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Showing posts with label bug out bag. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bug out bag. Show all posts

Tuesday, 25 October 2016

Top three army bags

Let’s cover a little more on bags. Particularly amry surplus bags. I would like to say that in St Lucia we have no way of getting army surplus gear besides ordering it online. These are a few of my favourites that i would one day like to have and what i think they are good for.


My top three military surplus bags.


First we have the US classic …………  Alice Bag







A large ALICE pack is ideal for almost any kit. Though I must say it succeeds in the Bug Out Bag and Camp Bag setting. It is too 'army' to be used in an every day setting. It is relatively cheap. Comes in OD green.
Has an external frame which i think by far is the best feature and straps for everything. No zips to break and can stuff almost anything in it.

ALICE (all-purpose lightweight individual carrying equipment) is an equipment attachment system and accessory set officially adopted by the military in 1973. The ALICE pack has been phased out of military service though some still prefer to use it.
If you wanna get into a Bug Out bag and you live in the US this is the bag to go for.




Next we the UK classic ………. Bergen












This is my favorite big bag ever. Its is a huge 120 litre bag. Though because of the design it is more of a 80 litre bag since the 20 litre is the plastic covering(?) yea, the draw string part of the bag and I don’t like using it and the two 10 litre rocket pouches or PLCE pouches. Its more for when you reach on camp whatever extra you collect or when you unpack your stuff and you don’t want to pack it back properly.
It features a nice padded waist belt that actually fits and that was surprising since it is a one size fits all.
Has no sternum strap but you can add one easily.
Two rocket pouches. You can add them via zips or buckles or straps, so they are really not going anywhere. Can also add a camel pack in place of one of the rocket pouches. Yes you can use a normal one not necessarily a military issue one.
The two rocket pouches can be put together with a yoke to form a twenty litre day sack. A legit bag. (so cool, I want a yoke.)
 It has multiple pockets and a front utility pouch. Adjustable shoulder straps and side compression straps. Also comes in DPM camouflage.



Next we have my faourite Day Bag……….the Italian (alpini) Mountain Rucksack








Small little bag perfect for a two day hike or minimalist kit. Very waterproof. Features a main pouch and two side pouches with lacing on the outside. A strap running across the centre perfect an axe or sling shot or shovel. Straps at the bottom for latching stuff, maybe a shelter system but the straps are usually too shot, can be easily fixed with some cordage.
I feel like it was made the same time as the alice bag as it has the metal parts that is super durable. As well as its canvas material.
Shoulder straps are not that comfortable but then again it is a small bag not meant for carrying more than 50 lbs, though it could easily.



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And remember survival is not a choice but a right earned at birth.
Be the Wolf!


Friday, 21 October 2016

Weight consideration for bags

Any bag that you make should not be more than half your weight. I ideal weight is 25% of your weight. Realistically there is no way a normal person will be able to carry a 100 lbs. especially children.

That being said you should train your body to carry at least half your weight. Most of us here in St Lucia already know the struggle of a carry a bag full of school books that weighs sometimes more than you and that’s from primary to secondary school. Not sure about the rest of the world and you have to carry a heavy bag everyday just make sure you can carry the weight of your pack.

Now some of us have disabilities and other long stories that affect the amount of weight we can carry. Honestly if you can’t you can’t. All I can say is buy lighter gear make use of your space and have mutli use items.

You must also consider your dog if you are using it to carry load. This is not a clear cut question. You should train a dog to pull a cart or carry a bag and gradually increase the weight to see how much it can carry comfortably for long periods.

Leave a comment if your enjoyed it.
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And remember survival is not a choice but a right earned at birth.

Be the Wolf!





Tuesday, 18 October 2016

Kit Rundown

Today we will be talking about different kits that are out there. Why? Because it up to you to decide what you need so that you will build the most effective kit or kits to full fill your needs. At the end of this I will leave like to different YouTube videos so you can better understand these kits.

Bug Out Bag (B.O.B)
Firstly the most talked about bag. The Bug Out Bag aka the B.O.B.  This is usually a 72 hour bag it should contain everything from food to gear you need to survive. We will be talking about the contents in another post. Just know that it is a bag meant for the worst case scenario. So you take the bag and go with nothing else. Basically a standalone kit ready for all your survival needs on your way.


Every Day Carry (E.D.C)
Next the most talked about stuff. Every Day Carry or EDC. This is all the things that you carry with you on a daily basis whether it’s for survival or whatever. Girls we know about the brush and the makeup and for guys the wallet with your drinking money. So your phone, wallet, your purse are all your EDC. In the context of this block maybe a switch knife, a pocket multi tool, etc. so in the case of this blog its your take everywhere survival kit.


E.D.C Bag
For those of you who carry a bag with you, this is for you. So everything you carry in your bag on a daily basis. Personally I carry my medical kit/clean kit, a pack of ramen, water bottle, carabina, waterproof bag and my school books. Oh and my laptop. So your everyday carry that goes in your bag. Please note do not full your Jan sport to the brim you want to leave space for anything you might accumulate for the day. So once again in this case your take everywhere survival kit.



E.D.C Vehicle
This is your Every Day Carry that you carry in your vehicle. It will be relatively larger and more diverse than the other EDC due to the fact that you are not the one carrying it and there is more space for you to store gear.  so in lamest terms a survival kit just  case stuff goes wrong and you have access to your vehicle.



The basis I have with all EDC gear is that it’s only useful if you carry it. Like going to buy KFC without having money on you. Yea you could be rich but you won’t get the four piece meal with air as payment.


Get Home Bag
Get Home Bag is the bag you carry if you are going quite a distance from your base camp or home. It’s a 24 hour bag with survival capabilities.



Survival Kit
This is exactly what it sounds like a relatively small kit in which you have everything you need to survive if you lose everything but that kit. Some people use an altoids tin some a butt bag and others a pocket organizer. The point is a small kit that you can carry with you anywhere and everywhere.

  

Basecamp Bag
This is a bag in which holds everything a person or group needs for shelter. I usually use this with my father when we go camping for more than a week. A perfect example is cadet summer camp which is two weeks. This kit focuses on shelter it’s not usually something you carry it is more for something that you put on a vehicle.

Camp Bag
Your camp bag is basically the bag you use when going on group camps. So Cadets, Boy Scouts, etc.  I think it will most likely be your biggest bag since we tend to carry supplies for comfort since our basic needs will be met.



Tactical kit
Tactical Kit is more for persons with military background. It follows the military line system. It’s the 2nd line (yep we will go over the line system later). It’s your chest rig or webbing. You’re loading bearing equipment (LBE). For those of you with no military background, its somewhere between what you carry on your person and your backpack. For example a chest rig is basically a heavy duty vest you can attach pouches to carry gear.

  

Dog Pack
The “Dog pack” is completely optional and I want to make it clear that when a disaster strikes pets are usually not allowed in most emergency shelters unless it’s like you’re seeing eye dog or any animal that used for person with disabilities. Honestly pets are usually forgotten in an emergency so a dog pack is the bag that your dog carries with all its supplies. I think dogs are great in an emergency situation because they can carry a lot of weight and pull a lot of weight (although you do need to get them accustom to it after all no dog who has never carried a bag in their life will just let put a bag on it). Please note that for dogs the bags are usually vest like so don’t go thinking it’s a legit bag, dog have their special bags.



SAS Survival kit
Now we have the kit that has its own book the SAS survival kit. One of the best survival books that I have read in my short time on this earth was the “SAS Survival guide”. In this book the author highlights a how to build this kit. Note that this is a military style kit and you can modify the bag and contents as long as they do the job.

        

Disaster kits
These are kits that everyone should have whether it’s for a hurricane, tsunami, earthquake or any natural disaster that your area is prone to. What makes this different to a normal survival kit is that you are fully prepared for the world to go on as usual. Meaning you carry things like passport, important documents, money and anything else that will make life easier to rebuild if you lose everything as well essential survival items and food just in case you are trapped somewhere or need to travel to get to a safe zone. In this bag you should carry some tools like a pry bar or chain cutters you know just in case. You never know what could happen in a disaster. I will go over these kits in further detail later.


Chuck Box
By far my favorite thing in this world is food that is why having a Chuck Box is essential to camping. Yes camping people. This is not a kit that you want to carry when you are trying to survive in the bush. It’s a kit for car camping, camping and all around wherever you don’t have to carry it camping. It’s a box that contains everything you need or cooking. That would be a camping stove, emergency gas, pots and pans, eating utensils, etc. it’s basically a micro kitchen.


Bedroll
The ‘Bedroll’ is your personal shelter kit that you attach to the bottom of your bag so that it doesn’t take up room in the main pocket of your bag. A tarp is usually the outer layer so that is waterproof. For example it could contain the tarp, wool blanket and hammock and straps or cordage. You could switch the wool blanket with a sleeping bag or add it if you want. So you roll it together, tie it properly and attach it to your bag.


We will go in detail on how to build each of these kits and videos on each but for now here are some links to good YouTube videos to get you started.

B.O.B

E.D.C

E.D.C Bag

E.D.C Vehicle

Get Home Bag

Survival Kit

Basecamp Bag

Tactical kit
Dog pack

Disaster kits
Chuck box
Bedroll

I hope you noticed that these are all just different configurations of survival kits. the amount or type of gear and even who carries and where you take it to gives it a new name.

If there are any kits you want to go over leave it in the comments and I’ll write up on it.

Leave a comment if your enjoyed it.
Share with your friends.

And remember survival is not a choice but a right earned at birth.

Be the Wolf!

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

Rule #3 - C's



#3



 10 c’s of survival;
Cutting tool,
Cotton bandana,
Cordage,
Container,
Combustion,
Compass,
Cover,
Candle light,
Cargo tape,
Canvas needle.

#for female
Clean
Comfort

Let’s be honest we have all heard of this and in one way or another will hear or read on this again.
Basically each stands for something your kit should have. Call it the basic guidelines for making all your kits. Some are metaphoric for example, candle light simply meaning a light source such as a headlamp, flashlight and yes candle.
What I really want to talk about is clean and comfort.
I added those because, women, we all know what happens every month, some of us have it worse than others but we can all agree it sucks. Just imagine how much it would suck more if you are in a survival situation. Trust me men, you can stab yourself in the arm and still not touch the pain and discomfort women have to go through. Of course is not the end of the world (maybe). But it pays to be prepared and have methods for long term use just in case for example cotton rags you can wash and reuse. Men should also pack some of this stuff as they are great for first aid as well as helping a woman in need.
Now for comfort.
Personally I would and could carry 100 lbs of load if it meant I am completely covered comfort included. Like I always tell my cadets “if I could carry a bed I would, if it made sense to bring a sleeping bag I would but for now I settle on blanket on the floor so long as I am warm I am good.” I know I know what do I know about cold sleepless nights. Absolutely nothing. I could sleep on cold tiles during a hurricane and still be comfortable so long as my skin isn’t irritated. I usually wear a lot of clothes(not literally as in an extra layer). What I mean is that I am unique in that I can wear a winter jacket and walk up a hill without sweating. My body does a great job at regulating my body temperature so all I do is move my uniform use it as a blanket and night world. All of you who can’t sleep with clothes on can probably relate. The main point is comfort, whatever you need to comfortable bring it. Especially sleep. Because sleep is a beautiful thing indeed.

video from YouTube for further info
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsrRRKC29-k

Leave a comment if your enjoyed it.
Share with your friends.

And remember survival is not a choice but a right earned at birth.
Be the Wolf!

 

Rule #2 Rule of three's



#2


Rule of three’s;
3 seconds without hope,
3 minutes without air,
3 hours without shelter (harsh conditions),
3 days without water,
3 weeks without food,
3 months without companion.

So let’s break this down into more digestible information for those of you who don’t get it or sorta get it or just waiting for me to explain.


3 second without hope

This means that if you do not think you will survive you probably wont. You will most likely sabotage yourself before even trying.
What this means is before you can start building your bug out bag, stocking on water and food or even buying an umbrella. You must know how to use it, what to expect, what to do if something goes wrong and how to stay calm, cool and collected. While this may seem like a lot lets run through a quick example.

So the economy has collapsed, you friends and family are missing and you are cold, alone and to top it all of it’s raining. You have a bag full of stuff you brought for this occasion. You are struck with an idea “I need a fire or I am going to die”. So you pull out your small portable Esbit fuel tab stove and your fire steel and get it work trying to light it. Only problem is it won’t light. Now you’re depressed, sweating probably gonna knock over your stuff in a rage and finally tire yourself out and give up.
See how since you never used the stove before you didn’t know that the fuel tabs need direct fire such as matches to burn nor are you aware of the contents of your kit so don’t know you can just take your survival blanket and wrap yourself in it.
What I am getting at is, always be familiar with your kit, don’t make rash decisions based on temporary feelings and DO NOT GIVE UP!

3 minutes without air
All those who live near a volcano or perhaps surround by water know that air is something that can quickly be poisoned. For me air is a big thing because I do not travel a lot in fact I have only traveled twice and the worse part of it is always the air for example having lived in St Lucia my whole life when I took a trip to Jamaica, with cadets, we were immediately greeted with brown air, brown seas, hot breeze and dust. It was so bad that after only a few hours I got sick. I vomited got a fever and in three days my body had finally adapted enough so that it didn’t feel like I was choking every time I took a breath.
Of course that’s just my experience, many of my friends did not go through this, as all of them had traveled before to places like the US. I was the freshling who suffered. The point I am trying to make is that I am not saying that the air will be poisoned or anything I am saying that wherever you end up might be different whether its altitude or temperature without air you cannot function so spend some time where ever you are planning on bugging out to or at least carry a face mask and learn to swim if you are like me and live on an island you need to be able to swim.

3 hours without shelter

This is a simple one if it gets too hot you will die if it gets too cold you will die. Luckily I don’t have to experience snow wherever I go if I decide to just lay on a patch of grass, I can, all there is to worry about is rain. Now for those of you who are aware of "the struggle" you face, learn to build a basic tarp shelter, carry clothes based on your environment and do not take shelter for granted when planning especially if you have kids with you. Clothes are also your shelter. You aren’t born with it so it is an add on and keep it clean too.


3 days without water

Our bodies are 70% percent water the last time I checked and you lose that water in so many ways it is laughable. Have a means for collecting and storing water, purifying water as I am sure you don’t have a clean spring in which has no parasites or anything else in it, and a way to filter water.
The video linked above show a simple water kit which I believe everyone should have their own version of it.

3 weeks without food

Now whoever invented this is an idiot there is no way that you are out surviving maybe in the field or in the urban environment that you are gonna last without food for so long. Firstly you are burning calories that you are not replacing. Your body uses glucose for energy so say you drink a soft drink it won’t quench your thirst but it is pure sugar to give you a kick start, if that is all you have. Next go the fats in your body sure it may sound nice for all you dieters out there, but in a real world situation, by the time your body stars burning the fats you are already tired, hungry, irritable, angry and fatigued. You won’t get any work done in that state. Try missing a meal or two and see how it makes you feel, so that you have a base to go on. Lastly protein aka muscles. If your body is eating at its muscle you are starving. Literally starving and I’m sure some of you out there are saying you can push through, you know with adrenaline, will power, sugar and water. No. just no, if you have ever starved or been on the verge of starving you knows how it feels. So you can go three weeks without food but long before that you will be unable to work and fend for yourself. I am not saying pack dozens of MRE’s in your pack. I am saying pack some long lasting food to supplement whatever you find. Learn to find edibles.
There is admittedly not much you could do about this but try your best not to rely on starving yourself in a survival situation.

3 months without companion
This is a personal one that I added after some research. Humans are social animals without someone to be around you will simply find life not worth living. Look at people who are isolated ,maybe through depression, fear, mental illness they all have one thing in common they are not connected to society nor are they ground by materialistic things that often find ourselves obsessing over. It could be a deck of playing cards, a dog, a radio or even a notebook to write your thoughts on. Or you know a person.
Just make sure you are not setting yourself up only to give up in the long run.
 Try watching 127 hours and you will see what I mean by isolation especially in a survival situation.




YouTube video for more information


Leave a comment if your enjoyed it.
Share with your friends.

And remember survival is not a choice but right earned at birth.
Be the Wolf!