Urban Survival Gear and Equipment - Product Review - Gerber Onyx 50 flashlight

Great little flashlight, small enough to put in any pocket and runs on our favorite battery a "AA" that we can recharge as opposed tot the expensive, but excellent and high lumen Surefire flashlights that run on a DL123 or CR123 type battery (not rechargeable).

We think one or two Surefire in medium lumen (60 or so) and high Lumen output (120+) are great and essential Survival Equipment to have, especially when combined with a firearm and used when lighting up a search area, but in a collapse you will rapidly run out of batteries unless you stockpile a butt load of them and even then the batteries can degrade. We have based on light, both flashlights and lanterns around AAA or AA batteries since they can easiy and quickly recharged through a 12 volt system.

The Gerber Oynx is small (see the scale photograph against a dollar bill); put outs acceptable light for most tasks (30 lumens); has a LED instead of a bulb which is breakable; in-expensive at around $20; works on one (1) AA battery; and, has a push button on/off tail cap.

The Gerber Onyx is well made in an aluminum housing and the housing barrel is flattened for a better grip Great piece of Survival Kit and well priced.

Urban Survival Planning – Intrinsic Value: Gold, Silver and Barter Items

Urban Survival Planning – Intrinsic Value of Barter Items

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com has wrote several times that we feel there will be three distinct modes of purchasing/barter after a collapse.

Stage 1 will be shortly after a collapse where people will believe things will go back to normal and will still accept U.S. dollars, albeit maybe at greatly inflated prices. Stage 2 will be where people may only accept gold or silver for purchase, and Stage 3 would be the primarily acceptance of only material goods,..e.g..food, fuel, tools, firearms, seeds, batteries, etc. Over time, Gold and Silver may make a come back as a mode of exchange and purchase.

We believe there is no intrinsic value for money, or gold and silver for that matter as it only serves as a method of exchange if two parties agree that it has value. Historical examples of the value of gold, silver or melt value of coins and jewelry aside, you just can’t eat gold or silver. You can’t plant gold or silver and make it grow. You can’t shoot it unless you need to hand cast silver bullets during a werewolf epidemic. It just has minimal if any intrinsic value.

Having said all that, we still believe gold and silver bullion has a place in your Survival Plan, as well as silver coins for their silver melt value. In a deep collapse with the suffering from disease, starvation and threats maybe the better value for your money is Survival Gear and Equipment for use as barter items. We have written a previous post on barter items, available here, but to re-cap items such as firearms, ammunition, food, medicines and medical supplies, tools, fuel and seeds top the list.

We’re interested in what our readers think. Please drop a comment and let us know what you think.

Urban Survival Planning - Survival Decision Matrix and Tasks List

We wrote in an earlier post about having a Urban Survival Decision Making Matrix and a Survival Tasks List that you would wargame against possible events in order to determine what you had to do, what steps you have to take, what protocols you implement, etc.

This is a living document. One of the easiest things for you to do is to carry a 3x5 card or small notebook and pencil with you where ever you go so you can write down things that come to you and not forget these "little" ideas be they small tasks you don't want to forget or items of Survival Gear and Equipment and you need to research, procure, make or trade for.

Even though you are planning for a collapse, life goes on. I had to buy a new Bar-B-Que gas grill since my wife was hosting a small party and was ashamed of the old beat up grill. At the hardware store I was asked is I wanted a propane tank to go with the $99 grill I bought. I initially said "no", then changed my mind and yes, I'll take a propane tank. Now I have three propane tanks and two are always full. In a total collapse it's either cooking with propane until it runs out or using a wood fire.

Besides a full propane tank is a great barter item. How much in trade do you think I would get for a full propane tank, say 3 months after an infrastructure collapse?

Buying the extra propane tank also made me realize that I need to keep my large propane tank for the house water heater and stove filled as well. So I checked the gauge and it read 30%. I called the gas company and ordered a re-fill then made a note on my Survival Decision Matrix to never let that tank get below 50%.

This allows me to have fuel for hot water and cooking for 4 to 6 months after a collapse,....if I stay here that long, before moving to my Safe Location.

This is an example of a living Urban Survival Preparation plan. You should be always be modifying and refining your plan, your Survival Decision Matrix and Tasks List.

Urban Survival Preparation and Planning - Planting Fruit Trees

Readers of this site will identify with the concept of Urban living, short to medium term Urban Survival then a initiation of the Bug Out plan to the identified Safe Site.

We have written about caching Survival Gear, Equipment and Supplies near the Safe Location since the Urban Survivalist may not have the ability or time to pack everything up in a vehicle and take it to the safe location. In fact, a worst case scenario is that the Urban Survivalist would have to move on foot overland land to get to the Safe Location therefore only possessing what he/she could carry.

If your safe location is an already owned and occupied site or if it is such a site as Jim's old run down family cabin consider the possibility of planting some fruit trees or maybe even a pecan tree or two.

Every source of food you can grow, cultivate to have access to is going to come in handy. In a perfect post collapse survival world growing your own food using heirloom seeds, having stockpiled dehydrated canned or package food stuffs, having the Survival Equipment and knowledge to procure food through hunting and fishing, and, having fruit and nut trees all would serve to go along way in meeting your nutritional needs.

Even at you Urban Location, which will is most probability only serve for a short or medium term survival location after a full fledged collapse, planing not only a food garden but fruit trees may serve you well.

We recently planted several fruit trees: one apricot tree, one peach tree, and one pear tree to see what grows best in this area and to provide us with fruit during a crunch. Total costs including the trees, top soil and tree nutrients was $120 - fairly cheap in the long run.