Survival Equipment Options

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Selecting Equipment

You will need communications gear if working as a team.  Having an emergency preparedness kit and the proper survival gear will put you in a leadership position whether you are facing marauding zombies or the day to day rigors of procuring food, secured camping, water.  Military surplus equipment is often an inexpensive way to find quality gear.   Camping supplies are also a good option.  Your survival equipment should prepare you for hurricanes, tornadoes, invasions, and societal chaos.

Survival Gear
The need for the right gear can happen whether you are ready for it or not.   Whether you  are a recreational camper, a hardcore survivalist or just driving in your car, the time  may come when you are tested.   Either you are ready for that situation when it happens,  or you are caught without the survival gear you need.  Worst case scenario is of course an onslaught of ...Zombies 

Wilderness

Survival Kits

You can never be over prepared when it comes to the challenges of the untamed wilderness.  An injury which would be minor in an urban environment can become a fatal disaster when  in the woods, mountains, desert or other remote area.   Sudden weather changes,  wildfires, tainted water supplies, animal or insect encounters are all risks.   Many  people have been caught fatally unprepared when nature took a savage turn.  In a ready situation having the right survival gear and good equipment is paramount to emergency survival.

Urban Survival

Most people are blissfully unaware of the need for proper equipment when they live in the  city.   Medical services are near, other people are around a social safety net surrounds  them.   Like so many things in life, that situation can change drastically when events  happen.   Typically the types of things that cause problems in cities affect large  population groups.  When everyone needs emergency services, the need for self reliance  becomes a sudden and vital necessity.  

Urban Scenarios

Fire
 
Large scale fires are rare in most places, but as the economy takes a hit, cities are  forced to cut back funding for emergency services.   Fires have swept through many towns  with catastrophic effects.   While rare, it is better to be ready than to be caught off  guard.

Riots

Low level rioting happens on a regular basis.  Protests are a regular activity and they  historically increase as the economy worsens.  Every major city has riot police and  training, because a riot can break out anywhere.  A simple protest can rapidly escalate,  and there is a growing number of professional agitators operating in the United States  and other countries.   Cities have riot police equipment, because civil disorder is just  a large crowd and a stone throw away at any time.   If you are in an area where chaos  breaks out, it is important to have rapid access to specialized equipment.  If your home  or business is in the path of rioters then being able to navigate the situation  successfully requires preparation

Natural Disasters

Hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic action and other forces of nature  can quickly shift the margin of safety.   Entire areas can be devastated quickly,  sometimes with little warning.   Secondary issues that are of great importance include  shortages of food supplies, medical equipment, lack of clean water, electrical fires and  power outages.  In a natural disaster, emergency services may take days to arrive. In  major catastrophic situations such as Hurricane Katrina, relief assets can take weeks to  be deployed effectively.   In this situation, as in many others in life, simply having  the right equipment can help you adapt to the circumstances or effectively evacuate.   Without proper survival tools, there is a significant chance of becoming a statistic.

Zombie Apocalypse

The Zombie Apocalypse is a metaphor for when total chaos breaks out.   Of course if its an actual attack by hordes of roaming zombies hellbent on plunder its not really a metaphor, now is it.

Government Collapses

Situations such as governmental collapse seem improbable, yet it happened in the old  soviet union which went from being a superpower to being in a state of total anarchy  within a matter of days.  This has actually happened in every region of the world  repeatedly, throughout history.  Though you may have been fortunate enough to live in a  relatively stable region, it is important to remember that is the historical exception  and not the rule.  Change can sweep rapidly through the lives of millions of people.  

Triggers and warnings that a large power is on the brink of collapse, usually include an  overextended military, debased currency, economic over extension, drops in manufacturing  capacity, supply chain issues, high levels of unemployment, empty government coffers,  widespread corruption in business and government, cultural decline, a heavy reliance on  other nations for imported goods, and high wealth disparities between the lower and upper  classes.  Notable historical events which you may be familiar with include the fall of  Roman Empire, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the economic collapses of Argentina  and Zimbabwe and the French Revolution.  Large or small, empires have fallen throughout  human history, and it is only the relatively short scope of our lifetimes that makes it  difficult to see the big picture.

Other potential triggers include more mundane issues, virulent outbreaks of evolved or  human designed viral agents, and of course everything that happened in any zombie movie  ever!

Resource Shortages

The supply chain in the United States is extremely efficient because it is built on the  principle of just in time shipping.  Warehousing is generally considered inefficient and  every manufacturer requires constant shipments from parts producers to maintain  production.  For most companies the operational reserves are about three to seven days.   An interruption in supply that lasts longer than that simply shuts down production.  This  quickly creates serious problems for the next operation in the manufacturing chain.  In  European countries, particularly France, Spain and Greece, transport strikes are a  regular occurrence   

In the United States, it is only a teamsters strike away. Two weeks from the date of an  interruption in the supply chain, the grocery shelves will be empty.  During that period  prices for essentials would skyrocket, if supply shortages that have occurred in other  countries are any indication.

In the modern era, shipping is global, manufacturing is global and economies are heavily  reliant on each other.  Over the past few months, shipping volumes in the Baltic, a key  indicator of global economic health, have plummeted    Shipping interruptions can  happen easily under situations of economic duress, unfortunately the US and many other  countries would be extremely vulnerable in this scenario.   It does not take much to make  an issue such as a labor dispute to escalate into a life threatening situation for the  person on the receiving end of the chain.  Yes, that would be you, the consumer.
 
Of course, when food becomes difficult to obtain, that tends to lead to rioting, which  tends to further complicate the problem.   By understanding the risks and rewards of  preparation, you can help yourself be ready for whatever the future brings.

Gearing up

Peak oil may or may not be real. It is probably not a coincidence that most oil regions  are bristling with military forces.  It is probably not a coincidence that the major  conflict zones of the past 20 years have been in oil regions.  More likely it is a matter  of positioning and staging for the days when hub bards peak has passed.

Wars have been fought at the brink of every major energy resource shortage in history.   The first two world wars were fought as the industrial nations leveraged for supplies of  coal, iron and steel.  The advent of the oil age has brought new challenges.  In ancient  days regional conflicts erupted over water supplies and agricultural areas.   Humanity  has a long history of struggle, and human nature appears to lean more towards conflict  than towards competition when the supplies start getting low.

Food supplies are another area of major potential problems. 

A worldwide drought season  could suddenly create a desperation that has been mostly forgotten about.  The food  production of the planet is not that far from the point of balance.  Food in modern  agriculture has been boosted by use of genetically altered crops and massive quantities  of oil.   A problem in either of those areas, or even something as mundane as lack of  infrastructure spending on crop equipment could create an issue that could break the  bonds that hold a fragile national identity together.  When people get hungry, they  revert to the lowest level of the Mallow’s hierarchy.  Food and water is the first area of  business, matters such as civilization and civilized behavior are instinctively relegated  to a second tier of priority as the animal instincts take over.

Preparation

All of these scenarios from mild to extreme require preparation.  When you are in the  middle of a crisis, it is too late to react effectively.   Some things you should have.  These all constitute the basic necessities of staying alive.

Shelter

A sleeping bag and a bivouac sack are the minimal requirements for survival in even  moderately harsh weather.   Luxuries are things like tents, tarps and secure  environments.  Use these if available.   At the minimum you should have a sleeping bag in  your car.  Many a traveler has regretted not taking this simple precaution when getting  lost or breaking down during a storm or in a mountainous region.  Every winter you will  hear reports of people who died due to having minor vehicle problems at the wrong place  and time.  Sleeping bags should be breathable, water resistant and rated for cold weather outdoor sleeping.

Emergency Food

Stockpiled food can give you enough breathing room to weather the worst part of a crisis.  Even a months worth of canned food can make the difference between life and death.  The  most important pieces of gear are a can opener or survival knife.  A compact lightweight  camping cookware set and cook stove can go a long way towards increasing comfort.

If you anticipate being in a long term survival situation, or an extended wilderness stay  it is a very good idea to have a weapon such as a gun, a bow, knife or improvised spear.   Wire or cord is also useful for setting snares.  If you think you might have to hunt for  food, have the capability to do so.  Fishing supplies are also worth considering if you  live in an area where that is a practical option.

Water

Floods can easily contaminate water supplies, so even in an urban setting water is  important.  In a desert or other remote region it is the most essential component to  staying alive.  

A puncture resistant canteen and a water filter and some decontamination tablets can go a  great distance in keeping a person alive.  Visquene, some stakes and a heavy object such  as a rock, can collect safe drinking water through condensation.  Visquene can double as  a tarp.  It is also useful in situations such as a nuclear, biological or chemical  hazards threaten airborne contamination, as it can be used to seal an area.  

Bottled water is a good idea if you are in a stationary position that has room to store  things.  A couple of gallons in the vehicle is also a good idea, both for drinking and  for dealing with a potential problem such as overheating.  If you think you might be  mobile, particularly on foot, then you want higher quality gear, such as that discussed  above.

Fire

This is another of the bare essentials.  Fire brings warmth, and without warmth,  hypothermia is a serious risk.  Fire also allows some water decontamination by boiling  water in a pot or can.  While chemically tainted water will not be drinkable, boiling  water has a decent track record of killing most forms of bacteria.

Essentials include all weather matches in a waterproof container.  A lighter is strictly  a backup and is not reliable as it is mechanical and often susceptible to water damage,  having a limited fluid supply, or becoming mechanically damaged.   A knife and a shoelace can improvise a primitive fire starting tool but this is somewhat of a skilled art.   It is better to have usable tools.  An exceptionally good piece of equipment to have is a  magnesium strip and a knife.  A flint and steel is a decent alternative.  Trick birthday  candles can be useful for maintaining a small fire in a somewhat windy environment, a box  of them has uses.

Light

Fire is not always a practical option.  Flashlights require batteries (have some stocked  up).  Other good options include glow sticks, such as those used by ravers.  A kerosene  lantern is a nice luxury.  In almost any emergency the power supplies are the first thing  to be lost, if it happens at night you will need to have lighting supplies ready.

Medical Kit

Some kind of first aid kit is a necessity.  There should be one at your house and in your  vehicle.  You never know when you will need them.  Most injuries are the results of  accidents.  An accident clearly indicates that you were not anticipating it to happen.   Think about that and be ready to handle at least basic medical needs.  Familiarize  yourself with first aid skills.

Clothing

Technically this is in the category of shelter.  A good coat should always be on you or  nearby.  Keep one in your vehicle or pack.  Hypothermia is the number one killer in a  survival situation.  Suitable clothing that can withstand bad weather, rips and tears and  breathes well is always important to have access to.  One overlooked piece of gear is a  pair of good hiking boots.  If you have to do any overland travel, waterproofed boots of high quality can mean the difference between life and death.  Another thing that is  essential is a cap, the warm kind that can hold heat in.   A lot of heat is lost through  the head, and rain protection is always nice.  Polypropylene is wonderful to have if the  weather gets cold.  It is important to remember the basics, it is almost always colder at  night than during the day. At least one good set of clothing, as described should be in  your pack.  Stay dry.  A cheap plastic poncho has a surprising number of uses and is  minimal in cost.  Have one, even if its a single use only item.

Additional Equipment

You should have at least considered the bare minimums.  Shelter, food, water, heat.   Everything up from there is luxury living.   Future articles will cover the specifics.  A  look at the resources on this page should give you an even better idea of what you may  want.  Luxury living is wonderful, but first things first.  

Better survival equipment will increase your chances and give you a sense of security  that you can handle anything that comes your way.  There is no greater reward than self  reliance and the self confidence it brings.  Additional articles will help you reach a  higher level of preparation  Cover the basics.  You will sleep better.

The right equipment makes all the difference when its crunch time

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