7 Food Storage Lies to Avoid

If you want to be prepared to survive the aftermath of a disaster, a societal collapse or just the ups and downs of life in these increasingly turbulent and uncertain times you must have a stash of necessities. One of the most important provisions that any prepper will accumulate is food.

Sure, compared to shelter and water the need for food might not be so pressing. You can only go a few hours without shelter and bad conditions, and a few days without water before you kick the bucket, but you can go weeks or even more than a month without food and survive.

But even though you can survive, things will steadily get worse and worse until you are unable to affect self-rescue and eventually die of starvation.

Food is fuel, and you’ll need plenty of it if you want to survive. But despite all the advances brought about for prepping methodology in the internet age several factual errors and nasty myths persist and propagate concerning food storage.

We are here to do our own version of Mythbusters in this article, and I’ll be dissecting seven of the worst food storage myths that you should not fall prey to!

Lie #1: “You Cannot Afford to Create a Stockpile of Food.”

This is one of the most common myths that I see beginning or would-be preppers get taken by regarding food storage.

They see their neighbors’ or their relative’s huge stockpile of food arranged neatly on banks of shelves in a dedicated emergency pantry and all they can think of is how much it must have cost to put all that together. This is totally understandable, but misguided.

Accumulating a worthy stash of food that you can survive on when times get rough is not a matter of going out and buying an additional two or three months worth of groceries in one shot, though that might be an option for some people.

You can begin right now, today, by buying just one or two extra items every time you make a trip to the store, and then storing these items appropriately.

The next time you grab some canned peaches, grab another can to add to your stash. When you swing out to grab some milk from the grocery get some powdered milk for your stash.

Small, painless incidental purchases will quickly add up until you have a 3-day supply, then week supply, then a 1-month supply and so on. Before long you’ll be ready for the long haul with a 3- or 6-month stash!

Lie #2: “You Can Totally Trust the “Expiration Date” on the Package.”

More than most other food storage myths the amount of misinformation, lie, falsehood, and folklore that surrounds the humble expiration date is stunning.

Present on virtually every, single item we buy from the grocery, as it turns out, your typical expiration date might not be an expiration date at all: It could be a “best by” or “sell by” date that is a guideline, at best.

Plenty of foods, if properly stored and uncontaminated, are good well past that printed date on the package.

Other foods might have highly variable shelf lives depending on how and where they are stored. Still others have a frankly indeterminate shelf life and you might only be able to trust them after careful inspection or preparation.

There is way, way too much on the subject to get into here, but suffice it to say that you should trust your own experience, observations and initiative when making a determination on whether or not food is good, dodgy or obviously unsafe to eat after being stored.

Lie #3: “Bad” Food Will Change Color, Texture, Odor or Taste.”

This myth piggybacks off the previous one. Common wisdom suggests that food that has gone bad will change or otherwise indicate this status somehow.

Maybe it smells bad, maybe it will look different, the texture, shine or color will change and, if we get that far, surely it will taste different. Right? Right.

Not so fast, there: It is true to say that food that has undergone any or all of these changes has likely gone bad, but food that has gone bad may not necessarily undergo any or all of these changes.

As it turns out, the bacteria of decomposition or other contamination could be present in food that has gone bad but not yet had time to significantly disrupt the typical appearance or other characteristics of food. This means those delicious canned tamales you love so much might look, smell and taste just as good as normal but be harboring a bacterial threat that is going to crush you with gastrointestinal distress.

The point is, for survival purposes you’ll really need to be on your toes. You should be highly suspicious of any food with compromised packaging, even if it appears completely normal. Take care when preparing food that you cook it thoroughly and extremely well, as this will kill lurking bacteria. If you are dealing with food that you know has been in storage for an extremely long time, use caution.

Lie #4: “Once You Get So Much Food, You Can Stop.”

This is another common food storage fallacy that preppers are particularly vulnerable to. There is a notion that once you create your checklist, or shopping list, for your emergency food storage stash you can simply “quit the program” once you have checked everything off of said list. That’s it, you’re good! You’re finally “prepared”! This is, sadly, just not true.

You’re probably heard it said that prepping is a journey, and nowhere is this truer than when it comes to food storage. Simply stated, you can never, ever sit on your hands and just stop. Even after you accumulate a certain quantity of food your work will never end.

Food must be rotated regularly, inspected periodically, and replaced when necessary. Accumulating everything on your list and then sitting on your hands waiting for the bombs to fall means you’ll have tons of spoiled, useless food when and if that fateful day arrives.

Your food won’t last forever, no matter how it is prepared or preserved, and that means you must constantly, incrementally be replacing your stocks. That’s just the way it is.

Lie #5: “Dry Beans and Grains Never Go Bad.”

Some preppers, particularly those of an old school or minimalist bent don’t like to mess around with stocking and stashing all of the many different cans, pouches and tubs full of food that embody modern, off-the-shelf provisions today.

Instead, they go back to basics and plan on stocking the staples alone, particularly dried beans and various grains.

The idea is that these simple, wholesome foodstuffs are basically impervious to degradation and subsequent decomposition that so plagues our modern processed and wet foods.

Regrettably, these foods do not last forever and indeed might be more vulnerable to spoilage than other options in certain conditions.

Though beans do not typically decompose when stored dry in correct conditions they are notorious for getting harder and harder over time until you basically cannot cook them. There are reports of old or vintage beans refusing to soften even in a pressure cooker.

Grains are not much better, as they will break down over time until they are essentially dust and will remain vulnerable to infestations of various insects and arthropods for their entire shelf life.

As it turns out, you can never outrun or otherwise “cheat” the requirement of inspecting and rotating your food stores regularly.

Lie #6: “Freeze-Dried Emergency Meals are all You Should Buy.”

In stark contrast to the above myth, some preppers steer into modern options for food storage, choosing to stockpile hundreds of pounds of freeze dried emergency meals in those ever popular, heavy duty plastic tubs.

Many of these products are marketed specifically towards preppers and other personal readiness adherents and are often touted as having a shelf life measured in years with absolutely no care required.

While that may be true and freeze dried, preserved and vacuum packed emergency meals might indeed be king of the hill when it comes to shelf life, they are not the one, true solution for an emergency food stash.

There is always a catch, and the catch for freeze dried food is it requires a tremendous amount of water just to prepare.

This, as you might expect, will increase dramatically the amount of water you must keep on hand, fresh and ready to use, if you want to rely on this freeze-dried food that you have bought. This can be a logistical strain out of all proportion with the availability of the crucial ingredient.

Not for nothing, these freeze dried foods are often full of additional chemical preservatives and absolutely jam-packed with salt, which will in turn make you thirstier and crave even more water…

Lie #7: “You Can Keep Your Stored Food Wherever You Can Fit It.”

Not everyone enjoys the same lifestyle or living arrangements as everyone else, and for some preppers storage space is at a decided and highly priced premium. This means that unconventional storage spaces must be found, converted or otherwise utilized for the storage of this emergency food stash.

Articles abound on the internet advising those of us living in cramped confines where we can stash our food, and while genuinely helpful they often omit the pertinent factors that dictate what food can be stored safely where, and for the longest amount of time.

Failing to take individual food storage requirements in account will lead to increased spoilage, wasted money and certainly increased effort as inspection and rotation frequency will be increased.

You shouldn’t keep dehydrated or canned food where you keep fresh vegetables or bulk grains and beans. Not necessarily, as depending on the item in question the requirements could be very different.

Of course, you can only do what you can do but this is something that must be kept in mind if you want your stash to last as long as it can.

Conclusion

We all started out somewhere, and no one has all the answers, but when you want to get a jump on doing anything right it is often more instructive to avoid making the biggest and most common mistakes.

When it comes to assembling and storing your emergency food stash the above seven myths are some of the most prevalent, and potentially the most destructive. Make sure you learn what they are, commit them to memory, and strive continuously to avoid them!

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/3ycMWvR

Is it Safe to Leave a Fire Extinguisher in Your Car?

One major, though usually unexpected hazard encountered on the highways and interstates every year are vehicle fires. Resulting in hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries and countless fortunes in property loss, vehicle fires are an ever present and significant emergency when operating any vehicle.

A fire extinguisher is always the first and best option for combating a fire but some drivers express worry about keeping a pressurized vessel inside the vehicle at all times.

Is it safe to leave a fire extinguisher in your car? Yes, absolutely. Only by having one close at hand inside the passenger compartment can you be reasonably sure you will be able to respond to a vehicle fire in a timely manner. A properly rated fire extinguisher is capable of handling typical oil and electrical fires associated with motor vehicles, and also withstand high ambient temperatures inside the vehicle while in storage.

The bottom line is that there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t have a high-quality, vehicle-specific fire extinguisher with your vehicle at all times. There are a few points to consider before committing to installing or carrying one, and I’ll be discussing them below.

Proper Mounting and Storage is Critical for Success

Proper mounting and storage of your vehicle’s fire extinguisher is going to play a major role in your success at fighting a fire and also keeping you safe in the event of an accident.

Generally, experts recommend you obtain two fire extinguishers for your vehicle. You should mount and keep one inside the passenger compartment where it can be easily accessed, and also a backup in the trunk or cargo area.

Your primary fire extinguisher might not have enough extinguishing agent to fully handle the fire, and sometimes extinguished fires reignite.

Before you stash your extinguisher under the seat, in the floorboard, or in some other unapproved cubby hole consider that a heavy duty, steel container might be launched and ricochet around inside the passenger compartment during a high-speed impact where it can inflict serious or even deadly wounds all by itself.

You must never keep a fire extinguisher inside the passenger compartment unless it is in an approved and properly secured mounting bracket for holder. This holder must also have a quick release system so it will not cost you any time when you need the extinguisher.

Select the Right Kind of Fire Extinguisher

You don’t want to get just any kind of fire extinguisher for your vehicle. Choosing one with the right rating and classification will ensure but you can effectively fight the types of fires you’ll be facing.

Generally speaking, any automobile specific fire extinguisher should have at least a 5-BC rating. The number ‘5’ indicates what size of fire, in square feet, that the user can reasonably expect to tackle using the extinguisher and the ‘B’ and ‘C’ in this case are North American classifications that inform us the extinguisher’s agent can handle flammable gases and liquids as well as electrical equipment fires.

This is critical because it also tells us that the extinguishing agent is non-conductive itself.

If you take the time to analyze typical vehicle fires, you will find that the vast majority of them involve flammable oils or other liquids regardless of how they begin.

Concerning the cause of ignition, electrical component failure and friction on flammable materials are both leading instigators. A ‘BC’ rated fire extinguisher can handle pretty much everything you’ll need to deal with.

One item worth carefully considering before selecting a fire extinguisher is the overall size. This is generally a compromise item for most vehicles because an extinguisher that is too large and heavy will be difficult to handle or retrieve when you need it most, and if they’re too heavy they risk being placed out of the way inside the trunk due to their bulk.

On the other hand, larger fire extinguishers have a greater capacity with which to fight a fire, meaning that one might be enough to do the job or to keep the fire at bay before the professionals arrive.

Fire Extinguishers Must be Periodically Maintained

All fire extinguishers need maintenance, and fire extinguishers that are carried inside vehicles need more maintenance than most.

Though it seems like a pretty easy duty simply being clamped inside a holder, fire extinguishers chosen for this important task go through a lot more than the ones we have in our homes and office buildings.

Vehicles, and their cargo, undergo constant vibration, and this can cause issues with your extinguisher. No matter what, it will accelerate wear on functional components and it also leads to settling of the extinguishing agent, settling which will reduce effectiveness when it is time to pull the pin and fight a fire.

Unfortunately, this problem is endemic to the nature of a vehicle-carried fire extinguisher and there’s not much you can do to prevent it.

What you can do, though, is stay on top of maintenance for your fire extinguisher to restore its functionality. A yearly or twice-yearly quick inspection at a fire safety supply dealer is all that is required to make sure your fire extinguisher is in tip-top shape and ready to do its job.

The dealer will inspect all of the many important components of the fire extinguisher including its contents, seals, actuator, and more before giving it a clean bill of health.

Quality Counts with Fire Extinguishers

Nobody wants to spend too much on the things they buy, but you would be foolish to be miserly when purchasing critical safety equipment.

Going with a cheap knockoff or a cut-throat supplier’s model might mean your fire extinguisher is not up to the task of withstanding the difficult duty of riding in your vehicle: The trigger and contents might not be able to hold up under the vibration.

The seals might not be able to withstand the screaming hot temperatures of the passenger cabin in a parked vehicle. Any of this could result in a failure when you can least afford it, and then you will rue the day you wanted to save $20 on a fire extinguisher.

The only way I have any assurances that your fire extinguisher will perform in all conditions and at all times is to spend for one made by a reputable manufacturer who UL tests their fire extinguishers both for vehicular carriage and for high-temperature storage. Your safety and potentially your vehicle are both on the line!

Conclusion

It is absolutely safe and a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher or two in your vehicle. Vehicle fires are far more common than most people think, and result in many deaths, thousands of injuries and untold fortunes in property damage.

Your best chance of preventing all the above is by choosing and properly mounting a vehicle-rated fire extinguisher in your personal automobile.

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/3dt6CDL

These 10 Baits Will Catch You a Raccoon

Raccoons are one of the most common North American mammals, found quite literally from coast to coast in every environment imaginable. It is no wonder that so many people have had run-ins with these adorable but often infuriating bandits of the animal kingdom.

Raccoons have many noteworthy characteristics, not the least of which is their appearance.

The black mask, bushy tail and incredibly delicate and dexterous for paws make them endearing to people, especially children, but they’re inquisitiveness, persistence and food-driven nature means they are notorious for breaking into trash cans, rating gardens, pilfering sacks of seed and absconding with pet kibble right out of the bowl.

This behavior may be nothing more than a nuisance for you or it could have you at your wit’s end. In a survival situation, the ravages of a gaze of raccoons could significantly deplete important provisions.

Catching them or otherwise disposing of them will depend on having the right bait. In this article you’ll be provided with 10 surefire raccoon baits that the frustrating and furry creatures won’t be able to resist.

Raccoon Feeding Preferences

Before we get to the list proper it will be helpful to understand what drives raccoon preference for food. It is a fairly fascinating subject unto itself, but delving too far into the details is beyond the scope of this article.

Suffice it to say that there are two major considerations when it comes to baiting raccoons, and both of them revolve around understanding the eccentricities of raccoon behavior and exploiting it against them.

The first is that raccoons overwhelmingly prefer fragrant, moist food above all other potential choices in their habitat. Said another way, the wetter and smellier the better!

Whenever you have a choice of multiple baits, you will rarely go wrong choosing the moisture food with the stronger odor.

Second, raccoons show a surprising amount of preference for food based on what is typically encountered in their home range. This is seen at the individual level as well as the social level, which is more complex than you might think.

Raccoons that dwell near human habitation show strong preference for scraps of human food and other items they would never normally encounter in nature, such as candy.

Raccoons that dwell deep in the woods eat varied diet of small invertebrates and insects along with various kinds of plant matter, fruit and berries.

Raccoons that live along the coasts or near water prefer items they can be easily sourced from the water’s edge, such as crustaceans and dead or trapped fish.

Use this information to inform your choice of bait wherever you happen to live. If you live in a rural setting and are having problems with raccoons around your home you could probably use human food or natural fare with equal success.

Raccoons encountered in a natural environment will probably only be accustomed to natural food, though the opportunists might take a liking to any handouts.

Lastly, raccoons that co-mingle with humans in suburban or urban environments will universally show a strong predilection for human fare.

That’s all you need to know for now, and a thorough understanding of raccoon behavior and food preference is not required for success in catching or eliminating them. Let’s move on to the list.

10 Baits That Will Catch a Raccoon

#1. Chicken / Turkey

Raccoons love all sorts of poultry, including chicken, turkey and duck. You can use whatever poultry you have close at hand for the purpose of baiting a raccoon, and if it is roasted, warm and slather and gravy so much the better.

Some folks erroneously believe that raccoons are predators of avians in the wild, but this is not completely true. It would be highly unlikely that a raccoon would pursue a bird to say nothing of actually catch it, but they are devastators of bird eggs, being commonly encountered robbing bird nests.

As always, anything you can do to increase the fragrance of the poultry will help make it more appetizing to the raccoons. Warming it up, putting out a larger portion or wetting it with some drippings from the pan.

Also, you should not be afraid to use leftovers, as raccoons will happily double up food that you or I would think is unfit to eat.

#2. Ham

Ham is another favorite of raccoons, or any kind of cooked pork, really. It certainly ticks all the appropriate boxes for raccoons, as a fragrant, fat and juicy pork chop or ham steak is going to drive them absolutely wild with anticipation.

You can use any sort of ham you might have, even deli sliced cuts for sandwiches, but make sure you warm it up and do what you can to increase the aroma wafting off of it before you put it out.

Interestingly, it seems that many raccoons used to interacting with humans and human settlements show tremendous preference for soft, shredded pork of the kind you would typically get at a barbecue joint.

If you have any leftover pork of any kind, you can use two forks to pull it apart and shred it before adding a little sauce or drippings to make it even more appealing. Try not to let your bait dry out though, as it is less likely to entice the creature.

#3. Tuna

Tuna is ounce per ounce one of the best raccoon baits around, being oily fish, and plenty stinky in the bargain. This stuff had might as well be catnip, or whatever the equivalent is for raccoons.

A heaping bowl of saucy, smelly tuna will be bringing in the raccoons in no time flat, so make sure you are ready. Try to get tuna packed in oil if you can, as that will provide a vital one-two punch when it comes to fragrance.

It is worth noting that tuna is so versatile as a raccoon bait because wild raccoons near large bodies of water will eat fish that they are able to find and suburban raccoons will commonly encounter tuna in the trash cans that they raid outside of homes.

This makes tuna sort of the “do-it-all” bait no matter where you might be, and it is all the better because it is so common and so cheap.

#4. Sardines

Sardines are sort of a cousin to tuna when it comes to raccoon bait, with a stronger flavor and a stronger odor to boot.

However, you and your family might feel about sardines as a delicacy or a staple is entirely up to you; all we need to be concerned with is that this is another all-purpose bait that raccoons go wild for, especially ones where already used to a regular diet of fish and other seafood.

Most sardines come packed in oil so you won’t have to worry about that but do take care that these tiny fish fillets don’t dry out while you’re waiting for your dinner guest to appear. A little shot of olive oil or fish oil will reinvigorate them if they do get dry, however.

Your biggest problem with sardines as bait is you’ll need an awful lot of them to keep the raccoon fixed in place and eating for any length of time. A single tin can be scarfed up in an instant with the rest carried home later for a snack!

#5. Fish / Soy Sauce

Pungent, savory and umami Asian sauces take on new life when we are trying to lure raccoons into a trap.

While most of us have our preferred Asian dishes that we like with a little shot of the stuff we can also use the sauce to further entice raccoons to take the bait, or use it to punch up bait foods that don’t have much aroma of their own.

You can think of it as a potion to level up your existing bait, so long as you use it intelligently.

You can pour the fish sauce over the bait, scatter it around the bait site or even set out a little saucer of it to really ratchet up the fragrance.

This stuff also works well when poured sparingly around the general area of your trap site in order to get recalcitrant raccoons on the scent of your primary bait. If you leave a trail of increasing quantity going to your primary bait, they will greedily follow it looking for a big score, and then you’ll have them.

#6. Fruit

Many wild raccoons eat fruits of various kinds on a daily basis, depending on what they have available and suburban dwelling raccoons will hungrily gorge themselves on what kitchen scraps or leftover portions go out with your trash or into your compost heap.

In keeping with what we learned above, juicier, more fragrant fruit is better, and especially (when they are in season) various melons, including cantaloupe and watermelon, and super sweet, rich tropical fruits like a mangoes, pineapples and guavas will do the trick.

If you have a fruit that features a tough exterior shell or protective skin you’ll probably want to cut it up or at least cut it in half prior to putting it out so that the raccoon has easy access to the soft flesh.

Also, don’t be afraid to use canned fruit if fresh fruit is not available. Place the fruit in such a way that the raccoon can easily see its bright colors and you shouldn’t have any problems getting them to investigate.

#7. Candy

Raccoons love sweet treats, and they won’t find anything sweeter, anywhere, than candy. Even raccoons living in the wild who have never been exposed to human foodstuffs before will quickly take a liking to candy as soon as they have a little time to check it out. All you need to know is that raccoons have a major sweet tooth, and crave sugars.

You can use pretty much any kind of candy, but soft candy that is slightly chewy and able to keep its shape will work best.

Taffies, soft caramels, chocolate chews and the like are all excellent choices because you can wet these a little bit or let them get wet in the rain to increase their alluring aroma.

Soggy or not raccoons will still love them, so don’t worry about these as long as they don’t dissolve away. Your raccoons might get caught, quite literally, with their paws in the candy bowl!

#8. Marshmallows

Marshmallows are a fairly innovative bait for raccoons since it exploits both their love of sweets, as we have learned, but also a bit of mimicry, working like a decoy.

As mentioned elsewhere, raccoons are relentless raiders of other animals’ nests, looking for the delicious and nutritious eggs that are commonly found within. You know what else looks like an egg to a hungry raccoon? A little, perfectly white marshmallow.

Imagine the surprise of the raccoon when it reaches out for what it suspects is an egg but turns out to be a soft, fluffy and deliciously sweet marshmallow. Well, surprised or not, raccoons are serious opportunists and they won’t turn their nose up at it.

#9. Peanut Butter

Peanut butter seems to be the bait to beat if you are trying to catch a mammal. There are just so many that love it!

Most of us had our first turn at baiting when setting a mousetrap using peanut butter as bait. Besides rodents, your dog sure loves peanut butter and so it is probably no surprise that raccoons love it, too.

There’s a strong basis for this because wild raccoons commonly enjoy all sorts of seeds and nuts, and peanut butter fits that profile to a T.

Peanut butter is especially commendable as bait because it is so inexpensive and widely available, and you can also spread it, keep it or dab it on anything you need to in order to get the raccoon to perform as desired or lead it to the trap.

#10. Pet Food

No surprises here, anyone who has ever encountered a raccoon eating out of their pet’s food bowl before already knows how much raccoons love this stuff. Dry kibble and wet, canned food are equally appealing to raccoons, so if you have plenty of pet food to spare you can just put it out as bait for the raccoons.

Make sure you take up or otherwise relocate your pet’s typical bowl, because raccoons are creatures of habit and will return again and again to a ready food source, probably ignoring the bait that is in a novel location.

And don’t worry about using dry food, which would otherwise be against the tenets of raccoon baiting we learned above. Raccoons love to dip dry morsels into nearby water to soften them up, so setting out a little dish of water is all it will take to get them after the dry kibble.

Conclusion

Raccoons might be charmers when they aren’t causing problems, but problems they often cause thanks to their inquisitive and food obsessed nature.

Turn these instincts against them by exploiting their love of food with the novel baits that we have shared with you on this list.

With a little creativity and a little persistence you’ll soon have the furry little thief right where you want him.

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/2U5UEZO

What’s the Difference Between Camping and Survival Knives?

Probably the most commonly used tool that any prepper, anywhere, will utilize when in the field is their trusty knife. Whether out on the hiking trail, camping or in the middle of a serious, no-joke SHTF situation the knife is one of mankind’s best, not to mention oldest, tools.

But what kind of knife is best for the average prepper? Should you invest in a camping or a survival knife? Does it make any difference?

What’s the difference between camping and survival knives? Broadly, a survival knife has much in common with a proper bushcraft knife, meaning a knife that is heavy duty, overbuilt, and designed to handle the worst abuse, typically involving working on wood. A camp knife is a smaller type of bushcrafting knife, one capable of many of the same tasks, just not as large, and optimized more for general-purpose applications.

You would probably be okay in most situations with either one of these knives, but as always we are here to help you figure out which one of these tools is perfect for you. Keep reading to brush up on additional considerations for choosing between a camping and a survival knife.

Typical Elements of a Survival Knife

In general, any survival knife is going to be a heavy duty, beefy tool.

A survival knife should have a thick blade, optimized for maintaining its edge no matter what kind of cutting task it is subjected to. The spine should be broad and flat, perfect for batoning through stubborn wood.

These are knives that are intended for the most abusive tasks one might subject them to in a survival situation. They are typically not designed to maintain a hair-popping edge; they are designed to stay sharp enough for the job at hand for a long time.

The point of a survival knife is also purpose driven, though they come in many different styles. A survival knife might have a delicate point that allows it to function well for precise tasks like skinning, notching and drilling or it might have a strong but less agile point that is perfect for scraping, etching and other utility tasks.

These are knives that can chop, baton, pound, dig, scrape and pry without fear that you were going to ruin them.

Survival knives might come with or without serrations on the edge but if they are included these serrations are usually optimized for getting through materials typically associated with the business of survival. Think rope, cord, wedding and other extremely tough, fibrous material.

Survival knives also periodically feature serrations on the spine of the blade or even full-blown saw teeth, though either, when found on the spine, will lessen its utility for batoning.

The handle of a survival knife is also purpose driven. Usually, the handle of a survival knife will feature mild ergonomic sculpting, enough to lock the knife into the hand without reliance on any aggressive, sharp textures that will certainly result in painful welts and blisters after an evening of processing wood.

Modern survival knives usually feature one or more deep finger coils and a jimped thumb ramp to allow for various grips depending upon the task at hand and also to keep the hand from sliding over the blade during the gnarliest jobs.

Typical Elements of a Camping Knife

You won’t go far wrong if you think of a camping knife as simply a smaller version of the survival knife you read about above.

That being said, in general a camping knife will not be built to the same mega-duty degree as a legitimate survival knife. One feature you probably will not see at all is substantial serrations, and definitely not proper saw teeth.

But, the slighter build of the camping knife is a strength all its own. It is lighter, handier and less bulky. You are far less likely to leave a camping knife behind, as opposed to a proper survival knife.

There is very little you won’t be able to take care of on the trail or around camp with your camp knife. A good camping knife, properly built and designed, will still be able to baton wood, notch branches and all that other good survival stuff.

The lighter, leaner build of the camp knife also makes them far more suitable for more utilitarian tasks. Cooking, self-defense, whittling and more are all in the camp knife’s “wheelhouse”.

Conclusion

Survival knives and camping knives are not identical, but they are intended to take care of many of the same tasks. Generally, you are not wrong to think of a camping knife as simply a smaller version of a survival knife.

The survival knife will typically be overbuilt, much larger, and somewhat heavier compared to its smaller cousin, but both can do the job in a variety of outdoor scenarios, whether recreational pursuits or legitimate SHTF scenarios.

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/3qxkstV

Lucid Dreaming | Falling Asleep

Hi guys, a few questions here from someone who's known about Lding for a while. So first of all, how do I fall asleep? I find that my dreams are much more detailed after I do wbtb. Not an actual wbtb, but a wbtb after I wake up in the morning and doze off back to sleep for an hour or so instead of doing a wbtb in the middle of the night. Could this be because I'm sleeping so late (around 4-5am) that 11-12 is my rem period and that's when I actually wake up. After dream journaling for about a week, my dreams after the scuffed wbtb are so clear and memorable, I'm almost certain that if I manage to sleep at a normal time, pull off a normal wbtb, I could attain lucidity via mild. Alternatively I could try variations of the wild technique, ie FILD. Any thoughts on this? Thank you for the read. :)

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity https://ift.tt/3gX8Qx9

Lucid Dreaming | Any Tips for Catching Natural Awakenings?

As the title suggests, I need a bit of help catching awakenings. I know the general gist is that you need to set an intention to wake up, but is there anything else I can do? I want to get the best Deilds I can without using an alarm.

To be more specific, we wake up several times a night; we're usually just not aware during them so we forget about them. I want to be aware during these moments so I can wake up without moving. It's really useful for DEILDs so you can get into one in less than 10 seconds. I've done it about twice, but I'd like to get it more consistently. I am getting on my meditation grind again, so hopefully that will be helpful. Meditation is an activity that trains awareness, so it makes sense that it'd prove useful in becoming more aware during the night.

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity https://ift.tt/3zHDJNp

Question: How Long Does Pemmican Last?

Pemmican, real pemmican, is seeing something of a renaissance among preppers, campers and other outdoorsmen. This ancient and traditional survival ration made by native North Americans is renowned for its combination of calorie density and long life, seemingly making it an ideal survival food even today.

Depending on who you ask, pemmican will last 6 months or 60 years. That much variability begs investigation if we are going to consider pemmican seriously for a modern survival provision.

So, how long does pemmican really last? Traditionally prepared pemmican has a shelf life of anywhere from 6 months to 5 years depending on storage conditions and the exact ingredients. Because pemmican is so variable and its preparation and ingredients list pinning down a precise figure is difficult.

It should be noted however, that pemmican lends itself well to long-term storage, and will last dramatically longer as a storage container and storage conditions improve.

This alone is enough to get some folks interested in adding pemmican to their survival pantry. But there is a lot more to learn and consider before you throw out more common, modern options. Keep reading to get a good primer on pemmican, and how long you can expect it to last.

What is Pemmican?

Pemmican, real pemmican, not the beef jerky branded “Pemmican”, is nothing more than a mixture of generally equal parts of tallow, dried berries and dried meat. This is an ancient foodstuff that has long served as an ingredient and survival ration and traditional native North American diets, and it is still prepared today for much the same reasons.

When the new world was being settled, European explorers and colonists were first introduced to pemmican where they discovered that it was a stable and high energy ration.

From here pemmican’s renown and recipe spread, and it was found to be eminently suitable as a purpose made survival ration, even being issued in various mass produced forms for military service.

Today, those very same qualities make it an excellent choice as a survival food for campers, hikers, preppers and anyone who needs a highly mobile, nutritious, filling and most importantly stable food stuff for including in their supplies.

Preparation

The preparation of pemmican is contentious, not because it is shrouded in myth or mystery but because there are so many tribal, regional and local variations on the recipe.

Whatever recipe you adhere to as best and proper, pemmican is typically prepared from lean, dried meat. Way back when, this most often took the form of bison, deer, moose or other big game. However, any kind of animal meat can be used with varying efficacy, including fish and fowl.

The meat would be dried in a fashion typical of beef pemmican after being cut into thin slices. This could be accomplished over a low fire, or simply laying it out in hot and direct sun.

Once the meat was very dry and brittle, it would be ground or beaten until it crumbled into a consistency close to powder, and then mixed with melted animal fat, typically tallow, in equal proportion. This is the basis of the pemmican in all variations.

After mixing the dried meat and fat, sometimes dried fruit similarly reduced to a powdery consistency would be added to the mixture and varying ratios, typical among traditional recipes or cranberries, blueberries or Saskatoon berries.

After this, all that was left to do was pack the mixture into a bag or other container before allowing it to cool and harden.

The result was versatile, filling pemmican, able to be eaten raw, fried into patties or turned into a sort of soup or gumbo.

Storage Specifics and Shelf Life

One of the most contested characteristics about pemmican is the shelf life. As mentioned above, getting a straight answer is difficult owing to so much anecdotal information about the historical preparation and consumption of pemmican, but also the vast amount of local and regional recipes that are still considered true pemmican.

For most preparations, so long as it is performed correctly with high quality ingredients and an eye toward best procedure you can expect pemmican stored at room temperature in a sealed container to last anywhere from one year to five years.

Pemmican stored in the same type of container but in a cool or refrigerated environment can last up to a decade.

As it turns out, pemmican lends itself very well to modern food preservation methods and this is where things get really interesting if you’re considering pemmican as a survival ration or staple.

Pemmican that is properly prepared, placed in a suitable container, and vacuum sealed can theoretically last for a century or even longer. Sound unbelievable? Well, hold off that disbelief for a minute!

We have confirmed accounts of military issued pemmican rations from the late 19th and early 20th century persisting in perfect condition for many decades before being consumed, either out of desperation or morbid curiosity.

As recently as 2019 US military issued emergency rations from the early 1900’s consisting of pemmican were eaten by social media personalities who filmed the entire thing, and recorded the subsequent experience:

Not only was the ration still entirely edible, but he prepared it in a variety of different ways and ate it all live on camera. To date, he has not suffered any ill effects attributed to the consumption.

If that is not proof enough of the viability of pemmican as a long term, shelf stable ration I don’t know what is!

Viability of Pemmican as Long Term Survival Food

Pemmican definitely has much to commend it for preppers as a survival food. It is made from natural, clean, and comparatively easy to source ingredients, and the mode of preparation also lends itself well to primitive settings.

Even at its worst, pemmican has a long shelf life of several months to a year that you can rely on, and if you can employ better storage containers and improve the conditions in which it is stored you can get several years out of it.

This is obviously a great way to get prepared for contingencies, but also to maximize retention of the fruits of your labors.

However, like most things, pemmican is not perfect. Though it is highly nutritious, contains an excellent blend of protein and fat for energy, and is hard-wearing, compact and shelf stable. It is not nutritionally complete, notably being lacking in several vitamins according to most recipes.

Though it is theoretically possible to overcome these deficiencies by adding additional ingredients part of its long life is attributed to its simple ingredients and careful preparation.

So long as you understand its shortcomings and can overcome them or work around them, pemmican is still a survival food par excellence today, and one you would be wise to familiarize yourself with, both its preparation and incorporation into other dishes.

Conclusion

Pemmican is an ancient survival food, but one that is incredibly well-suited to use today thanks to its extraordinary shelf life and also its versatility. It can be adapted into a variety of other dishes or preparations and is extremely calorie-dense, consisting of dried meat, animal fat and dried berries.

Once other cultures discovered pemmican from North America natives it did not take long for them to realize its better properties, and you should take a lesson from them and do the same!

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/3q9jFzn

So, Can Water Filters Remove Viruses?

Maintaining access to drinkable water is a major survival imperative. One of the very best ways that preppers can ensure they will always be able to furnish themselves and others clean water is by carrying and using a portable water filtration device. These ingenious, compact filters remove nearly every contaminant that might be found in water, except the very smallest.

Can modern water filters remove viruses? No, the vast majority cannot, though some can. This is entirely dependent on the efficiency and rating of the filtration membrane itself. Most typical household water filters will not remove viruses, whereas high performance filters utilizing a nano-rated filter will, as well as some other specialized methods.

Your water filter might catch all of the dirt, debris, and even the bacteria, but it could leave the viruses behind. Viruses, as we have all painfully learned recently can completely ruin your life… or worse…

In the remainder of this article we will dish a little more about viruses and the filters that can, hopefully, remove them.

Viruses are Incredibly Small

To understand why virus filtration is anything but a sure thing with common water filters, we must first learn a little bit about viruses. Viruses are so small, their life cycle so strange and their method of reproduction so odd they can hardly be said to be alive at all. Nonetheless, they are an incredibly plentiful and varied form of microorganism.

Viruses are so small they measure anywhere from a tenth of a micron to 110,000 of a micron in size.

Pause for a moment and consider that a micron is a thousandth of a millimeter. That means we are talking about creatures that are mind-bogglingly, insanely tiny!

But, despite being so tiny they are fairly insidious living and reproducing inside the cells of living hosts by subjugating the biological processes conducted by the cells themselves. Spooky stuff when you stop and think about it.

While the sheer variety of viruses is equally stunning, the vast majority of them worth talking about do nothing but harm once inside our bodies.

Some of them make us sick like the common cold and influenza viruses. Others will make us gravely ill. Still others will kill us with a high degree of certainty. All from something that is so tiny it is impossible to see without significant visual augmentation.

Not All Water Filters Are Up to the Task

As you have probably guessed, trying to trap something as infinitesimally tiny as a virus is extremely challenging. But modern water filters are really good.

The secret is in their filtration membranes, typically a later or even the last stage in the actual filter package with previous stages blocking and filtering out larger debris and contaminants before the final stage.

A filter membrane has pores in it that are so tiny to the naked eye it looks like a solid sheet of material. But nonetheless they are small enough to allow water to pass through while jointing even the tiniest micron sized and fraction of a micron sized contaminants.

But as impressive as this is, a filtration membrane might still have openings large enough to permit viruses to pass through, and ride along with your clean water. Talk about a major bummer.

The next logical step, therefore, is to verify precisely how capable the filtration package in our water filter is. To do that, we must know exactly how big or how small the final stage membrane openings are.

Understanding Filtration Capability

Generally, a helpful starting point when assessing how capable a filter claims to be at reducing or eliminating viral contamination in your water is by verifying how small a particulate, in microns, that the filter package can be expected to stop. Generally, this figure will be expressed as a fraction of a micron to the nearest decimal point.

The most common shorthand used to describe filter capability in this realm is microfiltration, ultrafiltration and a nanofiltration in ascending order of a capability. So how capable is each of these unique ratings? Let’s break it down.

Micro-filtration capability implies a filter capable of stopping any particulate that is 0.1 microns in size or bigger. This is a pretty daggone good filter by anybody’s standard, but not good enough for our purposes, as this will let some bacteria and pretty much all viruses through.

Next is ultrafiltration capability, capable of catching all the bugs that are 0.01 microns in size or bigger. This is a highly effective water filter to be sure, and we’ll catch the vast majority of bacteria in the world and even some viruses, but there are plenty of viruses far smaller than this.

The final rating is nanofiltration, capable of nabbing any germs that are 0.001 microns in size or bigger. This is the gold standard for a water filter capable of clearing your water source of viral contamination and it will nab virtually all known viruses.

If you are considering a conventional water filtration solution, you must make sure it is nanofiltration rated, and laboratory tested.

As with all products, manufacturers make bold claims that oftentimes don’t hold up under real world use conditions and they’re rating of nanofiltration might only apply for a pitiful quantity of water over a comparatively short period of time. You will need full-time nanofiltration capability for the life of the filter if you are going to rely on it in a survival situation!

Specialty “Filtration” Methods

There is one method of purifying your water that does not rely on a filter of any kind and will nonetheless render water of incomparable purity. The method is, of course, distillation. Distillation works by converting water to steam before condensing it back into water in a separate vessel.

This is a fairly foolproof method so long as you can pull it off, as the process ensures that any and everything in the suspect water is left behind once it changes to steam. All the sediment, bacteria, germs and teeny, tiny viruses will all stay behind harmlessly, leaving you with incredibly pure, safe water to drink.

Distillation is often employed on an industrial scale for desalination and water reclamation efforts, but for our purposes distillation can be put to use with powered gadgets capable of sitting on your kitchen countertop or even in a field improvised method employing plastic wrap in a sort of “solar oven” setup.

Distillation is also viable on a larger scale in a post-SHTF setting by using nothing more complicated than a laboratory glass setup and some burners.

Don’t Forget to “Double-Tap”!

It would be great if your water filter was capable of reliably snagging viruses from the outset when treating a suspect water source so you can get straight to drinking, but don’t forget that even if you have a “lesser” water filter that will, nominally, let some virus specimens through, you can hedge your bets and drink easier by boiling your water after filtration.

Most viruses cannot survive elevated temperatures to say nothing of the searing heat of boiling water, so assuming you have the fuel and the time, get your harvested, filtered water going at a roiling boil for a minute or two, and you’ll be certain of having made it as safe as possible.

Conclusion

Water filters may remove viruses, but they must be capable of filtering out particles on a “nano” scale, meaning thousandths of a micron in size. The vast majority of them simply aren’t up to the task.

Viruses vary in size, but many are so small they can easily slip between even the incredibly fine filters of many water filtration devices.

It is also imperative you understand your filter’s laboratory rated filtration specifications in order to understand exactly how long you can expect the level of performance necessary for catching viruses to last under normal field conditions.

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/3zA2TOc

Campsite Security: Keeping Your Gear Safe from Thieves Afield

If you are a camper, there is a better than average chance that you’ll have outdoor activities and adventures somewhere in your near future.

Maybe you are just heading out to practice your fieldcraft. Maybe you’re heading out in an RV for a few nights with the wife and kids. Maybe you are just an outdoorsy person, and want to make up for all the “screen time” with some time out in the woods. Whatever the case, that means you are going camping.

If you are anything like me this presents something of a conundrum, because it is exceedingly difficult to secure your campsite while you are afield, most especially when you are heading to a campground where you have plenty of other people- strangers- milling around. You don’t need me to tell you that somewhere in that sea of people is probably a thief or two.

There’s hardly anything more infuriating than having your possessions stolen, but what can be even worse than that is having your gear looted in the middle of a live event when you need it the most.

This is why it is so important to employ proper campsite security procedures. We will give you a crash course in this article.

Wherever You Have People, You’ll Have Thieves

I have little doubt that most of my long-time readers probably think I am something of a misanthrope. I’m really not, I promise, but I am passionate about arming people to better face the persistent and existential threats that confront us out in the world.

I feel no joy when I have to remind people that quite a few of those threats originate with their fellow man.

One of the oldest professions on earth, if you want to call it that, is thievery. In every land and every culture throughout the ages thieves have been around, and punishments for dealing with them have typically been severe.

A thief might have a morsel of decency about them, or at least an abiding embarrassment, and pilfer your goods when you aren’t around or when you can’t see them do it. A thief might also be a brazen con man who will offer a helping hand, share a laugh, crack open a beer with you, and then rob you blind at the first opportunity.

That is a long way to say that wherever you go, wherever you have people, you’ll have thieves, or at least the chance of thievery. There is no person that obviously looks like a thief, as they could be young or old, male or female, quiet or boisterous.

This can make them difficult to identify, but luckily, most thieves have a sort of taxonomy all their own, and once we better understand what makes a thief tick and how they pick their marks we can better protect our gear from their sticky fingers.

Generally, thieves want easy scores, or rather, easy access to loot. They don’t want to fight, they don’t want to scuffle, and they definitely don’t want to get caught.

So barring they are desperate or especially brazen, assuming they have access to a variety of potential marks a thief is most likely going to choose one that will afford them the best chance of concealment, the least possibility of notice, and the easiest access to a rapid escape route.

This applies to thieves in the largest metropolises, the coziest suburbs and yes, even your campground.

Now that we understand the basic M.O. of most thieves, we can work towards filling our objective of protecting our stuff from them.

Challenges of Securing the Campsite

Now, obviously we will have significant challenges facing us when it comes to asset protection in the field. After all, what are we supposed to do, lock the tent up?

Actually, you could lock your tent up using any variety of purpose-made tent locking devices, a common luggage lock through the zippers or even some heavy duty cord tied in an elaborate security knot. Any would at least slow down a would-be thief.

But all it takes is a moment’s consideration to realize that these measures are basically worthless; even a tent made of heavy canvas is easily slashed open with any sharp object, and a person who wants access is going to get access unless you are actively protecting the tent. That’s no good for our purposes.

Now, ostensibly locking or otherwise securing the tent should keep the most opportunistic, compulsive or timid of thieves at bay because they only help themselves to the lowest of low-hanging fruit, but we can’t depend on all thieves being that skittish.

More is needed to deter serious and seasoned thieves, and beyond that, if we want to hang on to our goods we must assume that some of them, at least one of them, will gain access to our campsite and our tent one way or the other. So now what do we do?

Total Security is Impossible

Before going any further, it is imperative that I impress upon you a critical concept when it comes to protecting your gear while in the field.

It’s hard to swallow, but you must accept that true and total security is basically impossible, or at least exceedingly difficult compared to keeping your stuff safely stashed at home.

Even there, it is vulnerable enough, but our troubles and vulnerabilities are magnified when camping.

Why? Well, for starters our only portable “structures”, if you want to call them that, are tents, which are insanely vulnerable to breaking and entering. Perhaps you utilize an RV or camper, though neither one affords the interior much protection with their flimsy doors.

Also, unlike the overall security situation at our homes, we don’t have access to our typical array of hiding places, safes, lock boxes and the like for protection. We pretty much have all of our eggs in one basket and that basket is very vulnerable to foxes.

So what’s the deal? Are we just screwed, then? Is it a roll of the dice if our stuff gets filtered or not? No! Not even close; we just need to adapt our typical security plans and procedures for this new environment and its inherent challenges.

But “Safer” Is Doable

Despite these limitations, it is possible to increase our safety and protect our stuff while in the field. For starters, the more we reduce our contact with unknowns, the less likely it is that we will get our stuff snatched by thieves.

Preppers who are used to camping in places that are genuinely off the beaten track or properly out of the way are unlikely to encounter anyone else at all. No strangers, no thieves.

We can also make use of a variety of procedures, best practices and security systems even while far from home. If you are wise, you will layer your security apparatus to further deter things or just buy you time to respond, again, just like you would at home.

Ultimately, you will have to deal with the notion that the only thing you’ll be able to achieve is “safer”, not “safe”, but then again, 100% safety and certainty is impossible to achieve in mortal life on this planet.

So it’s time to stop worrying about it and time to start learning how to protect your possessions and interests while out in the field. The next section includes a bevy of methods to do just that. Keep reading, time for the good stuff!

Ways to Secure Your Tent and Gear While Camping

The security methods below are grouped into two broad categories: Security systems, which rely on some type of gear, device or contraption to improve your overall level of protection, and tactics, which are actions or series of actions that you can take to improve your overall level of protection. Those don’t require any additional gadgetry.

Both are entirely viable, though which ones are more or less viable will depend on your specific situation and the context in which they are used, which I will address under the entry for each.

You can and should layer as many of these methods as you can in order to further bolster your level of security. According to your needs and desires, of course!

Security Systems

Motion Alarm

Motion alarms are a trusty standby employed for security and asset protection in all kinds of settings.

Since technology marches on, the systems have gotten smaller and smaller over the years while simultaneously improving upon their capabilities. Set up correctly, this can make a motion sensor net an ideal option for a camper.

It should be noted that these systems typically require a fair bit of experimentation to understand their limitations and also to refine their sensory apparatus, if applicable.

You don’t want the sensor to sound the alarm or send you a notification every time some leaves or grass rustles in the breeze, or a bug flies by.

Keep in mind, even when you have it perfectly calibrated there will always be a chance for false positives when camping. It could be a kid’s ball rolling by or a larger animal meandering through your camp to check it out (or look for snacks!).

Perhaps the best attribute of motion alarms is their adaptability. These systems can be employed to protect the campsite overall, or place within the confines of the tent itself so that it will only trigger if somebody accesses the tent directly.

There are many, many variations of this system on the market so take your time when doing your due diligence before purchasing.

Tilt Alarm

A tilt alarm, sometimes called a disturbance sensor, is nothing more than a small gadget that utilizes either a liquid switch or an array of sensitive whiskers or probes to detect activity.

Whenever it is activated, typically by being tilted, picked up, dropped, nudged or otherwise disturbed it will sound the alarm, typically an audible tone or siren but some modern versions can sound a silent alarm and send you a notification instead.

These are a particularly good option if you are never going to be too far from your campsite as you’ll be able to hear an audible alarm. They are also ideal in high- or medium-trust settings because you can use these to booby trap your possessions.

Someone walking near or through your campsite will not set off one of these alarms, but if they pick up your pack, move your cooler or do anything else they shouldn’t be doing then the jig will be up and you’ll have them.

However, these alarm systems fall short in any circumstances where accidental or inadvertent movement is a good possibility or even probable.

Consider employing these as a second tier alarm system in conjunction with cameras or other silent alarms that will alert you when someone approaches the perimeter but these are kept in reserve and will activate when someone actually goes for your goods.

Security Lighting

Everybody is familiar with the concept of residential security lighting, as it is the rare home in America that will not have at least one motion activated spotlight under the eaves.

Aside from providing a convenient, conservative light source in the field the same as they do at home, these systems can serve both as a deterrent and signal against intruders.

First and foremost, bad guys do not want any light shown on their dubious deeds. Darkness provides cover, confusion and makes identification difficult. Any bright light will eliminate all of those advantages.

When the lights come on, the bad guys usually scatter, and this effect will only be amplified in a wilderness setting when they are trying to sneakily approach your campsite at night. Getting lit up suddenly and without warning might spook them.

Additionally, if you are in an area without very much light pollution from other man-made sources you will probably notice the shine from your activated security lights from quite a distance, assuming you have line of sight to your campsite. The only drawbacks to these systems is that they trend towards being power hungry and they work best when they can be hanged or otherwise positioned up off of the ground.

Tripwire / Noisemaker

Tripwire noisemakers have been used for ages, and though they are definitely a low-tech option among all the others in this section they are still an entirely valid one when it comes to securing your campsite.

The best part about them is it is easy to improvise them from any natural or man-made materials you can scavenge from the immediate area.

A noise maker can be fashioned from scraps of aluminum can, a tin cup with gravel in it, broken glass, wood or even just piles of rocks.

Anything that will raise a racket can do the job and the triggering mechanism is limited only by your imagination though the traditional tripwire is one of the easiest to set up.

It is worth mentioning there are modern versions of these systems that are electronic, ones that produce an ear splitting siren capable of being heard from a great distance.

Other versions utilize firearm blanks that are even louder, but might work better depending upon the terrain while also serving to give intruders a serious scare, hopefully enough to send them running.

Heat-Sensing Alarm

Heat sensing alarms are designed to overcome the shortcomings of motion sensing alarms, namely by detecting the body heat of an intruder, be it man or beast, or the difference in heat of any object entering its detection radius against the background temperature.

They are very challenging to beat if they are working properly when intruders don’t know they are there. Like motion sensors, they typically require some fiddling and adjustment until they will work reliably without producing false positives.

It is also worth noting that these sensors typically have a short range, at least most commercially available over-the-counter sets do.

Depending upon the size of your campsite and the likely approaches you could have a tough time providing an adequately large detection bubble with just one sensor. At any rate, most units can be keyed to activate an auditory alarm and some can even transmit a notification to your device.

Strongbox

You might think that this is a strange inclusion considering I just went on a tangent above explaining how you will not be able to employ typical security solutions when in the field. That is true, and I’m not reversing myself, but it is the exception that proves the rule.

It is possible to use a traditional strong box for protecting some of your valuables at the campsite so long as you have a way to effectively anchor it to an immovable or practically immovable object.

Obviously, any strong box that is small enough for you to easily pack along when going afield is going to be small and light enough for a thief to carry away entirely.

That won’t help you, obviously, so what you’ll require is an equally sturdy attachment point on the strong box itself, a sturdy length of cable or chain, a locking system and a hard point that cannot be easily defeated.

Only by placing your goods in the container and then securing the container to the hardpoint will you provide a modicum of protection.

Also, just like a residential setting thieves who can see you are taking pains to protect something by any means will, correctly, assume that you have something worth protecting.

A visible strong box is an immediate “red flag” that you’ve got loot worth having, so you should only use one with the greatest possible discretion.

Wireless Camera System

There’s no reason why you cannot employ a wireless security camera system in the field if you really want to. Sounds crazy? It isn’t; these systems are compact, self-contained and effortlessly network with all manner of devices. So long as whatever receiving unit you’re employing has sufficient signal from the base station you’ll be in good shape.

These systems can be of particular use to preppers because they can provide excellent observation capability even when line of sight in or out of your camp is very poor. They are worth their weight in gold, particularly if you need to keep an eye on certain approaches to your camp.

These compact cameras might not provide much of a deterrent unless thieves notice them (and they might not) but even if they are small you should take pains to camouflage them in order to reduce their observability. We’ll talk more about that later.

As mentioned with the strongbox, if your cameras do get noticed, someone is very likely to think you have something around that is worth protecting, so take pains to avoid “skylining” yourself to potential thieves.

Tactics

Leave Someone on Guard

One of the single, best ways to protect your gear at camp is to leave someone on guard if you and the bulk of your party are going to be away for any length of time.

There’s always that one friend or companion who would prefer to stay behind and putter around camp or prepare the next meal, so they are a shoo-in for the duty.

Another option is to make friends with your neighbors at a crowded campground and ask them to watch out for your stuff while you are gone and exchange for you doing the same for them.

Now, far be it from me to play the cynic, but no matter how nice, friendly and gregarious your campground neighbors are you don’t really know these people. You can never be certain of what lurks at the site of their heart.

Yes, statistically most people are law-abiding, or at least not egregious lawbreakers against their fellow man, but you will still be gambling on a stranger.

Regardless, even if you were a gambler and wanted to play the odds, chances are you would still come out better than if you left your campsite totally unattended.

Use a Hiding Place

One of the best ways to secure small valuables and important gear when in the field is to utilize a hiding place, or stash. This could be as simple as concealing it beneath a rock or log, or as elaborate as a remote stash in a half rotted and hollow tree.

This is one of the best ways to protect the things you want to keep safe even should you lose everything else while you are away.

Two things to keep in mind when employing a hiding place. First, your hiding place is only good if it is truly secret. The more people that know, the more likely it is to be compromised, and forget about it if any strangers see you accessing it.

Second, make sure you protect whatever it is that you are placing and hiding, utilizing waterproofing or ceiling containers to keep bugs, moisture, dirt and debris from ruining what you are trying to keep safe.

Another major limitation with this technique is of course the size of what you are able to effectively move, hide and retrieve. Small electronics, pistols, valuables and things like that can be effectively hidden in all sorts of places. Your fancy, schmancy cooler, bass boat or trailer cannot be.

Be Mindful of Approach and Escape Vectors

One technique that is truly universal when it comes to asset protection is remaining mindful of what things will make a thief’s life easy, and then doing the opposite.

One thing that suburban and campground thieves alike value is easy ingress and egress to the target site. If you provide a thief with a quick way to get to your camp, and a quick way to get away from it or to blend in with the mass of humanity around it, you are disproportionately more likely to be chosen for a hit.

At a campground, this might mean you are camped near the edges, near the main road or near a secondary entrance. Even in a secured and fenced campground don’t consider yourself safe just because you are far from the entrance near one of the borders as thieves may gladly hop a fence to grab your stuff then hop back over and disappear.

Also consider that the farther a would-be thief has to go off of typical routes of travel, the less likely they are to target you.

Considering that as traffic tapers off they become more and more distinguishable this heightened profile forced upon them may be enough to scare them off from even making an attempt on your stuff, assuming of course that you or other witnesses are around to notice their approach in the first place.

Don’t Camp Where Others Go

One of the single, best ways to avoid thieves while you are camping is to avoid people entirely! No people, no thieves, it’s just that easy.

Now, this can make for a tense and decidedly unfun game of Clue should you be traveling and camping with your own friends and family and things still go missing, but discounting that unhappy possibility camping in a truly remote location will all but eliminate the chances of your goods being plundered.

Now, this option is not for everyone, especially people who don’t want to go into these far away, off-the-beaten-track places.

Aside from the effort required to reach them, it comes with its own attendant set of risks, namely that you won’t have anyone around to offer assistance if something goes wrong for you or your party. Additionally, some people just flat out don’t like being completely isolated.

However, from a security standpoint this makes unknown contacts easy to manage. If you have taken great pains to make yourself as inaccessible and hard to reach as possible and a stranger shows up you are far more likely to, rightly, be on your guard.

Consider Leaving Valuables Behind

I wouldn’t be doing right by my readers if I did not urge you to consider leaving behind anything that you cannot afford to lose. Yes, some gear is expensive and invaluable in a survival situation.

Yes, some things are expensive, but make your life at camp so easy or pleasant you have to bring them along. But, increasingly I see a rash of people engaging in “glamping” where they haul all sorts of valuables with them, things that will be better off left at home.

Seemingly nothing is off the table when people go camping, because what they are really trying to do is move their whole living room outdoors, at least that’s the way I see it. Expensive electronics, equally expensive clothing, jewelry and so forth all show up at these campgrounds. I don’t see the point in going camping if you want to drag all that modernity with you, but it is not the world according to Tim.

Take stock of everything you plan on hauling into the field with you, and leave behind anything that would make a juicy score for a thief that is not absolutely required.

Stash Unneeded Gear in Your Vehicle

Wherever you go, if you get there by vehicle consider leaving sensitive or valuable items in the vehicle when you depart for camp.

Don’t misunderstand: pretty much no consumer vehicle qualifies as a hard target or a secure container, but a vehicle is far more secure than a tent or campsite, especially when it is parked in areas that are frequently traveled or watched by security.

As always, keep your valuables out of sight while they’re in your vehicle and also take care to police up any other potential indicators that could tip off thieves passing by the valuables are inside the car. Even items you keep in the trunk are easily accessed once a thief is determined to get to them.

Always Consider the Greater Context

One element I feel I must diverge on and discuss with readers is the importance of concealing whatever security systems you are implementing at your camp. The layman often believes that ostentatious shows of security implements will be enough to ward off any would be thieves.

After all, a serious security apparatus equates to higher chances of detection and arrest, right? Maybe, but maybe not, that is a frame of reference problem, and the frame of reference shared by you, I and other law-abiding citizens is not the one shared by criminals.

It is true that thieves very much want to avoid being caught, confronted or arrested, and an obvious security system or multiple security systems will give them pause, but it will also indicate to them that there are indeed valuables worth protecting within, whatever they might be.

Call it professional instinct or the forbidden fruit effect, the result is that you might very well get thieves tracking on how to defeat your security procedures in order to gain access to the sweet, sweet loot they are now certain resides within.

For that reason, take pains to camouflage or otherwise conceal any security devices you are going to employ at your camp. This might mean a preparatory coat of spray paint in order to produce environment specific camo, or it could take the form of purpose-made, compact camouflage nets or coverings. Whatever you do, don’t give the bad guys any actionable intelligence, including an obviously noticeable security device. Keep it hidden, and you’ll keep your stuff safe!

Conclusion

Although it will be significantly more challenging than doing so at your home, it is entirely possible to implement good security procedures and systems while camping.

Considering the value of your gear, both monetarily and for survival purposes, you must always be on the lookout for thieves and constantly enact procedures that will thwart their efforts. Use the techniques and systems we have shared with you in this article to implement your own security solution in the field.

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/3iNsqgA

Can You Make Emergency Calls Without a Signal?

You will hardly find anybody these days that will part with their cell phones, and completely contrary to the notions of bygone decades that includes preppers.

The modern smartphone is a technological marvel that crams all kinds of useful tools and even life-saving functionality into a form factor that will, quite literally, ride comfortably in virtually any pocket.

Cell phones have saved many lives over the years by enabling people to place phone calls to emergency services during a crisis event. But for all that…

Can you still place an emergency call if your phone doesn’t have signal? Yes, you can. Most of the time, when your phone is showing that it has no signal, it means that it doesn’t have access to your cellular provider’s network. Other networks may very well be available, and will transmit an emergency call placed using your phone’s emergency call function.

This could potentially be lifesaving information for those who are unaware of how emergency calls actually function when placed from a cell phone. There is also more to know about the topic, so if you want to be more prepared and better able to use your constant companion device in an emergency, keep reading.

How Do Cell Networks Function?

Cell phones and the networks that serve them have now become such a commonplace item in much of the world that areas without them are far more noteworthy in developed nations than areas with them. In fact they have become so widespread that they are oftentimes taken for granted just like running water and electricity.

But cell phones and cell phone networks should not be taken for granted, and are nothing less than incredible feats of engineering. I’m not the guy to explain the nuts and bolts and actual science to you, but I can give you a broad overview of how cell phones interact with cell phone networks in order to transmit signals.

Any given cell phone, at least in North America, will be serviced by a cellular network provider who typically sold you, the end user, the phone.

This cellular network provider will also have installed (or make use of previously installed) cell phone towers in order to service their fleet of end user phones. It is these towers that your phone will interact with both when placing normal calls and sending normal signals or when placing emergency calls.

It is worth noting that a network provider does not have to own the tower for it to play a part in providing a usable network for their customers; they may rent services from owners of other towers to do the exact same thing.

What is important is that your phone is recognized by and has permission to interact with any given network provided by any given tower.

But assuming the tower and the network it provides handshake with your phone, it will then relay the signal transmitted by your phone to the next tower in the network, serving as a node, which will then relay it on and on however far it needs to go – until the signal your phone is transmitting reaches the recipient in the form of a text (or, more germane to our conversation, a phone call).

Simple enough!

The Network Must Recognize Your Phone

However, your phone may only interact with a network if it is authorized to use that network. In other words, your phone may only transmit across networks that it has permission to use as governed by who owns and operates the network, or who has agreements in place to utilize other networks provided by towers that they do not own.

If the network doesn’t recognize your phone, you won’t be able to get a call or other data out. You might say “no recognition, no service”.

Literally! In fact, this is what is oftentimes the case whenever your phone is displaying the dreaded “no bars” indicator. It does not mean that your phone cannot get any signal; it just means it cannot get a signal with your network that will allow it to transmit.

In fact, unless you are way out in the boondocks, it is almost a certainty that there are networks capable of servicing your phone and transmitting its signal nearby. They just refuse to do it because, you know, contracts and stuff.

If only there was a way to make use of these non-provider networks in an emergency…

That’s Where Emergency Calling Kicks In

In a genuine emergency, and using your phone’s emergency call function, there is a way to get past this network lockout based on who your carrier is.

All you need to do is press the emergency call button on your phone’s lock screen, or on your phone’s dialer interface, and you’ll be presented with the keypad per normal. Then simply dial 911 or, in some cases, just press call normally, as certain phones and versions of popular operating systems will automatically populate the recipient field with 911.

That’s it, assuming there is a functional network of any kind in the area your phone will make use of it and be allowed to transmit your call to emergency services.

How Does This Work?

The process by which your phone and a normally unrecognized network interact with each other during the placing of a legitimate emergency call is actually pretty interesting.

Even prior to you placing the emergency call, your phone has been locating, analyzing and storing all available networks that it can detect, even when it is telling you there is absolutely, positively no signal according to those four little bars at the top.

When you actually place the emergency call, it will pick the best overall network for strength and availability and then transmit your call with what amounts to a special priority coding on it. Under U.S. law, any cell phone tower, owned and operated by any carrier, must recognize, handle and transmit an emergency call so coded.

That is comforting enough, but in the unlikely circumstance that the only available network is so jammed with traffic that there is just no way your call could be transmitted anyway, the network will actually forcibly disconnect and drop a non-priority call on the network to make room for your priority emergency call. That is actually quite a comfort when you think about it!

Beware Battery-Hogging Search Protocols

You ever noticed that when you’re in an area with minimal or no signal your phone’s battery seems to drain faster? As it turns out it isn’t your imagination: your phone is constantly searching for, interacting with and remembering signals that it otherwise cannot use in these times.

This is actually more energy intensive than simply staying in an area where it has plentiful and ample service on a network that does recognize it. If you want to conserve your battery when you are off the preserve, so to speak, you should turn your phone on airplane mode or the equivalent.

This will reduce all of your phone’s emissions and transmissions to a minimal level, preventing it from otherwise fruitlessly searching and searching for networks that won’t be able to make use of under normal operation.

And don’t worry, if you need to make an emergency call activating the corresponding button or actually placing the call will typically immediately deactivate airplane mode in order to save you precious time right before the phone starts interrogating nearby networks to see which one is suitable.

You can save power with confidence using this little trick.

Conclusion

Though modern cell phones cannot send normal traffic along any network except the one that is served or operated by your provider, you can take comfort knowing that emergency calls must be serviced by any available network operated by any carrier. This means that a phone showing no signal will still very likely be able to place an emergency call.

Note that this functionality only works when placing a legitimate emergency call using your phone’s emergency call feature or button.

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/3ghaWHR

New York State Knife Laws

In an outcome that surprises absolutely no one, New York has been, is and likely will remain the most restrictive state in the Union when it comes to the carry and possession of personal weapons.

Though the state is infamous for its abiding hatred of guns in citizens’ hands they have spared plenty of ire for knives as well, as codified in one of the densest, most confusing and most vindictive sets of laws ever put the paper.

The short version is that any knife, any knife whatsoever, could possibly be classified on the spot as a dangerous weapon and get you hauled off to jail.

This is not hyperbole, and this is not anecdote: New York has what you would call a proud history of prosecuting these crimes, and even increasing public clamor from concerned citizens and industry partners has done absolutely nothing to stem the tide.

New York knife laws are nothing short of draconian. It is ugly, but we will share the ugly truth with you below in a vain attempt to better equip you to carry a knife in this backwards state.

What You Need to Know

• What Kind of Knives Can I Own?: *Possession of any knife may potentially result in criminal charges.*
• Can I Carry a Knife Concealed Without a Permit?: No.
• Can I Carry a Knife Concealed With a Permit?: No.
• Can I Carry a Knife Openly?: No.

Disclaimer

This article is not to be treated as legal advice. The author is not an attorney. Neither this website, its principals, owners, operators, contractors or employees, or the author of this article, claim any criminal or civil liability resulting from injury, death or legal action resulting from the use or misuse of the information contained in this article. Any comprehensive self defense plan will include preparing for the legal aftermath of being caught carrying a knife in the state of New York. The reader should hire and consult with a competent attorney as part of their preparations.

General Ownership

It is impossible to overstate just how sinister New York’s knife laws are. New York has made the possession of any knife that is designed or adapted for use primarily as a weapon a crime, and the possession is presumptive evidence of intent to use said weapon unlawfully against another.

It is a crime that will see you arrested and charged outright with no reservations, and if New York has been consistent with anything, they are highly consistent when it comes to charging innocent citizens who claim to be in possession of any kind of knife for any reason, but especially for self-defense.

They will also prosecute if the preponderance of the evidence suggests that the knife is intended to be used principally as a weapon, and not a tool.

Thanks to disgustingly all-encompassing and willfully interpretive language used in the statutes (and a lack of definitions) any knife, any knife of any kind, any knife whatsoever can and has been previously interpreted as a dangerous weapon in the state of New York.

It is the carry of the knife itself that is essentially taken for evidence of criminal wrongdoing in progress or yet to occur. Folks, I don’t say this lightly, but you would be better off to cut your food with scissors instead of a dinner knife if you really wanted to stay on the safe side.

Concealed Carry, No Permit

The concealed carry of any knife is completely foolhardy in the state of New York. You are one bad interaction away from being arrested.

Concealed Carry, With Permit

Being in possession of the nearly mythical New York State concealed weapons permit does not afford you any leeway when it comes to the carry of knives. Don’t do it.

Open Carry

Openly carrying any knife in New York will just get you arrested faster. Don’t.

Prohibited Places

Since you effectively cannot carry a knife anywhere for any reason in New York, a comprehensive list of all the places you are forbidden from carrying one is sort of redundant. That being said, the law specifies that you definitely cannot carry your knife into any school or onto any public transportation in New York.

Assessment

New York is the worst of the worst when it comes to the carry and ownership of knives, and you should expect nothing less from the reigning champion when it comes to trampling citizens’ rights.

Carrying a knife of any kind is essentially handing the court system an invitation to prosecute you, and attempting in any way to unravel New York’s legal statutes in order to figure out under what conditions you could theoretically get away with carrying even the most innocent kind of knife is a Sisyphean task.

If you need a cutting tool, carry scissors, and they had better be those blunt, play school looking scissors at that.

Important New York State Statutes

Section 265.00 – Definitions

…

4. “Switchblade knife” means any knife which has a blade which opens automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in the handle of the knife.

5. “Gravity knife” means any knife which has a blade which is released from the handle or sheath thereof by the force of gravity or the application of centrifugal force which, when released, is locked in place by means of a button, spring, lever or other device.

5-a. “Pilum ballistic knife” means any knife which has a blade which can be projected from the handle by hand pressure applied to a button, lever, spring or other device in the handle of the knife.

5-b. “Metal knuckle knife” means a weapon that, when closed, cannot function as a set of plastic knuckles or metal knuckles, nor as a knife and when open, can function as both a set of plastic knuckles or metal knuckles as well as a knife.

5-c. “Automatic knife” includes a stiletto, a switchblade knife, a cane sword, a pilum ballistic knife, and a metal knuckle knife.

5-d. “Undetectable knife” means any knife or other instrument, which does not utilize materials that are detectable by a metal detector or magnetometer when set at a standard calibration, that is capable of ready use as a stabbing or cutting weapon and was commercially manufactured to be used as a weapon.

…

13. “Cane Sword” means a cane or swagger stick having concealed within it a blade that may be used as a sword or stilletto.

…

15-b. “Kung Fu star” means a disc-like object with sharpened points on the circumference thereof and is designed for use primarily as a weapon to be thrown.

…

Section 265.01- Criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree

A person is guilty of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree when:

(1) He or she possesses any firearm, electronic dart gun, electronic stun gun, switchblade knife, pilum ballistic knife, metal knuckle knife, cane sword, billy, blackjack, bludgeon, plastic knuckles, metal knuckles, chuka stick, sand bag, sandclub, wrist-brace type slingshot or slungshot, shirken, or “Kung Fu star”;

(2) He or she possesses any dagger, dangerous knife, dirk, machete, razor, stiletto, imitation pistol, undetectable knife or any other dangerous or deadly instrument or weapon with intent to use the same unlawfully against another; or

…

Criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree is a class A misdemeanor.

…

Section 265.05 – Unlawful possession of weapons by persons under sixteen

It shall be unlawful for any person under the age of sixteen to possess any air-gun, spring-gun or other instrument or weapon in which the propelling force is a spring or air, or any gun or any instrument or weapon in or upon which any loaded or blank cartridges may be used, or any loaded or blank cartridges or ammunition therefor, or any dangerous knife; provided that the possession of rifle or shotgun or ammunition therefor by the holder of a hunting license or permit issued pursuant to article eleven of the environmental conservation law and used in accordance with said law shall not be governed by this section.

A person who violates the provisions of this section shall be adjudged a juvenile delinquent.

…

Section 265.10 – Manufacture, transport, disposition and defacement of weapons and dangerous instruments and appliances

1. Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any machine-gun, assault weapon, large capacity ammunition feeding device or disguised gun is guilty of a class D felony. Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any rapid-fire modification device is guilty of a class E felony. Any person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured any switchblade knife, pilum ballistic knife, metal knuckle knife, undetectable knife, billy, blackjack, bludgeon, plastic knuckles, metal knuckles, Kung Fu star, chuka stick, sandbag, sandclub or slungshot is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

2. Any person who transports or ships any machine-gun, firearm silencer, assault weapon or large capacity ammunition feeding device or disguised gun, or who transports or ships as merchandise five or more firearms, is guilty of a class D felony. Any person who transports or ships any rapid-fire modification device is guilty of a class E felony. Any person who transports or ships as merchandise any firearm, other than an assault weapon, switchblade knife, pilum ballistic knife, undetectable knife, billy, blackjack, bludgeon, plastic knuckles, metal knuckles, Kung Fu star, chuka stick, sandbag or slungshot is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

3. Any person who disposes of any machine-gun, assault weapon, large capacity ammunition feeding device or firearm silencer is guilty of a class D felony. Any person who disposes of any rapid-fire modification device is guilty of a class E felony. Any person who knowingly buys, receives, disposes of, or conceals a machine-gun, firearm, large capacity ammunition feeding device, rifle or shotgun which has been defaced for the purpose of concealment or prevention of the detection of a crime or misrepresenting the identity of such machine-gun, firearm, large capacity ammunition feeding device, rifle or shotgun is guilty of a class D felony.

4. Any person who disposes of any of the weapons, instruments or appliances specified in subdivision one of section 265.01, except a firearm, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor, and he is guilty of a class D felony if he has previously been convicted of any crime.

5. Any person who disposes of any of the weapons, instruments, appliances or substances specified in section 265.05 to any other person under the age of sixteen years is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

…

Section 265.15 – Presumptions of possession, unlawful intent and defacement

…

2. The presence in any stolen vehicle of any weapon, instrument, appliance or substance specified in sections 265.01, 265.02, 265.03, 265.04 and 265.05 is presumptive evidence of its possession by all persons occupying such vehicle at the time such weapon, instrument, appliance or substance is found.

3. The presence in an automobile, other than a stolen one or a public omnibus, of any firearm, large capacity ammunition feeding device, defaced firearm, defaced rifle or shotgun, defaced large capacity ammunition feeding device, firearm silencer, explosive or incendiary bomb, bombshell, switchblade knife, pilum ballistic knife, metal knuckle knife, dagger, dirk, stiletto, billy, blackjack, plastic knuckles, metal knuckles, chuka stick, sandbag, sandclub or slungshot is presumptive evidence of its possession by all persons occupying such automobile at the time such weapon, instrument or appliance is found, except under the following circumstances: (a) if such weapon, instrument or appliance is found upon the person of one of the occupants therein; (b) if such weapon, instrument or appliance is found in an automobile which is being operated for hire by a duly licensed driver in the due, lawful and proper pursuit of his or her trade, then such presumption shall not apply to the driver; or (c) if the weapon so found is a pistol or revolver and one of the occupants, not present under duress, has in his or her possession a valid license to have and carry concealed the same.

4. The possession by any person of the substance as specified in section 265.04 is presumptive evidence of possessing such substance with intent to use the same unlawfully against the person or property of another if such person is not licensed or otherwise authorized to possess such substance. The possession by any person of any dagger, dirk, stiletto, dangerous knife or any other weapon, instrument, appliance or substance designed, made or adapted for use primarily as a weapon, is presumptive evidence of intent to use the same unlawfully against another.

…

Section 265.01-A – Criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds

A person is guilty of criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds when he or she knowingly has in his or her possession a rifle, shotgun, or firearm in or upon a building or grounds, used for educational purposes, of any school, college, or university, except the forestry lands, wherever located, owned, maintained or held in trust for the benefit of the New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse University, now known as the State University of New York college of environmental science and forestry, or upon a school bus as defined in section one hundred forty-two of the vehicle and traffic law, without the written authorization of such educational institution; provided, however no school, as defined in subdivision ten of section eleven hundred twenty-five of the education law, shall issue such written authorization to any teacher, school administrator, or other person employed at the school who is not primarily employed as a school resource officer, police officer, peace officer, or security guard who has been issued a special armed guard registration card as defined in section eighty-nine-f of the general business law, regardless of whether the person is employed directly by such school or by a third party.

Criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds is a class E felony.

…

Section 265.06 – Unlawful possession of a weapon upon school grounds

It shall be unlawful for any person age sixteen or older to knowingly possess any air-gun, spring-gun or other instrument or weapon in which the propelling force is a spring, air, piston or CO2 cartridge in or upon a building or grounds, used for educational purposes, of any school, college or university, without the written authorization of such educational institution.

Unlawful possession of a weapon upon school grounds is a violation.

…

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/3gdHmDh