Tag Archives: emergency preparedness

Leatherman – Wave Multi Tool

by SurvivalGuy Posted on May 30, 2011

I have been carrying my Leatherman around since 1995. I bought it at a shop in Camp Casey, South Korea. I have put it through all sorts of stress and it keeps on working. I recently purchased a much newer model. The Leatherman Wave in black. Most of the product line is in silver but I like to be different so black was an ideal choice for me.

My old Leatherman was/is great but if you’ve ever used an old mutli tool with the hollow grips thne you know they bite into your hands when using the pliers. That was one of the reasons I purchased the new one, that and I like shiny new things. I replaced my current Leatherman with the Wave and demoted my old one to a Go (GOOD) Bag. This multitool and the Led Lenser v2 flashlight from a previous post are constantly on my person, backpack or brief case depending on the situation.

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Winchester Ballistics Calculator

by SurvivalGuy Posted on April 25, 2011

I came across this amazing resource for ballistics on Winchesters website. The only downside is that you have to install Microsoft’s Silverlight in order to get it to work. Here is the link to the site. Winchester Ballistics Calculator. I compared two common projectile rounds in the chart. A standard .223 and a .308 caliber round. I chose to sight it in at 25 yards (meters) and see how the drop would effect shooting at longer distances.

winchester ballistics calculator

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Normalcy Bias

by SurvivalGuy Posted on April 18, 2011

The normalcy bias refers to a mental state people enter when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects. This often results in situations where people fail to adequately prepare for a disaster, and on a larger scale, the failure of the government to include the populace in its disaster preparations.

The assumption that is made in the case of the normalcy bias is that since a disaster never has occurred that it never will occur. It also results in the inability of people to cope with a disaster once it occurs. People with a normalcy bias have difficulties reacting to something they have not experienced before. People also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation.

The rest of the article is here…

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Kabar TDI Straight Edge Knife Comparison

by SurvivalGuy Posted on April 14, 2011

A couple of people who read my previous post were wondering how well the full size TDI knife compares against the smaller TDI Law Enforcement Knife. Since it was brought up I thought I should do a side by side comparison.

The smaller TDI knife has a slightly thinner handle and is a bit more comfortable. The downside is that the blade is smaller. The best feature about the smaller knife is that it has a larger finger groove that will help prevent your fingers from sliding across the blade. The larger TDI knife has a longer blade and a thicker handle that is slightly less angled. The larger TDI knife is slightly easier to conceal because the handle doesn’t stick out at a more extreme angle.

Both knives conceal really well and are very light. The construction of the knives is excellent and I did not see any sloppy machine markings on either of them.  Considering they are both under $60 each, depending which options you get, you can eventually buy both and not regret it. If I had to choose between the two I would select the smaller one for daily carry because of the more secure grip. As always there are pictures below.

tdi_comparison_left

tdi_comparison_right

tdi_comparison_sheath_left

tdi_comparison_sheath_right

Small TDI on the Left – Large TDI on the Right

tdi_comparison

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OODA loop (for observe, orient, decide, and act)

by SurvivalGuy Posted on April 4, 2011

The OODA loop (for observe, orient, decide, and act) is a concept originally applied to the combat operations process, often at the strategic level in both the military operations. It is now also often applied to understand commercial operations and learning processes. The concept was developed by military strategist and USAF Colonel John Boyd.

My buddy came across this article on wikipedia and I thought it would be worthwhile to share with everyone. The full article is here.

OODA loop (for observe, orient, decide, and act)

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How close is your home to a nuclear power plant?

by SurvivalGuy Posted on March 21, 2011

My house is pretty darn close to a nuclear power plant. It makes me uncomfortable but I can’t just move out to the middle of Wyoming to error on the side of safety. It’s a nice thought but I’ve gotten used to a salary and all the nifty bobbles it allows me to buy. In the mean time I bought some anti radiation pills mentioned in a previous post and I have my fingers crossed.

I know it seams like wishful thinking but the reality of the situation is that you can only do so much to prepare. Thinking about all the things that can go wrong can be crippling. If something happened and several million people started to panic trying to get out of a city would be a horrific experience. I’m preparing as best as I can for the worst and hoping for the best. In the mean time here is a website that can get you started on worrying about your future or if your lucky not at all :)

nuclear_power_plant_sites

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Japanese Nuclear Disaster + Potassium Iodide Tablets

by SurvivalGuy Posted on March 17, 2011

The potential for nuclear radiation poisoning from the nuclear power plants failing are Japan is very high. My friend who lives on the West Coast was expressing his concern yesterday and I e-mailed him some links to products on Amazon.com. Last night the products were available. Tonight the products are back ordered and not available for several months.

Last year I had the foresight to buy several packs of iodide pills just in case something happened on the East Coast. I have a lot to be concerned about because there is a high concentration of nuclear power plants here. I hate to think that my life would be dependent on the governments foresight to protect me and my family. They can’t even get pot holes filled around where I live so I don’t give them too much credit.

I bought the Iosat Iodide tablets below. If anyone is concerned about radioactive poisoning now is the time to get some of these pills before the world supply is depleted for the next several months.

Iosat Potassium Iodide

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GRAYMAN Satu (sah’-too) Folder

by SurvivalGuy Posted on March 10, 2011

I picked up the Grayman Satu folder a few months ago. I saw the pictures on the Grayman’s Knives website and I knew the knife was going to be big. It still did not prepare me for the size of it when I opened the box. It’s one hell of a big knife.  The first thing I did was inspect it closely. The knife did not have any machining marks or scratches and all the screws were tight. The action was initially stiff. I put a little white lithium grease in the action before  I began to open and close the knife a couple of hundred times in each hand over the next several days to loosen it up. I know that may seem a bit obsessive compulsive but it’s the way I get familiar with the action of a folding knife. This way I get very familiar with the knife and opening it becomes second nature in both hands.

I primarily wanted to use this knife as a hiking knife. I was looking for something very well built that I can put in my pocket or backpack. Since I live on the east coast I have to be more discreet than those of you who live elsewhere. The knife has a really strong clip that will hold on to your pants like a leech. It might be a little to tight in case of an emergency but I’m not carrying this knife as a self defense weapon. You can definitely use it as such but that’s not it’s main purpose. I would like to test this knife further but I can’t bring myself to start chopping at branches just for the hell of it. For now it’s residing in my home waiting for it’s first trip into the woods. Until then I will have to leave you with a bunch of pictures.GRAYMAN Satu (sah'-too) Folder

GRAYMAN Satu (sah'-too) Folder

GRAYMAN Satu (sah'-too) Folder

GRAYMAN Satu (sah'-too) Folder

GRAYMAN Satu (sah'-too) Folder

GRAYMAN Satu (sah'-too) Folder

GRAYMAN Satu (sah'-too) Folder

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ASE30 Safe Escape Fire and Smoke Hood

by SurvivalGuy Posted on February 21, 2011

My work place just bought a dozen of these just in case we have a fire and we’re walking down a million flights of stairs. At first look the picture on the case made me laugh. After making several jokes with my coworkers the reality of a potential fire situation in a high rise sobered me up. Hopefully I won’t get back to anyone about the fire and escape hood and if I do then hopefully it works really well.

ASE30 Safe Escape Fire and Smoke Hood w/Soft Case - Qty 1

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