How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It

by James Wesley, Rawles

  I cannot overstress the following: You must tailor a full web-gear rig for each of your long guns. This should include a USGI LC-2 web belt, Y-harness (or H-harness) type padded suspenders, two ammo pouches, a couple of first-aid/compass pouches, and a canteen with a cover. Granted, you can carry only one long gun at a time, but odds are that you will be arming a lot of family and friends after the Schumer hits the fan. So you will need a set of web gear for each gun. To simplify things, I bought a pile of new nylon sleeping-bag stuff sacks in various earth-tone colors and placed a set of web gear and magazines in each of them. I then attached a label card to each sack’s drawstring, associating it with its respective gun, for quick grab-it-and-go reference.

  I do not advocate thigh-level pistol holsters. These seem to have proliferated in recent years mostly because they look snazzy in SWAT television shows and movies. They are actually quite impractical for just about all situations except rappelling. At thigh-level, a holstered pistol is quite tiring to wear when hiking. It is also slow to access. My advice is instead to buy a sturdy belt holster and leave those thigh-level holsters for the mall-ninja crowd.

  For holsters, I recommend Blade-Tech brand Kydex holsters and mag pouches (blade-tech.com). The Blade-Tech holsters are inexpensive enough that I put one holster and pistol magazine pouch on each of my sets of long-gun web gear. And when carrying just a pistol by itself, we use modestly priced Uncle Mike’s brand black nylon/Velcro belts. They are plain-Jane but sturdy and functional. We do have a couple of leather Summer Special concealment holsters, made by Milt Sparks Holsters (miltsparks .com). Their belts and holsters are highly recommended. I’ve been doing business with this company for more than twenty years. They don’t skimp on quality.

  Shoulder holsters are undesirable in most situations. They do make sense, however, when you are in a car for more than an hour.

  For rifle slings, I recommend a traditional two-loop military sling design. They really help steady a rifle for accurate long-range shooting. Attending a weekend Western Rifle Shooters Association (snipurl.com/hn8xj) or Appleseed rifle-shooting clinic (appleseedinfo.org) is highly recommended and will show you how to properly adjust a two-loop sling for various shooting positions. Once you’ve identified your “summer” sling-adjustment notches (when wearing just a shirt) for prone and sitting positions, I recommend using a black Magic Marker to circle the holes and mark them with underlined “P” and “Sit,” for quick reference. Draw another line or preferably a “W”—for winter—at each adjustment, and again circle the notch holes, to indicate the longer adjustment needed when wearing a winter coat, a target-shooting jacket, or a field jacket. I don’t advocate using standing unsupported positions for either hunting or most defensive shooting situations. It takes just a moment to sit down, and just a bit longer to get prone.

  For shotgun slings, in my experience a padded nylon extra-long sling (such as an M60 sling) works well.

  Locking quick-detachable (QD) sling swivels are a must, because there are many tactical situations in which you won’t want a sling at all. You need to be able to attach and detach a sling quickly.

  For horse or quad (ATV) scabbards, I like the brown Cordura nylon scabbards that are now on the market. Leather is more traditional, but it takes a painfully long time to dry out, which can induce rust on a gun in short order. Brown nylon won’t win any beauty contests but it works.

  Dull (non-glossy) olive-drab (OD) duct tape is your friend. Buy a couple of big rolls of it. It has umpteen uses out in the field. I wrap each of my Y-harness snaps with duct tape to keep them from rattling or coming loose. It is also useful for toning down any reflective objects. The best field gear is very quiet, very secure, and very unobtrusive. Applying OD duct tape helps with all three.

  Canes, Walking Sticks, and Umbrellas for Street Self-defense

  Striking weapons have some utility for street self-defense. I highly recommend training to use a cane, a walking stick, or a traditional full-length umbrella. This is particularly important for readers who live in gun-unfriendly nations or in states like California, New York, and New Jersey, where it is very difficult to get a carrying concealed weapon (CCW) permit. And even if you are a concealed-firearms permit holder, you should learn these valuable skills. Why? You never know when circumstances might dictate that you cannot carry a pistol.

  If you are well dressed and groomed, then law-enforcement officers in most jurisdictions will hardly give you a second glance if you are carrying a walking stick. But if you are shabby-looking, then expect to get plenty of grief. Canes, especially aluminum ones like those that look like true walking aids, are far less likely to attract suspicion than walking sticks. Folded umbrellas can also be used quite effectively for jabbing.

  My general preference is to use a shoulder-width, two-handed grip in most situations, to maintain control and, more important, to assure retention of the stick. This is akin to what has been taught for many years by police academies in the use of long (“riot”) batons. The last thing that you want is to have Mr. Bad Guy gain control of your weapon.

  Do some research on your local laws. In most jurisdictions, any blow with a striking weapon to the neck or head is considered potentially lethal. So don’t escalate unless you are absolutely certain that your life is threatened and you have no other choice. Essentially it is the same as firing a gun—at least in the eyes of the law. Most courts look at things in terms of equal force and a graduated response, roughly as follows: If Mr. Bad Guy uses his fists, then you can use your fists. If he uses a weapon, then you can use a comparable weapon. If he strikes above the chest, then you can strike above the chest.

  Show restraint, and never dole out punishment. Just reduce the threat with a quick jab or two, disengage, and then engage your Nike-jitsu technique. (Run!)

  When carrying a striking weapon or an edged weapon of any sort for self-defense, be sure to develop the same situational awareness skills that you would for carrying a concealed firearm. Extensive training in self-defense combative techniques is worthless if you don’t see an attack coming. Be alert.

  If you don’t live near a school that teaches cane and stick fighting, there is a forty-minute training DVD produced by the Gunsite academy titled Defensive Techniques: Walking Stick. It is available from Blade-Tech and directly from the Gunsite Pro Shop.

  Blinding Flashlights for Self-defense?

  When lasers blind, they do so permanently, by destroying the human retina. The “dazzling” effect is quite different from blinding. Never use a “non-eye-safe” (blinding) laser against an attacker, or you will very likely be sued.

  There are indeed flashlights with a temporary dazzling effect designed for self-defense, but I have not tested them. At least one publicized prototype uses pulsating LEDs designed to induce dizziness and/or vertigo. Keep in mind that these dazzling effects might work well in controlled, low-light conditions, but they cannot be trusted to be effective in split-second real-world confrontations, which can take place in all sorts of light conditions.

  Knives

  I am by no means a knife expert. (Although the Memsahib claims that I am a seasoned expert at buying knives.) My general preference is for folding knives, because you will almost always have a folding knife in your pocket. Big sheath knives get left behind—often when they are needed the most.

  I prefer low-end stainless steel folding knives with a positive lock and tanto-style blade tip. For versatility, I also tend toward knives that are serrated on the back half of the blade (commonly called “50/50” or “half-serrated”). My everyday carry knife is an extra-large (five-inch blade) Cold Steel 29 Voyager. On occasions when I need something smaller, I carry a CRKT M16 with a two-and-three-quarter-inch blade. Again, it is stainless and half serrated, and has tanto-style tip. During deer and elk season, I substitute a Case clip-point folder.

  I’ve never spent more than fifty-five dollars for one of my pocketknives—and I’ve spent far less for most. A knife should be an everyday tool to use, n
ot an object of art to admire. The Cold Steel, CRKT, and Benchmade brands are some of the best affordable knives on the market.

  When shopping for used pocketknives, one trick I’ve discovered for searching eBay is to search for the desired brand name and “knives” and “TSA,” searching both titles and descriptions (or alternatively, the desired brand name and “knives” and “confiscated”). These searches will show you lots of used knives that were confiscated by airport screeners. These are often name-brand knives sold in groups of two to ten, typically resulting in winning bids between 10 percent to 30 percent of the lot’s normal retail value.

  Regardless of your choice of knives, a top-quality knife-sharpening system is a must for your retreat. At home, I prefer the Lansky Sharpening System. When out in the field, I use a compact Cam-Nu sharpener. Be sure to get a diamond-impregnated sharpener if you have any knives that are made with the modern stainless steels such as ATS-34. These knives are usually hardened to a high Rockwell scale number, so you’ll find that they are difficult to resharpen with a set of traditional stones.

  A Final Note

  In closing, you can own the very best guns or knives and have the very best holsters and accessories, but they will be marginal at best in untrained hands. Once you’ve invested in your first gun, you should follow through and invest in the best training available. If you are serious about preparedness, then you should get the best training available. Remember: Tools without training are almost useless.

  12

  G.O.O.D. VEHICLES AND THE DREADED TRIP OUTTA DODGE

  A key part of your survival planning should be your vehicles; both your pre-TEOTWAWKI and post-TEOTWAWKI vehicles will be addressed in this chapter.

  A Mix of Vehicles

  For the best chance to G.O.O.D. successfully and survive post-TEOTWAWKI, you will ideally have several vehicles. Here are some you might want to consider:

  A Fuel-Efflcient Runabout

  A car like a used Geo Metro or Toyota Corolla is good for day-to-day. For serious preparedness planning you may want to avoid the high cost and complexity of a hybrid. If you need four-wheel drive, consider buying a used Subaru.

  The Old Station Wagon

  A late-1960s to early-1970s station wagon with a big-block engine would be ideal as a collision-resilient Get Out of Dodge vehicle. They get pitifully low gas mileage, but they have lots of cargo room, as well as clearance for a roll bar behind the bench front seat. You can also add a roof rack for relatively lightweight items such as spare tires, tents, and camouflage nets.

  To my mind, perfection in a gas-engine G.O.O.D. station wagon would be a flat-brown 1970 Buick Estate with a 455-cubic-inch four-barrel V-8 engine. What a ride: plenty of power, very tough in collisions, easy to maintain, EMP protection near ground zero, and even a touch of class.

  Motorcycles

  Consider getting a moped or motorcycle for handling some of your errands in the current pre-WTSHTF times. In a “slow-slide” situation in which the power grid stays up and law and order are maintained, a motorcycle could have great utility. With high fuel prices, a fuel-efficient motorcycle makes sense for day-to-day commuting and for other purposes. A motorcycle has great mobility advantages over most other vehicles—especially in stalled traffic, or for off-road trail riding—but keep in mind that you will also be far more vulnerable than when riding in an enclosed vehicle.

  My general preference is for air-cooled medium-displacement-engine motorcycles with off-road suspension (aka dirt bikes) that are also qualified as street legal. About 350cc is ideal, but sadly that engine class is no longer available in the U.S. (There are, however, lots of used 350 dirt bikes on the market.) Heavier bikes with large-displacement engines (500cc or larger) have inferior fuel economy and are very difficult to get back to an upright position following a mishap in which you “drop” your bike. (The limit might be as little as 300cc for someone of small stature with limited upper-body strength.)

  Perhaps the ultimate for preppers would be a Kawasaki KLR650 diesel/JP8 bike, which is a 611cc civilian equivalent of the M1030 tactical motorcycle now fielded in small numbers by the U.S. Army, USMC, and U.S. Air Force. They are a bit heavy, but they are quite sturdy.

  If you plan to use a motorcycle as a last-ditch G.O.O.D. vehicle, then I recommend that you conceal any spare fuel cans inside panniers to reduce the likelihood of being targeted by looters. Auxiliary cargo racks for dirt bikes are made by Pro Moto and are available from CycleBuy.com.

  Just as with buying a car, it is best to buy a used motorcycle, to get the most for your money. Just be sure to have it inspected by a qualified motorcycle mechanic before you make a purchase.

  There is certainly no “one size fits all” solution when buying a motorcycle. An enduro-type design (trail and street capable) is a compromise, but it is probably best for those of us who can afford to buy only one motorcycle. There are some who argue that bigger is safer (on pavement), while others assert that dropping a big bike is a sure trip to the hospital. Regardless of what you decide on, be sure to get plenty of training, and of course wear a helmet and all the safety gear.

  A Fleet Surplus Propane-Powered Pickup

  Utility companies often use these. Watch for auction announcements. If you could get a propane-powered truck that is 4WD, that would be ideal. But even if you can’t find a 4WD, one option is finding a gas-engine 4WD of the same year and the same make as your 2WD propane-engine truck, and then combining parts to create a “Frankentruck.” Another option, albeit more expensive, is converting an existing 4WD to propane. Because propane tanks are large, this is best accomplished with a 4WD pickup. I have seen pairs of forty-seven-gallon “torpedo tanks” installed above the wheel wells in a pickup box. This allows nearly full use of the pickup bed space. Since a propane conversion will likely void a warranty, it is best done with an older vehicle that is out of warranty.

  E85 Vehicles

  In the new fuel-price paradigm, having at least one E85-compatible vehicle is certainly wise. These flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) have fuel tanks and lines designed to handle alcohol, as well as ignition systems that automatically sense the flash point of the fuel and compensate accordingly. Hence, they can run on unleaded gasoline, E85, or any mixture of the two. It is just plain common sense to buy the most versatile vehicles and generators available, especially when getting that flexibility doesn’t cost much more than buying standard single-fuel engines. Rather than doing a conversion, which will void most manufacturers’ engine warranties and can even require a gas-tank replacement for older vehicles, I generally recommend simply waiting until the next time you replace a vehicle. Finding an FFV is getting easier with each passing year, since they are being produced in greater numbers by nearly all of the major car and truck makers. The best way to find one is to do a used-vehicle search at Edmunds.com and include the phrase “flex fuel” or “FFV.”

  If the price of regular gas rises above $4.50 per gallon (and it likely will), I suspect that E85 ethanol will remain under $3.60 per gallon in the Midwest, making it quite cost effective. Although E85 has a 100 to 105 octane rating, an FFV burning E85 gets 28 percent fewer miles per gallon than when burning unleaded gasoline.

  As always, regardless of the make and model you choose, there are huge cost savings in buying a vehicle with twenty thousand to thirty-five thousand miles on the odometer.

  Electric ATVs

  If your budget allows it, consider getting an electric vehicle. An electric ATV makes an ideal retreat utility vehicle, particularly for someone who has a large alternate power system with a battery bank.

  Electric golf carts have limited range but are very quiet. You should consider that most gas-powered golf carts are much quieter than a comparable-size ATV. If you don’t plan to go more than a few miles, then get an electric cart. Lift kits are available for retrofit for three popular brands of electric carts: E-Z-GO, Club Car, and Yamaha. You can even get brush guards and other ATV-esque accessories for golf carts (garage-toys.com/custom c
art.html). Photovoltaic battery-charging panels and charge controllers are available for retrofitting a golf cart, from vendors like Ready Made Resources. A charge controller is a must on any system with more than just one small trickle charging panel. Otherwise you will overcharge and badly “cook” your batteries. There are also PV panels that are factory-original equipment on electric carts like the Cruise Car Sunray.

  Propane Vehicles

  Because propane might be hard to come by on the road, I don’t recommend it for Bugout vehicles, unless your retreat is within range of one tank of fuel. But propane is ideal for trucks and tractors that will not often leave your retreat property. I prefer converting pickups rather than SUVs, since propane fuel tanks are relatively large.

  There are some issues involving payment of road taxes in some states when converting to propane. If it were not for that, I believe that propane conversions would be much more popular. Consult your state and local laws before doing a conversion.