Day: March 25, 2011

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 33 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: 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 $795, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady …


Survival Architecture: Building a Retreat that is Defensible, Sustainable and Affordable, by Phil M.

Have you designed and built your own survival retreat yet?  If not, read on.  Designing and building a survival retreat that can provide protection can be affordable and also provide more than adequate shelter and warmth to not only keep its inhabitants alive, but comfortable. To understand how this is achievable we must first understand what sort of materials are available and how each of them apply to defensibility, sustainability and affordability.  Secondly, we must understand how the arrangement of these materials into form, or design, can lend themselves  to defensibility, sustainability and affordability. Materials A major problem with conventional …


The Basic Family Vehicle G.O.O.D. Kit, by Kirk S.

Many of the posts in this forum have discussed the vehicle Bug Out Bag (BOB), however it’s been my observation that most of them are not designed for a family.  As an example, many articles have discussed having a full change of clothes including shoes.  I can attest from my personal experience that packing a single change of clothes, including shoes, for a family of five takes a large duffle bag.  Fitting a large duffle bag inside the trunk of our vehicle along with our BOB would take up most of the room in our trunk.  Extra clothes are a …


Letter Re: Some Useful Dry Measure Figures

Jim: How much bulk fits in a 5 gallon bucket or a #10 can? I did some research and assembled this helpful guide: Food Item #10 Can 5 Gallon Bucket Wheat 5 pounds 37 pounds White Flour 4.5 pounds 33 pounds Cornmeal 4.3 pounds 33 pounds Popping Corn 5 pounds 37 pounds Rolled Oats 2.5 pounds 20 pounds White Rice 5.3 pounds 36 pounds Spaghetti 3.9 pounds 30 pounds Macaroni 3.1 pounds 21 pounds Dried Beans 5.6 pounds 35 pounds Lima Beans 5.4 pounds 35 pounds Soy Beans 5 pounds 33 pounds Split Peas 5 pounds 33 pounds Lentils 5.5 …


Letter Re: Minimizing Magazine Confusion

Mr. Rawles: I think your readers may benefit from a recent experience of mine at the range. I was shooting several rifles and some friends were also shooting theirs. We noticed how similar (but not interchangeable)  many of the magazines were. In a stressful critical situation it would be very easy to try [inserting] a Mini-14 magazine in a M4gery or [inserting] a FN/FAL magazine in an M1A. Obviously it is best to keep them widely separated but if unfamiliar or under-trained persons were handling them, it could be a disaster. Our solution was to purchase a color assortment of …


Letter Re: Sailboats as Alternative Bugout Vehicles

Dear James: I found the question on using a sailboat as a bug out vehicle interesting, because I have been considering the same thing. However, there are some major things to consider. Piracy: • There are a few spots known for piracy today, but in reality there are many others where fishermen are not above piracy of opportunity, i.e. they are like my Viking ancestors: trade where the target is strong, raid where the target is weak. • Western style sailboats are magnets for pirates. They reek of wealth and comfort that the locals don’t have. Plus, they stand out …


Economics and Investing:

Commentary by Robert Samuelson at Real Clear Markets: Europe’s Debt Crisis Trumps Japan Tragedy Iowa farmland values shoot up 25% in one year. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.) Reader Greg C. flagged this: New Home Sales Dive to Record Low. (Slowest sales rate in nearly 50 years! LFG suggested this commentary by Ted Butler: Silver Review and Outlook. Ted and I both prefer silver over gold. Items from The Economatrix: End Game   Surviving A Societal Breakdown  Investors Flock To Japanese Stocks After Quake   Gold Just 1% Of Record Nominal High Of $1,444/Oz – Risk Of Dollar Crisis …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Sprouts: An ideal emergency preparedness food. (Thanks to G.P. for the link.)    o o o More about the politically-motivated attacks on Dr. Arthur Robinson’s family: “Lysenkoism” at OSU?    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) recommended this piece: Bad*ss of the Week: Hideaki Akaiwa. (Warning: This article includes some foul language)    o o o Jonathan sent a link to this map: 10-Mile and 50-Mile Nuclear Evacuation Zones. (Compare that map with the data in my Recommended Retreat Areas static page, and the maps in my book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation”.)    o o …