(you've just woken them up by tripping over something in their house), This is what I mean about "Wannabie Rambos".
I pomise you that if it were my house, you won't have to worry so much about me chasing you in my bare feet. Your gonna be waaaaay to busy worrying about other things, chiefly if you have made peace with your maker, and what's gonna happen to your soul about 5 seconds after you arrive there.

(Sighs and presses the "irgnore" button on another "so called" survivalist escape artist wannabe...

Originally posted by juniperberry
If you have someone running after you who is barefoot (you've just woken them up by tripping over something in their house), barely crushed walnuts make fantastic caltrops.

Make blinding powder.

Take raw egg,
poke holes at both ends of the shell ,
blow out the stuff (or use it for breakfast).
Let dry
Fill with cayenne and/or mustard powder. Or whatever else seems reasonable.
cap both ends with hot melt glue or wax.
Throw it at your opponent to blind.

You'll need a hollow stick for those times you have to throw yourself into a filled ditch under water. So you can breathe.

Don't forget your wire, elastic bands, and matches. Small enough to carry in your back pocket.

I was always a fan of MacGuyver.

The only thing I have is an SAS survival book which I have neglected to read a second time. But! I will be taking a survival course offered locally. I already know how to build basic tools out of wood, a good bow and arrow, and some clothes and moccasins using deer hide. I don't know if martial law would be declared nationally or even if I would alive to see the final phase of the NWO but if society ever breaks down completely, at least I'll be prepared.

You guys might want to invest in a bomb shelter or an underground bunker to better hide.

First and most importantly you need your health - your not going to run anywhere fast if your not healthy.

Second you need proper training and experience. I would suggest for those that can afford it the BOSS school. They will teach you everything you need to know to live with very little.

Third and what has insofar not been mentioned either, practice and you really need to focus on the first two to make sure it's perfect practice.

If you have a bag with everything you think you might need to live on than you need to actually try it.

The concept that I perfer and you may come to after trying to go anywhere with a 56 pound pack pack is the lightweight backpack concept, 10 pounds or less.

This will also enable you to go further faster and for longer and by learning the hard way whats worth keeping and whats not you will weed out the noise.

Personally The last thing you want to do in a real SHTF is to be anywhere other people are unless you know them and they are similarly prepared. So all of this night vision garbage is lame, you want to evade first and foremost.

The easiest way to do this is by knowing where you are going to go and practicing it with whatever you are going to take.

My basic pack is a jansport simple back pack, they have a lifetime warranty and they have nothing extra to get caught on stuff or extra points to fail. It's in some nondescript brown I think called urban guerilla something that hides well but doesnt stick out like camo and black stuff.

In it are two bottles of water, my 9mm glock with 6 19 round mags (plus 2 bases) clippend into my serpa paddle holster because it's very durable will hold the glock if your climbing ect too.

Also is two sets of under armor type compression gear full length, this will help your endurance and keep you from sweating and feeling dirty and is super light.

Ones set is black which I wear under my clothes so I can strip down if needed, the other set is digital camo pattern I happened to find at bass pro but I dont wear thee unless I am trying to disappear in my local wilderness ect.

They also wash easy and will help with bruising ect also they are very sleak if you need to move through brush ect.

I have a regular polyester based dark grey track suit with hood I wear over that and some durable boots with ankle support and socks to keep my feet dry.

Also in my bag I have a filter straw for water sources, a solar oven the basic fold out solar oven just reflective aluminium and a small bag of oatmeal with a little brown sugar mixed in. And a solar blanket. Multi tool as well. And tooth brush and little floss.

Also a basic field guide but I haven't found the right one yet.

I feel like I could go anywhere reasonable with that and be fine. There are some other basic things but they are nice to have's

The gun btw is not to start trouble but if needed to defend others who cant run as fast as I can.

Escape and evasion?

Rope? Not to laugh, but...

How about a few fake ID's and additional paperwork? A safehouse, money rolling in, clippers, and surgery equipment.

Escape and evasion is more about staying hidden, I believe, and blending in completely.


Very splinter cell indeed.


Dont get me wrong, if by Escape and Evasion, you mean, "Run, hitch and hide... the highland way"...

your list sounds about perfect. Good reversible jacket, hat and sunglasses , extra disguises etc.

Originally posted by WarMind
Escape and evasion?
Rope? Not to laugh, but...
How about a few fake ID's and additional paperwork? A safehouse, money rolling in, clippers, and surgery equipment.
Escape and evasion is more about staying hidden, I believe, and blending in completely.
Very splinter cell indeed.
Dont get me wrong, if by Escape and Evasion, you mean, "Run, hitch and hide... the highland way"...
your list sounds about perfect. Good reversible jacket, hat and sunglasses , extra disguises etc.

So what are you going to do when you're being chased until your lungs are at bursting point through the city and you're coming up against obstacles and can't get to where you want fast?

Turn around and how them your fake ID?

What you going to do with your surgery equipment? Give youself a botched face-lift?

Escape and evasion is about exactly that. Fake IDs have got their place but you're going to be moving at night so probably best not put any sun glasses on!

Thermal blanket(s).
Firestarter(s).

Human power, light, radio, 'generator' for other electrical devices.

Then you need a

That a good way to begin with.

Then there is the question of water,
Water filter, and purifier. You need to purify water.

Then the is the question of food :
You need some weapons - and weapons that don't need recharge, i mean for instance, a really good crossbows (with optical), air gun. ( And maybe IR device that don't us a IR laser, if you want to be totaly invisible)
You can also FIshing.

But to survive or be independant, you will need a place for growing your food - and you can be really smart and optimise your space.

A greenhouse is not a bad idea, and you can build one easily, don't forget good fertilizer (and in order to choose the best fertilizer, allways check the NPK values )

Then maybe there is the question of energy :
Solar panel
Wind turbine
Biomass ( cheat -> Methane ) device.
Human or animal power battery charger.

Finally, you need a electrical bike, motorcicle, or a small car. (but keep in mind the necessary energy they will need ). Or a horse :d

As you can see the real problem is FOOD AND WATER.

Now THAT'S more like it. Keep it simple, and keep it real. TTo many people place so much emphasis on electronic gizmos,. That, and they tend to think it terms of humping around 1000 rounds of various calibers in loaded magazines.

You can survive in the woods, jungle, desert, and high plains with just a knife, as long as you actually have the skills and know-how. I don’t particularly want to have to survive with just a knife, but if it comes down to it, I can make a fire, build a shelter, set out fish traps and small animal snares, and I am cognizant of which plants will sustain me, and which ones will send me on a space odyssey. Build primitive tools, weapons, and useful gear comes second to that, and its those kinds of skills that will make or break you.

Imagine that you only have a few seconds to “get gone”, and your BOB is too far away to reach , for whatever reason. Your out in the woods huffing and puffing to escape whatever your running from, and you have absolutely nothing on your back, in your pockets, that will help you endure this.

The guys that actually go out into the bush on the weekends and practice primitive survival techniques, are waaaaay ahead of the loop, as opposed to the gizmo techie crowd that are too lazy to learn basic survival skills.
They see themselves as having the (over-confident) skills to single handedly take on an infantry squad, and yet have never heard a shot fired in anger.
Their infatuation with weapons makes me think that their unstable in the first place, and probably a little zippy in the second. Weapons are like a hammer, a tool to be used. Why would you want to hump 15 30-round magazines for your rifle, 8-magazines for your Glock, and 300 rounds of 12-gauge 00-buckshot for the shotgun, when you’re trying to escape and evade.

On top of that, where are these nutcases going? Are they expecting to live off the land by the pure force of their guns? Have they considered that: 1) It could be winter, 2) other people with guns will be out there, 3) It won’t be as easy as they imagine in their GI JOE mind. Geez people; get your head outta the astronomical airway, and start thinking in real terms.
Forget those stupid movies your watched where the Hero whups up everybody. Forget the books that you read where the Hero overcomes all odds, like Red Dawn, and those types. This is real life, and real deal.

If’s paramount that you HAVE A PLACE TO ESCAPE TO, not running around in the State Forest of National Park looking to get into a firefight with everyone that you meet. I guarantee you Budro, there will be people out there that have more guns, and more friends with their guns. Shoot one of them, and then try to ‘escape and evade” with that electronics heavy pack, caltrops, locksmith tools, night vision devices, and all that other junk, let’s see how far you get then. I wouldn’t take odd in your favor of getting but a few yards.
There are REAL SURVIVALIST out there that have actual combat experience, and they have friends with them. They just wanna be left alone, and won’t cause you any harm, unless of course, you happen to be sneaking around their property, or start acting like a menace to what’s left of society. Then all bets are off.
How many Vietnam vets are out there living in camps, that have forgotten more bush skills than you will these “Rambo’s” will ever know. Many are the number I bet.

As for the guy with the locksmith tools. I would be pleased to know what part of the world you live in.

----My gut instincts tells me your some “city dweller”, under 30 years of age, high school dropout, no skills, and no practical survival mindset, much less appropriate and forward thinking survival strategies, other than stealing from good people in a bad situation. Come on up to Alaska. We got about 5 million square miles tailor-made just for you Budro. Oh did I mention that 90% of the people here carry firearms, have mean ass dogs, and plenty of friends to back them up?

Good Book Friend. Great Sills To know! Unlike some of these "wannabies"...

Originally posted by DevilJin
The only thing I have is an SAS survival book which I have neglected to read a second time. But! I will be taking a survival course offered locally. I already know how to build basic tools out of wood, a good bow and arrow, and some clothes and moccasins using deer hide. I don't know if martial law would be declared nationally or even if I would alive to see the final phase of the NWO but if society ever breaks down completely, at least I'll be prepared.

You guys might want to invest in a bomb shelter or an underground bunker to better hide.

I agree with you Zeetyouman. What a nutcase some of these clowns are. Locksmith tools? Get real! Wonder how much that weighs, and has to be susbsituded for food that he could carry.

Originally posted by zeetroyman
caltrops are generally 3 sides spikes which you could use to put under someones tyres to blow them or drop out of a moving vehicle to blow the tyres in a chase. Used in the ancient ages by Ninja's who threw them around the enemys feet.

i generally stick with your standard survival kit.

Fishing line, hooks, sturdy knife for chopping wood, flint kit with striking block, cammo paint etc.

If the original poster took a walk down my street with his kit and got stopped by the police hed be locked up for being a suspected burglar!