THE RON RECON PATROL
OVERNIGHT RECON & TEMP OP/LP SETUP
Last year I started doing patrols around my homestead to learn the lay of the land and practice the basics of moving undetected. My lessons learned post documented the process and changed previously held beliefs of how I would secure my AO in bad times. It also tested my gear configuration and changed what and how I carried on patrol.
PROTECTING THE HOMESTEAD DOESN’T END AT THE PROPERTY BOUNDARY, IT STARTS THERE!
In my case it extends out a mile or so, the distance to get to high ground for observation purposes of the most likely threat in my AO post SHTF, a major truckstop on Interstate-5 a few miles away.
The last thing I want to happen is to have someone coming up to my property line being the first time I’m aware of their presence in my AO.
Interestingly enough, this exact scenario happened while I was preparing this post.
I heard argumentative conversation on the road at my gate and could not see the people via my off-grid camera setup, so I went to investigate and found this guy at my front gate talking to himself with someone else’s blood on him.
Under ROL, the guy was captured down the road with a simple 911 call from me and seven responding patrol cars from the county and city Police Departments.
The severity of something like this in WROL is exponentially greater as “there is no one coming to save you” and the need for early detection becomes very important.
Ideally, if I’m doing regular patrols, I should know of them long before they know of me… Ideally. Early detection via area patrols and setting up OP/LPs outside the immediate boundaries of the homestead to monitor “known threats” (Area Study anyone?) is key to developing courses of action.
Having detection devices on the inner circle such as Off-Grid Cameras, driveway alarms, trip wires and overwatch become the LAST line of defense when things get really bad.
Preppers / Minutemen that are without a group of 12+ members to man even (3) OP/LP locations needed for minimal coverage are going to rely heavily on these types of devices and the protection of Yah, because no man is an island.
While forming a group in good times might not be on the table, people will come around to the idea when the need is clear and present. Have a plan to recruit those around you if you are without a group, take note of the character of your neighbors and who you might be able to trust.
Consider that you will likely need to feed and maybe arm them also. Ideally, this kind of patrol is done as a buddy-team.
THE PATROL
PATROL OBJECTIVES
PRE-ROUTE PLANNING
Maps of AO on hand and at base for location. UTM grids are passed via encryption over radio.
Challenge / Pass codes generation via dice.
Establish RATTLEGRAM encryption phrase for encode/decode of coordinates via dice.
CAMOUFLAGE
Effective personal camouflage.
Thermal camouflage effectiveness via “Insta-Hide”.
Camouflage effectiveness of OP/LP via 360 views.
MOVEMENT
Slow movement and frequent SLLS halts.
Crossing Linear Danger Zones quickly.
Setting a mid-point x-band repeater.
OP / LP LIFE
Building a temporary OP/LP at night without giving away your position.
Using RON tripwire alarms to alert of approaching OPFOR behind OP/LP.
Making of a range card of observed area.
Monitoring the target from the OP, recording observations for SALUTE report.
REPORTING BACK (COMMS)
Using CHALLENGE / PASS authentication on radio via the daily codes.
Passing a SALUTE report of observations made via RATTLEGRAM burst transmission.
LEAVING NO TRACE
Dispersing depressions in ground, removing natural vegetation from area.
“JUNK ON BUNK” CONTENTS
1st Line
Base Layer
WINTER
Merino Wool base long sleeve shirt
Darn Tough Merino socks
BDU Top
BDU Bottom
OTTE Gaiters
Standard Boonie
Flecktarn wind shirt
Danner Mountain 600 Leaf GORE-TEX Hiking Boots
Hard-shell knee pads
BDU Kit
SHIRT
LEFT ARM POCKET
Rite-in-Rain, pencil, pens in notebook
Black and silver Sharpies
RIGHT ARM POCKET
Camo face paint w/ mirror
Bic Lighter w/ duct tape
OD Triangular Bandage
TROUSERS
LEFT CARGO
Mildot Master
2x Clif Bars (in zip lock to quite package noise)
LEFT LOWER
SOF-T
RIGHT CARGO
Cammenga Trit Lensatic Compass w/ dummy cord
Compass tool
Laminated AO Map
RIGHT LOWER
Zebra Headlamp
Pace Beads
E&E Fanny Pack
2nd Line
JayJays Rig
24hr+ Winter Patrols with DG3-AWAMMO POUCH 1 (AMMO)
AR15 Mag (x3)
AMMO POUCH (AMMO)
AR15 Mag (x3)
DUMP POUCH
GP POUCH 1 (Radio)
Baofeng AR-152
GP POUCH 2 (Water)
1qt SS Pathfinder Nested Cup Set
Mini Sawyer
1ltr Dirty water bag
GP POUCH 3 (IFAIK)
Wetwipes
IFAIK
GP POUCH 4 (Snacks)
CLIFF Bars, trailmix, etc.
COMMANDERS POUCH (Water, PVS-14)
FLIR Scout TK
PVS-14
In Faraday Bag w/retractor
BUM ROLL (Clothes)
Drybag
Foot Powder
Spare Socks
Watch cap
HW Cooling cap
Spandoflage
Wind shirt
50gal Trash Bag (x2)
PATROL YOKE
LEFT SIDE ZIP
Sharpie
Bic Lighter
RIGHT SIDE ZIP
SOFT-W
3rd Line
DG3-AW
SHELTER
Insta-Hide
GI Poncho w/ thermal blanket sewn in, scrim net over top, chicken wire molded underneath.
Alpha Tent
Sleep System
One or other taken depending on mission / weatherNO Bag System
Gen III Level 7 Top/Bottom
Used when can't sleep in bag.GI CC Pad
BAG System
GI Poncho Liner (sewn into a bivy)
MSS Green Patrol bag
MSS Gortex Bivy
Exped R7 Air Matress
Water shoes
Clothing
British Smock
Orange Drybag
Puffy Down Jacket
Down Quilt
Foot Powder
Darn Tough Socks
Skivies
Watch Cap
Merino base shirt
MEDICAL
IFAIK
Quick Access Pouch on Outside of Pack
FIRE / FOOD
WATER
HydraPak short 3L reservoir
Dirty water 1L reservoir & mini sawyer
TOOLS
High leverage dikes
MISC
Possibles Bag
6ft (550 Cord) Hanks (x2)
Sm. Oiler Bottle
Sm. Zip-Ties (x12)
C2023 (x1)
ChemLite
Purification Tablets (x30)
Micro cord tie outs (x4)
1/2 roll 88 Tape
Optics Kit
Blush brush
Lens cloth
Q-tips
Wetnaps
Lens Pen
COMMS / NAVIGATION
Bursts Transmission Kit
Motorola M6 Android Phone
Rattlegram App
Encryption App
Cross-Band Repeater
Smoke x3
Bump Cap
DEFENSE
It was my first trip with the new Crossfire DG3-AW and I loaded it to the max to see how it would carry on the shelf of my JayJays rig.
I had my complete winter setup instead of the lighter load I would normally choose for this time of year, and it weighed in at about 50lbs. Add that to the JJ rig of 25lb and 13lb rifle.
On a short 1mile out trip it proved to be my max given my current condition. I had two ruck-flops that felt like heaven, just getting the weight off for five minutes was glorious.
I figure it will run around 35lbs in most conditions, and continuing to ruck should make it easier as I go, but I was very glad to have IBU at the OP/LP that night!
The pack is a dream and carried very well on the shelf of the JJ’s rig. The shoulder straps are well cut, and I ran it without the cross strap without issue. I REALLY like the extra-large compartments the AW has over the standard model. They are great for packing quick access items.
TERRAIN & WEATHER
Terrain was steepish at 10% grade up for a 1/2 mile, then down the same distance to my final stopping point near a major Interstate. I had to stop and crank on my bootlaces to prevent “swimming” in them going downhill.
Weather was 60 degF during the day and 46 degF was the lowest I saw at ~ 2:30am.
I was wearing the base Merino (can’t say enough about that layer) and my summer weight ripstop blouse. I was sweating pretty good and was soaked and starting to cool off when I was making the OP/LP in the dark.
LESSONS LEARNED
The biggest lesson re-learned was how nice it is to have dry socks and a dry shirt to change into when you reach your destination soaking wet. When morning came and it would be time to put the soaked blouse top back on, I punted and wore my dry wind shirt instead.
I tried to use just a ground cloth and my MSS patrol bag, but the ground was very uneven and had roots I didn’t feel like digging out, and after a few hours of unrest, I inflated the Exped R7. In the future I will carry the MSS with the Exped in the bivy and rolled up like a traditional bedroll ready to go as well as always have my closed-cell pad for an extra layer of protection from ground punctures. Trying to inflate the Exped R7 into the bivy after the fact plain sucked!
The MSS patrol bag, bivy and an awesome mattress like the Exped R7 make for a very comfortable sleep system down to the 30’s let alone mid 40’s like I was in.
Sleeping in an OP/LP seems counter to the goal, but if you are by yourself there’s no other option no matter what “Tactical Timmy” on the internet says. The use of RON devices becomes pretty important thing when they are your only companion in an OP/LP.
While I did not take the time to dig out a nice even floor in the brush I decided to make camp in, I did remove many nasty thorns and poison oak branches with my trusty dikes. They were a last-minute addition but proved invaluable while digging into the stickers for the OP/LP, won’t leave home without them. They work on chain-link too!
Just because you have NODs doesn’t mean you don’t need low light ability.
The amount of time and noise and motion it takes to hang a repeater in the air is ridiculous.
3L Bladder and 1L on 2nd Line is plenty in this Fall environment.
Hunting season is either a smart choice or stupid choice for creeping in the woods kitted up, not sure which.
FUTURE CHANGES
Having a couple of 6ft pieces of 550 cords in cargo pockets or another easy access area would be a good thing. Having to dig into a possibles bag for such was a waste of time and frustrating for something so utilitarian.
The “Insta-Hide” is getting bungies. Tying taut lines is slow and sucks for tear down, wound up cutting the 550 cords during my emergency teardown.
The radio battery died on the Baofeng AR-152, even though they are good for a week of standby time, if you don’t know they are topped off it might die on you after a day like mine did. While I could have charged it via the power bank, I carry for the Rattlegram setup, I will be adding a spare to take along in the future.
Will be adding a SIM card punch-pin (taped inside the Rattlegram Otterbox. I could have moved the SIM card over to the Android when the iPhone died on me, but I had no paperclip sized item to get it out of the phone.
I tried the idea of using water shoes as “slippers” in the bag that would allow me to get out and run if needed, but the rubber soles snagged on the patrol bag. I will be putting ripstop material over the rubber next time, so they are slick.
Will be switching from my Zebra headlamp that has super low white light to a dedicated red only LOW-LOW light. I can’t count the light ND’s I had with the “tap through the levels” operation of the Zebra.
Need to get a pair of real 8” tall supportive boots! Looking at Crispi boots.
Pre-staging of 550 cord in trees where the X-band repeater will be hung in SHTF. I plan to find several trees in the top of the crest where I can just hook the box and hoist, no messing around like in the video.
Dedicated poncho besides the “Insta-hide” is in the near future. When I had to lower my profile by wearing the gun under the poncho, the sewn in thermal barrier sucked for heat control. Noisy also. Considering a Swagman as an alternative also, giving me another “sleep layer” for Fall / Spring for instead of a bag.