Table of contents for October/November #57 2023 in RECOIL OFFGRID

Most of us have friends or acquaintances who aren’t “knife people” and don’t carry pocketknives, but there’s one place they’re guaranteed to have at least a half-dozen knives: the kitchen. Knives have been used for food prep for thousands of years. Although we mostly tend to segregate kitchen knives from everyday carry knives, there really is no reason to do so. I’ve used my EDC knife to cut meat in an Asian restaurant that only had chopsticks, and I’ve also plucked steak knives off of tables for EDC in a few countries where knife carrying is frowned upon. You’re more likely to use a knife to cut a piece of food into smaller pieces than to use one to defend your life in a violent attack. While most knives can…

Overland travel, or overlanding, is a topic that has seen a surge in interest lately. It relates to many of the preparedness skills we’re passionate about — land navigation, communications, vehicle recovery, water purification, and so on — while also being a fun activity for the whole family. You can pack up your vehicle and head out to explore the wilderness for a weekend, developing preparedness experience and getting to know your surrounding environment better. Like hunting and camping, overlanding is both a hobby and a means of developing skills that could apply to real emergencies. This realization motivated us to start our RECOIL OFFGRID 4Runner project and learn more about overlanding. While reading about the topic, we came across XOverland (aka Expedition Overland or XO), a team that has…

Just like any off-grid activity, the right tools make life easier and increase your chances of success. Consider these items: Shovels: Shovels have a long shaft and a concave, angled tip for scooping up material and breaking up soil. Spades: Spades look similar to shovels but tend to have a shorter shaft and a flat, rectangular blade to slice through roots and into dirt. Shears: Garden shears cut small branches, stems, and other plant growth. Rakes: Rakes are tined instruments that clear leaves, weeds, and other garden waste, and help with sowing. Hoes: Either long-handled or handheld, hoes help turn and clear soil, remove weeds, and harvest root crops. Pitchforks: Two-to five-tined pitchforks help you lift and pitch garden materials like manure and hay. Trowels: Trowels look like tiny shovels…

“We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.”— T. S. Eliot I’m often asked about the meaning of OFFGRID in RECOIL OFF-GRID. The dictionary definition indicates a separation from the municipal grid, i.e., public utilities such as electricity and water. In a broader sense, going off-grid means independence from society as a whole, or in other words, self-reliance. Another interpretation relates to going beyond the map grid into remote places far from urban civilization. If you’ve been reading this magazine for a while, you should know that every one of these definitions is relevant to what we do. Many of our issues have specifically addressed separating from the power…

Hard times create strong men — this adage rings true for many of the instructors and subject matter experts we have interviewed in RECOIL OFFGRID, and Raul Martinez Jr. is no exception. Growing up as a first-generation American alongside seven siblings in a low-income home, life was never easy. Compounding this, his home was located in Chicago’s Lower West Side. Inner-city gang violence was pervasive, and more than a few of Raul’s childhood friends ended up in prison or dead as a result. To break free from this vicious cycle, he joined the Army, which soon exposed him to a new type of violence in Iraq. Years later, his path came full circle as he returned home and signed up to be a patrol officer with the Chicago Police Department.…

We recently completed a top-down review of the ruggedized Juggernaut phone cases and mounting ecosystem, published in Issue 53. Shortly after that article was com-plete, Juggernaut announced they’d be releasing a new, expanded line of phone cases and mounts. Good news up front: Both cases and mounts are backward compatible. If you have a legacy mount, all the new cases will still fit in those mounts. Likewise, if you purchase one of their new-generation mounts, your existing phone case will fit into it without problems. Previously, there were two Juggernaut phone cases: the IMPCT and the SLEEV. The IMPCT was their “medi-um-to-hard” use case, with the SLEEV being up-armored even further for extra-rough handling, and optimization for Juggernaut’s line of power and data transfer cables. Their new line has expanded…

Medicine is one of the most substantial problems the family medic faces if a long-term disaster knocks them off the grid. Even with a decent stockpile accumulated over time, the commercially produced drugs will eventually be expended, leaving even the most skilled provider without some very important tools to help deal with injuries and illnesses. Planting your own medicinal garden is the best way to provide alternatives to modern medicines in austere settings. Until pharmaceuticals were produced in factories, people had to grow their own medicine. This practice was a natural part of our heritage and provided needed remedies for many medical issues. A community often had a person who served as an herbalist and supervised the cultivation and processing. Growing your own medicinal garden is both rewarding and beneficial.…

When you’re planning a road trip, food and drinks are a necessity. For trips on major highways, it’s easy to make a pit stop at a convenience store to buy sodas and snacks or hit a grocery store or restaurant for larger meals. However, when you’re venturing off the beaten path — especially for multiday off-road expeditions — you’ll need to bring all your food and beverages with you. While it’s true that you could rely entirely on shelf-stable MREs and freeze-dried camping meals, these items are often costly, unappetizing, and/or unhealthy due to high levels of sodium and preservatives. The ability to bring real food — fresh meat, eggs, cheese, fruits, veggies, and so on — makes every trip more enjoyable, whether it’s a half-day solo outing or a…

Do not enter when flooded.” It’s a bright yellow road sign you’ve probably seen next to drainage areas and bridges, but have you given it any real thought? Unfortunately, most motorists simply tune out these warnings. When severe weather does occur, far too many drivers venture into areas where their vehicles simply cannot go, leading to precarious rescues or even preventable fatalities. According to the National Weather Service, an average of 95 people die each year from flooding, and nearly two-thirds of those deaths occur in vehicles. A study published by the University of Arizona also concluded that most motorists who crossed flooded areas did so due to a calculated decision, not an impulsive one — “they tended to cross if it appeared that weather conditions were getting worse, if…

Mil-spec is a term that’s often used by marketing copy writers to imply extreme toughness, but those who served in the military understand there’s another side to that term. While it’s true that Mil-spec products are thoroughly tested and held to precise standards, they’re also built to meet (not necessarily exceed) those standards while staying under a tightly controlled budget. More importantly, Mil-spec equipment is made to be used and maintained within a military supply chain. For civilian owners who don’t have access to specially trained service techs and warehouses full of spare parts, that can pose a significant challenge. What’s an LMTV? The Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) is a series of U.S. Military vehicles loosely based on the 12M18 military truck originally built by Steyr-Daimler-Puch in Austria…

“The final weapon is the brain, all else is supplemental.”– John Steinbeck President Biden famously said, “You don’t need an AR-15. It’s harder to aim. It’s harder to use. And, in fact, you don’t need 30 rounds to protect yourself. Buy a shotgun.” He continued, “If there’s ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony here … put that double-barreled shotgun, just walk out on the balcony and fire two blasts outside the house.” Politics aside, we shouldn’t need to tell you this is bad advice — in any defensive shooting situation, you’ll need to account for every round you fire, so blindly slinging buckshot off the porch is a terrible idea. Furthermore, I’d argue that a 30-round capacity, semi-automatic, low-recoil carbine is in fact an excellent choice for…