Month: December 2021

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we again focus on the Greater Idaho Project. The image above shows the election results in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, with an overlay of the proposed expanded state lines for Greater Idaho. (See the Region-Wide section.) Region-Wide The Atlantic reports: Modern America’s Most Successful …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 27, 2021

On this day in 1979, in an attempt to stabilize the turbulent political situation in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union sent 75,000 troops to enforce the installation of Babrak Karmal as the new leader of the nation. The new government and the imposing Soviet presence, however, had little success in putting down anti-government rebels. Thus began nearly 10 years of an agonizing, destructive, and ultimately fruitless Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan. — Today we present a review written by our stalwart Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.    


Craft and Falco Holsters, by Pat Cascio

I’ve seen it a hundred times. I used to own a gun shop, and later on in life, I was in partnership with a friend, who sold mainly at gun shops. Someone will purchase a nice handgun, costing hundreds of dollars, or even more than a thousand dollars. One of the first things they would ask for, when we’d ask them if they needed any ammo or other accessories, and they would buy a box of ammo, then ask if we had any “cheap” holsters – and by that, they meant really cheap holsters. It never ceases to amaze me, …


Recipe of the Week: Traditional English Shepherd’s Pie

The following recipe for Traditional English Shepherd’s Pie is from reader Bruce M. Bruce writes: This is a pretty basic recipe. It consists of minced/ground lamb, yellow onion, carrots, salt, pepper, & English garden peas; thickened slightly with flour; placed in a baking dish; topped with mashed potatoes & slices of cheddar cheese; and baked in a 350°F oven until the mashed potatoes are browned, and the cheese melted. In recent years, ground beef has been used as a less expensive substitute for lamb. In addition, dairy products can be substituted for the mayonnaise, and vegan cheddar cheese. With the …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we discuss investing in limited production and vintage motorcycles. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: Silver price 2022: Here’s how silver can outperform gold as it plays catch-up next year. o  o  o Asian Metals Market Update: Physical Gold And Silver Remain Long-Term Safe Havens. Economy & Finance: A few weeks …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — December 26, 2021

On December 26th, 1776, after crossing the Delaware River, Washington led his men against Hessian mercenary soldiers garrisoned at Trenton. After a brief battle, nearly the entire Hessian force was captured, with negligible losses to the Americans, significantly boosting their flagging morale. And on December 26, 2004 – The Indian Ocean region Tsunami took more than 250,000 lives. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 98 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending …


My COVID-19 Firestorm Experience in Italy, by Z.

My trial by fire: What did the pandemic teach you about the people around you (and about yourself)? First of all, let me introduce myself: I’m an Italian Red Cross volunteer with several years of experience in emergency first response and social service. I apologize if my English is not adequate, but after discovering this blog I thought you could appreciate my insights about the COVID-19 pandemic regardless. I see that on this website there are many articles about technical preparedness, and even if I haven’t read everything that’s been published since spring 2020 to this day, I’m sure that …



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 25, 2021

To those who are celebrating the Advent of our Lord and Savior, the team at SurvivalBlog wishes you a peaceful and meaningful Christmas. For those who choose to celebrate our Lord through the biblical feasts, stay safe out there during this holiday season. Our prayer is that each and every one of you enjoy the family time and stay safe on the roads. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 98 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a …


The Hornady Lock N Load AP Progressive Reloading Press – Part 2, by Wingfootjr

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) There are five available stations on the Lock N Load AP. For my initial setup, I set up the press for loading .223/ 5.56 ammo, my most commonly used practice and pleasure shooting caliber. I wanted a high production press dedicated to this caliber, so I could produce it quickly if need be. For this caliber, I start with brass cases that have been fully processed and ready to load. Cases have been de-primed, resized, tumbled (to clean, polish, and remove the sizing lubricant), case length checked and trimmed if necessary, and …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” – Micah 5:1-2 (KJV)