Must Have Tools For A Survivalist On The Move

You are a braver man than I. Honestly, I foresee the urban enclaves becoming something between large fema camps and "Escape From New York". IMO, a good night could be something like a scene from the 1979 movie "The Warriors". Of course, rural life could end up being something like "The Road", so there is that. I just like my E&E chances better in a rural environment.

 

Re: "survive in a rural environment..an urban environment" ; "urban skills..rural skills"
Ref: Think of the WWII eastern European population displacements and the urbanites successfully living/thriving in the forests.

There are common denominators to both above skill-sets. To refine this, add the topographic and climate/weather features. For example, Minneapolis-St Paul and Miami-Dade are both large metro areas (Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas). The clothing research is really functional and not an urban-rural matter. Ditto for loadout tools. A multitool cannot easily be unfolded with gloved hands. The sheath knife does wonders to rectify this situation.

There's a principle in disaster planning: Evacuate to safety and NOT away from danger. The rationale is that the situation and the immediate environment is dynamic - and the changes could be rapid.

I live on the west side of the Chesapeake Bay - believe the world's largest estuary. Since the Atlantic seaboard is in "Hurricane Alley", the common view is the the area's residents plan for westward evacuations. ("Go west, young man, go west." Horace Greeley stayed in New York City and became a millionaire.). YET, there are other emergencies mushrooming into disasters besides hurricanes - and hurricane season is only the June to November months. More dangerous than a hurricane is an epidemic. It MIGHT require an eastward evacuation next to the water's edge. Many variables are involved for planning.

Forgot where I read it here at MSF.com but one of my tools in my truck loadout is a bolt cutter with ability to cut some of the chain link fence gauge mesh. On the Chesapeake shore is loads of junk to include overgrown cables with attached floats used to deplete the Bay of seafood (Ingred Newkirk of PETA, Norfolk, Virginia, where are you in this time of need?!). Walking at the tidal plain section is not a pleasant hike. A foot note placed here: My walking stick for this amphib topographic environment is a professional fire fighter's 10 ft fiberglass pike pole to push/pull stuff out of pathway I'm creating. (There are telescoping pike poles to 30 ft but heavy and user must be strong.)

Moral of story is that proper prep requires - DEMANDS - basic comfort in operating in non-routine environments. The common-denominators, eg appropriate clothing, appropriate tools, cannot be neglected.

There are exceptions that need not be deemed requirements. Most cannot prep for areas north of 60 degrees north lat, the chilly areas nor the winds of the Green Mountains of New Hampshire. Jamaica Bay, next to JFK Airport, NYC has a resemblance to the Chesapeake Bay and one is next to a major world city with their population and one is next to resort and military areas with their unique population segments.

No one knows the future less fools and sages.

Prepare for realistic, worst-case scenarios.

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TMT; I've got an extra 5 lb can of coffee for you. I have a larger stockpile of coffee - and espresso - than I have of red Dura Cell batteries.

End of Transmission

 

Your post made me think of something that most people have little experience with. In a rural area, a great tool to have on hand is a pair of fencing pliers. They are for making, building and repairing barbed wire fences. The spike is for pulling U shaped fencing nails with a hammer face on the back side for driving them. The notches on the sides are for cutting two strands of wire that are used to make barbed wire and the oddly shaped jaws are for twisting the wires together for splices and tightening the wire. If you are going to be going through much of this wire these allow you passage and will allow you to quickly repair the damage of your passage. I have spent a lot of hours doing this with these pliers on family farms to keep the critters out and around the pastures to keep critters in.

 

Have you considered lock picks? I am teaching myself to pick locks both with professional tools and with bobby pins and paper clips. I find picking with paper clips very slow and tedious though, for some locks, bobby pins work almost as well as the picks. I have modified an allen wrench to be a tension tool and store it and 2 bobby pins in my edc altoids tin.
I like your idea of disassembling chain link for building materials. I have a set of large bolt cutters, I will look into getting a smaller set for cutting chain link and barbed wire. Any recommendations?

 

If it will cut barbed wire, will it also cut chain link?

 

Yes, indeed, Tex Dan N. The fencing pliers are valuable.

My pliers and other premier tools, have handles wrapped with orange 550 cord because dropped frequently, especially when under stress and/or adverse weather.

A holster of some sort recommended.

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Semi-fond memories; an Allen wrench also used to change firing pin of 81 mm mortar tube.

 

https://chainlinkinfo.org/

SOL, Recommend study above link.

...

Roger Rabbit's wife can defeat most, but not all, of these fencing designs.

 

I get that. There are lots of useful buildings around me currently. When I get offgrid, that may change for me too. In that case, I might drop the lock pick kit and just leave it home. I will still keep the handcuff key and the bobby pins/tension wrench. They take up almost no room or weight.

 

I have put up a LOT of 6-ft tall (1.83 meters) chain link fencing over the years and would like to point out that there is another way to get through this type of fencing besides cutting it.

Using ordinary pliers, such as the kind built into a leatherman type tool, you can simply twist out a single "strand" of wire and the entire fence will come apart.

Here's how: Untwist one of the Y-shapes at the top of the fence then unbend the bottom part of the SAME strand. Tip: follow that particular wire down to the bottom of the fence with your finger to keep track of the exact wire you will be removing. Unbend the bottom folded part of the strand. Then you can simply turn the loosened wire over and over until it unwinds.

Here is a visual. Note: this fence was taken apart laying flat on the ground, but I have done it while the fence was standing upright, with no problem.


(For the purpose of this thread, disregard the video title. This is also how to take apart a chainlink fence.)

 

It will cut chain link but for that, I have a big pair of lineman pliers. We have a thread here about how many hammers there are...I think that I have more pliers than I do hammers. The fencing pliers though are a multitool made specifically for working with barbed wire.

 

Grizzleyette,

Good info;

I plan / prep for realistic worst-case scenarios. Factor in weather rapidly changing. Add my fatiguing protoplasm, arthritic condition and daylight is leaving scene. ... and dilapidated and weathered fence on the only decent route to get across creek to safety.

 

Thanks for this post, I have never seen a gimlet tool (or even heard of one before), looks downright handy. I’ll be looking into them

 

The one thing that I am never without is some form of a walking stick. Over the years I have made several but then got a shepherds hook staff. It is a good weapon, the crook is helpful to get up brushy inclines and good help for dealing with snakes and aggressive critters. You can even use it to hook a limb to climb a tree. I shaped the bottom end to match the handle on a cold steel bushman's knife but normally have a rubber cover on it.

 

Now that looks interesting.

 

Thanks for the reminder, I almost always have a walking stick of some sort. I keep one in each vehicle. My favorite is a six foot piece of two inch hardwood. I have inset a small compass in the handle.it has a paracord strap and has about 50 feet of paracord wrapped around it, with a small multi tool attached.

I have seen some ads for sectional aluminum sticks that hold a variety of attachmenus that look interesting. I haven’t seen one in real life so I don’t know how useful they might be or how well made they are

 

Interesting. Never saw one of those. One of the advantages to aforum like this is you get introduced to things you might otherwise never see

 

The aluminum ones I have seen are over priced gimmicks imo. ymmv

 

Ymmv? Translate please

The ones I have seen advertised have been expensive for sure. It is a concept that intrigues me. One thing I like about the idea is that the section# would be hollow allowing on to be used as a drinking cup. Then again that might just be more novelty than practical.

My stick is almost like a quarter staff but has practical limitations as to what I can carry on it. I have been thinking on how to carry/attach a spear type point for it.

 

Tex Dan,

Super ! A walking stick is a "must have" for some. Not sure of shepherd's hook staff (Little Bo Peep configuration?). I carry a 10 ft fire fighter's pole (push-pull attachment).

Innkeeper,

Recommend factoring in evacuations with pole.

If you must vacate the premises and there's lightning, the metal isn't the best choice for a walking / multi-functional stick.

 

True

 

Got it ... a little slow on the acronyms some days. Learned many years ago ... when you dont know ask. Of course I had to learn that the hard way