Affordable Tactical Mirror

Here’s another inexpensive item you might want to put into your survival bag. It’s the tactical mirror. Its a fun project to make with your son.

The tactical mirror is a good way for you to look around corners and into rooms. It’s a low-tech method, and provides a really good solution to taking a ‘quick peek’ during a potentially dangerous situation. During any danger, you want to try to keep yourself in the safest position and keep danger at the lowest level.

I built a couple of these for some team-mates. Sure, I could have purchased some online or at a store. But what’s the fun in that? They retail from about $12.00 to $45.00. I built these for about 5 bucks each. Pick how long you want to make them. You want it to fit into your bag. For demonstration purposes I made it long.

Tactical Use

You can use these for looking over barricades, under vehicles and into attics, or around corners. If someone is in a room, you’ll want to know about it. And if there’s no one hiding in there, all the better, but at least you’ll be able to check it.

If you don’t want to make one, at least carry a small parabolic mirror in your Bug Out Bag. These small mirrors can be purchased at any automotive store. They have a self-adhesive backing for mounting on any flat surface. You can use them for signaling a search party, sending signals and tactically spotting people. They retail for about $1.75 including tax at a Walmart or Home Depot.

How to Make Them

A small mirror affixed to a probe will make an excellent tactical mirror for you. A classmate I knew made his by purchasing a dentist’s mirror taped to an old car antenna. I think you can getter results by sticking a more robust parabolic mirror onto a curved stick.

1. I went to the hardware store and purchased a cheap, reflective driveway marker.  Half the work was already done for me. This is just a long metal rod with a red, reflective plastic cover. It cost me a $1.26. They are 36″ long so get a hacksaw and cut it down to the length that you want. Just the right length for putting inside your Bug Out Bag.

2. I also purchased a parabolic mirror with an adhesive backing. The mirror I found was the exact same diameter as the driveway marker.

3. I purchased a wooden dowel from Lowe’s. Find one that fits the size of your hand so you can comfortably wrap your palm around it. They retail for about $5.00 dollars for a 2.5 foot length.

4. Get a hand saw and trim the dowel length to the size that you want. I made mine 6″ inches long. I made three cuts total to make handles for myself and two friends. This ended up costing no more than a $1.66. Once you do this, mark a dot on an end in order to drill it straight down through the center. Mark the other side of the dowel end cap. Drill through. Once it’s done you should be able to insert the marker rod and mallet it on until it fits snugly. Glue will work to hold it in place if it’s loose.

5. Once you insert the rod into the dowel, bend the rod until it is the curvature that you want.

6. Spray paint it black. Black paint costs under a dollar. Purchase some primer if you want.

7. Once it dries, adhere the mirror to the circle of the reflective marker. Now you’ve got a tactical mirror. Not bad! A quick easy project that could safe your life when SHTF. All for about $4.56.

Put it Work

Put your tactical mirror in your non-gun hand. Keep both hands behind cover and slowly ease the mirror around the corner. Use it to look into the room while staying back and keeping yourself unexposed.

Hope you enjoyed this article.