Prepping on a budget is quite important to my family as I am sure it is to many avid readers of this fine blog.  I have purchased the book, "How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times" and am following it to the best of my ability and financial means.

However one aspect that is woefully lacking is my nighttime surveillance capability.  Sure I have strong LED flashlights with rechargeable batteries, solar panels ready to recharge those batteries at a moments notice, and enough batteries to last a lifetime.  I have solar powered motion sensitive lighting on each corner of my house just like any good Prepper.

However in many instances that I can envision, I would want the capability see what is going on in and around my area of operations (AO) without alerting what I am attempting to observe that I am attempting to observe it.  Whether it is shooting that feral hog out of the garden, observing the deer that are eating my grapes, or seeing what that two legged predator is doing walking my fence line on the back of my property.

I have been looking and reviewing various night vision scopes and binoculars, however of the ones that I reviewed, none that were in my price range seemed worth owning and the ones that were barely in my price range had marginal reviews. 

With money being so tight just to make ends meet, let alone prep, I simply could not afford to roll the dice and take the chance that a particular night vision scope would fulfill my purpose.  And, even if it did, with the" two is one and one is none" philosophy; I certainly couldn't afford multiples of any of the scopes that I had seen.Not only that, but even if I could find an affordable (to me) night vision scope and I could afford to get multiples of that scope, I would need one that could fit multiple uses as well.

For example, I would need one that I could fit as a head-mounted unit to use as a hands free unit that would allow me to keep my hands free for other things and still see good enough to scout.  I would want a handheld one that I could have on me at all times just in case I get caught out after dark.  I would want one that I could mount behind the iron sights or scope of my ARs.  And, to make it all worse, I would want several of each to allow each member of my family and group to have the same capabilities.

With all of these things on my checklist, it certainly appeared that I was going to have to sacrifice and either have one that I squeezed into many roles, or spend more money than I could really justify on trying to cover all of the roles that I needed to.

Then Christmas rolled around and I went shopping for my children.  As I was walking down the toy aisle of my local big box retailer, I came upon a infrared binocular toy from Spy Net that had been marked down.  So I took $20 out of my prepping budget and made the purchase.  With the caveat that if I didn't like what I was seeing through them in a test, it would still make a cool Christmas present for a 10 year old boy.

Now I might lose some readers here, but please bear with me.

This night vision toy functions only as an IR viewer--it does not have an light amplification intensifier tube.  It uses any ambient light source and two built in infrared lights (if there is no sufficient ambient light source) to light the way.  Instead of an intensifier tube, it uses a tiny CMOS camera that transmits to a small LCD screen.  The upside to the CMOS camera is that it will not be damaged by a sudden bright light source like some early intensifier tube night vision equipment, and can still function during the day.  The downside is that they are not as durable as intensifier tube night vision devices and they rely on a lot of circuitry to operate.

When I brought it home and test it as soon as it was dark, outside. The first thing that I noticed is that it does an amazing job of using any ambient light source.  The small CMOS camera and screen showed decent detail and I could mostly identify people at a decent distance (25 to 30 yards), not just as people, but also some facial features allowing recognition. 

The second thing that I noticed is that the two built in infrared lights were woefully inadequate at lighting anything beyond 15 feet.  The good news is that I was only looking for the first thing, because I had no intention of using the built in lights anyway since they had no control to turn them off if they were not needed (or desired).

I had purchased this with the specific intention of taking it apart and modifying it to increase its capability and increase its durability several fold.

As I took it apart, it amazed me on how compact and small the actual functional unit was.  About 90% of the size of the binoculars was just empty air surrounded by plastic that was made to look high tech for a kid's toy.  The actual unit was able to fit in the palm of my medium sized hands with room to spare.

So after disassembly, and removing all of the extraneous controls (it has the ability to record and playback video and audio which I didn't need and just added extra bulk), so those circuits were quickly cut and removed along with their corresponding wiring and controls. 

I was left with just the CMOS camera, the circuit board, the attached video screen (about .75îx1î) the power switch and the battery pack. 

My next job was to fashion up a durable housing to place this in.  Since it is so small, I was able to make the housing a bit larger for durability. 

I was originally wanting a cylindrical tube, however because the rest of the unit was square, using a round tube would increase the size of the whole unit too much, so I used a thin walled square cross-section aluminum tube and placed the circuits inside.  To help increase durability and protect the circuits, I poured clear resin inside the square tube and let it dry (keeping the resin away from the actual camera or screen of course).  This will help reduce any shock that it might endure as well as protect the circuits and wires from damage.

I used a very small section of square tubing to house the unit itself, then I added in a shade on the backside (between the screen and the users eye) to help cut down on the glare from the small screen.  Lastly I added on a rubber eye piece from an old scope, so the user could get a good "eye weld" onto the scope for optimum viewing.

Since I had removed the very inadequate infrared LEDs, I replaced them with a Solar Force flashlight with an infrared emitter.  The flashlight is mounted to the outside of the unit, so it could be removed and replaced if necessary.  The final step that I used was wrapping the entire thing in Kydex and heat forming it around the aluminum tube.  This made it easier to handle and added yet another layer of protection.

So for a bit under $50 for the entire thing (which unfortunately entailed some trial and error with the aluminum tube and Kydex forming) I have a functional, seemingly durable night vision scope (durability testing will come after I have made a few more and established a solid methodology of how I am going to use these).

My next version (which I have already ordered) will be a bit more compact with a smaller housing and I will use it as a single side head mounted unit.  This will allow me to use it as both a hands-free unit for observation, but will also be able to use a rifle or pistol in the dark (after much practice of course).

My intermediate plan is to have one of these for each member of my house as well.

I have not tested these extensively for durability yet, but I can honestly say that it works better than I had could have hoped for.  This first unit is just a bit unwieldy, but I am not discouraged at all since this is my very first unit.  I am certain that I will find many ways to improve it as I discover the ways that I will use it and how it can be modified.

In my humble opinion, this could never take the place of a dedicated, purpose built night vision device, but like the old saying goes, "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."

I would rather have limited night vision capability than money put back saving for a better unit.  And for the very limited amount of money that these cost, it could be a great intermediate step and backup as needed.

JWR Adds: Most night vision monoculars are not up to the recoil stresses of mounting on a rifle--even a light-recoiling 5.56 mm. Also, the mounting interface for anything other than a purpose-built rifle scope tends to be problematic. Even a scope without a reticle (depending on the reticle of red dot scope mounted behind it) can still be a challenge to mount with reliability. The "duct tape and bailer twine" school of gunsmithing (also known as WECSOGing) is fraught with peril. In essence, re-purposing a toy IR scope can work with very limited reliability, but don't expect it to work for you as anything more than just a hand-held monocular.

The next step up from a toy IR scope like Robert describes is buying a Bushnell Gen 1 night vision monocular. For under $180, these are sturdy, reliable, relatively weatherproof, and they have a decent built-in IR light. They operate on two standard AA batteries. They can sometimes be found used on eBay for less than $90.

Beyond that, purpose-built rifle starlight night vision scopes start at around $400. A fairly decent civilian model is made by ATN: the MK350 Guardian. But keep in mind that there is no true low-cost substitute for mil-spec quality. Sadly, that level of quality comes only with a high price tag.

If you already own one or more night vision monoculars (such as a Yukon), then a low-cost alternative is to wear a night vision monocular in a head mount or helmet mount, and attach an infrared laser to a Picatinny rail on your rifle. The rifle is then shot "from the hip", using the the laser pointer for aiming. (Sort of a "Poor Man's PAQ-4".)

The bottom line: I recommend that you buy the best night vision gear that you can afford. As Robert pointed out, that can begin with a miniscule budget. Watch eBay closely for used Russian night vision monoculars (such as the Night Owl Brand.) These sometimes sell for as little as $60. They are better than nothing. Even after you eventually save up and buy the PVS-14 of your dreams, be sure to retain your older, less expensive, night vision gear. Those will be useful for spares, or worth their weight in gold, for barter.

I visit your blog daily and the link to a map showing gang presence in the United States caught my eye. I note that my home is within one of the "moderate" gang activity areas. That is not news to me.

We are about a mile from the perimeter of the "war zone" of our city in a semi-rural part of town. We hear gunshots (within a half-mile of the house) nightly and the roofers who replaced our shingles last year remarked at the number of bullet holes in our roof. Those shots came from the street in front of our house. Gangbangers are notoriously bad shots, and the holes in the roof were from "wannabes" just firing at anything big enough for them to hit.

I keep a a "rapid response" kit next to the bed for anything that seems to be more of a threat than punks indiscriminately firing weapons out of the windows of their cars. I am up two or three times a night every week to check out the action.

Immediate survival may necessitate the use of a "pre" bugout bag such as my rapid response kit. You need, of course, a firearm that you would want knowing you were going to a gunfight. In my case, it is a 12 gauge riot gun fully loaded with 00-buck and the hammer down on an empty chamber (I'm anal about gun safety). My gun belt will be on my hips with a .45 Colt and two additional magazines on the belt. My cell phone is also part of the kit.

I wish I had night-vision goggles. But lacking that, I have a small flashlight to light the trail through our woods, and a larger hand-carried "Second-coming-of Christ" beam to light up the whole scene when it seems appropriate.

Thankfully, I have been "called to action" for serious gang related activity only a couple of times. The police were on scene within 15 minutes, but that's a long time to wait when punks are shooting at you...even if they are miserable shots. - Ken F.

Jim:
I'm writing to comment on something in your nonfiction book "How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It": On page 206 you state: “Without proper blackout precautions, your house will be a
'come loot me' beacon that can be seen for miles at night.”I can’t stress light discipline enough. Here’s an example: About fifteen years ago my parents went to dinner at The Cougar Inn on Lake Wenatchee [in eastern Washington]. It was a dark night and on the way back from dinner they looked across the lake and saw a faint green flashing light it the vicinity of their un-lit cabin. Arriving at the cabin they found the light source for the flashing: The light that could be seen from slightly over one mile was the reflected light inside their cabin of the video cassette recorder (VCR) flashing "12:00, 12:00, 12:00."

That was one mile away. The VCR was sitting in a corner in a built–in cabinet, and not pointed directly at the window.

Don’t ever tell yourself, “Oh, it’s okay, it’s not that bad.” What’s not that bad? The act of being raped, robbed, and murdered, or the light leaks? Even the smallest light leak can be an invitation to disaster [in a grid-down situation, where all of the houses are blacked out.] - Rick B.

I still remember when some of the first lasers for handguns came on the commercial market. At the time I was working for the late Col. Rex Applegate, and he received several handgun lasers to test. As was usually the case, the job of testing was passed along to me, and I reported my findings back to Applegate. At the time, I thought that lasers on firearms were more of a gimmick or for that matter, just plain ol' toys. No one made holsters for handguns with laser - simply because the lasers were so big - it wasn't practical to carry a handgun with a laser mounted on it.

Well, times change, and product improvement and technology have produced some very small lasers for firearms. I no longer think of lasers as mere toys to play with. I sincerely believe that, lasers can aid a shooter under the right circumstances, especially low-light shooting. I've been testing some LaserLyte products for about a year and a half now, and I'm amazed at just how small, and effective their products are.

One of the first products I tested wasn't a laser. Instead, it's a very small flashlight that they dub "FlashLyte": that mount on the Picatinny-style rail on a handgun's rail (semi-autos). Now, the FlashLyte isn't designed for law enforcement or military use. Instead, this product is designed (and priced) for the home owner to use on their "bedroom gun." You know what I'm talking about - the gun you keep handy in your bedroom, should you hear a bump-in-the-night.

The FlashLyte is a triple-cluster of LED lens engineer to pump our 25-lumens of bright light at your target. This is more than enough light to light-up the living room in most homes. Additionally, the FlashLyte will also temporarily blind a suspect if you point it in their eyes. I'm not aware of a smaller flashlight that can be mounted on a handgun, than the FlashLyte. It takes but a minute to mount the FlashLyte on your handgun that is equipped with a Picatinny-style rail, and your good to go. If you have a bedroom gun, then you really need some sort of illumination source to go with it - and what better place to have a light, than mounted on your handgun?

When I heard from my friend Laura Burgess who does the PR/Marketing for LaserLyte, that they had a laser mounted in the rear sight for handguns, I thought perhaps she had had one too many drinks. In short order, a sample of the Rear Sight Laser from LaserLyte arrived at my front door - it was for a Glock 19 and other similar Glocks. I couldn't believe how darn small the RSL was. It only took me a couple of minutes to remove the factory Glock rear sight, with a brass punch and plastic hammer, and install the new RSL in its place.

The RSL is now available for several popular handguns, with more to come. What I like about the RSL is that, it's easy to mount, easy to zero and easy to use. As you draw your handgun from your holster, you simply place your thumb on the activation switch on the rear of the RSL and it turns the laser on. Additionally, there is a constant as well as pulse mode. The pulse mode is activate by pressing the activation switch twice. And, studies have shown, that a pulsing red laser seems to be more intimidating than a steady laser for some reason. I tend to agree. the RSL has a 1-hour constant on, and a 2-hour pulse battery supply. What's not to like here?

Several months ago, I received the LaserLyte K-15 Kryptonyte Rifle Laser for testing. I mounted it on my MGI Hydra modular rifle, that has a quad-rail forearm. Again, it was quick and easy to mount, just a couple screws and I was in business. Now, if you've never used a green laser, you're in for a a treat - they are much brighter than red lasers on - and you can see them under most daylight conditions. I'm a firm believer is the less-is-better, when it comes to mounting things on my AR-15 style rifles. Any more, I've seen people with so much gear mounted on their ARs, that the gear weighs more than the actual rifle does. I'm getting older, and I just don't want to pack any more weight than I have to on a firearm. So, I'm particular about what gear I add to my ARs.

I like the K-15 Kryptonyte, and I have to chuckle at the name. Everyone knows that Kryptonite can kills Superman...and if you see how bright the green laser is on the K-15, you'll know that whoever is pointing this laser at you means business - that the bullets are gonna hit where the light is aimed. I zero all my lasers for 25-yards, on rifles or handguns, as I believe that's a reasonable distance to use lasers at. I know, I know, lots of companies advertise that their lasers can be seen at a mile away. Okay, good for them, but I can't hit a target at a mile away. I think lasers are best used for close-in CQB distances.

The K-15 has a constant "on" switch on the rear of it. There is also a momentary on feature, that is used with the 10-inch long tape switch, that I mounted on a vertical fore grip. I would like to see LaserLyte include a vertical fore grip with the K-15, as I don't see many people using the momentary "on" switch just stuck on the fore end of an AR or other similar rifle. I mounted my K-15 on the top rail of the quad-rail on my Hydra. You can mount it on any of the four positions if you desire. The K-15s super-bright green laser gets your attention, even in bright sunlight. And, the battery lasts for up to six hours. I just think that my Hydra looks super-cool with the K-15 mounted on it, and it's a useful addition if you ask me. BTW, LaserLyte just came out with a coyote brown K-15 - the standard model is black.

One thing to keep in mind with any green lasers is the fact that, they don't operate in temps below freezing. So, if you live and work in a climate that has temps below freezing, then you might not want a green laser mounted on your firearm. I'm not sure of the science involved in the making of a green laser, but I understand that advances are being made in this regard concerning the temps at which they will operate.

I also tested the V2 laser, and this little gem mounts on the Picatinny-style rail on your handgun. And, it can also be mounted to a quad-rail on a rifle, but it's real purpose is on a handgun. The V2 is a true subcompact laser, too. I haven't seen anything smaller. The V2 is activated by a small red button on the rear of it - and it can be turned on in a split second. I really liked the V2, and I'm gonna see if I can't beg a couple more samples from LaserLyte for some of my other handgun. the V2 is small enough that it will allow holstering in many ballistic Nylon holsters, too. There are several other lasers for handguns from LaserLyte, however, I haven't tested them, so I'll refrain from commenting on 'em here, other than to say, I'm sure they are top-notch if they are like any of the other products I tested from LaserLyte.

Whenever I mount a scope on a rifle, I use the Laser Bore Sighting System from LaserLyte. This neat little device allows me to get my scope on paper at 25-yards, and more often than not, I've been dead-on with my scope after using the Laser Bore Sighter. this system consist of a laser device that you stick in the end of your barrel, and you turn it on. Aim your rifle at the special target that is included with the system, and place it on the bullseye, then adjust the crosshairs of you scope, to match the laser's red dot on the target. More often than not, when I head up to my shooting spot to live-fire the rifle, the shots are hitting exactly where the crosshairs are aimed. It's a very quick and easy system to use. However, you must remember to remove the laser from the end of your bore before firing live ammo, if you don't you will blow your gun up - simple as that. The Laser Bore Sighting System has saved me a lot of money in ammo, and the darn thing just works simply.

What I like best about LaserLyte products is that they are affordable. And, compared to the cheap imports that sell for less money, the LaserLyte lasers work as advertised and will last a long, long time. I've tried some of the cheap Chinese imported lasers that cost $25 and they are junk, don't waste your money on 'em. Get something from LaserLyte that will suit your needs and work when it's supposed to work. Lasers aren't just "toys" any longer. They are a worthwhile addition to your firearms. - SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio  

Hello Mr. Rawles,
Could you post some qualities to look for in an AN/PVS-14 Generation 3 night vision monocular/weapon sight? I would like to support one of your advertisers, but the different quality levels (apparently due to the sensor quality) is different even within the same make/model across different US manufacturers, but at very different prices.  Have you any thoughts? Best Regards, - Tom

JWR Replies: If you want to buy the best, then you need to get a military specification Gen 3+ AN/PVS-14 monocular that comes with a Litton factory data sheet.  Have one hand-picked for the maximum number of line pairs and minimal scintillation. (Scintillation is an image degradation commonly called "the sparklies".) If possible, make arrangements visit the seller's store on an evening, and do side-by-side tests with multiple scopes. (Or offer to pay the vendor to do so, if you can't travel there.) Even with data sheets, the image quality differs a bit. This is because even though night vision equipment is mass produced, their michochannel plates are hand-assembled into image tubes in a clean room. This is very delicate and precise work. It is as much an art as it is a science. Some of ITT's assemblers have been doing these tasks for 20+ years.

You can order a mil-spec night vision monocular with confidence from any of SurvivalBlog's advertisers. But beware of those fly-by-night sellers who's idea of "re-mamufacturing" is rebuilding surplus scopes on their kitchen table. There are also a few vendors that are selling scopes with forged data sheets. Again, buy only from reputable dealers.

In a world where everything normal has been turned up-side-down and chaos and anarchy may be the order of the day, we will have to adopt a "security first" attitude.  Where our attitude today may be "trust but verify", our attitude post-TEOTWAWKI should be "verify then cautiously trust."  Whether it's dealing with a stranger in person or talking over the radio, we should exercise extreme caution and be on guard against providing information that someone with ulterior motives can use against us.

In a situation where a few people have provisions to sustain life but most people do not, there is a ready-made hostile environment for those who are prepared.  As soon as people consume what food and drinkable liquids they have in their homes and whatever they can manage to get from grocery and convenience stores, they will begin to realize the gravity of the situation.  And when they realize that the government isn't going to come to their rescue, they will begin to panic.  At that time, many people will feel justified in stealing and even killing to obtain food and water.  Desperate people who have never experienced hardship and who have always had everything they wanted can quickly become treacherous and ruthless in their pursuit of life's necessities.  Even people who were formerly your friends may be willing to do whatever is necessary to take what you have, whether by stealth or by force.

Many people will gather all of their guns and camping gear and head to the nearest lake or river where they will set up camp and stake out a "piece of water" and hope they can find food somewhere.  Others will just prowl around looking for someone who has what they want.  They will beg, trade, steal and eventually kill to get what they want.

It then becomes a matter of intelligence (information) gathering; to figure out where there is food and water and what it would take to get it.  The more intelligence that can be obtained about a target, the easier it is to take it down.

It may very well turn into a virtual "fox hunt" with you being the fox and the Golden Horde being the hounds trying to find the fox and his stash of supplies.

In that sort of environment, security is paramount.  An integral part of overall security is intelligence gathering.  Every bit of information your foe can gather about you enables them to formulate a plan to take what you have. If they can learn details about your "retreat", your level of security, your habits and your capabilities then they have a better chance of defeating you with the least amount of risk to themselves.

A sobering thought is that if people know that you have food, water, fuel for heating, lighting and cooking and they have none of these things, they will be willing to risk everything to get them.  They will also discover, sooner or later, that they cannot carry all of that stuff to their house, if they even have a house.  So, ultimately, the conclusion they will come to is to eliminate the current occupants so that they can just move in to your house.

You may not think of your house as a retreat.  That's because we currently don't have anything to fear from those around us.  If that changes, then our natural reaction is to withdraw from our surroundings and become wary and defensive.

A retreat compound is defined as an enclosure containing a house and outbuildings etc.  You may or may not have a fence surrounding your property.  If you do, your fence probably is not the type that would keep people out if they were determined to enter the property,  Whether you property is already fenced or not, a minimalist compound can be created by defining the perimeter of your property with a fence of other obstacles or with early warning devices and by "hardening" your defenses.

In military terms a "hard" target is one that has tight security and substantial defenses and a "soft" target is one that has neither security or defenses.

A hard target is one that would be difficult to successfully attack and a soft target is one that would be easy to successfully attack.  For example, as  it relates to terrorists, a hard target would be a nuclear power plant and a soft target would be a school or shopping mall.  The nuclear power plant has security measures such as a high, electric fence with razor wire on top and flood lights lighting the fence and perimeter and, defense measures such as armed guards with attack dogs patrolling the interior.  Schools and shopping malls have nothing to deter or to impede terrorists.

In order to harden your retreat you would strive to make it impossible or at least difficult for intruders to enter the property.  Since that isn't possible for most of us, the next best solution is to have an early warning system to at least alert those in the retreat of an intrusion.  There are commercially made systems available if money is not an issue.

The most expedient and economical solution is the old "wire and tin can" method.  This is simply small food cans or aluminum beverage cans strung on a wire and suspended a few inches above the ground. Large pebbles or marbles placed in the can.  When someone trips over the wire, it shakes the cans and the marbles rattles in the can.  Aluminum beverage cans  may be the best choice since they have a smaller opening in the top which would help to prevent the marbles from bouncing out.  You could also run the wire under the hole to make it even less likely that the marble would bounce out. punch a few small holes in the bottom of the can so that rain won't be caught in the can which would muffle the rattling sound.

The time to begin planning your defensive measures is now.  Don't wait until Schumer knocks on your door to start making plans because at that time there will be many other things to attend to and it will be difficult to concentrate on things like that.

Make a diagram of your retreat including all outbuildings, trees, pump houses, raised bed gardens, retainer walls etc.

After you have your diagram, the first thing to do is to walk the perimeter of your property and study your retreat from all angles.  Put yourself in the place of an attacker and think about how you would lay siege to that retreat.  Then think about measures you could take to thwart such an attack.  

As you think of things that you want to incorporate into your security system, write them down in list form.  If six months pass before it happens, you will not remember everything you thought about doing.

Things to consider:

1) Visibility:  What can you see from the various parts of your perimeter? Could people in the house see you; could you approach the house without being seen; what can you see inside the house; can you see exterior doors; can you see beyond the house on one or both sides; can you see outbuildings and can you tell what they are being used for.  You should also go through your house and look out each window to determine the parts of your retreat that cannot be seen from inside the house.  These blind spots will require additional attention.

2) Cover and Concealment: "Concealment" is defined as any obstacle that conceals you from view but would not stop a bullet from hitting you if you were hiding behind it. Examples of concealment would be weeds, a bush or even a thin wall.  "Cover" is defined as anything that provides a measure of protection from bullets.  Examples of cover would be a rock wall, a large tree or even a ditch.

Are there any items of cover or concealment on your retreat that an attacker could take advantage of i.e. weeds, brush, trees, old vehicles, farm equipment, raised bed garden, unused structures; what could an attacker see from behind each of these.

Consider removing weeds and bushes that provide concealment.  Also consider removing old vehicles and unused structures from the property and moving farm machinery to an area where it would not benefit an attacker.

Write down, in list form, your observations and ideas for hardening your retreat.  

Once you determine where your strong defensive areas are and where your weak areas are, draw out on your diagram where you would put your early warning systems.  Your early warning systems should first be located in the most likely avenues that an intruder would take to get to the house and also the most vulnerable sides of the retreat.  You may want to draw those in red or otherwise indicate that those are the most important.  After that, draw in other early warning stretches to construct if you have enough wire and cans.  Avoid simply running a straight line of wire around your property.  Take advantage of existing objects to attach the wire to such as fences, power poles, clothes line poles, etc.  If you have enough wire and cans,  consider running staggered and overlapping stretches.  Be sure to draw out each one on the diagram so you have as little as possible to think about when the time comes.  Cans can also be wired to bushes and existing fences to provide additional coverage.

Next, identify the areas of cover that an enemy would likely utilize.  Determine what advantage he would have in taking that position.  Also determine what action you could take to defeat him in that position.  For example, if he is taking cover behind a tree, is there a position of cover that you could move to where he would be exposed?  This information will aid you in determining the defensive positions for you defenders.  In the case of a tree, where the tree is barely wide enough to conceal his body, he will be partially exposed if two defenders can move to each side far enough to form a 45 degree angel to the tree.

Consideration can be given to rendering a position of cover untenable or at least uncomfortable.  A wooden stand-off can be made of old lumber and secured to the back side of a tree to prevent some body from being able to get close enough to the tree to be concealed.

In the case of a berm or low wall where an attacker would have cover only when laying or kneeling behind the object, broken bottles could be strewn in that area.

If you have a wood pile, consider moving it (when the time comes) into you back yard or other position near the house.  This will help prevent it from being used by an attacker as a position of cover or for a means of ambush on a group member retrieving wood.  The wood pile could also be used to construct defensive positions or to camouflage their purpose.

If you have blind spots (areas of your retreat that cannot be seen from inside the house) give special consideration to how you can make it difficult for an attacker to take advantage of that.  One possibility is to mount a mirror or a wide angle rear view mirror on the outside of the house next to a window so that you can look out the window at the mirror and see down the side of the house where the blind spot is.  Mount it as high as possible so that it isn't as likely to get knocked off.

If you have places in the outer part of your retreat where you don't normally need to walk, you could dig random holes about a foot wide and a foot deep.  If an intruder manages to get past your early warning system at night, he may step in a hole and fall, making a noise. [JWR Adds: All defensive measures on your property that might cause bodily harm should be taken only after a complete societal collapse. Otherwise, you might be sued by an injured trespasser. We live in a litigious society!]

Determine where your defensive positions will be on all sides of the house.  Do not use windows as defensive positions because you don't want your windows broken out,and you don't want to frame yourself as a target. Your defensive positions should be outside of the house.  Ideally, each position should be such that the defenders can be re-supplied from the house and also to enable them to retreat into the house if necessary.  Ideally, each defender should be able to see and communicate with at least one other defender.

Assign each defender a permanent position so that there is not confusion about who is going to what position.  A cache for each position should be maintained in the house near the closest door leading to the respective positions.  The cache should consist of the firearm assigned to a given member, ammo for that weapon, a hat or cap to shade the sun and a tactical flashlight.  In cold or rainy weather it should also include appropriate attire.  The idea is to minimize the time spent getting people to their assigned positions and to ensure that they arrive with everything they will need.

If you have a position that has only short ranges because of a solid wall or buildings close by, this defender should be assigned a shotgun since they are most effective at close range.

Use whatever materials you have on hand to build or enhance a defensive position.  Burlap sacks from pinto beans and rice could be filled with sand or dirt to enhance a position.

Your vehicles can be positioned so that they provide a defensive position.  Park them close to the house so that your position can be on one side of the vehicle.  Try to position vehicles so that they are close to a door in the house for easy access.  The engine compartment and wheels provide the best protection from bullets.  If vehicles are left a distance from the house, they provide a position of cover to an attacker.

Ensure that there is sufficient coverings over the windows to prevent light from candles and lanterns from being seen outside.  This is an indicator to potential attackers that someone lives there and that they have provisions.

A defender should be on guard duty 24/7.  This is not a happy thought, but it is imperative unless you live in a remote area where you are sure there are no other people.  It will be especially difficult if there are only 3-4 competent members to rotate shifts.  The night shifts will be the most difficult and especially in the winter.  You can't see or hear well enough from the inside the house to be effective and therefore the night guard will need to spend most of the shift outside the house.  The ideal position for the night guard would be on the roof, however, most of us don't have easy access to the roof without using a ladder.  Also, constant walking on the roof will damage the shingles causing the roof to leak.

The most dangerous time of day for an attack is at first light.  That is the when the attackers can see where they are going and that is when the members of the retreat are either still asleep or are thinking about breakfast and changing guards. [JWR Adds: This also explains the long tradition of pre-dawn and dusk "Stand To", in armies around to world.]

The aluminum can cans on your early warning system will reflect moonlight.  This can be both a benefit and a disadvantage.  The disadvantage is that it might enable an intruder to see the early warning system and to avoid it.  To prevent this, spray the back side and top of the can with flat black spray paint.  Do not paint the side facing the house.  If light reflects off the cans toward the house, you will be able to see if someone walks between you and one of the cans.

When you are speaking to a stranger, never provide information about yourself, your family or your situation.  If a stranger comes to your retreat asking for help, be cordial and help to whatever extent you can or are willing, but be suspicious of them and do not let your guard down.  Regardless of how congenial they are and how desperate they may seem, don't become complacent.  Even if they are genuine, they are still on an intelligence gathering mission, whether they realize it or not.  Like a stray dog that learns where to get a hand-out, they are making a mental note of what kinds of supplies you have and what they might expect to get from you in the future.

Never assume that what you see is all that there is.  While one person is talking to you at the front of the house, several others could be approaching the house from behind or even from all sides.  Or, others may be watching from a distance to see what your reaction is to the person approaching the retreat.

Any time a stranger approaches your retreat, all defenders should be alerted to take their positions while two members deal with the stranger.  Everyone should maintain their positions until the stranger leaves and is well clear of the retreat.

Do not allow a stranger to approach the house.  Stop them a distance from the house.  The closer they get to the house, the more intelligence they can gain.  One member should go out to them and see what they want.  Another member should observe from a short distance.  This member should be armed and capable to deal with the stranger in the event it is a trap.  If you decide to give assistance, do not tell him/her what provisions you have and do not allow them to follow you.  The  member talking with the stranger should retrieve the supplies while the other member continues to observe them.

Be on guard about answering any questions they might ask about the retreat or the occupants.

If any of the defenders see other strangers, the entire retreat should be alerted to a possible attack, including those dealing with the stranger.  If it is a matter of seeing other people observing from a distance, the stranger should be questioned to get as much information about their group and their intentions as possible.  Intelligence gathering is equally important to you as it is to an adversary.

In the foregoing situation, the person coming to your retreat could obtain a lot of intelligence about your situation such as how many people are there, if they are armed and, if so, the type and number of weapons, whether the security in and around the house is tight, relaxed or non-existent, what supplies you have and where they are stored.  They can also get a close-up look at your defenses and security measures.

The information that that person takes away from their encounter with you may make the difference between having your retreat assaulted or not.  If they noticed that security was tight and that the retreat is hardened, they may just move on and look for an easier target.

Wire:

You can't have too much wire.  In addition to lots of wire for your early warning system, you will need wire for many other projects.  It's a good idea to have various gages of wire since different applications require different gage and strength wire.  Your early warning system should have wire that does not reflect light and that is strong enough that it won't break if somebody trips over it.  Army surplus stores carry military trip wire that comes on a wooden spool.  Half of each spool is green to blend with grass and half if it is yellow to blend with sand or fall leaves.  It is designed to be used with booby traps and illumination flares. 

Firearms:

Ideally, each retreat should be equipped with enough long guns to arm each person who is competent enough to handle one effectively.  Handguns should be reserved for only close quarters combat.  A shotgun should only be assigned to those members who understand the advantages and limitations of the weapon and who have had experience shooting one.  A shotgun is an ideal weapon for repelling attackers as long as the person using it understands the effective range of each type of shell and uses it accordingly.  Shotgun shells come in a variety of loads, from small lead shot for bird hunting to a 1 oz. slug for hunting big game.  Bird shot is useful at closer ranges, generally out to about 25 yards.  

Various sizes of larger shot are also available, from BB to 00 Buckshot.  The larger the shot, the greater the effective range.  The ubiquitous 00 Buckshot can be effective out to about 50 yards depending upon the brand.  A shotgun slug can be accurate to 100 yards and beyond and it is effective at whatever distance you can hit the target.  Shotguns are faster to engage a target than a rifle because they don't require as precise of a sight picture, unless you are using a slug.  The drawbacks of shotguns are: they have a limited cartridge capacity requiring you to reload them frequently, the shells are large and bulky making it difficult to use in a situation where you need to carry a large amount of ammo, and having the right type of load in the gun at the time when you need it.

Someone using a shotgun in a defensive situation should be very discriminating and conservative about his shots.  Where it would not be unusual to go through 100 rounds of ammo with a carbine in a firefight, the same amount of ammo for a shotgun is a lot of ammo.

Flashlights:

With no electricity, most after dark activities will be conducted by lamp, lantern or candle light.  One huge exception is security.  A flashlight is a must for night time security.  Another must is to have a flashlight with a push button on/off switch that can be manipulated with one finger.  When you are on night watch duty, you will need to be able to use a flashlight with your weak hand while maintaining a firing grip on your weapon with your strong hand.  The weak hand holds the flashlight in alignment with the barrel of the weapon while supporting the fore end of the weapon with the back of the wrist.  If you hear or see something that leads you to believe that someone is approaching the retreat, the weapon is aimed in the direction where you think the intruder may be and the flashlight is then turned on just long enough to determine if there is someone there, and if so, to determine if he is a threat or not.

In tactical situations, you need to be able to turn the light on and off quickly.  The only time you use the light is to briefly check a suspicious movement/noise.  Each time you turn the light on, you identify your location to a potential enemy and you also compromise your night vision.  For that reason, the light should not be on any longer than necessary and, after you turn it off, you should move to one side or the other if possible.  If an enemy decides to shoot at you, he will shoot at the light.  If the light goes off before he shoots, he will try to shoot where he last saw the light.

It's difficult to imagine having too many flashlights.  I think the average retreat with 5-6 adults should have at least 10 flashlights, six or more of which should be the tactical variety since every defender should have one.  Any flashlight can be used for doing chores where a lamp or candle is not practical, but the tactical flashlights should be reserved for only security purposes.  Also, the best light for doing chores is a head lamp which leaves both hands free to work.

Flashlights often get broken or the switch malfunctions.  For that reason it's a good idea to have enough spares to allow for some loses.  Currently, flashlights are cheap, unless you are talking about Surefire or Streamlight.  While these lights are great tactical lights, they have one drawback: they use expensive, odd size [CR-123] batteries.  And for the price of one of those you could buy 10 less expensive flashlights.

I am a firm believer in standardization and redundancy where possible.  I try to buy as many electrical devices as I can that utilize AA batteries.  That way you just buy one type of battery and it works in everything from flashlights to radios, to beard/hair trimmers.   And you don't have to guess how many batteries you will need for each device.  For $50 at Costco you can get a lot of AA batteries and if you use a flashlight only when absolutely necessary, they will last a long time.

Tactical flashlights should always have fresh batteries in them since it is critical to be able to see as well as possible if you are being attacked at night.  As the batteries in the tactical lights begin to lose power, they should be changed to a utility light or head lamp where maximum output isn't critical.

Now is the time to begin collecting cans.  I recommend saving aluminum beverage cans and a good assortment of food cans, especially the larger sizes food cans.  In a TEOTWAWKI situation we may find several uses for them and the availability will be limited at that time.  In addition to making improvised cook stoves as I outlined in my previous SurvivalBlog article "Off The Grid Cooking", they may be useful for repairing or fabricating other things.  For example, I recently built a rocket stove from materials that I had on hand.  To make the outer shell of the stove I cut the bottom out of a popcorn tin and attached it, end to end, with another popcorn tin using metal cut from food cans and riveted to the popcorn tins.  With the exception of the electric drill to drill the holes for the rivets, I made the outer shell using only hand tools and improvised materials.  It would have been more difficult to make using a hand drill, but now impossible.

I know that storage space is a problem for most of us, however aluminum and steel cans can be stored in the attic where it is normally too hot to store most things.  Bottles and jars will also store just fine in the attic with the exception of canning jar lids.

In a TEOTWAWKI situation, we will not be able to run to the store every time we need something.  We will have to improvise with what we have on hand.  We may have to make repairs on the house (especially the roof), bike tires and inner tubes, clothing and anything else we use frequently.  We may also need to make something from scratch such as a holster, sling or a knife sheath.  We may even need to fabricate something completely unique.  For that reason, it is advisable to have on hand a good assortment of materials to work with.

For those of us who plan on "bugging in", there will be a lot of work to do in a very short period of time if the bottom falls out over night.  A lot of that work will require tools and various materials.  Since we may not have electricity, I recommend acquiring some basic hand tools if you don't already have them.

Some of the projects on my list of things to do are: 1) move the wood pile to the back yard and use what "T" posts and fencing I have to build a fence on the back side to discourage thieves; 2) put up an early warning system; 3) build an outhouse; 4) dig a small pond in a natural drainage to catch rain water.

All of these things requires tools.  I have compiled a list of items that I want to have on hand to accomplish these tasks.  I have also included other items that I think would be good to have on hand.

• Wire (lots)
• Hanger wire
• Brace and Bit (old style hand drill)
• Drill bits
• Wood saw
• Pruning saw
• Tree limb loppers
• Axe
• Hacksaw
• Hammer
• Sledge hammer
• Screw drivers
• Pliers
• Needle nose pliers
• Diagonal cutters
• Good quality tin snips
• Vise grips
• Pop rivet gun & rivets
• Files
• Crescent wrenches (2)
• Shovel
• Assorted length deck screws
• Assorted nails & tacks
• Roofing nails
• Assorted cotter pins
• Large hinges
• Utility knives
• Propane torch with extra bottles of propane
• Paracord
• Clothes line cord
• Rope Lamp cord
• Heavy weight fishing line
• Caulking gun
• Indoor/outdoor silicone caulk 
• Tubes of Liquid Nails or construction adhesive
• Heavy gage clear or translucent plastic sheeting
• Duct tape
• Flat black spray paint
• Staple gun & staples
• Assorted leather
• Leather punch
• Leather lacing material
• Rivet setting punch & anvil for leather work
• Assorted length rivets
• Extra bicycle tubes
• Tube patch kit
• Foot pump
• Miscellaneous lumber

A good place to look for many of these items is your local Habitat For Humanity Thrift Store and hardware store discount bins.  Amazon has brace and bits but they can often be found at antique stores too.  Make sure that they work well before you buy them.

If you should happen to have a window broken out, you will want the heavy gauge translucent plastic sheeting to replace it.  It's hard to heat a house with a window out.

I fully endorse what others have said about 2 liter bottles.  I would include gallon and half gallon juice bottles.  They are great for storing sugar, rice, corn meal, black eye peas, baking soda and other things that you don't purchase in large enough quantities to put into 5 gallon buckets.  Also food from a 5 gallon bucket can be transferred to plastic bottles for immediate use making it easier to access the food and still keeping it sealed.

These bottles are also good for giving food or water to someone passing by.  Because of the flat shape of the half gallon juice bottles they would be good for UV light sterilization of questionable water.

Clothing:

I have determined to stop giving old clothes to the thrift stores.  In a full grid-down situation, we here in the southwest will be hard pressed to get enough water to drink and cook with let alone for washing clothes.  I suspect that we will have to wear a set of clothes until we can't stand them any longer and then dispose of them.  And we may only get a bath when it rains.

Soap:

I have been stocking away Lava brand bar soap.  Lava soap was more common years ago.  It is impregnated with bits of pumice and was typically used by mechanics to cut grease and oil off their hands.  It lasts forever because it doesn't generate gobs of suds like other bar soaps do.  For that reason it takes less water to rinse the soap off.  And the pumice would probably feel pretty good if you hadn't taken a bath in months.  The only place I have found it lately is at a Dollar Store.   

[JWR Adds: The preceding article might at first glance seem to be a rudimentary approach to retreat security to folks that are advanced preppers. Concertina wire, trip flares, night vision gear, infrared illuminators, and electronic intrusion systems are all great, but just keep in mind that they aren't in everyone's budget. And your preparedness timetable may be shorter than you think--so those goodies might not be available at any price. So it is important to know how to revert to the "old school" approach that Chino describes.

Mr. Rawles:  
I ran a recon/sniper unit in Viet Nam.  We had first generation starlight scopes and tweaked M14s and we shot the dickens out of the bad guys.  I was tasked with keeping a critical part of Hwy 1 open and would often do road security taking a jeep with a borrowed xenon searchlight to provide additional infrared (IR) support for my snipers. It would cast shadows at 500 plus meters and you could not see it with the naked eye.  

Many of us have more prep to do than budget to spend... but being able to see at night can literally amount to life or death. An inexpensive Yukon Gen 1 device (under $200) with a $40 Brinkman 3Meg Searchlight (comes with a yellow, red and blue plastic filter) and eight 4" x 4" sheets of red and blue cellophane ($2.99 per roll at Hobby Lobby) will create a situation where you can light up your surroundings (no visible light) to make sure the bad guys are properly welcomed.  

Powering up the Brinkman (with the blue filter and cellophane sheets), you do not see anything but a soft blue/red (barely visible at 10 feet) haze, yet you can see into and behind bushes, trees and all other types of cover at distances far enough out to make a difference.  The down side is that with and active IR emitter you do become a target for other night vision devices (unless they shut down due to overload... which the Brinkman will provide if they are looking at it directly)... unless you have a standoff.   Several of us are working on mounting the Brinkman (multiple locations) with remote directional turning  and on/off switch so we can activate, point and take action and not be in any light splash or reflection.  

This combination works almost as well as the equipment I used 40 years ago in Viet Nam.   Just wanted to pass on a good solution. - David R.

James Wesley:
I am writing by the light of a post-apocalyptic reading lamp I just constructed. From a string of LED Christmas lights, I removed two sections of just three LEDs each. To each of these I attached in series a single 100 Ohm resistor from the parts bin at Radio Shack. A goose-neck work light provided a good reflector and glare control. I cut the plug off the other end and crimped on the connectors appropriate to my battery. The battery was salvaged from a defunct computer UPS. They are common to alarm systems and are not expensive new. About 12" of electrical tape to cover my splices and some string to arrange the bulbs just so in the work light. For a more permanent project I would solder and heat-shrink the splices and add a fuse.

In addition to looking like something just a bit too civilized to make it into a Mad Max movie this lamp puts out enough light to read by easily or do fairly detailed hand work. This is far more than my oil lamps can do. It draws .055 amp at 12 volts or seven tenths of a watt. Add a few bits of solar panel from some garden lights and the right diode and it can be made rechargeable. Tie it in to a more sophisticated off-grid power system for even better results.

I have small ones around and fear fire. Glass oil lamps are a nightmare. Even kept high and out of the way I can picture a high spirited little darling tossing an object just right and chaos follows.

If I can figure out how to integrate it aesthetically I plan to 'nightlight' the whole house. The same series circuit can be reproduced over and over in a parallel run using a light gauge wire.

Any parent can probably sympathize with trip hazards due to small people around. Stumbling around in the dark is dangerous and inefficient. Integrating something like this in a discreet way could be valuable. Maybe add a light sensor so they come on dimly as path lighting all night, and include an override switch to turn them up to full brightness as needed, or cut them entirely for light discipline. A relay powered by the solar panel could hold the circuit open until it had no more energy to contribute, then the lights would come on.

The same approach could be managed with unmodified Christmas lights and an inverter. Running an entire string of 60 lights plus the paying for losses in converting from AC to DC is fine of you have power to spare. But it silly when all you need is half a dozen lights at the right place.

Wish I had a better closing line but it is getting late and I need to go dig up a potentiometer for this lamp. - Vlad

JWR Replies: Low power DC lighting is great for retreats with alternative energy systems. And of course LEDs are the most energy-efficient source of light. For use at retreats, I recommend getting segmented strings of red LED lights. Several vendors make LED "Rope" strings divisible into three-foot segments that are custom made to work on 12 VDC power sources with no modification. (This is a plus for those that are not adept at wielding a soldering iron.) Why red, you ask? For preserving your best natural night vision. This is the same reason that many navies around the world still "rig for red".

Sir:
The next thing that I would like to cover is mode of transportation. When the society collapses more likely you will have to leave your home. Having a 4x4 vehicle that is equipped with everything that you need to survive would be everyone’s choice for travel but that sometimes might not be possible. In the broken society there is no law. Everyone and everybody is a target. Traveling in the vehicle on the road or off the road is extremely risky. First, vehicles make noise and everyone can hear you. Second, vehicles are big and they can be seen. It is just way too hard to travel in the vehicle and not to be spotted. In a vehicle you will be ambushed by groups and the individuals. One of the reasons for this is that there will not be enough gas and just you traveling in the vehicle will make everybody think that you are a rich target and you will be attacked. If you plan on traveling long distances, you will be ambushed and if you might survive one or two ambushes but you will not be able to survive every ambush that you might encounter. Like I mentioned before, when the society collapses, there are no laws and everyone makes their own laws any way they like it. In Bosnia there were armed individuals and groups that would shoot at the vehicles just for fun to see how quick they can stop it and trust me, two M53s (Yugo version of German MG-42 light machineguns) supported with several AKs will stop most of the civilian vehicles very quickly. Traveling in the vehicle would be easiest way, but this might be putting yours and your family lives in danger but when the times comes, every individuals will have to decide for themselves on how they will travel and they will not have a lot of time to make this decision, so plan ahead.

My preferred method to travel was on horseback. The horse is quiet and it can go across terrain that not even 4x4 can. The horses also don’t require you to carry around jugs of spare gasoline since their food grows all around you. I would also recommend traveling on the horse back in the area that is covered with anti-personnel mines (minefields). Believe it or not, horses are extremely smart animals and sometimes they know where not to step. If your horse does step on a mine, you have a lot more chance to survive since his body will create some buffer between you and the blast and might give you another chance. The horse will also hear way before you any movement or any signs of life and if you know your horse, you will be able to read these early warning signals.

Since I am talking about animals, next thing that I would like to cover is food that they provide. While I was on the move, I was never long enough in one spot to grow a garden, but catching an animal for meal was another story. Good part of Bosnia is mountainous and wooded area, and there was some wild life to hunt at beginning but later on, this has changed and it was harder and harder to find wild life. First thing that I would like to recommend is to have some kind of small caliber weapon for taking small game. Shooting a small rabbit with 8 mm Mauser does not leave you a lot of meat to eat. Also learn to set traps for small animals. In certain parts you could hunt with your firearms but then you might be somewhere where you can’t shoot since you don’t know where exactly you are or what is around you. Another thing that you should learn is how to field dress an animal. I understand that a lot of people hunt and know how to do this but there are also people who have never hunted or seen an animal be field dressed and just seeing this might make them sick. Another reason for knowing how to field dress and animal is that you want to get maximum amount of food from it. You might not get to many chances to take an animal and when you do use everything from it that can be used.

Clothing
The next thing that I want to cover is clothing that you wear. Most of survival oriented people, including myself, would wear some kind of military camouflage uniforms for several good reasons. Some of the reasons are durability, most of the military uniforms are quality made and will outlast a lot of civilian clothing. Pockets to store things since uniforms have a lot of them in the right places. Blending in with natural backgrounds, since military uniforms are not made out of colors that stick out. Recognition of other members of your group by having all of the group members wearing same camouflage pattern. If you will wear military type of uniform, make sure that you have some civilian clothing with you as well. If you are captured by military, militia, armed renegades or anyone else, you will be treated as a combatant just because of the military clothing that you are wearing. Even if you are not armed it won’t help you out. I have personally witnessed a young man pay dearly just because he was wearing old Yugoslavian Army boots. The mentality of you enemy might be that you are a combatant if you show any interested in military equipment. So, if you are wearing military clothing be ready to lose it quickly and change in to something else. If you are captured in the middle of nowhere with any kind of uniform on and no other clothes to change in to, that could be bad for your health.

Another thing that I want to cover is one of the important pieces of your equipment, and that is flashlight. I had a low quality flashlight (I though it was good because there was nothing better on the market) and it died on me the first time it got wet. In the USA there is unlimited number of good quality flashlights so if you are going to have a flashlight make sure that you have a good one. And have backup one as well. Flashlight is a must have item and the cheap one will not last you long. This is true with any other equipment. I understand that times are hard and money is the issue for a lot of people but buying quality equipment will probably save you money in the long run since this equipment will usually last for the long time. One thing that I really wish I had was night vision device. Most people know the area that they live in and can move around that area in the middle of night without any problems, but when you end up in the different part of the country, and you can’t orient your self and is middle of the night, this can become challenging. Night vision would be tremendous help.

Although I previously mentioned bartering with ammunition, one other thing that I would like to mention to have for trading is cigarettes. I did not even think about this before things went bad but I was lucky to have a grandmother who smoked two packs a day and she always had several cartons of cigarettes stored. The smokers become so desperate that they will give you almost anything for a cigarette. I have see people in prison and refugee camps become so desperate that they would pick every leaf of all the trees in the yards, dried them, wrap them in the old news paper and smoke them. A lot of people got sick of this since they were smoking everything they could find.

The one topic that I would like to cover last and I think that this is one of the most important topics is what happens if you are captured prisoner. Humans are some of the worst animals and will commit atrocities that are far worst that any wild beast could do. And the worst part about this is that humans will do it for no good reason and that they will find humor in at while they are torturing someone. Animals kill because they are in fear, protecting their families or hunt for food but we, humans, are the ones that will do it for no good reason. I was captured as a prisoner and have promised to my self that if I survive I will never become a prisoner in a society with no laws again. After the war I have moved to USA and since then have served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Balkans both as a soldier with elite unit of US Army and as a private contractor and during my deployments I did not know if I will survive the deployments but I did know that I will never again be captured. This is something that every individual needs to think about. If society collapses and you are captured, you will be at the mercy of your captors, who might not have any mercy. There wont be laws and rights to protect you and nobody will be there that you can call for help or complain to. I hope that I was able to provide at least some useful information for the readers and gave them some ideas. Keep your powder dry. - The Bosnian Survivor

Mr. Rawles,
There are several proven, low cost techniques that can be used against thermal/infrared imagers. But none of them last an extended period of time. While they are not fool-proof they certainly do work well enough to frustrate the US military in Afghanistan.

The first method being used is for men to lay down in a small depression in the ground and cover themselves with a heavy wool blanket every time they hear an engine overhead -- be it a helicopter or the lawn-mower whine of a drone. This technique is well documented based on visual surveillance of groups of Afghans. All they did was to prop up the edges of the blanket with twigs to let their body heat escape around the edges of the blanket. This disrupts the pattern of the human body such that there is a warm spot but it does not look anything like a person.

A step up from this is to use one of the Space Blankets available on the market to do the same thing. They reflect heat right? If you have one of the heavier ones laminated to a ground cloth they can be used over and over again. In fact there is a poncho version of the space blanket that is very effective for this purpose even if you are moving about.

For shelter areas you can use mass (think of adobe houses) to diffuse the heat signature such that while the whole house will glow a bit it is impossible to see inside the house. Similar methods can be used in the field. For example, when digging a fighting position always use overhead cover if possible and pack the overhead cover with dirt or stones. This, combined with the use of blankets or tarps to screen the "windows" will render most thermal imagers unable to track you.

Finally there is always deception. In one exercise with a law enforcement team, we created a large number of "false" positives for them to track using small candles and Mylar balloons. Since aluminumized Mylar is the primary component in the space blankets, if you direct a small heat source onto the exterior surface, the whole surface will reflect the heat source and appear to be a large heat signature. (The aluminum can also be used to fool radar -- the balloons can be strung in a line so many feet or inches apart -- and as long as that distance apart is close to the wavelength of the radar beam the balloons appear to be one large solid target. I found this out many years ago when I was living very close to the largest helicopter base in the Argentine army just outside Rafael Castillo. We could float a string of balloons and get an almost immediate response ...)

Another trick is to place a small candle (120 hour candles work well for this) under a piece of metal about the size of a hubcap or 20 gallon drum lid -- as the candle burns it heats the entire surface without any hot spots but rather fairly even heating. To the poor chap looking through the thermal imaging gear now sees a heat source that is about the same size as a person's head and is not moving the way an animal would when a helicopter is overhead. So it has to be checked out.

Then there is my favorite one. Simply lay down to take your nap amongst a herd of goats or a flock of sheep. - Dr. D.

JWR Adds: Another method of infrared camouflage is to encamp in an area with numerous natural hot springs and pools. Since these are often associated with natural salt licks, these areas tend to attract wild game. Thus, not only will the hot springs themselves create distractions, but so will any deer (and similar-sized hoofed animals) that are in the area.