Table of contents for December 2016 - January 2017 in RECOIL OFFGRID

Recently, I’ve been accused of being everything from a powerful oracle who can portend impending disasters to a malicious puppetmaster whose wicked machinations can influence world events. Of course, those accusations were jokes — references by friends about how the covers of our past three issues have coincided with real-world events. Issue 13’s “Sudden Surge” theme came out just a few days before Texas was hit with massive flooding. Then our image of civil unrest on the front of Issue 14 resonated a few weeks after its release, when Turkey experienced a failed military coup in which hundreds died and more than 2,000 were injured. And our last edition, Issue 15 — which featured tropical storm prep on the cover — hit newsstands right before Hurricane Hermine pummeled the East…

Five seconds. Only five seconds had passed. But it felt like five hours as your mind slowly processed what had happened. The booming sound outside of your home, the rattling of the old single-pane windows, the screaming you heard on the street — all of it let you know that something horrible had struck. You were just a kid when the Sept. 11 attacks happened, but it had a major impact on your childhood. Maybe today it was happening again. Terrorism is the new Cold War. Many of us today worry when the next big ISIS or ISIS-inspired attack will occur and in what form it will take. Some of us are so concerned that we’ve taken measures to be prepared for it. But what happens when it’s time to…

ORGANIZATIONS Advanced Survival Training URL www.advancedsurvivaltraining.com SURVIVALISM BACKGROUND “I have been a professional survival instructor for more than 20 years and have written three New York Times best-selling survival manuals. Saying that I’m obsessed with survivalism is a gross understatement. I eat, sleep, drink, and breathe survival. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that survival is my life.” EDC PHILOSOPHY “Everyday carry separates the talkers from the doers. We meet the talkers at every survival expo, class, and prepper event. The talkers talk a big game, but at the end of the day, preparedness is just a hobby to them (or worse, a form of entertainment). The doers walk the talk. The doers carry EDC gear because they’re serious about preparedness and because they want to be…

These are dangerous times, my friend. Just turn on the TV or scan your digital newsfeed to see that trouble lurks just around the corner in any civilized society today. And this is happening while our military and law enforcement are fully operational. Imagine what would happen if our society broke down; violence would be even more prevalent. So, learning to defend yourself makes perfect sense. Proficiency in firearms as well as bladed and blunt weapons can greatly improve a prepper’s odds of surviving a violent encounter. But what if you’re caught without a self-defense tool? You’ll need more than just your “big right hand.” In fact, there could be situations in which using your lower limbs are necessary. Maybe your wrists are tied together. Perhaps several thugs have your…

1 MAKE & MODEL Thermarest Honcho Poncho DIMENSION 58 by 79 inches MSRP $130 URL www.cascadedesigns.com NOTES We’ve had the Honcho Poncho less than a week, and we can tell it's going to be a SHTF fave thanks to its versatility. It’s a superinsulated poncho liner with an insulated hand-warmer pocket and hood cinch that helps seal things up when the poncho is used as a blanket. This 1.75-pound honcho feels as warm as a mild-weather sleeping bag and extends just to the top of the knees on our 5-foot, 9-inch test model (and we use the term model very loosely around here). This will see practical use as a sideline blanket for football games while it lives in the truck for emergency use. Initially released in bright blue and…

Level A Fully encapsulating, vapor and chemical protective suit. Typically worn with SCBA-type (self-contained breathing apparatus) units with closedloop, rebreather systems where air is scrubbed and recirculated. Used when working with substances that can be absorbed by or are hazardous to skin. Level B Non-gas-tight encapsulating suits. Mainly for splash protection; not ideal for radiation environments. Used mainly with open-loop SCBA or SAR (supplied air respirators) where air comes from a compressed cylinder and exhaled air is released to the atmosphere. Worn if substances cannot be absorbed by or are not hazardous to skin. Level C Similar material/protection level as B, but can be worn with respirators that filter outside air. Used when environmental contaminants will not harm or be absorbed by exposed skin. Level D No chemical exposure protection.…

Your everyday carry (EDC) can say a lot about you. Not only will a given loadout reflect the training and experience level of the person carrying it, but it also provides a bit of insight into its owner’s personality. While it would be nice to have a fully stocked bug-out bag everywhere you travel, it’s impractical, and you’ll have to be selective about what you grab when you walk out the door. It’s possible you’ve never intentionally reflected on your own carry items, but if you’re reading these pages right now, there’s a better-than-even chance that you have. After all, unless you’re psychic, you don’t usually know when a flat tire might strike, let alone a crippling storm. Having the right gear on you is key. With that in mind,…

ORGANIZATIONS The Responder News MILITARY/LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE United States Air Force (Airman First Class) URL www.facebook.com/therespondernews SURVIVALISM BACKGROUND “I’m an emergency-management professional with 26 years of combined experience in public affairs, wildland firefighting, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as a serving as a disaster services instructor with the American Red Cross. I’ve had a long career of high-speed, low-drag disaster, and wildland fire response, which includes surviving a nasty 7.9 earthquake while stationed at Clark Air Force Base in 1990.” EDC PHILOSOPHY “I carry very little gear on my person, reflecting my practicaltactical personality and basic ethos. I don’t like to “rattle” when hiking, walking, or moving. I don’t own a purse or have tons of crap on my keys either. I get a lot done…

Overshooting the Last Known Track: You’re on a trail, you’re making great time, and you should be catching up to your guy, but then the tracks disappear. Going too fast and too far past the last known track can cause you to get off the trail completely, or worse, have you trampling all over valuable clues. Forcing the Track: It’s easy to be guilty of this one. When you’re looking so hard for someone’s trail, it’s very common to start picking up signs from animal trails, especially when clear animal tracks aren’t present to help you differentiate. Don’t force the big game trail to start looking like a human’s trail. You need a mixture of humility and confidence to perceive what’s really there, and not make what’s there fit your…

If you’ve been reading this column for the last few issues, or if you’re one of our Facebook or Instagram followers, you’ll recall mentions of our first comprehensive reader survey. I introduced the concept with my “Gathering Intel” column entry in Issue 14, and we later shared it on our website and social media pages. In case you haven’t completed our survey yet, there’s still time to do so, and we’d greatly appreciate your input. Head to OFFGRIDweb.com/survival/reader-survey to let us know what you think of our magazine, and tell us how we can serve you better. I have read every one of your hundreds of comments, which range from glowing praise to brutal #MeanTweets-grade snark. No matter what you wrote, we’d like to say a genuine thank you to…

1 The fallout would stay around for years and kill everyone. False: The danger of radioactive fallout lessens with time. According to FEMA, the 7:10 Rule of Thumb states that for every seven-fold increase in time after detonation, there is a 10-fold decrease in the exposure rate. For example, two hours after detonation, the exposure rate would be 400 Roentgen/hour. After 14 hours, the exposure rate would be 1/10 as much, or 40 Roentgen/hour. For more on radiation sickness, see “Invisible Death” on page 114. 2 All of the food in a fallout area would be poisoned and inedible. Mostly False: Food and water in dust-tight containers will be completely free of radiation particles. Peeling fruits and vegetables and removing the top several inches of stored grain will eliminate most…

ORGANIZATIONS Survival Weekly, Disaster Prep Consultants URL www.survivalweekly.com SURVIVALISM BACKGROUND “Active prepper/survivalist for about 30 years” EDC PHILOSOPHY “We each have unique needs, skillsets, and circumstances. Over time, you’ll find what works for you and what doesn’t. Reading the loadout lists for others is an excellent start, but you need to move beyond that and start experimenting with different options. Carrying a giant multitool that weighs as much as boat anchor, and then finding you’ve only ever needed to use the knife blade is a clue you might want to adjust your EDC.” Steel Will Apostate “The knife is on the large side but still rides in the pocket just fine. The action is smooth, and the blade keeps an edge. Prior to acquiring the Apostate, I carried a Kershaw…

ORGANIZATIONS Survival Edge Tactical Systems Inc., Cottonwood Heights Police Department, and the Pekiti-Tirsia Tactical Association MILITARY/LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE Former member of the Salt Lake City Police Department and South Salt Lake Police Department URL www.jaredwihongi.com www.survivaledgetactical.com SURVIVALISM BACKGROUND “I’m a specialist in urban survival in hostile environments, foreign and domestic. I regularly teach Personal Protective Countermeasures and Sole Operator Survival courses for U.S. Special Operations Command assets.” EDC PHILOSOPHY “When teaching concealed firearm permit classes, I’m often asked, ‘What’s the ideal concealed carry gun?’ My first answer is, ‘How realistic is it that you’ll actually carry your chosen firearm with you most of the time?’ A $200 .22-caliber handgun on your person in a defensive situation is more valuable than a $2,000 1911 at home in your safe. I try…

Long before anyone ever lit a cannon fuse or pressed a trigger, some evil genius in a tactical loincloth discovered that if you put something into a hollow tube and blew into one end, it would fly out the other end with enough energy to cause trouble. That simple discovery, the blowgun, ultimately became the basis of all barreled weapons — especially when another evil genius figured out how to replace lung power with gunpowder. Although the exact history of the blowgun is unclear, it appears that people in various parts of the world independently discovered the concept of a breath-powered weapon over a thousand years ago. Blowguns were widely used in the Philippines, Japan, and among Native American tribes in the Southeastern USA, but they reached their greatest potential…

Believe it or not, we’re exposed to radiation every day. The tricky part is we won’t know how high a dose we’re exposed to in an emergency situation. Variables such as the type of radioactive material involved, the length of exposure time, and the amount absorbed all play a part in possible radiation-related health effects. There may also be long-term risks, such as cancers that develop over time or possible DNA mutations that affect our offspring. Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) is caused by high radiation doses that irradiate most of the entire body, were able to reach internal organs, and were received in a short period of time. ARS may begin minutes to days after exposure. Symptoms may come and go, and last for several days. Possible signs of contamination…