Usually, I talk about survival from the standpoint of doing the most possible with least available. That’s a large part of survival, especially long-term survival, but it’s not the only aspect. Increasing your odds of survival through acquiring the proper gear (and of course training with it) is another aspect of survival. If your budget allows for it there is no shortage of gear available. Here are a few items that would work in wilderness survival, but are more applicable to urban prepping.
Body Armor
Your greatest threat in an urban environment is going to come from hostile forces. This threat can be greatly diminished with the use of body armor. There is a wide range of products on the market. I would suggest opting for armor that allows SAPI (small arm protective inserts) plates to be inserted. With this added protection you can take a high caliber sniper round center mass and be up and in the fight again in seconds. That might sound too good to be true, and sometimes it is, but if you doubt the usefulness of body armor check a video online of an army medic that got shot by a sniper and literally bounced back up.
Night Vision
With the ability to see in the dark you can operate when others can’t. This will allow you to go out in search of supplies under the cover of darkness, and to stand guard with lethal effectiveness around the clock. There are a variety of options for night vision but I would recommend getting a night vision sight for your rifle. If you have binoculars or other night vision it will allow you to see in the dark, but actively engaging a threat will still be difficult unless you can see and shoot at the same time.
Mobile Radio
While a stationary home based radio will allow you to communicate long distances with others that are surviving, or perhaps, as in the case of hurricane Katrina, in safe areas so that they could send help, mobile radios will allow you to communicate as you move in a dangerous 3D urban environment. This will increase your effectiveness and safety as you will be able to split up and remain in contact. Like the other pieces of gear there are plenty of options out there, I only recommend whatever you can use on the move.
With these three pieces of gear you will able to operate on a completely different level that those without. This doesn’t mean that you won’t need to know how to start fires or search for water, it just means you can take active fire in the dark and remain in contact with your friends while you are performing basic survival activities like searching for water. And that will greatly increase your chances.
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