The ability to purify water, especially when traveling on foot and encountering suspect water sources will mean the difference between life an death. A person on the run or dodging anarchists or bandits could get by for days without food, perhaps even a week without degrading their abilities more than significantly. However, without water for 24 hours and the Survivor will be laid up waiting for death. Drinking polluted or contaminated water would only hasten that with excruciating gut pains and onset of whatever disease the water carried. Simply put, you have to have the capability to purify water you procure even if from man made sources.
Water filter/purification pumps are handy, but bulky for the Survival Bug Out Bag. Instead, the Urban Survivor should focus on packing his Bug Out Bag with water filters and purification tablets. Together this would be a small package and will not degrade the survivor's ability to remain mobile.
We really like the Aqua Mira product line. In fact our organization issues some of this company's products to our personnel with nothing but good feedback.
We recommend three items in this line for the Survival Bug Out Bag: A water filter straw, water filter bottle and water purification tablets as these will provide across the needs capabilities for the survivor.
Aqua Mira Frontier Pro Filter (Straw)
This is a pump free filter straw that allows direct filtration as the Survivor is consuming water from a suspect source. The Frontier Pro comes with a straw which gives reach to the source, a bite valve much like Camel-Bak's and an ability to use this system as a gravity filter from a common water bottle. Approximately 8 inches long and maybe 1.5 inches in diameter, this is an easily packed item for the Bug Out Bag.
The Aquamira Water Bottle and Filter system
This system includes a high quality 22oz. Nalgene® Sport Bottle with a sturdy push pull valve system and polycarbonate flip cap to keep the drinking valve clean. A single filter treats up to 230 refills and replacement filters are available.
The Aquamira Water Bottle fits most bicycle water bottle cages and backpack pockets. This lightweight easy-to-use system is ideal for wilderness or adventure travel, daily use at home or work, camping, bicycling, emergency kits and more. It is easy for you and your family to have a continuous supply of safe drinking water.
Aquamira Water Purifier Tablets
These drop in purification tablets provide all the benefits of liquid chlorine dioxide formula in an easy to use solid format. Each tablet purifies one liter (32oz.) of water and is conveniently sealed in an individual foil pouch. The individual tablet pouches are stored inside a re-sealable storage pouch that can be packed away almost anywhere. To use, simply drop one tablet into one liter of water and wait the required time.
Aquamira Water Purifier Tablets contain a patented chlorine dioxide formula that produces a powerful germicidal agent when released in water. When used as directed, Aquamira Water Purifier Tablets meet the EPA guidelines for Microbiological Water Purifiers making it the safest solution on the market. Sized for longer hiking, camping, or hunting trips, the 24 pack is all you need to purify water for up to 6 days. (Based on 4 Liters of water/day consumption) Aquamira Water Purifier Tablets will not discolor water and will actually improve the taste of treated water.
Aqua Mira also makes other items, both water purification and survival oriented, such as their excellent micro-fiber blanket. All good kit for your Bug Out Bag.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Urban Survival Gear - Lightweight Sleeping Bags
As listed in a previous post on recommended items, a lightweight sleeping bag is an essential item for the Urban Survivor's Bug Out Bag. Remember we are talking survival and not camping comfort. If you live in or plan on transiting cold weather climates you are most likely going to require a heavier sleeping bag. The intent of the Bug Out Bag sleeping bag is to provide life saving shelter and not sleeping comfort. During a degraded situation the Urban survivor may most likely be moving during the night time, when it is the coldest, and holing up during the daytime and therefore be able to get away with a smaller, less warmth providing sleeping bag. Besides, unless you plan on humping a 90 lbs rucksack you are going to have to give up some comfort and capabilities in order to achieve mobility, especially if you are on foot which is the worst case scenario.
The two companies, that make or market sleeping bags, and that we have some experience with are Snug Pack and REI. A couple of the sleeping bags that each offer that we think meets the criteria for a lightweight, easily compressed sleeping bag are:
Softie 3 Merlin
This is an 900 gram bag including the compresion stuff sack. Weight with bag is 2.0 lbs. Available in Red, Olive, Desert Tan, or Black color with a full length two way zipper. Rated at approximatley 35 degree F this bag compresses, in the stuff sack, to approximatley 7 x 10 inches. Made in the United Kingdom this bag is filled with a Snug Pack material called Sofite, Reflectaherm. This is bag is a excellent product, well made and in an exceptional small package making it a good item for the Survival Bug Out Bag.
Kelty Galactic +35 Sleeping Bag
The Kelty Galatic Bag is also rated for 35 degrees Fahrenheit and weight tslightly more than the snug pack at 2.5 lbs, compressing into a 7x15 inch configuration.
One advanatge on this bag is that it can be zipped open to use as a blanket or bottom insulation on for two people. It is filled with down, an excellent insulation. This is also a first class product from reputable REI,....well known in the adventure world.
The Urban Survivor would be well equipped with either sleeping bag prepacked into his/her Survival Bug Out Bag.
The two companies, that make or market sleeping bags, and that we have some experience with are Snug Pack and REI. A couple of the sleeping bags that each offer that we think meets the criteria for a lightweight, easily compressed sleeping bag are:
Softie 3 Merlin
This is an 900 gram bag including the compresion stuff sack. Weight with bag is 2.0 lbs. Available in Red, Olive, Desert Tan, or Black color with a full length two way zipper. Rated at approximatley 35 degree F this bag compresses, in the stuff sack, to approximatley 7 x 10 inches. Made in the United Kingdom this bag is filled with a Snug Pack material called Sofite, Reflectaherm. This is bag is a excellent product, well made and in an exceptional small package making it a good item for the Survival Bug Out Bag.
Kelty Galactic +35 Sleeping Bag
The Kelty Galatic Bag is also rated for 35 degrees Fahrenheit and weight tslightly more than the snug pack at 2.5 lbs, compressing into a 7x15 inch configuration.
One advanatge on this bag is that it can be zipped open to use as a blanket or bottom insulation on for two people. It is filled with down, an excellent insulation. This is also a first class product from reputable REI,....well known in the adventure world.
The Urban Survivor would be well equipped with either sleeping bag prepacked into his/her Survival Bug Out Bag.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Urban Survival Tools – Tactical Folding Knives
The subject of Tactical Folding knives is a Survival Bug Out – Personal Survival Tool issue we were going to cover in a later posting, however Jim sent us an e-mail asking us about purchasing a tactical folder. So in the interests of helping Jim find a good, cost effective tactical folding knife, we offer this post:
The Tactical Folding Knife as a survival tool offers a tool for several situations: 1 – as a general cutting tool for rope, packages and almost anything else; 2 – as a personal defensive tool for extreme close range encounters when other tools such as guns are not available; and 3 – in a true wilderness survival situation the tactical folder becomes a hunting and food procurement tool.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of tactical folders on the market. You can certainly spend $100 or more on several high end folders from recognizable makers. If knives are your thing, then by all means, spend to your capability. However, we think that there are several moderately priced tactical folders that are great knives. You need to stay away from the real cheap knives ($5 to $25) which are abundant. Even if some of these come from named “makers”. We think the Columbia River Knife & Tool (CKRT) products are durable and very cost effective. CKRT knives can be purchased at $30 to $60, considerably cheaper than their Benchmade, Gerber, Kershaw, etc., counterparts. The cost of CKRT knives goes up when you want other than plastic (Zytel) handles. For instance the same knife/blade style is offered in Titanium, G10 or Carbon Fiber handles but the prices goes significantly up with those options. We feel the standard CKRT with plastic (Zytel) handles is more than adequate. The addition of skateboard tape on the handles can provide a cost effective surer grip. We like the following two CKRT models:
Columbia River M16-14 Tactical Knife
This knife is from a Kit Carson design with a 3.875 inch AUS-4 bead blasted stainless steel blade in the Tanto combination straight and serrated blade style. This knife uses the excellent Auto Lawks locking system when the blade is fully deployed using the ambidextrous “thumb flipper” mounted on the top of blade, near the handle when the blade is extended.
Using a torx head wrench or driver, the user can change the pants clip to either side of the handle for left or right handed carry. The M16-14 is 5.375" when folded with an overall length of 9.25" with the blade fully extended.
Columbia River M16-02Z Tactical Knife
This knife is also a Kit Carson design with a 3.0 inch AUS-4 bead blasted stainless steel blade in the Tanto combination straight and serrated blade style. This knife uses the excellent Auto Lawks locking system when the blade is fully deployed using the ambidextrous “thumb flipper” mounted on the top of blade, near the handle when the blade is extended.
Using a torx head wrench or driver, the user can change the pants clip to either side of the handle for left or right handed carry. The M16-02Z is 4.25" when folded with an overall length of 7.375" with the blade fully extended.
Both knives have the lanyard hole visible when the blade is extended. This serves as a semi-hilt to help keep the hand from sliding off the handle as well as a point to tie down the knife when fashioning a Survival Spear for fishing or hunting. Additionally, Teflon bearings allow for smooth opening and closing of these knives.
The Tactical Folding Knife as a survival tool offers a tool for several situations: 1 – as a general cutting tool for rope, packages and almost anything else; 2 – as a personal defensive tool for extreme close range encounters when other tools such as guns are not available; and 3 – in a true wilderness survival situation the tactical folder becomes a hunting and food procurement tool.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of tactical folders on the market. You can certainly spend $100 or more on several high end folders from recognizable makers. If knives are your thing, then by all means, spend to your capability. However, we think that there are several moderately priced tactical folders that are great knives. You need to stay away from the real cheap knives ($5 to $25) which are abundant. Even if some of these come from named “makers”. We think the Columbia River Knife & Tool (CKRT) products are durable and very cost effective. CKRT knives can be purchased at $30 to $60, considerably cheaper than their Benchmade, Gerber, Kershaw, etc., counterparts. The cost of CKRT knives goes up when you want other than plastic (Zytel) handles. For instance the same knife/blade style is offered in Titanium, G10 or Carbon Fiber handles but the prices goes significantly up with those options. We feel the standard CKRT with plastic (Zytel) handles is more than adequate. The addition of skateboard tape on the handles can provide a cost effective surer grip. We like the following two CKRT models:
Columbia River M16-14 Tactical Knife
This knife is from a Kit Carson design with a 3.875 inch AUS-4 bead blasted stainless steel blade in the Tanto combination straight and serrated blade style. This knife uses the excellent Auto Lawks locking system when the blade is fully deployed using the ambidextrous “thumb flipper” mounted on the top of blade, near the handle when the blade is extended.
Using a torx head wrench or driver, the user can change the pants clip to either side of the handle for left or right handed carry. The M16-14 is 5.375" when folded with an overall length of 9.25" with the blade fully extended.
Columbia River M16-02Z Tactical Knife
This knife is also a Kit Carson design with a 3.0 inch AUS-4 bead blasted stainless steel blade in the Tanto combination straight and serrated blade style. This knife uses the excellent Auto Lawks locking system when the blade is fully deployed using the ambidextrous “thumb flipper” mounted on the top of blade, near the handle when the blade is extended.
Using a torx head wrench or driver, the user can change the pants clip to either side of the handle for left or right handed carry. The M16-02Z is 4.25" when folded with an overall length of 7.375" with the blade fully extended.
Both knives have the lanyard hole visible when the blade is extended. This serves as a semi-hilt to help keep the hand from sliding off the handle as well as a point to tie down the knife when fashioning a Survival Spear for fishing or hunting. Additionally, Teflon bearings allow for smooth opening and closing of these knives.
Book Review – Green Eyes, Black Rifles, By Kyle Lamb
Although the beginning of this site is to provide an initial exposure to Survival and Preparedness oriented towards the relatively unprepared urbanite (or suburbanite), we are intending in the future to address issues and concerns for more serious practitioners of Survival preparedness and those would certainly include owners of M-4 or M-16/AR-15 type carbines and rifles. However, we have decided from time to time to reach past where we currently are and jump into advanced issues, equipment and concepts.
In that vein, we wanted to share our look at the book “Green Eyes & Black Rifles: Warriors Guide to the Combat Carbine”, by Kyle Lamb.
The readers of this site may not be familiar with Kyle Lamb, a retired Special Forces Sergeant Major, but anybody who is anyone in the shooting and training world know who he is. Kyle is probably the most experienced and talented firearms instructor currently plying his trade. From Mogadishu to Bagdad, and other places to be sure, Kyle Lamb certainly has the credentials to explain the basic and advanced employment of AR type carbine/rifle.
If you own an AR type rifle (M-4 or various clones, M16 or various models) you WANT a copy of this book as it covers everything and more, from zeros; to positional shooting; to mounting, zeroing and using scopes; to training courses, etc. Our copies of this book are highly prized and even more secured (so they won’t wander off as good kit tends to do).
Publisher: Trample & Hurdle Publishers; 1st edition (January 17, 2008); ISBN-10: 0615166547; ISBN-13: 978-0615166544
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