Dogs for Defense: Considerations for Getting a Protection Dog

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Photos by Mark Saint

Exact data on how often dogs keep bad guys away are very hard to calculate. If a protection dog does its job well, then most encounters never reach the point of an official police report. Most bad guys are likely to think twice before breaking into properties where barking dogs are present, much less trained protection dogs. As an experienced military and police dog trainer with 28 years in the business, what I’d want first and foremost is for our dogs to serve as effective deterrents. This increases the odds that would-be attackers move on to an easier target.

There’s always the temptation for many to purchase a dog for protection or a certain breed because of the image it portrays. However, it’s essential to consider exactly what that means in terms of the time, dedication, cost, and responsibility to care for that animal. You should ask yourself about the level of training involved, how a breeder and/or trainer should be selected, and a number of other considerations before making this decision. These will help you determine if your lifestyle is conducive to a four-legged companion that’s considerably more specialized and purpose-oriented than the average pet dog. In this article, we’ll address those questions so you can evaluate your own readiness, willingness, and ability to own a dog for protection.

What is a Protection Dog?

First, we’ll break down the term “protection dog” into a few categories and differentiate them from dogs intended for other purposes.

Low Risk/Alert K9: Mostly suited for working/middle-class folks who desire a sense of security or protection while a traveling spouse is away. This is a low-threat dog designed to thwart an intruder or an attacker. When someone enters the property, this dog will give a strong alert as it attempts to deter the stranger from its territory through barking. When out and about, this dog is very social, but will alert if it or the handler is threatened. They’re not trained to bite and naturally prefer not to, but can be taught to bark, give alerts on command, and turn it off when told to.

Medium Risk/Protection K9: This type of dog is most conducive to upper-income and/or well-known people with a reasonable risk of an intruder or attacker. This is a very social dog in the
home and when you’re out in public. It naturally alerts on its own, alerts on command, attacks on command (with or without a bite), and can attack a threat in the home environment and on leash
when out and about. It typically has excellent control/out work (releasing from a bite).

High Risk/Elite Protection K9: These dogs are best suited for individuals with known stalkers, those who have been victims of crimes, high-profile business people, and celebrities. This is a social, highly skilled, naturally protective, and highly trainable dog that’s very clearheaded and trains to all levels easily. These dogs alert to threats with or without commands, attack with or without a bite (making a biting motion without actually biting the threat), and perform on and off-lead attacks and control of the threat. They’re highly alert in the home, at work, and in public areas. These dogs are also protective in vehicles and confined areas, and capable of keeping multiple threats at bay. An elite protection dog can fight for a time and return to the handler to provide security. They’re trained to clear areas and structures off-leash to secure the location prior to entry from the handler or VIP being protected. Often, but not always, dogs at this level are part of a security package, and the VIP isn’t the handler.

Above: Don’t assume all dogs can be trained for protection. Working with experienced breeders and trainers is the best way to find a dog who has genetics conducive to this kind of work.

Perimeter/Security Dogs: These dogs have the highest level of alerting to a threat and are one of the quickest ways to deter or neutralize a threat. The downside is they can be exposed very quickly and are often under-qualified if the threat has a weapon. They’re typically not close to the handler for protection and at risk for potential poisoning from those wishing to penetrate the area they’re guarding. They’re rarely great personal protection dogs because they’re trained to protect an area, not an individual.

Some scenarios require a perimeter K9 and a personal protection K9, meaning two dogs trained for each purpose — not one that does both. A perimeter dog is typically more aggressive and less social, would primarily live outside (with adequate shelter), and has a main objective to stop a threat before it enters the house. A personal protection dog has a ton of obedience, has to be more social, and is comfortable with home environments as well as traveling. People with a great deal of discretionary income, VIPs who are easy targets, and celebrities who have stalkers may want a perimeter/security dog because they require additional layers of security. Ask yourself how much security you want and what’s worth the effort.

Some of you may have heard the term “attack dogs” before, but this designation just applies to the aforementioned levels and the training received. Dogs need to have the genetic predisposition and appropriate training for the desired task. For example, rescue dogs, such as those trained in search-and-rescue to locate people in different scenarios, traditionally have no genetic predisposition for bite work, and it wouldn’t make sense to train a dog that performs these duties to do both.

Evaluating Your Lifestyle Objectively

Everyone’s lifestyle, needs, and objectives are different. Rushing into getting a protection dog because of a perceived or real threat is rarely the best scenario. First of all, protection dogs traditionally come from working dog breed lines. Working dogs were bred to perform tasks and are genetically conditioned for activity. Lying to yourself about legitimately having the proper amount of time for a working dog will not only burden the owner, but it’ll also diminish the training, overall effectiveness, health, and happiness of the working dog. One must have the time as
well as the energy level to devote to keeping these dogs fit. They’re not lap dogs.

Ensure that your home environments, vehicle, food, daily care, training time, exercise, and veterinarian plan are set prior to the dog’s arrival. Like all dogs, they get more expensive as they grow older. Let’s say you get a protection dog — expect to spend at least $100 per month to feed it, a few hundred per month to maintain training, and a few thousand per year for quality vet care. One should expect the initial costs to range from $8,000 for a fully trained Alert K9 up to $25,000 to $30,000 or more for an Elite Personal Protection K9, all of which should be fully warrantied for health and workability. You’re looking at a 12- to 15-year commitment at best, and it’ll be like having a 7-year-old child that cannot take care of itself in our human environment.

Above: Trips to the dog park might be sufficient exercise for the average dog, but protection dogs are athletes. Expect activities to range from throwing the ball for sprints, swimming, and long runs with a bike at least 45 minutes per day.

Do You Really Need One?

Some of the worst cases I’ve heard from potential clients over the years involve statements such as, “I need a protection dog right now.” This rush may be about a real or perceived threat with little planning and no thorough consideration of the dog’s needs. As if that weren’t bad enough, this plan almost always comes with the buyer saying, “I can only spend X, and Y is too much.”

On some occasions, I have families who really could benefit from a protection dog and have the means to get a nice one. However, after evaluating their lifestyle, for instance with four kids, two jobs, travel, and other distractions, it leaves little time in their schedule for any pet, much less a specialized animal. Dogs aren’t robots or a weapon that you pick up, use, and store until the next time you need it.

Questions about protection dogs and children are common, so here are some key points to remember. A good dog for just about anything is a healthy, happy, social creature. I’ve
never had issues with a well-balanced and trained dog with well-balanced and trained children. That said, if your children are wild and undisciplined (even though you might not like to admit it to yourself), having them around a protection dog invites problems, because it may provoke an unexpected confrontation. These dogs protect and may not be able to differentiate between the innocent intentions of child’s play and genuine aggression. Just like firearms, you don’t leave them unattended and out in the open around kids. It’s up to you to provide training for your children and determine when they’re mature enough to handle them. These dogs aren’t aggressive for no reason, but accidents happen if you’re not careful. You need to work with trainers to ensure your kids know what these dogs are capable of and how to interact with them properly.

Keep in mind that the protection dogs we use at my company, Cobra Canine, are genetically given the ability to protect — we’re just honing these skills. If they’re bred properly, it doesn’t take much training. A smart dog can tell a difference between a threat and a stranger. For example, an Alert K9 might be very good at protecting and alerting, but really has no desire to attack, whereas an Elite Protection K9 is a skilled personal protection dog that willingly attacks upon the need, command, or recognition of threat without much stress.

Given the purpose of these dogs, expect to commit time to understanding their unique needs and the commands, presence, and focus you must have. These dogs aren’t turnkey and, as the owner, you’ll be expected to earn the respect of a protection dog — which isn’t guaranteed. Dogs can easily recognize dishonesty and inconsistency. My company teaches different scenarios, mostly for the handlers and of course the all-important control work (the off switch).

Like anything, it takes time to master the fundamentals and commands necessary to establish who’s boss. If you think simply writing a check is enough for a protection dog to leave a facility — either as a puppy or trained adult — and understand that you as the new owner are the one in charge, you’re dead wrong. Chain of command comes with your dedication to carry out a prescribed training regimen. That’s right, it’s recommended that you as the owner receive training in how to care for this type of dog effectively and how to issue commands.

Another common reason for getting a protection dog is, “I want a dog to protect my wife when I’m gone.” Here’s the problem with that — even if your wife wants a dog, what if you’re not home to do all the work you’re giving her? You should both learn about what’s involved before purchasing a dog.

Above: People with a great deal of discretionary income, VIPs who are easy targets, and celebrities who have stalkers may want a perimeter/security dog because they require additional layers of security.

What to Expect in Owning One

A good protection dog kennel will have a maintenance program of training to perform in conjunction with a trainer that’ll be contracted for the life of the dog. As people’s lives change, they can review contractual parameters to see what adjustments need to be made to the dog’s progress and ongoing education.

As for travel accommodations, considerations about weather and preventing injury should be made. Dogs don’t sweat and can overheat easily if left in a car, and in some states it’s illegal to leave them in a vehicle unattended. Speak with the kennel about options for harnesses, screens, and other methods to keep them cool and protected while traveling.

These dogs are athletes. Sure, they may sleep most of the day, but they want and need an effective training plan that takes a good amount of time. How many folks actually exercise their dogs? Unfortunately, not many. Hanging out in the backyard or walking around the farm or neighborhood isn’t an exercise program, especially for dogs of this caliber. Expect activities to range from throwing the ball for sprints, swimming, and long runs with a bike at least 45 minutes per day. While a 1-mile run might be a lot for you, it’s really just a warm-up for dogs like this. A combination of endurance exercises that’s part of your daily routine will keep these dogs operating at their intended level of performance. If you’re a couch potato, dogs like this aren’t for you.

Home and yard size are also common concerns. I don’t believe either is that important. Although others may have differing opinions, I’m fine with a working dog of any kind in a small condo with no yard — it’s incumbent on the owner to get the dog out and provide training and exercise. As stated earlier, backyards aren’t for exercise. Most dogs do their “business” (potty breaks) there, but when not engaged in activity they may become restless, destructive, and tear up things they shouldn’t. And when they’re not laying around, expect that they’ll beg to come inside and interact with their “pack.”

Above: One of the most important parts of training a protection dog is pairing it with the right owner. Don’t assume your dog will respect you if your training and behavior is inconsistent.

Speaking of packs, dogs are very much pack animals. That doesn’t mean they can’t be on their own at all; however, they crave attention and involvement with their human family. When clients describe a lifestyle where a dog would be by itself most of the time, they need to convince me they’re willing to change this or I encourage them not to get a dog at all.

I’ve had a few occasions where clients didn’t check with their homeowner’s insurance, homeowner’s association, and/or city and county regulations on what breeds and size of dogs are allowed. Some of them were able to work it out, while others weren’t. It’s always better to know the rules and regulations up front. On a rare occasion I’ve had customers who’ve had issues with their neighbors over their new protection dog. Never, as long as all the other regulations are met, has this prevented them from keeping the dog. You’re in the best position to know if this might become an issue that you should work out up front. Most importantly, each person should investigate local and state laws before obtaining a protection dog, as there are thousands that are all different and change periodically.

As with firearms or cars, liability insurance is recommended to own dogs of this type. With more training for a specific purpose comes more liability. If it’s trained to bite, you should make sure people aren’t wrongfully bitten. This is your pet; therefore, it’s your responsibility to have risk mitigations.

As we’ve already described, the physical workload and responsibilities are robust — dogs of this kind aren’t cheap to care for properly. It’s quite simply a supply and demand issue. If there were naturally protective, healthy, social, environmentally sound, gunfire-neutral, animal-neutral, healthy, happy animals just sitting around then everyone would have one. The fact is they’re very, very hard to raise or come by at any cost. It’s sad, but when someone tells me they got a great deal on a high-end protection dog, I politely cringe and wish for the best. In over 28 years, I haven’t seen this often.

Selecting Your Dog

Certain breeds are genetically predisposed to do the protection and guard work we’re talking about. Breeds such as the German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Rottweiler, Boxer, Doberman Pinscher, Giant Schnauzer, Bouvier, Mastiff, Beauceron, and many more do a great job. There isn’t one breed that’s the best per se, and within all the breeds we find great, good, and bad examples. It goes back to selecting the correct personality and drives for the particular job, which a trainer or breeder can work with you on. There’s always personal preference, size, coat type, grooming needs, and other considerations unique to each individual that play a part as well.

Each breed has genetic flaws that should be researched and evaluated prior to purchasing a dog. Sit down, decide what you want the dog to do, call the kennel or trainers, and talk it out. Get a feel for whether or not they can provide what you’re looking for. If you decide to get a puppy, ask to see the parents of that dog to get an idea of what to expect. If mom and dad are what you’re looking for, ask about their medical background. It’s important to see proof that your potential dog has a good skeletal system, good hips, clean spine, and good elbows from credible entities, such as the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals or PennHIP. Also ask for personal references. Getting a deal is nothing compared to living with a dog for 10 to 15 years that may be fraught with health complications because you skimped on research and cost up front.

All dog breeds have certain health issues; some have more than others. Research a breed’s potential genetic issues so you can approach a breeder well-informed on what to ask about. You should have a guarantee from your breeder that warranties a good skeletal system and against diseases it’s prone to. Ideally, if your dog experiences these health problems or skeletal issues in the first two years of its life, you should be able get your money back or a replacement puppy.

Above: Speak to your breeder about what health guarantees they offer.

Most of us love the idea of getting a dog from a shelter. Saving these dogs’ lives and giving them a forever home is great. Sadly, in most cases the shelter/rescue dogs are not genetically made, nor are they raised for, working environments. They unfortunately have a low success rate to be trained as protection dogs. It can happen, but the percentage is low. If you’re looking to save money, this isn’t the way to go. However, the success rate goes up with appropriate expectations. For example, if you only need a dog to be healthy, happy, social, and just be an alert dog, the odds of finding one in a shelter certainly increase.

The types of dog I avoid for personal protection, and in general, are ones that are overly aggressive and protective, nervous, prone to any fear aggression, impulsively edgy, equipment-fixated (bite sleeves, etc.), shy, and/or defensive. I also stay away from dogs with known health issues, especially genetic ones.

Training

To find a qualified trainer, word of mouth is best. You can search online and look at social media, but just about anything can be misrepresented there. I’d never buy a dog of any kind sight unseen, unless I’ve personally worked with someone for years and fully trust them for all things considered. I always recommend meeting the trainers in person, checking out the facilities, and seeing the dogs in person. Find a company that has years of full-time work in this field, a good reputation, and a track record of quality. Like survival training, dog training is very unregulated and anybody
can be a professional dog trainer. Look for someone who’s certified as a dog trainer with reputable entities, such as government agencies, and ensure their company is licensed with the city. Call their references and the organizations that they’re certified by to vet them thoroughly.

In general, expect to spend two to three days with a trainer and the new dog, with some follow-up training once every month for up to a year and at least a quarterly maintenance update as a minimum. Buy from someone who breeds dogs specifically for protection, not just someone who breeds dogs that are commonly used in protection. Select the right job for the dog, not the dog for the job. Breeders can often recommend trainers if they don’t offer training.

Above: Cobra Canine’s dogs have been used by law enforcement agencies and military units around the world.

Of course, with all animal training, especially a dog’s, the owner’s personality and desire to do the work is priceless. When I have dog owners with passion, determination, and the willingness to give 100 percent to making themselves a great dog team (dog and handler), I see great potential for success. Protection dog owners who get this type of dog because of a kneejerk reaction, who think it’s cool because the SEALs have Malinois, or who say, “My family needs this when I’m not at home, but I don’t need the training,” are typically putting themselves in a difficult situation.

Fact: I spend 75 percent of my effort working with humans, as the dog training comes fairly easily most of the time. Dogs, including police, military, and protection dogs, are all considered less- than-lethal. When a bite happens outside the home environment, one must be able to articulate a level of fear that’d justify the need for a trained protection dog to attack. Properly trained protection dogs should have training records that clearly show that the dogs understand certain levels of threat and how to respond with or without command. Also, the ability to turn a properly trained dog on and off is a must. I also like to do a certification that’s tested at least yearly, with paperwork and a video just for the worst-case scenario that we end up with a legal issue.

Conclusion

Then there’s the million-dollar, often emotional question of whether or not to send, put, or allow your dog into a potentially life-threating situation. The answer is tough and, with so many variables, can never really be answered until the moment of truth. Fortunately, in the personal-protection world, this doesn’t arise often. The emotions and investment of time and money will all certainly be a factor. However, life-threatening situations that put your protection dog at risk happen very quickly. Ideally, with training, you should be prepared long before they happen so your responses as a team are sharp. For me, I would need to see a clear picture that the dog has a high probability to save a human life or prevent an abduction before I’d utilize the asset — I have in the past, and would again if need be. To be clear, rarely will a dog do much good in a gunfight. You don’t need a high-end bullet catcher.

Protection dogs are best utilized as a deterrent. It’s hard to beat a good protection dog, as most criminals would much rather pick a home or fight without a dog involved. When they need to do the work, you should be clear on your level of expectation compared to the skill set of the dog. It’s likely if you’re in the market for a personal protection dog that you’ll need a professional to help in the process. It’s nearly impossible to learn how to be a qualified owner and handler from a book, article, or YouTube video. As with the dogs, there are probably more unqualified candidates than qualified. Carefully evaluating your own budget, lifestyle, and time to commit to ongoing training are paramount.

Source:
Cobra Canine – cobracanine.com

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

Book Review: “The Survival Medicine Handbook” by Joseph & Amy Alton

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The Premise: Most of the tactical and wilderness medical training we’ve grown accustomed to is geared toward stabilizing a patient until we can get them to a professional. This is great, until we consider the question of what to do if there were no 911 and hospitals left to visit. What if, in the darkest of all dark SHTF scenarios, medical treatment as we know it no longer exists? Then what?

The Survival Medicine Handbook by Joe Alton, MD and Amy Alton, considers this scenario and attempts to teach would-be practitioners how best to attempt medical treatment in a world where 19th-century technology is suddenly and quite literally the latest-and-greatest available. Joe is a retired obstetrician and surgeon, and Amy is an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP). Together, they instruct survivalists through a combination of YouTube videos and podcasts. Their mission, as they state it, is simple: “To put a medically prepared person in every family.”

The 411: Primarily intended for non-medical professionals, the book is (thankfully) written in plain English. It breaks down what could be complex theories into digestible chunks of information that most readers should be able to grasp. The authors have also included a healthy dose of realism as it relates to what’s truly possible with limited resources and incomplete training. As stated in the introduction, “It’s difficult for people to believe that a head injury or a gunshot wound to the chest may not be survivable…but we must face the hard truth that there are circumstances where we may be able to comfort but not to save.”

Considering the list price of almost $40, we expected a lot of book — we weren’t disappointed. Clocking in at more than 600 pages, the amount of information inside the chapters is more than a little daunting, but the sections are broken down so that each individual unit or treatment plan is rarely more than two or three pages. We read one small section a day, either before bed or first thing in the morning, and made a lot of headway through what would otherwise be a serious slog. Our only complaint is that we would’ve loved to have the illustrations and photos in color, although that would boost the price of an already not-inexpensive written resource.

We like how the handbook goes far beyond treatment of injuries and illnesses. The authors devoted considerable space to maintenance of health and hygiene in a potentially dirty and dangerous new world, including survival essentials like water purification and how to deal with sewage issues where large camps of people congregate. After all, it’s easier to prevent disease than to treat it. In addition, there was a great introduction to natural remedies and how to grow a medicinal herb garden to supplement our supplies.

Perhaps understandable considering the authors own an online survival gear store (www.doomandbloom.net), nearly 20 pages of the book discuss how to begin acquiring a medical kit, from developing a personal medic bag and IFAK kit, to a family stash, up through developing a working field hospital. However, as much as they extol the benefits of purchasing gear, they’re just as quick to suggest improvised alternatives, also reminding the reader that advanced gear is useless without good training to know how to use it.

After reading all the way through, it’s evident that although it’s called The Survival Medicine Handbook, it really seems like a combination of three books in one: how to respond to natural or manmade disasters, how to start life over and build a community with what’s left, and lastly, survival medicine. The authors have really thought this through, and they speak to the reader without talking down or over-simplifying complex subjects.

The Verdict: Compared to similar books we’ve read, we appreciated the in-depth knowledge and explanations of not just the how, but also the why, of treatment. The book balances providing lots of great detail while still remaining accessible to medical laypeople.

Even if we’re never forced to become doctors and nurses in a world where hospitals as we know it are no more, much of the information in this book is useful for everyday practical medicine. For example, removing a fish hook, putting together a winter survival car kit, burn remedies, and even treatment of acid reflux disease or choking. The list price may be high for some, but if the money spent helps prevent even one wound or ailment from getting worse, it’ll have been well worth it.

Book & Author
The Survival Medicine Handbook: The Essential Guide for When Medical Help is NOT on the Way (Third Edition)
Joseph Alton, MD and Amy Alton, ARNP

Publisher
Doom and Bloom, LLC

MSRP
$38

URL
store.doomandbloom.net

Pages
670 pages

Rating
>Thrive
Survive
Die

OFFGRID Library of Recommended Books

RECOILweb: Behavioral Cues for Avoiding a Fight

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Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published in Issue 13 of CONCEALMENT, and appears here in its entirety with permission. For more articles on guns, training, and gear, go to RECOILweb.com.

One of the preeminent facets of self-defense is situational awareness. Unfortunately, those two words have become a catch-phrase-turned-mantra beaten to death by nearly every book, video, instructor and Internet forum about personal protection. But so much of the talk about situational awareness seems to be just people yelling at each other to make sure they have it. Rarely do we see a concise, level-headed, repeatable explanation as to exactly what mental processes make up this mystical “awareness” and how exactly we use them to protect ourselves from potential threats.

In contrast stands Orbis Operations — a company that provides training and support services to government agencies and military units around the country. Among their offerings is a set of classes on Situational Awareness Training. This training is based off a process that Orbis refers to as Human Behavior Pattern Recognition & Analysis. There are several variations of their SAT curriculum, including a five-day SOFSAT or Special Operations Forces Situational Awareness Training. We had the opportunity to attend a couple days of SOFSAT and came away with a much better understanding of exactly what situational awareness consists of and how we use it to our advantage.

“Any behavior, whether from an individual or a group, which breaks from an established baseline qualifies as an...

The Orbis website has this brief header on it: “All individuals give off signals when they are measured against context, relevance, and the local societal baseline. In certain circumstances, these ‘signals’ can, with the proper training, be read as anomalies. Establishing a baseline, detecting (and then acting on) these anomalies is the essence of Situational Awareness Training…” In class, the instructors further refined this down into a concise, easy-to-remember formula they referred to simply as BAD, or B + A = D, Baseline + Anomaly = Decision. This is, in our opinion, the crux of the Orbis methodology. So let’s break down this formula and see how one is able to go about living it.

Baseline

The baseline of any given social group or geographic area is, in short, what is normal. But since normal can sometimes be a touchy word to define, maybe it’s better to say that the baseline of an area is what is habitual. What are the attitudes, actions, and overall behavioral patterns that constitute the routine tempo of the world around you?

To avoid any vagaries or generalizations, the instructors at our SOFSAT class outlined six individual facets, or domains, of situational awareness:

Heuristics: Heuristics are “mental shortcuts” that can be used when other information is limited to influence a snap-decision and help prime you for action as necessary. This may be explained by the old phrase “if it walks like a duck…” or Occam’s Razor which, very loosely translated, says that the simplest answer is most likely the correct answer.

Proxemics: How people interact with each other in groups. This could include things like how far or close people stand while interacting, if people in a group all seem to focus on or mimic the demeanor of one individual or if certain individuals routinely travel with an entourage of followers.

Geographics: How people interact with their physical terrain. This can be particularly important in natural gathering places like parking lots, stadiums, stores, and street corners that may be claimed as “turf” by criminal actors.

Atmospherics: Atmospherics is the overall “feel” of a place — the sights, smells, sounds, and general demeanor. For example, if we asked you to close your eyes and imagine a carnival, we’re guessing your mental picture might include flashing lights, bells ringing, people screaming on rides, the smell of fried food and an overall air of excitement or joy. Those inputs, and the overall feeling they create inside you, make up the atmospherics of your surroundings.

Biometrics: Biometric cues are more focused on an individual and their body’s response in connection to their interactions. Are they sweating, is their skin flushed, are their pupils dilated, can you see the pulse pounding in their neck or the vein popping out of their forehead? These are biological indicators of a feeling or an intention that a person may be attempting to hide under the surface.

Kinesics: Kinesics is about body language. Separate from biometrics, which deal in the body’s automatic responses, kinesics focuses on physical movements. Things like cracking your knuckles, stretching, rubbing the back of your neck or “grooming gestures” like consistently stroking your face or wiping your nose could all be kinesic indicators of something being not-quite-right.

It’s safe to say that the interaction between these two people isn’t pleasant. But how we know could be a...

All of these six domains are like pieces of a puzzle. A thorough understanding of every domain will give you the fullest, most complete picture of your neighborhood, patrol beat or area of operations. But, as with a partially completed jigsaw puzzle, you don’t necessarily need every piece in place to figure out what the picture is.

Anomalies

Any behavior, whether from an individual or a group, which breaks from an established baseline qualifies as an anomaly. Some can be really subtle, while others are blatantly obvious. But neither one will do you any good if you’re not attuned to them. One of the easier types of anomalies to quantify is the proxemics pull/push. A proxemic pull or push is any stimulus that causes people to gather or disperse outside of regular patterns. When you’re driving home and you pass an accident on the side of the road with a group of people pulled over on the side of the road standing around, that’s a proxemic pull — the car crash has literally drawn people to it and created a crowd who wouldn’t normally be there. Likewise, a mosh pit breaking out at the front row of a concert may cause a proxemic push, causing everyone else to drift quickly away from their assigned seats to avoid a stray elbow to the head.

A geographic anomaly may be as simple as walking across a dark parking lot and noticing a tightly knit trio of people huddled in a pocket of shadow beyond the street lamp. Everyone else is walking directly to or from the store, but this one group of individuals just seems to be hovering in an area that most people simply transit without stopping.

The goal of Orbis Operations’ Situational Awareness Training is to understand the nature of a threat before it gets...

Other anomalies are much more discreet. One of the most fascinating examples we heard from SOFSAT went something like this: you’re walking down the street when a man approaches you and asks for directions. While you’re trying to remember the street names, he begins rubbing the back of his head and neck. Might just be a stiff neck. But inside your brain is a small gland called the hypothalamus. It controls automatic functions in the body like blood pressure, heart rate, and alertness. It’s a stress indicator. When a fight-or-flight response occurs, the hypothalamus heats up and begins to work overtime. He’s literally getting hot under the collar. Watching somebody begin to rub the back of their neck or head — when measured against other cues — may actually indicate that they’re preparing for a fight you don’t know is coming.

Having said all this, there are vast numbers of individual behavioral anomalies that could be identified in any given situation and people often exhibit seemingly “odd” or “abnormal” behaviors for perfectly good, benign reasons. So how do you process this running mental calculation to avoid going through life in a state of tweaking paranoia?

Decision

There are a couple of different mental processes you can execute once you’ve established a baseline and spotted an anomaly. The framework of this article is Orbis’ own B + A = D procedure. Now that you’ve arrived at a decision point, what can you (or should you) decide do to? Our instructors put forward a three-prong answer to this question. You can act, report, or continue to observe.

Above: When you look at this drawing, try to imagine the background noises, smells, or spatial encroachment associated with navigating a tight crowd. Without even knowing it, our brains carry a portfolio of pre-programmed templates for how “normal” social situations should look at feel. These are part of what we use to establish baselines.

The “act” decision can be any range of things from drawing your concealed pistol to simply taking a different route home, or waiting to stop for gas until you’re in a better neighborhood. Reporting options may include notifying a police officer or security guard, or your chain of command if you’re a first responder. Finally, keeping an eye on the situation for further developments is indeed a legitimate option. While you don’t necessarily need all the information to take action, you still need enough information. What that threshold is will be different for every person and every situation. One caveat to this that was advised to us during our training was that you must take action if you observe three anomalies in any domain or combination of domains.

The science of behavioral analysis is one of the most effective self-defense tools you can have in your skillset. But just like any skill, you must build a proper knowledge base and then practice it consistently. Orbis Operations teaches different versions of their Advanced Situational Awareness (ASAT) curricula to various government and commercial entities across the country. There are also a number of books available on the subject. Just check your local Internet search bar. We may not be able to prevent danger from entering our lives but, with some well-studied awareness and analysis, we’ll have a much better chance to see it coming.

The WWII Survival Story of Jan Baalsrud

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The year was 1943, and Norway was under German occupation. The Scandinavian country had been neutral during the entirety of the First World War, and maintained this position as Hitler's grip began to tighten on continental Europe. Politicians believed a pacifistic stance would help Norway avoid most of the impact of this new war as it had during WWI. Unfortunately, Hitler had different plans.

Norway offered a desirable naval stronghold in the North Atlantic, considerable natural resources, and of course a symbolic contribution to the growing Nazi empire. So, in April 1940, the Blitzkrieg came to Norway. The country would remain under their control until 1945.

Vidkun Quisling (center) at a Nazi party event in Norway, 1941. Source: National Archives of Norway

You've probably heard about the Norwegian minority who welcomed the Nazis — Vidkun Quisling's name became a well-known synonym for “traitor” after his outspoken support for Hitler landed him a position as head of state. However, many Norwegians bravely fought back against the Germans as part of underground resistance groups.

Norwegian Independent Company 1 was one such unit, and is better known as Kompani Linge after its leader, Captain Martin Linge. Linge and his men were supported by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), and received training in Scotland before returning to their home country to conduct raids and sabotage missions against the Nazis.

A memorial to Kompani Linge in Scotland. Source: QuentinUK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

A Compromised Operation

In March 1943, a detachment of four Kompani Linge commandos and eight other Norwegians embarked on Operation Martin. The goal of this operation was to use 8 tons of explosives to destroy critical assets at a German air base in the town of Bardufoss in northern Norway. During preparations for this dangerous mission, one of the commandos attempted to make contact with a local member of the resistance. But in a cruel twist of fate, he ended up speaking to a shopkeeper with the same name — some reports indicate he may have been a German imposter. That man promptly reported the conversation to the Gestapo.

The Norwegian fjords offered a strategic position for German ships and seaplanes. Source: Flickr.com/trondheim_byarkiv...

Upon learning that Operation Martin had failed, the twelve men quickly returned to the fishing boat that was packed with their explosives and attempted to escape. Tragically, that too would fail. A German frigate intercepted the boat in a fjord near the island of Rebbenesøya.

The members of Kompani Linge made the difficult choice to blow up their own boat rather than hand it over. They lit a time-delay fuse, piled into a dinghy, and attempted yet again to escape. But the Germans opened fire on the dinghy, killing one of the men and sinking the vessel. Ten of the remaining men were dragged from the icy water, turned over to the Gestapo, and executed. The final operative, Jan Baalsrud, was able to evade capture.

Jan Baalsrud's Escape

Baalsrud, then 25 years old, had been preparing to conduct an underwater demolition element of Operation Martin. He would have swam silently to a number of seaplanes at the Bardufoss air base and planted magnetic limpet mines to destroy them. Obviously, he never had the chance, but it's possible that his preparation for this mission explains the first step of his survival.

As the Germans opened fire on the dinghy, Baalsrud dove into the frigid Arctic water and swam to shore. Soaked, freezing, and missing one of his boots, he staggered up the beach and hid in a ravine. The Germans pursued him. As a soldier drew close to his position, Baalsrud drew his snub-nosed Colt revolver and shot him dead.

Staying Mobile

The interwoven fjords and mountains of Norway made overland travel a challenge. Source: Flickr.com/kimberlykv

After nightfall, Baalsrud found two young girls who had been alerted by the sound of the exploding fishing boat echoing through the fjord earlier that day. In a 2016 interview with the New York Times, Dagmar Idrupsen recalled that day more than 72 years ago, saying that Baalsrud was ice cold and his uniform was frozen solid. Despite this, she described his sensitivity, courtesy, and grateful attitude towards her family as they helped him. He didn't stay long, though — he knew he had to keep moving so he didn't endanger the innocent people who came to his aid.

Over the next nine weeks, Baalsrud was the subject of a nationwide manhunt by the Germans. He proceeded through northern Norway as a fugitive, moving cautiously from village to village and asking for help from people who could have easily turned him in. He never settled in one place, and compartmentalized these interactions by refusing to disclose who he had visited previously or where he was headed next. His ultimate goal was to cross the border into Sweden, where he'd have a better chance of escaping to an allied nation until the search was called off.

A map of Baalsrud's journey. Source: The New York Times

Through the kindness of his fellow Norwegians, Baalsrud received food, shelter, new boots and bandages for his badly-frostbitten feet, and some skis. These skis enabled him to move more quickly, but a sudden blizzard caused him to veer off course. Suffering badly from exposure and snowblindness, he wandered towards the foot of Mt. Jaeggevarre, a 3,000-foot peak. As if all this wasn't enough, an avalanche threw him down the mountainside, leaving him concussed and partially buried in snow. His skis had been destroyed, and he had been separated from his pack of supplies.

The Situation Worsens

By this point, Baalsrud was delirious and hallucinating, recounting that he heard the voices of his eleven comrades calling out to him. After three days of walking, he found the tiny village of Furuflaten, and by a great stroke of luck, the home of a resistance member there. Village residents hid him in a barn in hopes that he would recover, but the frostbite on his feet had progressed to the point that he could no longer walk. So, they coordinated to transport him to another island — first on a concealed stretcher, then on an improvised sled, and finally in a rowboat across the fjord.

After this journey, the villagers left Baalsrud in a 6-foot by 9-foot shed with some supplies, intending to return in a few days. He jokingly dubbed the shed his “Hotel Savoy,” after the world-renowned luxury hotel in London.

A recreation of “Hotel Savoy” in Revdalen, Norway. Source: Geocaching.com

Yet again, unpredictable weather arrived, delaying the return trip. Baalsrud began to see the signs of gangrene in his frost-damaged feet, so he sterilized his pocket knife in the flame of a lantern and did what he knew he had to do. He fully amputated one of his big toes and sliced the dead flesh off the tips of several others.

Five days later when the storm had abated, the villagers crossed the fjord again and carried Baalsrud further into the mountains. They eventually left him again in a rock crevice where he would remain for nine more days. These leapfrog journeys continued — five days in one location, seventeen in another. Since the spread of gangrene was continuing, he amputated the rest of his toes, and would later say he seriously contemplated suicide. Resistance members asked for help from Sami native tribe members, who used a sled and reindeer to stealthily cross through Finland and into Sweden, evading German units along the way.

Mountainous terrain on the Norway-Finland border. Source: Flickr.com/trondheim_byarkiv (CC BY 2.0)

Recovery and Return to Norway

When he arrived in a hospital in Sweden, Baalsrud weighed 80 pounds. He spent seven months there, putting on weight, regaining his eyesight, and learning how to walk again on his disfigured feet.

Less than a year after reaching Sweden, Baalsrud returned to Scotland, where he would train other Norwegian resistance members and Allied forces alongside the British SOE. However, as was also true of other legendary wartime survivors, he was not content to live this sedentary life while his countrymen were still fighting. He soon traveled back to Norway to aid the resistance directly, and witnessed the liberation of his country as the war ended.

Germans surrendering to a Norwegian resistance leader, May 11th, 1945. Source: Anders Beer Wilse / Galleri NOR

The British honored Baalsrud by appointing him a member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and the Norwegian government awarded him with the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch. He married an American woman, started a family, and served as Chairman of the Norwegian Disabled Veterans Union.

Jan Sigurd Baalsrud died in Oslo on December 30th, 1988. He was 71 years old. According to his wishes, his ashes were buried with Aslak Fossvoll, one of the Norwegian resistance members who aided him on his journey. His story lives on through films such as Nine Lives (1957) and The 12th Man (2017), as well as books, TV documentaries, and a remembrance march that takes place every year in Troms, Norway.

Sources:

Parental Preps Issue 32

Written by

Got a tip you’d like to share? Send it to offgrid@recoilweb.com along with a well-lit, high-resolution photo of yourself. Also include your name, and your website or social media handles if applicable. Please keep your tip submissions between 250 and 350 words. By sending in submissions, you grant CMG West LLC the unrestricted, transferable and sub-licensable, irrevocable, royalty-free, world-wide, and perpetual license to reproduce, distribute, publicly display, make derivative works of, and otherwise use the Submissions in any media whatsoever now known or later invented throughout the world for any purpose whatsoever, commercial or not.

I am the founder and CEO of the start-up company Man Made Survival. When I was 8 years old my dad and uncle, on two different occasions, lost me at the Six Flags amusement park. I was  scared, and it felt like forever before I was randomly found. Now I have three kids, ages ranging from 4 to 8 years old. What we do as a family is that we get a map of the amusement park and divide it into time zones. Each time zone has two assigned safe spots that we tie a yellow flag to and, according to what time they realize we got separated, they look on their copy of the map and head to that specific zone. They know not to panic, cry, or talk to any strangers and just wait for me to arrive. We have practiced this successfully with my 8-year-old, but still have some work to do with the younger two. I recommend this tactic to every parent who plans on going to a crowded place with their little ones — it offers a practical solution to the panic of a lost-child situation.

Jose Prado
www.facebook.com/ManMadeSurvival | @manmadesurvival

My wife and I use laminated cards with several family member phone numbers on them for my kid’s school bags and emergency bags. Another friend simply puts a list of them inside a Ziploc bag. These lists come into play in the event of a cell phone/internet outage in the area. Landlines will still function, and my kids will have a way to know the phone numbers, other than searching their cell phone contacts list. It also gives first responders a list in the case my children are injured or in need of assistance.

Dave Wells

Firearms: Teach your kids the four firearm safety rules from a very early age. Even 2-year-olds can understand the concepts of the rules. Demonstrate the rules with NERF guns and other toy guns until they are mature enough to handle a real firearm with your close parental supervision. Each child is different so it’s our job as parents to gauge when they’re ready to follow the rules and listen to our instruction. It’s also our job to teach them the respect for this tool (firearm), and to take the taboo away so curiosity won’t get the best of them. As parents, we are training them for the worst-case scenario with firearms — for example, finding an unsecured firearm at a friend’s house when we are not there. By eliminating the taboo they will be less likely to want to “play” with it and more likely to attempt to control the situation by leaving, peer pressuring to put it away, telling an adult, or calling parents to come intervene in the situation.

Technology: Technology can be a huge asset in keeping your kids safe. It can also be a detriment if we are too distracted by our screens. Part of being a prepared parent is avoiding distractions. The more aware we are of our environment, the more capable we will be of mitigating a potential threat to our children. Put the phone down and enjoy your kids — be aware of what’s going on around you.

Nila Rhoades: www.milspecmom.com

More From Issue 32

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Read articles from the next issue of Recoil Offgrid: Issue 33

Read articles from the previous issue of Recoil Offgrid: Issue 31

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

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

ALONE Season 6 First Look & Contestants

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We're just over a week away from the premiere of ALONE Season 6 on the HISTORY Channel. It airs on Thursday, June 6th at 10/9C, if you're keeping track. While no TV show can truly convey the harsh reality of survival in the wilderness — something you can only experience firsthand — we've enjoyed previous seasons of ALONE. The show portrays the physical characteristics, gear, and (most importantly) the mentality required to overcome life-threatening conditions for an extended period.

As usual, Season 6 of ALONE will consist of ten participants who compete to survive for as long as possible, each with ten survival items selected from a specific gear list. The winner will claim a $500,000 prize. However, this season will be set in the Arctic near Great Slave Lake in Canada's remote Northwest Territories.

We previously wrote about this season shortly after its premiere date and trailer were published last month, but more information is now available. First, there's a new 2-minute First Look video, which you can watch below:

Second, we now have a full list of contestants, including their bio information and gear choices. Click each name to read more about the contestant on HISTORY's web site.

Tim Backus – Age 55 – Hunting Guide from Lubbock, TX

Nathan Donnelly – Age 39 – Disaster Preparedness Instructor from Lopez Island, WA

Donny Dust – Age 38 – Primitive Technology Instructor from Monument, CO

Jordan Jonas – Age 35 – Construction Worker from Lynchburg, VA

Barry Karcher – Age 39 – Self Defense Instructor from Fort Collins, CO

Ray Livingston – Age 43 – Search and Rescue K9 Handler from Vancouver, WA

Brady Nicholls – Age 36 – SERE Instructor from San Antonio, TX

Woniya Thibeault – Age 42 – Ancestral Skills Teacher from Grass Valley, CA

Nikki van Schyndel – Age 44 – Wilderness Guide from Echo Bay, British Columbia, Canada

Michelle Wohlberg – Age 31 – Homesteader from Mullingar, Saskatchewan, Canada

Based on this early info, some contestants sound more promising than others, but as we've seen in past seasons it could be anyone's game. The mental toughness to persevere through starvation and suffering is often the determining factor on this show, just as it could be in any survival scenario. For more updates on the show, go to History.com/shows/Alone or Facebook.com/Alone.

RECOILweb: Family-Defense Considerations for Parents with Young Children

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Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published in Issue 13 of CONCEALMENT, and appears here in its entirety with permission. For more articles on guns, training, and gear, go to RECOILweb.com.

The Armed Guardian

Imagine you’re eating out with your family. Your son, daughter, niece, nephew, or maybe grandchild is sitting in your lap, telling you an elaborate story the way that only a small child can. You’re fully engaged in their excited eyes and animated features— the way they tilt their head and stumble over words as they kick their foot against the leg of your chair has you both distracted and delighted. You’re enraptured with the little bundle of joy.

Then you hear it. A scream. A demand. You peel your eyes away from this lovely child, only to find yourself staring directly at a violent offender in the midst of an armed robbery.

What do you do?

According to 2014 Census Bureau data, around 60 percent of the population over the age of 15 has at least one biological child. So if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you don’t have to reach too far back into your memory to picture the scenario described above, to picture the face of a child you love silhouetted between you and a violent individual with a gun.

If you’re a parent or spend time around kids and you carry a gun, it’s very likely you’ve already considered how it could be used to save your child’s life, or the life of another child you love dearly.

But what if it happens?

What if your child were in the midst of a violent attack? What if you’re attacked and a child is between you and your attacker? What if your family is caught up in violence it wasn’t prepared for? Do you know what to do?

Citizens Defense Research was formed in 2015 and set out to answer these questions. We named our flagship course Contextual Handgun: The Armed Parent/Guardian (TAP/G) and spent a year researching, studying, testing, and crunching data. Not surprisingly, defending your loved ones with a gun is no small task. It’s a complicated and frightening prospect with many moving parts. While many things can be done well, this article will focus on a few important — but sometimes unintuitive — ways that armed parents and loved ones might fall short when defending children.

Your Self-Preservation Instincts May Be Stronger Than Parental Ones

Above: Demonstrating techniques with a prop child in class — a lot easier than bringing your toddler onto the range. Once you’re in a home environment you can practice techniques with your own — preferably with a SIRT or Blue gun, lest you want to practice trauma care in real time.

In times of extreme stress or sudden violence, the brain triggers the body to produce a flood of hormones meant to prepare the body to fight or to flee. This state of hyperarousal can cause you to act impulsively and without clear direction. While in this state, it’s very difficult to think rationally, and actions taken may in retrospect seem unintelligent, counterproductive, or even negligent.

Parents have abandoned their own children in mass-casualty shootings, struck their own children while attempting to fight attackers, and more. When these stories are reported, it’s common to see visceral and outraged reactions, but the hard truth is that any one of us could potentially act in a similar fashion. While considering it rationally, we would never imagine it possible — but we can’t underestimate what we might do in a state of hyperarousal.

The good news is that you can lessen the ability of your subconscious to hijack your body. Proactively planning for the presence of your children in the event of a violent crime gives your brain a strategy to focus on should a similar event occur. This guideline can help switch your subconscious mind out of hyperarousal and back into rational thought more quickly.
Practicing controlling your body’s response to extreme stress through physical activity and stressful activities or sports can also help you better manage stress when it occurs.

Your Parental Instincts May Put Your Child at Additional Risk

Concerned parents will often pull their children to themselves like hens with baby chicks when they become aware of something alarming or suspicious. They tuck their little ones close and shepherd them away.

While this instinct is understandable, in a world of projectile weapons and chaotic violence, it may be counterproductive.

In a majority of force-on-force scenarios that we observed involving children who were drawn close to the caregiver, children got shot when guns were involved and bullets were exchanged. Similarly, many videos of fistfights between adults where children are present show that when children are kept close to a caregiver, they often end up being struck.

Exceptions to this rule included situations in which the caregiver was able to get the child out of the scenario before gunfire or blows were exchanged, or was able to end the confrontation before the situation escalated further.

Avoidance and de-escalation are always our best first defense against violence when children are present. Sometimes, however, violent encounters can happen so quickly that there’s no time to evacuate your loved one (we’ll discuss this more later). When violence is imminent, if given the choice between bringing your loved ones close to you or creating distance, go for distance.

Your Most Important Priority May Not Be Getting Your Child to Safety

Given how important distance can be, as my partner and I started forming our theories for defending children in sudden, inevitable, and violent encounters, we initially prioritized creating distance and getting the child to safety.

While this worked very well if there was enough time to see the attack progressing or when there was an opportunity to stall the attack in some way, the results were devastating when the attack was sudden and violent. If the parent took the time to get their child to safety after the violence had already started and before they fought back, both the parent and the child often ended up shot.

So we switched tactics and examined what would happen if we instead prioritized immediate, skilled, and appropriately violent counter-attacks in these sort of situations. In our simulations, the number of children and parents that suffered simulated gunshot wounds plummeted, even with parents holding children in their arms.

This means you may have to fight around your child. Thus, you must possess the gun-handling and shooting skills to perform to a demanding standard coupled with a clear understanding of the legal and moral implications. If you haven’t already, seek training that allows you to maximize your performance with the tools you’ve chosen to defend yourself — and then practice those skills on a regular basis. If you aren’t practicing, your skills may fail you in your most desperate time of need.

If, despite your best efforts, you’re unable to avoid violence, your priority must be to end the fight. Ending the fight will be the vehicle that ensures your own and your loved ones’ safety.

Above: Time spent in the classroom and on the range is a vitally important component of personal defense, and even moreso when you’re protecting a defenseless loved one in addition to yourself.

Your Poor Gun-Handling May Be the Biggest Threat to Your Loved One

It would be tragically ironic if the tools we purchase to defend the lives of those we love might end up hurting them. You don’t have to look hard for accounts of children who have been injured or killed when adults improperly store or carelessly handle firearms.

Additionally, sometimes adults have learned certain habits, whether through formal training or on their own, that can put children, in particular, at risk of being killed or severely injured through poor muzzle control and minimal awareness of how to manage chaotic environments.

If you have children in your home (or even if you don’t), it’s advisable when buying a firearm that you also get a safe means of storing it. Get appropriate training that teaches you safe handling practices in the context of your lifestyle, and strictly abide by what you’ve learned.

Your Loved One May Actively Hinder Your Ability to Fight Effectively

There’s a video we show in every one of our TAP/G classes: a man is carrying a small child in his left arm while he walks down the street. Another, older child is holding his right hand. A woman, presumably his wife, is holding the older child’s other hand.

A man with a knife runs toward them and stabs the woman in the neck. Dad turns to confront the attacker, still holding the children. As he attempts to kick the knife-wielding man, the woman pulls on his arm. It causes him to trip over the older child and fall on his back.

The attacker runs off to stab other victims, and we’re left pondering what could have happened differently.

While I’d never tell a family that carrying children or holding hands isn’t safe, it’s wise to have conversations with your loved ones about what to do in the event that a violent encounter takes place.

Coordinating a strategy with your loved ones is a significant start toward improving your ability to effectively fight should the need arise.

Above: As a parent of a a baby or a toddler, consider the way you carry your firearm. Access to your pistol will be complicated when carrying your child or a diaper bag. Consider and practice alternate carry methods.

You May Have to Rethink Your Role in Your Family Defense Plan

When family defense is discussed, it often defaults to traditional gender roles: the woman’s job is to whisk the children to safety; the man’s job is to stand and defend the family.

While this very well may be the best practice for your family, I challenge you to consider alternatives.

My husband and I are fairly evenly matched when it comes to our defensive skills. But while I sometimes struggle to carry just one of our children, my husband can collect all three of them in his arms and carry them with ease. He’s also the family breadwinner. He’s capable of getting the rest of our family to safety and can provide for our children long term if I don’t survive a violent encounter. That makes flipping traditional gender roles a smart choice for our family, and it might be for yours too.

You Should Make the Hardest Decisions Now

Sitting down with your spouse and discussing all of these difficult decisions and consequences is not a pleasant conversation. For some, even talking about carrying a firearm or planning for violence isn’t easy. But getting through those conversations may reduce your hesitancy to act decisively in the moment, should you ever face violence when with your family.

Fortunately, extreme violence around children is still rare. When violence rears its ugly head and people are even minimally equipped to handle it, the good guy often still wins. In the unlikely event you face the worst, these are a few of the possible failure points in your family defense plan that you should consider. Planning for them puts you one step closer to being better prepared to defend the ones you love the most.

For more self-defense training tips and firearms-related coverage, pick up a copy of CONCEALMENT Issue 13 or go to RECOILweb.com.

Review: 5.11 Tactical AMP Backpack Series

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Over the last few years, we've noticed a dramatic shift in the backpack market. Manufacturers have realized that many consumers want the toughness and versatility of a military-style pack, but without an exterior that screams tactical. Even if you're not a hardcore adherent to the “gray man” philosophy, it's hard to deny that a black, coyote tan, olive drab, or camo-patterned bag covered in PALS webbing, pouches, and morale patches stands out in most civilian settings.

Want to test this claim for yourself? Next time you're at an airport, keep an eye out for those packs, and observe the people who are wearing them. The backpack often goes along with certain types of clothing, trail shoes or boots, outdoor-oriented watches, wraparound sunglasses, tattoos, and haircuts/facial hair. Even the individual's build and stance can be noteworthy. Combining these cues can suggest that the person may have a military/first-responder background, or may be someone with an interest in shooting or emergency preparedness. Some are OK with making this information known in a public setting; others want to maintain a lower profile. Either way, a backpack is one of the easiest signs to spot from a distance.

Knowing this, many of the leading manufacturers of tactical packs have rolled out more discreet offerings to address this movement. Stitched PALS webbing has been reduced, replaced by smoother laser-cut panels, or phased out entirely; color choices have been expanded beyond black, tan, green, and camo; bulky exterior lines have been smoothed to produce a streamlined appearance. There's a whole spectrum of choices available now, from designs that are overtly tactical to those that could pass for a plain book bag to the untrained eye.

The 5.11 Tactical AMP Philosophy

You may already be familiar with 5.11 Tactical's RUSH backpacks. This line includes some of the most popular tactical packs on the market — the sort of thing you'll frequently see while people-watching as we described above. We'd certainly describe them as traditional and mainstream. On the other end of the spectrum, 5.11 Tactical offers some discreet packs, such as the Dart series. These are generally designed to be compact and used for light-duty every-day carry.

The All Missions Pack (AMP) line splits the difference between these extremes. It offers durable materials and large capacity, but with a sleeker, toned-down look that's less conspicuous in urban settings. Like the RUSH series, the 5.11 Tactical AMP series is available in a range of sizes denoted by trip duration in hours:

  • AMP10 — 20-liter capacity for short partial-day trips — $170 MSRP
  • AMP12 — 25-liter capacity for longer partial-day trips — $170 MSRP
  • AMP24 — 32-liter capacity for overnight trips — $190 MSRP
  • AMP72 — 40-liter capacity for 2- to 3-day trips — $250 MSRP

The All Missions name is indicative of the goal: a backpack that's appropriate for hard use as a duty or bug-out bag, but also for more casual use as a laptop carrier or commuter pack. As 5.11 Tactical designer Scott Lambert put it in the video below, “there is a demand now for a backpack that can be both overt and covert.”

All AMP backpacks are built from water-resistant 500D Dobby Nylon — a geometric weave fabric with more texture than standard ballistic nylon — and a reinforced 1000D Nylon base. The main compartments offer full-clamshell opening with quad-zip zippers, so you can easily open the top, either side, or the entire pack. Color choices are Black, Kangaroo, Ranger Green, and Tungsten. Kangaroo and Ranger Green are darker and more subdued colors than standard Coyote or Olive Drab; Tungsten is a subtle blue-gray color.

AMP Gear Sets

Each AMP product comes with a removable HEXGRID Gear Set.

Much of the AMP's versatility hinges on its rear panel, which can be swapped out for various modular Gear Sets. Instead of permanently-attached PALS webbing, the AMP series has a large field of hook-and-loop material and several buckles that can be used to attach various panels and pouches. By default, all AMP packs include a HEXGRID Gear Set, which can accept MOLLE-compatible pouches and accessories in vertical, horizontal, or angled orientations.

From left to right: Admin Gear Set, Double Deploy Gear Set, 2-Banger Gear Set.

Five other replacement gear sets are offered, ranging from $25 to $45 MSRP:

  • Laser-Cut MOLLE — for those who prefer traditional MOLLE-compatibility
  • 2-Banger — holds two 30-round AR mags and various other small tools
  • Double Deploy — a pair of individually-detachable zippered pockets
  • Admin — large, full-zip pouch with many smaller internal pouches for EDC gear
  • Med Pouch — this one's pretty self-explanatory

Gear Sets can be installed on the back wall of the main compartment.

If you're really into morale patches, you can remove the Gear Sets completely and use the large loop-backed area to stick on your favorite pieces of flair. Gear Sets can also be attached to the inside of the main compartment to add more modular storage capability.

Our Review(s)

In order to evaluate the AMP collection, we decided to test two models, the AMP24 and AMP72. Although there may not seem to be much of a difference between a 32-liter pack and a 40-liter pack on paper, these two bags serve substantially different purposes and offer some distinct features.

The AMP24

This pack is small enough to be used as part of an EDC around town, but large enough to serve as a get-home bag or carry-on luggage for overnight trips. We've brought it on several recent flights, carried it at trade shows and events, and stashed it in the trunk of a car while driving around town. Since we primarily planned to wear it in urban areas, we selected Tungsten, a color option somewhat outside the tactical pack norm.

We also toned down the appearance by swapping the standard HEXGRID Gear Set for an Admin Gear Set in the matching blue-gray hue. This Gear Set is perfectly-suited to the EDC application, since it provides ideal spots for pens, a flashlight, a trauma kit, hand sanitizer, and other tools we wanted quick access to.

A flap immediately above the Gear Set area opens to a CCW pocket, which offers a webbing strap to tie down a handgun holster. This pocket is also lined with loop fabric, so you can attach a Velcro holster if you prefer.

The pack's main compartment is highly versatile thanks to the quad-zip system. If you lean the pack onto its side and unzip it from the bottom, you can reach the large vertical-zip mesh pocket inside the lid — we stowed an electronics kit in here, but it also has PALS webbing to attach your keys, knife, or other items.

Unzipping the top of the compartment provides access to a horizontal-zip mesh pocket, an additional hidden pocket behind it, and an opening to stuff gear into the AMP24 from above. There's also the always-welcome sunglass pocket lined with soft fabric.

Two deep water bottle pockets on the inside of the main compartment keep the side profile smooth, and eliminate the need for the bulky MOLLE bottle pouches we've tolerated in the past.

Zippers just outside these pockets look like they offer an additional H2O access point, but they actually lead to another set of slim pockets between the bottle pockets and the main compartment.

We didn't find these areas particularly useful, since the bottles occupy the same space and make the contents difficult to access. Don't expect to fit much in them aside from some paracord or charging cables.

Lastly, the hydration compartment is supported by a stiff thermoformed polymer sheet, providing improved comfort against the back and added protection for a laptop. It fits a 15-inch laptop snugly, and leaves no hint of its valuable contents once the shoulder straps are in place.

The AMP72

Although the AMP72 shares many of the features we just mentioned AMP24, it's much more than a scaled-up version of that design.

The first difference you'll notice is the addition of a hip belt. Anyone who has carried a 30- or 40-pound pack for many miles can testify to the value of spreading that weight across the hips rather than the shoulders. That's a big plus, and a key feature for any through-hiking pack or bug-out bag.

Squeezing the perimeter of the pack reveals the aluminum frame.

Another upgrade is less visible, but can be felt around the perimeter of the backpack. The AMP72 has an built-in aluminum frame, which is connected to the shoulder straps via adjustable load lifters.

Load lifters add tension between the top of the frame and the shoulder straps.

The difference these components make for carrying heavy loads cannot be overstated. Instead of feeling strain in your shoulders and back, your legs and core can support the weight in a much less strenuous manner. Admittedly, this doesn't compare to a purpose-built external-frame pack for extremely heavy loadouts or week-long treks, but it's more than sufficient for moderate use on the trail.

The third substantial upgrade is another full-zip compartment behind the main compartment. It opens to the side, and is designed to hold a gun up to 24 inches in length. That's a few inches too short for a disassembled 16″ AR, but offers more than enough room for an AR pistol, SBR, or our trusty 10/22 Takedown.

The compartment is nicely padded to protect the weapon, and has a barrel sleeve at the base as well as an adjustable retention strap.

Closing Thoughts

Frankly, the 5.11 AMP series feels like a huge upgrade in comparison to its RUSH siblings. The RUSH packs certainly have their merits — they're simple, utilitarian, and highly durable workhorses. However, they also have a tendency to feel ungainly when fully-loaded, and their appearance is anything but discreet. The All Missions Packs are slimmed-down, modernized, and well-thought-out. Depending on your choice of colors and Gear Sets, they can also look substantially less militaristic (albeit not entirely so) to the casual observer. Nobody is going to confuse one of these with a Jansport book bag, but you'll at least be less of a focal point than the guy who's decked out in webbing, pouches, and look-at-me patches.

Beyond aesthetics, we really enjoyed the functionality of the AMP series, and frequently found ourselves discovering new places to stow gear. If you're the kind of person who wants a place for everything and everything in its place, the multitude of pockets will be right up your alley. The swappable Gear Sets offer many ways to set up the interior and exterior storage to your liking. The Admin set is our favorite, followed by the Double Deploy.

That said, some of the pockets are more crowded and less usable than we'd like. We previously mentioned our issues with the side pockets that share space with the internal water bottle sleeves — the “stash” pocket at the bottom of the pack has a similar issue, and can only fit something slim and crushable like a beanie or gloves. The sunglass pocket on top of the clamshell lid is also right on top of two others — the interior mesh pocket and the hidden pocket behind it.

If you want to use all three, you'd better have some very flat sunglasses. Even the waist belt wings on the AMP72 contain two diminutive zippered compartments, each about the size of a pack of gum.

Fortunately, the solution to these issues is simple. Don't obsess over cramming something into every pocket, and accept that some can stay empty. If you can do that, “too many pockets” will never be a problem.

Overall, the 5.11 Tactical AMP24 and AMP72 get a strong thumbs-up from us. They might not be the perfect pack for all missions — sorry, no such product exists — but they're impressively versatile and configurable. The AMP24 makes a great EDC pack to get you through a daily commute, and has enough space for short weekend trips, day hikes, or use as a get-home bag. The AMP72 is a good choice for backpacking, hunting, and range days, as well as a solid mid-size bug-out bag platform.

To learn more about 5.11 Tactical AMP backpacks, go to 511Tactical.com.

Video: The Myths and Realities of Reading Body Language

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If you're looking to binge-watch some interesting videos on YouTube, the WIRED channel is a good place to start. We've especially enjoyed the Technique Critique series, in which subject matter experts — such as a dialect coach, lawyer, surgeon, and crime scene analyst — discuss scenes from movies and TV and explain their accuracy (or inaccuracy). But one video that was published this week struck us as especially insightful and applicable to preparedness.

In this video, former FBI agent Joe Navarro explains how law enforcement organizations use body language — or non-verbals, as he calls it — to detect unspoken information. You've probably heard examples of this idea in pop culture, such as the claim that crossing your arms is a tell that you're lying or withholding something. However, Navarro says this is “nonsense,” and explains that it's actually a common “self-soothing” behavior. He also goes into other widespread body language myths, as well as some of the real cues that investigators look for.

Watch the full 15-minute video below:

There are many helpful takeaways from Joe Navarro's insights. First, it's that analyzing non-verbal communication is more art than science — as he explains, “it's not about making judgements, it's about assessing ‘what is this person transmitting?'” If you're suspicious of someone's behavior, examining their body language will rarely provide a clearly-defined a-ha moment. Instead, it's more akin to gathering clues that can point you in the right direction, especially when it's combined with a verbal interrogation.

Second, as usual, you can't believe everything you see in movies and TV. There are many misleading or flat-out wrong claims perpetuated by Hollywood.

Finally, the ability to recognize non-verbals is extremely valuable, whether you're playing poker, haggling the price of a product, or trying to identify a foreign spy.

For more from Joe Navarro and his books on behavioral analysis, go to jnforensics.com.

Emergency Medical Care Without a Hospital

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We all do our best to be prepared in an emergency; however, there are always things we don’t expect that may come up. We often take medical care for granted when disaster hits. The hospitals and physicians are usually there when we need them, but what happens when the hospital has been destroyed by a natural or manmade disaster? Remember Joplin, Missouri, in 2011 when an F5 tornado destroyed the hospital there? How about Hurricane Maria in 2017 that rendered 65 of 67 hospitals in Puerto Rico non-operational in the first few days after the disaster? There were 3.5-million people seeking help with only two functioning hospitals on the island. One month after the hurricane, less than half of those 67 facilities were operational. Are you prepared for that scenario? Do you have a plan?

I asked three experts in their respective fields what advice they’d give in a situation where disaster has destroyed medical facilities. Mark Linderman is a crisis risk manager for the CDC and takes a community approach to preparation. Kerry Davis is a former medic and nurse, and is the CEO of Dark Angel Medical. He focuses on teaching individuals skill sets and developing a plan to survive. J.R. Grounds is the leader of the Civilian Crisis Response Team and agrees with both Mark and Kerry in that individual skill sets are important; however, being flexible and working together are just as important.

Emergency Medical Care Q&A

Why is it important to be medically prepared for a disaster?

ML: There is a misconception that if something happens, the federal government will come in and save everybody. Depending on how widespread that disaster is, the government may not be able to help. A disaster happens locally first. The feds may be too busy helping elsewhere, and it may be some time before they can get to a smaller community. Communities need to understand what resources they have, how they’re allocated, and how to respond if something happens. We need to care for ourselves first before the feds come in.

JRG: One of the problems is that before the outside help comes in, you can imagine that the staff at the hospital is being affected by the disaster. Maybe they can’t even make it to the hospital. The local service providers are also compromised by the disaster. They may have emergencies at home as well. A hospital may be stocked with backup medical supplies and generators in preparation for a major catastrophe; however, the staff is a major resource that may not be able to get to the hospital.

KD: No one is coming to save you, so it’s up to you.

When disaster strikes, what is the mindset for those going through the initial stages of the disaster recovery?

ML: Obviously, there is fear. Denial is also a huge factor in a disaster. A lot of people have to overcome that denial. Bitterness could play a huge role.

JRG: It’s mass panic. Complete chaos.

KD: You have to remember the basic tenets of survival: fire, water, food, and shelter. Most importantly, have a plan. If you don’t have a plan, then you are already behind the eight ball. Having a plan is being in the proper mindset. If you have a plan and know how to implement the plan, that will eliminate a lot of confusion.

What can people do prior to the disaster to help improve their situation during a disaster?

ML: It’s contingent upon the type of disaster. The biggest thing is that people should be sure they are up to date on the Tdap (tetanus vaccine). People should have a basic knowledge of first aid to help themselves or others. If the hospital is decimated, there should be protocols in place to address the situation with other agencies.

JRG: People have got to take more responsibility to deal with their current medical issues. Make sure they have medications, supplies, etc. They also need to be able to provide the short-term lower-level emergency care for themselves (e.g. bandages, antiseptics, splints).

KD: I think people are trying to become more self-reliant. I think if they know some basic medical stuff that will go a long way. Basic wound care is a big deal. Immunizations are important. Make sure your tetanus is up to date. Dental health is important (see RECOIL OFFGRID Issue 27). Get an emergency dental kit. Have a reference library of books. Look at home remedies, because a lot of it works. Bioenvironmental stuff … how to make clean water. How to use bleach. How to boil water. Basic field hygiene. In a prolonged disaster where people are dying, how are they going to dispose of the bodies? We may see the diseases of the dark ages — how are you going to prepare for that?

What medical supplies do you keep handy?

KD: We have analgesics, basic antibiotics (Azithromycin, Ciprofloxacin, and Metronidazole). If you have these medications, make sure they aren’t beyond their expiration dates. Lots of bandages, basic wound care, and dental care items (toothpaste, dental floss). Trash bags, toilet paper, feminine products, condoms, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, basic suturing kits, skin staplers. If you know how to suture or staple, that’s important too. Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, and having pediatric doses of those medications are also helpful.

How often are you going through your med kit to know it’s up to date?

KD: We do a quarterly inventory to make sure things aren’t out of date. If something expires in that quarter, I will pull that and purchase an update for the inventory.

How many days of supplies should people have on hand?

ML: FEMA really tries to educate people that a three-day supply is adequate, but a disaster on a larger magnitude may require a much longer supply. Three days is a good start, but a more realistic view is that two to three weeks of supplies is needed.

If a disaster strikes and medical services are not immediately available, would there be any medical resources or facilities that would make sense as alternatives?

JRG: In Houston during Hurricane Harvey, the local hospital moved all of their critical patients to other facilities. We set up a tent with the National Guard infantry units and they didn’t have necessary medical and decon staff. In a large-scale disaster like Harvey, there was a large geographic area to have the National Guard cover. Those units were being triaged themselves to areas where they could do the most good. The problem then was that the smaller areas were left to fend for themselves. The small hospital was getting ready to go under water and their supplies were going to be compromised. They backed up a truck and loaded it with all kinds of medical supplies to take to the tent. We loaded stuff that we thought was important — bandages, insulin, diabetic supplies, nebulizers. We had a lot of resources, but the resources get triaged just like patients. If the resource is 10 miles away, but there is no way to get to it because of the flooding, it might as well be on the other end of the globe. The makeshift hospital that may be in a parking lot somewhere has to draw a line about who they might see because of the massive influx of patients. So when the secondary providers start getting that overflow of patients it can be very overwhelming.

ML: Emergency departments can be quickly over-whelmed during a disaster. There is a certain capacity that an emergency department can handle. If a hospital has been decimated, there are other resources available. Whether that is the Red Cross, churches, or universities, there are opportunities for assistance. Some universities can have nursing programs that can be valuable in a disaster situation. We have PODs (Places of Disbursement): open POD where people come to a location where, say, the health department has set up to care for people. There are closed PODs where universities that have nursing programs can help. These relationships are pre-established prior to the disaster. The urgent care center is also an option. Senior housing developments are a potential option, because they have nurses and medications that may be useful. Medical reserve corps (MRCs) should also be established before the disaster. These consist of volunteers from the medical community who are important to establish.

Many people will want to help when a disaster strikes. Where should they go to be most helpful?

ML: You want to check with the local emergency management agency. You can also check with Red Cross, local churches, and walk-in clinics. Hospital and public health agencies get some degree of assistance and are required to have volunteer programs.

JRG: There will be some sort of incident command post that you can look for. If you see a tent in a parking lot, somebody in there will be in charge. Let them know what experience you have and what your credentials are, so that they can figure out how you can best be used. The other thing I would say is don’t get your feelings hurt if that person doesn’t immediately pay attention to you or put you right to work. They have to figure out how to incorporate you into the plan in a safe manner.

What about the surge of volunteers that shows up to help?

ML: Agencies have the best intentions, but their intentions convolute the process of response recovery. When we go down trying to help and it’s not a part of the coordinated effort, there are now more people to feed, more places for people to stay. This diverts the efforts from people who actually need the help to people who are there to help. Now healthcare has to help people affected from the disaster, but also the people who are there to help.

JRG: There are so many volunteers who just show up, and there isn’t really a way to know what their experiences are or what equipment they have. So it becomes a situation where the volunteers can actually overwhelm the system. The person who’s in charge on scene has to be responsible for the people affected by the disaster as well as the volunteers aiding in the disaster. The last thing they want is to need to take care of the volunteer as well. It’s not that help isn’t needed, but the chaos has to be managed. Also, find an organization that has experience in dealing with disaster services. Volunteer with them and get some experience.

Any final thoughts?

ML: The nature of a disaster is that it catches us off-guard so we have to be ready as a community. The community is the glue that holds us together and we have to remember that we are a national community as much as we are a local community.

JRG: You have to be able to take care of yourself. If you have a medical condition, you need to understand how your body will respond in that setting. You have to stay in the game to help as many people as you can.

KD: The biggest thing is having a plan, but be flexible. Don’t be so rigid you can’t think outside the box. There are a lot of gray areas. Plan ahead. Practice carrying your gear so you know if it’s feasible to carry around. At least you are ahead of the guy who didn’t plan. It’s better to be proactive than reactive.

In Summary

When a natural or manmade disaster strikes, it may be a prolonged period of time before help arrives. Be prepared to fend for yourself. That means taking classes, developing skill sets, and formulating a plan for surviving the disaster aftermath. Make sure that you know what you are capable of doing in various conditions and train with your gear. Understand the emotional components after the disaster strikes and how you personally manage those within yourself and others.

Maintain flexibility in your thinking as someone trying to survive the disaster as well as a responder trying to help others. As Kerry Davis said, “No one is coming to save you,” and it’s our responsibility to prepare and plan before disaster strikes.

About the Author

David L. Miller, DO, FACOI is an internist in private practice for 20 years. His experiences away from the office have included time as a fight doctor in regional MMA events and as a team physician for 10 years at a mid-major university in the Midwest. Currently, he serves as the lead medical instructor for the Civilian Crisis Response team based out of Indianapolis.

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