safety

First Look: Guard Dog Security Bulletproof Smart Backpack ~VIDEO

The idea of bulletproof backpacks is not new, but it is perhaps more relevant now than ever. I’ve been traveling with armor in one form or another for the last couple of years. With events like the bombing in New York, and just random crime why not have a little extra protection? Traditionally making a backpack bulletproof means adding something to a bag that may or may not accept it.

Either keeping you alive while traveling, or maybe even serving as an impromptu shield in the case of reacting to an active shooter. Both ways are sadly our modern reality. The challenge most often is that bags that can easily adopt armor tend to look a bit too tactical. I’d argue the bag seen above from Guard Dog Security looks quite civil. NIJ Level IIIA rating means you’re protected from most common handgun and shotgun threats. That also likely means a better chance of surviving some jerk’s pipe bomb or pressure-cooker bomb.

What’s better yet is that this bag was designed for modern travel. There are sleeves for both a tablet and a laptop, and the bag quickly opens like a clam shell in a way that is TSA approved. That means NOT having to remove your valuable electronics and toss them in a bin that just held someone else’s shoes. There are over 20 pockets built into this thing and a charging port!

Yes, this bag is “smart”. There is an external USB charging port so you can recharge your cell phone or other small electronic while on the go. Another compartment holds the charging cable to plug in your backpack when the need arises.

The Proshield Smart Backpack has already worked its way into my daily routine and will likely be what I travel to SHOT with. It rides nice and compactly, has an unassuming appearance, and all the organization I need. So far my only criticism is the lack of a holster compartment, shoulder straps on the thin side, and noisy zipper pulls. It’s easy to criticize these tactical features until we remember that this is not a tactical backpack.

I could easily see the Proshield Smart Backpack becoming a daily-use backpack for the non tactical. Students and significant others can enjoy this bag like any other. Just as easily adopting this bag and enjoy all the other features while also being safer.

I’ll be using the bag long-term. I’ll fly with it a couple of times before I give my final verdict, but for now I’m impressed. You can find more information on the Proshield Smart Backpack on the Guard Dog Security website. If you’re in the market for one look here.

Maximize Your Training: Get Some Distance

How to Get Your Lady to Shooting: 3 Do’s and Don’ts

You love to shoot. You love her. But, she doesn’t love shooting. How can you change that?

If you’re like me, you want to share your enthusiasm for the shooting sports with those closest to you. However, there is still a general trend of more male than female firearms enthusiasts. As a woman shooter, I’m often asked by guys, “How do I convince my girlfriend/wife/sister/etc. to go shooting with me?” Here are a few “do’s and don’ts” that might help encourage the women in your life to hit the range (these do’s and don’ts are introduced in the video embedded above).

Don’ts

1. Don’t start with too large a caliber too quickly.

Guy finally convinces his girl to hit the range with him. He brings a few of his favorite and, to him, most impressive, firearms. She tries to smile supportively, but she clearly feels out of her element. Boyfriend grabs his treasured Desert Eagle and loads up a mag with a few rounds of .50 AE, and puts it into her hands. He says, “Don’t worry babe. Just point it at the target, and pull the trigger.” She laughs nervously and puts her arms in front of her, leaning her face as far back from the beastly pistol as possible, and fires. The heavy recoil pushes the gun upward and back toward her, threatening to loose itself from her grip. She narrowly misses smacking herself in the face, and she immediately asks for boyfriend to take it back. She’s startled, embarrassed, and intimidated. Boyfriend grabs the gun from her outstretched hands, laughing. “Aw, that surprised you, didn’t it?” She tries to laugh it off with him, but she’s already decided that she’ll opt out of range dates from now on.

How to Get Your Lady to Shoot: 3 Do's and Don'ts - TheArmsGuide.com — This was the pistol my dad used to introduce me to shooting – the Ruger Mark III Target in .22 LR.

A quick YouTube search will bring you numerous examples of this type of story playing itself out often. Now, I’m not saying that women can’t handle larger caliber firearms (they absolutely can); however, starting off any new shooter on a gun with a fierce kick is a recipe for a negative (and dangerous) experience. And, sometimes all it takes is one bad range trip to sour a potential shooter’s outlook on firearms forever. Starting with lower recoiling firearm (whether you start with .22 LR, .380 ACP, 9mm, or some other option is up to your discretion, but .22LR is one of the most common “first shooting” rounds).

2. Don’t start cold.

Walking on to the firing lanes should not be your new shooter’s first exposure to the firearm(s) you’re planning to shoot. For those who are already intimidated by firearms, learning their operation and getting the opportunity to handle guns before introducing live fire dispels some of the fear and allows a new shooter to become more confident in what they’re about to undertake. Not to mention, between gun shots and ear pro it’s just plain hard to hear each other. That’s a problem when you need to teach her safety, how the firearm operates, grip, stance, sight picture, etc. Also, between adjusting to the new sights, sounds, and smells, heading to the range for the first time is exciting, and a little bit stressful, which makes it a less successful setting to introduce someone to important new information. So, introducing guns, firearm safety, and shooting basics is best started before heading off to shoot.

3. Don’t make it a competition.

Your lady’s first encounter with firearms can be stressful, especially if they are apprehensive about guns. Showing her how well you shoot and how much better you are then her can take the fun out of learning something new. If she’s not having a good time, she’s definitely going to be less motivated to go again.

Do’s

Now that we’ve covered some of the things “not to do,” let’s talk about a few things you can do to help encourage the women in your life to hit the range with you.

1. Do practice safety.

This is the most important part about introducing any new shooter to firearms. Before you start shooting, teach your new shooter the rules for safe firearms handling, and about range etiquette. This will ensure that, once you head out to shoot, everyone will have a safe experience, and she’ll feel more confident about how to handle the gun(s) she’s about to fire.

2. Do practice technique.

Learning how to hold the gun, how to align sight picture, and how to stand while shooting will help in her confidence, but it will also make handling a live firearm more familiar, and more fun. If she’s not so stressed out about having to absorb a lot of information with a hot gun in her hands, she can focus more on how enjoyable the shooting sports can be. Starting off with some snap cap (or other dry fire) practice is a great way to do this.

3. Do compromise.

Chances are, if the lady you’d like to take with you to the range isn’t already excited about learning to shoot, it’s because she’s not really interested. If she’s grudgingly agreeing to step outside of her comfort zone to make you happy, she’ll appreciate you making a gesture in kind. So, take her shopping before shooting, or out to dinner after the range, for example. Making a commitment to compromise is a good way to encourage a reluctant gal to hit the range.

This list of “do’s and don’ts” isn’t necessarily a complete list of everything to consider when introducing someone new to the shooting sports. But, it should serve as a good place to start. Do’s and don’ts aside, overall, being supportive, patient, and encouraging is a great way to get your ladies out to the range with you. Odds are, once you get her shooting, she’ll discover for herself how much fun it is — then she may be the one dragging you out to the range.

by Destinee

Destinee is also a vlogger. She publishes videos on weapons, gear, and fitness on her YouTube channel every Tuesday and Thursday.

A simple mental exercise that increases your chances of surviving a gunfight

For a defensive minded person, potential threats to the well-being of you and your family are always near the forefront of your mind. Whether you’re walking down a dimly lit New York City alleyway or trudging up the steep and well-worn mountain path behind your wooded home, there are dangers to consider and mitigate if you want to ensure a long and fruitful life — and it’s this mindset that prompts many to carry their own iteration of the common Everyday Carry (EDC) loadouts. A concealed pistol, a good quality pocket knife, a flashlight, and for those who tend to be particularly well prepared, a tourniquet are all fairly common things to find in the daypack of a guy like me, but in the grand scope of survival, none of the stuff I have strapped to my waist or stashed in a backpack in my trunk matter nearly as much as the simple matter of objective observational awareness.

Life or death situations are tricky — particularly because you very rarely know you’re going to be in one until you’re already right in the thick of it. In those moments, split-second decisions can mean the difference between life or death but most people aren’t mentally prepared to make those sorts of decisions because of a simple mental crutch we big-brained monkeys tend to cling to called normalcy bias.

What is normalcy bias?

Put simply, normalcy bias is our natural inclination to assume the best about a threatening situation because the breadth of your experience tells you that things will turn out fine. Leading a predominately safe life (as most of us do here in the United States) establishes a mental norm within our minds, leading many to underestimate the severity of a situation or the likelihood of a negative outcome. Normalcy bias doesn’t manifest in a slow rejection of the situation at hand, but as a delay in your processing of what’s going on around you. In the moment, with a threat approaching, many hush away their gut instincts, dismissing their concerns as paranoia: after all, what are the chances that the threatening looking character ten feet back and closing is actually a bad guy? What is the likelihood that the bag that kid left in the street is actually a bomb? That car can’t really be trying to run over pedestrians… can it?

That momentary unwillingness to accept the likelihood that your life is in danger is often the last thing that goes through a victim’s mind just before the worst happens — “I never thought this would happen to me.”

How do you overcome it?

Combatting normalcy bias is one of the few tactical skill sets you can practice by yourself, inside your head, with no gear or equipment. The secret isn’t to live in a constant state of paranoia, but rather to legitimate practice maintaining an objective mindset when assessing the threats around you. If you have a bad feeling about a situation, don’t dismiss it as nonsense, engage with it. If you notice something out of the ordinary, chastise yourself for not keeping your distance, rather than for allowing your concerns to get the best of you.

It’s not a coincidence that many veterans learn to shy away from crowds and choose seats that allow them to keep an eye on the crowd: it’s not because they expect something bad to happen, it’s because they’ve seen bad things happen, and accept that they can. For many who have lived their entire lives within the relative safety and comfort of the American way of life, it can be harder to embrace this mindset. After all, if you’ve never seen a gunman open fire on a crowd, it can be difficult to assume that’s what’s about to happen right before your eyes, even as the killing begins. That split second of hesitation keeps you, and those with you, in the line of fire, prevents you from responding with appropriate force when possible, and, chances are, may cost you your life.

In the moments before an attack, all you have to go on are your instincts and suspicions. Focus on managing them without disregarding them. (Image courtesy of MaxPixel)

And when I say, “split second,” I really mean it. National statistics show that the average time a police officer has to mentally justify the use of their weapon is just .21 seconds in simple scenarios and .87 seconds in more complex ones. On average, it takes about 1.19 seconds to draw a firearm from an open carry, friction retention holster, and longer from a concealed one. In total, we’re talking about a gun fight lasting between 2-3 seconds in close quarters — leaving very little room for complacency born out of assumptions.

Actively combating normalcy bias in your everyday life can mitigate the effects of our inclination to assume things are fine — demand a level of attentiveness in yourself until it becomes second nature. Trust your gut and act before something bad happens. It may be inconvenient to get the hell out of the mall when you spot someone looking nervous and fumbling with what could be a weapon inside their backpack… but inconvenienced beats dead any day. When armed, being aware of a possible threat and mentally preparing to draw your weapon if necessary can mean drawing and using the weapon quicker than you would if taken by surprise.

Don’t approach possible threats in a constant state of paranoia, but rather approach daily life like you might when merging on a congested highway: stay alert and be prepared to react.

Because you’ve only got to be wrong once to lose your life.

Image courtesy of Flickr

*Originally published on SOFREP and written by Alex Hollings

How slowing down can help you win a fight for your life

Out here in the regular world, where law enforcement is just a phone call away and most bars have bouncers employed specifically to break up fights, fist fights tend to be pretty short. A few punches thrown, maybe some poorly executed wrestling, and unless you’re on your way to become an internet celebrity on WorldStar, people tend to start to intervene — and even when they don’t, fights usually end once there’s a clear victor.

Fighting for survival doesn’t work like that. A fight for your life doesn’t end because one party is willing to acknowledge the other is the victor and, more often than not, no well-intentioned bystander (let alone police officer) is coming to your rescue. If you ever find yourself in a scrap with someone that legitimately means to end your life, the rules play out quite a bit differently than they do between rowdy frat brothers outside a Margaritaville.

Training to defend yourself is a strange endeavor. Thanks to movies and our tenacity for hero worship, we tend to think of training like it’s a suit of armor: we don’t imagine a highly capable Navy SEAL falling at the hands of a poorly trained nobody with an AK-47 in their hands, but the fact of the matter is, most of the special operators we’ve lost throughout the war on terror were killed by nobodies utilizing a combination of luck and seizing their opportunity. That’s not because SEALs, Rangers, Green Berets and the like aren’t as good as we think they are — it’s because underneath all that training and high-speed gear, each and every special operator is still just a bag of meat, susceptible to the same punctures, impacts, and explosions that would have killed them before they earned their elite titles.

A fist fight that turns into a life or death struggle with a burglar is different from the combat situations most special operators find themselves in — with one notable exception: the likely outcomes. Either you’re going to die or he is. In that moment, training can either be a weapon you carry with you into that arena, or it can an interesting footnote in your obituary. Don’t believe me? Lots of people know all about the stabbing deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman back in 1995 (O.J. Simpson case) but what most people don’t know is that Goldman was a black belt in karate, and according to a number of expert recreations, may have put up a decent fight against his murderer that fateful night in October.

He lost and was killed though. So, all that time he spent practicing katas, training with sparring partners, preparing himself for a life or death struggle really boiled down to nothing more than a few extra moments of life before succumbing to defeat. Training is important, but at the end of the day, it’s what you do in the moment, how you manage the fight you’re in, that makes all the difference.

There are a million things that go into effectively managing a fight, and many of them don’t translate well into the written word. I could tell you, for instance, not to get tunnel vision when your opponent reveals that they’re holding a weapon, but learning how to balance awareness of the blade with defending against the attacks of their other three limbs is the sort of thing you just have to do, over and over, before you get good at it. The one thing I can impart, however, is perhaps the most important — and can improve your chances at surviving long enough to worry about things like tunnel vision: it’s simple, counter-intuitive, and one of the toughest concepts to impart on new fighters, but it’s integral — efficiency of movement.

Here in the states, we all grew up on a healthy diet of Rocky movies and haymakers. When we fight, we swing for the fences, hoping to land that one-punch knockout we always see on TV. The truth of the matter is, knocking a guy out with one punch is usually more of a lucky break than it is about skill (at least when competing with a talented opponent), and if no one is around to break up the fight, those hay makers are going to empty your tank pretty quickly. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth giving them a try (provided you can do so without telegraphing your intentions so much that you leave yourself open to counter), but chances are that even a few landed haymakers won’t deter an aggressor intent on taking your life.

Most one-on-one fights end up on the ground eventually. We don’t have choreographers in real life, so dramatic roundhouse punches and hooks and jabs soon give way to stumbling feet and adrenaline. Before you know it, you find yourself in the grass, grabbing and feeling for soft spots on your opponent like you’ve been given the green light on prom night. That’s when efficiency of movement needs to kick in. You’re in close quarters, your life is in danger, and this fight isn’t going to end until one of you is unable to go on.

Unable to go on, of course, might mean different things to different people. If my family is in danger, “unable to go on” comes right after “completely dismembered,” but your opponent may be willing to give up their assault after you convince them with a concussion and separated shoulder. The secret is lasting long enough to seize your opportunity.

Ground fighting is different than stand up fighting at a fundamental level. When you’re standing up, every time your body comes into contact with your opponent is about causing harm or defending against it — but when you’re on the ground, you’re constantly in contact with your opponent, feeling your way through attacks and defenses, looking for opportunities while trying to minimize the ones you present to your opponent. Most stand up fighters struggle to appreciate this difference, and will keep trying to hurt their opponent through force exerted the entire time they’re in contact on the ground – burning through energy all along the way.

A capable fighter I trained with in the Marine Corps was notorious for this. His long arms gave him a reach advantage when we were standing, but whenever we’d end up on the ground, he’d wrap his long legs around me and try to crush my torso with his thighs. Admittedly, I saw some Marines tap out under these conditions, but no one would in a life or death situation (nor would I while training). Sure, getting squeezed made it harder to breath and even made my ribs feel like that might crack… but I knew I could last longer being squeezed than he could squeezing. All he was doing was exerting force for the sake of exerting it — and eventually, I knew that would tire him out.

If you control your breathing and stay calm, you can even outlast some poorly executed choke holds. As long as air is passing into and out of your lungs, you’re still in this fight. (Wikimedia Commons)

Surviving a ground fight is about more than defending yourself and seizing an opportunity — it’s about lasting until the opportunity arises. When you find yourself tied up with your opponent and you feel them struggling to exert force against you, slow down and think about what the outcome of that force may be. Are they just squeezing your torso or are they sinking a submission? If they’re just squeezing, hell, let ‘em squeeze. When you feel their legs start to give, that means an opportunity is on the horizon.

Staying calm when someone’s meddling their way through a sloppy choke or a poorly executed armbar can be tough at first, and like all things, practice will make you better. Even if you don’t have a chance to train patience into yourself, you can improve your chances at surviving a life or death struggle by simply taking a deep breath and slowing yourself down a bit.

In that sort of fight, you’re going to get hurt. You’re going to want to quit.

If you can last longer than your opponent though, you’re going to get to walk away.

Featured image: A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldier and Lance Cpl. Justin Peterson, an infantry rifleman with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, grapple during Exercise Forest Light 16-1 at Camp Aibano, Japan, Sept. 10, 2015. Exercise Forest Light Exercise is a semi-annual exercise designed to enhance to cohesion between U.S. and Japanese forces through bilateral combat training. During the exercise Marines and JGSDF soldiers conducted hand-to-hand combat training exercises such as: Marine Corps martial arts techniques, grappling, pugil sticks and toshu kakuto, which is JGSDF martial arts. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Carlos Cruz Jr./Released)

Originally published on SOFREP and written by Alex Hollings

Self Defense Basics: 5 Easy Tips

How does self defense start?

Recently, I received an email from a woman about concealed carry from a female perspective. This woman, we’ll call her Lucy, was seeking my advice because she had experienced a self defense scare of her own and wanted to take steps to protect herself and her children. Lucy hadn’t previously taken any self defense training, nor did she own a firearm. In addition to her concern about being able to protect herself, she was also concerned about having a gun in a home with her kids. Lucy’s situation got me thinking about my own family’s ‘holistic’ approach to self defense.

In my initial response to Lucy, I recommended speaking to her local law enforcement, but I’ve also compiled a few of the tips I’ve learned through self defense training I’ve taken for those looking for a starting place to learn to better protect their home and families.

Disclaimer: The Arms Guide is not a source of legal counsel. If you have any questions about the self defense laws where you live, speak with a legal professional.

Tip 1: Awareness.

It seems overly simple, but the best way to avoid danger is to first have the awareness to know that it may be around you. We’ve referenced Jeff Cooper‘s color codes of situational awareness and threat identification before, but we’ll touch on it again in this post. Cooper’s colors are an easy way to categorize and discuss situational awareness. Here’s a quick summary:

White – An individual in this level isn’t aware of potential threats around them, nor are they looking for potential threats. This is the lowest level of situational awareness.

Yellow – An individual in this level is keeping tabs of the environment around them, and those in it, to better anticipate a threat before one occurs. No threat has yet been identified.

Orange – An individual in this level of situational awareness has identified a potential threat and determines their response if the threat is realized.

Red – An individual at this level is enacting the plan to address the threat identified at Orange. They are engaged in an active self defense situation.

Living in the Yellow zone may at first seem stressful for those who haven’t previously maintained an awareness of the world around them and its potential dangers. However, once individuals begin to proactively keep an eye on the people in their environment, it becomes a lifestyle. Remember, the most effective means of surviving a self defense situation is to avoid one entirely. We can only do that if we are actively aware of the potential dangers around us.

Tip 2: Home Security

This measure goes along with the attitude we just covered in Tip 1. Proactively addressing your defense before a threat approaches can help prevent self defense situations before they arise. What measures do you have in place at your home to deter someone you don’t want inside from entering? Generally speaking, folks who want to break into your home don’t want to be seen doing it. Having the area around your home well lit can help discourage would-be intruders from even approaching. Having sturdy locks on your doors and windows is another step down that road. Making it more challenging for someone to get into your home discourages those looking for convenient entry. Getting an alarm system for the entrances to your home is in that same vein of protection through deterrence. Keep in mind that none of these measures are guarantees of keeping unwanted visitors from your home, but, especially when used in conjunction, they can go a long way toward ensuring that your home isn’t an easy target for those who may do you and your loved ones harm.

Tip 3: Get Training

Whatever means you pursue to better improve your self defense, get some information from experts on the subject. That doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from practicing on your own. But, if you’re interested in bettering your odds in a self defense situation, then learning from the best can serve you that much better, whether that means taking some martial arts classes, or finding a firearms training instructor. Self defense is subjective; only you can determine what will best suit your needs. Many self defense instructors recommend taking instruction from several trainers and implementing the techniques and measures that work best for you.

Tip 4: Consistency

I’ve mentioned already that there are many measures you can take to improve your self defense, but whatever you do, do it regularly. Unfortunately, bad things have a way of happening when we least expect it. So if you lock your doors at night, make it a habit to do it every night. If you carry a concealed self defense implement, like a firearm, carry it every day. If you rely on having your cell phone handy to call for help, always keep it charged. If you are consistent with your self defense measures, you don’t have to worry about beating the odds in the event of an attack; you’re already prepared.

Tip 5: Consider Self Defense Implements

I’m a concealed carrier myself, so, unsurprisingly, I’m a proponent of having a self defense firearm at my disposal, should a self defense situation occur. That being said, I understand that concealed carrying a firearm isn’t for everyone; however, that doesn’t mean you have to forgo self defense tools entirely. You may even want to consider less-than-lethal options, like the C2 Taser, pepper spray, or a kubotan. Find something with which you’re comfortable keeping on you, and learn how to use it.

Featured image courtesy of contributor Roob via istockphoto.com

By Destinee

Destinee is also a vlogger. She publishes videos on weapons, gear, and fitness on her YouTube channel every Tuesday and Thursday.

Photo by Heath Ledger

The US government website that tells you how to survive everything from active shooters to inbound nukes

Our modern world certainly isn’t short on threats — from lone wolf terror attacks to state level threats like a nuclear North Korea to worry about on the global scale and good old-fashioned home invasions and murders to stress over on the local front, it can feel like there’s never been more to prepare for if you’re the type of person that prides themselves on being prepared, but there’s one handy government website that might be able to help.

Ready.gov has been around since 2003, offering an extensive list of potential emergencies you and your family may face and offering guidance on things you can do before hand, during, and after such a catastrophe to improve your chances at survival. The threats addressed on the site range from day to day concerns like a house fire all the way up to disasters with global ramifications like tsunamis, pandemics, and even space weather. When visiting the site, you can click on any of these disaster scenarios on the right-hand side of the screen to learn about the nature of the threat posed and how best to mitigate it.

Lots of the information offered on Ready.gov, of course, comes off a bit like common sense — but that’s the real value of spending a few hours on a site like this. If you’re interested in becoming an expert in one specific type of threat you feel is impending (sort of like the novelty awarded to each lunatic featured on “Doomsday Preppers”) you may want to seek out some peer-reviewed papers on that specific topic, but if you’re interested in ensuring you and your family are prepared for a broad variety of potential disasters, Ready.gov offers an invaluable crash course in multiple possibilities and in reasonable, pragmatic solutions to problems most tend not to consider.

For instance, concerns about active shooter situations are among the most prominent in the minds of most Americans these days, but often, even articles aimed at preparing your such an event focus only on what to do while the shooter is active. In order to survive these scenarios however, it makes sense to put some thought into how you’ll respond immediately following the attack — e.g. getting yourself to safety without presenting yourself as a threat to law enforcement on the scene. Ready.gov, for instance, offers a list of suggestions that include keeping your hands visible and understanding that law enforcement likely won’t be able to address your first aid needs until they have confirmed that the situation has been resolved and the shooter is either dead or in custody.

At the end of each breakdown, the site even offers a list of downloadable PDFs that you can review if you’re looking for some more in-depth information about that particular type of life threatening situation.

For those who haven’t spent much time working to actively mitigate threats professionally or personally, Ready.gov can be a great way to spin yourself up on thinking strategically, improving your situational awareness to counter things like normalcy bias, and give you a bit of background knowledge as to what you should do if the worst should occur. However, there’s a real value to this sort of research for those with experience in the preparedness realm as well. There’s a reason we use so many checklists in the military, and it’s not (always) because our command elements don’t trust us to do our jobs well — it’s because stress can have unusual effects on our ability to address challenges, and a checklist is a great way to ensure you stay organized and on task when adrenaline starts pumping.

Complacency can kill in a combat zone, but it can also truly hinder your ability to prepare for a disaster. There’s no such thing as a bullet proof plan — so refreshing yourself on what to do in a widespread power outage, hurricane or nuclear disaster could help you to identify areas of your preparation efforts you’ve previously omitted. Training doesn’t stop when you become a member of SEAL Team 6 or Delta, nor should your active engagement with preparedness just because you think you’ve got your angles covered.

If you’re just starting to think about putting together a basic survival kit for your house, Ready.gov even offers you a packing list to get started and suggests places to keep your kit inside your house for ready access to the equipment you need. Again, I (and the commenters here on SOFREP) could likely provide you with a limitless number of extra things you may want to consider including in your own kit, but Ready.gov can certainly help you get started.

Preppers may often be seen as silly in the media, but there’s nothing silly about being prepared.

Image courtesy of Flickr

*Originally published on SOFREP and written by Alex Hollings