Urban Outskirts

Urban Outskirts :

Those areas of the world that are neither in nor out of society.  At the time of this writing, Eric Frein self-styled “survivalist” and killer of Pennsylvania State Trooper Bryon Dickson is still at large.

The man hunt goes on and has been burning through the man hours, equipment hours and tax payer dollars for the last fortnight. Things to consider when searching for or for that matter hiding from full scale search operations. Out of the way places are not that far away or hard to get to.

Being “on the lamb” requires cover and concealment to be sure but unless you have incredible resources, the need to resupply and gather intelligence is almost as important. Watch a homeless person for clues as to where to disappear and you might be surprised just how close out of the way places can be.

Deep forest is by far the best place to hide if you are of the right mind set and have a steely constitution, but the fact is most of us do not. The hardships of being in an escape and evasion scenario are much more stressful then people without training can cope with. Moreover today’s thermal imaging technology makes it very hard to hide in most non developed areas. Just ask Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev about how well this worked for him or Mexican drug mule trains how much they have had to dump because of helicopters so equipped.

Hiding in a crowd is great if you are unknown to others. This makes hiding in a small community impossible. The nice thing about Mayberry was they all knew each other. Trying to stay hidden here is like being the roach on the wedding cake.  Melting into the background of a busy city is very easy indeed if your image is not plastered on every newspaper, side of a bus and TV screen.

So if built up areas are out and wilderness areas are out where does a person dwell to evade detection and not be off the information / resupply grid? Ask a transient, they’ll tell you.…borders, cushions, high speed traffic areas.  These areas are good hiding places for a number of reasons. First they are not in town but are close. People do not spend time there; they pass through and usually at speed.  They are easy to keep under surveillance; a person can glean much information about search operations by observing the goings on in or on these areas and usually from a safe distance. Once searched, cleared and occupied by the search teams the “we cleared this area” mind set sinks in and the area becomes a viable hiding spot. This mind you will not last for long however.  Statistically the odds of someone cutting sign are good, but it might give the search team enough reason to believe the fox has slipped the coop, that would be the time to displace. Teams must keep assets here or patrols in these areas to ensure they are truly clear and stay clear.

Movement at night or during bad weather gives searchers one more obstacle to content with and a heightened awareness is necessary at these times. Areas around bridges, factories, warehouses have hidden places only the vagrants’ and rats know.

Farms and backyard gardens my attract midnight shoppers.  Farmers don’t watch Jimmy Fallon, they go to bed early and rise with the sun.  Dogs and pickup trucks equal guns and are not great places for criminals to venture too close to.  Restaurant and shopping mall dumpsters are a smorgasbord of supplies. Rivers and other waterways are natural hiding places / travel corridors; they provide both concealment and conveyance.  

How long a search will continue is hard to say. It is based on the severity of the circumstance. If you robbed the local Seven Eleven about two hours sounds about right, kill a member of law enforcement and rest assured the hunt never stops. Eric Frein will be found and justice served. It remains to be seen if it will be by a jury of his peers or at terminal velocity.

The COOL Factor....

The “COOL” factor can get you killed.

I have been involved in the wilderness survival / Prepper sub-culture for most of my life.  As a youth my time in the forest with my friends was an introduction to the lessons I would come to learn. Sports like hunting and fishing, trapping and snowshoeing as well as rock climbing and camping were the precursor to advanced survival skills.

I read every book available and was proud to transpose that knowledge to the real world, first to master the skill set and then to impress my friends.  Some of these friends also took to the same path but via a different trail. I am lucky to call many great woodsmen my friends. The time we spend together as a rowdy band of fools often turns into an unmatched cross training exorcise.

The norm these days is to pick up a magazine at the local mall for the latest hub bub on the art/skill/science of self-sufficiency.  The COOL factor is just so high.  The covers of some of these wonderful volumes of modern lore are such eye candy we just can’t help but pick one or two up.  Even the internet (YouTube) has become the latest venue for stand in or surrogate instruction. Now I’m not saying this is bad, indeed I myself love watching people share new ideas (or even old ones) it not only gives me pride in my fellow Brothers and Sisters but it allows me to learn  new ways to convey an idea.

But here’s the rub.  Some of these weekend warriors will have great photos or video showing gear that they HIGHLEY recommend. My issue is of course is most of this gear is new, unused; scratch free, clean and in retail packaging. What the heck?

Is this your first time using this stuff? What are you basing your opinion on?  Your lack of real testing or just legitimate use could get me killed if I rely on it.

Before I give any gear or technique the nod I want to use it….REALLY USE IT.  I have destroyed good gear. I’m not talking about destruction testing (although I think this type of testing is fantastic) I mean putting equipment to the test through hard labor. Knives are used, tents set up and left up, filters used in the nastiest types of water, miles of rough terrain go on my boots and packs and everything carried by them.  If an item fails after two years of hard use it has not failed…it has supplied two years of reliable service and I will report as much. Two months will give you the same report…if you are comfortable with two months of service so be it.  I do however USE the gear before I post a report.  So next time you see an article about a favorite knife, backpack or mess kit check the info closely. Look for signs of use and not just signs of cool.  The difference can save you some grief.

Stay Safe

RJ Mosca