Letter Re: A New Folding Mo-Ped–a Backup G.O.O.D. Vehicle?

Jim: I have discovered a great mode of backup transportation, the DiBlasi R7 collapsible mo-ped (Also see: http://www.foldingmotorbike.com/). This is a 49cc no-license-required scooter that folds to fit a boat, plane, or car trunk and gets 130 mpg. Their top speed is 30 mph, but it beats walking. Retail is about $2,500 but I have found a deal for $2,000 (with carrying bag) at Wings and Things.(You have to call – no online orders). Cheers, – JB in Tennessee JWR Replies: Safecastle (one of our biggest advertisers) already has a line of folding bicycles. I woudln’t be surprised if they …


Letter Re: Advice on Engine Oil for Motorcycles

James, I’ve been reading your oil/energy columns. Very informative, thank you. It seems I am getting some less than adequate answers to my question posed to my local motorcycle dealers. I have two motorcycle’s (both about 45-50 mpg). Buying ‘motorcycle 20W-50 oil’ or “Harley Davidson [brand] 20W-50″ motorcycle oil is more expensive versus just 20W-50 oil. If you have time, is all 20W-50 the same or should I pay the extra at the motorcycle shop since motorcycle engines run at higher rpm’s and the oil does need to have whatever makes them more resistant to the heat and stresses associated …


Letter Re: Hand Tools–Their Importance, and Sources

Mr. Rawles: In yesterday’s blog, you mentioned that bolt cutters are important to have available. This reminds me of something that my father always taught me: There is no such thing as “wasting” money on tools. With maybe a few exceptions, you can never have too many [tools], because you can use the extra ones as barterables or to pass on to your kids. A lot of things can be improvised, but proper tools can’t [be improvised]. As a prepper, I have a big assortment of tools, mostly hand type. I do have some power [tools], but I consider those …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Desperation selling? Home Sales Post Highest Monthly Gain in 14 Years While Prices Plunge o o o Freeze Dry Guy (one of our most loyal advertisers) told us that because of the overwhelming response, they are extending their May Special through the month of June! This special is for a Mountain House Freeze Dried Meat Variety Pack that includes: 3 – #10 Cans of Mountain House Cooked Ground Beef, yield 81 cup servings 3 – #10 Cans of Mountain House Cooked Diced Chicken, yield 63 cup servings (Total of 144 cup servings.) This package has a retail value of more …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The fact is that liberty, in any true sense, is a concept that lies quite beyond the reach of the inferior man’s mind. And no wonder, for genuine liberty demands of its votaries a quality he lacks completely, and that is courage. The man who loves it must be willing to fight for it; blood, said Jefferson, is its natural manure. Liberty means self-reliance, it means resolution, it means the capacity for doing without . . . the average man doesn’t want to be free. He wants to be safe.” – H.L. Mencken


Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 10 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I will again be sending out a few complimentary copies of my novel “Patriots” as “honorable mention” awards. If you want a chance to win the contest, start writing and e-mail us your article for Round 10, which ends on Thursday, May …


Raising Goats for Self-Sufficiency, by Freeholder

It seems like more and more people are becoming aware of the need to grow some of their own food. Usually they start with a garden, and maybe some chickens or meat rabbits. But eventually, if the family has room for them and the zoning allows, they decide that they need their own milk supply (with a little home-grown veal or chevon [goat meat] as a bonus). Cows have their place, but in many situations goats are a better choice. They are smaller and easier to handle; less expensive to purchase; require less room; and can eat, and even thrive …


Letter Re: Stealth Vegetable Gardening

Jim: An issue with putting in a garden for food security is that your neighbors or passersby know what a tomato or broccoli looks like and may feel inclined to help themselves. While not so much of an issue on a farm, in a subdivision, this could be a problem. Consider putting in a second garden full of what other people would consider weeds. Does your neighbor know what nettles look like and that they are edible? The starving hordes could just pass by your bounty with no need to fight it out . – SF in Hawaii JWR Replies: …


Odds ‘n Sods:

RBS mentioned an interesting article that ran in Popular Mechanics magazine, back in 2001: E-Bombs And Terrorists   o o o “Crazy” to ignore commodities plays, says a JP Morgan fund manager    o o o The derivatives bubble continues to expand, Bloomberg reports: “The global derivatives market grew at the fastest pace in at least nine years during 2006 as the amount of contracts based on bonds more than doubled to $29 trillion, the Bank for International Settlements said today.”    o o o A useful reference on EMP and TREE shielding, from TM 5-690: ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE (EMP) PROTECTION


#1 Son’s Quote of the Day:

“If the statists think that they will ever totally disarm our citizenry, then they are dreaming. Even by conservative estimates there is nearly one gun for every man, woman and child in these United States. Now to put that in context, consider the current “decommissioning” process in Northern Ireland. The whole peace process there currently hinges on less than 800 guns. The IRA won’t give them up. Now please don’t misunderstand me: I don’t support the IRA. It is clearly a terrorist group with a leadership that espouses Marxist philosophy. The reason that I mention the Irish situation is to …


Reader Poll: List Your Top Five Survival Fiction Books and Top Five Survival Movies

“OSOM” suggested this poll: List your top five fiction books and top five fictional movies that help folks learn something useful for survival. OSOM’s comment: “Jim’s novel Patriots has been called a ‘survival manual fairly neatly dressed as a work of fiction.’ I believe that reading fictional tales is critical to prepare yourself mentally and spiritually for hard times, and helps intellectually to work out the variables in different situations.” I’ll kick off this new poll with my own list. Please send your lists in the same format via e-mail and I will post them anonymously. Thanks! Fiction Books: Lucifer’s …


From the Memsahib: Developing Wildfire Defensive Space at Your Home or Retreat

Much of the western U.S. is starting to look dry as the Spring rains are over in many areas and the annual grasses have already gone to seed and turned brown. With major fires burning in several states, it seems timely to discuss the”defensive space” of your property. [JWR Adds: Not to be confused with “ballistic” defensive space, which I recently addressed in SurvivalBlog.] The goal is to prevent a forest fire from reaching your house by reducing the amount of fuel for a fire near your home. When forest fires lack fuel crown fires drop to ground fires. Ground …


Letter Re: Lock Picks as Survival Tools

Mr. Rawles, first off, let me compliment you on your writings. I just finished Patriots, and was highly impressed with it. I’ve already loaned it to a friend to read, and I will probably end up ordering another copy so I can use the book as reference. I have also just ordered your books : SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog – Volume 1 and Rawles on Retreats and Relocation. One item that I haven’t seen on any list of supplies on your site is a set of lock picks. They have many uses, whether around the house or in …


Odds ‘n Sods:

S.H. found an article by Brian Tiemann, describing his tour of the InfoBunker–an ex-USAF facility retrofitted for ultra-secure data storage.   o o o Todd Savage mentioned an interesting retreat property in northern Idaho that he has toured and found worthy: It is an off-grid (PV-powered) 2,000 square foot 5 bedroom house on 40 acres, in Boundary County. The property has “end of the road privacy” and a large pond. For details, contact Todd at his new office in Bonner’s Ferry, at: (208) 946-1151.    o o o SF in Hawaii recommended this Red Cross book on emergency surgery, available …