Today, houses are built quite differently than they were centuries ago. If you wanted to have a custom home built today, you’d likely end up hiring an architect to draw up some blueprints, and then paying a number of contractors to complete the build. It takes time and money, but not a lot of direct hands-on involvement from the homeowner.
In the past, the opposite was true—home-building was extremely hands-on, and often incorporated family and friends rather than hired contractors. Think of the concept of a community barn-raising, and you’ll start to get the idea. You didn’t need architects to build a log cabin on the American frontier, you simply needed a game plan, some extra muscle, and plenty of determination.
A group known as the Open Building Institute has begun a Kickstarter campaign to return to this community-oriented and affordable home-building approach. At the core of this plan is an open-source library of housing module designs, from foundations and walls to doors and roof panels.
This open-source system would allow any ordinary individual to use CAD software to plan the layout of a dream home, then build or purchase the components, and assemble the home themselves. Alternatively, the Open Building Institute hopes to train and license professional contractors on these systems, so they could help home-builders with more difficult parts of the process.
It’s an interesting concept, and one that founder Dr. Marcin Jakubowski—a Princeton graduate with a Ph.D in fusion physics—feels is ideal for living off-grid. In fact, he tells us it was one of the primary goals of the Open Building Institute. He and his wife started the project to “make off-grid eco-housing widely accessible”. As a result, the building modules include designs for solar panel arrays, mini solar greenhouses, and even an hydroponic gardening system. These items could make it possible to build a small sustainable home in a remote area, without reliance on the electrical grid or grocery stores.
Browning has released a new folding knife design, and it’s a pretty creative concept. Inspired by the utility knives and box-cutters found on job sites throughout the world, the new Browning Speed Load uses interchangeable blades for instant adaptability. Rather than carrying different knives, or making do with a single blade that’s not ideal for every scenario, now you can swap one blade for another in the field.
This knife uses a traditional folding knife structure, with G-10 handle, liner lock, and a thumb stud for manual opening. Each Speed Load comes with four different blades, each made of 420J2 stainless steel:
Full-size drop point (pictured above)
Small drop point
Utility/”box cutter” blade
Gut hook
The Browning Speed Load was designed by Alaskan big game hunting guide Russ Kommer, and intended to adapt to any situation in seconds, without the use of tools. Better yet, it can accept the standard utility blade design found in most hardware stores, so you’ll always have a supply of sharp blades on hand. And, if the other three blades become dull, replacements can be purchased without altering the rest of the knife or relying on sharpening tools.
Here are the rest of this blade’s specifications:
Overall length: 7-7/8 inches
Blade length: 3-1/8 inches
Blade material: 420J2 stainless
Handle material: G-10
Includes black nylon sheath
MSRP: $40
For more information on the Browning Speed Load knife and other 2016 new releases, visit Browning.com.
Paracord is an amazing material, especially if you’re using the real mil-spec 550 variety. It acts as strong, lightweight, and extremely versatile cordage for survival situations. As a result, it’s one of the key elements to a bug-out kit, whether it’s found in your backpack or around your wrist.
If you’ve ever tried tying complex knots or weaving with this material, you may encounter a common problem: running out of loose strand to work with. Traditionally, this can be avoided by melting the end of a new piece of paracord, and fusing it to the existing piece through heat. It might seem relatively strong, but it looks sloppy, and requires delicate burning to accomplish correctly.
A melted paracord bond. Even if you’re skilled at this technique, it’s going to look a little messy.
Fortunately, there’s a better way to join paracord, and it doesn’t even need a flame. It was developed by a guy named Manuel Zambrano, and it’s known as the Manny Method. The Manny Method pulls each piece of paracord through the other’s outer sheath, resulting in a strong and smooth bond. The exterior sheath of mil-spec 550 cord is rated to hold 305 pounds, so theoretically this bond should hold close to that much weight.
The Manny Method looks neater, and can still be burned together if you’re looking for even more strength. Source:...
The only downside to this method is that it will require a needle or other long sharp metal object to pull through the paracord. So, you’ll probably want to do this at home, before you’re stuck out in the field without a proper needle. Here’s a video that shows how it works:
In the survival world, we sometimes have a tendency to reinvent the wheel. Rather than focusing on learning the tried-and-true survival methods used by primitive survivalists for centuries, we rely on technology to solve our problems. There’s nothing wrong with this per se, since technology has a substantial potential to make our lives easier. Rather than rubbing sticks together, we can now spark a fire with a lighter in seconds. However, it’s also reassuring to see much of the survival community focusing on getting back to basics.
A colorized electron microscope image showing green E. coli bacteria trapped on the surface of sapwood. Source: MIT News
One interesting development in this vein came from an unexpected place: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This prestigious school has nurtured some of the finest scientific minds of our generation, including numerous Nobel Prize winners. A study performed by a team of MIT researchers has established that the plant xylem found in sapwood can serve as an effective survival water filter, blocking more than 99 percent of E. coli bacteria.
Illustrations from the MIT study. Source: journals.plos.org
If you’re not too familiar with plant physiology, the implications of this discovery may be unclear at first. In simple terms, this means that the core of a sap-producing tree branch or twig can be used to filter water and prevent illness. Here’s how it works:
Find a pine tree, and cut off a small branch.
Peel away the bark and discard it, so only the inner xylem remains.
Plug or cork a water container with this tree branch water filter, and seal to prevent leaks.
Invert and/or pressurize the container, forcing clean water through the wood, and filtering out bacteria.
A diagram showing the construction of a tree bark water filter. Source: journals.plos.org
According to the study, this simple system can produce up to four liters of clean water per day. The scientists used a plastic tube and hose clamp, then applied 5 psi of pressure to the water vessel to increase flow rate. We imagine this could also be done with a plastic water bottle, some duct tape, and a squeezing motion—just be sure no dirty water seeps around the edges of the wood.
Purpose-built water filters from companies like LifeStraw and Sawyer are great to have in a survival setting, but if you don’t have access to these modern conveniences, remember this simple tree branch water filter method.
If you close your eyes and envision the ideal bug-out vehicle, what does it look like? Most of us know the key aspects to consider—a powerful engine, excellent reliability, high ground clearance, four-wheel-drive, bright lights, and plenty of storage space for all the gear you might need. You might even think of less obvious elements, such as long-distance fuel economy, ease of repair, and the ability to maximize capability while still blending into traffic. If you’re in a really extreme scenario, you might wish for armor plating or bulletproof glass.
However, there’s one essential component of every modern vehicle that can make or break your bug-out plans: tires.
Without these seemingly simple pieces of rubber, your car or truck won’t be going anywhere, and every other feature we listed above will be rendered meaningless. Just imagine trying to weave through congested traffic on a set of bald or punctured tires, or trying to tackle a steep mountain path while riding on bare metal rims. You’d be stuck literally spinning your wheels while SHTF, and that’s not a situation anyone wants to be in.
The Unpaved Event
The General Grabber X3 is an all-new design that will replace the popular desert-terrain “red letter”...
Given the importance of tires to any vehicle-based survival plan, we’ve been on the lookout for an opportunity to demonstrate this point firsthand. Fortunately, that opportunity was presented to us on a silver platter by the folks at Continental Tire and General Tire. They sent us an email letting us know about the launch of two new tire models, the Continental TerrainContact all-terrain and the General Grabber X3 extreme-terrain/mud-terrain. Rather than simply informing the public via a boilerplate press release, they invited us to come out to rural Pennsylvania and put some actual miles on these new tire models.
So, we jumped at the chance, and hopped on a red-eye flight from our home base in California. A few hours later, we arrived at the Unpaved event in Farmington, Pennsylvania (about 1.5 hours from Pittsburgh). Product engineers from the Continental and General teams gave a short presentation about the features of each tire, but rather than bore you with these details, we’ll jump straight to the main event, and cover the features of each new tire as we go.
Continental TerrainContact A/T
Our tire testing started with the milder of the two off-road capable tires at this event, the Continental TerrainContact A/T. This all-terrain tire is designed for drivers who spend most of their time on paved roads, with sufficient added capability for wet conditions and some off-road use. Think of it as a choice for the daily-driven bug-out truck or SUV, since it provides solid traction and durability without sacrificing a smooth and quiet ride. Not everyone wants (or needs) to be roaring down the road on knobbly mud-terrains 24/7, so the TerrainContact acts as a nice middle ground.
First, we tested the TerrainContact behind the wheel of some Ford F-250s, via a wet “stop box” test. Hoses sprayed water across an asphalt runway, as we pushed the F-250s to 55 miles per hour and slammed on the brakes after entering the wet zone. The 6,000-pound behemoths skidded to a halt, and an onboard data-logger listed the number of feet it took to cease forward momentum. In our testing, we found the Continental tire stopped about 6 feet sooner than its closest competitor—that’s more than enough to avoid a rear-end collision while panic-braking in the rain.
Other testing for this tire included some on-road cruising, as well as a drive-by noise test that compared the Continental to other similar all-terrains. We found the TerrainContact to be easily at the top of the pack in each of these tests, making it a strong choice for daily-driven vehicles that see occasional off-road use.
General Grabber X3
While we liked the TerrainContact just fine, we won’t lie—we were far more interested in the new General Grabber X3. This new “extreme-terrain/mud-terrain” tire is built for the serious off-road enthusiast, and it would be well-suited for any bug-out truck build. It’s certainly not going to be as smooth and quiet as the TerrainContact during on-road use, but it makes up for this with truly incredible off-road performance.
The X3 in this tire’s name indicates its three-point goal: extreme performance on mud, dirt, and rock. It uses large voids in the tread pattern to scoop its way through mud, features stone bumpers in the tread channels to release dirt and debris, and includes alternating sidewall lugs for grip on steep rock faces. Years of R&D were spent on this three-ply design, and 16 different tread patterns were tested before settling on the final tire you see here.
Unpaved Off-Road Course
Our adventure with the Grabber X3 started behind the wheel of one of over a dozen Jeep Wrangler Rubicons, all of which General had outfitted with their new tires. We then spent several hours in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, on an off-road course that included narrow forest paths, steep dirt ridges, deep ruts, mud, water, and an obstacle known as the Rock Garden. These tests were surprisingly challenging, both for our Jeeps and the tires themselves.
The course began in a relatively tame manner, following sandy tracks that weaved through trees and undergrowth. However, the terrain got progressively steeper, climbing over hills and ridges that left some of our Jeeps riding on three wheels and clawing for traction.
Eventually we reached the first major obstacle of the course: the Rock Garden. Our Jeeps approached the ascent one at a time, with tires aired down to 14psi, 4-Lo engaged on the transfer cases, and the transmissions locked into first gear.
Each driver crawled over the angular rocks, taking care to maintain a safe line and not smash the differentials or axles into outcroppings. Spotters on the course were on hand to help out, as the angle of the grade made it tricky to see the rocks directly ahead.
After each driver cleared this obstacle course, we continued down another dirt path to the next event: the mud pit. Mud might not be the right word for it, since it had turned into more of a water crossing by the time we arrived. However, there was still plenty of mud to be found on entry and exit.
We had to approach the pit carefully, since the high water level reached dangerously close to our Jeeps’ air intakes, which sit directly behind the passenger-side headlight. If any driver entered too quickly, there was a risk of water rising into the airbox and getting sucked into the engine, which can result in hydrolock and serious internal engine damage. Despite some disconcerting noises from the radiator fans as they dropped below the water’s surface, everyone made it out unscathed.
After the mud pit and some more time on the trails, we headed back to civilization. We had tested the Grabber X3 thoroughly, and each of the Jeeps was caked in mud to prove it.
Closing Thoughts
We had a blast at the Unpaved event, and got to learn firsthand why good tires matter—especially in tough off-road conditions. The TerrainContact performed well for day-to-day use on the road, and the Grabber X3 seems to be a very worthy replacement for the venerable red-letter Grabber that preceded it. With a capable off-road vehicle like one of these Rubicons shod in Grabber X3s, we’d feel confident heading out into the backcountry.
Even if you’re not passionate about off-roading, it’s essential to understand that the tires you choose for your vehicle can make or break its capabilities in emergency situations. They’re more than just rubber, and if you choose the cheapest option available, you might just find out why. Quality tires are necessary for a bug-out vehicle, and based on our testing, these Grabbers appear to fit the bill.
As if all this wasn’t enough manly activities for one day, we then headed out to a nearby range to do some skeet shooting with the other Unpaved participants. (Not to pat ourselves on the back, but our team did take first place.) The evening ended with dinner and drinks—a pretty awesome day, if you ask us.
Many thanks to the team at Continental and General for the invite, and for letting us hoon around the off-road course in the name of testing. We had a great time, got muddy, and learned a lot about the years of work that go into designing an off-road tire.
A large-scale military coup is currently underway in Turkey, evidently in an attempt to overthrow the controversial administration of Islamic president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Amateur videos show tanks and soldiers flooding the streets of Ankara and Istanbul, with audible gunfire and helicopters in the background. There have also been reports of bombs detonating at the Turkish parliament building and at Ataturk airport.
Below: In May, fistfights began in Turkish parliament after heated debate over the possible criminal investigation of certain politicians. The tensions have only worsened since then.
Mainstream media sources within the country attempted to cover the military coup at first, but military members allegedly took control of several of these outlets. In one case, a CNN Turk live broadcast was halted on air, as soldiers stormed the room and took broadcasters hostage. As a result, official reports are sporadic and inconsistent at the present time. CNN stated that there is currently “little independent confirmation on anything coming out of Turkey”.
Below: Turkish protesters gather in the streets, as military members fire weapons into the air and attempt to disperse the crowd.
According to the Turkish Press Office, president Erdogan told the media, “the ring leader who plotted all of this will pay the price in front of the nation.” Erdogan has declared members of the coup as terrorists, and laid the blame on followers of political rival Fethullah Gulen, who resides in a remote compound in Pennsylvania. However, Gulen has denied any involvement in the military coup. Erdogan also says that law enforcement has started arresting military officers of various ranks.
Update: The Turkish Prime Minister has told CNN that the the coup has failed, that “the government is in full control”, and that “rogue military aircraft have been shot down”. Other sources say it’s still unclear who has control.
For more updates on the military coup in Turkey, check the CNN Live Feed. Alternatively, you can refer to the Reddit live feed for instant updates (note: some of these updates may be inaccurate or may contain graphic content, as they are user-submitted).
Modern MREs, or meals ready to eat, are typically well-liked by survivalists. These compact military food rations are self-contained, long-lasting, and calorie dense, making them an excellent source of food for civilian bug-out bags. An average MRE today contains a veritable cornucopia of munchies: an entree, side dish, dessert, cracker and spread, beverage mix, candy, flameless heater, utensils and seasonings.
At the same time, many of us poke fun at MREs due to their less-than-gourmet taste and tendency to cause gastrointestinal distress (“meals ready to excrete“). However, we shouldn’t forget how good we have it these days. Back in the 1950s, MREs were nowhere near as sophisticated as they are now. In fact, back then, a military ration wasn’t called an MRE—it was known simply as a food packet.
Back in 1952, rations included not one but TWO types of cigarettes.
If you need some evidence to prove how far military food rations have come, we have just the thing. In the YouTube video below, host Steve1989 unboxes an extremely valuable mint-condition food packet from 1952. Unboxing this time capsule in a tin shows all the contents, and Steve then proceeds to taste-test some 64-year-old cookies—don’t try that part at home.
Here’s a recap of the contents:
Date cookie bars
“Cocoanut” cookie bars
Apple cookie bars
Sweet chocolate bars
Jelly bar
Chicks candy-coated chewing gum
Phillip Morris cigarettes
Camel cigarettes
Matches
Bouillon powder packets
Coffee and tea packets
Sugar cubes
Waterproof plastic bag
8-page survival manual
We’ll admit we cringed a little seeing Steve consume crumbling, ancient ration bars. Still, it’s pretty interesting to put our modern MREs into historical perspective. We’d take modern beef stew in a plastic pouch over chalky food bars any day of the week. Even if smokers miss the free cigarettes, it’s hard to deny that survival food has clearly come a long way in the last six decades.
If this sort of thing interests you, Steve has dozens of other vintage military ration videos to watch. Check them out here.
Rainy weather can be a real drag—but only if you let it. On one hand, if you’re in a cotton t-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops, you’re going to be drenched and uncomfortable. On the other hand, with the right level of preparedness, gear, and mindset, being outside in the rain can actually be a fun experience. You just need to think ahead and make a point to be ready.
Dave Collins of CleverHiker.com posted a video on YouTube titled, “Learn to Love Backpacking in the Rain”. This 9-minute video is packed with helpful tips about staying warm and dry. However, Dave also recognizes that there are some cases where it’s OK to get a little wet. For example, wearing thick rain pants and heavy waterproof boots can slow you down and trap sweat against your skin.
One point in this video that we’d take issue with is the suggestion to wear damp wool socks for multiple days. If possible, you should always dry out your socks, or at least ensure your feet can air-dry thoroughly overnight. Keeping your feet in a constantly damp environment can lead to pruning, blistering, cracking, or even trench foot (which can develop in as few as 13 hours).
The most important point that Dave makes in this video is to keep a positive mental attitude. This decision can make the difference between being miserable and actually enjoying your time outdoors—regardless of what Mother Nature has in store.
In a survival or bug-out situation, you won’t have access to a nice cushy king-size mattress and a roof over your head, unless you’re lucky enough to bug out in an RV. Realistically, you probably won’t even have access to a tent, since they can be too heavy or bulky for most bug-out bags. So, it’s fairly likely you’ll end up sleeping under the stars—not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Few of us have access to this sort of bug-out setup.
When you’re sleeping outside, it may be difficult to get a good night’s rest, especially if you’re unprepared for the challenges this poses. Fortunately, Therm-a-Rest has composed this useful infographic that shows 12 tips for sleeping outdoors. Some are more obvious than others, but if you combine all of them, you should be able to get some proper shut-eye and awake feeling refreshed.
Tiring yourself out shouldn’t be a problem, unless you’re really doing something wrong. However, we like the tips about regulating your temperature by wearing a hat, sleeping in a light base layer of clothes, and giving your sleeping bag time to expand after unrolling. Choosing a flat campsite also makes a substantial difference.
If you’re looking for a lightweight alternative to lugging around a tent or sleeping on the ground, check out our previous articles on hammock camping. A hammock is fast to set up, only weighs a few pounds, and can be stuffed into your bug-out bag with relative ease. Of course, hammock camping brings its own difficulties, too—read more about how to sleep well in a hammock here.
Even if you’re not into airguns, you’ll surely have heard of the famous Red Ryder. Introduced by Daisy Outdoor Products in spring of 1940, this airgun mimics the iconic lever-action Winchester rifle, and has been featured numerous times in comic books, TV shows, and movies. Most memorably, Ralphie Parker dreams of getting a Red Ryder in the film A Christmas Story.
This airgun is still produced by Daisy today, along with many other rifles, pistols, bows, and slingshots. In fact, the company is claimed to be the world’s oldest and largest manufacturer of airguns.
The modern iteration of the Daisy Red Ryder air rifle hasn’t changed much cosmetically.
On the other side of the equation, we have Gamo, a company that has been manufacturing precision airguns for over 50 years. Gamo produces some cutting-edge rifles, like the Whisper Fusion Mach 1 we previously wrote about. The company also manufactures pistols, ammunition, optics, and even metal detectors.
Recently, a groundbreaking announcement was made to the media: GAMO has acquired Daisy. These two titans in the airgun world will be joining forces.
In a press release, Gamo Outdoor USA president Keith Higginbotham stated, “We believe this to be a great relationship with complementary brands. Gamo’s roots run deep in the outdoors, while Daisy is a part of Americana. We both share a passion for the shooting sports and are excited for the future, with a vision to grow the Daisy brand and recreational shooting for generations to come.”
