You only have to take a quick look around the Internet looking for “survival kit” and you’ll get inundated with options that range from small packs sized to fit in your pocket to trailers you tow behind your vehicle. What you may not realize is that they all (if they’re any good) provide solutions for just a few basic needs: Continue reading
A long time ago a friend of mine told me that psychologists are just overpaid bartenders who don’t serve you drinks. While that’s an oversimplification of both professions, if you stop and think about it there’s some truth to the outlook. A great many people with problems talk to their bartender… and the more they drink the looser their tongue gets so their honesty gets more pure. I’d be willing to bet that many bartenders hear more problems from people than any average psychologist. Continue reading
Depending on your background, whether or not you spent time in the military, what type of family you were raised in, etc. you may or may not have received any training in the basic necessities of survival. It’s okay if you haven’t received any training because there are only about a gazillion survival kits available for sale through a boatload of catalog and online companies. But which one do you need? This isn’t a review of which ones are best, but instead a look at what items such a ‘kit’ should contain. Then you can select which one suits your purposes and/or build one of your own. Continue reading
As the faithful readers of the Blackwater Tactical Weekly know I once spent two weeks in New Orleans on contract to Blackwater. I’m home now and have had a couple of days to contemplate the gear I was issued to use while in N.O.. Certainly, the conditions varied from comfortable to, ah, less-than-comfortable, but the gear I was issued was sufficient to keep me at least able to survive. One of those items was a SnugPak Lite Sleeping Bag. Right on the stuff-sack itself it shows that the bag is rated to 32 degrees for comfortable sleeping, or down to 18 degrees for simple survival. Continue reading
When I went into the Army as a Military Policeman in 1982, I was issued half a tent, otherwise called “a shelter half”. When I asked what I was supposed to do with half a tent I was told, “Find a buddy that has a matching half.” Together we made a whole tent. When I went into the Maryland Army National Guard some years later – in a Light Infantry unit – I wasn’t even issued half a tent. I was issued two ponchos, one poncho liner and one sleeping bag. When I asked about shelter I was told to make a “hooch” out of a poncho. Then I was told that the sleeping back was optional in the field. “Fight light; freeze at night.” Oh, joy… Continue reading