BOB Tacticool or Stealth

[Scythe13]

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Similar happened in the LA/Rodney King riots in the US when the Korean shop owners gathered together with shotguns and stood outside their stores. Amazingly they were left well alone! But to mirror what DEV has already said, it is a group situation where being met with superior force causes people to reassess what's going on and whether it's worth dying for.

Now the real fun begins.

Consider your group, their training, their equipment, stress tolerances, and the alike. In that sort of situation, how many could hold their nerve and make good decisions? Could you lead an equally nervous group of people? Would you want to scare them off and have them come back later with better arms? The majority of people in a pre-SHTF world, even in riots, will not be carrying illegal arms, even those that own them probably won't be. However, if it's a SHTF situation...the rules totally change.

Another line of thought. In the London, Liverpool, Manchester riots, a couple of years ago, considering the number of illegal guns available, how many instances were there of rioters opening fire on the police? What about the riots in Greece that happen every few months? Even America, where guns are readily available, the number of riots shooting at the police is still small. The only exceptions are the publicised riots in the middle east, and of course Syria. In these situations, as far as the populations know, TS has HTF, and it's a real fight to the death....literally. The way these people cope, move on, progress, develop, and live, would be closer to how urban life post-SHTF would be....just with far fewer AK47's being fired.

If you are able to become a MAJOR show of force, e.g. a group of 8-10 minimum well armed people, kitted up, ready to kill, then you'd be able to rock the whole TactiCOOL style. However, if there's just a few of you, PLAY the refugee, but hide your real intentions. Break away from the fleeing group when you can safely do so.

Post SHTF, I do like the idea of rocking up all tactical and looking like the boss. But, the only way to get killed faster than that is to wear a bullseye tshirt.

[BeardyMan]

(27 April 2014, 10:21)SlyUrbanFox Wrote: I will always make sure my EDC/GHB is stealthy so as not to draw unwanted attention in an urban setting but post SHTF does your BOB need to be stealthy or can you go full on tactical/molle for practical and maybe added intimidation ?

If I'm trying to bug out of my urban location with missus and child in tow do I want to look like any other scared family (and therefore potential victim) or do I stride out in full tactical mode with machete/axe/rifle proudly on display? I'll want to do everything possible to avoid the mob but should I come across them is stealth or in your face don't feck with me the way to go?

With wife and kids - avoid the mob like the plague. They're not all going to be there for the same reasons. Don't display your goodies, but make sure they are readily available (if you have no other option than to pass through or bump into the mob)

To be honest I don't think it makes a difference what backpack you're going to be carrying, I spend a lot of time on public transport at the moment (eeuuugghhhh!) and about 50% of all the backpacks I see have molle on them. I think in a riot / mob situation people will be looking for the ones that look like they have laptops and shiny things in them, normally carried by suits.

If you have a young child I would recommend a baby carrier thing, that straps the baby to you. Then you can use the buggy / push chair to carry some gear, that is readily available. Who knows you don't have two children, one you're carrying and one in the push chair. You also have 2 hands free, and can ditch the buggy and run should the need arise.

Mob situations, I'd recommend a can of deodorant (or similar) and a lighter, just in case it all goes wrong. Obviously this is a last resort to give you and your family chance to get out of the area and keep people at bay.

[SlyUrbanFox]

I like the deodrant can and lighter trick. Both legal to carry and easily explainable to Mr Plod

My most likely and preferred bug out option with the family would be the 3am MTB dash with little one and most of the bug out gear in his bike trailer. Even in summer time I'd still have 4 hrs of darkness which could give 40+ mile range before sun up. Luckily I live at the top of a hill so the mad mile to open country is all downhill. You have to be a glass half full kind of guy to be an urban prepper.

[Devonian]

Silly question (probably), but why is your "preferred" bug out option a 3am MTB dash??

Why wouldn't you opt for a 3am jump in the Car/Van Dash, as your preferred option with the bikes as a back-up option??

[SlyUrbanFox]

I have to park my car on a busy terraced street in the middle of town. The car regularly gets vandalised by the Friday night return from the pub/kebab shop crowd.(6 wing mirrors replaced in as many years) If the car is still available and the street isn't blocked (unlikely as my plan was to barricade both ends with neighbours for mutual protection) then yes, I would use the car.
I regularly cycle to work and even at 5am the bike is only 5 mins slower to work over 3.5 miles than the car. At 9am/5pm the bike is 5 mins quicker than the car. Situational awareness is a lot better on foot/bike too especially at night. Everyone within a mile would hear the car.

[Devonian]

Fair enough

[BeardyMan]

(28 April 2014, 17:14)SlyUrbanFox Wrote: I have to park my car on a busy terraced street in the middle of town. The car regularly gets vandalised by the Friday night return from the pub/kebab shop crowd.(6 wing mirrors replaced in as many years) If the car is still available and the street isn't blocked (unlikely as my plan was to barricade both ends with neighbours for mutual protection) then yes, I would use the car.
I regularly cycle to work and even at 5am the bike is only 5 mins slower to work over 3.5 miles than the car. At 9am/5pm the bike is 5 mins quicker than the car. Situational awareness is a lot better on foot/bike too especially at night. Everyone within a mile would hear the car.

Have you spoken to your neighbors about this? If they don't see things the way you do this may very well be impossible.

At least with the car, you may be heard, but you're much safer. Even without wing mirrors. You're encased in at least one tonne of steel. May make a good weapon....

[bigpaul]

trouble with a bicycle is it wouldn't take much for an attacker to stick a stick through the spokes and youd go arse over......the handlebars! break an arm or a leg or summat! and put you in a position to be attacked...if you see what I mean......you'd probably be better off in a car like BM says even if you are heard.

[Scythe13]

I get what you guys are both saying about the bike vs car thing. I totally agree. However, I'm assuming the distance to the car is a reasonable distance?

SUF, have you considered using a bike to get to the car and bring it back to the family? Or (I know there is considerable risk in this, but it might be an option if you have another couple of families on board) getting your family to head in a safe direction, while you cycle to the car, load up, then pick them up on their route? It would be best if you had neighbours on board, but imagine if you set your family off with another family, and say you and the mother of the other family, go and pick up both your family cars, leaving the father of the other family and the mother of yours, to look after the kids. That way you'd be able to move them out of harms way, while also making a try for what would certainly be a helpful device....the car.

What do you think of that?

So you'd pick them up, say 2 miles from home. Everyone bundle into the cars, then head off to your BOL. You'd get there much faster in a car, and you'd be able to get out of there much faster if you had a car too.

[Devonian]

Plus the car provides you with shelter and warmth from the elements, which could be an important factor if bugging out in the middle of winter or if you have young children.