The Tactical Life

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2954

Thought for the day:

strong

No truer words ever written:

Training:

heavy bag, speed bag, light sparring at Krav Maga

Question of the day:

Due to severe flooding, I have been without water for two days (county water system pump blew). Do you know anything about water purification? If not, some information.

Pre-filtering you water: This is important, if your water is full of particulate matter and other disgusting crap you might want to consider doing a pre filter. I typically do this by putting a shirt over the mouth of my canteen and pouring the water through my shirt. This limits the amount of debris getting into your water and lessens the chance of you getting a water-borne pathogen.

Iodine tablets: Light and portable these are my go to method for purifying water when navigating. The bottle will tell you precisely how much is needed to purify your water. If your water is super cloudy / dirty you can double the dosage of iodine and the time for purification (usually from 30 minutes to an hour). Don’t forget to “burp” your water. Which entails holding the canteen upside down 5-10 minutes after dropping the iodine tablets in your water and unscrewing the cap slightly to allow water with iodine in it to flow through the threads of the cap and purify any remnants of contaminated water in there. A couple of notes, don’t add any powders drink that contain Vitamin C prior to the purification process completing as it reduces the effectiveness of the iodine. Iodine also reduces the uptake of radioactive iodine.

Bleach: Make sure that you purchase bleach without any other fancy chemicals in them. You want bleach that is 4-6% Sodium Hypochlorite. With this percentage, you can use the “You must be 21 to drink” rule. Which is that you need 2 drops of bleach per 1 liter of water. Once the bleach is in, your wait time is 30 minutes. Or if the water is particularly nasty double the dosage and the time. 4 drops per liter and 1 hour.

SODIS (Solar Water Disinfection) method: Use a clear PET water bottle or clear soda bottle. Glass bottles will not work as they block UV-A rays. Remove any labels from the bottles. Fill the bottles with water (pre-filtered) and place them in an area where they will be exposed to direct sunlight. Placing foil behind the bottles increases the amount of light that reaches the water. In direct sunlight, the water will purify in approximately 6 hours. In a cloudy environment, it could take 2 days. This method is most effective in areas with lots of sunlight.

Boiling: An extremely effective way to purify water. Bring the water to a roiling boil for 1 minute to be extra safe. At elevations above 6500 feet you should boil the water for 3 minutes to be safe. In reality, the time it takes to bring the water to a boil is typically sufficient to kill any harmful organisms.

Filters: There are many excellent filters out there. Just be aware that not all virus may be removed and additional purification may be necessary (iodine, bleach, UV light).

There are many more ways to purify water than what I’ve listed here. Lifestraws work, but like any filter additional purification may be needed. I don’t like to take chances with my water and I typically boil or use iodine which are very effective. The best method mentioned above is boiling. It does however take time and energy to get water to boil. Be aware of what dangers lay in the water of the area you are in and prepare your kit according to what you need. Be safe, hydrate and ration sweat, not water.

2955

The campaign is aimed at the youth 11+ who these days are carrying around knives to settle beefs over stupid shit that should just be settled with a good old dust up , few broken eye sockets and ribs and laughed over in a few days, instead of someone loosing their life over stupid shit!

not aimed at LEO/PMC/Military who are carrying in line of duty!

2956

Just barely, and really only within the past year, even though I’ve been a fan of Forged In Fire for years.

A few days ago I actually managed to decently sharpen one of my cooking knives using a stone. For me it’s one of those very simple but difficult things. Fortunately I have plenty more to practice on.

2957

ha but you only carry for whittling wood and camping activities :slight_smile:

https://www.champnews.com/papers/

2958

I’m no britcuck, thankfully, although most of Europe is slowly going down the drain (as is most of the west, tbh). The laws are very different depending on the country and fairly convoluted. I can carry a knife here as long as its not overly big (bladelength above ~5 inches). You can carry larger blades but you should have a good reason (eg camping in the woods, NOT self defense).
Since I have no plans to join a muslim prayergang and don’t live right next to some hotspot, the knife is intended to be a precautionary device, not a primary weapon.

In other words, if I smell something, I retreat. If something is brewing, I should be able to use the knife to deter. Since most smaller knives are basically thrusters, I consider them offensive in nature. I’ve concluded that if shit hits the fan, the odds can easily be 3:1 or more. A knife that slices easily can buy you more time and respect than a specialised impaler that usually ends in some sort of death-grappling. It’s a matter of strategy and tactics. I might see this exactly the other way around if I’d be cut, devout with perpetually sore knees (I wish I was joking but more and more people get slashed up for silly reasons).
I know what a ricasso is because I like swords n sheeit. My combat background is mainly standup fighting. Reenacters and low level historical fencers I can usually chase around just because of my footwork and because I understand the distance better than people who never trained with weapons. So I probably wouldn’t be useless in a knifefight with a bum.

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2959

In your case it sounds like a stout “walking stick”, like the irish blackthorn would be very handy, and you already have the skill set for it.

2960

How do you like coffee?

I kid, but not really. Projectiles (especially half a brick) can be a great deterrent. More often than not, I also have a nice stainless steel coffee cup in my hand. It’s a benign object really, but blazed full force at somebody’s head it also closes the gap, good element of surprise, and keeps coffee warm.

As part of your own personal plan it keeps you fighting your own fight and not someone else’s.

2961

I can see myself hobbling down the occupied streets in thirty years, armed to the false teeth with a special walking cane and a coffee cup- But wait a moment, there’s zero deterrence in that! I’ll look like easy prey!

The walking cane is a mixed bag. If a dog/pitbull attacks someone, which happens everyday according to statistics in my city, a club-type weapon is not ideal.

Again, how do you guys like a Khukri?

2962

Thank you for explaining that slogan, makes more sense if it was aimed at children.

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2963

I know. This is becoming a lost skill. You would not believe some of the stupid shit I have seen men doing with their “manly knife sharpening skills”.

2964

Smart. We could all benefit from that simple statement.

Good point and one I totally agree with: Distance, however, you achieve it, is the best knife defense.

2965

I agree. Great point. Take the initiative, break the attackers mindset ( or whatever). 'no plan survives first contact" is the goal here.

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2966

As a life long student of Kali, I am comfortable with canes and walking sticks. I do a lot of “rural road rucking” and have found a heavy walking stick to be a good deterrent for dogs, however, these are rural farm dogs and not trained canines. For those I carry a handgun.

Just curious, but, if you feel a walking stick would not be effective, what do you carry for a possible pit bull attack? Knife? chemical spray?

I don’t have any personal experience carrying one on a daily basis. Several private compounds in Iraq had former Indian and Gurkha static security . They were all carrying some version of the blade. I have went through a couple katas with one and they did not do it for me. But, your experience may be different. Let me know if obtain one and how it works out for you.

2967

I was going to ask about OC spray for 2 and 4 legged problems. Is it legal to carry in your country?

I own two khukri’s. They seem useful for clearing brush. Both of mine are allegedly authentic, but they’re heavy and awkward. They’re probably more useful if you have trained extensively with them. I think a hatchet would be more useful for practical purposes, and potentially self-defense, but is less scary and weapon like.

2968

I have a Cold Steel kukuri. I took it on one backpack trip and it has a lot of capability for the weight. It worked fine for processing dead pine for firewood but it is, IMO, not a substitute for a small forest axe for north woods application.

I could see why it’s great for other environments though. It could probably process a lot of bamboo and just about anything other than thick wood.

2969

About as much as any untrained person can like a heavy blade swinging wildly.

Inertia is a bitch and if your swing misses the mark you’re going to be dealt with harshly.

Even moreso if you end up hitting yourself in the process.

2970

Thought for the day:

" We have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other." Thomas Jefferson.

Training:

Loaded carries with sandbags. tennis ball throws with punishment push ups.

Question of the day:

Have you studied the expedition of Lewis and Clark?

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2971

After being sprayed with OC spray twice, just the possibility of it getting into my own eyes is enough of a deterrent that I don’t really feel obligated to carry it. The time in the Marines was way worse, they made us show them our eyes after dousing our faces in it. As a corrections officer it was 10x better, AKA still the worse thing ever. Except maybe getting shocked for 7 seconds (long seconds) by the electrode riot shields at the prison.

Which, @idaho, brings up a question that maybe you’ve asked but I haven’t seen it here - are you prepared to feel the effects of what you carry on yourself, should things go bad? Everyone’s a badass carrying OC until a crystal gets in your eye. Will you melt down?

2972

Good question for those who carry spray or stun guns. I have been hit with everything that I carried. If in the line duty, you either spray someone or stun them, you will eventually be sued. The first question the defense attorney will ask you: "do you know what this feels like ? if not you used a device to torture my client, not knowing the effects.

2973

I tased myself when I was about thirteen… twice… quite painful…

I have a question for you. As I intend on travelling extensively in the middle of this year (another trip around Europe, but more prolonged) I’d like to learn self defence/what to do in case of a mugging… As paranoid as I may sound here, more than one of my family members has been mugged when they were around my age whilst travelling…

I have prior experience with martial arts (fairly extensive), seven years of karate and one year of boxing… however I’m not sure how practical these arts are in the realms of an actual street fight… and I quit martial arts age fourteen… I’m thinking of taking up Krav Maga, is this the right way to go about things or is there a more effective alternative?

You seem well versed regarding combat situations so I was hoping you could guide me