Post by Admin on Jul 5, 2020 4:49:20 GMT
For what it's worth, the concept is pretty sound, you can be prepared for when the proverbial poop hits the fan, without looking like it.
According to SurvivialThinkTank.com, a “gray man” is “an individual who possesses the skills, ability and intent to blend into any situation or surrounding without standing out, concealing his or her true skills, ability, and intent from others.” The term “gray man” is currently used by survivalists who believe that dressing and acting “gray” will improve their chances if dung hits the fan (SHTF). (1)
One of my favorite arguments with any "prepper" or someone who wishes to be prepared for anything that life or mother nature could throw at them, is their appearance and their gear. These people like to emulate the military, almost to a fanatical level. And they stick out like a sore thumb. Let's dig deeper here, shall we?
What they buy:
Full combat attire including boots.
Military style pack.
AR15 or AK47 (not that there's anything wrong with a semi auto rifle)
Pistol (hanging off of their belt)
What they don't realize is, they are now a target. In the worst of times, those who aren't prepared, will be looking for people just like these, bump them off, and steal their gear. More than likely, follow them home where their whole "prepper" stash is, then rub them out and steal everything. The odds are, that one person who dressed military, will probably not be much of a match for a mob of desperate people. Worst still, these people are typically quite vocal about their collections of firearms, and other essential supplies, making themselves even more of a target. Remember the old slogan, "Loose Lips Sink Ships," well the same can be said about the homestead. Recently, I was introduced to an article wherein it was written about a person who thought they'd be generous and give away some items, only to be later sought out and killed for their belongings. Survival gear, even food and water become invaluable in a time of crisis, and if you flash it around, just like money, you're putting a big neon sign above your head that says, "please kill me for my goods."
Anyway, in my humble opinion, there's a time and place for camouflage, and heavy gear, but an urban environment isn't one of them. In a city, even a suburb, you should make an attempt to look like everyone else around you. Favoring a regular backpack (like a school type) to a military pack, and possibly, even a briefcase or messenger bag. Skip the boots, you're not in the jungle, put on a pair of tennis shoes, or something to that effect. You can carry a gun in the messenger bag, you don't need a rifle in such tight quarters anyway. In your backpack, keep a few supplies to get you out of the area in the event of an emergency, just enough to get you to your destination, where you can resupply or hunker down. If you have to evacuate, stay dressed as a "normal" person, and when you get to your fall back point, take note of your surroundings and dress for the occasion. Obviously, if you have a cabin in the woods, you may choose to try something a little more rustic to blend in with the people there, or if it is that remote, select a camouflage that works with that environment, obviously, you wouldn't want desert camouflage in the forest, you'll look out of place. Once in your fall back position, you could choose to revert to your "military" setup, especially if you're digging in for the long haul. If you are stuck in an urban area, keep an eye out for what's going on. If there is work going on between you and where you need to go, consider one of those safety vests, maybe a bump cap, as you pass through, you'll look like one of the workers, and likely be ignored. Passing a stadium? Consider a hat or jersey that belongs to the home team. As illustrated above, the object is stealth, you can't be stealthy if you're armed to the teeth. Let's take a close look at another example shall we?
The F22 Raptor, a stealth fighter. All of its weapons and equipment are hidden from sight. Your weapons at phase 0 of the previous illustration, should be stowed so as to keep you off the radar, much like the Raptor. For a brief second, the Raptor opens up, and goes on the attack, then quickly closes before anyone around it knows what happened. Sleek, streamlined, and virtually invisible to the radar, that's the F22. Be the F22, don't be a Warthog, unless absolutely necessary.
Pictured above, the A10 Warthog, loud, slow, bristling with weapons, with heavy armor, an easy target. The A10 of people are the loud mouthed "preppers" as I described earlier, who dress military, and make it abundantly clear that they're "ready for anything" and they have the supplies to last till the end of time.
I can keep going, but, I think you get the idea. To avoid conflict, and to prolong life, fly below the radar, and all should be well, but be prepared for the worst.
(1) www.ribbonfarm.com/2018/02/01/dont-be-the-gray-man/?fbclid=IwAR0ES8RJ4ZsDASCzY5ovVMsSwvYUAqEpIAxh5_GOL_1L6KYY9sfPBw4uZGQ
The above is an excellent read, goes further in depth than what I could possibly write, and the comments below on this page are also very worth reading.
According to SurvivialThinkTank.com, a “gray man” is “an individual who possesses the skills, ability and intent to blend into any situation or surrounding without standing out, concealing his or her true skills, ability, and intent from others.” The term “gray man” is currently used by survivalists who believe that dressing and acting “gray” will improve their chances if dung hits the fan (SHTF). (1)
One of my favorite arguments with any "prepper" or someone who wishes to be prepared for anything that life or mother nature could throw at them, is their appearance and their gear. These people like to emulate the military, almost to a fanatical level. And they stick out like a sore thumb. Let's dig deeper here, shall we?
What they buy:
Full combat attire including boots.
Military style pack.
AR15 or AK47 (not that there's anything wrong with a semi auto rifle)
Pistol (hanging off of their belt)
What they don't realize is, they are now a target. In the worst of times, those who aren't prepared, will be looking for people just like these, bump them off, and steal their gear. More than likely, follow them home where their whole "prepper" stash is, then rub them out and steal everything. The odds are, that one person who dressed military, will probably not be much of a match for a mob of desperate people. Worst still, these people are typically quite vocal about their collections of firearms, and other essential supplies, making themselves even more of a target. Remember the old slogan, "Loose Lips Sink Ships," well the same can be said about the homestead. Recently, I was introduced to an article wherein it was written about a person who thought they'd be generous and give away some items, only to be later sought out and killed for their belongings. Survival gear, even food and water become invaluable in a time of crisis, and if you flash it around, just like money, you're putting a big neon sign above your head that says, "please kill me for my goods."
Anyway, in my humble opinion, there's a time and place for camouflage, and heavy gear, but an urban environment isn't one of them. In a city, even a suburb, you should make an attempt to look like everyone else around you. Favoring a regular backpack (like a school type) to a military pack, and possibly, even a briefcase or messenger bag. Skip the boots, you're not in the jungle, put on a pair of tennis shoes, or something to that effect. You can carry a gun in the messenger bag, you don't need a rifle in such tight quarters anyway. In your backpack, keep a few supplies to get you out of the area in the event of an emergency, just enough to get you to your destination, where you can resupply or hunker down. If you have to evacuate, stay dressed as a "normal" person, and when you get to your fall back point, take note of your surroundings and dress for the occasion. Obviously, if you have a cabin in the woods, you may choose to try something a little more rustic to blend in with the people there, or if it is that remote, select a camouflage that works with that environment, obviously, you wouldn't want desert camouflage in the forest, you'll look out of place. Once in your fall back position, you could choose to revert to your "military" setup, especially if you're digging in for the long haul. If you are stuck in an urban area, keep an eye out for what's going on. If there is work going on between you and where you need to go, consider one of those safety vests, maybe a bump cap, as you pass through, you'll look like one of the workers, and likely be ignored. Passing a stadium? Consider a hat or jersey that belongs to the home team. As illustrated above, the object is stealth, you can't be stealthy if you're armed to the teeth. Let's take a close look at another example shall we?
The F22 Raptor, a stealth fighter. All of its weapons and equipment are hidden from sight. Your weapons at phase 0 of the previous illustration, should be stowed so as to keep you off the radar, much like the Raptor. For a brief second, the Raptor opens up, and goes on the attack, then quickly closes before anyone around it knows what happened. Sleek, streamlined, and virtually invisible to the radar, that's the F22. Be the F22, don't be a Warthog, unless absolutely necessary.
Pictured above, the A10 Warthog, loud, slow, bristling with weapons, with heavy armor, an easy target. The A10 of people are the loud mouthed "preppers" as I described earlier, who dress military, and make it abundantly clear that they're "ready for anything" and they have the supplies to last till the end of time.
I can keep going, but, I think you get the idea. To avoid conflict, and to prolong life, fly below the radar, and all should be well, but be prepared for the worst.
(1) www.ribbonfarm.com/2018/02/01/dont-be-the-gray-man/?fbclid=IwAR0ES8RJ4ZsDASCzY5ovVMsSwvYUAqEpIAxh5_GOL_1L6KYY9sfPBw4uZGQ
The above is an excellent read, goes further in depth than what I could possibly write, and the comments below on this page are also very worth reading.