OK.

I live within walking distance of my school, and there are often functions there at night. Whenever I walk at night, I carry a personal alrm (as metioned in another post on this forum) and a telescopic baton with me. It seems to be just an extendable, flexible spring, but it is EASILY capable of breaking a knee/collar bone/ego!

I carry it because:
- I live in south africa <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />
- I often walk the five minute journey alone (I know that it is not the cleverest thing to do)
- the baton has a longer reach than a knife
- It easily fits unnoticably in my blazer pocker
- i have had basic lessons in it's use as a self-defense weapon, and I know it's limitations/uses.

What do you guys carry for self-defence in and urban or outdoor environment? I usually make a walking stick when I begin a hike, so I guess that could also count as a self-defense weapon, in addition to a few knives.

I used to carry a Mauser C96 wartime commercial in 7.65 with handloaded winchester silvertip hollowpoints. Nowadays I just walk at a brisk military pace, stretching my 6'2" frame to full stature,twitching my left eye and mumbling loudly about being a forum moderator,periodically spinning on my heel and yelling at imaginary government officials <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I simply maintain a hightened sense of my surroundings and avoid vulnurable situations. My main fear in all honesty are other drivers exhibiting road rage ( you @*#$, You could SEE I was drifting over on you to make that sudden turn without a signal while on the cell phone. Don't YOU honk at me you @#$%*).I live in California, land of fruits and nuts and SUVs that humble armored cars in old Fritz Lange movies.

I read some interesting posts on flexible weapons on another forum and it got me interested. Someone mentioned carrying a chain or piece of paracord with your keychain on one end and a heavy metal clip on the other for use as a sort of flail/mace. I think this would work well, so I started by braiding some paracord. My keychain fits on the end alright although i'm not yet sure how to finish the ends. At the moment they are tied in big knots but these would get in the way of my belt and be uncomfytable. I havn't yet got hold o a metal clip, i'll probably use a carabina. I also carry a couple of knives. I am looking to updating my self defence weaponary but i'm not yet sure how.

<img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />LOL <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Well, my brother (an even bigger sportsman than me!) carries his 'waterpolo cap number number' (for god luck) on his neck/keys layyard in the form of a miniture snooker-ball keyring (a number 5, BTW!). I just notice that this fairly heavy keyring is a deadly missile! In addition to a bunch of sharp keys on the end, I'm sure that this could be a very effevtive weopon.

problem - you need space to swing the 'mace'

with the baton, I can also stab/poke, as part of it is rigid. But to be honest, I think that it is more of a detterent than an actual weapon. If a criminal wants something from you enough to challange you when you show him a weopon, chances are that he will probably get it from you, or at least hurt you trying.

The thing I like most about flexible weapons is the versatility. You can use them as a garot or to tangle up limbs in adition to being used like a mace.

These may not be legal or available everywhere, but I carry an ASP Key Defender, which is a kubotan with pepper spray inside of it. I find I can carry it discretely in my pocket and I like the fact that it is non-lethal and incorporates 2 weapons in one.

Hey.... I never thought of the tangle-up thing! good idea!

Do you know if any commertial weapons that work like that?

I've never seen any commercial weapons that work like that. In fact I don't see many commercial weapons round here! You're not allowed to carry offensive weapons in UK anyway. Although you can buy police batons in surplus shops.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a kubotan?

well in holland there a only a few options:
-criminal indentifier: there are 2 kinds a cheap € 10 one that only leaves a non-washable paint on the attacker, that stays for 5 days ( has to wear off ) ( sold under the name TIW )OR you can get a combo with both the paint and a foam spray combinded which covers the attackers eye's, but it can be wipped off, thus giving far less time to run than peperspray or CS ( sold under the name X-marker € 25 ) ( CS and peper are illegal
-flashlights, shining a surefire in to somebody's face at night and he won't see a thing for awhile. If he's still coming at ya, jump away so he will run in to that wall behind ya <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
-personal alarms ( the CO2 powered once, give a very LOUD peep sound, unfortunatly you will hear it 2..... )
-batons

i want to get a X-marker, but it isnt high on mine priority's, even though i have been kicked and spit at ( in mine FACE ! <img src="images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> ) on the street without a reason.. <img src="images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> and if they would let me carry a gun, i definatly would !

Even though we I am at scool, I have been warned against carrying a gun as self-defense weapon. the problem is that an attacker will probably try and steel the gun from you, and shoot you afterwards!

I am NOT exagerating. This is the sad reality of living close to gangsters in South Africa. there is the 'shoot first, and then you don't need to ask questions later' mentality.

We once had a situation on our farm where we were ''targeted' by a gang. they robbed us 5 times in a week. Being a farm, the minute you shine a torch or patrol outside, they simply take 5 steps back and hide in the banana trees. I was playning with the idea of bprrowing my friends 'paintball' gun, and using 'criminal marking' paintballs as ammunition. Now only if we could have seen them...

Ever since Ol' Hilary Clinton took over New York, I have been trying every weapon idea I can find, since I was certain she would eliminate guns. Technically she hasn't outlawd personal defense guns, but she has. Criminals can now sue you for shooting them. If you kill them and they have a family, they can sue you.

So,

Although I live in a rural setting, my defense measures can easilly be adapted to urban settings. First, leather really takes the sting out of impacts. Plus, you have the chance of looking tough and/or cool. By simply looking tough/mean/ or most importantly, in my opinion, fierce, you can scare away many predators. I don't know what your fellow country men consider mean looking, but up here it's the unshaven, leather etc look. Just watch some American Holllywood 'propaganda' . Given half a chance, I would die my hair white, I mean think, everyone else is avoiding that color, so your rebelious. Maybe a couple highlights of a very light green too.....

If you have matches and a tennis ball, you can make a fine weapon. Just make a small hole in it and fill it with match heads. I have never actually tried this, but have heard that it is quite respectable.

I won't go into anymore of my ideas, as I haven't quite perfected them. Some proposed ones are arm-launched-rockets, my own stun gun (mine will save the state money from the electric chair <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) and various other projects.

Excuse my inferior knowledge of African geography, but do you live in the region where the Tutus and other guys fight? (Forgot the other tribe. sorry. <img src="images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />)

I´ve studied martial arts since I was 6. Although I also know some knife techniques and can hit a 2" circle with a stab, I usually don´t carry weapons. The posture and facial expression seems to give people a feeling that they´ll be better off not bothering me.
Of course some situational awareness helps to stay out of trouble in the first place.

No. the Hutu/Tutsi conflict is (I think) in the Central Afican region. South Africa is in, well... the Southern African region. <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I agree with you. But I only ussually carry my baton at night, wher facial expressions and body languge won't be as readable as during the day. I carry a weopon for self-defence: I try to avoid situations where I will need to use it, But I do have a means of protection if I need it.

I am close to getting my concealed carry permit. I work in a location where even a small knife, pepper spray, or batons, etc are a no no. However, I don't feel like it would be a threatening situation unless there were some type of suicider in which case my only protection is to get the h--l out of dodge.

For use with driving, hiking, etc I will be carrying a 45 glock and a knife.

My question, which from a survivalist point of view, seems the most important. What do I carry when I am traveling internationaly? Foreign laws prohibit just about everything. I am dependent on others for my transportation and I am definitly in the most hostile environment I can be in.

A kubotan or Yarawa stick is a small, simple striking weapon which is little more than a stick 5 inches long held in the fist. There is a martial art built around it. They are sometimes carried on key chains.

When back in the States I have a carry permit for PA. I'm dedicated to concealed carry as a primary means of self-defense. Most often I carry a Kahr K-9, Glock 19 or snub .38 special.

Here in Brazil things are a bit more complicated. It is possible to get a carry permit but it is hundreds of dollars and a huge hassle. I do own two .38 revolvers here and do carry on occasion without a permit. This is usually just down to the parking garage and back at night. I also carry when backpacking here. We basically don't have police coverage in my neighborhood so I'm more worried about the criminals than being searched by the police.

When out and about I carry a Spyderco Endura. I don't carry a knife becasue I want to get in a knife fight. I carry a knife to put my adversary in one. I avoid trouble by keeping my "radar' on all the time for danger. So far I have had to esacpe four times from criminal attack and nobody got hurt, that's is success to me, just one more thing that never hapened.

I keep a large pepper spray I the car. At times I also carry a short club-like weapon made of a leather covered spring with a lead weight on the end. It isn't very long but it packs a wallop! Mac

Wherever my carry permit is legal, I carry. That's just a sad reality of my city. Though all of the suggestions in this thread have merit, I decided to focus on the ONE item which I know for a fact will clear airport security.. and is legal everywhere I've been.

If you don't want to look like a potential victim (Chris has a point... when I lived in NY I tried to look "street crazy" much of the time).. you walk with it held in your hand parallel to the ground. But I'm sold on the idea. With a little training, you'd be amazed what you can do. Look here or go to your medical supply store and get a sturdy aluminum telescoping cane.

I was present at a discussion when someone asked an expert/instructor in martial arts what type of attitude one should project if one should find themselves in a less than savory neighborhood. He had the preconceived notion that he should come off, as a highly trained individual puffing out his chest, so nobody would mess with him. The instructor told him, that he himself when in a potentially dangerous situation, both starts talking to himself and answering himself in a loud voice projecting the image he is missing a few marbles. He said this tended to disarm people more, who would often go out of their way to avoid him, even the ones who might seek him harm. Pete

A favorite civil weapon of mine is a bike chain (thick aircraft cable) with a padlock attached to one side. The thing is legal everrywhere and can be used with lethal effect. The aircraft cable coils itself tight by itself and if you use a good lock you can't dammage the lock.
You can get them on airplanes too.

If it is legal in your country they've come out with an improved tazer. It fires a "rubideium"(SP!) laser at the person and the electricty follows the laser's path to the target (they were tested in Tokyo where they guided lightning strikes along them). The electricity is freq modulated to boot making it about 10x more powerful then a standard tazer. The Prototype had a range of about 4ft (which is still out of most close combat range). Unlike the air taser it doesn't use barbs to fire into the person (making it a one shot deal). There is also a lesser version that was just released that sprays a conductive spray at they target (but the spray runs out). The new version can taser multiple people for something like 30 minutes straight due to the freq mod that uses far less current. Nasty crowd control applications because it only takes 1 second to put someone out for 15-20 minutes unlike the taser that take about 10 seconds to do the same thing.

Isn't the future grand?

-NIM

links please?

http://www.selfdefenseforums.com/forums/ http://www.donrearic.com http://alliancemartialarts.com/tactical.html this should be of help.

Sorry, evidently neither the spray nor laser channeled tasers are currently available to the general public. The only article I could find on either in the public domain was

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_783659.html?menu=

and

http://www.jaycor.com/eme/watcan.htm


The only site I found on the laser channeled taser was

http://www.hsvt.org/Defensenews.html

The prototype looked very much like a phaser from Star Trek (the beam). Trekkies everywhere will want their own. Brings out the kid in me.


-NIM