Urban Survival - Bugging In Reader Comment

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com received the following comment on Bugging In from Jonathan: “(Bugging In) That's my plan-A. To dig in. Since I have no secondary property or location in which to bug out. I have the home field advantage in that I know the area and the people. Have established good relations with neighbors. Have the reputation of 'being there' for everyone when they need help fixing something or borrowing a tool. Which could be a good or bad thing. Only time will tell. My Plan-B is head for the woods (public land) for a limited time if we had to leave our
home for a limited time.Civil unrest, natural/man made disaster etc. Maybe not the best plan. However if we HAD to leave the house, that's my current plan.”

UrbanMan comments: Jonathan, you sound like a confident person with a plan. I don’t know how many times I have written that Survival is a Team Sport,…dripping survival prep to your friends and relatives,….developing your team to survive Armageddon,….developing relationships with your neighbors,…..being prepared for strap hangers to show up to your location asking for help, whether you know them or not.

In the worst case of a collapse, people are going to be looking for leadership. The person they hold in high esteem will be able to make a huge difference in keeping a team or community together, leveraging everyone’s contributions and capabilities. The worse the collapse and the situations we find ourselves in, the more difference leadership will make.

In order for the team or community to survive, organization of effort, security and basic sustainment needs to be addressed,…in other words, the best team in the world will turn on each other once the food or water runs out.

You also have a good idea with a Bug Out plan. Can’t stress that enough – to have a Bug Out plan just in case your Bug In location is untenable and if staying there, death would be certain. Hopefully your public land destination has a full time water source and defensible terrain. It gets out living in tents or lean to’s, so a fixed site may be better but it also draws attention. Think about cache some supplies either enroute to, or close to your Bug Out location.

SHTF Plan: Surviving with Ramen and a Gun

Received this question from Anonymous: ”Hey UrbanMan, I have stockpiled twelve cases of ramen, several bags of jerky, about 30 lbs of rice and a smaller amount of pinto beans and I have my ruger mini-14 which has never failed me. I have enough camping gear in case I have to rough it or move. I don’t have a gas mask yet. What else do you think I need to have?”

UrbanMan’s comments: That’s a hard question to answer. First of all you have to have an idea of the threats; then develop a plan to reduce those risks; then procure equipment and supplies to enable the plan. Ramen, rice, beef jerky and beans are all a good start to having one material aspect of a Surviving Armageddon plan,....meaning food,....but shelter, protection and water are all very necessary also.

Survival is a team sport, ...are you part of a larger element?.....maybe your family, friends, relatives and/or neighbors? If everyone prepared alike? Is your home going to a magnet for the unprepared following the beginning of a collapse? What about medical supplies and medications?,....have enough of that?

Do you have any precious metals in a form to barter to buy with such as Silver rounds or Gold coins?

Is the Mini-14 your only survival weapon? What about other firearms for the rest of your family or Survival Team to use. Protection and security is a 24/7 endeavor and this takes many people to do this and patrol and protect the group and the survival location.

If you are buying survival food commercially,...whatever you can afford, when you can afford it,..consider canned soup, dried meals such as mac and cheese, rice dishes,.....consider jars of nuts. I recently bought sixteen large jars of nuts at a wholesale nut factory for $80. I am basing my economic collapse survival food on much more than pantry items, although they are very necessary but primary as a ready food supply. I am stocking dehydrated commercial foods, Main Stay Survival bars, and some large bulk rice, beans, pasta, etc.

However, the big points I want to make with you is that you have to have a team and the team needs to focused on a common goals. You should have a plan and work towards the material procurement and operational readiness of that plan. That plan should include a Bug Out sequel. No matter how secure you feel in your main Bug In survival location,...have a Bug Out plan and it would be best to Bug Out to a secure, prepared site. Hope this makes sense and hope it helps. Urban Man.

Armageddon - a Fixed Survival Blade Recommendation

I received a personal e-mail asking me for my recommendation on a good fixed blade, as the requester put it "to accompany someone through Armageddon." I guess that means the primary consideration of a knife that won't break.

Now I own a bunch of large fixed blades knives: a custom, bone handle 8 inch blade Bowie; a parkerized Bowie made by LaRue Tactical when they were still making knifes; a Special Forces Yarborough Knife designed by Bill Harsey; a older SOG Bowie Knife; and even an old Ka-Bar. All that actually have given to me. They sit on a shelf, gathering dust, but are great to un-sheath and handle from time to time, and, as clumsy as I am I'd do better to leave them along. But I know I have some good knives if I need one.

I was also asked this question months ago and I believe I oriented the requester to some cost efficient knives,....this time I'm upping the ante and am going to introduce a company who higher dollar blades I have seen twice in the past year carried by some professional trigger pullers involved on a project with me.

The company is Spartan Blades from Aberdeen, North Carolina just west of Ft Bragg, home of the Army Special Forces and some other unit whose names eludes me.

Curtis Iovito and Mark Carey, Co-Founders of Spartan Blades, LLC, created Spartan blades, in which they say "“Knives with Intent”, designed from their 40 years combined experience in US Army Special Forces.

The knives I saw being carried put me off at first because of their somewhat futuristic design, but when I handled them I was impressed with the balance and workmanship. So if my reader was looking for a blade that would seemingly endure the assumed hardships of Armageddon then Spartan blades are a candidate. Visit their website at http://www.spartanbladesusa.com

Here are a couple of their offerings:

Nyx - the primordial goddess of night and darkness. The “Nyx” is a fully capable combat/utility knife. This sturdy blade, has a thick belly that is perfect for field related tasks such as carving aiming stakes, building hide sites, or simply cutting a piece of 550 cord. The blade geometry lends itself to field dressing game also. The “Nyx” is the perfect companion for the Sniper, Ranger, Scout or any soldier working in a field environment.


Specifications:
Knife Name: Nyx
Designer(s): Iovito/Carey
Overall Length: 10"
Blade Length: 5 1/8"
Blade Thickness: 3/16"
Blade Steel: CPM S30V
Blade Hardness: 58-59 HRC
Blade Style: Hybrid / Recurve—designed as a sturdy field/utility knife.
Coating: SpartaCoat - PVD - DLC (Flat Black) or ZrN (Flat Dark Earth)
Handle Material: CE Canvas Micarta® Black, Green or Natural Tan
Weight: 0.48 LBS

Ares (Arês) - a fitting name for this knife, Ares in Greek mythology was the son of Zeus and Hera, the god of savage war, bloodlust and slaughter personified on the battle field. “Ares” is manufactured for the modern warrior as a military fighting / utility knife with several distinctive features to assist the serious military professional. This knife was specifically engineered for and with the input of U.S. Special Operations Forces and Other Government Agencies.

Specifications:
Knife Name: Ares
Designer(s): Iovito/Carey
Overall Length: 10 1/2"
Blade Length: 5 3/8”
Blade Thickness: 3/16”
Blade Steel: CPM S30V
Blade Hardness: 58-59 HRC
Blade Style: Fixed Drop Point—this design allows for strength of the blades tip by placing it in line with the users hand while keeping the upward curve of the cutting edge.
Coating: SpartaCoat - PVD - DLC (Flat Black) or ZrN (Flat Dark Earth)
Handle Material: CE Canvas Micarta® - Black, Green or Natural Tan
Weight: 0.422 LBS

Urban Survival Planning - Buggin In,....May Be the Best Choice

Received a comment from Anonymous about Bugging In: "I like this idea of bug-in, and think it merits more thought than most survival sites give it. The biggest problem with bugging in as you state is limitations on food/water and concerns with armed gangs. Where I live in NW suburbia, water is not an issue. For a homeowner, there really is no storage limitation on food, meds and bullets
- just how much you want to spend. I live in a neighborhood with folks I know and trust already. Rather than cart the family off to the hills and realistically face a lot of issues with mother nature and the people who got there first, my plan is to bug-in also. We'll arm the neighbors and plan for a 1-yr stored-food scenario. "

UrbanMan replies: As much as I am planning on Bugging In, I also have a Bug Out Plan,...in fact, several plans and locations depending upon the situation and the threat. Of course, you are right in unless you have a lot of resources to stock Bug Out locations, the plan of Bugging In allows for the Survivors to stock a great deal of supplies and equipment,......unless you live in an apartment.

Bugging In, also requires some factors to be in place:

Away from refugees natural travel patterns for obvious reasons, and I would also be concerned about

a close proximity of jails and prisons. One of my clients lives in a sub-division next to a large country jail that houses about 1,200 prisoners. This is not a good thing.

Having knowledge of your neighbors; building rapport with them; and creating a semblance of a team, as survival is a team sport. A neighborhood watch program is a good idea and that program can be used to "drip" survival or disaster prep to these neighbors. Also allows them to build trust in you and for you to develop credibility. People will be looking for leaders during a collapse.

Have access to water and have the resources to grow your own food. And how huge would it be for all of your neighbors to grow vegetables as well? You can grow a few vegetables and give them to your neighbors now, and perhaps interest them in growing food as well. Especially if they are on a fixed income (aren't we all?) where this will pay off starting right now.

Sounds like you have you head on straight and there are more of us who put stock in Bugging In than not. Cheers. UrbanMan