A few tips.

[NorthernRaider]

Just something to try and get a bit of chatter going

Prepper Tips
1 Never be without your PDW* if you are in a hostile environment EVER, sleep with it, eat with it, wash with it, socialise with it, but as long as you are in a survival situation NEVER be without it. (*What ever is legal where you live)
2 You should always have an EDC knife with you, regardless of situation.
3 Never enter a building or location without knowing at least two ways out.
4 In an hostile situation the night, the shadows, the woods, the fields, the hedgerows, the forests are your friends. Cities and Towns, Roads and Pavements are NOT the preppers friend and must be avoided so long as TS is HTF. (unless you are one of those brave pioneering Urban preppers of course)
5 PDW, Knife, Compass, Lighter, Multi tool, Radio, Flashlight , Paracord, Gloves, Hat, Shades,Bandana go on your person NOT in your rucksack. (The object of the exercise is to ensure that if you lose / drop /get seperated / cannot reach your pack you still have enough basic kit in your pockets to survive with)
6 When moving on foot or bicycle its often prudent to stop every few minutes and just LISTEN, (chances are if other people are near by or possibly following you may hear them before they see you).
7 If you have to go into an unknown and unfamiliar situation its good practice to observe the location for a while from a safe distance. (you may see an ambush being set upor see something that makes you decide to go elsewhere)
8 If you have no choice other than to cross an open or exposed area of land its also worthwhile watching the area for a while to see if you can detect any possible threats waiting for you.
9 if you HAVE to undertake a journey then try and assertain if it has history as being used by refugees, authority check points, ambush locations or exposed positions, if so then try and find an alternative route (forwarned is forarmed).
10 If it looks to good to be true it probably is, apply that to finding a working fueled up vehicle or a supply of food or fuel or medical supplies etc when your instincts tell you that should not be the case.
11 Sources of pure drinking water could become rare events in a large scale disaster or crisis, ALL water from unknown sources must be treated as suspect, Filter it, Boil it and if its an outdoor water source check thoroughly that there is no dead wildlife or birds AROUND the area (water poisonous?) or dead animals IN the water (water polluted).
12 As a rough generalisation movement on foot in a survival scenario is better done at night, but movement by vehicle may be better during the day when visibility is better, (remember roads = ambushes) but if the situation is hostile you never use a motorised vehicle at night without disabling all the lights.
13 As a general rule of thumb when moving through URBAN areas remember that harzards can come from ABOVE and BELOW as well as front / rear /left /right. (Collapsing floors, Falling roof tiles, glazing, masonry, even collapsing buildings, Sudden flooding of underground chambers, gas explosions)
14 Using vehicles in a crisis can be both a blessing and a risk, Yes you can carry more kit, venture further, travel faster but you generally are restricted to using roads which are noted ambush / checkpoint locations or may be impassible (bridges collapsing, tunnels flooding, landslips blocking AFTER you have past preventing you getting home). But at the very least ensure your vehicle is as well prepared as possible before you leave.
15 When using vehicle AFTER TSHTF its not prudent to use seatbelts as they can slow you down if you want to exit the vehicle quickly.
16 When choosing clothing for use during a crisis consider the fact that in time both indoors and outdoors you are more likely to be working with naked flames from cooking fires etc, Try not to wear clothing that will melt rather than scorch if accidentally ignited. So no Nylon or 100% Polyester clothes if possible.
17 A Map without a Compass, a Lighter without extra fuel / flints, a Flashlight / Radio without spare batteries, a Knife without a sharpener, a PDW be it bow or fire arms without cleaning and servicing kit are neither prudent nor wise, and a Prepper without a plan is a fool.
18 If you need to make a radio transmission if you can move location straight after broadcasting, and try never to broadcast from the same place twice (preventing your location being found by triangulation)
19 Unkown wild foods, be careful just because critters are eating something it does not automatically mean humans can eat it (especially some types of marine life and wild berries)
20 Camp fires can give away your location by the smoke during the day, the light from the flames at night, the smell of food cooking / aromatic wood burning and the noise from cracking and spitting fire wood.
21 Vehicle equipment including spare wheels ideally should always be stored INSIDE the vehicle so as to not attract the attention of prying eyes, equally a vehicle after TSHTF should be as bland, routine and uninspiring as possible, (tricked out gear laden vehicles just attract unwanted attention)
22 Generally not attracting unwanted attention is a good thing for preppers, so I respectfully suggest that though superb off road capability, hauling power and size are positives for our vehicles they are not as vital as being as quiet as possible and having long range endurance, In many cases good ground clearance is as valuable as all wheel drive (but not always I admit). But the object of the exercise is to get from A to B or complete the patrol quickly, quietly and safely as possible WITHOUT being detected.
23 If after TSHTF you find yourself with free time on your hands you have forgotten to do something or you are not practicing your essential skills enough.
24 Trust among non related preppers is hard to build but easy to lose, be sure you are not going to have your preps or security comprimised if an association with another prepper fails.
25 Its still better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it, but check its expiracy date and dont forget to rotate your stocks.
26 Government assurances that everything will be alright only applies to THEM, they will ALWAYS ensure their own continuity at your expence, Gather your immediate family and look into a mirror, those you can see are the only ones you can trust. The bigger the burocracy the less friendly it is, public servants then become public masters.
27 Most anti terror laws and actions have more to do with protecting the government and ruling elites than protecting the public, indeed many of these laws are designed to protect the government from its OWN people.
28 Never become a refugee relying on the state for your continuity, that statement is as valid today as it was over 40 years ago when I first heard it.
29 Living as OFF GRID as possible its not reckless, is not weird, is not excentric, its economic sense and a great way of increasing your self reliance.
30 In many cases Rivers, Canals and Lakes can be viewed as useful highways to get about on providing you are quiet and unobserved.

[Steve]

It reads like an escape and evasion manual.

I'll add:

31. Plant some spuds.

[CharlesHarris]

Good stuff, here is some more:

The basics of Survival, Evasion, and Escape can be remembers in a mnemonic device, advising troops in survival situations to do the following:

S - Size Up The Situation.
U - Undue Haste Makes Waste
R - Remember Where You Are
V - Vanquish Fear & Panic
I - Improvise
V - Value Living
A - Act Like the Natives
L - Learn Basic Skills

So brainstorm to apply the above to an urban movement in a hazardous environment.

How would you “make do” if something “bad” were to happen? Imagine you on holiday, in an unfamiliar, foreign land between flights. Your luggage is in limbo somewhere between plane and you find yourself in a strange place without supplies. Then Mumbai style terrorists attack your hotel.

What items do you acquire that will help you survive and why? What actions would you take?

Know how to improvise a defensive weapon. Use dining room silverware, a BIC pen, a handful of gravel tied into a sock. If the situation is really that dire for you, it will be also for everyone else around. Strangers won’t be concerned about your welfare. Improvise an ability to keep threatening persons at a distance, protect yourself, buy time and distance to gather your wits and come up with a better plan and acquire "stuff" to put it in action.

Being alone in a hostile land without resources or much chance of long term survival means that "criminal" skills would be very useful. These are not be justified in common disaster situations, but fall into the realm of trade craft taught to military personnel and “spooks.” Lock picking, basic auto theft skill, hand to hand combat and close quarter battle are the order of the day in the worst case scenario. Criminals, outdoorsmen, soldiers, cops and skilled artisans flourish while the office wimps die whining. The former have skillsets which include familiarity with the basic tools and weapons which aid survival, while the latter do not. If you know nothing at all about weapon use you are at a severe disadvantage!

Basic to Urban Evasion is to Hide in plain sight. Blend in. Act like the natives. Avoid looking like a confused tourist.
In most small towns in the US wear generic “work clothes,” jeans or Carharts, jacket, sturdy shoes, in urban areas a jogging suit and walking shoes, neutral earth colors, gray, brown, dark green, Navy is OK at night. Small day pack in "urban commuter" (non-military looking) color.

Practice SDRs (surveillance detection runs) in your movements and routes. In evasion mode use only secure communications. Low tech means are best. Practice good “tradecraft.” If that concept is unfamiliar to you, research and read, practice. There are some very good “open source” references.

Old School” Escape and Evasion Planning = SMOLES:

Self defense - what kind of gear is packed for your own self defense.

Medical emergency- what supplies do you need for the kinds of medical emergencies that you may encounter on this mission.

Operations in Darkness- what do you pack for dealing with complete darkness or low light. Flashlights, head lamps, night vision, etc.

Lost and found- how do you stay found, compass & map, GPS, batteries, personal communications, signal mirror, flares, whistles,etc.

Extreme weather conditions- Gortex rain wear, sleeping gear, shelter material, specialized foot gear for expected terrain and head gear, etc. Stuff you have to pack, not what you are already wearing.

Stranded- long term survival, feeding and sheltering yourself. This is most survival gear: water collection, treatment and storage. Have at least two methods of treatment combining filtration, with either chemical or UV sterilization, boiling or distillation. Learn how to obtain food by foraging edible plants, fishing , trapping, making fish traps by using improvised cordage, etc.

The “Bugout Bag”

In “spook speak” a “Bug Out Bag” or “BOB” is the minimum essential kit needed for escaping an area where hostiles are searching for you. It contains only essentials to sustain stealthy tactical movement out of danger. Usually, only food, navigation, communications and mission-critical protective gear are carried.

Water is something an “evader” is trained to find along the way. An escape and evasion or “E&E kit” contains an EMPTY water container, drinking tube, filter, and treatment chemicals, but no water “supply.” The season and operating environment determine what clothing and shelter is necessary to survive. E&E objectives are security, stealth and mobility, to avoid detection as you move out of danger to your extraction point. You aren’t just leaving an area, but going somewhere in particular in order to get home alive!

In the nightmare scenario, the evader would scrounge from dead enemy or civilians. What do “they” have which will protect and sustain you? . Grab whatever it takes to nourish, hydrate, navigate, communicate, medicate, and keep moving on! Weapon, ammo, optics, food, first aid and medical, tools and sharps, cordage, communications or navigation aids, flashlight with green and IR filters, bug spray, gloves, socks, shoes, sunglasses, hat, etc.

Glass the terrain ahead prior to movement to avoid detection. Build a “hide” at night to shelter from the environment and to stay hidden. Small tools and cordage help, but the rule is to prioritize stealth and mobility, leave heavy, bulky, noisy items behind.

In “prepper speak” the BOB is a personal survival kit (PSK). You control its size by selecting its container.

First Line (A Level) is your “Every Day Carry” or “EDC.” These are items you always have on you, all the time, which will likely be all that you have with you when your office building catches fire, the plane crashes, or you miss the last boat off Fantasy Island In Hell. One example is the “survival tin” you make to fit in an Altoids tin to carry in your pocket. A mini kit beats nothing, but provides false security, because if you REALLY need it, you will sure wish you had brought more with you.

No small group of items which fits in your pocket will overcome all adversities. The purpose of the tin is to provide basics which help you to focus and improvise better gear to make your ordeal tolerable. Decide how much weight and bulk you can really carry. Then design your kit in Levels which build on and support each other:

Second Line (B Level) is a “small” belt pouch – “ideally under a kilo” about 2 pounds to supplement your EDC, keep in your desk, briefcase or vehicle.

Third Line or (C Level) is the “Survival Ruck” or “72 hour pack” containing clothing, shelter, water, food, first aid kit and tools for several days, at least a 72 hour period.

Fourth Line (D Level) is the Deployment Bag which supplements all the above for resupply beyond immediate needs, for two weeks or more, from your aircraft, boat or motor vehicle.

Priorities address shelter first: clothing, raingear, boots, tent/tarp.

Water is next. Get a good water purifier and food grade storage containers. Water filters can crack or clog in below freezing weather. In winter, boil water or use chemical sterilization.

Food is of lower priority. Most people can survive with moderate discomfort for a week or so without food as long as they remain well hydrated. A small amount of emergency food is a morale booster, which gives a needed burst of energy for essential exertion or warmth.

Your PSK should plan for at least Level II and provide at least:

The Ten Essentials: >>

CATEGORY - EXAMPLES, SUGGESTIONS:

1. Shelter – Hat, contractor garbage bag or poncho, 550# cord, fleece vest, extra socks
2. Fire – BIC lighter, Sparklite Kit, waterproofed matches, Esbit stove and fuel
3 Light – LED light on zipper pull, plus Petzl headlamp
4. Hydration – Water Storage and purification – canteens & cup, Micro-pur tablets, filter
5. Communications - Signal mirror, whistle, cell phone or VHF airband/marine transceiver
6. Navigation - Map and orienteering compass on dummy cord
7. Nutrition - Emergency food, peanut butter + Mainstay 2400, Military Speedhook fishing kit.
8. Tools & Sharps - Fixed blade knife, multi-tool, trowel, folding saw or hatchet
9. Health & Medical - First aid kit, and necessary personal meds for 72 hours.
10. Personal items - Extra eyeglasses, sunglasses, ID card, keys, etc.)

If you aren’t in shape, carrying more than about 10 kilos for ten “clicks,” may exceed your limits of physical stamina. Go out there and test your equipment at least twice a year, even if it is just camping in the backyard during a rain or snowstorm. How else will you ever know?

Decide what environmental conditions your BOB is intended to see you through. Then test, evaluate and adjust your gear accordingly, but realistically. For civilian all-hazards contingency planning 3 to 5 days this is a good planning standard to manage evacuation until you can reach a safe area. Tailor your kit for the most likely scenarios: hurricane, wildfire, winter storm, flood, etc. Plan for “All Hazards” to provide shelter from expected weather, clean/safe drinking water, food, first aid, navigation, communications, security, fire, sanitation, and any unique medical or family needs which you have. Will it all fit in your bag? Then weigh it. Can you carry it?

Experiment. Live out of it for a weekend and see what works and doesn’t. Take notes and make improvements. Evaluate your route and plan where you might cache food, water, etc. to resupply when what you carry runs out. A rubber wheeled, steel frame folding luggage cart works well on level surfaces. Off road jogging strollers are good too. Think outside the box.

YOUR FAMILY EVACUATION PLAN

Many families who think that they are prepared don’t have a viable evacuation plan which they have actually tested. It is dangerous to base all emergency planning upon sheltering in place at home. A hazmat release, house fire, hurricane storm surge, flood or terrorist attack could make it unsafe for you to stay where you are, are cause to take your family and leave.

Don’t be caught on the road among the multitude of “unprepared in denial.” Most people I know who actually have an evacuation plan are loathe to share it for OPSEC. Military families deployed overseas make evacuation plans for various contingencies based upon known potential threats.

First, plan a safe, nearby, temporary family assembly point within walking distance.

Then identify a farther away refuge well away from the threat which triggered the need to evacuate in the first place.

Your Plan Should Have:

Start Point
Trigger
Destination
Route
Travel Mode
Supplies

Start point is home – because that is where your “stuff” is.

Alternate starting point is probably work or school.

Discuss what “triggers” might be. Do your own threat analysis.
Hazmat release, house fire, flood or imminent hurricane landfall are more likely than nuclear war or space alien invasion. Sit down and discuss with family what your likely triggers will be.

If a trigger trips – GO NOW! Don’t hesitate once the trigger is observed – LEAVE! When an emergency is evolving is NOT the time to discuss or try to GAIN CONSENSUS! Your life depends upon action. Get moving! NOW!

Destination - is the key. If you don’t know clear destination there is no plan. Your destination must be viable. “Heading to the hills” will not work. A good location is a friend’s home which whom you have made prior arrangements. You home may be one of their destinations in the event of problem. Both families need to discuss this aspect and know what they are prepping for.

Alternate destination should be in a different geographical area. In the event of a hurricane, wide areas may be affected. If your nearby primary destination isn’t viable, you need somewhere else to go. Coordinate the alternate location same for the primary, and so on for your contingency and emergency destinations. PACE planning

Develop trustworthy relationships. The best destinations are people whom you know and trust, from long association. If the host destination is not expecting you, you have no plan, but a “wish.”

Your route is based on your start point, conditions of your Trigger, where your Start Point is, and your Destination. The primary route assumes that you will get a head start before the unprepared masses leaving the city.

Start early, because your Plan is to have your nose to the wind sniffing for threats. Using interstate highways to quickly put distance between you and the threat is OK for a while, but only IF you can beat the crowds.

Alternate routes probably use lesser travelled roads. Avoid hordes of the unprepared in denial. Check out several routes. Identify decision points along each where you may either continue, or change to an alternative route. Suppose you initially plan to travel Route A. You see cars and brake lights clumping ahead. You must decide (now) to take the next exit, off the Interstate. Have you scouted parallel routes? What if the bridge is out? Scout decision points on your route beforehand.

Spend time on route selection. When you think you know your routes – drive them. Take notes. Designate the most viable as Primary, the next as Alternate etc.….. Get good map coverage of the area. Mark your routes on the map(s) using colored highlighters for the different routes, such as Green for Primary, Blue for Alternate, Yellow for Contingency and Red for Emergency, so that if you are injured, other family members carry on. Mark potential choke or decision points – and decide how to address them.

Primary mode of travel is the car you drive every day! It needs to be well maintained, fueled and viable to execute your plan. A smoking rust bucket that can’t make it across town without stopping at a junk yard will not do.

Alternate travel means may be your neighbor’s borrowed truck, a plane or train (if you left early)

Emergency travel will be on foot. Have sturdy shoes, a rucksack of essentials, light enough that you can actually carry it, water, rations, map, compass, and a staff to steady you.

Supplies, types and amounts depend on your mode of travel and destination. If going to Grandma’s ask her what to bring. It is a good idea to pre-position clothes, blankets, cleaning supplies and food at your primary destination ahead of time. Your car can carry a lot. You can’t carry much on your back for far. What you will do if you have to abandon your vehicle and walk?

Load plans. Practice your plan then decide how much to pack and where it goes. - draw a chart - this will greatly speed up the process of getting out of Dodge. Make sure you don't bury the jack underneath those fifty gallons of water cans...

“On Bugging In” - Understand the difference between "repelling pirates” or on the other end of the spectrum “discouraging looters".

A spot light and a shotgun with various shotgun rounds will discourage even lightly armed groups of looters. That is even from a stick framed house defense. After enough time has passed, when all of the soft targets have been cleaned out and heavily armed groups have been established we are talking about a whole other thing. Society doesn’t go from Zone 1 (civilized) to Zone 6 (Max MaX lawlessness) in a week’s time. The power grid can be down for a while before doom sayer scenarios start to play out, as long as people feel there is still an intact authority of governance. Understand this that looting and increased criminal activity DO NOT make a war zone, but you can be violated or even killed in either circumstance. More so under one than the other obviously.

Forget any notion of laying low and hiding out at home until the storm blows over and civilization returns to normal .ie. “bugging in.” Staying put and defending your stick built, soft sided, highly flammable asphalt shingled roofed home is a very real possibility. What you will NOT make happen successfully is making looters or semi organized pirate gangs think that “no one is home to target” so they will just pass on by. A vacant house is deemed a safe target to loot. It goes against nature that scavengers are would bypass a suburban home that looks “empty.” No life, no movement, no generator in the backyard, no lights on in the house, lets just pass that one by –NOT! Trying to be quiet and pretend that nobody is home is an invitation to be burglarized atr least, and for an unexpected violent confrontation at worst.

Instead, you need to make your house appear “less attractive” meaning “a harder” target, i.e. DANGEROUS, so that they will keep on walking. If you put up a giant sign that says “Trespassers and Beggars NOT Welcome!” “Leave this property now or you will be shot!" You have done more for your security than all of that ammo and ARs that you stocked. The ARs are going to back that signage up of course.

Defending structures or villages or FOBs or firebases or castles has been going on for thousands of years. The rules are still the same but the technology to do it has changed thats all.

1) It is likely that "bad guys" will discover your presence and look to adjust their desires accordingly.... Don't be surprised, have a plan.

2) Anything you do to alter the intentions of others will be scrutinized by law enforcement in an unhelpful way, be clever.... but don't help them misunderstand you.

3) A fixed plan will always be a mistake..... be fluid and clever.

4) Bugging in may get you trapped or killed.... have a plan to leave and safe places to go.

5) Bugging out may put you out into an unknown environment, take you away from resources and get you killed.... have a good plan to stay.

6) Have a defensive plans for when it turns to a manure storm and you have no idea what to do next.

Elevated positions for sentries (castle towers, men on top of walls, guys on top of the hill with signal flags, guard towers etc. etc.),

Access control (hesco barriers, pop up barriers, motes and draw bridges, mine fields, triple row C-wire, huge landscape rocks and flower planters, fences etc. etc.),

Hardening structures (concrete, thick castle walls, T barriers, rocket screen in walls, bullet proof glass, steel plating, sand bagged positions at windows, doors, etc.etc.)

Stand-off heavy weapons on likely areas of approach, if you are lucky enough to have them.

Early warning systems or counter surveillance (LP/OPs, snipers, CCTV cameras, trap flares and boobytraps, motion sensors, spy network, guys with binos on the roof, over flights of aircraft etc.etc.)

Roving patrols (self explanatory and very important)

Defensive fighting positions, at minimum, multiple dispersed perimeter 1-man shallow fighting positions with interlocking fields of fire, prepositioned mines and obstacles protecting FPL redoubt 2 man deep fighting position with overhead cover, bunkers, safe rooms, piles of rocks and logs, shooting ports for rifles, cannons, bows and arrows. etc.)

[NorthernRaider]

Good post Charles and well thought out, On the " Stuck some place strange" issue I try to ( but sometimes forget) always do a google of my intended destination in advance of going for the location of Sports / Camping/ Outdoor / Gun shops, plus Car / Van hire depots, Chemists as well as a couple of alternative Hotels to the one I'm booked in. Google has made me a tad lazy at times though one of these days I will get stuck in a strange place and be unable to get a Google search on my phone.

I still often send a parcel in advance of travel of extra clothing and gear to my destination if I'm staying there more than a few days.