SERE = Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape

I think opsec is way over rated for preppers, hiding in the bush and sneaking around using subsonic ammo.

The military mindset is possibly from operational experience in war torn and politically failed states where looting and rioting is the order of the day. They have seen how fast society can collapse. In the US after flooding storms, bushfires, there are many examples of total loss of law and order. Katrina was a good example, gangs looted firearm stores, went on looting and raping rampage. Military was sent in and shoot on site to bring back calm. In shtf there will be no law enforcement coming.

The Australian situation will take a lot more before things get that bad, but since 2006 when I first came to Aus there are now daily stabbings and shootings in the large cities. In rural areas drugs have become a problem, it is no more leaving your keys in the car and house unlocked. Within hours of mandatory evacuations the looters start, not personal security risk at this stage. Security for prepping needs to be taken seriously.

Why is that guy, alone in the wilderness with just his dog, carrying a short range handheld radio? I can’t see any reason to carry a handheld apart from communicating with nearby team members. He’d be better off with a 9mm or Ifak or extra food using up the room that radio takes.

I watch a lot of US bugout bags, very common for handheld Ham radio they have connection to emergency broadcasts, weather notification, radio, GPS, some can send and receive sms etc... 
It is usually ex-military, to them having comms is a game changer, it is the opsec intel.... 

A few random links
theprepared.com/gear/reviews/handheld-ham-radio/
www.savenetradio.org/best-handheld-ham-radio/

If anyone has the time I think this is a good article with some practical, commonsense advice, again Bruce will tell you "Absorb what is useful. Reject what is useless. Add what is essentially your own." 

Anti-Poaching Units: The Tools Of The Trade

www.recoilweb.com/anti-poaching-units-the-tools-of-the-trade-174282.html

Looking at thermal nite vision gear. So much to chose from. Some with Bluetooth connections, some with rechargeable battery's etc. Have settled on an entry level model for several reasons.

Op-sec.

The Bluetooth models can be detected by anyone with a phone or Bluetooth device. Seems to negate the advantage that thermal offers of being undetectable, unlike IR illuminated gear.

Likewise those with normal battery's can die just when u need it, so I'm getting the USB rechargeable option, which offers about 10 hours use between recharges.

Comments ?







The more you know, the less you need.

Seeing the worst of the worst that people put each other through in other counties really puts you in the mind for 'what's going to happen when the cavalry doesn't come'. I think any first responder role probably puts people in the same mind-set. When you ARE the cavalry, you expect to have to cover your own rear.

Oh guaranteed there's a certain type of personality that gets in. In my experience, three in fact. There's the "I don't know how I got here, but here I am", the "I'm going there because I want to be the biggest dawg in the pack" and the "I want to make a difference, even if it's only a small one". I'd say the vast majority of people in uniform are in it for the third thing. The first two usually don't hang around for long. They either realise that it's not what they imagined or they morph into the third type once the indoctrination fully sets in and they learn to embrace the suck 🤣.

But absolutely I'd guarantee that there's a set of traits that you'd find to be pretty common in almost everyone when they sign up. There'd be studies somewhere on it, I'd put money on that. And those traits not only amplified but trained into you in a form of socially acceptable brainwashing if you don't have the full set when you start. You're all trained to think, behave, and respond in the same (or very similar) ways so that you can work together as a team with as little friction and delay in decision making as possible. Because recruiting has target numbers to meet they absolutely don't always get it right. The ones that aren't supposed to be there are either thinned out during rookies or only stay for their initial return of service period.

It's nuanced of course and there's always exceptions to the rule.

Adding fuel to the fire!

If you ever need to leave home to save yourself from two legged predators is what this whole SERE topic on the forum is about!  Hope you never need it! 

The 4th reason you wont survive SHTF is you think an axe is for throwing.  There is only one scenario where throwing an axe makes any sense.  And if you're in that scenario ... you're about to take a bullet anyway.  Best die with it in your hand while running like a Hare on Meth and praying to the God you didn't beleive in before that you don't get hit.