Quote:
Originally Posted by TF Kilo
Here's my scenario:
Survive in a semi-permissive Alaskan Environment. You will encounter the elements, you may encounter hostile life both two and 4 legged, the 4 legged being better eating anyway. You will be moving as a 2 person team, but should be redundant with regards to the majority of your gear.
My current templated solution to this problem is a 3 layer system.
Vest, either molle or some variant thereof that can fit over armor if necessitated
Assault pack, to augment what the vest can't carry due to size/weight
Vehicle, quickly loaded with duffles/pelicans/containers for ease of loading and expediency.
My intent is to keep the vest to 15 lbs or so if possible, no more than 20. The assault pack/backpack can go further, 55 lbs max preferably to keep some ease of mobility (although intestinal fortitude goes a long way I'm not in the stellar shape I once was, and the wife has to carry the same basic load)
The vest is intended to be able to stand alone by itself for up to 3 days given an abundance of water (tons of good rivers, lakes, etc to resupply from up here) available. Movement with it on should theoretically be limited to 5 km from wherever we set up shop at if we have to use 'the evac plan', the movement will be for gathering supplies for shelter and augmenting our available food with game we take.
My current vest loadout that I've thought up through reading up in various locations, primarily here:
Hk Pistol in holster on right side
In pouches on front of vest
winter nomex gloves
sharpening stone
compass
100$ in 10's
alcohol pens
leatherman
LED flashlight w/ spare batteries
strobe w/ spare batteries
chemlites
GPS w/ spare batteries
Yaesu VS-7 Ham radio (tiny little unit) with rechargable battery and AA battery pack w/ spare AA's
Notepad
Map of templated area of operation
2x Kerlex
4x Emergency Trauma Dressing (isralie)
Betadyne in a unbreakable bottle
NPA x2
Fishing line, monofiliment and salmon line
Hooks for most common types of fish
Lighter
Magnesium bar
Emergency Matches
Cotton balls + Vaseline in film case
Tin Foil
Trioxane bars
Iodine Tablets
6 AR mags
4 HK mags
sewing kit
Sheath knife
back of vest
2 qt w/ cover, empty, 2 bottles of water in pouch with 2 qt for immediate water
Buttpack w/
poncho and liner
6x mainstay ration bars
inside vest or woven into vest
survival blanket
vs17 panel
550 cord
100mph tape
electrical tape
flexcuffs
To explain some of the kit...
Ammunition falls into survival by simple reasoning of Hunting/Gathering plus personal protection. I can drop 3 of the mags and leave an empty pouch for taking the mags out of a pack if it boils down to weight.
The Radio is wideband recieve capable, TV, AM/FM, CB, Shortwave. It'll transmit on most frequencies, HAM bands (144/220/440) best however. Most Ham repeaters and hams period strive to make their commo gear standalone and work off the grid, all the repeaters in the area are grid tied in but have battery/solar backups and some are straight off-the-grid and have been for some time. Either way it's S/A and can be augmented as necessary by charging off the vehicle (our vehicle is getting double 12v charging panels for the roof to ensure milimal electrical power)
Obviously the navigation gear is a good survival thing to have, and I have the means and time to select an area I know I can get to and be able to be far enough away that we'll be by ourselves but not be too far if things are not that bad after all.
First aid gear is minimal, we have a larger box for the vehicle that carries a good medbag's worth of gear.
The mainstay rations aren't something you'd want to live on for an extended period but they are good enough for 3 days, small, light, and no cooking required. 1200 calories per.
Flexcuffs, 550, tape, all good for tying together stuff for a shelter or repairs to various things that are necessitated.
Strobe, chemlites, vs17, flashlight... signaling, maneuvering, marking and also use as part of a shelter if it's an emergency but it's not a hide from people type emergency. Definately easier to find a hooch in the woods if it has a VS17 panel as part of the roof, it'll get a SAR bird to take a closer look at least.
Firestarting.. I have a bunch of stuff in here for it specifically since the vest itself wouldn't exactly be enough to survive in 0 degree weather. The poncho and liner would augment already-worn clothing though. I might look into one of the thinsulate warmer poncho liners, or see if 2 could be crammed into the pouch.
I would appreciate a critique of what I currently have templated for contents of the vests, I'll figure out then post up the packs and vehicular gear as I decide what's best for what I have to work with in this area.
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It looks to me like you are trying to operate tactically and below the radar till you want to be picked up, then go active and be rescued (or at least have that capability).
What do you estimate the odds to be of you implementing this plan?
What will the lead time for implementation of this be? Do you forsee needing to move out in an hour or less, or do you anticipate having a few days?
What are you looking to buy or add that you do not have on hand and in stock right now?
Your analysis seems to be light on planning and logic, but maybe you have done due diligence without articulating it to my understanding. It does look, at least to my initial opinion, like a gear collection rather than an integrated list supporting a plan.
I have never been to Wasila, but I would imagine that once you leave the city limits, you are not likely to encounter anyone else on your 100-200 mile trek to your retreat destination. OTOH, I would imagine the odds of an encounter with large game or predators to be significantly higher. For that reason, since there are two people packing the gear and hardware, I would consider dropping one of the M-4s for either a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs, a heavy lever action rifle like a .45-70, or a heavy bolt action rifle (.308 or larger). If you are attacked by anyone, they are most likely to be in pistol range, the second M-4 seems to me to be overkill, unless you are being pursued by a platoon or a zombie army.
Vehicle mobility is going to be key, I would focus on making sure that I had plenty of fuel and self-extraction capability at all times. The goal is to get to the retreat, not to dig in and play Alamo with the living dead while en route. You should be able to avoid most situations before you get into them. Remember that you never have to run from a fight if you start walking away soon enough. You need to arrive at your ENDEX time line with sufficient fuel and vehicle mobility to drive back to civilization as well, unless you plan on rucking home.
Secondary to vehicle mobility is foot mobility. I would say that in your location, cross-country skis or snowshoes may be a necessity. You will need to be sure that you have good boots available at all times as well and maintain yourselves in top physical condition.
Next is going to be shelter. Hopefully, there is some sort of stocked cabin or facility at your destination, For the movement phase, if your vehicle becomes immobilized, and you have to hoof it, you are going to be spending some nights out in the boonies in what could be a pretty inhospitable area, depending on METT-TC. That will require a tent and some good bags, not a space blanket or woobie.
Fire is normally included in shelter, but if you are worried about pursuers, you may not want to be lighting up any large blazes. You seem to have covered several alternative firemaking methods, that is good. Hope there is ample combustible fuel when you need it. I would feel better with a good multi-fuel cooking stove.
If you are planning on building field expedient shelters or harvesting large game, a small axe would be pretty close to a necessity, and a folding saw would be handy as well.
You are looking at several days of hard rucking, possibly on skis or snowshoes to move 100-200 miles on foot, possibly as much as 2 weeks, even if the weather is clear throughout the period for daylight movement. 3600 calories each is not going to be enough, especially if you are hoofing it. You should develop a feeding plan with a couple of weeks of freeze dried rations and cooking gear. That way, if you can supplement your rations with wild game, you can at least prepare it in some manner other than roasting everything. Baked fish, for the 10th day, is probably going to get old.
There are a number of other equipment issues, but I would say that you are prepared, if you are going to move during the few months when the weather is warm and conditions are optimal. In general, I think you are thinking too much like a soldier and not enough like a camper or Boy Scout. As I am sure you are aware, the weather and terrain can kill you as thoroughly as an enemy with a weapon.
Hope that addresses some of your questions, best of luck.
TR