Military Items That Might Be Missing From Your Prepping Kit

Military surplus items are often found amongst the bits of gear that many preppers acquire over the years.

Military equipment is often durable and designed for rough and tumble use, which is ideal for the types of situations and scenarios that preppers and survivalists are preparing for.

Chances are that you have several military items in the various kits in your preps.

However, there may be some gear you are missing from your kit that you might want to consider adding.

Why Choose Military Gear?

Military gear is cheap and readily available online and through your local army surplus stores.

It is true that not all military gear is high quality (it was built by the lowest bidder), but you can find pieces of kit that are durable and will last for many years.

There are often civilian alternatives, but these are usually much more expensive and less durable.

Can Opener P-38 or P-51

The US military used to issue small sheet metal can openers with their K rations.

Once they switched to issuing the troops’ MREs, the P-38 and P-51 can openers became obsolete. These simple devices are exceptionally effective and take up little to no space among your gear.

For many years I used a P-38 as my go-to method for opening cans, even at home in the kitchen. They are getting harder to find, but you can often find them at the local surplus store for less than a buck.

Backup Sight

If you have an AR platform firearm, chances are you are using the same rails the military does for attaching accessories. Most preppers will install optics on their rifles, but what happens if those optics fail or break?

You can often find small backup iron sights for your rifle at an army surplus store. These sights are typically low profile and lightweight making them a great addition to your prepping gear. Make sure that if you purchase a backup sight, take it to the range and dial it in before you need it during SHTF.

Poncho And Poncho Liners

Ponchos are decent rain gear, but they also have more utility beyond that. A poncho can be set up as a shelter in many configurations, used as a ground sheet, or paired with a poncho liner to make a field expedient sleeping bag.

It is often easy to forget about pieces of kit like this when we have so many other options for rain gear and shelter, but a poncho can make a fantastic addition to a get-home bag, bug-out bag, or vehicle kit.

Tripwire

If setting up perimeter alarms is part of your preparedness plans, picking up several rolls of military trip wire is a good idea. Even if you don’t see the need to set up trip wires, a few rolls of this wire is good to have in your kit.

You can use military tripwire to make snares, repair gear, lash sticks together, or anything else you can imagine.

You can find tripwire rolls online or at your local surplus store; they are small, lightweight, and incredibly useful.

E-tools

Anyone who has dug a trench using an entrenching tool, also known as an e-tool, knows they are not the best tools.

I have many bad memories of digging in hard dirt with one of these folding shovels. I would not suggest putting one of these tools in any kit that you must carry because of their weight.

That being said, they are worth having in a vehicle kit in case you must dig yourself out of being stuck.

Wool Blankets

Wool blankets are fantastic to have in your prepping kit. The military blankets are often only 70% wool, but they are cheaper than the 100% wool options bushcrafters like to use, such as the Hudson’s Bay blankets.

These blankets are also good for vehicle kits, to include in a cache, or for your bug-out location. You can even make clothing from these blankets if you are handy with a needle and thread.

Cheap military wool blankets are good to have on hand as a part of your first aid supplies for treating patients who are or may be in danger of going into shock.

Mess Kits

Every military has a version of the mess kit which they issue to the troops. These are meant to be highly portable and are often a collection of metal containers and utensils you can eat out of or cook in.

Since most militaries have switched to rations such as the MRE, these kits are not in wide use anymore, but you can find a lot of assorted styles at your local surplus store.

These are great for cooking food over a fire or camp stove and can definitely find a place in your bug-out bag. A few other places you could use mess kits are vehicle kits or get-home bags.

If you use military canteens, it is also worth looking for a metal canteen cup and stove. Like mess kits, you can use a canteen cup to eat out of or to cook in.

Trioxane Fuel Tablets

The smell of a burning fuel tablet brings back fond memories of rainy nights in the patrol hide trying to brew a cup of coffee to stay awake and warm.

Trioxane fuel tabs are not in much use anymore since most modern militaries issue flameless ration heaters. However, trioxane tabs are great when used with a canteen cup and stove to boil water.

The flame is relatively low profile, and they don’t make a lot of smoke, so if you dig a little Dakota fire hole to conceal them, these fuel tabs are good for any situations where you are trying to not be seen.

Military gear has always been a part of prepping gear for good reason. Even though some gear has much better civilian alternatives, including military surplus in your preps is often a good idea, especially if you are on a budget.

The examples I have listed above are all good options for gear that you may not have thought about but should take a look at.

How To Remove Radioactive Particles From Water In Case Of A Nuclear Fallout

 Although the threat of full-scale nuclear war is low, there is always the possibility that we might end up with radioactive fallout in our drinking water.

An overseas regional nuclear exchange, nuclear accident, reactor explosion or meltdown, or a dirty bomb can all contaminate our water.

There are many filters available on the market that claim to remove 99 percent of radioactive particles, but the truth is that no one filter will remove all the particles from drinking water.

Disclaimer: This article is for interest and information purposes only.

What Types Of Radioactive Particles Might Be In The Water?

There are hundreds of radioactive particles that fallout will deposit over the land and in our water. Some of them will be short-lived, while others will remain in the environment for many years.

Of the multitudes of potential isotopes we may find in fallout, strontium-90, cesium-134, cesium-137, and iodine-131 are of particular concern.

Strontium-90

This is more a concern in the fallout from a nuclear detonation rather than a meltdown or nuclear accident.

The problem with strontium-90 is that its half-life is 29 years which means that it can remain in the environment for hundreds of years before it decays to a point where the danger is negligible.

Strontium-90 can cause bone cancer and leukemia in people who consume contaminated food or water.

Cesium-134 And Cesium-137

Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 have half-lives of 2 and 30 years, respectively.

They are found in fallout, and if people are exposed to them, they can suffer from acute radiation sickness and possibly increase their cancer risk.

Iodine-131

This isotope has a half-life of only around eight days but has serious adverse health consequences for those exposed to it in nuclear fallout.

Iodine-131 will accumulate in the thyroid, potentially leading to thyroid cancer or Thyroiditis.

Many more isotopes can be found in water and food after exposure to fallout, but they are far too numerous to list here.

Filtering Radioactive Particles From Water

Three methods have been shown to filter most radioactive materials from water effectively.

However, no one filter will remove every radioactive particle, so if you want to set up a system to decontaminate drinking water after a nuclear detonation or accident, it is best to have all three on hand.

Even if you have a well-thought-out and secure water storage system in place, you will need to consider how you will supplement your water storage with rainwater. Here’s a guide on how to create an ingenious rainwater harvesting and purification system capable of storing 165 gallons of water.

Reverse Osmosis

The EPA recommends reverse osmosis to remove many radioactive materials from water. It can remove 99% of uranium, radium, alpha or beta particles, and photon emitters.

Reverse osmosis will not, however, remove gaseous contaminates such as radon.

In addition, Idoine-131 will not be filtered by reverse osmosis because it is an isotope that, when found in water, is a dissolved gas.

Reverse osmosis works by pushing water through a semi-permeable membrane. The water which passes through to the other side of the membrane is clean and mostly free of contaminants.

These systems usually employ several filtering steps to filter out and remove particles of differing sizes. Dissolved gasses, however, will find their way through the pores of the filter membrane.

Reverse osmosis filters are widely available and can even be installed in a home to filter water throughout the house.

With these filters, however, there is a problem of what to do with the contaminates that have been filtered out.

Systems designed for your entire home use a large portion of the water to wash away the waste through your household drains and into the sewer system.

In the case of radioactive fallout, you will be left with radioactive wastewater; in portable systems, you will be left with a wastewater tank to dispose of.

Ion Exchange

Ion exchange filters are often sold as water softeners, and they work by passing water through resins that contain positively or negatively charged ions.

These ions essentially swap places with the contaminants in the water.

This is a dramatic oversimplification, but the basic idea is that the particles we do not want in our water are trapped in the resin filter media when safe ions replace them.

Unfortunately, ion exchange filters are not particularly good a filtering out viruses and bacteria or other bugs that can make us sick, so they are not suitable for a stand-alone water purification system.

Ion exchange has been found to be particularly useful in filtering our Cesium-137 but is also effective against uranium, radium, as well as alpha and beta particles.

Ion exchange has the same downfall as any other filter, where you will be left with filter resins that are now contaminated with radioactive particles.

Activated Carbon

Activated carbon filters absorb contaminants as the water passes through the filter.

The problem with these filters is that once they reach their absorption capacity, they will no longer remove any particles.

Evidence suggests that carbon filters effectively remove radioactive fallout from our water.

Still, as with all filters, they will not remove 100 percent of the radioactive particles.

Some reverse osmosis filter systems will also include an activated carbon stage within the filter. However, it would still be a good idea to have an external one as a redundancy.

As with other filters, once an activated carbon filter has reached capacity, it will be full of radioactive fallout, which needs to be disposed of appropriately.

What Filter To Use

The best way to filter radioactive particles from your water after an attack or accident is to develop a system that uses all three filters.

You could start with an activated carbon filter to get most of the particles, followed by an ion exchange filter to soften the water and remove some missed particles, then complete the process with a reverse osmosis filter.

Regardless of how you set up your system, you will need extra filter media for each filter and a method to safely dispose of the waste.

Food and water security will be a paramount concern after any nuclear incident, regardless of what it is.

The most crucial thing to consider is establishing your filtering method well before you need to use it.

The First Thing You Need To Do During Civil War: If we pay attention to what is happening around us, there should be ample time to get our preps and plans in order

Unlike other major disasters, a civil war is unlikely to occur without any warning. There will be a build-up of tensions and hostilities long before bullets start flying.

If we pay attention to what is happening around us, there should be ample time to get our preps and plans in order.

However, even if we are well prepared and we have been paying attention to our surroundings, the actual shooting war may take us by surprise. Much like other disasters, there will be definite first steps that we need to take.

Although, when we are faced with a civil war, there is no one thing we should do first; instead, a few steps make up our immediate actions.

Secure Your Family

When the bullets start flying, the priority will be your security and safety; after that, you must ensure your family is safe and secure. We should all have a contingency plan in the event of any disaster that results in our family being separated without communication.

Everyone needs to know what to do and where to go. The critical aspect of this is that everyone adheres to the plan verbatim and doesn’t deviate from it unless absolutely necessary.

One crucial part of this is that we should always have a good idea of the whereabouts of each family member. For example, suppose we know where our spouse and children are at any given time. In that case, we can more easily estimate how long it will take them to get home based on the situation in our area.

Once your family is safe and secure, you can focus on securing other aspects of your situation, such as your supplies, comms plan, and bug-out plan.

Supply Security

Our food, water, and other supplies should already be secure, but you must ensure they are also well hidden during a civil war. One universal aspect of war is that armies march on their stomachs.

Therefore, all factions fighting against each other will need food, water, medical supplies, and ammo.

All of these items will be held by preppers and survivalists nationwide.

Therefore, it is a certainty that if you are discovered to be hoarding stockpiles of supplies, you will face armed groups who will want to liberate them for their cause.

There are numerous ways to hide your preps, from hidden rooms to buried caches; you’ll need to find a method that suits your space and your situation.

You might want to consider leaving some of your supplies out so that anyone who decides to liberate your stockpiles will have something to take without looking too deeply.

At the start of a civil war, many items will be restricted or banned by governments of factions that have gained control over your area. Some examples of these items are:

• Weapons and ammunition
• Tactical gear
• Radios and other communications gear
• Fuel
• Items that are the ingredients for explosive or incendiary devices
• Alcohol

These items must be concealed immediately upon realizing you are in a civil war. If you encounter soldiers going door to door, having these items in your possession could result in you being jailed, having all your possessions taken, or even executed on the spot. Therefore, it’s best to not put yourself in such a situation.

Comms Security

One of the first things that become illegal during a civil war or other armed conflict is radio communications, including amateur radio. Even possessing a shortwave receiver could be illegal. The unfortunate thing is that effective communication will be essential during a civil war, and preppers will need to be ready to use amateur radio covertly.

Well before the start of a civil war, we should have some experience setting up and using covert antennas. We also need to have a plan for how we will communicate with family and other groups during the conflict.

One of the aspects we need to be prepared for is direction-finding and jamming equipment by either the government or other factions. It doesn’t take much for someone to triangulate your position and tell you they found you by sending artillery rounds your way.

Our comms plan aims to keep apprised of the changing situation as civil war intensifies and we face threats from multiple angles.

In addition, a good comms plan will allow us to maintain effective two-way communication with other preppers so that if the front lines of battle start moving too close, we can bug out long before the shooting war reaches us.

Even though listening to shortwave radio broadcasts, we can gain a good overall picture of where the fighting is, where safe zones are, and even get news from outside the country.

The first casualty of war is truth. By drawing in independent information from various sources and abroad, we can combat the disinformation we will likely be subjected to.

Bug Out Plan

The last thing any of us want to do is to be smack dab in the middle of an all-out shooting war. So it becomes imperative to bug out when the warring factions start closing in on each other with us in the middle.

Bugging out after a natural disaster is difficult enough, but in the fog and chaos of war, it will be far more complex. It’s not one bug-out plan we need; it is several unique and independent routes and methods to escape the conflict.

Our plan needs to consider that we will probably not be able to use the mode of transportation we would like. So have a plan to drive out of the danger zone but also to walk, especially to move out of the area tactically while being sought out by fighters on either side of the conflict.

Despite what many people like to claim, the possibility of a civil war is exceptionally low. Civil wars don’t happen suddenly, and there will be plenty of time to ramp up your preps and plans to get ready for finding yourself in the middle of one.

The actions I have listed above, I believe, should be taken immediately during the start of a civil war to increase our chances of surviving to see the end of the conflict.

How To Build Your Nuclear War Survival Kit

The second half of the twentieth century was dominated by the spectre of full-scale nuclear war. But, of course, by the time 2021 came around, humanity discovered that there are far more nefarious disasters than that of a full-on exchange between two superpowers.

Unfortunately, however, the threat of a nuclear detonation or accident still hangs over our heads.

Whether it be a nearby nuclear blast, a terrorist dirty bomb, or a nuclear accident, the steps you will take to be prepared will be similar.

Most of the items you would find in a DIY nuclear war survival kit will be the same as most other disasters, with a few additions specific to the radiation resulting from atomic detonation or nuclear accidents.

Building a Nuclear War Survival Kit

A nuclear war survival kit is similar to any other emergency preparedness kit, with several additional items specific to nuclear events and a few special considerations for the things you would typically have in an emergency kit.

What follows is a few items that we all should have but now need special consideration and a few nuclear war specific items that would make up a DIY Nuclear War Survival Kit.

Water

We should all have an adequate supply of water on hand in case of emergency, but when we prepare to survive through a nuclear war, we need to consider that all water sources will be contaminated by fallout and become increasingly challenging to make drinkable.

The average human needs approximately one gallon of water each day, and to be prepared, you will either have to store enough water to last through a nuclear war and the aftermath.

There are a few ways to filter radioactive particles from water, one of which is building a soil filter and another being a reverse osmosis filter. These filter options are good but still require that you leave the shelter of your home to get the water to filter, so it is better to store as much water as possible to limit your exposure to the outside world.

Food

After an attack, you will not be able to move freely outdoors until the danger of fallout has passed. Therefore, you must keep a good supply of stored food on hand so that you can shelter in place for extended periods.

Unfortunately, this also means that your garden and any livestock will undoubtedly become contaminated.

Bugout Bags

It is almost certain that you will need to evacuate the area in the days or weeks after an attack. It may also be necessary to leave the area immediately after an attack because the blast wave has destroyed your shelter or the attack has caused widespread fires in the area.

Being ready to go immediately is essential in your preparations for a nuclear war.

Comms Gear

After an attack, you will be forced to shelter in place, effectively cutting you off from the rest of the world and even the people in your immediate neighbourhood. Therefore, having some essential communication gear is critical to gathering information and being aware of what other people are doing around you. Two-way radios, amateur radios, and AM/FM receivers are all imperative to have available after an attack.

Remember, though, that the grid is sure to be down, and comms gear takes up valuable power.

For example, suppose you are a licenced amateur radio operator. In that case, you already have a selection of radios, antennas and other equipment, but you will also need to have a backup source of electricity to power your gear.

Faraday Cage

Nuclear detonations are often accompanied by an electromagnetic pulse which will destroy the power grid and render some electronics useless. To combat this, build a Faraday cage and place a selection of electronic devices that you would not want to be without after a nuclear exchange. Then, seal the cage and tuck it away somewhere only to be opened after an attack.

Faraday cages are easy to make; they can be built out of almost any metal box with a few modifications and additions.

Power

A nuclear exchange will destroy the power grid and leave you in the dark. So you will need to generate your electrical power, whether it be solar, gas or diesil generator, or another means.

Everything you want to use that requires electricity, you will have to generate the power yourself. This will also include fuel storage that is sufficient to run said generator for the duration of the nuclear crisis.

Light

Light is also going to be something that you are going to have to plan for as well. Not only will the lack of an electrical power grid make the nights dark, but the possible nuclear winter dimming the sun will also be a factor you need to consider.

Like a power outage kit, your nuclear war survival kit has to consider a prolonged power outage.

Gas Masks and Hazmat Suits

If you are serious about preparing for a nuclear war, you will need to have a gas mask and several hazmat suits for every family member. Likewise, you will also need a good supply of the appropriate filters as well.

A gas mask and a hazmat suit are probably the only way you will be able to leave your home in the days after an attack.

Geiger Counter/Radiation Detector

We can not see, taste, or smell radiation, therefore you need to have a device that you can use to detect the presence of radiation in your home and on clothing and equipment after someone has been outside.

Of all the preps for a nuclear war, this is probably the most expensive of these preps, but one could very well be the difference between life and death after a nuclear exchange. These devices also need to be checked and calibrated from time to time to ensure their accuracy.

Potassium Iodide

After a nuclear accident or detonation, there will be fallout that may contain radioactive iodide-131, which our thyroid glands will absorb and possibly lead to the development of thyroid cancer. Adding a potassium iodide supply to your preps will help limit the radioactive iodide’s ability to absorb into your thyroid.

Decomtaniamtion

Anyone who exits the home will need an area to decontaminate upon their return. An excellent way to do this is to build a decontamination area outside the house using lumber and plastic vapour barriers.

The idea is to create a series of separated chambers where you remove your gear step by step, limiting the probability that you will bring fallout into your home.

Final Words

If you are already prepared for an earthquake, tornado, power outage or another disaster, you are most of the way towards having a nuclear war survival kit.

All you need to do is consider the unique circumstances that a nuclear war or disaster may pose and adjust your preps accordingly.