Ramblings on Get Home and 'Stranded Bags'

Thought I'd share some of my GHB, Escape & Evasion, and "Stranded Bag". My primary focus is a bag that will get me back home or help me survive a situation where I may be stranded for a few days.

This bag is no where near complete and is a little heavier than I'd like but not bad for what all is in there. Weighs in under 30lbs which is no sweat for me to hump as I regularly hump a 40lb bag on some of my excusions. I still need to give it a shakedown cruise!

Some things I omitted for OPSEC reasons and some are items I need to add (nagelene bottle and cup THANKS Diesel for the link) and some platypus water bags.

I work primarly outside and at work I keep in a patrol bag alot of work related clothing including cold weather gear. Should I need to get back home I will rob the items I need from my other bags (mainly clothing) and get back. First I have to get back to where I will keep this bag from wherever my work truck is, then a short hike to a private storage building I maintain in the town I work in, and then hopefully ride a bike back home (WX permitting). All this is from the scenario that my vehicle does nt work and I can't get a ride home for whatever reason. Walking is the worst case scenario so my bag revolves around it. Riding the bike home is next to the worst, and driving home is definately plan 'A' However, hope for the best, plan for the worst!

What I am referring to as a "Stranded Bag" is sometimes I have been snowed away from home and I have to set up house wherever. It is rare it has happened, but it has often enough to be annoying. Also, my work truck SUCKS in the snow, and I have been up in the mountains and stuck before. One of these days if I get stuck and can't get out I can camp out until help arrives. This bag will stay in my personal vehicle unless the WX conditions warrant it as I have enough stuff in my work truck to make it through 'standard emergencies'.

So without further ado, my BAG





Spec Ops T.H.E Pack treated with Camp Dry with 2 M-16 Mag pouches for additional capacity.











Contents list:

T.H.E. Pack

Tools
one technician screwdriver
one versa driver pocket tool
one you dig it mini shovel
one Gerber LMF2 knife
one cold steel voyager lock back serrated blade knife
one knife sharpener
one small diamond stone
one Gerber saw
one multipurpose saw (uses reciprocating saw blades one for wood and one for
metal)

General
Kenwood THF6A radio
seven LED keychain lights(smaller than light sticks, reusable, can be switched of, and are brighter)
one Energizer LED headlamp
six AAA batteries for headlamp
one CR123A battery holder that holds four batteries for EDC flashlight
8X21 monocular
one pair Bushnell binoculars
signal mirror
three Air burst flares
one bright orange rainfly (also double as signal marker)
para cord
two rolls mason twine high visibility
2 oz WD-40 spray can
one small tube superglue
one whistle

Medical Hygiene
Adventure Medical Kit
Adventure Medical Kit blister kit
Adventure Medical Kit pocket medic
One EMT shear
Benadryl
one purell hand sanitizer
One mole foam
insect repellant wipes
sawyer sun block
one small bar of soap
one small bottle shampoo
one small toothpaste/toothbrush
one floss
two chaptstick
twelve eyeglass cleaners (also can double as fire starter)
one 40 wipe container antibacterial wipes
one roll tp vacuum packed
ear plugs

clothing
sewing kit
one snug pack poncho designed to fit over backpacks
one 9'x12' 3 mill thick drop cloth for improvised shelter
one disposable emergency poncho
one survival blanket
one change of clothes
Tilley hat
one pair mechanics gloves

Fire
one butane lighter
one peanut lighter
three small boxes of matches
one match safe of strike anywhere matches
one Kershaw fire steel
one magnesium fire starter
water proof fire sticks for fire making
magnifying glass

Water purification/gathering
one MSR EX water filter
** two platypus bags
various sized aloksak bags food grade to gather and store water and protect
items that need waterproofing
sponge to gather dew in arid environments
hydration system not shown
coffee filters to help remove sediment

Food
one Optimums nova + multifuel stove
one bottle 250 ml fuel for stove good for 2 1/2 hours cooking
one MSR cook set
P38 can opener
six power bars high protein
one package homemade beef jerky
three Mountain House meals
three MRE's
seven tasters choice packets of instant coffee (dollar store special)
one liter water bottle
**Nagalene Water bottle

Navigation
one silva compass
**maps of local area
GPS V in work bag easily switched to carry bag

Also added:

Pen,Pencil and notepad
Wire for snares and small fishing kit
Small 'airplane sized bottle' of vodka for wound cleansing, sleep aid, pain killer, sterilizer, etc.
Contractor sized trash bags
Towel
Bandanna

Thought not part of this bag, I carry these items everyday (EDC)
One Kershaw folder
One SAK multitool
One Zippo lighter
One Peanut Ligher
One micro grappling hook (use it for telecom work to snag overhead wiring)
One survival bracelet (www.survivalstraps.com) with about 15-18' paracord
Blackhawk Gladius Led light
Pocket Widgy Tool (mini pry bar)

Also in my work bag:
Insulated coveralls (prefer them to insulated underwear)
2 waterproof GoreTex Jackets
Various Sweaters/Fleece
Extra clothes
Camelbak
Mre's

73

later,
ZA

Ramblings and Observations of the fuel shortage in Western North Carolina...

This was written over a period of several days so sorry if my train of thought gets derailed!!!

Once again prepping pays off!

The pipeline that supplies WNC with fuel has not be running @ full capacity since Hurricane Ike slammed into the Texas coast 2 weeks ago. Gas supplies have been lacking in our area since then.

It is kind of spooky seeing all those pumps with bags over the nozzles. You immediately know which stations have fuel and those that don't.

The ones that do look like a 40 car pileup on the interstate as motorists jockey for pump position.

The ones with NO fuel look pretty barren with usually only the employee's vehicles in the parking lot. There is diesel for sale about anywhere that carries it in abundant supply.

My personal vehicle is by choice a gas sipper, so I can drive 6 days a week on 12 gallons of gas. The family vehicle doesn't do that well, but it is close to 30 mpg.

If it wouldn't be for my work vehicle (10 mpg gas powered 25 gallon tank Truck) I wouldn't even notice this crisis outside of observing it as a spectator.

My employer has me to refuel from gas stations via a fuel card. Other than what is in the tank, that is all I can store. Some smart managers in Asheville that work for the same company, have hashed out deals to deliver and fuel work trucks at the place of employment. My managers, unfortunately , don't think that far ahead, and I have to spend an hour every other day to fight the masses to jockey for position at the pump...

The folks in line at the pumps have been suprisingly civil, but that is not the case everywhere. A few towns over, a man pulled a gun on another man becuase he beat him to the pump. Waiting in a line with a bunch of angry people, the smallest thing can make someone go off the deep end! Be on a high level of alert while waiting to fuel up (or anytime) as ANYTHING can happen!

Watching the Charlotte, NC news last night, there was alot of heated verbal exchanges going on there. Not suprising really as Charlotte is a madhouse when things are going right!!!

I honestly feel sorry for those that are passing through North Carolina on their way to home or vacation that get stranded in our state. One fellar was stuck in Charlotte on his way back to Rhode Island just waiting to get some gas to continue his journe
.

Here is how I have been making out so far. Luckily the golden S&P rule of keeping your gas tank half full is an great way to give you options. When you are on empty your choices of where to get fuel is limited to your immediate area. With the 1/2 tank trigger, if you can not find fuel there, you can drive on to the next town.

To prevent folks from taking too much gas and to give everyone a fair shot, many gas stations will limit your fuel purchase to 10 gallons. Most average gas tanks hold from 12 to 20 gallons... Well within the half tank trigger/ 10 gallon limit!

Remember how people were stealing gas when it rose to $3 a gallon??? Well I expect those type people will be even more desperate when there is NO Gas to be had. I have locking gas caps on all my vehicles as well as a fuel tank patch kit in case someone decides to go the "poke a hole" route.

As I mentioned before, half a tank is when you should be your trigger to fill up. Many of the so called "officials" and "experts" say to wait until you are BELOW a quarter tank before you refuel... So you will not just top off all the time... That is stupid thinking!!! When one refuels and tops off a 3/4 full 12 gallon tank... That is 3 gallons... When one fills up a 1/4 full tank... That is 9 gallons!!! Doesn't make much sense to me either!

I do understand that folks filling up all the time and getting 20 extra gallons makes for limited supplies to be even scarcer. However, I don't want to be the guy with the empty tank when the last of the fuel is pumped out and I am still on empty pumping nothing but air in my tank! Dang work truck!!!

For my personal vehicles I do not hafta participate in the get the gas race. So in the evenings I smile with glee as I dodge the traffic jams created by desperate people and head home to the sticks...

Just today I had to work up in the mountains. They are bad off up there as well but all the stations were empty in my town of employment. I figured my best bet was to head up the Interstate and not be a part of the roving pack of thristy vehicles. Tried a truck stop a few miles up... No joy... They bagged their pumps like all the others. Decided my next stop would be the way I was going anyways... Wouldn't you know it... A nice sized truck stop with... GAS!!! And no lines!!! So I pulled in, pumped my fuel and was on my way in 10 minutes! Lucky me!

In my experience, the larger truck stops that cater mostly to truckers almost ALWAYS have fuel. It may have something to do with them being a larger volume seller of fuel and a good agreement with their supplier. Also these truck stops have plenty of room to snake your way in line much safer than waiting on the road!!!

I have not seen many folks buying up extra fuel, but on the front page of the Charlotte Observer there was a fellar filling up four 5-6 gallon gas cans, but three of them were kerosene blue ones (If he has a kerosene heater, I hope he doesn't forget what he put in there... his arse, not mine!!!)...

I have also witnessed that large gas cans (5+ gallon size) are in short supply... Get your stuff before everyone else has the SAME idea!!! WTSHTF is no time to get your gear order form filled out!!!

I have enough fuel to ride this out for now, but I probably don't have enough to satisfy my mental comfort level. Alot of S&P prepping involves you deciding on a prep level that is in your comfort zone. Then a situation arises (like this gas shortage) where you 'were' comfortable, but realize that you would be better of with a higher level of that prep...

So when things settle down and supplies get back to normal, I will restock what I used, and add a little more capacity for the next time this happens...

Thanks for reading, 73!Later,ZA

Ramblings on acceptable risks

I got an email from a reader the other day about taking a good paying job in DC. "Eric" asked me what I thought about taking the job. Here is my reply:

Thanks Eric for the email,


Life is about deciding acceptable risks. Which risks you are willing to take and if those risks will reward you for taking them. I can think of the example of the "contractor" in Iraq... he takes great risks in carrying out his duties... but he makes quite a bit of money... for the period he has agreed to...

Some jobs are not that dramatic, but all carry a ratio of "risk to reward". Not trying to preach or anything... just trying to put it in perspective...

I gather from your email that you currently living close to DC... so you may not be "shocked" by the condition/situation like someone from the rural South... So if you are a hardened "veteran" of the area and can stand it... Then go for it! If I scanned your email wrong... and you are from an area unlike DC... then I would avoid it!

If I did take a job in DC... you had better believe I would have some serious S&P gear (within legal limits of course) for about every contigency I could think of... especially terrorist related!

You do not need a firearm to survive... it just makes things easier if you can... Remember that thing between your ears is your greatest weapon... equip it with all the upgrades it will hold!!!

I can not tell you what to do... just offer you some guidance. If you think that DC is the bull's eye for a terrorist attack... then you need to ask yourself, "is it worth the risk?"

You can die tragically at any job in any place... there are NO guarentees in life that something is a surefire SAFE thing to be doing!!!

I personally would run like heck from that area... but it not just from possible terrorist attacks... it is the anti-gun, political, crime/social matters, and the lack of wide open spaces that keep me away...

As for the probability of a terrorist attack (like the Jericho scenario)... it can possibly happen... remember that it is not a matter of 'if'... it's a matter of 'when'...

I am not bashing any of your "prophets"... but I don't remember how many "chicken littles" I have heard over the years... Most like to set dates or timelines... which go by without anything happening... We know the "sky is gonna fall" but we don't know when... unless those people are the ones that are gonna make it fall!!!

Like I said not trying to bash any decent folk... just be leary of "date setters".


I hope it gave you something to think about and it was helpful in some way.Have a great day and good luck in what ever you decide...

Keep us posted!
later,
ZA

Rabid Racoon

A post from a long ago post posted on the Rubicon which *I* wrote...


*Rabid Racoon*

By: ZombieAxe

14 October 2003

I Went down to my folks place this evening after work to get some "woods" time. I had planned this before I left work so I brought along my H&K USP and Blachhawk Flap holster rig and packed it SECURELY in the lock box.

After work the WX was a little drizzly but nothing major. It had been awhile since I had walked along the entire property line, and things were grown up. I also took along my folk's German Shepard who adores me as long as Dad is ain't around (then I am second place :) ).

The rain was picking up a little and I ALMOST did not finish walking the entire property but I went on as the tree canopy was keeping most of the rain off of me. As we were walking a trail in behind the homeplace, the Shepard came close but not in contact with a gray looking cat that appeared to be dead... fearing that the animal might have died of some disease (mainly I was thinking Rabies), I told the shep to stay clear of the animal. As I got closer I told Shep to go the house (she is a highly intelligent dog) and she obediently went there.

As I got within 10' of the "CAT" I noticed that IT was not dead, even though many flies were swarming around it and it was a VERY skinny, but full sized racoon!!! It struck me as odd that a racoon would be sleeping in the middle of a path, in the open and in DAYLIGHT as they are nocturnal creatures.

I immediately drew the H&K and aimed at its skull as it became aroused. It had a weird air about him as he didn't show fear and looked like it was getting up to head in my direction. Not waiting for its next move, I shot once striking it the skull, and then again to which the racoon flipped over on its back and its rear legs were kicking into the air, so to end its miserable life I shot it a third time :( It was dead.

After I put up the dog, it was getting dark, so tomorrow I will call the county animal control folks to come get Rocky Racoon and see if it indeed had rabies. It had all the signs of Rabies,except it didn't have the "foaming at the mouth", but the racoon could have been too dehydrated to have that sign. The racoon was very near death...

It pays to be armed ANYTIME you are out and about. Sometimes the threats are not what you expect. I was expecting running into the 2 legged pests that sometime frequent the outer edges of the farm, but instead I ran into diseased animal that might have been a handful if I had not been armed.

Only thing I would have done differently, is also brought along my Ruger 22/45 which I had in the truck but FORGOT :( to dispatch the animal...

Come to think of it, thats the first case I can think of that I didn't need that much gun... The point being that I was armed! Threats come in all shapes and sizes and UNEXPECTEDLY... Be prepared :) 73!

Later,
ZombieAxe

Operating a Ham Radio Station on a Remote Island...


Last year, a couple of my friends and I discussed where we were going to go the next year on our yearly trip. The idea of going to a remote island off the North Carolina coast won out. I decided to turn the trip into what Ham Radio Operators call a DXpedition. A DXpedition is where Ham Radio Operators usually operate from a remote island or rare grid square or so on. The idea is so other Ham Radio Operators will be able to work your station and get credit for various awards. The DXpeditions that you read about mostly have a support team; we would have to be our own support team. We also decided to turn our DXpedition into a Special Event Station (to get a 1X1 callsign for 2 weeks), and IOTA (Islands On The Air) event. Before I mislead you, I want you all to know that this was not a 24-hour a day operation as Hams go on in QST magazine (a magazine for Hams published by the American Radio Relay League). It was a few hours a day (usually 4) as this was a vacation also.



After the idea was hatched, I had to figure out what I wanted to do and how to do it. As for communication equipment, I had that already covered. I brought along the ICOM IC-706MKIIG compact HF rig that would be my #1 radio. An Automatic Antenna Tuner would also be required, but I had that base covered as well in a LDG AT-11MP.

My home antenna is a portable one and while it does well, I was going to need something larger. I acquired a G5RV antenna at a Hamfest. G5RV antennas work VERY well! Anyone who has been at the beach before knows that there are not many trees to hang your antenna from so a portable mast was also going to be required. I found what I was looking for in an MFJ-1910 33’ fiberglass telescoping mast.

I was also planning on working mostly digital modes (PSK31/MFSK16) so I had to have a laptop, which I did, along with the appropriate 12V DC power adapter.


Now that I had the station equipment covered, I needed to power it. I have some wet deep cycle batteries. But after our last trip in the woods, I wasn’t really satisfied with the special conditions that I had to consider when transporting them. I mean, they can leak acid and really make a mess of things IF the case bursts open. On a trip where you might encounter some dicey 4X4ing conditions you do not want to worry about your lead acid batteries spilling their guts on you other gear.

I became seduced by the prospect of acquiring some AGM batteries. These AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) are very rugged and even if you poke a hole in the side of one, the bad stuff will stay inside which is perfect for my needs. Another plus was that the AGM batteries had a quicker recharge turnaround time (1 hour according to the specs) than a regular wet cell deep cycle.

I found what I was looking for at Bass Pro Shops for $119 for 79 amp hours. Pricey but money well spent in my opinion.


Batteries do not recharge themselves, unfortunately, so I had to come up with equipment that would fit the bill. I have an 1100W AC/DC (DC at 90 amps) 2-cycle gas generator that would do nicely for topping off the batteries.

It worked well but was a little gas hungry. It would run about an hour at full load before needing the tank refilled.

I also brought along two 15 watt solar panels for a total of 30 watts of solar power. The solar power was intended to keep my truck battery charged for the VHF operations and satellite radio entertainment. I did not use the solar for that purpose, so it went to extend the run time of the AGM deep cycle battery.


Here lately, I have found that those 1”X 1” 8 foot long boards really come in handy on camping trips. They are small enough to easily carry 8 of them and strong enough to use for tent poles and other camp needs. They will also work well for firewood should you not want to bring them back. I made a quick and dirty solar panel rack using 8 four-foot pieces of those 1X1’s and a few galvanized decking screws. Forgive my sloppy carpentry work. This was made in a matter of minutes. It worked beautifully and my only change would be to make a permanent version with a fold up capabilities.

Shelter wise, I opted for Cabela’s truck tent. This tent attaches to the rear of a truck with a camper shell or a SUV. This allows you to have both a hardened shelter (truck) and a tent shelter all in one. Not a bad concept and it worked well for the trip. If you are going to get one of these, be aware that unlike many tents on the market today, the truck tent does not have ventilation under the rain fly, so condensation can be an issue. I was able to use the tailgate of my truck as an operating position for the ham station, which gave the portable setup a solid operating surface. In other words, I didn’t have to worry about knocking the tailgate over as I would have a “camp table” and everything was above the sand that seemed to be everywhere.


Food was packed in coolers that were shielded by reflective heat barrier insulation (it looks like bubble wrap sandwiched between 2 thick layers of tinfoil) and also had a foam cooler type insulation custom fitted inside to keep it colder longer.

Also, I used homemade block ice along with dry ice to keep my food frozen longer than it would have been in a regular cooler. The dry ice kept the block ice frozen longer.

I also froze ½ liter Deer Park bottles to keep the food cold and provide me with good cold water when needed. I brought back most of the block ice I had made.

Water containers such as jerry cans take up space in this type of situation when you want to leave with less than you brought. On a previous trip, a friend had shown me 5 gallons of water in two 2-½ gallon containers. What impressed me was how nice they stacked. Once consumed, the cardboard and plastic containers could be easily burned. These wouldn’t be ideal for long term storage but seem to work well for situations where you have to slash and burn. I brought 40 gallons with me and it worked great!

Now since you have an idea of what we had to bring, I guess I should tell you why. A little history lesson is in order. Portsmouth Island was once a large port town in the 1800’s. Sea faring ships would unload their cargo on Portsmouth Island, to which the people on Portsmouth would then transport the cargo across the shallow sound to the mainland. After a storm cut a deep inlet directly to the mainland, most of Portsmouth’s economy went to fishing. After a few large storms in the 1900’s, people started moving away from Portsmouth and onto the mainland. In the early 70’s, the last permanent resident of Portsmouth Village moved to the mainland and Portsmouth is now a ghost town along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Today, the only folks that come to Portsmouth are surf fishermen and Hams crazy enough to brave the elements to setup a station along the island.

There is NO power and only limited potable water and toilets near the ferry landing but they would be 15 miles away from our center of operations. During high tide, the beach road would be impassable for a few hours. I was able to talk to a late arrival into our camp from 12 miles away. That comes in very handy when there are NO landmarks, just sand, sky and ocean.

Cell phone coverage was a little spotty but doable. A large dune in our immediate camping area made a good platform to get into a cellular repeater. I also would get some tropospheric ducting on my wireless email PDA at night but it was spotty at best. To me this was a perfect environment to test out my comm. gear and make notes of what worked and what did not work.

The 33’ MFJ-1910 telescopic mast failed, but I fixed it to keep us on the air. Instead of 33’ it became a 27’ mast.

My idea of keeping us 24/7 on the APRS network didn’t exactly work as I planned, but we were on a few hours a day. Considering that we were over 70 miles away, we still did very well to get into the APRS node. I can say that the HF station I ran, ran perfectly once I started transmitting.

I worked many DX countries and many states. I often got compliments on my signal and I was impressed, as many were, about my operating conditions.

One of my favorite comments was, “so all you guys have to do is provide the radios and antennas and the rest is provided on the island???” As I said before, we had to bring everything!


When on a DXpedition, it pays to have a contact on the mainland SOMEWHERE. RadioRay provided that crucial link, and we even proved that you could correct a T-shirt order over HF! RadioRay was also willing to provide traffic handling should we had needed to pass traffic.

We had an awesome time and learned a lot of valuable info in other areas as well as communications! Sure you can test your gear at home, but to really test your gear you have to take it to extreme levels to figure out what does and does not work! It only works if you “know” it does, not if you “think” it does. 73

Later,
ZombieAxe