Year: 2026

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. — It is time to contact your U.S. House and Senate members again, to encourage them to get both the Hearing Protection Act (HPA — de-regulating suppressors) and the SHORT Act (de-regulating SBRs and SBSes) into the pending budget reconciliation bill, and pass them! Please phone their offices several times. o  o  o …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — March 31, 2026

On March 31, 1917, the Danish West Indies were officially ceded to the US for $25 million and renamed the Virgin Islands. Pictured is St. Thomas Island. — March 31 is the birthday of the late economist Dr. Walter E. Williams, PhD., who was born in 1936. He passed away in 2020. His book American Contempt for Liberty is highly recommended. — Today we present an article that was too short to qualify as an entry for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 123 ends …


Monitoring Ship and Aircraft Traffic, by Ohio Galt

I have always been interested monitoring ships and air traffic around the world, especially since 9/11. On that day I was fishing for salmon out of the middle of Lake Michigan, a very clear day and I noticed every jet in the sky was turning into a different direction heading somewhere else. Turning on the Marine radio and started to hear the chatter of what was going on around the country, I finished my sandwich and headed the boat for the harbor. Since then I have learned of several websites that show real-time movement of ships and airplane around the …


SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media 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. The high-resolution thumbnail below is click-expandable. Redoubt News Links: From the hard-left-biased PBS: A Rural Montana Town is Eyed for a 5,000-acre Data Center Campus. Thousands of Californians move to Idaho every year. Who are they? Historic Antlers Ranch In Meeteetse Sells After 131 Years With Same Family. Send Your Media Links Please send your links to media from the American Redoubt region to JWR. Any photos that are …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — March 30, 2026

On March 30, 240 BC, Halley’s Comet made its first recorded perihelion passage. (Photo courtesy of NASA, from the 1987 comet passage, photographed from Easter Island.) — March 30, 1856: The Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, France, and the Kingdom of Sardinia signed the Treaty of Paris. This ended the Crimean War. — Today’s feature article is by our Field Gear Editor, Tom Christianson.


Ballistol Multi-Purpose Lubricant, by Thomas Christianson

Ballistol is a gun cleaning oil. If my sources are correct, it is composed of white mineral oil, potassium oleate, ammonium oleate, benzyl alcohol, amyl alcohol, isobytyl alcohol, benzyl acetate, and anethole. One key characteristic of Ballistol is that it emulsifies with water. This makes it an excellent cleaner for firearms that use black powder or corrosive primers. The best solvent for black powder and the salts left by corrosive primers is hot (almost boiling) water. Ballistol works well in conjunction with that hot water. Ballistol is also non-toxic, and can also be used on wood and leather as well …


Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Granny’s Spring Greens Salad is from SurvivalBlog reader Granny M.. Ingredients 8 to 10 cups (around about 1 pound) of mixed greens (mixture of any available lettuces, sprouts, watercress, mesclun, mache, baby arugula, dandelion greens, and/or pea shoots) 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste) 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 lemon, juiced Directions Wash and blot dry your greens with a clean dish towel, and place them in a large bowl. Add the chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Drizzle over …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: A map showing the United States and Canada, with comparable latitude locales in Europe overlaid. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) The thumbnail below is click-expandable.   — Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — March 29, 2026

On March 29, 845, a 5,000-strong army of Danish Vikings invaded Frankish lands and only retreated after besieging Paris and securing a ransom from the Frankish King Charles the Bald. This was part of a series of devastating raids begun by the Vikings that began in the 790s. The Vikings were led by a man named “Reginherus” or Ragnar, sometimes linked to the legendary saga figure Ragnar Lodbrok. The Vikings easily overcame defences set in place by Charlemagne and are known to have attacked the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés just outside the city. The Vikings returned home with a ransom of …


Notes on Constructing a 12 VDC Fuel Transfer Pump

  JWR’s Introductory Note: This is an update to a reply to a letter that I posted in SurvivalBlog back in February 2007.  Given the recent spike in gasoline and diesel prices, I thought it would be apropos to re-post it. — Every well-equipped retreat should have at least one “field expedient” 12 VDC fuel transfer pump. These pump rigs are popular with dirt bike, ATV, and snowmobile enthusiasts. They are very simple to construct. Here are the materials that you will need: 1 – An automobile or truck electric fuel pump. (The least expensive pumps come from automobile wrecking yards.) …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Re-Watching Die Hard Last Night Reminded Me of What Life Was Like in California, in 1988: Bruce Willis Had Some Hair, Gas Was Affordable, and Two Political Parties Were Vying to Control the Capitol — 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 Of The Day:

“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his …