New: Grey Ghost Gear Impact 24 EDC Backpack

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Grey Ghost Gear recently released a new addition to its already extensive line of packs and bags: the Impact 24. It's designed for urban EDC, but the company already has some packs built for that — for example, the Gypsy backpack we previously reviewed. So why another? The answer, we're told, lies with GG Senior Product Designer Stephen Crowe. He designed the pack while commuting every day by bicycle.

Crowe explains his reasoning: “I needed a more vertical backpack with a specific pocket configuration that I had not seen yet in any of our existing bags. I kept experimenting with tiered exterior pockets for all the essentials I needed in an average 24-hour period like my phone, wallet, and keys… [and] space for bike tools, patch kit and an extra tube in case of a flat.”

“Most importantly, I wanted to truncate the main compartment in favor of a third exterior pocket at the bottom with maximum depth. Originally intended to house pre-made meals, this bottom pocket is spacious enough for cameras, small drones and other sensitive items that would otherwise get crushed if tossed into the main compartment with other items.”

The Impact 24 was designed with bicycle use in mind, but it's potentially a good choice for a number of uses, whether you're pounding pavement, bugging out on a 2×2 utility bike, or just riding the metro.

The Impact 24 is made of Rip-Stop Nylon and 500D Cordura to keep the bag lightweight and well balanced “for anyone on the move; something you will appreciate if you ride your bicycle, motorcycle, skateboard or scooter to work.” It includes a laptop sleeve, long zippered side pockets, and a front zippered mesh pocket for quick-access EDC kit items. The exterior features daisy-chain loops for carabiner attachment or lashing on other gear.

The Impact 24 EDC backpack is available in Black, Wolf Grey, and Olive colorways. MSRP is $175, but it's currently up for pre-order at $105 on GreyGhostGear.com.

Specifications:

  • Upper Interior: 12.5” H x 10” W x 7” D
  • Tablet Sleeve: 12” x 10” W
  • Lower Interior: 7” H X 10” W X 7” D
  • Upper Exterior: 6” HX 8.5” W X 2” D
  • Middle Exterior: 5” H X 5.5” W X 2” D
  • Total Volume: 23.7 liters

Digital Home Security: 5 Easy Ways to Protect Your WiFi Network

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Most of us have put a substantial amount of thought and effort into protecting our homes against intruders. You might have an alarm system, a doorbell camera, high fences, a dog that barks loudly, upgraded door locks and striker plates, a bedside gun, or all of the above. You'd certainly be angry if an uninvited stranger opened your door and started going through all your drawers, taking pictures of your valuables, looking over your shoulder as you type, and listening to your private conversations.

A physical intrusion of that magnitude seems absurd, but in the digital space, it's more common than you might think. It's possible for someone to break into most WiFi networks with nothing but a laptop, a modicum of research skills, and (depending on your security measures) some patience. Hackers can find targets from a neighboring house or apartment, on foot, or inside a vehicle (known as wardriving). You may not even know an intrusion is happening — unlike a burglar kicking in your door, an uninvited guest on your wireless network can easily go unnoticed.

The Dangers of Poor Network Security

In the best case, an intruder may just be freeloading off the internet service you're paying for, using your bandwidth and slowing down your devices. In worse cases, they could be skimming your passwords and personal information, or committing crimes from within your network. Just imagine law enforcement officers pounding on your door to ask why child porn was being distributed from your network. That could conceivably be the result of a criminal exploiting a major lapse in your digital home security.

The dangers of poor network security aren't just local, either. Last year, security researchers learned that an “advanced, likely state-sponsored” malware known as VPNFilter had affected at least 500,000 routers and other network devices in 54 countries. Most of these devices were victimized because of “known public exploits or default credentials that make compromise relatively straightforward.” Like the devastating cyberattack known as Petya, analysts have speculated this malware originated in Russia and may have been at least partially targeted at the Ukraine.

According to the cybersecurity experts at CISCO Talos, “[VPNFilter] has a destructive capability that can render an infected device unusable, which can be triggered on individual victim machines or en masse, and has the potential of cutting off internet access for hundreds of thousands of victims worldwide.” It also gave attackers the ability to harvest website credentials and monitor network traffic.

Fortunately, protecting against most of these attacks is often as simple as ensuring your router is frequently updated and equipped with a few key security features. Read on to find out how.

Routers & Modems

Examples of a Netgear router (left) and Motorola modem (right).

Before we go any further, it's worth clarifying the difference between a router and modem. If you already know this difference, go ahead and skip the remainder of this section.

A modem enables you to connect to the internet through your internet service provider (ISP). The modem receives signal from outside your home over a coaxial cable (for cable modems) or telephone wire (for DSL modems). Standalone modems typically have only one output port for another device — this usually connects directly to your router.

A router distributes (or routes) that connection to various other wired and wireless devices in your home. To borrow a simplified metaphor from Gizmodo, the router is like a front-desk receptionist at a large office building. It's easy to walk through the front door (modem) but the receptionist (router) is the single point of contact who will determine who you are and where you're going in the building. If your credentials are incorrect or you're asking to meet with the wrong person, security (the router's firewall) won't let you go any further. The router is therefore your main point of defense — if someone gets past it, they can cause all sorts of havoc.

The router acts like a receptionist in the entrance of an office building. (Flickr.com/oimax | CC BY 2.0)

It's possible to get a router/modem combination unit with all-in-one functionality — many people get these as rentals or loaners from their ISP. However, if you're looking to maximize your security, we'd advise you to buy your own separate, high-quality modem and router. This can help you maximize the speed you're paying for, and also improve reliability. If one of the devices starts having issues, it'll be easier to troubleshoot and replace the culprit. Make sure the modem you buy is on your ISP's approved list for your internet package (check the company's web site or search “[provider name] modem list”).

Accessing Router Settings

For the rest of this article, we'll focus on your router, since it's your primary line of defense. We'll also assume it's one you've purchased and have complete administrative control over.

To figure out how to log in to your router's control panel, check the instruction manual. Most of the time it's as simple as connecting a device, opening the internet browser, typing in 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 into the address bar, and entering the username and password from the instruction manual. If you can't log in for any reason, you may need to press the factory reset button on your router — this will reset the admin username and password to the factory default, and clear any other custom settings.

1. Make Sure Firmware & Hardware is Up-to-Date

Once you've connected to your router, the first thing to look at is the version of its firmware (the software that controls it). There's usually a button to check for updates — click it, and take a few minutes to install the latest firmware version that's available. These updates often fix security vulnerabilities that were discovered after the router was released, such as the KRACK exploit that allowed hackers to breach networks in 2017.

If no updates are available, or if you've owned your router for more than 3-4 years, it may be time to upgrade to a newer model. Router technology moves quickly, so upgrading to a new (but not bleeding-edge new) model every few years will give you the latest security features. In many cases, it'll also improve connection reliability and speed by meeting the latest industry standards.

2. Change Your Wifi Network Name (SSID)

Here's an exercise to try at home: get your cell phone or laptop and check the available WiFi networks in your vicinity. Most of them will be password-protected, but the network names (also known as SSIDs) will still tell you quite a bit of information. “Smith network” tells you the owner's last name so you can look up their address and learn more about their family or business. “Netgear” tells you the type of router so you can research security exploits for it, and also indicates that the device is probably still using the manufacturer's default settings (and admin username/password).

smartphone cell phone wifi internet

To avoid giving away information about your network, simply change the network name to something that has nothing to do with your family or device. If you're especially crafty, you could do some misdirection and call it “Linksys” when your router is actually a Netgear. That way, if someone tries to research device-related exploits, they'll be sent on a wild goose chase. (Don't bother with comedy names like “virus distribution network” or “FBI surveillance van” — you're not scaring anyone off with those.)

Hiding your SSID is an option that makes your network invisible to the public, but it's more of an inconvenience to your guests than an effective security measure. It's very easy to discover hidden networks with a single command in Windows, and anyone who might try to hack your network is likely to know this. Still, you might get lucky and avoid the attention of less-experienced hackers.

3. Use a Strong Encryption Protocol

If you've ever configured a new WiFi network, you've probably seen a few options next to the password field. These might include None, WEP, WPA, WPA-TKIP, WPA-AES, and WPA2-AES. The “none” option means an open network with no password — we shouldn't have to explain why that's a terrible idea. The other options are security protocols. You can think of these like locks on the virtual door to your network.

WEP is the oldest and trivially easy to crack, taking only minutes to breach with commonly-available programs. WPA (as well as the newer WPA-TKIP and WPA-AES variants) are better choices, but they're still not ideal. WPA2-AES is the industry standard and the most secure option of these choices. By ensuring your router is set to WPA2-AES and following the password recommendations below, you'll be placing a huge roadblock in the way of anyone looking to break into your network.

(A newer protocol, WPA3, is on the horizon, but will likely need some more work before it's considered a true security improvement on WPA2-AES.)

4. Set Secure Passwords

Immediately after setting the SSID and encryption protocol, you'll need to set secure passwords for your WiFi network and router. Do not use the default credentials. Unless this is your first day on the internet, you should know that common words like “password” and numbers like “12345” are weak. Many people go to the opposite end of the spectrum and think that passwords need to be complex gibberish like “Q7#eN8*52hW2k$35” — fortunately, that's not necessarily the case.

A happy medium is to start with a long, complex, and memorable phrase. Ideally it should be obscure or totally unique. Avoid famous lines like “franklymydearidontgiveadamn” or “ilovethesmellofnapalminthemorning.” Once you have a phrase, incorporate capital letters, symbols, and numbers throughout the phrase to make it more difficult to guess. In the article Tips for Better Passwords, Consumer Reports gave the example, “Th3Qu1ckBr0wnF0xJump$0verTh3LazyD0g.” This method produces a passphrase that's secure, but not impossible to memorize like the gibberish example above.

Diceware is another method that involves rolling dice to generate a randomized string of numbers that are cross-referenced with a word list to create a phrase.

You should create secure passwords for your WiFi network(s) as well as your router's administrator control panel. Use different passwords for each. This way, someone can't gain access to your WiFi network through legitimate means (i.e. visiting your house) and sneakily disable the router's security features while they're logged-on.

5. Monitor Connected Devices

Even if you've done all these things, it's unlikely that someone will defeat your security measures, but it's not impossible. You should therefore know how to check the devices that are currently connected to your WiFi network — if you don't recognize one or more of them, you should dig deeper to see if your network has been compromised.

(MAC addresses in this image have been censored, but would normally be unique to each device.)

Most routers have a “connected devices” menu that will list the names and MAC addresses of devices that are connected to the router.

The name is set by the user or manufacturer, and can be almost anything — for example “DELL-DESKTOP” or “IPHONE.” Don't trust that this is an accurate representation of a device, since many device names can be changed at will.

A MAC address is a string of 12 numbers and letters that serves as a unique* identifier assigned to a specific internet-connected device — for example, 08:6D:41:00:00:01. The first 6 characters provide information about the company that manufactured the device (or its internet adapter), and this information can be checked using sites such as WireShark.org. In the case of the example, 08:6D:41 comes back as “Apple, Inc.”

*MAC addresses are not always unique — hackers can scan for trusted devices on a network and imitate or “spoof” the MAC address of one of those devices.

Occam's Razor applies here — if you don't recognize a device, don't freak out and assume you've been hacked. That device could be anything from a tablet or e-reader to an Internet of Things device like a smart washing machine (those unnecessarily-smart devices pose threats of their own, but that's a topic for another day). Use the name and MAC address to narrow down what it is.

MAC address filtering, called Access Control in this example, can allow or block specific devices.

If it still seems unusual, you can use your router's MAC address filtering to block certain devices, or block all devices that aren't on a preset whitelist. But as with hiding your SSID, this can become a hassle that's more trouble than it's worth, especially if friends regularly visit and try to use your network.  Help Desk Geek managing editor Aseem Kishore wrote that “[MAC address filtering] really provides no extra security and can actually make your WiFi network less secure.” Periodic MAC address monitoring is a sufficient precaution in most cases.

Closing Thoughts

As with any type of security, you need to balance protection with practicality — for most of us on home networks, the five simple steps above will offer sufficient protection against the most common WiFi intrusion attempts. However, if you'd like to delve more into network security and set up additional barriers, we'll leave you with some other tips:

  • Reducing broadcast range is one easy (albeit potentially inconvenient) way to enhance security — hackers have to be within range of your network to breach it. On dual-band routers, the 2.4 GHz band can pass through walls and other obstructions more easily than 5 GHz, meaning that it extends beyond the property line of many homes. Disabling 2.4 GHz in your router settings will limit how far your network spreads, but may also lead to dead zones in your house.
  • Disable remote management or SSH access. These features create a web gateway for remote login to the router, and provide one more avenue for hackers to attack. Thankfully, most routers have this feature disabled by default.
  • Disable WPS. This press-to-connect “easy button” makes it more convenient to connect new devices to your router, but it's also notoriously easy to crack the PIN, allowing hackers to completely circumvent your WiFi password. Many newer routers have lockouts to prevent continuous “brute force” WPS PIN attempts, but it's safer to simply turn off this feature or buy a router that doesn't support it.
  • Disable WiFi when it's not needed. This is the most extreme measure you can take, but the only one that guarantees the network can't be hacked wirelessly. Some routers (such as Synology) offer the ability to turn WiFi on and off at scheduled times, so you can shut it down while you're at work, asleep, or out of town.

For an in-depth checklist of router and WiFi network security measures, refer to RouterSecurity.org. However, keep in mind that many of the tips there are increasingly technical and bring a higher degree of hassle than the measures we discussed above.

Prepare to Meet SHTF Fitness Standards

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This article originally appeared in Issue 7 of our magazine.

Warning! The exercises and content expressed in this column are for illustrative purposes only. Consult a medical professional before trying any physical activity or nutritional plan.

The moment you’ve been planning for has come. Disaster has struck, and you’re prepared. “I’ll just grab my bug-out bag and hoof it to safety,” you might say. Sounds good on paper… but are you actually fit enough to do it?

Physical preparation is the oft-neglected aspect of being prepared for what is to come. Preparation is about being durable — being able to take whatever is thrown your way. This could involve wading knee-deep in water or climbing over a pile of rubble. Heck, it may even be a literal run for your life. Combine these physical feats with your heavy bug-out bag and some extra supplies, and suddenly SHTF fitness becomes a whole different ballgame.

This begs the question, are you fit enough to save your own life? Let’s take a look at some minimum SHTF fitness standards to ensure you’re ready.

Minimums

Military and law enforcement are known to have minimum physical fitness requirements or standards you must meet to be considered for a spot. There’s a very broad range of requirements that is based on the job, and survival is no different. One should be expected to have the ability to perform basic human movements, but above all else, you should be able to handle what’s thrown at you.

You don’t want to be the weak link in your group, do you? Worse yet, if you’re alone, you have only yourself to rely on to get through tough times. Running from pursuers, jumping across a stream, swimming to safety, climbing over a fence, and lifting and carrying supplies all seem like pretty realistic physical activities that you may need to undertake. Based on that, let’s take a look at some bare minimums you should be able to complete. If you can’t, it looks like you have some training to do.

Running

Having adequate endurance is a must, especially when moving long distances with equipment. Running is one of the basic human movements that will absolutely be necessary at some point.

Test: 3-mile run for time

Standard for Men: 27 minutes

Standard for Women: 30 minutes

Training: We’ll look at using quarter-mile repeats to improve endurance and, to a degree, running speed. You’ll start by running four quarter-mile intervals, with no more than two minutes of rest in between and run times being within about five seconds of each other. This will take a little bit of trial and error. Every other week, bump up the number of intervals by one. When you can, reduce your rest periods in 15-second intervals. Complete two sessions per week.

Swimming

Swimming may be the difference between life and death. Floods can happen when bad weather strikes, and ensuring you can get to safety is crucial. The 12-minute swim test is a great way to determine your swimming ability. Simply swim as far as you can in 12 minutes.

Test: 12-minute swim test (freestyle)

Standard for Men: 500 yards

Standard for Women: 400 yards

Training: Start training with a total distance of 200 yards per session in 50-yard intervals, two to three times per week. Increase in 50-yard increments each week until you reach 500 yards. From there, add 25 yards every other week until you are able to swim for 12 minutes without stopping.

Jumping

Jumping over obstacles, or even having the necessary lower body power to do so, can really come in handy. Hell, how about jumping between buildings Jason Bourne-style? Who knows? We’ll use the standing long jump to measure this. Standing in one spot, jump forward as far as you can. Measure where you make contact with the ground at your heels.

Test: Standing long jump

Standard for Men: 1.25 x your height

Standard for Women: 1 x your height

Training: The squat jump is a great power training exercise for the lower body. Start from a standing position. Drop straight down with your hips back, and aggressively jump as high as you can. Move down fast, then up fast. Stick the landing before completing another repetition. Add load if necessary. Complete three sets of eight repetitions, two to three times per week.

Climbing

Manipulating your bodyweight is something everyone should be able to do, and what better way than climbing? Being able to climb up a tree or over a fence is a pretty realistic necessity. We’ll mimic this by setting a minimum of pull-ups — only we’ll do the tactical variation (thumb next to index finger), which is more applicable to real-world obstacles.

Test: Tactical pull-up for repetitions

Standard for Men: 8

Standard for Women: 3

Training: If you are unable to complete a pull-up, first focus on doing assisted pull-ups until you build up strength. This is best done through using a band to provide some assistance. Start by putting one foot through a band and crossing the other leg over. Grab a bar overhead and squeeze it very hard. Pull your shoulder blades down, creating space between your neck and shoulders. Drive your elbows to your sides until your neck is in-line with the bar. Slowly return to the starting position. Performing three to five sets of three to five reps, two to three times per week, will help you build the requisite strength to complete the above standard.

Strength

Picking a heavy object off of the floor is about as basic as it gets, so it should come as no surprise that this made it on the list. What exercise can help you with that? A deadlift.

Test: Deadlift

Standard for Men: 1.5 x your bodyweight

Standard for Women: 1 x your bodyweight

Training: Begin standing comfortably with the bar directly over your shoelaces. Take a deep breath through your belly, brace your abs (like someone is going to punch you), and hold it. This will help stabilize your spine. Drive your hips backward, keeping your lower back flat, until you feel your hamstrings tighten. Bend your knees to reach the bar. Grab the bar and crush it. Your grip should be just outside your legs. With heavier weight, an alternated grip (pictured here) will work best. Make a double-chin and shift your head backwards to get neutral neck alignment. Look up with your eyes, not your head. Pull the bar back into your shins and drive your heels through the floor. Finish at the top by squeezing your butt. Reverse the previous instructions to return to the starting position. As with the pull-up, deadlift strength can be built very well by following three to five of three to five repetitions, two to three times per week.

Carrying

Carrying people, moving supplies, or clearing obstacles are all things you most likely will have to do, regardless of the scenario. You should be able to carry some pretty heavy weight — at least your body weight.

Test: Farmer’s carry your body weight for 20 seconds

Standard for Men: Half of your bodyweight in each hand

Standard for Women: Half of your bodyweight in each hand

Training: Simply grab two heavy weights (too heavy to shrug), and go for a walk. Complete three sets, three times per week. Focus on crushing the handles and slowly build up to the above recommendation.

Conclusion

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, if you’re proficient in these areas, you’ll be in good shape. These should be looked at as minimums, so if these standards seem difficult, you have some work to do. You should be able to far exceed the SHTF fitness minimums given some proper training. It really can’t be stressed enough that physical preparedness is absolutely vital to any bug-out plan. You never know what life will throw your way. Do what you need to do to prepare for the worst, and don’t let fitness be the limiting factor.

About the Author

Ryne Gioviano, M.S.Ed., NSCA-CPT is the owner of Achieve Personal Training & Lifestyle Design. He holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology and is a certified personal trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. For more information, visit www.achieve-personaltraining.com. You can find Ryne on Twitter and Instagram at @RGioviano.

Situational Awareness: Can You Recognize the Sound of Gunfire?

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Situational awareness is the foundation of most survival skills. By constantly looking, listening, and using your other senses to pay attention to your surroundings, you develop a natural early warning system for various dangers. Those dark clouds on the horizon and the sudden breeze against your skin may signify an incoming storm. An individual's tense body language, avoidant gaze, and unusually bulky jacket may indicate they're planning an armed robbery of the store you just walked into. And in a worst-case scenario, those pops you just heard inside your office building might have been the sound of gunfire.

Shots at an outdoor range will sound substantially different than those echoing through a building.

By paying attention to these initial cues, we can be ready to react to a threat if it presents itself. On the other hand, if you're glued to your phone, blasting music through your earbuds, or sidetracked by any number of other distractions, you may not see a threat coming until it's too late.

Hearing the sound of gunfire might be an immediate sign of a life-and-death situation — of course, this is heavily dependent on context. In the wilderness or near a shooting range, it isn't unusual, but in a school, church, or office building, it certainly is. Above all, it's important to determine if what you heard was in fact a gunshot.

For those of us who've been shooting frequently for years or decades, it's easy to feel assured that we'd know gunshots if we heard them. However, it's not necessarily that simple. The sound of a handgun at an indoor range differs greatly from the sound of a large-caliber rifle outdoors; distance and directionality are also important factors. Also consider the presence or absence of ear protection, ambient noise, and other environmental factors that might skew perception.

Experience is the most effective teacher of this skill, but there are a few other ways to become better prepared to detect the first signs of gunfire. As a police officer and shooting instructor, Greg Ellifritz has often been asked the question “what does gunfire sound like?” by less-experienced members of the community. His article on ActiveResponseTraining.net offers a few suggestions — here are some excerpts:

First, acknowledge the fact that an active shooter event can happen anywhere. If you hear loud popping noises, don’t allow denial or rationalization to convince you that they aren’t gunshots. If you hear loud popping sounds in a public location, assume that they are gunshots and immediately come up with an escape plan.

Be cautious of wearing iPod or stereo headphones in a public place that may be the site of a shooting. Many shots are difficult to hear inside a building. They are far more difficult to identify while wearing headphones.

Even if you have fired a weapon many times, you should recognize that guns fired indoors sound different than guns fired outside.

If you know what guns sound like, do your children? They need to know too. Take them to the range.

If you have control over a large building, it would be very useful to wait until the building is empty and have a friend fire some blank rounds from various locations inside. Get a feel for what the shots sound like and try to locate the shooter. It will be much more difficult than you think.

For more on this subject, check out the original article on ActiveResponseTraining.net. For most of us, the likelihood of encountering an active shooter is low, but situational awareness and the ability to identify this sound can buy you precious seconds if you ever find yourself in that scenario.

Survival Sanitation: Dealing with the “S” in SHTF

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It finally happened. The sh!t hit the fan. And as you and your friends in the preparedness community shake your collective fingers and say, “I told you so” to the woefully unprepared, that old familiar pressure in your gut begins to build. You realize that it’s time to make a sacrifice at the porcelain altar. But if the power is out and the water has stopped running, where will you make your “deposit” — and how can you clean up afterward? What about everybody else? You can’t just start digging holes in your backyard behind the shrubbery…or can you?

In this semi-tastefully written article, we will discuss how to handle pee, poop, and trash in three SHTF scenarios: 1) bugging in, 2) bugging out, and 3) at your bug-out location. When your bowels start to growl, you have to pee like a race horse, or you have an armload of garbage, follow these easy procedures and you’ll have one less thing to worry about in the middle of mayhem.

Bugging in at Home

Despite being embroiled in the struggles of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, we can’t just pile up waste wherever we like — especially at home. Trash and human waste need to be dealt with in a safe and timely manner. The type of sewage system at your home will have a great bearing on your human waste disposal after a disaster.

If you’re on a municipal water and sewage system, the water will flow until the source breaks down. Likewise, the sewage will continue to flow away until that facility fails.

If you’re in a more rural setting, your water usually comes from an electrically powered pump in a well on your own land. You also have a septic system that is usually gravity fed and drains your household sewage into a septic tank — then the liquid overflows into a buried drain field. If your sewage system is on-site and gravity fed, all you need is a bucket of water to pour into the toilet tank or directly into the bowl to keep flushing your toilet for years to come.

Urine: If your toilet is still working, a simple bucket of water from a nearby source will allow you to continue using it. To save on labor and valuable H2O, follow the time-worn adage, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow,” and leave urine in the bowl through multiple uses. When someone drops the inevitable No. 2, use your bucket of water to flush it all away. If your toilet is not functional, it’s usually helpful to keep urine separate from solid human waste to assist in disposal.

A bucket with a tight-fitting lid can make a fine urinal for both genders. It will begin to generate a strong odor after a few days; this is ammonia coming from the breakdown of waste products in the urine. This should be dumped outdoors, preferably in a pit or gravel bed — because the ammonia-rich urine will kill grass, trees, crops, and other vegetation, as any readers with dogs and dead patches in their lawn know quite well.

Feces: Again, a working toilet flushed with buckets of water will spare you some rather unsavory work. But if this isn’t an option, another bucket and lid can save the day. Throw used toilet paper and feminine hygiene products in there as well, since you don’t want to mix this with your trash. Add a little dry material after each use too. This can be a sprinkle of wood ashes, sawdust, dried grass, or shredded newspaper. Dry material helps mitigate the smell, as will a splash of chlorine bleach. It’s OK if some pee ends up in the bucket, but try to keep it separate.

When the bucket nears full (or sooner if you can’t stand the stench), dump the contents in a compost pit and bury it. You could also seal the lid with duct tape and set the bucket outside, hoping that waste management eventually resumes and they’ll know what to do with the biohazard you created.

Trash: Garbage can be treasure when situations become dire. Jars can make drinking glasses. Metal cans could be used as cooking vessels. Paper waste can be crumpled and fluffed into toilet paper. (Don’t believe us? Take a piece of used copy paper or loose-leaf and continually crumble it up. Eventually, it’ll be almost as smooth as tissue.)

Sort your trash and pull out anything that could be useful. Clean or disinfect it somehow, and find a use for it. If it’s just too nasty to save, place it in a bin or bucket with a sprinkle of bleach and a lid. It’s generally not very safe to burn trash in a situation without a functional fire department, so your last resort with particularly vile garbage should be burial rather than flames. Last thing you need in a long-term survival situation is a house fire.

Bugging Out and On the Move

Going while you’re on the go is much simpler than you might expect. And dealing with trash isn’t rocket science either. Since we’re not faced with the issue of fouling our home base, the rules are quite a bit looser. Here’s how you can relieve yourself of burdens while you’re on the move — and even be stealthy about it.

Urine: This one is the simplest of all, pee wherever you like. Since you’re just passing through, it doesn’t matter if you leave behind a urine-scented wet spot in a back alley, the deep forest, or a sandy desert. But if you’re trying to remain off the radar and enjoy some privacy, step off the beaten path and try not to make a disturbance. If you’re being tracked, for example, a gentleman peeing on a tree trunk could leave a visible wet spot for hours. And ladies may leave two deep footprints as they straddle the ground and a toilet paper flag when they’re done, if they’re not careful.

Feces: A “cat hole” is the best way to do the doo in the great outdoors. Use a stick, a shovel, or a trowel to dig a hole 6 to 8 inches deep. Make yourself a bit lighter, wipe up, and bury the evidence. Use your best camouflaging skills to blend in the disturbed soil, and no one should be the wiser. For insurance, throw some sticks or a small log on top to prevent people from stepping in your land mine. If you forgot the toilet paper in your bug-out bag, you can wipe with a stack of dead dry leaves, a stray piece of paper, or anything else with some absorbency — though your nether regions will be non too pleased. (Hence, it’s a good idea to pack a roll of TP in your bug-out bag.)

Trash: There are really only two choices to deal with trash while you’re on the go — bring it with you or hide it. If you think you’re being followed, you can’t exactly litter as you walk. That trail of PowerBar wrappers could lead people right to your bug-out location. You could bury the trash as you go, assuming you’re good at camo techniques, but the best bet is to bring it all with you.

When You're Off the Grid

Since you don’t know how long you’ll be at your bug-out spot, it’s best to treat it like your home and handle things similarly to the home sanitation procedures. There are a few exceptions, however. If your bug-out location (BOL) is a camp in the remote wilderness, there won’t be a toilet to flush with a bucket of water. In an arid climate, you may not have the water to spare even if you do have a toilet on a home septic system. And as we’ll discuss, burning your trash is usually not the best course of action. It’s time to think about a trash pit and a latrine.

Urine: This will end up where the poop ends up, hopefully in a deep latrine hole. That is, unless you decide to do something else with it (see the sidebar to the right).

Feces: Whether your BOL is a campsite, cave, or shack, you’ll most likely need a latrine. This should be a fairly deep but narrow hole, situated both downwind and downhill from your shelter. It should also be at least 50 yards away from your water source, whether it’s a spring, a stream, or a well. The bottom of the latrine should also be at least 6 feet above the water table.
If camouflage is not a concern, you can build a privacy screen with tarps or whatever materials are available. To keep your latrine stealthy, situate it in a cluster of existing bushes or boulders. Keep the hole covered when not in use. Stock some toilet paper in a waterproof container at the latrine (coffee cans are great). A pile of dirt and a small spade allow you to cover the waste after each latrine use. Also, keep some hand sanitizer nearby, or at least soap and water.

Trash: It may be a little tricky figuring out how to handle trash at your hideout. Trash that cannot be repurposed could be burnt, but the smoke may be seen or sniffed by unwelcome guests. Starting a wildfire is also more of a possibility when you start burning trash. For best results, create a trash pit near the latrine and use it for unwanted refuse. A thin, flat rock can hide the pit and help to keep scavenging animals out of the trash.

Pet Pooper

If we’ve learned anything from the classic children’s book Everybody Poops, it’s that your companion animals have to go too. In a crisis event that forces you to stay holed up at home, housebroken dogs and outdoor cats probably won’t change their deuce-dropping style. It really doesn’t matter where they pee, as long as it’s outside.

You should make an effort to clean up their poop, though. This will prevent the spread of bacteria (e.g. when you step in it and track it all over the house), and thereby prevent the spread of potential illness. When your furry pal is done, use a bag over your hand to pick up their poop and drop it in your latrine hole. You’ll have to get creative when you run out of litter for your indoor cat. Try a pan of gravel, mulch, or better yet, sand. Cats are desert creatures, and it’s hard for them to resist burying treasures for you in the sand. Dump the litter box and refill it periodically, pouring the whole thing into your latrine hole.

Making Fertilizer

If your mail is being delivered by Kevin Costner on horseback, then things are pretty grim — all the more reason to make use of every commodity at your disposal. “Nicer” waste, like trash, can have a myriad of uses. Paper products can be used to start fires. Bottles and cans are useful as containers.

As for other forms of waste, urine can be collected and sealed in bottles. Add a bit of dirt before sealing and leave them in the sun until they turn almost black. You’ve now created a nitrogen-rich fertilizer which can be poured sparingly around your crops. Your “hu-manure” can be used similarly. After a year-long composting, most (if not all) of the dangerous pathogens are gone, and this rich compost can be used in the soil before planting.

Don’t believe it will work? This technique of extreme recycling has allowed some areas in Asia to continuously grow food in the same soil for more than 4,000 consecutive years without depleting the land.

3 Handy Cleaning Items

Whether your bathroom is a bucket or a ditch in the woods, it’s crucial to maintain high standards of hygiene. In small units and in close quarters, gastrointestinal bugs can often run wild and play havoc within your survival group. Thankfully, a few household items can prove invaluable when used to clean things up.

Bleach is the king of the cleaning products. You can make a quick disinfecting solution by adding ¼ cup of ordinary bleach to 2¼ cups of water. Used in a spray bottle, this can mist any “dirty” surfaces as a disinfectant.

Anti-bacterial soap is another great cleaning item. Use it to wash your hands, your body, even your hair and clothes.

High-proof clear liquor can be used as a gentle disinfectant or deodorizer for skin, clothing, your mouth, and lots of other dirty surfaces.

4 “Oh Sh!t” Mistakes to Avoid

There’s just no coming back from certain potential events. These are some common mistakes that could pop up when providing your own sanitation, and how to avoid them.

1. Make sure there’s stable footing around outdoor latrines. In wet weather, or by heavy usage, the rim around a pit privy can become slippery. Fix this by using a few boards around the perimeter and nailing them together for stability. Trust us, you don’t want to slip and step in the hole.

2. Check for paper before you go. Even in pre-apocalypse times, this one can get the best of us. Make sure there’s a stock of wiping material before you begin.

3. Sanitize those hands. A quick squirt of sanitizer or diluted-bleach water can take the place of hand washing in austere environments. Don’t skip this step. You could literally sicken your entire group by touching things with your dirty hands.

4. Be vigilant for vermin. In a grid-down situation, pests could run rampant. Cover your latrine hole when not in use. Keep all trash out of the reach of animals. Bury garbage that is particularly stinky. Get familiar with many methods of catching rats and mice, as their populations may swell after a crisis.

Conclusion

It’s easy for this topic to be humorous, and we didn’t shy away from plucking some low-hanging fruit while writing this article. But what’s not a joke is the danger of ignoring sanitation during an emergency.

It’s not uncommon for people to contract bacterial illnesses when living in camps or off the grid. Fecal bacteria can cause diarrhea and vomiting, leading to even nastier messes to clean up. Fever, weakness, and dysentery (bloody diarrhea) can follow if medical treatment is unavailable. If the body’s immune system cannot win the fight, then the ill person might even die. That means a preventable death happened, just because somebody was behaving like an animal and failed to clean up after themselves. So let’s keep things tidy, folks.

About the Author

A frequent OFFGRID contributor, Tim MacWelch has been a survival instructor for the past 19 years and has trained people from all walks of life, including members from all branches of U.S. Armed Forces, the State Department, and the Department of Defense, among other federal agencies. He’s a frequent public speaker for preparedness groups and events. He’s also the author of the survival books, Prepare For Anything and Hunting And Gathering Survival Manual. When he’s not teaching survival or writing about it, MacWelch lives a self-reliant lifestyle with his family in Virginia. Follow him on Twitter @timmacwelch for daily survival skills and tips. www.advancedsurvivaltraining.com

Widener’s “Epic Water Filter Test” Lives Up to Its Name

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The internet is an incredible resource for information, but it's also a major source of misinformation, especially when it comes to highly complex topics. During our own research for our H2O Hygiene buyer's guide back in Issue 15, we learned that water filtration and purification is one such topic. It's somewhat understandable, since it deals with microscopic organisms and contaminants that are invisible to the human eye — a cup of water might appear perfectly clear and smell fresh, but drinking even one sip of it could result in days of agony or a trip to the hospital. There are lots of persistent myths about the subject. And even if a filter or purifier claims to deal with those contaminants, the manufacturer's claims can be surprisingly misleading.

In 2016, we compared these eight water filters and purifiers in our “H2O Hygiene” buyer's guide.

As we mentioned in our 2016 buyer's guide, “Adequately testing the purity of water is impossible without sophisticated lab equipment and highly trained personnel. Off-the-shelf water test kits can’t possibly detect the minuscule levels of contaminants we’re dealing with here.” Since time and budget constraints prevented us from commissioning microbiological lab tests for that article, we evaluated the filters and purifiers based on preexisting test results from third-party labs. While the buyer's guide revealed some clear pros and cons for each product, we still would've liked to delve deeper.

Widener's tested 17 different water filters and sent samples to BCS Laboratories for evaluation.

We recently came across a new article from Widener's Guns, Ammo, & Shooting Blog, titled simply Survival & Backpacking Water Filter Tests. After reading this article and its “Epic Water Filter Test” segment, we can say it's easily one of the most comprehensive we've read on the subject, and an outstanding overview of water filters and purifiers.

The lengthy article touches on many of the points we wrote about back in 2016 — the hazards posed by various contaminants, log reduction, and the importance of demonstrating compliance with NSF/ANSI standards. Better yet, Widener's collected water from three contaminated sources, passed this water through 17 filters and purifiers, and had the resulting samples tested at BCS Laboratories according to “EPA purifier protocol and WHO/NSF purifier test standards.” That's a ton of work, and we commend them for it.

The conclusions of the article are fascinating. The authors compared the results of their tests to the manufacturers' claims, and gave each product a rating of Pure, Clean, Cloudy, or Murky based on the number of inconsistencies they found. Some of the cheaper filters did surprisingly well, and some of the more expensive ones didn't. Several companies omitted important information, and one was said to use “misleading marketing tactics to trick consumers into thinking it offered more protection than it actually does.”

If you're at all interested in learning more about water purification, we'd encourage you to set aside half an hour to read the full Epic Water Filter Test here: wideners.com/blog/water-filter-tests-for-survival

New: BioLite National Preparedness Month Bundles

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Several gear companies are making the most of National Preparedness Month 2019 with special programs and promotions — we recently wrote about the free survival courses being offered throughout September at the 5.11 Tactical ABR Academy. BioLite is tapping in to NPM by offering limited-edition emergency bundles that include lighting, power, and water purification gear for households of various sizes.

BioLite's emergency bundles will be available only during September, and are designed to help users cope with storms, power outages, and other common disasters. Given the company's specialization, it's not surprising that each kit is centered around lighting products, but they also include LifeStraw water filters. Three bundles are available:

Solo Kit — BioLite HeadLamp 330, SunLight area lamp, Charge 20 power bank, diffuser stuff sack (for using the HeadLamp as an area light), and a LifeStraw Classic filter. $130 MSRP (approx. $20 less than buying all items separately at MSRP).

Apartment Kit — SolarHome 620 system with wall charger, 2 SunLight area lamps, 2 HeadLamp 330s, 2 diffuser stuff sacks, and a LifeStraw Classic filter. $310 MSRP (approx. $50 less than buying all items separately at MSRP).

Family Kit — SolarHome 620 system with wall charger, 4 SunLight area lamps, 4 HeadLamp 330s, 4 diffuser stuff sacks, and a LifeStraw Family filter. $460 MSRP (approx. $75 less than buying all items separately at MSRP).

All kits include solar-powered SunLight area lights, which can be placed independently throughout the house in a blackout. The Apartment and Family kits also include SolarHome “microgrid” systems, which offer a control box that can toggle four area lights and charge USB devices.

Although a proper emergency kit should include much more than lighting/power and water filtration, these kits might be a good start for someone who's just getting into preparation. They provide the ability to see clearly during power outages, without relying on candles or mismatched flashlights scattered around the house. For more info on the National Preparedness Month kits and individual products, go to BioLiteEnergy.com.

No Rain Delay: Fire-Starting Tips for Wet Weather

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This article originally appeared in Issue 7 of our magazine.

There’s a lot of information out there about fire-starting in adverse conditions and inclement weather, but a lot of it assumes you’ll have certain (often unobtainable) necessities on hand to carry out said task. For instance, birch bark is great for helping to start a fire, but it doesn’t grow where we live, so we had to figure out how to get a fire going without it.

But let’s face it, as a survival-minded individual, you should never be empty-handed. So, in an effort to simplify things a bit, we’re going to assume three realistic things: 1) you have some basic fire-starting tools with you, 2) you have or can find materials to build a fire, and 3) the conditions aren’t so cold that you have lost some or all of your fine motor skills. While you’ll most likely have little to no control over the third assumption, the first one is well within your sphere of influence. Your everyday carry gear should always contain at least one way to spark a flame. For example, this author wears a paracord bracelet with a fire-starter in it and carries both a lighter and some lip balm (the latter is flammable). Plus, we’re almost always carrying a pocket knife and wearing something made of cotton. You can also keep a few cotton balls soaked in Vaseline in a small Ziploc bag.

And before we jump into the techniques, it goes without saying that you should actually practice every method of survival before you find yourself in the field scrambling to make a fire before you’re drenched or frozen like an icicle. This process might take a little time, so don’t rush. Remember, the most important tool you have available is a proper mindset, so give yourself a break, take your time, and get it right.

Locate and Gather

The first step to fire-starting in tough weather is to find a spot that has some cover from direct rain and provides a barrier to block enough wind. Once you have a decent place, you need to assess the flammables available around you. Of course, you’ll want as much dry material as possible, but that can be a huge challenge if you don’t know what to look for.

One great place to start looking is a fallen tree that has part of it still standing. This is called fatwood and can be a great source of dry wood. You can check the fallen part, but it will most likely be wet inside. The wood is fairly light and soft and can be manipulated easily. Break off a piece to see if it’s usable. If not, push over some of the trunk that’s still standing and tear off a portion at the new break. Cut out small pieces with your knife, while being very careful not to cut yourself. The last thing you need is a wound to tend to while trying to build a fire. Make sure to cut some of them into thin pieces, like drinking straws.

Next, find twigs and small branches that aren’t too wet. Gather up pine needles if they’re available because even if they’re wet, they’ll still burn. If birch bark is present, get some! With birch bark, there’s an outer layer, inner layer, and the stuff in between. The stuff in between the layers is what you want. It’s somewhat oily and is a great material to burn.

Keep some of the smaller kindling aside in case the fire starts to burn out unintentionally. After accumulating the required elements to get a fire started, look next for wood to keep the fire going and big enough to provide warmth and hot enough to cook. The larger pieces of fatwood are a good start, but you’ll need wood that’s dense as well.

Locate pieces of wood that aren’t completely wet that maintain their integrity and still have bark. Separate the bark from the wood to see how dry the branches on the inside are. When possible, find pieces that are partially split and finish splitting them with your knife or a sharp rock, again being careful not to injure yourself. The size of the pile of larger pieces of wood depends on how long you want the fire to burn.

Lastly, find a medium-sized rock that’s flat enough to put kindling on if the ground is very wet. It’ll help to turn it upside down and use the drier side and get it out of the wind. Once a fire-starting area has been established, separate the materials and make small piles in the order you’ll need them. Place pine needles closest and then thin pieces of dead grass or brush. Next, place the thin pieces of fatwood next to the pine needles. After that would be small twigs and larger pieces of fatwood or brittle branches, followed by the larger pieces of wood and branches. (Note: If you’ve found pine, avoid using the bark because it doesn’t burn well.)

Flame On

Now that you have all the ingredients ready, it’s time to get the party started. Take about five pine-needle bundles, hold them together next to the rock to block the wind, and light them with your lighter or fire-starter. It might take several tries to get them to ignite. Once there’s sufficient flame, hold a small piece of fatwood over the flame. Once that lights up, start adding more small pieces until you have a sustained fire.

The Cotton-Ball Backup: If you don’t have a lighter, you’ll most likely have to use an accelerant from your EDC gear or bug-out bag. The cotton balls soaked in Vaseline are the easiest to use. Simply tear the cotton balls apart into a fibrous little pile then use a striker and rod to ignite the cotton fibers. Add small materials first until you have a sizeable fire going.

The Lip-Balm Alternative: If you don’t have any Vaseline-soaked cotton balls, you can make a similar product out of small piece of T-shirt smeared with lip balm. First, put a thin coating of lip balm on the cloth, then fray it on the edges. The lip balm isn’t really an accelerant as much as it allows the material to burn longer and more evenly so you have time to ignite the cotton blend.

The Paracord Option: The patented 550 FireCord is very cool, too. It’s American-made 550 paracord with one slight difference: mil-spec paracord has an outer shield and seven inner yarns, but FireCord has an eighth yarn added. The eighth yarn is a color-coded, waterproof element that’s easy to ignite. However, because it’s inside the outer shield igniting it accidentally is unlikely. Simply cut an appropriate length of cord with your knife and pull the red yarn out of the center. Make a small pile with it. Sometimes you can take a small length of the FireCord yarn and wrap it around the tip of a small twig. Once you ignite the pile of FireCord yarn, place the wrapped tip of twig over the flame to get the twig to light. As soon as it’s lit, add additional pieces of small material to build up the fire.

Shredded pieces of the red tinder wick inside FireCord serve as weather-resistant tinder.

Add the larger pieces of wood once there’s a decent flame, being very careful not to smother the flame. Lean two twigs, 6 to 8 inches long, against each other over the flame like the beginning of a teepee or a cone. Add more pieces in a circular pattern around the flame with enough air between the bottom of the twigs and the top of the flame for it to continue burning. Once the shorter twigs are burning, repeat the same pattern with slightly longer and thicker twigs until you have enough flame to start adding pieces of branches or small logs.

If the fire begins to go out, use some of the smaller pieces of fatwood or twigs to get it burning hotter again. If it gets very low, you can use pine needles again by holding them almost vertically and placing just the tips in the flame or embers. Once they have ignited, rinse and repeat until there’s enough flame to start with the twigs and larger pieces again.

Sparking Your Preparation

The key to most things in life is focusing on the solution rather than the problem. In a survival situation this could be the most important thing to remember. Most people who are able to survive when things don’t go their way do so because they don’t defeat themselves. They identify the challenge and set forth to overcome it calmly and rationally. Fire-starting in wind and rain while you’re cold can be difficult, but it’s achievable provided you give yourself a chance to be successful — take your time and don’t get discouraged.

As the old saying goes, “It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.” With as a mantra, it’s generally wise to have more than one way to start a fire with you at all times, just as you should have a multitool, knife, flashlight, and other items as well. Most importantly, the tool you should never leave home without is your will to live and a solution-oriented mindset. We don’t know everything or even close to it, but we do know that we love our families and want to see them again. They’re counting on us to make it, and so are yours. Stay focused.

Drones for Disaster Preparedness

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This article originally appeared in Issue 7 of our magazine.

There are a few Latin phrases that speak perfectly to the prepping lifestyle. Probably the most applicable is “Praemonitus praemunitus,” which transliterates roughly to “forewarned is forearmed.” Essentially, it means that having advanced warning gives you a tactical advantage. The better your situational awareness, the more informed your decisions can be and the more likely you are to maintain your safety and security.

In a crisis event, using unconventional methods to increase your situational awareness and information-gathering abilities may become a necessity. What was that explosion? Was it a fuel tanker blast or a terrorist attack? Is the smoke toxic and which way is it blowing? How is it affecting my prearranged evacuation routes? Sometimes, those key questions can be answered quickly by Google or your local TV news station. But what if the grid’s down or you can’t get a mobile phone connection? This is where the use of a personal unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comes into play. We’re not talking about the big military drones that look like scaled-down fighter jets seeing hard use in the Middle East and around the world right now. Rather, we mean the thriving market of smaller drones that are more easily set up in any off-grid scenario.

We’re not advocating an overreliance on gadgetry when SHTF. After all, most of the content you find in OFFGRID centers on how to survive and thrive based on your skills and ability to adapt, not on the price tag of your kit. However, when it comes to getting a tactical advantage over a marauding horde who failed to prepare, we’re all in. And you’ll be surprised to find that some drones aren’t that expensive, don’t require much training, and in a survival situation can perform amazing feats that you couldn’t possibly do yourself.

Drone Utility

EdStock/istockphoto.com

Above: Coming in all shapes and sizes for a variety of uses, drones can be almost as long as a fighter jet or small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Here, a German Army soldier prepares a EMT Aladin for a reconnaissance mission. 

First, let’s define what a drone is. Usually when someone says “drone,” a mental image pops up of a MQ-1B Predator or MQ-9 Reaper cruising at 20,000 feet, dropping bombs on terrorists. These models are fixed-wing aircraft with push propellers, almost the same size as fighter jets, operated remotely by Air Force pilots (who could be halfway across the world). But the personal drones we’re focusing on are almost miniature in comparison. They’re small multi-prop machines that fit into a 2-foot-square footprint, can be operated by a tech-savvy child, and never stray more than 1,000 to 1,500 feet away.

So, you might still be asking, “How does this figure into my SHTF plan?”

Well, most people’s emergency plan of action is often limited by how far you can see at any given moment. Putting a camera on a drone not only expands your vision to a bird’s eye view, it also allows you to build a defensive perimeter based on real-time reconnaissance. Without a camera-equipped drone in the air, the only way to increase your awareness is to send out a scout. That might not be a scary thing to do if your survival group is made up of former Marines, but what if your crew consists of only you, your wife, and your 10-year-old son? Do you put one of them in a potentially sticky solo situation, or do you leave them to fend for themselves at basecamp while you survey the land yourself? A tough choice either way in this scenario.

Above: Drones can be flown into caverns, over water, and into industrial complexes alike to search for help, victims, or supplies.

Your personal UAV can be also used to:

  • Get “eyes” on inaccessible locations
  • Monitor approaching weather
  • Summon aid when in distress or stranded
  • Deliver small supplies to remote areas more quickly than on foot
  • Observe in real time any approaching threats from other groups
  • Cover more area when searching for lost members of your group
  • Reduce your wandering time by helping you quickly and accurately locate sources of water and food

You’re limited only by your creative abilities to adapt this technology to any situation.

Off-Grid Considerations

OK, so we’re now sold on the true utilitarian value of what some might consider nothing more than the latest must-have tech toy. With more onboard computers, GPS integration, and other customizations suited to your specific needs, a commercially available drone is far from a trendy toy. And with the rising popularity of these vehicles — thanks to their use in Hollywood productions and companies like Amazon researching the technology for same-day (possibly even same-hour) deliveries — personal UAVs are quickly becoming more reliable and ready-to-fly options. The buyer is no longer relegated to figuring out the engineering and science of flying a camera 400 feet overhead.

Before getting into the specifics of each component, let’s shoot the elephant that’s sitting in the corner and squelch some of the naysayers:

Concern No. 1
But drones are electronics! What if the grid goes down?

Personal UAVs run on rechargeable batteries so, yes, you’ll need a means of recharging them. Fortunately, solar-powered charging kits are readily available, and a conventional generator will do the job. Besides, you have other emergency items that require rechargeable batteries (e.g. flashlights, walkie talkies, etc.), and these are no different.

Concern No. 2
If GPS satellites are offline, how is your drone going to fly?

The Global Positioning System is only necessary for a few functions, such as auto-pilot assist and mission route planning (see below). Every personal UAV can be flown manually without the aid of GPS.

Concern No. 3
By using a drone, you’re sending up a flag, disclosing your position to bad guys.

This is only a concern if you’re in a defensive position and there’s an imminent threat. Even then, being able to get a real-time broad picture of your surroundings puts you at a far greater advantage than hunkering down waiting, not knowing the magnitude and position of the threat. However, the large majority of crises don’t involve Hurricane Katrina-level looting and pillaging. Statistically, you’re more likely to use a personal UAV to search for food, help, or a clear bug-out path.

Drone Rules

As is often the case, innovations come first — then are followed by regulations. Just like many other emerging technologies, drones have developed exponentially in the past decade, but U.S. lawmakers are slow to catch up. It’s legal for civilians to own and use drones for recreational use, but there are certain restrictions (e.g. drones can’t fly higher than 400 feet and must be kept in view of the operator). To find out more information and to stay updated on the drone rules, visit www.faa.gov and www.knowbeforeyoufly.org.

Eye in the Sky

There are three key components to a personal UAV: the motor configuration, the camera/first-person-viewing system, and the GPS autopilot.

A) A quadcopter is a drone with four propellers.

B) The six-bladed drone is also known as the hexacopter.

C) Octocopters have eight propellers and are generally more stable in the air — but also weigh more and require bigger batteries.

The size and flight characteristics of the personal UAV are largely determined by number and configuration of the motors (each with a propeller). If there are four motors, it’s a “quadcopter,” six means it’s a “hexacopter,” and eight an “octocopter.” The rule of thumb is the more blades spinning, the more stable it is and the more weight it can lift. The flip side is that the aircraft will also be bigger and require a heftier battery.

Most commercial drones act as a platform for sending a camera skyward. The overwhelming king of “sky cams” is GoPro. Sure, there are other action cameras out there, but most everything in the market is set up for the GoPro. The camera is mounted to the drone via a gimbal. Without getting too technical, a gimbal keeps the camera still and absorbs any shakes or sudden changes in direction whenever the personal UAV is in motion.

Now you’re asking, “My camera is up there, and I’m down here. I don’t want to wait to download video from a card. I need real-time intel!” Luckily, there are a couple of options. GoPro has an app that lets you monitor what your camera sees. This is a short-range option, and sometimes the video is sketchy and the feed can be unreliable. Fortunately, there are many drones available with full first-person-viewing (FPV) functionality. That means you’ll see what the camera sees in real time, no delay, and in full color. Using FPV is critical in personal aerial surveillance. Unless you can have immediate visual feedback, you’re just buzzing around blind and gathering information that may be obsolete by the time your bird lands.

Air Traffic Control

These multi-copters aren’t just a hunk of plastic with a camera flying around aimlessly. These are sophisticated, but low-maintenance machines. You needn’t have any skill as a pilot to fly these babies. Each has a bevy of computers and sensors crunching out algorithms to keep you going flat and straight. Accelerometers adjust the speed of the props individually to keep your drone level in flight. If you feel like your flying is getting a little squirrely, just take your hand off the controller and the GPS system allows you to hover in one spot hands-free until the battery wears out. Still, it will behoove you to practice flying your drone and become familiar with it, lest you pilot it into a tree or building under the stress of a real-life situation.

Speaking of low batteries, most personal UAVs will return to the point of origin when the battery starts to run low. You can also recall your drone with the flip of a switch.

Drones such as this DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ pair easily with a smartphone app for mission planning and camera view.

The most useful Skynet-like feature of these machines is their ability to run a mission with no inflight input from a pilot. The autopilot works in conjunction with a smartphone or tablet. Since it’s a closed connection between the device and the drone, no cell service is required. An app that looks like an enhanced version of Google Maps calculates your current position via GPS (so the satellites have to be accessible). On the map you literally draw the area you want your personal UAV to fly in then tell it if you want it to fly along a specific route or perform a grid search, how high you want it be, and where the camera needs to be looking (all very intuitive menu-driven tasks). Once the UAV gives you the go sign, just step back, hit execute, and your personal UAV goes about its mission, leaving you hands-free so you can focus on the video feedback.

The only other thing needed is the means to power your multi-prop. Being as prepared as we know you are, you probably already have a power-replenishment plan in place for key electronics like flashlights and communication devices. Now, it’s just a matter of slipping your fly-boy into that plan, be it stocking up on the right rechargeable batteries, packing a solar-powered charger, or firing up your portable generator. Keep in mind, UAV batteries often have special connectors, but they do charge just like any other battery.

Closing Thoughts

The phrase “knowledge is power” is a cliché because it’s universally true. In this case, a drone can make you more powerful in a disaster when everyone else is powerless (figuratively and literally), scrambling around like headless chickens after the grid goes down. You could say that a bird in the air is worth two, maybe three, scouts in the bush. Even though it’s more expensive than other categories of survival gear, a personal UAV can provide priceless information and peace of mind.

Review: Goal Zero Yeti 400 Portable Power Station

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This article originally appeared in Issue 15 of our magazine.

If you’re reading this magazine, there’s a good chance you’ve considered fortifying your food supplies and beefing up your home security. And if you’re a serious prepper, you’ve already done those things in addition to buying a backup generator for when the power cuts out. Usually powered by gasoline or diesel, a portable generator can provide electricity where a plugin isn’t available (e.g. a tailgate party) or if there’s a grid-down situation.

However, there are drawbacks. Portable generators give off poisonous carbon monoxide fumes, not to mention noise pollution that can attract unwanted attention (i.e. marauders or the desperate). Too bad there isn’t a silent, zero-emission generator that doesn’t require fuel to work. Or is there?

Enter Goal Zero, an industry leader in sun-powered illumination solutions. The Yeti 400 is the middle of three tiers in the company’s lineup of solar-powered generators, and we recently got hands on with it to see how effective it’d be at providing juice from a prepper’s point of view.

Goal Zero Yeti 400 Specifications

Dimensions
10.25 x 8 x 8 inches

Weight
29 pounds

MSRP
$450*

URL
www.goalzero.com

*Editor's Note: In the time since this article was published, Goal Zero has also released a new Lithium series of Yeti portable power stations. The original AGM-powered Yeti 400 is still available, and MSRP has been reduced from the as-tested price of $660 to a current price of $450.

AGM Battery

In the heart of the beast lies a 12-volt, 33-amp/hour sealed lead-acid AGM battery. Developed for military aircraft where weight and safety are important, an Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) battery contains a thin fiberglass mat, sandwiched between plates and saturated with battery acid. The mat and plates are slightly compressed, then welded in place.

AGM has very low internal resistance, is capable of delivering high currents on demand, and offers a relatively long service life — even when deep cycled. AGM batteries are maintenance free, reliable, and lighter than the flooded lead-acid type.

Goal Zero suggests that it remain connected to a power source when in storage and then nearly drained every three to four months.

Power In, Power Out

The Yeti can receive power from three input sources: a 110-volt wall adapter, a 12-volt car charger, and the 8mm plug ported to a solar array. When fully charged (it took a little over five hours to fully charge out of the box), the Yeti has a power capacity of 400-watt hours, meaning it can theoretically power anything from a 4-watt device for 100 hours to a 400-watt device for one hour, without taking into account power lost to the inverter or other system limitations. For example, it took 2 watts of output 16 minutes to charge an iPhone 6S from 88 to 100 percent. The Yeti is also designed to be chained together with other 12-volt batteries. It won’t increase the wattage, but it’ll increase the runtime.

The output ports are plentiful: 12-volt cigarette lighter-style port, two 1.5-amp USB ports, two 12-volt, 10-amp 6mm ports, and two 110-volt AC ports. After plugging in a device, push the associated button for that output port and the display comes to life. It’ll show you exactly how many amps are being used. The one-button display (backlit for nighttime) is simple to use. There’s an indicator for input, one for output, and a battery diagram that displays remaining power.

In the Field

Construction of the Yeti is straightforward, but strong. Basically, it’s a car battery with a tough carrying case and inverters for the output. It feels and looks like it can take a beating and still function. There are no buttons to break off, though the LED display could easily find a sharp rock if it tipped over. The handle is robust and sturdy and recessed into the top, and wide rubber feet keep it from sliding on smooth surfaces. Each corner has a slight indent for lifting the unit. Replacing the battery (which averages a four-year life span) is easy via the four Torx screws on the top.

The best feature is that it’s so simple to use. Breeze through the directions, then just plug it into the wall, charge it up, and start using it.

When the Yeti begins to beep or when the display reads around 20 percent left, plug it in again. It’ll provide you with hundreds of life cycles. As long as you don’t exceed the limits of the unit, you can plug in and power as many things as there are ports to do so. A note of warning: Don’t leave the AC button switched on if you’re not using it because the inverter draws 5 watts when idle.

The Drawbacks

Sitting next to the unit as it silently powered our gear, we realized it’s a misnomer to call it a generator because it doesn’t actually generate power by itself. Instead, it converts and stores power much more like a fancy battery. Without a source of electricity to replenish what has been used — whether solar or 110 volts from the wall — it would become useful as a doorstopper and not much else. If you’re going to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere, make sure to be stuck with solar panels or a really, really long extension cord. Need to power up your laptop? You’ve got only about 20 hours of use (three or four charges on a 50-watt/hour device).

But this is no flashlight battery. At 29 pounds, it’s hefty, and you’re not going to tuck it into the pocket of your pack and whip it out whenever your iPad goes dead. This sits in a closet of a cabin in the woods or in the trunk of your get-out-of-Dodge vehicle.

This is a dedicated survival/adventure tool to provide power when you need it. Best used for camping, emergencies, disasters, and those times when the local utility surprises you with rolling blackouts.

The Extras

Above: The Yeti 400 generator can be juiced up using Goal Zero’s Nomad 100 solar panel and pairs up nicely with the Light-A-Life LED lights below. (Both items are sold separately.)

Sold separately is the Nomad 100, a four-panel solar array that’s a plug-and-play unit, compatible with the 8mm input port on the Yeti. The Nomad 100, which can collect 100 watts of power on a bright, sunny day, will take about 12 hours to fully charge the Yeti. The supplied 8 feet of cable means you have to keep the Yeti and the Nomad in close company the whole time — not ideal in foul weather. Not to mention keeping the Nomad properly aimed at the sun for optimal charging. A downside of the Nomad, despite its canvas cover and the loops for securing it (or hanging it), the flap doesn’t snap closed, and there’s no carrying handle.

Also sold separately is the Light-A-Life 350 LED light, named for its 350 lumens of light. It can be converted from a spotlight to a lantern, has a built-in carabiner so it’s easy to hang, and has impressive reach with its retractable 8-foot cable. Most importantly, you can chain eight of these lights together, and they only use 4.5 watts each (on high mode). These are bright and energy-efficient.

Conclusion

By itself, the Yeti 400 is only useful as a temporary solution to your electronic problems. It needs to be renewed, and there’s no point in dragging it along if you don’t also bring a source of power (solar panels, etc.). There are plenty of other more portable solar-related devices that can charge your smartphone or tablet if you’re on the move.

This large power bank is best reserved for those items in your kit that can’t easily be powered or for when you’re hunkered down with no ambition to bug out — think blackouts or civil unrest.

Aside from bugging in, the Yeti 400 is ideal for adventures where electricity might be spotty or scarce, such on campgrounds, during an RV road trip, or while cruising on your boat. Depending on the gear you have and its watt/hours requirements, you’ve got 400 watt/hours to spread around, so do it wisely. And if you lost or forgot the solar panel, well, you could always use this generator as an anchor.

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