Preparedness Notes for Friday — August 28, 2020

August 28, 1833 is the anniversary of the abolishment of slavery throughout the British Empire.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 90 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 90 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.




15 Comments

    1. Quite a story, and frightening. Mobs are extremely dangerous, and we’ve seen proof of this over the last several months. From New Hampshire, President Trump proposed awards for the brave officers who protected the Senator and his wife. I’m thinking that is a great idea! …and where was any help coming from the Democrat Mayor related to security since she surely must have known about the event?

  1. Knife Unboxing: The Legendary KA-BAR USMC Fighting Utility Knife!!
    https://youtu.be/qRncwitjUms

    TUNNEL RABBIT comment:

    That knife can outlast the owner. I would not change anything about that knife, but I would get a blunt tipped Kidex sheath. Mine is from the Vietnam era. The leather, including the original sheath are in excellent condition. Use a light oil to preserve the leather. Vaseline (petroleum jelly) works the best. It will keep it from drying out and keep out moisture. Gently warm the leather and Vaseline so it soaks in. Vaseline will darken new light colored leather and make it flexible, and turn it a warm rich in color darker brown that is harder to see. This is a fighting knife. It is made for slashing and stabbing. You’ll need the 7 inch blade. Wear it on the web gear were it can be quickly accessed. Because I’ll run an AK in the daytime, and am not concerned with stoppages, I will carry extra mags and this knife instead of a pistol.

    If this is the only knife you have, then it is also a utility knife. Avoid battoning (sp?) wood with it as the tang is narrow and can bend, and the butt end may come loose with abuse. Do not use it as a hammer. It is too large for processing game cleanly, but it will work. It is best to carry a folder, or preferably, a full tang, short and narrow blade for everything else…

    Looks like Matt is busy. He has not posted on Gab for the last 2 mornings, but I will still check to see what happens tomorrow. Absolutely love those interviews.

      1. I prefer the K-bar. Handle one to find out why. As a guy who has worked with his hands, handled tools of all kinds that might have grease, oil, or mud and dirt on them since the age of 14, there is nothing like the positive grip of a K-bar. Get body fluids, or just plain mud on your hands and things get slippery. The deep grooves and rough uneven leather handle is far better than any polymer handle of any design I have ever come across. The Glock, or other brand blade might be better, but if one looses their grip when wielding it with all the violent force one is capable of, I’ll want the K-bar for the job as I would be less likely to loose control of the knife…

      2. I actually carry both the K-bar and the Glock field knife.

        There are two problems with the K-bar:
        1) It is a highly desirable item. I have had six stolen from me over the years, when attached to a unattended cartridge belt. Some folks always wear them on their trouser belt, but that can hurt when working in close quarters under a vehicle or in the engine compartment.
        2) Some folks have an irrational fear of K-bar knives. Kind of like Hoplophobia with guns. They will call a ranger on you for having it, even though it is perfectly legal in most states, parks and forests.

        The Glock is easier to secure in various places and move around with.

        K-bar is the primary and Glock is the backup. But, sometimes you start a task with one, and switch to the other if it works better. I have gotten away from the leather grip or sheath.

        Although less desirable, the M-9 and AK bayonets are adequate, but folks really have a problem with them, even if you don’t have anything to fix it on.

    1. The KA-BAR USMC Fighting Utility Knife has a history of being effective. But, so does a small ‘ace in the hole’ hideout gun. A small made in America NAA revolver or Bond Derringer might be handy to carry around, too. = They don’t weight much.
      +A man could sit outside wearing Bermuda-shorts during the Redoubt summertime, and still be ready for those crawling or walking rattlesnakes.

  2. re:
    ‘the brits abolish slaves’

    Now, hold on there.
    According to my understanding, brit tax-payers are forced to ‘volunteer’ to ‘donate’ part of their earnings to tax-burners.

    If tax-payers refuse to ‘donate’ to tax-burners, tax-payers lose their home, their government licenses to work, and everything else they own.
    The brit tax-payers also face prison if they cannot pay enough taxes to tax-burners.

    Nope.
    The brit slaves are alive… and safe as long as they don’t get uppity.

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