Urban Survival Gear and Equipment - Reader's Suggestions

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com received this PM on facebook: "Hey Urban Man, just wanted to drop you a note and tell you my latest acquisitions to augment my already well equipped Bug Out plan."

"I'm at the point right now that that I can slow down on my survival purchasing, so (as) I meander through the internet and Survival blogs, I pickup tips on new gear that people think they will find useful. I have over 12 months of stored long term food (long term) not counting a pantry which I could live probably two months on. I have all the guns and ammunition that I'll need. I have plenty of camping supplies such as sleeping bags, cooking equipment and things like that."

"I recently bought the following nice to have Survival items and thought you may want to comment on them:"

A Propane Tank Gauge. In case I come across abandoned propane tanks, so am offered some in barter, I can determine how much fuel is left in it. This gauge takes up a very small amount of room in a pack or my Bug Out Bag.

A Wireless Driveway Sensor. Uses a "C" battery for the sensor and 9 volt battery for the receiver and is good for 400 yards. Not only can I use this to cover an area to alert against intruders, it's portable so I can include this at my base I have.

A Truck Tent. My Bug Out Of Town Plan is shared by two of my friends. We all have pickup trucks available. I bought this truck tent, that fits into the bed of the truck, so we can set up sleeping accommodations at temporary sites and still be really mobile if we have to. I figure we'll never have more than a couple people sleeping due to having to post some guards, that's why I only bought one.

Merrel Moab Mids hiking boots. These are great boots! I traded my camouflaged uniform for some solid color pants upon your suggestions months ago. So these boots do not look like military or cop footwear and are really great hiking and climbing boots.

Portable Air Compressor. This uses a 12v battery like those cordless drills. I can recharge the battery through my vehicle or a wall socket. We'll also be taking pedal bicycles so we can use this to repair or air up bike tires.

Sheeps skin lined booties. It gets COLD where I am going. I wanted something that I can wear when sleeping but still able to get up and run or fight or whatever. Also I think they would come in handy for people sitting at a fixed site providing security for the rest of us.

When I first starting preparing. Some of my friends called me "Kanik the Wanderer" because I was buying all this camping and hiking stuff. Two of these friends are now in my survival planning group, but they still call me Kanik the Wanderer.

UrbanMan replies: Dear Kanik,....all great ideas. Never thought about a Propane Gauge, now I'm going to get one. I think any wireless, battery operated early warning devices are a good addition to your kit as well, especially if it is mobile enough to take with you during a hasty Bug Out. Thanks for the ideas.

Urban Survival SKills - More Readers Questions on Survival Bug Out Bags

UrbanSurvivalSkills.com continues to receive many comments on Survival Bug Out Bags. I’m going to address a couple of them here:

“Anonymous said.......Excuse my ignorance, but why not have a small caliber handgun with your Load bearing kit?

“John in Kansas asked,……What do you think about building Bug Out bags around the Maxpedition SITKA gearslinger or KODIAK gearslinger bags? I like the water bladder and concealed weapon feature.”


UrbanMan replies: Concerning the small handgun in my Load Bearing Kit…….. I actually have six rigs, only two of which I posted pictures of. A couple of the other rigs have molle plackets with Blackhawk Serpa holsters for my Glocks. I have pretty much settled on Glocks as my family and group Survival handgun. If I did it all over again, I probably would have went with the S&W M&P semi-automatics. These are highly touted by some friends of mine who use them regularly in bad places.

With different rigs and configuration I can select the rig I need for the purpose. Some rigs are light, no armor and other’s have soft armor and/or plates. For the rigs I use without a Glock holster, I can wear a handgun on my pants belt or a drop rig, and although I am not fond of drop rigs, I own several…mostly for carrying Glocks with the excellent Surefire X200 pistol light.

So to answer the question, I don’t carry a small handgun on my rigs. I do however always carry a Kel-Tec .32 auto. In my shirt or BDU/ACU type pocket all the time. I guess you could carry a small handgun on your rig, and I am interpreting your question to mean an additional handgun.

I am a big believer in having some gear on your body in your clothing, such as a folding knive, belt knife, handgun in belt or shoulder holster, firestarting equipment, etc. in case you are separated from your load bearing rig for any reason. I know, I know,…but as much discipline as you have not to be separated from your kit, it happens…and a good example would be a river crossing when you have to jettison your kit.

As far as the other question on Maxpedition SITKA and KODIAK bags. The best bag for a Survival Bug Out bags are like anal orifices,… ….everybody has one. All gear and equipment from Maxpedition is quality gear. Either bag would an excellent Bug Out Bag. I like Small Rucks with a hydration bladder and Molle compatible so extra smaller bags can be hooked to the outside.

As far as the hidden compartment for a handgun,…that’s a decent feature, but I would carry my handgun in an more accessible location. If I was actually using my Survivial Bug Out Bag for it’s intended purpose I would also be carrying a M-4 carbine in my hands. So I see no reason to hide a handgun unless you are using the Bag before the collapse.