Year: 2013

Help for the New Prepper, by Don H.

 Many of us that have been prepping since before the Internet have welcomed all the new information, knowledge, and interaction with our fellow preppers. But for someone who is just starting out, it can all be overwhelming. So overwhelming that they don’t know where to start. The sad part is that many of them don’t start. They feel that they have to  spend so much money at one time to get all the gear that the experts say they need, that they just can’t do it. This is in large part due to shows like Doomsday Preppers. While I watch …


Letter Re: Manual Hair Clippers

Jim, I enjoy your blog very much, have been following it for years. Keep up the good work.   On the many lists of items preppers are encouraged to obtain, I have never seen hair clippers suggested.  An essential item. (By hair clippers I mean manual, not electric.) – Pastor D. JWR Replies: Although they are probably still made in India and China, the best place to find traditional clippers is used, via eBay or Craigslist. If they are well-made and aren’t rust-pitted, even a century-old pair of clippers will probably last another century. Just be sure to keep them …


News From The American Redoubt:

More evidence that wolves are called “land sharks” for good reason: Wolves kill 176 sheep near Victor, greatest loss recorded in Idaho . (Thanks R.B.S. for the link.)    o o o Colorado’s Secession Wildfire Spreads to Northern California: Siskiyouans Raise “State of Jefferson” Flag.    o o o Top 25 firearms businesses in Idaho come together, expand awareness. (Thanks R.B.S. for the link.)    o o o I heard that Harrison Gear (in Bozeman, Montana) has been harassed by the management of PayPal. It is Harrison’s 80% complete receivers that are the issue. (PayPal is attempting to force them …


Economics and Investing:

Hi-yo silver! (I hope that you folks bought during the summer doldrums, as I had suggested.) Is Europe still in crisis? “Eurogeddon” was the buzzword on everyone’s lips in 2011. But is a euro recovery real or imagined? Community South Bank, Tennessee, Becomes Second Largest Bank Failure of 2013 Items from The Economatrix: Peter Schiff: The Market That Lives By QE Dies By QE Moody’s eyes downgrade of biggest US banks Asia Shocks West By Demanding Their Gold Be Sent Home


Odds ‘n Sods:

First look inside famous Cold War nuke vault. Under a McDonalds hamburger place in downtown Los Alamos, New Mexico!    o o o Leaked: German Government Warns Key Entities Not To Use Windows 8 – Links The NSA    o o o I recently asked if someone made a set of stencils for camouflage spray-painting rifles and other field gear to replicate popular camouflage patterns, such as Woodland pattern. Yes, there is a company that makes them. And as previously mentioned, similar stencils are also available from the makers of Duracoat, Lauer Custom Weaponry. Just be sure to use flat …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Did you ever see the beauty of the hills of Carolina Or the sweetness of the grass in Tennessee And Lord I can’t make any changes All I can do is write ’em in a song I can see the concrete slowly creepin’ Lord take me and mine before that comes.” – From the lyrics of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s All I Can Do Is Write About It.



Understanding The Process of Freeze Drying Food, by Thomas Baldrick

To understand freeze drying there is less to digest than you might think. If you’re into survival, freeze dried food is your friend. It’s a good friend because you’ll enjoy it and feel good having it around. Like a weapon, a partner or a loyal dog, it serves as your trusted companion… always there for you when you need it most. Now let’s explain the process of freeze drying food and understand how this friendship begins. What is Freeze Drying? While today’s freeze drying industry is powered by some really smart people and super high tech equipment, the concept remains …


Advice on Come-Alongs

Reader L. in Tucson recent wrote to ask for some guidance on buying come-alongs for his new retreat ranch in northern Arizona. Here is my advice: Ratchet cable hoists (commonly called “Come-Alongs”) are crucial tools for life on a retreat and for off-road driving. They have umpteen uses for everything from wire fence stretching to lifting elk carcasses for butchering. These should be purchased in pairs, for the greatest versatility.  We keep four come-alongs here at the Rawles Ranch: Two that are 2-ton capacity and two that are 4-ton capacity.  All four are American-made, by Maasdam under the trade name Pow’R …


Pat’s Product Review: T3 Rescue Tool

Many years ago I worked as an EMT – part of my training was to work on a Chicago Fire Department rescue ambulance. It was exciting  and demanding. Also, in the course of working as a police officer, I had many occasions where I had to cut someone out of a seat belt that had become stuck, or cut people out of their clothing so we could attend to their injuries. While I’ve always carried a pocket knife, it was not the perfect tool for the job.   There are several different types of cutting tools on the market today, …


Recipe of the Week:

Rich H.’s Peach Pie Jam 6 cups peaches, peeled and cut 2 cups brown sugar 3 T. bottled lemon juice 1 t. cinnamon 1 t. nutmeg 4 1/2 T. Ball Flex Batch no sugar/low sugar pectin ( or Sure-Jell one box of no sugar/low sugar pectin) Cut and measure peaches and put into dutch oven, heating until the peaches begin to break down, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally so that you don’t burn the fruit. Add 2 cups of brown sugar, lemon juice, and spices. Once you get the right flavor bring to a boil and then add your pectin, …


Economics and Investing:

Hit in the Gut by the Internet Sales Tax. The advent of this tax is yet another reason to support small “mom and pop” businesses. (They will be exempt from collecting Internet sales taxes–at least for now.) Reader James W. suggested: Cashless: The Coming War on Tax-Evasion and Decentralized Money Italian factory owner moves company to Poland while staff are on holiday Items from The Economatrix: 18 Signs That Global Financial Markets Are Entering A Horrifying Death Spiral 401(k)s: Delivery Problems of a Different Nature Health Insurance Premiums Rise Faster Than Wages Obamacare clock stops for your boss, not you


Odds ‘n Sods:

What if they had a protest, and nobody came? Richmond rally supports more checks for gun purchases. You’ll find buried in the third paragraph: “Speaking to a sparse crowd — perhaps 15 local supporters…” Fifteen? Gosh, even the gay boy-baiting NAMBLA group gathers more people than that. So my questions are: Who wrote that headline, and who was the editor that approved it? And since when does 15 souls constitute a “rally”? Their draw was closer to the scale of a Kaffeeklatsch. The turnout was pretty pathetic, when you consider the $12 million+ that Mayor Bloomberg has spent on just …



Notes from JWR:

Book Bomb Day! Today (Sunday, August 25, 2013) is the release date for The Prepared Family Cookbook. This great 372-page book was authored by our friend Enola Gay, of the Paratus Familia blog. It includes many great recipes that you won’t find anywhere else. Avalanche Lily has already read the book, and loved it. Most of the recipes are tailored for farm, ranch, and retreat living. In addition to hundreds of recipes, there are also special chapters on food storage, woodstove cookery, hospitality, homestead medicine, off-grid living, wildcrafting, home dairying, and homestead hygiene. Understandably, most of this came out of …