Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Well, since someone asked about first aid kits….

This is the first aid kit I normally carry around day-to-day in my Tactical Tailor bag. Its housed in an Outdoor Research organizer, size M. I happened across the organizer at a camping supply store and thought it would be a good choice and Ive been pleased. Lotsa pockets and it folds out nicely for access. Dimensions? Approximately 7×12×2.

It has a wraparound zipper, a couple loops of nylon at either end and some belt slots. No ALICE/PAL webbing but thats easily fixed with a needle and thread. Open it up and:

The actual contents? Geez, where to start….

Bandage tape, 2×2 pads, 4×4 pads, combat dressing, compress bandages, 2″ rolled gauze, 3″ rolled gauze, antibiotic cream, saline eye wash (also used for flushing out wounds), assorted band aids, larger dressing, alcohol wipes, bactine wipes, aspirin, ibuprofin, butterfly bandages, acetominophin, vaseline gauze, burn gel, non-latex gloves, etc, etc, etc. Heres the image of everything:

Theres a few other things that arent in the picture like tweezers, EMT shears, etc, etc. but it all fits in the zippered pouch. I originally went with a hard plastic container but it wouldnt 'stuff' into tight spaces and it made noise with things rattling around. Im much more pleased with the current setup.

The contents handle the usual everyday injuries of cuts, scrapes, burns and whatnot…but, really, that sort of Mickey Mouse crap is so niggling theres no real need for a first aid kit. No, I wanted something with a little more zip for when I go flying off my bike and into a pile of broken pallets or something. So I went a little heavy on the tape and 4×4s. I can always butterfly bandage my way out of the larger cuts until I can find someone to stitch me up. The kit I keep at my shop is about twice the size and much more intense. Best one is the one I keep at the house…its got everything above and more….ice packs, sterile water, hydrogen peroxide, betadine, etc, etc. But that kit is pretty big and usually stays at home although I sometimes toss it in the truck for long roadtrips.

The kit illustrated above handles most of the things I usually run into. And theres always more stuff to add………….

Hmmm…lets see, whats been going on lately in Zeroland.

Went shooting the other day..I am still impressed with the AK. Simple construction (primitive, even, by some standards) but it chugs along like a champ. Picked up some extra mags at the gun show the other day so I figured Id better test ’em out and, of course, they worked flawlessly. Also shot the FAL…its a bit more sensitive about surplus mags but then again thats why I brought it – to test out mags I had picked up. That .308 smacks those steel plates with some serious authority.
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I need to update my five page spreadsheet of goodies to reflect recent purchases. Slowly but steadily Im making progress in acquiring all the things I want to make me feel secure and safe (and slightly superior).
—–
Still need to get a decent radio scanner. Something for keeping track of the local gendarmes as well as eavesdropping on my neighbors. I need to check the various spec sheets and then hit eBay. In addition to those frequencies I also need to get 133.5 mHz so I can pick up the signals from my seismic intrusion detectors. And itd be nice if the scanner was easily modifiable to pick up cel phones as well.
—–
For those of you slightly curious (or not) about what the Zero carries around day to day in his Bag O’ Tricks:
first aid kit – One I put together myself. Lotsa nice little nice-to-have items in it that you normally wouldnt find in a store bought kit.
LED flashlight – Nice Streamlight that does a good job
smaller LED flashlight – Small one-AA light for misc. tasks
Gerber Parabellum folder – Nice size folder for most tasks
Shrade small folder – Clips onto D-ring on shoulder strap so its the blade that gets used most often
Photon Microlight – Clips onto D-ring on shoulder strap…great for illuminating keyholes and such.
Ball of paracord – Million uses but also good for affixing extras to my pack
Assorted cable ties – Another multitasker. Also can be used to fasten gear to ALICE webbing
Spare Glock mags
Notepad and pens
Small sack containg scarf, gloves, hat and neck gaiter – (This is a seasonal thing.)
Bottle of water

All this is toted around in my Tactical Tailor bag.

This is mostly just stuff for minor emergencies and the like. But it goes with me most places..esp. when im out wandering around town or on my bike. If Im going out in the sticks or hunting/fishing I add a few more things like a bivvy sack, poncho, CamelBak, etc.
—–
Need to order up some more freeze-drieds this year. I want to get some FD meat to supplement things. Expensive, but I have no desire to be forced into a life of vegetarianism by some calamity.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Hmmm…lets see, whats been going on lately in Zeroland.

Went shooting the other day..I am still impressed with the AK. Simple construction (primitive, even, by some standards) but it chugs along like a champ. Picked up some extra mags at the gun show the other day so I figured Id better test 'em out and, of course, they worked flawlessly. Also shot the FAL…its a bit more sensitive about surplus mags but then again thats why I brought it – to test out mags I had picked up. That .308 smacks those steel plates with some serious authority.
—–
I need to update my five page spreadsheet of goodies to reflect recent purchases. Slowly but steadily Im making progress in acquiring all the things I want to make me feel secure and safe (and slightly superior).
—–
Still need to get a decent radio scanner. Something for keeping track of the local gendarmes as well as eavesdropping on my neighbors. I need to check the various spec sheets and then hit eBay. In addition to those frequencies I also need to get 133.5 mHz so I can pick up the signals from my seismic intrusion detectors. And itd be nice if the scanner was easily modifiable to pick up cel phones as well.
—–
For those of you slightly curious (or not) about what the Zero carries around day to day in his Bag O' Tricks:
first aid kit – One I put together myself. Lotsa nice little nice-to-have items in it that you normally wouldnt find in a store bought kit.
LED flashlight – Nice Streamlight that does a good job
smaller LED flashlight – Small one-AA light for misc. tasks
Gerber Parabellum folder – Nice size folder for most tasks
Shrade small folder – Clips onto D-ring on shoulder strap so its the blade that gets used most often
Photon Microlight – Clips onto D-ring on shoulder strap…great for illuminating keyholes and such.
Ball of paracord – Million uses but also good for affixing extras to my pack
Assorted cable ties – Another multitasker. Also can be used to fasten gear to ALICE webbing
Spare Glock mags
Notepad and pens
Small sack containg scarf, gloves, hat and neck gaiter – (This is a seasonal thing.)
Bottle of water

All this is toted around in my Tactical Tailor bag.

This is mostly just stuff for minor emergencies and the like. But it goes with me most places..esp. when im out wandering around town or on my bike. If Im going out in the sticks or hunting/fishing I add a few more things like a bivvy sack, poncho, CamelBak, etc.
—–
Need to order up some more freeze-drieds this year. I want to get some FD meat to supplement things. Expensive, but I have no desire to be forced into a life of vegetarianism by some calamity.

Havent done too much lately…just been working on my civillian stuff.
=====
Still havent gotten around to testing and evaluating the mylar bags, but I’ll probably do that Monday. I think they’d be good for storing gloves, hats, etc. as well as other items that have to remain dry and clean…I want to test them for durability and waterproofness. What I’ll probably do is fill and seal them and then leave one sitting outside for as long as it takes to lose integrity and then TTD (test to destruction) the others.
=====
Buddy of mine got out of the VA hospital the other day. I picked him up and in the process I ‘acquired’ a case of individually wrappped and sealed-for-your-protection 4.5″ Kerlix bandage rolls….about a hundred of them

Now, admittedly, I *could* use all 100 of them but from a practical standpoint, fifty oughtta be just fine. Since Im into the for nothing I’ll be distributing them to the various LMI. A dozen to Capt. Insano, a dozen to another buddy, etc, etc. It works to my advantage to have the LMI as well-prepared as possible….never know when the well-being of one of them may affect my own well-being.

Which reminds me, I need to pick up some minor surgery tools…forceps, suture holders, etc….

By the by, why fifty? Well, its all about redundancy. I have the first aid kit at work, the first aid kit I carry in my pack, the first aid kit at the house, three spare first aid kits in the bunker…so thats six…..at eight bandages per kit thats 48 rolls right there. In reality, its more like three or four per kit but then I need extras to restock the kit. Also I see absolutely no reason not to have extras … especially since I’ll ruin one or two of them in examining them and seeing how they work. (Practicing bandaging, seeing if packaging can be opened with weak hand, if packaging can withstand being crushed, etc, etc.)
=====
Still gotta get around to loading up some ‘sniper grade’ .308 for the CZ550.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Havent done too much lately…just been working on my civillian stuff.
=====
Still havent gotten around to testing and evaluating the mylar bags, but I'll probably do that Monday. I think they'd be good for storing gloves, hats, etc. as well as other items that have to remain dry and clean…I want to test them for durability and waterproofness. What I'll probably do is fill and seal them and then leave one sitting outside for as long as it takes to lose integrity and then TTD (test to destruction) the others.
=====
Buddy of mine got out of the VA hospital the other day. I picked him up and in the process I 'acquired' a case of individually wrappped and sealed-for-your-protection 4.5″ Kerlix bandage rolls….about a hundred of them

Now, admittedly, I *could* use all 100 of them but from a practical standpoint, fifty oughtta be just fine. Since Im into the for nothing I'll be distributing them to the various LMI. A dozen to Capt. Insano, a dozen to another buddy, etc, etc. It works to my advantage to have the LMI as well-prepared as possible….never know when the well-being of one of them may affect my own well-being.

Which reminds me, I need to pick up some minor surgery tools…forceps, suture holders, etc….

By the by, why fifty? Well, its all about redundancy. I have the first aid kit at work, the first aid kit I carry in my pack, the first aid kit at the house, three spare first aid kits in the bunker…so thats six…..at eight bandages per kit thats 48 rolls right there. In reality, its more like three or four per kit but then I need extras to restock the kit. Also I see absolutely no reason not to have extras … especially since I'll ruin one or two of them in examining them and seeing how they work. (Practicing bandaging, seeing if packaging can be opened with weak hand, if packaging can withstand being crushed, etc, etc.)
=====
Still gotta get around to loading up some 'sniper grade' .308 for the CZ550.

While Im pleased that Im 99% done with my purchasing of FAL magzines (officially) it occurs to me I have absolutely no magazine pouches suitable for the FAl mags. My magazine pouches are either for AR mags or AK mags. While I’ll undoubtedly pick up a few high-end .308 pouches from Tactical Tailor or some of the other outfits, I was thinking about purchasing some of the surplus HK G3 mag pouches that are on the market. Cheaper Than Dirt has them for ninetynine cents for a dual mag pouch. Rubberized plastic very similar to whats used on an entrenching tool cover. What I’d like is about a dozen of these things I can string to gether to form a bandoleer of mag pouches I can just throw over my shoulder and grab the FAL with.
=====
So 2004 was, from a terrorist activity standpoint, a bust. All well and good, as far as im concerned. Im in no hurry to eat freeze drieds, drink stored water and spend my nights huddled around a radio. At the same time we have…hmmm…North Korea doing their usual thing, Syrian and Iranian concerns, the ongoing nastiness with the fanatics and of course, our own homebrewed gestapo state. I seriously need my own country.  A nice, quiet, extraordinarily well armed and defended little isolationist state….completely indiferrent to the outside world, trading and dealing with all nations equally and ready to roll up the welcome mat the minute someone gets too friendly.
=====
I need to do some travelling this summe and find a nice little few acres in the Middle Of Freakin’ Nowhere to lay claim to. Theres parts of this state where you can literally buy a house on a lot for less than $12000. But Im not looking for that…No, I want some acreage about as far off the beaten trail as I can get while still being able to access it in all seasons. (Although the form of access is negotiable…I’ve no qualms if the only way to get into it in winter is on a four-wheeler. Better for isolation.) Just a nice few acres that later on a small and remarkably well constructed little oasis can be built on . Ideally it would have a little elevation so I could build into the side of a hill, have reliable water from either well or, best, a year round creek (which unfortunately would shoot the price into the uncomfortably high numbers.) which would be lovely for mini-hydro, lotsa cover to remain hidden, some area to grow veggies, and just genearlly a nice little pocket of homey-ness in the middle of nowhere. Then when things finally get Majorly Wierd I can load up the vehicle (another project in itself) and head to my happy little redoubt.

When I was 19 had fantasies involving Nicole Kidman and a tub of Crisco, now my fantasies involve real estate. Infer what you will.
=====
Speaking of vehicle, thats another vastly expensive and complicated project that needs to get tackled. I very much would like a nice, easily maintained vehicle for for just such an occasion but that vehicle by virtue of its properties would also make a great vehicle for hunting season. Older Bronco, Land Cruiser or some such.
=====
Snowing here today. I should get out the winter camo and get pictures.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

While Im pleased that Im 99% done with my purchasing of FAL magzines (officially) it occurs to me I have absolutely no magazine pouches suitable for the FAl mags. My magazine pouches are either for AR mags or AK mags. While I'll undoubtedly pick up a few high-end .308 pouches from Tactical Tailor or some of the other outfits, I was thinking about purchasing some of the surplus HK G3 mag pouches that are on the market. Cheaper Than Dirt has them for ninetynine cents for a dual mag pouch. Rubberized plastic very similar to whats used on an entrenching tool cover. What I'd like is about a dozen of these things I can string to gether to form a bandoleer of mag pouches I can just throw over my shoulder and grab the FAL with.
=====
So 2004 was, from a terrorist activity standpoint, a bust. All well and good, as far as im concerned. Im in no hurry to eat freeze drieds, drink stored water and spend my nights huddled around a radio. At the same time we have…hmmm…North Korea doing their usual thing, Syrian and Iranian concerns, the ongoing nastiness with the fanatics and of course, our own homebrewed gestapo state. I seriously need my own country.  A nice, quiet, extraordinarily well armed and defended little isolationist state….completely indiferrent to the outside world, trading and dealing with all nations equally and ready to roll up the welcome mat the minute someone gets too friendly.
=====
I need to do some travelling this summe and find a nice little few acres in the Middle Of Freakin' Nowhere to lay claim to. Theres parts of this state where you can literally buy a house on a lot for less than $12000. But Im not looking for that…No, I want some acreage about as far off the beaten trail as I can get while still being able to access it in all seasons. (Although the form of access is negotiable…I've no qualms if the only way to get into it in winter is on a four-wheeler. Better for isolation.) Just a nice few acres that later on a small and remarkably well constructed little oasis can be built on . Ideally it would have a little elevation so I could build into the side of a hill, have reliable water from either well or, best, a year round creek (which unfortunately would shoot the price into the uncomfortably high numbers.) which would be lovely for mini-hydro, lotsa cover to remain hidden, some area to grow veggies, and just genearlly a nice little pocket of homey-ness in the middle of nowhere. Then when things finally get Majorly Wierd I can load up the vehicle (another project in itself) and head to my happy little redoubt.

When I was 19 had fantasies involving Nicole Kidman and a tub of Crisco, now my fantasies involve real estate. Infer what you will.
=====
Speaking of vehicle, thats another vastly expensive and complicated project that needs to get tackled. I very much would like a nice, easily maintained vehicle for for just such an occasion but that vehicle by virtue of its properties would also make a great vehicle for hunting season. Older Bronco, Land Cruiser or some such.
=====
Snowing here today. I should get out the winter camo and get pictures.

Went to a small gun show today. Didnt really purchase anything of consequence, although I did, for $3, find a copy of the seminal work “Survival Guns” by Mel Tappan. Although a very dated work (originally came out in the late 1970’s) alot of what he said made sense. He was, however, not shy of advocating that you needed at least a dozen guns. Now, thats not dozen as in “Four guns with tripple redundancy in case of breakage, loss, etc.”…no, ol’ Mel thinks that you need at least a dozen…backup gun, hideout gun, working gun, big game gun, varmint gun, training gun, defensive auto, defensive revolver, etc etc. Now Im the first to tell you that any gun is better than no gun, but theres alot of overlap in gun choices….nonetheless, its still a good read. Since its so old theres no mention of the .40 S&W, Glock, SIG pistols, or any of that. He’s very much of the Jerry Ahern school that says you need an AR, a 1911 and an 870. Which is fine and dandy but I think I’ll hedge my bets with a few other choices.
=====
Picked up a few more mags for the FAL which gives me exactly 30 20-rd magazines. (Actually, I need 31…1 to keep in the gun, the other 30 for stoarge.) But, by and large, Im done buying FAL mags.
=====
Gardening season approaches. Shortly it will be time to start some seeds. Whats it going to be this year? Romas, peppers, chiles, lettuce, spinach, herbs, and whatever else strikes my fancy. This year I think I’ll order up some heirloom seeds to use.
=====
Havent played with the mylar bags yet. Maybe tonight. When it happens, I’ll post about it.
=====
I have to say, if youre an LMI and you want to work on some useful skills, geocaching is the pasttime for you….map and compass skills, GPS usage, sneaky thinking, tromping around in the outdoors, etc, etc. And lets not even think about the hugely useful skills you’ll pick up. Never know when its going to be handy to leave something hidden in a location that only you and your LMI’s can get to. And its, of course, a handy skill for arranging rendezvous and supply drops.

But, and I stress this, GPS is no substitute for map and compass skills. .gov can turn off the satellites or bring back Selective Availability (intentional errors in the GPS readings to reduce accuracy..it was only turned off a few years ago) at any moment. And we all know about battery life in our critical gear, right? It doesnt exist! So have the battery-powered goodie but be ready to not have it available.
=====
Quick Tip: Make a copy of your keyring. I dont mean make a copy of just a couple keys. I mean copy every key on your keyring, put them all on a ring or fob just like what you use now so its an exact duplicate. I lost my keys last week and it was a major mess. Easier to just go home, grab the complete extra set and have house key, truck key, shop key, bike lock key, etc, etc, already in one place and ready to go.
=====
Still need to go down to the bunker and straighten up. The shelving I put in has made a tremendous difference. I just now need to organize a bit better and utilize the freed-up space more efficiently. But, overall, Im okay with how it looks. More organization is needed, but I’m satisfied that things are ‘good enough’ if the situation calls for using the things there.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Went to a small gun show today. Didnt really purchase anything of consequence, although I did, for $3, find a copy of the seminal work “Survival Guns” by Mel Tappan. Although a very dated work (originally came out in the late 1970's) alot of what he said made sense. He was, however, not shy of advocating that you needed at least a dozen guns. Now, thats not dozen as in “Four guns with tripple redundancy in case of breakage, loss, etc.”…no, ol' Mel thinks that you need at least a dozen…backup gun, hideout gun, working gun, big game gun, varmint gun, training gun, defensive auto, defensive revolver, etc etc. Now Im the first to tell you that any gun is better than no gun, but theres alot of overlap in gun choices….nonetheless, its still a good read. Since its so old theres no mention of the .40 S&W, Glock, SIG pistols, or any of that. He's very much of the Jerry Ahern school that says you need an AR, a 1911 and an 870. Which is fine and dandy but I think I'll hedge my bets with a few other choices.
=====
Picked up a few more mags for the FAL which gives me exactly 30 20-rd magazines. (Actually, I need 31…1 to keep in the gun, the other 30 for stoarge.) But, by and large, Im done buying FAL mags.
=====
Gardening season approaches. Shortly it will be time to start some seeds. Whats it going to be this year? Romas, peppers, chiles, lettuce, spinach, herbs, and whatever else strikes my fancy. This year I think I'll order up some heirloom seeds to use.
=====
Havent played with the mylar bags yet. Maybe tonight. When it happens, I'll post about it.
=====
I have to say, if youre an LMI and you want to work on some useful skills, geocaching is the pasttime for you….map and compass skills, GPS usage, sneaky thinking, tromping around in the outdoors, etc, etc. And lets not even think about the hugely useful skills you'll pick up. Never know when its going to be handy to leave something hidden in a location that only you and your LMI's can get to. And its, of course, a handy skill for arranging rendezvous and supply drops.

But, and I stress this, GPS is no substitute for map and compass skills. .gov can turn off the satellites or bring back Selective Availability (intentional errors in the GPS readings to reduce accuracy..it was only turned off a few years ago) at any moment. And we all know about battery life in our critical gear, right? It doesnt exist! So have the battery-powered goodie but be ready to not have it available.
=====
Quick Tip: Make a copy of your keyring. I dont mean make a copy of just a couple keys. I mean copy every key on your keyring, put them all on a ring or fob just like what you use now so its an exact duplicate. I lost my keys last week and it was a major mess. Easier to just go home, grab the complete extra set and have house key, truck key, shop key, bike lock key, etc, etc, already in one place and ready to go.
=====
Still need to go down to the bunker and straighten up. The shelving I put in has made a tremendous difference. I just now need to organize a bit better and utilize the freed-up space more efficiently. But, overall, Im okay with how it looks. More organization is needed, but I'm satisfied that things are 'good enough' if the situation calls for using the things there.

SO the North Koreans admitted publicly, yeah, we have nukes. (And in the article, their guy is quoted as using the term ‘nukes’.) And, naturally, they have no desire to continue the six-way talks about them curbing their nuclear program. Again, what a shock, hey.

Let. Them. Starve.

No more fuel shipments, no more food shipments. If the civillians arent going to rise up and overthrow this nutjob then they deserve to slowly starve in the cold, Stalinist world theyve created.

Even their fellow travellers, the Chinese, don’t like them. And theres sure as hell no love lost between them and the Japanese. I suppose if we werent worried about them rolling into South Korea we’d just let them starve….
=====
I will not call about the HK…I will not call about the HK…I will not call about the HK…