Table of contents for December/January #52 2023 in RECOIL OFFGRID

1. Backpack Make: Mystery Ranch Model: 2 Day Assault MSRP: $219 URL: mysteryranch.com 2. Medical Pack Make: Mystery Ranch Model: RFAK MSRP: $80 URL: mysteryranch.com 3. Tote Bag Make: 5.11 Tactical Model: Load Ready Utility Mike MSRP: $56 URL: 511tactical.com 4. Shoes Make: 5.11 Tactical Model: A/T Trainer MSRP: $130 URL: 511tactical.com 5. Ax/Hammer Make: CRKT Model: Chogan Hammer MSRP: $60 URL: crkt.com 6. Portable Stove Make: Jetboil Model: MiniMo Cooking System MSRP: $150 URL: jetboil.com 7. Power Bank Make: Dark Energy Model: Poseidon Pro MSRP: $120 URL: darkenergy.com 8. Charging Cable Make: Dark Energy  Model: Lightening to USB-C Cable MSRP: $28 URL: darkenergy.com 9. Lighter/Flashlight Make: Dark Energy Model: Plasma Lighter MSRP: $30 URL: darkenergy.com 10. Binoculars Make: Maven Model: B1.2 - 8x42 / 10x42 MSRP: $1,000 URL: mavenbuilt.com…

On more than one occasion, I heard the story about a guy who was using a chainsaw in his backyard to clean up some storm debris. As he was cutting a few of the fallen branches, he lost his footing and the running chainsaw came down on his leg, causing a tremendous wound. While his wife quickly called 9-1-1 and helped apply direct pressure, the femoral artery was cut and he died before the ambulance arrived. A tourniquet would’ve likely saved his life. Tourniquet use goes back to at least the 4th century BC, when Alexander the Great had troops using tourniquets of leather and bronze. There are other documented uses during the Middle Ages with battlefield tourniquets, which were simple garrotes. In 1785, Sir Gilbert Blane advocated that, in…

Back in the ’90s, I was an avid hiker and camper. My day hikes tended to be in the 4- to 8-mile range and my camping trips were usually three days and two nights of roughing it with the guys after a long, strenuous hike to places with scenic vistas. And, once a year, there would be a large weeklong camping trip, on a large parcel of private property, but it would be a car trip. While there were zero amenities, not even a bathroom, you could drive the average four-wheel drive vehicle through the woods to our spot. It was a beautiful place, several hundred acres in the Catskills with a mix of forest and open field, and a medium-sized stream running through it. These trips were primarily a…

Today, we live under an ever-increasing burden of technology. It seems as if, everywhere we turn, the so-called “system” is playing a greater and greater role in our daily lives. The benefits of this construct are undeniable — the level of communication, convenience, and access to information we now take for granted was only seen in science-fiction movies when I was in grade school. But that same access and omnipresence has also created a deep sense of dependence for many of us. At times, it seems almost insurmountable. Anybody who’s ever checked their phone or opened their laptop to see an unexpected loss of wireless service knows the almost immediate sense of panic that comes with being severed from that invisible umbilical cord. The unfortunate side effect of this phenomenon…

Documentaries such as The Tinder Swindler, The Craigslist Killer, Catfish, and Murder on the Internet have gained a great deal of attention recently because they all boil down to one lesson — interacting with others online doesn’t come without risk. The individuals you may come into contact with run the gamut from just plain dishonest to seriously disturbed. When it comes to finding companionship, many consider online dating to be the best resource. However, reading the virtues someone listed on their profile page is in no way, shape, or form a thorough assessment of their level of honesty. Whether you’re meeting someone to purchase an item you saw for sale online or taking a chance on a potential love interest you met on a dating site, you need to have…

I love fishing, especially fly fishing, so it’s no surprise that I like to count it as one of my survival skills. I mean, who doesn’t have occasional fantasies of being able to bug out into the woods and live off the land? Depending on where you’re located, fishing certainly sounds like a great way to put food on the table. Of course, if you can’t pack the gear, you won’t have it. That’s why a plethora of “survival fishing” kits have been produced over the years, with some being solid and others being gimmicky as can be. Tenkara is a minimalist fishing method that’s surprisingly close to what most people envision when they think of “survival fishing.” Of course, this system does have some drawbacks, but they’re hardly unique…

“You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn’t you then first discover how much you really trusted it?”—C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed Every time I leave my house for a search-and-rescue mission, clutching gear which I’m about to stake my life on, I think about that quote from Lewis. Sometimes it’s a battery-operated rescue beacon to ride shotgun with me for a flight across the Gulf of Mexico, in search of high adventure on Florida’s Lost…

The Premise: Are you prepared? Are you, really, though? If you’re out in the woods and you’ve consumed all of the water you brought with you, would you know how to purify water that you find along your path? If you lose GPS, would you know how to navigate without modern technology? Don’t have a lighter or matches? Do you know several other ways to start a fire? What about if you’re stuck in the woods with no toilet paper, would you know what was safe to use instead? The premise of Survival Tips, Tricks and Traps isn’t just to prepare you, but to give you the tools and knowledge you need to continue to thrive in any situation, even if you have nothing but your wits. The 411: This…

1 MAKE & MODEL Blue Ridge Overland Triple Run MOLLE Seat Back Panel COLORS Black; Black/Orange; Blue, Coyote/Orange MSRP $80 URL blueridgeoverlandgear.com NOTES Many folks take pride in what they consider their EDC, but usually limit that term to the gear they carry on their person. Little do they know that vehicles are often just as important when it comes to preparedness. Enter the Triple Run line of gear from Blue Ridge Overland. They take vehicle EDC to the next level by crafting a back-of-the-seat MOLLE panel and with enough options to suit almost anyone’s needs. Laser-cut MOLLE rows are backed with a high-vis orange underlay, which not only looks cool, but makes attaching gear more efficient. Velcro paneling on the top is perfect for securing grab-and-go pouches or affixing your…

It’s sometimes said that “fate is not without a sense of irony.” Kawa Mawlayee is, arguably, a man whose life has been guided by fate. A native Afghan, born on September 11th, his family emigrated to America during the Russian invasion. Kawa eventually went on to serve as our country’s first Afghan-born Green Beret — a career that would take him back to his homeland under most ironic circumstances. From Kabul to America’s heartland and back to his birthplace, Kawa brings an incredibly unique perspective to survival, personal safety, and our nation’s engagement overseas. This perspective is what drives the principles of his company, 2Alpha Training Group, which he uses to help average Americans live a more prepared lifestyle and exercise their freedoms to the fullest. We recently had the…

Shot guns are based on a lineage that stretches back more than 500 years. Henry VIII, King of England, was known to possess more than 40 “haile shotte peics” (sic), which blasted chunks of lead down a smoothbore barrel. Regardless of the simplicity and potency of the shotgun, quite a few modern-day shooters still struggle with mastering it. Some believe “grin and bear it” is the only way to deal with a shotgun’s recoil, and others assume the spread of the pellets will overcome their total lack of training — both of these are myths. To learn how to make the most of my pump shotgun, I took a two-day Shotgun Skills class from Symtac Consulting, run by father-son duo Rob and Matt Haught. Rob has worked in law enforcement…