Year: 2026


Preparedness Notes for Thursday — February 26, 2026

On February 26, 1929, US President Calvin Coolidge established Grand Teton National Park. — And on February 26,1935 RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) was first demonstrated by Robert Watson-Watt and Arnold Wilkins in Daventry, England. — Today’s feature article is a guest piece by a SurvivaBlog reader who is also a podcaster. — 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 …


Your “Gray Man” Camouflage, by A.C.

Background I travel for work, often traveling all over the word into some not-so-friendly environments where I don’t want to be a target but I still need to remain capable. I’ve interviewed behaviorists about the science behind being memorable and I’ve also spoken with members of certain 3-letter-agencies about what they’ve learned about traveling in austere environments. This short essay is an aggregate of that information that is easily consumable and understandable. In the world of tactical preparation and survivalism, there is a pervasive image of the “operator”, that is; someone decked out in multicam patterns, sporting morale patches, and …


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. In today’s column, Hawaii’s planned dictatorial “Emergency” powers. Hawaii Plans Expansive Emergency Powers By way of the Whatfinger news aggregation site: Hawaii Bills Would Allow Gov’t To Quarantine People, Enter Property, …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — February 25, 2026

On February 25, 1791, the First Bank of the United States was chartered by the United States Congress for a term of 20 years. JWR’s Comment: Many economists point to this as the first in a chain of events that would lead the United States into perpetual debt and positioning bankers as the nation’s ruling elite, pulling strings  from the shadows. — February 25, 1855: Bowery Boys gang leader William “Bill the Butcher” Poole was shot in the back by the gang of archrival John Morrissey in New York City. (He died on March 8th of the same year.) — …


An Update on the Elenco AM/FM Radio Kit, by Mike in Alaska

Recently I wrote about the Elenco AM/FM radio kit and was pulled away from the build before I could do a full alignment of the radio. The kit was finished but my work took me out of town, and I wasn’t able to do a full and complete alignment of the kit per the builders manual. I should add that I am employed full-time as an electronics engineer and have been involved in electronics repair, design, and building for over 50 years. And as an amateur radio hobbiest, my experience goes further back than that timeline. My “shop” is equipped …


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. — This new video shows that the Gear Rack guys still have DRMO surplus stacked to the rafters, and more truckloads arriving regularly: We Bought 20,000 LBS of Military Surplus From the U.S. Military.  If you place an order with Gear Rack, then be sure to mention that you saw them linked at …


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“I have so fixed the habit in my own mind that I never raise a glass of water to my lips without a moment’s asking of God’s blessing. I never seal a letter without putting a word of prayer under the seal. I never take a letter from the post without a brief sending of my thoughts heavenward. I never change classes in the section room without a minute’s petition on the cadets who go out and those who come in.” – Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — February 24, 2026

On February 24, 1786, General Charles Cornwallis was appointed governor-general of India. — February 24, 1807 at least 17 people died and 15 were injured in a crowd crush, witnessing the triple hanging execution of Holloway, Heggerty, and Godfrey, at Newgate Prison, England.  The crowd, in narrow streets, was reportedly destabilized after being disturbed by a collapsing wooden cart. This triggered a chain of events leading to the fatal crowd crush. Many fatalities and severe injuries resulted, with newspapers reporting that at least 27 perished in the accident and one observer counting at least 34 dead. — And on February …


The 21st Century Rural Migration, by Single Farmer

The idea that our country is thought of in terms of conservative versus liberal areas caused me to think about how so many people today and in the recent past have either moved, will be moving, or even thinking about moving for better opportunities. I wanted to write more about how this has occurred historically and more about how my conservative region is part of this trend including how it is impacting farms. Technological change and government interventions are often two factors that cause the settlement and population redistribution throughout the country.  Urbanization following the Second World War was just …


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. Video: They Say 170,000 Elk in Montana: The Wolves and Grizzly Bear Lie And a tokenization threat is described in this video: Foreign Countries are Using Wolves to Buy the American West A new video from a world-traveling North Idaho couple: The Race Against Winter… We Bought a 1980s House with Everything Included — Episode 12. Stolen Ambulance Doused in Gasoline Rammed into Idaho ICE Facility, Suspect Flees. …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — February 23, 2026

On February 23, 1903, the United States and Cuba signed an agreement by which Cuba released Guantanamo and Bahia Hondo to the US for naval stations. Pictured is a US Coast Guard patrol boat, at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2003. — February 23,1958: San Francisco’s last municipal arc light at the corner of Mission and 25th Street was removed. It had been installed in 1913. — Today’s feature article is by SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson. — We need more entries for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we …


Woodhaven Fire Starters, by Thomas Christianson

The Bottom Line, Up Front The Woodhaven Fire Starters provide excellent material for igniting a useful blaze. Each disk is four inches in diameter, one inch thick, and weighs 4.2 ounces. They are composed of cedar sawdust bonded together with refined paraffin. One full disk burns for 20 to 30 minutes. It can also be broken into smaller pieces to start multiple fires. The fire starters are safe to use in fireplaces, firepits, wood stoves, and similar applications. The disks come in packages of 12, 50, or 100. At the time of this writing, those packages cost respectively $19.99, $65.00, …