JeepHammer
SHOOTER
With the wife away with family, and not much backed up at home, I went with a friend to an out of town "Gun Show" that was second billed as "Survival/Prepper' show.
All I could think was, "Where did common sense go?"
Excluding the usual costume jewelry, coins and junk China knives that show up at every event, the sheer amount of useless
was everywhere.
From personal DVD players sold with a 'SHTF Survival' DVD to 'Camo' wedding ring sets were everywhere...
And to my surprise they were selling this stuff hand over fist!
No warranty, no firm business (other than self printed business cards) and no way to get satisfaction when the 'Lifetime Warranty' needed to be used.
(Here today, gone today retailers...)
I believe in KISS, Keep It Stupid Simple, the less complicated things are, the less that can go wrong, it's that simple.
A list of the mistakes I saw, in no particular order...
2 is 1... 1 is None.
If it's mission critical, have TWO (or more).
The idea you will only have ONE knife is an idiotic idea, and I don't know who came up with it, but they should be sack-smacked with a ball bat!
Blades come in all shapes & sizes, they are cheap & light, so it's easy to have 2 or 3 without issue.
The idea of some big 'Rambo' knife trying to dig out splitters (or honey locust thorns!) stupid beyond belief when a scalpel blade in a sterile pack costs less than $3, weighs nothing, stashes anywhere, and lasts forever if you don't break the metal foil package...
A machete will always work best for a machete, while a knife makes a poor substitute...
Then comes battery power...
Head lamps, flash lights, tent lights, radios, etc.
And let's not forget battery operated sights, like 'Red Dots'.
Why in the world someone would gear up with 10 different kinds of batteries is beyond me.
What's wrong with good old AA size batteries? Or if you buy in bulk 123 batteries?
About everything I use is AA sized FOR A REASON.
Everything from headlamps to radios to red dots I have use a AA size, one kind of battery, which is stupid common, and comes in rechargable versions.
The only exception is my night vision, which uses 123 size, which was a failure on my part when I purchased the unit.
I *Can* build an adapter and run the NV off 2ea. AA size, but I loose the waterproof battery compartment seal if I do that with commonly available hardware, or I would have already done it.
.... Learn from my mistake...
Anything 'Button Cell' is a mistake simply because of cost, availability & self life of button cells.
I have a rather fine lighted reticle rifle optic that takes 'Common' button cells, still expensive & short lived, and since we all forget to turn battery powered optics off from time to time, it's wasteful (something you can't ever be in a SHTF situation).
Just because someone paints something Black (or camo) doesn't mean it's 'Tactical'.
The guy selling black & camo axes & shovels for instance.
For what he was charging for mostly China junk, you could have went to the local hardware store, purchased a fine axe (or shovel) and spray cans...
The kind the edge or handle didn't come off the first time you used it!
The 140 small pocket back pack/bag...
ANYONE that's been in the military, or serious hiking, can tell you those little pockets get annoying REALLY quickly!
You need room for 'Stuff Sacks' or 'Bags' inside of a large compartment.
There is a reason the long range patrols still hunt up the old ALICE packs, perferably with the metal frame (Mountain Pack).
That metal frame with waist/hip support makes them SO MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE, and the waist belt let's you support large loads with your legs/hips instead of shoulders.
Add that little metal ledge to the frame, and packing ammo cans or fuel/water cans becomes a lot less difficult!
At 1/20 (or less) the cost of the 'Designer' packs/bags, it's a great deal all the way around.
The trinkets, gadgets, dangling things drive me nuts!
Just what you need when you are trying to NOT be noticed, 15 pounds of crap hanging out & flopping around!
It seems to me if you can sell it for under $20 retail, it will sell in volume.
Why anyone needs a plastic bottle opener/ lottery ticket scratcher, in camo, during a SHTF situation is beyond me! Are they going to stop for cold drinks & lottery tickets?....? Maybe break out that folding camo camp stool & folding table for some R&R? Cold beer & cookout?...
My favorite were compasses that didn't point north! Not even close...
Not only that, but the compasses he was peddling didn't even agree which way North was!
And the map navigation versions were in metric, while about any map you find in Indiana is going to be in Miles, not kilometers!
Compasses are like levels, you get two that agree, and it's most likely they are both right...
When 15 compasses point 15 different directions, even spaced apart, then they are all wrong. Period.
I'm not kidding, there were PLASTIC backup sights for sale!
Can you imagine your last ditch, everything else failed situation and having to rely on a plastic front sight that clamped on your gas block or muzzle brake?
Did anyone consider the heat that gas block/muzzle brake is going to generate?...
Did anyone consider why METAL protects iron back up sights before they made flimsy plastic sights without protection?
There were 'Bayonets' for both under barrel & butt of PISTOLS!
I've seen these as jokes before, but actually being sold as 'Tactical'...
The BEST way to NOT have your pistol fit your favorite holster, the best way to have a stabbing/cutting edge exposed to your hands/wrists all the time, and potentially the dumbest thing I can think of (this side of a compass that doesn't point north)...
Better carry that big field surgery kit if you have one of these, you ARE going to need it.
There was another guy selling nickels... Just American 5¢ nickels.
Claimed that nickels were going to be the 'Coin Of The Post Apocalypse' and if you didn't get yours now, you would die.
Just plain nickels, you can buy rolls at the bank for zero markup, but he made about $1 on each bag he sold....
How dense are these people?
Anyone else see 'Stupid' at these events?
All I could think was, "Where did common sense go?"
Excluding the usual costume jewelry, coins and junk China knives that show up at every event, the sheer amount of useless
was everywhere.From personal DVD players sold with a 'SHTF Survival' DVD to 'Camo' wedding ring sets were everywhere...
And to my surprise they were selling this stuff hand over fist!
No warranty, no firm business (other than self printed business cards) and no way to get satisfaction when the 'Lifetime Warranty' needed to be used.
(Here today, gone today retailers...)
I believe in KISS, Keep It Stupid Simple, the less complicated things are, the less that can go wrong, it's that simple.
A list of the mistakes I saw, in no particular order...
2 is 1... 1 is None.
If it's mission critical, have TWO (or more).
The idea you will only have ONE knife is an idiotic idea, and I don't know who came up with it, but they should be sack-smacked with a ball bat!
Blades come in all shapes & sizes, they are cheap & light, so it's easy to have 2 or 3 without issue.
The idea of some big 'Rambo' knife trying to dig out splitters (or honey locust thorns!) stupid beyond belief when a scalpel blade in a sterile pack costs less than $3, weighs nothing, stashes anywhere, and lasts forever if you don't break the metal foil package...
A machete will always work best for a machete, while a knife makes a poor substitute...
Then comes battery power...
Head lamps, flash lights, tent lights, radios, etc.
And let's not forget battery operated sights, like 'Red Dots'.
Why in the world someone would gear up with 10 different kinds of batteries is beyond me.
What's wrong with good old AA size batteries? Or if you buy in bulk 123 batteries?
About everything I use is AA sized FOR A REASON.
Everything from headlamps to radios to red dots I have use a AA size, one kind of battery, which is stupid common, and comes in rechargable versions.
The only exception is my night vision, which uses 123 size, which was a failure on my part when I purchased the unit.
I *Can* build an adapter and run the NV off 2ea. AA size, but I loose the waterproof battery compartment seal if I do that with commonly available hardware, or I would have already done it.
.... Learn from my mistake...
Anything 'Button Cell' is a mistake simply because of cost, availability & self life of button cells.
I have a rather fine lighted reticle rifle optic that takes 'Common' button cells, still expensive & short lived, and since we all forget to turn battery powered optics off from time to time, it's wasteful (something you can't ever be in a SHTF situation).
Just because someone paints something Black (or camo) doesn't mean it's 'Tactical'.
The guy selling black & camo axes & shovels for instance.
For what he was charging for mostly China junk, you could have went to the local hardware store, purchased a fine axe (or shovel) and spray cans...
The kind the edge or handle didn't come off the first time you used it!
The 140 small pocket back pack/bag...
ANYONE that's been in the military, or serious hiking, can tell you those little pockets get annoying REALLY quickly!
You need room for 'Stuff Sacks' or 'Bags' inside of a large compartment.
There is a reason the long range patrols still hunt up the old ALICE packs, perferably with the metal frame (Mountain Pack).
That metal frame with waist/hip support makes them SO MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE, and the waist belt let's you support large loads with your legs/hips instead of shoulders.
Add that little metal ledge to the frame, and packing ammo cans or fuel/water cans becomes a lot less difficult!
At 1/20 (or less) the cost of the 'Designer' packs/bags, it's a great deal all the way around.
The trinkets, gadgets, dangling things drive me nuts!
Just what you need when you are trying to NOT be noticed, 15 pounds of crap hanging out & flopping around!
It seems to me if you can sell it for under $20 retail, it will sell in volume.
Why anyone needs a plastic bottle opener/ lottery ticket scratcher, in camo, during a SHTF situation is beyond me! Are they going to stop for cold drinks & lottery tickets?....? Maybe break out that folding camo camp stool & folding table for some R&R? Cold beer & cookout?...
My favorite were compasses that didn't point north! Not even close...
Not only that, but the compasses he was peddling didn't even agree which way North was!
And the map navigation versions were in metric, while about any map you find in Indiana is going to be in Miles, not kilometers!
Compasses are like levels, you get two that agree, and it's most likely they are both right...
When 15 compasses point 15 different directions, even spaced apart, then they are all wrong. Period.
I'm not kidding, there were PLASTIC backup sights for sale!
Can you imagine your last ditch, everything else failed situation and having to rely on a plastic front sight that clamped on your gas block or muzzle brake?
Did anyone consider the heat that gas block/muzzle brake is going to generate?...
Did anyone consider why METAL protects iron back up sights before they made flimsy plastic sights without protection?
There were 'Bayonets' for both under barrel & butt of PISTOLS!
I've seen these as jokes before, but actually being sold as 'Tactical'...
The BEST way to NOT have your pistol fit your favorite holster, the best way to have a stabbing/cutting edge exposed to your hands/wrists all the time, and potentially the dumbest thing I can think of (this side of a compass that doesn't point north)...
Better carry that big field surgery kit if you have one of these, you ARE going to need it.
There was another guy selling nickels... Just American 5¢ nickels.
Claimed that nickels were going to be the 'Coin Of The Post Apocalypse' and if you didn't get yours now, you would die.
Just plain nickels, you can buy rolls at the bank for zero markup, but he made about $1 on each bag he sold....
How dense are these people?
Anyone else see 'Stupid' at these events?
