Kerosene Lanterns, by Pat Cascio

It is no easy task, to find products to write about. I know a lot of our readers, would like me to simply cover firearms, some knives, and other survival gear. While I really enjoy writing about new firearms, to be honest, there’s not a lot of actual “new” firearms to write about – the gun makers do their best to come out with a new firearm, that no one else has out there on the market. Many new firearms are just cosmetically slightly different than another similar gun. When it comes to knives, it is extremely difficult to find …




Recipe of the Week: Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Snacks

The following recipe is from blog reader L.S.. She notes that this recipe is best for winter, since these tend to get oily in the summer. Ingredients 2/3 cup peanut butter (I use part creamy and part chunky) 1 cup quick-cooking oats (uncooked) 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 2 Full Graham crackers (finely crushed) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (optional) Directions Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir well with a spoon. Once mixture starts coming together, use your hands to work the mixture until it’s all combined (it helps to spray hands with …




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 look again at the silver-to-gold ratio. Precious Metals: Russia’s “soft” invasion of Ukraine of course boosted the prices of gold and silver. We have yet to see the inevitable sorting of those markets.  The silver-to-gold ratio is back out-of-whack, at close to 79-to-1.  I expect to see it revert closer to …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The most important element of a free society, where individual rights are held in the highest esteem, is the rejection of the initiation of violence. All initiation of force is a violation of someone else’s rights, whether initiated by an individual or the state, for the benefit of an individual or group of individuals, even if it’s supposed to be for the benefit of another individual or group of individuals. Legitimate use of violence can only be that which is required in self-defense.” – Former Congressman Ron Paul




Preparedness Notes for Sunday — February 27, 2022

On February 27th, 1900 — Felix Hoffman patented acetylsalicylic acid, better known as aspirin. On February 27th, 1902 Harry ‘Breaker’ Harbord Morant is executed in Pretoria. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 99 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 on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a …




Looking Back Over COVID – Part 2, by N.C.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) The Jury Is out: A CO2 rifle to practice transitions between targets and follow-up shots I’m a big fan of training marksmanship with an air rifle. 10m shooting with air rifle taught me more about follow through than my .22 did. It’s also easy to incorporate a daily routine of even just 5 good precise shots. However if you want to practice multiple shots you’re mainly in CO2 territory. Your only other options are Airsoft or the relatively new PCP semi-automatic world. I bought an expensive (for me) clone of the ruger …







The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us …




Preparedness Notes for Saturday — February 26, 2022

February 26th is the birthday of Major-General Orde Charles Wingate (born, 1903, died 24 March 1944), an eccentric British Army officer who organized special military units in Palestine in the 1930s, and in Abyssinia, Sudan, and Burma during World War II. He is most famous for his creation of the Chindits, airborne deep-penetration troops trained to work behind enemy lines in the Far East campaigns against the Japanese during World War II. February 26, 1993: A truck bomb built by Islamic extremists explodes in the parking garage of the North Tower of New York’s World Trade Center, killing six people …




Looking Back Over COVID – Part 1, by N.C.

I’ve been looking back a lot, for the last two months. We are slowly getting back to normal in the US. It seems there’s a degree of normalcy on the horizon albeit with a thousand possible dangers beyond it. Before I lose myself in preparing for that future I want to look back at the last emergency to see what lessons I can draw and share. In many ways, because my family was generally spared tragedy, I can look at this as a sort of dry run. I don’t want to diminish those who lost, every life lost was a …




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:

“Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when …




Preparedness Notes for Friday — February 25, 2022

February 25th is the birthday of bluegrass music legend Ralph Stanley (1927 – 2016). His harmonizing and high tenor solos had an almost haunting sound to them. — Today, in place of our Economic &Investing column (normally posted on Fridays), we are presenting a guest article authored by Arkadiusz Sieroń. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 99 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 on the model chosen, this could be worth …




Shortages, a 7-Year Food Supply, and Beating Inflation – Part 4, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.) As discussed previously, I followed two important principles in achieving a 7-year food supply using basic foods. First, let “everything from scratch” be your motto, avoiding processed and genetically modified foods. Second, buy in bulk. These two principles together will contribute to good health and definitely get you ahead of the steep inflation curve. Take the time to read the book, Nourishing Traditions, that I refer to as the “food Bible”. It will help you understand the real nutritional needs (“nutrient dense foods”) of adults and children, give you recipes, and help …