Search Results for: modern day threats

Modern-day Zombie Threats

March 21, 2018 by Scott Witner Leave a Comment

Zombies are considered an apocalyptic creature. There is no specific explanation for the origin of this concept. The word ‘zombie’ means animated corpse, a person who has had their mind controlled by someone else and is working as a slave. Zombies, by that definition, have been around since man first walked the earth.

They first appeared in the literature “Epic of Gilgamesh,” which stated, “The dead will outnumber the living.” More than half of all zombie movies have been produced since September 11th, 2001. Since the attacks on September 11th, there has been a repeated correlation between the notion of a zombie invasion and terrorism. Both are relentless and hell bent on causing mass chaos. We need to be prepared ahead of time to deal with the chaos that may come in the future.

What is the modern-day definition of a zombie? For all intents and purposes, the term ‘zombie’ can be used as a metaphor for anything that threatens our way of life.

Most people are unsure of how to prepare for and deal with current threats. Civilization is as close as it’s ever been to total collapse. There are so many elements that are putting pressure on us from all directions: the global war on terror, global warming, global financial meltdown, natural disasters, and political instability.

Borders are starting to collapse, as we’ve seen in Ukraine, the Middle East, and even on the southern border of the U.S. The collapse of borders only allows the threat to grow more quickly and become stronger.

North Korea has now become the subject of debate due to the threats made by their leader and progression of their nuclear program.

“North Korea has claimed that the successful launch of the Hwasong-15 makes them a legitimate and viable nuclear power, though experts aren’t quite convinced. Issues with the reentry vehicle aren’t the only thing holding Kim’s regime back. They have still yet to demonstrate an accurate and reliable targeting system in their missiles, and without confirmation of the weight of the dummy warhead, the Hwasong-15’s range may be reduced when equipped with a legitimate nuclear weapon.

Nonetheless, this new missile represents a significant leap forward for the reclusive state, and potentially, a legitimate threat to American security.” – Alex Hollings

Our survival is at stake, more right now than ever before. So how do we prepare for a modern-day zombie threat to our way of life?

Mindset: Urgent threats don’t always allow us time to fully process an event and come up with an adequate response. The thought of what may happen to society as a whole when faced with total annihilation can be crippling. This stress could also cause tense relations with neighbors and those closest to you. Panic sets in and everybody loses trust in each other. The psychological aspects of a zombie threat could be more devastating than the physical threat itself; just take a look at the Ebola scare we had not too long ago, or the anthrax scare shortly after September 11th, 2001.

Tactics:

The knee-jerk reaction most people will have is to barricade themselves in a “safe room” or “bug in” in order to shield themselves from the threat. The problem with this is that you’re preventing yourself from being able to acquire food, water, and other supplies that may be needed.
You don’t want to face a zombie situation unarmed. If you are unarmed, you need to know how to control the situation and provide yourself an exit strategy through the use of combatives and hand-to-hand combat.
Today, our zombie threat is not easily seen. Modern-day terrorism is quite terrifying, as our enemy is more often than not unseen and blends into society. They are in our neighborhoods; they don’t look like an army. The war on terror is much like fighting a hoard of zombies. Like zombies, terrorists will continue to hunt us down and they will not stop until we have eliminated them or they have overtaken us. This requires a constant state of situational awareness.
Let’s talk head shots: Shot placement is critical. You need to be able to disable the threat immediately, which often requires a shot to the face (ideally right above the bridge of the nose). This will most likely have to be done under stress.
Bugging out should be your last option. Stay in and fortify your home until you’ve exhausted all options. If the only option becomes bugging out, you need to be prepared ahead of time for that possibility. You’ll need to become familiar with woodsman skills and the skills of the 18th-century scouts. You’ll need to know how to gain entry to buildings and houses. When bugging out or evading, another necessity is physical fitness. You need to be physically fit enough to be able to continuously move with your gear on.
Survival does not only mean stocking up on food, water, and bullets. It also means having the skills to survive, whether that’s in an urban environment or wilderness environment. It’s also not about having fancy gear and gadgets. Survival is about persevering through hardships we are faced with.
Evasion techniques will be used more than the shooting of your firearms. That single shot you take may give up your position.

Tools:

Machete: inexpensive, lightweight, it can be used to clear brush if evading, used to process wood, or used as a weapon of fear.
Crowbar: inexpensive and can be used to gain entry to get needed supplies for your survival, or as a blunt striking weapon.
Spearpoint: can be attached to a long stick and used to cook food over a fire, for spear fishing or gigging, and as a lethal stabbing weapon.
Knives: With a knife, two is one and one is none. I recommend carrying a good quality pocket knife that’s on you at all times and a quality fixed-blade knife in your pack or bag.

Firearms:

Rifle: An M4 carbine gives you distance/standoff from the threat.
Handgun: A 9mm Glock 17 is durable, easy to conceal, accurate out to 50 meters, and has good barrier penetration.
Shotgun: A Remington 870 provides excellent barrier penetration when used with slugs and has devastating terminal ballistics when used up close and personal.

Ever heard of the organization ZERT—Zombie Eradication Response Team? After reading up on the organization, it sounded too cool not be a member of. To some, it may sound corny or childish, but ZERT is much more than just about zombies. They offer professional training courses led by former SOF operators, too. Courses include survival, close-quarter combat, rifle and handgun skills, ropes courses, and team tactics. In addition to their courses, they also offer single-day clinics on various topics.

ZERT also works with gear companies to offer tactical gear to their members at reduced rates.

Once signed up with ZERT, you will be given a callsign and a squadron assignment. From there, you can link up with other members of your squadron to train together and hone your skills as a unit. You also have the opportunity to prove your shooting skills by passing their NSS—National Shooting Standards and the Irregular Warfare Qualification.

This article is only a brief overview of what you need to do to be ready for modern-day threats. Use this article as a guide to finding more in-depth material, resources, and training so that you’re prepared for the unknown. Now is the time to prepare, not once you start hearing reports of imminent danger.

*Featured image courtesy of Pixabay

Why we need access to ‘assault weapons’ and modern firearms

April 10, 2018 by Loadout Room Guest Authors Leave a Comment

First and foremost I’m not here to belittle anyone or their views, I won’t be calling anyone “snowflake” or “libtard”; I find such things extremely distasteful and they seriously detract from having a meaningful discussion between opposing viewpoints. Rather than just throwing memes at each other, I believe in having a rational discourse. Please lend me a few minutes of your day to impart not just an opinion but some very recent historical data from our world. I’m not a member of the Right or Left, I’m not going to bore you with statistics or talk about the nuances of firearm mechanics/aesthetics. I want to tell you what lies on the other side of our peaceful state of affairs.

I get it, guns can be intimidating and make for an effective killing tool. They are primarily designed to destroy things despite whatever recreational activity we may use them for. The AR-15, minus a burst/full-auto fire capability, is identical to the M16/M4 series of rifles and a semi-automatic rifle can indeed be very lethal as we rarely use anything else on an individual level in combat aside from a belt-fed machine gun. But let me tell you why not just conservatives and pro-gun advocates need access to such things; we all do. We are always teetering on the edge of chaos and when a society is thoroughly armed, it stays civilized despite a breakdown; people tend to police themselves accordingly. Not in terms of law enforcement but by stopping heinous acts as a collective should they arise en mass.

I’d like to mention a few very real threats to the United States before I get into my current event example though. Cybersecurity for America’s infrastructure is terrible. A well-executed attack on specific systems could destroy our power grid in seconds. Without electricity, a civilized nation that depends heavily on it to operate will descend into chaos within a matter of days. An epidemic or weaponized virus can achieve similar results. I will never discount the possibility of a tyrannical government either, though I admit I find that highly unlikely. With the number of bad state actors out there, we should all be prepared not for the current peaceful state of events in the United States, but for a very plausible break down of our society should an attack at a national level occur.

In 2013 the United States began supporting, supplying and encouraging various militia alliances and resistance groups to rise up against the Syrian Assad regime. This movement caused a massive influx of “freedom fighters” to enter the fray. Al-Qaeda being among the most notorious to become involved. They eventually grew to a point that some of the more extremist leaders decide that they would break off and begin their own organization. Thus the Islamic State was born.

Now, hop over to their neighbors in Iraq who were for a time enjoying a state national stability and economic growth. The Islamic State moved in and before anyone could grasp what was happening, Fallujah had fallen and the group had captured large caches of military arms and vehicles. They began to spread like a cancer which eventually led them to Ramadi’s doorstep. At this point the Iraqi army and police forces fled, leaving a defenseless populace to weather the storm.

Iraq at the time had strict gun control measures in place which essentially allowed only government forces to possess weapons other than hunting guns. They were crushed by a handful of militant extremists. What came next was systematic genocide, forced religious indoctrination, famine, and a collapse in infrastructure. It was hell on earth for the normal people trapped there.

Now before you go thinking, “Well these were just a bunch of third world people on the other side of the planet,” or something along the lines of, “It’s just part of their culture, America is nothing like the Middle East,” wrong. The people who ended up in the gun sights or under the knife of these extremists were doctors, farmers, construction workers, teachers, and shop owners, etc. They were everyday people who were going about their relatively peaceful lives when the unfathomable happened and their society collapsed. This wasn’t some barbaric place or time period. This happened in 2014, they had cell phones and internet access like you and I. They are still digging up mass graves in the region filled with the remains of the survivor’s loved ones.

Yes, guns are extremely dangerous in the wrong hands and we should do everything within reason to prevent evil people from obtaining them. However, we should never sacrifice our ability to possess them because the unknown danger is real and it is out there. Do I think an Islamic Extremist group is going to roll over small town America? No, but neither did the citizens of Iraq. The unthinkable is just that and if we are unprepared, we will pay for it with far more than a few dead citizens at the hands of a lone madman intent on killing, regardless of the tool available. Modern firearms are a form of checks and balances.

I want to squeeze in here with a last tidbit of information. A ban on anyone classification of firearms such as “assault weapons” could potentially lead to a civil war. Americans are likely out purchasing more guns right now, not because they fear confiscation but because they are preparing for a fight. The cost of this once again far outweighs the benefits. Also, in counties where gun control has increased, violent crime has spiked dramatically.

Make no mistake I don’t take such matters lightly. As a man who has seen his share of death, life is sacred to me and I understand how fragile it can be. This has also given me the resolute perspective that only violence or the threat of it can prevent violence. I know it sounds asinine but it’s human nature, a form of self-preservation. We should not give an inch when it comes to our right as private citizens to keep and bear arms because if we sacrifice our freedom for security we may end up with neither. We need them not for the good times, we need them in case of the bad times.

Featured Image Courtesy of Stag1500 at English Wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

*Originally published on SOFREP

The Violent Nomad Everyday Carry

September 2, 2017 by Loadout Room Guest Authors 2 Comments

To ensure a state of constant preparedness, the Violent Nomad carries up to three types of Every Day Carry (EDC) kits, each designed to support his mission and help him evade crisis. Whether the call comes or not, the EDC kit also provides an edge against unexpected threats of all sorts, from environmental disasters to terrorist strikes and lone wolf attacks. While the average civilian approaches emergency preparedness from a life-support perspective that prioritizes food and water supplies (stashed deep in a home basement) to the exclusion of weapons and escape tools, true preparedness acknowledges and confronts the violence of the modern world.

When traveling through potentially hostile territory or in turbulent times, a Violent Nomad will distribute several layers of life-support and personal-safety items throughout his clothing and outerwear; in the event that he is stripped of his primary weapon, this practice may leave him with several undetected options of last resort. Escape gear in particular should be spread out in such a way that some of it remains available if the Nomad is restrained.

The Violent Nomad Everyday Carry — Excerpt from the book ‘100 Deadly Skills’

The most basic kit, the “pocket kit,” should be comprised of essential weapons, escape and evasion equipment, and one “black” (covert) mobile phone. Rather than being consolidated into a single container or concealment, these items should be distributed throughout clothing. A handgun should be concealed in a waistband holster, for the most accessible draw. An emergency communication device is essential, but other contents will vary depending on the terrain. A stainless steel Zebra pen can be used to leave notes for potential rescuers—or to strike an assailant. In the case of abduction or detention, a handcuff key and LED light camouflaged alongside car or hotel keys are potential lifesavers; as backup in the event that clothes pockets are searched, a concealable handcuff key can be hidden in a shirt cuff or on a zipper pull. Some operatives carry mouthpieces, which can be vital during hand-to-hand combat.

The “container kit”—generally tucked into a jacket or an operational bag (see below)—functions as backup in the event that an operative is stripped of his primary weapon and/or operational bag. This highly condensed kit contains small improvised weapons (loose coins tied up in a handkerchief) and navigational aids (a head lamp and a handheld GPS device) that change depending on the environment as well as lock-picking tools that could provide access to information, food or shelter. Durable and reliably discreet, a rigid sunglasses case is the optimal container.

The final piece of the puzzle is the operational bag. To prepare for the possibility of escape in the face of surveillance or attack, its contents should include an empty collapsible backpack and a change of clothes in colors opposite from the ones the operative is wearing. Even shoes should be taken into consideration—if wearing sneakers, pack a pair of rubber sandals. A concealed pocket holds highly sensitive data on memory devices such as thumb drives or SD cards, a Kevlar clipboard acts as an innocuous-looking form of improvised ballistic armor, and a wad of cash allows the Violent Nomad subsist in deep cover for as long as the situation demands.

Guest Writer – Clint Emerson – retired Navy SEAL, spent twenty years conducting special ops all over the world while attached to SEAL Teams (including the elite SEAL Team SIX) and the National Security Agency (NSA). Utilizing an array of practical skills he developed to protect himself while at home and abroad, he created Violent Nomad—a personal, non-kinetic capture/kill program cataloguing the skills necessary to defend against any predator or crisis.

Days of Guns: H&R Tracker II Slug Gun

May 17, 2017 by Scott Witner Leave a Comment

In a survival situation, two is one, and one is none. Backups are a big part of being prepared for anything, and firearms are just as important as any other tool in your gear or bug-out bag.

This is an example of such a backup that can be found at a very low price if you’re a good bargain hunter. My H&R Tracker II slug gun was purchased for around $100. Sure, it’s no Remington 870, but it can stand up to tough tasks in the right hands. As it was purchased for home-defense purposes, the barrel length of 24″ makes the shotgun more useful in tight spaces.

Two features of the H&R Tracker II that I really like are the stock iron sights and the 24″ rifled barrel. No need to worry about optics getting knocked out of zero or batteries going dead. With practice, you can put slugs on target consistently out to 100 yards.

As you’ll notice, my personal H&R slug gun does not look like a stock gun you’d buy off the shelf. The following is what I did to modify the gun to meet my personal preferences. With the gun and accessories I probably have a grand total of around $250 wrapped up in this weapon system.

Replaced the stock wood forend with a Choate Store-Arm Forend. This gives me the advantage of having a large takedown knob that doesn’t require any tools to break the gun down. I kept the original wooden stock and recoil pad to help buck the recoil.
Painted the gun with a blend of OD green and coyote brown camouflage spray paint.
Wrapped the barrel using jute twine. This, over time, will start to fray and offer a natural camouflage, assisting in breaking up the outline of the barrel.
Installed a section of heavy-duty Velcro and added a shotgun card to the side to hold additional shells.
Installed a small section of Magpul L2 MOE rail in order to mount a Streamlight TLR-3 light. The TLR-3 allows me to positively identify a threat in the dark, whether that’s inside my house or outside. The light will give me a good 40 yards of illumination when outside in the open.

Magpul MOE Rail and Streamlight TLR-3 Light

Tips:

When carrying shotgun shells in the side car for home defense, I load the card up with the same shells. I don’t try to alternate slugs and 00 buck, as some would suggest. In a stressful encounter, you’re not going to remember how you loaded up the shell card, so keep it simple and keep it all the same.
When loading the shells into the card on the side of my shotgun, I index my shells so that the base is on the bottom. With a barrel-break shotgun such as mine, the movement is more natural to pull the shell from the bottom to load into the chamber.

Single Shot 12 Gauge Barrel Break Shotgun

The operation of the H&R slug gun is pretty straightforward, and does not require any significant amount of time to adapt to. When opening the action, the lever on top must be pressed, allowing the chamber to be exposed. After firing a round, the motion of opening the gun extends the bottom section of the chamber, pushing the shell out.

This shotgun offers tremendous versatility in short- to medium-distance applications at a price that doesn’t break the bank. A wide array of usable ammo is available, as it accepts 12 gauge shells up to 3″. Easy to use, easy to clean, and easy to maintain. When the zombies start shuffling their way down the streets, this gun will be right at home. Or when something goes bump in the night, it will confidently step up to the task.

The Tactical Shotgun: Early Beginnings to Modern Terminology

There have been many variants used when applying the term “Tactical Shotgun.” It can be a full sized semi-auto/pump shotgun set up for military/police use. It can involve ghost ring sights, red dot sights or a variety of other optics.

Barrel length can generally vary from 18” out to 20” and may or may not include an extended on board ammunition supply such as a sidesaddle or magazine extension or both. Many will use an aftermarket light source.

To some, a “Tactical Shotgun” is defined by a parkerized or matte black finish. There are also those whose notion of a “Tactical Shotgun” is a shotgun overloaded with extraneous aftermarket products which serve minimal to zero use other than aesthetic value. These are commonly referred to as “safe queens” and are rarely if ever used for much outside of an occasional trip to the range or to show friends.

So, what really is a Tactical Shotgun and how best to define it?

Let us approach it this way. A duck hunter knows the area in which they hunt. They may need a longer 24” – 30” barrel with a vent rib. One who hunts pheasants or other birds typically found in brushy areas may need or opt for a shorter barrel to maneuver easier. A deer hunter with a shotgun might prefer a rifled slug barrel approximately 24” in length with or without a scope.

Essentially, the shotgun is tailored for its intended use.

So, where did it really start? Some could go as far back as the Revolutionary War though the more realistic time period takes us to the mid to late 1800s. On or about 1858, the term ‘coach gun’ came into use when Wells, Fargo & Co. began regular stagecoach service from Tipton, Missouri to San Francisco, California.

Originally, they issued shotguns to their drivers and guards to defend against thieves, robbers, bandits and Indian Tribes. The trip was approximately 2,800 miles one way through extremely treacherous areas. Both drivers and guards saw quickly that the regular full length barrels posed an immediate problem with maneuverability. There were no schools or training programs for the stagecoach drivers or the guards though they learned quickly they would have to develop certain tactics or techniques for dealing with threats that would typically ride up on them quickly. Either the driver or the guard would have to immediately access their long-barreled shotgun to address the threat. For obvious reasons, this became an immediate problem especially for those guards assigned to ride within the stagecoach to protect passengers, gold, payroll or other valuables.

John Wayne in the movie Stagecoach

In order for the shotgun to be usable, it had to be tailored to the job at hand. Thus began the use of the term ‘Coach Gun’. Interestingly enough, the oft used phrase ‘riding shotgun’ was not coined until around 1919.

Wyatt Earp

While there was no single manufacturer for the traditional coach gun, the barrel length varied from 12”-20” and was often cut down by a local gunsmith. These shotguns featured external hammers and many were manufactured by Remington Arms, Ithaca, Wm. Moore & Co. Meriden, Buckley, Burgess, Colt’s Manufacturing Company, Hunter Arms, Husqvarna, Lefever, Parker, Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company, Savage-Stevens, Villegia and Westly Richards. These are some of the manufacturers.

The key point is that these early drivers and guards had to make necessary modifications to their shotguns for them to be useful for their intended purpose.

Once this practice became widespread and commonplace, the ‘coach gun’ came to be known as a short barreled shotgun favored by not only stagecoach drivers and guards but by law enforcement as well.

Doc Holliday

A weapon which could deliver massive power at a relatively short range. Many of these early shotguns were 10 gauge black powder double barrel side by side models. As an example, Doc Holliday used a 10 gauge Wm. Moore & Co. coach gun to shoot Tom McLaury point-blank in the chest with buckshot during the Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, on Wednesday, October 26, 1881. They stood in such close proximity that the town mortician was able to cover McLaury’s wound with one hand. Wyatt Earp also used both barrels of a 10 gauge coach gun to kill “Curly” Bill Brocius point-blank the next year. Tactics. Up close and personal.

The short double barrel side by side shotgun quickly gained a fearsome reputation. Outlaws, thieves, bandits and anyone else who was unfortunate enough to be on the wrong end of one of these guns rarely lived to tell the tale. It was, essentially, the ‘tactical shotgun’ of its time.

This same weapon went on to serve both in the military and in law enforcement up until the invention of the pump action shotgun. The Winchester Model 1897, also known as the Model 97, M97, or Trench Gun, was a pump-action shotgun with an external hammer and tube magazine manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The Model 1897 was an evolution of the Winchester Model 1893 designed by John Browning. From 1897 until 1957, over one million of these shotguns were produced. The Model 1897 was offered in numerous barrel lengths and grades, chambered in 12 and 16 gauge, and as a solid frame or takedown. The 16-gauge guns had a standard barrel length of 28 inches, while 12-gauge guns were furnished with 30-inch length barrels. Special length barrels could be ordered in lengths as short as 20 inches, and as long as 36 inches. Since the time the Model 1897 was first manufactured it has been used by American soldiers, police departments and hunters.

The pump action shotgun went through its own transitions and today two of the most well known pump action shotguns are the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500. Many prefer the older Ithaca 37 as well as the Mossberg 590A1. The older Ithaca 37s were favored due to the lack of a disconnector which allowed the user to keep the trigger depressed while working the pump in a rapid manner. The quickly become known as ‘slamfires’ for this reason.

Those in law enforcement and military in addition to home defenders generally prefer the short barreled pump action shotguns with an 18.5” barrel for accessibility and maneuvering in confined spaces. A shorter barrel also reduces the likelyhood of the weapon being taken from the user though many of today’s prominent tactical shotgun instructors teach techniques designed to reduce the possibility of this occuring.

From 1858 to now, the Tactical Shotgun quickly acquired an intense following. Manufacturers quickly found a goldmine in aftermarket products. Keep in mind that even back in 1858, those who depended upon the shotgun to defend themselves, family and property made only those modifications which were absolutely necessary to allow the shotgun to serve its intended purpose. Performance and reliability.

Now that we have established the evolution and progression of the tactical shotgun, I will discuss tactics and techniques which have been both developed and proven in the fields of both law enforcement and military. They are not designed nor recommended for use in 3Gun Competitions just as many 3Gun tactics and techniques would not be suitable for situations where lives are on the line. Gamesmanship versus real world tactics and technique. Both have their place in their respective arenas. It is important to note, however, that many of the modifications seen on today’s pump action and semi auto shotguns came from 3Gun Competitors and those competing in tactical courses. Widened and beveled ejection ports, magazine extensions and flared loading ports are some of the modifications designed and developed by shooters such as Jerry Miculek and others who have sought out every option possible to enhance reliability, accuracy, consistency and in the end?

Speed!

by Sam

Tactics/Training Advisor

Sam has been in federal law enforcement for 6 years. During his brief time with his agency he was tasked to play an intricate role in the successful organization of a Tactical Response Team. He has trained with some of the top law enforcement agencies and shooting/tactics instructors in the US. His prior experience came from approx. 9 years of local law enforcement working in one of the top five most dangerous areas in America. Of those years, 7 were spent on the city SWAT Team, 2 years in Street Crimes and he spent hundreds of additional hours working DUI. Sam has over 200 tactical missions under his belt, and over 400 drug and warrant arrests. During his career in law enforcement he successfully completed and received several certifications to include: • Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy • Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy (FLETC) • NRA Law Enforcement handgun/shotgun Instructor • Basic Firearm Instructor • Basic Tactics Instructor • Law Enforcement Instructor Training Program • General Instructor • Rappel Master/Instructor • SWAT Level 1 Certification • Basic/Advanced SWAT Certification (Illinois State Police) • Active Shooter Response • Individual Protective Measures Training Program • Protective Service Operations Training Program • Dignitary and Witness Protection for Law Enforcement (LEGION) • High Risk Environmental Protection Program (LEGION) • First Aid/CPR/TCCC • Hand to hand assault/counter assault • Advanced defensive driving Sam was deployed to an active war zone for several months, where he was a team leader for motorcade movements while overseas in hostile territory. His responsibilities were scheduled pick-up/drop-offs, route recon, advanced firearms training and emergency Quick Response Force training for his team. Sam subscribes to the Spotter Up way of life. “I will either find a way or I will make one”.

This post first appeared on spotterup.com

The Seventy2 Survival Pack: Real World Experience

September 4, 2019 by Rick Dembroski Leave a Comment

All you have to do is watch the news for a few minutes to be reminded that disaster and chaos can happen anywhere and at anytime. Most experts say that the first 72 hours after the event are the most critical, where food, water and shelter will be in high demand and short supply. The team at The Uncharted Supply Company took this to heart when they designed their Seventy2 Survival System Backpack. This 48-liter pack holds all a person needs to survive the 72 hours.

The fact I’m writing this just 24 hours after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake rocked my home here in Alaska, I put the Seventy2 pack to use immediately let me know very quickly that this pack is no joke when it comes to a 72-hour essentials pack. We always get to test the gear we get but it’s not usually during what would become a federally declared natural disaster.

The Seventy2 Survival Pack: Real World Experience — The Seventy2 kit keeps it simple for high stress environments

What the Pack is and What it Isn’t

Defining emergency packs can be a tricky business, and a lot of that comes with expectation management. So we thought the best thing would be to start out with trying to define what this pack is intended for and what it is not intended for. This pack is not a pack that you would use for 72 hours in a combat zone or a World War Z style pandemic. It’s not meant to be a molle filled ramboesque pack for sentry duty or defense contractors. This pack is almost ideally suited to be kept in your office or in your car as a part of a get home bag.

The team at Uncharted Supply Company really looked into building this pack and wanted to make sure it was full of gear that would work and for the most part they really got it right. Let’s take a closer look at what they did right and what I think they can put a little more work into.

Good Points:

The 48-liter shell is waterproof and blends well into urban settings.
Seams glued and won’t leak anytime in the near future
Supply insert containing eight pouches worth of gear works very well
Instructions and tips are color coded and broke into four easy to comprehend areas: Shelter, Medical, Food, and Other Useful Info
Everything fits easily into well-labeled pouches
Gear that actually works in the real world. The gloves, hat, water filtration by Sawyer and weather radio are all excellent quality
Simple Design

Points for Improvement:

Straps on 48L shell good use some beefing up
Entrenching tool isn’t up to moderate use. This is the only piece of the kit that I thought should be replaced.

Detailed List of Contents of The Uncharted Supply Company Seventy 2:

Electronics:

Weather Radio
LED Flashlight

Air & Vision:

Safety Goggles
RZ M5 Filtration Mask

Food & Water:

Datrex Rations
Sawyer Water Filter with 2 Liter Pouch
44 oz Nalgene Water Bottle

Illumination:

LED Flashlight
Waterproof Matches
Glowsticks
Magnesium Fire Starter

First Aid:

First Aid Kit
Splint
Sunscreen
Anti bacterial Wipes

Tools:

Multitool
Duct Tape
Paracord -100 Ft
Entrenching Tool
Fixed Blade Knife

Warmth:

Lined Latex Gloves (Hi Viz Yellow)
Knit Hat
Hand Warmers
Mylar Space Blanket
Mylar Survival Tent

Real World Performance 30 November 2018

8:29 AM Alaska Time I found myself being thrown around my garage and my house by a solid 7.2 magnitude earthquake with a series of 5.0-5.9 aftershocks in the first hour I was awake. One of the first things I grabbed after my latern and a rifle was this pack. I dropped it on the kitchen table and told my wife to crack it open and see what was in it. That was my baptism of fire with The Uncharted Supply Company and their products. So how did it work?

The pack works very well for the right user group, a group I would say that has little to no experience with preparedness in general terms. The few shortcomings that I listed above would not stop me from recommending a person who is just looking for a grab and go survival bag. A person who wants a level of preparedness but is unwilling or incapable of wanting to put much time into the process.

This bag has a little bit of everything in it and the components, for the most part, are high quality and will satisfy most users needs. I would recommend replacing the entrenching tool and replacing it with a better model or perhaps leave it out and add another piece of gear. Not everyone will need to dig a defensive fighting position or a cat hole so the E-Tool isn’t a necessity for most users. A flashlight upgrade might also be something to consider, I prefer a little larger flashlight than what comes with the Seventy 2 kit.

The Seventy2 Survival Kit is currently on sale for $275.00 on The Unchartered Supply Company website. This price has recently been marked down from the regular retail price of $349.99. The company’s website also includes a listing to replacement components and other gear that the company offers allowing you to customize your own pack if you get the urge. Check out this video to get a better idea of what the Seventy 2 can do for your preparedness needs.