I put rule #7 into practice yesterday.
Six hours, 85 miles, two very sharp lines.
The Modern Woodsman as a cross-disciplinary wilderness traveler.
At Wood Trekker Ross introduces his concept of the modern woodsman.
… [T]he modern woodsman is a person who is able to undertake long term trips, deep into the wilderness, only with supplies one could carry and what could be gathered from the surrounding environment… He uses technology, skills and equipment based on efficiency and practicality. He applies modern hunting techniques, modern understanding of nutrition, and modern climbing, mountaineering, and packrafting techniques. His equipment includes tools that are best suited for the task without consideration for nostalgia and sentimentality.
Journey Without Boundaries: Small Team Operations
I believe that maintaining an interest in asymmetric warfare is a healthy habit. The Rhodesian Bush War and South African Border War are particularly interesting, as both sides employed direct, unconventional means.
I am currently reading Journey Without Boundaries: The Operational Life and Experiences of a SA Special Forces Small Team Operator, the memoirs of Colonel Andre Diedericks. Diedericks joined the South African Defence Force in 1974 and served in their Special Forces for two decades. Taking inspiration from Rhodesia’s Selous Scouts, he was largely responsible for developing and implementing small team tactics in the South African Recces. These “small teams” are not the 12 man ODAs we think of with our Special Forces today. Diedericks’ small teams consisted of only two men. Their missions would last a month or longer, during which time they would be completely self-sufficient and travel hundreds of kilometres on foot. Their operations were deniable, which required them to remain completely hidden from both the enemy force and local population.
Journey Without Boundaries joins The Jedburghs by Will Irwin and The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles as being an excellent read for tracking the development of unconventional warfare.
It's impressive the distances that can be covered on a bicycle.
Jan Heine took a couple days for an impromptu ride from Seattle to Orcas Island and back via Whidbey and the peninsula.
I wrote an article about anonymous debit cards on ITS Tactical.
I have previously mentioned prepaid debit cards. On ITS I discuss using prepaid debit cards for anonymous, cash-like digital transactions a bit more in-depth.
I occasionally find myself editing video for work.
In the past I’ve used OpenShot, but I was hit with some bugs that made me search for alternatives. Now I use Kdenlive, which I’ve found to be very capable. OpenShot currently has a Kickstarter campaign on to fund further development. Even though I’m no longer a user, I happily backed the project.
Hill People Gear Chest Armor
I crashed my bike this morning. I landed on my chest and skidded a few feet on the concrete. Luckily I was wearing my Hill People Gear Snubby Kit Bag. The front of the Kit Bag was torn. It saved my chest (and my nice merino shirt) from the same fate. Thanks HPG!
The Defeet Wool Duragloves also handed themselves admirably. The right-hand glove is fine. The left-hand glove has a hole in the palm. I expect this low amount of damage is due to the 40% Cordura composition. I would not expect 100% wool gloves to hold up as well.
I've been using the same Maxpedition Keyper for 8 years.
The paint is chipped. There is a little rust on the gate. The hook has been reshaped by almost a decade of rubbing by a split ring. It still works as good as the day I bought it.
If you need to hang something off your belt, seriously consider the Maxpedition Keyper.