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Krupto Strategic SERE ankle band: A Crate Club exclusive product

One of the Crate Club exclusives comes from Krupto Strategic. This SERE ankle band is designed to be wrapped around your ankle and to carry the small tools you need to make it home. The SERE ankle band is a simple, but effective idea. It sports three pockets, one large and two small, and is designed to be super low profile. Each pocket sports a simple cover that’s a lot like an AR mag pouch. A little bit of velcro holds the whole closed and secures your goods.

What’s the Point?

It’s a little pouch, and the designer himself has said, “It’s not for your fucking revolver!” The SERE ankle band is designed to hold very small, but important goods. As a SERE kit it’s designed for escape and evasion, so you aren’t packing a fighting load. This Mini SERE kit is perfect for backing some basic essentials for escape in an urban environment. This includes a small knife, a small light, handcuff keys, cash, tools, and anything else you feel you need to escape, evade, and survive with.

Personally, I carry the following in my SERE ankle band:

Crate Club Mini Flashlight
Phillips/Flathead driver
Handcuff Key
Readyman Mini Saws (From ReadyMan card)
P-38 Can Opener
6 Feet or Paracord
1 Small Role Medical Tape
3 Derby Razors

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This isn’t a long-term survival plan, this is you just escaped and need to distance from any potential bad guys. This kit will help you get that distance and allow you to gain that ground. This kits small size makes it easy to hide and allows it to remain virtually undetected.

The small pouches are quite tight but malleable enough to squeeze in your gear. That tight design ensures everything is kept in place and where it should be. The band is semi-elastic and quite comfortable. It’s wide and secured with a healthy dose of hook and loop. The band stretches quite a bit and allows it to fit around my tree trunk of an ankle.

When it comes to all-day wear its surprisingly comfortable and doesn’t sag, drag, or rub your ankle painfully. Alternatively, it can be tossed into your cargo or even back pocket, but if searched it’s much more likely to be found.

The Krupto Strategic SERE ankle band is small, effective and you can store a surprising amount of goods in it. I’m curious to see what our Crate Clubbers store in theirs? Let us know below in the comments what goes in your Mini SERE kit.

To get your own SERE ankle band, visit the Crate Club store

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How to protect your family from an Active Shooter — A Navy SEAL sniper weighs in

Editor’s note: This piece was originally published last year, but because of the unfortunate events of recent weeks, this issue has weighed heavily on my mind as a father, husband, and person that prides myself on being prepared for a bad situation. We’re not a massive media conglomerate, we’re a small group of guys that have a great deal in common with our readers: a passion for preparation, a desire to provide for and protect our families, and looming concerns about what we can do to keep our kids safe in the worst of situations. So, if you find yourself wondering why I’ve chosen to republish this piece now, I can answer that question simply: because I found myself looking it up last night… and if it helps me brush up, maybe it’ll help you too.

If you love your family and friends then you need to share this with them, it could save their lives.

My kids are visiting me in New York for the summer, they spend most their time with their mom on the west coast. On our first day in the city I briefed them on what to do if we encountered an active shooter, or a terrible situation like what happened in Paris, or more recently in Orlando.

Regardless of your position on gun rights and Muslims in America, the one thing we should all agree on, is that we live in a dangerous world, more so since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. Mass shootings continue to rise, as does the threat of terrorism at home and abroad in Europe. If you visit a crowded metropolis your risk increases, especially in a city like New York.

So here I was, having a serious talk again with my little ones (we’ve had this talk before unfortunately), about what to do, and what our plan is going to be, if God forbid, some gun wielding lunatic or Islamic terrorist opens fire in the subway or Times Square.

How to protect your family with an Active Shooter. A Navy SEAL sniper gives you a life saving plan — My daughter and I at Grand Central Station, NYC. She knows what to do in an emergency. Author’s personal photo, all rights reserved.

As a former military guy and a SEAL, I’m a big fan of the KISS (Keep, It, Simple, Stupid) rule when it comes to planning. The important thing is to have a plan. When shots ring out in a crowd it is not the time or place to come up with a plan, it’s too late, and that’s how people get killed. They freeze, close their eyes, or try and conceal themselves behind something that doesn’t stop bullets, I’ll get to that next.

So first thing to do is develop a simple plan for what to do in a public place, or an additional one if the kids are in school or somewhere by themselves. Everyone should know the plan in advance and who the chain of command is (Dad, mom, uncle Wayne, big brother, and so on).

Have a plan, period. Simpler the better.

A framework for a plan

Establish a leader who makes the decisions in an emergency. Everyone knows to follow the leader (Dad, mom, etc.)
Run like hell. It’s extremely hard to hit a moving target, snipers train hours to do this with skill. For someone nervous, or who’s an amateur, it will be very hard to hit a moving target, especially under stressful conditions. You need to create as much distance as possible between you and the shooter. The effective range of most handguns is 25 meters, and an assault style rifle is around 5-600M.
Hide only as a last resort, and with the idea that you will eventually need to move (there’s exceptions of course, this is up to the leader to decide). If it’s a single shooter, listen for lulls in fire, this could indicate a weapon jamming or the shooter is reloading. Either one creates an opportunity to run and distance yourself from the shooter and escape with your life.
There could also be a scenario where you are forced to fight your way out of a situation. If this is the case then use cover if possible. Cover actually stops bullets and is stuff like concrete, large planter beds and brick. I saw many people mistaking concealment (hiding behind tables, glass and curtains) for cover in Paris and they got shot, they died because concealment doesn’t stop a bullet, cover does.
Have a communications plan (who is going to call or contact who. Police officer, a parent, etc.) and a rally point in case people are separated or by themselves. A rally point should be simple, Grand Central Station, Entrance of the Empire State Building, a friends home, etc.

3 Tips

Subscribe to The NEWSREP, or join a tactical gear club, if not ours here, then another one run by experts. Joining a community or club like this is not that expensive (how much is your family worth?) and gives you access to a community of experts that provide value Q&A.
Purchase a ballistic insert for your backpack, your kids backpack, mom’s purse, or suitcase, you get the idea. NIJ protection level II as a minimum. There are plenty of places to buy this from with a quick Google search, don’t buy used on online unless you really know your stuff. Consult with your local shooting range if need be.
Have an EDC (Every, Day, Carry) medical kit. It should consist of a tourniquet, two super absorbent large gauze pads, and medical tape at a minimum.

My hope is that this helps better prepare families who are, rightfully scared, and concerned about the increased trend in mass shootings in America, and Europe.

Afghanistan 2002, forward deployed as a sniper with SEAL Team 3. Author’s personal collection, all rights reserved.

Feature image courtesy of Steven L. Shepard, Presidio of Monterey Public Affairs

When DIY is your only option: The Voodoo Tactical Minor Surgery Kit

For many of us, it’s our worst nightmare: someone in your group has a serious injury and you’re in an environment or situation that doesn’t permit a quick trip to the hospital. Maybe you’re in a foreign country you’re not supposed to be in, maybe you’re on the trail thirty miles from your vehicle — whatever the reason, blood is flowing and it’s going to take more than gauze, pressure, and a call to 911 to stop it.

That set of circumstances may be a worst case scenario, but that’s what self reliance is all about: preparing for the worst so you can do your best. That’s what the faux-military “Minor Surgery” kit from Voodoo Tactical offers: the fundamental components of a field surgical kit you’d need to handle the sort of emergencies that are usually destined for the emergency room.

As a U.S. Marine, I received precious little medical training over the years. I can recite the life-saving steps (and execute them), triage victims, and do my best to stabilize them until help arrives — but I’m certainly no combat medic. Unfortunately, I’ve been left with no choice but to serve in a similar capacity once or twice. Medicine, like math, is widely considered to be beyond the mental purview of lugs like me — but fortunately I’ve been blessed with a mother and spouse with a breadth of experience in emergency medicine. I’ve never been more popular around my house than when I unveiled the tools included in this kit. Medical professionals are a weird type.

The kit includes a 6” wound probe; 3-1/2” stitch scissors; 3-1/2” tweezers; 5-1/2” bandage scissors; 5” straight and curved forceps; a #3 scalpel handle with disposable blade; pupil flashlight with mm gauge; alcohol pads; antiseptic towelettes; some 5/0 monofilament; and a gram of antibiotic ointment. In other words, it’s got everything you need to clean and stitch a serious wound, as well as everything you’ll need to remove those stitches after the requisite ten or so days of healing.

In terms of survival, stopping blood loss is so important it comes in as the second of the basic life saving steps – just behind clearing the airway and starting the breathing. That means a wound that’s serious enough to need stitches can’t be ignored due to a lack of equipment. At just 7”x5”x2.5” this kit (enclosed in an included canvas pouch) weighs next to nothing and can slide right into your bag, backpack, or vehicle kit. It’s the sort of peace of mind you might stash away and forget all about… that is, until it’s exactly what you need to survive.

I’ve had great success using this kit to treat some more minor injuries as well, such as removing wood splinters from beneath my fingernails (after 7 surgeries, I still consider that to be the worst kind of pain) and it really came in handy when my wife needed to pull a small metal sliver out of my eye… wear your eye protection when grinding knives, kids.

All told, this kit may be intended for “minor” surgery, but the tools included will serve a major purpose in any long-term survival situation. Some things can’t be fixed with neosporin and athletic tape. In serious situations, not even a handful of Motrin and a bottle of water will do it (sorry Navy Corpsman). If you ever find yourself having such a bad day, you can’t do much better than having this kit on you along with a good quality IFAK.

Remember, if you need stitches or any other kind of minor surgery, your best bet is your local hospital. If you don’t have quick access to a hospital, any medical professional is still a better option than the DIY approach… but if you’re serious about surviving the worst, then this kit is perfect for when DIY is the only option left.

These kits are now all sold out, but you can get your own with a subscription to the Crate Club!

Everybody could use a good rope in their life: The Panthera Climbing Rope

For a climber, a good quality climbing rope can mean the difference between life and death. For the rest of us, climbing rope may not fall as high on our list of gear priorities… but as this Panthera climbing rope has demonstrated over the past few months, you’d be surprised how often a rope you can trust with your life comes in handy.

I’m a pretty big guy (at 6’ and around 240 pounds) so it’s safe to say I’m not often spotted scrambling up sheer rock faces — though my experiences with this rope leave me with no question that it would revel in that sort of duty. Instead, this Panthera Climbing Rope has been subjected to tortures no ordinary climber would ever demand of their gear: hauling logs behind vehicles, keeping me safely secured to my roof while I was working, and even serving as the basis of a makeshift swing I threw together for my wife and daughter while we were camping.

In every instance, the rope was subjected to coarse materials and terrain that would have caused lesser products to fray. For those who may not be accustomed to climbing ropes, one of the earliest lessons you’ll learn is that a frayed rope is useless to you: once it’s been compromised, it’s no longer safe as a weight bearing tool.

I still trusted this rope to secure me while I cleaned out the gutters on my house after using the same rope to drag logs out of the yard.

At 32 feet long, this rope is long enough to support most climbing, repelling, and safely-hanging duties you can throw at it, and thanks to the included carabiners and 2,000 pound load rating, this rope has everything a climber needs to hook up and swing (and a normal guy needs to go looking for trouble).

If you’re the kind of guy that like making an entrance (say, from a borrowed Little Bird or through a skylight), the Panthera Climbing Rope won’t disappoint — but even if you’re not an aspiring Batman, there’s always a place for a good quality rope in your kit.

Rad on Gear: Wood burning with the Crate Club Windproof Lighter

It’s not all about the time you spend looking for adventure in the great outdoors — sometimes it’s got to be about spending time with your family and getting work done. That’s what Rad’s up to in this edition of Rad on Gear: working on a walking stick project with his son.

When it comes time to decorate the walking stick, Rad knows nothing adds character to wood like some burns — here’s how he does it.

Get your own Crate Club Windproof Lighter with the deal we found below!

The Ax Survival Card by Crate Club

The Ax Survival Card is a testament to human creativity. How many tools can you shove into something the height and width of a credit card, but only a little thicker? The Ax portion is the star of the show, but the tool also works as the following:

Scraper
Pry Bar
Knife
Can Opener
Box Opener
Cord Cutter
Bottle Opener
02 Wrench
Set of Small Wrenches
Arrow
Screwdriver
1/4 hex bit driver
A Tool to find distances
Sundial Clock
Sundial Compass
Protractor
Metric Ruler
Inch Ruler

This is an all in one small card built to be easy to carry and fit among your survival kit. The Crate Club Ax Survival card shoves a lot in a small package. That being said a lot of them can’t be used at the same time. If you decide to build an ax or an arrow you lose access to some of the tools.

You can’t give me an ax head without expecting to try and build an ax. I like building weapons, from rifles and handguns to this ax. I’ll wear out an 80 lower jig with a few lower receivers. I admittedly didn’t try many of the other tools and some are pretty hard to mess up. Like the bottle opener.

I tempted fate and used the card as a pry bar and unfortunately, it’s a bit thin for most moderate to heavy uses. The screwdriver works for exterior screws but they are sunk in a bit expect them to be difficult to remove. The cord cutter is excessively sharp and chewed through 550 cord without issue.

The blade that makes up the knife and ax head is also quite sharp. Without a handle, it’s somewhat tough and uncomfortable to hold, but it cuts. Opening cans is a slow process, and I got about halfway through a can of baked beans before I quit. It’ll get you there, but you’ll need to be patient.

The biggest problem is trying not to get poked or prodded by the other tools as you work, but what can you expect from showing this many tools into a credit card sized package?

How to build an Ax with the Ax Survival Card

Step 1 is to find a stick that’s at least 3/4s of an inch thick. Then you need a rock or something. Seriously, a tree can work too. You need this rock or tree to split the stick. It’s obvious which end is for the ax and this is what you’ll use to split the stick. Beat the ax head into the stick a few inches. The split needs to be a bit longer than the body of the ax head. Once the split is made you need to remove the blade, and then reinsert the card with the ax head facing outward.

It will take some coxing and wiggling, but it shouldn’t take long. Once it’s in place it should be snug, but you’ll want to lash it with 550 cord through the various holes available. Tie it down tight. When lashing, I started on the side, created an X going through the different lashing points on the card and repeated that pattern.

I then tied it off and burnt the ends. This seemed to work perfectly because that ax head isn’t moving. To test it I beat a thick oak with a dozen hard swings. The ax head stayed in place without issue. As you’d imagine this is a very lightweight setup. It’s not going to fell a tree or split wood anytime soon.

Using the Ax

It makes a good tool for clearing brush and making a campsite, and it also chews through most minor roots while digging easily enough. The Ax has enough oomph to it to be a good weapon and with a good solid hit, you’ll be able to dissuade snakes, pests, and even a two-legged vermin if need be.

It works like an ax but is more like a pocket knife in terms of size. It has a small head, but you can create a lot of additional leverage with the handle. This can make cleaning game easier, especially removing the heads from small critters to make cleaning them easy.

It will chop through most branches and you can even baton smaller logs with it. Best of all, it hardly weighs anything. It’s utilitarian in nature and won’t replace a standard ax or hatchet. It will provide you with a near weightless tool to chop and cut as you see fit.

Despite having the ability to be used in a multitude of scenarios as a variety of different tools, rendering it an ax may take that accessibility away — but all you’ve got to do is take it apart to regain that accessibility. The Crate Club Survival Ax Card is a unique and very cool tool for survival tasks. It slices, dices, chops and so much more.