ISSUE 18

PREPARATION
SURVIVAL
MOBILITY
DEFENSE
MEDICAL
GEAR Protect
Yourself
You May Be Forced to Defend Yourself
at a Moment’s Notice. Mindset and Preps
That Can Save Your Life and Family

COLD-WEATHER
SLEEPING BAGS
P. 48

IMPROVISED
FIST-LOAD WEAPONSP 70
P.

FIRESTARTERS
BUYER’S GUIDE
P. 84

OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 18
REVIEW: PISTOL-
MOUNTED LIGHTSP. 16
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INTRODUCING THE DD5 ™
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When we set out to create a .308/7.62mm rifle fit to wear the Daniel Defense name, we cleared the drawing board and created an entirely new
evolution of the AR-10 platform. Packed full of innovative features that enhance comfort, durability and performance while still possessing the
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OPTIMIZED BOLT CARRIER GROUP DESIGN DANIEL DEFENSE OVERMOLDED FURNITURE

Visit DanielDefense.com for more
information, and see the new DD5™
at your local Daniel Defense dealer.
CONTENTS IISSUE
IS
S 18

FEATURES

32 Surviving a Mass
Shooting
What Do You Do if You Aren’t
Armed?

38 Take Control of the 32 38

Tragedy
Triage and Treatment 44 48
Considerations for Mass-
Casualty Incidents

44 Through a Hero’s Eyes

Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis Survived
the Sandy Hook Massacre.
Hear How She Did it in Her
Own Words

48 Cold-Weather Cocoons
11 Winter Sleeping Bags — Which
Ones Should You Crawl Into?

58 Covering Your Assets

Make the Necessary Legal and
Financial Preparation Before
Disaster Strikes

64 The Hills Have Eyes

Tips for Camping in the
Backcountry Where Dangerous
Game Might be Watching You

70 Improv Skills
Get Your Jason Bourne on by
Turning These 5 Common Items 64 70
Into Self-Defense Weapons 78 84

78 Cold War Combatants

Survive the Ravages of Winter
on the Highway With These
Essential Preps

84 Fire at Will
16 Fire-Staring Tools to Keep
You Warm This Winter
 DEPARTMENTS

8 Editor’s Letter
Aim to Prep

12 Gear Up
The Latest and Greatest Products

16 HighLights
Pistol-Mounted Lights

22 What If?
You’re Trapped in a Mass Shooting

94 Health
The Low-Carb Prepper

96 On the Grid
Stay in the Know at OFFGRIDweb.com

98 411
Hypothermia Versus Frostbite

Product Disclaimer
Prices and details for products and services
featured in RECOIL OFFGRID are set by the
manufacturers, retailers, and agencies, and
are subject to change without notice.

Throughout this issue you will see

certain images are labeled as being
100% Actual Size. This designation is
for the print edition of this issue. Because of the
various screen sizes on different tablets and
computers, we cannot always provide actual
life size images in digital versions. We apologize
if this causes any confusion and thank you for
your understanding.

Recoil OFFGRID, April/May 2017; Number 18, is

published bimonthly by TEN: The Enthusiast
Network, LLC, 261 Madison Avenue, 6th floor,
New York, NY 10016. Copyright 2017 by TEN: The
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ISSUE 18

Recoil OFFGRID, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL

32142-0235.

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 005
006 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 18

ON THE
COVER
2

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Ma k : The North Face Maake:
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Modell: Willow He H nley
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Model: Wom
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MSRP: $1999
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Make:: 5.1.11 Ta
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008
ISSUE 18
EDITOR’SLETTER

AIM TO L
et’s make this clear: In the United States, a fatal heart at-
tack is far more probable than a deadly terrorist attack.
And you’re 54 times more likely to die of cancer than a
gunshot wound, according to the most recent statistics

PREP B Patrick
By P Vuong
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Despite clickbaity posts on social media and hyped-up headlines
from (often misinformed) news outlets, gun violence isn’t on the rise.
In fact, it’s stabilized for the past five years after a large reduction in
firearm homicides since 1993, according to an analysis by the Pew
Research Center.
“Then why are you depicting a mass shooting on the cover?” some
might ask. For the same reason we’ve featured everything from flood-
ing to civil unrest — to give you knowledge to better prep and practice.
After all, a firearm and related training should be incorporated into
your emergency plans.
Whether it’s a grid-down situation in your neighborhood (Issue 10)
or an economic collapse on a global scale (Issue 7), life will always
throw us dangerous curveballs. This could include a nutjob with a gun,
a knife, a homemade bomb, or a cargo truck.
“You can’t think like that,” a non-prepper friend recently said. “It’s so
negative.”
My response: “It’s not like I dwell on being attacked. But I need to
know how to deal with it should it happen to me or my family. In fact,
knowing how to deal with it is what lets me not dwell on it. That’s the
difference between being paranoid and being prepared.”
With that in mind, I’m honored to announce the RECOIL OFFGRID
debut of Pat “Mac” McNamara. As a former member of the U.S. Army’s
1st SFOD-D unit and one of the industry’s top tactical instructors, he’s
thrived in all sorts of inhospitable environments. Tap into his real-world
experience and no-bullsh*t mindset by reading his feature, “Surviving
a Mass Shooting,” on page 32.
Meanwhile, in our current What If scenario, U.S. Marine Corps
veteran Candice Horner, federal agent Erik Lund, and survivalist Tim
MacWelch explain how they’d take down a shooter if they’re unarmed.
For a different approach, turn to page 44 and read Kaitlin Roig-DeBel-
lis’ first-hand account of how she survived the Sandy Hook massacre.
I teach my martial arts students there’s no one-size-fits-all approach
to self-defense. Instead, you must learn as much as you can, so you
can apply the right tool at the right time. The same goes for prepping
and survival. We pride ourselves on giving our readers access to the
best available information. If someone draws on the expertise we
provide, adapts it to his or her situation, and uses it to save lives, this
publication has more than done its job. We hope you find this, the 18th
edition of RECOIL OFFGRID, no less informative.

In survival situations, it’s always better to have it and not need it

than need it and not have it. Cover model, Dinah DeRosa (@Dinah
DeRosa), with a SIG SAUER P225 in a CrossBreed in-the-waistband
holster.
Knives
A
B D
Whatever you do, we have a
Kershaw knife for you.
The latest features, traditional quality & craftsmanship
 Built tough for a lifetime of daily use
 Blades made of high-grade steel
alloys that hold an edge
 Emerson “Wave” fast deployment
system on CQC models
 Durable textured G10 or metal grips
C
A. Emerson CQC-7K
3¼" modified Tanto blade for
D. Chive
punching & slicing, 2-tone satin/
stonewashed finish, textured G10
Tiny, with a not-quite 2" assisted-
opening blade, but it does big
grips
#100-020-693
tasks with ease like opening
packages or slicing boxes, plus
indestructible stainless grips &
B. Scallion open/closed locking system
True pocket knife with a 2.4" #100-020-685
420HC blade, textured aluminum
grips, thumb-stud flipper activated
blade with open/closed locks that
keep it where you want it
E. Emerson CQC-9K
Largest CQC knife - 3.6" drop-
#100-020-686
point blade with recurve that’s
good for cutting rope & zip ties,
C. Emerson CQC-4K plus ergonomic G10 grips that are
3¼" drop-point blade good for comfortable even for large hands
general-purpose cutting, non- #100-020-694
reflective black oxide finish, G10
grips
#100-020-695
 5HG5RFN2XWGRRU*HDU
'HOX[H5LIOH
%DFNSDFN
0653 Web Editor/ Patrick McCarthy
:['[+
The Deluxe Rifle Backpack is a top-
loading pack featureing a ¾ length
zipper to make loading and unloading
firearms more convenient. A removable
internal divider provides padded security
for multiple firearms. Both the heavily-
padded backpack straps and the waist
strap are removable to allow the bag to
be carried by the included shoulder strap.
Available in black, coyote, and olive drab
9LHZWKHIXOOOLQHUURJFRP

Editorial. Advertising.
Editor/ Patrick Vuong General Manager/ Mark Han
Managing Editor/ Laura Peltakian Network Manager/ John Schwartze
Feature Editor/ Rob Curtis Advertising Operations Manager/ Monica Hernandez
Contributing Editor/ Steven Kuo
Photography Studio Manager/ Jorge Nuñez National Sales Offices.
Senior Web Content Editor/ Ryan Whitehouse
Web Content Editor/ Josh Ching
New York Office/ 212.915.4000
261 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contributors/ Dinah DeRosa, Richard Duarte, Los Angeles Office/ 310.531.9900
Abe Elias, Kevin Estela, Candice Horner, 831 S. Douglas Street, El Segundo, CA 90245
Irvine Office/ 949.705.3100
Erik Lund, Pat McNamara, Tim MacWelch, 1821 East Dyer Road, Ste. #150, Santa Ana, CA 92705
Joe Oesterle, Ryan Lee Price, Mark Saint, Detroit Office/ 248.594.5999
Andrew Schrader, Peggy Sirota, Chris Vastardis, 4327 Delemere Court, Royal Oak, MI 48073
Chicago Office/ 310.531.9896
Erik Velazquez, Jared Wihongi Tampa Office/ 813.675.3479
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012
ISSUE 18
GEARUP
1 MAKE & MODEL
Gear Aid
2 MAKE & MODEL
FLUX LED Light &
Power Station
LUMENS
640
MSRP
$150
URL
www.gearaid.com
NOTES
Gear Aid is known for camping gear
repair kits, but is now branching
out into the illumination game.
The FLUX has 82 LEDs, three color
temperatures, and 10 brightness
settings (from 20 lumens up to 640
lumens). It features an IPX5-rated
spray-proof casing for outdoor
use. There’s also a 1/4-inch-20
threaded point to attach a tripod,
the included hanging hook, or
assorted Ram mounts (pictured,
but not included). It comes with an
adjustable metal kickstand, too.
Oh, and it can double as a battery
charger, thanks to its 1.5-amp USB
ports and 20,800-mAh capacity.
This dual-purpose station can light
up your basecamp, backyard, or
garage while also charging you
mobile devices.
SureFire
3 MAKE & MODEL
Maximus
LUMENS
1,000
MSRP
$275
URL
www.surefire.com
NOTES
When the sun goes down, the
nocturnal critters and predators
come out. But more likely it’ll be a
stubbed toe or a rolled ankle that’ll
getcha as you jog, hike, or bug out
in the dark. Thankfully, the Maxi-
mus and its 1,000 lumens can help
you light up the night. Its large
knurled dial lets you turn it down
to 1 lumen, or any level in between,
with one hand, gloved or not. The
same goes for the light assembly,
which can be rotated up or down
90 degrees so you can see what’s
at your feet or what’s up ahead.
For dire situations, the built-in SOS
beacon can run for days with its
IPX4-rated magnesium body. Comes
with a rechargeable battery, AC
and DC chargers, and an integrated
charge-level gauge.
3
Prometheus Design Werx
4 MAKE & MODEL
Wilderness Utility Top
MATERIALS
85-percent wool/15-percent-nylon
melton blend
MSRP
$230
URL
www.prometheusdesignwerx.com
NOTES
Another win for nature’s super
fabric, the melton wool Wilder-
ness Utility Top offers as much
protection from the elements as
it does character. Think of this
guy as a flannel shirt on steroids.
Super comfy out of the box, the
natural fabric (reinforced with a
little bit of nylon for added life)
resists weather and damage as
well as, or better than, any fabric
developed in a laboratory. A
generous stand-up collar, quality
YKK zippers, and impossible-to-
lose Canadian-style buttons keep
the hatches battened down when
the weather comes in. Reinforced
elbows and pockets placed for
access while wearing a pack
round out this made-in-the-USA
shirtjack’s list of features, making
it a solid choice for life before,
during, and after TEOTWAWKI.
MyPakage
Pro-X Stealth
MATERIALS
100-percent hydrophobic wicking
polyester
MSRP
$70
URL
usa.mypakage.com
NOTES
With terms like “MyPakage” and
“Keyhole Comfort Technology”
these new-school long johns might
seem like the most brotastic gag
gift ever. But the truth is, you’ll
stop laughing after you try a pair.
Plainly stated, the pouch in the
crotch area is the best thing for
men’s underwear since elastic
waistbands were invented. In fact,
this keyhole design is so brilliant
in its simplicity and comfort that
we’re kinda blown away no one
else, not Hanes or Fruit of the
Loom, thought of it first. Testicular
freedom aside, the Pro-X Stealth
works great as a base layer
during active pursuits, thanks to
its moisture-wicking fabric, anti-
microbial properties, and four-way
stretch (which provides compres-
sion and range of movement
simultaneously).
5 MAKE & MODEL
Tuff Products
6 MAKE & MODEL
Sentinel Concepts Elite
Revelation
DIMENSIONS
22 by 12.5 by 4 inches
MSRP
$180
URL
www.tuffproducts.com
NOTES
If you find yourself walking into
a whirling mass of hysteria, it’s
to your advantage to keep your
capabilities hidden. The Revelation
is set up to carry a folding-stock-
equipped SBR with a 30-round
mag — all without straps or snaps,
meaning access is PDQ. The bot-
tom of the main pocket is padded
and stiffened to prevent printing
and the telltale clank of a muzzle
hitting the deck when you put it
down. A divider panel hides the
gun from casual observation when
grabbing your files or gym shorts
from the main compartment. The
outer pocket is lined for use with
Velcro-backed accessories. The
rest of the pack looks a lot like a
Walmart special with water bottle
holders, basic shoulder straps,
and a sternum buckle. It’s a good
option for a trunk bag.
YETI
7 MAKE & MODEL
Hopper Flip 12
DIMENSIONS
12.6 by 11.5 by 10 inches
MSRP
$280
URL
www.yeti.com
NOTES
This Hopper Flip 12 is kinda like a
lunch cooler — except pimped out,
’roided up, and overbuilt in every
way. Rugged and leakproof, its
HydroLok zipper and Dryhide Shell
makes certain that water won’t
leak out or seep in. The cubed
body, grab handles, and adjust-
able shoulder strap ensure it’s
portable and easy to stow. The
HitchPoint Grid on the outside lets
you attach various accessories
that are sold separately, such as
the YETI Sidekick (pictured). Inside
a food-grade lining and closed-
cell rubber foam insulation keeps
food and drinks cool. Whether
you’re in snow, on water, or just
on the job, the Hopper Flip 12 can
pay dividends in the field … if you
have the scratch to pay for it in
the first place.
Center Line Systems
Key-DC
DIMENSIONS
4 by 3 inches
MSRP
$25
URL
www.center-line-systems.com
NOTES
The cleverly named Key-DC is
meant to hold vital items in a
compact and discreet package.
You can set it up in various
configurations. Make it a last-
ditch survival pouch by outfitting
it with cordage, weatherproof
matches, and water-purification
tablets. Use it as a covert travel
wallet, a jogger’s ID holder, or just
as a universal organizer for small
items. There are numerous ways
to carry it, including clipped to a
carabiner, on a lanyard or key fob,
or attached inside a pack with a
Velcro compartment. The Key-DC
is the end result of a collabora-
tion between combat vet and
Center Line Systems founder Mark
Laine and Kevin Estela, martial
artist, wilderness survival instruc-
tor, and frequent RECOIL OFFGRID
contributor.
8 MAKE & MODEL
CrossBreed Holsters
Ark Resistor Bag
DIMENSIONS
26 by 21 inches
MSRP
$20
URL
www.arkprotector.com
NOTES
Some folks are concerned about
a widespread electromagnetic
pulse (EMP) event that could send
us back to the Stone Age. But
localized events (and attacks)
are real possibilities, too. Solar
flares, lightning strikes, power
line surges, or e-bombs could fry
all electronics within their reach.
If you missed how to make your
own EMP-proof Faraday box in
our Spring 2014 issue, consider
the Ark Resistor Bag. It claims
to provide protection against
not only an EMP event, but also
moisture and corrosion, making
it an ideal vessel for a firearm,
ammo, gadgets, valuables, and
other survival gear you want in a
post-SHTF scenario.
7

5
6

ISS
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8
18

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014
ISSUE 18
GEARUP
9 MAKE & MODEL
Mountainsmith
10
Halite 7075
WEIGHT
1 pound, 5 ounces
MSRP
$80
URL
www.mountainsmith.com
NOTES
If you’re an avid hiker or you
caught our feature story on trek-
king poles in the Summer 2014
issue, you know how indispensable
these trail tools can be when pur-
suing higher elevations. They’re
also great for improvised emer-
gency uses: leg splint, self-defense
weapon, and rafters for a survival
shelter, just to name a few. The
Halite 7075 is made of, um, 7075
aluminum, so it’s lightweight yet
incredibly sturdy. The Outerlock
height adjustment mechanism is
simple to use and lets you get the
poles to just the right length. It
also breaks down to just 16 inches.
When spring comes, the snow
baskets can be swapped out for
smaller hiking baskets and rubber-
boot tips, all of which are included
with each pair.
MAKE & MODEL
Rain-X
11
Glass Water Repellent
WEIGHT
3.5 fluid ounces
MSRP
$4
URL
www.rainx.com
NOTES
It’s not fun driving through a
rainstorm or, worse yet, blow-
ing snow. This is where quality
windshield wipers and a strong
car defroster come into play. You
can turn the odds in your favor
by adding a Rain-X water repellent
before you leave the garage. The
product causes water to bead up
and restricts adhesion, so the pre-
cipitation rolls off your glass more
easily when combined with good
wipers and the vehicle moving at
speed. It’s by no means a cure-all,
but it definitely helps to maintain
visibility when driving. Rain-X also
claims that the repellent can help
prevent the buildup of frost, bugs,
tree sap, and road grime.
10
MAKE & MODEL
Midland Radio
12
X-TALKER Extreme
Dual Pack
RANGE
Up to 36 miles
MSRP
$100
URL
www.midlandusa.com
NOTES
Two-way radios have proven
effective time and again in emer-
gency scenarios, on mountain
paths, and in other areas where
mobile phone reception fails.
This combo pack offers a pair of
rechargeable T71 X-Talkers along
with plenty of accessories, includ-
ing belt clips, boom-mic headsets,
and a micro USB charging cable.
It comes with 36 channels, 121
privacy codes, and a weather
alert radio. Because they operate
on the General Mobile Radio
Service (GMRS) band — instead
of the Family Radio Service most
recreational walkie-talkies use — a
license from the FCC is required.
GMRS radios have greater range,
however,, and can be modified to
extend their rangeg farther.
111
MAKE & MODEL
Kizer Cutlery
Escort
OAL
7.88 inches
MSRP
$226
URL
www.bladehq.com
NOTES
Designed by custom knife-
maker Dirk Pinkerton, the Escort
features a drop-point blade made
from S35VN stainless steel and a
handle crafted from 6AL4V tita-
nium. Normally if you combined
these premium materials with
such a talented designer, you’d
have to pay twice as much. No
surprise, then, that it’s manu-
factured in China to keep costs
down. Still, after carrying it for
a few months, we’ve noticed no
big flaws other than the pocket
clip; it’s a tad flimsy and can’t be
switched for wrong-handed … er,
we mean, left-handed carry. The
3.5-inch blade is laser sharp, the
frame-lock handle is ergonomic,
and the flipper
flippe tab and custom
p
pivot make for a smooth opening.
12
2
 ONE GUN. ONE OPTIC. ONE COMPANY.

ONE FOR ALL.

THE WORLD’S ONLY FULLY INTEGRATED SHOOTING SYSTEM.

No other manufacturer offers a pistol with a reflex sight ready to go out of the box.

P320 RX ® Shoot confidently with faster target acquisition and improved accuracy. Installed. Zeroed.
And backed by the quality of the SIG name. Forever change the way you shoot with the P320 RX.

One One Less Less

Manufacturer Warranty Hassle Expense

#ONEFORALL P320 RX YES YES YES YES

sigsauer.com/P320RX LEADING COMPETITION NO NO NO NO
016
ISSUE 18
HIGHLIGHTS

Pistol-Mounted Lights

C
Story and Photos by Patrick McCarthy

lear vision is
essential in
any survival
situation, since
it allows you to
observe, orient,
decide, and then act on what’s
around you. In the dark of night
or a pitch-black room, it can be
difficult to accomplish any of
those tasks reliably, so illumina-
tion is key.
However, there’s one particu-
lar time when visibility is almost
guaranteed to make the differ-
ence between life and death:
self-defense with a firearm. If you
can’t see your attacker clearly,
you may hesitate to fire or miss
your target completely; and
with devastating consequences.
Worse, misidentification of an
innocent as a threat may lead
to a different set of devastating
consequences.
Therefore, we expanded our
HighLights guide for this impor- Most importantly, each of
tant theme, selecting 10 pistol these lights can help you identify
flashlights to test and review. a threat in the shadows and de-
These lights offer diverse sizes, fea- cide if you need to pull the trig-
tures, controls, and prices, so you ger. No other type of flashlight
should be able to find one that fits carries such a heavy burden.
your specific needs. For evalua-
tion purposes, we selected lights
that fit the most popular pistol on
the market, the Glock 19. If you
own or carry a different gun, that’s
not a problem —
many of these
weapon-mounted
lights (WMLs) are
universal-fit, and
the remaining few
offer similar vari-
ants that fit other
guns. Keep in mind,
holster selection
can be limited for
light-bearing pistols,
but it’s a second-
ary concern for
bedside guns.

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or newer
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Traace IInfor
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79 $ 5
$175 $1
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24 (se
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see notes)
not
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018
ISSUE 18
HIGHLIGHTS

SureFire
u Fir
ureFir TruGlo
T
TruGG UTG
TG EL
ELP123R-A
LP123
23R-A
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Tact
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Flashlight
ashlig
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with Gree
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200
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lase
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light,
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R123
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((includ
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CR
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$300
30
00 $ 1
$121 $5
$53
5 $ 9
$409

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ww.su
w surefire
re.com
om www
www.truglo.com
w w.trugl
glo.co
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www.leapers.com
ww.lea
apers
p rs.com
m w w.viridi
www.viridiangreenlaser.com
www.v diangre
reenla
laser.c
com

Aimkon HiLight P10S
A budget light with basic
features. It mounts easily via a
quick-detach lever, snapping into
place on the pistol’s rail. We got
the 300-lumen version a while
back; Aimkon has since boosted
the power to 500 lumens for
newer models. The aluminum
construction feels sturdy. The
light’s downfall is its switch. It’s
pressed laterally through the
body to turn on and pressed
from the opposite side to turn
off. Cycling the light on again
reveals the strobe function. This
switch lacks a momentary-on
mode, requiring finger gymnas-
tics to turn off or toggle modes
one-handed. Annoyingly, the
switch also protrudes enough
to be pressed accidentally when
placing the gun on flat surfaces
or inserting it into a universal
holster. On top of all this, lefties
will find it nigh-impossible to
operate. If you can live with the
switch, are right-handed, and
will be using this exclusively on
a bedside gun, the P10S is an
acceptable entry-level option.
Otherwise, we’d advise saving
up for a better light.
Pros:
Good light output for under
$40
Strong aluminum construction
with quick-detach mount
Cons:
Power switch is frustrating
to operate, especially for left-
handed shooters
Nonexistent holster
compatibility
Lacks momentary-on mode
BLACKHAWK! Night-Ops
XIPHOS NTX
The light seen here is a second-
generation design, featuring
a revised battery cap and im-
proved switch design compared
to earlier models. The body is
constructed from impact-resis-
tant carbon-fiber polymer with
a ribbed metal heat sink behind
the bezel. The NTX requires no
tools to install, clamping (rather
than sliding) onto most pistol
rails using the BLACKHAWK!
Cam-Clamp locking system. The
unique ambidextrous switch
is biased toward the dominant
hand (either left or right), but can
also be activated by the other
hand’s thumb. Momentary-on
and constant-on modes are easy
to access, but triple-tapping to
activate the strobe is difficult
in tense situations. Addition-
ally, the switch could be a bit
wider for improved comfort.
It’s worth mentioning this light
also sits noticeably off-center
for direct compatibility with the
company’s SERPA holsters.
Pros:
Quick installation with
adjustable fit
Available in right- or left-
hand-biased ambidextrous
configuration
Cons:
Strobe is difficult to access
quickly
Light sits off-center
Crimson Trace LTG-736
Lightguard for Glock
This contoured light is designed
specifically for full-size and
compact Glock models, but
variants are available for the
1911, Springfield Armory XD, and
Smith & Wesson M&P. Unlike
the other lights we evaluated,
the activation mechanism is a
raised pressure pad that snugs
up against the pistol’s front strap,
which is depressed by the user’s
middle finger. The upside to this
design is that simply gripping
the gun activates the light, and
it’s easy to use one-handed, with
either hand. The downside is
that it slightly changes the user’s
grip, even when the light is not
in use. The switch placement
also can lead to inadvertent
activation during the drawstroke.
Some may prefer this design,
others will find it uncomfortable.
It’s also worth noting that the
Lightguard takes time to install
or remove, since it’s attached
to the pistol with two tiny hex
screws. As long as the grip
switch doesn’t deter you, the
Lightguard is a sleek, lightweight,
and easy-to-use flashlight.
Pros:
No buttons or switches; easy to
activate quickly
Made in the USA
Cons:
Affects user’s grip on the pistol,
which takes getting used to
Two-piece clamshell
construction feels fragile,
and requires tiny hex key to
assemble and change the
battery
Inforce Glock APL
If you’re not looking for tons of
bells and whistles and want a
straightforward, easy-to-operate
pistol light, the InForce APL
might be just what you’re look-
ing for. This particular APL is the
dedicated Glock model, but In-
Force offers the light in a nearly
identical universal configuration.
The APL doesn’t have special
features like a laser, a quick-de-
tach mount, or a strobe function.
However, it makes up for these
with outstanding ergonomics,
a wide and even beam, and a
ruggedly simple design. The
ambidextrous paddles are large
and easy to operate — press and
hold for momentary-on, press
and release for constant-on.
Of all the lights we tested, we’d
give this one the top rating for
ergonomics. The lightweight
polymer body is waterproof, and
battery swaps are performed
by unscrewing the bezel, rather
than removing the light from the
pistol. This light is our Top Pick.
Pros:
Excellent ambidextrous switch
design
Rugged construction is
waterproof to 66 feet
Cons:
No fancy bells and whistles, like
a quick-detach mount
Safariland Rapid Light
System (RLS)
The Safariland RLS offers a
unique configuration and
manual of arms compared to
traditional pistol lights. Rather
than permanently attaching
to a weapon rail, once you’ve
unholstered your weapon, it
slides on and rotates to lock in
place on the right or left side
of the gun. The tail cap switch
can then be operated by the tip
of your non-dominant hand’s
thumb, or by your index finger
for one-handed use. It’s easier
to operate than hand-holding
a regular flashlight, but it’s
substantially less streamlined
than a smaller rail-mounted light.
However, it could potentially
serve as your primary flashlight,
since it includes a belt mount
and can be used independently
of the pistol. Needless to say,
it’s nice to be able to illuminate
things without pointing your
muzzle at them. Unfortunately,
as is often true of multi-purpose
tools, this versatility results in
compromises. Mostly, the RLS
feels like a flashlight strapped to
your pistol, rather than a natural
extension of the gun.
Pros:
Functions as both a standalone
flashlight and a weapon light
Includes pocket clip and
belt-mounting bracket for
standalone use
Cons:
Fairly good as a weapon light
and as a handheld light, but not
outstanding at either task
To use as a weapon light, you
must first draw your gun, then
grab the light and attach it to
your pistol.
Must remove from the gun
before holstering
020
ISSUE 18
HIGHLIGHTS
Streamlight TLR-1 HL
The well-known Streamlight
TLR-1 is one of the most popular
pistol flashlights on the market,
and the HL model kicks it up
a notch. The original TLR-1
produced 300 lumens, but
the HL offers a blinding 800
lumens of brightness. This light
also incorporates a new lens,
yielding a wider and more even
beam than its predecessor. The
anodized aluminum body is wa-
terproof, and available in three
finish colors, but it’s longer and
heavier than many other lights
in this class. The switch activates
momentary-on mode when
pushed in one direction and
constant-on in the other (and
vice versa from one side to the
other), so you need to remem-
ber which is which. Don’t let the
MSRP scare you, as this light is
easily found online for $120. At
that price, it’s great value for the
money. Intense brightness, solid
build quality, and ambidextrous
controls make the TLR-1 HL a
superb performer.
Pros:
Can easily be found online for
$120, a great value considering
its features
Available in black, flat dark
earth (pictured), and flat dark
earth brown finishes
Powerful 800-lumen output
ideal for open spaces, but …
Cons:
… Blinding splash-back from
the powerful beam can be
a problem in close quarters
indoors
Wider and heavier than many
competitors
SureFire XC1
Despite being the smallest light
we tested, the SureFire XC1 man-
ages to produce 200 lumens
with an even beam pattern and
no hotspot in the center. This
ultra-compact light is powered
by a single front-loaded AAA
battery, keeping weight down
while still providing 1.5 hours of
runtime. And no plastic here; the
XC1 is made of hard-anodized
aluminum. The ambidextrous
momentary-on switches are
designed to be activated by the
user’s non-dominant thumb, by
either pushing down or forward.
These roughly ridged switches
are easy to activate, even with
gloves on. The XC1 can also be
used in constant-on mode by
pressing laterally on a recessed
crossbar switch. This light may
not be the brightest of the
group, but SureFire’s reputation
for bombproof reliability and the
light’s diminutive size and weight
will let you forget it’s there and
focus on shooting.
Pros:
Light and compact, without
sacrificing brightness
Made in the USA
Cons:
200 lumens is outclassed by
much of the WML field
TruGlo Tru-Point Red Laser/
Light Combo
Extending nearly 1.5 inches
past the muzzle and tipping
the scales at over 1/3 pound,
the TruGlo Tru-Point is the
largest light we tested. Its
200-lumen light is passable,
but not outstanding on its own,
especially considering the size,
weight, and center-heavy beam
pattern. However, the Tru-Point
does offer some appealing extra
features. First, the light includes
either a 650nm red laser (as
seen here) or a 520nm green
laser. A three-position switch
on the tail cap toggles between
light, laser, or light/laser. The tail
caps are interchangeable for
left- and right-handed shoot-
ers, and a third tail cap offers a
pigtail wire with remote pressure
switch, for use on rifles or
shotguns. Removing the light is
a snap thanks to an adjustable
quick-detach lever. With all these
features, it manages to remain
affordable, but shouldn’t be your
first choice if illumination is your
top priority.
Pros:
Quick-detach lever makes
installation and removal easy
Remote switch option allows
use with long guns
Cons:
Huge and heavy
Mediocre light output
considering its large size
UTG ELP123R-A Tactical
Pistol Flashlight
Priced at just north of $50, this
UTG pistol light serves as an af-
fordable option. It lists a 400-lu-
men maximum output, which
sounds good on paper, but
real-world testing left us unim-
pressed. In a blind comparison
test, we guess the output to be
around 250 lumens, at best. Ad-
ditionally, the plastic activation
switch has a substantial amount
of play, looking and feeling
anything but durable. Neverthe-
less, we were pleased with this
light’s even beam pattern, tough
aluminum body, and simple
universal mount. It certainly has
its flaws, but at this price point,
it’s a decent entry-level choice. If
not for the wiggly switch, overly
optimistic brightness rating, and
lack of direct holster compat-
ibility, it could have been a clear
value leader.
Pros:
Affordable entry-level light
Rugged aluminum body
Cons:
Plastic switch feels flimsy
Light output seems less than
advertised
Viridian X5L Gen 2 Tactical
Light with Green Laser
Let’s get this out of the way first
— this light/laser combination
costs more than $400. Now that
the sticker shock is addressed,
we need to determine if the
X5L’s features justify that price.
The flashlight is a 224-lumen
LED behind a beam-focusing
lens, activated in momentary-on,
constant-on, or strobe mode with
adjustable brightness and strobe
rates. Viridian is primarily known for
its green lasers, so it’s no surprise
that the X5L delivers one of these
as well. The laser is visible in broad
daylight, and can be set to pulse
at a customizable rate to extend
battery life. Flush-mounted ambi-
dextrous buttons activate the light;
press and hold either button for
momentary-on mode; press both
simultaneously to change modes.
The latest Generation 2 X5L also
includes Viridian ECR, a magnetic
system that activates the light/laser
instantly after drawing the gun
from a compatible holster, though
we tend to favor the shooter hav-
ing direct control over activation.
While the flashlight has a moderate
blue tint, we didn’t find any other
notable flaws. Overall, the X5L
proved it has the features to back
up its price, and left us impressed.
Pros:
Highly customizable light and
laser functions
Made in the USA
Cons:
Blue tint makes the light seem
dimmer than it is
022 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 18
 WHAT IF?
You’re Trapped in a Mass Shooting
Story By Tim MacWelch | Illustrations by Joe Oesterle
I
t wasn’t the popping gunshots that
shocked your senses the most in that
crowded mall. You’ve fired enough rounds
in your life to be familiar with the sound
of gunfire. It was the screaming child who
made you stop in your tracks. The sound you heard
wasn’t the commonplace tantrum of a spoiled child
screaming for a new toy. No, this was a shriek of pain
and absolute fear from a young one.
It was a piercing wail, and the instincts of a parent
took hold. You had to find the child. As you ran
hunched over, zigzagging toward a stone planter,
the screaming grew louder. You were almost there!
Then the ground rose up to meet you. You didn’t
remember losing your footing and falling, you
simply realized you were suddenly on the ground.
Just feet away from the crying of the child — just feet
away from the decorative stone structure that would
afford you solid cover — you were down and if you
didn’t move fast, you could die right there.
Whether the attackers are foreign-born terrorists
or homegrown bad guys, their goal is the same — to
kill as many easy targets as they can. In this edition
of What If?, we pose the question: What if you’re in a
crowded shopping mall when a mass shooter starts
a killing spree? To get different takes on this deeply
troubling threat, RECOIL OFFGRID asked three differ-
ent survival writers for their knee-jerk reaction.
So, we have Candice Horner, a U.S. Marine Corps
veteran, registered nurse, and competitive shooter.
Next, we have Erik Lund, a longtime contributor
who’s also a federal law enforcement agent with
a bevy of tactical and survival experience. And to
round things out, ROG asked me what I would do,
as well. I’ve been teaching people how to survive
almost everything for the past 20 years, and I’ve
written multiple New York Times-bestselling survival
manuals from my experience.
It’s an honor to continue writing for RECOIL
OFFGRID, though it’s far from comfortable to wade
through this all-too-real-feeling What If? story.
The Scenario
SITUATION TYPE
Mass shooting
YOUR CREW
Just you
LOCATION
Chicago, Illinois
SEASON
Winter (late January)
WEATHER
Cloudy and windy, 15 to 30 degrees F
The Setup: You’re visiting the Windy City and
decide to have your last lunch in Illinois at Water
Tower Place, the eight-level mall located inside a
74-story skyscraper. You figure you can hang out
there for a few hours, buy some souvenirs, and
still have plenty of time to catch an Uber to O’Hare
International Airport. More importantly, you’ll be
out of the bitter cold!
The Complication: You’re about to enter the
Oakley store when a loud noise echoes throughout
the mall. Everyone flinches, then freezes. Suddenly,
several more bangs ring out. It’s gunfire! Immedi-
ately, people scream and sprint in every direction.
You instinctively duck behind cover and carefully
scan for the safest way out — instead of seeing an
exit you spot a gunman fire randomly into a crowd
of people then head in your direction. He didn’t see
you, but he’s about 35 yards away and approach-
ing. What do you do?
The New Plan: With this bad guy shooting at
people indiscriminately, you’ll have to formulate
a plan (and fast) for what to do. You need to deal
with the environment (the store and mall), the gear
you happen to be carrying, and the reaction (if any)
of other shoppers, security guards, or police.
ISSUE 18
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Candice Horner’s Approach
ISSUE 18
U.S. MARINE VETERAN:
A
s usual, I procrastinated. This time, I
waited until the last minute to buy my
husband a birthday present. But, an
extra day in Chicago, after my friend’s
wedding, provided me with just enough
time to get him a new pair of Oakleys. Thanks to a wan-
nabe badass, I didn’t even step foot in the Oakley store.
Just as I was about to enter the store, shots rang out
with a systematic, thundering cadence. Just from the
tone, I knew it was a shotgun. The herd of people in front
of me froze, until someone yelled, “Gun!” Then the frozen
crowd dispersed into unorganized chaos, flaring out in
every direction with unguided purpose. I quickly scanned
for the shooter and spotted him about 35 yards away,
reloading his shotgun while coming up the escalator. I
made haste to the largest store next to Oakley.
The Oakley store was too wide open; I needed a better
place to hide, so I ran to American Eagle Outfitters. I
hurried toward the back of the store, where other people
were also running. I didn’t want to get caught up in
I must have been in shock,
because I was numb to my
surroundings and seemed to be out of
my own body as my eyes were locked
on the carnage beneath my feet.
But it wasn’t over,
and I snapped back to reality.
their large, flock-sized target. So, I hid inside of a circular
clearance rack — the type that’s always over-stuffed and
never organized.
As I crouched down in the circle of clothes, I damned
myself for not staying in the hotel and shopping with
Amazon Prime. This wasn’t like me; I don’t like shopping
malls. Being in large groups of people is outside my
comfort zone. What the hell was I thinking by coming
here?! I felt I was getting what I deserved for coming
to a city with terrible gun laws, a place I couldn’t legally
defend myself. Damn it. Thank goodness I have an
insatiable affinity for knives and carry several in my
purse. I was armed, but to use a knife during a gunfight
would take a little bit more than courage. I had to use
his firearm of choice against him, capitalize on the weak
points of a pump-action shotgun.
Shotguns are like good beer — they’re always empty.
Knowing this was my advantage, as the sounds of his
shots got closer, I counted each round. One, two, three,
four … and five. After the fifth shot, there was about an
eight-second delay — he was reloading.
By the intensity of the screams, I could tell the shooter
was within the walls of my makeshift safe haven. The
clearance rack provided enough concealment to hide
me, while still allowing me to view the masked shooter’s
location. He followed the sounds of screams coming
from the back of the store.
I held my breath as his one-track mind guided him
inches past me and to the screams coming from the
dressing rooms and storage area. With a tormented
sound of joy in his voice he yelled at the door, “This
will be your tomb!” He discharged another five rounds
until running the gun dry. Eight seconds of pure terror
passed until the next five rounds of buckshot penetrated
the door. The souls barricaded on the other side didn’t
have a chance; he was determined to reach them. I had
to do something.
After sizing him up, I knew my tiny frame wasn’t much
of a match for his strong, tall build. I had to get him closer
to the ground for a fair chance. Thank God for tunnel
vision because as I slid out from behind the discounted
skinny jeans, the gunman was laser focused on loading
one shotshell at a time. With a knife in my strong hand, I
kicked him with all my might to the back of his lead knee,
which supported most of his weight. He stumbled toward
the ground, his finger still on the trigger, accidentally
discharging the shotgun toward the roof.
Since it was a pump-action, he couldn’t fire another
round without racking the fore-end. In that instant,
he was closer to my level, and I wrapped my left arm
around his neck while simultaneously slicing through
his trachea and right carotid with my Medford Micro
Praetorian Knife. I kicked the shotgun out of reach,
standing over him as his artery spurted blood all over
the sand-colored tile. I stared at his lifeless body for what
seemed to be an eternity.
I must have been in shock, because I was numb to my
surroundings and seemed to be out of my own body as
my eyes were locked on the carnage beneath my feet.
But it wasn’t over, and I snapped back to reality.
 WHAT
IF?

The ringing in my ears from all the shotgun blasts was

overpowered by the cries for help on the other side of
the buckshot-riddled door. I pleaded with the survivors to
open the door, explaining I’m a nurse and want to help.
They hesitantly did. There were 12 of them behind that
door. I scanned the group for serious injuries; no one was
dead. There was a young boy, gray in the face with blue
lips and bleeding profusely from his elbow. I grabbed a
new belt off the storage shelf and tightened it around his
upper arm until the bright red bleeding slowed.
By now, more people had joined us in the storage
room. Several of them had hidden near me and saw me
take down the gunman. A couple of them looked at me
like I was dangerous. I didn’t care. At that point, anyone
who had enough life in them to judge me was lucky
they didn’t get shot by that crazy man. Their discontent
was somehow comforting to me because it meant they
made it through this ordeal.
About 10 minutes later, police and EMS arrived. The
injured were taken away, and I was taken into custody.
I didn’t have time to process the emotions that would
come once the adrenaline eventually settled.
My adrenaline quickly turned to anger when I was told
that I had to be held in custody and questioned by police.
And, as expected, they took my knife. They charged me
with carrying an illegal weapon, because Chicago law
states a concealed knife can only have a 2.5-inch blade;
mine had a 2.8-inch blade.
The charges were dropped after the story made the
news, heralding me as a hero. Once released, the cops
offered me protection while traveling back home. I gladly
accepted because the motives and connections of the
gunman weren’t yet known. I was, essentially, a walking
target until they figured out why the shooter attacked. I
didn’t regret my actions though. Some people just don’t
belong on this Earth, and I categorized him as such.
What I learned from all of this was to trust my gut
and not go into a city that doesn’t support the Second
Amendment. Had I been able to have my everyday
CCW, I would have been able to react sooner rather than
waiting for him to reload. I also learned that sometimes
due diligence isn’t enough. When I looked up the laws in
Illinois, I read that knives with a 3-inch blade were legal —
but Chicago has a stricter knife law than the state.
So, the next time I’m invited to a wedding in a state
with such highly restrictive gun laws, I’ll just send my love
and congratulations by mail.
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FEDERAL AGENT: Erik Lund’s Approach
I
t didn’t take long for me to spot the shooter.
The rolling booms echoed throughout the mall,
but my eye instantly spotted a man cycling the
action on a pump shotgun. The full-face ski mask
confirmed this was indeed the shooter and not
a mall security guard. The shooter touched off another
round and then turned, walking in my direction while
reloading more shells. Seeing the opening, I instinctively
started my drawstroke by lifting my cover garment to ac-
cess my pistol, only to stop and realize that I had no pistol.
Chicago is one of the most gun-restrictive cities in the
entire country. Only the elites can obtain a concealed
carry permit in Chicago, and I most certainly didn’t qualify
as an elite member of society.
I quickly stepped behind a large square pillar right at
the Oakley storefront entrance. Time for plan B. I’d never
make it if I tried to run for it. I could try to find a back way
out of the store; a work exit or maybe a fire exit. But be-
ing unfamiliar with the store, there was no guarantee of
success. Even if I were successful, could I live with myself
for not trying to do something to stop this rampage? I
had the training and the skills to make a difference.
No, I will not run, I will fight back. If not me, then who?
I needed a plan, and fast, but only one option seemed vi-
able at the moment. If he comes into the store, I’ll have to
try and ambush him from around this pillar and go hand
to hand with him.
I pulled my SOG Kiku folder out of my pocket and
deployed the blade. While I was pretty sure it was illegal
to be carrying this knife, it was more important to survive
this incident than worry about what kind of legal trouble
The sound awaited me. Win the fight first, then worry about lawyers.
of the pu
ump A quick scan of the interior of the store revealed complete
chaos. People were running all around, some were start-
acttion cycling
ing to hide behind counters and displays, while others
was followe ed were trying to find another way out.
imme ediately Good, all of this commotion and movement will keep
with another him distracted and give me the opening I need. Two
more booms echoed over the screams in the mall, only
blast directted much louder this time. He’s getting closer.
at the woman n. I slowly shifted my head just enough to let one eye see
past the pillar. The shooter was 15 yards from the entrance
and still headed toward the store. He briefly stopped and
raised the shotgun. I quickly pulled my head back as an-
other boom rang throughout the mall. A scream drew my
attention back into the store. A woman was running from
behind an overcrowded display to another less crowded
place to hide when buckshot impacted her hip. Screaming
as she fell, she slid several feet along the floor until coming
to a stop almost in the middle of the display floor.
The sound of the pump action cycling was followed
immediately with another blast directed at the woman.
Fortunately, it went a little high and the shotgun pellets
passed over her body by a couple of inches. The shooter
cycled the pump action again and by the proximity of
the noise, I knew the shooter was extremely close. My
heart was jackhammering in my chest as final thoughts
popped into my head. Time to sack up. Drive him into the
ground. Be fast. Be brutal. Every muscle in my body was
twitching, ready to explode and attack with all the speed
I could muster. Everything I could bring to the fight was
set on a visual tripwire, ready to launch. Then I heard the
loudest sound you’ll ever hear in a gunfight ... click.
It wasn’t the visual stimulus I anticipated. No shotgun
barrel or human body walking past the pillar where I lay
in wait to ambush the shooter. No visual cue whatsoever;
just an extremely loud click. My brain instantly processed
the sound and sent the launch command. Go, go, go!
He’s empty! Every muscle fiber released, and I acceler-
ated around the pillar. The shooter had paused for a
second after he heard the click of the empty shotgun. He
was in mid-cycle when his eyes caught a flash of move-
ment and he looked up at this figure that had appeared
from nowhere, rapidly bearing down on him.
He was only three steps away from me, but the distance
between us felt like a mile. It didn’t matter; I was commit-
ted, and the only thing I could do was continue to acceler-
ate and close the distance. My plan was to hit him like an
all-pro linebacker until I could get him off his feet or get
him pinned up against a wall. Taking him to the ground or
pinning him against a wall would make it virtually impos-
sible in the tight confines of a hand-to-hand fight to use
the long shotgun against me, but it still would allow me to
use the knife in my right hand against him.
A step away from making contact, our eyes locked. I
could see the shock and fear in his eyes. I had caught
him totally off-guard, and I thought, You better brace for
impact, mother f*cker.
My shoulder slammed into his midsection. (Later, my
old high school football coach would track me down
and send me an email after seeing the store surveillance
video of the incident, congratulating me on the best hit
he ever saw me make.) I made contact with enough
force to lift the shooter off his feet and into the air. We
 WHAT
IF?

crashed down onto the store floor in a tangled mess of my use of the knife upon him was excessive and that I
limbs. I heard a loud groan as the air in his lungs escaped should have just held him down.
his body, sandwiched between me and the floor. Before Apparently in Chicago, no good deed goes unpun-
he could recover, I quickly scrambled on top of the ished, and he charged me with carrying a concealed
shooter, who was flat on his back. weapon and assault. My lawyer said that no jury would
Still holding my knife, I instantly reared back and rained ever convict me and not to worry. I sure hope he’s right.
a right-handed punch straight at his face. He was dazed
but still putting up a fight, instinctively raising his left arm
to block my strike. That’s exactly what I wanted him to
do, and at the last moment, I changed my punch to a
push, driving his arm across his neck as I collapsed my
body down onto his. At the same time, I slipped my left
arm around the back of his neck into a half headlock.
As I pushed his arm across his throat, I ducked my head
down behind his left elbow and used my head to pin his
arm across his throat. I then curled my left arm toward
my head and tightened my grip, pinning his arm and
head in one position.
Using my head to pin his arm freed up my knife hand
to strike and prevented him from protecting his left side.
I made several rapid-fire strikes just under his left armpit
into the upper lung. The strikes had the desired effect
— he screamed and did everything he could to free his
trapped arm and protect his left side. Now was my op-
portunity to finish this fight.
Releasing pressure on his pinned arm allowed him to
move his arm down to protect his body. This also opened
my next target area, the side of his neck. I reared back
to begin a series of strikes into the side of the neck and
throat when another body jumped onto us, followed by
several more in quick succession. Several people from
inside the store had jumped in to help me and in short
order had the shooter completely overpowered and
pinned to the floor.
In a matter of minutes, the local police had secured the
area. The shooter acted alone; it was over.
He was transported to the hospital for emergency
surgery to repair his damaged and collapsed lung — he
survived to stand trial.
Several days after being interviewed and giving my
statement, store surveillance video indeed showed
that I made a perfect tackle, driving the shooter into
the ground. It also showed that upon impact with the
ground, the shotgun fell out of the shooter’s hands and
skidded several feet away, out of his reach. Upon review-
ing the footage, the local district attorney stated that be-
ISSUE 18

cause the shooter no longer had access to the shotgun,

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SURVIVAL EXPERT: Tim MacWelch’s Approach
S
napping out of my shock from falling to the
ground, I scurried behind the stone planter
just in time to see a panicked mother drag-
ging her screaming child from the sturdy
cover into a nearby clothing store. Thank
God there was no blood on either one of them. It was
one small victory in the sickening ordeal. But that might
not last. I remember thinking, Racks of clothes may hide
you, but they won’t stop bullets. At least the little family
wasn’t in the open, and they did have some conceal-
ment. I popped up for a brief second to survey the scene,
and then sunk my head back behind the stonework.
There was one man walking my way with a black
down-filled jacket and a black ski mask. I wasn’t sure from
my one-second glance, but from the profile it looked like
he was carrying a shotgun.
My mind raced with questions. Was he acting alone?
Did he have training? Where were the police and mall
security guards? Why choose a shotgun for this?
But the questions stopped flowing when I heard
the distinctive sounds of a shotgun being racked and
another shot being fired. Since I had been traveling, I had
no firearm and precious little in the way of everyday-
carry (EDC) gear — just my phone, which I decided to use
by dialing 911. I waited until the operator answered, whis-
pered “Shooter in the Water Tower mall,” and
My goal set the phone in the greenery, still connected.
Since the shooting began, the mantra of
was to grab “run, hide, fight” had been playing in my head,
the gun, almost like some kind of religious chant. I could
simply run away. I could keep hiding behind the
but as he planter. Or I could run up and try to seize the
swung weapon. Or I could go with plan D, which was
“none of the above.” Even if this murderous as-
around sailant had no training, his shotgun blasts could
toward me, still be effective at killing and maiming people. I
had to make a decision. Since I could be easily
everything engaged with a close-range shotgun blast if I
changed. popped up from my cover and ran, I decided to
stay behind the planter for the moment.
There was too much screaming in the mall to hear
the shooter’s footfalls, and I couldn’t predict which way
he would go to pass the planter. If I went around it to the
right or left and made the wrong choice — I could crawl
right up to the muzzle of the shotgun.
But then I heard another round rack and another
blast, very close and to my left, so I began crawling to
the right of the circular stone structure. I looked over
the rim quickly, with the plants giving me some conceal-
ment. The culprit was just 10 feet from me, but walking
away. He was heading toward the clothing store where
the mother and child had fled. I thought about staying
behind the stones, safe from the shooter.
But could I live with myself if he walked over and
shot that woman and child? Then the little one started
screaming again. I knew what I had to do.
I couldn’t see the woman or her child in the cramped
and overloaded clothing shop. But I could hear the child’s
wail coming from the back. The store’s space was filled
with long racks and circular stands packed tight with
clothing on hangers. The mass shooter stood in the door-
way of the store, looking inside as I padded up behind
him as quietly as I could. It was the dumbest moment of
my life, very likely the bravest as well, and possibly the last
moment too, if I screwed up. My goal was to grab the gun,
but as he swung around toward me, everything changed.
His head turned toward me first, and as our eyes
locked, I felt a very real sense of time slowing down. I
felt as though I had all the time in the world. I could see
that he had the shotgun firmly gripped in both hands.
It would be no easy task to pull it from his grasp, so I
grabbed his mask and spun it on this head as I shoved
him hard. The thick black ski mask blinded my would-
be killer, and he roared with anger as he stumbled back
and I ran past him to the back of the store. There I saw
the mother and child huddled on the floor in front of the
cash register, as well as a young woman who was frozen
in fear behind the counter.
I grabbed the mother by the arm without a word,
raising her up as she clung tightly to her offspring. I also
grabbed the petrified clerk as I passed and pulled them
into the store office. I shut the door and locked it, then
pushed them all to the floor. I had no idea what kind
of shells the shooter was firing, but the door and wall
looked rather flimsy. As the women lay on the floor in
shock, a shotgun blast flew through the feeble door. The
big holes told me he was using buckshot.
Thank God I had the presence of mind to get away from
the door and lie down. I knew that average doors and
walls won’t stop a 9mm round, so they’re not true cover,
just concealment. As I heard the doorknob jerk, I pushed
a file cabinet against the door with my legs, then several
boxes, all while continuing to lie on the floor. He shot the
doorknob next, the mangled assembly of metal falling

onto one of the cardboard boxes I had pushed over. With-
out saying a word, the shooter began kicking the door.
The terrified clerk just lay there on the ground with
her face covered. The young mother started screaming
alongside her little girl. On the floor, we were out of the
line of fire, but we were hardly out of harm’s way. The
shooter seemed hell-bent on getting into the small office.
He fired two more rounds into the door, each in the area
of the hinges. He kicked a few more times, then stopped.
I looked toward the mother and put my finger to my lips
as if to say, “Shhh.” She quieted a bit and covered her
child’s mouth, though they still whimpered a little and
continued to breathe loudly. The clerk seemed to have
gone catatonic or fainted.
Scanning the office, I found no phone or anything par-
ticularly useful. There was a fire extinguisher, which could
be used as a blunt object or to spray flame-retardant
dust in an attacker’s face. I picked up the extinguisher,
broke the plastic safety line, and pulled the pin.
Did the shooter move on? I wondered. How would
I know for sure? I didn’t dare peek through any of the
holes in the door; he might see the movement and fire.
Were we done? Was this over?
We had barricaded ourselves and fortified the door
with office goods. He couldn’t get in, but I still didn’t feel
safe. I put my ear to the wall and listened intently. There
was shouting that seemed remote, at least from outside
the store. The shouts seemed short, like commands.
I thought I heard something like “Put your weapon
WH
HAT
AT
IIF
F?
down!” Finally, the police had arrived, but we weren’t
out of harm’s way. One of the Chicago SWAT teams had
the shooter cornered, in the store. I told the girls to stay
down; the police didn’t know we were back there, and we
could easily be hit by friendly fire.
In desperation, the shooter began kicking the door
again — likely thinking that it was an exit. After another
blast to the upper door hinge, he flung his full weight
into the cheap door, buckling it inward. He scrambled
to climb over the door and the blockade piled behind
it. His hood righted again, those eyes stared at me
through the mask holes full of recognition and hate.
With one hand on the door and the other on his shot-
gun, he tried to slither over the caved-in door and take
aim at me. I launched the fire extinguisher chemicals
into his face, and my ears rang again as he pressed the
trigger again.
By the grace of God, the buckshot went into the wall
behind me and not into my body. That shot was all
the police could take, and they stormed into the shop.
Clearing each aisle of clothing, they found the cough-
ing suspect standing there near the broken door. When
he leveled his shotgun at the point man, several team
members opened fire. Startlingly white puffs of feathers
spewed from his down jacket as each round tore through
his flesh. The shooter fell, and the team rushed forward,
not sure if there were more shooters.
They found us in the hazy dust-filled room, coughing,
ISSUE 18
and sputtering — but alive.
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About Our Panel:

Candice Horner
Candice Horner has the heart of a prepper, but the
traveling schedule of a gypsy. Ever resourceful, this
U.S. Marine Corps veteran and emergency room/
prison nurse has a honed and refined skillset, focusing
on adaptability and utilizing the tools on-hand. As a
competitive shooter, Horner is often on the road, so she’s
usually rolling with a go-bag, a survivalist mentality, and
enough firepower to have your back in a SHTF scenario.
www.candi323.com

Erik Lund
Conclusion Erik Lund has more than 20 years of law enforcement
It should be with great humility experience — with much of that time spent as an
that we admit the flaws of our age. instructor of firearms, defensive tactics, and use of
Despite social media’s claim that the force. He served as a Virginia state trooper before
world is more connected than ever, accepting a position as a federal agent. Lund is also
we see people who have gone the a senior instructor at Mike Seeklander’s Shooting-
opposite way. Some make national Performance LLC, a tactical training company. As a
headlines by acting out against a champion competitive shooter, he’s earned several
world where they feel no connec- regional, state, and national three-gun titles and is
tion, whether due to mental illness ranked as a grandmaster by the United States Practical
or other factors. And terrorist groups Shooting Association.
continue to add to their ranks,
spreading their twisted ideologies
and recruiting foot soldiers to carry Tim MacWelch
out their evil deeds. Tim MacWelch has been a survival instructor for
Mindset, preparedness, and situ- the past 20 years and has trained people from all
ational awareness have always been walks of life — from U.S. Armed Forces personnel to
important, but they’re especially so members of the Department of Justice and the State
these days. The police can’t be ev- Department. He’s a frequent public speaker and is
erywhere at once, and the FBI can’t the author of several best-selling survival books,
read minds. No one knows exactly including the new Ultimate Winter Survival Handbook.
when or where the bad guys will Follow him on Twitter @timmacwelch or visit
strike. But there’s one thing that we www.advancedsurvivaltraining.com.
do know. At the end of the day, it’s up
to us to be invested in our own self-
defense and family security. It’s up to
us to learn what to do, how to do it,
and when to act.

To read how our “Average Joe,” outdoors enthusiast Ryan Lee Price, would handle the scenario, and for
more info on this topic, go to www.offgridweb.com/survival/what-if-mass-shooter.
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032 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 18
 A
s a law-abiding citizen and a trained gun
handler, I, like you, am obligated to carry
wherever the law permits. It’s my duty
to protect and serve. It’s my duty to pro-
tect myself and my loved ones — and to
serve my community. And, at the end of the day, you are
your own first responder.
But let’s suppose you’re not carrying when sh*t goes
south. How do you survive a mass shooting? Whether it
be an ISIS fanatic or a lunatic with too many prescription
meds flowing through his bloodstream, what steps can
we take to avoid becoming a victim?
I travel nearly every weekend to various states. My
concealed carry permit gives me reciprocity in 36 states.
But, when I’m in the Dark Blue States, I follow the law and
don’t carry. And, I’m conscious of it wherever I travel. Your
Story and Photos by Pat McNamara
everyday Larry Lunchmeat and Joe Bag O’Doughnuts
doesn’t think about safeguarding himself or his loved
ones until he has to. Those of us who carry everywhere
are way more cognizant than when we’re not. But we
can’t carry in schools, banks, bars, courts, and airports.
And we can’t count on the likes of a TSA agent to save the
day when sh*t hits the fan.
There’s no simple serum solution to this quandary.
One’s attitude, aptitude, desire, level of training, situational
awareness, wits, and moxy may steer the scenario in dif-
ferent directions. We have to rely on our wits and default
to our best level of training.

Move, Move, Move

A common denominator, however, is mobility. Hunkering
down and praying not to die (or hoping to get lucky) aren’t
viable options — unless dumb luck is your solution to sur-
vival. It’s easy for a nutcase to kill someone execution-style
when your head is between your legs in the fetal position.
Sometimes, we have to put the analytical mind aside
and allow the body to work as it has for millions of years.
We must access the brain’s primal side. We’re human be-
ings born with natural defense mechanisms. We must give
the mind permission to allow these mechanisms to work
automatically. We humans have been here a long time, and
though we’re no longer hunting mammoths and dodging
saber-toothed tigers, danger lurks around the corner.
Here’s a tip: Ditch the flip-flops. They’re for the beach or
the backyard barbecue. You’re no good to yourself or your
loved ones if you can’t run your ass off. Our primal survival
ISSUE 18

instinct is mobility — and mobility equals survivability.

jokerpro/istockphoto.com
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 033
034 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 18

Scan and Plan

Many of us have relinquished our primal survival
instincts, becoming fat, flaccid, gelatinous, button-pushers
stuck in a 45-degree-syndrome world. And by that I mean
head oriented 45 degrees at our smartphones. Too often
I find myself on a people-mover at an airport or a shuttle
bus heading to the rental car counter, and I’m literally the
only one looking around. Everyone else is completely
oblivious to his or her surroundings. So, too often, I say to
myself, “Well, looks like I’m in charge of security.”
For those of us with our wits about us, try to see things
in full spectrum. Perform a focal shift in your everyday life.
Look around. Slow down before you enter a building
or other venue and observe the people in your prox-
imity. Examine what’s close to you, and then continue
your scan further. Perform a “5 and 25” — scan 5 meters
around you then out to 25 meters. It’s OK; you were born
to do this. It only takes a second.
A successful assault happens with surprise, speed, and
violence of action. We can mitigate the surprise by tuning
in and being situationally aware. Look for any demeanor
that’s out of whack. If you take the element of surprise
away from a would-be attacker, perhaps he may fear
reprisal and forgo the attack.
Whether I’m armed or unarmed and enter a venue, I
do the same thing. I consider it a possible crisis site. First,
I get a pretty good lay of the land. Exits, avenues of ap-
proach, choke points, intersections, safe areas, alternate
routes, and lines of drift are all stored in the data bank. I
give people a once over and look for potential assets and
liabilities. I visualize chaos. I picture complete bedlam with
everyone running for the same exit.
Often, people don’t plan to fail, but they do fail to plan,
so this process of visualization becomes a crucial step in
disaster preparation. We must mentally prepare ourselves
to exit without hesitation, if exiting is the safest recourse
— even if it means throwing a table or chair through a
window, which may be your best option. When pandemo-
nium strikes, there’s no time for analysis. Through analysis
comes paralysis — hence the importance of preparation.
Pay attention, look around, and always have a plan in
mind.
Photo by Shinnosuke Tanaka

Agent in Charge
If you’re with your kids, ditching the scene of chaos is
non-negotiable. You’re the agent-in-charge of your own
personal protection detail, and those kids are your prin-
cipals. Steer them in the right direction, and give short,
clear, concise commands.
 SURVIVING A
MASS SHOOTING

JulieVMac/istockphoto.com
When I’m with my kids, I make sure they know where
we’re parked in reference to the inside of the venue,
whether it’s the mall or the state fair. I make periodical en
route checkpoints with them and make sure that they’re
oriented to exits. I ensure they know which one gets
us to our vehicle the quickest. I don’t need my kids to
become liabilities if things go to pot.
If gunshots ring out or an explosion shakes the
ground, running along with the rest of the “sheeple” may
not be the best course of action. Don’t be victimized by
an ocean of people who have their heads up their asses.
Lines of drift and likely avenues of approach may be part
of a plan with a well-organized adversary. The bad guy
may use a ruse or diversion to send the herd in a desired
direction. Exercise your OODA (observe, orient, decide,
and act) loop and come up with a quick plan of egress.
Sometimes, flanking or egressing at an oblique
increases your survivability. Run until you’ve made it
past effective small-arms range or have some good
cover. Then take a second to assess the situation and to
readjust your plan.
If you feel barricading yourself in a safe room is your
only option, tie the door shut or wedge the handle. Don’t
just put something heavy in front of the door that can
be pushed out of the way. Keep quiet and stay out of
the line of fire. Look for a corner, but don’t put too much
separation between you and the door. That way, if the ad-
versary breaches your barricade, you can quickly close
the gap and tie him up rather than giving him a clean
shot at you from across the room.

Be an Asset, Not a Liability

Everyday schmucks with their eyeballs glued to their
smartphones are myopic in more ways than one. They
couldn’t spot a psycho with a shotgun if it were hanging a
foot below his trench jacket. So it’s our job to protect and
serve — however, priority goes to self and loved ones.
I know that I’ll look for an opportunity to go full Bat-
man on a POS who disrupts my day. I can run like a light with an O-ring attached to it for easier employment. On-Body EDC: The au-
scalded ape. I can differentiate between calibers of guns, My knife is a simple TacOps lock blade with a hook blade thor’s everyday carry
ensures he’s always
have a pretty good idea on round count, and will look for and window breaker. And the cigar cutter is for, well, just
ready: SSVI Glock 19
a lull in the fight. At which time, I’ll close the gap with a cutting cigars.
with a Raven VanGuard
flanking assault. Additionally, I have an assault package in the trunk of holster; extra magazine
For me, carrying is habitual, and my EDC (everyday my car, which includes a 16-inch AR. I have two bags. One with a NeoMag clip;
carry) is more than just a wallet and smartphone. I I call a “Hey, I’m coming to get you” bag. The other I call 127-grain +P hollow-
point rounds; Stream-
appendix carry an SSVI Glock 19 in a Raven VanGuard the “I’m coming to get some!” bag. Inside the “I’m coming
light flashlight with
holster, along with an extra magazine with a NeoMag clip to get you” bag is basic survival gear in the event I have
an O-ring attachment;
in my back pocket. The mags are loaded with 127-grain to assist in rescuing someone. The “I’m coming to get TacOps lock blade; and
+P hollow-point rounds. I also carry a Streamlight flash- some!” bag is an over-the-shoulder bag with 10 30-round cigar cutter.
036 OFFGRIDWEB.COM SURVIVING A
MASS SHOOTING
ISSUE 18

Off-body EDC: magazines. It also has water, oil, eye protection, hearing
Everyday carry protection, grease pencils, and Sharpies.
doesn’t have to
Lastly, I have a huge bright orange safety vest that has
be limited to what
you can clip to a “Security” label on it. This is worn over everything, and About the Author
your belt. The is intended to give momentary pause to a rookie cop or Pat (Mac) McNamara has 22 years of special-
author always another good guy when they see me. Yes, this is legal in operations experience, 13 of which were in the
stows two packs
my state. U.S. Army’s 1st SFOD-D (Delta). He has exten-
in his vehicle’s
trunk: a survival It’s our duty and responsibility to protect and serve. If sive experience in hostile fire/combat zones in
bag with gear to you’re a competent and trained gun handler, you should the Middle East and Eastern Europe. He trains
rescue others and be carrying wherever the law permits — but never go individuals in basic and advanced levels of
an assault pack
outside the parameters of the law. And don’t be a nugget. marksmanship and combat tactics. He retired
with a 16-inch
AR, extra loaded Just because your state allows open carry doesn’t mean from the Army’s premier hostage-rescue unit
magazines, water, you should. That’s some amateur hour bullsh*t. as a sergeant major and is the author of T.A.P.S.
and other sup- And remember, just because you have a gun doesn’t (Tactical Application of Practical Shooting)
plies. This stash
mean that you’re armed. Take proper classes, get proper and Sentinel.
also includes a
bright orange training, and be an asset to your community rather than www.tmacsinc.com
safety vest. a liability. There’s more than enough of those already.
 TAKE CONTROL
OF THE TRAGEDY
Triage and Treatment Considerations
for Mass-Casualty Incidents By Andy Schrader

Y
ou’re at a football game when shots ring out. A lot of shots. Then screams. You know
instantly this is a mass-shooting scenario, and you want to help after the smoke clears.
Though developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Sort
Assess Life-saving Triage (SALT) method can be used by anyone to help save lives
before first-responders arrive.
As a prepper, you might think, I’m no paramedic. How can I use SALT after the shooting stops?
Although many people think “mass shooting” when they envision a mass-casualty incident, by defini-
tion it simply means that there are more casualties than can be effectively managed by the available
resources. There doesn’t need to be dozens or hundreds of victims. Two paramedics pulling up to
the scene of a school bus crash just walked into a mass-casualty incident. Six victims of a gas leak
explosion at a mountain cabin, treated by one lone hiker with an individual first-aid kit (IFAK), would be
classified similarly.

Grandfailure/istockphoto.com

Why Triage?
Triage is a decision scheme designed to help medical responders use
their limited resources in a way that benefits the most people. In a situa-
tion where scores of people have been hurt, devoting time and supplies
to a victim who will soon die or to someone else who’s barely scratched
are equally bad decisions at opposite ends of the spectrum. The goal is to
devote resources where they are most needed and most effective.
So how do you figure out who gets helped first? Start by sorting them.
Those who are able to do so need to walk, stumble, or crawl to a nearby
location of your choosing. You could say, “If you can hear me, I need you
to move to the other side of this area. Do it now.”
This one simple statement may be the most important factor in decid-
ing who gets helped first. It can instantly separate those who can more or
less help themselves from everyone else. Anyone who just moved is able
to hear and understand, and their body is still (mostly) functioning. This
means they can be put out of your mind, at least for now.
Assessments
Those who are still on the ground need to be looked at more closely.
They can be subdivided further by calling out a second command: “If you
can hear me, I need you to wave your hands. Do it now.” If you can see
purposeful movement on their part, they’re probably not the ones who
need treatment first. The ones who need to be looked at immediately are
those who were still unable to respond.
At this point you’ll have discerned up to three categories of victims: the
“walking wounded” have been triaged as minimal and would be coded
green. Those who can obey your commands and don’t look too messed
up can be coded as yellow, denoting delayed care. The remainder, who
need urgent life-saving intervention, are coded red because they need
immediate care.
Pro Medi Kit
A former firefighter and SWAT paramedic,
Sean McKay is the director of Disruptive
Rescue/Austere Medicine at Element Rescue
and program manager of Mobile Training and
Rescue Development at Rescue Craft by Tacti-
cal Medical Solutions. Here’s what he carries in
his med kit and why:
Multiple SOFTT-W Tourniquets: “These
are one of the most widely used tourniquets
within U.S. Special Operations Command and
large city first-responders,” McKay says. “They’re
known as the AK-47 of tourniquets because
they’re so durable. You can treat that thing like a
prison bitch, and it’ll keep working regardless of
environmental factors.”
Chest Seals: These are needed to treat suck-
ing, penetrating chest wounds. McKay also
carries a sturdy decompression needle to vent
the chest and prevent a buildup of air within
the chest cavity. Lesser-trained civilians should
focus on simply being able to “burp” the wound
by lifting the seal, instead.
QuikClot Combat Gauze: “I choose Combat
Gauze specifically,” he says, “because it has been
tested and evaluated to produce the most ro-
bust clot, and maintains 0-percent re-bleeding
within all the patient movement studies. Other
similar products have been shown to open up
and cause re-bleeding when the patient is being
moved — in some products it’s over 30 percent.”
“Like many, I have a med/rescue response
bag in my vehicle, but when going around town
or traveling out of town or on a plane, I always
have a SOFTT-W, a Combat Gauze, an elastic Es-
mark bandage, and a plan to improvise the rest.”
040 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 18

Dead and Dying

Confirmed dead would be coded as black,
and should be moved to a separate area as time

Triage and Treatment allows. This will help reduce the likelihood of late-
arrriving responders wasting time assessing those
eview
Gear Re i w who are beyond help. For example, at the Virginia
w
Teech mass shooting in 2007, some deceased
BAG: Specializzed victims were inadvertently rechecked three or
products for masss-casu- fo
our times, diluting vital resources.
alty incidents (M
MCI) are There’s also a fifth category called expectant,
eir way
now making the which is coded gray or black-and-white. If a victim
w
am. The
to the mainstrea is coded as expectant, it means their injuries are
Zone
TacMed Warm Z soo severe that they’re probably going to die be-
sling bag from Tactical caause there aren’t enough available resources to
ns is
Medical Solution meet the demand. For this reason, no care should
m
among the best, havingg bee provided to them until more urgent cases are
been designed frrom the adddressed. If and when resources become avail-
medi--
ground up for m abble, an expectant patient could be upgraded to
ho need to stay mobile while treatingg and triaging
cal personnel wh g g th
he priority red category.
d l
victims. Its pull-and-place d l interior system allows
modular ll d to
medics The expectant category hasn’t been widely
customize the layout that suits them best. It comes stocked with an adopted within the EMS community throughout
MCI loadout, including tourniquets, casualty marking tape, bandages, the United States. The term is familiar to those
and marking pens, among other items. working in the U.S. Department of Defense, but
has only recently become part of the civilian EMS
www.tacmedsolutions.com vocabulary with its use in the SALT triage system.

Check and Check Again

LIGHT: We were always taught to store our flashlights with the
batteries reversed, to avoid long-term corrosion of the terminals and
accidental turn-ons. That theory is sound, until you need a light
source in a hurry and your fine motor skills aren’t what they were 2
minutes ago before the bomb went off. For this reason, we love the
new FL75R headlamp from Coast Products. The dual-power system
can run on standard alkaline batteries or its included micro-USB
powered rechargeable pack. This lets you keep it plugged in so it’s al-
ways charged, while keeping loose AAA batteries on-hand for when
extended use is required.
www.coastportland.com
Keep in mind that triage isn’t a one-and-done
event. It’s a dynamic process that changes based
on the condition of your patients, your available
resources, and scene safety. For example, once
priority (red coded) patients have been treated,
they may be upgraded to delayed (yellow). If a
delayed patient has a cardiac arrest while you’re
working on someone else, they may be down-
graded to expectant. Their treatment priority will
also change as the most urgent (and transport-
able) victims are evacuated, freeing up resources
for the remaining patients.
Methodically Engage Chaos
Knowing the theory is great. So is having a
plan. But as former heavyweight champ Mike
Tyson put it, “Everybody has a plan until they get
hit. Then, like a rat, they stop in fear and freeze.”
What matters most is being able to methodically
engage chaos, rapidly make difficult decisions,
and improvise using only the resources at hand.
With this in mind, we spoke to Sean McKay, the
director of Disruptive Rescue/Austere Medicine at
Element Rescue and program manager of Mobile
Training and Rescue Development at Rescue
Craft by Tactical Medical Solutions. EVERYWHERE
E-
Although a firefighter and SWAT paramedic in EVERYTIME
his past life, McKay now spends his time devel- MED KIT:
oping dynamic rescue training and specialized The TacMed
products for elements of the U.S. Special Opera- Pocket Medical
tions Command and federal assets, among other Kit is similar to the
e
organizations. We asked him how civilians could full-time med load
dout described by
y
effectively use triage theory in their own lives Sean McKay of Ele
ement Rescue in the
based on what has worked (or failed) in the past. sidebar found else
ewhere in this story
y — the one
“First of all,” McKay says, “understand that he carries on him even if he can’t
can t carry a bag
bag. Stripped
many organizations within special operations down to the bare essentials for bleeding control, the kit is small
usually don’t use a rigid algorithmic response like enough to fit into the back pocket of your jeans and includes a tourni-
the SALT system. Those were designed for first quet, Esmark Bandage, Combat Gauze, chest seal, and gloves.
responders, EMS units, and hospitals with layers
of known resources to call on. www.tacmedsolutions.com
“When the excrement makes physical contact
with the rotating blades, civilians would never re-
member all the little details in the heat of the mo-
BAG OR TRUNK
Civilians would never MED KIT:
The Tramedic Indi-
i-
remember all the little vidual Response Pa
ack
details in the heat of the by Griffin Logistics is a

moment. Instead, they larger, upgraded kitt that

can be stored in a me-
m -
need to use common back-
dium-sized purse, b

sense and trust their gut. pack, or trunk of yo

our
vehicle. It includes
ment. Instead, they need to use common sense a bleeding control
and trust their gut. “Usually your gut assessment is loadout similar
correct,” McKay says. “There are three categories to the pocket kit
of patients you may encounter. First, those who noted above,
will die no matter what you do. Second, those who but also packs
will live no matter how bad you suck. And last, in some extras
those who have a potentially preventable cause of that could make
death that you can impact. Focus on them.” a long day much
easier for you. This
Readers would also do well to heed these five includes material to maintain an airway for an unconscious person,
additional tips from McKay: as well as a clever (and much more likely to be used) Minor Injury Kit
with adhesive bandages, tape, forceps, and antibiotic ointment among
1. Beware of the Box other items. Griffin’s gear is the real deal, and it shows in the look and
If someone can talk to you, that means they feel of their products. Look for their trauma kits to start showing up in
can breathe. Move on. But if someone has a pen- stadiums and concert venues, in wall-mounted cabinets next to the
etrating wound in “the box” (from their belly but- defibrillating AED devices.
ton up to their collarbone) they should become a
priority for transport when available. www.griflog.com
042 OFFG
GRIDWEB.COM
G
ISSUE 18 D

Injuries to this area are often complex for the

caregiver for a few reasons:
The SALT Method 1) The patient can decompensate (start dying)
Sort Assess Life-saving Triage quickly because all the vital organs are located in
(Note: Users of any triage system should only apply lifesaving that region.
interventions up to the level of their training and expertise.) 2) There isn’t much a responder can really do
Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services REMM besides cover a sucking chest wound or (for the
www.remm.nlm.gov advanced care provider) decompress with a needle.
3) “For the non-medical person, it’s hard to ap-
WALK Assess 3rd preciate relevant versus irrelevant breathing pathol-
STEP 1 ogy,” McKay says. In other words, their breathing
SORT : WAVE Purposeful Movement may sound like they’re dying, but they’re actually
Assess 2nd just scared. The patient could be breathing fast
Global
Obvious life Threat due to exertion, pain, stress (flight or fight), or could
Sorting STILL
Asse
As sess
ss11st have a life-threatening issue with blood or air filling
considering patient conditions, resources, sceene safety

up their chest. “Keep your breathing assessment

STEP 2 simple,” McKay says. “Copy their breathing pattern

and speed. If it’s uncomfortable for you, it’s even
ASSESS: worse for your patient.”
Indiv idual
Assessment 2. Denote the Dead
Move the dead away from the living (if tactically
NO

breathing? DEAD feasible) and provide a visual cue to other bystand-

ers or first responders that you have triaged the
INTERVENTIONS:

YES casualty. Professionals may use colored electrical

LIFESAVING

tape or casualty cards to mark the victims. Or bet-

Obeys ter yet, copy what some British elements do — roll
MINIMAL
YES ALL

commands the victims face down and cross their arms and
o r makes minor
YES

injuries legs. This will prevent re-triaging and is faster than

purposef ul
movements? only? taping or marking.

Has
periphe ra l NO 3. Remember Your ABCs
pulse? “Blood goes ’round and ’round and air goes in
Control major and out,” McKay says. “If there’s an interruption, it
DELAYHED

hemorrhage Not in
respiratory
needs to be addressed.”
Open airway distress? Airway, breathing, and circulation used to be
(If child consider what first responders checked on a victim, and
2 rescue breaths) Major
hemorrhage in that order. Then somewhere along the way we
Chest is controlled? figured out that victims can get oxygen back once
decompression they start breathing again, but they can’t get back
ANY NO
REASSESS:

blood. And they can bleed out a lot faster than

they’ll die from lack of air. This means that the new
Likely to
survive
method is to check the patient’s circulation, breath-
YES

given current IMMEDIATE ing, and airways, in that order. Blood spraying into
STEP 3 rEsources your eyes is a good indication that you found the
Treatment NO right place to get to work.
and/or Since irreversible shock and death can occur
Transport EXPECTANT within three minutes from a femoral artery injury,
bleeding control (B-con) should be the life-saving
intervention that you focus on. Any uncontrolled
bleeding, especially from an extremity, needs to be
managed immediately.
4. Plan on Changing Your Plan
You will run out of supplies, so you must know
how to improvise materials. Need a soft litter to
carry or drag someone out? Lay the victim down
on a carpeted floor and cut with your knife around
the outline of the patient, staying about 8 inches
off their shoulders. Then cut a few slots down each
side about 4 inches in from the edges for handles.
Or if you need a tourniquet and you understand
how a tourniquet works, you can make one out of
anything. “If I walk into a room and see three picture
frames on a wall and each one has four corners, that
means I have 12 windlasses for tourniquets,” McKay
says.
5. Tourniquets: High and Tight
Don’t worry about cutting off their clothes until
you have time to check for secondary injuries. “If
you look and see blood spraying from their legs
or arms, or blood-soaked clothing, just get the
tourniquet up on their limb as high as possible,”
Sean says. “It will still be effective over the clothing
as long as it’s properly applied.”
And how does one know if it’s properly applied?
“The tourniquet should feel like it’s f*cking killing
them,” he says. “It should go beyond the point to
where it’s tight enough that they know it’s there,
to the point where the pain of the tourniquet is all
that they’re thinking about … and it’s not bleeding
anymore.”
Keep in mind that the tourniquet can easily remain
in place for up to two hours without risk of permanent
damage. So don’t get any funny ideas about loosen-
ing it a little bit once in a while to make the patient
more comfortable. That’s a good way to kill a patient.
Conclusion
Whether the event is a plane crash on a remote
mountainside, a Boston Marathon-type bombing
inside a city, or the mass shooting that seems to be
on everyone’s minds, the triage process will work
the same way. “Principles stay the same regardless
of environment,” McKay says. “It all comes down
to the laws of medicine and physics, and how you
manage them.”
Suggested Training
For in-person classes that civilians can attend, check out the Nation-
al Association of Emergency Medical Technicians’ website at www.
naemt.org/education.aspx. You can search for upcoming sanctioned
classes near you. This may include Tactical Emergency Medical
Care (TEMC) as well as Bleeding Control for the Injured (B-Con),
which is a simplified course designed specifically for non-medical
personnel.
Also look for Tactical Combat Casualty Care for All Combatants
(TCCC-AC), which is designed to introduce basic battlefield medical
treatment to non-medical responders.
Online training can be obtained by watching videos at the follow-
ing websites:
ELEMENT RESCUE
www.elementrescue.com
NORTH AMERICAN RESCUE
www.narescue.com/training/videos
TACTICAL MEDICAL SOLUTIONS
www.tacmedsolutions.com/training-resources
Sources
U.S. Department of Health and “Mass Casualty Triage: An Evalu-
Human Services ation of the Science and Refine-
Radiation Emergency Medical ment of a National Guideline”
Management Journal of Disaster Medicine and
www.remm.nlm.gov Public Health Preparedness
tinyurl.com/h4k27ps
About The Author
Andy Schrader is a licensed professional engineer and certified by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a structural specialist responder. He is
assigned to Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force 8, based in Mar-
ion County, Florida. His company, Recon Response Engineering, teaches
the public, technical rescue teams, and other first-responders about
structural collapse. Most recently he was deployed to Steinhatchee,
Florida, in support of SAR operations following Hurricane Hermine.
www.reconresponse.com
www.facebook.com/ReconResponse
ISSUE 18
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THROUGH
A HERO’S
EYES
Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis
Survived the Sandy Hook
Massacre. Hear How She
Did It in Her Own Words
Story by John Schwartze
Photo by Peggy Sirota
H
eroes are people capable of incred-
ible feats of courage, but they don’t
expect any thanks for their actions.
Instead, they’re content to look for
ways to teach us how to pay it forward
and make the world a safer place, one person at a time.
Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis is no different.
On December 14, 2012, while working as a teacher at
Sandy Hook Elementary School, Kaitlin heard the initial
shots and immediately recognized what was about to
happen. RECOIL OFFGRID spoke with Kaitlin about how
she survived this harrowing event and protected her
students. She shares her insights for anyone who might
face a similar situation.
RECOIL OFFGRID: What was the first sign that some-
thing was wrong?
Kaitlin Roig-Debellis: I had probably a very different
experience than many in our school that day in the fact
that my classroom was the first one in the school. I know
there were a lot of reports that they heard something, but
didn’t know what it was. The second the first shot was fired,
I heard it and knew what it was immediately. I teach first
grade. We were seated about 15 feet from where the shoot-
ing began. We were not at all removed from the situation.
ROG: When you heard the shot, what was your first
reaction?
KRD: We needed to hide. Being that we were in such close
proximity I understood that we didn’t have time to run,
because if we were to have gone out our door we would
have had to choose going left or right. Going right would
have headed right toward the shooter and going left
would’ve been a long straight hallway that I wasn’t confi-
dent we’d have time to get down. I knew immediately that
hiding was going to be my students’ and my only option.
ROG: So you hid inside your own classroom?
KRD: Within our own classroom we had a closet that had
shelving so that wouldn’t have worked, and we had a
bathroom. When I say bathroom, you’re probably think-
ing of a bathroom you use at home or at work. It was
not that. It was an impossibly small space that was built
for a tiny child. Our school is very old; it was built in 1958,
I think. So the classroom bathroom was very old and
very, very small. It was about 3 by 3½ feet with a toilet
in the center, but for us, it was that or nothing because I
couldn’t lock our classroom door. So if we didn’t attempt
to fit into the bathroom we’d have just been sitting ducks.
ROG: How many children were in your classroom?
KRD: On that day, 15 students were present.
ROG: Can you walk us through those few moments?
You heard the shot and said, “Class we need to hide,
we’re going to go into the bathroom,” and you were
able to get all 15 children in there?
KRD: When the shooting began, luckily my students were
seated in our morning meeting, which is a very calm and
quiet time, so I had their undivided attention. When the
first shots were fired from the outside of the school, I got
up, closed our door, and turned off our lights. I realized
that my keys were across the classroom on my desk, and
I knew I didn’t want to risk the time it would take to get
them, so our classroom door remained unlocked.
I turned back around to my students and said, “We
need to get into our bathroom.” And my students of
course began to say, “What do you mean?” “How are we
going to do that?” because they understood having used
our bathroom every day how tiny it was. I, as an adult,
had never been in that bathroom until that day. It was
simply not a space that was large enough for an adult to
fit comfortably, but for us in those moments, that really
was our only option. After I repeated myself a couple
times my students understood that I meant business and
that this was going to happen.
We started rushing to the back of our classroom to
where our bathroom was, and we just started piling in,
which was me picking students up. I put one little boy
behind the toilet where the flusher is, a couple of my
little boys stood on top of the toilet, and we just literally
pressed our bodies inside of it.
ROG: And then you just closed the door and waited it
out, or did the shooter enter the classroom?
KRD: We did. Our bathroom door opened in, so once we
were finally in we couldn’t close the door because we were
blocking it. That was horrific because it was just another
moment of “What are we going to do?” But thankfully I
was able to pick up my students and cram them behind
the door, so we were able to close it and lock it. I did not
ISSUE 18
turn the light off in the bathroom, it stayed on. Before I
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closed the door, there was a storage cabinet that was kept
right outside our bathroom door that was on wheels. It
was a pretty large piece of furniture, but it moved easily. So
I just wheeled that right in front of our door and basically
barricaded us in.
I am sure the shooter came into our classroom. The
police can’t tell us that, but we were the first classroom
and he only caused harm in the hallway and in class-
rooms 2 and 3, so I can’t imagine he bypassed classroom
1. I don’t know why he would have, but I’ll never know.
ROG: So you didn’t hear anyone walking around or
anything like that?
KRD: We heard everything.
ROG: As far as the shooter walking around, was there
anything to indicate that he was in fact inside the
classroom?
KRD: What you have to understand is that when you’re
in a tiny space it all becomes relative, meaning what
we heard on the other side of our bathroom wall, being
out of cinder block, which was probably 7 inches, that’s
where our principal and school psychologist lost their
lives. We heard everything, but it was hard to determine
in our space where what we were hearing was. Was it in
the next classroom? Was it coming from the cafeteria? It
was hard to pinpoint where the sounds came from.
ROG: So you and your students managed to avoid
any injury?
KRD: Correct.
ROG: How long were you there before you realized it
was OK to come out?
KRD: We were in our bathroom, I’m told, for 45 minutes. We
were the last class found and rescued in our school. I was
not opening the door, so we were waiting for someone to
find us, and eventually they did. The SWAT team found us.
ROG: If you had it to do over again, would you do
anything differently knowing what you know now?
KRD: No, I wouldn’t be here, and that I know. The class-
room had an adjoining door, and we had bullet casings
on our floor that had rolled under our adjoining door.

ROG: Has this changed your everyday preparedness
in any way, whether it be supplies you carry with
you or enrolling in self-defense training or anything
like that?
KRD: No, but something that’s important to know is that
I have always been a very hyper-vigilant and hyper-aware
person, sometimes to a disservice. After the tragedy,
I sought out counseling like anyone should after such
a horrific encounter. One of the things that individual
helped me work through was that my hyper-alertness
and hyper-awareness that probably stems from being
someone who is adopted is probably what saved us on
that day. Because while many might have been thinking,
“What is that? Is that a firecracker? Did something fall?”
and took their time, I went into lockdown within 30 sec-
onds. And I can only attribute that to whatever’s always
been inside of me as a person who is very aware.
I think that if I were to give anyone a piece of advice
about preparedness or safety at a school or any public
place is just being aware. Where are the exits? Who’s com-
ing in and out? Where is a place you could hide? Don’t have
your back to an entrance. Things I think a lot of people take
for granted or don’t think about. I think a lot of people turn
that little voice off, and I’d recommend they keep it on.
ROG: Do you think ego can make people reluctant
to react decisively in an emergency situation? Say, if
someone thinks there’s a fire, they don’t want to be the
first one to say it for fear they might be wrong.
KRD: But what’s the worst thing that can happen? One
of the people whom I’ve met over the past few years is a
gentleman who used to be involved in Israel with their de-
fense. He and I did some training together, and I explained
my heightened awareness to him and that led us to a dis-
cussion about profiling. What he taught me is that in our
country, we have this very negative connotation around
the word “profiling.” We think of it as racial. We think of it
as singling people out, whereas in Israel they think of it
as a very positive word. You’re aware of who’s connected
to a situation. You’re aware if someone looks out of place.
You’re aware if you’re in an audience and someone’s
sitting alone and not at all interacting with people around
them. These are all things that should heighten our aware-
ness to say, “Hmm, something might not be right,” and pay
attention to it. I think in our country we need to be better
at that in a positive way of being aware of our surround-
ings. If somebody looks like they’re not in the right place
for whatever reason, we need to pay attention to that. I
really don’t think we do a good job of that.
THROUGH A
HERO’S EYES
ROG: Police have also said the same thing — that it’s
good to profile people because it might save your life.
KRD: Right, but it’s not racial. A Caucasian female could
look very out of place and you should pay attention. I think
the other thing that very much comes to mind in terms of
school safety specifically is that I wouldn’t be talking to you
right now if our school had not been a secure, locked build-
ing. There’s this misconception that Sandy Hook Elemen-
tary School was this very laissez-faire place. While it was
idyllic and very much like Pleasantville, it was not laissez-
faire. We took safety and security extremely seriously.
Our doors were locked, there were double sets of
locked doors, there was video surveillance, there was
voice recognition. You were not getting in our school
It’s 2016.
without three secretaries knowing who you were, seeing We lock
your ID, and buzzing you in. That monster shot his way our homes,
through a window. There’s still so many schools in our
we lock
country — and I know this because I visit lots of differ-
ent states — that aren’t locked. That’s a huge problem.
businesses,
It’s 2016. We lock our homes, we lock businesses, we we certainly
certainly lock large corporations that make millions of lock large
dollars. We need to lock schools.
corporations
ROG: Do you know why schools tend not to be locked? Is
that make
it because of fire codes or something along those lines? millions of
KRD: The arguments that I have heard is that our dollars.
schools are such special, warm places that we don’t want
them to feel like a prison. That’s the most common argu-
We need to
ment that I have found. So was our school. That door lock schools.
being locked did not diminish or take away one ounce of
the warmth and specialness that lived within those walls.
Children’s lives and teachers’ lives are far more important.
And look what happened at our school with our locked
doors. It’s not a complete solution, but it is a really im-
portant step in the right direction. We go home at night
and put our children to bed, and our front door is locked.
Why shouldn’t our school doors be locked?
ROG: Are you still teaching at Sandy Hook Elementary?
KRD: No, I started a nonprofit in 2013 and have written a
book titled Choosing Hope, and that keeps me very busy. I
teach in different ways now. I travel and speak all around the
world about my story, and I also now teach at college level. I
teach future teachers about being teachers and love it.
More To learn more about Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis,
411 go to https://kaitlinroigdebellis.org.
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ISSUE 18 D
COLD-WEATHER COCOONS
11 Winter Sleeping Bags — Which
Ones Should You Crawl Into?
A
wise person once wrote, “Winter is a harsh
mattress.” Or was it a “harsh mistress?” Either
way, a frigid landscape is no place to slumber
without a proper outfit, an insulated shelter,
and a reliable heat source. But you don’t
have to climb K2 or get ambushed by a Wampa for poop to go
sideways during the colder months.
So if you can’t find shelter, bring shelter with you. And we
don’t mean that in a “Hugh Glass, slice open your horse and
slither inside” sort of way.
Hobos, ultralight backpackers, and survivalists know a
quality sleeping bag can serve as a life-saving shelter by
itself. With snow pummeling many parts of North America,
it’s time we crawled feet first into the topic of cold-weather
sleeping bags.
By Patrick Vuong
Photos by Mark Saint
Rated T for Toasty
The No. 1 most important factor when considering a winter
sleeping bag is its temperature rating. For example, a 0-degree
bag means the end-user should snooze comfortably if the air
temperature drops to 0 degrees F. However, these numbers
can be a tad inaccurate, as manufacturers can assign ratings
based on their own testing methods.
Enter the EN standard. This European criterion labels a sleep-
ing bag’s rating based on a standardized test using a thermal
mannequin in a controlled lab. Though the standard measures
four ratings, you should focus on two:
Comfort: The temp at which an average woman can sleep
comfortably in the bag.
Lower Limit: The temp at which an average man can sleep
comfortably in the bag.
 Why not call them the “Women’s Lower Limit” and the “Men’s Low-
er Limit?” We don’t know. That’s European scientists for ya. Nomen-
clature aside, the EN standard is optional, but many companies have
adopted it as a means to add legitimacy to their marketing claims.
For the purposes of our buyer’s guide, we’ll focus on the EN
Lower Limit. Keep in mind, the EN rating assumes the occupant
sleeps wearing a top and bottom base layer and a hat. Au naturel
sleepers may wish to look for a bag rated for a little lower temp (and
that’s also machine washable).
To prevent turning into a human Popsicle overnight, pick a bag
that has a rating at least 15 degrees colder than the conditions you
expect. Keep in mind these ratings are aimed at the average sleeper.
You should also ponder what type of snoozer you are:
Hot Sleepers: These human furnaces turn beds into foam-and-
spring saunas, shrugging off the sheets in the middle of the night —
much to the chagrin of their spouses.
Cold Sleepers: These icy folks produce little body heat as they
count sheep, so they pile on the blankets. (Marrying someone of the
opposite type will ensure a lifetime of nightly bed jiu-jitsu — and not
the enjoyable kind, if you know what we mean.)
Goldilocks Sleepers: Of course, there are those whose body
temps are “just right.”
The Low-Down
Generally, sleeping bags have two main types of insulation (or fill):
down and synthetic. Which one should you get? That’s like asking,
“What’s better, 9mm or .45?” You’ll find true believers on both sides.
Also, thanks to advancing technology, there’s now a third type of
fill: hybrid.
Down: We’re not talking about a duck’s contour feathers that pro-
vide wind and water protection, nor are we talking about flight feathers
that allow for lift and propulsion. We’re talking about the down feathers,
the fluffy stuff underneath that traps warm air against their skin — the
birds’ base layer. The fluffier the down, the more heat it traps.
Duck and goose down is desired for its softness, light weight,
durability, breathability, compressibility, and heat-retaining attributes.
It’s hard to beat Mother Nature.
There’s a flip side, though. Down is expensive — especially goose
down. And it turns into a spitball-like lump when wet, diminishing
heat retention and possibly leading to mildew growth if a bag is put
away damp. It can be treated with a water-resistant coating (market-
ers call this “hydrophobic down”), but that’s not the same thing as
waterproof. Also, some might raise ethical questions about how the
waterfowls are farmed and whether they’re live-plucked.
Synthetic: Usually made from polyester, this manufactured fill
offers plenty of benefits. It insulates even when wet, dries faster than
down, is non-allergenic, and can be just as soft and compressible
as natural fill. Plus, it’s easier on the pocketbooks and requires less
maintenance than its ducky competitor.
However, synthetic has a lower warmth-to-weight ratio than down,
and its insulating abilities diminish over time and after repeated use
because it’s not as durable.
Hybrid: Combining the best of both types, this third type might
lay the down atop the synthetic or blend both throughout the bag.
Fill ’Er Up
You might have heard the term “fill power” when it comes to sleep-
ing bags. It refers to the loft (or fluffiness) and, indirectly, the insulating
value of a down product. The higher the number, the more loft and
heat retention — and the less material needed to keep you toasty.
Usually, fill power ranges from 300 to 900. Anything below 400
should be avoided like Ford Pintos, while anything above 750 is
Maserati territory.
Mummy, I’m Cold
Slumber-sack forerunners date back hundreds of years, but many
consider the world’s first commercially successful sleeping bag to be
the Euklisia Rug, patented in 1876 by mail-order king Pryce Pryce-
Jones. It was a wool blanket that could be folded over and fastened;
it even had an integrated pillow pocket.
Much has changed in sleeping bag designs since then.
Mummy: This form-fitting sack will have you wrapped up like its
Egyptian namesake. The design not only reduces weight, but also
the space between you and the bag, allowing your body to heat up
that air quickly and stay warm longer. There’s also a hood to prevent
you from suffering eternal brain freeze.
The drawback? You’re basically wearing a full-body condom;
unless you sleep like Dracula, you’ll find it restrictive at best and
claustrophobic at worst.
Rectangular: It’s a square blanket that folds in half (forming a
rectangle) and seals shut with a zipper. This shape offers the most
comfort for restless sleepers. Also, if you buy two compatible bags,
you can zip them together to create an improvised double-wide bag.
(Or you can just buy an actual double-wide designed for couples.)
Unfortunately, the roomy design means there’s more air to heat
up, so it’s not as efficient as the mummy shape. Plus, they take up
more space and add weight to your kit.
Semi-Rectangular: Sometimes called barrel-shaped, this design
tapers toward the bottom to give a bit more freedom for broad-
shouldered users while providing more heat retention than a
rectangular sack.
Bugoutability
Also consider a bag’s bugoutability quotient. How compact, light-
weight, and portable is it? Can it be quickly deployed and stowed?
And can you use it in pitch darkness?
To help us determine these and other important factors for our
ISSUE 18
buyer’s guide, we enlisted the help of RECOIL OFFGRID’s intrepid
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ISSUE 18 D BUYER’S GUIDE

network manager, John Schwartze. He’s slender at 6-foot-5, whereas this

author is a stocky 5-foot-8. The dichotomy provides a balanced approach
Kelty
to our reviews of the latest mobile sleep stations for cold weather.
Read on to find out which one you’d want to share with your mis- Cosmic 0
tress this harsh winter … er, we mean, which one you’d want to use as LISTED TEMPERATURE RATING
0 degrees F / -18 degrees C
your winter’s harsh mattress. Or something like that.
EN LOWER LIMIT RATING:
5 degrees F / -15 degrees C
MATERIALS
Insulation: 600-fill-power DriDown; Shell: 50-denier ripstop polyester;
Liner: 50-denier polyester taffeta
Enter Sandman DIMENSIONS (UNFOLDED)
Regular: 72 (length) by 62 (circumference) inches; Long: 78 (length) by 64
(circumference) inches
(in the Snow) DIMENSIONS (PACKED)
Regular: 9 by 17 inches; Long: 9 by 18 inches
To fight off any possible winter nightmares and ensure a solid WEIGHT
Regular: 4 pounds, 2 ounces; Long: 4 pounds, 5 ounces
night’s rest, it’s ideal to supplement your sleeping bag with other
MSRP
key pieces of gear:
$220 (regular), $240 (long)

Jeka33/istockphoto.com
URL
www.kelty.com

The Cosmic is a mummy-shaped bag that provides superior warmth, thanks to its
600-fill-power DriDown, duck plumage that’s given a water-resistant treatment at
the molecular level. While not waterproof, it’ll stay dry longer to maintain its loft,
which in turn traps heat. And it’ll dry faster than regular down if wet. It comes with
a stuff sack, full draft collar, comfortable foot-box, and a dual-slider zipper with
anti-snag design.

PROS:
Strong heat retention
Easy and comfortable to use
Lightweight and packs small
Cold-Weather Apparel: People sometimes forget that your
clothes are actually your first layer of shelter in a survival situa- CONS:
Restrictive fit means it’s not
tion. Be sure to bundle up before you head out. And if you didn’t, ideal for those who toss and
hopefully you’ve packed backup apparel in your emergency kit. turn at night
No storage
g ppockets to stash
Sleeping Pad: It’s important to get off the ground if you’re spend- smartphone, flashlight, or
self-defense weapon
ing the night outdoors. That means putting a layer between you
and the snow or frozen dirt — a sleeping bag alone won’t cut it.
Consider a foam pad or an air mattress that doesn’t require an
air compressor, such as the Therm-a-Rest Neoair Camper SV.
You can also create a ground barrier using scavenged items
(foliage if you’re in the backcountry, cardboard and newspapers
if you’re in an urban setting).

Cot or Hammock: Both a cot or a hammock can also get you

off the ground, though they might require a bit more setup time
than a pad, depending on the model. (See our survival ham-
mock buyer’s guide in Issue 11.)

Tent: An enclosed shelter like a tent combined with a quality

bag and pad is the ideal slumber situation. It’ll block out wind
and snow while retaining any body heat that the sleeping bag
doesn’t trap.
 COLD-WEATHER
COCOONS

Master Sportsman
Klymit Ranger Sleeping Bag in
KSB 20˚ Down Black Realtree Xtra
LISTED TEMPERATURE RATING LISTED TEMPERATURE RATING
20 degrees F / -7 degrees C 15 degrees F / -9 degrees C
EN LOWER LIMIT RATING: EN LOWER LIMIT RATING:
10 degrees F / -12 degrees C Not applicable
MATERIALS MATERIALS
Insulation: 650-fill-power down; Shell: 20-denier ripstop nylon; Insulation: Triloft II polyester; Shell: Peached polyester;
Liner: 20-denier ripstop nylon Liner: Peached polyester
DIMENSIONS (UNFOLDED) DIMENSIONS (UNFOLDED)
84.5 by 31.5 inches 80 by 35 inches
DIMENSIONS (PACKED) DIMENSIONS (PACKED)
13 by 8.5 inches 18 by 34 inches
WEIGHT WEIGHT
2 pounds, 12 ounces 7 pounds
MSRP MSRP
$190 $76
URL URL
www.klymit.com www.opticsplanet.com

Like many mummy bags, it’s meant to be warm and lightweight for backpacking
and active outdoor hobbies. Think of it as a thick raincoat you can sleep in. Enough
room to fit taller dudes without being constricting if you need to roll over; stockier
guys might need to unzip it to do that. Features a draft collar, stash pocket, ex-
pandable chest area, and half-moon foot-box. Light, compact, and easy to store — a
very simple yet effective sleeping bag.
If you’re looking for an affordable sleeping bag that rolls up like a window shade,
look no further. Although it only comes in one size, it’s roomy enough for most
body types. It has lots of padding and isn’t squared off at the opening. Instead,
the semi-circular “hood” at the top has a drawstring to help keep your head snug.
Even if you’re not a hunting ninja who needs the Realtree camo, this sack works
well for camping and will get you through a cold night without a problem.

PROS: PROS:
Considering the quality, Traditional design is simple to use
warmth, and features, Spacious and comfortable
it’s reasonably priced Affordable
(comparatively speaking)
CONS:
Limited lifetime warranty No storage pockets
Shell treated with durable Not ideal for wet conditions
water repellent (DWR)
Heavier than mummy-shaped
mummy shaped bags
Extremely lightweight (though
th gh ththe llightest
ght t of th
the rectangu-
t g
CONS: lar bags we reviewed here))
Drawstring is the only
attachment method
met od foro
carrying.
Only one size available
052 OFFG
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ISSUE 18 D BUYER’S GUIDE

NEMO Equipment NoZipp

Canon Down Sleeping Bag Sleeping Bag 15F
LISTED TEMPERATURE RATING LISTED TEMPERATURE RATING
-40 degrees F / -40 degrees C 15 degrees F / -9 degrees C
EN LOWER LIMIT RATING: EN LOWER LIMIT RATING:
Not applicable 15 degrees F / -9 degrees C
MATERIALS MATERIALS
Insulation: 850-fill-power down; Shell: 15-denier OSMO DT nylon; Insulation: 850-fill-power down; Shell: 20-denier ripstop nylon;
Liner: 20-denier ripstop nylon Liner: 20-denier ripstop nylon
DIMENSIONS (UNFOLDED) DIMENSIONS (UNFOLDED)
Regular: 80 by 62 inches; Long: 84 by 70 inches Regular: 74 by 30 inches (extends to 39 inches); Long: 78 by 30 inches (extends
to 39 inches)
DIMENSIONS (PACKED)
Regular: 12 by 15 inches; Long: 12 by 16 inches DIMENSIONS (PACKED)
7 by 14 inches
WEIGHT
4 pounds, 13 ounces WEIGHT
Regular: 2 pounds, 8 ounces; Long: 2 pounds, 11 ounces
MSRP
$1,050 (regular), $1,100 (long) MSRP
$299 (regular), $319 (long)
URL
www.nemoequipment.com URL
www.nozipp.com
The Canon is exceptional ... and exceptionally expensive. Its zippered Adjustable
Thermo Gills lets body heat vent out without letting cold air in. The Stove Pipe This groundbreaking model is reportedly the first to use a magnetic closure
Tunnel Hood limits how exposed your face is to the cold without hampering your system instead of the traditional zipper. “Magnets?” you might ask. “Won’t cold air
breathing. And you can slide your hands through the zippered armholes so you can blow in between them?” Nope, not with its generous torso overlap, cinchable con-
wear the Canon like a vest; eat chow, grab items, or close the main zipper without toured hood, and water-resistant shell. And its upper section can expand quickly
climbing out of this mummy bag. Comes with both storage bag and stuff sack. — great for people who hate a mummy bag’s tight fit but want its heat retention.
Comes with both a stuff sack and a storage bag.
PROS:
A brilliant, user-friendly PROS:
design that lets you regulate While zippers can break
your temperature with ease or get stuck, the innova-
Smart engineering combined tive magnet closures will
with outstanding materials, always work.
including a DWR-coated shell. Generous leg room for
If you feel cold in this, you a mummy bag, even in
either have no clue how to regular size
operate a zipper or you were Super simple and intuitive
a cadaver to begin with. to use
When packed
cked up, it
it’ss the
CONS: most commpact bag of this
A Glock 43, a handheld buyer’s guide
g
Garmin GPS unit, and
two weeeks’ worth of CONS:
MREs — all cheaper Innovatioon does not come
than thiis sleeping bag. cheaply.
Combinedd. This one’s No internnal or external
financiaally unfeasible storage pockets
for all but the most
affluentt of preppers.
 COLD-WEATHER
COCOONS

Sierra Designs
Backcountry Bed 600 / SJK
15 Degree Big Timber Pro 0
LISTED TEMPERATURE RATING LISTED TEMPERATURE RATING
15 degrees F / -9 degrees C 0 degrees F / -18 degrees C
EN LOWER LIMIT RATING: EN LOWER LIMIT RATING:
17 degrees F / -8 degrees C Not applicable
MATERIALS MATERIALS
Insulation: 600-fill-power DriDown; Shell: 30-denier ripstop polyester; Insulation: Slumberloft (synthetic); Shell: 450-denier polyester canvas;
Liner: 30-denier polyester taffeta Liner: cotton-polyester flannel
DIMENSIONS (UNFOLDED) DIMENSIONS (UNFOLDED)
Regular: 80 by 61 inches; Long: 86 by 65 inches 80 by 38 inches
DIMENSIONS (PACKED) DIMENSIONS (PACKED)
Regular: 8.5 x 16 inches; Long: 9 x 17 inches 36 by 14 inches
WEIGHT WEIGHT
Regular: 3 pounds, 1 ounce; Long: 3 pounds, 5 ounces 9 pounds, 1 ounce
MSRP MSRP
$300 (regular), $320 (long) $100
URL URL
www.sierradesigns.com www.slumberjack.com

“What’s that tongue-looking thingy?” you ask. It’s not a blanket, but actually an
integrated comforter. Put your hands in its pockets to keep it wrapped around
you. There’s no zipper or drawstring, so movement is unrestricted. Plus, there’s an
integrated sleeve to slip a mattress underneath. Unfortunately, the insulation feels
pretty thin from the small of your back to your shoulders. While this unique take on
the mummy bag is warm and lightweight, some might be discouraged by its price.
Sliding into this old-school bag is like snuggling up to a lukewarm Tauntaun. (Get
it? Luke. Warm. Tauntaun. No? Never mind. This is not the pun you’re looking for.)
In other words, the Big Timber Pro 0 is soft, cozy, and potentially life-saving. As
a throwback to the sleeping bags of yore, it features a rectangular design, comfy
flannel inner lining, and durable canvas outer shell. It also had a large foot-box and
a No. 8 zipper with anti-snag design. Comes with compression straps.

PROS: PROS:
Pioneering design provides Inner lining makes us feel like
unrestricted movement we’re in our bed back home.
Foot vent enables you to Can completely unzip to become
slip your toes out with ease a blanket
if you’re getting too warm Large foot-box so you can sleep
More than one attachment on your back without having
option on storage bag your ankles bent out of shape
CONS: CONS:
No storageg ppockets It’s more than doublee the weight
A bit of a financial invest- of most of the other bags.
mennt No hood means head exposed to
the elements
You’ll be sorry
if you get it wet;
the canvas shell
doesn’t play well
with water.
054 OFFG
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ISSUE 18

Snugpak The North Face

Softie Elite 5 Green Kazoo
LISTED TEMPERATURE RATING LISTED TEMPERATURE RATING
5 degrees F / -15 degrees C 0 degrees F / -18 degrees C
EN LOWER LIMIT RATING: EN LOWER LIMIT RATING:
Not applicable 3 degrees F / -16 degrees C
MATERIALS MATERIALS
Insulation: Softie (synthetic); Shell: Paratex Micro nylon; Insulation: 650-fill-power ProDown; Shell: Polyester;
Liner: Paratex Light nylon, Reflectatherm polyester Liner: Polyester
DIMENSIONS (UNFOLDED) DIMENSIONS (UNFOLDED)
87 by 36 inches Regular: 72 by 61 inches; Long: 78 by 62 inches
DIMENSIONS (PACKED) DIMENSIONS (PACKED)
13 by 10 inches 10 x 19 inches
WEIGHT WEIGHT
5 pounds, 5 ounces Regular: 3 pounds, 3 ounces; Long: 3 pounds, 9 ounces
MSRP MSRP
$199 $349 (regular), $369 (long)
URL URL
www.proforceequipment.com www.thenorthface.com

Snugpak’s jackets and sleeping bags are popular among troops and outdoor adven-
turers in Europe. The Softie Elite 5 is part of its EPS (Expanda Panel System) lineup
of mummy bags that have jumbo zip baffles, which can open to provide extra space.
It offers incredible warmth thanks to its synthetic insulation, including a breath-
able, metalized polyester called Reflectatherm that reflects heat, but adds little
weight. Comes with stuff sack.
The ProDown (natural fill with a water-resistant finish) provides an excellent
warmth-to-weight ratio, while anti-compression pads offers comfort in the right
areas and greater insulation overall. An interior tab allows you to unzip the
bag without sticking your arm outside. A secondary zipper lets you air out the
foot-box, if you so desire. Designed for backpackers, the Green Kazoo is a great
all-around mummy bag, but sticker shock might g discourage g some buyers.
y

PROS: PROS:
The EPS allows the snug mummy Two storage bags
shape to expand for comfort and included, the
temp management. smaller of which
Excellent heat retention has a cap with
Easy to use, pack, and stow adjustable straps
that will provide
CONS:
more carry options
Surprisingly, the zipper is dif-
ficult to close when you’re inside Über comfy and
the bag, often snagging on the cozy
inner lining. Lifetime warranty
Draft
raft collar for
addded insulation
CONS:
Ass a form-fitting
m
mummy bag, if you
trry to roll over, the
baag will roll over
with you.
Prricey
 CHEAP RUSSIAN AMMO SUCKS.
FREEDOM LOVERS BUY AMERICAN!
BRASS PLATED • STEEL CASED AMMO

MADE IN AMERICA
FREEDOMMUNITIONS.COM

USE CODE OFFGRID2017 FOR

5% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER
056 OFFG
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ISSUE 18

Therm-a-Rest
Altair Winter Down Wenzel
Sleeping Bag Grande 0
LISTED TEMPERATURE RATING LISTED TEMPERATURE RATING
10 degrees F / -12 degrees C 0 degrees F / -18 degrees C
EN LOWER LIMIT RATING: EN LOWER LIMIT RATING:
10 degrees F / -12 degrees C Not applicable
MATERIALS MATERIALS
Insulation: 750-fill-power Nikwax Hydrophobic Down; Shell: 20-denier polyester; Insulation: Insul-Therm (synthetic); Shell: 8-ounce cotton;
Liner: 20-denier polyester Liner: cotton-polyester flannel
DIMENSIONS (UNFOLDED) DIMENSIONS (UNFOLDED)
Regular: 72 by 62 inches ; Long: 78 by 64 inches 81 by 38 inches
DIMENSIONS (PACKED) DIMENSIONS (PACKED)
8 by 18 inches 19 by 14 inches
WEIGHT WEIGHT
Regular: 2 pounds, 7 ounces; Long: 2 pounds, 10 ounces 11 pounds
MSRP MSRP
$590 (regular), $640 (long) $90
URL URL
www.cascadedesigns.com www.wenzelco.com

The Altair has plenty of room to turn over in, even when zipped up. Insulation is also
abundant and concentrated in the right areas. If you want a warm, compact bag to
haul on a long journey (the majority of which is spent on foot or skis) this certainly
seems to have lab test results galore to substantiate its performance. However, if
you’re just going for a weekend camping trip and your SUV is nearby, there’s prob-
ably no need to invest in a bag this costly.
Having made camping products for more than a century, Wenzel knows a thing or
two about producing comfortable sleeping bags at an affordable price. The Grande
0 lives up to its name, providing incredible coziness in the face of freezing temps
in a big, rectangular package. Unfortunately, the cotton shell means it’s heavy,
rolls up into a large barrel, and doesn’t handle wet conditions as well as its water-
resistant polyester brethren. Comes with compression straps and dust cover.

PROS: PROS:
Outstanding warmth-to-weight The cotton-poly lining feels way
ratio more comfy than most of the
Straps to stay connected to pad synthetic sacks.
or mattress (not included) are Unzip to transform it into a
nice touches blanket for two.
Comfortable on its own, even Vintage design and aesthetic
without a sleeping pad ideal for campers with plenty of
cargo space
CONS:
Price is halfway to an actual bed CONS:
mattress
attress Might as well pack a bag of rocks — the
Ouuter pocket could be bigger Grande 0 is the heaviest in this bunch
Rectangular
tangul shape
h p means your head
willl be exposed to the bitter cold.
Shell has no water resistance
058 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 18

Y
ou’ve got the survival basics covered:

COVERING food, water, first aid/medical, sanitation/

hygiene, security and self-defense — heck,
you even have a fully stocked retreat in

YOUR an “undisclosed” location. This is a great

start, considering that the vast majority of the population
doesn’t have a clue. But, you still have a nagging feeling

ASSETS that something’s missing.

Make the Necessary Legal and Financial
Preparations Before Disaster Strikes
Story by Richard Duarte
While some preppers place much of their focus on
buying cool stuff, stocking up on long-term food rations,
and getting that very latest bug-out bag, some of us real-
ize that a viable survival plan has to be much more than
just having awesome gear. A survival plan must protect
you and your loved ones in a comprehensive manner,
including the most likely scenarios which fall short of
complete societal collapse. Specifically, it needs to ad-

WARNING!
This story provided
is for informational
purposes only and is
not, nor is it intended
to provide, legal and/
or financial advice. The
reader should consult
with an appropriate
professional in their
particular jurisdiction
regarding their
individual situation.
Any use of the
information contained
in this article shall be
solely at the reader’s
risk. No attorney-
client relationship is
created by the use of
the information in this
publication.
dress your legal and financial vulnerabilities.
Imagine that a crisis strikes, and someone in your
family is seriously injured, incapacitated, or even killed.
What then? None of us like to think about these things —
they’re just too depressing, and discussing them can feel
quite morbid. But, if that nightmare scenario happened,
would you be prepared for what comes next?
Would you have the legal means to act on that family
member’s behalf, or even to satisfy their final wishes
in the event of their death? Just when you thought it
couldn’t possibly get any worse, it does.
In this article we examine how everyday people
can plan to protect themselves and their loved ones
against the legal and financial devastation that can often
accompany natural or man-made disasters. Whether
you’re a prepper looking to expand your knowledge, or
a concerned spouse or parent curious to learn more, we
help you explore some of the most common legal and
financial preps (in plain English) and how they can help
you when the unthinkable occurs.
Last Will and Testament
A will, often referred to as a “last will and testament,” is
simply a legal document that lets you tell the world your
final wishes regarding the distribution of your assets, the
care of your minor children, and who will manage your
estate. The estate can consist of big, expensive things
like real estate and vehicles, but also smaller items like
jewelry and family heirlooms. Some assets, including
bank accounts and certain insurance policies, may not
be covered by the will, since they will usually have named
beneficiaries.

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If you die without a will, however, the state in which you
reside will usually determine the distribution of your assets,
and many of these other issues, according to applicable
state statutes. In the absence of a valid will, total strangers
will most likely be making all these important decisions for
you. Reread that last sentence and let it sink in.
The requirements for creating a will differ from state to
state and can get quite complicated. Get it right and you
can rest assured that you have relieved your survivors
of a major burden. Getting it wrong, however, can prove
to be very costly, resulting in many unintended conse-
quences. Even though you aren’t required to have an
attorney prepare your will, most people will absolutely
benefit from an attorney’s experience, expertise, and
estate-planning advice.
Hiring an attorney can help you avoid many potential
pitfalls of the do-it-yourself will. If you have assets, minor
children, or just want to make sure that your wishes are
carried out, you should consider creating a will. (See the
sidebar for tips on finding and hiring the right attorney
for your needs.)
Power of Attorney
A power of attorney (POA) is a legal document that
allows you to appoint an individual or entity to act, make
decisions, and handle your affairs while you’re unable
to do so. With a POA you can grant legal authority to a
capable adult to handle all your personal and financial
matters (general) or to deal with one particular matter
(specific). Normally, a POA will only be effective as long
as you’re alive and competent to make decisions. Some
POAs, however, are “durable” — it’ll still be effective even if
you become disabled or mentally incapacitated.
Although a POA can be revoked, you’ll mostly likely be
bound by any actions taken by the person you appoint,
so you should only consider individuals you trust com-
pletely with this responsibility. Establishing a POA as part
of your overall estate plan makes sense, and is a power-
A compressive
estate planning ful instrument to protect yourself and your family.
package can The laws for creating a POA vary from state to state, so
include a will,
as with a last will and testament, to be effective, you need
a living will,
and a power of to get it right. It’s best to consult a qualified professional
attorney. in your area concerning applicable laws and regulations.

Living Will/Advance Directives
A living will, also called an “advance directive,” or a
“health care declaration,” is not really a will, but rather
written legal instructions detailing a person’s end-of-life
medical treatment preferences in the event they become
unable to communicate. In many instances, a living will is
used to affirmatively state what life-prolonging care the
person may, or may not, want.
Imagine that a loved one is seriously injured and un-
able to communicate. By planning ahead and preparing
a living will, that individual can get the medical treatment
they want, avoiding unnecessary suffering and medical
procedures they didn’t want. Advance directives also re-
lieve family members and other caregivers of the heavy
burden and difficult decisions often encountered during
these moments.
A living will allows your loved ones and caregivers to
be assured that your personal choices are respected,
even if at that moment you’re unable to personally com-
municate those preferences. Living wills are typically
prepared as part of a more comprehensive estate plan-
ning package including a will and a POA. The authority
granted by a living will has no effect after death.
Adults of all ages should consider making a living will
since life is unpredictable, and there’s no way for any of
us to know when tragedy will strike.
Asset Inventory
Assembling a comprehensive inventory of all your
personal assets can be tedious and time-consuming;
it’ll never be as much fun as putting together that killer
bug-out bag. But the effort will pay huge dividends the
day someone, acting on your behalf, needs to file an
insurance claim or to submit any of your information to a
court of law.
The idea of having an asset inventory is to organize
all of your important information in one easily accessible
document. This will potentially make things far easier for
those tasked with handling your affairs in your absence.
Imagine someone trying to compile all the most intimate
key pieces of information about your personal circum-
stances, without you there to guide them. Where would
they start, and how long would it take them? Creating an
asset inventory now will save those you love a great deal
of grief later on.
Begin by gathering all your important documents and
preparing a list. Whenever possible, try to attach copies of
statements and other documentation providing account
numbers, contact information, beneficiaries, etc. Include
COVERING
YOUR ASSETS
How to Find (and Hire) the
Right Attorney
Locating the right attorney is like finding the right dentist, mechanic,
or firearms instructor. It requires some legwork, but considering
what’s at stake, it’s well worth the effort. Here are some tips to help
you get started.
Do Your Research: Start with friends and relatives who have ex-
perienced similar circumstances. They can point you in the right
direction and maybe even make a recommendation. You can also
call your state’s bar association and ask for a referral.
Consider a Specialist: Consider using an attorney who specializes in
estate planning and probate law. These attorneys are familiar with
the process and the latest changes in the law.
Do Your Homework: Many attorneys have a strong online pres-
ence and comprehensive websites that provide lots of information
and background, saving you time and effort. But also do your own
research. The more informed you are, the more likely you’ll get the
results you want. Google is a really good place to start your research.
The Interview: Narrow your search down to a few possible attor-
neys, call their office, and ask if they’ll provide a free consultation.
This will give you an opportunity to meet the attorney in person,
ask your questions, and get answers in plain English. (Remember
to write out a list of questions before your meeting to avoid forget-
ting important issues.) It may seem like a lot of work, but these are
essential steps to help you end up with the right person and, more
importantly, with the results you want.
Fees and Costs: Always negotiate fees in advance. Some attorneys
charge by the hour, while others may offer you a fixed fee (also
known as a flat fee), which may save you big money in the long run.
For routine matters, such as a will or power of attorney, a flat fee is
more common. You should also request an estimate of anticipated
costs and expenses.
Closing the Deal: Before you sign any papers, carefully read the
engagement letter or retainer agreement. These documents set
out the terms of the attorney-client relationship, the services to be
performed, the applicable deadlines, and fees/costs. All these terms
and conditions should be clearly stated in plain English. If you can’t
understand what you’re being asked to sign, this might be a good
time to take a step back. If you have any questions or concerns, get
ISSUE 18
those issues cleared up before signing anything.
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ISSUE 18

all information you think might be helpful, but focus spe-

cial attention on the general categories listed below:
Life insurance policies and annuities
Preparing an asset inven- Deeds to real property
tory will require time and Partnership and business agreements
effort, but this is certainly
Retirement and pension plans/employment benefits
a project most people can
accomplish on their own — Brokerage, investment, and bank accounts
and the benefits are huge. Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds
Personal property and safe deposit box
Name(s) and contact information for all beneficiaries
Pre-paid funeral arrangements/contracts

Your list should also document all your personal infor-

mation, including:
Full legal name, social security number, date of birth,
and passport number
Contact information for your attorney, banker, accoun-
tant, and financial planner
Location of your will, POA, and living will

Rookie Mistakes to Avoid

I can prepare my There’s no rush, I Only rich people
own legal docs to can do this later: need a will, power
save money: That None of us knows of attorney, etc.:
$10.99 do-it-your- what tomorrow While creating a
self power of at- will bring, and will is a relatively
torney or will may there can be seri- inexpensive pro-
seem like a tre- ous consequences cess, more than
mendous bargain … for even short half of Americans
until you try to use delays. Failure to don’t have a will.
it and find it’s le- plan may one day Even people with
gally deficient. This result in strangers limited assets
nightmare scenario making important will benefit from
usually unfolds at decisions for you. having their final
the worst possible Not having your wishes properly
moment. affairs in order can documented.
bring about severe
financial and emo-
tional strain for a
family already suf-
fering from a crisis
or disaster.

Note: Make copies of at least three years of income
tax returns and attach them to the back of your asset
inventory. Also include birth and marriage certificates.
Keep a copy of your asset inventory in a safe place and
make sure that at least two trusted people know where
to find it.
Conclusion
Securing the survival basics will put you light-years
ahead of the unprepared masses, but that’s not enough.
Forward thinking, preparing for the unexpected, and
contingency planning is what prepping is all about. But a
successful survival plan must address all your needs and
vulnerabilities — and this includes your legal and financial
matters. Fail to get this one thing right and you’ll leave
yourself exposed in ways you can’t possibly imagine.
Now is the time to calmly sit down and make all the
necessary preparations — before the poop starts flying in
all directions.
COVERING
YOUR ASSETS
About the Author
Richard Duarte is a practicing attorney, an urban survival
consultant, writer, and firearms enthusiast. He’s the author
of Surviving Doomsday: A Guide for Surviving an Urban Di-
saster and The Quick Start Guide for Urban Preparedness. For
the latest preparedness news and updates, connect with
Richard on www.quickstartsurvival.com and on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/survivingdoomsdaythebook.
Take the time to examine your options, make the dif-
ficult decisions, and document your wishes. But as with
all your other preps, having them brings you, and those
you love, peace of mind and significantly improves your
chances no matter what calamity comes your way. Stay
safe, and be prepared.
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THE HILLS
HAVE EYES
Tips for Camping in the Backcountry Where Story and Photos
by Kevin Estela
Dangerous Game Might be Watching You

Y
ou’ve just spent three days away from
your basecamp gear cache and raft, and
have been hiking and hunting a few miles
into the mountains. When you return to
camp, you’re tired, running low on rations,
and looking forward to resupplying from your raft. As
you step into your campsite, your mental celebration is
cut short as you realize your camp was raided. Every-
thing is scattered.
Food containers are clawed and chewed through,
every bag is torn, and worst of all, your raft — your means
of transportation — is damaged. The crisp tracks in the
mud are a dead giveaway; a grizzly was just here, and
there’s a good chance it’s still in the area.
Will you have enough food to finish your trip? Is your
raft beyond repair? Is the bear now looking at you and
your campsite as an easy meal?
If this story sounds far-fetched, it isn’t. It happened to
us recently in Alaska. Fortunately, we were able to patch
the raft, salvage some food, and make it off the river after
spending almost three weeks camping in dangerous
game country. Animal attacks aren’t uncommon, and
every year brings headlines and internet videos of wild
creatures getting too close for comfort around hikers,
campers, fishermen, and photographers.
Most of the time these stories end well; other times
they don’t. There’s a lot of information about avoiding
dangerous game in the outdoors written from a nature-
loving, overly optimistic perspective. But how can you,
the RECOIL OFFGRID reader, apply a more proactive
approach to ensuring your safety when avoidance isn’t
possible?
In some circumstances, you have no choice but to
share the land with animals that can hurt you. Here’s how
to camp among them.
Understand the Threat
Animals are individuals. This means what’s generally
true of a group may not apply to each and every beast
you encounter. Fauna accustomed to human behavior
may be less afraid than those that’ve never encoun-
tered Homo sapiens. It’s long been assumed animals
fear the smell of fire, but some have learned to associ-
ate it with food.
When someone says they can predict animal behavior,
be wary. If animal behavior were as predictable as those
experts claim, they wouldn’t carry defensive gear on their
belts. Ever see a lion tamer without a whip?
Of course, there are some general red flags to look out
for and actions to avoid in the backcountry.
The dangerous game one should prepare for varies
by season and location. Many hikers carry bear spray, as-
suming they’re the only wild creatures threatening their
safety. But they’re not. A moose in rut can be extremely
dangerous, and species roaming in packs like wolves can
overpower an individual.
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 Imgorthand/istockphoto.com
and scat (droppings). In general, feces will last longer on
the trail than tracks.
When both tracks and scat are present — especially in
a region where the weather decays tracks readily — you
should seriously reconsider your camp’s location, as re-
cent wildlife presence is likely. Since animals tend to reuse
trails, camping far from their established routes is a good
way to increase your safety.
Be forewarned, the same attractions that drew you
to your campsite may attract critters and beasts as well.
Wild edibles, water, and open areas free from mosquitos
and flies are all reasons for wildlife to make new routes
through your temporary home.
It helps to think like the animal you’re trying to avoid.
Where would they not want to travel? Go there.

Maximize Signature, Minimize

Attractions
Ask any hunter about the importance of wind direc-
tion, and they’ll tell you not to let animals smell you.
Above: When travel- Animals not normally considered a threat to adults due Even those that haven’t learned to fear humans from
ing the backcountry to size discrepancies may not hesitate to attack a child in a past encounters will still flee at the whiff of an unknown
with kids, keep an group. The same goes for family pets. Therefore, each adult scent in the air. Whenever possible, be vigilant of being
eye on them. Preda- member of a backcountry party must be extra vigilant of downwind of fauna, as they may get close to you before
tors might bypass
any children in the group. In general, the savvy outdoors- smelling your scent.
adults, finding a
smaller member of man must understand the animal population in their area Facing the door of your shelter toward potential av-
your group easier of operations and be prepared and willing to deal with it. enues of approach created by the wind eliminates a blind
prey. spot in your camp. By understanding the wind, you can
Identify Habitat prevent boxing in an animal that could stumble into your
Animal tracks and signs are two very different ways of camp; set up your shelter in way that lets the critter easily
identifying their presence in a potential camping spot. leave once it realizes you’re there. Allow the wind to carry
Tracks are made by hooves, paws, and/or claws. Signs your human scent through the air to alert any wildlife of
Far Right: The
author’s SIG SAUER can be the remnants of what they last ate, their hair/fur, your presence.
P220 10mm as refer-
ence next to a recent
grizzly bear track.
Firearms can be
used to discourage or
put down dangerous
game. Pistols aren’t
ideal protection
against bears, but are
far better than high-
pitched screams.

Right: Bear scat can

appear fresh, but be
weeks old. Bear scat
next to bear tracks is
indicative of recent
visits.
 THE HILLS
HAVE EYES

Storing food in bags suspended in trees is a good idea

— if executed correctly. Bags should be well out of reach,
at least 15 feet in the air and away from any tree trunks.
Alternately, submerging food in creeks, rivers, and ponds
Dangerous
in watertight bags will keep the scent out of the air. Bear-
proof canisters are bulky, but may be required by law
Encounters
(as is the case in the Adirondacks) and will stop some
bears from accessing your food. All of these methods
discourage animals by making calorie acquisition difficult.
Animals want easy meals.
Bear bags, bear canisters, and submerging food are
meant to stop bears once they’re already in your camp.
However, you should strive to prevent them from enter-
ing in the first place.
Camping
With a good understanding of wildlife to avoid and
how to identify where they frequently travel, you can de-
termine a good site to set up your camp. Consider your
senses of hearing and sight when camping. Establish a
camp far enough from a river, if possible, where the white
noise won’t block out the sounds of an animal approach-
ing. Avoid setting up in areas where you don’t have a
clear line of sight to your perimeter.
Once you set up your shelter, make sure to keep grab-
and-go gear handy for that dreaded middle of the night re-
sponse to a nearby animal. This includes boots, a capable
firearm, extra ammunition, and plenty of illumination tools.
When you set up your camp, remember to search the
entire immediate area. Don’t simply set up on one side
of a hill without checking out the other side. There could
be a carcass stashed by a dangerous predator that might
return for it. Keep your gear within sight, monitoring it
This juvenile
bear was photo-
graphed by the
author tearing
through tree
bark to access
grubs. Juvenile
bears may
exercise less
concern and
demonstrate
more curiosity
than bears that
have learned to
fear humans.
October 2003
Tim Treadwell, aka “The Grizzly Man,” was killed
along with his female companion in Katmai National
Park in Alaska.
January 2004
In Mission Viejo, California, a mountain lion attacked
and killed a dismounted bicyclist working on a bro-
ken chain.
2009
A bear attacked a Super Cub bush plane while it was
parked after a fishing trip. The pilot was able to repair
the plane with duct tape, cellophane, and two new
tires that were flown in.
2013
The first confirmed timber wolf attack on a human
took place in Minnesota, when a teenager was bitten
outside his tent camping next to friends.
May 2014
Two women were trampled by a moose in Black
Hawk, Colorado, while walking their dogs.
May 30, 2015 to September 18, 2015
61 bear interactions were documented in Denali
National Park.
August 2015
A man played dead to avoid further attacks from a
bison that gored him near Tower Peak on Catalina
Island, California.
May 2016
A black bear bit a man on the leg through his tent
along the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky
Mountains of Tennessee.
June 2016
A 5-year-old boy was attacked by a mountain lion in
ISSUE 18

Colorado while playing with his older brother in his

front yard.
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Left: It’s not throughout the day and night. A beast can tear through
a bad idea to a vital piece of equipment (sleeping bag, raft, tent, etc.),
keep grab-and-
leaving you without essential gear for safe travel or stay.
go gear within
reach inside Camping in dangerous game country isn’t just about
your tent. protecting self, but property as well.
Pictured here:
The author’s Cooking
Remington If an extended stay in camp is expected, at some point
870 Marine
you’ll need to cook. Cooking can easily attract dangerous
Magnum,
Blauer Clash game if you’re not careful. Grease pans from grills and
Boots, SureFire trash are always popular attractions for animals looking
Fury Flashlight, for an easy meal. The camp kitchen and any food han-
and Brenneke dling and consumption should be done far from sleeping
Hard-Cast Slugs
quarters, in a single location. Even if you’re consuming
carried in an
freeze-dried meals, the meal packets should be either
HSGI Pogey
Pouch on top of burned or, at the very minimum, washed out and cleaned.
a Thermarest If you manage to get the food you’re cooking on your
Ridgerest. clothes in the prep process, consider changing into differ-
ent clothes or washing them thoroughly before retiring
for the night.
Camps near rivers should utilize the current to send
Hybrid Threats
While the first reaction for most to the concept
food waste downstream. Remember the expression,
“Stop, chop, and throw.” Should you process game in
of a grizzly bear and polar bear hybrid is disbe- your camp, take the time to chop the animal carcass into
lief, this not-so-strange enough idea for the Syfy small pieces and throw it into the moving water to be car-
channel is reality. Polar bears have been breeding ried downstream. Camps near coastal areas should have
Opposite page:
with grizzly bears for at least 10 years, according The telltale sign kitchen and food areas below the high tide mark to allow
to some experts. The “pizzly” or “grolar” bear has your camp has the sea to wash human traces away.
traits of both bears. It can have the distinct light been raided.
coloring of a polar bear with some of the shape of Gear scattered Early Warning System
and redistrib-
a grizzly bear. These bears have been interacting One growl is all it takes to make most people realize
uted. Have a
and mating, most likely due to climate change. plan B in case they’re not alone in the woods. A growl isn’t a long-
With bears moving farther each year, these rare your plan A is distance signal — if it can be heard, animals are well
creatures might grow in numbers. compromised. within close range. While it might seem like sound carries
further at night than day, it doesn’t change the fact that
But the pizzly bear is not the first hybrid to be predators are out and in your proximity.
found in the wild. Coydogs, the combination Right: A make-
of coyotes and domesticated dogs, are well- shift “early
documented and found in the wild. Coywolves, alert system”
is made by
the combination of the coyote and the wolf, are
stacking rocks
prevalent in the northeast. These canines have
on top of cool-
the behavioral characteristics of whichever spe- ers and food
cies are combined and are growing threats to the boxes. While
purebred species that created them. not perfect, the
noise of the
falling rocks
Run-ins with the above-mentioned animals are
will alert you
limited but as these rare hybrids continue to grow if something’s
in number, the possibility for dangerous encoun- molesting your
ters rise, as well. supplies.
 THE HILLS
HAVE EYES

Much like an alarm system for homeowners, there are used to put down game, or they can also be used to
ways the outdoorsman can create noise-making devices scare it away.
to alert him to wildlife activity in camp. Mess kits strung up DLP is an acronym for “defense of life or property.” This
with paracord and trip wires will clang if molested. Rocks concept applies to the use of firearms against wildlife that
placed on top of coolers will crackle as they fall off to the poses a risk to human safety and property. It doesn’t give
side. Electronic fences charged with solar energy may carte blanche use of firearms to shoot animals or those
work on some game, but others won’t hesitate to barge that aren’t an immediate threat. In fact, some states that
right through. Overall, any methods to alert you to an ani- allow using firearms against dangerous game will actually
mal’s presence in camp before it reaches your reactionary require harvesting and surrendering it to the authorities.
gap should be considered and/or carried out if practical. If it’s proven you weren’t in a life-threatening encounter,
you may face criminal charges.
Stand Your Ground Instead of shooting to kill at first sight, consider firing a
Assuming you’ve taken the correct actions to avoid round over the creature’s head or at its feet. Rounds that
confrontation and it still occurs, here’s what to do. Don’t impact the ground can kick up dirt and debris and scare
panic and flee. Running triggers chase instincts, and it off. While many species enjoy social contact, they don’t
predators will pick up on the general behavior charac- like forceful contact of foreign objects. Should an animal
teristics of what they consider to be prey. Instead, move need to be put down, hard-cast rounds like those from
confidently upwind from it to let it smell you. If that isn’t Buffalo Bore Ammunition are preferable to hollow-points
possible, be seen as large as possible. For instance, stand that won’t penetrate deep enough through fur, hide, and
in close proximity to other members of your party to
look intimidating.
bone. About
Expect any animal encountered to have eyesight Rest Easy the
equivalent to yours, if not better. Let it hear you, but don’t Animal attacks happen, but they’re rare if you use Author
make growling noises that could result in it mistaking you common sense. Thousands of people travel and camp, Kevin Estela is the
for a competitor, mate, or prey. Sound like a human and unaffected, in dangerous game country. Attacks don’t owner/head instructor
yell, “Get out of here!” or “Go away!” If this doesn’t work simply happen without reason. Be smart and don’t let of Estela Wilderness
and you’re armed, take the action you feel is necessary. a predator determine how your trip will end. While you Education and the
Just remember, simply having a firearm doesn’t can’t predict animal behavior, you can mitigate risk by former lead sur-
ensure safety in the great outdoors. Firearms can be staying ahead of the dangerous game. vival instructor of the
Wilderness Learning
Center on the U.S./
Canada border in
northern New York. He
has honed his survival
skills traveling around
the country and
internationally to learn
from local experts. He
has spent many days
and nights camping
in dangerous game
country where wolves,
grizzlies, and moun-
tain lions call home.

www.kevinestela.com
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WARNING!
The content in this story
is provided for illustrative
purposes only and not
meant to be construed as
advice or instruction. Seek
a reputable self-defense
school first. Any
ny use of
the informatioon contained
in this article shall be
solely at the reader’s’
risk. This publication
and its contribbutors are
not responsible for anyy
potential injurries.
IMPROV
SKILLS
Gett Your Jason Bourne On By
Turnning These Five Common
Item
ms Into Self-Defense Weapons
Story by Jared Wihongi
Photo
os by Chris Vastardis

T
he nature and history of combat is the
utilization of weaponry, and victory most
often goes to those who train with their
weaponry. For an experienced prepper,
this same philosophy can and should
be app plied to self-defense survival situations, so long as
the we eapon used is a legally appropriate response to the
percei
p ved threat.
Unfo ortunately, gone are the days when we can walk
with
w a sword strapped to our side, and today’s equivalent
can’t b be carried legally in most parts of the world. Even in
placess where a firearm can be legally carried concealed
or otherwise, many self-defense situations will not require
the usse of deadly force.
So, what
w are some of the best options for realistic ev-
eryday y-carry (EDC) weaponry for when SHTF? There is a
high likelihood that when you do need a self-defense tool,
you’ll
y b
be away from your at-home or in-car arsenal and be
left witth what you have on your person — or what’s imme-
diatelyy in your surroundings. In an ideal world, you should
alwayss be carrying a variety of compact self-defense
weapo
w ons on your person. Concealed-carry handgun,
folding g knife, and the like — the more options you have,
the mo ore prepared you’ll be to deal with what may come.
Unfort
U tunately, many places in the United States and
abroad d don’t allow for the carrying of guns, knives, or
even common
c fist-loaded weapons like brass knuckles.
How w can you convert everyday objects into improvised
fist-loaaded weapons that can be carried universally in
even thet most nonpermissive environments in the world?
Follow
F wing is a list of five common items that can be realis-
tically carried in an EDC capacity, and some ideas on how
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Jared Wihongi, right,

1
parries the punch,
then “checks” the
attacking arm so he
can flank and gain
control. From there
he can counterstrike.

Tactical Light
This item tops my list as one of the most
useful and practical items that can be car-
ried as a self-defense weapon. I’ve carried
one on my person while traveling through-
2 out many parts of the world. I’ve even kept
one in my carry-on luggage for flights in
multiple countries on five continents. As
a common multi-function tool, I am yet
to hear of a place where it’s illegal. The
only time mine was even scrutinized was
at an airport in China, and they allowed it
through because it didn’t have the aggres-
sive strike bezels found on many tactical
lights. If you want a flashlight that does
have strike bezels, look for one where they
are removable. Take them off when going
through a security check point, and put
3 A handheld flash-
them back on afterward. light has practical
A tactical light can double as a tem- functions in ad-
porary distraction device in low-light dition to being an
ideal improvised
conditions when shone directly in the
self-defense weap-
eyes. Something that cycles straight into on. The Strobeforce
a high-strobe mode is ideal, but even a D-TAC 1000 (from
constant beam can momentarily blind www.theultimate
or distract an assailant. The window of knife.com) is one
example of a tacti-
opportunity gained should be utilized to
cal flashlight that
make an escape, or to counterattack with doesn’t look extra
“hammer fist” strikes. overly tactical.

4 5
 IMPROV
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The author Tactical Pen

1
shields with
Another item that I always have
his left arm
while thrust- on my person is a tactical pen. Like
ing with the the tactical light, it’s a tool that has
tactical pen common everyday function. Defen-
in his right sively it can be used much like the
hand. He
then hooks tactical light, e.g. hammer-fist strikes
his oppo- to limbs, the torso, or the head/
nent’s arm, neck as necessary. It has a more
applying a focused point and as such can do
lock, while
more damage than a tactical light.
striking the
bad guy’s Because I train often in double-
2 free hand wielded weapon combinations, in
and face. sticky situations I’ll often carry my
tactical light in my support hand
as my distraction and secondary
A tactical impact weapon, and my pen in
pen is a use- my dominant hand as my primary
ful writing impact weapon. To avoid unneces-
implement sary attention, find a tactical pen
that can
that is strong enough to take a
double as a
striking tool pounding, but discrete and “non-
if SHTF. aggressive” in appearance.

3 5

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Using a Rolled-Up Magazine

1
magazine as
Another item I’ll always have
an improvised
baton, Jared on my person while traveling: the
Wihongi stops most recent editions of RECOIL
the haymaker OFFGRID and RECOIL magazines.
with a strike If you’re into e-readers, this won’t
to the inside
of the arm. He help much, but for those who like
quickly traps a good-old hardcopy of their favor-
the offend- ite publication, a solid magazine
ing arm and rolled up tight can be become a
follows up
short blunt weapon capable of
with several
counters to delivering effective defensive and
2 the face. counteroffensive strikes.
It offers more reach than a short
fist-loaded weapon, and affords
more protection of the hands by
virtue of the strike surface being
further away from the fingers. This
might seem like a shameless plug, but the added
length and weight of a RECOIL OFFGRID issue
make it perfect for this application.
Don’t believe me? Roll up the bad boy in your
hands and imagine jabbing one end of this
magazine into your throat or eye.

3
5

4 6
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Carabiner
A common tool that can be
attached to a backpack, day
bag, or keychain, a carabiner
of the right size and material
can be used much like brass
knuckles. Throwing common
boxing punches can be harm-
ful to your unprotected hand,
especially hook and uppercut
angles that sometimes make
contact with the sides or cor-
ners of your fist.
A carabiner can not only
protect the hand from injury
when performing such strikes,
but also makes them more
effective by concentrating the
impact into a smaller contact
surface. Look for something
with a locking collar to prevent
opening and causing injury to
the hand while striking.
A well-made
carabiner can
work wonders
as an impromp-
tu knuckle-
duster, as it
both protects
the user’s fist
will deliver-
ing power to a
concentrated
area.
Improvised Fist-Load
Weapons
There are companies that specialize in
producing discrete (and sometimes not-so-
discrete) fist-load weapons that are keychains,
paperweights, and bottle openers. Regard-
less of how obvious their true nature is, these
weapons will follow three general methods of
application.
The first works on the same principle as
brass knuckles, designed to protect the front
of the fists while delivering standard punch-
ing techniques. The second kind is designed
to protrude from the top and bottom of the
closed fist, where it can be used much like a
knife in forward or reverse grip. Others will
combine the first two, having protrusions
from the top and/or bottom of the fist and
something protecting one or more of the
knuckles, generally with a ring feature that
one or more fingers will go into.
For those prepared to pay a little more for
tools of this nature, there’s my favorite com-
pany, RAIDOPS of South Korea. It has a huge
variety of tools and use titanium in almost all
of them. You can expect to find several other
companies with great products for consider-
ably lower costs, depending on the materials
they use.
Training to use these items for self-defense
can be easier than one might think.
Focusing on the common principles uti-
lized by each item rather than the differences
between them will streamline the training
process. In other words, use the principles of
Kali, an umbrella term for the weapons-based
combat systems of the Philippines. One of
these principles is referred to as “transferrable
methodology.” This means using the same
core set of movements, regardless of what
weapon is in your hand.
Don’t focus so much on the weapon, but
rather the angles used to wield the weapon
and the targets that should be addressed.
All strikes will utilize either thrust or slashing
motions. Think along the lines of a knife. When
held in the hand with a forward (sabre) grip,
you can use it to stab (thrust) or cut (slash). Us-
ing slashing angles, you can also strike with the
This fist-load weapon
called the JW.Vulcan
is a collaboration
between the author
and RAIDOPS
(www.raidops.com),
a South Korean com-
pany that special-
izes in tactical and
survival gear.
pommel in a “hammer fist”-type attack. These
same principles of angles and movement can
be applied to any fist-load weapon.
The only difference to calculate for is the
length of the weapon and whether it will
cause puncturing wounds, lacerations, blunt
trauma, or a combination.
An item like a carabiner used to protect the
front of the knuckles will utilize the principles
of a thrust, with the difference being the angle
of the fist for a punch. Slashing angles can still
be effective with a carabiner if it adequately
protects the sides of the fist.
One of the things that often gets people
hurt or killed in self-defense situations is hesita-
tion. This often comes from not being able to
make a decision based on a lack of under-
standing of self-defense laws. This lack of un-
derstanding can also result in using unlawful
force against another person. So choose your
weapons wisely, train with them often, and be
sure to have a good understanding of local
laws in the areas you plan to carry them.

1 4
2 5
About the Author
Jared Wihongi is founder and presi-
dent of Survival Edge Tactical Systems
Inc., a tactical training and consult-
ing company. He is known to many
as the face of Browning’s Black Label
tactical equipment line. Wihongi is one
of a handful of tuhon (master-level)
instructors in the Filipino combat art
of Pekiti-Tirsia Kali and has 15 years of
experience in law enforcement. Most
IMPROV
SKILLS
6
7
of that was spent as a SWAT officer and
instructor of firearms and defensive
tactics. Plus, he’s spent more than
a decade teaching combatives and
survival skills to police, military, and
covert-operations units in Asia, Europe,
North America, and South America.
www.facebook.com/jared.wihongi
www.jaredwihongi.com
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Survive the Ravages of Winter Highway

Driving With These Essential Preps
Story and Photos by Abe Elias

E
very season has its dangers. If you live in an area that offers the
extremes of all four seasons, you know you need to prepare
for all the challenges each brings. In the case of winter, travel
presents its very own set of potentially fatal hazards.
To make traveling safer, we put together a winter car
survival kit. Some of the elements chosen for the kit are common to other
seasons. For the most part, we’ll take a more in-depth look at items and
techniques that’re more useful in winter.

NicolasMcComber/istockphoto.com
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Stuck in a Rut CRKT Trencher

on the left and
Getting stuck is more likely to happen in the winter
a telescoping
season than any other, depending on where you live. snow shovel on
Winter’s probably also the most dangerous time to the right. The
be stuck as well. Here are some ideas to keep you on snow shovel
the move. will move
more mate-
Sandbaggers: Sometimes we’re stuck only because rial quickly, but
our tires can’t find traction on a slick surface to get us the trencher,
moving again. One tool to get you back on the go is a with its steel
bag of sand or cat litter stored in your trunk. You can buy blade, can cut
through harder
either from a number of stores.
ice that the
In the event your tires can’t get any traction, just plastic shovel
retrieve the cat litter or sand and sprinkle some under blade can’t.
your drive tires (make sure you know whether your car
is front- or rear-wheel drive). In a pinch, you can use your
car’s floor mats.
When getting underway, apply the gas slowly. Too will help maintain traction. During winter, if you’re stuck
much right foot and you’ll burn through the sand or These strong and you don’t have any weights, you can load the back
cat litter and end up right back on the ice. Once the car nylon straps of the bed of your truck with snow or simply move some
can make the
starts to move, keep it going and don’t stop until you of your passengers to the bed or rear of the vehicle until
difference
know you’re someplace safe to stop. Keep this in mind between be- you’re back on the move.
even if some of your passengers hopped out to push the ing stranded Strap It On: On a bad snow day, it’s a guarantee you
car. Keep the car going. It’s better they walk to meet you or being on won’t be the only one stuck. So, if you get stuck in a ditch
your way.
and get back in the car than getting stuck again. or a snow bank, you could end up waiting for hours for
You might not
Gain Some Weight: On occasion, a vehicle is stuck have enough a tow truck to show. An essential piece of kit to keep in
because there’s not enough weight over the drive people to get your car is a tow strap with a weight rating at least twice
wheels, preventing it from getting traction. This problem you unstuck, that of your car’s weight.
is more common in rear-wheel-drive vehicles. Avoid this but if an SUV or Because there’s some inherent risk in using them, we
truck happens
situation by creating a winter weight system. Using bags to come by, this recommend you do two things first: 1) teach yourself
of sand or other weights, load them as close to directly tow strap will how to hook up to both the front and back of your
over the drive axle as possible. It’s important to position take the place vehicle; 2) use it in situations where you need only a little
them so they don’t move while driving. The extra weight of half a dozen bit of extra force to get yourself free.
people.
You might hit a rut or go nose first into a snow bank.
Either you don’t have enough people to push you out or,
even if you did, there’s no way to get them in a position
to push. Out comes the tow strap. They’re lightweight
and compact compared to old towing ropes and chains.
As for cost, they run only about $20 to $40, depending
on the size and weight rating.
We think of a tow strap like a set of jumper cables.
Other cars or trucks are often around, but none can help
if they don’t have a set of jumper cables. With so many
SUVs and trucks on the road these days, if someone
stops to offer help, they’d be able to help because you
have your own tow strap. Make sure you’re following
the law when you get yourself towed out. If there’s any
property damage, you can’t just celebrate your vehicular
freedom and leave. You must take responsibility for the
damage or face charges of hit-and-run property damage.
 COLD WAR
COMBATANTS

Just Shovel It: Lastly, always keep a shovel available The magnetic So, here are some signaling items for your winter kit.
— in fact, in the winter, make that two shovels. We’ve Streamlight Flag Flying: It’s always good to carry an orange flag
Siege AA can
heard people suggest keeping an old coffee can in the or distress signs. You can attach the flag to a door handle
attach to a car’s
car. Their thinking is that it’s free (since you bought it roof, making or an antenna. Distress signs can be put in both the front
for the coffee), and you could stash survival gear in it it more vis- and rear windows. And if your car is still able, turn on the
until you need it for shoveling. Clearly these people ible from the hazard lights (just be mindful of your remaining battery
ground or air.
have never actually used a coffee can to shovel snow. life). These are all methods that allow you to remain in the
Or, at best, they don’t realize that portable, purpose-built
shovels exist.
A small, collapsible snow shovel costs roughly $15 to
$30. Using a shovel is more efficient and therefore less
likely to cause you to overwork yourself. If this happens,
you’ll start sweating, which could lead to hypothermia
when you stop shoveling.
We suggest carrying two shovels because they’re
often made of plastic and can’t easily pierce the surface
of hard crusty snow. A backup shovel made out of steel
will remedy that. We keep a Columbia River Knife & Versatility is
Tool Trencher as our backup. It looks like an old-school always a plus
military entrenching tool, but made with modern, lighter for preppers.
materials. Between the snow shovel and the e-tool, you The waterproof
bag contain-
should be able to dig yourself out. ing your extra
clothes could
Staying Found make a good
Making sure others can come to your aid depends in mat to help
keep you dry
large part on making sure others can see you in the first
if you have to
place. You also need to let others know you need help. work on your
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car and signal for help while staying out of the elements.
Blinkers: A strobe is a good way to signal for help.
Sometimes help might be looking from overhead (e.g.
search airplanes and helicopters), or your hazard lights
might be buried in snow. A good strobe lets you signal
for help at night; typically the signal can be seen for
miles. The Streamlight Siege series is a great addition
to your emergency kit. It takes AA batteries and has a
magnetic base. Some models include a red LED strobe.
If you’re stuck out at night, just slam it on the roof and let
the strobe do all the work while you stay warm in the car.
Reflect It: Signal mirrors are great, but on a snowy
day they most likely won’t be effective, as direct sunlight
would be limited. If stranded for a long period, or even
overnight, you might find a signaling device useful once
the snow stops on the next day.
Using thin Stay Warm
Mylar blankets
Imagine it’s so frigid that the fuel line in your Honda
to cover the
windows will Civic freezes up while you’re on a downtown freeway. It’s
help retain heat so cold and the snow is piled so deep that tow services
in the vehicle. are backed up for hours as they respond to call after call of
cars lodged in snowbanks all around the city. This actually
happened to the author. The lesson? You don’t need to be
in an isolated area to end up exposed to the cold.
Bundle Up: You never know when disaster will strike.
You could be in your work clothes or on your way back
from a wedding or funeral. There’s always a chance
the clothing you happen to be wearing isn’t up to the
challenge. Keeping an extra set of the basics can make the
difference. Always keep extra gloves, socks, and a toque
(what Canadians call a beanie or knit cap) in the vehicle.
Room permitting, keep extra boots and an oversized set
of jogging pants to slip over your clothing.
Space Age: Mylar blankets, also called space blankets,
are good multi-use tools. Carrying a lot of them isn’t an
expensive proposition (one usually goes for a couple
of bucks). In the event you’re in for a long ride — say,
stranded on a back road with no way to signal for help or
on a highway during a blizzard — you can use the blankets
Keeping a to insulate the car. Trying to stay wrapped up in one is
good flashlight difficult in the tight confines of a sedan.
handy is al- Car windows are the greatest source of heat loss. A
ways a safe bet. good plan is to use several blankets and a roll of duct tape
Adding a sig-
to cover the windows. By covering the windows you’ll also
naling cone to it
will increase its contain some of the heat your body generates in the car.
utility. If you’re lucky enough to still have a running vehicle,
 COLD WAR
COMBATANTS

Extra water Another option is to keep a water filtration system on

can be used for
board with some kind of container. Bringing snow into
drinking or to
refill a radiator the car in a container will eventually melt the snow. The
that is low — for resulting water can then be run through a filter system.
example, from For a good compact system, look at the Sawyer
a hose leak. Squeeze water filtration system (SP131, SP129). It’s
One item we
added to this important to remember that once you use a filtration
Adventure system you mustn’t allow it to freeze, as that will ruin
Medical Kit the filter. The Squeeze system is nice, compact, and
is a Sawyer easy to use.
Squeeze Water
Filter. Dehydra-
tion can strike Conclusion
even in the As we approach winter, it’s a good idea to add those
winter. seasonal components to your vehicle emergency kit.
Most importantly, get your car checked and prepared for
winter. Make sure you have plenty of gas line antifreeze
on hand and have your coolant checked and winterized,
along with a good set of snow tires.
If you do break down, or get stuck, stay with the
the heat will be better contained. Candle lanterns are an vehicle. In extreme winter conditions, be aware that
amazing piece of old-school kit, or you can just use some walking as little as 50 feet can be dangerous, even fatal.
candles — perhaps placed in an old coffee can that you Thoroughly evaluate all your options before trying to
didn’t use to dig snow. Using a lantern or emergency walk for help and only do so if help is within sight.
candle with a globe over the burny end is a good safety
feature and can prevent accidental fires. Though, it takes
a lot of attention, and it’s not the safest option. A good
candle lantern will carry a large candle and provide
plenty of heat for hours.
Bag It: If space permits, carry a sleeping bag in the
vehicle. [Editor’s note: See our cold-weather sleeping
The Survive
bag buyer’s guide elsewhere in this issue.] If you’re
Outdoors
short on space, a good fleece throw will work. The Longer Urban
sleeping bags don’t have to be arctic-rated bags; they Survival Kit
can simply provide an extra layer on top of what you’re puts many
of the basics
already wearing.
together in
Stay Hydrated: These days, we tend to drink a variety one kit. There’s
of beverages that contain caffeine. As a result, our bodies backup water,
may be closer to a dehydrated state than we realize. A food, first-aid
dehydrated body doesn’t function properly and, when supplies, signal-
ing devices,
left untreated, can lead to serious medical conditions. So,
and even
it’s important that any emergency kit provide hydration, fire-starting
even in the winter. You can carry water in the car, but supplies.
if it’s kept in places that experience long and very cold
winters, it’ll probably freeze. And, no, it’s not smart to eat
snow for hydration, as it’ll lower your body temperature
and complicate matters even more.
MORE 411
For more on how to bug-out in winter and other winter
However, believe it or not, if you drive your car on a tips, see “Snow Worries” in Issue 17.
regular basis and the winters aren’t too extreme, a gallon
ISSU

jug of water can go the entire winter without freezing.

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FIRE AT WILL
16 Fire-Starting Tools to Keep You
Warm This Winter
M
innesota-born novelist Sinclair Lewis
once wrote, “Winter is not a season, it’s
an occupation.” In other words, winter is
not the time for complacency, especially
for survivalists. To endure the cold and
stave off hypothermia, we need to view staying warm as a
full-time job.
Layered clothing and a proper shelter can go a long way, but
the cornerstone of warmth is knowing with complete certainty
that you can quickly and reliably start a fire. This means your
survival kit should contain a diverse and redundant set of
fire-starting
g tools. Why? Because if you rely on just one, you’ll
eventuallyy learn the answer the hard wayy when it fails..
Story and Photos by
Patrick McCarthy
Whether you need to add a backup firestarter to your bug-
out bag or you’re looking to replace an item in your incendiary
arsenal, it’s beneficial to examine all the available options. We
collected a wide variety of firestarters from six different catego-
ries, then tested each tool knowing that each type would have
its own pros and cons. (For the purposes of this guide, we omit-
ted lighters and torches, since those tools offer enough choices
for a separate article in a future issue.)
And because you demanded it, we also include several bud-
get buys to see how these affordable options compare to the
brand names. That said, read on to hear our thoughts on each
fire-starting
g tool and consider whether one or more deserves a
place in your emergency
g kit..
 BUYER’S GUIDE

FERRO ROD FERRO ROD

Light My Fire
nanoSTRIKER XL Swedish FireSteel 2.0 Scout
DIMENSIONS DIMENSIONS
3.7 inches long by 0.4-inch diameter 3 by 0.9 by 0.5 inches
WEIGHT WEIGHT
1 ounce 1 ounce
COMPONENTS COMPONENTS
Threaded aluminum body, ferro rod, tungsten carbide striker Ferro rod, stainless striker
LIFESPAN LIFESPAN
3,000 strikes per replaceable rod 3,000 strikes
SPECIAL FEATURES SPECIAL FEATURES
Key ring, lanyard, waterproof O-rings, 4 colors available Emergency whistle, lanyard, nesting handles
MSRP / RECURRING COSTS MSRP / RECURRING COSTS
$29 / $7.50 ferro rod, $9 striker $15 / N/A
URL URL
www.exotac.com www.lightmyfire.com

The XL in this product’s name may lead you to believe it’s gigantic — that’s not
the case. This is a slightly enlarged version of the original EXOTAC nanoSTRIKER,
but it’s still under 4 inches long and about as thick as a ballpoint pen. The com-
pany claims the XL threaded ferro rod will last for 3,000 strikes, approximately
triple the lifespan of the discontinued original version. Using this three-piece
ferro rod is simple. Just unscrew the components, thread the ferro rod onto the
cap facing the opposite direction, and strike it with the carbide striker.
Unfortunately, the small parts can be difficult to assemble and use reliably in
the cold, in the dark, or while wearing gloves. This firestarter would be terrific
for everyday carry on a keychain, but it wouldn’t be our first choice for frigid
wilderness survival.
PROS:
Sleek, modern design that’s perfect for everyday carry (EDC)
Made in the USA
CONS:
S
Small striker takes finesse to spark reliably.
Three-piece
p design
g risks losingg components
p Storage options are lim
Just as the Swiss are known for their army knife, the Swedes are famous for
FireSteel. This ferro rod design was developed for the Swedish Ministry of De-
fence for use by the country’s armed forces. Light My Fire still manufactures
the product in a dedicated factory in Västervik, though the rod’s design has
evolved since its inception. Version 2.0 comes with ergonomically improved
handles and a built-in emergency whistle.
There are two variants: Army uses a heavy-duty 12,000-strike ferro rod;
Scout (seen here) uses a lighter 3,000-strike rod. This particular model has
handles made of polymer-encapsulated coconut shell fiber, contoured to nest
side-by-side against each other. The FireSteel 2.0 makes starting a campfire
or stove easy, thanks to the large shower of white-hot sparks produced with
each strike.
PROS:
Excellent striker produces sparks with ease
Lanyard keeps rod tethered securely to striker
CONS:
mited due to odd shape.
p A sheath, pocket
p clip,
p or fitted
storage pouch would be beneficial.
b l

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FERRO ROD FLINT & STEEL

EmberLit / MerkWares
Strike-a-Light Fire Starter
BlastMatch Necklace
DIMENSIONS DIMENSIONS
4.1 by 1.4 by 1 inches Striker: 2.5 by 0.6 by 0.1 inches / Lanyard: 16.5 inches long
WEIGHT WEIGHT
2.3 ounces 1.3 ounces
COMPONENTS COMPONENTS
Orange plastic case, spring-loaded ferro rod, fixed carbide striker EmberLit pendant steel striker, ferrocerium toggle, 550 FireCord lanyard, quick-
release clasp
LIFESPAN
4,000 strikes LIFESPAN
N/A
SPECIAL FEATURES
Locking protective cover SPECIAL FEATURES
Mini 1-inch ferro rod, combustible tinder strand
MSRP / RECURRING COSTS
$25 / N/A MSRP / RECURRING COSTS
$30 / $15 replacement FireCord (25 ft.), $1 flint rocks
URL
www.ustbrands.com URL
www.emberlit.com
Heralded as a revolutionary patented improvement on the basic ferrocerium rod,
the UST BlastMatch uses a stationary striker blade and spring-loaded rod in a poly- This may look like an ordinary necklace to the casual observer, but it’s actually an
mer body. To operate the device, just pop off the protective cover, place the rod ingenious combination of modern and ancient fire-starting gear. First, there’s the
against your tinder material, and maintain firm pressure on the striker plate with pendant, which is cut from 1/8-inch-thick high-carbon steel, bearing a cutout of the
your thumb. A quick downward push throws sparks directly at the base of the rod. “tooth and talon” MerkWares logo. Many alternative pendant shapes are available
at no extra cost, ranging from animal silhouettes to a Thor’s hammer symbol. This
Unfortunately, we found that the BlastMatch works a lot better in theory than it steel provides sharp edges, which can produce sparks when struck rapidly against
does in reality. The rod needs to be in contact with the base of your tinder pile, flint, agate, or other hard stones (sold separately). The pendant can also be used
requiring a forceful pushing motion that can scatter carefully positioned shavings to strike the small ferro rod toggle on the necklace. Even the lanyard contributes
or fibers. The BlastMatch can be used one-handed, a major advantage, but in most to fire-starting — it’s actually 550 FireCord, with seven braided fibers plus a waxed
cases we’d prefer the simplicity and consistency of an ordinary rod and striker. tinder strand inside the nylon sheath. In an emergency, the wearer can cut off a
segment of the lanyard, ignite the tinder strand, and reposition the clasp to keep
PROS:
the necklace intact. This necklace provides all the ingredients for a survival fire —
One-handed operation
and looks good doing it.
Large ferro rod can be struck manually with a blade.
CONS: PROS:
Pushing motion tends to disturb tinder pile Necklace configuration provides fast access to fire-starting tools.
Hard plasticc case with moving parts leads us to question durability Good value considering its many components and uses
CONS:
The flint/steel method requires serious patience and practice.
Flint rocks may be hard to find.
 FIRE
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FLINT & STEEL PRESSURE / FRICTION

Zippo Numyth
Emergency Fire Starter Vulcan Fire Piston V2
DIMENSIONS DIMENSIONS
2.5 by 1.7 by 0.6 inches 5 inches long by 0.7 inches diameter
WEIGHT WEIGHT
1 ounce 1.8 ounces
COMPONENTS COMPONENTS
Orange plastic case, flint wheel igniter, 4 waxed tinder sticks Anodized aluminum piston, cylinder, end cap, and tinder capsule; rubber O-ring seals
LIFESPAN LIFESPAN
Approximately 1,500 strikes per replaceable flint N/A
SPECIAL FEATURES SPECIAL FEATURES
Water-resistant seal, rotating directional flint wheel Waterproof tinder container, replacement O-rings, gel lubricant
MSRP / RECURRING COSTS MSRP / RECURRING COSTS
$15 / $0.80 replacement flints (6), $5 tinder sticks (8) $40 / N/A
URL URL
www.zippo.com www.goinggear.com

Ever tried to light a fire with an empty lighter? Ever wished you could relive that
same experience during a survival situation? If so, the Zippo Emergency Fire Start-
er is what you’re looking for. Seriously though, for better or for worse, this tool is
simply the wheel igniter from a Zippo lighter turned 90 degrees and transplanted
into a lightweight plastic case. The sparks it creates are minuscule.
One upside is that the water-resistant seal protects a small cavity that contains
four waxed cotton tinder sticks. So, you’ll at least have some dry tinder at the
ready. It appears that Zippo used to make a tougher metal-cased version of this
firestarter, complete with a waterproof O-ring. But even with those features, it’s
hard to overlook the realization that this tool is marginally more useful than an
empty lighter and some cotton balls.
PROS:
One-handed operation
Water-resistant tinder container
CONS:
You might as well carry an empty
Zippo lighter … or a full one.
Sudden compression generates heat, forming an ember that can be nursed into
a flame. In a nutshell, that’s how a fire piston works. The Numyth Vulcan consists
of a machined aluminum piston and cylinder, sealed tightly with rubber O-rings
and a light coat of lubricant. To use the firestarter, load a tiny pinch of tinder into
the notch on the tip of the piston, then place it into the sealed cylinder. Slam the
piston on a surface to compress it fully, and in a single swift movement, draw it
out of the cylinder. If you’re fast enough, you’ll have a glowing ember to blow into
a flame.
This requires practice, but most of all it requires a supply of specific tinder.
Numyth recommends cotton char cloth or true tinder fungus. That’s the biggest
drawback to the fire piston — you need to bring tinder, and if you run out, you’re in
big trouble.
PROS:
Fits conveniently in pen organizers and shirt pockets
Waterproof tinder capsule
CONS:
Temperamental — only works with bone-dry highly-
combustible tinder
Coordination and quick hands are mandatory
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PRESSURE / FRICTION MAGNESIUM BARS

Scout Primitive Fire Bow Drill Doan Machinery & Equipment

Kit with Upgraded Palm Rock Magnesium Fire-Starting Tool
DIMENSIONS DIMENSIONS
Bow: 21.5 inches long by 0.7 inch diameter / Board: 8.8 by 2.4 by 0.6 inches 3 by 1.1 by 0.3 inches
WEIGHT WEIGHT
13.1 ounces 1.4 ounces
COMPONENTS COMPONENTS
Red oak bow with bowstring, spindle, palm rock, pre-notched hardwood fire- Magnesium bar, ferro rod sparking insert
board, leather coal catcher
LIFESPAN
LIFESPAN N/A
N/A
SPECIAL FEATURES
SPECIAL FEATURES Bead chain
Ceramic palm rock with glazed spindle hole, instruction sheet with color photos
MSRP / RECURRING COSTS
MSRP / RECURRING COSTS $10 / N/A
$30 / N/A
URL
URL www.doanfirestarter.com
www.amazon.com
The magnesium bar has been used extensively by the military and civilian survival-
Normally, a survivalist would craft a primitive bow drill from materials found in ists due to its combination of a sparking edge and highly-combustible tinder
the field, plus a shoelace or some paracord as a bowstring. That’s a tough skill to source. Doan Machinery & Equipment has been producing these bars for decades
learn from scratch, so bow drill kits make the process more approachable for first- with a simple formula: a bar of solid magnesium with a small ferro rod glued into
timers. We found this USAMM kit on Amazon.com, and it contains everything you’ll a notch on the spine. To start a fire, use a knife to shave off a pile of magnesium
need except tinder. To use the drill, the spindle is twisted through the bowstring about the size of a quarter. Then reverse the bar and use the knife to strike the
and seated in a notch in the fireboard. The pointy end of the spindle is supported ferro rod, generating sparks that ignite the pile. Magnesium burns with a white-hot
by the palm rock in one hand, while the other hand draws the bow back and forth. flame, easily igniting nearby tinder.
Eventually, friction from the spindle generates an ember, which falls into the
Our main complaint with this tool is the lack of a dedicated striker. The spine on
leather coal catcher below the notch. The ember is tipped gently into a tinder pile,
some knives works as a scraper and striker, but not all. If you can’t use your knife’s
and — voilà — you have fire.
spine, you’ll be forced to dull a portion of your blade as a result of shaving and
This USAMM bow drill is well-built and works flawlessly, although we had to loosen striking the bar. The shavings from this bar also seem harder to ignite than those
and re-tie the bowstring. We’d consider this more of an educational resource than from other bars we’ve used.
an actual survival tool because it’s not exactly practical to shove this into your
bug-out bag when there are more portable options, but it’s quite affordable and PROS:
fun to use. Magnesium shavings burn energetically
Made in the USA
PROS:
COONS:S:
Pre-assembled
embled and tested
DDoesn’t include striker or scraper
p blade
Made in the USA
Shhhavings seem reluctant to ignite.
CONS:
CO S:
Larger and heavier than
other
ot e firestarters
esta te s
Guaranteed to give
you
y a cardio
d workout
k t
 FIRE
AT WILL

MAGNESIUM BARS MATCHES

My Crisis Gear Coleman

Magnesium Fire Starter Waterproof Matches 4-Pack
DIMENSIONS DIMENSIONS
3 by 1.1 by 0.3 inches 2.3 by 1.4 by 0.6 inches per box
WEIGHT WEIGHT
1.8 ounces 0.4 ounces per box
COMPONENTS COMPONENTS
Magnesium bar, ferro rod sparking insert, scraper/striker Four match boxes
LIFESPAN LIFESPAN
N/A 40 matches per box, 160 total
SPECIAL FEATURES MATCH BURN TIME
Bead chain, hacksaw-style scraper/striker 21 seconds
MSRP / RECURRING COSTS SPECIAL FEATURES
$8 / N/A Dual “waterproof” striking surfaces
URL MSRP / RECURRING COSTS
www.amazon.com $3 / N/A
URL
Sold and packaged under the brand name My Crisis Gear, this magnesium bar has www.coleman.com
no identifiable markings. The company’s web site lists only seven products, and
the magnesium bar is nowhere to be found — at the moment, it’s only available We found these waterproof matches in the camping section at Walmart for a mere
through Amazon.com. $3. Each of the four boxes contains 40 matches, featuring striking surfaces on
Questionable origin aside, this firestarter is inexpensive and effective. While its both sides. The 1/16-inch-thick wood matchsticks aren’t prone to snapping, thank-
dimensions are identical to the Doan bar, the material makeup is clearly different. fully. We can confirm these matches are waterproof, as they lit easily even after
The U.S.-made Doan bar is smooth and dense; this imported bar is rough and po- soaking in water.
rous. This makes it easy to scrape off shavings, but we suspect the bar will have a However, the striking surfaces are another story — despite claims that they’re wa-
shorter lifespan as a result. We greatly appreciate the inclusion of a steel scraper, terproof, we couldn’t even light a bone-dry match on a damp box. While they may
flat on one side and serrated on the other. This eliminates the need to dull your be “waterproof” in that they don’t turn to mush when wet, they certainly won’t
knife blade and makes this an all-in-one fire-starting solution. help you light a match under those conditions. Ironically, the box even instructs
users to “store in a cool dry place.” As long as you can keep the striking surfaces
PROS: away from moisture, these matches are a good option.
Porous material is easy to shave and ignite
Magnesium shavings burn energetically PROS:
CONS: Matches light quickly, even when soaked
Imported off-brand product Good value for money
with unknown quality control CONS:
Softer magnesium may Striking surfaces are useless when wet
lead to shorter lifespan Powerful flame burns out quickly
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ISSUE 18

MATCHES MATCHES MATCHES

Diamond Diamond UCO

Greenlight Deluxe Large Kitchen Titan Stormproof
Match Books Matches Match Kit
DIMENSIONS DIMENSIONS DIMENSIONS
1.5 by 1.8 by 0.3 inches per book 4.8 by 2.6 by 1.5 inches 4.5 inches long by 1.5 inches diameter
WEIGHT WEIGHT WEIGHT
0.1 ounces per book 2.4 ounces 2.7 ounces
COMPONENTS COMPONENTS COMPONENTS
50 match books N/A Titan stormproof matches, 3 striker inserts
serts
LIFESPAN LIFESPAN LIFESPAN
20 matches per book, 1,000 total 250 matches 12 matches
MATCH BURN TIME MATCH BURN TIME MATCH BURN TIME
39 seconds 49 seconds 32 seconds
SPECIAL FEATURES SPECIAL FEATURES SPECIAL FEATURES
Striking surface on each book Dual striking surfaces Waterproof case with striker slot, high-visibility
lanyard, cotton tinder inside cap
MSRP / RECURRING COSTS MSRP / RECURRING COSTS
$3 / N/A $1 / N/A MSRP / RECURRING COSTS
$10 / $10 Titan stormproof matches (box of 25)
URL URL
www.diamondbrands.com www.diamondbrands.com URL
www.ucogear.com
If you want to remain eco-friendly as you survive, These are some of the most ubiquitous matches
these Diamond Greenlight matches may seem available, found for a dollar or less in retail stores We have a slight problem with the nomenclature
appealing. They’re constructed from 100-percent throughout the country. Each box contains approxi- of this product. It uses the term “match,” but that
recycled paperboard, with match heads that are mately 250 loose matches, with 2.3-inch-long wood name fails to adequately prepare the user for what
literally green, so all your survival buddies can see sticks and small heads. happens after striking. Titan stormproof matches
how much you care about saving Mother Earth. seem to have more in common with Fourth of July
Despite being made in the USA, quality control ap- sparklers than kitchen matches. These 4.3-inch-long
Sadly, these matches are truly awful. The paperboard pears to be an issue — our box contained several bro- mega-matches don’t just burst into flames, they
bends, tears, or disintegrates if you look at it wrong. ken matchsticks, matches without heads, and heads ignite with an audible crackle and intense jet of
And don’t even think about getting it wet. Once you of inconsistent sizes. Nevertheless, the matches light white-hot fire.
manage to ignite one of these matches, the flame easily on the box and burn steadily. As you might
is tiny and fragile, though this at least yields a long expect, any amount of moisture will render these Surprisingly, a lit match can be fully submerged in
burn time. On the bright side, even if it takes you matches useless. They’re fine for home use, but we water and, upon removal, still sputter back to life like
15 matches to light a fire, you’ll have 985 to spare. wouldn’t recommend them for survival situations. a novelty birthday candle. If you can’t light a fire with
These are barely passable for lighting scented one of these, you’re doing something very wrong.
candles at home, much less for creating flames in an PROS: We wish the cardboard-backed striker inserts were a
inhospitable winter wilderness. Long burn time bit tougher; a minor nitpick on an otherwise superb
Made in the USA survival firestarter.
PROS:
CONS: PROS:
Lots of matches for the money Poor quality control
Made in the USA Violently powerful flame
Highly sensitive to moisture Extremely difficult to extinguish
CONS:
Horrendous paperboard CONS:
matchsticks Cardboard striker inserts could be more resilient
Small, weak flame Short lifespan with only 12 matches
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ISSUE 18

SOLAR SOLAR SOLAR

BreaDeep UEB Outdoor

5x Pocket Magnify-
g y
ing Lens (Set of 2)
DIMENSIONS
2.8 by 2.2 by 0.3 inches per lens
WEIGHT
1 ounce per lens
COMPONENTS
1.8-inch glass lens with plastic rim
LIFESPAN
N/A
SPECIAL FEATURES
Polyurethane “leather” carrying case
MSRP / RECURRING COSTS
$10 per pair / N/A
URL
www.amazon.com
This generic magnifying glass set came to us from
China, by way of Amazon.com. Strangely, the boxes
are labeled “Pocket Spiegel” in a combination of
English and German. We paid $10 for two lenses,
though they can be bought individually for $6. Each
lens consists of convex glass with a 5x magnifica-
tion factor, contained in a plastic rim with a rotating
cover. The cover is marketed as “leather” but is
actually thin pleather with a velvety inner layer. If
you’re patient enough, the sun is shining brightly,
and conditions are dry, this glass can be used to
start a fire by harnessing the power of the sun into
a concentrated beam onto some tinder. Its low price
and compact size could make this a good addition to
your tinder box. However, we’d recommend this as a
backup option rather than a standalone tool.
PROS:
Small and lightweight
Affordable
CONS:
Requires bright sunlight, steady hands, and
patience
“Leather” case feels cheap
EmberLit / MerkWares Emergency Cigar
Solar Fire Lens Starter
DIMENSIONS DIMENSIONS
2.3 by 3.4 inches including sleeve 4.5 by 3.8 by 0.5 inches folded flat
WEIGHT WEIGHT
0.1 ounces 0.8 ounces
COMPONENTS COMPONENTS
Flexible plastic Fresnel lens “Waterproof and windproof” plastic mirror lens,
aluminum tinder holder
LIFESPAN LIFESPAN
N/A N/A
SPECIAL FEATURES SPECIAL FEATURES
Plastic storage sleeve Folds flat for storage
MSRP / RECURRING COSTS MSRP / RECURRING COSTS
Included in $30 EmberLit Fire Starting Kit; not sold $8 / N/A
separately / N/A
URL
URL www.amazon.com
www.emberlit.com
While a conventional lens requires large curved Need to light a stogie in the backwoods, but forgot
surfaces to bend light, a Fresnel lens accomplishes the your matches? UEB Outdoors has the solution with
same goal through the use of dozens of tiny ridged this so-called “Emergency Cigar Starter,” which we
sections. This creates a paper-thin profile that can found on Amazon. The seller also says it works “as a
remain flexible. This plastic Fresnel lens from EmberLit make-up mirror for ladies” — just don’t set fire to your
is included as part of the company’s Fire Starting Kit, face. Despite those ludicrous uses, the only thing we
along with a steel striker, flint rock, jute twine, cotton care about is if it can start a fire in a survival setting.
rope, hinged metal container, and canvas storage bag. Fortunately, it can.
The lens is the same size as a standard business card, The curved mirror focuses light at the metal tinder
fitting easily into a wallet. The magnification factor isn’t holder, provided you can position the mirror at the
advertised by EmberLit, but we’d estimate it’s about right angle in bright sunlight. When not in use, the
3x — more than enough to get a fire going or char some tinder holder can be folded flat and clipped onto a
tinder in bright sunlight. We love that this tool weighs tab on the mirror. Although we don’t plan to use it for
virtually nothing and retains the fire-starting benefits lighting cigars, this tool works well for igniting tinder
of a traditional lens. The other items in the Fire Starting or as an emergency signal mirror.
Kit add even more value to this solar firestarter.
PROS:
PROS: Lightweight
Flexible and durable Doubles as an emergency signal mirror
Weighs as much as a business card CONS:
CONS: Plastic chrome is susceptible to scratching or
Accumulates fine scratches easily cracking
Only sold as part of the EmberLit fire-starting kit Marketed as a cigar lighter, but it’s barely big
enough to hold a cigarette
 094
ISSUE 18
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THE LOW-CARB
PREPPER
Is Your Current Diet Conducive to
Real Survival Requirements?
Story By Eric Velazquez
R
ice. Ramen. Mac and cheese. Potatoes. In America, these
are a few of our favorite dishes. It’s no surprise then that
our love for carb-loaded comfort food has trickled into our
emergency cache menus (and waistlines). But forgetting
for a moment the impact these foods can potentially have
on our bodies, the rationale for making carbohydrates the focus is simple
and tough to argue: These tasty foods tend to be cheap, easy to store,
easy to prepare, and full of energy (read: calories) to power your grid-down
activities until the town bakery opens up again. If it opens up again.
But when your ramen runs dry, and you’ve reached the bottom of the
rice bucket, how are you going to sustain yourself and your family? Is it
even possible?
The answer can be found in a growing body of science that suggests
you can actually train your body to thrive in the (near) absence of carbs.
Developing a protein-and-fat-first mentality can help you stretch your
food stores and flourish in a disaster scenario — but only if you’re willing
to endure the shift.
Hunting Culture
Carbohydrates tend to be the most delicious of the
three macronutrients (protein and fat being the other
two), but there’s a physiological reason for that. Carbs
are the bodies preferred fuel source and help to power a
number of key bodily functions, including brain function.
As such, most nutritionists tend to recommend a macro-
nutrient ratio that favors them, usually in the range of 40-
to 60-percent of daily calories from carbs. Sure, carbs are
generally digested and absorbed better by the body, but
new studies suggest that our heavy reliance on carbs for
fuel may be overblown.
Research published in the journal Nutrition & Metabo-
lism points to the fact that hunting-based cultures, such
as the Inuit, “were physically unhampered despite con-
suming a diet that was essentially free of identifiable car-
bohydrate.” Further research showed that carb-deprived
subjects were essentially unaffected in clinical conditions
measuring endurance performance over six weeks.
The caveat, however, is that the low-carb shift does take
some time as the body shifts into ketosis, the term for the
body’s actual shift toward the burning of fat as fuel.
Ketosis is the strategic goal of high-protein approaches
such as the Atkins Diet and is touted for its benefits on
improving body composition, reducing the risk of diabe-
tes and treating metabolic syndrome. It typically sets in
after a few days of carb-deprivation, which in studies is
typically 50 grams or less per day. But, as anyone who
has tried it will tell you, it ain’t easy getting there.
 Anecdotal and clinical evidence suggest that a general lethargy
and sometimes headaches are typical in the initial days and even
weeks of low-carb dieting, which explains why so many people fall
off the wagon and go running to the nearest pizzeria. But if you
can endure the one to three weeks of a full low-carb shift, there are
plenty of practical benefits to be had. As difficult as it may feel at
first, according to scientists, you can train your body to utilize fat
and protein for energy, something that could be invaluable for a
hunkered down prepper with a finite food supply.
“If carbs are there, your body will default to them because they’re
very easy to metabolize, and you can get energy from them fast,”
says Mike Roussell, Ph.D., a New York-based nutritionist and author.
“You need to create a carbohydrate-restricted or carbohydrate-void
environment to get your body to rely more heavily on fat. When
people go low-carb right away and they feel like crap, some of
this is due to electrolyte imbalance due to insulin’s impact on the
kidneys’ ability to retain sodium, but also because they lack the
enzymatic machinery to process fat as a fuel source enough to
meet energy needs. You need to stress test the system and give it
time to ramp up those pathways. You can only do this by reducing
or removing carbs.”
In a disaster scenario, this removal or restriction may occur
involuntarily since you won’t be able to head to your local big-box
store to replenish your potatoes and Ready Rice. So what can you
do now to make ready for that inevitability?
Metabolic Flexibility
Any good prepper has taken protein consumption into account
when planning out their storage priorities — canned meats, jerky,
and other dehydrated meats — but many may be over-planning for
carb intake out of habit. This can be potentially disastrous, not only
for longer-term survival but short-term energy levels. Better to suf-
fer a bit now to make your body more adept at using the fat-laden
meats that you may eventually have to hunt and fish for.
“You need to make your body metabolically flexible so that you
can readily use fat or carbohydrates as a fuel source in a worst-case
scenario,” Roussell says. “This means exercising fasted or with food
in your stomach, maintaining a lower body fat percentage, eating
periods of lower and higher carbohydrates. If you can’t skip a meal
without feeling like you’re going to rip someone’s head off, that’s a
good field test that you aren’t metabolically flexible.”
If you’re forced to bug in, even for a short period due to certain
events (i.e. power outage or local unrest), Roussell suggests falling
back on things that have a high energy (read: calorie) yield like
canned meats, coconut oil, nuts, and jerky. If you’re lucky enough
to be running a generator, it’s a good idea to keep your fridge or
sub-zero freezer running as long as you can so that you can have
meat. This approach, however, would require you to ration accord-
ing to the expected duration of your bug in.
Bugging out is a different ballgame. Keeping your low-carb plan
in mind, your bug-out kit is your first priority and should include
some portable mainstays. Roussell recommends beef jerky, bacon
jerky, nuts, peanut butter, higher-protein bars, and medium-chain
triglyceride powder, which is “a fat that is readily used as fuel.” And,
of course, if you have a small supply of protein powder, a shaker
cup, and a little water, you’re good to go for quick hits of fuel with
the added bonus of hydration.
Beyond that, like the Inuit, you’ll be left to pull food from the
environment. And since it can be tougher to distinguish forageable
plants than edible animals, you should be prepared to hunt and fish
to pick up where your bug-out bag leaves off. But, Roussell says,
out on the road would be the worst time to fall back on your love of
lean meats.
“Make sure to eat the skin of the fish and the fat from the animals
you hunt,” he says, pointing out the caloric value of the dietary fat
those things contain.
Don’t Just Survive, Thrive
Yes, part of the psychology of prepping is to account for “com-
fort” foods that bring a sense of normalcy to an otherwise dreadful
situation. A rehydrated helping of pasta can do wonders for the
soul, but is it optimal for your body? Higher-carb consumption
has already set our collective belt loops back a notch or two, so a
calculated tapering off couldn’t hurt our general health. But for the
preparedness-minded among us, it’s about more than that.
In a grid-down scenario, you should be less concerned with
short-term pick-me-ups than with long-term survival. And by train-
ing your body to rely more heavily on protein and fats, you can
practically eliminate the pressures of the “best by” dates staring
back at you from your emergency food supply, all without compro-
mising your body’s ability to function optimally. We won’t tell you to
throw out your oats, rice, and noodles just yet, but maybe it’s time
to start weaning your body off of carbs, emphasizing your canned
meats, and developing/sharpening your hunting skills.
About The Author
Eric Velazquez, CSCS, is a Southern California-based writer and
editor specializing in health, fitness, self-defense, law enforce-
ment, and the military. Spending the majority of his professional
career with some of the most widely circulated fitness magazines
in the country, Velazquez has made a name in the realm of par-
ticipatory journalism, often throwing himself onto the frontlines
of the subject matter he is covering, including boxing and mixed
martial arts. He’s an avid firearms enthusiast, and is hard at work
on completing his metamorphosis from plant killer to bona fide
ISSUE 18
organic fruit-and-vegetable gardener.
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 095
096
ISSUE 18
ON THE GRID
The Cost of Quality
By Patrick McCarthy, Web Editor
W
hy is that so expensive?” We’re frequently
asked in reference to survival gear — especially
knives. We understand the core reasoning
behind this question, since in its most basic
terms, a knife is just a slab of sharpened metal
with a handle. For those who know nothing about knifemaking, $300
(or more) might seem like an outrageous amount of money to spend
on an apparently simple cutting tool. Nevertheless, there are many
companies offering what the average person likely considers to be
expensive knives.
So, why is this the case? Are these high-end knives nothing more
than ostentatious EDC bling? Or status symbols with no tangible
advantages?
To answer these questions, I flew to Oregon — more specifically,
Tualatin. In that Portland suburb lies Zero Tolerance, one of the world’s
largest manufacturers of premium knives that just celebrated its
10-year anniversary in 2016. When you see what I saw, you, too, may
understand why the company’s blades command the price they do.
My factory tour revealed a key point: Every single Zero Tolerance
knife is American-made. In fact, that phrase could be considered an
oversimplification. Not only are the knives built in the company’s Ore-
Grab your smartphone, tablet, or laptop and head to OFFGRIDweb.com for more exclusive content.
gon facility, but their individual components are made in-house as well.
Each part is modeled, prototyped, cut, cleaned, finished, assembled,
examined, and packaged by a small team of employees in the same
building. ZT doesn’t buy screws from an outside vendor; it machines
them from raw materials because that allows for tighter quality control.
Even the maintenance on the huge CNC machines that make these
parts is done by full-time ZT employees. Controlling all these variables
to an almost obsessive degree produces a consistent product.
Still, this walkthrough yielded only half the answer to our question.
To hear the remainder, I scheduled an interview with Thomas Welk, the
director of sales and marketing at Zero Tolerance. We chatted about
ZT’s 10th birthday and the company’s “Proudly Overbuilt” philosophy.
His candid answers provided insight into the relationship between
cost and quality. If you’ve ever wondered why a knife or product is so
expensive, you need to read this.
To see a gallery of photos from my Zero Tolerance factory tour
and read the transcript of my interview with Thomas Welk, go to
www.offgridweb.com/gear/zero-tolerance-interview.
As always, if you have questions, comments, or suggestions about
our magazine or website, I want to hear them. You can contact me
directly at pmccarthyoffgrid@gmail.com.
 s e r i o u s p r e p p i n g s t a r t s h e r e
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098
ISSUE 18
411

Hypothermia Versus Frostbite

What to Watch Out for, For frostbite treatment and prevention, visit

Lest You Freeze to Death https://offgridweb.com/survival/frostbite-treatment/

By John Schwartze

S
ometimes the terms “hypothermia” SOURCES
and “frostbite” are unknowingly used Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
interchangeably, but that’s like saying a cold > www.cdc.gov
is the same as the flu. One could experience Mayo Clinic
> www.mayoclinic.org
frostbite or hypothermia either independently of each
other or simultaneously.
Frostbite is an injury to a body extremity, such as the nose,
ears, fingers, toes, or cheeks, caused by freezing. It usually occurs
in people with poor circulation or those who didn’t wear the
proper attire in cold weather. Hypothermia is a drop in the body’s
temperature, usually caused by prolonged exposure to the cold,
or even just cool and wet conditions, that cause the body to use
up its stored energy. Just a 4 degree drop in the body’s core tem-
perature marks the onset of the life-threatening condition. Infants
and children are especially susceptible since they either cannot
or will not communicate with adults about symptoms. Let’s take
a look at the warning signs to differentiate the two:

Hypothermia (adults)
Shivering
Exhaustion
Confusion
Fumbling hands
Memory loss
Slurred speech
Drowsiness
Hypothermia (infants/children)
Bright red, cold skin
Very low energy

Frostbite Stages
1. Redness, prickling feeling, irritation, cold feeling
2. Warm feeling in skin, blistering, white/grayish yellow skin
coloring
3. Numbness, joint and muscle immobility, blackening/tissue
degradation

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