Tip of the Day: Don't Over Blade

A common issue that I see in people's bug out kits, go bags, or get home bags is just plain too many blades. Like an axe, machete, saw, two big fixed blades, two smaller fixed blades, three folders--that kind of thing. I like knives as much as anybody, but don't over do it.

What do you need? Your area and survival plans will dictate specifics, but in general, I would look at one capable fixed blade (4 to 6 inches in length), a sturdy folding knife and probably a bigger chopper of some kind--a machete, hatchet/small ax or a tomahawk. You could throw a folding saw in the "bigger" category, too.

A big blade like an ax, machete or hawk can do work that a smaller knife can't easily do, which is why there's a place for 'em. For chopping wood, the ax gets the nod. For urban use and hand-to-hand, a tomahawk would be your best bet. In a jungle-type environment, a machete can be a necessity.

If you do have that big chopper, I'd perhaps look at a fixed blade or folder that's more suited to fine tasks like carving, skinning, etc. Less beefy, more slicey.

For gear you're going to be potentially carrying over long distances, you really need to consider the tradeoffs in weight/benefit. How much extra use to you get out of that 3rd or 4th knife, when you could be using that weight for water, food or something else? The advantages provided by a big blade may not be worth the weight, especially if you need to move quickly and quietly.

Anyways, as mentioned, your survival plans should dictate. Think things through. Get out there and practice. Try different things and see what is most effective and efficient.

Tip of the Day: US Cav Deal

Gear Hog is having a $50 for $25 deal for USCav.com running for the next day or so. Pretty good deal - USCav has some good survival-ish stuff.

EDIT: I actually bought into this, and after poking around their site for a while, I'd recommend against it.

U.S. Cav has an okay assortment of gear, their prices are the same as anywhere else, maybe a little bit more--but they want to charge a ridiculous amount for shipping. I'm looking to pick up a couple small-ish MOLLE pouches and they want to charge me $13 on shipping! So you save $25, but they end up reaming you on shipping costs. US Cav needs to get updated to 2011, when competitors offer flat $5 shipping or no shipping charges at all. NOT a deal in my book. They also force you to set up an account--no option for guest checkout. Boo!

EDIT 2: I e-mailed the folks at Gearhog, and they were happy to offer a refund. If you bought into this and don't want to suck up silly shipping costs, I'd recommend asking for a refund. Thumbs up for Gearhog, thumbs down for US Cav.

Tip of the Day: Low Rider Pocket Clips

A folding knife's pocket clip can make-or-break it in terms of carry. A bad pocket clip can be difficult to carry, difficult to conceal and make the knife flat-out uncomfortable. 

USAKnifemaker.com has several styles of replacement, low ride pocket clips available. These fit the standard "three screw" pocket clip used on many knife--many Benchmade and Emerson knives, for example--and replace the standard pocket clip with a titanium clip design to ride lower in the pocket. I find a lower ride to be more comfortable and also obviously more concealable. 

I have a few en route to try out and will post up more details when I have 'em in-hand. However, I thought I would pass these along as a tip of the day, for any of you struggling along with bad pocket clips!

Low Rider Pocket Clips >

Tip of the Day: V-Cutter Modification

Here's an interesting little mod that a reader passed along to improve the fit of the OscarDelta v-cutter in the elastic sleeve of their survival bracelets. Here's their description

I thought you might be interested in a slight modification I did to get my v-cutter to really fit well. I found that I could bend the handle of the cutter just aft of the blades and rivets to a radius that closely matched that which the elastic sheath would normally acquire when wrapped around a wrist. This is the case even when I have the accessories in there. I took some of the trimmed Kevlar core and made a loop for the v-cutter which I then tuck under the elastic sleeve. I use the handcuff shim to stuff the knot from that loop into the sleeve alongside the two free ends.

Tip of the Day: Zeer Pot/Clay Pot Fridge

Need to cool down some brewskies after the collapse? How about keep food from rotting? Medicine from expiring? Ancient tech and simple science combine in the zeer pot. Pretty cool!

Tip of the Day: $100 in ammo for $50

GearHog, which looks to be a kind of Groupon for guns, has a pretty good deal up today. $100 in Ammo from USA Ammo for $50. I haven't purchased from USA Ammo before, so YMMV, but half priced ammo doesn't come along very often. Or ever.

This is limited time deal, so you've got to jump on it fast.

GearHog >

Tip of the Day: Low Cost AR-15 Build

Image from SurplusAmmo.com

Get into a quality AR-15 for well under $600 with this parts kit from Surplus Ammo. Complete upper receiver, lower parts kit and stock assembly for $469. Add in a lower receiver for around $100 and you're GTG. The upper is DSA arms, LPK DPMS, and the stock assembly is unnamed.

They've got a complete, barebones DPMS rifle for $569, too.

I haven't priced ARs in a while, but it looks like there are some really good deals out there now. If you're looking to get into a budget build or to lay up in store for hard times, now is a good time to buy.

Tip of the Day: Massif Fire Resistant Clothing

In a combat, survival or TEOTWAWKI situation, fire and burning will be a serious threat. In a sustained grid-down scenario, many towns and cities will end up burning to the ground. No electricity, , people cooking and working with fire, lots of abandoned buildings, no organized/modern fire department...not a good mix.

Just about everyone know how to rig together a simple molotov cocktail or firebomb, and they are an obvious weapon to use against a "hardened" defensive position like a fortified home or retreat. Can't get into the place? Just burn it down.

In a collapse, civil war situation or if you're an armed professional, explosives and IEDs may be a serious concern. That's what these clothes are largely intended for, and from first-hand accounts, they work.

And, of course, there's the average everyday stuff. Many people work with and around fire or heat. If you're a regular air traveler, plane crashes = fire.

Anyways, getting burned is bad. Melty synthetic clothing only makes the problem worse. Massif's clothes are fire/burn resistant and protect you from that fire and burning. They're in use by the armed forces, so it's pretty legit stuff. The clothes look pretty cool too - TAD-ish, even.

Massif's FR clothing isn't cheap, but protective gear--stuff like rifle plates and gas masks--generally isn't cheap, probably for good cause. Somethings you don't want to cut corners on. FR clothing is something that's rarely discussed in survival circles--something to take a look at.

Thanks to reader WB for passing this along.

Massif's home page >

Tip of the Day: LAPG Bail Out Bag for $15

LAPG has their bail out bags on sale for $14.99 for 24 hours only. That's a pretty good deal; these make for good range bags, vehicle bags, whatever bags. You can probably find a use for one, and you'd have a hard time finding a better bag in this price range most anywhere.

Here's the deal >

Tip of the Day: Minimus.biz

Shocked that I haven't mentioned them here before, but this post from SurvivalMom jogged my memory. You know all those small, trial/snack/travel sized packages of consumer goods? Sample sizes of shampoo, single servings of snacks, packs of condiments, travel packs of toiletries - all that stuff. Well, Minimus.biz is the online destination for all of that stuff.

They're an excellent resource if you're putting together DIY MREs, bugout kits or just adding some small supplies to your EDC bag.

I will be the first to admit that Minimus is a bit overpriced, but if you are looking for something specific, they may be your only place to go.

And yes, they DO have tiny bottles of Frank's Red Hot.

Tip of the Day: Internet Movie Firearms Database

You've probably heard of IMDB--the internet movie database. But you may not have heard of IMFDB - the database dedicated to cataloging the firearms that appear in movies, TV shows and video games. Want to find out what kind of shotgun Sarah Connor used at the end of T2? It's right here. What kind of pistol is Eli toting? They've got that. If they don't have an answer to your movie/firearms trivia questions, I'd be surprised.

Go, now, and spend hours browsing >

Tip of the Day: Excellent Deal on S&W 642s

AIM Surplus has clean looking police trade-in S&W 642s for $319, which is a steal of a deal. The 642 is a great carry gun; a bit stout to shoot with boot grips and probably not for the inexperienced, but a great gone nonetheless.

Here's the deal >

Tip of the Day: Triple Aught Design

Triple Aught Design (TAD Gear) is having a 10% off sale, which should soften the blow to your bank account. I like their stuff, but it is darn pricey. If you've been eyeballing something particulars, this may be the time to act. Here's the blurb on their Facebook page:

It's you, our loyal customers, who sustain us and make TAD who we are. As a result, we wanted to say thanks with a 10% off discount valid until next Thursday (6/16) at 2359. Just enter promo code TADADDICT. And for those serving, we're showing our thanks by bumping the MILLE discount to 15%.

Tip of the Day: Use plastic "craft bags" to organize small survival supplies

There are lots of tiny bits that go into putting together various survival related kits. First aid kits, pocket survival kits, fishing kits, spare parts kits, etc. You can dump these little bits into a too-big container, but then you get a disorganized mess and have to do some serious digging to get anything out. I like to use small plastic bags, usually intended for crafts, to organize these smaller supplies.

They're cheap - usually you can get them in a pack of 100 for around $4-7 - and you can find them in a wide variety of sizes. They offer some measure of protection and waterproofing. And they do the job of organizing quite well. You can sharpie 'em or label 'em if needed, but I usually don't bother.

You can find these baggies at craft stores like Michael's, Joanne's and others. Or they can be found online; Amazon has a wide selection of various sizes.

Tip of the Day: Precious Metals Prices via Kitco

Precious metals have been all over the place lately. I habitually check prices and Kitco is the place to go. They update regularly throughout the day and have all of the popular PMs in one page.They even have an iPhone app. 

Here's their prices page >

Tip of the Day: J-Frame Trigger Job

Found this video from Nutnfancy - an interesting look at the internals of the S&W J-frame and a trigger job.
 

Tip of the Day: TEOTWAWKI Blog Archives

TEOTWAWKI Blog has been posting since 2007. There's tons of content here, which can be found by navigating through the Blog Archive drop-down box in the right hand navigation, or by clicking on one of the subject tags in the tag cloud directly beneath that. You can also use the blog's search function to find specific posts or subjects. We try to avoid too much repetition the blog, so please peruse the archives if you're looking for something specific that we haven't talked about in a while.

Tip of the Day: Wrap PJCB in Foil for Better Portability

Petroleum jelly coated cotton balls are a great low-cost fire starter, but they are greasy and messy. One way to alleviate that is to wrap each PJCB in aluminium foil - this wrapper will protect the cotton balls and also prevent them from smearing greasy petroleum jelly all over the place. They also have an added benefit of helping you to control the burn of the PCJB; open only a small part of the wrapper for a smaller burn, if you plan to re-use the PCJB for another fire.

Tip of the Day: Ragnar's Rule of Threes

Prolific survival author Ragnar Benson often talks about his Golden Rule of Survival, the Rule of Threes. Depending on the book, he attributes it to Russian folk proverbs, the Nez Pierce Indians or both. The take-away is the same. When you really need to have something done, make sure that you have at least three ways of doing it.

According to Ragnar, this rule helped the Nez Pierce to become one of the few tribes who did not routinely starve every winter, because they had thought out their survival plan beforehand and built redundancy into that plan.

I find Ragnar's Rule of Threes to be a pretty common sense, foolproof way to getting preparations in order. For every survival essential - shelter, fire/warmth, water, food, and so on - have three different ways of meeting that need. For a simple example, for food, this could be food storage, a backyard garden and fishing/trapping. If one fails, you have two backups in place, ready to pick up the slack.

Tip of the Day: Roll your clothes for better packing

When packing for a trip or loading up get out of dodge gear, space is almost always at a premium, and clothes can be a space hog. Sure, you can cram them down as small as possible, jump on the bag, etc. but then you get a winkled mess. Many have discovered that tightly rolling clothes saves a lot of space over traditional folding. As a plus, rolled clothes tend to come out a lot less wrinkly than folded ones, even when compressed.

Guys in the military have developed a pretty cool technique for rolling t-shirts. Here's a YouTube video that demonstrates the process