1. The Long Dark Improvised Hatchet Pdf
2. The Long Dark Improvised Hatchet Map
3. The Long Dark Improvised Hatchet
4. The Long Dark Improvised Hatchet Summary
5. The Long Dark Improvised Hatchet Meaning

Improvised hatchet loses 3% condition per harvest. 5% condition restored with whetstone. The Long Dark is a first-person survival video game developed and published by Hinterland Studio. The player assumes the role of a plane crash survivor who must survive the frigid Canadian wilderness after a global disaster disables all electronics. As of Feb 2019, you only need to craft two improvised tools for this trophy. To craft an improvised tool, you will need the materials but also a forge and a heavy hammer. The best way to get this trophy is in Desolation point.There is a forge on the Riken (the shipwreck in the lake) a heavy hammer can be found nearby in the workshop of Hibernia. The Hatchet is one of the Tools available in The Long Dark.

Desolation Point achievement in The Long Dark: Craft a full set of improvised Tools - worth 30 Gamerscore. Find guides to this achievement here. You only need to craft an improvised hatchet. You can help The Long Dark Wiki by expanding it. The improvised hatchet is a player-made tool crafted at the forge from 5 scrap metal Verification needed and 1 cloth Verification needed.

In the first page on hatchets I hope I didn't ramble too much and got across that:

1. It's tough to get a good cheap hatchet because most are too thick and heavy. Even a cheap thin hatchet is better than more expensive but thicker and heavier ones.
2. On separate pages for Gransfors axes, and 'baton work', I hope that I made some convincing points in favor of these fine axes and hatchets. You can get what you want if you can pay the price - and they are cheap for what they are.
3. I have great reservations about safety and hatchets. This applies to using heavy hatchets and trying to make a hatchet do when an axe is the appropriate tool.
4. I left things hanging with how to get a light hatchet - or for that matter a very light short axe (or hunter's hatchet). First I had to get something to write about.

Some people though that the $4.95 hatchet page was a joke. It wasn't and the hatchet is slowly being ground down into submission to my weight needs - and it's still chopping along. I've ground it down to a total weight of just under 1 1/2 lbs and the lighter the head gets the better I like it. The page on the baton has a bit about the Gransfors hatchet, but the question still comes up as to what is in between (price wise). As I finally found a $22.00 hatchet that seemed not too bad, and I even got an old Norlund 13oz head. let's take a look at the possibilities....

In most of the outdoor stores I looked in, while in Vancouver, hatchets were not to be seen. That's not too surprising as survival supplies were pretty non-existent too. I did see a hatchet in MEC - and it was one of the Swedish 'Black King's. These are seen in logging equipment catalogs, for people cruising in the bush, and in stores here. I want to try one, but so far I haven't seen one that I would buy, since the handles all seem to have horizontal grain. The hatchets at Canadian Tire are too thick to merit consideration as a bush hatchet. On and on it goes. Finally I found a bunch of Hults Bruks hatchets in a local equipment store. I chose the best and so off we go.

The Hults Hatchet

I chose the best and that one had a slightly warped handle: that would seem to be a poor beginning.. Not daunted I tried it out on some driftwood with the factory edge. It was pretty sad in performance, since a sharp but steep secondary grind just doesn't work that well on an axe or hatchet. The hatchet wouldn't cut any sort of paper cleanly, but did feel roughly sharp, and was quite capable of cutting skin. On wood though it was just dismal. That's about what I expected - such hatchets are quickly ground for campers to split kindling and for that task they work. the thick handle was comfortable to use but due to the varnish coating was quite slick, and I was careful with the grip.

The Long Dark Improvised Hatchet Pdf

As the deficits were apparent right in the store, so were the attributes of the hatchet. The head is reasonable with a fairly thin blade. The handle is vertical grained and very importantly the hatchet has a large hole for the handle. Following along from this, the handle is a lot thicker than the GB hatchet: this makes it more comfortable for use without gloves for people with large hands: if you wear gloves and have small hands, then you may have to thin the handle. Once I test this as a short hatchet I want to affix longer handles to test as a light axe. Once I'd played with the original edge I put on a decent bevel. That didn't take too long with a disc/belt grinder. While there's still lots of polishing of the bevel to do - the hatchet immediately becomes a whole new animal.

This hatchet with a proper bevel will certainly chop well. It has the weight to do so. I still believe that one would be further ahead with a Gransfors despite the weight of this hatchet. Even when you make the edges similar in profile, balance of the hatchet comes to play a big part in chopping larger logs. Every cut that lands a little out of place is a cut wasted. It's going to take a while and a few volunteers to check this aspect out. I guess the bottom line is that no matter what we find - you might have to buy your own to see how it works for you. The intent was to do quite a bit of handle modification to see if that had any effect, before removing the original handle - but as you'll see later I got impatient.

Should you consider this hatchet?

1. The hatchet weighs 2lbs without sheath. Either the head is over weight or the handle is some dense wood. In comparison the GB hatchet weighs 1lb 4oz. A 2lb hatchet is a pain to carry. Update: I got stuck in today and so removed the handle to fit the head with a 19' handle. The original handle was 12oz and the head 1 1/4lbs as stamped on it.
2. The steel seems well tempered - but is considerably softer than a GB. It's on a par with many hatchets and axes though.
3. You really do need to put a bunch of work into shaping the bevels, burning the varnish off the handle and giving that an oil finish. This is fun for people like me - but you won't be using this hatchet effectively - as new.
4. The thick handle might well be an attribute for you. The hatchet does handle well for me with a variety of grips along the handle. The handle is fixed into the head with epoxy. It works well - as I found while trying to remove it. There was a bead of hot glue around the handle head junction at the back - it just peeled right off. I'm not sure of its purpose - other than to seal the head. The handle was not wedged but closely fitted and glued. Over time this could pose problems.

The main reasons for choosing this hatchet over the $5 one are the better handle thickness through the head and the harder poll. As with most axes and hatchets, though, if you can't select your own - well, you might be very disappointed with what you get. The main problem I see with this hatchet is that because of it's weight it's not likely to be carried close to the person. If you carry a pack then a longer handled hatchet could be carried. The latter would give far more chopping power used two handed and could be used one handed very effectively. I'd imagine that the GB hunter's hatchet or small forest axe would only weigh a few ounces more than this one.

If a person wanted to get started with a hatchet though - this one could be a good choice. The price is very low for the tool you get. Given that the weather around here has been pretty drastic lately, I'd have to say that I'd choose this hatchet over any of the high priced heavy survival knives. I'd be faster to choose something of comparable weight, but with a longer handle though!. So see below.

The long handled Hults

When you get stuck inside for a day and wanted to get moving on a hatchet handle - well you have to get started with what's handy. I guess I'll have to pick up another Hults for more short handle tests....

The Long Dark Improvised Hatchet Map

I took a 19/20' Unex handle and fitted the Hults head on it. It took quite a while since the handle was way over size for the head. The eventual plan is to come up with an axe like one built by Neolyth. Basically this is a ground down head on a long handle: a long handled hatchet of less than a pound. Here it is:

Here's what he had to say about it at Knifeforums:

'Hoodoo, glad you posted that pic of the Gransfors and Norlund compared. my axe started out as the same Norlund but with bashed poll, nicked up edge and painted red, no handle. I'd never heard of them before and the steel seemed good so I went for it. head weight now is between 8 1/2-9 1/2 oz.

I want to explain a couple things about that image of my axe Jimbo posted. Firstly the idea was to reduce the weight as much as possible without ruining it as a tool. Secondly, I made the face extra long in relation to the poll to give it maximum service life without regrinding the axe, if you take about 3/4' off of the face, that's the proportion of the eventual axe in 'later middle age', the extra 3/4' of thin blade is for easy sharpening with a stone. since the temper and steel are good it takes very little sharpening.

The idea was for a modern primitive who didn't quite want to cut himself loose from the gift of modern steel, but couldn't be accessing a grinder when the bevel grew too steep after many sharpenings (presumably after living in the dark woods for 20 years).

The proportions are better with that extra bit of blade missing, but it handles well as is, a little tippy with glancing strikes as when stripping bark, but this is countered by choking up on the handle. the acute angle then slips in and strips well.

Finally, now that it's been seen by so many I kinda wish I'd polished out more of the scratches and given it an old fashioned browning finish. I spend more time being precise and concerning myself with where the cuts fall than with working hard at oversized jobs with it. It cuts deep, so i just focus on not chipping the blade. so far so good, osage is brutally hard wood but not glassy like some conifers, so far so good. all in all, it cuts trees, nips pinkie thick saplings with a flick, cuts apples and cheese, holds an edge well, carries like it's not there and makes a fair ulu: I'm happy with it.

Now that Gransfors 12oz minihatchet, that takes it to a whole new level. only a very finely made hatchet would be of much use at that size and length, which btw the Gransfors certainly looks like it's got what it takes.

My ground down Norlund at 14 1/2 oz is mostly used with my grip at around 9-12' depending on the job, the extra length (17') comes in handy for pushing limits, it does a surprising job at cutting larger trees, have cut several 8' osage trees down without too much trouble. the extra length is particularly good limbing these larger saplings as the bushy branches sport pretty nasty thorns.

Most of the minimal trouble i have with my Norlund is due to the forward balance/minimal poll, i have not noticed any trouble with the long handle, most of the time it's a short handle with an extra bit which doesn't seem to get in the way and is still quite packable.

The Gransfors MiniHatchet must be equally light as mine While having perfect balance.

Gransfors MiniHatchet head with 18' handle, aberration or 8th wonder? '

The bad new is that the long handled Hults comes out now at just over two pounds total. With some shaving of the handle and head 1 3/4 lbs total is about the realistic limit if I want to have the axe balance the way I like and have a handle as thick as I like. Basically I'm going to come up with a long handled hatchet a bit lighter than a Gransfors hunter's axe which has a 1 1/2lb head to start with. And of course I get to play and learn along the way. From holding the hatchet (temporary wedges go in tomorrow and chopping tests begin..) I like it a lot!

Eventually I want to see how light a hatchet can be constructed with a suitable long handle, but let's see where I'm going with all of this. I want a light hatchet to be able to chop green wood for poles and sharpen them. Wood splitting for firewood will consist of splitting dead lower conifer limbs so no real wedging action is required. What is required is that the hatchet has enough efficiency to split through the limbs and embed in a log so that the limbs can be split against the resistance of the hatchet. What I created today is just another light axe - though it should come in lighter than even the GB hunters hatchet. If I'm correct in my assumptions then I should find it cuts better than any one-handed hatchet, will still split large wood, and will out perform even the GB wildlife hatchet - at a cost of another 8oz.

The downside is that it's hard to fit a long handle on a hatchet - most having smaller handle holes through the head. Looking at my cheap hatchet and a junker - they'd just be too dangerous if used with a longer handle. The Hults is the only hatchet head I've seen with a handle hole large enough to make what I've just described.

So how did I make out with lots of cutting?

The bottom line is good. I've done lots of chopping and this short axe or long hatchet - will easily outperform the GB hatchet - and by a very wide margin! If the GB Small Forest Axe beats this one then it'll be very good indeed. One is on its way right now so I shouldn't be long in finding out! Naturally as soon as you get decent bevels and have more weight - a 32oz hatchet should outperform a 20oz hatchet by 50% just on weight alone. I feel though that the longer handle contributes much to accuracy - especially as you get tired.

The downside is the amount of work necessary on the face and bevels to get the Hults to work in a decent fashion. I couldn't have accomplished this in any sort of reasonable time with hand tools. So you either have a belt grinder of some kind or you give up. The face wasn't dished quite enough to allow the hatchet to work properly since the face was slightly bent. It was almost like making a hatchet from scratch.

The Norlund Hatchet

I always do a search for hatchets and axes on ebay Canada - just to see if something interesting comes up. And a little while back there was an auction on a Norlund. It was advertised as a tomahawk, but they were actually sold new as hatchets. I always regretted not getting one out of the SIR catalogue while they carried them. It's the Hudson Bay style head - but hatchet sized. It was something to get home with the the head - drive out a piece of old handle and weigh the sucker. Now that lots of rust has been ground off with the belt grinder it's a little over 12oz. There's lots of polishing to do with this little tool, but for now It's in shape to fit a handle and try. Later I'll fix it properly, because I'll probably want to trim it down another ounce. We'll see. This is actually a nice little hatchet, the weight being right and the temper being the best I've seen so far other than Gransfors. It has the usual problem with narrow head design, but that's the nature of this design of head.

This is the same head as shown on Hoodoo's picture and what Neolyth ground down. It's a tiny head compared to what most people think of when they see a 'Hudson Bay' style head. That one is 1 3/4lb (28oz) - more than double the weight of this 12oz wonder.

This is the one that is going to be gradually ground down for a belt hatchet - but first I'll be wanting to try it as is, to see just how it works. You'll notice that the profile is fairly thick and the cheeks are thick too around the handle hole. This one as is, could sure be used for baton work to split larger stuff.

More information as I use it a lot more, together with the GB Wildlife hatchet for comparison. For now it looks like a decent hatchet despite a much thicker face than the GB.

If you have questions, criticisms, or things to add - email me please.

I will venture that it is no guess that most of our readers here on Survival Sullivan are familiar with the term “EDC”. For those few who are not, EDC means simply Every Day Carry shorthand for all of the items that one chooses to bring with them on their travels out and about.

EDC gear encompasses specialty items like guns, ammo and medical equipment as well as more mundane items like your wallet, watch and keychain. If it goes with you, if it is something you habitually carry as a matter of course, it is part of your EDC.

There is plenty of conversation and instruction about EDC gear for close to home excursions, be it out to the mall or just for the commute to work, but I see significantly less talking about EDC gear for travel far from home, by plane, train or automobile. This is a serious shortcoming in my mind, since we are significantly less capable in general the farther we are from our “home field advantage.”

Even the most homebound of preppers will travel a ways from home periodically be it for work, pleasure or some other errand. Imagine this: 500 miles from home, in a city you are unfamiliar with, a major disaster strikes. You are cut off from easy escape back to your quiet, cozy home and all your fancy preps. You must make do with what you have with you, now, and go from there.

Can you do it? Or will you be facing the long dark and the uncertainty that comes with it starting from scratch.

A Crisis at Home or Abroad

The simple scenario I just illustrated above is in many ways the perfect storm for your average prepper, at least one that they could conceivably face in their lifetime.

Far from home, far from your burrow with all your carefully laid gear, provisions and plans you get caught out. Something happens where you are or something happens elsewhere that prevents you from getting home easily. Things, as is said, just got real.

This exact scenario will be troubling enough if you are only responsible for yourself but it can be so much worse if you have family in tow. Worse yet, what will you do if they are home and you are cut off from them? Gut check time: now we see what you are made of.

No matter who you are, the chances are high that you are simply not as well equipped abroad as you are at home. The mode of travel may have something to do with this (you cannot bring all sorts of things on airplanes anymore) and it might have something to do with the area you are going to (some places in the U.S. and internationally frown on various implements being in the hands of the peasantry).

Oftentimes, though, it is simply because some folks switch-off “ready mode” when they are traveling. It seems to me that they sort of get into this fog, like being under a spell whereby they seem to think they are “off the clock” when it comes to personal responsibility.

This is a mistake. If anything you should be even more vigilant for all the reasons I mentioned above: on the off chance that something does go wrong, you will want the advantages that good gear gives you.

Remember the motto of the Boy Scouts- Be Prepared. You might have MacGyver-level improvisational capabilities, but improvisation is for those who are not prepared. Yeah, yeah, you might have all your EDC stuff lost or stolen, true, but let’s try to make sure that is all the improvisation you have to do is in that instance, yes?

Travel Constraints

While you cannot ever really haul everything you want for preparedness sake with you when traveling, even if you are just constrained by what you can bring on your person and in a small bag that leaves lots of room for good gear that will make a difference.

The very first thing you should make a point to pack for your trip is your brain. Your mind is always your best asset assuming it is intact, and if are like one of the saps above who simply clock out, tune out and space out when traveling you need to rectify that post haste.

For the remainder of the advice I am about to dole out, I am going to make a few necessary assumptions. The first is that you are a competent, capable average prepper.

By this I mean you have some basic skills pretty much under your hat, make it a point to pay attention to your surroundings and make it a point to try and carry with you items that will make the most difference for the most likely situations you are going to encounter.

If you are brand-spanking new to prepping, much of this article will lack context for you. I’d recommend you take a look at some of the intro to prepping articles featured in abundance here on Survival Sullivan to get jumpstarted.

If you want to press on anyway, that’s great, maybe an upcoming travel plan made you think to get serious about preparing for it. Welcome aboard, but make sure to jot down any questions you have and look them up.

The reason you are traveling will not in all probability affect your choices of gear unless you are traveling into (or passing through) a seriously restricted environment, one that does not allow weapons or tools that might be used as weapons, for instance.

Ultimately, if you are heading out of state for a conference or just some R&R, whatever should happen that sees you pulling your gear out for real is going to unfold however it will. It is your choices now, in what you carry, that will help determine your level of readiness when that occurs.

What will matter on your itinerary is how you are traveling: are you driving? Taking a train? Flying? Is that private or mass transit? Any public transportation will likely have certain restrictions on luggage or carry-on items, but the level of scrutiny you’ll be subjected to is different.

A charter bus will probably not even subject you or your luggage to anything that could be called security, while airline travel obviously involves intricate and serious security screening, with commensurate problems should you fail a check. This most obviously impacts the carry of weapons and other tools that could be used as weapons.

In the next section, I am going to list my choices for travel EDC gear that I carry when traveling. I think many of these selections will work for just about anyone as a good base of support. After the list, I’ll address some specific considerations for various modes of travel that could affect your gear choices.

The Traveler’s EDC List

The following list will strike some as excessive. Understand this is, by and large, what I carry every, single day whether I am working my “real” job or not. To me it is a pretty light getup. A very small bag will hold everything I am not carrying on my body and then some. I probably travel lighter on my daily wanderings than some do. All of the following is entirely achievable for almost anyone.

The list is separated into two sections, items carried on or about your person and items carried in your bag, suitcase, satchel, purse or whatever it is you like taking with you out on an adventure. Do keep in mind depending on how you are traveling that some items, often weapons, may have to be securely cased in your luggage, preventing immediate access to them. I’ll talk more about that in the appropriate sections, but for now keep in the back of your mind that you might be moving stuff around depending on how you get to where you are going.

EDC Gear: Pockets, Beltline, Etc.

1. Flashlight:Get a good one, not too big, plenty bright and with a good runtime. Use of common batteries is a must. You’ll use this for a million common tasks, and it has plenty of emergency uses, everything from blackouts to signaling to threat identification and more.

A large-ish model also works pretty good as a fist load for socking people with. Don’t go anywhere without it!

2. Knife: A small fixed blade or larger folder. I actually recommend you carry two knives, one for serious business (self-defense or emergency cutting) and the other for chores. If you carry a multi-tool that has support blades that works also.

3. Multi-tool: You had better have one. There are all kinds of fasteners that need tightening. For scraping, prying, sawing and more these work great in a pinch. You probably won’t be building a house with one of these, but you can make a nice shelter. Find a model that lacks blades and saws and you can likely take it on an airplane.

4. First-Aid:Real first aid, not just a wimpy case with a few bandages in it. With all the carnage and chaos going on out in the world, it pays to be ready to close up wounds as well as create them.

Make sure yours has a tourniquet or two, Quik-Clot gauze, gloves and other goodies for serious trauma as well as a small boo-boo kit. I like to carry mine on my ankle in a purpose-made rig. For the record, I have never been stopped carrying this onboard an airplane.

5. Pistol: Never a reason to not have it, today. Have a good one in a high-quality holster on a high-quality belt.

Consider taking more gun with you than normal if you are of the snubbie revolver and pocket pistol persuasion: if you are trapped far from home and some serious Shit is hitting a huge Fan, you’ll be glad you have a substantial fighting pistol. You don’t have to carry a MK23 or anything, but trend towards at least a compact-sized gun.

6. Extra Ammo: A gun is no good without it. Make sure you carry however much makes sense for you. For me, I carry +1 spare reload. So for my normal travel EDC that will be two spare magazines. Don’t go nuts: ammo is heavy, though no one has ever, ever complained when they needed it.

7. Phone: Too useful to not have. From communication to navigation, notes to news, a phone will keep you overflowing with useful information so long as power lasts and networks are running.

8. Power Bank: I am deathly afraid of running out of juice at an inopportune time, so have taken to carrying a 5,000mAh backup battery. The latest models are as slim as or slimmer than my phone, so I keep this in the pocket opposite the phone for ballast with a five foot USB wrapped around it.

If traveling through airports, rail stations or other mass transit site, you can also keep your phone from getting AIDS thanks to those sketchy pay-to-power charger stations.

9. Bandana: My love for this lowly piece of gear is well documented here on SS. A bandana obviously serves its intended purpose as a multi-use garment, but it can be used as a rag, hanky, sack, lashing and so much more in pinch. Keep in mind a folded and rolled bandana with something dense and weighty in its center (a padlock) makes for a handy improvised flail.

10. Lighter/Ferro Rod: You just never know when you might need to start a fire. I keep a Bic on me and more in my bag as insurance. In almost any environment you cannot beat the reliability and ease of a lighter for getting a blaze going quickly.

2nd Line EDC: In Your Travel Bag

I consider my travel bag analogous to a lightweight Go-Bag. I want to keep this thing on me. For road warriors, this means the bag that rides with you in the cabin. For fliers of the friendly skies this is your carry on. Again, you might be forced to keep some things in luggage, but this is the part of your baggage train that should stay by your side if at all possible.

1. Water Bottle: Keep it filled. For travel, especially travel into remote, arid or austere environments I like to keep one with an integrated filter on me so I can make immediate use of any water source I find without running the risk of bubbleguts or worse.

Nalgene is my preference, but there are lots of good ones out there. A metal one with no interior liner has the advantage of allowing you to boil water in it in a pinch.

2. Water Filter: Even with my built-in filter on the bottle, I still like having a super compact version with me to access water that I cannot get into my bottle, and as a backup. LifeStraw is an obvious choice here for its performance to size ratio.

3. Compass: Depending on your skill and preference, a field or button compass is suitable. Some folks have an excellent innate sense of direction (really direction keeping…) but most don’t. Learning a few major landmarks plus having even basic direction finding capability can keep you from heading the wrong way if you need to move in a hurry.

4. Maps: For the same reason you carry #2. Keep at least one decent map of your destination area in your pack. Topographic will make sense for some areas, city or road maps for others. I strongly recommend you waterproof them in some way.

5. Headlamp: When it is time to go hands-free, nothing beats a headlamp. They aim where you look! At any rate, this can serve as your secondary illumination source. If at all possible see to it that it uses common batteries, preferably the same as your flashlight you keep on your body.

6. Batteries: Flashlights and headlamps don’t run on wishes. Make sure you have a good supply of batteries in a carrier stowed in your bag. Don’t let them roll around loose. A quick word on quality: no matter what you might have read, seen or been told, batteries are not all the same. Novel concept, I know.

Cheapie Amazon-basics or Sunbeam batteries you can buy in a 500 pack for the cost of a Big Mac might sound like hoarding nirvana, but they are woefully lacking compared to top-shelf Surefire, Duracell and Energizer batteries. Especially when buying lithium batteries, QC and QA are important. Don’t risk a meltdown or being left in the dark by buying inferior batteries.

7. Hatchet: A small tomahawk or camping hatchet. I really like having one handy for getting into or out of a vehicle quickly as well as for its intended purpose of chopping wood and so on.

A great tool to have handy, and if you get a model with a flat or protruding hammer poll opposite the blade you will be able to hammer and pound nearly as good as you could with a real hammer. Of course they also make for good melee weapons…

8. Note Pad, Pens, Markers: You ever know what you’ll need to jot down, sketch or record. Phones are super handy for this but I don’t like the idea of burning up-time for simple notes and such. I greatly prefer weatherproof paper pads and either a similar pen or pencil for all weather note taking.

I also always have a permanent marker as part of my kit I case I need to scrawl a permanent message or warning on something, and these are also vital for marking anyone you apply a tourniquet to.

9. Gun Care Kit: Don’t go nuts here. A small oil bottle, and the bare minimum to keep your firearm in good working order. In a pinch you can use many lubricants on your firearm to get it running, but gun-specific lubricant is always best for longevity. I like to keep a small rod as part of this kit jussst in case I get a case or cartridge badly stuck in the chamber.

The Long Dark Improvised Hatchet

10. Pocket Encyclopedia or Regional Survival Guide: When all networks are down, when the power is out, and you need answers these things are great. Containing an abundance of useful info, everything from first-aid procedure to maps to hand signals for operation of heavy equipment.

Knots, fastener ratings, everything. Of these, Pocket Ref is by far one of the best known and most comprehensive. Also good to help you while away time on a layover.

11. Extra Clothing: I am a die-hard on this one. There will come a time when you are traveling you need either extra insulation or just a change of clothes. Mishap, misadventure and mayhem come in all shapes and kinds.

Maybe you get stuck in bad weather and are soaked or cold. Socks and another shirt, maybe a beanie, can help. Wet boots? Change your socks. Rolled the dice on gas station sushi? You’ll be glad for fresh underwear, believe it.

12. Dry Bag: You might be caught in the rain. Do you want your stuff to get ruined? Of course not. Put the important stuff in your dry bag. Also works great for containing stuff that is sopping wet, soiled or otherwise nasty that you cannot leave behind.

13. Zip-Loc Bags: For compartmenting your things, carrying water in an emergency and many other uses. These are seriously tough. Make sure you get the kind without that dumbass slider tab that always pops off.

The Long Dark Improvised Hatchet Summary

14. Cordage: No prepper worth their salt leaves their home without a little paracord. If you want to save weight, 6mm or 7mm accessory cord is just fine for most tasks.

15. Duct Tape: Duct tape will make short work of nearly any task that need something held in place. Duct tape also helps you fashion weapons from something as innocuous as a magazine or a roll of coins. For repair, rigging and general craftiness, nothing is better while you are on the go.

16. Hygiene Kit:Staying clean on the go is a great morale booster, but is also imperative in a survival situation. You don’t need to haul your whole primp-and-preen kit with you. The basics- deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, powder, etc. are fine. I bring a compact shaving kit because I am just not happy without one but that is just me.

17. Toilet Paper: a small pack or flat-fold of toilet paper should be included for obvious reasons. If you get caught without it you’ll rue the day and probably have to kiss your bandana or a sock goodbye.

18. Sanitizer: Travel means exposure to novel germs, or just lots and lots of familiar ones. Seems everyone who travels gets sick. I don’t want to be one of them so I keep the hand sanitizer flowing freely.

19. Gloves: For dealing with sharp debris that could lacerate you, a little extra warmth or just keeping your hands protected, gloves are where it is at. Dealer’s choice here; some folks prefer the heavy duty cotton or leather work gloves while others like the thinner, dexterous technical gloves. Make the call depending on your preference.

20. Snacks: Something palatable that is easy to eat and stable. If stranded or really working hard you’ll be glad you have the calories. Beef jerky, nuts, trail mix, energy or meal replacement bars are all good choices.

21. Coffee or Tea: For energy and a little pick-me-up when things are grim. If you have, or can create, hot water you are golden.

22. Carabiner: For attaching things to other things or making yourself a tie-off point, these are great. Get yourself a quality steel one that locks closed and they make pretty good fist loads.

23. Burner Pre-Paid Credit Card: I really hate throwing around my proper credit cards when traveling. To that end, if I am ever going into sketchy areas I will make use of a pre-paid credit card for the purpose. It serves to compartment my losses if stolen or some dirtbag tries to abscond with my identity.

24. Wad of Cash: In tying times, desperate times, terrible times cold hard cash will get you things you cannot get in any other way. In know some folks will balk at this as a huge vulnerability, but this is not something I am flashing or making purchases with. This is to ensure I can still make use of options in an uttermost extreme, whether I need a ride, a vehicle, a weapon or just a favor.

25. Pack of Cards: You’ll know when you need these. Great for passing the time, as a social lubricant and for tossing at a hat. If you know a few magic tricks all the better.

The Long Dark Improvised Hatchet Meaning

Considerations for Mode of Travel

Driving

Driving usually presents the least equipment restrictions of all modes of travel, unless you are crossing international borders where guns and other weapons may become an issue.

Taking a car also has the boon of giving you plenty of room for even more equipment, above and beyond your EDC load. Large items, including long guns, are no problem. A standard vehicle survival and roadside emergency kit consisting of tools, parts, blankets, flares, food, some water and more should be mandatory. Don’t do it by halves, people.

Flying

Flying is fast, efficient, and statistically safer than driving, but unless you are going private you’ll be forced to endure the fondling and chicanery of the TSA, and that means no weapons or anything that is obviously weapon-like.

Your tactical pens, carabiners, rolls of coins and other improvised weapons will have to suffice until you make it to your destination. Do be sure to bring your pistol though: just check it in your baggage and you’ll be ready to go at your destination. Check with the airline first! Not all of them allow firearms in checked luggage.

It has been said before, but I’ll say it again: YOU MUST ENSURE ALL LUGGAGE IS FREE OF ANY FIREARMS, FIREARMS COMPONENTS, AMMUNITION AND AMMUNITION COMPONENTS!!!

A single brass casing or forgotten magazine is going to ensure you have a really bad day, miss your flight and get harassed even more by these overpaid, under-qualified clowns that make up this sham of an agency. No mistakes!

Trains

Traveling by train can be a fun and easy way to do it, but you will have to endure a similar level of scrutiny to flying if you are going Amtrak. Until a decade ago, Amtrak did not allow firearms even in checked baggage, but that is not the case today though you still cannot have guns or weapons in the passenger cars. You can have all your need to improvised weapons we have discussed throughout this article, however.

REMEMBER: No matter how you are traveling it is up to you to know the laws of your destination backward and forwards lest you unwittingly bring banned items with you. If you get caught, ignorance will not be a defense.

Conclusion

Travel presents unique challengers for choice of EDC equipment, but with a little more planning and forethought you can carry the gear that will help keep you safe in the event disaster strikes while you are far from home.

Take the time to plan your itinerary and determine what the most likely threats are, then filter your requirements through any possible restrictions involved due to your destination and mode of travel. Use this list as a starting point for your own traveling EDC loadout.