Deep in the heart of the Colombian rainforest, danger abounds, and it may seem impossible that four children survived the Amazon in those treacherous conditions. Poisonous creatures roam beneath the thick canopy, lethal jaguars silently stalk their prey, and mosquito born illnesses sicken the healthiest who are bit. Humans who tour this vibrant but deadly ecosystem face peril, even when they are part of an organized expedition. That's why we need to learn from the children who survived a plane crash into a remote region of the Amazon, and continued to hold their own for 40 days afterward.
The Crisis
On May 1st, 2023, a Colombian family — three adults and four children, ages 13, 9, 4 and 1 — traveling from Araracuara to San Jose del Guaviare in a single-engine Cessna, crashed into a remote region of the Amazon rainforest after their plane suffered a catastrophic failure. At the time of this post, it is suspected that two of the adults perished immediately upon impact except for the mother of the children. It was initially reported that she stayed alive for about four days, before insisting that her children go on without her. The four children spent those first four days living off the supplies they had brought on the plane, but after those ran out, they had only the indigenous knowledge passed on by their tribe and whatever resources the jungle could provide. Only after 16 days did the search and rescue operation first locate the crash site, and by then, the children were gone.
Indigenous Knowledge
As fate would have it, the four children were a part of the Huitoto tribe, a group that resides in some of the most remote regions of the Amazon. Part of their tribal tradition is passing down the indigenous knowledge of their forebears to the next generation, and the stranded children used this to great effect. This included shelter-building to stay warm and prevent exposure, something extremely important, since at the time of the crash, it rained for more than half of every day. They also used this knowledge to stay safe from predatory animals, poisonous amphibians, biting insects, and arachnids. Huitoto upbringing taught them how to live off the land, what to eat, and how to drink water without getting sick. The silver lining to the situation was that the jungle was presently going through a productive growing season, and fresh fruit was in abundance. But without the knowledge of what was a safe to eat, what was potentially toxic, or how to stay dry and thermoregulate, these children may not have lasted as long as they did.
Rescue – Four Children Survive the Amazon
Colombian Army soldiers and skilled Huitoto trackers with an intimate knowledge of the jungle, combined their efforts to find the missing children. To maximize the chances of keeping the missing children alive, food was dropped by aircraft into areas where they believed the kids might be, and signal flares were fired to try attracting their attention. As it happens in many search and rescue operations in remote wilderness, it is thought that the searchers passed near the children on a few occasions, but the dense jungle prevented their detection. However, after 40 days of continuously searching a 1,600 mile region, they were all found — dehydrated and undernourished, but relatively okay — 3 miles from the crash site.
The Takeaways
How would you fare in the scenario above? Surviving a plane crash is a miraculous thing in and of itself, but facing weeks of isolation in a hostile jungle is another beast entirely. Granted, as adults, many of us know that staying at the site of a crash can make it easier for search and rescue teams to find us. But in the thick jungle with no overhead visibility, that's not as certain as it would be in open terrain; it might be necessary to find a nearby location with better visibility for a distress signal. It's also extremely easy to become disoriented and lost in the vegetation while searching for food and resources. And we must remember that these were children whose loved ones' bodies were still at the crash site, so staying put would have been undeniably traumatic.
One of the most important things to recognize here, is how relevant indigenous knowledge is, even in our modern world. Once we strip away all the things which make us comfortable — climate controlled buildings, just-in-time logistics, internet connectivity, gear, etc. — all that we are left with is what is between our ears. Let's take a second to ponder that implication, what those four Huitoto children survived, and consider whether or not we are equipped to face nature raw and unfiltered as they were able to.
Barry Cohen may not be a name you're familiar with, but you've almost certainly heard of the watch company he created in 1989, Luminox. Recently, after several decades of producing illuminated watches for the U.S. military with Luminox, Cohen set out on his own to launch his latest creation: the ProTek watch series. ProTek was designed for hard use by those who need a rugged, dependable, and easy-to-read timepiece, such as members of the military, law enforcement, and first responders. Cohen appears to have accomplished exactly that, since the ProTek collection has been designated an Official Watch of the U.S. Marine Corps. These watches feature tritium built into the face and hands for illumination that lasts consistently for 25 years.
Above: The ProTek Official USMC Dive watch is available in a variety of colorways, each with the company's signature tritium illumination (as seen in this article's lead photo).
Series 1000 Carbon Composite Dive
As the name suggests, this model was made for underwater operations. Water resistant down to 300 meters, the 42mm carbon composite case has a 60-click timing bezel and a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. Japanese quartz keeps the time, the illumination system is many times brighter than other watches of a similar vein, and the rubber strap is reinforced with light-weight steel tubing.
An additional line of products in the Carbon Composite Dive series features ProTek watches with the USMC logo engraved in the back of the case.
Series 2000 Stainless Steel Dive
This watch is rated down to 200 meters of water resistance, and is entirely stainless steel. For timing, the Gents Steel Dive features a 120-click unidirectional bezel, and the strap is genuine Italian leather. Japanese quartz keeps the hand and date movement, and its battery will keep it ticking for about 10 years. As with all ProTek watches, these feature self-powered tritium illumination.
Series 3000 Titanium Field
Last but not least is the Titanium Field 3000. As the name suggests, the 40mm case, caseback, and push crowns are made from marine grade titanium. It is water resistant down to 100 meters, and features the same sapphire anti-reflective crystal and Japanese quartz as the other watches. The Titanium Field also comes with an Italian leather strap, and uses the largest tritium tubes available for the indices in three different colors.
Modifications and Accessories
In addition to the different series of ProTek watches, they can can be further customized to one's personal style. Replacement straps are available in both rubber and water-resistant leather in a wide range of colors. Rubber watch straps can come in: charcoal gray, red, blue, green, orange, USMC red, USMC blue, USMC green, and USMC desert sand. Leather watch straps can come in black, dark tan, and dark brown with stainless steel buckle, black with gun metal buckle, black with black titanium buckle, and tan or dark brown with a titanium buckle.
Much like cookies and cream or chocolate and peanut butter, some products like firearms, optics, suppressors, and ear-pro were made for each other. Utah is home to several companies — Desert Tech, HUXWRX, Armasight, and AXIL — all within close proximity to each other, who decided to combine forces to show off some of their newest products to members of the media. With the help of the North Springs Shooting Range, and a pit stop at the Black Rifle Coffee Company HQ for a quick caffeine fix, we were invited to take a closer look at what these companies had going on, and to take their many of their products for a day and night test drive.
Desert Tech
To kick things off, we headed to the Desert Tech facility. Desert Tech (DT) is a firearms company that specializes in weapons based on the bullpup design. For those who might be unfamiliar, this is where the firing grip is located in front of the breech instead of behind it, making the firearm more compact for its barrel length. Not only does this make a rifle look futuristic, it can also help it remain lighter and more maneuverable than a traditional counterpart. DT has several firearm platforms: the Hard Target Interdiction (HTI), the Stealth Recon Scout (SRS), the Micro Dynamic Rifle (MDRX), all of which can swap barrels depending on which caliber is being used. Additionally, they offer a .22 long rifle bullpup called the Trek-22, and have designed a unique AR-15 lower called the Quattro-15 which houses a custom 53-round, quad-stack magazine.
Above: Desert Tech Gunsmiths assemble parts of Desert Tech Rifles.
With a focus on precision shooting, DT has their own line of ammunition to pair with their rifle barrel selections, including .308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, .338 Lapua Magnum, .375, .408 and .50 BMG. To further dial in that shot group, they include a ballistic data chart with each caliber and have even developed a firing solutions iPhone app called TRASOL 2.0. The app can be wirelessly connected to other devices, such as external cameras, optics, and can even tie in to local doppler radar information.
No less than fifteen DT rifle platforms with every variety of their ammo was loaded up and brought to the North Springs Shooting Range. Not stopping there, they also provided several Ulfhednar tripods and shooting mats so that their rifles could be fired from a wide range of angles and positions.
Above: A birds eye view of the Desert Tech production facility.
HUXWRX Safety Co.
Next, we walked through the HUXWRX facility to learn more about some recent changes. Previously known as Operators Suppressor Systems (OSS) and recently rebranded to Human Exposure Workshop (HUXWRX Safety Co.), this suppressor fabrication company focuses on a type of design called “flow-through.” Flow-through simply refers to how the gas from a fired round moves through the baffles of a suppressor. Traditional suppressors trap the gas inside an internal baffle system, while gas travels through and is vented out of the front of a flow-through suppressor. This is meant to keep the operator from potentially inhaling harmful gasses that are normally trapped within the firearm during the use of traditional suppressors.
Above: HUXWRX uses precision tools to ensure exact specifications.
HUXWRX utilizes the latest in 3D metal printing, a process that fuses powdered metals with a laser into detailed and precisely layered structures. This is the same process used to make custom parts for companies like Space X. With this method, they can design an intricate system of internal baffles without needing to worry about whether a stock-removal system, such as CNC machining, can reach the inner nooks and crannies. It also eliminates the need to weld pieces together.
By using the latest in manufacturing processes and flow-through design, HUXWRX is focused on mitigating exposure to toxic gas, and improving the health and well-being of military, law enforcement, and firearm enthusiasts. To show off the versatility of their product range, HUXWRX suppressors were mounted to every DT rifle, and several handguns that were brought to the range.
Armasight
To this day, many people think of night vision as a grainy-green video, or thermal imaging as something out of a 1980’s action movie. But modern-day technology paints a much clearer picture than the old school NVGs. Armasight brings the latest in night vision tech to a variety of products, ranging from wearable monoculars and goggles to clip-on rifle optics. Most of the products are available in both green and white phosphor and have clarity that's light years above and beyond what is shown in older movies.
Above: A Team Wendy Bump Helmet with Armasight Pinnacle Night Vision Goggles.
Recently they put together an entire package that includes everything you need to attach an NVG system to a Team Wendy bump helmet, taking out all of the mounting guess work. This kit was brought to the North Springs Shooting Range, along with several of their rifle mounted clip-ons and infrared lights for a night shoot at the range’s cowboy town.
AXIL
Above: Traditional earplugs work fine to block loud noise, but active ear pro (such as the AXIL XCOR earbuds the author is wearing in this photo) make it much easier to have conversations on the range.
Spending an entire day and most of the night at the range, even with suppressors attached, can use a little extra hearing protection. To enhance the range experience, we also met with AXIL to learn more about their background and try out some of their ear protection.
Inspired by a family business over 50 years in the making, with its roots in designing hearing aids, the company has evolved into designing premium ear buds, muffs, and plugs. AXIL prides itself as a company that does not take any short cuts when sourcing materials for their products, or releasing a product until they are sure it is completely ready for their customers. Most recently, they released a product call the XCOR, which is an earbud with Bluetooth connectivity. It can enhance ambient sound and dynamically reduces overly loud decibel levels in real time. Meaning, between sending rounds down range, in-person conversations are possible without removing them, and the built in mic allows one to answer calls from a Bluetooth connected phone. AXIL’s new XCOR ear buds were the icing on the shooters cake.
Range Performance
Spending the majority of an entire day at the range can be a blast, pun intended, but the North Springs Shooting Range enhanced the entire experience with the stunning backdrop of the Utah high desert spanning as far as the eye could see. Close range targets as close as a few yards to as far as two miles were available to try out the HUXWRX suppressed DT rifles, and a cowboy town was available for the night shoot. All of the rifles were set up, ammo was readily available, and with our XCOR’s fully charged and put in place, we got to shooting some targets.
Above: Patrick Diedrich fires a Desert Tech SRS-M2 equipped with a HUXWRX suppressor.
Personally, as someone with minimal experience firing bullpups, I was surprised by how versatile of a platform they could be. The smaller caliber platforms were light and compact, but it did take a few mag changes to get used to the location of the magazine well behind the firing grip. And for someone with large hands, finding a comfortable hand position took a little experimenting. On the bolt action rifles, there were occasional misfeeds, but this always turned out to be operator error by not sliding the bolt back far enough between rounds. It takes some practice to get used to cycling a bolt that's mounted further back on the rifle.
Larger caliber DT rifles were heavier, but their precision was undeniable, and before long we were consistently hitting targets as far out as 1000 yards. To showcase the versatility of their rifles, a DT barrel and bolt were rapidly exchanged in the field. Without any further adjustments to the rifle or the optic, I was hitting 600 yard targets as if nothing had happened.
Above: After changing the barrel and the bolt, the SRS can still hit targets out to 1000 yards and beyond without any zero adjustments.
HUXWRX flow-through suppressors kept the decibels of larger calibers to a minimum, all while avoiding gas build up. Since we were firing these rifles for hours, not having to deal with a cloud of acrid smoke pouring back down the barrel, through the ejection port, and into our faces was refreshing. Smaller calibers made even less noise, and the first time the suppressed .22 LR platforms were fired, nearby shooters couldn’t even tell the shot was fired until they heard the plink on the steel targets. While firing a fully automatic Quattro-15, the suppressor was held to feel how fast it would heat up, and the temperature never reached a point where holding on became unbearable.
After the sun had set, we headed to the cowboy town to don our Armasight night vision and take out a few steel bank robbers and buffalo silhouettes. People who wear NVGs typically experience serious problems with depth perception, but the ghost white phosphor Pinnacle night vision goggles were astonishingly clear. There was a little loss of depth perception, but nothing even close to those old military PVS-7s or 14s. Their rifle mounted night vision and thermal optics were equally clear, and target identification was further enhanced with IR flashlights.
Above: A Desert Tech Rifle equipped with an Armasight Vulcan Gen 3 night vision rifle scope and HUXWRX suppressor.
Final Thoughts
Sending hundreds of rounds of varying calibers downrange all day seems like it would inevitably lead to some sort of breakdown or malfunction, but this never occurred. Overall, our impression of these companies and their products was positive, and the time spent at the range was enjoyable. It was apparent that each one that contributed to this day at the range was passionate about what they do, and cared deeply about the function of their products. This passion was also evident in their staff — after taking a peek behind the curtain of their production facilities, even their line workers were enthusiastic about the role they played. It will be exciting to see how these companies move forward, and we hope to get our hands on some of their newest gear for in-depth reviews in the near future.
Shooting and gunfighting are not the same thing — this is a statement we’ve made countless times on this site and in our magazine, and it’s always worth reiterating. A strong grasp of technical shooting skills is essential if you expect to defend yourself with a firearm, but that alone doesn’t make you a gunfighter any more than owning a plane and knowing how to perform a basic takeoff makes you a fighter pilot. Preparing for a gunfight involves maintaining situational awareness, developing a defensive mindset, a smooth and consistent draw, balancing speed and accuracy, footwork, transitioning between multiple targets, and the ability to manage stress. It may also involve skills that are rarely practiced in a typical “flat range” setting, such as one-handed shooting, shooting from retention (i.e. before the gun is fully extended with sights on target), and clearing malfunctions. Each of these important skills were addressed at a Core Pistol class I recently attended, taught by lead instructor Chris Vermeer of Core Dynamics Firearms Training.
Core Dynamics Core Pistol Class
The Core Pistol class began with a discussion of defensive mindset principles. In addition to reminders of Murphy’s Law (if it can happen, it will happen) and the OODA loop (observe, orient, decide, act), Vermeer mentioned the less commonly known Hick’s Law (the more choices you have, the longer it’ll take to make a decision).
From these three principles, students learned the importance of preparing for worst-case scenarios, continuously observing our surroundings, and “pre-gaming” situations mentally in order to streamline our heat-of-the-moment defensive decisions. We were also reminded that violent criminals don’t think the same way we do; they may be desperate addicts, mentally unstable, or ruthlessly determined enough that the presence of a gun won’t phase them in the slightest. In those cases, lethal force may be the only way to stop an attack.
Above: Vermeer demonstrates steps two through five of the traditional five-step draw.
Stepping out onto the range, we practiced the classic five-step draw process from concealment: clear cover garment and establish a secure grip, draw the gun up out of the holster, rotate muzzle towards target, join with the support hand at sternum level, and finally extend to acquire the sights. Next, we worked from three ready positions: low ready (looking over the sights), temple index, and compressed. As we checked our targets, Vermeer reminded us that line breaks don’t count in this class, because accuracy in a real defensive situation must be held to the highest standard. Shooting drills started with slow and precise single shots to test our fundamentals, but quickly moved on to multi-shot strings with varying cadences based on target difficulty. We tested ourselves at distances from 5 to 25 yards, and even practiced no-shoot situations to simulate an opponent who surrendered before a shot was fired.
Above: Many of us have heard of the “tap-rack” malfunction clearance technique, but when was the last time you actually practiced it? Frequent tap-rack reps are important to speed up your reaction time if a real malfunction occurs.
Malfunctions — which should be rare but are never impossible — were an important component of the class due to the aforementioned Murphy’s Law. The classic tap-rack (smacking the magazine to ensure it’s seated, then racking the slide) is a technique Vermeer says most shooters don’t practice frequently enough. In order to make it a reflexive action, he recommended students integrate it into our daily dry fire practice routine.
Above: One-handed shooting is another skill that's often overlooked, but it could be critical if one hand is injured or if you're using it to push a loved one out of the line of fire.
As drills continued, students began sidestepping left or right while drawing, issuing verbal commands to the hypothetical assailant, and scanning a full 360-degree radius after firing. Obviously, we kept our weapons pointed downrange, but turned to look over each shoulder past the usual 180-degree “scan and assess” range. To ensure the latter task wasn’t simply range theatrics, Vermeer quizzed us about what we observed once we had scanned our surroundings. For example, “what color shirt was the person over your right shoulder wearing,” or “how many people were standing behind you?”
Above: Many “scan and assess” drills involve quickly pivoting the head 180 degrees left and right as if you're crossing a street. However, in the real world, it's wise to carefully scan a 360-degree radius and observe important details.
In our final exercise, students paired up in front of two steel plates for a simulated fight. On the buzzer, each student quickly drew and shot the steel three times; whoever got three hits the fastest was the winner, and advanced to the next round. This induced stress, since each of us was aware of the consequences a fumbled draw or missed shots might have in a real gunfight.
Closing Thoughts
I enjoyed my time at the Core Pistol class, and felt it was a nice refresher for critical skills related to self-defense with a concealed handgun. For more information on upcoming Core Dynamics pistol, carbine, and medical classes in Arizona, go to coredynamicsaz.com.
The recurve blade is a design that has been around forever in some form, but in the past 25 years or so, it has really taken off and become a popular EDC profile. At one time, the design was made to facilitate chopping and hacking, but as knives and blade steels have evolved, so has the application of the recurve blade. Depending on which historian you believe, the design originated in the ancient world. The kukri, kopis, falcatta, golok, dao, scimitar, and other similar designs exhibit recurve styles with a larger curve and more weight toward the front of the blade. They were all almost undoubtedly choppers — whether meant to hack through thick vegetation or a warrior’s leather, metal, or wicker armor.
The geometry of the recurve potentially allowed for efficient slicing, and this pattern was popular on butcher knives and skinning knives in more recent centuries. We still see them on various choppers like machetes or kukris, but on the full range of EDC blades they offer another advantage: They pack more usable blade length into a smaller package. If you compare blades with even a slight recurve, you’ll find that you’re gaining the cutting power of a blade from 25- to 75-percent longer than the straight length measurement of the recurve blade. To simplify this, think of your 4-inch-bladed recurve having the cutting power of a 5- to 6-inch blade.
If there’s a drawback to the recurve, it may be maintaining the edge. Much like the hawksbill — but not as bad — you’ll find that most whetstones and straight sharpening devices won’t work well with a more dramatic recurve. You can either send them back to the maker or manufacturer, visit or send to a professional knife sharpener, or invest in a round-shaped sharpening stone or rod.
The recurve was born out of basic geometry and has really improved over the centuries we’ve seen it in use. Whether you need something for slicing, chopping, or just a good self-defense blade, the recurve has a little bit more to it than meets the eye.
CSSD/SC
Mini My So
Bram Frank is a Grandmaster of Arnis and has developed a series of self-defense-oriented knives based on his teaching. The Mini My So is a small concealable folder featuring a recurve blade fit for an ancient warrior with respect to its design. Available in a variety of colors (pink, black/pink, black/tan) and three sizes (mini, medium, and large), this is a knife designed to be carried comfortably but ready to deploy instantly. This is a somewhat specialized design, and it’s advised that you seek training with Bram Frank or one of his instructors in order to fully understand the intricacies of its design.
Pros:
Like all of Bram Frank’s designs, this includes the BRAMP that allows you to open it against an attacker’s body if needed.
The blade slices like a razor, a testament to the grind more than the steel used.
Its smallish size leads to a lot of concealment options for daily carry.
Cons:
There’s currently no training variant for this model.
While the basics are simple, these knives really need the user to work with Frank or one of his instructors.
The North Fork has a dressy look to it with its stabilized Dymandwood scales, and the blade has one of the slightest recurves compared to the rest on our list. Benchmade offers this as a potential pocket skinning blade for processing game, but it makes for a very effective EDC knife. The Axis lock mechanism makes it easy to open or close the blade with one hand and a flick of the wrist.
Pros:
Very sharp out of the box with a nice thin edge for slicing
The North Fork relies on Benchmade’s ever popular Axis lock for a safe and robust locking mechanism.
CPM S30V is a premium knife steel with superb edge retention.
The clip can be positioned tip-up and either left- or right-handed.
Cons:
As good a steel as S30V is, it can be difficult to sharpen.
The handles can get slick under wet conditions. Be mindful if you’re using it to dress game. A retention lanyard should be used if possible.
Zero Tolerance is a division of KAI/Kershaw Knives, and this company prides itself on their designs coming from the demands of military professionals. The ZT 0350 is a good-sized recurve blade that deploys by means of the speed-assist mechanism. This is a scaled-down version of the ZT 0300, making it lighter and more pocket friendly. The G10 feels great in the hand with its natural texture.
Pros:
The blade is made from CPM S30V; it’s tough, razor sharp, rust resistant, and sports excellent edge retention.
This knife performed well as a cutter, and the factory grind was just about perfect.
Fires like a rocket every time, like all assisted or flipper knives should function.
Cons:
The pocket clip is a bit too tight from the factory and seems prone to damage.
S30V may keep its edge for a long time but it’s not the easiest steel to sharpen.
Mercworx Knives has a long and consistent history in the realm of tactical fixed blades. Made by professionals for professionals, these knives have seen serious use with elite troops all over the globe. The Golgotha sports a chili-pepper-shaped handle that locks into your hand in either the forward or reverse grip and is extremely comfortable. The blade is a bold-styled recurve that brings to mind a Kopis or Falcatta, albeit a scaled-down one.
Pros:
It’s made from either 154CM or S30V. This version is 154CM and has been an absolute performer.
Razor sharp out of the box, the way all knives should ship
The rubber belt loop carry attachment works well for keeping the blade in an upright and ready-to-go position while remaining secure.
Cons:
These blades are handmade one at a time to order, so availability may be an issue in some cases.
Some users don’t care for a mirror-polished blade; it’s very reflective unless you bead-blast it.
SOG Knives has been partnered with custom knifemaker Kiku Matsuda for a number of years. He brings quite a few fixed blade and folding designs to the table with his compound recurve designs. The FX Fixed blade features a variety of different handle materials and colors, from natural linen Micarta in this one to orange G10. The handle material and texturing give this knife great ergonomics.
Pros:
The blade is generously sized and can tackle just about any task you have in store for it.
The handle is extremely comfortable and ergonomic.
The blade is made from S35VN; it’s tough, razor sharp, rust resistant, and sports an easily maintainable edge.
Cons:
Although the sheath is well-made, the Tek Lok makes it sit a bit farther out than most other designs.
The blade could’ve been a hair sharper, but it was easily touched up due to the compound edge and approaching it from two different angles.
Emerson was asked to design a folding knife for use by the SEAL Teams, and the original submission was deemed too scary by the Navy brass, despite the fact the SEALs loved it. Emerson changed the blade design to a more utilitarian shape in the form of a recurve. He was asked to incorporate a blade catcher on the top of the blade for knife fighting. As silly as this may sound, the device, now known as the Emerson Wave Shaped Opening Device, opened the knife as it was drawn from the pocket, which soon propelled Emerson into an even higher demand from knife users.
Pros:
The blade, made of 154CM, is tough, razor sharp, rust resistant, and sports an easily maintainable edge.
The knife excels at cutting and slicing.
The Emerson Wave Shaped Opening Device allows this one to deploy as it’s drawn from the pocket.
Cons:
The Emerson Wave Shaped Opening Device can shred your pocket corners up with regular deployment.
It’s only tapped for clip use for right-handed users. Emerson Knives can tap the other scale for an upcharge.
V Nives is one of the fastest-growing knife companies in the U.S., producing collaborative designs with custom knifemakers. The Deplorable Titanium is based on a design by custom maker Jerry Hossom. There’s an economical version of this model about $300 cheaper, but they sent us the version with the sculpted titanium frame lock handle. The sculpted handle offers a nice grip and imparts the look and feel of a custom knife. Whether you go with this one or the economy version, the Hossom-designed blade makes for an amazing recurve style even if it’s more of a strike point than a curve.
Pros:
This one is very comfortable in the hand, V Nives did an outstanding job here.
The blade is made from S35VN; it’s tough, razor sharp, rust resistant, and sports an easily maintainable edge.
Flipper action is buttery smooth and opens perfectly every time.
Cons:
The polished titanium handles could be susceptible to scratching with everyday use.
DISCLAIMER: This is a general overview and not a comprehensive guide to all waterborne contaminants and water purification methods. If you’re unsure if a source of water is safe, be sure to purify it thoroughly before using it for drinking, cooking, or cleaning.
Photos By: Amy Alton
Water. The source of all life, there’s no animal that isn’t composed partly of it. The microscopic tardigrade, also known as a “water bear,” can drop its moisture content to less than 1 percent of normal, but still harbors about 3 percent at its driest. Humans, however, are about 60 percent water and don’t have the ability to survive without fresh water for more than about three days.
In normal times, those who receive a water bill from their town or city are purchasing it from a system where the water is tested, and one that must prove to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it meets National Primary Drinking Standards. An annual water quality report is compiled and available through the water company with information about contaminants that have possible health effects. Having said that, germs and chemicals can get into the water, either at its source, through the distribution system, or even after leaving water treatment facilities. The Flint, Michigan, water crisis is one of the most infamous examples of this in recent history. The city’s drinking water was contaminated with harmful levels of lead, and studies also found evidence that an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease (caused by waterborne bacteria) may have been linked to the municipal water supply.
Above: Clean drinking water is something we take for granted in modern society.
How Water Gets Contaminated
If water is taken from the wrong source, it can result in miserable illness or even death. The challenge is to find safe drinkable (potable) water or, at least, to have the materials and knowledge to make it safe to drink.
Harmful microorganisms or toxic chemicals can get in the water from many sources, including:
Fertilizers, pesticides, or other chemicals used on land near the water
Concentrated feed operations from livestock farms
Manufacturing operations from factories
Overflowing sewers and cracks in water piping systems
Flood waters
Wildlife (usually in smaller water sources like creeks)
Soil containing substances such as arsenic and uranium
Above: Flood waters aren’t safe to drink, as they often contain sewage and chemical runoff.
Safe to Drink or Not?
It’s not always obvious that water, even from the tap, is safe to drink. Some signs that should warn you of questionable water is if it’s:
Cloudy – Turbidity, or cloudiness, could signal the presence of disease-causing microbes.
Slimy – Hard water can cause your hands to feel slimy when touching it. This doesn’t have to mean danger but could indicate the presence of lead or other toxic metals.
Discolored – Brown or other colored water may signify the presence of microbes or toxins like copper, iron, or lead. It could also indicate tannins. Tannins are natural organic matter that can result from water passing through decaying vegetation. In small concentrations, they aren’t dangerous, but can cause a number of problems if present in excess.
Smelly – Water that smells bad could harbor disease-causing organisms or toxins like barium or cadmium. Odors like rotten eggs may indicate the presence of hydrogen sulfide. When exposed to certain bacteria, it converts into sulfate, which can cause dehydration or diarrhea.
A high level of suspicion is wise with just about any new water source. Even the clearest mountain stream may harbor giardia, a parasite that causes diarrhea and dehydration. Better safe than sorry.
If you lose access to municipal drinking water, you can still count certain sources in the home as generally safe:
Melted ice cubes made with water that isn’t contaminated
Liquid from canned vegetables and fruit
Water from your home’s toilet tank (not from the bowl), if it’s clear and not discolored by chemical treatment
Water from your home’s water heater (the tank that connects to the water that comes out of your faucets and showerheads)
Bottled water from coolers
Water from swimming pools and spas can be used for hygiene purposes, but not for drinking. Also, never use water from radiator tanks or boilers that are part of your home heating system. They are different from your water heater for faucets and showers and not safe to drink.
Above: Water supplies are tested to see if they meet National Primary Drinking Standards.
Myths About Water Purification
Water filters are expensive and high maintenance. Cheap water filters such as the Sawyer Mini, Lifestraw, and others are compact, lightweight, and easy to use.
Bottled water is better. Bottled water is fine, but the quantity required for a family is huge over time and contributes to environmental damage. A water filtration system, on the other hand, is a one-time investment for continuous supplies of safe water.
Water filters remove all the good minerals from your diet. Water filters do remove minerals, but the percentage of calcium, iron, and other minerals in water is small compared to what you get from food like vegetables, fruits, and leafy greens.
Your city or town guarantees the supply of pure water. Municipalities use a lot of chemicals to make water safe for consumption; contaminants may always be present.
Clear water and/or fast-flowing water is safe water. Pesticides, chemicals, microorganisms, and other contaminants that aren’t visible to the human eye may be present in tap water or naturally occurring sources.
Water filters completely purify water. Water filters, well, filter, but they don’t always make water safe to drink. For example, a Lifestraw cannot remove the dissolved salt in seawater. Always consider the source of your water carefully and use a treatment method that’s suitable for the contaminants it might contain. To be extra safe, double-up with two purification methods.
Above: The Lifestraw, a compact, lightweight commercial water filter.
Disinfecting Water
If you suspect that the water quality is questionable, there are simple ways to help make it safe to drink. Boiling is perhaps the most well-known and eliminates bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Simply take a container, fill it with water, and get it to a rolling boil for one full minute. For altitudes over 6,500 feet, boil for three full minutes. Why? As altitude increases, the atmospheric pressure decreases as does the boiling point of water. To compensate for the lower boiling point, the boiling time must be increased.
Boiling takes fuel, so you might consider, instead, chemical disinfection to get rid of bacteria and viruses. This is most easily accomplished with 5 to 9 percent sodium hypochlorite (unscented household bleach). Use eight drops of bleach per gallon, but 16 drops if the water is cloudy. Mix the bleach into the water thoroughly, and let it stand for 30 minutes before consuming. Other chemicals such as iodine or chlorine dioxide will work as well after a period of waiting. Be aware that old bleach (older than six months) loses potency.
For storage purposes, calcium hypochlorite may be an improvement on household bleach. A 1-pound package of calcium hypochlorite in granular form can treat up to 10,000 gallons of drinking water. It destroys a variety of disease-causing organisms including bacteria, yeast, fungus, spores, and viruses.
Calcium hypochlorite is widely available for use as a swimming pool additive. Using granular calcium hypochlorite to disinfect water is a three-step process.
To make a stock of chlorine solution (do not drink this!), dissolve one heaping teaspoon (about one-quarter of an ounce) of (78 percent) granular calcium hypochlorite for each 2 gallons (8 liters) of water.
Add just one part of the chlorine solution to 100 parts water to be treated.
Let the mixture sit for at least a half hour before drinking.
Above: Calcium hypochlorite can be stored as a solid water disinfection method.
In some circumstances, you may have neither fuel for boiling nor chemical agents for disinfection. In this case, you can use the ultraviolet light from the sun. This is known as the solar water disinfection (SODIS) method. Colorless, label-less 2-liter plastic or glass bottles will serve the purpose. Fill the bottle about 90 percent with the questionable but clear water. Then, expose it to full sunlight for six full hours. Cloudy weather takes much longer. If raining, collect the rainwater instead. For the best effect, consider placing the bottle on a reflective metal surface, such as aluminum foil, to increase the bottle’s light exposure. For a simpler way to UV sterilize water, there are commercial UV sterilizers available, such as the Steri-Pen.
It should be noted that water containing toxic chemicals or radioactivity is not made safe with any of the disinfection methods mentioned thus far.
Above: Ultraviolet light from full sun disinfects water in about 6 hours.
Common Waterborne Contaminants
Many bacteria, parasites, and viruses thrive in an aquatic environment, including:
Cryptosporidium
Legionella
Campylobacter
Norovirus
E. coli O157
Rotavirus
Enterovirus
Salmonella
Giardia
Shigella
Hepatitis A
Chemicals that have been known to contaminate tap water include:
Arsenic
Nitrate
Copper
Radon
Lead
Above: Questionable water sources require disinfection.
Filtering Water
You may have methods to disinfect water, but if it’s cloudy or has particulate matter in it, you must filter it first. Commercial filters such as the Lifestraw, Sawyer Mini, or the Berkey are useful and highly effective, but if you don’t have these, some improvisation is required.
Here’s a list of what you’ll need:
Plastic bottle with a cap
Knife
Hammer and nail
Coffee filter or thin cloth
Large cup or mug (either one works)
Activated charcoal
Sand
Gravel
Container to catch the water (jar, cup, mug, etc.)
Above: Materials used to improvise a simple filter.
First, use the knife to cut the bottom off the plastic bottle. Take the hammer and nail and punch a hole or two in the cap. If you don’t have a hammer or nail, use the knife to cut an X shape into the bottle cap.
Above: Cut off the bottom third of a clear plastic bottle.
Above: Make one or two holes in the bottle cap.
Cover the mouth of the bottle with the coffee filter and tighten the cap over it. Put the bottle upside-down into the container that’ll collect the water (or use the cutout bottom of the bottle).
Above: Place the coffee filter or thin cloth between the bottle and the cap.
Now add layers of filtering material. Start by filling the bottom of the bottle with the charcoal. If the charcoal is in large pieces, break it down with the hammer into pea-sized particles.
Above: Place a layer of charcoal in the upside-down bottle.
Fill the middle with undyed sand.
Above: Add a layer of loose sand.
Fill the rest with gravel (layers should be about the same thickness) but leave an inch or so of space at the top to avoid spillage.
Above: Add a layer of gravel or small rocks.
The gravel layer will catch larger pieces of debris. The sand layer catches smaller particles, such as dirt, and the charcoal layer can reduce levels of bacteria and some chemicals. Be aware that, at the beginning, the charcoal may have some “soot.”
Above: Pour water to be filtered on top, let drain into container at bottom.
Hold your improvised filter over a container. Pour water in slowly and be patient, as the now-filtered water may take some time to flow into the container. If still not clear, put the water through a second time. If it takes too long, use thinner layers. Additional graduated layers may be added as desired.
Above: The improvised filter manages to capture most of the murky particulate.
Another method suggests making a filter out of the sapwood of trees like pine. Sapwood contains xylem, which filters out dirt and even bacteria (but not viruses). For this, you’ll begin with a plastic bottle as before. Then:
Cut a 4-inch-long piece from a pine tree branch of the thickness that, when the bark is peeled off, fits tightly into the bottle’s neck.
Slide the first inch or so of the stick into the neck of the bottle.
Cut the bottom of the bottle off and turn the bottle upside down.
Fill the bottle with water, and let the water drain through the stick.
With this method, it’s important that the xylem remains constantly moist, or you will lose the filtering effect.
While improvised water filters can greatly improve taste and odor as well as reduce levels of contaminants, it’s wise to follow up with a secondary purification method (such as bleach or boiling) whenever possible. Even if your DIY filter eliminates 90 percent of bacteria, the remaining 10 percent might still be enough to make you sick.
Above: Bring water to a rolling boil to disinfect it.
Storing Water Safely
Once you have a safe water source, you’ll want to store a supply of it. Use food-grade water storage containers; these won’t leach toxic substances into the water they’re holding and can be found at camping supply stores. The container you use should be made of durable materials; in other words, not glass. It should have a narrow opening that makes pouring easy and have a top that can be closed tightly. Avoid containers that previously held toxic chemicals, such as bleach. Write the date on a label and keep them stored in a dark place with a temperature preferably between 50 and 70 degrees F. Replace your water supply every six months or so.
Stored water will often taste “flat.” This occurs because, over time, the water loses oxygen much like soda loses carbonation. To restore the original taste, shake your water in a container for a minute or two before drinking.
Above: Water storage containers must be food-grade quality.
What About Salt Water Purification Methods?
You’ve heard that it’s dangerous to drink salt water. Among other reasons, this is because:
The human kidney can’t eliminate large amounts of salt, causing excessive strain and leading to dehydration.
Too much salt causes elevated blood pressures that may lead to organ failure.
Drinking salt water causes muscle cramps.
Above: The Lifestraw and Sawyer Mini are compact, lightweight commercial water filters. However, they cannot be used to desalinate seawater.
If your only option is salt water, there are ways to desalinate it. Off the grid, the best method may be distillation by evaporation. When water is evaporated, salt and other particles are separated from it. The distilled water is caught in a container and should be safe to drink. Desalination is most quickly achieved by boiling to trap steam; you can, however, get condensation from seawater with sunlight. You’ll need a pot, a smaller pot, some plastic wrap or sheeting, and one or two weights.
Partly fill the larger pot with sea water and put the smaller pot in the larger pot. Cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and put a weight on the plastic over the center of the smaller pot (but not touching it). Condensation of fresh water will occur on the inside of the plastic sheet, leaving the salt behind. The weight on the plastic will cause fresh water to drip into the smaller pot, which you can drink from. They call this method a “solar still” or “moisture trap.”
Above: An improvised solar still
About the Author
Joe Alton, MD, is a physician, medical preparedness advocate, and N.Y. Times-bestselling author of The Survival Medicine Handbook: The Essential Guide For When Help Is Not On The Way, now in its 700-page fourth edition. He’s also an outdoor enthusiast and member of The Wilderness Medical Society. His website at doomandbloom.net has over 1,300 articles, podcasts, and videos on medical preparedness as well as an entire line of quality medical kits designed by the author and packed in the United States.
Whether you're searching for a lost item, locating a wire or water pipe for safety reasons, or have personal security in mind, having a reliable metal detector can be a game-changing tool. MineLab offers multiple metal detecting solutions in their product lineup, including the Pro-Find 35 pinpoint metal detector. At 9.38 inches long and weighing just over 6 ounces, it can be stored easily in a pack, on your belt, or in a vehicle, ready to be used whenever it's needed. The Pro-Find has five sensitivity settings so you can filter out undesirable metal detections, and it's waterproof up to 3 meters, making it ideal for shallow water searching. Volume from its detection indicator can also be adjusted, including vibration intensity. The vibration allows the user to feel if something is being detected if you don’t want noise alerting others nearby, or if searching underwater and unable to hear the detection indicator tone. There are lost-proofing features built into the design as well, which include the bright yellow housing color and an inactivity alarm.
This isn't your average pocket knife, but a versatile array of tools that comfortably fits into easily accessible places. Versa’s blade length is a little over 3 inches, made out of a high carbon stainless steel, and has a slew of built-in features — including straight and serrated cutting edges, a flat head driver, and a wrench to adjust the valve of oxy-acetylene tanks. Built into the rubber-coated handle is a pry bar, glass breaker, and strap cutter. Essentially, it has a tool to mitigate some of the most life-threatening situations you could find yourself, all neatly compressed into a 5-inch handle. If that wasn’t enough, Jason Hanson, former CIA operative, has put together several tutorial videos of how to apply the tools built into the Versa Knife, which can be found on the blade's website. Rather than load your bug-out bag with the extra weight of a dozen individual tools, the Versa offers a lightweight and convenient way to be ready for anything.
Born of the collaborative efforts of several elite military operators, the Professional Outdoorsman Precision Skinner (POPS) MK2P is a nearly invincible knife for serious use. CNC ground from CPM 3V steel, the 0.210-inch-thick blade can withstand serious abuse without flinching. Gunfighter Design incorporates its Double Thumb Relief into the blade for a higher level of control when you have to get work done in tight places. G10 handle slabs give the MK2P better durability over other handle materials, and hollow titanium handle pins make it easy to add a lanyard or lash the blade into a fixed position. The blade itself is 3.5 inches long, with an overall length of 8 inches, making it a fixed blade that's not overly cumbersome. A point is machined into the design of the hilt for glass-breaking purposes, and the custom Kydex sheath makes it easy to conceal the blade in pocket, pack, or vehicle.
Known for producing some of the best outdoor gear on the market, Suunto has rolled out a time-keeping device capable of much more. Designed and tested to withstand military-grade durability standards, the watch face of the 9 Peak Pro is sapphire crystal, the body is stainless steel, and some models are available in titanium. It's waterproof up to 100 meters and can run 40 hours continuously with the most power-hungry GPS features running. If the Peak Pro is used lightly as a timepiece, it can last as long as 21 days on a single charge. Whatever your outdoor activity is, there are 95 individual sport modes to track your activity, including a dedicated snorkeling mode. Bluetooth connectivity connects the 9 Peak Pro to most current smart phones and offers an enhanced method of planning workouts, tracking performance, and navigating the landscape. It's thin and light, only 0.43-inch thick, weighs 2.26 ounces, and with the incorporation of a few Suunto accessories, can be strapped to a handlebar or customized with different colored wrist straps.
Nothing leads to more fatalities in the outdoors than exposure to the elements, so finding rain gear that's both functional and durable is crucial to self-preservation. The Pnuma 3L Element Proof Rain Jacket delivers both. By utilizing interwoven polyester, the 3L is 100-percent waterproof up to 20,000mm, and has a breathability rating of 15,000 g/m2/24h. What this means is that it can keep torrential rain from seeping through without overheating the wearer while out and about. The built-in hood keeps the noggin dry, and anti-abrasion overlays in high-wear areas, like the shoulders, prevent damage from things like pack straps. For hunters or other tactical situations, the Caza pattern easily blends into many wilderness settings, and for the urbanite or casual use, the Beluga color is a classy neutral tone. Weighing in at just over 20 ounces, the 3L is serious protection from the elements that will not feel like a burden in a ruck.
It has been said that the best optic is the one you have. Hopefully, the one you have is a German-engineered Meopta, because it's hard to beat their level of visual clarity. As if Meopta’s crystal clear objective lenses weren’t enough, they’ve gone and added a built-in laser range finder to their binos. The Optika LR 10×42 HD is a serious pair of binos, capable of accurately ranging out to 2,600 yards with a minimal margin of error of +/- 2 yards. Its magnesium body is coated in rubber to keep it from getting damaged by moisture, dust, or drop shock. Each Optika LR also comes with a protective case, carry strap, and lens covers. Looking through the binos will give the user a 6.7-degree field of view, with 85 percent daylight transmission up to 10 times magnification. And with the press of a button, you can easily determine the range of whatever you're looking at. A fully charged battery will yield up to 1,200 measures.
Going to the range can quickly turn into a hassle when more than one firearm is being lugged around. Cases tend to be big and clunky, and it can be stressful leaving a gun unattended while making multiple trips to and from a vehicle. The DRC (Double Rifle Case) 36, is here to mitigate that stress by offering the storage capacity of two rifles up to 36 inches long. A padded divider separates the main compartment, preventing bumps and scuffs when storing two rifles. Extra accessory compartments easily store common range gear like ear pro, targets, or maintenance tools. MOLLE webbing built into the outside adds another layer of versatility, allowing for endless customized loadouts. Carry it like a briefcase for short distances or utilize the pack straps to wear it like a backpack for those range sites off the beaten path. The DRC’s matte color blends into a multitude of surroundings for tactical applications, and it has a nylon Velcro backing for name plates or morale patches.
Not every dismounted excursion overland necessitates an 8-inch hiking boot. For those family trips to a well-established park or a light stroll through some rolling hills, footwear that's light and breezy can make the experience much more enjoyable. Garmont’s 9.81 HELI is a lightweight, low-top shoe that looks and works great in the urban jungle just as much as it does in an oak savannah. Striking a comfortable balance between comfortability and support, strapping on a pair of 9.81 HELIs will have you enjoying light hiking or Nordic walking in no time. For those who want to enjoy the outdoors in a hurry, Garmont’s speed lacing system will expedite hitting the trails. The aesthetics make the 9.81 HELI a great contender for casual office wear for those who may want to get up and move during a lunch break, and Garmont’s attention to quality design will have these shoes lasting for years to come.
Got a few fixed blade knives lying around and would like a traditional and timeless way to keep them organized? PNW Bushcraft has the solution with their Birch Waxed Canvas Knife Roll Up. PNW Bushcraft is leading the waxed canvas revival by crafting durable handmade products perfect for the outdoors. Their Birch Roll is 15 by 25.5 inches and features eight pockets that are 5 inches deep by 3 inches wide. Once all your favorite fixed blades are stowed in the pockets, roll them up and secure them with the leather cord, or use the built-in grommets to hang them on the wall for easy access. The waxed canvas will protect your knives from the elements and add another layer of corrosion resistance to high carbon steels. Waxed canvas is easy to clean and maintain, making the Birch Roll perfect for outdoor expeditions. In an era of synthetic fiber, CNC machines and intelligent software, having a product made of materials that have stood the test of time for hundreds of years is a refreshing change of pace.
Few things are as important as being able to create a fire. Cooking food, staying warm, and feeling comforted by the glow of a campfire are just the tip of the flame, so to speak. Unlike past generations, modern tech has made fire-making knowledge nearly obsolete. Fortunately, we don’t have to be the master of friction fire-starting methods to get a blaze going. Prepared 4X bridges the knowledge gap with the Survival Torch. Available in two sizes, the Survival Torch utilizes a thick ferrocerium rod, curved steel striker, and 36-inch wax-infused hemp rope to easily transform sparks into flame. The hemp rope is great tinder; it catches the spark almost effortlessly. The 36-inch length has an approximate continuous burn time of three hours. The aluminum housing of the Survival Torch is bright orange, so it's easy to keep track of and has a tube to pull the hemp cord through to safely extinguish the flame. Keeping the lit hemp cord close to the end of the tube protects the embers from high winds and makes for a handy lighter.
Keeping a knife sharp is undeniably one of the most important maintenance skills the owner of a blade can master. But sharpening freehand can lead to uneven edges and possibly ruin cutting potential. Cold Steel, one of the best-known knife companies in the world, has just the tool to keep your sharpening angles even and consistent, regardless of your level of skill. The Benchtop Knife Sharpener holds your blade locked in place, while you move the sharpening stones at a predetermined angle. Simply adjust to the desired angle — anywhere between 15 and 30 degrees — choose the appropriate grit, and pass the sharpening stone over one side of the edge as many times as needed. Once one side of the knife edge has been adequately sharpened, rotate the blade clamp and run the sharpening stone over the other side. The base of the Benchtop Knife Sharpener is sturdy enough that it doesn’t require clamping, and the whole kit comes in a durable storage case to keep all the components neatly organized.
Depending on where you live, traveling in a vehicle can pose complex security risks. There may be a need to keep high value items discreetly locked away. In areas with high crime rates, balancing local laws with having access to some form of self-defense could be a life-saving endeavor. Glove compartments are an obvious place for vandals breaking in, and typically not considered a secured location for the transportation of a firearm. This is where the Headrest Safe comes in. As the name implies, it's a locked safe built into the form of a vehicle headrest. There are models available for both the driver and passenger side of the vehicle. They come in a variety of colors and materials to blend in seamlessly with the vehicle's upholstery. Programmable key codes and a programmable touch sensor ensure only the intended user has access. The inside cavity is 11 inches long, 8 inches tall, 6 inches wide, and protected by 16- and 18-gauge steel.
It may be hard to believe, but over two centuries ago, a man by the name of Michael Faraday invented the electric motor, the first dynamo, and what would come to be known as the Faraday cage. By coating a room entirely with metal foil, Faraday could prevent electromagnetic fields outside the room from interfering with sensitive equipment inside. Conversely, signals from inside the Faraday cage could not escape. At first it was useful for scientific research, but has since expanded into other realms, most notably in recent times for data security. Today, the concept behind a Faraday cage is still used in everything from science labs to USB cables, and even prison buildings. Some folks have probably experienced the effects of a Faraday cage by trying to make a call on their cell phone in an elevator, or in a steel structured building. Wireless signals from devices are unable to get in or out, a feature mimicked with the SLNT E3 Faraday Backpack.
In the digital age, Faraday’s methods of blocking signals have become increasingly important for safety and security. Nefarious individuals can use active and passive devices to read RFID or NFC chips embedded into cards, steal information from smart devices, and possibly even damage hardware. A study at the University of Maryland found that there is a “near-constant rate of hacker attacks on computers with internet access,” equating to an average of 2,244 attempts per day per device studied — most of these attacks are automated brute-force techniques probing every computer they can find, leaving users blissfully unaware they’re happening. Even Mother Nature can take its toll on electronics in the form of solar radiation or geomagnetic storms. Look up the Carrington Event for an idea of how destructive our own sun has the potential to be. Society has become intrinsically intertwined with electronic devices, and we increasingly rely on them to store critical information. Now more than ever, it is important to find a way to keep those devices safe from tampering or destruction. But who wants to carry around a metal shielded box or line an entire room in foil?
This is where the company SLNT comes to the rescue. By incorporating metallic fabric into common everyday carry items, like wallets, purses, and backpacks, they’ve leveled the electronic warfare playing field. One of their items, the E3 Faraday Backpack, is particularly versatile. Electronic shielding lines parts of this pack, some of which is Military Standard 188-125-2 compliant, which means it’s rated to block the effects of a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP). For anyone who hasn’t read the book One Second After, it is a well-known fact that a single HEMP has the capability to cripple most of the continental United States for years. It also exceeds IEEE 299-2006 standards, which covers radio frequency ranges between 1 and 40 GHz. These are ratings meant to ensure nuclear missile silos and sensitive database infrastructure will be able to survive mutually assured destruction, so a bag built to withstand that level of electromagnetic power should be able to block malicious short-range hackers.
Above: Disguised as a classy EDC day pack, SLNT’s E3 Faraday backpack blocks nefarious wireless signals.
SLNT E3 Faraday Backpack
The E3 is a 23-liter bag, measuring 20.5 by 12.2 by 7.1 inches (52 by 31 by 18 cm), which makes it quite handy for day pack or airplane carry-on. It’s black and stylish, giving it a professional vibe for the office or school, and looks like a pack you wouldn’t be embarrassed to bring to a meeting. For those environmentally minded, the material is made from 100-percent recycled products and is coated to increase weather resistance. A total of 15 separate compartments allow for plenty of storage options, and it comes with a removable shoe or laundry bag to keep items such as gym clothes separate from the rest of your gear. One of the shoulder straps is designed with an easily accessible zippered pocket, perfect for a key fob, room key or thumb drive. Connecting the two shoulder straps is a magnetic sternum strap that helps reduce shoulder strain. Inside, two sizes of silent-pocket Faraday sleeves magnetically lock into place — one large enough to store a 16-inch laptop and a smaller one for a large model of smartphone. The entire bag comes packaged in a lightweight dust cover perfect for use as a dirty laundry bag when you’re on the go.
This bag looks good and sounds good on paper, but we’re interested in real-world performance. So, let’s take a deeper dive into its effectiveness at blocking signals and see if it lives up to the company’s claims. SLNT’s website has an entire page dedicated to its own testing results that looks impressive. Call me a bit of a skeptic, but it’s easy to make claims and fabricate tables to back them up, so I like to verify things independently. To perform my own testing, I downloaded a few apps to an iPhone 12 that’ll test upload and download speeds, GPS communications, Bluetooth connectivity, and run it through some common scenarios.
Above: There is ample padding on the backs and shoulders for increased breathability and comfort.
Testing Faraday Capabilities
To establish a baseline of the phone working normally, the signal testing apps were run with the phone in the open air. Signal testing is performed inside a residence built with an aluminum roof, and about 4 meters from a Wi-Fi router. Inside the house are several devices that connect via Bluetooth, and there’s a 4G cellular tower less than a half-mile away. This location is in a sparsely populated residential zone in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and the signal density isn’t as high as you would find in a metropolitan area. The phone settings are typical of what would be used to conserve data, connecting to known Wi-Fi networks when they’re available, and using cellular data when they’re not.
Unfortunately, if a phone’s settings allow it to automatically connect to signals as it comes within range, it becomes vulnerable to attacks from hackers lurking on unsecured networks. Even secured networks can be hacked with enough time and effort, allowing whoever is on the other side to victimize any devices that are connected. So, it pays to take device protection seriously. Smartphone at the ready, I began to test how well the E3 can prevent these types of attacks from occurring in the first place.
The aforementioned apps indicated that baseline data transfer speeds on the smartphone were relatively fast, with average download speeds between 80 and 100 Mbps, and upload speeds clocking in between 10 and 13 Mbps. GPS status varied more drastically inside the residence with error rates ranging between 10 and 50 feet horizontally. Perhaps this was due to the aluminum roof, or the location of GPS satellites. Regardless of the reason, the phone was tracking my location. Bluetooth connectivity functioned normally, with the phone able to easily detect the devices communicating with it, such as headphones and smart devices. As expected, the phone was functioning the way it usually does, and was able to communicate with the world around it.
Still inside the building, I placed the phone in the main backpack compartment, closed the zipper, and started running the speed tests. For reference, modern Wi-Fi routers run between 2 and 5 gigahertz (GHz), GPS communicates near the 1.5 GHz range, and Bluetooth communicates near the 2.4 GHz range. Cell phones can make use of a huge range of frequencies, between 600 MHz and 39 GHz, depending on the carrier. RFID chips can use anything between around 500 MHz and 1 GHz, and in the U.S., key fobs operate in the around the 315 MHz range.
Above: Using numerous connection testing apps, E3’s signal-blocking capabilities were put to the test, specifically cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS signals.
After running the test inside the main backpack compartment, the app reported that data transfer speed was slightly diminished, but the phone was still connecting to both Wi-Fi and cellular data with relatively fast speed. The smartphone did not detect Bluetooth objects that were greater than 5 meters away, and GPS error margins increased dramatically. Similar results were obtained in the second large backpack compartment as well. It seems that these main compartments have more of an effect on electromagnetic frequencies between 1.5 and 2.4 GHz, and only a slight impact on the 2 to 5 GHz range.
Nestled close to the back of the pack is a pocket made for passports and other travel documents. The lining of this pocket makes a louder metallic crackling noise when it’s opened, suggesting there’s a thicker Faraday lining. The same connectivity tests were repeated with the zipper closed, and the results were similar to what occurred in the main compartments of the pack: slightly slower transfer speeds, much larger GPS error margins, and reduced Bluetooth detection. To test something with a different frequency range, a key fob was placed in this travel document pocket, zipped closed, and the buttons were pressed through the outside of the pack. However, the key fob was able to communicate with the vehicle, even while enclosed in the pack. What this back pocket did well was to prevent my smartphone from reading an NFC tag, which suggests that most of the backpack prevents low frequency electromagnetic radiation from getting to whatever is inside.
Moving on to the more serious protective features are two specially shielded removable pouches, magnetically clipped inside the E3, which SLNT dubs the Silent Pocket. One is smartphone sized, and another is laptop sized. These two pouches specifically are the ones with the Mil-spec and IEEE ratings. Once an electronic device is placed inside, it’s supposed to be safe from cellular, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RFID, NFC, EMR, EMF, EMPs, and solar radiation. Each pouch opens and closes silently with a magnetic strip holding it closed. No obnoxious-sounding Velcro to wake up a passenger sleeping next to you on a trip or draw unwanted attention in a public setting. This seal is tight enough to feel confident, knowing that an expensive electronic will not fall out when it is jostled around.
After placing a smartphone inside the Faraday pouch, the same connectivity tests were run, and the results were much more dramatic. Simply put, there was no connectivity once placed inside the pouch — no cell tower communication, no Wi-Fi connection, and no Bluetooth pairing. I recruited someone with my contact info to call and send messages while my phone remained in the sealed Faraday pouch. They were unable to send anything through, and from their end, it looked like my phone was turned off completely. Placing a laptop in the appropriately sized Faraday pouch yielded the same results. No signals got in, and nothing got out. Sadly, I do not have the power to detonate a HEMP or control the flow of solar radiation, but I think it’s safe to assume that these Silent Pockets will offer a decent, if not total, amount of protection.
Above: Two detachable faraday pouches are magnetically clipped into specific places within the E3 Faraday Backpack.
Faraday Effectiveness
SLNT’s E3 Faraday Backpack looks great and is one of the most functional packs for EDC purposes I’ve had the opportunity to review. Overall, the pack has minimal shielding, suitable only for protecting RFID cards and tags from being scanned, but it’s material is sturdy enough to protect from most inclement weather elements. Its shoulder straps are comfortable, and the padding against the wearer’s back will maintain comfort and airflow while out and about. For more serious electromagnetic defense, electronics need to be placed and sealed completely inside one of the removable Faraday Silent Pockets. Once inside, nothing can communicate with or damage the device via electromagnetic fields.
Data is huge in our modern era, especially user-specific data regarding individuals. Thanks to the GPS functionality of the devices we carry every day, corporations and governments can actively or passively track our every move and establish patterns. With enough of this kind of information, a profile can be built, and some entity or agency can start to understand us better than we understand ourselves. While this is going on, unethical, tech-savvy hackers can use wireless vulnerabilities to read sensitive data from our mobile devices. This knowledge can make data security feel like an insurmountable threat that’s too complicated to think about or prepare for.
Thankfully, few preparations are easier than putting a device in a bag. That simple action with SLNT’s E3 Faraday Backpack and Silent Pockets could be what prevents a stolen identity, data theft or destruction, and possibly years of heartache. Many people, when they think about a disaster, often experience cognitive dissonance in the form of, “it could never happen to me.” But why even take the chance when options like this exist?
Remember playing games as kids to see who could stay under water the longest? Although it’s probably been a while since you did it, how long do you think you could hold your breath? Think you’d be able to do it for the same amount of time when you add panic and confusion into the mix?
Imagine all the situations where air may quickly run out and you have no breathing apparatus to rely on. Whether you find yourself in a car that’s quickly submerging into deep water, a home consumed with smoke from a fire, or you’ve been exposed to a harmful aerosolized chemical, there are no shortage of ways you may suffocate or risk severe respiratory damage if you don’t know what to do. While gas masks or oxygen tanks might be nice to have under those circumstances, you may have nothing more to rely on than your own physical abilities.
So, can you really train your body to hold your breath for prolonged periods of time? Yes. We spoke with Performance Freediving International owner Kirk Krack on how his company prepares people for these situations. Krack and his partner also started Aquatic Survival International to train military and government personnel. These techniques are just as applicable on land as they are to maritime environments. Having been tapped by James Cameron to provide training for the newest Avatar movie as well as military and law-enforcement units around the globe, Krack’s company helps others find skills they never knew could possibly save their life.
RECOIL OFFGRID: Tell us about your company.
Kirk Krack: I’m the founder and CEO of Performance Freediving International. I’ve been a water person all my life. I became scuba certified when I was 14, I’ve been a lifeguard, swim instructor, became a scuba instructor when I was 19, and bought my first dive shop when I was 20. I went all the way through the recreational scuba ranks, went into technical diving, and then eventually became a tri-mix instructor/trainer, so mixed-gas diving with multiple gasses (usually oxygen/helium/nitrogen) and scuba dives into the 575-foot range with six hours of decompression — all pretty extreme stuff.
Then, in the mid-to-late ’90s, I rediscovered free diving, which I’d always done. I got the opportunity to train a couple people to two national and two world records in the sport and realized there was no proper educational system around freediving. In January of 2000 I’d just left the Cayman Islands and started my next company with the idea of making a training system around freediving and breath-hold diving. Performance Freediving International is the world’s second oldest free-dive-specific training organization, but really we were the first to develop proper educational systems, standards, books, and everything like that.
Above: Technical freediving is a type of breath-hold diving where the diver pre-breathes an enriched oxygen mixture to extend time underwater. (Photo by Courtney Platte)
Tell us about your curriculum and the courses you offer.
KK: We have both recreational and professional-level programs. Our recreational programs start at snorkeling and go into an entry-level, free-diver-level course, which is teaching people in the 20-meter/70-foot range. We have an intermediate free-diver program, which is into the 40-meter/130-foot range, and an advanced program where we’re teaching people to work as deep as 60 meters/200 feet.
We also have professional-level programs, so we teach people how to teach our system of education. Within the recreational side, we have a number of offshoot programs. One of them is called technical freediving, which is using enriched oxygen mixtures as a surface-breathing gas to increase safety, recovery, or extend breath holds. Another program we have is an adaptive free-diver program for working with people who have physical, mental, or learning disabilities, the premise of which is for everyone to be able to enjoy the underwater world.
We also have an offshoot called our breath-hold survival program. This is targeted at the recreational market that might need a breath-hold skill from a survival aspect for them being in the water. That could be kayakers, surfers, swimmers, that sort of thing. Then, we have another set of breath-hold programs that are aimed more at professionals, specifically special-operations members and it’s a breath-hold special operations program, so that’s dealing with intentionally stressed environments, where the risk and danger of that entrapment or equipment failure could be catastrophic and going to the surface is not the first or second option because they’re on missions.
Above: Kirk Krack teaching diving skills to members of U.S. Army Special Forces. (Photo by Craig A. Gentry)
Can you tell me about some of the organizations you’ve trained?
KK: We’ve trained a number of organizations within the public safety area. We’ve trained Coast Guard rescue swimmers, Marine rescue units, and commercial diving companies. We’ve trained seven different special operations groups from three different countries. To give you an idea, we’ve done work with Air Force PJs, U.S. Naval Special Warfare Group, and several others along those lines.
As far as your recreational survival training, give us an example of how that could be useful.
KK: A really good example of how our program was born was working with big-wave surfers. We were approached by Red Bull to design a program — we already had something in the pipeline and had been playing with it and teaching some people. Red Bull approached us to teach a big-wave surfer named Ian Walsh, who at that time had surfed some of the largest waves in the world, about 80 feet. Ian was a great surfer, but his breath-hold abilities needed some work. He said that when he was under water, his ears hurt because he didn’t know how to equalize and so we developed a five-day program with the idea that when you’re on big waves you could experience a multiple-scenario hold-down.
What we try and train for is the three-wave hold-down where you’re under the water for a minute. It’s a very violent minute because you probably didn’t get a great breath hold and also got the wind knocked out of you, then you’re in a high metabolic rate. You only get about 15 seconds once you get to the surface, and you’re released before the next wave hits you and you’re held down for that next minute. We repeat that three different times with only about a 15-second interval. During that time, we create a stressed environment that the person works in.
What we’re trying to do is teach people the techniques and realities of breath holding. How the physiology and physics works with it, and what the psychology is behind it. We try and train a system of inducing mammalian diving reflex, and some of those reflexes, for example, are inducing bradycardic response, which is a slowing of the heart. The heart is a significant muscle in the body and consumes oxygen as it’s pumping blood through the circulatory system. The faster and harder it pumps, the more it’s moving it into the extremities of the circulatory system.
Another diving reflex we work on is creating splenic contractions. The spleen is a reservoir for hemoglobin that’s being processed out of the body but still has oxygen-carrying capacity. We can train the spleen to shrink by 20 percent, pushing more red blood cells into the circulatory system, so it’s almost like a natural form of blood doping. And then there’s other systems we change. We change the body’s ability to handle more carbon dioxide, which allows the breath hold to be more relaxed and go longer with less stress.
Above: Krack blowing rings underwater. (Photo by Craig A. Gentry)
Are there a few basics you think all people should know for an emergency?
KK: Absolutely. We’ve worked with fire departments, marine rescue units, police dive recovery teams, but within the fire departments, they work in noxious environments, so that’s one thing. Any time you’re working in or playing around the water where there’s potential entanglements or entrapments, currents, rivers, and so on, you should have an understanding of the survival aspect of breath hold. It’s one thing to have a breath hold, but if you’re so preoccupied in the breath hold that it takes away from your ability to problem solve, then that’s not going to help you.
Once you develop a breath hold, then you try to develop a working breath hold where, during that time, you can problem solve: puzzles, knots, stuff like that. You can slowly work yourself out of the situation, keep rational thought, and remain calm. Being able to remain calm is important. When you’re calm, your metabolic rate is slower, so your consumption of oxygen is going to be reduced and therefore the creation of CO2, the waste product that the body creates, is going to be minimized, which actually gives you that urge to breathe, so you’ll extend your overall bottom time. By slowing down and stopping and thinking you can initiate the logical problem-solving aspect to get yourself out of that situation.
Above: Krack coaching Team Canada's Mandy-Rae at World Championships in Egypt.
What do you think the best ways are to mitigate stress in these kinds of situations?
KK: We use this in all diving programs, that when presented with a situation, we call it “Stop, Breathe, Think, and Act.” That’s from a scuba point of view because the second thing is breathe, however, from a breath-hold situation, it’s “Stop, Think, and Act.” At some point you have to resist moving into the panic cycle. By taking that split-second to stop and evaluate your environment, stop your physical activity, and let yourself adjust to what’s happening, you can put your resources into working your way out of the situation. Working through it in a methodical way and at a pace that’s calculated and slow to conserve oxygen gives you more time to problem solve.
Now there’s skills with that. You could find yourself in a situation, like if your car hits the water and it’s slowly going under and filling with water. We know that trying to open the door when there’s water on the outside and air on the inside, the water pressure just forces it shut. Knowing that, you have a short but adequate period of time to get ready for the situation. In a very short period of time, everyone has the ability to hold their breath for a minute or longer if they’re relaxed about it; a trained individual will be able to last longer.
In that short period of time, in a relaxed way, we want to get rid of as much CO2 from our lungs as we can so that will allow us to have a longer breath hold in which to work ourselves out of the situation. We can do this by what we call purging or hyperventilation breaths. They’re deep, forceful breaths, but not excessively fast. Think of it as if you have a candle about a meter away and you’re taking a breath into the full lung and you’re trying to blow that candle out, not sharp and quicky, but long. So it’s about 1 second into full breath, and then about a 4-second relaxed full exhalation and we can repeat that about five times.
And the final thing we want to do is, just before that last breath is going to come and we’re remaining calm, is take our last breath. It’s called a peak inhalation, and we take our breath from the bottom of the lungs to the top: nice, easy, and relaxed. That breath takes about 2 seconds to take in, fills to the top, and then you swallow so that you’re holding the air in the lungs, but the lungs and chest are relaxed, not feeling like you’re holding it in at the lips with your cheeks about to explode. So we relax the chest and the stomach because tensed muscles consume more oxygen. We swallow to close that air off and hold it in at the throat.
It’s like blowing up a balloon and you’re holding that air inside the balloon by pinching the opening closed versus holding the wall of the balloon open to keep that volume in. And then the throat lock keeps that air in so the rest of the body will be relaxed. For example, I can be doing a breath hold in the pool and everything is nice and relaxed, but if I start to get cold and get my first shiver, my resting oxygen consumption has gone up 500 percent because now every muscle fiber is going to try to shake to create heat.
Think of it like a fuel tank in a car. I can be at idle in a parking lot with the car on and idling at 500 to 600 rpm or I can be stepping on the gas while still in park and revving it at 3,000 rpm. That’s what shivering does. If I’m just a little bit tensed, even if I’m not moving my arms and legs, I’ve gone from 700 to 3,000 rpm. Then, if I’m actually doing work like moving and flailing around because I’m panicked, now I’m at 5,000 rpm. What we’re trying to do is say that you have a limited amount of gas, and in a survival situation, you’re not going to be at 700 rpm because you actually have to problem solve and move yourself out of the situation, but you can be at around 1,500 rpm so your metabolism is low and slow. You’re not consuming the gas, but you’re certainly not at 5,000 rpm.
Above: Surf Survival photo of Krack and Craig A. Gentry training a pro surfer. (Photo by Brian Bielmann)
How do you think breath control changes on land versus in the water?
KK: A breath hold on land versus water are two different things. For some people, it’s the psychology of it. Some people will be able to hold their breath longer on land than in water, when in fact the water should give you physiological advantages. That simply comes down to the psychology of it. A person feels that on land they can hold their breath right to the very last second and they’re not at risk. Whereas, once you’re in the water and that water is surrounding your airway, then at that point you know you’re compromised and there’s a risk.
If you can get the majority of your focus on the problem at hand, then you’re going to make good, rational decisions in a sequence that’s going to solve your problem. In our programs, we can inoculate you from the fear of being in the water so you can understand your capacity in the water on a breath hold and also in a stressed environment.
By the time you come out of the program you’ll have done breath holds over 4 minutes, sometimes people in the 5- to 5 ½-minute range in what we call a static environment where you’re not moving and holding breath for a maximum amount of time. Then, we create a stressed environment. To give you an example, if we can do 4 minutes in a static environment, in a moderate workload environment, we can take about half that away. If you’re a free-diver with a 4-minute static breath hold, if you were to do moderate work and get down to the reef to have a little fun, then you’ve got about half that time.
If we put you in a survival situation where everything is working against you and you have not only a high metabolic state, but you’ve got caught on exhalation, then you’ve got a quarter of that fuel tank left. Say if you had an equipment failure during a scuba exercise or were surfing and got the wind knocked out of you, then in that worst-case scenario, out of that 4 minutes you don’t have half anymore. You’ve got about a quarter of that or a minute at that point of what we’d call a working breath hold — one where you can problem-solve yourself out of the situation.
To train for a high metabolic environment, I have you exhale, put you under the water, and I give you a slate of 10 questions. You’ve got to read and answer the questions. For the first minute, you’re probably good, but after that minute you probably can’t even read the questions, let alone think about them and write the answers down. So, while you might be surviving, you’re not problem-solving yourself out of the situation. Ultimately, what we’re trying to do is create the biggest static breath hold that we can and then inoculate you into the stressed environment to make that survival breath hold the longest.
Above: Training a group of top big wave surfers. (Photo by Craig A. Gentry)
Are there certain things you think most scuba certification courses neglect to train that your program does train?
KK: A typical recreational scuba course will really spend no time on breath-holding skills at all. You’ll maybe get 15 minutes to practice in a pool. They’re inadequate in teaching good equalizing techniques. Really what they’re trying to teach you is to be under water where you have ample supply of air on demand and how to deal with that situation. But what do you do when you have complete equipment failure, you don’t have a buddy, or you have entanglements? That’s where breath-hold survival training can really take you to the next level for that person who might find themself in those situations.
Have you had any feedback from clients who’ve been in that kind of situation and used this training to save their life?
KK: We trained Ian Walsh, who I mentioned earlier, several years ago. A few months later, I got a text from him. It wasn’t so much a survival situation, but he was at Jaws [a nickname for Pe‘ahi, a beach on the north shore of Maui known for extremely large waves]; he lives just down the road from there. One of the Jet Skis he was on crashed, and he was just hanging out in the water watching. Normally, with Jaws, the Jet Ski tows you in because it’s too dangerous to paddle out there. He’d been using the training, had this great breath hold and thought, “Screw it, I’ll just paddle in.” Really it was one of the defining moments in surfing, because at that point, that was one of the catalysts that brought in the new form of big-wave surfing: paddle-in surfing.
Whenever we teach the special operations groups, like SEAL Delivery Team 1, Naval Special Warfare Development Group, and a number of groups like that, by the second day they’ve done some pretty awesome stuff — things they didn’t think were possible. They really started to open up and one of the things they told us is that they should’ve had this training before they were even shown a scuba system. Yet, within the military, it’s maintained as a very equipment-oriented training and application. They haven’t had a program built around the breath-hold aspect of it.
Above: Advanced diving equipment is helpful, but Krack believes that it should always be supported by an underlying level of breath-hold survival training. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense).
What do you think the biggest risks are in training these techniques?
KK: I’m glad you asked that. We have to understand that in breath-hold survival training, you are routinely holding your breath and stressing your body. To get gains and build capacity, we have to stress the body. Just like physical training, if I want to build muscle, I’ve got to go to the gym, break the muscle down at the gym, and then it’s going to repair and over-repair itself for next time.
The same thing happens in the training that we’re doing. We need to stress the body repeatedly, such that we can develop capacity and force the body to change. But because we are doing breath holds, we are putting ourselves into hypoxia — a varying degree of lack of oxygen. Hypoxia can eventually lower our oxygen in the body and cause loss of motor control and lead to blackout, which is not uncommon.
Understand that we always train breath holds with a properly trained buddy who provides direct supervision. No one should be practicing breath holds unless they’ve gone through the training. They shouldn’t be practicing breath holds unless they’re practicing with an equally trained buddy because it’s not the blackout that kills you, it’s the drowning that ensues right after that.
It’s not uncommon that people in training get to the point in their breath hold that they’re unable to help themselves and that’s when their buddy steps in and assists them. No harm, no foul, and if done properly it’s a learning experience. That session is done for the day — try it again the next day and learn from your mistake. But practicing breath holds without someone equally trained who’s there to protect your airway or lift your head out of the water is very dangerous. We also don’t practice dry breath holds while doing something like driving a car or while walking in areas that could be unsafe. That would be the biggest risk.
Above: Krack teaching U.S. Army Special Forces in their 50-foot deep tank. (Photo by Craig A. Gentry)
What are some of the biggest rookie mistakes people make during training?
KK: Not understanding the proper breathing cycle, being too aggressive, and not taking enough time.
Are there any prevalent misconceptions people have about the training prior to taking it?
KK: I think the misconception among the general public is that we’re holding our breath and that kills brain cells. If you’ve taken a first-aid course, everyone knows that if the brain goes without oxygen for 4 to 6 minutes, irreversible brain damage can occur, but that’s when they’re in a state of anoxia — a complete lack of oxygen. In breath-hold training or a breath-hold survival situation we’re holding our breath, but we have ample oxygen. We’re simply going through hypoxia, a varying degree of oxygen. I could be in that state of slowly decreasing oxygen for 4 to 6 minutes and then, even when I black out, I still have oxygen in my system. I could still have a couple minutes of oxygen and then after I’ve blacked out, then I’m hit with an anoxic situation. So, at that point I’ve got 4 to 6 minutes before I start to have irreversible brain damage.
Above: Krack discussing survival breathing concepts in a classroom.
How long do your courses run for?
KK: Our breath-hold special operations program runs for five days, and our recreational breath-hold surf survival programs typically run four days.
What do you think people should know before they enroll in one of these courses?
KK: It’s going to be great learning. They’re going to be taxed and bump up against very primal fears. Our fear of falling, our fear of being eaten, and our fear of suffocation are primal fears, and there’s a lot of soul searching that way. We really test who a person is and their resolve, but ultimately, they come out having accomplished very incredible things, learning a lot, and providing invaluable tools in their toolkit, especially if they work in an aquatic environment where there could be risks they need to get themselves out of.
Above: Technical freedivers use sea scooters to dive close to the ocean floor.
Are you looking for a homestead? Do you know what to look for? Homesteading survival isn’t new, but during 2020, people started waking up to the realization that they wanted a different life. To quote the book, “The urban escape is global.” This book is meant to guide those who are looking for a life filled with self-sufficiency away from the crowded cities. But which state is right for you? Do you know how to access clean water? What type of home is best for you and your needs? How will you power the homestead? What about providing food through gardening and raising livestock? If you’re looking for a homestead, these questions, and more, are all spinning around your head. But lucky for us, Marty Raney has come to our rescue.
The 411
Raney, author of Homestead Survival, is the star of the TV show Homestead Rescue, which started in 2016. Raney heads to struggling homesteads to help them keep their dreams alive. The advice he offers in this book will give anyone thinking about starting a homestead, the roadmap for success. It starts out with getting into the mindset of homesteading and how to get the whole family on board with the idea. From there each chapter takes the reader step-by-step into what they need to consider for their homestead from finding the land, to gardening and even a discussion on tools.
He goes into good detail about everything, including building a home, electricity, and even building a compost toilet. Options for living on- and off-grid are also discussed. I do wish it had gone into even deeper detail about exact builds, but there are plenty of books out there that do that. The purpose of this book was to give the reader concrete places to start. It introduces you to concepts and ideas that maybe you hadn’t thought of before so you won’t need to call upon Raney to rescue your homestead.
He did have a greater emphasis on off-grid living, talking about passive solar, heating, and wood stoves. I think planning for off-grid living is an important part of having a homestead, so this was a pleasant surprise. It touched a little on hunting, which was great, but I think I missed the part about foraging for wild edibles and fishing. Of course, that’s not what this book is about, but I figured those would’ve been mentioned along with hunting. Homesteading is about using all our resources, not just ones we can produce.
It did talk about predators, which is usually just a side-mention in most books, but as it said in the book, “Avoiding or deterring predators is your job, not theirs.” This couldn’t be truer, especially if you have livestock or a garden. It ends the book talking about expecting the worst-case scenario. This is true about life and even more so when you run a homestead, which is a lot of work and the more you take on, the more points of failure there are.
The Verdict
Raney gives it to the reader straight, but in a realistic manner. He isn’t feeding us a dream that can’t be reached; he’s telling us exactly what’s needed to make your dreams a reality. One of the reasons I really enjoy this book is because you can tell he wants to help people. He also offers many out-of-the-box ideas and solutions. He makes it very clear that if there’s a will, there’s a way. Of course, sometimes that way is getting really creative, but there’s always a way.
Through his decades of experience building a homestead of his own in the last frontier of Alaska, he has seen and done it all. He speaks from experience. I really appreciated that he added in the natural disaster aspect. I vividly remember reading about a homestead in Hawaii that was burned away from an exploding volcano. What a nightmare that must have been for that family. But he helped them get back on their feet, to overcome the obstacle, and to continue on with their dream.
I loved the personal stories he presented to showcase the struggles, but also the possibilities. His stories simply drove home the ideas that anyone can homestead anywhere, but it’s all about preparation. My only wish was for a few more pictures. There were some nice illustrations scattered throughout the book, but I wish there were more. I would’ve especially liked to see some screen captures from the show, Homestead Rescue, to really showcase some of the things we were reading about. In saying all of this, this is the book you need for the roadmap to get your homestead started and make it successful.
About the Book
Book & Author Homestead Survival: An Insiders Guide to Your Great Escape By Marty Raney
