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. — U.S. Army Reveals New Chevy Silverado-Based Infantry Squad Vehicle – Heavy Next-Gen Hybrid. JWR’s Comments:  They say that history doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes.  This reminds me of the U.S. Army’s Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle (CUCV) procurement in the 1980s. That was basically a diesel-engine Chevy K5 Blazer with CARC camouflage …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — March 17, 2026

On March 17, 1959, the US nuclear submarine USS Skate became the first submarine to surface at the North Pole. — After a multi-month restocking hiatus, we are again taking orders at Elk Creek Company. Here are our updated inventory counts: Pre-1899 Antique Rifles:  22 (We have deeply restocked 7×57 and 6.5×55 Mauser rifles.) Pre-1899 Antique Shotguns: 9 (Most are 12 gauge and most of them have fluid steel barrels!) Pre-1899 Antique Pistols and Revolvers: 21  (Mostly S&W top break revolvers.) Blackpowder Revolvers: 23 (Most are .44 caliber, with modern cartridge conversion cylinders available. We have deeply restocked the much-in-demand …


WeatherWool Selvedge Poncho, by Thomas Christianson

I recently re-read The Wine-Dark Sea by Patrick O’Brian. It is book 16 in the Aubrey/Maturin series. One episode in the novel describes Dr. Stephen Maturin riding a mule into the Andes to meet with conspirators who are plotting the overthrow of the Spanish government in Peru. As Maturin rides higher into the Andes, the temperature falls, and he pauses in his journey to put on a poncho. I suspect that the poncho that O’Brian had in mind as he penned his novel looked something like the one worn by Clint Eastwood in all three films of the Dollars Trilogy. …


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. Redoubt News links Rare sighting of a wolverine hunting in Montana. ‘It’s Carnage’: Wyoming Wind Gusts Up To 109MPH Blow Over Trucks, Rip Off Roofs Ruby Ridge standoff negotiator Bo Gritz dies in Nevada. A new vlog from the Expedition Rove couple in North Idaho: $22,000 Mistake… 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 16, 2026

March 16, 1802: The first US Military Academy at West Point was established through a Congressional act. It opened July 4, 1802. — Today’s feature article is the third and last installment of a guest post by our friend Mrs. Alaska. We highly recommend her blog and books. — We need entries for Round 123 of 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 on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles …


Update: Now Mailing the March, 2026 S.O.S. Newsletter

I’ve completed the new issue of the SurvivaBlog Old School (SOS) newsletter.  The March, 2026 issue will be mailed starting today, over the next several days. This issue’s emphasis is on suppressor construction with detailed specifications, tips, and tricks. This is our third issue, and it is six pages long. SOS is a traditional hardcopy mailed newsletter intended as a backup to Internet delivery, in the event of any sort of disruption — whether natural or man-made. Normally, you’ll receive just one issue each year, with some practical information that is not published in the online edition of SurvivalBlog. But …


Construction and Design of a Remote, Off-Grid Residence – Part 3, by Mrs. Alaska

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Storage A big challenge when living in small homes is storage space. In a climate with dramatic temperature swings like ours, we have, for example, different mittens, boots, parkas and hats for +30, 0, and -30 degrees. All of these are bulky. We also have special clothing for hunting, fishing, and rain, and various accoutrements for outdoor activities. So, we built lots of storage shelves in various outbuildings to hold labeled totes of out-of-season clothes. In our cabin, I store things under, over, behind, and beside furniture. For example, my husband built …


Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Basil Buttered Greens is from SurvivalBlog reader Trish. Ingredients 3 spring onions 2 Tablespoons of butter 1 Cup  frozen peas 1 Cup frozen, shelled edamame beans 1/4 Cup chicken stock or vegetable stock 1 teaspoon sugar 1 medium cos (Romiane) lettuce bunch A handful of fresh basil leaves Directions 1. Slice the three spring onions, both the white and the green parts. Melt half the butter in a wide saucepan and stir the spring onions over a low heat, letting them soften but not brown. 2. Tumble in the 1 Cup each frozen peas and edamame, …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: Global GDP Clusters. These three regions, spread across three continents, together generate half of the world’s GDP  (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 15, 2026

After a multi-month restocking hiatus, we are again taking orders at Elk Creek Company. Here are our updated inventory counts: Pre-1899 Antique Rifles:  24 (We have deeply restocked 7×57 and 6.5×55 Mauser rifles.) Pre-1899 Antique Shotguns: 9 (Most are 12 gauge and most of them have fluid steel barrels!) Pre-1899 Antique Pistols and Revolvers: 21  (Mostly S&W top break revolvers.) Blackpowder Revolvers: 23 (Most are .44 caliber, with modern cartridge conversion cylinders available. We have deeply restocked the much-in-demand Ruger Old Army revolvers.) Blackpowder Rifles: 7 (Most of them are .50 Caliber deer/elk hunting rifles.) Knives and Bayonets:  24 (Edged …


Construction and Design of a Remote, Off-Grid Residence – Part 2, by Mrs. Alaska

(Continued from Part 1.) Power Most remote homes and lodges rely on generators. The problem with generators is that they are noisy and smelly. So many people build a ventilated shed around them to buffer the noise. I appreciate that! In our case, we built the power tower (for the wind turbine, solar panels, antennas, and satellite dish) and power shed on the highest point on our property, so the 120 foot tower rises above the tallest trees, 400 feet east of the cabin. When we use the small generator as supplemental power, on rainy, snowy, still days, I am …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Mohamed Jalloh Learned the Real Meaning of the Acronym ROTC: Rendering Oafish Terrorists to Corpses News Links: ROTC students at Old Dominion University killed shooter who left 1 dead, 2 wounded. Video: Students killed ODU shooter, who shouted ‘allahu akbar’ before opening fire: FBI. 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.