Month: November 2011

Field-Test Improvements to a Go Bag, by Todd S.

In September of this year I took my JanSport Trail Series external frame backpack, aka “Go Bag” into a controlled field test. It was a 2-day, 1-night, hike and camp excursion into a rainforest in the Olympic National Forest in Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. The purpose of my trip was to test my Go Bag as thoroughly as possible. What I learned surprised me and two days worth of practical experience greatly enhanced my previous two years of “theoretically” planning. The concept of a Go Bag for me is not “bugging out” or leaving my home for greener pastures. A …


Letter Re: Uses for Colloidal Silver

Sir: I have seen a lot of things online about colloidal silver being an option to protect yourself from the barium aerosol chemtrails being sprayed over my city. I don’t know how I feel about the idea of inhaling silver particles into my lungs. Do you have an opinion on this subject? Have you used a colloidal silver inhaler system yourself? I trust your advice and I await your response. Thank you, – Diana X. JWR Replies: First, I must mention that I’ve concluded that chemtrails are an elaborate myth. (An example of Urban Folklore that has been debunked.) The …


Economics and Investing:

Liquidity crunch, ahead? CME increases margin call; markets will be under pressure. (Thanks to C.D.V. for the link.) Greek Tragedy, Act II: Der Bild reports that some businesses are getting ready for reintroduction of the Greek Drachma. TUI rechnet schon in Drachmen: PLAN B WIRD AUCH IM FINANZMINISTERIUM BEREITS BESPROCHEN. For non-German readers, here is a rudimentary translation. This might not be “Das Ende der Welt, wie wir sie kennen.” But it might be The End of the Euro As We Know It.(Thanks to S.B. in Holland for the link.) Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) recommended this over …


Odds ‘n Sods:

G.R. in Texas was the first of several readers to mention this product from Australia: Dentist In A Box    o o o Not so fast–we’re furious. Fast and Furious: NRA to Launch National Campaign Calling For Holder’s Resignation    o o o K.A.F. sent this from The Washington Times: Feds concerned about hackers opening prison doors    o o o F.G. sent this: New book details starvation during the siege of Leningrad    o o o Tempers flare over six days of Connecticut power outages. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Oh, the wonders [the gospel] will accomplish! It wipes guilt from the conscience, rolls the world out of the heart, and darkness from the mind…It will put honey into the bitterest cup, and health into the most diseased soul. It will give hope to the heart, health to the face, oil to the head, light to the eye, strength to the hand, and swiftness to the foot. It will make life pleasant, labour sweet, and death triumphant. It gives faith to the fearful, courage to the timid, and strength to the weak. It robs the grave of its terrors and …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 37 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 Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) …


Ultimate OSPEC in Your Underground Shelter–Or Just Do Your Best, by Charles D.

I needed a road trip to clear my mind and consider my G.O.O.D. route while on a road trip.  My Saturday journey was west on I-70 from Denver on a sunny fall day.  Around 60 miles up the hill from Denver is the gateway into the Colorado Rockies which is the Eisenhower / Johnson Tunnels that cross under the Continental Divide into the Summit County. These tunnels help avoid the winding but beautiful Loveland Pass that is often closed due to snow and poor conditions in the winter. They send the Hazardous Material trucks over the pass when the road …


Letter Re: Buying Spare Deep Cycle Batteries

Mr Rawles, In the past I have read articles on people wanting new batteries on hand such as car, tractor and deep cell as part of there preparedness plan. one of the problems was they were unable to purchase dry batteries without the sulfuric acid in them. I recently had to purchase  a few new sets of batteries for my tractors and learned that John Deere stocks their batteries dry and when you purchase them, they add the acid and give them to you. I’m sure you could buy them from them dry. Now where and how you would get …


Two Letters Re: A Different Perspective on Packing a Bugout Bag

Jim: F.J.’s BOB article was dead on – Kudos!   We tend to approach things head on as opposed to tackle out problems at angles.  Why do I say it this way?  I challenge any of your readers that have issue, first, in a calm environment to take a pleasant – stress free hike in both the summer and the winter.  Leave on a Friday afternoon, and come home on a Sunday.  Be somewhat adventurous – Hike in Friday night, set up camp, then Hike 10 to 12 Miles Saturday.  Then Sunday Hike out another 6-8.   Pick a date …


Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog’s G.G. flagged this: Many States Already Worried About Running Short The descent into the abyss continues: Unable to pay bill, Michigan city turns off lights K.A.F. sent this: Guatemala’s trash ‘miners’ risk lives to find gold Charley S. forwarded this link: ‘He has a right to speak,’ said the cop to the banker Items from The Economatrix: Economy Picks Up But Hiring Outlook Stays Cloudy Retailers Report Solid Gains In October Greece In Turmoil Over Debt Plan, Markets In Limbo Oil Prices Rise On More Encouraging Economic News


Odds ‘n Sods:

G.G. flagged this: Five days later 435,000 still remain without power in Connecticut    o o o When seconds count, the police are only 30 minutes away (in downtown Detroit):  DDOT Drivers Refuse To Work: ‘They’re Scared For Their Lives’. Thanks to Todd G. for the link.    o o o Just a few preps would have meant the difference between life and death: Couple Found Dead Two Hours Before Power Restored. (Thanks to C.Z. for the link.)    o o o Largest Sunspot in Years Observed on the Sun. (Thanks to Bret S. for the link.) And speaking of …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Once the euphoria of the initial announcement faded and as people have begun to closely examine the details of the European debt deal, they have started to realize that this “debt deal” is really just a “managed” Greek debt default. Let’s be honest – this deal is not going to solve anything. All it does is buy Greece a few months. Meanwhile, it is going to make the financial collapse of other nations in Europe even more likely. Anyone that believes that the financial situation in Europe is better now than it was last week simply does not understand what …


Notes from JWR:

We’ve recently expanded our Amazon Store pages, with lots of new items including tools and optics. Check it out. If you click on one of our Amazon links and then “click through” to order ANY product from Amazon.com (not just the ones listed in our catalog), then a modest sales commission will be generated to support SurvivalBlog. Please shop with our our paid advertisers first. (See the ads in the right hand bar of the main blog page.) But if they don’t have what you are looking for, then you can shop via our Amazon store. Please keep our store …


Getting Home in a Crisis Will Require Gear and Fitness, by Vin F.

My family is the most important thing in my life. I sometimes ask myself, what will I do if there is some event that will leave me stranded away from home? Maybe the event is minimal and my vehicle works, I just drive home. What if it is something more serious like an EMP disables my vehicle and I have to walk home, would I be able to make it home to take care of my family. This is why I have a Get Home Bag (GHB) and I try to keep myself physically fit. My main concern is the …


Four Letters Re: A Different Perspective on Packing a Bugout Bag

Greetings to you Mr. Rawles, Thank you for the blog, which is much appreciated here in the UK. I wanted to share just a few lines on the matter of bug-out-bags (BOBs) in the light of my recently re-established contact with some friends in Libya. A discussion of the politics there would not be appropriate for your site, though I would ask you and your readers to consider the possibility that they may have been lied to by the mainstream media and their bankster chums. My friends, decent, middle-class people (an engineer and two doctors) had no involvement with politics …