Year: 2025

Improvised Shower Fixtures and Pumps, by A.F.

My first iteration of an improvised shower came about while stationed in Texas. Our unit was participating in a field training exercise and were allocated one trip to the shower point per week. As this exercise was more of a practice of our daily grind in field conditions rather than a battle simulation, our platoon of mechanics set up a minimal motor pool and for the most part spent time catching up on service work. One of the few actual repairs I was given over those days was replacing the power steering pump on a M1009 CUCV better known as …


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. At the top of today’s column, some news from the “Gunshine” State. Florida AG Announces Legal Open Carry Reader D.S.V. sent us this good news reported by The Orlando Sentinel:  AG …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 17, 2025

On September 17, 158, Dutch sailors claimed the island of Mauritius for the Netherlands. They named it after Maurice, Prince of Orange and Count of Nassau — September 17, 1776: The Fortress Presidio of San Francisco was founded in New Spain to gain a foothold in Alta California and secure the San Francisco Bay. — Today, September 17th, we celebrate Constitution Day in these United States.  This is in remembrance that on September 17, 1787, the US Constitution was signed by delegates at the Philadelphia Convention. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 120 of the …


Secure Local Comms With POTS Equipment, by Tractorguy

Land-line analog telephone service was ubiquitous in most of the 20th Century. This hardware is now commonly Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS).  This was our primary means of communication. It was simple, robust, and reliable. A few users still have landline service, although most landline service has migrated to digital means over a public Internet connection, with a modem at the user’s residence converting the digital data back to analog and providing ringer voltage to operate the bell. A lot of these telephones and associated equipment still exist, and are sitting in basements and attics. They could be easily pressed …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our 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. — Some enthusiastic young men have just launched a new military surplus company in Tampa, Florida, called Gear Rack. Their inventory arrives in semi trailer-loads of DRMO clothing and gear, mostly in pallet boxes. What a chore to sort and catalog it all!  They also sell some foreign military surplus.  Their videos (12 …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 16, 2025

On September 16,  1782, the Great Seal of the United States of America was used for the first time. — September 16, 1919, the U.S. Congress granted a national charter to the American Legion. — And on September 16, 1940, US President FDR signed the Selective Training & Service Act. This was the nation’s first peacetime draft. — Mark your calendar for February 16, 2026, to order your 20th Anniversary Edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. The 2005-2025 edition will have at least 12 more bonus books.  These will include the 4-volume Audel’s Carpenters and Builders Guide, as …


JIT Training for Trusted Friends, Family, and Neighbors, by Dr. Bob

This article will provide some thoughts on how to address a few common problems seen in the preparedness community. The first problem involves the difficulty finding like-minded people to form a community before the Stuff Hits The Fan (SHTF). The second problem is how to engage friends, family, and neighbors so that they take actions to prepare their families prior to SHTF. These problems are related and center on the realization that many people are bound by their current life circumstances and are unwilling or unable to consider that the current paradigm is in danger and, secondly, many of those …


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 located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, news about the Yellowstone effect.  (See the Montana section.) Region-Wide Legal battle over salmon and steelhead on Columbia and Snake Rivers. o  o  o Some new businesses: Inland Northwest Business Watch. Idaho Chronic wasting disease threatens Idaho’s big game and hunting traditions. o  o  o …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 15, 2025

On September 15, 1916: The first use of tanks in warfare. Britain’s Mark I “Little Willie” tanks were used at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, as part of the Battle of the Somme. — On September 15, 1950, United Nations troops landed at Inchon, South Korea, crippling a North Korean invasion during the Korean War. — The last day!  The week-long sale on all of our Swedish Mauser rifles at Elk Creek Company ends tonight at midnight, Eastern Time. The prices of all of our  6.5 x55mm “Swedes” have been reduced by 10 to 25 percent. These are all pre-1899 (no …


1791 Gunleather Optic Ready Belt Holster, by Thomas Christianson

The 1791 Gunleather Optic Ready Belt Holster is a sturdy, comfortable, beautiful, handcrafted leather holster that does an excellent job of retaining a handgun during open carry. It is made in America, and costs $61.99 at www.1791gunleather.com at the time of this writing. If you are looking for a nice, leather, outside-the-waistband (OWB) holster that fits a wide range of handguns at a reasonable price, you may want to check this one out. Background My favorite handgun is a Rock Island Armory MAPP FS, which I purchased after reviewing it on SurvivalBlog. I bought it because I can shoot the …


Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Roasted Summer Squash is from SurvivalBlog reader H.N., who says: “This is intended for yellow squash, but this recipe also works fairly well with zucchinis.” Ingredients 2 Squash (about 4 cups), cut into 1/2 inch-thick slices 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning 2 cloves garlic, chopped (or less, to taste.) 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional) Salt, to taste Pepper to taste Sprigs of Parsley (for garnishing) Directions Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Spread 1 Tablespoon of olive oil on a lipped cookie sheet pan. Wash and slice the squash. Toss the squash …