Letter: Copper 1-Ounce .999 Fine Rounds

JWR, One of the catalogs that I receive has been listing .999 copper rounds (1 1/2″ dia) for sale. All have designs cast into them, with some borrowing classic currency designs like the Morgan and Walking Liberty dollars, and others are more commemorative or political in nature. Are these worth purchasing as a medium of exchange along with the more widely known and accepted silver dollars and rounds? – T.S.G. JWR Replies: In my estimation those are just a sort of lame collector’s coin, with only marginal resale value. You would be paying up to 10 times the spot value …


Crises Preparation- Part 2, by B1

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Home Security Your home should appear shabby, as if you are poor or struggling. (Think of a “redneck trailer park”; no offense is intended.) People living in urban areas will be at a much higher risk for criminal activity. If you look organized and secure, you will be a target for theft, looting, et cetera. You don’t want to directly or indirectly advertise your stockpile or your plan to anyone outside your trusted circle. When you’re doing your shopping for supplies, do it at night. Neighbors see more than you think. When you store (hide) your stockpile, do it in …


Letter Re: A Real Neat Prepper Trick

Hugh, My wife and I have been looking at ranch style houses right now, mostly to see the floor plans and what works and doesn’t. We came across one where the previous owner got an old slide top bar cooler. He removed the cooling system and put a system of copper tubing inside of it and then connected it to the water inlet to his home. Whenever a water spigot, shower, dishwasher were used in the house the water first flowed through the pipes in the old cooler. He used it to store his vegetables that he grew in the …


Crises Preparation- Part 1, by B1

Editors Note: B1 has generously submitted a letter that he sent to his family and loved ones with suggestions for the coming crises. It is impossible to fully plan for the unknown. There is so much information to cover and so many variables and possibilities, that there is no way I can cover them all. For this same reason, this letter may also jump around a bit. Upon many requests and questions I have received over the past several years, and more so in the past couple months, I am writing this letter for your reference. I hope this will …


Letter Re: Backup Electric Power Design Considerations

HJL, I believe R.V. and Expat are referring to AC Coupled inverters. I’ve installed hundreds of offgrid solar systems from 300 to 30,000 watts and I have never used an AC coupled system for an offgrid install. Mainly because it requires more fancy equipment and customization. I don’t feel it gives my customers a good value; it is more complex and less durable. That’s not to say there are not scenarios where it may be the better choice, especially if you are grid tied and net metering. If your readers are interested in the technology, search for “AC Coupled Battery …


When You Get Here, by B.A.

I call this article “When You Get Here” for those whom are planning on moving or relocating to a rural area. It does have some hopeful connotation, as not everyone will be planning nor will everyone who is planning make it. Realistically you should be out of the cities already. Unfortunately, going off of census data from 1996 to 2014 the average U.S. urban population has been climbing from 78% to 81%. For Canada, it was 78% and now 82%. That just means there are more people in resource poor areas. However, let’s assume that you are going to be …


Letter Re: The Sole Purpose of the 2nd Amendment

Hugh, What Prepper Jane said in this piece, I’ve been trying to tell my more brainwashed, left-leaning acquaintances for years; both symbolically and practically, rescinding our right to bear arms would open the gates for the rest of our rights to be either abridged or eliminated completely. It would also make it easy for TPTB to label those who didn’t “go along with the program” as “outlaws”, “domestic terrorists”, and “enemies of the state”. If our public indoctrination centers (…er… schools) had been teaching fact over the years, this would be a hard sell. Alas, instead of reading and learning …


The Sole Purpose of the 2nd Amendment, by Plain Jane Prepper

Unless you have had your head in the sand for the last few months, you know that 2016 is an election year, and this is perhaps the most competitive and heated election we have experienced in many years. Like him or not, it seems apparent to me and many others that President Obama has ignited some of the most divisive rhetoric and heated political arguments in recent history. One thing Americans have always seemed to do is accept each others’ differences. However, a major rift in ideals has been exposed (and perpetuated), the likes of which I have not seen …


No Way!- Part 2, by J.P.

Security Okay, so you stopped and listened and also made a plan and the necessary preparations. Good for you. But the job is not done, sorry to say. More bad news to shoot your fear factor to the moon. With panic all around you, people will not be acting nicely. They will be reacting in a mode of self-preservation for themselves and their families. “Nice” has just flew out the door. You have seen the news reports of historical disasters, where the people are screaming in the streets begging for help because they are not prepared. This power outage will …


Letter Re: Backup Electric Power Design Considerations, Expat and Other Thoughts

HJL: Welding cable is a fine way to cut amperage loss in your line. However, since it is intended by the manufacturer to be used for welding and not solar system, it is labeled for welding and not labeled for building installation. Code inspectors want to see a certain label. They will not accept deviation. After all, an abundance of engineering went into what is in that code. Welding cable use would make pulling a system when bugging out much easier. (I am assuming there are a range of “bugging out” versions with regard to situational haste.) Since you cannot …


Letter Re: Learning Morse Code

Hugh, You may find a quick blurb about the following site gets quite a good reader reaction. As a Ham of just under five years, the best site and aid I’ve found to learn Morse code is at lcwo.net. They focus on the Koch method and have several types of training courses. In just a few weeks of daily training, you’ll find that your comprehension will pick up quickly enough to start picking up operators on the air. – A Ham in Colorado


Letter Re: Situational Awareness and Profiling

JWR & Group, I have more of a question than a comment. I believe myself to be very situationally aware. I make conscience efforts to practice this necessary skill by watching people and thinking through what I see. I consider situational awareness to be both in your immediate environment and the extending. If a new neighbor moves in down the street that is part of my awareness. If my 90 year old neighbor doesn’t take out her trash I notice. These are the subtle changes to my environment that I track. When I am at the mall and I notice …


March in Precious Metals by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover the price action of gold and examine the “what” and “why” behind those numbers. What Did Gold Do in March? Gold had a bit of a roller coaster ride in March. Prices surged after the Fed did not raise benchmark interest rates at its March 16th policy meeting. Later in the month, a series of very hawkish speeches by five Federal Reserve regional presidents pushed gold down from its …


Letter Re: Solar Power

Hugh: It seems straightforward to accumulate the beans, bullets, and band aids, and this site has been a tremendous help. However, solar power seems formidable. Every article I read quickly devolves into talk of how to wire and link things, amps, voltage, et cetera. I am an older professional woman with no mechanical expertise, but I do know that electricity can be dangerous, and I hesitate to do these things myself. It would be a tremendous help if someone could write an article listing simple plug-and-play systems that could be purchased from reputable companies. If they could do it by …


No Way!- Part 1, by J.P.

This is a letter to my fellow Americans. My heart is to help Americans see that which is coming. Okay, take a breath, slow down for a moment, open your eyes, and take a good look. What do you see, what do you hear, and then what do you feel? Something isn’t right. What happened to safe streets, children playing outside alone, and walking downtown to the movies on Saturday afternoon. Why are all of the house doors locked all of the time. Where did our America go? English, who speaks that language? When are we saying the Pledge of …