Month: August 2008

Letter Re: Finding a Family Oriented Survival Retreat

We are a devoted Christian family located in N.E. Oklahoma who are looking to encourage, help, and possibly connect with other families that are like minded. My wife and I have been preparing since we have been together (1999). We now have three young children, and are very family oriented. We homeschool and even home church. Despite the fact that some ‘hard core’ survivalists cringe at the thought of caring for little ones, we love children and consider them a blessing, and we believe that it is an honorable duty to be able to provide for and protect them. Besides …


Letter Re: GPS Receivers with a Back Road Mode

Jim, In answer to the recent inquiry: I can’t speak for other manufacturers, but Garmin’s Mapsource software has a setting for the road types along routes. I took my family on a camping trip a few weeks ago and we were on a single-lane dirt road for several miles between paved roads. We saw a group of wild turkeys cross the road and numerous deer bounding away as we passed. Since this trip, I found the setting in Mapsource that the software uses to determine road types. Click the “Edit” menu and select “Preferences” and in the resulting dialog, select …


Odds ‘n Sods:

John T. spotted this thought-provoking piece by Chris Sullins posted over at Of Two Minds: The Self-Selected Remnant    o o o David in Israel recommends the Pyromid Folding Grille. David notes: “I got mine at an outdoor gear shop closing sale. I was surprised by the high list price for a grille but that was before I used it. Made of stainless steel the infrared energy from the coals is all aimed upwards toward the food, after many seasons of use the once mirror shiny grille is a dull gold color where it was heated but there is no …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The harsh reality is that Starbucks is a microcosm of scores of enterprises that have come to comprise the core of the U.S. Bubble economy. The economic viability of so many businesses and even industries will be in jeopardy in the unfolding credit and financial landscape. The stock market is still in the early stage of discounting the unfolding credit and economic bust. And I’ll reiterate that we expect the unfolding economic adjustment to be of such a magnitude as to be classified as an economic depression.” – Doug Noland, The Prudent Bear


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 18 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include: First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article in the next 60 days will be awarded two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value! Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing Round 18 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing …


A Practical Guide to the Recon Patrol, by TMC

Okay, the stuff has hit the fan, you have made it to your retreat, and you are geared up, stocked up and ready to survive. Inner security has been established, with LP/OPs located at likely avenues of approach. You at some point will start to wonder what else is out there, how far away it is, and what it means for your group. You might want to start implementing the recon patrol. While I could write what may very well be a small manual on the subject, I will just put out the basics that will point you in the …


Letter Re: Advice on Finding a Retreat

Hello Mr Rawles; Back around 1996, I downloaded (and paid for) a copy of your novel “Triple Ought” [an early shareware draft “Patriots”]; I and others around me, learned from it and enjoyed it immensely. I now have an autographed copy of “Patriots“, and have read it more than once. A little background; We lived on a ‘farm’ retreat in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (“U.P.“) with two other families from the Summer of ’99 (read: Y2K) to the Spring of 2002 and experienced first-hand the trials and joys of such an existence. We survived on the very basics; we raised our …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader KAF suggested this piece over at Pajamas Media: Ask Dr. Helen: Preparing for Disaster — Prudent or Paranoid? It sounds like she might have been reading SurvivalBlog.    o o o Steve N. flagged this article: Iran threatens to shut Gulf shipping lanes    o o o Eric sent us this piece on the significance of “local” produce: Supermarket Chains Narrow Their Sights    o o o A reader e-mailed me to ask: “Do you know of any GPS that has a “Scenery mode” or other mode that chooses back roads instead of major roads and highways, so I …



Notes from JWR:

There was recently an interesting write up of SurvivalBlog in the Scripps Metropulse newspaper. Somehow, they came to the conclusion that I live in Georgia. But I can assure them that I indeed live “somewhere west of the Rockies.” Today we present another entry for Round 18 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include: First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article in the next 60 days will be awarded two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value! Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint …


On Rural Retreat Safety and Secrecy, by E.I.D.

A major worry for many urbanites considering maintaining a rural retreat is their ability to, from a distance, ensure the secrecy and security of their property. Many of us cannot afford a full time retreat-sitter, and must use other legal methods to ensure the security of our property and supplies in both grid-up and grid-down scenarios. First, county roads running to or through your property are always a liability. I set my retreat as far back off of the gravel county road as possible by clearing my own road, with the help of friends, through thick pine forest. My road …


Three Letters Re: The Potential Perils of Bank Safe Deposit Boxes

Hi James – Nice letter from D.C. today, but for cryin’ out load Jim, please advise him to get his precious metals out of a bank’s safety deposit box. He seems to be able to afford a decent wall safe and the few bucks it might cost to install and camouflage it. When banks fail, they close the safety deposit boxes too – at least for a while. Not a great strategy to be cut off from your contingency funding right when you need it most. Too, get sideways with the IRS, and you will go to bank to see …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From Cheryl N.: Dow is Heading for 10,000 “The markets can’t seem to get that the U.S. is in recession, says Kirby Daley, strategist at the Newedge Group. But a downward movement is inevitable. He tells CNBC’s Martin Soong and Amanda Drury to expect a 15% to 20% drop on the Dow in the near future.”    o o o David in Israel recommends The Pocket Chainsaw. “It is the smart answer to the flimsy wire saws found in many survival kits. This tool packed in a can the size of a roll of electrical tape is a 28 inch …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The Wall Street crash doesn’t mean that there will be any general or serious business depression. For six years American business has been diverting a substantial part of its attention, its energies and its resources on the speculative game… Now that irrelevant, alien and hazardous adventure is over. Business has come home again, back to its job, providentially unscathed, sound in wind and limb, financially stronger than ever before.” – Business Week, November 2, 1929


Note from JWR:

I noticed that the spot prices of gold and silver took a substantial dip yesterday. I still consider this a secular bull market in precious metals. If you have your survival gear and supplies squared away, then you might want to take advantage of these dips, and buy yourself some silver coins. Keep these well-hidden at home for use as a bad times barter currency, and as a hedge against inflation. Given the declining purchasing power of the US Dollar, gold below $900 per ounce and and silver below $17 per ounce are bargains.