ISSUE 12

PREPARATION
SURVIVAL
MOBILITY
DEFENSE
MEDICAL
GEAR

What Can You Do To Survive

A Bioterrorist Attack?

HIGH-LUMEN
FLASHLIGHTS

COLD
WEATHER
GLOVES

RECHARGEABLE
VS. DISPOSABLE
BATTERIES

HOW-TO: GROW
A HYDROPONIC
GARDEN

Winter Fire-Making Techniques

Review: SPOT Gen3 Sat Messenger
Getting a Grip on Self-Defense Chokes
A Bug-Out Toyota Tacoma

OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12
$8.99
DISPLAY UNTIL 04/01/2016
INTRODUCING THE

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ONE OF THE LIGHTEST,

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construction, or features. Built around a Cold Hammer Forged, 14.5”, Lightweight profile barrel, the V11 SLW has an extended flash
suppressor, which is pinned and welded to reach the NFA-required, 16” minimum barrel length. The mid-length gas system provides
smooth and reliable cycling under any conditions and reduces both perceived recoil and wear on moving parts.

A free-floating SLiM Rail 12.0 handguard offers incredible weight savings as well as superior cooling, ergonomics, and modularity
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ALSO AVAILABLE
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 Visit DanielDefense.com for more
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at your local Daniel Defense dealer.
CONTENTS ISSUE
IS
S 12

DEPARTMENTS

6 On the Cover
All the Great Gear Found on the
Cover

8 Editor’s Letter
Always Been This Way

12 Gear Up
The Latest and Greatest
Products
16 20
16 HighLights 36
High-Lumen Flashlights

20 What If?
An Outbreak of Weaponized
Pneumonic Plague Hits Your City?

96 Health
Tested Methods to Train for and
Outlast the Unknown

100 Hands On
A Review of the SPOT Gen3
Satellite Messenger

106 411
Biggest Outbreaks in U.S. History
46 60

52
Product Disclaimer
Prices and details for products and
services featured in OFFGRID are set
by the manufacturers, retailers, and
agencies, and are subject to change
without notice.
 FEATURES

30 Outbreaking News
Separating Fact from Fiction
in the Government’s Response
Plans for Health Emergencies

36 Armored Taco
A Bug-Out Toyota Tacoma Fit for
a U.S. Marine
66
72 78
46 The Master Key
OG Exclusive: Security Lessons
Learned From the CORE Group’s
Covert Entry Concepts Class

52 [N]ice and Warm

A Guide to Keeping Cold at
Arm’s Length

84
60 Trapped
How to Survive a Structural
Collapse

66 Hydro Planting
What Do You Get When You
Combine Water With Your Green
Thumb? Long-Term Sustenance.

72 Lights Out
The Age-Old Chokehold Can
Save Lives When Things Go
South

78 In Charge
Disposable Versus Rechargeable
Batteries. What’s Best for Your
Grid-Down Situation?

84 Freezer Burn
Learn How to Start Fires in
90 Cold Weather

96 100
90 Human Lie Detector
Whether in a Post-Apocalyptic
Landscape or a Random
Street Encounter, Recognizing
Deception Can Save Your Life
006 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12

Cover Photos: Jorge Nuñez;

KITJANAT BURINRAM, WendellandCarolyn, 1 Respirator 6 Lantern
lolon, MCCAIG/istockphoto.com
MAKE & MODEL MAKE & MODEL
3M Streamlight
N95 Particulate Respirator Siege AA with Magnetic Base
MSRP MSRP
$19 per pack of 10 $53
URL URL
www.amazon.com www.streamlight.com

2 Jacket 7 Optic
MAKE & MODEL MAKE & MODEL
Arc’teryx Barska
Camosun Parka 8x32mm Level Precision Monocular
MSRP MSRP
$675 $143
URL URL
www.arcteryx.com www.shopbarska.com

3 Pants 8 Axe
MAKE & MODEL MAKE & MODEL
Kitanica Black MacGyver
Jeans Tengu Ono

ON THE MSRP
$99
URL
www.kitanica.net
MSRP
N/A at press time
URL
www.blackmacgyver.com

COVER 4 Shirt
MAKE & MODEL
9 Headlamp
MAKE & MODEL
Kitanica Streamlight
LWV Long Sleeve Shirt Double Clutch
MSRP MSRP
$119 $75, $85 with AC Adapter
URL URL
www.kitanica.net www.streamlight.com

5 Gloves 14
MAKE & MODEL
8 Mechanix Wear
FastFit Insulated
MSRP
$20
URL
www.mechanix.com

16

12
6
7
 9
11
10 Belt OFF THE
MAKE & MODEL
5.11 Tactical
Double Duty TD Belt COVER
MSRP
$23 14 Watch
URL
www.511tactical.com MAKE & MODEL
Timex
Expedition Sierra
11 Hat MSRP
$120
MAKE & MODEL
Dakine URL
Flip Jungle www.timex.com

MSRP
$20 15 Footwear
URL 4
www.rei.com MAKE & MODEL
LOWA
Palermo
12 Knife MSRP
$150
MAKE & MODEL URL 2
Zero Tolerance www.lowaboots.com
0900
MSRP
$240 16 Rope
URL
www.zerotoleranceknives.com MAKE & MODEL
Ultimate Survival Technoligies
Para 550 Heavy Duty Cord
13 Pack MSRP
$10
MAKE & MODEL URL
Cannae Pro Gear www.brownells.com
The Transport Duffle
MSRP
$120 15
URL
www.cannaeprogear.com

10

13
008
ISSUE 12
EDITOR’SLETTER

Always T
he world seems like a scary place and is getting
scarier by the day — but only if you’re unprepared. It’s
easy to feel like a victim. At the time of this writing on

Been
the eve of 2016, there has been a glut of dire news
filled with catastrophes that struck either unexpect-
edly or over a huge region.

This Way
A female driver killed one and injured dozens of others when she
plowed her car into pedestrians on a Las Vegas Strip sidewalk. In
Michigan, the mayor of Flint declared a state of emergency after it was
discovered the water supply was tainted with high levels of lead. In addi-
tion to the usual wet and freezing conditions, much of the Southeast felt
the devastation of deadly thunderstorms that brought intense winds,
By Patrick Vuong
tornadoes, and fatal flooding. And perhaps the biggest headline grab-
ber of recent happened here in California, where an American-born
terrorist and his wife killed 14 people and injured 22 in San Bernardino.
A week later, the Los Angeles Unified School District shut down all of its
campuses after receiving a threat, which by all accounts now appeared
to have been a hoax.
These events might make the timid and unsuspecting even more
afraid. But if anything, it should make you more vigilant and ever ready.
The world’s not getting more evil or deadly. It’s always been this way,
just in different forms. Death — whether by human hands or Mother Na-
ture’s — has always happened long before instant tweets, online posts,
and the 24-hour news cycle ever existed. It’s just now there’s a lot more
reporting on it (some say too much).
However, our approach to life should never change: acknowledge
that poop can hit the fan at any moment, acquire knowledge to deal
with a variety of said poop, put in the practice and invest in the tools
of poop mitigation, then live calmly knowing full well that if poop flies
toward you, you have the means to deal with it.
One resource to help you deal with oscillating feces is our new site.
I’m proud to announce that we’ve finally launched OFFGRIDweb.com,
which is all sorts of survival goodness — from breaking news and video
tutorials to features written exclusively for the site by Web Editor Patrick
McCarthy (yes, another Patrick!), our merry crew, and (time permitting)
yours truly. It maintains our usual witty style, in-depth analysis, and
advice from the top experts, but just on the Interwebz rather than on
dead trees.
We hope you like it and find it a useful tool in dealing with a world
that sometimes seems cold and uncaring. Just remember, the world’s
never been all rainbows and butterflies, so there’s no reason to start
feeling like a victim now. Study, practice, and observe. Remember: It’s
not paranoia, it’s preparation. There is a difference.
 Editorial.
Editor/ Patrick Vuong
Managing Editor/ Laura Peltakian
Feature Editor/ Rob Curtis
Contributing Editor/ Steven Kuo
Web Editor/ Patrick McCarthy
Photography Studio Manager/ Jorge Nuñez
Contributors/ Conrad Bui, Jim Cobb, Jim DeLozier,
Ryne Gioviano, Michael Grey, Tim MacWelch,
Neal H. Olshan, Q Concepts, Rudy Reyes, Mark Saint,
Andy Schrader, Mike Shin, Robert Swenson, John Teator,
Sarah Watanabe-Rocco
Special Thanks/ Scott Stroup
Art Direction & Design.
Creative Director/ Alan Alpanian
Group Art Director/ Ti Tong
Art Director/ Gene Coo
Advertising.
General Manager/ Mark Han
Associate General Manager/ Danny Chang
Network Manager/ John Schwartze
Advertising Operations Coordinator/ Monica Hernandez
National Sales Offices.
New York Office/ 212.915.4000
261 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Los Angeles Office/ 310.531.9900
831 S. Douglas Street, El Segundo, CA 90245
Irvine Office/ 949.705.3100
1821 East Dyer Rd., Ste. #150, Santa Ana, CA 92705
Detroit Office/ 248.594.5999
4327 Delemere Court, Royal Oak, MI 48073
Chicago Office/ 310.531.9896
Tampa Office/ 813.675.3479
To advertise on this magazine’s website, or any of TEN: The
Enthusiast Network’s other enthusiast sites, please contact us at
offgrid_advertising@enthusiastnetwork.com.

Manufacturing & Production Operations. TEN: The Enthusiast Network, LLC.

VP, Manufacturing & Ad Operations/ Greg Parnell
Senior Director, Ad Operations/ Pauline Atwood
Archivist/ Thomas Voehringer
Submissions.
offgrid@enthusiastnetwork.com
Subscriber Customer Services.
Domestic/Canadian: 888.681.7064
Foreign: 386.246.0439
offgrid@emailcustomerservice.com
Chairman/ Peter Englehart
Chief Executive Officer/ Scott P. Dickey
EVP, Chief Financial Officer/ Bill Sutman
President, Automotive/ Scott Bailey
EVP, Chief Creative Officer/ Alan Alpanian
EVP, Sports & Entertainment/ Norb Garrett
EVP, Chief Content Officer/ Angus MacKenzie
EVP, Operations/ Kevin Mullan
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SVP, Content Strategy, Automotive/ David Freiburger
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VP, Digital Monetization/ Elisabeth Murray
SVP, Marketing/ Ryan Payne
EVP, Mind Over Eye/ Bill Wadsworth

This magazine is purchased by the buyer with the understanding that the
information presented is from various sources from which there can be no war-
ranty or responsibility by TEN: The Enthusiast Network, LLC., or the publisher as
to legality, completeness and accuracy.
Consumer Marketing, Enthusiast Media
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Any submissions or contributions from readers shall be subject to and governed
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BACK ISSUES To order back issues, visit https://www.circsource.com/store/

VP, Retention & Operations Fulfillment/ Donald T. Robinson III
storeBackIssues.html.

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Editorial contributions are welcomed, but editors recommend that contributors
query first. Contribution must be accompanied by return postage and we assume
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012
ISSUE 12
GEARUP
1 MAKE & MODEL
Red Hill
Tibo Striker Kit
MSRP
$150
URL
www.redhillsheaths.com
NOTES
Two things will get you through
just about anything: fire and a
good knife. We haven’t found
a better way to make sure
we’ve got both of those things
handy than this new modular
sheath system from Red Hill
Sheaths. Made from 0.093
Kydex, it’s like a Lego set for
your backwoods EDC. Sold as
a kit with the TOPS Tibo knife
and an Exotac Nano STRIKER
XL firestarter, the Tibo Striker
kit is a configurable sheath
that can be worn on a belt, as
a neck knife, or attached to a
dropleg platform or a bag with
the use of a few accessories.
The Tibo is a minimalist knife
designed by Brian Griffin to be
the most blade in the small-
est package. The blade has
developed a cult following and
guys are dressing them up
with custom, ergonomic scales
as shown. (The scales are
available from Red Hill, but not
included with the Tibo Striker
kit.) Paired with a Exotac’s mi-
cronic ferrocerium firestarter,
the duo can do work and save
asses all day long. The highly
tactile Tactical Stone finish on
the Tibo seen here is a Red
Hill exclusive, and the sheaths
are available in more than 20
colors and patterns.
1
2 MAKE & MODEL
Yeti
Rambler Lowball
MSRP
$25
URL
www.yeticoolers.com
NOTES
Indestructible and ever-cool
(or ever-hot?), the Yeti Ram-
bler Lowball is redefining the
whole drinkware genre. Is it
an elegant bourbon tilter, an
atomic tea warmer, or a su-
percharged coffee mug? Hell,
we don’t know because we’ve
been using it as all three.
While it’s at home at home, its
stainless steel construction
will stand up to camp life and
the abuse encountered on the
road. Add one of Yeti’s rambler
covers for spill protection and
it’ll be your favorite thermal
travel companion. Once you’ve
got yours, go ahead and pick
up an extra pair, wrap them
in some nice, nonspecific gift
wrap, and store them away
as a classy oh-crap-I-forgot-
about-the-wedding/anniver-
sary/birthday/congrats-on-
the-divorce gift.
3 MAKE & MODEL
Hoka One One
TOR Ultra Hi WP
MSRP
$230
URL
www.hokaoneone.com
NOTES
Hoka One One’s DoubleStuft
appearance has quickly
become a familiar face for
footwear followers on the
trail and at the gym. It was
only a matter of time before
the maximum cushion brand
invaded the hiking trails. TOR
Ultra Hi WP is the tip of the
Hoka One One armada and
leads with a blend of running
shoe cushioning with a sup-
portive trekking upper. The
EVA and RMAT foam midsole
combined with Hoka One One’s
unique geometry provides the
brand’s hallmark cushion and
guidance underfoot. Above
the footbed, the shoe’s leather
and nylon upper provide sup-
port and protection while an
eVent membrane promises
to keep your feet dry on the
trail. And no one’s going to
complain about the extra inch
you get with them. Of height,
we mean.
4 MAKE & MODEL
Smartwool
Corbet 120 Vest
MSRP
$170
URL
www.smartwool.com
NOTES
Sure, keeping extremities
toasty and protected from the
elements is important, but if
your core is warm, you can get
away with just about anything.
Whether your day involves
splitting firewood, returning
that goddamned impulse-
bought Fitbit to Best Buy, or a
crisp morning walk among the
pines, the Merino wool lining
and 120-gram lofted wool
insulation in the Smartwool
Corbet 120 vest will keep your
core warm, while allowing your
extremities to vent excess
heat. When things ramp up,
the Merino lining and insula-
tion sheds sweat while killing
odors. The vest’s athletic fit
maximizes moisture transport
and increases happiness in a
way that counting each and
every step you take never will.
4
3
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014
ISSUE 12
GEARUP
5 MAKE & MODEL
Exotac
ManBead
MSRP
$5/each
URL
www.exotac.com
NOTES
Get a grip, man! These won-
derfully machined 303 stain-
less-steel baubles are more
than knife jewelry. They are
a practical tool-retention aid.
Put one on a fob, zipper pull, or
lanyard and never let said item
slip through your fingers again!
OK, yeah, well, a big knot would
do the same thing — but, still!
It wouldn’t be nearly as classy
or aesthetically pleasing. The
uncoated beads are machine
finished and will take on an en-
dearing patina over time. The
0.19-inch interior diameter fits
perfectly on a strand of para-
cord or a double strand of gut-
ted paracord. Made in Georgia,
manBEADS are available for a
limited time in several shapes.
Look for them at www.exotac.
com to see what’s new.
5 enough to strap to a pack or
6 MAKE & MODEL
Chinook Medical
EFAK Medical Kit
MSRP
$95
URL
www.chinookmed.com
NOTES
Everyone balks at the price
of a good first-aid kit. Once.
It’s going to be the first time
you rip into the faux-Pelican
first-aid case that came with
your car. You’ll surely curse
the collection of cheap 1-inch
cling wrap and once-sterile
gauze as you try to control a
serious bleed or immobilize
an extremity. Chinook Medical
sources high-quality medical
supplies, putting in its civilian
kits the same products found
in the kits they supply to EMT,
law enforcement, and military
customers. Chinook’s EFAK
is stocked with enough sup-
plies to care for three people
in case of severe bleeding,
minor wound/burn/blistering,
and common ailments that
call for a selection of topical
and oral medications. There’s
also a CPR face shield, trauma
shears, tweezers, boo-boo
supplies, and more. It’s small
hide under a car seat, and the
contents are packaged and
packed to maximize longevity
and sterility.
6
7 MAKE & MODEL
Lander 8 MAKE & MODEL
GSI Outdoors
Powell Case Halulite Microdualist
Complete
MSRP
MSRP
$35 to $40
$100
URL
URL
www.lander.com
www.gsioutdoors.com
NOTES
NOTES
Nobody said going off-grid
We’re suckers for nesting kits.
meant going completely of-
Stuff that fits together takes
fline. Whether you’re in serious
up less room and allows us
doodoo after dusk and need a
to haul more snivel gear and
flashlight or you’re just going
snacks. GSI Outdoors has been
for a dayhike and want to track
upping its game lately, mov-
how many miles you’ve hoofed
ing from the camping scene
it, having a smartphone can
into the more performance-
be, well, smart. But your device
oriented backpacking market.
needs armor to withstand
Its Microdualist Complete
whatever your outdoor ad-
combines a flexible, lightweight,
venture throws at it and you.
and compact cookset with a
That’s why Lander made the
svelt, high-output iso-butane
slim but durable Powell Case
canister top stove and wind-
for the Samsung Galaxy S6,
screen in one package. The
the Apple iPhone 6/6s, and the
set includes a pair of insulated
iPhone’s ginormous Plus ver-
mugs, two bowls, telescoping
sion. Inspired by the jerry can,
foons, and 1.4-liter pot with a
this case features ridges that
folding handle and strainer lid.
strengthen its body, textured
The stove itself is 5.8 ounces
edges that offer an assured
and produces 10,200 BTUs.
grip, and a raised bezel to
The whole shebang comes in a
protect your screen. (Note, it
welded stuff sack that doubles
doesn’t come with a screen
as a sink. This is enough cook-
protector, so you should
ing power for a couple pound-
invest in one if you haven’t
ing freeze-dried calories on the
already.) It’s Mil-spec certified
trail or on the run.
(MIL-STD-810) and comes in
a variety of colors, including
clear and all black.
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016
ISSUE 12
HIGHLIGHTS
High-Lumen Flashlights
A
great deal can
be said about
having quick
access to
intensely bright
light. Whether you’re fending off
an attacker in a dark alley by
blinding him with a quick burst or
searching for survivors of an office
building collapse, sometimes only
massive levels of illumination can
get the job done adequately.
Eye-stinging devices come in
all shapes and sizes. A spotlight
mounted on a helicopter can
definitely provide plenty of light
for emergency uses, and even the
high-intensity discharge headlam-
ps of a vehicle could be a source
of lighting in a pinch — but their
lack of portability and their power
requirements limit their practicality.
Fortunately, there are high-lumen
flashlights. These go-anywhere
tools can be carried in a pocket,
mounted on a belt, or stuffed into a
pack to be used virtually anywhere.
Plus, they use small disposable or
rechargeable batteries that are
readily available.
So what does “high lumen”
mean? Lumens measure the
amount of light produced by a light
source. Generally speaking, the
higher the lumen number listed for
a flashlight, the brighter the light
you can expect to see. There are
some caveats to this rule, however.
There’s currently no uniform
method of measuring and listing
lumen ratings. Flashlight manufac-
turers each have their own means
Story by John Teator Photos by Michael Grey
of measuring lumens; so don’t
be surprised if a 700-lumen light
seems to outperform one that
is rated at 1,000 lumens. This is
because, other than the lightbulb
or emitter’s brightness itself, a
flashlight’s reflector, delivered
power, and lens quality can also
affect how its beam of light is
projected, perceived, and ulti-
mately rated. For this reason, it’s
recommended that you do your
homework before committing
big bucks to one.
Thanks to constantly evolving
technologies, there is an ever-
flowing parade of flashlights that
are or are nearly pocket-sized yet
can blast many hundreds (if not
thousands) of lumens of light at
the push of a button. As daily us-
ers and avid enthusiasts of flash-
lights ourselves, we understand
that it’s easy to get caught up in
the escalating lumen war that
manufacturers are participating
in. It’s a great time to be a flash-
light user, isn’t it? Join us as we
examine six portable flashlights
that range in lumen rating from a
squint-worthy 600 to a retina-
searing 4,000.
MAKE & MODEL Streamlight Scorpion HL LED Lenser M7RX
MAX. LUMEN OUTPUT 725 600
MAX. RUNTIME 18 hrs 8.5 hrs
OVERALL LENGTH 5.43 in 6.14 in
WEIGHT WITH BATTERIES 4.8 oz 7.5 oz
BATTERY TYPE CR123A (2, included) 18650 Li-ion (1, included)
Constant-on/momentary tailcap push Constant-on/momentary tailcap
CONTROLS
button switch push button switch
MSRP $120 $250
URL www.streamlight.com www.ledlenserusa.com
Coast A25R Fenix LD75C SureFire P3X Fury 5.11 TMT L3X Flashlight

725 4,200 1,000 860

19 hrs 175 hrs 53 hrs 29 hrs
6.25 in 6.3 in 6.8 in 7.375 in
11.5 oz 1 lb 3.9 oz 7.2 oz 6.4 oz
Li-ion Rechargeable (2 in- 18650 rechargeable Li-ion (4, not included), CR123A
CR123A (3, included) CR123A (3, included)
cluded), AAA (4, included) (8, not included)
Constant-on/momentary tailcap Three-button constant-on and mode-select side Constant on/momentary Constant-on/momentary tailcap
push button switch panel tailcap push button switch button switch with rotary lock
$184 $284 $250 $120
www.coastportland.com www.fenixlighting.com www.surefire.com www.511tactical.com
018
ISSUE 12
HIGHLIGHTS
Streamlight Scorpion HL
Capable of 725 lumens of blinding light in its high
mode, the Scorpion HL features Streamlight’s TEN-
TAP programmable tailcap switch, which allows
the user to select between momentary, variable
intensity, or strobe modes. Its body is crafted of
aluminum and is covered by a rubber sleeve that
provides extra grip. The sleeve also covers the
tailcap switch to protect it from the elements. It’s
small size and light weight makes it easy to carry.
And coupled with its high-lumen output, the Scor-
pion makes for a formidable light.
Pros: Programmable controls, rubberized body,
compact size
Cons: Struggling to find a con
LED Lenser M7RX
LED Lenser’s M7RX combines the brightness of
600 lumens and the versatility of a focusable
beam and powers it all with an environmentally
friendly, single rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
The battery can be charged with the use of an
innovative magnet charger that is connected to
the M7RX’s metal tailcap switch. When focused
into a sharp beam of light, the distinctive square
shape of the flashlight’s LED can be seen out to a
distance of 770 feet. The M7RX comes boxed in a
plastic hard case along with a 360-degree belt-clip
holster.
Pros: Focusable beam, magnetic charging,
360-degree holster
Cons: Rechargeable battery only, a bit pricey
Coast A25R
The A25R’s sleek stainless-steel body is capped with a
locking slide focus bezel that allows the user to switch
from an all-encompassing diffused light to a pierc-
ing focused beam. Its 725-lumen high mode boasts a
very respectable six-hour, 45-minute runtime (using
the rechargeable battery). The A25R comes with
three battery cartridges, one for AAA batteries and
the other two for Li-ion rechargeable batteries. The
rechargeable batteries can be charged both inside and
outside of the flashlight using its included micro USB
cable and AC and DC charging adapters.
Pros: Focusable beam, multiple battery options
Cons: Slippery when wet
SureFire P3X Fury
The P3X Fury’s 1,000-lumen high mode allows the
user to use it as an effective search and rescue tool,
signal marker, and defensive weapon. Its 15-lumen low
mode provides useful work light in close to medium
distances. This power-sipping mode stretches its
runtime to an ample 53 hours. The P3X Fury’s body is
composed of a high-strength aluminum body that is
knurled for extra traction and is activated with a rub-
berized click-type tailcap switch.
Pros: Four-digit lumens, solid build, useful
beam pattern
Cons: It’s costly
Fenix LD75C
Not only does this flashlight top out at an incredible
4,200 lumens of white light in its Turbo mode, it’s
also capable of throwing light in various colors, such
as red, blue, and green. It’s controlled by a unique
three-button panel mounted on its side, just behind
the bezel that allows you to switch through 10 modes
and has a rated maximum range of 1,608 feet. It’s Eco
mode can last 175 hours at 40 lumens. All this capabil-
ity runs on your choice of four 18650-size recharge-
able Li-ion or eight CR123A batteries.
Pros: Extremely bright, multiple color light options,
long runtime
Cons: Requires a lot of batteries, steep price
5.11 TMT L3X Flashlight
The TMT L3X is both water and impact resistant and
features an impressive 860-lumen high mode and
an efficient 29-hour, 50-lumen low mode. Its tailcap
switch — which can be clicked for constant-on or
depressed for momentary activation — also has a
rotary lock-out dial to keep accidental discharges
from giving away your position. The aluminum-bodied
flashlight is shaped for positive grip, and its rear flats
help it resist from rolling off smooth surfaces.
Pros: Excellent brightness, lock-out tailcap,
well balanced
Cons: Hard to find any cons
020 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12

WHAT IF? W
es Massey had the sharpest eyes of
anyone I’d ever known, and as we
walked down a busy Seattle street
something caught his attention.
His pace slowed a bit, and I slowed
my stride to match him. Without raising a hand to point, he
simply nodded his head to direct my attention toward a
An Outbreak of homeless-looking fellow who was sitting up against a build-
Weaponized Pneumonic Plague ing. In a quiet voice, meant only for me to hear, Wes said
Hits Your City “Hey, check out that guy.” We both slowed our walk to the
point where people were bumping into us, and tried not to
Story By Tim MacWelch | Illustrations by Sarah Watanabe-Rocco openly stare at the man.
 The scruffy and unwashed old man was coughing up
blood. Red rivulets of spit and blood were running out of the
corners of his mouth, down onto his dirty shirt. Our stride
quickened again and we hurried past him, instinctively try-
ing to avoid the ill man. For propriety’s sake, we didn’t speak
until we were out of earshot of the poor fellow. But as soon
as were clear, we voiced our alarm. “Dude, what the hell was
that?!” I queried. “That was a whole lot of nasty, that’s what
that was,” Wes replied.
He went on to say that he thought that symptom seemed
familiar, like something he had seen on TV. But he admitted it
was not something from the gross medical mystery shows he
relished watching during dinner. I could see the wheels turning
in his mind as he said “No, I haven’t seen that kind of condition
on a medical show — I think I saw it on the History Channel!”
Hope you’re holding your copy of OG with medical
gloves, because this edition of What If? is about to get con-
tagious. This time, we’ve been posed the question, “What if
an outbreak of weaponized pneumonic plague threatens
the entire Pacific Northwest?” To explore our different
approaches in the face of a modern outbreak of one of
the most contagious and fatal diseases known to man, OG
asked three different survival writers to wade through this
infected tale about surviving an epidemic.
For this installment, we have Jim Cobb, author of numer-
ous prepper books and respected disaster-preparedness
consultant. We also have Rudy Reyes, an actor, martial arts
instructor, and former special-operations member of the U.S.
Marine Corp’s 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. Rounding out
the trio, there’s me. I’ve been a professional survival instructor
for 20 years, with three New York Times-bestselling survival
books under my belt — and a horrible case of hypochondria.
Unlike past What If? features in which we wrote different
perspectives based on the same persona, here we’re writing
from our own personal perspectives. Here are our fictional
but realistic stories of pestilence and woe.
The Scenario
SITUATION TYPE
Outbreak
YOUR CREW
You and your assistant/co-worker
LOCATION
Seattle, Washington
SEASON
Late winter (February)
WEATHER
Rainy with highs around 50 degrees F
and lows near 37 degrees F
The Setup: You’re on a working vacation in the Pacific
Northwest, staying at a posh hotel in Bellevue where you’ve
been doing consulting work for a big tech firm. After two days
of work, you and your assistant will spend the next two days
seeing the sights in Downtown Seattle via public transportation.
The Complication: Since arriving by plane two days ago,
you’ve noticed a lot more people than usual coughing and
sneezing — but it is flu season after all. While in a nice down-
town restaurant, the multiple TVs show the same breaking
news report: multiple bioterrorist attacks have allegedly hit
Seattle. Authorities would not reveal where the attacks were
perpetrated and by whom, but said the contagion is most
likely pneumonic plague. The reporter then describes the
symptoms, treatment centers, and recommended precau-
tions. You don’t believe you’re infected, but it’s not known
how the biological attacks were launched so you can’t be
certain. Plus, you’re potentially surrounded by infected people
in a crowded downtown area. The one-to-six-day incubation
period also means you could be infected and not know it.
The New Plan: Just as you and your assistant start for-
mulating a plan of action, firefighting trucks zoom by. Then
ambulances. A few moments go by and just as you leave the
restaurant, you see large vans with signs that read, “Washing-
ton State Department of Health,” escorted by police cruisers.
You know SHTF nearby, and you’re not going to wait to find
out what kind it is.
ISSUE 12
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 021
022 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12
DISASTER-PREP EXPERT:
I
t was the Department of Health vans that finally
made it seem real. Up until that point, we’d felt like
it was more of a hypothetical scenario rather than
reality. But, seeing those squad cars leading the
Department of Health vans up the street was our personal
call to action. At that moment, we had two primary goals.
First, we needed to get back to the hotel as quickly as pos-
sible, while hopefully avoiding any infected people. Second,
we needed information. The talking heads on the network
news programs likely didn’t know much more than we did
at that point.
Thankfully, the restaurant we were in was only a few
blocks from the hotel. I told Kevin to grab the cloth napkins
from the table as we got up to leave. He did so, stuffing
them into his jacket pocket, while I tossed down enough
cash to cover the bill and a generous tip.
Jim Cobb’s Approach
We went outside, and I led us around the corner to a
small alley alongside the building. Firing up Google Maps
on my phone, I plotted a route back to the hotel using side
streets and alleys, keeping us away from the bulk of the
crowds. We tied the cloth napkins around our mouths and
noses. While they certainly were a poor substitute for N95
masks ... well, any port in a storm. As we made our way
back to the hotel, we kept a careful eye out for other people,
especially those who appeared sick. At that point, we had no
idea of the infectious range a sick person might have. This
wasn’t very difficult as everyone else seemed to have the
same idea.
When we hit the lobby of the hotel, I immediately went
to the ATM. I pulled out the maximum cash advance I could
from three different credit cards in my wallet, giving me
almost a grand in cash. Kevin did the same. Cash is almost

always king and I wanted plenty on hand in case we got to a
point where credit cards weren’t being accepted.
We’d flown into Seattle, but I wasn’t keen on getting on a
plane to get back home, or being trapped in a sealed tin can
with a bunch of people who may or may not be infected. I
knew driving would take far longer, but we’d be in a better
position to avoid other people in doing so. When we got to
We were about 300 miles outside of Seattle when
Kevin began complaining of a headache. He
looked rough, haggard, and flushed with fever. We
both knew right away that this wasn’t good.
our room, I jumped online via my laptop and found a local
car rental agency. I wanted something that gave us a little
roo, but wouldn’t kill us on gas mileage.
At that point, we took the time to call home and speak
with our respective spouses. Neither had seen the news
reports yet, so we filled them in as best we could. I told my
wife to give our boys a hug from me and that I’d hopefully
be seeing them all very soon. Promising to keep in touch
along the way, we said our goodbyes.
For years, Kevin and I had been in the habit of mailing
packages to hotels where we were going to stay any time we
had to fly. The TSA wouldn’t allow us to fly with pocket knives
and such, so this was the best option to have some gear with
us no matter where we traveled. We included return postage
inside the box so, at the end of each trip, we just boxed ev-
erything back up, slapped on the mailing label and postage,
then left it at the front counter to go out with the day’s mail.
While neither of us had any sort of full-on bug-out bag, we
each had a Maxpedition Beefy Pocket Organizer with the
basics, such as a knife, fire starters, and first-aid supplies.
Our tech company client had given us all sorts of logoed
products when we’d arrived a couple days ago. One of
those items was a canvas shopping bag, which I took with
me down the hall to the vending machines. ATM machines
only spit out $20 bills, of course, but between the two of
us we had enough singles and change to purchase several
bottles of water, which went into the bag.
We gathered our belongings, which wasn’t much since
we always packed light. One rolling suitcase each, one
daypack each, and the canvas tote with bottled water. Our
survival kits were stuffed into our Vertx EDC Gamut day-
packs. We also cleaned out the room of all soap, shampoo,
WHAT
IF?
coffee packets, plastic cups, and all of those other goodies
hotels like to include. I figured that even if we ended up not
needing them, someone else might.
At the front desk, I just had to swipe my credit card and
provide a signature, then we were out the door. While I’d
been doing that, Kevin had pulled up a walking route to the
car rental agency. We’d have to hoof it for about a mile, but
there was no way I was going to risk taking a cab. We pulled
our suitcases behind us and managed to stay out of most
of the foot traffic. Many of the people around us had tied
scarfs or bandanas around their lower faces, just as we’d
done with the napkins. We arrived at the car rental desk
without incident, and since I’d reserved the vehicle online,
all I needed to do was sign a couple of forms and we were
handed a set of keys. While we still hadn’t gathered a lot of
intel on the situation, we knew we needed to stay well away
from any densely populated areas.
I drove while Kevin worked the map on his phone. The
GPS installed in the car would only give us the most direct
routes between Point A and Point B, which of course would
involve driving straight through major cities. Using his smart-
phone, Kevin plotted a less populated route for the several
hundred miles it would take us to get home. We planned to
drive straight through, stopping only for gas and bathroom
breaks.
We were about 300 miles outside of Seattle when Kevin
began complaining of a headache. He looked rough, hag-
gard, and flushed with fever. We both knew right away that
this wasn’t good. We’d been listening to various talk radio
stations and had heard several times that early treatment
was the key to survival. Antibiotics worked, but only if they
were administered in the first stages of the disease. I hated
to do it, but there wasn’t another viable option: I changed
direction a bit and headed to Pullman Regional Hospital.
We’d beaten the rush, so to speak, as the emergency
room wasn’t overflowing yet. Within an hour, Kevin had
been tested and diagnosed with the pneumonic plague.
They checked him into a semi-private room and hooked
him up to an intravenous antibiotic. I’d called Susan, Kevin’s
wife, and let her know what was going on. She was beside
herself with panic, but I reassured her, telling her that we’d
caught it really early and he should be fine.
My wife was worried too, of course. I managed to swallow
my coughs enough that she didn’t hear. I told her I loved her
and that I’d be home as soon as I could. I hung up and then
collapsed on the bed next to Kevin.
ISSUE 12
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 023
024 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12
FORMER U.S. FORCE RECON MARINE:
A
fter two 18-hour days doing a security job
for a Seattle technology company, we got
two days of R&R to explore the city. My new
associate, Juan Carlos (aka JC), was a former
Green Beret medic who just transitioned out of 15 years of
service. Until recently, he was a local and crashed with me at
the fancy Bellevue hotel. What a difference a year makes —
earning a living consulting for billion-dollar tech companies,
and staying at swanky hotels was so far from my former
Recon Marine life and so many years in the dirt of the ’Stan
and Iraq.
Walking from our hotel, we settled on a cozy little mom-
and-pop coffee shop to start our day. While in line, we im-
mediately noticed several of the patrons looking ill. It wasn’t
just that folks were coughing and sneezing; their faces were
pale, body language weak, and brows soaked with sweat
even though it was a cool winter day. Just then, chatter from
all the shop’s TVs changed and prompted everyone to look
up. A news broadcast reported that multiple bioterrorist
attacks had hit Seattle. Authorities wouldn’t reveal specifics,
but urged people to stay home or seek out local treatment
centers.
“JC, forget your caramel macchiato,” I said. “Let’s push.”
We blew through the doors and bolted straight for the hotel.
As we ran, the sound of sirens filled the streets. Police cars,
ambulances, and state health department trucks were on
the move. I yelled to JC, “Bro, we need to get the f*ck out of
Dodge!” JC replied, “No way I’m dying in a FEMA camp!”
When we got to the hotel, I ran up the stairs to our room
to grab our gear bags while JC went to the garage to get
the rental car. In a matter of moments, we were reunited in
the hotel’s rear entrance. It was clear from all the sirens and
mobile units that Seattle was indeed hit with something. The
idea of being caught in a lockdown didn’t seem like just a
movie premise anymore.
“Bro, it’s time to get real with SERE,” I said, referring to
the military concept of survive, evade, resist, and escape.
But JC reminded me that we needed some medicine and
supplies. “Let’s find a drugstore, quick, and one on a side
street,” I replied. Moments later, we pulled up to a chain drug
store. It looked like others were thinking the same thing — by
the rush of people heading in and out, you’d think it was a
Black Friday sale. An electronics store across the street was
already being looted.
As security experts and combat veterans, we had a small
arsenal of pistols and carbines in the trunk. We got out and
Rudy Reyes’ Approach
opened the trunk, each grabbing a .45-caliber sidearm and
stuffed it into our pants. JC passed me an extra magazine,
and I picked up an Armalite AR-10 and filled the left pocket
on my trousers with extra mags.
JC had a brand new custom AR-15 short-barreled rifle. We
each grabbed empty backpacks that were swag gifts from
our tech company client. Locked and loaded, we entered
the store. Chaos was well underway. We moved quickly to
the pharmacy counter and came face to face with a junkie
who had just killed the pharmacist for a bottle of Oxycontin.
As he fumbled for his knife, I smashed his head with my
buttstock, knocking him out. “Not worth the bullet,” I said.
We split up, grabbing antibiotics, cough serums, and other
medicines. I also grabbed jerky, power bars, hand sanitizer,
and some Quaker Oats.
“On your six bro,” I heard JC call out about 30 seconds
later. “We’re good to go.” I nodded, then felt his tap on my
shoulder, signaling he was ready. “Oscar Mike on me,” I said.
We moved as one through the crowd, who immediately
cleared a path for us after just one look. We exited the
store, dumped the supplies in the backseat, and were off in
seconds. “So, where are we going?” I asked. “The mountains,”
JC replied, as he steered. “I’m cool with that,” as I thought out
loud. With plenty of supplies and the best medic in the world
(who happened to be local) by my side, I felt confident.
We had the radio on, but it was the emergency broadcast
system (EBS) on a loop. We tried to reach our families, but
in typically lockdown fashion, mobile phone communica-
tions were down. I thought maybe we would have better
luck in the mountains. We were pretty well off in terms of
supplies. We had CamelBaks, portable power banks, and a
Goal Zero solar panel system. We also had a supply of iodine
for water, fixed blades, paracord, and some extra cordage
from the laces in my Palladiums boots, along with a good
old-fashioned mylar space blanket for shelter or signaling,
and several magnesium fire tools.
We pulled off the road, unloaded the gear, and hit the
trails. JC knew a great spot about 10 mikes in. We figured
we would hold out there for a few days and wait to see if
we were infected. If not, then we could make it home for
Valentine’s Day. My family was in Kansas City, and JC just
moved his wife and kids to Colorado last week. The thought
of giving the bug to them or anyone else on the way was
just immoral and not the way we live.
We arrived a few hours later at the spot JC hunted as a
kid, deep in the Olympic forest. Now we could make camp,
 WHAT
IF?

hunker down, and keep an ever-vigilant eye on each other.

The survival shelter went up quickly. We tried comms again,
but no signal. The portable crank radio was up and running,
but the same EBS loop was running.
In the Pacific Northwest, water wasn’t an issue, but hypo-
thermia was. Even in this wet terrain, our fire-craft skills had
a roaring flame going in a few minutes. That was essential to
keeping us warm and dry in the Washington rainforest. We
chowed on some jerky and protein bars, and knew we had
enough basics to easily survive — without hunting — for a week
or two in the woods if needed. It was time for sleep. The sec-
ond day was uneventful and still no new news on the radio. I
was angry at myself for not bringing my sat phone on the trip.
On the third day, I awoke to the sounds of JC coughing
and shivering. “Brother, I’m just fine,” he said. I knew he
wasn’t. I pumped him full of antibiotics and gave him a swig
of the powerful codeine cough serum. By early evening, his
fever was spiking, probably close to 103 or 104.
I took his shemagh, put some cold water on it, and ap-

“Let’s hit you up with some

more meds and put you on
the rest plan.” That was JC’s
code for, “Sorry, my brother,
you’re gonna die.”
plied it to his forehead. I said, “Let’s hit you up with some
more meds and put you on the rest plan.” That was JC’s
code for, “Sorry, my brother, you’re gonna die.”
I started my own treatment plan and loaded JC up on
more antibiotics, but it was too late and the meds we grabbed
at the pharmacy didn’t seem to be working. By morning JC
had passed, and my cough had begun. I buried my brother
on the mountain and dug my grave besides his. It had such
a beautiful view. I took some solace that it would be here and
not in some desert, yet it infuriated me that the bastards I
fought against for so long and so hard pulled off this attack
off. I prayed that our families would be OK. I pulled my journal
from my bag and wrote letters to our families. I knew that
some day, someone would find us.
That night, in my fever-fueled dreams, I was with my
brothers and my family — it was so peaceful. It was Valhalla.
026 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12
SURVIVAL EXPERT: Tim MacWelch’s Approach
W
es and I had both stopped eating as we
sat in the restaurant watching the news
report, trying desperately to hear what
was being said, overtop the restaurant
noise and panicked conversations of other patrons. “Plague,”
Wes said flatly. “That’s what the old guy had. Coughing up
blood, he must have had it for days.” The severity of our situ-
ation began to hit home. We were in a densely populated
city, attacked by bioterrorists.
“Let’s get back to the room and see what we can find out,”
I said. I pulled the bandana out of my jacket pocket, the one
that I always carry for 1,001 odd purposes. I also flicked open
my tactical folding knife, another EDC staple. I cut the cloth
in half and handed one piece to Wes. After seeing me cover
my nose and mouth with the cloth in my hand, he followed
suit. We threw down enough money to cover the meal and
tip, then headed for the door.
We were out the door and walking quickly down the
street. Clearly some people hadn’t heard the news yet.
Plenty of pedestrians were walking from point A to B as if
nothing was wrong, but a few here and there seemed to
be losing it. Half a block up a speeding car crashed into
two others on the street. A few people were running and
pushing their way through the sidewalk traffic. One teenager
we passed was just standing there crying. We didn’t say a
word to each other as Wes and I hurried toward our hotel.
We didn’t have to speak. We knew what was on the other’s
mind. How do we get the hell away from all these people?
We made it back to the hotel room, and started to hash
out what we needed to do. “We’ve got to get out of these
street clothes. They’re probably contaminated from the
coughing guy, if not everybody else.” I agreed and threw our
clothes into the plastic laundry bag we found in the hotel
room. We took turns showering and donned the “outdoor”
clothes we had worn during the training. We had each
packed lightly and didn’t have many other options. We also
agreed that staying off the street was the right call, but to
bug-in at the hotel — we needed supplies. On the little hotel
notepad, Wes started a list.
Food, water/drinks, meds, disinfectant, protective gear.
As he wrote, I noticed that he was sweating. I asked him
how he felt, and he shot me look of alarm. “I don’t know,” he
said. “My stomach is feeling weird.” I told him to add some
Pepto to the list, and then I started trying to make calls. The
mobile phone system was already jammed, no doubt from
other worried people trying to call their worried friends and
loved ones.
I tried to call my family over and over, then I finally used
the hotel room phone and had success. My wife had heard
about the “outbreak” as they were now calling it, and had
been trying to reach my cellphone for hours, but the call
hadn’t gone through. It made me wonder if the city hadn’t
shut down the cell towers on purpose, but that line of think-
ing wasn’t helping. I assured my wife and girls that I was fine
and I’d be home as soon as I could…but those words were
beginning to taste like a lie.
This situation was very bad. While I was using the hotel
room phone, I tried another call. This one was to my client
at the big tech firm that had hired us. I was surprised that I
caught her at her desk, and I asked her what she had heard.

Obviously rattled, she said that her company was still ask-
ing people to report in for business as usual, though many
people had called in sick or gone home sick. She also said
that the state health department and CDC was supposed to
be setting up emergency medical clinics throughout the city
to test and treat people.
I gave her the hotel phone number and our room number,
and asked her to call if she discovered anything new. As I was
getting ready to leave the room, I decided not to touch the
notepad or pen that Wes had been holding. We agreed that
leaving the hotel was a bad idea, so the only place to buy
food and drink was in the gift shop. Wes said he would catch
up to me at the shop, but first he had to go to the bathroom.
I went out to see what I could find within the hotel.
As I walked down the hotel hallway, I struggled to recall
everything I had learned in school about the Black Death,
plagues in general, and medieval history. Hadn’t the majority
of the population of Europe died from this stuff in the Middle
Ages? I couldn’t quite recall, but I knew that our situation was
getting worse by the minute. We needed to do two things:
We needed to stay away from people, and we needed to get
medicine if Wes or I had this sickness.
Lost in thought, I went down the elevator and into the
hotel shop. One other fellow seemed to have had the same
idea about stocking up. He had a mountain of snacks and
some sodas at the register. I looked over at the cooler and
saw about a dozen water bottles. I guessed the shopper
expected that the water would keep flowing no matter what.
I didn’t have the same expectation. I took two hand baskets
and filled them both with all of the water, all of the juice, and
several sodas and teas. Then I filled another two baskets
with nuts, chips, jerky, and other high-calorie snacks — clean-
ing out most of the meager stock that the store held.
The clerk was surprised by my purchase and mentioned
that there was a small grocery store around the corner if I
needed food. I thanked him, and explained that a crowded
market was the last place I wanted to be right now. He gave
me a puzzled look, then shrugged his shoulders as if to say
“whatever.” Once the provisions were bagged up, I asked
him to call the front desk to have a cart sent over. I loaded
my supplies on the luggage cart and made my way back
toward the room.
I had gotten the food and water, even some Pepto Bismol
for Wes, but we needed more. As I pushed my luggage cart
past an unoccupied housekeeping cart, I grabbed a stack
of clean towels, a few rolls of toilet paper, and a large spray
WHAT
IF?
bottle with the handwritten word “bathroom” on it. A quick
squirt in the air told me it had bleach as an ingredient. I
threw it on my cart and hurried back to my room.
Once inside, I saw the bathroom door was still closed. I
called through it, “Hey man, you alright in there?” Wes replied,
I vaguely
“I’m sorry dude, I threw up in the bathtub.” I told him that it
was OK, I had some food and drinks, and some stomach remember
medicine. I bagged up the supplies in two sets, adding the waking up
stomach medicine to Wes’ bags. I opened the bathroom
door, slid the bags inside, and closed it again. The stench was to my name
almost too much for me. I headed to the far side of the room, being called,
then proceeded to use the bathroom cleaner to spray down
my hands, every food bag and bottle, every doorknob, and and the
everything I thought Wes had touched. Flipping on the TV, room being
the news said that health department emergency sites would
be up by the evening and handing out antibiotics. That came too bright. I
as a great relief. I knew that Wes had the plague — his symp- also wasn’t
toms matched. And as tough as he was, he wouldn’t make it
without the right antibiotic for this strain of the disease.
sure if the
Before dusk, I headed down to stand in line for hours at the phone had
CDC tent in a nearby park. After the long wait, I finally received
one blister pack of pills. In tiny lettering, it said “Streptomycin
been ringing
— one every 12 hours.” They wouldn’t give me two packs. One or not. I
pack per person was the rule. And I wasn’t about to cause a
scene with the armed guards in hazmat suits standing ready.
remembered
Despite the cold and drizzling Seattle night air, I felt hot as I throwing up
walked back to the hotel. Once inside the room, I slid the pills
under the bathroom door and told Wes to take a pill and set
in the bed,
the alarm on his watch for 12 hours, to take another. and then
With a slight sweat on my brow and an unusual weariness,
I laid down to sleep. My last thought before slumber came
sliding back
was, I’ll go back and get some pills for myself in the morning. into darkness.
I vaguely remember waking up to my name being called,
and the room being too bright. I also wasn’t sure if the
phone had been ringing or not. I remembered throwing up
in the bed, and then sliding back into darkness.
Five agonizing days had passed since I had slipped those
pills under the door. Wes emerged from the bathroom. He was
weak and moving slowing, leaning on the wall for support as
he walked. He had lost a lot of body weight, and his clothing
was stained with every type of filth that could possibly be
emitted from a human body. He looked at the bed that was
nearest to the door, and he saw a man lying there, surrounded
by dried vomit. Wes pulled the blanket up over the man’s face
— to cover those open eyes, waxy and dried out. I had been
dead for days.
ISSUE 12
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 027
028 OFFGRIDWEB.COM WHAT
IF?
ISSUE 12

About Our Panel:

Conclusion Jim Cobb
The pneumonic plague is one of Jim Cobb is a recognized authority on disaster
the more serious diseases that can be preparedness. He has studied, practiced, and taught
used as a contemporary bioweapon. survival strategies for about 30 years. Today, he
The bacterium that causes this form of resides in the upper Midwest with his beautiful and
the plague (Yersinia pestis) is aggres- patient wife and their three adolescent weapons of
sive, able to kill a person within a few mass destruction. His books include Prepper’s Home
days without strong antibiotics and Defense, Countdown to Preparedness, and Prepper’s
modern medical care. Though this Long-Term Survival Guide. Jim’s primary home online is
bacterium is naturally occurring, found www.survivalweekly.com. He is also active on Facebook
worldwide in rodents and their fleas, it at www.facebook.com/jimcobbsurvival. Jim offers a
can also be grown as a living weapon. consulting service as well as educational opportunities at
Pneumonic plague is far more www.disasterprepconsultants.com.
contagious than the more commonly
known bubonic plague, and pneu- Rudy Reyes
monic plague doesn’t present the Rudy Reyes is a former member of Force Reconnaissance,
large dark lymph swellings associated one of the U.S. Marine Corps’ elite special-operations
with bubonic plague. In fact, pneu- units. He ran combat missions in Afghanistan then, as
monic plague can easily be misdiag- part of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, helped lead
nosed as the flu. This makes it an even the invasion of Iraq. This mission was documented in
more sinister weapon, as it could kill the book Generation Kill and the HBO adaptation of the
a large number of people before the same name, which he costarred in. Later, he served as a
authorities understand what was really Defense Department contractor, trained African wildlife
happening. preserve rangers, and authored his book, Hero Living. For
Should this disease become a natu- more information, go to www.rudyreyes.com.
rally occurring outbreak or be used
as a bio-weapon to attack your area,
your best bet for survival is to isolate Tim MacWelch
yourself from anyone and everyone. MacWelch has been a survival instructor for the
Zero contact is the safest policy. Of past 20 years, and has trained people from all walks
course, this won’t be an option if you’re of life, including members from all branches of U.S.
caring for loved ones who have con- Armed Forces, the State Department, and the Defense
tracted it, if you have to travel during Department. He is a frequent public speaker for
the event, or if you have to go out to preparedness groups and events. He is also the author
find the right medicine. Let’s face it, a of three New York Times bestselling survival books,
bioweapon scenario like this is one of and the new Ultimate Winter Survival Handbook. When
the scariest we’ve ever presented as a he’s not teaching survival or writing about it, MacWelch
What If? feature, and it’s also one of the lives a self-reliant lifestyle with his family in Virginia.
more plausible scenarios we’ve ever Follow him on Twitter @timmacwelch for daily survival
presented. You’ve been warned. skills and tips. And check out his wide range of hands-
For more on the pneumonic plague, on training courses which are open to the public at
see: http://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/ www.advancedsurvivaltraining.com.
plague/faq.asp

How would you react to the same scenario as played out by our panel?
Share your plan with us on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/OFFGRIDmag.
 OWN YOUR
ENVIRONMENT

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 030 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12
OUTBREAKING NEWS
Separating Fact from Fiction in the Government’s
Response Plans for Health Emergencies
I
t’s a deeply rooted fear in the psyche of our
culture. What would happen if a large-scale, deadly
disease outbreak occurred in close proximity to
where we live? Our minds quickly run to scenes
from films like Outbreak, Contagion, or I Am
Legend as far as how the public would react and what the
government would do to intervene.
After we stopped hyperventilating about the possibility of
roadblocks being set up, curfews being implemented, and
soldiers in hazmat suits herding infected people into quaran-
tine zones, we asked ourselves, “Are these realistic situations,
or are we victims of Hollywood lore?” We were curious
ourselves about what government protocol is for dealing
eyegelb/istockphoto.com
Story by John Schwartze
with outbreaks and went to the experts to find out.
What is an Outbreak?
Actually this term is somewhat subjective and unfor-
tunately gets thrown around, particularly by the media,
without proper context. However, there are some terms with
which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
describe disease levels, and the term “outbreak” is synony-
mous with “epidemic.” The CDC doesn’t have epidemic
thresholds for every disease, but are always monitoring
disease levels throughout the world. These terms defined by
the CDC can help shed some light on the amount of patho-
gens present in a population at any given time.
 Endemic: The constant presence and/or usual preva-
lence of a disease or infectious agent in a population within
a geographic area. (For example, Ebola is endemic to West
Africa, but not the United States.)
Epidemic: Increase, often sudden, in the number of
cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that
population in that area.
Outbreak: Same definition as epidemic but is often used
for a more limited geographic area.
Pandemic: An epidemic involving several countries or
continents, usually affecting a large number of people.
Health Emergency Response
A health emergency in itself is a complex thing with many
variables. Although the CDC, the World Health Organization
(WHO), and Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
mandate that when certain pathogens are diagnosed at
the local level that they be reported to higher authorities,
such as the Ebola discovery in Texas, it doesn’t necessarily
mean a public health emergency will be declared or federal
involvement is automatically triggered.
A disease outbreak has certain elements that determine
the appropriate response. How fatal is the pathogen? What
ways is it communicable? How many are believed to be
infected? Are vaccines or treatments available to deal with
it? These are all factors that determine the best methods for
treatment and containment when first identified.
“There is not a single protocol for responding to a public
health emergency,” says Jason McDonald, spokesman for
the CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Re-
sponse. “As you can imagine, a disease outbreak is handled
differently from a natural disaster. Even among disease
outbreaks, none are handled the same.”
As examples, the recent discovery of E. coli linked to Chi-
potle restaurants would warrant a different response than
the SARS outbreak first reported in Asia in 2003. SARS is an
airborne contagion, but E. coli is not transmitted person to
person and is usually linked to contaminated food.
Calls to Action
A number of guidelines at the local level, as defined by
the Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and
Response (ASPR) and the CDC, would be implemented to
handle highly infectious diseases like Ebola when they’re
initially discovered. Once the infection is reported and
confirmed, the state health department would report it to
the CDC, which collaborates with WHO. They start monitor-
ing the number of cases recorded through a database of
hospital admissions and discharged patients to track the
trend. Local agencies ultimately make the determination if
more help is needed for treatment and containment based
on the number of cases they are seeing.
States have their own public health emergency plans,
usually available to view on state health department web-
sites. There are some federal programs built to deal with the
consistencies that all emergencies share, but there are also
different programs for different purposes.
“There are public health emergencies that do not involve
diseases,” says Elleen Kane, who handles strategic commu-
nications at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS). “Most public health emergencies are declared for
natural disasters, not diseases. It’s not so much of a hierar-
chy as it is a collaboration.
“Federal public health emergency response is led by HHS.
The ASPR is the primary advisor to the HHS Secretary on
matters of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies
and, on behalf of the Secretary, ASPR usually coordinates
federal resources for emergency response. The National
Response Framework (NRF) guides emergency response in
general and, in that framework, HHS leads the federal public
health and medical response to emergencies.”
In this issue’s What If? article on page 20, we fictional-
ized some elements of a pneumonic plague outbreak and
response for dramatic effect to see how our subject-matter
experts would react to those circumstances. However, there
are so many variables, it’s impossible, even in the event of a
pathogen that serious, to predict the exact level of federal
involvement that would take place in real life.
“There are cases of plague that occur every year. They’re
noteworthy, but there’s not a federal team that gets called
in every time a case is identified,” says Dr. Stephen Redd,
director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Re-
sponse. “There might be circumstances where the likelihood
of the normal route of exposure was not something that’d
be the leading hypothesis, and it might be some intentional
exposure release where different groups would come into
play, including law enforcement. That would be something
where the federal involvement would occur more quickly
than a natural case of plague.”
Just so we’re clear on departments, the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency within
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The CDC is an
agency within the HHS. All public health and medical sup-
port for a state is handled by HHS. Within the HHS, the CDC
is typically the lead operational element in disease outbreak
situations. Just like the FBI or the DEA, their roles are differ-
ent, but they all work together when called upon to respond
ISSUE 12
to emergencies and investigations.
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 031
032 OFFGRIDWEB.COM OUTBREAKING
NEWS
ISSUE 12

The National Response Framework after the designated event or incident. The NRF is man-
Created in 2008, the NRF was developed by the DHS and dated and applies to all federal departments and agencies
is managed by FEMA. It builds upon the National Incident that may be requested to provide assistance. It integrates
Management System (NIMS), which basically serves as a prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery into one
guide to help government and nongovernmental organiza- comprehensive plan.
tions structure their resources to work together to prepare Since no threat exists in isolation and often involves col-
for, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents. It’s lateral damage, the overall goal is to save lives, protect prop-
written in such a way that it’s always in effect. erty and the environment, and restore essential services
NRF uses NIMS to create a framework for coordina- and infrastructure to help communities return to normal.
tion among federal, state, local, and nongovernmental In an effort to illustrate how this would look on a macro
organizations, but it’s intended to be used by the whole level, we created a graph to illustrate the likely domino effect
community. NIMS coordinates the response structure at a major outbreak or public health emergency might trigger
emergencies, and NRF governs resources used during and as it relates to the National Response Framework.

Alerts
National Operations Center
Monitors Threats & Incident
Potential Incidents Occurs Local First Responders
Arrive First at Scene

Federal Assistance
NRF Resources
May Deploy in Advance
Mayor or County Executive
Arrive First at Scene
National Response Framework
of Imminent Danger

Governor Base Plan

Delivers Activates State EOC

Preliminary
Joint Field Office Damage
Provides Coordination Assessment Emergency Support Support Annexes Incident Annexes
of Federal Resources & Requests Function Annexes
Activates Presidential Worker Safety and Health Catastrophic Incident
Declaration ESF #1 - Transportation
Emergency Response ESF #2 - Communications Financial Management Nuclear/Radiological
Team or Other Elements Incident
Deploy as Necessary National Operations
Center ESF #3 - Public Works Private-Sector
President Evaluates Situation and Engineering Coordination Biological Incident
Declares Major Disaster
DHS & Others or Emergency ESF #4 - Firefighting Public Affairs Terrorism Incident
Reports to May Law Enforcement and
Implement National Convene
Response Framework ESF #5 - Information Critical Infrastructure Investigation
Secretary DHS and Planning
Incident Advisory Council International Coordination Food and Agriculture
Activates Reviews Situation, Assesses
Need for Disaster Declaration Frames Operational ESF #6 - Mass Care, Incident
& Activation of NRF Elements Courses of Action Emergency Assistance, Volunteer and
Temporary Housing, Donations Management Cyber Incident
and HumanServices
Tribal Coordination Mass Evacuation Incident
ESF #7 - Logistics
Joint Field Office ESF #8 - Public Health
and Medical Services
Unified Coordination Staff
Unified Coordination Group ESF #9 - Search &Rescue

PARTNERSHIP Federal Coordinating Officer State Coordinating Officer PARTNERSHIP ESF #10 - Oil and Hazardous
Materials Response
Other Senior Officials
State Officials and Private Sector and ESF #11 - Agriculture and
Emergency Operations Nongovernmental Natural Resources
Center organizations
ESF #12 - Energy
External Affairs, Liaisons, Chief of Staff Joint Operations
Local Officials and and Others ESF #13 - Public Safety
Emergency Operations Center
and Security
Center Defense Coordinating Safety Officer
Element Joint Task Force ESF #14 - Long-Term
Incident Command Community Recovery
Post Unified Command Operations Planning Logistics Finance/ Superceded by National
Section Section Section Admin Section Disaster Recovery
Integration of Local Framework
Law Enforcement, Fire Emergency Support Functions and
Department, Public Other Coordinating Structures ESF #15 - External Affairs
Works and EMS
 034 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12
Public Health Emergencies
A public health emergency (PHE) can be declared in
preparation for, or in response to, a potential public health
crisis to deliver necessary resources. This was done in 2009
for the flu pandemic and could include anything from a
natural disaster to a bioterrorist attack — or anything else
the president or HSS secretary believe represents a threat
to public health. It lasts for 90 days and can be renewed or
terminated early if deemed necessary.
The president or HHS secretary can make the declara-
tion independent of each other, but the president may only
do so under the Stafford Act, which authorizes financial
assistance for the response or mitigation efforts. Presidential
disaster or emergency declarations are separate and dis-
tinct actions that don’t have the same conditions as a public
health emergency. Unlike disaster or emergency declara-
tions that typically require the request of a governor (if he
or she feels the magnitude of the emergency goes beyond
the state’s capability to handle it), a public health emergency
can be activated without a governor’s request. A presidential
declaration may be required to grant the HHS secretary
certain authorities.
Quarantines
If you travel, especially internationally, you’ve probably
seen literature distributed about pathogens to be aware of
while at your destination or wherever you may be returning
from. Monitoring ports of entry is vital to defend against the
introduction of potential health threats into our communities.
A quarantinable diseases
list is contained in a presi-
dential executive order. It’s
amended periodically, but it
grants officials federal quar-
antine and isolation author-
ity to apprehend, examine,
or conditionally release
someone who’s known or
believed to be infected with
a disease on the list. States
are responsible for control-
ling the spread of a disease
within their borders. Their
EdStock/istockphoto.com
laws vary on the topic, but can also authorize the detain-
ment of individuals to prevent the spread of disease.
As there are differences between the two, it’s important to
differentiate isolation from quarantine:
> Isolation is the practice of separating and restricting
movement of ill persons found to be infected with a quaran-
tinable disease. This is standard procedure in hospitals with
diseases such as tuberculosis.
> Quarantining is the separation or movement restric-
tion of a well person believed to have been exposed to, or
possibly carrying, a quarantinable disease in its communi-
cable or pre-communicable stages.
At ports of entry in particular, the CDC serves the primary
role for implementing measures to control the spread of
diseases. Public health authorities at the state, local, or fed-
eral level may request assistance from law enforcement to
impose a public health order. The U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) and Coast Guard are required, under the
Public Service Health Act, to assist the CDC in enforcing
quarantine regulations. The CDC, or agencies required to
assist in enforcing their regulations, may detain the travel
of someone thought to be ill for purposes of examining the
cause of their illness and whether it’s communicable.
EdStock/istockphoto.com
Military Intervention
National Guard members have expertise in critical areas,
such as emergency medical response, nuclear response and
planning, and decontamination. The NRF states: “The gover-
nor may activate elements of the National Guard to support
state domestic civil support functions and activities. The state
adjutant general may assign members of the Guard to assist
with state, regional, and federal civil support plans.”
In other words, if the situation calls for it, the military
can and will be used to protect human life. This doesn’t
necessarily mean martial law or things seen in movies will
automatically be activated. For instance, as we talked about
domino effects disasters tend to create, the National Guard,
Coast Guard, CBP, and various other auxiliary organiza-
tions were all called upon to assist in different tasks during
the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and support local law
enforcement. Although there isn’t an official threshold for
military involvement, it may be deemed necessary.

Planning and Reliable Information
If you start hearing gossip of an outbreak on the news,
you should also turn to the experts to gather more info and
precautionary advice than what you may first be hearing.
“Although it’s thought of as an enhancement of our ways to
communicate, the Internet and social media can be very detri-
mental in these circumstances,” says Dr. Robert Quigley, senior
vice president of medical assistance for International SOS. “In a
matter of seconds, information can be disseminated and a lot
of it can be fictional and not factual, and that doesn’t help us.”
The government will use whatever means they can to dis-
seminate news regarding public health threats, but one should
also confirm what they are hearing through conventional
outlets to ensure it’s legit. Websites such as www.phe.gov and
www.cdc.gov provide reliable, substantiated information.
The HHS and the CDC have other resources to educate
yourself on health concerns as well. Training and education
centers for Ebola and other disease have been set up and
the CDC’s Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases is a free
monthly publication that anyone can sign up for (wwwnc.
cdc.gov/eid/subscriptions). Clinician Outreach and Com-
munication Activity calls and webinars are also available to
participate in through the CDC website.
Awareness and Prevention
“The virus that has the potential to be highly transmissible
and has a high degree of severity is pandemic influenza,”
Redd says. “That would be an influenza that is transmissible
the way seasonal influenza is, but has a different genetic
structure, so we don’t have an immunity to it. If that causes
a severe disease that’s slowly transmissible, that would be a
big problem.
“That’s basically what the H1N1 pandemic was — a virus
that hadn’t been seen in people before that was readily
transmissible. Fortunately that virus didn’t have a high hos-
pitalization or mortality rate, but a different virus could be
much more severe.”
As mentioned in the article “Condition Red” in our Winter
2015 Issue, there are common-sense hygienic practices
people should engage in if they’re traveling. If you’re home
and an outbreak is reported, visit the previously mentioned
information sources, be conscientious of your own health,
and take care not to spread something if you’re sick or be-
come infected. Wash your hands often, stay home if you’re
sick, get any available vaccinations before you become ill,
and seek medical attention if you feel sick, particularly if
its symptoms are consistent with any illnesses reported in
public health alerts.
You may also want to double down on receiving health
OUTBREAKING
NEWS
alerts and advice by aligning yourself with an assistance
company such as International SOS, which provides up-to-
date notifications and support to travelers and businesses
domestically and internationally.
The first line of defense begins with the public and their
willingness to stay informed and responsible.
“Because of ease of travel and globalization of our work-
force, we’re always going to be at risk of someone introduc-
ing an infectious disease from an area where it’s endemic,”
Quigley says. “It’s another reason why companies should
have pandemic plans, business continuity plans, best prac-
tices of infectious disease controls in place, and if they’ve
done all of the above, the likelihood of infectious diseases
coming into our community and spreading into anything
more than a minimal outbreak will be limited.”
Health security starts with you.
Federal and
International Plans
You can check out these plans created by the following organizations in
their entirety by visiting these links.
FEMA
National Response Framework
www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1914-25045-1246/final_
national_response_framework_20130501.pdf
National Response Framework (annexes supplement)
www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nrf/nrf-annexes-all.pdf
ASPR
National Health Security Strategy and Implementation Plan
www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/authority/nhss/Documents/
nhss-ip.pdf
CDC
Public Health Preparedness Capabilities
www.cdc.gov/phpr/capabilities/dslr_capabilities_july.pdf
All Hazards Preparedness Guide
www.cdc.gov/phpr/documents/ahpg_final_march_2013.pdf
WHO
Emergency Response Framework
www.who.int/hac/about/erf_.pdf
Global Influeza Preparedness Plan
www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/influenza/WHO_CDS_CSR_
GIP_2005_5.pdf
ISSUE 12
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 035
ARMORED TACO
Story By Mike Shin A Bug-Out Toyota Tacoma Fit
for a U.S. Marine

P
icture this. You’re in one of America’s beauti-
ful national parks with your family for the
weekend. With the family hauler packed
and the sun beginning to set behind the
mountains, you begin piloting the winding
roads back to civilization.
The radio suddenly gives off an intrusive shrill. Your gaze
goes back to the road while in the background you faintly
hear that calm voice reciting a message from the Emer-
gency Alert System, only this time, it doesn’t say, “This is
only a test.”
Highways are at a complete stop. All lanes in both direc-
tions jammed with cars going nowhere fast and with no end
in sight. After an hour and a half with no information coming
over the radio, people begin abandoning their cars to go on
foot, carrying with them what they can. There are chirps and
flashes of lights as car alarms are armed. Worried owners
perform quick walks around their vehicles, making sure ev-
erything is secure. As they walk away, some look back warily
at their parked cars as if to say: “Don’t worry. I’ll be back to
get you when whatever this is all blows over.”
Rather than get stuck in the impromptu parking lot, you
find a part of the shoulder that leads to an elevated parallel
dirt road and pull off to collect your thoughts. The phone
network is down, judging by the telltale busy signal, as well
as the data connection, and the browser won’t refresh.

ISSUE 12

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 037
038 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12

As you look off miles and miles away in the horizon toward The Pelfrey-
bilt Offroad
the city, where home is, you see the unmistakable orange
lightweight
glow of fire, and it can’t be anything good. The pulsating aluminum
glow and clouds of smoke is much too large to be localized. bumper and the
This is widespread, you think to yourself. As you contem- IFS aluminum
skidplate also by
plate what to do next, a thick dark haze begins to form over Pelfreybilt pro-
the highway almost like fog. You squint to get a better look vide protection
through the dying light and see several figures running from hazards.
The bumper
toward your direction on the highway below. Seconds later
also hides a
a swarm of terrified people emerge from the haze darting Warn Zeon 10-S
in between the parked cars. Running for their lives. They are Winch ca-
the ones who had abandoned their cars earlier. pable of pulling
10,000 pounds.
Although the aforementioned scenario is fictional, almost
reminiscent of a current popular cable television show, some
can’t help but wonder, “What if?” For Sean Jennings, as un-
likely as the scenario sounds, he’s not one to take chances.
An adventurer at heart, Jennings drew upon his experi-
ence in the U.S. Marine Corps and his two tours in Iraq, which
put him in a mindset that being prepared isn’t a suggestion,
it’s a way of life.
The Modifications
While this 2013 Toyota Tacoma was built for recreation,
Jennings added that he chose the Tacoma’s midsize truck
platform for Toyota’s unsurpassed reliability and felt that
it would be a more than adequate bug-out vehicle if the
need ever arises. Considering the modifications done to this
Tacoma, we’re in agreement.
Since “Go anywhere” can literally mean just that, the
Tacoma’s independent front suspension was outfitted and
modified for long travel. Both factory upper and lower arms
were swapped for the Total Chaos +2 Long Travel Race
Series Kit complemented by Fox 2.5DSC coilovers. A Total
Chaos secondary shock hoop was added to properly install
the Fox Triple Bypass system. With the front suspension
sorted out, suspension travel was no longer much of an
issue. The rear suspension was upgraded with Fox 2.0 DSC
extended travel shocks and bumpstops with Pelfreybilt
shock relocation hoops welded onto the frame. The factory
leaf packs were swapped for All-Pro Expedition units to
withstand heavier loads.
 MORGAN

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040 OFFGRIDWEB.COM ARMORED
TACO
ISSUE 12

Fox Triple By- tough situation the trail throws their way. Jennings, having
pass shocks of- traveled with his Tacoma through many a trail, wanted to
fer compression
ensure the chips were stacked in his favor when out in the
and rebound
adjustments to rough. Installed on both axles are ARB Air Lockers activated
further refine by an onboard ARB Twin Air compressor. When activated,
the ride.
the Lockers will lock both axles 100 percent, achieving even
greater traction when the factory 4-Lo setting won’t do.
Jennings knows keeping the shiny side up on his rig
is always ideal, but he also knows having body armor for
the Tacoma was necessary for his build. Pelfreybilt Offroad
was called on to outfit the truck with their line of products
consisting of their aluminum front bumper and Hi-Clearance
rear bumper. These components drastically improve the ve-
hicle’s approach and departure angles while providing ample
protection from the terrain and road hazards. The Tacoma’s
undercarriage also received protection with an aluminum
front IFS and transmission skidplate and Pelfreybilt’s rock
sliders round out the Tacoma’s road armor.
Total Chaos
Upper and
Lower arms
are part of their
+2 Race Series
Long Travel
kit, increasing
the track,
suspension
travel, and
height. The
Fox 2.5 DSC
Coilovers with
remote reservoir
Crucial to any overland build are tires. Having the right ensures no
terrain is
size tire — as well as the right kind — is important when
impassible.
you’ve got to run for the hills or if you’re just going on an
off-road excursion with friends. Meaty sidewalls and the right
track were important to Jennings, who opted for 35x12.50x17
Toyo Open Country R/T tires mounted onto Method Race
Wheels’ 105 beadlock model. Although 35-inch tires are a
great size for any overland rig, getting them to fit properly on
the Tacoma is a slight challenge.
To achieve the proper clearance, a cab-mount chop was
required. What this modification consists of is cutting a por-
tion of the frame located on the backside of the inner fend-
erwell, allowing the tires to turn lock to lock without rubbing
against the body and potentially causing damage to the
tires and the truck itself. Further trimming and massaging
of the front fenders, including the Bushwacker over-fenders,
were required to ensure that the tires would clear under full
suspension travel.
Four-wheel-drive enthusiasts have always relied on their
rig’s drivetrains and their driving skills to get through any
 TU
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F

B
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JP
UO

V
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X
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The Interior
Inside, the Tacoma is decked out for long trips. The factory
seats were redone with comfort in mind. Up front are heated
and cooled leather seats with suede inserts by Katzkin. The rear
bench also received the same leather and suede treatment.
Since a road trip wouldn’t be a road trip without music, a
trick custom fiberglass enclosure was built for the audio sys-
tem, consisting of amplifiers and a slim subwoofer, all tucked
away neatly behind the rear seats. A trio of switches control
different functions on the truck such as the onboard ARB
Twin Air Compressor to actuate the front and rear ARB Air
Lockers. What really caught our eye inside this adventure rig
was the sPOD SE Touch Screen controller. This unit can act
as switches for eight different auxiliary lighting systems; this
one was wired up to the bevy of Rigid Industries LED lights
outfitted on the truck. From the rock lights to the lightbars,
they’re all controlled through the customizable touch screen.
ARMORED
TACO
Storage was addressed with Truck Vault’s All Weather
series two-drawer locking cargo system installed in the bed,
in addition to a Line-X coated Cargo Glide 600XL shelf. The
Truck Vault was essential for Jennings’ storage needs, as it
would carry everything from his rifles to his recovery gear.
The addition of an A.R.E. Z-Series truck cap keeps everything
under lock and key.
The Shelter
True to the overland theme, Jennings then added an
XVenture XV-2 Off-Road Trailer complete with an 89x18-inch
folding Galley table, which includes a three-burner range
Katzkin stove and sink. He then took it a step further and outfit-
custom embroi- ted the trailer to be a sustainable shelter with a CVT Mt.
dered Jennings’ McKinley Roof Top Tent. Capable of fitting four people, this
online handle,
“Defconbrix,” tent ensures his family will stay out of the elements. A CVT
into the heated 55-inch awning provides shade and the XV-2 is also outfitted
and cooled seats with a 20L water tank with an electric pump and a propane
for a personal
water heater allowing the luxury of a hot shower.
touch.
The trailer also sustains it’s own power via a deep cycle
battery and an onboard power distribution center, easily
allowing Jennings to hook up additional lights or appliances
such as the ARB 63-quart fridge/freezer tucked in the XV-2’s
storage compartment.
Anyone who has fished likely knows that going out into a
body of water allows you access to a variety of fish and fish-
ing grounds versus being on the shoreline. Luckily for Jen-
nings, he’s got that covered with his Flycraft inflatable fishing
craft. The two-man vessel can also easily be an escape
vehicle on water should options on land run out.
044 OFFGRIDWEB.COM ARMORED
TACO
ISSUE 12

MAKE & MODEL

2013 Toyota
Tacoma Double Cab
4x4 Double Cab
Shortbed
ENGINE
4.0L Six-Cylinder (V-6)
DRIVETRAIN
4WD
HORSEPOWER
236
HEIGHT
80 Inches
LENGTH
209 Inches
WIDTH
77 Inches
WHEELBASE
127 Inches
GROUND CLEARANCE
11.5 Inches
CURB WEIGHT
5,500 Pounds
APPROACH ANGLE
54 Degrees
The XVenture
But say options on land call for two wheels instead of four DEPARTURE ANGLE
XV-2 Off-Road 36 Degrees
or on foot, this Marine has one more trick up his sleeve. Trailer is a fully
Jennings took a 125cc Honda Grom and outfitted it with capable trailer
especially the TRAILER
knobby Maxxis Moto-Off Road Tires, giving the mini street Schutt Industries
way Jennings XVenture XV-2
bike a whole new level of capability. However, Jennings has outfitted Off–Road Trailer
wasn’t finished there. From his experience being out in the his. Equipped LENGTH
151.1 Inches
woods, he knows it gets dark, real dark. With this the halogen with the same
Method 105 WIDTHS
headlight on the Grom was dropped in favor of a single 75 In. (52 In. W/Tires)
Series Beadlock
CURB WEIGHT
custom-mounted ARB Intensity LED Spot light. This single wheels and 1,190 Pounds
light is capable of producing over 8,000 lumens and throw- 35-inch Toyo WATER HEATER
Open Country Camp Chef Triton 5L
ing light over 900 meters giving this Honda Grom enough
R/T Tires as the BATTERY
light to ride confidently during the darkest of nights. Deep Cycle
Tacoma, the
WATER TANK
Now, it’s obvious this Tacoma didn’t get to this level of XV-2’s overland 20-Liter
preparation overnight. There have been several iterations capabilities PROPANE TANK
are further 20 Pounds
of this build before it got to where it is today. Many different enhanced.
parts were installed and removed in a game of trial and error.
But in the end, Jennings found that this current setup was
the right balance of what would encompass his needs for
recreation and survival. While we’ve seen an overland rig or
two in our time, Sean Jennings’ Tacoma definitely reinforces
the saying, “It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need
it and not have it.”
But don’t count on Jennings being done just yet. He still
has plans for more upgrades to his ultimate survivalist rig.
Never leave
home without it.

About the Author Jennings’ Truck

Vault drawers
Mike Shin is a commercial photographer, outdoors are filled with
enthusiast, and an occasional writer. When not photo- the essentials,
from firearms to
graphing assignments, he and his wife enjoy four- his Victor Axe
wheel trips and camping all around California. and Hatchet to
www.mikeshin.com his ARB recov-
ery gear.
Take control and shift the balance of power with Olight’s new PL-1 Valkyrie LED pistol light. Discretely
navigate through darkness with the PL-1’s low-light Blue LEDs to gain the tactical advantage over potential
intruders. Easily engage the 400-lumen main beam via its tactile ambidextrous switching to blind the
assailant and stop him dead in his tracks. There are no victims here.

Easily replace the single CR123A lithium

battery by unscrewing the bezel of the light.

Attach the light via its durable swing arm

www.olightworld.com mount to any Picatinny or Glock® style rail.
046 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
GRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12

WARNING!
The concepts
shown here are
for illustrative
purposes only and
not an endorsement
for breaking and
entering, which
is a crime. Do not
lock-pick without
permission. Seek a
reputable instructor
for more information.
 THE
MASTER
KEY
In an OG Exclusive, the CORE Group
Shows Us How to Harden Our
Security By Defeating It
Story by Conrad Bui
Photos by Q Concepts
B
ugging out is all the rage. There’s bug-out
gear for your bug-out bag all ready to be
thrown into your bug-out vehicle. Bugging
out sounds cool and sexy, but for the ma-
jority of people and situations, bugging out
is Plan B. Blizzard? Drought? An EMP hit? Or terrorist attack
in another part of the country? Yep, bugging in. Even when
bugging out is necessary, it may not be possible. The roads
may be clogged, your car’s electronics might be fried, or a
loved one or member of your survival group is injured and
can’t be moved.
Whenever sheltering-in-place, security of your residence
or compound is paramount. Your home provides safety and
stores your supplies. (See OG’s Spring 2014 issue for “House-
hold Survival,” a feature on emergency uses for common-
place items.) Sure, you have locks, a dog, and maybe even
an alarm (if you’re lucky enough to have electricity), but how
easy are these systems to bypass? And how can you harden
your security before, during, and after SHTF?
The best way to beef up your security systems is to defeat
Didi_Lavchieva/istockphoto.com
it. That’s where The CORE Group comes in.
In an OG exclusive, we attended the CORE Group’s Covert
Entry Concepts class hosted by Triple Aught Design (TAD).
Held in San Francisco at TAD’s headquarters, the CORE cadre
provided hands-on instruction geared toward teaching the
strengths and vulnerabilities of physical security solutions;
how they are attacked and even bypassed completely.
Students received a thorough understanding of the underly-
ing mechanisms, including the tools and techniques, used to
manipulate physical security barriers. We learned everything
from picking common locks to improving defensive security
at home and work.
According to our master-key mentors, Robert Pingor and
Deviant Ollam, once you understand how locks and other se-
curity measures are breached (oftentimes easily and quickly),
you will have the knowledge to harden the defenses in your
daily life. After three days of mind-blowing fun, we bring you
four key lessons we learned about protecting our home and
the precious treasures inside.
Key One: Easy Pickings
In the story Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves (from One
Thousand and One Nights) the thieves believed their stolen
loot was completely safe because of a magic seal. Our hero,
Ali Baba, overheard the secret of opening the magical cave.
One simply had to say, “open sesame” and the magical cave
would open up and divulge its treasures. This magic “lock”
appeared impenetrable, yet a simple phrase opened it.
The same holds true with our home. The majority of us
rely on locks to keep our families safe on the inside, and
keep the bad guys on the outside. The locks on our doors
and windows are simply illusions of security because, after
just a couple of hours of instruction, we were able to pick
common tumbler locks (found on most doors and padlocks)
with simple tools anyone can buy online.
Lock picking is a skill that is easy to, ahem, pick up. Not
only are the tools available online, but there are also videos
and blogs online on how to pick all manner of locks. A
search on YouTube revealed approximately 143,000 results
for “lock picking.”
Besides picking, another method of opening locks is
called bumping (which has received a lot of press). Bump-
ing involves a hammer and a special (yet readily available)
bump key. Insert the bump key into the keyway, twist the
key slightly, add a simple whack of the hammer, and voila
— open sesame. The solution? Upgrade locks to pick- and
bump-resistant ones. The resistant locks cost more, but
have special mechanisms that make picking and bumping
more difficult. This will deter less experienced lock pickers
ISSUE 12
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 047
048 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12
Not all class time slow down the more experienced ones. Getting ready
was spent sitting
for the apocalypse is expensive, so you might be tempted to
on our rear ends.
Getting cuffed, skip on the better locks for a state-of-the-art power genera-
thrown into the tor or the latest-and-greatest backpack. But what good are
rear end of a car, those items if marauders have defeated your dead bolts and
and attempting to
escape was also can forcible take them at will? Upgrading locks and dead
part of the CORE bolts is a wise investment for protecting you, your family,
Group’s class. and your supplies.
Something else to consider when you’re upgrading your
locks is to look at the hinges on the exterior doors. If the
hinges are on the outside, you have a problem. A burglar
can simply remove the pins with very little skill and open the
door. If you can’t alter the hinges, change them to ones with
non-removable pins.
Key Two: Onion Rings!
Front and back door locks are a good place to start, and
layering your security will make thieves and looters look for
an easier mark. Pingor states that, “each layer of security
serves to deter or delay.” Think of your home as a fortress
with concentric rings of security, like an onion. The more
layers of defense and security, the better the protection. The
closer to the center, the more complex the security system
should become.
How many layers do you need? Pingor asks, “What is it
you’re trying to protect?” The more valuable your posses-
sions, the more you want to spend. And, during a collapse
of law and order, “valuables” could be your life and those of
your loved ones.
So, here are some security layers to consider:
Community: Neighbors can be the first layer of defense.
“DBAA rules apply here,” Ollam warns, referencing the Break-
ing Bad imperative of “Don’t be an a-hole.” Be friendly and
get to know those who live around you. Join the neighbor-
hood watch or start one if you need to. Strength comes in
numbers. There may be a doctor, nurse, police officer, or
urban survival magazine editor just a few homes away. Get-
ting help and support from the people around you will be
critical when anarchy abounds. You never know what kind
of skillsets are in your immediate surroundings unless you
get out there and socialize. Neighbors looking out for each
other act as the first layer in a security system.
 THE
MASTER KEY

Gears of Door: Security Alarm: Lights, camera, action! Count your lucky
All equipment
stars if electricity is still up during a crisis. If it is, having lights,
necessary to
practice lock cameras, and alarms around your compound is a big plus.
picking were Cockroaches and thieves hate the light, so have plenty of
supplied and outdoor lighting. Afraid of a power outage? Solar-powered
participants
went home with LEDs make sense for when the grid does go down. Installing
high-quality security cameras will allow for monitoring of several areas
lock-picking from one location. CCTVs are now more affordable and can
tools.
be monitored from a smartphone. Alarm systems can add
another layer of early warning and help deter intruders. Be
sure to place the alarm signs in obvious locations.
Window Shopping: Windows present a major security
risk. While they allow us to see who’s out there, they also let
bad guys see inside. Plus, they’re usually made of thin panes
of glass. So be sure to review our Winter 2014 issue for the
article titled “Securing Your Weakest Link” about how to
fortify your windows against man and nature.
Arm the Safe (Room): Inside, equip your safe room with
a solid-core door with a lock, a spare car remote if your
car is close (so you can hit the panic button), some type
of weapon (like a firearm, knife, pepper spray, etc.), a good
flashlight, and a cell phone with charger.

Lock-Picking
De-Fence: The next layer is on
Professors
Robert Pingor, chief of The CORE Group’s Law
the perimeter of your property. Enforcement Division, has extensive training in both
A fence can serve the purpose the government and private sectors. His policing and
of defining your borders and operations background was honed during his years
keeping four-legged animals at the National Security Agency, where he served
out. The two-legged variety will with distinction in four different specialty units. He
have a much easier time getting has instructed for countless military law enforce-
through. All barriers can be ment agencies — from the State Department and the
breached, and fences are often National Defense University to the U.S. Air Force and
easily bypassed by humans. the U.S. Naval Academy. Additionally, he regularly
Regardless, having a fence is bet- conducts trainings for Black Hat, the SANS Institute,
ter than not. And if you’re blessed and other technical conferences.
Ollam discusses
to not have a homeowner’s association, adding barbwire the finer points While paying the bills as a security auditor and pen-
or electricity can be another layer of defense added to de of covert entry etration testing consultant with The CORE Group, De-
fence (pun intended). concepts at TAD viant Ollam is also a member of the board of directors
headquarters in
K9 Alert System: A guard dog can act as both a deter- of the U.S. division of TOOOL (The Open Organisation
San Francisco.
rent and an alarm. Your landlord doesn’t allow dogs or of Lockpickers). Every year at the hacking conven-
you’re allergic to canines? Put up a “beware of dog” sign and tions DEFCON and ShmooCon, Deviant runs the
get a dog bowl to put outside. Make sure to buy the big kind, Lockpick Village. He has conducted physical security
because a small 7-inch bowl for a Chihuahua will likely not training sessions for a wide range of organizations,
ISSUE 12

strike terror in the heart of a potential intruder. from the FBI and DARPA to Black Hat and DeepSec.

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 049
050 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12
Plenty of practice
time was spent
on picking and
opening a variety
of locks.
Cracking Open the Myths
Myth #1: I Only Need the Pick: In 2011’s Tower Heist, a petty thief (played
by Eddie Murphy) teaches Ben Stiller’s group of misfits how to pick a lock.
He hands everyone a bobby pin and tells them, “Earlier today I taught
you all how to pick a lock with a bobby pin. I want y’all to practice on this
door.” In the real world, Ben and his crew can practice all day and not open
the lock with only a bobby pin. Hollywood often portrays opening locks
with just a pick tool (commonly fabricated from a bobby pin, paper clip, or
sunglasses). The bobby pin in this movie can be jimmied to act as a pick
that pushes up the pins inside the lock, but there needs to be a second tool,
called the turning tool. This tool (sometimes mislabeled a tension wrench)
allows for the binding of the pins and the turning of the plug.
Myth #2: Pick-Proof Locks: All locks can be picked with enough time
and the right amount of skill. Nothing is pick-proof. Still, the pick-resistant
and bump-proof locks are worth the investment. According to Pingor, if
the lock was able to delay the picker or force them to use a different attack
(like breaking a window), the lock did its job.
Myth #3: I Can Practice on My Front Door: There are two golden rules of
lock picking: do not pick any lock without the owner’s permission and do
not pick any locks in use. If the lock is used for security purposes (like the
front door), do not pick it unless absolutely necessary. Picking locks can
wear out the pins, or even render them inoperable, and you do not want
this happening to any doors in use.
Myth #4: My Locks are Modern: The new lock on the door or filing cabi-
net may have a nice shiny sheen, but the basic mechanism inside dates
back to 4000 B.C. in Egypt. The modern pin tumbler lock with double pins
was awarded a patent way back in 1805. Found in doors and padlocks, the
pin tumbler mechanism is the most common worldwide. The wafer tum-
bler lock is another mechanism. Utilized in filing cabinets, display cases,
and cars, the wafer tumbler lock is the second most common mechanism
in locks. It was patented in 1868, and people have been working to defeat
them ever since.
What about valuables? Thieves know that the good stuff
is often in the master bedroom and closet. Pingor recom-
mends placing valuables in a shoebox, which goes in your
kid’s closet.
Key Three: To Err is Human
Yes, and to forgive, divine. Unfortunately, the only thing
divine about errors during a SHTF scenario is meeting our
maker. Having layers of security is useless once human error
is introduced. “Having a $3-million security system is no good
if you have a bad person monitoring it,” Pingor cautions. Hu-
mans are hardwired for errors, and Robert gives us examples.
Creatures of Habit: People typically have predictable
patterns. According to Robert, humans are 93-percent pre-
dictable in regards to patterns of movement. As creatures
of habit, we are reluctant to change these patterns and
seldom deviate from our schedules. Once known, schedules
can be exploited. Leaving our home, compound, or shelter
at routine and predictable times leaves weaknesses in our
security. Going to work, church, or gym consistently on the
same days, times, and routes, creates predictability that bad
guys can capitalize on. Leaving our EDC items such as keys
and weapons in the same places creates vulnerabilities.
Repetitive schedules and routes of guards or lookouts can
also be exploited for attack.
Generally Lazy: Security SOPs and protocols may be
abandoned in favor of convenience. Being lackadaisical by
not locking the door or turning on the security system will
make these systems useless. And what about monitoring
the CCTV? According to Pingor, “You can watch four moni-
tors for 12 minutes before you lose it.”
Multitasking: We can only do one thing well at a time.
Studies show, the more tasks we try to perform at one time,
the less efficient we are, and the more prone we are to mak-
ing mistakes. It’s difficult if the person in charge of security
has to monitor the cameras and cook at the same time. The
result will most likely be poor security and a burnt meal.
Not Observant: This one goes hand in hand with lazi-
ness. Just look around next time you go shopping and you
will notice that situational awareness is rare in the general
population. In public, most people keep their heads down
and, as of late, eyes glued to their phones. Even when look-
ing around, people are generally not aware.
The Solution: Take the creatures-of-habit error and lever-
age that into something useful. Make it a habit of locking
doors, turning on alarms, focusing on a single task, being
observant, and changing your schedule and routes (when-
ever you can). Correcting these mistakes is easier said than
done — you can’t exactly pick up your daughter from school
 THE
MASTER KEY

two hours later than normal due to a change in “security

protocols.” But in the long run it’s worth the effort.

Key Four: Workplace Violence

We spend a large part of our life at work and blindly leave
issues of security to management. With mass shootings
making headlines, taking a hard look at the security at the
office makes sense. It doesn’t matter where you work (a
school, movie theater, building, or small business), paying
attention to the strengths and weaknesses in security proto-
cols may save your life when a crisis unfolds.
Consider the following next time you enter your work-
place and keep in mind the weaknesses of human error,
discussed previously.
What is the security culture at work? There is plenty of
room for improvement if the security culture is simply lock- Breaking free
ing the doors and dialing 911 ASAP. of duct tape
Is there an open-door policy with security? Is management is easier than
you think…but
transparent and straightforward with the information?
not without
Are there SOPs for security? If so, are they being adhered to? consequence.
Are doors locked when they are supposed to be? Pingor Simply raise
your fists above
and Ollam point out that doors leading to outdoor break ar-
your head and
eas are often left open by pebbles, jammed into the corners swing them
out of convenience. downward
How quickly are fired employees spun out? A disgruntled while separating
your hands
ex-employee can be a potential source of danger. Security
and letting
badges and keys need to be accounted for promptly when your elbows
someone quits or is dismissed. pass your ribs.
This escape
The Solution: Start with this list and if you see major
technique could
flaws, address it with management. If nothing will or can be leave a mark.
done, take it upon yourself to create a safety plan.

Key Points
As a prepper, taking courses from legitimate sources like
the CORE Group at Triple Aught Design is highly recom-
mended. Learning something useful, making friends and
getting off the couch makes us happy. A week after the
class, we’re still smiling like a kid on Christmas morning every
time we pick open our suitcase padlock. More importantly,
though, is our changed outlook on home and work security.
During disasters like Hurricane Katrina or the L.A. riots,
lawlessness was rampant. Effective security measures will
help keep the bad guys out. No matter if you bug-out or Security
experts
decide to shelter in place (at work or home), plugging the
Robert Pingor
holes in your security systems can save your life. and Deviant
Ollam (right)
establish that
SOURCES class is clearly
The CORE Group > www.enterthecore.net not all work
ISSUE 12

Triple Aught Design > www.tripleaughtdesign.com and no play.

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 051
052 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12
[N]ICE
AND
WARM
A Guide to Keeping Cold At
Arm’s Length
Story and Photos by Rob Curtis
I
n normal situations, cold hands mean it’s time to
head in and warm up. But, when creature comfort
isn’t available, cold hands can signal the beginning
of dire circumstances.
Why do our hands get cold so easily? Like ear tips
and feet, there’s much less fatty tissue in hands than the rest
of the body. The blood vessels in our hands are also very
close to the surface. So, blood circulating through the vessels
in the back of the hand conducts heat away from the body
instead of warming a layer of insulating, fatty tissue.
Combine easy heat loss with the high density of nerves in
our hands, and it becomes clear why cold hands are painful;
and painful hands lead to problems.
Lead guide for EXUM Mountain Guides, Brenton Reagan
leads multiday technical winter mountaineering trips in the
Teton mountain range. He’s been guiding since 2001 and
has seen how a simple thing, such as cold hands, can initiate
a series of cascading events that could lead to disaster.
“Cold hands reduce the safety margin in everything we
do in the mountains,” he says. “Closing locking carabineers,
tying knots, properly securing gear … these are all easy
things that become difficult with numb hands.”
Aside from hindering dexterity, Reagan warns cold hands
lead to distracted performance, frustration, and, ultimately,
they can compromise one’s ability to make smart and safe
decisions.
The Best Defense
The best defense against cold hands is handwear that
never has to come off, says Reagan. “Every time you have to
take a glove off to do something in the snow,” says Reagan,
“you’re making it harder to rewarm your hands.”
Finding handwear that can keep your hands warm isn’t
so hard. But, finding gloves or mittens that provide just
enough warmth while offering the dexterity needed to ma-
nipulate the tools or objects you’ll encounter in the cold is
the trick. We spoke with Ben Martin, the handwear product
developer at Black Diamond Equipment to find out how an
expert looks at all the choices and trade-offs when it comes
to handwear.
Gloves vs. Mitts
Your first decision is glove or mitten. There’s no con-
troversy when it comes to warmth. Mittens win. Hands
down. Martin says combining your fingers into one mass
of mutually warming blood vessels instead of separating
them in the fingers of a glove is the most efficient way to
retain heat.
 But, gloves are the only way to go if you’re working with
tools. There are a couple of alternatives if you want more
warmth, but still need to use your fingers. Glove liners
inside a pair of mittens are a viable option if pulling your
lightly insulated hands out of mittens for brief periods
is practical. Finger mitts are another option. These are
mittens with a separate trigger finger allowing you to use
the thumb and index finger, but retreat to a balled-up fist
when things get tingly.
Some mitts have inner gloves that separate your fin-
gers. This might reduce thermal efficiency a bit, but it adds
dexterity. The fingerways help the glove move with your
fingers, so when you’re making a fist in one of these mitts
the finger end moves more easily; whereas, in a regular
mitt, you can ball up your fingers (or give someone the
bird) and the shell will remain unmoved.
Whether gloves or mitts, long gauntlet handwear
provides more warmth and easier donning on doffing. On
the other hand (can you believe we waited this long to use
that pun?) big gauntlets takes up more room in a pack,
add a little weight and act as water funnels, catching the
runoff from your arms during any hands-down activity.
Fit
Goldilocks is the rule, here. Too big and you’ve got no
dexterity, not to mention your handwear could fall off. Go
too tight and you’re restricting your hand’s range of mo-
tion while crushing the insulation, which compromises its
ability to loft and contain warm air.
Martin says panels sewn to fit the shape of an antici-
pated posture, also called articulation, contributes to the fit
of handwear. “With prebent fingers there’s less material to
move when using your hands,” says Martin, “and articula-
tion also helps a glove last longer by taking the stress
off of areas that are naturally, and constantly, articulated
during normal wear and use.” Gloves with straight fingers
will always have material bunched up under the front side
of the knuckle and palm. That material creases and wears
while getting in the way of efficient movement.
Seams
Martin says to check out the seams in the fingertips of
gloves. The way they’re sewn plays a role in the comfort
and dexterity a glove affords. Big seams that extend
all the way to the fingertip leave a bunch of material
clogging up the tip of the finger, inhibiting touch and
compressing insulation. It’s similar to a big, nasty, an-
noying seam at the end of a sock, except instead of one,
you’ve got five in a glove, one in a mitten and two in a
finger mitt.
Waterproofing
Dry hands are warm hands. And, sweat counts as much
as snow and rain in this consideration. Martin reminds us
that handwear that’s too warm for a given environment
will eventually wet out from sweat and cause cold hands.
The same goes for handwear that doesn’t breathe. Trash
bags on your hands might keep them dry from rain, but
they’ll be soaked on the inside from sweat and freezing in
no time.
Technical fabrics, such as Gore-Tex, OutDry, and eVent
are effective for moving humid air and sweat away from
the body where they will chill you, but these branded
fabrics add to the price of handwear. Other ways to keep
your hands dry include silicone impregnation and waxed
finishes on leather and natural fabrics.
ISSUE 12
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 053
054 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12
Shells
The outer or shell of a glove has to be durable, pliable,
and provide a good gripping surface. Nothing will feel better
than a broken-in leather glove or mitt. Leather is also more
durable than nearly any fabric because it’s not made of yarns
that can pull or break. It also kicks ass when it comes to grip-
ping things. It falls down when it comes to water resistance,
though. Waterlogged leather is about as bad as it gets. Leath-
er can be treated for waterproofness, though. The downside
is that nearly all leather treatments have to be reapplied.
Martin explains that all leather is not equal. He says cow-
hide is the least supple of leathers. It also gets crunchy and
shrinks when it dries after it’s wetted out. Goat leather has
naturally occurring lanolin, making it more supple, stronger,
and better at dealing with moisture than cow leather. It’s
also thinner. Kangaroo hide is very thin and very strong, but
it’s very expensive and usually only used in gloves where
feel is paramount, say in a purpose-built driving, golfing, or
shooting glove.
Nylon shells are lighter than leather, take up less room in
a pack, and don’t absorb nearly as much water. But without
the addition of grippy material on the palm and finger pads,
you’re never going to hold anything securely.
Insulation
We can divide insulations into high-loft and low-loft variet-
ies. Down and Primaloft, respectively, are examples of natural
and synthetic high-loft insulations. Wool and Polartec fleece
are examples of low-loft natural and synthetic insulations.
High-loft insulation is great on the back of the hand, but
it doesn’t work in the palm. It doesn’t insulate when it’s com-
pressed, and it adds bulk between your hand and whatever
you’re gripping. Low-loft insulation in the palm and fingers
retains less warmth, but has less of an effect on dexterity.
Look for handwear with insulation in places that make sense
for your use.
Natural down is the gold standard when it comes to
high-loft insulation. Nothing is warmer for its weight, but it’s
expensive, ineffective when wet, and its slippery and super-
fine nature make it difficult to retain in fabric shells. Down
treated with silicone and other modifiers help it maintain
its loft when wet, but the coatings reduce down’s thermal
effectiveness, and they wear off over time.
High-loft synthetics create air spaces that trap air using
a wild matrix of polyester fibers to create a lofty structure.
They insulate nearly as well as down, cost less, and aren’t
compromised by moisture.
Low-loft insulations use finer fibers to create tighter
air-trapping structures than high-lofting materials. Low loft
doesn’t provide as much warmth as high loft, but its density
offers warmth with less bulk.
Material Mapping
None of the materials on their own are a silver bullet solu-
tion for keeping your hands warm and dry. Good handwear
combines materials to provide the best compromise be-
tween protection and dexterity for the area of the hand it’s
on. Things to look for: Leather palms or textured panels for
good grip; reinforcement panels in high wear areas; high-loft
insulation on the back of the hand; thin, non-shearing insula-
tion in the palm; gauntlets that seal the handwear effectively,
retain heat, and repel water without getting in the way.
Simple Metrics
We did some informal heat retention testing of all the
handwear in this guide to get a baseline for comparison. We
put a solid hunk of oven-hardened, room-temperature clay,
roughly the size of a baby’s fist in each piece of handwear
and put them all in a 0 degree F freezer, taking temperature
readings at 20 and 60 minutes. This gave us an idea how
much heat each piece gave up and how quickly. Keep in
mind this is only one highly artificial metric, and it doesn’t
reflect the handwear’s ability to handle snow, rain, or wind.
But it does help us sort the gloves in terms of pure insulat-
ing value.
We did find something interesting in the freezer test.
When evaluating the insulating abilities of the Mammut
Cover Mitten, an uninsulated fabric cover meant to bless any
handwear with wind and water-resistant properties, we were
surprised to find it added 30 degrees of warmth on its own.
This tells us that wrapping your hands in dead leaves or
sandwich bags may help stave off frostbite in a dire situation.
Final Thoughts
All of the considerations mentioned above affect the
cost of a glove, and glove prices are all over the place. Time
spent cutting, sewing, and sealing seams is a primary driver
in the cost of a glove. Highly articulated forms mean more
fabric panels, and more panels mean more seams to stitch
and seal. Also, consider insulating ability as the primary, but
not the only factor that determines how well a given set of
handwear will work for you.
Whether an emergency forces you into a great white
expanse, you’re working or playing out in the cold, or you’re
just looking for something to keep your hands warm while
scraping the ice off your windshield, there are a ton of great
options. We’ve gathered an array of gloves and mittens that
we’d consider getting a hold of.
 BUYER’S GUIDE [N]ICE AND
WARM
GLOVE
Arc’teryx
Lithic Glove COLORS NOTES
Black, Crimson Flame This glove was designed by madmen bent on performance at any cost. It uses
three different kinds of synthetic Primaloft insulation, maximizing the benefits
PALM MATERIAL
Gore-Tex with TPU Grip of each kind of insulation in the fingers, back and palm of the hand. Two different
Panels weights of lofty Primaloft Silver insulation are layered on the back of the hand
while the palm and fingers get PrimaLoft Gold Insulation Eco with Grip Control.
BASE MATERIAL This is a denser insulation that helps the inner and outer faces of the glove stay
Gore-Tex Waterproof/ in line when you’re grabbing things.
Breathable Something present in the Lithic we didn’t see in any other glove is an insulated
3-Layer Laminate
draft tube that stops heat from wafting out at the wrist. The glove also features
INSULATION Arc’teryx’s Tri-Dex finger patterning, which means there are no seams at the
Primaloft (Synthetic) fingertips for maximum dexterity. Heavy articulation gets rid of all the excess
material that would otherwise bunch up under every joint of the hand when grip-
MSRP ping anything. Burly Gore-Tex fabric with laminated thermoplastic polyurethane
$249 grip panels on the palm and a highly breathable Gore-Tex fabric on the back of
URL the hand keep weather out while promising many seasons of use. Unfortunately,
www.arcteryx.com all this means a steep price.
PERFORMANCE
Few gloves, if any, combine the qualities of warmth, weather protection, and
dexterity so well as the Lithic. It’s a rare glove that lets you open up and dig
through a pack for a set of batteries without having to take them off. Not a great
value if you only use them for static activities, but when it comes to keeping your
hands warm and dry during active pursuits, the Lithic glove is unequaled.

GLOVE
Camelbak
Cold Weather Gloves

COLORS NOTES
Black Camelbak’s cold weather entry is purpose-built
for the military market. Thinsulate insulation
PALM MATERIAL does an adequate job staving off the freeze while
Leather leaving enough feel to work on vehicles or fire a
BASE MATERIAL rifle. The index finger is uninsulated beyond the
Nylon last knuckle for better trigger feel. Padding offers
protection for the lower knuckles while adding a
INSULATION little insulation. A gutted 550-cord loop sewn at
Thinsulate (Synthetic) the wrist helps keep track of the gloves and helps
putting them on.
MSRP
$56 PERFORMANCE
The gloves fit true to size and wear well. A Vel-
URL cro strap keeps things in place, and the whole back
www.camelbak.com of the thumb is a neoprene snot pad. The alligator
pattern on the leather palm supplies excellent
grip. But, all four seams of the box sewn fingers
meet up at the fingertip and don’t help the glove’s
feel at all. They aren’t the most thermally efficient
gloves in the bunch, but they’re going to keep
your hands from freezing while chopping wood or
hooking up a trailer. They definitely won’t cut it for
a long patrol unless Odin is really smiling on you.

GLOVE
Carhartt
Fleece Duck Glove

COLORS NOTES
Black, Brown, Gravel These polyester fleece gloves feel a little bit
lighter than a college sweatshirt. But, the tiny
PALM MATERIAL
voids trap a lot more air than the knitted fabric of
Polyester Fleece w/
Polyurethane Grip your favorite leaf raking uniform. We pulled these
Panels synthetic fleece Carhartts off a discount rack and
used them for an afternoon of early winter fence
BASE MATERIAL mending in northern New England. Rubberish grip
Polyester Fleece panels across the palms helped give some grip to
the otherwise frictionless fleece.
INSULATION
None PERFORMANCE
The fleece snagged on every splinter in the
MSRP fence boards and every swing of the hammer
$23 brought visions of Thor loosing Mjölnir upon the
URL horses in the adjacent pasture. The gloves hold
www.carhartt.com more heat than they should by looking at them,
but it’s still not that much. Fine dog walkers, and
a step above “better than nothing.”
056 OFFGRIDWEB.COM BUYER’S GUIDE
GLOVE
Faded Glory
Ski Gloves COLORS NOTES
Black Walmart. It’s where we go when buying new socks is
cheaper than doing laundry in the hotel. It’s also home
PALM MATERIAL
Silicon-Coated Nylon to the Faded Glory brand of clothing. We aren’t sure
Strip what glory this brand once attained, but it’s tough to
imagine anything more faded than a crinkly, $10 poly-
BASE MATERIAL ester hand marked with the words “Hecho en China”
Polyester laying on the floor of a Walmart men’s department.
Polyester inside and out, with more polyester loft
INSULATION
Polyester (Synthetic) insulation in the middle. A strap across the back holds
them in place and a cordloc on a shock cord attempts
MSRP to seal the wrist.
$10
PERFORMANCE
URL In the freezer, the Faded Glory Ski Glove looked like
www.walmart.com it could outshine it’s price tag and hang with the big
gloves. In the real world, though, the glove’s lack of
articulation means the insulation and fabric bunch up
in the palm. Waterproofing isn’t a bright spot, either.
Loose seams and wandering stitches could be forgiven
on a bargain basement glove, but when you add poor
dexterity, water ingress at the seams, and the idea
the gloves could unravel at any time, you can do much
better for a few bucks more elsewhere.

GLOVE
FlyLow Gear
Tough Guy Glove

COLORS NOTES
Blue/Tan Pig skin and cotton canvas doesn’t seem like a
formula for a warm glove, and it’s not really that
PALM MATERIAL
Pig Leather w/Wax warm. But warmth alone may not be the only criterion
Treatment you’re considering. If you work outside in the winter,
you’ll find the natural grippiness of the pig skin a
BASE MATERIAL plus. Blessed with hot hands? The breathable cotton
Cotton Canvas on the back of these gloves will be a further blessing.
The light layer of polyester insulation throughout the
INSULATION
glove keeps things warm enough without destroying
Space Loft (Polyester
Synthetic) the ability to complete gross motor skill tasks. The
triple baked-in application of Sno-Seal natural wax
MSRP provides a waterproof finish for the leather areas.
$32 PERFORMANCE
URL The Tough Guy Glove is what hardware store work
www.flylowgear.com gloves aspire to. Ten days of use and you’ve broken in
your favorite winter truck gloves. Putting chains on a
tire or pulling an injured person to safety in a tobog-
gan won’t leave you with bloody, raw hands. On the
contrary, the more you beat up on these gloves, the
more you’ll miss them when it comes time to buy a new
pair … or when a buddy recognizes their awesomeness
and “borrows” them indefinitely.

GLOVE
Mammut
Climb Glove

COLORS NOTES
Black The glove isn’t meant for bivouacking
on a frigid mountainside, but for the sweat-
PALM MATERIAL soaked ascent that demands maximum
Goat Leather tactility and control of the tools of ascen-
BASE MATERIAL sion. If you can feel the warmth of sun on
Elastane your back and hear the dripping of icicles
around you, chances are the Climb Glove
INSULATION will be enough to keep your fingers from
None resembling a 10-pack of pink Popsicles as
long as you’re focused on the up.
MSRP
$79 PERFORMANCE
Winter in icy New England and the
URL mountains of western Wyoming aren’t
www.mammut.com anything like the temperate-ish conditions
found across most of the Southern U.S. So,
if you don’t need a cold weather hero glove
for your climate, or you live in the cold but
you’re all about touch and control, check
out the Climb Glove.
 [N]ICE AND
WARM
GLOVE
Mechanix Wear
Winter Impact Pro Glove COLORS NOTES
Black We’ll forgive you if you look down on Mechanix gloves because
they are everywhere. We can’t walk through a Home Depot with-
PALM MATERIAL out seeing some Wilford Brimley type massaging his be-
Leather knuckled meat beaters through a pair of over-branded gloves.
BASE MATERIAL That mass-market appeal has funded a fine line of gloves on the
Nylon w/Hipora other end of the spectrum, though. The hard-charging end, we
Membrane mean. There are more features, useful features, crammed into
this glove than there is Botox in Donatella Versace’s forehead.
INSULATION
Thinsulate Thinsulate insulation, Hipora waterproof/breathable membrane,
dual layered leather palm, a touchscreen compatible finger …
MSRP we’re running outta room here.
$39
PERFORMANCE
URL This glove comes close to the freezer performance of a ski
www.mechanix.com glove. That’s pretty impressive for a low-loft–insulated glove.
It’s waterproof, though the leather wet out after 40 minutes of
stacking wet brush during a light rain. No moisture got through
the membrane, but the water did seep in at the wrist. Nothing
anyone can do about that. But when you’re outside doing yard
work in wet weather cold enough to see your breath, and your
hands aren’t screaming, it’s time to thank Mr. Brimley. As much as
we like the warmth, the glove is stiff across the back and the non-
articulated fingers gather a lot of leather when clenching a fist.

GLOVE
Mountain Hardwear
Typhoon Outdry Glove

COLORS NOTES
Black, Brown The Outdry Typhoon is a serious wet
weather glove. It can keep hands dry in
PALM MATERIAL ways that would interest Moses. It’s two
Leather gloves in one. Instead of a slippery liner
BASE MATERIAL sliding around inside a slippery outer glove,
Polyester w/OutDry though, Outdry technology allows the
Membrane outer glove to be lined with a waterproof
membrane and a nonslip, protective backer.
INSULATION
Polartec Power Stretch In turn, a regular fleece liner provides
decent warmth, and no slippage between
MSRP glove and liner.
$135
PERFORMANCE
URL The leather palm is durable, but we
www.mountainhardwear.com found the smooth leather very slippery.
So much that we’d hit it with a few light
passes of 120-grit sandpaper to keep from
dropping carried items. While the glove
shrugged off ice and snow from an all day
adventure, it didn’t retain as much warmth
as we’d hoped. This is an ideal spring skiing
or overland travel glove. The glove and liner
system offers more options to extend wear.

GLOVE
Smartwool
Ridgeway Glove

COLORS NOTES
Black, Buck Wool is one of our favorite performance fab-
rics. But, when we think of wool handwear, they’re
PALM MATERIAL the big, hairy, ivory-colored beasts popular in the
Leather ’70s. Since we weren’t eager to teleport back to
BASE MATERIAL the time of bell-bottoms and the Brady Bunch, the
Leather/Wool Ridgeway didn’t get much wear time. At first.
PERFORMANCE
INSULATION
Wool lining It turns out, like most things in life, a strong
negative reaction can lead to a stronger bond
MSRP than one that begins with a “meh.” Once we gave
$80 it a chance, the Ridgeway became a favorite yard
glove. The soft leather grabbed everything like
URL caterpillar feet. The lining never hinted at the itch
www.smartwool.com we remembered from our childhood. And warm?
Yes. Even when they were wetted out with slushy
snow, the wool kept the frost at bay. As a SHTF
glove, the boxy fingers aren’t great for pulling
triggers, but they are naturally fire resistant.
058 OFFGRIDWEB.COM BUYER’S GUIDE
MITTS
Astis
Naddodd Mitten COLORS NOTES
Tan It’s cool if you don’t like the way the Naddodd
Mitten’s look as much as we do. That red shield with a
PALM MATERIAL white deer skull? We dig it. The name? Naddodd was
Suede Leather a Viking who discovered Iceland. It seems like a good
BASE MATERIAL name for glove made for getting out and exploring
Silicone-Injected frosty lands. On the flip side, this pair is pricey.
Suede Leather
PERFORMANCE
INSULATION We were shocked at how functional these mitts
Polartec Thermal Pro were. We used them skiing on a nasty, wet snowmak-
ing day that approximates activities ranging from
MSRP snowmobiling to sled dog racing, and we couldn’t
$195
believe how much grip the silicon-injected, water-
URL proof suede leather provided on ski poles. The Kevlar
www.astis.com stitching holding the thick leather mitts together
might mean the Naddodds are going to withstand
heavy use. Being leather, the more use they see, the
more comfortable they become. Astis handwear was
born a few years ago, and its products are handmade
in the states, and that wouldn’t matter a lick if the
mitts weren’t well made. The craftsmanship in these
mitts is on par with the warmth, dexterity, and
protection they provide.

MITTS
Black Diamond
Guide Finger

COLORS NOTES
Natural, Black The most practical approach to massively
warm and useful handwear, the BD Guide Finger
PALM MATERIAL combines all the durability and comfort of leather
Goat Leather with the insulating properties of carefully mapped
BASE MATERIAL out array of Primaloft Gold hi-loft, Polartec Fleece
Nylon/Gore-Tex Water- and Boiled wool insulation. Aside from the dexter-
proof/Breathable Liner ous benefits of a claw mitten, there’s even some
INSULATION foam padding on the knuckles, and a Cyberian
Primaloft Gold/ cord lock for one-handed open and closing of the
Polartec Fleece/Boiled gauntlet.
Wool PERFORMANCE
MSRP Out in the open these mitts are warm. They are
$170 equally warm in a driving wind and can sluff off
snow and rain for hours. Like any leather, though
URL the innards will remain dry, extended use in rain
www.blackdiamond will lead to the leather wetting out and weighing
equipment.com
a ton. Still, with dry warm hands on the inside,
you’ve got options. Probably the second warmest
feeling handwear we donned for this test, it’s
without a doubt the best combination of warmth,
comfort, and dexterity in any handwear presented
here.

MITTS
Mammut
Cover Mitten

COLORS NOTES
Black Take just about any glove or mitten and
add the Cover Mitten to give it hand-
PALM MATERIAL
wear superpowers. It’s a windproof and
DRYtech Waterproof/
Breathable 2.5 Layer waterproof hard shell for your hands that
Laminate extends the host handwear’s usable range
downward by trapping more air, too.
BASE MATERIAL
DRYtech Waterproof/ PERFORMANCE
Breathable 2.5 Layer We used the Cover mitts with a pair of al-
Laminate ready warm Hestra ski mittens. The covers
added warmth to them by keeping the cold
INSULATION mist and wet man-made snow from sticking
None
to the original mittens. The beauty is how
MSRP small and light these are compared to the
$69 utility they provide. Ball them up and shove
them in a pocket, and you’ll forget about
URL them. The best part is how stoked you’ll
www.mammut.com be in your hour of need when you realize
you’ve got them.
 [N]ICE AND
WARM
MITTS
Montane
Super Prism Mitt COLORS NOTES
Black The Super Prism is a super packable mitten
suitable for any medium output endeavor. The
PALM MATERIAL
Hypalon (Synthetic mitts are filled with a light load of Primaloft
Rubber) Gold high-loft insulation. As small as they pack
up, they’re well suited for emergency use. They
BASE MATERIAL are thin enough to wear inside a larger mitt in a
Pertex Waterproof/ pinch. But, on their own they have all the features
Breathable
you’d need for a cross-country trip around or
INSULATION down a mountain.
Primaloft Gold
PERFORMANCE
MSRP The shells are a little on the delicate side, a
$64 by-product of their packability, so climbing over
rocks isn’t on their resume. But, keeping a pair
URL stashed in glove compartment or pack pocket
www.montane.co.uk could save your bacon stuffers. The light insula-
tion will keep you warm below freezing with just a
little activity.

MITTS
Mountain Hardwear
Absolute Zero Mitt

COLORS NOTES
Black, State Orange When it’s time to attack the mountain, or
brave what could be the worst conditions
PALM MATERIAL you’ll ever face, it’s the Absolute Zero you’ll
Polyester w/Grip Dots want on your hands. The treated 800-fill
BASE MATERIAL power down surrounds the hand, so there’s
Ripstop Polyester w/OutDry no fine finger work happening with these.
Waterproof/Breathable But, they’re roomy enough for a glove liner
Membrane so you can pull your hands out and in to
INSULATION get things done. There’s a synthetic suede
Q.Shield-Treated 800-Fill nose wipe, a wicking fleece liner and loops
Down w/Polyester Fleece so you can clip them for safe keeping.
Liner However, you get what you pay for, so for
these top-quality gloves, you’re gonna have
MSRP to shell out a bit.
$180
PERFORMANCE
URL Warm, dry, and absolutely impervious to
www.mountainhardwear.com the weather, your hands will sweat in any-
thing but well below freezing temps. We’ll
say the Absolute Zero is as close as we’ll
get in this universe to shoving our hands in
a dying Tauntaun … without the smell.

MITTS
Stormy Kromer
Tough Mitts

COLORS NOTES
Black, Charcoal Stormy Kromer is a 115-year-old brand that
started on the American railroad. Their Tough
PALM MATERIAL Mitts combine wool and leather to make a
Goat Leather functional, but good looking mitt that’ll serve
BASE MATERIAL admirably as hand warmers for your daily winter
Wool commute. But, when things go sideways, the
Tough Mitts can prove their metal beyond what
INSULATION flimsy Isotoner driving gloves can provide.
Polyester Pile Lining
PERFORMANCE
MSRP Slipping the Tough Mitts on provides instant
$60 access to the warmth of a pile lining, unlike
knitted or woven liners that take a minute or two
URL to warm up. The leather provides great grip and
www.stormykromer.com warmth when wet. These are durable enough for
years of regular use and their mild-mannered ap-
pearance won’t betray your inner prepper.
060 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12 WEB.COM
TRAPPED
How to Survive a Structural Collapse
Story and Photos By Andy Schrader
I
t’s a windy day, but you don’t notice. You’ve been
holed up at home playing Fallout 4 for the past
two days and haven’t seen the weather reports.
Suddenly, there’s a thunderous sound of windows
breaking and columns cracking. The roof caves
in, and you’re pancaked under tons of steel, wood, and
concrete. What do you do?
Wind storms are possible throughout most of the country.
Although a tornado brings wind speeds of up to 300 mph,
its path is generally no wider than a mile. This makes the
damage more localized and easier to access for respond-
ers. Although they have lower wind speeds, hurricanes may
clear a path wider than 100 miles, which is more likely to
spread rescuers out too thin.
If and when this happens, rescue teams will be in short
supply — assuming that, given blocked roads and other haz-
ards, they can even reach those most in need. In that case,
everyday civilians must start the job themselves. Search and
rescue will become self-search and self-rescue. Knowledge
and preparation could make the difference in saving yourself
and others, or waiting in vain for the government to arrive.
shaunl/istockphoto.com
 airplane hangars, marina structures, etc. “Big box” stores like
Home Depots or Walmarts aren’t much better given their
long, unsupported roof spans.
In extreme cases, if you have advance notice of the
incoming storm, consider breaking into buildings — this
is a true, life-and-death emergency, right? — that are three
stories or higher because they’re more heavily reinforced
and subject to more stringent requirements. Or even better,
consider specially reinforced structures like federal gov-
ernment buildings and hospitals, with public schools as a
second-best option. Unless they’re made of old-school brick,

lisafx/istockphoto.com
their skeletons are more likely made of reinforced concrete
or heavy steel frame. High-rise glass curtain wall buildings
are an option as well; even if all of their windows blow out (a
frequent occurrence) they remain structurally stable during
high wind events.
Before the Storm Once the wind picks up, put your egress (escape) bag on
Protection of window openings is critical during high-wind and don’t take it off. If you’re trying to sleep, sleep with it on. If
events. If windows blow out and wind gets inside a typical and when things start happening, they’ll happen faster than
residential home, the roof may quickly blow off. Pre-cut, you think. You won’t have time to look for it. Keep your phone
In single-family
location-labeled 5/8-inch plywood panels with pre-drilled houses, the charged as best you can at all times. Once the cell network
holes work well, assuming that the screws are kept in a gable end of the opens back up (and it will) it has been proven to save lives by
safe place. If thick plywood is too bulky and heavy for easy roof is usually helping rescuers locate victims. Turn off any accessible utili-
the weakest link.
installation, consider polycarbonate hurricane panels. These ties, including water, power, and gas lines. This will lessen the
(Image cour-
plastic sheets are about one-quarter the weight of plywood tesy of Simpson chance of fire and/or electrocution when those lines break.
and clear enough to transmit light. Strong-Tie (See sidebar for a tool that can help you here.)
Company.)
Even if your home is made of concrete block, a common
weak link may exist where the wood-frame gable end of the
roof connects to the walls. Remember that part in Top Gun
when the F-14’s canopy blew off and then the ejection seat
rocketed through? Of course you do. Think of that gable
end connector like a fragile latch that holds your roof (F-14
canopy) in place. If the latch goes, everything else goes with
it. And Goose dies.
Once the home is “safed-up” as best as possible, listen
closely for evacuation orders. If they come, and if it’s at all
possible, then get the hell out of Dodge. It’s not a badge of
honor to stoically remain — it’s foolhardy. If the storm hits
hard, it could take weeks for supplies, power, and water
to be restored. And if the supply cache and water storage
basins you worked so hard to make are destroyed in the
storm, what then?
If evacuation is really, truly impossible (and not just
undesirable), then consider carefully where you’ll shelter.
Residential homes and townhomes are built to a lower stan-
dard of construction than three-story-and-higher structures.
Lightweight wood frame and light metal structures are
especially prone to collapse during wind storms. This means
ISSUE 12

you should stay out of mobile homes and buildings like

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If It’s Collapsing Around You

Common Myths … Get out by any means necessary. Head towards the

Collapsed!
Duct tape on windows provides protection:
It doesn’t provide protection, but it does increase the chances of getting
both glass shards and duct tape fragments inside your eyes when the
windows blow.
My home was inspected by the local building department during con-
struction. It must be structurally sound:
With all present building officials excluded, of course, inspections during
residential construction are known for missing critical deficiencies, espe-
cially during construction booms when city inspectors are stretched thin.
Concrete block walls may have never been filled with grout and reinforc-
ing steel. Roof-to-wall connections may consist of a handful of toe-nailed
screws. And the common gable-end wall weakness makes many homes
built before 2002 (when more stringent wind resistance requirements
commonly came into effect) prone to wind-related roof collapses.
The government will help us:
Depending on the scale of the disaster, rescue resources will be spread
over a huge area. This means that if the town next door was hit harder
than yours, most or all of the government resources could be diverted to
that area. One collapsed house in your town will not draw attention when
100 houses in the next town were knocked over. Survivors of Hurricane
Katrina still remember trying to signal Blackhawk helicopters from the
roof as they flew by. However, many of those flights were focused on aiding
the tourist and convention center locations instead of the more sparsely
populated residential sections. This led to help being significantly delayed
in certain areas.
light — windows are often the most accessible egress points
assuming that they’re below three stories. If in a multi-story
building, try to make it to a stairwell, which is often specially
reinforced. (The few survivors of the World Trade Center
collapse during the 9/11 attacks were often found inside
stairwells.) Otherwise, at least try to get into a hallway where
there will be less debris to crush you. The centers of rooms
away from the walls are often the most dangerous locations.
As a last resort, shelter under heavy office equipment or
furniture, or at least hug a wall. If the floors tilt as they fall, all
of the debris will pile up against one side, so at least this way
you may have a shot of not being crushed immediately.
If you’re being covered by debris, try to keep your arms
and hands in front of your face as you fall. As with an
avalanche, this can help create a life-saving air pocket (void)
around your head.
Afterwards
Get out of the building as soon as you can gather your
senses — don’t hang out or wait to see what happens next.
Small hand tools, gloves, and headlamps can be invaluable
to aid in your escape. Keep in mind that broken electrical
lines mix poorly with broken water lines, even more so if gas

Indicators of Collapse
“Warning shots” of impending collapse will vary depend-
ing on the type of construction. Windows blowing out is not
one of them, at least in taller structures. As the building is
stressed, walls may begin to separate from ceilings and from
other walls. Cracks will form at these junctions, and cracks
wider than your thumb indicate that things are getting
desperate. Dust hanging in the air or creaking and groaning
that suddenly seem amplified also matter.
One of the final (and most eerie) indicators in a multi-
kamisoka/istockphoto.com

story building is doors suddenly opening or closing by

themselves as the building twists or “racks.” Disturbingly,
when the doors close they often do not properly shut, but
get jammed into the racked openings, possibly locking oc-
cupants inside. At that point you probably have less than 15
seconds to get out.
 TRAPPED

lines are present. This makes the immediate threat of fire a

distinct possibility, and it’s the reason smart rescue crews
stretch and charge a water hose as soon as they pull up to a
structural collapse even if no fire is visible.
If you are lightly buried, try to orient yourself. Not sure
which way is up? Try to spit, and see which way the saliva
falls. If you’re trapped inside a void, a little bit of water and air
can make all the difference. This is why it’s critical to carry
that egress bag on you at all times, especially if you have
advance warning.

Helping Others
Again, unless there are family members or folks who
owe you more than $10,000 in gambling debts inside, get
yourself out of the building first. Then take time to reassess
yourself first, and next, whatever damaged building it is you
might want to get back into.

Snow-Related Collapse
With the recent winters being more severe than almost avoid trying to scrape the roof
any in recent history, snow-related structural collapses completely clean. Also make sure
are occurring with record frequency. A major factor is that snow is cleared from your
lack of “warm-up” or sunny days that lead to ice and dense furnace and dryer exhaust vents.
snow. This dramatically increases the stress on the roof. In rural areas, establish a com-
To help avoid a collapse, inspect all four sides of your munication and evacuation plan
roof for covering snow — just because the front is clear with an offsite party. Check in with
doesn’t mean the backside is the same. Although roof them using scheduled, twice daily
capacities (and snow density) will vary, as a rule of thumb status updates. If two consecutive
anything more than 24 inches of snow on the roof is a calls are missed then the emer-
red flag. Reduce that value to 18 inches if rain and/or ice is gency rescue plan should go into
expected. Talk to a local structural engineer and/or your effect. Return to or remain at your
local building department, since local weather patterns last reported location and await
and construction types are often the deciding factor in contact. If you think a collapse is
Cathy Britcliffe/istockphoto.com
allowable thickness. Sagging roofs and rafters indicate likely, keep your supply bag on your person at all times
excessive snow weight. Popping noises, creaking, and and consider woolen undergarments, which will main-
visible cracking are also signs that the structure is being tain their warmth even if they get wet.
overloaded. Try to keep a fire going, but make sure that adequate
To use a snow rake (roof rake), start from the roof edges ventilation is maintained. If you run out of water, do your
and work your way to the center. Buy a rake that’s long best to melt ice and snow before consuming. Keep in mind
enough to allow you to remove the snow while standing that if you’re already cold, eating snow will only lower
on the ground. Climbing on the roof will only add to the your temperature further. At a minimum, try to thaw
weight on the over-burdened roof and increase your snow enough in your hands to be able to mold it into a ball
chances of falling off. An icy ladder plus iced boots is a before sucking on it. If things really go bad and your home
deadly combination. To avoid damaging the shingles, suddenly becomes a snow cave, cold will quickly dull your
ISSUE 12

shave the snow down to a few inches in thickness but mind — make a plan while you can still think clearly.

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ISSUE 12

If hurricane winds suddenly appear to die down, remem-

ber that you are most likely within the calm eye of the storm
— the other half is yet to pass by. Typically this calm period
lasts less than an hour so whatever you’re going to do, begin
immediately.
The first step in rescuing others from a collapsed or par-
tially collapsed building is sizing up the structural damage,
ideally while locating any surface victims. Be wary of any
cracks wider than your thumb, or obviously missing sup-
ports like beams, columns, etc. “X” cracks forming between
window openings indicate that huge shear forces have been
absorbed and that the structure is in very fragile condition.
If there’s a rubble pile, climb on top of it to get a better view
and more access to surface victims. While there’s a chance of
the rubble moving beneath your weight, thus posing more
hazard to entombed victims, the possible benefit of finding
more surface victims usually outweighs that risk. If at all
possible, try to make sure the utilities are turned off before
entering the building. Otherwise serious risks of fire and/or
electrocution compound the threat of secondary collapse.
Once you’ve cleared the perimeter of all easily accessible
surface victims, it may be time to make your way inside
or start digging into the pile. Gloves, eye protection, and
steel-toed boots are necessities here. An N-95 respirator or
a Buff are also nice to have, considering the large amount of
airborne dust and debris.
Focus your efforts on searching the stairwells. These
sheltered locations often provide the most survivable voids
for victims. If you can’t find the stairwells, focus on searching to possible victims, and being quiet while listening for calls
adjacent to any walls that are still standing. These areas are back. It’s hard to hear while you’re running or breathing
often more prone to harbor survivors. Out and away from hard, or thinking about what you’re going to do next. Any-
the walls, in the middle of rooms, is where debris often piles one who hasn’t been found yet is more likely than not bur-
up and crushes anything underneath. ied under something — otherwise they would have walked
This is the time to slow the pace somewhat and think out. That means their voices will be muffled and small.
before doing. Do not rush. Do not run. You need to be able Remember, no matter how bad the collapse looks, keep
search in a methodical manner. That means shouting out in mind that there’s always a chance for survival. At least one
World Trade Center survivor literally rode the building down,
something which should have been technically impossible.

About the Author
Andy Schrader is a licensed professional engineer and certified by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a structural specialist responder. He
is assigned to Florida’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force 8,
based in Marion County, Florida. His company, Recon Response Engi-
neering, specializes in educating the public, technical rescue crews, and
firefighters on the subject of structural collapse.
www.reconresponse.com
www.facebook.com/ReconResponse
Victims have survived in voids up to 14 days, and recent
experience at the Haiti earthquake disaster has pushed the
limits of survivability longer than anyone had previously
thought. Even if you’re not a first responder by trade, you
may still have the responsibility of one day being the first
responder by chance.
SOURCES
Collapse Operations for First Responders by John O’Connell >
www.pennwellbooks.com
DisasterEngineer.org > www.disasterengineer.org
Simpson Strong-Tie Company > www.strongtie.com
 Vital Gear
If you want to prep for a building collapse, but the clos-
est you’ve ever come to a search and rescue is watching
reruns of Baywatch, you’ll need to start by reading the
gear. Sure you can do a lot with your bare hands and
when you’ve got adrenaline on your side. But imagine
how much more you can do with a little bit of assistance.
main feature in these pages and any reputable books or Keep these small items, plus a couple of bottles of water,
online sources you can find. Then, you need the right in your egress bag always.

Eye Protection
Losing your eyesight means
immediately losing your ef-
fectiveness, and your status
Gloves Headlamp Axe Boots changing from rescuer to
You need paw protec- Powerful flashlights are Made of ¼-inch-thick 1095 Steel- or safety-toed boots victim. Fortunately, there’s
tion to help safely great — until you realize epoxy powdercoated are a must for any kind of eye protection like the Wiley-X
lift small objects and that you need two hands carbon steel with full-tang structural collapse sce- XL-1 Advanced frames, which
clear debris. The to accomplish most any construction, the SP16- nario, given the possibility include interchangeable clear
Stryker Gloves from task related to search and SPAX Rescue Tool by of shifting debris falling on and dark lenses. Keep the clear
Line of Fire can do rescue. The Coast HL-8 Ontario Knife Company your feet or puncture items lenses in at all times, even
just that and more. headlamp features a huge was modeled after WWII underfoot. One of the best indoors at night, if you suspect
This heavy-duty 390-lumen adjustable light emergency crash axes. It’s examples of this type is the a collapse or breaking windows
glove has four-way output powered by four designed for breaching Pro Series Model 6006 by is possible. We love the positive-
stretch Kevlar, flexible easily-scrounged AA bat- walls, although its 2.1-pound Honeywell. These 8-inch connection elastic straps that
abrasion- and impact- teries. And because the old weight means it can still be technical rescue boots won’t come off even when they
resistant knuckles, adage still holds true that carried on you full time. It feature a composite toe get caught on something, as
and Line of Fire’s “two is one, one is none,” a even has a built-in opening cap, steel bottom plate and well as the removable foam gas-
TEGS grip surface small powerful flashlight so the tool can be used like a ladder shank, and 7-ounce kets which block out dust and
atop the leather should be part of your wrench, with the hole sized Kevlar/Nomex ripstop cloth debris and combine the best of
palm and fingers. everyday-carry kit at all to turn fire hydrants or gas paneling. For more informa- both goggles and sunglasses.
For more info, go to times. For more info, go to valves. For more info, go to tion, go to www.honeywell For more information, go to
ISSUE 12

www.loftactical.com. www.coastportland.com. www.ontarioknife.com. firstresponder.com. www.wileyx.com.

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What Do You Get When You Combine Water
With Your Green Thumb? Long-Term Sustenance.
O
ur philosophy is the same for pretty much
every tool or product in our pile of goodies.
If we can’t find it, or if the choices on the
market don’t meet our needs, we create it.
If the choices available on the market meet
our needs, but are too expensive, then we make it ourselves.
If the available options meet our needs, and it would cost us
more to make it ourselves, then we purchase it.
Our hydroponic system is a combination of three choices.
Some of the components come from a hydroponic store
and others we found at big-box stores for very little money,
and we used tools that many people have to assemble
it. Our skill level may be higher than most people, but we
assure you that just about anyone could build a system like
this — and it won’t cost you much.
Hydroponics is a soil-less agricultural production. One key
benefit, among many others, is the ability to produce edible
plants all year long due to the controlled environment.
Despite what you might infer from the name, hydroponic
systems use 75 to 90 percent less water than traditional
agricultural methods and still provide an average of 25 per-
cent greater yield. Oftentimes the amount of time required
to harvest can also be reduced by increasing the exposure
to light. Long summer days can be replicated year-round
with higher temperatures and longer light cycles. If nothing
else, you avoid the life-ending frost when you grow indoors.
Story and Photos by Jim DeLozier
If you’re a prepare-minded individual, how could you not be
interested in — or at least be intrigued by — hydroponics as a
sustainable means of growing your own food?
In a primitive-living scenario, the majority of people will
not have the ability to live off of their crops the entire year
unless they have a hydroponic growing system. Our system
produces enough green, leafy produce to supplement a su-
per high-protein diet of small game, while providing enough
scraps to feed our chickens, too.
The Parts
There are some basic hydroponic system types and then
many variations of each. The simplest form of hydroponic
system to most complex are: wick system, water culture,
ebb and flow (flood and drain), drip system (recovery/non-
recovery), nutrient film technique (NFT), and aeroponic.
In our system, we use a hybrid version of the NFT, which
is the most recognizable system and what most people
refer to when they use the term “hydroponics.” Our NFT is
a continuous nutrient solution flow system with a 50/50
combination of vermiculite and perlite growing medium
in the individual grow cups or baskets. It’s set up to have a
single large reservoir with one to four grow trays, depend-
ing on the demands of the system. Of course, we could
increase the size of the reservoir to support a much larger
system if desired.
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Due to our tight budget, we started our process at

our local Wal-Mart to acquire as many of the necessary
components as we could find. We purchased a Sterilite
18-gallon bin with lid for our reservoir and two 10-gallon
bins with lids for our grow trays. They come in black, which
is the color we want to reduce light transmission. There are
commercially available grow baskets to put the plants in,
but we will be using yogurt containers as a DIY option, sav-
ing the lids and painting them black with the plastic paint
noted later. Then we selected a double-outlet aquarium air
pump, heavy-duty indoor timer for a lamp, extension cord,
and multi-plug.
We headed to Lowes and picked up a two 4x4-foot pieces
of plywood, 12 ceramic light fixtures, six natural light and six
soft white 23-watt CFL bulbs, and Krylon Fusion satin black
spray paint that bonds to plastic. The paint is for the yogurt
container lids that are used to fill unused holes in the grow
tray system by putting them on an empty container. The
black paint stops light from entering and moisture from exit-
ing the grow tray.
Then we headed to a hydroponic supply store for the
remaining items, including vermiculite, perlite, EcoPlus
submersible water pump and air stones, tubing, fittings, pH
meter, nutrient meter and Botanicare Cal-Mag Plus, Kind
Base and Kind Bloom.
We had eyebolts and paracord on hand to create the
suspension system enabling us to raise and lower the light
board. I also had the tools we needed to put our system to-
gether, which included a cordless drill, drill bits, hole-saw, and
soldering iron to create the holes in the yogurt containers.

The Setting
Does the climate in your region affect where you should
grow your hydroponic system, and dictate if you should grow

The Components
Here’s a list of items the author used to set up his hydroponics garden:
18-gallon Sterilite storage bin for the
solution reservoir
Two 10-gallon Sterilite stacker tote
for grow trays (five cups in grow
tray one and 12 cups in the other)
Submersible water pump
Aquarium air pump (with two air
stones)
Timer for lights
Plywood for light system
Six eye bolts
550 paracord
Extension cord for light fixtures
12 light fixtures (six natural daylight
23-watt CFL bulbs and six soft white
23-watt CFL bulbs)
Tubing, fixtures, couplers for
pumps
Vermiculite and Perlite grow medium
Base solution (4N-0P-0K)
Grow solution (2N-2P-2K)
Bloom solution (0N-6P-6K)
one at all? Climate is a relative term and is almost irrelevant
to hydroponics. The reason being is that most hydroponic
systems are set up indoors where the environment can be
controlled and where certain parameters must be main-
tained, such as temperature, humidity, fresh air, light cycles,
and solution nutrients.
We chose a closet in the garage, which is an area that
is cool during summer months and is not in the way of
daily activities. Our area consisted of a 48-inch shelf for our
grow trays and a small area below it on the ground for our
reservoir. Power was not available in the closet so we made
our connection to power via an extension cord to a nearby
outlet.
We started creating the system by making the large holes
in the lid of the two grow trays with our cordless drill and
 HYDRO
PLANTING

a correctly sized hole-saw for the grow baskets, making Rather than
dig into soil,
sure that they seal tightly around the contact point of the
we’re drilling
basket and grow tray lid, blocking moisture from escaping into plastic.
and light from entering the grow tray. We offset the holes Preparations for
in alternating rows of three to leave as much structure in our grow trays.

the lid as possible. Then we drilled two holes in the side of

the container for the nutrient solution inlet and outlet. The
inlet line (pumping from the reservoir) is near the center of
the grow tray, while the return line (back to the reservoir) is
closer to the top. This allows the solution to drain back to the
reservoir when the level reaches the outlet. After we placed
the fitting through the hole in the bin, we sliced off a small
piece of tubing and placed one on each side of the fitting to
help seal it. (If this process does not seal effectively, you can
use silicone sealant as well.) Then we attach the tubing to
the fittings and run them to the submersible pump.
One key step in the creation of the pump system is that The holes are
we create a “T” in the pump line inside the reservoir with one for grow baskets,
which can be
tube going to the grow trays and the other back into the
purchased
reservoir so the volume of fluid doesn’t exceed the flow rate or made out
of the tubing. Since we will be using only two grow trays, we of yogurt
containers.
will have excess volume that needs to be diverted back into
the reservoir so the grow trays do not overflow. This way, if
we decide to add another grow tray or two, we don’t need
to add a pump or increase the capacity.
The next step is to create a hole in the side of the grow
trays to accommodate the lines from the air stone in each
grow tray from the double-outlet air pump.
We then start on our light board by removing the female
end of the 15-foot extension cord and attach it to the first of
the 12 ceramic light fixtures. That fixture is then attached to
the light board approximately 2 inches from the edge. We
measure over about 8 to 9 inches and get an idea of where
our next figure will be placed. Once the distance between
fixtures is established, we strip away the coating from the ex-
tension cord without cutting the wire itself. We attach each
of the bare wires to their corresponding terminals providing
continuity for the fixture.
This process is repeated for all 12 fixtures in three rows of
four light fixtures per row. When complete, there should be
approximately 3 feet of cord left with the male portion of the
plug intact.
We added an inexpensive store-bought UPS (uninter-
ruptable power supply) for backup power in the event of
a power outage that should keep our plants safe. The UPS
was designed for computers, and we attach all of our com-
ponents — lights, nutrient pump, air pump, and gauges — to
the UPS, which has a battery inside and automatically con-
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We drilled a
hole in our grow
tray for an inlet
line of nutrient
solution.
Common
Mistakes to Avoid
Most beginners tend to focus on certain topics more than others — this is es-
pecially true with pH levels. Oftentimes we will hear someone say that their
pH level was perfect, but their plants still died. While pH is a critical piece of
the puzzle, it’s still just one piece of the puzzle. There are many factors that
need to be in balance for a successful system to provide the desired result.
The key components to a successful hydroponics system are:
Correct Levels: Keep your grow solution of NPK [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P),
and potassium (K) at correct levels.
Climate Balance: Keep your climate in check — not too hot, cold, dry, or humid.
Air Apparent: Allow your plants to get fresh air.
Change It Up: Change your solution after the grow cycle ends.
Think Green: Most importantly, try to think like nature and not like a scientist.
Chin Up: Lastly, don’t take it personally if you make a mistake. Keep trying,
and you’ll grow with your garden.
The Gardening
To start our seeds, we put paper towels in small plastic
cups and add water to form a moist place to put our seeds.
We place our seeds in the cups on top of the moist paper
towels and put them in the windowsill to get some sun,
making sure to keep the towels moist from day to day.
Depending on the types of seeds, they should show signs
of life within a few days. We take our soldering iron and get
it hot and use it to make the holes in the yogurt contain-
ers, making our grow baskets. Of course, we could start
the seeds in the grow baskets and leave them there for the
entire process, but by starting them on the moist paper
towels we can be sure they have roots before we put them
in the baskets. We then take equal portion of the vermiculite
and perlite medium and combine them so we get a 50/50
mixture for our grow baskets.
We then dilute our Botanicare Base, Bloom, and Cal Mag
plus with the proper amount of water specified on the con-
tainer for the individual need. Once the volume of the nutri-
ent solution is established and combined in the reservoir, it’s
time to grow some food.
Push a finger into the combined vermiculite and perlite
medium inside the grow basket, creating a recess to place the
seedling with roots. Gently place the germinated seed into
the recess and push a little of the combined medium over it
so it isn’t in direct light. Then scoop a little of the solution from
the reservoir and pour a little of it into each of the grow bas-
kets to make them moist. If there are any holes that are not
being used, we can fill them by putting the covered yogurt
containers with the black painted lids in the unused holes.
Once we have completed the above portion of the
system, we attach an eyebolt into each corner of the light
board. We then attach an eyebolt into the bottom of the
shelf above our grow trays splitting the distance between
the eyebolts of the light board. We then cut four equal
pieces of paracord approximately 4 feet long and attach one
of the ends to each eyebolt. We then route the two pieces
of paracord from the left side eyebolts on the light board
through the corresponding eyebolt above it and repeat this
process for the right side as well. This way, you will be able
raise or lower each corner of the light board as desired to
get the light exactly where you want it for the individual
plants growing in the system. We put two nails in each side
of the shelf used to tie off the paracord at the desired height.
Keeping the lids from the grow trays containing the
grow baskets aside, we power up the system verifying that
nutrient solution is pumping from the reservoir into the
grow trays and returning to the reservoir without leaking or
overflowing.

Once we are confident that the system is performing as
expected, we then place the lids on the grow trays contain-
ing our fledgling plants and lower the light board to the
desired height. One of the benefits of the 12 CFL bulb lighting
system is that we can put the lights where we want them
and remove where we don’t. While the plants are very young,
we set the timer for 12 hours of light and place the light board
fairly close to the surface, about 6 inches above the plants.
As the plants grow, we can extend the light time to simu-
late summer and move the light board up so it doesn’t make
contact with the plants.
In our experience, hydroponic gardening is not a perfect
science, but science is definitely involved. It is very important
to stay within the parameters with our nutrient solution by
monitoring the pH meter and the nutrient meter. Optimum
pH level ranges between 5.5 and 7.0. Of course, different
species of plants or different varietals may like to be higher
or lower in that range or even above or below it. But as a rule
HYDRO
PLANTING
most plants will flourish in that range. The most effective way The veggies
to manage pH levels is with commercially bought pH acids. of our labor. A
bounty of let-
There are home remedies used to adjust pH levels, but they
tuce grown from
require more volume and are not as precise. It’s a simple seedlings (left).
procedure to test the pH of the solution and adjust by adding
either pH down if it is too high or pH up if it is too low.
It’s also important to know that the nutrient solution will
need to be changed every 90 to 180 days, depending on
the plants you’re growing. As always, it will take some trial
and error to get it right, so don’t be too hard on yourself if it
doesn’t go right the first time. Keep at it and have fun. Next
thing you know, you’ll have a garden without soil and plenty
of greens to supplement your family’s meals.
SOURCE
AB Growing Supplies & Hydroponics >
www.abgrowingsupplies.com
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WARNING!
The concepts
shown here are for
illustrative purposes
only. Chokeholds are
inherently dangerous
and can potentially
be fatal. Seek a
reputable instructor
before attempting any
techniques discussed
or shown here.
 LIGHTS OUT
The Age-Old Chokehold Can Save
Lives When Things Go South
A
ny true Rowdy Roddy Piper fan knows
that the sleeper hold — aka a chokehold
— can put people to sleep. And fans of
mixed martial arts and action movies are
keenly aware that it can possibly even kill
them. But is it really that easy to apply? And how can it help
you when SHTF?
Well, for starters, we need not wait for an EMP attack,
nuclear fallout, or a zombie apocalypse to experience fecal
matter going for a whirl. The following three scenarios illus-
trate that danger could happen at any time in our everyday
lives — and why learning to apply a choke is no joke.
August 21, 2015: A terrorist — armed with at least an AK-
47, nine magazines, and a box cutter — on a high-speed train
from Amsterdam to Paris could have meant only one thing:
carnage. Lucky for the passengers, Spencer Stone and his
two buddies were onboard. Stone, a U.S. airman, tackled the
terrorist and put him in a chokehold while his two friends
and a British passenger disarmed and pummeled the bad
guy unconscious. Loss of life that day? Zero.
April 13, 2011: After teaching a class, martial arts
instructor Pedro Arrigoni witnessed a police officer getting
punched in the face and then mounted on the ground, right
outside his San Francisco school. Arrigoni quickly went out-
side and jumped into the fray, sinking in a chokehold on the
thug. Within seconds, the attacker yelled, “I give up! I give
up!” before being taken into custody by the officer.
December 30, 2009: Drew Heredia, a 9-year-old boy
from Bakersfield, California, witnessed a dog attacking his
friend and came to the rescue. The dog, a mix of pit bull,
Shar Pei, and Rottweiler, was restrained by … wait for it ...
a chokehold. Drew reportedly held the dog at bay for 20
Didi_Lavchieva/istockphoto.com
minutes until an animal control officer arrived on the scene
to take over.
Three hazardous scenarios. Three different individuals.
All survived. What they had in common was training in
Brazilian jiu-jitsu and knowledge of the chokehold. “Training
Story and Photos by Conrad Bui
and knowledge saves the day,” is the mantra for the serious
student of the survival game. Therefore, we’re delving into
the topic of chokes and submissions to give you a fighting
chance when SHTF. Whether you’re a martial artist inter-
ested in a review of fundamentals or a prepper looking to
add to your empty-hand arsenal, you’ll no doubt find some
valuable — perhaps life-saving — information in these pages.
The Advantages
Using a chokehold has many advantages. Take note of
the following benefits when using this effective technique.
>> Out Cold: Chokes are a high-percentage way to put
people to sleep. Once the hold is in place, siesta for the bad
guy is only moments away.
>> Damage Free: By using a chokehold, you may subdue
and incapacitate an attacker with no damage to your hands.
Punching someone in an altercation may lead to fractures
of the carpal bones. Broken bones in the hand is a major
setback, especially if you need to operate a weapon or build
a fire, or if you find yourself in a situation where medical
attention is scarce.
>> Restrain and Control: Controlling the neck leads to
control of the body. This essentially makes the chokehold a
leash on steroids.
>> Shielding: Once behind your attacker with a choke
locked on, the attacker can now shield you from other
threats. The choke acts as your virtual joystick to ragdoll
your attacker into positions that protect you. Although the
human body may not be bulletproof, it makes a great shield
against punches, kicks, blunt, and bladed weapons.
>> Confined Areas: Fighting inside a car, a closet, or any
confined space makes throwing a strike difficult. Chokeholds
require zero space.
>> On Lockdown: Escaping Alcatraz was no easy task;
same goes with escaping a good chokehold. Escape is diffi-
cult because few people practice escaping from chokeholds
on a regular bases.
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The Disadvantages
Strangling is a great way to end a fight, but it does have
limitations. Beware of the following shortcomings when
applying a choke.
>> Look, Ma, No Hands: Most chokes require two
hands to be effective (there is a “one arm” choke, but
leave that to the professionals). Because both hands are
occupied, other options needing the use of your hands
become limited. For example, aforementioned train hero
Stone was cut and stabbed by the terrorist’s box cutter
while applying the chokehold. If you need to access a
weapon or push a loved one out of harm’s way, you’ll
have to give up the choke (but not necessarily the control
of the opponent).
>> Too Close for Comfort: If distance is your friend, you
just lost a buddy. Acting like an anaconda on someone’s
back creates instant intimacy. Therefore, use chokes when
escape is not an option.
>> Armed and Dangerous: There may be fatal conse-
quences if your opponent pulls out a knife or a gun during
your chokehold. You may need to abandon the choke, and
deal with the weapon threat first.
>> Coming Back: To secure a choke, you must be behind
your intended victim. You can either sneak up on them or
move to that position. During a fight, it may be difficult to get
behind someone. But, once you’re glued to your opponent’s
back, you will have the upper hand.
>> Deadly Outcome: Chokes can have fatal consequenc-
es if done incorrectly, or applied for too long. Because of a
chokehold’s lethality, it’s important to treat any chokehold as
a deadly weapon. Certain police departments frown on the
use of chokes (what they label the carotid restraint or arm-
bar) because of rare, fatal results and bad press. Like any
other lethal weapon, chokes are dangerous tools and should
be trained under the guidance of a qualified instructor —
and used only during life-and-death situations.
Administering the Sleeper
There are many ways to put a person to sleep. Below are
the most common, street-effective chokeholds that can put
down just about anyone.
Fantastic Figure Four: The figure-four, rear naked choke
(RNC) is arguably the most common method used in martial
arts and military combatives. This type of choke has been
used effectively for centuries. Because this sleeper hold
does not use the collar of a jacket for strangulation (com-
monly seen in judo or jiu-jitsu matches), it is called a rear
“naked” choke.
The most common way to apply the RNC is the figure-
four grip. To apply the figure-four RNC, position yourself
behind your opponent, reach across their throat with an
arm. You want the crook of your elbow right in front of the
opponent’s trachea. Keep your forearm off the trachea
unless you want to do permanent damage. Your bicep and

Fantastic Figure Four Get a Grip

Diego Herzog — Diego Herzog
a silver medal- demonstrates
ist at the 2015 the palm-to-
Pan-American palm or Gable
Jiu-Jitsu Grip choke. Note
Championship how the top
— shows how it is hand is palm
done. “Slide your down and the
hand behind second hand
their neck,” that is behind
Herzog advises. the opponent is
“This way they palm up. Imag-
cannot arm-bar ine your arm is a
you.” The victim nutcracker with
of the choke your elbow as
shown here, the hinge and
Ricky Hui, adds, get cracking.
“I almost passed
out during this
shot. I felt a lot
of forward pres-
sure on my head
and a pulling on
my neck, like a
scissor.”
 LIGHTS OUT

forearm will be on the sides of the opponent’s neck. Place

the palm of the initial arm into the elbow fold of your free
arm. Finally, place the hand of your second arm behind your
opponent’s neck. The move is now complete, and you can
Knocking Out
squeeze your opponent into dreamland. Think of this move
like a nutcracker with your elbow as the hinge. You are look-
Chokehold Myths
ing to reduce the space between your forearm and bicep.
Get a Grip: Another variation of the figure-four choke Chokes Require a Lot of Strength: Blood chokes require skill and knowledge,
is the palm-to-palm or Gable Grip, named after legendary not strength. When applied correctly, a young teenager can put a grown man
grappler Dan Gable. The application of the palm-to-palm to sleep within seconds. One study found that occlusion of the carotid arteries
choke is the same as above, but, instead of making a figure- requires only 11 pounds of rope tension. This makes chokes an extremely
four with your arm, you simply grip palm to palm. Resort to important self-defense technique, since little force is required.
this grip when your opponent does not allow you to set in
the full figure-four grip. Escaping a Choke is Easy: That’s right, a good old poke to the eye will end the
The figure-four and Gable Grip chokes are commonly choke fast and make Larry, Curly, and Moe proud. However, a skilled martial
used as a blood choke or carotid restraint. This means the artist will simply hide the eyes. What about a bite? Biting is difficult when the
pressure is applied to the sides of the neck to cut off blood arm is already under the jaw and the eyes are fading to black.
flow to the brain.
Crushing It: The third method uses the same two grips
described above with one minor, but important, difference.
Normally, contact is made with your bicep and forearm on
the sides of your opponent’s throat. This time, the forearm
that is around your opponent’s neck, is touching the oppo-
nent’s windpipe. Contacting your forearm (what the police
departments call an “arm bar control”) on the opponent’s
windpipe (larynx and trachea) can leave permanent dam-
age, including death. Use with caution!

Crushing It
Against an eye-jab counterattack, the author simple hides his eyes behind his
arm. Now that Conrad Bui is safe and can maintain the choke, his opponent
will soon be getting some shut-eye.

Chokes Work the Same on Everyone: Because of genetics, some people are
more susceptible to chokes than others. This author has observed people
being put to sleep during a demonstration in class. Some people simply nap
faster than others once a chokehold is applied.

Chokes are Safe: Chokes are potentially lethal. People die from chokes.
Therefore, treat strangulation techniques with the same respect as you would
a knife or a gun. Never play around with chokes or apply a choke unless your
life is in danger.

Standing behind his opponent, Herzog jams his
forearm under Ricky’s chin. Here Diego uses the
Watching the UFC is the Same as Learning the RNC: Watching someone ap-
plying the choke on screen from the comfort of our La-Z-Boy recliner is much
different than applying it against a resisting opponent. To use the choke when
it counts, get the correct instruction and training from a qualified instructor.
ISSUE 12

Gable Grip to collapse the airway. The figure-

four grip could have been used just as well.
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Anatomy of the Choke
So how does a chokehold put someone to sleep? Time
to channel your inner Bill Nye the Science Guy, because
we’re going to describe three mechanisms that bring on the
Sandman.
>> Blood Choke Mechanism: With the proper grip,
the jugular veins are compressed initially. The jugulars are
more superficial, which makes them “vain.” Venous flow
from the brain to the body is the first to be stopped. This
accounts for the initial flushing of the face in someone being
choked. Further pressure, compresses the carotid arter-
ies. The carotid arteries are more internal than the jugular
veins and, therefore, require more pressure. One German
study reported that, correct pressure from a chokehold can
completely compress and occlude the carotid arteries of
the neck. Unconsciousness results in about 10 seconds. No
blood to the brain is like having the electricity turned off to
your home — lights out.
>> Carotid Sinus Mechanism: The second mechanism
toward unconsciousness is stimulation of the carotid sinus.
The carotid sinus on the sides of the neck monitors blood
pressure to the brain. When too much pressure is sensed
by the carotid sinus, a message is sent to balance out the
increased spike in pressure. The result is a drop in blood pres-
sure and bradycardia (a slowing of the heart rate). Less blood
to the brain, equals less consciousness — or nighty, night.

The Choke’s on You

The choke is a dangerous, possibly lethal weapon. What do you do if someone slapped one on you? Here are two simple yet effective escapes.

Early Detection: Scott Stroup makes the mistake of telegraphing his attack by extending his right arm instead of snaking it around Conrad
Bui’s neck. Bui quickly raises his shoulders for protection, reaches up with his hands, and snatches a quick over-the-shoulder arm bar. Be
sure to turn your opponent’s wrist so his palm faces up. This simple move can dislocate the elbow joint or result in a fracture.

Too Late … Or Is It?: Scott Stroup completes the figure-four grip but has watched too many WWE matches and didn’t read this article — he
leaves his supporting hand high on the head and doesn’t hide it behind Conrad Bui’s neck. Conrad simply peels off the attacker’s top hand
and breaks the arm by using his shoulder as a fulcrum.
 LIGHTS OUT

>> Collapsing the Airway Mechanism: Collapsing the

airway by placement of your forearm on the opponent’s
windpipe is the third way to induce unconsciousness. Force
directly applied on the thyroid cartilage (a part of the larynx,
aka the Adam’s apple) as well as the trachea (just below the
larynx) can result in a collapse or fracture of the cartilage(s).
Roughly 66 pounds of rope tension is required to collapse
the trachea. Because of the extra strength required (66
pounds to collapse the airway versus 11 pounds to seal off
the arteries), collapsing the airway is more difficult to do,
especially for small or arthritic folks. Still, the possibility of
fracture makes this a stone-cold chokehold with potentially
fatal outcomes. Use with extreme caution.
Wake Up!
What do you do when you’ve choked out a training partner or that annoying
drunk friend? How do you wake them up safely? Here, Conrad Bui demonstrates
the most common way to wake someone up from dreamland. Bring up the legs
to get blood back into the brain. Remember proper lifting mechanics and lift with
your legs not your back. Hold the victim’s feet up until he’s regained consciousness.
Be careful when the victim wakes up because he may still be in fighting mode.
“I did this for a competitor when I was a referee,” Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion
Diego Herzog said with a smile, “and the guy tried to sweep me when he woke up.”

All Choked Up
Knowledge to protect yourself and your loved ones
without any weapons is just as important as the knowledge
to survive in the wilderness without any tools. During a
confrontation, you may not have much on you other than
your clothes, and what you were born with. Even if you’re
lucky enough to be armed during a critical incident, access-
ing your weapons system in certain situations may take too
long. You might just have to go at it empty-handed.
To be a well-rounded prepper, experience in some sort of
martial art or combative system is a must. The addition of
About the Author
chokes to your toolbox may be the checkmate move that Dr. Conrad Bui is a San Francisco-based chiropractor and freelance writer
saves the day on a train, in the streets, or even against a with more than 30 years of continuous martial arts experience. A former
crazed animal. bouncer, he holds multiple gold medals and a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-
jitsu. As an instructor at World Team USA, he enjoys giving and receiving

SOURCE chokes on a regular basis.

Diego Herzog > www.worldteamusa.com

Self-Defense
Haymaker Counter: Haymakers pack plenty of power, but control? Not so much. Conrad Bui parries and ducks
under an overcommitted right punch then positions himself behind his attacker for a rear naked choke.

ISSUE 12

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ISSUE 12

IN CHARGE
Disposable Versus Rechargeable Batteries. Story by Robert Swenson
Photos by Mark Saint
What’s Best for Your Grid-Down Situation?

M
ost of our gadgets today rely on All rechargeable batteries are rated for capacity (C) and
some sort of battery. But how do nominal voltage (V). Their capacity is usually measured in
you power them if the grid’s down? amp hours (Ah) in
And even if there’s electricity, how larger batteries, such
do you know you’re charging them as lead acid types,
correctly? Proper charging and maintenance is key to or in milliamp hours
assuring your rechargeable batteries maintain a long and (mAh) for smaller cells.
useful lifespan. Capacity is defined by
So, we’re taking an in-depth look at some of today’s most
popular battery types, including an analysis of shelf life, capac-
ity, charging methods, and the best uses suited to each type.
the battery’s ability to supply the specified current for
one hour of time. For example, a battery with a rating of
12V 7Ah will supply 7 amps (A) of current for 1 hour before
being fully discharged, meaning the battery’s voltage will
drop to a point where it should be charged before further
use — lest you risk damaging the battery.
Why get into the science of it? Understanding the
capacity/time rating can greatly aid in planning an off-
grid power solution, as well as not over/undercharging
your batteries.
Since most rechargeable batteries are capable of high
current delivery, many can deliver currents that will dam-
age the cell from the temperature rise associated with a
high rate of discharge. For example, the 12V 7Ah battery
used to power a 35W spotlight should not be used to
power 600 watts of lighting. A good rule of thumb for
sizing most rechargeables to their task is that the cur-
rent draw in A shouldn’t exceed the battery’s capacity
rating (irrespective of hour rating) by more than three
to five times, or a 3 C to 5 C discharge rate. Using our
example battery to power 600 watts worth of lighting NiCad
would draw 50 A (over 7 C) from the battery, potentially 411: Nickel cadmium, or NiCad, are one of the most popular rechargeable
overheating and causing permanent damage. batteries in use today. Almost everyone uses them. Used in everything from
cordless phones to power tools, NiCads supply very high peak currents if
needed (discharging more than 5 C in some applications and with specially
designed cells) while being rechargeable roughly 1,000 times.
Form: NiCad batteries are available in many common sizes, such as AAA,
AA, C, and D. A NiCad cell in these sizes are rated at 1.2V nominal. Capacity var-
ies with cell size; however, the AA samples we used were rated at 1,000 mAh.
Shelf Life: Typical shelf storage losses are approximately 10 percent
per month. They should be stored in cool, dry places (not to exceed 85
degrees F). For extended or long-term storage, they should be stored fully
discharged. Cells or battery packs left to self-discharge will eventually suffer
from the dreaded “memory effect” known as voltage depression due to
crystal formation on the cell’s electrodes. Anyone old enough to remember
MySpace will have used a cordless phone that showed a full charge but,
once removed from the charger, immediately died.
Recharging: Proper cycling is important for long cell life. Without getting
too technical, this means simply running the pack to a discharged state
before recharging again. It’s best to fully use a NiCad pack’s capacity com-
pletely before recharging to ensure the longest pack or cell life.
Crisis Capable?: Because NiCad cells can tolerate a large range of input
currents and less-than-ideal charge methods, the ubiquitous “wall wart”
household power transformer can accommodate if there’s no other option.
Practically every household has a few of them sitting in a junk drawer, lega-
cies to devices that no longer work or were long since thrown out. These
simple DC power sources can be wired to a simple battery holder available
at electronics stores or, if total improvisation is needed, the leads simply
ISSUE 12

taped or held to the batteries themselves.

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Recharging: It’s best to cycle on a monthly basis if stored. If NiMH cells are
stored for long periods of time without charge, they may need to be charged at
a 1/10C rate and discharged a few times to regain nominal capacity. NiMH have
less tendency to develop voltage depression with improper handling, and cycling
can reverse this effect to a greater extent than in the NiCad. Note: Generally, it’s
not ideal to charge NiMH or NiCad cells longer than 24 hours and doing so can
promote crystal growth and voltage depression.
Crisis Capable?: There are some inexpensive and unique ways to charge both
NiCad and NiMH even with no electricity available. We used the low-cost Sunjack 4
AAA/AA charger that plugs into your USB battery or a small solar charger like the
SunTactics Scharger-14 Solar Charger. The Suntactics 14W panel can top off a high-
capacity USB battery and charge four AAA batteries at the same time. The AAA bat-
teries take about two to four hours to charge, depending if they are NiCad or NiMH.

Lead Acid/Gel Cell

411: These batteries are the heavy hitters of energy storage. They can be found
in everything from handheld spotlights to batteries that run off-grid homes at night.
Their ratings are usually in amp-hours (Ah) or reserve capacity (RC) and usually rated
nominally at 6 V or 12 V. They’re not particularly portable — unless you’ve won a
Strongman Competition or two.
NiMH Form: Available in various sizes and capacities. They’re capable of sustained
411: Like NiCad cells, nickel metal hydride (or NiMH) is moderate current discharge and deep cycling (full discharge) and not to be
ubiquitous in today’s high power electronics, such as two- confused with automotive batteries, which are capable of high current and very
way radios, professional-grade flashlights, and toys. They’re intolerant to deep discharge.
capable of high discharge rates like the NiCad, but not to Shelf Life: Lead acid batteries have moderate shelf life and, depending on qual-
the same extent. They are capable of rapid charging with ity and age of the battery, a self-discharge rate of 3 to 20 percent a month. Overall
proper equipment, and are gradually overtaking NiCad in
terms of popularity. Quality NiMH cells are typically good for
500-plus recharge cycles.
Form: Like NiCad, NiMH batteries are available in the typi-
cal consumer sizes and at a 1.2V nominal rating. One of the
primary differences between NiMH and NiCad cells is the
capacity of a NiMH cell of a given size is roughly double. The
NiMH AA we tested had a capacity of 2,000 mAh, while the
NiCad was only 1,000 mAh.
Shelf Life: NiMH cells generally don’t last as long as
NiCad. Typically, charge drops off rapidly after the first day,
sometimes 5 to 20 percent, then gradually drops to some-
where between 0.5 and 4 percent per day at room tempera-
ture. However, there are new NiMH cells out there that claim
to be low self-discharge (like the Tenergy cells we sampled)
and can maintain a large majority of their charge for over a
year. Discharge rates vary greatly with temperature, and if
they need to be stored fully charged for long periods. Long-
term storage of fully charged packs or cells can be done in
the refrigerator, but must be kept in airtight containers to
prevent condensation from forming when brought back
up to room temperature. These cells are best discharged to
0.9V per cell for long-term storage.

lifespan seems to be approximately three to five years when
properly cared for. Generally, 500 to 800 charge cycles can
be obtained within that time. Left discharged for long periods
of time they can undergo sulfation, or the crystallization of
lead sulfate on the battery’s plates. Early on, it can be revers-
ible, but continued neglect can cause this to become perma-
nent, and the battery’s capacity will degrade over time.
If storing a lead acid battery for extended periods, it’s
best to keep it on a trickle (float) charger. A simple DC power
adapter rated at 12V would be sufficient to tend a fully
charged battery. Even an adapter capable of only a couple
hundred milliamps can offset the discharge rate of a large
battery, provided the adapter never exceeds approximately
14.5 V — higher than that and electrolyte boiling/gassing
can occur. In a gel cell and VRLA (valve regulated lead acid
battery), this can cause the battery to swell or explode. It’s
always best to use a proper float charger for long-term stor-
age of this battery type and store in a cool dry place.
Recharging: Charging can be done with a small taper
charger. Since lead acid batteries vary so greatly in size and
can be quite large, it’s important to match charger current to
battery. Generally, deep cycle batteries should only be fast
charged with a proper tapering current charger. Gel cells are
best charged at a 1/10C rate or in some cases slightly faster.
One question that people ask all the time is, “How do
I know my battery is charged? I have it hooked up to my
generator for 12 hours, and I’m not quite sure.” A deep cycle
battery is usually fully charged with a voltage of around 13 V
and completely discharged around 12 V.
It’s also vital to know approximately how long it’ll take to
conserve fuel. Deep cycle batteries are usually rated in RC
instead of Ah. Reserve capacity is the number of minutes a
battery can maintain a useful voltage under a 25 A discharge.
Our test battery had an RC of 140. This means it can deliver
25 A at a useful voltage for 140 minutes. To get a more useful
number, we convert to seconds and multiply by 25 A. The
resulting number is the charge in ampere-seconds. Then, we
divide by 3,600 to get hours, giving us 58.3 Ah. Therefore, if
the charge output of our Yamaha EF2000iS generator is 8 A
(58.3 divided by 8), we get almost 7.5 hours of solid power.
IN
CHARGE
Crisis Capable?: If power isn’t available, they can be easily charged with a
generator’s secondary DC output, which is usually around 8 A for most manufac-
turers. There are also many solar charge options available that combine a 50 to
100W panel and small charge controller, such as those manufactured by Renol-
ogy Solar Suitcase RNG-F-2X50D.
Alkaline Batteries
411: The most common bat-
tery for all electronic appliances.
Available everywhere, and most
people have dozens on hand.
Low to very moderate current
capability. While most manufac-
turers won’t label the capacity
of their cells, their capacity is around 3,000 mAh-plus for quality brands. However,
it’s important to note that their capacity varies greatly with load. At a 1A draw they
may only provide 700 mAh.
Shelf Life: For top quality brands, they could last 10 years or so. It’s best to
store alkaline batteries in a cool place, but keeping them in the fridge like mom
did isn’t necessary with today’s construction. They self-discharge at a rate of less
than 2 percent per year at room temperature. Shelf life will degrade in high temps,
though. At 85 degrees F they only lose about 5 percent per year, but at 100
degrees they lose 25 percent per year.
Recharging: Many people don’t know that an alkaline battery can actually
be recharged. This should be carried out only with a specialized charger. We
sampled the Maximal Power FC999 Universal Rapid Charger, which is capable
of recharging alkalines. Charging works best if the batteries aren’t completely
dead. We first saw this type of charger emerge in the mid ’80s by a long-gone toy
manufacturer. It was the Buddy L Super Charger #8000, which this author still
has to this day. While there’s little data on how many recharge cycles the batteries
can take, it seems to range from a handful of times to a couple dozen depending
on use and load. We advise recharging at your own risk and only with brands
recommended by the charger’s manufacturer or top-quality brands.
Crisis Capable?: Extending your disposable battery supply 10 or more times,
and combined with how readily available alkaline batteries are, these specialized
chargers are definitely worth considering. In desperate times, you could take other
people’s dead alkalines and give “good ones” in exchange for other necessities.
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Li-Ion (Polymer)
411: While Li-ion batteries are the stuff of science fiction with energy densities
that make grown product engineers weep for joy, they must be properly handled,
charged, and protected. Please don’t use any of the aforementioned charge meth-
ods unless you have a proper charger suited specifically to Li-ion batteries. Found
in smartphones and other high-tech consumer electronics, they commonly re-
quire a constant-current, constant-voltage (CCCV) type of charging algorithm and
are not compatible with standard constant-current type methods that the other
battery types require. Most of the time, you can’t even open a device to access
the battery to service it.
i rough example would be if the battery is only brought to 50
No Li-Ion King
While lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are excellent batteries, their physical
and electrical characteristics make them a tough choice in a grid-down
situation. Why? Here’s a brief look.
Fragile: You can bend them by hand or easily puncture them, poten-
tially causing a “thermal runaway,” or fire. Water can also permanently
damage them or cause a fire.
Size Limit: They’re usually designed with a specific product in mind,
so they don’t power other products they weren’t designed for — think
batteries for smartphones or certain flashlights. I can still use my 1980s
electronics today because they run on AA or C batteries. I can’t use my
first-gen iPad with a dead battery that’s barely five years old.
Cell Blocked: Each individual cell is rated at 3.7 V, making combinations
less available to power most other electronics. For example, you shouldn’t
use a 7.2V 2-cell pack to power your 6V (four-AAA-powered) radio.
Tricky Charges: If a Li-ion is even removable from a device (such as
with a digital SLR camera), you will notice there are multiple contacts
and not just the usual positive and negative. This is because chargers are
also specific to each battery and requires cells to be balanced — the extra
contact(s) allow each cell to be charged individually. Overcharging can
cause immediate damage or fire.
Discharge Distress: Like a maxed-out credit card that’s never repaid, a
Li-ion battery that’s been over-discharged can be ruined. This can occur
even after just a couple of times. Fortunately, most electronics designed
for these batteries have protection circuitry designed to prevent over-
discharge, i.e. the latest smartphones.
About the Author
Robert Swenson is the owner of Mission Technical Services, an IT com-
pany specializing computing, networking, and large-scale battery backup/
uninterruptable power systems. He studied electrical engineering at Cal
State Long Beach. He has built several electric vehicles and has a lifetime
of experience with electric radio control modeling.
IN
CHARGE
Shelf Life: The Li-ion has excellent shelf life. If stored, it
should be done so in a partially charged state. Partially dis-
charge a battery to around 50 percent life (usually indicated
by the device it’s installed in). Depending on battery quality,
they can be stored this way for up to a year.
Recharging: Li-ion doesn’t suffer from a memory effect
as with NiMH and NiCad, and can be recharged up to 1,000
full cycles. It’s OK to use a device and recharge the battery
even when not completely discharged. These smaller micro
cycles do not count as full charge cycles and will not de-
grade or diminish the battery’s charge cycles significantly. A
percent every use and then recharged, there may be closer
to 2,000 recharge cycles available.
If batteries are stored for long periods of time in a
discharged state and look as if they have swelled up don’t
attempt to recharge. This could cause a fire or explosion.
Crisis Capable?: While they probably fare the best for
holding a charge over long periods of time and potentially
have a thousand more charge cycles compared to other
battery types, Li-ion aren’t rugged enough or versatile
enough to count on during an emergency situation. How-
ever, an excellent device to add to your off-grid lifestyle is a
ruggedized Li-ion battery that can power USB devices. We
used the Limefuel L150XR that includes a 15,000-mAh bat-
tery housed in an IP66 water-resistant case and can charge
two USB devices at once. The capacity is roughly 10 times
that of an average smartphone. Using the SunTactics solar
charger we could achieve full charge in a little over 10 hours.
This makes a super lightweight rugged power solution for
indefinite communications off-grid.
  
 


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WARNING!
Fire-starting is
inherently dangerous.
The concepts
shown here are
for illustrative
purposes only. Seek a
reputable instructor
before attempting
any techniques
discussed here.
 FREEZER
BURN
H
opelessly lost and out of fuel — that’s
the condition of you and your rental
car as the engine sputters its last gasp
and you roll to the edge of the snow-
covered road. The large heavy clumps
of snowflakes fall downward, turning the hilly woodland
into a beautiful landscape of winter white. But this striking
postcard-worthy scene isn’t the most pressing thing on
your mind. All you can think about is your inoperable
vehicle, your mobile phone with no service, and the fact
that you could die from exposure in a few hours under
conditions like these.
You check the trunk and glovebox for anything useful. No
blankets, no food, no water — just a book of paper matches
and a half-dozen napkins. The late-afternoon sun is hidden
behind the thick bank of snow clouds, but you can tell it’s go-
ing to get dark early.
Are you going to let your bad luck continue into the night?
You could use five of your napkins to catch your tears of self-
pity, and the final one to write out your last will and testament.
Or are you going to start making your own luck?
For any prepper, bushcrafter, or outdoor adventurer worth
their salt, making a fire should be second nature — when you
have your normal gear and equipment. But what happens
when you have none of your usual fire-starting tools? “No
problem,” you might say, “I’ll just rub two sticks together and
make a fire the old-fashioned way.” That’s great. But what
if you’re stranded in the dead of winter and snow blankets
every inch of your vision? What now?
Scavenge For Your Fire
They say we started out as scavengers. In the savage wil-
derness of the African plains, we chased the vultures away
from the bones of last night’s predator kills, broke open the
Didi_Lavchieva/istockphoto.com
leg bones, and feasted upon nutrient-rich marrow to be-
come the brainiacs we are today. You might say scavenging
is in our DNA. And with that uplifting story in your head, let’s
delve into the art of scavenging for fire-building materials.
Working within the confines of our stranded motorist’s situa-
Learn How to Start
Fires in Cold Weather
Story By Tim MacWelch
tion, let’s outsmart the problems and seize the opportunities
Though a rare
this situation presents. sight these
There are two things our unlucky traveler needs to make days, a car’s
cigarette
a fire: an ignition source and some fuel. Since it makes sense
lighter might
to go for the easiest win, let’s pick apart the car. Given the be the safest
vehicle simply ran out of gas, it means the battery is still and easiest
operational. This big block of heavy metals and acid is more way to light
a fire in cold
than capable of starting a fire.
weather.
The safest and easiest way is with a vehicle
cigarette lighter, if it’s an older model. Should
the vehicle have one of those, heat up the
lighter and quickly touch it to some fine fluffy
tinder. A fluffed cotton ball will work, as will
seed down from the cattail plant. This fluffy
stuff burns exceedingly well due to its high
Yuanting/istockphoto.com
amount of surface area, which easily catches
sparks and quickly turns them to flame.
If the vehicle doesn’t have a lighter — most
don’t these days — then you can jump-start
your fire directly from the battery. Hook up
your jumper cables to the battery, and touch
the free ends together briefly over some
fine tinder. The shower of hot metal sparks
should do the trick, but use great caution with
this method. Do not allow the free jumper
cables to weld or stick together. This creates a
closed circuit, which can cause the battery to
explode.
And what about fuel for the fire? A modern
gmcoop/istockphoto.com
car or truck is a storehouse of flammable
products (someone really should look into
that). Obviously, the gas will burn, but since it’s
gone in our story let’s not open that danger-
ous topic.
All of the fluids in the vehicle are flammable, except for
the engine coolant and wiper fluid. Open the reservoir for
the power steering and dip one of the previously mentioned
napkins in it to get an oily boost to the napkin’s flammabil-
ity. Wipe the engine oil dipstick numerous times on paper
ISSUE 12
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 085
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ISSUE 12

or cloth to enhance its burn time. These oily substances

burn great, as they are very dense fuels. They just need
something papery or fibrous to act as a wick and they will
produce strong flames.
Once you have your fire going, cut or break off plastic
components to throw into the fire, both as fuel and to create
black smoke, which is ideal for a signal fire. (Be cautious of
burning anything that might produce toxic fumes — what
good is a fire if its smoke is going to kill you?) Between the

Fire By
Fritos
For those of you who already know about the flamma-
bility of snack chips, good for you. Your pyromaniac
nature should serve you well. For those of you who
don’t know, listen up! When it comes to fire starting
with modern materials, oily snack chips are a great
way to get your fire going. These grease-soaked foods
burn very well when an open flame is applied to them,
and it won’t take many chips to make a big impact.
Just three or four chips will burn for minutes and help
you establish your fire. Of course, if you had chips in
your stranded winter motorist scenario, you should
be eating most of the chips for calories in the cold
weather. But do try to save a couple for fire starters.
Here are some of the top performers.
Bugles
Cheetos
Cheese puffs
Corn chips
Fritos
Kettle chips
Dabbing a nap-
kin in engine burnable plastics and fluids in a modern vehicle, I’m sur-
oil or steering prised there aren’t more spontaneous car fires every day.
fluid can help If you have a toolbox with you or your trusty Swiss Army
your tinder burn
Knife, then it’s MacGyver time. Open the drain plug for the
more intensely
in winter condi- engine oil pan and catch that Texas tea in a soda cup. Pour
tions. some of the oil on your frosty damp twigs and they’re sure
to burn. Or use a knife to cut the vehicle’s fabric seat covers
into makeshift outer wear. Or wrap upholstery strips around
sticks and soak them in oil to make 20-minute torches for
emergency signaling. You’re only limited by your imagina-
tion and the limits of the materials themselves.
Steps to a Sustainable Fire
Yes, you can go from a single burning match to a pile of
burning logs, but there are some critical steps in between.
It’s easiest to consider these as stair “steps.” To build a fire,
the materials must increase in size gradually. Your materials
can’t step up in size too quickly, or the fire will go out. Follow
these steps, and you’ll be well on your way to a deeper
understanding of fire behavior and fire dynamics.
Step 1: Pick your fire site. Try to find a place that is out
of the wild wind, sleet, snow, and rain. The spot should be
close to both your fuels and your shelter (if you have one).
However, it shouldn’t be dangerously close to either. Dig
down through the snow to reach the bare frozen ground, or
build a platform for the fire from the best materials that are
easily available.

Step 2: Find your fuels. Fire is like an engine, it won’t Cotton balls
mixed with
work without fuel. Scour the local area for dead dry plant
petroleum jelly
materials to act as tinder, kindling, and firewood for your fire. can go a long
Bring back more than you think you’ll need. You should pay way in getting
extra attention to evergreens, if they are available in your a fire going.
Prepare some in
area. Needle-bearing evergreens usually contain flammable your go-bag or
sap in their twigs, wood, and dead needles. And the dead vehicle’s fire kit.
ones are easy to spot. Look for twigs without any green on
them, and needles that are tan or brown. Bring in several
armloads of firewood, too — you’re going to need it.
TEPEE OF
KINDLING
OILY
PAPER
FIBROUS
TINDER
LIGHT FROM THE SIDE THE
WIND IS BLOWING FROM
DEAD LEAVES
FOR BASE
Step 3: Assemble your fire lay. On your fire site (hope-
fully bare ground), make a fist-sized mound of your tinder
materials. If conditions are really rough, use double that
amount of tinder. This can be material you have found, like
dead leaves, evergreen needles, grasses, or bark fiber. It
can also be tinder that you scavenged from your pockets
or a vehicle. Crumpled paper or napkins will serve you very
well. Over this material, place your skinniest dead twigs,
sticks, grass stalks, or wood splinters. Build a cone-shaped
structure with these materials, and then add finger-diameter
sticks, about a foot long. Your overall fire lay should be a
cone-shaped construct (like a tepee), which is about a foot
wide at the base and about a foot tall at the center. The
staging of your materials (from tinder, to twigs, to sticks) will
allow the fire to grow quickly, but at its own pace.
Step 4: Light it! Once all your fire lay materials are ready,
and you have several armloads of firewood, it’s time to light
it. Figure out which way the wind is coming from. It’s gener-
ally best to allow the wind to work with you, and light the fire
lay on the side that the wind is coming from. This allows the
airflow to push the flames into the center of the tepee, right
where you want them to go. Also, make sure you light the
FREEZER
BURN
fire at the base. Don’t light the tip of the tepee; it’s not some
kind of firework. Light is at the base, on the side the wind is
coming from, so the flames will rise into the structure and
consume the materials.
If you happen to have some fire-starter materials like
Wetfire cubes, cotton balls with petroleum jelly, or some
wax-soaked cardboard, place it in the base of the fire and
light your fire helper as well as the tinder. Flammable vehicle
fluids can be poured over the tinder and twigs prior to light-
ing, if you feel you need it. This additional fire-friendly mate-
rial (combined with the tepee fire lay shape) should allow
you to use damp materials and still get them to burn.
Step 5: Maintain your fire. You’ve won the battle, light-
ing a fire in rough conditions, but you still could lose the war.
It’s been argued that letting your fire go out is worse than
never making one at all, since you now have no fire and less
fire-starting materials than before.
Important Safety Note: If you decide to burn materials
from your vehicle, be aware that some are quite toxic. Brake
fluid is typically the most hazardous, followed by power
steering fluid, and motor oil. And don’t even think about
messing with gasoline. It’s far too dangerous to be of benefit
in an already sketchy survival situation.
Conclusion
Your need for a fire can be seen as a barometer of the
severity of your survival situation. The more you need a
crackling blaze, the worse your situation really is. Intense
cold weather, wet and windy conditions, or a dunking in cold
water can all lead to hypothermia, a dangerous and poten-
tially fatal cooling of your body’s core temperature. And in
some situations, your only option to dry out and warm up
will be to make a big fire — quickly! — though sometimes it’s
easier said than done.
The skill of fire building is age old and relatively simple.
It’s not hard, but to master it you have to put in the practice
time. You can’t just read about it and hope to perform well
under pressure. Like every other survival skill, this one has a
ISSUE 12
learning curve and it demands practice and patience. It also
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 087
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ISSUE 12
demands real-world training. Any novice can light a fire on a
warm dry day with a butane lighter and a handful of pocket
lint. But it takes a real pro to walk out in the wet snow and
build a quick fire from just a few carefully chosen items. This
is the level you should aspire to reach. Don’t be content with
being an armchair expert or Internet commando. Put in the
hours during nasty weather to become a real world expert.
Then, and only then, will you always be able to rely on fire’s
warm embrace.
Vehicle Fire Kit
I’m sure that there were once fire-building kits in every car. The earliest
steam-powered cars had an onboard stove that burned coal or wood, and
an onboard servant who built and fed that fire. This is where we get the word
chauffeur. It doesn’t mean driver, it basically means “fire guy” or more correct-
ly, “one who heats.” If you want to be prepared like a modern day fire guy or gal,
then build your own fire starting kit and keep it in your vehicle at all times.
Waterproof box: The container can be very important, especially in the
event of a water landing. Pick bright colors for easy visibility.
Ignition sources: These are the most important part of the kit. Place at
least two butane cigarette lighters in the kit, along with several boxes of
matches and at least one ferrocerium rod.
Tinder material: Dryer lint, cotton balls, paper, and many other plant-
based items can be used as tinder, the first fuel used in fire building.
Fuel sources: Mix a little petroleum jelly with your cotton balls and you
now have a potent fuel that will burn for several minutes with a generous
flame. There are also store-bought fuels like Wetfire cubes from UST and
various fire-starter tabs, packets, and pastes. A nub of a candle is a histori-
cal fire-starting classic that still pulls its weight today. Drip the melting wax
from a lit candle all over stubborn kindling.
FREEZER
BURN
Common
Mistakes
to Avoid
Winter is the most unforgiving season, and if you
need a fire to stay alive, this can be the toughest time
of year to kindle a blaze. If you can avoid these rookie
mistakes, you’ll be way ahead of the curve.
Building on Bare Snow: You may be able to light
some twigs on fire, briefly, on top of the snow — but it
won’t last. As the red coals drop down to the base of
the fire, they fall into snow, which melts and extin-
guishes them. This prevents you from establishing
a proper base for your fire, and it will soon die. If pos-
sible, dig down through the snow to place your fire on
bare ground. If that’s not an option, find something to
act as a barrier rather than trying to burn a fire directly
on the snow. It can be something temporary, like a raft
of logs on top of the snow. Or it can be something more
substantial, like a piece of metal you have scavenged
and placed upon some rock or log supports.
Forgetting the Melt: When planning where you’ll
burn a fire in snowy conditions, think about the snow
melting power of fire. If you burn a fire long enough, it
will melt a massive amount of snow. This can mean
that your fire is eventually going to be surrounded by
slush or even water. Before you build your blaze, pick
a spot that is out of the wind, yet has good drainage to
allow any snowmelt to run away from the fire.
Grabbing the Green: One of the fastest ways to
waste your matches is trying to light live twigs on fire.
Just because a tree or shrub has dropped its leaves
in the winter season, doesn’t mean that the twigs are
dead and dry. Among deciduous woody plants, live
twigs look just like the dead ones at this time of year.
You should only collect twigs that are actually dead,
and pass one of these two tests. First, if conditions are
cold and dry, squeeze the twig with your bare hand.
Live twigs are full of water, which will make them
feel colder. Dead twigs will quickly “warm up” to your
touch, while live ones seem to stay cold. Secondly, see
if the twig will snap off easily. This is often a sign of
dead material (though not a guarantee, especially in
soft woods at subfreezing temperatures).
 PROVEN
PROTECTION FOR ANY SITUATION

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090 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12
 HUMAN LIE
DETECTOR
Whether in a Post-Apocalyptic Landscape
or a Random Street Encounter,
Recognizing Deception Can Save Your Life Story by Dr. Neal H. Olshan

Y
sirawit99/istockphoto.com

ou might think the ability to determine if someone is lying only applies to interac-
tions with lawyers, car salesmen, and late-night infomercial hosts. But it’s difficult
to imagine that anyone reading this article has never been told a lie. Just go to any
nightclub on a Saturday night and you will definitely receive an overdose of bad
pickup lines and deceptive statements.
Unfortunately, shouting “Liar, liar, pants on fire!” at someone you suspect of lying to you is not a
very effective technique at getting to the truth. And, your chances of running into a wooden puppet
named Pinocchio would be slim to none.
So, in this article, we’re delving into how you can get complete and accurate information to
help you or your loved ones survive when SHTF. While you won’t turn into living lie detectors like
Colombo or Daredevil, you can read on to find out how to improve your B.S. meter.
ISSUE 12

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 091
 092 OFFGRIDWEB.COM
ISSUE 12

Physiology of Lying When you’re talking to someone, whether at a party,

As with most things within the behavioral sciences arena,
there has been an ongoing battle regarding the validity
of people as human lie detectors. Researchers have even
gotten to the point where they discuss what are called
micro-expressions, which are so small that they need to be
evaluated on specialized computers. For this article we’re
going to stick with those movements, gestures,
postures, and statements that might indicate
that someone is lying to you or, in the least,
attempting to be deceptive. It’s going to be
your responsibility to determine which one
or combination of the lie indicators works
best for you.
Though most
people get un-
comfortable after
a few seconds,
sustained eye
contact is vital to
detecting decep-
tion in others.
casual meeting, date, or business, there’s typically one clue
that holds true in the majority of those situations. We tend
not to look other people directly in the eyes for any length
of time other than checking for fake eyelashes or plastic
surgery. Unfortunately, we spend very little time evaluating
the statements of another person by carefully analyzing
their facial expressions.
Many scientists have stated that the eyes are the key
to emotions. Your eyes may actually be one of the most
expressive organ systems in the entire body. Unfortunately,
most people are very uncomfortable maintaining eye
contact for longer than two to three seconds. In attempting
to become a human lie detector, you need to travel into the
realm of behaviors that could cause you slight discomfort,
but the rewards may pay significant dividends. Maintaining
eye contact is an essential part of determining if the indi-
vidual you are assessing is lying. Very seldom do people lie
only once. If they have been telling lies of convenience since
childhood, the habit is hard to break and can become an
automatic response, especially in high-stress situations.
The most important aspect of lie detection is to realize
that, unless someone is a professional liar or a pathological
liar, there will in most cases be an automatic physiological
response. Reactions such as sweating, increased breath-
ing, increased heart rate, eye movements, and vocalization
changes due to constriction of the muscles surrounding the
larynx are all typical automatic responses associated with an
increase in anxiety levels triggered by lying.
Professional liars spend years perfecting their craft of
controlling all aspects that could be a tipoff. If an individual’s
voice went up one octave every time he or she lied, they
would probably not last very long as an individual trying
to deceive others on a regular basis. As an example, try to
remember back to a time when you may have been called
to the principal’s office. Even if you did nothing to warrant
the trip, you would still find yourself sweating, fidgeting,
and may even have a dry mouth and squeak to your voice.
Ask yourself if it’s possible to stop yourself from sweating.
Certain unnamed spy agencies teach their operatives how
to mentally block any physiological changes generated by
anxiety or fear.

Indications of Lying
In the high-stakes world of poker there is a term used to
detect if someone is bluffing about their hand and these
are called “tells.” This is why in so many high-stakes poker
4x6/istockphoto.com

games the competitors are wearing dark sunglasses; so

other players can’t detect eye movement. A good poker
 HUMAN LIE
DETECTOR

Izabela Habur/istockphoto.com
player is always aware of his hands and fingers, even when
they take a drink. What you’re going to be doing is looking
for tells in other people.
The Hands: When someone repeatedly covers their
mouth or puts their hand near their mouth when speaking,
that may indicate the possibility of a lie. Wringing of hands
or nervous, sweaty, and clammy hands can be indicators of
deception.
The Mouth: Small twitching motions at the corners of the
mouth or the upper lip can be a clue of untruthful state-
ments. If someone (the liar) is aware that they experience
twitching around the mouth, when stressed or lying, this
may cause them to try and cover the behavior with their
hand when they speak, even the subtlety of pretending that
they are yawning.
The Eyes: Our peepers may be the easiest indicator to
detect, since a majority of the movements and behaviors
are unconscious. For example, an increase in blinking
could possibly indicate untruthfulness. But before you call Hand move-
someone out, ask if he or she has allergies since that could ment can more than a few times, methinks you should seriously evalu-
also be the cause of the blinking. There are many studies indicate a lie, ate what is being said. Consider saying to the individual,
such as when
that purport to show that if you look up to the right or up to “Let me think about that and I’ll get back to you later.” If they
someone covers
the left, you are lying. Unfortunately there isn’t consistency his mouth. become upset and keep pushing, you might have your
within the scientific field in this particular category. answer right there.
The Twitches: Twitching is a very difficult indicator to
quantify. Restless movements may simply be a function of Learning to Be a Human Lie Detector
sitting too long, lower back pain, or just being bored. Once Unless you wield Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth, there
again, it’s going to take some detective work on your part to is no magic tool to learning how to detect deception. You
determine if the twitching correlates to a lie. Unlike some of have to develop the skills of observing, listening, and evaluat-
the other clues, twitching may take multiple contacts with ing what people are telling you. This will require you to main-
the individual over a period of time to decipher. tain eye contact, focus on their verbal content, and most
The Throat: Throat clearing or verbal hesitation is a importantly, be aware of what is happening to the individual
rather easy indicator of possible deception, unless they have physiologically and verbally when they do attempt to lie.
a cold or are a heavy cigarette or cigar smoker. Typically,
if an individual knows that he’s about to tell a lie, he might
clear his throat in an attempt to modulate his voice, which in-
advertently lets you know that a lie is right around the bend.
The Voice: If the voice goes up an octave or two, or the Ask Dr.O
basic timbre of the voice changes, this may be a good clue Do you have your own methods of determining if some-
that the stress of telling a lie is causing muscles to tighten one is lying? Want to find more resources or learn more
in the throat and thereby constricting the vocal cords. You about this topic? Do you have an idea for a column on the
need to listen carefully to not only the words, but also what psychology and physiology of survival or self-defense?
happens to the voice. Email Dr. Neal H. Olshan at mindsetdoc@gmail.com.
The Words: Sentence structure and content can, at
times, be good indicators of deception. A liar might try too
hard to convince you that their statements are truthful.
Shakespeare hit it out of the park in Hamlet when Queen
Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother states, “The lady doth protest too
ISSUE 12

much, methinks.” If someone keeps repeating a statement

OFFGRIDWEB.COM 093
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ISSUE 12
lazortech/istockphoto.com
This is not a skill that is gained in one or two conversations.
It’s going to require an effort on your part, but it can also
reap significant rewards. Here is the five L’s to get started:
1. Look the person directly in his or her eyes when you first
meet and maintain a minimum of 70-percent eye contact
throughout the interaction.
2. Listen to the tone and timbre of their voice.
3. Look for extra body movements, especially if they are
repetitive.
4. Live in the moment. Don’t get caught daydreaming.
5. Leave if all the warning signs go off.
Here are some real life examples: Mandy Miller from Miami
went to a specialty store to buy a long-term supply of food
for her household. Always preparation-minded, she carefully
checked the expiration dates on the outside of the box, which
was within the appropriate dates. Normally she would not
have opened the carton when she got home, but “something
told me that I should open it and found out that everything
would expire in two months.” Mandy went back to the store
About the
Author
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 the Mindset program. He is also a pilot, an award-winning
photographer, an author of both fiction and nonfiction books, and the chief
combat psychologist for LMS Defense.
HUMAN LIE
DETECTOR
for a refund and thought it strange that the storeowner could
not look her in the eye when she complained about the expi-
ration date. Evidently the seller had switched boxes.
Bill Norling from Scottsdale, Arizona, had been looking
for an older Jeep to use if SHTF. He liked a particular vehicle
and was going to buy it with cash. He noticed that the seller
became very hurried and pushed to close the deal even
before Bill had fully inspected the car. The seller had begun
to sweat and could not stand still. He said that he had to get
home to his daughter’s birthday and could not be late. Bill
realized something was not right and told the seller that he
was going to “sleep on it.” The seller then dropped the price
another $200, but Bill left. While inspecting the Jeep, Bill had
written down the VIN number. The next day he went to the
Department of Motor Vehicles and found that the Jeep had
been stolen in New Mexico.
So here’s the deal: If you want to be a human lie detec-
tor, you’re going to have to work at it. Although it would be
nice if we had superhuman hearing like Daredevil and could
detect rapid heart rate when someone wasn’t telling the
truth, the truth is you’ll need to practice just like any other
worthwhile skill, such as fire-starting or navigation. This
doesn’t mean that while talking to someone at a party you
should be staring at them like a creeper, but it does mean
that you need to develop awareness of not only what the
person is telling you, but how they are telling it to you.
Lastly, bring intuition into play. When you can factor in
your intuition with your observations, your ability to detect
lies and deceptions will be significantly enhanced. If your
intuition tells you that something is wrong in the individual’s
presentation, then it would be a good idea to bring into play
your skills of observation.
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096
096
09
96
ISSUE 12
HEALTH

ENDURANCE
ESSENTIALS
Tested Methods to Train for
and Outlast the Unknown
Story by Ryne Gioviano

D
on’t jump on that bandwagon. Don’t let
mainstream media tell you endurance
training is dead and some “seven-minute
fitness phenomenon” is all it takes to stay
in shape. In Issue 11, we focused on devel-
oping sprinting skills. In this edition, we turn to its comple-
ment: endurance training.

WARNING!
The exercises and
content expressed
in this column
are for illustrative
purposes only.
Consult a medical
professional
before trying any
physical activity or
nutritional plan.

MichaelSvoboda/istockphoto.com
 Being able to sustain optimal physical performance over
long periods is the foundation from which other fitness
components are built. Especially with the unknown ahead,
enjoy the peace of mind knowing you’ve taken the precau-
tions to be ready. Long-term survival situations can require
endurance as your means to safety. Ever tried practicing
your preplanned escape route? We don’t mean walking on
flat sidewalks — we’re talking about really hoofing it through
uneven terrain in the backwoods with your 72-hour pack. Or
have you attempted to tread water for more than five min-
utes to simulate being caught in a flood or stranded at sea?
That being said, if walking to the mailbox has you winded,
how can you boost your endurance?
The Why
You’d be hard pressed to find a more critical component
of physical fitness than endurance. By endurance, we’re refer-
ring to aerobic fitness, which is the foundation of your condi-
tioning. Your body relies on the aerobic system as the largest
source (by a substantial margin) of energy produced to fuel
activity and daily function. So, yeah, it’s pretty important.
By definition, aerobic means relating to, requiring, or
involving oxygen. In the event you have to trek across an
open field or make a series of sprints to avoid detection,
the aerobic system is at work. Without a decent aerobic
fitness level, not only would you barely be able to make it
any appreciable distance with equipment, but you’ll also be
limiting your ability to make progress in other areas of your
physical fitness.
When we build up our level of aerobic fitness, it has car-
ryover into other aspects of general fitness. This includes im-
proved exercise recovery, better oxygen delivery to muscles,
shorter rest intervals between activities, and more blood
pumped from your heart at each beat (termed cardiac
output), and many more adaptations. Basically, you become
more efficient at handling physically active situations.
The How
When we’re training for endurance, we’re going to be do-
ing some longer, slower activities that most fitness enthu-
siasts turn their noses up at. “Train slow, be slow,” they tell
themselves. Well, they couldn’t be more wrong. The activities
may not be as exhausting as kettlebell swings, but they’ll set
the stage for further improvement and enhanced recovery.
Let’s first cover what it means to train the aerobic system.
Generally, the main components of an aerobic fitness
program include exercise sessions lasting 30 to 90 minutes
with exercises of lower intensity, which should get your
heart up to 120 to 140 beats per minute (bpm). This is what’s
typical, and while we will include some of this type of train-
ing, we’re also going to mix it up a bit.
Aside from just using a heart rate monitor (which you’ll be
unlikely to have in many circumstances), we can measure
heart rate one of two ways. First, we can take a measurement
finding your radial artery and counting heart beats for 15 sec-
onds, and multiplying that number by four. See the sidebar
for a detailed description of how to do this. If a watch or clock
is unavailable, the “talk test” can do, but should be a last resort
as it’s not very accurate. The talk test is simply exercising at an
intensity that allows you to just barely hold a conversation.
We can use many types of exercises, but let’s focus on
ones that are practical to survival and have been tested on
athletes of all kinds. We’re going to play with some of the
training variables to give you options to work with. This will
give you some ideas and won’t require you to do something
you loathe except exercising. If you don’t like to exercise,
you’re SOL.
Running
Running will be one of your most important types of
aerobic exercise in a disaster scenario, as you’re likely to be
moving on foot quite a bit. (Jammed freeways with panicked
drivers will make driving a difficult option.) Becoming a profi-
cient runner will also make traveling with equipment easier,
especially in any case where you really need to book it. The
same case can be made for swimming, which could easily
be trained similarly. This would be a great addition if you’re
ISSUE 12
near a coastline or large body of water.
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 097
098
ISSUE 12
HEALTH
How to Train It: We’re going to switch it up and use
cardiac power intervals. Cardiac power intervals involve sev-
eral brief periods of high-intensity activity followed by long
rest periods. So, we’ll jump rope as fast as possible either
jumping regularly, or, if you can, doing double-unders (rope
passes under feet twice with one jump). The key here is high
intensity for one to two minutes
followed by two to five minutes
of rest. Repeat this four to 10
times in one workout, and only
complete this one to two times
per week.

Weight Training
Weight training can be manip-
ulated to give us the result we’re
after. While this idea may have
you thinking about heavy bench
presses and squats (yes, you
need to train your legs), we can
play with other exercises, rest
periods, sets, and repetitions to
get a more aerobic benefit.
How to Train It: In order to
get resistance training to give
us an aerobic benefit, we’re
going to use a method called
high-intensity continuous train-
ing. This involves completing
an exercise with high resistance
How to Train It: We’ll follow traditional aerobic training continuously for 10 to 20 minutes per set with lower speed.
and focus on the cardiac output method of training. This is In our example, we’re going to use step-ups, but you can
what most people are familiar with when we use the term certainly use something like a bike or lunges up a hill, just as
“cardio,” which is low-intensity exercise (heart rate at 120 long as the resistance is high.
to 140 bpm) completed for 30 to 90 minutes, one to three
times per week. Think of this as going out for a jog.
If you’re newer to aerobic training, you can start at 30
minutes — or even start at 15 minutes and gradually build
up to it. The key is a gradual increase in volume. Use the
Choosing a
Jump Rope
10-percent rule by only increasing the time you’re running
no more than 10 percent per week.

Jump Rope 1. Stand on the jump rope with both feet.

Unlike other activities like hockey, this is a great option Bring both handles straight up toward
due to the limited amount of equipment needed. It does your chest.
have good carryover into running, which is another plus. It’s 2. A rope that fits will reach your lower
pretty simple, so we won’t go into too much detail in jump chest or nipple area.
rope technique outside of just staying tall and trying to 3. Anything higher or lower than this
make contact through the balls of your feet. will be the incorrect size.

You’ll begin by choosing dumbbells or a bar with weight
that is heavy enough to make a step-up challenging. Ensure
the box you’re stepping up to is at a height that creates a
90-degree angle at your hip and knee when your foot is
placed on it.
1. Place your entire foot on the box.
2. Drive your heel into the step as you bring your other foot
on top of the box, then step down.
3. Pause briefly (one to three seconds) before stepping up
again with the opposite foot.
Complete two sets per workout with five to 10 minutes
of active rest between sets. Do one to two workouts per
week.
ENDURANCE
ESSENTIALS
Manual Heart Monitor
1. Find your radial artery by placing
your index and middle fingers on the
inside of your wrist.
2. Feel for tendons running along the
middle of the inside of your wrist.
3. Move your fingers closer to the
thumb-side, in between the promi-
nent bone (radius) and those tendons.
4. Apply gentle pressure. Too much
pressure and you’ll restrict blood flow,
while too little won’t allow you to feel
blood pumping.
Conclusion
As you can see, not everything has to do with a mega
high-intensity, sets-to-failure type of training. It’s best to
choose one or two of the recommended exercises and
training methods, rather than all of them. There has to be
a balance, especially if your physical fitness needs must be
well-rounded, which it does if we’re going to plan for the
unknown. Take this information into consideration, and be
ready for whatever the future may hold.
SOURCES
Ultimate MMA Conditioning By Joel Jamieson > www.amazon.com
ISSUE 12
Welligee Personal Training & Lifestyle > www.welligee.com
OFFGRIDWEB.COM 099
100
ISSUE 12
HANDSON

SPOT Gen3
3
A Pocketful of SHTF Insurance
Story and Photos by Rob Curtis

S
omeday, the world is going to bend you over.
You think you’ll be ready, but you won’t. Your
snowmobile breaks down miles from civiliza-
tion, a shifting boulder traps your arm, or a
mountain lion decides one of your hiking
troop is a tasty snack. If you spend enough time exploring
the edges of the map you’re going to find yourself taking a
backseat to destiny.
The SPOT Gen3 satellite messenger is 4 ounces of ass-
saving technology that uses the Globalstar constellation of
low-earth-orbiting satellites to transmit GPS location and
canned messages to family, friends, social networks, and — in
the gravest extreme — the GEOS international rescue service.

On the Spot
With SPOT, you’re able to email or text three preset,
110-character long messages to a user-defined recipient list
administered using SPOT’s website. A fourth message is an
SOS alert that sends identity and precise location information
to the GEOS service, initiating an emergency response.
Running the device is straightforward. It’s got one button
for each job. There’s no need for Konami-Code-level memo-
rization. To send one of the four preset messages, press and
hold the corresponding button until the LED above it tells
you it’s working. Same drill when it comes to activating or
deactivating the device’s tracking mode.
Pressing one uncovered button sends the “I’m OK” mes-
sage, pushing another sends a custom message. The other
two buttons send help messages and have a little flap to
guard against accidental activation. One marked with cute
little hands sends a message that tells recipients that you
could use some help dealing with a nonlife-threatening situ-
ation. The other covered button, marked SOS, sends your
identity and location to the GEOS command center telling
them to activate the nearest search-and-rescue assets.
The ability to let family and friends know how things are
going and SOS features are great features on their own, but
the real beauty of the SPOT Gen3 is the tracking feature.
Turn it on and the unit drops bread crumbs on a Google
maps-enabled web page that’s easily accessed via a link
sent in every message. Depending on the level of service
you’ve paid for, the web page is updated with your cur-
rent position at 2.5-, 5-, 10-, 30-, or 60-minute intervals. The
service allows per-page password protection and up to 10
pages per device. You can choose different levels of mes-
sage detail to share and even share the location of several
SPOT devices on a single map. This is handy if you’ve got
a few people on an expedition. Set up a page showing
everyone’s progress, or make individual pages so each team
member’s parents or fans can track just them.
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102
ISSUE 12
HANDSON
Setup
Activating the unit is pretty painless. Go to www.findme
spot.com and punch in the numbers found inside the unit’s
battery compartment and choose a service plan.
The Basic service is $150 a year and offers 10-minute track-
ing intervals, messaging, and SOS response. The $200 Unlim-
ited service unlocks 5-, 10-, 30-, or 60-minute tracking intervals
and the $300 Extreme service adds the option of 2.5-, 5-, 10-,
30-, or 60-minute tracking intervals. You can pay monthly, but
it’ll cost a bit more; and there’s no option for month-to-month
service. A year is the minimum term for all services.
Once you’re paid up, customize the messages then add a list
of email addresses and text numbers the device’s messages
should go to. Lastly, give SPOT your contact info so GEOS can
contact you in the event of an SOS button press to confirm the
need for a full-blown rescue response. You can also adjust the
tracking frequency and add Facebook and Twitter accounts to
MAKE & MODEL
SPOT update when you hit the device’s OK button.
Gen3
WEIGHT
4 ounces with batteries Power
SIZE Since the Globalstar satellites are low earth orbiting, the
3.5x1 inches
device only needs to transmit a low-power signal (less than
COVERAGE
75-percent global cover- 500 milliwatts) to the reach them. This low power require-
age using the Globalstar
satellite network ment is great for power conservation.
SERVICES But, the ability of this signal to reach one of orbiting satellites
GPS assisted emer-
gency beacon overhead is dependent on the same factors that limit GPS
One-way satellite mes- signal reception. Dense tree canopy and canyoning can block
saging
Near real-time position the signal and increase power consumption as the GPS chip
tracking via website
and mobile app searches for a signal. It’s important to note SPOT communica-
MSRP tion is one-way, and despite the flashing green LEDs, there’s no
$150
SERVICE PLAN
way to know if your message actually got to the satellite.
Required, $150/year To save power, the device contains a movement sensor
minimum
URL and only sends tracking updates when you’re moving.
www.findmespot.com The four lithium AAAs in our test unit ran for three all-day
hikes, transmitting location data every
10 minutes with a few OK check-ins
thrown in without putting a dent in the
batteries. We tracked our path around
town for four more days while running
errands, tracked a horse’s movement
for a day around his pasture, and skied
two more days with it and the batteries
were still in the green. We never saw
the battery LED flash red.
We figure, setting the device to the
30- or 60-minute tracking interval,
the SPOT Gen3 could run for nearly a
month on a single set of batteries. Turn-
ing off tracking and only using the de-
vice to send OK or HELP/SOS messages would net months
of use. For even more extended use or more frequent
updates, the device can be powered through its USB port.
On the Ground
Our hikes were tracked faithfully on SPOT’s website. The
tracking points indicated position without speed, but lines
connected the dots and gave an indication of direction.
The antenna is in on the front face and SPOT says it should
be pointed up with a clear view of the sky for best GPS recep-
tion and tracking/messaging transmission. Messages were
all sent successfully and nearly all the generated emails and
texts arrived within a minute of pushing a button. To see how
it’d do in adverse conditions, we hit the HELP button with
the device purposely positioned face down at the bottom of
a pack while we ate lunch in a deep gully. As expected, the
unit had trouble getting a signal out, but it didn’t give up. The
transmission made it after about 30 minutes with the unit still
in the pack once we took it out of the gully. Other than our
abuse, the unit had no trouble doing its appointed duty.
One thing we didn’t like about the SPOT Gen3 is the need
for the website to change message content, recipients, and
the tracking frequency. In the age of the smartphone, it
seems ridiculous that we couldn’t adjust these settings using
the SPOT smartphone app. The iPhone app only allowed us
to track the unit on a map and receive messages.
Overall, the device was worth the space it took up in our
pack. It worked as advertised and gave us and our relations
a sense of security that’s unobtainable outside the cell-
phone coverage area. The $150 price tag seems reasonable,
though infrequent adventurers may find the subscription
fee tough to swallow.
Pros: Cons:
Excellent battery life Lack of month-to-month
Shockproof and water- subscription
proof to 1 meter Inability to change settings
Uncomplicated setup and offline
use USB port cover is easily
Easily available batteries ripped off
Can be powered externally No service in Arctic and
Many options for sharing Antarctic
track info Reduced service in some
regions of South America,
central Africa, western Asia,
Russia, and Pacific Ocean
Low power can limit
transmission of messages
in some locations
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106
ISSUE 12
411

America the Infected

Biggest Outbreaks in U.S. History
Story by John Schwartze

H
istorically, the United States has seen its share of avoided through proper food preparation. The CDC estimates that
epidemics. There are others, however, that con- from the 1976-1977 season to the 2006-2007 flu season, flu-associ-
tinue to be a thorn in the side of our population ated deaths ranged from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about
in spite of having some of the best doctors and 49,000 people. One of the most prevalent? Approximately 50,000
technology on the planet. people are infected with HIV each year. Since the first cases were
A total of 9,421 tuberculosis cases were reported in 2014. reported in the early ’80s, over 25 million have died worldwide.
Norovirus, Salmonella, and Listeria cause hundreds of deaths and Here, we’ve compiled some of the biggest that have wreaked
thousands of hospitalizations each year, many of which can be havoc on U.S. soil over the last 200-plus years.
58,000 INFECTED (21,269 LEFT WITH MILD TO DISABLING PARALYSIS)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention > www.cdc.gov

5,889 INFECTIONS

5,000 DEATHS

403,000 INFECTIONS
3,145 DEATHS

9,477 INFECTIONS

1,153 INFECTED
658,000 DEATHS
675,000 DEATHS
150,000 DEATHS

70,000 DEATHS
844 DEATHS

100 DEATHS

10 DEATHS

14 DEATHS
N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A
Boston

Yellow Fever

Second
Cholera

Pertussis
“Whooping
Cough”
Smallpox
Epidemic

Epidemic

Pandemic

H1N1
Influenza

Polio
Epidemic

Asian Flu
Pandemic

AIDS

Cryptosporidium
Outbreak in
Milwaukee

Enterovirus

SOURCE

1830- 1918- 1981-

1721 1793 1851 1919 1952 1957 PRESENT 1993 2010 2014

Note: Amounts are approximations.

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