Table of contents for June - July 2016 in RECOIL OFFGRID

1 Jacket MAKE & MODEL Oakley Century Windbreaker MSRP $125 URL www.oakley.com 2 Shirt MAKE & MODEL Kuhl Bakbone MSRP $75 URL www.kuhl.com 3 Pants MAKE & MODEL Dickies Stretch Ripstop Tactical Pant MSRP $57 URL www.dickies.com 4 Footwear MAKE & MODEL Danner Danner Light MSRP $360 URL www.danner.com 5 Eye Protection MAKE & MODEL Under Armour UA Core 2.0 Storm Polarized MSRP $160 URL www.underarmour.com 6 Hat MAKE & MODEL Strike Industries Cobra Hat MSRP $20 URL www.strikeindustries.com 7 Gloves MAKE & MODEL Youngstown MWG Waterproof Winter MSRP $35 URL www.ytgloves.com 8 Watch MAKE & MODEL Reactor Watch Meltdown 2 MSRP $300 URL www.reactorwatch.com 9 Vehicle MAKE & MODEL Toyota FJ Cruiser MSRP N/A URL www.instagram.com/velociraptorfj 10 Wheels MAKE & MODEL KMC Wheels XD128 Machete MSRP $265 URL www.kmcwheels.com…

Much like leather seats in a luxury car, flashlights with metal bodies are durable and feel nice to the touch. Some can even be called elegant. As nice as they may be, however, they can act as conduits for heat and cold. Ever grabbed a steel flashlight that’s been sitting in the sun? It’s the same searing sensation as when your legs touch sunbaked leather seats, isn’t it? No matter if you have one as part of everyday carry or pack one away with your emergency gear, a high-quality polymer-bodied flashlight gives you the confidence to tackle any low- or no-light situation with confidence. Polymer is less thermally conductive than metal, which makes them easier to handle in extreme temperatures. They also don’t conduct electricity, making them safer to work…

We said it before and we’ll say it again: Don’t try to drive through water. Drivers and car passengers now account for more than half of flood-related drownings, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because of this, federal officials launched the “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” campaign to warn people who might underestimate the power of water. Even a foot of moving water can sweep a car away. Many deaths are attributed to drivers who bypass barricades to check on their property during a flood. Striking even moderately deep waters can cause temporary water blindness, panic, and loss of control. Disoriented drivers might also tragically attempt a wide K-turn or U-turn, which could lead them off the shoulder and into roadside ditches that are swollen with storm flow.…

WARNING! The concepts shown here are for illustrative purposes only. Seek professional training from a reputable instructor before attempting any techniques discussed or shown in this story. Social collapse brings many problems. Thirst and hunger will slowly kill, but violence can end life in a heartbeat. It may be a gangbanger looking for an easy target, a bandit who likes your expensive-looking MultiCam bug-out bag, or one of the many unprepared souls who blocks your path because a disaster left him desperate. Threats come in 1,001 different flavors. How violence is served up is difficult to predict. Naturally, having a force multiplier in the way of a firearm is highly desirable. Alas, we’re not always so lucky. There may be many reasons why a firearm may not be available outside…

Floods are the No. 1 natural disaster in the United States in terms of lives lost and property damage, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. As mentioned in our “Raging Waters” feature on page 34, a flood can be caused by any number of things, from a hurricane and heavy rainfall to snowmelt and a dam failure. As recently as 2014, the National Flood Insurance Program paid more than $345 million in flood insurance claims to its policyholders in that year alone. In other words, just because you live in a traditionally dry state, don’t think it can’t happen to you. As weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable and travel obligations often take us out of our element, you never know when you might find out the hard way why Johnny…

Iknew I wasn’t supposed to text and drive, especially while I was on the clock delivering packages. But I was on the open road and my wife had already texted me five times in the past two minutes. It must be urgent, I thought. I’ll just see what she needs. Thank God I looked up from the phone when I did. There hadn’t been a lot of cars on the road at that time of day, but there were brake lights and vehicles stopped right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes hard and nearly struck the SUV in front of me before coming to a screeching halt. Before I could finish the cursing, I looked beyond the SUV and saw the reason it had stopped. There was…

Flash Flooding: This typically develops within six hours of the trigger event, causing a rapid rise of water — whether rain-related or by levy failure. This occurrence is especially notorious in the Western United States among the dry, hard-packed arroyos and coulees favored by campers and hikers. A dry, low-lying creek bed may barely trickle at sundown then surge to a raging torrent at night. In older urban areas, concrete spread above substandard storm drains can pool water for days, and multiple storms can compound the flooding with force sufficient to move cars. River Flooding: The National Weather Service issues minor, moderate, and major flood warnings along areas prone to flooding from overflowing riverbanks caused by heavy rain, dam failures, snowmelt, or obstructions. A record flood is a historical event,…

At more than 100 times the diameter and over 300,000 times the mass of the Earth, that enormous ball of plasma at the center of our solar system is the primary energy source for our planet. Without the sun, life on Earth wouldn’t be possible, and George Hamilton wouldn’t know what to do with himself. According to NASA, the sun produces about 500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 horsepower worth of energy per second. That’s a lot of damn zeroes. It’s no surprise that sun deities permeate ancient cultures and mythologies. With so much energy beaming down from the heavens, free and clear, it’s also no surprise that mankind has looked to harness the sun’s power by devising various technologies to convert sunlight into electricity. The first photovoltaic cell, which generates electric current when exposed…

Just two weeks. That’s all it took for society to collapse after the stock market crashed. With bank accounts frozen, cash was rare and useless. Stores were looted within days. Home invasions occurred daily. Murders became the new norm. Only the old-timers could remember anything like this happening before — at the beginning of the Great Depression. But back then, many people were farmers and could feed themselves. The others had useful skills they could trade for food. However, this time, with hordes of selfie-taking millennials, things were very different . We hate to start an article with a gut check, but a lot of newbie preppers are overly concerned about getting the latest and greatest bug-out gear — while ignoring the basics. Many haven’t considered how they would get…

WARNING! The information shown here are for illustrative and academic purposes only. Seek help from a licensed health professional before attempting any techniques and treatment discussed or shown in this story. This publication and its contributors are not responsible for any potential injuries or health problems It’s been a month after the big one hit. Out of food and water, you figure it’s time to hit the road for supplies. Despite the sad state of affairs, you’ve been feeling good for a long time now. Still, you can’t shake the nagging feeling that something is about to go wrong and — bang! — it happens. You hop into your rig and your lower back goes into lockdown. The pain takes your breath away. You’re now SOL and basically useless to…

You’ve just finished brushing your teeth as you prep for work when you hear that dreaded buzzing of the Emergency Broadcast System come across your TV. Although you assume it’s just another test, you realize there’s a far greater degree of urgency and detail than those you’ve heard so many times in the past. The terms “outbreak,” “contamination,” “quarantine,” “infections,” and “fatalities” begin permeating the message repeatedly. You look out the window of your Manhattan high-rise in the Chelsea district and begin thinking of a million things at once: your kids at school, your wife at work, and if you can get to them. You call your wife, but the calls keep dropping — probably due to a flooded cellular network — and you no longer have a landline. Then…

MAKE & MODEL 1 Bottle Cutting Inc. Kinkajou Bottle Cutter CAPACITY Cuts bottles from 43mm to 102mm MSRP $50 to $100 URL www.bottlecutting.com NOTES Why recycle a bottle when you can turn it into a drinking glass? The Kinkajou Bottle Cutter looks vaguely like a giant pipe cutter and acts similarly. Fasten the device around an empty beverage bottle and turn it to score the glass for a clean break. It comes with guide bands that keep the scoring blade from wandering and some sandpaper to take the edge off the freshly revealed bottle lip. While the Kinkajou won’t be able to brew a cold one, it’ll help you make novel, eye-catching drinking glasses and storage vessels from a collection of empties that others might discard. MAKE & MODEL 2…

When streets are waterlogged, the American Red Cross and many disaster response teams still rely on shallow watercraft to find victims and provide help. While a kayak can provide solo or even tandem transport, the openness of canoes have traditionally transported supplies and injured team members in flood conditions. Also, check out our feature “Up SHTF Creek Without a Paddle” in RECOIL OFFGRID Issue 11. Avoid the ultralight Wee Lassie-class boats for emergency transport and opt for recreational or even “freighter” canoes with substantial beam, good stability, and larger carrying capacity. Instruct passengers to stay centered and low in the canoe and to not step or stand on the gunnels when entering or exiting. Launched from a home, a truck bed, or a luggage rack, a canoe can be maneuvered…

Sturdy and agile as the Alpine mountain horse she was named after (and not the cattle breed that shares its name), the Pinzgauer was born and bred in the European Alps during the early 1970s, then proved worldwide militarily from desert to jungle rivers for decades. These early generation Pinzgauers — now old enough to be exempt from certain U.S. non-EPA import equipment requirements — were gradually decommissioned and released from service by Swiss and Austrian military forces, driving demand throughout the United States and the world. Today, a vast yet scattered network exists among thousands of knowledgeable off-road Pinz enthusiasts, gathering everywhere from the Colorado Rockies to the Hawaiian Islands. Though on rare occasions you might find a streetlegal Pinz tucked nicely into an average parking space, Pinz owners…

Thoughtless steps lead to a path of happenstance, chaos, and destruction — this is a short saying I came up with that has guided my life since I was a psychological operations (psyop) sergeant in the U.S. Army. Simply put, how you think dictates your actions, and actions that are thought through create a greater potential for success. Seems like common sense, but there are so many people who fail to think before they act. They react based on emotions, like preprogrammed robots driven by software called instinct. It’s not that instinct doesn’t matter, because instinct is important to every aspect of survival. However, operating without consistently thinking through your actions is a recipe for disaster. I used to think this was the extent of this lesson, but that’s not…