Year: 2017

Essential Communications on a Budget, by TCM

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Communications within a survival group and with the surrounding area is not just important; it can be a matter of life and death. The lack of communications taken to the extreme can be illustrated by imagining yourself with your eyes and ears covered. Now, try to defend yourself and your family. We all know it is not possible. Being without, at least, basic communications is almost that dangerous. I’m not suggesting that you should blow your entire prepper budget on high dollar electronics. There is a low-cost, but effective solution. This article will offer some practical solutions for emergency communications, …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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This column is posted every Tuesday. Here, we present news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies in the region of interest to preppers. The Redoubt region is perhaps the safest and most free place to live in these United States. Today’s focus is on Hermiston, Oregon. Idaho First, we read: Hundreds of bikers roar down the road for Idaho Patriot Thunder o o o I’d like to mention a small family-owned business located in Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho:  North Idaho Heat.  They specialize in woodstoves and are dealers for Blaze King and Hearth Classics. …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. It is a collection of news bits and pieces. They are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper.  Today’s column was compiled by  JWR.  This column is posted each Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. (This alternates with our Economics & Investing column. That is posted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.) Today’s focus is on Qatar. Qatar First, Bloomberg reports: Saudi-Led Alliance Cuts Ties With Qatar. JWR’s Comment: This move should have been made five years ago! Oddly, this article hardly even mentions Great Britain. For many years the Brits pulled the …



Preparedness Notes for Monday – June 05, 2017

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On June 5th, 1899, Alfred Dreyfus was acquitted. Although well-remembered in France and her colonies, this landmark trial is now largely forgotten by the American public. It deserves study. On June 5th, 1912, U.S. Marines invaded Cuba for the third time. (One of what are commonly called The Banana Wars.) On this day in 1661, Isaac Newton was admitted as a student to Trinity College, Cambridge. Also on this day in 1942, the Elwood Ordnance Plant (near Joliet Illinois) exploded, killing 54 people, and injuring at least 40 others. Mexican revolutionary Francisco Pancho Villa was born on June 5th, 1878. …


The Editors’ Preps for the Week of June 5th, 2017

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To be prepared for a crisis, every prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors share their planned prep activities for the coming week.  These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We also welcome you to share your planned activities for increasing personal preparedness in the coming week.  (Leave a Comment with your project details.) Let’s keep busy and …


CRKT Homefront Folder – By Pat Cascio

Why? When CRKT Columbia River Knife & Tool sent me the Onion Homefront folder for testing and review, I just had to ask why make a folding knife that you can take apart? Sometimes, when it comes to some new products, I just have to ask myself “Why?” I just don’t know what else there is that is truly new, especially when it comes to folding knives. This is especially true when it comes to the various locking mechanisms. Then again, I’m not known for designing folding knives, although I have one on the drawing board right now. If you …


May in Precious Metals by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review. Here, we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover the price action of gold, and examine the “what” and “why” behind those numbers. This column is authored by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins. Today, we highlight the effects of terrorism on the price of gold. What Did Gold Do in May? Gold stated the month of May right at $1,268. However, unexpectedly strong economic data blasted prices down by $40 an ounce to a seven-week low in the first week. The first estimate for …


Recipe of the Week: Pizza Pasta, by Georgia Girl

Georgia’s Girl’s Pizza Pasta Ingredients: 3 c. hot water 14 oz. jar of pizza sauce, using a little water with lid on to rinse out the last remaining sauce and add to pot 2 (4 oz) cans mushrooms, drained 2 1/4 c. pasta, such as elbows, spiral, etc. (Mueller’s brand only) Add-ins, such as pepperoni, ground beef, onions, basil, Mrs. Dash, or other herbs and spices you prefer and Mozzarella cheese for topping, shredded is best


Economics & Investing for Preppers

Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Today we focus on counterparty risk in derivatives contracts. And most of the following items reflect the quirky “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor): Commodities Economics: Looking ahead, Nick Cunningham recently posted this forecast: Four Wildly Different Oil Price Scenarios For 2020 Forex: On to foreign exchange (Forex) news: USD/CAD Continues Decline Global Stocks and Bonds: Moving on to the stock and bond markets, U.S. stocks hit …


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day

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“The crowded transports of Task Force 53 arrived off Tarawa Atoll shortly after midnight on D-Day. Debarkation began at 0320. The captain of the Zeilin (APA 3) played the Marines Hymn over the public address system, and the sailors cheered as the 2d Battalion, 2d Marines, crawled over the side and down the cargo nets. At this point, things started to go wrong. Admiral Hill discovered that the transports were in the wrong anchorage, masking some of the fire support ships, and directed them to shift immediately to the correct site. The landing craft bobbed along in the wake of …


Preparedness Notes for Sunday – June 04, 2017

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On this day in 1944 United States Navy Task Group 22.3 captured U-505. It was a German submarine with an intact Enigma cypher machine. This was the first time since the USS Peacock seized HMS Nautilus in 1815 that the USN had captured an enemy vessel at sea. The sub, reunited with its periscope a decade ago, is displayed at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Note that we’ve improved the blog’s Search Box. We have also expanded our discussion guidelines. Please take a look before you post a comment. Thanks, – JWR


Homestead and Financial Ledger Books- Part 2, by S.T.

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We have been looking at the use and benefit of Homestead Ledger Books. In Part 1, we looked at documenting activities, items harvested, canned or dried, and items sold or orders received. We have looked at a possible scenario from January through September and left off at September after participating in the farmer’s market. Furthermore, let’s look at what activities we might record in our ledger for October. October In October, the family could take time to plan out the next year’s garden and locate free buckets. The buckets that could be used to expand the garden output by growing …


Letter: Gaining Familiarity With Your Prepping Equipment

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Having basic camping supplies is a great insurance to have, just in case. It can be both camping and prepping equipment. Your tent, sleeping bag, outdoor cooking supplies, and forms of electricity-free entertainment, are all ripe for testing, as well. The last thing you want to do, in an emergency, is realize that there’s something you need and/or have overlooked. And testing your equipment doesn’t have to be a complicated ordeal. In my case, I had a friend invite me over for backyard camping, for their birthday. Great! So I brought my camping equipment in order to test it out. …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods – a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Today’s focus is on Terrorism. Terrorism First, the eyes of the world are on England, which just suffered more Islamic terrorist attacks.  Please pray that the nation will display the same resolve on terrorism that they did in fighting Nazi aggression in World War II. See this article by John Moody, posted over at Fox News: London terror: Saturday attacks a tipping point in campaign to destroy the West o o o …