Gear Review - Military Survival Fishing Kit

So I scored myself a surplus survival fishing kit. Now, I know I seem to place a lot of emphasis on fishing gear, what with having some in by OSK, my GHB, my BOB, and my BOV at all times and all, but let me explain why:



This is home right now, I took this picture less than a half mile from my house. I live in a swamp. You can't throw a rock around here without hitting a body of water, and, short of trapping, it's hard to beat fishing for energy gained v. energy burned acquiring food, on top of that, I just like to fish, so y'all are going to have to get used to it.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the kit shall we?


OK , so here's my first mistake, I should have never taken it farther apart than this, right here.

As you can see the whole thing is packed neatly in a plastic box, with some friction tape holding it closed, and a cardboard outer box. Inside the clear box is a list of contents.







And here is why I should have never opened it. Getting all that packed back in the way it came out was a pain in the butt, believe you me.

Aside from that though, there is a lot of surprisingly good quality stuff in there.

We have a signal mirror with lanyard, and Morse table on the back, some needles, three lures, assorted fresh and salt water hooks, two winders with line, aluminum sheet, a paper of knots, a razor blade, the friction tape and box, safety pins, red and yellow cloth, sinkers, swivels, and instructions for fishing, and cleaning fish printed on Tyvek so it won't fall apart when it gets wet.

While I'm sure you could build a kit like this, and customize it to fit your needs easily, and at a low cost, should you stumble across and already made kit, it's certainly fine as is. I'd say as long as the price is reasonable, this kit would make an excellent addition to anyone's preps, and is something you should give thought to. As for me, this kit will likely find a home in my currently under construction kayak OSK, which I will post in detail once it is complete.

Jimmy P - Out

"We've walked, now it's time to see if we can run."

EXERCISE ! - EXERCISE ! - EXERCISE !

Those three words (or rather, one word, repeated three times) evoke only one reaction in anyone with any military training or experience, they perk up, pay attention to the transmission, and immediately think "Well s**t, now what are they gonna do to us?"...

We've all heard that it's not practice that makes perfect, but perfect practice that makes perfect. And to a degree, I agree. Only through repeated practice of doing something correctly can you build the internalization of routine, and muscle memory for tasks that will save your life should you need to perform said tasks, however, by performing dry runs, and then HONESTLY analyzing the results, you can take away lessons learned, and best practices.

Now we all do things like use our preps to build fire, make shelter, and the like until we can do it in our sleep. However, something that the boss at work said got me thinking: "We've walked, now it's time to see if we can run."

What he was referring to was an upcoming event that was going to tie together a number of our core competencies into one (hopefully) fluid event. This got me thinking, I know I've got all of my tasks down one at a time, but what will happen when I try to tie them together? So, in that spirit, I've come up with a plan. I'm going to run drills, and I'll analyze the outcome right here on the blog so that we can all learn from what are sure to be a series of events that will not go quite as I plan.

For this week, I'm going to "bug out" from work. I'll leave my car, grab what I think I need, and get home. My wife will supply me with inputs that she dreams up, and I'll use my experience and preps to deal with them.

Depending on how this goes, I'll come up with some other scenarios and run them.

Gear Review - Nite Ize MiniMag 1-watt LED upgrade kit

In case you hadn't noticed, I like LED lights. LEDs have a multitude of advantages over standard bulbs in lights, namely brightness, lifespan, and ruggedness. Aside from cost, there are basically no disadvantages.

However, over the years, I've accumulated a fairly good-sized collection of Mini Maglite flashlights.

Imagine my surprise a few months ago, when I was looking at the hardware section of my local store and saw this:

The Nite Ize LED upgrade kit. The kit itself is pretty basic, it has an LED module, and a new reflector. That's it.
You simply pull out the old bulb, and reflector, and put in the new one. The only thing to look out for is polarization, LED stands for Light Emitting Diode, the Light Emitting part is usually all we care about, during the install process, however, the Diode part becomes sort of important. Diodes only allow power to flow one direction, so if the thing doesn't light up, you'll have to pull the light unit off, and rotate it 180 degrees, then reinstall it, and it will work just fine.

And how fine is just fine? Well, I'm glad you asked:

Here is the light before I installed the upgrade, it's pretty usable, and to be honest, I think we're all familiar with the amount of light the Mini Maglite puts out.












And here is the same scene, illuminated from the same distance with the same flashlight after the LED upgrade, I think the difference is pretty dramatic.

Additionally, under normal use, the LED uses roughly the same amount of battery power, so while you don't get a power savings, you do get a great deal more bang for your buck battery life-wise.

I was able to take my trusted, and tested Maglites, and upgrade them all to LED for less than half the cost of buying new native LEDs, and so far have yet to see a single draw back from doing so.

I highly recommend this product, and if you're looking for a cheap way to go LED, you'd be hard pressed to find a better option.

Jimmy P - Out

Getting the Family Involved

I read a lot of blogs.

It seems there is a common theme underlying all of them, at best our spouses tolerate our incessant prepping, at worst, they think we're nuts.

Which is why I thought I'd take a chance to talk about getting your significant other on board.

Now, as I see it there are two key rules to going about this:

A: Don't let them know that what you are really doing is constructive.
B: Make it seem like you are giving in to HER ideas of fun.

Now, those of you that have been married for quite some time have mastered both of these skills. They are the same ones that you use to get her to see the movie you want, and to pick what to watch on TV. But for those of you that haven't figured out deceit is the key to a happy marriage, I'll fill you in on the tricks of the trade.

To rule A: my wife has it in her head that if you are working, you're not relaxing. She just doesn't get how I find canning "fun". However, she does see running, camping, and fishing as fun, and all of these things can teach, and reinforce skills.

To rule B: you've got to tailor your efforts to her interests, i.e. my wife likes medical things... so going to the local community college and getting her basic EMT cert was a fun pass-time for her.

As for bringing kids in to the fold, that raises a whole new set of challenges.

I've found the best way to do it, is to form every lesson as a game of sorts, to make sure to reward and reinforce good performance, and finally that repetition is KEY. Kids are quick learners, but while any skill not practiced is perishable, this holds especially true for kids.

Some of the things I've learned that work really well are camping, and fishing. My wife and kid both love to camp and fish. This gives you a chance to practice building shelter, making fire, cooking, and a host of other bush-craft techniques.

As for rewarding your children, well I wanted mine to learn to use a compass and map to get around, he wanted to get a GPS for when we went Geocaching. I told him that he couldn't have a GPS until he could use a map and compass, so we got him a compass, and I taught him how to use it, we used Geocache coordinates and the maps to find the best route in to an area, and then used the map to get in the general area. Once there I let him use my GPS to find the actual cache. Once he had proven to me that he could do this effectively, we got him a GPS for his birthday. To keep the skill sharp, we still use a paper map to plan our Geocaching trips.

This works at all levels, they learn the rules of knife safety, they get a Swiss Army Knife, etc. etc. As long as you keep it appropriate to what your kid can do, and how old they act, there is no limit to they way this can be applied.

As for physical fitness, it can be more of a tight-rope. My wife gets discouraged easily, but my kid is like me, competitive to a fault. So when I go rowing with the wife, I have to make sure that what we do varies between easy for her, so it's fun, and just a bit above her skill level, so she gets better. With my kid, on the other hand it's usually a game of making sure we don't challenge each other in to a fix that we can't get out of.

But just as important as making sure your family gets the skills they need, is ensuring they have the mindset to use them.

As much as I joke about her, my wife is a wonderful woman, and intelligent beyond belief. It didn't take any real effort for me to convince her that should something bad happen no one is going to come rescue us. She sees the general inability of the average person to pour water out of a boot that has the instructions printed on the bottom. Additionally, she works in a logistics field, so she understands just how fragile the supply chains of food, fuel, and water into our major population centers are. Combine those two things with her solid (un)common sense and she sees how quickly things will go to Hell in a hand basket in the event something goes down. Couple that with her maternal instinct and she's willing to do whatever she has to to protect herself, and her family.

As for my kid, well, he's a chip off the old paranoid block, likes to play outside, and enjoys knowing how to do things no one in their right mind knows how to do, so getting him on board was cake.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, preps and gear are great, but without the skills you need, the mindset to employ those skills, you're boned. Nothing keeps you motivated better than having people the you are responsible for and more importantly, to. It is imperative that you get your family on board with your preperations if you've not already done so.

Jimmy P - Out

Preparedness and vehicle choice. (31 flavors of BOV)

Ah yes, the BOV. Aside from the choice of firearm, not much else in the preparedness community brings up such heated feelings as the proper BOV choice.

I'm not going to delve into an argument about what's best, but mainly talk about my choices and why I made them.

I think we'd all like to have an old multi-fuel Willys Jeep (benefit: Awesome, will run on anything that burns and some things that won't, rugged as hell), or Mil-spec HMMWV (benefit: awesome, rugged), or maybe even a full-on MRAP complete with "zombie cage" (benefit Freaking SWEET), but the simple logistics of the situation means that most of these options are simply out of reach for the average survival-minded individual.

To further compound the situation, a good deal of us need to use our BOV as our primary means of transport from day to day.

Which led to my decision.





I own a Jeep Grand Cherokee. My wife drives a Jeep Liberty. When you are done laughing, I'll explain.

We have kids, and dogs. On average the most crazy situation my vehicle has to get me in and out of is the mall on a Saturday afternoon.

I wanted something that would easily blend in with the soccer-mom crowd, wasn't too big and unwieldy, but could be useful for pulling the boat, going fishing, camping, and God forbid, might be usable to get out of dodge should the need arise.

So, let's talk about the benefits first:

Jeep is known for their off-road reputation, and even their base models are built with the idea of function over form. For instance, at the expense of ride comfort, the suspension has a great deal of travel, the vehicle can take a pretty good angle change from the plain of travel, and while it's a bugger to get into the body has good ground clearance. Additionally there are a lot of 3rd party after-market add-ons to improve your Jeep, most of which you won't need as from the factory the things are pretty solidly built.

Now, the drawbacks:

Fuel economy. The things don't drink gas, they CHUG gas. Aside from the cost of ownership, this could adversely affect GOOD performance. The only other drawback I can think of readily is that they are, like all modern vehicles, completely dependent on electronics, so are very EMP susceptible.

I've done my best to mitigate this risk (ORM in action folks!) by purchasing jerrycans to keep fuel in to at least double my effective range if leaving from the house. It's not a perfect fix, but sometimes good enough, is good enough. As for the EMP issue, well.... Shy of figuring out a way to harden the thing, I pretty much have to hope for the best, and if it's killed, move on to Plan B:

Performance in Regular use:

As I have stated before, I keep the Jeep packed with a pretty good selection of supplies, and my wife's is packed with a smaller, but similar selection. I make a habit of refueling when I hit around 3/4 tank (every third day under normal driving) and she does the same. Both of us have a good deal of practice not just driving in cities (The wife is from just outside Manhattan originally which qualifies her to drive on roads AND sidewalks), as well as driving off-road (camping, geocaching, and the like). Between that and performing regular maintenance, I trust that one of our two vehicles will we usable under all but the most dire circumstances.

however, there is always:

PLAN B:

I run, bike, and row. A lot. I think fitness is key to health, happiness, and survival.

To the left over there is why.

Should my vehicle fail, I can always switch to the Bug Out Bag (BOB), hop on the bike and go.

I keep a spare chain, and two inner tubes in my BOB just for this reason, my own bike has a tool kit strapped in a small bag under the seat, and a small pump mounted to the frame, as well as an LED headlamp, should I need to ride at night.

My wife and I go on long rides through the woods around here a couple times a month not just because we find it relaxing, but also to stay abreast of the trail conditions, and to keep in shape and practice regardless of the season.

Of course, the bikes aren't the only option we have.

We own two kayaks, and a small boat. The boats would be less than ideal, but should the situation get where the roads are impassable, we do have options.

And of course there is always the fall-back plan. Shoe Leather Express. Being on foot makes you more vulnerable, slower, and less able to carry supplies. But it does offer the advantages of not being stuck on roads and trails, or rivers and streams. I'm pretty sure I could use this to my advantage.

I'd love to hear about any of you guys' plans, if you'd like to tell me, post 'em in the comments.

Jimmy P - Out

Gear Review - Tracfone

I have a regular credit-based, get robbed blind... I mean BILLED at the end of the month cellphone plan, however between the fact that it's with AT&T , and that the phone is question is an Apple iPhone I have concerns about always having my cell available. AT&T's network isn't bad in most major areas, but when you start getting off of the beaten path, it gets real spotty, real fast and any Apple product pretty much has a giant "steal me" sign posted on it by default. On top of that the iPhone's screen is a giant touch-sensitive piece of glass, so if I break it, I'm SOL.

Enter the Tracfone:
I picked this bad boy up at Wal-Mart for $9.88, I paid in cash, and no one even asked my name. This is how buying a phone should be. Now the per-minute cost is INSANE, but minutes can be bought for as little as 10.00 and last 3 months base, you can add a card to make them last longer, or double the minutes at additional cost. All of the fees are pretty up front, and your individual usage will dictate which plan works best for you.

I opted for the Tracfone for a few reasons.
1: It's pre-paid
2: I can buy it and time in cash
3: When I activated it, shy of giving them a name (any name) and a zip code where I plan to use it (to choose the area code for your new number) they asked for no personal information.
4. It's cheap.

To be honest, for ten bones I was expecting a crappy phone. This little Samsung is pretty solid. The battery easily lasts fully charged a week, when the phone is turned off, and holds a charge just fine. (I charge it on Sundays and store it in the GHB the rest of the week.) It's fairly rugged, I've dropped mine a few times with no damage to note. And it works decently well, I can hear and be heard on it fine, which is more than I can say for some cellphones.

Also, I found this little gem about it :

The phone has a lanyard hole on the top, which with a bit of steel wire, the lanyard from an old MagLight solitaire (the light itself has long ago gone to the great trash bin in the sky), and an el-cheapo 'biner I was able to fashion in to a clip. Ask anyone who has even in passing met me, I loves me some clips.

Additionally, the only exterior opening has a little slide up door to cover it, which helps keep dust and general crap out of it.

Now, in a solid SHTF scenario, cell phones are going to be a no-go in all likely hood, but in anything more minor, cell service can remain either uninterrupted, or be restored more quickly than landline service. Additionally, cellphones are by their nature mobile, so lend themselves to a number of C3 applications.

Interesting side note: After hurricane Katrina hit the gulf-coast people with New Orleans phone numbers that had fled the area discovered that their phones could make, but not receive, calls. Turns out that the way the cell networks route call data, outgoing calls were leaving on the local networks just fine, but incoming calls were trying to be routed through the New Orleans area first, and getting stopped there by the devastated networks.

To counter this threat, when we activated our Tracfones, my wife and I each picked a ZIP code where we had family, in low-threat areas, that were far enough apart that a regional disaster would not effect both. Ideally even if our local network gets taken down, we should be able to use the Tracfones as back-ups.

Even better, I was able to pick up an emergency charger for about 12 bucks that uses regular AA batts to charge your phone should you find yourself in a bind, which I think could come in handy.

All in all you wouldn't get me to change over to the Tracfone for normal service, but as a backup phone goes, $9.88, plus $10.00 every three months or so is cheap insurance, and I think it's a good buy on any budget.

First post! GHBs and more...

I've been following preparedness blogs for quite a few years now, and have even guest posted on a few, but it was a post about GHBs (Get Home Bag) over at The Urban Survivalist that got me thinking about finally starting my own blog.

So here goes:

There isn't a lot that hasn't been covered on the topic of GHBs, but I've never been one to shy away from beating a dead horse, and I think you can tell a lot about how a person approaches preparedness by looking at their GHB. So, for the analysis, and abuse of the masses, I've decided to talk about my EDC (Every Day Carry), my GHB, and

my Auto Kit :

First, the EDC :

To me, preparedness supplies form

a pyramid. At the first level you have your basic items, things you use day to day and wouldn't want to be caught without. By default these items

should be on your person under all normal circumstances, so here's a picture of mine:

In it is my phone (iPhone with a stand-alone GPS/compass app), bluetooth headset so I can call while driving legally, my keys which have a super-bright white-LED light on them, a lighter, impact-rated sunglasses (mine are Oakley Standard Issue), a good mechanical watch, my wallet (the circle is from an old 1920's silver dollar), a SureFire LED flashlight, a Gerber pocket knife, a Fisher space pen, some gum, my

Glock, my wedding band, and a bottle of water.

These items form the structural base, so let's address these things one at a time:

The iPhone :

It's a cellphone, and assuming the cell networks are up, it's the whole internet in my pocket...but even if they are down, I still have basic GPS, a whole collection of survival books, and tons of tunes. Just 'cause it's an emergency is no reason not to rock out.

My keys :

Yes those are Jeep keys. Both the wife and I drive Jeeps. I think the both the benefits and drawbacks are obvious, but I'll discuss them anyway in a later post. The big thing is the key light. That SOB is bright, it uses two button cell batts

to give the LED a 6v power source to work with.

Lighter:

I don't smoke. However, I also think there is no reason not to carry an easy source of fire... no point in struggling when you can toss a .99 lighter in your pocket and give yourself a head start.

Sunglasses:

They cut glare, protect your eyes from debris and can conceal the direction you are looking from onlookers.

Watch:

My watch is an Omega Speedmaster, it's all mechanical, water-proof and in a pinch can be used as a bartering item.

Wallet:

A buddy of mine once said he liked to have two of every circulating paper bill in his wallet at all times, I liked the idea, and have taken to it. It's not bulky and means you have plenty of money for most things on hand at all times. Additionally I keep a silver dollar in there just for sh**ts and giggles.

Flashlight:

Working in the dark sucks. Walking in the dark sucks. Keeping a good flashlight on your belt is easy, and the LED Surefires are bright as all get out.

Pocket knife:

I got mine from work, it's a good knife and comfortable in my hand, so I carry that bad-boy everyday. There is no end of uses for a good blade.

Pen:

I use a Fisher space pen, that thing won't freeze, writes upside down, writes through grease, on wet paper, whatever. Plus it's a nice solid aluminum body.

Gum:

Boosts moral, gives me something to chew on.

Sidearm:

Glock 26 for me. You can argue the merits of 9mm v. .45, and semi-auto v. revolver all day but when it's all said and done, anything you can shoot with an

d reliably hit what you're aiming at is going to do you just fine. I like 9mm, my wife and I both carry G26s so our mags

are interchangeable, and if either of us uses the other's pistol it feels natural in our hands. The only only time I don't carry it is when I'm prohibited by law from doing so. Sometimes I open carry, sometimes I conceal, I have a permit, and I practice from both so I'm good either way. This topic will be covered in detail in a later post too I think.

Wedding band:

The most important item in my survival arsenal. Sure it's nice to have some gold with me wherever I go, but if I should ever get caught not wearing it, my wife will kill me. Like shallow grave in the backyard, kill me. This would be counter to good survival practices.

Water Bottle:

I carry this thing around work, in the car, and at the house. I keep it full, it keeps me hydrated. If something goes down, I have a good head start on the H2O front. Plus it screws on to my Katadyn filter, so... bonus.

Now building on that you have the GHB.

There is no real need to duplicate anything from your EDC that you don't REALLY need, but it never hurts to have multiple sources of things you need, like light, fire, and water. I'm not going to detail everything in my GHB, but I will list it, and point out that I have a smaller pocket-OSK that can be pulled out if I find myself in a situation that precludes me taking the whole GHB.

So without further ado, here is the GHB:

The GHB in it's packed form is about a foot wide and tall, 9 inches deep and weighs right around 8.5 lbs.

Here it is all dumped out:

3 MRE main courses

3 MRE snacks

3 electrolyte drink bases

two color LED glo-stick

aluminum pot

poncho

spare batts for flashlight

tube of CLP

map protractor and grid scales (civ)

another lighter

face wrap , shemagh, water-proof notebook, another space pen, pre-paid fully charged cell phone, spoon, chem-light and holder, spare batts for LED glo-stick, electrical tape, toile

t paper, Petzl headlamp with red and white filter, 3 triox tablets, 3 ration heaters, 75 ft 550 cord., first aid kit, Katadyn water filter bottle, spare glasses, ACE-style wrap, lensatic compass with tritium, IWB holster (in case I need to conceal my firearm and am open carrying), small can of Sterno, Leatherman tool, 100% DEET spray, USB charger cable for my phone, spare loaded mag for my G26, sewing kit with scissors a P38 can-opener, pocket OSK ( oh s**t kit), and not shown for OPSEC reasons, a water-proof topographical map of my area with grids.

That's all well and good you may say, but what's in the pocket OSK ? Well, I'm glad you asked :

Packed inside a water-and damn-near-everything-shy-of-nuclear-grizzly-bear-proof Pelican case you'll find:

a pencil, paper, yet another lighter, a fire-starter, a magnesium block, matches, a silver dollar, another bright keychain light, water purification tablets, nail clippers, cheese cloth, a small saw, a folding pocket-knife (Camillus), a small compass, a signal mirror, small fishing kit, two types of snare wire, a candle, a whistle, string, a sewing kit, and a minature glo-stick (crappy light ... awesome bait.)

Now, like The Urban Survivalist said, my GHB is not meant for any long-term survival. It's meant to get me home. However, in a pinch I could last a decent amount of time off of what I have in there, shy shelter.

The way I look at it, if I only have what's in my pockets, I'm not completely boned, if I only have time and means to grab the OSK, I'm doing a bit better, if I have a chance to grab my GHB and jet, I'm doing pretty good.

But, I figured, why stop there? My vehicle is usually with me, and most events I can imagine popping up under normal circumstances (severe weather, getting lost, mechanical breakdown in the woods, etc.) wouldn't preclude me either staying with the car or having time to rebuild my kit to better suit the circumstances. That and my vehicle is riddled with cubbies and the like, so why not use that to my advantage?

This led to the vehicle kit:

Holy damn.

I didn't realize how much crap I had managed to jam into those three containers until I unpacked it all.

I swear it was like Mary Poppins' bag.

OK, the run down:

Emergency roadside kit, with towrope, small first-aid kit, refective vest, flares, jumper cables, fleece blanket, 6 chem-lights, and some sundries.

mosquito netting (put it over the windows and you can stay bug-free in a relatively cool car on summer nights), grappling hook and rope, spare shoes (old hiking shoes), fire extiguisher, water bottle, 5 days of food for one person, spices, bullion cubes, gloves, umbrella, fleece sleeping bag, rope, spare filters and belts for the vehicle, oil, bug spray, LED lantern (lights up the inside just fine), awesome first-aid kit, water-proof notebook, better handsaw, fixed-blade knife (Buck), another holster, 100rds spare ammo (JHP), dog leash and collar, camping plate, cup, cutlery set, cutting board, grill screen, 2 QT pot, knife-sharpener, rechargeable Streamlight with 12V adaptor, chem-light, spare sunglasses, 5 gal water, hatchet, tool bag with a decent set of SAE and metric tools, MSR water filter, chemical water tablets, folding shovel, two big cans of Sterno, spare set of clothes (jeans, t-shirt, thermal shirt, underwear, thermal pants, two sets of socks, hat, old field jacket, belt, knit-cap, fishing rod and tackle, maps of local area (road, topo, city), car charger for both cell phones, binoculars, batts, dog bowl, bag of kibble, and steel wool.

Of course, my vehicle has a full-size spare and jack.

Once all packed in to the back it looks like a I have a storage box, road side kit, tool bag, small pack back there, and a fishing rod. No one I know asks about the fishing gear, because they know it doesn't take much of an excuse to get me to go fishing.."Oh, we have 2 hours to kill? I know a pond...." as for the rest of it, it looks like the back of any soccer mom's SUV, plus a tool bag.

But, it leaves me where I can perform most repairs on my car and have the stuff on hand for normal breakdowns. If I get stuck somewhere, I can stay in the back, fold down the seats, and camp out. Why build a shelter when I have a lovely one on wheels with me? I have enough food and water for about 5 days, and if it looks like I'm going to be pushing that I have the tools, and the bushcraft knowledge to get along just fine from there.

Most of the stuff in there is pretty self-explanitory, but a few items beg explanation:

Why all the dog stuff? - Well, my dog rides with me a lot, and rarely does she have a leash with her... she doesn't really need one most of the time, but it would be good to have in an emergency.

OK, fine, why the grappling hook? - NINJA! But really, it's insanely useful. Anchor a boat, hook something to a tree temporarily, get yourself out of a deep hole, etc., etc. I bought the thing on a whim, and have used the heck out if it ever since.

Grill screen? - Beats the heck out of green twigs for open-fire cooking.

What's up with the clothes? - Have you ever tried to go camping in a tuxedo? With this selection of old clothes that would otherwise have gone to Goodwill, I can handle hot to pretty cold climates.

Seriously...WTF is up with that food selection? - There really is no rhyme or reason to it, I try to keep high-energy density foods that I don't mind eating cold in the vehicle kit, but the fact that they are all stored in a pretty hot car, means I rotate them once every month or so... so it has to be something I'll eat regularly. Hence tuna, sardines, bullion, beans, rice, condensed soup, condensed milk and MREs

You'll notice a pretty decent mix of civilian and military gear in my preps. Civilian gear is generally high-speed, low-drag, often better, and usually cheaper. However, military gear was built to be used in austere conditions by people who could generally care less how it's taken care of, as long as it takes care of them (AKA "soldier-proof"). As for me, I don't really care about appearances, I need enough civilian crap to blend in if need be, but if worse comes to worse, I figure I'd rather have gear on hand I am comfortable using, and know will take care of me regardless how I take care of it. Everything I own, I use, I test, and I abuse. If it breaks, I look for a replacement, if it does not, I buy another one for the wife.

Of course all that gear would be useless without the knowledge, desire, mindset, and practice to use it, so that goes without saying.

One last note. I don't own a dedicated GPS. This is not an oversight. I did own one, but I loaned it to a buddy, and he fell in love. Suddenly I found myself in the market for a new GPS... but honestly, I've not found just the right one yet.

So, that in a nutshell is my operational level preparations. If you think of anything I missed, let me know, if I thought of something you missed, let me know. Comments will always be open.

I've got a pretty good list of ideas for posts, but if you would like to see anything particular, let me know.

Jimmy P - Out