Month: July 2013

Notes from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 47 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) 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 …


Prepping the Texas Cowboy Way, by Sophie

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Living in rural Texas has taught me how to live a fuller, deeper life, but with a western twist.  Although the American Redoubt has captured many preppers’ imaginations, I live in Texas by choice.  I’ve traveled the world, visited most states and lived in multiple cities on both coasts, but I choose to call the Texas Hill Country home.  The cowboy way of life is intoxicating. The first time I drove into the small town of Bandera (population 859) and saw cowboys riding horses down Main Street I immediately fell in love.  Many towns in the Texas Hill Country region …


Letter Re: Moving to Ohio’s Amish Country

James, Several years ago my family purchased an Amish farm in a settlement in southeast Ohio. I wanted to share a little about what we have learned because there are currently several Amish farms going on the market in our area which are not advertised anywhere. We are over two hours from any major city and nearly and hour from smaller ones. Our closest village is Woodsfield. We are in an area where Utica Shale is beginning to boom so the Amish are heading out, not wanting to be driving their buggies in the vicinity of big trucks, which I …


Update: Field Gear: Identifying The All-American Makers

Several readers sent suggested additions to my recently-posted list of field gear makers that have all American-made products: MollyMacGear – MOLLE panel backpacks, extreme cold weather gear, hammocks, hammock insulation… Urban ERT Slings – Single point, two-point and three-point slings. Made in Indiana by a former NCO and father of an active duty USAF Pararescue Jumper. They also take payment in silver. Go Ruck – Military packs made by a Special Forces veteran. Fight and Flight Tactical – Products hand made in Kentucky. They have a particularly good solution for field transport of AA, AAA, and CR123 batteries. Holland’s of …


Economics and Investing:

Some great reading by the folks at Casey Research that echoes my warnings: Market Moves Ahead Should be Good for Gold, Bad for US Dollar Rick Santelli Asks The Only Question That Matters J.B.G. sent: The wheels are coming off the whole of southern Europe Items from The Economatrix: Stuck On Stupid Looking Out To August As July Melts: All Hell Will Likely Break Loose Next Week Going Into Earnings Season Jobs Picture Improves–But Not In Manufacturing


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent an amazing piece about a homebrewed Glock with a steel frame. (Crude language warning.)    o o o A lengthy and poetic article that would strain credulity, if it didn’t come from a respected Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist: Dear Leader Dreams of Sushi. This is either an elaborate fantasy or another Pulitzer Prize in the making    o o o Ham Sandwich Nation: Due Process When Everything is a Crime


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The great virtue of a free market system is that it does not care what color people are; it does not care what their religion is; it only cares whether they can produce something you want to buy. It is the most effective system we have discovered to enable people who hate one another to deal with one another and help one another." – Milton Friedman


Notes from JWR:

A news item of particular note: Effort To Create New State Called ‘North Colorado’ Grows. Some 10 counties are now involved! Needless to say, if they succeed I will expand my definition of The American Redoubt! — Today we present another entry for Round 47 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) 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 …


Dehydration and Rehydration Solutions, by M.A. in Washington State

I would first like to thank you and all of the previous posters on this blog. I have been an avid reader for a few years now and I have learned immeasurably from you all. Dehydration can be a problem for individuals in the first world today, and a massive problem for those in the third world. In a post collapse situation, life for us in America and the rest of the first world countries could look more like the latter. There are many causes for dehydration, from working outside in the heat and sweating out fluids to a serious …


Letter Re: Old Military Physical Fitness Manuals

Hello, I’ve been lurking around your blog for a while now and I love it!   I’d like to share this link with you: the Iowa Health and Physical Readiness Alliance web site.   This online library has several old military physical fitness manuals (dated 1892, 1914, 1917, and 1946).  I think that your readers would really love the 1946 manual, FM 21-20.  Not only does it have an extensive calisthenics routine, but also has guerrilla drills on carrying wounded comrades, running and swimming instructions, and even brief sections on wrestling, boxing, and hand-to-hand combatives.  All are in PDF.   Enjoy! – Tom …


Economics and Investing:

The global derivatives bubble continues to inflate. According to the BIS there are now $564 Trillion in over the counter derivatives, which includes $441 Trillion in bets on small moves in the direction of interest rates. If and when interest rates spike (and they will!), the counterparty risk will be huge, and spectacular derivatives implosion could bring down the global credit market. Vince W. wrote to mention a new vehicle that is going to be made here in the U.S. at an old GM plant in Louisiana. They claim it will get 84 mpg, and have an 8 gallon gas …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Brian M. sent this: Couple discover 7,500 machine gun, shotgun and pistol bullets in their back garden while weeding their pond. Now, to illustrate a world of difference: Last year one of my consulting clients discovered 5,500 rounds of .22 ammo and six boxes of shotgun shells stored in dusty ammo cans in the crawlspace of the house that he had bought eastern Oregon. He called the previous owners and asked if they wanted the ammo. (They had moved to Arizona.) They told him to just keep it. He expressed his heartfelt thanks. Note that he did not become …



Notes from JWR:

Today, July 10, 2013, is the last day of Freeze Dry Guy’s extended 25% Off Special on All Mountain House #10 Cans. — This is also the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. He we was born in 1903 and died March 11, 1969. Harris was a good friend of fellow novelist Samuel Youd (1922 – 2012), who wrote under several pen names, including John Christopher. Both men were famous for writing what are often called “cozy catastrophes.” Several of Wyndham’s novels and short stories have been adapted to film, with varying degrees of success. One of the best of …


Lessons from Hiking the Grand Canyon, by Andy in New England

A successful trek is “won or lost” before it even begins. Having the right quantities of food, water, and first aid, proper gear and adequate physical fitness will determine if a hiker is able to complete a trip as planned, and respond to the unexpected along the way. This past June, my wife and I hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim. Over the course of this four day, thirty-mile hike, we learned many valuable lessons that can be applied to a grid-down scenario where long-range foot travel is needed to bug-out, explore, or patrol large land areas. I’m thankful to have …