Gil's Blog

“The Best of All Worlds” is where we live today. Unfortunately humanity has bipolar disorder. Find an asteroid on a collision course with earth, and all the industrial nations of the world would chip-in to build a spacecraft and go blow it up. After that, we’d just go back to killing each-other. History is full of lows we would rather forget. I was inspired today by my friend Victoria’s blog entry on the Holocaust. We must remember such events, and most importantly how they started. But knowing the signs doesn’t help much. Knowing that you can drown doesn’t teach you how to swim.

When I was twelve-years-old, my grandfather hung a couple old pots on a tree branch, handed me his sixteen-gauge shotgun and said “go ahead, aim carefully.” He used to tell me stories about the war, when I bugged him enough to get him to talk. That’s probably when I first realized that it wasn’t always the best of all worlds. He never warned me about watching for signs of impending doom, he just taught me skills that had helped him survive the darkest years of the century. I did not think much of it at the time, it was all fun and games for a boy my age. I did however feel compelled to keep studying and spent a decade handling and shooting small arms, hundreds of rounds a week, with rifle, sub-machine-gun and pistols. I practiced martial arts for years. I went camping, traveling, learned basic survival skills and street-smartness. I could as well have picked-up golf or tennis. Something in me told me I had to learn those things. That compulsion is part of me. It is not a fad, not an ego trip, not a hobby. I do not wonder why.

We humans have a tool no other animal possesses, self deception. It is a curse. If you ever wonder how some people can be very intelligent but have no common-sense, there you go, self-deception. No animal in the wild is going to think “what what that noise? Oh, probably nothing..” We do it all the time: “The government would never do that,” “that guy would never hurt me,” “that could never happen here.” Why think about unpleasantness..

I spend enough time in coffee shops to hear it all, mostly rants about politics and how civilization as we know it is about to end. There is a lot of talking going on. Not much else. I am not a proponent of revolution mind you, the best answer to political problems is informed vote. Emphasis on “informed.” What I am a proponent of is preparedness. Things occasionally do go to hell in a hand-basket, on a macro, or micro scale, doesn’t matter, you can end-up just as dead. Being killed by a horde of thugs after an economic breakdown or a mugger at the ATM machine makes no difference. I will tell you exactly what most people do when something like that happens: Nothing. It’s too late for learning how to swim after you fall off the boat. Even worse: It’s too late to learn how to swim after your family falls off the boat. Take a few minutes to think that one over…

If you’re a loner and plan on crawling into a fetal position and keel-over when the going gets though, be my guest. It’s your choice. But of course, it won’t happen to you, right? I am addressing most of us here however, husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, and most importantly, parents. It is parent’s responsibility to learn how to defend their children, and teach them to defend themselves. And here is what baffles me the most, almost nobody does. Parents tell their kids not to talk with strangers, but they have no idea about what to do if the stranger has a big knife and is not interested in talking to them at all. Any decent parent would fly to the rescue, but unfortunately, whatever they do next would probably not be the best action, as far as outcome is concerned. Sorry about giving you a guilt trip here, but if I don’t, who else will? You’re not a bad parent, you just deceived yourself. Now you have no excuse, you have been informed. Yet, I will tell you exactly what most of you will do: Nothing.

I am also advocating building strong communities. Look at Switzerland. Every house in Switzerland has an assault rifle provided by the government. Kids in Siberia learn to shoot Kalashnikovs around ten-years-old. Young men and women in Israel serve in the IDF for three or two years respectively. Anybody thinking about invading Switzerland, Siberia or Israel is going to think twice about it.. Anyone attempting to invade Western Europe would have no problem at all. It has been done more than once before. The United States would be a different story, with the number of guns in circulation. The question is, do you have one? Do you know how to use it safely and efficiently? Oh, you are anti-gun.. That’s like being anti-life-vest on a boat. But we are in the same boat. You don’t live in a separate world where everybody is nice and respectful. You live in the same world as the people who were killed by home invaders or raped and killed by sexual predators. Sure, it might not happen to you. What if it does? What if the mighty Dollar takes a plunge and the gangs from that other part of town want your food after they ramsack the supermarket that just closed down? Anyway, enough scare tactics. I don’t spend all my time thinking about such scenarios, actually, I almost never do but for times like today. You know all this anyway. Yet, I will tell you exactly what most of you will do to be more prepared: Nothing.

Now, if you are still reading and haven’t crossed me off your list of friends for being a psycho survivalist type (I’m not, far from it) who makes you feel guilty about spending too much time watching television and getting fat on junk food, you might be onto something. I am not telling you to go to the Gym every day or run 10K twice a week. I get pretty lazy myself at times. There is however a minimal physical condition you should aspire to reach. Now is the time to make new-year resolutions. Read my blog on combat conditioning. If you want to exercise and learn useful skills at the same time, don’t go hit balls with a racket, learn a martial art. Go camping with your kids, learn and teach them what it takes to survive outside your cozy house, how to catch a rabbit, a fish, gut it, cook it. Learn about firearms, safety first.. If not to defend yourself in your house, you might need one someday to shoot your food! You’re vegetarian? Doesn’t matter. When you’ll be hungry enough, your brain will make you seek proteins, and you will eat meat, I promise you. There are whole books about self-sufficiency, I am not going to tell you what to do. If you need advise on firearms or martial arts, you can ask me. I am no expert, but I’ve been around, and if I can’t answer, I know people who can, or where to look. Just ask yourself “Can I take care of myself without society? Defend myself without the cops?” The police can’t be at your door in one minute, can they? But sometimes, that’s all the time you’ll have. Be glad you are now wondering about your personal well-being and you family’s, because I’ll tell you exactly what most people will do to be more prepared: Nothing.

There are skills in this world that, independently of where you live and who you are, you need to know. Not only to be prepared, but to be worth of being called human, may I say. Our long line of ancestors made it through a multitude of obstacles, from saber-tooth tigers to World War II, and everything in between. I believe we owe ourselves and the people around us to be capable, strong and knowledgeable.
We are lucky enough to live in a time of relative peace and abundance. I am talking here about Europe, the United States, and many other countries in the world. It isn’t the case everywhere, I know. Pandemics have ravaged the world in the past, killing millions. We dodged a few bullets more recently with Influenza, as well as Ebola (search Wikipedia on “pandemic”). Many other killer strains are only waiting for an opportunity. New wars, civil unrest are never out of the question. Natural disasters such as tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes can happen at any time. Hopefully none of these disasters will happen in our lifetime. Some of you guys though may have children, and who else will teach them but you? Not the public school system. And even if nothing bad happens, why not be a stronger, more capable individual?
A lot of the skills we learn today are based on work, not survival. We have everything at our disposition: Shelter, supermarkets, gas, electricity, communications, transportation. We become very good at using computers, complex phones, and rely much on them. We drive cars, even for short distances. We become dependent on technology and services provided by others to survive. We grow fat and become lazy. When was the last time you walked for ten miles? When was the last time you had to hunt or fish for food (not counting doing it for fun)? Now, imagine that all the supermarkets in your town close. Then, the power company shuts down; no more internet either, and you can’t recharge your cell phone. Land phone lines are cut. Gas stations close. How long will it take for the situation to become dicey, for people to start panicking? What would you do then?
Acquiring the skills you would need to survive or get out of the area can be fun week-end projects. Learning them when the shit has already hit the fan is too late, you probably will become a statistic. You don’t have to think about catastrophes all the time and live in fear, simply learn what you need, and put it in a compartment of your head somewhere, until you need it..

Learn to navigate: In an evacuation, roads could be blocked by traffic jams. They could be blocked by people, or physically destroyed. Buy topographic maps for your area, or your state, and get a compass. One without the other isn’t of much use. Learn dead reckoning, where you pick a landmark in the direction you want to go, walk to it, and pick the next one. Count your steps, know how many you take typically per mile.

Building shelters: A few days of camping should suffice for this. Have a comfortable tent with you, but bring a hatchet and nylon string. Don’t try anything new or fancy, good shelters have been built for eons by cavemen who’s lives depended on it. Copy them. Look into the history of your area, you will find out what they used. Try to isolate yourself from the ground. Make sure you know what trees or plants to use, some might be poisonous.

Food: While you are camping, try to make a bow and arrows. Have a family competition to see who can be the most accurate. Learn to build traps. You can find numerous designs online. The most commons are the figure 4 deadfall and spring traps. Not only can you make traps for land animals, but also for fish. Buy a book on local flora and comestible plants. Go out in the woods and try to identify them. Ask an expert before you try eating anything you aren’t absolutely sure about! Getting food is one thing, but then you might need to skin it, gut it and cook it. You should have done this successfully at least once. A note to vegetarians here: Do not think that because you don’t eat meat you should skip this. If you get hungry enough, you will eat anything. No, don’t think “No, I still wouldn’t,” because you would, period. If you think otherwise, you are a fool, and you might as well close this page and go cook some tofu.. Learn about cooking methods in the woods, using hot rocks for instance.

Water: How do you boil water without a pot? How do you make one? An important skill to know is how to make a solar still. There aren’t many ways to purify water without chemicals or a special filter. Are there springs in your area? If not, how far would you have to go to find a natural spring. What about wells? Who has one? Do you know the owner? It might be time to go say hi.. Water is heavy, carrying it will only work so far. I would not attempt a journey if no rain is expected and there is no source of water on the way.

Fire: You see it done on television all the time, and it looks so simple and easy. It is not! You could waste hours trying. Making fire without modern source is difficult, and must be practiced until you get it right. Try with wood friction and also with flints. Once your fire is lit, make a fire bundle to carry it. See if you can take it with you and start another fire later with it.

Learn to handle firearms: You may not like guns, but the day you really need one may be your last, or the difference between a good meal and an empty stomach for a few days. If you are not a police officer, a handgun is pretty useless. You can’t really hunt with it, and in a conflict, you will almost always lose to a rifle. So, learn to handle a rifle, starting with safety. Go to a range, and get help. The best rifle for small game would be a .22lr, the best one in my opinion being the Ruger 10-22. You may also use a pellet gun, in .22 caliber. Something more substantial would be needed if you must feed more than yourself, or if there is a possibility, and there almost always is in a disaster scenario, that you may encounter hostile people. A lever action rifle in .30 or .44 mag. will serve you well. Shotguns are very good for hunting too. If the situation is really bad, AK-47. By the way, do you think that you will be the only one in the store the day things go wrong? Buy one now. If you have kids, buy a safe, keep it locked. Teach them gun safety as well.

If you haven already, learn to swim. No comment here. You should be able to cross a good size river, and thread water for some time. Learn to lay flat on your back and float on the water.

Learn to defend yourself empty-handed: This is complex subject, and I probably will write about it in my martial arts section. In brief, there are a lot of martial arts out there that are not worth a dime for self defense. There are also good styles but bad teachers. I would suggest trying to find a school or style that emphasizes principles over form and techniques. Avoid styles that are too stiff in their movements or teachings, and promote violence or aggressiveness. Going nuts in a fight won’t help you. Emotions won’t help you. Also avoid styles that use excessive protections, have too many rules (like not hitting the face, etc.), or simply avoid contact. The style you choose must also consider multiple attackers, armed or not, and fighting on the ground as well as on your feet. If you see twelve-year-olds with a black belt, run! If they promise you a black belt next year, run! Actually, be suspicious of belts altogether. My favorites are, almost in order: Systema, Bujinkan, Penjak Silat, Kuntao, Kali, Wing Tsun, Aikido, Krav Maga, Boxing, and I am sure I am forgetting some. I would not suggest TaeKwonDo, traditional Karate, and other styles based on outdated forms of combat, or geared towards competition. Some combinations are good, like boxing and JiuJitsu for example. Shop around before you sign-up, and don’t bother spending time on martial arts forums on the web, there is nothing to learn from them. If you don’t have a good school nearby, go to russianmartialart.com, load up on DVDs and start a study group in your town.

Get in shape: Well, your martial arts training should help you there, but walking is a great exercise, and knowing how far you can go is a valuable piece of information. Knowing how far your family members can go is even better. Who is going to break first? When? Is there something you can do? Learn to carry people in an efficient manner, by yourself, or with help. Do regular push-ups, squats and crunches. You don’t need any machines or gym memberships for that. Don’t eat fast foods, and when you go shopping, read the labels. Avoid MSGs, high fructose corn syrup, and too much fat or sugar. Stay away from processed foods. Dump sodas, even (or especially) the diet ones. Drink water and tea. Don’t abuse coffee. Stop smoking! Eat raw vegetables and don’t have meat every day.

Learn first -aid: The Red-Cross probably has classes nearby. Take all their classes, and learn resuscitation techniques, and especially how to treat wounds and burns. You can find numerous books on the subject at your local library, and many web sites with tutorials. Learn about the specific threats in your area. Cross-check your findings, because theories do change, and what may have been thought to be a great technique one day may be considered dangerous the next.

I might add more to this blog. I do not claim to be an expert at all. These are just ideas I gathered over time. Feed back and new ideas would be appreciated. I have been intentionally vague here, so please post your comments. I would like this to be a living document.

Introduction:
Trouble sometimes unexpectedly just knocks on your door. Bad things happen to good people, you don’t have to invite trouble to get into it. However safe your lifestyle is, you will never be impervious to nature’s bouts (remember Katrina..), or political unrest caused by politicians you haven’t voted for. Tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, meteorites, war, dissension, industrial accidents, pandemics, all have and will happen again on this earth. People have died because they simply got lost or their car broke down in a hostile (at the time) environment. Have you given any thought on how to protect yourself and your family against the unexpected? Without going into full survivalist mode, there is one main thing you can do: Have a trouble-bag. What is it? You’ll ask me.. Just a bag with a few items that you would need in an emergency situation. The kind of bag you leave in a closet, or in the trunk of your car, until the day you need to “bail out” to save your life. So, let’s see what those items are, how to choose, store and use them.

The Bag:

First thing first, you need a bag. A small backpack will serve you best. I like hydration bags because they have a built-in water pouch and drinking tube. Camelback and Blackhawk have quality products they provide to the military. Plan on spending about $120. A more affordable option is a pack from Wallmart for about $30. Don’t get too large a bag, you might be tempted to stuff it with useless items, and your back won’t like it if you ever need to walk with it. You can always have a second lager “vehicle bag.” You may also want to stop by your local Army/Navy surplus store. They will have a few items for your bag.

The Knife:

Knives are the most basic tools we humans have. It is probably the first one we ever made, and for good reasons! If nothing else, you must have a knife. You really can’t save money on this, it would be like saving by buying cheap breaks for your car.. You can get a decent knife for $50, an a very good one for about $100. No need to spend $500 here, after all, if you’re lucky, you’ll never use it, but too cheap might cost you more than the money you saved… Choose a fixed blade knife, with a full tang and a 5 to 6 inch blade. Make sure the tip is not too thin, that it has a good grip and a guard.
Look at Ontario Knives, Cold Steel, Becker (tough and affordable), Ka-Bar, Gerber, to name a few. I also suggest getting a Leatherman Tollkit, the best multi-tool I ever came across.
Modern knives will unlikely rust when kept in a bag, but a think coating of oil won’t hurt. Also get a small sharpening store with a rough side and a smooth one. Learn knife sharpening on an old kitchen knife, and before you really need it. It isn’t as easy as it seems, and requires practice and patience. Prefer a cordura or kydex sheath to leather. Kydex can be noisy, I like cordura. Avoid hollow handle knives, which are not as strong (except for the Chris Reeve). In tropical regions, a machete is a must, and will most likely be strapped on the outside of your bag because of it’s size.

Water:

Water is life. Without it, don’t expect to be around for more than a few days. We need at least half a gallon a day, and that is doing nothing. Water consumption will quickly climb to 5 gallons a day when working hard in the sun. After your hydration pack is empty, you need to find, transport, filter and purify water. When you find it, you need to take it with you. Have a few plastic bags handy, they are very useful to carry water. I use coffee filters to remove impurities. There are a few ways to purify water. Boiling: For at least ten minutes. Chlorine: Household chlorine; add 8 drops per gallon. Iodine: 20 to 40 drops per gallon, depending on how dirty it is. Stir, then let it stand for 30 minutes. Water purification pills are available in many drugstores and camping stores. Hydroclonazone: manufactured in France; I like them because it doesn’t make the water taste bad. Read the EPA page for more information on water purification.

Fire:

Life without fire can be pretty miserable. Put a couple regular plastic lighters in your bag. I also have a magnesium fire starter. It is a block of magnesium about three inches long, with a striking insert on the side. You shave a little pile of magnesium, strike the insert with your knife, and the sparks ignite the shavings. The hight temperature will ignite almost anything. You can get one for $7, and it will last forever.

First Aid:

The first thing to put in your bag is whatever medication you must take on a regular basis. Next should come a disinfectant like Betadine, along with bandages, gauze, antibiotic ointment, burn ointment, scissors, tweezers, tape. Some off-the-shelf medications might prove useful: Aspirin, anti-diarrhea medication (to avoid dehydration), insect repellent and anti-histamine cream (Benadryl), clove oil (tooth aches), and sunscreen. See ready.gov for tips on first aid kits. Include latex gloves for your safety. Put everything in ziplock bags to keep it dry.

Signaling:

Sometimes you don’t want to be found, but sometimes you need to make yourself visible to rescue crews. A signaling mirror is a must-have in any trouble bag. If you have the money, you can get a signaling laser. Glow-sticks will glow for up to eight hours for the color ones. The white ones are nice to have and provide comfort on a moonless night. There is nothing like a good fire of course, for signaling, warmth and safety. A smoke grenade might also be a good item to have, if your bag is large enough.

Food:

In an emergency, you need quick energy to carry through the ordeal. Candy bars will give you the quick boost you might need at first. Search on the web for the “ER Food Bar” which is a 2400 calories emergency ration (available from Quake Kare). Have a three-day supply in your bag. They have a shelf life of five years.

Weapon:

Carrying a weapon is a controversial subject. Adding one to an emergency bag isn’t really practical, because of the weight of the gun and ammunitions. Note that a good slingshot with steel pellets will, with a bit of practice, bring small game to your food supply without the penalty of a heavy and bulky handgun. It is also important to differentiate a hunting emergency gun and a self-defense gun. Without going into details, for self defense, I would choose the AK-47 hands down. For survival, I would suggest a Ruger 10-22, the Springfield Armory M6 Scout (.22 and 410 shells), or the TC Contender Pistol with .22 and a .45LC/410 barrels. The .22 caliber, although not a “stopper” has the advantage of being light, so you can carry more ammunition in a small space. If you do get a weapon, you will need to train with it on a regular basis. Seek an instructor to teach you safety if you are not accustomed to handling a firearm. I would not bother with optics or other gadgets. I would however include a cleaning kit. Not really a weapon, but related to hunting, I also suggest some fishing line and hooks, just in case. If you know how to make a snare, also have some thin wire for trapping.

Misceleanous:

Flashlight: Get an LED flashlight. Batteries will last much longer. You can back-it-up with a coil/magnet powered flashlight, which never needs any batteries. They cost more (Don’t buy cheap chinese imitations). NightStar has the best ones.
Hat: Protect your head. Depending on your climate, ou need to protect yourself against cold or the sun.
Mosquito net: It goes over your hat, and seals around your neck. It will protect you not only against mosquitoes, but also against crawling insects while you sleep.
Tie wraps: Used to tie electric wires together, they are very strong, and will tie anything together.
Nylon String: An overall useful item.
Toilet Paper: No explanation needed here…
Sleeping bag: Sleeping bag technology has made leaps and bounds in reducing the size of light bags, which now fit in the palm of your hand while compressed. You may attach it outside your bag, as you probaly won’t have the space inside. Also, outside the scope of this article, you may want to look into one-person emergency tents. Many do not work well however, you need to do your homework carefully.
Hygiene: You can buy air-travel size items like toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and a toothbrush. These are not life-sustaining items, but they will keep your morale up by staying clean. Also have a spare pair of socks and underwear. Staying dry is an important part of survival outside of your home.
Poncho: A light plastic poncho will help keep you dry. Being wet and cold will make you miserable and a target for hypothermia.
Survival manual: Read it before you need it. You should know about the subject and not need to have the book with you, so you can show-off your knowledge to your girlfriend/boyfriend in an emergency.
Compass: Remember that a compass is useless without a map. Learn dead-rekoning, it is fun and something to do on a boring week-end. Hand-held GPSs are really small these days, but the signal can be turned off, and that will leave you stranded if you don’t know how to navigate.

Conclusion:

I am not an expert, just a safety minded person who has been around.. So take my advise at your own risk. Reading this won’t help you if you don’t actually start a trouble bag. Your significant other might laugh at your “paranoia,” but that will only last until shit hits the fan and you save the day. Keep a record of your perishable items with their expiration date. Change the water in your hydration pouch on a regular basis. Keep your bag handy at home, or better, in your trunk. Suggestions to improve the above list are welcome as “comments.” I do not pretend to know it all. Have fun shopping and be safe!

Gil.