Preparing for an outdoor adventure means packing the right gear: water, food, bike helmet, sunscreen, and more. But how many people are prepared for the “unexpected?” A flat tire or getting turned around in the woods can mean the difference between a two hour trip, a two day survival situation, or even never returning from your adventure at all. Are you prepared to survive in the wild if the “unexpected” does occur?
“Surviving” is not just a situation reserved for the great outdoors, as people push further into the suburbs, we are more than likely to encounter bears, big cats, and other animals that would love to chow on us for dinner while roaming local trails just outside our own door. Sure, a firearm can provide the protection, but it can also land you a criminal record if you are carrying without a permit or carrying in an area that firearms are prohibited. Plus, ammunition is heavy and a firearm can become damaged in the rain. Mace can provide protection, but it cannot kill a rabbit or squirrel – for sustenance – if the situation gets that desperate.
A slingshot, in the right hands, can provide both food for survival and protection from wildlife. It won’t have the killing power of a firearm against a large animal, but it may hurt one enough to allow you and your family to escape. A modern slingshot (a.k.a. a catapult, or katapult for you European readers) is fairly lightweight, compact, and accurate; and the current models on the market are a far cry from a rubber band attached to a Y-shaped stick seen in cartoons. They have fiber optic sights, mounts for flashlights, and stabilizer weights just to name a few features. But, as we are seeing with a number of products, most slingshots are imported from China. One company has not followed that trend and is still making their product line in America. Trumark Slingshots of Boulder, Colorado has been continuously designing and manufacturing their slingshots in the U.S. since 1953. Continue reading Made in America: Trumark Slingshots