r/tacticalgear • u/simplcavemon • May 14 '25
Rhetorical Hyperbole What would a SHTF “engineer” kit look like?
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u/FauxReignNew May 14 '25
Missing the RPG-7V2 and EOD bot.
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u/A-10goBrrrt May 14 '25
God, I love that game
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u/wanderer_syndicate May 14 '25
They could honestly just remake it with a few updates, and we would all buy it again, lmao
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u/heatthecore May 14 '25
Paint markers, multimeter, zip ties, duct tape, jumper wires, pen testing devices.
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u/SoCalSurvivalist May 14 '25
Just missing the standard and metric nut driver.
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u/SoCalSurvivalist May 14 '25
Just to add...a pipe wrench to remove locks with the twist method.
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May 14 '25
Or just two regular wrenches
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u/SoCalSurvivalist May 14 '25
Yeah that works too, but an aluminum handle pipe wrench might be lighter.
It might easier to explain a well used pipe wrench in a bag of tools than a couple oversized reg wrenches. But if someone is searching through your tools and asking questions mistakes have either been made or luck ran out.
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May 14 '25
Just normal crack head activotes will be my awnser
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u/SoCalSurvivalist May 14 '25
I mean in my area that would probably get you off the hook and the cops might even take you to dinner first too.
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u/HellCreek6 May 15 '25
Underappreciated technique. Goes through padlocks quicker, with less effort than bolt cutters.
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u/No_Conversation8959 May 14 '25
Check this out: https://www.hooligankeys.com/
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u/Hot_Departure9115 May 14 '25
"This is a gathering of the most common construction core keys, with Lime Green being the most popular of all."
This is hilarious.
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u/Marginally_Witty May 14 '25
In this day and age? A backpack portable SDR with amplifiers for 1.5, 2.4, and 5.8 GHz bands, directional antennas, and fat battery.*
The guys with the anti-drone kits are going to be real popular if shit gets weird.
*While I fully endorse every American’s right to build cool shit in your garage, it is a VERY BAD IDEA to fuck with the FCC and use a jammer for shits and giggles. Those boys are serious.
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u/BlueGolfball May 14 '25
The guys with the anti-drone kits are going to be real popular if shit gets weird.
I'm already buying fiber optic drones. Fuck your anti-drone whatevers
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u/Mean-Estate3551 May 14 '25
OP has a shotgun anyway
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u/BlueGolfball May 14 '25
OP has a shotgun anyway
And I guarantee he doesn't have a single shell of bird shot with that shotgun.
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u/WarlockEngineer May 14 '25
Bird shot hardly works on drones lol
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u/Mean-Estate3551 May 14 '25
throwing AKMs at drones works. i've seen enough footage from ukraine to know that if its my time, its my time.
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u/BlueGolfball May 14 '25
Bird shot hardly works on drones lol
Shotguns hardly work on drones. If someone is shooting buckshot at a drone then they would have about the same chance of hitting it with an automatic rifle.
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u/spiceweasle93 May 15 '25
Why not? I've never been acosted by drones, but I've shot a fair bit of skeet shooting and bird hunting. What about drones makes them shotgun proof?
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u/WarlockEngineer May 15 '25
Most drones are made of fairly sturdy plastic so that they can survive bumps and falls. That plastic alone is enough to make them resistant to birdshot.
They can also fly fast enough and high enough to make a hit on them nearly impossible
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u/WeissMISFIT May 15 '25
When I was a kid I built a carbon fibre drone and the fastest I ever went was about 160kmh. I know a guy who hit 200kmh.
I’ve probably crashed it at 40kmh and it was fine
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u/BasedPinoy May 14 '25
Heck yeah, that's what I'm talkin about! Have an SBC run the SDR, load up some ML models on it, get a TPU to do inference, output signals back through and wham!
Sad to see anti-drone tech so far down
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u/Marginally_Witty May 14 '25
If Ukraine teaches us anything, it’s that air superiority is no longer limited to fighter jets and strategic bombers.
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u/mattycakes1077 May 14 '25
PCC in 10mm, bigger hammer than that, as already mentioned duct tape and wd40, vodka and orange juice
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u/QueerDumbass May 14 '25
Get a technical education, something in industrial maintenance or automation will cover 9/10 basic construction and electrical theory topics. Find a couple courses in small engine repair. Maybe woodworking.
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u/DarkAndStormyXXX Sticky Fingers Actual May 14 '25
Honestly, depending on what route you wanna take, given that entrace seems to be your goal compared to denial, I'd through a flipper and a lock pick into the kit
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u/echocall2 May 14 '25
I fear the man who owns knipex pliers and an adjustable wrench.
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u/LaGrrrande May 14 '25
I'd fear him more if he swapped the adjustable wrench with a Knipex pliers-wrench.
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u/Hot_Departure9115 May 14 '25
Swedish pipe wrench. Similar, but better (imo).
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u/LaGrrrande May 14 '25
As long as it's better than that Swedish nut-lathe
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u/Imperialist_hotdog May 14 '25
Depends what you’re “engineering.”
Are you talking just breaching? In which case a pair of bolt cutters, lock picking kit, maybe a hoolie tool and some toys out of TM 31-210 (where “legally” applicable) would be fine additions.
Otherwise checkout MCWP 3-17 (at least section 4), Joint Pub 3-34, and FM 5-34.
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u/Bob-TheTomato May 14 '25
Although people keep saying duct tape… I would argue E-tape and Monofilament will do anything duct tape can. Those two, wire strippers, crimpers, and a 12 pack of white monster
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u/OGDREADLORD666 May 14 '25 edited May 15 '25
Need a thumper, hooligan tool, 12" spikes for windlassing wire, a lot of chew, chainsaw, gun tape, a 5 pound puppy pounder and a 10 pound sledge, trip wire feeler, shovel, some cordage, about 6 pairs of work gloves, and some more chew if you want a real SHTF combat engineer loadout.
Bring some cam poles too so you can make the barbed wire machine for when you have to lay out hundreds of feet of it off a the barbed wire reel.
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u/sofer100 May 14 '25
Im a part of my community natural disaster response team and two things that I've found really useful and you're missing are: 1. A wood saw 2. A bunch of nails
That ability to makeshift things in the field with those is priceless! On our one actual call we had a beam blocking our way to a trapped granny and the saw (which is electric but I'm sure a normal one would work) did a pretty good job and saved us a lot of time. My partner also took the two pieces made some makeshift supports out of it using some big fucking screws (but I think you're trying to go electricity free so nails can do the job)
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u/porty1119 Prospector/Commo Geek May 20 '25
Have Sawzall, will travel. It's a construction tool and a demolition tool all in one handy package!
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u/bleedinghero May 14 '25
Is that detonation cord? Also why not go with a titanium hammer? Saves weight.
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u/2020blowsdik Connoisseur of Autism Patches May 14 '25
What kind of engineer?
Im both a Marine Combat Engineer (reserve now) and a structural engineer in the civilian world.... my SHTF kit would not look like this for either job 🤣
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u/PleasantPreference62 May 14 '25
Duct tape for when it moves but shouldn't. WD40 for when it doesn't move but should.
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u/slimcrizzle May 14 '25
You have a better chance of surviving a point blank nuclear impact than seeing an engineer with tools in their hands
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u/GenericUsername817 May 14 '25
Needs duct tape, zip ties and if you can get your hands on it, detcord
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u/Mulmangcho99 May 14 '25
As a great engineer once said, "Use a gun. And if that doesn't work, use more gun."
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u/Ok-Detail-9853 May 14 '25
I applaud the sill cock. Often over looked source for water
I would add a pry bar of some kind
Nothing beats the combination of a Halligan and a flat head axe for forcible entry
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u/Schizoid_Vexoid May 14 '25
Wrench needs to be bigger also you’ll need a dispenser and a turret. I dont make the rules.
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May 14 '25
I imagine the goals would be gain access then fortify so Bolt cutters halligan shovel sandbags framing and sledge hammers and a pair of insulated lineman’s pliers
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u/Kenji338 May 14 '25
Where duct tape