Staying safe?

[Will Dernis]

I've always had a camo bivy cover, which is excellent for wrapping around gear. I've had my gear stashed in the open around boulders and my digital desert camo bivy made all my gear completely disappear.

 

[Vulture]

I keep a debt card, where I keep the lot of my money. However, I think it best to carry "mugging" money. This is so that you have something to give the poor bastard so he doesn't or is less likely to demand your bag or things within. Definitely hide your phone. When not trying to get a ride, look as decheveled as possible. Make the appearance of being rock bottom. It happens, but bums are less apealing targets.

Besides that, I have a trick that I haven't tried on a human yet. I carry a pretty bright flashlight. This dog was chasing me, or rather stalking me, down a ghetto road around midnight. I turned
quickly and shined my light. Bright! It was frozen. I walked away. I imagine it will have the same effect, but I'll have to run in the case of a human. I don't advise this if you are weighed down by gear.

 

[codycodnyk]

Your gut is your first line of defense. Ive went against my gut because I thought I was being judgmental or didnt want to look awkward. One bad situation that could have went worse was the lesson I needed to trust my vibes from people. Id rather be an awkward dick to someone than get robbed/stabbed.
I know a lot of people recommend carrying knives, but theres a few issues, like the big differences in knife laws in different cities. And if you think youre gonna scare someone off, they can call your bluff and get it from you. Or pull out a gun which they might not have done. Id recommend pepper spray (Im not sure about laws in all areas but I know its legal in at least more places than knives and less of a red flag to cops than knives). Its not totally effective againts everyone but it should give you a good headstart to safety. I saw a big dude try to fight a littler guy outside my house and his friend pepper sprayed him and the big guy was curled up on the ground with his eyes closed.

 

[roguetrader]

RE : pepper spray - we had a bit of trouble couple of years back with some Irish Travellers trying to move on to our site (land squat) - when they left the first time they threatened to come back mob handed with the family, so everyone started getting tooled up / prepared and these two girls decide to make some Mega Mace - they got two old style refillable fire extinguisers and filled 'em full of hot water mixed with as much chilli powder / chilli sauce / chilli anything as they could find and left them by the entrance ready for use - well the confrontation was an anti climax - the gate was locked and they gave up quite quickly but i always wondered what would of happened when that mixture started getting sprayed about......

 

[Itvo]

A couple things I can think of that would be good to use that I picked up outside of traveling.

1. Always check the back seat before getting into a car with anyone.
2. Reflections in glass can give you 360 area view without much trouble. A town stores with windowed fronts is easy to stay situationally aware yes?
3. Avoid walking past alleys while close to walls. It generates blindspots and doesn't give much room to know if someone is standing behind the corner.
4. According to police, criminals will almost always give away their next intentions with their eyes. Such as briefly glancing at the nearest exist or squinting in preparation to attack. I've heard this a bunch from cops.
5. Cops are more likely to harass people with dozens of "Little Trees" hanging from their mirror for some reason.
6. Yell "Fire" when in a really bad situation. I don't know how ubiquitous this is but more people are more inclined to come look at a burning building than when someone is yelling help.
7. Learn to jump/clear fences fast. The ultimate chase ender for zombies, fat cops and angry drunks.

Most importantly: 8. Soil yourself frequently to appear less attractive to assailants. This tactic works in many more places than you might thing.

 

[kerouac]

1: get a can of bear spray. even the most agro & vile of skid's will not step to bear spray pointed at them.

2: when stuck in a city, if you don't want to hike to the outskirts, look for an accessible rooftop. there's always one to be found. sleep up there at night and stash your bag there in the daytime

3: BE that sketchy bum that people are afraid of and steer clear of. when passing through sus areas & situations get yourself in a state of mind where you are almost LOOKING for a fight. people can sense this kind of energy and stay clear of it.

4. keep a good edge on your knife, just in case...

 

[Wawa]

Wait, wait... Backup there.

Soil yourself as in "Be really dirty", or "Shit your pants for safety. Just keep shitting them. Ideally, you should be turd nursing like a daddy penguin with an egg"

 

[kokomojoe]

I mentioned it on another post but a good alternative for pepper spray is wasp spray. It sprays pretty far distance and if you aim for the face it'll definitely fuck with your assailant. It can also be found most places.

 

[Itvo]

Wait, wait... Backup there.

Soil yourself as in "Be really dirty", or "Shit your pants for safety. Just keep shitting them. Ideally, you should be turd nursing like a daddy penguin with an egg"

As in be ready always for everything with Explosive Machinegun Diarrhea + Side of Corncobs.

Likely won't get you many rides.

 

[c4s3]

Stick around other like minded individuals, sleep in areas that are close to 24/7 stores, etc. Don't trust a lot of the people in larger cities, they will not think twice to rob ya blind. Hold your ground, don't just go around starting shit, sleep with one eye open. Always keep your eyes and ears open, don't trust, remember trust is the killer.

 

[petergreen]

Criminals look for soft targets. If you walk around staring at the ground, shoulders slumped or are clearly not paying attention to your surroundings you're at a higher chance of getting jacked. Likewise, if you are female you are more likely to get jacked. If you are not paying attention to your surroundings or appear to be wandering around aimlessly... you're probably going to get jacked.

Walk with purpose, keep your eyes up and scanning around. Project confidence that you belong wherever you are. Eye contact should be brief, just enough to let the other person know that you are aware of them. Prolonged eye contact, especially between males, can be construed as a challenge. Lastly if someone does approach you tell them calmly but firmly to keep their distance. You might come off as a dick but it's better to be a dick than get stabbed or robbed.

Lastly be aware of the neighborhood you are in. If it's known for being a high crime area pass through as fast as possible. If you do get into a confrontation run for it. Ditch your bag if you need to. Stuff can be replaced, your life can't.

Also appearing drunk or high will make you a juicy target for predators since they know your mental faculties are impaired. Get drunk or high with friends but don't go wandering around in an altered state. But that's probably pretty obvious.