Black Scout Survival: Survival/Preparedness Tips

Showing posts with label Survival/Preparedness Tips. Show all posts

The Tiered System and How It Can Help You Develop Your Kits

I want to introduce a tiered approach that I take that may simplify things. This may help you in development of your kit(s). First you will need to know what event's your planning for. This will determine much of what you pack and how many of the tier's I'm going to describe.

Tier 0-Knowledge: Your most important tier. This may involve paying for training which is why I include it in the tiered system. You may find yourself in a situation where all of your gear has been lost or taken and you have to improvise and your life depends on your resourcefulness. Knowing how to start fires, build shelter, procure food, and make weapons should be part of your skill sets.

Tier 1-EDC/SERE Kit: This includes your pocket knife, multi-tool, wallet, key ring, flashlight, cell phone, and so on. Your cutting tool (pocket knife) being the most important since its the hardest to replicate in the wild and it can accomplish many survival task. It doesn't matter if its a swiss army knife or a $300 tactical folder. It will most likely be your only knife with you when things go sour- since its difficult to get away with a fixed blade in your day to day life. Your Pocket Survival Kit or SERE kit as I like to call it. Typically if you have this and only this; you have had to leave your main pack behind. More than likely your surviving, evading, resisting, and escaping (SERE). These items will be small tools that will aid you and your knowledge (tier 0) should do the rest.

Tier 2-72 Hour Kit/EDC Bag/Get Home Bag: This kit encompasses those items that you have in a small bag. It could be in your vehicle, your EDC Bag, or 72 hour kit. These are larger and more comprehensive tools than whats found in your EDC or SERE Kit. You want to focus on sheltering devices like space blankets, small sleeping bags, mylar bivvy sacks, and heat sources for maintaining core body temps (like fire starting equipment). You will also want to have food stuffs like jerky/MRE main meals/granola bars. Items that don't require cooking. Have some water, a way to carry it, and a way to find or get more potable water on the move. Boiling is not the best option when your trying to get somewhere. So I would say to carry small purifying straws or water purification tablets. Small trauma kits would also go into this category. A small fixed blade knife and multi-tool could also serve you well. This kit is best designed to sustain you for a few days to get you to your desired location. You don't want to have to stop and build shelters, cook food or boil water. Your mission objective is to get to a safe place in the shortest amount of time. We will have a article published soon on "Defining the 72 hour kit" and this will go over the criteria for kits of this application.

Tier 3-72 Hour Kit and Beyond/BOB: In my opinion your BOB is not a 72 hour kit. A BOB is gear that you may need to survive in an unknown situation. Mainly because your having to "bug out" from your safe house and move away from danger. Could you use your BOB for a 72 hour kit? Sure, however I like to separate mine because my BOB is to extensive to carry everyday and have within an arms reach. This kit would also include larger firearms like rifles and more ammo, food acquiring equipment, cooking equipment like stoves, larger scale comm systems (HAM radios), major sheltering systems (down sleeping bags, tents, hammocks, and tarps), comprehensive medical kits, an environmental gear such as a change of clothing, larger buschcrafting tools like saws, pack-able axes, and larger knives. Again, this system is for the unknown, when you've had to leave your house, bug out location, or safe house and you may be placed in a survival situation Field craft skills are also a must for this scenario.

The water gets muddied on kit applications. Many people run systems together and this will leave you in a bad position. It's better to have yourself set up for success by developing systems around these types of scenarios. Also not that these kit items can be modular. Meaning that you don't need a flashlight for every tier. You will already have it on you and it can be used for that next tier. We will try and do a video on this subject in the future- if you guys are interested.

Training: your most important piece of survival "gear"

Many of us get caught up in gear. Spending tons of money on the latest and greatest equipment. Don't get me wrong, I do love gear just as much as the next guy. The problem is that I don't see that many that spend any money or effort in their training. You will always have your training but you can't say the same about your gear.

When I say training, I don't specifically mean going to attend training (although I highly recommend it). I believe experience is just as important as training. I know when I've faced a situation that I have faced before I generally know how to handle it. Why? Because I've already dealt with it before.

A saying that we use in the military is that "you will always default to your level of your training". Many people think that when they face a situation they will "rise to the occasion". As many have found out- that's not the case. You will always resort back to your level of training.

Lets look at it from a fitness standpoint. Do you believe that if you've been living an unhealthy lifestyle; that you would be able to bug out on foot on a ten mile ruck to get to your bug out location? I'm sure there are many out there that believe that they will. I know better. Don't let your fantasies get the best of you. If you have never pushed yourself to that physical capacity; then more than likely you will not when it becomes reality.

There are endless survival resources online. You could spend hours online looking at the plethora of "survival experts" on YouTube. If moneys tight and that is the only option you have; its better than nothing. I would encourage you to get out and practice those skills and gain that "experience" like I stated above. By failing to do certain things you may learn how to do them right. An example of this is friction fire. You may fail a hundred times before you get it. But the experience will help you. This may even lead you to shortcuts or better methods of doing things. You can also receive free training from the American Red Cross.

If you can afford to spend some money, I would suggest getting training in the areas below:

wilderness survival
firearms/tactical training
a fighting art (i.e. krav maga, ju-jitsu, boxing, wrestling, etc...)
CERT/FEMA
Gardening
Welding
OnPoint Tactical Urban Escape and Evasion Class

Some of these skills you can gain from friends; others you may have to go find a professional to teach you. Bottom line is to get out and do it. Save that money that you spend on the latest and greatest gadget and go learn some skills that you will always have with you.

Adam Ticknor on Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness Part 8

Over the next week we will be posting a video series on Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness. This class was instructed some time last year by Adam Ticknor. He occasionally contributes to Black Scout Survival, is a former Scout Sniper/Reconnaissance Marine, and one of the handful of guys that we feel like knows what hes talking about. Check it out and let us know what you think. (This video will be an 8 part series)

Adam Ticknor on Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness Part 6

Adam Ticknor on Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness Part 5

Adam Ticknor on Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness Part 4

Adam Ticknor on Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness Part 3

Adam Ticknor on Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness Part 2

Adam Ticknor on Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness Part 1

Sgt. Knots- Jute Survival Paracord

I recently came across some of the most awesome paracord on the market. Its known as Jute Survival Paracord brought to us by Sgt. Knots. Sgt. Knots offers a variety of different paracord, bankline, rope, etc.. to fill your cordage hunger.

Top: Jute Survival Paraord
Bottom: Standard paracord

We all know how multi-functional and useful paracord is- Sgt. Knots takes it a step further. As the name implies it has a strand of jute, but it doesn't stop there. It also includes two strands of braided fishing line! Increasing its functionality. In the package your getting 6 strands of standard inner paracord, 1 strand of jute, and 2 strands of braided fishing line. I'm not sure of the strength but I'm going to assume with the two strands of braided line it has to be close to 550lbs of tensile strength- if not more. I will also say that the quality of the paracord is the best I've seen to date. Even more so than issue 550 cord that I received while serving in the Marines.

Notice the jute and two strands of braided fishing line.

With this increased functionality I've pretty much used this paracord as lanyards on all my equipment. By using this as your firesteel lanyard you've also given yourself a piece of last ditch tinder by way of the jute twine. With all my survival gear I like to have multi-purpose gear. This eliminates ounces that equal pounds.
An example of this would be that you only need to carry hooks, sinkers, and tinder while carrying your cordage.

The Jute Survival Paracord comes in a few colors (black, tan, od green, brown, red, royal blue, and neon orange). It also has flecks spiraling the cord similar to climbing rope- which looks awesome. You would imagine with these added features that this cord would be super expensive. Well its not. It cost about the same as standard issue mil-spec paracord at about $30 for a 300ft roll.

Again, Im pretty stoked about this product and think you should check it out below:

Doom and Bloom: Suturing/Stapling Class Overview

We recently attended the National Prepper & Survivalist Expo held in Atlanta, GA. This was a two-day event that brought together many of the vendors involved in the Prepper/Survivalist community. I had planned on going and reserved our tickets online. During the time leading up to the event, NPS would send out emails detailing updates with the expo. One of the emails had a class schedule for the event. I was surprised to see that Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy would be doing a Suturing and Stapling class and I decided to sign up for it.

Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy

Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy run Doom and Bloom- a website dedicated to medical information for those not sporting M.D. at the end of their name with an emphasis on disaster scenarios. They also have a book called The Survival Medicine Handbook that has a plethora of information that could come in quite handy if things do take a turn for the worse. I encourage you guys to take some time and visit their YouTube channel where you can find some very informative videos and their online store where they offer some customized preparedness medical kits.

I've had suturing gear in my medical kits for quite sometime. I like many had believed that it was an easy thing to do. It has to be pretty much like sewing right? Wrong! Suturing is definitely a skill set that has many moving parts. If done wrong it can lead to serious repercussions.

In this class you will learn when to suture and when not to suture. This alone is probably the most important part of the class. You will also learn less invasive techniques as well as improvising would closures. They will go over the different types of sutures materials and what they are used for. Something that in the past I hadn't paid much attention too. This will also cover the types of needles (sizes and shapes) and their purposes. Another topic is wound cleansing and the importance of not leaving dead space in a sutured wound. Drainage techniques and devices are also briefly covered. Other wound management techniques like wet and dry dressings were very eye-opening.

After the powerpoint presentation you will being your practical application. You will be issued a instrument kit (in which you get to keep), suture (you also receive a suture set to take home and practice with), and a pig's foot. During this session we learned how to apply an Interrupted Instrument Tie suture method. After seeing it, I realized I had received suture's like this in the past. Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy make sure each student gets some one-on-one time to ensure they learn the proper technique.

The last practical application covers stapling. It was surprisingly simple to do (at least on a pig's foot).

Overall I have to say this was one of the best classes I have attended. Its very difficult to find this level of training in the civilian world. Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy are a great asset to the Prepper/Survival Community. I sincerely appreciate that they offer their expertise in the medical field to those that my not have the opportunity to gather these skills that could prove invaluable in a grid down situation.

Check them out on their website, YouTube, as well as check their event schedule for upcoming classes.

Gold & Silver

History

The dollar is a paper currency with no intrinsic value. EVERY paper money ever created has ALWAYS lost its purchasing power over the years. In the time of Ancient Rome, a day of work was worth a tenth of an ounce of silver ; in the beginning of the 20th century (2,000 years later) a day of work was still paid a tenth of an ounce of silver.

Today 2/3 of the world population lives with two dollars a day (a tenth of an ounce of silver). Gold and silver have been traded for 5,000 years, and they are still here today because they are real money.

Should you buy gold or silver?

Both, but I personally prefer silver, physical silver, in coins or bars.

Investment demand

The investment demand is growing in China, India, and the Far East. Silver is the ordinary man’s real money, not gold. Everybody can buy silver because it's much cheaper than gold, and the gold/silver ratio signals much higher silver prices to come.

Should I buy coins or bars?

I prefer silver coins because they have formal monetary value and are recognized all over the world, especially these three coins:

Silver Philharmonic
Canadian Maple Leaf
Silver Eagle

How much of my portfolio should I invest in precious metals?

I would say the minimum should be 10%, but when you seriously look at what happened recently in Cyprus (the risk of bail-ins or bankruptcy risks all over the world), I would suggest you invest a much higher percentage.

Of course, precious metals do not have to be considered as primary vital resources like water, food, energy, or security measures.

Where should I store my gold and silver?

I wouldn't want my own savings in a bank account, so the first thing would be: don't store your precious metals in a safe in a bank!

You can store it at home, if the value is under $10,000, or with www.GoldBroker.com, for a larger investment.

Black Scout Tutorials - Building a Grid Down Medical Kit Part 2

In this episode, we continue our look at the grid down medical kit and all of the components that could possibly save a life if no help is available to you in an extreme situation. Remember only use components that you have been trained on in the past as you could hurt someone more than they are with an untrained hand/instrument. Hope you get something from the vid and thanks for watching!

Black Scout Tutorials - Building a Grid Down Medical Kit Part 1

In this episode, we break down what is in our "grid down/emergency/ER" kit that is way more intense than a standard emergency kit most have in the car or home. Breaking down what is in the kit will hopefully trigger some ideas for you on what to add or even start over form scratch. Hope you learn something from my kit and thanks for watching!

10 Items a New Prepper Needs

In this episode, we review 10 items (plus 1 for extra credit) that are essential to survival if something catastrophic happens. These are items we feel everyone should have in their home even if they are not "preppers". Hope you enjoy it and thanks for watching. Remember to subscribe!

Preparing for Disaster

Cameraman Joel C. covering a flood in Los Angeles

Most of us have vehicle insurance, health insurance, and home owners or renters insurance. These are blankets that help us in an accident or when bad things happen. It's somewhat mind boggling to me that most don't have any preparations for a disastrous event however. Many look at it as a waste of time and money. But how much is your life worth to you?

I'm not talking about being a "Doomsday Prepper" or preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse. But having key provisions to help you with a natural disaster, civil unrest (rioting), or any other unnatural event that may occur. When there is no one else to call on for help. I myself think that you should prepare for the absolute worst with a wide variety of skills, training, and gear. But what if you not like me? Does that mean you don't need any sort of insurance?

The American Red Cross gives a list of disaster kits essentials. For the most part I think that it is a decent list. I'm going to go over the most basic items I feel you should have to be self reliant when there is no one else to call (police, fire, medical, or when the store shelves are bare).

This list will provide you with the ability to shelter in place. So that you will not have to scavenge or fight for food at the grocery stores.

1. Medical/Trauma Kit-Probably the most important kit you can have at your house. This isn't one of those first aid kits with band-aids and alcohol wipes. I'm talking about a bag that can aid in serious trauma (airway, breathing, and circulation). In the case that EMS cannot help you. Something like a first responder would carry. I have a pretty serious med bag that I've put together for grid down scenarios that I'll go over the contents in the future. It also wouldn't hurt to get some kind of medical training from the American Red Cross. CPR training if nothing else.

2. Water-Water is essential to all forms of life. You should have a gallon per person-per day for each of your family members. This will aid in hydration as well as sanitation. You can store it in containers from the tap (just add a few drops of chlorine to maintain the freshness). Or store bought and rotate it periodically. I suggest having at the minimum two weeks worth. Also it would be wise to have a means to treat water such as chlorine. Chlorine is cheap and you probably have it at your house already. You could also purchase a filtering system like backpackers use. You could always boil it but that requires more equipment if the electricity were to go out.

3. Food- In a survival situation you can go without food for awhile, but do you want to place yourself in a survival situation? Survival means life or death. Its hard to gather a food supply when all the other unprepared people are too. A 3 week food supply will cover most disasters. If need be you can stretch the food out longer by skipping a meal here and there. You will need to prepare for 3 meals for each of the members of your family. Canned items is probably your most cost efficient method to develop food storage. This can be done by picking up an extra can or two of food at the grocery store each week. Canned meats, fruits, and vegetables can be rotated in your diet already so its not really an expenditure. MRE's are another great way to go because they don't require cooking. Your kids will like it because of the cool factor and most people can live off of one to two a day. I know because I have while physically exerting myself with no problems. There are also freeze dried backpacking foods that have a long shelf life but do require cooking. A garden in your back yard doesn't hurt either and it is relatively free.

4. Illumination-When the power goes out it sucks to be stuck in a dark house. Candles are cheap and can be found everywhere; they can also be used decoratively around your house. I personally like lanterns. I keep both LED and Kerosene type. If you go the LED route make sure to get one that accepts batteries and not the rechargeable kind. Since the rechargeable cannot be recharged without electricity. Headlamps make you look like a nerd but they offer hands free usage when working on something in the dark. Also keep a supply of batteries and kerosene to operate these items.

5. Fire Extinguisher- Keep a few large fire extinguishers around to keep from losing your shelter to fire. This is pretty self explanatory.

6. Self-Defense- A Firearm if you can have them where you live. I suggest if you only have one weapon that it be a pump 12 gauge shotgun. It can be used in a wide variety of applications. Self-Defense it can stop someone in there footsteps with a slug or buckshot. It can also be used to hunt small or large game. Shells are plentiful even when you cant find any other kind of rifle or pistol ammo. This has been proven lately when I've went to buy 9mm/.223 ammo. They were out of that but had a boat load of 12 gauge shells. I also suggest a pump over an automatic since automatics have a tendency to malfunction. Stock up by buying a box of shells every time you go to Wal-mart.

7. Multi-tool- In a wilderness survival situation I would definitely prefer a fixed blade knife. But for something that is useful indoors and out I would suggest a high quality multi-tool. I only use Leatherman brands. Whether cutting of the natural gas or cleaning a deer, this can get the job done!

8. Sleeping Bags/Heater- This may not be applicable to everyone. More for those that live in a cold environment. Get sleeping bags for everyone in your family that goes down to the lowest temp rating for where you live. They also offer sleeping bags for two people where you can share each others body warmth. Space heaters are excellent for maintaining warmth in a grid down scenario. You will need fuel to run it for 2 weeks.

9. NOAA Weather Radio- This will allow you to get information about the current conditions when the power goes out. I prefer the wind-up/solar style that doesn't need batteries. This may turn out to be your only source of intel to make an informed decision for your next move.

10. Cook Stove/Fire- Some sort of propane cook stove like the common backpacking or camping style will do just fine. If you have a propane grill that will work if the weather isn't too bad. Have plenty of canisters on hand if you go with the backpacking variety. Keep 5 or 6 BIC lighters to light the stove or any candles/lanterns you may have when it gets dark.

11. Bucket Toilet- General sanitation can become a problem if a major disaster happens. Using your house toilet without the possibility of flushing it can cause an insanitary environment leading to sickness. There are a few 5 gallon bucket styles out on the market that have toilet style lids. Those will help for comfort but a 5 gallon bucket will work itself in a pinch. Make sure to have trash bags, kitty litter, and wet wipes to keep your humanity.

This list is just the basics and isn't meant to be all encompassing. It's the bare minimum I recommend or for someone who wants to get started in disaster preparedness. So you can stop here and will be covered for most reasonable disasters but makes a great building block if you want to go further into self-sufficiency.

Here are some Amazon product links for some of the items I recommend from the list above:

Black Scout Reviews - Greenbrier Resort Off Road Tour

In this episode, we took a trip to the beautiful Greenbrier Resort in White Sulpher Springs, West Virginia and rocked the Off Road Tour. We slapped a GoPro on the top of a Jeep Rubicon and got dirty. Check it out and please subscribe!

Preparing for Uncertainty: Silver as Financial Security

As a survivalist or preparedness minded person, we often focus on skill sets and gear. Little is though about on the topic of financial security.

We tend to shovel cash into our savings accounts and build a nest egg to carry us through problems that may arise. But what if the dollar of your country loses value as it has in many counties in the world? Survivalism is preparing for the worst and are usually "what-if" scenarios. Devaluing of the dollar should also be one of those scenarios you prepare for.

Silver is the easiest and most cost efficient way to get started in obtaining precious metals. It takes less of an initial investment as something like gold or platinum may cost.

I suggest to save a little each week from your income. This should be separate from your regular savings account. Similar to the pay-yourself-first method. At the end of the month, purchase the amount of silver that you can with the money you have set aside. You will be surprised at how quickly you can develop financial insurance within a year. Typically precious metals tend to have a value that increases. You will lose nothing and if anything you can usually make a return on your investment.

One of our favorite places to purchase silver is www.buysilverbars.com. Check them out and get on the path to financial security.

Black Scout Quick Tips - Free Knife Sharpener

In this quick tip we let you know how to make a knife sharpener out of a part from a sodium halide bulb that you can find everywhere. Hope you like this quick tip and we are going to start doing a bunch of them so please subscribe to check out all them! Thanks for watching!

Cache Contents

Over the past few weeks we've covered caches rather extensively with a collection of articles and videos. We planned to make it a short series but we decided to go further in depth over the span of three videos and around four articles. But honestly I feel that even with that we may have to film another video and write a few more articles to convey some ideas we wanted to pass to you guys. If that interest you-stay tuned.

Lets get back to today's topic--Cache contents. People can get really bent out of shape and go overboard on cache items. I've heard of guys caching vehicles on the extreme side, we will be a bit more toned down than that.

A lot of your cache contents will be dependent upon the application of the cache. Such as, a cache for your bug out route may contain items like food, water, and fuel. Whereas in your onsite cache you may have 2000 rounds of ammo for a shelter-in-place scenario or to keep looters from stealing it. Whatever the reason you need to think about how it will help you in that situation. If it helps you in a certain situation then it most likely will be a worthwhile investment.

Ask yourself these questions to help determine contents for various applications:

Is this a resupply point?
If so, what items will I have consumed by the time that I reach the cache? (ammo?)
What items will help me to keep moving if I reach the cache? (food, medical gear, caffeine, water, or fuel?)
How large is the cache container?
How can this cache supplement my BOB or Get Home Bag loadout?
Can I survive with what is solely in the cache?
Will I need to reach this cache by vehicle or can I reach it by foot?
Can I carry the contents of the cache on foot or will I need a vehicle?

These are just a few questions that you need to ask yourself when determining what type of contents to place in your cache.

Below I will list out different types of caches and recommended item list.

Resupply cache (to resupply during travel)- food, water, ammunition, and fuel
Onsite cache- identification's, passports, encrypted thumb drives, currency, firearms, ammo, bug out supplies, and whatever else you deem necessary
Urban Evasion Cache- lockpicks, tools, weapons, burn phones, pre-paid credit cards, cash, and disguises
Survival Cache- essentially this is a survival kit with items that will help you survive (I will detail mine below)

Here's whats in my survival cache.

Survival basics such as a knife, fire kit, compass, cordage, and something to carry it all in (bag). You want to make sure you choose quality items. They need to be reliable. Usually when I upgrade gear, I will place older items into caches. If your still working on getting your primary quality gear such as BOB's or Get Home Bags; I think its okay to then use less quality items for your caches. Something is better than nothing in a survival situation.

Illuminations devices are always key to making a survival situation a bit more comfortable. For my cache I chose an inexpensive headlamp. ($4.99 Energizer Trailfinder/Link Below), Mini-Maglite with red lens, and a few chem-lights. The Maglite brand is decent quality and can take a beating. I also included a red lens to protect my night vision as well as to help with going undetected during the night. Since red is harder to see from a distance than a traditional white beam.

Food and water is critical to us. It also gives us energy to keep moving by providing precious calories. In a cache; you will want to have food that will last a long time and can be eaten without needing to cook it. I like MRE's for that reason. They can be ripped open and eaten on the move. Notice I didn't include an MRE heater in this kit. That's because when on mission's we always ate our chow cold, we never wasted precious time by heating and eating. We ate them cold and on the move. I also added Emergency Drinking Water Rations. I could have added water purification tablets but I would then need to pack a container. The water rations are in their own container and can easily be carried and drank when needed

Shelter will vary depending on your location. Mine current environment doesn't get too cold any time of the year. That allows me to be a little more conservative with my sheltering options. For my kit I have two contractor grade trash bags. They can be used to make a hobo sleeping bag by placing one in the other and filling the outside bag with leaves and debris. They can also be used to make poncho, tarp, tent, or to gather water. I've also included a military space blanket that is an OD green color. This will help retain body heat as well as helping me remain undetected if I'm in evasion mode. The trash bags can also be used as a sort of camouflage if need be. I've also included a brightly colored rain poncho in the case I do need to be seen or rescued. The duct tape is mandatory (I've made it into a smaller roll to be easily pack-able).

I've also included a first aid kit (that included boo-boo items, painkillers, as well as trauma related supplies. I've also included currency, handcuff keys, lockpicks, and a bobby pin. These items will help if I've been restrained or with the possibility of becoming restrained.

This was just some gear from one of my caches in the future I'll go over other contents for a variety of other caches. Hopefully this may have helped you in deciding what gear to place in your cache.

Here are a few links to some low-cost/decent quality items for your cache:

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