Author Topic: WHAT'S YOUR WORST CASE GO TO GEAR? (Read 5778 times)

SharonAnne · « **Reply #30 on:** May 19, 2008, 08:45:06 AM »

look online for the "Woodmans Pal". it is a most useful tool for cutting wood.

Celox hemostat blood coagulant belongs in any hunting/emergency/bug out kit. It is used to stop massive bleeding. It could keep you alive until you can find help. It is NOT just for GSW. Think about the damage a sharp axe can do to your foot or calf.

SharonAnne · « **Reply #31 on:** May 19, 2008, 08:51:47 AM »

Edelweiss asked about what you would take with "limited time" to gather gear. How limited? 5 minutes? 1 hour? 12 hours? Each would have its' own parameters. With only 5 minutes you had best have a "Bug-out-bag" for your back and one for your vehicle. With 1 hour you might hook up a utility trailer of gear. With 12 hours you should be able to pack everything you NEED and leave in an orderly manner.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #32 on:** May 19, 2008, 10:14:47 AM »

I saw one TV clip where a train wrecked and people were given 10 min to leave the area .

gstewart44 · « **Reply #33 on:** May 20, 2008, 07:54:05 AM »

Concerning the Woodsmans Pal, I bought one because of all the positive reports I had been reading and it has been a total letdown for me. The metal while thick would not take an edge like my other tools. I don't know if I got a bad one or what but I can get a much finer edge on my Estwing camp ax or HI kukhri....these are both excellent choppers and double as very good weapons.

SharonAnne · « **Reply #34 on:** May 20, 2008, 09:21:11 AM »

44, you must have received a bad one. My father in laws 45 year old and my 15 year old Woodmans Pals take and hold a great edge. I can brush out 3 deer stands and still have a good edge. I would return yours for replacement. I have nothing but good to say about mine.

gstewart44 · « **Reply #35 on:** May 20, 2008, 09:24:43 AM »

Thanks for the input SharonAnne. I will do that. After all right now it is just a wall hanger. Hopefully the next one will serve me as well as yours has.

SharonAnne · « **Reply #36 on:** May 20, 2008, 11:18:57 AM »

44, I hope it does. In our deer camp, to be given a Woodmans Pal was a sign of respect. A few years back they were hard to come by. I hope increased production has not degraded quality. also, too many $$ to just hang on the wall.

SharonAnne · « **Reply #37 on:** May 22, 2008, 07:57:07 PM »

immediate to 10 minute bug-out. back pack with basic camping load. defensive firearms.

what would you put in a compact car, mini van, 3/4 ton pickup?

SharonAnne · « **Reply #38 on:** May 22, 2008, 07:59:58 PM »

re: skills to trade. RN with 14 yrs experience on tele/critical care units.

bilmac · « **Reply #39 on:** July 04, 2008, 04:52:18 PM »

Some things I've seen that have been missed so far. Several mentioned cash, but if you think of a longer term crisis I think a person would be better served with gold or silver coins. Silver will be more spendable, it comes in smaller denominations, but it is hard to carry much value before it gets heavy. A mix is probably best. A currency probably almost as good, 22 bullets.

I think if I am forced down to one gun, the last I will give up will be my 10-22. You can carry a lot of bullets, and a good hunter can take up to deer. Remember getting close and shooting straight. Actually I think heading for the woods and living on deer is probably a pipe dream for most folks. The woods will be full of unfriendly people and deer will soon be scarce. I think dog and cat may be more likely fare.

For stocking up and staying home I see people mention canned food etc. but how many meals will that actually feed you? A lot of folks bought MRE's to prepare for Y2K but it would bankrupt most of us to lay up a realistic supply. Then you have to store it, and it has a shelf life. How about a hundred pounds of beans instead. Rice, corn and wheat, with a hand grinder, salt. You can afford this stuff in quanity and it will keep forever. Where are you going to get water for the long term? Lack of water is what will force me out of my home on the long run, and then I'll be glad I have a light but capable 10-22.

C. Davis · « **Reply #40 on:** July 06, 2008, 09:11:22 AM »

The closest I have come to "worst case scenario" was hurricane Rita. We had just witnessed Katrina, and we expected the worst.

We live outside the city limits of a small town, and we evacuated for the storm, but came home 3 days later. We had no electricity for 3 solid weeks. We came home from Arkansas with generators 155 gallons of gas, and 2 window air conditioners. Before the storm hit, I bought a block of .22lr shells, and 10 boxes of #3 buckshot for my 20 gauge coach gun that rode home in the front seat between the wife and I while we brought our supplies back home from Arkansas. We came home after the storm to 3 solid Texas counties of total darkness. The miles and miles of darkness was a sobering experience, and I was one of the few vehicles on the road. I felt like a perfect target with my truck and trailer full of supplies. The highway patrol would not let us through a road block until I showed them I had the fuel and supplies to sustain ourselves. He looked in the truck and saw the double barrel in the front seat and just said "be careful."

At night, you could hear the sound of generators as far as the ear could hear, and we ran ours for 3 solid weeks. The nights were very dark and I was expecting anything. I did not fire one shot, and I never heard a single shot. At that time and in this part of the country, the life of a thief would have been a short one. I think the riff-raff were wise to that. I heard of no problems.

When our electricity finally came back on, I had fuel for 3 more days. The most important tool was probably a good Stihl chainsaw.
My biggest mistake was not emptying the freezer before we evacuated to Arkansas.

C. Davis

slim rem 7 · « **Reply #41 on:** July 07, 2008, 02:13:52 PM »

this is an really helpful post.. it shows folks what they can do to try an be ready..
i have three types ammo 22,,30 30 and 30 06.. enough that used wisely could last
a very long time.. im betting from what the store clerks say ,,that theres a lot doing the same..ive tried in the past to put food up but one thing ive learned .. the young folk just won t eat the easiest to store dry goods wheat for bread etc..
so it kinda depends on how serious an emergency it is..if its serious enough to last until these spoiled folk are ready to eat bugs,, then that takes different prep than a katrina or what ever ..no disrespect to her victims ..ive alway thought of mayos trail of horror
imagine how rich one of the chinese families would have been if he had several bags of purina dog food hidden in his little wagon..of course another consideration would be that others would see you be apparently well fed while they are hungry .. so you make the decision ..do i share or shoot..as christian ive already made my decision ,,but its one each steward or individual would have to make..

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #42 on:** July 09, 2008, 08:20:54 AM »

slim, read your post and the brides maids in the Bible came to mind , some wasted and some conserved . in their day would shoot be the correct response ?

bilmac · « **Reply #43 on:** July 10, 2008, 04:45:41 AM »

Back to the woodsmans pal for a minute. Isn't this the short blabed machette looking thing with the handguard? I used one for about 1/2 a day once and it gave me bunches of blisters. My hands aren't soft.

For light stuff up to 1/4" woody and all grasses use a machette. In Nam we could cut down 6"or 8" bannanas with one swipe because they were grass family. Swung them all day with no blisters. For heaver woody stuff you need an ax. An excellent compromise ax is a cruisers ax. Light head and fairly short handle. Keep it really sharp. Such an ax probably would get broken before a guy could make a cabin out of good size logs, but for traveling through the country and making light shelters, it is the best.

SharonAnne · « **Reply #44 on:** July 12, 2008, 04:53:08 PM »

when using the Woodmans Pal I always wore gloves. As an RN my hands ARE soft so good leather gloves are a must. Mine were always whitetail leather. They are not destroyed when they get soaked. Dry them out and work them a bit and good as new.

Bil, what handle did yours have? They come with wood or leather washer handles. The wood handle without the handguard is much easier on the hands. I find the leather washer handles too skinny.

bilmac · « **Reply #45 on:** July 13, 2008, 05:14:09 AM »

This was a long time ago but I think it had a leather handle and as I remember it also had a handguard kind of like a cutlass.I see in ad pictures they don't have this anymore. The real problem is the short blade/handle. All the speed at the tip has to come from your arm. With an ax or machette the speed comes from your wrist. If you haven't tried one borrow a machette if your'e cutting grass, or a light ax if cutting heavier woody stuff. I bet you won't go back. You don't see folks cutting sugar cane with these things.

Chilachuck · « **Reply #46 on:** July 13, 2008, 08:20:17 AM »

SharonAnne: "immediate to 10 minute bug-out. back pack with basic camping load. defensive firearms.
what would you put in a compact car, mini van, 3/4 ton pickup?"

Mainly my butt. An immediate departure puts me ahead of those taking 5 minutes, and that means I'm probably going to be out of the area hours ahead of the 5 minute crowd.

Bilmac: "For heaver woody stuff you need an ax. An excellent compromise ax is a cruisers ax. Light head and fairly short handle."

Here in SE Alaska, my favorite has a Hudson Bay head and an extra long shaft made from a broken off double blade ax handle. That allows reaching in to the base of what's in the way.

bilmac · « **Reply #47 on:** July 14, 2008, 01:34:09 AM »

Thinking about it some more I wonder if a machette and a bowsaw wouldn't be a better combination. I use a cruisers ax and love it, but I wonder if the handle would last very long with the little narrow connection . I used a similar size ax but with a normal shaped head, and it was just as good as the cruiser, just a few ounces heavier.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #48 on:** July 14, 2008, 04:28:07 AM »

any tool that does a bunch of task is a comprise ! I have cut tobacco many times with a cheap tobacco knife never used a woodsman pal why pay for more than needed ? BUT if you have to carry something along with other STUFF a Multi tool starts looking good ! you just need to know it is a compromise and use it as such !

Chilachuck · « **Reply #49 on:** July 14, 2008, 04:42:42 AM »

Bilmac, a bowsaw and a hatchet for splitting is what I used to cut firewood while living in a tent or shack. I had chainsaws, but could not afford gas and did not want to make the extra noise.

Most of my hatchets either broke at the bottom of the head or the head broke from being cheap castings. (Week end hatchets for kids who can be expected to lose the hatchet in short order, IMO. Not worth buying.)

SharonAnne · « **Reply #50 on:** July 18, 2008, 08:08:27 AM »

in preparing 3-4 deer stands each fall, I have used machetes, axes, bow saws, Woodmans' Pal, chainsaws. Each has its' niche. I also like the Hudsons Bay ax. I find the Woodmans' Pal to be the best utility tool for clearing growth from one half pencil diameter to 2". Each of the other tools has its' speciality but for me the Woodmans Pal is the most utilitarian. That said, I also carry in my Jansport D2 backpack, a folding 'buck' saw and a Hudson Bay ax. When he accompanied me, my Father in Law always carried his 40 yr old double bit ax. He is the one who introduced me to the Woodmans' Pal.

Chilachuck, I was asking for feedback on what people would take if they had those time frames and vehicles. Someone with a Honda Civic will have different priorities than I will with my 1-ton 4X4 Chevy. Since there are 2 of us we would take the 4X4 and the Dodge Grand Caravan. If necessary the 4X could use the minivan as a trailer. Not ideal but maybe doable.

Chilachuck · « **Reply #51 on:** July 18, 2008, 05:59:28 PM »

Quote from: SharonAnne on July 18, 2008, 08:08:27 AM

Chilachuck, I was asking for feedback on what people would take if they had those time frames and vehicles.

I know. I regard 10 minutes to be too short to waste loading anything not between me and the door. If it's not in the vehicle when I got there, it would be staying behind.

Now, if you want to boost that to an hour, I'd be tempted to load a few things. Probably smarter to not, just jump in and go, but the temptation would be there.

SharonAnne · « **Reply #52 on:** August 08, 2008, 01:12:40 AM »

Chilachuk. take an hour and give us your insights. all thoughtful input is valuable

Blessed Be

SharonAnne

Bigbuck · « **Reply #53 on:** August 08, 2008, 01:51:44 AM »

Of course it all depends on the scenerio at hand. Given the "train wreck" scenerio....I'm pretty much going to take what's on me (wallet, $$$, credit cards, cell phone, pocket knife, CCW pistol, etc.) and what's in my vehicle. In that type of scenerio, it's a pretty short order deal. A relocation for a weather incident opens up it's own can of worms and would demend more on where I'm buggin out to.

Zombies.....that's another thing entirely!!!

single action · « **Reply #54 on:** August 08, 2008, 03:49:15 PM »

10 minutes : I would grab the mi carbine and the 4 bandoliers sitting next to it. In the garage I have a military surplus belt and harness with 2 canteens, 2 30 rd mags and 2 15 round mags in pouches. the 2 m16 ammo pouches that came with the harness now carry mre's. as does the butt pack. My knife is attatched to one shoulder strap and my compass to the other. My .45 is my carry gun so it will be on me. extra mags and 2 boxes ammo for it reside in the truck at all times as does my 12 ga. the bug out bag in the truck has clothing more mre's 3 pr socks and a change of clothes. My old carhart coat rides in the truck year round.As does a surplus mummy bag.
1 hour: hook up the camper.
12 hours: about everything else.

SharonAnne · « **Reply #55 on:** August 08, 2008, 04:20:57 PM »

single action-"everything else". please elaborate! kitchen stove, refrigerator??? 'everything else' is a bit broad for a "bug out"

single action · « **Reply #56 on:** August 08, 2008, 04:29:07 PM »

Sorry about the confusion. What I meant by everything else is , the rest of my weapons, ammo, food supplies, clothing and tools (chainsaws ect) that I woul not have time to pack and haul in the other 2 scenarios. While it is my favorite piece of equipment, i will not be grabbing the refridgerator in a emergency. lol.

williamlayton · « **Reply #57 on:** August 09, 2008, 02:47:41 AM »

Good thoughts here.
During Rita I spent 23 hours on a highway too Salado.
I won't do that again, leave when they say too leave, that is.
If I can't go sooner I am not going too leave--I will just hunker down.
If I leave it will be with enough time too load properly. I have a list of to take items and they are handy.
Changes I have made in thinking.
I will have the 870 by my side, rather than have too go too the back for it, not just the SIG.
I can't imagine taking too the woods.
If I take too the woods it will be where I have properly prepared the place for this purpose.
Getting out of a place as big as Houston is much harder, and more dangerous, than hunkering down.
I would relate the hazards I faced getting out but that would get into a tale.
Blessings

SharonAnne · « **Reply #58 on:** August 09, 2008, 07:00:33 AM »

Salado?

williamlayton · « **Reply #59 on:** August 09, 2008, 01:47:16 PM »

I keep forgetting not everybody is familiar with TEXAS, by GOD.
Salado is a old stagecoach town North of Austin on Highway 35 towards Temple and then Dallas.
Austin too Georgetown too Roundrock too salado (pronounced in Texian--Sa lay doe) .
My sister and her husband live there and it is a normal 3 hour drive.
Blessings