LONG GUN AND MOVEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

[RogerinTPA]

I agree with the "Low Pro" and "avoiding crowds" comments while moving on foot.

Personally, I can't imagine a foot movement, with out a long gun of some sort, even a broken down AR. Thinking about it, you'd be better off practicing pistol marksmanship at various ranges, until proficient. You'd be more low profile with a G19 with extended mags or M&P9 concealed, then "Trade up" if and when, the need arises. I still think that a broken down AR, in a backpack with several mags, is worth the hump. The flip side is the larger the ruck, the more you look like you have something worth taking, including your life, for the contents. If you look at the most recent hurricane scenarios, most folks were unprepared with no ruck, just the clothes on their back. You'd stick out like a soar thumb. Maybe setting up a patrol base or hide site, every so often with like minded people, would be the better choice. That way, you could go to "low profile mode" to scavenge and forge for food and water, in pairs, while the base with the rucks, is protected by the larger force. If alone, treat it as a E&E situation, with a ruck, stay off the main roads, move at night, set up camp and travel in difficult/defendable terrain where most urban folks won't go. Of course the AR will be in hand at that point. Going solo, you can set up an individual hide site, and go "low pro" when venturing out.

[Cameron]

Personally I have with me at any given time a pair of sunglasses, jeans, flip-flops, wallet and a handgun, Starbuck Gold card and chap stick (I get dry lips...) I don't keep a rifle and a chest rig in the trunk when driving around town.

However, this thread is about disaster preparation and planning, and specifically the OP asked about

LONG GUN AND MOVEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
I think it's a subject that needs its own attention.
I'd like to discuss when and why we would take a long gun as well as why we might leave it. [B]I'd also like to discuss how we might transport it.[/B

If I have to get home on foot (highways closed and vehicle trapped) I will be wearing seasonally relevant clothing and carrying a pistol.

If I am leaving my home for a really bad reason, a true disaster and I anticipate a challenging time of it, in addition to the ubiquitous handgun, I would prefer to take a small, light semi auto rifle in my vehicle in a low profile bag should I have to hoof it.

Would I take to the streets, on foot, with my wife in tow and nothing but the chap stick? Sure if I had to. However, if I was loading the vehicle up in order to escape a disaster, I certainly would take the time to stuff a sneaky bag with a loaded rifle in the passenger compartment. Do you need a rifle? No. Is it good to have one if people have become targets? Yes. Is it pretty easy to carry an decent pack and a rifle for several miles on foot? That really depends who does the carrying. Living active lifestyles in the Colorado Rocky Mountains my wife and I would have no trouble carrying 3 day of food and water with a rifle and ammo as we have done it before. If I have to ditch it all and run for my life I can do that too...

A little logical discernment helps. While either case is very improbable I can see a situation arising that one may need a weapon for defense as much more likely than a weapon to harvest food.

Cameron

[MIKE G]

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[Cameron]

I personally am not to big a fan of the sneaky bags even with my trimmed down kit. Seems OK for short use or movement from the office to the truck but would suck in the bush.

The Sneaky/Covert rifle bag is exactly for the urban non-permissive environment, not for the bush. There would be no need to have a rifle hidden when hiking in a rural area, I frequently walk the woods with a slung rifle or in a gun bearer on a pack.

The whole idea of the sneaky/covert option is that they are for transporting a somewhat accessible rifle in such a way that it passes casual scrutiny.

Like I said, intelligent discernment plays a large part in this.

Cameron

[MIKE G]

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[tpd223]

Looking at the camo, bug out and rifles threads makes me think an SBR'd AR in a low profile color, such as OD or flat dark earth, combined with low profile clothing, earth tones like many of the hiking and casual clothes, instead of camo or whatever, could combine to make a very low profile open, or semi-concealed, rifle carry feasible.

I have walked in to stuff in our town where we needed to get close to look-outs in order to pull off a search warrant, or were looking to take down armed subjects in a specific spot, and used a CAR15 under a field jacket to get close without being spotted too soon.

That Sneaky bag to carry a couple-3 mags combined with a low profile color carbine would work pretty well in my experience, depending on weather and clothing, etc.

[MIKE G]

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[Cameron]

Can you give me an idea of what you plan on carrying should you have to go on foot from where you plan on using this to your rural destination. I just want to get an idea of what you are carrying with this bag.

Do you plan on ditching it once you get out of the city? Does that mean you will be carrying another bag in addition to the gun bag? If you need to approach a town or house and you have ditched the bag whats the plan?

DOC

In the very unlikely circumstance that I had to leave home and thought a long arm prudent, I would take a 2-3 day pack and a rifle in a sneaky bag, the SB means I can get through the urban areas without a carrying a bag that screams "I have a weapon inside me". (I have sat outside an urban Starbucks in a non-permissive city with a rifle in a SneakyBag no one even gave me a second look). There are many bags that will conceal a rifle, a lawn chair bag would suffice, it is just that the SB makes carrying, accessing and protecting the rifle much easier.

The Sneaky Bag is just for carrying the rifle and the Mini SB with the magazines, a basic back pack (I have a Kifaru Express) would have the necessities to survive for a few days without access to modern conveniences, the basic load you would have for a couple days of backpack camping in your area. Once I reached my destination I can do whatever I please with the Sneaky Bag I would probably roll it up and bungie it to the outside of my back pack for use on the return trip.

This is not rocket science, I think that there are a lot of people that have never carried a pack and a rifle for any distance and just don't know the relative (dis)comfort that the right/wrong gear can provide. Yes carrying a rifle is more difficult than not, but it is also great to have if you get in a fight.

A Sneaky Bag is for carrying a rifle and the immediate support gear for it in a low profile way, that is all, and it does that task very well.

Once at my destination, light a camp fire break out the s'mores and the uclayaly.

Cameron

[Abraxas]

Tagging for interest

[MIKE G]

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