"The Modern Survival Manual" Review in Survival Cache

Joel from Survival Cache did a review of my book. LINK
Pretty neat website by the way, nice and easy to navigate. I checked some of the articles and they are interesting and well written.
Thanks Joel fo the positive review!

FerFAL

MTE M3-2I 740 Lumen Tactical Flashlight

 A few months ago I contacted Greg Mcgee from Greg Mcgee Engineering. I came across him in one of the survival boards I visit, practicalpreparedness.com.
The first thing I noticed about the MTE flashlights Greg sells is that they are very affordable.
Greg specifically asked me to tell everyone that he’s the MTE brand name owner and only importer in USA. If you’re buying MTE from anyone else you’re not getting the original product even if it says MTE. I've seen some on DealExtreme marked as MTE and the quality is totally different.

The second thing I noticed was the interesting type of lights he has. LED lights look all alike these days, but that doesn’t mean that they are all equal. MTE uses top of the line Cree LED just like the best brands do. Sometimes cheapo flashlights use Cree LEDs as well, I have many myself, but Cree makes batches and not all LEDs are alike. Actually, due to LED technology not two LEDs are alike, there’s always slight variations of color and performance and its only after making them that Cree separates them depending on the resulting product.

But what I liked about Greg the most an the reason I’m reviewing his product and supporting him is the customer relationship and quality control he stands by. Over at Practicalpreparedness he actively participated in the flashlight thread, when I email him he’s always kind and quick to reply. You don’t get this type of customer service often, where you directly deal with the person that says “yes, I’m the owner of MTE, I back up my product 100%”. This is the greatest advantage in my opinion. Not only buying a product at very affordable prices, but having it quality assured by someone easy to reach within USA.
If you buy at China Stores like DealExtreme, a website I’ve mentioned before (and recommended in the past, not any more) maybe you save 5 bucks, but if there’s a problem with it and there usually is, no one backs it up. DX claims to offer a guarantee, ever tried to use it? I have half a dozen DX lights that are dead in my drawer. Some still work after a couple years, but other died, usually in the worst possible moment. That’s why I don´t mention it much anymore. It really is a hit and miss purchase. When you buy Greg’s product, you know he tested it before shipping and he backs up the quality of his merchandise.

M3-2I Tactical

This is the light that caught my attention right away because I was looking for a handy, extremely bright (I wanted at least 500 lumens)and rugged tactical light. Man, am I happy with it. I’ve been using it for a couple months now and fully recommend it if that what you’re looking for.
 The MTE M3-2I costs $65 but I knew this was still a bargain because of the LED used and general top notch quality. Of course there’s other manufacturers that offer MC-E 10 Watt LEDs, but they don´t come cheap. Fenix’s TK30 uses it too, but then again it costs $140.
For less than half that price MTE M3-2I has a maximum output of 740lumens, has a solid, unbreakable “bullet-proof” lens made in Finland (That thing must be an inch thick, no kidding) and a nicely finished strike bezel to be used as an impact weapon. If you even have to use this thing to crack someone’s skull, you’ll appreciate the bomb-proof lens.

The flashlights has a bunch of different modes including, strobe and a practical 10 lumen low mode for general purpose use, but thankfully it remembers the last one used. This is useful because in my case I’m mostly interested in that maximum 740 lumens output.
740 lumens is no joke. You’re getting close to HID performance, flashlights that cost several hundred bucks. With 700 lumens pointed directly at someone’s eyes, specially in the dark with the pupils wide open, you’re not just ruining his night vision, you’re causing permanent damage to his vision. Definitely not a toy and it must be kept out of the reach of children. I keep it close to my gun, for easy access but because of this reason too. This light is for tactical/defensive use and throws a wall of light with an intermediate balance between flood and throw. Greg has great throwers which I’ll be buying and reviewing as funds allow, but lots of throw also means you have to aim directly at your attacker’s face. I’m more than comfortable with the balance this flashlight offers.
The light uses  2x 3.0V CR123 batteries or a single 18650 rechargeable. Of course you get the best brightness with the 18650 rechargeable Li-ion batteries.
For an extra $27 Greg offers this same light with a 1000lumen (!) Cree XM-L and reinforced glass lens. Talk about burning the eyes of a would-be home invader with this thing!
Here’s the link to the flashlight, remember to mention me if buying. If you want the one with 1000 lumens (Cree XM-L) you can choose it before adding it to the cart on the lens and LED type option.
http://shop.gregmcgeeengineering.com/M3-2I-Tactical-740-Lumen-1000-Lumen-option-on-checkout-007.htm
I’ll be doing a video of the flashlight soon so you can all see how bright it is.
Take care folks.

FerFAL

Window Security Film How-To

This email by Mark covers the topic of window security films. Thanks Mark for the well written article. 
Burglar bars are what we use here and provide the most protection, but these security films are MUCH better than having nothing at all. As Mark himself relates, the extra layer of protection surprises bad guys and even avoids certain crimes. At the very least, it makes your home a harder target, giving you extra time when defending it, time that you can put to good use.
These films are used also for storms, since it prevents the window from shattering completely and falling apart, wounding people and leaving the entrance point opened.
Please read the article and see one of the many things you can do to make your home a bit safer. 

Tip: If doing it yourself, read the manual completely first, have all the material ready before you start, and start with a small window first. These things take practice. If possible, remove the glass from the window. This way the film goes all the way into the frame and its also easier to install. Take care folks.

FerFAL

Hi Ferfal,

First, I would like to thank you for all the time, effort, and money you put into your blog.  I've been reading it for a while now, and I bought your book.  The book is getting a little dog-eared from lots of use, as well as bookmarks and Post-it notes throughout!

I would like to comment about Window Security Film.  I live in a smallish town near St. Louis, and for various reasons I cannot install bars on my windows.  Upon further investigation (I actually got the idea out of your book) I checked into Security Film.  I decided to try it on a few windows around my house, just to see how well it installed.  Over the years, I've become a do-it-yourselfer through necessity (too cheap to pay anyone to do what I can do for myself - long story).  Anyway, installing security film is actually very simple.    Since the film I used was 9 mil, it was too thick to put in the window and cut, so you need to measure and cut, then attach it to the window. 

The actual process is not difficult, just a little time consuming because of the measuring.  At this point, I'd like to say that the film is not cheap, and you will want to get a high quality film right from the start.  Along with the 60" roll of film, I bought the "Installation Kit".  The kit consisted of a box cutter, a stiff 6" squeegee, a plastic "Multi-tool" which was basicly a rectangular plastic squeegee, a razor scraper, some lint-free paper towels, a spray bottle, and some baby shampoo.  Definetly NOT worth the $45 I spent for it, but live and learn.  You will also need distilled water.  Some things I learned through the School of Hard Knocks is to have a large work area that you are not afraid of cutting with a box knife.  I used a spare piece of plywood that I set on a table in my garage.  A long T-square is also advisable, along with a fine point permananet marker.  The bonding solution consists of a teaspoon of baby shampoo per pint of distilled water.

I would suggest starting on a small window because your are learning as you go, and you will make mistakes.  Start by thouroghly cleaning the window, using the spray bottle with solution, then scrape the window with the razor scaper.  The winow must be completly clean, any dust or dirt will create bubbles that are very noticable.   Its a good idea to put a towel under the window to keep things dry.  Measure your window, leaving about 1/8 of an inch around the edge for the film to expand when it gets warm.  Mark and cut your film.  Spray your windows with solution (again make sure it is COMPLETLY CLEAN), also spray your fingers so you leave no fingerprints on the film.  Peel off the protective face of the film, spraying it down as you remove the protected film.  Place the film on the window, then, using your 6" stiff squeegee gently start removing the water from behind the film.  I suggest starting from the top center and working your way out and down.  Once the film is fixed in place, use the rectagular plastic squeegee to get the rest of the water out.  Make sure you wrap the edged of the plastic sqweegee with a lint-less pager towel, or you will scratch wht plastic film.  The more effort you put into getting the solution out from behind the film, the faster your film will cure.  According to the manufacterer, it takes about 30 days to cure.  However, once it it applied, it already has about 70% of it strength.

The manufacturer also recommends using Dow 995 Silicone Cauk around the edges for large windows and/or tempered glass, to provide more protection.

It took me about a weekend to install the film on all the windows on the lower level of my house.  I have not done the upper windows; thats a project for another day.

Now for some real-world experience:  during the spring last year, someone tried to break into my house through one of my basement windows.  My basement windows are just single-pane sliding windows that are 12"x31".  My subdivision does not have fences, and there are no bushes next to my house.  While the window did get broken, the film kept all the glass shards in place and no one entered my house.  Needless to say, I'm glad that I took the time to apply the film, or there's no telling what might have happened.  My neighborhood is a relatively nice one, and robberies do not normally happen there.  Just goes to show that crime can happen anywhere.  It cost me $11 to have the window fixed, and I immediatly applied the film to it.  I also built thick plywood plugs to go behind the basement windows incase someone decides to come back.

Total cost:  $491

Estimated contractor cost:  $2500

So in a nutshell, thank you for opening my eyes to what a real SHTF scenario is really like.  Before I found your site, all everyone talked about was Mad Max, Zombie Apacalypse, etc.  Now I am more focused on real world events.  Hope this little how-to will help someone else avoid a potential breakin.  As an aside, Rich in Canada could potentially make some extra money by installing security film to other people's houses.  I have helped other people with hardening thier houses, and I have looked at this as a potential income stream for myself should I loose my job.  Keep up the good work and I look forward to reading your site for many years to come.

Cheers,

Mark

Hurricane Preparedness

Excellent email by Matt on observations and hurricane preparedness.

I really appreciate these type of emails where you share your experiences and lessons learned. If you have gone through some disaster or emergency situation, dealing with anything from storms, rioting, crime, earthquakes, social or political unrest in your country, stranded on the road, surprised by unemployment, etc and you'd like to share your experiences, email me with your story and lessons learned. 

After reading it I emailed him and asked Matt some of the typical questions. 

Enjoy and take notes.  ;-)

FerFAL

Hey FerFal,

Love your blog and the book. I have been meaning to write this for some time but wanted to finish reading everything on the blog. Thought I could provide some info on what I have seen as I live in Louisiana and have gone through several hurricanes that have caused massive disruption to everyday life.

For Katrina I only lost power for 5 days, but the population of my city doubled from all the refugees fleeing from New Orleans. (That was very interesting with all the traffic going nowhere for hours). I had filled up my gas tank before the storm hit so it wasn't a problem in the beginning. After power had largely been restored in my area life pretty much returned to usual except that my city was at least twice as big and that it was hard to find gas. The petrochemical facilities had been damaged or were still without power so gasoline was not being refined at the rate it was before the storm.

Now that I have to compete with twice as many people for gasoline, almost every gas station is empty. (I did have 10 gallons in my shed if I would ever get that desperate but didn't really want to tap into it). I found that if I woke up around 5:30 in the morning I could find a gas station that had been restocked earlier and could top off my tank. Even then I had to wait in line to get the gas! Another reason why gas was so hard to find was that people from New Orleans would come up to my city and fill multiple 55 gallon drums to bring back down because there were no working gas stations any closer. (I am 60 to 70 miles from New Orleans). Gas stations can be a scary place when everyone is trying to get gas. 

Once when I was filling up my tank, people were getting impatient and revving their engines, blowing their horns, cursing each other out, and some even made threats to others. During the aftermath of Gustav which cut power to most of the city for at least a week (I was out for 1 week and 1 day), I pretty much stayed at home because there was no power anywhere and driving around would be a waste of gas. My family and I had plenty of food stocked, so that wouldn't be a problem. We have a little propane stove used for camping that we used to cook our meals on. Definitely recommend getting one. Of course being Louisiana, it's hot and humid so with no air conditioning I mainly spent the days in shorts only. We at least had running water and I loved taking an ice cold shower at night (no hot water) because it would cool you down and help you fall asleep because you would feel more comfortable.

Only once did I go out in the car and that was with my dad to get a few roofing shingles to repair the minor damage to our roof because it was still raining lightly from the storm. A trip that would have normally taken 25-30 minutes round trip took two and a half hours because the traffic lights were out and it's supposed to be treated as a four way stop. The traffic was terrible, and I saw several accidents that happened right in front of my eyes because there were some geniuses who decided to blow through the traffic lights without stopping. There were power lines down in the roads(had to drive over some), downed trees sometimes blocked entire roads and we had to find alternate routes, and too many people out on the roads joyriding wasting gas. With power out to almost 100% of the city, it was the darkest I had ever seen it. Couldn't see my hand in front of my face. 

The local government also declared a curfew for 6 at night to 6 in the morning if I remember correctly. I heard on the radio about people who weren't bright enough to plan ahead to fill up their gas tanks or their food supplies and were panicking because they couldn't get them now. Also, something I forgot to mention about guns and ammo after Katrina (not sure if it happened for Gustav) is that many stores that sold guns and ammo stopped. I'm not sure if all did, just remember hearing about it because someone stole a gun and that sent everyone(stores and local government) into panic mode. I think ammo sales were stopped all together for a few weeks, someone might want to correct me on that but a large portion of stores did stop for some time. 

If you didn't have the guns or ammo already, then you weren't going to get it until the government said it was ok. A good book describing the gun confiscation in New Orleans is The Great New Orleans Gun Grab: Descent Into Anarchy. The only problem I have with the book is that it is about half good gun stories and half useless filler to make the book bigger. I forgot to mention that after Katrina I have never seen so many Blackhawk helicopters ever in my life. If you have any questions feel free to ask because I'm sure I left things out.

Thanks,
    Matt

What preparations do you do to protect your home during these storms?(plywood shutters, etc)
Do you have a prearanged plan for the family so everyone knows what to do if caught by surprise?

The benefit of being able to prepare for hurricanes is the fact that I can start preparing for it for about a week before it hits. (I already have my food, water, weapons, and other preps ready year round. I am just talking about hurricane specific preps.) I pick up all loose objects on my property like flower pots, wind chimes, kids' toys, and other similar items and put them in the shed. I remove dead branches from the trees in my yard. I am about 80 miles from the coast and don't have to board up my windows like someone in New Orleans or closer to the coast would, but I do tape my windows in case they do break. I also make sure to have plenty of plastic tarps around to protect my house from rain if something were to be damaged. I do keep a few plywood boards around just in case more serious damage occurs. After Gustav I went to my friends house and saw that his neighbor's house was cut in half by a tall oak tree that fell down. Luckily no one was hurt, but when the family went to stay in a hotel until their home could be repaired, their house was looted by someone who saw an easy target. As for a prearranged plan, my family knows to go straight home if something happens, and if that is not possible then we have another meeting place.

What 10 things would you not go through a storm without?

The 10 things I would not go through a storm without would be: 1. Water, 2. Food, 3. Guns and healthy supply of ammo, 4. Flashlights and plenty of batteries, 5. Radio(battery powered and hand cranked), 6. Extra supply of gasoline, 7. Generator for keeping my fridge running to prolong my frozen goods, 8. Spare parts or even replacement items like your 3 is 2, 2 is 1 idea, 9. Board games/books(It gets really boring when there is no power or work for a week.) and 10. First aid kit/Medical supplies.

If you could go back in time, what prep would you have done differently?

If I could go back in time, I would have bought another 8 gallon container of gas because it goes faster than you think it would. The only thing I used the generator for was for the fridge and two lamps, and I would turn it off at night to save gas. The fridge kept cold enough at night to keep the food cold until morning. I also did not like leaving it on because it would make it harder to hear if someone was breaking into my house at night. Also I would have a chainsaw and more heavy duty garbage bags because clean up took two full days. Lots of downed trees, branches, and debris. I found a Molotov cocktail in my ditch after the water subsided (must have been the neighbor kids).

Did you use you weapons, when were you glad to be armed? Any particular incident or story you'd like to share?

I never had to use my weapons but there were several times I was glad that I was armed. At the gas stations it could get a little hairy because some people were acting a little crazy. During Katrina's aftermath, there were alot of government vehicles, tents, and temporary offices setup across the street from my house.(about 1 mile as the crow flies). I tried to contact several governmental agencies to see what was going to be there, but they would not tell me anything. My family and I figured it might be a refugee staging area for people from New Orleans. I had a Glock 19 and a shotgun at the time and was glad I did because I had heard about the looting in New Orleans over the radio. It turned out to not be for refugees but as an operational base for New Orleans rescue missions. There was an increase in crime in my city because many gang members fled before the storm and stayed in the area. Every hotel room was booked in my city and even others farther away were booked up as well. I talked to someone at a local drugstore that said he was driving to Shreveport(all the way in north Louisiana) because every hotel was booked already. I know I mentioned it already but the book The Great New Orleans Gun Grab is a good insight into how law enforcement and government can act after a disaster. Scary stuff.

Top two or three pieces of advice you'd like to share with someone that would go through the same thing you did soon?

Some advice I would give would be to have supplies(food, water, guns, etc.) because you can't get it easily or at all after the storm. Also, having the proper mindset will help you overcome what crosses your path.(A friend of mine, who is addicted to the internet, thought the world was over because she couldn't access her facebook. I don't think she could have made it if things really got bad. We only lost power for a week or so, not like the people on the coast and New Orleans who lost everything.) One thing I did forget to mention was that even though we had cell phones they didn't work at times either because of power loss to the cell towers or an overload of the system by everyone calling at once. I did have a land line(not cordless) at home that allowed me to make calls because it drew its power from the phone line.

Matt

Thanks a lot for your email!

FerFAL

Another Reply: Home Invasion in USA‏

Hola Ferfal,

Thank you so very much for your blog and book. It has helped me tremendously.

According to my husband, I became an "obsessive compulsive and amateur expert"
on the Petit case. He was right about this. I would mention this case everytime
that I found out some new detail about it, often during dinnertime. What can I
say, other than that I will use any tactic to prepare my family for what is
slowly but surely going to happen. I was trying to use all of the horrific
details in order to attempt to convince him that at the very least we should
prepare to make our home safer. Since we live in a very "good neighborhood," he
hasn't been much interested in securing our home.

Please don't think that I am in any way placing any blame on the Petit family.
I am not. They are the tragic victims without blame and the convicted criminals
bear all the responsibility and blame for their acts. Personally I believe that
their execution should be swift and not some twenty years from now after they
have exhausted a tremendous amount of appeals at taxpayer expense. And their
executions, as far as I am concerned, should be death by being burned alive in
gasoline.


Regarding the Petit case, you are absolutely right on all your points. Although
this a horrific tragedy for the entire family, there are somethings that we can
all learn from this case. First, the two alleged criminals entered through the
unlocked door of the attached garage. (Make sure that all your doors and windows
are locked every day and night.) They came across a refrigerator that had,
among other things, lots of beer. They sat down and drank about 6 cans of beer
while waiting a few hours so that the entire family would be in their deep
sleep. I'm amazed that they didn't fall asleep themselves in the garage. There
are police crime scene pictures of the beer cans and DNA evidence that they had
the beers. Second, from the garage entry into the house was as simple as
opening another door. Third, the criminals bought fake plastic guns, although
they were realistic enough to fool the victims into thinking that they were
real. Apparently, they had no idea of what realistic fake guns look like. I
believe that most people that have been around guns can tell the difference
between the real and fake ones. Even if people choose to not own guns, and that
is their right to do, they should at least know what the fake ones look like.(
Check out places that sell these realistic guns, Walmart, Dunham's, Dollar
Stores, etc. You'll be surprised at the variety.) The victims didn't have
anything to defend themselves with, such as bats, golf clubs, metal flashlights,
etc at their disposal. (Alot of us have many things lying around in our homes
that can be put in strategic and discrete locations in each of our rooms. Not
every room has to have a hidden Glock with several magazines.) I can only
imagine that when one is awaken in the middle of the night by armed intruders,
the horror and stress level must be unimaginable, however, the family had no
alternative plans of what to do in case of a home invasion. (Even if only one
member escapes immediately after the invasion, they can get help faster.)
Unfortunately it does not appear that they had any back-up systems in place.
(Simple alarms can be installed by homeowners that will trigger a loud sound
outside your home, so that your neighbors can call the cops on you. Even having
your car keys next to you when you go to sleep can help because you can trigger
the car alarm. Alot of people do not park all of their cars in their large
garages.) Mrs Petit was followed home. (Always make sure that you look back
once for every two blocks that you travel. I find that doing this breaks up the
monotony of driving and I can keep an eye on my kids when they think that I'm
simply paranoid about other drivers. Since I am not used to doing this, I have a
small index car on the front passenger seat that says "Look back!" I hope that
someday I can remember to do this automatically without any reminders, just like
a use my seatbelt all the time. I am also driving around using different
roads. This has really helped me to get to know my surrounding neighborhoods.
My children call this "paranoid gas guzzling driving." And always when leaving
any business, I stop, turn around and look to see who is behind me. I also do
the same thing in the parking lot. It it happens that someone is leaving at the
same time that I am, I make sure thay they are not following me.) All of this
is a bit too much of paranoia for my family, however, I continue practicing this
because it want it to be second nature when things get bad and I need to behave
with intelligent and practical paranoia.

If you are ever visiting the Midwest, please email me.It would be great to
meet you in person.

Unfortunately, I am the only prepper in the family. My husband doesn't object
to me prepping, nor does he help me. Sometimes we have arguments because of all
the "stuff" that I have bought. However, I explain to him my reasoning behind
the purchases and no matter how heated the arguments get, I do not back down on
the purchases and goals of prepping. I can only thank God that neither of us
believes in divorce. Unfortunately I am the only member of my family at the gun
range. I practice with a S&W 357 magnum revolver (own), Glocks 17, 19, 34
(rentals) I have a small hand and haven't decided which one is best for me, a
Remington 870 20 gauge pump shotgun (own) and a S&W M&P 15 rifle (rental).
Hopefully, I'll be able to purchase the Glock and S&W M&P 15 with a good scope,
magazines and ammo soon. I have a concealed carry permit from my state. I have
also conditioned myself to stay up until dawn, on some evenings. This is in
case we find ourselves in the situation where it might be necessary. I know
that one family cannot possibly keep a 24 hour surveillance. However, I do
believe that you do what you can. I am also working on a substantial food
storage, have water barrels and filters. My goal is to continue prepping until
there is some kind of a trigger that starts bringing things down. Right now, I
am preparing to purchase some window bars for my home. Needless to say my family
does not approve, however, I remind them that I am the interior and exterior
decorator of our home. From what I have seen on the internet, there are two
types of bars, outside and indoor bars. I would prefer outside bars but no one
in my neighborhood has bars and I'm concerned that they would attract unwanted
attention. Because of this, I am leaning towards buying the indoor window bars.
(Look up goodbarsecurity.com) If you know anything about them, please let me
know. I value your opinion highly. I am not prepared in the area of
prescription medicines. Do you know of any doctors in America who would
prescribe antibiotics, to store, in case they are needed during a collapse or
pandemic? "Will travel for antibiotics." I'm not looking for any pain meds,
only antibiotics.


Once again, thanks for all that you have done for so many of us. I have no
doubt that when you come to America, you will eventually find many of us that
are very grateful for all your advice. I believe that you and your family
already have many friends here.

M in the Midwest

Hi M. Thanks for your email. Experience is the best way to learn, and if its other people´s experience then in my opinion it means we can at least learn from it and avoid it from happening to us, at least improve our odds a bit. Nothing good comes from these horrific events, all smart people can do is learn what they can from them and after taking some action, then yes, hope it never happens to us. Just preferring to look the other way because these events are too painful wont reduce our chances of being next.
You should do what you can to get the family on board, don´t stop trying. A family is a team, and a team is only as strong as its weakest link (group member). Keep trying and you'll eventually see results.
The topic of home security is important and I'll keep posting about it so that people can prepare better and get more ideas.
Search this blog for "antibiotics". Other than a friend doctor or a visit to Mexico, at least until you find a better solution you might want to check out Veterinarian Amoxicilin (for fish) th short story is that its amoxicilin (as well as other anitbiotics) but its legally sold on line if its for veterinarian use. Fish Mox Forte (Amoxicillin) - 500mg 100 Capsules The comments over at Amazon are pretty informative.
Add me to your tweeter and facebook. Its the best way to know if I'm ever near by next time I visit USA and a meeting/dinner/lunch is organized.
Take care!

FerFAL