Letter: Questionable Ammo in Storage

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HJL, Just a quick heads up. As most like minded folks I’ve been storing food and ammo for some time now. Lately .22 ammo has been more readily available so my son and I decided to do a little plinking with our pistols. We each had two mags with our pistols that have been loaded for some time. When we started to shoot 16 of the 20 rounds didn’t discharge. After a bit we reloaded with some ammo that had been sealed and stored and had no problems. The ammo in question wasn’t cheap quality, but rather decent grade. I’m …


Survival To Go, Revisited- Part 3, by JMD

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Today, we are continuing with the revised list of items to carry for survival when traveling, carrying a pack on a flight or otherwise. We are in the midst of going through the content of the main zippered backpack compartment. We’ve covered solar panels, light shelter, lighting, clothing, water, food/energy, and now we’re moving on down the list. Main Zippered Backpack Compartment (continued) “Repair” pouch (because something always breaks when you’re traveling): Assorted sizes of zip ties, including reusable ones, twist-tied together. 8′ of regular paracord 6′ of steel wire 20’ of 400lb Kevlar line 20′ of 1″ Gorilla tape, …


Survival To Go, Revisited- Part 2, by JMD

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We are revisiting what I carry when I travel for comfort and survival. We are looking through my items, as they are organized by their location in my pack, which is a 28 liter Red Rock Outdoor Gear Assault Pack. We’ve gone through part of the pack. Let’s continue on, looking next at the pocket that considers our airport security requirements. Top Front Pocket Pouch- Ready to Remove At Airport Security The next pocket is the small top front pocket (the one with the American flag patch in the picture). This holds things that I’ll need to pull out and …


Survival To Go, Revisited- Part 1, by JMD

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Several years ago, I was fortunate to be able to share my experiences and recommendations on being prepared while traveling on SurvivalBlog (Survival To Go Part 1 and Part 2). However, as most of us know, being prepared is never a “one and done” situation. You have to constantly reassess the threats and risks you face. Adjust your preparations, approaches, and skills to stay aligned with your current situation. The goal of this article is to share how my approach to travel preparedness has adapted in the last three years. I based my approach  on how my personal situation and …


Letter Re: Batteries and Chargers

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HJL, If rechargeable batteries aren’t charged regularly then they are useless during emergency. I keep about 2-3 dozens of AA and AAA in a battery organizer and rotate them. To rotate them, I use battery powered LED strips in bathrooms and in closets. I do that to save energy and to practice blackout situation. For gadgets that run on C or D cells, I use a 2 AA converter case. I have them on my 3D maglite and Coleman lantern and they work great. For chargers, I use Nitecore brand that has different charging current and 12V car adapter. I try …



How I Stopped Worrying and Used P.M.C.T.- Part 2, by D.D.

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Yesterday, I shared my background and how I retreated to my retreat cabin for 83 days.  I reemerged a changed person, maturing from “Doom Prepper” to someone with a greater appreciation for life and nature. I made some changes to accommodate my family and life situation. Still, I found contentment in living what would I would have considered a certain death trap years earlier. How did I do it? My Answer: P.M.C.T. P.M.C.T. stands for Prayer, Mindset, Confidence, and Training Prayer Without faith in something you are truly lost. Whether it is God, peace, humanity, or puppy dogs, you must …


How I Stopped Worrying and Used P.M.C.T.- Part 1, by D.D.

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With the apparent imminent collapse that I have focused upon in my years of preparedness, I was worrying. My focus became a frantic effort. I made plans. Yet, wisdom came with P.M.C.T. “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”-Proverbs 16:9 “Man plans and God laughs…” -old Yiddish adage The Tenth Man Theory In the 2013 zombie apocalypse movie World War Z the hero has a conversation with an Israeli Mossad agent about the Tenth Man Theory. It states (and I paraphrase) that in the midst of military planning, if nine people agree on a particular …


Recipe of the Week: Susie’s Creamy Pie Recipe

The heat of the summer and the busy times call for something fast, easy, and tasty. Try this creamy pie. I highly recommend it. We tried and really liked a mixture of 1 cup blueberries and 1 cup diced strawberries. We also used some fresh cherries from the store for another version, but be sure and remove the pits. Ingredients One pie crust, baked and cooled (empty) 1 small tub of Cool Whip 1 small package of “Fat free” cream cheese 1/4 cup of powdered sugar Packets of Stevia 2 cups of fresh fruit (whole blueberries or pitted cherries, sliced …


Situational Awareness Starts in the Home, by J.G.

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Most everyone tends to start life with very low levels of what is called situational or tactical awareness. These words are often mentioned in the same conversations along with the term OPSEC (Operational Security). These same men are wearing MOLLE covered gear talking about fields of fire. They might also include fatal funnels, eyeballs on targets, heads on swivels, and other tactical lingo. However, in case you didn’t know, situational awareness is for everyone. So where do we begin with this discussion? I’m glad you asked. I believe that tactical awareness, just like kindness, should start in the home. Mom …


Letter Re: Getting Ready For The Long Walk

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Good Day Sir, I writing to you to make amends for an error that was included in a recently published article entitled “Getting Ready For The Long Walk, by Lone Wolf and Cub” on the blog. In the article we discussed a scenario, in which persons may have to walk at least partway to their retreat. In the article, it was incorrectly stated that a tourniquet can be placed on for two days. The correct answer is tourniquet removal should be considered in two hours. My COC recently has informed me the upper limit should be of eight hours. I …


We’ve Been Doing Preparedness Wrong For A Long Time- Part 2, by Old Bobbert

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We’re continuing to take a look at how preppers have looked at “emergencies” versus crises. We must learn the “new old” mindset is that is required. We’ve read about the some of the issues and diseases that caused massive deaths in the mid nineteenth century. Now we are moving on to see what we can do better post-SHTF. Preppers Must Do More To Prevent Sickness Whooping cough, bad water, starvation, freezing, you name it, and they had it. They died from it. We who call ourselves thinkers and preppers must do better. We now know how important the washing of …


Letter Re: Metal Building as a Faraday Cage

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HJL or JWR I will be building a small building to house electronic equipment (batteries for off-grid) and want to protect it from any EMP type of conditions. If we use metal roofing and clad the outside in corrugated metal would that be satisfactory protection? There will have to be ventilation for it too. The equipment will have to be well grounded. HJL’s Comment: If the panels are bonded together well (meaning more than just the 1 screw every 4 feet) and you have some form of conductive flooring also bonded to the building, then yes, it would work. Most …


We’ve Been Doing Preparedness Wrong For A Long Time- Part 1, by Old Bobbert

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Emergencies The word “emergency” was first known and used circa 1631 and is defined as follows: 1: an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action 2: an urgent need for assistance or relief the mayor declared a state of emergency after the flood We, the happy members of “the never well united and non-governmental superior order of universal disaster response practitioners”, are proud to be recognized as “ the perpetually persistent preppers, or the “three peas in the prepper pod”. However, we are also very often guilty of preparing for the wrong event, at …


Letter: Sealing a #10 Can

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Hugh, A friend recently acquired the capability to seal #10 cans. He’s bought a supply of new cans and is still playing around with the concept. He offered me the opportunity to do a few cans of my own. The concept has intrigued me. What would you pack in a #10 can if you could choose the contents? My preliminary thoughts My thoughts are a #10 can would be good for stuff that must stay one or more of these: Oxygen free Dry Sterile Clean