Wilderness Survival, Part II: Survival Planning and Survival Kits

Comment

Comment by Marcus Garvey on June 18, 2009 at 10:27am

Good info brotha majestic, but this is Part Two of a long series. I am posting all of the information on a daily basis. As X points out, if you post too much information at one time (no matter how valuable), you turn people off from reading it. Everyone has things to do with their lives every day, so you can't give them so much at one time. I would have gotten to all of that.

Comment by Empress on June 17, 2009 at 11:44pm

Blessed Love Lots of Good Info.

Comment by majestic on June 17, 2009 at 5:10pm

HERE IS THE REST Shelter

The purpose of shelter is to protect you from extremes in the environment. This can be something as simple as a lean-to shelter in the woods, a protective shelter in the event of a Nuke/Bio/Chem attack, or defensive fortifications in the event of a civil disturbance. Shelter should also in a TEOTWAKI/bug-out situation provide concealment in order to avoid potential trouble if possible. One of the "must have" books for the survivalist's library on building your own shelters is the 1914 Classic Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties by D.C. Beard.

In many areas, secure shelter is readily available by using the techniques and tools talked about earlier in this chapter. Older "Bell System"-era telecommunications facilities were designed to be nuke-proof and somewhat self-sufficient in the event of an attack. Over the years most have become unmanned as phone companies increasingly adopt remote administration systems for the maintenance of their switching equipment, but the buildings are still designed to survive almost any disaster. Telco buildings are generally alarmed, and entering one sans permission will most likely get you arrested for trespassing and who else knows what now after 9/11. Doing so in a life threatening (such as being caught in a blizzard) or SHTF situation would be a different matter however. Major telecommunications facilities may be targeted in the event of a nuke strike or terrorist attack, and should be avoided. Smaller, out of the way remote facilities in rural areas would be a different story.

In rural/wilderness areas there should be plenty of natural materials to build a shelter with, if you can't find someplace immediately suitable to hole up in. I carry a military poncho, some wire, and 550-cord in the contingency kit to assist in building shelters. At the very least the poncho and 550 cord can be used to make a quick-n-dirty "hooch" that you can sleep underneath. An old friend and fellow survivalist "Jim T" shared an interesting and useful shelter technique with me. He cached lengths of Visqueen plastic sheeting at various potential bug-out locations. Using this material not only cuts down on the amount of natural materials you have to collect, but also makes the shelter more weatherproof.

Tools

When I was in high school, I had a part-time job as an electronics technician at the local TV repair shop. (I started out as a clerk.) As a matter of course I kept in my backpack a pair of needle-nose vise-grips, diagonal cutters, a 6" adjustable wrench, and an allen wrench set. That was in addition to the Buck knife and Swiss-Army knife I carried on my person. I would have carried a TRS-80 Model 100 too if I could have afforded one back then. These tools did see quite a bit of use as my primary mode of transportation was via bicycle. If I noticed something not quite perfect on my bike I would simply stop and fix it. It was flat-out amazing what you could do by having a few simple tools on your person. I think a student who carried that amount of hardware into school these days would be considered some sort of terrorist, and that shows how sad things are these days. If they put metal detectors in my high school back then, my friends and I would have had nothing but fun with them, much to the school's chagrin. Nowadays it appears that most public school students are carbon copies of their sheeple parents. I feel that any parent who does not teach their child the essentials of handling firearms and knives is guilty of child abuse, and that any parent who does not at lest try to get their child interested in science and technology to be as low as a pedophile. But I digress.

A good knife is one of the basic elemental tools of survival. I first started carrying a knife at age 8. It was one of those Boy Scout pocketknives that had a knife blade, bottle opener/screwdriver, awl, and can opener. It was so handy that a few years later I started carrying a Buck lock-blade, and one of the medium Wenger Swiss-Army knives. I remember back in high school that the Buck lock-blade was a status symbol among the "redneck" clique. The carrying of knives was technically against school regulations, but as long as you didn't brandish it, get into a knife fight, or stab someone the school generally turned a blind eye. If I recall correctly, they didn't even consider Swiss-Army pocketknives to be "knives". That was a little over 15 years ago however, and back then they didn't even care if you brought your rifle or shotgun into school to do some gunsmithing on it in shop class, as long as you gave the shop teacher advance notice. Kids are getting kicked out of school today for bringing in nail-clippers, and zip-lock bags of sugar for their breakfast cereal, which is just another example of how sad and distgusting matters are becoming in this country.

There are many good makes and models of knives out there. You can read pages of information about what some writer constitutes the "best" knife", and this knife collector's advice is to try a few out in the field and see what works for you. Until recently, my primary contingency kit knife was a Becker BK7 and my "every day carry" (EDC) folder was a Spyderco Endura with a fully serrated blade. Currently my EDC is a Benchmade Mel Pardue Mini Griptillian, and an Ontario Randall's TAK D2 resides in contingency kit. Other favorite fixed blades of mine include the Glock Field Knife, Gurkha Kukri, and Cuda CQB1. In addition to the Sypderco and SOG folders, I'm also fond of the Cold Steel Recon 1 series, Opinel, and a Kershaw 1060 that was a gift from my friend "Wildflower". Many E.A.S.T. members have adopted the Kershaw Leek as an EDC folder.

Many preparedness hobbyists like to make their own knives. This is something I'm going to do in the near future. Knife making is beyond the scope of this book, but bladesmith Wayne Goddard has written a book called Wayne Goddards $50 Knife Shop; ISBN 0873419936. It lists for $20, but you can find it for less than that on the Internet. The title pretty much explains it all. The book shows you how you can put together a shop to make knives for $50. It is a collection of all sorts of hints and tricks from one of the world's foremost bladesmiths.

I think the one item that is universal among all self-reliance and preparedness hobbyists is the multi-tool that has replaced the Swiss Army Knife for the most part. A multi-tool packs a high utility-to-weight ratio and an individual who carries one can be considered adequately equipped to handle many tasks in the field. The Leatherman Wave, for example, has a pair of needle nose pliers, wire cutters, two different knife blades, a file/metal saw, wood saw, scissors, can/bottle opener, and a few different sized screwdrivers (both regular and phillips). I've used mine for building shelters, fence work, electronics, removing a stuck door mat from a snow blower, and tightening up eyeglasses. The two major brands are Gerber and Leatherman, although other manufacturers such as Victorinox (of Swiss Army Knife fame) produce them as well. Quality-wise there is little difference between them, although it is my opinion that the Leatherman and Victorinox tools have a slight edge on quality. A small, but very capable tool kit was put together by "Wildflower" in a Military Surplus M1 Carbine magazine pouch. It consisted of a Leatherman Wave multi-tool, Victorinox "Swiss Champ" pocket knife, 4LN and 4WR Vise-Grip pliers, toenail scissors, and a small butane "blowtorch" style lighter.

Shelter-building tools are always a useful addition to a contingency kit. I liked Christopher Nyerges' idea of using Florian pruning shears for shelter building. They pack a lot of cutting power into a small package. The "pocket chain saws" also have a high cutting power to size/weight ratio. Cable ties, especially the big black ones, are useful for constructing or repairing a number of things. Besides its primary use in maintaining oral hygiene, dental floss can be used for a multitude of things. A hundred yards of the stuff fits in the palm of your hand. A small sewing kit is handy for maintaining clothing and equipment. In a pinch you could also stitch up a wound. These items can be stuffed into a contingency kit, or a small field repair kit could be made that would weight only a pound and fit into the corner of a backpack.

First Aid & Hygene

At the very least you should pick up a current book on first aid and read it. The U.S. Army has a Field Manual, First Aid for Soldiers that you can download online. You can also take the first aid/responder and CPR courses offered by the American Red Cross and other organizations. You then can put together a first aid kit based on your level of expertise, or purchase one of the pre-assembled kits. The member of your group designated as "medical specialist" should have at least an EMT certification, and have a well-stocked medical kit put together. As far as bugging-out is concerned, your kit should be able to handle problems you may encounter while en-route to your retreat, within the limits of your medical skill. There are a few books on survival medicine that you may want to put in your library. They will help increase your knowledge in the event of a long-term contingency where you may not have access to medical facilities. On that note, unless you in a severe situation such as an aircraft crash in the middle of nowhere or a long-term socioeconomic collape in which you absolutely cannot find medical help, know your limits and go to the emergency room when the situation exceeds them.

Ditch Medicine, by Hugh L. Coffee
Do It Yourself Medicine, by Ragnar Benson
Emergency War Surgery, NATO Handbook
Medicine for Mountaineering, edited by James A. Wilkerson, MD
The Survival Nurse, by Ragnar Benson
U.S. Army Special Forces Medical Handbook - ST 31-91B
Where There Is No Dentist, by Murray Dickson
Where There Is No Doctor, by David Werner with Carol Thuman and Jane Maxwell

Communications

When I refer to "communications", in a self-reliance/preparedness context, I'm talking about gathering information about conditions in your area, signaling others in order to get assistance, and keeping in touch with members of your group. Every contingency kit that covers a technological disaster should at the very least contain a portable AM/FM radio. The preferred item to get is a "multiband" AM/FM/short-wave radio. This will enable you to not only hear local news broadcasts for short-term emergencies, but also international broadcasters for problems that may be long-term in nature. There are many different types, and you can't go wrong if you pick up anything made by Sangean, Grundig, or Sony. My recommendation for a beginning receiver is the Grundig FR-200 Emergency Radio. It covers AM, FM, and short-wave bands, and will run on either AA batteries, or off a rechargeable battery pack that you charge with a built-in hand crank.

The second item you should get is a "police scanner" in order to monitor local public safety communications and get real-time information about conditions in your area. A new scanner can cost anywhere from $100 for a basic model, to $500 for the top of the line model from Radio Shack or Uniden. If you check out pawnshops, you can find some real bargains on used scanners. Generally speaking, if you live in a rural area you can listen to everything you need with a basic unit. When you get your scanner, subscribe to Scanning USA Magazine at http://www.scanningusa.com/.

When it comes to license-free radio communications for survivalists, for the most part you have three bands available: CB, FRS, and MURS. CB has 40 channels in the 27 MHz. region, on the top end of the HF/"shortwave" band of 3-30 MHz. FRS radios are small handheld units that use 14 very low power channels in the 450-470 Mhz "UHF land mobile" band. MURS is a recent service that uses 5 channels in the 150-174 MHz. "VHF-high land mobile" band. All of these services are covered under Part 95 of the FCC Regulations. The three services operate on different frequency ranges with different power levels, and offer different capabilities for the survivalist. Many survivalists have gotten their ham license; which is a good thing to have. When it comes to the license-free bands, I lean more towards CB and MURS than FRS. A properly set-up CB or MURS station has better range than a FRS handheld. CB is more useful while on the highway (channel 19). Here in New England, CB channel 7 a/k/a "Survival 7" is a popular common channel among survival groups.

Before FRS: 49 MHz. Radios

In the days before FRS radios, there were these 49 MHz. headset transceivers made by Radio Shack, Maxon, and other companies. The Radio Shack model number was TRC-500, and these were the "Trick-500" radios that were mentioned in Rawles' book Patriots. They were Part 15 devices, and shared the same frequencies as cordless phones and baby monitors. Typically they operated on one frequency, although there were five channel "high-end" models available. The frequencies were 49.83, 49.845, 49.86, 49.875, and 49.89 MHz. Their range was 1/4 to 1/2 mile tops, although Popular Communications magazine reported during the mid 1980s (back when they had a "Survival Communications" column) that they could be received on a scanner up to a mile away.

I believe these units are no longer being manufactured. You may find some "new old stock" ones that have been sitting in a warehouse for the past fifteen years. An out-of-the-way TV/electronics shop in the middle of nowhere (great places to check out by the way) may still have some. Radio Shack, who was the biggest source of these units, discontinued them back in the 1990s, and they were offered at a really low clearance price. They have been replaced by a plethora of FRS radios. FRS works better for portable short-range communications, and you don't have to share the frequencies with baby monitors. There are still 49 Mhz. "kiddie" walkie-talkies being sold at toy stores. They are often very cheap, and make great sensor system transmitters for use in rural and wilderness areas. Being that it seems every other house has a baby monitor running in it, don't expect them to work very well in urban and suburban settings. Their design is very basic however. Changing the transmitter oscillator crystal can move the oerating frequency. Readers of Patriots may recall this modification being done by the characters with their TRC-500s. One could then use a police scanner as a receiver.

Citizens Band (CB) and Family Radio Service (FRS)

I can recall a time when the only option for legal license-free communications was Citizen’s Band. Those of us who were seriously into communications went the extra mile and acquired our ham licenses, but even after getting my ticket I still used CB for its de-facto "jungle telegraph" capability. On the highway, it was unlikely that you would ever get a speed-trap report on 146.52 MHz, but all you needed to do was listen on Channel 19 and the information would usually come to you unsolicited. In 1991, I took a summer job at a Boy Scout camp in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. My traveling companion during frequent weekend trips back downstate was a Radio Shack CB installed in my Ford Escort with a magnet-mount whip antenna on the roof. This provided adequate communications intelligence on my forays up and down I-87 to avoid getting any fast driving awards over the course of that summer.

Mobile and base CBs provided some decent communications capability. While hardly in a prime transmitting location, I routinely achieved a 20-mile range communicating between my base station and mobiles. This was with a stock CB and a quarter-wave ground-plane antenna on my roof, up about 25 feet. Using CB in portable mode was a different story. A quarter wavelength antenna on CB is about 8 ½ feet long, and even the bulky telescoping whips on handheld CBs offered almost no range compared to a good mobile installation. Power was another issue. Most handheld CBs required 8 or 9 AA batteries that were depleted in a couple hours of transmitting. Those of us with ham tickets used our two-meter band HTs for portable ops. You could access a local repeater ad talk to another portable within the repeater’s range; usually about 20-50 miles from the repeater’s location. Then in 1996, the FCC authorized FRS (Family Radio Service)

Looking at the FCC’s Part 95 regulations, there is very little difference in the description between FRS and CB. CB is "a private, two-way, short distance voice communications service for personal or business activities of the general public." FRS is "a private, two-way, very short distance voice communications service for facilitating family and group activities." In practice and in the technical aspects of the FCC regulations however, there is a significant difference between the two. CB uses forty channels around 27 MHz. in AM or SSB mode with power limits of 4 watts carrier power on AM, or 12 watts peak envelope power on SSB. You may also connect external antennas to CB equipment. FRS uses 14 channels around 460 MHz. in narrowband FM mode with a power limit of .500 milliwatts (1/2 watt) effective radiated power into a permanently attached antenna. You cannot use an external antenna with a FRS radio. Twelve watts on sideband at 27 MHz. will consistently achieve a 20-mile range if you have a good antenna. Although it is illegal to communicate with stations more than 155.3 miles away on CB, any ham who has worked the Ten-meter band will tell you that 12 watts is more than enough to achieve world-wide communications in the high 20 MHz. range when the band is open. On the other side of the spectrum a half-watt FM on UHF will give you about a two-mile range tops unless u’re talking between two mountaintops.

These technical differences are apparent when monitoring the traffic on FRS and CB. FRS radios are intended to purchased, have batteries put in them, and be ready to go with a simple channel and maybe CTCSS tone ("privacy code") selection. They seem to be primarily used by non-techie types. Except for a few bells and whistles, FRS radios are pretty much all the same. CBs on the other hand generally require a more technical know-how in that they have to be wired into a vehicle or to a power supply, and an antenna installed someplace. CBs can be either AM-only or have SSB capability, and there is a plethora of antennas and radio types to choose from. Some CB enthusiasts have hacked their units for additional frequency coverage above and below Channel 40 to achieve coverage of 25-30 MHz., and increase output power. Some operate CB with modified ham rigs. There are a number of books out there on the subject. The technical ability of some of the hardcore CBers equals that of ham operators. Some may actually be ham operators who still do CB. In talking on FRS radios I have never heard the equivalent of a ham’s "CQ", and have never had a response from a general call-out for anyone who was monitoring the channel. I have heard individuals on FRS tell me that I was "using their channel" when attempting to communicate with my wife at the mall via this band. Now CB is hardly the pinnacle of communications, and people can be as obnoxious on CB as they are on FRS. In CB’s defense however, I’ve never had problems getting a "radio check" from some local enthusiast with his "ears on", and often had a good rag-chew session for a bit. SSB CB in many instances sounds no worse than some individuals (hams) on the 20 or 75-meter ham bands.

When it came to FRS radios, groups have taken an "all or nothing" proposition. Except for bells and whistles, there is little difference between the $15 FRS radio and the $50 FRS radio from a communications standpoint. For the cost of a single high-end radio, one can buy five basic radios. If your group is in need of short-range tactical intra-group commo, you can pick up FRS radios for $10 each and outfit a whole squad for $100. FRS radios are advertised as having a range of "up to 2 miles". Realistically the range is about a half-mile to mile. For a group needing an inexpensive way to keep in touch over short distances while in the field, they are very useful. FRS radios are plug and play. You insert batteries, select a channel, and start talking. There are also 22 channel FRS/GMRS radios that you may see. The extra 8 channels belong to the General Mobile Radio Service, and require a license from the FCC to legally operate on. Some of the FRS channels (1-7) are shared with GMRS. A GMRS license allows one to run higher power than FRS for longer-range commo. Some of the more expensive FRS radios advertise that they have "38 privacy codes" for a total of "532 channels of communications". This is a misleading gimmick, and those radios still only have the same 14 frequencies as any other FRS radio. The "privacy codes" are simply a subaudible audio tone (a/k/a "CTCSS" or "PL") that is transmitted under your audio. When used, it keeps you from hearing communications on your frequency not using the same tone as you. It’s mostly used as a courtesy and a means of filtering out other parties who are using the same frequency from breaking your squelch. They don’t offer any communications security. People with police scanners, and FRS radios that aren’t using a "privacy code" can still hear you. The one feature that is somewhat useful is the "voice scrambling" found on the high-end radios. While this is a simple single-frequency inversion system it will provide a modi+!@#$of privacy simply because it’s not common. Radios with voice scrambling are among the more expensive units, so groups decide whether the little bit of security is worth the significantly higher cost.

If you are a "lone wolf" survivalist, CB will probably be your primary commo system. If your group wants commo over a longer range than FRS then you should favor CB. CB is not as plug and play as FRS, but can be a more powerful means of commo. CB operates on forty channels as opposed to FRS’s 14. CB is also much lower in frequency, which means you can go a lot further than a mile or two, although by FCC regs you can’t communicate more than 155 miles. (A rule that is commonly ignored by many CB hobbyists.) Back in the mid-1970s, my parents installed a base station at home and mobiles in their cars. We consistently achieved a 20-mile range with our set-up, and would hear stations all up and down the East Coast when "skip" conditions were right. Even after getting my ham license, I still kept a CB rig in the car for getting info on road conditions. CBs are not as portable as FRS. Handheld CBs are about 4 times bigger, use twice as many batteries, and require larger and more cumbersome antennas. You can still however, put together a portable station that will fit in the radio pouch of a rucksack and out-perform any FRS radio. You can purchase a basic CB rig for about $35 new; either a mobile unit or a handheld. Here is where things get interesting. If your group was going to rely on CB and had some extra money to spend on commo, you could upgrade to single sideband (SSB) models. Most CBs use standard Amplitude Modulation (AM). A higher end CB also has SSB. SSB is a form of AM that has a narrower signal than standard AM. AM has three parts: a carrier and two sidebands. SSB removes the carrier and one of the sidebands enabling you to talk further with the same amount of power. SSB also adds a little bit of "security through obscurity" since most CBs are AM only. AM CBers will hear this faint garbled voice-like noise if they tune into a SSB signal with am AM rig. Similarly, police scanners that cover the CB frequency ranges only receive AM. This is of course offers no security against someone listening in with a SSB CB or a good shortwave receiver (one with a BFO). CB is still more of a jungle telegraph than FRS, especially when traveling. In spite of the increased popularity of FRS, it still has no equivalent of channel 19.

For the most part though, FRS is more popular than CB with the general populace. Ideally, you should have both. In spite of its higher popularity, people are more "private" on FRS than on CB. Where CBers never thought of their band as "private", many FRS users erroneously believe their commo is secure because they used one of the 32 "privacy codes" on "their" channel. At the very least, every member of your group should take $10 and by an FRS radio. Now you can all keep in touch while in the field or traveling. Just don’t expect much from an FRS radio going from inside one car to inside another car. You’ll get about a quarter of a mile. The next step up is to put CBs in your vehicles. If you use decent antennas you’ll get at least a few miles car-tocar, and they’ll work much better than FRS radios. The factor that makes or breaks a mobile CB installation is the antenna. The ideal length is a quarter wavelength. For CB that is 104" or 8’8". Now you know why that little 2 foot antenna doesn’t work very well. If you can’t go with a full ¼ wave whip antenna, then get a reputable 40-50" whip antenna such as a K-40 or Wilson 1000. They offer good performance in a manageable size

Multiple Use Radio Service (MURS)

MURS is an interesting animal with a lot of potential. MURS operates in the VHF-high band on 5 frequencies: 151.82, 151.88, 151.94, 154.57, and 154.60 MHz. The last two were once low-power business band frequencies that were part of a group known as "color" or "dot" frequencies. The freq of 154.57 was "blue dot", and 154.60 was "green dot". This scheme is from manufacturers placing little circle-shaped stickers on the radio to indicate common low-power frequencies. The 154 MHz channels see regular traffic from previously licensed users, and others. The 151 MHz. channels are fairly quiet now, but I expect that to change. MURS handhelds are beginning to come onto the market at about $100-$200 each. I expect this price to come down in the future, like FRS radios. In spite of it having only 5 frequencies instead of CB’s 40 and FRS’s 14, there are some things you can do with it. MURS is allowed 2 watts output, which is really about the same as CB, and much more than FRS. You can run external antennas like CB, and a ¼-wave antenna is only 18" long instead of 104". This makes nice high-gain antennas on MURS much more manageable than on CB. That 45" whip antenna that only performed moderately on CB is now a 5/8 wave on MURS that gives you 3 decibels of gain; doubling your radiated power output. MURS uses FM (Frequency Modulation) and is higher in frequency than AM CB. This makes it less susceptible to electromagnetic noise. This makes it more reliable for local and regional communications in many areas. You can also adopt some of the tricks hams use on their two-meter band (144-148 MHz.) to squeeze extra range out of those two watts of RF. All this may prompt you to go to the extra effort to get MURS equipment for your group's communications.

Amateur Radio

For many survivalists, amateur radio, or "ham radio" is the communications method of choice. Amateur radio is a natural for disaster and preparedness communications as seen in its purpose as defined in Part 97 of the FCC Regulations:

§97.1 Basis and purpose.

The rules and regulations in this Part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles:

(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.

§97.401 Operation during a disaster.

1. When normal communication systems are overloaded, damaged or disrupted because a disaster has occurred, or is likely to occur, in an area where the amateur service is regulated by the FCC, an amateur station may make transmissions necessary to meet essential communication needs and facilitate relief actions.

In order to receive an "entry-level" amateur radio license, you must pass a somewhat easy written test demonstrating knowledge in the areas of radio communications, electronics, and FCC regulations regarding the service. A detailed explanation of amateur radio is beyond the scope of this work, so I will refer any interested parties to visit the American Radio Relay League's web site at http://www.arrl.org/

Military Surplus Radios

Many survivalists come across various military surplus radios, and think about using them. While there are amateur radio hobbyists who are into the "green radios", the average survivalist should avoid them for the most part. A radio such a SGC-2020 or Yaesu FT-817 offers more performance than a Milsurp manpack radio at a fraction of the size, and without the necessity of finding odd batteries that Milsurp radios use. I like green radios however. They have coolness factor, and are built like the tanks they are often installed in. While there are many different models of green radios that have made their way to the collector market, I'll just discuss the VHF tactical radios I was introduced to in Basic Training. They have since been replaced with more up to date equipment, and are relatively recent arrivals to the military surplus market. All these radios operated from 30-75 MHz. with 50 KHz. channel spacing. Amateur radio operators used them on the six-meter ham band from 50-54 MHz.

The standard "portable" man-pack radio from the 1960s until a few years ago was the PRC-77 and it's earlier incarnation the PRC-25. The difference between the two was that the PRC-25 used a vacuum tube for the final transmitter stage, whereas the PRC-77 was all solid-state. The PRC-25 required both 12 VDC and 3VDC for the tube filament, and the PRC-77 used only 12 VDC. They used a special battery that was available in quantity on the surplus market. Most collectors converted the battery into an adapter to run the radios on a bunch of 1.5V D-cells. There was also a vehicle adapter that enabled one to run the radio off of 24 VDC military vehicle radio system. The standard vehicle radio was the VRC-524. It operated on 24 VDC, and there were AC power supplies available to enable one to run one as a base station.

Non-Radio Signaling

The last category under communications consists of items you use to signal search & rescue parties. This includes whistles, signaling mirrors, strobes, signal flares, and EPIRBS (emergency radio beacons). Depending on what scenarios you are preparing for, these items could be a useful addition to a contingency kit. Make sure you have signals for both day and night, and learn the various ground-to-air signals used in search & rescue. Any good survival text will have them. The universal signals for "help" are the letters "SOS", and three of anything. (signal fires, gunshots, et. al.) In International Morse Code, "SOS" is "di-di-dit, dah-dah-dah, di-di-dit" " … --- …" or three short, three long, three short. This can be done with anything from radios to flashlights.

Contingency Kit Assembly

With content requirements out of the way, you can start assembling contingency kits to suit your particular situation. There is no hard and fast rule other than the time-tested "Use whatever works. There is plenty of high quality equipment out there, so a survivalist has a lot of leeway to put together a custom kit to their liking.

The following is an example of a contingency kit that fits into a small package, and can be placed inside a backpack. It's designed as a general-purpose kit that can be of use in a wide variety of situations and environments. The kit was originally built around a U.S. Military vehicle first-kid kit box, and was later transfered to a Spec-Ops Brand "Pack-Rat" pack organizer.It contains the following:

* Signal mirror
* Inova 24/7 light with spare batteries
* Emergency Fishing Kit
* Gill Net
* Magnesium block fire starter
* NATO Lifeboat Matches
* Space Blanket
* Small Bic Lighter (2)
* Trioxane fuel bar
* Emergency Fishing Kit
* Straw-type water filter
* Mini folding saw with wood and metal blades
* Roll of trip wire
* Dental Floss
* Small Sewing Kit
* Wooden "tongue depressor" wrapped with duct tape, first-aid tape, and electrical tape
* Gauze Pads
* Band-Aids
* Antibiotic Ointment
* Muslin Bandage
* Package of Single Edge Razor Blades
* "Spark-Lite" Aviation Survival Fire Starter
* Survival card set (5 cards)
* Swiss-Tech Utili-Key
* Swiss-Tech folding pliers
* P-38 GI Can Opener
* Fox 40 Whistle
* Safety Pins (2)
* U.S. GI Pocket Knife
* Frog Gig spear head
* 4-5' length of piano wire
* Color Field Guide to Common Wild Edibles, by Bradford Angier
* FM 21-76-1, Multiservice Procedures for Survival, Evasion and Recovery

Final Words

While I don't agree with everything he espoused, Edward Abbey had a good point when he mentioned how a lot of social and political problems in this country would be solved if more Americans sought out and lived a self-reliant existence working as farmers, hunters, artisans, and artists in the country and small towns across the United States. From preparedness standpoint, this makes excellent sense. Although I'm witnessing a general decline across the country, I see enough good out there to remain optimistic and hopeful. I am referring to the increasing numbers of people who decide to:

* Go live in the country and practice self-reliance.
* Buy an old diesel car or truck, and homebrew their fuel out of used vegetable oil.
* Decide to not vote for a Demopublician or Reublicrat, and instead vote for one of the alternative parties.
* Set up one of the many little sub-communities of like-minded individuals that have sprung up everywhere from converted factories in cities (lofts), to old farms.
* Set up free "WiFi" wireless Internet access nodes.
* Run personal fabrication set-ups.
* Promote "open source" computer operating systems such as Linux and BSD.
* Put their homes "off the grid" with alternative energy set-ups.
* Become "guerrilla capitalists".
* Home school their children, or set up private schools for the families of like-minded individuals.

This country is continually becoming increasingly unstable as time goes on, and no one is immune from the downward spiral. Many more Americans are going to feel the effects in the future. Those with the foresight to realize what is going on and make the proper preparations will be those who will avoid the brunt of the mess. Maybe if we get enough people to become aware, we can avoid the mess altogether and that's what I would like to see.

Comment by majestic on June 17, 2009 at 5:07pm

JUST TO ADD SOME MORE INFO Survival Planning, Contingency Kits, and Bugging Out v2.0b Contingency Kits

If you worked at home in a nice safe rural area and never went more than a few miles away from the homestead to run errands, then maybe you won’t need a bug-out or contingency kit. For most of us however, having one should be considered a requirement. As I have stated before, I prefer the term "contingency kit" because it more accurately describes its purpose. Helping you bug-out to a safe location is only one potential use of a contingency kit. As we have seen earlier in the article, bugging out may be impossible to do, or may take longer than expected. In instances such as these, the traditional bug-out kit needs to be expanded to cover additional functions. You may need to procure alternative means of transportation. You may have to find a secure location and sit tight for a little while until things calm down. In certain situations, you may even need to "set up shop" somewhere for longer than expected. Depending how what scenarios and problems you may envision running into while doing your survival planning, you will equip your contingency kit accordingly. As I mentioned in a previous article, a contingency kit needs to serve several essential fnctions. They are (in no particular order):

* Communications
* First Aid
* Food
* Fire-Making
* Self-defense
* Shelter
* Tools
* Water

This all depends on your potential scenarios and situations you think you may encounter. Your contingency kit can consist of two parts. The first is the personal kit consisting of core items that you would keep in a backpack. The second part would be a vehicle kit that supplements your personal kit. Should you have to abandon your vehicle for whatever reason, you can always cache the less portable parts or your vehicle kit, or have the means in the kit to hide your vehicle until you can recover it later.

There are a few different general philosophies towards assembling a contingency kit. One assumes a short-term problem, usually a time frame of 72 hours (3 days) is assumed. Kits of this nature are intended for the user to "ride things out" at a basic existence level for the time frame. After 3 days disaster relief services are supposed to come in and render aid. A variation of this philosophy is a bug-out kit. This version is designed to get the user to his retreat in the event of a TEOTWAWKI-type disaster. Instead of riding things out in natural disasters and minor problems such as blackouts, this kit is focused upon getting its owner to their destination intact. It would, for example, contain more in the way of weaponry and firepower than a simple 72-hour kit. Yet another kit philosophy is what I refer to as a "Robinson Crusoe"-type kit. This kit assumes you will be stuck someplace during a long-term disaster, and will have to "temporarily" set up shop. This type of kit may lean a little heavily towards tools, security devices, and "infrastructure" items. Another basic kit design is based on the "possibles bag" that American frontiersmen carried in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The most important consideration for a contingency kit is that it be convenient; so that it will be handy when you need it. A Swiss Army Knife or Multi-Tool fits nicely in a pocket or belt pouch, is carried comfortably, and proves its usefulness several times a day because you aren't aware of the fact that you are carrying it until you need it. During 9/11 and the 2003 Northeast blackout, many people would have been much better off if they had a small kit put together and ready for use.

Most contingency kits will borrow a bit from all philosophies depending and the situation and whims of its user. This leads me to the most important part of any contingency kit. It is the gray matter that sits in your cranium between your ears. Broad knowledge and common sense are the two most important survival tools anyone can have. Those two items will let you make the most of whatever you happen to be carrying with you when the shit hits the fan. The longhunters and mountain men of old used to prosper in the wilderness with little more than a good knife, tomahawk, flint ‘n steel, rifle, blanket, and a small "possibles bag" filled with some sundry items. It was their legendary skill in woodcraft that enabled them to survive.

When you start putting everything together, you need to decide how you will lug it all around. I have used various items depending on the environment, equipment in the kit, and potential contingencies. Starting on the small side are modern-day versions of the possibles bag carried by mountain men and longhunters of the 18th and 19th centuries. Traditional possibles bags were made out of buckskin or leather. Many living history buffs make their own bags. My friend and co-conspirator Jim T. used to make possibles bags out of old blue jeans, much like the gentleman on the Frugal Outdoorsman website. Anyone who can handle a needle and thread without sewing his or her fingers together should be able to do one of these whether you decide to go with the traditional animal skin route, or use more modern materials.

For those of you looking for a manufactured solution, there are a myriad of military surplus shoulder bags from as many different countries that can be bought for under $10. You simply go visit your local army/navy store that deals in military surplus (some of them around here are yuppie sports stores) and see what you like. I found a British army shoulder bag at a local surplus dealer for $5. It is Khaki canvas with brass hardware, and measures 12" x 5" x 5". There is a clip on the shoulder strap that was perfect for hanging a Coleman zipper thermometer/compass from, and a D-Ring on the side of the bag that the handle of my tomahawk fit though nicely. A U.S. Army individual first aid kit is attached to the shoulder strap. The 300 cubic inch inside space provided plenty of room to cover all sorts of contingencies. On the civilian side of things, I picked up a nice green hip bag (or fanny pack) from a luggage vendor at the Big-E one year. This would enable one to discretely carry in public a decent amount of ontingency equipment, including a small pistol. There are even fanny packs available from Bianchi and Uncle Mikes that feature built-in holsters

Duffle bags (usually with a shoulder strap) are a very convenient way to store the contents of a contingency kit, especially if you have a number of smaller bags that comprise your kit. They are very discrete looking, and don’t attract attention. I have used the medium-size LL Bean Adventure Duffle (Catalog #TA19938) for a couple years now. (It was a gift from my wife.) It has proven to be a rugged piece of luggage. The medium bag is big enough to hold a change of clothing, the British shoulder bag, a U.S. Army medics bag, knife, tomahawk, and Grundig FR-200 emergency radio. The military-style cargo (or parachute) bags can be had in sizes large enough to hold a medium rucksack (without frame) and set of web gear (LBE).

For larger contingency kits, there is the ubiquitous backpack or rucksack. There are a wide variety of them available, ranging from Jansport and LL Bean daypacks, to the large rucksacks used by the world’s militaries. In addition to the US military surplus and new manufacture gear, there has been a lot of high quality foreign military surplus imported into the country over the past few years, It is offered at very reasonable prices. The German, Austrian, Australian, and Swiss gear is probably among the best in quality when it comes to the foreign stuff. A quick trip to your local military surplus store will find a plethora of items for you to examine and decide upon.

My current backpack is a Spec-Ops "T.H.E. Backpack" (Tactical Holds Everything). It's in the medium ALICE size range, and is great for general use. It's complimented with a small possibles bag, and occasionally a British DPM assault vest. It appears that the overseas and older American military surplus is built better than current "GI-style" equipment often found at today's army/navy stores. There are American companies such as Spec-Ops and Blackhawk that make very good tactical gear which can be of use to the modern survivor. It is more expensive than the "GI-style" gear, but the difference in quality shows. I am personally fond of the backpack and possibles bag combination, ala Nessmuk. The possibles bag is for equipment you use frequently and want to be readily available. This arrangement also lets you cache your backpack and use the possibles bag for when you make short excursions and want to travel light.

Water

The U.S. Army says that a soldier under normal circumstances needs a minimum of six quarts of water a day to remain effective. Under physical exertion, you can sweat a quart out of you in the course of an hour. A lot of water intake is done via the foods you eat during the course of the day. Eating survival food such as freeze-dried and MREs means you will have to drink more water, or need more for preparation. A gallon (four quarts) of water weighs 8 1/3 pounds, so a day’s supply would be at least 12 pounds. Carrying around "enough" water for more than a day would be prohibitive considering everything else you might be carrying. The standard U.S. Army individual load for water when I was in consisted of two one quart canteens on the web gear, and a two quart canteen kept on the rucksack. We always, however, had a "Water Buffalo" trailer nearby that was filled every day for filling our canteens.

Chances are you will have to acquire water from sources that are potentially contaminated. I recommend that your contingency kit contain a high-quality water filter such as a PUR/Katydin or MSR unit. At the very least get enough good purification tablets such, as Chlor-Floc, to treat enough water that you may need during the course of the problem. The Chor-Floc tablets are sold 30 to a package, which will treat eight gallons of water. The Chlor-Floc tablets are what the U.S. Military is currently using, and have replaced the old Iodine tablets. Some people cannot drink water treated with purification tablets, as they suffer digestive upset from it. If you have to go this route, make sure your system can tolerate them. I was recently at a local Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) store, and noticed that they were selling straw-type filters for $7 that were good for filtering 20 gallons of water, and would filter out most non-viral nasties that you might encounter. That was the same price that the local Army/Navy store was selling packages of Chlor-Floc for.

For long term contingencies or situations where you might be stuck someplace for a while, you might want to learn how to make medium to large-scale water filter systems using sand and other materials. You can find chlorine bleach almost anywhere, and it can be used to treat water sources by adding 1 teaspoon to every 10 gallons. Make sure the brand of bleach you use has no extra additives in it.

Food

Unless you can cache food along your bug-out routes, you will have to carry enough food to last however many days you will be on the road. If you have to hike it to your retreat with a pack on your back, you will need to eat two to three times what you "normally" do, due to the extra exercise you will be getting. You will also want stuff that can be eaten with little to no preparation; possibly while on the move. I don’t care much for MREs from having eaten them in the Army way too many times, but they get the job done. You can greatly reduce their bulk by discarding the packaging and just carrying the actual food items in their plastic/foil pouches. I would also not carry the MRE heaters, as they use precious water in order to work. You only need one plastic spoon, or you can discard it if you’re carrying a hobo kit. Besides MREs, you could carry common hiking/backpacking foods such as energy bars, "gorp", beef jerky, and instant soups and cereals. You can also get "survival food" such as the Mainstay emergency cookies, "survival food tabs", and Datrex food bars. One of my personal favorites is the "Cliff Bar" brand energy bar.

While planning your bug-out routes, make note not only of places where you might be able to cache a few MREs, but also places where you might be able to scrounge food. Some of them may be seasonal in nature, and you should take note of this as well. Some may not be obvious, and take some research to find. For example, an industrial park along your route may have a company such as Sysco as a tenant. Sysco is a provision supplier to schools, office buildings and other institutions. They maintain large local warehouses of provisions to supply their customers. Another such company is U.S. Food Service.

Self-Defense

Everybody has a different opinion on survival firearms. In 25 years of being involved in shooting sports, the number of opinions I have heard almost equals the number of fellow enthusiasts I have met. It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of opinions have been no more or less valid than any other. I read an article in the December, 2003 issue of Gun World magazine on "defensive firearms" by the magazine's editor, Jan Libourel. It was the last in a series, covered long guns, favored shotguns, and definitely reflected the author's residency in the People's Republic of California. Why any gun owner would want to live there when there are plenty of better places for gun owners is beyond me, but as guide for gun owners who live in a socialist state the article was adequate. Anyone who has taken the time to properly think through and develop a survival battery has a valid opinion as to its composition for his or her specific circumstances. My opinion has changed over the years as I continued to lear more about firearms, and changed residences from suburban, to urban, to rural locales. The best advice I have received from a mentor on survival firearms was "Make sure you are completely familiar with whatever you choose, and that it all works flawlessly." Those words of wisdom are 100% applicable no matter what circumstances you are preparing for, and whatever scenarios you envision.

The second-best piece of wisdom came from survival guru Kurt Saxon on what you should choose. His words were "A rifle for reaching out, a pistol on the nightstand, a shotgun by the door. You don't need no more." Unfortunately, most people tend to discount his common-sense approach when they hear his gun selections: .30-06 M1 Garand, .38SPC revolver, and 12ga shotgun. Now Kurt is from the survivalist movement of the 1960s and 70s, so his opinions are colored from that era. The World War II/Korean War-era M1 Garand is a fine reliable rifle in a versatile caliber, albeit a little heavy. A surplus M1 Garand in good condition is getting pricey and hard to find. A new one is expensive. They require those 8-round enbloc clips that self-eject out of the rifle, often into oblivion. Without those clips, the rifle is a poor single-shot. The .38 Special is an adequate defensive caliber with the right ammo. Since you can fire .38s in a .357 Magnum revolver however, going with the .357 gives you more ammo options. The 12 uge shotgun is the one item in his battery suggestion that few people argue with. Since you have the choice of several different models made by Winchester, Mossberg, Remington, New England Firearms/H&R, and Benelli to name a few, the argument shifts to what make and model you should have. Looking at them from a subjective standpoint, however one could do very well with a survival battery consisting of a good rifle in a .30 cal cartridge, a .357 Magnum revolver, and a 12 ga. pump shotgun. This battery could be very inexpensively put together, cover shooting ranges out to 800 yards, and be adequate for an individual familiar with tactics and the weapons in question. The three-gun battery is a good start, and we can expand upon it and make it better. Before getting into specifics, however let’s try to envision some real-world firearms applications, and potential scenarios the survivalist might plan for.

Most survival firearms are purchased for hunting, self-defense, or both. Hunting is a pretty broad category, and depending on what you’re going for you can use anything from a .22LR (long rifle) rimfire up to a .338 Winchester Magnum. My hunting experiences have been limited thus far to upstate New York and Southern New England, ranging from rabbit and squirrel to white tail deer; typical Northeast game. Most of this was done with a .22LR rifle or shotgun. Occasionally I have carried a .30-30 or .30-06 when deer hunting in areas where rifles are allowed, depending on the terrain. In the more populated areas, big game hunting is limited to the use of shotguns and handguns. In rifle country, I’ve seen people use everything from 6x55 Swede, to .45-70, to 7mm Remington Magnum. For those on a severely limited budget, a simple $80 single-shot break open shotgun made by New England Firearms enables you to hunt everything from small game and upland birds to deer. You just select the correct shells for the game you are seeking. For about $200-$300, you could outfit yourself with a decent .22LR rifle and a 12 gauge shotgun. Many hunters prefer the .22LR for small game such as rabbit and squirrel. It doesn’t damage the meat as much as a shotgun, and the ammunition is cheaper than shotgun shells. You can pick up a box of 50 .22LR rounds for a dollar. For another $100-$300 you can pick up a rifle in a .30 caliber cartridge. There are many military surplus bolt-action rifles starting at around $100, and a Marlin or Winchester lever-action sells new for around $250. That will give you the firearm capability to take anything from a squirrel up to black bear. At a recent (December 2004) gun show I saw an individual selling mint condition WW2 8mm German Mausers for $270 each!

On the defensive end, you will be most likely dealing with adversaries using the following calibers: .223 Remington (5.56mm NATO), 7.62x39mm Soviet, 9mm Parabellum, and .40 S&W. You might also see .30-30 Winchester and .308 Winchester (7.62mm NATO). Most likely however, the predominant firearms will be in pistol and carbine calibers. You therefore want a rifle that has an effective range greater than the AR-15, SKS, AK-47, and pistol-caliber carbines. This means a good rifle in a .30 caliber cartridge such as .308, .303 British, .30-06, 7.62x54mm Russian, 8mm Mauser, et. al. The two choice calibers would be .308 and .30-06 as they are most common in the states, but you can get good deals on surplus ammo in the other calibers enabling you to put aside a decent stockpile of ammo at a reasonable cost.

Getting into firefights is generally considered a bad idea in a bug-out situation. Therefore any type of activity is going to be more along the lines of "sneak and peek - shoot and scoot" while you stay out of range of all those ARs and AKs. While a semi-automatic "battle rifle" such as an M1A/M14, FAL, or HK-91 would be nice, a bolt action rifle would do just fine for that type of work. The objective of "bugging out" is to get from point "A" to one’s retreat location intact and preferably uninjured, and gun battles reduce the chances of that. This means emulating Natty Bumpo instead of John Rambo, and going for the stealth approach.

The usual guns carried in a contingency kit are a rifle and handgun. Usually one firearm is in a larger "defensive" caliber, and the other is in .22 LR. In rural environments, it would be a .30 caliber rifle and a .22 pistol. Most defensive encounters would be at long range, and larger game would be available to hunt if the opportunity presented itself. The .30 caliber rifle would handle both of these tasks. The .22 pistol would be adequate for close-range small game harvesting, and defensive purposes where a low-signature weapon is needed. In urban environments, defensive ranges would be much closer, and concealability would be more of a factor. A good handgun in a defensive caliber such as .40 S&W, .45 ACP, or .357 Magnum would be needed. The low-signature .22 firearm could be another handgun or one of the break-down .22 rifles such as an AR-7 or Marlin Papoose. Some individuals carry three firearms in their contingency kit. They carry a rifle, pistol in a defensive caliber, and a .22 LR firearm of some so.

I'm of the philosophy that a firearm is not automatically an essential part of a contingency kit. The criteria for including one (or not) would depend on the particular contingency and situation. Then there is the matter of what type of firearm you would include. Many individuals appear to be under the assumption that when "the shit hits the fan" they will be able to openly carry a full-length military-style rifle such as an AK-47, AR-15, or FN-FAL with little consequence. Conversely there are others who will assume the worst when they see an individual so armed, and will consequently shoot first and maybe ask questions later. Although some states are really weird about handguns, they are easy to conceal and work well with the stealth approach.

Having a taken-down .22 rifle, or even a bigger "hunting rifle" locked in a case in the trunk of one's car is generally not considered unusual in most non-urban areas of the country, especially during hunting season. That is easy enough to explain off with a plausible answer. That CQB M4 look-alike may be a different story. Should you decide to keep a long gun other than a model that you could easily break down to throw in a backpack as a standard part of your contingency kit, get something that you won't feel bad about if you lose it. You may decide that carrying it openly would not be a good idea at the time. You will then have to cache it, and may not be able to retrieve it later.

You may at some point find yourself "unarmed" due to whatever circumstance. In that instance, it is good to have some knowledge in the field of improvised and homemade weaponry. One of the better books I have seen that covers this topic (and is still in print) is probably Kurt Saxon's The Poor Man's James Bond. The PMJB is now at five volumes, although only volumes 1 & 2 are still available in print form. You can purchase the complete set on CD from Atlan Formularies (Kurt's business) http://www.survivalplus.com/. Delta Press http://www.deltapress.com/ sells Volumes 1 and 2 in printed form. Each "volume" of the PMJB is about 400-500 pages in length, and there is quite a bit of information in them. Kurt Saxon gets a bad rap in many survivalist circles, but the quality of the information is there. Just don't follow his example of blowing a hand up and becoming an alcoholic. While on the topic of Kurt Saxon, I also recommend his series of Survivor volumes, which are reprints of his self-reliance and preparedness newsletter that bore the same name.