Bad situations are often the foundation for good ideas. In 2008, Zach, the founder of CANA Provisions, was working alongside Engineers Without Borders in Cameroon. This African country was torn apart by decades of economic crisis, war, and disease. Clean water — a resource most of us take for granted every day — was difficult to obtain in rural areas, and this led to outbreaks of preventable illnesses such as typhoid. Zach's team worked to build and install water collection and treatment systems in the village of Nkuv, but he eventually returned home to America, where such systems didn't seem essential. But 12 years later, while participating in a Tactical Urban Sustainment Course (TUSC) at the revered training center known as the Direct Action Resource Center (DARC), Zach realized that some of his prior experience was still relevant for emergency preparedness. This led him to develop the CANA Provisions AR-1, a portable water pump that's designed to help families and small groups obtain clean water more efficiently.
Development of the CANA Provisions AR-1
To understand the AR-1, it's important to understand the event that sparked its creation. DARC TUSC is a week-long course that “addresses some of the tactics and techniques that could be utilized by a small cohesive group to secure their assets and survive during a period of political, social and economic instability with localized recurrent levels of violence where the rule of law is absent or virtually nonexistent.” Many who have made it through the TUSC program consider it a harrowing but enlightening experience, and this was certainly the case for Zach. He refers to his experience as “an exercise in human suffering” — a major wake-up call about the reality of disaster preparedness.
Above: In emergencies, bottled water prices typically skyrocket, if it's available at all. It's a good idea to have a backup plan for obtaining large quantities of water from a nearby source.
One of Zach's duties during TUSC was to obtain and purify enough water for his whole team. He quickly realized that scooping water from the swamp, filtering out the sediment and debris, and purifying it in the field to produce 10 to 15 gallons of safe drinking water per day was impossible with the equipment he brought. This was a huge problem, and one that remained on his mind after the class ended.
Water collection and purification requires flow from the source to the clean water container. Hand pumps and filter bottles can be effective for smaller amounts of water, but producing large amounts is tedious and labor-intensive. Gravity filters are another option, but they're painfully slow and sensitive to clogged filters.
Above: The chassis was designed to support the pump and fittings for standalone use in harsh environments.
In order to accelerate the process, Zach began experimenting with various commercially-available water pumps. Many existing pumps could produce sufficient water flow, but were designed for in-place use or permanent installation. Mobile use would require a more durable, rugged housing. These off-the-shelf pumps were also designed to run on clean, stable electrical power — such as what you'll get from a wall outlet — and lacked the electronic “brain” necessary to accept power from a variety of mobile sources (car batteries, Goal Zero power stations, etc.). So, Zach used his engineering knowledge to develop a variable-pressure, diaphragm-based water pump system that could be used almost anywhere on Earth.
AR-1 Features
The CANA Provisions AR-1 is described as “everything you need in one kit to get started moving water.” The product description continues, “From source to container, container to container, pressurizing a pre-plumbed system, or feeding a filter — moving water is what the AR-1 does. No more hand pumping, no more siphoning, no more dunking containers in the pond.” The kit will serve as the foundation for a modular ecosystem of water collection and purification components to be offered by CANA Provisions.
The AR-1 pump is contained in an impact-resistant chassis with IP65 dust-proof and weather-resistant seals. It features Anderson 15-45A electrical connectors, a user-serviceable 10A fuse, and all the electronics necessary to safely regulate power from a variety of off-grid sources. The pump pulls only 3.5A at 12V during normal operation, so it can easily run on a portable power station such as a Goal Zero Yeti or any other 12V style battery (LiPo, LiFePO4, Li-Ion, SLA, AGM). Built-in vibration dampeners allow it to operate almost silently, even if it's hard-mounted to a trailer or overland truck.
To feed the CANA Provisions AR-1, you'll need to connect the included quick-detach 10-foot inlet hose and drop the end into a nearby water source. Then, connect the outlet hose via another QD socket, route it into your preferred water container, and flip the power switch on the pump. The AR-1 produces approximately 3 gallons (or 11.3 liters) per minute of water flow, and its dual in-line strainers filter out particles and debris. Pressure is adjustable up to 55psi.
If you're planning to use the water for drinking or washing, you should also pass it through a secondary purifier (such as the LifeSaver Jerrycan) to eliminate bacteria and other waterborne pathogens. Chemical purification, boiling, or distillation are also viable options. In any of these cases, the AR-1 eliminates the exhausting task of scooping and pre-filtering buckets of water to feed the purifier.
Building an Ecosystem
CANA Provisions describes the AR-1 as the “first and most crucial component of the modular CANA Ecosystem.” Although we're not able to announce details yet, we've heard that the company is working to develop accessories that will streamline the water purification process, allowing users to eventually pump straight from a dirty source into a clean water tank. The AR-1 could also be used to quickly pressurize water vessels for rinsing gear, from surfboards to mountain bikes, or could even be used to generate water pressure for an overland trailer or tiny home. We're looking forward to seeing how this ecosystem evolves to cover more applications.
For more information on the new CANA Provisions AR-1, go to CANA-Provisions.com.
Kidnappings have become a cottage industry in many countries. Some are conducted by disorganized criminals conducting random roadside abductions. Others are far more sophisticated and entail everything from assailants posing as local police officers to surveillance being gathered on potential targets far in advance of an actual abduction. A ransom exchange or revenge killing between gangs is often the motive, but there have also been reports that black-market organ harvesting, sex trafficking, and ritualistic killings are also involved. Even if you’re an upstanding individual with no involvement in the criminal underworld, this doesn’t guarantee your safety. In March 2023, four Americans were kidnapped by armed men after traveling to Tamaulipas, Mexico for a medical procedure — tragically, two of the four were killed and a third was seriously injured. A victim's chances of survival decrease with each passing moment, while the severity of their incarceration is simultaneously increasing. If you’re alone in a country widely known to have rampant kidnappings and you only have a moderate understanding of the language and geography, do you have a plan on what to do if you manage to escape captivity?
The Kidnapping Scenario
Situation Type Escape from a kidnapping
Your Crew Yourself
Location Central America
Season Fall
Weather Humid; high 88 degrees F, low 63 degrees F
The Setup: You decide to take a two-week motorcycle trip from Southern California down through Central America to go sightseeing, sleep out under the stars, and periodically stay in hotels when the situation calls for it. Although you don’t have any acquaintances down that way, you have enough understanding of the language and local customs that you feel you’ll be able to travel safely. You bring your passport, your driver’s license, a sleeping bag and tent, water and snacks, a cell phone with prepaid SIM card, a few changes of clothing, and enough cash to hold you over for the trip. You know that gangs, cartels, and corrupt police can be a problem in this region of the world, but you have a map with the bad areas marked off so you know where not to travel. Overall, you expect your contact with locals will only be for food, lodging, directions, or other local accommodations.
The Complication: While riding down a long stretch of highway during your fourth day of travel, you continue to head south. Late one afternoon, you see two vehicles quickly approaching behind you. You figure it’s just locals looking to pass, so you pull into the right lane. As the first vehicle passes, it swerves in front of you and quickly brakes to the point you skid into his rear bumper. The other vehicle stops only about a car-length behind you. Two masked men emerge from the lead vehicle with pistols, snatch your keys from the ignition, and order you to the ground. The individuals in the other vehicle seem to be acting as security, watching behind them to see if anyone’s coming. Since there is no one else around, and you’re clearly surrounded and outgunned, you realize that attempting to fight or flee right now is likely to get you killed. You decide to cooperate, at least until an opportunity to escape arises. You hope these are just local thugs looking to steal your belongings and leave you on the roadside.
One of the assailants puts his knee on your neck while the other vigorously searches you head to toe. He finds and destroys your phone with the heel of his boot and also removes both your shoes. He empties your pockets and orders you into the trunk of the vehicle at gunpoint. You realize the situation has gotten much worse, but feel you have no alternative but to acquiesce to the commands. After about a 30-minute car ride in the dark, which you can tell is traveling over both paved and dirt roads, you suddenly stop. After being pulled from the trunk, you see you are now at an isolated home somewhere remote. It doesn’t appear to be in the vicinity of any other homes, and you count a total of five men in the two vehicles you were confronted by. They do not vocalize anything that helps you understand their intentions. You’re brought into what appears to be a smaller house behind the main house. As you enter, the building is sparse, with nothing more than a bucket and small tattered mattress in the corner.
As one of your captors handcuffs your left wrist to a pipe on the wall, you realize you’ve been kidnapped by individuals who may or may not be cartel-affiliated, but they’re definitely in the business of doing this regularly. You know the longer you wait, the more severe your level of incarceration will become, potentially culminating in your death. After about 45 minutes, the sun has gone down and you no longer hear voices outside. The house only has one window, which has been boarded shut from the outside. Aside from the handcuff, you are unrestrained at the moment, but you sit and debate whether you should try to escape, risking making too much noise. You don’t know if there are guards posted outside who could see you flee the compound.
Another hour goes by and an individual enters to leave you a bottle of water. While the door is open you can see that it has an older slant-style latch. You kept an emergency prepaid debit card inside your sock, which you still have on. You may be able to use the card to bypass the latch if you feel the opportunity is there. As for the handcuff, you tucked a metal shim into the stitching inside your riding pants before the trip, knowing there was a small possibility of encountering exactly this type of situation. The cuff wasn’t double-locked, so you feel confident you’ll be able to get it open with your shim. After the individual leaves, you decide it’s now or never.
With some trial and error, you are able to shim the handcuff and open the door latch. Looking through the crack in the door, you don’t see any individuals or hear any voices, but the two vehicles are still parked there. After listening and watching for a few more minutes, you decide you can make a run for it. You are in a foreign country, don’t know where you are exactly, and aren’t sure how to report your situation. Where do you go? Should you head for the closest highway and flag down a passerby without knowing if they’re connected to your kidnappers? Should you try to reach the nearest embassy or police station? Head for the border by hitchhiking, even though you no longer have your ID? Blend into the local populace until you feel the coast is clear? Where do you go and how do you report your situation to someone back home?
Detective Cory Fechtelkotter’s Approach
Preparation: Traveling presents all sorts of risks that can be avoided by simply staying at home, but you would miss out on the very experiences that make life worth living. A completely safe life isn’t necessarily a fulfilling one, especially if tainted by regrets over adventures never attempted. That said, you needn’t fling yourself headlong into danger without a thought of the consequences to have a good time. Taking steps to ensure your safety during your travels will not only protect your physical well-being, but reduce any anxiety you might reasonably have from visiting someplace unfamiliar.
The first step is to do your homework on where you are heading. Geography, climate, culture, economics, politics, and current events are all things you need to study before traveling someplace new. What you need (both in terms of equipment and knowledge) isn’t universal from one place to the next, so it must be figured out ahead of time. Even though things like water, food, and shelter are “needs” everywhere, the ease or difficulty of obtaining any of those things can vary dramatically, even within the same country. What you should prioritize to keep yourself safe in a culture friendly to tourists, but with poor sanitary conditions, could look much different than a place that has reliable infrastructure, but locals who mistrust outsiders.
Even if the place you’re visiting is somewhere you’ve been before, it’s worth doing some research to see what has changed since your last visit. Change is constant, and very often it’s not for the better. Localized issues, such as political upheaval, a stagnant economy, conflict with a neighboring country, or natural disasters are obvious concerns, but in an increasingly connected world, a problem in one corner of the globe can quickly become a problem everywhere.
After all, in 2020, there was widespread political violence across the world, to include traditionally stable “first world” countries, over the death of just one person in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While the global effects of local incidents like the death of George Floyd are impossible to predict, it’s vital to understand that attitudes of people toward foreigners can shift quickly, and that can have unexpected consequences for a tourist. Imagine how much more dramatic the global reaction could be to an unpopular foreign policy by your own government, and it immediately becomes clear why staying current on international affairs is so important. Being familiar with these issues can give you some insight into the possible dangers and likely motives of attackers you could face during your trip.
Once you’ve done your research and given careful consideration to these factors, you can make informed decisions about what you truly need. Attention to local laws, however, can limit certain options. A firearm or blade makes perfect sense in a region known for violent crime, but being caught with such a weapon (let alone using it) can have life-changing consequences in a place where such weapons are outlawed. If the potential need for use of a deadly weapon is so high that you would choose to risk spending the rest of your life in a third-world prison in order to carry one, you might consider a trip to someplace safer. However, that doesn’t mean you should just stay at home or choose to be completely defenseless when you travel. Empty hand skills, physical fitness, familiarity with improvised weapons, and even a simple flashlight can offer a degree of protection even in the most restrictive locales.
Regardless, preparation largely comes down to developing plans for probable and serious issues ahead of time. Many of the adversities travelers encounter come not from the problem itself, but from the failure to anticipate the issue.
On Site: Despite the potential issues, you’ve done your homework and are as reasonably prepared as you can be for your solo adventure. Traveling alone is inherently riskier than traveling with a group, but there are still options to mitigate your risk. Communication is particularly important. Even though they may not be able to immediately come to your aid, having a way of letting others know things are amiss can get help on the way.
One tried-and-true method for everyone from mountaineers with satellite phones to latchkey kids returning to an empty home after school, is the scheduled phone call. Simply put, you routinely contact a trusted person at a predetermined time, and if they don’t hear from you, they know something is wrong. With this method, your contact needs to know exactly what to do if they don’t hear from you. What you expect of them might vary depending on your travel plans, but a call to the embassy is probably a good place to start regardless of the country. Additionally, you must keep your contact in the loop about any deviations from your plan, so there isn’t a panic with unnecessary calls to the authorities because you simply forgot to call.
Another more passive method of communication is a tool popular with wilderness adventurers and helicopter parents alike — tracking devices. Over time, these devices have become smaller, less expensive, and increasingly reliable. You could use several, keeping them in your bags, vehicle, and clothing. If your point of contact back home is paying attention and sees the trackers stop working, stray from the planned route, or separate from one another, they might know it’s time to seek help (and potentially even know where to send it).
Each method has advantages and disadvantages, and both are heavily reliant on technology, so a layered approach is advisable. It’s also worth researching local resources. Even in the third world, you can find well-regarded local travel guides to help you formulate your travel strategy and to serve as a local point of contact, even if you choose to travel alone. Having someone local who speaks the language, understands how to deal with local public safety, and can act on your behalf is far more effective than someone thousands of miles away trying to handle everything by phone.
Crisis: Even with sensible planning and an abundance of caution, things can still go sideways. When confronted with armed attackers who clearly have the upper hand, it’s time for a rapid and realistic analysis of the circumstances. You can’t know the motive of a kidnapper for certain, but the research you did before your trip can give you some clues and help you make an educated guess. In places known for terrorism, the gloves are off. I’d fight as hard as possible, no matter what the odds, even if death was almost certain. In a circumstance like that, where death is inevitable, it’s better to go down fighting than be the helpless victim of a taped and broadcasted execution later on.
On the other hand, regions where kidnappings are primarily a means of obtaining ransom money present some other options worth looking at. If I believed the goal was ransom, and resistance seemed likely to get me seriously hurt or killed, initial cooperation might be the least bad choice given the circumstances. This can seem counterintuitive, because generally speaking, letting anyone take you to a secondary location is something to be avoided at all costs. That said, if they have the clear advantage, you have no effective form of fighting back or escaping, and your research makes you think it’s just a money grab, fighting may not be in your best interests. There’s no honor in a suicidal last stand if a more realistic chance of survival could crop up later.
Just because you initially cooperated doesn’t mean you have to stick to that strategy. At the end of the day, the initial choice to go quietly was based on an educated guess of their motives, not certainty. You have no way of knowing for sure if they will actually let you go, even if the ransom is paid. The kidnappers could demand more money, or just kill you once they have what they want. Alternatively, they could release you without getting any money at all if they believe holding you is too much hassle and killing you is more trouble than it’s worth, but you don’t want to count on that. After all, they could just kill you to hide that they kidnapped you in the first place. The point is, they’re criminals and they don’t follow rules, so you can’t ever know for sure. Since you only surrendered earlier because resistance was impossible, you should take whatever other opportunities present themselves as they come. Now, even though the odds may still be against you, success is actually possible.
The research you did ahead of time is essential in this moment. If you’re familiar with the environment and climate, you could realistically consider hiding out in the wilderness until you think making your way towards civilization is safe. Knowing about landmarks in the region and basic land navigation skills can help you find your bearings even if you don’t know exactly where you are at first. If you’ve determined locals are generally helpful to travelers and hold criminals in low regard, you could make a beeline for the nearest road or town. The opposite, however, could be the case, which is why it’s essential to study up ahead of time. One way or the other, eventually you’ll have to interact with people, so timing it right and having some understanding of the local language will be essential. Whatever you do, act decisively. Once the opportunity comes, there’s no guarantee another will present itself. Even if there is another chance, it may not be as good as the original.
Protective Specialist Mel Ward’s Approach
Everything I do in life I do with a “leaving the wire” mindset. The military beat this into me, so I’ll use that as my excuse as to why I treat going to Home Depot virtually the same as going to Honduras. We live in an age of medication shortages, six-hour waits for tow trucks, brazen daylight assaults, and cities filled with people who would rather stand by and stream footage of crimes to social media than intervene to help the victims. This is compounded by increased latency for EMS and police response. These days, I don’t prepare to go it alone; I f*cking count on it.
In that frame of mind, I lay out my trip. A two-week motorcycle journey to Central America and back is no small undertaking. Right from the jump, I wouldn’t take a bike and I wouldn’t do this alone. I know. I’m a big puss. Now that you’ve shamed me with your silent judging, I’ll ignore my own advice and press on for those of you more adventurous than myself.
For starters, do yourself a favor and check out the Live Universal Awareness Map app (aka Liveuamap). This app will give you critical security updates in various regions of the world. Set your region and then adjust accordingly if the town you were planning on overnighting in just became ground-zero for a violent uprising.
As with any trip, I conduct a map reconnaissance. I use two apps: OsmAnd and Maps.me. Both are great, offline map apps, but I still bring paper maps. Whether I use my road atlas, a gas station map, or custom-printed topos from USGS.gov or mytopo.com, I like to be able to put a finger on something and do some figuring on the hood of my truck.
For a basic map recon, I will mark my route, my alternate route, and all my overnights; the town, the hotel, the campground, etc. As I look at the entirety of my route, I will familiarize myself with the towns and terrain along the way in case of unplanned stops, mechanical failure, or navigation issues. I also want to pin the following: hospitals, clinics, fueling stations, airports, train stations, bus terminals, embassies, consulates, and humanitarian efforts like NGOs (non-governmental organizations). I like to make note of the terrain, water in the area, and even public and private land boundaries. I also want to know about the weather where I’m going for that time of year. Things like temperature, flooding, and storms should be on my mind.
I will try to at least predetermine my accommodations ahead of time. This allows me to research places to stay before I get there. I can read reviews, speak to staff on the phone, and get a general sense of whether this is a safe and honest place to stay. I simply want to avoid rolling into an unfamiliar town and staying at a motel that could be the local nexus for drugs and prostitution.
When I stay in hotels, I like to get a room on the second floor near the stairs if possible. I don’t want to be on the first floor in case of an attack or active shooter. Any threat must pass through the lobby at some point. The second floor also allows me to get out rapidly in case of a fire. If the stairs are blocked (I’m not taking the elevator) I can go through the window if needed. I will also pack either a simple door wedge/stopper or something like a Travel Safety Lock. These are devices you can insert between the door and jam that will prevent someone from opening your door even if they have the key.
Further, because I’m traveling outside the U.S., I’m looking at travel advisories from the State Department as well as the CDC. I want to know if a country I may pass through is having anything from a military coup to a malaria outbreak so I can plan accordingly. Speaking of countries, I will want some idea of the local languages and dialects of the regions along the route. I have a fair bit of Spanish stored away in my memory banks, (gracias, señor Aleman), but what if I need Portuguese? Bone up with an app like Duolingo. While you’re downloading that, also grab Microsoft Translator. I prefer it to Google Translate, and it works offline. As always, assume everything you enter into an app like this is stored somewhere and the data is then sold.
Once complete, I give my wife and kids a printed itinerary and maps of where I’ll be and when I expect to be there. I will make sure they have recent photos of me, copies of my passport and driver’s license, and anything else that may help them to identify me for authorities should it come to that. I’m also going to give them a schedule of regular check-ins. They will, at least, receive a text every four hours without fail. If I miss a check-in, they try to reach me until they get a hold of me. If I miss two check-ins, they are alerting authorities or otherwise taking action to expedite the discovery of my whereabouts.
There are a couple ways I like to check-in. First, I’m simply going to text them or call them with where I’m at and how things are going; the plan for the next day’s journey, etc. In lieu of a cell signal however, I’m going to pull out my Garmin inReach device. Get whatever you can afford, but getting something like a satellite phone, or inReach, gives yet another redundancy if hardline, cellular, and Wi-Fi is unavailable.
Whether you get the inReach Mini 2 or the Montana 700i, you’re going to be able to do something very important: send text messages via a satellite network. With the inReach, these texts can also include location and map data. Not only will your family know you are OK, they will also see exactly where you are. If something emergent happens you can also press the SOS button on these devices. This will launch a precomposed text that will alert a 24/7 monitoring service and provide your GPS coordinates.
Prior to going wheels-up, I need to ensure my transportation is solid. I’d rock new tires for the bike so the rubber is fresh and chance of failure likely reduced. Fluid changes, battery testing, and belt/chain checks would be automatic. Though I do most of my own maintenance, for something like this, I would take the bike to a shop just to have another set of eyes to identify any potential issues that could arise.
When my wheels are sound, I’m going to start thinking about gear. A trip of this length demands heavy-duty riding gear. I’m not doing this in board shorts and flip-flops. I want riding clothes so if I lay the bike down on some goat path I thought was a road, I mitigate injury as much as possible. And speaking of injury, one of the first things I’ll pack is my med kit/trauma bag.
Given distance and duration, I want more than an IFAK. I keep North American Rescue trauma kits in all my vehicles. NAR calls these Combat Casualty Response Kits (CCRK). These are squad medic bags loaded to treat several casualties. I augment these with, at least, two additional tourniquets, ACE wrap bandages, and bottled saline or hydrogen peroxide for wound irrigation and cleaning. Fully loaded, they aren’t very heavy and will fit in a saddle bag or around your waist.
I will also consider bringing my antibiotic kit from contingencymedical.com. These are relatively inexpensive given that I will have the ability to run a course of antibiotics myself if things get bad. The kits require a brief, online medical history in order to provide the necessary prescription. You also get access to a physician via tele-health for advisement on use with your chosen package. The bags are small, lightweight, and provide additional insurance I like to layer into my plans.
Speaking of insurance. I will make sure whatever I’m carrying for health insurance includes international coverage and a medevac clause. Check your policy. If your health insurance doesn’t, or won’t, cover these items, try something like Travel Insured International. You can add on medevac coverage fairly cheaply to augment your existing plan.
I’m next going to pack a couple small bags with me beyond the med bag. I want my Viktos Kadre backpack. I’ve been running this thing hard all over the world now for a year or two and I like it. It’s tough, not too big, not too small. It unzips completely flat, will carry a rifle if you need it to, but doesn’t look tacticool as long as you don’t get a mil-color like Coyote Brown. I just roll with black. In here I’m keeping clothes, chow, water, a tourniquet with mini-IFAK (chest seals, combat gauze, Z-fold gauze), and whatever else I think I need as I Mad Max-it down to Central America. I have evacuated a country with this thing on my back, so I trust it.
What I don’t put in here are sensitive items if I can help it. I plan on this bag getting stolen, lost, destroyed, etc. When it goes, I don’t want my wallet, ID, passport, money, and medications in it. I want sensitive items on my person if possible. I will use a money belt or kangaroo pouch. There are numerous options, but I’m after something that is slim and can hold my passport, cash, etc., under all my layers.
I’m creating redundancy lines by doing this. The most important gear is always on my person. Slightly less important goes in the backpack. Even less critical items might stay on the bike. I always maintain the notion of just me on foot running the Mogadishu Mile because that is usually the worst-case scenario I can think of.
Weapons? I have to be careful here. In some parts of the world, even a pocket knife can get you in trouble. Check laws ahead of time. Personally, I would not bring a firearm. Remember the kid who crossed into Mexico on accident with some rifles? Ouch.
I would keep a blade very small, very useful, and very concealed on my person. Have an old Leatherman laying about? Snap off one of the blades so you have an inch and a half or thereabouts. I know this is kind of nerdy, but these are very thin and you can slide them into the waistband of your underwear or sew in a small pocket to carry it. Consider adding a handcuff key and lock shim as well.
Best-Laid Plans: Despite my efforts in preparing for this trip, I still must have my head on the proverbial swivel. Try as I might, I won’t blend in. You might. Hopefully you do. You can use this to your advantage and at least not draw immediate attention to yourself. You’ll still be seen as someone not from there; an outsider, still a potential target. Be mindful of those who approach you unsolicited. They really could just be curious and helpful or they could be estimating your worth to rob, kidnap, or extort. Plan for the latter and be pleasantly surprised by the former. If a beautiful local woman takes a sudden interest in you and invites you to a secondary location, be extremely careful — this is a classic setup.
My personal security strategy doesn’t include being mistaken for a local in this part of the world. I’m a 6-foot-4-inch gringo. I don’t blend in anywhere, save perhaps a trailer park. What I can do is look and act confidently. Not arrogantly. My demeanor says, No, I’m not from here, but I’m not a rube either. I take care of myself, appear fit, am friendly, but also mindful of everyone and everything in my battle space. How I carry myself matters. These are very subtle signals I radiate to those around me. I also need to be wired to receive similar signals from those in my orbit. My strategy is simple: present a target that is too much work to bother with.
All SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, & Escape) graduates will tell you Rule number one is don’t get caught. I will enjoy my trip, but I’ll also passively what-if every step along the way. I am constantly trying to minimize vulnerabilities and stack advantages. Whether it is sitting facing the door in a restaurant or allowing myself turn-out space in traffic, I’m constantly positioning for advantage, deterrence, and readiness.
Despite all this, I am still one person alone on a motorcycle a thousand miles from home. No matter how much I prepare, or what color my belt is in Brazilian jiujitsu, when a handful of guys suddenly shove guns in my face and tackle me to the ground on the side of the road, I’m very likely going for a ride. Now preparation flows into execution. Like a log in a river, I’m going with the current whether I like it or not. My job now is to stay above water.
Taken: Cut off, crashed, and surrounded, now is the time to restart the process of mitigating vulnerabilities and stacking strengths. If it is indeed looking like a kidnapping and not a simple accident, I’m hitting the SOS button on my inReach. Again, this will launch a precomposed text message and grid coordinate to an emergency monitoring service. If I can get that sent before this really gets ugly, I’m off to the best possible bad start.
As it stands, were it one guy trying to grab me, I may strongly consider taking an opportunity to ditch him. Two guys will be a problem for anyone. Five? Forget it. If five guys in two vehicles crash into me and pull security while doing it, then it’s likely they are heavily invested in my successful abduction. I will assume these are professionals, at least in one sense of the word, and will cooperate.
All the advantages are now theirs so I will play the hand I’m dealt. This isn’t just a period of high stress for me, but my attackers as well. Acknowledging the futility in resisting, I now want this to go as they expect it to. Fingers are on triggers. Maybe somebody in the crew is new and learning the ropes? Maybe one of them is high on amphetamines? I’m not willing to find out. Not yet. Not before I know what they want. If it was just the bike, the cash, the credit cards, I’d probably be asleep already. Without any additional information I will assume I am the commodity they want to steal.
This means I may have value to them, but it will only go so far. The moment I am more trouble alive than dead is likely my last moment. I speak a fair bit of Spanish and will listen and obey. I will pretend to speak less than I do. Pretending to speak no Spanish is too farfetched for a gringo this far from home. I remember my check-ins. Soon I will have missed one, then two. Now is the time to do as I’m told and gather information on my captors. I want faces if they don’t bag my head. I want accents if they don’t muff my ears. I will name each in my mind by their physicality, voice, or demeanor: Shorty, Angry Man, Quiet One, etc.
Now is the time to reverse the polarity on the confident foreign traveler who can handle himself. That obviously didn’t work. Now I’ll become passive. I will instill in them a sense they will get no trouble from me. This will help me potentially avoid beatings for acting like a tough guy. I cannot afford a broken hand or cracked ribs. I need to remain as whole and ready to escape as possible. I also cannot appear too soft. This could have the opposite effect I’m after. If too much weakness is shown, it may draw their contempt. Make no mistake; I’m juggling chainsaws now.
Likely, I will be bagged and gagged. If they are smart, they’ll double-bag me or use tape over my eyes — a single sandbag or burlap sack can be seen through. They should muff my ears. My hands should be bound behind my back. I would expect my ankles to be hobbled; a short rope long enough for me to shuffle, but not so long I can run. Everything of value or use will be taken. They should not leave me anything; eyeglasses, watch, pen, nothing. Were I them, they would be stripped naked and left bound, bagged, gagged, and muffed. If I am left in any condition short of what I described, they have made mistakes and I have advantages to work with.
I’ll keep my mouth shut unless asked a direct question. I need to listen, pay attention, and remember as much as possible. I already know roughly where I am on my journey. I will mark my mental map. If I can still see, I’m looking for anything tall enough to be seen from a distance: a mountain, cell tower, anything. Depending on how far we’re about to travel, it could be used to determine my position later. I mark the time if possible. As I go into the trunk of the vehicle, I take note of anything useful: tire iron, jack handle, or tools. I also check if the trunk has an interior release. Most newer cars have this standard. Probably not the move right now, but good to know.
As the drive begins, I count to 60 by thousands. One-one thousand … two-one thousand. On it goes. If I can keep track of how many times I hit 60, I can estimate the duration of the drive. The other crucial thing to track will be turns. I can feel the car take rights and lefts. I need to mark these in my mind for later so I can take a guess at where it is I end up. As it happens, we don’t seem to go too far before the car stops. I am isolated, locked in a small building behind their safe house, and cuffed to a pipe. This is good for me as it gives me time to think, recover from the shock of what has happened, and gather more information.
In this scenario, I don’t want to try and bolt for the door right away, but I also don’t want to wait around for days. I have some idea of where I am currently. If I wait too long and let them move me from safe house to safe house, I may not be able to determine my location thereafter. I also don’t want to be around long enough for them to drug me. If that happens, my ability to think and act decisively is gone. So, if I’m given a chance to run, I’ll take it.
I need to try and establish any patterns they may have. Are cars coming and going? How frequently do they check on me? If I can be patient and give this a few hours to mature and gather data, I can gauge when the opportune time to run may be. Very late at night is ideal. I’ll have cover of darkness and even kidnappers get tired and lazy. After it seems the last guy has ensured I’m not going anywhere, I go to work on the cuffs. The handcuff key I concealed in my shorts? Now is the time. It cost me virtually nothing, but will save my life in this instance. Again, I’m layering advantages in every action I take during preparation and execution.
I free myself from the cuffs and check the door security. Fortunately for me, they weren’t expecting a guy with handcuff keys in his tighty-whities; thus, the hasp on the door is easily bypassed. Outside, I orient myself. I want to see where the cars are parked and find the road we came in on. I have only the faintest idea where I might be, so I don’t want to just launch off in one direction and end up in the desert miles from anywhere. My best chance is to find the road used to access the house and retrace our route in.
I’m going to stay off the road, but keep it in sight. This is called handrailing. I can use this for roads, rivers, power lines, or anything else I can use to navigate while remaining concealed. I need to put as much distance between myself and my captors as possible and will not trust any person or vehicle in the immediate area. It’s entirely too likely they’re aware of this local enterprise and will simply turn me in to avoid running afoul of whatever cartel or organization run these types of operations.
If the road is difficult to define in the dark, I can always listen for road noise and look for power lines. They often run right alongside roads, especially in rural areas. If there was any distinctive terrain in the area, such as a mountain; then between that reference point, power poles, and having paid attention to time and direction during my abduction, I can now at least make educated guesses to get me back to the highway.
I can work the route back by reversing the rights and lefts I focused on while in the trunk. Going back to exactly where they took me is dicey, but the general area should be an acceptable risk. I cannot afford to get lost and need to find the highway I was taken on to orient myself. If the bike is still there, I can get eyes-on and decide whether to go for it or move on. It has supplies in the saddle bags I could use and may yet be rideable. If I was fortunate enough to activate my Garmin’s SOS, this area will also be where any help would eventually focus on.
If, by some miracle, it’s road worthy I am on my way to the nearest phone, embassy, consulate, major hotel chain, or high-profile business. I will trust nothing or no one immediately local to the area. If the bike is not rideable, I quickly gather any supplies that may still be present and handrail the highway to the nearest of these destinations. If the bike is gone, then I’m doing the same thing just without the benefit of my supplies.
I must assume they will actively hunt me and act accordingly. I’ll stay off roads, but keep them in sight to navigate. I will use terrain and foliage to obscure myself from the roads where possible. When things are this bad, I will only move under cover of darkness. If I can’t make it to a phone before the sun comes up, I will look for a ROD (Rest Over Day) site. This can be a grouping of large rocks, trees, ditches; anywhere a potential threat would not frequent. With the sun up, I should be able to at least identify where I’m headed when I move out again at sunset. It could be a town in the distance, more power lines to follow, or a terrain feature I recognize from my map reconnaissance.
This is escape and evasion and it sucks. If I have made it this far, I need to be as careful as possible and not undo all this effort and risk by becoming complacent. I may already be out of immediate danger, but I must stay in the fight, so-to-speak, until I am wheels-up on a plane back home. I will continue my evasion protocol, moving at night and resting by day, until I get to a location where I can safely make a call.
Even if I found myself in a town during the first night of evasion, I need to be exceptionally careful. The town’s proximity to the abduction location could easily mean the locals are compromised to some degree. I will assume local police are part of this kidnapping outfit’s security. This is particularly likely if a cartel is involved. If this were the case, I would stay out of thoroughfares and possibly try to identify a fellow tourist and borrow their phone. If I’m the only gringo dumb enough to be on vacation here, I might look for a public phone that can be used without seeming out of place.
My first call is to my wife to get the home front spun up and working a recovery effort on their end. Specifically, at the very least, they need to be prepared to prove who I am to authorities: recent photos, passport number, photocopy of my identification, etc. I would then make calls, or have them made on my behalf, to my local embassy or consulate bypassing any local or regional authorities entirely. From here I would take directions from consular personnel as long as I felt I could follow them safely and without unnecessary exposure.
I could also try any NGOs I identified during my preparations. I’m looking for anything with a presence that is unlikely to be involved with those who abduct foreign nationals. I might even try a major hotel chain in the nearest big city. By speaking with a concierge, I could potentially get the word out as to my location and disposition. Getting this call out is crucially important, but I’m not out of the woods. It could potentially take hours or days for someone to come and get me. It could also take even more time if I need to make my way far enough out of the compromised area to a safe location or rendezvous point.
Once the cavalry has been notified, I need to consider whether I hunker down somewhere or keep moving. Ultimately, I will be meeting someone so I’ll need to roughly be in that place at the predetermined time. Atmospherics at my current location, and distance from the abduction site, will dictate what exactly I do, but I’m likely going to float some and not dwell too long in any one place. I will only occupy the rendezvous site shortly before the pick-up time, so I don’t compromise it by waiting there all day.
At this point I am attempting to look like a tourist again and not someone who has been on the run for hours or days. I need to find a bathroom and clean up a bit if possible. Easier said than done. I want public places with people, but I need to be wary. The more who see me, the more who could report my location to the very group I’m on the run from.
It’s likely that I will not know whoever comes to pick me up. I would give anyone I contact a simple number combination. I can use this to verify they are affiliated with whomever I spoke with. If four guys show up looking for me, I need to know if they’re the rescue team or the cleaning crew from the gang that took me. When they make contact via the protocol we established on the phone, I can simply greet them with, “Two.” If they say, “Five,” I have a warm and fuzzy feeling they are who they say they are as our predetermined number combination added to seven in this case.
This is a lot of work on my part. I plan this trip like I would plan a mission as I did years ago. My goal is to constantly account for what could go wrong and have a contingency, or two, in place to help me deal with it. I’m ready for mild to wild. If nothing goes wrong, or something mundane occurs like a flat tire, then great. I don’t need much in the way of planning and contingencies to help me deal with that. Anyone can do that on the fly.
Ninety-nine percent of the work and forethought I put in is for the 1-percent event. Truly, it is only that 1-percent scenario that matters to me. Compared to being hunted and caged like an animal, everything else is an easy day. Everything I do is designed to prevent it from coming to pass. If it does happen, I’ve taken the steps I can to deal with it. My mindset is everything. I am not just leaving the house. I am leaving the wire. I owe this diligence to myself and I certainly owe it to my wife and family.
Conclusion
Finding yourself a prisoner of criminals in a foreign country is a situation many would consider absolutely hopeless, and understandably so. And for many, it probably is. They’ve never even imagined it was possible, so they’re overcome with shock, and then become resigned to their fate. The surprise, more than the actual circumstances, is what cuts their legs out from under them. Survivors, however, have a different mindset. They do their homework, they take steps to avoid being a victim, and constantly mentally rehearse what they would do in worst-case scenarios, so they can think under pressure. Most importantly, they refuse to simply give up and accept death — they keep trying until the bitter end. The deck may be stacked against you, but as long as you keep your cool and remain determined, you’ll always have a chance.
Don’t assume if you’re captured that you’ll be traded for a Russian arms dealer, but don’t give up either. Billy Hayes (of Midnight Express fame) managed to escape from a Turkish prison island, blend in with locals, and make it all the way into Greece to be returned home safely. That being said, you need to educate yourself about your surroundings ahead of time and be hypervigilant when you’re in-country to increase the odds of making it out of a bad situation.
Meet Our Panel
Mel Ward
Mel Ward is a husband, father, and combat veteran. He served in Afghanistan and Iraq with 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. Over the last 16 years, he has worked in the security industry. He’s an advocate of preparedness and believes self-reliance is not an option, but a duty.
Cory Fechtelkotter
Cory Fechtelkotter has been a police officer in northern Arizona for 14 years, serving in a wide variety of roles including patrolman, rangemaster, field training officer, recruit training officer, school resource officer, crisis negotiator, and detective. As a detective, Cory has investigated everything from financial crimes (extortion, fraud, and counterfeiting) to major crimes including sex offenses, crimes against children, and homicide. Cory has successfully negotiated the surrender of multiple barricaded homicide suspects and served as a member of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards & Training Patrol Procedures Subject Matter Expert Committee, where he helped update academy curriculum for topics such as behavioral health crisis response and off-duty officer safety. Cory’s passion is firearms training, both as an instructor at the local academy, and as a lifelong student of the nation’s top firearms instructors.
Toward the end of 2022, RECOIL took a major step in a new direction. We’ve always worked tirelessly to give you unflinching insight into a wide array of guns and gear, information and expertise on developing new skillsets, exposure to all aspects of the lifestyle, and a behind-the-curtain look at the inner workings of the firearms industry and the organizations that exist to safeguard your constitutional rights. But, for us, even that isn’t enough. For years, we’ve been working to create an immersive real-world experience that would allow you to not just read about these things, but to actively take part in them in real time. In November 2022, RECOIL partnered up with Silencer Shop to bring you this experience, which we dubbed CANCON. The inaugural event was held at 17 South Rod & Gun Club just outside of Savannah, Georgia.
Above: RECOIL and range staff deliver the opening briefing.
The concept of the event was to offer a fully suppressed range day. And we meant it when we said fully suppressed — every single one of the firearms available to shoot at the event was equipped with a can, regardless of make, model, or caliber. CANCON featured more than 30 individual shooting lanes full of the firearms and suppressors you’ve seen in the pages of RECOIL over the years.
Above & Below: A variety of unconventional firearms were available, like this single-action revolver, the Life Card, and Pivot Carbine.
Several companies even showcased brand-new products that had never been revealed to the public before, including new firearms and suppressors that were available to shoot despite not even being on the market yet. No need to bring your own guns, suppressors, or ammunition — all of that was provided for the duration of the event. Just pay your entry fee and start shooting! With multiple FFL/SOT options on site, not only did participants have the chance to get hands-on experience with hundreds of guns and suppressors, but they were able to file paperwork and purchase them as well.
Above: Primary Weapons Systems had both firearms and suppressors on display.
Above & Below: Suppressed belt-feds were available for demo.
But CANCON is so much more than just a day at the range. In addition to the dozens of lanes full of suppressed firearms, there was a vendor row with companies from all corners of the gun industry, including Excaliber Ammunition, Blue Force Gear, and Hossom Knives. Cigar Life cigar shop had a booth where they hosted Vets Vices alumni brand Hooten Young. In fact, retired Special Forces operator Norm Hooten himself showed up in the flesh to smoke a few cigars and talk to folks. Gun Owners of America was also present, along with Stephen Willeford who heroically stopped the mass shooter in Sutherland Springs (see CONCEALMENT Issue 29), educating attendees on the work they do in the firearms community and signing up new members.
Above: There were several shoot-offs with RECOIL staff throughout the weekend.
For those who wanted a more challenging shooting experience, The Proving Grounds competition league set up several short “run-and-gun” stages to give participants a taste of what’s required to compete in their tactical-athlete-style matches around the country. Stages included shooting around vehicles, hauling heavy sandbags, and engaging varied unknown-distance targets with multiple weapons. There were also a series of “Joe versus Pro” pop-up competitions throughout the event, where event attendees could test their skill against RECOIL staff and professional shooters.
Above: A suppressed long range, going out to several hundred yards, was also available.
Above: A student athlete from the WildGats shooting team at University of Arizona tests himself at The Proving Grounds sample stage.
Those who chose to pre-order their CANCON tickets online had the option of purchasing a VIP package. In addition to unlimited range time for all three days of the event, VIPs also received a swag bag filled with $1,500 of gear, including a voucher for a free suppressor from SilencerCo. Finally, VIP participants were granted exclusive access to a nighttime suppressor shoot. Companies like Night Vision Network, Sionyx, Accufire, and AGM Global gave VIP shooters the chance to go hands-on with a variety of thermal, digital, and night vision optics in a suppressed, live-fire environment.
Above & Below: Several shots of the CANCON night shoot taken through a Sionyx Opsin camera.
Our goal with CANCON is two-fold. As we said in the beginning, we want very strongly to give our readers the opportunity to get some trigger time behind the guns they read about in our articles, and to rub elbows with not only RECOIL staff, but professionals from across the firearms industry. The other aim we hope to achieve is to educate both our readers and the general public on the reality of suppressors. Pop culture depictions of suppressed firearms focus solely on two stereotypes: special operators and underworld hit men. As a stark contrast, in many European countries where firearms ownership is far more restrictive than in the U.S., suppressors are actually available as an over-the-counter purchase. Why? Because, in those countries, suppressors are safety equipment, and shooting suppressed is seen as a courtesy to your neighbors and fellow sportsman — not a sign of nefarious or classified activity.
By the time you read this, planning for CANCON 2023 will be well underway. Mark your calendars for Veteran’s Day weekend in November at 17 South Rod & Gun Club near Savannah, Georgia. We also expect to hold a second CANCON somewhere out west. Keep your eyes on the website, www.canconevent.com, for breaking news on both events. We hope to see you there!
Editor's Note: This iRay RS75 thermal scope review was originally published by our sister publication, RECOIL. For more reviews of the latest guns and shooting gear, go to Recoilweb.com.
When 4K televisions dropped onto the scene in 2012, they had $20,000 price tags but shocked with eye-popping performance no one had ever seen before. For most folks, they were mostly proof-of-concept pieces to gawk at and wonder what tax bracket could actually own one. Fast-forwarding to today, now that technology is both commonplace and affordable. Like that 4K TV probably adorning your living room right now compared to the previous standard, the new iRayUSA RICO HD RS75 provides four times the resolution of any rifle-mounted thermal scope on the market.
And at $17,999, it’s beyond many peoples’ wallet.
With the release of iRayUSA’s new optic, the thermal industry just heard the loud clunk of one Thanos-sized gauntlet being thrown down. Teeny, low-resolution sensors providing pixelated pig pictures are no longer cool or cutting edge. YouTube hunting videos can now go full screen without turning coyotes into Minecraft animals. Video-producing varminters with the spare cash now have a new level of flex — all of which sucks for mortals who are looking for a midrange or entry-level thermal, right? Nope.
Tech advancements come fast, and the RS75’s mere existence will drive down the price of so-called “normal” thermals, as well as kickstart an arms race for everyone to do it better. With “everyone” meaning both competitors as well as iRay themselves.
iRay RS75 Lens and Sensor
Bottom line up front: Every article you’re ever going to see about this optic is going to yammer on a lot about the sensor. The uncooled micro-bolometer sensor (the “eye” of the camera) that detects heat is 1280×1024. The big news is that’s four times bigger than formerly state-of-art 640 resolution scopes (there are twice as many of those little 12um pixels horizontally, as well as twice vertically).
Above: A precision nighttime hunting rig: the RS75 thermal on a MDT chassis, perched on a Two Vets Recon V2 tripod.
And if you’re running last year’s 340-pixel optic, prepare to FOMO on the fact that there’s a whopping 11.85 times more visual information coming out of the iRay RS75. A difference that’s hard to overstate.
The lens and sensor work together to gather many more photon waves worth of information than smaller systems, detecting target heat from as far as 3,600 yards away. That data is then converted to the familiar Predator-like thermomap, building a picture by assigning different-colored pixels to the varying levels of cold or hot.
Bigger sensor equals bigger box of crayons. The more levels of information make a clearer, more precise, and much larger video. But there’s a lot more to this story than the mere sensor spec.
Beginning up front where the picture quality starts, the RS75 has an unusually huge 75mm f/1.0 germanium lens. Germanium is a rare element that’s transparent to infrared radiation, so — unlike glass — it sees and sucks up that heat radiation instead of visible light waves.
While big lenses might usually be associated with high magnification, it’s used here for a different reason: as the thermal sensor gets larger, the width of the lens must be larger in order to keep the angle wide.
Above: This scaled representation compares what more pixels natively look like: The lower resolution sensors provide less data and smaller pictures. The RS75’s bigger 1280 pixel sensor brings in many times more information to build a larger — and less pixelated — view.
Having a big lens with a smaller sensor is like having an over-zoomed dayscope — you get a super-detailed closeup with a tight FOV. But put a bigger lens on a larger sensor like InfiRay Outdoor and you not only have a wide 2x native field-of-view, but also the available resolution to take advantage of higher levels of digital zoom.
Each time you zoom in on those pixels you’re losing picture quality. But since a 1280×1024 pixel count is so high to begin with (1,310,720 in total!), running up the digital magnification means an RS75 with a 2x digital zoom will have the same resolution as a native 640 sensor, or the resolution of a 384 sensor at 8x zoom. Hog hunters and hunters who need to track runners moving side-to-side will value the RS75’s FOV of 11.7ºx9.4º at the native 2x optical magnification. Higher magnification levels (4x, 8x, 16x, and the 32x maximum) use digital zoom in conjunction with the native 2x optical zoom to provide a usable increase for those who need to reach out farther.
Eyepiece and Batteries
If we haven’t lost you already with the camera-nerd math, let’s switch to the secret weapon that’s on the backside of this optic: the eyepiece. Simply put, it gives an impressive jump from old tech and a very immersive experience.
A traditional eyepiece in a thermal scope is just a simple, flat little display with a diopter to focus your eye to the screen. Whereas the lens system in the iRay RS75 is an orthoscopic (slightly curved and magnified) lens set that provides increased magnification of the display as well as lower distortion, allowing the 1280 sensor to truly pop from edge to edge.
Above: Some of the RS75’s menu screens as seen through the viewfinder. It’s easy to switch on Wi-Fi, change reticle type and colors, correct zero, see battery life, magnification levels, and many other options.
And it’s big. Most manufacturers don’t bother listing any specs other than the pixel count of their screens. They’re usually less than a ½ inch in size and put out 640×480 resolution, whereas iRay offers a huge 1.07-inch AMOLED screen with resolution of 2560×2560, about 6.5 megapixels. This makes for a forgiving eyebox with 60mm of relief.
You can literally stand back from the scope and still see the display without cramming your pupil into it. This is one of the exciting elements of this scope that we’d expect to easily trickle-down to lesser-priced units in the near future.
The refresh rate of the screen is 30 Hz, which isn’t the highest possible, but with so much data you have to blend battery life and processing power. When combined with the wide FOV and the resolution, the slower rate isn’t that noticeable.
Speaking of batteries, the unit comes with two batteries that can be recharged in the field or at home, and it can optionally run off aftermarket external USB-C power sources like you use to charge your phone. It’s certainly achievable to get a full night’s use out of the optic with the two included batteries.
Getting Physical
As far as physical size, it’s 12.28 inches long, 3 inches tall, with a 1.7-inch centerline of the eyepiece when it’s mounted to your rifle’s rail. That’s a similar length to a Leupold 3.6-18x44mm scope that we pulled off the Ruger SFAR .308 test rifle to mount the iRay.
Above: A 7.62 FN SCAR rifle kitted out with a Silencerco Omega suppressor and the RS75 thermal.
It includes a recoil-mitigating mount, which rates the system for recoil up to .300WM/7mm Mag. The whole setup is a bit chubby at 44 ounces, which isn’t entirely unexpected for all the tech crammed in it. Also, let’s face it: night rigs like this mostly get used on tripods, off truck hoods, and in deer blinds.
iRay RS75 Bonus Features
In addition to the bare guts of the unit, the bells and whistles are fun and useful as well. There’s a lot of emphasis on helping you share those high-definition thermal videos with the world. The RS75 records video and has newly improved audio capabilities to document your hunt, from picking up whispers of “going hot!” to capturing bullet impacts way downrange.
You can wirelessly stream photos and video to a smartphone app, broadcast your gunsight videos instantly to social media, or just store your content on 128GB of internal memory for in-scope or tablet review in the field.
Above: IRay’s recoil-reducing rail mount cuts down on shock transmitted to the optic by high impulse guns like the FN SCAR.
As a high-tech bonus, the RS75 ships with iRay’s ILR-1,000-yard laser rangefinder. It integrates with the unit, overlaying real-time distance data (accurate to +/- 1 yard) directly onto the thermal’s display so you’ll never have to guess how far away the target is or pull out a separate rangefinder.
Loose Rounds
It’s been about 10 years since this sort of big leap of technology happened in the thermal world, so iRay decided we were due for a new one. If you’re in the tax bracket that can afford this scope now, you’re going to be pleased. If you’re waiting for this tech to trickle down, you’re in luck too — but maybe next Christmas.
When it comes to how you can carry a weapon, variety isn’t just the spice of life, it’s a measure of responsible carry. Few things are worse for your credibility than forcing a carry option to apply in a situation where it shouldn’t … or just can’t. In my work, well-done concealed carry is far more prudent and professional than the alternative. As a result, I have firearms and holsters for nearly every occasion and type of dress I’d likely need. That being said, I realized that despite trying to cover as many bases as possible, I was missing an off-body carry (OBC) option.
Off-Body Carry: A Controversial Topic
OBC is somewhat controversial and has its fair share of critics. Opposition usually breaks down to one thing — inaccessibility of the weapon resulting in long response times, especially inside the venerable “21-foot zone.” I agree with the critics on this point, there’s little chance a person will dig a weapon out of a bag in time to save themselves from that type of direct threat.
Above: Keeping your firearm concealed on your body is usually preferable, but off-body carry can be a viable option for secondary weapons to supplement your conventional CCW firearm.
To be fair though, the same concerns critics of OBC have can be said for pretty much all concealed carry options. Inside your reactionary zone (which is different for everyone, 21 feet is a general guideline based on a number of different factors and scenarios) it really makes no difference how you carry if someone else has an action/distance/position advantage on you to begin with.
If you decide to carry off-body, it’s absolutely critical to understand the narrow, but necessary, role this carry option best fits. Unless you’re using OBC to augment your EDC, off-body carry is most applicable when a situation dictates that the accuracy, caliber, and higher capacity of a braced pistol or SBR would offer a significant defensive advantage over a more conventional CCW firearm and a semi-immediate threat exists that allows the user time to safely ready the weapon to engage the threat.
Note that I said “semi-immediate threat,” not a “direct threat.” A direct threat (think staring down the muzzle of a firearm or the point of a blade inside your reactionary zone) puts you on the wrong side of that action/distance/position equation. There’s no way you’re safely getting to any off-body weapon under those circumstances. However, a semi-immediate threat (think hearing shots at the receptionist’s desk down the hall or at a park with your family) is where this system fits. It allows you to access a more accurate and higher-capacity defensive weapon, thus increasing your ability to get yourself and others away safely. That’s its role, period. Making it fit anywhere else is like trying to haul a family of four around on a motorcycle. Even though the bike could hypothetically get you all there, that’s definitely not what it’s made for. In other words, you have to be reasonable and responsible enough to know your equipped carry option, its role, and its limitations.
Deciding on the Ruger PC Charger
When I was planning the off-body option I decided it had to check these boxes. First, it had to appear as innocuous as possible. Second, it had to be as compact as I could make it. Third, the dedicated firearm I chose had to conform to what I could legally carry both for work and personal use. With minor exceptions, OBC is comprised of two major components, the bag itself and the weapon you choose to put in it.
For this project, I went with the Ruger PC Charger 9mm, which, thanks to its extremely compact size and adaptability, is quickly becoming an industry front runner for pistol-caliber pack guns. The weapon came with a SB tactical brace, and when folded measures about 17 inches overall.
The Charger is a takedown gun, separating into barrel/forend and action subassemblies. While it’s a nice feature, I wouldn’t recommend it for this application. Putting together the two subassemblies, especially under stress, isn’t a reasonable plan. Besides, when equipped with the brace, the gun doesn’t benefit much from the reduced take-down length, as the folded brace is longer than the receiver component.
The Ruger PC Charger is well-made, accurate, and has some other useful features as well. The reversible mag release and charging handle are nice if you’re a lefty. I have it configured the way most people probably would, with the mag release on the left and charging handle on the right (a left-side charging handle keeps the brace from folding flat). This setup somewhat replicates the mechanics of operating an AK pattern weapon.
The tungsten dead blow weight definitely reduces felt recoil — a PlayStation controller probably kicks harder — but it does make the small weapon (and consequently the whole carry package) relatively heavy. Most importantly, it can accept Glock mags with an included adapter (which I had installed before I even left the store).
My Charger is fitted with a SeeAll Mk2 Night Sight. The SeeAll is a tritium-equipped non-electric sight that’s designed to gather as much light as possible, ensuring full reticle visibility from full light to practically no light. Its low profile and small size has the added benefit of lessening the chance it will snag when pulling the weapon. While the sight picture does take some getting used to over a more conventional optic, I like it and have a couple on different weapons.
Finding the Right Pack
For pack selection, I purposely avoided anything with MOLLE webbing, Velcro panels, and offerings from traditionally “tactical” manufacturers (even their low-key models) in favor of generally recognized outdoors brands. While there are purpose-built concealed carry bags out there with some great features, I wanted to get as far off the mark as possible. The goal was to go unnoticed by the general public and those who are knowledgeable on industry gear … hence none of the usual players.
After looking at Oakley, Merrell, The North Face, and the like, I went with a Dakine Poacher 14L. At 850 cubic inches (14L) and measuring 20 by 12 by 4 inches, it was ideal. The pack is marketed by Dakine as a “minimalist backcountry pack for riding the lifts” and designed as a close fitting, low-profile pack for aggressive skiing. With one main compartment that fit my weapon nicely and being only 4 inches deep, it was exactly what I wanted. It holds the weapon snugly against me and doesn’t allow the weight to shift, even at a good run. It’s very well built, and I like the contrasting red zipper pulls — a nice little feature for easy visibility in a pinch.
Above: A fixed blade is a good tool to include in almost any backpack. In this case, I chose a TOPS Knives Ranger Bootlegger.
I made a few minor tweaks to turn the bag from a “minimalist backcountry pack” into a reliable concealed-carry platform. First, I cut out two inner snow tool organization pockets that tended to snag the weapon and removed an extraneous strap inside a small pocket designed to carry a snowboard. Next, I secured a stretch fit magazine holder and level IIIa universal ballistic backpack panel inside the hydration pocket of the main compartment. The panel is positioned center mass when wearing the pack backward as a better-than-nothing modicum of ballistic protection.
It has an outer goggle pocket just large enough to hold a pressure dressing, a Celox pack, and a CAT tourniquet. One other unique feature that’s worth mentioning is that Dakine built one shoulder strap with a zippered access to run your hydration tube through it. Since I’m not running a water bladder, it’s been repurposed, and is large enough to conceal my TOPS Knives Bootlegger in easy reach.
Advice for building your own:
Keep it small. One universal truth I’ve noticed after years of hiking and messing around with packs is that if you have extra space, you’ll try to fill it with something. For the sake of comfort, weight, and subtlety, pick a bag that’s just big enough for what you need and nothing else.
Keep it focused. It’s important to remember the role of this kit. This carry option isn’t going to pull double duty as a get home bag, or anything else. You don’t want to dig through a bunch of extraneous junk to find your weapon or have it all fly out like a busted piñata when you pull it.
Keep it with you. Build something that you want to carry. All of this thought, money, and time won’t do you any good if it’s not at hand when you need it.
Build it, wear it, refine it.
Above: The pack's contents are simple a Ruger PC Charger, spare magazines, fixed blade knife, and medical kit.
Bicycles and motorcycles are both excellent vehicles for off-grid travel, but each has strengths and weaknesses. Bicycles are nearly silent, but require strenuous physical effort and aren't especially fast unless you're an athlete. Motorcycles alleviate both of the latter concerns, but they're loud. They also require gasoline (a resource that may be in short supply during emergencies) and maintenance for their numerous moving parts. Electrically-powered eBikes split the difference and offer some major advantages — the quietness and longevity of a bicycle, the speed and mobility of a motorcycle, plus they can be charged from off-grid power sources such as solar panels. QuietKat, a leader in the eBike market, has released a new high-performance model called the QuietKat Lynx.
The QuietKat Lynx eBike
Unveiled last month, the QuietKat Lynx is said to “push the envelope of high performance” among the company's existing offerings. It features a 2-speed, 1000-watt hub motor with a motorcycle-style twist throttle option. But, as with QuietKat's other eBikes, the Lynx can still be pedaled like a traditional bicycle.
For all-terrain capability, the Lynx comes with 203mm inverted mechanical coil fork front suspension, and a mechanical coil shock in the rear that offers 100mm of travel. A set of 24×4.5-inch moto-style tires offer grip on-road and off-road, and 2-piston hydraulic disc brakes bring it to a stop quickly.
Modern Tech & Classic Styling
The new QuietKat Lynx also features integrated Bluetooth, cellular, and GPS tech that allow the user to remotely control features and track the bike in case of theft.
One unique aspect of the Lynx is its styling, which resembles an old-school café racer motorcycle with its round headlight, sleek contours, and custom-sewn synthetic leather café saddle.
The QuietKat Lynx will be available in late summer 2023 at an estimated retail price of $4,000. For more information as it becomes available, go to QuietKat.com.
Many people believe that lockpicking is a cryptic skill only prodigies can master. Every heist movie seems to have a nerdy lockpicking specialist who’s brought in to open the vault, and he usually requires specific conditions to work his wizardry — he might even close his eyes or listen to Mozart. “This concept of opening locks through magic feel is bullsh*t. It’s not that esoteric,” said the instructor of a recent private lockpicking workshop I attended. This instructor, who I’ll call John, didn’t want any time in the spotlight, but he was happy to pass along the knowledge he has accumulated while studying under well-known mentors such as Deviant Ollam. Rather than a mystical art, John showed us that lockpicking is a repeatable science that can be learned by anyone with enough practice.
Lockpicking Lessons
Above: Some of the locks and tools John brought for us to practice with. Don’t get stuck in the comfort zone of easy locks and basic tools — keep trying new challenges.
The lockpicking workshop consisted of two full days of hands-on drills. Each student had the opportunity to start with basic locks and techniques and work up to more challenging obstacles. After studying the components of a pin tumbler lock, we learned how to disassemble and reassemble practice locks, examining the guts firsthand. Next, we discussed tools. John recommends starting with a set of six 0.025-inch-thick picks: short hook, medium hook, half diamond, spoon curve, and quad and quint wave rakes. These should be paired with six turners/tension wrenches: three sizes designed for use at the top of the keyway, and three for the bottom of the keyway. That’s all you need to get started. Buy a quality set and skip the 99-piece kits that have a bunch of items you’ll never need.
Lockpicking requires patience and finesse. Tools should be held delicately like a pencil or chopstick, not in a clenched fist. It may be useful to hold one finger of your picking hand against the face of the lock; this provides more precise control over depth as you move from one pin to the next. Begin picking while applying heavy tension, and slowly back off. This will help you find the binding order of the pins. The first pin that feels “sticky” under tension is the first you need to set. If you’re struggling, a Lishi tool (look it up) is an extremely useful device that can help you check binding order in a methodical manner.
Beyond Single-Pin Picking
Once we got comfortable with single-pin skills, we explored some faster but potentially less reliable methods. These included raking (repeated in/out motions with wave rakes), zipping (a quick back-to-front pulling motion with a half diamond), and bumping (repeatedly tapping in a jagged bump key while applying tension). I had never tried bump keys before, so I was surprised how quickly I got the hang of them.
We tested ourselves on progressive practice locks, starting with 3-pin setups that practically opened themselves and moving up to 5- and 6-pin setups. We also practiced with real padlocks, such as cheap MasterLocks (ridiculously easy) and Brinks 4-pin locks. The latter was our first introduction to security pins, since it included one spool pin that made setting a little more difficult by inducing a false set. Schlage and Kwikset door locks and deadbolts were also provided on wood stands, forcing us to work our picking techniques from new angles.
DIY Tools
Above: The DIY short hook and tension wrench I made from scrap metal. Making your own tools teaches you what qualities to look for (or avoid) in off-the-shelf tools.
By the end of the two-day workshop, I walked away feeling much more confident in my single-pin skills as well as my ability to deal with multiple security pins and odd picking positions. For our overnight homework assignment, I even made my own pick and tension tool from hardware store items (a stainless steel slide rule and a hacksaw blade). They worked well enough to become permanent additions to my covert entry kit, along with some new “super bump keys” from RedTeamTools.com.
I’m thankful to John for sharing his time and knowledge with us, and even though I can’t refer you to him directly, I’d encourage you to go watch some Deviant Ollam videos and push the limits of your lockpicking comfort zone. Whether you’re helping a locked-out neighbor get back into their house or opening a padlock after its keys were misplaced, you don’t have to be a magician to benefit from this useful skill.
Whether you're hunting small game, shooting in competitions, or simply looking for a way to make the most of the pistol ammo you've accumulated, the concept of a 9mm pistol caliber carbine (PCC) is nothing new. Beyond that, “packable” PCCs are also a popular market segment, with the takedown Ruger PC Carbine and folding Kel-Tec SUB2000 being popular choices for shooters who want to stash their long guns in a backpack or vehicle. This week, Smith & Wesson released its own entry into the 9mm folding carbine segment, known as the Smith & Wesson FPC. It's based on the M&P pistol architecture, and it's compatible with full-size and compact double-stack M&P 9 pistol mags.
The New Smith & Wesson FPC
The FPC is a direct blowback carbine with 16.25-inch threaded barrel and integrated folding mechanism. Unlike the undeniably similar Kel-Tec SUB2000, the FPC folds in half laterally rather than vertically; this allows it to fold with optics mounted on the top rail. In addition to that Picatinny top rail, the handguard features 7-sided M-LOK slots for accessories.
Part M&P Pistol, Part Carbine
The lower half of the Smith & Wesson FPC is essentially just a compact M&P 9 M2.0 frame, complete with interchangeable backstraps, reversible mag release, ambidextrous bolt catch, and M2.0 flat face trigger. The frame also contains a button-release folding mechanism at the front, and a buffer tube at the rear.
The buffer tube has an ambidextrous “charging slide/handle” on the underside, and this part doubles as a retainer when this PCC is folded. The stock is also a unique design, with integrated storage for two 23-round magazines (included). These mags lock in place via a quick-release tab.
Each Smith & Wesson FPC comes with a 17-round magazine, two 23-round magazines, and a carrying bag that features storage pockets and Velcro retention straps. MSRP is $659. For more information on the new S&W FPC, go to Smith-Wesson.com.
The Premise: For Dr. David Perrodin, chaos events, and the human reaction to them has been a focus of his throughout his career. The worldwide chaos created by the COVID-19 pandemic prompted him to examine individual and population level behaviors more closely. Perrodin states that if we study the reaction to different stages of chaos, others will be able to anticipate and position themselves out of harm’s way and ahead of pack. Perrodin explores the effect of time perception during traumatic events and the ability to discern factual information through observation of seemingly mundane details. Unfortunately, by tapping into external sources, such as 24-hour news, people dismiss what should be corroborated by what’s happening directly in front of them.
Our Review of “The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times”
The 411: Chaos strikes daily around the world. Whether it’s war, political turmoil, violent protests, the weather, or some other event. Perrodin uses real-life examples to give the reader a wide array of tools to use as a counter strategy to this chaos. Starting with Evaluating Chaos Events, Perrodin guides you through the beginning of these events and helps the reader determine what action they should take for protection. When chaos erupts, information will be flooding in, people will be overwhelmed, and the speed of these details are what he calls the Velocity of Information (VOI).
One area that people experience during a chaos event is a period of intense disbelief, followed by normalcy bias. Normalcy bias refers to an attitude that’s entered when facing a disaster. People with normalcy bias have difficulties reacting to something they have not experienced before. They also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation.
Each chapter focuses on a different tool to use for sifting through the barrage of information people are bombarded with during chaos. Situational awareness being one of the tools. Most people use it to some degree, but don’t realize its full potential. Many people rarely use it as they’re busy looking at their phone or just looking down at the pavement avoiding eye contact. A simple tool that has been overlooked in this day and age is member checks. Member checks or connecting with a network of confidantes, whether in your neighborhood, in your state, or in another country, can help you establish if the information you’re hearing and seeing from the government or media is factual.
I found the section on situational awareness with Joe Dolio was of terrific value. Dolio is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, a Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Forensic Examiner with over 20 years in the corporate security investigations business. In late 2020, Dolio observed signs in local grocery stores limiting the quantity of chicken purchases. As this indicates a potential shortage, Dolio purchased extra chicken and then set out to verify if the information was accurate or not. Using his member check network, Dolio was able to find out that a local cold storage facility was shorthanded due to a COVID-19 outbreak, and that other areas in his state weren’t experiencing shortages. Since the shortages were localized, it was most likely temporary until the grocery chain could set up alternate supplies of chicken. While this is a simple tactic, most people wouldn’t even think of it, let alone have a member check network setup.
Other areas covered include a section on the types of biases people have, as perception of information is influenced by past experiences. Perrodin states that, “The unconscious desire to remain in our comfortable torus (torus theory is the ingrained human behavior pursuing a similar condition of being) is powerful and contributes greatly to cognitive bias in any given situation. Finite Voltage or a person’s breaking point from the stress of a chaos event. Crowd-In Behavior (Cocooning), which is, “The need to protect oneself from the harsh unpredictable realities of the outside world,” The Continuum of Chaos, and The Failure to Regress to the Mean.
The Verdict
The Velocity of Information is a must read for anyone looking to improve their decision-making game. Perrodin breaks a large amount of data down into seven chapters of valuable information using examples from actual chaos events as well as case studies of the people involved to help you with your decision-making process. The principles apply whether it’s for a true chaos event, hurricane, protests, industrial accident, or just plain living. The Velocity of Information will empower its readers with its teachable moments and actionable items. In the words of Perrodin, “Stop outsourcing your thinking. The more you steer your own wheel, the harder it becomes for others to steer you.”
About the Book
Book & Author The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times By David P. Perrodin
We love a good action flick as much as anyone, but they're rarely a good representation of reality. Hollywood loves to exaggerate details for dramatic effect, and often spreads outright falsehoods such as the myth that barrel cacti are a great source of water for survival situations. Their representation of weapons is often especially silly, with guns that blast bad guys across the room and never need to be reloaded. However, there are still a few movies that put in the effort to get details right. In a recent video on the Zac in the Wild YouTube channel, edged weapon combatives instructor Adam Boyce of Spartan Mode reacts to a few famous (and infamous) movie knife fights.
About the Expert
Adam Boyce spent 7 years as an assaulter and sniper on a Special Response Team (SRT), and he currently works in the training department for a government agency. He also travels throughout the United States to teach defensive tactics classes to the general public, specializing in edged-weapon combatives. Adam is a certified instructor for Martial Blade Concepts, the training organization founded by Offgrid contributor Michael Janich. On top of all this, he's also a knife designer.
Action Movie Knife Fights
Above: “I can beat you! I don't need no gun!” cries Bennett before challenging Arnold Schwarzenegger's character to a knife duel in Commando. You can probably guess the outcome.
Adam and Zac sat down to watch clips from eight movies, including over-the-top '80s action flicks like Commando, modern movies like John Wick 2, and timeless classics like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Between the predictable critiques of inaccuracies, Adam pointed out a few realistic elements that showed the production teams did some homework.
Above: This fight from The Long Riders includes a knife fighting technique that appears to be historically accurate — wielding a Bowie knife in a reverse grip for defense. This allowed the defender to parry incoming strikes with his Bowie's spine (often protected by a brass strip) and guard, without damaging the cutting edge of the knife. The partial secondary edge could still be used for counterattacks.
Check out the video below from Zac in the Wild:
For more information on Adam Boyce's training courses, go to SpartanMode.com.
Mel Ward
