In The Rabbit Hole

Latest Episodes:

E218: The Drunk Episode - Travel with Firearms Jul 05, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, we're joined by Josh to discuss traveling with guns and knives. He's a long-time private security professional who has been all over the world.

Traveling with guns can be a tricky subject, and so can knives. However, it's not as difficult as you may think. It's often rather easy, in fact.

But it's extremely important to understand the laws of all the areas you're traveling through. Sometimes cities have stricter laws than the states they're in. And sometimes they're the same. It's your responsibility to know what's what; ignorance of the law is not a defense.

There are also better sources to get your information from than others. So you have to be careful to ensure the information on gun and knife laws you're getting is up to date and accurate.

This is a summer short episode that turned into nearly a full-length episode. Josh is a long-time friend of the show, and we decided to fulfill an Armada member request for a drunk episode. You've been warned: This episode was recorded intoxicated, at 1 AM, and then released without editing.

Traveling with Guns and Knives Topics Discussed:

How much we've had to drink while making the episode
Traveling with guns on commercial airlines
Things not to do at the check-in counter
Traveling with knives
Understanding gun and knife laws when the differ by state and city

Resources found here:

http://www.intherabbithole.com/e218/

E217: Best Tactical Schools and Little Deadly Lies May 15, 2017

Show notes

In E217, we sit down with James Price to discuss tactical schools and training. He's going to lift up the skirt on the tactical training industry and show us what's going on. He's also going to share with us where many of us are training for the wrong thing in the wrong way.

We begin and end every episode with a special message. It's our motto and the thing ITRH promises. In fact, it's the ITRH tag line: Stay safe and sound!

The show is weighed towards the Safe part of that tagline. The subjects about staying safe are the fun and exciting topics to cover, after all.

But it's important to address the Sound part from time to time. Sound, as ITRH uses it, means sound in mind. This unpacks to doing things for the right reasons, preparing for and nailing down our preps starting with the most likely, and making the most out of the limited time and resources we all have.

Now, about a decade ago you would have found Jonathan, Jason, and myself feverishly looking up tactical schools and gear. But there was a problem with what we were doing: We were acquiring skills starting from the least likely. This can also be said about the gear we were acquiring.

This episode addresses that. My scope of what I'm concerned about and see as possible are broader than James'. But the core message is the same: Train the way we prepare; start with and master the most likely first.

Tactical Schools and Lies:

Why training like a Navy Seal, Delta Force, Green Berret, Ranger, or Force Recon operator is all WRONG for civilians
Bad tactical marketing
Training for defense and realistic scenarios
What does being a "good" shooter mean
The lies tactical schools tell to sell
Using math and probability for advantage over your attacker
The specialized training your attacker has that you don't and who this will give the advantage to them
Understanding fun experience vs. survival skills
Why and how women should be trained differently than men and how it's not a misogynistic viewpoint
The best tactical training for civilians

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~ Resources from this episode can be found at:

http://www.intherabbithole.com/e217

Note: ITRH is technically on summer break. The show will be back in full swing for seasons 7 starting August 7th. In the meantime, you will receive an ITRH summer shorts episode every three weeks. Then, August 7th, we'll be back.

E216: Surviving on a Sailboat in the Zombie Apocalypse May 01, 2017

Show notes

In this book club episode, we're joined by author Zack Lynn to discuss surviving on a sailboat in the zombie apocalypse.

Surviving on a Sailboat in a bugout scenario presents several advantages and disadvantages. Advantages include not being stuck in a bunker with now windows, fishing, and mobility, to name a few. But you are constrained by the weight of the times you can store, inclement weather, and bobbing zombies.

There's also considerations about what kind of boat. And many other considerations.

Years, back we explored sailboats as an option for both living and bugging out. But we never fully addressed life on a sailboat in a grid down and hostile environment.

Zombies, as we've said in the past, provide an interesting and highly complicated scenario forcing deep thought and extensive nuanced consideration. So it's ripe for thought experiments most other situations don't present.

As it turns out, Zack has spent lots of time considering just such a situation. He even wrote a book about it.

~ The Author, Book, and Surviving on a Sailboat Discussed: ~

* How he became a writer * Authors that inspire Zack * What prompted Zack to become a prepper * Where the inspiration for the book came from * How the book starts * Why zombies * The upside of surviving on a sailboat * The downside of surviving on a sailboat * How writing this book changed the way he and his family prepare * The main character's go-to long gun and why * What's the best $100 he's ever spent on preparedness

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http://www.itrh.net

~ Resources from this episode can be found at:

http://www.intherabbithole.com/e216

E215: How to Secure your Home Like a Professional Safe House Apr 24, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, James Price shares with us his trade secrets for securing your home like a high-value safe house.

For new listeners, James is a veteran executive protection consultant with over a decade of experience as a high-priced civilian security contractor in the Middle East and Far East Asia. James gives his expert opinion on the mistakes you are probably making with regard to home safety; some key elements you need to consider to evaluate the safety of your house; the security systems he recommends; and what you can do to protect your home when you are away.

~ Securing your Home and Making it a Safe House Topics: ~

* Who is James and what does he do * How did James get into executive protection * What would you say is the number one thing people do to open themselves up to being a target at home * When evaluating a structure for security issues, what are the primary things you look for * How often should a regular person do some kind of perimeter check on their home * When you're setting up security systems, what are your must-have pieces? (i.e. video, motion) * What realistic limitations should people be aware of with security systems that aren't backed by an on-site security team * When away from home, what do people do that make their home target * What non-lethal tools do you find effective in personal defense * The one mistake you are probably making that is increasing your chances of becoming the victim of a home invasion. * Some of the things James looks at when he is evaluating a home's safety * Why you should have contrasting shutters for your home * What you can do to improve the security of your doors and windows * An important, but often over-looked element of personal security * The first thing James does to improve the security of a place * Two important times when you should do a perimeter check * James' must-have pieces for an ideal security system * Where you should place motion sensors * Why the placement of your security cameras is probably wrong and where you should put them instead * Why a security system is like a fire alarm * What you can do to secure your home while you're away * Some tips for staying safe in hotel rooms * A few non-lethal defensive measures you can put in place * How satin bedsheets and fog machines can increase the safety of your home * What you should use instead of pepper spray for home safety, and how * James' top tips for keeping your home safe and secure ~ Become a supporting member here:

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~ Resources from this episode can be found at:

http://www.intherabbithole.com/e215

E214: EMP Attacks on the United States with Author Cal Wilson Apr 17, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, we sit down with Cal Wilson. He's an attorney by day and a prepper author by night. We discuss his new book about an EMP attack and life afterward. If you think this is just another EMP book, you may be in for a surprise. Tigers and Gorillas included at no extra charge.

EMPs (Electro Magnetic Pulses) is now and have been for a while, a hot Prepper topics. EMPs as an antagonist are in many ways like Zombies A perfect villain with all the pitfalls needed to scare the crap out of you. And they present a wonderland of problems to contend with.

But, unlike Zombies, EMPs are this side of catastrophes that are possible. The technology, will, and opportunity exists.

Most of the serious and balanced minds in prep have long since considered an EMP to be an outlier scenario, however. While the tech and will exists, the technological hurdles have long been considered too great for most aggressors.

Cal Wilson sides with William R. Forstchen and others. And he shows us all the ways an EMP attack isn't just possible, but probably, in his latest work: E.M.P.: The End Of The Grid As We Know It (All At Once Book 1)

~ EMP Attack Topics Discussed: ~ * Who is author Cal Wilson * How he came to writing * Why Cal chose EMP Attacks as the antagonist for his most recent book * The history of EMP Attack research * What zoo animals have to do with TEOTWAWKI * The current state of research on the topic * What will happen to Nuclear Power plants after an attack * Preparing for life after an EMP Attack

~ Become a supporting member here:

http://www.itrh.net

~ Resources from this episode can be found at:

http://www.intherabbithole.com/e214

E213: 6 Key Survival Skills Areas to Focus on Over More Gear Apr 13, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, we discuss survival skills people should be focusing on most. This is a back-to-basics episode good for new preppers and prodding old timers.

There's a topic that keeps coming up more and more in the conversations I have with friends that are survival industry professionals. People don't get enough instruction and training. Instead, they go straight for gear and ignore what will actually keep them alive in a disaster: Skills.

So we'll cover six basic survival skills areas every prepper should have locked down. You see, most of us tend to focus our prepper time and money on gear. And the hard truth is this: Skills will almost always be more valuable in a survival situation than gear. So most of us should be spending more our time and money on acquiring survival skills rather than increasing the size of our pile-o-prepper-shit.

Survival Skills Discussed:

Outdoor Skills
- Why these skills are less important than most might think
- Where to find them on the cheap
- How to find instructors
- Firemaking
- Backpacking
- Camping
Medical
- First Aid, CPR, and AED
- EMT Basic
- Wilderness EMT Basic
Search & Rescue
Community
Communications, there is only one
Guns
- Traditional
- Tactical
- Training on care and maintenance
Organizations and groups that are great for getting skills from
- CERT (Community Emergency Response Team)
- CAP (Civil Air Patrol)
- Project Appleseed
- NRA

~ Become a supporting member here:

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~ Resources from this episode can be found at:

http://www.intherabbithole.com/e213

Special Note:

A very important message: We're coming up on summer. That means ITRH will go on summer break start May 1st. ITRH Will return for the next season August 7th, 2017. If you are new around here, ITRH Goes on summer break every year in May and Returns in August. During the summer we will drop a short episode every three or four weeks to wet your appetite and keep your feed live. We call these the ITRH Summer shorts. The show is not going away; we're just taking a little summer break to recharge the batteries and work on our prepper projects.

E212: Determining How Much Ammo to Store for When SHTF (or not) Apr 03, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, we discuss how much ammo to store. This will be a short back to basics show. People often wrestle with how much ammo is enough. Today, we try to put things into perspective. Ten thousand rounds of stored ammo is a number you'll find often in online discussions about how much ammo to store. And at first blush, to new preppers, ten thousand rounds seem totally reasonable. We are preparing for SHTF and TEOTWAWKI, right? But rarely is this number justified. And when the ten thousand rounds ammo storage answer is justified, it's usually for unrealistic reasons.

So in this back-to-basics episode, we'll discuss what to take into consideration rather than an exact number. And we'll do a thought experiment to investigate how much ammo to store. The result may change your mind and perspective on the topic.

And we'll quickly cover a basic gun battery so we have all our ducks in a row.

Debating How Much Ammo to Store

The four guns that make up a basic gun battery
Why .22 is such a versatile staple round of preparedness
How much ammo would you go through in a year after a societal collapse
Storing home defense ammo
Storing practice ammo
Storing hunting Ammo
Why everyone gets it wrong when considering how much ammo to store
Lessons we can learn from survivors of modern collapses
When avoidance and evasion are a better strategy than getting into a gunfight
Why you're likely to never see a prolonged gun battle in a collapse
Factoring ammo storage into your bugout plans
Using ammo as a barter item
Why you should be storing ammo

~ Become a supporting member here:

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~ Resources from this episode can be found at:

http://www.intherabbithole.com/e212

E211: Surviving a Terrorist Attack in The Borrowed World Mar 27, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, we sit down with author Franklin Horton to discuss his book series The Borrowed World. It's a story about an everyday non-super-ninja guy who finds himself far from home and surviving a terrorist attack and it's crippling effects. And the book wrestles with something many of us worry about: What if SHTF while I'm traveling?

What would you do if you were hundreds of miles from home and a terrorist attack crippled the nation? If you had to walk home, could you make the arduous trek on foot?

These questions often weigh on my mind when traveling. Thoughts of how to get home and what would happen to loved ones during that period run wild through my mind.

Your thoughts turn to where and how to procure improvised survival tools, obtaining firearms, and how crazy would people be along the way. There are a lot of variables. And most of the outcomes are harsh at best.

Fortunately, Horton shared the same thoughts and wrote a whole series of prepper fiction around this idea.

~ Topics from The Borrowed World Discussed:

* Who is author Franklin Horton * How he got into writing * How he got into prepping * What he does in his day job and how it played a role in crafting the Borrowed World series * How surviving a terrorist attack sets the state for the series * How a love backpacking can inform a prepper's gear decisions * What's the best $100 dollars he ever spent on prepp and the piece of gear he feels is most important * How he wove practical survival information into the story without making it a technical manual * The biggest takeaway he wants readers to get from these books * What are his EDC essential items * Which authors inspire Franklin Horton * His prepper pet peeves * His go to apocalypse rifle

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~ Resources from this episode can be found at:

http://www.intherabbithole.com/e211

E210: 7 SHTF Life-saving Skills that May Save Your Life Today Mar 20, 2017

Show notes

James Price is back with the real life-saving skills that may save your life today. We discuss skills you should start practicing today. They're probably not what you think.

Many of us in the survival and preparedness community focus on tactical skills. But are we ignoring other less sexy life-saving skills which could enhance our hard skills?

The answer: Probably yes. Most of us probably are ignoring these skills or letting them atrophy.

We've discussed some of these types of skills in the past. But, recently during training people for missions, he's noticed some skill gaps that are causing real problems in their tactical skills. These are things that could undermine your training and hard skills. And you may be surprised to hear what they are.

Topics around soft Life-saving skills we Discuss and Rant about:

* How soft life skills enhance hard tactical skills * Defining "Hard Skills" * Defining "Soft Skills" * How social skills and team building plays into staying alive in an SHTF scenario * How arguing becomes counterproductive to team building * Calculating net gain * The importances of understanding, practicing, and implementing effective communication skills * How "Coms are life" * The rule of threes in high-stress communications * Weird lessons learned from paintball competitions between cops vs. firefighters * What causes your brain to shut down in a life or death scenario * Learning to fail well and learn from it * What DVM HASF is and isn't * What to never ask James about ~ Become a supporting member here:

http://www.itrh.net

~ Resources from this episode can be found at:

http://www.intherabbithole.com/e210

E209: The CIA Listened to this Episode about Vault 7 WikiLeaks and Domestic Spying Mar 13, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, we welcome back Justin Carrol. He's going to share with us the reality of Vault 7 WikiLeak domestic spying info dump. And we answer the question: Is your smart home sending the CIA and NSA pictures of your pepper junk.

First of all, some argue we're living in the age of George Orwell's 1984. Others would claim we are fast approaching Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. We posit the present and future seems like it will be more like This Perfect Day by Ira Levin.

The reality is domestic spying is here, regardless of what it looks like exactly. And it is being conducted by corporations and government agencies alike, as it turns out.

But, most noteworthy, there are measures you can take to protect yourself. And we discuss all of this in this episode:

Vault 7 WikiLeaks and Domestic Spying Topics Discussed:

First, what is the Vault 7 WikiLeaks dump
The difference between how Chelsea Manning leaked information and how Edward Snowden leaked information
What will other spy agencies do with the WikiLeaks release
Is the Vault 7 WikiLeaks release a severe security risk for our country
Why does Vault 7 and other leaks matter
The real-world limitations of intelligence gather, processing, and domestic spying
The real hacking capabilities of the CIA and the implications on your privacy
Using out of band communication techniques to protect your confidentiality and tinfoil hat
The Utah Data Center status
How vulnerable the average person is
Basic steps preppers can take to secure their computers and communications
Are our smart homes sending the CIA and NSA pictures of our prepper junk
Is Google spying on you
The DDOS threat from smart home devices
The future of domestic spying
Why your metadata matters more than you think

~ ITRH Black Hats here:

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~ Become a supporting member here:

http://www.itrh.net

~ Resources from this episode can be found at:

http://www.intherabbithole.com/e209

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