Survival Equipment Guide

I have mentioned this a little bit before about hunting rifles that are not up to standards as compared to true survival equipment weapons especially made for the military etc. These over the counter weapons in most instances are not up to task. A lot of people don't understand this. They think their weapon grade is the same as the military because it might be the same cartridge or chamber. They just don't understand the difference in the metal used in the barrels and in professional equipment.

And that's the way I want to start this because professional equipment is professional for reason. It's like the little point and shoot digital cameras you buy, they are made to break and not be repaired. They are not professional equipment. I am still a professional photographer and although the line has been blurred in terms of what is professional grade equipment and consumer grade equipment using it in rough conditions will immediately tell you the answer. It used to be there were really two camera manufacturers for professionals Nikon and Canon (35mm). Pentax was also use by some professionals in some formats. But Nikon and Canon dominated the market and still do. It was much easier then using analog (film) cameras to determine what was professional and what was nonprofessional. Nikon and Canon labeled such cameras as their professional models. That is not necessarily true today with digital cameras. Because now you have what they call prosumer models. These models have the quality of the professional cameras but usually not the durability. The same thing is true with guns. Many models look like their professional models but they do not have the durability of professional or military specs.

The same is true of knives. I used to own one of the largest knife stores in the East. I had every variety of knife you could ever want. From military standard weapons to pocket models. There's a difference between a knife that you're going to skin a deer with and a knife for survival. Everyone thinks of the Rambo style knives that were used in the movies. Most of these have hollow handles and do not have a full tang (goes all the way through to the handle) which makes them okay for some things but inferior for extreme heavy-duty work that you may want a knife to do in case of an emergency.

This includes GPS equipment. I hear people say well I'll always have my GPS in case of emergency. You're wrong your GPS will be down in case of an emergency and you better learn how to use a compass and a topographic map if you are going somewhere in the wilderness. I have compete courses in this collection on every type of compass and its use in the field including complete courses in topographic map reading.  The naïveté of many of these people is alarming. Over the next couple of months we will debate and we will put together a true list of things that you should have and whether it's worth it to buy a professional grade whatever versus a nonprofessional grade in case of an emergency.

One of the greatest attributes of true survival equipment is its durability and it's ability to work in a variety of environmental situations. So that is one thing to keep in mind when you're buying something and you think you're going to need it in emergency or survival situation. Remember the problems that our troops had with their rifles and cleaning in Vietnam?  Military grade weapons that couldn't take certain environmental conditions without modifications!