The Premise: Most of the tactical and wilderness medical training we’ve grown accustomed to is geared toward stabilizing a patient until we can get them to a professional. This is great, until we consider the question of what to do if there were no 911 and hospitals left to visit. What if, in the darkest of all dark SHTF scenarios, medical treatment as we know it no longer exists? Then what?
The Survival Medicine Handbook by Joe Alton, MD and Amy Alton, considers this scenario and attempts to teach would-be practitioners how best to attempt medical treatment in a world where 19th-century technology is suddenly and quite literally the latest-and-greatest available. Joe is a retired obstetrician and surgeon, and Amy is an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP). Together, they instruct survivalists through a combination of YouTube videos and podcasts. Their mission, as they state it, is simple: “To put a medically prepared person in every family.”
The 411: Primarily intended for non-medical professionals, the book is (thankfully) written in plain English. It breaks down what could be complex theories into digestible chunks of information that most readers should be able to grasp. The authors have also included a healthy dose of realism as it relates to what’s truly possible with limited resources and incomplete training. As stated in the introduction, “It’s difficult for people to believe that a head injury or a gunshot wound to the chest may not be survivable…but we must face the hard truth that there are circumstances where we may be able to comfort but not to save.”
Considering the list price of almost $40, we expected a lot of book — we weren’t disappointed. Clocking in at more than 600 pages, the amount of information inside the chapters is more than a little daunting, but the sections are broken down so that each individual unit or treatment plan is rarely more than two or three pages. We read one small section a day, either before bed or first thing in the morning, and made a lot of headway through what would otherwise be a serious slog. Our only complaint is that we would’ve loved to have the illustrations and photos in color, although that would boost the price of an already not-inexpensive written resource.
We like how the handbook goes far beyond treatment of injuries and illnesses. The authors devoted considerable space to maintenance of health and hygiene in a potentially dirty and dangerous new world, including survival essentials like water purification and how to deal with sewage issues where large camps of people congregate. After all, it’s easier to prevent disease than to treat it. In addition, there was a great introduction to natural remedies and how to grow a medicinal herb garden to supplement our supplies.
Perhaps understandable considering the authors own an online survival gear store (www.doomandbloom.net), nearly 20 pages of the book discuss how to begin acquiring a medical kit, from developing a personal medic bag and IFAK kit, to a family stash, up through developing a working field hospital. However, as much as they extol the benefits of purchasing gear, they’re just as quick to suggest improvised alternatives, also reminding the reader that advanced gear is useless without good training to know how to use it.
After reading all the way through, it’s evident that although it’s called The Survival Medicine Handbook, it really seems like a combination of three books in one: how to respond to natural or manmade disasters, how to start life over and build a community with what’s left, and lastly, survival medicine. The authors have really thought this through, and they speak to the reader without talking down or over-simplifying complex subjects.
The Verdict: Compared to similar books we’ve read, we appreciated the in-depth knowledge and explanations of not just the how, but also the why, of treatment. The book balances providing lots of great detail while still remaining accessible to medical laypeople.
Even if we’re never forced to become doctors and nurses in a world where hospitals as we know it are no more, much of the information in this book is useful for everyday practical medicine. For example, removing a fish hook, putting together a winter survival car kit, burn remedies, and even treatment of acid reflux disease or choking. The list price may be high for some, but if the money spent helps prevent even one wound or ailment from getting worse, it’ll have been well worth it.
Book & Author The Survival Medicine Handbook: The Essential Guide for When Medical Help is NOT on the Way (Third Edition) Joseph Alton, MD and Amy Alton, ARNP
Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published in Issue 13 of CONCEALMENT, and appears here in its entirety with permission. For more articles on guns, training, and gear, go to RECOILweb.com.
One of the preeminent facets of self-defense is situational awareness. Unfortunately, those two words have become a catch-phrase-turned-mantra beaten to death by nearly every book, video, instructor and Internet forum about personal protection. But so much of the talk about situational awareness seems to be just people yelling at each other to make sure they have it. Rarely do we see a concise, level-headed, repeatable explanation as to exactly what mental processes make up this mystical “awareness” and how exactly we use them to protect ourselves from potential threats.
In contrast stands Orbis Operations — a company that provides training and support services to government agencies and military units around the country. Among their offerings is a set of classes on Situational Awareness Training. This training is based off a process that Orbis refers to as Human Behavior Pattern Recognition & Analysis. There are several variations of their SAT curriculum, including a five-day SOFSAT or Special Operations Forces Situational Awareness Training. We had the opportunity to attend a couple days of SOFSAT and came away with a much better understanding of exactly what situational awareness consists of and how we use it to our advantage.
“Any behavior, whether from an individual or a group, which breaks from an established baseline qualifies as an...
The Orbis website has this brief header on it: “All individuals give off signals when they are measured against context, relevance, and the local societal baseline. In certain circumstances, these ‘signals’ can, with the proper training, be read as anomalies. Establishing a baseline, detecting (and then acting on) these anomalies is the essence of Situational Awareness Training…” In class, the instructors further refined this down into a concise, easy-to-remember formula they referred to simply as BAD, or B + A = D, Baseline + Anomaly = Decision. This is, in our opinion, the crux of the Orbis methodology. So let’s break down this formula and see how one is able to go about living it.
Baseline
The baseline of any given social group or geographic area is, in short, what is normal. But since normal can sometimes be a touchy word to define, maybe it’s better to say that the baseline of an area is what is habitual. What are the attitudes, actions, and overall behavioral patterns that constitute the routine tempo of the world around you?
To avoid any vagaries or generalizations, the instructors at our SOFSAT class outlined six individual facets, or domains, of situational awareness:
Heuristics: Heuristics are “mental shortcuts” that can be used when other information is limited to influence a snap-decision and help prime you for action as necessary. This may be explained by the old phrase “if it walks like a duck…” or Occam’s Razor which, very loosely translated, says that the simplest answer is most likely the correct answer.
Proxemics: How people interact with each other in groups. This could include things like how far or close people stand while interacting, if people in a group all seem to focus on or mimic the demeanor of one individual or if certain individuals routinely travel with an entourage of followers.
Geographics: How people interact with their physical terrain. This can be particularly important in natural gathering places like parking lots, stadiums, stores, and street corners that may be claimed as “turf” by criminal actors.
Atmospherics: Atmospherics is the overall “feel” of a place — the sights, smells, sounds, and general demeanor. For example, if we asked you to close your eyes and imagine a carnival, we’re guessing your mental picture might include flashing lights, bells ringing, people screaming on rides, the smell of fried food and an overall air of excitement or joy. Those inputs, and the overall feeling they create inside you, make up the atmospherics of your surroundings.
Biometrics: Biometric cues are more focused on an individual and their body’s response in connection to their interactions. Are they sweating, is their skin flushed, are their pupils dilated, can you see the pulse pounding in their neck or the vein popping out of their forehead? These are biological indicators of a feeling or an intention that a person may be attempting to hide under the surface.
Kinesics: Kinesics is about body language. Separate from biometrics, which deal in the body’s automatic responses, kinesics focuses on physical movements. Things like cracking your knuckles, stretching, rubbing the back of your neck or “grooming gestures” like consistently stroking your face or wiping your nose could all be kinesic indicators of something being not-quite-right.
It’s safe to say that the interaction between these two people isn’t pleasant. But how we know could be a...
All of these six domains are like pieces of a puzzle. A thorough understanding of every domain will give you the fullest, most complete picture of your neighborhood, patrol beat or area of operations. But, as with a partially completed jigsaw puzzle, you don’t necessarily need every piece in place to figure out what the picture is.
Anomalies
Any behavior, whether from an individual or a group, which breaks from an established baseline qualifies as an anomaly. Some can be really subtle, while others are blatantly obvious. But neither one will do you any good if you’re not attuned to them. One of the easier types of anomalies to quantify is the proxemics pull/push. A proxemic pull or push is any stimulus that causes people to gather or disperse outside of regular patterns. When you’re driving home and you pass an accident on the side of the road with a group of people pulled over on the side of the road standing around, that’s a proxemic pull — the car crash has literally drawn people to it and created a crowd who wouldn’t normally be there. Likewise, a mosh pit breaking out at the front row of a concert may cause a proxemic push, causing everyone else to drift quickly away from their assigned seats to avoid a stray elbow to the head.
A geographic anomaly may be as simple as walking across a dark parking lot and noticing a tightly knit trio of people huddled in a pocket of shadow beyond the street lamp. Everyone else is walking directly to or from the store, but this one group of individuals just seems to be hovering in an area that most people simply transit without stopping.
The goal of Orbis Operations’ Situational Awareness Training is to understand the nature of a threat before it gets...
Other anomalies are much more discreet. One of the most fascinating examples we heard from SOFSAT went something like this: you’re walking down the street when a man approaches you and asks for directions. While you’re trying to remember the street names, he begins rubbing the back of his head and neck. Might just be a stiff neck. But inside your brain is a small gland called the hypothalamus. It controls automatic functions in the body like blood pressure, heart rate, and alertness. It’s a stress indicator. When a fight-or-flight response occurs, the hypothalamus heats up and begins to work overtime. He’s literally getting hot under the collar. Watching somebody begin to rub the back of their neck or head — when measured against other cues — may actually indicate that they’re preparing for a fight you don’t know is coming.
Having said all this, there are vast numbers of individual behavioral anomalies that could be identified in any given situation and people often exhibit seemingly “odd” or “abnormal” behaviors for perfectly good, benign reasons. So how do you process this running mental calculation to avoid going through life in a state of tweaking paranoia?
Decision
There are a couple of different mental processes you can execute once you’ve established a baseline and spotted an anomaly. The framework of this article is Orbis’ own B + A = D procedure. Now that you’ve arrived at a decision point, what can you (or should you) decide do to? Our instructors put forward a three-prong answer to this question. You can act, report, or continue to observe.
Above: When you look at this drawing, try to imagine the background noises, smells, or spatial encroachment associated with navigating a tight crowd. Without even knowing it, our brains carry a portfolio of pre-programmed templates for how “normal” social situations should look at feel. These are part of what we use to establish baselines.
The “act” decision can be any range of things from drawing your concealed pistol to simply taking a different route home, or waiting to stop for gas until you’re in a better neighborhood. Reporting options may include notifying a police officer or security guard, or your chain of command if you’re a first responder. Finally, keeping an eye on the situation for further developments is indeed a legitimate option. While you don’t necessarily need all the information to take action, you still need enough information. What that threshold is will be different for every person and every situation. One caveat to this that was advised to us during our training was that you must take action if you observe three anomalies in any domain or combination of domains.
The science of behavioral analysis is one of the most effective self-defense tools you can have in your skillset. But just like any skill, you must build a proper knowledge base and then practice it consistently. Orbis Operations teaches different versions of their Advanced Situational Awareness (ASAT) curricula to various government and commercial entities across the country. There are also a number of books available on the subject. Just check your local Internet search bar. We may not be able to prevent danger from entering our lives but, with some well-studied awareness and analysis, we’ll have a much better chance to see it coming.
The year was 1943, and Norway was under German occupation. The Scandinavian country had been neutral during the entirety of the First World War, and maintained this position as Hitler’s grip began to tighten on continental Europe. Politicians believed a pacifistic stance would help Norway avoid most of the impact of this new war as it had during WWI. Unfortunately, Hitler had different plans.
Norway offered a desirable naval stronghold in the North Atlantic, considerable natural resources, and of course a symbolic contribution to the growing Nazi empire. So, in April 1940, the Blitzkrieg came to Norway. The country would remain under their control until 1945.
Vidkun Quisling (center) at a Nazi party event in Norway, 1941. Source: National Archives of Norway
You’ve probably heard about the Norwegian minority who welcomed the Nazis — Vidkun Quisling’s name became a well-known synonym for “traitor” after his outspoken support for Hitler landed him a position as head of state. However, many Norwegians bravely fought back against the Germans as part of underground resistance groups.
Norwegian Independent Company 1 was one such unit, and is better known as Kompani Linge after its leader, Captain Martin Linge. Linge and his men were supported by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), and received training in Scotland before returning to their home country to conduct raids and sabotage missions against the Nazis.
A memorial to Kompani Linge in Scotland. Source: QuentinUK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
A Compromised Operation
In March 1943, a detachment of four Kompani Linge commandos and eight other Norwegians embarked on Operation Martin. The goal of this operation was to use 8 tons of explosives to destroy critical assets at a German air base in the town of Bardufoss in northern Norway. During preparations for this dangerous mission, one of the commandos attempted to make contact with a local member of the resistance. But in a cruel twist of fate, he ended up speaking to a shopkeeper with the same name — some reports indicate he may have been a German imposter. That man promptly reported the conversation to the Gestapo.
The Norwegian fjords offered a strategic position for German ships and seaplanes. Source: Flickr.com/trondheim_byarkiv...
Upon learning that Operation Martin had failed, the twelve men quickly returned to the fishing boat that was packed with their explosives and attempted to escape. Tragically, that too would fail. A German frigate intercepted the boat in a fjord near the island of Rebbenesøya.
The members of Kompani Linge made the difficult choice to blow up their own boat rather than hand it over. They lit a time-delay fuse, piled into a dinghy, and attempted yet again to escape. But the Germans opened fire on the dinghy, killing one of the men and sinking the vessel. Ten of the remaining men were dragged from the icy water, turned over to the Gestapo, and executed. The final operative, Jan Baalsrud, was able to evade capture.
Jan Baalsrud’s Escape
Baalsrud, then 25 years old, had been preparing to conduct an underwater demolition element of Operation Martin. He would have swam silently to a number of seaplanes at the Bardufoss air base and planted magnetic limpet mines to destroy them. Obviously, he never had the chance, but it’s possible that his preparation for this mission explains the first step of his survival.
As the Germans opened fire on the dinghy, Baalsrud dove into the frigid Arctic water and swam to shore. Soaked, freezing, and missing one of his boots, he staggered up the beach and hid in a ravine. The Germans pursued him. As a soldier drew close to his position, Baalsrud drew his snub-nosed Colt revolver and shot him dead.
Staying Mobile
The interwoven fjords and mountains of Norway made overland travel a challenge. Source: Flickr.com/kimberlykv
After nightfall, Baalsrud found two young girls who had been alerted by the sound of the exploding fishing boat echoing through the fjord earlier that day. In a 2016 interview with the New York Times, Dagmar Idrupsen recalled that day more than 72 years ago, saying that Baalsrud was ice cold and his uniform was frozen solid. Despite this, she described his sensitivity, courtesy, and grateful attitude towards her family as they helped him. He didn’t stay long, though — he knew he had to keep moving so he didn’t endanger the innocent people who came to his aid.
Over the next nine weeks, Baalsrud was the subject of a nationwide manhunt by the Germans. He proceeded through northern Norway as a fugitive, moving cautiously from village to village and asking for help from people who could have easily turned him in. He never settled in one place, and compartmentalized these interactions by refusing to disclose who he had visited previously or where he was headed next. His ultimate goal was to cross the border into Sweden, where he’d have a better chance of escaping to an allied nation until the search was called off.
A map of Baalsrud’s journey. Source: The New York Times
Through the kindness of his fellow Norwegians, Baalsrud received food, shelter, new boots and bandages for his badly-frostbitten feet, and some skis. These skis enabled him to move more quickly, but a sudden blizzard caused him to veer off course. Suffering badly from exposure and snowblindness, he wandered towards the foot of Mt. Jaeggevarre, a 3,000-foot peak. As if all this wasn’t enough, an avalanche threw him down the mountainside, leaving him concussed and partially buried in snow. His skis had been destroyed, and he had been separated from his pack of supplies.
The Situation Worsens
By this point, Baalsrud was delirious and hallucinating, recounting that he heard the voices of his eleven comrades calling out to him. After three days of walking, he found the tiny village of Furuflaten, and by a great stroke of luck, the home of a resistance member there. Village residents hid him in a barn in hopes that he would recover, but the frostbite on his feet had progressed to the point that he could no longer walk. So, they coordinated to transport him to another island — first on a concealed stretcher, then on an improvised sled, and finally in a rowboat across the fjord.
After this journey, the villagers left Baalsrud in a 6-foot by 9-foot shed with some supplies, intending to return in a few days. He jokingly dubbed the shed his “Hotel Savoy,” after the world-renowned luxury hotel in London.
A recreation of “Hotel Savoy” in Revdalen, Norway. Source: Geocaching.com
Yet again, unpredictable weather arrived, delaying the return trip. Baalsrud began to see the signs of gangrene in his frost-damaged feet, so he sterilized his pocket knife in the flame of a lantern and did what he knew he had to do. He fully amputated one of his big toes and sliced the dead flesh off the tips of several others.
Five days later when the storm had abated, the villagers crossed the fjord again and carried Baalsrud further into the mountains. They eventually left him again in a rock crevice where he would remain for nine more days. These leapfrog journeys continued — five days in one location, seventeen in another. Since the spread of gangrene was continuing, he amputated the rest of his toes, and would later say he seriously contemplated suicide. Resistance members asked for help from Sami native tribe members, who used a sled and reindeer to stealthily cross through Finland and into Sweden, evading German units along the way.
Mountainous terrain on the Norway-Finland border. Source: Flickr.com/trondheim_byarkiv (CC BY 2.0)
Recovery and Return to Norway
When he arrived in a hospital in Sweden, Baalsrud weighed 80 pounds. He spent seven months there, putting on weight, regaining his eyesight, and learning how to walk again on his disfigured feet.
Less than a year after reaching Sweden, Baalsrud returned to Scotland, where he would train other Norwegian resistance members and Allied forces alongside the British SOE. However, as was also true of other legendary wartime survivors, he was not content to live this sedentary life while his countrymen were still fighting. He soon traveled back to Norway to aid the resistance directly, and witnessed the liberation of his country as the war ended.
Germans surrendering to a Norwegian resistance leader, May 11th, 1945. Source: Anders Beer Wilse / Galleri NOR
The British honored Baalsrud by appointing him a member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and the Norwegian government awarded him with the St. Olav’s Medal with Oak Branch. He married an American woman, started a family, and served as Chairman of the Norwegian Disabled Veterans Union.
Jan Sigurd Baalsrud died in Oslo on December 30th, 1988. He was 71 years old. According to his wishes, his ashes were buried with Aslak Fossvoll, one of the Norwegian resistance members who aided him on his journey. His story lives on through films such as Nine Lives (1957) and The 12th Man (2017), as well as books, TV documentaries, and a remembrance march that takes place every year in Troms, Norway.
It’s often said that your home is your castle, but it probably doesn’t have a moat, drawbridge, or reinforced stone battlements — unless your house is a whole lot cooler than ours. However, the point of this idiom is to reiterate that your home is a place you should feel secure, protected, and in control. Unfortunately, the statistics serve to remind us that this isn’t always the case. This year, an estimated 1.4 million home burglaries will occur. These home invaders don’t need an army of soldiers with battering rams to breach the security of your little castle — many times, they can gain entry in seconds without any tools.
Unfortunately, there are lots of misconceptions about these crimes. Think of a burglar, and you may picture a masked man creeping through a window late at night. In reality, the statistics tell us that a majority of burglaries occur during the day, especially between 10am and 3pm. While 25% of the perpetrators enter through windows, more than double that amount (56%) enter through the front or back door.
A more accurate mental image of a burglar might be a person dressed as a salesman or maintenance worker who swiftly kicks down the door in broad daylight, and strolls out with your valuables within a few minutes. Understanding the reality of this situation can help you become better prepared to defend your home.
The following infographic from SafeAtLast provides a quick look at some of the key statistics on home burglaries in the United States. This includes general stats, common entry points, commonly-stolen items, time frames, repeat offense rates, and more. Click here to download a full-size version of this graphic.
For more stats that didn’t make it into this graphic, check out this SafeAtLast blog article. For example, 65% of burglars know their victims, and 85% of burglaries are committed by amateurs (rather than seasoned repeat offenders).
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I am the founder and CEO of the start-up company Man Made Survival. When I was 8 years old my dad and uncle, on two different occasions, lost me at the Six Flags amusement park. I was scared, and it felt like forever before I was randomly found. Now I have three kids, ages ranging from 4 to 8 years old. What we do as a family is that we get a map of the amusement park and divide it into time zones. Each time zone has two assigned safe spots that we tie a yellow flag to and, according to what time they realize we got separated, they look on their copy of the map and head to that specific zone. They know not to panic, cry, or talk to any strangers and just wait for me to arrive. We have practiced this successfully with my 8-year-old, but still have some work to do with the younger two. I recommend this tactic to every parent who plans on going to a crowded place with their little ones — it offers a practical solution to the panic of a lost-child situation.
My wife and I use laminated cards with several family member phone numbers on them for my kid’s school bags and emergency bags. Another friend simply puts a list of them inside a Ziploc bag. These lists come into play in the event of a cell phone/internet outage in the area. Landlines will still function, and my kids will have a way to know the phone numbers, other than searching their cell phone contacts list. It also gives first responders a list in the case my children are injured or in need of assistance.
Dave Wells
Firearms: Teach your kids the four firearm safety rules from a very early age. Even 2-year-olds can understand the concepts of the rules. Demonstrate the rules with NERF guns and other toy guns until they are mature enough to handle a real firearm with your close parental supervision. Each child is different so it’s our job as parents to gauge when they’re ready to follow the rules and listen to our instruction. It’s also our job to teach them the respect for this tool (firearm), and to take the taboo away so curiosity won’t get the best of them. As parents, we are training them for the worst-case scenario with firearms — for example, finding an unsecured firearm at a friend’s house when we are not there. By eliminating the taboo they will be less likely to want to “play” with it and more likely to attempt to control the situation by leaving, peer pressuring to put it away, telling an adult, or calling parents to come intervene in the situation.
Technology: Technology can be a huge asset in keeping your kids safe. It can also be a detriment if we are too distracted by our screens. Part of being a prepared parent is avoiding distractions. The more aware we are of our environment, the more capable we will be of mitigating a potential threat to our children. Put the phone down and enjoy your kids — be aware of what’s going on around you.
Studying real-world survival situations is a great way to become more prepared in case you ever find yourself in one. There’s much we can learn from the stories of lost and injured individuals, both those who lived to tell the tale and those who tragically did not. Fortunately, today’s example falls into the former category. Amanda Eller, a 35-year-old physical therapist, managed to survive in the Hawaiian forest for 17 days with nothing but the clothes on her back.
Eller lives on the island of Maui and has a history of walking and jogging in the forest.
At 10:30am on May 8th, Eller parked her SUV near the 2,000-acre Makawao Forest Reserve on the island of Maui. This was a common practice for Eller, an avid hiker and runner. Planning on a short 3-mile hike, she reportedly left her cell phone, wallet, and water bottle in her vehicle, then hid the keys underneath a tire. She was wearing a tank top, capri-length yoga pants, and running shoes as she headed into the forest alone.
When Eller didn’t return, local authorities dispatched search and rescue personnel. Teams scoured the forest for several days, but found nothing, even considering the possibility of an abduction or other foul play. Refusing to give up hope, family and friends launched a Facebook page to provide news and coordinate volunteer search efforts. A GoFundMe page was also created, and collected $77,000 in donations to support the search.
After 17 days, a search helicopter spotted Eller near the edge of a stream in a dense section of forest several miles from her vehicle. She was airlifted to a hospital, and treated for multiple injuries including a fractured leg and torn meniscus, severe sunburns, and malnutrition. She is expected to make a full recovery.
Above: The location where Eller was found; severe sunburns on her ankles.
Eller told the New York Times that she got lost in the forest and fell down a 20-foot cliff, causing the injuries to her leg. She also said she lost her shoes during a flash flood the next day, but continued to move slowly through the forest in hopes of finding her vehicle. She ate wild strawberry guavas (an invasive species of plant on Maui) as well as other unknown plants and insects. She covered herself in ferns and leaves for shelter at night.
Above: Eller with her rescuers before being airlifted to the hospital.
There is much we can learn from this story. Here are a few basic lessons that stood out to us:
Always communicate your plans to others. If friends and family know exactly where you went, the route you’ll take, and when you’ll be back, it will greatly improve your chances of being rescued. This can be as simple as sending a quick text message before you leave.
Know when to stay put. As long as there’s a chance that rescue could be coming — there should be if you followed the previous tip — you’re usually better off to make yourself visible and remain where you are. This will help rescue personnel trace your steps quickly rather than searching a large area.
Always have more gear than you think you’ll need. No matter how inconvenient it may be to bring items such as warmer clothes, food and water, and a cell phone on your adventures, it’s certainly less inconvenient than ending up lost or in danger.
There’s safety in numbers. Venturing out alone puts you at far greater risk if something bad happens, whether that’s getting lost or attacked on the trail. Bring a friend when possible.
A survivor’s mindset is essential. Even though Eller was lost, injured, and at a major disadvantage given her lack of gear, she didn’t give up. Without the willpower it takes to face a survival situation, it’ll be impossible to survive a few days alone, much less 17.
UPDATE: Eller’s explanation in this new video interview is interesting to say the least. “I have a strong sense of internal guidance, whatever you want to call that. A voice, spirit, everybody has a different name for it…. my heart was telling me, walk down this path, go left.”
We’re just over a week away from the premiere of ALONE Season 6 on the HISTORY Channel. It airs on Thursday, June 6th at 10/9C, if you’re keeping track. While no TV show can truly convey the harsh reality of survival in the wilderness — something you can only experience firsthand — we’ve enjoyed previous seasons of ALONE. The show portrays the physical characteristics, gear, and (most importantly) the mentality required to overcome life-threatening conditions for an extended period.
As usual, Season 6 of ALONE will consist of ten participants who compete to survive for as long as possible, each with ten survival items selected from a specific gear list. The winner will claim a $500,000 prize. However, this season will be set in the Arctic near Great Slave Lake in Canada’s remote Northwest Territories.
We previously wrote about this season shortly after its premiere date and trailer were published last month, but more information is now available. First, there’s a new 2-minute First Look video, which you can watch below:
Second, we now have a full list of contestants, including their bio information and gear choices. Click each name to read more about the contestant on HISTORY’s web site.
Tim Backus – Age 55 – Hunting Guide from Lubbock, TX
Nathan Donnelly – Age 39 – Disaster Preparedness Instructor from Lopez Island, WA
Donny Dust – Age 38 – Primitive Technology Instructor from Monument, CO
Jordan Jonas – Age 35 – Construction Worker from Lynchburg, VA
Barry Karcher – Age 39 – Self Defense Instructor from Fort Collins, CO
Ray Livingston – Age 43 – Search and Rescue K9 Handler from Vancouver, WA
Brady Nicholls – Age 36 – SERE Instructor from San Antonio, TX
Woniya Thibeault – Age 42 – Ancestral Skills Teacher from Grass Valley, CA
Nikki van Schyndel – Age 44 – Wilderness Guide from Echo Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Michelle Wohlberg – Age 31 – Homesteader from Mullingar, Saskatchewan, Canada
Based on this early info, some contestants sound more promising than others, but as we’ve seen in past seasons it could be anyone’s game. The mental toughness to persevere through starvation and suffering is often the determining factor on this show, just as it could be in any survival scenario. For more updates on the show, go to History.com/shows/Alone or Facebook.com/Alone.
Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published in Issue 13 of CONCEALMENT, and appears here in its entirety with permission. For more articles on guns, training, and gear, go to RECOILweb.com.
The Armed Guardian
Imagine you’re eating out with your family. Your son, daughter, niece, nephew, or maybe grandchild is sitting in your lap, telling you an elaborate story the way that only a small child can. You’re fully engaged in their excited eyes and animated features— the way they tilt their head and stumble over words as they kick their foot against the leg of your chair has you both distracted and delighted. You’re enraptured with the little bundle of joy.
Then you hear it. A scream. A demand. You peel your eyes away from this lovely child, only to find yourself staring directly at a violent offender in the midst of an armed robbery.
What do you do?
According to 2014 Census Bureau data, around 60 percent of the population over the age of 15 has at least one biological child. So if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you don’t have to reach too far back into your memory to picture the scenario described above, to picture the face of a child you love silhouetted between you and a violent individual with a gun.
If you’re a parent or spend time around kids and you carry a gun, it’s very likely you’ve already considered how it could be used to save your child’s life, or the life of another child you love dearly.
But what if it happens?
What if your child were in the midst of a violent attack? What if you’re attacked and a child is between you and your attacker? What if your family is caught up in violence it wasn’t prepared for? Do you know what to do?
Citizens Defense Research was formed in 2015 and set out to answer these questions. We named our flagship course Contextual Handgun: The Armed Parent/Guardian (TAP/G) and spent a year researching, studying, testing, and crunching data. Not surprisingly, defending your loved ones with a gun is no small task. It’s a complicated and frightening prospect with many moving parts. While many things can be done well, this article will focus on a few important — but sometimes unintuitive — ways that armed parents and loved ones might fall short when defending children.
Your Self-Preservation Instincts May Be Stronger Than Parental Ones
Above: Demonstrating techniques with a prop child in class — a lot easier than bringing your toddler onto the range. Once you’re in a home environment you can practice techniques with your own — preferably with a SIRT or Blue gun, lest you want to practice trauma care in real time.
In times of extreme stress or sudden violence, the brain triggers the body to produce a flood of hormones meant to prepare the body to fight or to flee. This state of hyperarousal can cause you to act impulsively and without clear direction. While in this state, it’s very difficult to think rationally, and actions taken may in retrospect seem unintelligent, counterproductive, or even negligent.
Parents have abandoned their own children in mass-casualty shootings, struck their own children while attempting to fight attackers, and more. When these stories are reported, it’s common to see visceral and outraged reactions, but the hard truth is that any one of us could potentially act in a similar fashion. While considering it rationally, we would never imagine it possible — but we can’t underestimate what we might do in a state of hyperarousal.
The good news is that you can lessen the ability of your subconscious to hijack your body. Proactively planning for the presence of your children in the event of a violent crime gives your brain a strategy to focus on should a similar event occur. This guideline can help switch your subconscious mind out of hyperarousal and back into rational thought more quickly. Practicing controlling your body’s response to extreme stress through physical activity and stressful activities or sports can also help you better manage stress when it occurs.
Your Parental Instincts May Put Your Child at Additional Risk
Concerned parents will often pull their children to themselves like hens with baby chicks when they become aware of something alarming or suspicious. They tuck their little ones close and shepherd them away.
While this instinct is understandable, in a world of projectile weapons and chaotic violence, it may be counterproductive.
In a majority of force-on-force scenarios that we observed involving children who were drawn close to the caregiver, children got shot when guns were involved and bullets were exchanged. Similarly, many videos of fistfights between adults where children are present show that when children are kept close to a caregiver, they often end up being struck.
Exceptions to this rule included situations in which the caregiver was able to get the child out of the scenario before gunfire or blows were exchanged, or was able to end the confrontation before the situation escalated further.
Avoidance and de-escalation are always our best first defense against violence when children are present. Sometimes, however, violent encounters can happen so quickly that there’s no time to evacuate your loved one (we’ll discuss this more later). When violence is imminent, if given the choice between bringing your loved ones close to you or creating distance, go for distance.
Your Most Important Priority May Not Be Getting Your Child to Safety
Given how important distance can be, as my partner and I started forming our theories for defending children in sudden, inevitable, and violent encounters, we initially prioritized creating distance and getting the child to safety.
While this worked very well if there was enough time to see the attack progressing or when there was an opportunity to stall the attack in some way, the results were devastating when the attack was sudden and violent. If the parent took the time to get their child to safety after the violence had already started and before they fought back, both the parent and the child often ended up shot.
So we switched tactics and examined what would happen if we instead prioritized immediate, skilled, and appropriately violent counter-attacks in these sort of situations. In our simulations, the number of children and parents that suffered simulated gunshot wounds plummeted, even with parents holding children in their arms.
This means you may have to fight around your child. Thus, you must possess the gun-handling and shooting skills to perform to a demanding standard coupled with a clear understanding of the legal and moral implications. If you haven’t already, seek training that allows you to maximize your performance with the tools you’ve chosen to defend yourself — and then practice those skills on a regular basis. If you aren’t practicing, your skills may fail you in your most desperate time of need.
If, despite your best efforts, you’re unable to avoid violence, your priority must be to end the fight. Ending the fight will be the vehicle that ensures your own and your loved ones’ safety.
Above: Time spent in the classroom and on the range is a vitally important component of personal defense, and even moreso when you’re protecting a defenseless loved one in addition to yourself.
Your Poor Gun-Handling May Be the Biggest Threat to Your Loved One
It would be tragically ironic if the tools we purchase to defend the lives of those we love might end up hurting them. You don’t have to look hard for accounts of children who have been injured or killed when adults improperly store or carelessly handle firearms.
Additionally, sometimes adults have learned certain habits, whether through formal training or on their own, that can put children, in particular, at risk of being killed or severely injured through poor muzzle control and minimal awareness of how to manage chaotic environments.
If you have children in your home (or even if you don’t), it’s advisable when buying a firearm that you also get a safe means of storing it. Get appropriate training that teaches you safe handling practices in the context of your lifestyle, and strictly abide by what you’ve learned.
Your Loved One May Actively Hinder Your Ability to Fight Effectively
There’s a video we show in every one of our TAP/G classes: a man is carrying a small child in his left arm while he walks down the street. Another, older child is holding his right hand. A woman, presumably his wife, is holding the older child’s other hand.
A man with a knife runs toward them and stabs the woman in the neck. Dad turns to confront the attacker, still holding the children. As he attempts to kick the knife-wielding man, the woman pulls on his arm. It causes him to trip over the older child and fall on his back.
The attacker runs off to stab other victims, and we’re left pondering what could have happened differently.
While I’d never tell a family that carrying children or holding hands isn’t safe, it’s wise to have conversations with your loved ones about what to do in the event that a violent encounter takes place.
Coordinating a strategy with your loved ones is a significant start toward improving your ability to effectively fight should the need arise.
Above: As a parent of a a baby or a toddler, consider the way you carry your firearm. Access to your pistol will be complicated when carrying your child or a diaper bag. Consider and practice alternate carry methods.
You May Have to Rethink Your Role in Your Family Defense Plan
When family defense is discussed, it often defaults to traditional gender roles: the woman’s job is to whisk the children to safety; the man’s job is to stand and defend the family.
While this very well may be the best practice for your family, I challenge you to consider alternatives.
My husband and I are fairly evenly matched when it comes to our defensive skills. But while I sometimes struggle to carry just one of our children, my husband can collect all three of them in his arms and carry them with ease. He’s also the family breadwinner. He’s capable of getting the rest of our family to safety and can provide for our children long term if I don’t survive a violent encounter. That makes flipping traditional gender roles a smart choice for our family, and it might be for yours too.
You Should Make the Hardest Decisions Now
Sitting down with your spouse and discussing all of these difficult decisions and consequences is not a pleasant conversation. For some, even talking about carrying a firearm or planning for violence isn’t easy. But getting through those conversations may reduce your hesitancy to act decisively in the moment, should you ever face violence when with your family.
Fortunately, extreme violence around children is still rare. When violence rears its ugly head and people are even minimally equipped to handle it, the good guy often still wins. In the unlikely event you face the worst, these are a few of the possible failure points in your family defense plan that you should consider. Planning for them puts you one step closer to being better prepared to defend the ones you love the most.
Over the last few years, we’ve noticed a dramatic shift in the backpack market. Manufacturers have realized that many consumers want the toughness and versatility of a military-style pack, but without an exterior that screams tactical. Even if you’re not a hardcore adherent to the “gray man” philosophy, it’s hard to deny that a black, coyote tan, olive drab, or camo-patterned bag covered in PALS webbing, pouches, and morale patches stands out in most civilian settings.
Want to test this claim for yourself? Next time you’re at an airport, keep an eye out for those packs, and observe the people who are wearing them. The backpack often goes along with certain types of clothing, trail shoes or boots, outdoor-oriented watches, wraparound sunglasses, tattoos, and haircuts/facial hair. Even the individual’s build and stance can be noteworthy. Combining these cues can suggest that the person may have a military/first-responder background, or may be someone with an interest in shooting or emergency preparedness. Some are OK with making this information known in a public setting; others want to maintain a lower profile. Either way, a backpack is one of the easiest signs to spot from a distance.
Knowing this, many of the leading manufacturers of tactical packs have rolled out more discreet offerings to address this movement. Stitched PALS webbing has been reduced, replaced by smoother laser-cut panels, or phased out entirely; color choices have been expanded beyond black, tan, green, and camo; bulky exterior lines have been smoothed to produce a streamlined appearance. There’s a whole spectrum of choices available now, from designs that are overtly tactical to those that could pass for a plain book bag to the untrained eye.
The 5.11 Tactical AMP Philosophy
You may already be familiar with 5.11 Tactical’s RUSH backpacks. This line includes some of the most popular tactical packs on the market — the sort of thing you’ll frequently see while people-watching as we described above. We’d certainly describe them as traditional and mainstream. On the other end of the spectrum, 5.11 Tactical offers some discreet packs, such as the Dart series. These are generally designed to be compact and used for light-duty every-day carry.
The All Missions Pack (AMP) line splits the difference between these extremes. It offers durable materials and large capacity, but with a sleeker, toned-down look that’s less conspicuous in urban settings. Like the RUSH series, the 5.11 Tactical AMP series is available in a range of sizes denoted by trip duration in hours:
AMP10 — 20-liter capacity for short partial-day trips — $170 MSRP
AMP24 — 32-liter capacity for overnight trips — $190 MSRP
AMP72 — 40-liter capacity for 2- to 3-day trips — $250 MSRP
The All Missions name is indicative of the goal: a backpack that’s appropriate for hard use as a duty or bug-out bag, but also for more casual use as a laptop carrier or commuter pack. As 5.11 Tactical designer Scott Lambert put it in the video below, “there is a demand now for a backpack that can be both overt and covert.”
All AMP backpacks are built from water-resistant 500D Dobby Nylon — a geometric weave fabric with more texture than standard ballistic nylon — and a reinforced 1000D Nylon base. The main compartments offer full-clamshell opening with quad-zip zippers, so you can easily open the top, either side, or the entire pack. Color choices are Black, Kangaroo, Ranger Green, and Tungsten. Kangaroo and Ranger Green are darker and more subdued colors than standard Coyote or Olive Drab; Tungsten is a subtle blue-gray color.
AMP Gear Sets
Each AMP product comes with a removable HEXGRID Gear Set.
Much of the AMP’s versatility hinges on its rear panel, which can be swapped out for various modular Gear Sets. Instead of permanently-attached PALS webbing, the AMP series has a large field of hook-and-loop material and several buckles that can be used to attach various panels and pouches. By default, all AMP packs include a HEXGRID Gear Set, which can accept MOLLE-compatible pouches and accessories in vertical, horizontal, or angled orientations.
From left to right: Admin Gear Set, Double Deploy Gear Set, 2-Banger Gear Set.
Five other replacement gear sets are offered, ranging from $25 to $45 MSRP:
Laser-Cut MOLLE — for those who prefer traditional MOLLE-compatibility
2-Banger — holds two 30-round AR mags and various other small tools
Double Deploy — a pair of individually-detachable zippered pockets
Admin — large, full-zip pouch with many smaller internal pouches for EDC gear
Gear Sets can be installed on the back wall of the main compartment.
If you’re really into morale patches, you can remove the Gear Sets completely and use the large loop-backed area to stick on your favorite pieces of flair. Gear Sets can also be attached to the inside of the main compartment to add more modular storage capability.
Our Review(s)
In order to evaluate the AMP collection, we decided to test two models, the AMP24 and AMP72. Although there may not seem to be much of a difference between a 32-liter pack and a 40-liter pack on paper, these two bags serve substantially different purposes and offer some distinct features.
The AMP24
This pack is small enough to be used as part of an EDC around town, but large enough to serve as a get-home bag or carry-on luggage for overnight trips. We’ve brought it on several recent flights, carried it at trade shows and events, and stashed it in the trunk of a car while driving around town. Since we primarily planned to wear it in urban areas, we selected Tungsten, a color option somewhat outside the tactical pack norm.
We also toned down the appearance by swapping the standard HEXGRID Gear Set for an Admin Gear Set in the matching blue-gray hue. This Gear Set is perfectly-suited to the EDC application, since it provides ideal spots for pens, a flashlight, a trauma kit, hand sanitizer, and other tools we wanted quick access to.
A flap immediately above the Gear Set area opens to a CCW pocket, which offers a webbing strap to tie down a handgun holster. This pocket is also lined with loop fabric, so you can attach a Velcro holster if you prefer.
The pack’s main compartment is highly versatile thanks to the quad-zip system. If you lean the pack onto its side and unzip it from the bottom, you can reach the large vertical-zip mesh pocket inside the lid — we stowed an electronics kit in here, but it also has PALS webbing to attach your keys, knife, or other items.
Unzipping the top of the compartment provides access to a horizontal-zip mesh pocket, an additional hidden pocket behind it, and an opening to stuff gear into the AMP24 from above. There’s also the always-welcome sunglass pocket lined with soft fabric.
Two deep water bottle pockets on the inside of the main compartment keep the side profile smooth, and eliminate the need for the bulky MOLLE bottle pouches we’ve tolerated in the past.
Zippers just outside these pockets look like they offer an additional H2O access point, but they actually lead to another set of slim pockets between the bottle pockets and the main compartment.
We didn’t find these areas particularly useful, since the bottles occupy the same space and make the contents difficult to access. Don’t expect to fit much in them aside from some paracord or charging cables.
Lastly, the hydration compartment is supported by a stiff thermoformed polymer sheet, providing improved comfort against the back and added protection for a laptop. It fits a 15-inch laptop snugly, and leaves no hint of its valuable contents once the shoulder straps are in place.
The AMP72
Although the AMP72 shares many of the features we just mentioned AMP24, it’s much more than a scaled-up version of that design.
The first difference you’ll notice is the addition of a hip belt. Anyone who has carried a 30- or 40-pound pack for many miles can testify to the value of spreading that weight across the hips rather than the shoulders. That’s a big plus, and a key feature for any through-hiking pack or bug-out bag.
Squeezing the perimeter of the pack reveals the aluminum frame.
Another upgrade is less visible, but can be felt around the perimeter of the backpack. The AMP72 has an built-in aluminum frame, which is connected to the shoulder straps via adjustable load lifters.
Load lifters add tension between the top of the frame and the shoulder straps.
The difference these components make for carrying heavy loads cannot be overstated. Instead of feeling strain in your shoulders and back, your legs and core can support the weight in a much less strenuous manner. Admittedly, this doesn’t compare to a purpose-built external-frame pack for extremely heavy loadouts or week-long treks, but it’s more than sufficient for moderate use on the trail.
The third substantial upgrade is another full-zip compartment behind the main compartment. It opens to the side, and is designed to hold a gun up to 24 inches in length. That’s a few inches too short for a disassembled 16″ AR, but offers more than enough room for an AR pistol, SBR, or our trusty 10/22 Takedown.
The compartment is nicely padded to protect the weapon, and has a barrel sleeve at the base as well as an adjustable retention strap.
Closing Thoughts
Frankly, the 5.11 AMP series feels like a huge upgrade in comparison to its RUSH siblings. The RUSH packs certainly have their merits — they’re simple, utilitarian, and highly durable workhorses. However, they also have a tendency to feel ungainly when fully-loaded, and their appearance is anything but discreet. The All Missions Packs are slimmed-down, modernized, and well-thought-out. Depending on your choice of colors and Gear Sets, they can also look substantially less militaristic (albeit not entirely so) to the casual observer. Nobody is going to confuse one of these with a Jansport book bag, but you’ll at least be less of a focal point than the guy who’s decked out in webbing, pouches, and look-at-me patches.
Beyond aesthetics, we really enjoyed the functionality of the AMP series, and frequently found ourselves discovering new places to stow gear. If you’re the kind of person who wants a place for everything and everything in its place, the multitude of pockets will be right up your alley. The swappable Gear Sets offer many ways to set up the interior and exterior storage to your liking. The Admin set is our favorite, followed by the Double Deploy.
That said, some of the pockets are more crowded and less usable than we’d like. We previously mentioned our issues with the side pockets that share space with the internal water bottle sleeves — the “stash” pocket at the bottom of the pack has a similar issue, and can only fit something slim and crushable like a beanie or gloves. The sunglass pocket on top of the clamshell lid is also right on top of two others — the interior mesh pocket and the hidden pocket behind it.
If you want to use all three, you’d better have some very flat sunglasses. Even the waist belt wings on the AMP72 contain two diminutive zippered compartments, each about the size of a pack of gum.
Fortunately, the solution to these issues is simple. Don’t obsess over cramming something into every pocket, and accept that some can stay empty. If you can do that, “too many pockets” will never be a problem.
Overall, the 5.11 Tactical AMP24 and AMP72 get a strong thumbs-up from us. They might not be the perfect pack for all missions — sorry, no such product exists — but they’re impressively versatile and configurable. The AMP24 makes a great EDC pack to get you through a daily commute, and has enough space for short weekend trips, day hikes, or use as a get-home bag. The AMP72 is a good choice for backpacking, hunting, and range days, as well as a solid mid-size bug-out bag platform.
To learn more about 5.11 Tactical AMP backpacks, go to 511Tactical.com.
If you’re looking to binge-watch some interesting videos on YouTube, the WIRED channel is a good place to start. We’ve especially enjoyed the Technique Critique series, in which subject matter experts — such as a dialect coach, lawyer, surgeon, and crime scene analyst — discuss scenes from movies and TV and explain their accuracy (or inaccuracy). But one video that was published this week struck us as especially insightful and applicable to preparedness.
In this video, former FBI agent Joe Navarro explains how law enforcement organizations use body language — or non-verbals, as he calls it — to detect unspoken information. You’ve probably heard examples of this idea in pop culture, such as the claim that crossing your arms is a tell that you’re lying or withholding something. However, Navarro says this is “nonsense,” and explains that it’s actually a common “self-soothing” behavior. He also goes into other widespread body language myths, as well as some of the real cues that investigators look for.
Watch the full 15-minute video below:
There are many helpful takeaways from Joe Navarro’s insights. First, it’s that analyzing non-verbal communication is more art than science — as he explains, “it’s not about making judgements, it’s about assessing ‘what is this person transmitting?'” If you’re suspicious of someone’s behavior, examining their body language will rarely provide a clearly-defined a-ha moment. Instead, it’s more akin to gathering clues that can point you in the right direction, especially when it’s combined with a verbal interrogation.
Second, as usual, you can’t believe everything you see in movies and TV. There are many misleading or flat-out wrong claims perpetuated by Hollywood.
Finally, the ability to recognize non-verbals is extremely valuable, whether you’re playing poker, haggling the price of a product, or trying to identify a foreign spy.
For more from Joe Navarro and his books on behavioral analysis, go to jnforensics.com.
