Dakota Hole Fire

A Dakota Hole Fire is a fire that is built below the surface of the ground. This shields the flame and helps to keep it from being seen at night. If you use dry wood, the Dakota Hole Fire produces less smoke, and by building your fire at the base of a large tree, what smoke there is will be defused by the tree branches as it rises. When you are done with the fire, evidence of it is easily hidden by filling in the hole and covering the surface with normal ground cover from the area.

To build a Dakota Hole Fire, first dig a hole for the fire itself. This hole should be about 25 - 30 cm deep and maybe half that in diameter. Move about 25 cm from the fire hole and dig a second similar hole. Connect the two holes with a tunnel at their base. The second hole should be angled a bit toward the base of the fire hole to help air flow.

Fill the fire hole with kindling and get it burning. Continue to add bigger pieces of wood as your fire grows. The fire creates a draft which draws air into the second hole and to the base of the fire hole. This air flow results in a much hotter and more efficiently burning fire.

Virtual Private Networks (VPN)

In the simplest terms, a VPN is used to create a secure, encrypted connection - which can be thought of as a tunnel - between your computer and a server operated by the VPN service. In a professional setting, this tunnel makes you part of the company's network, as if you were physically sitting in the office - hence the name.

While you're connected to a VPN, all your network traffic passes through this protected tunnel, and no one - not even your ISP - can see your traffic until it exits the tunnel from the VPN server and enters the public internet. If you make sure to only connect to websites secured with HTTPS, your data will continue to be encrypted even after it leaves the VPN.

The protection provided by a VPN offers users many advantages. First and foremost, it prevents anyone on the same network access point (or anywhere else) from intercepting your web traffic in a man-in-the-middle attack. This is especially handy for travelers and for those using public Wi-Fi networks, such as web surfers at hotels, airports, and coffee shops. VPNs also cloak your computer's actual IP address, making it harder for advertisers (or spies, or hackers) to track you online.

The right VPN can protect against lots of things, including government surveillance and malware. But the tool isn’t a magic privacy bullet - in fact, experts can’t even agree on a great VPN service, beyond one you make yourself. While a huge number of companies provide VPNs, many have potential security flaws or could put your data at risk. It’s also difficult to tell how secure a VPN actually is, and what it’s doing with your data. So what are you supposed to do if you want to use one? The short answer is to avoid free services, and if you consider yourself tech-savvy, look into setting up your own. Otherwise, make sure a paid VPN has a privacy policy you’re okay with, and can handle the threats you’re relying on it to protect you from.

Pistol Marksmanship

Knife Fighting

In his book All-In Fighting, W.E. Fairbairn wrote: "The knife in close-quarter fighting is the most deadly weapon to have to contend with. It is admitted by recognized authorities that for an entirely unarmed man there is no certain defense against a knife." The knife, in trained hands, can be a very effective and deadly means of personal protection. In the hands of a criminal it can also be a very deadly means of assault. While any knife may be used for personal protection, a knife specifically designed for fighting is the best choice for the person who chooses to carry a knife for protection. Rex Applegate wrote in Kill or Get Killed: "When a man has a weapon which he knows is designed for fighting alone and has been trained in its use, he immediately develops a sense of confidence in it that he will never feel toward the utility knife. His fighting knife takes on a definite personal characteristic. He carries it with him at all times, he sharpens it often, and he will regard it as a very necessary part of his personal equipment." If you need a knife for utility purposes then carry a utility knife or a multi-tool, but let your personal protection knife be a dedicated fighting knife.

So what knife should you carry for close-quarter fighting? The Fairbairn Fighting Knife is an excellent choice, as is an updated version of this knife, the Gerber Mark II Knife. These are fixed blade fighting knives, and will likely be deemed "illegal" in places with oppressive governments. In such case, be sure that you keep your knife concealed, or carry a smaller folding knife such as the Gerber Applegate Combat Folding Knife. 

To learn knife fighting, it is of course best to find an expert to teach you to use your knife effectively. Still, it may be possible to learn a few basic techniques from books and videos, and even these basic techniques can save your life once you are confident with your knife.

Into the Fray Episode 168: Basic Knife-Fighting Techniques 

Military Training with a Knife (Russian)

EFF Surveillance Self-Defense

English:  https://ssd.eff.org/en     Pусский:  https://ssd.eff.org/ru

Modern technology has given those in power new abilities to eavesdrop and collect data on innocent people. Surveillance Self-Defense is EFF's guide to defending yourself and your friends from surveillance by using secure technology and developing careful practices. Surveillance Self-Defense (SSD) is EFF's guide to defending yourself and your friends from digital surveillance. In addition to tutorials for installing and using security-friendly software, SSD walks you through concepts like threat modeling, the importance of strong passwords, and protecting metadata.

I support the EFF and recommend that anyone with an interest in personal privacy take the time to read their Surveillance Self-Defense Guide, and that you implement those practices that are applicable in your life. There is a lot of good information on their web-site, and understanding that information can help keep you stay safe both on-line, and in the physical world as well.  

However, the EFF SSD is not the only thing you should read. The EFF SSD Guide guide does not address operational security or "OPSEC" in the broader sense. OPSEC is the process of protecting information about one's activities that may be important to a potential adversary. This is a process that frequently goes beyond the digital realm.

For example, people trying to have confidential meetings may have to worry about whether someone physically followed them, or whether they were observed by CCTV cameras, or whether their neighbors might have become aware of the meeting, or whether their meeting places have been bugged. Perhaps they should wonder if they are creating a suspicious pattern of activity. They may also have physical security concerns; could they tell if someone broke into their home or tampered with their laptop? Are their confidential documents safe? These are important and valid concerns for people with certain kinds of security needs, but they fall outside the scope of the EFF SSD Guide.

However, if you are interested in this broader concept of security the American government has several courses on their Security Awareness Hub  that address these topics. Although the courses are designed for US Government and Military personnel, they are available to anyone who wants to take them.

Additional information about protecting yourself on-line is available from many sources on-line. Some sources I like are:    

• Security in a Box 
  
• Dark Web Beginners Security Guide
  
• Privacy Tools 

Take time to read articles about on-line security and personal privacy, and understand things that pit you at risk, and things that make you more secure.

E-mail Self-Defense

Surveillance Self-Defense Against the Trump Administration

Upgrade Your iPhone Passcode to Defeat the FBI’s Backdoor Strategy

How to Protect Yourself From Government Surveillance and Criminal Hackers

With C.I.A. Hacking Revelations, How to Protect Your Devices


Security Tools

HTTPS Everywhere
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere

Privacy Badger
https://www.eff.org/privacybadger

Wickr

https://www.wickr.com/

Telegram
https://telegram.org/

** Russia Threatens to Ban Encrypted Messaging App Telegram **

Tutanota
https://tutanota.com/


There is no one single answer to protecting yourself from surveillance (if there was then everyone would use it). There are a wide variety of things that should be used, depending on your particular circumstances. Every security procedure you put into place makes it that much more difficult for an adversary to target you. So, read, research, and add the security tools that best fit your needs.

Personal Respirators (Gas Masks)

The most basic respirator is the N95 particulate mask. You can buy these masks for just a few rubles each, and I recommend having one or two in your bug-out bag.  A more durable option is a half-face respirator with replaceable filters. These half-face respirators often have the same N95 rating as the basic particulate mask, but are more durable, provide a more secure fit, and may also filter OV (organic vapors) and AG (acidic gas). 

Neither the basic N95 particulate mask nor the half-face respirator provide protection for your eyes, so you will need goggles to afford that protection, or you will need to buy a full-face respirator. The full-face respirator provides much more complete protection, but also more than the half-face respirator.

A very simple, but effective full-face respirator can be made from a plastic soda bottle and a few other basic supplies. A couple of good instructional videos on making a respirator can be found here: 

• How to Make a Gas Mask (Black Scout Survival)

• How To Make An Emergency Gas Mask (Survival Lilly)

Now this homemade respirator may not be as effective as a commercial version, but it may be effective enough to help you escape a hazardous area, and is certainly better than nothing at all. Do you need more than a basic particulate mask, or simple homemade mask in your gear? This depends on your threat model. Are you expecting volcanic eruptions, wildland fires producing heavy smoke, civil unrest and the use of tear gas by police and government forces? Does your planning consider the possibility of a pandemic and the need for you to come into close contact with possibly infected people?  

Military Surplus Gas Masks

Many models of surplus masks & filters are available in nearly unlimited quantities at low prices. In most cases, these prices are low because the mask is either obsolete, recalled or replaced due to design flaws or defective components. Generally speaking these surplus gas masks offer NO protection against: Nuclear, Biological, or Chemical agents. Many offer NO protection against even tear gas! Also, old (even sealed) filters may become toxic. If you plan on using a military surplus gas mask it is essential that you find a compatible current production filter.  

If your threat model includes the possibility of having to pass through a nuclear, biological, or chemical contaminated area, you can purchase a current production gas mask approved for use in this type of environment, but know that this type of mask is quite expensive. 

Filter Types:

• N95 - Filters at least 95% of airborne particles. Not resistant to oil.
• Surgical N95 - A NIOSH-approved N95 respirator that has also been cleared by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a surgical mask.
• N99 - Filters at least 99% of airborne particles. Not resistant to oil.
• N100 - Filters at least 99.97% of airborne particles. Not resistant to oil.
• R95 - Filters at least 95% of airborne particles. Somewhat resistant to oil.
• P95 - Filters at least 95% of airborne particles. Strongly resistant to oil.
• P99 - Filters at least 99% of airborne particles. Strongly resistant to oil.
• P100 - Filters at least 99.97% of airborne particles. Strongly resistant to oil.

The first part of the filter's classification uses the letters N, R, or P to indicate the filter's ability to function when exposed to oils.

"N" means Not resistant to oil;

"R" means somewhat Resistant to oil; and

"P" means strongly resistant to oil, or oil-Proof.

This rating is only important in work settings where oils may be present, because some oils can reduce the effectiveness of the filter.

The second part of the classification -- the number-- refers to the filter's ability to remove the most-penetrating particle size during "worst case" testing.

Filters that remove at least 95 percent of these particles are given a 95 rating. Those that filter out at least 99 percent receive a 99 rating, and those that filter out at least 99.97 percent - essentially 100 percent - receive a 100 rating. 

Scout Stave

When Baden-Powell first conceived the idea of the Boy Scout, part of the uniform that he designed included the hiking staff. Yes, indeed, he considered the hiking staff or ‘Scout staff’ to be an indispensable part of Scout equipment. This was for good reason, for the Scout staff has been and always will be a very useful and versatile piece of gear.

Baden-Powell, Scouting’s founder, suggested that a good staff should come to a Scout’s nose (although in many cases a stave may be a bit taller). Scouts can represent their accomplishments in its carvings and as Baden-Powell wrote, use it in, "making a stretcher, keeping back a crowd, jumping over a ditch, testing the depth of a river, keeping in touch with the rest of your patrol in the dark" and more.

A thick, heavy rubber band near the handle has many uses. Peep holes drilled at right angles to each other can be used to lay out a 90º corner. The same peep-hole, surprisingly works as a focusing tool something like a telescope. Brass tacks at one foot intervals make it a yardstick; mark the last foot with one inch intervals by notching the wood, and you will have a ruler. Wrap 50 feet of fishing line and a fish hook around the pole and cover with duct tape, both could be useful in many situations.

But walking and hiking is where the Scout stave finds itself most often nowadays. As a trail companion, you will enjoy hiking with it. You can buy one, such as the Heavy Duty Wooden Walking/Hiking Stick, or better still, you can cut and make one yourself.