Month: February 2010

Letter Re: How I Made My iPhone a Useful Survival Reference

James, I depend on your invaluable books and Blog daily. I wanted to share with you and your readers my Archives Library system for when SHTF. I have an iPhone 3Gs ( and a spare one ). I feel that this is a more readily accessible and portable device as compared to a Kindle. I have loaded with many useful applications (“apps”) for survival and references. The main apps are : Carpenters Helper Photo Album and iTunes (for family viewing of pictures and my DVD collection DVDs ripped at 700Kbps VBR 2 pass h.264 is pretty good and saves on …


Letter Re: Practical Substitutes for Anvils

Dear JWR: In article in the February 9th edition of SurvivalBlog, author JIR wrote: “There is no substitute for a good anvil. The bigger it is, the more stable it is and the more enjoyable it is to work with. But, if you need to, you can get by with using almost any heavy chunk of steel or even a big rock. My first anvil was a 16 pound sledgehammer head and it worked pretty well.” The following three links offer descriptions and some thoughts regarding the construction of anvils from short sections of former railroad rail. Though not as …


Economics and Investing:

A link sent by SurvivalBlog’s Poet Laureate George Gordon (“GG”): Why Sovereign Debt Pain Has Only Just Started Also from GG come this big red flag article: Greece ‘Dress Rehearsal’ for U.S. and U.K., Deutsche Bank Says Sent by Trent: Britain faces ‘oil crunch’ within five years, Richard Branson warns Forget The Mortgage, I’m Paying My Credit Card First! (Thanks to Coyote in northern Michigan, for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Greece’s Financial Crisis Puts Future of Euro in Question Super-wealthy Investors Move Billions Out of Greece World Bankers Meet in Sydney as Recovery Fears Intensify Bank Failures to …


Odds ‘n Sods:

There are just two days left in the 25% off sale at SafeCastle on all Mountain House foods in #10 cans is in progress. They are offering free shipping to the 48 continental states! The sale ends on February 13th, so order soon!    o o o “Hokie” sent us this: High demand for road salt prompts rationing in Maryland and Virginia    o o o Just one week remains in Directive 21’s sale on the Royal Berkey water filters. Presently just $262.50, the price will revert to $275, on the 18th of February.    o o o More about …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 27 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, …


Updating the Ancient Art of Caching, by C.W.B.

It was the summer of 1985 and I was deep in the rain forest near the ruins of the ancient city of Tikal in Guatemala. Talking over the cries of howler monkeys, the guide showed us a small cave that had been uncovered on the side of the road. He told us this was one of many caches archeologists had found around the outskirts of the crumbling city. Some had contained only empty containers, and some had been full of grain and other food items. Could some of the citizens of Tikal, preparing for what they saw as the inevitable …


Letter Re: Some Thoughts on Bartering and Disaster Preparedness

Greetings Jim, I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to touch on a few topics that may interest some of your readers. I have been in many phases of the construction trade for 18 years, I live on the edge a medium sized city, and like so many others, because of my work, and the need for a population to support my livelihood, my options are limited as to where I live, so I will have to make do with where I am. Being in the construction industry, I learned early on that it’s Feast or Feathers, so …


Letter Re: Some Real World Battery Life Data

Jim, The recent article by ‘Cactus Jim’ got me thinking about a type of battery rarely mentioned, the ‘dry-charged’ lead acid, where the end-user fills the battery with acid after purchase. Initial impression is that this type, if kept sealed in a temperature and humidity stable environment, could last indefinitely, only being flooded and charged when needed. Battery acid is stable and does not deteriorate if kept sealed. Our local NAPA auto parts store stocks small (motorcycle/garden tractor) units and will special order most any size 12v battery. Price is the same as for the equivalent wet-charged units except the …


Two Letters Re: The Cessna 172 Bug Out Plan

James, In response to the recently-posted writing contest article The Cessna 172 Bug Out Plan, by Captain Zoobie: 1. Unleaded gas works perfectly well in Cessna 172s. (Just use some leaded fuel once in awhile to lube the valves). Even with an open window, fumes from gasoline containers in the cockpit will likely be unbearable, especially at altitude! (You have to vent them or they might burst as you climb, the original poster should know this.) 2. If you want to be able to get out in an emergency, you should hangar your plane at a small airport and get …


Economics and Investing:

The BHO administration seems bent on paving their way out of the recession, with $20 billion in new road and bridge building contracts. But I’m dubious about how efficacious this will be in creating permanent jobs, and boosting economy. This is all just sinking us (collectively) deeper in debt. Take a look at Japan’s massive road building program in the1990s. It certainly didn’t buy them an economic recovery. How can the BHO administration expect anything different? Chad flagged this: Is Washington’s tax exemption on bullion a gold mine? [JWR Adds: As the majority of the 50 States get increasingly desperate …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Dick S. mentioned that there’s a great article in the February issue of Field & Stream magazine, titled; “The Ultimate Survivor: Life in the wild with Alaska’s toughest trapper.”    o o o The 25% off sale at SafeCastle on all Mountain House foods in #10 cans is in progress. They are offering free shipping to the 48 continental states! The sale ends on February 13th, so order soon!    o o o The recent article titled “Forges Foundries, and Factories” by JIR prompted several readers to write to remind me about the wealth of resources on traditional skills, …



Note from JWR:

Today we present two entries for Round 27 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, …


Forges, Foundries, and Factories, by JIR

While you are deciding what to store away, don’t forget about the needs of your grandchildren. They will need reference books. After TEOTWAWKI, any survivors in the USA will be living on capital. I am talking about capital in the form of basic commodities, like grain, legumes, clothes, fuels, and machines. Some of this capital needs to be replaced almost immediately, like food, for instance, but some of it will take generations to wear out completely. Until we can replace everything we use up, we will not be truly recovered. Eventually, we will need to replace our generators, tractors, firearms, …