Bugging Out Via Boat, by The Odd Questioner

Let’s look into the near future, when the Schumer has just hit the fan, or is just about to. You have no doubts that things are going to go heinously wrong, and not get better. Now what? The roads are likely jammed, even the rarely-used rural ones. Maybe rains have rendered the dirt roads impassable. You might be able to make it to your sanctuary/bug-out location/palace/bunker, but it will take more gasoline than you have to get there. So – do you give up and resign yourself to be a walking refugee? Not necessarily. What about that big fishing rig …


Two Letters Re: The Disappearing Road Quandary

James Wesley, I’d like to turn the author of the article and others on to Calumet Industries. I’ve purchased the “PSP” from them in the past and had a good transaction. I was purchasing them for a slightly different reason – as bridging planks. The PSP is heavier gauge steel dating back to WWII and are a lot stronger than the more modern temporary road bedding. I cut off the connection tabs along the side and welded on some tubing lengthwise on the sides to further strengthen the planks. These are now strong enough to construct a short bridge to …


Economics and Investing:

Does this sound familiar?: Treasury to tap pensions to help fund government. It is notable that the mass media is presently full of headlines about a banking official arrested for rape. But who is going to bring Tim Geithner to justice for raping millions of taxpayers? (On a similar note, SurvivalBlog reader R.E.T. wrote to mention: “If a private company did this, it would rightly be called theft and the CEO would go to jail.” The Daily Bell interview: David Morgan on the Global Economy, Inflation, Recession and Where Silver Is Headed. File Under “Sweet Irony”: No, it’s not a …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I’m scheduled to be the guest on a podcast with Doc and DEMCAD tonight (Tuesday, May 17, 2011) at 6 p.m. Pacific / 9 p.m. Eastern time. I don’t do many podcast interviews, but I always make the time to talk to my friend Reggie. BTW, one of my previous interviews with him is archived on YouTube.    o o o Hundreds of herbal remedies now outlawed across Europe. (A hat tip to Marilyn R. for the link.)    o o o Loyal content contributor K.A.F. sent this: New Yorkers under 30 plan to flee city, says new poll; cite …



Note from JWR:

We are now just inches away from logging 30 million unique visits to SurvivalBlog. I have an autographed copy of my book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” set aside as a thank-you gift for any blogger with a Alexa traffic rank of 15,000, or less in the U.S. who mentions SurvivalBlog’s 30 million unique visit milestone celebration in their blog, with a link. (Just e-mail me a link to your blog post, and your mailing address.)


Finding Work in Your Intended New Locale

A key goal for many preppers is moving to a lightly-populated region that they deem safe. Except for retirees, the ability to relocate to another state often comes down to the practicalities of finding a job. I hear this all the time from SurvivalBlog readers and my consulting clients. In the American Redoubt region, jobs tend to be lower paying than those on the east or west coasts. Many jobs are related to forestry, mining, and agriculture. Some jobs–especially in the timber industry–are seasonal. Some of the most stable jobs tend to be in healthcare, in city and county government, …


Pat’s Product Reviews: Smith & Wesson Model 329PD

I know a lot of SurvivalBlog readers are fans of .44 Magnum revolvers – when I did my article on the S&W 329 Night Guard, I heard from quite a few of you. What we’re looking at today is the S&W 329PD – the PD stands for Personal Defense. The 329 PD is a super light-weight .44 Magnum / .44 Special revolver that weighs in at a mere 25.1 ounces. That’s not much weight in a gun that will shoot the powerful .44 Magnum round. S&W makes the 329PD with Scandium Alloy for the frame, and Titanium alloy for the …


Letter Re: The Disappearing Road Quandary

Mr. Rawles: I own a pretty densely-wooded 40 [acre property] in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) [of Michigan]. The land on 2.5 sides of ours belongs to a timber company, and the land across the road belongs to the state. We live in a typical “stick built” house. It was built in the 1980s, with lots of big windows and two double-glazed sliding [glass] doors. We are four miles out of a town (about 2,000 population) but our house is only 60 feet from a somewhat heavily traveled county road. So our house is what you would probably call a tactical …


Letter Re: Nickels or Pennies?

JWR: Thanks to SurvivalBlog, I have stashed away my share of nickels, but I began to wonder if it could make sense to sort and store pre-1982 pennies, which are 95 percent copper.  I’ve done some hands-on research in this area, and I believe there’s a way to accumulate pennies, and do so relatively easily and from an investment point of view, more effectively than nickels. The Numbers First, the numbers: If one stashed away $1,000 in nickels, one would have 20,000 coins; each coin is 5 grams, of which 75% is copper and 25% nickel.  So, $1000 in nickels …


Letter Re: Meat Canning Experience

James, I would like to add a note to one of the observations of Don M., regarding re-freezing of meat. I too have heard many times that it is unwise to re-freeze meat or fish. I grew up hearing it. Often it is even implied that it is a health risk. Most folks don’t know why; it’s just what they’ve always been told. Water expands when it freezes, and as we all know, will rupture whatever contains it – even steel pipe. The cells of meat and fish contain a high content of water. When it freezes, it will break …


Economics and Investing:

A 1980 copy of Playboy Predicts the Future for Silver David D. sent this: Speculation explains more about oil prices than anything else John R. recommended a series of charts, showing the sad decline of various currencies since 1970: Your Purchasing Power. JWR Notes: As I’ve written before, currency inflation is robbery in slow motion. Reader Paul G. suggested this by Dave Altig of the Atlanta Fed: Just how out of line are house prices? Clearly, house prices have farther to fall before we see bottom! Shadow Stat Misery Index Highest on Record Items from The Economatrix: Yishai sent a …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Check out the new Rocky Mountain Survival Institute blog. Great stuff!    o o o New Army Ammo Puts Mean in ‘Green’    o o o I just heard that Ready Made Resources has received a small supply of Mountain House freeze dried Diced Chicken, packed in #10 cans. Since the quantity is so small this item is not listed at the company’s web site. To order, please call them at: 1(800) 627-3809.    o o o Ben L. mentioned this very bad court precedent in Indiana: Court: No right to resist illegal cop entry into home. This is a …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it." – Thomas Jefferson, from a letter to Joseph Milligan, 1816


Notes from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 34 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo , and …