Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

The weather changes pretty quickly around here. More than once Ive left home in the morning to fifty degrees and sunny weather and come home at night in about 8″ of snow and high winds. Since I usually have my Tactical Tailor pack with me when Im running around, heres what I carry to make things a bit easier:

Case is a Blackhawk Accessory Pouch. Weighs about 6 oz, has two zipper pulls, two compression straps and loops at either end for attachments. Not a bad product but I try not to by Made-In-Vietnam Blackhawk gear if I can help it. The compression straps, in addition to helping keep the overall footprint fairly small, also act as attachment points for looping through ALICE or PALS webbing.

Contents:

• 1 pair wool trigger mitt inserts
• 1 pair trigger mitt shells
• 1 military wool scarf
• 1 Brigade Quartermaster polypro neck gaiter
• 1 Thinsulate superthick watch cap

Trigger mitt inserts – If Im riding my bike and it isnt too cold I'll wear these by themselves to keep my hands warm. They are dirt cheap when purchased in bulk as surplus and Ive about a dozen pair in storage.
Trigger mitt shells – By themselves are pretty warm and great for cutting the bite from the wind. Coupled with the liner they are quite warm and do an excellent job of keeping me from losing fingers.
Military wool scarf – I dont use this very often since its function is easily equalled by the neck gaiter, but if Im using the neck gaiter as a hat or a face mask then the scarf comes in handy to cover my neck. Wound loosely in wraps around the neck and face it provides lotsa warmth. It can also be worn over the head under a hat to give the Lawrence of Arabia look.
BG neck gaiter – one of the best purchases you can make. I bought my first one almost twenty years ago and still use it today. It can be worn as a neck gaiter, hat, earband, facemask and several other ways. It can be stuffed into a small package and carried anywhere (I usually just fold it through my belt so it hangs like a towel on a towel bar..keeps it secure, out of the way, and handy.) I think theyre around $10 and definitely worth it. I just recently bought a spare.
Watch Cap – I posted about this earlier. Found this at WalMart for $4…its made from several layers of material instead of just one and is far superior to the military watch cap. So good, and so cheap, that I went back and bought four more for storage and spares. Best of all they come in the subdued colors I like so much and are made in the USA.

This isnt a winter survival kit, mind you. Its just a 'module' that I add or remove to my pack seasonally to help out in case the weather suddenly gets cold/snowy. The nice thing is that everything is in one place and when May rolls around I can pull the pack out of my bag and stuff it in a closet until September when it goes back into my pack.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Hit the Bozeman gun show. And what did John Trochman have sitting on his table but a big box o' parachute flares. Better ones than last time too…..40 second illumination. Yum. Gonna take one out for a test at some point. Price? $5/ea. Worth it for the sheer fun of it. Bought a dozen.

Hit the Bozeman gun show. And what did John Trochman have sitting on his table but a big box o’ parachute flares. Better ones than last time too…..40 second illumination. Yum. Gonna take one out for a test at some point. Price? $5/ea. Worth it for the sheer fun of it. Bought a dozen.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

This is really quite unacceptable. I've been neglecting my life as Commander Zero lately..in fact, I dont think ive been down in the bunker in a couple weeks. Complacency is the biggest enemy to the prepared (or, rather, to the trying-to-be-prepared). And, as Ive said before, its just too easy to get complacent…its 70 degrees outside, sunny, my belly is full, I've got my pistol on my hip, a few dollars in my pocket, etc, etc,….why worry?

And thats the attitude thats going to put me on line with the sheep when Something Bad happens.
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Picked up seeds yesterday so its time to start getting those bad boys growing. Im looking forward to this years growing season and its produce. Salads are great when you just go in your yard and start munching.
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I've been hearing good things about the surplus Mosin Nagant rifles lately. The ammo is incredibly cheap and the rifles, powerful rifles I might add, are less than $100 ea. Might not be bad to tuck a few away in a corner somewhere and forget about them. They tart up nicely and theyre ballistics are quite good (right around .308 or .30-40 Krag…easily superior to 7.62×39.)
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Still need to work on emergency lighting for my basement and bunker. I did pick up a few tritium marker lights…a very nifty little product. I mounted one over the doorway to the bunker so that even if theres no light I can tell where the entranceway is. What aI really want is a small string of LED lights run off of a battery that is constantly charged off a solar panel on the roof. As ive said before, my big concern is that the battery be a sealed type since I dont want an potentially dangerous gases vented into the basement where the battery would be. On the bright side, it doesnt take a heck of a lot of power to run a string of LED lights so the battery and its capacity doesnt have to be too big.
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Other projects for this year:
More canned goods
Alternate lighting (as discussed above)
More gold/silver
More guns-as-trade-stock
More ammo
Antanae for radio
More books…especially military TM/FM series
Exercise more
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One nagging thought Ive had, as of late…..I worry about someone calling the various gov't agencies and saying Im a cult leader with machine guns or some other nonsense. The goons kick in the door, torch the gun safe, grab all the books on my shelves (anti-government literature, Im sure theyll call it) and pat themselves on the back for a job well done. And I cant tell you how infuriating that would be for me. So…the solution? Easy…dont have all the eggs in one basket. Which I really, really need to work on.

This is really quite unacceptable. I’ve been neglecting my life as Commander Zero lately..in fact, I dont think ive been down in the bunker in a couple weeks. Complacency is the biggest enemy to the prepared (or, rather, to the trying-to-be-prepared). And, as Ive said before, its just too easy to get complacent…its 70 degrees outside, sunny, my belly is full, I’ve got my pistol on my hip, a few dollars in my pocket, etc, etc,….why worry?

And thats the attitude thats going to put me on line with the sheep when Something Bad happens.
=====
Picked up seeds yesterday so its time to start getting those bad boys growing. Im looking forward to this years growing season and its produce. Salads are great when you just go in your yard and start munching.
=====
I’ve been hearing good things about the surplus Mosin Nagant rifles lately. The ammo is incredibly cheap and the rifles, powerful rifles I might add, are less than $100 ea. Might not be bad to tuck a few away in a corner somewhere and forget about them. They tart up nicely and theyre ballistics are quite good (right around .308 or .30-40 Krag…easily superior to 7.62×39.)
=====
Still need to work on emergency lighting for my basement and bunker. I did pick up a few tritium marker lights…a very nifty little product. I mounted one over the doorway to the bunker so that even if theres no light I can tell where the entranceway is. What aI really want is a small string of LED lights run off of a battery that is constantly charged off a solar panel on the roof. As ive said before, my big concern is that the battery be a sealed type since I dont want an potentially dangerous gases vented into the basement where the battery would be. On the bright side, it doesnt take a heck of a lot of power to run a string of LED lights so the battery and its capacity doesnt have to be too big.
=====
Other projects for this year:
More canned goods
Alternate lighting (as discussed above)
More gold/silver
More guns-as-trade-stock
More ammo
Antanae for radio
More books…especially military TM/FM series
Exercise more
=====
One nagging thought Ive had, as of late…..I worry about someone calling the various gov’t agencies and saying Im a cult leader with machine guns or some other nonsense. The goons kick in the door, torch the gun safe, grab all the books on my shelves (anti-government literature, Im sure theyll call it) and pat themselves on the back for a job well done. And I cant tell you how infuriating that would be for me. So…the solution? Easy…dont have all the eggs in one basket. Which I really, really need to work on.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

When the going gets tough…..

The Glock-manufactured G18 mags have arrived. If you didnt know, the Glock 18 is the full auto version of the Glock 17 (shown in photo). Since the Glock 18 is a machine pistol it needs a fairly healthy magazine…hence the 31-rd magazines. I've been wanting some for myself for a while now….yeah they look John Wayne, yeah you cant conceal them when in the gun. So why have them? Couple of reasons:

a) for a nightstand gun that you  dont want to have to hassle with spare mags
b) for when in a vehicle and you need maximum firepower from your pistol and cant reload due to space, or the fact that youre trying to drive with your other hand
c) Ive been wanting a KelTec 9mm carbine and I refuse to limit myself to a 17 round magazine for a carbine
d) if the ban ever comes back, these things will be like a license to print money

The mag pouch is a Blackhawj MP5 mag pouch. Fits fine.

I bought a Scherer brand mag to use but was disappointed in its reliability. Lessen learned: stick with OEM. I'll be taking these things to the range in a few days to function test. (Which is gonna suck down alot of ammo.)

And, for the big Omega Man moment, a Glock in each hand with a 31-rd mag. Should be entertaining.

When the going gets tough…..

the tough throw up a wall of lead

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Well, since someone asked about first aid kits….

This is the first aid kit I normally carry around day-to-day in my Tactical Tailor bag. Its housed in an Outdoor Research organizer, size M. I happened across the organizer at a camping supply store and thought it would be a good choice and Ive been pleased. Lotsa pockets and it folds out nicely for access. Dimensions? Approximately 7×12×2.

It has a wraparound zipper, a couple loops of nylon at either end and some belt slots. No ALICE/PAL webbing but thats easily fixed with a needle and thread. Open it up and:

The actual contents? Geez, where to start….

Bandage tape, 2×2 pads, 4×4 pads, combat dressing, compress bandages, 2″ rolled gauze, 3″ rolled gauze, antibiotic cream, saline eye wash (also used for flushing out wounds), assorted band aids, larger dressing, alcohol wipes, bactine wipes, aspirin, ibuprofin, butterfly bandages, acetominophin, vaseline gauze, burn gel, non-latex gloves, etc, etc, etc. Heres the image of everything:

Theres a few other things that arent in the picture like tweezers, EMT shears, etc, etc. but it all fits in the zippered pouch. I originally went with a hard plastic container but it wouldnt 'stuff' into tight spaces and it made noise with things rattling around. Im much more pleased with the current setup.

The contents handle the usual everyday injuries of cuts, scrapes, burns and whatnot…but, really, that sort of Mickey Mouse crap is so niggling theres no real need for a first aid kit. No, I wanted something with a little more zip for when I go flying off my bike and into a pile of broken pallets or something. So I went a little heavy on the tape and 4×4s. I can always butterfly bandage my way out of the larger cuts until I can find someone to stitch me up. The kit I keep at my shop is about twice the size and much more intense. Best one is the one I keep at the house…its got everything above and more….ice packs, sterile water, hydrogen peroxide, betadine, etc, etc. But that kit is pretty big and usually stays at home although I sometimes toss it in the truck for long roadtrips.

The kit illustrated above handles most of the things I usually run into. And theres always more stuff to add………….

Well, since someone asked about first aid kits….

huge honkin’ photos…youve been warned.