The new article on 'urban survival' is well-written, interesting and useful, but I must say that I am not thrilled to see it here on this site. No offense to the author and no criticism of the article per se, but it seems to me to be focused on self-defense and weapon use under the guise of urban survival. I am afraid that it could signal a change in direction here that I don't want to see. There are plenty of places for weapon/self-defense information but I don't think it fits in real well here. Others may disagree, but I think of survival as a separate topic from self-defense.<br><br>I *am* interested in self-defense and I own and have trained with most of the weapons and methods mentioned in the article and then some, but I just think this site is unique and I would hate to see it lose it's focus on survival.<br><br>

Castaway, I share your concerns. I posted a earlier inquiry along the same lines. Urban survival has always been a branch of the site. The article was just a beginning and Im sure more diverse will follow. Lets just help nurture it with measured and thoughtfull responses. Im sure many of us have looked over some of the survival links.We know what this site is, and what it is not.<br><br>

Sadly, I sort of agree. I stumbled on these articles, or versions of them, weeks ago before the prominent link from the start page appeared, and expressed some reservations then. It’s not a knee-jerk reaction, I’m an Endowment member of the NRA, etc. etc., but… advice on weapons is available on every newsstand by the ton- one more source is not all that useful.<br><br>I’m concerned about the message it conveys- are we really saying that we have thousands of suggestions for surviving in wilderness or rural areas, but if you’re in the city, it’s all about combat? I don’t mean to imply that there aren’t urban situations where weapons are appropriate, but that applies to wilderness and rural settings too- why has the direction of the site dramatically changed when we deal with the city? There are thousands of potential survival situations in a city where firearms are of no use at all, are completely inappropriate, and have the strong potential to get you imprisoned or killed.<br><br>The “earthquake” section is interesting, aside from the fact that it tries to be a bit too comprehensive, I think- the list of equipment is like the inventory of a good-sized home.<br><br>My personal interest- for two years I commuted into the city every day, and may end up doing so again. I drove to a subway station, rode and then walked for some blocks through all weather. Dealing with government buildings, I sometimes had to pass through metal detectors or have parcels searched and/or x-rayed. Firearms are not an option. Pocket knives with blades longer than 3 inches are not an option. On a real bad day in the city, the subway I used to get there may not be an option- I may end up walking out, 30 miles or so, with whatever I happen to have on me at the time. One of my kits, the contents of which I posted here once, is being developed for just this scenario. I think it’s an interesting challenge.<br><br>

First off, let me stress as strongly as I can that the opening, finally, of the Urban Survival section indicates not the least a change of direction or a slackening of efforts with regards to wilderness, aviation or marine survival. In fact, as I hope everyone will see in a few months, we are taking some very important steps to allow us to eventually expand our offerings and influence considerably in these areas. One of the reasons I have been rather sparse hereabouts is that this is taking a great deal of my time to get going. Bottom line, ETS is committed to providing you unique and effective information on these subjects and nothing is going to change that at all.<br><br>As for the Primer and the new section, this is an area that has been planned and been promised since ETS first went online 6 years ago. I am constantly hounded, yes hounded, by readers who want this information from a source that they can trust and which is independent and will take a measured look at the subject. There are a number of issues involved in developing the subject, but a primary one was simply finding someone knowledgeable who was willing to devote the effort needed and who had the right attitude. I believe that Stu is that guy.<br><br>We were careful to start out the Primer by indicating what we thought was important and most different about Urban Survival, vis-a-vis the other content on this site. We also made it clear, or at least I thought we did, that self-defense isn't the only topic we intend to cover. We have another contributor already working on some pieces on urban survival kits, for example. For the most part however, as noted in the primer, the skills and tools needed to survive environmental problems are not significantly different no matter the setting, wilderness or a city. There are differences which we do plan to address, and there are unique situations that we do plan to cover.<br><br>Having said all that, there is no doubt whatsoever that self-defense is going to make up a significant portion of this area of the site. As we noted, most of us spend a good deal more time in the urban environment than in the wilderness. The dangers we face are no less life threatening, and perhaps more so in some respects, but they are different. Dealing with the differences in what threatens our survival is what this section is about and all too often the most likely threat many who write to me feel they need to prepare for is violence to ourselves or our loved ones, or loss of our personal property. <br><br>Reaction such as yours is not unexpected, self-defense and related subjects are controversial for many and a big change from what many have come to expect on ETS. However, it is still about survival and in the grand scheme of things, this subject is of critical importance to many and readers have been asking for me to provide this sort of information for some time now.<br><br>I can also assure you that it has nothing whatsoever to do with survivalism or the survivalist mentality. In our society, in virtually all parts of the world to one degree or another, it is simply an everyday fact of life that crime to property and person is an ever present danger and those who take responsibility for their own actions include self-defense and defense of property in their bag of personal survival tricks. As stressed in the article numerous times, the tools available for this task vary depending upon where you live and we intend to cover them all with equal measure and in a responsible fashion.<br><br>I hope this reassures you that the ETS that you have come to know and love is not going to disappear, quite the contrary. Nor will our focus in the Urban Survival section be strictly on self-defense. This is just an effort to provide similar responsible information for another environment where survival is necessary.<br><br>Doug Ritter<br>Editor<br>Equipped To Survive

I have been reading this forum for over two months and participating on it for just over a month. I felt comfortable interacting with members of this site because I felt everyone was here for all the right reasons and responded to these post with real concern. This may sound corny but I have gotten a lot of help from this site respect all of your opinions. When one of you state that something works for you I take a very close look to see how I can incorporate this into my situation. This site is by far the best I've found...<br><br> I said all that to say this: I just finished reading the Urban Survival Primer. I found it at least entertaining and informative. As others have stated I would hate to see this site turn strictly in this direction. But I don't believe it will. I feel this forum is a reflection of this site. If I'm going to here about self-defense, I'd rather hear about it from those who have a real concern for life as you all do. I feel that the site is strong enough to keep out the "extreme" and keep it informative not self motivated. This may be assuming a lot but that's the way I feel. People who prepare to survive prepare to preserve life. Thats what this is all about.<br> Rick<br>Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional. <br><br><br>