Everyone has a thigh holster these days. You see them on soldiers and TV. Police are allowed to carry them some places too, so what’s the big secret? Are thigh holsters really better than the classic hip holsters most people have been using for years, or is this another “tacticool” bit of tomfoolery designed to sell you some junk you don’t need? I was fascinated by the debate, so I looked into it myself.

Why the Thigh

If everyone seems to be switching over, it’s usually for a good reason. There are some definite advantages to choosing a drop-leg thigh holster. When you sling your gun lower down, it puts it near where your hand falls naturally. That means a faster draw when you need it. Sometimes an extra quarter of a second can make a huge difference. Easy access is one great reason to carry lower on your leg.

Anyone who carries on their belt knows there are some downsides. Choosing a lower position for your firearm means you don’t need to worry about it pulling your belt or your pants down. In my book that’s a good thing, but you can always opt to upgrade your belt instead, so it’s negligible. However, thigh holsters also miss out on getting caught up in a seatbelt, which is a nice bonus.

Those who need to carry a lot on their belts or thin people who have less room naturally might benefit from this style of carrying. Freeing up space to have more of what you need without sacrificing your firepower is a sensible choice.

When You Need It

The most obvious advantage of a lower holster comes when you’re wearing armor or carrying a backpack that belts around your midsection. A standard hip holster can be problematic in these situations because it gets in the way. The reverse is also true. Your gear can hamper the ability to draw and fire.

The Waist is The Place

Let’s talk about what happens right before a gunfight. A classic hip holster may be a fraction of a second slower to draw, but if someone goes for your gun, it’s the better choice. The position allows you to retain your weapon better. Preventing the attacker from becoming your murderer seems like it’s worth a slightly less natural draw position.

Unless you plan to wear a pair of puffy bloomers over your gun, in which case you might as well not have one, you can’t hide a thigh holster. Though concealability doesn’t matter much to police and soldiers, anyone out of uniform might want the ability to make their weapon less noticeable.

The other distinct advantage is for uniformed personnel. Police have been under scrutiny a lot lately for looking more militant than necessary. With soldiers strapping on thigh holsters carrying a gun on your hip makes you look less militant. Even if you’re former 101st Airborne, sometimes not looking the part can be a huge boon.

The Downside of Thigh Holsters

Have you ever tried to walk down an unusually narrow corridor with a thigh holster? Sometimes just turning a corner will catch it, let alone trying to do anything active like climb over a fence. Plus, an appropriately fitted thigh holster is going to restrict the movement of your leg if you need to climb.

Crawling is its own problem with a gun on your leg. Not only do you have the snagging issue, but you also have to worry about it dragging. Dirt in your barrel or other parts of your weapon is a very bad thing.

The fact that a thigh holster moves with your leg means that the location of your gun changes when you move. Hopefully, you will never need to draw while running, but if you do, it’s a lot harder if you have to draw from a thigh in motion.

The Solution to High-Rise Hip Holsters

One problem with a belt carry that does seem to find a solution with a thigh holster is the slower draw. The good news is that there’s a compromise that lets you keep your gun a little further off your belt line without sacrificing too much retention. Go for a drop holster or at least one with a 360 swivel.

Ergo: I’m Keeping My Hip Holster & You Should Too

The choice here seems pretty obvious to me. Unless you wear body armor or have an eighteen-inch waist, carrying on your belt in the traditional style is a better choice. Thigh holsters are excellent if you need one, but wearing it just to fit in with the crowd isn’t worth losing your weapon in a struggle. Catching a holster when you need to move and chasing your gun to draw while in motion aren’t worth it for a slightly easier reach.

The Top Three Hip Holsters You Can Get

Now you know you can get the best of both worlds. All you have to do is make a choice about which holster suits you best. I rounded up my top three current favorites to help with this dilemma. They all have great features that will make life a little easier. Skip the trendy thigh holster unless you have to have it because of body armor. Pick up one of these beauties instead.

1. Blackhawk! Serpa CQC Concealment Holster

For those seeking a concealable, lightweight, belt, or paddle holster, I suggest the Serpa CQC. One of the best things about this particular holster is that it’s all-inclusive. The box comes with your holster, manual, all the hardware and three screws for the belt or paddle mounting, plus two belt mounting clips. It’s hard to complain about anything when you find such a great product.

Pros

• The Sound of Security- There’s an audible noise (loud click) when the safety engages. Resultantly, you never have to wonder if your gun is secure.
• Multitasking- The Serpa CQC will fit Glock 17, 22, and 31 models.
• Trusted Company- Blackhawk! is well known for its high-quality products.

Cons

• Sorry- Not suitable for polymer frame Taurus Judges.
• So Good- Unfortunately, when a product is this good, copycats pop up. Make sure you have a reputable dealer of Blackhawk! products.

Buy your Blackhawk! here.

2. CYTAC Ruger LC9 OWB Holster

When you need a versatile 360-degree rotating holster for easy access, this CYTAC option is top of the list. It fits easily on any 1.5-2 inch belt, and the price is right, but the best feature is the safety. A press to release button on the side won’t slow you down when you’re drawing to fire. The mechanism keeps your gun seated precisely where you put it when not in use. Plus you’ll be pleased with how fast, responsive, and easy the safety is to use.

Pros

• Fits Great-  If you have LC9, LC9s, EC9, EC9s 9mm 3.12″ barrel pistols they’ll fit this exact holster. Note, this is not made to accommodate a laser sight. Other models are available from this company.
• Two Choices- You can wear this holster on your belt or directly on your waistband.
• Built To Last- The CYTAC OWB holster is designed for active use situations. The polymer is tough enough to stand up to daily wear even in harsh conditions. Additionally, it’s water and sweat resistant, wear-resistant, and lightweight.

Cons

• Lazy Error- This company gets a ton of returns. There’s nothing wrong with the product, but people don’t bother to read descriptions. Holsters don’t fit every gun. Make sure you check the model and get the correct holster for your firearm.
• Not the Most Concealable- The cant mechanism on this holster causes it to stick out a little bit from your side. The design is for open carry (OWB), so it takes more work to conceal.

Choose a CYTAC for your sidearm here.

3. Orpaz Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm Drop Holster 

Don’t be fooled by the word “Drop” in this Orpaz holster’s name. This is not a Drop leg holster (thigh holster). The ‘drop’ here refers to your ability to drop it down a couple of inches for a more natural draw. The level two, thumb released security retention means your gun is staying put in a fight or a fall.

Pros

• Nylon 6 Polymer-  The material of this holster is combat tested. It’s resistant to both chemicals and abrasion. 
• Two Screws- Having one screw to lock in your position is great, but two is better. Keep your weapon from shifting more efficiently with a second screw. (M5 Allen key included.)
• Made by a Vet- A veteran of the Israeli SWAT team makes Orpaz holsters.

Cons

• The Fit- The Orpaz Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm Drop Holster might be a tight fit at first, but it should loosen up a little with use.
• Not Made in the USA- If you only buy local and national brands, then this one isn’t for you. It’s a great holster made in Israel.

Scope out a great Orpaz holster here.

Final Thoughts

Chasing perfection is always a losing venture. Sometimes you should ignore the hype and go with a classic. There’s nothing wrong with a thigh holster if you have to wear body armor. However, added mobility and retention are well worth the inconvenience of a caught seatbelt or a slightly less natural draw. You don’t want to chase your leg to draw on the move or worry about getting hung up on a fence.

There’s a good reason belt/hip holsters have been in use for so long. They work if you’re going to wear a sidearm stick to a belt holster.

Living in New York can be part of the American dream, but self-defense can seem like a nightmare. If you don’t know what the laws say, you can end up in deep trouble very quickly. Don’t guess at safety. I looked into the local laws to see what you can carry to keep yourself safe and what I found may surprise you.

Nobody wants to end up in jail because someone else attacked them. Protecting yourself from danger is an instinct, but being ready to do so legally can be harder than you think. Don’t just grab the first weapon you see and start practicing with it. Being savvy is a vital part of proper emergency preparedness.

New York Weapon Laws

I’m not a lawyer or a judge, so you’ll need to ask a professional if you need any clarification, but the laws on carrying weapons in New York, like all US laws, are readily available online. Several different laws relating to the ownership, use, and carrying of weapons in New York exist. However, S 26.501 details a list of weapons you cannot have at all.

I excluded the guns and knives. This list is the rest of the weapons that are expressly prohibited. It’s noteworthy that anything used to assault another person, even in self-defense can be considered a weapon or deadly weapon in a court of law. The distinction is entirely up to the judge.

• Billy Clubs- A Billy is a stick, typically with a loop attached at one end or another handle
• Blackjacks- Leather over a piece of metal with a springy handle, similar to a sand club
• Bludgeons- Also known as a cudgel, stick, truncheon or bat
• Chuka Sticks or Nunchuks- Two sticks connected by rope or chain
• Electronic Dart Guns- Any gun that shoots darts using a power source like a battery
• Electronic Stun Guns- This includes tasers
• Metal Knuckles- Metal knuckle coverings
• Plastic Knuckles- Plastic knuckle coverings
• Sand Bag- Quite literally a bag with sand inside used to hit people
• Sand Club- A sewn leather tool shaped like a small paddle with sand inside used as a club
• Shirken or Kung Fu Star- Also called ninja stars or throwing stars
• Slungshot- A slungshot is a weighted ball inside a monkey fist knot of rope with a loop of rope to swing or throw the weapon.
• Wrist-Brace Type Slingshot- This is a slingshot that attaches to the wrist and may fold down when not in use for easy concealment.

Guns

New York, both the state and city, are incredibly tough on guns. Open carry isn’t explicitly prohibited, but permits are issued for concealed carry only. You need a license to carry a firearm. Hence the most sensible seeming interpretation would be that open carry is forbidden. When in doubt, ask a lawyer first, not after you get arrested or ticketed.

Can I Carry a Knife

I was once asked if all knives were illegal in NYC. The question came as a huge surprise, but why would a normal law-abiding, if naive, person know how wrong that assumption is if they had no experience? You can carry knives in New York City, as long as you choose wisely. You need a good reason to have a knife on you, and ‘self-protection’ isn’t the right answer.

First things first since most people in the state of New York live in NYC. It’s important to know that city law differs from state laws. While most of New York allows you to own and carry a gravity knife, doing so in city limits of New York City can and will get you arrested. Don’t risk your freedom on a silly mistake like this. Skip the gravity knife altogether and avoid the possible problem.

According to Knife Up, this is what you can and cannot carry in New York:

Knives You Can Carry

• Hunting Knives
• Dirks & Daggers
• Stilettos
• Gravity knife (Unfortunately, as mentioned, you can’t carry these in NYC.)

Knives You Can’t Have

• Pilum ballistic knives
• Metal knuckle knives
• Cane swords with concealed blades
• Throwing stars (sorry ninjas)
• You can’t own any knife unless you’re a U.S. citizen
• It is illegal to possess any knife adapted for use primarily as a weapon
• A switchblade knife requires a valid hunting or fishing license

The biggest thing to remember if you’re going to choose a knife for self-defense is that you need to know how to use it well. A first-time crook might fall for the sort of flailing an inexperienced wielder displays. Unfortunately, any criminal who’s had some experience can probably take that blade before you have time to blink. Take a class, practice at home, and don’t just assume your new swiss army gadget is point-and-click.

Important Note

Regardless of what one site says, the information may be outdated or incorrect. For example, the New York Criminal Lawyer Blog says any weapon, including every sort of knife, is illegal if you intend to use it on another person. Therefore, any defensive weapon can get you in legal trouble.

New York’s Strange Affinity for Machetes

In an odd twist, many people, mostly the bad ones, choose machetes for both defense and horrifying offense in NYC. Back in 2014, the New York Post ran a story about the prevalence of these blades. There were no less than twenty-four incidents between 2010 and 2014 involving machetes.

Machetes are considered farming tools, but that doesn’t make them legal in the city. After all, there aren’t many (any) farms to speak of there. Don’t be fooled by the fact that thugs are willing to bend the rules. Machetes are illegal. Unfortunately, the penalty wasn’t very severe for carrying them, a few hundred dollars fine or fifteen days in jail.

Moreover, they are sold in shops in the area. The ‘moral’ of the story is buyer beware. Just because you can get your hands on something doesn’t mean you won’t get in trouble if you carry one.

Five Best Self Defense Weapons for New York

You are technically allowed to carry pepper spray or a gun, but no reputable dealer will legally ship them. Instead of wasting your time hunting around, I’ve curated a quick and easy list of the best self-defense solutions you can order right away.

Please keep in mind that carrying weapons in New York with the intent to hurt people is illegal. You can defend yourself, but you need to be very careful about how if you want to avoid ending up behind bars.

1. WUBEN 1200 Lumens LED Flashlight

In a place like New York where you can end up in as much trouble as your attacker just for carrying appropriate defensive weapons, you have to think out of the box. Go for something smart, universal, useful for non-defensive purposes, and functional.

Wuben’s twelve hundred lumens LED flashlight is an excellent example of this sort of choice. Don’t carry it to do damage. Instead, take this with the specific intent of illuminating dark situations. The fact that you can also temporarily blind an attacker, thus allowing you to escape is just a nice bonus.

Pros

• Proof- Waterproof, dustproof airplane grade aluminum makes up the body of this powerful little light. You won’t need to worry about any accidental bumps wrecking your light source.
• Stand Behind Your Product- WUBEN Flashlights have free returns within 30 days, free repairs for a year, a manufacturer’s warranty that lasts five years and twenty-four-seven customer service.
• Photochemical Glass Lens- As much as 99% of the light, this powerful device makes will shine directly on whatever problem you face.

Cons

• Small- There’s nothing wrong with being little. At just 5.5 inches and seven ounces, you won’t be able to hit an attacker with anything but the light beam.
• You Have to Run- Okay, this is a serious stretch as far as downsides go, but you do need to have somewhere to escape to once you blind the bad guy.
• Nothing- I searched for other cons, but this light is top of the list for a good reason. It does the job well.

Look into lighting solutions here.

2. Taiker Personal Alarm Self-Defense Security Alarm Keychain

This tiny device could save your life or your children’s lives. Once you pull the pin, it will shriek out a warning at a massive hundred and forty decibels for up to a half-hour. For those who can’t defend, bringing help and letting the world know there’s a problem is the next best option. Everyone should have one even if they have other weapons at their disposal. No one can accuse you of trying to harm your attacker if you scare them off and bring the neighborhood running instead.

Pros

• Super Portable- This pair of keychain attachments will go wherever you go. You can clip them on your belt loops, add them to a zipper pull or carry them with your keys.
• Easy to Use- Pull the pin and cover your ears, it’s that easy. A hundred forty decibels will make one hell of a racket. Kick it under a car if your attacker tries to get it away from you.
• Bonus LED- The light on the end will help you find your keys and see what’s coming. Any company that thinks ahead like that is worth a second look.

Cons

• Lovers Not Fighters- This defense is designed to draw so much attention; it scares away an attacker or brings help. Unfortunately, it’s not much good in a dust-up unless your attacker has on a helmet. Then I suppose you could shove it inside for a loud distraction.
• Too Good- Check the brand name on the shop before you buy this product. The alarms they make are so good there are copycats selling knock offs.

Get yours right here.

3. HyperWhistle

If you’ve never heard of the HyperWhistle, you’ve been missing out on an excellent tool. Survivalists, hikers, and campers could all benefit from carrying a whistle like this in case of injury. As for any potential attackers, they’ll probably be more worried about whether or not they’ll ever hear again than where you’ve escaped to. A word of caution, use ear protection, so you don’t hurt yourself.

Pros

• Hearing Protection- When you buy the world’s loudest whistle, it comes with reusable hearing protection because you’ll need it. Of course, it also means you can pretty much assume that anyone nearby will hear your call for help.
• Sturdy- The thick plastic on this whistle will stand up to tough situations. It’s designed for sports coaches and survival situations, so it’s not flimsy.
• It Floats- Hopefully, you’ll never have to worry about dropping your HyperWhistle in a body of water. Luckily if you do at least, it will stay on the surface.

Cons

• Damage- This whistle can do actual hearing damage. It’s not meant as a weapon, but it could do harm.
• Dark Colored- The detachable lanyard should stop you from dropping your whistle in the dark. However, since it’s black, it might be easy to lose if you have no light at all.

Blow the bad guys away here.

4. Get Back Whip

Of all the products listed here, this is the most weapon like because whips are weapons. While they’re not explicitly forbidden, you’ll need a good reason to be carrying one around with you. Perhaps adding it to other decorative braided leather elements on a jacket ‘because it’s cool’ is your best bet. A short biker whip (get back whip) is ideal for close-quarters due to the short length.

Pros

• Hand Made- If you want to find a way to support artisans and protect yourself, this is perfect. Hand-braided leather is robust and flexible.
• Clasp- You can use the clasp end for attaching to your clothing or gear, or flip it around and use the metal end to stop an attacker in their tracks.
• Looks Decorative- A whip this short doesn’t look much like a weapon. The silver skull bead at the end adds a nice decorative touch to any leather outfit.

Cons

• Whips Hurt- You can do some severe damage with a short whip like this. If you’re good at using it, you’ll have a hard time explaining away how this is not a weapon.
• Sold as a Weapon- Whips are weapons, and they’re sold to keep people away from you and presumably your motorcycle if you have one.

‘Get Back,’ at criminals here.

5. The Atomic Bear Tactical Pen 

A great tactical pen can be your new favorite tool. Use it to break into your car if you lock the keys inside or sign relevant documents. The pen works, it’s just surrounded by aircraft-grade aluminum and shaped to give you a good grip. The beautiful part about a pen is that it’s just a pen and no further explanation is needed.

Pros

• Free Carry Pouch- Atomic Bear, has free pouched to carry your tac-pen on your belt when you buy through Amazon.
• Bonus Ink Cartridges- What good is a pen if you can’t write with it? You won’t need an excuse to carry this cool pen with it’s two extra ink cartridges.
• A Respected Company- Atomic Bear, is known for its high-quality products.

Cons

• High Profile- The fact that Atomic Bear is known for their tactical pens means lots of people, like police and prosecutors, know this pen is a self-defense item.
• It Looks Mean- As macho accessories go, this is clearly not soft edges and curves. Because the Atomic Bear Tactical Pen is a weapon, it looks dangerous.

Check out Atomic Bear on Amazon right here.

Final Thoughts

Finding a great defensive weapon is easy. Unfortunately using one in New York is a whole different issue. If you can get a gun and a concealed carry permit, it’s a great idea. However, having a backup plan, or carrying a purely defensive item like the ones on this list can get you out of a bad situation without any shots fired. Don’t hesitate to defend yourself, but be smart about it, especially in New York.

The EMPs are coming! At least, that’s what it seems like with all the news stories lately. How can you tell for sure? You’d expect to feel something if a blast big enough to darken your part of the world went off. However, the science behind EMPs might just have something else to say about that.

Can you feel an EMP? There are some people with devices inside them that could potentially have enough wiring to feel an EMP. Sadly there’s no conclusive evidence either way. Most people wouldn’t know the difference. However, in theory, a powerful enough pulse might temporarily disrupt some cognitive functions.

People Who Can Feel EMP’s

Most of us would be totally in the dark if an EMP went off in the upper atmosphere. That may sound like a joke, but it’s not. Indeed, the power would go out, but physically we wouldn’t feel a thing.

Electromagnetic Pulses (EMPs) aren’t detectable by nerve endings. Unless you’re standing near enough to a lightning bolt or a nuclear strike to feel the shockwave, you’d have no clue what happened. Of course, if you’re that close when it happens, you probably have other things on your mind than the power grid problems.

No Real Proof

The effects of an EMP on devices inside the human body has not been studied conclusively. Doing a study like this would be incredibly inhumane and unethical. However, what we know about the way EMPs work leads to some interesting questions about whether specific medical devices might not react inside our bodies. It could cue us off to the problem.

Unfortunately, medical implants like tens units for pain control in the spine and pacemakers are critical. If these devices did react to an EMP, pain, and probable unit failure would occur. There are even people with modern prosthetic limbs who might feel the burn as it were. However, I have to stress that no real-world testing exists to prove or disprove this theory.

Could it Hurt

Anyone wearing a headset or similar complicated piece of technology with any internal wring might notice the subsequent blowout. It bears mentioning that these things would not catch fire or explode like they might on TV. Rather, they might make a small noise and die suddenly.

The effects of this would likely be more alarming than painful for us. There’s no reason to suspect that we’d feel much beyond our frustration. If your electronic watch or smartphone dies suddenly, it’s not going to kill you.

Research

According to one researcher who did the math, the following can be said about tooth implants and other devices in general:

“…Using the worst-case value of 1 μs, the energy dissipated around the implant is 250 μJ or 0.25 mJ. This is not a significant amount of energy, and therefore, tooth implants should not pose a major hazard to those having them during a nuclear EMP event.

Similar calculations could be carried out for larger metallic implants. At the least, an implanted person would experience a brief jolt at the implant site from the high voltage. Heart pacemakers and hearing aids – devices with electronics – would pose a more severe problem, especially if they are life-critical.”

That’s a Lot of Big Words

What that says can be summed up easily. Even those with implanted devices may survive the failure in the event of an EMP. However, if your life depends on a device like a pacemaker, surviving the blast isn’t the issue. Surviving without the implant functional would be the real challenge.

Many people aren’t a hundred percent dependent on their pacemaker to survive. A pacemaker does not pump your blood. Your heart does the work. A pacemaker tells the heart when to do its job so you can feel your best.

Just as a hearing-impaired person would no longer have assistance hearing, a person without their pacemaker would revert to the condition it was helping to prevent. Neither of these is automatically a death sentence. Sadly, heart patients might have a lot of discomforts and a shorter life span.

If your life depends on a pacemaker or other medical device, you should look into better protection for your life. A company like EMP Shield can help bring you peace of mind. They can install a whole-home protection system. As long as you’re in the house when the SHTF, your belongings and your internal device are protected from the worst.

How Do You Shield Against Something So Fast

Part of what makes EMP’s so dangerous, and the reason we wouldn’t typically feel them is speed. In layman’s terms, an EMP is so fast it wouldn’t have time to mess with your internal systems as it passed through you. Humans conduct electricity well because our cells are surrounded by excellent conductors like sodium ions, potassium ions, and chloride ions.

What that means for us is that the charge passes right through our bodies. The pulse from any electromagnetic event would move on before we noticed. It should leave our bodies undamaged. It leaves us with the alarming question, how do we protect susceptible systems against something so fast?

What The Government Is Doing To Help

If the world ends and society collapses tomorrow, we may still see some minor benefits from what the government has been doing to handle EMP attacks. In light of the genuine danger such an event could cause, our government has worked to help better understand and take steps to mitigate EMP threats.

The DARPA researchers on Plumb Island got a lot of press last year over some experiments they conducted. These are widely misunderstood and misquoted. The tests were to establish what to do in case of a cyberattack, not an EMP. Regardless, the government has at least looked into the problem back in 2013.

Sadly all the talk didn’t create any real solutions on its own. In the end, major utilities are privately owned and operated. Most power companies dismiss the idea that the system needs addressing. Handling EMP threats is a high cost, low benefit project for them.

Those Who Help Themselves

You know what they say about getting things done right. Don’t wait around for big brother to save you with a cunning plan. Roll your sleeves up and get to work yourself. If your preparedness plans include any form of electronic device or wiring, then you need an EMP plan.

Choose manual redundancies where possible. For example, you can plow a field of wheat with a hi-tech machine, but a sling blade works just as well. Look into building some small personal faraday cages to keep a few things safe. Better yet, get a whole-home protection system form EMP Shield and keep the lights on when the world goes dark.

When Will You Know It’s Coming

We have all sorts of high tech methods of detecting incoming problems. From radio to radar, satellites, and more, it seems like we can predict and respond to everything. Whether the problem is a storm, an invading force or a nuclear warhead, we can spot it, stop it and even retaliate.

Whole cities can be evacuated ahead of hurricanes, so surely we’ll have some warning if an EMP goes off right? Well… maybe. We might detect a nuclear weapon headed for the sky over America, but it’s not as though we could evacuate the whole country. Even if we had enough ships, there would be nowhere to go with almost three hundred and thirty million people.

Would You Tell

Honestly, not causing mass panic might beat telling the whole country they have about ten minutes until they get thrown back a century. Announcing to everyone that their fridge, heaters, cell phones, and credit cards are about to become obsolete could spark more rioting than sudden mass darkness.

When the power goes out, people call the utilities. When the phones go out, they head outside and talk with the neighbors. If your communication is cut off from the rest of the world, you probably stay put and wait for the lights to come back on. Alternately, people who have just learned there’s no rescue coming can become savage very quickly.

If our governing body were to find out tomorrow that we were about to go dark, they’d have a serious dilemma. Is it going to cause more death to warn people, or to let darkness fall without warning? I’m not so sure that you would be notified in the event of an impending EMP.

Are You For Real

It’s easy to retreat into disbelief when something is scary and overwhelming. People naturally fear the unknown. This is why so many people have no level of emergency preparedness at all. Many people feel more comfortable in denial than they do facing uncertainty.

As depressing as it is when you realize that about half the country has no form of emergency supplies, it also helps. Having some perspective on people’s cognitive dissonance about their vulnerability reminds you why it’s essential to be truly prepared.

Providing for your own needs and those of your family is crucial. Whether or not you find a single scenario believable isn’t the issue. Emergencies happen every day. Whether it’s EMP’s, Zombies, or simple overpopulation and competition for resources, you will need stored resources and a way to protect them.

Anyone Can Become an EMP Threat

Using EMPs are illegal in the US except under particular circumstances, like officially sanctioned testing. If you believe that merely having laws is enough to prevent criminals, then there’s not much point in telling you to be prepared for emergencies. Refusing to consider a problem seriously doesn’t make it go away.

For everyone else, a simple google search will show you that, successful or not; people are trying to build home EMP weapons. Once information gets free, someone is bound to use it. Whether or not that person has good intentions isn’t a thing you should stake your life or family on. Even the best plans in the world can get stolen and perverted to a wrong cause.

Why Can’t I Build a Personal EMP for Self Defense

According to AVVO, a respected legal advice site EMP devices are illegal. One of the lawyers there, Mr. John M. Kaman who is a criminal defense attorney in San Francisco the reason has to do with what EMPs interfere with. His answer states the following:

“Federal law prohibits the operation, marketing, or sale of any type of jamming equipment, including devices that interfere with cellular and Personal Communication Services (PCS), police radar, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and wireless networking services (Wi-Fi).”

Are EMP Jammers Legal

This question is a little murkier. There doesn’t appear to be any specific prohibition against blocking EMPs. Perhaps this is because a faraday cage will handle that problem and faraday cages are legal to own. However, if your EMP solution violates the federal laws or FCC restrictions on blocking wireless communications, then you may be in trouble.

• Section 301 of the Communications Act: “No person shall use or operate any
  apparatus for the transmission of energy or communications or signals by
  radio…except under and in accordance with [the Communications] Act and with
  a license in that behalf granted under the provisions of this Act.” 47 U.S.C. § 301.

•  Section 302(b) of the Communications Act: “No person shall manufacture, import,
  sell, offer for sale, or ship devices or home electronic equipment and systems, or
  use devices, which fail to comply with regulations promulgated pursuant to this
  section.” 47 U.S.C. § 302a(b).

• Section 333 of the Communications Act: “No person shall willfully or maliciously
  interfere with or cause interference to any radio communications of any station
  licensed or authorized by or under [the Communications] Act or operated by the
  United States Government.” 47 U.S.C. § 333.

Final Thoughts

Good emergency preparedness is having a goal. Great emergency preparedness is having a plan. The closest you can get to ‘perfect preparedness’ is when you have skills, backup plans, and redundancies. Then add alternate gear caches, vehicles, and locations, plus protection for all of it and a whole team to work with.

It’s okay if you’re not there yet. Preparing for emergencies is a journey, and even the best-laid plans can go awry. Work toward your goal every day and stay vigilant. You’ll know it’s working because an emergency will come up and you will be ready to handle it. The world doesn’t need to end for you to test out your preparedness plans.

EMPs are one of the scariest threats because they’re invisible. Fortunately, you can plan for things you can’t see with a little assistance and a lot of perseverance.

Space isn’t just the final frontier, but it is a serious issue for many beginning preppers. If you live in an apartment, figuring out where to put your buckets of freeze-dried food is hard enough. Toilet paper is so bulky; it’s just not practical. You can add a bidet to your toilet, but your bug out bag needs a better solution. For my monies’ worth, toilet paper tabs like the Portawipes you can get on Amazon, have always been the best solution.

Do toilet paper tabs really clean? As long as you know how to wipe, they certainly do. Moreover, they clean better than traditional dry toilet paper because of the moisture, which leaves less mess behind.

Wetter is Better (Sometimes)

If you got urine or poop on your floor, would you just wipe it clean with a paper towel and leave it be? Of course, you wouldn’t. Instead, you’d wipe it up with a mop or a wet paper towel at least because it’s more sanitary. Yet we wipe our backsides with dry paper and call it good enough. That’s pretty gross.

Some people use baby wipes or other pre-moistened towelettes to solve the problem, but you can’t flush them. They clog up toilets, sewer pipes, and water treatment plants. Sadly that’s not the only downside to wet wipes.

A Fatberg

This may sound like a joke, but sadly the punchline is all too poignant and real. A “fatberg,” is a portmanteau of ‘iceberg,’ and ‘fat.’ Fatbergs are a menace that is blocking sewage pipes around the globe. They are a combination of wet wipes and fat from food and human waste. It’s gotten so bad; some people are even suing companies using the term “flushable.”

“Wyoming, Minnesota, is one of the first American cities to take on the flushable-wet-wipe industry. In 2015, the city filed a class-action suit against Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Nice-Pak, and three other wet-wipe manufacturers for fraudulently promoting their products as flushable.”

-The Atlantic

What’s The Big Fat Problem

It may seem like a wet wipe isn’t so different from toilet paper, but the problem is environmental. Many baby wipes (and other wet wipes) that are marketed as flushable because of their size may fit down a tube, but that’s where they stay. Non-biodegradable products like these don’t break down. Hence the fatbergs are a collection of compacted fatty leavings and non-biodegradable wipes.

Worse Yet

INDA (the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry) do many of the tests and write the standards for flushability. Unfortunately, they don’t test strictly or accurately enough according to many sewer authorities. Vancouver WA authorities dyed several types of wipes different colors to prove this point back in 2013. Sure enough, the colored wipes were plugging up pipes and not disintegrating.

Toilet Facts

Since wet wipes are bad news, and toilet paper tabs are wet, you’re probably wondering what makes TP tabs a better choice. While you should always check the labels, every version that I’ve ever ordered is biodegradable. It may seem like a small difference, but it adds up to be a big deal.

Using Tabs

Unlike the plastics and other materials used in packages of baby wipes and flushable moist towelettes, toilet paper tabs are made with paper. They also use other materials like cotton and rayon that break down when you finish with them. When you open the antacid-tablet-sized wipes, you have to moisten them so they’ll expand. As you unroll and unfold your tab, the water stays absorbed within the material, giving you a cleaner experience.

What You Need

The average person hits the washroom four to ten times per day. That’s a lot of flushing and a lot of toilet paper. Most people run through around a hundred rolls per year or twenty thousand feet of TP each year. No real information exists yet on how many wet wipes that translates into, but it’s a lot of fatbergs.

One of the biggest bonuses of toilet paper tabs is that the quantity matches the quality. Many companies sell five-hundred tab multipacks. You can check out another of my favorites, Coin Tabs on Amazon, and see how cost-effective they are for yourself. If you’re buying regular toilet paper, you can pick up four of these for a year of moist, environmentally friendly wiping.

Portable Technology

Anything designed to carry easily is a safe bet for your every day carry and bug out bags. Of course, you always want to check the reviews before you buy. Moreover, you should also test everything in person once you have it. In addition to keeping an eye on things like expiration dates and rotation, checking your preps regularly is essential. Plus it can be fun.

Using toilet paper tabs will save you more than space and money. These ingenious compressed wipes are useful for all sorts of things. You can use them to wipe up messes and even start a fire. Wipes are marketed as reusable, though I wouldn’t suggest double duty if you’re using them on your private areas.

If you prefer a larger wipe, Portawipes makes an oversize version you can also get from Amazon. The bigger size allows you to get more out of your compressed towel tabs. I especially like the texture of this particular brand because it’s not as rough as some others I’ve tried.

Other Compressed Items

You can find a plethora of compressed options for prepping. I suggest searching for camping gear since they’re often marketed to backpackers for easy carry. When it comes to saving space in your preps, there’s nothing quite like buying these super condensed options.

• Compressed Towels- You can get packs of towels about the size of a hockey puck. Whether you want an excellent option for the beach or just a super portable bath towel, you can find them easily.
• Compressed Pillows- When you need to get out fast, but you still want to sleep well at night, a compressed pillow can help.
• Compressed Spare Underwear- Yes, even underwear can be compressed into a tiny tube for emergencies.
• Sleeping Bags & Mattress Pads- You probably already know that sleeping bags and mattress pads come in compression sacks. Using these for bug out scenarios can be a real boon.
• Compression Bags- If you haven’t yet discovered compression bags for storing clothing and blankets, it’s worth looking into. Most require a vacuum to remove the air. Once you pack your bulky fabric goods inside, you attach the hose extension and suck all the extra air out. As a result, you’ll be able to stack a whole lot more in space one blanket used to take.
• Foam Mattresses- When you’re getting a bug out location ready, you might want to consider using the foam or memory foam mattresses. Because of their airy nature and the way foam works, most of these ingenious and comfortable sleep solutions come pre-compressed. Just be careful when you cut them open because they tend to expand fast.

Collapsible

I also suggest searching out highly rated collapsible items to supplement your supplies. Folding shovels, multitools, and rubber dishes are just a few examples of outstanding emergency preparedness items you can fit in a smaller space than their traditional counterparts.

The more space you have, the easier it is to fit what you need. This may seem obvious, but when you’re first starting out, space is a serious concern. Additionally, you need to keep in mind the weight of the items. Not all compressed or collapsible items are as lightweight as toilet paper tabs. If you bog down your EDC, BOB, and BOV with more than you can handle, then you certainly won’t get very far.

Luckily, you can build strength and endurance to handle more weight. Pack as light as possible and remember to factor in things like your food and water. Unfortunately, if you weigh down your vehicle too much, there’s not much you can do except get rid of some of the weight. Sometimes it’s the little and seemingly obvious mistakes that can turn a good prep into a nightmare scenario. Always triple check what you or your vehicle can handle.

Final Thoughts

Proper emergency preparedness is about saving your life in a bad situation. It can be frustrating when you first start to try and get things together. Do you pack that folding shovel or leave it out in favor of an ax that weighs less? Should you buy canned meats or go with freeze-dried knowing, you’ll need more water if you do. Often this depends on your situation. If you live on a rural property with wells, it’s not a big deal to get clean water, but wells can also run dry.

The one thing you can be sure of is that you’ll need to wipe your butt. There aren’t very many prep items that can’t be substituted for something else, or included as a multitool. However, your toilet paper is one of those things. Personal hygiene is vital, and doubly so in a bad situation.

You don’t want to get sick at the end of the world. Illness will slow you down, and it can be a danger on its own if you can’t get proper medical care. Save yourself the trouble and practice good body care.

Most of us are very proud of our first bug out bags. Whether you’re brand new and don’t own a backpack or just about ready to level up from ‘newbie prepper,’ you need to know if your BOB is legal. Simply put, you can carry a bug out bag in a suspicious or outright illegal manner. I went digging to see if you can get stopped just for owning a BOB. You should know the answer before you take yours out of the house.

Can you get stopped carrying a bug out bag? The short answer is no. You won’t be arrested for carrying a BOB. However, the longer answer is that there are other reasons you can be stopped and searched. If you have illegal items, you might get ticketed, detained, or arrested for them.

Calling Attention to Yourself

Always check the local laws when placing weapons inside your bug out bag. If you’re not sure what to pack and what to skip, you can pick up a fully stocked Bug Out Bag like my favorite pre-made urban survival bag from Amazon. Until you’re familiar with your local laws, prefabricated BOBs are a great solution. Plus, a pre-packed bag lets you prepare instantly instead of collection your own items over time. Ready-made bags ideal for new preppers.

The bag itself isn’t the issue. Walking around a large city dressed like you might be homeless or acting aggressive and violent is a great way to get stopped. Sometimes it’s all about presentation. Police need a reason to stop you and a better reason to search you. Drawing attention and alarming people is a pretty good justification. Shoot for blending in better if you’re openly carrying the bag on your back.

Presentation

We won’t get into abuses of that power here. Suffice it to say, more often than not, officers won’t look twice at your BOB or ask to see inside it. If they’re preppers themselves and want to chat about survival, they may ask as a genuine conversation starter. In that case, you could make a friend.

Being the person who immediately starts in on an obnoxious tirade about Miranda Rights and how much you know about police limitations is a lousy plan. Resisting, inciting, and otherwise tormenting the police is just stupid. Plus, it looks terrible if you do go to court. If things go wrong, you want to look sparkling clean on the official record.

It’s Legal to Prep

As a general rule, a bug out bag shouldn’t have anything inside that will get you into trouble. If you’ve checked your local laws and packed accordingly, you’re okay. The police will probably leave you alone.

A good bug out bag is essentially a beyond basic version of camping gear, whether it’s for urban, rural or wildlands use. There’s no reason why, under normal circumstances, you’d have to justify carrying this in your car or having it at home. Lots of people prepare for emergencies.

Unless you are hoarding, carrying illegal items, or making a menace of yourself, your emergency preparedness plans are just practicing an above-average sense of caution. Even the Red Cross suggests that people need to do some prepping. Given that their purpose is to give aid in times of need, it makes them a reasonable authority on the subject.

CDC Says

We all know too many people have no emergency supplies. The exact stats on how many tend to get glossed over. However, I checked with the CDC, another reasonable authority, to see what they had to say about it. The reply was mindblowing.

• 48% of Americans have no emergency supplies.
• 44% of Americans don’t even own a first aid kit.
• 52% of Americans don’t have copies of crucial documents.
• 40% of Americans rely on mobile apps or social media to learn about disasters. (You can bet that many of them don’t have so much as a spare cell phone battery.)

Don’t Drive Crazy

Leaving your bug out bag in the car is a wise decision. You can get out of dodge faster if you don’t need to stop to grab your gear. Resultantly, driving with your bag is one of the most common reasons people worry about being stopped for carrying survival gear. This may seem silly, but if you want to avoid having the police pull you over in the car, don’t drive like a maniac.

Unless you’re blowing through red lights and swerving like a drunk, LEOs (Laws Enforcement Officers) don’t typically stop you at random. The exception to this rule is at a checkpoint. Police need your permission to search your car unless they have probable cause or a warrant.

If you happen to match the description of a person or vehicle they’re hunting for; you might get detained. Though it’s uncommon, it does happen. Hunting for criminals and maintaining peace is a LEO’s job after all. If you match a suspect description, they’ll probably want to know what’s in the bag.

Consent To Search

When officers ask you if they can search your home, car, or belongings, it’s consensual. If you are not sure whether you’re being detained, ask. Be polite. Say “Am I being detained, or am I free to go?” If the officer doesn’t answer or avoids the issue, ask the question again. You can do this until they answer one way or the other.

When detained, inform the officer that you accept the right to remain silent. Say you’ll wait until your lawyer is present to speak with them. After that, all you have to do is close your mouth. If you have done something wrong, then you might be in trouble, but it won’t be for owning a legal bug out bag.

Weapons in Your BOB

Lots of people add weapons to their pre-made bags, like the two-person emergency bag I picked up from Amazon. Before you grab your gun, check those local laws, and make sure whatever you’re carrying is legal. If you plan to take a gun, make sure you either have a permit or don’t need one where you’re traveling. Don’t exceed the local allowance for knives. For example, some states have length requirements.

Perhaps most importantly, tell the officer there’s a weapon in the bag. Follow directions and whatever you do, don’t try to pull any crazy stunts. LEOs have guns, training, and the ability to call on a significant force for backup.

What Not To Pack

Masks aren’t the only item to avoid putting in your bag. While you’ll find plenty of lists for what to pack, there aren’t many that mention what to avoid. You want to consider weight limits and what you need to bring with you. Sadly, some things just look downright suspicious. Furthermore, some items are illegal, even though they seem like they might make perfect survival gear.

Bad Combos

It’s not illegal to pack lye, gloves, and acid in your bag. However, you need a pretty good reason for why you would have such a thing in with your survival gear. First, they’re dangerous and challenging to transport. Second, it does make you look quite a bit like you’re planning to kill someone rather than survive an emergency. Third and finally, those are just too heavy for a standard BOB. If you need them, store them safely at your bug out or bug in location.

Another toxic combination is allergy pills and fingernail polish remover. Separately they are both useful items that you may need. Together, especially in any quantity, they make you look a bit like you might be planning to start a meth lab.

Don’t carry a marked map that gives away the location of your bug out plans. While you won’t get arrested for any of the bad-choice items, this is especially important. You shouldn’t broadcast your emergency supplies location to anyone ever — not even LEOs who might stop you for an unrelated issue.

Illegal & Quasi-Legal Gear

Switchblades, gravity knives, and butterfly knives are only legal in some areas of the country. You’re better off with an ordinary pocket knife. Likewise, pepper spray is iffy. Some states have restrictions on how much you can have and what concentration is allowed.

Fishing gear isn’t illegal per se. However, almost every state in the US requires a fishing license. When fishing in water that’s contained on private property, you can probably skip the permit. Otherwise, carry your license with the fishing gear.

Whatever the justification, don’t open any alcohol container then put it in your BOB. Any opened bottle of alcohol is a touchy subject. If it’s in your vehicle, make sure it’s in the trunk. Leaving it at home is better still.

Legally, a parked car still ‘counts’ because it’s a car. Any open bottle in any part of your vehicle or gear is a risk. Unnecessary risk is the opposite of survival. If you must have alcohol in your BOB, make sure it’s sealed.

Masks

It might not be the first thing you think about, but carrying a mask around with you could draw undue notice and suspicion. Having a gas mask or face cover in your BOB can be a great idea. Unfortunately, it can also get you in trouble in some places.

Naturally, most people don’t just go around wearing gas masks or other facial coverings every day. Special occasions like Halloween or an emergency are few and far between, and not everyone dresses up in masks. Nevertheless, it’s good to check your local laws before you cover up your identity.

List of States With Anti-Mask Laws

This list is by no means complete, but the following states have laws against masks. This seemingly innocuous bit of gear can become a big problem under the wrong circumstances.

• California Penal Code Section 182-185- This prohibits any kind of disguise intended for evasion or concealment.
• District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) § 22-3312.03- In D.C. people over sixteen cannot publicly wear, “any mask, hood, or device whereby any portion of the face is hidden,” that scares people or aids in criminal activities.
• Florida Chapter 876- Florida considers mask wearing a potential threat to public safety and can class it as anarchy.
• Georgia Code Title 16 Section 11-38- Georgia makes it a misdemeanor to wear masks and other concealing items. Unless it’s for a holiday, sport, emergency, drills for an emergency or the theater, leave it at home.
• Louisiana RS 14:313- The folks down on the bayou don’t want your face covered unless you have an excellent reason, like Mardi Gras. Registered sex offenders may not wear anything that covers their identity even for holidays.
• Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 268 Section 34- In Mass. You can end up paying $500 or spending a year in jail plus a year on probation if you violate the anit-mask law.
• Michigan 750.396- Michigan will only hit you with a misdemeanor and jail you for ninety-three days, or make you pay $500 for concealing your face under a mask.
• Minnesota Statutes, Chapter Criminal Code, Section 609.735- Minnesota masks are limited to jokes, health reasons, and religious expression.
• New York Penal Law 240.35- Congregating in masks in public is forbidden in New York unless it’s for a party.
• North Carolina §14-12.7-14-12.8- North Carolina doesn’t allow masks on public property or roads at all.
• Ohio 3761.12- You can’t get together with friends to commit crimes wearing masks.
• Virginia Section 18.2-422- Virginia prohibits most masks both in public and on private property. There are some exceptions, for example, when you have written permission from a private property owner.
• West Virginia 61-6-22- Unlike Virginia, West Virginia seems to prohibit masks in cars as well as out in public among other places.

Carrying masks in your bag might raise a few eyebrows if you’re searched. It helps to know where you can’t wear them. In this case, when in doubt, leave it out.

Final Thoughts

Be sensible. Should you be searched, you don’t have to say anything at all, except to warn police if there are weapons. Don’t get rude or try to cite all your knowledge of the laws to them on site. Do as they ask within reason.

It’s perfectly reasonable to voluntarily tell a police officer that your bag is for camping, wilderness survival, or emergency preparedness. LEO’s are people too, and as first responders, they work the same disasters we prepare for. They might surprise you, or even have helpful tips.

Your bag may be legal, but your actions or the things you pack can change that fact.