Sometimes, the tool is the tool and sometimes, the tool keeps the tool working. That is the case here. In our equation the tool is the AR-15, the most popular rifle in the United States. As with many vital tools, any rifle is a collection of parts working together and an MSR is no exception.

Aside from proper training and practice, the AR-15 needs regular cleaning and maintenance. Readers will have the cleaning tools in their home or shop to keep their guns clean and will most likely have the tools needed to make repairs, but what happens if the gun goes down in the field? Real Avid has a solution that will make cleaning, maintenance, and basic repairs more manageable at the range and in the field.

Real Avid is a tool company that specializes in firearms. Their cleaning gear is the best I have used, and their tools range from simple repair to complicated gunsmithing tasks. My bench cleaning and maintenance is handled by the Universal Master Cleaning kit, and I have two of their multi-tools, the AR-15 version of the Gun Core Tool and our subject here, the AR-15 Tool multi-tool.

Unlike your average Letherman or Gerber multi-tool are meant to be useful for many tasks. Maybe not the best tool for a task, but good at many tasks and easily available. In this case we have a tool dedicated to one task, keeping your AR-15 in good order. There is another version of this tool for shotgunners and other rifle shooters that provides tools specific to them, but this one is for AR owners.

It has a selection of 37 tools to cover cleaning and maintenance tasks that are faced in the field. You will also be able to make basic repairs such as stripping, fixing, replacing parts, and reassembling the parts that are field serviceable, such as the bolt carrier group.

The multi-tool comes with a coyote tan sheath to hold the tool, a set of extra bits, and a sight tool for four and five tine AR front sights. It can be attached to your gear with the MOLLE strap.

Check out the photos included with this article for a complete look at the tools included.  I am impressed with the quality of the AR-15 tool; it makes an excellent addition to a prepper’s tool kit. A tool like this can make life easier when you need it most.

I spent the morning of December 21^st watching the new movie from faith based Angel Studios, “Homestead.” Based on the book “Black Autum” by Jeff Kirkman and Jason Ross, it details the characters response to a combined nuclear and cyber-attack on America. The movie tells the story of Ian Ross and his Mutual Assistance Group and their retreat property, “Homestead.” Be forewarned, there will be spoilers.

In this article I want to dig into some of the questions that the story raises for survivalists/preppers, but a few words about the movie are in order. As a movie fan, I appreciate good writing, good direction, and good acting. For the most part I find that studios of this nature do not have any of these. That is not the case here.

All of the aspects of this movie are on par with the best prestige television productions. It is not quite up to the standards of a good theater movie, but it is far better than some of the movies that I have spent money to sit in a theater and be bored by. I generally find that the message of most Christion faith films to be heavy handed, but that is not the case here.

Homestead tells the story of the collapse of American society following a combined terror attack on the US consisting of a nuclear event just offshore from Los Angeles and a cyber-attack that renders the East Coast without power. These events cause a collapse of the US government and a nationwide panic.

The Homestead is the survival retreat built by Ian Ross (Neal McDonough) and several families designed to keep them safe should an event like this happen. The other lead is Jeff Erickson (Bailey Chase), retired Navy Seal who has been hired to put together a security team for the property. The Ross family has built a place, and a system meant to support the people who will be living there with power, water, and food supplies as well as a small arsenal of firearms for protection. It is basically the dream set-up for survivalists.

The meat of the story is the practical and moral questions that are raised by the movie. These questions are important ones that need to be answered when making survival plans, before the world as we know it ends. First, at what point are we justified in using deadly force to defend ourselves. Second, should we lock down and keep friends and family who did not prepare or should we risk running low to save them.

The question of when to use force in self- or group-defense is a complicated one. Despite what one might think, a post-collapse situation makes the use of force even more complicated. In today’s environment the courts will sort out a defense situation. The defensive shooter should be cleared of any charges if they are justified in using force. In a post-collapse situation, where there are no courts to sort it out. In the movie there is a situation where people from outside accidentally wonder into Homestead property while hunting. A lack of a proper means of communications end with one of the hunters being killed by one of the Homestead members.

In the story, the person in question has to live with the results of his actions. It is correctly called an accident, but in the end, children are left without a father, and a wife is without a husband when they most need him. This is a situation that can be avoided through proper communication with the community around the property. It could also be avoided by placing those with more experience in perimeter security and crisis management.

The further consequences would likely come from the friends and family. They would most likely view it as an unjust killing and seek redress. I a world without courts, that redress might come in the form of an assault the property and more needless deaths.

The solution? Clear lines of communications before and after the event and well defined rules of engagement. Building a relationship with the surrounding community will allow group to define what the community can and cannot expect. It will give you a chance to encourage them to prepare for themselves and their family so that they can survive without outside help.

How incursions into the property are handled require very well defined rules of engagement and are an absolute necessity. How you communicate with intruders will define how the encounter ends. What you are aiming for is a peaceful resolution in the worst situation and not a violent encounter. If the group is very lucky, it may lead to new allies.

This takes us to a second major situation. What do you do with the friends and family at the gate. In the movie, when the country starts to collapse, friends of the Homestead family and people from the surrounding community start to line up at the gate looking for help. This is a real world question that all survivalists will face in a collapse.

Most people today, especially in America, are under the impression that the worst will never happen. As long as they have their video games, junk food, and televised sports, they continue to live their lives like it will never end. When it does, they will look to the prepared for help. How do we respond to this?

It comes down to two choices. Do you run them off or do you bring them in to add their skills to the community. Wandering into spoiler territory here, the movie suggests the latter. The Christian thing to do, it suggests, is to be charitable and bring them in. It is a boon in the end because some of these folks have skills that are lacking in the community, and they solve some important problems.

The movie is fiction, but it is close to what can be expected in a real collapse. Taking people in will reduce your supplies and can be detrimental to the survival of the members of community. On the other hand, if the people that you bring in have skills that will be important to the community, then they might improve the groups chances. This becomes a question of practicality versus morality and where a group falls between the two will have a profound effect on a community.

These are the most important issues in the situation the movie presents, but they do touch on others. One character suffers from a mental illness, I suspect Bi-Polar Disorder, but it is never clearly defined,  that requires regular medication. How would this be handled? In the short term a stash of meds provided in a legal manner will keep the person in good health. After they run out a plan will be needed to properly handle the symptoms.

Then there is local government. A plot point is the local bureaucrat attempts who exerts his power to confiscate the supplies and weapons of the Homestead for “the good of the community.” As the story of Homestead is continuing with a series on the Angel Studios streaming service, I think that this will become a bigger plot point.

The questions that come to my mind is at what point has the Government truly collapsed? When does a local bureaucrat become a warlord bent on control? What will happen if the community comes into armed conflict with local government, win, and society makes a comeback? This last question is one brought to my mind for the first time by the movie. It seems that survivalists, me included, make their plans around a permanent collapse. In reality, a society will be rebuilt from the collapsed one, but it is just a likely that our society will rebuild itself. If it does, there may be legal issues to deal with if these kind of situations happen.

Unlike most post-apocalyptic movies, this is not only based on real world possibilities, but also on a series of books by Jeff Kirkham, a Green Beret who founded Readyman survival tool company with 29 years of experience, and Jason Ross, a serial entrepreneur who has spent his life learning survival skills. They took this experience, built a real world scenario, and applied their knowledge to the solutions used in the movie.

Every once in a while, I come across a bit of fiction that has a little bit of truth in it, but it is very seldom that it causes me to think this deeply into the questions that it raises. Dean Ing’s “Pulling Through” comes to mind because the second half of the book provides instructions on building the tools used in the fiction. “Homestead” does not delve into skills or techniques, but it raises some important questions that should cause viewers to think more deeply. It is also my hope that unprepared people who go to see an action movie will give what they see some thought and start to be a more ready.

The movie is a good piece of fiction that I enjoyed. The Christian part of the message is not heavy handed and takes a moral position that I think most people will understand. If you are putting together a preparedness plan, watching this movie should give you food for thought while enjoying a pretty good movie.

This article was originally published on Ready Magazine and is published here with permission. All images are courtesy of Angel Studios.

Last issue, I discussed staying warm—at home, or at your bug-out-location. This month, I want to talk about what to do if you are on the move. There are some crucial differences between staying warm in a fixed location versus on the move that should be considered. 

While equipment and knowledge of fuels is the most Important consideration in a fixed location, you will be much more reliant on skills while moving. Your choice of fuels will be much more limited, due to issues such as weight, availability, and volatility. With these kinds of limitations, your skill set becomes more valuable. 

The deeper your skill set, the less you will have to carry with you—however, this isn’t to suggest the right choice of equipment is unimportant. Let’s talk about heat sources, briefly, before we move on to skills. The three most common fuels that you will use are wood, propane, and isobutane. Small heaters are available that burn both propane and isobutane, and if you use either for cooking, then one of these is a good consideration. 

In most of the US, you can rely on salvaged wood or similar materials found in nature. This is why my preference is for wood burning stoves—such as the Biolite stove—and the skills to build, start and manage a fire. There are also portable, wood burning, hot-tent stoves which have become popular in recent years. 

Stoke the Fire Inside 

We have all heard the survival rules of three, and the assertion that we can live for three weeks without food. In a perfect world, this is true; survival situations, however, are not part of a perfect world. If it is cold, your body will burn calories to stay warm; the colder it is, the more you will burn. Your first step to staying warm on the move is to eat enough food to maintain calories. Your second step is to use those calories wisely. 

For most of us, most of the time, a high-fat, high-calorie diet is a bad suggestion; when surviving a bug-out, especially in the cold, it becomes vital. When you get cold, you shiver. This is your body trying to produce heat to protect your core. This burns calories at a higher rate than normal, which you must replace quickly to increase your chances of survival. 

Packing three days of high-quality, high-calorie, nutrient rich meals and snacks is an important part of your plans. Freeze-dried and retort (MRE style) foods are formulated to provide these kinds of meals for backpackers, outdoorsmen and women, and the military, whose hobbies or profession demand fuel to keep them going. These attributes, combined with the generally long shelf life of these foods, make them an excellent choice.  

Doing what is needed to reduce calorie use is just as important as carrying food. Clothing, shelter, and external heat reduce your body’s need to burn calories. Skills may be more important on the move, but the ability to think critically in planning and in a survival, situation is one of the most important skills. 

Start The Fire 

Starting a fire should be the top priority when building a camp. That is true at any time, but is even more true when you are risking hypothermia. Developing strong fire skills (and an even stronger sense of safety) is one of the most important things a survivor can do to improve their chances. 

Every YouTube channel discusses fire kits, but the ones to watch are those that show you how to use them. When you put together a fire kit, you should be able to use (and, in fact, should have already used) every item you include. For example: most matches have little value in a survival situation. They do not, for the most part, hold up to storage or humidity. They do not burn long enough, and if you are using the “strike anywhere” type, you run a minute risk of self-ignition. Some, like the lifeboat style matches from UCO and other sources, are designed to stand up to this kind of abuse and will burn when wet, even submerged, once lit. How are you to know what to expect if you have not tried them? 

Other forms of ignition require even more advanced knowledge and practice to use effectively. The critical point is that you practice with your tools beforehand. When the time comes, your practice will be rewarded with a warm fire. You should also develop some skill with primitive techniques for starting a fire. None of these are easy to do, but working through the bugs now will give you a head start for when the chips are down. 

Contain the Heat 

Once you have warmed up, it is necessary to find a way to contain the heat you generate. We have discovered many ways to do this since our ancestors walked into the first cave and wrapped the first animal skin around themselves. At some point, humans discovered fire, and shortly after that, we discovered that fire consumes fuel, and then, that containing the heat reduced the amount of fuel needed to keep warm and to cook our food. 

There are some basic ways we contain the heat that we produce. On the most personal level, it is clothing that preserves the heat we produce by burning calories. Clothing keeps this heat trapped near our bodies in the insulating dead air space between the body and the clothing we wear. In the infancy of human civilization, it was the hair left on the animal skins that trapped air pockets near the skin where heat could be stored. 

Over the ages we have discovered more and better ways to insulate ourselves from the cold. Choosing the right clothing for the environment is one of those critical decisions that make up proper planning. The selections available today are many and run the gamut from cheap and useless to expensive and toasty warm. In-between, you can find your sweet spot of affordability and usefulness. 

You should consider an approach to clothing based on layering. Start with an inner base layer—typically some type of “long underwear.”  Then, choose a shirt and pants in moderate weather conditions, followed by a good jacket or coat as the weather gets cold. In conditions of extreme cold and/or wet you will want a waterproof shell layer, top and bottom, to keep the wind, water, and cold out. 

The materials the clothing is made of are just as important. Natural fibers, such as wool and silk, make good choices—especially Morino Wool. There are synthetics that are just as good, but there is something comforting about natural fiber that I enjoy. Wool will insulate even when wet, and while it smolders, it does not burn, making it safer than synthetics. 

Wool, especially Morino wool, is not cheap. The further away the layer is from the skin, the more synthetics make sense because they can be found at better prices. Materials such as polyester, nylon, and Polartec insulate very well and can be found inexpensively on the surplus market. Commercial versions, such as those found at REI, are more expensive but just as useful. A polar fleece layer over the base layer, then pants and shirt, will keep you warm in much of the US during the most common weather conditions. Snow, cold rain, and high elevations such as you will find in northern mountainous regions and Alaska call for a water- and wind-resistant outer shell to protect from harsh weather.  

Wearing your clothing in layers gives you choices as the weather changes. If you are going to be outdoors in cool temperatures—say, between 60 and 40 degrees—a base layer and a regular clothing layer should be enough. As temperatures drop, add a fleece layer to increase the insulating value. When it starts to get really cold or wet, an outer shell keeps the wind and rain out. When the temps start to climb again, you can remove layers until you are comfortable again. Too much insulation for the temperature will cause you to sweat—which will, in turn, cause you to lose vital heat to evaporation. 

Build Your Environment 

The next step is to build and control your environment. This is where all the training and skill building really pays off. There are three basic stages to building shelter that will keep you warm: One, sleep on something. Two, sleep under something. Third, sleep in something. Let’s take a look at what this means. 

The first step is to put some insulation between the ground and your body. There are numerous sleeping bags and pads that provide protection from heat loss through conduction, the tendency of heat to flow from a warm object (you) to a cool object (the ground).  

On the other hand, in most environments, you can use natural debris piled and layered to create the same level of protection without the need to carry excess equipment. By creating a deep bed of these natural debris, you make a warm and comfortable place to lay your head. All this dead air space will slow the transfer of heat to the ground.  

I will add one of my wool blankets over a debris bed for a little extra insulation. The same can be done with a sleeping bag, That is your choice, but you should use a layering approach here, too: A bed of insulation, and then a system to sleep on. Building with natural materials will let you drop the sleeping pad, but either way, you need that layer of bedding to sleep on. 

The second step is to put some insulation over you. This is your sleep system, and there are a lot of choices available. Just like the insulation below you to keep conduction from sapping your heat, you need a layer above you to keep radiation and convection from doing the same. A sleeping bag or some blankets will trap your body heat or the warmth that you have created near your body as you sleep. 

What if your situation is unplanned? The same idea behind the insulated bed will apply to reducing heat loss from above. A layer of natural debris above can take the place of a sleep system in an emergency. This might not be ideal, but it could help save your life in a survival situation. 

Step three is to have something to sleep in. If you planned ahead, you will have packed some form of shelter. With a tent or tarp in your kit, you will have a head start on shelter. The most important reason to carry shelter with you is the conservation of calories. All work burns calories that must be replaced, and setting up a tent uses less work than building from scratch. On the other hand, tents or tarps do not contain heat as well as a constructed shelter stacked with insulation. 

If you have the skills to construct a shelter from natural materials, this will provide you with a shelter that contains heat generated by your body or an outside source. In warmer weather, a lean-to will shelter you and catch a lot of heat.  

You can even bring some of the heat inside the shelter if you do so carefully. There are portable heaters fueled by propane or isobutane that will warm up the space if you choose one that is designed to be used safely inside. 

There is also the choice of lightweight wood-burning stoves, designed for backpacking, that will not only heat your shelter, but they will also provide a cooking surface for food prep. They require either a tent designed for them, or specially constructed shelter. A tent with a stove jack for the chimney stack, or an opening in your shelter are required to use them safely. They can also be expensive, and even though they fold down, they still take up a good amount of space in a pack.  

If you are relying on your survival skills to heat a shelter, there are some techniques that will help. Once you have built a fire, you should keep as much of the heat created from escaping into the air as possible. Place your fire as close to the entrance as possible, so that heat will enter the shelter. Heat can also escape from the other directions as well, so a reflector can be built to contain and redirect the heat into your shelter. 

You can also bring heat directly into your shelter. Gather as many fist-sized rocks as you can find from any place but a water source. Pile 10 or 12 of them in your campfire to heat all day as you go about other tasks. This technique will be most useful with an enclosed shelter such as a debris hut, so while you are building it, dig a pit near the entrance. Make sure that you have dug it deep enough to remove any combustible materials that might smoke and ignite during the night. 

This pit is your overnight heater. Before you turn in for the night, fill it with the rocks from your fire. These rocks will slowly release the stored heat and keep you warm throughout the night. This can also work for you with tents that do not have a floor, in at least a section of it. Make sure you are careful to allow enough space around the pit to keep the heat from damaging the materials of the tent. 

In Conclusion 

As you can see, with proper planning, critical thinking, and skill building, it can be relatively easy to stay warm on the move. If you spend the time to learn these techniques and develop a plan, you will travel to your bug-out location in as much comfort and safety as possible. 

I will finish by suggesting a couple of book series that will help you learn these skills. Tom Brown’s Field Guide series focuses on primitive skills using few if any equipment to survive. Dave Canterbury’s Bushcraft books teach skills for use with minimal woods crafting tools. 

The worst-case scenario in a survival situation is bugging out on foot with what you can carry on your back. Preparing a bug-out bag is a common process for preppers just in case we have to make a run for it in a dire situation. While plan A would be to shelter in place and plan B would be to have a vehicle set-up, plan C is the pack stuffed with survival necessities.

The planning of a BOB should be a well thought out process with information and ideas gathered from many sources. One source that should be seriously considered in backpacking. Camping is still camping, one turns up at a wonderful place in the wilderness, sets up camp, and enjoys the scenery and solitude. Backpackers, on the other hand, carry all their gear on their backs and move over land from a starting point to a finish to see more over the course of their trip.

There is a lot that can be learned from backpackers that will come in handy when planning a BOB. The backpacking industry and the people who sling a pack on their backs are nothing if not innovative. Over the years companies have developed gear using modern materials that are both lightweight and strong, much more so than the gear our fathers and grandfathers had. There are also interesting skill sets that backpackers use that are relevant for us. Let’s take a quick look at some.

Leave No Trace

There is an ethic among many backpackers to “Leave No Trace” on the land that they travel. To many, this may sound a little new age, but it has real-world survival implications. If a person has to leave one place and move to another for safety, there is a chance that they are under threat and being tracked. Getting into the habit of following the “Leave No Trace” ethic leaves fewer clues to where they are going.

Light and Ultra-light Weight

Distance backpackers, especially thru-hikers, want to carry as little weight as possible. The industry has responded with gear that is lighter and stronger than ever before using materials such as Titanium, Dyneema, and carbon fiber. This kind of gear has been a boon for backpackers and can be for preppers as well. The drawback is the expense that comes with it, but if you want the best, you have to pay for it.

Clothing

Some of these innovations have been about making clothing both warm and light. New shell materials, new insulation fills, and acrylic fleece have replaced heavier clothing from the past. Wool, especially Merino wool, is woven in such a way that it is not scratchy and uncomfortable against the skin. These modern innovations will give users a lot of choices.

Food and Water

This is an area of great innovation. Freeze-dried foods have been with us for years, but today you can make your own. It’s expensive, but home freeze-dryers are available to one and all. My friends at Swartz Foods built a business around these devices and they are producing some of the best I have had. There is also retort packaging, such as is used in MREs, and it is being used commercially for quality foods that do not require water to prepare them and are lighter than canned foods.

Boiling and various tablets were once the way to purify water, then came filters. Over the years filters have gotten more effective and less expensive. Hollow fiber membranes are less expensive to manufacture so there is a series of filters based on them that give everyone access to a way to have clean water.

A new innovation in clean water is portable ozone generators. These are electronic, USB charged devices that generate ozone from oxygen and this ozone kills most biologicals. I have been testing a pen model from Roving Blue that has been excellent. I have used to purify water and I have not had a single issue.

Tips and Tricks

There are too many to really talk about here but check out the plethora of books that will teach many tricks that will make a bug-out safer and more comfortable. One such trick is sprouting in your backpack. A package of Alfalfa or Mung bean seeds, a dedicated wide-mouth bottle and some coffee filters gives you a micro-green garden that you carry with you. A quick search on Amazon will provide you with a long list of books on the subject.

Conclusion

These are just some of the ways that learning from backpackers can improve our survivability. Applying these ideas and using the innovative equipment that has come out of the industry can help you be prepared. It can also be a fun hobby that will improve and increase your skill set.

The post What Can We Learn from Backpackers About Preparing for a Bug-Out. first appeared on Ready Magazine.

There are a number of books on preparedness. The worst of them are a book sized list of stuff that you need to get to be ready. The best of them cover not only gear, but skills and mindset as well. “Prepared: A Manual for Surviving Worst-Case Scenarios” fits in the latter category.

In this book, Mike Glover teaches readers how to be ready for whatever comes their way. Drawing on his most dire experiences in combat and in the real world, this book shows you how almost no disaster is more powerful than someone who is truly prepared.

Mike Glover is the owner and founder of Fieldcraft Survival, a preparedness and training company in Utah. He is a retired Green Beret and CIA contractor and a proponent of preparedness for citizens. He offers training in a growing range of topics that are of value to students. He is also a prolific presence on YouTube, producing videos and podcasts with useful information.

I knew this book would be an important read when I found out it was on the way, but as with any writer who owns a business selling related products, I worry that it would be a sales driver for his products. I was wrong. He refrains from specific suggestions. The few times he does mention a product of his own it is more in the way of demonstrating a thought process than a sales pitch.

The real beauty of this book is it’s emphasis on critical thinking. Each chapter begins with a run down of his thought process concerning the issue at hand. While he never explicitly says it, seems clear to me he holds creative thinking in high regard as well. If you can think critically, you can solve most problems, if you can add a creative element to the process, you can innovate.

The first four chapters of the book are about thinking and planning. He has done his research too. The book starts with the biological and mental processes that people go through in a crisis. He goes on to share examples of how people reacted in crisis and what the results of their decisions were. By this point of the book he has shared some foundational events in his life, and he uses this self-knowledge to describe the events.

The following three chapters apply these ideas to planning, situational awareness and, possibly most importantly, decision points. One of the hardest parts of planning is knowing when to put your plans into motion. When you’re facing a hurricane, it’s an easy decision, but what about greater threats? I feel that the bigger the decision in a crisis and the more “out there” the issue, the harder it is to make the move. These three chapters are helping me to build a better plan.

The last three chapters are more inline with what one would expect from a preparedness book. He discusses a layered system of preparedness in the areas of Everyday Carry, Mobility, and preparing the Homestead, or as I like to call it, bugging in. While he does talk about a few brands that he likes, he approaches this section by applying the critical thinking skills from the first half of the book.

I believe this is an important book for preparedness. Mike Glover leans on real world experience and real research to teach the reader how to get ready. He is more interested in getting readers to think critically about equipment decisions than he is in selling products. If you need to know about his suggestions about gear, tune in to his social media presence. If you want to under the thought process and planning behind it all, read his book. You won’t be sorry.

The post “Prepared: A Manual for Surviving Worst-Case Scenarios” by Mike Glover first appeared on Ready Magazine.

Over the last few months, I have been building a new bug-out set-up. For the load bearing portion, I decided on military surplus equipment from the Netherlands, sourced from Varusteleka Oy in Helsinki, Finland. My reasoning for ordering from them has a lot to do with price, and wide availability of the equipment from one source, compared to US sources.

There are some things that one should know when buying any military surplus. One; the essential element of military surplus is the, generally, lower prices for quality gear. Second; unless you are lucky enough to find new, as issued surplus, you are getting used gear. This means that there is a chance there will be some defects. Generally, you will find a grading system to give you an idea of what to expect when you get the product. Varusteleka does not supply a grade, but they do inform you that quality may vary, so they’re honest about what to expect.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Lowe Alpine style “Sting” rucksack. It has a few qualities that made it an excellent choice for me. It is constructed of a strong Cordura-equivalent, Infrared Reflective nylon in a Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) camouflage pattern—very much like the old British
DPM, and like the old American Woodland pattern.

The lid to the pack has a large pocket to store items you need to retrieve quickly. That was the one defect in my pack; the zipper was not closing properly. A quick search on YouTube, and a pair of pliers, and it was functional again. The front of the pack has rows of PALLS/MOLLE to add pouches for extra gear.

The main compartment has a sleeve for a hydration pouch, but it is otherwise just a 60-liter tub that you load from the top. There is an additional twenty liters in the “rocket” pouches on the sides of the pack, and they were the asset that most sold me on the pack. They are removeable by zipper, and once
removed, they zip together and become a day pack with the included backpack straps.

The pack itself has an adjustable suspension system, comfortable shoulder straps, and a good hip belt to help make the bag comfortable to carry. There are variations in the packs—mine has daisy chain straps under the rocket pouches and on the top of the flap pocket that allow for more attachment
options.

Being that I live in Texas, I feel like the 80-liter pack is big enough for my needs and helps me avoid overpacking. If you want to carry more there is also the “Saracen” rucksack, which is just a 120-liter
version of the Sting.

The rucksack is where I will be carrying most of my bug-out gear, but there are tools that I may need to access while on the move. Trauma kits, various tools, compasses, and the like should be kept easily reachable, and a Load Bearing Equipment (LBE) vest will make that easier. It made sense to me to stay with the Dutch family of equipment for a Bug-Out Vest.

This series of Dutch surplus includes a modular vest that I find superior to most surplus LBE on the market. Like most modern gear, it is a PALLS/MOLLE style vest that gives the user a lot of choice. It is highly adjustable to fit most people. On the left and right front of the vest there are zippered pockets for maps and other flat items. Inside the rightside pocket is a holster for a small pistol. The MOLLE webbing covers the entire vest, front and back, to which you can add pouches for gear. They can be found in green, black and DPM.

Varusteleka carries a wide selection of matching pouches in assorted sizes, and for different uses. I bought two three-magazine pouches, a small, general-purpose pouch, and a first aid/admin pouch from the gear selection. I also bought an admin pouch, a trauma kit pouch, and a tool pouch in OD green from Condor. All these pouches fit on the front of the vest. It leaves the possibility to add more pouches to the back of the vest, but in my case, I will be using the rocket pouches for short trips away from camp.

The Dutch gear is proving to be of excellent quality, and functions as expected. Despite their reputation, I have been using Condor gear for years, and I find the quality to fits my needs just fine. In the next issue, I will start discussing what is going into the system, as well as a first-line belt kit. Your mileage may vary, but I am happy with where this set up is headed. The Dutch equipment is popular in Great Britain, and you can find some excellent reviews if you look on YouTube, so doing a little further
research will be easy.

Sources:
Varusteleka Oy
https://www.varusteleka.com/en
Hankasuontie 11 A
00390 Helsinki

Every month I come across a bunch of resources and new products that might be of interest to preppers. Starting this month, I am going to gather up a list and publish it here. Do not take anything listed here to be an item I endorse unless I specifically say so.

If you have a product or a service that you think should be on one of these lists, drop me a line at editor@readymagazine.com and I will take a look at it.

The Warrior Poet Society Network

Let’s start with a service that I do endorse. The Warrior Poet Society is the brainchild of John Lovell, a retired army ranger and firearms instructor. One of the services that he provides is the Warrior Poet Society Network (WPSN), a streaming service with high quality instruction for those of us interested in firearms.

The service is like Make Ready from Panteao Productions in that it provides quality instructions from qualified instructors, but where I think it excels is in the other subjects it covers. Make Ready has a series of survival and preparations that are worthwhile, including a series of videos by Dave Canterbury that are great. WPSN does it a bit better.

They have been introducing many preparedness related series from the instructors from the Survival Summit, including EJ Snyder from Naked and Afraid. They have series on bugging in, bugging out, land navigation and several other important subjects in addition to shooting, martial arts, and videos from several popular YouTube channels that provide review and 2^nd Amendment advocacy.

Membership in WPSN is $9.99 a month and can be found at https://www.watchwpsn.com/.

TopoView

Maps are an important preparedness tool. Of all the diverse types, topographical maps must be at the top of most must have preparedness tool lists. TopoView, an online service of the United States Geological Survey, is the best source on the net for topographical maps.

TopoView is a searchable database of all maps, going back to the 1880’s in some cases, for all the US. They are available in four formats. The most useful of these is the GEOPDF. These downloads are all free. They are all in the appropriate document size, to scale and in full color.

You should keep in mind that you will have to print the maps yourself and that can get expensive. Most OfficeMax/Office Depot will have the large format printers required and use decent quality paper. You should also investigate waterproofing for your maps.

James Townsend & Son YouTube Channel

We are blessed today with incredible technology. We can communicate around the world in seconds, carry hundreds of books on a tablet the size of a notebook and we can carry more computing power in our pockets then the ones on the first missions to the moon. But what if it all went away?

We have several tools today to keep our tech running. The light of the sun, the movement of the wind, and even the heat of a fire can be harnessed to charge phones, tablets, and other devices. It is a remarkable thing, but there is real value in learning how things were done in earlier years. This is what James Townsend & Son does just this.

The owners of this channel also have a business that specializes in clothing, equipment, and supplies for 17^th & 18^th century reenactors, and they use the YouTube channel to promote their business. They do this by teaching viewers cooking and building methods from this period. I have learned a lot from the videos and have incorporated some of these skills into my preparedness planning. The videos are also just a plain enjoyable watch. They can be found at https://www.youtube.com/user/jastownsendandson

I hope that this first installment of Survival Resources is helpful to my readers. Look for the next list soon.

The post Survival Resources for October 2022 first appeared on Ready Magazine.

What do you do If you have to make a run for it? For most preppers the plan is to grab the bug out bag and head for the door. There are almost as many ideas on a BOB as there are preppers and we all try to figure out how to best set one up. One idea on how to carry survival gear that has been around for almost as long as there has been an Air Force is the survival vest.

I have experimented with survival vests for a long time, but I never would have thought of a Bug Out Vest. One of Creek Stewart’s Pocket Field Guides has got me thinking on that track now. One of the big advantages of a survival vest is that the weight of the gear is spread out and easier to carry and it keeps gear handy while keeping your hands free.

Wrapping my head around a bug out vest took a little work, so I bought a copy of “Pocket Field Guide: the Bug Out Surivival Vest” from Amazon. In the past I viewed the survival vest in much the same way as a small survival kit, in fact I have had a Vietnam era Air Force Survival Vest hanging in my closet for about 25 years now that has served that purpose well. It has carried a basic survival kit with the tools to see to my survival needs and is for unexpected emergencies on day trips and the like, but it may not be the best tool for a bug out situation.

I am rebuilding my bug out equipment plan right now so I decided to explore new ideas. I reread a lot of the material that I have on hand and bought new books to gather new ideas. I found Stewart’s “Build the Perfect Bug Bag” to be a great resource so when I came across this Pocket Field Guide on the vest, it grabbed my attention.

The Pocket Field Guides are a series of short, concisely written guides to specific survival topics. In this volume you get a step-by-step tour through the process of building his bug out vest. The lion share of the 82 pages is devoted to choosing the base vest. I have vests that match some of the ones that he suggests already, including a Dutch molle-style vest that matches the Bergan-style backpack that I am using to build my BOB and a chest rig like the one he shows in the bonus section of the book.

Ideas on vest choices make up the largest part of the book because it is the most complex part of the process. The sections on what goes into the vest is less complex because this little book is about choosing the platform and suggestions on the supplies and equipment that should fill it. Think of the rest of the book as a starting off point.

Each subsequent section gives a brief run-down of items to cover the basic survival areas Shelter, Water, Food, Fire, Frist Aid, Rescue (Signaling) and Tools. When you are building any survival kit you should consider the items in a guide you are using as suggestions and adjust as needed. That being said, the lists in each section are quality products worth considering.

While I have a hard time seeing 3-days supplies on a vest set-up, Stewart makes a compelling argument in this guide. A vest like this would be far and away better than nothing. For me, this vest set-up makes a lot of sense as a second-line kit. In military terms, the Second Line are the basic survival and self-defense tools that are carried so that the soldier is always ready.

For our purposes as preppers, the second line is the first layer of a bug out plan. It is an important tool once you get to your bug out location and must venture away from base camp. A vest like this gives you enough survival gear to unexpectedly be away from base camp for a night or two. It should make it easier to do the work you need to do by keeping your hands free and distributing the weight more evenly about the body.

I am following the guide in building a second line vest kit that will sustain me at a basic level. I bought the Dutch tactical vest from Varusteleka in Finland for the purpose. As an aside, ordering for Varusteleka is an easy and quick process and the prices a fair. The Dutch vest is of MOLLE style and so far, I have had no problem attaching pouches from Condor to it, so I think that most MOLLE style pouches will fit.

One of the nice touches in the Field Guide is a chapter on how to properly use MOLLE. Doing it right will make your equipment more secure. With the variety of pouch styles that are available now, a MOLLE style vest makes a lot of sense. The book does not take defensive weapons into account, so you don’t get suggestions in that area, but you get examples of other pouches to use for various kits. I am thinking that a MOLLE vest is the way to go. This way, you can customize the vest in a way that works for you.

The kit suggested in this book fits my BOB plan very well. Creek Stewart’s “Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag” has been one of the guides that I am using for my new BOB, which represents the third line of my preparedness bug out plan. When I discovered this guide the description made it look like it was a good guide to building a general second line kit. I am pleased to say that I was right.

When I get the new kit finished, I will post a video to show you how it comes out. Until then, if a survival/bug out vest sounds like a good plan, the "Pocket Field Guide: The Bug Out Survival Vest” is a place to start.