Review: Bushcraft Outfitters Ultralight Multicam MEST

A 5x7 Multicam tarp that weighs in at under 1/2 a pound? And can fit inside a canteen pouch or cargo pocket?

Yes, such a thing does exist. Behold, with a .38 special for size comparison:

 It's the Ultralight Multicam MEST (Multipurporse Emergency Survival Tarp). And, in a game of "ounces equals pounds, pounds equals pain" it gives you an excellent way to shave off critical weight or carry a functional shelter when you otherwise would not.

Escape and Evade Image Contest: Winter Camp

From G.C.-

This is my winter camp.

The pic was taken Friday, February 21st. Spent the night in this shelter. Chilli, but I survived.

Bug Out Bag Shelter Discussion

Shelter is a pretty good idea for the ol' go bag. Importance is going to vary a bit depending on your environment - urban sprawl is very different from rural Montana. And season will play a role too - more important in cold weather, less so in warm weather. Freezing to death is no fun, and exposure can kill you pretty darn quickly. So, we generally want to look at including some kind of shelter option in our kits.

Before we dive in, it's important to cover off on an idea that many people miss out on: a bug out bag should be built for fast movement towards an area of safety, with capabilities to overcome any obstacles in your way.

An evac is not a camping trip or a backpacking trip--it's not a happy, leisurely thing. You're running for your life. If it's safe for you to be moving, and you have the physical ability to do so, then you should be getting out of dodge, not hanging out bushcrafting or whatever. A lot of people get confused here.

We also often overlook our primary form of transportation - the ol' family bug out vehicle. The BOV will to get us to our safe location faster than on foot, and should only be ditched if absolutely necessary - ambush, utterly impassable roads, out of fuel with no hope of refueling or broken down with no hope of repair. These are the kinds of dire situations that would push us to abandon our vehicles, extra gear and bail out on foot.

This all helps shape our choices for shelter. We should attempt to have something that is:

• Light and compact enough to allow for fast movement
• Quick to set up/take down
• Multipurpose if possible
• Robust enough to provide life saving shelter in killer weather conditions
• Subdued color or camouflage pattern

For these reasons, most of us survivalist types tend towards tarps, poncho tarps, and, to a lesser extent bivy bags. You're not going to beat one of these shelters in terms of size/weight, which is an essential.

Setup and take down times on these kinds of shelter can vary, and improve with practice. Bivy bags are mostly just roll out and jump into. Tarps can be a bit trickier. I would not hesitate to add shortcuts like bungie cords to help ease setup - yes, you should know the knots, but if you can save time/effort for a minimal weight savings. Worry more about set up times than about how fancy or perfect of a shelter you can pitch. From packed to under shelter in 5 minutes is a good baseline.

Robustness on tarps and bivy bags is going to vary fairly greatly - I would be cautious about going with too thin/lightweight of material. But, you probably don't need the item to last for months of use - it needs to hold the weather at bay for as long as it takes you to move from your point of danger to your targeted safe zone.

The old USGI poncho used to be the no-brain option, but they are getting scarce and running up in price. Many use the bivy bag from the military sleep system. There are numerous tarp, poncho tarps and bivy bags on the market, though - Go Lite, Seek Outside, Kifaru, SnugPak, Dave Canterbury's Patherfinder School, Bushcraft Outfitters USA and others all have solid options in their product lineups. A green, brown or tan hardware store tarp can work in a pinch, too. Not ideal, but not much money, either.

Unconventional Options
A tarps, poncho tarps or bivy bags are the common answer to the survival shelter problem, and it's a good one. If you need to go really fast and light or find yourself without your kit, here are a couple options to consider:

Go Primitive
Having the tools and know-how to build primitive shelter, ala the Discovery survival TV shows. A fixed blade knife, saw and cordage are go bag staples, and they're all you need to build a variety of primitive shelters that will keep you alive in nasty weather. Throw in an axe and you can do even more. And, these tools are useful for more than just shelter building, too.

This "Bear Grylls" approach has a major downside to it - shelter building is time and calorie intensive, and your time and energy would probably be better spent moving to your final destination. It also exposes you to greater risk of going without shelter - if you're injured, don't have adequate materials, run out of time in the day, etc.

Use Existing Shelter
Most areas of the U.S. are populated and developed - lots of existing buildings and other hidey holes. In a bug out level disaster scenario, a large number of buildings are likely to be completely abandoned -- office buildings, unimportant stores (not many people shop for furniture during the apocalypse), barns and utility buildings and so on. All certainly potential options.

Private residences will be hit-or-miss--hard to determine if they're actually abandoned, potentially deadly if you barge into someone's occupied home by accident. Certainly risky.

The home of a friend or acquaintance would be another matter - if they are home, you may be able to hunker down in the basement or garage for an evening. If they aren't, well, at least they might not shoot you if they show up while you're riding out the storm in their living room.

And, of course, lots of other options - access tunnels, bridges and overpasses, etc. 

Either of the above - primitive shelter or leveraging existing shelter - can also of course be combined with any shelter that you have with you. For example - a tarp can do a considerable amount to reinforce a debris hut or lean-to.

Anyways, quick overview of some of the options that are out there and how to think about your selection when packing shelter for your bail out bag.

What shelter do you carry in your bug out bag? Let us know!

Long Term Survival: Shelter

If your home or retreat is compromised in a long term collapse scenario, what are your options for shelter? A poncho shelter is only going to work for so long, and a cheap family tent is probably not going to make it through more than a storm or two. If it's a week or so in the summer, no big deal - but what if weeks turn into months and on into years?

The best option is to have friends or family with backup locations of their own, that are equally viable for long term survival. So, say your place gets destroyed in the initial event, but Uncle Bob's farm is a hundred miles away, and has plenty of extra room, water and food, too. Then you just need to get yourself to Uncle Bob's place and you're good to go. 

Even if you don't have a circle of like-minded survivalist type friends/family in the region, it's good to know have an idea of where you could turn for a safe place to sleep and regroup, even if just for a short while. We have friends who lost their home in a tornado a few years back, and they ended up living with some family friends for a few weeks while they located a new place to live and regrouped from the devastation caused by the storm. It never hurts to have these conversations beforehand - and if you're the prepared party, extending an invite to trusted but potentially less prepare parties can be wise.

Prepping on $40 a Week: Shelter

A soldier hunkers down during SERE training.
Image from defenseimagery.mil.

Shelter is one of those things where you can go in a huge variety of directions--full blown tent, ultralight tent, tipi, hammocks, tarps and many permutations of them. Heck, you can go with no shelter at all if you've got the proper tools, knowledge of building survival shelters and some time--or if you can rely on existing shelter.

We surveyed the tribe on our Facebook page (like us, we're going to do a give away at 1000 likes!),  and it turns out tarps and tents are tied for your top choices for bug out shelter.

A big part of your shelter choice will be informed by where you live--Montana is going to be different than Arizona. So, take the recommendation here with that in mind. Personal preference also comes into play, big time.

Shelter is also one of those "might use" items in a BOB, too. Your plan #1 is probably not going to be to hunker down in the woods somewhere. Shelter that you're going to pack with you is only typically going to come into play if there's no viable pre-existing structure that you can hunker down in--no friend's/family's homes, no hotels, no nothing. If I've got a working vehicle with locking doors, I'm probably going to hunker down in that before I strike camp somewhere, too.

And really, we're talking about bugging out--getting away from danger as quickly as possible--not a luxurious back country camping trip. You'll want to be moving as fast and as long as possible, and only stopping and holing up if you have to.

Hill People Gear Mountain Serape

The HPG Mountain Serape in poncho mode. And no, the
Serape does not provide a black vortex of identity
 concealment - that's just Photoshop. 

"This is what a poncho liner should be!" was the first thing I thought of when I came across the  Hill People Gear Mountain Serape, and in many ways, that's what it is. Soldiers have been modifying poncho liners into similar forms by cutting holes in the middle, adding sleeping bag zippers and what not for years. While there are many upgraded versions of the classic poncho liner on the market, HPG was the first to truly step back and redesign the thing from scratch. The end product is an exceptional upgrade, adding dramatic increases in functionality and capability.

What's the big deal? The Mountain Serape does a solid job of serving multiple roles--it's not just a blanket--it switches from poncho to great coat to blanket to sleeping bag. It's no gimmick, either--the design is well thought out and transitions easily into different modes.

The Serape is one of my favorite pieces of gear that I've bought in a long while. In the time I've had with it, the Serape has become one of my go-to pieces of kit, whether for travelling, hiking or camping. It's mountain man meets modern materials and smart design--a great piece of multipurpose kit, well suited for the back country or hunkering down in a more urban environment.

The Serape has been out of stock at HPG for several months while they've relocated production to the States, but I was lucky enough to snag one of the last generation in the spring. HPG is just getting the new, made in the U.S.A. model in stock, and so I thought it was about time to give the heads up.

Full review and pictures after the jump!

Prepping on $40 a week: Sleeping Bag

A good sleeping bag is an oft under estimated thing, but if unable to sleep because you're freezing your butt off, you will be wishing for one. Of course, a sleeping bag is useful beyond that-camping, crashing at a friend's place, etc. They are handy things to have around, and every family member should have at least one.

Standard big box store sleeping bags are both too heavy and too bulky. Backpacking brand sleeping bags are nice, but they generally run well over our budget. Some budget minded folks instead go with poncho liners or surplus wool blankets, but in my experience, neither are a great substitute for a decent sleeping bag. 

There are luckily some good options for sub $40 sleeping bags, and of those, the USGI Patrol Bag is amongst the best.

Tip of the Week: Blanket Roll

Throughout history, a blanket roll was a pretty common way to carry basic sleeping gear and a few extra items. Soldiers, explorers, mountain men and frontiersmen of many eras carried 'em. They show up quite often in historical photos like the one on the right, of a Confederate soldier in the Civil War. The bedroll not only frees up room in his pack and distributes weight across his body, but it allows him to ditch the pack if needed and still have basic covering/shelter and whatever else he has tucked inside.

In the old days, the blanket would typically be made from wool. Pendleton wool blankets have been made for over 500 years-- were a common trade item with the Injuns/Native Americans and a common piece of kit on the frontier. Wool has been used for a long time and it still works today.

Of course, you can use just about any thick blanket, tarp or poncho to roll up a blanket roll. If you're without a pack, need to supplement a smaller pack or want the "drop and go" ability, a blanket roll is a good trick to have in mind.

Hill People Gear

Hill People Gear, owned and operated by brothers Evan and Scot Hill, specialize in innovative, function-driven designs for the back country traveler. The kind of stuff that you probably haven't seen before, but just plain makes sense when you see it in action. It's high quality, well-engineered gear made in the USA from the best quality materials.

For the past couple weeks, I've had my hands on the sleeping bag/poncho shown in the video, called the Mountain Serape. This is one awesome, multifunctional piece of gear--a poncho liner on steroids. Its one piece of gear that works as a blanket, poncho, poncho liner, great coat and a sleeping bag--talk about multifunctional. When you're traveling light, having a single piece of gear that can fill that many roles--and do it well--is a huge asset. The Mountain Serape delivers all around.

I've got a complete review in the pipeline, but wanted to give you guys a heads up while I'm working on finishing up T&E and getting up to the mountains for some good photos. It's certainly worth a few minutes of your time to peruse HPGs website--they've got some great product photos, free resources and some great entries in their forum. Check 'em out!

Hill People Gear >

Dave Canterbury is living in a yurt

If you haven't been following Dave Canterbury's YouTube channel lately, you should be. Amongst other things, he's decided to spend the winter (or at least a few weeks) living in a yurt. He's been posting up several videos per day - I think he's been pretty bored in the yurt. Anyways, he's posted up a lot of interesting and educational stuff, and it's all free on YouTube.

Dave is known for his wilderness survival skills, but he definitely also looks at things with a prepper mentality. Part of his reasoning behind the yurt would be using it as a semi-permanent shelter in a bug out situation. While I would probably go with another design than the yurt - it looked to be fairly complicated to set up - I think the idea has merit. With a yurt/tent and wood stove, you can survive in relative comfort and have the ability to relocate your "home" if needed. It ain't the Ritz Carlton, but a set up like this is within reach for many of us, versus a full-scale bug out compound. With the right location, water nearby, a few concealed fighting/observation positions, minimal solar set up and some good food stores, livestock and garden and you could do pretty well. A lot better than a debris hut or the dream bug out fortress that you're 30 years away from being able to afford.

Thought I'd pass along a heads up to those of you who don't subscribe to Dave's YouTube channel or check it very often. As of writing, he's up to Journal of the Yurt #28, which is about the spices that he packs in his long term kit.

Prior to his Yurt adventures, Dave did another interesting series of videos on field reloading/improvised loads for the 12 gauge shotgun. Good stuff to watch, even if it's just for educational purposes. I've embedded a couple of my favorites from both series after the jump.

You've got to appreciate how Dave has stayed true to his roots after the success he's had with Dual Survival on Discovery. Massive thumbs up and thanks to him for continuing to do what he's doing.

Inside the Pathfinder Wikkie

Dave Canterbury gives a look inside the Pathfinder School wikkie. Very cool semi-permanent shelter. He mentions it took about 90 to 108 man hours to build, so certainly a bit of work to put together. Overall though, a cool, minimal-tool (no tool?) shelter for an extended survival situation.

Dave Canterbury - Double Wedge Shelter

Dave has been posting up some videos over the past several days (yay!) and this one caught my eye. Fairly quick, lightweight and simple shelter made with a reusable space blanket; this plus a fire would keep you from freezing to death.

Norseman's Ninja Shelter

Saw this via Dave Canterbury's Facebook page, posted it to the TEOTWAWKI Twitter Feed and wanted to re-post it here for all to see. Simple, minimalist poncho shelter using stakes and a bungee. Much faster to set up than the typical poncho shelter designs - no knots involved! Good stuff from the Norseman and Survivology101.