Are You Really Prepared...Keep It Simple
So, you've got food and you've got water. What's next? A lot of stuff to think about right? That is why I am going to do this in segments, one step at a time. The most important things are food, water, and shelter. With those things, you can survive almost anything.
A majority of the guys I know have some sort of skills in creating a shelter out of very little. If we are talking about building a long-term shelter, it would take a little while. We all need to know how to find or create shelter in case of an emergency. Say for instance: a national disaster happens. I particularly remember September 11, 2001. For those of us that live in the Washington DC metro area and I am sure New York as well. It was gridlock. You couldn't go anywhere even if you wanted too. But lets add something to that. What if you had to get out of there and the place you needed to get to was a good 2 or 3 day walk. We touched on having to leave a vehicle briefly in the article about a get home bag. I currently live out in the country. I decided to get away from the city. If I had to walk home from work it would take me the better part of 2 days. I am not going to race home, though. I'm going to travel carefully, paying attention to everything on the way, not wearing myself out, and not drawing attention to myself.
Tactics is a big part of getting out of an area. You need to plan your trip. You are not going to do that the day of an emergency, so do some research ahead of time. If you travel the same direction every day, look at alternative routes. I know for instance that if I stay away from the major roads I can travel all the way home and never really have anyone pay attention to me. I know there are several spots where I can stop, get off the road and into a quiet wooded area. At some point in time, I'm going to have to stop and rest. I want to do this off the beaten path. Out of sight, out of mind, just to keep myself safe. So in my get home bag, I have a few things tailored for my situation. (aside from my firearms) I keep my military poncho, A long piece of canvas, Some 550 cord and a roll of duct tape. With these things, I can make a shelter and stay comfortable. I also have an emergency mylar blanket. Now there are several other things that I keep with me that are not on this list. You will probably see me mention them at random over the next few posts.
The first step is to pick a spot. Level, or close to it. I look for some place that is shielded on the sides from the view of travel routes. I really don't want others coming to check out what or where I am doing things. This is for safety more than anything. Close to trees is really good. Watch out for Poison ivy or oak. Some overhead coverage, from the trees, would be perfect. Now once you have the location, I would lay the canvas on the ground, that keeps you off the ground and somewhat away from the bugs. If it's fall or winter I would look for fallen leaves or pine. This will keep you warm, then cover them with the canvas. Take your 550 cord and stretch it between the trees. and drape your poncho over it. You could then tie the poncho corners to the ground using pegs made of sticks. Remember to use light discipline. In other words only when you absolutely have no other choice. Again in an emergency, you want to draw as little attention to yourself as possible. I keep a flashlight in my bag, however, if I am going to use it, I cover myself so no-one can see the light I am creating. Most times after dark I can see clearly enough by ambient or moonlight to be able to do whatever I may need to.
This is a small make do shelter that you can use in a hurry. Make sure that you have water and food in your bag. A rationed MRE will keep you going for a while. Use your protein bars in the morning. That will give you the energy to get moving and keep going. As you travel, keep your firearms out of sight unless absolutely necessary. Remember out of sight out of mind. Don't draw attention to yourself and you will travel pretty much un-noticed. Once you get close to your final location, watch carefully around you. Situational Awareness is always key. Make sure you don't have any uninvited company. This is basic information. We will go further into shelters and other options as we go in the next few segments. And there you have it. Straight from the gunsmith's mouth.
