Month: September 2015

Trail Shelters and the Hantavirus Threat, by Zac T.

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There are a number of fantastic hiking trail systems within the U.S. The Appalachian Trail alongside the East Coast, the Continental Divide through the Rockies, and the Pacific Crest along the West Coast immediately come to mind, just to name a few. And if you’ve ever spent a considerable amount of time backpacking through one of these trail systems, you’ve probably passed a prepared shelter or two. Your typical trail shelter is essentially three walls and a roof, meant to really just get you out of the wind and rain. Should you be placed in a survival situation and opt …


Letter Re: Sources for MRE Rations

Hello Hugh, I’ve been reading SurvivalBlog for many years and have had a few of my articles posted in the past. This is the first time I’ve written since you took over as editor. You’re doing well, Hugh. I am in the market to buy Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MREs) as a source of Bug Out Bag (BOB) food storage, along with pre-positioning some at my intended retreat locations. There are so many options and it is difficult to determine what is best, or even which are the best value for the money. Amazon is flooded with all manner of brands and …


Economics and Investing:

Oil Prices – What Does “Lower For Longer” Actually Mean? o o o Over at the SHTFPlan blog, Mac Slavo reports: Soros, Icahn and Major New Players Rushing Into the Gold Sector: “Things Are In The Works As We Speak” o o o B.B. sent this: Food Stamps In Crosshairs of Shutdown. [JWR’s Comment: State-level disruptions of EBT card payments in the past two years have caused chaos. We can only imagine if this were to happen nationwide.] Items from The Economics Team: The Extinction of Retirement At Zero Hedge: Confessions of an Economics Professor Track Your Banks’ Texas Ratio. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The Fight for Light: Assault on Silicon Valley (Part 1 of 3.) Along with Chuck Woolsey, this segment for NRA News hosted by Ollie North features Chuck Holton, who you may remember as the creator of the great American Redoubt piece for CBN. o o o In Malaysia, RFID road tax stickers will track all vehicles. (Thanks to H.A for the link.) o o o I just noticed that Chris Walsh of Revolutionary Realty has added a North Idaho MLS search tool to his web site. It is a very handy tool, for anyone considering moving up there. I highly …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. – Deuteronomy 32:1-4 (KJV)


Notes for Friday – September 25, 2015

On September 25th 1789, the fledgling Congress of these united States adopted the first 12 amendments to the Constitution and forwarded them to the States for ratification. The first ten of these amendments would become the Bill of Rights. o o o A reminder: The big sale on Mountain House long term storage foods at Ready Made Resources will be ending next week. the discounts range from 35% to 50%. Stock up! o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: …


Announcing JWR’s Latest Novel: Land of Promise

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve completed writing and editing my latest novel, titled Land of Promise. It will be released on December 1st, 2015 as an e-book, in trade paperback, and as an audiobook. This is the first volume of a planned five novel series, called the Counter-Caliphate Chronicles. The series begins 35 years in the future, and describes a timeline different from that in my Patriots novel series. These novels will have some science fiction elements, but you will find them as grounded in reality as my previous books. (There will be plenty of practical and tactical tips!) …


A Beginners Guide to Practical Prepping: Lessons From a True Story of Disaster, by R.L.

It was September 1989, a time in history that is forever burned into my memory. I was working as a firefighter in a small town outside Columbia, South Carolina. Hurricane Hugo had developed in the Atlantic, it was ripping apart the Carribean islands and it was headed our way. All the news on television and radio were inundated with updates on this killer storm; we were tuned into the Weather Channel at the firehouse carefully watching and waiting. The original forecast was that the Category 4 hurricane would turn north and only threaten the North Carolina coast. It was assumed …


Letter Re: Occupying Your Community- Part 2, by B.S.C.

Hugh, As a comment to the article titled Occupying Your Community, I don’t have a bug-out bag, because I don’t have anywhere better to go than my own castle. – Mr. X HJL Replies: Like you, I do not have anywhere better to go than my own home/retreat. (I live at my rural retreat year-round.) However, not having a bug-out bag (BOB) and quick get-away kit (see Tina Lewis Rowe’s suggestions) is terribly shortsighted. There could be many reasons that you might be forced to leave your castle beyond those addressed in B.S.C’s article. (In my area, the substantial threats …


Economics and Investing:

Reader D.S. suggested this: Is Capitalism Un-Christian? o o o The recent huge layoffs at Deutsche Bank (23,000 employees–about 1/4th of their workforce) got scarcely a ten second mention in the major American mainstream media news outlets. But be advised: This could be an early signal of a global credit crisis in the near future. They would not be laying off this heavily if they expected stability in the world credit markets. – JWR o o o Items from The Economics Team: How Our Family Saves $10,000 a Year The Four Horsemen of Middle Class Destruction


Odds ‘n Sods:

My #1 Son suggested this article: Six easy ways to tell if that viral story is a hoax – JWR o o o Mac flagged this: Syrian war spurs first withdrawal from ‘doomsday’ Arctic seed vault o o o Longtime content contributor B.B. sent this item: With Little Fanfare, FBI Ramps Up Biometrics Programs (Yet Again) o o o John Whitehead had some cogent commentary over at The Daily Bell:The Crisis of the Now: Distracted and Diverted from the Ever-Encroaching Police State o o o Reader Nick G. mentioned this humorous (but practical) sign that was seen posted at a …



Notes for Thursday – September 24, 2015

Notes for Thursday – September 24, 2015 On this day in 1493 AD, Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo) set sail with 17 ships on his second voyage to the Americas. Also on this date in 1775, Ethan Allen was captured by the British. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for …


Reality Checks for a Grid Down Scenario, By Blueleader

I sometimes hear misguided individuals who repeat the statement going around that if the grid goes down we will be thrown back to the days before electricity: The 1880s. The prevalent thought is that folks back then did fine so it wouldn’t be so bad for us to simply revert to that level of technology. Well, what if we examine your day in a post grid failure scenario? Here is a reality check for you to consider: Let us say you get up ‘the day after’ and you’re cold. Bummer. Well, in the 1880s if you got up and you …


Letter Re: Sources of Vitamin C in a Post-SHTF World, by Okie Ranch Wife

Sir: There are a couple of sources of Vitamin C that are not common knowledge. If you are an oldtimer like me you may remember the name Euell Gibbons, the spokesman for Grape Nuts cereal. His catchphrase was “Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible.” He wasn’t kidding. The inner bark of a pine tree is a great source of Vitamin C, Thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin A and other beneficial properties like Protein and fat, yes fat one of the things everyone needs to survive. How to get it? Take a branch the size of your little finger (this …