Dakota Power Bank and PV Panel – Part 2, by Mike in Alaska

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) The Dakota Lithium Power Bank can supply up to 2,400 watts by itself and can supply you with 4,800 peak AC when needed. This is according to their user’s manual that comes with the unit. That 4,800 watts is a rating given when a second power bank unit is set up in parallel with the first unit. The bank came with the necessary connector to link it with a second bank, and I am planning to buy a second unit to add to the setup I have now.


Dakota Power Bank and PV Panel – Part 1, by Mike in Alaska

As the saying goes “One is none, two is one, three is two …. and if you are building your preparations with only one back up then you have failed to prepare.” Disclaimer: I purchased the system with my own funds. I am not being paid by the company for this article. We live in the Arctic area of Alaska. Our winters here are long and dark, and they can be brutal. For us it starts in mid-August when the sun begins to set earlier and rise later in the day, and the truth be known, it starts June 21st …


Review: Church Security 1 at Paladin Tower Tactics, by WKYHomesteader

In July 2025, Kentucky Sustainable Living held their annual Homesteading & Preparedness Festival. (If you happen to live in the area, I highly recommend attending!) On the first day, while wandering “vendor row”, the wife and I met and spoke with Scott Willey of Paladin Tower Tactics. Among the stuff on his table, the flyer for his Church Security 1 class really caught my eye. It is an eight-hour long class that is intended to prepare the student “for the Gunfight, the Legal Fight, and the Spiritual Fight.” Prior to this, I had never had any professional firearms training other …


Are Democrats Trying To Start A Civil War?, by Brandon Smith

Whenever you delve into the modern history of internal national conflict you’re bound to come across post-crisis accounts from people who said “We never saw it coming…” or “The violence hit us from nowhere…” Generally speaking, these were the people who weren’t paying attention and they just happened to survive by sheer luck. I think of this dynamic a lot these days. I see a large contingent of American society (perhaps 25% of the population) which has been radicalized or brainwashed beyond all reason or repair. These people (leftists) operate deep within a protective bubble of propaganda and zealotry; they …


Evaluation of the Huxwrx Flow 556k Suppressor, by C.S.

With January 1st, 2026 and free-of-charge Federal transfer tax stamps for suppressors, SBRs, and SBSes approaching, I believe that many SurvivalBlog readers will soon be looking to purchase NFA items, be it their first or tenth such item. So, I’m writing this short article on my experiences with the Huxwrx 556k suppressor. I hope to help fellow readers make an informed purchase when or before January 1st comes around. As a disclaimer, I have no affiliation with Huxwrx. This suppressor was purchased with my own money over a year ago, and I have since put around 2,000 rounds of 5.56 …


From Unprepared to Prepped – A Beginner’s Guide – Part 2, by Mr. Wobbet

(Continued from part 1. This concludes the article.) As I wandered through my house trying to find the best place to create a second pantry I realized “I have way too much stuff.” I have been astounded at how much my life has improved by starting to declutter my house. I still have a way to go to get to where I want to be, but even the first step of acknowledging “Yes, there is such a thing as too many spare computers and spare monitors and spare cables” lifts a burden off of me. Opening up space in my …


From Unprepared to Prepped – A Beginner’s Guide – Part 1, by Mr. Wobbet

Introduction When thinking of what a “prepper” might look like, I am quite far from your expectations. I am an avid indoorsman who enjoys watching television and having stuff delivered. I am not a gardener, a camper, a hunter, or an adventurer. I don’t have anything against those things, it’s just not who I am. But a collection of life events and experiences have convinced me that learning those skills and adopting an attitude of preparedness is important for myself and my family. Once I made the decision, I had to ask the question of how I get there. I’m …


A Top-10 Prepping List, Multi-Tool Not Included – Part 5, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 4. This concludes the article.) 9. CLOTHES AND A WAY TO WASH THEM It’s hard to believe how many top-10 lists mention ferro rods, manual can openers, plant-identification books, and the ever-present multi-tool without ever mentioning clothes or washing equipment. Clothes last for quite a while if we’re sitting in an office all day but they won’t lost long when manual labor becomes a daily routine. Since we’ll be wearing them at some future point anyway, it’s a good idea to be stocking up on clothes for all of the inflation-fighting reasons already mentioned. At the same …


A Top-10 Prepping List, Multi-Tool Not Included – Part 4, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 3.) 7. ELECTRICITY Prepping for electricity was only on one of the top-10 lists I could find, and wasn’t mentioned at all even on most of the lengthier prepping lists. Of all the things we take for granted in our daily lives, electricity has to be one of the most common. If the Schumer hits the fan, there’s no need to step back to the 1800s and punish ourselves by living electricity free when there are some inexpensive, easy-to-use modern-day options. Too many preppers haven’t gotten past that 1800s mentality and modernized their thought, a conclusion I …


A Top-10 Prepping List, Multi-Tool Not Included – Part 3, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 2.) 5. TOILET Now that we have a warm house, food, water, and a way to defend it all, we need a workable sanitation system. Many preppers won’t have enough water to waste it flushing toilets so an outhouse or composting toilet will be necessary. Regardless of whether you have a flush toilet or something else, find a way to save the urine. Not only is it the best garden fertilizer, it will also speed up the composting process as well. Best of all, fertilizing the pile with urine allows us to add things which we can’t …


A Top-10 Prepping List, Multi-Tool Not Included – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1.) 3. WOODSTOVE Currently, only 1.7% of American homes heat with wood with an additional 7.7% use it for their secondary source of heat. That leaves 90% of Americans without a sustainable way to heat their homes if the SHTF. Don’t be one of those 90% if you want to survive your first post-SHTF winter. Based on those numbers, for most preppers heat will be the second most difficult thing (after water) to prepare for on a long-term sustainable basis. And because it’s so difficult, it’ll be the most neglected topic among their prepping priorities. Don’t ignore …


A Top-10 Prepping List, Multi-Tool Not Included – Part 1, by St. Funogas

A while back, while reading one of my daily economics blogs, I read an article on the top 25 things to have on hand in case the SHTF tomorrow. It was quickly apparent the author was an armchair prepper at best. Many of the non-negotiable items were overlooked, some items would be good for wilderness survival but not post-SHTF survival, and others were common everyday things we already own such as warm socks. Some of the items were unnecessary gadgets. Out of curiosity I did a search for other top-10 lists. The ones I found had the same issues. The …


Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 8, by The Chemical Engineer

(Continued from Part 7. This concludes the article.) 4 – How Much Food Can We Afford To Share With Others? Now, let’s consider the controversial topic of sharing our limited food resources with a neighborhood group. Think of this option like investing money in start-up companies, high risk for the chance at high rewards but in this case the money is our food and the companies are people that need some of our food to have the strength to work on survival projects with us. I will do my best to outline facts and calculations that will help us to …


Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 7, by The Chemical Engineer

(Continued from Part 6.) 3.7 – Improving Our Soil Before A T2E Those with experience growing crops have learned that the fertility of their soil or the ability to add fertilizer has a large impact on crop yields. The best option to prepare for an emergency is to add fertility now into our soil. It is like keeping our vehicles at least half full of gas, it will be ready to use when we need it. When I first started gardening I skimped on improving my soil and most of my harvests were mediocre. When I spent more money and …


Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 6, by The Chemical Engineer

(Continued from Part 5.) 3.4 – Seeds From Stores Stores have seeds in the dry goods aisle, produce section, and on garden seed displays. If it is safe to do so, honestly acquire additional seeds and/or encourage local leaders to protect them for the community’s future use early in a T2E. I don’t believe that evil means can ever produce good ends. The teachings of Jesus Christ clearly don’t give me that option if I honestly want to be His disciple. A crisis is not a time to find exceptions but to find courage, creativity and faith to see who …