Tactical Life

Living the tactical life isn’t always about breaching doors and sniper nests.  Tactics are, according to the Oxford dictionary, “an action carefully planned to achieve a specific end.”

There are a few keywords:

Action – doing something,

                        Planned – deliberate procedure made in advance,

                        Specific end – Goal chosen.

The 100 + vehicle log jam on I-95 south of Washington DC comes to mind.  Bad weather precipitated several accidents involving 6 tractor-trailer rigs and created a 50-mile parking lot.  What did the rescued people say they were worried about?  Fuel, food, water.

So what are your tactics to survive/avoid a disaster similar to this?  The most obvious is not to drive in bad weather in states that are ill-equipped to handle it. I’d rather drive any main highway in West Virginia compared to Virginia in the winter.  Because WV knows how to handle adverse weather.

Add an insulated vest and scarf and I'm layered for driving, shoveling cars out, or waiting for the road to be cleared

But we don’t always have that option.  Weather changes and the states are what they are.  The first component of your tactics should be an understanding of where you are traveling.  I very much suspect WV winters are drastically different than Wyoming’s.  What you need to pack should reflect that. 

Dress for the total journey’s worse anticipated weather.  Here in NE Ohio that means having durable shoes, a heavy winter coat, insulated gloves, and a warm hat.  I suspect a small gym bag with extra wool socks, an insulating blanket, and a flashlight would not be out of place.

Do I have you tell you about dressing in layers? 

Drive on the top half of your gas tank, holding the remaining gasoline in reserve.   Articles indicate an automobile uses around 0.16 gallon/hour to idle.  One gallon of gas would idle your car for more than 6 hours, 5 gallons, over 30 hours.  Your vehicle doesn’t have to run all that time.  Turning off the engine for a half-hour after every hour is a plan.  This brings up why you need a small shovel in your trunk.

Winter travel shovels, the red collapses to half that size

Carbon monoxide kills.  Even sub-lethal levels will build to dangerous bloodstream levels over time.  When your car is running, keep the tailpipe, sides, and front clear of snow to ensure carbon monoxide doesn’t slowly build up in the passenger compartment.  Cracking a window and letting air in isn’t a bad idea.  You’ll find a shovel handy in a parking lot if blowing snow has created a snow wall blocking your car.  The military entrenching tool can be set as a pick as well as a shovel.  I carry that and a small shovel designed for skiers and rescuers.  The shovel disassembles into two pieces for easy storing and expands to a useable length.  Both fit in your trunk without difficulty.

Leaving your car to go for help is a deadly, last resort option.  I’m not talking about being on the roadside with a flat tire and service stations are located by the exit ramp a half-mile down the road on a cold, overcast day.  I’m talking about walking in a blinding snowstorm and looking for shelter and help that may or may not be nearby.  I thought about the equipment you would need for that deadly misadventure, but no.  Just don’t do it.

Even going back to the trunk in a blinding snowstorm could result in your death if you slip, become disorientated and believe the car is three feet to your right, but isn’t.  This is where thirty feet of paracord tied to your door or steering wheel could be a lifesaver - if the other end is tied around your waist.

Dehydration is a problem in the winter.  The cold dry air sucks the moisture out of you and as you dehydrate your mental processes lag.  You will make bad decisions.  The prevention is easy.  Carry a couple of bottles of water with you.  Sure, you can even use lemon-flavored bubbly water if you desire.  Are you prepared to melt snow for water?  You could consider bringing a cup of snow in the car to melt.  But will it contain salt residue, chemical crap from the road, and how fast and how much water will a cup of snow provide?  Put a couple bottles of water in the back seat.

Few of us will starve if we fast for 24 hours.  Don’t overlook the morale-building effect of having something to eat, even if it is just vending machine peanut butter and crackers.  Pack a snack as part of your kit. 

The taboo topic:  I got to pee!  Frankly, for men, the world is their toilet.  We can pee anywhere.  There are devices that let women take a leak standing too.  Look into this in advance and make sure it works for you.  Clean it with snow when you’re done using it. 

Side rule for everyone.  Take advantage of porcelain whenever the opportunity arises.  A healthy person makes about 1.5-2 milliliters of urine per kilogram of weight per hour. Here's the math: 150 pound person will produce 4 ounces every hour.  So don’t tell me you don’t have to go!

Firearms.  Disasters bring out the best and worse in people.  The father who suddenly panics thinking his child will not survive without your coat and doesn’t care what happens to you.  People may realize that they can snowmobile from car to car robbing people or vandalizing cars.  Others will lash out with violence against circumstances they have no control over.  Violent people don’t always see the long picture.  Yes, they can rob and kill you, but might still be trapped in the same whiteout.  You will also find people who get free and stick around to help shovel and push you and others out.

Get your CCW, develop skills with it and carry.  At the natural end of your existence, St Peter might ask you if you carried a gun and most of us will remind him, we never needed to use it.  Considering Pete was reported to be handy with a sword, he’ll understand.

Lastly, be realistic with what you think you will need.  Just because your vehicle has the room for it, doesn’t mean you need it.  Yes, my truck has the room for a snow knife and oil lamps, but it isn’t likely I would need to make an igloo and camp out in it.  An extra pair of insulated work gloves, sure take them; slip over rubber boots, maybe;  snowshoes and sub-zero arctic survival suit, no.