Two Letters Re: Velcro On Tactical Gear

HJL, You asked about the use of velcro. This is more in the way of everyday carry, but my cover vest has a large velcro panel that the holster for my BUG hangs from. The pocket that this panel is inside of has a velcro closure. I don’t care for the noise of the velcro for tactical reasons, so I have placed a strip of loop on about half of the velcro (hook & loop) to reduce the sound and yet maintain the closure. The gun is a Kahr PM9 so it is light weight. A number of velcro covered …


A Holistic Approach to Packing a 72-Hour Bug Out Bag- Part 2, by C.T.

Water. Though you may die after three days without water, that is most likely in ideal conditions with low exertion. If you have ever gone hiking before, you know that after an hour or so you are pretty parched already, and by the end of a single day you will be pretty much functionally depleted of water and in desperate need of rehydration. Especially if your bug out happens to be in the summer or a very hot time of year, water is going to be the most important element you need to keep going effectively. This is where knowing …


Letter Re: Velcro on Tactical Gear

Hugh, Concerning your request for information, I have never had issues with Velcro on my dive gear. (It’s found on Buoyancy Compensator pockets mostly.) However, on tactical gear, snaps or magnetic clasps are the most silent and easiest to use without issue. With Velcro there is always the possibility that a second, third, or fourth “tear” will be needed if all the hooks haven’t disengaged. With snaps or magnets, it’s far easier and undeniably quieter. If I’m changing mags in a hot zone, the last thing I want to telegraph is my current position by a “riippp” of the Velcro …


A Holistic Approach to Packing a 72-Hour Bug Out Bag- Part 1, by C.T.

A 72-hour Bug Out Bag (a.k.a. Get Out Of Dodge bag) is a pack filled with the necessary items to sustain you while you walk from an unsafe location to a safe location. Usually the scenario is that “home” is no longer safe and you need to go to some predetermined “bug out” spot. This could be either a friend’s or relative’s house, a family cabin, or a government shelter. Basically, you are going on a hiking trip with an expected start and end point on a pre-planned route during what will most likely be a time of great personal …


Letter Re: Felons Voting

Here’s a list of states that allow or don’t allow felons to vote. I really don’t know how I feel about this, because I know several people personally that have been to prison who truly turned their lives around and are good people now. I’m also a little unsure about restoring 2nd amendment rights to them, too. Shouldn’t a person be able to defend himself? On the other hand, I don’t want predators running around armed. Like the law will stop that, but still… I guess restoring rights could be on a person-by-person basis, but the time and resources that …


The Disgruntled Man Epidemic and More Destructive Effects of Feminism, by J

“We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.”1 (C.S. Lewis) Postmodernism willingly allowed for and encouraged the feminist hate we witness spewed nearly everywhere today. There is no censuring the hate, only censuring of objective truth. There is no censuring immorality, only the censuring of natural law. Building on the topic of my previous submissions (Seven Survival Tips for the Modern Feminist and Seven Survival Tips For the Modern Feminist- Take II), I would like …


Letter: IR Floodlights

HJL, I recently had my vehicle broken into in the wee hours of the morning. While we had video surveillance running and though it did indeed capture the image of the perp, I was entirely unsatisfied with it. The camera has built-in IR illumination, but it is only good for about 20 feet. The driveway camera is almost 100 feet from where the break-in occurred and the only reason it got a clear picture is because the dome light in the vehicle turned on illuminating the thief. The camera was unable to see his approach. A quick search of Amazon …


An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure- Part 2, by L.W.

Clean Clothes The first line of defense in protecting the skin is your clothing. Protect the hands by always using gloves appropriate to the task at hand—medical gloves for caring for the sick and injured; heavy duty rubber gloves for washing dishes and a completely different set for bathroom cleaning; garden gloves; and leather work gloves. Beyond the gloves, we also need to use clothing to protect the rest of the body. The better covered the body, the better the defense. Understand that sunscreen will eventually run out or lose its efficacy, so protecting the skin from sunburn (and the …


An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure- Part 1, by L.W.

In 2007 the British Medical Journal polled doctors about what they considered to be the most important medical advance in modern history. While not necessarily a medical advance, clean water and sanitation—the number one answer in the survey—have undoubtedly prevented more early deaths than any other single advancement. The question for us is: What do we do to ensure we have clean water and to promote sanitation when TEOTWAWKI hits? The black plague killed over 75 million Europeans. Why? Rats and their fleas were the major source of spreading Yersinia Pestis– the cause of the black plague. Why were rats …


Letter Re: Doxycycline and Penicillin

Hugh, I am interested in obtaining a supply of doxycycline, an antibiotic used to treat Lyme disease. If bugging out on foot ever became a necessity the exposure to ticks and Lyme disease in my part of the country is quite high. Can you make recommendations for purchasing this medication? I found little to guide me in your archives. I have seen it suggested to get veterinary medications; however when I looked at one major website doxycycline and penicillin where listed as the same drug. I believe that’s not accurate. Who am I to trust? – KM HJL’s Comment: You’re …


Letter: Self-Maintaining Mosquito Trap

With all the excitement about the Zika virus lately I thought I’d share my discovery of an effective low-maintenance mosquito trap. Take a 1/2 oak barrel. Line it with plastic to keep the leakage down. (Most gardening stores sell a plastic tub-like liner for this purpose.) You could just saw a plastic barrel in half I guess, but that’s not very pretty. Put it in a sunny spot and fill it with water. Add two goldfish. Put a bit of shade over part of the barrel for the “fishies” to shelter under. Top off with water as needed through the …


Our Solar System Experience, by F. in TX

Back in 2014, my wife and I installed a 9 KW solar system. The system is an off-grid with battery backup. After about 18 months of use we do like the system, despite the cost and complexity of installation. I spent about a year doing research on which type of system best met our needs and settled on a grid tied system with battery backup, since it would give us the ability to use grid or off-grid power. With most grid tied-only systems, you will be outta luck once SHTF; grid-tied-only systems shut down as a safety precaution. The off …


Letter Re: Nullification vs. Article 5 Convention

Hugh, There is no question that our Federal government is spinning out-of-control. Here is an interesting video, about 3 1/2 minutes. I’m not certain about the legality of nullification due to the supremacy clause and if that’s even relevant, but I am also not a constitutional attorney. I certainly like the concept of nullification better. – L.A.


Project Management for Preppers- Part 2, by B.F.

Let’s focus on techniques you can use. Project management is sometimes compared to a three legged stool. The legs are Time, Cost, and Quality. All three need to be kept in balance so that the stool doesn’t fall over. Another way of saying this is that you can have a project good, fast, or cheap; pick any two. There are a lot of tools available for your use, when you want to design a project. Many are computer based, some are free, and some are expensive. Projects and project management has been around for quite a while, even before we …


Letter Re: Half-Dollars as an Investment

Hi Hugh, I was just reading James’ blog on saving nickels again. I have about a year or more’s worth of coins I’ve been saving. My late wife had rolled $10 worth of halves which I’ve saved. Would it be wise to hold onto them? How about Canadian silver coins? Aren’t they mostly silver? HJL’s Comment: The base metal content of half dollars made from 1971 to 2014 is 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel with a current value of less than six cents. Unless you are able to procure coins of high silver content, they are most likely not worth …