Survivalist Anthologies Volume 1
Page 46
There are other items that we need to consider when preparing our kit. Not the least of these is calories and a means of securing more of them. There are few areas inhabited by people in the U.S that do not have animals as well. A good working knowledge of traps and snares as well as a good fishing kit will go a long way towards keeping you fed. With that said; I think the importance of carrying food that is ready to eat is highly underrated. Keep in mind that while freeze dried food is light and compact; it does require a substantial amount of water to render it edible. This is not desirable when every ounce of water may come at a premium. Believe it or not there is a way that you should eat. Only stop and prepare meals when it is safe to do so. Always take advantage of any opportunity to eat a hot meal, and save the trail mix for the trail!
Now that we have covered the basics of survival, let’s look at some other needs that we must address. Self defense is a skill that takes time to develop. Awareness is is your first tool, use it. However just being able to recognize a threat does not always give us the ability to address it. Avoidance is the best defense, but when forced into fight mode you better have something to fight with. A firearm will give you options; just make sure it is not your one and only option.
You should always keep a means of patching yourself up with you at all times. Chances are you will be exposed to dangers that you are not used to facing. So having a self repair kit and professional training on how to use it is vital.
As you have come to see there are a lot of things to consider when it comes to packing up your magic bag. We still have to consider navigation and communications, and while I think these are both very important subjects, I believe it is beyond the scope of this article to do them both justice. I know this all can seem overwhelming, and a bag is by no means a magic bullet. I hope in time you will learn to replace items with skills just and no matter how many pouches or zippers your bug out bag has in the end it is just a bag. Try not to get caught up in the latest and greatest offerings of your favorite tacti-cool supply house. Instead learn how to recognize things for what they are and practice substitution.
Chance Sanders is a former U.S. Marine marksmanship and firearms instructor. He currently works as a tactical security specialist and teaches survival skills in his native South Carolina.
2012
Do We Really Have One Year Left?
by Ed Corcoran
The dreaded year 2012 is now upon us and it seems like everyone has a theory of what’s going to happen either before or on December 21st. The concept of 2012 as the year the world ends is not a new one. I remember reading and hearing about the Mayan calendar, Planet X and Nostradamus’ predictions over twenty years ago, but these ideas have been gaining momentum for the last couple of years and we can expect it to reach a fever pitch as the months go by.
Up until now I’ve kept my personal opinions about 2012 largely to myself - at least publicly, anyway. Partly because I have no interest in the elusive art of prognostication (I’m no prophet), but mostly because I’m reminded of that old quote by Abraham Lincoln: “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”.
It’s bad enough that most of the “sheeple” out there think of preppers and survivalists as tinfoil-hat-wearing, paranoid mental cases, because we’re preparing for perfectly rational contingencies - like natural and man-made disasters, economic meltdown, or a collapse of our electrical grid - without throwing speculative, half-baked theories based on prophecies and legends into the mix.
Now don’t get me wrong. Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve always been fascinated by the Sumerians and their legends of the Annunaki and the planet Nibiru, as well as the prophecies of Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce and the Book of Revelation. And nobody loves a good conspiracy theory like I do (some of which I believe are good deal more than mere “theories”). But when it comes to discussing invisible planets on a near collision course with earth, interpretations of vague quatrains, or a Biblical apocalypse; I feel that’s best left in the realm of speculation. Even in the time of Jesus, people believed that they would see the apocalypse in their lifetime, and history is replete with doomsday prophets warning of the end of days, which, in the end turned out to be much ado about nothing.
I also don’t think that the end of the Mayan calendar signifies the end of the world, and neither do present-day Mayans, as Chris Nyerges discovered when he spent time with the Mayan people in the Yucatan peninsula, learning from one of the world’s leading Mayan scholars (check out his article: “The Road to 2012” ). I’m not sure how the intellectual leap is made to equate the end of the Mayan calendar with the literal end of days, and I get rather annoyed when I watch a TV show or read an article that says something like: “The Mayans prophesied that the end of the world will be on December 21st, 2012...” They did no such thing! And if the Mayans themselves are telling us that that’s not what the calendar indicates, then that’s good enough for me. I’d rather concentrate on the dangers that are clearly visible (to those of us who are paying attention).
There’s nothing particularly significant about the date December 21st, 2012, either. Other than marking the beginning of the winter solstice. Calendars (whether Mayan or Gregorian) are simply man-made devices designed to mark the passage of time. The types of events that people are predicting for the end of 2012 could happen at ANY TIME. Disasters don’t keep a schedule or make appointments, so if you’re thinking that you have several months to get prepared before zero-hour, you could very likely be in for a rude awakening if the economy crashes tomorrow, or there’s a random coronal mass ejection that wipes out the power grid at a moment’s notice.
Apart from being caught unprepared, my next biggest fear is if nothing disastrous at all happens... Yes, you read that right... Allow me to explain.
Most of us remember the last big surge of preparedness and survival awareness that occurred in the waning days of the 20th century, leading up to the year 2000 - or “Y2K” if you prefer - and when all the computer clocks in the world rolled over and no airplanes fell out of the sky, no power plants shut down (or melted down) and the world remained the same as it was at 11:59pm 1999, lots of people either felt foolish for believing that a computer glitch would bring about TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It), or at worst, felt that they had wasted a lot of time and money and consequently stopped prepping and learning survival skills.
It is my fervent hope that 2012 comes and goes without incident, and if that is the case, my next concern is that everyone will heave a collective sigh of relief and forget all about staying prepared and abandon their preparedness and survival practices. After Y2K came and went, many people stopped storing food, stopped learning self-reliance and survival skills and sold off all of their gear. Worst of all, their perspective became jaundiced and cynical in regards to preparedness, with an “I’m won’t get fooled by that again!” attitude.
Many of the events that can bring about a societal collapse or TEOTWAWKI are not events at all. I think it’s likely that we will experience what’s called a “slow collapse”. In fact, it’s happening all around us right now right now. Here are a few of my top concerns:
The Growing Food Crisis - We are seeing growing food shortages on a global scale, which has caused the commodity price of wheat, rice and corn to skyrocket over the last few years, with no sign of reversal. Entire countries are becoming incapable of growing their own staple crops anymore. Here in America, unsustainable corporate farming practices are destroying the soil, and each year it becomes harder and harder to maintain the same level of productivity. I won’t even get into GMO crops and the gradual government/U.N. Takeover of our domestic food supply.
Water Shortages - Fresh water is being depleted faster than it can be replenished due to over-pumping, both here in the U.S. and world-wide. In the United States, analysts have predicted that the systematic depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer could eventually turn “America’s Breadbasket” back into the “Dust Bowl”. S
everal other countries throughout the world are facing even worse water supply issues.
Peak Oil - World oil production is struggling to keep up with demand as it is, and the demand keeps on growing as countries like China, India and other newly industrialized nations are starting to emerge as major oil consumers. This will impact EVERYTHING from farming, to manufacturing, to construction, to the transportation (and therefore the cost) of food, etc... And we don’t have an infrastructure to live in a world without petroleum.
Increasing Disasters - The global climate is indeed changing and the frequency of natural disasters keeps going up, placing a huge financial strain on countries and regions hardest hit. The tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster in Japan, for example, wiped out most of the vast agricultural areas in that country. Many believe that the Japanese economy (the 3rd largest in the world) is doomed to collapse. This, in combination with the collapse of European economies will have a profound effect on the rest of the world.
Economic Collapse - Our own debt-based, fiat economy is running out of road. Our political leaders are loathe to do anything but put a band-aid on the problem, while a privately owned bank (the Federal Reserve) and a globalist oligarchy of corporations and megalithic financial institutions pull all the strings. Since our currency is not based on anything tangible, our money is ostensibly fictitious, with no real value at all. It’s only a matter of time (and not much time at that) before this unsustainable Ponzi scheme we call an economic system collapses under its own weight.
Grid Fragility - Our electrical grid infrastructure is outdated and incredibly vulnerable to collapse. We have woefully inadequate backup systems and spare transformers on hand to repair the grid should a massive solar flare or an EMP attack (a nuclear device detonated high in the atmosphere for the purpose of creating an EMP pulse) were to occur. Since the manufacture of most of our transformers has been outsourced to China (where else?) it’s estimated that if the grid were to crash, it would take over a decade to rebuild, if it ever gets rebuilt at all.
Of course, these are not the only concerns that threaten our “world as we know it”. I could cover in-depth several other issues that could have a devastating affect on our way of life. Such as the ongoing policy of U.S. imperialism and military intervention throughout the Middle East, the continuous erosion of our privacy, liberties and Constitutional rights, Gov’t/U.N. Control over our rural land, food supply and health (Agenda 21, Codex Alimentarius), the persistent push towards a globalist New World Order, etc. But due to space constraints, I decided to keep it to my top six immediate concerns.
The main point is; even if we cross the threshold into 2013 and Nibiru never shows up, or we’re not visited by the Anti-Christ, that doesn’t mean our worries are over... but I’m afraid that’s exactly what a majority of people will think. There doesn’t have to be some earth-shattering, mega-apocalypse, that completely transforms our world overnight. All of the above issues will continue to be a concern, and continue to get worse, and each has the potential to either kick us back to the 19th century, or push us down into 2nd or 3rd world status. So keep on prepping and learning to survive without fear!
Product Spotlight
Bear Grylls Survival Series Ultimate Kit
A 16-piece survival kit built for hostile environments. Stick the Ultimate Kit in your backpack and hope your never have to use it. If you do, it has everything you need to survive in even the toughest spots. Including: Gerber® Miniature Multi-tool, Waterproof Bag, Miniature Light, Hand Saw, Signaling Mirror, Survival Blanket, Fire Starter, Waterproof matches, Cotton Ball - Fire Tinder, Snare Wire, Emergency Cord, Waxed Thread, Fishing Kit, Sewing kit, Lanyard Whistle, Lightweight ripstop nylon bag with waterproof zipper. Manufacture: Gerber (http://www.gerbergear.com/) Retail Price: $49.99
2012 Grab-n-Go Tactical Survival Vest
The 2012 Grab-N-Go Tactical Survival Vest comes COMPLETE, so you can bug-out quickly if necessary. Just put on the vest and GO! The Vest comes with a two day supply of Emergency Food & Water Rations, Quality Survival Gear and Useful 1st Aid Supplies. You only add your favorite sidearm and spare mags! The Hydration Bag Carrier and additional pouches (the four gear pouches and the two pouches for the “Gerber” Folding Saw and “Cold Steel Rajah II” Folding Knife) can be separated from the vest and made into a separate back pack by repositioning the straps attached at the back for attaching additional gear. Manufacturer: T&M Enterprises (http://www.2012grab-n-gotacticalsurvivalvest.com/) Retail Price: Starting at $200
SOG FastHawk Tactical Tomahawk
The SOG FastHawk is faster, lighter, more agile, and easier to carry than its sibling the Tactical Tomahawk. This is not to say it is not still powerful, versatile, and functional. It is a tool that will be used for much more than you might anticipate. Chopping, breaking, cutting, hammering, piercing, digging, prying, pounding shaving, notching, opening and throwing are all capabilities well within the FastHawk’s reach. Manufacturer: SOG Tactical Knives & Tools (http://sogknives.com/) Retail Price: $50
Excalibur Small Garden Dehydrator 3500
Here at Excalibur—the Science and Technology of Dehydration is our Main Business. Because we focus solely on food dehydration we are the World Leaders when it comes to dehydration technology for both home and commercial uses. The Small Garden Excalibur model Contains 5 LARGE trays with 8 square feet of tray area. Perfect for families with small gardens and a few fruit trees. Also perfect for making jerky. Manufacturer: Excalibur (http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/) Retail Price: $229.95
Coughlan’s 30L Compression Sack
Compress your gear into half the space. “Flip-Top-Lid” prevents strap tangling. Four straps with buckles allow for even compression and a handy grab handle on top for transporting. Unique self-storing pocket design stows sack into a small flat disc that takes up very little space. Manufacturer: Coughlan’s Ltd (http://www.coghlans.com/) Retail Price: $15.00
-END OF VOLUME 1-
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