Which is the BEST Survival Knife?

Longer video about knives. The short version is that in today’s world most of us just don’t carry a fixed blade on daily basis. A pocket knife is simply more realistic and in that category a multitool such as the Leatherman Wave or the fancier Charge is likely the best overall tool a typical person can carry all day.

Having said that, if you have a fixed blade, which one is the best? Not an easy question to answer but I take a shot at it in the video.

My conclusion is that while small scandi grind knives are great and larger machetes are fantastic tools, likely something in between is the right answer. Even then, larger blades, when realistically capable of carrying, can do more and are just better for most taks.

FerFAL

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

What makes a BAD Knife?

Quick and Easy Improvised Stove!

15 Items to Carry in your EDC Bag

Bags:
Wenger backpack https://amzn.to/2S2MxKk
Saddleback Leather Briefcase https://amzn.to/2tu1HOH
Polare Leather Briefcase (similar to the Saddleback Briefcase, but cheaper) https://amzn.to/2toa8ed

Items Listed:
1)Multitool (Leatherman Wave)https://amzn.to/2tnThs0
2)Knife (Glock Survival Knife) https://amzn.to/2rYm5a9
3)Flashlight (Zebralight H53W AA) https://amzn.to/38Ot1Hx
4)Water Bottle (Klean Kanteen) https://amzn.to/35za5e2
5)Small First Aid Kit (Protect Life) https://amzn.to/2Q1t7Dk
6)Tourniquet (Recon-Milspec)https://amzn.to/2YW8rRb
7)Celox Gauze https://amzn.to/34rA5GR
8)Sabre Red Pepper Gel https://amzn.to/2LZMJq7
9)Power bank (Anker)https://amzn.to/2EowG0T
10)Notebook and Pen https://amzn.to/2Z27neC https://amzn.to/2qXXsKe
11)Spare magazine/speedloader
12)Lighter (Bic) https://amzn.to/34s6zR7
13)Kleanex
14)Hand Sanitizer (Purell) https://amzn.to/2EoBSlo
15)Paracord 550 https://amzn.to/2PUU4bz
FerFAL
Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Joe Wolek replies to post: "American tourist stabbed 10 times in La Boca, Buenos Aires"

Police officer Luis Chocobar

Joe Wolek, the American tourist stabbed in Buenos Aires replied to my post "American tourist stabbed 10 times in La Boca, Buenos Aires"

Message from Joe Wolek:

I just came across this upon looking for info on the event that changed my life as I prepare to head back to Argentina for the court case against my surviving attacker and the officer who came to my rescue. I am Frank Joe Wolek who was stabbed in La Boca. I just want to clarify a few things. Yes, La Boca can be dangerous, but so can any place. This could have happened to me in just about any city in the world if I had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is still many great places and people in La Boca. Second, and most important, it really angers me that immediately people think that I was threatened. That is not the case. I was attacked, immediately. There was not threat with the knife as in saying, “Give us your stuff or we’ll stab you!” It was immediate and from behind. In that situation there is nothing to do but try and fight back. It is instinctual. All of this happened in 10 seconds or less. It was only when I actually saw the blade coming out of my body and blood spurting did I totally realize what was happening, and at that point the shock made me freeze and release. For some reason people always think there is an initial threat at a robbery. Even the police and the courts in Argentina still fall back on this belief in my case as if that is how a robbery always takes place. I am certain if there had been an initial threat, and therefore a decision to be made, I would have done the correct thing. Here there was not, and when one is surprised attacked from behind there is nothing else to do but fight back, it is the bodies instinct pure and simple and takes a moment for logic to come into play…
-

Hello Joe,

Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

I’m sorry you had to go through such a terrible situation. I remember reading about it when it happened, how the doctors miraculously saved your life. As you may probably be aware of, Matthew Gibbard, a British tourist, was recently killed in Puerto Madero during a robbery attempt outside his hotel. In January this year Swedish tourist Christoffer Persson was shot in the leg during another robbery. He survived thanks to a woman that was passing by that applied a tourniquet using her tshirt but due to the severity of the wound his right leg was amputated below his knee.

About my post regarding your attack, I didn’t mean to offend you in any way. I’ve seen similar situations happen right in front of me several times in Buenos Aires. As you well explain, there’s no warning, no interaction of any kind, they just snatch and if they don’t get it in their first attempt they simply attack the victim. Sometimes even if they do, they attack you still out of pure cruelty.
I’m sorry to hear that that the police and courts in Argentina are acting this way but unfortunately I am not surprised. They always try to blame the victim, or at least imply it partially. “He resisted…” is one of their tricks so as to make it sound that way. In reality its people being attacked and caught completely by surprise, as you well say, not resisting but “freezing” due to the complete shock and surprise of the attack.

Things are not looking good at all in Argentina, especially now with the “new” old people back in power who are well known for being “garantistas”, always blaming the victim. I’m sure you’re aware of the ordeal and persecution suffered by the police officer that shot your attacker, Luis Chocobar, accused of murder, for shooting the man that stabbed you. In any other normal country Chocobar would receive a medal and considered a hero, but Argentina is just hopeless and keeps embarrassing us.

Again, I’m sorry for what you had to go through and please accept my apologies if anything I said sounded in any way offensive, it certainly wasn’t my intention. In this website we try to learn from these situations, see what could have been done better or at least try to learn to avoid these situations to some extent, but we also know very well that its easy to look at these cases from the comfort of our homes while sipping tea and not caught by surprise by a vicious criminal in the middle of the day.
Kind regards,

-Fernando

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

TMS Podcast #1 - Matt Bracken

For my Podcast #1 I had the great pleasure of talking to retired United States Navy SEAL, novelist and overall awesome guy, Matt Bracken. Matt is the author of "The Red Cliffs of Zerhoun", "Castigo Cay", the "Enemies" trilogy.

You can buy Matt Bracken's books and check out his work at:
http://enemiesforeignanddomestic.com/
Or on Amazon:
The Red Cliffs of Zerhoun https://amzn.to/34dmra4
Castigo Cay https://amzn.to/2RNIMsj
Enemies Foreign and Domestic https://amzn.to/2RModfF

10 Great Christmas Gift Ideas for Preppers and Survivalists

Street Survival Skills $21.95
Pretty confident about this one, my latest book “Street Survival Skills”. It explains in detail plenty of valuable, practical real-world skills. Even those that have been into preparedness for a long time will find useful information, no doubt. It also covers the basics for newbies and gets them started in the right direction. Check my video review.

LEATHERMAN - Charge Plus $139.95
The Leatherman Charge is in my opinion the best multitool money can buy and I haven’t found anything better yet even if some favor the Surge. Anyway, fantastic multitool and the Wave is basically the same thing but more budget friendly. Even more affordable and still great Leatheman multool, go with the Sidekick or the tiny PS4.

Victorinox Manager $29.16
I’ve been using this little guy for about a year now and even though I keep proper multiool and folder in my pocket this tiny tool always comes in handy. Great tool for someone that isnt much into preparedness and doesn’t see themselves carrying anything, yet its there in the keychain, always ready.

Olight S1R II 1000 Lumens $69.95
The S1R II is compact, fits in the pocket and recharges with a magnetic contact which is pretty convenient.

Cold Steel SRK Fixed 6" Blade Knife $51.41

The SRK is as solid as knife designs go. Used by the Navy SEALS and soldiers around the world, you can’t go wrong with Cold Steel’s Survival Rescue Knife. The size hits that ideal not too big not too small. Somewhat similar to a short Kabar blade geometry but with a tougher construction.

Taser Pulse with Laser, LED, 2 Live Cartridges $334.95

The Taser Pulse uses the same Taser technology used for law enforcement, but in a concealed carry weapon format. Works just like the old Taser, meaning that besides shootings the darts and automatically discharging for 30 seconds, it also works as a stun gun pressing the muzzle against an attacker. The safety on the side activates a laser and LED light and it has a low battery indicator. These are now also legal in New York.

SABRE RED Pepper Gel - Police Strength $12.99

Pepper Spray is cheap, its compact and what’s most important, it WORKS. In my experience it also makes a highly appreciated gift that doesn’t break the bank and it may one day safe a friend or loved one.

Glock OEM Field Knife 6.5" $24.99
In my opinion the best survival knife for the money. 1095 steel at 55 HRC, 6.5” of combat/survival steel, Made in Austria. Get one if you don’t have one already, also a great gift for any outdoors, survivalist or firearms enthusiast.

SOS Food Labs SOScin1pk S.O.S. Rations Emergency 3600 Calorie $7.82

These rations work well for BOB, 72hs Kits, Get Home Bags, etc. They last for several years, a lot less bulky and cheaper than MRE. Not much in terms of food, think of it as fuel to keep you going. No need to cook or any other type of food preparation.

Glock 19X CO2 Blowback .177 $99.99
Not the real thing but close enough. Glock licensed BB made by Umarex, 18 shot magazine. Glock just came up with the Glock 44 in 22LR, says its for fun and plinking… bet it’s a nice gun but you know what? 1)BB is MUCH cheaper than 22LR 2) You can use it for plinking and practice in your back yard 3) Still capable of killing rats and other tiny pests with a fresh CO2 cartridge.  I have a Glock 19 BB and absolutely love that thing. Would make a hell of a gift for a kid too (as long as he wears eye protection and doesnt “shoot his eye out”)
I’ll keep an eye out and post any deals worth mentioning that I come across. These are of course all from Amazon, and we earn a small percentage on some of the sales made through Amazon Affiliate links, which is much appreciated and helps with the channel.
Thake care!
FerFAL
Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Mora vs Glock: Which one is the Best Survival Knife?

Mora Bushcraft Black: The Premium Version of the Mora Companion

6 Things to Look for in a Survival Knife

With so many options available, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of choices when looking for a good survival knife. Every company out there swears by their own product and the commonly used marketing tricks don’t help in making an objective, practical decision.

So what do you want to take into consideration when buying a survival knife?

1) Design. Is the shape of the tool adequate for the purpose it is intended for? The blade geometry, how long, thin and narrow blade is, how thick is the stock used, the bevels, it all should make sense in relation to the intended use of the knife. Is it a carving tool, a piercing weapon, a utilitarian sharp prybar?  In my experience this is the hardest thing to achieve: An overall sound design with a blade geometry that is well suited for its intended purpose. The more broad that intended purpose is, and that’s often the case with survival knives, the harder it is to nail it with a blade shape that will perform well for most potential applications.

2) Quality. A Knife may be of sound design but if the materials used are of poor quality or if the execution is mediocre it won’t be of much use.  People new to knives often obsess over what steel the blade is made of. In reality, with modern steel this is for the most part an academic discussion and for most practical uses, even the more affordable steels, both stainless and carbon steels, will perform adequately as long as they are properly heat treated. Having said that, the difference between steels does exist and in some cases the extra toughness, edge retention and ease of sharpening is worth the higher price of premium steels for some people.

3) Handle. The knife may be well designed, well-crafted out of the finest materials but if the handle just doesn’t “fit” you then it will perform poorly in your hands. The handle is an extremely personal part of the knife. Some handles just work well for most people’s hands. The swell in the handle of a Glock knife, the typical machete handle, these are time proven designs. But still, either because your hand is too big, or too small, or it just so happens to close around a handle a bit different, it just may not fit you as well. In general you want comfortable, grippy yet durable materials and you don’t want any aggressive patterns that chaff the skin or cause hot spots.

ESEE Knives 4P Fixed Blade Knife w/Handle and Molded Polymer Sheath

 

4)Sheath. A knife without a sheath cant be carried around safely, can barely be used at all without having a safe method of carrying. There’s no need for anything fancy but the sheath must be functional. Hold the blade safely in place, be easy to access, remove and return the knife. Just like with gun holsters, hard polymer sheaths are a solid choice, especially if they have different attachment points to adjust the way you carry it.

5)Finish. Often overlooked, not all finishes perform the same. The current typical textured paint finish commonly used in tactical knives is a rather poor choice. Not only does it wear off easily, leaving the steel naked unless it has a phosphate finish of some kind underneath, these finishes also attract dirt and grime, making it harder to keep clean. The textured finish also increases traction when cutting through materials, which you definitely don’t want. You want the surface of the cutting tool to be smooth like glass with minimal friction. A mirror polished surface would be ideal, even if some treatment had to be added on carbon steel to avoid rusting. This is something to consider but not a deal breaker since finshes do wear, become smoother with use even if they originally were textured, and with a bit of oil rust shouldn’t be a problem.

6)Price. Although you often pay for what you get, in the knife world you sometimes have knives that are hyped beyond their logical price point just as you have some wonderful bargains, a ton of knife for very little money. This means you save money for other preps or it allows you to buy multiple blades for all your kits and bags or for backups and spares.
FerFAL
Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

What Items do I keep Handy in my Car?

Guys! If you haven’t bought one already, grab a copy of my latest book “Street Survival Skills”  I go over a bunch of practical stuff including defensive driving skills, awareness while in the car and other great tips. I have no doubt, you'll love it.



Street Survival Skills: Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Modern Survival 

I recently did a video about the topic, what car I consider well suited for my needs, the capabilities I’m looking for and also some of the stuff I keep handy in the cabin.

There’s really nothing out of the ordinary but it’s a system that has worked well for me over the years.

Big can of Pepper Spray

Sabre Red 52CFT30 Crossfire Stream (MK-4) Pepper Spray, 1.33% MC, 3.0 Ounces

Keep it handy, even if you have a gun… especially if you have a gun. Most wannabe badasses can be handled with a bit of OC spray, avoiding the terrible legal mess of explaining the use of lethal force.
I also keep one next to the front door in the house and a couple smaller cans my wife and I carry occasionally.

Anti-Theft Bar

Car Steering Wheel Lock Universal

Half Klingon Bat'leth battle axe, half anti-theft bar, this is the exact same one I have, as shown in the video.
Good for securing the car too. I guess the steering wheel itself can be cut, theres videos about it, but in my experience (as in someone breaking into my car and trying to steal it when I had one of these things in the wheel) They will just give up and go looking for a car that doesn’t have a bar. Usually they just see it and don’t even bother, go look a car without it.

A Good Flashlight

ThruNite TC15 2300 High Lumens Ultra-Bright Flashlight, USB Rechargeable

I keep a Thrunite similar to this one, 2000 lumens and its rechargeable via micro USB port meaning I can charge it using the phone charger kept in the car.

Victorinox Rescue Tool

Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Rescue Tool

I keep it in the center glove compartment. If there’s an accident and everything flies in every direction, it stays in there and I know where to reach it. It’s a nice tool with glass breaker and seat belt cutter as well as a solid blade and big screwdriver. The burglar bar is no doubt a better glass (and skull) breaking tool given its weight but I still like having this one too.
Cheaper rescue tool? Go with the Resqme tool

Something else I’d love to have and I’ll keep an eye out during Black Friday:

POTEK Portable Power Source:1500 Peak/ 750 Instant Amps Jump Starter, 300W Inverter,150 PSI Air Compressor

There’s of course other gear I keep in the trunk in bags and will go through it in the next video.
Hope you guys have a great Thanksgiving with the family!

FerFAL
Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Preparedness in Sweden: Jobs/Money, Education & Health

Winter Preparedness: Backup Heating Alternatives

I was recently talking with someone living in a cold climate region and the topic of backup heating came up. I remembered about an incident a few years ago when our oil burner broke and needed to be replaced. I had a tank full of heating oil but no burner…  in Ireland in the middle of winter. The house did have two fireplaces, but we soon found out that these were more for show than actual heating. What saved the day was an electric radiator and the couple kerosene heaters I had bought a while back.
Depending on where you live, heating may be a matter of inconvenience or a matter of life or death. In such a place, I want no less than two alternative heating methods besides the primary one normally used, plan B and C, just in case. You just never know. The heater or burner can break, power may go out, you may even be injured, too weak or too sick to go collect firewood. Always have a backup plan.
Here are some of the best alternatives.

HeatMate HMN-110 10,000-BTU Radiant Kerosene Heater

I personally love Kerosene heaters. I love how simple they are. Nothing electronic going on, just a wick a fuel. Read up  (start here!) and learn as much as you can about them. Light them outdoors and give it about 30-60 minutes or so until it heats up very well for the first time so as to avoid any smells. Once its going though, its my favorite low tech heating method. You can get these on Amazon (and the radiant model shown is excellent) but honestly its just fun to go hunting for one in garage sales as well. Prices on these things when sold used is also very low (check the wick though, it probably needs a new one). Get one, keep a few gallons of kerosene and you'll be warm during storms and blackouts.

Mr. Heater Buddy 4,000-9,000-BTU  Portable Propane Radiant Heater

Also very simple and handy, preppers love these Buddy heaters and the larger Big Buddy units. They are portable and simple, and for those that dont like do mess around with kerosene, they do have less of a scent which even if minimal, it bothers some people. Here you are just burning propane and you dont have to light it outdoors. Make sure you have enough fuel. Better yet, get the adapter for it so as to use larger propane bottles.

DeLonghi Oil-Filled Radiator Space Heater, Quiet 1500W
Oil-Filled Radiator Space Heater. Your tipical electric radiator. They are simple and safe to use, not much can go wrong with these and as long as you have electricity you’ve got heat. Excellent for when something goes wrong with your main heating but you still have power.

Small Ceramic Space Heater Electric Portable Heater Fan

Cheap and compact little units. Not as nice as radiators but handy as long as you have electricity.

HotHands Body & Hand Super Warmers
These are great for your kits, keeping in your car and BOB or even in your jacket, just in case.

 FerFAL

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Sweden: How to Prepare for the "Multicultural" Changes

5 Tips for Dealing with Protests, Riots and Civil Unrest

Given the current situation around the world we keep seeing more and more events where riots or volatile protests and demonstrations take place.

Having dealt with them more times than I care to remember, here's a video with some advice.

1) Stay the hell away. This is pretty obvious, but by far the most useful/valuable advice. Avoid the mess entirely.
2) Don’t confront. If you happen to see one of these proud liberal "woke" creatures, don’t talk to them, don’t interact. Nothing good can possibly come out of it. They certainly will NOT change their mind.
3) If driving, keep driving, don’t ever stop, don’t get out of the vehicle. Keep moving slowly and don’t let anger get the best of you, even if they kick or hit your car. Just not worth it.
4) Learn to estimate distances as explained in the video. If you can see the persons face and tell the skin color, you're too close. If you can see clearly clothes, backpacks and whatever it is they are carrying, you’re definitely too close!
5) Estimate the crowd and if the police is enough to deal with it if the protest becomes violent.
FerFAL

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

South America Falls Apart

Bolivia

Chile

For those that may not know, I have a Spanish youtube channel, SupervivenciaModerna.
Lately, I’ve been getting hundreds of new subscribers each day, the channel has been growing a lot in the last few weeks.

The reason? I suspect current political events in the region have  a lot to do with it.
Bolivian President Evo Morales Resigns After Army Tells Him to Go

As I’ve said in previous occasions already, Latin America is going through some very tough times. Cristina Kirchner returns to power in Argentina, Lula is being released in Brazil, Chile is still burning and The now former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, has just resigned and is escaping to Mexico as people took the streets and started going after the political class after the fraud elections recently held.

Tough times people.

FerFAL

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

“Street Survival Skills” Book Review

Loup over at Full Spectrum Preparedness did a pretty in-depth review of my latest book, “Street Survival Skills”.

This is a fully objective review, I didn’t send a copy for him to review, he procured one himself so shout out to you Loup and thanks for supporting my work! (Link to the review in his website).

“Street Survival Skills” is available in Amazon and covers a number of practical skills, focusing mostly on safety and self defense but also covers more general practical preparedness concepts, from power outages to cooking and water purification. Lots of drawings and sketches throughout the book explain skills and tips in detail.

If you have the book already and liked it, please take a minute and leave a review in Amazon, it would be greatly appreciated.
Take care folks!

FerFAL

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Mexico Massacre, 9 Dead Americans: 7 Things you should Always Remember

Terrible massacre in Mexico, close to the US border.

A group of Mormons, members of the LeBaron, Miller, and Langford families, were ambushed resulting in 9 dead, 3 women, the rest of them young children. The three women were driving three vehicles when they got attacked. At least one of the vehicles is shown shot full of holes and completely burned. Some reports claim some of the children were burned alive in the vehicles and the women raped. Some 6 children managed to escape, some of them wounded.

This terrible incident should remind everyone of some VERY important lessons:

1) Don’t live in 3^rd world hell holes. No offense, but if a country is controlled by drug cartels that’s exactly what it is.
2) You can’t win against overwhelming forces. You simply can’t. No matter how many guys with guns you have, they will eventually get you, or your family.
3) You can’t be on guard 24/7, 365 days a year, every year.
4) If your country TURNS into a 3^rd world hell hole, then be honest about it and LEAVE.
5) You cant take back a bullet. Once your wife and children and dead, that can’t be undone.
6) Only in movies and childish fairy tales do a bunch of brave gun nuts living in a homestead beat thousands of cartel foot soldiers.Certainly dont plan on that working when SHTF. It does not.
7) Rambo Last Blood is not a documentary.
FerFAL

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Election Results: Argentina becomes Venezuela

Google and Facebook are registering your Firearms

OK, just came across this, the link is from thefirearmblog.com

It seems that Google and Facebook had this bright idea of datamining photos of your guns, indexing your firearm’s serial numbers, they even index and archive serial numbers of silencers.  Its not farfetched that they would also detect other delicate material such as armor and night vision, all of course associated to your name, IP, address, political views, and everything you ever said online about one politician or another.

Of course technology to do all this has been around for some time, but its concerning that they specifically started creating what is for all practical purposes a gun (and gun related material)  registration database.

Careful what you upload, use Firefox and Duckduckgo instead of google.
Dangerous times people.

FerFAL
Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

London Trip: Thoughts, Brexit, and Tips on Security while Traveling

5 Tips to Prepare for the coming 2020 Argentine Crisis

This is the English version of a video I did for my Spanish Channel in youtube.

People in Argentina are worried because Cristina Kirchner is, against all odds, likely to regain power in 2020. She leads in the primaries by 20 points and people are already talking about her return. And many are worried.

These are the five tips I go over in the video.

1)Arm yourself and get training. Most people reading this blog are already well armed but in South America it’s not as common as in USA. Buy a good, reliable weapon and get the training you need to use it properly. My advice is to go with a good old boring Glock 17. The thing just works. For those that don’t fancy firearms much, go with a 357 magnum revolver with a 4” barrel. Load it with 38 at first, 357 once you are used to it. Its just 6 shots but for people with more limited training it’s the kind of handgun that is far less likely to suffer user-caused malfunctions. An AR rifle is an affordable and well known platform to complete the battery, especially for those living in the country or in larger residences.

2)Food and water. You don’t need to go with fancy prepper food. Rice, beans, dry pasta, canned vegetables and tuna. Have at least a week worth of water, a gallon per person per day.

3) Emergency funds. Start with cash for a rainy day. Build that up until you have a months’ worth of expenses. Cash is still very much king when SHTF, even during financial downturns. Expand and procure some precious metals. Look into Bitcoin, it has several advantages for economic collapses and people in Venezuela, Argentina and African countries have used bitcoin as their local currencies failed.If you want to give it a try, Coinbase is by far the largest and safest company to get some bitcoin from. Using my affiliate link ( https://www.coinbase.com/join/fernan_t2 ) for a first time buyer if you buy 100 USD you get 10% more, meaning 110USD worth of bitcoin and I get a 10 USD commission as well (thanks!). You also get a bitcoin wallet which you can safely use from your phone to buy and sell bitcoin and other currencies, send and receive crypto currency safely. Don’t put anything you can’t afford to lose into crypto but definitely give it a try.

4) Batteries, solar chargers and good flashlights. Rolling blackouts are very likely to return with the new government.

5) Passports, second citizenships and a plan to get the hell out of there if all hell breaks loose. I’ve talked about second citizenships a lot and cant emphasize the importance of having it. Look into your family tree and if you can get one through any means, by God do it! It is probably the best advice I could ever give you. Even if you never plan on using it, you just never know what could happen five, ten, let alone twenty years from now or more and citizenship is something you can pass down to your kids.

Take care folks.

FerFAL

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

London Visit: Preparedness at the Natural History Museum

Wasn’t expecting to find such a thing but it was interesting to see none the less. They had like recreation of a small Japanese store that you could step right into, and the floor and walls moved as if it was a real earthquake, at the same time that it plays footage from that exact same quake in Japan. Very sobering.

The emergency kit could use a proper flashlight, knife, and of course a gun.

For earthquakes a respirator, work gloves and large prybar would make a lot of sense.

Nice to see the Lifestraw there, as well as the Seven Ocean rations.

Clock that stopped working when the tsunami hit Japan in 2011.

And of course the rest of the museum is fantastic. well worth the visit!
FerFAL
Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

My EDC Setup for Trip to London

Wallet Review and a Must-have EDC Item (you probably dont have)

RFID Blocking Card in Amazon https://amzn.to/2paaTWn

America is in Danger and you Guys don't see it

When lack of Preparedness gets you Killed

When it comes to preparedness, I’ve always believed in having a practical, reality-based approach. Waiting for “the end of the world” when in reality we’ve seen all along that the world doesn’t end, it just goes through ups and downs, times change, things happen and those who adapt survive the best. 

For me modern survivalism is a lifestyle through which a person makes decisions that significantly increase the chances of overcoming various challenges in life, everything, from a house fire to large scale disasters, poor health, financial/family problems and a variety of potential emergencies and dangerous situations  people are likely to face throughout life.



It comes down to three key points:

1) Having the knowledge and understanding of the potential problems, disasters and emergencies you may find yourself involved in one day.

2) Having the gear and skills needed to face them.

3) Having the wisdom to make the right decisions when your life depends on it.

Here we have a perfect example of how this mindset can make the difference between life and death, death being the outcome in this occasion as the people involved failed on all three key points.

It happened  in Argentina where a Toyota Hilux got stuck during a snow storm in Aluminé, Neuquén.
Two men and one women were in the car. The two men, dressed with casual clothes, dressing shoes and sneakers, went out looking for help. They froze to death 13km from the car. The women was rescued 23 hs. later, cold but otherwise fine. The Hilux did not have the required chains, they did not have good or warm beverages or adequate clothing for the cold weather. Above all, they underestimated the dangers of such weather and overestimated their abilities regarding how far they could get.

FerFAL

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

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Relocation: Living near a military base?

Hi, Ferfal—

First, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience all these years. I've learned a tremendous amount from you, and it's literally changed my life.

I've just finished reading your book "Bugging Out and Relocating", which is excellent. As I was reading about U.S. states for relocation, I had a question: You recommend Nebraska, and mention specifically Bellevue and Papillion, two towns near Omaha. I grew up in a town just outside Omaha (not either of those), and as a child we were always told that having the Strategic Air Command (SAC) headquarters in Bellevue meant that we were a prime target for nuclear attack. Although SAC has been reorganized since then, I wonder if living near a military installation would be safer, or less safe? Is the proximity of a military base something people should consider when choosing a place for relocation?

Thank you for considering my question.

Sincerely yours,

-Bronco

Hello Bronco, thank you for your kind words.

About Nebraska I wrote:

“Nebraska ranks very well in important categories such as quality of life, cost of living and good economy. Papillion and Bellevue have low crime, affordable property prices, good healthcare and are just 15 minutes away from Omaha.”

The first thing to note is that if Omaha was a bad place to live in, Warren Buffett wouldn’t live there. :-)

I think that you have several advantages in the places I mentioned, especially the cost of living/quality of living and safety ratio.

As for the military bases, I know that some people don’t like the idea of being close them and worry about these being targeted during war. Let’s be honest though, how likely is such a thing to happen? How many bases are there across USA? As unlikely a nuclear war is, how likely is your specific base to be targeted, compared to larger coastal cities? But more important than all of this, how much of a concern and priority is nuclear war or US being invaded by a foreign force compared to all the other very real variables, far more probable scenarios or statistics and facts that are guaranteed to affect your quality of life every day?

Having a military base near has its pro and cons. I’d actually would be concerned more about the noise of jets flying by in the case of air bases and how much of a bother that may be. I usually get along well with military folks, usually I find the more like-minded than the average person.

 FerFAL

 Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”