The Meaning of S.U.R.V.I.V.A.L. – Analyzing the U.S. Army’s Survival Acronym

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When it comes to survival guides, there are a lot of options on the market — we reviewed a (literal) handful of pocket-sized guides back in Issue 15. Each of these publications takes its own approach to the subject, with some specializing primarily in bushcraft techniques, first aid skills, or response to a manmade or natural disaster. In some cases, this specialization can be beneficial, but there are also times where an extremely broad overview of a large variety of survival techniques is essential to establish baseline competency. Such is the case for the U.S. Army Survival Field Manual, also known as FM 3-05.70.

This Army survival manual was published in 2002 to replace the previous edition, FM 21-76 (published in 1992). FM 3-05.70 is 17 years old now, but don't write it off as outdated — there's still much we can learn from this 676-page document.

U.S. Army photo by K. Kassens

Keep in mind that it was designed to provide a comprehensive primer on survival skills to soldiers, many of whom would have minimal combat or survival experience by the time they laid hands on this book. It's therefore written with easy-to-understand language, clear organization, and a structure that escalates from basics to more advanced and specialized scenarios. Some elements of the Army survival manual are primarily relevant to members of the military, but the majority is applicable to any civilian survivalist.

U.S. Army Photo by K. Kassens

The Survival Acronym

Anyone who has served in the military can tell you that acronyms are plentiful, and this document is no exception. The very first chapter opens with an easy-to-remember survival acronym for the tactics recommended throughout the manual: S.U.R.V.I.V.A.L. The introduction states, “This manual is based entirely on the keyword SURVIVAL. The letters in this word can help guide your actions in any survival situation.” Essentially, all 676 pages of FM 3-05.70 are summarized — at least in a broad sense — by these eight points.

Below, we'll analyze each point for its applications to a civilian survivalist, and provide a few links to additional articles that can help you learn more about topics related to that point.

S: Size Up the Situation

Photo by Mark Saint

This point covers the importance of observing three sub-points: surroundings, physical condition, and equipment. By analyzing these, you can determine the level of threat they pose, which will help you decide the urgency of your situation and the next steps you can take.

  • Surroundings could range from a pleasant forest with plenty of food, water, and other resources, to a barren warzone crawling with enemy combatants.
  • Physical condition may be healthy, rested, and mentally sharp, or injured, exhausted, and stressed.
  • Equipment might consist of a fully-stocked pack and pre-built shelter, or you might be washed up on the shore of a deserted island with nothing but the clothes on your back.

In many cases, your situation will be leaning towards the less desirable side of this spectrum — and if it isn't yet, it very easily could be as the survival situation continues. Weather may change, your health may deteriorate, and your equipment may get lost or broken. Sizing up the situation immediately will at least let you know what you can do next, and how fast.

U: Use All Your Senses / Undue Haste Makes Waste

This letter in the acronym is a two-parter. The first part is essentially re-stating the importance of observation in a more specific sense — use your sight, touch, sound, and even smell to give yourself an advantage. Watch and listen to your environment to detect threats (such as a human enemy, animal predator, or incoming storm) or opportunities (game animals, edible plants, water sources, signaling methods, or escape routes).

The second part is a timeless phrase that reminds us that moving too fast can make your situation worse. In a survival situation, you want to react swiftly and decisively. You don't want to sit around aimlessly or brashly rush headlong off a cliff. Find the happy medium.

R: Remember Where You Are

“Remember” might not be the best word here, since you need to do more than think about past events. We'd say that “Re-establish” is a more appropriate R — you need to periodically gather information to orient yourself.

If you have a map, compass, and basic land navigation skills, you can determine your location and your proximity to other important points. This enables you to safely plot a course to safe areas and water sources, as well as avoid dangerous terrain or other risks. You should check your position frequently to ensure you didn't veer off course.

In situations where you don't have a map and compass, you can rely on various celestial navigation techniques to determine a rough direction based on the position of the sun, moon, and stars.

V: Vanquish Fear and Panic

 

One of the biggest threats you'll face in any survival situation is your own mind. We've all seen people freeze, make rash decisions, or lose their composure in stressful situations — these are natural human behaviors that must be overcome through focus and training. If you're able to accept that fear is natural and use it as a motivator rather than a stumbling block, you'll be well on your way to staying alive.

I: Improvise

The rounded, frosted edge at the top of a car's side window is an excellent improvised abrasive for knife sharpening. If you learn proper technique on a traditional stone, translating it to the car window should be no problem.

Photo by Michael Janich

The Survival Field Manual puts it simply: “Our easy-come, easy-go, easy-to-replace culture makes it unnecessary for us to improvise. This inexperience in “making do” can be an enemy in a survival situation.”

Improvisation covers a number of tactics. You might use an existing resource for an alternate purpose, such as a length of paracord as a friction saw, a bottle of household bleach as a water purifier, or a ceramic mug as a knife sharpener. You might take a broken item and use its underlying parts for other purposes. Or you might take natural materials and craft new tools from scratch.

Beyond gear, improvisation also refers to your ability to go with the flow and come up with creative solutions to problems. Studying outside-the-box techniques and developing critical thinking skills can help you tremendously in this area.

V: Value Living

This point sounds almost laughably obvious — you should value life if you don't want to die?! We never considered that!

Don't blow this one off. Maintaining the will to live in a situation that may feel unlivable is far from funny… or easy. An absolute, stubborn, unyielding refusal to give up and die is hugely important in a survival situation. In fact, many would argue it's the single most important characteristic. There are many cases of individuals who, based on all the facts, should have died many times — but they didn't because of their powerful will to live:

  • Jan Baalsrud, the Norwegian commando who swam through icy water, survived an avalanche, and amputated his own frostbitten toes with a pocket knife
  • Alexander Selkirk, the castaway whose survival on a deserted island inspired the story of Robinson Crusoe
  • Sir Ernest Shackleton, the British Antarctic explorer who survived a disastrous shipwreck at the end of the earth, along with all 28 men under his command

Even if you're absolutely miserable, hopeless, and convinced that there's no light at the end of the tunnel, don't give up. Embrace the suck and live another day.

A: Act Like the Natives

Photo by Kevin Estela

As we've said many times, much can be learned by observing a region's native population and studying their history. Those hardy people became experts at surviving in their environment because they had to. Also, in most cases, they did so with far fewer resources than you have — no electronics, no synthetic clothing, no store-bought tools, no modern maps or compasses. If they managed to live off the land by hunting, trapping, gathering, and making their own gear, you'd be a fool to ignore what they can teach you (directly or indirectly).

In practical terms, this might mean studying Native American shelters, Siberian fire-sustainment, or even the actions of the homeless or vagrant population in an urban environment. It also applies to animal behaviors, since these can help you learn about nearby food, water, and predators.

L: Live By Your Wits / Learn Basic Skills

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Adam McQuiston)

Last but not least, we have another two-part survival acronym section. “Live by your wits” may sound like you're flying by the seat of your pants, but it actually refers to trusting your instincts. Natural instincts aren't always beneficial, as we previously stated, so they often must be replaced through training and repetition. That brings us to the second half of this point.

“Learn basic skills” — or as the guide puts it, “but for now, learn basic skills” — reinforces the importance of active education. You won't learn much if you don't bother to study, and that can take the form of reading (you're already on top of this one), watching videos, listening to podcasts or audiobooks, or talking face-to-face with experienced peers. But above all, you'll need to get off your butt, get your hands dirty, and learn by doing. Seek professional instruction and test your skills frequently in realistic conditions — only then will you achieve true confidence in your wits.

Conclusion

U.S. Army photo by K. Kassens

Survival is never as simple as memorizing an acronym — if it was, you wouldn't need to practice or train outside a classroom. Some of these eight points are more relevant and thought-provoking than others, and even if you know all of them by heart, putting them into action is a much greater challenge. However, studying the U.S. Army's survival acronym can get you thinking about areas you need to improve upon, and help you build a well-rounded mindset and skill set. That way, when the time comes, you won't be struggling to remember what the first V stood for — you'll instinctively apply the underlying principles to any real-life survival situation.

Review: LifeSaver Jerrycan Water Purifier

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Humanity’s relationship with water is full of cruel irony. Roughly 71 percent of Earth’s surface is covered with water, yet water scarcity affects four out of every 10 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Too much of it at once, and we drown; not enough, and we die of dehydration. And even when we do have the right amount of water, microscopic pathogens contained within it can cause life-threatening illnesses. The WHO estimates that waterborne diarrheal diseases cause 2-million deaths each year.

Waterborne illnesses don’t just affect those living in poverty-stricken developing nations. They’re a worldwide problem. In the United States, the microscopic parasite cryptosporidium affects close to 750,000 people annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other protozoan cysts, such as giardia, are common in lakes and streams — even those that look and smell clean. In urban areas, hurricanes and other natural disasters can cause widespread contamination when floodwater mixes with bacteria from sewage and garbage. Viral contaminants such as norovirus — the leading source of what we call “food poisoning” — are also easily spread through drinking water.

H2O to Go

There are a variety of water purifiers that can help us avoid this myriad of malevolent microorganisms. However, most of these are designed for low-volume individual use. If all you need is a quick sip from a stream, a pocket-sized straw filter can be a convenient solution. Purifying enough clean water for your entire family — including drinking, washing hands, cleaning dishes, and other daily tasks — is a much more formidable task. In a group setting, you’ll also have to consider the potentially complicated logistics of storing, transporting, and distributing this water.

After witnessing the devastation caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, British inventor Michael Pritchard created a portable water purifier known as the LifeSaver Bottle. (For a full review of that product, see our H2O Hygiene buyer’s guide in Issue 15.) Knowing that the bottle’s 750-milliliter carrying capacity wasn’t ideal for larger groups, the company soon developed the LifeSaver Cube, which combines the same purification technology with storage for up to 5 liters of water. More recently, the design was expanded yet again to create the LifeSaver Jerrycan.

As its name indicates, the Jerrycan resembles a large fuel can, with a tough polymer body that can hold 18.5 liters (4.9 gallons). It’s designed for off-the-grid mobility, featuring an integrated carry handle as well as a pair of holes that can be used to mount it on vehicles.

LifeSaver Jerrycan 20000UF Specifications

Colors
Blue, green, tan

Dimensions
18.5 by 13.3 by 6.8 inches

Dry Weight
8.8 pounds including shower attachment

Carrying Capacity
4.9 gallons (18.5 liters)

Filter Lifespan
Approximately 5,300 gallons (20,000 liters) dependent on water quality

Initial Flow Rate
1 gallon (4 liters) per minute

MSRP
$230 (plus $22 for shower attachment)

URL
iconlifesaver.com

How It Works

Operating the Jerrycan is simple enough that children can do it. Before using the purifier for the first time, it must be primed by filling the can with clean water, soaking the internal filter cartridge, and flushing out the system. Once the Jerrycan has been primed, it can be used according to the following steps:

Step 1 – Unscrew the pump from the top of the can, and set it aside.

Step 2 – Fill the can with dirty water from a tap, hose, lake, or river. Don’t use saltwater or water that may have been contaminated by chemical runoff (we’ll explain why later).

Step 3 – Replace the pump, and ensure the tap is closed. Then, pump the handle up and down 5 to 15 times to pressurize the Jerrycan.

Step 4 – Turn the tap to the open position. Clean water will begin to flow out of the tap.

Step 5 – Pump the handle approximately once every 3 seconds to keep the water flowing.

Step 6 – Close the tap to stop water flow. If no more water will be needed for an extended period, unscrew the pump slowly until pressure is released, then retighten.

The Technical Details

We shouldn’t have to explain why it’s unwise to go skydiving with a parachute you just bought on Craigslist, or undergo open-heart surgery by a back-alley doctor who tells you, “yeah, I totally went to med school; don’t worry about it.” Instead of assuming or hoping nothing will go wrong, you should always verify the effectiveness of anything your life may depend on. The same goes for water purifiers.

Every reputable water purifier manufacturer pays for independent laboratory testing to verify that its products meet or exceed the industry standards set by NSF International, and will provide proof of these results to customers. LifeSaver does both.

Specifically, the LifeSaver Jerrycan was tested and found to meet NSF Protocol 248 for Military Operations – Microbiological Water Purifiers, receiving a letter of compliance from the Department of Defense. At a minimum, the P248 standard requires:

  • 99.9999-percent reduction of bacteria
  • 99.99 percent reduction of protozoan cysts
  • 99.9-percent reduction of viruses

Clockwise from left: LifeSaver Jerrycan, hose attachment, 20000UF filter, activated carbon disc.

While P248 is a military-oriented certification with additional requirements for design and structural integrity, its performance requirements match those of NSF P231, the general industry standard for microbiological purifiers based on the EPA’s recommendations. The filter cartridges were tested separately by BCS Laboratories to further verify their adherence to this standard.

LifeSaver also integrates optional, replaceable activated carbon discs to remove chlorine, unpleasant taste, and odor from purified water. However, like all micro-filtration devices, LifeSaver products can’t remove dissolved salts and chemical pollutants from water. If you need to safely process seawater, urine, or water laden with harmful chemicals, you’d need a far more complex and bulky desalinator, still, or reverse osmosis system.

An optional shower attachment ($22) is also available, with a quick-disconnect fitting and O-ring seal that fit onto to the tap. The pressurized system can then be used to wash hands and dishes, or as a literal camp shower.

Long-Term Considerations

LifeSaver offers two Jerrycan models to choose from — 10000UF and 20000UF. These numbers indicate the lifespan of the filter cartridges, 10,000 liters (2,641 gallons) or 20,000 liters (5,283 gallons), respectively. We tested the latter. As you may expect, the lifespan will vary based on the type of water you’re filtering. If it’s extremely murky, turbid, or full of contaminants, the filter will clog more quickly.

Wisely, LifeSaver designs its filters with a Failsafe system, automatically stopping water flow before the filtration quality falls below acceptable NSF standards. This ensures the user doesn’t inadvertently consume water that hasn’t been adequately purified.

The Jerrycan is also a modular system, so the core components can all be replaced. Filter cartridges are $76 (10000UF) or $90 (20000UF), and can be bought sealed in foil with a 10-year shelf life for $10 more. A replacement pump is $40, a tap costs $13, and carbon filters are $25 for a five-pack. With a supply of replacement parts on hand, the Jerrycan will essentially last for as long as the can itself remains intact.

Our Impressions

Although we lack the scientific equipment and time to independently quantify the Jerrycan’s ability to remove waterborne pathogens on a microscopic level, this has already been done repeatedly, as we previously established. Instead, we focused our testing on practical use.

After priming the Jerrycan according to instructions, we filled it with water from various sources, ranging from a residential hose bib to a cloudy, stagnant puddle in a drainage ditch. We then pumped and dispensed the water, noting dramatic improvements to color, smell, and taste. Let’s face it — no water purifier is going to turn disgusting pond water into Evian, but the Jerrycan greatly improved the palatability. More importantly, the filter ensures you won’t end up puking your guts out or dropping trou every 15 minutes for the next week.

The Jerrycan’s BPA/BPS-free polymer body feels thick, sturdy, and durable. Its exterior picked up cosmetic scuffs fairly easily, but more serious damage seems unlikely unless you drop it out of a moving vehicle. LifeSaver manufactures its products in the UK, and builds them to withstand long-term use by humanitarian groups in places like Sudan and Haiti, so the average prepper or overlander will barely scratch the surface of its capabilities — that’s a good thing for those who appreciate overbuilt gear.

Periodic maintenance is required to keep the Jerrycan flowing smoothly, but it’s relatively simple. In the field, it can be rinsed and swished to remove sediment buildup; in cleaner environments, components can be rinsed in a sink, soaked in warm water, and wiped with a clean, damp cloth.

One potential downside to the Jerrycan is that it requires a specific storage procedure between uses. After it has been used, it must be stored unpressurized in a cool place with at least 1 inch of water inside to prevent the filter from drying out. If storing for more than a month, the activated carbon disc must be discarded and replaced (if desired) before next use. The Jerrycan should never be used or stored above 122 degrees F (50 degrees C), or below freezing — the latter can permanently damage filter integrity.

Closing Thoughts

Whether you’re going on a camping trip with the whole family, preparing your home for a catastrophic natural disaster, or traveling to regions where Montezuma’s revenge is in full force, the LifeSaver Jerrycan is a worthy investment. It goes beyond a simple source of drinking water to become a complete basecamp water solution, and its robust durability and replaceable parts leave us confident it’ll last for decades.

Video: “Indian Ice Cream” from the Soapberry Plant

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Food is a major morale booster, especially in survival situations. However, walking to the local corner store to buy some Twinkies and a Big Gulp isn't always an option. If you're in a remote area, you'll need to find your comfort foods in nature. Fortunately, Native Americans and Canada's First Nations loved tasty snacks just as much as we do, and came up with some pretty ingenious ways to make them. In the following video from Far North Bushcraft and Survival, Lonnie shows how to make sxusem or “Indian ice cream” from the Soapberry plant.

Photo via Lazarus000 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Shepherdia canadensis, also known as Canada buffaloberry or soapberry, is a plant that's native to the northwest half of the United States, from the southwest through the Great Lakes region. It's also widely available in Canada and Alaska, where Lonnie resides. The plant got its nickname from the fact that its berries are high in saponins, which produce foam and act as natural soap. You may recall from our previous article that yucca and creosote are some of the other plants that contain saponins.

Lonnie demonstrates the berries' effectiveness by plastering his hands with spruce pitch and dirt, then vigorously rubbing berry pulp in his hands to wash them.

The second, more interesting use of these soapberries is to produce “ice cream” — we use quotes because it's neither cold nor cream-based. It's more like a whipped mousse or pudding that consists of berry pulp, water, and a sweetener. Lonnie uses ordinary granulated sugar, but native peoples used naturally-occurring sweeteners like salal berries, thimbleberries, or fireweed. Once the pulp, sweetener, and water are combined in a container, they're stirred or shaken rapidly to create a thick pink foam. In some cases, snow was also added.

While this “Indian ice cream” is said to be sweet and tasty, the saponins also give it a slight bitterness. They can also be toxic if consumed in very large quantities — more than you'd be making in the wild — and may give some people an upset stomach or indigestion. As with any wild edible, it's a good idea to only try a small amount at first to see how your body reacts.

Trick Your Truck: 5 Easy Survival Vehicle Mods

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Photos by Niccole Elizabeth

It’s no secret that we love an awesomely appointed bug-out vehicle. Our sister publication, RECOIL, covers one in every issue. While these trucks, trailers, and overlanders are lots of fun to look at and drool over, most of us would have to win the lottery to be able to afford one. With price tags that routinely blast past six figures, ground-up custom vehicles for survival and preparedness are a bridge too far for most budgets.

According to AAA, the average American spends nearly 3,000 hours behind the wheel each year. With this in mind, it’d behoove us all to treat our vehicle as not just a mode of transportation, but a valuable tool that can provide all kinds of support in case of a crisis. Simply pulling out of your driveway in the morning gives you a rolling fallback point that includes climate-controlled shelter, signaling, power, navigation, fire-starting ability, and storage capacity for emergency equipment. So how do we optimize this incredible resource without spending the cost of a second home? The short answer is that it’s not nearly as difficult as one might think. We were able to get our hands on some simple, cost-effective equipment that enables any vehicle to become a rolling caddy of potentially lifesaving tools.

Vehicle Mod Considerations

This is by no means a comprehensive guide. With a little smart searching on the internet, you can find dozens of gadgets and gizmos that’ll help you prep your vehicle for in-extremis scenarios. The pieces you’ll see here were selected with a couple of key factors in mind:

Universality: None of these products are vehicle specific. Whether you’re daily driver is a super-duty pickup truck or a two-door hatchback hybrid, you can use them.

Portability: All of the items you see here can be easily removed from the vehicle. This is particularly important if you’re forced to leave your vehicle in case of an emergency, or if you must switch vehicles for any reason without losing capability. This could be as benign as renting a car for a business trip or as desperate as commandeering a vehicle on the fly in a high-threat scenario, requiring immediate transportation. Or if you must ditch wheels altogether and go on foot, all of this stuff can be hand-carried with a minimum of weight and bulk.

Cost: All of the products here, put together, amount to less than $650 at full retail price. If you shop thrifty and wait for holiday sales, you might be able to get that cost closer to $500. All but the tightest of budgets allow for purchase of these individual components over time, in most cases for less than three figures apiece.

Option #1: Super Visor

Zulu Nylon Gear MOLLE Visor Panel

Price: $40-$44

URL: www.zulunylongear.com

The first vehicle enhancement we’ll look at is the MOLLE visor panel. There are several companies that make these. This one is from Zulu Nylon Gear. We like the Zulu offering, because it’s small enough to fit sedan-sized visors. It features a combination of loop tape, MOLLE webbing, and elastic loops to fit a variety of survival odds-and-ends, and attaches by way of hook-and-loop straps that you can cinch down around the visor. It’s important to note that any car’s sun visor doesn’t permit the carriage of heavy or high-density gear. We configured ours with the following:

  • 3 x mini chem lights
  • 1 x Benchmade rescue knife
  • 1 x Benchmade “7-hook” seatbelt cutter
  • 1 x Tuff Writer click pen
  • 1 x PK Design Labs Flashlight

A visor panel is one of the better places to store a seatbelt cutter, as it can be easily accessed by the driver from a variety of positions. This permits effective self-rescue, even if you find yourself upside down or in rising water in your vehicle. The rescue knife seen here includes a glass punch in the pommel to smash windows. As long as you have free (or mostly free) use of one arm, you should be able to reach anything strapped to your visor. Even if the standard size is too large for your vehicle, or you choose to run a minimum of essentials in this position, Zulu makes a Micro Visor that’s narrower and more compact.

Option #2: Battle (Seat)Belt

Mayhem Syndicate VE3 Pouch

Price: $55-$120

URL: www.mayhem-syndicate.com

Moving from visor to seatbelt, we found the Mayhem Syndicate Vehicle Emergency Egress Essentials (VE3) pouch. This pouch is designed to be attached directly to your seatbelt. It can be worn on the shoulder strap or lap belt, and is a down-and-dirty kit of supplies to get you out of your vehicle and/or treat immediate traumatic injuries. In situations where even your visor is out of reach, the VE3 keeps supplies tight against your body for easy access even when partially immobilized. Since we set the MOLLE visor panel over the driver seat, we attached our VE3 to the passenger-side seatbelt to allow both driver and passenger quick access to emergency supplies. The VE3 can be had as a standalone pouch or pre-stocked kit. The pre-stocked kit comes with the following:

  • 1 x Gen 7 CAT from North American Rescue
  • 1 x Ontario Knife strap cutter
  • 1 x ARS decompression needle (LE/Mil)
  • 1 x Sharpie
  • 1 x chem light

The top flap is specifically notched to accommodate medical shears if you choose to pack these in lieu of a belt cutter. Our only note about this product is that the stocked kit does add a little weight to the seatbelt. This isn’t noticeable when you’re buckled up, but inhibits the belt’s ability to retract fully on its own. We could also see potential interference if you’re wearing body armor or a chest rig. Although, we suspect if you’re wearing that kind of gear, you’ve already got some or most of these supplies on you. For the rest of us, the VE3 offers a convenient way to keep some emergency essentials close at hand.

Option #3: Use Your Head(Rest)

RE Factor Tactical Drive-By Kit

Price: $110

URL: www.refactortactical.com

The Drive-By Kit was purpose built by folks who drive through some of the meanest streets on the planet. Security contractors and special operators often find themselves using a variety of local and imported vehicles for low-profile urban and suburban missions. This kit was designed with input from people who do these jobs on a daily basis, and it shows. The Drive-By includes storage for ammo and medical gear. It features two magazine pouches meant for AR-style magazines, but include a generous amount of extra room to accommodate other weapons. We stowed two AK-74 mags in it and had no issues with fit or accessibility. In front of the mag pouches is a large dual-zipper pouch lined with MOLLE and elastic loops meant for medical gear. It should be noted there’s no pre-loaded option for the Drive-By Kit. So decide ahead of time what you want to fill it with and purchase accordingly. We fit all of the following with room left over:

  • 1 x rolled gauze
  • 1 x Quick Clot Combat Gauze
  • 2 x HALO chest seals
  • 1 x Israeli Bandage
  • 1 x decompression needle
  • 2 x mini chem lights
  • 1 x Sharpie marker

If you already have a first-aid or medical kit in your vehicle, this pouch could also accommodate combat sundries like smoke grenades, flash-bangs, emergency strobes, even more ammo, satellite phone, stripped-down MREs or power bars, or some small hand tools. The kit mounts to the back of almost any headrest by a Velcro-strapped MOLLE back panel. The kit itself then attaches to this back panel. In case you have to get out of your vehicle in a hurry, you simply pull the release strap and the bag falls off the mounting panel. The bag itself also has a small carabiner-style hook that can be used to attach the Drive-By Kit to a larger pack, belt loop or chest rig for use on foot.

Option #4: Reach Back and Relax

Greyman Tactical Rigid Vehicle MOLLE Panel (Heavy Duty) & Rifle Mount Clamp

Price: $235 (Panel); $70 (Rifle Mount Clamp)

URL: www.greyman-tactical.com

Greyman Tactical has carved out a niche for themselves with their Rigid MOLLE Panels and Rigid Insert Panels. These slap-your-forehead-simple panels are made from 3/16-inch High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and have a system of holes cut into them to accept … well … anything you can get to stay on them. While the design is meant to accept MOLLE/PALS-style pouches, zip ties, hair ties, rubber bands, ALICE clips, and “dummy cording” can all be made to work with these panels. Greyman also sells some in-house mounting options for rifles and other gear. The panel you see is their vehicle-specific model, but they offer a wide array of smaller panels — many of which are sized for specific packs/bags popular in the EDC market. The vehicle panel attaches to the seat back by way of two nylon webbing straps with Fastex buckles. While the configuration options for these panels is essentially infinite, we dug a bunch of old pouches out of the garage and cobbled together the following setup:

  • 1 x AR pistol
  • 1 x AR mag
  • 2 x Glock mags
  • 1 x Military signal strobe
  • 1 x road flare
  • 2 x IWA civilian-legal flash bang canister
  • 5 x mini chem lights
  • 1 x flashlight

Again, the thing we love most about these Rigid MOLLE Panels is that they can be set up however you want with whatever attachment methods you can engineer in your driveway. We’ve even seen examples of these panels being hard mounted (screwed in) on the exterior of trucks to store recovery tools. If the large seatback panel is out of your price range, some of their smaller panels are priced as low as $50 and can be rigged to consoles, dashboards, or door panels.

Option #5: In the Bag

Suarez International Terrorist Interdiction Bag

Price: $65

URL: www.suarezinternational.com

Perhaps the easiest way to keep supplies ready in your vehicle is to simply pack a bag. As long as said bag fits inside your vehicle, you can use any type of bag filled with all manner of supplies that you see fit. Of course, we should all strive to do better than a trash bag full of paracord and loose bullets rolling around in the trunk. This is where the Terrorist Interdiction Bag comes in. Made by Suarez International, the TIB was designed as a compact grab-and-go solution for use during active shooter-type events. There are a number of excellent features including removable magazine pouches, loop-side tape lining the main compartment, elastic loop retainers in the front face pocket, and a waist strap that allows you to “fight from the bag” even while running, jumping, or shooting. Its flat, rectangular shape allows it to fit perfectly under the front seat of almost any vehicle. The actual TIB you see here traveled with the author on multiple deployments to Afghanistan where he did, in fact, stash it under his driver’s seat during convoys and mobile operations. It won’t fit the kitchen sink, or even 72 hours’ worth of food. But it’ll hold enough to get you out of an immediate jam. From Afghanistan to Arizona, our Terrorist Interdiction Bag has remained stocked with the following:

  • 3 x rifle mags
  • 1 x pistol mag
  • 1 x folding knife
  • 1 x flashlight
  • 1 x OC spray
  • 3 x flex cuffs
  • 1 x multi-tool
  • 5 x mini chem lights
  • 1 x Zippo lighter
  • 1 x spare bottle of lighter fluid
  • 1 x flash bang or smoke grenade
  • 1 x trauma medical kit (chest seals, tourniquet, Israeli bandage, etc.)

Again, you’re free to find whatever make and model of pack or bag best fits your need. But we really like the TIB as a vehicle-specific solution for packing some gear that’ll help get us the hell out of dodge. While MSRP is listed at $65, it is, at time of writing, on sale for $50, making it one of the most cost-effective EDC/bail-out bags we’ve ever come across.

Honorable Mention: Nice Rack …

DSG Inc.Ranger Rack and Mini Ranger Rack

Price: $95-$135

URL: www.dsgarms.com

Defense Solutions Group (DSG) carries a wide variety of tactical and survival gear. One of their more unique products fit right in with the theme of this article — the Ranger Rack, and its smaller sibling the Mini Ranger Rack. The photos you see here are of the Mini Ranger Rack, which fit our door better. The concept is to have a method to carry ammo pre-staged in your vehicle’s door pockets. Each Ranger Rack comes as a kit, with a mounting bracket and some combination of rifle and pistol magazine pouches. (The full-sized Rack holds two of each, while the Mini holds one rifle and two pistols.) These appear to be standard mag pouches with 1.5-inch belt clips that could just as easily be worn on your waist. The rack itself appears to be just a U-shaped Kydex bracket with a bunch of screw holes in it. Just clip the pouches to the bracket and then use the included screws to secure the pouches in place so they don’t slide around. The bracket then clips to the door pocket of your vehicle, also with 1.5-inch belt clips.

While we configured ours with the included pouches, in the suggested arrangement, there’s definitely the potential to run this in a custom setup that could be all pistol, all rifle, or possibly even utilize belt-mounted ammo carriers from other manufacturers. In terms of prepping your vehicle, this is one of the more specific products featured, with ammunition being the only thing it can carry. But some semblance of firepower should be a pillar of every good emergency preparedness plan. For that purpose, the Ranger Rack system is a quick and convenient way to keep reloads at the ready.

Driving it Home

Retrofitted military surplus trucks, armored personnel carriers, and turbo-diesel 6x6s are super cool. But the crux of being prepared is accounting for the fact that disaster doesn’t wait for us to run and grab the keys to our monster-rover, and requires the integration of self-sufficiency into the folds of our daily routine. The products showcased here offer flexible, low-cost solutions for just about anything out there with wheels and an engine. Regardless of whether you drive once or twice a week, or if your car is your mobile office and part-time home, don’t let behind-the-wheel be the place you get caught off guard.

RECOILtv: Bowhunting & Fishing in Hawaii

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There's something meaningful about learning to do things by hand, whether it's making a blade, hunting game, or reeling in a fish. These manual tasks often correlate to valuable survival skills, but they're also enjoyable hobbies. Even though we tend to think of survival training as testing your mettle against miserable circumstances, there's still much that can be learned while you're having a good time with family and friends.

For the latest RECOILtv Carnivore short film, Iain Harrison headed to Hawaii to meet up with a few friends, including well-known bladesmith Neil Kamimura (@rpm_neil) and his wife, Chef Flora Kamimura (@florakamimura). Iain set out on the water to catch a blue marlin, which was then turned into sashimi — no cooking required. Back on dry land, he hunted a feral lamb with a bow, and Neil forged a stand that would be used to roast it over an open fire.

Flora was in charge of preparing the lamb al asador, a traditional Argentinian roasting style. In this technique, the lamb is bound to crossed beams near the fire, and periodically dabbed with a brine using sage branches. Normally, the stick would be embedded in the ground, but Neil's movable stand allowed for more precise control of the roast.

Bowhunting, fishing, sashimi preparation, and roasting meat over an open campfire are all skills applicable to survival. However, they can be learned in an enjoyable way, as seen on this trip. The end result is a delicious all-natural meal. For more from Carnivore, check out the RECOILtv channel or pick up a copy of Issue 3, on sale 9/3/19.

Review: Shorts from 5.11 Tactical, Kitanica, and Vertx

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It's summertime, and for most of us that means increased outdoor activity. Whether it's a baseball game, barbecue, range day, camping trip, or all of the above, you've probably got plenty of activities planned to take advantage of the warm and sunny weather. However, that weather can also be a double-edged sword if you're not dressed accordingly. Moisture-wicking fabrics and ventilated gussets can go a long way to prevent sweaty discomfort, but sometimes letting your skin breathe fully is the best way to stay cool.

Here in Arizona, where the temperatures frequently exceed 110°F (43°C) from June through September, shorts offer a substantial breathability advantage over long pants. They also provide increased comfort and mobility in many cases, and if you're near the water, they won't get soaked if you have to wade in. Obviously there are also some trade-offs — you'll need to be cautious about protecting your skin from the sun, scratches and scrapes, and insect pests — but the decision really comes down to personal preference. And when the mercury rises well into the triple-digits, we tend to favor wearing shorts.

Left to right: Vertx Hyde LT (Alligator), Kitanica Range Shorts (MultiCam), 5.11 Tactical Ion (Stone)

In an effort to expand our wardrobe choices and replace some old pairs, we contacted three major outdoor apparel manufacturers to request some samples of their latest shorts. Today, we'll share some of our feedback on each, including what we liked and what we didn't. Read on for our reviews of the latest styles from 5.11 Tactical, Kitanica, and Vertx.

5.11 Tactical Ion Shorts

Colors: Black, Lunar, Stone (pictured), Mystic Heather

Sizes: 28 – 44

Inseam: 9 inches

MSRP: $40

URL: 511Tactical.com

These shorts feature an athletic 9-inch inseam that rides above the knee, and they're made from an ultra-lightweight 88% polyester and 12% Elastane fabric blend. The material is thin, stretchy, and breathable, so it's ideal for high activity in hotter climates.

This design offers eight pockets — two regular front pockets with two smaller pockets on top, two back pockets with hook-and-loop closures, and two hidden back yoke pockets at the 4:00 and 8:00 positions. These shorts can easily carry four AR mags without occupying the main front and back pockets — a handy feature for range days. Even if you're not using the yoke pockets for that purpose, they're ideal for inconspicuously stashing EDC items.

5.11 Tactical built a covert flex cuff pocket inside the front of the waistband. You can also stash a long strand of Kevlar cord, paracord, or Fire Cord here as part of a SERE kit. The primary pockets are deep and offer reinforced hems for attaching knives and other EDC gear. However, like the Vertx shorts, their high-cut wraparound design can cause larger items to print or fit uncomfortably at the edges of those pockets.

Pros:

  • By far the most breathable and flexible design of the shorts we tested — like a hybrid between gym shorts and tactical pants.
  • Yoke pockets were a great idea on the Defender Flex Jeans, and they're still a great idea now. They're perfect for AR mags, maps, knives, or other slim items.
  • Affordable price

Cons:

Strangely, the back pockets are wide enough to fit a 30-round AR mag sideways.

  • Back pockets are wider than they are deep, letting items slide from one side to the other. The small hook-and-loop closures also seems inadequate for the large pocket size.
  • Lightweight material won't last as long in hard-use settings as other types of fabric.

Kitanica Range Shorts

Colors: Black, Khaki, Ranger Green, or Wolf Grey; MultiCam original (pictured), Black, Arid, or Tropic; A-TACS iX; Kryptek Raid; Tiger Stripe

Sizes: 30 – 46

Inseam: 11 inches* (see notes)

MSRP: $159 ($149 for solid colors)

URL: Kitanica.net

There are many quick-access pockets for EDC items such as this Scorpion Six Knives Pingvin impact tool.

Comparing these to the other shorts in this article — or just about any other options on the market — feels sort of like comparing a Desert Eagle to a Glock 19. They're two very different approaches to a similar segment, and are likely to have two very different buyers as well. That said, we can't help but enjoy the sheer excess and in-your-face design employed here. It's sort of Kitanica's signature, after all.

The right cargo area offers storage for a large spiral notebook and writing instruments.

As an adaptation of the original Range Pants, the Range Shorts share many similarities. As always, they're made in small batches in America using domestically-produced materials. They're constructed from sturdy 50/50 nylon-cotton ripstop fabric with an incredible amount of stitching and bar tacks for reinforcement. Thick black nylon webbing forms the belt loops, pull tabs, and reinforcement for the front pocket hems (as if they needed more reinforcement).

It's worth noting that these shorts feature an 11-inch inseam, but a higher waist than the other pairs. They'll feel longer if you wear them where you're used to wearing other shorts.

The front pockets and back pockets are pretty typical, with the latter featuring hefty hook-and-loop closures with nylon pull tabs. A pair of contrasting black side pockets are asymmetrical — the right one (with the Kitanica bug logo) fits an AR mag, and the left is slightly smaller to fit a pistol mag or tourniquet. The right-side cargo pocket is zippered, with three pen holders on its exterior. The left-side cargo pocket is a full-blown admin pouch, with sub-pockets, elastic bands, and a retention loop for a carabiner or other items. Cinch straps on the waistband allow fit to be tightened, so you'll want to get one size up if you're in between sizes.

Adjustment straps allow slack to be taken out of the waistband without the need for a belt.

Pros:

  • Made in the USA and just as durable as previous Kitanica gear we've tested. If you're picking one pair of shorts for the end of the world as we know it, these are a strong contender.
  • Cinch straps allow precise fit adjustment without relying on a belt.
  • Tons of color and pattern options, including limited runs such as old-school Tiger Stripe camo.

Cons:

  • Love them or hate them, they're anything but subtle. Even in the most discreet colors, these are bound to be an immediate attention-getter in public.
  • Thick material has its benefits as mentioned above, but isn't the most breathable or flexible.
  • High price comes with the territory of complex design, overbuilt materials, and American manufacturing.

Vertx Hyde LT Shorts

Colors: Griffin, Desert Tan, Alligator (pictured)

Sizes: 30 – 44

Inseam: 11 inches

MSRP: $66

URL: Vertx.com

 

The Hyde LT shorts from Vertx offers a gray-man-appropriate design, with a sleek profile and several concealed features. They're made from stretch fabric with VaporCore — a material by 37.5 Technology that's composed of “active particles made from volcanic sand that have billions of micropores.” The manufacturer's explanation for how this material works sounds rather outlandish, but based on real-world use, we can confirm that it does a good job of keeping your skin cool and dry.

Although they may not look like it, the Hyde LT shorts offer a whopping nine exterior pockets — two front pockets plus a enlarged coin pocket, two yoke pockets at 4:00 and 8:00, two back pockets, and two lower-leg pockets. That last pair is asymmetrical, with the right being a larger, angle-cut dump pocket and the left being a slim rectangular utility pocket. The right front pocket also offers a retention loop at the bottom for tying down a concealed pocket holster or knife sheath.

A retention loop allows for concealed carry of a fixed blade. (Pictured: Thick Bastard by Greg Moffatt / Direction of...

There are a total of three miniature hidden pockets inside the shorts — one at the rear of the waistband, one at the front, and one inside the fly. These can contain E&E items like cuff keys, shims, or lockpicks, and at least one of them will be accessible if your hands are cuffed in front or behind your back. There's also a hidden comms wire passthrough in the right-side coin pocket, allowing the wearer to route a headphone or mic wire underneath a shirt and directly to a small radio or cell phone.

Stashing an emergency cuff key behind the zipper makes it easy to miss with a metal detector.

Pros:

  • Discreet design is far more capable than it looks to a casual observer.
  • Pockets offer lots of versatility, with various sizes and degrees of concealment.
  • Holster/sheath tie-down loop is a simple feature that goes a long way, and one we wish more pants offered.

Cons:

  • Vertx describes this as a “relaxed fit with contour waistband” — in other words, a tighter fit near the waist and looser fit around the leg. We'd prefer a more tapered leg.
  • Front pocket design and placement causes larger clipped-on EDC items like flashlights to press against the hip and print through the fabric.

50 Shades of Gray Man: Blending In Versus Standing Out

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The concept of being a “gray man” is often referenced in survivalist circles, but after seeing the term misused countless times, we’ve come to realize that it may need some clarification. The author of this article, and several RECOIL staffers, spent their previous lives skulking around third-world cesspools serving God and country in a capacity that required them to blend in or become “gray” — nondescript passersby who garner little to no attention and are quickly dismissed by those they come into contact with.

The ability to become transparent in a hostile environment is important not just to accomplish a mission, but also to protect oneself and one’s family after the job is over. This is all well and good in theory and in conflict zones, but how can those lessons help you on a practical everyday basis? Or, more specifically, what threats exist during your daily routine that a gray man lifestyle could protect you from?

Information Security

Unless your name is followed by “007,” it’s unlikely that foreign agents are actively tailing you, looking for ways to make you talk. However, identity theft is a crime epidemic that’s only getting easier for criminals in the digital age. Details about your past and many of the things that make you who you are can be found in various computer databases around the world. Just like a puzzle, thieves don’t need every single piece to see the whole picture. Your political affiliation, military service, alma mater, and marital status are all slivers of information that can be used to track down your digital footprint and commandeer it.

There’s also the risk of setting yourself up as a target for theft. If you keep a trunk gun in your car, and your trunk is littered with pro-2A bumper stickers, you just made your vehicle a target for any criminal or ne’er-do-well looking to score a firearm that can’t be traced back to them. This also applies for mountain climbers and marathon runners who may keep high-end outdoor gear stowed in their vehicles for that spontaneous excursion. If your daily wardrobe is composed entirely of high-dollar tactical or outdoor apparel, you’re basically advertising you’d make a great mark to anybody looking to fence these popular retail items. The worst part about this is that broadcasting information about yourself may put you at risk for somebody to try and steal something you may not even own! Let’s say, for example, you have military service decals on your car. Not all veterans own guns. But that aforementioned crook looking to steal a gun might target your vehicle or home anyway, based solely on their own misguided perception that all vets are gun gurus.

The Value of Stereotypes

Indulge us in a quick trip down memory lane. Imagine your high school cafeteria at the peak of the lunch rush. Chances are that most of the tables were grouped by clique: the jocks in their letter jackets, jeans, and athletic shoes. Skaters or surfers, depending on where you grew up, with shaggy hair and baggy shorts. The goths huddled together in matching pale makeup and dark nail polish. We’re willing to bet even if you never saw any of these groups in your high school, you could picture them clear as day. That’s because this mental exercise is more about stereotyping and observation than actual past life experience. The point is that with little more than a brief description of physical appearance, you were likely able to generate passable facsimiles of whole groups of people and surmise certain expectations about how they live their lives.

Now think about certain gangs. What’s the point of being a criminal? To get away with committing crimes and making sure no one can figure out your true intentions. What’s the point of being a gangster? To identify yourself with certain type of clothing, tattoos, and demeanor so everyone knows who you are. It’s sort of a parody of itself. How does a criminal manage to go unnoticed and conduct criminal activity if they’re advertising their criminal affiliation to everyone purely to satisfy their own egos? This also applies to you as an American if you’re traveling in a region potentially hostile to Americans. Swallow your pride and don’t stand out. Acknowledge and practice local customs, research the typical attire worn in the area you’re venturing into before you go, and do your best to look and act like a native who’s confident and knows their way around, not a tourist who’s a fish out of water and easily manipulated because they look lost or confused.

The ability to make rapid and reasonable inferences about others based solely on outward appearance isn’t limited to the lunchroom or the streets. Many of these same indicators run rampant across the so-called tactical and prepper communities. Patches, stickers, and clothing are instant, automatic signs of what groups or ideologies you overtly identify with. Surely many of us have driven down the road and spotted another vehicle with firearms-related stickers on it. We understand wanting to show your support for the firearms industry and the second amendment, but those same decals convey other information that you may not wish to disclose. The same goes for your clothes, shoes, jewelry, tattoos, hairstyle, and even the way you carry yourself.

Un-Pimp Your Ride

Let’s address the simple topic of vehicle decoration. Here are some more specific examples of seemingly harmless adornments and what a person with ill-intention might be able to learn from them:

Vehicle stickers, license plates, or ball caps depicting military service, former rank, or medals/ribbons awarded: These instantly identify you as having military training and, in some cases, what unit you were in. Further information could be gathered about you through DoD or VA records, or private websites dedicated to locating veterans and military members. If you belong to veterans’ associations like the American Legion or VFW, somebody looking for more information could be tipped off to try looking for you in local halls.

Political party affiliation stickers: These allow others to know where you stand and how you think about politics in this country — and we all know how divided that’s become. Somebody following you could “bump into you” in any crowded place with news on the big screens and strike up a conversation with a politically charged comment that they’ve slanted in favor of your advertised party. Having built instant rapport, they might be able to elicit more detailed personal information about you in deeper conversation.

Stick figure family decals: If your stick family is an accurate head count of your household, you just told the world how many precious loved ones are home, and if you have pets (depending on the sticker). Someone intending to enter your house undetected now knows how many people need to leave the house before it’ll be unoccupied so they can break in. And a person with more sinister intentions just found out how many potential hostages or points of blackmail are available to leverage against you.

School stickers saying things like “My child is an honor student at XYZ High School” or “Proud U of M Dad”: Stickers like this give bad guys an exact location where they can gain access to your children away from your protection.

We’ve all seen license plates in our states like “GlockGuy” or “SigMan” or “Double Alpha.” Being proud is always a good mindset, but overt things like this let a criminal know that your car may be worth breaking into at some point.

Clothes Make the Man

Above: All three of these individuals are regular products of their environment. For better or worse, none of them will likely get a second glance. This normalcy can be used to your advantage.

Let’s move beyond bumper stickers. What other mundane facets of your daily life are potential “information leaks?” One of the biggest ones is wardrobe. Your T-shirt, shoes, belt, or ball cap tell plenty about your background or, at least, the image you choose to project.

Suppose you’re on vacation or a business trip, and you’re walking through the airport with a little more time than usual to make your connection. Hanging around the gate next to yours are four guys. They appear to be in their late 20s, physically fit with shaggy hair, beards, sleeve tattoos, and farmer’s tans. All four are wearing khaki or OD green cargo shorts, Salomon trail shoes, Oakley sunglasses, and Suunto watches. Based on that description alone, what do you think these guys do for a living? Where do you think they’re going?

The truth is that even while off-duty, most first responders wear a uniform of sorts. If you take your survival or personal security readiness seriously, you’re probably prone to the same phenomenon. An unbuttoned flannel shirt over a tucked-in T-shirt and a webbed nylon belt is a pretty big indicator that you might be concealing a firearm. What can the cashier at your local grocer tell just by looking at your cargo pants and trail shoes, the knife clipped to your pocket, or the fire starter on your keychain?

We all want to be prepared to survive any potential calamity, but your outfit may tip off malicious individuals about your earnestly collected stocks of food, fuel, and quality tools. This subset of the population may see your car or your home as a ready-made cache of sellable goods they can make easy money off of or even appropriate for themselves, and they may not care which one of your stick figure family members they hurt in the process. Read any mainstream news article about emergency preparedness, and you’ll see at least one person comment about how they don’t bother stockpiling supplies because they have guns and can simply take what they need by force. Don’t let your home become the first stop for some scumbag’s post-SHTF shopping spree.

Above all, remember that these tips are situational. Strolling down the street in a rough neighborhood while wearing pressed slacks and a dress shirt will stand out, much like wearing baggy shorts and a hoodie in the middle of a white-collar office-building complex. Study your surroundings, and you’ll soon realize what you need to do to blend in.

One Day at a Time

Like any other survival skill, “going gray” takes dedication and practice. For additional information on specific techniques, refer to books such as Gray Man: Camouflage for Crowds, Cities, and Civil Crisis by Matthew Dermody (see the review from Issue 29). Internet searches, when taken with a shaker of salt, can turn up helpful hints. Don’t be afraid to train and experiment. Go to your local big-box store and try to find off-brand alternatives to your favorite outfits. Stay away from memorable bright colors or bold patterns. Keep your accessories inexpensive and low-key. Put your knife all the way in your pocket instead of clipping it to the outside — yes, we know this may not be legal in some places but, as Ed Calderon often says, “What you can do and what you’re allowed to do are two different things.” If you’re traveling, wear business attire even if you don’t have to. People will look past the middle manager faster than anybody dressed in the latest in tactical chic.

We all want to be proud of our lifestyle and our accomplishments, as well as those of our loved ones. But also be aware of the amount of valuable personal information you surrender in the process — information that could be used to harm you severely were anybody so inclined. Methodically removing these outward indicators from your daily routine is the crux of the gray man philosophy.

We also want to be realists and don’t expect you to simply erase your personality or unique sense of style. It may be best to start integrating gray-man concepts during long-distance travel. International travel is the most important because being immediately recognizable as an outsider or tourist puts you at substantial risk. In addition to that, your self-defense options will be much more limited. Firearms will almost certainly be unavailable, and you’ll have to pack your knife in your checked bag — if the host country even allows pocket knives. Depending on the agent, TSA may or may not let you have a tactical pen. Domestic travel allows some discretion. Your mode of travel and destination will dictate what kind of gear you can bring. If you’re going to an area with high crime rates or even a sociopolitical culture that’s not your own, being forgettable might save you some hassle. But we admit that going gray to go for groceries probably isn’t critical to your personal safety.

Home Sweet Home

Your home is another place to be proud of. So you make sure to hoist that Marine Corps flag high in that front yard or a Special Forces flag letting people know your background. College football flags are also everywhere, which may be used to identify where you hail from or where you went to school. For example, imagine a person flying a Marine Corps flag in their yard with a MARSOC sticker on their Ford F-150 lifted on 35s with a Glock sticker on the back window in North Carolina. Just from driving around that neighborhood, a criminal now knows where he lives, where he works, and what he drives. Now all they need is a few days of surveillance and internet access, and everything else can be found online from his license plate and address.

Talk the Talk and Adapt

One of the most unique identifiers that can thwart even the best gray man is speech and body language. For instance, if I’m speaking to someone and they assume I have zero military background (which happens often), but I accidentally answer their question with “roger” or “copy that” — if they’re quick enough to catch that phrase they’d immediately suspect I’m lying about my service background. “Affirmative” or “negative” as answers stand out like a metal gong. Accents from Boston to Minnesota, or Georgia and Texas, can easily be distinguished from one another and can provide people with one more piece of information about you. A large and bearded Caucasian man in Dubai wearing a Harley-Davidson sweatshirt, Salomon shoes, and Kühl pants probably isn’t there to see the Burj Khalifa. His two friends with Multicam backpacks and patches that say “Bagram Infidel Club” or something similar won’t help them attain gray-man status either. Their accents also can help narrow down which state they’re from while they talk to one another. All these indicators would allow an individual with nefarious intentions to easily strike up conversation and extract even more information about them and their overall intent or mission in that area.

Situational changes occur often. I’ve found myself blending into a very liberal mountain town of lovely mountain climbers and white water canoers and kayakers, only to be in a double-breasted suit and tie three hours later at an embassy-level dinner. Imagine the transition from dropping children off at school to going onto a military or government installation, but not being in the same clothing for either activity? It can be done. Is it necessary? For a very small percentage of people, it is, but for the majority of us, the answer honestly is no. However, just like practicing with firearms, medical training, or fieldcraft, the time you take to practice and train will always help you when the real time comes.

When you first start practicing gray-man principles, it might feel like playing a game. Putting on different clothes and trying different styles is not unlike wearing a costume. If it feels awkward, then you’re off to a good start, because that means you’re out of character from how you normally present yourself. As you do it more and more, you’ll simply slip in and out of various wardrobe styles as the situation dictates. Then, later on, a day will come where blending in is natural, subconscious, and even extends to your behavior and mannerisms. That day will be the day you’re truly a gray man.

New: HK Knives Fray Fixed Blade from Hogue

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When it comes to knives, we tend to prefer simple and durable designs. If you plan to use a knife for cutting rather than as a prop for Instagram photos, you probably feel the same way. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a knife that looks good at the same time, but that's more of an added bonus to its primary purpose.

Hogue Knives recently released the new Fray fixed blade as part of its HK Knives line. The company calls the HK Knives Fray a “no-nonsense cutting tool,” and its design clearly matches that goal. It's constructed from a single piece of 154CM stainless steel, hardened to 57-59 HRC and available in two blade shapes.

Fray Tanto (top) and Clip Point (bottom)

One is called a Clip Point, but looks closer to a drop point with a prominent swedge, since it lacks the concave shape and upswept tip we've come to associate with typical clip-point blades. The other is a Tanto, which also has a swedge for improved piercing. Overall length is 9.1 inches; blade length is 4.2 inches.

Each version of the HK Knives Fray is finished in your choice of black, OD green, or FDE Cerakote. The handle is wrapped in black paracord; a large forefinger notch and jimping on the thumb ramp and butt provide added grip. Each knife comes with a black polymer Auto-Retention Sheath that can be carried horizontally or vertically. It's also compatible with TEK-LOK mounts.

The HK Knives Fray is made in the USA by Hogue, and priced at $150 MSRP. For more information, go to HogueInc.com.

Pounding Pavement: Man-Tracking Skills for Urban Environments

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“There is nothing that sharpens a man’s senses so acutely as to know that bitter and determined enemies are in pursuit of him night and day.” — Frederick Russell Burnham, Scouting on Two Continents

Tracking is more than an outdated science seen in movies or documentaries about Native Americans. Its applications span centuries; tracking was employed in the tactical arena from the American Indian Wars to Vietnam, Rhodesia, and Afghanistan, to name a few. It continues to prove its value on the battlefield and in search-and-rescue (SAR) operations, even compared to more sophisticated methods involving high-cost assets, such as helicopters, drones, and working dogs.

Man-tracking can be used to great effect in preventing criminal and terrorist actions in an urban environment. We tend to think of tracking in the context of spotting broken twigs and muddy footprints in the woods, but tracking isn’t only useful in rural areas or off-grid scenarios. Taking advantage of in-depth observation and collection of clues, a tracker will prevail in the most difficult terrain: the concrete jungle.

My personal “dirt time,” for example, requires nothing more than a handful of minutes spent in the city where I currently live, constantly looking for tracks and focusing myself on their interpretation. With a population of more than 2 million, I get plenty of practice daily.

The essential starting point for both rural and urban tracking is Locard’s exchange principle: “Every contact leaves a trace.” In other words, any person who moves through an environment will leave behind some evidence — however small and easily overlooked — of those movements. The primary differences lie in the nature of the scenario.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, human trafficking affects between 7,000 and 9,000 victims annually, with 49,000 cases reported in the last 10 years in the United States alone. Widen the scope to kidnapping and the numbers skyrocket to thousands reported daily. Roughly 800,000 children go missing each year in the U.S. Then, there’s bounty hunting and locating fugitives, another enterprise where tracking skills are invaluable. All of these situations are prime examples of scenarios where skilled urban trackers can save lives.

What is Urban Man-Tracking?

According to Fernando Moreira’s Visual Mantracking for Law Enforcement and Search & Rescue, urban tracking is a “fast-paced man-tracking effort in urban environments for military, law enforcement, and SAR teams.”

Even if observing and following clues in this kind of context represents a real challenge, the experienced tracker knows many of the tracking techniques used in rural environments can also be used in urban environments. Still, infrastructure differences — such as concrete and asphalt roads as opposed to dirt trails — “provide an entirely new medium upon which signs must be identified,” according to John Hurth. In his book, Combat Tracking Guide, Hurth classifies urban areas in four main categories: villages (population of 3,000 or fewer), large cities (what we can easily identify as “megalopolis”), towns (not part of a bigger urban complex), and strip areas (areas of connection between major urban locales).

Considering the peculiarities of each category, it soon becomes obvious it’s essential for a tracker to do a careful follow-up on all leads in urban settings. This means taking advantage of every detail they can collect through intelligence as well as through an accurate observation of the entire scenario, even if these details are continuously changing due to the characteristics of the heavily populated environment they’re operating in.

Even partial tracks or footprints are enough to keep a skilled tracker hot on the trail.

How Does it Work?

Tracking in an urban setting has more in common with rural tracking than most people might think. It’s all based on the proper observation not only of footprints, but also of every kind of sign left by the quarry. Locard’s principle is perfectly relevant in an urban context. A tracker can run across footprints as well as tire tread evidence, or any number of other indicators of people who “engage in other activities that leave multiple residues to capture footprints,” writes Moreira. This can include leaving behind trash from food or drinks, but also spitting, bleeding, or losing or deliberately jettisoning personal items.

All of these elements indicate the passage of a person and provide valuable clues, as do the flagging of leaves on a playground, the partial tracks left on the sand inside a building site, the geometry of a shoe pattern captured by the sap of a green leaf, the scratches on the moss that partially cover an abandoned structure, the transfer of water/mud/snow, and so on. While signs left by feet are often the most plentiful, don’t forget all the disturbances made by hands and the upper body. Last but not least are tire treads, which can actually reveal more detail than most imagine.

For instance, tire tread evidence played a key role in solving the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing case. FBI Special Agent William J. Bodziak gathered and studied evidence left by the truck McVeigh and Nichols used to transport the bomb “to determine the axle belonged to a specific truck that had been rented to an individual who listed his name on the rental agreement as Robert Kling,” as described in the book Tire Tread And Tire Track Evidence. Kling was the same name used by McVeigh to register in a nearby motel. Later, Bodziak made track-width measurements of the vehicle, adding additional evidence to the case.

Recognizing, following, and interpreting all these clues is imperative in an urban scenario. The tracker should facilitate his own research by looking for so-called “track traps,” areas where tracks/signs are most likely to be found.

Hurth compiled a good list of urban “track traps,” which include the following:

  • Edges of roads
  • Patches of dust and dirt
  • Alleyways
  • River beds/streams
  • In and around gardens
  • Areas where you can still find dew
  • Inclines and declines
  • Oil spots in parking areas
  • Soft tar
  • Drainage ditches
  • Muddy zones
  • Bicycle routes
  • Entrances to doorways and gates
  • Generally, any area able to retain a complete or partial sign of passage

 

My tracking mentor, David Michael Hull, wrote in his book Man Tracking in Law Enforcement, “Vision is the most important sense used in the art of tracking. Although most of us can see, we differ in our perception of what we’re looking at. This is because of the acuteness of our physical eye, our ability to focus on the task at hand, and the perceptions we have from previous experiences and training.”

Being able to locate the right tracks to follow is one of the biggest challenges of a tracker in an urban scenario, due to constant changes of medium — asphalt, concrete, mud, metal, puddles, grass in a garden, and so on. The more obvious thing to do, and a good starting point, is to proceed by “elimination tracking” — identifying areas where people have not passed. As Hull explains, “The lack of evidence is evidence in itself.”

This convenient method, mostly used in search and rescue, can be successfully applied in certain areas of an urban environment.

Once the correct tracks are identified, the tracker should pass all the information gained to the rest of the team in order to compare the evidence found with any data already archived, like measurements, photos (if available), length of stride and straddle, and so on.

Tracks contain data that must be properly measured and analyzed in order to properly extrapolate all possible...

Counter-Tracking During Urban Movement

A skilled tracker is perfectly aware that following a quarry into the often nonexistent boundaries of an urban scenario includes knowledge of the principles of stalking as well as counter-tracking. A known case of this is the manhunt of former SAS trainee turned murderer Barry Prudom (aka “The Phantom of the Forest”) in England in the summer of 1982. Prudom was able to evade the police for 17 days despite a widespread manhunt. Eventually, he was successfully tracked down by Eddie McGee, a former paratrooper and SAS operator.

The first, and most obvious, approach to an escape and evasion situation inside a city is to move rapidly without being seen or detected. This is much more relevant in an urban context than a rural one. Counter-tracking procedures can be applied as well, if the quarry is conscious of being followed. However, the application of countering methods consumes precious time in all cases and with most types of trackable evidence.

Understanding the details a tracker must follow — especially if deception is practiced — and also interpreting them properly to predict subsequent actions and movements can become exceedingly difficult. For this reason, the tracker should follow the golden rules of stalking — “take risks early” (per Bob Carss in The Complete Guide to Tracking) and, perhaps more importantly, “put himself into the mind of the quarry” (per David Scott Donelan in Tactical Tracking Operations: The Essential Guide For Military And Police Trackers). The latter requires effective post-analysis of a found track not just to figure out the quarry's immediate movement pattern, but also to estimate their possible long-term intentions.

Above: “track” doesn't have to be a footprint or impression. Everything from fluid spills to discarded trash and fibers can inform a tracker about their quarry's movement or intentions.

Basically, counter-tracking techniques are used “primarily to slow down, confuse, lose, or eliminate a tracker. Culture, religious affiliation, and the amount and quality of training the quarry received will determine how he reacts to the pressure of being hunted,” according to Hurth. If he’s aware of being followed, the quarry may adopt extreme measures to increase the distance between him and the tracker. In an urban context, this generally means walking in packed streets to avoid possible “track traps” — favoring dry asphalt or concrete, changing direction very often, and paying extreme caution not to lose anything, even hair, mucus, or blood that could be easily traced to the quarry.

Separate from counter-tracking, anti-tracking methods (minimizing the signs of passage) can be very effective in a metropolitan area due to the nature of big cities and the chaos generated by an unending mob of residents and tourists. In a rural environment, the “speed and distance” technique would immediately produce more noise and more signs on the ground, due to the kinetics of movement. However, in a populated area, these disadvantages are greatly mitigated, making urban tracking extremely strenuous for any team following an experienced quarry.

Even the urban environment can trap readable tracks that will help keep the pursuit alive.

Beat Feet

Just as in rural areas, once the trackers have observed a footprint pattern and wear that clearly leads to the quarry, they focus on preserving further tracks, avoiding contamination from the rest of the team. Wear is the gradual erosion of the shoe’s outsole material as it contacts the ground.

According to agent Bodziak’s writing in the Journal of Forensic Identification, “Erosion of the shoe’s outsole is influenced by many factors, including but not limited to the way a person stands and walks, the amount of time the shoe has been worn, the surfaces over which the shoe passed, the type of soling material, the weight and flexibility of the wearer, and whether the footwear is used for jogging, walking, tennis, or just everyday usage.

In other words, the particular wear makes any shoe unique and represents sort of an identification of the quarry. This is what happened in the O.J. Simpson case. The New York Times reported “an expert from the Federal Bureau of Investigation testified today at O.J. Simpson’s trial that the person who left a trail of bloody shoe prints along the walkway in front of Nicole Brown Simpson’s home last June wore size 12 shoes, the same size worn by Mr. Simpson.” The witness, Bodziak, traced down the model of the shoes that left the prints to two factories in eastern Italy, the NYT reported.

Thanks to the FBI Footprints Database, a tracker can send photos of a single track taken from different perspectives to the federal law enforcement agency and find out if the pattern of the found track can be matched to a suspect based upon the wear patterns of the footwear.

According to Dave Brewer’s and Wes Hoekwater’s writing in the FLETC Journal, “Footprints are much like latent fingerprints in that no two wear patterns are the same. Additionally, footprints can show many things to include the speed of the individual leaving the scene.”

Tracking has always been, and will likely always be, at the intersection of science and art. It’s an indispensable skill for both professional teams and prepared individuals alike who want the ability to locate and identify potential signs of human predators in their vicinity. The urban and suburban environment adds additional challenges for the tracker and need to be considered carefully, especially when involved in a real-time pursuit of determined adversaries. But the task is far from impossible and, with proper education and the right resources, urban tracking allows citizens to be more aware of the human terrain around their homes. For military, law enforcement, or rescue teams, these same skills can take much of the guesswork out of finding those who can’t or don’t want to be found.

About the Author

Kyt Walken is a European-based instructor for the U.S.-based Hull’s Tracking School. She has been an outdoor enthusiast and tracking worshipper since childhood.

She attended her first Man Tracking class with the Scott Donelan Tracking School’s European Division in 2015. In June 2017, she took part in the Tactical Acuity C-IED Class held by Hull’s Tracking School. She now teaches her own basic and advanced tracking classes all over her home country of Italy.

She leads classes around Europe, collaborates with a forensic lab located in Rome, is practiced in the South African tracking method of spooring, and an author and podcast host, spreading awareness about the benefits of tracking and the importance of wildlife and environmental conservation.

Pocket Preps: Neck Knives

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In the last issue we focused on the micro folding knife — a blade that’s 2 inches or shorter — as a backup to your larger edged tool. In this edition of “Pocket Preps,” we’re gonna take a look at its cousin: the neck knife.

During an outdoor adventure or in a survival situation, your primary edged tool should be a large bushcraft blade that can perform a wide range of tasks. But a neck knife can be a reliable backup if you lose or damage your main knife.

This small tool is quicker to deploy than a micro pocket knife, because it’s ready to go once yanked from around your neck. Most have no opening mechanism to fumble with. Also, with a simple design and few moving parts, it’s less likely to break. And because it’s hanging from your neck, it’s accessible with both hands. Added bonus: Some of these models can be setup as boot knives, too.

Read on to see if there’s a lethal necklace that’s right for your survival needs.

Bastinelli Knives BB Drago Cutter V2

OAL: 4.4 inches
Blade Material: N690Co stainless steel
Weight: 1.4 ounces
MSRP: $135
URL: bastinelliknives.com

What the BB Drago lacks in length it makes up for in girth. It has a broad modified Wharncliffe blade that’s great for piercing, draw cuts, and widowing. This beautiful and lightweight model comes with a Kydex sheath with a ball chain. Manufactured in Italy by Fox Knives.

Pros:

  • Profile and jimping is ideal for a thumb-supported grip.
  • G10 is our favorite handle material
  • The N690Co blade is sharp, tough, and corrosion resistant.

Cons:

  • The tiny handle has room for only two fingers.

Winkler Knives Zipper/Arrow

OAL: 5 inches
Blade Material: 80CrV2 high-carbon steel
Weight: 1.2 ounces
MSRP: $95
URL: winklerknives.com

Iconic knife-maker Daniel Winkler designed this as an everyday-carry tool that could be carried even in areas with restrictive size limits. Not a neck knife per se, this high-quality fixed blade comes with a double-gated carabiner attached to its sheath, allowing it to accept a cord or chain necklace. Made in the USA.

Pros:

  • The 80CrV2 blade cuts, stabs, and slices like a mini lightsaber.
  • Slim Kydex sheath has a simple-but-genius integrated lock.
  • The included Nite Ize carabiner increases the carry options.

Cons:

  • 80CrV2 is awesome steel, but isn’t stainless; the blade will need regular care to prevent rusting.

Tangram Brevis DropPoint

OAL: 5.06 inches
Blade Material: Acuto 440 stainless steel
Weight: 0.8 ounce
MSRP: $26
URL: amazon.com

This was designed by U.S.-based knife-maker Dirk Pinkerton for Tangram, a Chinese firm that makes entry-level knives and markets them to the West. If we didn’t know better, we would never have guessed it was made in China. Solid craftsmanship for an affordable price.

Pros:

  • Versatile blade profile works great for a variety of tasks.
  • Finger groove increases “grippyness”
  • Made from a Japanese version of 440C stainless steel
  • Comes with cord to do your own custom handle wrap

Cons:

  • No cord or chain to fashion a lanyard

Columbia River Knife & Tool Minimalist

OAL: 5.22 inches
Blade Material: 5Cr15Mov stainless steel
Weight: 1.7 ounces
MSRP: $40
URL: crkt.com

This popular model is comfy in the hand and versatile for both the great outdoors and urban environments. The Minimalist comes with a glass-reinforced nylon sheath and is also available with a Bowie, tanto, or Wharncliffe blade profile. Form, function, and affordability earns it this column’s Best Value Neck Knife Award.

Pros:

  • G10 scales and deep finger grooves provide an assured grip.
  • Cord fob attached to handle provides a grip for your pinky and extra cordage.
  • Neck cord has a push-button stopper to customize fit.
  • Drop-point profile is adaptable for different cutting tasks.

Cons:

  • Sheath doesn’t have the best blade retention.

Boker Plus Slyde-R

OAL: 5.5 inches
Blade Material: 440C stainless steel
Weight: 1.1 ounces
MSRP: $45
URL: bokerusa.com

The sole oddity in this buyer’s guide, the Slyde-R isn’t a fixed blade, but rather features a push-button opening mechanism that lets you slide the blade in and out of the handle, similar to a boxcutter. While not a bushcraft-worthy blade, it certainly is the most fun neck knife to fidget with. Comes with a ball chain.

Pros:

  • 440C might be old, but it’s still dependable stainless steel.
  • Fun opening mechanism that’s easy to use with one hand
  • G10 is our favorite handle material.

Cons:

  • Slower to deploy than fixed blades
  • Blade can wiggle during hard use.

Terrain 365 Element Bravo-HD

OAL: 6 inches
Blade Material: Terravantium Dendritic Cobalt
Weight: 4.2 ounces
MSRP: $195
URL: terrain365.com

Notes
The $195 price tag is not a typo. But considering it’s guaranteed by Terrain 365 to never corrode “in all of earth’s natural environments,” it’s worth considering. Made of proprietary Terravantium alloy, the Element is rustproof, durable, and made in the USA. It easily earns this column’s Top Pick Award.

Pros:

  • Terrain 365 guarantees this field neck knife won’t corrode.
  • Stout blade can pierce, slice, or shave.
  • Has the Goldilocks touch; good balance of length, weight, and portability
  • Slim Kydex sheath included

Cons:

  • At $195, we expected a better lanyard than the 3mm-thin (re: uncomfortable) cord to wear around our neck.

Gerber Gear Ghostrike Fixed Blade

OAL: 6.9 inches
Blade Material: 420HC stainless steel
Weight: 1.7 ounces
MSRP: $50
URL: gerbergear.com

Designed as a belt-carry knife that can also be worn on a pack, in a boot, or as a neck knife, the Ghostrike is a skinny blade that’s meant to be carried discreetly for self-defense purposes. It comes with a textured rubber grip on the handle and an equally slim polymer sheath. Made in the USA.

Pros:

  • Low-vis appearance
  • Skeletonized full-tang handle to lighten the load
  • Sheath has both vertical and horizontal belt carry options.

Cons:

  • No cord or ball chain included
  • 420HC isn’t the best steel.

Kershaw Knives Dune

OAL: 7.7 inches
Blade Material: 3Cr13 stainless steel
Weight: 2.2 ounces
MSRP: $40
URL: kershawknives.com

Part sci-fi, part ancient ninja, the Dune is what Kershaw calls a “neck sword.” At 7.7 inches in length, it’s longer than most neck knives and features an angular tanto blade profile. It has textured, glass-filled nylon scales and comes with a molded polymer sheath and a cord. Made in China.

Pros:

  • Longer length means more handle and cutting edge.
  • Aesthetically unique
  • Despite its birthplace, the Dune features quality workmanship.
  • The tanto tip is excellent for stabbing.

Cons:

  • Tanto profile limits versatility.
  • Handle is a little too skinny.

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