When people think about prepping for survival, they most often think about bugging out, stockpiling food, travel routes, etc.
However, have you ever thought about how you’d survive the extreme initial stages of a disaster, such as:
- Riots
- Looters
- Mass Attacks
- Hostage Crisis
- Other threats caused by civil unrest
Now many of you might think this is overkill. That’s fine.
But I’m of the mindset that you NEVER know when an attack is about to happen and in what form it will come.
Sept. 11 was a good example of that. So was Katrina. And look at all the demonstrations that are happening these days? It doesn’t take much for these things to turn ugly…FAST!
So here are 3 of the “weirder” survival items most people don’t think about carrying, that I feel you should have on you at all times:
1. Mini-Prybar
The number of uses for a pry-bar are endless.
The model I carry is the“Exhumer 8″ from Dead On Tools.
If you’re on the run or bugging out, you can use it for breaching obstacles, gaining entrance to a door or even getting out of a trapped car.
I have mine wrapped in 550 paracord and it’s a beast of a self dense tool as both ends are brutally sharp and will seriously jack someone up!
2. Universal Handcuff Key
As controversial as it may seem to some, you want to be able to escape from handcuffs if you need to.
There are plastic keys now that fit nearly all (or all) handcuffs universally and take up no room at all.
I use the one from Magna Light and I’ve sewn my pants tag partially closed so it creates a snug pocket to hide this key.
If you’re ever handcuffed behind your back (as in say a home invasion, hostage situation, etc.), you can easily get the key and unlock yourself or hand it off to someone else to unlock you.
3. Security Officer’s Badge
The thing about thugs is that they know that the stakes are much higher if they attack a police officer.
Now, I’m not saying to impersonate an officer, but let’s say you get trapped in a riot as a result of a demonstration that went horribly wrong.
Assuming that police aren’t the target of the demonstrators, having a badge that looks like an officer’s badge could ward off attackers who think you’re just another easy mark as they rampage through the area.
You just take out the badge and tell them to “Back off! Just go your way and I’ll go mine and neither of us need to make this an issue. Got it?” and then back out to safety as you assume their agreement.
There’s a bunch of other stuff you should carry as well.
In fact, I actually carry 29 URBAN SURVIVAL RESPONSE ITEMS on me at all times!
These are all items you would use for survival or during an “escape & evasion” scenario where you were targeted or caught up in a violent attack, (such as in a riot or looting as a result of natural disaster, etc.)
Now you’d think that 29 survival items would make you look like you’re loaded up for a trip up Mt. Everest, right?
But actually, no one would ever know you’re carrying this stuff!
All of the items fit in a small survival bag (that’s only 7″ x 8.5″) that I keep on me, either in a laptop case that I’d normally carry anyway, on my person, or in my “map case bag” from my military days.
It’s literally almost like having a Batman Utility Belt on you at all times!
You can decide what works best for you, but I’d personally feel naked without these survival items. The confidence you’ll have knowing that you’re prepared for anything is a real comfort in today’s world.
[Via ModernSurvivalBlog.com]
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I like the article, as for badges I thought a security badge could be miss construed by law enforcement, so I went with a Concealed Carry Badge.
I have a cuff key always laced to the inside fold of my combat boots. I figured they are gonna make you kneel so boot was my first thought. I do like the pant tag sewed in… I may try that too!.
I'd like to weigh in on item #2 and #3. #2 being the handcuff key I also think is a good idea and I like the method the author described for concealing theirs. Handcuffs are cheap, readily available, and have been used by attackers in home invasions many times. If you are really concerned about security and wish to be prepared modifying your wardrobe to always have a hidden key would be a small price if you ever needed it to save your life.
On #3 I do see what the author is saying by carrying the badge however there is a very critical downside to this. Many times over the years during robberies off-duty law enforcement have been killed from carrying their badge. An example that stand out is a robbery at a small town barber shop, when the assailants searched everyone and found the man in the chair to have a badge but no gun they shot him dead. Witnesses said the robbers appeared to have no intention of hurting anyone until the badge was found. While these cases are few and far between it is something worth thinking about.
An old police motto works well for this as well, "where your badge goes, your firearm goes."
Exactly. If you're gonna carry your shield, you better be carrying your piece.
I Love this article. I was working as an EMT when the Rodney King Riots broke out… the link to the 29 items you carry takes me to 100 items, not the right link. Can you please correct the link or send out an updated link???
Thanks so much,
Richard K
agreed. What are the 29 things?
Yes, please…it sounds like an intriguing & helpful list!
I know these comments are old but this article is getting Facebook postings right now. I'm sure others will be coming here and have the same questions.
I did some Googling hoping to find an article with the 29 items. I found this article was originally posted on another site. The posting on that site didn't include a link. It seems the link was added by the editors of this site when the article was re-posted. The author was linking to something else he had written.
If you flash a badge during a riot, wouldn't that make you more of a target? I remember the Rodney King Riots from when I was a kid, and even the cops were getting beaten.
#2 is a really good idea. #3 ill do you one better and just take my police officer everywhere with me:)
The only item you actually "need" in a crisis is water. Knives can be crafted, other tools and weapons can be crafted. Make water and food priority. Use the shit around you to craft what you need. Seriously, this article is such a load of crap.
Actually, if you consider what can kill you quickest, water is NOT your number one need. A person or a group attacking you can kill you in seconds, lack of (clean) air or severe bleeding can kill you in minutes, exposure to severe climate conditions can kill you in hours. People can generally last 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food.
Water is bulky and heavy. Carrying a significant amount of water is impractical and a short lived solution. Having ways to GET, PURIFY and CARRY water is a better long term solution.
You serious bro?!. You and I may well be resourceful enough to craft such things from whatever is available, but the vast majority of folk lack these skills… just sayin’ ;o)
"Pretending" to be a cop makes you MORE of a target….
I have all three–have carried all three for years–also a security ID with picture
I “carry” these 3 items HOPING to possibly get through an airport, road blocks, security checks, etc. I just want to get to my final location and if any of these items HELPS I will be thankful for carrying.
I have to disagree with #3, given the way things are today with all the cop killings I would hesitate to claim you’re with law enforcement in any way, this can put a bigger target on your back plus even though the space a badge takes up is minimal there are far better things to have
Note that in some states, it is illegal to be in possession of a handcuff key. When I was going through a metal detector to deal with some paperwork at the local courthouse, I put my keys – with a handcuff key – in the bin. The sheriff’s deputy asked me why I had it. He then informed me that if you are not a LEO, carrying a handcuff key in this state is a felony. He said “Not a problem this time, but you’ll need to remove it from your keyring and put it back in you car, and don’t carry it there concealed.” Yet another stupid law, but don’t give them a chance to take you to jail.
While these 3 items may be useful, they certainly are not at the top of my list. my top 3 items are a leatherman, filter straw, and a hurricane lighter or magnesium fire starter. If I can add a 4th to my list, in an urban environment it would be my 1911.