MacGyver

I don't know how I didn't see Ridge Rover's post before submitting my reply. So, I second what he said.

Buckshot's Basic Survival Guide - probably the best authority on trapping/snairing I've ever read - from someone who does it for a living. http://www.trapperbuckshot.addr.com/Book-Buckshots-Basic-Survival-Manual.htm While you are there, his snaring kits are AWESOME. His commercial locking snares and scent lures turn the tide in your favor. I carry three of his small snares and a medium snare in my Level II kit along with various sents. Not much weight, and a 10 pound raccoon would keep you alive for a week. We've set out a couple of drops of scent lure and set up for observation before without snaring, and it is amazing what you attract. Snaring and trapping can be very hit or miss without refining your skill set. A recent Man vs. Wild has Bear (and his support crew) set out about 20 traps, and he went hungry - I'm sure he wound up eating an eyeball or something before teaching some weekend warriors how to fall to their death. Make sure you check local regs before you practice your skills - they vary widely. Most places have placement restrictions and checking requirements to ensure you don't snare curious pets.

I've got a Charter Arms AR-7 - I think Henry bought the rights from them in the 80's. It's picky on mags, but I love the platform. I don't know about the Henry's, but mine definitely floats. As much as I love the survival rifle, and the one it replaced the M-6 (foldable .410/22LR), I have taken it out of my kits and use it primarily as a utility rifle/plinker on float trips. The primary reason is that for the shots that you are going to be taking in most survival/E&E situations you can get the needed accuracy in a pistol set up for the purpose. Fast and light wins for me. A rifle would have to go in my Level III kit which doesn't travel unless I see a need. A pistol fits in my Level II which generally stays in the truck. For me, its a Ruger MkII with a PacLite barrel and a micro red dot site. That and 50 rounds of Velocitors don't make a big difference in weight or size of my kit. Hopefully, if I ever have to punch out I should have my primary weapon with me (Walther P99). Better yet, I'll get some forward warning and be able to grab a long gun before I go (and some friends with long guns). Regardless, I know 22 will keep the reaper at bay until I get some help or get found. Incidentally, if someone has an M-6, either the Henry or the CZ variant that they want to get off their hands, PM or email and I would be happy to talk.

Here's a little bit different take. This thread has migrated a little bit from the original topic, so I'll post it here as someone who is prepared for it all to head south. Preparing for extremes is good even if those extremes never come to fruition. While we are likely to never see the proverbial zombie invasion, failed city state or all out anarchy, we may see other things that approach it. I'm in the fray of the economic fallout everyday. As much as everything going on with this economy and administration depresses me, we'll make it through it. America is a strong country - there will be an opportunity cost to all of this, but at our worst, we are still far above most of the rest of the world. What truly disturbs me in all of this as a American citizen, a Christian and a member of the human race is how truly incapable we have become at taking care of our neighbors and our community. As a society we have become utterly dependent on the government taking care of our every need. If we ever fail as a country - I think this will be the reason why. Take Hurricane Katrina - this wasn't a government failure - it was a community failure. It was the lack of caring for one person to look at their neighbors and say what can I do to help? You may never have the need to use that pallet of beans and rice in your garage to feed your family for a year (a years worth for a family of four is a lot BTW). But, what about when the ice storm hits and the power is off in your neighborhood for a week. Suddenly, we have the ability and means to help our neighbor. That means a lot. If society fails, people will be shooting each other for cigarettes and toilet paper within a week. Look at the Superdome after Katrina. Let's hope we never get there - but use our preparation and training to contribute something to the equation in the events where we can make a difference.

I'm a forensic specialist dealing in information crimes (identity theft, intellectual property theft, industrial espionage, child protection, etc...). Grew up heading up a team for a security agency. Got tired of travelling 51 weeks a year, so I started my own firm here in Middle Tennessee. These days I don't find myself getting shot at nearly as regularly, but it's always good to be prepared. I'm more likely to come face to face with an angry suspect than find myself stranded in some third world garden spot - but you never know when the reaper is going to show his face. A little bit of gear and some preparation turns the table in your favor.

So I've been a reader for a while, but just signed up to be a member. Small business owner - crazy times - this economy keeps a guy pretty busy. I've been a shooter my whole life. Shooting sports were a part of our family growing up, and I count myself fortunate to have been a Boy Scout back in the day when they still considered it a life skill to be proficient with guns of all types. I'm a forensic specialist who travels pretty much anywhere there is a crime to investigate - so the whole HCP reciprocity deal is pretty important to me. This seems to be a great community of all types of people. Looking forward to being a part and getting to know you all.

So I've been a reader, but not a member for a long while. But tonight I came across this post and it struck close to my heart. So hello all - here I am - with a enormous first post. Work carries me around the world to some pretty rough spots - usually without much in the way of backup. In more than one case, I know that I am here today because of what I've had in my pockets or on my person and used that to survive. Survival gear is just like your carry weapon. If it's sitting at home - it won't do you any good when it comes down to needing it. Man has an incredible capacity to survive - but a little gear goes a long way. If you are going to stare down the reaper and send him packing, you have to be prepared. My kits are broken down on a graduated basis as opposed to just a bugout bag - what if I'm not at home when it all heads south. I need to have some gear on me as appropriate for any occasion. These kits are broken down into levels pocket, I, II and III and are fully 'stackable' That is, if I've got Level III, then I also have Level II and I. Here they are: Pocket kit - this stuff goes everywhere - everyday - to church, the grocery store, wherever - this is what goes in my pockets: Multitool (currently Leatherman Skeletool CX), Knife with locking blade (backup is good - currently a Benchmade axis folder - a big knife can do a little knife job, but not vice versa), small lighter, small flashlight (Streamlight Nano is AMAZING), lip balm, space pen, phone, wallet, carry weapon - usually IWB Level I kit - this should fit into a cargo pocket comfortably - some people like an Otter box or something like that. If you are old school, this is your tobacco tin kit. Both are too bulky for me, so I fit it in one of those wallets for kayakers that looks like two heavy ziploc bags and folds in half. Contents: · Flint Rod and Scraper – 1 ea. · Butane Lighter – 1 ea. · Betadine – 10% solution ½ Fluid Ounce Bottle -1 ea. · Signal Mirror – 1 ea. · 24 Fish Hooks & Split Shot · Large Fish Hook – 2 ea. · Spool of Tripwire – 1 ea. · Sewing Needles (Large Eye)– 3 ea. · Fishing Line (10-12 lbs.) – 40 ft. · 550 Para Cord – 20 ft. 2 ea. · Eze-Lap Diamond Sharpener – 1 ea. · Space Blanket – 1 ea. · First Aid Kit – Personal · Button Compass – 1 ea. · Fuel Tabs (Hexamine)– 2 ea. · Freezer Bags – 2 ea. If I'm actually in the field then my other cargo pocket usually has a MS2000 rescue strobe, a MSR steripen, a better compass and a Garmin Etrex loaded up with the maps of the operating area. If I am in a more civilized area, the Level I kit goes on the inside pocket of my suit coat and the extra gear in my briefcase along with a bigger light and some extra AAs. Both make it through magnetometers at the airport fine - the kit is so crowded it just shows up a one mass - that or the fine folks manning it just don't get paid to care. Level II kit - carried in a small (500 cu. inch) ruck or buttpack - Always in the car. I'm always stuffing things in here. Thus, there are always some extra goodies, but the contents always include: · Insect Repellent · 550 Para Cord – 50 ft. - (You really can't have enough) · Ranger Sighting Compass · Flashlight (larger LED light plus LED Headlamp) · Dehydrated Sponges · Mini Cable Ties – 50-75 ea. · Commercial Game Snares – (4 ea. Small, 1 ea. Medium) · Animal Scent Lures · Fishing Kit · Small Frog Gig · Sun Screen · Hygiene Kit (Campsuds, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Dental Floss, Small Roll AP Paper) · Clear Plastic Trash Bags · 9 Hour Candle – 1 ea. · Medium Fixed Blade Knife · Notepad (Waterproof) with Pencil · Tubular Webbing – 1 Inch, 15 ft. · Carabineer (Locking) · Sling Rope – 15 ft. · Mini Chain Saw · Emergency Bivy (AMK makes a great one that's cheap) · Trioxane Fuel Tabs – 4-5 ea. · Emergency Strobe · Global Positioning System · VHF Radio with Weather Bands · Extra Batteries – 6 ea. AA, 3 ea AAA · Leather Gloves with Liners · Watch Cap · Rations – 2 Day (3 High Protein Myoplex bars, 3 Gatorade, Peanut Butter, Bullion Cubes, Tea Bags, Sugar) · Nalgene Canteen (1 Liter) – 2 ea. · First Aid Kit (Rapid Deployment Kit) Level III kit - carried in a small assault ruck (~1500 cu. inch) - this one is for when you know that you might be stuck out for a while - I guess this one qualifies as the 'bugout bag' - and for me, it's truly that - by the time we get here, things have seriously headed south · Water Purifier · Game Snares – (3 small, 2 medium, 2 Large) · Utility Pot · Military Fuel Tabs – 5 ea. · Gortex Pants and Jacket · Nalgene Canteen – Large · Sling Rope – 50 ft. · Hydration System · Large Fixed Blade Knife · Small Shovel · Whetstone · Gortex Bivy · Poncho Liner · Stove with Fuel · One pair clothes - matched to mission, environment, season · Extra Socks · LRP First Aid Kit · Pistol with Extra Magazine · Ammunition (matched to objective, but typically 40 ea. Hollow Point, 10 ea. Shotshell) · Rations – 3 Day (5 High Protein Myoplex bars, 5 Gatorade, Peanut Butter, Tea Bags, Sugar, Bullion Cubes) Beside the Level III kit is a Sabre Defence M5 with an EOTECH 552 - I occasionally think that I need to swap this out for something that draws less attention, but keep coming back here. It's fast, light, and if it really heats up, I know it won't let me down. Parting notes - Unless you have a specific mission need, ditch the military surplus gear and go commercial. It's generally lighter, faster and a lot more comfortable. That said, some of the companies selling new military, tactical gear make great stuff - BlackHawk, Tactical Tailor, etc... Wife and kids add some extra considerations, but suprisingly not that many - you only need a little extra gear, and kids have an innate sense of adventure. Important note - work out a phrase only known to your family, a rendevous point and meet time- this sounds silly, but how often are you really all together. Text message, voicemail, whatever, you all know where to go and when to be there. Last one out of the house grabs the Level III and other required items. At some point I'll post the first aid kit contents. Luck favors the prepared.