Letter Re: Storing Multipurpose Castile Soaps

Jim, Thanks for your warnings and all the help your novel and blog are to us. In reference to the recent mention of Dr. Bronner’s soaps, I just wanted to pass along some tips on Kirk’s Castile coconut soap. It doesn’t have a lot of added chemicals. I can purchase it at Woodman’s for 79 cents a bar.[JWR Adds: It is also available at reasonable prices from several Internet vendors if bought in full cases.] It can be used as shampoo as well as to brush your teeth. People don’t believe me when I tell them it’s been my shampoo …


Letter Re: Recommendation for Water BOB Bathtub Water Storage Bladder

Dear Mr. Rawles, All the stories recently about power failure and storing water in bathtubs have encouraged me to write to you about the WaterBOB. It’s a heavy duty plastic bladder that you put in your bathtub and then fill with clean water from the tap. It comes with a siphon so that removing the water is easy. IMO, The greatest advantage of this product is that the water remains potable, even though a bathtub is generally not suitable for storing drinking water. The WaterBOB holds 100 gallons. Prices have increased substantially since I first bought mine a year or …


Letter Re: Expect Delays and Confusion During FDIC Settlements

Jim: If Michael A. in Seattle was surprised by his little run-in with the FDIC, I urge him and others to research what happened in Texas during the S&L crisis. That’s within fairly recent memory, just about 20 years ago, not like the Great Depression [which has faded from memory. And this was when the entire rest of the nation’s banking system was largely intact but the S&Ls in Texas (and a few surrounding states) caused all the fuss. Common problems included: 1. Inability to get at checking or savings accounts for months at a time. 2. Inability to get …


Letter Re: Making Alternatives to Commercial Chemical Light Sticks

Hi Jim, I’m a long time reader of the blog and I liked your novel. I have been amazed at your ability to acutely foresee coming events. More and more yours is the first site that I read every day. I noticed your article on glow sticks and I have an excellent upgrade for your readers. Forget using glow sticks and graduate to Krill lights. Now glow sticks still have their place, but 98% of the time this will be a better item to use. I have purchased several of these over the years and have always been impressed. They …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Some more newspaper gleanings, most coming from our Economic editor: Citigroup to buy Wachovia banking operations — Bailout Failure Will Cause US To Crash (For full disclosure, I would append the headline with: “But Bailout Success Will Cause Dollar to Crash”) — UK Banker Leaps To Death In Front Of Express Train — Fed Pumps Further $630 Billion Into Financial System — House defeats $700 Billion financial markets bailout    o o o Hawaiian K. suggested an article over at Treehugger on aquaponics    o o o Reader FFF spotted this: How China has created a new slave empire    …



Notes from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 18 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include: First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article in the next 60 days will be awarded two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value! Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing Round 18 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing …


What Will You Do When Your Stored Food Runs Out?, by Woodsman

What Will You Do When Your Stored Food Runs Out?, by Woodsman Among the multitude of preparations conducted by would-be survivalists, gardening is often minimized in value compared to the physical purchases of beans, bullets, and band-aids. However, in any long-term TEOTWAWKI event, gardening would probably become nearly the sole means of subsistence for your family and as such, it is critical that you make the efforts now to learn the ins and outs of how to produce a year’s worth of fruit and vegetables from your own land. Prior to moving to our retreat, my family lived in a …


Letter Re: Investing in Foreign Currency CDs

James, Today the dollar posted its largest one-day decline against the euro since that currency was created. I am rebalancing my investment portfolio to account for the market’s recent gyrations – and the fact that our government is attempting to make the dollar even more worthless than it currently is. Several years ago I was in a similar mood and found EverBank, a bank that issues a number of CD products tied to foreign currencies (effectively getting your saving out of dollars into something that’s not dollar-denominated). I am not preparing for a complete meltdown or the end of civilization: …


Letter Re: Advice for an Unprepared Greenhorn

Jim, I’d like to add one piece of advice to the “Greenhorn” reader who hasn’t gotten started, but knows he must. After getting the basics you listed, he should start on a food preparedness action plan to feed his family in a crisis. The blueprint for all that is in the great preparedness course you created. I know it’s not cheap, but the mistakes it helps you avoid will more than offset the cost, even for someone on a tight budget. And for that reader who wrote in to share his story, it’s free. Just send me his address, Jim, …


Odds ‘n Sods:

“BeePrepared” wrote us to recommend the Hippo Roller as a method to transport large amounts of water without a vehicle.    o o o Cheryl (our Economic Editor) sent us this raft of news and commentary. The first item should not come as a surprise to you, since I’ve been warning about the derivatives threat for years: Bailout Secret: To Prevent $68 Trillion Derivatives Collapse — Financial TEOTWAWKI: LIBOR TED Spread Flashes Trouble. (“I don’t want to name names, … but there is a silent bank run going on. There are no lines in the street, but it is a …



Letter Re: Advice on Fuel Drums and Fuel Transfer Pumps?

Jim: Do you have any idea where I can get a 50 gallon fuel drum with a manual pump like the one that your previous writer discussed? – SF in Hawaii JWR Replies: You should first consult your local fire code, for capacity limits. This is generally not a problem outside of city limits, but laws vary widely. Needless to say, you should store any fuel cans or drums in a detached storage shed that is away from your house, not in an attached garage! In North America, the fuel drums that the reader mentioned are usually made in 55 …


Letter Re: Impressions of Medical Corps Training

Dear Mr. Rawles: Thanks for a wonderful book and blog site. They are very, very helpful. I also wanted to thank you for a posting I saw last spring on your web site about the Medical Corps class led by Chuck Fenwick, called Field Medicine in a Hostile Environment. Because of that posting, I took Chuck’s course in Ohio in May and found it to be invaluable. I couldn’t believe all the techniques and information imparted in such a short period of time. Although not on the curriculum, when I asked if he’d show us how to give injections, he …


Letter Re: Saving Your Life and Saving Your Relationships–Don’t Drive Your Loved Ones Away

Memsahib, You are “spot on” with your comments regarding “Saving Your Life and Saving Your Relationships–Don’t Drive Your Loved Ones Away.” We are in our early sixties, married for 20+ years, and retired for several years. I’m the “captain,” and handle our finances (with the Admiral’s advice and consent…). That said, the fact is we see the World differently. I am for the most part externally oriented. The Admiral is mostly internally oriented with regard to our home and events, but she indulges me to a certain degree as I wander around studying the situations and circumstances. Often these situations …