Notes from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $600. This auction is for a mixed lot that includes: 1.) A huge lot of DVDs, CD-ROMs and hard copy nuclear survival/self-sufficiency references (a $300+ value) donated by Richard Fleetwood of www.SurvivalCD.com 2.) A custom-made, fully-stocked EMS Medic Bag from Cajun Safety and Survival (a $212 retail value) 3.) A NukAlert radiation detector donated by at KI4U.com (a $160 retail value) 4.) A case (6 cans) of Mountain House freeze dried foods in #10 (96 ounce) cans donated by Ready Made Resources (a $160 value) 5.) An autographed …


Criminal Gangs in TEOTWAWKI — Understanding a Potential Threat, by Ryan S.

This is a brief introduction to criminal gangs and gang culture. It is important to understand gangs as a potential threat that your retreat group could face. I have not intended this to be comprehensive. It would be a very daunting task to list and detail every gang or disruptive group occurring in the U.S. What I intending to do is make you aware of something you may have overlooked. I would like to enlighten the blog readers about another aspect of their situational awareness, namely gang recognition. This could be very important information for many people not just in …


Three Letters Re: Frequency of Firearms Practice

James: I’m writing in response to the woman who has enrolled in the Front Sight “Get a gun” [training, gun and gear] deal. My wife and I (and our two kids) all went to Front Sight in June. I have always been a prepper wannabe. bought several firearms and all kinds of holsters and web gear. My wife really wasn’t interested in firearms.The Front Sight instructors were great. They really took extra time with my wife. She is very proficient now, we practice once a week “dry practice” in the basement when the kids are at school. then about every …


Odds ‘n Sods:

FFF mentioned this interesting forum thread: Going Off Grid in East Tennessee    o o o From our volunteer Economic Editor: Disheartened Wall Street Plunges For Third Straight Session — Paulson Says Troubled Assets Will Not Be Purchased — Best Buy (US #1 Consumer Electronics Co) Slashes Forecast Due To Consumer Slowdown — Bailout Already $3.5 Trillion; Expected To Get Much Bigger — Citigroup Freezes US Home Repossessions — Fannie, Freddie Ease US Mortgage Payments — Oil Falls To 20-Month Low — Dow Could Reach 5,000 By January 2009 — Gloom Commentator Gerald Celente Predicts Revolution — Possible Gun Ban/Increase …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance, self-control, diligence, strength of will, content, and a hundred other virtues which the idle never know." – Charles Kingsley (1819 – 1875)


Letter Re: Frequency of Firearms Practice?

Mr. Rawles; I took your advice and signed up for the Front Sight Gun (XD), Gear & Training special. I’ll be taking my classes in January. I’ve shot my boyfriend’s Glock .45–a “Mini” Glock Model 30– several times out in the desert. Oh, and BTW, I don’t know why the .45 [ACP] got such a bad rep[utation] for “heavy” recoil. It is not bad at all. My conclusion: The 9 Milly is not a “lady’s gun” [caliber]–its actually a round for training children. So I’m getting the .45 version of the [Springfield Armory] XD. My question is, after my boyfriend …


Letter Re: Advice on AR-15 Magazines

JWR: I am a bit confused on your recommendations for magazines for AR-15s. I don’t own an AR yet, but have been buying some magazines (30 round) from the manufacturer I have chosen to buy my AR from (Stag Arms). My question is this: would it be unwise to invest in mags such as Tapco or the Magpul brands? What do you mean by purchasing OEM mags? can these be from any AR manufacturer, even ones that are different from my AR manufacturer? Please clarify your thoughts on OEM versus aftermarket (e.g. Brownell’s, Tapco, Magpul, etc.). Thanks a lot for …


Letter Re: Advice on Sources for Sandbags and Sandbag Filler

Mr. Rawles, You mention about mass and the wisdom in buying sand bags stating ‘they are cheap’. I guess that is relative to ‘something’. I can not find them for less then $2.50 each and that is empty. Have you priced sand lately? Where we live (midwest) it is not cheap. You would need a huge pile of it to fill enough sandbags to do much good for any purpose. So, am I missing something here? Maybe I do not understand the ‘sandbag theory’. Please advise. Thanks, – Polly JWR Replies: In the U.S. there are several good sources for …


Letter Re: Finding Retreat Locales in the US with the Lowest Taxes

Mr. Rawles, I am a fairly new reader, but have been interested and amateur-involved in survival for years now. I came across a solid compendium of tax information on local tax burdens. Scroll to bottom and download Special Report 163. I find it very useful. This might be helpful in deciding on retreat locations, where you can get the most from your money. Thanks, – Stuart E.


Odds ‘n Sods:

Paul D. and Rourke both mentioned this Time article Extreme Green: Living Off the Grid    o o o Thanks to Garth S. for finding this: US May Lose Its ‘AAA’ Rating    o o o The 25% off sale on Mountain House and AlpenAire freeze-dried foods at Ready Made Resources ends in just two days. Don’t hesitate!    o o o News and commentary from the Economatrix: Credit Crisis Tentacles Reach Everywhere — Fed Okays AMEX to Become A Bank — Asian Stocks Fall as Confidence Drop — Countrywide Gas Prices — Crude Oil Falls Below $59/Barrel — These …



Note from JWR:

Today, the US, Canada, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland honor military veterans, and those that made the supreme sacrifice. To those of you that have served, my heartfelt thanks. And for those of you that have lost loved ones, my sincere condolences!


Letter Re: Survival is About Skills–Practice Makes Perfect

Mr Rawles, You’re regularly posting first hand stories about the need to test gear. Imagine my surprise when my arrogance that that didn’t apply to me proved false! You really do need to test equipment and skills! Unused tools (both physical and mental) are useless tools! I store gas for my lawnmowers in two five gallon plastic containers. I figured that I’d pour what was left in them into my car when I put the mowers away for the winter. I know you always recommend being able to relocate more than one tank of gas away, so I figured I’d …


Letter Re: Hunt Packs Available at Cabela’s

James, I often read your blog and have read your novel , “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”, (and have given it as a gift to several folks!) I just wanted to let you and your other readers know about something I found at Cabela’s recently: 3-day and 10-day ‘Hunt’ Packs. These nifty boxes contain a mix of energy bars, gels, drinks, etc. designed for use by ‘Wilderness Athletes’. Aside from the humorous effect of the name, these are quite handy and can be ordered from Cabela’s on-line web store and may provide survival minded people an excellent option for Bug …


Five Letters Re: Full Capacity Magazine Price Increases are Already Here

Jim, I wanted to contribute this the following to your ongoing discussion on high capacity magazines. Selling high capacity magazines is normally a small part of our business, but that changed last week. Between October 31 and today, we have sold more than I normally sell in a year. I had stocked up anticipating increased demand, but was nowhere near prepared for the huge surge in sales that we experienced. A normal order was 3 to 6 magazines, now it is 12 or more and we have had several customers buy in quantities of 100+. As a result, we are …