Table of contents for August/September #32 2019 in RECOIL OFFGRID

My dad likes to say, “If you run with the bulls in Pamplona often enough, eventually you’re going to get trampled.” But unlike the aforementioned San Fermin festival where people deliberately stand in harm’s way for the thrill of it, his remark got me thinking about how the average suburbanite can often stand in the path of destruction without even realizing that a whole lot of hurt is heading their way. The flipside of that coin is that sometimes the problems we face can be tremendously overstated and peddled by media provocateurs looking to profit from overzealous headlines and clickbait. In a previous article we published on Operation: Dark Winter, one of the panelists we interviewed, Dr. Neal Olshan, discussed a “fear pandemic” being part of the collateral damage a…

There they stood, right on the sidewalk, just on the edge of your yard. You wondered how long they’d been standing there in the approaching dusk. It was bad enough that you made this unwelcomed discovery. You wondered what your spouse or kids would’ve thought if they had happened to spot your former companion standing out there. They just stood there, looking over the exterior of your home. That was creepy enough, but then your eyes met theirs. In that instant, a coldness washed over your body. You felt an eerie connection — like predator and prey, and you were the prey in this exchange. This person you thought was part of your past was now standing there staring at you in the present, right through the window of your…

Hana L. Bilodeau has over 15 years of law enforcement experience, serving both locally and federally. Most recently, she spent time with the Federal Air Marshal Service covering multiple domestic and international missions. Hana has a wealth of knowledge in a number of different defensive modalities, including her present role as director of training and special events for SIG SAUER Inc. www.sigsauer.com hana.bilodeau@sigsauer.com @hana.bilodeau Tim MacWelch has been a survival instructor for more than 20 years, training people from all walks of life, including members from all branches of U.S. armed forces, the State Department, DOD and DOJ personnel. He is a frequent public speaker for preparedness groups and events. He is also the author of three New York Times- bestselling survival books, and the new Ultimate Survival Hacks book.…

Rarely do we daydream of less-than-perfect soil. We fantasize about our rural retreat — a picturesque cabin equipped with solar panels. We own a well with pure water, a stocked trout stream just a few paces out the backdoor, and a mature woodland with excellent hunting. We have a milk cow and two stands of honeybees, and every plant in the vegetable garden is green and thriving. In reality, few locations have garden soil that doesn’t need some adjustment. We’d be lucky if the only requirement is 100 pounds of lime to raise the pH or perhaps organic matter applied to the top. But it’s not always so simple. What if the land on our dream acreage has thin (or nonexistent) topsoil? Maybe we’re too far from a quarry to…

A lot has changed throughout history, but one thing that’s remained constant — and probably always will — is how we protect our valuables. We’re talking about guarding the things you have from the people who want to take them from you. The devices we consistently rely on, but seldom give much consideration to, are locks. When was the last time you evaluated the physical security of your home or your bug-out shelter? Locks are your first line of defense against theft and burglary. So, what makes one lock better than another? With locks costing anywhere from $10 to thousands, there are a plethora of factors to consider when choosing a lock for your possessions or for the doors to and within your residence. Today’s locks are most often made…

You’ll rot your brain! That’s a waste of time. Can’t you find something better to do? If you ever played video games as a kid, you may have heard statements like these from parents or other adults who saw no value in that particular pastime. Admittedly, many games are intended solely as a source of entertainment — expertise at rescuing the Mushroom Kingdom’s princess doesn’t translate well to the real world. However, assuming that we can’t learn anything worthwhile from video games is as shortsighted as saying the same about movies, television, or books. In fact, the interactive nature of this medium can be an extremely valuable training tool, as we’ve seen from the widespread use of simulators in various technical fields. As survivalists, we should consider all possible avenues…

I’ve realized in the evolution of social realms that there are things I have to conform to in order to reach my full potential. Social media is one of those things. My profile is set to public, as my account is used for marketing. Aware of the risks when opening my profile, I still chose to keep it as a public platform. The only personal information I provide on my profile is my name, job title, and email address. I acknowledge the risks associated with not having privacy controls attached to the profile, but in order to have the marketing reach, it was a decision I went into prepared. When posting content, I always follow a few simple rules: I don’t post personal content, only content relating to outreach as…

Even though man’s relationship with dogs has existed since hunter/gatherer days, it’s baffling that so many still don’t fully understand or appreciate what these animals are capable of. They’re born with senses far superior to our own, and their courage during situations that’d make most people wilt with fear is nothing short of awe-inspiring. From search-and-rescue to bomb detection to emotional support to serving alongside top-tier troops in austere conditions, these remarkable creatures have a combination of qualities found in no other species. Jeff Franklin is one of those rare individuals who not only understands a dog’s potential, but also has the skills to unlock it — a talent that’s difficult to learn and even harder to teach. After spending years honing his craft as a K9 officer and esteemed…

Imagine yourself in a no-sh*t survival situation and the knife in your hands is rusted, bent at the hilt, and the edge is chipped to hell. Any experienced blade snob will tell you it’s useless and you may injure yourself trying to use it. But is there any truth to that assumption? Maybe it became that way because you were lost in the woods and found it like that. Maybe you inadvertently damaged it. Or maybe any number of unpredictable scenarios left you with a knife that’d seen better days. Whatever the case, let’s just say this is the only tool you have to depend on in an outdoor survival situation. You need a cutting implement to create firewood, build a shelter, defend yourself, filet fish, and perform any number…

Electronic access control is, without a doubt, the future of frontline security. The ability to track who’s entering a facility at any given time, and have a digital record of this to fall back on during any type of investigation, is incredibly valuable, especially to larger sites like schools, hospitals, and prisons. Combine that with the ability to instantly initiate a lockdown situation and the ability to quickly and easily “rekey” an entire facility, and you’d be crazy not to want this stuff. So, why aren’t people using this on their homes, businesses, or at the very least, their vehicles? You might have already guessed the obvious answer — it’s very expensive. Most of these systems require a dedicated server to manage the whole thing, and you have to pay…

One century has passed since we started wearing watches on our wrists, and it appears that the wrist-mounted timepiece has yet to become obsolete. Companies continue to create a variety of features beyond simply telling time that adapt to the ever-changing needs of the tech-savvy consumer. This also raises an important question — why do you need a wristwatch when you can just look at your phone? The key question that you should ask is what kind of watch will serve your lifestyle best in the absence of a cell phone? Is it an analog automatic watch, serving the very simple task of keeping time accurately? Is a multi-function watch for work and play the way to go? How about a Bluetooth-compatible watch that’ll let you access your smartphone features…

We all do our best to be prepared in an emergency; however, there are always things we don’t expect that may come up. We often take medical care for granted when disaster hits. The hospitals and physicians are usually there when we need them, but what happens when the hospital has been destroyed by a natural or manmade disaster? Remember Joplin, Missouri, in 2011 when an F5 tornado destroyed the hospital there? How about Hurricane Maria in 2017 that rendered 65 of 67 hospitals in Puerto Rico non-operational in the first few days after the disaster? There were 3.5-million people seeking help with only two functioning hospitals on the island. One month after the hurricane, less than half of those 67 facilities were operational. Are you prepared for that scenario?…

Preparation Being constantly bombarded by opposing political views, hateful comments, and general nonsense every time we log onto social media, most of us (hopefully) develop a thicker skin by routinely observing this kind of online activity. Our exposure should prepare us for a certain amount of social media harassment. But if it went beyond the normal trolling and turned very personal, I’d have no problem shutting that noise down. Seriously, I’d close down all my accounts and revel in the spare time I just freed up. But I know, for some of you, this is unthinkable or just not possible. Do your homework to decide if continuing on social media in the face of personal harassment is worth it. Look into the details of that social media platform and take…

Exact data on how often dogs keep bad guys away are very hard to calculate. If a protection dog does its job well, then most encounters never reach the point of an official police report. Most bad guys are likely to think twice before breaking into properties where barking dogs are present, much less trained protection dogs. As an experienced military and police dog trainer with 28 years in the business, what I’d want first and foremost is for our dogs to serve as effective deterrents. This increases the odds that would-be attackers move on to an easier target. There’s always the temptation for many to purchase a dog for protection or a certain breed because of the image it portrays. However, it’s essential to consider exactly what that means…

What do you really need to survive? Sure, the basics of food, water, and shelter are constants, but Maslow’s hierarchy of needs goes a bit further. This article isn’t about self-actualization or esteem, but firmly lodged in the second category of “safety.” In the ideal world, we all have M16s and the logistics surrounding those who carry them. Though 5.56mm ammunition is lighter than the precursor 7.62x51mm, it still all adds up. So what of the diminutive .22LR? Where does that round stand within Maslow’s oft-cited pyramid? The Case for .22LR While we’ve often heard the refrain about the baby .22LR killing more people than all other rounds combined (likely true if you dismiss the 7.62x54R), it’s not an immediate “man-stopper” round. There’s a huge difference between someone stopping right…

Many of us talk about bugging out in the event of a disaster, but when was the last time you actually tried it? If you expect your bug-out plan to be successful, practice makes perfect. You should be familiar with the typical road and traffic conditions on your chosen path, communication strategies, seasonal hazards, food and water sources, pit stop and overnight camping locations, and alternate routes. You’ll also need to know how your vehicle can handle this journey, so it doesn’t end up getting stuck in a ditch or leaving you stranded in a post-SHTF world. That said, practicing a bug-out scenario doesn’t have to be a miserable ordeal. It can be turned into a fun road trip with family and/or friends. Even if you’re not rushing to the…