Recce (UK) / Recon (US) kit

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Silent Earth

A True Doomsday Prepper
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Recce (UK) / Recon (US) kit
Noting how many more of us are opting to BUG IN rather than go galavanting off to some remote location when we Bug Out made me start pondering about how we can best make our stay at home preps and plans, then the thought suddenly struck me that regardless of WHERE we live and HOW LONG we have lived at that place we never generally know the entire district as best we could.
What potential resources, supplies, THREATS exist in our areas that we dont know about, I think for example about those folks in the US who did not know the Rail Road company had allowed an oil company to lay a pipeline by the tracks carrying thousands of gallons of fuel and hour. When a runaway freight train derailed it fractured the pipeline and started a fire that destroyed an entire block and killed some innocent people. So we NEED to know in great depth as to what is in our districts and if its useful or a threat.
So BEFORE and DURING TSHTF we need to have as much up to date information (Intel) as we can get our grubby little hands on, which leads us to ask WHAT are we looking for?
Well before you grab your gear and head out the door you can start to gather intel by using a Scanner and listening to Ham, CB and Authority broadcasts, its amazing how much info people let slip on air, Cops, Medics, Farms, Truckers, Gun Clubs, Factories large depots and other groups all use radios so its time to start keeping that Bearcat scanner running in the background.
Lets go on a Recce mission.
Some things can be good AND bad for us like Service Stations (Gas Stations) good for salvaging fuel , oils, tyres, lubes etc but bad if it went BANG near your home.
I would suggest we are looking for the following (and its not a complete list)
1 Supplies, Food, Water, Fuel, Med supplies, Weapons/Ammo,
(So Food distribution centres, Supermarkets, Garden Centres, Farms etc, Rivers, Streams, Wells, Resevoirs, Water Tanks, Truck depots, Loco Servicing Facilities, Service Stations, Motor Sports facilities, Vehicle Dealerships etc, Gun shops, Shooting ranges, TA Centres / NG Centres, Gun clubs etc. Airstrips etc)
2 Salvagable materiels,
Building Material depots and merchants, Timber (Lumber) Merchants, Coal yards, Bottled gas depots, Animal feed lots, Farm Supply Depots, Chemists and Hospitals, Farms for Livestock ( Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Pigs, Goats, Rabbits, Chickens etc) Seed stores and Seed banks.
3 Threats,
Human (Feds, Criminals, Refugees, Infected, gangs etc) Natural (Forest / grassland fires, droughts, Mudslides, Flood risks, Land Slips etc) Manmade (Radiation, Gas leaks, Sewage, Leaking Chlorine or LPG tanks and pipelines, Explosions etc)
4 Potential allies,
(You choose) and where they are and what have they got.
5 Infltration and Escape routes
(Bug In and Bug out routes) Including waterways
6 Potential Bug Out Locations
(Rural and Urban in ALL directions from your home)
7 Potential Rendezvous locations
(At all compass points from your home for family members to head to if they cannot get home)
8 Navigable alternative routes
(Getting about without using roads and highways that could have refugees, federals or ambushers waiting for the unwary.) Following rivers, streams, rail lines, pylon routes, animal trails, agricultural trails, forestry paths etc.
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So what gear should you consider for a Recce / Recon trip
Obviously outdoor gear, EDC gear, PDW kit, food, supplies and transport in neccessary.(Personally I prefer to recce on foot, that way you see more and miss less)
Soooooo
1 The above mentioned Scanner to listen out for others broadcasting
2 Binos to watch in detail from a safe distance
3 Camera , Data card etc to record what you see for further analysis when you get back
4 An E device with Google Earth to use both overhead and street view to compare the target with its Google image to see if changes have been made
5 Laser Range finder to measure distances as required
6 Area Guide and Local Maps
7 Notebook, Pens, Sharpies to record intel
8 Cammo gear if needed.
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Signs to look for of recent occupation after TSHTF
Cooking Smells
Smoke
Fires
Fresh trash / litter
Noise (from voices to machiney to engines to music AND NO NOISE AT ALL often a sign by wildlife that people are in the area)
Flattened grass
Disturbed Vegitation
Moved abandoned vehicles
Light from buildings or camps at night
Disturbed birds and critters suddenly taking flight that YOU have not spooked.
Repaired buildings and structures
Cleared paths and paving
Improvised forifications
Signs of crops being harvested
Freshly dug earth
Fresh Graves
Remains of freshly killed animals
Remains of recent camp fires and recently used camp sites
Freshly cut down trees
Laundry out to dry
Fresh foot prints
Empty shells and ammo cases
Clearly recently looted buildings that were not looted last time you checked the area.
 
Further to my post above after my latest area recce I realised that taking decent fotos even with a state of the art minature camera even a 21Mpix one is difficult to achieve just holding the camera in my hand. So I have added a minature camera tripod / camera grip to my Recon / Recce kit. This should allow me to take much better images of any target of interest when out checking this AOO.

iGadgitz small mini tripod with 1/4 inch screw thread suitable for Digital Compact Cameras.
3 Flexible legs allow you to secure your camera almost anywhere providing a range of shooting angles.
Lockable ball-and-socket joint gives quick 360 degree adjustability.
Rubber feet for stable positioning. Compact, lightweight and folds up for easy storage
Only 17.5cm in height. Can support maximum weight of 275g. Perfect for both amateur and professional photographers.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product...b-bd11-4e9e-8c26-9ca0139074ee&pf_rd_i=desktop

71nLzu1H9EL._SY450_.jpg
U39xx MOUNT PICS WITH SMALL TRIPOD HAND HELD.jpg
 
oooh,yeah,especially if they fly away scared. :)

God I love my forrest here ;)
 
I have a map of my area and about a 20 mile radius, on this I have put 3 rings, at 5, 10 and 15 mile radius(I figure 15 miles is far as I am going-out and back-post SHTF)and inside these rings I mark all the "resources" I come across in my travels. the map never leaves home, I make notes and transfer them to the map when I get home.
 
I have a map of my area and about a 20 mile radius, on this I have put 3 rings, at 5, 10 and 15 mile radius(I figure 15 miles is far as I am going-out and back-post SHTF)and inside these rings I mark all the "resources" I come across in my travels. the map never leaves home, I make notes and transfer them to the map when I get home.
This is a really good idea. Scouting your area now while it's safe. After shtf exposing yourself will be risky.
 
This is a really good idea. Scouting your area now while it's safe. After shtf exposing yourself will be risky.
also post SHTF, I can go straight to the location of each "resource" without having to cover a lot of ground just hoping to find something useful.
that's the difference between a survivalist and a refugee.
 
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This is a really good idea. Scouting your area now while it's safe. After shtf exposing yourself will be risky.

Oh hell yes every Hypermarket, Builders Yard, Lake, Gun shop, Loco depot, Truck depot, Chemists, Drug Store, Jail, Lumber yard, Veterinarians, NG centre, Police Station, Amateur radio shop, Generator supply outlet, Solar panel stockists, IBO stockist, Seed Store, Clothing and Workwear depot etc needs to be recorded NOW, and, And, AND the BACK WAY to them.

Your Town and Counties Yellow Pages become your bible.
 
good point,didn't think about those drones,just makes it that much more difficult to move around.
every time I take a walk,I make a mental map,where things are,where I should walk/move to be hidden,where bad guys could ambush you or where I would put one.
 
Technology has advanced enough we must also be aware above us, even bad guys will use drones to scout ahead that won't spook nature thus gives very little warning of it's presence ;)

Very good point, insomuch as its got to become the norm that as we move or recce we look UP as much as we look left, right, front and rear, and LISTEN much more.
 
try google earth and the Thompson local to make a list from Sal.

I use Google Earth But I like to walk to whatever it is for a shuftie too. No point in having a resource miles away if you can't get there in a vehicle, or worse, you've marked it and it no longer exists!
 
Yeah 100% agree, I used GE and the Thompson to make a rough list of interesting locations, then I try to visit them over the following months, its also surprising how often you find other useful things when you are out checking your GE stuff.
 
Remember Dudes and Dudettes to record EVERYTHING that may be of some value, because if its no good for you you made be able to trade it with someone else for stuff you do need.
 
will do and I'm so old fashioned that I use a map,the paper thingy and I have it in me to judge distance fairly well.

Hard copies on paper MUST trump Electronic media every time. There no harm in having copies save to hard drives, floppy disks or USB sticks, but eventually you will NEED the paper copies as they dont require power to operate.
 

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