Ethan's June Challenge, Urban Survival

Moosez45

Moosez45

Custom Antlers, Factory Knives...
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Not everyone lives near the woods, or in a rural setting. Most, probably live in an urban environment, and in a tough spot, or survival situation, knowing what you will be facing, is important. As much as the skills we would use in the woods, skills for urban survival are just as important, and I think, it needs to be addressed.

What are you going to do for food, when the restaurants don't open?
Where is your water going to come from, when the tap doesn't work?
How do you get out, or do you stay in?
If you are getting out, how are you going? Have a backup route?
Staying in? How are you going to supply yourself short term? Long term?

So, I give you, Ethan's June Challenge, Urban Survival Skills!!

Here are your Escape objectives,
-Show an escape route leaving the city
-Show where you will get water
-Show were you will get shelter
-Show were you will get food
-Make something from an everyday material, found lying around

Here are your Hunker Down objectives,
-Show an alternate site for residence
-Show where you will get water
-Show were you will get food
-Make something from an everyday material, found lying around

You can choose one or the other or both, it doesn't matter, but I would strongly suggest you try both. See what your options are.

None of this hoarding stuff, you are allowed to incorporate what you have already, so, don't say, "Well, I'll just eat the 1000 MRE's I got stored in the pantry", its not going to cut it. You need to take a serious look at what's around you, and evaluate what's good to use, and what's a waste of time.

The idea is to bring out urban skills, not just post some pictures, demonstrate your skills as best you can.

The knife size limit is a BK11, BK14, BK15, BK16, and BK17. Nothing bigger. You can go smaller, BK13, if you want, but only BKT knives.

Your Everyday Material Skill will need to be something that will assist you in your plan, of either stay or go. If you are going, make something to help you, like, a haversack, or a hammock for sleeping indoors, or making shoes out of an old tire, whatever, but you need to show us some skills with a knife and they need to be a benefit to you.

Its a month long contest, so, I suggest you take your time, and do some research.

This will be an open contest, available to anyone.

Must be 18 to enter, you are responsible for yourself and your actions, no one else is. Pay attention to the local laws where you live, granted, in a tough spot, laws don't mean a thing, but we aren't there yet, don't get arrested and don't tear up anyone's stuff but your own. If you are looking at doing something that would be against any law, the just detail as much info as you can, don't implement it. In a tough situation, well, all bets are off.

Something else you might want to include in your strategy, is people. There will be tons of people, some good, some not so good. If you will traveling as a party, or holding up as a party, include what your group skills would be.

Weapons are something I would build, if I didn't have any other choice. You might want to consider them as a skill. Just a thought.

If you don't live in a city, well, looks like you're out this month.

3 winners get either a BK15, BK16, or BK17. Their choice.

This contest will go until July 4th, then, we will start a new Challenge, one that we has never been done before anywhere.

On your mark.

Get set.

Go.

To enter, post "I accept Ethan's Challenge" in this thread, then edit it with your contest entry.

No chatting

Moose

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My Situation: I am in Columbia, Missouri during the week living in a ground floor studio apartment with 1-2 weeks worth of food, maybe 3 days worth of water. I have one vehicle, a two wheel drive pickup, which is well equipped with gear. If the need arises, I will bug out to our farm in Southwest Missouri.

My EDC: Eskabar, lighter, screwdriver

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Wallet, Keys, Paracord, Microstream light and a .357 revolver where allowed.

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My Gear: My Level I kit contains the core of my survival gear and is what I would grab first.

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My larger kit contains a fire kit, tarp and emergency blankets, cooking kit and a little food, a change of clothes, small first aid kit, altoids tin sharpening kit, cordage, climbing rope, compass, monocular, and headlight.

Also in my truck, I keep a bag of tools, tire changing items, my first aid kit from last June’s challenge, Missouri atlas, wind up radio, assorted jackets, hats and gloves, Cold Steel shovel, 100 rounds .357 Magnum, and, of course, my BK-9.

Possible scenarios:

Tornadoes are probably most likely in my area, but do not cause a breakdown of law and order. I do not foresee bugging out to be necessary, and if all is well at home, I will stay and help clean up.

An earthquake originating from the New Madrid fault is a possibility. Like a tornado, I don’t see it causing total societal collapse. If there is no damage back home, I don’t need to bug out.

Zombies- fictional. Aliens- unlikely. Uruk-Hai- also fictional. Durians- God forbid.

Economic collapse is more serious. At any signs of hyperinflation or bank runs, I am bugging out. Riots would call for bugging out. As would Nuclear/chemical/biological attacks. EMP would lead to me bugging out, likely on foot.

My Plan: I attempted to prepare two plans that would be suitable for any of the above bug out scenarios, one in which my truck runs, and one in which my truck is disabled.

Columbia is not that big so bugging out will not be much of a challenge if vehicles are running. Of course, I will attempt to get out as soon as possible after realizing the need to bug out. There should be a window of 1 to 3 days before total chaos. I hope to be long gone before the general public realizes the shyte has hit the fan and begins to act accordingly. The biggest challenge for me will be to get across the Missouri river.

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There are three bridges near Columbia. There is highway 50 in Jefferson City 30 miles South, but this possibility is out. In the case of any terrorist or enemy nation attack, I do not want to be going through the state capitol.

The closest bridge is on Interstate 70, but this is also the busiest bridge, and therefore the first to be blocked by disabled or wrecked cars. Or, if the government decides it doesn’t want people running about after a disaster of some kind, this is an obvious choke point for roadblocks, searches, checkpoints, etc. where citizens may be asked to report to a camp or hand over their weapons, to which I will not comply. I will also avoid this bridge.

The next bridge is in Booneville North of I-70. This is the one I will try. The easiest way out of Columbia is to the South on back roads then looping around the West of town, crossing I-70 at one of three places and proceeding to Booneville. I scouted this route. The bridge goes to downtown Booneville.

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And from the bridge can be seen another bridge, which may be tried if all others are impassable.

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Once across the river, it is just a matter of choosing the less traveled routes and proceeding with caution. But if the roads seem too dangerous, there is another possibility at this point.

The Katy Trail goes through Boonville. Railroad tracks converted to bike trails seem to be passable to 4 wheeled vehicles as well. Shouldn’t be too hard to “open” these gates.

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The bridges should hold up.

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If vehicles are not running, such as in an EMP attack, things will be much more challenging.


I will first try to procure a bike. Hopefully some ignorant undergrad student will allow me to trade them my XBOX 360 and flatscreen TV for their bike. It’s a good trade, they’ll have lots of fun with an XBOX when the lights come back on… if the lights come back on.

Then, on bike or on foot, I will follow roughly the same route, just a lot slower.

Near my apartment is a park, which may be a good place to stay off the roads.

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Seems to be game available too.

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From the park, I would continue South and West across a residential area towards the Missouri River. I can then take the Katy Trail along the river to the bridge in Booneville.

Limitations to my current System: This exercise a revealed a few areas where my preparations are lacking.

Fuel will be an issue. I generally will have enough fuel in my tank to get down the road a ways, but I would eventually need to refuel. A few gallons of stabilized gas would be a good addition to my preparations.

I could also use a secondary vehicle. I need to get a bike.
 
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I accept Ethan's Challenge
 
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I accept Ethan's Challenge!

I actually look forward to this. I have some of this already planned out.
 
I accept Ethan's challenge.

I wish I could have participated. I got pneumonia and wearily withdraw without entry.
Best of luck to all the participants!
 
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Escape from Springfield, OR. Population 60,000 ish.
In this exercise I'll be fleeing my house in spfld, (Willamete valley) to Marcola (Mohawk valley).
This first picture is obviously a map, cut out of a phone book and enlarged. The goal of this map is to give me direction from my house to Hayden bridge over the Mckenzie river. I have made a route out of town and an alternate route out of town. I picked the primary route (green) because it avoids more of the residential areas and has more industrial or light industrial zoning. But will take me over the hwy on the way there, which may or may not be an issue.

The secondary route (yellow) is actually shorter and a little faster as I'll illustrate in a bit. However I have to travel through more residential areas to get to the bridge and I have to go under the hwy.
I've made notes on the map of businesses and points of interest. The area in blue is the river.


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The picture below shows random notes I made during the day and the results of my drive on my lunch break.


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What I discovered is in my personal vehicle I can drive the 2.4 miles to hayden bridge from my house in just over 6 minutes at mid day. I'm gonna walk it tomorrow to see how long that'll take me, but I have 3 little boys and I'll need to take the slowest one and get and idea of how fast he'll be able to go.

I have to pass an industrial area like this Kingsford plant and across the street from that is a National guard armory. Not sure this is the best way out of town.


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Potential food source. I can get within 10 feet of them without offering them any food. That'll be close enough. I tested it yesterday.


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The bridge I'd have to get to, escape from the city, I'm standing on it, but there is also this railroad tressel. I'd need a machete to get to the entrance of that and bolt cutters (big ones) to cut that welded on grid blocking the entrance. Also my source for water if needed and there is anothersmaller source along the way as well


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My water filter I made out of a juice bottle, cheese cloth, charcoal and sand. The main purpose of this is to take the grit out of any water to make it palatable so I could then treat it with bleach, iodine or MP1 tablets, or i'd boil it.


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Here's the whole deal put together, I've never done one of these before myself. The water cleared up from the charcoal dust after about 3 fillings and none of the sand made it past the cheese cloth.


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Gonna open this back up until the 4th.

Moose
 
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