10 New Year's Resolutions for the Survivalist

It's that time of year again. Time to make resolutions that will probably be hammered away at for a week or so then put on the back burner then forgotten about entirely before spring arrives. These resolutions are, however, designed to be easy to accomplish, and will, if adhered to, put you in a much better position to survive just about anything.

1. Learn something. Take a class that will teach you a survival-related skill. Get your EMT certification, pass your HAM radio tech test and join the local HAM radio club, join the local Search and Rescue organization and participate in their trainings, etc.
2. Get out of debt. Completely. This will do more for your survival-ability than nearly anything else you do. If nothing else, it will decrease your stress level considerably.
3. Exercise every day. No excuses. Even if it just means walking around your block a couple of times a day, exercising every day could help you save your life or the life of someone else when TSHTF.
4. Pay cash only. For everything. This will reduce your paper trail and up your personal privacy considerably.
5. Spend time building and strengthening relationships with your family and friends rather than being glued to the TV, your computer, or your cell phone. When it comes down to it, the only ones who will have your back are these people. Period.
6. Guard your privacy. Change your passwords, back up your files, wipe the hard drive of your old computer, shred all documents that contain personal information, check your credit report annually, etc.
7. Know where you live. What are the potential natural and man-made threats? Where are local water and food sources? How many different ways can you enter and leave your residence/neighborhood/city?
8. Develop multiple sources of income. I don't care if it is delivering papers and mowing yards. You need to be able to generate income when you need it and on a regular basis. Having multiple sources of income can ensure this.
9. Challenge yourself. Make it something big. Huge. A 40-day Amazon River expedition with NOLS, biking across the US, taking a high risk security operations course with Blackwater...er, XE...er, US Training Center. You get the idea.
10. Change your life. If you aren't happy with any part of your life, change it. What are you waiting for? No one will give you permission to do such a thing so it is up to you to make your own choices and set your own goals. Of course then it will be up to you to follow through on this decision come Hell or high water...

Will you read this list, think it is a good idea, maybe make a few feeble attempts at achieving some of these goals, then forget about the whole thing within a few month? Or will this be the year that you turn into your own action hero? The choice is yours.

Link Round-Up: End of the Year Clean Up Edition

Here's some random links you may find interesting as I clean out my favorites list at the end of the year...

• Redneck University...In Photos
• Something to subscribe to: Secrecy News Blog
• Need goals for the new year? Check out these lists.
• Need travel ideas? 10 Strange Places to Visit
• Someone to follow on Twitter: Adventure Doc
• How average folks really feel about the economy (read the comments section)

10 Reasons Why We Are "Heading For the Hills"...So To Speak

I was going to write a short post today saying "Merry Christmas" like what most bloggers are writing seeing as how today is Christmas Eve. Then I read a response to my last post and decided to answer the question here in an expanded post format.
Anyway, the questions was "why are you leaving for a third world country now?" While my crystal ball is probably about as fuzzy as anyone else's and I don't have any "secret insider information", there have been a number of things that have happened that just sort of ended up culminating in a rather sudden and drastic change to my lifestyle. Including:

1. I have known more than a dozen people who died or become medically incapacitated this year. They always said "when I retire I'm going to..." fill in the blank. Only they never got the chance to. Since I and the spouse are both healthy and while not retired, able to take months or years out of the work force at a time, we decided that now is as good a time as any to hit the road and travel as we have been planning to do.
2. One of the major contracts for my business which required my actual presence is terminating at the end of the year. Although my income will take a hit, I now have the freedom to not have to be anywhere which is great when it comes to traveling. I will still make money through other business endeavours which don't require my presence.
3. The housing market continues to decline no matter what you hear on the news. My house has lot a ton of equity, however at this point, I am still able to get an OK price for its sale and still get money out of the sale which will fund our lifestyle for the next few years. The market may eventually come back up but I don't want to wait around that long. (Note: I told a friend this and he wondered if he should do the same, however since he has a fairly secure job that he loves and four small children I told him that his best bet would probably be to ride out the market since he is in a much different place than I am).
4. I am a fan of minimalism and have been paring down my life for about the last five years. Although the spouse would disagree, I don't need much "stuff" to have a happy and healthy life (compromises are still being worked out at this writing). For once in my life I want complete freedom. No mortgage, no car payments, no need to earn a large income, no responsibilities for work/staff/community commitments/etc. Freedom.
5. We own property and a business in Southeast Asia (said third world country). We visit often but have yet to actually "live" there. And while I don't intend to stay there for years at a time, we do plan to stay for longer intervals such as months instead of weeks. And no, this place isn't any safer, free-er, or better than the US...quite the contrary. But I think that learning how to get along in a foreign culture is definitely a skill worth having.
6. I do have some concerns about the socio-economic-political situation in the US at this time. Minor concerns but concerns nonetheless which make me think that being as portable as possible is a good idea (again, I don't recommend this for everyone).
7. Of course there is the whole "the world is going to end in 2012 thing". Do I think the world will end? No. Could there be significant changes that will impact every one of us? Yes.
8. My life is making me bored silly. Same old thing. Everyday. Now that I have the opportunity to be un-bored on a daily basis, I'm going to take it.
9. We don't have the things that usually tie people to one place and the job treadmill. Namely, the kids are all grown and settled into their own homes and families, we have no debt, we have no need to keep a big house, our parents have all died (no need to care for aging relatives as many others do), we don't shop and buy stuff like we used to, retirement is already funded, etc.
10. This is the perfect chance to explore new personal and business opportunities. Among the plans this year: a month-long+ bike ride, maybe an appearance at Sturgis, attending a couple of conferences that I actually want to attend instead of HAVE to attend, more time for shooting/backpacking/fishing, extended time with the kids and grand kids, etc.

So that's it in a nutshell. Nothing is forcing us to "head for the hills" excect for the opportunities that converged to make it possible.

p.s. Hope you all have a great Christmas!

Some Ideas In Response to "Track Me If You Can"

The ideas gleaned from "Track Me If You Can" were good. Here's some more ideas for flying below the radar:

• Stop using your email, your cell phone, your debit and credit cards, and other trackable sources a month before you leave.
• Before you leave, destroy the hard drive on your computer and basically chop up your computer and distribute amongst dumpsters throughout your city.
• Burn all of your personal documents.
• Consider leaving your home via city bus or better yet, a ride on CraigsList (found through an anonymous computer and anonymous email account).
• Determine how you will leave (ie: abruptly leaving a wife who would A. think you are dead and collect on your life insurance which would be insurance fraud or B. call out every resource known to man to find you thus plastering your face all over the national news is sub-optimal).
• As you are traveling, pick up a pre-paid cell phone with cash. You will only use this phone in the event of an emergency, not to call friends and relatives.
• Change your appearance bit by bit as you go along.
• Choose a new town, preferably a small city that isn't heavily invested in security (I've walked into courthouses in small cities in the middle of nowhere and haven't seen a metal detector at the entrance or cameras on the ceilings at all which is pretty surprising).
• Legally change your name. Unless you have the contacts to get top quality documents with your new name and info (if you have to ask who these contacts might be then go the legal route).
• Rent a room from someone instead of having your own place (obviously pay in cash, be cordial but not forthcoming with personal information, and don't get any of the house bills in your name).
• Ride a bicycle instead of having a car.
• Don't become a creature of habit.
• If you have compelling reasons for totally disappearing, consider plastic surgery to alter your appearance and fingerprints (sorry, not much can be done to distort retinas and DNA).
• Move often.
• Work for cash only.
• Pay cash only. For everything.
• Choose an itinerant lifestyle (perpetual traveler, migrant worker, live in a third world country, etc).
• Never use anything that can be used to track you: GPS, transit pass, loyalty cards, credit cards, frequent flyer miles, etc.
• Don't do anything illegal (once you are in the justice system, your privacy is pretty much gone).
• Live with the homeless for a while to get a sense of (and learn the skills of) their way of life. (Note that many homeless are fully connected to the system garnering everything from food stamps to welfare to medical services from the government so this part you may want to skip).
• Live in the mountains (easier said than done).
• Study and practice skills that are easily saleable (mechanics, plumbing, construction, etc). Do this after you have left your original home so the skills can't be used to track you.

Living a totally hidden life is actually not much of a life. It is lonely and worrisome and not a whole lot of fun so your circumstances need to be pretty dire to do this (think Witness Relocation type of dire).

On the other hand, you can take plenty of steps to significantly cut back on how you could be tracked and continue to live a fairly "normal" life. At this writing, my house in is the process of being sold and the spouse and I will be living in both a third world country and in the home of a relative when we are in the states. Our vehicle is being sold as well. I already have no credit cards and pay cash for everything. I don't use loyalty programs. I tend to walk or bike when at all possible, take public transportation, and generally avoid driving if I can. Our lifestyle is minimal and our needs are minimal so we don't buy lots of stuff. While I would previously find myself in newspapers and occasionally on TV, I have changed my business significantly enough to stay out of the public eye even on a local scale. You get the idea. So while I am technically not "hiding" from anyone and can enjoy the friends, family, and hobbies that I have always enjoyed, I am still making a concerted effort to scale back how visible I am to the powers that be.

20 Ways to Look Like a Victim

Sometimes random bad stuff just happens to people, more often, however, people are targeted because they behave like a victim and make the perfect prey for someone looking to take advantage of them/assault them/do other nefarious things to them. Here's 20 ways to look like a victim (and, by doing the opposite, not to look like prey to a potential attacker):

1. They don't pay attention to their surroundings. They may be cut off from the outside world by their iPod, paying attention to their kids, or chatting on the phone and not realize what is happening around them.
   
2. They behave irresponsibly. Whether by hooking up with a loser (mostly women do this but men do this as well), absently leaving their wallet or other expensive things in clear view in their car, or becoming intoxicated with no one to watch their back.
3. They become too trusting too soon. This is how people get taken advantage of and the perpetrator is usually gone before they realize what happened.
   
4. They jump at offers that seem too good to be true. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Find out what the catch is before determining to move forward with the offer.
5. They present themselves like a victim. They way you walk, talk, and act can mark you as someone to be well regarded to someone that looks like easy prey. Be the first one.
6. The look like they are advertising to become a theft-in-progress. They dress inappropriately (ie: wearing a Rolex in the hood, or any other high value item for that matter), flash wads of cash in public, brag about their massive handgun collection, etc.
   
7. They take stupid risks such as walking alone at night, leaving a bar with a stranger, or hanging out in locations where shootings are the rule rather than the exception, etc.
8. They are afraid to stand up for themselves. Whether as a woman who never learned how to speak up and defend herself or a man who is afraid to get his ass kicked, sometimes you have to swallow your fear and act. At the least, it may throw your attacker off guard.
9. They doubt themselves. Many people look back in hindsight after a bad situation and say they thought something was wrong with the fill-in-the-blank (stalker ex-boyfriend, mugger, Ponzi scheme) but they talked them self out of reacting to the problem because they doubted what their common sense or sixth sense told them was true.
   
10. They are afraid to not be nice. It is common courtesy to be nice to people automatically, however this can get you in trouble. It is better to be cordial but distant (literally and figuratively) until you have assessed possible outcomes of the situation.
11. They are too consistent. If your co-workers or neighbors can set their watches by your actions, you are too predictable and consistent which can lead to problems.
    
12. Their attitude is either meek and submissive or arrogant and cocky, both of which inordinately attract bad guys to them.
13. They provide too much information. It is a good thing to be a bit mysterious. These days people think that is is perfectly fine to put their every last personal detail or thought out to the public, which can make them excellent candidates for identity theft, stalkers, and more.
    
14. They don't do their homework when it comes to travel. Most other countries are not like America and people either aren't aware of this or don't care which can result in all kinds of problems from theft to kidnapping to scams to worse.
    
15. They don't prepare ahead of time to avoid being a victim. Whether it is taking a karate or assertiveness class, buying insurance, or getting vaccinated against the latest flu virus, it often takes less effort to be proactive than to be reactive.
    
16. The don't guard their possessions, their home, and themselves then wonder why something bad happened. Insurance is a good idea, so is a sturdy lock on your door, and the habit of locking car doors.
    
17. They hang around with losers. You are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. Similarly, if you hang around losers, thieves, or other unsavory people, you can't be surprised when their nature makes them act in unsavory ways, even towards you.
    
18. They don't do the right thing. "Codes of secrecy", knowingly allowing others to participate in fraudulent activities, and other behavior just to "go along and get along" doesn't do anything to improve their situation and usually creates even bigger problems.
    
19. They become emotional victims. Which allows them to be controlled by their significant others, obliterate personal boundaries with those they are close to, and otherwise become a doormat to others who will take advantage of them.
    
20. They make it too easy for the random criminal. Being nearly passed out drunk in the subway, forgetting to lock your doors, or setting a purse down in a shopping cart and walking away make it too easy to become a victim of crime.
    

The bottom line is to not be a victim. Yes, you may offend someone, miss out on a great deal, or get your ass kicked but the alternative is to open yourself up to victimization.

Lessons Learned: Track Me If You Can

I was flipping through channels to provide a little background noise last night while I was working and came across a show I hadn't heard of on Discovery which I promptly Tweeted to everyone. The name of the show was 'Track Me If You Can' and it focused on ways to avoid being tracked by "big brother" or anyone else who may be looking for you. Most of the info was pretty basic but it served to provide a number of good reminders, including:

• There are 30 million plus surveillance cameras on the US.
• The average American is in 200 databases.
• Putting a plan in motion to keep you from being tracked is a good idea if you are wanting to devise a new life for yourself.
• Right before you leave, change your appearance significantly (if you have hair, shave your head, if you have blond hair, change it to black, get glasses, etc.).
• Before you leave, terminate all of your accounts (email, bank accounts, credit cards, etc).
• Don't terminate your social network sites as you can use these sites to provide disinformation.
• Before you leave, delete all of your computer files and get rid of your computer's hard drive (first boil the hard drive then smash it with a hammer and finally run a Degausser/electromagnetic wand over the drive to obliterate all information it may contain).
• Get rid of all of your personal stuff like photos, trophies, mementos, etc. that could tie you to your old life.
• Shred all of your personal info and credit cards/bank statements/etc. then take the shredded material and spread it around in a bunch of trash bags and leave the bags at various dumpsters around the city.
• Get rid of your cell phone as these can be easily used to track your location either through a computer software program or through triangulation.
• Either destroy the cell phone or wipe all of your info from it then leave it at a train or bus station so that someone else will pick it up and start using it thus providing a source of disinformation for those searching for you.
• Break your normal patterns (what you eat, where you frequent, how you shop, the kind of work you do, etc).
• Ditch your car if possible.
• Completely change your lifestyle (ie: if you are currently a corporate lawyer, become a night janitor then dress and behave appropriately).
• If you do take your car get rid of the toll pass which can track your movements through the RFID chip in the pass.
• A personal note: if you do take your car, check out 'How to Be Invisible' for ways to register your car but not have it linked directly to you.
• Stay away from interstate highways.
• Get rid of the GPS device which came with your car. Ditto for the OnStar system which can be activated remotely and allow others to listen in on your conversations.
• Make sure your tires don't have RFID chips in them. Some tires do have these chips and they can link to your VIN number and the purchase location of the tires.
• Going to non-chain restaurants is better. Of course you will be paying for everything with cash.
• When you are out in public disguise yourself (at least wear a hat and sunglasses).
• Avoid frequenting your usual places (in the example, if you are a vegetarian your meal preference can be found through your prior airline meal request and then you may be easier to locate if you frequent vegetarian restaurants).
• Get your food to go from restaurants so you don't leave DNA on the plates/utensils/glasses which can be read with an easily purchased BPac machine which analyzes your biometrics.
• Stay in small motels and pay with cash.
• Use alcohol wipes to remove fingerprints.
• Use a wireless bug detector to check for hidden bugs/cameras/etc.
• Cover the peephole so people can't see into your room.
• Sleep in your sleeping bag so you won't leave DNA behind on the hotel bedding.
• Buy a pre-paid cell phone which you only use for outgoing calls (be sure to turn of the caller ID). Replace the pre-paid phone frequently, about every few weeks.
• When you are not using the cell phone, remove the battery so it can't be turned on remotely or used to track you.
• Be careful when speaking in cars or near windows. The NSA has a 'bounce laser monitoring system' which can pick up sound waves on glass and record what you are saying.
• At night you can avoid being seen on cameras that use infrared light by fashioning a cap with LED lights on the front of it which makes a "halo" and shields your face from the cameras.
• To determine the best place to resettle, choose a mid-sized city in a not overly cold place. Big cities and small towns are not good places for anonymity.
• To change your identity don't just assume the identity of someone else (this is way more difficult--and illegal--than it used to be), instead petition the court to change your name legally to a new--and common--name.
• Apply for a driver's license under your new name.
• Most driver's licenses and passports have RFID chips in them. Block people from reading these RFID chips by carrying them in a wallet lined with aluminum foil.
• To get back online, use a new laptop.
• Always use a hard wire to your laptop and turn off the wi-fi which is easily hacked.
• Put a band aid over your web cam as these can be turned on remotely.
• Install anti-key logger software on your computer.
• Also, install software that will reroute your ip address so your location can't be determined via your computer.
• Be aware of the ECHELON program in the US which monitors phone and computer transmissions for keywords and messages.
• At the grocery store, change your shopping habits and never use store club cards.
• Be aware that some food packaging now contains RFID tags. To be sure these aren't used for tracking (unlikely now but possibly more likely in the future) repackage food once you purchase it and get rid of the store packaging.
• To find work, get a night job as a janitor, this will limit your contact with people.
• Change jobs often.
• Create a "back story" for your new identity and practice it. If you base your lies on the truth but change the details a bit, your story will be easier to remember and more believable.
• Open a bank account (preferably at a small bank that doesn't use biometrics for identification).
• Be aware of video surveillance cameras which are everywhere.
• Never contact people from your past.
• The narrator noted that every year, changing your identity gets harder.
• The police now consider common activities suspicious such as bird watching, sketching or painting, or taking photographs in public.
• There are 70 FUSION centers in the US which coordinate surveillance and other information.
• Airlines sometimes use locator chips on your bags so be aware of this. You can also use these tagged bags for disinformation purposes (ie: leaving them in places to throw people off your trail).
• Technology is now available to identify you by the way you walk (change the way you walk), your facial measurements and biometrics (use a disguise, and especially sunglasses), and even your response to images.
• It will be 7 to 10 years before your old identity drops off of old databases.
• Guard against complacency.
• The less you interface with technology, the better off you will be.

Overall an interesting show. I'm glad that the media sees this as being valuable information that needs to be shared with the public.

5 Things to Do While Surfing the Net Today

You are online anyway (I know this because you are reading this post) so you might as well add some useful tasks to your random web surfing. Here's five things to do:

1. Sign up for the Do Not Call Registry.
2. Google Yourself. You may be surprised at what you learn.
3. Get your Free Credit Report and check for any inconsistencies
4. Clean up your computer (Note: the link suggests wiping your hard drive which I don't recommend unless you have significant problems since replacing the deleted software can be both expensive and time consuming.)
5. Change all of your passwords.

Big Changes Are Afoot

It's been a bit quiet around the CNI blog/website for the past month or so, and with good reason. Here's the latest:

• We are selling our house. This has been in the works for a while but I really see no end in sight to the real estate downturn so I figured now is as good a time as any to get out of real estate (if my crystal ball was a bit clearer I would have done this about three or four years ago and I would have been, let's just say, much wealthier).
• We are selling nearly everything we own. I am on a minimalist kick which means I don't want to be weighed down by my possessions any more. When I see relative's homes that have 30+ years worth of accumulation that their kids are going to eventually have to clean out, I get the heebie jeebies.
• We are "homebasing" ourselves out of a relative's attic. Considering said attic is in the ginormous new home of a relative who is single and travels often, it will actually work out quiet well. Super low rent, very nice space, and the opportunity to be "off the radar" so to speak since we won't have a single bill in our names.
• I am ratcheting back my business considerably which will equal lots less "must do's" and much more time to work on projects that have been on the back burner for a while.
• We intend to travel for the next couple of years. Not a non-stop-around-the-world kind of travel, but extended stays at some of the places we enjoy around the globe with the occasional stay at our "home base".
• Preparedness will still be the center of my life. Actually I get many of my preparedness ideas from those who are anything but "rooted". I can learn more about survival from a homeless guy, illegal immigrant, or itinerant artist/student/worker than just about anyone else simply because, in many survival situations, you don't have the luxury of having every tool known to man at your disposal. You have your wits, your knowledge, and your ability to think on your feet. These are the skills that are critical to survival.
• By scaling back our lifestyle, we will be, more or less, financially free. There is something to be said about not having the "overhead" of the typical American lifestyle to free up lots of cash.

Finally, I feel there is too much uncertainty in the overall socio-economic, political-industrial complex that is America (and in turn, the world) to not be optimally portable. Does this mean everyone should be ready to bail? Not really. Each person has to determine what is most important in their life. When the kids were growing up, being firmly rooted in a community was of the utmost importance. Now that they are grown and spread out all over the world, we don't have that responsibility. And while we are sliding towards our retirement years, we aren't there yet. I do know quite a few people, however, who say "when we retire we are going to do X". Unfortunately, by the time they actually retire they are too old, sick, broke, or stuck in their ways to do what they once dreamed of. And I don't want that to be me.

WikiLeaks..My Two Cents

Occasionally I feel like writing an opinion piece. Today is one of those days. So let's delve into WikiLeaks. And since I am a bit busy today, it will be done in bullet points:

• Here's the WikiLeaks website (subject to crashing and burning and being cyber attacked by the US government). You can also check here. And here.
• Opinion #1--aside from outing active individuals in the field which could lead to their death, information should be fair game. (Although when the US government outs, say, Valerie Plame, they think it is no big deal...go figure...).
• Opinion #2--that being said, when you work for the US government and steal secrets from them, well, you're gonna be toast whether you call it treason or whistle-blowing.
• Opinion#3--hasn't WikiLeaks done this before? I can't believe safeguards weren't taken then to prevent such a thing from happening again. Duh.
• Opinion #4--I think Ron Paul has the right idea about this. And his quote will become a classic..."In a free society we are supposed to know the truth. In a society where truth becomes treason, we're in trouble"
• Opinion #5--So it is OK to publish some of the leaks in a newspaper (New York Times) but if you do so online (WikiLeaks) you will bring the full force of the US government down on you. I fail to understand the difference.
• Opinion #6--this has got to be the dumbest memo I have ever read. Does that mean if you are reading the New York Times you need to close your eyes when you get to the article about WikiLeaks where some of the information was published?
• Opinion #7--I'm still trying to figure out the rape allegations. Either they are true and the guy had really bad timing (or maybe he thought that he could get away with it because who in their right mind would do such a thing during the most tumultuous time of their life) or he really pissed off the US government and they are railroading him. Either are quite possible.
• Opinion #8--Amazon and PayPal are a couple of corporate wimps.
• Opinion #9--Many of the cables I have read, along with the first set of documents, are something your average person already knows. There is massive corruption in Afghanistan and Pakistan (duh), "contractors add to war chaos" (duh), "tensions high along Kurdish-Arab line" (double duh), Iran is firmly in the mix supporting factions in Iraq (duh). And these are supposed to be secrets??
• For updated info check out the WikiLeaks Twitter feed.

So is it treason or is it whistle-blowing? I would guess that if you want to keep information secure, you wouldn't leave it where a Private listening to Lady Gaga can download it to a CD. The power of the government in this case, compared to in decades past, however, is nearly terrifying.

Is Your Car Ready for a Winter Storm?

We had a heck of a winter storm roll through our area last week--ice, snow, rain, wind, ensuing power outages--which did quite a job on our roads (and my fence too which I still need to get around to standing back up). We had relatives flying in for Thanksgiving and their usual less than an hour drive from the airport turned into a five hour ordeal in snow and ice. Fast forward to this week where we have had plenty of cool yet nice weather. Now as I watch the news, it looks like the folks in New York are getting hammered by snow much more so than would ever happen here. In fact, people have been stranded on I 90 for more than ten hours which brings us to the purpose of today's post...

While you should always have your car ready for any emergency, you should take special care during periods of bad weather to protect your vehicle, and especially yourself. Here's how:

• Keep your gas tank at least half full, preferably as close to full as is practical for those times when you are stranded in traffic for hours on end.


• Be sure to have food and water in your car.


• Ditto for blankets.


• You should always have a good stock of emergency items in your vehicle: spare tire, jack, "fix a flat", an assortment of tools, jumper cables, work gloves, a flashlight, tow rope, duct tape, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, a fluorescent vest, road flares


• During cold weather you will want to include: a windshield scraper, hand warmers, a shovel, a bag of sand, tire chains


• Some other things that I consider essential: spare cash and coins, a car cell phone charger, insurance and registration, a knife, a firearm and spare ammo (this is a personal preference)


• If you drive often, for long distances, have a car of questionable reliability, or don't want to or are unable to fix your own car problems, you may want to invest in a AAA membership.


• Of course you will have you car BOB in your vehicle.


• If you happen to live in a rural area, you may also want to include a chainsaw (a couple of friends picked up a good haul of firewood from the downed trees they came across last week), plastic sheeting and paracord, extra fuel in a regulation container, a wench


• You may also want to include any specialized equipment that may come in handy: a medic friend always carries his medic bag with him, a tow truck driver friend carries enough tools with him to set up a small shop, a hunter/fisher friend has enough equipment with him for an impromptu outing for either sport

These items are simply suggestions. You need to bring the gear and equipment that you are most likely to need and use without carting around enough stuff to #1 open a store, or #2 attract car prowlers. Be sure to inventory your stuff regularly, making sure that batteries work and food isn't expired. Most importantly, try to stay home when bad weather threatens and if you do end up out in the thick of it, drive carefully and slowly (yes, even if you have a four wheel drive--note vehicle in picture, above).