Year: 2012

Letter Re: The Lowly, Forgotten Knee Pad

Hello Mr. Rawles, After perusing the contents listed in survival kits, Bug Out Bags (BOB), and Get Out Of Dodge bags (GOOD), it seems to me that they all have one common glaring omission. That omission is knee pads. It occurred to me recently while fixing a roadside flat that so many survival/TEOTWAWKI tasks require one to get “down and dirty”, i. e., working on one’s knees. Knee pads can remove a lot of the “pain and suffering” from tasks such as firestarting, fence building/mending, emergency roadside vehicle repair, chainsaw sharpening, and a whole host of other tasks. Not to …


Letter Re: Comments on Matt Bracken’s Night Fighting Primer

Hi James, I followed a link that you recently posted: Matt Bracken: Night Fighting 101. Matt Bracken wrote a fine article. He is correct that the deer hunter that proceeds to his hunting area in the dark has already approached quite a lot of what he suggests.   I would like to suggest this concerning chain link fences. Having assembled perhaps 800 feet of chain link fence, I learned how to break it in two and to reweave it together. If you have to separate a portion of chain link fence laying on the ground it is a snap. It …


Economics and Investing:

More monetization ahead! Federal Reserve leaning toward more stimulus Greece ready to start selling islands to pay down debts. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.)   Items from The Economatrix: Startling Evidence That Central Banks and Wall Street Insiders are Rapidly Preparing for Something Big Jim Rogers:  It’s Going To Get Really “Bad After The Elections”


Odds ‘n Sods:

Yet another reason to avoid social media: Circuit Court Orders Brandon Raub Released, Dismisses Case Against Marine Arrested, Detained in Veterans Admin. Psych Ward over Political Views, Song Lyrics Posted on Facebook    o o o Some interesting demographics can be seen in this article sent by Kevin S,: Marriage and Divorce: A 50 State Tour    o o o Reader H.L. sent this: Insight: Experts hope to shield cars from computer viruses    o o o I spotted this clever product in the Jeffers Vet Supply catalog: H2Go Bag    o o o S.S. in Mississippi sent this useful …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The mobs of great cities add just so much to the support of pure government, as sores do to the strength of the human body. It is the manners and spirit of a people which preserve a republic in vigour. A degeneracy in these is a canker which soon eats to the heart of its laws and constitution.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1781


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 42 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 restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


Where are You in Your Preparedness? , by B.L. the Texican

I hope that what I have to say will help someone that is just getting started with their survival preparedness situation, SurvivalBlog has helped me in streamlining our preparations, and I believe in giving back some of what I have received.  I have read many different blogs and forums, and come away with the impression that most of the blogs are for the arm chair survivalist that do not try anything for themselves, but only go on what they have read or heard.  SurvivalBlog.com is one of the few that have individuals that seem to have tried what they say …


Three Letters Re: Adapting Preps as We Age

Hi Jim, You were spot on in your response to he article by “Retread”.   However, for anyone who does choose to use .22 LR for self defense, like the writer of the article, I would go with the Mexican Aguila brand ammo. Due to necessity, they’ve had to invent some man-killer .22 LR (It’s legal for people there to own .22 LR, but not anything else. Not that people down there don’t own AR’s and AK’s, anyway).   My favorite solution for this man is the Aguila 60-grain rd., marketed under the name “Sniper Sub-Sonic” (SSS).I think the only …


Economics and Investing:

The Commodities Survival Kit Guide: Gold, Silver, Timber, Farmland, Stamps, & Antique Guns Why Investors Are Hoarding Silver U.S. 2012 budget deficit $1.1 trillion: CBO (Thanks to B.B. for the link.) K.P. sent this: Heard the rumour China is buying 6,000 tonnes of gold? It may not be as crazy as it sounds Items from The Economatrix: Shhh…It’s Even Worse Than The Great Depression Germany May Be The Country That Brings The Euro Crashing Down


Odds ‘n Sods:

In the market for a nuke-proof bunker? Try eBay    o o o Geoff S. spotted this: The airvent wall cache.    o o o A presentation at DEFCON: Safe to Armed in Seconds: A Study of Epic Fails of Popular Gun Lock and Gun Safes. (Warning: Includes some foul language.) At the same convention: Defcon 19: DIY Non-Destructive-Entry.    o o o Dennis X. sent the link to this informative web page: Sea, Shipping Container Cabin, Shelter, Home    o o o I found this linked at The Woodpile Report (one of my favorite weekly reads): Mass grave in …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 42 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 restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for …


When Your Prepping Plan Falls Apart – Picking Up the Pieces, by M.J.W.

I previously wrote about Leaving Suburbia.  I was so excited to be moving out of the city and into the country towards a more self-sufficient lifestyle, but I spoke too soon.  We were in contract on a piece of property, and at the last minute, the sellers backed out of the transaction.  We were left wondering where we were going to live.  We immediately began looking for another piece of property.  Meanwhile the home we had leased for almost four years, in preparation for this move, was sold out from under us and we had to move on short order.  …


The Snowball Effect, by Sarah B.

There is a certain amount of “snowball effect” when someone decides to invest in survivalist, TEOTWAWKI, or prepper knowledge.  The initial decision is not a light one, nor is a “set it and forget it” for the type that bounces from one fad to the next.  There are many different types of survivalists.  But all survivalists have one thing in common – a beginning.  Whether it is your views on the ever changing political arenas or natural disasters that have piqued your interest or even steered your choice to the survivalist lifestyle, the initial influx of information can be a …


Letter Re: Grain Mill Comparisons

Hi Jim One thing that our family is fond of is bread – especially whole wheat bread.  I read Pat’s review of the Family Grain Mill from the perspective of someone who’s been-there done-that.  Our grain mill journey began with an attachment to the Champion Juicer – it does grind wheat but the flour is fairly coarse and the resulting bread is not what I had come to expect from the bread that typical (store bought) whole wheat flour yielded. We wanted a mill that offered the user the ability to grind flour by hand if needed.  After a long search we opted …