by Frederick Reimers
With his book The World’s Most Dangerous Places, a first-person account of life in lawless countries and war zones, frequent MJ contributor Robert Young Pelton earned a reputation as a hardened survival expert. His latest book, Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror, exposes how the U.S. government puts national security in the hands of mercenaries. While reporting, he relies on equipment that’s sturdy yet incognito. “For every shiny, colorful piece of gear you own, 100 local guys wish they owned it too,” warns Pelton. “That’s why everything I deal with is drab and dirty and beat up.”
1. Eagle Industries Becker Patrol Pack
Though Pelton rarely lets the carry-on-size pack out of his reach, he stuffs dirty laundry into a few of the six external pockets to dissuade thieves. The others hold wound kits, snacks, and language guides. The Becker Patrol Pack also has a secret pocket under the lid that “no customs inspector has found.” [$258; eagleindustries.com]
2. Seychelle advanced portable canteen
In-canteen filters are easier to use than pump filters and remove just as many viruses, pesticides, and bacteria. “This one was given to me by a mercenary in Liberia,” says Pelton, of the 38-ounce plastic bottle. “It was my only source of water when I was kidnapped by a death squad in Colombia for 10 days.” [$32; seychelle.com]
3. Crystal Hot Sauce
“Food in refugee camps tastes like crap, but Crystal Hot Sauce makes anything palatable,” says Pelton of the New Orleans–made cayenne pepper sauce. “Plus, if you dab a couple of drops into your mouth in the morning, it wakes you up and freshens your breath.” [83 cents; baumerfoods.com]
4. DPX H.E.S.T. survival knife
Pelton helped design this seven-inch knife, which has a bottle opener, a pry tool, and a hollow handle that works as a secret cache. Oh, and the thick blade is small enough to be palmed for stealthy jabs. “It’s good for persuading a stoned Liberian child-soldier that the next present he gives himself won’t be your camera.” [$140; dpxgear.com]
5. Viberg boots
“Well-made leather boots can be repaired forever,” says Pelton, who replaced his vintage 1973 pair of custom Viberg logging boots only because his feet flattened out to a larger size. He now owns two pairs: the lighter, low-topped 66 Hiker for traveling by foot and the heavier-duty 151 Contractor (shown) for vehicle expeditions in Borneo and Africa. [$375; workboot.com]
6. Lumix DMC-LX3 digital camera
Pelton owns a bulky Nikon D700 dSLR, but when he wants to go unnoticed, he packs the small 10-megapixel DMC-LX3. “It has a Leica lens,” says Pelton, “but you don’t have to spend a fortune.” That top-notch glass makes for crisp portraits. “You want sharp focus on a soldier’s blood-spattered face.” [$500; panasonic.com]
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This article originally appeared in the October 2009 issue of Men’s Journal.
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December 16th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Did Pelton actually recommend pulling a knife on a stoned African child-soldier?! Trust me, you should give the kid your camera before he decides to use his AK. Pelton must be working on a new book, How to Die in Dangerous Places.
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Jon Cansen Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Probably never happened. Pelton Young, ahem, embellishes.
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Matt Reply:
October 23rd, 2010 at 3:29 pm
No, Darden.
Maybe you should travel to places where the children aren’t screaming Walmart.
You display the knife and show it to them, what it does, the secret compartment – and instead of taking your camera – they take the knife.
Sometimes I wake up and wonder if the entire world will have gorged itself on bleach and died because it’s to stupid to know not to.
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February 19th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Poor dyslexic Jon (its Robert Young Pelton) confuses dark cynical humor with dull boring advice. Robert Young Pelton documents his exploits and travel with plenty of cameramen, writers, journalists and others to show he doesn’t need to embellish. Remember to measure from the back, add a few inches and watch for Bear Grylis latest survival mockumentary…cuz RYP is the dude when it comes to real adventure. I have not read anything by him in the magazine lately. Where he at?
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Scootcha Reply:
March 18th, 2010 at 5:01 am
Pelton is currently recovering from the devastating loss of business he and his company, Praedict, have suffered in Afghanistan. A prominent figure in the investigation of the “human intelligence to assassination” ring led by Mr. Furlong, Pelton is currently portraying himself as the victim of circumstances and an unwilling participant in the scheme.
Pelton’s prime partner in Praedict is Eason Jordan, who was forced to leave CNN over ethics violations. Members of Praedict’s advisory board include CNN’s Ted Turner and GEN(R) Wesley Clark.
In 2009, Pelton wrote an article in Men’s Journal depicting the Human Terrain System as a bungling organization in the last stages of mission failure. At the same time, he was offering to sell human terrain mapping services to GEN McKiernan’s staff. He now describes himself as “an advisor” to McKiernan. Pelton, through Praedict, gained approval to begin providing such services. Claiming now that he was, “never paid a dime,” but who was still providing intelligence because, “it was the right thing to do,” Pelton is now appearing on various news outlets as a victim of Michael Furlong’s diversion of money and intelligence to drive private assassination of Taliban figures.
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July 17th, 2010 at 8:59 am
Hot Sauce! I spent 3 motnhs in Yemen and hot sauce saved my redundant meals of beans and rice.
I most definitely agree with you, Mr. Pelton.
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April 28th, 2011 at 5:11 am
Haters gonna hate… but they are never going to be Robert Young Pelton. Need more people who get out there. Rock on Robert
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