Year: 2023

Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 2, by Greg X.

(Continued from Part 1.) My Detailed Search I spent the first couple of years looking at real estate online. I’m trying to find a property that is at least 3 hours away so in-person viewing wasn’t efficient for my initial search. I wanted to get a feel for what was for sale, what were prices like, how much money did I need, and what kind of amenities were in certain areas. I would map driving distances and roads looking at drive times, rush hour constraints, fastest routes and number of alternate routes. Zillow.com and Realtor.com were my favorite search sites. …


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. — SurvivalBlog’s Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson spotted this: Oregon man stranded in remote snow-covered road uses drone to signal for help. Mike’s Comment: “He was foolish for getting into that predicament, but he devised a clever way to get out.” o  o  o China Warns “There Will Surely Be Conflict And Confrontation” With …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — March 14, 2023

On March 14, 1951, United Nations forces recaptured Seoul during the Korean War. This is the birthday of fighter ace Major Raoul Lufbery (born 1885). He was shot down and killed in 1918. This is the birthday of Marlin Perkins. He was a well-known television host (Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom). He was born in 1905 in Carthage. Missouri. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 105 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. …


Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 1, by Greg X.

Introduction In this article, I will describe my search for a bugout location (BOL). I would consider it typical for someone living in the eastern United States. I closed escrow on that property last May and have been working on the place every weekend since then. — If you search the Internet and you will find multiple articles about the perfect bugout location. Most articles will contain a standard list of recommendations that require tradeoffs and sacrifices most of us don’t want to or can’t make while staying within our value systems and life constraints. I would argue that “the” …


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, in a departure from the usual news coverage, we will briefly focus on the increasingly conservative politics in The American Redoubt. Idaho What kind of political beliefs are newcomers bringing to Idaho? Survey says… o  o  o Written by a liberal, back in 2021: Explaining …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The people I represent are more independent—they want to feel empowered to make decisions that they think are best for themselves and for their families. They don’t like the federal government or the state government interfering with their ability to make those decisions and so they get offended sometimes when the people who live in the greater Seattle area enforce their values on those of us who live in eastern Washington.” – Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers


Preparedness Notes for Monday — March 13, 2023

Editor’s Update:  Don’t miss reading today’s Economics & Investing column. It is important! — Today is the anniversary of The Great Quebec Blackout. On March 13, 1989, the Hydro-Québec power grid failed after a solar storm, as a coronal mass ejection (CME) struck the Earth’s magnetosphere. The blackout lasted nine hours. Dr. David Boteler, head of the Space Weather Group at Natural Resources Canada described the event: “It was the biggest geomagnetic storm of the Space Age. March 1989 has become the archetypal disturbance for understanding how solar activity can cause blackouts.” — I noticed that Sawyer Mini Filters in …


Bear Edge Model 61125 Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

A pair of eyes glowed brightly in the darkness of the woods beyond the reach of my headlamp. I was not concerned. The woods surrounding our home are filled with a host of furry creatures, most of them benign. A stroll around our property can resemble the meadow scene from Disney’s Bambi. Birds flit through the branches, and rabbits and squirrels leisurely hop off into the undergrowth. So it is not at all unusual to see eyes glowing in the darkness when I take the dog for a walk on a winter’s evening. Then the eyes started moving toward me. …


Recipe of the Week: Survival Spread

The following Survival Spread recipe is from SurvivalBlog reader L.E.. She notes: “You may have to overcome a visual “ick” factor, since this mixture resembles baby poop. Along with plenty of water, two heaping spoonfuls per day will keep an adult alive for a week if nothing else is eaten. DO NOT attempt to add nuts or fruit or oatmeal, the goal here is to have a mixture that can be easily consumed and digested by babies, licked off a spoon by starving children, bedridden injured, and toothless old people.” Ingredients One 16-ounce jar of store-brand peanut butter Two cups …


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. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, some more details on the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapse, and the closure of Signature Bank. (See the Economy & Finance section, the Derivatives section, and the Forex & Cryptos section.) Important Note: If you have any exposure to a regional bank or one that is heavily into CDS derivatives or tied to a crypto …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — March 12, 2023

On March 12, 2009, hedge-fund investment manager Bernie Madoff pled guilty to various crimes related to his operation of a Ponzi scheme that was one of the largest in the world; he was sentenced to 150 years in prison. — Today is the birthday of science fiction author Harry Harrison, who is best known for his Deathworld trilogy. (He was born in 1920 and died in 2012.) — On March 12, 1850 the first US $20 gold piece was issued. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes …


Long-Term Survival Poultry, by J.S.

A few years ago, we moved out of the suburbs and onto a farm/homestead with plans to start raising every farm animal imaginable. Lots of friends and family thought we were crazy, but we had spent years researching animal husbandry and couldn’t wait to put our book knowledge to work. We moved in around Christmas and by mid-January we had baby chicks in the brooder and some donated hatching eggs in an incubator. While our farm is not our main source of income, we do run it like a business and each spring we raise a few hundred pullets (young …