Table of contents for December/January #28 2018 in RECOIL OFFGRID

The baby was sleeping quietly and your spouse was catching a much-needed nap on the couch. Your daughter was trying hard to stifle her giggles as she watched her favorite cartoon on television. If Norman Rockwell were still alive to paint scenes of modern domestic tranquility, your household could be the model. As you settled down into your favorite chair and the dog curled up at your feet, the mood of the day was contentment. Without realizing it, your eyes had closed for a moment. Sleep was starting to take hold of you, until something caused you to stir. It felt like the rumbling of a truck, until you realized that it wasn’t a vehicle. The shaking intensified. The baby started crying, and the dog began to whimper. The flat-screen…

Tim MacWelch has been a survival instructor for more than 20 years, and he’s the owner of Advanced Survival Training in Virginia. He has provided training for people from all walks of life, including members from all branches of U.S. Armed Forces, the State Department, DOD, and DOJ personnel. He’s a frequent public speaker for preparedness groups and events. He’s also the author of three New York Times-bestselling survival books, and the new Ultimate Bushcraft Survival Manual. Check out his wide range of hands-on training courses, which are open to the public at www.advancedsurvivaltraining.com. Hakim Isler (aka The Black MacGyver) is a man of many skills — a combat veteran, trained survivalist, fourth-degree black belt in To-Shin Do Ninjutsu, Kali and Silat martial arts instructor, certified close protection specialist, and…

Water. It’s so essential to life that in a matter of three days or less, most human beings will die without it. Depending on age and gender, the human body is made up of between 50- and 75-percent water. Nevertheless, many of us take water for granted. The latest medical statistics show that about three quarters of Americans are frequently dehydrated, shocking given our country’s widespread availability of clean water. The tragedy, however, is that for many in this world, procuring potable water is an all-day chore, making it a resource more valuable than gold. What most Americans don’t realize is that our world is in a serious water shortage crisis. Seventy percent of our planet is covered by water, so it may be easy to think that this resource…

Sometimes our worst fears are often chalked up to personal hysteria. There are times, however, when our dread is based off the horrible possibility of a very real event. The latter is the foundation of Operation: Dark Winter, a senior-level government exercise from June 2001 that simulated a bioterrorism attack in the United States using smallpox as its agent of choice. Designed and controlled by key members of Johns Hopkins University and a company known as Analytic Services, Operation: Dark Winter (ODW) focused on evaluating the nation’s capabilities to respond to a massive smallpox attack on a major American city, namely Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. From there, the simulation’s scenario only grows worse, looking to test America’s resiliency to stand up to a coordinated attack by international terrorists. The results of…

In the fall of 2008, I gave a speech in San Francisco to a conference of fund managers, loan brokers, and bankers who were just beginning to realize the consequences of the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage and exchange-traded derivatives markets. They came eager to hear from quantitative wizards about the next trick they should try to continue to elevate their wealth. I opened my speech with this sentence: “Someone you know, someone you love, will be hurt because of what we have done.” I went on to explain the extent of the systemic failure that had been loaded into the U.S. economy by a combination of industry and government actions. I ended with a prediction for some of the people in that room: It would be their last year…

Beyond carved wooden tips, a survivor can fashion a number of improvised heads from the surrounding resources. Early man moved from wooden tips to stone and eventually bronze and steel. Even the scavenged litter you find on your average hike can be converted into functional improvised spear heads. Here are three ideas for spearheads that you can easily fashion with some ingenuity and practice. Metal Can Lid: Metal can lids, ideally steel rather than aluminum, work great as spear tips and arrowheads. Fold and break the metal at angles, creating a point. The edge can be sharpened or barbed with the assistance of a rock and/or multitool. Wedge it between a split branch and tie it in place. Coat Hangers: The best coat hangers for improvised heads are the heavy-duty…

Water divining is a practice dating back centuries where metal rods, a pendulum, forked stick, or other object held in the hand(s) is moved by underground water and points the “diviner” to its location. Divining has been considered a supernatural ability defying the rules of science. Some old-timers swear by it and cite folklore and/or pseudoscience to explain the way it works. Skeptics cite hard science and the results of controlled testing. Divining for water has even been featured in some old kids’ cartoons only to perpetuate the myth for future generations. Some water companies have recently cited using diviners in their newsletters, bringing this topic to the forefront again. Here’s what you should know in case you encounter someone trying to sell you on the idea to apply this…

1 MAKE & MODEL Slumberjack Roughhouse Tent WEIGHTx 13 pounds MSRP $200 URL www.slumberjack.com Notes Whether on a weekend camping trip with the family or enduring a more arduous trek in undiscovered country, venturing through Mother Nature requires reliable shelter. The four-person, three-season Slumberjack Roughhouse Tent is up for the job, and aptly titled. On the outside, it’s covered by a 66-denier polyester fly, while its stout, non-traditional shape helps it repel downpours and intense wind. Under the fly, two steel/fiberglass main poles and two fiberglass ridge poles maintain the structure around 61.8 square feet of floor space — though the $30 footprint is sold separately. There are four interior pockets for organization. Plus, a “front porch” vestibule can convert into a large shade awning. A six-person version is available…

Since having a new baby, we’d have also made a point to stock up on a year’s worth of powdered milk and baby food. Prep Because I live by the “not if it will happen, but when” motto, my family and I have been preparing for long-term disasters for many years. When my wife and I decided to put money toward stocking up on supplies, we knew that purchasing a large quantity in one fell swoop is cost prohibitive. On average, we go shopping every two weeks, so we started purchasing small essentials during our shopping trips to gradually increase our emergency supply cache. Over the last two years we’ve set aside $125 per month plus half of any remaining discretionary funds to help pay for items that we’d need…

There’s a saying often attributed to John Stuart Mill that the subject of this issue’s Survivalist Spotlight is quite fond of: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” While we feel that’s a pretty self-explanatory statement, some may ask what makes a man good. Daniel Lombard has quite a body of experience to answer that question. His dedication to protecting others is truly limitless. Lombard is a policeman in one of the toughest cities in the country — Chicago. He founded DAVAD Defense, a firearms training company that not only provides instruction to Chicago PD’s various units, but teaches the average citizen how to defend themselves. When Daniel has earned enough respect to be selected as an adjunct instructor by the…

The ultimate in home water purification is boiling water. Boiling sufficiently kills pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. However, it isn’t effective at removing chemical or metal contaminants in water. If the water is cloudy, it’s best to first let it settle and filter it either through a clean cloth or coffee filter. After your water is clear, bring it to a rolling boil for a minimum of one minute — three minutes if you live at an altitude above 5,000 feet. After boiling, let the water cool to store it in suitable containers. Boiled water usually tastes flat, so to improve its taste, add a pinch of salt to each liter of water or pour it from one clean container to another several times.…

Smallpox is one of the deadliest diseases known to man. Although considered eradicated, it’s still possible for pockets to display themselves in the world. Smallpox symptoms include fever and a distinctive, progressive skin rash. Most people with smallpox recovered, but about three out of every 10 people with the disease died. Many smallpox survivors have permanent scars over large areas of their body, especially their faces. Some are left blind. Picture courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Interested in reading the Operation: Dark Winter study in its entirety? You can check it out here: www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/events/2001_dark-winter/Dark%20Winter%20Script.pdf More info here: www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/events/2001_dark-winter/about.html Visit this link to learn more about smallpox: http://www.cdc.gov/smallpox…

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 36.5 percent of U.S. households have dogs — that’s a little over 43 million. With the recent natural disasters in Houston, Puerto Rico, and California, it’s crucial to keep your pets in mind when making your bug-out/in plans. Our furry friends do have a few special needs, and may also require a specific type of care in emergency situations. Movies and video games often show large well-trained purebreds as the ideal survival companion in post-apocalyptic settings, but even a small mutt can be a real asset for its alertness and companionship. Either way, our pets are our family, and we need to be ready to support them. We spoke with Dr. Emily Garrett, DVM, a veterinarian who specializes in large animal medicine, surgery,…

We have our EDC and SHTF gear list for everything from going to the store to a doomsday incident. But what preparation have you made for your kids as you send them off to school? With mainstream media setting the stage for deranged individuals to get their claim to fame by going into so-called “safe zones” and harming the innocent, we’re forced to start looking at ways to protect our families in all facets of their daily life. Body armor is more economically accessible than ever, so you can wrap your loved ones, or even yourself, up in the latest Kevlar protection in case every parent’s nightmare becomes your reality. With the influx of media attention, today’s market is packed with options for backpack armor. Some of these we’d literally…

As self-reliant people, we understand the importance of water. We store it in our homes and bug-out shelters, carry it in our vehicles, and bring it with us during every hike or workout. The problem is that even with an abundance of available water, we often neglect the water within our own bodies. Nearly two thirds of your body weight is water, yet taking that fluid status for granted, particularly during strenuous activity, frequently leads to dehydration and death. Here we’ll discuss the factors that contribute to water loss, followed by signs and symptoms of dehydration. Lastly, we’ll discuss some strategies for fluid management. Activity and Environment There are several factors that contribute to fluid loss. Exercise and temperature are among the biggest causes. Clearly, the hotter the environment or…

According to BleedingControl.org, a federally sponsored medical education campaign, uncontrolled bleeding is the number-one cause of preventable death from trauma. In situations where a traumatic injury has occurred, the ability to slow blood loss often makes the difference between life and death. This outcome may be decided in three to five minutes before professional medical personnel can arrive on scene, and that’s why it’s essential for individuals on-site to control bleeding as soon as possible. Whether you’re dealing with a badly broken limb while hiking on a remote trail, a gunshot wound at the range, the aftermath of a violent car crash, or a mass-casualty terrorist attack, you certainly won’t want to do so empty-handed. An individual first aid kit, or IFAK, can give you the tools you need to…

With your own food storage in place and the ability to disinfect water you collect near your home, you can focus on the protection of your property, family, and possessions. Prep This scenario is a great example of the concept of “prepare for one disaster very well, and you’re well prepared for most disasters.” As far as our family is concerned, an earthquake taking down our utilities isn’t much different from several other crisis situations knocking out those things. Sure, there’s probably more damage with a quake and it will take longer to repair than a cyber attack, for example, but we prepare for long-term utility outages (that may result in civil unrest) just like most other disasters. Immediate Priorities: There are plenty of supplies that you could buy in…

For those living the prepared lifestyle, ammunition shortages during a time of crisis are one of the biggest concerns. It’s ideal to have stockpiles of ammunition on hand prior to such events, but if the situation is bad enough, those stockpiles will eventually be depleted. You could find yourself scrounging for whatever ammunition you can find. Having a gun that runs on a food source that’s highly available and effective for survival use will up the odds in your favor should the SHTF. 5.56 NATO is plentiful and easy to find in the United States, but it has some disadvantages. Although the 5.56 NATO has a flat trajectory and is fairly accurate over distance, its energy bleed-off limits its application to smaller game. Barrier penetration is also limited with this…

DR. ALI KHAN Rear Admiral Ali S. Khan is a Pakistani-American practicing physician and former Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since July 2014, he has served as dean of the College of Public Health and Retired Assistant General at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. www.unmc.edu/publichealth/departments/epidemiology/facultyandstaff/ali-khan.html JONATHAN YODER Jonathan Yoder is the deputy branch chief and water preparedness and response coordinator for the Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch in the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this role, he works to develop and coordinate waterborne disease outbreak and response activities. Yoder has worked in waterborne disease outbreak and emergency response since…

Colonel Randall Larsen, USAF (retired) is the CEO of Randall Larsen Presents. He also serves as the National Security Advisor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security (a position he has held since 2004), and the CEO of Homeland Security Associates, LLC (www.hlsassociates.com). He’s a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Speakers Association. www.randalllarsenpresents.com Dr. Neal H. Olshan is the developer of Evolution of Mindset and is a consulting psychologist for corporations and the sports industry for athletic improvement through the use of his Mindset program. He’s also a pilot, an award-winning photographer, an author of both fiction and nonfiction books, and the chief combat psychologist for LMS Defense. doctorolshan.com A 24-year veteran of the U.S. Army and retired Army Chemical Officer, Dave Jones taught…

We all have that one friend. Anytime you take him into the woods, the first thing he does is break out his knife and grab a stick to sharpen it into a “spear.” When you ask him what he’s doing, he usually responds with, “this is in case something jumps out at us” or “so I can stab a bear.” While the effectiveness of such a spear is questionable, there’s no doubt it gives your friend a sense of security — and for good reason. The spear is perhaps the first man-made weapon; examples of sharpened sticks date back hundreds of thousands of years. Spears are just as effective today as they were in the days of primitive man. The practicality and purpose of different types of spears hasn’t changed,…

Wound packing, besides applying a tourniquet, is one of the most basic techniques of bleeding control in a pre-hospital environment. In theory, the concept is relatively simple: hold pressure on a wound, and after several minutes, the applied pressure will help to encourage the body’s natural clotting factors. This can vary from just three minutes of pressure if using specially manufactured gauze (i.e. Combat Gauze) impregnated with hemostatic agents, to 10 minutes if using standard gauze or other fabrics. The trick to this technique, however, is that the correct pressure application point may be several inches down inside the muscle. Pressure is much more effectively generated once you reach a hard surface, such as a bone, to push against. Otherwise, trying to compress relatively squishy fat and muscle starts to…

In each episode of our web-exclusive Survival Scenarios article series, we pose a difficult hypothetical situation with two potential courses of action, and end with a poll to ask which option you’d choose. See what you think of the following three scenarios: The idea of being marooned on a desert island is commonly seen in works, ranging from Robinson Crusoe to Cast Away. In this situation, would you rather attempt to survive with only a seawater desalinator, or a knife and ferro rod fire-starter? http://offgridweb.com/?p=9743 Violent political protests have broken out in your city, and you find yourself in a rented room just minutes from the epicenter. Would you hunker down and stay put in this potentially vulnerable location, or attempt to bug out with limited gear? http://offgridweb.com/?p=6818 You’re traveling…