Alaskan Man Survives 22 Days After a Cabin Fire

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It's one thing to be self-sufficient when things are going smoothly, and entirely another to be self-sufficient during a catastrophic situation. Life has a way of throwing curveballs at us, and being able to deal with these challenges will test your survival skills, especially when you're all alone. The recent story of 30-year-old Tyson Steele, who was stranded in sub-zero temperatures for more than 20 days after his cabin burned down, is a reminder of this fact. Thankfully, Steele was able to stay alive until Alaska State Troopers rescued him.

Photo Credit: Alaska State Troopers

On Thursday, January 9th, an Alaska State Trooper helicopter was dispatched to conduct a welfare check on Steele at his cabin in the remote woods 20 miles from the town of Skwentna. Steele's family became concerned after not hearing from him for several weeks, an unusually long period of time for him to go without checking in. The helicopter found Steele waving his arms outside the ruins of his cabin, with “SOS” carved into the snow nearby.

Hours after Steele was rescued, he explained what happened in detail — you can read a PDF of the entire account on the Alaska DPS web site. It all began in the middle of the night on December 17th or 18th, as Steele recalls: ” I got hasty and I put a big piece of cardboard in the stove to start the fire … it sent a spark out through the chimney, which landed on the roof.” The resulting ember slowly burned a piece of plastic tarp, which grew into a blazing inferno while he slept.

At roughly 1 AM, he awoke to find the entire roof on fire. He ran back inside to wake his 6-year-old labrador retriever, Phil, who jumped up and appeared to run outside. He then attempted to save a few critical supplies — warm clothes, a sleeping bag, and blankets he'd need to survive the -15°F winter cold. He rushed out shortly before the fire spread to engulf his stockpile of cooking oil, as well as 500 rounds of ammunition, and finally a propane cylinder that exploded.

Tragically, the dog didn't make it outside after all. “I was hysterical… I have no words for what sorrow; it was just, just a scream,” he recalled.

He worked until sunrise, attempting to put out sections of the fire, but eventually sat down to formulate a plan. He determined that he had 60 cans of food, many of which were charred and questionably-edible. The only way in and out was through a chartered private plane — the ground was blanketed in 5 feet of soft snow, and Steele's snowshoes had burned up in the fire. Additionally, his cell phone had recently stopped charging due to a faulty battery, so he was unable to use it to call for rescue.

Steele scavenged some lumber and tarps to build an improvised shelter around the surviving wood stove, and was able to stave off hypothermia. “I could still see my breath, but at least I wasn’t suffering.” He ate ruptured cans of half-burned food and peanut butter in melted plastic jars. After approximately 22 days, the State Trooper helicopter arrived to find him healthy but cold and ash-stained.

You can read a full account of Steele's survival story in his own words here. By his own admission, he made some critical mistakes that exacerbated the disastrous situation, most notably a lack of emergency communications equipment. However, his commendable resourcefulness and determination allowed him to stay safe until rescuers arrived.

Review: LockpickWorld Beginner Lock Pick Set

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Lock picking is a subject that often receives mixed opinions from the general public. Sadly, many see it as a skill set that's only applicable to members of the criminal underworld, and claim that those who learn it must have some kind of underlying nefarious intent. Others perceive it as something that's only possible in spy movies, assuming that the average person would never be able to learn its intricacies. We're here to tell you that these assertions are simply not true — lock picking is an extremely valuable skill with many real-world applications, and it's a lot easier to learn than you might think.

Why Learn Lock Picking?

To address the first point, let's look at a few use cases where knowing how to pick a lock can be valuable to the average person. The most obvious of these is a situation where you're locked out of something you own, whether that's a door, gate, toolbox, or even a vehicle. Maybe you lost the key, left it in an inaccessible location, or locked it inside the container — either way, if you know how to pick a lock, you can solve this problem without paying a locksmith to do it for you. Lock picking is also important for emergency entry and exit techniques, which might be necessary in a survival situation. For example, gaining entry to a locked building to take shelter during a disaster, or in the worst case, covertly escaping captivity during a kidnapping scenario.

Additionally, understanding lock picking is a critical part of hardening your own security systems against those who might employ it for malicious purposes. This plays into the adversarial mindset we've discussed in previous articles. If a bad guy might use lock picks to gain access to your valuables, you'd better learn the skill too so you can know enough to stay one step ahead.

As for the second point, lock picking isn't some esoteric skill that requires years of tireless practice to learn (at least not for most common applications). In fact, it's surprisingly easy to defeat most consumer-grade locks — the kind found in home goods and hardware stores everywhere — within a few seconds. The abundance of educational videos, articles, and training kits available online has made lock picking easier to learn than ever before.

LockPickWorld Beginner Lock Pick Box Set Contents

Today, I'll take a detailed look at one such training kit: the LockPickWorld Beginner Lock Pick Set. LockPickWorld was kind enough to send me one of these kits to evaluate, but with a retail price of $53 (plus free shipping) it certainly won't break the bank.

This kit is marketed as an all-in-one starter pack for newcomers to the skill — a perfect description of my own experience level going into this review. It contains the following items:

  • Lock pick set with a variety pack of picks, tension tools, and an extractor
  • “Secret Agent” credit-card-sized pick set
  • Clear practice padlock with keys
  • Clear practice cutaway training lock with keys
  • “How to Pick a Lock” quick-start card
  • Lock Picking: The Definitive Guide to Single-Pin Picking by Chris Dangerfield & Mike Gibson

The kit comes standard with the last item in the form of a 40-page downloadable ebook for a total price of $48. However, I selected the upgraded version of the kit, which includes the guide in paperback form. This adds $5 to the price of the kit, and I'd say it's well worth the additional money to have a physical book to study and keep on hand.

I also added an additional blue Medium Difficulty practice lock ($18, pictured above at far right) which ups the ante for practice in the future. I'll discuss this item more later.

The Definitive Guide Book

Despite my impulsive instincts, I knew that it'd be a wise choice to study the fundamentals before I started experimenting with the picks and practice lock. So, I read the book cover-to-cover right away. With only 34 printed pages, clearly-defined sections, and many photos and colorful diagrams, it was easy to digest. The content, which was written by Mike Gibson and edited by LockPickWorld director Chris Dangerfield, was generally well-articulated and simple to understand. I spotted a few typos, but these didn't detract from the value of the guide.

It's bold to call any 34-page document a “definitive guide” to a subject as complex as lock picking, but I'd say this book does a pretty good job of covering the key points (forgive the pun). It's broken into two parts, which I'll analyze briefly below. Note that this is a quick summary — the guide offers far more detail, tips, and tricks.

Part 1: How a Cylinder Pin Lock Works

This is said to be the most important part of the book, and understandably so. If you don't comprehend how a lock mechanism works, you won't be able to pick anything, much less troubleshoot problems that crop up. The components are described and depicted in detail, but we'll cover the basics below so you'll be familiar with terms used later in this review.

  • Shell — the body of the lock
  • Plug — the rotating cylinder where the key goes
  • Pin chambers — shafts that are drilled through the shell and plug, containing the pins
  • Key pins — these occupy the lower part of the pin chambers, and are the parts that contact the key (or pick)
  • Driver pins — these occupy the upper part of the chambers, and block the shear line between shell and plug, keeping the cylinder from rotating unless they're aligned correctly
  • Springs — add tension to the pins, preventing them from rattling within the lock

Notice how inserting the correct key into a clear lock aligns all the pins — this is your goal.

The guide then shows how the key lines up the driver pins at the shear line, allowing the cylinder to rotate and open the lock. It also discusses machining tolerances — slight variances in the pin diameters that can cause some pins to bind and get stuck in the chambers while others move freely. Pin states are also discussed, such as set (lined up at the shear line), over-set (too high, with key pins above the shear line), and under-set (too low, with driver pins below the shear line).

Diagrams clearly depict various pin states that can occur inside the lock.

Part 2: Picking Techniques

Once the theory portion was out of the way, I moved on to the meat of the guide. First, the author explains how to hold picks and tension wrenches, and includes photos demonstrating each method. Essentially, a lot of it comes down to personal preference, but the author recommends the following basic technique:

  • Insert a tension wrench into the bottom of the keyway, taking up as little space as possible inside the mechanism. Hold the lock in the non-dominant hand and apply “a medium amount of tension” with one finger — roughly the amount needed to press a key on a computer keyboard.
  • Start with a short hook pick, and insert it into the keyway at an upward angle. Slowly draw the pick back and forth across the pins to find the first binding (stuck) pin.
  • Apply pressure with the pick and back off tension on the plug until the binding pin moves. Once you feel the pin is set, move on to the next binding pin.
  • Continue the process until the final pin is set and the plug turns to open the lock.

If you've never picked a lock, this probably sounds extremely complicated, but the author provides reassurances that you'll get the hang of it quickly. He then describes one of the most common problems — over-setting one or more pins by pushing it too far upward — as well as potential solutions. The guide concludes with a reminder to focus on the Three P's: Practice, Patience, and Persistence.

The Tools

After reading the book, I set out all the tools in the LockPickWorld box. The faux leather pouch contains five L-shaped tension tools, plus eleven picks and one extractor with blue plastic overmolded handles. I recognized a few of these as the hook-style picks described in the guide book, but all of the tools are unlabeled, and the other styles are not mentioned in any of the documentation.

After reading up on lock pick types elsewhere, I determined that there appear to be four hook variants, four zigzag-shaped rake/snake picks, one single-sided long rake, one half diamond, and one double-ball “snowman” pick (all pictured from left to right above). The final tool looks like a second rake, but is actually an extractor that's designed to remove a broken key stuck inside a lock.

Although it's nice that the kit includes all these items, it's frustrating that their names and purposes were not described in the guide. Based on what the guide covers, I immediately selected one long hook pick and a tension wrench, and put the other tools back in the case. As a beginner, the more-specialized tools strike me as a source of confusion rather than assistance.

To begin, you'll need a hook pick and a tension wrench — I chose these two.

Thankfully, both of the included clear locks offer ideal conditions for practice. The transparent plastic shells on these locks make it easy to see each of the pins as it moves, and to catch mistakes such as over-setting pins, or contacting multiple pins with the pick shaft rather than a single pin with the tip. The 6-pin padlock works exactly like you'd expect, and the cutaway lock is double-sided with two different 5-pin configurations, yielding a total of three unique locks to pick.

The cutaway lock is similar to a typical door lock, but with two different pin arrangements.

Finally, there's a slim plastic case that contains the “Secret Agent” pick set: a double-sided tension wrench and four stamped metal picks (stretched snake, long hook, half diamond, and long rake). Again, three of these four are styles that weren't covered in the guide. The plastic case features a sticker on the front that loosely resembles a credit card, but this definitely won't fool anyone. If I chose to carry any of these items, I'd slide the tension wrench and one or two picks into a wallet and leave the rest of the kit at home.

Optional Add-On: Medium Difficulty Practice Lock

The clear locks included with the kit were fairly easy to defeat after a little practice, so I also picked up a Stage 2 Medium Difficulty Training Padlock from LockPickWorld ($18). Its bluish clear shell contains six pins like the clear Easy Difficulty padlock. However, two of these pins are spool pins, with an I-shaped side profile that makes them more challenging to set correctly.

With a little practice and some help from this BosnianBill video, I was able to learn to work around these spool pins and open the Medium Difficulty lock somewhat consistently. However, real locks aren't transparent, and doing it without looking at the pins is the true challenge — that will take a lot more time to master.

Conclusions

As a first-time introduction into lock picking, the LockPickWorld Beginner Lock Pick Set has some ups and downs (again, forgive the pun). The guide book is easy to read and quickly conveyed the fundamentals of lock mechanisms and picking. I also appreciated the quick-start guide, which condenses the process into seven basic steps. The clear locks were simple to use, and offered an excellent training aid comparable to standard-fare hardware store locks.

Compared to the 6-pin clear lock (silver key), opening a basic 4-pin Master Lock (gold key) was child's play.

The pick set included the basic tools I needed, but lumped them in with an array of other tools that don't seem very relevant to a beginner's learning process. The lack of documentation on the pick set left me wondering what they're called, much less why or how they might be used. The user can certainly experiment with them in the clear practice locks, but this must be done without any guidance. In this case, I would have preferred two or three high-quality picks with a few sentences explaining their uses, as opposed to a variety-pack of twelve entry-level picks that only serve to confuse a novice.

Pick variety is great, but too much at once can overwhelm a novice. I'll take quality over quantity any day.

The “Secret Agent” pick set seems mostly like a novelty item, with an unconvincing plastic “credit card” case and thin stamped metal picks. Still, if you're planning to use lock picks in the real world, you'll probably want a concealable set for every-day carry (LockPickWorld offers many to choose from). Although I plan to upgrade to a higher-quality EDC set in the future, this kit at least allows me to get a feel for using smaller picks.

Above: After some practice with the clear locks, I was able to open this Master Lock No.3 in seconds. Other locks I own, such as an ABUS Titalium padlock, posed a much greater challenge as a result of security pins and tighter tolerances. Learning how to pick locks will make you more aware of these differences, and how some locks offer far more physical security than others.

Overall, the LockPickWorld Beginner Lock Pick Set is a solid starting point for beginners. While I felt that the tool kit could've benefited from a less-is-more approach, having too many tools is still preferable to having too few. With the addition of a Medium Difficulty padlock, it could also appeal to intermediate users who might be more familiar with the other pick types. Given the $53 price tag, this box set offers good value as well. For more information on this and other LockPickWorld tools, go to LockPickWorld.com.

Survival Packs for Kids – Part 2: Building a DIY Survival Backpack

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Photos by Bernie Carr and RECOIL OFFGRID Staff

Editor's Note: This is the second part of our two-part Survival Packs for Kids web series, originally published as a single print article in Issue 35. Part 1 focused on premade/off-the-shelf survival backpacks for children, as well as considerations for personalizing them and training your kids on how to use them. If you haven't already read that article, you can do so here.

DIY Kid's Survival Backpack Build

After deciding what I wanted to see in a child’s survival backpack, I went ahead and assembled one myself. First, I collected items I already had in the house. Then, I shopped for a child’s backpack at our local Goodwill store. I soon found one that was the right size. Better yet, it looked new and still had store tags. I also purchased a few items at the .99 Only Store.

It took me about a day to search for items around the house, and another couple of days to order and shop for the rest of the items. I included six mini water bottles to save on weight, but I included a sport bottle along with a LifeStraw, which removes bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella and parasites such as giardia and cryptosporidium from water. During the initial stage of a disaster, water still runs from the tap but may have to be filtered for safety. The LifeStraw will serve as a good water filter and can be used with the sport bottle. I’d also go over how to use the LifeStraw with my child ahead of time.

Another area I deviated from the commercial backpacks was in the personal care area. I included sunscreen, lip balm, and insect repellent. These are optional items that you may want to consider.

Although my DIY survival backpack total cost less than my top pick from The Cure Inc., I have to consider that not everyone may have an extra flashlight, plastic poncho, or survival whistle. In addition, The Cure Inc. Children’s Survival Kit also included Mainstay Bars, which are higher calorie than your average granola bar, and a mini radio that I didn’t include. The prices for these items could add around $20 more to my cost, to total closer to $55. Factoring in the fuel I used picking up items and the time I spent assembling the kit, the decision isn’t as clear-cut as you might’ve expected.

Whether you decide to buy a pre-made survival kit or create it yourself, you’ll have taken an important step to help your child stay safe in the event of a disaster.

The Components

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ContainerSchool backpackGoodwill$6.99
FoodPack of 12:
Soft granola bars		Grocery store$3.99
Water6 4-ounce water pouches
LifeStraw
Sports bottle		.99 Only store
Amazon
Previously owned		$0.99
$14.89
N/A
LightFlashlight
Light sticks		Previously owned
.99 Only Store		N/A
$0.99
Shelter & WarmthFleece blanket
Plastic poncho
Small pair of winter gloves		Previously owned
Previously owned
Goodwill		N/A
N/A
$0.99
AirN95 dust mask.99 Only Store$0.99
Communication5-in-one survival whistle
(includes signaling mirror, whistle,
mini compass, firestarter flint and
storage container)		Previously ownedN/A
HygieneToothbrush
Toothpaste
Mini bar of soap
Pack of wet wipes
2 tissue packs
Antibacterial gel		Previously owned
Previously owned
Previously owned
.99 Only Store
.99 Only Store
.99 Only Store		N/A
N/A
N/A
$0.99
$0.99
$0.99
First Aid12-piece portable first aid kit
(includes 2 plastic adhesive bandages 3/4 x 3 in;
4 plastic adhesive bandages 5/8 x ¼ in;
4 gauze pads; 2 cleansing wipes)		.99 Only Store$0.99
Personal CareLip balm
Sunscreen stick
Natrapel 12-hour insect repellent (DEET free) wipes		Previously owned
Previously owned
Previously owned		N/A
N/A
N/A
Entertainment1 activity coloring book,
4 crayons,
1 children's fishing toy		.99 Only Store$0.99

Survival Packs for Kids – Part 1: Premade Survival Backpacks

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Photos by Bernie Carr and RECOIL OFFGRID Staff

Despite parents’ best efforts, large-scale disasters often result in kids getting separated from families. During Hurricane Katrina, more than 5,000 children were displaced. Fortunately, nearly all of them were later reunited with their families, but the search process took several days. There’s always a chance you won’t be with your kids when an emergency happens, which underscores the importance of equipping your children with a survival backpack and teaching them how to use its contents.

In this modern era of off-the-shelf conveniences, there’s the temptation of letting someone else do the work and assuming that careful deliberation went into the selection of products. Way back in RECOIL OFFGRID Issue 6, we reviewed a few premade bug-out bags with mixed results. Now we turn our attention to three premade survival backpacks geared toward children. We evaluated each of them for quality, price, practicality, and a few other key criteria.

In the upcoming second part of this article, we also assembled our own DIY survival pack to show how you can build custom loadouts for your kids based on your budget and their needs.

Why Buy a Premade Survival Backpack?

The main reason to buy a premade survival kit is convenience. Many parents — especially those who aren’t experienced preppers — may not have the time, energy, or understanding of how to build a survival kit. This quick purchase is intended to cover a child’s basic needs for a set amount of time, such as 72 hours.

Prepackaged survival kits are designed to cover basic requirements like respiration, water, food, light, shelter or warmth, and communication. They’ll save you time and help eliminate the guesswork on what to include. In some cases, manufacturers buy the items in bulk and are able to pass the savings on to you. By ordering one survival kit for each child, you can check it off your to-do list in a matter of days.

On the other hand, a prepackaged survival kit is by definition “one size fits all.” We all know every child is different and has unique preferences and abilities. For example, some children may not like the taste of the food bars provided, but in a survival situation, some food is better than no food at all. You also have a baseline of included products you won’t have to hunt down, but you can also embellish these with your own personal changes if desired. Would your child refuse to eat the food bars, be too young to use some of the tools, or leave the pack behind because it’s too heavy?

These are just a few of the points you must consider before deciding if a premade kit is sufficient for your kid.

What Should a Kid’s Survival Pack Include?

In general, a child’s survival kit should include the basics:

Water: Most preparedness sites, including Ready.gov, recommend a gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation. However, for a portable survival kit, that amount of water would be too heavy for a child to carry. Include at least six 4-ounce water bottles for children under 11 years of age.

Food: Food in the survival backpack should have a long shelf life, be lightweight, and easy to consume without much (if any) preparation.

Respiration: At least one disposable mask should be included to offer some protection against smoke, dust, contaminants, or debris in the air.

Lighting: A basic flashlight or some glowsticks would be easy to operate, even for little hands.

Communication: A way to signal for help, such as a whistle and mirror, would ensure your child will have a way to communicate.

Hygiene: Include a few personal care supplies such as toothbrush, travel-sized toothpaste, tissues, soap, shampoo, and anti-bacterial gel.

Warmth: A blanket will help keep your child warm in case temperatures drop and there’s no heat. A poncho will help them stay dry in the rain.

First aid: Even small kids know they need an adhesive bandage if they a get a cut. A simple first-aid kit containing disinfecting wipes and adhesive bandages will help them deal with small wounds or insect bites.

Entertainment/comfort items: There can be a lot of downtime while being stuck indoors during a storm, especially in a power outage. Kids can get more anxious if they have no way to keep their minds occupied. Include a few items for entertainment, such as a small game or activity book. A small plush toy can also provide comfort.

Considerations

When building your child’s survival backpack, you’ll need to be mindful of your child’s size, age, strength, and ability to understand how to use the included contents. Smaller children may not be able to carry a larger pack, so the weight of the backpack is a consideration. Another factor is ease of use. While an adult survival kit may have several compartments and pockets, the child’s backpack should be simple and clearly organized so they can readily find what they need.

Introducing Your Child to the Survival Backpack

As soon as you receive your child’s survival backpack, inspect the contents and determine their appropriateness to your child’s age and maturity. Examine each item and decide whether or not your child can or will be able to use it. For example, would your child be able to purify water using chlorine tablets? If you determine your child wouldn’t understand how to use purification tablets correctly, then omit them.

Each of the survival backpacks included in this guide has items still in the packaging, as well as batteries needing to be installed in the radios and flashlights. You’ll need to set up the items so they’re ready for your child to use.

Once you’ve examined the kit, show it to your child and discuss the contents together. Go over situations that they may face and how the kit can help them during events where you may be separated from them for an extended period, such as an earthquake during school hours, power outage, storms and associated flooding, or a tornado/hurricane where children are evacuated to a shelter.

Reassurance is part of the process in getting them comfortable with the idea of the pack’s purpose. It’s important to remind your child that if they’re thrust into a situation where they have to use it, it doesn’t mean you’re not coming to pick them up — it’s just something they can use while they’re waiting for you. Make it a fun learning experience, but be sure to keep your discussion grounded in reality so they know it’s not just make-believe.

Unless your child is already familiar with basic survival skills, they may not know what each item is for. Talk about each item’s purpose and how and when they’d use it.

Personalizing Your Child’s Survival Backpack

  • Include a family photo.
  • Add a letter to your child assuring them you’ll do everything you can to get to them as soon as possible. I also added a few little jokes of my own to cheer them up.
  • For older children, consider adding $20 in cash.
  • If your child uses an inhaler or has other medical conditions, consider including a supply of what they’ll need in the kit. However, if the kit is being used at school, you may need to clear it with the school authorities.
  • Include an “In Case of Emergency” (ICE) card and tuck the card into the backpack in case your child is separated from you. Fill in your name, address, and phone number so emergency personnel can contact you.

Maintenance

Buying or building your child’s survival backpack is not a one-time task. There is some maintenance involved. The kit will need to change as they grow and their needs evolve. You’ll also need to replace any clothes in the survival kit when the seasons change or when your child outgrows them. Check expiration dates annually and replace items that have expired. Check and replace the batteries in electronic devices such as radios and flashlights periodically to ensure they still work properly and haven’t corroded. If you make it a habit to go through your own survival pack periodically, it’ll be easy to check your family’s packs at the same time.

Money-Saving Tips for Creating a Survival Pack for Kids

  • Reuse or recycle items you already have around the house. You can use last school year’s backpack as an emergency kit. As long as it’s clean and undamaged, you can repurpose it as a survival backpack.
  • Collect freebies, such as the toothbrush and travel toothpaste your dentist gives at your dental checkup, samples from your doctor’s office, complimentary hotel soaps, shampoo etc.
  • If your child receives a surplus of toys and stocking-stuffers at Christmas, reserve a couple of toys they may have overlooked and stash them in the survival backpack.
  • Buy some of the items in bulk such as food bars, water pouches, etc. and split the cost and quantities with other family members. You can all get more prepared at the same time!
  • As of this writing, first-aid kits and sunscreen can be purchased using a flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA). Check your employee benefit package and see what your FSA or HSA covers.

Premade Survival Packs

1. The Cure Inc. Children’s Survival Kit

Colors
Red, white, and black

Dimensions
15 by 12 by 6 inches

Weight
8.5 pounds

MSRP
$80

URL
www.thecuresafety.com

Food
Pack of 6 400-calorie Mainstay food bars

Water
12 4-ounce water pouches
10 water purification tablets
1 straw

Light
1 LED rechargeable flashlight — recharges by squeezing the handle which generates and stores power
3 12-hour light sticks

Shelter/warmth
1 fleece blanket
1 plastic poncho
1 16-hour hand/body warmer
1 small pair of winter gloves

Respiration
1 N95 dust mask

Communication
5-in-1 survival whistle (includes signaling mirror, whistle, mini compass, fire-starter flint, and storage container)
1 pocket AM/FM radio with earbuds

Hygiene
1 toothbrush
1 tube of toothpaste
1 mini bar of soap
9 packets wet wipes
3 pocket tissue packs

First aid
37-piece portable first aid kit includes:
10 plastic adhesive bandages 3/4 x 3
10 plastic adhesive bandages 3/8 x 1/2
2 gauze pads
3 alcohol cleansing pads
1 butterfly closure
10 cotton tips in a reusable case

Entertainment
1 activity coloring book
4 crayons
1 children's fishing toy

2. Stealth Angel Survival 1 Person Survival Kit for Children (72 Hours)

Colors
Camo; red, white, and blue. Waterproof dry bag and duffel bag versions are available as well.

Dimensions
15 by 12 by 6 inches

Weight
8.5 pounds

MSRP
$88

URL
www.stealthangelsurvival.com

Food
Pack of 6 400-calorie Mainstay food bars

Water
12 4-ounce water pouches
10 water purification tablets
1 straw

Light
1 LED rechargeable flashlight — recharges by squeezing the handle which generates and stores power
3 12-hour light sticks

Shelter/warmth
1 fleece blanket
1 plastic poncho
1 16-hour hand/body warmer
1 small pair of winter gloves

Respiration
1 N95 dust mask

Communication
5-in-1 survival whistle (includes signaling mirror, whistle, mini
compass, fire-starter flint, and
storage container)
1 pocket AM/FM radio with earbuds

Hygiene
1 toothbrush
1 tube of toothpaste
1 mini bar of soap
9 packets wet wipes
3 pocket tissue packs

First aid
37-piece portable first aid kit includes:
10 plastic adhesive bandages 3/4 x 3
10 plastic adhesive bandages 3/8 x 1/2
2 gauze pads
3 alcohol cleansing pads
1 butterfly closure
10 cotton tips in a reusable case

Entertainment
1 activity coloring book
4 crayons
1 children's fishing toy

3. Emergency Zone Keep-Me-Safe Children's 72 Hour Survival Kit

Colors
Black, navy, pink, purple, red, or royal blue

Dimensions
18 by 9 by 12 inches

Weight
6.5 pounds

MSRP
$60

URL
www.emergencyzone.com

Food
Pack of 6 400-calorie SOS Emergency Food Rations
2 energy bars

Water
6 4-ounce water pouches
1 plastic sports water bottle

Light
1 rubber flashlight with
2 AA batteries
1 light stick

Shelter/warmth
1 reflective blanket
1 plastic poncho
1 mylar blanket
3 hand warmers

Respiration
1 N95 dust mask
Communication
1 whistle

Hygiene
1 toothbrush
1 tube of toothpaste
1 mini bar of soap
6 packets wet wipes
1 packet conditioning shampoo
1 mini comb
washcloth

First aid
Pack of 10 children's bandages

Entertainment
1 small plush bear
2 activity books
4 crayons
1 pad of paper and mini pencil

Findings

It was very interesting to examine each item included in these survival backpacks. Here are my findings, as well as some retrospective tips:

Compare the itemized list to the photo: I noticed the written description doesn’t always match up with the photo. For example, The Cure Inc. didn’t have the pocket radio and earbuds included in the description, but these items appear in the photo. The actual kit I received did include the pocket radio and earbuds. The description for Stealth Angel’s 1 Person Survival Kit for Children listed a “16 Function Tool, safety goggles, and sewing kit” in the description, but they don’t appear in the photo, nor were they included in the kit I received. The Keep Me Safe description didn’t itemize every item, but provided a general description of the contents. The photo on the website did match the actual items received. If you’re not sure whether an item is included or not, call the customer service number to clarify exactly what’s included.

Compare prices: The Cure Inc. Children’s Survival Kit and Stealth Angel 1 Person Survival Kit for Children have identical contents. At the time of purchase, The Cure Inc. Children’s Survival Kit was listed at $56.95 and Stealth Angel 1 Person Survival Kit for Children at $77.95, although these prices have since changed. The only difference was that Stealth Angel offers a few different styles to choose from: a backpack in red, white, and blue; a camo backpack; a waterproof sack; or a red duffel-style bag. These style and color changes also affect the price by a few dollars. The Cure Inc. only offers the backpack in red, white, and black. Does this warrant the difference in price? The choice is yours, but this is an example of caveat emptor.

Food: All three backpacks contained a good amount of food for a child. Mainstay and SOS both contain high calories and nutrition, and are filling. The Cure Inc. and Stealth Angel Survival both included six Mainstay bars — the child can eat two bars per day. Keep Me Safe Children’s 72-Hour Kit included six SOS Bars, which are also high nutrition and high-calorie bars, and they also included two extra energy bars.

Water: Both The Cure Inc. and Stealth Angel Survival packs included 12 4-ounce water pouches; 10 water purification tables, and one straw. The purification tablets would be appropriate for older children who have learned about water purification. Keep Me Safe included six 4-ounce water pouches and one plastic sports water bottle.

Light: All three provided flashlights that worked just fine. The Cure Inc. and Stealth Angel provided three light sticks, while Keep Me Safe only provided one.

Warmth: All three provided adequate warming items in the pack. Both The Cure Inc. and Stealth Angel included a pair of children’s gloves, which was a nice touch.

Communication: All three provided whistles, but Keep Me Safe’s whistle was a basic one, while the other two brands provided a 5-in-1 survival whistle that also included a small mirror, which can be used for signaling.

Respiration: All three included the same N-95 mask.

Hygiene: They all provided good items to help with hygiene; however, the tissue packs included by The Cure Inc. and Stealth Angel are easier for a child to use than the washcloth.

First Aid: The pack of 10 children’s bandages provided by Keep Me Safe wasn’t as robust as the 37-piece portable first-aid kit included with The Cure Inc. and Stealth Angel, as theirs included alcohol cleansing pads as well as various sizes of bandages and gauze pads.

Entertainment: They all had adequate entertainment options, with Keep Me Safe having a slight edge since they included a pad and pencil, along with a small plush toy younger children would appreciate.

Conclusion

After comparing all the contents, I would have to say that The Cure Inc., with contents identical to the Keep Me Safe kit at a lower price, came out ahead.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of this article, which documents the contents of a budget-friendly DIY kid's survival pack.

RECOILtv: Honda Monkey and Africa Twin Motorcycles

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When we think of bug-out vehicles, it's common to immediately visualize a full-size truck or Jeep decked out with huge mud tires, light bars, jerry cans, a winch, and other off-road-oriented upgrades. There's certainly nothing wrong with this type of rig for navigating remote trails, but it's definitely less ideal for other environments. In the densely-packed concrete jungle of a city, that off-roader may end up bogged down in traffic or seen as an attractive target for thieves. Small, light, and maneuverable motorcycles might prove to be better bug-out vehicles for these settings.

Mike Glover of Fieldcraft Survival recently had an opportunity to check out some new bike offerings from Honda at the Overland Expo in Arizona. These two motorcycles are clearly at opposite ends of the spectrum. First, he examined the Honda Monkey, a retro-styled variant of the popular Honda Grom.

This could serve as an affordable and efficient little commuter, offering well over 100MPG, and these same qualities make it an effective way to put some miles between you and the nearest city center (as long as you can pack light). It won't be winning any drag races, but it's also unlikely to draw much unwanted attention — unlike that lifted pickup with knobbly tires and LED light bars.

On the other end of the range, there's the Honda Africa Twin. The latest version of this adventure bike offers an optional dual-clutch transmission (DCT) that makes it easier to ride over rough terrain, especially at low speeds where careful throttle and clutch control might otherwise be necessary to prevent stalling. The Africa Twin is the type of bike you'd want if you anticipate a mix of urban and off-road conditions on your way to the destination, or if you'll be making a longer journey with more gear. The powerful 1,084cc engine will also let you outrun an impending disaster, if necessary.

Bag Drop: The Commuter Backpack

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According to The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the average American spends nearly an hour behind the wheel every day — for many, it’s far more than that. A spokesperson for the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety said that driving is “probably the riskiest thing any of us do on any given day” from a purely statistical standpoint. This adds up to a simple conclusion: There’s a high likelihood that you’ll be in or near your vehicle when an emergency occurs. It’s therefore critical to have some basic survival gear in your car or truck at all times.

Like many of you, I’ve stashed emergency gear throughout my vehicle. There’s a glass-breaker on the sun visor, a flashlight in the center console, bottled water in all the doors, and tools and jumper cables under the trunk floor. But the bulk of my gear lives in a backpack that can be pulled out of the car and carried away at a moment’s notice. Some might call it a get-home bag, but it’s more aptly described as a general-purpose 24-hour emergency kit. The contents have helped me through numerous situations, from unexpected overnighters to a vehicle breakdown on a 116-degree F Arizona summer day.

The Pack

The basis for this kit is a Legion Day Pack from Cannae Pro Gear, which features a small 19.5 x 11.5 x 6-inch footprint and compact 21-liter capacity. It’s an entry-level model, and that makes perfect sense for this sedentary application. There’s not much sense in spending big bucks on a pack that’s going to get worn so rarely. Despite the affordable price, it offers lots of organized storage compartments as well as a hidden waist belt — a feature that’ll be helpful if I need to run while wearing it.

Make & Model
Cannae Pro Gear Legion Day Pack

MSRP
$100

URL
cannaeprogear.com

Exterior Pockets

I’ll explain the contents starting from the outside. Two expansion straps at the base of the pack hold a rolled-up fleece pullover, which has proven its worth many times on cold evenings. The bottle pocket on the left side contains a 48-fluid-ounce Nalgene full of water — you can never have enough in the desert. The green disc under the cap is a Pillid storage compartment that holds water purification tablets.

I also carry a Source Hydration Convertube adapter, which lets me drink from the Nalgene on the move. This item stays inside the pack, since I learned its rubber pressure-relief valve slowly leaks water when it isn’t upright. If I’m heading out on foot, I’ll swap it onto the bottle.

On the right side of the pack, there’s a 5.11 Tactical 3×6 Med Kit pouch. It’s solely for traumatic injuries and is shoved into the side pocket so I can pull it out immediately if I witness a car crash. It contains shears, a C-A-T tourniquet, hemostatic gauze, an Israeli bandage, gloves, and medical tape.

The front of the pack features two compartments — a sunglass pocket and an admin pouch. The former contains multipurpose items such as paracord, zip ties, superglue, a BIC Lighter wrapped in duct tape, and hand sanitizer. The admin pouch contents are as follows:

  • Spare 8-round magazine for my Shield carry gun
  • Mora Garberg Black Carbon knife
  • SOG PowerAccess multitool
  • Coast HP7 flashlight
  • Streamlight Bandit rechargeable headlamp
  • Chemlight
  • UCO spork
  • Signal whistle
  • Compass
  • Ironclad heavy-duty gloves
  • Bandana
  • Notepad, pen, and Sharpie marker
  • Deck of playing cards

Main Compartment

The remainder of the gear is housed in the full-zip main compartment. A mesh pocket on the inside of the lid contains hygiene items, including deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, chewing gum, and wet wipes, as well as a trash bag for cleanup. Next are three pouches. The first contains energy-dense, travel-friendly foods such as Millennium bars and almond butter packets.

The rigid foam container has a tool I consider invaluable — a portable jumpstart box. There are many to choose from; this WinPlus 8000mAh lithium ion battery cost $76 on Amazon. It functions as a USB charger for small electronics, but can also deliver a high-output jolt through included jumper cable clamps to boost a weak car battery. This is the item that saved my ass on the aforementioned 116-degree day, when my car battery unexpectedly died at a rest stop in the middle of the desert. It allowed me to drive comfortably to the nearest auto parts store, rather than begging other motorists for a jumpstart or waiting for roadside assistance. There’s enough extra space for USB cables, a 12V car charger, and a small wall charger.

For a last-ditch charging solution, I slid an Enerplex Kickr IV folding solar panel into the laptop pocket. If all else fails, it’ll give me enough juice to make a phone call or top off my headlamp.

Everyone will recognize the bright red first-aid pouch from Adventure Medical Kits. It includes basic supplies for cuts, scrapes, sprains, and other non-life-threatening injuries. I supplemented it with a few additional meds, such as 24-hour antihistamines, a Mylar blanket, and an additional hemostatic dressing.

The final items in the pack are clothing — pretty self-explanatory, and held in place using the pack’s integrated elastic cinch straps. One notable item is an ultralight, water-repellent Pack-It Jacket from First Tactical. Made from a thin layer of ripstop nylon, it offers no insulation, but fits over the fleece to serve as a rain shell.

With the items in this backpack, I’m ready to deal with most everyday inconveniences as well as more serious situations. As I explain in my On the Grid column at the end of this issue, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, but it provides for my immediate needs in the event of a vehicle-based emergency.

Reader’s Survival Story: Lessons from Living Out of a Car

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Editor's Note: We recently received the following email from a reader named Keith Luethke, who shared a powerful story about how he barely made ends meet and survived living out of a car for two years.

This story is a reminder that survival isn't necessarily about facing a large-scale natural disaster or collapse of society — it can also be about struggling through tough times on your own, and using every resource at your disposal to stay safe while you work to improve the situation. Keith's email gave us a renewed appreciation of the small joys in life as we enter the new year. We hope you also find it encouraging.

Photo: Flickr.com / Charity Davenport

If there’s something in life you really want, you’ll do whatever it takes to get it. In my case, I wanted a bachelor’s degree. I was accepted into the University of Tennessee in 2006, and had enough money to pay for my books and classes, but didn’t have a place to live on campus. Undeterred about such a trivial thing, I decided to live out of my Subaru Forester. I’d already obtained an Associate's degree from a community college, but it had drained nearly all my financial funds. All I had to do was stick it out for two measly years and then I could hang a university degree on the wall.

Photo: Flickr.com/juanelo242a | CC BY-SA 2.0

Above: Although Keith doesn't have any photos from that time period, he made his home in a car similar to this one.

I wouldn’t recommend this lifestyle to anyone, but I learned how to truly survive in the modern world without housing for two years.

I had a simple plan. First, I bought a parking tag and always parked near a museum where a guard monitored the property. This is one of the most important aspects of being homeless for any period of time. Safety while awake and asleep is vital to survival in an urban setting. If I needed help the guard was always within walking distance. This cut down on the risk of my car getting broken into or anyone messing with me. It’s easier to sleep at night knowing somebody decent is around.

Photo: Flickr.com/laffy4k | CC BY 2.0

Secondly, I purchased a stainless steel tumbler. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a cup with a lid. I could fill it up with water from any fountain on campus, or warm up water in the cafeteria microwave and shove a pack of ramen noodles down into it. It’s great for soup as well.

Thirdly, another critical part of modern survival is money. I was able to get a job on campus working part-time, which turned out great because I had a little income to buy a cooler for storing drinks and food, and I also purchase a small solar powered fan to chase the lingering summer heat away.

Fourthly, I needed clean clothes and a place to shower. Luckily, my tuition covered use of the gym which had a shower, and there was a campus laundromat which I used once a week. Being clean cuts down on being sick. I’ve heard stories from homeless men about how they’d lock themselves in the bathroom at public restrooms and take a sponge bath. I never had to do this, but I would’ve if it came down to it.

Photo: Flickr.com/kimberlykv | CC BY 2.0

Above: The university library served as a daytime refuge for Keith, as well as a place to study.

The only factor I’d overlooked was the weather. In Tennessee it’s still blazing hot well past summer and into October. At night I would crack the windows and run my small fan but I’d still end up sweating and burning up. When the library opened up at six in the morning I’d be the first one inside soaking in the A/C, filling up my cup from the water fountain, and sleeping in a comfortable chair until my classes started later in the day. Although I was sleeping in my car at night, the library had become my sanctuary. In winter they’d even offer free hot chocolate and cookies every Friday.

Winter nights in my car were always the worst. I didn’t dare to turn on the heat for fear of being spotted by the guard. No matter how many blankets I used, the cold would always find a way in. Every night I would place a blanket from the steering wheel to the backseat. The driver’s seat would be laid down flat like a makeshift bed, and I had another blanket for warmth underneath. If anyone shined a light into the car, they’d only see blankets. And yes, from time to time I did see flashlight beams, but nobody ever knocked on the window or came for me.

Photo: Flickr.com / Joel Kramer | CC BY 2.0

There were nights when it was so cold I could see my breath and shivered until sunrise, and opening up those beautiful library doors was sheer heaven from the bitter winter.

While in class I made friends, went to free events that offered free food, and I turned an eight-floor library into a daytime home. It was rough, but after two years I got what I wanted. More importantly, I learned to value the little things in life and to work hard for what you want out of the world. It’s amazing what a person can do if they really want to.

Years later, I finished my Master's degree online from the comforts of my home. I’ll never forget the lessons I learned from being homeless for two years, and the things we take for granted each day.

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Video: A Year in the Life of an Off-Grid Grandfather

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What does it mean to live off the grid? There's a wide range of answers to this question. Some will say it means a lifestyle that generally prioritizes self-sufficiency. Others will apply a more literal connotation related to independence from the power grid and municipal utilities. There are also interpretations related to maintaining privacy, security, or an innocuous appearance in order to remain under the radar. Each of these perspectives has validity, but the concept of living off the grid has existed for many centuries longer than the term itself.

In a recent documentary by Northmen, a film crew followed a 76-year-old grandfather through his self-sufficient routine at a remote cabin in the woods. As the video description states, “He is an old and experienced horse logger and is doing all the farm work all year round using only horse power… He has been living off the grid, before there even was a grid.” This 52-minute film is broken into four segments: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.

As with previous Northmen short films we've featured, no narration is present — the beautiful cinematography is allowed to speak for itself. If you've got a free hour, check out the full Grandfather documentary above. It gave us a renewed appreciation for the persistent, self-reliant mindset that allowed this elderly man to thrive while living off the grid. There's much we can learn from his example.

Review: 10 Survival Books for Children & Families

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I became interested in survival around the same time I became a parent. When you bring a baby into the world, your thought process instantly changes from “me, myself, and I” to “Holy crap, how do I keep this helpless child alive and well?!”

That led me on a path to take preparedness seriously. My emergency management and homeland security degree studies have given me a unique perspective to preparedness through various government initiatives, and my parenthood has given me the ability to take this information and translate it into kid-appropriate vernacular.

While a parent knows their child best and knows what will speak to them effectively, it’s helpful to find curricula, books, or movies that can aid in that conversation. It’s essential to convey an understanding of why we prepare and the difference between paranoia and preparedness.

What I look for in prepping-related books is the quality and breadth of information, as well as the author’s portrayal of preppers or survivalists. There are so many TV shows, books, and movies that portray survivalists or preppers as crazy people waiting for the sky to fall. I don’t want my children thinking that’s reality.

Finding decent survival books for adults is a challenge, much less ones for kids. Here we’re going to dive into 10 different books on survival. A few of them are geared toward kids, and the others are intended to teach survival practices to adults with families. I was pleasantly surprised with the manner in which many of these books spoke to family preparedness. Hopefully, our synopses will help you decide if purchasing one of these makes sense for you and your children.

Books for Children

Prepper Pete Prepares: An Introduction to Prepping for Kids

Adult: ★★★★☆
Kids: ★★★★★

Author: Kermit Jones, Jr.

Price: $9 (Amazon)

Pages: 44

Publisher: Kamel Press

The Premise: This story follows Prepper Pete and his family as they prepare for the unknowns of the future. What we see is that Prepper Pete (portrayed visually by an ant) has many reasons to prepare. Pete walks through what prepping is and how to do it with consideration for a family.

The Specs: You can purchase this book from Kamel Press or via Amazon. It has 33 colorfully illustrated pages with a few more pages for grown-ups. It’s not currently available as an audiobook. Also available on Kindle.

The 411: This book was one of the kids’ favorites. We enjoyed how Prepper Pete has a family, and we get to see mama ant and the kids prepping with him. It makes prepping a family affair. This book also weaves in FEMA directives regarding having 72 hours of emergency supplies just in case. I felt this added some much-needed validity to the concepts presented in this book. We see Prepper Pete purchasing vital supplies such as food, water, tools, and even a generator as a family! We also see Prepper Pete building a storm shelter. The one aspect that was a challenge for me as a parent and for my kids is that this book tries to talk about solar flares, an EMP, and war. The kids that I read to didn’t have any idea what a solar flare or an EMP was, and it was difficult to explain that concept to their age level (boys and girls ages 3 to 10). Also, the concept of war on American soil was a little too scary of a topic to dive into for the younger ones.

Prepper Pete also talks about plagues, economic collapse, civil unrest, riots, and burglary. While the author did a great job keeping these concepts kid-friendly, they did garner questions that’ll take some thought for a parent to approach with their child. I thought it was very interesting that Prepper Pete keeps his prepping a secret. We enjoyed that concept on a personal level, because the whole world doesn’t need to know your business. This is a prime example of why.

I did like that Prepper Pete speaks to firearms training courses, paying off debt, and purchasing precious metals for barter after an apocalyptic event. Many adults I’ve come in contact with don’t have these concepts down, much less children. I thought this type of information was critical for the kids to understand.

One of the last pages says, “Our family does not have to be afraid, because we prepare!” I think it’s critical for us as parents to help our kids understand that there doesn’t have to be fear in prepping or survival. That fear can be eradicated by the proper, methodical, and logical prepping.

The Verdict: The kids gave this 5 out of 5 stars. They enjoyed all the concepts that were presented. I gave the book 4 out of 5. I’d love to see them explain those tough concepts and weave them into the story, but at the end of the day, that’s what parents are for.

Survivalist Sam Stocks Up: The Four B’s of Prepping for Kids

Adult: ★★★☆☆
Kids: ★★★★☆

Author: Kermit Jones, Jr.

Price: $9 (Amazon)

Pages: 38

Publisher: Kamel Press

The Premise: This book follows a badger named Survivalist Sam. The story walks the reader through why Sam stocks up and what he stocks up on. He turns prepping and survival into an easy method of remembering the 4 B’s: Beans, Bullets, Bandages, and Barter. The story then walks through each of the B’s, what they are, and why they’re important.

The Specs: You can purchase this book from Kamel Press or via Amazon. Like the other offering by this author, it has 33 colorfully illustrated pages with a few more pages for grown-ups and isn’t currently available as an audiobook. Also available on Kindle.

The 411: All in all, the book was great. If you compare it to its parent book, Prepper Pete Prepares, it comes across a little intense. While the information was well laid-out and explained, the book made Survivalist Sam come across like a hermit and someone whose thought of as a crazy person by society. However, this book does a really good job at explaining why it’s important to gather books, become educated, and have a stockpile of supplies. We see Sam reload ammo, which is an important skill. We also see that Sam has his EMT certificate, which is also important, as he can administer medical aid to those around him.

I do like that this book focuses on the lack of fear needed when one prepares. The tagline in the back of the book is “Don’t scare…prepare.” I think that’s a really important point to instill in children — there doesn’t have to be fear associated with the unknowns of the future. When I was reading this book to my boys and their friends (both genders ranging from ages 3 to 10), they were all captivated. The book can be difficult to read for adults because there are many words that all start with the same letters, and some of the terminology is above most kids’ head at this age (ammunition, barter, etc.). Overall, they liked it.

The Verdict: I gave the book 3 out of 5 stars. The graphics are a bit cheesy, and it’s difficult to get the point across about the validity of the story when it has animals for main characters rather than people. The kids gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. The reason is that it explains things very well and lays out a template for survival and prepping; however, the terminology took some explaining.

Outdoor Survival Handbook for Kids

Adult: ★☆☆☆☆
Kids: ★★☆☆☆

Author: Willy Whitefeather

Price: $13 (Amazon)

Pages: 104

Publisher: Roberts Rinehart

The Premise: This book follows two characters, Dooley and Tina, on an adventure outdoors. The story starts with Dooley and Tina wandering off from their parents and their campsite. Interwoven into the story are practical survival tips and techniques that Dooley and Tina use on their adventure to find their way back home. The storyline includes spending the night outdoors, how to make a shelter, how to find water, how to navigate your way if you get lost, dealing with bugs, filtering water, starting a fire, and a plethora of other survival tips. The tips and story are so intertwined that we get to see Dooley and Tina using all the techniques and why they’re important. By the end of the story, Dooley and Tina find their way back to their campsite and their parents by using their survival skills.

The Specs: It has 96 monochromatic pages of information. Not currently available in audiobook form, but can be purchased on Kindle and Nook.

The 411: This book was a challenge to get through. The categories are placed together very well, but the pages seem almost handwritten and use poor grammar to boot. The pages seem muddy with doodles and different handwriting/fonts to bring the story together. It’s difficult to keep your place on the page when reading because there are no natural paragraph breaks. Some of the information contained in this book is valid, such as starting a fire. The chapter on fire-starting walks through making a bow drill and tinder. However, the method for testing potentially poisonous berries and plants isn’t something I’d share with my children.

There were parts of the book that seemed a bit hokey. He tells the readers to essentially “speak it and it will be so.” There are times where it’s simply too hot or too cold and saying anything otherwise is just silly. The author also suggests asking the “spirits” for advice on how to get home. Again, not necessarily information that I’d give my children. Lastly, he tells children that moss only grows on the north side of trees to help them find the cardinal direction and ascertain which direction to go. As was covered in RECOIL OFFGRID Issue 20, this is a myth — moss doesn’t only grow on the north side of trees so it’s a misleading and potentially dangerous piece of advice.

The Verdict: I gave this book a 1 out of 5 stars, because it was too difficult to read. Frankly, it was boring to look at as well. It also had some harmful and outdated advice that I’d never share with my children. The kids gave this book a 2 out of 5 stars. They thought the story was cool and enjoyed the fishbowl perspective that we see Dooley and Tina operating in, but there’s no color to the pages, and it was incredibly difficult to read for them.

Jake & Miller’s Big Adventure

Adult: ★★★☆☆
Kids: ★★★★☆

Author: Bernie Carr

Price: $16 (Amazon)

Pages: 32

Publisher: Ulysses Press

The Premise: Jake & Miller’s Big Adventure follows a boy, Jake, and his trusty sidekick dog, Miller, on an adventure that’s rife with survival tips integrated into the story. Jake wakes Miller up to start prepping for the adventure that’ll take them all over the globe, through all types of survival situations from extreme cold, to extreme heat, to dense jungle. Miller is cautious of Jake’s idealistic plan of traveling the globe, but Jake explains why he’s preparing and that there’s an absence of fear when one prepares.

The Specs: This book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kindle, and 31 of its pages are beautifully illustrated.

The 411: This book was really cute and is perfectly geared toward children ages 4 to 6. The book is too wordy for those under 4 years of age and too childish for those over 6. The graphics in the book are adorable. They’re colorful, vivid, and explain the storyline very well. The survival content was very age-appropriate. It covered the basics of survival: warmth, water, shelter, medical, and food. The younger kids from my group loved it, but got a little bored with the content after a few pages. I felt the survival content was spot on for the ages it speaks to. It explains why it’s necessary to carry food, water and water purification supplies, and bandages. Also covered are some situations you may find yourself in where those supplies are necessary. The biggest takeaway the kids had from this book was that if you pack canned goods for survival, bring a can opener.

The Verdict: The group of kids gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. The older kids wished it had more information rather than storyline, but the younger kids loved practically everything about it. I gave the book 3 out of 5 stars because it’s very appropriate for the ages it targets, but isn’t really interesting for those outside the narrow age range.

Lost: A Wild Tale of Survival

Adult: ★★★★☆
Kids: ★★★★☆

Author: Thomas Kingsley Troupe

Price: $6 (Amazon)

Pages: 56

Publisher: Stone Arch Books

The Premise: This book follows a girl named Kelly who is off to the woods to get bugs for a science project, gets distracted by a butterfly, then proceeds to get lost. A bear chases Kelly for her sandwich, which she willingly gives up to escape. We follow her as she attempts to find her way home by crossing a river and narrowly escaping the oncoming waterfall. The book uses common sense and age-appropriate concepts of survival with little to no gear.

The Specs: You can purchase this book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble; it’s only available in paperback.

The 411: The book is really short, so it’s the perfect setup for ages 9 to 13. My son is 9 and was able to read through the book in less than an hour. It’s an intense, action-packed story that left him wanting more. It has eight chapters that walk us through Kelly’s survival techniques and how she found her way back to the cabin she was visiting. In the back of the book is a section that covers what survival gear is important to have and why. There’s a glossary for terms that can be difficult for some readers. One of my favorite aspects of this book are the writing prompts and discussion questions found in the back of the book. The prompts and questions are great conversation-starters for parents and kids to discuss what Kelly could’ve done differently, what she did well, and how she could’ve used the survival equipment if she had it. We’ll definitely be looking into Troupe’s other books, as this was a huge hit.

The Verdict: The kids gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. They liked the action/adventure aspects of the book and that the bear was chasing them for PB&J. I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars also. It was great for older kids. The kids under the age range found it a little boring, as it’s a chapter book with black-and-white pictures.

Ultimate Survival Guide for Kids

Adult: ★★★★★
Kids: ★★★★★

Author: Rob Colson

Price: $10 (Amazon)

Pages: 96

Publisher: Firefly Books

The Premise: This book covers every survival situation one could think of. From spider bites to getting lost in the woods, avalanches, tornadoes, and crocodiles, it covers a wide variety. This book gives quick, concise advice to kids for 24 different survival or emergent situations. The book is broken down into four sections that consist of animal dangers, natural dangers, human hazards, and basic (kid-friendly) survival skills. This book is very adequately geared toward 10- to 13-year-old children, but is also a great guide for adults who are new to the survival world.

The colorful pages grab the reader’s attention really well. There are many colorful insets on the pages that give tips and fun and interesting facts about each section. The margin notes are also a beneficial touch of critical yet interesting information. This book isn’t structured like a regular chapter book. It’s interesting to read through once, but seems best-served to be stashed in a bug-out bag for reference during a critical situation.

The Specs: This book is only available in paperback and can be purchased from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

The 411: The book is structured into four sections. This aids in the ease of finding necessary information quickly. In reading this book by myself and again with the kids, I felt enamored with all the fascinating features it has. The facts are practical, but they still have the kid-friendly “cool or gross” factor that this age group of kids loves. Many of the kids I read this book to were under the recommended age, but they all loved reading through it. The younger ones were attracted to the vibrant pictures, and the older ones thought the information was practical and interesting.

This book covers many different survival situations that may not all be a danger in the reader’s area, but it encompasses a wide variety of disasters to prepare for. One tip that we learned through reading this is that a mere 25 inches of flood water can carry away a vehicle. The flood chapter walks through the best method to lay sandbags, the importance of keeping non-perishable food stocked, and filling up sinks and bathtubs with water so you can have uncontaminated drinking water (assuming those surfaces are clean). This is a great book that I’ll keep on hand for gifts to kiddos in the future.

The Verdict: The kids and I gave the book 5 out of 5 stars. We loved reading each section and learning fun, interesting facts about common (and not-so-common) survival situations.

Books for Families

Survival Mom

Adult: ★★★★★

Author: Lisa Bedford

Price: $14 (Amazon)

Pages: 323

Publisher: Harper Collins

The Premise: This book is entirely geared toward parents and families and is frankly indispensable, which is exactly what sets this book apart from many others. Parents who read this book don’t have to search for practical applications for themselves and their small children, as it’s already there. The author touches on some key factors such as preparing being the key to overcoming fear — something many parents deal with when thinking of TEOTWAWKI. Lisa goes into great detail on topics such as water, basic sanitation outside of a restroom environment, and the ins and outs of food storage.

The author expounds further on the financial aspect of prepping. The pre-disaster financial tips are something that I’ve not seen many authors, columnists, or bloggers cover the way she does. There are many tips and facts about getting out of debt and how to budget for survival supplies. This book has numerous charts, graphs, and checklists that make it painless for those new to prepping. There are also dozens of prepping tips and tricks that us seasoned preppers can also use.

The Specs: While not yet available in audiobook form, it’s available via Kindle and Nook.

The 411: The author includes several checklists and templates in this book that make it critical to have as part of your pre-, mid-, and post-disaster repertoire. One of the biggest things I learned from this book was from her financial chapter on gold and silver purchasing for bartering after a crisis event. This was a topic that I hadn’t had a chance to study much yet, and she broke it down in plain English, but gave a very detailed synopsis on the pros and cons of precious metals and how to barter. This book covers nearly every aspect of disasters and preparing — there’s not one thing I’d add or take away from this book.

The author even goes as far as pointing out that children will need special one-on-one time with their parents during a crisis event. Not many books cover the emotional needs of the family at all; the author does this amazingly well. She also speaks to the need for a community. Prepping and bugging out don’t have to be lonesome events. She discusses partnering with friends and family to make a more resilient group of people, and even includes a recommended reading list, recipes, and a plethora of tips to help you in your preparedness journey, regardless of where you are.

The Verdict: I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. Lisa Bedford covers it all.

52 Prepper’s Projects for Parents and Kids

Adult: ★★★☆☆

Author: David Nash

Price: $12 (Amazon)

Pages: 232

Publisher: Skyhorse

The Premise: This compilation of projects is a great way to involve the kids in your prepping. The purpose of this book is to involve children in the methods of preparing for a disaster and teaching them self-sufficiency and self-reliance in a fun, educational way. This book lays out 52 projects that’ll let the child have a front-row seat, with plenty of involvement, in what prepping looks like, on their level. Some of the projects included are apple pancakes, hardtack crackers, rain barrels, homemade fire starters, and pie iron pizzas.

The Specs: This book isn’t available as an audiobook, but can be purchased for Nook and Kindle.

The 411: This book is broken down into 52 projects that seem unrelated to prepping, but the author does a great job at circling back around to the practical side of prepping and the projects prepping applications. Unfortunately, some of the projects are a bit of a stretch for a prepping application. One particular lesson on making wire baskets out of chicken wire and coat hangers was said to be a great geometry starter. However, I question the relevance of geometry for children in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. The soda bottle anti-drip cooler project is another questionable example. These particular projects are fun, but the prepping applications seem a bit farfetched. For the most part, the projects are engaging, which is always needed and wanted during family time.

Some of the more helpful projects are the rain-barrel collection project and the mini survival kit builder project. Both of these include a clear picture of their prepping applications and talking points. This book is geared toward parents to use with their children. I enjoyed the family time we got from going through the projects together. Many of them were very relevant to the preparedness applications we’d want to instill in our children.

The Verdict: I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. Some of the projects weren’t necessarily relevant to survival and preparedness, but we had a great time working through them regardless.

Survivor Kid: A Practical Guide to Wilderness Survival

Adult: ★★★★☆
Kids: ★★★☆☆

Author: Denise Long

Price: $9 (Amazon)

Pages: 240

Publisher: Chicago Review Press

The Premise: This resource is geared toward children 9 and up, and walks through basic to moderate survival concepts. It’s not so much a “sit and read” type of book, but rather a guide that you’d throw in a backpack before a camping or hiking trip. It walks through all types of shelter building, signaling, medical tips, bugs and animals, water, and all the standard survival concepts. It’s well-written for the age group in that it’s presented to with simple, easy-to-understand instructions on how to give aid, start a fire safely, pack a survival kit, and much more.

The Specs: Available on Kindle and Nook.

The 411: This book is split into 12 different chapters that breaks down each topic with incredible depth. I felt that the majority of the info was applicable and well-written. From a practical standpoint, I thought the author did a good job of explaining what animals people might run into during a hike or camping trip. The author also provided good information about how to avoid the animals, some characteristics, and what they’re indicative of.

My 9-year-old son loved this book. He read it through a few times, and the content led to many conversations about how to properly obtain water in a safe, clean manner. I was thrilled that the author covered the medical section as thoroughly as she did. Many kids’ books skimp on the medical information, but this resource provided clear instructions on cuts, scrapes, burns, CPR, and even checking for a pulse. It was a little dramatic in a few spots, which might induce a few eye rolls from parents, but since the book is geared toward kids, it was good for capturing their attention.

The Verdict: I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was very thorough and well-written. The kids gave it 3 out of 5 stars, because there aren’t many pictures and it’s a bit monochromatic even for the age group that the book is geared toward.

Urban Preppers With Kids, Pets & Parents: Disaster Survival for the Family

Adult: ★★☆☆☆

Author: James G. Mushen

Price: $40 (Amazon)

Pages: 490

Publisher: CreateSpace Publishing

The Premise: The practical survival information covered in this resource is well-presented and walks through anything from power outages, water filters, types of long-term food, personal protection, shelter-building, and other essential survival concepts and skills. The purpose of this book seems to be centered around educating members of the general public with children and pets on the need for survival and preparation in an urban setting.

The Specs: This book is available as an audiobook, and also on Kindle and Nook.

The 411: I must admit that if I saw this book on a bookstore shelf, I’d laugh incredulously and walk right past it. The cover art is a bit ridiculous. Perhaps that was intended, but it looks like a selfie that was snapped with a potato. I do appreciate that this book is both geared toward the whole family and urban-focused. That’s a rare find.

However, the first chunk of this book deals with America as it was under former President Obama’s administration. Some things have changed under President Trump’s first term. I feel that this book is fueled by fear-mongering about the FEMA camps that the author believes we’ll all be herded into in the future. I found the author’s stereotypes of preppers or survivalists to be a little off-putting. While I’m not generally offended by other people’s opinions, it just seems a little uncouth and unprofessional to use blanket statements like “survivalists are paramilitary, gun-loving G.I. Joes.” That’s a false reading on the majority of preppers and survivalists out there.

While the author states he’s not a “paranoid nut job,” I wonder if he’s trying to divert attention away from the fact that he might actually be closer to that than he’d like to admit. I also find it a bit of a turnoff that he uses Bible verses to back up his survivalist principles, and not always in the most correct context. If you’re going to use the Bible as a reason to prep, at least study the entire section for contextual reasons to ensure accuracy. But I digress — this book has a lot of information that’s prudent to the times. Regardless of the current level of government instability, we mustn’t look at the federal government as a cause of or solution to all our problems. That’s not its job.

The Verdict: I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars. There are nuggets of wisdom in it that are truly helpful, but digging through the rest of the content to find them, frankly, isn’t worth it. Besides, the positive reviews in the front of the book seem hokey and possibly fake, since the website www.survivalstory.org isn’t a presently active site, and the mentioned YouTube channel is no longer active either.

Infographic: Privacy Concerns in Smart Cities

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Like it or not, technology continues to play an ever-increasing role in the privacy concerns of our daily lives. Aside from the devices in your pockets, backpack, home, and office, tech is also being rapidly integrated into the infrastructure of our cities and towns. Some of this tech is fairly innocuous, simply meant to provide more reliable and affordable utilities through automation. Other types of smart city technology, however, have led to privacy concerns about invasive tracking of citizens or exploitation of these systems for nefarious purposes.

Photo of a dense urban center insinuating the privacy concerns that may exisit.

The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) created the following infographic that offers an overview of smart city technology in transportation, utilities, telecom, government services, and environmental sectors. You're probably already aware of some of these systems, like digital utility usage meters, parking sensors, and traffic monitoring software. Other systems in the graphic are still on the cutting edge, and may not have been implemented in your area yet.

Infographic pointing out various privacy concerns of a smart city.

What are your privacy concerns about smart cities and how their underlying tech is used? It's worth keeping these in mind and voicing them in the future, because it seems unlikely that our cities and towns will become less tech-reliant any time soon.