Year: 2023

Book Review: The Area Intelligence Handbook

There are just a few times in the past decade that I’ve opened a book and felt an immediate connection with its author. That is what happened when I began reading The Area Intelligence Handbook, by Mike Shelby. I suppose that a better title for the book would be: The Area Intelligence Handbook For Survivalists, because that is how the book is geared. This 249-page trade paperback is not just a generic manual on Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) for folks in the Military Intelligence (MI) arena. Rather, it is truly tailored for preparedness-minded private citizens, in anticipation of …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, word of a new Covid virus variant. Scientists Discover The ‘Most Mutated Covid Variant Ever’ Business Today of India reports: Scientists discover the ‘most mutated Covid variant ever’ …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 2, 2023

On August 2nd, 1876, Wild Bill Hickok—a frontiersman, marksman, gambler, and legend of the American West—was murdered in the city of Deadwood, in what is now South Dakota. — August 2nd was the birthday of Peter O’Toole (1932–2013). When his name is mentioned, Lawrence of Arabia immediately comes to mind. — I just learned that Harvest Guard — one of our advertisers and a sponsor of our writing contest — has reduced their prices as much as 30% on many of their most popular products. As always, shipping in the United States is free. For large, group bulk orders, please …


PV Power Challenges and Solutions, by Tractorguy

This article should be subtitled: “And, the importance of regular visits to your Bug-Out Location (BOL).” Back in August of 2020, I wrote about the solar photovoltaic (PV) power system at my Bug-Out Location (BOL). I believe it was General Electric that used to put on all their professional product literature, “Our policy is one of constant improvement.” That’s great advice for all of us! In the last three years, I have made some refinements and corrected some significant shortcomings in it. My BOL is deep in the woods, a quarter-mile off the road, and is surrounded by trees. That’s …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — America’s polarized political tribes are moving away from each other. Just look at a bluer Colorado and a redder Idaho. o  o  o Ontario Knife Company has been sold. It has been reported that 56 employees will be losing their jobs. It is not clear what the new owner, Blue Ridge Knives …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 1, 2023

August 1st is remembered as the election day in 1946 that sparked the Battle of Athens, Tennessee, when returning World War II veterans took up arms to oust a corrupt local government that was rigging an election. On August 1, 1941 the first U.S. military Jeep rolled off the assembly line. On August 1, 1958 the US First-Class postage was increased to 4 cents. (It had been 3 cents for 26 years.) In case you missed the news, the most recent rate increase went into effect on July 9, 2023. The new rate sheet includes an increase in the cost …


Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced — Round 107

We’ve completed the judging for Round 107 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 107 ended on July 31st, 2023. The contest is run in rounds that each last two months. The prize-winning writers for Round 107 are: First Prize First Prize goes to PrepperDoc, for: Assembling a Stealth Prepper Group, posted on July 18th and 19th, 2023. See: Part 1, and Part 2. He will receive the following prizes. 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 …


July, 2023 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance and the factors that affected gold prices. What Did Gold Do in July? We expected continued central bank policies of putting the inflation fight above the job market and preventing inflation would have put gold on the back foot, making traditionally weak summer gold demand worse. That isn’t exactly what happened. August gold futures started July at $1,929 an ounce, with spot prices starting at $1,919. Prices peaked on the 18th, with August …


Using Pop Culture to Teach Survival and Civics, by M.J.

This short article does not teach any particular skills, tactics, or procedures. My only objective here is to offer some suggestions for using pop culture to get children or teenagers to start thinking about survival and to learn about civics. While most pop culture ranges from fluff to downright destructive, there are some gems we can pull out of the trash heap. Some of the examples here are irreverent and some have bad language; that’s the point. Books and sober lectures aren’t always the best way to get people’s attention. Note that I am labeling anything with vulgarity or profane …


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 focus on a tragic murder-suicide, at a Montana boat ramp near Eureka, Montana. (See the Region-Wide section.  Pictured is downtown Eureka, Montana.) Region-Wide Bend man shot, killed during argument at Montana boat ramp; suspect apparently killed self. o  o  o Why Americans making over …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 31, 2023

July 31st is the birthday of free-market economist Milton Friedman. (Pictured, born 1912, died November 16, 2006.) On July 31st, 1958 the Anti-Chinese uprising began in Tibet. July 31st, 1921, was the birthday of Army Air Corps veteran David Thatcher, one of the Doolittle Raider. Thatcher was the tail gunner in the rear of the Mitchell B-25 medium bomber christened the Ruptured Duck, the seventh of 16 planes. Returning from the raid, the bomber crashed into the sea from low fuel and the crewmen survived, in no small part to Thatcher’s heroic efforts. The five airmen washed ashore and were …


Leatherman Sidekick Multi-Tool, by Thomas Christianson

The Leatherman Sidekick is a well-made multi-tool with a nice selection of features. I found it to be just slightly larger than I would prefer for pocket carry. I would highly recommend it for belt pouch, pack, tackle box, or similar carry. The Backstory Last Spring, the Youth Ministry Leaders at our church gave me a gift card to a sporting goods store. It was an expression of appreciation for the oversight that I was temporarily providing to the youth ministry. I was deeply touched. I had been greatly blessed by observing the ministry of the leaders to the young …