Planning Who Shares Your Parachute – Part 1, by L.M.

Imagine that you are a passenger on a large commercial airplane headed to paradise. The people on board are excited, because they are embarking on the vacation of a lifetime. The skies are beautiful and things are going along just fine; then, suddenly, the plane develops engine trouble. There is a horrible metallic bang. The nose of the plane dips. The plane banks down and to the left, and smoke starts coming from the left engine. It is obvious to you that the plane is going to crash in just a few moments. Being the prepper that you are, you …


Our Founding Fathers Were Right, by a Florida Mom

Our Founding Fathers were right, about education, too. Have you ever wondered how a generation with one-roomed schoolhouses produced so many great thinkers? Have you wondered what types of books were available when Abraham Lincoln studied on his own? Unlike many instructional books today, the educational books our founding fathers used were designed for simplified teaching, and self-teaching. They used McGuffey’s Readers, Harvey’s Grammar, and Ray’s Arithmetic. These were not grade level books; they were progressive level books, and they produced great thinkers who became great men. Pioneers could only pack a few books with their belongings, so they picked …


The Long Good-bye, by Captnswife

Well, it has begun. Today, I closed my Paypal account. This is just the first step in the slow and admittedly painful process of disconnecting from the Internet. I’ve known it was coming for awhile, but I can’t say that made it easier. Honestly, I love this thing. The greatest joy in my life was the moment, at age six, I realized that because I could read I would never have to stop learning. The invention of the information super highway was beyond my wildest dreams. It’s the largest and most diverse library in the world, and it’s open 24 …


Understanding Unconventional Warfare As It Applies to Conservative Families, by Swamp Fox

Worldview Before reading a book, watching a youtube video, or obtaining any form of information from any source, a wise consumer will ask a few questions. What is the worldview of the individual imparting the information? Is the individual, who is imparting that information, qualified to do so? Is this person sufficiently capable of relaying this information through his or her chosen means of communication? It is said that one “cannot judge a book by its cover”. I disagree. As a man who has, from a very young age, frequented used book sales in search of hidden treasures among tattered …


Buying in Bulk, What We Have Learned – Part 2, by JSP

A couple of years ago I wrote the initial offering on this subject of buying in bulk for Survival Blog readers, without thinking there would be a second part. However, since then we have learned some new ways to leverage our buying power, I will share that below. Update on Part 1 First, I will give an update on the strategies in the original article. We continue to buy in bulk, as described in the article. Currently, we access wheat for $200 per ton and whole, clean, food grade, non GMO corn for $300 per ton. Much has been written …


“Lay Up” Before Being “Laid Up”, by Wandering Will

Lately, I have seen a growing number of articles stressing that everyone needs to get prepared NOW! They stress that this may very well be your last chance to get prepped up. Is this true? I don’t know, but like many of my friends I do feel that in many areas things are rapidly accelerating. Am I going to give a prediction on when the bottom will drop out? Not a chance. I do, however, feel it’s not a question of “if” but rather one of “when”. Waking Up When did it happen for me? I have always been a …


Choices, Choices, Choices – Part 2, by K.C.

Rifles Continuing with my previous article, I started to think about rifles. There are so many choices out there, and each has their fanboys who clutter the Internet daily with their endless debates—none of which gets anyone anywhere. As I said in the other article, I dabbled a bit in 3-gun. I’m also former military, with combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. I’m also a gun enthusiast, so I’ve owned or played with a wide variety of guns. I’m also a husband and a father, so I needed to consider what the wife and kids, along with the other people …


Choices, Choices, Choices – Part 1, by K.C.

It’s almost holy writ that preppers, looking at guns for defense, should buy a 12 gauge shotgun (preferably a pump), a .308 battle rifle of some sort (M1A and HK seem to be the most popular), and a 1911 in .45 caliber (debate on this rages). For a while, I had all of these, along with some others. Then, I got married; then, I had kids. I did not grow up around guns, really. My father had little to no interest in hunting, and I think we shot the guns we had maybe a dozen times while I was growing …


PVC Survival Gear: How to Make It – Part 5, by J.H.

PROJECT 5: PVC Survival Staff (Walking Staff, Blow Gun, Frog Gig, Fish Spear, Survival Kit)- continued Today, we’re continuing to work through the steps of how to make a survival staff, walking staff, blow gun, frog gig, fish spear, and survival kit. It is versatile and can be whatever you choose to make it and used however you need it. We’ve completed the MAIN section and are currently working on the section containing the frog gig tines. So let’s continue with the process. STEPS: We now want to take this frog gig tines section and connect it to the MAIN …


PVC Survival Gear: How to Make It – Part 4, by J.H.

PROJECT 5: PVC Survival Staff (Walking Staff, Blow Gun, Frog Gig, Fish Spear, Survival Kit) This is one of my favorite PVC build projects! It’s fun to make and can be made with “attachment” pieces for a multitude of different options. The design example I will be using for this article is more basic than some of my very intricate designs. However, I feel this is the most “user friendly” PVC staff build I can explain. There are more “parts” to this piece of survival equipment than the previous projects. If this seems to be too much and you want …


PVC Survival Gear: How to Make It – Part 3, by J.H.

PROJECT 3: The PVC Quiver As with the PVC bow, there are several different types of PVC quivers that can be made. A really simple, no heat version is as easy as taking 2” diameter Schedule 40 PVC pipe that is 18” in length and filling the bottom 1/4 of the pipe with Great Stuff or another spray foam. This easy quiver can be fashioned to receive a belt, can be set on the ground for target shooting, or modified however you would like to attach it to yourself or your gear. Poke your arrows into the foam or drill …


PVC Survival Gear: How to Make It – Part 2, by J.H.

PROJECT 2: The PVC Recurve Bow There are several different types of PVC bows that can be made using heat, minimal heat, or no heat. The example I will be using here is a recurve bow, using heat, that has an approximate draw weight of 35 pounds. You can change the draw weight by changing the length or diameter of the PVC pipe you choose. I have built bows with a draw weight of up to 70lbs, and I have seen others that have made bows with a pull exceeding 100lbs. There are variations of this bow. It can be …


PVC Survival Gear: How to Make It – Part 1, by J.H.

In this article, we will be examining why PVC may be one of your best choices for crafting usable, durable items at a fraction of what you’d pay to buy the items from a store. I will also be providing simple steps for you to follow to easily create five different, unique PVC survival items identified as five projects. The survival tools and gear that I have chosen for this article are all items that I have personally made and have used and tested repeatedly. Some of the methods and ideas that are listed I have learned from other people …


Low Budget Knife Selection for a Novice, by S.G.

I. The World of Knives On the top of all new “prepper” lists is a good survival knife. The knife is a low-tech, multipurpose tool that has served humankind since before the dawn of civilization. To these early men, the side of a chipped flint could butcher an animal carcass for food and clothing. To the modern man, however, there is a dizzying array of choices when it comes to knife selection. This article documents my ongoing journey of knife selection, with my own frugal, low budget perspective. Now, when talking “low budget”, I do not mean cheap. When I …


Prepping on a Budget, by C.G. – Part 2

Weapons/Defense Now for the most contentious issue– guns. Let me preface this by saying that everyone has their pet favorite, and to them that is the only gun that will ever work and it will do everything. Being chased by a grizzly bear, someone will tell you how you can totally take that bear out with your 10/22. Want to go dove hunting? Somebody will tell you how you really need a Barrett .50 cal. to take those tough little suckers down. The reality is that the only gun you will ever need is the one in your hand when …