Year: 2023

Road Trip Navigation, by R.T.

This is about our cross-country road trip; not about where we went, what we saw or what we did, but about how we got there and how we found our way back. Why should this journey be of interest to you? Because someday you might have to make a road trip that doesn’t go as planned, or maybe not even planned at all and with little or no technological help. My wife and I are occasional long-distance travelers. The long-distance road trips we have made have been primarily to the same destination for family events via variations of the same …


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. — For anyone concerned about the negative health effects of Radio Frequency (RF) and other Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) in their homes, I know of a consulting company that specializes in RF/EMF remediation.  Keith Cutter, the owner of the company, has about 30 podcasts on the subject now archived and available for free listening. …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The entire argument for gun control is built upon a false premise. The second amendment is not about self-defense from criminals. As unpleasant as it may be for this modern society to say out loud, historically and constitutionally speaking, the right of the people to keep and bear arms has always been a right to protect yourself from those in power who want to enslave you. If America wants to engage in a real factual debate on the right to keep and bear arms, then it must be approached from the proper perspective. A proper debate on one’s right to …


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — June 20, 2023

On June 20th, 1903, American automobile-racing driver Barney Oldfield accomplished the first mile-a-minute performance in a car, at Indianapolis, Indiana. June 20th is also the birthday of Audie L. Murphy. He was born in 1925. He died in a plane crash on May 28, 1971. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 107 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 …


Practical PV Power, by Graton

Even though I have been dabbling in solar power since about 2008 I hesitated to share my experiences because I felt totally incompetent about the subject. I still feel that way in large part, even though my “knowledge” has increased dramatically. One of my first projects was setting up a solar-powered well for a friend’s cattle where obtaining grid power would have been financially prohibitive. The equipment included a Grundfos 11 SQ-Flex 2 pump, 6 solar panels, Midnite Solar 60 charge controller, golf cart 48-volt battery bank, etc. You may have noticed that there is no mention of an inverter …


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 the lengthy Republican walkout of the Oregon legislature.  (See the Central & Eastern Oregon section.) Idaho Idaho ranks #3 in USNews report: Economy, fiscal stability, and crime boost Gem State. o  o  o Kellogg shooting on Father’s Day leaves 4 dead, suspect arrested.  …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — June 19, 2023

June 19, 1834 was the birthday of Charles Haddon (C.H.) Spurgeon, who died 31 January, 1892. He was a noteworthy British Particular Baptist preacher. The text of more than 3,500 of his now famous sermons were preserved and are available online. — Today’s feature article is a review that was penned by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson. — I noticed that an interesting retreat property near Bonners Ferry, Idaho has been advertised at SurvivalRealty: 20 Acre Sustainable Homestead. — Please keep Pat Cascio in your prayers.  His health has been failing, in recent months.


Henry Long Ranger in .308 Winchester, by Thomas Christianson

I grew up watching Westerns on television. When it came to a movie or a television series that involved cowboys, if they were armed (and they usually were), the handguns were six-shooters, and the rifles were lever action. I dreamed of someday riding off into the sunset with a revolver on my hip and a lever action rifle in my saddle boot. Many decades passed. I might not have been quite at the place where I would be riding off into the sunset, but I could see that place from where I was. And I still had never fired a …


Recipe of the Week: Cheesy Broccoli Soup

The following recipe for Cheesy Broccoli Soup was kindly sent in by longtime SurvivalBlog reader “Sis”. INGREDIENTS and Directions Sauté: 1/4 cup butter & 1/2 medium onion (diced). Stir in: 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in: 2 cups of half n half & 2 cups of chicken broth. Add: 1 cup of diced carrots, 3 cups of chopped broccoli. Cook until carrots are tender. Add 1/4tsp. of nutmeg (important) Add salt and pepper to taste. Lastly, stir in 8 oz. (1 cup) of sharp cheddar cheese. Some Options and Ideas: Fresh broccoli is best but you could easily use frozen, dehydrated, …


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. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at a possible UPS workers’ strike. (See the Economy & Finance section.) Precious Metals: The price of gold was flat on Friday (June 16, 2023), but spot silver saw a nice 1.33% bounce to close at $24.46 USD per Troy ounce. So I adjusted my silver divisor accordingly: I now accept pre-1965 US …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — June 18, 2023

Today is the 70th birthday of Pastor Douglas Wilson. Born in 1953, he is the pastor at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho and a prodigious author of books and articles on Reformed theology. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 107 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 …


Communications For a Dystopian Future – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Antenna Selection Advntages For COMSEC, it is always the best policy to use the lowest power setting that still allows reliable communication. Using the best antenna for a particular situation is often overlooked as it is much more convenient to increase the power until we can be heard. If our equipment is low power then we can use a high-gain directional, or omnidirectional antenna to compensate. And using a better antenna to listen to weak signals increases our effectiveness. In a communication circuit using common 1/4-watt FRS transceivers, I can reliably communicate …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: On Wednesday, June 21st, 2023 Greta Thunberg’s “Five Years” Will Have Passed. Apparently, Only Rationalism Has Gone Extinct Note From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!