Month: December 2012

Odds ‘n Sods:

There Are Now Approximately 3 Million Preppers In The United States, Why Are They Hated So Much?    o o o Reader Jordan B. sent: US intelligence study sees possible fight ahead over water, food    o o o Where building codes collide with common sense: Watauga County ‘mountain man’ fighting to keep his nature camp open. (Thanks to James S. for the link.)    o o o Reader Rodger E. mentioned a new aluminum Side Saddle shell holder is available for Mossberg 500 and 590 owners. They cleverly use a Picatinny-style rail, for mounting.    o o o 12 …



Notes from JWR:

Update: A reader near Fort Sill, Oklahoma should jump on this big lot: Auction for 21 Pallets of Razor Wire. This variety of wire is more expensive (and effective) than traditional concertina wire. The auction ends at 5 p.m. EST on December 12, 2012. — Today we present another entry for Round 44 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those …


Survival Gear Packing 101, by Jim G.

I’ve been reading a lot lately about types of bags and the many different options for BOBs that are out there. A staple of all prep web sites is the gear list and there is no shortage of suggestions on what you should have with you. What I’m not seeing is how to stow your gear. I’m not talking about the actual packing of your bag. I’ve actually seen an article or two about this, tips like keeping the heavy items low and close to your back, use of ditty bags, or packing your rucksack in a columnar system. What …


News From The American Redoubt:

Reader T.K., who lives in the Tri-cities [Richland, Pasco and Kennewick] region of Washington wrote to mention that local credit union, HAPO, is ordering in $2,000 in nickels for him with no fee charged. “I’m simply taking $2,000 out of my account with them and they are giving me $2,000 in nickels. It is going to take a week for the order to go through and they asked me to have some kind of bins to put them in but other than that they had no issues with me getting a bulk shipment of nickels. Yet another reason to live …


Economics and Investing:

US citizens leaving the country to avoid stiff tax bills Euro Area Pushed Into Recession as Trade Slows, Spending Drops Jim W. suggested this: Research Shows ALL Paper Money Systems Failed Items from The Economatrix: How To Prepare For The Coming Gold Crunch Oil Trades Near Three-Week Low as ECB Cuts Europe Growth Outlook More US Service Jobs Heading Offshore The World’s Economy Is In Peril, The Government Knows It


Odds ‘n Sods:

Half of America: I’d Kill to Protect My Own–Survey reveals stunning attitudes about surviving in catastrophe    o o o For the SurvivalBlog readers who have supported Anchor of Hope Charities (the folks who run an orphanage and mission school in Zambia), this is your annual reminder. Many thanks for supporting such a worthy and financially responsible charity. They operate with almost no overhead.    o o o Blogger Sarah A. Hoyt talks societal collapse: Preparing For The Long Rains    o o o A reminder that the Freeze Dry Guy two-week 25% off sale of Mountain House freeze dried …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Technology is a blessing for those who understand it and can develop and maintain it. It can be a snare for those who can can only depend on getting it ‘off the shelf.’ If it malfunctions they are lost. Tools, supplies, and technological equipment should play a part in anyone’s survival plans, but they should not play a part that overreaches the person’s ability to deal with it.” – Karl Hess, Editor, A Common Sense Strategy for Survivalists, p. 37, 1981


How to Thwart Nigerian Scammers: Demand Proof of Life

SurvivalBlog readers often buy gear for their retreats using Craigslist and Internet message boards such as Buddy’s Board and eHam to buy equipment. There are some genuine bargains out there, but be advised that these web sites have become the favorite hunting grounds of Nigerian Scammers. They prey upon people who are looking for bargains. Typically, the scammers place fraudulent ads offering items for sale in the Want To Sell (WTS) category , or they respond to Want To Buy (WTB) ads. Some Red Flags that may indicate that you’ve been contacted by a Nigerian merchandise scammer: 1.) The seller …


Pat’s Product Review: Clearly Filtered Water Filters

This is a simple fact; without a source of fresh and safe water to drink, you will die within four days – depending on weather conditions. As I’m writing this, the folks back East are still suffering the effects of Hurricane Sandy. Many are still without power or heat in their homes after two weeks – at least 40,000 people were totally homeless right now, and winter temps are setting in. I read one news report, where people were paying $7 for a loaf of bread, and $10 for a box of matches. FEMA ran out of bottled water less than …


Harry’s Book Review: Citizens (Sci-Fi Anthology)

Citizens Authors: Multiple. Edited by John Ringo and Brian M. Thomsen Copyright Date: 2010 Publisher: Baen Publishing Enterprises ISBN: 978-1-4391-3347-7 (also 978-1439134603–mass market paperback) Suitable for children? Not young ones. Teens depending on maturity. (Parental screening recommended.) Citizens is a collection of fifteen military science fiction short stories. From a prepper’s perspective these stories are not going to provide in depth detail for making provision for an uncertain future, but they do illustrate the mentality required to survive, or at least succeed, in combat. It should probably be noted that in several of these stories success does not equate with …


Letter Re: A Useful Free USGS Online Maps Web Site

Dear Jim, I have found an invaluable free tool for your pre- and post-SHTF operations that allows you detailed and accurate mapping for your location(s) within the U.S.  Here is a link to the U.S. Geological Survey Map Store where you can download at, no cost, detailed topographic, contour, road maps, etc. even including satellite images. These newer maps usually are around 20 megabytes, so if you have a slow Internet connection, be aware of that.    First navigate to the USGS Map Locator and Downloader Web Page   Now Double-Click to Zoom-In and Click-and Drag to Re-center the interactive …


Letter Re: Synthetic Fuel Production

James, Your reference to SASOL’s gas-to-liquid synfuel project in Louisiana reminded me of a recent news story about Sinopec’s joint venture in Medicine Bow, Wyoming to produce liquid fuel from coal. They claim to be able to convert 1 ton of coal (Powder River Basin mine-mouth value: $10) into two barrels of petroleum product (value: $200+). A great idea, if it works, but I can’t say I’m excited about inviting the Chinese into our backyard to do this. Best Regards, – Don in Oregon


Michael Z. Williamson: Telecom Cable Rooms and Salt Water–A Bad Combination

This article bears special mention: Into the vault: the operation to rescue Manhattan’s drowned internet Hurricane. Steve [an acquaintance who is a telephone lineman] wrote to note: “Having a cable vault under a central office flood is a major disaster in the telecom industry. One splice getting wet is a big job. Losing the entire office brings up comments like I didn’t want any days off this year. Having fixed splices like this that have gotten wet I have a good idea what is involved to fix this. It’s a lot of slow meticulous work. If the damage is only …


Letter Re: Survival Bikes

A few more thoughts on survival bikes, especially two readers’ recommendations to use Presta-valve tubes. Mark L. might be a bit of a bike snob; I understand that, having myself been into high-end bicycles and raced and toured thousands of miles, but his comments on Presta valves and suspension bikes I think are off the mark in a TEOTWAWKI situation. You cannot buy a Presta valve anywhere except a [high end] bike store or online. In my area, in the winter, there are no bike stores open within 150 miles in the best of times. Of course, if you’re thinking …