Letter Re: Camo Patterns

Hello HJL and JWR, Regarding spray painting cloth, this article shows that spray painting cloth with [ultra-flat] camouflage Krylon paint actually reduces its near infrared reflectivity. Can your readers comment? I have spray painted surplus UCP camo with a light, even coat of brown camo paint, making it look very dirty, similar to an ATACS pattern. This would seem to be a cheap option for those of us on a budget. – EP




Economics and Investing:

How Will Gold Prices React To Strong Consumer Confidence? HJL’s Comment: Despite the narrative of a strengthening economy, consumers do not have a high confidence. Traditionally, gold doesn’t do so well in a strong economy, but it is currently holding its own, indicating that the economy may not be what you are being told. o o o Mike Tyson vs. The Grilled Cheese Truck – Excerpt: “We have little experience gambling, but we’re pretty sure that you can’t prosper by betting on every number at the roulette table.” o o o Huge 300,000 Bpd Fracklog Could Derail Oil Price Recovery. …




Odds ‘n Sods:

I just noticed that Redoubt Surplus & Tactical (in northern Idaho) has added West German surplus Snow Camouflage ponchos to their inventory at their new online store. They even offer free shipping on these ponchos! – JWR o o o The folks at DX Engineering made a great set of do-it-yourself Ham antenna plans available: A Practical NVIS Antenna for Emergency or Temporary Communications o o o Received an e-mail alert that KeepShooting.com (one of our ling-time advertisers) just received a big batch of Austrian, German, and British military surplus gear. Part of that was batch of British Multi-Terrain Pattern …







Notes for Wednesday – March 29, 2017

This is the birthday of the gifted electronic and orchestral musician Vangelis. (Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou) o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 69 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize …




Every Day Carry for Today’s World- Part 2, by N.M.

Do Your Intelligence Work (continued) In addition to knowing who is out there, there are other things you can do. Listen to local law enforcement with a scanner. I would not rely on the various scanner apps and feeds on certain sites that also list frequencies for a lot of agencies and organizations, such as radioreference.com. The feeds you hear are provided by someone in the area with a scanner that is feeding into the Internet. The problem is, you are reliant on what they are feeding, which is usually their primary dispatch channels. If you have your own scanner, …




Letter Re: Camo Pattern Clothing

Gentlemen: An inexpensive and non-standard substitute can be made from off-the-shelf khaki and light gray trousers and oversize long sleeve shirts and some clothing dye. I’d suggest one size larger than one normally wears, to hide body outline, permit freedom of movement, and allow for an insulating layer. Thrift stores are good sources, and faded colors are a plus. If one is a purist, it’s advisable to take along a UV light source when shopping; once clothing is washed in detergent with brighteners, it’s UV reflective pretty much for the life of the garment. (Editor’s Addition: Ditto if they have …




Economics and Investing:

We are now experiencing net withdrawals from the 401K market. This is bad news: WARNING: U.S. Ponzi Retirement Market In Big Trouble, Protect With Precious Metals o o o Oil Majors Lower Risk: Favor Shale Over Offshore. Big oil has changed its strategy radically, investing much more in short cycle projects with high short-term yield. o o o $540,701,000,000: U.S. Property Taxes Hit Record in 2016 JWR’s Comment: Here is a puzzler: When is private property not private? When you have to pay a yearly rent to your government. Do you think that you really “own” your land, even when …




JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Books: The Backyard Homestead Book of Building Projects: 76 Useful Things You Can Build to Create Customized Working Spaces and Storage Facilities, Equip the … Animals, and Make Practical Outdoor Furniture The Complete Guide to Sharpening @WAR: The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex, by Shane Harris Movies: The Road (starring Viggo Mortensen. It is a favorite with both preppers and survivalists.) Captain Fantastic (also starring Viggo Mortensen). This movie is marred by copious foul language, brief nudity, and absurd politics. But it makes a compelling case for home schooling and self-sufficiency. It is rated R, and is definitely NOT for …




Odds ‘n Sods:

Paul Joseph Watson: The Truth About Sweden (Video) JWR’s Comment: It is noteworthy that YouTube has attempted to censor Watson, simply for reporting the truth—when that truth exposed the lies of leftist apologists for radical Islam. o o o My friend Commander Zero just posted a very useful link: Glock Pistols- What Breaks and How to Fix It – JWR o o o Thousands Of Americans Are Fleeing The Big Cities. Why are so many people suddenly moving away from major U.S. cities? o o o Health Ranger awarded U.S. patent for breakthrough anti-radiation formula that eliminates Cesium-137 from your …




Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Philosophers should consider the fact that the greatest happiness principle can easily be made an excuse for a benevolent dictatorship. We should replace it by a more modest and more realistic principle – the principle that the fight against avoidable misery should be a recognized aim of public policy, while the increase of happiness should be left, in the main, to private initiative.” – Karl Popper




Notes for Tuesday – March 28, 2017

This is the birthday of Marlin Perkins, Carthage Missouri, television host (Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom). He was born in 1905. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 69 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate …




Every Day Carry for Today’s World- Part 1, by N.M.

Let me premise this article with a few points you need to consider: First, you must research local laws for yourself as some items or actions discussed may be illegal in your location. Additionally, while carrying some items may be generally legal, there may be places that prohibit these items from their building, et cetera, such as airports or government buildings. Again, know your local laws. Discussion of specific items does not constitute an endorsement; I may mention them because I have them, may have used them, or may know people who have. Again, do your own research before buying …




Letter Re: Survival Prospects for Gun-Toting Liberal Protestors

These people may not know how to fight. Lots of right-wingers don’t know how, either, including those who have been to a lot of spray-and-pray classes. The point is, when the fighting starts, you either learn how to fight or die, or find a way to escape from the front line. The thing to remember is that none other than Karl Marx called for the “universal armament of the proletariat.” The point being, that once the “proletariat” do the job of massacring the right-wingers, they can easily be disarmed. Europe has demonstrated that. Remember that the leftists are most decidedly …




News From The American Redoubt:

I heard about a company in Boise, Idaho that makes some innovative AR family rifle parts: 2A Armament. – JWR o o o Idaho company approved to fly with night vision goggles JWR’s Comment: If this goes well, this may become a trend for use in landings at other remote airfields. Later generation NVGs that use two light amplification tubes can overcome the depth perception problems that are inherent with single tube designs. o o o Rural Idaho: Population Decline to Reduce Available Labor Source in Next Decade JWR’s Comment: The good news for Idaho-bound preppers is that this demographic …