Review Of The Jøtul F 50 TL Rangeley Wood Stove, by S.T.

First let me state up front that I have heated with a wood stove for over 20 years, so I am not a novice and I understand the use of wood stoves. Additionally, as a person who worked for over 30 years in the defense industry, I also understand that there are products that are ill or poorly planned by engineers who never used the product and/or have large egos and refuse to accept any feedback from the end users of a product. Our previous wood stove was a Regency brand, which we located in a single story home. In …


Letter Re: Donkeys as Pack Animals

HJL, Good info from B.W. We also have donkeys, miniature donkeys. They make excellent pets and fine companions on the trail. We hike and even camp with ours, as well as string them along with their packs behind our mules on trail rides. When introduced properly, they get along fine with the family/farm dogs. We have found their personalities to be very similar to dogs, and they will even lay their head in your lap for attention. Donkeys also make excellent property alarm systems. Our little pair will begin braying at the approach of a car or truck long before …


Total City WTSHTF Survival- Part 2, by NDT

Public Transportation Learn how public transportation works in your area and utilize it, as it could be an asset one day. Also, learn about anything that is public, from restrooms and shelters to tornado shelters. Timing could be an issue, and it could become the closest shelter for a variety of situations. Parks also have water supplies. Know where the water fill ups are. I personally know of some local spots that have hand pumps, which while it is not a secret, few people will think of immediately during a loss of utilities. Memberships Having a few memberships can be …


Guest Article: The Tyranny Of A Cashless Society Coming?

After governments abolish cash in useful denominations, then governments will likely focus upon eliminating personal and commercial commerce through the use of compact high-value commodities, such as gold and silver. This is a natural progression if $100 bills are taken out of circulation in the United States. People today, who are living in the legacy of the Obama economy, already need a fist-full of $20 bills just to buy a week’s supply of groceries, and it’s easy to spend $400 per week on fresh groceries for two people, especially if you buy premium products and organic. Consider the increasing trend, …


Total City WTSHTF Survival- Part 1, by NDT

I’ve been a SurvivalBlog reader for years and grew up prepping. My parents were preppers in the 90’s, so I’ve been through the full spectrum. I love the articles and especially all the news to be found on SurvivalBlog. I appreciate the hard work all the authors have put into their articles over the years and recognize that most individual skills and ideas have been put to ink. I’m going to attempt the 10,000-aerial view in this approach to city survival. My military background taught me to do a risk assessment for everything, and I practice this today. The million-dollar …


Two Letters Re: License Plate Readers

HJL, Depending on the police to find your stolen vehicle is fine, but I would rather have the ability to speed up the process myself by having a GPS tracker in my vehicle. I’ve been watching the kickstarters and fundraising campaigns of several bluetooth and GPS trackers. It seems like there is finally one that works the way I want it to. I intend to use this for my kids, vehicle, RV, and outbuildings at my BOL. I hate the idea of being helpless to recover my property or find my child if the worst happens and they are kidnapped. …


Donkeys As Pack Animals For Survival And Recreation- Part 2, by B.W.

We are fortunate to have a mother donkey and two of her offspring from subsequent years who are both females (jennys). We have had the younger ones since they were foals and have hiked with them and their mother since they were four or five months old. The mother was always on a lead, but the younger one were both on lead and off lead. By doing this we trained the younger ones to keep up with us off lead when we are in wide open spaces. As a result of this, we can hike in the state forests on …


Letter Re: License Plate Readers

HJL, There are lots of comments on defeating plate readers. Before anyone gets too cranked up about defeating them, they should consider that plate readers may be what helps the cops recover their vehicle when it’s stolen. They are a powerful tool and like any other information collection system, I suppose the information can be misused, but I’m not clear exactly how that would happen. Our local police department had a residential burglary with a witness providing a partial plate. Cops ran the partial for similiars and got a picture of the whole plate and the driver and recovered all …


Donkeys as Pack Animals for Survival and Recreation- Part 1, by B.W.

Moving unobtrusively over land with pack animals whether for recreation or in an emergency situation is both enjoyable and possibly a lifesaving endeavor. This article concerns my experience with donkeys as a veterinarian and as someone who has prepared as much as possible over the years for whatever circumstances may arise in the world we live in. I hope this information will persuade you to look into pack animals, such as donkeys, in your preparedness planning if your circumstances will allow. My wife and I have owned and ridden horses for the majority of our lives but got out of …


Letter Re: Total Solar Eclipse 2017

Captain Rawles, You are correct in publishing that Greenville, SC will be in the sweet spot for viewing the total solar eclipse. In fact, schools in the state are already making adjustments to their schedules, either delaying the start of school or dismissing early the day of the event. Your insight into possible traffic conditions highlighted for me the fact that I-26 from Asheville, NC to Charleston, SC should be in the direct path of totality. I’m running scenarios through my head about regular commuters to the three urban hubs in South Carolina and the eclipse watchers. Perhaps I’ll take …


Book Review: Krav Maga Tactical Survival, by D.R.

Published by Tuttle Publishing ISBN: 978-0-8048-4765-0 5 parts, 224 pages with index Between active shooters, the rise in violent crime, and the outbreak of “undocumented shoppers”, many Americans are taking an interest in learning how to protect themselves and their loved ones. This takes many forms, as some people devote their time and money to storing up resources and equipment, others to training with armed and unarmed combatives, and some to both. Any serious practitioner in unarmed combatives will likely have heard of the discipline of Krav Maga. Since Imi Lichtenfeld started training the Israeli military in “contact combat” in …


Recipe of the Week: Old Bay Crab Cakes, by MCA

Ingredients: 2 slices white bread, crusts removed and crumbled 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 teaspoons OldBay seasoning 2 teaspoons parsley flakes 1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard 1 egg, beaten 1 pound lump crab meat Directions: Mix bread, mayonnaise, OldBay, parsley, mustard, and egg in large bowl until well blended. Gently stir in crab meat. Shape into 4 patties. Broil 10 minutes without turning, or fry until golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle with additional OldBay, if you like OldBay. o o o Useful Recipe and Cooking Links: Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? …


Letter Re: License Plate Reader & OPSEC

Hugh, That was a good article and timely. Recently I took pictures of a couple cars to sell on the Internet. I covered the license plates with duct tape for the photos for OPSEC. I pulled the tape off after I was done, and two days later I noticed a very nice dirt film obscuring the letters exactly where the tape was. So just a 3 cent piece of tape placed on different letters or numbers and then removed will collect road film and make your plate unreadable and easy to explain or rub off if you’re pulled over. – …


Two Letters Re: License Plate Readers & OPSEC

James and Hugh, A while back I saw a guy wearing an IR LED hat, to defeat cameras: How To Fool Facial Recognition Cameras and Video …. Plate covers will get you caught; taking out or burning your bulb out will likely get you pulled over and searched if the police decide they are having that bad a day; having no lights out is best. This might help. – F.M. o o o JWR, Another (mostly) legal way to block your plate is to get one of the receiver hitch “baskets”. Some fold up when not in use and block …


Exercising Your Rights vs. Being Nice: When the “State” is at Your Door, by The Recovering Feminist

Disclaimer: I need to be perfectly clear first off. I am not a legal professional; therefore, I have no license to provide legal advice. The information in this article is opinion only and freely available. This is not legal advice. Do your own research and practice due diligence here. Seek out your own legal advice on these issues. This is, however, a matter of Natural Law and no Juris Doctor in the world can trump Natural Law. The Movie Scene In the movie Prince Caspian, do you recall the scene when Lucy is standing face-to-face with her enemy on the …