Sightline Media Group, LLC writes about products and services to help our readers navigate when shopping online. Sightline Media Group, LLC may receive a share of revenue from our affiliate partners if you purchase products or contract services through our links.

Sightline Media Group, LLC writes about products and services to help our readers navigate when shopping online. Sightline Media Group, LLC may receive a share of revenue from our affiliate partners if you purchase products or contract services through our links.

Check out Dynamis Alliance, Loop Belt, 5.11 Tactical, and Blackside Customs for more information!

What to look for when purchasing a belt for everyday carry items.

1. Ensure its length accounts for the increased circumference of your waist once tools are in place.

2. Ensure the material is sturdy and thick enough for all holster, sheath, and other gear clips.

3. Ensure secure attachment points where the buckle and belt connect.

4. Ensure belt width is shorter than clip length.

5. Conduct a jump test with all EDC items properly attached before you walk out the door each day.

For more information on products mentioned:

Check out Dynamis Alliance, Loop Belt, 5.11 Tactical, and Blackside Customs for more information!

Sightline Media Group, LLC writes about products and services to help our readers navigate when shopping online. Sightline Media Group, LLC may receive a share of revenue from our affiliate partners if you purchase products or contract services through our links.

1. You need a vehicle: Vans are ideal. They provide plenty of usable space, cheaper than other vehicles, and blend into most environments. In fact, #vanlife is one of the fastest growing lifestyles with millions of adventurers roaming the planet in their pimped out vans. Some of the more popular platforms are from big manufactures to include; Mercedes Sprinter, Ram ProMaster and Ford Transit. If you’re on a budget, used school buses make for great BOV’s!

2. You need a blueprint: Once you decide on a platform, the real fun begins. There are literally hundreds of creative conversion plans and designs. Ensure your design includes independent energy options like a battery bank, solar, and propane to power your living space. Most layouts include capabilities for cooking, sleeping, storage, climate control and other creature comfort amenities like bathroom and shower options.

3. Build it or buy it: You can spend the weekends building out your BOV or you can buy a Class B Recreational Vehicle. Class B’s consist of a variety of make and model vans converted into recreational vehicles (prebuilt virus and zombie escape whips). It’s not a bad way to go if you can afford it. They range from $60k to almost $200k – that’s just for converted vans. You can expect a million dollar plus price tag for coaches built for rock star’s. The best bang for your buck is the Pleasure Way Tofino, check it out.

Sightline Media Group, LLC writes about products and services to help our readers navigate when shopping online. Sightline Media Group, LLC may receive a share of revenue from our affiliate partners if you purchase products or contract services through our links.

When you are conducting day to day business, traveling the country, or running to the grocery store – one of the first orders of business is building a go bag. In case of an emergency, this bag (also known as a “bug-out kit”) becomes an essential life-support system. It contains everything needed to keep you and your loved ones alive, or should you have to “go black,” hiding out of sight until the coast is clear or resume your current lifestyle. Go bags are essential in today’s chaotic climate.

What?

A go bag typically consists of a day or two of life support— water, food, cash, emergency medical supplies, navigation aids, and a “black” or covert phone similar to the type known in the criminal world as a “burner.” The bag should be stashed in your vehicle, concealed in a spot that is easily accessible from the driver’s seat, such as the center console compartment (between the seats) or under the seat. (Should you find yourself upside down as the result of a collision with aggressors, the kit should be within arm’s reach.) As its name implies, the go bag needs to be light enough to be carried—canned foods and other heavy supplies do not lend themselves to ease of transport.

How?

When?

In day-to-day life, go bags can be used as precautionary disaster measures—not only by civilians living in regions at high risk for natural disasters, but by anyone alert to the threat of urban disasters or terrorism.

Build a go bag! Before the next crisis strikes. Use the attached art work and video to get you started.

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Not only have tourniquets gone from last resort to sometimes first option, its application has evolved as well. Before, tourniquets were applied just above the bleeder in order to save as much of the extremity as possible. This supported the notion that where the tourniquet was placed, was also the location or point of amputation. Now, there’s a saying “go high or die,” meaning you want to apply the tourniquet as high up the limb as possible.

For the purposes of this article, we are using a Rapid Stop Tourniquet, designed and developed by Aero Healthcare. Leveraging MIT brains, along with subject medical experts, they have developed a ratcheting tourniquet with only three simple steps.

1. Place Rapid Stop as high up the bleeding limb as possible
2. Pull the D-Ring until snug
3. Lift ratchet lever until bleeding stops

There are literally dozens if not hundreds of different kinds of tourniquets on the market. All of which follow very basic principles developed by the original improvised tourniquet. Before there were manufactured tourniquets, there was a technique using a dressing or bandanna tied snugly around the extremity along with a winless (like a stick) allowing a person to twist and crank the bandanna even tighter in order to stop blood flow. Everyone should know how to a tourniquet works in case you don’t have one. It’s not a bad idea to have a tourniquet at home, in your vehicle, or even in your man bag or purse. Let’s face it, all bleeding eventually stops. The smart ones have a tourniquet, the rest bleed out.

Shop Rapid Stop Tourniquet, $35.

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What is it about this brewed hot beverage that makes it so consumable by so many? For some it’s an art, and others an addiction. It starts most of our days—and for graveyard shifters, it ends theirs. It serves as a fuel, and for some, it’s a meal. In Ethiopia, rituals are dedicated to it; in America, the drive-thru line won’t move fast enough. Soldiers pour packets of MRE instant coffee directly into their mouths and wash it down with water—just to stay awake. Meanwhile, in California, on a Hollywood set, an actor playing a soldier orders a double ristretto venti half-soy nonfat decaf organic chocolate brownie iced vanilla double-shot gingerbread Frappuccino extra hot with foam whipped cream upside-down double-blended, one Sweet’n low and one Nutrasweet, with ice—just to pretend that he’s someone else. WTF?

Anyway, coffee is a culture, an economy, and a passion—all in one. No matter how you take it, it’s a common daily requirement for most of us. Some brew and drink coffee in personalized private ways that sets them apart from everyone else, and they do it with pride. How do you make your coffee? Here are a variety of ways to enjoy your next cup of Joe, that’s a little more exploratory.

DRIP IT

A minimalistic way to brew one perfect cup of coffee. All you need is 3 tablespoons of ground coffee, roughly 20oz of hot water, a filter, and preferably a glass container—the rest is pretty straight forward. Or, you can order this Drip Kit. It’s that easy.

Shop Chemex Pour-Over Glass Coffeemaker, $59.

PRESS IT

Depending on the size of your French Press, you can brew several cups at a time. Dump your favorite ground coffee into the press, add just off boiled water and let sit for 4 minutes, then gently press the plunger until you meet resistance. Here is a great French Press to get you started.

Shop Veken French Press, $26.

ESPRESSO IT

The stove top method of making a great espresso is globally known. It takes some disassembly and reassembly but once you do it couple of times, you’ll be good to go. The outcome is a great cup of espresso sipped from a preheated cup, don’t forget that part. Here is a simple stove top espresso maker to get you started.

Shop Grosche stovetop espresso maker, $28.

COLD BREW IT

Cold brew is certainly trending and takes a bit longer to make… like 12–24 hours longer and you need access to cooler full of ice or refrigerator. Grind your coffee nice and course, this will prevent bitterness. One ounce of coffee grounds per cup of water is a good rule of thumb. Mix coffee and water together in a jar and place in refrigerator for 24 hours. Slowly separate your grounds from the brew using cheesecloth and strainer. Boom, cold brew is served. Here’s a cold brew kit to get you started.

Shop CoffeeGator Cold Brew Kit, $27.

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FUEL THE BODY

My first sprint every morning is to the coffeemaker. I add heavy cream, Splenda, and Bubs Naturals MCT Oil Powder ($34) to every cup—homemade bulletproof coffee, but cheaper. The MCT powder powers my brain, and I need all the help I can get. 

Shop Bubs Naturals MCT Oil Powder, $34.

THROW A KNIFE

In backyards and bars across America, the medieval art of throwing axes and other sharp pointy objects is back! There’s nothing more satisfying than chucking a one-pound piece of steel at a target, even if it doesn’t stick. To get started, check out pro thrower Jason Johnson’s knives. They are works of art that also have incredible capability.

Check out Jason Johnson knives.

GET LOST

Your couch doesn’t like you and is looking for a break, so get outside and explore! Before you start, make sure you have a GPS to mark your starting point and track your route, so you can find your way back to your lonely couch. A good one for beginners is the Garmin Fenix 6 ($700 and up), which is loaded with every possible feature for outdoor excursions, health, fitness, and much more. Basically, everything you have on your phone packed into a stylish watch—and the battery lasts like 5 days!

Shop Garmin Fenix 6, from $700.

PUNCH A FRIEND

Let out all your frustration and depression in a good old-fashioned sparring match. Pick a family member or Covid-friendly friend and smack each other back into happiness—and do it safely with protective suits and helmets designed specifically for this type of therapy. And yes, it is therapy. 

For the very best in training suits, check out Blauer Spear’s High Gear ($2,000). Its athletic design ensures snug fit for maximum range of motion and protection across all aspects of defensive tactics, combatives, scenario-based training, and even conventional sparring for MMA, grappling, striking arts, etc.

Shop Blauer Spear High Gear, $2,000.

CARVE DINNER

I would say go hunt your food, but all the zoos are shut down, so pre-killed meat from the grocery store will have to do for now. But let’s say you were feeling a little froggy and wanted to eat what you kill: A knife that works in the field as well as the kitchen will ensure you don’t starve during global chaos. I’ve really enjoyed the knives from SH9 ($219 and up): They adapt to any environment and are beautifully designed and ready for the hunt.

Shop SH9 knives, from $219.

Somewhere in the middle of your new routine—you need to do some work, pay your bills, and binge on a TV show. Oh wait, that’s right; you’re unemployed, have zero money, and you’ve already watched everything. Let your 266 days of new habits begin. Good luck! 

Sightline Media Group, LLC writes about products and services to help our readers navigate when shopping online. Sightline Media Group, LLC may receive a share of revenue from our affiliate partners if you purchase products or contract services through our links.

As we approach flu season during a pandemic, preparation and readiness might be a good idea, just in case the world falls apart. We now know we can survive as a country in times of crisis—we are doing it every day. As flu season approaches, let’s concentrate on basic life support items and always assume it’s only going to get worse. Basic life support includes but is not limited to: food, water, medical gear, sanitation, and awareness. Here are some doomsday goodies to hoard in your shed.

FOOD

I have operated, maintained fitness, and basically survived on MREs for months at a time. Not exactly delicious, but they provide the calories to sustain life. They’re perfect for long-term storage, easy to heat and eat, and designed specifically for combat and/or chaos. There are lots of commercial options, some better, some worse.

TASTES BETTER: Mountain House Classic Bucket, 24 servings, $190.

RELIABLE: MRE 2020 Inspection Date Case, 24 meals, $260.

WORTH A TRY: XMRE BLUE LINE Food Packs, 12 meals, $120.

WATER

The odds of complete water loss are extremely low. Like food, however, it never hurts to plan for the worst-case scenario. Cases of bottled water are unrealistic for the long haul. But today’s water filters can clean hundreds of thousands of gallons of water.

MUST-HAVE: Sawyer Products MINI Water Filtration System, $20.

GOOD TO HAVE: MSR MiniWorks EX Microfilter Water Filter, $90.

MEDICAL GEAR

Ideally, you should have two weeks of your prescriptions and basic OTC medications like Tylenol, ibuprofen, and Benadryl, plus masks and gloves. Trauma gear is never a bad idea. Use the acronym MARCH—Massive Hemorrhage, Airway, Respiratory, Circulation, and Hypothermia—to build your kit.

SIMPLE & AFFORDABLE: Shop March EDC Survival Kit, $40.

READY FOR ADVENTURE: Adventure Medical Kits Trauma Pak with QuikClot, $24.75.

SANITATION

We are all experts at this point. Just remember, rubbing alcohol is the main ingredient in hand sanitizer. You can make your own or just use alcohol by itself. But it will go a lot further when mixed with aloe and essential oils.

KILL EVERYTHING: SuperHandy Fogger Machine Disinfectant, $350.

CLEAN HANDS: Prime Guard Alcohol Anti-Septic Liquid Instant Hand Sanitizer (2-pack), $72.

MASK UP: Disposable Face Mask, 50-Pack, $24.

AWARENESS

Staying in the know is important and allows you to make educated decisions in times of crisis. Whether it’s the location of the next set of protests or bad weather on its way, knowing is better than not.

ALL-IN-ONE, ALL YOU NEED: BaoFeng BF-F8HP 8-Watt Dual Band Two-Way Radio, $70.

Sightline Media Group, LLC writes about products and services to help our readers navigate when shopping online. Sightline Media Group, LLC may receive a share of revenue from our affiliate partners if you purchase products or contract services through our links.