Gear | S.W.A.T. Magazine

SHOTGUN SAVVY: The Perfect Survival Gun?

The amount and variety of firearms available today is staggering. Some are designed for specific uses. When choosing a firearm to fill multiple roles, you often find that only one type of firearm will work for one specific job. Take the Barrett M82 .50-caliber sniper rifle. It is designed to engage targets at very long…

AGAINST ALL ODDS Long-Range Throwsticks

The use of sticks to hunt small and medium game is thoroughly documented. Throwstick variants have been found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs but were truly made useful by many native tribes, especially the Australian Aboriginals. Throwsticks and rabbit sticks are variations of the more advanced kylie. While these hunting tools have been discovered…

AGAINST ALL ODDS: Shomer-Tec Travel-Ready Gear

A company that has caught my eye over the last couple of years claims to specialize in “merchandise for those looking for law enforcement and military products, as well as spy and revenge products.” This got my attention, and soon I was talking to Jeff from Shomer-Tec about some of these items. Previously, I’d seen…

AGAINST ALL ODDS: VSSL Survival Kits

A plethora of survival kits are on the market catering to a series of unique needs. Companies like ESEE, Wise Food, and SOS Survival Products create small and large kits that can keep a user safe, dry, and warm. While that is the basic purpose of most survival kits, not all of them can perform…

EMERGENCY POWER ON DEMAND: Jump-N-Carry Starters

The term Murphy’s Law describes a simple but often neglected concept—what can go wrong, will go wrong. At first glance, this appears to be nothing more than doom-and-gloom thinking. But in a strange and elegant way, Murphy’s Law makes perfect sense, especially when viewed in the context of survival planning and preparation. (Maybe Murphy was…

KEEPING YOUR GRID-DOWN COOL Cooler Shock Ice Packs

During an extended power outage, options for even basic refrigeration are often severely limited. Here in the coastal southeastern U.S., the dreaded Atlantic Hurricane season terrorizes the population from early June through late November. When power goes out during this period of time, it is likely because of a tropical storm. Coincidentally, these are also…

Going Retro: Bolt Guns for Preppers

“When we get to the end of the world as we know it, the last man standing on the slag heap will be a gray-haired guy with a Model 98 Mauser.” — Louis Awerbuck Bolt-action rifles became the world’s military standard in the 1890s but are older than that, some dating to the mid-1800s. Sportsmen…

Ten Bug-Out Bag Essentials: Repairs on the Go

Bugging out can be difficult and full of hazards. But it’s a reality that many people in Texas and Florida had to confront head on this year. Someday you may have to. When that moment arrives, you’ll need to be prepared, and you’ll have to move quickly. It will also help if you have a…

Against All Odds: Improvised Survival Gear

In every corner of the world that I’ve explored, I’ve found garbage or junk of some sort. Even in places I was sure were considered “pristine wilderness,” there was trash. Finding junk worthy of survival is a practice all its own, but finding it is just the beginning. At the same time, common everyday items can often be turned into survival gear by using a little ingenuity.

Jack of All Trades: SPARtool Multipurpose Survival Tool

Purpose-built or task-specific tools are just that: designed for a specific task and purpose. They usually work exceptionally well for that specific task, and marginally well, poorly or are downright dangerous when used outside of the design scope.