own several. Load copies of all of your important documents on one of these and keep it with you!

That was my plan. In fact, after listening to some discussion on The Survival Podcast, I set out to find the perfect USB drive. If I was going to carry it with me, it had to survive everything I do. Some quick searches yielded a fair number of USB drives that were shock proof, water proof, etc. Most were housed in fairly large, rugged aluminum or titanium canisters which were large enough to do double duty as a fist load or kubaton. Problem, I really don’t want to carry yet another thing that large! So I wondered off to the local Staples to see a wide range of devices to get my mind around this project.

Here is what I came home with (several months ago) and believe to be the best solution for me and many others. A higher capacity Micro SD Card which can be used in my telephone along with a small USB converter so the same card can be used as a standard USB drive in any computer with a USB slot. Once I saw these, I felt the answer was so obvious. These small cards are waterproof, shockproof, x-ray proof and temperature proof (-18 to +185 degrees Fahrenheit per the website). I believe the packaging also referenced dust proof and something about being exempt from magnetic problems. That should pretty much cover any situations I am likely to be in! And the versatility of using in any Micro SD device as well as USB really extends my options.

The down side is that these gizmos are so small they could be lost or misplaced very easily. I remember when Bin Laden was “picked up” he had some gold coins and phone numbers sewn into the clothing he was wearing. As small as these Micro SD cards are you could easily clip 2 or 3 threads on your pants’ waistline and drop the card in. That would be great if traveling in an area that you felt theft was likely. I have not done that. Another option would be hollow coins which can be found on the internet. These allow you to carry the card with your normal change – just be real careful not to spend that particular coin! Many people choose a foreign or specialty coin for their transport for this reason.

I am not James Bond and don’t need to be that sneaky. I already carry a multi-section elastic band in each pocket with my EDC tools. The entire USB drive slides inside this band. Another simple option is to stash it underneath a Velcro patch. Lots of clothing and bags now come with Velcro sections to add patches of your own choosing. Pretty easy to discreetly carry one of these cards under a patch. Want more ideas, just do a search for Drug Stash. You will be amazed at all the simple ways people have come up with to hide their stashes! Adapt these ideas to your needs.

What Should Be On the Card?

Everyone has their own list of what they believe should be carried. I began with color copies of my drivers license, vehicle titles, birth certificate, social security card, and passport. Add to that insurance documents, credit card listings, important contacts, and medical information. Since this is electronic media, go ahead and add a short video of your home contents (for insurance claims after a disaster) and photos of family that you want to keep with you. That’s a good start. Keep these properly filed and secured on the card.

Security Settings

As soon as I see a list like the one above, I begin feeling very vulnerable to ID Theft. SanDisk provides some data security apps to encrypt the entire device or specific files within the device. This is a good place to get started. Be aware that this class of data encryption and protection is really evolving. Periodically review respected sources to learn the latest options and determine which you want to implement.

So we can now discreetly carry a large volume of secured or encrypted documents on a device which can be read on a very wide range of devices – with a very small expenditure of real dollars! Now about that “T.A.I.L.S.” system that was on the Komando site…

Q Time

I generally write my entries in msWord then paste them into the blog. This gives me a very clean off-line file of entries. To keep these in order I use a 3 digit numerical prefix. Today’s entry is the 7^th for this blog so it is filed with the prefix 007. My Sensei gave me the nickname Q (referencing Bond’s ever creative Quartermaster – you did know Q represented Quartermaster?) several years ago because I was constantly tweaking gear to make it more versatile or effective. So entry 007 must discuss gear modifications.

Putting aside everything I know and shared in the post on Stealthing & Blending, I like black. Flat black. I have been heard too often stating “there is little in this world that cannot be made better with a can of black spray paint.” When I acquired a Humvee I got it painted SWAT black. Both of my motorcycles are painted semi-flat black (I heard a crusty old designer on a TV show once state that motorcycles are not Easter Eggs and therefore should only be black). Most of my transport boxes have been painted black. I have even gone so far as to tape up and spray paint electronic equipment. Oh yes, let’s not forget there is spray paint for fabrics and vinyl also. My duffel bags have not been exempted from this simple “improvement.” So my gear looks like it belongs together. That is just a start.

I grew up spending a lot of time in a woodshop with my father who built several of our houses and much of the furniture in them. When I started furnishing my first home and preparing for my first child, it was completely natural to design and build my own furniture – or get broken pieces which I could rebuild better (it was the era of the Six Million Dollar Man, “Gentleman, we can rebuild him. We have the technology.”).

Now let’s jump to the early ‘90’s. I was actively enrolled in martial arts and had just purchased an Ontario Aircrew Survival Knife. I still love this blade for all around versatility. What I did not like was how round the leather grip was and the fact that I could not index the blade in the dark without touching the actual blade. In addition, the straight blade guard made a reverse grip uncomfortable. And yes, the natural leather color on the handle and sheath were a bit light for my taste. This was the first knife I ever customized and it got me started on a path to Q-dom. A hand rasp and sander were used to make the round grip more vertical. My intent was to bend the top guard forward – but it snapped off (much to learn about metal). No problem, file and sand it to a level where it did not impede a reverse grip. Then leather dye was applied to the handle and sheath. I could now easily index the blade, use a reverse grip, and admire its overall blackness. Had no idea what a springboard that would become.

I have tweaked many a blade since then to make them fit my hands or needs better. My SOG Mini Pentagon had grooves filed on one side of the handle which matched grooves cut into the side of a walking stick. Two wire ties would very quickly convert that knife and staff into a field expedient spear (I have been known to do some primitive camping in remote areas). Very simple – the entire modification to the knife and staff may have taken 10 minutes tops. OK, I still have that blade. Guess I should fix my current walking staff to resurrect this tool!

Once you begin modifying existing pieces, you are bound to try complete fabrication. I have tinkered to create a multitude of tools from a variety of materials which can be lightweight, concealable, and functional. That is when the nickname Q got applied.

Here is one example of a gizmo I created – a throwing pencil. This is actually a piece of steel rod that was sharpened and painted to look like a pencil. In some versions I actually put the real erasure section from a pencil on these pieces. When left in a pencil holder with a few other pencils, no one ever notices. It is always at the ready to provide some discouragement from an aggressor. This is also a fun piece to pull pranks on a training partner. There was a time when I became quite good with throwing blades (practice, practice, practice). I told the fellow students that when they did the technique exactly right, they would even be able to make a thrown pencil stick in wood. Obviously I threw my metal pencil. Wow! Then I would switch it for a real pencil when handing it to another student to try throwing. Sure was frustrating to the others! Maybe that contributed to my other nickname: Dick Sensei!

Moving away from sharp pointy things, you should always be open to making your gear work better for your needs. Remember, no matter how much something costs, it can probably be made better for you with a few modifications. Since mass produced pieces must work on a wide variety of people in a wide variety of situations, they can almost always be tweaked to better fit your personal needs. Even a completely custom made piece may evolve as your understanding of your needs changes.

Don’t hesitate to prototype. Some of you are old enough to remember when the Palm burst onto the electronics scene and revolutionized our approach to hand held organizers. The creator actually spent many weeks carrying around wood blocks of different sizes, pretending to actually use them for entering data any time he thought he would want to access an electronic organizer. This is how the original size and shape of the Palm was created. Yes, it got more streamlined and cooler in later versions, but even the original version was comfortable to use – simply by testing with simple wood blocks.

I apply this concept when adapting bags and straps to carry gear for EDC or Get Home Kits. Pre Molle/PALs, I used plastic wire ties and pieces of paracord to strap odd pouches onto straps and kits. These were easily moved or removed to fit evolving needs. Once you start experimenting with prototypes you will probably find it to be a lot of fun to play with. This process keeps pushing your creative spirit while striving to make everything you work with more efficient and/or effective for your needs.

As you move forward, try to keep these ideas in sight:

Prepare – Are there changes you can make in your gear and furnishings to better accommodate stockpiles and accessibility?

Protect – Are your tools and weapons positioned or carried in a manner that they are ready and functional? Are they designed or indexed in a manner that you can use them when no light is available?

Persevere – Are your kits modified to meet your personal needs and to be easily transported by you?

Never hesitate to make adjustments to tools or gear to make them more effective! Yes, you may actually end up destroying some tools in the process, but you will learn much about building and design skills that can keep you alive in the future.

Love Those Shotguns

Most people know I like shotguns. With a relatively inexpensive shotgun and a modest collection of shells, you can have a very effective tool for both self/home defense AND for putting a wide range of food on the table. If need be, they make mighty dandy clubs also!


I am working on a tactical shotgun presentation which will be shared in a couple more weeks. That is why there is a sudden focus on things that go bang! I promise, this will not be a shooting focused blog. 

In preparation for the class, I cut open three shells: 7 1/2 Bird Shot, 00 Buck Shot, and a Rifled Slug. You can read and listen to people go on all day about the differences and relative effectiveness of these shells for different purposes. Or, you can just look at the above photo and deduce most of what you really need to know about shells!

Instead of going on today and just repeating some of what is well stated elsewhere, I am going to post a couple links.


First is actually today's episode of The Survival Podcast by Jack Spirko:

http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/shotgun-ultimate-survival-weapon?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+survivalpcast+%28The+Survival+Podcast%29

Jack has a ton of these free podcasts available (994 to be exact) on a wide range of subjects. Today's topic is "Why the Shotgun is the Ultimate Survival Weapon." This is a pretty good episode for a basic understanding of the versatility of the shotgun as an all around tool. He does not pretend it is the best at everything. However, it is certainly capable of most things you would need a firearm for. While I may not always agree with everything Jack says (hmm, guess that applies to everyone I listen to), I do believe he is a very passionate, intelligent man who does his research and sincerely wants to share great knowledge with others. I suggest anyone interested in the world of survival subscribe to his site and watch for topics of interest to pop up.


The second link is for C.A.T.S. (Civilian Arms Training Source) Tactical Shotgun program:
http://www.civilianarmstraining.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=101&Itemid=178

Tim from C.A.T.S. runs a great variety of programs with many different firearms. Before getting my first handgun I took his Defensive Level 1 Tactical Handgun class with my sons. I took that class again with my wife when she was ready to begin shooting. When I got my first shotgun, I took his Tactical Shotgun class. This is the class that is linked above. FYI, for some versatility, the IPD Systems Tactical Handgun class is quite interesting. I never hesitate to send people to C.A.T.S. to really get familiar with their firearms and to get some good training in a safe environment. A good day of hands on training does wonders for your confidence when a firearm may be needed.

So check out these links and I will be back in a day or so with a new topic.

Prepare - Protect - Persevere!

A Day at the Range

A Day at the Range

This is a bit more aggressive topic than many we will have on this blog. Firearms are a key part of most survival scenarios, whether for hunting or self-defense purposes.

Had the opportunity to spend a full day on the shooting range with a variety of shooters and weapons. The piece of 3/8” thick steel in the photo will be a focal point of much of this discussion. OK, this was what would be called soft steel. That is certainly an oxymoron – let me hit you upside the head with this piece of steel and then tell me how soft it is! For today’s discussion, we will just acknowledge that this is not armor type steel.

There seems to be an over-abundance of pundits discussing the effectiveness and fatality of different firearms. First, yes I have seen the studies showing little statistical difference in the fatality rates of being shot with different size rounds. With a background in statistics and research, I am pretty good at spotting problems in studies like these. We must be aware that these studies were based on people being found dead or dying after showing up at ER. The basic premise is that any hot piece of metal screaming through your body is going to do some real damage – perhaps fatal. This does not address time! Was the person able to keep going and complete their attack, then perhaps self-medicate for several hours prior to going to the ER?

That brings us to stopping power. To stop an attack, you want to take out structure (we are not going to count on the person attacking us having such a weak stomach that they will faint at the sight of blood). The studies that focus on this topic all concur that a larger bullet propelled into you with greater force is more likely to destroy physical structure – more effectively stopping forward movement.

While I will be comparing impact from multiple cartridges, I have no data on loads or which of these may have been hollow-point, metal plated, etc. No scientific testing here – just a day with real people showing up with the weapons they use loaded with the ammo they use. This is more real world than laboratory!

The steel was 12” x 12” x 3/8”. This size provides easy enough visibility and spotting from our shooting distances, and coincidentally provides a fair match to the kill zone on most larger mammals (two rifles were being sighted-in for deer season – what were you thinking?). Yes, the steel is significantly harder than skin. That said, it is not unusual for bullets to pass through other materials prior to hitting a body. As such, sheer destructive penetrating power is important to be aware of. And yes, be aware that more penetrating power also means the bullets can more easily pass through walls and claim innocent victims. Always be aware of your backdrop.

AR rifles are certainly one of the most popular series purchased in the U.S. today. With all of the available accessories I consider these to be Barbie dolls for shooters. Most people purchase these understanding that they are the civilian version of the current military rifles. So these must be great for self-defense, right? Let me quote a vet, “In Basic we were taught that when you shoot someone they die. You can’t believe how shocked we were in Afghanistan when we shot people and they just stood back up and kept shooting at us!”

This photo is the impact of a .223 shot from an AR at 100 yards. OK, probably not proper to call that splatter mark an impact. Active shooters tell me that the .223 should have penetrated this soft steel. Again, I don’t know what kind of bullet was actually being shot from the AR here but what I saw hitting the steel plate pretty much skittered off (technical term). Remember, there were no laboratory controls here. When these shots were made the post had worked a bit loose and the steel had shifted slightly which made impact less effective. However, that did not keep the larger rounds from penetrating.

Even with body penetration, understand that the round is small in diameter so a smaller hole will be created.  I have heard two reasonable lines of thought on issuing these rounds to our military. We will ignore the fact that these firearms and rounds weigh significantly less than their predecessors. Only an older veteran would call a younger vet weak! First, most enemies are shooting 7.62 rounds out of AKs. This is a round that has decades of proven destructive force fired from a weapon that is extremely reliable though not precise. Instead of meeting force-on-force, the AR shoots further more accurately than the AK. The idea here is that you can actually hit the enemy further out than they can effectively hit you.  OK, makes sense – though maybe not in an urban environment where many encounters are at close range and working around/through obstacles! The second reason I have heard proposed is one of strategy where a partner who has been killed may be left laying where he is while the fight continues but an injured combatant will more likely tie up one or two other fighters who are trying to get him to safety. The concept is to remove three people from the fight instead of just one. Sounds like a great theory. We will leave it at that.

Now look at these holes. They were made by .308 rounds shot at 100, 200 and 300 yards. As rifles were being sighted in for deer hunting, there is a combined reasoning that a destructive, accurate, long range shot will more quickly (humanely) drop the deer while ensuring you don’t have to track it for great distances after the shot. Fatality AND stopping power. The steel plate hardly wobbled as the .308 bullets created Swiss cheese! You can picture that steel plate as a wall, door, whatever you wish between you and a shooter a long way off. You are still going to end up with a big hole in you.

We wrapped up the day with some pistol practice at closer ranges – about 20 yards. Here is the impact of a .40 cal. We shot these rounds from three different handguns (full size and sub compact) and saw virtually no difference in the impact. Slight penetration is obvious and the bullets pretty much pulverized.

This image was from a 9 mil also shot from a handgun. The impact is a little less than the .40. More significantly, each shot from the 9 mil yielded a clearly visible ricochet as the bullet hit, lost speed, and bounced visibly in a variety of directions. I want to stress that the round slowed down enough to be completely visible on the ricochet so its impact energy had been essentially removed. No real conclusion here but it was certainly fascinating to watch!

As I noted in the beginning, this was not scientific - just casual observation from a fun day at the range. Beyond that we must remember, in real self-defense situations any weapon you have in your hand is the best one for the purpose! That said, I like the idea of more powerful (but accurate) weapons creating bigger impacts which vastly improves stopping power.

I will close with one more story. A person I worked with told me a man tried to break into his mother-in-law’s house. She shot the intruder in the shoulder with a .45. The attacker fell back and ran away. After that the bad guy proceeded to rape a woman who was not armed. He was later caught with the large hole in his shoulder. He was so high that he was somewhat oblivious to the pain. He was able to keep going because actual skeletal structure had not been destroyed. The .45 round is certainly up to the task but just missed the key targets. Remember in the case of self-defense, any target worth shooting is worth shooting twice (or more).

Why Are You Here?

Why Are You Here?

The question is simple enough – but it is an important one to keep you grounded. I remember why I started studying martial arts very clearly. I was doing some lobbying in Washington, DC, and decided to take a lunch time walk around the hotel. Turns out the hotel was one block from an ugly section of DC. I was already in the midst of it when I realized it and just kept moving forward. I was scared. A few months later I was in San Francisco on some business. Had my family with me taking a walk around town. Again, we found ourselves one block further than we probably should have been. I held the boys’ hands tightly as we circled back around the block to a better area. I knew I had to learn how to protect my family. That touch point drove me forward through many years of training.

Survival training was a little different. I got a taste of it with the martial arts. But the real inspiration was a man named James Kin. My story begins when his life tragically ended in December 2006. Take a minute to read about him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Kim to understand the rest of my story.

So James dies in early December 2006, leaving his family stranded in a snowstorm. By total coincidence, a video my wife had in her queue on NetFlix showed up a few weeks later. It was Survival Basics by Ron Hood. We had not talked about survival, but she thought I might be interested in it. We put it in the player and kicked back for the evening. About halfway through the video my wife proclaimed, “If that family had seen this video, that man would be alive today!” Wow. That statement has been burned into my mind.

Christmas was two weeks later. Our immediate family members all received good vehicle emergency kits for the cars that year. We have given them something survival related every year since.

A quick side note: I had the honor of spending a week with Ron Hood at Dirt Time 2009. I think he appreciated hearing that story. He was a wonderful, unassuming individual who was truly inspirational. We lost him last year, but his wife continues to publish and make his educational videos available at www.survival.com. I highly recommend these to anyone concerned about being prepared for their family’s future.

At that Dirt Time event in 2009, there were several Ham Radio operators preaching the gospel of emergency communication skills. I remember Alan Halcon talking about carrying a small portable radio under his jacket with just an earphone plugged in. People around him would think he was just listening to an iPod when he was actually tracking emergency response and escape routes during a local disaster.

I decided to share this story with you today because I passed the FCC Exam last night to receive my Technician Class Amateur Radio License. On the first night of the FCC Exam training, our instructor related the story of James Kin. There are three repeater stations within range of the spot where James and his family got stranded. If he had a simple handheld amateur radio with him, his family could have been saved in a matter of hours (thank you Bill Burbridge for the excellent class).

Strange how everything ends up connected.

A Night of Stealth

A Night of Stealth

We will be coming back to the issue of Get Home Bags and Everyday Carry in a few days. Over the weekend I participated in a “stealthing exercise” and believe some of the data may be helpful to others. In wilderness survival you may get some exposure to stealth movement when hunting. However, few people ever discuss stealth travel in urban or suburban areas. You will find plenty of discussions on how to defend yourself against attackers that you may run into on the street when it may have been easy enough to not be seen in the first place!

This is the point in conversation where most people start thinking about cammo. Guess what, you probably will not be in the woods – though there may be some park or green areas. Just think about how much you are going to stand out as you walk down a city street dressed in full cammo. That is much worse than wearing a woodland pattern in the desert! Color and style is probably going to be more important to you in an urban area.

Color

Somehow we immediately think of black clothing when we are going to hiding in the shadows. A person dressed in black in a shadow creates an extra dark shape in the shadows. You actually show up pretty clearly. You are much better matching to a slightly dark version of the predominant color in the area. Most cities have a lot of concrete. Hence, a basic grey hoodie may be your best choice, especially if it is a little grungy to add more shadow to your shape. Those odd blue/gray or green/gray colors are really good too. If you are seen, witness descriptions will be very inconsistent! Generally stay away from the straight primary colors which are always identified clearly. Similarly, you should avoid having some easily remembered/identifiable pattern on your shirt!

The area I was working in this weekend had a lot of darker brush and light colored ground. The individual I was with was wearing an OD green top, khaki BDU pants, and black boots (put on what gear was available at our location in his size). When he was near the trees and plants, his upper body hardly showed up in the dark but his pants looked pretty light. When he was stretched out on the ground, the pants virtually disappeared while the top was quite distinct. I actually thought he could just sit up against a bush with his legs stretched out and hide pretty well – except for those black shoes which showed up no matter where he stood! Sure, some cammo pattern mixing light and dark colors would have allowed him to conceal better in this terrain, but it would have looked out of place when we were not in the terrain.

Blending

Here is where planning becomes challenging. Cammo does work good for hiding around bushes and most outdoor terrain. Often in a suburban or urban setting you will want to stop “hiding” and begin “blending.” This is where you just try to look like you belong there. Ideally your clothes would look location appropriate so that you don’t stand out in any manner. On Wall Street, a nice suit may actually make you virtually invisible. Other places it will make you stand out and become a potential target. In our scenario this past weekend, hats and hoods were worn while working through the brush. But when we needed to get through a neighborhood versus circumnavigating it, the hoods and hats came off. We simply walked casually down the street as if we belonged there. Blending.

If you are putting together an advanced kit for this purpose, a reversible shirt or jacket is great to have. This can be full cammo on one side and some other color on the opposite side. Simply turn it inside out to match the immediate need. I like slightly oversized long-sleeve shirts for this purpose. You can push the sleeves up when walking down a street when it is warm out, yet pull them down to protect and conceal your arms when appropriate. Again, confusing eyewitness accounts: “He was wearing short sleeves.” “No, he was wearing long sleeves!”

Light / Shadow / Shape

During the day (or a bright, full moon like this past weekend) you will have very distinct areas of direct light mixed with shadows. Hiding beside or around some item is pretty normal and you can find plenty of articles about assuming shapes. Yet, most people are not aware of the shadow they are casting! This awareness can greatly increase your ability to hide (or find someone who is hiding without this awareness). At one point I needed to traverse an open area between trees. Happened to notice a power pole casting a long shadow in the direction I was heading. Moving along that line greatly limited the ability for others to perceive my movement. The message here is to always be aware of the interplay of your image within the surroundings.

Be Quiet!

Obviously you will not want to have conversations and make lots of noise when trying to avoid being seen. Hand signals should be used when possible. More importantly, always walk quietly (unless purposely creating a distraction or setting someone up). My Sensei told me years ago that I should always try to walk quietly. Make it a game to see how often people are unaware of a large man walking up to pass them. It has become a habit. Didn’t give it a whole lot of thought until this weekend when my stealth partner was walking beside me on the street (blending time). I actually stopped and asked him what was on his boots. Wasn’t a boot problem, he was just clunking his feet down. Things got quieter after that.

Sound Masking

Sometimes you just can’t move quietly. Some of the areas I was working in had been filled with crushed barnacles and palm fronds. These surfaces continually crunch with every step! I was able to control some sound by placing my feet in car tracks which helped pre-crush the surfaces. When faced with situations like this where you simply cannot be quiet enough, look for masking sounds. We waited for air conditioners turning on or louder vehicles moving down the road to mask the sound of our movement.

Going Forward

When you are driving or walking through the areas you may have to pass through after a local disaster, pay attention to how the people are dressed and where the obvious sight barriers are. Consider keeping hiding/blending clothing in your Get Home Bag. Everyday make it a game to see how quietly you can walk at full speed without using some odd gait that is going to make you stand out. Keep adjusting the length of your stride and how you place your feet onto the ground until you develop a more discreet style of walking. Watch people around you and take note of how the colors and clothing they are wearing make them stand out or blend in more. Where is your shadow? Building that awareness now will allow you to transition quietly and discreetly when needed.