The Family Survival Retreat: What to Do when You Need to Bug Out under Threat after SHTF...

I put this information together for a friend...

A lot of time, I mention or focus on paramilitary style training because I am a veteran infantryman and associate with militias and groups like the Oath Keepers. However,  not everyone has a group of people they can form up as team of SHTF soldiers. This is why I created the Scout/Combat Team format explained in TM 725-15 The American Homeguard Anti-Terrorist Handbook.

But, what if it is you and your family alone? Here is where individual tactics is a great boon for you against criminals and others who seek to do you harm. However, individual tactics is nothing if you don't train them and it nothing if you aren't teaching them to your family. Many times children like playing "cops and robbers" or "Army" with toy guns. This provides parents with the option to use a game to teach basic Individual tactics to their children. As the children grow older, team work and team tactics can be taught... The games of cops and robbers or Army can changed to sports like paintball where the same tactics can be used effectively in competition.

So as an individual you need to know how to fight and, I can spend all day typing up tactics or making Youtube videos on how to do this, there are loads already. That said, you also need to study trapping not only for food but, for defense as well. Those traps are what will defend your family alert you to a threat. Now my friend had a basic plan of moving out to a secluded location on high ground and waiting out whatever happens to cause the S- to Hit The Fan.

I found a few holes in his plan and I offered to help him. Here is a basic idea of what I advice I gave him and why...
1. He said he and his family will move to a hill top position and wait out whatever happens there. This is good and bad for a number of reasons.
Good:

• Most People will stack out a location close to a water or food source.
• Most People are lazy and won't want to put too much effort into going out looking for resources.
• Most people are not Military or Paramilitary thinkers, so they are just going to "Gaggle Fuck Mob" everything.

Bad:

• A period of Without Rule Of Law (WROL) will likely end up becoming a period of EROL or Excessive Rule Of Law... Martial Law. You don't need to be seen as an open threat.
• Under WROL you and your family might be relatively safe but under EROL you are going to deal with armed and trained paramilitary or military types. This is your worst case scenario.
• Just cause it is the authorities doesn't mean its all bad news. So you might not have to deal with an encroaching army or if the Army shows up you might just be the little scared guy on the mountain top & not seen as a threat if you ask questions before you shoot. Gangs, Terrorists, Gun Preppers and so on will be a bigger concern & you don't want to appear to be either. Regardless you might be disarmed so be prepared to have a few things stashed away in case they do show up with a SWAT team to disarm you for your own protection.

Now I don't have the full layout but it has a single access route and has its backside to a cliff. This wavy lines at the top of the diagram. They are anchored ropes for his family to escape down the cliff in the worst case scenario. Stake Walls, will keep out most big animals and people...

It's made by lashing or nailing sharpened stakes together in an "X" shape and using smaller stakes at the bottom to prevent smaller critters from coming through. The Image above is an example. Are set along the trail that winds up to Survival Camp. And One that is bait to a Path to nowhere, if no where was a booby trapped area. A smaller wall can be made and placed as a kind of gate that will blend into the rest of the stake wall. Dead Falls made with melon & apple sized rocks and a few logs can be positioned along the ridge and over looking the path. This provides cover from fire and if need be can be used to "bring down the mountain on people trying to scale the cliff. One Dead Fall over looks the first Stake wall so you can drop the hill side on those trying to bypass the wall.

Of course you see the Cabin, Animal Pen (I suggest Chickens for eggs which means at least 1 rooster and some squirrels for easy to care for meat and protein), the garden and the old out house. If you look behind the cabin you will see a thick gray square, this is a panic room/underground bomb blast shelter accessible only by a "Spider hole" in the cabin floor.

Basically, all you need to do is sit tight and wait right? Wrong. Forewarned is forearmed...

Now there is a half-mile to a full mile radius that needs to be scouted, hunted and patrolled. I suggest bow hunting by the way as it is quieter then shooting a firearm and you can make more arrows easier then you make bullets. When Patrolling try to observe everything around you and conceal your tracks as best you can. Take a note pad and map of the area. This way you can make your own micro-grid over the area and note where you find signs of human traffic. You go out this way every few days and hunt or trap for food.

Within the Blue circle is a Security Patrol Radius its about a quarter to mile range. You check this everyday. You might even want to set man-traps) booby traps for human prey within this area. Now lets talk about our three red X's. "X" 1. is a fighting position, hasty or fox hole used to provide over watch, cover & concealment. So when Daddy goes out to do a security patrol around the Survival Homestead, Mommy is watching the trail entrance. If Daddy should run into Mutant Zombie Bikers (MZBs), Mommy can lay down suppressive fire and keep them off Daddy while he gets past the first stake wall. Daddy then moves up to the second and third stake walls and takes his position in X number 2. This allows Mommy to get the kids together (everyone in the family should have Bug-Out Bags anyway). If the MBZs (Mutant Biker Zombies) break contact after getting shot at. Then its all good...

If not, the kids get ready to evacuate and Daddy takes up position in X-1 while  moving between the Dead Fall Cover to engage the MBZs (this is why any serious prepper or survivalist owns an AR15 or AK47). Mommy Stays in X-3 with the kids behind her covering the entrance to the homestead. In the Worst case scenario we see Daddy in X-2 covering the entrance while Mommy covers it from X-3. This allows Daddy to fall back to X-3 and help Mommy lay down fire to cover the kids' retreat. Mommy helps the Kid's down the cliff via tandem repel, and covers from the bottom of the cliff face while Daddy repels down.

Finally we set up a small booby trapped area behind the cabin so that the MBZs can't get behind the X-3. If someone is so highly motivated that they go through that kind of a obstacle to get to you, you have a problem. No, I mean you have a serious problem. But if you want the extra insurance this is it. Best of all, if you are smart enough to get a generator or solar panels to run a CB radio and make some friends on the CB or HAM radios you can have people you can trade with via "dead drop" and who can relay information to you.

This goes back to a much older video I did about a Civilian Intelligence Network:

And Basic Field Report Procedures:

Even a handheld Walkie-Talkie can be a life line to your wife and kids alerting them a head of time to a danger before it becomes a threat. 

The Collapse of America: What do if Civil Unrest and Civil War Breaks out...

This is a touchy subject and a sensitive matter I am going to discuss politics, race relations and police killings. Yeah, I can already see my haters lining up to try to start trouble but fuck'em... If my cursing offends you or seems unprofessional welcome to America and my right to say fuck'em, now grow up and quit being a pussy... Yes I called you a fucking pussy, if being offended hurts your feelings then lets get right to it.

This is America and it is an issue not of political parties, races, cultures or income levels, it is a matter of ideas and expectations. What is coming to America is a financial collapse, race wars, civil unrest, terrorism and martial law. What is coming is a matter of personal survival and how well we as a nation survive this together. We are not a unified nation, we don't have a common history like the other nations and our nation was built on conquest of the native population simply because they were technologically under developed compared to most of our European Ancestors.

America has had some laws and policies which discriminated against, abused and degraded people in this nation simply because of the color of their skin and the home of their ancestors. I won't apologize for it, I didn't have a say in it and it happened before I was even born. Should we forget it? Hell No! That is a part of American History, a dark part of our history but a part none-the-less. However, many of those crimes against our citizens have been resolved and people like Colin Kaepernick who address those crimes of the past are in my eyes diminishing the sacrifices and fight of those who came before to remedy the situation. Imagine an act where some protested Blacks being forced to sit on the back of the bus... They aren't forced to do so now because Rosa Parks already fought that battle. It is not saying we should forget the past but, that fighting for the wrongs someone else has already fought to right is a bit unrealistic. Think about Colin Kaepernick's whole claim about the National Anthem being racist because American Slaves took up arms for the British in Canada to win their freedom. Yes, that is a historical fact and one in which Kaepernick was right about, however it says nothing of British slaves who were still slaves, long after the US ended slavery by-the-way... So what is my point? That Slaves fighting against slave owners for their freedom in support of another nation which was slave owners and kept their slaves in chains is a bit, repetitive... Ever hear the saying "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." Well this is Kaepernick's argument especially since it makes zero sense to protest something that is a) a historical event which we can't change (unless Marty or Dr. Brown will let borrow their car) and b) why protest something so pointless... if you want to gain attention to an historical event then god their are other and better ways to do so (at least in many people's eyes, I don't care it nothing I can change but thanks for the history lesson).

Now Colin Kaepernick's newest protest which makes more sense has to do with Police Abuses of Power and American Civil Rights, but only if you are black or a minority. This offends me... So much on so many different levels first that such protests only go to provide for the Race War Narrative. This is just bad because Black cops kill more blacks then white cops, regardless such a narrative only pushes racial targeting of whites by black criminals who feel they are justified in doing so. This prevents Americans who ahppen to be black from seeing the real amd greater problem that this is an issue of those with political power and those without political power being victimized by those with political power.

I cannot in good continence simply obey orders that violate the rights of others. Having gone through my own trials of being falsely arrested and having my name slandered. My life virtually destroyed by lies and false evidence. I won a huge portion of my fight by openly challenging said corruption using a rather graphic hypothetical legal argument. Hell i even proved the Prosecutor of Raleigh County falsified evidence in my case. But... I DID ALL THIS USING THE SYSTEM AND MY RIGHTS. Calls to violence in self-defense are fine but, they must be balanced with work within the system to change it.

Look this is America and the issue of civil rights is an American issue. I agree we still have issues of racism in this country but you cannot solve them by acting like a bunch of thuggish criminals. Doing so only divides people when we will need each other the most.

Add to this the approaching financial collapse of the many bubbles propping up the economy. Once this happens then many programs will cease to exist, including Social Security which has less people paying into it as jobs move overseas. I truly do think Trump will be a Savior in this area but, i am afraid of abuses of power under his watch from the police. Which gets up back to the American issue of Civil Rights violations and murders carried out by police officers.

The depreciation of our dollar backed by the rising cost of fuel will bring us into a world of rising crime. People often talk about the rising cost of living, the rising rates of substance abuse and fail to see why people turn to drugs... Becoming a scenic is popular and being mean to others is considered cool. Adults act like children and depending on the police is a joke... So people feel alone and hopeless.

Surviving all I went through with constant harassment by the police did involve some drug use on my part (I won't lie about it, psychiatrists call this "self-medicating" basically the only way to take my mind off threats to my family and myself was to lose touch with reality & I needed some chemical aid with that) but so did my faith in God. In fact, God played a very important role in my life during the Darkest of times for me.  No... I am not going to convince you of my religious beliefs and I am not talking about religion. I am talking about faith, to steal a line from the movie Serenity "I don't care what you believe in just believe." I would like to think God was preparing me for the Darker Times I know are coming and the Bible even warns Christians (originally called Nazarine Jews, the term "Christian" was invented by the Romans) to prepare, if you read all of Mathew chapters 24 and 25 completely. I even covered this in Living Without Rapture. Am I trying to convince you of my religion now... No, I am saying Scripture Teaches "X" and if you are taught it is something else you might want to do some research because faith isn't something that is established with religions, it is simply what you choose to believe. So if you are "Christian" I suggest you read the Bible and follow the instructions of Jesus Christ, forget what your preacher, pastor or priest tells you if it is different from what Jesus taught.

We know what is coming but none of us can stop it and there is nothing you can do to stop it... Not petition, no protest and no amount of bitch and crying will stop this. The economy will collapse, civil unrest with break out and their will be different little factions trying to kill each other, as well as different little groups of people who aren't in a "faction."

Look at the Chaos in Charlotte, North Carolina... Did you know 70% of the people rioting and looting aren't even from the state? And that George Soros who used to work with the Nazis, even says it was the happiest time of his life. Now Soros is Billionaire puppet master who uses none profit groups to control politics and funds revolutions around the world, Soros even has a hand in the ACLU which explains why they only file suits for minority claims to abuse by the legal system (when in reality everyone benefits from removing problem cops, prosecutors and judges). All this adds up to a very powerful man who learned from working with the Nazis to divide people, everywhere he has used is influence has lead to war, strife and chaos which uses to influence policy (and there are hacked memos to prove it). So what am I telling you, I am telling no matter who wins the election there going to chaos, civil breakdown due to political/ideological views and many of the groups involved are be a threat to anyone.

So now that we know the problems... What are the answers?
First off there are hundreds of forums, facebook groups and web sites giving away free information and there are many books on survival at my own publishing company Shadow Warrior Publishing, as well as able to be bought at book stores and publishing houses.

1. Living Without Rapture: A Christians Guide to Doomsday Preparedness.
2. Poorman's Guide to Prepping: Economical Doomsday Survival.
3. TM 725-15 The American Homeguard Anti-Terrorist Handbook.
4. With Poorman's Guide to Prepping 2 being an in the works project...

There is a simple plan that comes into action here...

1. Be prepared, develop a Strategy to Bug-In (hold down the house, apartment or whatever) AND Bug-Out (evacuate your home). That means yes getting gear, food and water stocked up. What gear do you need?
1. Lets keep it simple start with a bug-out bag, a good gun has to double for hunting and defense (AR15, AR10 or any AKM style weapon should be the primary tool here) & a handgun (doesn't matter because its a back up weapon, so if you need it you are in a very bad place to start with)...
2. Develop a Re-Supply Plan: You can't store enough food or water, so develop a plan to collect and filter water, grow food and raise small tasty animals (I suggest squirrels and chickens, maybe a goat) and yes this can be done in an apartment if you know how...
3. Develop a Survival Data Base or Virtual Library (Yes I have an old SHTF-Laptop just for this) & a Physical Library as well, the Physical Library needs to be small & potent (You might to bug-out with it)...
4. Develop multiple Bug-Out Plans, by vehicle, by water, by bike and on feet. You need a place to retreat to (family or friends) in all four cardinal directions...
5. Practice your plans at least once a year (though I am thinking it will start to break apart in far less time, like after the elections at this point), all of them...

I can't tell you how to save your own butt... I can warn you & suggest you get ready for what we all know is coming. After that is all on you. Just realize we do have an issue with police in this country and the outcry as well as the abuses of power didn't start when Obama took office. That we have issues of racism in this country, it didn't just go away because we repealed unjust and racist laws. We have issues with radical and racist influences in the police departments (the FBI even warn of the KKK infiltrating the police departments) and gangs in the military (many just as racist as the KKK). I am not saying to or not "trust cops" or "the military." I am saying "Do what you need to do to keep yourself alive and family safe." But don't pretend there isn't a problem with the police and with ourselves as a nation, like they say in rehab... Knowing you have a problem & admitting is the first step on the road to recovery.

Money might still be of value, the lights might be on & water might still come out the sink with your toilets still flushing but, you could just as easily face an increase in crime, rapes, murders, muggings and home invasions. Because if our nation's streets turn into a war zone, we might have no choice but to fight pitched battles to make it out alive... As for police protection? Well they will protect their families and the government, we the citizens don't mean much in that regard. Cops have no duty to protect the general public, so we to do whatever we need to do to get by.

American Homeguard & Paramilitary Survivalism

Ok now I wrote the Anti-Terrorist Handbook, available here at Shadow Warrior Publishing. You've no doubt noticed my Interview with High Ranking Member of the Militia Movement and the recommendation to work with the militia to learn basic military skills and get "tactical" Paramilitary Training for low cost, no cost other then supplying your own gear which you have to do at most tactical schools anyway...




Now since the American Homeguard Anti-Terrorist Handbook has the name of TM 725-15 some idiots have taken to claiming I intended to pass it off as a real military manual. This is just Bull Shit... yes, I blatantly called it Bull Shit, not BS. Here is why, who has heard of the American Homeguard branch of the military. They aren't at the VA, they aren't in any Veterans Parades. The fact is, there is no American Homeguard... The name Homeguard comes from the old British World War II Civil Defense Pamphlets which advised British citizens form Homeguard units... So, the British term Homeguard was basically just a term for Militia. There is a pretty interesting story behind this... If you are Interested. Now the Militia, as a separate defensive force to protect the nation made up of civilian volunteers. Was put forward in the book How to Reform the Army by Tom Wintringham in 1939. This name was chosen by Ashida Kim, Dojo Press was my publisher at the time, since my idea for a title was simply The Anti-Terrorist Handbook and Ashida saw it as something written to target the Militia & Survivalist Community (which is was). The American Homeguard is whatever one wants it to be and they don't exactly have to call themselves that, use the term militia and form a militia. However, the book is written to provide basic skills, camouflage, hand-to-hand combatives, firearms training, individual and small teams tactics, herbal medicine, survival and first aid training.




If you are a "lone wolf" it covers basic concepts of how to move and work as a team. If you are a team, it covers how the manage one's group, organize it under a system paramilitary command structure. So if you find an Individual or a Smaller Group you bring something in the way of basic skills and a simple formation of team work. But, now comes the ten million dollar question... Why?


The Answer... Because I believe in Paramilitary Survivalism... Yes, I think a "Prepper" should be a Survivalist and focus on military or paramilitary skills and training and yes, I think that should include martial arts training. The old school Survivalist mentality of being paramilitary, guys who had weapons and gear stashed away for then the Soviets invaded in some Red Dawn scenario. Why? Because if you can handle Red Dawn you can handle Deliverance. Don't know about Wrong Turn though, be safer to just stay out of West Virginia. Or watch Appalachian Outlaws, yes we do have idiots who idiots who would make a bomb and throw it in someone's house or run around and play Doc Holiday with an AR15. So lets cover the basic kit for the Paramilitary Survivalist.



First off, lets start with the Trench Coat... Gotta have a trench coat cause its tacti-cool, right? No... But a trench is cool, you can use it as shelter, lean-tos and such. Ninja Video that shows something similar used with Kimonos. So any long coat that comes to about your knees is a good thing. An btw this is why Mountain Men were the long bear skin coats and cowboys wore Dusters.

Concept about 8 minutes into the video, but has some cool field craft information for you guys...


Secondly it covers your kit, your gear. Wear as much of your kit as possible, this kits your hands free and why I suggest LBEs, LBVs and tactical vests for preppers and survivalists.

Now this is an example of a basic LBE, its a pistol belt is supported by the suspenders and carries everything. Two, triple 30-Round Magazine Pouches. Two 1-Quart Canteens, one canteen cup, that you also use for cooking and boiling water in a canteen pouch that has room for a small bottle of Iodine Water Purification Tablets. And a Butt Pack, which should contain 3 extra 30-Round Magazines, A Poncho, Poncho Liner, fire kit, First Aid gear and some food rations. I'd add tying and taping an "L" shaped flashlight with red lens to the suspender, a compass and big ass knife to the pistol belt. A drop holster if you have the handgun. Remember this LBE is going to be under your trench coat.

Or you can do the Capain Blackeagle BLE build... This build means one is carrying 2 canteens, the butt pack and a total of 360 rounds in 12 Magazines (390 if you include the 30 rounds in your rifle magazine).



And you will need a rifle, I suggest an AR15 style rifle. Owning the rifle isn't enough, you also need training and practice. You get your training in one of three ways... Or use all three in conjunction.
1. You can Enlist...
2. You can Take a Class...
3. You can Train with the Militia or Similar group of people...
4. Buy books and Videos and try to do it yourself...

Now get this... you need to first have a weapon zeroed at 300 meters (yards will work but the Military thinks in meters, so will a foreign invader). This is all the "Bells & Whistles" you need. You need to zero the weapon and train to use the weapon, training is so much better then technology... Hense the image above of a stock AR15 style rifle without a "carrying handle" or sling... Believe me, all the lights and lasers are useless without training. The same point and fire drill you are depending on a laser sight to help you with, I learned to do without a laser sight. Meaning the laser would only enhance a skill I developed in the US Army as an Infantry Soldier through practice... In the hands of a civilian without my training, they are using a tool without the skill to properly apply it...

Lets put this in another way, what do you know about Jet Engines? I personally don't know a single thing, but I've worked on cars. I know how a ratchet works and know how to tighten and loosen bolts with it. Now do you trust me to bolt a part onto a jet engine, an engine you are going to be a passenger on?


Right... I wouldn't trust me to do it either. Because while my limited knowledge may be enough, it is not enough. Here is the big thing that people don't get, you have to have intelligence to be a grunt. You are not a monkey blindly following orders and carrying out drills, yes you get trained for that box in Basic Training and then you get told to be creative and think outside the box. The hell with it, throw away that box... Why do you need a laser on your rifle if you don't have the skill to put that red dot on target within the half-a-second you have to shoot the enemy before they shoot you? The answer is that laser is worthless... Add to that you need the experience to know where your laser is zeroed and where the round with strike below or above that zero. Why because if you don't know a round will strike 2 inches high (just an example number here it will be different between each shooter and platform) at 25 to 50 meters on a laser sight zeroed at 100 meters, if you don't have the experience to show you this and to compensate you might make some completely  ~newbie~ mistake like assuming that the red dot on the bad guys head is were the round will strike and miss your shot.


So before you put 8 poumds of tacti-cool toys on a 7 pound rifle, invest a few hundred dollars in bullets and training...

You can enlist, the military will pay you, train you and might even give you some experience that will enhance that training.


You can take a Class, I am seriously worried here and here is why... Tactical Instructors are usually former military or former police. I would not trust the police tactical training. Sorry but, yeah. Tactical Schools are like Martial Arts or Self-Defense Schools. They all sit around trying to develop a new drill, a new and better technique to use and so on. Sadly... There is only so many new methods you can invent and only so many of the Basics that really matter. Things that aren't tacti-cool like Penny Drills, "Tactical Reloads" (Loading a weapon after use, before the magazine is expended, so that you have a full magazine if you have to shoot again) and Reflex Firing (also called Point Shooting). Many times I've debated with friends, Johnny Hunter, about the need for things like a flashlight, laser and so. When simple drills and practice does so much better in building skills that don't run out of batteries or what have you. The problem is many tactical schools ran by former Law Enforcement make their money by making training fun and don't focus on the basics. Many former Military ran schools will make you pony up the extra cash to take a basic class just for their school to make sure you are on the same page as everyone else... Keep in mind also many times these schools will market themselves mainly to police and military and assume the student has that as a base for their training.


Buyer beware you are paying for the knowledge, experience and sometimes to insight and creativity of a person to be your instructor. Know who you are dealing with and ask questions and get solid answers... Sometimes schools are good and sometimes not, you need to figure out if the school is right for you. I've seen LEO based schools that had great urban warfare training but laughable woodland range training. It wasn't a bad school, just a school owner who lacked experience in an area due to how he was trained and were he lived. I don't expect a Arizona swim class to teach surfing...


Training with a Militia or Similar Group... This is something I touched on with my Interview with Coronel Hunt. There are militias who are militia only in the name. They are a Civilian Paramilitary force. They are not part of the Philosophy of the Militia Movement which is a return to constitutionality from our government. You have groups with Racist Motivations and you have those with political motivations and so on so forth... So you don't want to drawn up into a cult or some terrorist group or some FBI sting operation. These groups will not connect you to like minded individuals and get you basic combat training with a rifle, but camouflage, first-aid, radio communications and more.


Do it Yourself, buying books and videos... I don't really know what to tell you. I'm not sure I have to tell their are frauds and people who are generally good guys putting out information that's limited or making up the rest as they go along to sell you on their classes and such. So you can buy books and videos and try to train on your own.


Now to Ask and Answer the Bigger Question of why you need this set up and mindset of Prepping... I am not a prepper I am a survivalist, the survivalist movement I grew up in during the 90s was made up of Christians... Yes, Christians who didn't believe in the Rapture. They believed they would be forced to choose between taking the Mark of Beast, dying or fighting to defend their family and friends and still dying. So these Christians become known as Survivalists and many were veterans. The ideas of the Survivalists became popular among more liberal minded people and the term Prepper became the PC term and preppers became less Paramilitary. The Big Question is why is this style/type of Survival or Prepping Philosophy as good thing and why should one practice it?


The answer is simple, because when the time comes to defend yourself, you don't rise to occuasion you fall back on training... Look Terrorists are training to engage you with their bare hands, knives, handguns and rifles. Baltimore & Chicago has proven the police are tools of the politicians (sorry guys but its the truth) and respond at the whims of those in power. Sure we've seen cops in New York prove their power by refusing to be the Jack Booted Thugs of the Political Machine but, while those charged with serving and protecting are playing political power games and/or being used a pawns in that game where does this leave you and your family?


I am afraid the time to sit back and let others fight for you, defend you and protect you has ended. The time to "beat your plow shields in swords" is nearly here. If nothing else having the ability to defend yourself means the ability to defend those around you. I'm not saying go fight a war, I am saying be as prepared as you can do fight a war. Avoid danger if possible but you have to fight, win. Paramilitary training is being given to police because of the threat of gangs and such..? In a world without the support of the police could survive with Paramilitary Training of your own..?


The beauty of the trench coat and you can do basic tan as well, is that you can hide your kit and weapon under the coat. You can present a low profile and still be able to bring the pain if need be against a threat.

Poor Man's Guide to Prepping: Tips & Tricks to expand on the Material in the Book

This Blog is focused on the book Poorman's Guide to Prepping and it will discuss a few basic ideas already held in the book but then apply some updated information for our "Poor man Preppers." Now if you are following the basic material in the book or using it as a "Guide" to developing your own Preparation Strategy. You are no doubt looking at the events of the world and questioning your own preparations and your future. Lets start working with a few basic concepts and then tying it all together...

Event Signals to Watch Out for:
Chinese Yuan The Chinese gold backed Yuan is part of shift from the US dollar & it is an attack on our economic system by China. Yes, Trump was right... "China is not our friend." But just cause they aren't "our friend" doesn't mean they can't be "your friend." I will discuss this more in depth a bit later.


Obama's Martial Law Executive Order:

Lets be clear I'm not an Obama fan & (being dead blunt) I could fuck all about his skin tone or him being "black." Yes, I side with Ben Carson that Obama's "Black Experience" is not the average black experience, none of Black friends have been raised in South East Asia or by the White Grandparents in an upper middle class lifestyle. Come to think of it, they don't have White Grandparents...

Regardless, any push for Martial Law means we as a Free and/or Democratic Nation ceases to exist. Martial Law literally means we will be placed under a state of "Police Powers" were as the U.S. Constitution is "suspended" and the Military and Executive Office rules as a Dictatorship.

This is something to consider when you look at the other events;

1. Surge in Muslim Population by Muslim Refugees...
2. Democrats catering to Muslims in the US...
3. The Socialist/Communist infection within the Democrat and Republican Parties...
4. The Clashes with Federal & State Governments, mass Civil Unrest, the rise in racially motivated attacks and the general rise in crime.
5. Pushes for disarming the population and Executive Order in Gun Control...
6. Military Drills Jade Helm 15 & UWEX 16




Here is what I see (My Personal Conspiracy Theory): The Marxists in our country want a violent revolution to overthrow our own government. They don't have the people to pull it off, seriously the Millennials... are a bunch of pansies. The White & Black Supremists which all have Socialist Philosophies are a very small part of their demographics and most Latinos are conservatives by cultural philosophy. So they need someone to be the "foot soldiers" of Marxism and the Muslims are exactly that. Thus the Democrats & many Republicans are catering to them. Once the "revolution" or "civil war" begins, martial law gets declared (it will be called a "emergency police powers" or some such B.S.) we will have a defacto Socialist country...



Under Martial Law you are going to have to deal with working for the good of the whole, getting what is your fair share & a redistribution of wealth (resources) based on who needs what... Oh but the government will decide who that is. Remember the scene in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, yeah that and Luke Skywalker isn't coming to save us... It seems as if the Federal Government (And No, I don't just blame Obama but the Senate and Congress and these career politicians who pull his strings) are pushing for a violent clash to keep up the stress and push things to a boiling point.

So here is my advice looking at the facts...
1. Take a Deep Breath and let it out... Its not that bad.
2. Dominos still have to fall before this could be possible and their are Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who won't just stand by and go against our Nations people.
3. Every hardship is opportunity to someone and you want to make it an opportunity for you... Yes, that's cold but, its also practical.
4. Stick to the Plan, acquire based on need and priorities.

Alcohol:

Now I suggested buying cheap alcohol in the Poorman's Guide to Prepping as both a barter item & as something that has many practical uses. The concept still stands, now it is illegal to sell or trade alcohol without the proper licenses and I fully encourage doing so before selling or trading the alcohol in a Rule of Law event.

Alcohol has be used to clear, the treat infections, to sterilize, as fuel & yes, to get drunk and ease your pain. Comfort items you buy for $10 today can be worth $100 when SHTF and alcohol is a multipurpose item.




Tobacco:
Again regulated by law and licenses. But when SHTF and rule of law is no more. A comfort item can be bartered for food, fuel, medication and whatever else you may need. If you are smart, you'll make friends with someone on a Native American Reservation and get some Tobacco Seeds. This means you can grow your own and you can learn how to Cure Tobacco online now...



Silver & Copper Coins:
I'm not a fan of coins but yes, you can use them as barter items and trade items for exchange. They rely on the preserving of Law & Order in a SHTF event such as an Economic Collapse or when fleeing the country and preserving wealth. So if you are planning to flee the US, these coins can be exchanged for the money of the nation you are fleeing to and was used by Pablo Vilabosa about his time fleeing Argentina. Or ask Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre who hosts  the SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA blog about the value of these coins in fleeing your native nation (i.e. the United States).



Ginseng:
Ginseng is manly purchased by the Chinese and one can grow simulated wild gensing (which traded at $400 a pound) and sell it direct to the number one buyer of gensing in the world... The Chinese. Now here is the Catch 22, Chinese gold backed Yuan cannot be traded for US Dollars but, if you can contact a Chinese buyer in any of the "China Towns" in Chicago, California, New York or else where you can make arrangements to get Yuan in exchange for the Gensing itself.



Monetary Exchange:
Now monetary exchange is a valuable tool for the Poorman if you consider the direction of the world around you. For example, I am of the belief that oil prices will rise and when they do so will gas and other fuels. Now... Mexico owns all mineral rights within it's borders. This means that the Mexican Peso is backed by Mexican oil and with a 14 Pesos to 1 Dollar exchange rate, you can buy oil backed Pesos cheaply and sit on them making them more valuable when (more likely then if) the US economy collapses or oil prices rise (which they are likely to do).



So with a $200 investment you get 2,800 pesos, if the price of oil rises due to the wars in the middle east, the value of the Peso rises as well... So you get to flip a $200 investment into $400 or more in the long run. Of course this is just hedging your bets against oil prices rising again and the whole idea of Prepping is to Hedge your bets against SHTF...

So... Here is the breakdown for my Poorman Preppers, if you've bought this book you can see where I've predicted certain patterns and where they have come true.

Bicycle Combatives: SHTF Transport Safety Concerns

So I owe this article to Will Williams, it was a suggestion in jest on Facebook that got my gears turning. I know a few people who plan to Bug-Out on a Bicycle, a BMX style mountain bike and so William's suggestion sparked some ideas on SHTF bicycle safety. Now riding a bicycle when cars, trucks and semi-trailers are sharing the road and can hazardous in itself. But what about when civil order breaks down to the infrastructure that keeps people sane and safe disappears?

So I thought about it but not much, I scribbled down some talking points and went to bed. This is a result of those talking points, so lets start with some basic information;
Basic Bicycle Road Safety Procedures...
More of the Basics...
How Not to Get Hit By Cars...
and now that the basic safety is covered, the Bicycle as a SHTF fan vehicle...
Survival Bicycling... Part 1 (Not Part 2 at this time keep checking the source link)
Best Survival Bicycle...
Value of Bicycle after SHTF...

So in that little bundle of links, I don't think there is much I can cover they can't... However, I'm gonna try damn it.

Thought # 1: Bike Storage: 
Ok I had a few minutes of online research to come up with the facts... For Storage on your bike, you have some options and it would stupid not to consider your bike as a carrier for your gear. I won't tell what to pack but I will make a few suggestions. A front rack can support two kinds of loads a standard load held in the backet area & a low rider load that hangs beside the front wheels. Rear racks can support packs of this type as well and allow for great carrying capacity behind the rider. Also the rider should have their Bug-Out Bag, literally on them at all time while riding the bike incase of some emergency where they need to abandon the bike.
Suggest Gear to Carry:
1. Sweat Towel: If you are riding a bike chances are you will get sweaty. sweat is your bodies natural means of cooling itself of. So if you are sweaty and going to make camp for the night, dry yourself off. Do not use the same towel for drying yourself of sweat that you use for drying yourself after bathing. Staph bacteria lives in your sweat glands and using a sweat towel could lead to a staph infection. Likewise, you need to "wash" yourself before making a camp even if only using cold water from a canteen or baby wipes (personal favorite).
2. Layers of Clothing: Depending on temperatures you can dress down by wearing a set of loose clothing over a T-shirt and Bike Shorts, as the temperature increases you can dress down. WARNING: Excess exercise and labor in extreme heat conditions can be deadly if you aren't hydrated and/or lead to sun stroke. In many cases it may be more practical to camp/rest of day and travel by night. This raises another issue with the use of lights on the bike and whether one is willing to trade safety for visibility.
3. Load Bearing Gear: Any gear like a LBE or LBV or tactical vest, fishing vest etc, that can support readily handy items and provide easy access to essentials should worn, even if dressed down.
4. Tarp Camo or environment appropriate color: Your Bike needs protection from the elements as well but you want to camouflage it as best you can and lay the bike down. Lay the bike down in the direction you want to travel, cover it with a tarp and camouflage it with debris from the area.

Thought #2: Open or Concealed Carry:
I know someone is going to disagree with this but, if you are the guy not caught in bumper to bumper traffic, with a bunch of gear someone is going to try to steal your ride. You have panicked drivers, road rage and just plain human self-interest to contend with. So my suggesting is openly carry a weapon, a big knife and/or a handgun, hell if you can mount a rifle on that bike do it (thinking of the old western rifle cases on saddles but hey).

Open Carry Deters Crime... <---- Proven Fact

Thought #3: Crossing Water:
Now this is a fun thought, how will you get your bike across creak or stream. You can water proof and even make your BOB a flotation device by putting everything in a plastic trash bag, no holes BTW, with all the cloth items rolled into balls. This traps air in the cloth, trapped by the plastic bags and can help you to float, you can do the same with gear in your bike, assuming its mostly cloth. Or by contrast you can carry a few large inflatable inter tubes for the river, 2 to 3. You simple secure the bike to 1 or 2 of the tubes and yourself rides on one and float across. The hardest part will be inflating and deflating the inner tubes.

Thought #4: Camping Wilderness & Urban:
So here are my tips and suggestions for camping in the Wilderness with a Bike...
1. Camouflage: You want to camouflage your area as best you can and lay the bike down. Lay the bike down in the direction you want to travel, cover it with a tarp and camouflage it with debris from the area. You can sleep under the tarp with your bike if you like.
2. Use Noise & Light Discipline: This is simple, don't use light you don't have to... If you cook boil your food to keep down smell, don't burn pine or any similar wood they smoke a lot, use a Dakota fire hole, if you use a flash light use one with a red lens and do so under a poncho or coat. Don't talk if you don't have to, whisper if you have to talk and do not smoke anything... cigarettes, marijuana or anything else. The smell of tobacco can be detected by a non-smoker for over a mile away and the cherry can be seen from the same distance. Marijuana is worse of the smell.
3. Use Basic Tactics: If you are going to camp, make a "J Hook" by doubling back on your trail so that you can observe if anyone is following your trail. Keep watch on your trail. In the Army I go used to sleeping prone so that I was ready to return fire if attacked, I still sleep on my stomach with pillows under my chest.
4. If in a Group Post a Watch: If you are in a group, always post a watch, and change the watch every hour. 3 to 7 person (not counting young children) 1 person a on watch for 1 hour. 8 or more 2 people on watch for 1 hour.
5. If Alone Set an Alarm: If alone set an alarm along the trail where you can maintain security, a double or triple bind is a must but you want alarms to your flank and rear as well. Fishing line and bells or flares should work fine. WARNING: Alarms does not mean Booby traps you could face a series of issues for using such, least among them is legal consequences and worst is making an enemy who might want to return the favor.

And my suggestions for camping in an Urban Environment with a Bike...
1. Camouflage & Hiding: As with the Wilderness Terrain you want to conceal your bike when you camp, this can be done by hiding behind dumpsters, entering abandoned buildings and carrying rope to hoist the Bike onto and down from roof tops. Looking like a bum with a shopping cart full of stuff to conceal the bike on the opposite side might also be a good form of camouflage. In urban environments, what most think of as disguise is merely urban camouflage. In an area of grown up wood, such as parks or forested areas between buildings the same rules for the Wilderness apply.
2. Use Noise & Light Discipline: As always the basic concepts remain the same...
3. Use Basic Tactics: Same as a wilderness environment but remember to apply certain basic urban warfare concepts like the Slicing the Pie and the difference in material which means the difference between a wall being cover or concealment.
Slicing the Pie:

Slicing the Pie is an individual tactic of taking a corner in small sections, to maximize the use of cover or concealment by the corner. The idea is to get the drop on the enemy and see them before they see you, one's weapon should be at the ready and on should take a half step to a quarter step about 3 to 6 inches with each step. This tactic works just as well for alley ways as it does for hallways.

Once the entry is secure bring in one's bike, set an alarm at the entry, again fishing line and bells, and secure the rest of the area. Note: You do not need to search and secure a whole building securing a path to one room and securing it is enough. The difference in Cover & Concealment can be summed up as this; Cover prevents contact with the threat or danger and concealment only prevents site from the threat or danger. A sheet rock wall will not stop bullets and is concealment but a concrete barrier is cover if it stops bullets.
4. Stay off Road as Best You Can: If the social order has broken down then stay off road as much as possible sticking to back alleys. Prior to whatever event will prompt a social breakdown pay attention to laws and rules of road. Always stay to the side of road and keep a look out for possible threats. Roads are going to be full of threats and that will be addressed later.
5. In a Group: Its important to have basic communication available, CB or Handheld radios between the groups members, use of military patrol formations and staying off the main routes of travel are all highly suggested. However, be very cautious in back alleys as well, you don't know who claimed it as their "turf" or how they will react.
6. If Alone: Same basic concept but here more then anything speed is your ally, when you travel you have no form of shelter from possible violence so travel on an obscure pattern, not a straight line, make circles back on your route to see if you are being followed and always move fast.

Thought #5: Shelter From Elements:
Ok, Bikes offer no shelter from the elements, wind, rain, heat and cold... This means you need to stop in a secure or secure a location and rest periodically. Exposure is potentially deadly if untreated and this is an important element to consider for travel on a bicycle during a SHTF bug-out event. So the same basic principles of exposure apply as if on feet except, one important factor. This important factor is wind chill, wind chill will increase with one's speed of travel.

Thought #6: Moving as a Group:
Now when moving as a group on a bike as with on foot you need to make use of patrol formation to maximize travel time and cover.
1. Travel in a straight line to conceal the number of people on bikes, trying to ride in the path of the person in front of you. In this way a group can use the "J-Hook" as well as an individual.
2. When travelling in a line have a "point man" approximately 30 to 50 yards ahead of the group, if the point man stops everyone else stops as well. If their is a threat ahead of you, they only see the point man and not the whole group.
3. On wide roads travel in a staggered line on the sides of the road about 20 yards from the person in front of you on the opposite side of the road. This allows the group following the "point man" to get off the road to cover or concealment on the side of the road or react to a threat from either side of the road.
4. In open areas position "security elements" to the sides, rear and front of the main group (useful to groups larger then 10 adults or groups with children).
For more information on Small Teams & Group Tactics Read Army of Shadows or TM 725-15 The American Homeguard Anti-Terrorist Handbook

Thought #7: Security:
Security measures should be taken to help anyone trying to evacuate a danger zone by bicycle, these should include using the following items (which implies having them).
1. Caltrops: An easily made device for disabling wheeled vehicles. Even if you are running from a bunch of gun happy inbred mutant red necks on a bicycle while they have a 4x4 death machine. Caltrops can pop tires and leave them stuck in the road riding on rims.
2. Smoke Devices: Smoke grenades can be purchased for about $15 to $25 dollars a piece or you can read Black Dragon Ninjitsu for the various formula and means of construction.
3. Flares & Flare Gun: Meant for Plane Crashes and Ship Wrecks, the flare gun has a great use as an emergency signal for a point man or lighting up an area were a potential threat is located.

So now that we have basic tactics and such discussed lets examine the threats. Understanding your threats is vital for preparing your defense and ensuring your security.
Panic Drivers: This list isn't listed in any order except what came to mind first... Panicked drivers, people trying to flee a hurricane, a flood or a forest fire are going to be highly emotional and hyper sensitive. They are going to try to force their way into traffic and not worry about getting hit or hitting others. These are a threat to people walking on the sidewalk and won't share the road with a bicyclist on normal days. So add SHTF and watch out.
Road Ragers: These are the people who snap in traffic on a normal day and they will be 100 times worse when you add a life threatening danger to the mix. They are likely to intentionally run you over, force you off the road orget out their cares and assault you with a weapon.
Dogs & Wildlife: Dogs chase cars, they also chase people and if you are on a bike you don't have metal between you and dog. So a can of mace or pepper spray can also keep the puppies off your back tire. Not only is this an issue with dogs but other animals and wild life as well could be a threat to you based on environment.
Pedestrians: These aren't people trying to knock you off your bike these are just slow moving walkers (No Walking Dead reference intended) who might get in your way.
Criminals: Criminals are people who going to try to take your stuff and they may or may not be armed. As I stated above openly carrying a weapon is deterrent for criminals.
Gun Men: These are would be snipers and people shooting at you, bikes don't offer protection from bullets.
Cliffs, Falling Rocks, Forest Fires & Flood Waters: Natural disasters, threats and obstacles be as deadly as they can be obstructive and you cross raging rapids on an inner tube. People and animals aren't your only threats, "Mother Nature" is a Bitch sometimes too...

Note: Hitchhiking with your Bike: In some cases as with a mass exodus from danger zone, a bug-out scenario you may have the opportunity to catch a ride. This is dangerous under normal circumstances. However, your choices are your own and this could a valuable advantage to Bugging out with a bike. If you have a bike rack mounted on your car, you could have an "escape pod" for your car if it breaks down.

What is a Bug-Out Bag, EDC, a Survival Kit & a Never-Coming-Back Bag

I was asked to build a Bug-Out Bag for a friend of mine, a 110lbs (give or take about 10lbs) female who is 5'2" and of slim build. I posted the results below in the images and got some interesting responses from people on a Prepper Forum. Now we can't predict how an event will happen, this is West Virginia so geographic terrain tends to be hills and mountains, with shar contrasts from urban to suburban to rural and wilderness within a matter a miles, so times less then a mile.

One of the things I noticed was that a lot of online preppers don't have a clue, about gear or thinking... Now this is a semantic argument but its an important one.

What is a Bug Out Bag? How is it different then EDC (Every Day Carry) and a Survival Kit? How are those different then a NCB (Never Coming Back or Never Coming Home) Kit? If you don't know there is a difference you aren't a prepper, you are fad hobbiest. If you don't know what the difference is, you are about to find out.

Now I grew up in and around the Survivalist movement & Militia movement of the 90s, I am 36 years old (in June) and by rough estimates that gives me 24 years of experience. I learned real fast as a teenagers what these things were and why they exist...

Lets start with the terms...
Bug Out Bag: A bug-out bag is also called a 72 hour bag. It is an evacuation kit, meaning you are coming back home or are leaving an area and getting home. Since a bug-out bag is only intended to last 72 hours, you are not trying to go for long-term survival. You just need to make it for 3 days, going from point-A to point-B.

Minimum Gear:
1. Water: We all here the 1-Gallon per person per day equation. The reality is that is not realistic. Try humping 3 Gallons of Water just 10 miles. You don't need a gallon of water a day, that is not realistic in a survival situation. There are countless articles on the health benefits of drinking so much water a day... But the "experts" say 7 glasses on average. But what is average? Average male of 5'6" and 150lbs? A gallon a day of water is just a healthy living standard... What it is not is a must live standard... The baseline figure for water intact needed a day is 32oz for a male of roughly 150lbs. check the links below. 32 ounces for 3 days 32 x 3 = 96 ounces of water or 0.75 (3/4) of a Gallon.
http://www.watercures.org/survival-hydration.html
http://health.allwomenstalk.com/benefits-of-drinking-one-gallon-of-water-per-day
http://www.foodbeast.com/news/gallon-of-water-a-day/ 

2. Food (Nothing That Needs Cooking Preferred): Ok if you are going Point-A to Point-B, you are gonna burn calories and need food. Actually, you are gonna need something other then calories you are going to need nutrition. Whats the difference, one is units of energy used by the body (calories) and the other is vitamin, minerals, proteins and amino acids that keep your body running. Look your car may run on gas, but it still needs anti-freeze, coolants, oil, lubricated joints and a battery to work. You need more then just calories to function... I love the Mainstay Rations for this reason... However, trail mix, dried fruits, jerky and multi-vitamins are also great.

3. Light: I am not a fan of the we must have light scenario... 1. Not you don't... and 2. Why? Realistically speaking a water purification system, purification tablets or Life Straw is great, but you are better off carrying it on you then trying to survival off the land. Why do you need a flashlight? The idea of a bug out bag is to pace yourself, not break your leg trying to run ahead of the "gold horde" by night. And if you are worried about Mutant Biker Zombies getting you, just remember noise and light discipline means not being heard or seen. How easy is it to spot a light in a dark... anything? But if you must a zipper light, or key chain light is fine.

4. Heat: This is a must, staying warm is serious. So yeah have a lighter or 3 and some storm proof matches. Now some people confuse heat with shelter, shelter blocks the elements. So while I agree you can stay dry with a poncho, it won't keep you warm. You can save room and weight with a space blanket, just drap it over your head and the plastic and Mylar will keep you dry plus reflect body heat back at you...

5. Shelter: The best part about those space blankets is that you can use them to build a lean-to. All that carrying a tent is not practical. You are not going camping.

6. First Aid: I'm not going to give a first aid kit much thought, 1. there isn't much you can do with it without the proper training. 2. If it is serious a broken leg, arm or a fever or serious illness nothing you get over the counter is help and even if you had something for serious pain relief, opiates for example... it will diminish your mental capacity. So being realistic, suck it up cup cake.

7. Maps, Compass and Navigation: Again I find myself in a bit of a WTF? train of thought here. Do you not know where you live? Where your friends and family live? Maps are great and if you are travelling long distance to Aunt Edina in another state that's all good but, why do you need maps and a compass in a bug out bag?

Seriously, I want you to consider something here... Let's play stawman for a second here, let's pretend work is 50 miles from home, you make the commute everyday and now the "shit has hit the fan." But what's the scenario aliens, nuclear war, terrorists or rioting in the street?

We will say rioting, looting and general mayhem. Boss tells you all to go home, your route is blocked by rioters clashing with police. So you go around and you have your handy dandy map... What your map won't tell you is other places riots have broken out, which neighborhoods have put themselves in community lock down (happened in both the LA Riots and During both Hurricane Sandy and Katrina. In the army we had what we called Map recon, which was looking at a map to find areas to cross rivers or get a general fix on terrain. We also had a leaders recon where the platoon sergeant and/or squad leaders went and checked out the area we looked at on the map. Why? Because shit happens... You don't need a compass to drive home, and if you have to bug out you won't need a compass to walk home either.

8. Knives: This I endorse whole heartedly. You need a knife, it's a basic tool and can be used to defend yourself. Multitool knives are good two, hollow handle survival knives are well known to break, full tang knives are your best bet, half tang survival knives are ok...  But a hatchet or camp tomahawk can do basically everything a knife can and a few things like chop wood or can't.

9. Saws: I don't get the need for chopping wood when living out a backpack for 72 hours. Don't much see the need in carrying saws either. Of you need to build a fire, you are not building a bonfire.

10. Guns: Yes... I think a concealed handgun is a good idea. No, you don't need to roll out like Barry Fife meets Rambo. If you need to defend yourself, and this is true in a normal day. You need to be calm and discrete about it. A cheap .38 will do the job you need it to, which is protect you from an attacker. I'd also suggest martial arts or self-defense classes to boost your odds as well.

In closing the more gear you carry the more energy you burn, carrying that stuff with you. You don't want to hike out with 35lbs of gear and only use 5lbs of it. That gets us to the more common sense preppers and the classic survivalist mindset of EDC. Generally, most civilians go to civilian sources of information, like FEMA or 10 Essentials used for hiking. The reality is if you have a bug out bag and need to use it, you are not hiking in the woods on a Boy or Girl Scout Jamboree but are moving to a safe place, either home or a friend or family members. Even if a map tell you a route you have no way to know if the route is passable, safe or needs to be avoided. So you need to think in terms of Point-A to Point-B only for your bug-out bag. Its not hiking and while some elements are similar, remember you are just trying to get home safely...

Every Day Carry: EDC or Every Day Carry is a simple, light weight kit that a person wears on them, everyday. My own EDC is a simple kit, one 20oz Water Bottle, 3 Sweet and Salty Granola bars or a couple packs of peanuts, water purification tablets, 2 Lighters, space blanket, pack of cigarettes, pocket knife (varies in style), 2 gallon zip lock freezer bags, Paracord bracelet and it's all in a jacket or sometimes my trench coat.

If I have to walk home. I can make it, carrying the lightest possible load. I honestly don't need to eat and can afford to burn a few calories. Water is my primary concern, which I have the ability to purify a gallon in a freezer bag with a tablet per and as recorded above, I only need a minimum of 1 gallon for 3 days. A 20oz bottle is enough to get me started, plus the freezer bags can be used to get clean water from green leaf plants.

I have a friend who's EDC consists of a tactical folder, handgun, flashlight, lighter and fero rod, water purification tablets, gallon freezer bag and a life straw. Like myself, if he has to bug out, he is moving light and fast.

Compared either of us, humping our kits that weigh less then 10lbs and someone with a 20 or even 50lbs pack. Also we don't look like people with things worth taking if social order breaks down. I promise you, will need to think fast and have a plan. A BOB or EDC kit without a plan is just gear...

Survival Kit: Survival kits are small gear kits that are intended to be used to boost your odds of survival. These vary between airplane and life raft emergency survival kits, which can be adapted to suit your car. At the basic level you need some shelter, food, water, something for heat and a means to acquire more food, fishing kits and snare wire is often used. A Bug-Out bag is an example of one type of survival kit, so is a EDC kit.

Never Coming Back Kit: Now I have one of these, its also called an INCH (I'm Never Coming Home) bag. Remember when I talked about pioneers and such? Ok... It is a basic set of supplies, gear and tools that will allow you to build your own civilization in the middle of no where. If you look at the California Gold Rush, the Alaskan Gold Rush, the Settlement of the Old West and even the Western expansion from the East Coast colonies, pioneers, trappers and woodsmen carried a lot of supplies by cart, wagon and mule, as well as on their backs.

A Bug Out bag won't be useful to you as a means to evacuate your home, and lets say you do?
Do you have a plan? At the end of the Day all you need for a Bug-Out-Bag is water (a 1 Liter bottle filled with tap water will do), food (such as Emergency Ration Bars, MREs, DIY MREs, jerky, trail mix, peanuts, granola bars or cliff bars) that you can eat cold and don't have to cook, a mylar space blanket or 2 for shelter, some rope or twine for cordage (doesn't have to be paracord and a lot of paracord doesn't meet military specifications) and a means start a fire, matches, lighter etc. Congrats you can Bug-Out... but if you don't have a plan, you just have gear.

Everything should have a use and every use should be part of your plan. Don't pack an inflatable raft if you are not crossing water, don't pack a saw if you live in a desert with no trees. Don't worry about maps and compass if you can read a map and know how to use a compass. Many times, you can just get by with stuff you can carry on you.

Lets look at my EDC, in depth...

1. 20oz Water Bottle: I know there are steel water bottles, but I have cases of bottled water at home. So I generally, bring one of those with me. Nothing special and usually a non-name brand much cheaper.
2. 3 Sweet and Salty Granola bars or a couple packs of peanuts: Nothing major and basically only providing me with only about 170 calories per bar, 510 calories total. But, like I said food isn't a priority for me for 72 hours. It is motivation.
3. Water purification tablets: I don't even carry the whole bottle, just a small resealable baggy with 5 purification tabs and 5 tablets that clear up the task.
4. 2x Lighters: Fire is more important then food, I plan in accordance to what can kill me first... 1. Security against People with ill intentions, 2. Injury 3. Weather exposure, 4 Thirst/Dehydration can kill me in 3 days. 5. Hunger can kill me in 2 weeks. For a 72 hour plan (I plan 3 to 5 days), I'm not going to starve to death.
5. Space blanket: Ok, I don't carry a space blanket. I carry two but you get the idea... The space blanket doubles as shelter from rain, can be used as a poncho, can be used to make a temporary shelter, and I can use it to signal for help.
6. Pack of Cigarettes: Yes, I smoke, well I quit smoking which means I smoke about 3 to 10 cigarettes a day a day. The fact is I can light a cigarette, "hot box it" and use the "cherry" to build a fire from the ember as opposed to wasting fuel from my lighter.
7. Pocket knife (varies in style): Ok, I said I vary the style of the knife I carry... Sometimes I carry a multi-tool, sometimes a good fixed blade hunting knife and sometimes a tactical folder. Why the difference in knives? Knives are tools and they have a specific job. So if I need or feel the need for a certain type of knife I carry it and sometimes... I even carry two.
8. 2 x 1 gallon zip lock freezer bags: Now I know you can spend $10 on a collapsible canteen. These came in a pack of 10 and holds all the water I need for the 3 days minimum to survive on.

9. Paracord bracelet: Ok, this is only "survival gear" I pack. Its a simple paracord bracelet with a compass I don't need, a whistle I probably won't use and ferro-rod for back-up to my lighter. It is cordage for building a survival shelter with my space blanket. My water bottle goes into a pocket, my space blankets, freezer bags, lighters, purification tablets and granola bars go in another pocket of my jacket, coat or hoodie. My knife & cigarettes  is in a pants pocket & I wear the paracord bracelet.

All I need to do... is start walking home. I have a plan & everything I carry has a use. I've hiked with my INCH bag and know I can make 10 miles in about 2 and half hours. Not even pushing myself thats roughly 15 minutes a mile walking (actually far less). With my EDC I can jog a mile or so at (let's say) 8 minutes a mile, how fast are you jogging with a 30lbs BOB. Assuming I have to walk and not driving some of that distance. Even then my 15 minutes a mile compared to your 15 minutes a mile, with less weight means I move with less energy.

The semantics of the argument are simple, know the difference in gear sets to fit your goals. If I am home I rarely travel outside of 50 miles and if I do I have an emergency for my car. If I'm within my 50 mile home range, I can risk the walk and I may only need to get to a friends house a lot closer then my own home.

Building the Mind by Toughening the Body

When Mraymond Locktools first contacted me it was over a my Go Fund Me account and he kept asking me loaded questions. Really, it is more to "stir up the hornets" and troll bridges. All the people lying to make themselves look good like Barron Shepherd & Don Roley have just opened themselves up to something big and legal. But, it can wait... Well lets be honest, how creditable does it make their arguments?

More so, let me explain my actions... Zen philosophy is a meditative or contemplating philosophy that basically rationalizes life as existing between to points of intellect and thinking and the chaos of living in the emotions of the moment. Zen philosophy then dictates one strip away the excess while living a balanced between emotion and instinct and intellect and understanding. So any attempt to produce any results in my favor is going to spark the attention of the internet "boy bands." Mainly because it would contradict what lies Don Roley and Barron Shepherd has told... So I was almost assured to draw the attention of someone using another troll account.

And Mraymond Locktools started off asking about Ashida Kim and other elements of my past. Ultimately, the goal seems to be to cause divisions with me and the other members of the BDFS. So otherwise here how it breaks down. Business investors don't ask about your past, they ask about their return... Simple as that. 

Regardless I have and there has been attempts to produce a Black Dragon Ninjitsu Homestudy Course and there has been some Beta testing of an older version of the idea. I am now working on a more functional version of the course. 

What you see below is a fudo kamae or former posture, to really get a better understanding you have to watch the video. However, the video was filmed during my embracing of the Judo concept of Kan-Geiko, this is a form of training meant to condition both the mind and the body that is conducted for 10 days in the harshest winter Conditions. This is an element building the mind while training the body. Of willingly testing yourself by willingly and joyfully suffering.

While judo competition is used to explain (philosophically) the overcoming of conflict and the technical ability for self-defense on a physical level, it also embraces the element of resolving one's self to embrace suffering. Not all things that stress us in life can be overcoming something we must simply accept and move on. Kan-Geiko teaches the judoka to accept the cold, suffer through it and continue training... I embraced this idea while shooting the Black Dragon Ninjitsu Jukyu/10th Kyu Video.

Fudo Kamae is a formal posture, a basic stance to learn taisabaki (body shifting), ashi-waza (footwork), nagare (flow) and atemi-waza (striking methods)

You learn a lot about footwork and balance by practicing in ice and snow. There are things in life that is well beyond your ability to influence them and learning to suffer through them (we called this the "Enjoy the Suck" and the "Suck it up" philosophy in the US Army) is paramount to inner peace. You can do nothing about the cold so you simply bear it, suffer through it and overcome it by keeping up your own motivation to press onward. Learning to suffer is a big part of life, how do beat the weather? How do you beat death? These things are there and we can seek shelter but we cannot change them... they are always there. Accept the things you cannot change, have the courage to change the things you can change and the wisdom to know the difference.

This is so easy to say and not do, so easy for someone to take pictures in the snow and post online about your Kan-Geiko training... I don't expect you to believe it. Course there is video right? Seeing is believing.

While I have been debating about the video it does show the harsh conditions in which I shot and trained in this video course. The video is an unintended consequence of timing and events that I will simply embrace and use, it shows me out of practice and out of shape training in such harsh conditions. If I can do it in the snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures why can't you do the same in your living room.

You have to discipline the mind by testing your resolve and mental strength against the body, fatigue, emotions, cold, heat and pain. Focus the mind...

This is not Ichimonji no kamae, it is Fudo Kamae used in Nagare no kata. The hands must do something, while taisabaki focuses on the legs and balance. The elongated  hand position shows the "range" of the hand for strikes, though the striking method is not taught with the elongated hand. This kind of "Long-Fist" striking is generally seen in only two arts Chinese Long-Fist Kung-fu, designed to be used against a smaller person, and the Bujinkan style of striking.

Images from the taisabaki drills and teaching of the jukyu course. The Red Dotted line shows the starting position and the path of the attack we wish to avoid using Taisabaki Ashi-Waza.

Tonpo: Counter-Tracking

This article was inspired by something I saw posted on the Bioprepper.com blog. While bioprepper is a prepping and survival site, the issue of evading someone following you has many self-defense applications. The article How to Escape Your Tail And Avoid Being Followed can be viewed here & its fairly basic...

You need to understand basic tracking to understand how to avoid being tracked. The first step to this is understanding mental conditioning of the tracker. Trackers need to pay attention to details and to know their environment and terrain. This is required to find spore & spore is more then just foot tracks... and following spore is called Sign Cutting. Sign Cutting is simply the process of following one spore to another, literally cutting a trail from one sign of a person or animal's passage to the next sign.

Types of Spore:

1. Tracks & Foot Prints: Anyone can follow tracks in the dirt or mud, that is easy... but what about on hard ground? A person crossing a stream by stepping on rocks will leave a trail of damp or wet rocks. A person travelling on hard packed dirt will leave a diminished or partial print more visible from a lower position to the ground. Soft soled shoes without heels such as tennis shoes, kung-fu shoes, tabi boots and moccasins leave less of an imprint the heeled or hard soled boots like combat or hiking boot. 
2. Waste & Trash: Animal or human waste is a good indicator of one's passing. This why burying or bagging said waste and transporting it with you is used to conceal one's presence.
3. Bedding & Camp Sites: Fire provides light and can be seen at a distance, even a cigarette "cherry" can be seen from over a mile away at night. Even if one uses a fire pit, the digging and burying the pit leaves disturbed ground. Fire is should not be used except at mid day to cook and using only dry hard woods to produce as little smoke as possible. Many animals will dig dens and gather grass to make bedding for their rest. Some will eve preserve food by burying it to return to later.
4. Movement, Shine, Color, Sound and Scent: Drab clothing and gear is best, too dark or too brightly colored clothing can make you visible. Tans are an almost universal color for going unnoticed, it will often blend with sand or stand stone perfect for urban and desert environments and match dead foliage on the ground in most forests. You do not want loose items or clothing to be snagged on objects or make extra sound. You also want to conceal scents such as cooking by boiling foods & not using spices or sweat by "dry washing" regularly or using scent blockers such as animal urine and smoke to cover one's scent. 
5. Disturbed Ground: This applies to tracking by looking not tracks but spore produced by attempting to hide spore, such as disrupting one's tracks by brushing over them with branch (a favorite of cowboy movies and spaghetti westerns), this leaves an even straight line pattern which is actually unnatural and this creates spore.
6. Broken or Bent Branches & Grass: Broken branches and bent grass can show were wieght has been applied or where someone has passed. Many times this includes snapped fabric or fur from whatever passed by. A ninjutsu technique called a sweeping cat step, is intended to prevent such spore but it is not always possible and a mistake can leave spore at sporadic locations while cutting sign.

A person learning to track must first learn to pay attention to details and to always scan their environment for details.

Take deer for example (I am a hunter), they are creatures of habit and will use the same paths and trails. Stags will also leave rubbings on trees from rubbing the Velvet off their antlers. Deer also hang around watering holes to drink and to eat the plants. Deer are common known to bed down on high ground to see or hear a possible threat at a distance and avoid it. So even you aren't following Spore (Tracks) you know a water source is a likely starting point and so is a high point like a hill top in the predawn moments.

Tracking people is often easier then tracking animals (cops do it without any specialized training), human's are the only animals that move in a straight line from point A to point B barring terrain obstacles. We are also creatures of habit and social animals. So if a person is moving say South West, you don't have to "track them" you just have to know locations associated with them, basic habits and general places they would provide shelter and/or resources. Police use this method by staking out the "hunting grounds" of criminals. The criminals move into those zones to commit criminal activity maintaining their habit and needs... Like a deer returning to the same pond to drink and eat or a wolf pack staking out the trail of said deer to ambush the deer for food on its way to said pond.

Avoiding being tracked is also simple, 1) exercise noise and light discipline, 2) avoid high points, 3) maintain a 360 degree view of your environment (this is where a ninjutsu pivot step applied by the individual comes in), 4) travelling in a round about manner (S-pattern) and staying off trails and roads, 5) doubling back at regular intervals, 6) bury trash and waste, 7) use fire pits and only with dirt walls to conceal the glow, 8) use a turning step to obscure and confuse one's spore, 9) as a last resort use an ambush with the goal of injuring and slowing down your tail, 10) pay attention to animals around you they will alert you to others in your area, 11) Do not travel in valleys  as this can be used to predict your path of travel (the sides of hills just under the ridge line is best), 12) do not cross rivers or streams at regular fords, 13) use decoys to draw attention and divert those tracking you, 14) scent can be concealed with smoke or used to lead a false trail, 15) if being tracked by dogs ambush the dog handler first this will confuse the animal, ambush the animal second, 16) booby traps can be used to slow down a trail as well (even if it is noticed the psychological effect will cause delays and 17) when crossing stream move down stream and double back to cross at another point & 18) apply all individual stealth walking methods.

As a group, 1) travel one behind the other stepping in each other's foot prints to hide numbers, 2) spread out on soft group to obscure the trail, 3) maintain all the individual skills. 4) In urban locations you can use things like glass and polished vehicles to look behind you, 5) stop and prepare to defend at potential ambush sites. 6) cross roads and trails at bends in the trail & 7) cross roads by posting a 360 security on onside and crossing as individuals maintaining 360 degree security.

You don't have to be an expert tracker to prevent being tracked and maintaining certain actions and tactics means that anyone can prevent or delay being tracked by anyone short of an expert tracker. Even then an expert tracker can be delayed but not prevented. There are few expert trackers in the world... technology and the use of blood hounds makes sign cutting a dying skill.

Here are some basic Shonobi Aruki methods from an older youtube video I did back in 2010.