Posts Tagged survival gear
Tacticool is not survivalism
Tacticool is not survivalism:
Wearing woodland camo in the urban jungle does not make you a survivalist.
Bragging to your friends how you stockpile food does not make you a survivalist.
Wearing combat boots does not make you a survivalist
Trying to maintain a constant-stay-of-readiness does not make you a survivalist.
Buying a gas mask and keeping it in your car/suv does not make you a survivalist.
Having a get home bag does not make you a survivalist.
Having a bug out bag does not make you a survivalist.
Having a closet full of military gear does not make you a survivalist.
Having mud tires on your 2 wheel drive truck/suv does not make you a survivalist.
Having night vision does not make you a survivalist.
Having a Kevlar helmet does not make you a survivalist
Having a flak jacket does not make you a survivalist.
Having a bug out location does not make you a survivalist.
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Recent survival gear additions
The summer of 2010 was not only a great summer that will never be forgotten (at least by me anyway), it was also the summer that a lot of new survival gear was added to my inventory.
1. Large MOLLE pack – after much debate, I figured it was time to jump on the MOLLE pack bandwagon. Instead of hauling my large ALICE pack around on camping trips, I have switched to a 4,000 cubic inch Large MOLLE. I miss the outside pockets of the ALICE pack, but that has been fixed by adding a Maxpedition clam pouch and a couple of sustainment pouches. The only thing I need now is an internal radio pouch, and everything will be good to go.
I have a lot of backpacks, but only 3 in the 4,000 cubic range – a Kelty, large ALICE pack and now the new large MOLLE pack.
2. Magellan sleeping pad – after sleeping on the ground for almost 30 years, its about time that I got a sleeping pad. The Magellan sleeping pad I got folds in half, and then rolls up about the size of a cantaloupe.
Back around 1995 or 1996 I bought a rather cheap sleeping pad, but it was big and bulky. Even though I have owned it for 14 – 15 years, its only been on maybe 6 camping trips. I wanted something that was small enough to fit inside my pack folded in half, or outside my pack not folded in half.
3. Eureka solitaire one man tent – my previous one man tent had been a Wenzel starlight biker tent. After using the biker tent for about 15 years, I figured it was time for a new tent – something that is a little more open across the top and breathable in hot weather.
The only problem I have with the Eureka solitaire, its so compact its difficult to move around in, and impossible to sit up in. Even to get a drink of water you have to twist your head around.
Top 10 survival gear items
Out of all your survival gear items, which 10 are the most important? This list is going to change on your geographical location and any special needs. So consider this food for thought.
1. Home based water filter – an example of this is the Berkey Light or the Royal Berkey. Why is a water filter the first item? Because water is used so much in our daily lives. You do not need to be brushing your teeth with water contaminated with E. Coli, shigella or cryptosporidium.
2. Peanut butter and honey – High calorie food (peanut butter) mixed with honey – which has trace minerals – makes a meal that is difficult to beat. Unlike dried foods, no water is required to cook peanut butter or the honey. After opening, neither one needs to be kept cold. Honey can be stored for years without fear of spoiling and it makes for a good topical anti-biotic.
3. First aid kit – for taking care of wounds and injuries.
4. Way to cook without electricity – Propane is a good option, but its going to run out sooner or later. Solar ovens are a good choice, if you live an area that gets plenty of sun light. Wood burning pits are a good option. Firewood might go into short supply as people run out of ways to cook, but its always going to be around.
5. Water bottles – some way to transport water from a nearby stream to your water filter.
6. Good quality bicycle – after gasoline runs out, you have an way to get around.
7. Good quality boots – if your feet hurt, your not going anywhere.
8. Solar charger – whether its for charging a cell phone or a flashlight, the sun offers unlimited energy, you just have to have a way harness that power.
9. Fishing supplies – give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man how to fish and you feed him for life. If you live close to a lake, stream, pond or river, fishing gear must not be overlooked.
10. Physical and Mental conditioning – Stay sharp and stay fit.
Post your comments in this forum thread about must have survival gear items.
Royal Berkey water filter at the camp
Its not enough to have survival plans, those plans have to be tested from time to time in a variety of conditions. And then, the results of those test have to analyzed. From the results of those test, what do you need to improve the outcome?
Between July 30 – August 1 my family and I spent 3 days at the camp; while we were there, I decided to hook up the Royal Berkey water filter and give it a test. The Royal Berkey had been assembled, but never actually used. And like all survival gear, it needs to be tested before its actually needed.
Water is one of the basic survival needs- food, water and shelter. But having just “water” is not good enough, it needs to be “safe water.”
Awhile back I got a Royal Berkey water filter from Directive21.com – it was setup and a video was made about it. From there it was packed up and relocated to the camp, where it has stayed in storage for the past few months.
Water was taken from a nearby creek and poured into the reservoir. In about 15 minutes I could hear the first drips of the water hitting the bottom of the holding tank.
In about an hour, I was able to get a juice glass of water from the Royal Berkey.
One of the popular questions I see about the Berkey system – “do you have to prime the filters for them to work?” To get a real life answer, I did not prime the filters. The water was just poured into the reservoir with dry filters, and in about 15 minutes the water started dripping.
Stainless Steel – The Royal Berkey is made out of stainless, so rodents can not chew through it. This makes it a good choice if your looking for a long term storage filter – in other words, something you can store and not have to worry about it.
One of the big issues with storing goods at a remote location is rodents. Anything made out of plastic or cardboard can be chewed into by a mouse or rat. So lets say that you had some plastic water filters stored at your camp, how do you know for “sure” that when you need those water filters their not going to have chew holes in them?
Capacity – Each filter can filter around 3,000 gallons 2 filter unit – about 6,000 gallons 4 filter unit – about 12,000 gallons For most people, it would be impossible to store 6,000 – 12,000 gallons of safe drinking water. But with a Royal Berkey and 2 filters, its possible to make an estimated 6,000 gallons of water safe to drink.
Conclusion – A 2 filter system should be good for 2 – 4 people. But for 4 active adults, or more then 4 people, you might want to consider looking at a 4 filter unit.
Lets say you plan on having 6+ people in your group, I would consider going with something like a Imperial Berkey, just for the larger holding tank.
Royal Berkey – Holding capacity: Aprox. 3.25 Gallons.
Imperial Berkey – Holding capacity: Aprox. 4.5 Gallons.
Crown Berkey – Holding capacity: Aprox. 6 Gallons.
If I was going to buy a Berkey water filter for a camp / cabin or remote location, I would start looking at the Royal Berkey and go from there. Depending on location, summer time heat, how many people, available water sources, I would probably start looking at the Royal Berkey, and move up the line to the most expensive filter that I could afford.
Safe drinking water is not something you want to go cheap on.
Post your comments in this forum thread about keeping a Berkey water filter at the camp.
Maxpedition Kodiak Gearslinger Review
The Maxpedition Kodiak Gearslinger is unlike a lot of other backpacks, as it only has one shoulder strap. Its designed so that the user can disconnect an under-the-arm strap, and then spin the pack so that its in front of them. Thus, making the pack easy to access without having to dismount it.
Maxpedition makes 2 packs in its gearslinger series – the Sitka and the Kodiak. In this article we are going to be looking at the Kodiak.
The single shoulder strap supports the weight of the pack, while the under the strap helps to keep the pack in place.
The Kodiak Gearslinger has 5 compartments on it:
Place for the water bladder
Small outer pouch on top outside
Medium outer pouch on outside
Zipper pouch on outside of medium pouch
Main compartment
Some specs from the maxpedition website:
* Single shoulder backpack designed to maximize utility when rotated towards front of body
* Main compartment: 17 high x 10 wide x 4 thick with internal organization
* Top front: 4.5 high x 9 wide x 2 thick with internal organization
* Bottom front: 10 high x 9 wide x 2 thick with internal organization
* Approximate Capacity: 1100 cu. in.
* Fits up to 15.4″ (diagonal screen size) laptop computer.
* Bag can be worn in front and contents comfortably accessed while sitting down
* Water bottle pocket sized to fit 32oz Nalgene bottle
* Compatible with 100oz hydration reservoir
* Theft deterrent devices built-in to capture zipper pulls
* PALS modular webbing throughout to for attaching accessories
* Top and side handles
Before the pack is taken out on a hiking / camping trip, I wanted to get a feel for it. So I grabbed some Eversafe meals, GPS, topo maps, water filter, map compass, hammock,,, and put everything in the Kodiak.
Top smaller outer pouch that is on top of the pack – bug spray, topo maps, GPS and map compass fit in there just right.
In the larger outside pouch, my first aid kit and water filter fit in there just right.
In the main compartment, I had the 2 Eversafe meals, rain poncho, rope, and hammock. If this pack was being fitted for a real camping trip, I would have to strap a poncho liner or fleece sleeping bag to the outside of the pack, add a multi-tool, and a couple of other things and it would be ready to go.
I like the pouch on the side for a 32 ounce water bottle. Plus, there is a compartment for a water bladder. So if your heading out in hot weather, you should be able to carry plenty of water.
The strap that goes sunder your arm has an emergency whistle on it – which is a nice addition.
Things that I would like to see changed:
The Kodiak Gearslinger really needs some straps on the bottom. I found it awkward trying to strap a fleece sleeping bag to the pack – when the bag was put on the top of the pack and strapped down, the pack deformed so that it would not have fit my back properly. Having some way to strap something to bottom would really be nice.
Take a couple of the straps on the side and turn them vertical – this would make strapping something to the side much easier. Lets take a tripod for example, I’am not quit sure how I’am going to strap it to the pack.
Other Maxpedition articles:
Maxpedition Falcon-II and Pygmy Falcon-II
Maxpedition Sitka Gearslinger Review
Maxpedition Falcon II Pygmy
Maxpedition Proteus Versipack
List of forum threads on Maxpedition
If you have any comments, please post them in this forum thread about the Maxpedition Kodiak Gearslinger.
Coleman Perfectflow Stove
It was the Sunday morning of the opening weekend of Spring Break 2010. My wife and I got up, setup the 15+ year old Coleman stove and started to cook breakfast. For its age, the stove was doing good, but it was just cooking a little slow. In all, we had about 8 hungry people standing around waiting on their food.
My buddy Lynn made the comment that he had a new propane Coleman stove that he wanted to try out. The conversation went something like this:
Kevin – Watching the bacon cook on the stove.
Lynn – I have a new stove I wold like to try out.
Kevin – Break it out then, this one is taking too long.
Lynn – Well, I did not want to step on your manhood.
Kevin – I’am hungry, get that stove out so we can cook faster.
So Lynn walked over to his SUV, got a brand new Coleman Perfectflow Stove out of the back, and set it up. Within minutes we had bacon, boudain, sausage and eggs cooking.
To be able to cook a lot of bacon at one time, we put a griddle on top of the grill. The griddle fit pretty good, and we were able to cook about 17 – 18 pieces of bacon at one time. The griddle got so hot, it started melting the plastic fork that we were using. So its advised that you use metal utensils when cooking with the Coleman Perfectflow Stove. Because this thing can get really hot real quick – if not a little too hot.
The griddle was also used to cook the sausage and boudain. I think the griddle might have been a “little” too hot for the boudain; it seemed to have scorched the casing a little bit too fast, while leaving the inside of the boudain a little cold.
When the sausage was cooked, it was cut in half and each half put on the griddle. The stove made quick work of the sausage – it was cooked in a matter of minutes.
When we got ready to cook the eggs, the griddle was removed and a skillet was used.
Overall, I was impressed with how fast, quick and easy the stove cooked breakfast for about 8 people. But it seemed to cook a little too hot. If the fuel was turned down too low, the flame went out. It would have been nice to see a simmer setting on the stove for keeping stuff like coffee hot.
Another version of the Coleman Perfectflow Stove is supposed to have an electric start. This model did not have the electric start, so we had to use matches.
Now I know what to ask for for fathers day. This sure beats my 15 year old liquid fuel Coleman stove. The liquid fuel stove does a good job, it just cooks a little slow, and the tank has to be kept pumped up.
Please post your comments in this forum thread about the Coleman Perfectflow Stove.
On a personal note, I have been using some type of Coleman stove for over 15 years. Whether its a single burner propane backpacking / hiking stove, or a dual burner liquid stove, Coleman stoves have always given outstanding performance.
Survivalist Water Filter Options
Why should Survivalist worry about water filters? Because when the city water supply stops, the water in the local lakes and streams may not be safe to drink. Most survivalist have stockpiled water, and that is fine – there is nothing wrong with stockpiling water. But you need some kind of solution for after your stockpiles of water run out. A lot of people might say “I’ll just dig a well if I need water” – ok, lets get back to reality. Most of people are not going to dig a well overnight.
Here is short list of waterborne diseases and parasites:
Cryptosporidium
Cholera
E. Coli
Dysentery
Salmonellosis
Polio
Legionnaires’ disease
The first filter for us to look at is the Royal Berkey. The Royal Berkey water filter is made out of 304 stainless steel, has a capacity of approximately 3.25 Gallons, and has 2 filters (with each filter being able to filter an estimated 3,000 gallons of water).
Assembly of the Royal Berkey is pretty easy, and only takes about 10 – 15 minutes. The thing with stainless steel, you can leave it stored at a retreat for years, and not worry about mice or rats chewing holes through it. One of the problems with storing items at a retreat is rats and mice will chew into it. I have no idea how much food has been ruined at the camp because of rodents.
The next filter to take a look at is the Berkey Light water filter. Instead of being made out of stainless like the Royal Berkey, this one is made out of plastic, Plastic has its advantages, such as being light and easy to transport.
One disadvantage to plastic, rodents can chew holes through it. So if you have a problem with rodents at the retreat, then you might want to go with stainless.
What is your survival gear fetish
To some survivalist, collecting gear is like collecting stamps, or collecting coins – we can always find a way to justify buying something new. For some people its boots, backpacks, a compass, hats, gloves, sleeping bags,,,, you get the picture.
I guess my gear fetish is backpacks, I just like having the right pack for the job. Whether its a day hike, over night camping trip, 8 mile hike in 100 degree heat,,, its nice to have the right pack to carry the gear.
For over 10 years my daypack, overnight hot weather pack was a simple Jansport cloth backpack – very much like a school book bag. When more gear was needed, I would carry my medium or large ALICE pack. ne thing seemed certain – the larger the pack, the more gear someone is to carry. So having a large pack is not always a good thing. After my gear selection outgrew the medium ALICE, I bought a large ALICE pack.
In 2009 I received a couple of packs from Maxpedition, and they quickly became my favorite packs. The Jansport pack that served me well for years was tossed to the side in favor of a Maxpedition Falcon II Pygmy.
My current backpack list includes:
Jansport cloth backpack
Camelbak Raider
Maxpedition Proteus Versipack
Maxpedition Falcon II Pygmy
Maxpedition Condor II
Maxpedition Vulture II
Medium ALICE
Large ALICE
Large MOLLE
Kelty Big Bend
Post your comments in the gear fetish thread of the forums.
Related Links:
Maxpedition
MOLLE
ALICE Pack
Getting the maxpedition vulture II ready for a camping trip
The other weekend I took some time to get my maxpedition vulture II ready for a camping trip. Over the next few months, my family and I have a couple of camping trips planned. One is supposed to be next weekend, on March 13 to Dam B in Jasper, Texas. There is supposed to be another camping trip on the river, and another camping trip along the Sabine River sometime this summer.
Regardless of where your going on a camping trip, its best to be prepared. On my camping trips, I like to be comfortable, that might include bringing a hammock and a tri-pod stool, or even both. That way I can get off the ground for a little while and relax.
There is nothing quit like laying in a hammock, in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. No phones, no cars, no noise pollution to bother you, just the relaxing sounds of nature.
Contents of the backpack:
One man tent
Sleeping pad
Sleeping bag
Hammock
3 eversafe meals
Rain poncho
Garmin GPS
TOPO maps
Map Compass
Maglight flashlight
March Giveaway from Safecastle
Safecastle Royal Buyers Club—The Premier Crisis Preparedness Buyers Club in the World
SurvivalistBoards.com is the most dynamic preparedness-related forum on the internet today, in my opinion. I’m sure many of you agree.
I’m Vic–owner of one of the fastest growing crisis-preparedness companies in the business, Safecastle LLC. I just want to say I am excited to become a supporting part of this online community. We’ve been around a good long time and we are recognized far and wide as providing some of the very best products and value anywhere in the preparedness marketplace. We stand behind our products and with our customers all the way.
Joining up with Kev and all the rest of you, we wanted to make a nice statement about our commitment. As such, I decided to go big in this March Giveaway, with retail value of Safecastle prizes awarded exceeding $6000.
Here’s the deal …
A total of 363 prize winners, some of the prizes include:
Free Lifetime Safecastle Royal Buyers Club Memberships–10 awarded each day thru the month of March (value $29 each)
$50 Safecastle Royal Gift Certificates
Katadyn Vario water filters — $90 value each
Bury ‘Em Tubes — choice of 6M, 6S, or 6L– value $175-200 each
Voltaic Converter Solar Backpack—value $207
9-Tray Excalibur Dehydrator, 3900 Model, black–value $275
Four Cases of Storage food–winner’s choice (one case for each of four winners)–each case, value of up to $325
Quik-Pak Foldable Bike Trailer—value $350
QUEST Mission Rigs–value $400 each
Country Living Grain Mill–$456 value
Follow this link and get the full details on how to enter the March Safecastle Survival Gear Giveway.