Year: 2026

Preparedness Notes — Monday, May 25, 2026

On May 25, 1842, Christian Doppler presented his concept, now known as the Doppler Effect (through the changing colors of binary stars), to the Royal Bohemian Society, in Prague. — And on May 25, 1878: W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan‘s comic opera “H.M.S. Pinafore” premiered in London. It was their first international success. — Today, Memorial Day, is a day of solemn remembrance in the U.S. of the many who have given their all for our freedoms. We always thank those who are serving in our military and their families who have also made sacrifices, but today most of …


Litt Industries LED Upgrade for Mini Maglite, by Thomas Christianson

The Litt Industries LED Upgrade significantly increases the battery life and brightness of an incandescent Mini Maglite 2 AAA flashlight. With the original xenon bulb, battery life for the flashlight was about 6 hours in my testing. With the LED upgrade, battery life was extended to more than 19 hours. The brightness was also increased from 12 lumens to 61 lumens. The upgrade is designed, developed, and manufactured in-house in Mesa, Arizona. At the time of this writing, the upgrade cost $13.99 at littindustries.com. By way of comparison, a brand new Mini Maglite LED 2 AAA flashlight cost $14.99 at …


Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Barbecued Hashbrown Scramble is from long-time SurvivalBlog reader and frequent recipe contributor Ellen H.  She says: “The exact proportions of the listed ingredients are not exact. Pick amounts to suit your taste.  This can be cooked at home on a barbecue or over a campfire in a dutch oven or even just in a heavy foil cooking tray.” Ingredients Ham, diced. (Cooked ham or substitute cooked bacon) Hashbrown potatoes, cubed (fresh or frozen, but thaw them first. 2 or more Eggs Milk –  of any kind. Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or substitute another cheese, to suit your …



The Editors’ Quote

“No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned…A man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company.” –  Samuel Johnson, as quoted In James Boswell’s ‘The Life of Samuel Johnson’ (1791) vol. 1, p. 348 (1759).


Preparedness Notes — Sunday, May 24, 2026

On May 24, 1764, Samuel Adams wrote instructions for the Boston Town Meeting opposing the Sugar Act. This laid the groundwork for colonial resistance to taxation without representation. — May 24, 1962: US astronaut Scott Carpenter aboard Aurora 7 (Mercury-Atlas 7) orbits the Earth three times in a flight just under five hours. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This is the final round of the contest. There will not be a “Round 125”! The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. …


30 Year Review of My Automotive EDC, by A.J.

This review started because I needed a band aid the other day and rather than dribble through the house, I went to the first aid kit in the minivan.  I was surprised at the amount of empty space in the plastic case, but there were the necessary items to handle the cut. I used a benzo conium wipe (still wet) and a Band-Aid (still sticky) and then started quality checking the kit. I looked at the contents label and it was printed in 1996 and looking further, the remaining dose of Imodium in the kit had a use by date …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: I Used To Think Of My Life As Something Straight Out Of “The Young And The Restless” But Now That I’m Getting Older, I Seemed To Have Changed Channels To “General Hospital” Notes 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! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.


The Editors’ Quote

“Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity. Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. 5 Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day. But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. And these things give …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — May 23, 2026

On May 23, 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was created out of the American, British and French occupation zones. Pictured above is East German steam locomotive 03 2155-4 in the West Germany city of Cologne. (A public domain photo by wwwuppertal, taken in 2013.) — May 23 is the birthday of George Lars Kellgren (born 1943 in Borås, Sweden), the founder and chief engineer of Kel-Tec. He designed many firearms earlier for Husqvarna and Swedish Interdynamics AB in Sweden. He moved to the US in 1979 and his original US designs were for Intratec and Grendel brand …


Post-SHTF Lighting: Testing My Preps – Part 3, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) Location Uses and Upgrades I Made Kitchen Table – The table is under the beams which support the loft. With the table mostly being used as a work space and for playing games, a light hanging from above was needed. The lantern lights hanging upside down were enough for eating but more light would be preferable for other activities. As mentioned, the A-19 was the perfect solution. The shadowless light was as bright as the 120-volt lights they were replacing. For the test, the small riding-mower core battery was used to power …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both 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 the Odds …


The Editors’ Quote

“And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them. And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you? Give out from among you three men for each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — May 22, 2026

On May 22, 334 BC, the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great defeated the army of Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. — May 22, 1807: Former US Vice President Aaron Burr is tried for treason in Richmond, Virginia. He was acquitted. — And on May 22, 1842, farmers Lester Howe and Henry Wetsel discovered Howe Caverns in New York state when they stumbled upon a large gaping hole in the ground. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This is the final round of …


Post-SHTF Lighting: Testing My Preps – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1.) Solar Panel Inventory As mentioned, to make this test more valuable to the majority of the readers I didn’t use my 3,000-watt home solar-panel system for lighting or charging batteries. I did, however, use a few smaller portable solar panels I have. 1 – 100-watt panel 1 – 15-watt panel 1 – 20-watt panel 1 – 1.8-watt trickle charger As you’d expect, the larger a solar panel is the more quickly it’ll charge a battery. For preppers who are currently without any solar panels, though not ideal, inexpensive 15-to-25-watt panels could be purchased and tucked away …