The TOPS MSK or Mini Scandi Knife is a compact, rugged tool designed with minimalism and functionality at its core. Known for the TOPS modified scandi grind and exceptional build quality, the MSK is an all-around knife that’s ideal for the outdoor enthusiasts from bushcrafters to campers and everyone in between. Whether you’re looking for an everyday carry or a handy tool for carving or whittling in the wild, the MSK offers durability and precision in a compact package. Being a small knife does the MSK live up to the TOPS reputation of hard use overbuilt knives? Let’s dive in and see what MSK has to offer.
Design and Carry Options
The MSK’s small size allows it to work out great in a variety of carry styles. It’s small enough to be a neck knife, but works great in the pocket, IWB or clipped onto a backpack. The slim sheath makes for a compact package that is easy to carry on your person and takes up very little room in a pack or pouch.
The MSK is 6.13” long from butt to tip, the blade and actual cutting edge is exactly 3” long. Despite being a small knife, it still gives you a good bit of useable edge for outdoor and survival tasks. The handle provides a comfortable 3 finger grip and a lanyard can be added to get that full hand grip.
TOPS MSK Steel
Like many TOPS Knives the blade steel is tough 1095 high carbon steel. 1095 is commonly found in outdoor knives, and the TOPS heat treatment brings out 1095's best properties. Even with its small size, the tough steel ensures the TOPS MSK will be a little tank of a knife.
While it may not have the edge retention found in modern super steels, if you need to sharpen it on the fly you can pretty much grab a smooth rock and get a working edge back on your knife.
What Can the TOPS MSK Do?
The TOPS MSK is a versatile and reliable knife. In the wilderness the scandi grind allows it help you process wood and build a fire or shelter. It can also help prepare food and even act as a last-ditch defensive tool if needed.
The small size and ergonomics also makes it a great option for an EDC fixed blade. The modified scandi grind has no problem cutting packages, tape, strings, and whatever else you come across in your daily life.
It’s a valuable tool that fits pretty much any kit or style of carry without being a burden. Its size maybe be deceiving but this tool can handle any and everything you throw at it, and it’ll ask for more.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the TOPS MSK is a great little tool that’s as tough as it is handy. It has the durability you’d expect from TOPS, with an ergonomic handle that feels solid in the hand. Whether you’re outdoors or need a reliable everyday carry, this knife won’t let you down. If you’re on the hunt for a compact blade that will get the job done, the MSK is worth a spot in your kit!
Check out the MSK and the full line of hard use TOPS Knives on topsknives.com
Over the past few years, there has been a push to stop hemorrhages in the civilian trauma world. The Stop the Bleeding course (www.stopthebleed.org) has been made readily available through the internet and is an excellent place to start. Beyond that, other Traumatic injuries often don’t get publicity. During the war, recognizing and managing these wounds are critical to ensure casualties can survive. This article will explain some of the wounds of war and things to consider in management and triage.
Whether it's from a bullet, or shrapnel from an explosion, treating a traumatic limb injury is one of the easier wounds to address.
Traumatic Injury: Limbs
There are essentially three types of reasons for a traumatic limb on the battlefield as it relates to projectiles. The first is from a bullet, whether it be a handgun or a rifle round. Unless it hits a major artery or organ, the damage is usually something that can be triaged. The second is from a larger projectile like shrapnel. The problem with these is that multiple fragments are involved in the blast. This makes the repair of the wound more challenging. The last type is like that from an improvised explosive device (IED). These have enough energy to amputate the limb involved. These pressure-detonated blasts often contain dirt and debris, making them more challenging to clean and treat.
Medical classes have recently become more available to the civilian population to help with such treatment scenarios (www.7ccrt.org). Tactical Combat Casualty Care classes are a great place to start your training. It isn’t always about putting on a tourniquet and “calling it good.” We need to know when to put it on, and more recently, data suggesting when to convert the tourniquet to a lower-level dressing. The logistics of war may not mean you get to triage right away and will need to care for the casualty for a prolonged period of time. We are starting to see Prolonged Field Care classes that are also incredibly insightful (see RECOIL OFFGRID Issue 53).
Treating chest wounds can be tricky, especially when it’s impossible to use a tourniquet to control bleeding.
Traumatic Injury: Chest Wounds
Several types of chest wounds can occur in trauma; however, it will be delineated here as penetrating chest trauma versus blunt-force trauma. As for penetrating chest trauma, like from a bullet or a knife, we are taught to “seal the box.” Place a chest seal, preferably a vented chest seal, over the wound and watch for good or bad changes in the patient's condition. The two types of injury patterns seen with penetrating trauma are pneumothorax and tension pneumothorax.
This hole in the chest wall and/or lung can disrupt the physiologic mechanisms that allow us to breathe effectively. A tension pneumothorax is life-threatening and should be recognized and treated immediately. The importance of the vented chest seal, or burping the non-vented seal, cannot be overstated. There are classes readily available to help distinguish these two types of penetrating injuries and how to treat them.
In blunt-force chest trauma, the mechanism of injury becomes important to understand. A motor vehicle accident may cause blunt-force trauma from the seatbelt alone. Other times, the vehicle impacting the body can cause trauma. Fractured ribs could potentially cause a pneumothorax; it’s important to remember this upon your evaluation.
Higher levels of blunt-force trauma, like from blast injuries, can have a delayed onset of symptoms. The patient may have shortness of breath, cough, coughing up blood, and chest pain. In this case, the lungs will fill up with blood and fluids, exacerbating the shortness of breath. The other thing with blast injuries to the lung is that there are often blast injuries to different body parts (e.g., brain, ears, eyes, abdomen), which should also be evaluated.
There are four patterns of blast injuries to consider. The primary blast injury is from the over-pressurization of the blast itself. Secondary blast injury is from fragments of debris and projectile that enter the wound. Tertiary blast injuries occur from being thrown from the explosion. This is where head trauma can be seen apart from the initial percussion blast. Quaternary blast injuries are from the burns, smoke, chemicals, and toxins in the reaction to the blast aftermath. These injuries will need immediate treatment followed by triage to higher levels of care.
head injury is obvious, but there doesn’t need to be a visible sign for damage to the brain to occur.
Traumatic Injury: Brain
We use terms like “shellshock,” concussion, closed head injury, and traumatic brain injury to describe any situation where the brain is shaken, not stirred. This can be from a projectile or a blast injury. Fortunately, the government is taking more credence into our military member's complaints of headaches, confusion, change in consciousness, and subsequent psychological issues.
It was estimated that during the Iraqi wars, 25 percent of soldiers suffered some form of mild traumatic brain injury due to exposure to repeated blast injuries, perhaps by sending rounds downrange. For some soldiers, the blast would occur from an IED or incoming round and cause the casualty to leave their feet. This would invariably cause the soldier to strike their head as a tertiary impact from the blast and lead to traumatic brain injury. With further research, there’s now some evidence that traumatic brain injury has both neurological and psychological lasting effects.
The latter part has developed into what we are now calling post-traumatic stress disorder (see RECOIL OFFGRID Issue 43). While the effects of PTSD can vary widely, there are many therapies that can at least be offered to provide some relief. Unfortunately, cognitive therapies and standard medications (like sertraline and paroxetine) have only been about 50-percent effective in reducing symptoms. Off-label use of prazosin has varied potential for benefit, especially with respect to night terrors.
One medication that is being considered due to its significant effect on hard-to-treat depression is ketamine. This is a drug that would typically be used to put someone to sleep with anesthesia before surgery. There have been anecdotal reports that it’s helpful in people with traumatic brain injury as well as PTSD. Reviews of the literature also say it’s relatively safe to administer in these patients.
Traumatic Injury: Inhalation
The vivid pictures of the World Trade Center coming down with billowing smoke and debris littering the area serve as a poignant example of a quaternary blast injury pattern. This occurs when debris, heat, chemicals, and toxins infiltrate the lungs and cause respiratory distress. Since 9/11, there have been more deaths associated with the victims and first responders than the original bloodbath itself. These fatalities have been linked to various cancers, mental health, and breathing issues.
Perhaps the most common inhalation injury is that of smoke inhalation and the toxic chemicals from the burning matter. Nearly one-third of those exposed to fire will suffer from inhalation injury. The injury pattern is usually more in the upper airway, where swelling, fluids, and tissue damage occur.
This prevents adequate air movement to the lower levels of the lungs, where we can exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide. The more chemicals that are spread by the fire, the deeper they can penetrate the lungs and cause damage at the alveolar level. Chemicals such as ammonia and sulfur dioxide can cause further tissue damage and impede gas exchange, which is essential for normal respiration.
In milder cases, they may heal within a few days. Most of the moderate-to-severe patients will need airway support via intubation or tracheotomy and, once intubated, higher levels of care. These people will often die from respiratory failure or pneumonia.
This color-coded diagram from Dark Angel Medical makes remembering which treatment goes where much easier.
Traumatic Injury: Burns
Fire has been weaponized throughout the millennia. From shrapnel wounds causing minor burns to penetrating projectiles trapping service men and women in personnel carriers and causing extensive burns, burn management has been at the forefront of the war. As the burn progresses from a superficial first-degree burn (like a sunburn) to a third-degree deep burn, management becomes more complex. The third-degree burn has denuded all the skin, which acts as a protective barrier from infection and debris.
The skin also serves as a barrier to prevent fluid loss, and without the protection, the fluid loss from oozing and evaporation can be extensive, depending on the size of the burn.
One way we determine the extent of a burn is to determine its total body surface area. We use a Rule of Nines to assess second- and third-degree burns. The head and each arm are considered 9-percent involved. The legs are considered 18-percent each (9-percent anteriorly and 9-percent posteriorly). The thorax is considered 36 percent and can be broken down into anterior and posterior (18 percent) and further by chest and abdomen (9-percent each). Fluid resuscitation should be 2-4mL per kilogram of ideal body weight per total body surface area of burn involved over the first 24 hours.
Burn dressings will help keep moisture from evaporating as quickly as possible. Water-Jel makes a great product and is available to cover the areas exposed by the Rule of Nines. Silvadene cream is an antibiotic-impregnated cream that provides a barrier over the burn and helps control infection. If the casualty has a delay in transport to higher levels of care, this would be a good option. And don’t forget about pain control.
In Conclusion
The examples above should encourage more understanding of injury patterns in war. It’s not meant to be a comprehensive review but to bolster your underlying fund of knowledge. With an internet search, you should be able to find classes to help increase your repertoire should the need arise. Once you find a training cadre you like, stick with them.
Information changes and evolves in the medical world; keeping up with those changes is essential. Some great things are being done on the management side, which is making a difference in saving civilians, first responders, and our servicemen and women.
About the Author
David L. Miller, DO FACOI, is an internist in private practice for 20 years. His experiences away from the office have included time as a fight doctor in regional MMA events and as a team physician for 10 years at a mid-major university in the Midwest. Currently, he serves as the lead medical instructor for the Civilian Crisis Response team based out of Indianapolis.
Emergency evacuation, often termed bugging out, is a hugely popular topic in prepper and survivalist circles. As with many areas of preparedness, people tend to focus on the gear more than anything else. Lists abound of what you should have in your bug out bag. That’s just one element of the overall equation, though. There are four components to a proper bug out or evacuation plan.
When to leave
Where to go
How to get there
What to bring with you
While they’re all important, that first one is arguably the most critical. If you don’t time it right, the rest of those elements may not matter a whole lot.
Now, the interesting thing here is that all of those elements are applicable in virtually any evacuation scenario. While we typically think of this in terms of bugging out from home, dangerous situations can arise anywhere, including the workplace as well as when we’re just out in public.
Learning that wildfires are getting closer to your neighborhood is an obvious cue that you’ll want to seek a safer location.
Bugging Out When Disasters Hitting Home
Here’s the thing: Sheltering in place at home is ideal, all other things being equal. That’s where the bulk of your gear and supplies are located. You’re familiar with the area, and odds are that’s where you’ll be the most comfortable. But there are situations where home is not where you’ll want to stay. Depending on your location and overall situation, any number of realistic threats could result in home not being safe.
Red flags are alert signals indicating that something might be about to kick off, and that you may want to be somewhere else if it does. It’s important to give serious thought as to what realistic scenarios could impact your area and make your home unsafe to occupy, even if you only bug out temporarily.
Being caught in an area where martial law has been declared isn’t recommended. One red flag that indicates a martial law declaration might be on the way would be trustworthy reports of National Guard troops being moved into the area.
Martial law isn’t guaranteed to happen based on that, but it should get your attention. Interpreting red flags is sort of like reading body language. One indicator by itself is all but meaningless. You have to look at it in context and as just one part of the overall picture.
The past can help predict the future, which allows for potential red flags to be noted. If things got dicey in the area each time a wildfire came within 20 miles of your neighborhood in the last two decades, hearing that another one is planning a visit is a red flag that you might want to get out ahead of the crowd.
Give some thought as to the risks to your area, such as natural disasters or civil unrest. From there, develop a list of red flags for each of them that will push you toward loading up the family truckster and heading bugging out of town for a bit.
You also need to determine how you’ll see or hear about these alert signals. These might involve TV news reports, radio broadcasts, monitoring amateur radio traffic, and consulting online sources.
One of the positive attributes of social media is the ability to obtain localized intel, if you know where to look. Many areas have a “scanner page” on Facebook. These are usually city or county based. One or more people will routinely monitor radio traffic involving police, fire, and rescue dispatches and post those calls to Facebook.
These aren’t anything official, just private citizens sharing publicly accessible information. While the comment threads often turn into dumpster fires, the raw data can certainly prove useful.
Knowing evacuation routes will help you avoid the crowds if you need to get out of town quickly.
Pro Tip: With a little digging, you should be able to acquire a copy of your county’s emergency management plans for various potential disasters. These probably include evacuation routes, among other bits of helpful information. These plans are a matter of public record, though they might not always be posted right on the county website.
Workplace Violence Red Flags
Here’s a fun fact. There are at least two generations out there now who use the term “going postal” without knowing the origin of that phrase. It’s become a common phrase to describe someone who is exceptionally angry and stressed, to the point to where they become violent.
What many don’t know or maybe don’t remember is that the phrase is tied to a series of workplace shootings that involved postal workers beginning in 1986. The phrase was first published in an article appearing in the St. Petersburg Times in December of 1993, but it was likely in use colloquially long before that.
Workplace violence wasn’t anything new even back in 1986, but it seemed to become much more common throughout the last few decades. Whether this is due to an actual increase in incidents or just better reporting, the fact is that it’s important to recognize red flags for potential violence at work and be ready to bug out. These bad actors are generally under a lot of stress, so that tends to be the focus for observable signs something is amiss. It’s common that these behaviors are a change from their usual workplace demeanor.
A rapid decline in work quality or attention to detail
They have a difficult time concentrating or staying on task.
Others are always to blame for their mistakes.
They isolate themselves from others.
They hold grudges, often verbalizing a desire for those people to get hurt.
Their attendance isn’t great. They’re chronically late or absent.
They complain a lot about financial problems, an unrequited love interest, or other personal issue.
Other red flags that this person might be contemplating getting violent include a history of doing so elsewhere, such as having been arrested in the past for fighting, disorderly conduct, and the like.
They might exhibit an extreme fascination with weapons, well beyond what might be considered a hobby-level interest. They may try to intimidate others, sometimes with overt threats. Admittedly, these cues might not mean immediate evacuation is required. But they should warrant further observation. The concerns should also be reported to a supervisor and/or human resources for follow-up.
How do you know the person has reached the boiling point? A combination of a few of these alert signals should raise the hair on the back of your neck. Again, these are usually different from their usual behavior.
Repetitive movements, such as pacing
Rapid, shallow breathing, almost like hyperventilating
A flushed or pale appearance, often heavily sweating
Talking loudly, often combined with abusive language
They may be shaking or trembling, seemingly enraged.
Invading personal space is common.
Aggressive body language is also often observed just before the person kicks into high gear. They may crouch their knees a bit or turn so that their body is at about a 45-degree angle with their legs spread. Clenched fists are a strong sign that they’re about to get violent. If you see them nodding their head yes or shaking their head no, and nobody has asked them any questions, get some distance between yourself and them.
Many businesses have back doors, such as fire exits for employees. These will likely be less crowded than front doors in an emergency evacuation.
Bugging Out of Public Venues
Active shooters, riots, bombings, and other violent situations occurring out in public seem to be more and more commonplace. While we might imagine ourselves taking care of business and saving the day, the reality is that you may not have that opportunity.
In her book Becoming Bulletproof, former Secret Service agent Evy Poumpouras talks about what she calls the 3 P’s. These help to determine the potential vulnerability of a public venue when it comes to some sort of attack.
People – the more people who are there, the greater the chance of an attack.
Place – a single location filled with people is more vulnerable than if those people are spread out.
Press – the higher the number of media cameras likely to be present, the more tempting the venue might be, as attention is what the attacker is likely after.
Now, none of this is to say you should avoid going anywhere that’s going to involve a lot of people in a single location, such as a concert hall, and where the media might be covering the event. The takeaway here is that the greater the vulnerability of the venue, the more alert you should be to possible red flags and the need to avoid an area or bug out.
An active shooter is one of the more difficult situations to see coming because they’re often random, at least from the perspective of the victims. One minute you’re enjoying a movie or concert, the next moment bullets are flying.
There are a couple of red flags you can watch for, though. If you see someone enter the area who looks exceptionally nervous, especially if they’re obviously armed, it might be a good idea to find some cover until you can determine if the situation is safe or you need to bug out.
Most RECOIL OFFGRID readers can likely tell the difference between the sound of fireworks and the sound of gunfire, especially indoors. If you hear the latter and you’re not at the range, that should definitely get your attention. It’s also worth noting that there are a number of reasons why you might need to bug out of an establishment that have nothing to do with violence.
For example, there have been several nightclub fires over the years where partygoers were trapped inside because they couldn’t get to an exit and ended up with tags on their toes.
Think about what would alert you to danger at this concert venue. Where would you go if something went sideways?
Bugging Out: Crowd Control
If you and your family somehow end up swept into a crowd, such as a large group of protesters, here are some tips. Now isn’t the time to voice your dissenting opinion about their protest. There’s no need to add fuel to the fire, so to speak, especially if you have family members you want to keep safe.
Link arms with those you’re with so you don’t lose track of anyone. Trying to navigate your way through the crowd while moving in the opposite direction of everyone else isn’t likely to work out well. Instead, move at a 90-degree angle and slip across the crowd as best you can.
You’ll find there’s much less resistance that way. Work your way to a sidewalk or other less congested area, then get out of the area.
When police arrive, follow every instruction as quickly as possible. Let them come to you.
When Police Arrive
If you are present when police respond to a mass shooting or similar event, there are some dos and don’ts to follow. Bear in mind that while you know that you’re not a risk to them, they don’t know who you are. It will take a little time for them to get up to speed on what’s going on.
DO give a description of yourself to the dispatcher, if you’re the one on the phone with them. Explain where you’re located and what you’re wearing, in addition to what’s going on. This way, officers will know to look for you.
DON’T run toward the responding police officers, no matter how happy you might be to see them, unless you’re told to do so. Anything that looks even remotely like a threat is likely to be put down hard and fast.
DO put down any weapon you may be holding and keep your hands visible.
DON’T get offended if you’re manhandled a bit while they move you to a safe location.
DO follow every instruction you’re given to the best of your ability.
DO communicate as clearly as possible any information you have regarding the situation.
Always make note of emergency exits in every building you enter.
Egress Points
It’s important that any time you enter places like a restaurant, store, or movie theater that you make note of points of egress. If things go sideways for some reason, most people will head toward the door through which they came in. It’s a better plan to avoid that crowd when bugging out, if possible. Some egress points will be obvious, like clearly marked emergency exits.
Others might not be out in the open, but logic dictates their presence. For example, restaurants almost always have a back door in the kitchen through which they receive deliveries. In a pinch, windows might also serve as egress points, assuming you’re not several floors up.
This need to find an exit strategy applies to outdoor venues as well. Let’s say you’re attending a concert. Depending on the situation, heading directly for the stage with plans to find the exits on the other side might be feasible, rather than battling the crowds headed to the parking lot. The point here is simple. Know where you’re going to head if something goes south.
Again, though, the need for evacuation might not be violence related. While that’s what we might often envision, what with so many news reports of mass shootings and such, the reality is that it could be any number of things that cause the need to bug out.
Noting egress points is part and parcel of situational awareness. Being fully present when you’re out in the world is critical. This doesn’t mean everyone has to approach life like Jason Bourne and notice every single detail about every single person encountered each day. What it does mean is that paying more attention to your social media feed than to the world around you is a recipe for disaster.
Baselines
Another aspect of situational awareness is establishing a baseline. This refers to how things are supposed to normally appear. Anything outside the norm should be an alert signal. Here’s a simple example. Let’s say you’re having lunch at a sidewalk café. The sidewalk is crowded with everyone seemingly in a hurry to get to where they’re going. But then you see one lone male subject just standing in the middle of the sidewalk. He’s staring off into nowhere, not moving.
He’s also wearing a heavy jacket, even though it’s 75 degrees F and sunny. He might be a terrorist building up the courage to ruin everyone’s day. Of course, he might also be experiencing a seizure or dealing with some other sort of medical event. Either way, you might want to bug out of the area and alert someone that this individual needs some help.
This notion of a baseline can even help with noticing possible improvised explosive devices (IEDs). According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the acronym HOT can help you determine if a found object, such as a duffel bag, is a potential risk. If these elements are present, vacate the area with extreme caution and alert the authorities.
Hidden – an attempt has been made to conceal the item. Maybe it’s loosely covered by garbage or it’s on the ground behind a pillar.
Obviously Suspicious – it looks dangerous. It might have wires sticking out or otherwise just plain looks like a bomb.
Not Typical – it violates the baseline you’ve established for the area. It’s obviously out of place and doesn’t belong there.
Keep Your Head Up
There are several advantages to paying close attention to what’s going on around you. For starters, you’ll be in a better position to notice and react to red flags and bug out if needed. You’ll be able to see most threats coming and deal with them in whatever way necessary.
On top of that, someone who walks around with their head up and on a swivel is less likely to be seen as a target by those who prey upon others. This means you won’t be late for your lunch date, which keeps everyone happy.
About the Author
Jim Cobb is a nationally recognized authority on disaster readiness. He has been involved with preparedness for nearly 40 years and has developed a reputation for his common-sense approach to the subject. In addition to his numerous books and several hundred magazine articles, Cobb is one of the cohosts of the How to Survive 2025 podcast. He offers a free weekly newsletter called The Survival Weekly Dispatch
Survival, at its core, is not just about enduring the physical challenges of a harsh environment — it’s about conquering the mind. When crisis strikes, it’s often the ability to remain calm and focused that separates those who adapt from those who fall apart. While many obsess over the right tools or skills, the true test lies in mastering our mental and emotional state. In moments of extreme pressure, clarity of thought can become the most powerful weapon we possess.
Few understand this balance between mental toughness and survival better than Tom Sarge. He believes that true resilience starts from within, long before you encounter danger. His philosophy centers around mental preparedness, a concept that often takes a back seat in the world of survival training but proves crucial when facing the unexpected.
In our recent conversation, Sarge shared how his years of experience have shaped his unique approach, blending psychological strength with practical survival techniques. What follows is an exploration of how he has made mastering calm his core strategy for overcoming adversity.
Interview With Tom Sarge, Trauma Therapist
Can you tell me about your background and what led you to where you are now?
Tom Sarge: Sure. I’ve been in the mental health field for 25 years. I started back in the late ’90s, training under Dr. Salvador Mnuchin, one of the most famous family therapists. He wrote about a dozen books before passing away, but I had the chance to train with him after graduate school. Preparedness has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.
Growing up, we didn’t call it prepping. My grandmother lived through the Depression, and my parents grew up poor, so they knew how to grow food and be self-sufficient. My dad was in the 82nd Airborne and went to survival school in Alaska. He passed those skills on to me, but again, it wasn’t labeled as survivalism back then — it was just common sense.
I didn’t even hear the term “prepper” until Doomsday Preppers came out. To me, it was just how we lived.
Did your background influence your decision to become a trauma therapist?
I’ve moved around in the mental health field, working with different populations — kids, teenagers, seniors. Trauma work is inevitable in this field because most people have experienced some form of trauma. We categorize them as “little T” and “big T” traumas. Little T’s might be something like a bad car accident, while big T’s are life-threatening events like sexual assault or combat trauma. How people process trauma depends on their background and prior experiences.
About a few years ago, I got trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a treatment modality that’s quite effective. I started working exclusively with first responders, many of whom are also veterans, and their families.
How do previous experiences shape how people react to trauma?
Early experiences, especially in childhood or adolescence, can influence how we react to trauma later in life. It’s not an exact science — having childhood trauma doesn’t guarantee PTSD later — but it’s something we consider.
Core beliefs are a big factor. Between ages 4 and 9, you’re learning the “rules” of how the world works. For example, in my family, it was a core belief that you don’t hit women. That was drilled into me, and it became a core value. Later, when I trained in martial arts with a female instructor, I had a hard time applying enough force in coed classes because of that core belief. That’s an example of how early beliefs can affect us later in life.
Trauma can come from anything that challenges your core beliefs. If you’ve always seen your home as a safe place, and then it’s destroyed in a hurricane or someone breaks in, that can cause trauma. It’s about how that event shakes the foundation of your belief system. What mental traps do people fall into during high-stress survival situations?
Planning ahead is crucial, but you can’t predict every scenario. Take the example of hurricanes in Asheville — people there aren’t used to that kind of disaster. In places like Charleston, where I live, we expect hurricanes every year, so it’s our responsibility to plan for things like gas shortages, power outages, or flooding.
Even with preparation, everyone experiences the fight-flight-freeze response. First responders and soldiers are trained to override the freeze and flight response, but most people aren’t. It’s important to recognize when that response kicks in and use techniques like sensory grounding to stay focused.
Can you explain more about what fight-flight-freeze feels like and how it impacts people during emergencies?
When the fight-flight-freeze response kicks in, your body releases adrenaline and cortisol. Your heart rate goes up, your breathing gets shallow, and your muscles tense. This is your body preparing to fight, run, or freeze. It’s a survival mechanism that has kept humans alive for thousands of years, but it’s not always helpful in every situation.
For someone who’s not trained to handle it, this response can feel overwhelming. Your thoughts might race, or you could feel paralyzed and unable to make decisions. The key is recognizing that it’s happening and finding ways to calm your nervous system so you can think clearly again.
What are some practical steps people can take to manage this response?
One thing people can do is practice diaphragmatic breathing. Breathe in slowly through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, then exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds. This technique helps calm the nervous system and brings down that fight-flight energy. Another helpful tool is sensory grounding.
By focusing on your immediate surroundings — what you see, hear, and feel — you can reorient yourself to the present and step out of that freeze or panic mode.
What about after the crisis? How do people process trauma once the immediate danger has passed?
After a crisis, some people experience relief and move on quickly, while others may develop symptoms of trauma over time. It can show up as hypervigilance, where they’re constantly on edge, or as avoidance, where they don’t want to think about what happened. Trauma can also manifest physically, with people experiencing headaches, stomach issues, or fatigue.
This is why it’s so important to process trauma rather than suppress it. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is one therapy that has been effective in helping people process traumatic memories, allowing them to integrate those experiences in a healthy way.
You mentioned working with veterans and first responders. How does their trauma differ from civilian trauma?
Veterans and first responders often experience a different kind of trauma due to the nature of their work. They’re exposed to life-threatening situations repeatedly, which can lead to something called cumulative trauma. This happens when smaller traumatic events build up over time, creating a larger, more complex emotional burden.
Combat veterans, for example, might struggle with what we call “moral injury,” which occurs when they’ve had to make life-and-death decisions that conflict with their moral beliefs. First responders often face similar struggles, especially when dealing with loss or witnessing death regularly.
For both groups, trauma is often compounded by the expectation to stay strong and keep going, which makes it harder for them to ask for help when they need it.
What advice would you give to someone who’s experienced trauma but doesn’t feel ready to seek therapy?
Start small. It can be overwhelming to dive straight into therapy, especially if someone doesn’t feel ready to talk about their trauma. One option is to begin by focusing on self-care — getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising. These might seem like simple things, but they help build a foundation of resilience.
Another step is to educate yourself about trauma. There are books and resources that explain how trauma affects the brain and body, and that understanding can reduce some of the fear around addressing it. When you’re ready, start with a therapist who understands trauma and uses evidence-based techniques like EMDR or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
Can you talk a bit more about mental preparedness in survival situations? How do people train their minds for that?
Mental preparedness involves cultivating the ability to stay calm and think clearly under stress. It’s not something that happens overnight, but it can be developed with practice. One way to train for this is through scenario-based exercises. These exercises force you to think through different emergencies in advance, considering what steps you’d take and how you’d handle them emotionally.
Another important part of mental preparedness is recognizing that fear and anxiety are natural responses in survival situations. It’s not about eliminating those feelings but learning how to manage them, so they don’t take over. Techniques like mindfulness, sensory grounding, and controlled breathing help you keep your emotions in check. You want to get to a place where, even though you feel fear, it doesn’t stop you from making smart decisions.
Finally, maintaining a positive mindset is key. People who survive extreme situations often talk about the importance of staying hopeful, even when the odds seem stacked against them. If you allow despair to take root, it can be paralyzing. Staying focused on small, actionable steps — like finding water, shelter, or contacting others — keeps you moving forward and engaged in the process of survival.
What are some other mental traps people fall into during survival situations, and how can they avoid them?
One of the biggest mental traps is tunnel vision. In a crisis, people often get fixated on one problem and lose sight of the bigger picture. For example, they might focus all their energy on finding food while neglecting shelter or security. Tunnel vision narrows your focus to the point where you miss critical details that could make the difference between life and death.
To avoid this, you need to constantly assess and reassess the situation. Ask yourself: What’s the most immediate threat? What resources do I have? What’s my next move? Flexibility in your thinking is key. Instead of rigidly sticking to one plan, be willing to adapt as circumstances change.
Another trap is the “freeze” response, where people become so overwhelmed by fear or uncertainty that they do nothing at all. This can happen when you’re faced with a decision that feels too big or too risky, so you end up paralyzed. The way to counteract this is to focus on taking small, manageable steps. Even if you don’t know what the best long-term solution is, doing something — anything — can help break that freeze. For example, if you’re lost in the wilderness, start by finding water or building a shelter. Those small actions give you a sense of control and momentum, which can help you get unstuck.
Finally, there’s the trap of giving up too soon. When people feel like there’s no hope, they often stop trying altogether. But history has shown us time and time again that the human body and mind are capable of incredible feats of endurance. It’s often the people who keep pushing forward, even when they’re tired, hungry, and scared, who end up surviving. It comes down to mental grit — believing that you can make it, even when things seem bleak.
In your experience, how does a community respond to disasters, and what role does that play in recovery?
Communities play a vital role in both surviving and recovering from disasters. When a crisis hits, people naturally turn to their neighbors for help, and that mutual support can make all the difference. During a disaster, resources may be scarce, and government or emergency services can be overwhelmed. In those moments, having a tight-knit community where people look out for each other can literally be lifesaving. In the immediate aftermath, communities that come together tend to recover faster. You see this time and again. After hurricanes, wildfires, or floods, it’s the neighbors helping neighbors that provides the first line of support. Whether it’s sharing supplies, clearing debris, or checking in on vulnerable individuals, that community resilience makes a huge impact.
Long-term, a supportive community can help with the emotional recovery from trauma as well. Disasters can take a toll not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Being part of a community that shares the burden and works toward recovery together can help individuals process their experiences and start to heal. There’s something powerful about not going through it alone.
What are the toughest psychological challenges you’ve seen in trauma survivors that also appear in extreme survival situations?
So, when we talk about trauma survivors, whether it’s civilians affected by a disaster or a soldier hit by an IED, some of the psychological challenges are remarkably similar. The main issue we see is when trauma gets “sticky.” That’s our slang for when the event doesn’t fade into just a bad memory, but instead lingers and becomes something that stays with you.
Often, there’s a connection to a “touchstone event” in their past — either a previous trauma or a violation of a core belief. For example, someone who survived a house fire at a young age might attach what we call a cognitive stuck point. This is when your brain makes an assumption that isn’t necessarily true, but you believe it. Stuck points could be things like “the world isn’t safe” or “it’s my fault.” These stuck points create a mental file in your brain, and every time you experience something that triggers that feeling, it adds to the file.
So, for someone who survived a fire as a child, hearing their boss raise their voice might trigger the same feeling of not being safe, even though the situations are totally different. This accumulation of experiences can lead to intense reactions, whether it’s anger, anxiety, or avoidance. The more trauma you accumulate, the more these triggers show up in unexpected places — fireworks, crowded rooms, even smells.
Once you find that event that created the “file,” what happens next in therapy?
Once we identify that touchstone event, we have a few options. In my case, I use EMDR, which helps desensitize the memory and change how the brain processes it.
EMDR stimulates both hemispheres of the brain, generating a lot of neural activity. This allows us to access old memories with more clarity and create new neural pathways. During EMDR sessions, I’ll ask the patient to think about that traumatic event for short intervals — 15 seconds or so — and then I’ll check in with them. It’s intense, but we do it in small, manageable doses.
As we work through the memory, I ask questions that challenge the patient’s stuck point. For instance, if a soldier feels it was his fault that a buddy got hurt, I’ll ask questions like, “How responsible should a 4-year-old (or a soldier in a chaotic war zone) really be for that situation?” Gradually, this helps them reframe the event and adopt a healthier perspective. The memory doesn’t disappear, but the way they think about it changes. Over time, this can significantly reduce symptoms like nightmares and flashbacks.
How can someone balance staying prepared without falling into the trap of constant worry or paranoia?
It’s easy to get addicted to what we call “doom porn” — constantly consuming disaster news or staying in prepper forums and Facebook groups. It can activate your stress response, which might even feel good on a small scale, like a hit of adrenaline. But that’s not sustainable. Prepping should alleviate anxiety, not create more.
For beginners, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or like they need to “catch up” with others who have more gear or skills. That’s a dangerous mindset because it can lead to burnout and even financial trouble. Focus on the basics first: water, food, first aid, and building a solid pantry. Don’t go into debt trying to buy the best gear overnight. Prepping is a slow, steady journey, and you should take it step by step.
Are there any misconceptions about trauma therapy or survival psychology that you encounter frequently?
One misconception I often run into comes from the 1970s when a lot of Vietnam vets came back, and we didn’t do a great job of taking care of them. There’s this belief that PTSD is a lifelong, debilitating condition, but it doesn’t have to be. PTSD is just one of several trauma diagnoses, and it’s the one most people are familiar with. But we’ve come a long way in identifying the causes of trauma and finding ways to resolve it.
What we aim for is something called “adaptive resolution.” That’s when the brain accepts a traumatic memory as just a bad memory — it was a terrible experience, but the person comes to terms with it. They realize, “I did the best I could to survive that,” and the memory gets filed away like any other unpleasant experience, rather than staying as a trauma memory that keeps haunting them.
Are there any books or resources you recommend for people dealing with trauma or those interested in survival psychology?
I recommend The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. It’s a fantastic book that helps people understand why they feel the way they do after experiencing trauma. It dives into why things like nightmares, flashbacks, panic attacks, and other symptoms happen and how trauma is stored in the brain.
Another one is Getting Past Your Past by Francine Shapiro, who created EMDR therapy. It’s an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning more about trauma processing and therapy. But I’d suggest starting with The Body Keeps the Score — it’s very eye-opening for anyone trying to understand trauma on a deeper level.
Education: Master’s degree, Salem State University
Childhood Idols: Carlton Fisk and my dad
Recommended Reading List: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Movie: Jaws
Favorite Quote: “Once in a while you get shown the light. In the strangest of places if you look at it right.” -Grateful Dead
According to laws just passed in Congress, the government has mandated that you now must carry a tracking device, so they can monitor your every movement, what you’re buying and thinking about, and everyone you associate with, nnd they want you to pay for it. Hey, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear, right? Echoes of Orwell’s dystopian 1984, much? OK, so the government didn’t actually make this a legal requirement. But what’s worse is that we’ve all voluntarily opted in to a surveillance society, and for the most part, any notion we may have had of secure comms and privacy in our day-to-day affairs is dead.
Above: We figured if we were going to field test a communications solution, we might as well choose a challenging environment, here about 10 kilometers from the Russian border, where electronic warfare, GPS jamming, and loitering munitions are in use.
Do Smart Phones Give us Secure Comms?
That smartphone you have in your hand or pocket right now is spying on you. What’s worse is you’re the one who gave it permission to do so. Certain apps are worse than others, but most will capture at least some data regarding your usage, location, and contacts, all of which can be linked via your credit card information to the things you buy.
Your phone knows what images you look at, what you share with your friends, the articles you read, what you find funny, and what pisses you off. If you think that data is treated like the crown jewels by the companies that collect it, think again — data breaches abound, which can result in all your most sensitive information being traded on the dark web. And for the most part, there’s nothing you can do about it. Or is there?
A couple of years ago, I ran into Blackwater founder Erik Prince in a corridor at SHOT Show. “I’ve got something to show you,” he explained, while fishing in the pocket of his immaculately tailored jacket. With a flourish, he pulled out an object that was immediately recognizable as a sock.
While the thought crossed my mind that a Blackwater line of men’s hosiery products might not be a bad idea, from the sock in question, Prince slid out a cell phone. “That,” he triumphantly explained, “is a shot into the flank of big tech.” And so the Unplugged phone was announced to the world. Since then, the prototype has become reality, and the Unplugged phone joined the ranks of cellphones designed specifically to protect its users’ data and provide secure comms.
This segment of the market has been rife with scams, ever since grifters discovered people with legitimate privacy concerns would pay so that their every move wouldn’t be tracked. For example, 2021 saw the launch of the Freedom Phone, marketed to a conservative audience as a way to counter big-tech surveillance.
On closer examination, this turned out to be a rebranded, cheapo Chinese, low-end phone in a MAGA wrapper, and pushed by purveyors of synthetic outrage like Candace Owens and Ian Miles Cheong. It probably surprised no one when the company self-destructed in a flurry of lawsuits between its founders, after bilking its customers at 500 bucks a pop.
Before that was the Anom, a phone touted as being immune to surveillance and marketed to organized crime as a way of concealing shady deals from law enforcement, which turned out to be an FBI honeypot. Against that backdrop, consumers are justified in being extremely wary.
The UP phone uses its own OS, based on a fork of Google’s Android operating system, but customized to avoid the routine data collection of both Google and Apple. It features its own app store that’s selective in the products it carries, based on their data collection and security characteristics, so some familiar names are notable by their absence.
Above: The “communicate” part of “shoot, move communicate,” isn’t as sexy as the first bit, but it’s no less important.
What about Apps?
If you use messaging apps such as Telegram or WhatsApp, you’ll wind up with less familiar versions that don’t harvest data like their regular counterparts. There’s a definite learning curve, and in some cases, you’ll have to make the decision to trade convenience for privacy — there are no Google apps, so if you’re a die-hard fan of being tracked by Alphabet, this is not the device for you. The company has developed its own secure messaging application, as well as a VPN and email service, which is claimed to be one of the most secure out there, and there are neat touches such as a physical switch to kill the connection between the phone and its battery, as well a quick means to wipe all data from the device. While we’re by no means experts in this field, the physical device feels and performs like a quality item, rather than something you’d get from AliExpress.
It’s a new phone, from a new company, so there are still a few bugs. At one point, we experienced some annoying latency issues that were fixed with an update. The phone itself is far from tiny — if you have small hands you may want to skip this one. We actually found the physical size of the phone an asset when using ATAK, as the screen can be cluttered when using a lot of plugins.
It remains to be seen whether the UP phone will become a serious alternative to the established players, but given Prince’s track record in creating successful businesses, we’d be surprised if it flopped.
As to whether its claims of data protection hold up, the jury is still out. The worst-case scenario is that your info winds up in hands of the same data brokers as it does right now, just via a different route. Best case, you take back control of your private affairs, and cease being a commodity to be bought and sold. We’re giving them a long-term test in both the U.S. and overseas, and so far, results are positive.
SHTF
So much for the day-to-day. What happens when the cell network goes down? Is there a way to communicate with your tribe that’s not dependent on Verizon or T-Mobile and is resistant to eavesdropping? The stock, old-school answer would be to fire up the ham radio, but there’s a significant barrier to entry to this solution — you, and your entire team, need to pass an exam before keying that mic, or else crusty old guys with nothing better to do will hunt you down with a fervor not seen since the days of Nicolae Ceaușescu.
Mesh networks provide their users with an alternative means of communication that, due to their dispersed nature, is highly resilient. Each node on the network consists of a radio broadcasting on the LoRa (long range) protocol that can send and receive, but also acts as a relay for other devices in the network.
Say your radio has an effective range of three miles, but the guy you want to send a message to is five miles away. If there’s another device somewhere between you, your message will hop from device to device in order to reach its intended recipient. Each device can be paired with a cell phone, providing a familiar and easy-to-use interface.
Set up a node on a high point within your home territory, and you’ll massively increase the area in which you have comms. It doesn’t take much imagination to come up with solutions involving a cheap LiFePo4 battery, solar charger, and mesh network device to provide a low-cost means of blanketing an area with your very own, independent communication system, which, for the moment at least, doesn’t require the blessing of the federal government.
We tested this concept in the Donbas region of Ukraine, using some of the cheapest mesh network devices on the market, consisting of a Heltec LoRa V3 chip set in a 3D-printed case running Meshtastic firmware and powered by an internal rechargeable cell. You’d be correct in thinking that sounds like a lot of geeky nerdspeak, but once you dig into the subject, it’s actually pretty easy to get to grips with, even for the tech-challenged — the University of YouTube runs classes.
This combo connected via Bluetooth to our UP phone, stashed in a Thyrm DarkVault case, with the whole shebang riding on our plate carrier. Additional devices were placed in vehicles as mobile base nodes, and there was discussion of putting one on a drone — though this was never actualized.
The ATAK app provided team members with a means of identifying friendly force locations, and we stayed in touch via text messages bounced throughout the network, despite the electromagnetic spectrum being polluted with electronic warfare emissions.
This setup was used to provide secure comms and location info within our team, entirely independent of the local cell network. As a matter of course, whenever we’re in range of Russian ISR drones, cell phones are set to airplane mode, as Orlan-10 drones can have the ability to spoof cell towers, getting cell phones on the ground to reveal their location for targeting by indirect fire.
By using low-powered Bluetooth emissions, further attenuated by the Thyrm DarkVault case, we’re able to stay hidden in background clutter, as the mesh network device transmits only when it has data to send, and its transmission length is measured in milliseconds. The downside to the system we used is that it’s not able to send voice transmissions.
Let’s say you’re intrigued by the possibility this offers and want to investigate further or just jump right in and set up your own LoRa mesh network.
What Secure Comms Mesh Network Options are Available?
Glad you asked. Like building your own AR allows for a deeper understanding of the mechanism and equips the user with troubleshooting tools, building your own secure comms mesh network devices provides a degree of insight not possible with off-the-shelf units. Just like rolling your own rifle, it’s also cheaper. If you don’t fancy busting out the soldering iron, there’s a whole ecosystem of mesh network fans who are only too eager to share their knowledge. Some of them have Etsy stores with completed devices, based around commonly available chip sets.
Stepping up several notches, electronics company Otto, familiar to the shooting community via their excellent hearing protection products, has a nifty mesh network device known as LynqPRO. It has the added benefit of offering frequency hopping to increase security, as well as an easy, on-device interface that integrates with phones and tablets. It’s also compatible with ATAK.
When Failure Is Not an Option
Some of us have greater security concerns and a need for secure comms than others. Due to working in conflict zones, we’re acutely aware of the threat from both state actors and local freelancers and take digital hygiene very seriously.
On one recent assignment, two days after we left, the building we were working out of was targeted by a pair of missiles. One impacted in the street outside, peppering a local maternity clinic with frag, while the other scored a direct hit, blowing out the center of the structure. We’re reasonably sure we weren’t compromised by our digital footprint — HUMINT was the likely source — but it brought home the consequences for failure.
While it’s impossible to erase all evidence of our presence, there are a number of steps we take in order to fade into the background. If you’re concerned about being targeted when heading overseas, here are a few tips.
Secure Comms on Your U.S.-Based Devices
We’re all guilty of storing way too much compromising information on our phones — anything from sensitive files from work, contacts, social media accounts, home addresses, and images of our families.
One if the best ways to establish secure comms, if possible, leave your U.S. phone at home and take a burner with you, loaded with the bare minimum of info needed for the task in hand. Toss it in the trash at the airport on the way out. If you must take your U.S. phone, never charge it in a public location, such as a hotel.
USB cables work both ways, and intelligence services have been known to harvest data and install software using this method. While you could use a charge-only cable, there’s always the possibility this could be swapped out without your knowledge, or you could slip up and use the spare you brought — you know, the one with data transfer ability intact.
It’s far safer to use a USB cable to charge a power bank then use the power bank to charge your phone.
Use a Local SIM Card
Or one from a neighboring country, but preferably a card that doesn’t require an ID for purchase. Pinging foreign cell towers with a U.S. number is like waving Old Glory as you walk down the street.
Turn Off All Location Services
These will rat on your whereabouts. If you need to navigate, download off-line versions of mapping software to your device.
Use a VPN
Using a VPN to encrypt your online activity makes it difficult for eavesdroppers to see what you’re doing, while concealing your IP address.
Preferred SOP
These days, our preferred SOP is to remove the SIM card in our U.S.-based phone and power it up to connect only via trusted Wi-Fi locations when it’s absolutely necessary to use the data stored on it. The rest of the time, we communicate via encrypted messaging apps such as Signal, loaded onto an UP phone running a local SIM card and a third nation eSIM.
Note: This article was originally featured in RECOIL Issue 75.
Being a search and rescue (SAR) volunteer can be as demanding (physically and mentally) as it is rewarding, but having quality equipment designed to help you out in that role can certainly make it easier. In the wilderness, it’s imperative that you have easy access to your most important tools and equipment across preparedness domains to reduce the chances that you become a casualty yourself while you’re helping others. A good chest rig excels in keeping your most critical gear in your workspace while keeping your hands free as needed. One very fine option, and my personal favorite is the Hill People Gear SARv2 Kit Bag.
Above: The Hill People Gear SARv2 gear bag is laid out with search and rescue responders in mind.
The SARv2 Bag
The SARv2 is constructed from 500d Cordura nylon, with an internal volume of 215.63 cubic inches. It is largely based off the original HPG full-size kit bag, with some touches that make it well suited to the specific needs of search and rescue.
Two key features are external PALS/Molle webbing in two places — along the bottom of the bag, as well as diagonally across the front — and hook-and-loop on the outside. The hook-and-loop allows the attachment of identifiers such as name tags or unit patches, while the PALS webbing allows for adding expansion attachments or other items. I use the diagonal PALS webbing to hold my communications equipment, while the bottom webbing is used to secure a MOLLE tourniquet holder from North American Rescue (NAR).
Internally, the bag is split into three compartments, two of which zipper from the top, and one of which zippers on the front. The compartment closest to the body is intended to hold your personal protection, being large enough to carry a full-size handgun. It features a loop for a trigger guard tie-down and a strip of loop, which would allow you to attach a hook-and-loop holster or magazine pouch. The main compartment does, however, include laser-cut MOLLE, as well as two internal divider sleeves.
The harness itself is comfortable and adjustable, with a well-ventilated mesh back piece. It can be removed in order to integrate with the Hill People Gear Recce Harness, which allows for direct attachment to the wearer’s back. Unfortunately, the Recce Harness is very often sold out, which is why I haven’t had the opportunity to acquire one yet.
Above: The included harness has a mesh backing panel. If extra attachments are needed, the HPG Recce Harness is compatible with all HPG chest rigs.
The SARv2 Contents
Personal Protection:
I will generally carry my “main squeeze” handgun here — a Glock 45 MOS with a Trijicon RMR, backup suppressor-height night sites, and a Streamlight TLR-VIR II weapon light + IR flood and designator. I use a TriggerSafe trigger guard tied down with 550 cord. A spare magazine is held in a 5.11 single magazine pouch.
Admin:
I primarily use the admin compartment for navigational and documentation aids and their accessories.
The permanent contents include:
Suunto MC-2 compass
MapTools coordinate scale and protractor
Rite in the Rain pencil and pen (both in Coast Guard orange)
Rite in the Rain general-purpose notebook (either orange or yellow)
Rite in the Rain EMS patient information notebook
Streamlight PolyTac in high-vis yellow
Waterproof battery case with extra lithium CR123 and AAA batteries
USB battery bank
Paper maps as well as my Android phone running SARTopo/CalTopo also move in and out of this compartment. SARTopo is a common operating picture (COP) overlay service on the CalTopo GPS navigational program, which is my SAR team’s primary method of navigation. However, analog (map and compass) navigation skills and tools are always carried as well.
Above: Admin equipment I carry includes spare batteries, Rite in the Rain notepads, pen, and pencil, and a Streamlight PolyTac handheld flashlight. For land nav, I carry a Suunto MC-2 compass and a grid protractor.
Sustainment:
The sustainment pouch in front contains my personal first-aid items.
high-value sustainment items.
Contents include:
Windstorm safety whistle
Adventure Medical Kits personal first-aid and survival kit
Snake bite kit
TP kit
Assorted electrolyte drink mixes
Jerky and nuts (rotated)
Above: The bottom of the rig has PALS webbing suitable for attaching a NAR tourniquet holder.
External Attachments:
I use the external MOLLE to attach my communications equipment and personal-use tourniquet.
The radio is a Radioddity GS-5B, in a high-vis orange. It is a software-unlockable ham radio that can also function on GMRS/FRS and MURS bands, allowing me to integrate into the team radio nets easily, as well as being useful for general communications purposes.
The tourniquet on board is a NAR CAT gen 7, in a NAR tourniquet holder with a matching red color.
Above: The admin compartment features a hook-and-loop, laser-cut MOLLE panel as well as two internal dividers.
SARv2 Shortcomings
Honestly, I only have one real negative regarding the design of the SARv2, and that is the lack of laser-cut MOLLE in the handgun compartment. Personally, I could live without the MOLLE in the admin compartment. The single strip of female-side hook-and-loop, while handy for sticking a holster, doesn’t offer a good solution for securing most pistol magazine pouches. In my area of operations in Central Texas, the natural threats from feral hogs and snakes, to say nothing of any potential human threats I might encounter when on a search, make this use case one of particular interest to me. The same layout is present in other HPG chest rigs, so it isn’t just a failing with the SARv2.
A magazine pouch could be attached inside the admin compartment, but this is suboptimal in the situation where the wearer needs to draw a gun and address a threat. If you are on a SAR team for a sheriff’s department or other LEO and are allowed to open carry, this isn’t an issue at all — you can use this compartment for something else.
Above: I keep a CAT 7 tourniquet on the rig for quick access in a SAR emergency.
Final Thoughts
Would I recommend the SARv2? Absolutely. I spent my own money on it and sing its praises to my SAR team all the time. I take it with me and my family on state and national park outings as well, not just when on duty with the SAR team. For the lack of MOLLE in the handgun compartment, I can’t say that it is perfect. For search-and-rescue and other public safety workers and volunteers, however, this chest rig is definitely fit for purpose and won’t disappoint.
Our body reveals thousands of unconscious actions that are windows into what’s actually going on in our mind. For instance, why do people instinctively freeze and or cup their hands over their mouth when they see something that startles them? Why do people feel threatened by someone else’s prolonged staring and stillness? Why do people who are being scolded often appear to shrink, lower their head, and minimize their presence?
Back when we were hunter-gatherers looking for food and trying to stay safe from predators, we developed instincts to protect ourselves from being heard or watched. These behaviors, and many others, are still encoded in our DNA to this day and are the basis of retired FBI Agent Joe Navarro’s book, What Every BODY is Saying.
The 411
Navarro distills decades of LEO experience and nonverbal research into a framework the average person could use to determine the underlying emotions behind various physical movements. While the person in front of you may be telling you one thing verbally, different parts of their body will move in ways that may confess something their words are not.
Want to know what the most honest part of the body is? If you guessed the face, you’re wrong. According to Navarro, it’s actually someone’s legs and feet. Think of someone who taps their feet in a giddy way after receiving good news, points their feet away from someone who makes them uncomfortable, or blades their feet out in a display of territoriality.
Navarro starts with an overview on the general rules of nonverbals and how our limbic system generates behaviors that break down into freeze, fight, and flight. This area of our brain is always on and sends signals to our body that are difficult to consciously control. He then devotes a chapter to each of the following areas of the body, what their intended survival function is, and what their movements (or absence thereof) may indicate emotionally: feet/legs, torso/hips/chest/shoulders, arms, hands/fingers, and face.
The book concludes with a chapter on detecting deception and final thoughts. From confidence to fear to anger to insecurity to self-soothing and a host of other feelings, Navarro provides a detailed baseline to help us see and comprehend what’s unspoken and involuntary.
The Verdict
Navarro’s teachings would benefit anyone looking to sharpen their understanding of human nature and the biological basis it’s rooted in. Although these tools are especially helpful in the face of deception, don’t expect to become a human polygraph in reading this. Something that may display discomfort may not necessarily be an indication of deception, which Navarro discusses in further detail toward the end.
Lie detection is a science in and of itself; however, Navarro’s work is a good start in becoming more attuned to interpret someone’s true emotional state by way of body language.
Whether you’re a parent, police officer, or business owner interested in observing the subtleties of a negotiation or job interview, the advice given in these pages is well written, simple to understand, and insightful. Photos depicting the actions described in the text are an additional benefit in interpreting the meanings of these movements.
Navarro has written numerous other works on interpreting body language as well as evaluations of conditions such as narcissism, histrionic personality disorder, and psychopathy. He’s even published guides focused on recognizing the physical tells exhibited by poker players.
Many in society can be easily swayed by clever articulations and manufactured emotions, but when you become more familiar with the details of nonverbal cues, it opens up a whole new assessment of what is said versus what is felt.
Think about how many people you know who’ve lamented about suddenly being confronted with a divorce and claiming they never knew their spouse was unhappy. Not only can Navarro’s teachings help you understand others, but also enable you to be more conscientious about your own behavior.
About The Book
Book & Author: What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People By Joe Navarro with Marvin Karlins, Ph.D.
Mike Jarvis of Auxiliary Manufacturing has been making fixed blade knives full time since he left his career in the restaurant industry in 2016. He prides himself on unique designs and an unmistakable aesthetic. There is much more to an Auxiliary Manufacturing knife than simply good looks. The Pocket Bowie and all his other knives are designed for practical use. While most of his knives fall into the EDC fixed blade category, there is a distinct tactical knife flare to each of his designs. This unique combination allows users to have a knife that can handle all their day-to-day tasks, while also serving as a viable self defense tool in the right hands.
With stunning designs and practical applications, it comes as no surprise that Auxiliary Manufacturing won Custom Tactical Knife of the Year at 2022 Blade Show.
Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie Design
At first look, the unique design of the Pocket Bowie stands out from just about every other small EDC fixed blade design out there. The coffin shaped handle and clip point blade is reminiscent of the classic American Bowie fighting knife. Unlike the classic American Bowie, the Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie lives up to its namesake for being able to easily carry in your pocket thanks to its small profile and sleek kydex sheath.
Above: Details of the Pocket Bowie handle scales.
Handle Design and Control
The coffin shaped handle, combined with the textured G10 makes for an attractive package. The handle fills the hand well allowing for a comfortable three to four finger grip. The swell on the bottom of the handle locks into the meat of your palm, allowing for excellent control during use. The control over the blade is further enhanced with a slightly upswept thumb-rest on the spine of the blade.
When held in a reverse grip, the handle shape allows for a full four finger grip and the with a wide flat surface for your thumb on the butt of the handle. This allows for a secure grip and good control when using the Pocket Bowie in tactical knife applications.
The textured finish of the G10 may appear random, but each valley is created with the purpose of providing added grip, especially when wet. This valley pattern was initially used on one of Auxiliary Manufacturing’s discontinued knives called the Poon and has been a staple of the line up for over 8 years.
The scales are available in a variety of color options like the Green and Orange pictured, but they are also offered in subdued black G10 if you want something less flashy.
Note of the Wrapped Handle Pocket Bowie
While I do not own the wrapped variety, I did have the opportunity to handle them. While the wrap is not as hand-filling as the G10 they still have an excellent grip. The Flattened paracord is wrapped around genuine ray skin. The entire handle is treated with a marine grade epoxy making it just as solid and durable as the G10 counterparts. While the differences are mainly aesthetic, the wrapped variety is slightly slimmer and a bit nimbler in hand.
Above: The clip point tip and recurve blade work well in both practical and tactical applications.
Blade Design
Similar to the classic American Bowie, the Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie features a clip point blade. The primary purpose of a clip point is to provide a fine piercing tip that is essential for tactical knife and hunting applications. The fine point of the clip point blade also is an excellent choice when doing detailed cuts making it practical on an EDC fixed blade.
The major drawback of a clip point is that the fine tip can be prone to accidental breakage. Auxiliary Manufacturing’s use of AEB-L steel reduces the risk, due to its elevated levels of toughness. Mike also incorporates a swedge that runs down the blade that not only looks good but adds a bit more material behind the tip to help protect it.
The Blade edge has a modified recurve that provides an excellent slicing belly that is ideal for any EDC fixed blade. The back of the blade has a small area that has a slight indent that can be used for wood processing similar to the rear of a tracker style blade.
Above: The Pocket Bowie carried in a pants pocket.
Carry System
The Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie ships with a custom made Kydex sheath and removable pocket clip. The sheath is purpose designed to allow the provided clip to be mounted in different ways to accommodate various carry styles. The ability to quickly switch the clip direction makes this an ideal carry choice for the often-overlooked left-handed population.
The Sheath is also designed to accept multiple clip options, so if the provided clip isn’t your style, you can easily swap it out for something else. I personally prefer something with a bit more retention, so I swapped the original clip for an Ulti-Clip.
The Sheath fits very well in the pocket, with enough handle purchase to be able to quickly draw the blade when needed. This is important when we look at a tactical knife as the last thing any wants to do is fumble to access a knife in a high stress situation. As an EDC fixed blade, it carries comfortably without monopolizing your entire pocket.
While it does carry well in the pocket, the large amount of handle sticking out is not ideal for concealment. If concealed carry is a priority the Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie sheath allows for multiple carry options. Out of the box the pocket bowie can be carried IWB. I also tested it with a soft loop for vertical belt carry and found it easy to conceal under an untucked button-down shirt and longer T-shirt.
Above: Attention to detail makes the Pocket Bowie stand out.
Build Quality
If one thing about the build quality stands out about the Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie, it is the incredible attention to detail. While Mike no longer cuts the blanks in his shop, all the grinding work is 100% done by hand. Every detail of the blade grind is well thought out and well executed. The blade grind is even, the detailed lines of the swedge are excellent, and anywhere your fingers are supposed to rest are chamfered for comfort. The Handle texturing is also done by hand, with the same diligence.
Overall, the purpose driven design, excellent material choices, and incredible attention to detail ensure the Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie comes out of the box looking as good as it functions!
Pocket Bowie Spec Sheet
Overall Length: 6.25 inches
Blade Length: 3 inches
Weight: G10 Model 4.66 oz
Blade Steel: AEB-L
Other Steel Options: Occasional drops in specialty steels including Damascus.
Blade Shape: Clip Point with a modified recurve
Handle Material: Textured G10 or Ray Skin/Nylon Wrap
Sheath: Custom made Kydex, with pocket clip
Price: $239-449 depending on configuration
Made In: Reno, Nevada
Above: The Pocket Bowie's recurve blade makes it an ideal addition to your EDC lineup. It is pictured here with a Superesse Filter Bandana, Bastion Blot Action Pen, PNWBUSHCRAFT EDC travel Tray, and Leatherman Sidekick.
Practical Applications of the Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie
As an EDC Fixed Blade, the Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie checks all the boxes. The blade is small enough where it does not feel overwhelming when performing daily tasks. Easily breaking down boxes, opening packages, and cutting the occasional piece of fruit or meat.
The blade is easy to manipulate and control, reducing the risk of injury and miscuts during more detailed work. The piercing clip point is great when you must puncture tougher packaging materials.
Many of my daily tasks involve some kind of work in the woods. The Pocket Bowie wouldn’t be my first choice as a dedicated bushcraft knife. This is not a knock at the knife as Mike did not design the Pocket Bowie for that application. That being said, The Pocket Bowie still performs admirably during basic plant material processing, minor carving tasks, and making kindling.
While I did not process any game with it, I did use the Pocket Bowie to take apart a whole chicken. The clip point provided easy access to areas close to the bone, and the recurve blade did a superb job slicing meat. In a pinch the Pocket Bowie would be more than capable of processing small game animals.
Above: The Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie is a great addition to any defensive kit. It is pictured here with an ASP Spectrum UV Flash Light, and ASP Defender Sport Pepper Spray.
Tactical Applications of the Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie
Disclaimer:
I recommend that if you intend on using a knife as a tactical or defensive tool to get formal training. Without the proper training there is a higher likelihood of the knife being used against you.
Any trained person will give you two important pieces of advice.
When using a knife in a combative situation expect to be cut by your own knife!
The best way to survive a knife fight is to not be in a knife fight!
While it may be too small to be a dedicated fight knife, the Auxiliary Manufacturing Pocket Bowie offers significant benefits as a tactical knife. First, it is small enough to be easily and discreetly carried. Second, many municipalities have laws restricting larger knives.
Beyond it's compact size the Pocket Bowie packs some valuable features. The clip point, recurve blade, and solid grip make the Pocket Bowie a great option for a last-ditch defensive tool. In a combative situation maintaining control of your knife is vital. A solid grip reduces the chance of an attacker getting your knife. The clip points ability to pierce thicker materials provides great value. An assailant, just like any of us will likely dress for the season. In colder months attacker may have coats or sweatshirts on making slicing maneuvers less effective.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a practical knife with a side of tactical the Pocket Bowie is a great option. It’s small size, ergonomics, and practical blade shape make it a highly functional EDC fixed blade. The clip point blade, solid grip, and carry options allow the Pocket Bowie to have significant Tactical knife applications.
The Pocket Bowie is 100% made in the USA. Each knife is ground, assembled, and finished by Mike with incredible attention to detail and workmanship. The Pocket Bowie is a well designed and made small knife, but there are some larger options coming! For a larger bowie style be on the look out for the upcoming Pocket Bowie XL release. The XL will feature a 4-inch blade and an 8.5 inch overall length. The increased size greatly enhancing its outdoor, hunting, and tactical applications.
Above: The new line up of coffin handle knives. Photo by Swedge Media
More Coffin Handle Knives
The immense popularity of the Pocket Bowie has led Mike to expanding the line up with different blade shapes. While a bowie style blade is excellent, different users have different needs. The brand-new line up features 4 additional blade styles. These include an American Style Tanto, a Wharncliffe with a reinforced tip, a leaf shaped blade, and a spearpoint. These new blade shapes bring new levels of functionality to the lineup, while maintaining the excellent ergonomics of the original. They are currently available for purchase in black G10 or black paracord wrapped handles.
There’s an African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This publication has always been about more than cool gear and interesting people. It’s about building community, fostering self-reliance, and finding strength in working together. Now, as we move through some significant changes, I’m stepping into a new role, following in the footsteps of someone who truly embodied that collaborative spirit.
Patrick McCarthy, my predecessor, has moved on to pursue new opportunities, and with his departure, RECOIL OFFGRID marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Patrick’s leadership, unwavering passion, and thoughtful guidance have been foundational to shaping this publication into what it is today. Not only did he set a high bar, but he also fostered a place where creativity and innovation thrived. To Patrick, I want to say thank you for your mentorship, and for leading RECOIL OFFGRID through some challenging times with such steady hands.
Looking back on the past five years feels surreal. I started my journey with RECOIL OFFGRID as a freelancer in December of 2019. My first article, “Secrets of Traditional Knowledge,” appeared in Issue 39. From there, I took the reins of the Gear Up column for several years before becoming associate editor in 2023.
Working alongside incredibly talented editors like Tom Marshall and Patrick McCarthy has been humbling and inspiring. It’s because of teamwork with individuals like them that the brand has come as far as it has. Now, as we step into the future, that same spirit of collaboration will continue to carry us forward.
I’m also excited to introduce our new Associate Editor Nick Italiano. Nick is a loving father, a dedicated survivalist, and the founder of Black Flag Survival. He’s passionate about self-reliance and sharing those skills with others. I have no doubt he’ll bring fresh ideas and new energy to our team. Nick’s enthusiasm for learning and helping others is exactly what this publication is all about.
That sense of going far together ties right into the theme of this issue: Stay Put or Bug Out? In these uncertain times, the ability to adapt to rapid, often tumultuous change is more important than ever. Jason Salyer and Mark Linderman, two seasoned experts, dig into what they’d do if the 911 system went down for an undetermined amount of time. Trauma therapist Tom Sarge weighs in on why mental resilience is just as critical as prepping your gear.
We also take you inside the PNW Survival Games, a competition that equips the average person with life-saving skills. And for anyone debating the age-old question of whether hunkering down or getting out of Dodge is the right course of action, Jim Cobb breaks down the factors that should guide your decision.
Before I close, I want to take a moment to thank my better half. Without her constant support, encouragement, and love, I wouldn’t be where I am today. She’s my bulwark in the storm, and her belief in me keeps me moving forward. As that proverb reminds us, it’s the people we surround ourselves with who help us go far. She’s been with me every step of the way, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.
RECOIL OFFGRID has seen many changes over the years, and there are certainly more to come. But with our shared knowledge, tight-knit community, and commitment to helping each other grow, I’m confident we’ll continue to move forward — together.
Read More From Issue 65
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Handkerchiefs, commonly called hanks, have made a resurgence in the outdoor and EDC communities in recent years. These simple pieces of fabric serve a variety of practical purposes in our day to day lives. Hanks primarily act as a reusable rag, but can be used as a simple water filter or face covering in an emergency. While a simple cotton hank is better than nothing, a lot is left to be desired in functionality in an emergency. Fortunately for those of us who want to take our EDC survival kit to the next level, the innovators over at Superesse decided to take the standard hank to the next level with their line of functional Handkerchiefs, including the Filter Bandana we will be looking at today.
Superesse Filter Bandana Materials and Specs
At first glance the Superesse Filter Bandana looks like a simple 10×10 cloth hank, similar to those commonly seen if cool EDC pictures on Instagram. Color options fall into your standard typical outdoor colors including OD Green, Coyote, Woodland Camo, and the safety orange I opted to pick up.
The Superesse Filter Bandana is constructed from a food safe hybrid polyester material. This allows it to resist microbial growth and dry quickly when wet.
That is where the similarity to standard cotton hanks ends! When you pick up the Superesse Filter Bandana, you will find it to be quite a bit thicker than an average hank. This is for a particularly good reason! Between the outer fabric layers there is a porous 1-micron filter that is flexible and foldable. This filter is what makes the Superesse Filter Bandana special and a powerful addition to any EDC survival kit.
Superesse Filter Bandana Functionality
The hybrid fabric combined with the internal 1-micron filter makes the Superesse Filter Bandana a valuable urban and wilderness survival tool that goes well beyond the functionality of a standard hank.
Above: While the Filter Bandana will not seal like a mask, it can act as emergency protection for your airways in a pinch.
Air Filtration
In an emergency you can hold the Superesse Filter Bandana over your mouth and nose to protect your nasal pathways, lungs, and esophagus from harmful contaminants and infectious materials. The porous fabric and filter will not restrict the flow of oxygen, but will prevent dust, smoke, and chemicals in the air from entering your airway.
In addition to particulate contaminants, the Superesse Filter Bandana can filter out several biological threats. The 1-Micron filter will completely block larger environmental contaminants. These include fungal spores and pollen as well as some larger types of bacteria.
While many types of bacteria and all viral particles are smaller than 1-micron the filter can help protect from bacterial and viral particles found in droplet form from infected individuals coughing and sneezing.
Above: The Superesse Filter Bandana is a quick and effect way to filter large particulates, chemicals, and some pathogens from water.
Water Pre-Filtration
The Superesse Filtration Bandana has many of the same benefits and limitations as when filtering water. The filter can remove most particulate and chemical contaminants from water. This is especially helpful when sourcing water near farmland and industrial areas.
The filter will also remove several common waterborne parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium. It can also help reduce the amount pathogens like Mycobacteria and Legionella that can sometimes be larger than 1-micron. The filter will not remove smaller bacteria, viral particles, and cytotoxins that certain algae produce.
When possible, it is essential to boil or chemically disinfect water before drinking it. The pre-filtration process will remove particulate and chemical contaminants that boiling and other disinfection methods will not remove.
When on the move during a survival situation it may not always be viable to spend time disinfecting water. The Filter Bandana is a great “better than nothing option” in theses cases.
Above: The Superesse Filter Bandana makes an excellent addition to any EDC Survival Kit.
Final Thoughts
If you plan on carrying a hank, it might as well be very functional! The functionality of the Superesse Filter Bandana makes it an excellent addition to any EDC Survival kit. Having a lightweight air and water filter that is easy to carry is a no brainer.
A protective face covering in a contaminant filled room can be the difference between safe egress and deadly results. The ability to remove chemical, particulate, and some biological threats in from water is also valuable.
While Proper water disinfection is always best, in an emergency the best gear is the gear you have on you!
Check out the Superesse Filter Bandana, along with the full line of functional hanks at superessestraps.com
