As a young child, Doc Montana moved from the midwest flatland to the Rocky Mountains and never looked back. Embracing every aspect and season of the outdoor life, Doc lives to mountaineer, rock climb, trail run, hunt, race mountain bikes, ski, hunt, and fish “The River that runs through it.” Never missing the chance to be outdoors, Doc honed his survival skills through professional courses, training, and plenty of real-world situations, both intentional and not. Although Doc is considered a gearhead, he never lets having the wrong equipment stop him from enjoying the adventure. Long before Gore-tex, cell phones, helmets, and bear spray, Doc was pushing the limits in the mountains by running that icy line between minimalism and disaster. Whether kayaking in Alaska, or photographing the shanty towns of South Africa, Doc is at home on the road and off. With adventures on four continents, Doc has become a bit of an EDC aficionado and enjoys pushing the limits of outdoor tools and survival gear. Drawing on his academic and scientific background, Doc considerations survival as nothing more than rules of engagement for living on Earth. Play by the rules and gain more experience. Ignore the rules and make the six o’clock news.
Doc Montana holds PhD’s in both science education and computer science and currently teaches at a university in the northern United States.
1. Please describe your every day carry?
- Knives: All Benchmades. Either a 530 Pardue (suit and tie), Vollie (office), Flipper (around town), Barrage (anticipate heavy use), and Adamas for dog walking and when I’m on the road.
- Flashlight: FourSevens Prion for just-in-case, and a Surefire E2D Ultra when I know I’ll need it.
- Bosch & Lomb 4x magnifying glass
- Fisher Bullet Space Pen or Schrade tactical pen
- Watch: Rolex Submariner or Suunto Vector
2. Favorite bug out pistol?
Glock 26 Gen4 with extra 33 round mags
3. Favorite concealed carry pistol?
4. Favorite bug out rifle or carbine?
Franklin Armory SBR-L AR-15 5.56 with EOTech or Aimpoint Comp M3 (depending on the situation), and a Surefire x300 Ultra weapons light. Second choice is a Ruger 10/22 Takedown with scope
5. Favorite rifle or carbine?
See above
6. Favorite shotgun?
Remington 870 Marine with Magpul furniture
7. The amount of food you have at your house?
Two or three months supply stored on-site depending on what the kids have gotten into after school. And an unlimited supply of food still warm and running or flying around in the hills, or cool and still swimming in the rivers and lakes.
8. Name your top 7 items in your bug out bag?
Beyond the basics are a Bibler single-wall “Goretex” tent, Northface Ultralight down sleepingbag, MSR Miniworks EX water filter with Silt Stopper, MSR International whisperlite multi-fuel stove with 20 oz fuel bottle onboard, Benchmade Bushcrafter knife, Leatherman Charge Tii, and 8×20 Leica Ultravid binoculars.
9. Describe your bug out location, if you have one?
Middle of nowhere, Montana. Over 100 miles from the nearest Wal-Mart, and over 300 miles from the nearest city with a population over 100k.
10. Describe your bug out vehicle?
Post-EMP: non-EFI Toyota 4×4 Pickup. Pre-EMP: Newer Toyota 4Runner. Either can quickly be adapted with roof racks and boxes, trailer hitch bike rack, and driven non-stop to my BOL or planned alternate locations any time of the year.
11. Describe your bug out bag?
Immediate go-bag: 5.11 Tactical All Hazards Prime with Rush System-ready mini-BOBs depending on the season and amount of advanced notice. If there is some upfront warning time or it’s the dead of winter, I might go with my Arctery’x Bora 80 (about half the size of a refrigerator).
12. Favorite home defense pistol?
Glock 19 with a Streamlight TLR-2 Green laser/weapons light
13. Favorite home defense rifle/shotgun?
The one within reach. If it not a favorite, I don’t own it.
14. Favorite survival book?
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
15. Favorite survival type movie?
Alive – Not that I’m endorsing cannibalism, but I’d rather my friends eat me than a pack of dogs.
16. Survival knife?
Urban setting would be the Boker Orca2. Wilderness setting would be the Benchmade Bushcrafter with ExoTac FireRod, or Spyderco Bushcraft.
17. Survival tools in your kit?
A few worth mentioning include a Leatherman Skeletool CX, a Stiletto titanium pry bar, ExoTac MatchCap XL with hurricane matches and two extra striker strips, ExoTac FireRod with Quick-tinder tabs, a small Knipex Cobra 125mm pliers, a SPAX (mostly lives in the truck), a Snap-On 8-in-one screwdriver, Smiths knife sharpening kit, Suunto MC2 Global Compass, Silky PocketBoy folding saw, Glock entrenching tool, small and large titanium cups (light, tough as hell, and you can cook in them), and telescoping fishing rod and gear.
SKIP AHEAD
