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A couple years ago after an emergency call on the river, I decided to find an emergency shelter I could carry in a cargo pocket in case I fell into the water and had to wait out help. I keep a bag with plenty of gear on the boat, but since I'm not wearing it there's a chance I could become separated from it. This isn't a new idea and I didn't come up with this, but you can set up a palmer furnace small enough to fit into a cargo pocket. The idea is that if you're out unexpectedly in the cold, you can put the poncho on (made of heatsheets type material, not as flimsy as Mylar, more like a trashbag but still has the reflective coating), inflate the seat cushion, sit cross legged up against a tree or pack or something and light a candle between your legs to create a warm microclimate. You won't be getting any sleep but it'll get you through the night in a pinch. In my testing the outside temp was right above 32f and drizzling, there was no wind (thankfully) and I had on regular street clothes and a light jacket inadequate for the temperature. Inside with two wicks burning got up into the mid 80s. Only cold spots are what was touching the mylar like poncho. After about an hour and a half my butt was going numb from sitting that long and I was ready to be done, but I was warm. I'm 5'7 and around 170 and would have preferred the poncho be about a foot longer. If SOL would make an XL version of this poncho it would be perfect. You can of course use a regular poncho, USGI poncho, etc but would end up being bulkier in your pocket. The rubber bands are to keep the arm holes of the poncho closed. I threw some matches in mine, and if you preposition some fluffed up tinder quik to the candle wick you can use a spark from a ferro rod to light it, since it's probably not something you want to futz around with when freezing I've since purchased a couple of these inflatable vests to test out, with the assumption that if I was soaking wet I'd want to doff and ring out my outer clothes and it would at least allow for some insulation and stand-off from the poncho to reduce cold spots on my core. IIRC they recommend putting it under a jacket or something, but I'll say this -- if you've got a bigger frame than me or wear a slim fitting jacket, that's not gonna happen. This is one size and is basically a S/M, it would barely close around me (it would be one and done anyway thanks to double sided tape it uses to close) definitely could use a L / XL size. They're silly expensive for disposable items, but I couldn't find anything else comparable out there.

My Grandfather was a WWI veteran and Purple Heart recipient. My Father fought the Nazi's in WWII was a Bronze Star recipient and Disabled Veteran.

Well, I'm not at all happy with the money they are sending inside the state like New York's MTA system.

My neighbor ,an Iraq vet with a prosthetic leg. He is one of the nicest most respectful men I have ever known as is his Wife and children. Years ago my Dad stopped and talked to him Army vet to Army vet, I guess that is a good way to put it, anyway he has sacrificed a lot for us.

Desert Eagle in 50AE, brushed chrome finish with picatinny rail on the top of the barrel. Have no earthly way to justify the purchase other than to have fun off the back porch and to see what happens when it hits the 50 yard gong. Purchased it on Gunbrokers so it will take a week or so to get here. No hurry as I have zero components for it, not even reloading dies. Will take me a few months to gather brass, dies, and bullets as everywhere is out of stock. I double dare the local racoons or skunks to make them self visible around my house this coming spring. Figure all I need to do is get within a few feet and the shock alone will kill em, lol. Empty a mag or two into the ground should take care of the moles. Hope to add a red dot and try it out when deer hunting next season. I'll try to remember to update this post when I finally get a chance to shoot it.

Before this thread derails further toward politics please take the time to read the message at the top from @Chucktshoes

Do you have a backup for your primary carry gun?

well here she is excuse the messy table im loving it havent gotten to fire her yet but that day is soon coming ended up having to go to nashville for her 1937 tula

I only spent a few weeks in direct support of his company, and a week at a shooting course between deployments with him, but it was instantly clear this guy was a helluva Soldier and leader. Not only did he excel in what I think is the toughest job in the Army- Infantry Company First Sergeant- but he went through hell and back to do the job getting injured, and going through rehab so he could go back to Iraq and finish the deployment with his troops. You can read about then 1SG Skidis here. https://tulsaworld.com/news/battle-scars-cant-keep-soldiers-out-of-the-action/article_13c5ccfb-1b3e-5dc7-a82a-feab28ed5f67.html @Wheelgunner, you might remember 1SG Skidis better than I do (can't remember which BN you were in direct support of during OIF 05-07), and if you do, please chime in. You'll also smile reading that Clark is in this link too. I still tell stories about how unlucky his 4x Purple Heart wearing ass was and how funny of a guy he was to be around.

Smedley Butler... Old Corps Marine... Winner of 2 Brevet Medals and 1 Congressional Medal of Honor... By the way, the Brevet Medal was the officers version of the Medal of Honor in the old days... Served in the Boxer Rebellion with Dan Daily and Herbert Hoover. Fought in the " Bananna Wars " n WW1. Advanced to the rank of Marine Corps General, and retired as the result of a spat with then President Hoover... Became a great advocate of isolationism and a proponent of using a plebicite (... Look it up...) to determine when to go to war, and he toured the countryside after his retirement speaking about his beliefs. He was the first " truther " as regards to who really runs the gubt of the USA... He was slandered as a socialist n a pacificast. Nothing is farther from the truth. Read his book: " War is a Racket ", and ya will see why the political class and the captains of unbridled capitalism hated him... His biographical sketch is fantastic. Close second... Alvin Cullum York... WW1 hero n great Tennessean... Admirin leroy the militant isolationist...

Famous would be Patton, the man was a force. Personally it would be My uncle Forest. His stories were wonderful. At one time he had control of tactical missiles. He served in USAF from WWII until retirement then worked at hospital as civilian. Took us on tour of AF museum when I was very young.

Carlos Hathcock. The guy had brass balls bigger than Boston.

Both of my Granddads. One Army, One Navy. They were a MAJOR part in shaping me growing up. Miss them both dearly to this day, but I can still hear their voices of guidance daily.

I admire the famous guys like Alvin C. York, Audie Murphy, Timothy Murphy. But, like Swamp Ash there was an old man that lived a few miles from me that was a WWII veteran. He was at Normandy, June 6.

The truth is most people wouldn't have known about the contents of the OmniBus spending bill if it wasn't for the covid package being attached to it. It's nice that they are finally seeing what a select few have already been seeing for decades. And there is nothing in the link that would get one in trouble other than the word analprint.

Very nice write up.

Sure it matters. It isn't our biggest problem, but it is a problem all the same.

Nice work actually field testing this.

I've got a Streamlight TLR-2 HL G (green laser/flashlight) on the bottom of mine, but I really prefer using the Holosun HE507C-X2 (green dot) that sits on top of it. Even the much less expensive Holosun HS407 (red dot) that was on it is a huge difference in usability in daylight over a laser.

I was surprised when we got them last time because of an inheritance in 2019 that I thought would put us over the limit, they must have used 2018 taxes. Gave most of it away to local food bank and bought gift cards from four of my favorite restaurants that if they survive I will use after they have recovered. So I probably will not get any stimulus this time, if I do I plan to spend them the same way I did the first time. So far the 4 restaurants have survived and we try to get curbside often, but probably not often enough.

My family has a deep history with military service and this was always a part of my life. As a child, I followed the career and history of may folks. While there are numerous folks I of whom I admire their service and deeds - Patton, Farragut, JP Jones, JEB Stuart, JFK, Audie Murphy and Alvin York - one individual stands above to me. Stephen Decatur, a true hero and wicked badass. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Decatur

I have set up all night with my poncho on and some of the old Army heat tabs and they dried me out and kept me warm enough not to die. Have also used other types of heat producing products, just don't breathe the fumes or have bad gas! Containing fire/heat like that is really a great solution for drying out in bad weather.

It was a rifle I had. When you say source, as in who at Colt told me that is the newer MO? It was Tim, who was there CS liason forever. But he moved on after there last draw down around the time they said they weren’t going to make commercial rifles for an unspecified time. I don’t have any pics of it, they swapped the barrel so no point to keep them.

I agree, but I do believe that we are in the beginning of a cold civil war.

With the covid package the total package was 2.3 trillion. Outside of what was just passed, Rand Paul's annual Festival report listed 54 billion in waste spending in 2020. And that was just the stuff he reported, like grants for butthole identification databases, and probably leaves out a lot of other wasteful spending.

In a binary system you are usually forced to vote for dumb or dumber - or the lesser of two evils, if you prefer - and not voting because of your principles is a vote IMHO.

I get angry discussing government budget issues. That's MY money they are pizzing away!!!

@gregintenn Yep, but people still did it. I have an example I am working on right now. Why I wondered if anyone else did.

A high condition run of the mill 94 carbine isn't rare. For 5 grand, I can put someone into a pair of them.

I agree: it's the mindset of those that do it that is the root of the problem.

Minor suggestion: Use a pair of scissors to cut slits in the edge of the vacuum bags to provide an easy tear point. As MacGyver stated, you manual dexterity will be affected by being really cold and anything you can do to simplify the usage process will help.

Do the buckets have $2,000 in each of them?

SOL also makes an emergency bivy that is great quality. In an immersion type accident, getting those wet clothes off is going to be key. We were taught and trained to get the clothes off - do something really rigorous like jumping jacks to get our blood circulating, and then get into the shelter/poncho with a heat source. The real key is creating your own air space that can heat up the layer of air closest to you. The only suggestion I might make is to add something like a BlastMatch to the kit that can be used one handed. From experience - when you're really cold, the manual dexterity needed to get a spark off a flint and steel can be a challenge.

I bought an SR9c when they first came out and it was my carry gun for a few years. I evolved past that and so the gun has sat in the safe save for a couple of times that it was loaned out for a class. My biggest complaint was that Ruger never made a pro model without the manual thumb safety. I always wanted that and the American line didn’t fill that role for me. So since my SR9c was just sitting in the safe, I decided to tinker with it and see if I could come close to making the gun that Ruger should have made.

Thanks for sharing!

PM sent

Go to the Smith & Wesson forum and post in the Want To Buy forum. I'm sure someone will have what you need.

And you're just going to leave us hanging like that? What did you get, and where are the pics ...

Improve something you got? The recent subgun thread got me thinking, I pulled out my PPS-43 and said to myself, "why not SBR it, I've got all my gun niches pretty well filled with what I've got."

Mine hit Saturday. It gets squirreled away while I save for some medical equipment that I need and insurance doesn't cover. Insurance is a joke.

If there have been alien visitations to this planet then it’s been for them to drop off their unwanted, defects, and other undesirables.

Fun fact I learned. If you go out at night and hold your thumb up to the sky, the area that your thumb covers is 10,000 galaxies. To assume we are alone is silly.

It’s a shame what happened to that company.

We would all like to have a blueprint of what the law requires in any given situation to determine if we can legally use deadly force. We don’t have that. The closest we have is this… Deadly force is justified if a reasonable person believes deadly force is required to prevent death or great bodily harm.”. There are many variations on that wording. We have these discussions/arguments/bickering all the time here. And that’s a good thing. People need to understand all the ins and outs. Two of the most misunderstood terms I see in these discussions is usually “Castle Doctrine” and “Duty to Retreat”. The Castle Doctrine does not create a free fire zone; you can still be charged. And Tennessee doesn’t need to tell you that you don’t have a duty to retreat because as best I can tell; they never had had that as a requirement. Those laws are generally in states that at one time had a duty to retreat. “Reasonable Person” is a Judge or jury, if you go to trial. They will decide if what you did was “reasonable”. What you did will be judged by strangers that will make decisions that could alter your life and the lives of your family. The responding Officers, The investigators, The DA, and ultimately a Judge or Jury, that have hours or even months to decide what you had to decide in seconds will determine your fate. Every case is different. Times are changing. In the past when a criminal got killed committing a violent act; no one really cared. Nowadays if it’s a cop doing the killing; the left wants them charged even when they were clearly in danger. And we have seen that happen when it shouldn’t have. They will certainly apply that same standard to armed citizens killing criminals. “It’s better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6” is a stupid statement. It’s better to not be charged, period. If you are charged with murder you will get exactly the amount of justice you can afford. That would financially destroy most of us.

Did the law change? I'm not retreating from my house if someone is trying to get in. Also OP always remember your car can be used as a weapon and/or a way escape.

I'm Marc Kunkel 73 USN I live in Lyles TN I'm not a member of any group, YET I'd like to meet people near me to talk about the messed up political takeover we're facing.

F@$k China and the horse their Government rode in on.

Of course it’s a problem for them when a country they are trying to overrun has armed citizens, or their own that they are trying to kill get armed. Part of the justification for using the Atom Bombs on Japan came from the high estimates on casualties we would incur trying to invade Japan due to armed citizens. I don’t think China or Russia either one is an immediate threat to us militarily right now. But China is certainly more of a threat to our economy. The incoming administration is refusing to address the claims made against Joe’s involvement with China. We deserve an explanation, and we aren’t getting it; so he’s compromised on the China issue in my eyes. Of course we will see what happens. I feel the same why about how China feels about our laws that I do about the gun laws of other states; I don’t give a rolling rip down a razor blade what they think; and in our country I care what the state of Tennessee does. As Hozzie stated; we get in everyone’s business about nuclear weapons. If I was running a country I would want and expect to have nuclear weapons to protect my country. I wouldn’t care what the U.S. or the U.N. thought about it.

Stevens Model .22-.410 over and under (post war ) Marlin Model 60 NRA Medalion Edition Savage 64F Marlin 39 Carbine .22s/L/LR Henry Ar-7 Rohm Rg 10 .22 s pistol 2 Taurus Model 94 9 shot .22 revolvers Phoenix .22 Range kit Ruger SR22 Probably some more but been a while since the boat sank and my memory is getting foggy.