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METT-TC: Survival Plan of Action

Posted on November 1, 2018 at 6:00 am.

In This Article

Understand the Mission
Understand the Enemy
Understand the Terrain
Understand the Troops
Understand the Time Available
Understand the Civilians
Conclusion
About the Author
More From Issue 16

Beyond the bombs, rifles, and discipline, a basic tenet of the U.S. Army is survival. From the survival of a nation all the way down to the life of an individual soldier, the military is built on giving its members the skills to endure any mission, anywhere at anytime. That’s why civilian survivalists should take a page (or six) from the military’s METT-TC concept.

METT-TC is a mnemonic that stands for six factors: mission, enemy, terrain, troops, time, and civilians. It’s used primarily by the U.S. Army as a framework to aid its warriors in analyzing a situation, prioritizing key aspects, and then planning accordingly to achieve success. As a former sergeant, I quickly found that, while meant for military operations, it was applicable to my success as a survivalist in the wilderness or as a civilian in the concrete jungles back home.

Photo by Shoot to Thrill Photography

In any environment, you have to know your goals, obstacles, field of play, possible allies and resources, window for success, and potential for dynamic cause and effect based on the local populace. Failure (which can mean death in SHTF scenarios) is overcome by one’s ability to understand these six factors and use them to plan an effective survival strategy. So, read on carefully.

Understand the Mission

Army Application: The M in METT-TC is mission. During this phase the warrior looks to understand the purpose of the operation and the specific intent of his superiors.

Survival Application: In a SHTF scenario, you have to clearly understand the specific goals and parameters of your situation. Will you have to hunker down for a short time or a long period? Or will you have to move to safety? There are also physical factors to consider — how much food do you have, are you hydrated, etc. Each has a specific set of circumstances that need to be understood in order to be successful.

For example, I once ended up on a training exercise in the mountains with no food and very little water. To make matters worse, night was quickly descending. The long-term mission was to survive for weeks in one location. The short-term mission was to survive the night. With only three hours before nightfall in a cold mountainous area, I had a stark choice to make: start a fire or build a shelter. I had no gear except a blade, and I was completely unsure of the weather. Most armchair survivalists would suggest grabbing as much firewood as possible, but that seemed to be a little unsettling because it could rain and gathering enough firewood to last the night would be hard.

Know the mission: Should you build a shelter first or a fire?

My goal for that moment was simply to maintain my body heat to last the night. Nearby there was plenty of debris and some young saplings, so I went with making a shelter. That night it rained, and the temp dropped down to 44 degrees F. I was cocooned, partially dry, and warm enough to survive the night in a debris hut. The next day I worked on building a better shelter and collecting firewood to last the night.

Clearly defining your long-term mission is important, but don’t neglect the smaller missions that will culminate in your overall success.

Understand the Enemy

Army Application: The E in METT-TC stands for enemy. In this phase the soldier focuses on whom they could be up against. What are the enemy’s numbers, weapons, capabilities, etc.?

Survival Application: When I mention this principle in terms of survivalism, people often look at me weird. They start wondering if they chose the zombie apocalypse class instead of the wilderness survival class. It’s important to think of an enemy not just as a person, but anything that could hurt you or hinder your survival. The list is long — it could be the weather, water, predators, landscape, bugs, etc. Think about two categories — passive (spiders, plants, dangerous terrain, etc.) and intentional (predatory animals, parasitic bugs, and, yes, aggressive humans).

Know thy enemy. Sometimes that’s your poor choice in footwear for tough terrain.

Even your personal limitations can heighten certain challenges and can also be seen as an enemy. If you’re afraid of snakes, seeing one could paralyze you. Can’t swim? Falling into a fast-moving river could be fatal. The enemy aspect of METT-TC is truly one of the most important. Know the potential dangers you’ll face based on your area of operation. Understand how to combat and succeed against these obstacles based on your own limitations.

Understand the Terrain

Army Application: The first T in METT-TC means terrain. In this phase a soldier analyzes the environment to determine advantageous areas for overwhelming any adversaries, as well as identify key weaknesses in his/her position, possible obstacles, and points of cover and concealment, etc.

Survival Application: The military approach to terrain is pretty easy for students to understand on a theoretical level, but difficult to implement in terms of practical survival needs. Of course, it’s not normally the need — or intent— of someone surviving to understand advantages of an area that provide for overwhelming an enemy. It’s also not the common prepper’s need to be aware of how to identify weaknesses in their position as it relates to being ambushed in a firefight. However, let’s simplify things and think about an unexpected survival situation.

Lack of environmental awareness can lead to dire consequences.

Area advantages for ambush: Knowing where to stalk a deer or set a rabbit trap could mean the difference between starving and having a calorie-rich, morale-boosting meal.
Strengths and weaknesses of location: Observe the pros and cons of a site as it relates to long-term sustainability. Are there things to eat? Is there fresh water? Is there good firewood nearby?
Vital terrain: What is a key terrain for you to survive on? Do you want to be close to the beach for a water rescue? Are you in a flash flood area?
Obstacles: What are the barriers to your success? Is there a lake to cross? Is there a steep cliff to climb? Is there a lack of resources along your trek from point A to B?
Cover and concealment: Do you have protection from the elements? Can you hide from potential prey and predators?

As you can see, understanding terrain is much more than just knowing if it’s hilly, rainy, icy, etc. Assessing your terrain is like assessing a teammate. There are qualities that will work for you or against you based on your needs.

Understand the Troops

Army Application: The second T in METT-TC stands for troops. In this phase the soldier analyzes the people and assets available for a mission and their capabilities. In addition to personnel, the soldier also assesses equipment, skillsets, sleep needs, physical abilities, etc.

Survival Application: If you’re in a disaster with a group of people, it’s vital you know their capabilities, personalities, and skillsets. If someone has a mind for medical knowledge, mechanical know-how, or navigational aptitude, this could change your situation drastically. If a person needs insulin or heart medication, you should know. If you have people who are paralyzed with fear of height, snakes, water, etc., that could affect how you maneuver. If someone has a satellite phone that they forgot about, don’t know how to use it, or can’t get it to work, that’s vital information.

In the civilian world, it’s a lot more difficult to understand whom you’re dealing with. In the military you can normally start from a base understanding. Everyone had to pass a physical fitness test, so you know they can at least run 2 miles. Everyone had to pass a basic marksmanship exam, so you know they can shoot. The list goes on. Unfortunately, if you find yourself in a survival situation with a bunch of strangers, well, this could pose a true challenge.

Whether among friends or thrust into a survival group of strangers, you have to learn everyone’s strengths and...

Let’s take this one step deeper. Do you truly know yourself and your assets? I meet people all the time at my gym who overestimate their fitness level or martial arts skills. They come in speaking very highly of themselves — “I was a wide receiver in high school” or “I’m super strong.” However, when I put them in a cardio class or tell them to shoot a target, the glory days turn into the “poor me days.”

The saying, “You don’t rise to the occasion, you fall to the lowest level of your training,” is mostly true. I say mostly because it’s always possible to find that person who overcomes an obstacle through sheer will. The point of this is to always assess yourself, and when you think you’re slacking, have others assess you so you don’t fool yourself.

You should ask questions and gather intel on those around you as much as you would on yourself. You should also know at least the basics about the equipment and items at your disposal.

Understand the Time Available

Army Application: The third T in METT-TC is time. In this phase a soldier seeks to understand the time available for a mission. The soldier also wants to understand all other related aspects, such as planning time, meal times, rest times, travel times, and more.

Survival Application: In dire circumstances, you could be time rich or time deficient; the line between the two is always in flux. I’ve been lucky enough to survive through both situations, and I’m not happy to say that they both suck!

In a survival situation, time isn’t always on your side, especially if a storm’s brewing.

A time-rich scenario might be a situation in which you know rescue is on the way and you’re in an environment where it doesn’t take much to regulate your body temperature, or find food or water. Because of this you wouldn’t have to build a shelter, go hunting, find lots of firewood, and thus you would have a lot of time.

A time-deficient scenario might be a situation in which it’s very stormy and the temperature changes drastically. Add to this a lack of food and clean water, and you’ll be scrambling to find solutions. You’ll forever feel like you’re fighting with time as Mother Nature backyard-wrestles you into submission.

Since nature is an outside force with a life of its own, it often plays a factor in your scheduling, so it’s important to acknowledge this early on and plan your use of time wisely.

Understand the Civilians

Army Application: The C in METT-TC means civilians. In this phase, the soldier assesses how to interact and handle situations involving local inhabitants.

Survival Application: This aspect takes on several forms. One form is to know the mindset and habits of the people who may be looking for you. Another aspect is to know the mindset and habits of the people you may come across.

Knowing the mindset of those looking for you and their habits is important because that allows you to deduce how they’re searching for you and, thus, tells you where you should go and what you should do to get rescued. A more innocuous 21st-century example of this is trying to Facebook message or text someone who doesn’t do either of those things. Once, I tried to give directions to someone on foot at a crowded stadium. When I finally found him, he said, “I didn’t get your message because I don’t Facebook or text.” If I had known that about the person, I would have set up a different way to communicate.

Knowing the mindset of people you might encounter (or those searching for you) can be a lifesaver.

The mindset of the people you may come across is also important. You might say, “If I were in a survival situation, I would want to be found by anyone.” However, that may not always be prudent.
Some scenarios that highlight this may be if you’re lost in a wooded area where there may be illegal drug labs sporadically popping up. Or you could stumble on the land of an unfriendly family who would be more likely to shoot a “trespasser” than let you get a word out; you could stumble into the territory of a hostile tribe or an extreme religious faction. Understanding the hearts and minds of the locals is an important aspect of survival that should not be underestimated.

Conclusion

If you want to know what it’s like to be a survivalist, ask someone who survives for a living — and outside of the military, there are very few who keep people and values alive like the U.S. Army. Our amazing nation is shielded and protected by this force and the skills it possesses and teaches. With METT-TC, the Army has successfully created a multi-level formula that anyone — from a covert Delta operator to a recreational hiker — can use to plan a successful mission, be it a nighttime raid or an expected overnight stay in Mother Nature’s backyard.

About the Author

Photo by Jeff Neira / FOX Broadcasting Co.

A former psychological-operations sergeant with the U.S. Army, Hakim Isler is the designer of several wilderness survival products and the owner of Elevo Dynamics, the first “Dojym” (a 24-hour gym and martial-arts facility) in the United States. He is also the founder of the SOIL Foundation, a nonprofit that offers off-grid training and excursions to help veterans, law enforcement, and civilians recover from anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Moreover, Isler is a fourth-degree black belt in To-Shin Do under Stephen K. Hayes, an instructor in the Filipino combat system of FCS Kali, and the author of Modern Hand to Hand Combat. www.TheSoilFoundation.org | www.BlackMacGyver.com | www.ElevoDynamics.com

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Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original print version for the web.

Preppers’ Pocket Dump: 4 Survivalist EDC Loadouts

Posted on October 30, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Dave Merrill

In This Article

Jim Cobb
Tim MacWelch
Chelsea Nied
Jared Wihongi
More From Issue 16

Your everyday carry (EDC) can say a lot about you. Not only will a given loadout reflect the training and experience level of the person carrying it, but it also provides a bit of insight into its owner’s personality. While it would be nice to have a fully stocked bug-out bag everywhere you travel, it’s impractical, and you’ll have to be selective about what you grab when you walk out the door.
It’s possible you’ve never intentionally reflected on your own carry items, but if you’re reading this article right now, there’s a better-than-even chance that you have. After all, unless you’re psychic, you don’t usually know when a flat tire might strike, let alone a crippling storm. Having the right gear on you is key.

With that in mind, we bring you the everyday-carry loadouts of a handful of professionals — some of whom you might recognize as regular contributors to our magazine. Combined, they bring a wealth of wisdom and almost a century of survival experience. It would behoove you to examine their daily loadouts and corresponding explanations for why they’ve chosen said gear, then contrast it with your own EDC. Consider your own individual requirements and circumstances. Then divine accordingly.

Jim Cobb

Professional Background
Disaster-readiness consultant, private investigator, writer

Organizations
Survival Weekly, Disaster Prep Consultants

URL
www.survivalweekly.com

Survivalism Background
“Active prepper/survivalist for about 30 years”

EDC Philosophy
“We each have unique needs, skillsets, and circumstances. Over time, you’ll find what works for you and what doesn’t. Reading the loadout lists for others is an excellent start, but you need to move beyond that and start experimenting with different options. Carrying a giant multitool that weighs as much as boat anchor, and then finding you’ve only ever needed to use the knife blade is a clue you might want to adjust your EDC.”

Steel Will Apostate
“The knife is on the large side but still rides in the pocket just fine. The action is smooth, and the blade keeps an edge. Prior to acquiring the Apostate, I carried a Kershaw Thermite for about a year and have no complaints about that knife, either.”
www.steelwillknives.com

Streamlight ProTac 1AAA
“As a private investigator, I frequently find myself having to walk into dark buildings, which can be a bit nerve-wracking. The ProTac is small enough to fit into my pants pocket without discomfort and yet bright enough to help me see anything coming my way.”
www.streamlight.com

Zebra F-701
“As a writer, pens are a necessity for me. This stainless steel pen writes like a dream, is refillable, and is solid enough to be a last ditch self-defense weapon.”
www.zebrapen.com

Michael Kors MK8088
“My father collects watches, and he’s passed on to me a few very nice ones. This chronograph is my favorite. It isn’t a Rolex Submariner, but it’ll do.”
www.michaelkors.com

Wazoo Bushcraft Necklace
“The ability to create fire when necessary is a critical skill. This necklace has a small ferrocerium rod and striker, which means I can go anywhere with a discreet fire-starter without potential hassles from security personnel asking me what a keychain ferro rod is for. The necklace looks nice, too.”
www.wazoosurvivalgear.com

Tim MacWelch

Professional Background
Founder and head instructor of Advanced Survival Training, author

Organizations
Advanced Survival Training

URL
www.advancedsurvivaltraining.com

Survivalism Background
“I have been a professional survival instructor for more than 20 years and have written three New York Times best-selling survival manuals. Saying that I’m obsessed with survivalism is a gross understatement. I eat, sleep, drink, and breathe survival. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that survival is my life.”

EDC Philosophy
“Everyday carry separates the talkers from the doers. We meet the talkers at every survival expo, class, and prepper event. The talkers talk a big game, but at the end of the day, preparedness is just a hobby to them (or worse, a form of entertainment). The doers walk the talk. The doers carry EDC gear because they’re serious about preparedness and because they want to be ready for the unknown — every single day. My philosophy is dead simple: Be a doer, not a talker. Carry the stuff you need to do what is required when the time comes to take care of yourself and those around you.”

SOG Dark Energy 214
“Want to blind a bad guy? Or smash his eye socket? I love this flashlight because it’s a palm-sized cylinder full of sunlight with many more features than you would expect from such a petite package. The housing is aggressively checkered with a rough texture for great grip, wet or dry, with gloves or bare handed. The full beam produces 214 lumens with two half-click options: 40-percent power and a mesmerizing strobe feature.”
www.sogknives.com

Springfield XD-9
“Picking your favorite handgun is a bit like deciding on blondes, brunettes, or redheads. At the end of it all, you simply like what you like. I’m fan of the XD-9 because it performs better for me than comparable 9mm’s, and I’ve found it to be small enough for concealed carry, but still large enough for a good fit in my hand. By the way, brunettes is the correct answer.”
www.springfield-armory.com

BIC lighter
“Fire is life. And few things light a fire like another fire. Rather than trusting my fate to a finicky ferrocerium rod, I’d rather have the reliable flame of an EDC staple like a BIC lighter. I prefer a brightly colored lighter, so I can find it in the event that I drop it. This steadfast lighter lets me make fires at will, and it serves as a backup light source.”
www.biclighter.com

CRKT Shenanigan
“For playing in the woods, I prefer a fixed blade bushcraft knife, like a Mora. But for walking around town, I’ve long been a fan of the quality, engineering, and style of CRKT folders. Ken Onion’s Shenanigan is my top pick for EDC. The tanto point, partial serrations, and great grip give me the ability to perform many tasks with great retention.”
www.crkt.com

Sharpie Permanent Marker
“What? A marker? Yep. A trustworthy permanent marker can be vital for signaling and communication on all kinds of surfaces. I can even write my SSN on my limbs if things get really bad! But there’s an unexpected terminal use for markers like this. Light the felt tip with an open flame, and the Sharpie will burn like a little candle for a minute or two. This could help get a fire going in wet weather, especially if your lighter is almost out of fluid or you’re down to your last match.”
www.sharpie.com

Chelsea Nied

Professional Background
Founder of The Responder News, emergency-management professional

Organizations
The Responder News

Military/Law Enforcement Experience
United States Air Force (Airman First Class)

URL
www.facebook.com/therespondernews

Survivalism Background
“I’m an emergency-management professional with 26 years of combined experience in public affairs, wildland firefighting, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as a serving as a disaster services instructor with the American Red Cross. I’ve had a long career of high-speed, low-drag disaster, and wildland fire response, which includes surviving a nasty 7.9 earthquake while stationed at Clark Air Force Base in 1990.”

EDC Philosophy
“I carry very little gear on my person, reflecting my practical-tactical personality and basic ethos. I don’t like to “rattle” when hiking, walking, or moving. I don’t own a purse or have tons of crap on my keys either. I get a lot done with my EDC items; from personal protection to downloading critical disaster/incident information. Plus, the more you carry, the more you risk losing stuff on day treks or everyday adventures. Keep your carry gear simple, high quality, critical, and reliable.”

HTC Droid DNA
“Easily the most critical tool, because I need to know disaster and incident news as soon as possible. Fast intelligence dictates everything.”
www.htc.com

Native Eyewear Silencer/Moss
“I love the air ports on top of the frame, the snug fit, and the excellent lifetime replacement option. Plus, the polarized lenses help me fish better!”
www.nativeeyewear.com

Gerber Crucial
“Multitools are absolutely essential for everything from the mundane to the disastrous; you can open beer bottles or tighten small hardware, just to name two of many tasks.”
www.gerbergear.com

Kel-Tec P-11
“This handgun’s point of aim is solid, and it conceals easily, fits my hand perfectly, and is very reliable for personal protection.”
www.keltecweapons.com

Mec-Gar 10-Round Magazine
“This compact little magazine never fails to feed and carries plenty of rounds for personal protection reasons.”
shop.mec-gar.com

Jared Wihongi

Professional Background
CQC instructor, reserve SWAT officer, tactical consultant for Browning Black Label

Organizations
Survival Edge Tactical Systems Inc., Cottonwood Heights Police Department, and the Pekiti-Tirsia Tactical Association

Military/Law Enforcement Experience
Former member of the Salt Lake City Police Department and South Salt Lake Police Department

URL
www.jaredwihongi.com
www.survivaledgetactical.com

Survivalism Background
“I’m a specialist in urban survival in hostile environments, foreign and domestic. I regularly teach Personal Protective Countermeasures and Sole Operator Survival courses for U.S. Special Operations Command assets.”

EDC Philosophy
“When teaching concealed firearm permit classes, I’m often asked, ‘What’s the ideal concealed carry gun?’ My first answer is, ‘How realistic is it that you’ll actually carry your chosen firearm with you most of the time?’ A $200 .22-caliber handgun on your person in a defensive situation is more valuable than a $2,000 1911 at home in your safe. I try to meet the same criterion with all my EDC gear: How likely am I to carry those items with me most of the time? Because of this, I’m partial to defensive weapons that have multiple functions for everyday tasks, such as a knife, a pen, and a light.”

Browning Black Label Speed Dial
“I helped Browning design this knife based on some of my ideas for an ideal EDC knife, using the patented Krudo Snag feature that allows for the blade to open while being drawn from the pocket or waistband. The design uses a karambit-style ring, which allows for easy index and the ability to get it out, open, and into a defensive grip with minimal motion and grip changing.”
www.browning.com

Glock 43
“I quickly replaced my Glock 26 when Glock released the 43. Its slim profile makes it easy and comfortable to conceal, especially in my preferred appendix carry position. The ergonomics enhance my ability to shoot a smaller gun with increased accuracy.”
us.glock.com

G-Shock Master of G
“Last year alone, I worked in 18 different time zones, from some of the world’s biggest cities to small islands in the most remote corners of the globe. Through it all, this watch has become a trusted travel companion. Among other features, it provides me with multi-band atomic timekeeping, is solar powered, and has a compass, barometer, thermometer, and world time. It’s waterproof to 200 meters and is virtually indestructible.”
www.gshock.com

Browning Hells Canyon Speed Alpha Max
“Small and easy to carry, the Alpha Max packs a 315-lumen punch, utilizing a AA battery that’s easy to find in any country. It comes standard with a rechargeable battery and includes low-lumen and green-light modes to preserve night vision and battery life. It can be used as a solid impact weapon without having the telltale strike bezels that can attract unwanted attention.”
www.browning.com

Browning Black Label Tactical Pen
“Tactical pens can be great defensive tools in a pinch, and I’m partial to those that still have function, but don’t look like weapons, and thus are less likely to be flagged at a security checkpoint. The Browning Tactical Pen meets those criteria.”
www.browning.com

More From Issue 16

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Read articles from the next issue of Recoil Offgrid: Issue 17

Read articles from the previous issue of Recoil Offgrid: Issue 15

Check out our other publications on the web: Recoil | Gun Digest | Blade | RecoilTV | RECOILtv (YouTube)

Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original print version for the web.

DIY Guide: Make Your Own Dehydrated Soup Base

Posted on October 28, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

In This Article

Soup as a Survival Food
Dehydrating Vegetables
Creating a Dehydrated Soup Base
Storing Your Dried Greens
Using Dehydrated Soup
Conclusion
About the Author

Almost all of us have a favorite soup recipe, either one that has been passed down for generations or just something we saw on a cooking show. Soups have been a staple for human consumption for about as long as we’ve known how to boil water, and they continue to provide us with nourishment. Here we examine ways soups are an optimal part of our preparations and how to make them more shelf-stable and bug-out friendly.

Soup as a Survival Food

Soups can make an excellent survival food because of their ability to make ingredients stretch to feed more people. Soup variety is only limited to available resources and the cook’s imagination, making it excellent for personal touches and adaptability. Because of the variability of ingredients, some recipes can be extremely nutritious and hearty, even if all you have is an assortment of scraps that would be inadequate for a solid meal. This has made soup a popular choice during times of scarcity, such as the Great Depression.

The importance of balanced foods during emergencies or survival situations is vital. When our bodies are stressed both physically and mentally, we need to replenish nutrients, proteins, and carbohydrates to continue operating at peak levels. As prepared individuals, we know that hunger can control emotions, activities, and ultimately decision-making abilities for the worse or better. You can only subsist on granola bars and beef jerky for so long before it catches up with your digestive system, so it’s wise to have more nutritious and natural options ready.

Lastly, soups can provide much-needed morale boosts when times are tough. Just like when we got sick as kids and mom gave us chicken noodle soup to make us feel better, having your own soup base on hand can be mission essential.

Dehydrating Vegetables

Dehydration is usually a survivalist’s mortal enemy but, in this case, we can use it to extend the life of fresh vegetables and create soup bases. The process of dehydration uses heated air flow to remove moisture and preserve foods. By removing moisture, the food is more resistant to the growth of bacteria which would usually cause spoilage.

The easiest way to perform this task is to purchase a dedicated dehydrator. These can be had for less than $50 and can provide you with food for years to come. Many models can be expanded for more drying space, can utilize built in timers, and can even fulfill a commercial-grade volume if your preps take you in that direction. In our opinion, they are a worthy preparedness investment.

If a dedicated machine is not available, it is possible to use your oven for dehydration as well. Simply set your oven to the lowest setting, cut your vegetables into less than 1/4-inch thick pieces, and lay them on a lined cooking sheet. Leave them in the oven for 6 to 10 hours, checking them periodically for dryness. To perform the dryness test on both oven- or machine-dehydrated goods, pull a piece and attempt to break it. If it bends or does not snap, moisture is still present and more drying is necessary. We are focusing on vegetables here, but dehydrators are also useful for meats, fish, herbs, and fruits.

Creating a Dehydrated Soup Base

Making your own soup bases is a relatively simple task. As with all food preparedness, it is important to select foods you and your family enjoy and eat regularly. Growing your own vegetables is an economical and easy way to stock up on nutritious soup ingredients. Purchasing locally grown vegetables from farmers markets or grocery stores is also a great option for preparing your own bases. Dehydrating your vegetables is simple but lengthy task:

Wash vegetables thoroughly (if they came from your garden, double-check them for insects, insect eggs, and bird droppings).
Pat the vegetables dry then cut them into uniformly-sized pieces, about 1/4-inch thick.
Lay them out on your drying racks, avoiding overlap.
Check your machine’s manual for optimum drying temperature setting, 135° is the most common.
Dry your vegetables for 6 to 10 hours, checking on them every two hours.

Most vegetables follow the above instructions; however, some need one more preparatory step: blanching. Blanching is a process of boiling the food for a very short amount of time then removing and rapidly cooling it in an ice bath. For dehydration, this process is used to preserve taste and color of the vegetable. Blanching is generally necessary for:

Potatoes
Carrots
Peas
Green Beans
Asparagus

Soup bases are made up of available ingredients without using a set recipe. This example will comprise of kale, white onion, green and yellow bell peppers, swiss chard, carrots and tomato powder (refer to our previous DIY article to learn how to make this versatile ingredient). Combining these ingredients, we accomplish a flavorful and nutritious soup base that can be amended depending on available additives such as game meat, fresh vegetables or other long-term food storage items. Your chosen ingredient ratio depends on your preferred tastes. According to our preferences, this soup was light on tomato but heavy on onions.

Storing Your Dried Greens

Ideal storage for your ingredients is air-tight containers, out of direct light, and at 68°-72°F. Storing ingredients separately isn’t necessary, but doing so allows you to use ingredients for different recipes. Our preferred method is to store each ingredient in a glass jar, vacuum-sealed with reusable canning lids. These are stored in a pantry with ideal temperature conditions. For camping and bug-out purposes, ready-made packets are stored in small resealable bags.

Using Dehydrated Soup

Reconstituting is the process of bringing your vegetables back to, or close to, their original form. This is accomplished by adding the greens to water and bringing them to a boil for about 10 minutes. Hard measurements aren’t entirely necessary however, adding about 1.5 cups of water to about ¾-1 cup soup mix should achieve the right consistency. Once the vegetables have reconstituted they can be used for a variety of meals. Here are a few examples:

Basic Vegetable Soup (1 Serving)

1 ¾ cup water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup soup mix
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of garlic powder

Begin to heat water and add bouillon. As water heats, add soup mix and garlic powder. Boil for 10 minutes covered, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let steep for another 5to 10 minutes. Stir and add pepper (and/or other spices) to taste and enjoy. This recipe can be prepared beforehand by adding all ingredients to a plastic bag for easy transport — just add water.

Survival Breakfast Hash (4 Servings)

4 eggs
3 cups dehydrated/ freeze dried cheese
1.5 cups soup mix
Optional: meat and/ or potatoes
Salt/pepper to taste

Reconstitute cheese and soup mix. Whisk together (or blend) eggs, cheese, and soup mix. If using meat, cook the meat first then add to the egg/cheese/soup mixture. Potatoes can be boiled first to soften or chopped and lightly fried then added. Pour into greased pan and cook until done.

Chili

¼ cup dehydrated onions
¼ cup dehydrated carrots
2 heaping tablespoons tomato powder
1 ½ cups water
1 can of beans (or 1 cup dry beans, soaked)
Meat (if available)
Pinch garlic powder
Pinch chili powder
Pinch paprika
Salt/pepper to taste

Rehydrate the onions and carrots, add to pot with water, and begin to boil. Add tomato powder. Add beans to boiling water and let simmer for about 20 minutes. If meat is available it should be cooked first then added to the chili. Add dry ingredients and stir, let simmer for additional 5 minutes.

Conclusion

Preserving food is a precious skill set that should not be over looked. Even if you are unable to grow your own food, buying in bulk and learning to preserve can be an excellent way of saving money and keeping a well-stocked pantry. Dehydrating, canning, and pickling are only a few ways to keep you (and your family) full and healthy during tough times. Using your knowledge, experience, and ingenuity will help ensure your successful survival. Learning these methods now when you can afford to screw up is a better choice than learning them when spoiled fruits and vegetables will mean malnutrition and hunger.

About the Author

Alexander Crown served as an Infantryman with the Scout/Sniper Platoon of the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Ft. Richardson, Alaska, where he specialized in radio communications and reconnaissance. Since separating, Alexander spends his time as an avid outdoorsman and hunter with an appreciation for self-sufficiency in the form of gardening. He also enjoys woodworking, firearms, and reloading. You can follow him on Instagram @acrown509.

New: Mahindra ROXOR Off-Road Vehicle

Posted on October 27, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Take a quick look at the ROXOR, and you might think it's an early-model jeep. Although that's not exactly the case, it does share some ancestry. Back in the 1940s, Willys — the manufacturer of the World War II “jeep” — issued manufacturing licenses to a few other companies, permitting them to reproduce the jeep design. One of these companies was India's Mahindra corporation. Fast-forward to present-day, and Mahindra is still producing off-road vehicles that descended from this Willys inspiration. The latest is known as the ROXOR.

The ROXOR was designed and created by Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA) as a small off-road vehicle for the North-American market. It's built in America and based around a 2.5-liter M2DICR turbo-diesel engine, which produces 62 horsepower and 144 ft-lbs of torque. That may not sound like much, but it's enough to carry two occupants, up to 349 pounds of gear in the rear cargo area, and tow an impressive 3,490 pounds. Top speed is 45mph, or 15mph while towing.

The rest of the drivetrain consists of a 5-speed manual transmission, 2-speed Dana T-18 transfer case, selectable 2WD/4WD, and 3.73:1 floating axles in front and rear. Brakes are 9-inch discs in the front and 11-inch drums in the rear, with hydraulic assist and parking brake standard. The boxed steel frame is supported by leaf springs and shock absorbers, plus a stabilizer bar up front. Ground clearance is 9 inches on the 16-inch 5-lug wheels and 235/70R16 mud tires.

Standard conveniences on the ROXOR include hydraulic power steering, halogen headlights, a 12V power port, and two seat boxes. However, many other optional parts can be installed, including a HD bumper with winch, light bar, mirrors, aluminum wheels, a soft top or hard top, and grab handles. Standard colors for the steel body are blue, red, white, and black, but special editions are available with more colors and graphics. For example, there's a tan Dune Edition, a olive-drab green Military Edition, and a RealTree camo package.

As an off-road-only vehicle, the ROXOR competes with other side-by-sides, but MANA claims its turbo-diesel engine, sturdy boxed frame, and simplicity set it apart from more conventional UTVs. Pricing for the ROXOR Classic starts at $14,999 — to see pricing with options, check out the interactive ROXOR vehicle builder. For more info, go to RoxorOffroad.com or watch the video below.

Debunked: The Myth of Water Divining

Posted on October 26, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Water divining is a practice dating back centuries where metal rods, a pendulum, forked stick, or other object held in the hand(s) is moved by underground water and points the “diviner” to its location. Divining has been considered a supernatural ability defying the rules of science. Some old-timers swear by it and cite folklore and/or pseudoscience to explain the way it works. Skeptics cite hard science and the results of controlled testing. Divining for water has even been featured in some old kids’ cartoons only to perpetuate the myth for future generations. Some water companies have recently cited using diviners in their newsletters, bringing this topic to the forefront again. Here’s what you should know in case you encounter someone trying to sell you on the idea to apply this mystical technique in a survival situation.

The Myth

Water divining, sometimes also called dowsing or witching, is the belief a person can detect underground water where a well can be dug. Some diviners claim to have the ability to locate other underground objects using the same skillset, but water is easily the most valuable. Water has been essential to all of the great civilizations and having an ability to locate it where others can’t would give a person incredible authority. Before science, everything was magic. Without an understanding of involuntary muscle movements, magnetism, and how groundwater travels, it’s easy to be lured into the idea a person can detect groundwater with their “vining rod” or Merlin stick, while walking around taking readings from it. The movement of the object holds the attention of onlookers like a metronome or hypnotist’s dangling watch. Water diviners can claim their ability is something that can’t be taught, making the skill even more coveted. If their “skill” can’t be passed to you, you should evaluate if it’s worth pursuing or if other proven methods are a better course of study.

The Reality

Water doesn’t move rods, especially with earth in between. Ask any reputable scientist if water has magnetism, and they should give you this very simple answer, “it doesn’t.” Divining has been tested against random chance in a famous study by German scientists in the ’80s with eye-opening results. Even the most confident and experienced diviners couldn’t locate an underground pipe any more effectively than the average person looking for the same pipe. In fact, a look at the data points in the testing results looks more like a hole-ridden target hit with birdshot than anything consolidated or clearly pointing to verifiable divining skill. Yet even in the face of testing and hard facts, divining still draws some people’s attention like a David Blaine magic trick.

Alternatives

Unless you want to trust your life to smoke and mirrors, you should exercise good water discipline instead. Learn to stay hydrated so you don’t have to play catch up when you have a shortage of water.

Should you need to truly look for water, the best way to find it is to study nature and increase your awareness using all of your senses. These skills are all environment-dependent, but highly reliable. Pointing a forked stick at the ground will get you nowhere. Instead, pay attention to animals and insects. They often don’t travel far from water sources. Look for animal tracks and game trails, and scout them in both directions. Look for natural catch points, remembering water runs down from higher elevations to lower elevations. Crevices on rock faces and hollows in logs can hold water on the micro level and canyons and ravines may hold water at their lowest points on the macro level.

Keep a length of paracord on your water bottle to dip it into out of reach cracks. Know what trees in your area are good indicators of water and develop the skill to tap those trees that produce edible sap like maples, birches, and beeches. Carry a bandana to hold moisture-laden moss you can squeeze water out of. That same bandana can be used to wipe dew from grass in the morning. By the way, digging into riverbeds may prove just as fruitless as divining. You don’t want to sweat out more water than you’ll get back. True survival skills include knowing how to find, collect, treat, and carry water; so leave your vining rods at home.

More From Issue 28

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Read articles from the next issue of Recoil Offgrid: Issue 29

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Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original version for the web.

New: Ledlenser Outdoor Series Headlamps

Posted on October 25, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

In Issue 27 of our magazine, we published a Headlamp Buyer's Guide which included 12 headlamps that provide hands-free light for hiking, camping, hunting, or survival situations. The MH6 from Ledlenser was featured in this guide, and we recently learned that the company has expanded its headlamp line with three new Outdoor Series models: MH3, MH5, and MH7.

MH3

These headlamps are priced at $30, $50, and $70, and all use Ledlenser's Advanced Focus System to allow the wearer to adjust the beam pattern by twisting the bezel. Each is available in black, blue, or green color. The mounting system is also detachable, allowing the lights to be hand-held or worn on a shirt or belt. Beyond these similarities, we'll outline the differences between these new headlamps below.

MH5

The MH3 runs on a single AA battery, and produces 200 lumens. The MH5 is powered by a USB-rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, and produces 400 lumens with a run time up to 35 hours. The MH7 can be powered by either the included lithium-ion pack or disposable batteries, and includes a quick-connect magnetic USB charger. It also features a red LED to preserve night vision. Run time is up to 60 hours.

MH7

For more info on these new Ledlenser headlamps, go to LedlenserUSA.com.

Review: Wound Cube Medical Training Tool

Posted on October 24, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Andrew Schrader

In This Article

Misleading Instincts
Feels Like Warm Apple Pie
How It’s Used
Practicality and Effectiveness
Final Analysis
Specifications
About the Author
More From Issue 28

Wound packing, besides applying a tourniquet, is one of the most basic techniques of bleeding control in a pre-hospital environment. In theory, the concept is relatively simple: hold pressure on a wound, and after several minutes, the applied pressure will help to encourage the body’s natural clotting factors. This can vary from just three minutes of pressure if using specially manufactured gauze (i.e. Combat Gauze) impregnated with hemostatic agents, to 10 minutes if using standard gauze or other fabrics.

The trick to this technique, however, is that the correct pressure application point may be several inches down inside the muscle. Pressure is much more effectively generated once you reach a hard surface, such as a bone, to push against. Otherwise, trying to compress relatively squishy fat and muscle starts to feel like pushing rope.

The Wound Cube from Phokus Research Group is a new training tool to help teach this vital technique. We’re featuring it because it’s difficult to make a similar tool on your own, and even harder to make it for less money than its current retail price.

Misleading Instincts

A layperson’s instinctual reaction when presented with a heavily bleeding wound is often to apply pressure directly on top of the skin, possibly with their hands. Even if they have gauze, their first reaction is often to try and mash a ball of it into the wound from the top. A more appropriate technique, however, is to feed gauze or other wound-packing material starting down at the bottom of the wound, slowly packing from the bottom until the wound is filled. At that point direct pressure will be applied from the outside surface (skin) and this pressure becomes directly transmitted to the base of the wound — exactly where we want it.

Above: Using a flashlight to illuminate the inside of the Wound Cube allows for instant feedback as to whether or not your wound packing technique is properly filling the wound cavity.

Take a standard gunshot wound as a classic example. Those familiar with ballistic impact response may already know that a wound into flesh can create a narrow channel at the start, gradually expanding into a larger wound cavity as the bullet expands or mushrooms. It would be impossible to apply adequate pressure on the inside of the expanded chamber by pushing from the outside.

But by feeding gauze in with your fingers, ½ inch by ½ inch, the wound cavity can be filled correctly. This isn’t easy. Because gauze is flexible and non-rigid, it can be tough to feed it down a narrow tube where you can’t see what you’re doing or where it’s going. It’s an acquired technique and, like many survival skills, requires periodic refresher training.

Feels Like Warm Apple Pie

Enter the Wound Cube. The cube, designed to accurately depict the texture and feel of a traumatic injury in flesh, features several types of correctly modeled and sized wounds. These include lacerations as well as different types of gunshot wounds. The ballistic patterns are authentic, recreating the narrow entrance channels and larger interior cavities created by a gunshot wound. Its durable silicone also features realistic tissue density and is textured to feel similar to human skin, especially when a few drops of simulated-blood lubricant is added.

For those of you who may be familiar, yes, the Wound Cube is based on the same materials technology as the Fleshlight. The versatility of science can enrich many facets of our lives.

How It’s Used

A Treasure Island (FL) police officer honing her wound packing skills using the Wound Cube silicone block.

The mechanics of using the cube are simple. Basically, it’s an inert block of silicone with holes that you stick your fingers (and only your fingers) into. Continually training on the act of feeding gauze into the tiny holes with your fingers will make it that much easier if you ever have to aid a victim who’s been shot or stabbed — at least if that injury is to the arms, shoulders, or legs. Wounds in places like the chest, abdomen, neck, and head often require advanced care techniques, and it’s usually better to focus on rapid evacuation, as covered in Issue 5 of our sister publication CONCEALMENT.

The Wound Cube is made from clear silicone, making it semi-transparent and easy to confirm that you’re effectively getting the wound-packing material to the base of the wound inside the body. While you’re getting to third base with the cube, an instructor can shine a flashlight into one of the other open holes to illuminate the inside of the channels and make easy visual confirmation on how effectively you’re packing the wound.

Practicality and Effectiveness

Although the premise of the Wound Cube is very simple, it’s also very effective and robust. Wound packing isn’t a delicate act — fingers have to work fast, plunging repeatedly into the wound cavity in an effort to tamp down as much gauze as will fit inside, in a hurry. First timers or the untrained may look like they’re delicately trying to knead the world’s tiniest pizza dough, softly feeding one finger in after another and alternating index fingers. More experienced medics on the other hand, may use more arm motion to aggressively pack in the gauze and make sure they’re hitting the bottom of the wound or a hard bone.

The point is that if these cubes are being regularly trained on like they should, the relatively small wound channels will see a lot of action from big fingers, which raised a question in our minds about whether the holes would inadvertently split or expand. Phokus Research Group states that they’ll stand behind their product and offer a five-year guarantee that the wound channels won’t “stretch out” or increase in size from regular use.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have five years to test this thing, but we did have one night of intense training in a bleeding control class taught by our friend Detective Eric Soderlund, who is featured in RECOIL OFFGRID Issue #25 teaching improvised evacuation techniques. Along with law enforcement officials from the Treasure Island, Florida Police Department, we went family style on the Wound Cube and passed it around the class.

The difference was immediately obvious. Unlike the other homemade training devices which Eric had painstakingly carved out of foam blocks, the cops using the Wound Cube had instant feedback on not just the mechanics of their wound packing techniques, but visual confirmation once the gauze had completely filled the hole. This made it easier for the students to adjust their techniques since their performance was so easy to measure.

The only component that didn’t make sense to us was the simulated laceration wound. We thought the laceration was too shallow and didn’t allow a lot of gauze to be packed into the wound. We took an X-Acto knife and cut it a bit deeper, but that was only marginally successful.

Final Analysis

With a price point starting at $140 and first responder discounts available, the Wound Cube is a relatively affordable, durable training tool that’s significantly less expensive than similar competing products. For a homegrown alternative, there’s no easy way to accurately recreate the enlargement of the wound cavities as they vary in depth, and it becomes even more difficult if you’re trying to find a semi-transparent material so you can actually see what’s happening inside.

Similar to the idea that it’s better to have a small-capacity, small-caliber handgun on your person than a larger “better” weapon in your truck, we feel it’s preferable to have a tool that aids in realistic training for bleeding control, instead of thinking you can improvise or figure it out on the fly. It’s not perfect, but it fills a very specific niche that has never previously been addressed at this price point and with such ease of use. Overall, we like what we’ve seen and what we felt when we were inside the Wound Cube, and we’d definitely take it home to meet our parents.

Specifications

Wound Cube

Size
4 x 4 x 4 inches

Weight
2.5 pounds

Price
$140

URL
www.phokusresearch.com

About the Author

Andrew Schrader recently served as an advisor/reviewer for the San Bernardino (CA) City Fire Department’s After Action Report (AAR) of the Active Shooter Incident Response which took place in December 2015. His company, Recon Response Engineering LLC, educates firefighters and search-and-rescue teams on the subject of urban search-and-rescue and building collapse. Most recently, he was deployed in Florida to support rescue operations following Hurricane Irma. www.reconresponse.com / @reconresponse

More From Issue 28

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Read articles from the next issue of Recoil Offgrid: Issue 29

Read articles from the previous issue of Recoil Offgrid: Issue 27

Check out our other publications on the web: Recoil | Gun Digest | Blade | RecoilTV | RECOILtv (YouTube)

Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original version for the web.

Book Review: “Cyber Mercenaries: The State, Hackers, and Power”

Posted on October 22, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

In This Article

OFFGRID Library of Recommended Books
More From Issue 28

The Premise: Humankind’s dependency on technology pervades our lives. In the cracks between man and machine, hackers ply their trade. Motivated by both politics and profit, they affect the building blocks of our survival. Tim Maurer pens a ministerial text steeped in the academic study of statecraft in a world of state and non-state cyber actors. He paints a post-graduate level tapestry of diplomacy, manipulation, coercion, culture, economics, agency theory, uncertainty theory, terrorism studies, international law, and other disciplines to build a taxonomy of cyberspace from the view of the hackers and their beneficiaries — a Marauder’s Map peering into a foreboding future.

The 411: This book is a Marianas Trench deep dive into the cyber-verse. It’s an expert’s reference for building future research in a still very new field of study, global hacktivism. Maurer repeatedly packs entire graduate school semester courses into nuanced sentences; each of which could keep tenured Ivory Tower researchers and front line field personnel rolling in work for decades. But if you want to know how cyber warfare is organized and, more importantly, where it has emerged, this book will open your eyes.

The Verdict: The book isn’t an easy read. It’s clearly meant for professionals who have been soaking in global stability analysis hot tub since the Reagan years. Be prepared to look up unfamiliar terms. The text is 163 pages; footnotes take up an additional 70 pages. The author covers how the beneficiaries of hacking for influence fits into the broader art of statecraft using a modified form of the D.I.M.E. theorem of influence, consisting of Diplomacy, Intimidation, Militancy, and Economics. He covers the dynamics of the four types of benefactor-actor interaction where state and non-state players can be either string puller or operator. Maurer then goes on to detail the spectrum of how states can delegate, orchestrate, or sanction hackers. Also discussed is international law surrounding the use of cyber techniques as effectors of influence and warfare.

Maurer draws on research from areas such as the management of militias and the study of its close cousin, terrorism networks, to help color the complexity of the process. He spends time discussing the dilemma of defending against cyber attack; specifically, noting that per international law, nations are obligated to prevent non-state offensive cyber activity even to the point that in the United States it’s a felony to counterattack the hacker if one’s company is bombarded by Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) or destructive malware attacks.

Students of global diversity will appreciate Maurer’s case studies, where he illustrates the radical difference in the path-dependent evolution of cyber activity in different countries. He covers rich western nations like the United States, where the culture of hacking was born in rebellious cultures antagonistic to the state that evolved a cadre of co-opted hackers seeking to serve to the state for monetary gain. He then describes politically motivated actors sometimes loosely connected to, and other times antagonistic to, states in troubled parts of the world like Iran, Syria, and Ukraine; and how they often switch sides.

He also covers the criminal sanctioning of hackers, aka privateering, in poor states like Russia where a weak $1.2 trillion GDP economy and an overabundance of pauper technocrats has led to cyber-crime-for-hire industries; as long as the underworld actors are careful not to aim their tools at the motherland. And finally, he examines the hyper patriotic phenomenon of China, where hackers are so eager to wreak havoc to defend China’s honor against real and imagined enemies that the state has had to create government infrastructure to tame their zeal.

The book describes how these cyber cultures came to be, why they act way they do, and what happens when these disparate cultures interact. He discusses that this is a battle space for tomorrow’s Cold Wars.

The one drawback to Maurer’s coverage was its narrow focus on the phenomenon of state-sponsored cyber operations. Then again, this is new ground just emerging in places like the U.S. where the orchestration of social media can influence public policy faster than considered deliberation can digest. Conversely, non-state actors are at work in places like Eastern Europe where post-national globalism and open society proponents seek to shape and influence that region’s potentially dystopian future. If you want to survive in tomorrow’s man-machine world, absorbing this book is worth your time.

For a real-world example of the devastation caused by cyber warfare, check out our web-exclusive article on the sophisticated Petya cyber-attacks.

Book & Author
Cyber Mercenaries: The State, Hackers, and Power
Tim Maurer

Publisher
Cambridge University Press

MSRP
$30

URL
www.cambridge.org

Pages
266 pages

Rating
>Thrive
~~Survive~~
~~Die~~

OFFGRID Library of Recommended Books

Tactics and Firearms
- Two Person Close Quarters Tactics by Special Tactics
- On Combat by Lt. Col. Grossman.
- The Irish Republican Manual of Guerrilla Warfare
- 100 Deadly Skills by Clint Emerson
Skillsets and DIY
- Visual Guide to Lock Picking, 3rd Edition
- Primitive Technology Survivalist Guide Book by John Plant
- 101 Skills You Need to Survive in the Woods by Kevin Estella
- The Survival Medicine Handbook by Joseph & Amy Alton
- Bushcraft by Mors Kochanski
Novels and Literature
- The Final Day by William Forstchen
- The Savage by Frank Bill
Scenarios and Survival
- Lights Out by Ted Koppel
- Waste Land by David T. Hanson
- Choose Adventure: Safe Travel in Dangerous Places by Greg Ellifritz

More From Issue 28

Don’t miss essential survival insights—sign up for Recoil Offgrid's free newsletter today!

Read articles from the next issue of Recoil Offgrid: Issue 29

Read articles from the previous issue of Recoil Offgrid: Issue 27

Check out our other publications on the web: Recoil | Gun Digest | Blade | RecoilTV | RECOILtv (YouTube)

Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original version for the web.

Review: Holosun HE510C-GR Elite Green Dot Sight

Posted on October 21, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

In This Article

The Case for a Green Dot
Holosun HE510C-GR Elite Features
Our Impressions
Conclusion

Whether you're hunting, shooting competitively, preparing to defend your home against intruders, or facing a catastrophic bug-out situation, it's essential to be able to quickly acquire and accurately hit targets with your weapon of choice. Much of this comes down to training, but technology can also give us an advantage in this area. Modern optics provide an easy-to-use alternative to iron sights. Specifically, non-magnified dot sights have become ubiquitous in the firearms world as a result of their versatility for a variety of weapons and lighting conditions.

These days, the majority of home defense guns and survival rifles you'll come across will have some form of dot sight in addition to backup iron sights. Even on carry handguns, they're continuing to become increasingly popular — in a poll we posted last year on this site, 72 percent of readers said they have “positive” or “very positive” feelings about running dot sights on their carry pistols.

The caveat to dot sights is that they can easily cost $500 or more, and while there's no shortage of low-budget options on the market, many of those airsoft-grade sights are fragile, poorly-built, and/or unreliable (the last things you want on a weapon that you might need for self-defense). Finding a middle ground between price and dependability can be tricky, especially when you're looking for a sight that doesn't skimp on features.

Holosun recently released the HE510C-GR as part of its Elite green dot sight series. It's an open reflex sight, meaning that it uses a dot projected by an LED onto a thin reflective lens, rather than the cylindrical design of closed tube sights. This is intended to provide maximum field of view and minimal reduction of ambient light. MSRP for the sight is $388, but it's currently available from various online retailers for $330.

The Case for a Green Dot

In the past, virtually all dot sights used red aiming points, and they're still the industry standard today. However, green dot sights have seen a surge in popularity lately for various reasons. We'll admit that some of this is an aesthetic trend, motivated by users wanting something new and different. But there's more to it than that.

This chart from the UK National Physical Laboratory shows the spectral response of the human eye.

The obvious purpose of any sight is to provide a clear, high-visibility aiming point. From a purely scientific standpoint, the human eye is most responsive to colors in the green portion of the visible spectrum, meaning that a green light will be perceived as brighter than a red or blue light of equal power. As a result, Holosun says its green diode is “as much as 4 times more efficient” than its standard red diode, especially at high brightness settings.

A green LED near the back of the optic projects the dot onto the lens.

A tiny green emitter near the back of the optic projects the dot onto the lens.

Of course, we don't live in a world of black and white, so in a practical setting the technical advantages of a green dot may be more limited. Much of it comes down to the environments where you'll be using the weapon — a green dot may offer superior contrast in drab urban environments, while it may get lost more easily against the bright green backdrop of a forest. Personal preference is also a consideration, so you should take a firsthand look at both dot colors and see which works best for you.

If a green dot just isn't your thing, Holosun offers an HS510C red dot reflex sight that offers the same design and features as the HE510C-GR.

Holosun HE510C-GR Elite Features

We got our hands on a sample of the HE510C-GR, and decided to take a closer look at its viability as a more-affordable choice in the dot sight market.

Right off the bat, the packaging caught our eye with its prominent “green dot sight” label. The flamboyant font choice seems out of place, but we soon overlooked this and opened the box. It contained the following items:

Sight with included quick-detach mount
Adjustment/battery removal tool
Spare battery tray with O-ring and screws
Torx wrench
CR2032 battery
Micro-fiber lens cloth

As we said before, this is an open reflex sight which uses Holosun's “Green Super LED” to project either a 2-MOA dot, a 65-MOA circle, or both onto the lens.

The HE510C-GR can display a dot, circle, or both simultaneously.

The optic's controls are very straightforward, with rubberized “+” and “-” buttons on the left side. The adjustments are as follows:

Short presses of “+” or “-” adjust between 12 dot brightness levels.
Holding down “-” cycles between the three dot/reticle options mentioned above.
Holding down “+” until the reticle blinks toggles between Automatic and Manual modes — more on this feature below.
Holding down “+” for 10 seconds adjusts auto-shut-off timer setting.
The light can also be manually turned off by pressing both buttons, and turned back on by pressing either “+” or “-“.
Elevation and windage can be adjusted by turning a pair of screws with the included adjustment tool. Each click is 1/2 MOA.

The HE510C's body is constructed from 6061 aluminum, but it features an additional titanium shroud to protect the recessed lens from impacts to the top or side. The base of the sight features a quick-detach Picatinny rail mount, which includes a locking lever and a Torx screw to adjust the clamping force.

The gap between the body and titanium shroud protects the lens from impacts.

Power comes from a single CR2032 lithium-ion coin-cell battery. This is installed by loosening the two Torx screws on the battery tray, prying it open with the included tool, and reinserting the tray with the battery. Holosun claims a maximum battery life of 50,000 hours with the dot, and 20,000 hours with circle and dot.

Looking down from above, you'll notice the HE510C features a second power source: a solar panel. This serves two purposes. First, it can fully power the optic using ambient light from the sun or indoor light sources — if these aren't bright enough, it draws some or all of its power from the battery instead. Second, it acts as a light sensor to measure your environment and adjust dot brightness accordingly in automatic mode.

Automatic Mode

In its default automatic setting, the HE510C will monitor ambient light levels and increase or decrease the dot's intensity to produce optimal visibility. This ensures you don't end up looking at an overwhelmingly-bright dot in a dark room, or struggling to spot a dim dot on a sunny day. Within auto mode, you can adjust the brightness range to 8 levels.

If you prefer, you can also set the optic to manual mode with 12 brightness levels (10 for daylight and 2 for night vision). The sight has a memory function to remember these settings.

Shake Awake

To further extend battery life, the HE510C has a “Shake Awake” motion sensor which can detect movement and immediately turn the sight on. It will then remain on for 10 minutes (default), 1 hour, 12 hours, or indefinitely, depending on the auto-shut-off timer setting you've selected.

Our Impressions

After removing the sight from its box, we installed the battery. Even with the screws removed, the battery tray seals tightly to keep out water and dust, so prying it open with the included tool was a little tricky. We took our time to avoid scratching the finish. Luckily the extremely long battery life means we probably won't be replacing it again for a decade.

Thanks to the included quick-detach mount, installing the HE510C on a Picatinny rail is easy. Just depress the release button at the end of the locking lever, swing the lever open, and place it on the rail. The Torx adjustment screw needed to be loosened a few turns before the mount would clamp snugly. This mount is a big plus, since adding QD functionality to many other dot sights means spending an additional $100 on a separate QD mount or riser.

The HE510C's mount places it at absolute co-witness height for standard AR sights, so it aligned nicely with the A2 fixed front sight and Magpul MBUS flip-up rear sight on our S&W M&P-15 Sport II test gun.

Learning the controls was simple — we simply left the optic in its default automatic setting with a 10-minute shut-off timer, and increased the brightness setting slightly. The Shake Awake feature is very sensitive, and the sight activated reliably as soon as we picked up the gun. If you're keeping this sight on a truck gun, you'll definitely want to disable Shake Awake to avoid draining the battery with every bump in the road.

The green dot is clear and easy to track against a variety of backgrounds, even in intense midday sunlight. The dot and ring both exhibited good sharpness.

We tested the automatic brightness feature by walking between light and dark rooms — we were pleased to see the dot adjust on its own with barely a second of delay. One issue with this system is that it measures ambient light directly above the sight, not in front of the sight. This means that if you're aiming from a dark room into a fully-lit one or using a weapon-mounted light to clear a dark hallway, the dot will wash out and become difficult to track. Manual adjustment alleviates this, but requires fiddling with the controls.

Holosun claims this sight is “parallax free” but the reality is that all dot sights have some amount of parallax (i.e. perceived movement of the dot when you move your head — see this video for a demonstration of the effect). Fortunately, we didn't notice any substantial parallax during our testing, so this sight is good-to-go on that front.

Zeroing was straightforward, and we didn't notice any substantial point of impact shift after putting rounds downrange at 50 to 100 yards with our M&P-15. Holosun says the sight can be used on shotguns, so we mounted it on a Remington 870 Tactical and ran through some 00 buckshot to see how it held up. Despite the harsher recoil, the dot didn't wander.

Conclusion

Considering our previous experiences with inexpensive red dot optics, we were interested to try this Holosun, considering its full list of features and affordable price. We were pleased to find that it offers solid build quality and reliability at a price that's hundreds less than a comparable setup from other big-name companies.

Is it capable of taking years of hard use or surviving a house fire? Only time will tell, but our initial impressions of the HE510C-GR Elite have been positive. For the record, Holosun offers a limited lifetime warranty against defects on the housing or lens, and a 10-year warranty on the illumination system (this applies to Holosun's Elite optics only; Classic optics have a 5-year lens warranty and 3-year illumination warranty).

As for the topic of green dot versus red, color preferences will vary from one person to the next, but we found the Elite green dot was easy to pick up against most backgrounds. For home-defense or urban applications, we slightly prefer the green dot. Again, if red is your personal preference you can check out this sight's red-dot counterpart from Holosun.

Overall, we're glad we tried the HE510C, and it surpassed our expectations. Admittedly, it's not going to make other more-costly optics totally obsolete, but it's a dependable sight that offers good value for the money.

For more information on Holosun products, go to Holosun.com,

Video: Rudiger Roll Fire-Starter

Posted on October 19, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

When it comes to fire-starting, we all know about the obvious modern methods — lighters, matches, and ferro rods. As for more primitive ignition sources, you're probably aware of how to make a bow drill, use a magnifier to focus sunlight, or strike flint against steel. These methods are all well-publicized. However, there's one traditional fire-starting method you may not have heard of: the Rudiger roll.

The Rudiger roll is named after German survival instructor Rüdiger “Sir Vival” Nehberg, who documented the method in one of his books, but legend has it that this method was originally developed by WWII POWs who needed to start a fire without tools. The Rudiger roll consists of a flattened piece of combustible fibrous material, such as jute twine, cotton, hemp, or yucca fibers. The material is arranged into a long strip and covered with a layer of powdered abrasive/accelerant, such as ashes, rust, tobacco, or even crushed walnut husk. Accelerants are recommended but not always used — it's still possible to start a fire with nothing but the fibers, though more friction will be required.

Once the fibers and accelerant are combined, the strip is rolled tightly into a bundle that resembles a cigarette or a joint. This bundle is then placed on top of a flat surface such as rock, concrete, or a wood plank. Another flat item is placed on top of the roll, pressed down, and moved forward and backward rapidly to apply friction to the Rudiger roll. With the right technique, the friction should leave the roll smoldering in just a few seconds, ready to ignite a tinder bundle.

The following video from David West shows how to assemble and use the most basic Rudiger roll, composed of cotton and ashes.

Another YouTuber who goes by Boggy Creek Beast has dedicated dozens of videos to testing the effectiveness of a Rudiger roll with various natural and manmade materials. He has used chaga fungus, baking soda, poplar bark, manure, bone dust, newspaper, and even manganese dioxide from an alkaline battery. Watch the video below for an introduction to the technique, or check out his channel to see all his Rudiger roll videos.