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What is a Trip Wire and How Do You Use It?
What is a Trip Wire and How Do You Use It?
What is a trip wire?  As its name suggests, a trip wire is a thin line of wire (or other material) that is intended to cause an intruder to trip... Read more...
What the COVID-19 Pandemic Teaches Us About Being Prepared
News began trickling into the states at the tail end of 2019 of a novel virus spreading rapidly in China. By February, many in the States were closely watching the developments as the virus had quickly begun to spread. By March, the first stay at home orders were issued in states across the country. People began to lose their jobs, and grocery store aisles emptied. Now several months from the beginning of this disaster, though nowhere near the end, we can look back and learn a few lessons about preparation. ... Read more...
What are my rights during a state of emergency?
In recent months nearly every state in the country has declared a state of emergency in order to address COVID-19. Although emergencies can be declared for many reasons, the pandemic is unique in the memory of every currently living generation. The sometimes heavy-handed restrictions have caused a lot of trepidation for many. In addition to losing livelihoods, many have been greatly disturbed by the limitations on their ability to freely travel. We've put together a short primer on what a state of emergency is and how it affects your rights.... Read more...
Why did a pandemic result in almost 2 million gun sales?
Why did a pandemic result in almost 2 million gun sales?
A global pandemic strips us of our feelings of control over our own lives. When forces beyond our control take such an acute toll on our daily lives, people respond... Read more...
Is your internet connection secure? Why you need a VPN
If you're stocking up on survival gear, don't forget about virtual protection as well. Consider signing up for a VPN service to protect your data and your identity. What is a VPN? A Virtual Private Network is secure connection method used to add security and privacy to networks like the Internet and WiFi hotspots. VPNs are used by corporations and discerning individuals alike to protect sensitive data. How Does a VPN Work? A VPN lends the user a temporary IP address and masks your true IP address from every website... Read more...
The most basic survival need (can you guess what it is?)
The most basic survival need (can you guess what it is?)
If the SHTF tomorrow, there would be just three things you would need to survive. It's food, water, and shelter, right? It's the most basic things you will have to... Read more...
You Should Be Carrying a Lockpick Set. Here's Why.
The items you carry with you every day are a reflection of your expectations for life. You expect to receive text messages, to get on the bus or drive your car, to unlock doors and use your debit card. But what about when things don’t go the way you expect? This is why we carry other stuff too- stuff like a pocket knife, a mini flashlight, maybe a multi tool. Just in case. Now consider all the times you have the potential to get locked out during the day: your... Read more...
Can You Shoot Open a Pair of Handcuffs?
For any seemingly impenetrable object out there, there's someone who has looked at it and thought to themselves... "I should shoot that." Handcuffs are no exception. Supposedly this video is a myth-busting endeavor meant to prove whether or not handcuffs can be shot open like they occasionally do in the movies, but we're pretty sure the underlying motivation is... well, it's fun to shoot stuff. Shop Urban Survival Gear In this video we found thanks to Guns.com, Edwin Sarkissian uses a Glock to try and shoot open a pair of... Read more...
When Disaster Strikes, You Only Need 6 Things
A prepper in Ohio apparently surprised the press by divulging that he's purchased farmland with a small group of other preppers as a sort of "insurance policy" should it all hit the fan. This behavior doesn't really surprise anyone in the prepping community. Being able to buy rural land to escape to in the event of a total societal breakdown is every prepper's dream, but obviously it's not a reality for the vast majority of Americans. The article acknowledged this as well, and the interviewee shared the top 6 items... Read more...
Think Your Hotel Room is Secure? Think Again.
Forbes recently reported on a press release from F-Secure sharing that researchers had discovered a hack that would allow them to create a master key card that could open any hotel door with a single card. Yes, you read that right. Any hotel room. One key. The only material the researchers needed in order to create the master key was a single discarded key from their target location- it didn't matter how old or expired the card. They were able to use information still on the card to create a... Read more...
Do You Ever Travel? You're Going To Want To See This.
  Motherboard just shared a video in which locksmith and YouTuber MM Developer shows how easy it is to break into a hotel room. It's so simple, in fact, that you can do it with the takeout menu you usually find by the phone in your hotel room. It doesn’t even have to be a plastic one; as you can clearly see in the video below, he simply uses a paper menu folded over.   This method of lock picking is not actually picking a lock at all, but rather... Read more...
Could You Escape Handcuffs With Nothing But a Hair Pin?
Over on SOFREP there's a new article up on how to pick handcuffs with nothing but a hairpin. It's a really helpful tutorial with step-by-step photos showing how a simple bobby pin can be used in a pinch to unlock a pair of handcuffs. He also explains the easier method of shimming, which is a really useful skill to have as well. The caveat is that a shim cannot be used on double-locked handcuffs. Double-locked cuffs are very common now, so you want to be sure that you have practiced... Read more...