I know how attractive it is to concentrate all our training time on the hard skills like shooting and tactics. I have been guilty of spending a good amount of time doing it myself in the past. However, I now spend a good bit of time practicing other skills needed for sustainment. There are more skills needed in the bush or when the grid goes down than just shooting. In this article, I am going to talk about a few things that are high priorities for you to learn.

​The CCE camouflage pattern was introduced by the French Army in the early 90’s and has survived the test of time as a venerable camouflage pattern. Despite its’ good service record, the pattern is rumored to be replaced by the Scorpion pattern starting in 2024. The good news is that this means there will be a huge amount of CCE gear and uniforms coming to the surplus market. Will it be right for you?

​Self-defense is a broad subject that many of my fellow gun geeks have distilled down to the act of shooting an attacker. Based on my training and experience, there is a whole lot more to defense than pulling a trigger. In fact, defense goes well beyond learning ‘Gun-Fu’. There are stages leading up to the attack that you can see, countermeasures that can be taken, contingencies you can/should train for, and even methods in which you should conduct yourself before/after the critical incident, in the eyes of the law. The greatest flaw in mainstream firearms training is they are only preparing you for pulling the trigger, even in “self-defense” classes. This merely reinforces the myopic ideology that defense revolves around the trigger. I get that instructors will pander to the mainstream to keep their business alive, but I feel that classes can at least be enhanced or modified to include the reality of defense. But in the meantime, let me fill you in on a few things to munch on in your mind.

The ALICE LCE system was developed around the lessons learned in Vietnam and prior. All the gear, for the most part, is made of nylon which is lightweight but incredibly durable. It has been used and abused and carries with it a controversial record. Though modular, it is limited to the belt and not all components worked out all that well for carrying heavier loads, such as the Y-Harness system. Some military units had mandated set ups, which gave soldiers and Marines a further dislike of the system. For my purposes, I am not only unrestricted on how I set up the ALICE system, but I am also inspired by the functionality of the British PLCE. By blending ALICE pouches on the US web belt and utilizing a Danish Yoke, I have what I feel is the best fighting system for conventional combat.

moving from a rural Alaskan home to an urban neighborhood in Northeast Arkansas has been quite drastic. The coolest temperatures at night are the highest temperatures you will see in the summers of Alaska. During the day, a vehicle is nothing more than an oven and the outside is humid and the sun threatens to cook your skin. Different climates such as this makes me have to readjust my gear and clothing for carry.

When many people talk about a handheld light for concealed carry, you generally hear about lights that are powerful and loaded with lumens for tactical usage. Some people say anything less than 600 lumens is unacceptable. Personally, I have found that the handheld light is going to serve 90 percent or more of its time for simple navigation or non-tactical visual aid. I see lights very much the same as I see certain weapons. Each weapon has a certain range, capability, and overall practicality for the mission you are trying to accomplish. I have only had the Microstream for about 6 months, but it has been used frequently in that time.

​While growing up in the Dallas suburbs, it was likely for my parents to get out of work only to be in standstill traffic, sometimes for hours. My mother and brother have a medical condition that required frequent attention at the time, so being stuck in traffic without supplies just for a few hours could have literally been a death sentence for them. Being responsible parents/adults, my parents stored supplies in the vehicle(s) just in case. I use my parents for this subject because this is how a responsible parent/adult should prepare at a minimum. At no point did they store guns or bug out bags or active shooter response kits. They simply prepared for the likely scenarios, plus some extras here and there to keep my brother and I from complaining during long drives. They stored enough food and water for all four of us (not MREs), a basic first aid kit (Not IFAK-style), bad weather attire, and some basic hygiene items. And best of all is that they weren't afraid to use any of it. We never felt like any of it was off limits. Only storing "just in case" supplies that you can't touch until an emergency is about as sensible as a scuba suit in the desert, because "just in case".

If someone would have said a year ago that I should consider a less-lethal option for carry, I probably would have laughed at them. My recent attendance at the Covered 6 Security Academy changed a lot of my preconceived notions about CEWs (Conductive Energy Weapon) and use of force in general as a civilian. In this article, I am just going to discuss the concept of carrying a CEW, such as a TASER Pulse+ and why it can be a good option.

​As a student of history with an interest in how things work and why, I find myself questioning a lot of things. It seems that we private citizens have all this freedom to choose and purchase our own gear and learn the best tactics, yet people are so lazy that they just default to what the military is doing/using without even questioning if there is a better way. Sadly, our country hasn’t won a major land war in over 75 years despite all our technology. So, I fail to see why the US military is a shining example of a premiere fighting force.

​Ammunition seems to be slowly getting back onto the shelves, but people still are not able to fully indulge as they once did. In turn, people have made the judgement that without enough ammunition, they can’t train. This comes from the assumption that “Range Time” is the only way in which skills are developed or maintained. In fact, I would go as far as to start this article off by saying that 99.99% of you reading this would perform better if you started training off the range and stopped thinking of the range as a primary training ground. This lack of ammo on the shelves can be a blessing in disguise if you are serious about advancing your skills.