Whether you’re hunting for sport, taking a day hike, or simply trying to be aware of your surroundings, it’s useful to know how to track and recognize the wildlife in your vicinity. From a self-defense standpoint, it’s helpful to be able to see early warning signs of predatory or dangerous animals, and if you’re living off the land, spotting tracks could put food on your table.
One way to spot wild animals is through looking for tracks. Depending on soil composition and moisture, you may be able to spot them quite easily, especially in the mud near bodies of water. You just have to know what to look for. This infographic from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife will give you a good head start.
However, there’s more to finding animals than just tracks. You can also keep an eye out for another sign they leave behind: scat or fecal matter.
Finally, here are a few additional animal feeding signs you can keep an eye out for as you venture into the outdoors.
Animal tracking isn’t as easy as it sounds, but it’s certainly possible if you stay aware and alert. Many native cultures have been using this type of information for centuries to hunt game and feed their families, and it’s no less useful to survivalists today.
“Mom! Dad! The TV’s not working!” Familiar voices pull you out of your deep slumber. You were planning to sleep in late on this mini-vacation, while housesitting for your folks. But the kids had other plans. Glancing over at the alarm clock to check what time it is, you’re surprised when you’re greeted with a blank display. The kids must have popped a breaker in the electrical panel — that would explain the TV and the clock.
You drag yourself out of bed, cursing under your breath at no one in particular. Flipping light switches as you walk through the house, you realize that the power has gone out completely. It still might be the breakers, you mutter to yourself. Thanks to your grandfather’s wind-up watch, at least you know it’s about 7:00 a.m. Why is it so hard to get the kids up for school, but they’re up at the crack of dawn for no damn reason?
By now you’re in the kitchen, unsure where your parents keep their emergency supplies and flashlights. You notice a lighter on the counter, so you quickly grab it to light your way into the basement in search of the electrical panel. All the breakers are switched on, so it must be the neighborhood’s power. You don’t recall any storms last night, so this power outage seems odd. Your spouse asks you to look outside to see what’s going on, and you find a few of your parent’s neighbors out there. They are complaining that they don’t have power either, and their cars won’t start. Then the kids walk up behind you, each one holding their tablet. “Our iPads aren’t working either,” your oldest daughter says. In the distance, your confused spouse is holding up both of your iPhones, limp and lifeless.
As you start to piece the clues together, you find yourself becoming more and more nervous. There’s only one thing you know of which would cut the power and kill all your electronics — an electromagnetic pulse (EMP).
An EMP device and a solar flare have the potential to shut down power grids and fry electronics. However, X-Class solar flares (the most powerful type) that happen to be pointed right in the earth’s path are exceedingly rare, and should be able to be identified by astronomers. This would provide us with roughly two days of early warning. Since there was no such solar flare activity, it must be a man-made EMP that has rendered all of your electronics inoperable. Your power, vehicles, cell phone, and personal electronics — all of it — are now dead. The bottom line is that you’re looking at survival for you and your family without the use of any electrically powered devices. Welcome to the 1800s.
In this “What If?” exercise, we look at three different approaches to one of the strangest disaster scenarios that humanity might ever face, an EMP attack. Since different people’s life experiences can lead them to have very different reactions to the same scenario, OFFGRID asked two other folks to join me in navigating this scenario. Coast Guard veteran Chris Costa has a rich background in the tactical, special missions, and maritime realms, and he is currently a highly sought-after instructor in a variety of weapons and tactics. Ryan Lee Price is a journalist and our “average Joe” survivalist. Ryan is self-taught and learned his lessons and emergency skills from the school of hard knocks. He also contributes to the “SHTF” column in our sister publication, RECOIL. As for me, I come from a very “down to basics” background. I’ve been a survival instructor for the past 18 years, and I know what the human animal needs to survive. I also know that we can sometimes be our own worst enemy.
The Scenario
You, your spouse, and your two kids (ages 9 and 13) are housesitting for your parents in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, while your folks are away to see some relatives. Everyone in your family is in good general health, except that your youngest daughter requires a daily dose of insulin for her diabetes. During your stay, you wake up to a power outage, and all electronics, motor vehicles, and communication devices are inoperable.
In the mid-afternoon, after a frustrating and increasingly ominous day, two police officers pull up in a squad car, borrowed from another agency outside the affected area. They call for the block to assemble so they can make an announcement. “At this time, we don’t have much information on this event. The local authorities believe that we are near the center of a 40-mile area affected by this power and electronics outage. There are shelters set up just outside the area for people to evacuate to. We are asking you to evacuate calmly but immediately, as power to the region will not be restored anytime in the near future.”
Taking a cue from most of the neighborhood, you and your family run back into your house and begin packing your clothes and belongings. This wasn’t how your housesitting trip was supposed to end. Your family rummages through your parent’s house and finds enough water and provisions to last about three days. But after that, you’ll need some help. The police officers encouraged those who could make it out on foot to do so, since they didn’t know when help or supplies would arrive. So what would you do? Evacuate today while you still had daylight? Or would you stay put overnight and head out in the morning? Or stay put indefinitely?
Disaster Type EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) Family Two adults, two children (ages 9, 13) Location Suburb of Atlanta, GA Suburb Population 100,000-200,000 Season/Weather Spring, mild, temp range is 80 degrees F (highs) to 60 degrees F (lows)
Tactical trainer: Chris Costa’s Approach
Day One
The moment we realized that no electronics worked, we capitalized on that key bit of intel. Since we were short on supplies, I quickly set out to secure medical supplies, equipment, etc. — by myself, with a backpack and my handgun. I visited the nearest pharmacy and paid cash for local maps, a simple compass, basic first-aid, backpacks, vitamin water, water purification tablets, lighters, flashlights, and blister Band-Aids. There was no looting or resistance at the time — in fact, mostly confusion — as it was still early in the day and most people in the neighborhood had not caught on to the ramifications of an EMP event.
When the police had finished their spiel about the affected area and that we were close to the epicenter, I attempted to talk to the officers to determine how accurate their information was. They seemed sincere, and I concluded that the information was likely valid. I decided it was time to go. I knew that once the criminal element realized that law enforcement communications were down that looting would not be far behind. And once people started to get hungry, it wouldn’t just be criminals that would be looting.
If my wife and I were alone, we would have liked to move at night. Even without night-vision gear, the moon and stars are often enough, when there is not as much man-made light pollution in the area. But because of the children and their sleep and energy cycles, we had to move during the day. Consulting our maps, I located the nearest railroad tracks and planned our route west by northwest, out of the Atlanta area and away from densely populated regions. This way, we would avoid the primary lines that the general public would start to follow: roads, highways, and so forth. By following train tracks, we would still have an established and known path. The rail bridges were always open and formed choke points. Some of the areas were surrounded by wildlife and led through more remote areas. I knew the rails would be less traveled and not commonly considered in today’s society as a transportation means in most of the United States.
After I gathered the required supplies and ensured everyone was properly packed out and kitted to the best of their physical capability, I ensured my family had a good dinner and hydrated properly. I hoped they would get a good night sleep. While they slept, I returned to the maps and examined my route. We would be headed toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, and I looked for water sources on the way. If you figure 1 gallon per day per person — put 4 gallons of water on your back or that of your 9-year-old and tell me how far you think you can go! We packed and planned not for two days, but for four to five days as best we could. I made sure the house was as secure as possible. Then I tried to get some rest, if that was possible as a father, knowing what was coming tomorrow and what had transpired today.
Day Two
If I was able to get any sleep, it was by a miracle. I woke my family an hour and a half before sunrise. We re-checked all of their clothing and gear, used the bathroom, and grabbed a quick bite for breakfast. We locked up my parents’ home and headed out toward my planned route. Yes, traveling in darkness would be more challenging, but I preferred to vacate the town while fewer people were likely to be awake and alert, and potentially follow or cause trouble for me and my family. The average person can walk about 3 miles per hour; across a 12-hour day, that’s roughly 36 miles per day. Now take into account the physical stress of hiking, the mental stress of what happened, and the uncertainty of what lay ahead … as well as a 9-year-old and a 13-year-old — we’d be lucky to move 20 miles in 12 hours — if we could even get a good 12 hours of walking out of the kids.
Based on my planning last night, we were able to stop near water sources at roughly 5-mile intervals. I knew we would have the most energy and the best chance for gaining ground the first day. But I also didn’t want to burn myself or my family out. By keeping a steady pace with a decent amount of breaks, we were able to maintain our energy and mental morale. I checked our progress on the map and located a likely spot for an encampment. I wanted to reach this point two hours prior to sunset to ensure we had enough time to secure and create an encampment, build a fire to cook food for my family, put the fire out before sunset, and give my children some downtime before the sun set behind the horizon.
My wife and children slept soundly, thoroughly exhausted from the day’s events. I took the opportunity to re-check my map and establish that my original route was still viable. If I had to make alterations to the route during the day, I would be sure to reflect those considerations in my next day’s travel plans.
Day Three
I allowed my family to sleep until most of us woke up naturally. Then we broke down camp and re-stuffed our packs. We were careful to leave nothing behind, and everyone received a buddy check on their gear. We continued on our planned route. Nearing the end of the day, it looked like we were approaching a safe area, where power and communications were still viable. Upon reaching a small town with electricity, we immediately checked into a local motel and I went out to gather more information. I looked for open source media outlets and tried to establish communication with my other family members and friends in order to ascertain an accurate depiction of what was truly going on. All the while, my wife and children were gratefully cleaning up — sometimes you don’t really know what you have until you’ve lost it. Returning to the hotel, I freshened up and told my family I would treat them to anyplace they wanted for dinner. I was very proud of them, and we used the meal time to discuss what we just endured, what we learned from it, and how we could be better prepared in the future for such adverse situations.
Average Joe: Ryan Lee Price’s Approach
Day One
I would have killed for my bug-out bag that I left back home — not that the portable radio would have been any good, but there would have been comfort in the familiarity of having it. It was getting dark. The truck wouldn’t start — cranking the key over did nothing. The doors and windows around the house were locked, but the silence of the neighborhood was deafening. Every 20 minutes a military jet screamed overhead, scaring the kids, but other than that, no more signs of anyone. The older couple next door left on foot with a wagon full of stuff after the police came though this afternoon. They said the temporary shelter is only miles down the road, at an elementary school, but the officer in charge wasn’t sure when it’d be up and running. Nobody was sure of anything. He called it a marshalling area, but there were no rides out for civilians. And Atlanta was a long walk away.
There was safety in the familiar. We were going to stay put that night and see what the morning would bring. We waited until the initial panic of the crowds subsided. I’d rather be on my own than in a mob. Since we weren’t from around here, I didn’t trust anyone. My dad’s gun safe wouldn’t open because of the electronic keypad, which left us with his old pump shotgun, five shells, and an antique .38-caliber revolver I found in his nightstand (with only six rounds). There was food and water, which was good. Around lunchtime, I had filled the bathtubs in the house before the pressure dropped off to nothing. At least there would be water. Some dinner candles provided a little light, and Denise read to Emma and Jack. They were so full of questions, and I had precious few answers.
Day Two
I put baseball bats by the front and back doors, just in case, and I fished around in the drawers in the kitchen for a few of the larger carving knives. Early this morning, it looked like people were looting the empty houses on the street. I kept the revolver on me at all times. I’d scoured the house of anything useful: fire starters, defense, food prep we could take with us, something to carry it all in, sources of light, extra clothes and blankets, some small handtools, and a few personal items.
I was hoping that the time to leave hadn’t passed us, but it looked like the looters were only interested in valuables for now — I saw someone carting away a TV, which made me chuckle. As a result, we moved all of the food (and Emma’s insulin) upstairs to the back bedroom where we all slept last night. The shotgun is there too; I didn’t say anything to the family, but that’s our Alamo. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. We pushed the large couches against the front door and blocked the windows as best we could. Anyone could still get in here if they really wanted to, but at least it wouldn’t be easy.
That night, I ventured out. I didn’t want to, but I had to. There was a pharmacy a couple of blocks from the house, and I went to see if I could find some more insulin for Emma. We were worried we would run out before rescue came. It was more likely we would have to walk out of this. I took the revolver, and I planned to stay off of the streets as best as I could to avoid being seen by anyone. We had rationed the food well — though everyone’s hungry — but I knew we could stretch what we had into a few days, if necessary. I planned to grab any food I might find while I was out, too. While I was gone, my wife bottled some water.
Day Three
Last night, the pharmacy windows were smashed in and most everything was gone. I managed to find six bottles of insulin, but only two were the right kind for Emma (leaving us with four). The street was empty now. It was early. The sun was just starting to come up. Everyone seemed to have left, and we prepared to leave too. There was a four-wheel wagon my mom used for gardening. It held what little we could bring. Denise and I each carried insulin and needles, while Emma carried two of each, in case we got split up. She could administer it herself, so that wasn’t a worry — but the food was. There were a half-dozen granola bars, a bag of carrots, some bread, and a few cans of beans. That would give us four days to walk about 40 miles, but we were surely going to be hungry.
As soon as the sun came up, we left. The wagon was mostly full of water and blankets, but we each had a backpack that contained a few bottles each and whatever personal items each one felt they needed (Jack brought All Quiet on the Western Front — at least he hadn’t lost his sense of humor). I put the shotgun in a cardboard box and duct taped it to the side of the wagon where it was concealed, yet very easily assessable. The pistol went in my pocket, and Denise used one of dad’s golf clubs as a walking stick. We were ready as we were ever going to be.
It was going to be a long walk…
Survival Expert: Tim MacWelsh’s Approach
Day One
As I packed my clothes, like I was told to do, a sickening realization crept over my mind. The insulin. That stuff had to stay cold, and we only brought a partial bottle. Packing ceased, and I gathered up the family. It was a unanimous decision to stay put for the night. Taking what mushy frozen food we had, we moved it over to the fridge side with the insulin. It seemed like a good idea at the time. We used the last of our milk to enjoy some cereal for our family dinner. With all available blankets piled on the beds, our family settled in for a chilly night.
Day Two
No one slept well, and before the night was over, our youngest had crawled into bed with us. Several times, loud noises stirred us. Finally, the sound of breaking glass across the street, followed by a distant scream, kept me awake until dawn. Had looting begun already? We had to figure out a plan. Over a breakfast of kid’s snacks, we decided to hold out to see if my parents showed up. They had gone down to Valdosta, which was only a two-hour drive away. But how many days would it take them to walk that far? Could they even do it?
We assessed our food again and decided on canned soup for our family’s lunch. Since the electric range was out, I tried the propane grill, only to find the tank empty. Up and down the street I asked, looking for someone who would give or sell me a tank of fuel for the grill. The neighbors that did answer their door told me they didn’t have any propane or anything else to spare. Some even questioned who I was and why we were in that house. They knew my parents, but they didn’t know me or my family. As I walked back to the house, thoughts of traveling to the shelters versus thoughts of hunkering down kept warring in my mind. As I passed an old lady watering her flowers with a garden hose, I wondered how much more water was in the water tower.
During the afternoon, we gathered all of the shelf stable food for an inventory, and also assembled all of the other useful supplies that my parents’ home had to offer. We found several boxes of matches, two lighters, a half-dozen candles, a case of bottled water, two old sleeping bags, and a small first-aid kit. Grabbing some items from the house to fill in the gaps, we packed up the gear in case we had to flee. Some blankets made up for the lack of sleeping bags, two lightweight steel pots from the kitchen would let us cook and boil water, and the medicine cabinet yielded analgesics, antihistamines, and many other meds that could come in handy.
Later, I gathered sticks and brush from the landscaping, and my wife cooked up the last of the defrosted meat for our dinner. We built an actual fire in the defunct propane grill, now made useful again by our improvisation. That night, we double-checked all door and window locks, piled furniture behind the doors, and all slept in the same room.
There were three days of Emma’s insulin, and more than enough needles. It was very quiet. No planes anymore. Just our thoughts about tomorrow.
Day Three
I woke to a banging sound, insistent like the countless worries circling in my mind. It sounded a lot like someone trying to kick down the back door. Thankfully, it stopped, and I heard nothing further. They must have moved on to easier pickings. Why did I leave my handgun at home? I don’t like crossing state lines with it. But now my family is ill-defended, and it’s all my fault. In the morning, when our youngest tried to flush the toilet, the water didn’t refill the tank. She came back into the bedroom crying that the water was “broken” too. The local water tower must have run out. We still had the bottled water and 50 gallons in the hot water heater, but this situation just got a lot harder. Leaving the house was looking better, and as near as we could calculate, there were only about six days worth of insulin left in the bottle. My daughter had already started reusing needles. The last of the fresh foods looked spoiled, so we threw them out and dipped into the canned goods again. We kept the insulin in a pan of cool water on the basement floor, hoping it wouldn’t lose potency.
The Next Two Days
In the late afternoon of the fourth day, and against the odds, my parents arrived home. We were ecstatic to seem them, but we were also trying to hide our shock upon seeing their condition. They were filthy, with only the clothes on their backs. They didn’t appear to have had much water or sleep since this all began, and they looked as if they had been beaten. They had borrowed bicycles from our relatives, which were violently taken from them later that same day, along with the supplies they carried. Products of a tougher era, my parents simply walked, all day and into each night. Their driving motivation had been to get home to us. Through tenacity and suffering, they had done it. My parents invited over several of their trusted neighbors upon their return and uncovered a secret stash of food and water they had hidden away in some purposely mislabeled boxes. Some of my parents’ armed neighbors agreed to stand watch over the house that night, and were rewarded with some canned food and bottled water for their service. The next morning, my reunited family set off to find the shelter, cooling what insulin we had left with a cold pack from the first-aid kit. We didn’t really want to leave, but we could wait no longer. We had to go, in hopes that we would find more insulin and find a way back to our old way of life.
Conclusion
We — meaning the modern world — have truly set ourselves up for a brutal fall on this one. Our growing dependence on technology and electronics has left us glaringly vulnerable to an EMP event. While we don’t fully know what damage an actual EMP would produce, we can easily find examples of the damage and chaos resulting from power outages and communication losses. Perhaps some vehicles would still work, due to shielding of the electronics in newer models. Perhaps some phones would still work. But very likely, an EMP would limit your communications to yelling distance and your mode of travel to feet, bicycles, and horses.
This kind of scenario should rightly be scarier to you than most other disasters, because it leaves the entire population intact, but desperate for necessities. And if history is any indicator, it doesn’t take much to get people to turn on each other.
The takeaway from this exercise is a simple message of planning, preparation, and improvisation. Since we based this scenario away from home, this story clearly shows the value of emergency preparedness in your travels. Don’t leave home without items for personal security, extra cash for unexpected expenses, an extra supply of necessary medicines, and an exit strategy (or two). And if you’re lucky enough to be at home when a technological disaster occurs, you should have at least two weeks worth of food and water stashed securely, with strategies to resupply your family’s needs, if the problem outlasts your resources. Finally, let’s hope this scenario stays where it belongs, in the realm of fictitious novels and dystopian Syfy Channel movies.
The benefits of having instant access to a bright beam of light at your command are numerous and substantial. Until man develops night vision in their eyeballs or bat-like sonar, getting around in dark areas without a flashlight can be clumsy and even hazardous. A flashlight compact and comfortable enough to be carried everyday allows for instant access to the illumination you need at a moment’s notice. Brighten up the dark area your car is parked in, check out a strange noise behind the bushes, or even momentarily stun a would-be attacker — the uses are limitless. There are plenty of great lights available; here are seven that piqued our interest.
Offgrid Tidbit
CR123A, CR123, 123A: What’s the Difference?
Like many popular flashlights on the market, all the lights featured in this guide use CR123A-type batteries. Depending on the brand, you may have noticed that these cells are called CR123A, CR123, 123A, and sometimes even DL123 or just 123. Don’t let all those names confuse you. Rest assured that all these batteries are the same size and will fit and power any lights that require CR123A batteries. To get the most performance out of your light, however, be sure to use the brand and model of battery that your flashlight’s manufacturer recommends.
Technology is a wonderful thing. It makes our lives easier and more convenient. A wealth of information is just a Google search away. Smartphone apps are totally personalized exactly how you like them. Merchants and service providers can give you what you want, based on your purchase history and your past behavior. And you can buy almost anything with the click of a button or the swipe of a piece of plastic. But all that convenience comes at a price — your privacy.
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) refers to systems that transmit certain identifying data wirelessly, using radio waves. That data might be the serial number of a piece of equipment. Or it might be your personal or financial information. It’s stored on a so-called RFID tag, which is attached to or embedded in the object in question. In turn, a reader can retrieve the data from the tag using radio waves, so long as it is in close proximity to the tag. They don’t need to touch, nor do they need line of sight. Different types of tags and readers are effective at varying distances.
We’ll take a look at how RFID works, how it’s used, what risks it poses, and countermeasures that you can take. And we’ll take a look at various products you can utilize to help protect your privacy.
Technology Is Great
RFID is an immensely useful technology. There are many industrial and commercial applications for RFID, allowing companies to easily track and manage inventory, items, animals, and people. For example, manufacturers use RFID tags to track products through an assembly line. Distributors use them to effectively track inventory. Ranchers keep tabs on their cattle and sheep. Hospitals monitor inventory and workflow. Libraries replace bar codes with these tags. Even that access card you use to get into your office building or garage uses RFID.
There are many consumer applications as well. The device affixed to your windshield to let you zip through toll roads and bridges? The chip you had implanted in your Doberman, Fluffy? Your fancy new credit card that allows you to pay for those curly fries with the wave of a hand? That’s all RFID technology. Many smartphones are incorporating RFID (referred to as near field communication or NFC for phones) to allow for wireless payment and data transmission. But did you know that your passport may have an RFID tag in it, containing your photograph as well as passport and personal data? Your driver’s license might have an RFID chip too. With such personal and financial information encoded in those tags, this raises some very real security, privacy, and fraud concerns.
How Exactly Does It Work?
Tags generally are comprised of at least two parts — an integrated circuit, which is its brain, and an antenna for signal transmissions. There are three main types of RFID tags:
Active: Has an internal power source and may periodically transmit a signal. These are more expensive, but can operate at long ranges, function in difficult conditions, and even record additional data from sensors, such as temperature and humidity. Active tags are commonly seen in industrial and military applications.
Semi-Passive: Has a small battery that is activated when a reader is nearby and powers only the chip, not the antenna. While not as powerful as active tags, these are more sensitive than passive tags and can also perform active tasks such as logging sensor data.
Passive: Does not have any power source, relying on the signal from a reader to provide power. Passive tags are cheap to produce and very compact. They have more limited range, which can be considered a positive attribute from a security standpoint.
We are largely concerned with passive tags, such as those found on credit cards, passports, and driver’s licenses.
If you see a symbol like the one shown below on your passport, it means yours is a biometric passport that is fitted with an RFID chip containing personally identifiable information that can be taken from you without your ever knowing.
Readers come in various shapes and sizes, and varying levels of strength. There are the typical point-of-sale terminals that you may have seen at your local fast food chain, intended to be used in close proximity and designed to be affordable and reliable for local businesses. But there are also high-powered readers that have greater range. Hacked and connected to a laptop or other custom circuitry, such a setup could potentially read your RFID tag from several feet away and you’d never know it.
RFID systems are designed to work on various frequency bands, depending on the application and industry standards. Financial institutions, passports, and NFC mobile devices generally adhere to ISO/IEC 14443 standards, stipulating high-frequency systems at 13.56 MHz. There are systems that utilize low frequency as well as ultra high-frequency bands, but those are rare to find in the consumer applications that we are concerned with.
Risks
Carrying and using cards or IDs with RFID tags presents a few potential risks:
Skimming: Someone uses a reader to surreptitiously retrieve data from your RFID tag without your knowledge. For example, a criminal might hack a high-powered reader, place it in a briefcase, and run it off battery power. Then by passing by various folks, such as women carrying purses, the reader might pick up data from RFID-enabled credit cards. Later, the criminal loads the data into a computer and uses a blank magstripe card to make a cloned counterfeit credit card.
Eavesdropping: Someone intercepts data that is being legitimately transmitted from your RFID tag to a reader with your consent. This sort of eavesdropping may be possible at greater distances than skimming with specialized equipment, but location and timing is more constrained — since the criminal needs to be near an authorized reader being used for an actual legitimate transaction.
Tracking: Even legitimate use of RFID can leave a trail of data that you might not have thought about. For example, if you regularly use a wireless toll pass like an E-ZPass in your vehicle, have you considered all the information on your travels that it provides? Just two data points with position and time could be used to calculate your average speed, for example. New York state has rolled out a system in several areas that tracks the movement of cars with E-ZPass tags to estimate traffic patterns and travel times — they insist individual data is not stored or used for law enforcement purposes. Does that comfort you? And just imagine the implications for RFID tags that you carry on your person. Again, those are typically passive tags with limited range, but it’s still frightening to consider.
Countermeasures
If you’re reading this magazine, it means that you’re already thinking ahead. You have the desire and commitment to take care of yourself and your loved ones. You know that making carefully considered and educated decisions is the way to go — and sometimes that means making the choice to compromise on some conveniences.
For instance, you could avoid potential RFID risks with credit cards by simply obtaining or requesting cards that do not have RFID tags in the first place. How important is it, really, to be able to wave your card at the register to pay for your Slurpee? Keep in mind, though, that you are always subject to good old-fashioned crime. Everything in life is a tradeoff, and one benefit of credit cards with RFID tags is that you needn’t actually hand over your card to a cashier — when you do, an unscrupulous individual might steal your info. Fortunately, more and more stores utilize customer-facing terminals that you can swipe yourself.
But you may not have any choice in the matter. If you have a U.S. passport issued after August 2007, it contains an RFID tag with some personal data. Your state (in particular border states) might issue driver’s licenses with an RFID chip. So you might not be able to opt-out. But there are a variety of products to help protect your privacy — most provide passive protection by shielding against transmissions while one actively jams them.
You can even make some of your own. While a little less user-friendly than the products in this article, an Altoids tin or several layers of aluminum foil can actually provide protection. Yes, that’s right — insert your own tin foil joke here.
As mentioned earlier, the RFID chips that we’re worried about use high-frequency bands, making them sensitive to metal and thus able to be shielded by the linings in the various products featured here. Low-frequency bands are more difficult to shield, but fortunately credit cards and the like don’t use them. As an experiment, we tested our access badges at the office, which utilize low-frequency tags — all of the products reduced the effective range of the reader, but only a couple actually blocked it (the Access Denied wallet and the Alumawallet). Breaking out the aluminum foil, we had to completely wrap the badge in at least three layers of foil to prevent it from being read.
Finally, you could simply inflict some damage on the RFID chip in question to disable it. You could make surgical cuts with an X-Acto knife or use a hammer to perhaps be more discreet. And it’s free (though irreversible). You may have read about using a microwave oven to destroy RFID chips — be wary with this approach as it may scorch or burn the item. However, before you break out your hammer, please do keep in mind that tampering with government documents is illegal. How often do you really need to break out your passport anyway? Surely you have some aluminum foil in the kitchen right now…
[buyersguide title=”RFID Identity Theft Countermeaures – RFID Jammer” ids=”2732″]
Oftentimes, emergencies strike with little or no warning. What seems like a regular, uneventful day can instantly turn into a living hell in mere seconds. Mother Nature is full of surprises: earthquakes, avalanches, mudslides and tornados can manifest without warning, leaving massive destruction in their wake. And because certain unsavory elements of humankind can’t allow Mother Nature to hoard all the credit for wanton destruction, manmade havoc is always a possibility too.
If you find yourself caught in a situation where you got sucker punched in the gut by a surprise emergency event, there’s a good chance you’ll be scrambling to find out as much information about it as you can to better understand your predicament and how you can enhance your survivability. Because you had enough foresight to have an emergency radio packed for just this sort of occurrence, you have a means to monitor local news broadcasts as well as the nationally broadcast Emergency Alert System to figure out just what happened, what to do, and where to find the safest places.
Emergency radios differ from traditional radios in that most of them feature multiple functions, can run off different power sources, and are built more robustly. We like emergency radios that feature an alternative to dry cell battery power. Many of these radios can be alternatively powered by hand crank or solar panels — very handy if batteries are or become scarce. Some radios also allow for other devices such as smartphones and small electronics to be charged through their built-in USB ports. Other features to look at are overall size (which affects its portability), speaker quality, and volume capability, as well as extra functions such as a built-in flashlight.
The most important element in an emergency radio is, of course, the radio itself. You want one that has good reception of both AM and FM bands, whether indoors or outdoors, as well as one capable of receiving weather and emergency broadcasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) over a service called NOAA Weather Radio. The broadcast station frequencies of this weather-and-emergency-specific radio service are known as weather band (WB). It is broadcast over seven FM frequencies in the 162.4 MHz through 162.55 MHz range, which regular radios typically cannot pick up. In order to hear NOAA’s 24-hours-a-day reports on weather-related warnings, forecasts, hazard information, and alerts of non-weather emergencies (such as threats to national security, environmental and civil safety), you will need a WB-capable radio that is specifically set up to pick up NOAA Weather Radio.
There are many emergency radios on the market; we selected ones of differing sizes, with multiple power sources, and replete with multiple features. Let’s take a look at a few that warrant a closer look.
Fire is an essential element to survival, especially if you’re outside during the winter months. A crackling fire allows you to stay warm, heat food, boil drinking water, ward off predators, and keep your spirits up. However, starting a fire is usually easier said than done, and can be extremely difficult if you’re already panicked and hypothermic.
That’s why we always advise you to include several fire-starters in your survival kit—if one fails, you have others to fall back on. There are straightforward items like stormproof matches, lighters, and ferro rod strikers, and there are also more creative options like the gum wrapper method and super matches. There’s yet another option that we haven’t discussed here, and it’s definitely worth considering: char cloth.
As you can see in the video above, char cloth is exactly what it sounds like, heavily charred and blackened cotton fibers. This can be literal 100% cotton cloth, or it can be household cotton balls. Just seal the fabric in a metal container with a small vent hole, and heat thoroughly with an open flame or other intense heat source.
The resulting material will ignite quickly and burn slowly, providing an easy way to start a larger fire.
So, what kind of fire starters do you rely on? Let us know in the comments.
In the past, we’ve mentioned the importance of improvised weapons. Even if you’re always armed, you could easily get robbed and end up in the middle of nowhere with only the clothes on your back. Knowledge weighs nothing, so it’s wise to learn other ways to create handmade weapons and tools for when SHTF. Even if you never have to use this knowledge, it doesn’t hurt to learn.
Some basic tools used for flint knapping.
One of the best ways to create knives and tools in the wild is through a technique called flint knapping. If you’ve ever seen an ancient arrow head or spear, you’ve probably seen the results of flint knapping. The technique uses a brittle stone and a hard striker to chip away razor-sharp and thin fragments. These fragments can then be chipped more to form tools.
Note: Always wear eye protection when flint knapping, unless you want tiny razor-sharp bits of stone in your eyes. Gloves are also a good idea to prevent nicks and cuts.
This video from Paleoman52 on YouTube shows the steps involved. One thing the video doesn’t mention is the type of stone to use, such as flint, chert, and obsidian (all of which can be bought online for practicing). If you’re looking for stones in the outdoors, try tapping them and listening to the pitch—higher pitch is usually better for knapping.
Ever see a firefighter holding a flashlight? You probably won’t, since they need both hands free to work and clear debris. What about a headlamp? You might see them occasionally, but the constraints of heat resistance and fitting over a large helmet make them less common.
More often than not, you’ll see firefighters wearing a third type of device: an angle light. These devices are typically mounted on a chest pocket or shoulder strap, and provide hands-free forward-facing illumination. Better yet, they’re designed to be highly durable for use in extreme conditions.
The XPR-5572R angle light offers many settings for short- and long-range illumination.
Night Stick has just launched a new line of three Dual-Light Angle Lights: the XPP-5570R (AA batteries), XPR-5572R (rechargeable Li-Ion battery), and XPR-5572RM (rechargeable with magnetic base). Note the term “dual-light”—it indicates that these provide both a wide LED flood light and a focused LED spot light. You can turn on one or the other, or use both at the same time for maximum short- and long-distance illumination.
The XPR-5572R rechargeable light includes multiple charging and battery options.
For survival purposes, dual illumination features are nice to have, but what’s more important is durability and reliability. Each of the three Night Stick angle light models is drop-rated at 2 meters, IP-X7 rated waterproof, and meets firefighting performance standard NFPA-1971-8.6. It’s even certified as Intrinsically Safe, meaning it won’t become an ignition source around gas fumes or other flammable atmospheric conditions.
The spot light provides anywhere from 60 to 200 lumens (depending on power level) and a 267 meter beam distance, while the floodlight provides a maximum of 200 lumens down to a minimum of 20 lumens in low-power “Survival Mode”. These Night Stick angle lights can run continuously for 6 hours in high brightness mode, or up to 30 hours in Survival Mode.
MSRP is $59.95 for the XPP-5570R with AA batteries, $99.95 for the XPR-5572R with rechargeable Li-Ion battery, and $125.95 XPR-5572RM with the magnetic base.
If you’re looking for an alternative to handheld flashlights and headlamps, these Night Stick lights are about as tough as it gets, and are worth considering. For more information, visit baycoproducts.com.
Craftsmanship—it’s a concept some might argue has been lost in this age of outsourcing and manufacturing budget cuts. Critics have said that the days of making precision tools by hand are long gone, supplanted by lightning-fast CNC machines and 3D printers which achieve levels of accuracy no human could reach. Besides, it’s much easier to maintain a high profit margin by sending products to be churned out by low-cost factories overseas, and the results are usually good enough.
Despite this apparent outlook of gloom and doom, we’re happy to report that American craftsmanship is still alive and well. You just have to know where to look.
These days, it often incorporates the aforementioned high-tech manufacturing techniques, but the end result is clearly something that’s thoughtfully designed, carefully assembled, and meticulously checked for quality. It may not be hand-forged by a bearded artisan in a shed, but it’s undeniably well-made.
This brings us to today’s subject: the ZT 0630 knife review. Is this high-end blade carrying on the tradition of American craftsmanship? Read on to find out.
Zero Tolerance
Launched in 2006, Zero Tolerance (or ZT) is a brand of hard-use knives designed for professional-grade applications. ZT says they have “Zero Tolerance for anything less than the best” and that their knives are “proudly overbuilt”. At first, this sounds a bit like marketing hype, so we wanted to get our hands on one of their latest blades and see if it lives up to these claims.
That said, right off the bat ZT puts their money where their mouth is. All of their knives are manufactured here in the USA, in Tualatin, Oregon. To reflect this fact, each blade is clearly printed with “USA” and a serial number.
Zero Tolerance also offers a limited lifetime warranty and free sharpening service (you just pay for shipping). If you somehow manage to break a ZT folding knife’s blade, they’ll even replace it with a new one for $30.
The ZT 0630
The Zero Tolerance 0630 is the latest in a line of knives manufactured by ZT and designed by the legendary Ernest Emerson. If you’re as much of a knife nerd as we are, you’ll probably recognize that name. Emerson has been making and designing folding knives since 1979, and became famous for his patented wave shaped feature, which allows users to draw and open the knife simultaneously in a split second (more on that later).
The 0630 differs from previous ZT/Emerson collaborations in two ways. First, it has an upswept tactical blade shape, instead of the tanto shape of the 0620 series. This shape is perfect for smooth slicing cuts. Secondly, the 0630 is made of Crucible S35VN steel, which is chip-resistant and easily sharpened to a razor edge.
Before we get into our impressions, here are the 0630’s specs:
Blade: 3.6″ S35VN steel, upswept shape, stonewashed and satin finish
Frame: Stonewashed titanium back, black textured G10 front
Thumb disk for manual opening
Wave shaped feature for quick-draw opening
Frame lock with hardened steel lockbar inserts
Reversible pocket clip, satin black coated with ZT logo
4.9″ closed length, 8.5″ open length, 6.3oz weight
MSRP: $250
Initial Impressions
Picking up the 0630 for the first time, the word that came to mind was “substantial”. It’s physically large for a folding knife, at nearly 5 inches long when closed. It also has some considerable heft, despite extensive use of lightweight titanium in the frame.
When it comes to knives, we’d say “substantial” is a good place to start, as it’s easy to control and doesn’t feel fragile. However, we could see how the 0630’s large size and relatively heavy weight might be a bit much for some users.
Finely textured G10 material on the handle’s face gives the user grip to control the blade.
On the front of the handle, you’ll find a black G10 scale with a super-fine mesh texture. Pairs of diagonal ridges have also been cut into the G10, and they add a little more visual appeal, but don’t seem to have any real impact on grip. Lefties will also note three holes for re-mounting the pocket clip on this side.
On the flipside, a slab of stonewashed titanium gives an industrial look, and pairs nicely with the blade’s stonewashed and satin finish. A frame lock is cut into this titanium chunk, and features a hardened steel lockbar insert attached with a single silver Torx screw.
This insert prevents lock bar sticking, and ensures the knife locks open solidly without any wiggle or play. It also prevents the lock bar from being bent outwards too far, which would potentially damage the frame.
The 0630’s folding blade has a ball detent to keep it from opening accidentally, and a textured thumb disk for manual opening. Along the top edge of the blade, you’ll spot the hook-shaped wave feature, as well as some ridges for additional grip. The flat face of the blade is stonewashed, while other surfaces are a shinier satin finish.
Opening and Use
There are two methods to opening the knife: manually (using the thumb disk) and quick-draw (using the wave feature).
Manually opening the knife is …difficult. The frame lock detent keeps the blade firmly closed, which is great for safety, but makes manually flipping the knife open one-handed tricky.
In fact, we found it nearly impossible to open the knife using only a thumb, as the blade won’t budge until you hold the knife awkwardly and push with all your might. This may be due to the knife not being fully broken in, but we’d estimate we opened the knife around 100 times so far, and it remains tighter than we’d prefer. Your mileage may vary if you’re a thumb-wrestling champion.
You could give in and open the knife with both hands, or be patient and learn the technique to opening it one-handed. We found that it’s doable if you grip the disk between your thumb and index finger, and push upwards, being careful not to put pressure on the lock bar with your other fingers. It still takes some concentration, but it’s the only way we found to consistently open the 0630 one-handed.
Update: After a few weeks of using the knife frequently, we’re happy to report the action seems to have loosened substantially. It’s still firmer than many blades we’ve used, and still requires some practice to open the blade one-handed, but it has gotten better.
For quicker opening, there’s the patented wave feature. For those not familiar, the hook on the top of the blade is designed to catch on the seam of your pocket as you draw the knife. With some practice, this means the 0630 can open as fast—or potentially faster than—any assisted opener or automatic/switchblade.
Click the image below to view an animation of how it works.
One fluid motion, and the knife is ready to go. No buttons to push or levers to fumble with.
The downside to this is that it’s far from subtle. Most average people will look at you like you’re Freddy Krueger as you sweep your arm back and the knife opens with a resounding “snap”. However, if you’re ever forced to rely on the knife for self defense, it’s hard to beat the wave feature.
When it comes to cutting, the upswept blade shape glides effortlessly through most materials. We’ll also mention that ZT put a brilliant edge on this knife from the factory. It’s as razor-sharp as any folding knife we’ve ever had, and we expect the S35VN steel to keep it that way.
Conclusions
So, does the ZT 0360 live up to the manufacturer’s claim of being “proudly overbuilt”? Also, does it exhibit true American craftsmanship? We’d say yes on both counts. It’s very expensive at $250, but at least you’re getting what you pay for.
This knife is made in the USA from high-quality materials, and ZT’s precision manufacturing experience is clearly evident in its fit and finish. Our single source of frustration was the sticky detent that makes one-handed opening tough, but if you can get past that, it’s an excellent choice for a daily-carry blade you can depend on.
Pros:
Superb build quality, with smooth pivot and locking mechanism
High-quality materials and attractive stonewashed finish
Razor-sharp upswept blade slices effortlessly
Wave feature makes quick-drawing easy
Made in USA
Cons:
Sticky detent makes it difficult to open one-handed
$250 price is very steep (but we’d say it’s worth it)
Black G10 scale is a little visually plain (we’re hoping ZT releases a Carbon Fiber version)
We hope you’ve enjoyed this in-depth ZT 0630 knife review. For more information on this and other ZT knives, go to zt.kaiusaltd.com.
Most of us have played, or at least heard of, the telephone game. Each person whispers a phrase to the next person in line, and by the end of the process, the message is completely garbled. This communication breakdown is funny at the time, but when it happens in real life, it’s less amusing… and more frustrating.
In order to be clearly heard when speaking, we need a system that’s phonetically distinct—that way no one’s left wondering if you said “here”, “ear”, or “beer”. When spelling words over the phone or radio, many people often say “A as in apple” or “B as in boy”. However, these aren’t standardized, and may lead to more confusion if someone says “K as in knight” or “N as in night”.
The standard NATO alphabet, established in 1956.
Fortunately, an international consortium of military forces have established a system of phonetic code words for this purpose: the NATO alphabet. This alphabet is is used to spell parts of a message containing letters to avoid confusion, especially for important military objectives such as targets and waypoints. It’s also useful to us as civilians, since it makes communicating clearly much easier.
British telecommunications provider VoIP Broker created the following infographic with pictograms that should help you memorize the alphabet.
So, do you know your Alfas, Bravos, and Charlies yet, or are you still scratching your head and saying “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”?
Give it some time, and come back to study and test yourself later. You never know when it could come in handy, especially over cell phone conversations with weak signal. Plus, it sounds a lot more professional than saying “X as in… uhhhh… xylophone?”
