Becker Skills and Information Thread 06 - October 2014 - Urban Survival

[DunkEm]

When i was younger i lived on the streets alot and did some unsavory things ..please remember that was a life time ago...and in a urban SHTF scenario...the main threat will be OTHERS followed closely by yourself being the next main threat...the time i spent living that life here is a list of what i have..this list may seem a little minimalist and there is a reason for that...everything i have can be concealed..like i said the main threat is others they want what you have..the less you look to have the better off you are..
Lock picks (learn to use them)
Small pry bar
Water Tablets
Lighter and small ferro rod
Small flashlight (AA are easiest batteries to get)
FAK (bandages and alcohol pads mainly..the streets are terribly dirty)
Money.(1×10 1×5 5×1s kept seperate on your body)
Good knife resonable sized (not bigger than a bk16/17)
An appropriate multi tool i use the leatherman wave with the full bit kit
Cordage
2 old gift cards (one with duct tape around it)
Small peices of a broken spark plug (carrying this could be a felony in your state be careful) these are used for breaking vehicle windows
Zip ties
Fishing line (used for trip lines or alarms)
The rest..unfortunately we live ina world where people are pigs and litter is every where..scavaging, trash digging, dumpster diving what ever you want to call it becomes another skill same as trap building and fire making

Do the broken spark plugs work in a way that the end of a BK wouldn't?

 

[budazz]

I cant say i ever broke a window with my bk BUT i have other things and it is rather difficult to break a car window beyond what TV tells us ...the spark plug is very quiet and effective when doing so. why i have no idea the science of it but i know for fact it works that way..

 

[Chameleonbear]

My guess is that it works with a concentration of force. With the pommel of a knife you're putting the force spread out across a 1" area (ish) whereas with a spark plug it's the same amount of force concentrated into an area the size of a pin head.

 

[budazz]

Well i dont know cause what you do is throw it at the window with a piece about the size of your pinky finger nail or ring finger if you have tiny finger nails lol
if any one get a chance to go to maybe a junk yard and try it not sure how they would feel about it but you can always ask. also it does not work on windshields only side windows, i never tried a rear window.

 

[budazz]

This is what I want, first hand knowledge is great. Can you elaborate more on the experience gained while you were on the streets?

well of course i was not in a total civilization emergency..but somethings that im sure will transfer over...
1: you are not wanted any where and the longer you are on the street the more people do not want you around. no matter what, after time you will start to look like a vagrant IE shabby clothes, unshaven, even smelly. those trips to the gas station for free water will start to diminish
2: there is not much "planning" it is all more whats going on NOW..when you need sleep where will you get some NOW..
3: legality is always there..trespassing, shoplifting, panhandling, or just being homeless is illegal in alot of places. and these are bridges you will have to cross..are you willing to steal that bologna from the harvest foods? or can you hide in the bathroom of that catholic church and get some sleep?
4: people that share the same situation as you can not and should not be trusted litely..the guy that shares his burger with you today will be the same guy stealing your shoes tonight.
5: you WILL do things you never thought you would...i dont eat grubs on a daily bases but in a wilderness situation i would. not many grubs in the city, but you can find lots of rats, dogs, and cats as rough as that may sound it is there.
6: and probably the most important. whats going on around you?...grocery stores have certain days they throw out the expired stuff..bakeries do the same with day old stuff..see when the local donut shop throws out the left overs..post offices close for sending packages but the lobby where the po boxes stay open 24 hours..good spot to get a few ZZzzzs at 3am when no one is around...construction workers dont usually work on weekends...not a bad place to camp on fridays and saturdays
7: i know this may seem cliche but there is no safe place only a safer place..you have no home you have to live in the NOW..
8: people are more willing to help out kids than adults...i could panhandle like a machine when i was 13 at about 16-17 not so much..i have a family now am i willing to put my daughter in that situation to help us survive? tough call BUT i know it may come to that...
now like i said this is my experiences i had in a functioning society..but i think these are a few things that will carry over in any situation..

 

[ocnLogan]

So, I have luckily enough never had to "live" on the streets. However, I was a missionary in Denver for two years, and had a chance to be out and about a fair bit in suburban and urban areas. Mostly my experience is in suburban areas though, which is nice because there usually is still some nature around to take advantage of.

So, part of the question about "urban survival" will depend a lot on what the situation is. Because if it is something that is more personal/localized (you get a flat tire or break down somewhere less urban, the power goes out in your block, etc) that is much different than if something major happens (Tornado, BLizzard, EarthQuake, etc). So a lot of what you will want to be doing is going to be based on that.

However, here are some things I picked up/have thought about.

• Always carry water with you, and take no shame in filling it up wherever you are. Whenever you I see an opportunity, I do it (parks, gas stations, etc), because you never know when you will need it again. I've never seen anyone sqabble about giving you water (especially if you have your own container and are reasonable), and I know that in some places like AZ, its actually illegal to refuse someone water. I carry a 32oz Nalgene with me just about everywhere.
• Know places around you where you could take shelter on your normal routes to and from wherever you most commonly go. When you're out walking around in a city all day, it helps to have not just one place in mind, but many, preferably spaced out a bit. Even if this is just a place to stand/sit around for a bit during a cloudburst, its worth it.
• Know where publicly accessible restrooms are. If they are functioning, awesome. If not its still some form of shelter. Parks, sporting areas, stores/shops and restaurants are easy places to find.
• A good place to look for to keep dry and that is more accessible are apartment complex laundry rooms. They are usually communal, and so they aren't locked down as carefully. They also usually are warmish, and at least dry. And in a REALLY crazy scenario, they should still have lots of water around (my complex has two 160 gal water heaters that are shared + feed the laundry, so thats lots of fresh water stored away). They also usually have lots of drains in the floor, so you could conceivably bathe/clean up there a bit if you had to.
• Same idea goes for apt complex lounges, and office/managers areas. Because they're not technically anyones, there are less people around, and its still shelter. I've never done either of those two above (at least not for a complex I didn't live in), but I've thought about it many times. So again it would depend on the level of emergency that was happening.
• Not everyone can EDC a fixed blade. However, I like to think of a Svord Peasant as a "short handled fixed blade with a folding handle extension". Its quite sturdy, simple to fix/tighten, and can still be made to work if the handle breaks. Something to think about.
• The wooden doorstops you see everywhere? I've not tried it yet, but it seems to me that those would make excellent splitting wedges in a pinch. A SAK farmer or decent folder could get the initial split going into some firewood, then just drive the freaking doorstop into there (the wooden ones, I don't think the rubber ones would work) and split the firewood.
• Cordage is all over the place, and again it depends on what is going on. In a full out urban survival situation, I'd have no shame in doing what it took to stay alive. Electrical wiring, speaker wire, baling wire, clotheslines, etc. Those are all pretty accessible. I also learned how to make cordage from plastic bags (the ones that come with anything when you buy it, anywhere other than California :/). I made about 12 feet of it once, just to see if I could. I think that took 4-6 bags and like 2 hours? Worth thinking about.

Anyway, thats all I have for now. A lot of that is hypothetical stuff I've not had to try out yet, but a fair bit I've experienced, or at least experimented with and it has worked for me.

 

[Silverthorn]

Dumpsters behind any fast food place, RIGHT after closing have bags full of perfectly good food, that has to be thrown away per code. They dont bag it with regular trash because they inventory it to write it off as a tax loss.

Water from any type of iron stand pipe(stand pipe means non running water is in it, "Standing" Water) is lethal dont try to boil it, filter it, nothing. Just avoid it.
The standing water grows stuff, and leaches things from the iron pipe and turns into biological and heavy metal laced soup/poison. Lethal

Dumpsters can also make decent shelter, and most people are gonna be too picky to crash in one because its gross, but it can protect you from the elements and also conceal you.

Unused storage lockers at a U store it, can also be a decent hide out, shelter. Illegal though to you know break into them ..lol

Duct tape can stop a door latch from from latching and provide access after hours to some place. Its discreet too. you put a piece just as wide as the edge of the door, over the latch and bam. unlocked door.

For SHTF I have a ton of tips, but Imma stick with normal street survival. Its mostly common sense. Dont shelter where lots of people are unless you have nothing to take. Make friends slowly, street people arent always what they seem.
Vets on the street, assuming we arent talking about a seriously crazy one, tend to be pretty good guys.

Gas station bathrooms are a good place to wash up. Truckstops if you can scrounge a few bucks because if you spend the right amount there, they tend to give shower passes. Great way to get a shower, and you can spend the dough on food or something there to kill 2 birds with one stone.

You can find day work at some places that will let you crash there overnight too.

Eat and drink whatever you get, when you get it. People cant take it from you if its in your guts..lol

Maybe more later.

 

[Chance Sanders]

Great information being put out on here, I am digging it! I will say that one of the most overlooked assets in urban survival scenarios is the human element. We train ourselves to treat everyone as a threat, and rightly so, but you have to develop the ability to read people and quickly determine if they are truly a threat or a possible asset. It is much easier to ride 10 miles that it is to walk. Often enough, speed and distance can be your greatest allies.

 

[DerekH]

Something else to consider is what do you do if you are flying and get stuck someplace? Went through a good bit of this yesterday and feel utterly lost without even my multitool.

 

[ocnLogan]

Something else to consider is what do you do if you are flying and get stuck someplace? Went through a good bit of this yesterday and feel utterly lost without even my multitool.

I hate that aspect of flying.

Of course you can check a bag, and have a knife when you get to your destination, but sometimes thats not worth the hassle. And depending on what you're meaning by "stuck someplace" it could be pretty bad. An airport isn't a "bad" place to be stuck, as it has pretty much everything you'd need for a while at least. The worst scenario here is if you fly somewhere, and then are out about on your trip and then some big natural disaster hits. You won't likely know the surrounding area, and you won't have your normal resources to work with .

I guess the only thing there is to prepare well before you leave on a trip? You don't have to "pack" knowledge, and it doesn't weigh anything. Other than that, I'm kind of at a loss for what would be "best" to do in that situation, other than to just do your best.

So I guess that means that was a good question .

 

[NikkiR]

I've had a little street living time myself. Not fun as a female. Didn't last very long, but long enough.
Bagel places unload bags and bags of bagels at the end of the day. A lot of places do. Whole foods is a great place to hit up, they "compost" all of their produce in a giant compacter. You can hop in there and fill up on nearly perfect produce.
Sometimes the best way to stay out of sight is on a business roof with a tarp and blanket. If you can manage to get there, 18 year old me was spry. So I would camp on the roofs of businesses at night to avoid unwanted attention.
Drainage tunnels are great places to keep out of site. In my area particularly, they are low enough to be uncomfortable to walk in. Which is a deterrent. And because Texas is in a perpetual state of drought, they stay dry. Libraries are a great place to use the loo, and stay out of the elements during business hours. You can also buy a day pass on a bus for about 2$ and ride the bus all day to stay warm/cool.

I have a multitude of things in my urban carry that I will post up later. Hopefully with pics.

 

[Murphnuge]

Well i dont know cause what you do is throw it at the window with a piece about the size of your pinky finger nail or ring finger if you have tiny finger nails lol
if any one get a chance to go to maybe a junk yard and try it not sure how they would feel about it but you can always ask. also it does not work on windshields only side windows, i never tried a rear window.

I have a few firefighter buddies that carry hockey pucks in their turnout gear for breaking windows.

 

[DerekH]

I hate that aspect of flying.

Of course you can check a bag, and have a knife when you get to your destination, but sometimes thats not worth the hassle. And depending on what you're meaning by "stuck someplace" it could be pretty bad. An airport isn't a "bad" place to be stuck, as it has pretty much everything you'd need for a while at least. The worst scenario here is if you fly somewhere, and then are out about on your trip and then some big natural disaster hits. You won't likely know the surrounding area, and you won't have your normal resources to work with .

I guess the only thing there is to prepare well before you leave on a trip? You don't have to "pack" knowledge, and it doesn't weigh anything. Other than that, I'm kind of at a loss for what would be "best" to do in that situation, other than to just do your best.

So I guess that means that was a good question .

I flew to Oklahoma City last week. I didn't want to check any luggage as there was a very high likelihood that I would end up missing the connection due to the tight scheduling. If I had anything checked, well, it would have been lost without question and I was on a tight time frame. So, at that point, it was down to one pack, that would fit for a carry on, with no tools, none of my every day carry items short of a flashlight and a bandanna, and the clothes needed for the trip. I wanted to push myself and see how well I could do without the stuff I usually carry. And I did well. It forced me to look at things in a different way. It forced me to look for things in a different way. In a hospital all week, I learned a great many things, like where to find a place to sleep, where to go for getting cleaned up, etc... Being polite to people worked exceptionally well (good thing I always try to be polite) especially when I was in places I probably shouldn't have been (sleeping, reallocating coffee, etc...).

It took a lot of restraint to keep from heading to the local store for a replacement pocket knife and the immediate acquisition of a lighter, but ultimately I never really needed them. (I did at one point consider lifting a pair of medical scissors, but then I decided against it.)

All in all, it was interesting to see just how I would deal with the loss of my edc gear in that type of situation and it was very illuminating how I found to deal with it. That being said, I think I am going to be checking baggage next time.

 

[bored2deth]

Im not a Beckerhead, but I do like you guys, and Mr.Becker. So, I will chime in even though it will make me seem rough as a dry corncob. Ive been through a lot for my age..been on the streets, got the living snot beaten out of me, mauled by dogs, went through debilitating injuries..and worse still. Being on the streets can be either extremely bad or not AS bad, there is no GOOD to it. Some of you are familiar with my social experiments (i.e. others perceptions and treatment of you based on clothing and appearance), these are conducted for multiple reasons.

Chapter One:

If you are dirty, smelly, carry yourself rudely or nervously..people will notice in a negative perception. We are all quilty of it..we all assess based on these things. If you seem sneaky, it will be noticed. If you are dirty, carry a noticeable odor..will be noticed. If you are aggressive, pushy, rude..will be noticed. All of these things cause a negative perception and reaction. People also remember. I rarely ever forget a face, if that person drew a negative perception. These perceptions set off instincts, a "I bet that fellow is up to no good, or that person might be desperate." These instincts, these assumptions, are often automatic.

The perceptions of others can cause a great deal of trouble. Ive found that there is a low, medium, and high to this. If you have read my experiments, then you already know this. If you are dressed in ratty torn up clothes, you will draw a negative perception. If you are clean, well-groomed, and well-dressed..people will react much, much more positively..but then you also draw the attention of those whom would regard you as a mark. Now, if you go between...clean clothes, groomed, no smell...youre just another face in the herd. Either extreme..low or high, both draw unwanted attention.

A small bar of soap and a gas-station restroom sink..you can reasonably wash clothing. If you have a spare set..go for it. Its not hard to carry a comb, and if you have a multitool with scissors..trim that beard and hair! I cut my own and do it very well. Deodorant can be had for a buck, as can a tooth brush and paste. Your image can both get you into and out of trouble.

Hygiene makes visiting places, public places simpler and draws less attention. The less attention, especially for women in this situation, is extremely important. If you look as if youre homeless, you will draw the attention of police, security, etc much more than usual. It makes visiting the local library, for example, easier and with little or no hullabaloo. In this situation, you want to be as overlooked as possible! Others perception of you can very much, in such a situation, effect how it goes...can make it a little more tolerable, or a whole lot worse.

For women, to remain unnoticed, is far far more important. There are plenty of predators out there, and a person with no place to go, likely without the means to call out for help..in all likelyhood is seen as a mark. For a woman, to dress plainly, preferably avoiding form fitting clothing, is a wise choice. Homelessness is far more dangerous for women. Although, homeless women generally get more help than men, they are also more at risk of being robbed (if they look to have anything), harrased, etc.

 

[bored2deth]

I flew to Oklahoma City last week. I didn't want to check any luggage as there was a very high likelihood that I would end up missing the connection due to the tight scheduling. If I had anything checked, well, it would have been lost without question and I was on a tight time frame. So, at that point, it was down to one pack, that would fit for a carry on, with no tools, none of my every day carry items short of a flashlight and a bandanna, and the clothes needed for the trip. I wanted to push myself and see how well I could do without the stuff I usually carry. And I did well. It forced me to look at things in a different way. It forced me to look for things in a different

It took a lot of restraint to keep from heading to the local store for a replacement pocket knife and the immediate acquisition of a lighter, but ultimately I never really needed them. (I did at one point consider lifting a pair of medical scissors, but then I decided against it.

Why were you wanting medical scissors?

 

[SaturatedShadow]

This what I carry in my pockets every day. I used to carry a lot more, but over the past couple years, I have been minimizing to just what I use often and consider essential.

Knife: Victorinox Farmer
Flashlight: Streamlight microstream
Firearm: Ruger SP101 .357 magnum (holster varies, not pictured)
Keys (with paracord)
Phone (not smart, I refuse to own a smartphone)
Wallet (I've even stopped carrying a lighter, I keep an ESEE card with a firesteel and fresnel lens ranger banded to it in my wallet)
Spare ammo

I will also include my bottle kit as it is always with me or in whatever vehicle I'm using. My backpack often gets left behind, but the bottle kit is small enough to always bring along.

Stainless steel bottle and orange bandana in the main compartment
Compass and bank line in a 5.11 pouch on the side
flashlight and pliers in mag pouches on the other side
ESEE Fire Kit, lighter, duct tape, emergency blanket, gauze pads, AverageIowaGuy style first aid kit (ibuprofen, benadryl,vaseline), ammo, ear plugs, ceramic rod knife sharpener in the front pocket
BK-9 on the strap

 

[JoberSeven]

boredtodeath mentioned he's not a beckerhead. neither am i. so i also apologize if i'm out of line here.

the maintenance department in the plant i work at often shuts the water off with little or no notice. the last time they did it in summer, i started stocking up. i keep probably 24L in and around my desk.

 

[ocnLogan]

Nice setup there. I really like the idea of a Fresnel lens in the wallet. Where did you find yours/where does one find a decent one?

And that reminds me. It turns out that Imageshack now costs money to host your images... so now I have to find another photo hosting site to post my EDC kit and anything else photoworthy in the future.

 

[9mm_shooter]

Nice setup there. I really like the idea of a Fresnel lens in the wallet. Where did you find yours/where does one find a decent one?

And that reminds me. It turns out that Imageshack now costs money to host your images... so now I have to find another photo hosting site to post my EDC kit and anything else photoworthy in the future.

TinyPic is free

 

[bored2deth]

(Oh, and my apologies if out of line. Just always happy to share my skills.)
Part II..

In an.."On the streets situation" wether temporary or long term, there are things which can make it a little less rough. I will provide you with a list, which in my own experiences, served me well enough.

1.A compact, durable pack..maybe a 25L. Durable and low-key. Keep it reasonably small, as the bigger it is, the more tempting it is.. Quick-release buckles are nice.
2.SAK. Preferably the larger/smaller blade combo, with can opener, awl, and saw. Goes anywhere, doesnt warrant much attention. Tough, reliable.
3.Waterbottle (at least 2). Summers are hot, especially in the concrete jungle. Asphalt draws in heat and holds it, walking on this in 100 degree weather, will literally dry you out. Nice to have, seeing as there are plenty of places to fill up free of charge.
4.FAK. You WILL get bumps and scrapes, and out in the grunge..septic infections are plentiful. Keep them clean!
5.Good pair of boots! Preferably with a puncture resistant shank. You WILL be walking as your primary method of making distance. Make sure they breath well, and are made to last.
6.Extra clothes..both hot and cold weather. Hopefully a rain proof hoody.
7.Map and pen. Good for circling areas (fill up, fast food/restaraunt dumps and times), marking good places to sleep, etc.
8.water resistant sleeping bag.
9.a personal emergency or survival kit.
10.Cheap wrist watch with date.