What to carry on a road trip, when you can't carry

[hso]

We've had many discussions on tools for self defense in Non Firearms Weapons and we consistently recommend travelers carry a quality pepper spray, an innocuous impact tool of some sort (cane, cane umbrella, multicell flashlights, bats, breaker bar with tire lug socket head, ...), a very bright flashlight (fenix, surefire, streamlight,...) and a knife they're familiar with and can deploy under stress. The chemical sprays can provide some stand off protection that doesn't require contact. Sticks can trump knives and a light can be used to distract and as an impact tool.

 

[easyg]

I'll be alone for about a 1,000 mile road trip and I'll be staying in a hotel for a week. Obviously, I can't carry my CCW which makes me feel kinda naked.

Hmmm, 1000 miles on the road....1 week in a hotel....

I'm not the type to scoff at laws, even laws that I disagree with, and I'm not the type to go looking for trouble....

but there's just no way that I would make such a trip without a handgun.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

Be aware that your SOG Twitch will probably be considered a switchblade under New York City laws, and if they catch you with it, it will be confiscated at the least and you may be charged. NYC considers pretty much any knife that can be opened with one hand a switchblade, and there are plenty of stories of people being stopped and having knives taken because a NYPD officer saw a pocket clip.

If you carry a knife, double check to make sure it's legal in NYC, and then don't use the pocket clip- drop it all the way in your pocket.

The cane is the best advice. A visit to a feed store or something similar should net you a nice hickory stock cane for less than $10.

 

[Owen Sparks]

Some modern canes are light as a feather and while this is desirable at the nursing home it makes a lousy weapon. Anything less than a solid pound just does not have enough mass and inertia to function as an effective weapon.

 

[JoeSlomo]

Hmmm, 1000 miles on the road....1 week in a hotel....

I'm not the type to scoff at laws, even laws that I disagree with, and I'm not the type to go looking for trouble....

but there's just no way that I would make such a trip without a handgun.

Me neither.

I'd at least plan a gun friendly route and look into storage before crossing into no mans land. Self storage facility, safe deposit box, local gun clubs, something...

 

[Bernie Lomax]

I read someplace that the streetwise will buy a bottle of soda or beer to drink when they have to pass through the not-so-good areas of NYC. This is because the bottle can be quickly converted into an quite nasty makeshift weapon by smashing the bottom of it against a wall. Another thing you might want to consider is a maglite flashlight. They're not considered deadly weapons by any jurisdiction that I'm aware of, but they're very heavy and one of the right size and shape can serve very effectively as a truncheon if need be.

 

[451 Detonics]

I will be making a trip that will just about force me to take 80/94 through Chicago and then up into Wisconsin. I obvious can't carry a firearm but there will be a 5 D Cell Kel-Lite in the car, my heavy Shillelagh, and for the tolls and in case I have to make a phone call I will have my change purse with $20 in quarters in it...

 

[DMK]

Be aware that your SOG Twitch will probably be considered a switchblade under New York City laws, and if they catch you with it, it will be confiscated at the least and you may be charged. NYC considers pretty much any knife that can be opened with one hand a switchblade, and there are plenty of stories of people being stopped and having knives taken because a NYPD officer saw a pocket clip.

That's a good point.

I don't have a really good fixed blade knife. This is a good excuse to buy one.
Anybody have suggestions?

 

[mortablunt]

Have you thought about having weapons other than guns. A long heavy flashlight with the big foot long handle full of D cell batteries is a good bludgeon with a practical purpose for circumventing weapons charges. Also, you might want to take to carrying a knife.

 

[FAS1]

Be aware that your SOG Twitch will probably be considered a switchblade under New York City laws, and if they catch you with it, it will be confiscated at the least and you may be charged. NYC considers pretty much any knife that can be opened with one hand a switchblade, and there are plenty of stories of people being stopped and having knives taken because a NYPD officer saw a pocket clip.

If you carry a knife, double check to make sure it's legal in NYC, and then don't use the pocket clip- drop it all the way in your pocket.

The cane is the best advice. A visit to a feed store or something similar should net you a nice hickory stock cane for less than $10.

I ALWAYS carry a Spyderco C07 clipped at SOB with an untucked shirt. I have never been questioned and it goes EVERYWHERE with me. It is accessible there from both hands.

 

[Fred Fuller]

I ALWAYS carry a Spyderco C07 clipped at SOB
It is accessible there from both hands.

Glenn,

Do you carry any other blade anywhere else? What happens if you get unexpectedly pinned flat on your back?

lpl

 

[DMK]

I'd look seriously into a Combat Umbrella.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/07/unbreakable-fig/

That is impressive.

 

[FMF Doc]

It will depend on how you are dressed, and for this, casual is better. When I was there last fall I save dark ble pants, black boots and a nondescript jacket. I bought a $12 flashlight ring to go on my belt, like the ones cops and security guards wear. It lets you carry the flashlight and gives appearance that may have some sort of training. Between avoiding the rougher areas and some slight subterfuge, you should do just fine. Also, if you are staying in hotels, then take a long gun. Unloaded in the car and the, load it in the hotel and you are good to go in your "temporary castle".

Good luck, stay safe

 

[sm]

hso's post 27 mirrors my suggestions.

To which I will add having a pack of smokes and el cheapo lighter to toss away at any given "need" to both get rid of pan-handlers on the street and at intersections.

Then again "sometimes" tossing away, allows one the time to access other "tools".

 

[Elm Creek Smith]

The arthritis gets me sometimes, and I carry a blackthorn walking stick even when it doesn't. It isn't heavy enough to be a bludgeon, but it won't break. You use it like a sword, and can put a serious whuppin' on someone if necessary.

A serious "last resort" knife is the Ka-Bar TDI. There are various versions of it, and the TDI's are reasonably priced.

ECS

 

[Jim K]

Just FWIW.

A lot of places, including some you might not think of, now have metal detectors on the doors and armed security guards and/or police hot lines to back them up.

Tear gas, Mace, and similar sprays are illegal to carry in some places and toting them is considered only a little less serious than carrying a gun. Oddly, in some gun friendly areas, it is easy to get a permit to carry a gun, but illegal to carry a spray. It seems counterintuitive to let just about anyone carry a gun, but ban sprays, yet no one ever said laws make sense.

One point to consider. Every day, tens of thousands of travellers probably follow the same route you will and don't have or need a gun. I am very much pro-gun (or I wouldn't be on this site) but it is a bit psychological. When I quit as a LEO, I felt uneasy about not having a gun on me just about all the time. But in this state it is very difficult (impossible for those not well connected or who can "prove" an absolute "need") to get a CCW license, so I changed my attitude and have had no trouble. Of course if I had to go to certain places, I would have a gun, law or no law, but without the badge, there is no need for me to go looking for trouble.

Jim

 

[dprice3844444]

http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/NoHiCapChemSpray.pdf

 

[Carl Levitian]

That's the problem with guns. I like them as much as anyone, but they become a crutch after a while. Sometimes to the point of being almost mentally crippling. I have a family member who is like some here, he won't travel outside of his own area anymore if he can't carry a gun. Wow!

This ain't the wild west, you ain't traveling the Sante Fe trail, and there ain't wild injuns coming over the hill. If you use your head, practice some situational awareness, and don't go hanging out at bars late at night, you'll be fine.

Carry a stout walking stick, have a large Maglite in your car, or some other non firearm tools, and everything will be fine.

That's the trouble with this site, it's supposed to be strategies and tactics, but all I can see is some weak ego people who when they can't have their toys with them, they suffer angst. I used to be a bit jealous of the people who live in CCW states, but maybe I've been better off living most of my life without carrying a gun. And to think I made it to senior citizen status without one. Wow!

Some people need to take some MA courses, or get some training in other ways to deal with a problem other than pull your gun. Sometimes a gun is the very last thing you want to use. Wacking some street punk with a blackthorn stick or maglight, or jamming a Cross pen in his mastoid gland, will cost you a lot less in lawyers fees than shooting him, or even pulling the gun.

Like was said, a million people have made that trip and nothing happened to them. Millions of people live in New York without anything happening to them. Just be aware of your surroundings, and don't act like an idiot, and you'll have a great trip to look back on. N.Y. has some of the best dining places in the country, as well as some of the best museums. Take some time to enjoy it. New Yorkers are some of the friendliest and best people in the world. Kick back and have a great time. Treat this as a chance to have a mini vacation. The wife and I travel to NYC once a month sometimes for a weekend, and we haven't been killed yet. But we have a great time in the big apple.

 

[vvanders]

Wow. Good to know.

I didn't think there was a Surefire made that wasn't close to $100 if not more.

Need to research my tactical flashlights.

Thanks.

They're some pretty impressive ones out there. If you want spend a little bit more Fenix makes a 304/334 lumen models(PD31/TK15) with strobe mode for around $70. I carry the PD31 with me everywhere. Small, super useful and I'm sure I can disable/disorient someone at night(which was the main reason I bought it for, if someone broke into the house).

Also no restrictions(as far as I know) around carrying a flashlight.

I didn't really mean to turn this into a product endorsement as this is S,T&T but it's hard to beat the reassurance of a small tac light at night, considering how easy to carry and useful they are.

 

[dodo bird]

I would tote along a long arm in the truck. With range bag. Most important a copy of the 4th admendment.