I was talking to a fellow on the phone the other day about bug-out bags. He indicated that he had read somewhere lately that he should mark his map with three routes to his BOL (Bug-Out Location) and asked what I thought of the idea.

I indicated that, at least in my opinion, that it didn’t sound like a sensible OPSEC (Operational Security) idea. In a bug-out situation there are many conditions that could cause your map to fall into the wrong hands.

It could be lost or even taken by force, to name a few. In the wrong hands, you’ve just revealed where you are going and that place most likely has your supply of food, weapons, ammo and other self-reliance items. Other members of your family might even already be there.

My thoughts were that it’s not a bad idea to have alternate routes to you BOL, predetermined in the event of detours. But you don’t want to advertise them. I believe in running your routes, before you need to use them and memorize those routes. In executive protection, the advance team and drivers always run various routes such as the hospital, airport, etc., so they are familiar with possible detours and become comfortable with the routes. The same should occur with Bug-Out routes. But in the event a family involved and something did happen to the main leader, a map could come in handy. So, upon further thought on the matter, I felt if you really wanted to mark a map, then you should do it covertly.

What I came up with was the use of a fine-point UV (Ultraviolet) marker to make your markings, then use an UV light to see the markings. I happened to have used this technique for other purposes over the years so I knew it would work in this situation. I also have a couple of different small UV lights that could easily be carried or concealed in a pack.

This photo shows a fine point UV marker, a Streamlight Stylus with UV LED, and a Micron Freedom with UV LED.

This photo shows a map of an area where a BOL could be. This map already has three routes marked to a location using a UV marker.

This photo shows the marked route using the Micron Freedom with UV LED.

As you can see, this is a great way to make markings without other people being able to see them. This can be used for other OPSEC purposes as well. Let’s say you have some information that you want to carry with you, but don’t want it to fall into the wrong hands. This could be phone numbers, lock combinations, or other personal information. You could write that information in an innocuous location on something that you have on you such as a piece of paper in your wallet. What I like to do is write inside a small book, in a location that I won’t forget. You could use odd pages, or always start on page 12, etc. Use a system you’ll remember.

This is a page from the Emergency Pocket Survival Guide which is very small and thin booklet. It could be carried in almost any survival kit or pack.

This photo shows how information could be concealed on a page of an innocuous book.

This could also work for information kept at your home or BOL. Just use any book sitting on your bookshelf and add the information you don’t want people to see with a UV marker.

Anyway, I thought this information might be interesting to people who want to mark their maps with various routes to their BOL without it falling into the wrong hands, or securing other private information. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: John D. McCann is the owner of Survival Resources, a company that specializes in survival kits, survival kit components, and outdoor skills courses. He has also written two books, Build the Perfect Survival Kit and Stay Alive! Survival Skills You Need.

We’ve had a few requests for information on flying with a firearm since our article a few days ago on Breaking Into a Suitcase with a Ballpoint Pen and What You Can Do About It. We couldn’t think of a better source than someone who’s already put together some very extensive and fantastic information on this topic.

Deviant Ollam is known well in Locksport circles and frequently gives talks at conferences like DEFCON and Black Hat. In the video embedded below he goes into physical security and applying it to flying with a firearm. The information he presents is how to work the law in your favor and always fly with a firearm in every checked bag you have.

This will require you to provide your own locks that only you have the key to. There also won’t be any visual indicator of any kind applied to your hard case that contains your firearms and they can’t be opened by TSA or airport personnel without you being present.

One thing to keep in mind is that even when you’re flying into a non gun-friendly state, you can use this method if you’ll be renting a vehicle and driving to another state that is friendly. The safe passage provision of the Firearms Owners Protection Act states that it’s legal to travel through these states with firearms, provided they’re properly cased and unloaded. Certain states have ignored this though and the NRA currently has details on a H.R. 4269, a bill that would put a stop to this. The only exception to this is NFA weapons (short barreled rifles, etc.) which requires you to file Form 5320.20 with the ATF.

Here’s a few pointers from the video above:

• How do different airlines rate? Deviant goes into this on his Website with a fantastic Airline Report Card based on his experiences. He even has accounts of both his and other travelers accounts of flying with firearms and encourages everyone to submit their experiences with a questionnaire.
• Ammo is legal to fly with by policies can vary between airlines. Check here for ammo information on each airline.
• Use hard cases that can be locked with good padlocks or puck locks. Some recommended padlocks are the Abus Diskus 20/70 ($33), Abloy 341 ($50),  Abloy Puck ($110), Abus Granit 37/60 ($100) and the Abloy Protec 362 ($265).
• A locked case inside of a standard suitcase is not a good idea. The airline could tell you that since the “locked” case is the interior small case, the larger suitcase must be locked with TSA compliant locks. If you do use this method, ensure that the inner case is unlocked so that you can use your own locks.
• Keep a self-addressed stamped USPS Flat Rate Envelope with your travel belongings. If you encounter a banned item you forgot was with you it’s better to mail it back to yourself than surrender it to TSA.
• You don’t have to use lethal firearms to use this method.
• Here’s a downloadable legal sheet with the TSA rules that you can print out, laminate and keep with you when you fly.

We’re presenting a security announcement today surrounding the protection of your valuables while traveling. The technique of using a ballpoint pen to open any luggage utilizing a zipper, is one that’s been publicly disclosed for some time now.

There are unfortunately many that aren’t aware of this risk, or that it leaves no tell-tale sign that the suitcase has even been tampered with. As you’ll see below in our video demonstration, by simply shoving a ballpoint pen into the zipper track, you can pull the suitcase lid open and access the interior contents. Then with a simple movement of a still-locked zipper slider you can reseal the suitcase without leaving evidence of tampering.

We also offer some suggestions in this article on what you can do to further secure your luggage while traveling, both physical items that afford you extra security and knowledge that will help you the next time you travel.

Breaking Into a Suitcase With a Pen

Travel Security Caveats

The fact of the matter remains that any suitcase, luggage or pack that utilizes a zipper is susceptible to this attack. There are some ideas we’d like to present here that will at least either secure the interior contents of your suitcase or provide evidence that your belongings have been tampered with.

Before getting into that, know that there’s no perfect method to protect a suitcase that’s out of your direct control. Once you turn over your luggage to the airline, there’s always a risk of never getting it back. Luggage gets “lost” all time, never to be reunited with its owner. Knowing this, we hope that you always decide to keep your valuables and irreplaceable items in a carry-on that’s always in your control.

Something else to be cognizant of is continuing to watch the overhead bin you’ve just put your carry-on into until the flight attendant shuts it. We’ve heard horror stories of someones carry-on being ripped off right on the airplane by another passenger on their way to their seat. They simply move the carry-on to the overhead bin near their seat and leave the plane with your bag before you even know it’s gone.

Increasing Your Odds

Security as a whole is only to either buy you time, or visually and physically harden what you intend to secure. That being said, the options we’re presenting here are just that. Either options to buy you the time to inconvenience a would-be thief, or make them disregard your belongings as a target.

Pacsafe

The first item you can use to secure valuables inside your suitcase is a Pacsafe, which is steel cable webbing that surrounds bulky contents with a lockable drawstring. To utilize this, you’ll need to have a luggage frame to route the cable around. Most suitcases with collapsible handles have this underneath the liner. If you don’t have a liner you can unzip to access these struts, you may have to make cuts to feed a cable through.

These Pacsafes are also great for using once you get to your destination. You can put a bag or other contents in them and lock it to a bed frame in a hotel room when you have to leave. While anyone with bolt cutters or lock picks can get into them easily, just remember its intended purpose. To either buy you time or visually and physically harden.

In-Car Gun Lockers

Another option for your valuables are In-Car Gun Lockers from Center of Mass. These lockers have so many applications and can be utilized for everything from suitcases to vehicles for storage of valuables and handguns. These also feature a steel cable that can be girth hitched around the struts in your suitcase or even to the frame of the seat in your vehicle.

TSA requires a locked case inside of your suitcase for transportation of a firearm when traveling and these In-Car Gun Lockers are perfect for this. Again, is this a completely full proof method? No, but here’s the broken record… It’s to buy you time or visually and physically harden. These lockers can also be keyed alike when purchased, or come in a combination lock configuration, which is less pick-resistant than the double-sided key required to open the keyed lockers.

One last benefit of these are that you can keep a handgun securely stored in a vehicle with an In-Car Gun Locker while visiting establishments that don’t allow concealed carry. Examples of these are federal buildings, post offices and private property with properly posted signage.

Hard Cases

Probably the most costly option today is to travel with a heavy hard case like a Pelican Case. This will surely add to the weight of your belonging and tip you into the “overweight” category with the airlines. If cost isn’t an issue with what your traveling with, this may be the best option, as you can securely lock Pelican Cases with multiple locks.

Just remember padlocks can always be shimmed or picked open and relocked without leaving tell-tale signs.

Anti-Theft Luggage Zipper Strap

While a misnomer, the Anti-Theft Luggage Zipper Strap won’t prevent theft, but it will give you a visual indication of tampering. This inexpensive option simply prevents a would-be thief from re-closing your suitcase after they’ve gotten into it by opening the zipper track with a pen. This will obviously give you the indication of a break-in, but also won’t allow them to re-close it.

This can be a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good in the sense that it will tell you if someone has tampered with your suitcase, but by not allowing the thief or the airline to re-close it you could be setting yourself up for lost contents or worse, your suitcase never arriving.

Shipping Your Suitcase

One last option is to ship your suitcase. While you’re still susceptible here as you are with the airlines, there’s another degree of security you’re afforded by having your suitcase in an nondescript cardboard box.

Just like with the airlines, loss and theft still run rampant and there’s also the hassle of setting up a destination to ship your luggage to.

Time Magazine recently named “The Protester” as the 2011 Person of the Year because of their impact on society. Unfortunately, that impact is not always positive. Protests often result in:

• Blocked traffic - Protesters lock arms and purposefully block an entire street, forcing all vehicles to follow them at walking speed.
• Closed off roads - The local police will often barricade a section of roads in an attempt to limit the conflict in an area of protest.
• Property damage - This past week, I witnessed a motorcycle being thrown onto a pile of burning tires because he ignored the protesters barricades.
• Bodily harm - When protesters get riled up, there’s no telling where they will draw the line. They don’t think about what a rock through the windshield or a stick in the spokes means to the people in or on the vehicle.
• Infrastructure Disruption – Broken power lines, blocked delivery vehicles and ambulances are a common occurrence.

In January, I moved from a sleepy midwest town with population of less than 2,500 to a seething metropolis of several million in a nation with an unstable interim government and a Prime Minister that leads a political party that is still on the US terror watch list.

Protests are a way of life here. There was recently a period of seven straight days on which I encountered large groups of protesters blocking roads, chanting, waving flags, and burning torches.

Protesters have always been around, but most would agree that 2011 has had an upswing in the amount of protesting as well as the intensity. With all the publicity given to protesters, I don’t expect the protest movement to go away any time soon. I had an abrupt introduction to the local culture of protest, but I have found a few tricks that helped me function and remain safe through turbulent times.

The following observations are from my personal experience here in Nepal, but much of this can be applied anywhere in the world. Here are a few simple tips:

Awareness Starts Before you Leave Home!

Other people may already be trying to warn you. Use the resources that are available to you.

• Local Newspapers – A Simple glance through the local paper can save you a lot of trouble. Many protests are announced to the press in advance for additional exposure. I prefer the dead tree edition. It’s easy to miss something on a newspaper website that might not have made it to the front page.
• Website Listings – Try to find a website that lists upcoming protests in your local area. Web resources are generally updated more often and have events listed that the newspaper might have overlooked. There are certain websites I check every day before I leave the house. If there are certain groups that protest often in your area, it might be a good idea to get on their mailing list.
• Google Alerts – A simple Google Alert can monitor the news for combinations of keywords like nearby city names and “protest”, “demonstration,” etc. These alerts can be delivered via email or rss as daily digest or “as-it-happens.” Google Alerts

Protesting is About Attention!

Use that to your advantage. Protesters love the press. It can be a relatively simple proposition to get a press pass that will get you through/past protests that completely block traffic. Afterwards, ask them for a letter stating you have written for them, etc.

• Set up a blog using a free service like Blogger or WordPress.
• Write an “About” page or article telling people that this blog is for covering local protests or demonstrations
• Design your own press ID using a template (Here’s an example template). Don’t lie on the pass. It’s not necessary.
• Print it on a solid plastic card. There are tons of companies that will do this for a few bucks. (Here are a few) I had mine printed locally for  about $.80 each.
• Throw the ID on a lanyard or in an ID armband and stash it in the glove compartment for whenever you may need it.
• If you have to use it, present it with authority!  It has never failed me, even under the scrutiny of armed soldiers at roadblocks.

Look ahead in traffic!  Once traffic is stopped, it is often too late to turn around.  Traffic is already packed in around you.  Look for:

• People making U-turns
• A completely empty opposite lane

When traffic starts slowing, try to find out why and position yourself to get out of the traffic quickly. Don’t follow the herd!

These simple tips have helped me avoid many unsafe situations and saved me an immeasurable amount of time and effort. I hope you find them helpful!

Editor-in-Chief’s note: Please join us in welcoming Rob Robideau as a contributor on ITS Tactical. Rob runs the Personal Armament Network which produces the Personal Armament Podcast. The Personal Armament Network creates informative and entertaining articles and web shows for people who want to be prepared for every day. 

The history of “safes” goes back to the days of the caveman, when they attempted to keep their belongings safe from fire. Of course they didn’t have secure containers or locking devices to keep out unscrupulous cave folks. Those weren’t developed until the first “lock” that’s credited to the Egyptians. The Romans and Chinese created warded locks and the rest is history.

We wont go too in depth on the history of safes, but if you’re interested in early and mid 19th century American safes I found this website which has great information and some cool photos. For a entertaining read check out this blog post that talks about the “15 most impenetrable bank vaults”.

The Home Defense Center

Fast forward to today as we take a look at the new Home Defense Center from Sentry Safe, where “the first line of defense is you.” This quote is straight from the Sentry Safe homepage and it couldn’t be more accurate. So what does this quote mean in the realm of gun safes?

Let’s first look at the type of residential safe you might have at home right now. In my eyes home safes are divided into two categories. A safe to keep your documents and/or small to medium personal items secure and a gun safe(s) to store your firearms. If you have some type of fire rated gun vault built into a closet then more power to you, but for the majority of us that is not reality.

If you are like me, you have several safes at home and have your personal items in one and your guns in dedicated gun safes. Or you may have one big gun safe that you store everything in. Regardless of your setup, there’s one thing that none of them do very well and that’s allow you fast quiet access to your pistol AND rifle. You may have one of those small quiet pistol boxes next to your bed, but how do you access your long gun if needed? I don’t want to get into the debate over a pistol vs. long gun for home defense because that boils down to personal preference. If you have the need to access your long gun or shotgun in the middle of the night, then read on.

So looking at the safe(s) you might own, you probably have issues accessing your weapons quickly and quietly in the middle of the night. This is where the Home Defense Center steps in. It’s designed to give you that quick quiet access to your weapons in a crisis situation. It’s also slim and can fit in a corner of your bedroom so you don’t have to run to another room or a hallway closet.

Features

Lets look into the features that set this safe apart from the rest and really starts a new category of mixing firearm safety and home defense.

The first thing you notice about the Home Defense Center is how slim it is and the position of the door. The safe has a square 10 1/4” x 10 1/4″ base and is roughly 54 3/4” tall. I say roughly as it would fit at 54 1/4” but you wouldn’t be able to access the top buttons to open it.

Since the door hinges are on the right corner, you’ll need to keep in mind the out-swing to the right. If you were to put this next to a dresser or other item you will need about 20 1/2” overall clearance, however this is with the door fully opened to the right (see photos). You certainly don’t need the door opened all the way to access the weapons and I would say 16 1/4” overall is the minimum space you would need.

The photos show a fold out table as the “furniture” and should give you an idea of what I’m talking about. This is something to consider and measurements you will not find listed on the product website.

Integrated Defense Tray

The next feature is the top of the safe which Sentry calls the Integrated Defense Tray. This is a padded area that allows you to keep your flashlight, cellphone or other personal items on. This is also where the backup lock, digital key pad and batteries are located. I really like the idea of having an area where you can keep your flashlight or other items at the ready. The “tray” is lowered so things wont roll off the top, a problem I have with my main weapons safe.

The safe uses four AA batteries and has a backup lock in case you forget your code (we will touch on muscle memory later) or the batteries go dead. I know I don’t need to say it, but make sure you keep your backup keys in another safe.

Keys and Codes

The digital key pad uses four “buttons” which are not numbered. The first button has a raised bump on it for tactile feel, but other than that it’s unmarked. However, there are four blue LED lights that form a halo around the buttons. This is a great feature for that o-dark-hundred glass break wake-up.

There’s also a small green/red LED light that lets you know you entered the right (green) or wrong (red) code. You can run a four-to-six digit code and setup is easy. To start, you wake the keypad by hitting any button and then enter the correct code. The green LED will flash with each press of a button and will go green when entered correctly. If you enter the wrong code it will flash red letting you know the code was incorrect. Also, all buttons are silent with no audible feedback or “beeps.”

I want to talk about the code you setup as this relates to the intended purpose of the safe. You should be able to get into the safe quickly the first time. I wouldn’t make some crazy key combination that you can’t remember or can’t enter when you’re scrambling to open it in the middle of the night. Think about it, are you going to be able to get this safe open when you think someone’s in your house and half asleep?

This leads me to quickly throw this out there because I know you’re thinking it. Why would you lock up your home defense weapons in the first place? Two things: one is kids and two is long guns. If you have kids in your home, you owe it to them to have your weapons secure. This safe is just one option for handgun storage. The second point is a long gun. If you believe that a long gun gives you a better tactical advantage than a handgun then this safe is by far the quickest way to access that rifle.

Muscle Memory

Now that you have your combination dialed in make sure you practice it and build that muscle memory. This is not the safe to lock your weapons into and then walk away from for months before trying to open it again. This is also the first safe I’ve had that has no “keypad” markings so I couldn’t rely on remembering a certain number string to open it. That’s why I mention something simple, something quick and something practiced.

Once you get the lock open the handle swings down to open the door. I really like this subtle feature, as it’s simple to build muscle memory and you don’t have to worry about which way the handle swings (right or left). A simple pull down and you are open. This also allow you to be stealthy if needed and not alert someone you’re awake and opening a safe.

Pistol Tray

Now that the door is open, lets talk about the contents of the safe. Starting at the top you’ll find an adjustable pistol tray. This is a padded tray with an angled plastic piece that allows you to store your pistol at the ready. It’s adjustable for right and wrong (left) handed shooters.

I like the idea behind this concept, however I don’t like the mounting design of the angled piece. I have to admit it took me several minutes of trying to configure the angled tray to get it right. The problem was that it’s too simple and my tiny brain and big hammer weren’t working. The angled tray just drops into place by placing the two teeth into the two holes on the floor of the tray. I know it sounds simple but that’s the only thing simple about it.

The issue I have is that while being simple, it’s also not held in place by any type of hardware, connector, or snap. This allows it to roll back and forth in the tray and would most likely be knocked out if you were grabbing your pistol with force. And believe me if you are grabbing your pistol in the middle of the night its going to be with force.

A simple fix would be to set it for your preferred hand dominance and then secure it with glue or a foam insert. I don’t see any way to use screws as there isn’t enough material in the bottom. This is just something to consider and perhaps something for Sentry to look into updating.

Barrel Containment System

Going down to the next level is the Barrel Containment System. Now this is one of those things that you say “why didn’t I think of that.” While not being the only way to hold a barrel it defiantly works as intended.

The BCS is also on a adjustable tray so you can compensate for different barrel lengths. The minimum height would be about 32 1/2” (overall rifle length) which fits my 16” Colt with the butt stock fully closed with ease. The max length would be about 46 1/2” (overall rifle length). The max length is without the pistol tray in place.

The BCS uses foam rollers to hold the barrel and they’re adjustable front to back so you can dial in your particular weapon. As an example I have to set it all the way out towards the door for my AR with a 30 round magazine inserted. For my 870 I can adjust it back in to better center it in the safe. The bottom line is that it’s all adjustable and I think you’d be hard pressed to find something that wouldn’t fit.

That being said, you may run into issues if you run a AR system with a 30 round mag and a tall optic system. I run a EOTech on a RRA Dominator 2 mount and Surefire Vertical Foregrip light. While I cant see into the safe when its closed I’m probably close to being topped out with the combo light and 30 round magazine. If you run a full scope you may not be able to run a 30 round mag.

Hidden Floor Plate and Mounting Considerations

Next we move down to the floor plate which has closed foam padding giving it a nice skid free area. It’s removable to give you access to an location to store ammunition or other small items. In theory you could remove this to gain a few more inches for rifle height, but if you are running something that long you might want to reconsider your home defense rifle.

Included with the safe is mounting hardware which includes two long lag bolts and two plastic spacers. The spacers give you stand off from the corner of the wall if you have crown molding on your walls. This is a great forethought as not all of us can set the safe right up against the wall. There are no mounting options for the floor itself so you have to keep that in mind.

I like the option of a wall mount as you could secure it to a dresser or other piece of furniture if you live in an apartment where you cant (or shouldn’t) drill into the walls. This would be a great safe for you single military guys/gals who like to do your own PCS moves. It’s lightweight and won’t break your buddy’s back when he/she comes over to help you pack (even if you don’t care because you’re providing the beer).

That being said, this safe is small and light enough (110 pounds empty) to be carried by one person. Just make sure you mount it to something as a burglar could walk out with it.

What it’s Not

I also want to touch on the fact that the Home Defense Center is not UL rated against fire or water damage. Keep in mind the design of this safe and its intended use. Quick quiet access to your pistol and rifle. That is “one each” as the safe is not meant to store your gun collection or boxes of ammunition. If you own more than one rifle and perhaps more than two pistols you will need another dedicated gun safe.

If you go away on vacation or leave for an extended time you might want to consider storing your weapons in a main fire resistant safe. If the unthinkable happens at least your weapons will survive (hopefully unscathed). Sentry Safe makes several fire rated safes that are manufactured in Rochester, NY. Speaking of made in the USA, the Home Defense Center is also made in Rochester giving it a huge thumbs up from the ITS staff.

Just like the guns in your collection, one gun cant do it all. The Home Defense Center doesn’t do it all, but it does give you that fast quiet access to your firearms to defend your home. Remember, “the first line of defense is you.”

Video and Photos

We have two videos that are part of this article. Part One is the overall review and Part Two (coming soon) is a “highly scientific” decibel test. Ok, while maybe not “highly” scientific, it should give you an idea of how the HDC opening sounds stack up against other types of safes.

The price at the time of this article is $349.99 and found at Cabela’s. For product info, visit SentrySafe.com.

Please leave any comments or questions you might have below and thanks again for checking out ITS Tactical! *All measurements are approximate, please contact Sentry Safe for exact measurements.*

Finally? Yes, almost a year ago I wrote an article here on ITS Tactical where I said that Airport Security needed to be “Israelified.”

Last month we got the word that the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) would be screening passenger behavior at Boston Logan Airport. I’m really glad and also surprised to see the TSA institute this, as it’s certainly profiling and something I never thought the government would have the backbone to implement.

The profiling is part of a $1 Billion national program called SPOT (Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques) and trains TSA screeners to ask passengers non-intrusive questions to see how they respond. Suspicious or anxious behavior, like avoiding eye contact and searching for answers will warrant additional screening.

While the program is still in its pilot phase, I feel it’s certainly a step in the right direction. I still feel we need to do even more to model our airport security after Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, but profiling is a step in the right direction.

What’s your opinion? Do you agree that we need to Israelify our Airport Security even further?